Chapter 25: The Scythe

Glastonbury Tor, January 20th, 2017

"So, that's the door to Avalon. We could've skipped the trip to London and come straight to here from Camelot." Buffy Summers squinted as she looked at the top of the hill in front of her. "Looks kinda broken."

"That's St Michael's Church Tower," Giles corrected her. "Not the door to Avalon. If it were, I think English history would've taken a different course."

Buffy looked around. "They used to go up there to go to church? Without cars? Wow! People really were more religious in the past."

"It was a monastery, believed to be a daughter house of the Glastonbury Abbey," Giles went on. "It was razed under Henry VIII when the monasteries were dissolved."

"That was the guy with the many wives, right?" Buffy grinned at Giles' grimace.

"He was the King of England, and he had six wives."

Buffy had known that - well, she remembered that he had fewer than eight, at least, since she had made that mistake in a test once, stupid Mrs Brown - but decided to play dumb anyway. "He had a harem? Wow! You Brits knew how to have fun back in the day!"

"He didn't have a harem. He married consecutively. That means..."

"I know - he married as soon as his former wife was dead or divorced." Buffy was in college, after all. "Why did they leave the tower standing?"

"I must confess, I don't know. It could be that the task of razing it to the ground was too exhaustive. Or they wanted to use it as a lookout, or for similar purposes."

That made sense. "Or they just did a half-assed effort and decided to let wind and weather do the rest?" She cocked her head.

"We probably shall never know."

"Well, are you sure the tower's not the gate to Avalon? The Tor's called 'Ynys yr Afalon' in Welsh, after all," Willow asked. "The island of Avalon."

"According to the Council's records, yes," Giles said. "The actual gate to Avalon is a hidden cave."

"Must be well-hidden," Jim commented. "There are many tourists."

Indeed, there were lots of people climbing the terraced hill.

"It's magically hidden. According to legend, only a Slayer in need can enter it - or find it," Giles said. "Although the Council's records include a description."

"Yes! Although it has to be adjusted for the time that has passed since it was written down," Willow cut in. "The magnetic north pole shifted, after all. And landmarks changed. I've been working on it during our drive here, but I'm not yet done. Although in an hour or so, I'll have it narrowed down to a fairly small area, I think."

"If it's magically hidden, we should be able to track the magic," Blinky commented from the safety and shade of their van. "Once night has fallen, at least."

"Track the magic?" Willow turned.

"Magic that hides something should be noticeable with the right tools," the troll explained.

"Oh!"

"Although examining the entire hill would take a long time," Blinky went on. "It's more meant to find smaller things that were hidden as a prank or by malicious gnomes. But it will also find a cave."

"Great!" Buffy beamed. "So, Willow narrows it down and then you're gonna spot the cave for us."

"Ah… I'd need some materials for that," Blinky said.

Buffy had known there'd be a catch. There always was. "Let me guess: We need to fight some monsters to get some beating demon heart? Or… fresh demon eyes? Demon goo? Please don't say demon goo!"

"What? No!" Blinky pulled a book out of his bag. "Just a few rather basic components."

Willow moved into the van and peered at the book, craning her neck. "Looks like standard stuff. We have all that in stock at the Magic Box. So, where's the next magic shop?"

That was a relief. They were early, anyway - it was the middle of the afternoon - so this meant they had an excuse to go to town and shop!

"With the popularity of the place amongst certain pagan religions, I think there are good odds that there'll be a magic shop in Glastonbury," Giles said.

"Or we can check the web!" Willow was already typing on her laptop. "Yes, there's a magic shop in the town, though I can't tell if it's a real one, or just a trap for New Agers."

"A trap?" Jim asked.

"For their money," Willow explained. "Ah… they got the real deal in their online section. Uh… Will this be covered by expenses, Giles? They're kinda pricey."

Giles sighed. "Well, I doubt I'll have any need for money should Glorificus win."

Buffy nodded. That was a smart attitude. "So, you'd not mind springing a little more so we can check the shoe shops in town?"

"I doubt that the town will have shoe shops catering to your needs," Giles told her. "This isn't California, after all. Unless you wish to purchase a pair of wellingtons, of course."

