Azure Halloween
Summary: Crossover with something of my own invention Halloween fic. Things will never be the same again for Xander.
Disclaimer: Buffy belongs to Fox Interactive and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement intended. Anything not recognizable as someone else's work most likely belongs to me. Mitts off.
Panzerjaeger Lahti reporting in..
I know I said that 'you shouldn't need to wait long for the next chapter'. I'd like to think of myself as a man of my word and that was the original plan, right until my obligatory conscription to the Finnish Defense Forces kicked in. Needless to say, I've had little to no time to write, what with all the training. On the pro side, after these six months, I've managed to gain some additional muscles, know how to shoot a RK95 Finnish assault rifle (with 97 marks on my best run), know what not to do with an anti-tank mine (nineteen pounds of raw TNT equals big boom), know what to do with a 66 KES 88 light anti-tank weapon (tank says boom) or an APILAS heavy single-shot bazooka (that thing can punch through two and a half feet of steel plate!!).. and I am now officially authorized to pilot a CV9030FIN assault tank. Twenty-seven and a half tons of fluid steel beast goes roar every time I push a little on my right foot. I kid thee not. Anyway, now I am again free to pursue my own agendas as far as work allows which means writing. The fact that I rewrote this chapter several times (this one is chapter 9e, which would be the 5th version of chapter 9) didn't exactly help matters. I think only about 40 of what I write actually ends up in the actual story archive. I'm very sorry for this delay, folks, and I hope I haven't driven away any of my (more or less) faithful readers.
At this point let it be said that since FF-net's current stance towards review responses embedded in the actual story files is negative, this will be the last chapter where you'll see the responses at the end of chapter. As a result if you're logged in as an anonymous user I won't be able to respond. Thus, although normal FF-net reviews are still highly appreciated you can send in reviews, comments and questions to my personal e-mail account, the link to which can be found in my bio. I'm always up for conversation. I'll answer any FF-net reviews while submitting the next chapter, but I check my e-mail nearly every day and will reply as soon as possible. Please include the words 'Azure Halloween' in your e-mail subject, as I've set up a message filter to 'catch' those e-mails. Without your mail might get ignored for a while or at the very worst be mistaken for spam and blammed.
..OK, you've been Wall of Text-ed. Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?
Chapter 9
THE BARGAIN HAS BEEN MADE.
THE PRICE IS SUFFICIENT.
THE PRICE HAS BEEN PAID.
AWAKEN, MY CHILD, AND EMBRACE THE GLORY THAT IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT.
ARISE, DACHAR STORM PALADIN!
The world dissolved into darkness, the song of his new brethren echoing through the shadows- but the last thing he heard as the Eye of Dachar faded out of sight was the voices of Skye and Serena – Schaa'Zor and Sechr'Auch'Na, entwined and bound together so that it was difficult to tell which one was which.
Best of luck to you, Alexander LaVelle Harris.. There will be pain, but have courage and endure, for the Lord of Ages watches over all His children. You are not alone. Never have been, are not now, and shall never be..
Dragonfire burnt through the world and left behind rage and agony.
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Solid gold eyes, the narrow slit pupils blazing their own fearsome crimson light, opened to the world for the first time. Muscles like steel towcables twitched and stretched, pulling on reformed bones. A reshaped heart took its first beat, sending streams of blood and magic- in the end, there was little difference- flowing through new veins, synapses that had never been connected before firing in rapid-fire succession. Massive lungs sheathed in a ribcage of steel and an armor of bone plates contracted, then expanded for the first time.
Reborn. Enhanced. Unleashed. Vengeful.
The first emotion he knew after his rebirth was rage, and his first exhale turned into a roar of fury as the heavens above released their anger in a deafening crack of thunder that shook the very earth beneath his talons.
Claws of razor-sharp obsidian twitched and flexed, rows upon rows of ivory fangs bared in a vicious snarl as lightning arced across sapphire scales and crackled between alabaster horns. Muscular wings unfurled majestically, tasting the air for the very first time. Nostrils flared, thousands of new impulses running through his brain.
Blood. Death. Fear, anger, sweat, darkness.
Evil.
Prey.
