Chapter 50.
TEMPLE OF THE SEARING WIND,
CHINATOWN, SAN FRANCISCO
It began as a duel with a pair of bojitsu staffs. Dr. Death and the Green Lama trying to crack each other's skulls. But, eye-blurring as their speed would look to a third-party spectator, each combatant was skilled enough to spot the blow intended by the other. . .and evade it, more often than not. So, the Ravnos vampire who had been calling himself "Yu Nohu" decided to cheat.
He used his hard-won knowledge of Tremere sorcery to turn the staff into a kwon do!
The second he did so, Dr. Death yelled "kiai" at the top of his lungs. Using the crescent-shaped head of the Chinese pole-axe to split Jethro Dumont's staff in two, with an up-and-down slash. Followed by his use of the established momentum to spin counter-clockwise in an attempt to disembowel the Green Lama, horizontally! And, if not for the latter's reflexes being enhanced, because of the enjoining spell, the former's ploy might very well have succeeded. The Green Lama, however, was quick to prove that two could play at this game. He subsequently muttered an incantation that turned the shattered halves of his staff into a pair of Chinese broadswords!
Thereby allowing him to catch the kwon do's head. . .dead center of the criss-crossed blades.
"Tie ball game, Yale," Dumont grinned.
"Bite me, Harvard!" Dr. Death growled.
Whereupon, they pushed away from each other. Resuming their duel to the death with a much more noticeable "clang-clang-clang."
NIPOMO DUNES STATE PARK
Glordelia looked at the shivering youngster, kneeling on the sand.
"This?! This is the Key?"
"Her incarnated form, Your Gloriousness," replied Dr. Death: "But, while her power might be slightly curtailed in this corporeal state, I can assure you that there's still enough of it present that just one little drop of her blood will open the portal you desire! Shall I use the phubai to demonstrate my. . .point?"
He laughed at his own pun, as he used his head to indicate the three-bladed dagger in his left hand.
Glordelia shrugged: "Go ahead! Knock yourself out."
The moment she said this, "Dr. Death" dropped his disguise.
"Catch!" yelled Ethan Rayne, as he threw the phubai in Buffy's direction!
The enjoined Slayer, using Prue Halliwell's telekinesis, caused the Tibetan-made dagger to perform a veritable U-turn in mid-air! She then redirected it toward Glordelia. . ..who promptly caught between the palms of her clapping hands.
"Nice try, Blondie!" laughed the self-proclaimed hell goddess. "But, it rightfully belongs to you."
Whereupon, Glordelia spun about like a ballerina in a hurricane. Flinging the phubai right back at the Slayer. . .and into her midsection.
"BUFFY!" screamed the on-looking Xander, as he watched her sink to her knees in horrified disbelief. Yet, strangely enough,. . .
. . .the blonde Slayer just smiled.
"Oliver- - -Seidel," she muttered.
Those two strange words had no sooner left her lips than a shower of white light came down next to Angel. Subsequently taking on the form of a bald, middle-aged white man in a brown business suit. A man whose quite understandable puzzlement rapidly turned to outright horror when he saw Angel put on his "game face." Followed by the sinking of the latter's fangs into the former's neck! Thirty seconds later, Angel had the blood memories he needed.
Whereupon, the reformed vampire began chanting in a strange tongue older than Latin and Greek put together.
Almost instantly, an interdimensional portal opened. And, out of it came five pairs of snake-like tentacles that quickly ensnared Glordelia in their grip! The brunette hell goddess naturally struggled to fight her way free. But, Angel brought the wounded Buffy over to Glordelia's side, where they each grabbed a hold of one of the latter's wrists. As a result? Glordelia was distracted just enough that the tentacles succeeded in pulling the hell goddess back into the portal with them!
Unfortunately, Angel and Buffy were also drawn into the portal. And, the moment they passed its event horizon,. . .
. . .the portal closed faster than anyone could blink.
TEMPLE OF THE SEARING WIND,
CHINATOWN, SAN FRANCISCO
The second round of their duel appeared just as evenly matched as the first. For, even though Dr. Death's kwon do had a slightly longer reach, the Green Lama could still parry every thrust with one broadsword while simultaneously trying to run the vampire through with the other. Which would, of course, slow him down just long enough for the other broadsword to decapitate him.
Thereby negating his vampiric ability to regenerate.
The stalemate ended, however, when Jethro Dumont felt the sudden cessation of the enjoining spell due to his maternal granddaughter's departure from the Earthly plane. Consequently, the former dropped both swords and fell to his knees. Leaving him totally vulnerable to the kwon do's axe-head being lunged straight through him, front to back!
"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!" chortled the old Ravnos: "Looks like Yale whips Harvard. . .once again."
He did not gloat long, though, as a werewolf in Hispo mode suddenly tackled him from his left. Knocking him to the ground. . .and decapitating him with its fangs.*
MICK ST. JOHN'S P.O.V.
Giles had entrusted Oz with some of Buffy's spare wooden stakes when we took off in the chopper. And, when we crashed in the temple's lobby, Oz managed to save them before the chopper's fuel exploded. Thereby allowing him to give me and Sonny, two each.
Believe me; they came in handy, right from the get-go. Because, the kuei-jin on guard duty were quick to rally once we lost the element of surprise. Then, again, Oz was able to aid us in slaying them by switching to Krinos mode (in which form, he looked like a wolf-headed bear!). So, for a while, our fight in that temple lobby was a bit of a stalemate.
Even so, superior numbers would've inevitably won the day if not for another unexpected arrival. Daedalus of the Nosferatu! And, in the full-on combat mode of his clan, he quickly helped us over-power the remaining kuei-jin. Only when the absolutely last one had been dusted did he have the opportunity to tell us how Julian Luna had sent him, via the sewers, to aid us in this battle. Giles having informed the City Prince about it via cellphone. We then started following Oz as he followed the Green Lama's scent trail (which he had finally caught).
Unfortunately, we did not get to the end of that trail in time. As a result, we could only watch in horrified shock as the Akashic Brotherhood's most renowned white wizard. . .finally met his match.
We regained our ability to move only when Oz switched from Krinos to Hispo form. The moment he did so- -or, rather, the moment he separated Yu Nohu's head from the rest of his worthless body- -the temple's walls began vibrating and the ground began rumbling. Nobody needed to identify it as an earth tremor, as we had all resided in California long enough to know the initial signs! We couldn't leave the Green Lama behind, however. So, Daedalus ran forward. . .and broke that frigging Chinese pole axe in half.
He then gently lifted the Green Lama in both arms, before gesturing with his head for the rest of us to follow him. We did so, and subsequently found the sewer tunnel opening he had used to infiltrate the temple. We entered it as fast as possible; and a good thing, too. Because, as soon as Sonny (who'd been acting as rear guard) entered the tunnel, the temple basement's ceiling caved in!
After that, we found the cleanest tunnel intersection possible, and stopped to examine the Green Lama's wound. It was no use, though. And, even he knew it.
"The wound's. . .too mortal. . .even. . . for wizardry. But, I. . .don't mind. . .! It's been. . .a good long. . .run. And. . .my regrets. . .are few. Hopefully. . .the next. . .generation. . .will dawn. . .without any."
With that, he closed his eyes and passed on; Oz's lupine howls speaking for us all. When we got to the Haven, ten solemn minutes later, I immediately went upstairs to cellphone Giles with the bad news. And, to ask if Buffy had any better news.
Little did I know. . .
To be concluded.
Mini-glossary:
Hispo: the Garou form mirroring the dire wolf of prehistoric times.