"You're Going to Need Something Stronger Than a Drink" by Shadow Master
(BtVS/Marvel's What if?/MotU Universe/Dragonball Universe/Others)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and/or associated companies. I make no profit from this whatsoever and I have no intention of changing this at any point in the future. I write because it's fun and because there are those who enjoy reading my works. Therefore please no lawsuits or court orders to cease and desist.
Note: As usual positive reviews will be gratefully received, constructive criticism will be considered but not necessarily acted on and negative/bashing/venomous reviews will be either ignored or burned as fuel to keep things going. For those who'd go for the last one if hurtful words were enough to make me give up or run from something I'd never have made it to high school never mind graduated from it. I suggest that you use your time more wisely and either find a story you do like or find an author more likely to give into your negative/bashing/venomous words.
Note 2: This was brought on after binge watching the Disney Plus show 'Loki' and seeing the latest episode of 'Marvel's What If?'. It's the episode entitled 'What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?'. I originally thought I'd keep this to the level of a Drabble but as my imagination explored what might happen, what COULD happen, I couldn't help but choose to make it into something more.
You're Going to Need Something Stronger Than a Drink
The Space Between the Realm of Mortals and the Realms of the Gods
52 A.D
"Why have you called us here Lord Janus?" Zeus asked from his stone throne that remained steady even though there was nothing visibly beneath it.
"Indeed both your method of contacting us and the route you insisted we take to come here were odd to say the least." Zeus, ruler of Olympus, said from his white marble chair, "Were it not for the wording of the request I might not have come at all."
"I would not have asked you all here were the need not great." Janus said standing before a scrying field generated by his own power, "Indeed a vision, virtually identical in both imagery and portents, seen not just by myself but four other beings with sight beyond the confines of the present is grounds indeed for a meeting."
"What? Who do you mean?" Eos, Greek Goddess of the Dawn, asked with surprise not only on her face but also on the faces of everyone else present.
"The Anunnaki, the Norns, the Moirai and the Nortia." Janus replied with sufficient seriousness on both faces to make it clear he was dead serious.
Theia, Circe, Artemis, Eos, Bia, Odin and Zeus could only look at the two faced Roman deity with wide eyes as they comprehended what this could mean.
In virtually every pantheon there existed a deity or being who governed the domain of time and fate with even snippets of what they knew being priceless in the eyes of others. Even the members of each pantheon would seek out their knowledge in order to steer the future down the path they desired. Such knowledge was not bestowed easily and often required that the petitioner to perform some feat or meet some challenge in order to receive the information they sought. For the four groups and Janus to experience the same vision of the future then bring about a meeting of such an eclectic group none could deny the importance of it.
"You have our attention Lord Janus." Theia said pushing past the surprise she felt, "What did all of you see?"
"As some of you may know even with my ability to perceive the future the further ahead I try to look the fewer specifics I am able to gain." Janus said the seriousness unmistakable, "When the vision came upon me I knew from experience that the events I was being shown will occur more than fifteen centuries from now. Perhaps even close to two millenia given the changes I saw in the mortal realm from what we know of them now.
"The first thing I learned is that in this future time there is almost no trace of the divine energy of ANY pantheon present be it in the air, the land or the sea." Janus conveyed once again startling those present, "Indeed aside from a few of the places we have made to allow the mortals to contact us more easily our influence over the mortal world felt as though it'd been reduced to a fading echo of what it is now."
"Impossible! Each pantheon has deities whose sacred duty it is to regulate and direct key parts of the mortal world!" Circe exclaimed in denial of what had been stated, "Without us those forces would fly out of control and there'd be naught but chaos!"
"Normally I would agree with you Lady Circe however I swear to you that there is no mistaking what the vision conveyed." Lord Janus said keeping his voice even, "There was no chaos in the mortal realm that one would expect in our absence in what the vision showed me. I can only presume that someone or something else was keeping our various domains from flying out of control."
"Only divine power is capable of such a feat. No mortal could accomplish it even if they spent most of their lives training towards that goal." Odin said stroking his beard in thought, "However if it is not us the how could it be accomplished?"
"I believe I have the answer to that." Theia replied a troubled look on her face, "With my power over sight I often spend my time gazing upon the mortal world not just within the territory of my own pantheon but also others. In the last century I have seen the beginnings of new religions being adopted by the humans and others spreading further than ever before."
"Hardly a cause for concern Theia." Circe said denying the news as valuable, "There will always be those who will try to gain the worship of the humans and as for those other religions they will not reach our lands. Ever are the mortals more inclined to trust the dependable over that which is new and relatively unknown."
"Not even if there's is a chance that they are receiving the support of THEM?" Lord Janus asked regaining the attention of the group.
No one need ask who the Roman deity was referring to or why he was suggesting their involvement.
The Overseers of the One Above All had existed almost from the beginning though they often acted as though they had been the first sentient beings the Creator had ever created. It was their purpose to act as administrators of the mortal world and to ensure that no deity or group of deities overstepped the limits placed on them by the One Above All. However in recent centuries these Overseers had used creative interpretation to tighten the reigns of control they had over the pantheons to the point of chafing. The divine administrators claimed that the human's dependance on the various pantheons was stifling their growth and therefore hindering the One Above All's plan for them. The additional rules were meant to allow the humans to grow stronger and learn to solve their problems on their own. Oh the Overseers made a grand show of how they recognized the good the pantheons had done and reassured any who voiced concern that their services would be needed well into the future.
Only the needy and the foolish believed such reassurances.
At the thought of them secretly backing the new religions while lending their aid to existing ones none present could deny the possible future Janus had described.
"And aside from seeing our place in the mortal realm usurped by THEIR puppets what else did you see?" Bia asked with her temper beginning to show.
"Images along the path of convergence. Five mortals and one not wielding the mighty hammer Mjolnir all flowing towards a single point in both space as well as time." Lord Janus replied summing up what he saw, "In the vision I saw their journey was cut short but all I could discern of the cause were motives of ambition and entitled pride. Whatever the cause with the absence of the six the mortal realm succumbs to tyranny and corruption."
"So THEIR plans wind up blowing up in their faces? Exquisite!" Circe said with a smile of glee at the ones she disliked.
