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Successor (BTVS)
- Thread starter DeAnno
- Start date
- Mature
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] WEAVE
tbh I'm most into this because I can't visualise how it would look -- SPY and ENSNARE seem fairly straightforward in terms of how they might manifest, but I am very curious about WEAVE.
tbh I'm most into this because I can't visualise how it would look -- SPY and ENSNARE seem fairly straightforward in terms of how they might manifest, but I am very curious about WEAVE.
Wilkins being the only reason Maggie (and Faith) are still alive really makes quite a bit of sense. I didn't think waking up as a god would actually temper him, but Wilkins spending all his dream time coaching him instead covers that base well. Even with that I would bet that Maggie only has a couple more weeks tops before Adam snaps and kills her and Faith. He doesn't seem happy about this delay and the dude just isn't that patient.
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[X] Spy
Edifier
Trusted within thoughts.
- Location
- Court of Moon Wizards
Any chance the Apples in the trees are as trap for Cyber to fall into? They are placed besides her cocoon. The first thing she would interact with her metamorphosised body.
Either put there by the snake or Wilkins.
I get the sense the one guiding us is Wilkins in disguise and what we saw of the snake and him was in the past.
Either put there by the snake or Wilkins.
I get the sense the one guiding us is Wilkins in disguise and what we saw of the snake and him was in the past.
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- Location
- United States
It's pretty explicitly what CW domain will be.
Seems more like a warning for Buffy about her powers to me, especially coupled with the TV thing.
I thought it was just a callback to In Color and thus a way for Sineya to get across that there is power growing in CyberWillow.
- Location
- United States
I agree it's a callback to In Color, but it seems more connected to Buffy than CW, as it's Buffy who reaches for it and Buffy who is warned. It could also be a warning for Buffy about CW, about power in general.
How appropriate, given that computer programming was created using weaving technology, specifically the cards used in looms.
S4.0E9: Cold War V
DeAnno
Sometimes words have two meanings
[X] WEAVE
"I'm not sure I really see the need for all this frippery," Giles said. "Wouldn't one of them do just as well?"
"I'd think that you of all people would appreciate the need for detailed record keeping," CyberWillow responded. "Using a single webcam could miss key details of Barvain's appearance and the ensuing battle."
"His entry in the codex demonica is already perfectly adequate," Giles frowned.
"I find hand drawn images to be insufficiently precise," her voice was dry, as usual, but there was a distinctly amused cant to it.
"I just put the cute little eyeballs where the spooky voice tells me to. It's in the Halloween spirit." Buffy was setting up the webcams with some help from Anya, who was the only other person they could spare for this. She wasn't joking to deflect worry about their own situation though; she was worried about the others.
"There was this wonderful ritual with scattered eyeballs I saw done in 1453," Anya said. "We got to watch Constantinople burn for the whole picnic."
"I appreciate both your humor and your historical data, though I appreciate your historical data more," CyberWillow said.
"My anecdotes are second to none," Anya agreed.
"It's difficult to argue with that," Giles said sarcastically.
"And where was this last one supposed to go?" Buffy asked.
"On the edge of the bench, point it towards the back wall," CyberWillow answered.
It was a weird direction if she wanted to watch the fight with it, but Buffy didn't argue; it was probably some weird science thing. When she stepped back from it though, she was surprised as first the lens lit up, and then a bright image was cast on the wall.
WEAVE
"While I am personally capable of monitoring both situations simultaneously, I thought you might be reassured this way," CyberWillow explained.
"Wow," Buffy said. "This isn't going to overload you with the other thing right?" Even as she watched, the picture improved, adapting the light to the uneven surface and dirtiness of the wall.
"The camera already contains some of the necessary machinery for the task," CyberWillow said. "Maintaining the effect is a triviality."
"It'll be just like 1453!" Anya said cheerily.
"I should hope not," said Giles.
The projection showed the computer lab at UC Sunnydale, all the way across town. It was late enough that it was early, so it was nominally closed, but that didn't stop the coven from setting themselves up there, their own actual ritual already prepared. A bunch of SDCW officers were there too, along with Harmony to provide some muscle and even Warren with his Beastman robot lurking in one of the open spaces.
It probably wouldn't be enough to win if the spell didn't work, but it would be enough to manage a fighting retreat, they hoped. Buffy wished she could be there, but she couldn't be in two places at once. And while they weren't completely sure that Adam would come for the supercomputer, they did know for certain that Prince Barvain would show tonight.
Probably for certain. Maybe she should check one more time. "We're absolutely sure this guy's gonna show right? Not that I didn't read the briefing, or anything like that." She'd definitely mostly read it.
Instead of being annoyed by her bad study habits, Anya was eager to repeat the story. "So I was introducing Andrew to my old friend Tygry-Yamozth way back in August, and of course we got to gossiping as girls do. The latest fashions in Arashmahaar, ritual combats in Borbaruk, boys, you know how it is."
Buffy made a mental note to check who and what Tygry-Yamawhatever was. All this demon summoning could maybe use a little more watching than she'd been giving it.
"But anyway, she mentioned the Delthrox kingdom threw their big feast early this year for whatever reason. So of course I made sure it went in the weekly report with all the other important information."
"As I recall, mention of the 900th Feast of Delthrox was in Andrew's report," Giles said.
