Path to Hell 10/?
Path to Hell 10/?
Title: The Path to Hell (is paved with good intentions) 10/?
Author: Siren
Pairing: Wesley/Fred, Willow/Spike/Angel
Rating: PG13
Summary: The group fights back when the demons from L.A. start to hone in on them.
Word Count: 3640
Feedback: Always!
Distribution: My LJ and my site only.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to Joss and a bunch of other people who are not now and have never been me.
Author's Notes: The next chapter! Its only taken me months to pound it out. All mistakes are mine as this has not seen the light of beta yet.
Spike had been watching Willow intently, the only person in their group who could play guard without cringing. At the moment, the rest of them were back halfway up the trail discussing their courses of action. Illyria hadn’t offered anymore choice knowledge and everyone was starting to get a mite twitchy.
One on hand, if something old and nasty was trying to possess Willow they had to at least attempt to stop it. Willow wouldn’t want something parading around her skin causing havoc. Yet, on the other hand she was trying to fight it off. She also had more power than any of them could quite wrap their brains around. Even if they tried to do anything no one was positive it would work, and along with that if they tried and hurt Willow as she was fighting it off they could do more harm than good.
He ran a hand half despairingly through his short spiked hair trying to find a way out of this. His eyes were locked on Willow, begging her to give them a sign that she was fighting. That she was winning. If they had something, maybe he and Angel could get the conversations on whether they should attempt to kill her for the greater good to cease.
She was sitting prone, leaned up against a tree in the shade. Her face was a blank mask, and her hands were limply braced against either thigh. She hadn’t moved in more than ten minutes, and the fear had been wrapping sinuous tendrils around him since she’d stopped.
As he watched, a silent mantra of ‘fight Red fight’ going nonstop, Willow’s face shifted. A cloudy awareness bloomed in her green eyes, not much but better by miles than the vacant stare that had been painted over her features. Her face followed suit, a tiny line of determination forming between her eyes to match the hard line of her mouth.
A small tremor ran over her, and limp hands curled into small clenched fists. Spike stood slowly, hope blooming in his chest. He hesitated to call anyone and alert them of the change if this was nothing. He licked his lips waiting for something else, anything else. He watched as her face twisted into a snarl, and a dense shockwave of energy burst out from her in a circle knocking Spike roughly to his feet.
Spike coughed, brushing tree leaves and other detritus from his body and head as he regained his footing. “Bloody hell Red.” His eyes returned to Willow, she sat in the same position, but she seemed to hum with energy.
“Peaches, might want to come and see this. I think we’ve got a bit of a situation.”
--
Faith grumbled to herself as she climbed back to her feet. Angel was already headed down towards Spike and Angel, and dollars to doughnuts that wave of energy had been Willow. Faith rocked on her feet, tension building between her shoulder blades.
She cracked her knuckles, inclined to follow when she felt a familiar tap on one should followed by Kira’s voice in her ear.
“The girls on sentry sent a runner. Something is coming this way, and making plenty of noise doing it.” Faith paused taking in their situation before replying.
“Keep the four up there on duty and alert. I want them ready to fight, but not trying to. Send Sable and Ghost with two girls a piece out on our sides. They know the deal, out on the sides and don’t pick a fight unless it’s necessary. Divy up the rest of the girls between the two of you and cover everybody as best you can.”
Faith inhaled and breathed in deeply, feeling the early rush of adrenaline in her blood. She took off towards the head of the path where a 4 slayer sentry had set up. All of the girls were standing, one of them leaning on a sword.
She nodded to them and then stepped through their loose line until she was five or six feet into the main path. The underbrush snapped and cracked under what sounded like half a dozen people. The air was growing thick and heavy, Faith could smell magic in the air like ozone before a coming storm. A rough breeze was breaking through the trees sending her hair flying around her head, along with all the detritus the forest had to offer.
Faith bared her teeth into the wind, more of a war face than a grimace. Her palms itched for the feel of a weapon or flesh under her fists. Either way it didn’t matter too much. It was the feeling of Slaying before it happened. Blood beating like a drum through her ears; Adrenaline striking its way through her still limbs, making them tremble with anticipation.
For her this way the Slayer sense, violence blooming in her chest like a vicious flower. She turned back to the line of girls who were watching with jaded eyes that shone like wounds out of the faces of children.
