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Half An Hour Later
Breaker's Woods
Faith's POV
Looks like the party's about to get started, she thought from her hiding place behind a thick, large bush. I don't think anybody expected it to be this packed.
Indeed by her Slayer eyes there looked to be a little more than twenty demons in robes, meaning the Order dudes really did want Xander's ring pretty badly. At more than double what G had predicted they were in for one helluva throw down and so she tightened her grip on the wicked dual bladed axe she'd taken from the library armory. Garbed in robes and wearing more armor than she'd ever seen a demon wear in recent memory, the Order dudes were definitely ready for hardcore battle. Their weapons weren't anything to sneeze at either, looking effective but also decidedly demonic in appearance.
They'll make for some cool mementos, she thought before a ball of fire was flung in the path of the enemy. Assuming they aren't cursed or some shit like that.
"Looking for me?" Xander asked, sounding casual and mildly disrespectful. "I hear you want something of mine. Well, you're in luck; I plan on giving you more than you can handle!"
What followed next was some troop rousing by a demon dressed like someone important in a language that she couldn't tell from shit but, when the head honcho pointed his sword at Xander, the intent was crystal clear. As one mass three quarters of them charged Xander, their weapons ready to slice and dice, while the rest stuck to the rear with their staves made of black metal and crimson crystal. When blasts of light flew from the staves she grimaced a bit at the enemy since they were using the same tactic as the good guys. Good thing princess smarty pants had put the magic shields on X, B and G. As a result the spells fired their way might as well have been piss for all the damage they did, but it sucked that they didn't last past three direct hits.
Still, it sold the deception when Xan turned tail and ran for the hills, since the demons probably thought he was running in fear of them.
Unfortunately instead of the entire group of demons charging after him only the non-mages picked up the pace to pursue. The mages kept their positions even as they rained down spells on their 'fleeing' foe and that'd be a problem when the ambush happened, since it'd leave some backs exposed to incoming fire.
She had to do something about that.
Being as careful yet as quick as she could, she began circling wide with the intent of taking the mage's from the rear, her idea being to get too close for them to sling any mojo her way. If she could take down at least half of them before getting driven off, it'd up the odds of them making it out of this fight in one piece. She'd heard the prophecy from G-man and she knew some heavy shit when she heard it. The demons of the Order were small fry compared to that and they needed to put them six feet under quick so they could move on to the important stuff.
She was a city girl, though, so getting through the woods quietly was more something she could do by chance than by choice.
Nevertheless, it was just as she got to within a short sprint from the mojo users that she heard X yell 'NOW' and she knew that the rest who'd been in hiding would be popping up to do their thing. Rising up from her sneaking crouch she charged the magic using demons as quick as her feet could carry her and, the second she was within range, she delivered a solid horizontal chop with her axe. Luckily she'd been aiming for the arm that held the demon's staff, so with Slayer strength she chopped it off, causing the black metal object to drop to the ground. Pulling the blade head free of the demon's side, she swung it up above her head before bringing it down on her victim's head almost down to the spine.
She spared only a moment to confirm the kill before using the corpse as a shield so she could get close enough to the next nearest foe.
Feeling the hostile spells hit the mass of dead flesh, she was sure she was close enough and swung her axe in such a way so as to dislodge the dead weight. As soon as it was clear she pulled off a decent feint movement before shoving the head of her axe into the second magic user's gut, causing him to double over. This set him up for a vertical swing from below, knocking the demon into the air before she shifted her grip to bring the axe head back down into the demon's chest.
A spot of light caused her instincts to shift her head to the side and the spell from the third demon missed but, when another soon followed, she knew her element of surprise had worn off.
Time to switch things up! she thought as she heaved the axe in an overhead throw at the third demon.
Much like she though he was good enough to evade it but this gave her the opening she needed to get in close to do some real damage. Lashing out with a kick she knocked the staff from the demon's hand, clearing the way for her fists to get a few words in.
At least that'd been the plan before the asshole surprised her by showing that he could still cast magic without the staff. She managed to dive and roll clear of any serious damage but some of her hair got turned to ash in the process. If she'd been a girly girl like B or that Chase bitch, that might've been enough to piss her off but she was better than that shit so she kept her eyes on the prize. Knowing now what she'd be facing, she kept in mind what direction the demon's hands were pointed as she made her approach. There were a few more close calls, especially since the other demon mages still breathing tried to help out their buddy, but she wasn't a Slayer for no reason.
With a surprise leap over her current target's head, she grabbed his shoulders from behind before hopping up and planting both feet on his back. Then, with an audible grunt of effort, she pushed off the demon's back, sending him flying towards his pals with enough force to knock one to the ground while the other stumbled backwards to attempt to regain proper balance.
With an opening to do some damage, with all the speed of her Calling she arrived in their midst before they could recover from her surprise move.
Remembering everything she'd been taught by her dearly departed Watcher about taking on multiple opponents, she threw punches and fired off kicks. It wasn't easy since they would lash out wildly to get some breathing room but for a time she managed to keep them off balance while gifting some impressive bruises to each one. However, when a hat trick occurred in the form of a raw magical discharge from the demon that'd managed to keep his footing, she found herself flung away from those she'd once had under control. Instinctively she turned the momentum she'd gained to her advantage, landing into a roll that allowed her to swiftly regain her footing and putting herself in a better position for whatever came next.
Sadly what came next was the three demon mages that she'd been tussling with moments ago getting back to their feet and deciding to show her how pissed they were that she'd been kicking their asses. Spell after spell was flung her way, making her feel like she was back in gym class playing dodge ball, and even with her Slayerness helping her she had to stay on her toes. She made two attempts to close the gap of distance between the two of them but each time they managed to force her to pull back or be perforated with potent spells.
Help thankfully came just in the knick of time when three bolts of lightning struck the mages, causing them to shake as the electric energy caused their muscles to convulse. Vulnerable as they were, she could've pressed her advantage but her time listening to G's lectures to B had taught her a measure of wisdom. Xan was probably busy with his own troubles and there was no guarantee that he'd be able to save her hot ass a second time if she got hip deep in trouble.
As much as it might damage her badass reputation as an ass kicker, it'd be better to regroup with the others so they could fuck these guys up as a team.
Teamwork didn't come easy to her, something about the Slayer in her being a lone wolf type, but she wasn't terminally stupid.
Tomorrow she was going to knock back a bottle of brew and then shake her ass thang on the dance floor! Nothing was going to get in the way of that.
Xander's POV
"Having fun yet, Xan?" Buffy asked as she fought to cover his blind spot.
"LOTS!" he replied even as he used his sword to parry aside a demon cultist's spear before executing a thrust, causing it to hop back to avoid the move. "Maybe later we can go for a root canal and make this day really badass!"
"Oh, c'mon! It's not that bad!" Buffy said even as she gave her current sparring partner a slash across the chest as a gift.
"Says you!" he said after flinging a cloud of electricity at his foe. "You've got training and your Slayerness to help you out! The only thing I've got is dumb luck and some half-assed memories my brain only shares with my body!"