"Had the vision ended there I would agree with you Lady Circe." Lord Janus said his tone implying there was more to come, "However it did not. There was one final scene conveyed to me and the others before the vision came to an end. Blue, purple, yellow, red, gold, green and orange shall come together as never before before and all is irrevocably altered."
If the news of their absence in the future and the potential involvement of THEM in the planting of puppet religions were not shocking enough THIS had many of them paling at the implications. Even with so little specifics and possible interpretations all of them could only come to one conclusion and it was snot a good one. If this truly meant what they thought it did then the ramifications of THEIR actions threatened the entirety of the One Above All's creation in a way only one means could accomplish.
"I thought they were were all well hidden." Artemis scowled as her eyes landed on Odin, "One by your father Bor, one by you, one on the planet of sunlit night, one on a dead world, one within a priceless heirloom and one with the most powerful of mortal mystics. How could six things so scattered come together?!"
"I do not know but I can say that nothing in the entire vision felt more real than that last scene of the vision." Lord Janus replied for once showing how unsettled he felt, "It will happen."
"Then the question becomes: what shall we do about these portents?" Odin asked with a look that implied his focus was split.
"Bringing this news to THEM would do no good. They cannot conceive of a reality where a vision of such importance would not come to THEM first instead of those they consider beneath them." Bia replied with scorn in her voice, "Even if they were to consider it I do not trust them not to make matters worse."
"Indeed and that is why I propose we take action ourselves to prevent everything we know from coming to an end." Lord Janus said looking at each deity present in turn, "We must plant the seeds that will give rise to champions capable of combatting whoever or whatever seeks to bring the six together."
"A wise course of action. If in this future our ability to interact directly with the mortals of Midgard has been reduced to wisp of smoke then setting things in motion now is our only recourse." Lord Zeus said with a nod of approval.
"But how will we be able to achieve the best results?" Circe asked with concern, "There's only so much even we can do when it comes to planning long term. Plans that take a long time to come to an end can be knocked off course but if we can't act to set it back on course thanks to THEM then failure is a very real possibility."
"That is where these come into play." Lord Janus revealed conjuring six strands dipped in iron and curved to form the symbol of eternity, "Courtesy of the others who glimpsed this dangerous future like I did. Placed within proper foci they will find their way to those best suited to be our champions. Then all that need be done is relocate them someplace safe where they can properly prepare for the fight ahead of them."
"Well you seem to have thought of everything." Artemis said with narrowed eyes of suspicion, "Anything more to reveal?"
The answer came not from Janus but rather from the four portals that opened to the right of the group to admit the same number of newcomers.
"A few." Janus replied before turning to the new arrivals, "I trust you've all acquired what I requested of you."
"You bet! Heheheheheh, took a bit of doing though."
"Indeed. While they've not yet brought their plan out into the open they're still keeping watch for anything that might interfere."
"Fortunately the flea eater isn't the only one able to confound and misdirect. Short of reading my mind THEY only know what I wanted THEM to know."
"Nevertheless we shouldn't waste too much time. When we don't put to use that which we acquired THEY will grow suspicious."
"Then let us work on them two to an item." Theia said taking in the gathered items the newcomers had revealed for all to see, "It will halve the time needed and reduce the likelihood of our plans being uncovered."
With nods of consent the various deities went to work.
Theia and Circe.
Athena and Eos.
Sun Wukong and Bia.
Odin and Zeus.
Hecate and The Morrigan.
Artemis and Sekhmet.
With Lord Janus guiding their efforts divine power set to work honing and refining, shaping and purifying, the materials brought into the Space In Between. In this place where few would know to look they set to work crafting their seeds and when they were done they were scattered to the ends of the world. To all but the sharpest of sight and sense they would appear to be naught more than shooting stars vanishing from sight as their light faded.
Scattered and hidden the deities who gathered in secret had set in motion what they deemed to be the best chance to counter one capable of using the combined power of the six.
May the One Above All bless their efforts!
Thus did time pass.
Years became decades and decades became centuries.
On and on it went as the items implanted with a strand navigated the mortal world using chance and fortuitous timing to pass from one set of hands to another. At no time did any who temporarily came into possession of a seed comprehend what it was they had much less fathom a way to tap into the power that lay within. That power was only meant for the ones best suited to the task that the deity collective had set for the destined receivers.
How strange it was then that only a few years shy of the new millennium the strangest thing occurred that inspired anticipation in those same deities from their respective homes.
The seeds, all six of them, began to converge towards a single destination that not even those gifted with the power of foresight had seen coming.
Namely the Sunnydale Hellmouth.
Sunnydale, California
Ethan's Costume Shop
Halloween Afternoon
"I can't believe that happened!" Buffy complained as she looked at the ruined remains of the dress that'd caught her attention.
"Just goes to show you that Harmony can't in fact do more than two things at the same time without tripping all over herself." Xander said watching the shop owner toss the torn dress into a garbage bag.
"I could've told you that." Dawn said with a roll of her eyes, "It's the same at my school: the popular kids aren't popular because they've got what it takes to make it big. They're popular because they're the closest to what teenagers think cool people should be like."
"Yeah. Too bad what's cool changes every other year!" Xander snarked with disdain for the popular people, "Just think of what was cool for your mom when she was your age."
"Ew. Thanks for THAT mental polaroid." Buffy said lip curling in disgust with what her mind came up with, "Now what am I gonna do! We have to be at school in just over an hour!"
"Simple. You take a page from my book and just go with your gut." Xander said like it was only logical, "Walk about and see if there's anything that catches your eye. Don't think about it just wait for your instincts to ping and go with it!"
This idea was met with a moment of doubt by the blonde Slayer but without anything resembling an alternative she shrugged with acceptance before the three of them went to see what the shop had to offer them.
However they were not the only ones in the store looking for a costume for Halloween.
Willow was present having accompanied her friends in search of something to wear when they chaperoned their respective groups of elementary school students.
Miss Calendar was picking through various costumes in the hopes of finding two that would suit her plans for the evening.
Cordelia, wealthiest girl at Sunnydale High School, silently fumed as she searched for a substitute for her 'misplaced' Party Town costume that met her standards.
What none of them could know was that from the moment that the shop owner began to bring his goods into Sunnydale the number of possible futures ahead of them steadily began to fade away. From Buffy, Willow and Xander being 'volunteered' into chaperoning by Principal Snyder to Cordelia's costume being misplaced by the employees of Party Town. Even Buffy's younger sister Dawn tagging along for a costume and Miss Calendar coming to the one store that her boyfriend would've gone Ripper in had he known of it was a part of this phenomena.