“Something’s definitely coming.” She announced. “Dunno ‘bout you, but I can feel it creepin’ in. Hold off unless you see them make a move, or its necessary. Just follow my lead. Y’all know the drill, simple as that.”
She turned back facing out onto the main trail a few steps in front of the girls. The wind had died down, but the sound of feet on the trail was growing closer. Faith steeled herself for anything, the sheer anticipation of the thing damn near driving her insane.
A moment later half a dozen demons burst along the trail raucously. They were speaking in a foreign tongue, their voices excited.
“Hey now boys. You were almost late to the party.” Faith smiled predatorily, her muscles quivering to move, to fight, to Slay.
The demons stopped when she spoke, all of them fixing on the five slayers on the side of the trail. One of them snarled, and the group of them charged. Faith charged forward to meet them, the other Slayers only a step behind her.
Faith jumped, and kicked, stabbing one of the demons before flipping backwards out of the range of another. One of them tried to grab her as she landed, and missed by inches. It was swept off its feet by a low kick before Faith snapped its neck something dark within her finding pleasure in the sound. She stood to see what was left, and the fight was over.
Her girls were cleaning off their weapons and returning to the mouth of the trail. She picked up the dagger she’d dropped before snapping the thing’s neck, and got her first real looks at the things. They were dark brown with wide splashes of dark green and black; two arms and two legs.
She’d have to tell Willow about this when things calmed down. If things calmed down. Faith sheathed the dagger on a scabbard resting on her thigh and a scowl replaced her manic grin of only minutes ago. She left the other Slayers to send word if anything showed up they couldn’t handle and headed back down towards Willow.
--
Angel kept his eyes trapped between Spike and Willow. It was obvious she was fighting whatever had possessed her. Her eyes were beginning to darken with determination coming closer and closer to their usual clarity. Her small hands were clutched into fists, and fine tremors were running through her muscles.
Just after he’d gotten down here, a vicious wind had started to kick up around Willow. It left her and the ground she sat on untouched, but in widening circles around her debris had been torn around haphazard.
Faith stood behind him at the entrance to the clearing. Her face was stony, but she seemed calmer. Probably the result of the scuffle he’d heard up the path. He wanted all of these things to connect somehow into a long kinetic string of something that could save them.
He didn’t want to say it out loud, but Willow was the one who’d gotten them here and it was very possible that she was the only one powerful enough to get them all home. He didn’t want to even consider the fact that she wouldn’t come through all of this victorious. It was obvious she was fighting back, and Willow’s magic was spilling from her in a deluge.
The air was getting thick with it, clouds rolling in with thunder rolling ominously in the distance. The space between his shoulder blades itched, and Angel quirked an eyebrow. Something was wrong here.
The clouds were quickly blotting out what little light had filtered through the trees, making them stretch naked and ominous around Willow. The rain began to spill down in fat drops, cooling the hot afternoon. Lightning flashed and Angel spun on his heel.
“Faith. The things at the top of the path a minute ago, what were they?”
“Nothin’ I could tell in particular.” She turned concerned brown eyes to Angel. “Why, what are you thinking?”
“Willow’s been letting out a lot of magic, it might draw in things we don’t like. I can’t put my finger on it, but something here-something other than willow-is very very wrong.”
“You’re thinking they were the scouting party?”
“Something like that.” Angel’s voice was quiet and tense, surrounded by the sound of rain on the trees.
As though in response to their conversation lightning flashed again, followed by the war cry of a battle party. It echoes screaming through the woods. Faith’s face tightened and she began calling out orders.
“We got uglies. Full armor and gear now. Break up into your units. Don’t die.” She turned on her heel and looked at Angel as the Slayers geared up grim faced. She turned back to Angel and her face was a fierce mask with dark brown pools for eyes.
“I’m not leaving Willow mate.” Angel turned back to Spike who had stood and walked over to the two of them. “You lot take care of what you can. I’ll dispatch the interlopers.” He turned his eyes to Faith. “I won’t let them hurt the chit.”
Faith nodded. “I’ll hold you to that one Blondie. You comin’ up with me or are you gonna take second rank?” She asked turning her attention back to Angel.
“I’ll be where I need to be.” He paused as lightning struck again, heralded by the deep rolling thunder. There was a brief moment, and then the encroaching enemy screamed again, a roar that seemed to fill up the dark sky.
