MentPatient
White Hat
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- Apr 11, 2004
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Willow: The Onslaught of Asylum (Post-season 7; contains spoilers)
- Thread starter No I am Doyle
- Start date
PrettyasaPictur
What? I'm the Princess
Well, you did a great job of describing, i could actually visualize the flowers, Willow & Rene....& it's great that Rene's letting her guard down, but for some reason it feels like something is missing from this part, but I don't know what....anyways, good job!
No I am Doyle
1 Angry Lawyer
Part 25 - Expect the Unexpected
Thaddeus kick hard at the golem's face and parried its massive punches with his fire drenched sword. Asylum slowly backed the archangel into a corner. Thaddeus could see it coming. Slashing downward to block another assault with his blade, Thaddeus took flight. He loomed over the titan's head. Asylum squatted down and, legs working like pistons, jumped at its flying adversary. Thaddeus could easily see when each new jump was beginning, and was never in the same spot when Asylum made it up to him. On the most recent jump, Thaddeus flew in, ramming the machine in its thick silver midsection. Asylum flew awkwardly to the ground with a resounding thud.
"Stay down, child, stay down," Thaddeus pleaded. Asylum got to its feet and sat low glaring at the beings flying above. Something flashed in its head. Asylum touched twin runes, one on each thigh. Eight tons of silver and destruction flew effortlessly into the air. This time, however, it didn't come back down.
"What other tricks have you," Thaddeus asked, without trepidation. Asylum was propelled around the cave by magic force, as far as Thaddeus could discern. The machine flew in fast and hard. He would crush this bird yet. Thaddeus tried to move out of the way, but flew back into a stalactite. Unable to clear the way, Asylum smashed into his right side, sending him into a fast downward spin. Thaddeus crashed into ground below. He quickly got back to his feet and reentered the aerial fray.
-
The rest of the band, Giving To Temptation, had already gathered at the old restaurant they practiced in. It was close to eleven o'clock at night. Oz was already set up, his amplifier cracked lightly as he tuned his guitar. Emelle set up his drum set and the second amp whined as Petra absently strummed at her bass guitar. Ivan wrapped tape around the loose fraying wires of his microphone. They had been practicing together since Oz had first shown up in Berdyans'k eight months ago. The band had a simplistic magic about them. Each, almost instinctively, knew when the others would improvise and add cords to each song. Even their roughest tunes had a strange unity that had impressed Oz thoroughly. The music, he thought. It has a quality all its own, a "magic" that could not be denied.
He knew magic, not the practice, but he knew it when he saw it. Natalie sat on the edge of the small stage that once housed great dinnertime theatre, musicians, and vaudeville acts. Now, the ramshackle building had fallen to costly disrepair. The mood between the companions was amiable and good-spirited. All four members had come together through a universal love of music and, more in the case of the European members, beer. Their style was very similar to that of Dingoes Ate My Baby, the band Oz once played in. As quickly as a new breath, they began to roll into a song. Oz started, hitting every note of the riff he had been having some difficulty on for a few days. A content smile crossed his face, aimed at Natalie. She, in turn, stared adoringly at his eyes, his mouth, and his hands as they ran effortlessly across the strings. She had once asked him if playing guitar was difficult. He had replied, "Not the way I play it."
-
Asylum grabbed at the now empty air that Thaddeus had been occupying. Frustration built to frightening levels of anger as it continued to try to catch the little bird. Thaddeus could only marvel at the speed and precision of the machines movements. He may have been faster, but this doomsday device was no slouch. Thaddeus continued to engage the machine beast in this seemingly endless battle, allowing the humans time to flee. Whenever Thaddeus move too far away, Asylum came in for another charge, shaking more of the cavern walls apart.
Thaddeus sent his weight against the wall and, pushing off, hit the giant in the back. Both smashed into the crumbling rock. Asylum punched its fist into the rock and swung his elbow around, connecting with the archangel's sternum. The wind was blasted from Thaddeus' lungs, not that he needed to breath. It was, however, intensely painful. Thaddeus fell back to the ground, gritting his beak.
"All right, that hurt," he said after long moments, then snapped up to a standing position. Asylum released his grip on the wall and dropped down in front of his playmate. He charged in, with a tremendous swing on its way. Thaddeus tried to parry the swing with his blade. The punch landed hard against the sword, knocking it from Thaddeus' hands. Asylum followed with a second, downward blow. Thaddeus flipped backwards out of the range, Asylum hitting empty dirt.
Close range was nearly impossible now, as the machine had accustomed itself to the mighty blows of the archangel, and now barely even registered them. Asylum caught the divine being by one of his wings as he mistimed a dodge. Its vise-like grip crushed down on the wing harshly. Thaddeus felt his momentum being stopped dead, pain rushing to his now breaking wing. Asylum grabbed his leg with its other hand and held Thaddeus in front of him as he began a new charge. The two built incredible speed as they plowed through rock and wall, Thaddeus taking the brunt of the multiple impacts.
-
The band began their second song. Their start was somehow off, but they quickly found the harmony they normally had. Ivan set into some low, dulcet vocals in Ukrainian; Petra and Emelle backed him up. Oz, holding back to let the others finish their intro, bobbed his head in time with the music. Natalie looked off to nowhere, thinking of the first time she had met Oz. His hair was spiked back then, and he had a full face of hair, well, as much as he could grow. He wasn't a large man, but she knew that there was something powerful within him, something that ought not be messed with. They had spent the weekend in Mariupol talking about life, music, and philosophy; as well as how they all amalgamate. He was the sweetest man she had ever met, and she was determined to make sure he never planned to leave her. She didn't know that he already intended to keep her forever.
Oz started in with his part on lead. The guitar amp flowed with loud rhythms as Oz effortlessly plugged away at the strings with his pick. His mind was fully entranced in the music. He didn't understand the lyrics, but the words weren't what made the music to him. It was the flow between the G to Bm to F to Am, and back again to G. He cycled through the chords like he was stringing silk, hit his changeups with near perfection, and returned a content smile to Natalie.
-
Asylum finished its charge, spiking Thaddeus' body into the loose dirt like a football. The cavern looked as though it would collapse at any moment. The archangel twitched, pain quickly disappearing as its divide body instantly healed. Asylum began to walk in the direction of the escaping humans. Thaddeus leapt back up to his feet.
"Don't tell me that you are already done playing, child. Stay a while!" said Thaddeus, far from ready to quit now. Asylum turned to face him. Thaddeus delivered a strong roundhouse kick, which sent all eight tons of silver spinning. Asylum crashed down hard, yet remained fine. Thaddeus grabbed his sword up, sheathing it in the blink of an eye. He jumped up out of the reach of the golem, as it attempted to snatch him as it rose. Leaping high up, Thaddeus brought his foot above his head. As he landed, the angel brought his claws down in the middle of the machine's face. Immediately, Thaddeus back flipped out of arms distance.
Asylum got to its feet. It felt weak in its soul. Burning pain overrode the very desire to destroy. It was not damaged in any way, not even by this powerhouse that stood before it, yet Asylum knew that he had almost no time left before it would burn out forever. The machine turned to face away from the angel. Its only concern now was I reaching its destination, its reward for being a good child. Thaddeus felt the fight leave the machine. The pitiable stench of fear wafted from it. Asylum lightly convulsed from the agony burning from within. It looked around, confused and searching.
"Talk to me lords! What does he seek?" Thaddeus asked his council. After a moment, he replied, "Oh"¦ that is not good. He must be stopped." Thaddeus rushed forward and kicked out, not at the golem, but the few supports that remained in the now obliterated city. The ceiling slowly began to collapse, dirt and dust raining down on the angel and the golem. Thaddeus' only concern was that he could distract the titan long enough. Asylum glared coldly at the feathered warrior. It knew what the bird was doing, trying to stop it. The bad bird just wanted to hurt him. He is one of the monsters, he's bad, and he should pay, thought the child's mind. Rage billowed up in Asylum's soul. He was quickly loosing control. Thaddeus was expecting a final, desperate charge from the dying machine, but was caught by surprise at what the machine did do.
-
Midway through their fourth song of the set, a heavier rendition of Clapton's Layla, Oz became entranced in deep thought. The music took him to special places. He felt the most at peace with his werewolf side while he was entrenched in the luxurious tones of his guitar. He had an objective tonight, something he'd felt the need to do for quite some time now, and he wasn't planning on failing.
-
"Leave now, champion!" the Powers told Thaddeus with genuine urgency. He looked at the towering machine it touched a large crest of runes on its chest. Involuntary mechanisms kicked into gear. Asylums arms shot out straight to the sides, hands facing down. Steam erupted as plated shifted, opening up its vast upper back. Thaddeus began to fly for the two humans. They would never make it far enough on their own.
Asylum's body shuddered violently. Twelve glimmering missiles of living purple energy fired off like rockets. They slammed into the ceiling of the cave, causing the already unstable rock to collapse quickly, and continued to tear through the layers of rock above. Thaddeus landed next to Wood and Andrew, roughly grabbing both as he took to flight again. He knew that this would be bad.
Asylum lost track of the missiles as countless tons fell on top of its body, pinning it down. The projectiles swiftly blasted into the sky. The energy formed swirling faces, all screaming in horror at deafening levels.
-
Faith sat at the hole in the ground as the missiles fired up from the earth. They hasted towards the atmosphere at great velocity, screaming as they went. The sound sent a shiver down her spine She did not know what the hell was happening down there, but she had the sinking feeling that it was about to get very ugly.
-
As the missiles neared the outer atmosphere, they spread out like a firecracker burst. They curved sharply, returning at incredible speed to the surface of the planet.
-
Thaddeus clung to Wood and Andrew as he dodged the collapsing debris. Behind him the cave collapsed at last under the strain of such fighting. He kept ahead of the vast amounts of destruction. Andrew cried out as they flew out and up through the chasm they had entered through. Dust and rock spewed from the cave they had left as it ceased to exist. Up they sailed, the stratum quivered and shook, slowly breaking apart.