"Rubber boots? Those aren't shoes!" Buffy protested. Well, not those kinds of rubber boots. And she wasn't going to wear the other kinds of rubber boots. Or even think about them. They wouldn't be practical, anyway. Outside certain clubs, and she really wasn't going there!

"Well, technically, they are..." Willow trailed off after a glance.

Really, Buffy was the expert on shoes here! And if she said rubber boots didn't qualify as shoes, then that was it.


"Ah. I must confess that I feel much better now that night has fallen. It was a little unnerving to trust a mere thin sheet of metal to keep the sun away." Blinky sighed audibly as he climbed out of the van and stretched at the foot of Glastonbury Tor.

James Lake Jr nodded. Since a troll could rip through a car door with ease - even a scholarly troll like Blinky - this trip must have been unnerving for his friend.

"Although I also have to admit that seeing another human settlement, so different from London or Arcadia Oaks, was fascinating. The differences between the locations were almost as stark as between different troll communities. Remarkable, given how similar humans tend to be."

Right. For trolls, who came in so many different colours, sizes and shapes, humans probably looked and acted all the same. Jim nodded again. "Well, we're going to return home soon enough. We just need to recover the Scythe."

"I'm not sure that it's a scythe, actually. Technically, it's called mʔ," I believe," Blinky corrected him.

"Even Mr Giles calls it a scythe half the time," Jim objected.

"Only half the time, though."

"Well, it's supposed to be a weapon, and I can handle any weapon."

Jim managed not to jump in surprise - the Slayer had managed to sneak up on him, again! He slowly turned and nodded. "It was made for the Slayer."

"Even if it wasn't, I totally could wield it," she insisted.

"Certainly. Although a giant's club might be too unwieldy, I suppose," Blinky speculated. "The sheer difference in size…"

"I so could wield it!"

"Not if it's the same size as you are," Willow added.

"I still could wield it!"

"Technically, you might be able to wield it, but I doubt you'd be able to use it effectively in combat. Which, of course, is a central part of wielding a weapon. So, I think there are weapons you cannot wield."

"Let's test that! Where can we get a giant's club?"

"Giants are, unfortunately - or fortunately, if you were amongst their preferred prey, which humans were in some areas - extinct. Some troll lines are said to contain giant ancestry, but speculating about such is a grave offence and has led to duels to the death and outright war on at least one occasion in the past. And since trolls with potential giant ancestry tend to be much larger and stronger than other trolls, it has become a sort of taboo to speculate about it," Blinky explained. "Although since this is limited to mountain trolls, which number very few, it's not a very important part of troll customs. Most trolls tend to stay silent in the presence of a mountain troll."

"A mountain troll… like Gatto?" Jim asked.

"Yes, he is one of a handful," Blinky replied.

"Gatto?" The Slayer frowned. "Cat?"

Blinky winced. "Calling him a cat would be grounds for a duel, I fear. His name stems from an old troll dialect, not Spanish."

The Slayer snorted. "Then I know what to tease him with, should we ever fight. Where does he live, anyway?"

"In a volcano in South America," Jim replied. "And he's the size of the volcano. He literally swallowed us all whole."

"What?"

"Surely you jest," Mr Giles chimed in.

"No, that was true. Quite a harrowing experience, though we escaped thanks to Tobias's quick thinking and appetite for spicy food," Blinky replied. "Gatto is rather tall - I think he could stand upright in this hill, but only barely, although it's hard to tell. He barely moves and prefers to project his face to interact with his fellow trolls."

The Slayer stared at them, then shook her head. "You're very weird, you know that?"

"Buffy!" Willow protested.

"What? It's true!"

"You can't just use yourself as the norm!"

"Of course I can!"

"Well, you shouldn't!"

"Can we focus on the task at hand?"

Mr Giles frowned at them all - which was sort of unfair, Jim thought. He hadn't started this. Well, not really.

"Right! Let's go find the entrance to Avalon, get my scythe and get home. I've got a skanky hell-goddess to cut up."

"Please do not rush heedlessly into this. We know there's a test ahead which will certainly be a challenge and possibly be dangerous as well."

"I'm good with challenges!"

