"You are going to enter the circle with this sword", Rick said as he handed one of the numerous blades he had attached on the wall.
"Will the other fighter be armed?", Dawn asked as she swung the blade slowly. She noticed that on the wall there was a large blank spot.
"Yes he will", Rick answered as he followed her gaze. "You might wonder what that spot is doing on the wall"
Dawn nodded. "It looks really big. Expecting a large sword to put there"
"Expecting the sword", Rick said. "The greatest blade ever created. It is called The Apocalypse"
"Why?", Dawn asked.
"It brings an end to any living being", Rick answered as he motioned her out of the room. "Humans, demons, angels… slayers. It is believed that the blade was forged in a place between heaven and hell. A combination of both worlds".
"Where is it now?", Dawn asked as she walked the ramp. The people's chants became incredibly loud now.
"In another dimension", Rick said as he finished walking her into the circle. "It has the power to destroy anything or anybody". As he finished his sentence, he closed the steel cage door. "When you see the signal, open the door and follow Angel out of here. The guards will offer some resistance. Be cautious "
Dawn nodded and stepped in the middle of the circle. Her opponent was to come out of the opposite door. She looked up and saw Angel and Nikon opposite of the sponsors. Rick stood between them and raised his hands for silence. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Demons all over! You have witnessed battles beyond your imagination! You have seen the greatest fighters in the world demonstrate their potential! You have seen monsters earn their right of invitation for next year! But I leave the best for last! Our young Slayer! One victory away from being worthy to participate next year! She will have to prove herself tonight". A few seconds of silence followed Rick's words. "She will face with a merciless vampire! BUT!… Not just any vampire! A demon so vicious, he has killed two… YES! I repeat! Two slayers in his lifetime!"
Dawn saw the door start to open. She readied her weapon. "I present you… WILLIAM … "SPIKE"… THE BLOODY!"
Dawn's eyes widened as the door opened and Spike entered the circle. He swung an axe in one hand and large knife in the other. He walked slowly and stood before the girl. "Hello luv", Spike said. "You miss me?"
Dawn was about to answer when she heard screams come from the seats. She looked up and saw several toga dressed monsters appear out of nowhere. They were green and had spikes all over their bodies. Three horns adorned their heads. They pushed the crowd aside violently and headed towards Rick. They grabbed hold of him tightly as they stood him up. Rick kept on smiling as he looked at the sponsors. "What is all this?", the vampire asked as if he didn't know anything.
The horned sponsor looked at him in disgust. "You were planning to betray us", he said. "Richaldone. You must remember that we own you and your little event. We own your fighters. Because of your insolence, you will die in front of your own followers".
"So", Rick started. "You care not for the audience nor my fighters. You care not for the event or me. Is this what you are saying?"
"You are expendable!", the lawyer said. "You and your fighters! We organize these things for breakfast".
Rick nodded slowly. "I see", he said. "That is all I wanted to know".
At that moment, Angel pushed one of Rick's captors aside and flung his arm towards the lawyer. Dawn saw the action in slow motion. A small knife flew from Angel's hand and encrusted itself into the human's chest. The lawyer fell lifelessly on the floor.
Dawn at that moment knew that all hell had broken lose. Several fighters she had met at the party popped out of the audience with large arms. They fought off the sponsors' small army.
The crowd itself turned into a mob just as Rick flung another of his captors away from him.
"We have to move!", Spike yelled. Dawn turned towards the vampire as he swung his axe down on the door. He than kicked it open and extended his hand. The young girl grabbed his hand and started running out. The brunette saw that things were getting worse. The sponsors' army was moving fast in killing any living thing. All of the sudden toga dressed demons ran up to Spike.
The blonde vampire swung his blade around. Un impressed, one of the demons kicked him in the face. Two of the demons tackled the English monster while a third walked slowly towards Dawn.
The girl stood her ground. The demon made a grab for her, but the slayer ducked and created a large gash in his unprotected belly. The beast screamed in pain as he turned around. The blade was already on it's way as it pierced straight through his chest.
Dawn sighed just as another monster kicked her sword away. She looked up just to see a foot smash across her cheek. She staggered in a circled and crashed against a stone pillar. The demon kicked at her again. Dawn saw the attack and dodged it. The demon's foot encrusted itself on stone. The girl lifted her own foot and brought down on the beast's knee. A crack was heard followed by a scream of pain. Dawn jumped and wrapped her legs around the demons neck. She brought her upper body down and twisted her limbs. Another crack as the beast collapsed on the floor. Dawn rapidly stood up and ran up to Spike who was having problems with his enemies. The girl grabbed her sword and brought it down hard on one the demons' necks. The head fell to the floor followed by the body.
Spike tired of being used as a punching bag fired a right hook that staggered the remaining beast. He than encrusted his axe on the monster's chest. The demon screamed in pain before falling to the ground.
"Thanks luv", Spike said as he grabbed her arm and started to look for an exit. "You're really good. Guess your sister rubbed something on you".
Dawn followed closely the blonde vampire. He didn't seem to know where he was going. Abruptly, another fiend ran up to them. Spike put Dawn behind him and faced the demon. All of the sudden Nikon and Angel appeared behind the evil fiend. Both vampires struck from behind the monster with large blades. "I know the exit", Nikon said. "We have to get the girl out".