A dark haired Slayer ran up to Faith and handed her a long gleaming sword, which she efficiently sheathed along her back. She heaved a heavy sigh and looked up to the sky for a brief moment.
“Everyone in, we’ve only got a few minutes.” Faith waited until the Slayers were grouped around her, with Angel, Spike, Illyria, Wesley and Gunn at their outskirts. “So here’s the deal. They’re gonna try to press in, take all of us out and finish with Willow. Short story is we don’t let them. Hold the choke points, retreat only when necessary. Sable and Ghost are out laying a few traps that’ll slow ‘em down.” The rain started to pour down in earnest now, soaking all of them to the skin.
“We hold the line. Willow’s saved our ass plenty, so now we return the favor. Everybody geared up?” As Faith paused two more slayers melted out of the darkness and into the huddle. “Good. Now get to where you’re going. We’re looking at a target rich environment.”
Faith spared another nod to Angel before her face transformed into a fierce feral grin and she turned on her heel taking off at a jog towards the mouth of the path. The demons were close enough Angel could hear their screams, and the ominous sound of their boots trampling over trees and path alike.
In the final moments before their battle-which with their luck was the entirety of the horde they’d escaped in L.A.-it was the little things he notices. Spike’s face sharp as a razor, with a smirk coloring his features; Willow lying against a tree a snarl evident on her face. Wesley and Gunn bent over extra weapons as they readied themselves.
Angel clenched his fist and opened his mouth to speak when the scream of the demons was met with the scream of steel as the Slayers began their defense. Spike scoffed and shook his head. “Too late now mate, best get to your place before the dance really gets going.” He turned and placed himself in front of Willow, a coiled spring of violence should anyone threaten her.
He turned, running towards the battle with Wesley and Gunn. He could hear the defiant battle cries of Slayers fighting against the beastial roar of the demons. One of the men tossed him a tested hand-and-a-half sword.
--
Faith snarled, the entire line of her body shoving a long sword through the body of a demon as it tried to break through the line. The light in it’s eyes extinguished and before she could blink there was another trying. Most of the Slayers were ranged out, holding the choke point and doing their best not to retreat backwards. Several more were initiating fight and flight skirmishes to help drain and confuse the enemy.
The demons themselves were like an ocean of bodies, bobbing just past the point of her blade. Blue had waded hip deep in the damn things, tossing them around like ragdolls while she laughed at their blood washing over her. Wes and Gunn were shoulder to shoulder and hip deep in gore with another Slayer watching their back.
The Demons surged, and their line fell back four paces. Faith snarled, and slashed at an incoming demon decapitating it. The line advanced two paces. It was a back and forth dance. Stab, slash, duck. She skewered another demon screaming viciously as she did so. Her sword stuck itself into the ground, so she pulled twin daggers from a sheath on each of her thighs.
She gutted another demon, using it as a shield and then tossing it onto a third demon. She sprang away from the line and it closed up in her absence. She ducked through the line of demons attacking without ceasing movement. Illyria found her somewhere in the midst of it, as their numbers seemed to dwindle. They danced around each other for a long moment, bodies growing around them like a makeshift fortress.
One of the demons scored a well placed thrust to her chest and Faith felt the armor flex and throw her to the ground roughly. She rolled to her feet, but she was vulnerable and she could hear if not see a shot coming her way. There was a snarling roar, and the blow was stopped as Angel tackled the demon tearing its throat out as he did so.
Faith stood panting, and met Angel’s eyes. For the moment at least the demons had retreated. She motioned the Slayers to re-up and get ready for the push. This wasn’t going to last.
“Thanks Angel.” She said quietly.
“No problem.” He said cleaning his mouth of with a ripped sleeve. He grimaced and spit. “bleh. Demon blood.”
Faith smiled and shook her head moving back into position.
--
Spike paced back and forth, eyes darting around him, fists clenching and unclenching methodically. He could hear the din of battle, but thus far nothing had broken through. He chanced another look back at Red and his lip curled turning his face into a menacing snarl.
She licked her lips once wetting them and then began to chant under her breath. Her muscles corded as she did so, eyes becoming brighter and brighter green as she did so.
“Red?” Spike asked quietly, shooting a glance back in front of him for anything to kill. No such luck. He looked back to Willow, she wouldn’t respond but kept chanting her eyes filled with burning intensity.