It wasn't fun but it was the truth.
Since the previous Halloween he'd done his best to bring the fragments of the Soldier that'd possessed him to the surface of his mind that he might take advantage of them. It wasn't real training but it was the closest thing he'd probably to get to such preparation since Giles' obligations prevented him from sparing any extra time to do it. Librarian and Watcher duties barely left much time for the necessities of life or good health, never mind taking on a second student. He'd made some progress, enough that he no longer needed to worry about even the strongest of the high school bullies, but this fight was in a whole different league by comparison. What little practice he'd managed to gain with his new magical abilities and the instincts that came with them were probably the only reason he was doing as well as he was.
He wasn't bereft of scratches, he had some doozies that'd leave some scars behind, but he hadn't been killed outright and didn't think it'd happen anytime soon unless he slipped up. Thanks to his rough plan they'd managed to take the Order members by surprise, felling five before the remainder recovered enough to start pushing back. When that'd happened he found out firsthand that these guys were a cut above the ones he'd originally cut down to save old man Isaac in his shop. They knew their weapons well and had obviously spent quite a bit of time learning how to use them effectively against more than just cannon fodder foes. As such they were all beginning to get a feel for his new abilities, forcing him to come up with tactics on the fly with the time to consider how effective they'd be.
Essentially he was buying time until the others could finish with their playmates and come back him up.
Definitely not the sort of thing you'd expect from a 'King of Light'.
Those types were the ones to set the example and inspire all those around him to be better than they thought they could be. Those were the ones who fought at the forefront of any battle with sufficient power and skill that none but the highest of officers of the enemy army could match. Those were the ones who went down in history with their story being exaggerated with every telling.
Nothing that could be connected to him by even the most flexible of minds.
Still…these powers are pretty cool, he thought even as he lobbed a softball sized ball of flame at a group of three demons. Just imagining what I can do to vamps now ALMOST makes the rest of the prophecy stuff worth it.
If he could just learn some sword skills AND master the magic the ring had given him, he might just be able to give Buffy a run for her money in the demon slaying department.
Maybe. Hopefully. And, hey, who knew? He might not even have to cheat to do it.
Well, no, that was a lie. He'd cheat as much as she cheated.
When he sliced down his current foe he found himself with an unexpected period of respite that he was fairly sure would be short, so he took advantage of it by looking around. Of the fifteen or so demons that'd rushed his position only to get caught in an ambush, six were in any real shape to keep fighting while the rest either dead or coping with serious wounds. Giles' friends were taking care of the last of the mages that'd survived Faith's ambush, along with the American aurors, leaving the rest of the group to finish off the six warriors. Buffy and Faith were managing to keep three entertained between them, leaving only another three to be slain before they could consider this fight over with.
Seeing G-man staggering a bit under the fast blows of the demon he was squaring off against, that was all he needed to see before throwing his sword in the direction of the fight. Once more the world blinked out and blinked back, putting him in position to give the demon harassing Giles something else to think about. He didn't try for anything fancy, anything big, just to get its focus off of G-Man so the ex-Watcher could take advantage of the opening to put the demon down.
Whether out of concern for him or simply because he appreciated the aid, the Brit immediately lashed out with the halberd he'd been using since the fight began. An ideal weapon, considering how old G-Man was, since it'd let the man keep his foes at a distance, but that advantage was offset by the lesser stamina those of advanced years possessed. Giles had plenty of skill but he was way past his prime, so he'd be running out of steam sooner rather than the rest of them. G-man knew this and so every swing of the halberd and every thrust was done with the utmost skill, with the intent of downing an opponent in as few moves as possible. Up until he'd arrived as backup the demonic member of the Order had been matching the Brit move for move.
Now, though, the father figure had some maneuvering room to work with and was quick to make good use of it.
With a strong upward swing when the demon swung its blade to push him back and the inhuman arm wielding the evil blade was lopped off just above the elbow. Building on the momentum and the momentary disorientation the loss of a limb would cause Giles let the blade rise up and behind him before bringing it around in a horizontal swing. Had the foul member of the Order remained out of it just a few seconds longer the swing would've taken his head off but instead it merely bit deeply into the neck, creating a wound that bled like a waterfall. Not wanting to risk possible recuperative powers, he thrust his sword forward, aiming for the spot he now knew the critical organ was located. He didn't know what sort of metal his sword was made out of or what mystical properties it possessed, but all he cared about was that it pierced the demon's armor with resistance enough to require only moderate effort.
Sunk up half way to the hilt guard, the demon gurgled only once more before the life left its eyes and went limp, sliding messily off of the blade to the ground.
"Thank you, Xander," Giles said, allowing himself a moment or two to regain some strength. "I'm rather embarrassed to admit that I am more out of shape than I had thought."
"You were lookin' pretty badass to me," he said as he watched Buffy succeed with her attempt at decapitation before teaming up with Faith to bisect another. "Besides, it looks like we're almost done here. Only a few more to go."
"So it would seem," Giles said, sounding less than pleased at their eventual victory.
That told him but one thing.
"You thinking there's gonna be a second act to this fight?" he asked, hoping for a negative answer.
"The Order of the Black Dagger has existed for centuries, if not longer," Giles replied even as the last demon dropped dead to the ground. "While there have been times when their efforts have been successfully and permanently thwarted, their failures have not been frequent enough to persuade me that we now number among the victors."
As if Murphy had been listening attentively, purple balls of flame flew out of nowhere, impacting on the ground in their midst with enough force to send all off of their feet. Whether by luck or by design none of the balls of unnatural flame struck those who opposed the Order, either directly or indirectly. Nevertheless the salvo of fire had unequivocally achieved one goal.
It'd gained everyone's undivided attention.
"This one has seen enough," a hissing voice said from the direction the Order warriors had approached from. "The foul power of the Light is indeed as terrible as we were told. Given time enough to grow, the unclean power might deal the sacred darkness a horrendous blow. This one will NOT permit this! The sacred darkness will NOT be harmed by the unclean LIGHT! Its bearer will be CRUSHED and BROKEN then it will either be made a servant or be extinguished forever more to honor the sacred darkness! LIHTAUV!"
Then, without warning, a figure appeared before both Buffy as well as Faith dressed in a manner so as to make those they'd fought up until then seem like mere grunts by comparison. Higher quality armor, a crown of horns that'd been absent on the other demon warriors and a weapon that looked like someone crossed a spear with a scalpel. Before either Slayer could attack the fiend swung its weapon in an arc, unleashing a crescent moon wave of dark energy that sent the girls flying through the air. The gaping this caused him to do almost proved to be his undoing since seconds later the demon that was a decided cut above the others poofed into being right in front of him.
Awash with a desire to protect himself, instinct caused him to raise both arms and brace for the blow… only to hear a tinkling sound instead.