"Because I told him to put it there!" Anya said. "Delegation is one of my many skills."
Giles sighed. "In any case, the number seemed auspicious, so I cross-referenced the texts to check for any adverse results that might come upon the Hellmouth. I found three separate references to Prince Barvain, who in 1837 quite publicly swore he would invade our mortal plane on the occurrence of the third new moon after said feast. All manner of detail was provided, and I was able to determine he will emerge from this specific crypt."
"And we know it's exactly tonight right? Not tomorrow. Or yesterday?" She really hoped this guy wasn't running around causing trouble already somehow.
"The Astronomical New Moon occurs tonight at 2:58 AM," Giles said.
"And demons are really precise like that?" she clarified.
"Prince Barvain has to be," Anya said. "He didn't swear he'd invade before the new moon, or after, or on the same day. Most of the time people don't do it like that, because it's kind of a drag to need to get everything perfect. But he was probably drunk and slurring his words. He's just another lout, really."
Lout or not, they knew from Giles' research this guy was supposed to be a pretty big deal. Strong, tough, resistant to magic and fire and probably bullets, it was the usual package big demon honchos tended to get. Buffy was pretty sure she could handle that herself, but if they tried to keep her available to engage Adam and threw a motley crew at Prince Barvain the fight might end badly. Of course, they'd known that for months, which meant the Initiative probably knew it too. Knew she'd be here.
Xander had proposed an alternate plan involving lots of well-prepared explosives, but Giles wasn't sure that would even work (Delthrox was apparently heavy on the fire), plus Anya thought the actual King of Delthrox might take offense to that. More interdimensional headaches were the last thing they needed right now; even the whole Owl situation was tabled until Adam was more under control.
Buffy still might have bombed him anyway if CyberWillow hadn't sounded so confident in her new spell.
"Adam's moving upward," CyberWillow said. "Based on previous Initiative patterns, expected contact in seven minutes and twenty seconds."
"What a coincidence." Buffy ground her hammerspike into the floor just a little bit. It was 2:53 AM now, according to the helpful clock in the corner of CyberWillow's improvised screen. They'd definitely known.
Buffy was used to being underestimated. Adam purposely avoiding her like this was frustrating.
On the screen, the coven started chanting (the sound transmitted by the radios, at a muted volume), and all the monitors in the lab started to flicker. The actual supercomputer wasn't there; it was squirreled away in a smaller backroom, and that wasn't where they'd wanted to have the confrontation. But the room still had a ton of computers in it for all the regular students to use, and the effect on the monitors combined with the tenseness of the other defenders made for an eerie scene.
She reluctantly turned her attention back to the matter at hand with two minutes to go. "You two should get back to the entrance, so you can make some space if you need to."
"I doubt a Delthroxi prince would bother taking hostages during an honor battle," Anya said. "He'd just expect you to splatter through us if we were in the way."
"I notice you happen to be hanging about by the door in spite of that," Giles said. He had a crossbow out and was checking the outside for any sneaky vampires, though CyberWillow would've probably noticed them coming if they were there.
"It could still be dangerous," she said, trying to sound sincere. "I'm just being circumspect."
Before much longer, CyberWillow's clock turned to 2:58 and started blinking red.
"Any second now," Buffy said, trying to keep an eye on the whole room.
When the portal came, it didn't look quite the same as either of the ones she'd used to get to Mog'tog'og and back, but the chaotic spirals of energy would've been easily identifiable as one even if she wasn't expecting it. It formed in the floor, warping through the stone without seeming to quite damage it, and within moments someone who was probably Prince Barvain made his stately appearance through it.
He appeared kneeled on both knees, almost like he was praying, then quickly rose to a full height that looked to be about seven feet. He wore a full suit of silvery plate armor all over, and carried a sword made of the same thinly striated metal. The only obvious sign that he was a demon were the two small horns that poked up through his visored helm.
The portal beneath him faded, but he didn't attack immediately, looking around to take the room in instead. Buffy hesitated just in case there was some misunderstanding.
"Mayor Summers, I presume," his voice was deep and heavy, but didn't seem angry or enraged. "I trust this is not some foul magic to ensorcel me." He indicated the webcam and the image it projected on the wall. The coven still chanted in the computer lab amid strobing light effects.
"Yeah, that's me. I assume you're Prince Barvain?" she said. "And no. That's just something else we wanted to keep an eye on while we were waiting."
He nodded, either in confirmation or acknowledgement, then there was a pause from him that seemed just a little too long. "Single combat then?"
"That was the plan," she said. Underneath her flippancy, she was a little disarmed. Something seemed wrong about this, how he was acting. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"How principled of you," he said. There was something off about how he said it; it almost seemed sarcastic. He then pointedly looked towards the door. Giles was standing in it, crossbow pointed down at the ground, and Anya was behind him, her head poked around the corner. "Your courtiers need not fear me during the battle. I would have this night seen and heard, its story carried far and wide."
"That's what the other webcams are for," Anya said, getting a little bolder. She came far enough into the room to point them out. "They're recording, like the movie up there."
"Ah," he said. "A wise precaution to bring so many, to be sure one remains unbroken at the end."
"So do we start now then?" Buffy said, then took a little risk. "Unless you don't want to?"
"If only." He raised his sword then, and charged forward.