He began to pace again, as the horde screamed again though it was lesser than it had been an hour ago. The bushes rustled and Spike pinned his eye on it as half a dozen demons snuck out from the foliage. Spike snarled and one of the demons rushed in. He punched it one knocking it backwards before grasping it around the head and snapping its neck.
He snarled game, dropping into full game face and as he did so the demons screamed their eyes going wide. Spike stopped and looked down at himself. “I know I’m a bit terrifying but at least have the respect for evil not to be such pansies.” He shook his head and took a step forward about to rush forward and dispatch of the rest of the demons.
As he did, two things happened in quick succession. The demons took off into the brush faster than they’d appeared, and Willow started to scream. It was a chilling unending thing that was like nails on a chalkboard.
He turned on his heel running back to wheel and dropping to his knees as he skidded to a stop, hands on her shoulders.
“Red! Red? C’mon now luv, don’t do this! Fight ‘em…c’mon now Red.” His voice wavered between panic and true despair. She continued to scream, eyes squeezed shut, and hands bleeding from how tight she had them clenched. Spike shook her shoulders trying to get her to snap out of it and her eyes popped back open.
They were more pale white than green now and glowing with the power of her magic. As though they had been the gateway, magic poured out of her. Lightning struck the ground around them, and Spike gathered Willow into his arms, shielding her body with his. She stopped screaming, but the magic deluge continued. Her body temperature began to rise and she whimpered once.
The searing heat ripped through Spike, tearing the oxygen from the air as a Fireball erupted around them.
--
“Get down!!” Faith felt the command rather than heard it, but as she hit the deck so did everyone else fighting. Barely a second after a massive fireball screamed up and around them. At first she could feel the searing heat, almost taste the fire dancing over her skin. Panic jumped into her throat as the air became too hot to breathe and then Willow’s shield slid over her like water.
Faith blinked and looked back up hesitantly. The demons had been eliminated, their carcasses like melted lumps of flesh.
“Everybody okay?” Faith’s voice seemed quiet in comparison to the battle, and the scream of fire as it had raced past them.
“Yes, but how. I mean? What the hell was that, it felt like somebody hit me with a bucket of ice when the fire hit me?” Gunn’s voice was incredulous and curious.
“It was Willow.” Kira answered holding a gash in one arms that was bleeding around her fingers. “Her shields protect us. Maybe this means she’s winning.” The words were hopeful and just what the girls needed.
They began to attend to each other, patching up wounds and dragging off girls who would need rest before fighting again further down the path. Faith looked back at the path discerningly. She could still hear the sound of boots on the path.
“Up and ready, something else is out there.” She called out, as a group of humans entered her sight.
The men on horseback were in a rectangle, two to a side. Just behind them were men in long dark robes, and it looked like there might have been even more people behind them. They stopped about thirty feet away and stared at the Slayers cautiously. After several long moment, they opened up their formation.
The 7 men ion horseback dismounted. All of them wore heavy armor in the style of plate, and carried either a sword and shield or a hand-and-a-half sword. Inside their ranks were six more people both men and women. They wore dark robes of various style with blue trim. Beyond them was a third rank of eight more people. Four men and four women. They wore simple white tunics with green trim.
One of the women in white walked about halfway over to Faith nd spoke, her voice carrying as she stood amidst the carnage of the recent battle unmoved. “Will you speak with me? I believe I have information that could be of help.”
Faith over at Angel silently asking his opinion, he nodded slightly and she smiled just a little bit before walking over to the woman. She had thick black hair piled on top of her head artfully, and pale blue eyes.
“My name is Lydia, and I am the high priestess of Caeros, the white city that’s just beyond the city. I believe a friend of yours may have dropped into the prison cell of a very nasty, very old creature. We’re here to resecure him. I have six other temple members, seven mages whom can bind him once he’s been pulled from whomever he is trying to possess, and seven knights of the city to protect all of us. “
Faith met Lydia’s calm open eyes silently. “When you say once he’s been pulled from them, what exactly do you mean?”
“It’s an exorcism of sorts. Old magic to tempt him out so he can be bound back to existence without shape or form.”
“Risks to the host?”
“Minimal.”
“I’ll take you down, and you can try to work your mojo. But I’m warning you now, you or any or your people trying to hurt her I’m not the scariest thing you have to deal with.”