To his amazement he beheld just a few inches away from his arms a half dome of crystal made up of a great many hexagon shaped pieces. It had halted the progress of the crowned demon's weapon, even if the cracks he could see made it clear that the barrier was not completely impervious to the death implement's bite. Even more worrying was the fact that the cracks were spreading the more time passed by, making him believe that the defense would soon give out.
Good thing I'm not alone then! he thought even as a barrage of magical spells, ranging from little comets of fire to bolts of blue energy to a brief purple cloud that detonated like lit methane, forced the demon back.
Thank GOD for demons repeatedly underestimating the strength of humans!
Buffy's POV
"Well… that's… new…" she grunted even as her efforts to regain her vertical stance despite the pain from her newest wound.
"…And it…SUCKS!" Faith yelled, showing she was even less pleased with the newest development.
She cursed herself for being distracted by the new demon's monologuing, but thankfully her Slayer sturdiness kept the first attack by the new arrival from eliminating her entirely. Wincing with every step she took in the process of standing up, she looked down to see the bottom half of her shirt had been turned into smoky tatters, with the skin beneath not faring much better. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as what'd happened with Xander's ring flame but it still hurt with or without doing anything to aggravate the wound. Nevertheless, she'd fought through worse and so when she looked up to see Giles' friends forcing the demon away from Xander, she prepared herself to once more charge into the fray.
"You feel like going a few more rounds?" she asked, pulling her backup dagger from its sheath before looking at Faith. "'Cause that jerk's gotta pay for ruining one of my best shirts."
"Nice to hear you still got your priorities straight, B!" Faith declared, putting on a pair of spiked brass knuckles. "Bet I can take'em down before you can!"
"I'll take that bet!" she said before charging forward, distracting herself from the pain she was causing herself with the anticipation of victory along with Xander's survival.
Using her best friend's taller form to hide her approach, once she was close enough leapt upwards, planting one foot on his right shoulder before pushing off to grant her some extra height. As she was on her way down she could see the demon preparing to make her impale herself on his weapon but it wouldn't be that easy. She hadn't just leapt into the air to gain additional momentum on the way down so as to ensure that her dagger would be buried deep.
She had also done it in order to serve as a distraction so that Faith could get in close enough for her chosen weapons to be effective.
When Faith lunged forward, with the momentum of her push off the ground behind her right hook, she knew her tactic had proven successful. Too late did the demon realize the truth and so, with one blow, the demonic weapon to the side saving her from a messy end and let her stab her dagger in between the gaps in the unholy being's armor. She couldn't make it go as deep as she wanted, the metal of the armor proving strong enough to provide quite a bit of resistance along with the clamps that kept the metal on the demon. Still, the black tar that bubbled up from where her blade had delved beneath the torso armor pleased her since it meant she'd succeeded in piercing demonic flesh.
The growl of anger was a good clue, too.
Kicking off the demon's body, she prowled to the left even as Faith laid into the demon with potent punches as well as a few destabilizing kicks to the legs. However, much like she'd expected when melee proved unsatisfactory, the demon lashed out with his magic, this time emitting purple crystals of ice from both skin and clothing. The agility and speed of the Slayer served both her and Faith well in evading the worst of it and what little could not be dodged she used her dagger to slap out of the air before they could pierce her skin. It was trying, almost frantic, but by giving herself over to the Slayer within her she miraculously pulled it off.
Can't let him pull that trick too many times! she thought even as she lined up the throw. Gotta keep him too busy to concentrate!
With that in mind she threw her dagger with the intent of burying it in the demon's head but, as she'd half expected, the monster managed to dodge it.
Too bad the baddie didn't consider ALL the possibilities of what might happen next.
As though they'd been practicing the strategy for weeks, Faith caught the dagger once it got within reach and, with grace as well as speed, her 'little sister' threw it right back at the demon. Though it only noticed this out of the corner of its eye, this proved enough to allow it to dodge once more, albeit by a smaller margin. She did her best to make it even smaller as she copied Faith's move by sending the dagger back at the demon with even greater speed and accuracy than before. This time, though, she aimed it at his chest with enough power behind the throw that, if it hit, the blade would succeed in piercing the metal armor. This time the demon stumbled a bit as no mere leaning of the body would save the monster from the bite of the blade and she grinned as she saw the desired pattern falling into place.
She'd showed everyone how good her reflexes and accuracy were so it was only fair for the baddie to do the same.
Again and again, with the target of the throw changing at random, she worked with her sister Slayer to get the demon's mind spinning with futile attempts to cope or combat the strategy.
Until he did exactly what she'd expected and wanted him to do: he reached out and caught the dagger as it passed, no doubt feeling quite pleased with himself.
He shouldn't have.
The demon forgot about his primary goal.
Xander.
While she'd had every intention of killing this final demon herself, she hadn't been so cocky that she hadn't thought up a secondary plan to run concurrently.
Namely to buy time for Xander to recover and then firmly grasp the demon's attention before working to build an opening for her friend to use.
An opening the future 'king' exploited with deadly precision.
SHINKT!
"Word to the wise, asshole," Xander said from behind the demon, where he'd just teleported before impaling the Order member through the chest with his sword. "Never take your eyes off your target. Bad things can happen."
"S-so this one…has learned…" the powerful demon hissed through obvious pain. "…however…this one would…advise…that you also…remember…to be more…perceptive of the circumstances. Complete victory…may be denied…without the unclean one…realizing it…"
Typical. Demon's dying and still has to get the last word, she thought with irritation derived from the obnoxious pain caused by the burns caused by the first attack. Doesn't he…know…he's been…beaten…
Something…was wrong…with her.
Slayer healing usually numbed the pain from any wound a little bit initially but this increased gradually the more time passed. Instead she felt as though the pain she was feeling was actually growing in tenacity, causing her to look down to see if her eyes could tell her what her sense of touch could not.
What she saw shocked her and caused fear to sprout within her soul.
Where before the burns had been a little worse than what one might get from spilled coffee on exposed skin and so she hadn't been concerned with them. Now, though, the burns were both becoming more severe and they were spreading across her skin like some sort of infection. As though visual confirmation was some sort of trigger, the pain she'd been feeling spiked like it'd just signed a contract with the majors. As a result she dropped to her right knee her stubborn nature keeping her from collapsing to the ground entirely but she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to keep it that way.
"Black fire…consumes…all…" the demon hissed as its death began to take hold. "…it feeds…and…it destroys…"
"FUCK!" Xander exclaimed before flinging the demon off to the side. "GILES! GET OVER HERE!"
She knew it was bad but her stubbornness refused to let her just give in and, as foolish as it was, she wanted to believe that her stubbornness could push back what was afflicting her. She held out as long as she could against the pain but, when it went from the majors to MVP status, staying on one knee became too painful, forcing her onto her back. Thinking became an issue once the pain reached certain heights but she could still see Giles entering her field of vision even as she heard others go to where Faith wasn't faring much better.
"Bloody hell!" Giles exclaimed and it was SO not encouraging when it came to a first impression of her condition. "Entropy fire. It's more a virus than actual fire, effecting enhanced decay on organic matter and spreading beyond the initial point of contact. I didn't recognize it at first because it is described in the books as more of a living cloud of ash rather than purple fire, suggesting that the Order has made some 'improvements'."