Why was this happening?
Because against all the odds and with a degree of chance that would boggle the human mind six separate objects touched by those tied to Fate had come to the end of their long journey. Through countless countries and the hands of countless people they had travelled to reach this one place at this one moment in time.
As a result each mortal, without being the slightest bit aware, chose an item more ancient than they could possibly know.
For Xander a crystal sphere with uniquely shaped rubies arrayed at the centre.
For Buffy something that at first glance seemed to be a simple rod but with an accidental push of a button it grew into a staff only a little taller than she was.
For Dawn a magnificent sword that caused her eyes to light up with glee and gave her an idea for her costume.
For Willow a leather glove with straps that would secure it to the wearer's hand by wrapping around the forearm.
For Giles a ring that most would dismiss as fake costume jewelry no matter how expensive it looked but that was how the item WANTED them to view it.
Cordelia chose a rather ornate golden watch almost too big to fit in her hand with a single jewel at its centre.
The moment each of the picked items made contact with the ones doing the picking the items evaluated the humans one last time to see if they had indeed landed in the right hands. With only a single tingle of energy they learned all they needed to and when the meshing was confirmed to be ideal between item and person all became silent patience.
The charge was set, the fuse put into place, leaving only the spark to set off the chain reaction desired by the ones who planted the seeds so long ago.
Fortunately destiny it seemed had arranged for such a thing to occur in only a few short hours.
Until then the mortals would be left to their own devices.
"Find anything interesting Buff'?" Xander asked tossing the sphere he'd found around between his hands.
"I think so but it's not exactly a costume." Buffy replied showing the extending and retracting staff she'd chosen.
"A costume is whatever you want it to be Buffy." He said not sounding worried at all, "You've got a staff so you could go as one of Robin Hood's Merry Men or since it can change sizes maybe pretend to be some sort of thief who's fast on her feet."
"I don't know…I really wanted to dress up as someone completely different from me." She said not rejecting her friend's ideas but not quite sold on them either, "Someone elegant, refined and completely at home rubbing elbows with the high society types."
"So make who you're pretending to be some noblewoman in exile or maybe she was framed by the real bad guys and is on the run." He said sounding like he was enjoying coming up with backstories, "Add the bit of one day clearing your name and you'll have a killer costume idea."
"I guess that'd be different from my usual life." Buffy said losing much of her reluctance but not all of it.
Xander rolled his eyes at this at this since it didn't take a genius to figure out who the Slayer was trying to impress and whose opinion mattered the most.
"You know how things aren't anything like you've seen in movies or on TV right?" Dawn asked with an arched 'please tell me you are not that stupid' eyebrow, "People didn't look that pretty, rich people weren't that nice and most of the people at those parties were either related or were members of the top five percent in their country. Do you really think Angel fit into either one of those spots?"
A second ticked by and then another but in the end the slumped shoulders and sigh let everyone know that the answer was 'no'.
"What about you two?" Buffy asked looking back and forth between her sister and Xander.
"I got this." Xander said holding up the crystal sphere, "I figure I mix it with the outfit I got when that self-defence club was around and it'll be good enough."
"And I got this sword." Dawn said holding up her choice, "It doesn't have a sheath but that's no big deal. I'll add in some stuff from some of my old costumes and do the whole warrior princess thing."
"If you're going to do that we'd better find a black wig and some kind of leather armour." Xander said drawing the most obvious conclusion.
"Xena's not the only warrior princess out there Xander." Dawn said rejecting the idea, "Besides while she is kick ass there are some things I just don't like about her."
"Like what?" Buffy asked curious about what her little sister would come up with.
"You'll see!" Dawn replied with a smirk of secrecy delighting in keeping something from her sister until SHE was ready to reveal the truth.
"Whatever! Let's see what Willow's managed to find and get going." Buffy said with a frown, "Me and Xander need to be in costume and at the school by four."
Before long all those mortals who'd found the special items had left the store content with what they'd found and that oddly mirrored how the items felt.
That is if they had a conscious mind capable of feeling anything in the first place.
The next couple of hours went about as it had in other parallel realities where the Scoobies, the supernatural and the Halloween event existed. However as is the case when you're dealing with alternate timelines, realities and dimensions there are always differences if you took the time to look for them.
In this reality not only were the costume choices of the involved Scoobies different but also what happened when a certain chaos mage declared that it was 'showtime'.
In most instances the moment the spell activated a wave of divine energy rippled outwards from the clay bust that was the linchpin. With every person wearing something from the chaos mage's shop that it touched changing into whoever or whatever they were pretending to be. Naturally there were limits due to the rules set down by both the Overseers and the One Above All but that still left Janus with much room to work with.
In most instances the spell would be ended before its preordained termination point and of all the Scoobies it was usually Xander who retained the most from the event.
However in this reality, in this instance, matters would take a rather sharp turn that only a very small group had even an inkling would happen.
While the majority of those who purchased something from 'Ethan's Costume Shop' did indeed transform to become that which they'd dressed up to look like there were a few who did not.
More specifically six individuals who were in possession of six very special items.
When the wave of Janus' power made contact with the items two things happened in such quick succession that not even those capable of observing every picosecond as they happened caught it. First those who possessed the items were transformed not into exact matches of what they were dressed up as but rather they became that which matched the core properties of the costume and represented the best possible match in all of infinity for the title of champion. Some were easier to locate than others with one or two actually possessing the ability to detect the power reaching in to do something.
Fortunately none of them had been inclined to do anything about it one way or another.
The second thing that happened was that the moment the transformations reached completion for each of the six individuals they winked out of existence before comprehension was possible for ANY form of intelligent life. For most mortals only those who'd been looking in the direction of one of the six had any idea that something was amiss with the rest continuing on in spite of the change. For those mortals possessing keen arcane senses as well as years of studying the mystic arts they knew that something important had just occurred. An anomaly that had only happened three times since the Overseers managed to force the various pantheons out of the mortal realm or in one case stripped the members of a pantheon of the bulk of their divinity.
