Author: mkcrl120
Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned in this story belong to Joss Whedon or Mutant Enemy or some other people. I own nothing and wrote this just to get it out of my system.
Summary: Set two weeks after the events in Explaining Africa 3
Authors Notes: I have no clue about Africa. Which is probably always a good place to start writing a story. So if details I've used for place names, and tribal names and whatever are wrong then just (correctly) assume I have no idea what I'm doing.
Rating: 15 by English standards (mainly for language)
Chapter 9c:
Roger watched with interest as they began preparations for a spell. 'Magic... real magic.' He thought to himself. 'So far all I've seen of this world is monsters... and Faith.' He conceded, thinking back to when she lifted him a few feet in the air when he'd demanded proof of all the things Xander and Amy had been telling him about Slayers.
There was a small discussion going on regarding who was going to read the translation.
"Hello. I'm dealing with the demon... and I don't fucking know Sumerian." Faith informed the rest of the group.
Xander shrugged and glanced around the room. "It's not one of my strongest subjects."
"Not something I've ever come across." Roger stated, turning to face the final two to respond.
Shote shook his head in the negative.
"I can get by." Amy said in a disappointed tone.
"Dawn read it out in English." Xander informed them. "And she said the book changes to English the further you get into it."
"Still can't translate for shit." Faith commented, before turning towards the younger woman. "Looks like it's you."
"No." Xander stopped the discussions. "I mean, Amy can you translate it for us, don't read it aloud... just translate it so that one of us can perform the spell."
"Sure." Amy responded enthusiastically
Roger looked around the group, waiting til Amy had moved over to the desk before asking. "Do we need any magical powers..?"
"Shouldn't do..." Xander mused aloud. "Dawn did it before."
"Isn't she sort of a special case..?" Faith asked him, never breaking eye contact.
Roger sighed in relief as Shote was the one to ask what at the very least him and Shote were thinking. "In what way..?"
"Sister of a Slayer." Xander responded immediately, Roger noticed he seemed to be having another silent discussion with Faith using just eye movements.
Roger looked in Amy's direction to see if she had any further information regarding this non-verbal exchange, but her head was still in the book as she slowly began to translate the first few pages. Roger noted the laptop was also open, and she seemed to be referring to it quite a lot.
'Hope we get the translation right.' He thought to himself, momentarily forgetting that if it was right than a demon was likely to be coming out of it.
'Hope it's a dead demon.' He reasoned.
"It was designed to be read by whoever the Slayer's Watcher happened to be." Xander answered, moving over to Amy for confirmation.
"As far as I can tell it's the words which have power, not the person reading them." She confirmed for him.
"Done." Xander responded before looking directly in his direction. "Roger, you read it aloud. Shote and Amy go in and try to see if you can work out what's happening. We'll deal with whatever comes out."
"You sure doing it here is a good plan..?" Amy asked.
Roger noted Xander glance in the direction of the window. "I'm hoping it's okay." He confessed. "But this time we're expecting it so Faith, just attack whatever comes out."
"Really don't like that part of the plan." Faith commented with knowing glance.
Xander met her glance and again seemed to share some unspoken communication. "Just bring it to the ground... you don't need to kill it til we're confident we know what it is."
Amy interrupted with a question. "If it becomes English, how much do I actually need to translate..?"
"Everything." Xander stated confidently. "Last time the book went blank once the spell was done. If we need to reopen the portal we'll need to know how."
"Or..?" Shote asked.
Xander sighed heavily. "Or we have to wait until we can get Willow either over here, or at least to explain how we can get you back."
"This wasn't mentioned before." Faith aggressively stated.
"This time I'm hoping we're better prepared." Xander confessed. "But I'm not forcing either of you to go in there if you don't want to."
"Origin of the Slayer." Shote seemed to muse it over. "I'm willing to take the risk."
Amy closed her eyes, apparently trying to draw up the courage. "I'll keep translating."
"Okay, now I'm feeling even worse about this." Roger admitted to the group.
