Path of the righteous
Giles looked around the library; the room they were in was aesthetically the same. Books in their rightful places, shelves occupying the same space they had previously. Even the names on the library's ledger were still visible and in proper order. What was wrong with the room was ambient. What had once been a bright sunny southern California day had become cold, dank. The air had become stale and the skies had become overcast in what had been mere seconds.
Giles glanced over to Buffy who was slouching heavily in her chair, eyes half closed. Xander was slowing coming out from under the table and Willow was still holding on to Oz, his face the same stoic expression it had worn earlier, but with a hint of fear.
"Is everyone all right?" Giles called out.
"Yeah, we're fine." Everyone seemed to call out in unison, everyone except, Buffy that is who doubled over and wretched again.
The group gathered around the table once more and took in they're new environment. The one thing that had changed the most and everyone knew it, was that it had become deathly silent. The bustling noise of the school hallway had become non-existent. The silence was so pervasive it amplified any little sound. A paper falling from the desk, a mouse scurrying from one wall to the next, all became the next threat to possibly end their lives.
"What do we do now?" asked Xander trying to make sense of it all.
"Honestly Xander I don't know. I have never encountered this before and as far as I know, no watcher in the history of the job has ever come against something so evil." Giles said intently watching the door to the library, never breaking his gaze or his calm.
"You were right Giles. He has us trapped. There is only one thing we can do and that is to fight our way out." Buffy said feebly getting up from her chair.
"Buffy, are you sure that your well enough to do this?" Giles asked her.
"Yes I'm fine. Let's just try and figure out what to do." Buffy said
As Buffy tried to make her way from the chair, Xander came over and tried to help her. She pushed him away, determined to show she still had strength left. He relented, letting the girl to her own devises, but never moving more than an arms length away.
Willow, finally letting go of Oz walked to were they kept the weapons in a cage that was in the library. She fumbled with the lock, the keys not wanting to slide into the mechanism. She kept trying, her shaking hands betraying her every attempt. Finally, Giles moved over to her and did it for her. She paused in a silent thank you and went about her business. Willow half ran to the back of the cage and opened the weapons chest, picking out knives, axes, swords and other medieval devises. Willow came back and started to hand out weapons when Buffy stopped her.
"Will, wait. What do we know about Michael?" Buffy asked looking to Giles.
"Well, we know that he was formally a Knight in the knights' templar." Giles answered.
"Hey Giles how bout you dumb it down a little." Xander asked.
"They were a monastic order in the crusades, eventually found guilty of heresy and killed by the church." replied Oz.
"Yes and as such, he will be an excellent swordsman. He will also probably know how to use all of these other weapons as well." Giles cautioned.
Buffy sat deep in thought, seemingly over her sudden illness. "All right, if this guy is a knight and a buku sword-guy or whatever, then we should avoid open combat." Buffy finally said. "We also need someone to gather supplies, like food and water. Who wants to do that?"
"I'll go and find food." offered Oz.
"I'll go too." Willow said suddenly.
"Ok. You two can go and find food. It's best we travel in pairs anyway." Buffy said. "We should also see if there are any other people here. We need someone to just generally explore, as much as I hate to admit it, I would love to see Cordelia right about now." Buffy continued looking at the group.
"I'll do it. I wanna help. No one goes after my two best buds and gets away with it." Xander offered heroically.
"I should go with him." said Giles not looking at Xander or anyone else.
"OK, that's settled. We should do this in turns, food is important, so Willow and Oz should go first. Then Xander and Giles." Buffy said confirming the groups' actions.
"Yes Buffy it sounds like a brilliant plan but what will you do?" Giles asked her.
As he said that, Xander looked from Giles then to Buffy. Willow stopped swinging her axe and looked first to Giles and then to Buffy. Oz took his attention from a book on the occult, first looked at Giles then at Buffy. Buffy saw this and actually wondered what had taken them so long to figure out that she herself was not given a task.
"I plan to meet this guy head on. I have suffered from his cruelty and heartlessness for long enough. I have seen his threaten me, my friends and my mom. I have played by his rules long enough. I will take that sword over there and find him" As Buffy said this they took her attention from her and looked to where she had indicated to look at the object of her interest.
She continued "And when I find him, I will fight him. It will be a hard battle, but I know I'm going to win. I'm the slayer, the best slayer in my opinion. I will defeat him and literally drive the point of that sword down his throat. I will show him what the wrath of god really is."
The group just stared at her, amazed at her brazenness. However, deep down, they all knew that she was right. She was the slayer and she was going to win. If not then, god have mercy on their souls.
Just then a sound came from the school intercom. At first it was nothing bust static, the sound of dead air. Slowly they could begin to make out a noise coming from the intercom. They all looked intently on, but they all knew what was happening. Slowly from the static was heard the sound of slow, rhythmic clapping. Then a voice.
"Very good, Mapeche. You sure do know how to stir the troops. Let me be the first to welcome you to my world. I would like to make the following statements." came the sound of Michael on the intercom.
"I would like to wish Oz and Willow the best of luck on their mission to find food and water. The same goes to Mr. Giles and Xander for their brave task of finding others. Of whom my sickness may have befallen. And to you Miss Summers. I will find you in good time, and when I do we will, as you said fight. However, you have one thing incorrect. It is not you who will win. It s I. You may be a slayer, but I have killed ten in my time. So bring it on."
Michael let out a shrill laugh and then the intercom went silent once more. The group looked up into the intercom in stunned silence, how could he have known what was going on. Buffy then turned to face the group, sensing panic.
"Don't let him scare you. Willow and Oz, you two go. You'll be all right, I promise. Besides it's me he wants." Buffy said looking at them.
Willow and Oz both nodded their agreement and went to the door of the library. They stopped just short of it and looked into each others eyes, then turned to face Giles, Buffy and Xander on last time before heading out. Oz took a deep breath and then walked out of the library, willow in close pursuit.
A/N: I know it has been a long time since I updated this, but I was busy. I also know that this was a fairly short chapter compared to the others but it was merely to lay the ground work for the coming chapters. Please read and review, thanks.