"Enough about what it is! How do we save Buffy and Faith?!" Xander yelled, the fear in his voice clear.
"I believe a concentrated bombardment of episkey spell bolts could be effective," Hermione said, sounding calmer and more informed. "While the spell is usually only effective against minor injuries I believe if we saturate their flesh with the spell energy, we can boost their natural healing powers, allowing them to overcome the Entropy fire. There will still be some recovery time required and basic burn treatment measures, but it should work."
"Then let's get to it!" Cho said as the six stick mojo users took up their positions three to a Slayer.
Soon after light flashes popped about the periphery of her vision, followed by momentary shifts from pain to lesser pain. The decreases in pain never lasted, though, and they never completely eradicated the pain she was feeling. More like the lights temporarily distracted the real pain and made it delegate tasks to lesser pain before coming back seconds later.
Still, she had hope.
"It's not working!" Willow exclaimed, clearly no impressed with Plan A.
"It's proving to be too resilient against the episkey spell, even with three people bombarding the infection site," Hermione said even as she continued her efforts. "We need to up the bombardment level on each Slayer."
"But we only have six people that can use this spell!" Willow exclaimed, pointing out a very big point.
Still she had hope.
"Then we must focus all six on one in the hopes that we can eradicate the Entropy fire quickly enough to save the other," Giles said, sounding grimmer than she could ever recall.
Grim enough that she knew what the situation and knew what needed to be done.
"Faith…her…first…" she growled through the pain, even though it was difficult. "I'm…STRONGER!"
It made sense in her mind. She was the elder Slayer and, ever since Xander had revived her at the end of her first year in Sunnydale, she'd felt even stronger than before that night. She'd seen enough movies to know that the stronger you were physically, the longer you'd last against poisons, and that meant she'd be able to hold out longer than Faith would.
To the credit of the mojo-stick users, they didn't hesitate before moving to surround Faith and bombarding her with their healing magic. She could tell that the other Scoobies present didn't like the idea of her being put on the back burner but it was the right call to make. A Slayer's purpose was to protect those that needed protecting, to save those that needed saving, even if it meant making the ultimate sacrifice. She didn't have a death wish.
She still had hope.
As a result she focused her strength, her willpower, one maintaining a steady breathing tempo and remaining both conscious as well as coherent as possible despite the pain. The longer she could remain conscious, the greater the odds of her enduring until Hermione and the others could cure her like they were Faith.
She'd already cheated death once…a second time should be easier.
Right?
Xander's POV
Sloppy!
That was the one thing that the Soldier Boy inside of him kept screaming at him and he couldn't help but agree. It was now obvious that the demons they'd fought first were cannon fodder meant to wear them down and expose the combat capabilities of the enemy so the heavy hitter could come in well informed. Then, with the element of surprise, the heavy hitter popped in and dealt a delayed death attack to their two heavy CQC warriors before going for its primary target. It'd likely been a miscalculation on the part of the demons when it came to Slayers that'd allowed the both of them to stay in the fight for as long they had.
If they'd been human, he had no doubt that they would've been dead on contact with the stuff.
Instead they were desperately trying to save Faith and Buffy was fading with every second it took to cure the junior Slayer.
They'd come in with a 'seat of their pants' plan and were paying the price for it.
Never again!
One way or another, when all this was over with, he planned on reading whatever books Giles had on organized and intelligent demonic forces that tread upon HUMANITY's Earth. Once he'd committed every one of them to memory he'd begin surveying Sunnydale not as a town but rather as a tactical landscape to be evaluated for both strengths and weaknesses. He'd write up a proper set of books on each threat centered on offense, defense and escape before taking them before Giles for evaluation. The ex-Watcher had more experience than him and was damn good when it came to playing chess as he'd found out MULTIPLE times. Between the two of them they'd make sure that the next time a large group of deadly demons came to Sunnydale, they'd have a plan ready and waiting for them.
A warm and FINAL welcome if he had anything to say about it.
"It's working," Professor Flitwick said with measured satisfaction. "The Entropy fire is being neutralized and Miss Granger's hope that the Slayer's natural recuperative powers would be boosted was well founded."
"How long until you can work on Buffy?" he asked, allowing himself a little bit of hope at this news.
"Given the nature of the damage and the extent, we will need at least another four minutes before Slayer Faith has healed enough to handle the rest," Hermione replied, with Professor Flitwick confirming this assessment with a nod of affirmation.
Looking at Buffy, he could tell that her stubborn nature was serving her well and she was still conscious, but the nastiness that was the growing damage of the Entropy fire worried him greatly. He still recalled what Buffy's hand had looked like after being hit by his ring's flames and the damage of the fire was beginning to look like that albeit freckle sized. As his mind imagined what it'd probably look like in five minutes, he wasn't so sure that it'd be soon enough. Indeed by his estimation by the time they'd finished healing Faith enough to move on, Buffy would be past the point of no return when it came to healing and survival.
He only just managed to keep himself from screaming 'not good enough', realizing at the last moment that Giles' friends and the American Aurors were doing their best in uncertain conditions. The lack of knowledge about what they'd be fighting against had made sure that a price would be paid one way or another. However that didn't help the growing fear inside of him that he was witnessing the last moments of Buffy Summers and this time no level of CPR was going to bring her back.
Despair not future king.
"What the-" he said, looking about reflexively for the source of the voice before realizing that it'd been in his head.
Though unmade the five remember the covenant of the past. In honor of the sacrifice, the Frostbearer offers to spend what power she can to save the ailing champion.
He didn't know what the hell this was or who was mind speaking to him but, when he 'heard' the name Frostbearer, feelings of unflinching trust rose up from the depths of his soul. If this meant that he had 'known' her in his supposed past life then it was a safe bet that she was a friend and could be trusted. That didn't explain how she was mind speaking to him or what she could do to help Buffy.
Nevertheless, when he saw Buffy cringe in particular pain, he knew there was only one choice.
What do you need me to do? he thought, hoping his mystery ally could hear him.
Place the ring hand above the wound and the Frostbearer will channel her power through it. Be warned… her continued life will come with a cost unavoidable.
Typical, but it was in keeping with what Giles had often told them with regards to magic. The greater the feat of sorcery, the greater the price asked of those who performed it and occasionally the specifics of how the price would be paid were not what you thought they were. Still, with a choice between Buffy living with a price to be paid and her dying in front of him, his choice remained unchanged.
If he had to pay the price in order to save Buffy's life, he'd pay it gladly.
If Buffy was the one to get handed the check, he'd do what he could to haggle the cost down as far as it'd go or weasel out of paying the bill altogether.
Reaching out with his right hand, he placed it as close to the surface of the wound area as he dared and waited.
The wait wasn't long.