Thaddeus came out through the hole, and landed long enough to grab Faith as well, and then flew like crazy out of the way as the missiles came to rest upon the soil once again. The very Earth groaned; the ground tremored violently as each missile exploded with awesome might. As Thaddeus carried the three out of the radius of the blast, the ground shifted, devastating the landscape. For three miles around, everything was laid to complete and utter ruin by the mighty blasts. Shock waves rolled out like ripples from a rock thrown in a pond
Thaddeus carried the three scared and wounded warriors of virtue from the blast. None of them truly realized what had happened, but he was beginning to understand one thing. He had led campaigns against the armies of hell and in wars against the true demons. He had frequently danced over the corpses of the vilest of the vile. He faced the supernatural without fear countless times. This kid, however, disturbed him.
Thaddeus kick hard at the golem's face and parried its massive punches with his fire drenched sword. Asylum slowly backed the archangel into a corner. Thaddeus could see it coming. Slashing downward to block another assault with his blade, Thaddeus took flight. He loomed over the titan's head. Asylum squatted down and, legs working like pistons, jumped at its flying adversary. Thaddeus could easily see when each new jump was beginning, and was never in the same spot when Asylum made it up to him. On the most recent jump, Thaddeus flew in, ramming the machine in its thick silver midsection. Asylum flew awkwardly to the ground with a resounding thud.
"Stay down, child, stay down," Thaddeus pleaded. Asylum got to its feet and sat low glaring at the beings flying above. Something flashed in its head. Asylum touched twin runes, one on each thigh. Eight tons of silver and destruction flew effortlessly into the air. This time, however, it didn't come back down.
"What other tricks have you," Thaddeus asked, without trepidation. Asylum was propelled around the cave by magic force, as far as Thaddeus could discern. The machine flew in fast and hard. He would crush this bird yet. Thaddeus tried to move out of the way, but flew back into a stalactite. Unable to clear the way, Asylum smashed into his right side, sending him into a fast downward spin. Thaddeus crashed into ground below. He quickly got back to his feet and reentered the aerial fray.
-
The rest of the band, Giving To Temptation, had already gathered at the old restaurant they practiced in. It was close to eleven o'clock at night. Oz was already set up, his amplifier cracked lightly as he tuned his guitar. Emelle set up his drum set and the second amp whined as Petra absently strummed at her bass guitar. Ivan wrapped tape around the loose fraying wires of his microphone. They had been practicing together since Oz had first shown up in Berdyans'k eight months ago. The band had a simplistic magic about them. Each, almost instinctively, knew when the others would improvise and add cords to each song. Even their roughest tunes had a strange unity that had impressed Oz thoroughly. The music, he thought. It has a quality all its own, a "magic" that could not be denied.
He knew magic, not the practice, but he knew it when he saw it. Natalie sat on the edge of the small stage that once housed great dinnertime theatre, musicians, and vaudeville acts. Now, the ramshackle building had fallen to costly disrepair. The mood between the companions was amiable and good-spirited. All four members had come together through a universal love of music and, more in the case of the European members, beer. Their style was very similar to that of Dingoes Ate My Baby, the band Oz once played in. As quickly as a new breath, they began to roll into a song. Oz started, hitting every note of the riff he had been having some difficulty on for a few days. A content smile crossed his face, aimed at Natalie. She, in turn, stared adoringly at his eyes, his mouth, and his hands as they ran effortlessly across the strings. She had once asked him if playing guitar was difficult. He had replied, "Not the way I play it."
-
Asylum grabbed at the now empty air that Thaddeus had been occupying. Frustration built to frightening levels of anger as it continued to try to catch the little bird. Thaddeus could only marvel at the speed and precision of the machines movements. He may have been faster, but this doomsday device was no slouch. Thaddeus continued to engage the machine beast in this seemingly endless battle, allowing the humans time to flee. Whenever Thaddeus move too far away, Asylum came in for another charge, shaking more of the cavern walls apart.
Thaddeus sent his weight against the wall and, pushing off, hit the giant in the back. Both smashed into the crumbling rock. Asylum punched its fist into the rock and swung his elbow around, connecting with the archangel's sternum. The wind was blasted from Thaddeus' lungs, not that he needed to breath. It was, however, intensely painful. Thaddeus fell back to the ground, gritting his beak.
"All right, that hurt," he said after long moments, then snapped up to a standing position. Asylum released his grip on the wall and dropped down in front of his playmate. He charged in, with a tremendous swing on its way. Thaddeus tried to parry the swing with his blade. The punch landed hard against the sword, knocking it from Thaddeus' hands. Asylum followed with a second, downward blow. Thaddeus flipped backwards out of the range, Asylum hitting empty dirt.
Close range was nearly impossible now, as the machine had accustomed itself to the mighty blows of the archangel, and now barely even registered them. Asylum caught the divine being by one of his wings as he mistimed a dodge. Its vise-like grip crushed down on the wing harshly. Thaddeus felt his momentum being stopped dead, pain rushing to his now breaking wing. Asylum grabbed his leg with its other hand and held Thaddeus in front of him as he began a new charge. The two built incredible speed as they plowed through rock and wall, Thaddeus taking the brunt of the multiple impacts.
-
The band began their second song. Their start was somehow off, but they quickly found the harmony they normally had. Ivan set into some low, dulcet vocals in Ukrainian; Petra and Emelle backed him up. Oz, holding back to let the others finish their intro, bobbed his head in time with the music. Natalie looked off to nowhere, thinking of the first time she had met Oz. His hair was spiked back then, and he had a full face of hair, well, as much as he could grow. He wasn't a large man, but she knew that there was something powerful within him, something that ought not be messed with. They had spent the weekend in Mariupol talking about life, music, and philosophy; as well as how they all amalgamate. He was the sweetest man she had ever met, and she was determined to make sure he never planned to leave her. She didn't know that he already intended to keep her forever.
Oz started in with his part on lead. The guitar amp flowed with loud rhythms as Oz effortlessly plugged away at the strings with his pick. His mind was fully entranced in the music. He didn't understand the lyrics, but the words weren't what made the music to him. It was the flow between the G to Bm to F to Am, and back again to G. He cycled through the chords like he was stringing silk, hit his changeups with near perfection, and returned a content smile to Natalie.
-
Asylum finished its charge, spiking Thaddeus' body into the loose dirt like a football. The cavern looked as though it would collapse at any moment. The archangel twitched, pain quickly disappearing as its divide body instantly healed. Asylum began to walk in the direction of the escaping humans. Thaddeus leapt back up to his feet.
"Don't tell me that you are already done playing, child. Stay a while!" said Thaddeus, far from ready to quit now. Asylum turned to face him. Thaddeus delivered a strong roundhouse kick, which sent all eight tons of silver spinning. Asylum crashed down hard, yet remained fine. Thaddeus grabbed his sword up, sheathing it in the blink of an eye. He jumped up out of the reach of the golem, as it attempted to snatch him as it rose. Leaping high up, Thaddeus brought his foot above his head. As he landed, the angel brought his claws down in the middle of the machine's face. Immediately, Thaddeus back flipped out of arms distance.
Asylum got to its feet. It felt weak in its soul. Burning pain overrode the very desire to destroy. It was not damaged in any way, not even by this powerhouse that stood before it, yet Asylum knew that he had almost no time left before it would burn out forever. The machine turned to face away from the angel. Its only concern now was I reaching its destination, its reward for being a good child. Thaddeus felt the fight leave the machine. The pitiable stench of fear wafted from it. Asylum lightly convulsed from the agony burning from within. It looked around, confused and searching.
"Talk to me lords! What does he seek?" Thaddeus asked his council. After a moment, he replied, "Oh"¦ that is not good. He must be stopped." Thaddeus rushed forward and kicked out, not at the golem, but the few supports that remained in the now obliterated city. The ceiling slowly began to collapse, dirt and dust raining down on the angel and the golem. Thaddeus' only concern was that he could distract the titan long enough. Asylum glared coldly at the feathered warrior. It knew what the bird was doing, trying to stop it. The bad bird just wanted to hurt him. He is one of the monsters, he's bad, and he should pay, thought the child's mind. Rage billowed up in Asylum's soul. He was quickly loosing control. Thaddeus was expecting a final, desperate charge from the dying machine, but was caught by surprise at what the machine did do.
-
Midway through their fourth song of the set, a heavier rendition of Clapton's Layla, Oz became entranced in deep thought. The music took him to special places. He felt the most at peace with his werewolf side while he was entrenched in the luxurious tones of his guitar. He had an objective tonight, something he'd felt the need to do for quite some time now, and he wasn't planning on failing.
-
"Leave now, champion!" the Powers told Thaddeus with genuine urgency. He looked at the towering machine it touched a large crest of runes on its chest. Involuntary mechanisms kicked into gear. Asylums arms shot out straight to the sides, hands facing down. Steam erupted as plated shifted, opening up its vast upper back. Thaddeus began to fly for the two humans. They would never make it far enough on their own.
Asylum's body shuddered violently. Twelve glimmering missiles of living purple energy fired off like rockets. They slammed into the ceiling of the cave, causing the already unstable rock to collapse quickly, and continued to tear through the layers of rock above. Thaddeus landed next to Wood and Andrew, roughly grabbing both as he took to flight again. He knew that this would be bad.
Asylum lost track of the missiles as countless tons fell on top of its body, pinning it down. The projectiles swiftly blasted into the sky. The energy formed swirling faces, all screaming in horror at deafening levels.
-
Faith sat at the hole in the ground as the missiles fired up from the earth. They hasted towards the atmosphere at great velocity, screaming as they went. The sound sent a shiver down her spine She did not know what the hell was happening down there, but she had the sinking feeling that it was about to get very ugly.
-
As the missiles neared the outer atmosphere, they spread out like a firecracker burst. They curved sharply, returning at incredible speed to the surface of the planet.
-
Thaddeus clung to Wood and Andrew as he dodged the collapsing debris. Behind him the cave collapsed at last under the strain of such fighting. He kept ahead of the vast amounts of destruction. Andrew cried out as they flew out and up through the chasm they had entered through. Dust and rock spewed from the cave they had left as it ceased to exist. Up they sailed, the stratum quivered and shook, slowly breaking apart.