A muscular tail swept slowly from side to side, the vicious stinger housed in the tip scraping the floor mere inches from the toes of a stunned Willow, whose knees had failed and who had her back pressed against the corner, her face frozen in an expression of fear and awe. A deep rumbling growl more felt than heard made the floorboards beneath vibrate slightly.
ARISE, MY CHILD, AND BE MY FOREFIGHTER IN YOUR WORLD!
Then the rage overtook him in an explosion of black fire and he dropped onto his haunches before pouncing, a roaring, snarling storm of claws and fangs.
Sseramach'wynn. Hunter.
Orenmach'wynn. Protector.
Scharromach'wynn.
Destroyer.
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The melody of Cosmos, the harmony of the spheres of Matter circled by the planes of Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light and Shadow in an intricate dance surrounded by the outer realms of Order, Chaos, Good, Evil and Balance as the Great Wheel turned was like the ring of silver and glass bells perceptible only to an entity that existed only partly within the Planes, a constant, intricate and ethereal melody. Sheltered by the Shield of the Elders like a delicate mobile above a baby's crib within a sphere of crystal finer and stronger than the purest of diamonds, bound together with silvery lines of astral links through the infinite expanse of the Astral Plane, the slow dance of the planes was far beyond the comprehension of any mortal being.
And between the Planes, an entity observed silently the happenings of one of the material Planes. He didn't have a name. To his kind, names were meaningless, for what use was a name to one that would never be seen by others than his kind? Mortals gave him and his kind names just as soon as they forgot them, and his kind would know each other by essence alone. To be precise, he didn't have a gender either. His kind had always been and would always be. There was never going to be more or less of them. He didn't even have a physical body, more like an impression of presence although he could project a physical presence, an avatar, onto the Planes if he needed to.
He did have a title, however, a task, and at this time it was Observer. Forces just as powerful but in diametrical opposition to his kind constantly vied for dominance over the material planes and their inhabitants with his kind. Aeons ago they had had to result to direct conflict, even on the Material planes, as well as the Elemental and Outer planes. Though they nor their enemies couldn't be directly destroyed, many of Observer's kind, as well as their opponents', had been weakened or imprisoned- at the cost of millions of souls lost in their struggle, lost or returned to the Astral Plane. That had went on right until forces beyond their power – forces both sides had thought would never interfere- had done just that and issued a very binding verdict that neither side was to directly act against the other on other Planes except those already under their direct control under the threat of banishment outside the Shield.
Both sides immediately turned to plotting instead of warring. Intricate plans and designs were brought forth, setting up a kind of extraplanar cold war that had gone on aeons. Though neither side could directly intervene they discovered they could use mortal creatures as underlings to a limited effect, and promptly did so. Sometimes armies of lesser beings would fight against one other for them; and sometimes, their underlings were few in power or quantity. Intricate plans unfolded little by little in their struggles, and Observer's current duty was to keep watch over one of the contested planes where one of the current parts of their design was unfolding. Some of their pawns would be lost, some strengthened; but overall, they benefited.
Right until a surge of power that was most definitely not a part of the plan erupted where one of the more vital phases of the section was about to unfold. Its mere presence could knock their designs askew for several millenia; Observer could feel how the possibilities, the probable outcomes were twisted and altered, timelines multiplying and branching out in formerly improbable and extremely unpredictable directions.
If he had been mortal he would have been surprised, annoyed, indignant. Perhaps, he would later think, he should have been as he sought to salvage what was left of the situation and negate the surge before it could do any further damage. Reaching out with his power, he focused on the disturbance and spent a moment to marvel at the surprising amount of energy before grasping at the source-
And was repelled by a pulse or power that surprised him, overwhelming his defenses and shunting him from the aether into the empty mists of the Astral Plane as he lost his tenuous foothold with the Material Plane he had been observing.
Gray clouds of ectoplasm floated around and through his presence, hazy orbs of light like faded fireflies- bodiless souls in torpor before reincarnation- drifting across the gray nothingness. Somewhere, far away from his vantage point, the clouds rolled and boiled until they gained a reddish hue, suddenly erupting into a cloud of crimson and gold flames that moved along a drunkenly careening path. Observer could sense several primal essences in the flame cloud, vaguely humanoid forms – eidolonii - diving through the boiling flames of the elemental storm as it floated away from him.
Who dares?