As for the Overseers themselves…well…to say that they'd been taken completely by surprise would be an understatement only the One Above All had a chance of surpassing. In one swift move three or four key pieces in their plans for the future of Earth had been removed from play. Naturally they immediately tapped into the power granted them by their creator to find the missing mortals but no matter how hard they tried every place they looked lacked what they sought. They even placed unheard of scrutiny upon not just the Roman deity Janus but specifically the spell that the god had bestowed his power upon.
For a moment they suspected that the two faced deity might've violated the laws they'd set down but a thorough examination of the past century of Janus' life revealed no wrongdoing. The Roman kept up to his usual habits but all of it was well within the parameters they'd set down centuries ago thus by their own laws they could not punish him.
While some might say that the Overseers should go further back they would not because at the end of the day they viewed the deities of the pantheons as minor threats these days. Through cunning, deceit and creative interpretation of their mandate as spoken by the One Above All they had made themselves into the second most powerful entities in the entire reality. Nothing happened without their approval and none could escape punishment should they dare to defy them.
In the end they were forced to seek out substitutes for those that had vanished from their sight in order to ensure their immaculate plan continued on uninterrupted.
How blind the 'mighty' could be!
A Place That is No Place but Close to Everyplace
Xander's POV
"Uuhhh! Why do I feel like someone took a hammer and tenderized every square inch of me?" He groaned as he tried to sit up even though his body complained like nobodies business.
"I'll take your tenderizing and up it to the hair job from HELL!" Came Buffy's voice sounding none too pleased and liable to kill the first living thing possibly responsible.
He SERIOUSLY hoped that the cause of her anger didn't have anything to do with his suggestion about her Halloween costume or he just might be the one she killed.
Once he was in a sitting position and was confident that he wouldn't be falling back to the ground anytime soon he turned towards Buffy's voice and was immediately torn on how he should react. Instead of a teenage Californian blonde girl in a Halloween costume like he'd been expecting he got something quite different. There were still enough similarities between what he remembered and what he saw now that he knew it was indeed Buffy but that only made his reaction that much more important to get right.
Buffy was slowly becoming steady on her feet with her shoulder length hair now undoubtably naturally blonde with a handful of spots in it that reminded him of a cheetah's spots. It nicely framed her face that now had golden eyes framed by what at first glance he thought was makeup similar to that girl rock band cartoon Willow liked to watch when she was little. However upon closer inspection he could safely say that it wasn't makeup but rather a natural pigmentation of the skin. However even with an outfit that hit the mid-to-high-point in terms of what the Amazon characters wore in 'Xena Warrior Princess' in terms of skin coverage he understood what Buffy's comment meant.
From what he could tell it looked like Buffy now had a fine coat of fur like that of a cat with only her palms, the bottom of her bare feet and most of her face fur free. It wasn't long fur or anything that'd require trimming in the future but with gold being the dominant colour with the front of her torso white it was a sight to see. When added to nails that now looked closer to cat claws, teeth that were noticeably sharper and ears that were pointier he could understand Buffy's reaction. The Slayer had never been a big fan of change especially when the change occurred without her consent or consultation.
Her general attitude since being Called was proof of that.
~At leas then she still looked fully human and with some restraint could pass for one.~ He thought watching his friend's lips curl in anger at her new form, ~Not a chance of either happening now.~
"I'd say your outside matches your inside now." Came Dawn's voice sounding both amused as well as delighted, "Same with me."
Turning towards Buffy's little sister he found himself quickly deleting the adjective of 'little' because what he saw before him now was not newly teened girl he'd gotten to know since her family had moved to Sunnydale. Instead what he found was a young woman a few years older than the rest of the Scoobies. Not quite out of the college age bracket but definitely more mature in appearance than should've been possible for someone not even attending Sunnydale High School. Clad in a sleeveless over shirt of various shades of red, golden bits enhancing the quality of its appearance he almost would've called it a vest due to the durable looking material. Underneath it covering her arms were white sleeves that made him think that there was a blouse of some sort underneath the red sorta vest as well. There was a skirt as well though it kind of reminded him of the sort Xena wore except more functional looking and less flimsy. The boots looked like what a swashbuckler would wear albeit with golden plates attached to the front and there were forearm guards of the same type of metal.
"Dawnie?" he asked just to confirm that it was indeed who he thought it was.
"In the hot flesh." Dawn replied taking a moment to examine her new form, "This is definitely going to open some doors for me."
"Not fair!" Buffy complained after seeing her little sister's new form.
"Life, you will find, is rarely fair Buffy." Came a voice both familiar and yet possessed of a quiet power that had never been attached to it before.
The title that first came to mind when he saw the one that he'd come to consider a surrogate father figure was 'fallen nobility' before another 'hidden greatness' rose up to join it. The man standing before him had long hair reaching just past the elbows and a beard that reached almost to the chest but the hair looked like it had gone a week or more without maintenance. The clothes the man wore almost looked ridiculous on him, like he was some lifetime cosplayer and fan of D'n'D, but somehow they didn't. Even with the long grey cloak covering some of it there was a feeling that both power and knowledge had been well earned. With a staff of beautifully carved wood just a little taller than he was held in both hands Giles almost seemed like a different person without his tweed suit and glasses.
"However I believe we are about to become involved in something that will make us intimately familiar with this truth." Giles said sounding a little distracted even as he looked at them, "We have all been changed and not just superficially. Changes on this level require a power and a wisdom incapable of being found in a human being."
"Soooo…what?" He asked trying to come up with a suspect, "A demon? A warlock?"
"No…a deity." Giles replied with a grimness that had all of them drop their jaws a bit.
"A god of what? Bad jokes and even worse taste?" Spoke a voice that all present knew but had never expected to go through an experience like this with.
Looking to the right he personally felt that it was in fact the opposite because not only did he feel like laughing but he also felt like Cordy had just gotten a hotness upgrade. She wore a skin-tight suit made out of a black fabric that has a rose design on the abdomen. She had long white gloves on her arms secured by three small belts, black and grey heels on her feet and a pair of cat-shaped earrings. With her hair wrapped into a beehive hairdo it was definitely a unique look but being a teenage guy he couldn't say he disliked how her outfit clung to some very nice curves.
Of course the fact that she'd gone from five and a half feet tall to almost reaching eight feet tall added a whole new weirdness factor to it all.
"Well it could've been worse."