Thaddeus came out through the hole, and landed long enough to grab Faith as well, and then flew like crazy out of the way as the missiles came to rest upon the soil once again. The very Earth groaned; the ground tremored violently as each missile exploded with awesome might. As Thaddeus carried the three out of the radius of the blast, the ground shifted, devastating the landscape. For three miles around, everything was laid to complete and utter ruin by the mighty blasts. Shock waves rolled out like ripples from a rock thrown in a pond
Thaddeus carried the three scared and wounded warriors of virtue from the blast. None of them truly realized what had happened, but he was beginning to understand one thing. He had led campaigns against the armies of hell and in wars against the true demons. He had frequently danced over the corpses of the vilest of the vile. He faced the supernatural without fear countless times. This kid, however, disturbed him.
PrettyasaPictur
What? I'm the Princess
It was about time for another appearance from Oz. Good to hear from him, however, I thought you said he would only recieve just one vision?...this was the second, right?....I did like how you went back & forth between Oz & Natalie, & Asylum & Thaddieus...but I have to say, there should've been a bit more w/ Asylum & Thaddieus, it seems like it should've lasted longer...over all, it was good though.
ana8
Missing you....
Magui
Scooby
Oh,I read this yesterday and I didn't reply lol😛...well,it was a great part😀...post more😀
ana8:come on msn
ana8:come on msn
No I am Doyle
1 Angry Lawyer
Part 26 - I Am Here
"Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys and fears,
To the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie to deep for tears." ~ Wordsworth
-
I am here.
Where is here"¦ really?
I remember"¦ purpose. I remember"¦ duty. I even remember love. But, where then do these things come from. For so long, Rishaka has done all that was in his onyx heart to humiliate and destroy me. Some have even argued that my only purpose is to suffer. But.
Once upon a time, funny words, every good nursery rhyme must start with them"¦ But once upon a time, I was meant for greater things. I can sense the absence, the loss. I can feel the missing pieces of my memory. They itch like a severed arm or leg. I can almost scratch them. Almost. But now, nothing remains. Maybe that was how I survived for so long. I forgot them, so I would never have to remember what I lost. What was stolen from me. I remember only a few things. My name is Rene, and my watcher's name is DeClaud, and I once was the monster which stalks monsters. The other thing is that many were involved in my ruination. Other than that, it is all gone. The life. The memories.
Funny, how all can be taken; freedom, possessions, status, and love. The one thing that you can never loose is honor, the memory of the good person you are, or are not. And yet, even that has all been stripped from me. I know not who I am, or what my purpose is here. I can accept the idea that I am actually back. I can accept the fact that someone has found me and saved me from my ghastly fate. I can even accept that I have lost all there was to know about me, if that is the cost of my new found freedom. But I know, in my heart and soul, that there has been a price paid, one far dearer than just my memories and stolen life. I can only wonder what that was.
Even now, I feel emptiness. A void. One that will never again be filled. It pains me more than I can ever think to endure.
But it will be endured. I will survive. Because, despite whatever I have been told over the endless spanning millennia, I have survived. I survive now. And I will survive for many, many days to come. I will live out the lifespan of more than this world's population.
I have tried to get the conscious me to understand. Tried to let "her" know what I know.
Because, to survive Hell, you must adopt Hell. That was the subconscious choice I made so long ago. I fear for my waking mind. Not that I will never get past all that has been done to me. I already know that no human can ever be the same when they gaze upon the vile splendors of the hells. And I am no different. I will never truly recover, despite the best efforts of this woman who trudged through the lower Quartoth to deliver me to salvation.
No, what I speak of is that after everything, I have one more horror to endure. This may be the one that I can never get past. The choice I may never understand. I have brought something back, not with me, but as a part of me. Whoever that is now. Rishaka, the demon of war, forgot one important thing. When you strip a human of all that is essential, only anguish and vengeance remain. Traditionally, the victims never get a chance to set things right. I may no longer pray, but I do pray that when I wake, I will learn my new truth, and soon. If only for the sake of Willow.
I do not know what it is that I have taken into me, but it has no roots in goodness. It is not watered with love and acceptance. It has no compassion. No Remorse. No modesty. It simply is. After all, if I have endured as long as I have, others can just shut their damned mouths. Not until they learn the truest and innumerable definitions of suffering can they speak of what is right and decent.
My vengeance shall be sated. After all, the hells hath no demons which can contend with the fury of a scorned woman. All who have allowed this horrible deal to transpire shall pay. In blood, limbs, and pain, they shall pay dearly. First, I must find a way to make myself remember. And understand that choice that I don't even fully understand .And finally, to join with her; that grief ridden woman I now am. I lie below the surface waiting, waiting for my chance to strike. Then, they will all suffer. May those unfortunate enough to stand in my way beware.
~ Rene
-
Giles walked past the towering stacks of the great library of Oladrick in Rome. The warlock still owed him a favor, so now Rupert had come to claim it. Oladrick had one of the greatest libraries of the occult on the European continent. These collections contained even the great detailed records of the former Watcher's council, identical in every way to the originals. He carried another small stack of these diaries to the long marble table that Jenny Calendar sat at. She poured over a small pile of the text, looking for the history of Rene.
"It's sad really"¦ that all that remains of the archives of the council now remain in the hands of one such as our host," he said in a sardonic tone. Jenny looked up from her reading to look at him. She shook her head with regret.
"Well," she said, "At least something still exists."
"True, true," said Giles, "That is a good point, but"¦ I am not even remotely comfortable with the fact that Oladrick holds the key to these books. Should he choose to use them to his own advantage"¦"
"Then the council may face another disaster. Right. I understand," said Jenny. She tossed him an ardently compassionate smile. Giles returned with a smile of cozy resignation. He forgot how much she could bring him to his knees, sometimes almost literally. He set the pile of books down, and took a seat in an ornate chair with a ridiculously tall back. He began to flip through the pages of the well aged transcripts. Much of the information covered the ceremony and ritual that came with being a part of the council many centuries ago. Procedures now considered passé. He began to flip through the next book. This one was a collection of Watcher's diaries from the seventeen hundreds. Far too recent, he thought.
"Reminds me of old times, Rupert," Jenny said with a giggle.
"What's that?"
"Oh, just flipping through stuffy old books with the stuffy old suit." She looked up at him and smiled warmly. "At least you got rid of the tweed," she joked. He grinned back at her.
"Oh, terribly sorry, did you have something better to do?" Giles asked in jest.
"No, no, actually, I didn't realize how much I missed this. Where I've been, there was never any real reason to worry. You just knew that everything would be fine, no matter what happened." Giles began to wonder if her elation was just a show. Buffy had done the same thing when she came back. She had even told them that she had been rescued from hell, when in fact she had been tore from the heavens. He truly hoped Jenny was genuinely fine with being back on Earth.
"Oh, oh, oh," Jenny said with great enthusiasm, "I think I found her."
"Really, that's wonderful," said Giles as he stood up and moved behind her.
"Rene Laroche," she read.
Giles continued to read out loud, "Slayer from 1642 to"¦ wow, 1653, it says here that she was ordered to be executed by Cardinal Mazarin for the charge of high treason." He read on. "Apparently se died in transport, killed by a group of vampires." Giles skimmed the pages. "Hmm," he said, furrowing his brow, "no other details than that about her death in this particular book. But eleven years... that's quite impressive."
"Is that a long time, eleven years?" she asked.
"Well, I thought Buffy was setting a rare precedence with an eight year tenure"¦" Giles explained.
"But Rene lived for eleven years... before she died," she finished.
"That is what I don't understand Jenny, Willow has made it clear that Rene has never died," Giles said, "How could the line have continued if she never"¦ um, passed on. Something doesn't make sense." He paused and thought for a moment. "What was her watcher's name?" he asked.
"Luc DeClaud. It says here, he was killed too, also on the way to execution," Jenny answered, handing the book off to him.
"She was killed towards the end of the the Fronde," he noted, setting the book down. A hint of contemplation played in his voice.
"The what?"
"Oh, uh, the Fronde." Giles removed his glasses and began to wipe them with a corner of his shirt. "It was a rebellion attempted by the nobles of France. It was ill conceived and under supported. As such, it ended in failure," Giles explained.
"Why would a slayer be involved with those kinds of political games? I mean, aren't they suppose to worry about the supernatural?" asked Jenny.
"Yes exactly. That is the problem. Why would a slayer be accused of high treason by a member of the clergy? Mazarin was more a political man, but... I mean, the council and the church may never have gotten along, but ultimately the church has always been sympathetic, and, and even supportive of our goals," he pondered.
"Unless, there is more there than meets the eye," Jenny interjected.
"Yes there must be some event that has yet to reveal itself," said Giles.
"It's funny how that seems to be a regular part of our lives. So hidden agenda, huh? We just need to figure out what it was."
"Yes," said Giles, "perhaps the Cardinal had some other ambition or made an arrangement with a supernatural entity of some kind."
"You mean, what if this Cardinal made a deal with the devil and bartered Rene's life," Jenny tried to summarie.
"Precisely."
-
Oladrick listened intently from a secret observation room adjoining to the library. A cruel smile played on his lips as he tapped his withered fingertips together.
"How providential fate has truly been to me," he said with sick delight.
"Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys and fears,
To the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie to deep for tears." ~ Wordsworth
-
I am here.
Where is here"¦ really?
I remember"¦ purpose. I remember"¦ duty. I even remember love. But, where then do these things come from. For so long, Rishaka has done all that was in his onyx heart to humiliate and destroy me. Some have even argued that my only purpose is to suffer. But.
Once upon a time, funny words, every good nursery rhyme must start with them"¦ But once upon a time, I was meant for greater things. I can sense the absence, the loss. I can feel the missing pieces of my memory. They itch like a severed arm or leg. I can almost scratch them. Almost. But now, nothing remains. Maybe that was how I survived for so long. I forgot them, so I would never have to remember what I lost. What was stolen from me. I remember only a few things. My name is Rene, and my watcher's name is DeClaud, and I once was the monster which stalks monsters. The other thing is that many were involved in my ruination. Other than that, it is all gone. The life. The memories.
Funny, how all can be taken; freedom, possessions, status, and love. The one thing that you can never loose is honor, the memory of the good person you are, or are not. And yet, even that has all been stripped from me. I know not who I am, or what my purpose is here. I can accept the idea that I am actually back. I can accept the fact that someone has found me and saved me from my ghastly fate. I can even accept that I have lost all there was to know about me, if that is the cost of my new found freedom. But I know, in my heart and soul, that there has been a price paid, one far dearer than just my memories and stolen life. I can only wonder what that was.
