SEVEN
Wyatt made a throwing motion as if to cast a fireball directly at Lucan. The Avatar brought his hands up in a defensive motion intent on using his own magic to block that of his opponent. Except that nothing happened. No fireball or any form of magic was cast from Wyatt's hand. And no magical shielding appeared for Lucan.
Simultaneously, the demons with Wyatt each attempted to cast fireballs at their intended targets. Their instructions had been clear. Simply kill everyone in the manor. But no fireballs materialized. Several of the demons looked at their hands in total amazement.
Spike, Angel, and Buffy had no magical powers to rely on. Instead, they did as they always did. They began to pummel their opponents with their greater-than-human strength and reflexes. Many of the demons were taken by surprise when their magic did not manifest. The three defenders were definitely on the winning end, at least initially.
Giles had no such strength or reflexes. All he apparently had was a large tome he had been looking through. When he realized the demon before him was startled by the fact it wasn't able to cast a fireball, the former Watcher seized the opportunity. Wielding the tome as a weapon he struck the demon directly in the face with it, sending it careening back against the wall, stunned.
Chris attempted to use his own magic against a demon but found it just as useless. Phoebe and Paige struck out against their own opponents knowing that most of their powers weren't offensive in nature. Willow, finding her own magic as mysteriously absent as the rest, was less equipped than the others. She had rarely had to rely on physical prowess. She backed away as one of the demons struck out at her with its fist, narrowly missing the young witch.
In a state of confusion The First attempted to simply teleport out of the manor. Although its magic was substantial, it reasoned that something must have been blocking the magic in the manor. If it concentrated all of its magic in a single burst, it might be able to overcome the blocking and get out of the manor unscathed. It failed to teleport completely.
The three Avatars weren't faring any better than Willow. Like the young witch, they had normally relied on their magic for decades. They were ill equipped for a physical confrontation. Although they were successfully defending against the attacks by their respective demons, it was only a matter of moments before one of them made a mistake.
Leo suddenly appeared at the head of the stairs, tears in his eyes. It was evident what had happened. He hadn't made it to the nursery in time. Lucan's energy ball had vanquished the young child who didn't even have the opportunity to defend himself. Leo's normally pacifistic nature was completely overwhelmed by the anger and hatred he now felt for the Avatar. The Dark Mage had murdered his son. Even though he was an Elder, he was still a father. And, at the moment, that was of paramount importance to him. Lucan would pay for his crime, Leo swore to that.
Piper quickly recovered from her "breakdown" and rose to join in the fight. She turned on the nearest demon and, with the rage of a grieving mother, turned her explosive power on it. Except the demon didn't explode. Her power seemed to be as non-existent as the others. The demon smiled, seeing what he thought to be a defenseless witch with no powers.
Its glee didn't last long however. As it moved in for the kill, Piper suddenly sidestepped the attack and pulled an athame from the back of her belt. She drove the dagger completely into the demon who sputtered once in shock, and then fell dead to the floor.
The battle was not going well for the defenders. Spike, Angel, and Buffy were barely able to fend off the attacks of the demons they fought. The demons were equal in strength and agility to the three and were as used to physical combat as they were. Neither side could gain the upper hand.
Paige suddenly pulled out the explosive potion Piper had made. She threw it on the demon standing in front of her expecting the demon to explode as they had done so many times before. Instead, the vial shattered and simply covered the demon in the liquid potion that apparently had no affect. Phoebe tried the same thing with the same results. Willow was furiously defending against the attacks by the demon she faced and was unable to pull out her potion.
The battle wouldn't last much longer. Angel and Spike, being vampires, could hold their own against most demons. But even sheer numbers could overcome them. Buffy, although human, was the Slayer. She was stronger, faster, and more agile than the vampires. But even she couldn't defend against all of the demons.
Phoebe had her martial arts skill but compared to Buffy she was an amateur. She was able to keep the demon she was fighting at bay but it was larger, stronger, and faster than she was. Eventually she would tire and the demon would have the upper hand.
The rest of the defenders were all human. All, with the exception of Giles, had magical abilities they had come to rely on. Abilities that had served them well in the past. When they were forced to use physical strength, they were usually able to defend themselves quite well.
But the number of demons they faced was just too great. Without their magic they were vulnerable to the demons. And the demons fought with the fury that they were so well known for. All of the demons saw their victory over the Charmed Ones close at hand. And since the witches, and none of their friends, had any magical powers, they would be easy prey for the larger, faster opponents. It would only be a matter of minutes before the greatest champions for the forces of good would be destroyed forever. And they would gain the added advantage of three Avatars as well. It was going to be a glorious day in the underworld.
