Title: Demons & Demigods (6/?)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966 or http://fanfiction.net/~cyclone
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Up to season two of Buffy, anything in the Herc/Xenaverse, and the Avalon World Tour in Gargoyles.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What happens when the divine and demonic collide? Sequel to Divine Interruption.
Author's Note: Yeah, I know, it took me long enough to get to this point. But at least I'm working on it.
* * *
"You've gotta be kidding me," Elisa said, folding her arms. "Vampires?" Shaking her head, she sighed, "I can't believe this. So what Tom said about silver was right?"
She and the others had followed the new arrivals to the local school library, bringing along the werewolf and locking it in the book cage. More complete introductions had gone around, and Mr. Giles had been very... curious about gargoyles. She was just now getting back to the whole "vampire slayer" thing.
"Works for werewolves," Buffy said absently, "not vampires."
"Oh," the detective said, surprised by the totally off-handed response.
"It is good to see the mouth of hell so well protected," Goliath said, "but I suspect our reason for being here is larger than one werewolf."
"Well, indeed," Mr. Giles nodded, "but I doubt very much that you could help us a great deal against the Judge."
"The Judge?!" Goliath's nostrils flared. "He has awakened?!"
"Yeah," Buffy said, stepping forward, "you know about him?"
"_Know_ of him?" The big gargoyle's visage darkened, and he said, "I _fought_ him once. Long ago."
* * *
"Who are you?"
"Just a man who'd like to lend you a hand," the man replied.
Angelus rolled his eyes and glanced at the Judge, "Burn him."
The blue demon shook his head, "No. I am still weak, and _he_ is not one I would cross."
"Pansy," Angelus snorted derisively, stalking toward the intruder.
Grabbing him by the lapels, the master vampire slammed him against the wall, "Give me one good reason not to torture you to death right now."
"Because I have vision," he said with an insolent smirk. "Or, rather, access to one who gets them. And I'm prepared to offer that extra special little insight to your operations."
* * *
"It was before I led my clan," Goliath explained. "The Archmage was our ally then, and he cast a potent spell, binding the Judge in place so that we could dismember him."
"So where can we find this spell?" Xander asked.
Goliath sighed and shook his head, "I do not know. Perhaps it could have been found in the Grimorum, but..."
"Th-th-the Grimorum?" Giles squawked. "A-as in the Grimorum Arcanorum?"
"You know of it?" Goliath asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's only the most comprehensive and powerful book of magic known in the mystical community. Do you know where it is?"
"Gone," Goliath replied grimly. "Consumed by the Archmage."
Xander slumped back, "Great. So we're stuck. If only we could go back in time or something and copy the spell down... what?"
"The Phoenix Gate," Angela whispered.
Giles choked. Gargoyles, Avalon, the Grimorum Arcanorum, and now the Phoenix Gate?! Who _were_ these people?!
"Father, we must!" the younger gargoyle said.
"History is immutable," Goliath snarled. "We cannot change the past."
"We don't _want_ to," Buffy snapped. "We just want to learn something from it that we can use to help us _now_."
Goliath hesitated.
Cordy rolled her eyes. "I don't get it. Why are _we_ supposed to save the world, huh? You'd think the government would do something about this. Lord knows we pay them enough."
"_Thank_ you for your input, your majesty," Xander snapped sarcastically. "Got anything _useful_ to add?"
"Okay," the cheerleader said. "How about: Why are we betting it all on that rusty old antique? I mean, Kurt Russell killed a god with a bomb, right?"
Xander ground his teeth, "That was a _nuke_, Cordy. I kinda like Sunnydale _not_ being a radioactive crater. Besides, _that_ Ra was an alien, not a god."
"But a bomb could work, couldn't it?" Willow asked. "I-I mean, just to stop him, right? If chopping him up could stop him, why not blowing him up?"
"But how could we get him in the right spot, and where would we get a bomb, anyway?"
"How about a rocket launcher?"
All eyes turned toward Jonathan, who shrank back.
"Can you get us one?" Giles asked.
"Uh, maybe."
"I _am_ a cop, you know," Elisa deadpanned.
"We're way outta your jurisdiction, ma'am," Xander shot back, "and if your boyfriend here's not gonna help us find that spell, we've gotta look at alternatives."
"Very well," Goliath said softly. "Come, and we will find the spell."
He extracted the magical item and asked, "Who will come with me? The fewer, the better."
"I'll go," Xander said, standing up.
"Very well," Goliath said. He held up the Phoenix Gate and chanted, "Des legrate muri tempi et intervallia!"
* * *
When Xander and Goliath emerged from the Phoenix Gate's temporal portal, they looked around. Goliath nodded in satisfaction when he recognized the place.
"Where are we?" Xander asked. "For that matter, when are we?"
"Magus's study," Goliath replied. "In the year nine ninety-four."
Suddenly, an elderly man in robes stepped out from the shadows and interposed himself between them and the Grimorum Arcanorum.
"Greetings, travelers," he said. "I've been expecting you."
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Xander and Goliath's encounter will be further explored in the upcoming sidestory: A Trip in Time.