"You think it'll be another fight in our dreams?" Willow asked with a grimace.

"A fight in your dreams?" Jim repeated.

"The First Slayer attacked us in our dreams after we used a spell she didn't like to beat Adam the Terminator," Buffy explained. Or didn't explain - Jim was still confused.

"I do not think we should exclude that possibility," Mr Giles said.

"What?" The Slayer suddenly looked far less confident. But she quickly scoffed. "Well, whatever - I can beat her again!"

"According to what we know, it's a test of character. Which means that you are likely to be tested in ways that won't allow you to use your considerable skill at fighting, Buffy."

"But that's unfair! This is about fighting! We've got a hell-goddess to beat!"

"Usually, in myths, being worthy was more a question of your strength of character rather than your physical strength," Willow explained.

"Well… I've got great strength of character!"

"I would agree if you hadn't spent hours shopping for shoes you have no intention to ever wear," Mr Giles remarked.

"Giles! Those are souvenirs!"


Buffy Summers pouted at Giles. Really! Everyone knew that if you made a trip to a foreign country, you bought some silly souvenirs to show off at home! It was like the law! And a pair of rubber sandals in horrible neon green was the picture-perfect example of a silly souvenir! "Back me up, guys!"

She looked around, but Jim was looking at the hill in front of them, and Willow was staring at her laptop.

"I am sorry, but I am not very familiar with human travelling etiquette," Blinky said. "Though I think a number of trolls would have bought the shoes as well, although as a snack."

Well, some support was better than none. "Thank you."

Blinky beamed at her - and then went back to looking at the hill. "To think that the door to Avalon was so close, all those centuries!"

That startled Jim. "You didn't know?"

"No. It rose to prominence during King Arthur's reign, mostly thanks to Merlin, I believe. Even for trollkind, the isle is mostly a myth. And after the Battle of Killahead Bridge, well… Merlin wasn't in a mood to explain much, as I've told you before. Of course, he was dying, so that certainly excuses his attitude, I believe."

"So, what exactly is Avalon?" Buffy asked.

And everyone was staring at her.

"You don't know?" Willow blurted out.

"Hey!" Buffy frowned at her and pointed at Giles. "He's the one responsible for teaching me all the old, useless history I should know. My ignorance is his fault!"

"Now, really!" Giles shook his head, mouth opening and closing. "I distinctly remember telling you about the Arthurian myth!"

"Yeah." Buffy nodded. "And I paid attention to any mention of a demon or other monster in it. But Avalon? I thought that was a cosmetics brand!"

"Avalon is a mythical island, supposedly the resting place of King Arthur, who is also supposed to be merely resting there, waiting for the time England needs him again when he'll return as king to lead us," Giles explained. "There are many variants of the myth which have different versions of the legend. Glastonbury Tor was a former island, and many believe it is the location of Avalon."

"That was an island? The coast isn't even close!" Buffy protested. "Did they hire the Dutch or something?"

"Geology at work," Giles retorted. "The coastline retreated. But I do think we should get on with things."

Right. The stupid test Buffy had to take. A 'test of character'. Why couldn't she just beat up a monster? She sighed. "Yes, Let's go find the cave door thingie."

"I've narrowed down the area we need to search," Willow announced.

"And I have just the thing for this!" Blinky held up a bag with the magical stuff they had bought earlier today.

"Great." Buffy faked a smile.

"Follow me!" Willow said, pulling out her phone. "I've got the coordinates in my GPS!"

"Tracking down a mythical location with the help of those infernal machines and American satellites…" Buffy heard Giles mutter. "Merlin must be turning in his grave."

She would've quipped about his technophobia, but Willow was about to lead them down a ravine, and Buffy quickly moved ahead. "Maybe you should let me lead, Willow," she said. "I can see in the dark, after all."

"As can I! I shall bring up the rear!" Blinky announced.

"Right." Jim changed into his magical armour that Buffy totally wasn't jealous of. "Now I can see in the dark as well."

"Uh…" Willow but her lower lip. "Does that mean we won't be using flashlights?"

"Torches would attract attention we can do without," Giles told her.

"I should've gotten night vision goggles," she complained.