Xander let out a little laugh at that. "I've never felt good whenever magic's gonna be involved." He explained.
Amy lifted her head from the book. "But you're friends with Willow!" She stated, as if that explained everything.
Roger sighed as he looked around the room. "You two sure about this,.?" He asked.
They both nodded in response. Shote's grin seemed full of confidence.
"How's the translation going..?" Xander asked Amy, Roger turned to spot she was approaching the end of the bo0ok.
"Pretty well." She replied. "Once I figured out how to translate it into Latin, the rest was a piece of cake."
"Not exactly my thoughts on Latin, but I'll accept your opinion." Xander's grin to the rest of the group slightly unnerved Roger, he was still distracted by it when Amy handed him the large book and the scribbled translation. "Everyone ready..?"
Roger reluctantly nodded as he met the expectant faces around him. "So what happens next..?" He asked.
Xander faced the group and took a deep breath before beginning. "Rog, you wanna take a brief look at Amy's notes make sure it makes sense to you..?" He waited til Rog began to flick quickly through the pages.
"Amy, Shote, you two ready for this..?" He asked. "Last time for anyone to backout..? Visit the little person's room..?" He joked.
He was relieved to see the two responses. Shote rubbed his hands together, as if eager to get on with it. Amy tightened her grip on the notepad she was holding to her chest, pen and pencil firmly clasped in each hand, she looked up and gave a simple nod in response.
"Faith..?" He asked, turning in her direction.
She stood confident as always, eyes focused on where they were assuming the portal would be formed. "No sweat, Cyke." She answered in her husky lazy drawl.
'Swear she developed that voice just cos she knows what it can do to a man.' He thought to himself before quickly moving on.
"And for my part in tonight's play." He quipped, while holding his hands out and wiggling his fingers. "I'm the maaaaddddd puppeteer."
"The what..?" Shote asked.
"Oh shit, I've heard about this." Faith stated.
"I was hoping he was joking." Roger added.
Taking the centre piece out of the box and placing it on the table, Xander then lit the wick.
"Erm..." He began, feeling a little foolish at how little that light changed the room. "I was hoping for the benefits of daylight, but..." He drifted off as he pointed at how there was barely any shadows cast around the room.
"Just try it." Faith answered for him. "If it doesn't work we've got a few more hours before we attempt it again."
"Sure." Xander agreed. "Are you ready to begin reading, Rog..?"
"There really are puppets..." Roger said as he looked at the new piece in Xander's hand. "Okay... starting now."
Xander placed the first piece onto the mechanism. There was no change in the lighting in the room, but he could hear the tribal drumbeat begin.
Faith was the first to respond. "I know you're gonna say I'm some dumbfuck Yank chick, but did we do that or is it local..?"
Xander was about to respond, but caught an amused sideways glance from Shote in the Slayer's direction.
"I'd say we did it." Shote answered.
Roger commented. "I'd thought I'd heard or seen some creepy shit since getting involved in al-"
"Roger." Xander interrupted forcibly. "Start reading now."
Roger swallowed, nodded then began to narrate. "Then there came the demons."
As it was said, Xander placed the demon section onto the mechanism. He gave it a quick spin like last time.
A low growl was also added to the drumbeat.
A quick glance allowed Xander to spot both Amy and Roger slowly attempting to huddle in on themselves. Faith was put on edge and she appeared to be following her senses all around the room, as if trying to identify danger.
It was Shote's reaction that confused him most. There seemed to be an inner calm there, though Xander noted the older man's forearms were raised slightly in front of him. 'Kinda like an old style boxing stance.' Xander thought to himself.
Ignoring the confused looks being shared between the others, he turned back to Roger and gestured for him to continue.
"After demons came the men." Roger continued as Xander placed to representative piece onto the mechanism.
At this point, some chanting joined the other noises. Xander looked up and he noted that the attention's of all the room's occupants were now on the walls. Somehow the room appeared darker, making the effects of both the candlelight and the puppet shadows seem far more impressive than they could possibly have been at this time of day.
