Summary: Ten Years Gone...
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Buffyverse except what I have created in original characters.
Feedback: Rean of the Coilm
Pre-fic Comments:
I'd write about how I'm feeling, but you don't want that. You want fic. If I have avoided a commenter's name as a student's name, don't take offense, it's just that in real life people don't introduce themselves as Trogdor The Red Dragon or the Lord of Nightmares or whatever.
You'll have to forgive my measurements. I find Imperial to be a useful ballpark figure, in a "He go thattaway" fashion. More accurate measurements will almost /always/ be in metric.
Anyone else seen the Read or Die TV eps that have started coming out?
* * *
Deep beneath the ice, a large cavern existed. The light from above shone down, refracted through ice crystals into a bizarre hodgepodge of pure white and rainbows. Very few of the buildings reached up to the ceiling of the hundred kilometer long cavity, numbered among the monstrous ice pillars dotted throughout in their size.
The mighty Temple stood in the center of the city, the towers at each corner of the open courtyard inside demarcating the worship are. Around the compound like compass points were eight towers, solid and unshakable to the Temple's thin, wisp-like minarets. To the east was a huge stone structure, cathedral like in it's size.
The Tower of the Astronomer had occupants for the first time in hundreds of millenia. The giant building containing the Farcrystal of Sa finally had feet treading it's ancient stones. A face appeared at the window briefly, before a dozen others joined it.
"Okay, boytoy, where are we goin' for the next date?," Faith asked. "Because this is wicked cool."
"I have no idea," Xander said absently. "We still have to map out the place and find the Temple and the Histories."
"There isn't a lot of building by that altar in that open area," Keith said, binoculars in hand.
"Er, I would suspect that the bulk of the religious chambers are underground," Giles said. "Or contained in that, ah, cathedral."
"Well, nothing's happening up here," Buffy said. "Except cold, we've got cold going on."
* * *
They found in the center of the Tower they'd entered via the top an immense cylindrical chamber lined with mirrors. Despite the passage of time, none of the reflective surfaces were marred. At the bottom of the chamber was a crystal dish with no visible method of controlling it, and no visible display.
"What is this, some kinda telescope?," Jens asked. "Where's the controls?"
"Stairs... auxillary observation... uh, what should I label this room?"
"Central Scope, Bill," Xander said. "Bill, you and Keith can stay here and map out whatever you want, try to figure out how to make this thing work. Don't break anything, unless you can get a replacement from K-Mart."
The two students absently nodded as they wandered off.
"Right," Giles said, rubbing his hands. "Onto the Temple!"
* * *
Xander looked at the altar. They'd somehow managed to get to the open air Temple, and were examinining the above ground parts before they investigated the stairs they'd found going into the ground.
The altar was made of stone, with a three feet square area raised about two feet from the dais that the altar was placed on. A metal tripod held a blue diamond above it. The Gem was obscenely large, almost a foot across, and had eight faces.
"Come to Papa," one of Giles' students said.
"John, /try/ to control yourself," Giles sighed. "German, don't think I can't see you reaching for it."
"This was the Purification Gem," Xander said. "According to legend, it purified the people into one of the five subraces."
"That's so pretty," Willow said. She'd been in shock since the window in the Astronomer's Tower.
"How'd they make this rock work?," Faith asked, sitting on the edge of the altar.
"Uh, blood," Giles blinked. "The stuff acted as a trigger and a catalyst for the reaction."
"Well, let's check out the rest of this place," Jens said.
* * *
Half an hour later, the group were gathered back at the altar in the middle of the courtyard.
"Did anyone else check the towers?," Buffy asked. "Because they are /so/ worth the walk. This place is amazing."
German held up a profusely bleeding hand sheepishly. It had a strip of shirt tied around it. "Uh, I cut my hand on a knife down in a storeroom by accident."
"I've got some bandages," Willow said. "Medic girl here."
"Great!," German said. "Here."
The student reached over the altar to let the red headed witch bandage his hand. Xander put out a hand to stop him, too late, as the group watched three crimson drops fall onto the brilliant blue diamond.
"Bugger," Giles said with feeling.
A surge of light flooded out from the Gem, continueing in a haze that washed over the group, permeating them.
* * *
Post-fic Comments:
Here, you get to have a say. The five subraces mentioned are Draconis Nematoda, Draconis Biped, the Priests, the Wizards, and the Mazoku. Nematoda are your dragons of D&D, Biped are your anthro dragons, Mazoku are your beings composed of black magic, Priests are your priest dudes, and Wizards are wizards.