Buffy smiled. "Don't worry, Willow. I'll guide you. Or carry you."


"This is it!" Willow declared half an hour later, looking at her phone's GPS.

Buffy Summers coughed.

"This time, I'm sure!" her bestie protested. "And you can put me down!"

Buffy snorted and set her down. Willow was a great friend, powerful witch, super-hacker and all-around genius, but she wasn't an outdoorswoman. Although she had a talent to find every root that could trip someone without trying…

"Then I shall conduct the ritual to reveal that which is hidden by magic," Blinky declared.

Willow was at his side in an instant - and not tripping over any root, this time, Buffy noted.

"Great," Giles commented, and Buffy couldn't tell if he was sarcastic or not. Not that it mattered, anyway.

Blinky was spreading salt in a circle around himself, then stepped out and put down a… "Rubber duck?" Buffy asked.

"The spell requires the effigy of a bird. It was the best we could do, apparently."

"It's the representation of a bird," Willow, who had bought it, replied. "And the rubber quality should help since we are looking for a spell cast while this was still an island."

Buffy couldn't tell if Willow was serious or not. But as long as the magic worked…

Blinky was already casting, moving his hands around, glowing lights appearing as he sprinkled the ducky with more powders and stuff.

And then the duck started moving. First, it turned around itself, then it started waddling.

"It's working!" Blinky announced.

"Right. Let's follow the rubber duck." Xander would have a field day with this, Buffy thought.

The rubber ducky was faster than Buffy had expected, but she had no trouble keeping up with the toy. Unfortunately, judging by the curses and groans she heard behind her, Giles and Willow were having some trouble. And kept stumbling in the darkness. Well, there was nothing she could do unless she wanted to risk losing the duck. And she didn't want that. Besides, it couldn't be that far, according to Willow's calculations.

And it wasn't very far. After about a hundred yards, the duck ran straight into a rock and… kept running into it? Or waddle-running into it. And it was a very normal-looking rock, about a foot high.

"Guys, I think the duck broke!" Buffy yelled over her shoulder.

"Like my ankle," she heard Giles mutter.

"I do not think it's broken, Mr Giles - it seems merely strained."

"It hurts like it."

"I hope my nose isn't broken."

That was Willow. Buffy glanced at the duck, which was still doing its little ramming-the-rock thingie, then turned. Willow looked like… "Did you run into a tree?"

"I fell into a tree," she replied, holding her nose, "when I stumbled over its roots."

"A combo attack then." Buffy nodded. "Let me check."

She quickly pulled Willow's hand away and touched her friend's nose. Despite Willow's whimpering, it didn't seem to be broken. "Well, neither your nose nor Giles's ankle is broken. Just the ducky."

"It's not broken!" Blinky announced. "This is the spot!"

Buffy turned back to look at the duck. And at the slope behind the rock. "Great. We need to dig the cave out?"

"You need to dig it out, my dear," Giles told her as he sat down on a larger rock with a grimace.

"What?" She stared at him.

"It's a test for the Slayer. We shouldn't risk another displeased reaction from the First Slayer for interfering."

"What? But Willow found the area, and Blinky found the exact location!" Buffy pointed out.

"That's merely guiding you to the test. But this might be part of the test already. To see how you fare when faced with sudden hardship."

That sounded… She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that payback for the time we had you and Xander dig up a coffin while we watched? I had my best boots on!"

"Would I be so petty as to lie to you about something as important as this?" Giles sounded perfectly innocent. But also pleased.

"No," Buffy admitted. "But you certainly like this!"

Giles smiled in return.

She huffed. "Can I at least use a shovel, or do I have it first Slayer style, with my bare hands?" She held up her hand before anyone could answer. "It was a rhetorical question. We're looking for a weapon, so tools are a-ok." And if they weren't, then Buffy would have some words with whoever rigged such a test.

She grabbed a shovel from the backpack Blinky was carrying and started digging. The duck kept trying to go through the rock.


About an hour later, Buffy Summers was angry, covered in dirt - at least from her shins down; she should've bought some Wellingtons - and willing to slay the stupid duck. And the slope was still… wait!