His assault was deceptively fast for his size, and the hand-and-a-half sword he had was proportionately long for his frame, giving him a sizable reach advantage. She backed up from the first two swipes then tried to duck past the third to get into closer range, but he was able to pivot the attack, backing up in time to keep his distance.
She took a different tack against his next swing, choosing to parry hard with her hammer. Unfortunately, he saw it coming and turned his blade, taking the parry side-on and maintaining the edge of his weapon. She followed up by twirling her hammer back and around like a quarterstaff, trying to get an opposite clash with the long shaft right away to foul his momentum. He swiped back at her as she did, maybe thinking the shaft was thin enough to cut.
Ivgol's dwarf steel rang out against the much thicker silver sword with a nasty clang, coming out untouched while leaving a tiny notch in the gaudier weapon. Barvain's combat rhythm was disrupted, and she finally took the opportunity to lever around and close, activating a tiny burst of superspeed. She didn't have the best angle, but she still managed a low kick at his knee.
KILL
His silvery armor deformed slightly at the joint and there was a satisfying crunch. Undaunted by the injury, he clawed at her with his free hand, trying to force her back out to where his sword held an advantage. She just let her hammer fall and grabbed his hand in both of hers, twisting savagely to tear the armored gauntlet and snap the wrist within it.
He didn't stop fighting, retaliating with a headbutt before she even let go. She just took it full on, and it dazed them both for a couple heartbeats. He used the few steps of distance that gained him to swing at her again, but she was never unarmed. The hammer teleported back into her hands to parry again, this time nearly battering the sword out of his single-handed grip.
KILL
The opening was too big to ignore. She put her speed on again, using more of it this time to maneuver all the way around and take a free shot at his dented helm with her hammer. The join at the neck couldn't take the upward force of her swing and the whole helm was ripped apart and torn off, taking one of the horns with it and leaving Barvain's face underneath battered and torn.
She continued her motion by body checking him and then spinning to slam him with the hammer again, just as she dropped back out of superspeed. It sent him careening into the opposite wall (which was half-destroyed by the impact) and then he went down to the ground hard.
Her last blow had crumpled his breastplate where it hit, and the awkward landing at the end had wrecked his damaged knee completely. As he struggled and failed to rise, she finally could see in his face what she hadn't quite understood since he'd arrived.
Prince Barvain didn't have the ugly demon mug she would've expected. Even after the beating, she could see the big soulful eyes, a sculpted chin, even a long silvery head of hair that looked oddly like the metal of his sword and armor. What she saw there wasn't anger, or fear, or shock. She saw simple despair. He was resigned, almost wistful. He had been the whole time.
She almost expected her inner voice to urge her on hungrily, demanding she finish the job, but KILL was quiet in her mind for now. He hadn't really done anything that bad. He just came here and wanted to fight. The Initiative had taken advantage, but that was really on them.
She had to ask, to know why. It didn't make any sense. "You knew you were going to lose. You never thought you had a chance."
"Aye," he said. "Ere recently, I was not worried overmuch. But I outgrew my youthful pride a century ago. I know I am no Tapparich."
He sighed, looking away from her to take in the crypt around them. She noticed his eyes lingering behind her and a little to the right, where the computer lab was still being shown. She could still hear the spell being cast over the radios, the volume reduced to avoid being a distraction. Adam would probably be there any second.
"Buffy…" Giles started, but she raised a quieting hand at him. She had Barvain's measure now, and he was badly wounded besides. He couldn't beat her and both of them knew it.
"Do you want to take a little break?" She asked, still not quite sure what she was doing. "Sit down and watch the movie for a while?"
There was confusion in his expression now, but he nodded. Buffy moved to his side to keep half an eye on him, then turned her attention to the wall. CyberWillow perceptively raised the volume.
Right after they started watching, Faith burst through the lab's double doors, Initiative soldiers fanning out behind her to cover the room. Among them was one who moved more confidently, taller, bulkier, and wearing a concealing motorcycle helmet. Adam removed it once he was fully inside, revealing his face in all its snakey glory.
Faith had noticed the coven casting and was running for them already, but Beastman was positioned right in the way and his fumbling attempts to attack cost her a critical second to dodge. "We have to stop-"
She didn't have time.
Willow and her AI double shouted "Save!" in tandem. It finished the building spell, and there was a blinding flash of light.
WEAVE
As it faded, she could see a complex afterimage left over, its glow dimming much more slowly. A web of light connected everyone in the room and every computer. It was hard to make out on the projection, but some of its glowing strands seemed to weirdly continue into the monitors as images on the little screens.
Faith was momentarily disoriented but kept running for the coven, only to stop and pull up short in front of them.
"The fuck?"
"What in heaven is this?" Forrest snarled, also stopping in his tracks.
"Intriguing," Adam said. He plucked at one of the web strands leading to him with his demon hand, causing it to vibrate but not cutting through it. He studied the effect carefully, ignoring the rest of the room.
"Lehane, Forrest, report!" Finn barked out. Most of the other soldiers were distracted by the thinning lights attached to them, but he had his gaze on those two.
"I wanna wipe that dirty smirk off Rosenberg's face but I can't," Faith said.
"Some kind of force field?" He asked.
