Part 5: Clash of the Chosen Ones
"My hand is near my automatic, the safety is off, no jury would convict me if I blew your head off." -Sarah Pezzini
"My friend, the only thing that will stop me is a blade." -Hugh Fitzcairn
"Your in a talk or bleed situation. Your call." -Buffy Summers
Shea was sitting on the head stone staring down at the fresh grave, broadsword laying across her lap, the wooden stake loosely in hand. Looking over at Iolaus who was just leaning against the next nearest headstone. Sarah had discussed with them what she had found out from Oz, which was a bit more than the writing in the Gazette. It seemed that things were indeed lacking in the reality department. Shea had also discussed the idea of meeting with this friend of Oz. The one the young man claimed to know a bit more about what was really going on, and prophecies in general.
Shea knew that they could obviously gain more knowledge on the whole situation or come up on a dead end. She and Methos discussed the matter. They had to be careful not to reveal their hand, but just a slight tip of hand to get a lead on the situation. They agreed to more time to think it over, Shea normally would have gone for this meeting, but she wasn’t alone on this, Sarah seemed in favor with her. They were wasting time, they might already be too late to do anything, but sometimes patience pays off. She was willing to wait and see, but not for too much longer.
A muffled cat like growl came from the fresh grave, soon the upturned earth began to move on its own, slowly falling away. A clawed hand shot out of the grave, then another. Soon the vampire was pushing its way out of the grave. Iolaus’s eyes grew wide and Richie had heard the growl that sounded the second time, Owsyn had a look of confused horror on her face and Sarah’s eyes widened and remained that way. Shea hopped off the headstone and stood poised as the vampire finished pulling itself out of the grave. It had seemed oblivious to the people staring at it before, now it growled at them.
"Its been done before." Shea narrowed her eyes at the vampire. "One way ticket to Shop Vac heaven, coming right up." She staked the vampire, its mouth gaping open just before it turned to dust.
Buffy stood in amazement, she couldn’t believe this girl. Now that she was a bit closer she could see that she was pretty, and witty. Buffy had seen the sword in the dark haired girl’s hand, wondering what it was for. Most of her fellow Slayers had just the stake, it was light and portable, the other bonus it was easy to conceal. Spike stood next to her, he was looking over the rest of the group. He too had lain eyes on the sword and began to slip away.
"Spike," Buffy grabbed his arm "What’s got you wigged out?"
"Her." he nodded to the girl with the broadsword. "I’m not sticking around to find out why she‘s here."
"Why?" Buffy asked.
"That blade is something I never wanted to see in my unlife." he averted his eyes.
"Who is she?" Buffy asked. "What is she?"
"A legend," Spike cast a look to the pale girl. "it says that anyone that carries that blade is sworn to kill evil, vampires and anything else that comes from hell." he leaned against the nearest tree back to the group. "The person who carries the sword is a Justicar, said to be Immortal and a vampire. No one has ever lived to talk about them."
"Someone had to for this legend to have been started." Buffy reasoned.
"What ever you do," Spike eyed the Slayer. "don’t get close to her, with in swinging range. There’s not telling what you are now that you’ve been brought back."
Shea had heard someone talking nearby and the tone was getting louder. Cautioning the rest of the rest of the group to stay back while she investigated was hard, Sarah was pressing to come with her. Shea had managed to convince her. Nearing the small clump of trees she could see a small petite girl with dishwater blonde hair, green eyes and a trim figure. She was dressed in a pair of stylish jeans, a silk screened tank top and a set of boots that looked like they belonged in the most recent issue of Cosmo. The other figure was male, he was a pale, tall, platinum blonde spiked out haphazardly, with pale blue eyes. He was dressed in a black leather duster, combat boots, a black cotton tee shirt over that a electric blue silk button up shirt, black denim jeans. He looked more like a punk than anything, what was hidden behind the human face was a vampire with golden eyes and protruding ridges above his eyes and a sharp set of fangs.
"You two always talk this loud, or is this just a rare occasion?" the girl smirked, the sword leaning on her left shoulder.
"Didn’t know anyone was eavesdropping." Buffy fired back.
"Hard not to when your practically waking the dead." she nodded to the second vampire that was slipping up on Buffy.
"Damn," Buffy pulled a stake out of her coat pocket and quickly dusted the vampire. "Your supposed to sense them." she fired this comment at Spike.
"Little hard to do when I’m a bit torn between running for my life and beating a stranger senseless." he looked at the dark haired girl.
"Beating me senseless?" she smirked. "Come one Billy Idol, think you can take me?"
"Hey," Buffy stepped between the two of them. "That’s my boyfriend."
"Really?" the girl raised her brow "When do Slayers date vampires? I didn‘t quite get the memo on that one."
"How do you know I’m a Slayer?" Buffy crossed her arms. "Who are you?"