Title: The Path to Hell (is paved with good intentions) 10/?
Author: Siren
Pairing: Wesley/Fred, Willow/Spike/Angel
Rating: PG13
Summary: The group fights back when the demons from L.A. start to hone in on them.
Word Count: 3640
Feedback: Always!
Distribution: My LJ and my site only.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to Joss and a bunch of other people who are not now and have never been me.
Author's Notes: The next chapter! Its only taken me months to pound it out. All mistakes are mine as this has not seen the light of beta yet.
Spike had been watching Willow intently, the only person in their group who could play guard without cringing. At the moment, the rest of them were back halfway up the trail discussing their courses of action. Illyria hadn’t offered anymore choice knowledge and everyone was starting to get a mite twitchy.
One on hand, if something old and nasty was trying to possess Willow they had to at least attempt to stop it. Willow wouldn’t want something parading around her skin causing havoc. Yet, on the other hand she was trying to fight it off. She also had more power than any of them could quite wrap their brains around. Even if they tried to do anything no one was positive it would work, and along with that if they tried and hurt Willow as she was fighting it off they could do more harm than good.
He ran a hand half despairingly through his short spiked hair trying to find a way out of this. His eyes were locked on Willow, begging her to give them a sign that she was fighting. That she was winning. If they had something, maybe he and Angel could get the conversations on whether they should attempt to kill her for the greater good to cease.
She was sitting prone, leaned up against a tree in the shade. Her face was a blank mask, and her hands were limply braced against either thigh. She hadn’t moved in more than ten minutes, and the fear had been wrapping sinuous tendrils around him since she’d stopped.
As he watched, a silent mantra of ‘fight Red fight’ going nonstop, Willow’s face shifted. A cloudy awareness bloomed in her green eyes, not much but better by miles than the vacant stare that had been painted over her features. Her face followed suit, a tiny line of determination forming between her eyes to match the hard line of her mouth.
A small tremor ran over her, and limp hands curled into small clenched fists. Spike stood slowly, hope blooming in his chest. He hesitated to call anyone and alert them of the change if this was nothing. He licked his lips waiting for something else, anything else. He watched as her face twisted into a snarl, and a dense shockwave of energy burst out from her in a circle knocking Spike roughly to his feet.
Spike coughed, brushing tree leaves and other detritus from his body and head as he regained his footing. “Bloody hell Red.” His eyes returned to Willow, she sat in the same position, but she seemed to hum with energy.
“Peaches, might want to come and see this. I think we’ve got a bit of a situation.”
--
Faith grumbled to herself as she climbed back to her feet. Angel was already headed down towards Spike and Angel, and dollars to doughnuts that wave of energy had been Willow. Faith rocked on her feet, tension building between her shoulder blades.
She cracked her knuckles, inclined to follow when she felt a familiar tap on one should followed by Kira’s voice in her ear.
“The girls on sentry sent a runner. Something is coming this way, and making plenty of noise doing it.” Faith paused taking in their situation before replying.
“Keep the four up there on duty and alert. I want them ready to fight, but not trying to. Send Sable and Ghost with two girls a piece out on our sides. They know the deal, out on the sides and don’t pick a fight unless it’s necessary. Divy up the rest of the girls between the two of you and cover everybody as best you can.”
Faith inhaled and breathed in deeply, feeling the early rush of adrenaline in her blood. She took off towards the head of the path where a 4 slayer sentry had set up. All of the girls were standing, one of them leaning on a sword.
She nodded to them and then stepped through their loose line until she was five or six feet into the main path. The underbrush snapped and cracked under what sounded like half a dozen people. The air was growing thick and heavy, Faith could smell magic in the air like ozone before a coming storm. A rough breeze was breaking through the trees sending her hair flying around her head, along with all the detritus the forest had to offer.
Faith bared her teeth into the wind, more of a war face than a grimace. Her palms itched for the feel of a weapon or flesh under her fists. Either way it didn’t matter too much. It was the feeling of Slaying before it happened. Blood beating like a drum through her ears; Adrenaline striking its way through her still limbs, making them tremble with anticipation.
For her this way the Slayer sense, violence blooming in her chest like a vicious flower. She turned back to the line of girls who were watching with jaded eyes that shone like wounds out of the faces of children.