"Men found a girl." Roger interrupted all their thoughts with the next line.
'His voice sounds a little shakier now.' Xander noticed as he placed the penultimate piece into it's corresponding section, forcing himself to remember that fact when the demon got into their midst. 'Protect Roger, stop him from freaking out... let Faith handle the creature.'
"Get ready. I don't think we're gonna get a practice run at this." He heard Faith mumble to the others.
"And the men took the girl to fight all the demons." Roger read out. "They chained her to the earth, and then each presented in turn a means in which she could face the Darkness."
Xander placed the final piece into the mechanism and then stood back as it begun to spin itself. As he stepped next to Roger, the Brit whispered into his ear. "Darkness with a capital D... think she did it because it was in the text or just to freak me out..?"
Xander turned to look at Roger, but he was staring the wall opposite them. "And that's really freaking me out."
Xander faced the wall and immediately spotted what had gotten Roger spooked. The shadows seemed to be acting out the story, but the pieces on the mechanism were still solidly built.
"Keep reading." He instructed.
"It says you cannot see... you can only be shown." Roger paused, and Xander was about to order him to continue when he asked a question. "Amy's translation doesn't exactly match what's written in the book. Which do I..?"
"The book." Xander hissed at him, his own attention transfixed on the moving images.
"You must be willing to make the exchange." Roger finished, as the device sped up.
"Demon." Both Xander and Faith stated automatically.
He watched as the expect blue light materialised inside the centre of the mechanism and quickly began to grow in size.
"Ready for it..?" Xander asked across to where she stood next to Amy and Shote.
"If they both go in, think we'll get two..?" She asked casually gripping the axe firmer.
'I didn't even think of that...' Xander thought to himself, turning around quickly locating a crossbow so as to aid the Slayer should her guess prove correct.
"You two ready..?" Faith asked the two nearest to her, giving Xander and understanding nod in the direction of his newly acquired weapon.
"I... I... Think so." Amy answered, her eyes never leaving the swirling portal.
'Don't freak out now, Aims.' Xander mused, forcing himself to be ready, making sure he didn't get taken out quite as easily this time.
He could feel Roger besdie him begin step backwards towards one of the walls. Following him slowly, he made sure to keep himself between Roger and the centre of the room.
He watched in anticipation as Shote turned to face Amy. "Ready for the unknown..?" Shote asked the youngest member of their little group.
She nodded in response, Shote took her hand and taking a final deep breath they both braced themselves before walking confidently into the portal.
Xander raised his crossbow as he noted Faith raise her axe, both ready to spring to attention should it be a live demon that arrived.
He was so focused on this point that he became surprised when both Shote and Amy walked out the opposite side of the portal.
Xander noted that Shote had a confused look on his face, whereas Amy had her eyes clasped shut tightly.
Shote patted her lightly on the arm, and she opened them only to look into very familiar territory.
Shote stepped up the portal again and thrust an arm inside. This time he seemed to have a look of intense concentration before he finally gave up and removed the arm.
"Faith stay where you are." Xander commanded, moving towards the two unsuccessful travellers.
"Why..?" The brunette Slayer returned automatically.
Glancing quickly back towards Roger who seemed to be relaxing, he answered for her. "We know it works on Slayers..." He said with a look that he held until she backed down.
"Probably why there are no Watcher chronicles about it." Amy theorised, "Slayers can go in but no-one else."
"Would make sense." Shote agreed in a disappointed voice.
Faith made some overexaggerated steps away from the portal with her hands held up.
"And all it does is piss them off." Xander finished for them, walking up to the portal. He casually waved his hand through the swirling mass of light, "Tingles..." He commented as he turned back to face the group.
Judging by the looks on their faces they were as surprised as he was when the substance around his arm seemed to grow suddenly tighter and forcibly drag him into the portal.
They seemed to continually shrink into the distance until all he could see of them was an imprint of where they used to be as he became totally surrounded by a blue swirling vortex.
End chapter 9c