The Day The Evil Came To Work, Rest And Play

[ILLYRIAN]

THE DAY THE EVIL CAME TO WORK, REST AND PLAY

PART 1

The birds played in the trees, cats lazed about on garage rooves, fish swam happily in their ponds and rivers.
At Giles's home in Westbury, Buffy reminisced with him about the good old days.
Willow's memories brought about a temporary rebirth to Tara.
Angel, Spike and Gunn chatted with Anne about her shelter.

Miss Harkness rang Giles, she warned him that the coven had seen a new rising. She warned him that the Watchers Council may be tested soon.

Faith talked to Illyria and Xander about her future, now that her doppelganger had been found dead in her cell.

Dawn sat on the velvet covered floor, the steps to the old cathedral in Coventry. As with the storyteller, she pondered through words to tell to the poor.

The inside of Banbury Cross unexpectedly exploded into a thousand fragments. Cars, shops and houses were peppered with parts of the stone cross. Dead people lay all around, where Banbury Cross once stood now stood a seventeen year old girl, she seemed normal.......apart from the wings and the red eyes.

Anathea quickly rang Giles, she told him that the evil had just risen.
Buffy rang Willow, she told Willow to call all the slayers, for them to be with her at Giles's house.
Faith heard Willow's call and she told Illyria and Xander.

At his home Giles and Buffy rushed to the kitchen to see what caused the noise. "Xander," exclaimed Buffy, "what brings you here ?"

"I was with Illyria, we had gone to see Faith, we were talking about Faith's future when Faith said she had just heard Willow's call to all the slayers. Then I was here, Illyria did say she was going back with Faith to get the others."

"Who do you mean, the others ?" asked Giles.
"That's what Illyria said to me, that's all she said," replied Xander.
"Giles," said Miss Harkness, "the dark one has risen, those that seek to protect the world need to be ready. Again, this is the time, he needs to be called."

"We will call him, but be ready, for when he comes he will know who you are."
"How ?" asked Giles.
"The time that Willow sought vengeance, he was called then. We only gave you a part of what was needed, he gave the entry toll so that she could enter you, now Willow has the entry toll."

"Where do we go ?" asked Giles.
"Willow can tell you, but when you get there, he will be waiting," said Anathea.

Giles spoke to Willow later that morning, he told her to meet him, soon. Willow told him that all the slayers were moving to Westbury, she told him to be there to meet them.

"How do you know that I am not there now ?" asked Giles.
"I am at your house now," replied Willow.
"Will my house be big enough ?" asked Giles.

"No, but the other place will be," said Willow.
"Then come for me now, we can go there now," said Giles.

"Because the evil has risen, you need to be here now, so be here. You are a watcher, you have helped in the past, but you do not know what can happen, do not try to guess. Just be here, be ready and bring an open mind."

Giles had been at the village hall in Westbury when Willow had spoken to him, so it didn't take him long to return to his home. The closer he went to his home the more people he recognised, and those who knew him he talked with them, he looked at those in his house. He met Willow as he went to his kitchen.

"Have you seen many you know ?" asked Willow.
"Most of the slayers, must admit I did expect to see Spike here," said Giles.

"Now is the time that your mind needs to be open. Spike has gone on, he will wait for him to arrive then he will welcome him, then will she be allowed to come to us."

"Who are they ? where has Spike gone ?" asked Giles.
"Spike is near Uffington, to wait for him," said Willow.
"Spike will ask him to bring her, who is she ?" asked Giles.

"Giles, as I said before, you are a watcher. When you have the knowledge you can teach the others, until then do as Spike is doing and wait."
"Ok, but why is she so important ?" asked Giles.

"Because if she comes she will bring another, then more may follow. Now I must go, they are waiting for us, I will get the others here."

Giles followed Willow down into the cellar.

"How long until the others get here ?"
"They are coming here, then they will be going there, When your mind has opened you will be there," said Willow.

She looked at him.

Giles tried to open his mind to something new, then he tried to see what had happened. He saw how Angel had been working for Wolfram & Hart, he thought that Angel was evil, was he wrong, had Angel tried to change the evil from within it's belly, were wolfram and hart just humans that wanted to be evil, to be seen by the evil as helpers. Willow smiled at him.

"You are getting here, now we can be ready to get there," said Willow.

Angel, Buffy, Dawn, Illyria and Faith appeared in the room.

"Are they all ?" asked Giles
"One other needs to be here," said Willow.
"Who is that ?" asked Giles.

"A friend, some-one who has the power to bring people together, people who are not human," said Willow.
"That rules out Wesley," said Illyria.