Wyatt made a throwing motion as if to cast a fireball directly at Lucan. The Avatar brought his hands up in a defensive motion intent on using his own magic to block that of his opponent. Except that nothing happened. No fireball or any form of magic was cast from Wyatt's hand. And no magical shielding appeared for Lucan.
Simultaneously, the demons with Wyatt each attempted to cast fireballs at their intended targets. Their instructions had been clear. Simply kill everyone in the manor. But no fireballs materialized. Several of the demons looked at their hands in total amazement.
Spike, Angel, and Buffy had no magical powers to rely on. Instead, they did as they always did. They began to pummel their opponents with their greater-than-human strength and reflexes. Many of the demons were taken by surprise when their magic did not manifest. The three defenders were definitely on the winning end, at least initially.
Giles had no such strength or reflexes. All he apparently had was a large tome he had been looking through. When he realized the demon before him was startled by the fact it wasn't able to cast a fireball, the former Watcher seized the opportunity. Wielding the tome as a weapon he struck the demon directly in the face with it, sending it careening back against the wall, stunned.
Chris attempted to use his own magic against a demon but found it just as useless. Phoebe and Paige struck out against their own opponents knowing that most of their powers weren't offensive in nature. Willow, finding her own magic as mysteriously absent as the rest, was less equipped than the others. She had rarely had to rely on physical prowess. She backed away as one of the demons struck out at her with its fist, narrowly missing the young witch.
In a state of confusion The First attempted to simply teleport out of the manor. Although its magic was substantial, it reasoned that something must have been blocking the magic in the manor. If it concentrated all of its magic in a single burst, it might be able to overcome the blocking and get out of the manor unscathed. It failed to teleport completely.
The three Avatars weren't faring any better than Willow. Like the young witch, they had normally relied on their magic for decades. They were ill equipped for a physical confrontation. Although they were successfully defending against the attacks by their respective demons, it was only a matter of moments before one of them made a mistake.
Leo suddenly appeared at the head of the stairs, tears in his eyes. It was evident what had happened. He hadn't made it to the nursery in time. Lucan's energy ball had vanquished the young child who didn't even have the opportunity to defend himself. Leo's normally pacifistic nature was completely overwhelmed by the anger and hatred he now felt for the Avatar. The Dark Mage had murdered his son. Even though he was an Elder, he was still a father. And, at the moment, that was of paramount importance to him. Lucan would pay for his crime, Leo swore to that.
Piper quickly recovered from her "breakdown" and rose to join in the fight. She turned on the nearest demon and, with the rage of a grieving mother, turned her explosive power on it. Except the demon didn't explode. Her power seemed to be as non-existent as the others. The demon smiled, seeing what he thought to be a defenseless witch with no powers.
Its glee didn't last long however. As it moved in for the kill, Piper suddenly sidestepped the attack and pulled an athame from the back of her belt. She drove the dagger completely into the demon who sputtered once in shock, and then fell dead to the floor.
The battle was not going well for the defenders. Spike, Angel, and Buffy were barely able to fend off the attacks of the demons they fought. The demons were equal in strength and agility to the three and were as used to physical combat as they were. Neither side could gain the upper hand.
Paige suddenly pulled out the explosive potion Piper had made. She threw it on the demon standing in front of her expecting the demon to explode as they had done so many times before. Instead, the vial shattered and simply covered the demon in the liquid potion that apparently had no affect. Phoebe tried the same thing with the same results. Willow was furiously defending against the attacks by the demon she faced and was unable to pull out her potion.
The battle wouldn't last much longer. Angel and Spike, being vampires, could hold their own against most demons. But even sheer numbers could overcome them. Buffy, although human, was the Slayer. She was stronger, faster, and more agile than the vampires. But even she couldn't defend against all of the demons.
Phoebe had her martial arts skill but compared to Buffy she was an amateur. She was able to keep the demon she was fighting at bay but it was larger, stronger, and faster than she was. Eventually she would tire and the demon would have the upper hand.
The rest of the defenders were all human. All, with the exception of Giles, had magical abilities they had come to rely on. Abilities that had served them well in the past. When they were forced to use physical strength, they were usually able to defend themselves quite well.
But the number of demons they faced was just too great. Without their magic they were vulnerable to the demons. And the demons fought with the fury that they were so well known for. All of the demons saw their victory over the Charmed Ones close at hand. And since the witches, and none of their friends, had any magical powers, they would be easy prey for the larger, faster opponents. It would only be a matter of minutes before the greatest champions for the forces of good would be destroyed forever. And they would gain the added advantage of three Avatars as well. It was going to be a glorious day in the underworld.
