The Chosen One

Episode 23 (Part II)

            Willow handed the scythe to Buffy. She gripped it tightly and glanced down into the hole. She was ready. She could feel the power in the scythe radiating again.

            "Is everyone ready?" she asked.

            One by one, everyone nodded.

            "Good!" she exclaimed, "Let's go!"

            She turned away from the group and then leapt into the darkness that awaited them all down in hell. She landed on her feet and glanced around. It looked different this time around. There was no ring of fine. It was a large cavern. It was just a large, empty, cavern.

            Buffy walked forward, holding tightly to the scythe. She was ready for anything. A few moments passed and soon her friends and the girls began to appear behind her. Angel was the last one down. They all came up behind her, glancing around, and holding their weapons, ready for battle.

            "It's deserted," Danielle said.

            "Be on your guard!" Buffy commanded.

            Faith came up to her side, holding an axe; Willow came up on her other side. Angel and Spike brought up the rear, protecting the girls if anything got them from behind. The large group continued walking along.

            "Slayer!" someone shouted.

           Buffy glanced around, looking for the source of the voice. She couldn't find anything. That's when the First appeared, a few feet in front of her. It was in the form of her.

            "It's nice of you to drop by," Buffy/The First said, "But don't you think its kind of stupid to risk your life by coming down here into the Hellmouth and attempting to take on my army of Ubervamps?"

            Ignoring the First, Buffy commented, "I like what you've done to the place. But I think it could use more color. You know cavern-like paint isn't exactly exciting."

            "It strange how you can make jokes even though you're about to die," Buffy/The First told her.

            "You're taking all the fun away from it," Buffy responded, "You Big Bads are all so humorless. Lighten up!"

            "I have a few surprises in store for all of you. You just wait and see. Then I'll be the one laughing," Buffy/The First countered.

            "Give it your best shot!" Buffy shouted.

            "Prepare to meet my army!" Buffy/The First shouted.

Sunnydale High School:

            "So, you used to be principal of this school?" Jake questioned.

            "Yeah before all this started happening," Wood replied.

            Jake and Wood were situated at one of the doors to the basement. Buffy had ordered them to guard it while she and the others went below. They were to let nothing in and nothing out.

            "So what are you doing sticking around here?" Wood asked.

            "Well last year, I was a Council Operative," Jake answered, "My best friend was a slayer and we had to free Sunnydale from the wraith of the evil vampire queen, who was my ex-girlfriend, also a slayer."

            "Sounds like you've had it rough here," Wood said.

            "Yeah, I haven't really fit in here since I freed Buffy from that cell way back when," he went on, "I even left after a while, but was destined to come back because my friend had been killed and now my new girlfriend was the slayer."

            "Seems like you're drawn to slayers," Wood commented.

            "You know, I never really thought about it," Jake said, "I think you're right though."

            Suddenly there was a loud crash! They turned their attention down the hall. It sounded like someone was trying to break into the school.

            "Well, that's never a good sound," Jake said.

            "What do you think it is?" Wood asked.

            Jake was no longer facing the same direction would was. He was looking down the other direction.

            "Bringers," he mumbled.

            "Do you think?"

            "No, I know," he replied.

            "How?" Wood asked.

            Jake aimed his crossbow and fired down the hallway.

            "What the hell are you doing?" Wood shouted, "You're wasting ammo."

            Jake didn't reply. The crossbow reloaded and he shot another bolt. Wood looked up in horror. A whole army of Bringers were headed down the hallway. There came another crash down the other way. The two spun around to see more Bringers coming in from that side. They were cornered.

            "We're so screwed," Jake muttered under his breath.

            "What do you say, you wanna run?" Wood asked.

            "Sounds fine with me," Jake replied.

            Wood pulled open the basement door and the two of them slipped inside. Jake found a piece of metal at the bottom of the steps. They used it to barricade the door.

            "Let's go find that room with the seal," Jake said.

