BtVS / Stargate - The Key To Byzantium XVII
Yes, I'm afraid it's infodump time again - had to happen sooner or later.
Previous parts are here
The Key to Byzantium
XVII
Daniel saw a flash of white light, blinked, and looked around. He was in a huge hall, featureless and lit by a white glow from the floor, walls, and ceiling. There didn't seem to be any entrance. On the floor, about fifty feet away, there was a huddled dark shape. He looked around, and saw the woman in red armour, about ten feet away, standing and watching him impassively, her eyes unblinking.
"Who are you?" asked Daniel. The sound of his voice seemed to be muffled, absorbed as he spoke. There was no echo.
"I am Illyria, god-king of the Primordium, shaper of things."
"That's... interesting."
"You doubt my word?" said Illyria. Daniel felt the hairs of his neck rising, and the part of his brain that analyzed events wondered at his sudden fear.
"I'm sure that you think you're a god..."
"You think that I am deluded?" Abruptly she was behind him. He hadn't seen her move.
"The Goa'uld claim to be gods," said Daniel. "They're liars."
"I know of the Goa'uld. Weak parasites, who must lie and steal to rule their pitiful empire."
"Okay... so you're something else?"
"I am an Old One," she said, walking around to face him. "The humans who know of such things would call me a true demon. My kind ruled your world before your pitiful species evolved."
"Why a true demon? What's different about you?"
"The demons of your world are half-breeds. Their blood is polluted, their heritage largely human. They are weak sickly creatures."
"You look pretty human."
"For now. My Qwa'ha Xahn infected this shell with my essence, believing it time for me to resume my rule. He was mistaken."
"Your Qwa'ha Xahn... um... I'm afraid I don't know what that means."
"Acolyte. He exceeded his authority. I find this form... limited. Irritating."
"What would you normally look like?"
"For now, this is my form."
"Where are we?"
"It is called the White Room. It belongs to the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart." She began to walk away from him towards the dark shape on the floor. He followed her; there didn't seem to be much else for him to do.
"The Wolf... Wolfram and Hart?"
"You know of them?" asked Illyria.
"I've heard of them." As they got closer Daniel realised that the shape was a dead panther, lying in a pool of dark blood. As he watched the blood seemed to redden, and began to flow back towards its body. Illyria stamped her heel into its head and it exploded, fragments of blood, bone, and brain spurting from the corpse.
"The Conduit to the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart. It will regenerate again," said Illyria. "For now it is harmless, and while it is dead the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart are blocked from this room."
"What do you want with me?" Daniel asked.
"You have ascended. You will help me destroy the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart."
* * * * *
"Daniel?" said Jack. "Where the hell did he go?"
"She took him," said Willow, floating down to earth. "Walked through my defences like they weren't there, grabbed him and vanished." She staggered as she landed, and Kennedy was suddenly by her side, supporting her. "I think she took a lot of my power too, I shouldn't feel this woozy."
"Great. You'd better get to cover, we've got about five minutes until the ha'tak gets here, and I don't think swords and stakes are going to be much use against it."
* * * * *
"How am I supposed to help you?" asked Daniel.
"You know of the Key?"
"I've heard of it," he said cautiously. "I don't know much about it."
"This form lacks power. To accomplish the destruction of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart I need much more."
"The Key?"
"The Key can take me to them, but it is insufficient for their destruction. They have spent thousands of years building their army."
"So what did you have in mind?"
"The flying pyramid."
"The ha'tak?" asked Daniel.
"I will take it to the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart and destroy them utterly." Illyria walked back to the dead panther and smashed its head again. "I will crush them, as I crush this creature."
"I still don't understand why you need me."
"I learned many things from the records of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart," said Illyria. "I learned of the Knights of Byzantium, and that their relics included weapons they had never learned to use. Another record told of the Goa'uld, and I realised that the Knights had Goa'uld weapons, something that never occurred to the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart. I decided to use the Knights to find the source of the weapons and the Key. They were easily manipulated, once I showed them how to use their relics."
"People have been hurt. Killed."
"I did not kill them. But if they were killed, they were unworthy to survive."
"So why do you need me?" Daniel repeated.
"You are an ascended being. You must know the location of the Key."
"Sorry," said Daniel. "I don't have any memories of my time ascended."
"That is easily remedied," said Illyria. Before Daniel could move she was standing behind him, her fingertips pressing on the sides of his head. He felt an intolerable pressure, then his head seemed to explode.