The clouds of proto-matter shifted and a vast form began to coalescent- a form he recognized, like did all of his kind. A pair of eyes where galaxies formed and died locked him in their gaze, the orbs of dormant souls suddenly changing course and zooming towards the leviathan before being absorbed into crystalline scales that scintillated in the colors of the rainbow. Gargantuan wings unfolded, the insides a black void where stars shone like in the vacuum of space, a tide of ancient might and power washing over him as the Avatar regarded him with a celestial glare.
THIS ONE IS OF ME AND ONE OF MINE. TELL YOUR SUPERIORS TO FIND THEMSELVES A NEW PAWN. SO HAS THE ETERNAL SCION DECREED; SO IT HAS BEEN; SO IT IS AND SO IT SHALL FOREVER MORE BE.
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Spike flicked his lighter on for his cigarette and was just about to light it up when there was a sharp crackling noise and the lights went out. He blinked and looked up to the ceiling, the faint light of his lighter casting dancing shadows around the dead lightbulb. "What the bloody.."
A sudden, piercing scream tore through the darkness like a knife, an infernal horrified wail that deteriorated rapidly into a low frenzied moaning babble. Spike was moving before he realized it, wheeling towards Drusilla's chambers with a speed most athletes would've envied.
It was dark in the room- it looked like the entire bloody building was dark- but Spike could barely make out Drusilla curled in the corner rocking back and forth and hugging her knees, making a disturbing whining noise.
"Dru, love, what's wrong? What is it?"
Drusilla paused and looked up and Spike froze. Her face was a twisted mask of terror and he could see that same soul-tearing horror reflected in her normally blank eyes. She looked more sane than she had in centuries, more sane and yet terrified out of her wits at the same time.
"Kitten.. my Kitten is coming, but he isn't just Kitten anymore! Kitten woke up the Dragon and now it's so angry, all blue and gold and thunder! The Dragon is coming, Spikey!" Drusilla screamed. "I can see into the Crystal Eye! The Glorious One tears the Veil asunder in her madness and the Three awaken! The Shield falls in shards and Law, Chaos and Time rise once again against the Elder Darkness! Worlds die and the stars writhe and boil in their struggle! Blood and death devour the stars and there is nothing! Nothing!"
Drusilla sobbed and screamed again. "There is nothing! My stars scream and fall silent! Blood drowns the realms! Blood and darkness!"
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The echoes of the first roar hadn't died before the creature moved far faster than anything it's size had right to, kneeling down on muscular digigrade legs tipped with vicious triple talons nearly the length of a human forearm. Vast scale-covered wings unfolded with a sharp leathery crack, jagged tendrils of lightning creeping across the taut membrane. Jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth opened wide in a keening cry like tearing steel- and then the wings came down with a deep boom that sent clouds of stinging vampire dust swirling through the air as the creature itself turned into a blur of motion. Splinters of wood flew, ebony black claws tearing through the floor and leaving long jagged triple gouges in the woodwork. In one flash, before anyone could react, it slammed into one of the vampires with a bloodcurdling snarl like a prolonged roll of thunder, the two going down in a snarling, rolling mass of flailing limbs. A scream that ended abruptly in a sick crunch of shattering bone and a whoomph of disintegrating vampire rang out, the creature ending up perching on the floor. It raised its head, its jaws stained with a black mixture of blood and vampire dust, and growled again, its eyes blazing a terrifying crimson glow.