"Wesley does help, but it is not him."
"Of all who I can think of, there's only one who fits all the requirements, it has to be Clem," said Dawn.

"Everybody say well done Dawn," said Willow smiling, "now we can go there, and she will see them again."
"Who will see them again ?" asked Giles.

A girl walked into the room, she went to Willow and knelt to her, "they have returned," she said.

"Who is ?.....where are we now ?" asked Buffy looking around, "the last time you did this you were evil Willow."
"I used dark power, but for good," said Willow.

"Dark magic, even when used for good is still dark magic, it is evil," said Buffy.
"Magic has been with us for a long time, since before the written word, magic is magic there is no good or bad, only what humans say," said Willow.

"Buffy, is it evil to kill ?" asked Faith.
"It is evil to kill what is good," replied Buffy.

"That girl with the beautiful sword, she that knelt to you, I remember being told of her," said Dawn, "Molly !, when did you get here ?, it's good to see you again."

Molly turned to the girl.

"Someboby will not be inpressed that you have that cross bow."
"She said it should be buried with me, not that I couldn't use it," replied Guen.
"What is going on here ?, who are they ?" asked Buffy.

"There is an evil risen, you have been sent help Buffy, from a time of the past is Guen, a time from the side is Hope, Molly is in all times," said Willow
"Who was it that allowed her to be here ?" asked Giles.

"A folklore says he will rise if England is threatened, he is King Arthur. Yet he himself does not come, he allows others to come to help," said Willow.
"Then she is....

"No," interrupted Willow, "not her, Guen was to marry Lord Arthur but she died, she died before her sister was born. Her sister was named what Guen was known as, it was she who was Lady Guinevere. Guen does have the knowledge where the sword Excalibur is, but she is not the only one."

"If she isn't the only one, why couldn't Buffy have Excalibur ?" asked Giles.
"She wasn't given the sword. Excalibur as a sword has great power but only when wielded by she who it was given to," said Willow.

"Lady Guinevere was given the sword wasn't she ?" asked Giles.
"No, it was Guen who was given the sword, by Myrddin," said Willow.
"Who is Myrddin ? how do you know all this ?" asked Buffy.

"If you go sideways in time, to where Hope lived, you will now that Willow is the Goddess Turee and Myrddin is Merlin," said Molly.
"Then who else knows of where the sword is ?" asked Giles.

"He who gets the news from the Powers That Be, Gunn. He gets them after the side-effects have been withdrawn by Wesley."
"That is enough about us, what are we up against ?" asked Buffy.

"The devil is planning to release her army," said Willow.
"Do we have enough to beat her ?, we have an army of slayers ready, plus we have the new potential slayers," said Buffy.

"That isn't true Buffy, they aren't potential slayers, they now have slayer potential," said Faith.

 

[ILLYRIAN]

THE DAY THE EVIL CAME TO WORK REST AND PLAY

PART 2 OF 3 PARTS

"Thank you Faith. Now about the devil, her army is in a hill about three miles south of Banbury, near Bloxham. There is a hill there known as Hob hill," said Willow.
"Hang on, now I know this, Hob is an old name for the devil," said Giles.

"That's right, the keepers need to be called, get Miss Harkness to gather those like her and be with those of her kind near there. There's a village that's said to be home to many witches, and of the surrounding countryside, several previous witches live there," said Willow.

"What is the name of the village ?" asked Giles.
"Long Compton," said Willow.
"So, where are we ?, are we there ?" asked Buffy.
"We aren't there, but we can be. This place is below the Great White Horse."

"Thanks Will, I did this at college, the great white horse is on the hillside near the town of Uffington," said Buffy.
"So ?" asked Willow.
"Oh Will, I'm going to belive that a cavern was built under the white horse ?"

"Buffy does have a point," said Giles.
"That would be a bit silly, this cavern is one of several below the great white horse," said Willow, "but don't believe me, why not ask some-one who was here when this place was built."

"You know some-one that was here when the cavern was built ?" asked Giles.
"No, but only because the caverns weren't built," said Willow.
"I was here in spirit but not body. My sister told her husband that a secret hide for him and his armies would help them, unknown to him he was helped."
"The hide was built and the caverns were formed, sides and top," said Guen, "the white horse was created much later."

"Who are you again ?" asked Giles.
"I am Guen, the vampire slayer."
"Okay, your sister was Lady Guinevere and the sword that you carry, who gave it to you ?" asked Giles.

"The man who was to be my husband, he who eighteen years later married my sister, his tutor. He was known by many names but you know him as Merlin."
"Merlin was said to have been a magician, a great wizard but that is not all he was, in all aspects of time that I have been in he was there," said Molly.