Even now, I feel emptiness. A void. One that will never again be filled. It pains me more than I can ever think to endure.
But it will be endured. I will survive. Because, despite whatever I have been told over the endless spanning millennia, I have survived. I survive now. And I will survive for many, many days to come. I will live out the lifespan of more than this world's population.
I have tried to get the conscious me to understand. Tried to let "her" know what I know.
Because, to survive Hell, you must adopt Hell. That was the subconscious choice I made so long ago. I fear for my waking mind. Not that I will never get past all that has been done to me. I already know that no human can ever be the same when they gaze upon the vile splendors of the hells. And I am no different. I will never truly recover, despite the best efforts of this woman who trudged through the lower Quartoth to deliver me to salvation.
No, what I speak of is that after everything, I have one more horror to endure. This may be the one that I can never get past. The choice I may never understand. I have brought something back, not with me, but as a part of me. Whoever that is now. Rishaka, the demon of war, forgot one important thing. When you strip a human of all that is essential, only anguish and vengeance remain. Traditionally, the victims never get a chance to set things right. I may no longer pray, but I do pray that when I wake, I will learn my new truth, and soon. If only for the sake of Willow.
I do not know what it is that I have taken into me, but it has no roots in goodness. It is not watered with love and acceptance. It has no compassion. No Remorse. No modesty. It simply is. After all, if I have endured as long as I have, others can just shut their damned mouths. Not until they learn the truest and innumerable definitions of suffering can they speak of what is right and decent.
My vengeance shall be sated. After all, the hells hath no demons which can contend with the fury of a scorned woman. All who have allowed this horrible deal to transpire shall pay. In blood, limbs, and pain, they shall pay dearly. First, I must find a way to make myself remember. And understand that choice that I don't even fully understand .And finally, to join with her; that grief ridden woman I now am. I lie below the surface waiting, waiting for my chance to strike. Then, they will all suffer. May those unfortunate enough to stand in my way beware.
~ Rene
-
Giles walked past the towering stacks of the great library of Oladrick in Rome. The warlock still owed him a favor, so now Rupert had come to claim it. Oladrick had one of the greatest libraries of the occult on the European continent. These collections contained even the great detailed records of the former Watcher's council, identical in every way to the originals. He carried another small stack of these diaries to the long marble table that Jenny Calendar sat at. She poured over a small pile of the text, looking for the history of Rene.
"It's sad really"¦ that all that remains of the archives of the council now remain in the hands of one such as our host," he said in a sardonic tone. Jenny looked up from her reading to look at him. She shook her head with regret.
"Well," she said, "At least something still exists."
"True, true," said Giles, "That is a good point, but"¦ I am not even remotely comfortable with the fact that Oladrick holds the key to these books. Should he choose to use them to his own advantage"¦"
"Then the council may face another disaster. Right. I understand," said Jenny. She tossed him an ardently compassionate smile. Giles returned with a smile of cozy resignation. He forgot how much she could bring him to his knees, sometimes almost literally. He set the pile of books down, and took a seat in an ornate chair with a ridiculously tall back. He began to flip through the pages of the well aged transcripts. Much of the information covered the ceremony and ritual that came with being a part of the council many centuries ago. Procedures now considered passé. He began to flip through the next book. This one was a collection of Watcher's diaries from the seventeen hundreds. Far too recent, he thought.
"Reminds me of old times, Rupert," Jenny said with a giggle.
"What's that?"
"Oh, just flipping through stuffy old books with the stuffy old suit." She looked up at him and smiled warmly. "At least you got rid of the tweed," she joked. He grinned back at her.
"Oh, terribly sorry, did you have something better to do?" Giles asked in jest.
"No, no, actually, I didn't realize how much I missed this. Where I've been, there was never any real reason to worry. You just knew that everything would be fine, no matter what happened." Giles began to wonder if her elation was just a show. Buffy had done the same thing when she came back. She had even told them that she had been rescued from hell, when in fact she had been tore from the heavens. He truly hoped Jenny was genuinely fine with being back on Earth.
"Oh, oh, oh," Jenny said with great enthusiasm, "I think I found her."
"Really, that's wonderful," said Giles as he stood up and moved behind her.
"Rene Laroche," she read.
Giles continued to read out loud, "Slayer from 1642 to"¦ wow, 1653, it says here that she was ordered to be executed by Cardinal Mazarin for the charge of high treason." He read on. "Apparently se died in transport, killed by a group of vampires." Giles skimmed the pages. "Hmm," he said, furrowing his brow, "no other details than that about her death in this particular book. But eleven years... that's quite impressive."
"Is that a long time, eleven years?" she asked.
"Well, I thought Buffy was setting a rare precedence with an eight year tenure"¦" Giles explained.
"But Rene lived for eleven years... before she died," she finished.
"That is what I don't understand Jenny, Willow has made it clear that Rene has never died," Giles said, "How could the line have continued if she never"¦ um, passed on. Something doesn't make sense." He paused and thought for a moment. "What was her watcher's name?" he asked.
"Luc DeClaud. It says here, he was killed too, also on the way to execution," Jenny answered, handing the book off to him.
"She was killed towards the end of the the Fronde," he noted, setting the book down. A hint of contemplation played in his voice.
"The what?"
"Oh, uh, the Fronde." Giles removed his glasses and began to wipe them with a corner of his shirt. "It was a rebellion attempted by the nobles of France. It was ill conceived and under supported. As such, it ended in failure," Giles explained.
"Why would a slayer be involved with those kinds of political games? I mean, aren't they suppose to worry about the supernatural?" asked Jenny.
"Yes exactly. That is the problem. Why would a slayer be accused of high treason by a member of the clergy? Mazarin was more a political man, but... I mean, the council and the church may never have gotten along, but ultimately the church has always been sympathetic, and, and even supportive of our goals," he pondered.
"Unless, there is more there than meets the eye," Jenny interjected.
"Yes there must be some event that has yet to reveal itself," said Giles.
"It's funny how that seems to be a regular part of our lives. So hidden agenda, huh? We just need to figure out what it was."
"Yes," said Giles, "perhaps the Cardinal had some other ambition or made an arrangement with a supernatural entity of some kind."
"You mean, what if this Cardinal made a deal with the devil and bartered Rene's life," Jenny tried to summarie.
"Precisely."
-
Oladrick listened intently from a secret observation room adjoining to the library. A cruel smile played on his lips as he tapped his withered fingertips together.
"How providential fate has truly been to me," he said with sick delight.
PrettyasaPictur
What? I'm the Princess
WELL!!!!! ty for fixing that....much better!.....You put the mojo back in where it should've been in the first place, & got rid of something that really, really didn't belong there what-so-ever. :: tu :: :: tu :: :: tu :: <<<25)............I really enjoyed reading this one. I'm glad you decided to explain Rene from her own point of view....although, the one thing I noticed, is that between Jenny & Giles, while it had some magic, but lacked the magic & charisma that should be there between them, but maybe that's what you meant to do?<<<26)
ana8
Missing you....
Amazing..I've never enough of Rene's thougts and behaviour..Please post more as soon as you can🙂
No I am Doyle
1 Angry Lawyer
Part 27 - Some Walk, Some Float
Willow and Kennedy sat at the tall table sipping on their drinks. A hot young band played with great enthusiasm on the stage. Kennedy had been trying to get Willow to dance for the last forty-five minutes, but to no avail. Willow swished her legs together nervously. The silky fabric of her dress slid delicately along her legs. She really didn't feel like being here anymore, but to ask to leave would only cause unwanted friction between Kennedy and her. The club was close to overflowing and the temperature seemed to have been raised several degrees. Many people writhed and gyrated out on the dance floor, sweat soaking their well calculated outfits.
Kennedy slid her hand towards Willow's. The two held hands for a moment, Willow finally smiling.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" asked Kennedy.
"But we might not get back in," said Willow.
"Well Red, that's just too bad for them."
-
Xander yawned, stretched and glanced absently at the clock. 10:43 shone in luminescent green. He was sprawled out on Buffy's couch watching television. He flipped back and forth between an old World War II epic and, during the commercials, an infomercial with attractive women displaying worthless products. He knew in the morning he would have to begin fixing all the damage to Buffy's apartment that had occurred that day.
"Well buddy," Xander said to himself, "Guess we should go check on the little lady." He got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen. He poured a glass of water and walked to the room that Rene slept in.
Xander opened the door to Dawn's room. Inside, Rene snapped awake. She yelped a bit, and backed away from Xander, clutching at the wall.
"Hey, hey," he said gently, "It's OK, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just checking to make sure that you don't need anything. Food, water, bathroom?" She stared at him, unsure of what he meant by the word "bathroom". He stepped into the room a half step, she leapt out of the bed. She looked for anywhere to escape to. Rene ran to the window and looked down. It was three stories to the ground, yet to her, it didn't seem so far. She balled up a fist and readied a strike.
Xander called out to her, "Please Rene, don't! Please, please don't leave? I promise you'll be safe here"¦ I mean, you could easily beat the holy crap out of me." He pointed at her with a smile. "After all, slayer, right?" She held back, listening to what this man had to say, but not talking herself. She looked at his dress. It was much different than the garments worn the last time she had been on Earth. She noted his eye patch, and wondered why he wore it. Xander took another step towards her; Rene readied her hand again, this time striking the glass. He stopped, holding out his open hands to show her he had nothing to hurt her with. The hard lesson that she had learned was that no weapon was required to cut, no hammer to smash. Sometimes even words cut you to the soul.
Rene gave a wicked cry as she ran at Xander. She knocked him hard against the far wall. The water glass cracked on the wooden floor. Standing over him, she firmly held a shard of broken glass. Her own fingers were bleeding. She grabbed him by the shirt collar and hoisted him up with no effort. To Xander, she seemed far stronger than Buffy and Faith. Her grip was closer to Caleb's. That thought brought bad remembrances.
"T, tell"¦ tell me that when I cut out your o, o, other eye, eye, that y, y, you will feel, feel i, it," Rene said, fearful yet near to enraged. Xander threw his hands up in meager defense of his face. As Rene held Xander, she felt thoughts pour into her head. Her mind reached out and merged with his, sharing his memories. Thought that were not here own. Faces she didn't know, but had seen before when she was touching the strange objects in this very room.