“Something’s definitely coming.” She announced. “Dunno ‘bout you, but I can feel it creepin’ in. Hold off unless you see them make a move, or its necessary. Just follow my lead. Y’all know the drill, simple as that.”
She turned back facing out onto the main trail a few steps in front of the girls. The wind had died down, but the sound of feet on the trail was growing closer. Faith steeled herself for anything, the sheer anticipation of the thing damn near driving her insane.
A moment later half a dozen demons burst along the trail raucously. They were speaking in a foreign tongue, their voices excited.
“Hey now boys. You were almost late to the party.” Faith smiled predatorily, her muscles quivering to move, to fight, to Slay.
The demons stopped when she spoke, all of them fixing on the five slayers on the side of the trail. One of them snarled, and the group of them charged. Faith charged forward to meet them, the other Slayers only a step behind her.
Faith jumped, and kicked, stabbing one of the demons before flipping backwards out of the range of another. One of them tried to grab her as she landed, and missed by inches. It was swept off its feet by a low kick before Faith snapped its neck something dark within her finding pleasure in the sound. She stood to see what was left, and the fight was over.
Her girls were cleaning off their weapons and returning to the mouth of the trail. She picked up the dagger she’d dropped before snapping the thing’s neck, and got her first real looks at the things. They were dark brown with wide splashes of dark green and black; two arms and two legs.
She’d have to tell Willow about this when things calmed down. If things calmed down. Faith sheathed the dagger on a scabbard resting on her thigh and a scowl replaced her manic grin of only minutes ago. She left the other Slayers to send word if anything showed up they couldn’t handle and headed back down towards Willow.
--
Angel kept his eyes trapped between Spike and Willow. It was obvious she was fighting whatever had possessed her. Her eyes were beginning to darken with determination coming closer and closer to their usual clarity. Her small hands were clutched into fists, and fine tremors were running through her muscles.
Just after he’d gotten down here, a vicious wind had started to kick up around Willow. It left her and the ground she sat on untouched, but in widening circles around her debris had been torn around haphazard.
Faith stood behind him at the entrance to the clearing. Her face was stony, but she seemed calmer. Probably the result of the scuffle he’d heard up the path. He wanted all of these things to connect somehow into a long kinetic string of something that could save them.
He didn’t want to say it out loud, but Willow was the one who’d gotten them here and it was very possible that she was the only one powerful enough to get them all home. He didn’t want to even consider the fact that she wouldn’t come through all of this victorious. It was obvious she was fighting back, and Willow’s magic was spilling from her in a deluge.
The air was getting thick with it, clouds rolling in with thunder rolling ominously in the distance. The space between his shoulder blades itched, and Angel quirked an eyebrow. Something was wrong here.
The clouds were quickly blotting out what little light had filtered through the trees, making them stretch naked and ominous around Willow. The rain began to spill down in fat drops, cooling the hot afternoon. Lightning flashed and Angel spun on his heel.
“Faith. The things at the top of the path a minute ago, what were they?”
“Nothin’ I could tell in particular.” She turned concerned brown eyes to Angel. “Why, what are you thinking?”
“Willow’s been letting out a lot of magic, it might draw in things we don’t like. I can’t put my finger on it, but something here-something other than willow-is very very wrong.”
“You’re thinking they were the scouting party?”
“Something like that.” Angel’s voice was quiet and tense, surrounded by the sound of rain on the trees.
As though in response to their conversation lightning flashed again, followed by the war cry of a battle party. It echoes screaming through the woods. Faith’s face tightened and she began calling out orders.
“We got uglies. Full armor and gear now. Break up into your units. Don’t die.” She turned on her heel and looked at Angel as the Slayers geared up grim faced. She turned back to Angel and her face was a fierce mask with dark brown pools for eyes.
“I’m not leaving Willow mate.” Angel turned back to Spike who had stood and walked over to the two of them. “You lot take care of what you can. I’ll dispatch the interlopers.” He turned his eyes to Faith. “I won’t let them hurt the chit.”
Faith nodded. “I’ll hold you to that one Blondie. You comin’ up with me or are you gonna take second rank?” She asked turning her attention back to Angel.
“I’ll be where I need to be.” He paused as lightning struck again, heralded by the deep rolling thunder. There was a brief moment, and then the encroaching enemy screamed again, a roar that seemed to fill up the dark sky.