She cocked her head, then rammed her shovel into the packed earth in front of her. Yes - the sound had changed. It sounded… not hollow, but different. Yes! She quickly sped up, throwing earth dirt and rocks behind her as if she were a tunnelling machine. Willow shrieked behind her, so her friend must have caught a clump of dirt.

Buffy didn't care. She was so close! Yes! There was an opening - small and dark, but she could see a hollow space behind it. A cave! The cave!

She quickly widened the opening, almost breaking the shovel in the process as she tossed a larger rock to the side. "I found it!"

"Technically, we found it," Willow said. "You merely excavated it."

"Potato tomato."

"What?"

"That is not how… Ah, well. Let's focus on the cave."

The cave to Avalon. To her scythe. To the test of her character.

Buffy took a deep breath and dropped the shovel. "I look like a mess," she complained. "If I fail the test because I'm covered with dirt, it'll be your fault."

"I doubt whoever created the test cares about dirt. Remember the First Slayer?" Willow told her.

Buffy did. The woman had been covered in dust and stuff. But still. "Whatever. So, I just walk in?"

"According to what we know, yes," Giles replied.

"Sounds simple, then."

"Please do not underestimate this challenge, Buffy."

"Yes, Giles." She rolled her eyes. Of course she wouldn't! She had experience with such tests - she'd almost died to the First Slayer, after all. Which actually wasn't something to boast of, was it?

She shook her head. "Going in now. Wish me luck!"

She was moving before anyone said anything, but she heard their well-wishes as she ducked beneath a hanging root and entered the cave proper. Which was more like a tunnel - the walls were not cave-y, but looked like brick and mortar. If you had large stone blocks instead of bricks. Very medieval. And… was that light ahead?

She narrowed her eyes and turned around the next corner, and...

...was standing in an empty field. In sunlight. And it was a field, not the African steppe - she could see the straight rows left by the plough. There were little hills and small patches of trees in the distance. And more fields.

She muttered a curse under her breath - this didn't look like she would be fighting a vampire any time soon.

"This isn't that kind of test."

Buffy jumped and whirled, dropping into a modified stance with her hands up and ready to defend herself. Behind her - now in front of her - stood a woman dressed like Cleopatra. Well, if Cleopatra didn't wear silk but some linen dress and had a lot less golden jewellery. So, not like Cleopatra at all. "Who're you?"

"I am the guardian of the Slayer's Scythe."

Buffy pressed her lips together so she didn't blurt out: "I have to fight you?" That would probably not go over well if Giles was to be believed. "How old are you?" she asked instead - and winced; that wasn't a question you should ask, either.

The woman, though, smiled. "That question has no definite answer. I am the spirit of a woman who lived before the pyramids rose in Egypt.

That made her really old. Almost as old as the First Slayer. And a spirit? Damn. That explained how she appeared behind Buffy. But that was like the First Slayer, too! "This is a dream."

"Of sorts." The woman took two steps, standing next to Buffy, looking past her. "Isn't it peaceful?"

"If you like the earthy fields and growing stuff," Buffy replied. "Although… who's doing the growing stuff? I don't see any village nearby." She didn't see any roads, either, which could let farmers drive up to the field.

"They aren't needed," the woman replied.

"They aren't?"

The woman reached out, and a stalk of corn suddenly grew out of the field, ending up with the corncob in her hand. "Here, you don't need to work to eat."

"Sounds like paradise. Or Capitalist hell," Buffy quipped.

"Indeed." The woman nodded and released the cob.

"Say… I never got your name. I'm Buffy. Buffy Summers."

"You are the Slayer. I am the Guardian."

"So we're going with titles. OK, I guess." She was the Slayer, after all.

The Guardian inclined her head.

"So… what are you doing in Merry Old England? You look more like the Lands of the Nile kind of girl," Buffy asked.

"I am guarding the Scythe. It follows the Slayer, and I follow its location - or, in some cases, I head where it will be."

That sounded… vague and prophecy-like. Buffy didn't like either. "So you came to England."

"So I came to England. To Avalon. Or, rather, my sisters and I founded Avalon."