"No," Forrest said. "Like one of those wild stories you were looking at the other day. I can't even really think about taking a long refreshing drink. It's like trying to figure out how you're gonna ride a bike before you get on."
"Two jarheads actually tried to learn something," Willow taunted them even as the black was leeching back out of her hair. "How cute. Of course, Faith here was never one to hit the books, so she's just going to stand there and look constipated at us while other people think for her."
Faith's expression darkened, "Say that again and-"
"What, you'll yell at her in a goofy Boston accent?" Andrew snorted, gaining some of Willow's confidence. "The spell won't let you hurt us."
"I believe your confidence is misplaced," Adam intoned, stepping forward into the conversation. The web was almost faded out completely now, but he plucked a strand again. This time his mechanical arm sent an electric shock into it after, tinging it with the same sick green color of his skin. The color quickly spread to the rest of the web, giving it a last burst of light right before it faded away from vision completely.
CORRUPT
Faith stuttered in place again, then looked more frustrated than ever. "Alright Einstein, can you flip the switch now or are we getting another boring lecture first?"
"Congratulations," CyberWillow preempted any answer, mockery in her echoing voice. "You now have exactly as much control over the ongoing effect of the binding ritual as I had. None."
"Can you three please stop doing things and just explain what's going on?" Agent Finn didn't seem very happy with his team.
"Certainly," CyberWillow acted as if he'd been addressing her. "The binding ritual I created places a geas upon a group cross-referenced to a domain. None of us may do harm to each other here, nor to the place itself or anything within."
"This magic is rife with exceptions," Adam said.
"Not useful ones for you," CyberWillow responded flippantly. Her emotions were more animated than ever. "Perhaps Professor Walsh will call in an airstrike to bomb the building into ash? I find the likelyhood she both can and will to be less than 0.28%. Or maybe you think you can just overload the spell, with time? That will work poorly when it already resonates with your signature."
Instead of getting angry like the others, Adam cracked a terrifying smile. "I can appreciate the effort. After all, mother always says: learn a new thing every day. But you haven't treated the disease; this is only a balm to the symptoms. Your champion can still only be in one place at once, and this is not a general solution," he put his helmet back on and turned to leave, even as everyone else in the room broke into more arguments.
Barvain spoke then, his bass voice surprising Buffy and distracting her from the screen. "They used me."
"That's what you get for being so predictable," Anya said. She and Giles had moved more fully into the room to watch too, though Giles had kept most of his attention on Barvain.
"That ill-borne oath is my most sincere regret," he agreed. "That it brought you trouble as well gives me no joy."
"You can't just go back and say: 'I came, I tried, I bailed?'" Buffy asked.
"My honor would be forfeit, and surely the King would tear the mantle from my spirit," he answered. "I will not continue on as you have Anyanka, doomed to a fate worse than death."
"I guess not everybody can have my inner strength," Anya said, not trying to dissuade the demon at all.
"So we have to finish this then?" Buffy asked. "You're sure?"
The Prince nodded slowly, then tried to get up again, failing as his knee buckled, his good hand too occupied with his sword to help him stand.
"Buffy," Giles said, something other than warning in his voice now. But he didn't interfere.
"Here," Buffy grabbed Barvain's shoulder and dragged him up to a position where he could prop himself against the wall.
"My thanks. Truly."
Prince Barvain died on his feet, his sword in his hand.
Next time, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The next episode will be focused on a specific character. It might go very well for that chosen character, or very badly, depending on your choices during the episode. Also, you can choose whether the episode is an interlude from the character's perspective, or a more normal episode where you control Buffy. Both choices have upsides and downsides, though one or the other might work better for each specific character.
[][EPISODE] Dollhouse (Cynthia Danvers)
[][EPISODE] Hallowed (Zoe Benson)
[][EPISODE] Monster (Daniel Osbourne)
[][EPISODE] Quest (Andrew Wells)
[][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
[][VIEW] Buffy POV
"I'm not sure I really see the need for all this frippery," Giles said. "Wouldn't one of them do just as well?"
"I'd think that you of all people would appreciate the need for detailed record keeping," CyberWillow responded. "Using a single webcam could miss key details of Barvain's appearance and the ensuing battle."
"His entry in the codex demonica is already perfectly adequate," Giles frowned.
"I find hand drawn images to be insufficiently precise," her voice was dry, as usual, but there was a distinctly amused cant to it.
"I just put the cute little eyeballs where the spooky voice tells me to. It's in the Halloween spirit." Buffy was setting up the webcams with some help from Anya, who was the only other person they could spare for this. She wasn't joking to deflect worry about their own situation though; she was worried about the others.
"There was this wonderful ritual with scattered eyeballs I saw done in 1453," Anya said. "We got to watch Constantinople burn for the whole picnic."
"I appreciate both your humor and your historical data, though I appreciate your historical data more," CyberWillow said.
"My anecdotes are second to none," Anya agreed.
"It's difficult to argue with that," Giles said sarcastically.
"And where was this last one supposed to go?" Buffy asked.
"On the edge of the bench, point it towards the back wall," CyberWillow answered.
It was a weird direction if she wanted to watch the fight with it, but Buffy didn't argue; it was probably some weird science thing. When she stepped back from it though, she was surprised as first the lens lit up, and then a bright image was cast on the wall.