"I know you’re the Slayer the same way he knows," she nodded at Spike. "I’m the Justicar." she paused. "The weaponry," she motioned to Buffy’s stake and then nodded to her sword. "What are the odds that the twenty-something with the stake in her hand that just slew a vampire is not a Slayer, especially on the Hell Mouth."
"You’re a vampire," Buffy reasoned "which means I can slay you."
"You could," the girl grinned "or we could discuss this like adults. Blood and maiming are not on my to do list tonight. I vote for option two."
"You have a name?" Buffy asked
"Shea Venchennzi, and you must be Buffy Summers." Shea extended her hand. Whistling the rest of her group joined her. "Found her."
"The Slayer?" Methos eyed Buffy. "Your sure?"
"Who are you people?" Buffy sounded exasperated. "How do you know about me?"
"I’ve seen you before." Spike looked at Methos. "You used to run with Byron."
"Seems as thought your company has changed too." Methos smirked. "He used to run with a pretty nasty crowd."
"Didn’t we all?" Shea smirked shooting Methos a look. "I remember you and your friends raising more than hell."
"Pot calling the kettle black?" he arched a brow. "Not the issue of the moment."
"Right," Shea turned to see Buffy looking rather annoyed. "You have a Watcher?"
"Yeah." Buffy crossed her arms. " I take it you want to see him?"
"That’s the plan." Iolaus eyed Spike.
Giles had gotten the call earlier that afternoon, it was a bit unnerving that Oz had called him. He had thought the young man long gone. Willow had informed him that Oz had need to find himself. The young man soon after his senior year of high school began he had played with his small cousin, a werewolf, was bitten and thus became one as well. Back from traversing the world to settle back into life in Sunnydale.
Giles and Jenny had spent the rest of the evening unpacking her things, since they had moved in together they had to find a bigger space. Surprising his land lord had another flat space that was bigger and better that Giles’ small bachelor’s pad. His recent purchase of the one of Sunnydale’s occult shops had his luck looking up. Jenny and himself had pooled their efforts and found that with each other they were doing rather good business. Anya had made a few suggestions to Jenny and they had been good for business. The knock on the door had startled both of them, Jenny went to the door.
"Oz?" she smiled. "How are you?"
"I’m good." he smiled back. "Is Giles here?" he looked over her shoulder to see the ex-librarian walking up. "Hey." Oz gave a small wave.
"Oz," he smiled. "Come in." Giles stepped aside. "I haven’t done much research," he looked around at the boxes.
"I can see that." he nodded. "I called you and, uh thought that you might want to know about this thing."
"Thing?" Jenny offered him can of soda.
"A friend of mine, Gabe, he’s in from New York City, brought a friend with him, she’s a cop. A good one, anyway. She was asking about some of the stuff that’s happened here. Gabe’s originally from here, we used to do the public education thing together. Anyway this cop, she began pressing me on if I knew anyone that might know about prophecies, and I thought about you." he looked at Giles. "I didn’t name names. I asked her if she might want to talk to you, said she’s got friend who wants to know, I told her I talk with you before I let her know."
"Did she mention any specific names?" Giles inquired.
"Two names. Shea Venchennzi and a Prophecy of Somaris."
"Somaris?" Giles seemed lost for a moment. "Your sure she said Somaris?"
"Pretty sure." Oz noticed Giles sudden flourish of activity as he went through a few boxes. "I take it you know something about it?"
"All about it." Giles remarked. "Yes, this is lovely." he pulled a book back.
"There’s a bit of the old fuddy duddy," Jenny nudged Oz. "I miss seeing this side of him."
"What?" Giles grinned. "You haven’t seen this side lately?"
"Guys," Oz looked around. "Somaris?"
"Yes," Giles winced, absent minded he sat down. "Here it is, ‘They shall unite with the Slayer and the trifecca shall form. They shall defeat the Ancient Goddess, one shall fall, and from her ashes shall be reborn an elemental force that shall scorch the battlefield with a righteous sword of fire. She will command the elements on the Eve of Dahgi.’ The Eve of Dahgi," Giles rose from the sofa and went to another box. "Yes, that will be quite nice." he returned to sit next to Oz. "Here it is, ancient Greek and Roman holidays." he smiled at Jenny. "Dahgi, a even more ancient holiday, from a group of people from eastern Europe, called Scythians. The Greeks seemed to respect their culture somewhat, adopting portions of it into their own. Oh, the Eve of Dahgi is in two weeks." he sounded disappointed.
A knock on the door, Jenny again rose to get it, she soon found Buffy behind the door with some strangers. Spike leaning on the doorjamb. Jenny stepped aside, the strangers looking around, Buffy making her way for Giles when she noticed Oz.
"Oz, hey." she smiled and greeted him. "Giles, we have some issues."
"Not right now Buffy. Oz received a visit from a police officer from New York about a prophecy that is less that two weeks away."