A dark haired Slayer ran up to Faith and handed her a long gleaming sword, which she efficiently sheathed along her back. She heaved a heavy sigh and looked up to the sky for a brief moment.
“Everyone in, we’ve only got a few minutes.” Faith waited until the Slayers were grouped around her, with Angel, Spike, Illyria, Wesley and Gunn at their outskirts. “So here’s the deal. They’re gonna try to press in, take all of us out and finish with Willow. Short story is we don’t let them. Hold the choke points, retreat only when necessary. Sable and Ghost are out laying a few traps that’ll slow ‘em down.” The rain started to pour down in earnest now, soaking all of them to the skin.
“We hold the line. Willow’s saved our ass plenty, so now we return the favor. Everybody geared up?” As Faith paused two more slayers melted out of the darkness and into the huddle. “Good. Now get to where you’re going. We’re looking at a target rich environment.”
Faith spared another nod to Angel before her face transformed into a fierce feral grin and she turned on her heel taking off at a jog towards the mouth of the path. The demons were close enough Angel could hear their screams, and the ominous sound of their boots trampling over trees and path alike.
In the final moments before their battle-which with their luck was the entirety of the horde they’d escaped in L.A.-it was the little things he notices. Spike’s face sharp as a razor, with a smirk coloring his features; Willow lying against a tree a snarl evident on her face. Wesley and Gunn bent over extra weapons as they readied themselves.
Angel clenched his fist and opened his mouth to speak when the scream of the demons was met with the scream of steel as the Slayers began their defense. Spike scoffed and shook his head. “Too late now mate, best get to your place before the dance really gets going.” He turned and placed himself in front of Willow, a coiled spring of violence should anyone threaten her.
He turned, running towards the battle with Wesley and Gunn. He could hear the defiant battle cries of Slayers fighting against the beastial roar of the demons. One of the men tossed him a tested hand-and-a-half sword.
--
Faith snarled, the entire line of her body shoving a long sword through the body of a demon as it tried to break through the line. The light in it’s eyes extinguished and before she could blink there was another trying. Most of the Slayers were ranged out, holding the choke point and doing their best not to retreat backwards. Several more were initiating fight and flight skirmishes to help drain and confuse the enemy.
The demons themselves were like an ocean of bodies, bobbing just past the point of her blade. Blue had waded hip deep in the damn things, tossing them around like ragdolls while she laughed at their blood washing over her. Wes and Gunn were shoulder to shoulder and hip deep in gore with another Slayer watching their back.
The Demons surged, and their line fell back four paces. Faith snarled, and slashed at an incoming demon decapitating it. The line advanced two paces. It was a back and forth dance. Stab, slash, duck. She skewered another demon screaming viciously as she did so. Her sword stuck itself into the ground, so she pulled twin daggers from a sheath on each of her thighs.
She gutted another demon, using it as a shield and then tossing it onto a third demon. She sprang away from the line and it closed up in her absence. She ducked through the line of demons attacking without ceasing movement. Illyria found her somewhere in the midst of it, as their numbers seemed to dwindle. They danced around each other for a long moment, bodies growing around them like a makeshift fortress.
One of the demons scored a well placed thrust to her chest and Faith felt the armor flex and throw her to the ground roughly. She rolled to her feet, but she was vulnerable and she could hear if not see a shot coming her way. There was a snarling roar, and the blow was stopped as Angel tackled the demon tearing its throat out as he did so.
Faith stood panting, and met Angel’s eyes. For the moment at least the demons had retreated. She motioned the Slayers to re-up and get ready for the push. This wasn’t going to last.
“Thanks Angel.” She said quietly.
“No problem.” He said cleaning his mouth of with a ripped sleeve. He grimaced and spit. “bleh. Demon blood.”
Faith smiled and shook her head moving back into position.
--
Spike paced back and forth, eyes darting around him, fists clenching and unclenching methodically. He could hear the din of battle, but thus far nothing had broken through. He chanced another look back at Red and his lip curled turning his face into a menacing snarl.
She licked her lips once wetting them and then began to chant under her breath. Her muscles corded as she did so, eyes becoming brighter and brighter green as she did so.
“Red?” Spike asked quietly, shooting a glance back in front of him for anything to kill. No such luck. He looked back to Willow, she wouldn’t respond but kept chanting her eyes filled with burning intensity.