Rene felt a sense of lingering sadness and loss. She experienced a rush of foreign emotion and memory. Regret laden thoughts purged her rage, leaving only an eclectic mixture of sorrow, joy, and confusion. She dropped the glass shard and fell to her knees, her head hanging low and hands covering her face. She felt love for a young woman she had never met, one who spoke her mind excessively and often inappropriately. Rene lived out entire years of Xander's life in moments, feeling the various highs and lows of his life. Xander watched as her back and shoulders heaved with slow but deep sobs. He did not know that she was experiencing the grief of Anya's death, the ecstasy of his love and physical pleasure, his uncertainties and self-doubts. He knelt down to face her, a little fearful that she may decide to become angry again.
Rene reached forward, her bloody hands gripped Xander's shirt, and pulled him close to her. She placed her head on his shoulder and felt comfort from the flood of mostly good memories this man had. She let go of his shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace. She continued to weep; she simply couldn't stop the flow of tears. Xander returned her desperate hug, his hands gently stroking her neck and back.
-
"So, other than the obvious, what's on your mind?" Kennedy asked Willow. The two women walked fearlessly down the dark boulevard. When you are a slayer and the most powerful witch in the world, you tend to not worry about such things as muggers and vampires.
"I ah, It, it's nothing really," Willow said, "I, well, I"¦ it's nothing really," said Willow. Kennedy cocked her head to the side and gave her a disbelieving look. Willow stopped. "Okay. Okay. It's just that when I dreamt of going to South America, you know, when I found Rene, I saw an army of demons working these, these silver mines. I don't know what they were gathering it all for, but"¦ it can't be good."
"You didn't mention that earlier," Kennedy said.
"I know. I've just had so much stuff floating around my brain the last few days, I just forgot. But, I am also worried."
"What about?" asked Kennedy.
"What if the demon I saved her from sends something to reclaim her? I mean, it was so huge and, and, and horrible. I have seen some demons in my days clocking hours with the Scoobies. Some of them were bad news, but"¦ this, this thing was worse than what the Mayor became several years ago." Willow started walking again, Kennedy took her hand. "And now, I don't know what I can do to help Rene. I was thinking of sending scrying Buffy"¦"
"What?" asked Kennedy, confused. "Scrying?"
"It's kinda like a mystic pager. I don't know what to do, and I thought maybe Buffy would know what to do," Willow said helplessly. A large crowd started pouring from a cheap looking bar, Willow and Kennedy began walking through an alley to avoid the drunken mass.
"Will, you don't need Buffy to tell you how to go about doing things. I think that you can figure it out on your own."
"I'm not so sure, Kennedy. The last time I went out on my own, I went all Hannibal Lector on a guy and tried to kill all my friends," argued Willow.
"But things have changed. I mean you have become a goddess," the slayer disputed. "You're smart, powerful, and beautiful. If it wasn't for you, we would never have survived Sunnydale. Never. You're MY goddess. Willow, you will make the right decision. I kn"¦"
"Excuse me ladies," came a gruff voice from behind them. They quickly turned to see the drunk crowd, eleven in total, following them. All were clad in faded denim jackets, dirty outdated clothes, and wreaked of cheap booze and death. "You wouldn't care to join us for a little, well a little party," said the smiling leader, his brows forming ridges as he vamped out.
"I knew I should've known," yelled Kennedy, pulling a stake from her purse. She ran forward at the leader while the rest spread out to surround them. The lead vampire came in to grab Willow, but Kennedy stopped him dead, so to speak, with a backhand to the face. He stumbled back a few steps, spitting teeth. Three more came in at the slayer. Kennedy kicked out at the chest of one. Her foot connected and she used the momentum to send her foot into the next closest vampire's face. The third slugged her hard in the gut. The wind was temporarily blasted from her lungs. Kennedy dropped to one knee. Two more vampires came in, all three taking swings for Kennedy. Willow backed up from the remaining undead, casting.
-
Rene took unfathomable solace from reading into Xander's mind. His thoughts replaced hers, giving Rene a mock sense on identity. She welcomed the intrusive confusion. It felt like floating lazily on a warm stream, images and words drizzled over her head. Rene slipped into one such memory. She found herself standing in a graveyard, waiting near a fresh grave.
"But do you think Cordelia will like it?" she asked a blonde woman, of a heart-shaped locket Rene held in her hand. Buffy Summers, she realized without knowing how or why.
"I don't know," said Buffy, pulling Rene's hand closer to take a better look. "Does she know what one of these is?" Rene yanked the locket back and stuffed it into a jacket she was wearing. Rene chuckled.
"Okay, big yucks. When are you guys going to stop making fun of me for dating Cordelia?"
"I'm sorry. But never," said Buffy. Rene nodded, smiled and looked down. "I
just think you could find somebody more... better," Buffy continued.
"Uh, parallel universe, maybe." Rene looked up to Buffy. "Here the only other person I'm interested in is, um... unavailable. Besides, Cordy and I are really getting along. We're not fighting as much, and yesterday we just sat together, not even speakin'. You know, just, uh, enjoying comfortable silence. Rene grinned and laughed. She then lost her smile and exhaled deeply. "Man, that was dull." Buffy smiled warmly at her dear friend. Rene was filled with a sense of comfort, sharing in this memory. She didn't realize, nor care that she was intruding.
"I'm glad that you guys are getting along." Facetiously she said, "Almost really." Buffy changed her tone to reassuring tones. "And don't stress over the gift."
Rene replied, "Well, this is new territory for me. I mean, my valentines are
usually met with heartfelt restraining orders." Buffy smiled again at Rene.
"She'll love"¦" Buffy began. Rene was pushed out of the remembrance. She felt as though she was floating again. Quickly she latched onto a new reflection.
She was warm and covered in sweat. A young woman lay next to her semi naked and panting. Rene flowed back into Xander's role. She rolled over and passionately kissed the young woman. Anya, Rene thought to herself.
"Well, that was"¦ pleasant," Anya said with extreme satisfaction.
"Was it now?" Rene asked rhetorically, quite pleased with the response she had elicited.
"Oh yes, I really like the orgasm parts, but the rest of it is very nice too," Anya continued.
"Only "nice"," Rene asked, with mock insult. Anya pressed in close kissing her.
"Oh, now, it was better than just nice," said Anya, "I don't see why humans can't just feel that way all the time. Then you wouldn't kill yourselves with war and crime and use mean little comment designed to hurt and mock each other." They interlocked their fingers. Bunnies, Rene thought. She doesn't like bunnies.
Rene exhaled absently and said to her, "What do you want to do now? Leno?"
"I don't like his chin. You could put the eye of a Balrick demon out with his chin."
"Are you hungry?" Rene asked. Anya looked down at her bare stomach.
"That sounds good"¦ um, how "˜bout some ice cream, chocolate chip cookie dough and, um, peanut butter."
Rene took on an overdone French accent, putting great contrast to the deep accent she managed to keep throughout all her years in lower Quartoth, "Ic-e crream and peanut butter, coming rright up!" Anya put her hand on Rene's arm.
"And fruit punch. Don't forget the fruit punch." Rene climbed out of bed, the soft sheets slowly began to slide off her unclothed body. She slipped back out of the memory. Rene couldn't help herself, she continued to drift along the stream of Xander's mind, looking for more heartening stops.
-
Kennedy rolled her weight from her knee to her back, falling sideways. Her foot spun out in a semicircle, catching two of the attacking vamps in the shins. They lost their balance, falling on their rears. Coming up, she somersaulted forward, planting the stake in the one vampire's heart. Its body crumbled to dust, dried instantly. She was about to stake the other prone vampire, when she felt energy crackle and wind pick up. All the combatants looked up at the source of the disturbance. Willow finished her spell; her eyes went black. At first, what looked like a grain of glowing rice appeared from the witch's hand and hovered in midair. The light quickly grew, filling out to a shimmering orb. Blaring light seeped from the ball, filling the alley with brilliant sunlight. The ten remaining vampires screamed as their bodies began to sizzle and cook in the blazing artificial daylight. At once they began to combust, their cries fizzled up with their fast burning bodies. Each crumbled to ash in their own separate piles.
"Neat trick," said the leader, as he too collapsed to cinders. Kennedy got back up and brushed herself off. Willow walked up to her, offering out her arm, with a smirk on her face. Kennedy took it and the two began to walk. Both were quiet for a few long moments. Willow suddenly felt more confident that she could figure out the right course.
"I told everybody that that would be a better way to dust vamps," she said, with nerdy chuckle.
-
"So did you see?" Rene said
Rene turned to a small man, Andrew; the name came to her, after he got off the school bus.
"I"¦ I was scared. I'm sorry," Andrew replied. He tried to turn and leave. Extreme discomfort played on his face. Rene stopped him and insistently asked, "Did you see what happened?" Andrew looked up at her. Tears marred his face, as did the answer.
"She was incredible," Andrew said proudly of Anya, "She died saving my life." Rene nodded and squeezed Andrew's shoulder, trying to stem a forthcoming geyser of tears
of her own.
"That's my girl"¦" said Rene, "always doing the stupid thing." Rene pushed away from this thought. She clung to Xander. He was deeply entranced, carried along in these thoughts as well. He looked up at her. Rene wanted nothing more that to be Anya for him, so that they might comfort each other. She probed his mind, looking for details to play out the memory. Tears still glistening on her face, she ran a finger along his lips. Rene bent in to kiss Xander.
********************************************
When writing part 25, I fell into an apparent writer's trap commonly called adding too much unnessessary drama to a scene. As such, I have gone through and rewritten part 25. Even if you have already read it, you my want to reread it. I have made MAJOR changes to it.
::bat::
Willow and Kennedy sat at the tall table sipping on their drinks. A hot young band played with great enthusiasm on the stage. Kennedy had been trying to get Willow to dance for the last forty-five minutes, but to no avail. Willow swished her legs together nervously. The silky fabric of her dress slid delicately along her legs. She really didn't feel like being here anymore, but to ask to leave would only cause unwanted friction between Kennedy and her. The club was close to overflowing and the temperature seemed to have been raised several degrees. Many people writhed and gyrated out on the dance floor, sweat soaking their well calculated outfits.
Kennedy slid her hand towards Willow's. The two held hands for a moment, Willow finally smiling.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" asked Kennedy.