Just like in the antique store a week ago the jewel at the center of the ring lit up with an arcane blue light, catching everyone's attention, but with minds slowed by confusion they were unable to stop what came next. Seconds later the light reached its brightest glow and a cold that superseded anything he'd been able to accomplish with the ring previously descended upon the suffering Slayer. At first it looked as though the cold was numbing the pain but, after the chill had time to set in, then the screaming started.
He'd never heard screams like this before and he could go a long while without hearing them again after they'd stopped.
The others who were not occupied with healing Faith tried to stop him out of fear that he was only making things worse but they didn't make it more than two steps before frost crept up their limbs the moment they got too close to him and Buffy. Whatever they were exposed to was no ice box chill but something strong enough that self-preservation instincts kicked in causing them to back off without thinking. Funny thing was that he didn't feel anything more than a light chill in the air so he could only presume that the ring was somehow protecting him from any ill effects, much like it'd excluded him from the security fire's bite a week ago.
"Xander, what the bloody hell do you think you're doing!?" Giles yelled even as he was no doubt trying to figure out a way past the barrier of coldness.
"The only thing that might save Buffy while the rest of you save Faith," he replied even as he watched the physical signs of the Entropy fire crystalize as though turned into ice.
Honestly he had no idea what the voice that'd been in his head was doing to save Buffy and the screaming his friend was doing definitely didn't sound encouraging, but it was too late to back out now. Instincts told him that backing out now before the… process, or whatever it was, was complete would probably prove fatal and he wasn't willing to risk that. Once the last of the fire damage was frozen he watched as Buffy's skin began to change color from the usual Californian light tan to pale blue, flowing outwards from the wound like water from a hole in the bottom of a boat. Further and further it went before most of the change became concealed by the Slayer's clothes until it reached both her head as well as her hands.
It was then that a change occurred that he was fairly certain Buffy would deck him for once she'd regained consciousness as well as the strength to punch him.
Upon reaching her head, the changing skin decided that the California girl's hair needed to get in on the action so, with an equal rate of progression, Buffy's bottle blonde hair began to turn silver in color. In a way that no hair dye could possibly match done either by amateur or expert the color shifted and when it was all done all hair that existed on Buffy was without a doubt silver in color.
And had her ears gotten a little more pointy? No. Must've been his imagination.
Definitely!
With this final change though the skin and hair color changes began to flake off like chips of ice chips until his friend looked just as she had before the last demon had shown up. No injuries at all and only a barely noticeable snowflake emblem the size of a silver dollar at the center of her stomach. All in all he was willing to consider this ending to be quite satisfying since it meant Buffy would live and only have to worry about explaining a snowflake tattoo to her mother.
With its work done the chill receded, the light coming from the jewel in his ring faded into nothingness and nothing visible remained of the power the item had once exhibited.
Naturally Giles zoomed in immediately and began to give his former charge the full on first aid check up to determine the status of Buffy's health and see if any changes remained. Despite the fact that on the whole he was glad that his friend was saved from the blight of the Entropy fire, a bit of him still worried about 'the cost' the voice mentioned. Even though his instincts were telling him the voice's words and actions could be trusted, they couldn't completely dispel the concern that he might have made a terrible mistake.
"Thank goodness!" Giles sighed in relief as he stopped his examination. "She appears to be unharmed and even better shows no sign of the Entropy flame in her body."
This caused just about everyone to relax except for the stick magic people who still focused their efforts on healing Faith.
"That does not mean that it was not bloody foolish and reckless, Xander!" Giles growled, turning to look at him with reprimand in his tone. "Healing magic of any sort is incredibly risky and has the potential to do terrible harm if not performed by an expert in its usage. Given that you are not even a year into being able to perform magic, you should not even contemplate something so perilous."
"MAYBE it wasn't the brightest move but what else could I do?" he asked rhetorically, not feeling sorry for what he did. "Pray for Buffy to be able to hold on until Faith was healed? Watch her get rotted in half? I got an option that could save her and I went for it! Besides, it wasn't me directing the mojo this time."
"What do you mean you weren't controlling the magic?" Willow asked, sounding confused but still also worried.
"A voice kinda…said she could save Buffy using what power she had," he replied, knowing this answer wasn't exactly going to improve G-Man's mood much. "She called me 'future king' and said she'd do it even if there wasn't a covenant between the us she'd help to honor a past one. She just told me to put my ring hand over where Buffy got hit and she'd do the rest."
"A voice in your head told you to do something and you thought it was a good idea to listen!?" Willow asked, sounding quite incredulous at the very idea of doing so.
"She called herself by a name, or maybe a title. When I heard it I got hit with feelings of trust, respect and gratitude. I figured they had to come from where all those weird memories are popping out from," he replied, trying not to get too defensive. "If whoever my new memories belong to trusted her it was worth a shot seeing as how the only other choice was to watch Buffy die."
"What was the title she used?" Hermione asked even as she continued to focus on healing Faith.
"She called herself the Frostbearer," he replied looking at the British version of Willow.
"A title that fits the display of power used to heal Buffy," Giles said, sounding a LITTLE less angry. "If she is indeed someone from the memories you've been experiencing it certainly lends credibility to Professor Trelawney's prophecy as well as give us another clue."
"Another clue?" Cho Chang asked, sounding as though she thought she'd missed something.
"My intuition tells me that this 'Frostbearer' and the female voice that channeled her magic through Xander may well be one and the same person," Giles replied, scooping up Buffy in his arms bridal style. "If so we can use this valuable clue to narrow down the possibilities. After all there cannot be that many adult women with potent powers of ice manipulation capable of using others as a medium for their powers. Indeed, unless I am mistaken, the temporary physical alterations Buffy underwent might in fact be shared by our mystery woman, further aiding us in our efforts."
"An intriguing possibility, Rupert," Professor Flitwick said as the spell bombardment of Faith came to an end. "However one that I believe should wait until this young lady has had some muggle medical aid and at least twenty-four hours rest."
"Agreed. With all of the present members of the Order dispatched we should have some time before their comrades realize that they've been defeated," Giles said, standing up fully. "Even if there existed some sort of mystical means by which they could know instantly that their force had fallen, we will still have at least a few days to recover and plan anew."
Hopefully more than a few days, he thought with concern as he looked over their group. Both Slayers might still be alive but they won't be back at full strength for a while.
Despite how prodigious the Slayer's ability to heal was, he somehow doubted it'd be able to shrug off the effects of Entropy fire overnight and restore both to full strength by tomorrow evening. Sorcery was a lot trickier than simple blunt force trauma, so more time was to be allotted to ensure a complete as well as secure recovery. If worse came to worse they could make a run for it and keep fleeing until they were ready to fight on their terms rather than on the Order's terms.
Walking over to where Faith was breathing heavily on the ground, he could see that the Boston girl was more or less out of the woods. There were still some physical signs of the Entropy fire but they no longer looked anywhere as troubling as they had in the beginning and the fact that the dark haired Slayer was still conscious was a point in her favor. If she had enough strength to remain conscious despite what she'd been through then she'd have the strength to recover from her wounds if given enough time. Picking her up off the ground, he spotted signs that she was a bit uncomfortable at this development so he gave her the best out he could: humor and sarcasm.