"What !! bloody........!!," exclaimed Faith, her mouth open, staring at Willow.
"It is just as well that he likes you. Do not tell any-one else," said Willow.
"Going back to the hill, the white Horse, below the trailing leg is a mound, according to a folklore, St. George slew the dragon there, would you happen to now if it is true ?" asked Giles.

"Yes it isn't not really but like all folklore it is based on truth," said Guen, "but I'd ask you not to tell any-one else of this."
"You have my word," said Giles, "but another question for you. Many times now Willow has said of the past, how ?"

"That is easy, in my time she is known as another, in Clem's time she is said to have been yet another, if you had those answers you wouldn't ask those questions," said Hope.
"Do not forget why we are here," said Willow.
"Okay, but answer my questions, please ?" asked Giles.

"A demon's steed, a black winged horse with red eyes was trapped by several of the winged white unicorns. The general of them and the general of the cavalry were called to capture it, a general was injured, but the general of the cavalry captured it. It was his fight that was seen and remembered but years later it became of St. George and the dragon," said Molly.

"Please say the names of those generals ?" asked Buffy.
"Kra-noy and Serajoss," said Molly.
"As you said, we should begin to concentrate on what we are here for, so how many are we ?" asked Molly.

"I am not the right one to ask."
"Before we go on, what has been said, the talk is getting too close to Gods and Goddesses," said Giles.
"True," said Buffy, "but one of those who is with Angel is the Goddess Illyria."

"But she is from the deeper well, where the old ones are kept," said Giles.
"And I agree with you, but Illyria is said to have come from another dimension so she should would not be governed by our beliefs, thereby she can be a Goddess, or a God-king," said Buffy.

"To reply to your question Molly, as many as are needed," said Willow, "now Giles, have you been in touch with Anathea from the coven ?"
"Yes, she and a few of hers are staying at a farm near the village, it is Paul and Carrisma's."

"Good, get them to start a call to the other covens, they will need a lot of protection, so get them out there. Next week they'll be needed to help make a trap to stop the devil and her forces. They will need all the power they can get," said Willow.

Residents from Bloxham were beginning to leave the town, the strange and the unusual was starting to happen, every animal had left the area. Caged birds, even ones that behaved happy, left at their first chance. In the town of Banbury shops that sold milk began to get complaints that the milk was off.

Fruit in the greengrocers visibly went mouldy, then vast storm clouds moved overhead, from all directions, yet no storm activity was seen. People in the houses wondered what was wrong when the TV reception failed, the internet connections stopped, then there was no power to the houses.

The telephones didn't work, all the emergency services calls to outside the area just stopped. Winged demons flew down onto roads leading out of the area. Any cars that passed them were attacked, the occupants never made it out of their vehicles.

Towns people in the main shopping areas grouped together in car parks, looking around them. The winged demons moved towards the town destroying anything that moved. The police from nearby towns rushing to Banbury slammed into the invisible barrier the demons had made.

The Royal Air Force despatched two of its fighter aircraft to investigate but they vanished. Willow was having a drink with Giles and Xander in one of the caverns at Uffington when the ghosts of King Arthur and two hundred of his soldiers charged past them. They were approached by Guen and Hope,

as soon as Willow saw them she stood.
"What is it, what has happened ?" asked Willow.
"The devil has freed her forces, the towm of Banbury now belongs to the devil. Please, initiate the call now," pleaded Hope.

"Giles !, get the covens to put a barrier of protection six miles around the town of Banbury. Xander, find Buffy, Faith and Molly, get them here, go."
"Guen, do you have your sword with you ?" asked Willow.

Guen pulled the sword from it's sheath.

"Hold the blade Guen, is he that gave you Excalibur going to come here ?"
"He is already on his way, he wants me to tell you that your others will be here soon," replied Guen.

Xander ran to Willow.

"WILL !. Buffy and Faith are behind, but look !"

Buffy and Faith ran to be at Willows side as Molly, Diana, Julie and Saffron rode on their charges to her. Two figures appeared.

"Miss Harkness, Anathea, welcome," said Giles.
"How did we get here ?"
"Hello," said Willow.
"Willow !, how are you, what is happening, what is this ?" asked Anathea.

"The devil has risen, as we speak his armies spill on to the earth. When you saw me before, you were afraid of what you could not see in me. The evil tried to contain me, Xander helped keep me in this world. Today you and they will see what I am."

"Buffy, Giles, Xander, I was not trying to destroy the world before, hell wanted to open its mouth and swallow me. Now the evil tries to defeat us, it will not."