"But we might not get back in," said Willow.
"Well Red, that's just too bad for them."
-
Xander yawned, stretched and glanced absently at the clock. 10:43 shone in luminescent green. He was sprawled out on Buffy's couch watching television. He flipped back and forth between an old World War II epic and, during the commercials, an infomercial with attractive women displaying worthless products. He knew in the morning he would have to begin fixing all the damage to Buffy's apartment that had occurred that day.
"Well buddy," Xander said to himself, "Guess we should go check on the little lady." He got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen. He poured a glass of water and walked to the room that Rene slept in.
Xander opened the door to Dawn's room. Inside, Rene snapped awake. She yelped a bit, and backed away from Xander, clutching at the wall.
"Hey, hey," he said gently, "It's OK, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just checking to make sure that you don't need anything. Food, water, bathroom?" She stared at him, unsure of what he meant by the word "bathroom". He stepped into the room a half step, she leapt out of the bed. She looked for anywhere to escape to. Rene ran to the window and looked down. It was three stories to the ground, yet to her, it didn't seem so far. She balled up a fist and readied a strike.
Xander called out to her, "Please Rene, don't! Please, please don't leave? I promise you'll be safe here"¦ I mean, you could easily beat the holy crap out of me." He pointed at her with a smile. "After all, slayer, right?" She held back, listening to what this man had to say, but not talking herself. She looked at his dress. It was much different than the garments worn the last time she had been on Earth. She noted his eye patch, and wondered why he wore it. Xander took another step towards her; Rene readied her hand again, this time striking the glass. He stopped, holding out his open hands to show her he had nothing to hurt her with. The hard lesson that she had learned was that no weapon was required to cut, no hammer to smash. Sometimes even words cut you to the soul.
Rene gave a wicked cry as she ran at Xander. She knocked him hard against the far wall. The water glass cracked on the wooden floor. Standing over him, she firmly held a shard of broken glass. Her own fingers were bleeding. She grabbed him by the shirt collar and hoisted him up with no effort. To Xander, she seemed far stronger than Buffy and Faith. Her grip was closer to Caleb's. That thought brought bad remembrances.
"T, tell"¦ tell me that when I cut out your o, o, other eye, eye, that y, y, you will feel, feel i, it," Rene said, fearful yet near to enraged. Xander threw his hands up in meager defense of his face. As Rene held Xander, she felt thoughts pour into her head. Her mind reached out and merged with his, sharing his memories. Thought that were not here own. Faces she didn't know, but had seen before when she was touching the strange objects in this very room.
Rene felt a sense of lingering sadness and loss. She experienced a rush of foreign emotion and memory. Regret laden thoughts purged her rage, leaving only an eclectic mixture of sorrow, joy, and confusion. She dropped the glass shard and fell to her knees, her head hanging low and hands covering her face. She felt love for a young woman she had never met, one who spoke her mind excessively and often inappropriately. Rene lived out entire years of Xander's life in moments, feeling the various highs and lows of his life. Xander watched as her back and shoulders heaved with slow but deep sobs. He did not know that she was experiencing the grief of Anya's death, the ecstasy of his love and physical pleasure, his uncertainties and self-doubts. He knelt down to face her, a little fearful that she may decide to become angry again.
Rene reached forward, her bloody hands gripped Xander's shirt, and pulled him close to her. She placed her head on his shoulder and felt comfort from the flood of mostly good memories this man had. She let go of his shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace. She continued to weep; she simply couldn't stop the flow of tears. Xander returned her desperate hug, his hands gently stroking her neck and back.
-
"So, other than the obvious, what's on your mind?" Kennedy asked Willow. The two women walked fearlessly down the dark boulevard. When you are a slayer and the most powerful witch in the world, you tend to not worry about such things as muggers and vampires.
"I ah, It, it's nothing really," Willow said, "I, well, I"¦ it's nothing really," said Willow. Kennedy cocked her head to the side and gave her a disbelieving look. Willow stopped. "Okay. Okay. It's just that when I dreamt of going to South America, you know, when I found Rene, I saw an army of demons working these, these silver mines. I don't know what they were gathering it all for, but"¦ it can't be good."
"You didn't mention that earlier," Kennedy said.
"I know. I've just had so much stuff floating around my brain the last few days, I just forgot. But, I am also worried."
"What about?" asked Kennedy.
"What if the demon I saved her from sends something to reclaim her? I mean, it was so huge and, and, and horrible. I have seen some demons in my days clocking hours with the Scoobies. Some of them were bad news, but"¦ this, this thing was worse than what the Mayor became several years ago." Willow started walking again, Kennedy took her hand. "And now, I don't know what I can do to help Rene. I was thinking of sending scrying Buffy"¦"
"What?" asked Kennedy, confused. "Scrying?"
"It's kinda like a mystic pager. I don't know what to do, and I thought maybe Buffy would know what to do," Willow said helplessly. A large crowd started pouring from a cheap looking bar, Willow and Kennedy began walking through an alley to avoid the drunken mass.
"Will, you don't need Buffy to tell you how to go about doing things. I think that you can figure it out on your own."
"I'm not so sure, Kennedy. The last time I went out on my own, I went all Hannibal Lector on a guy and tried to kill all my friends," argued Willow.
"But things have changed. I mean you have become a goddess," the slayer disputed. "You're smart, powerful, and beautiful. If it wasn't for you, we would never have survived Sunnydale. Never. You're MY goddess. Willow, you will make the right decision. I kn"¦"
"Excuse me ladies," came a gruff voice from behind them. They quickly turned to see the drunk crowd, eleven in total, following them. All were clad in faded denim jackets, dirty outdated clothes, and wreaked of cheap booze and death. "You wouldn't care to join us for a little, well a little party," said the smiling leader, his brows forming ridges as he vamped out.
"I knew I should've known," yelled Kennedy, pulling a stake from her purse. She ran forward at the leader while the rest spread out to surround them. The lead vampire came in to grab Willow, but Kennedy stopped him dead, so to speak, with a backhand to the face. He stumbled back a few steps, spitting teeth. Three more came in at the slayer. Kennedy kicked out at the chest of one. Her foot connected and she used the momentum to send her foot into the next closest vampire's face. The third slugged her hard in the gut. The wind was temporarily blasted from her lungs. Kennedy dropped to one knee. Two more vampires came in, all three taking swings for Kennedy. Willow backed up from the remaining undead, casting.
-
Rene took unfathomable solace from reading into Xander's mind. His thoughts replaced hers, giving Rene a mock sense on identity. She welcomed the intrusive confusion. It felt like floating lazily on a warm stream, images and words drizzled over her head. Rene slipped into one such memory. She found herself standing in a graveyard, waiting near a fresh grave.
"But do you think Cordelia will like it?" she asked a blonde woman, of a heart-shaped locket Rene held in her hand. Buffy Summers, she realized without knowing how or why.
"I don't know," said Buffy, pulling Rene's hand closer to take a better look. "Does she know what one of these is?" Rene yanked the locket back and stuffed it into a jacket she was wearing. Rene chuckled.
"Okay, big yucks. When are you guys going to stop making fun of me for dating Cordelia?"
"I'm sorry. But never," said Buffy. Rene nodded, smiled and looked down. "I
just think you could find somebody more... better," Buffy continued.
"Uh, parallel universe, maybe." Rene looked up to Buffy. "Here the only other person I'm interested in is, um... unavailable. Besides, Cordy and I are really getting along. We're not fighting as much, and yesterday we just sat together, not even speakin'. You know, just, uh, enjoying comfortable silence. Rene grinned and laughed. She then lost her smile and exhaled deeply. "Man, that was dull." Buffy smiled warmly at her dear friend. Rene was filled with a sense of comfort, sharing in this memory. She didn't realize, nor care that she was intruding.
"I'm glad that you guys are getting along." Facetiously she said, "Almost really." Buffy changed her tone to reassuring tones. "And don't stress over the gift."
Rene replied, "Well, this is new territory for me. I mean, my valentines are
usually met with heartfelt restraining orders." Buffy smiled again at Rene.
"She'll love"¦" Buffy began. Rene was pushed out of the remembrance. She felt as though she was floating again. Quickly she latched onto a new reflection.
She was warm and covered in sweat. A young woman lay next to her semi naked and panting. Rene flowed back into Xander's role. She rolled over and passionately kissed the young woman. Anya, Rene thought to herself.
"Well, that was"¦ pleasant," Anya said with extreme satisfaction.
"Was it now?" Rene asked rhetorically, quite pleased with the response she had elicited.
"Oh yes, I really like the orgasm parts, but the rest of it is very nice too," Anya continued.
"Only "nice"," Rene asked, with mock insult. Anya pressed in close kissing her.
"Oh, now, it was better than just nice," said Anya, "I don't see why humans can't just feel that way all the time. Then you wouldn't kill yourselves with war and crime and use mean little comment designed to hurt and mock each other." They interlocked their fingers. Bunnies, Rene thought. She doesn't like bunnies.
Rene exhaled absently and said to her, "What do you want to do now? Leno?"
"I don't like his chin. You could put the eye of a Balrick demon out with his chin."
"Are you hungry?" Rene asked. Anya looked down at her bare stomach.
"That sounds good"¦ um, how "˜bout some ice cream, chocolate chip cookie dough and, um, peanut butter."
Rene took on an overdone French accent, putting great contrast to the deep accent she managed to keep throughout all her years in lower Quartoth, "Ic-e crream and peanut butter, coming rright up!" Anya put her hand on Rene's arm.
"And fruit punch. Don't forget the fruit punch." Rene climbed out of bed, the soft sheets slowly began to slide off her unclothed body. She slipped back out of the memory. Rene couldn't help herself, she continued to drift along the stream of Xander's mind, looking for more heartening stops.
-
Kennedy rolled her weight from her knee to her back, falling sideways. Her foot spun out in a semicircle, catching two of the attacking vamps in the shins. They lost their balance, falling on their rears. Coming up, she somersaulted forward, planting the stake in the one vampire's heart. Its body crumbled to dust, dried instantly. She was about to stake the other prone vampire, when she felt energy crackle and wind pick up. All the combatants looked up at the source of the disturbance. Willow finished her spell; her eyes went black. At first, what looked like a grain of glowing rice appeared from the witch's hand and hovered in midair. The light quickly grew, filling out to a shimmering orb. Blaring light seeped from the ball, filling the alley with brilliant sunlight. The ten remaining vampires screamed as their bodies began to sizzle and cook in the blazing artificial daylight. At once they began to combust, their cries fizzled up with their fast burning bodies. Each crumbled to ash in their own separate piles.