He smiled recognizing Willow's voice and a part of him was glad that she had been roped into this because he couldn't think of anyone else he'd prefer to experience crazy with. However when he looked towards her he found himself wondering just what the hell was going on because he definitely was experiencing plenty of twists. Instead of the redhead genius that topped out at a few inches above five feet he found a Willow easily reaching six and a half feet tall and that wasn't the only change. Even through the green jacket and purple pants muscles could be seen pushing outward that he knew his best bud did not have before things corkscrewed into a pit of weird. Before Halloween he knew Willow ate healthy and did her best in gym class but he doubted anyone would ever mistake her for a dedicated athlete or bodybuilder.
All in all he was a little weirded out by it all and he could tell that Willow was as well. She had always been self-conscious about her looks and had done what she could to be overlooked by those who might prey on her weakness. Without hesitation he strode over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders reassuringly.
"Yeah but at least we're all together." He said putting on his best lopsided grin, "We'll manage something."
He could tell that while the intellectual side of his best friend doubted him her heart was indeed comforted by his words. It'd always been like this since they'd first met that whenever one was feeling down or upset the other would step up to offer comfort and reassurance. Given what their parents were like it was only natural that when one of them needed such warm feelings they could only count on the other for it. Sure since the Scoobies had been founded the number of people who could pick them up when they were feeling down had gone up but nothing would ever replace the bond between the two of them.
"I'm loving the whole 'we'll face it together' thing you're going for but I think we're just a BIT out of our league." Dawn said looking about where they were.
She wasn't wrong especially when he looked about and realized that instead of being in a normal place they seemed to be in some kind of void. No matter what direction he looked in there was nothing there and even when he looked down at his feet he couldn't figure out what the hell everyone was standing on. Still they were breathing, the temperature wasn't bad and they were all more or less okay so he wasn't going to freak out too badly just yet.
"Yeah…yeah I'd say this'll be a tough one but the fact that we're alive and nothing's trying to kill us means someone wants things this way." He said trying to let his calm affect the others, "Guess we gotta just sit back and wait for our 'host' to show up."
"No need for that Alexander." Came a voice that left him irritated that he hadn't been allowed to relax for a few minutes, "I am already here."
"Good to know. Anyone else just going to pop in from our blindspots? Cause I'm gonna get a sore neck if that's the case." Buffy snarked looking at the robed figure that hadn't been there a few seconds ago.
"No need to worry Slayer Summers. Having more people show up at this point would ruin a plan a little under two millennia in the making." The robed figure replied with mild amusement, "Besides they are all doing their best to ensure that certain eyes are looking elsewhere at the moment."
"And what precisely is that plan?" Giles asked taking point like he so often did when they dealt with strangers in potentially dangerous situations.
"Why to find and empower champions of course." The figure he was now pretty sure was a man though it was hard with the distortion involved, "More precisely to locate and create ideal champions."
"Ideal champion? We look like we belong in a comic book convention!" Buffy exclaimed clearly offended at the idea that her feline look being labelled 'ideal champion'.
"I will admit that the changes are a little more diverse and advanced than I was expecting but neither I nor my allies had any say in what your new forms would be." The robed figure said sounding a little bit sorry for the end results, "The simplest way I can put it is that we gathered together the necessary ingredients but then allowed chance and destiny guide them to the right people."
"I find it hard to believe that such a random sequence of acts could lead to the desired results." Giles said with doubt in his voice, "Creating anything other than a mess requires careful considered actions and adjustments."
"Normally you would be correct Rupert Giles." The robed figure agreed with a nod of his head, "However when you have strands donated by the Moirai and the Norns the process becomes quite a bit more reliable while still being impossible to predict until the final moments."
"The Moray? The Norns?" Buffy asked her face scrunched up a bit in confusion.
"Trios from both Greek and Norse mythology Buffy." Giles replied while looking surprised, "Both are groups said to be responsible for the fates of all who live and possess the ability to see into the future. The strands he is referring to are the threads of fate representing the lives of mortals with the length representing the lifespan of the mortal. If such strands were indeed used for the goal of creating champions there would be less risk of failure involved."
"Okay so you got special threads that made making champions less of a crapshoot." He said wanting to get to the meat of the matter, "I think the big question that needs answering is WHY. Why did you need to make champions? They an endangered species or something? Not enough in the wild to pick from?"
"In olden times champions were indeed numerous enough that finding ones to suit your needs wasn't too difficult." The robed figure replied sounding fond of those times, "However since control of the mortal realm became the sole purview of the Overseers the number and quality of champions has taken a rather sharp drop."
THIS had Giles' level of surprise spike and in his mind that was not a good thing. Giles was the most knowledgeable person concerning the supernatural he knew of so when something did this to him then it meant the situation had just gotten super worrying.
"Giles? Why do you look like someone just told you tea was the secret to immortality?" Buffy asked her worry showing in her voice.
"The term 'Overseers' in this context refers to a divine group that has existed from the dawn of time. They are charged by the Creator to maintain balance throughout all existence." Giles replied reaching up to his eyes before realizing that he no longer had his glasses, "As such it is they who choose who will become a champion and guide them towards fulfilling their destiny."
"So they're the ones who decided to make me the Slayer?" She asked showing her venom towards these Overseers.
"Yes. Prior to two millennia ago there were a larger amount of potential champions that the Overseers could choose from to protect the world from threats." Giles replied barely noticing his charge's ire, "However when some of those potential champions began to fall victim to hubris and the temptation of the demons the Overseers chose to exert stronger control. Objects of power and knowledge of ways to become superhuman were entrusted to those loyal to the Overseers to be bestowed only to those chosen to face the coming threat."
"So basically all this is illegal?" She asked after comprehending the explanation and turning to the robed figure, "Turn us back to normal and send us home or we'll tell these Overseers everything!"
Not the most well thought out threat but it was definitely typical Buffy. She didn't realize that they didn't exactly have a lot of incriminating info to tell these Overseers. They got changed by their Halloween costumes, taken to some void and met a guy in a robe who tried to pull a fast one against cosmic law. That's all they knew but without any kind of magic finger print, artist sketch of the guy's face or a name it'd still be needle in a haystack territory.
"Your threat is ill conceived Slayer Summers." The guy said sounding amused, "All you've done is give me every reason NOT to return you to Sunnydale OR return you to your former bodies."