WEAVE
"While I am personally capable of monitoring both situations simultaneously, I thought you might be reassured this way," CyberWillow explained.
"Wow," Buffy said. "This isn't going to overload you with the other thing right?" Even as she watched, the picture improved, adapting the light to the uneven surface and dirtiness of the wall.
"The camera already contains some of the necessary machinery for the task," CyberWillow said. "Maintaining the effect is a triviality."
"It'll be just like 1453!" Anya said cheerily.
"I should hope not," said Giles.
The projection showed the computer lab at UC Sunnydale, all the way across town. It was late enough that it was early, so it was nominally closed, but that didn't stop the coven from setting themselves up there, their own actual ritual already prepared. A bunch of SDCW officers were there too, along with Harmony to provide some muscle and even Warren with his Beastman robot lurking in one of the open spaces.
It probably wouldn't be enough to win if the spell didn't work, but it would be enough to manage a fighting retreat, they hoped. Buffy wished she could be there, but she couldn't be in two places at once. And while they weren't completely sure that Adam would come for the supercomputer, they did know for certain that Prince Barvain would show tonight.
Probably for certain. Maybe she should check one more time. "We're absolutely sure this guy's gonna show right? Not that I didn't read the briefing, or anything like that." She'd definitely mostly read it.
Instead of being annoyed by her bad study habits, Anya was eager to repeat the story. "So I was introducing Andrew to my old friend Tygry-Yamozth way back in August, and of course we got to gossiping as girls do. The latest fashions in Arashmahaar, ritual combats in Borbaruk, boys, you know how it is."
Buffy made a mental note to check who and what Tygry-Yamawhatever was. All this demon summoning could maybe use a little more watching than she'd been giving it.
"But anyway, she mentioned the Delthrox kingdom threw their big feast early this year for whatever reason. So of course I made sure it went in the weekly report with all the other important information."
"As I recall, mention of the 900th Feast of Delthrox was in Andrew's report," Giles said.
"Because I told him to put it there!" Anya said. "Delegation is one of my many skills."
Giles sighed. "In any case, the number seemed auspicious, so I cross-referenced the texts to check for any adverse results that might come upon the Hellmouth. I found three separate references to Prince Barvain, who in 1837 quite publicly swore he would invade our mortal plane on the occurrence of the third new moon after said feast. All manner of detail was provided, and I was able to determine he will emerge from this specific crypt."
"And we know it's exactly tonight right? Not tomorrow. Or yesterday?" She really hoped this guy wasn't running around causing trouble already somehow.
"The Astronomical New Moon occurs tonight at 2:58 AM," Giles said.
"And demons are really precise like that?" she clarified.
"Prince Barvain has to be," Anya said. "He didn't swear he'd invade before the new moon, or after, or on the same day. Most of the time people don't do it like that, because it's kind of a drag to need to get everything perfect. But he was probably drunk and slurring his words. He's just another lout, really."
Lout or not, they knew from Giles' research this guy was supposed to be a pretty big deal. Strong, tough, resistant to magic and fire and probably bullets, it was the usual package big demon honchos tended to get. Buffy was pretty sure she could handle that herself, but if they tried to keep her available to engage Adam and threw a motley crew at Prince Barvain the fight might end badly. Of course, they'd known that for months, which meant the Initiative probably knew it too. Knew she'd be here.
Xander had proposed an alternate plan involving lots of well-prepared explosives, but Giles wasn't sure that would even work (Delthrox was apparently heavy on the fire), plus Anya thought the actual King of Delthrox might take offense to that. More interdimensional headaches were the last thing they needed right now; even the whole Owl situation was tabled until Adam was more under control.
Buffy still might have bombed him anyway if CyberWillow hadn't sounded so confident in her new spell.
"Adam's moving upward," CyberWillow said. "Based on previous Initiative patterns, expected contact in seven minutes and twenty seconds."
"What a coincidence." Buffy ground her hammerspike into the floor just a little bit. It was 2:53 AM now, according to the helpful clock in the corner of CyberWillow's improvised screen. They'd definitely known.
Buffy was used to being underestimated. Adam purposely avoiding her like this was frustrating.
On the screen, the coven started chanting (the sound transmitted by the radios, at a muted volume), and all the monitors in the lab started to flicker. The actual supercomputer wasn't there; it was squirreled away in a smaller backroom, and that wasn't where they'd wanted to have the confrontation. But the room still had a ton of computers in it for all the regular students to use, and the effect on the monitors combined with the tenseness of the other defenders made for an eerie scene.
She reluctantly turned her attention back to the matter at hand with two minutes to go. "You two should get back to the entrance, so you can make some space if you need to."
"I doubt a Delthroxi prince would bother taking hostages during an honor battle," Anya said. "He'd just expect you to splatter through us if we were in the way."
"I notice you happen to be hanging about by the door in spite of that," Giles said. He had a crossbow out and was checking the outside for any sneaky vampires, though CyberWillow would've probably noticed them coming if they were there.
"It could still be dangerous," she said, trying to sound sincere. "I'm just being circumspect."
Before much longer, CyberWillow's clock turned to 2:58 and started blinking red.
"Any second now," Buffy said, trying to keep an eye on the whole room.