A blue light began to fill the cavern. Molly and the other immortals knelt as the Goddess Turee and Merlin took form.

"Miss Harkness, Anathea, the one that was in me will now be as me," said Willow.

The figures of Willow and the Goddess Turee became as one, the blue aura around her grew in intensity.

"Molly, get all the Riders to tell those that started the fields of protection to keep it there. Merlin will you imbue the sword with its power. Faith, meet Faith and understand who you are."

The General of the Armed Forces of Byzantium took form, she shook hands with Faith, they hugged then became as one.

"Faith, take your troops, guard the field of protection, but do not allow your- selves to be seen."

Giles and Xander, Miss Harkness and Anathea looked around them in awe as the cavern filled with blue, white and a yellow light.

"Giles, Xander, do not fear them," said Buffy.

The Goddess T 'ara floated towards them, then she changed to be Tara.

"What !, then you didn't really die ?" asked Xander.
"No, I always knew, well, after Spike nearly broke my nose," said Tara.

Tara then noticed who was standing next to the Goddess Turee, Tara immediately became Goddess T 'ara and with the five Goddesses she came with, they all knelt and bowed.

"Soon ?" asked Goddess T 'ara.
"I hope not, but then I also hope that it will be soon, then my hope's will begin to happen."
"I will be sad that we will not be together, yet I am glad that you will get what you've always wanted," said Goddess T 'ara.

"What is going to happen ?" asked Xander, a bit cautiously.
"In a very short time she will try and take control of this world," said Buffy.
"Who is that ?, grief ! who are you ?" asked Xander.
"She is the devil, I am now the General of the Elite, Goddess T 'ara, soon is now."

Goddess Turee and Merlin moved together and became as one. Giles stared at what was in front of him.

"Oh ! my ! God !"

 

[ILLYRIAN]

The day the evil came to work, rest and play.

Part 3 of 3

Screams were heard coming from the fields near Bloxham, several people had been seen, being chased by demons.
Garet and Giles were called to attend a meeting in their most respectable clothes. Hope and Faith were told to stay with them.

"Why do you want those people ?" asked Buffy.
"The humans will be sending some people here soon, we will need to have some of our own people who are respected by them who can talk to them and make them see our viewpoint," said Tara, "that is why we requested they send certain people."

"Who are they ?"
"PC Bertrand, the reporter for the BBC that Tina Standish, and Dave Jackson."
"What if they send different people ?" asked Buffy.
"We'll just tell them, if they want to send other people, we'll sit back and wait. They were told we are letting them be here, not the other way around," said Tara.

"We'd sit back ?, what could they do ?"
"Nothing, that barrier will not let the demons out."
"So, what do we do now ?" asked Buffy.
"We keep building up the required force, certain animals have offered to help us get information, they are Moles, Rabbits and Owls. When they get back, we'll find out what info they've got."

"How," said Buffy.
"Remember back in your slayer days, how demons helped you, well that is still true. These demons will be translaters when the animals get back. When we find out, then the big boys will be sent in."
"What do yo mean."

"Before Merlin joined with Willow and Goddess Turee, he told us of another type of creature."
"He lept them a secret ?" asked Buffy
"True, but at theit request, the world isn't ready to accept them, we offered them a safe haven. Now all of their young are being sent there."

"How long has Merlin known of those creatures?"
"That reminds me, I'll need to get Guen here, she met one of them, about a thousand years ago. We didn't know this then, but they attract evil, the place they have been living is known as the devils country," said Tara.
"That's the south west of England isn't it? so why are we here?" asked Buffy.

"This is where the devil's escape is, where the devils moend is, Hob Hill."
"So why did the demons go to...oh right, those creatures attracted the demons there, so why has no-one heard of them?" asked Buffy.
"Oh they have heard of them !, many tales are said of them. It's just that they preferred to keep away from most humans, they are dragons."

"What !, I thought they were a myth," said Buffy.
"They were a myth, to those that didn't know of them. Ask Guen, she met one of them, she also saw a dead one, to her they are not a myth."
"These dragons, what will they do here?" asked Buffy.
"When we are ready, they will attract the demons to where we want them."

"Where's that?"
"To the south east of Banbury is an old fighting ground, where we fought the demons before," said Tara.
"But if you fought the demons before, won't the devil know of that place and warn the others," said Buffy.

"The devil is mankinds creation, before the devil was said to be, there was the Kuh-rotan and the Som-rotan, when the organised religions came to be accepted, the devil was brought into being. The fight we had here was before the devil," said Tara.

"Ok, so where is this place then?" asked Buffy.
"Many years ago that place was where the salt was taken, the salt slows some demons and stops others completely."
"Are there any places where they may try to get?" asked Buffy.