Buffy then realized the truth of this but didn't seem inclined to give up trying to threaten the guy into putting things back to her current definition of normal. 'Normal' after all was something she desired a lot and could dig in her heels better than anyone he knew when something tried to take her further into the wacky and bizarre. Personally he thought that she'd be a whole lot happier if she didn't fight it quite as much. Sure he wouldn't have liked it if his life had been changed as drastically as Buffy's had been without so much as a 'may I' but he wouldn't have gotten so hung up on what he couldn't change. Instead he'd work on making the change work for him and looking for ways to actually enjoy it whenever possible.
He might not believe in destiny or fate and the prophecies that used those terms but he also knew that when it came to the Slayer line if it could've been undone demons would've found a way centuries ago.
Whether or not this wound up turning into another similar situation he didn't know but if it did he'd do his best to help the others work their way past it.
"Now all that aside I can assure you that this was done for the very best of reasons." The robed man said trying to convey sincerity, "That you were the ones the strands gravitated towards means that you are the best ones to avert what it to come."
"What's to come?" Willow asked her curiosity peeking out from her lingering freak out.
"The gathering of the Six." The robed man said in a way that made one think that this had never happened before.
Something he got the feeling that they should be grateful for.
"And that would be…what?" Cordy asked with mild antagonism.
"Back at the beginning, the VERY beginning, when this reality came into being six fragments broke off from the fabric of it all." The robed man said before waving his hand in the air causing six points of light to manifest, "They took the shape of roughly hewn stones each one possessing the ability to grant the possessor complete control over an aspect of reality. Space, reality, power, mind, time and soul. Individually it requires a special individual to harness their power. If they all gather together and someone proves capable of using that level of power…reality itself could be rewritten with the snap of someone's fingers. Rewritten and if the user so chooses no one but they would ever know it had EVER been any different."
He honestly didn't think that any Sunnydale resident present had ever looked or felt more terrified at the idea of something so powerful existing.
Nothing they had ever heard of or faced came even remotely close to it.
"Yes…well…surely the Overseers are aware of this and are taking steps to prevent matters from devolving to that level." Giles said being the first to recover from the shock of it all.
"They are and they have." The robed man said before tearing away the momentary relief all of them had felt, "And yet the vision seen so long ago did not foretell of evil's defeat but rather its victory. Efforts have been made to convey this to the Overseers but they refuse to consider never mind admit that they might be wrong or that their plans might fail. I fear they will not accept the need for a 'Plan B' until it is far too late. Others felt the same way and so this plan was enacted."
"And this plan would be what exactly?" He asked more able to consider that the balance brigade might screw up and fail.
"Now that the threads have made their choices you will all need to train to master your new forms and abilities." The robed man replied dismissing the image of the Six, "We do not know precisely when the six will gather but it will not be more than two decades from now. I just pray that will be enough time for you to become the best you can be."
Two decades.
Twenty years.
All to train and become champions capable of preventing a reality sized apocalypse.
"When do we get started?" He asked not willing to back away no matter how scared he felt deep down.
"Immediately." The robed man said before bringing up his right hand and snapping his fingers.
Before he even realized it he found himself falling downwards and just as fast he found out that he was no longer in a void but rather a normal skyscape. However when he managed to reorient himself he could tell that the ground he was rapidly approaching was not one he was familiar with. The pillars of stone jutting out topped with grass or trees. The domed house he could see a little ways away and OH YEAH the freakin' dinosaur looking creatures stomping around! However even that was secondary to the fact that he was FALLING and had no idea if he could somehow fly or if he was now tough enough to survive impact with the ground rapidly approaching.
Fortunately with a blur of gold he suddenly found himself going horizontal to the ground rather than heading right for it so that was one worry off his back. Twisting around a little see what was going on he was surprised to find out that standing upon a golden cloud with one hand gripping his left ankle was a bit of an odd looking man. Gravity defying hair and wearing some sort of orange-blue karate outfit made for a rather unique appearance but seeing as how the guy had saved him from going splat he was willing to put up with something unique.
Feeling them descend towards the ground at a much safer velocity than before they soon came to a stop at the edge of a lake where he was released. Falling a short distance to the dirt ground beneath him he was tempted to start kissing it in gratitude but decided that it'd be better to properly thank his new saviour.
"Thanks! I don't know who you are but just saved me from a very messy sudden stop." He said turning to face the cloud riding man.
"No problem! Where did you come from?" The guy asked sounding rather carefree, "Planes don't come out this way except for Bulma's and I don't think she'd let anyone fall out like that."
"It might be a little hard to believe but I'm from another reality." He replied figuring out how best to answer on the fly, "I kinda got dropped here by a guy in a robe who said I needed training."
"Well I think I can help you with the training part." The guy said not looking phased in the least at talk of other realities, "I just have to make sure Chi-Chi's okay with it. She's been really insisting I get a job and make some money lately."
"Well I'm not going to be able to train all the time so howsabout I get a side job to help out." He said figuring helping the guy might up the odds of getting training, "Probably won't be much but maybe it'll make her more open to making a deal."
"It's worth a shot." The guy said sounding like he'd be willing to give it a shot, "It'll help with having another Saiyan to feed."
"Another what?" He asked not knowing the term but pretty sure the guy was referring to him.
"A Saiyan. That's what you are right?" The guy asked sounding it was obvious.
Getting a funny feeling he went over to the edge of the lake and bending over a little looked at the water's surface to get a look at his reflection. As far as his clothes went he was still wearing the costume he'd put together for escorting the kids with the exception of the ball necklace he'd put together at home. He'd taken the crystal sphere he'd bought from the costume shop, found a few similar sized things around the house and combined with a strip blue fabric turned it into a necklace. He'd seen a guy wearing something similar in a street fighter arcade machine and figured it'd go well with the rest of his outfit. Sure the character in the fighting game didn't wrap and twist fabric around each sphere but he hadn't had time to do it any other way.
Clothes aside he found some other changes that explained what his new trainer was talking about. While his hair had never been all that well maintained it'd never been shoulder length or gravity defying in his entire life. His eyes were no longer their usual chocolate brown but rather had become dark grey almost to the point of being mistaken for black at a casual glance.
There was one thing though that was the absolute clincher that he had been changed into something other than human.
The furry tail that somehow he had completely missed up until now lazily flicking this way and that with his sense of touch confirming that it was a very real part of him.
"Huh." He said unable to think of anything more profound.
