Ollen70: Some of the technology will be familiar to you if you've seen Chrono Crusade. Shame on Joss Wheadon for not thinking of it first, because it fits so well with the series. So, I'm going to borrow it for this story, and hope I don't get made fun of too much for it.
This is sort of a continuation of chapter six, because it isn't very long, but I promise that new stuff is coming very shortly. Thanks a million, to everyone who gave me their feedback. It always helps so much.
Disclaimer: I mean no disrespect to the creators of by writing this. No profit is being made from this story - it's strictly for entertainment.
Chapter 7
They stood alongside a long, gray strip of stone, stretching out into the distance. A great deal of human technology littered the place, even filling the air as the devices roared off from the ground. Illyria watched it in disgust. A waste of the earth.
Humans, born without inherent power, were forced to rely on such inefficient, inelegant things, and it was sickening. They should have been so much more than that - She had seen the small bit of potential within their race, but it was so often all but overshadowed by the grotesqueness of their very existence. Smiling faintly to herself, she watched Eve and Faith conduct their business. How frustrating it must be for the Wolf, Ram and Heart, to know that their empire was so threatened by such a paltry creature as Eve. Yes, without Illyria at her side, Eve likely would have died long ago, but that was another matter.
Illyria didn't know the name of the device the woman called Faith held in her hand, though she'd seen one before. It fit the contours of her palm, gripped loosely as it was so that her fingers could close around a projecting handle. Made of silver metal, it flashed dimly in the lamp light. A pretty object, but by no means as beautiful as the many wonders she had seen in her long years.
A gun? You've gotta be kidding me. Eve's expression spoke of outright disgust. Illyria was uncertain as to why. It was certainly no more gaudy an object than the rings that pierced the woman's ears, or the bands of silver she wore around her neck, regardless the purpose it was meant to serve.
You'll want it before the end, believe me.Is this the new answer to daemon-slaying? You just shoot them? Eve still looked at the gun' dubiously, though it was obvious Faith meant for her to take it. Wow, you guys've really gone down hill. What, was there a shortage on stakes or something?We entered into a... well, a partnership, I guess you could say. Faith brushed back her hair with one free hand, still holding loosely onto the gun. The slayers've been around for, oh, what, like two thousand years or something? Probably more. Anyway, we're still new to the concept of fighting en masse, you know? Pulling back on a part of the handle, Faith emptied four smaller ovals into her hand. The Catholics, though... those are people who know what's they're doin', ya know? People think The Exorcist' an' sorta brush the whole thing off, but they've got it figured out. If you can't beat em with stakes and crap, then pack some bullets full of chrism and then blow the shit out of Holy oil? That's all that's in them? Eve finally stretched out two fingers, accepting one of the silver ovals delicately. Nothing else in the cartridge?They'll still hurt people. I mean, it's a metal ball flyin' at you at a hundred miles an hour. Bound to hurt something when it hits. The thing is, once the cartridge enters, that's where the difference shows up. In a person, nothing's gonna happen. In a daemon, it's gonna burn straight through.Hmm. Not bad shit, slayer. Eve held out her hand again, this time accepting the weapon when it was offered. But what about daemons who aren't gonna be put down by a little chrism? Something like that rock creature you guys had so much trouble with, back in L.A.?That's where these come in. The bullets Faith offered were brighter, and covered with an ancient script that Illyria could almost read, though the characters were primitive and oddly formed. Latin prayer and blessed silver, filled with some type of white spell that makes the people who're into that kinda stuff shaky. You hit a vamp with one of these, you're gonna cleanse a whole city block in the process. Never seen nothin' like it.Another catholic thing?Yeah. Like I said, they're good at what they do.How am I supposed to get it on the plane? They're pissy about that kind of thing.Don't worry about it. We'll make sure it gets there. I got it over here to you, didn't I?
Eve smiled tersely, and it never reached her eyes. Illyria only watched while the slayer delved into her leather bag, drawing out other oddments that she pressed into Eve's hands.
Got a few other goodies for ya, too. Courtesy of the watcher's council. Still gettin' back on their feet, but they dug up some good stuff. She held out a white arm band, marked with a silver cross. The threads were soaked in holy water. Screams virtue' to anything undead. They'll be able to find you with their eyes closed while you've got it on, but if they touch you, you'll get to watch one hell of a show.Better than nothing, I guess.Markers mean nothing. My power continues to grow. Eve looked at her flatly, but Faith's eyes sharpened, as if she understood what Illyria meant. As her power returned, all daemons of any respectable strength would be able to sense it. Holy power or not, she would not be at all difficult to find, to a creature that knew where to look.
Shaking her head slowly, Faith pulled a silver band from her finger, offering it to Eve. Again the shorter woman accepted it reluctantly, cringing when it fell into her open palm. The aura that emanated from the plain metal surface was stronger, compared to the other objects, but still nothing against Illyria's own power.
Ring's made of the same stuff as the bullets. Got a drop of saint's blood in it too, for good measure, I guess. It's supposed to offer protection, and do some other stuff too, but I'm not really too sure what, exactly.Well, what's the next step? We get on the plane, we go to the well, then what?I'm way ahead of you there, sweetie, Faith smiled disarmingly. Eve sneered. If Faith noticed- and Illyria had no doubt that she did - she chose to say nothing. The gang's already gonna be waiting for us. If the senior partners have somethin' bad going down around the well, we'll need people there to clean things up before you can go in.Before we can go in? It was a telling omission, one that Illyria was glad Eve had not overlooked. Where are you gonna be? Faith laughed, tossing her hair once again.
You'll be fine with Blue. I'm running border duty, making sure nobody tries something stupid while you're in the well. You're gonna want a direct line of escape, if something goes wrong.
Reasonable, for human logic. Illyria deemed it wise not to mention that the senior partners could wield magic greater than any human who had ever lived, and that if they wished to seal the well, nothing Faith could do would matter. Instead, she tilted her head and waited, expecting everything. This was the moment to be savored - the approach of their battle. Everything else had been trial, preparation for what would soon take place. Illyria licked her lips, glad that patience, as always, had served her so very well.
Ollen70: Yes, a very brief chapter. More than anything, this is to remind my readers that I haven't forgotten this story, and that much more is coming very briefly. I have a few details to hammer out for the coming chapter, so any feedback is, as always, very greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.