When the portal came, it didn't look quite the same as either of the ones she'd used to get to Mog'tog'og and back, but the chaotic spirals of energy would've been easily identifiable as one even if she wasn't expecting it. It formed in the floor, warping through the stone without seeming to quite damage it, and within moments someone who was probably Prince Barvain made his stately appearance through it.
He appeared kneeled on both knees, almost like he was praying, then quickly rose to a full height that looked to be about seven feet. He wore a full suit of silvery plate armor all over, and carried a sword made of the same thinly striated metal. The only obvious sign that he was a demon were the two small horns that poked up through his visored helm.
The portal beneath him faded, but he didn't attack immediately, looking around to take the room in instead. Buffy hesitated just in case there was some misunderstanding.
"Mayor Summers, I presume," his voice was deep and heavy, but didn't seem angry or enraged. "I trust this is not some foul magic to ensorcel me." He indicated the webcam and the image it projected on the wall. The coven still chanted in the computer lab amid strobing light effects.
"Yeah, that's me. I assume you're Prince Barvain?" she said. "And no. That's just something else we wanted to keep an eye on while we were waiting."
He nodded, either in confirmation or acknowledgement, then there was a pause from him that seemed just a little too long. "Single combat then?"
"That was the plan," she said. Underneath her flippancy, she was a little disarmed. Something seemed wrong about this, how he was acting. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"How principled of you," he said. There was something off about how he said it; it almost seemed sarcastic. He then pointedly looked towards the door. Giles was standing in it, crossbow pointed down at the ground, and Anya was behind him, her head poked around the corner. "Your courtiers need not fear me during the battle. I would have this night seen and heard, its story carried far and wide."
"That's what the other webcams are for," Anya said, getting a little bolder. She came far enough into the room to point them out. "They're recording, like the movie up there."
"Ah," he said. "A wise precaution to bring so many, to be sure one remains unbroken at the end."
"So do we start now then?" Buffy said, then took a little risk. "Unless you don't want to?"
"If only." He raised his sword then, and charged forward.
His assault was deceptively fast for his size, and the hand-and-a-half sword he had was proportionately long for his frame, giving him a sizable reach advantage. She backed up from the first two swipes then tried to duck past the third to get into closer range, but he was able to pivot the attack, backing up in time to keep his distance.
She took a different tack against his next swing, choosing to parry hard with her hammer. Unfortunately, he saw it coming and turned his blade, taking the parry side-on and maintaining the edge of his weapon. She followed up by twirling her hammer back and around like a quarterstaff, trying to get an opposite clash with the long shaft right away to foul his momentum. He swiped back at her as she did, maybe thinking the shaft was thin enough to cut.
Ivgol's dwarf steel rang out against the much thicker silver sword with a nasty clang, coming out untouched while leaving a tiny notch in the gaudier weapon. Barvain's combat rhythm was disrupted, and she finally took the opportunity to lever around and close, activating a tiny burst of superspeed. She didn't have the best angle, but she still managed a low kick at his knee.
KILL
His silvery armor deformed slightly at the joint and there was a satisfying crunch. Undaunted by the injury, he clawed at her with his free hand, trying to force her back out to where his sword held an advantage. She just let her hammer fall and grabbed his hand in both of hers, twisting savagely to tear the armored gauntlet and snap the wrist within it.
He didn't stop fighting, retaliating with a headbutt before she even let go. She just took it full on, and it dazed them both for a couple heartbeats. He used the few steps of distance that gained him to swing at her again, but she was never unarmed. The hammer teleported back into her hands to parry again, this time nearly battering the sword out of his single-handed grip.
KILL
The opening was too big to ignore. She put her speed on again, using more of it this time to maneuver all the way around and take a free shot at his dented helm with her hammer. The join at the neck couldn't take the upward force of her swing and the whole helm was ripped apart and torn off, taking one of the horns with it and leaving Barvain's face underneath battered and torn.
She continued her motion by body checking him and then spinning to slam him with the hammer again, just as she dropped back out of superspeed. It sent him careening into the opposite wall (which was half-destroyed by the impact) and then he went down to the ground hard.
Her last blow had crumpled his breastplate where it hit, and the awkward landing at the end had wrecked his damaged knee completely. As he struggled and failed to rise, she finally could see in his face what she hadn't quite understood since he'd arrived.
Prince Barvain didn't have the ugly demon mug she would've expected. Even after the beating, she could see the big soulful eyes, a sculpted chin, even a long silvery head of hair that looked oddly like the metal of his sword and armor. What she saw there wasn't anger, or fear, or shock. She saw simple despair. He was resigned, almost wistful. He had been the whole time.
She almost expected her inner voice to urge her on hungrily, demanding she finish the job, but KILL was quiet in her mind for now. He hadn't really done anything that bad. He just came here and wanted to fight. The Initiative had taken advantage, but that was really on them.
She had to ask, to know why. It didn't make any sense. "You knew you were going to lose. You never thought you had a chance."
"Aye," he said. "Ere recently, I was not worried overmuch. But I outgrew my youthful pride a century ago. I know I am no Tapparich."
He sighed, looking away from her to take in the crypt around them. She noticed his eyes lingering behind her and a little to the right, where the computer lab was still being shown. She could still hear the spell being cast over the radios, the volume reduced to avoid being a distraction. Adam would probably be there any second.
"Buffy…" Giles started, but she raised a quieting hand at him. She had Barvain's measure now, and he was badly wounded besides. He couldn't beat her and both of them knew it.