It was looking more and more like he was going to need every bit of time he got between now and when the Six came together to get a handle on the new and improved him.
At least nobody'd mistake him for Tony Harris' son like this.
"Was it really necessary to do that?" A woman's voice asked to his right.
"If I'd told them that they would be training separately there was a chance they might've resisted Athena." He replied reaching down to pick the blue cloth necklace Alexander had been wearing, "Given that I knew only the basics of both who and what they'd each been turned into I couldn't take the chance that things might get violent. Besides if being angry with me gives them incentive to train extra hard I'll be more than happy to take my lumps when they get back."
"Here's hoping you survive their return." Athena said glancing at the object he now held in his hands.
"Hoping for a brighter future is what caused us to take this course in the first place my dear." He said before beginning to unwrap the fabric to get at what he sensed.
"What're you doing?" She asked puzzled by actions she didn't understand.
"Satisfying my curiosity and possibly much more." He replied uncovering the first of the spheres that made up the necklace to reveal the orange crystal sphere that'd found Alexander.
It was an odd thing that Sun Wukong had made with Bia and it became odder still once the thread was fused with it. Now though, almost two millennia since its creation, it had gained something that he had not anticipated.
What was it?
In a word: power.
A power not to search for the ideal champion but something else altogether.
A different power and he could sense that there was still room for even more to fill its spherical form if more time was permitted. However as his finger strayed from the sphere something pinged on his senses that he did not expect but he followed his instincts. Quickly he unwrapped another part of the necklace expecting to find a tennis ball or perhaps a baseball but instead found something quite different.
Another orange crystal sphere almost identical in dimensions as the previous one except there was a different number of ruby's embedded deep within. Reaching out with his arcane senses he found to his amazement that this sphere too possessed power that was growing within it. Suspecting the beginnings of a trend he continued to work to unwrap the rest of the spheres and in the end found more of the same.
Seven orange crystal spheres with a different number of rubies embedded near the centre with no visible sign that they had been placed artificially.
All of them growing with an unknown power.
"What…what are they?" Athena asked sounding like she truly didn't have even a simple theory.
"If they're what I suspect then the odds of us successfully preventing the calamity of the Six just doubled." He thought before pausing in consideration.
The one in a million odds of this set of spheres coming to be could mean that more had arisen from their preparations than they'd expected. With a push of his own power he sent a wave outwards but all it was intended to do was to amplify and make visible any lingering traces of energy that remained. In a way this place was ideal for what he had in mind because no arcane energy existed here save what was brought here from the outside. Given that this place was chosen as the destination point for the champions because it hadn't been used in centuries only his energy and their energy would be present.
In the end his hunch proved correct as five other lingering echoes remained in the air though he'd wager that they would not last long. Unlike the case with Alexander the energy was not tied to a specific object but rather their bodies. With the sources gone he doubted even these traces would last all that long but he was confident that he could learn what he needed to before they vanished entirely.
One by one he used his divine might to discern the mysteries of the five lingering traces as much as he could before they vanished entirely. What he learned led to conclusions not quite as profound as what he gained from Alexander but interesting nonetheless.
From Slayer Summers he learned that her Calling was no longer what it once was because the essence inside of her had evolved into something quite different. It was still not entirely free of its demonic origins but at the same time it had gained qualities that would throw the Overseers for a loop when she returned. He could even perceive a shred of some…connection…to something somewhere in the universe that even now sought the feline female.
In Willow Rosenberg he found energy that could only be described as other dimensional in origin and while he thought for a moment that it fuelled her enhanced physical prowess he couldn't help but think he might be mistaken. It felt like something more existed in the energy, as though it could do more than just enhance the girl's physique, but he couldn't discern anything more than that.
From Dawn Summers he could feel the potent energies of The Key within her but he also felt something else that shouldn't have been there. He, like many other deities, had sensed the arrival of a future version of The Key over a decade ago and even from their realms had seen it shaped into a human baby girl. It was a bit odd but he and those he talked to had a solid enough grasp of the monks' way of thinking that the humans must've been backed into a corner to do this. However the thing that shouldn't have been there was a genuine human soul and from what he could feel from the echo it was purer and of higher quality than any other. It was an impossibility! He'd been around a long time and had the chance to examine many humans in virtually every manner a deity could and for the most part their souls were the same. Age and experiences were pretty much the only things that separated one human from another.
However there was no mistaking what he was feeling from the echo of the human soul inside of Dawn Summers. It made him wonder what precisely the monks had done, what power they had called upon, to send The Key back through time and give it human form. The precise origins of The Key were a mystery and while some had some pretty solid theories based on their own research that's all they were in the end.
Theories.
From Rupert Giles he'd expected to feel nothing more than a human with mild to moderate magical potential carrying around the Mark of Eyghon with all of its taint. Instead to his surprise both the mark and the taint were nowhere to be found as though the transformation facilitated by the strand had burned it off of the mortal. In addition the older man's magical potential had gotten a definite boost to such a level that he was surprised the mortal's body hadn't been incinerated from the inside out. The thing he could tell, that he could sense, was that throughout the entire echo of the Watcher there was a feeling of…of…timelessness akin what he often felt when he looked at Mount Olympus from a short distance away.
As for Cordelia Chase he was quite pleased to find that any ties to THAT particular being had been severed meaning that death by possession would no longer be in the girl's future. That being said it felt as though she might be open to the possibility of forming new connections with other compatible entities. Just because that malevolent love and peace fallen deity no longer had a connection with the cheerleader that didn't mean that the ports that existed couldn't accept other connections under the right circumstances. It worried him since any being capable of sensing what he sensed could theoretically take advantage of the girl but at the same time if the young lady was smart she could become quite powerful.
All in all perhaps he'd been a bit dismissive of the risks the plan had but even with these surprises he was still confident that it would turn out okay. They would have their plan B for saving everything when the Overseers' plan failed because they refused to possess humility and honour.
Though a great many years had passed since the gathering of deities bringing him that much closer to the crisis point the specifics still eluded them. Janus, the Anunnaki, the Norns, the Moirai and the Nortia still could not tell them HOW the Overseers' plan would fail or who would seek to use the Six. He did not believe that they were deliberately withholding the information since the cost of failure was far too high for such an act but it still bothered him.
In the end he had no choice but to do what the humans did and hope that everything would work out in the end.