"Giles will have a cow," Buffy blurted out. The most British legendary place founded by Egyptian women? The rest of the Council would have a stroke!

The Guardian laughed. Briefly.

"So…" Buffy looked around. "About this test? We're kinda on the clock, what with Glory trying to destroy the world."

"And trying to kill your sister."

"You know about that?" Buffy stared at her.

The other woman slowly nodded with a smile. A gentle smile, not a smug one, but that made it worse.

"So?" Buffy frowned - she didn't pout.

"Why do you want the Scythe?"

"To slay Glory!" Oops. Should she have said 'to save the world' instead? Those kinds of tests always had something about saving instead of slaying when you saw them on the TV. Even though it all came down to slaying in the end anyway.

"You're honest."

"Yeah, that's me - Honesty Girl." Buffy nodded with a wide smile.

"And then? Once Glory is slain?"

She blinked. "Uh… look what demon needs slaying next? I am the Slayer."

"With the Scythe?"

"I usually don't walk around with blades. They clash with my dress most of the time. I've got Mr Pointy!" She pulled her favourite stake - which had been Kendra's favourite stake - out of her pocket and showed it to the Guardian.

"The Scythe would allow you to easily destroy any demon. You could literally cut a swath through the armies of hell."

This sounded… Buffy frowned. "I can already easily slay most demons. But I guess I'd take it out if I have to face the armies of hell." Risking the world just to prove you could take on an army bare-handed wouldn't be smart. She blinked. "Wait! Is this one of those 'only those who do not want it will get it' tests?"

"It's a test to weed out those who would want power for power's sake. Power without purpose will corrupt you."

"I thought it was 'power corrupts you'."

This time, the woman laughed. "Nothing can be done without power."

A few moments passed. "So… did I ace the test?" Buffy asked.

"You earned the right to try it," the Guardian replied.

"What?" Buffy stared at her.

"The Scythe will judge you."

"So, what was all this?" Buffy spread her arms. "The whole dreamy thing?"

"To weed out those Slayers who would fail the test before they risk death. Not everyone can wield the Scythe, but that doesn't necessarily make them unworthy Slayers."

"Ah. But what if they will get killed if they can't get the Scythe?" Buffy asked.

"Most Slayers don't need the Scythe. They just want it."

"Oh. But I do?"

"Yes."

Buffy felt both relieved and proud and anxious at the same time. So, there was no other option to beat Glory. "Alright, I guess. So, how do I get the Scythe?"

"You will have to pull it out of the stone."

"What?" Buffy blinked. "Like Arthur's sword in the stone?" Which wasn't Excalibur - Giles had been very clear on that point.

"Indeed. Merlin knows how to test a wielder's worthiness."

"Merlin?" Buffy asked, but the woman faded from view. As did the field - she was back in the cave. Or tunnel - it was clearly artificial, after all.

"Buffy?"

That was Willow's voice! "Yes?" Buffy yelled.

Moments later, she heard footsteps coming closer. Then she saw a cone of light on the wall across from her, right before Willow, Giles, Jim and Blinky appeared around the corner.

"Buffy!" Willow rushed to her. "What happened? We called, and you didn't answer!"

"I was transported into a field to talk with a spirit," Buffy replied. "The Guardian." She rolled her eyes. "I asked for her name," she went on before Giles could ask, "but she didn't give it to me. Anyway, she said she was there to weed out the totally unworthy - those who just wanted the Scythe and didn't need it - before the actual test. Which, by the way, is pulling it out of a stone thanks to Merlin."

"Merlin?" Giles blurted out. "He stuck the Scythe in a stone?"

"So the spirit said." Buffy shrugged. "It's probably a thing for him; she said he knew how to test for worthiness."

She saw Jim touch his amulet, but he didn't seem proud or even relieved.

"So, where's the stone?" Willow asked.

"Probably further in." Buffy shrugged again. "Let's get a move on. I don't want to run into another ghost."

"To think that Merlin was involved with the Slayer's Scythe - and, presumably, the Slayer herself!" Giles exclaimed while they went further into the cave. "This wasn't in the Council's records at all! I wonder if this was deliberately hidden or if the Council was kept ignorant by Merlin."