"What about Rick?", Dawn asked worryingly as she looked through the riot.
"He is going to take care of this place", Nikon said. He than smiled at her for the first time. "Don't worry about him. He probably has had this planned from day one. But we have to move".
"He is right Dawn", Angel said. "He asked us to get you out of here".
Dawn looked at the ground and nodded. Nikon than move towards one of the walls. He started touching every single inch of it. All of the sudden he stopped. He pushed part of it and a huge chunk of concrete started to reveal an opening.
"How did you…?", Spike started to ask.
"Rick", Nikon simply said. "I guess the fact that family comes first moves the little humanity in him. Come on!"
The entire group entered the opening. Dawn's head was full of questions she could not answer. She started to breath slowly and followed the vampires. They had entered a narrow chamber. It resembled a dark cave with no end. Still… vampires could see in the dark. They were to guide her.
Dawn had no idea where she was as she walked through the rock. The first thing she saw when she woke up that first day, was the pen floor. How far was she from Sunnydale? "Where are we?", Dawn finally asked the group.
"An underground complex", Angel said. "It is about five miles from Sunnydale. Rick's people look for large spaces. When the do, they mount up the event".
"Just like a wild circus", Spike said.
"We are almost there", Nikon said. The group walked for a few more minutes, when they reached a large gap leading to common sewers. As their feet touched the black water they all heard a loud explosion. The earth shook softly. Than… a rumbling sound came from their ears. Spike grabbed Dawn and pushed her to the farthest wall from the breach. Nikon and Angel did the same. A split second later, a large fire ball erupted from the hole. As soon as it started… it stopped.
"I guess he showed them", Spike said as he helped Dawn stand up straight.
Nikon shook his head disapprovingly. A small smile curled on his face. Angel looked at him with a questioning look. "What's so funny?"
Nikon looked at his friend. "Rick got what he wanted", he said. "He killed his enemies and conserved his investment".
"And how do you know that?", Spike asked.
"He is a manipulative bastard", Nikon said as he walked through the sewers. "He had this planned weeks in advanced. I know how the guy thinks. Trust me… that is not the last we see of him".
After an hour of walking through the smelly sewers, Angel popped up to the world above. He smiled as he saw his black car waiting just where he had left it. He helped Dawn out and smiled at her. "I will give you a ride", Angel said.
The girl nodded and looked inside the car. She than saw a piece of paper on the wind shield. She grabbed it and looked at it. She felt a smile structure itself.
Hello people.
Yes I made it out. So did 5 of the ten fighters that helped me out. Unfortunally, I missed two sponsors. They managed to escape. Hell… it happens.
Well… I guess I am off. See you next year.
Rick
Ps.
As my new goal, I will try to get two slayers in the same tourney. At the end… create the world's greatest catfight.
"I hate that guy", Nikon said when he heard that he had gotten away. "He is so smug in getting away with everything".
"At least it is over", Angel said as he headed towards the driver's side. He looked at Spike with a questioning look. "You coming to Sunnydale?"
"I prefer to walk mate", Spike said as he lit up a cigarette. "Besides… the little sis here will have better company than me". Angel shrugged and entered his car. Spike rolled his eyes. "Well… if you insist". With that, he jumped unto the back seat. Dawn meanwhile opened the passenger seat while Nikon made himself comfortable besides Spike. The blonde vampire blowed smoke in his face.
"We have issues to discuss my friend", Nikon said. "And when all is said is done… you will be dust".
Spike ignored him and blowed smoke to the air just as the car took off.
As they entered Sunnydale, an eerie silence fell on the convertible. The car's motor hummed in the silence. It was well past midnight and the streets were deserted. As the car made itself past a cemetery Dawn looked at it. Angel noticed this, as did Spike and Nikon. The vampire stopped the vehicle and motioned the others to get off. They all then walked slowly towards the centre of the graveyard.
Dawn gradually stopped and looked at the tombstone she and her friends had picked. It seemed to be in good condition. Of course it had been a couple of months. Angel hugged Dawn softly while Spike looked away into the sky.
Nikon on the other hand walked up to the grave. He was pretty serious. He looked at the ground and than at the sky. "Somehow", the vampire started. "You can hear me. I… ", Nikon paused a bit. "… I discovered that the event we talked about…. Needs four slayers to stop it… I screwed up and everybody knows it. But let me tell you that … it is all worth it… out time and effort… it is all worth it. Somehow in this cursed world we live in. We do it for those that cannot defend themselves. You did good… you are the best I have known…" The vampire stopped now. He closed his eyes and breathed hard. "It hurt when I heard. But I am not going to give up in what I believe. Somehow… I have to". He looked at Dawn and smiled at her. "I met your sister. She is all that I imagined her being. And I will make sure… just as others… that she will be one of the four to emerge victorious".
Nikon closed his eyes and walked back to the car. Angel hugged Dawn one more time as he looked sadly at the grave. He than walked up to Spike. "I heard of what you did", Angel said. "You are now responsible. She left you with this in your hands. Need help. You know where to contact me".
Spike for the first time made direct contact with Angel. He nodded slowly and headed out towards the dark. Angel looked at Dawn again and motioned her to walk with him. "I will drive you home", he said.