"Bet this is the first time any guy's swept you off your feet, eh Faith?" he asked rhetorically with his lopsided grin. "Guess that makes us even 'cause this is the first time I've ever swept a girl off her feet."
"Not like I got much choice, X," Faith replied latching onto the familiar defense mechanism. "Just make sure you don't drop me."
"Like I'd ever drop something important to me," he said automatically before thinking things through.
There were many ways his words could be interpreted after all and if you had a romantic bone in your body there was one he knew Faith would react poorly to.
The Boston girl had been burned both where the familial and the romantic version were concerned to the point where she'd reject any situation that brought her too close to a repeat.
Fortunately some higher power chose that moment to take pity on him when a gasp of surprise caused him to turn to where Giles still held Buffy. Turning to see what was the matter he was surprised to see a white mist akin to what one would see with ones' own breath on a cold winter day being emitted by the blonde Slayer's skin. This had both him as well as the others worried that whatever he'd done to save her might be falling back on itself somehow and this was reinforced a moment later when Buffy's eyes snapped open to reveal eyes that looked like they'd been carved out of blue ice. There was detail to each orb that was absolutely stunning but there was no mistaking the fact that it was NOT something that belonged in the sockets of a normal human being.
Nor did the voice that came from Buffy's moving mouth immediately after her eyes opened.
"Abandon the Mouth of Hell, because in a day it shall perish! It is my only warning!" a woman's voice, cool as a winter's breeze, with an accent that was both familiar yet unidentifiable. "LEAVE! For when the light of the celestial pyre vanishes below the horizon the wrath of the Ever Living One shall be unleashed upon your world, striking all that is strong and all who hide!"
With those last words the chill faded away from Buffy and her eyes seemed to melt back to normal, as though they'd only been coated in a shell of blue ice rather than be made entirely out of the stuff. More than that, there was consciousness behind those eyes, the familiar sparkle that Buffy'd always had, letting all know that the blonde Slayer was no longer in la-la land.
This was good and all but it also took a backseat to the words that'd been spoken with her mouth but with another's voice.
If the words could be trusted then tomorrow at sunset the demon that they'd barely been given any time to research, never mind prepare for, would arrive to do some major damage.
"What's got you guys so wigged out?" Buffy asked, looking at everyone one at a time before noticing her physical predicament. "And why is Giles carrying me like this?"
For a moment the entire group seemed at a loss as to who'd be answering that question and HOW best to answer the question.
Then the predictable thing happened: they all turned to look at him with 'you deal with this because it's your fault' looks on their faces.
Never had he been SO happy to have the ability to teleport away!
Sunnydale High School Library
A Little Over Two Hours Later
Willow's POV
"So what've you found out, Giles?" she asked after Giles exited his office.
"Not much, I am afraid. None of my contacts have indicated that any omens have manifested to support the warning we heard come from Buffy," Giles replied, taking his glasses off to clean them. "Indeed they believed that the warning was likely some manner of deception meant to sow chaos and confusion. Perhaps the voice we heard was an agent of the Ever Living One meant to trick us into raising a false alarm, thus damaging our credibility so no one will be ready when it matters."
"Or your contacts don't have the experience or the stuff they need to see this guy coming," Xander said, sounding more ready to side with an unknown than Giles' trusted acquaintances.
"I assure you my contacts are quite knowledgeable in their respective fields and possess many years of experience," Giles said, defending those he knew. "While I will confess that some of them are better stocked than others with necessary supplies, events of such significance are always preceded by omens of some sort; unnatural weather patterns, supernatural phenomena and disruptive behavior by lower life forms just to name a few. While they may start out with some subtlety, the closer the prophetic event gets, the more obvious the signs are."
"That just means that what we're dealin' with has never happened before," Xander said, not backing down. "Besides, which would you prefer? To be out of Sunnydale by sunset tomorrow and nothing happens or to still be here when Sunnydale gets reduced to a smoldering crater?"
"It wouldn't do any harm to do it, Giles," she said to show her support for her best friend. "We could treat it like a practice run for the real thing."
"I suppose not," Giles said, putting his glasses back on. "Very well; once I've completed a magical checkup on both Buffy and Faith to be absolutely certain of their inevitable recovery, we will begin our 'trial run'."
Of course it was then that Professor Flitwick, Hermione, Cho, Professor Trelawney and the two American Aurors returned, no doubt back from informing their superiors of recent developments.
"Any luck on your end?" Giles asked, referring to inquiries with other sources about signs of a coming catastrophe.
"Nothing conclusive and certainly not enough to motivate either the Ministry of Magic or MACUSA into taking more than token precautions," Professor Flitwick replied, sounding irritated by the lack of results. "I informed Minister Shacklebolt of our fight with the Order and the words Miss Summers spoke while under the influence of another entity. As far as the former was concerned he promised to work with MACUSA to come up with a more permanent countermeasure to the Order of the Black Dagger's actions regarding Mister Harris."
"And Buffy's troubling words?" Giles asked, hoping for something slightly more encouraging.
"My superiors didn't dismiss the warning entirely, given its connection to Mister Harris and his prophecy, but their confidence in the MACUSA experts proved stronger," Auror Picquery replied, sounding disgruntled. "Much as I suspect was the case with your own sources, there have been no omens or supernatural signs to support the idea of global devastation occurring tomorrow at sunset. Nevertheless I was able to convince them to at least assign teams to restore the underground shelters constructed during the height of the No-Maj cold war. Each is connected to portkeys scattered about every town or city inhabited by witches and wizards. With any luck, when this Ever Living One arrives there will be sufficient time before the destruction begins for some citizens to get to safety."
"One can only hope," Giles said before the sound of the phone ringing reached his ears. "One moment. Hopefully that's Jasper on the phone with some better news."
With that the former Watcher re-entered his office to answer the phone call, leaving the Scoobies, the Brits and the MACUSA Aurors to their own devices.
Looking over at Faith, who was laying down on the couch that'd been dragged out of Giles' office, she could tell that the girl from Boston, while not completely recovered, wasn't likely to die or be irreparably injured. Hermione's proposed plan of pushing back the Entropy fire had proven to be the right one with the only flaw being that it'd required all the wand magic users to do it. Even being out of danger, though, did not mean that some recovery time was not necessary, as well as some basic first aid. A healthy amount of antibiotic ointments and a thorough wrapping of bandages were used on the wound itself, with some extra strength painkillers taking care of the rest.
Granted, with a Slayer's metabolism and natural resiliency, the effectiveness of the painkillers was minimal but it was believed that with most of the Slayer essence being focused on recovery the pills would likely be more effective than normal.
As for Buffy, she looked, for all intents and purposes, to be fully healed with nothing being needed aside from a fresh shirt that could be acquired from a stash in Giles' office for occasions like this. However she very much doubted that any of them believed that healing was all that had been done by the frigid magic Xander had channeled through his ring hand. Buffy was in the bathroom changing but, when she got back, Giles and the other magic users would hopefully be able to figure out what else had been changed within the elder Slayer.
