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Angel slowly opened his eyes, feeling coolness on his forehead. Then he saw it was Cordelia, sponging the blood from his face. He smiled and took her hand in his
"You're awake now," she said with a smile, "Okay, so who did this to you?"
"It was Doyle…Doyle's father," Angel replied
"Doyle's father?" Cordelia cried incredulously, "Are you serious?"
"I'm serious. He wanted revenge because I helped Doyle die"
"Well, that's just pathetic"
"Considering he is the leader of a pureblood army"
"Okay then. So he's the leader of the Scourge. What do we do?"
"Firstly, the Scourge is dead. Secondly, we stop Axtius from killing more half-breeds"
Angel winced as he sat up in the bed, before drinking the blood Cordelia offered
"Okay then, let's get started"
With Cordelia's help, Angel got out of the bed, seeing that his torso was bandaged, as Cordelia helped him put a shirt on, before heading downstairs
"Daddy!" Connor cried
Angel winced as he picked his son up and headed over to the counter
"What can you tell us about the demon that attacked you?" Wesley asked
"It was a pureblood Brachen demon," Angel replied, sipping the blood, "His name is Axtius and he's planning to lead a war against half-breeds"
"And he's got a strong grudge against Angel," Cordelia added, "Because Axtius is also Doyle's father and he blames Angel for Doyle's death"
"But Doyle was a half-breed," Wesley said, "Why would Axtius care?"
"Because Doyle was his son," Angel said, looking down at his own son
"So, first order of business is to get the low-down on Axtius," Gunn said, "I'll start digging through my informants"
Grabbing his axe, he left the hotel, as Angel gingerly sat down at the counter
"Axtius means business. I could tell. If only I knew where he would strike"
"Well, I know there have been reports of a demon sanctuary island," Wesley said, "No one knows for sure if it exists or not. Mostly inhabited by half-breed demons"
"Then that's a place Axtius would start," Cordelia said
"We'll have to wait for Gunn to come back," Angel said
"I'll head out to the harbour, see what I can get," Wesley suggested
"I'll come with," Angel offered
"Angel, no, you're staying here," Cordelia said, placing a hand on his thigh, "You're still beaten up from the crucifying. Plus, it's daylight out there"
"Okay, I'll stay here then. Wes, step on it"
"Not a problem"
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Angel came up from training in the basement a few hours later to find that Wesley and Gunn had returned, both with their own piece of information
"Axtius has been gathering purebloods for the last few weeks," Gunn said, "He's got an army and he's got weapons. He's planning to destroy some place called Questral"
"And I found a ship under his name heading southwest," Wesley added, "I've done some research and found that Questral is in the direction Axtius is going"
"Great, so we head over to the harbour and sink Axtius' ship," Angel said
"His ships just left," Wesley said, "However, I managed to get hold of someone who could take us to Questral faster than Axtius' ships. But we don't have long"
"Gear up and let's ship out," Angel said
"Wait, I'm coming with," Cordelia said
"No, you're gonna stay here with Fred and Connor. I can't fight and worry about you at the same time if you're there"
"Fine, I'll stay here then. Leave the pregnant woman behind. I just wanted to be moral support. Maybe even cheerlead, but it's a little hard with bub and all"
Angel smiled and kissed her on the lips, as Wesley and Gunn started gathering weapons together. Putting his duster on, Angel accepted a broadsword from Wesley, before heading out to the car and driving away to the harbour, where they met their boat's captain, a Miquot named Zeke
"I should warn you," said Zeke on their way over to Questral, "The inhabitants aren't quite friendly towards humans. And even less so to vampires"
"They'll change their minds when we say we're here to help," Gunn said
Thirty minutes later and the speedboat touched shore, as a group of demons came racing out and start jabbering away in their language. Zeke spoke to them in their own language, as the trio looked amongst each other with worry
"Take us to your leader," Wesley said, as Gunn snickered
Zeke spoke to the demons and they were led away through the jungle to a small village, where a large variety of demons, all of different species, resided. But it was the large amphitheatre rising up in the centre of the village that drew their attention
"The architecture suggests that the amphitheatre is at least a few thousand years old," Wesley said in awe, "This island has been a sanctuary for centuries"
"So, where's the leader of this place?" Gunn asked
"Here," Zeke replied, "And its 'leaders'"
"Zeke, why are these humans here?" asked one demonic leader, "And a vampire?"
"With a soul," Angel said, "I have a soul. I'm Angel"
"Angel, the Champion of the Powers That Be?" asked another leader
"Uh…yeah…the same. Look, there is an army of pureblood demons that is coming here to slaughter you all," Angel said, "We have to stand together and fight"
"And why should we believe you?" asked a leader
"Well, I'm the Champion. Why would I lie?"
"You're a vampire. With a soul, but a vampire nonetheless"
"Yeah, these guys aren't friendly towards vamps," Gunn whispered to Wesley
"We don't have much time for this," Angel said, "We have to be prepared. Axtius' forces will be here within an hour. Two at the most"
"Is he speaking the truth?" a leader asked
"I see no lies in the vampire," another leader replied, "We shall post far-seeing sentries to see the truth. If the vampire is telling no lies, we shall be ready"
"It would be helpful to start getting ready now," Wesley said, "Axtius has at least three cargo ships full of demons at his disposal. We stand now or lose everything"
Sentries were posted around on the eastside of the island where Axtius would be coming from. Angel, Wesley and Gunn were busy sorting out their weapons and a plan of defence with Zeke and Questral's leaders. Within forty-five minutes, an alarm went out, signalling the arrival of Axtius' ships. The night was still young, as Angel, Wesley and Gunn headed out to the shoreline
"Stick together," Angel said, "I'm not losing any of you guys tonight"
"You won't have to worry about us," Gunn said, "We can handle ourselves"
"I know you can, but this is gonna be brutal"
"We've accepted that," Wesley said, "We did lead a rebellion in Pylea"
Angel looked back out at the three ships on the horizon, as longboats were launched from them. Demons of all kinds lined the beaches, as well as the leaders of Questral. Angel could see Axtius leading the way, standing up on the bow with the glowing Pristagrix in his hand. The memory of his defeat came back at Angel, as he growled and gripped his broadsword, his face transforming into a vampire's, his golden eyes blazing as he bared his fangs
"Don't let them through," he said, "Stand your ground"
Gunn got into a stance, holding his car rim axe at the ready. Wesley had a crossbow, a small quiver of bolts tied to his hip, while a sword was strapped to his back. The first of the longboats reached the shore, pureblood demons poring out from them, all wielding glowing weapons, which Angel recognised as Mahkesh weapons. He thought those weapons had been lost forever in the Mahkesh War. But like the Pristagrix, he knew he was wrong again
"Here they come," Angel said, "Let's give it to them"
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