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966 or http://fanfiction.net/~cyclone
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Up to season two of Buffy, anything in the Herc/Xenaverse, and the Avalon World Tour in Gargoyles.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What happens when the divine and demonic collide? Sequel to Divine Interruption.
Author's Note: Yeah, I know, it took me long enough to get to this point. But at least I'm working on it.
* * *
"You've gotta be kidding me," Elisa said, folding her arms. "Vampires?" Shaking her head, she sighed, "I can't believe this. So what Tom said about silver was right?"
She and the others had followed the new arrivals to the local school library, bringing along the werewolf and locking it in the book cage. More complete introductions had gone around, and Mr. Giles had been very... curious about gargoyles. She was just now getting back to the whole "vampire slayer" thing.
"Works for werewolves," Buffy said absently, "not vampires."
"Oh," the detective said, surprised by the totally off-handed response.
"It is good to see the mouth of hell so well protected," Goliath said, "but I suspect our reason for being here is larger than one werewolf."
"Well, indeed," Mr. Giles nodded, "but I doubt very much that you could help us a great deal against the Judge."
"The Judge?!" Goliath's nostrils flared. "He has awakened?!"
"Yeah," Buffy said, stepping forward, "you know about him?"
"_Know_ of him?" The big gargoyle's visage darkened, and he said, "I _fought_ him once. Long ago."
* * *
"Who are you?"
"Just a man who'd like to lend you a hand," the man replied.
Angelus rolled his eyes and glanced at the Judge, "Burn him."
The blue demon shook his head, "No. I am still weak, and _he_ is not one I would cross."
"Pansy," Angelus snorted derisively, stalking toward the intruder.
Grabbing him by the lapels, the master vampire slammed him against the wall, "Give me one good reason not to torture you to death right now."
"Because I have vision," he said with an insolent smirk. "Or, rather, access to one who gets them. And I'm prepared to offer that extra special little insight to your operations."
* * *
"It was before I led my clan," Goliath explained. "The Archmage was our ally then, and he cast a potent spell, binding the Judge in place so that we could dismember him."
"So where can we find this spell?" Xander asked.
Goliath sighed and shook his head, "I do not know. Perhaps it could have been found in the Grimorum, but..."
"Th-th-the Grimorum?" Giles squawked. "A-as in the Grimorum Arcanorum?"
"You know of it?" Goliath asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's only the most comprehensive and powerful book of magic known in the mystical community. Do you know where it is?"
"Gone," Goliath replied grimly. "Consumed by the Archmage."
Xander slumped back, "Great. So we're stuck. If only we could go back in time or something and copy the spell down... what?"
"The Phoenix Gate," Angela whispered.
Giles choked. Gargoyles, Avalon, the Grimorum Arcanorum, and now the Phoenix Gate?! Who _were_ these people?!
"Father, we must!" the younger gargoyle said.
"History is immutable," Goliath snarled. "We cannot change the past."
"We don't _want_ to," Buffy snapped. "We just want to learn something from it that we can use to help us _now_."
Goliath hesitated.
Cordy rolled her eyes. "I don't get it. Why are _we_ supposed to save the world, huh? You'd think the government would do something about this. Lord knows we pay them enough."
"_Thank_ you for your input, your majesty," Xander snapped sarcastically. "Got anything _useful_ to add?"
"Okay," the cheerleader said. "How about: Why are we betting it all on that rusty old antique? I mean, Kurt Russell killed a god with a bomb, right?"
Xander ground his teeth, "That was a _nuke_, Cordy. I kinda like Sunnydale _not_ being a radioactive crater. Besides, _that_ Ra was an alien, not a god."
"But a bomb could work, couldn't it?" Willow asked. "I-I mean, just to stop him, right? If chopping him up could stop him, why not blowing him up?"
"But how could we get him in the right spot, and where would we get a bomb, anyway?"
"How about a rocket launcher?"
All eyes turned toward Jonathan, who shrank back.
"Can you get us one?" Giles asked.
"Uh, maybe."
"I _am_ a cop, you know," Elisa deadpanned.
"We're way outta your jurisdiction, ma'am," Xander shot back, "and if your boyfriend here's not gonna help us find that spell, we've gotta look at alternatives."
"Very well," Goliath said softly. "Come, and we will find the spell."
He extracted the magical item and asked, "Who will come with me? The fewer, the better."
"I'll go," Xander said, standing up.
"Very well," Goliath said. He held up the Phoenix Gate and chanted, "Des legrate muri tempi et intervallia!"
* * *
When Xander and Goliath emerged from the Phoenix Gate's temporal portal, they looked around. Goliath nodded in satisfaction when he recognized the place.
"Where are we?" Xander asked. "For that matter, when are we?"
"Magus's study," Goliath replied. "In the year nine ninety-four."
Suddenly, an elderly man in robes stepped out from the shadows and interposed himself between them and the Grimorum Arcanorum.
"Greetings, travelers," he said. "I've been expecting you."
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Xander and Goliath's encounter will be further explored in the upcoming sidestory: A Trip in Time.