"Do you want to take a little break?" She asked, still not quite sure what she was doing. "Sit down and watch the movie for a while?"
There was confusion in his expression now, but he nodded. Buffy moved to his side to keep half an eye on him, then turned her attention to the wall. CyberWillow perceptively raised the volume.
Right after they started watching, Faith burst through the lab's double doors, Initiative soldiers fanning out behind her to cover the room. Among them was one who moved more confidently, taller, bulkier, and wearing a concealing motorcycle helmet. Adam removed it once he was fully inside, revealing his face in all its snakey glory.
Faith had noticed the coven casting and was running for them already, but Beastman was positioned right in the way and his fumbling attempts to attack cost her a critical second to dodge. "We have to stop-"
She didn't have time.
Willow and her AI double shouted "Save!" in tandem. It finished the building spell, and there was a blinding flash of light.
WEAVE
As it faded, she could see a complex afterimage left over, its glow dimming much more slowly. A web of light connected everyone in the room and every computer. It was hard to make out on the projection, but some of its glowing strands seemed to weirdly continue into the monitors as images on the little screens.
Faith was momentarily disoriented but kept running for the coven, only to stop and pull up short in front of them.
"The fuck?"
"What in heaven is this?" Forrest snarled, also stopping in his tracks.
"Intriguing," Adam said. He plucked at one of the web strands leading to him with his demon hand, causing it to vibrate but not cutting through it. He studied the effect carefully, ignoring the rest of the room.
"Lehane, Forrest, report!" Finn barked out. Most of the other soldiers were distracted by the thinning lights attached to them, but he had his gaze on those two.
"I wanna wipe that dirty smirk off Rosenberg's face but I can't," Faith said.
"Some kind of force field?" He asked.
"No," Forrest said. "Like one of those wild stories you were looking at the other day. I can't even really think about taking a long refreshing drink. It's like trying to figure out how you're gonna ride a bike before you get on."
"Two jarheads actually tried to learn something," Willow taunted them even as the black was leeching back out of her hair. "How cute. Of course, Faith here was never one to hit the books, so she's just going to stand there and look constipated at us while other people think for her."
Faith's expression darkened, "Say that again and-"
"What, you'll yell at her in a goofy Boston accent?" Andrew snorted, gaining some of Willow's confidence. "The spell won't let you hurt us."
"I believe your confidence is misplaced," Adam intoned, stepping forward into the conversation. The web was almost faded out completely now, but he plucked a strand again. This time his mechanical arm sent an electric shock into it after, tinging it with the same sick green color of his skin. The color quickly spread to the rest of the web, giving it a last burst of light right before it faded away from vision completely.
CORRUPT
Faith stuttered in place again, then looked more frustrated than ever. "Alright Einstein, can you flip the switch now or are we getting another boring lecture first?"
"Congratulations," CyberWillow preempted any answer, mockery in her echoing voice. "You now have exactly as much control over the ongoing effect of the binding ritual as I had. None."
"Can you three please stop doing things and just explain what's going on?" Agent Finn didn't seem very happy with his team.
"Certainly," CyberWillow acted as if he'd been addressing her. "The binding ritual I created places a geas upon a group cross-referenced to a domain. None of us may do harm to each other here, nor to the place itself or anything within."
"This magic is rife with exceptions," Adam said.
"Not useful ones for you," CyberWillow responded flippantly. Her emotions were more animated than ever. "Perhaps Professor Walsh will call in an airstrike to bomb the building into ash? I find the likelyhood she both can and will to be less than 0.28%. Or maybe you think you can just overload the spell, with time? That will work poorly when it already resonates with your signature."
Instead of getting angry like the others, Adam cracked a terrifying smile. "I can appreciate the effort. After all, mother always says: learn a new thing every day. But you haven't treated the disease; this is only a balm to the symptoms. Your champion can still only be in one place at once, and this is not a general solution," he put his helmet back on and turned to leave, even as everyone else in the room broke into more arguments.
Barvain spoke then, his bass voice surprising Buffy and distracting her from the screen. "They used me."
"That's what you get for being so predictable," Anya said. She and Giles had moved more fully into the room to watch too, though Giles had kept most of his attention on Barvain.
"That ill-borne oath is my most sincere regret," he agreed. "That it brought you trouble as well gives me no joy."
"You can't just go back and say: 'I came, I tried, I bailed?'" Buffy asked.
"My honor would be forfeit, and surely the King would tear the mantle from my spirit," he answered. "I will not continue on as you have Anyanka, doomed to a fate worse than death."
"I guess not everybody can have my inner strength," Anya said, not trying to dissuade the demon at all.
"So we have to finish this then?" Buffy asked. "You're sure?"
The Prince nodded slowly, then tried to get up again, failing as his knee buckled, his good hand too occupied with his sword to help him stand.
"Buffy," Giles said, something other than warning in his voice now. But he didn't interfere.
"Here," Buffy grabbed Barvain's shoulder and dragged him up to a position where he could prop himself against the wall.
"My thanks. Truly."
Prince Barvain died on his feet, his sword in his hand.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Next time, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The next episode will be focused on a specific character. It might go very well for that chosen character, or very badly, depending on your choices during the episode. Also, you can choose whether the episode is an interlude from the character's perspective, or a more normal episode where you control Buffy. Both choices have upsides and downsides, though one or the other might work better for each specific character.