            The two headed off into the dimly lit basement maze.

The Hellmouth:

            Buffy and Faith stood side by side, gazing at Buffy/The First. The girls, Willow, Angel, and Spike were behind them, all ready for the fight. They had received training from Buffy and were ready to fight side by side with her.

            "My army is ready," Buffy/The First told them, "Prepare to face your demise!"

            Suddenly thousands of Ubervamps appeared from behind the First. They were all carrying some sort of staff. They snarled and growled at the small group they were about to kill. A look of fear crossed everyone's face, except Buffy's. She just stood there, standing strong.

            "Attack!" Buffy/The First shouted.

            The Ubervamps began to charge towards the group. The growled in fury as they ran, raising their weapons.

            "Everyone ready?" Buffy called.

            She raised the scythe above her head.

            "Attack!" Buffy shouted.

            The girls held their weapons in attack position and ran towards the approaching army of Ubervamps. They had Buffy and Faith leading them. Buffy brought the scythe back and then sliced cleanly through three Ubervamps. She continued running.

            Soon, everyone was spread out, fighting their own opponents. The echoes of shouted and crying were heard throughout the large cavern as the first continued.

            Faith was easily holding her own against the Ubervamps. She swung her axe and decapitated one. She brought the end metal end back and pierced another in the heart. It turned to dust. She swung the blade around and gutted a third through the dust of the previous one. She smiled as she dusted two more. But her smile quickly changed to a look of horror as she was attacked from behind by three of them. They knocked her to the ground and began pummeling her.

            The axe had been knocked from her hands and was lying a few inches within range. She reached for it, but it was picked up. She glanced upwards and saw that a fourth Ubervamp had claimed it. The massive vampire raised it to attack. Faith gasped in fear. She knew what this would come to.

            The vampire howled in pain. It dusted. So did the three that were attacking her. She slowly rose to her feet. Buffy was standing there, holding the axe in her hand. She handed it back.

            "Thanks B," Faith said.

            "Come on, let's do this," Buffy replied and headed back into the battle.

            Willow was using fire spells against the vampires. They seemed to work best. She easily torched a large group of eight or nine of them that we heading towards her. She heard a loud scream and turned to her right. She saw Danielle surrounded by five Ubervamps. She chanted another spell and then dashed over to help.

The spell had given her strength and she easily tossed aside three of them. She backhanded a fourth and lifted the fifth clear off the ground. She tossed it on to a near by stalagmite. It dusted.

"Are you alright?" she asked Danielle.

            "Yeah, I'll be fine," the girl replied.

            Both of them ran off after more Ubervamps.

Sunnydale High Basement:

            After a half hour of searching for the seal, Jake and Wood had finally found it. They weren't the only ones there though. Giles, Xander, Anya, and Andrew were all seated against the wall.

            "What happened with you guys?" Jake asked.

            "A large group of Bringers got into the school. We were surrounded on both sides and had no choice but to leave our posts and head down here," Giles replied.

            "The same goes for us," Anya added.

            "I'm guessing that the same thing happened with the two of you?" Giles questioned.

            "Yeah, there was like thousands of them," Jake answered.

            "Hello?" Andrew questioned.

            "What is it?" Xander asked.

            "Don't you all realize that they will be down here after us shortly?" he asked.

            "Well then I think we will be able to handle them," Wood replied.

            "He's right," Giles agreed, "There is only one door and only so many of them can get in at one time. We should be able to take them out pretty easily."

            That's when a loud bang came from the large, steel door. The group turned to face it, drawing their weapons.

            "And I'm guessing that they're hear already," Xander said.

            "Ready yourselves!" Giles commanded, "They'll be in here shortly."

            There came several more bangs and then finally the door busted open. Several Bringers were standing in its place. Anya and Jake fired their crossbows at them. Some dropped, but there was still too many.