"Neat trick," said the leader, as he too collapsed to cinders. Kennedy got back up and brushed herself off. Willow walked up to her, offering out her arm, with a smirk on her face. Kennedy took it and the two began to walk. Both were quiet for a few long moments. Willow suddenly felt more confident that she could figure out the right course.
"I told everybody that that would be a better way to dust vamps," she said, with nerdy chuckle.
-
"So did you see?" Rene said
Rene turned to a small man, Andrew; the name came to her, after he got off the school bus.
"I"¦ I was scared. I'm sorry," Andrew replied. He tried to turn and leave. Extreme discomfort played on his face. Rene stopped him and insistently asked, "Did you see what happened?" Andrew looked up at her. Tears marred his face, as did the answer.
"She was incredible," Andrew said proudly of Anya, "She died saving my life." Rene nodded and squeezed Andrew's shoulder, trying to stem a forthcoming geyser of tears
of her own.
"That's my girl"¦" said Rene, "always doing the stupid thing." Rene pushed away from this thought. She clung to Xander. He was deeply entranced, carried along in these thoughts as well. He looked up at her. Rene wanted nothing more that to be Anya for him, so that they might comfort each other. She probed his mind, looking for details to play out the memory. Tears still glistening on her face, she ran a finger along his lips. Rene bent in to kiss Xander.
********************************************
When writing part 25, I fell into an apparent writer's trap commonly called adding too much unnessessary drama to a scene. As such, I have gone through and rewritten part 25. Even if you have already read it, you my want to reread it. I have made MAJOR changes to it.
::bat::
MentPatient
White Hat
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2004
- Messages
- 956
hehe didn't willow did this in one of the buffy books; they should try do that more often because that IS a good way to take out vamps (probably best with nests... duh!)No said:The light quickly grew, filling out to a shimmering orb. Blaring light seeped from the ball, filling the alley with brilliant sunlight. The ten remaining vampires screamed as their bodies began to sizzle and cook in the blazing artificial daylight.
... i'm starting to dislike rene... she might somehow turn on the scoobies because she might think their evil from when all of them tried to kill the others... although maybe not because... she'd know the events causing them to do that... damn it... now i'm confused...
still yet, GREAT STORY! ::heart:: :: tu :: u must post more soon PLZ?!
PrettyasaPictur
What? I'm the Princess
Very,very well done!!!....I really like how you had Rene see( feel) pretty much everything Zander has been through....& I liked Willow's spell, ya that would be a faster way to kill the vamps...& you through a nice cliff-hanger in there to-boot!!!!...Like I said, very, nicely done!!...Can't wait for more!!!
ana8
Missing you....
Must post more soon!!! I'm sooo cheering for Rene now, even if she's going to be with Xander....Willow was amazing too🙂
No I am Doyle
1 Angry Lawyer
I am very glad that you are all enjoying this story so far. I do know that things will be changing in tone and gravity. Rene and Asylum are both fun to write for, as much so as the original cast, so it makes me glad to hear that you enjoy their characters. Do you guys also like Thaddeus? He is the humanoid owl archangel that the Powers have sent in the absence of any available champions. Do you think he is too powerful (granted, Asylum is TOO powerful, and is only going to get worse). And do you like the direction the story has gone so far in the last close to 30 parts. When it is all said and done, the story will be 100 parts long.
:: spam2:: :: fantom ::bat:: :: spam2:: :: fantom ::bat:: :: spam2:: :: fantom ::bat::
:: spam2:: :: fantom ::bat:: :: spam2:: :: fantom ::bat:: :: spam2:: :: fantom ::bat::
ana8
Missing you....
I love it🙂 Hope to see next part next week
Thaddeus has enough power to make it somehow'believable'. I absolutely adore the way you show us more about Rene,but I guess I've told you this a million times before,haven't I?? 🙂
Thaddeus has enough power to make it somehow'believable'. I absolutely adore the way you show us more about Rene,but I guess I've told you this a million times before,haven't I?? 🙂
MentPatient
White Hat
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2004
- Messages
- 956
Thaddeus is great!No said:Do you guys also like Thaddeus? He is the humanoid owl archangel that the Powers have sent in the absence of any available champions. Do you think he is too powerful (granted, Asylum is TOO powerful, and is only going to get worse). And do you like the direction the story has gone so far in the last close to 30 parts. When it is all said and done, the story will be 100 parts long.
WHOA! 100 parts?! Awww, we're only on 28-ish.
PrettyasaPictur
What? I'm the Princess
I know everything I could possibly say, I've already told you, but anyways,....yes, Asylum is very, very powerful,but I'd like to see more of what he could actually do.....Thaddeous is a nice essential to the story, he's actually one of my favorite so far( that part you didn't know),...the story in a whole, is very much enjoyable, I look forward to reading more.....I really don't know what else to write that I haven't told, so I'll just end with PLEASE post more soon!!!
No I am Doyle
1 Angry Lawyer
Part 28 - Desperation
It could only attempt to whimper. The black was engulfing, tight. Asylum could not move an arm, not even budge a finger. There was no leverage. For all its strength, Asylum was trapped, a kept being. It tried to budge its way free, but there was nowhere to escape to. Ton after countless ton weighed down on its massive body and suddenly, the child felt like a child. Small, insignificant, and helpless, Asylum's rage had been quelled, his tantrum expended. To Asylum, it seemed as though it had been left behind and forgotten. Here, in its prison, its grave, the machine beast silently wept.
-
Faith looked up at the grand being that carried Wood, Andrew, and herself through the chilled air of the skies. She could see the power, the passion, and the beauty of this inhuman angel. Wood's leg had been crushed and now he lay limp in the left arm of the owl man. Andrew looked rough for wear, as though he had just run the Sunnydale gauntlet of nasties single-handedly, blindfolded, and with one arm tied behind his back. Now he clung silently to the being's arm, next to Faith.
She looked around at the world as it swiftly passed by. Trees zipped past, and wind howled around her ears. Long seconds, spent quietly, passed. Their speed lessened as they descended towards the ground. The owl man's wings quietly flapped with unbelievable strength as it caught the wind current to carry itself and its passengers down. They landed, the being's wings rustled as they folded back. Faith and Andrew hopped down and proceeded to try to help the owl man set Wood lightly in the damp grass. The explosions had sent rock flying through the air for another mile around. Charred, broken rock was strewn about like confetti.
"What the hell was that," Faith asked loudly. She shrunk back as the angel gave her a look of disapproval.
"Something's toy, child," said Thaddeus. Now, it was Faith's turn to look disapprovingly at the creature's comment.
"If that's a toy, I'd hate to see the life-size model. What kind of batteries does something like THAT run on?" Thaddeus grabbed his aching chest. It felt like it was on fire. Few beings had ever hit him with that kind of force. It was a good thing he healed almost instantly. He shook his head. Thaddeus bent down to the injured man, and took his staff from his back. He plucked a delicate jade leaf. A new one grew in seconds to replace the remove one. Andrew and Faith knelt close to him. Thaddeus could feel the woman's uncertainty and fear, the young man's terror. They had a pungent aroma, like burnt sage and moss.
Faith watched as he crushed up the leaf, just as he had done with her, and placed the mash in Wood's open mouth. The compound bubbled and fizzled as it quickly dissolved. Wet crunching sounds sent a shudder down Andrew's spine as Robin's foot slowly reformed. His leg shook as several loud popping sounds went off in his foot. His mouth opened and closed, inaudible protests to the pain. The gashes and bruises on his head and arms sealed shut. Wood sat up fast, a startled look played on his face. Leaning back on his elbows, he looked at his foot. His pant leg was torn, his sock soaked in blood. He looked around at the faces that surrounded him. Faith was to his left, Andrew at his feet, and Thaddeus to his right side. Startled, Wood jumped backwards a bit. What is that thing, he wondered.
"It's Okay, Wood. It helped us," Faith told him.
"I beg your pardon," said Thaddeus, " I am no more a "thing" than you are."
"What, um, what are you? Are you a demon?" Andrew asked meekly.
"That I am not. I am the collective, the avatar. I am a manifestation of human determination. Your strength, your good"¦ I represent all that is strong in your species. I am made of soul and compassion and power. I am the human spirit, pure and wise, as you are young and callow. You can call me Thaddeus." With that, he flew off, leaving the three companions looked at each other, deeply confused.
"You have got to be kidding me, right?" said Faith. Andrew cocked his head to the side, the unseen image of a new story to tell playing out in his eyes.
"Whatever it is, I owe it a very large thanks," said Wood.
"Me too, said Faith, placing her hand on Wood's, "It's just that I always thought that angels were"¦uh, a load of crap."
"But demons aren't? You believe in one side, but not the other?" asked Wood.
"Well, it's just that we see demons every damn day. Not, well, ever that you really see that something is actually on our side, but us. Always thought I'd see a leprechaun before I'd see an angel."
"Actually," Andrew piped in, "leprechauns are not real"
"Yes, Andrew," Faith said, " we know. Guess we'd better get back and report to Nigel, huh?"
Faith, Wood, and Andrew glanced down the road at the long walk ahead back to Cleveland.
-
Asylum had cried himself out. No more tears, no more crying"¦ I am a big boy, he thought. It tried to tense his limbs, to move the weight somehow. I wouldn't budge. His engine idled at a low growl. He fired it up, eight more pistons, enhancing his already phenomenal strength. Still nothing. Determination welled up in it like a geyser, all pistons now firing. Asylum sensed a slight shift in the dirt compacting down on him.
The golem felt anxiety and pain enter his body. Its soul, it knew, was almost completely consumed. It knew that soon, very soon now, it would die. I don't want to die, it thought. Not here. Not alone. Asylum felt more alone than he had ever felt before. This strengthened its resolve. All thirty-two pistons fired again. Its power multiplied by itself again and again. Asylum sensed a greater shift in the earth around it. It pushed itself to a kneeling position, it became aware of intense heat pouring from its being. The end was close. It sensed its destination and knew that it had to get there without delay. Time was almost up.