"Well, I would've asked, but the Guardian left before I got further than 'Merlin?'," Buffy explained with a shrug.

"A pity! We could've found out so much about this period of history!"

"Well, Trollmarket's archives could have some records," Jim suggested.

"We do have records of that - rather turbulent - time. I kept a diary, for one," Blinky said. "Although I never heard of a Slayer's Scythe."

Ah, yes, Buffy remembered, Blinky had actually been alive at the time of Arthur. Trolls could grow hundreds of years old. She still wasn't used to that.

"It was likely kept secret on behalf of the Guardian."

"Or Guardians," Buffy said. "She said her sister and herself founded Avalon, so there had to be more than one."

"They founded Avalon?" Giles and Blinky blurted out together.

"Can we talk to the Guardian?" Blinky asked.

"This is… history has to be rewritten!" Giles shook his head. "Extraordinary."

"History needs to be rewritten anyway," Willow commented, "what with Merlin and King Arthur being real, you know?"

"Well, we can't publish that, or people will realise that magic and demons are real as well," Giles said. "Not to mention no one will believe us. But still! The effect on our history!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "History no one will care about if we don't stop Glory."

"Ah, right. We should focus on our task at hand. We can research the time of Arthur and Merlin once this crisis has been dealt with." Giles nodded.

Buffy couldn't help feeling as if this prospect motivated Giles more than the desire to save the world. But then again, he was Giles.

They turned another corner and entered a cave lit with glowing crystal thingies in the stones. A natural cave - the walls looked untouched. Cave-y.

And in the middle, lit by several cones of lights converging on it, stood a big slab of stone with a blade sticking out of it.

The Slayer's Scythe.

Buffy swallowed. This was it. Time to prove she was worthy and not just some blonde Californian girl who would've killed years ago if not for her friends.

"Buffy…" Giles trailed off.

"You can do it!" Willow said.

"You are the Slayer," Blinky added.

Jim didn't say anything, but when Buffy started walking towards the stone, she heard him whisper: "You are worthy."

Then she reached the stone and took a deep breath. The Scythe looked… well, it looked more like a weird axe than a scythe. It totally didn't look like a scythe at all, actually - the blade was more like an axe's blade, if more wavy, and it had a haft or handle.

She took another deep breath, then held it and reached out, fingers closing around the Scythe's haft. Metal, cool metal. Not as cool as she had expected. And… was that a humming noise?

Yes. It came from the weapon. She could almost feel it, too. What had the Guardian said? She was there to weed out the good Slayers who weren't good enough for the Scythe or so? Why would she have to do that if the Scythe judged worthiness?

Buffy's eyes widened. The Guardian would only have to do that if the Scythe killed those unworthy. Damn.

She froze for a moment. If she was unworthy, this might kill her. Licking her lips, she almost let go of it. Perhaps...

No. She was the Slayer. She had been doing this for years. And she needed the Scythe to save the world.

Clenching her teeth, she gripped the Scythe harder and pulled.

The Scythe slid smoothly out of the stone, offering no resistance.

And the blade sang.


The Slayer had stopped moving and was staring at the… weapon in her hand with rapt attention. Together with the illumination from the crystals set into the walls of the cave working like spotlights, the whole scene was like out of a movie, in James Lake Jr's opinion.

"It… it sings."

What? Jim couldn't hear any singing. Not even humming. Was it too low to be heard by anyone but the Slayer? Or was this some mental thing? None of the others seemed to hear it, either. Perhaps it was a Slayer thing.

"It looks like an axe," he heard Willow say.

"I concur," Blinky agreed. "A small and weird-looking axe. Although I guess you could say the same about a scythe."

"Guys? I'm having a moment here!" The Slayer turned towards them, still gripping the Scythe in her hands. "And she can hear you!"

"'She'?" Giles asked.

"She feels like a she," the Slayer replied. "And she's beautiful." She positively beamed at it. "And we're so going to cut Glory's head off, yes we will!"

"I fear I should've gotten her a cat as a pet," Jim heard Mr Giles mutter.

"I heard that!"

"So… what can it… she do?" Willow asked.

"She sings and she cuts things really good!"