TBC
Comments please before I post to archives
Previous parts are here
The Key to Byzantium
XVII
Daniel saw a flash of white light, blinked, and looked around. He was in a huge hall, featureless and lit by a white glow from the floor, walls, and ceiling. There didn't seem to be any entrance. On the floor, about fifty feet away, there was a huddled dark shape. He looked around, and saw the woman in red armour, about ten feet away, standing and watching him impassively, her eyes unblinking.
"Who are you?" asked Daniel. The sound of his voice seemed to be muffled, absorbed as he spoke. There was no echo.
"I am Illyria, god-king of the Primordium, shaper of things."
"That's... interesting."
"You doubt my word?" said Illyria. Daniel felt the hairs of his neck rising, and the part of his brain that analyzed events wondered at his sudden fear.
"I'm sure that you think you're a god..."
"You think that I am deluded?" Abruptly she was behind him. He hadn't seen her move.
"The Goa'uld claim to be gods," said Daniel. "They're liars."
"I know of the Goa'uld. Weak parasites, who must lie and steal to rule their pitiful empire."
"Okay... so you're something else?"
"I am an Old One," she said, walking around to face him. "The humans who know of such things would call me a true demon. My kind ruled your world before your pitiful species evolved."
"Why a true demon? What's different about you?"
"The demons of your world are half-breeds. Their blood is polluted, their heritage largely human. They are weak sickly creatures."
"You look pretty human."
"For now. My Qwa'ha Xahn infected this shell with my essence, believing it time for me to resume my rule. He was mistaken."
"Your Qwa'ha Xahn... um... I'm afraid I don't know what that means."
"Acolyte. He exceeded his authority. I find this form... limited. Irritating."
"What would you normally look like?"
"For now, this is my form."
"Where are we?"
"It is called the White Room. It belongs to the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart." She began to walk away from him towards the dark shape on the floor. He followed her; there didn't seem to be much else for him to do.
"The Wolf... Wolfram and Hart?"
"You know of them?" asked Illyria.
"I've heard of them." As they got closer Daniel realised that the shape was a dead panther, lying in a pool of dark blood. As he watched the blood seemed to redden, and began to flow back towards its body. Illyria stamped her heel into its head and it exploded, fragments of blood, bone, and brain spurting from the corpse.
"The Conduit to the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart. It will regenerate again," said Illyria. "For now it is harmless, and while it is dead the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart are blocked from this room."
"What do you want with me?" Daniel asked.
"You have ascended. You will help me destroy the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart."
* * * * *
"Daniel?" said Jack. "Where the hell did he go?"
"She took him," said Willow, floating down to earth. "Walked through my defences like they weren't there, grabbed him and vanished." She staggered as she landed, and Kennedy was suddenly by her side, supporting her. "I think she took a lot of my power too, I shouldn't feel this woozy."
"Great. You'd better get to cover, we've got about five minutes until the ha'tak gets here, and I don't think swords and stakes are going to be much use against it."
* * * * *
"How am I supposed to help you?" asked Daniel.
"You know of the Key?"
"I've heard of it," he said cautiously. "I don't know much about it."
"This form lacks power. To accomplish the destruction of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart I need much more."
"The Key?"
"The Key can take me to them, but it is insufficient for their destruction. They have spent thousands of years building their army."
"So what did you have in mind?"
"The flying pyramid."
"The ha'tak?" asked Daniel.
"I will take it to the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart and destroy them utterly." Illyria walked back to the dead panther and smashed its head again. "I will crush them, as I crush this creature."
"I still don't understand why you need me."
"I learned many things from the records of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart," said Illyria. "I learned of the Knights of Byzantium, and that their relics included weapons they had never learned to use. Another record told of the Goa'uld, and I realised that the Knights had Goa'uld weapons, something that never occurred to the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart. I decided to use the Knights to find the source of the weapons and the Key. They were easily manipulated, once I showed them how to use their relics."
"People have been hurt. Killed."
"I did not kill them. But if they were killed, they were unworthy to survive."
"So why do you need me?" Daniel repeated.
"You are an ascended being. You must know the location of the Key."
"Sorry," said Daniel. "I don't have any memories of my time ascended."
"That is easily remedied," said Illyria. Before Daniel could move she was standing behind him, her fingertips pressing on the sides of his head. He felt an intolerable pressure, then his head seemed to explode.
TBC
Comments please before I post to archives