Kneeling in the empty pocket in the crushing dark, Asylum went to work clawing at the moist dirt frantically. It could finally activate its mystic sight, the dark giving way to severe confinement. Asylum was terror ridden. It continued to dig through the mud and rock, making slow progress. Its engine mistimed, causing the giant metal child to tremor uncontrollably for a second. Asylum grabbed at his chest, strong arms trembled in agony and fear. The spell passed quickly. Asylum went back to work digging. After a few moments, a new realization entered the machine's mind.
It touched a rune on its forearm. Asylums fingers twitched as they melded together, the unbreakable metal seeped together and formed a giant drill bit covered in large wicked looking metal teeth. Asylum revved its motor. The bit began to spin at great velocity. Asylum placed it where he was digging before. The drill chewed through effortlessly. The golem's dwindling spirit leapt, momentarily taking its mind off the fear. The motor mistimed a couple of times again, halting Asylum's work. It clutched at its body while its essence ached and cried out for relief. The new wave passed and Asylum went back to digging.
Long minutes passed and Asylum made incredible progress, a long twisting tunnel now lay behind. Its motor knocked and skipped from strain. Asylum felt his death approach. I am so close, it thought. So close. I can do this! Determined, it pressed the full weight of its body in to speed along the dig. It stopped again. Its senses went numb; the magics began to waver. Its hand reverted. The massive body spasmed, Asylum's soul suffered. The trembling stopped again; the golem took a few moments to compose itself. Its vision faded in and out. It felt
Asylum began to smash at the rock before it. It could sense it goal, vaguely. So close now. The pain wouldn't go away now. It continued to lash out in dire horror, blasting rock away. Its engine fired, sputtered, and backfired. Mighty hands shuddered as it punched. Almost there, its thoughts dark with anguish.
The golem's engine cut out. It began to slump. It forced it to start again. Asylum punched again, its fist pushed out of the rock encasing. Dirt rained down on the titan, as its engine groung to a halt. Asylum tried again to fire it up. Rock crashed down around the machine, pressing it down. Hopelessness filled the dying soul of the child. The engine whined as Asylum tied to start it again. It almost fired and then cut out once more. Again and again, the golem tried to get it to kick over, but it wouldn't.
The world took on a darkest of black as Asylum's hand stretch out of its tomb, defeated. Ten feet away, the glowing orb it sought out lay on a pedestal, a symbol of its demon people's power.
It could only attempt to whimper. The black was engulfing, tight. Asylum could not move an arm, not even budge a finger. There was no leverage. For all its strength, Asylum was trapped, a kept being. It tried to budge its way free, but there was nowhere to escape to. Ton after countless ton weighed down on its massive body and suddenly, the child felt like a child. Small, insignificant, and helpless, Asylum's rage had been quelled, his tantrum expended. To Asylum, it seemed as though it had been left behind and forgotten. Here, in its prison, its grave, the machine beast silently wept.
-
Faith looked up at the grand being that carried Wood, Andrew, and herself through the chilled air of the skies. She could see the power, the passion, and the beauty of this inhuman angel. Wood's leg had been crushed and now he lay limp in the left arm of the owl man. Andrew looked rough for wear, as though he had just run the Sunnydale gauntlet of nasties single-handedly, blindfolded, and with one arm tied behind his back. Now he clung silently to the being's arm, next to Faith.
She looked around at the world as it swiftly passed by. Trees zipped past, and wind howled around her ears. Long seconds, spent quietly, passed. Their speed lessened as they descended towards the ground. The owl man's wings quietly flapped with unbelievable strength as it caught the wind current to carry itself and its passengers down. They landed, the being's wings rustled as they folded back. Faith and Andrew hopped down and proceeded to try to help the owl man set Wood lightly in the damp grass. The explosions had sent rock flying through the air for another mile around. Charred, broken rock was strewn about like confetti.
"What the hell was that," Faith asked loudly. She shrunk back as the angel gave her a look of disapproval.
"Something's toy, child," said Thaddeus. Now, it was Faith's turn to look disapprovingly at the creature's comment.
"If that's a toy, I'd hate to see the life-size model. What kind of batteries does something like THAT run on?" Thaddeus grabbed his aching chest. It felt like it was on fire. Few beings had ever hit him with that kind of force. It was a good thing he healed almost instantly. He shook his head. Thaddeus bent down to the injured man, and took his staff from his back. He plucked a delicate jade leaf. A new one grew in seconds to replace the remove one. Andrew and Faith knelt close to him. Thaddeus could feel the woman's uncertainty and fear, the young man's terror. They had a pungent aroma, like burnt sage and moss.
Faith watched as he crushed up the leaf, just as he had done with her, and placed the mash in Wood's open mouth. The compound bubbled and fizzled as it quickly dissolved. Wet crunching sounds sent a shudder down Andrew's spine as Robin's foot slowly reformed. His leg shook as several loud popping sounds went off in his foot. His mouth opened and closed, inaudible protests to the pain. The gashes and bruises on his head and arms sealed shut. Wood sat up fast, a startled look played on his face. Leaning back on his elbows, he looked at his foot. His pant leg was torn, his sock soaked in blood. He looked around at the faces that surrounded him. Faith was to his left, Andrew at his feet, and Thaddeus to his right side. Startled, Wood jumped backwards a bit. What is that thing, he wondered.
"It's Okay, Wood. It helped us," Faith told him.
"I beg your pardon," said Thaddeus, " I am no more a "thing" than you are."
"What, um, what are you? Are you a demon?" Andrew asked meekly.
"That I am not. I am the collective, the avatar. I am a manifestation of human determination. Your strength, your good"¦ I represent all that is strong in your species. I am made of soul and compassion and power. I am the human spirit, pure and wise, as you are young and callow. You can call me Thaddeus." With that, he flew off, leaving the three companions looked at each other, deeply confused.
"You have got to be kidding me, right?" said Faith. Andrew cocked his head to the side, the unseen image of a new story to tell playing out in his eyes.
"Whatever it is, I owe it a very large thanks," said Wood.
"Me too, said Faith, placing her hand on Wood's, "It's just that I always thought that angels were"¦uh, a load of crap."
"But demons aren't? You believe in one side, but not the other?" asked Wood.
"Well, it's just that we see demons every damn day. Not, well, ever that you really see that something is actually on our side, but us. Always thought I'd see a leprechaun before I'd see an angel."
"Actually," Andrew piped in, "leprechauns are not real"
"Yes, Andrew," Faith said, " we know. Guess we'd better get back and report to Nigel, huh?"
Faith, Wood, and Andrew glanced down the road at the long walk ahead back to Cleveland.
-
Asylum had cried himself out. No more tears, no more crying"¦ I am a big boy, he thought. It tried to tense his limbs, to move the weight somehow. I wouldn't budge. His engine idled at a low growl. He fired it up, eight more pistons, enhancing his already phenomenal strength. Still nothing. Determination welled up in it like a geyser, all pistons now firing. Asylum sensed a slight shift in the dirt compacting down on him.
The golem felt anxiety and pain enter his body. Its soul, it knew, was almost completely consumed. It knew that soon, very soon now, it would die. I don't want to die, it thought. Not here. Not alone. Asylum felt more alone than he had ever felt before. This strengthened its resolve. All thirty-two pistons fired again. Its power multiplied by itself again and again. Asylum sensed a greater shift in the earth around it. It pushed itself to a kneeling position, it became aware of intense heat pouring from its being. The end was close. It sensed its destination and knew that it had to get there without delay. Time was almost up.
Kneeling in the empty pocket in the crushing dark, Asylum went to work clawing at the moist dirt frantically. It could finally activate its mystic sight, the dark giving way to severe confinement. Asylum was terror ridden. It continued to dig through the mud and rock, making slow progress. Its engine mistimed, causing the giant metal child to tremor uncontrollably for a second. Asylum grabbed at his chest, strong arms trembled in agony and fear. The spell passed quickly. Asylum went back to work digging. After a few moments, a new realization entered the machine's mind.
It touched a rune on its forearm. Asylums fingers twitched as they melded together, the unbreakable metal seeped together and formed a giant drill bit covered in large wicked looking metal teeth. Asylum revved its motor. The bit began to spin at great velocity. Asylum placed it where he was digging before. The drill chewed through effortlessly. The golem's dwindling spirit leapt, momentarily taking its mind off the fear. The motor mistimed a couple of times again, halting Asylum's work. It clutched at its body while its essence ached and cried out for relief. The new wave passed and Asylum went back to digging.
Long minutes passed and Asylum made incredible progress, a long twisting tunnel now lay behind. Its motor knocked and skipped from strain. Asylum felt his death approach. I am so close, it thought. So close. I can do this! Determined, it pressed the full weight of its body in to speed along the dig. It stopped again. Its senses went numb; the magics began to waver. Its hand reverted. The massive body spasmed, Asylum's soul suffered. The trembling stopped again; the golem took a few moments to compose itself. Its vision faded in and out. It felt
Asylum began to smash at the rock before it. It could sense it goal, vaguely. So close now. The pain wouldn't go away now. It continued to lash out in dire horror, blasting rock away. Its engine fired, sputtered, and backfired. Mighty hands shuddered as it punched. Almost there, its thoughts dark with anguish.
The golem's engine cut out. It began to slump. It forced it to start again. Asylum punched again, its fist pushed out of the rock encasing. Dirt rained down on the titan, as its engine groung to a halt. Asylum tried again to fire it up. Rock crashed down around the machine, pressing it down. Hopelessness filled the dying soul of the child. The engine whined as Asylum tied to start it again. It almost fired and then cut out once more. Again and again, the golem tried to get it to kick over, but it wouldn't.
The world took on a darkest of black as Asylum's hand stretch out of its tomb, defeated. Ten feet away, the glowing orb it sought out lay on a pedestal, a symbol of its demon people's power.
PrettyasaPictur
What? I'm the Princess
"If that's a toy,I'd hate to see the life-sized model".....I thought that was funny...I also liked Thaddeus's remark,"I beg your pardon, I am no more a "thing" than you are", for some reason I found that amusing....you're doin' a really good job w/ keeping it "real" w/ the characters...I would love to read more about Rene/Zander,& Thaddeus.......just curious, when's Oz appearing next?