"How eloquent. I suggest testing the weapon, however, before facing Glorificus."

"Oh, I'm going to test her alright." The Slayer repeatedly nodded, once again staring at the blade with a somewhat concerning expression.

Then Jim noticed that Blinky had moved to the slab of stone in the middle of the cave. "This was enchanted by Merlin himself. Maybe we should take it with us to study it?"

"Move it?" Mr Giles looked aghast. "But where would we put the Scythe once Glorificus has been dealt with?"

"We're going to put her back into that stone? To gather dust?" the Slayer exclaimed.

"Uh, Buffy… there had to have been good reasons why the Scythe wasn't, ah, standard Slayer gear," Mr Giles pointed out.

"Yes, yes - some Slayers, like Miss Slutorama, would have been a real problem with her." The Slayer pouted. "But I can handle her."

"But do you need the Scythe once Glory's been dealt with?" Mr Giles asked with a frown. "You handled everything else quite satisfactorily so far, didn't you?"

"If you don't count nearly dying multiple times, yes. But…" The Slayer pouted, then sighed. "Having to travel back here every time we have an apocalypse to deal with will be a pain in the butt."

"Not with the Gyre!" Blinky quickly said.

"We should at least carefully examine the Scythe," Willow spoke up. "And the stone. If we could duplicate the spells used on it, we might avoid another Faith problem." She blinked. "That sounds weird, now that I think of it."

"Faith?" Blinky tilted his head.

"The other Slayer," the Slayer. "Miss Slutorama. Tried to replace me, frame me for murder, kill me, kill my friends, murder my boyfriend, kill me again, work for the evil Mayor, steal my body… You know, the standard evil plan and stuff."

"Yes." Willow nodded. "She's currently in prison. Where she belongs."

"Oh." A Slayer in prison? Jim didn't think a prison could hold one. Although perhaps it was a special prison. Hadn't the Slayer mentioned the army capturing demons? If they could hold demons captive, they could probably handle a Slayer as well. His eyes widened. What if they were keeping trolls prisoner? "Where is she being held?" he blurted out. "And are trolls there as well?"

"Trolls in prison?" The Slayer frowned at him. "They could easily break out, couldn't they?. You'd need special troll prisons for that."

"The other Slayer isn't in a special prison?" Jim asked.

"No?"

"She wants to be in prison," Willow explained.

"Because I'll deal with her if she escapes," the Slayer said. "Or the Council will."

"The situation is a tad more complex than that." Mr Giles looked around. "Faith did show remorse. And I think it would be best discussed at a later date. We shouldn't linger here."

"But this is the work of Merlin," Blinky said. "And we stand at the Gate to Avalon. Can't we take at least a look? Who knows what else we can find here, which could be useful for our conflict with Glorificus."

Jim had heard better excuses from Toby when talking about whether or not they should order the extra-large burrito, but he wanted to take a look around himself. Merlin - the wizard who had forged the Trollhunter Amulet. The wizard who had, effectively, created the Trollhunter.

"Yes!" Willow nodded. "We can't just leave a potential solution to our problem behind."

"I've got the Scythe," the Slayer pointed out.

"Yes," Willow agreed. "But what if there's some clue left behind? Or knowledge we could use? Spells?" She smiled widely.

Mr Giles cleared his throat. "Well… there could be knowledge to be found. Although this seems to be a dead-end…"

"Right." Willow looked around. "Still, maybe there's something…"

"There's a tunnel." Jim pointed at it.

"Where?" The Slayer turned and frowned.

"A tunnel?"

"Are you sure, Master Jim?"

It was Jim's turn to frown. Couldn't they see it? He walked towards it. "It's right here," he said.

"That's a wall," the Slayer said. "Wait. There's a draft coming from it."

"An illusion?" Willow cocked her head.

"Keyed to the Trollhunter, perhaps?" Blinky speculated.

"I just see a tunnel," Jim said, stepping into it.

"You vanished!"

"Definitely an illusion!" he heard Willow behind him.

"Wait, Master Jim!"

But there was something ahead of him - Jim could see a dim light. More crystals, maybe?

And if only the Trollhunter could have found the tunnel…

He continued walking.