Every movement it made exuded a sense of danger, an unnamed, undefined feeling of dread, an aura of primal malice smoldering beneath the surface. Willow could feel – the part of her that wasn't screaming run, hide, get away again and again could – a constant tingle and surge in the very air around her, like someone had been casting a spell at the very moment in the same room but amplified a dozenfold. It felt like her hair was squirming on its own from the charge like a demented medusa of some sort, tiny arcs of static snapping and crackling in it. She could sense how the mere presence of the- the thing that had been his best friend distorted and tore at the weave of magic around it, could nearly see the bonds of alien magic and power that reached out from it and into it twisting, coiling and weaving together like the tentacles Xander had described to her-
A screech she couldn't begin to describe rose, a hoarse, vibrating, tearing sound part scream part roar that slammed into her with nearly a physical force. She couldn't help it; as the creature pounced again she clapped her hands to her ears and screamed with it. She felt the sound like a pair of ice picks driven through both her eardrums as the creature flickered and slammed directly into a group of five vampires, the rest shaking off their shock and taking their chance to flee the scene. Talons and fangs flashed, the creature towering easily over the vampires with a muscular frame of nearly ten feet. Kicks and punches thudded into crystalline scales and armored bone with little to no effect until one of the vampires managed to slash at the fleshy underside of a wing with their lengthened claws- a sharp electric crackle rang out, a jet of blue-white sparks like miniature lightning striking the vampire and making it stumble backwards with a yelp- and the creature emitted an enraged screech and executed an odd half-turn, the muscular tail swiping horizontally the feet from underneath one vampire with bone-crushing force- Willow could hear a sick crack of breaking bone and a pained scream over the ringing of her ears- and the black stinger housed in the tip rose up with the movement and skewered the offending vampire through the chest. It had just enough time to blink stupidly and look down before it exploded into a cloud of dust.
Her eyes were drawn to the nasty rent in the center of the creature's left wing. Bright red blood dripped along the smooth surface, the thick opaque liquid crackling with energy as arcs of lightning crept and squirmed along the blood and the wound, the hole in the membrane rapidly shrinking and reknitting itself. The creature pivoted around on a single taloned leg with a motion far too graceful for anything even near its size, razor-sharp talons ripping, tearing, slashing and one of the remaining vampires detonated in a burst of ashes and necromantic energies – the presence of the creature had supercharged her own power so that for a brief moment, she could actually see the dark magic and demonic essence that kept the vampire animated flicker and fade as the grainy dust spread.
By the Goddess, so much power..
Cloven hands reached, seized- A single razor-taloned claw grasped the ankle of the vampire with the broken leg- and yanked the vampire easily off the ground. It spat and cursed right until the creature took a mighty swing, the vampire in its grasp swinging like a rag doll and smashing into a bookcase with a sick meaty crash and a howl of pain. Tomes and scrolls flew. A keening roar, another swing, and vampire met dust-covered floor with a second crash and scream. The third swing finally knocked the bookcase over with a loud crash, the vampire now silent and limp.
The last remaining vampire had bolted towards the exit when the creature snarled, spun and hurled the unconscious vampire at his fleeing comrade. Both went down in a cursing, flailing tangle of limbs. The creature hissed at the two.. and then it suddenly made a strange rumbling sound, a deep thrumming noise like distant thunder that rose rapidly in strength and volume. Willow could feel a sudden surge of energy in the air around the beast-
Blue-white light ignited in the maw, eyes and nostrils of the creature, crackled across the scales of its face and sparked between its ivory horns. There was a deep boom like a muffled thunderclap as the jaws of the creature snapped wide open.. and the light in its maw leaped outwards in a blinding, crackling lance like a horizontal bolt of lightning that left her blinking away afterimages from her eyes. The vampires exploded into a cloud of dust and blue-white sparks, the coruscating blast surging through the air where they had been but moments ago and blasting a cracked, scorched pit into the wall, fragments of wood and masonry zinging through the air.
Twin streams of acrid white smoke billowing from its nostrils, arcs of leftover energy snapping and crackling across its maw the creature spread its wings wide, the wind churning a vortex of thin gray vampire dust around it as it threw its head back and unleashed a deep, tearing victory roar. Lightning flashed overhead in sync with it, a deafening roll of thunder shaking the floor beneath them.
A series of leathery shuffling sounds and dry bony clacks rang out as the creature's wings folded unto its shoulders like a grotesque cape. It turned, sniffed the air.. and fixed a golden stare upon Willow, the slit pupils of its eyes glowing a dim, soft crimson light.
"No.."
It turned towards her, thin wisps of smoke rising from its nostrils, its back hunched over from the sheer mass of its powerful draconic wings caped against its broad shoulders, curved ebony talons scraping against the hardwood floor.
"Please, no.."
She scuttled backwards, away from the creature even as it took a fluid step towards her, balancing easily upon its triplets of razored claws. Flickering lights shone eerily upon the shell of bone covering its chest.
"Xander.."
Willow had her back pressed into the wall, squeezing against it like she was trying to slip through it like on that fateful Halloween night. A winged shadow seemed to block all the light from her view as the creature stalked towards her, finally kneeling down right next to her. She could feel the air around it tingle with a barely pent-up charge, like standing right next to a live converter, could hear a low thrumming sound from somewhere within its armored chest..