"BLOODY HELL!" Giles yelled from within his office before the crash of something going through a window caught everyone's attention.
"Giles?! What's wrong?!" she exclaimed, getting out of her chair with concern in her voice.
"I just received a call from one Wesley Windym-Price of the Watcher's Council. He called to report that he has arrived in Los Angeles and will be here first thing tomorrow morning," Giles replied, exiting the office with a look of pure dissatisfaction on his face. "He will be my replacement where Buffy and Faith are concerned."
"And I take it that's a BAD thing?" Xander asked, sounding uncertain just like she felt.
"Before I was assigned to Buffy he was barely halfway through the curriculum at the Watcher Academy and rather pompous since his father was a member of ruling body of the Council and the traditionalist faction," Giles replied, his dissatisfaction being reduced from boiling to simmering. "I could never suffer his ego for long. Even if he has succeeded in completing his studies since I saw him last there is no way that he possesses even HALF the field experience needed to be the Watcher of a Slayer."
"Then why's he being assigned to Buffy and Faith?" she asked, confused as to why someone unqualified would be given such an important task.
"I suspect Travers' hand in this," Giles replied, looking to reign in his emotions even further. "As head of the traditionalist faction, he has an unflinching dedication to the old rules and practices of the Council. When I chose to resist and then defy the practices of the Cruciamentum I earned his wrath, resulting in the termination of my employment. As such it is not surprising that he would choose someone fresh from the Academy. Graduates still have their lessons echoing in their ears and have not the experience to formulate ideas and opinions of their own. As such they are quite willing to 'listen to the wisdom of their elders', believing it to be the right thing to do."
"So because he wants a lapdog, he's willing to stick Buffy and Faith with a private fresh from boot camp?!" Xander asked, almost unable to believe what he'd just been told. "He'll just get the two of them killed!"
"That might very well be his intention," Auror Picquery stated, some distaste in her voice.
"What do you mean?" she asked even as a part of her mind trembled with a possibility.
"It is no secret that Travers prefers trained and obedient Slayers that have been raised by the Watchers Council from a young age. Without a doubt both Miss Summers and Miss LeHane are not what the man considers to be the ideal Slayer," Auror Picquery replied, her distaste still strong. "While he might not be able to simply order them executed by Watchers or hire assassins to do the job, it is another matter altogether if it happened by 'accident'. Assign them a Watcher that on the surface appears qualified, that has the blessing of the governing body of the Council, but in fact is ill-suited to the task and the 'problems' will be taken care of with no one the wiser."
"All neat and tidy," Xander growled with bubbling anger.
"Giles?" she asked, not wanting to believe that people in charge of protecting the world would condone such tactics.
"It is a sad fact, Willow, that a group that acts for a great cause runs the risk of prioritizing the cause over the people it was meant to protect. That 'protecting the world' is more important than a few people dying every now and again," Giles replied, not happy with the words either. "In Travers' case, if protecting the world requires that a few unsatisfactory Slayers be 'dealt with' in order to bring forth ones more suitable to the cause, then so be it."
No one had much to say after that.
"Fuck. Almost makes me glad the world's gonna get hit tomorrow," Faith groaned, surprising everyone with her regained consciousness. "Then at least we won't have to deal with some Council fucker."
"Assuming that the prediction that came from Buffy's mouth was indeed reliable," Giles said, still sounding skeptical on that front. "Regardless, though, it is unknown whether or not the Council has been made aware of either Xander's prophecy or the coming of the Ever Living One we were recently told of. As you might be able to guess, since the traditionalist faction took control of the Council, relations with other benevolent organizations has declined considerably. Only those who possessed abilities, skills or resources that were simply too valuable to risk losing have been treated with respect as well in some cases considerable flattery."
"Which would be better?" Xander asked with concern that was understandable. "Them knowing or not knowing?"
"If Travers and the traditionalist faction know about the primary prophecy, it is debatable how they would choose to react. One possibility would be that they would dismiss it as impossible since I know of no past precedent of a prophecy being recorded with such global ramifications. If this is indeed the case, they will make their position of disbelief clear and not entertain any further discussion on the matter," Giles replied, sounding like he was thinking the matter through as he talked. "Another possibility would be that they would give the prophecy the benefit of a doubt but, regardless of whether or not further proof appears to support the foretelling of the future, they would insist on control. They would essentially reduce Xander to a puppet king to be controlled by the traditionalist faction, making Travers the true power behind the proverbial throne."
"And if they don't know?" she asked, hoping the answer to this would be more encouraging.
"If they do not know about the primary prophecy then it would be to our benefit to keep it that way," Giles replied with emphasis to show what he believed. "Regardless of their professed dedication to fighting the forces of darkness, the Traditionalist faction's priorities often include extending their influence and increasing their power both personally as well as a group. While they will likely require some time to be convinced of the prophecy's believability, once they are they will work to attain sole control of the situation. Essentially they will attempt to do what Auror Picquery tried upon her arrival. If we can keep the Council in the dark until the Children of Thundera and the Ever Living One engage in battle, the global confusion will make it difficult for Travers to orchestrate any schemes. By the time he understands what is going on and the importance of Xander's role the heightened security of America will make inserting agents terribly difficult."
"So hope the greenhorn doesn't know shit and don't do anything to fill him in," Faith said, sounding on board with this course of action. "Sounds five by five to me."
Nods made the round of the room showing that everyone felt the same.
To keep her friend from falling into unworthy hands, she had to hope that the latest apocalypse happened sooner rather than later?
She honestly wasn't sure how she felt about that.
The Hallways of Sunnydale High School
Buffy's POV
Isn't it supposed to get cooler at night? she thought as she made her way back towards the library.
If that was indeed the case then either the Hellmouth was affecting the weather or there was something decidedly wrong with her. After all, when someone was sick it was not at all unheard of for people to get the chills or feel like they were in a sauna. The first time she'd noticed it was on the way home from the forest but she'd just written it off as an after effect of whatever the demon had hit her with and whatever the hell Xander had done to save her life.
However it'd been more than two hours since they'd left the forest, so her own Slayer healing should've made some progress in patching her up. She'd seen the parts of her that'd been hit by the demon's fire and they looked completely unharmed, so all that would've been left to heal would've been beneath the surface. She wasn't feeling any lingering pain but there was no way feeling like you were standing near a fire all the time was normal. It wasn't an uncomfortable amount of heat but rather a constant one that she couldn't quite explain away as a Californian night being warmer than usual.
Hopefully Giles would be able tell her if this was something she should be worried about or something that'd pass eventually letting things get back to normal.
Or abnormal, considering that they were living on top of a Hellmouth.
Pushing open the library doors, all eyes turned to her making her wonder if she'd just walked in on something important.
"What's up?" she asked, hoping to get briefed into the situation.