[][EPISODE] Dollhouse (Cynthia Danvers)
[][EPISODE] Hallowed (Zoe Benson)
[][EPISODE] Monster (Daniel Osbourne)
[][EPISODE] Quest (Andrew Wells)
[][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
[][VIEW] Buffy POV
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- Pronouns
- She/Her
Ooooo! That was a very satisfying chapter. Buffy's really taking to the idea of warrior respect earlier then canon.
I'm torn between Oz and Andrew I'll admit. I'd def like to have another POV though. Buffy is great but seeing other viewpoints is a nice change of pace and helps give us players context for what Buffy appears like to others.
I'm torn between Oz and Andrew I'll admit. I'd def like to have another POV though. Buffy is great but seeing other viewpoints is a nice change of pace and helps give us players context for what Buffy appears like to others.
I am glad Bavrain got a noble warrior's death that will be acceptable to his culture. He really nailed that tragic vibe, so I am glad Buffy indulged him and understood what was happening.
I do sort of wonder if Wilkins isn't actually the main factor holding back Adam. If Maggie didn't still have her spy in play feeding them such useful information she might be dead right now. The moment she gets killed by Adam the spy's willingness to stay in place and keep providing information is on a timer.
I kind of want to go with Andrew, he seems like he would be incredibly fun, but we absolutely can't afford to get him killed. He is too useful to our government to lose. Better to control Zoe imo, she has some real plays to make to become useful and powerful and if they don't work out that is tolerable. Also seeing Buffy in the role of awkward parental authority figure seems really fun.
I do sort of wonder if Wilkins isn't actually the main factor holding back Adam. If Maggie didn't still have her spy in play feeding them such useful information she might be dead right now. The moment she gets killed by Adam the spy's willingness to stay in place and keep providing information is on a timer.
I kind of want to go with Andrew, he seems like he would be incredibly fun, but we absolutely can't afford to get him killed. He is too useful to our government to lose. Better to control Zoe imo, she has some real plays to make to become useful and powerful and if they don't work out that is tolerable. Also seeing Buffy in the role of awkward parental authority figure seems really fun.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Understanding more about who (and maybe *what*) Cynthia is is also appealing.
- Location
- Vancouver
Bavrain seemed like a pretty cool guy, would have been nice if we could get him on our side, but that same honor that would make him a tempting addition to our crew stopped that. Ah well, at least he got a warrior's death.
Oz is nice, but I think we have a pretty good idea what his deal(s) are, so no need to go digging there. Zoe's forray's into magic are potentially interesting, but I'm just not feeling her quite as much as a character. Andrew is bound to be a trip, but I think I'm most curious about finding out what Cynthia's deal is.
[X][EPISODE] Dollhouse (Cynthia Danvers)
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
Cyber Willow's god powers were pretty cool here, but Adam does point out the critical issue - it's still just a stop gap at best. We've got to fight him a t some point. For another day though, for now we have someone else to look into! Interludes are fun, and these are some good options.
Oz is nice, but I think we have a pretty good idea what his deal(s) are, so no need to go digging there. Zoe's forray's into magic are potentially interesting, but I'm just not feeling her quite as much as a character. Andrew is bound to be a trip, but I think I'm most curious about finding out what Cynthia's deal is.
[X][EPISODE] Dollhouse (Cynthia Danvers)
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X][EPISODE] Dollhouse (Cynthia Danvers)
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
Agreed with blueshift. I want to *understand* Cynthia. At least a bit.
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
Agreed with blueshift. I want to *understand* Cynthia. At least a bit.
[X][EPISODE] Dollhouse (Cynthia Danvers)
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
- Location
- Germany
[X][EPISODE] Hallowed (Zoe Benson)
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
Mini Slayer. Well, potential for now.
Definitly want to see how our new girl is doing, particularly since we haven't heard much since the two of them started to live with Buffy and Harm.
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
Mini Slayer. Well, potential for now.
Definitly want to see how our new girl is doing, particularly since we haven't heard much since the two of them started to live with Buffy and Harm.
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[X][EPISODE] Quest (Andrew Wells)
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
Oz is very shiny, but Andrew is even shinier IMO. Andrew will make anything dramatic, while Oz will require an inherently dramatic story arc, so Andrew is probably going to be funny. Honestly I don't particularly care about Zoe or Cynthia's POV.
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
Oz is very shiny, but Andrew is even shinier IMO. Andrew will make anything dramatic, while Oz will require an inherently dramatic story arc, so Andrew is probably going to be funny. Honestly I don't particularly care about Zoe or Cynthia's POV.
[X][EPISODE] Hallowed (Zoe Benson)
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
Man Adam is kind of scared isn't he? He knew Buffy was probably on the other side of the city, and if not would have had to send a bunch of her fighters there, and still rolled in with literally everyone in the Initiative that matters. He was really concerned he would get ambushed here.
[X][VIEW] Interlude Character POV
Man Adam is kind of scared isn't he? He knew Buffy was probably on the other side of the city, and if not would have had to send a bunch of her fighters there, and still rolled in with literally everyone in the Initiative that matters. He was really concerned he would get ambushed here.