            They entered the room and the attack began. Giles swung a mace, knocking a few of them to the ground. Wood decapitated two with the swing of an axe. Xander toppled a few with his mace, slowing the descent down a bit. Jake and Anya continued firing crossbow bolts into the oncoming Bringers. They were dropping like flies, but every time one was killed, two more filled its space.

            Giles swung the mace again, knocking two into the wall. The third one, he knocked down into the Hellmouth. More Bringers were piling into the large room. Soon enough, they had the group completely surrounded around the seal.

            "We're screwed," Jake commented.

            "We have only one way to go!" Anya shouted.

            "No, we can't!" Giles commanded, "We have no clue what Buffy and the others are facing down there. If we head down there, we'll be letting Buffy down."

            "He's right," Wood agreed, "We can't let her down now."

            Jake reloaded his crossbow and fired at the one side of Bringers. Anya fired at the other side. Giles and Xander managed to knock more of them back into the crowd. Wood and Andrew easily decapitated several more of them. Unfortunately, Wood had gotten slashed across the back by one and was badly injured. He kept fighting though.

            Anya was firing bolts into the army. She was knocking them down quickly. But soon, they began to close in on her. She couldn't hold them off very longer. Neither could Andrew or Wood, who were helping her. One Bringer got close enough and knocked the crossbow from her hands. She screamed in fear.

            A few more Bringers approached the now unarmed Anya. She turned and made a dash for the crossbow. As she bent down to pick it up, she screamed in pain. A Bringer had stabbed her through the back.

            "Anya!" Xander shouted, quickly knocking away the Bringer with the mace.

            Xander was quickly knocked away by five more Bringers. Anya fell to the ground, gasping in pain as the Bringers continued to attack her. Within moments, they left the fallen girl. She was dead. She had been stabbed multiple times.

Xander gaped in horror at what had just happened to his ex-girlfriend. With a burst of adrenaline, he charged the Bringers, mace swinging, knocking them all over the place.

The Hellmouth:

"Molly!" Kennedy shouted, "Look out!"

            But the warning was too late. Molly was slashed across the back by an Ubervamp. She cried out in pain as its claws tore up her back. Two more descended on her, ripping her to pieces.

            "Oh my god!" Kennedy shouted.

            She rushed over, slicing the three vampires in half with her sword. She looked down at the pieces of her fellow slayer.

            "It'll be okay," Buffy said, coming up behind her, "I've said this before, some of us will die."

            She shoved the scythe back. It stabbed an Ubervamp in the heart, dusting it.

            "Some of us will live and we will have a story to tell about how we won," Buffy went on, spinning around and slicing two more in half.

            Kennedy stabbed her sword into an Ubervamp approaching from her left.

            "I see what you mean," she replied.

            Buffy smiled and sliced another across the chest. She followed in up with a blow to the head. It dusted. She stabbed another through the dust.

            "Catch you later," Buffy said and headed off to help the others.

            She was too late to help Amanda and Rona though. She reached the two just as Amanda was clawed to shreds. Her body fell to the ground, next to Rona's. Buffy swung the scythe, decapitating the five that had killed the two girls.

            "Watch your back, B!" Faith called.

            An Ubervamp had come up from behind and stabbed her in the back. Buffy gasped in pain. She fell to her knees, blood seeping from the wound in her chest. Faith decapitated the Ubervamp and came up beside her.

            "Are you okay, B?" Faith asked.

            "Hold the line," she replied, handing the scythe to Faith.

            "Are you sure?"

            "Yes."

            Faith spun around and swung the blade, cutting an Ubervamp right down the middle.

            "I can feel its power," she whispered and headed off.

            Buffy fell to the ground. She was laid face-first in the dirt. She was in pain

            "Oh no…ow!" Buffy/The First said, appearing in front of her, "Mommy, this mortal wound is all…itchy. You know, all that time, all those ghosts appearing to you, the shape shifter, the angel, everything, it was all me. I fooled you all. That sorcerer was a minion sent to toy with you. He was never supposed to kill you. That was my job."