"We have recently learned that my REPLACEMENT will be arriving tomorrow morning," Giles replied, sounding like he'd recently swallowed a lemon. "As such it has been decided to keep him the dark with regards to Xander's prophecy and all things related to it."
"That bad, huh?" she asked, wondering just how bad the replacement Watcher had to be to make this the right course of action.
"Think that Miles guy from that TV show your mom likes to watch crossed with prince useless and you've pretty much got him," Xander replied, painting a picture that had her cringing.
The tv show was pretty good but the Miles character was a complete geek. If he got mixed with a prince useless that jumped in fright from a bug or constantly looked down his nose at others then she was strongly tempted to just ignore the idiot when he got here. A Watcher was supposed to be smart and experienced since both qualities were crucial to properly guiding their Slayer in her duties. Inexperience and ego would get both of them killed.
"Don't worry about it, B," Faith said with her usual smile. "Thanks to you, we know that the shit's gonna be hitting the fan come sundown tomorrow. It'll be the shortest Watcher assignment in history for the fucker."
"I did what?!" she exclaimed, never having heard a single word to this effect.
"Nice one, Faith. Rreaallly eased her into it!" Xander snarked before looking her way. "After I… fixed you, someone used you as their personal muppet and told us to get out of Sunnydale before sundown or else the big bad Ever Living One would make us wish we had."
"I… I don't remember saying anything…" she said, searching her memory for even a hint only to come up blank.
"Unsurprising. Most people who experience possessions or act as a medium for another experience memory gaps with the severity depending on the power of the unknown entity," Giles said, using knowledge to dispel her unease. "In any case, it is going to be a busy day tomorrow so I believe it would be best to tie up the last bit of loose ends from tonight's little adventure."
"What kind of loose ends?" she asked, unable to think of anything important that needed to be done.
"For one, determining if there are any lingering remnants of the Entropy fire in your systems and… find out if Xander's method of healing you did something… more," Giles replied, his concern evident. "I have never witnessed or read about the kind of magic that saved you and I am reluctant to trust the power of an entity I do not know. I would sleep easier if we could just learn more about what was done and who it was that did it."
Considering how she was feeling at the moment she couldn't think of a reason to say no.
With Faith needing a little bit of help, the two of them took up positions in chairs in the center of the library while the stick mojo people prepared to do their thing. She didn't like being a target dummy for magic but she trusted Giles. Sure, he might've put her mom in danger with that stupid Watcher test but he was also willing to do the right thing even at the cost of everything he knew. The librarian had spent a large portion of his life learning how to be a Watcher, learning a ton of stuff about the supernatural, and had gotten picked for a prime spot as Watcher to a Slayer.
And he threw it all away to rescue her.
A minute later the spell bolts started firing with the wands, split three to a Slayer. She didn't know how long the checkup would last but she figured it'd probably been at least ten minutes.
So it puzzled her when the ones shooting at her stopped only three minutes in.
"This… this is impossible," Professor Flitwick said, sounding both baffled yet certain. "I am no expert on Slayers and their history but this has never been thought possible."
"Yet there is no denying the results of our examination spells," Auror Picquery said with the utmost seriousness. "Still, it might be prudent for each of us to sign a magically binding agreement to ensure that the details are not shared with others under any circumstances."
"Yes. A wise precaution," Professor Flitwick said, nodding in agreement. "While I am uncertain if any would be capable of duplicating this feat that will not keep more than a few from trying and they will try to capture Miss Summers to learn all they can."
"Filius? What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Giles asked, not liking what he was hearing or what was being implied.
For a moment Professor Flitwick, Professor Trelawney and Auror Picquery seemed to visually debate responding before the midget mage chose to break the news.
"As best we can tell, Rupert… the Slayer essence no longer resides within Miss Summers," Professor Flitwick stated with no uncertainty in his words. "Not so much as a spot of it."
"WHAT!?" just about everyone aside the library exclaimed, aside from the stick mojo slingers.
"That's impossible! Ever since the founding of the Slayer line, demons and dark magic users have made countless attempts to strip the Called of the Slayer Essence!" Giles said in complete defiance. "The most they have ever been able to achieve is a temporary suppression of a Slayer's abilities and the Council made certain that in those cases the demons responsible did not survive in any way, shape or form. All involved regardless of whether they knew something or not were killed and all resources found at each location were obliterated."
"Nevertheless, our spells cannot detect so much as a dust mote of Slayer essence inside of her body," Auror Picquery said, not budging in the least. "Both the Ministry of Magic and MACUSA have had opportunities to learn the specifics of the Slayer essence. My government learned of it as a matter of security."
"And I learned of it from a colleague who specialized in studying some of the more dangerous demonic breeds of the world. Turns out some of the more intelligent breeds had conducted research on the matter in quite a bit of detail," Professor Flitwick said, putting forth his own knowledge. "Nothing substantial enough to constitute a threat to the Slayer but enough to allow other wizards to positively identify the Slayer essence with certain spells. There is no mistake Rupert. She is a Slayer no longer."
Not a Slayer.
An ex-Slayer.
It was something she'd wanted ever since she got her first real peek at what it meant to BE a Slayer but until now had been ready to give up on her dream.
But now, if the mojo-stick users could be trusted, her dream had finally come true.
"I'm sensing a 'but' here," Xander said with some concern in his tone. "You three have 'but' faces."
"Quite true. The Slayer essence is quite tightly linked to the bodies and the spirits of its host so simply removing it would invariably prove fatal, or at least quite harmful to the girl," Professor Flitwick explained in a serious tone. "However, if the essence was replaced with something compatible then the harmful consequences of the Slayer essence's removal would be eliminated. Such is the case here."
"And my Slayerness has been replaced by what, exactly?" she asked, still a little thrown by the first revelation.
"The closest comparison would be the rare Frost Dragon of the Antarctic. Unlike most dragons who discharge fire from their mouths, the Frost Dragon emits a blast of potent cold capable of freezing most solid in an instant before crumbling into nothingness," Professor Flitwick replied, sounding like there might be more to it than just that. "However what has been used to replace the Slayer essence within you is more potent than that. Sadly, without specific tools, I cannot determine more about its nature than that."
That would certainly explain why she felt so warm at the moment.
If whatever she had inside of her was similar to a Frost Dragon, then it would be more at home in a frigid environment than someplace like California. If its sensitivities had somehow been passed onto her then… either she'd have to invest in an air conditioner plus cold drinks or convince her mom to move to Canada. Sure, the heat wasn't so bad now, but it was nighttime, meaning it'd get a lot hotter when the sun came up and depending on the weather it might be too much for her to handle.
Perfect! I get rid of my Slayerness and all the baggage that came with it only to wind up with permanent hot flashes! she thought with a growl of discontent. Not a perfect way to end the day but I guess it could be worse.
Seeing as how they were standing atop a Hellmouth, that gave Murphy a hand when it came to 'be careful what you wish for' she was glad that she'd only thought that.
After all, it only counted if you spoke it out loud.
Right?