"Hunh?" Buffy furrowed her brow. "Slow down with the Watcher gibberish. What prophecy? What cop?"
"This cop." Sarah tossed her badge in the middle of Giles’s book.
"This prophecy." Shealti dropped the medieval bestiary next to the one Giles already had on the coffee table.
Giles looked up to see two women who could have easily been Amazons, both were tall. That was the only similarity between them. The older one was in her late twenties to mid-thirties, auburn hair and jade green eyes. The younger of the two was pale, dark hair and blue violet eyes, her eyes were what caught Giles’s attention. There was wisdom way beyond the twenty something appearance lurking in those eyes.
"This is Sarah," Oz smiled looking at the cop. "and I’m guessing that your Shea Venchennzi."
"Does everyone but me know who she is?" Buffy rolled her eyes.
"I don’t know her." Jenny smirked at Buffy.
"Bonus," Shea extended her hand. "you recognize me."
"Who are all these people Ms. Venchennzi?" Giles eyed the younger woman.
"Okay first of all, drop the Miss, just Shea," she paused looking over at Methos. "Their my associates. Methos," she gestured to the tall dark haired man with Greek look to him. "This is Iolaus," she gestured to the shorter blonde young man. "Owsyn Kean." she gestured to the dark haired girl that looked like she could be some relation to the taller man. "And this is Richie Ryan." she gestured to the taller young man with the shaved head.
"How do you know about this Prophecy?" Giles asked.
"Because I’m in it," Shea shrugged out of her duster. Hanging it on a coat rack. "so is Sarah and Buffy." she gestured to the second bestiary.
"Neither of you is an Amazon," Giles began.
"Amazons?" Sarah arched a brow. "Aren’t those the fabled warrior women of Ancient Greece?"
"Not fabled," Shea grinned. "They were real, and no where in this does it mention Amazons." she opened the second bestiary. "They shall form the trifecca, The Slayer, The Justicar and the wielder of the Digitablum Magi."
"The Justicar is a legend, a sort of fairy tale told to vampires to keep the demons in check, and the Witchblade is buried in the catacombs of the Vatican." Giles was rationalizing. "Its highly unlikely that either of you," he caught Spike pacing nervously, watching Shea like an antelope watches a lioness. "Spike what in Gods name are you doing?"
"Pacing." Spike stated simply. "I’m nervous."
"Why?" Jenny asked. "What could make a vampire nervous, other than a Slayer."
"Her." Spike’s blue eyes never left Shea’s form. "She’s got major mojo, the sword and speed I‘ve never seen in anything living or dead."
"What sword?" Buffy asked. "What does her sword have to do with anything?" she looked at Shea. "Everyone keeps talking about her sword Giles, why?"
"The Justicar is fabled to have a sword so old and charged with power, just one touch to a vampire’s skin would be equal to staking them." Giles provided, he watched as the younger woman removed a ancient broadsword from the leather folds of the duster. "I-it can’t be." He looked at the blade in her hands. "May I?" he offered his hands.
"Sure." Shea flipped it over the back of her palm and then placed it in the older man’s hands.
"Jenny," he asked the dark haired woman seated on the couch. "Would you get me Rikers’ Mythical Weapons, please."
"Sure." Jenny got the rather thick book from a deep box. "This it?"
"Yes." he nodded as she brought the book over and he took the blade by the grip and held it as he turned the pages. "This is not the sword of the Justicar," he looked at Shea as she looked in the book. "I-"
"No," she shook her head "that’s not it either," Shea nodded at the book. "Riker drew a pretty accurate version of Arthur’s sword." she flipped the page "That’s this sword," she read the caption "Bodicia’s blade?" she furrowed her brow. "Hey, look Its my blade, and I’m guessing," she took the book from Jenny. "Oh look, the Witchblade," she looked at Sarah. "Riker botched his mythical weapons." she closed the book handing it to Giles. "Thinking the pages got mixed up when they were being bound."
"Giles," Buffy spoke up "I watched her slay said vampires, and she was like me, except on super fast forward." she glanced over at Spike. "And I’m guessing from Spike’s apparent nervousness that she is what she says she is."
"Yes," he eyed Shea, then looked at Sarah. "I suppose that you have the Witchblade." he gave a small smirk.
Shea snatched her blade from Giles and proceeded to attack Sarah with her sword. The Witchblade formed each plate of metal extended from the one below it. The whole thing happened in just mere seconds the but the sound of the metal against metal, looking to see the massive blade extended meeting Shea’s blade.
Giles had caught the gauntlet forming it only took seconds but his eyes watched as the gauntlet retreated just as quickly as it had formed. The residents of Sunnydale were just standing faces still and some mouths gaping.
"That’s what I call easily concealed." Buffy remarked.
"Yeah." Oz looked over at Giles. "Um, I thinking that it’s time to share information."