            Buffy didn't say anything. There was a lot of pain, too much. But she had to do something. She couldn't just abandon her friends now.

            "You pulled a nice trick," the First said, "You came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?"

            "I want you…to get out of my face!" she shouted, gathering all her energy and rising to her feet.

            The First disappeared and Buffy dashed off in the direction Faith had gone. She winced in pain as she ran. She found Faith a several feet away, easily slicing apart the Ubervamps.

            Meanwhile Angel and Spike were busy fighting off their own opponents. Spike side kicked an Ubervamp and Angel staked it. Spike spun around and plunged the stake into another Ubervamp. It dusted. Soon, the two vampires were knocked back.

            Buffy approached Faith and hacked the head off an Ubervamp with the axe. She ducked a punch and jabbed the axe into another. It dusted.

            "Good to see you up, B," Faith said, gutting one of the massive vampires.

            "I see your handling the scythe well," Buffy replied, decapitating another.

            "Yeah, but it doesn't feel right using it," Faith went on, "It's yours, so you should use it."

            Faith tossed the scythe to Buffy, who tossed the axe back to Faith. Buffy caught the scythe and stabbed the pointed wooden end through the chest of another Ubervamp. That's when her eye caught something. She noticed Spike and Angel were getting beat pretty badly. She rushed off to help them.

Spike was lying on the ground, being kicked in the side. Several of his ribs cracked. He winced in pain as another kicked him into a stalagmite. Just as an Ubervamp was about to kick Spike again, Buffy arrived and easily staked it. She helped Spike up and the two ran to Angel's side.

She made quick work of the three Ubervamps attacking Angel. She helped the vampire to his feet.

"Angel, this doesn't look good," she informed.

"What do you mean?" he asked, tossing an Ubervamp aside.

"What is we can't beat the army?" she asked, "Angel, I'm going to need someone for backup if I fall."

"You mean me?" he asked.

"Angel, I need you to go back to LA and set up a second front if I do fail," she answered.

"I'll do that, Buffy," he told her.

He turned to go up the ramp leading to the hole connecting the Hellmouth to Sunnydale. He stopped and turned back.

"I almost forgot," he began, pulling out an amulet.

"Angel, it doesn't match anything that I have," she said sarcastically.

"It's not for you," he said, "It's very powerful and probably very dangerous. It has a purifying power, a cleansing power. It bestows power to the right person that wears it."

"And that person is?" she questioned, staking another Ubervamp.

"Someone ensouled, more than human, a champion, as in me," he told her.

"Or me," she said.

"No," he said, sternly, "I don't know nearly enough about this to risk you wearing it. Besides, you have that really cool axe-thing going for you."

He handed it to her and she slid it into her pocket. Angel turned and made a dash for the exit.

"Buffy," he called before climbing up, "Good luck."

Buffy looked around for Spike. He had walked away while Buffy was talking and was now fighting off the Ubervamps again. One knocked him to the ground. Buffy ran over and quickly dusted the three that were attacking him. She helped him to his feet.

"Give it to me," he stated.

Buffy reached into her pocket, pulling out the amulet.

"Angel said it was meant to be worn by a champion with a soul. He said it was dangerous, something about it having cleansing power."

Spike looked hurt. She wasn't going to give it to him. He looked up and smiled when she put it in his hand.  He placed it around his neck. The two rushed back into battle.

Sunnydale High Basement:

            With Anya now dead, the group continued their onslaught. They weren't doing much good though. There were just too many Bringers to fight off. They were doing their best, but it just was not enough.

            "Giles!" Xander shouted, "We're losing it!"

            "Keep fighting!" he yelled back, "We can't give up!"

           Xander swung the mace, sending a few Bringers flying backwards into the crowd. He was getting tired, they all were.

            "Need a hand, guys?" someone asked.

