Chapter 8

Battle Royal

Faith walked through the door of Angel's office into the lobby of the Hyperion, wearing a grim look on her face.

"Did you speak to Giles?" said Angel.

"Yeah.." Faith muttered.

"And?" said Spike "Does he know anything about the super slayer? Like, I dunno.. the best way not to bloody die around it?"

"He said its happened once before, a slayer in the 1500's. Her records in the Council Archives list her as being called Sophia Morgana, from Italy."

"Yeah..." Spike said, "onto the how to kill part..."

"Giles said it took a lot to kill her."

Illyria looked at Faith. "Define 'a lot', Slayer"

"Apparently she was eventually brought down by the active Slayer and a team of fifteen Watcher's council operatives, like the ones that tried to take me down a couple times.."

Faith looked Angel straight in the eyes.

"One other thing. Only two of the watchers survived. One of whom was the Slayer-vamp's watcher. Then he went insane."

"Well then," muttered Spike. "This is gonna be a bloody joke..."

Suddenly, the front doors of the Hyperion came crashing down. In the doorway stood Talia, and several vampires.

"And here comes the sodding punchline..." growled Spike.

The vampires rush in, and charge at the team, while Talia stands in the doorway, watching the battle. Laura's bow spits wooden death onto the vampires, dusting a couple, while Faith and Illyria charge the vampires head on. Angel and Spike look at each other.

"Guess this means she's ours then?" said Spike.

"Just like old times..." Angel said, as they charged at Talia.

The two vampires charge at the undead slayer, both bringing their swords down on her. Talia grabbed the blades of the swords and tore them out of their hands, and drove the hilts of the swords into their faces. Recovering from the blow, Angel dived at her, smashing her into a wall, which didn't even seem to daze her. She grabbed Angel by the throat and lifted him up, throwing him into Spike, who was just getting back up.

Meanwhile, Faith, Illyria and Laura were mopping up the last of the vampires. Faith swung an axe round, decapitating a vamp to her left, while Illyria kicks the head of a vampire clean off it's shoulders. Laura, out of arrows, runs in and throws a vampire onto a broken piece of table, staking him.

Spike charged into Talia, thrusting a stake at her chest. The vampire struck him with a backhand across his face. The blow was so powerful it sent the blonde vampire through the wall of Angel's office.

Illyria stood up against Talia, driving a fearsome kick into her chest, sending her reeling. The blue skinned demon-god followed up with a punch to the face of the vampire, knocking Talia down. Illyria moved in for a killing blow, but Talia kicked Illyria's legs out from under her, knocking her to the floor. Talia jumped up and brutally kicked the demon in the head, knocking her out.

Laura ran over and started to fight Talia, while she was still dazed from Illyria's attack. Faith joined Laura, and they both pressed home the attack. Talia lashed out with a kick that sent Laura reeling across the room, and Faith drove a kick into Talia's ribs, throwing her off balance. Faith continued to rain down blows on Talia, smashing the demonic slayer through a table. She grabbed a stake, and lunges at Talia's prone form. Just before the stake made contact, Talia rolled to one side, grabbing Faith's arm, twisting it, and snapping the bone.

Faith screamed as the bone splintered in her arm. The pain shot throughout her body. Suddenly Talia was on the offensive, and everyone else was down and out. Talia's fists hammered into Faith's ribs. Faith could hear the bones breaking as the blows landed. She struggled to avoid blacking out from the pain. Talia grabbed Faith's throat, and slammed her against the wall. Her face moved closer to Faith. She knew what was going to happen next. Talia was going to feed. She was going to feed, and Faith didn't have the strength to stop her.

"First I'm going to drain you, Faith, then I am going to tear everyone of your friends to shreds, and eat their hearts. You were a good teacher Faith. It just seems that the apprentice has surpassed the master.."

"One... one thing. Let me say one thing before you... you finish me."

"Continue..."

"You never did listen to what you were taught. I always taught you to watch your back, BITCH!"

"Wha..?"

With her last ounce of energy, Laura leaped across the room, stake in hand. With the momentum of her jump, she drove the stake into Talia's back, piercing her heart. The vampire turned and looked at Laura in the last few moments before death belatedly consumed her, and she burst into a cloud of dust.