He began to pace again, as the horde screamed again though it was lesser than it had been an hour ago. The bushes rustled and Spike pinned his eye on it as half a dozen demons snuck out from the foliage. Spike snarled and one of the demons rushed in. He punched it one knocking it backwards before grasping it around the head and snapping its neck.
He snarled game, dropping into full game face and as he did so the demons screamed their eyes going wide. Spike stopped and looked down at himself. “I know I’m a bit terrifying but at least have the respect for evil not to be such pansies.” He shook his head and took a step forward about to rush forward and dispatch of the rest of the demons.
As he did, two things happened in quick succession. The demons took off into the brush faster than they’d appeared, and Willow started to scream. It was a chilling unending thing that was like nails on a chalkboard.
He turned on his heel running back to wheel and dropping to his knees as he skidded to a stop, hands on her shoulders.
“Red! Red? C’mon now luv, don’t do this! Fight ‘em…c’mon now Red.” His voice wavered between panic and true despair. She continued to scream, eyes squeezed shut, and hands bleeding from how tight she had them clenched. Spike shook her shoulders trying to get her to snap out of it and her eyes popped back open.
They were more pale white than green now and glowing with the power of her magic. As though they had been the gateway, magic poured out of her. Lightning struck the ground around them, and Spike gathered Willow into his arms, shielding her body with his. She stopped screaming, but the magic deluge continued. Her body temperature began to rise and she whimpered once.
The searing heat ripped through Spike, tearing the oxygen from the air as a Fireball erupted around them.
--
“Get down!!” Faith felt the command rather than heard it, but as she hit the deck so did everyone else fighting. Barely a second after a massive fireball screamed up and around them. At first she could feel the searing heat, almost taste the fire dancing over her skin. Panic jumped into her throat as the air became too hot to breathe and then Willow’s shield slid over her like water.
Faith blinked and looked back up hesitantly. The demons had been eliminated, their carcasses like melted lumps of flesh.
“Everybody okay?” Faith’s voice seemed quiet in comparison to the battle, and the scream of fire as it had raced past them.
“Yes, but how. I mean? What the hell was that, it felt like somebody hit me with a bucket of ice when the fire hit me?” Gunn’s voice was incredulous and curious.
“It was Willow.” Kira answered holding a gash in one arms that was bleeding around her fingers. “Her shields protect us. Maybe this means she’s winning.” The words were hopeful and just what the girls needed.
They began to attend to each other, patching up wounds and dragging off girls who would need rest before fighting again further down the path. Faith looked back at the path discerningly. She could still hear the sound of boots on the path.
“Up and ready, something else is out there.” She called out, as a group of humans entered her sight.
The men on horseback were in a rectangle, two to a side. Just behind them were men in long dark robes, and it looked like there might have been even more people behind them. They stopped about thirty feet away and stared at the Slayers cautiously. After several long moment, they opened up their formation.
The 7 men ion horseback dismounted. All of them wore heavy armor in the style of plate, and carried either a sword and shield or a hand-and-a-half sword. Inside their ranks were six more people both men and women. They wore dark robes of various style with blue trim. Beyond them was a third rank of eight more people. Four men and four women. They wore simple white tunics with green trim.
One of the women in white walked about halfway over to Faith nd spoke, her voice carrying as she stood amidst the carnage of the recent battle unmoved. “Will you speak with me? I believe I have information that could be of help.”
Faith over at Angel silently asking his opinion, he nodded slightly and she smiled just a little bit before walking over to the woman. She had thick black hair piled on top of her head artfully, and pale blue eyes.
“My name is Lydia, and I am the high priestess of Caeros, the white city that’s just beyond the city. I believe a friend of yours may have dropped into the prison cell of a very nasty, very old creature. We’re here to resecure him. I have six other temple members, seven mages whom can bind him once he’s been pulled from whomever he is trying to possess, and seven knights of the city to protect all of us. “
Faith met Lydia’s calm open eyes silently. “When you say once he’s been pulled from them, what exactly do you mean?”
“It’s an exorcism of sorts. Old magic to tempt him out so he can be bound back to existence without shape or form.”
“Risks to the host?”
“Minimal.”
“I’ll take you down, and you can try to work your mojo. But I’m warning you now, you or any or your people trying to hurt her I’m not the scariest thing you have to deal with.”