"Come Athena." He said opening a way back to Mount Olympus, "It is almost time for us to 'return' from a visit to an 'old friend'."
"Yes Lord Zeus." Athena said with a nod of respect before following him through the portal.
A Long, Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
(NO not that one! A Place Other Than the Star Wars Universe)
The Hall of Wisdom
Two and a Half Years After Halloween
Dawn's POV
~What if I…maybe…no won't work…maybe…~ she thought as she continued to go over the scrolls Veena wanted her to study.
It'd been a little over two years since she'd been unceremoniously dropped on an unknown world with very little resembling what she was used to and a lot that was just plain weird. Fortunately for her she'd arrived not too far from a rather impressive white and gold building AND the people that'd noticed her arrival had been nice. Considering how realistically not many places would be so friendly towards strangers from another world she considered it a spot of good luck. She'd also presumed that the robed asshole had dropped her at this location specifically because the people who lived in the building could help with her training. It'd been a bit rocky starting out since they didn't speak the same language but fortunately the wife of the Conan-wannabe knew magic. A quick spell later and they had no trouble understanding each other when speaking leading to her explaining her situation.
While D'Vann wasn't familiar with any other worlds aside from his own he understood what she'd been sent here to become. As a result he'd agreed to teach her the way of the warrior alongside his son Ro who she had to admit was kinda cute.
Not as cute as Xander of course especially after his Halloween makeover but it'd make things more interesting.
Things had been rough since of course becoming a warrior included getting your body into muscle covered shape and an impressive cardio workout. Considering the fact that this world was a mishmash of technology, magic and stuff from the Conan the Barbarian movies she'd had to learn a lot of things just to make the experience bearable. Fortunately for her once the spoken language barrier was broken it became easier to ask questions and learn what she needed to.
For the most part at least.
D'Vann, Veena and Ro couldn't be around all the time since they ran the entire area around their home so eventually she'd been left with some reading to do. The problem? While speaking the language of the locals was no longer a problem reading their language was another thing altogether. Letters and numbers that everyone around her took for granted amounted to little more than gibberish to her making reading anything an exercise in futility. There weren't even any signs that she could figure out if she tried hard enough! It had taken months of on again off again lessons from Veena before she could read the most popular language enough to be left to her own devices. The magic lady had even thrown in a language used in the main branch of magic used by the people of this world.
Even if she'd mostly be fighting with her sword and her fists a few helpful magic spells would be nice aces to have up her sleeve if the need arose.
Then came the day for her to try her first spell and to ensure nothing would be blown to bits Veena had made it a spell that'd let her communicate with animals via telepathy. It wasn't as easy as it sounded since the woman explained that while many animals were smarter than people gave them credit for they still operated mostly on instinct and primal urges. You needed to gain an understanding of the animal's moods and responses and primal feelings both to understand what they were telling you and to get across what you wanted to convey.
Turns out she was a natural! It only took her two or three tries to get the spell right and once she made contact with the little green tiger cub she managed to convince it to curl up in her lap. She'd been enjoying the purring the cub was putting out so much that she almost missed the look on Veena's face but when she'd asked the woman had just said that it usually took people longer to gain a grip on magic.
Well she wasn't complaining!
It was a few days later that Veena had suggested casting a spell that would reveal any arcane compatibilities she might have so they didn't waste time on stuff she'd be no good at. It made sense so she'd followed the instructions, got into position and watched the woman make with the mojo as Xander'd put it. It'd been all kinds of flashy and tingly but nothing unpleasant but once Veena had finished she'd explained that it'd take a few hours for her to match what she'd seen with the right scrolls.
Thus she'd been given her first day off from training in a long while.
It'd been the next day that things had resumed and she'd found out that other than telepathy affiliated spells she also had an aptitude for healing spells. When she'd asked about any attack spells for battle she'd been disappointingly told that those would be less reliable and best saved for once she'd mastered the others. Veena had noticed her disappointment and speculated that perhaps learning spells of transformation might be of use. This area of magic would allow her to take objects in her environment and reshape them into various forms with the only hitch being only a master of such magic could change the inherent properties of the object. A wooden branch could be changed into a spear but the spear would still retain all the qualities of wood no matter how fancy she made it look. Veena also told her that some objects were more resistant to transforming spells than others and living things were far too complicated for her to consider at the moment.
She had no plans on trying to transform anything living.
She'd watched 'Star Trek the Motion Picture' and had no desire to find out if a screwed up transformation of a living thing was anything like a serious transporter malfunction.
Veena suggested she practice a few of the simpler spells designed to allow the caster to gain an understanding of an object on various levels. The woman thought that it'd make transforming items that much easier.
Unlike Buffy who'd try to bulldoze her way through the process she was made of more patient stuff though it helped that she had no idea how to get back home or even leave the planet. Starting out small she'd begun with rocks, dirt and the abundance of wood in the nearest forest using the spells of understanding that Veena had provided her with to gain a grasp of their structure. It'd been two weeks ago though that she'd allowed curiosity to guide her actions and cause her to cast one of the stronger spells of understanding on her sword. She'd used it every so often during her training with D'Vann and Ro but they mostly stuck to harmless training swords that couldn't cut wet paper. She'd thought that if she gained a strong enough understanding of what she predicted would be her main weapon she might be able to make it more versatile through transformation.
Being shot at? Transform it into a shield. Need to catch a fleeing baddie? Change it into one of those roped ball pair things that wrapped around their feet.
However when she'd cast the spell and gone through what she'd learned she found that the sword's own inherent magical nature as well as its unknown primary purpose would make changing it into anything complicated impossible. The weapon wasn't as complicated as a person or a high tech piece of machinery but the…the…interconnected pathways of magic within it were not something to be messed with carelessly. With her alternate form options seriously reduced by the mass of the sword and not wanting to break it by messing with the pathways she often spent her time doing what she was right now.
Splitting her attention between reading the scrolls Veena had given her and other scrolls showing various simple but useful items she might be able to change her sword into. Changing scrolls every other paragraph while occasionally scribbling down some notes on a blank scroll she was making decent progress. When Veena came back around to check on her she was sure the woman would be satisfied that she knew the requested material and they could move on to practical application of the info.
~Not bad for a little over two years.~ She thought with satisfaction, ~As long as I'm not recalled early I'll definitely be something to see when the big day arrives.~