"Yes, that is why many of the Riders, all the Infantry and the Soldiers guard the north west quadrant. About three hundred and fifty years ago we fought a great battle over Edge Hill near Kineton. The demon kind had been trying to get just south of Leek Wooton, no-one seems to know why though. The only tales are that of a ghost truck on that road," said Tara.

"A ghost truck, what could it do, then I don't know that area," said Buffy.
"There's a chance that the ghost truck is old, as old as time itself. It may release powers unknown, it is said to have been a being a horse, a wagon, a stage coach. There have been tales of something always having been here but only one thing, it may have changed over time."

Usually nothing is seen of it, yet it was sighted once and that was during daylight."
"Tara? where is that place?" asked Buffy.
"Oh, sorry, it's on the road between Kenilworth and Warwick. This truck approaches you head on, then just before it touches it disappears, although most people have swerved out of its way."

"What's so odd about that?"
"Because it happens on a straight road, several vehicles have been found with what appears to be skid marks likened to swerving hard, oh the only description of the driver was the big glowing red eyes," said Tara.

"Does any-one know what it's cargo is?" asked Buffy.
"We haven't a clue."
"Good idea to keep them away from it."
"That's another reason why we want them to go to the south east, I'd best be getting ready," said Tara.

"I'll be going as well."
"Before you go, you'll be going to the Salt Way, you will be in charge of all the vampire slayers, the Elite and the demon hunters, the live, dead and the immortals. Each of you will have an un-ending supply for the cross bows."
"You want us to fight to the last?" asked Buffy.

"I was thinking more along the lines of, killing yourself to live," said the Goddess T 'ara.
"Understood," said The General of the Elite.

"Giles," said Scherry, "do the humans know what to do ? do they understand what they are to do and when?"
"They were a bit reluctant at first but I think King Arthur may have convinced them, especially when he vanished from in front of them," said Giles.

"As long as they know not to go into or near to the area until it's safe for them to go to Banbury," said Goddess T 'ara, "just tell me when they are ready."
"They say they are ready now," replied Giles.
"Tell them to start praying, now we go in."

The dark clouds over Banbury and Bloxham vanished, filling the land with light.
The Goddess Dawn floated at the exit from Hob Hill.
Winged demons looked up then around at the brightness, in confusion they tried to comprehend the four suns.

Howling winds burst from the north, uprooting trees, blowing walking demons into the air.
Behind the Elite three dragons rose into being, the demons felt their presence and rushed at them.
The hunters, slayers and the Elite loosed the arrows, making waves of them in the air, bodies of demons littered the ground.

The camera crew headed by Tina tried to see what was happening, Tina tried to stay in shot, but she went to close to the barrier, Tina was plucked from the soil, her body was slammed into the ground.
The camera-man saw her but he was frozen with the fear, he kept transmitting as fifteen demons circled Tina, the devil appeared in front of her as flames from hell licked at her feet, the devil glared at her, opened it's mouth.

Tina screamed, "Oh no, no !, please god help me." as her life was ended. Shrill screams of pleasure lifted from the demons as the Cavalry of Byzantium carved the existence from the demons, except the devil as it had just left.
The devil knew it's forces were not enough, it called for more but felt none.

Suddenly it changed to flying to the north west, all it's demons heading the same way. The full contingent of the Soldiers Riders and Infantry faced the demons, blocking their escape. Showers of blood rained down on those fighting on the ground, from beneath her demons the devil felt the presence of who she would battle, rising above the hordes she flew to Hob Hill.

Willow, Turee and Merlin had joined to become the Ili-Uowm Ewellnter, he grew in stature, the Goddess Curremy, Darla and Medusera ceased being suns and dropped to the earth with the Goddesss T 'ara, joining with the Goddess Dawn they formed a circle that no demon could pass into or out of.

The devil took the appearance that she is known as, then increasing in size five times, her body shone almost matching the burning red eyes, massive hoofed feet sank into the ground releasing clouds of steam, as she moved her very skin made the air around her be in flames. Ili-Uowm Ewellnter caste a gown of a silver rainbow around the devil.

Unable to move in the heavy burnt air the devil glared, her being shrank being forced in by the forces around her until she appeared to be a normal seventeen year old with wings, it heard a voice in her head.

"Even down here you cannot be trusted, you will return with me. Nothing you do will ever let you be returned here," said Ili-uowm Ewellnter, "your army has gone, again mine is victorious."

Garet signalled to PC Bertrand to start sending people into the town of Banbury.
Tina's crumpled body was carried to a waiting car.


THE END