            Xander glanced over to the hole in the ground. Angel pulled himself out of the Hellmouth. Angel stood tall and knocked away two Bringers.

            "What's happening down there?" Giles called, noticing Angel.

            "They're doing fine, but Buffy told me to return to LA to create a second front in case she fails," Angel replied, backhanding a Bringer, "Geez! There are a lot of these bastards."

            Angel tripped another and then lifted it off the ground. He tossed it into the army of them. He dodged their weapons easily and was fighting them off pretty well.

            "I guess I could stick around and help you guys out with these blind things," he said, knocking more back.

The Hellmouth:

            Buffy staked several more Ubervamps. The scythe had proved to be a great weapon in this fight. She was thankful for finding it and thankful that Spike had found out that Caleb was hiding a weapon in the vineyard.

            She glanced around the cavern. The girls were holding their own. It was all because of Willow's spell. Spike and Willow were also doing well. Spike kept looking at the amulet after he killed an Ubervamp. He was trying to see if it was doing something, but it wasn't.

            Buffy noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face it. She saw the First in the form of herself, watching the fight. The First noticed Buffy watching it and instantly appeared in front of her.

            "Your troops are impressive," Buffy/The First said, "You've trained them well."

            "Wow! The First Evil is complimenting me," Buffy mocked, slicing the head off an Ubervamp.

            She jabbed the scythe into another one. It dusted. Then she swung it back, slicing the head off another.

            "It's a shame that you're troops are losing," Buffy informed.

            "I think that they need more morale, more support," Buffy/The First countered, "They need someone strong to lead them."

            Buffy/The First waved its arm in the air. Buffy was taken aback at what appeared between them on the ground. It was Caleb's body.

            "You slaughtered my strongest fighter," Buffy/The First said, "It's time he returns."

            Buffy certainly did not like the sound of that. She lifted the scythe and brought it down on Caleb's body, attempting to decapitate it. She hit a force field instead. The power of it knocked her to the ground. She glanced up to see what the First was doing.

            It was no longer in the form of her. It looked like a giant demon. The only thing different was that it couldn't attack her.

            "It's time I became corporeal," the First growled.

            The giant non-corporeal demon flew at Caleb's body. It passed right through the body. Buffy rose to her feet, the scythe in attack position. To her surprise, Caleb began to move. He slowly rose to his feet and turned to face Buffy.

            Buffy stepped back when she saw his eyes turn all black. She gripped the scythe tightly and prepared to swing it at Caleb's head.

            "Remember last year when that warlock came out of the seal?" Caleb questioned.

            Buffy didn't reply. She just stood there, ready to attack.

            "Well, I'm sure you do," Caleb went on, "Well just like this priest, Malvagio was a transport, someone for me to merge with. Yes, you did defeat it. But I left its body. You cannot defeat me."

            Buffy wasn't surprised at what the First had told her. She swung the scythe. Caleb caught it in mid-swing and shoved her backwards.

            "Caleb was weak without me," Caleb said, "That is what led him to his death. Now that I merged with his body, I can defeat you with my own hands."

            Buffy regained her senses and charged Caleb, the scythe raised. She swung it, but he easily stepped aside.

            "Do you actually think that thing can kill me?" Caleb asked, "It may have been able to kill him, but it won't kill me."

            Buffy did a series of swings and jabs, but none of them hit their mark. She was shocked. Caleb swung his fist and knocked her into the wall of the cavern. Spike saw what was going on and charge Caleb, knocking him to the ground. Then he rushed over to help Buffy up. Caleb slowly stood up.

            "Vampire, do you think you can defeat me?" he mocked.         

            Buffy opened her eyes and looked into Spike's. She smiled.

            "What happened?" Spike asked.

            "The First took over Caleb's dead body. Now it can hurt us," she replied.

            "Well, let's beat this thing together," he said, helping her to her feet.

TO BE CONTINUED