"..don't.."
A three-fingered hand the size of a frying pan enveloped her shoulder, a furious tingling sensation spreading through her skin at the point of contact, her hair squirming and twitching with static. She could feel four clawtips like needlepoints against her skin, just hard enough to push through her clothes but not quite enough to draw blood. She made a nonintelligent squeal in her throat and flinched but managed to bite back the scream as a reptilian snout filled her vision. Its nostrils flared, a faint blue-white light igniting in them with a soft crackle, and the stench of death, ozone and a sour reptilian smell hit her like a physical blow. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks as it leaned even closer to her, the tip of its azure-scaled snout inches away from her face. She could almost feel the rows of ivory fangs upon her, paralyzed by the intense gaze like polished gold upon her..
Snnfffhh.. Snnfffhh..
Rrriuuwwrrrr?
Schlluupp
Something long, warm and moist ran across her cheek and she screamed, shivered and knew no more.
I#I#I#I#I
..And that's it for today, folks. Again, sorry for the long delay. Contrary to popular belief, I do have a life outside the Internet. Busy, busy, busy..
Review Responses:
Dogbertcarroll: Thank you very much. I've always enjoyed writing descriptive, detailed text; if properly done, it adds to the mood and makes the story that much immersing. That, and I get a kick out of it :grin:. As for the pairing, we'll have to see what will happen.. I never plan for any specific pairings or such, I just write and see where the path takes to.
M. Kearney: :evil laughter: I'm the Dungeon Master for our resident Dungeons and Dragons game, evil is in the job description.. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I'm so very sorry you had to wait this long (over 6 months, wrath of the Dragon Lord!)
Covered in blood'n gore: Glad you liked it. The PTB may not exactly appreciate Xander's new abilities but at the moment they'll be hard-pressed to take any action against one under the protection of one of the Three Elders.. but then again, considering the amount of plotting and scheming going on with the Powers things may get even more interesting for Xander in the near future.
Kenneth: Glad to hear that, I'm doing my best to keep you people satisfied!
War90: Thank you!
Aleh: :pages through an old school textbook:shrugs:tosses said book over shoulder: Teaches me not to believe everything they write. I'll keep that in mind.
RobClark: Glad to see you like this journey, hope I'll be seeing you occasionally along the path. Thank you very much.
Candy: I'm happy to see you've enjoyed this (at least up to now). Thanks!
Madrikor: Not that soon, unfortunately, but I hope you enjoyed this..
The Mad Dragon: :chuckle: Among other things.. But on the pro side, he's got his own can opener and other assorted ripping/cutting/slashing/tearing tools handy from now on..
Dr Gero: I'm glad to see you like this story, and even more glad to see you're interested in my original characters. Yes, the plaguelord really is dead, and you might learn more as soon as I figure out the stats for the fiend (God, my players will hate me after a few sessions).. I hope you like what I've cooked up for now, and I'll always be happy to answer your questions!
DaBear: :snicker: Was that a Gargoyles reference? Glad you like it!
Kiseki no Tenshi: Glad you like it!
WBH21C: Thank you very much!
Still waiting: I'm really very sorry for the overly long wait. I'm actually surprised no-one has flamed me yet.
Scythe195: I'm glad you think so! Thank you!
Bobboky: Thank you!
Speaker4thesilent: Thank you! I will try!
Suzuka Blade: Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it:offers the little dragon a shoulder to perch on and a scrap of ham: I've always wanted one of these little guys. Now let's see if I can hang onto my eyebrows with him..
Judah: Already personally answered this one; it's reviews like this that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, seeing that people reading this are actually paying attention to the little details. Thank you again!
Ruasinner: I'm glad to see you like it, and I'm really sorry for the overly long wait.
Caelistes: 'Scary' would be a good word to describe the Dragon Elder :grin: Thank you very much!
Nighetray: Keepin' it comin'! Thanks!
APS: I'm trying! Thank you very much!
Again, thank you very much for all the time you've taken in reading this. I'm really glad to see even one of you actually likes my work, let alone all the different people who have encouraged me to keep writing this story. I couldn't do it without you people.
