NOTE; This story takes place in an alternate Buffyverse, a few years in the future. Faith has remained with the good guys, and is Buffy's secret girlfriend. Spike is still evil and Dawn is now at college. Tara and Willow are still together and some of Buffy's past adversaries are not as dead as she thought.
This chapter is dedicated to iyg, for kind words.
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Buffy moved across the room to stand before the demon.
The air was heavy with the acrid scent of hell. Clouds of sickly green gas spurted upwards from a tiny glow in the air about six inches off the floor. Suspended in the turbulent cloud was a demon's face that must have been at least six feet high. It's face was mostly human-like in appearance, but had two pointed ears that rose high above the top of it's head and a chin that came to a point that looked sharp enough to impale something. Pustules and boils covered it's jade skin.
"WHAT MORTAL DARES THE WRATH OF KO-LAN THE SEER!"
Dawn was quaking slightly as the peircing eyes of the demon roved over her nubile form. Buffy stepped infront of her to hide her nakedness from the pit fiend.
"Okay, Seer. We're sufficiently impressed by your 'might'. Now knock it off with the volume will you!"
Eyes that had seen a thousand centuries come and go turned towards the beautiful blonde who now stood before the portal.
"IMPUDENT INSECT! REVERE THE ALL KNOWING MAJESTY OF KO-LAN THE SEER!"
Buffy cast a questioning glance across to Giles, her Watcher. "If he's so all knowing he should know we're not deaf, right?" The british man made a ' don't tease the elder demon ' pleading gesture with his eyes. Buffy raised her eyebrows slightly in a ' who me? ' reposte. Looking back towards the mystic portal she became suddenly serious again with the thought of what her friends had just had to do to get the beast here. Okay, time to play along. For now.
"Mighty Seer," she said, managing to keep the sarcasm from her voice, "We have brought you here because we seek the wisdom of your counsel." Buffy hoped that the words Willow had coached her on would have the desired affect. "Grant us the knowledge to cast your enemy down and free our land from his coming tyranny."
"THE PAIN AND SUFFERING OF SUCH FLEETING LIVES AS YOURS DOES NOT CONCERN ME." The avatar's breath was foul and reeked of decay. "IT IS YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE TO STRUGGLE AND DIE, SLAYER."
"Tried that already." She said, folding her arms across her chest. " And it does matter that people will suffer. I'm not going to let that happen, with or without your help." Buffy looked over her shoulder at her sister, knowing that she would do anything to protect Dawn.
"Hey, Green Goblin! You do know that we're trying to kill your good buddy Brakkhan don't y...." Xander said, rising from his knee's and stepping towards the demon. "Xander! No! Stay still!" Willow cried, telepathically. The demon reacted quicker than the witch. His eyes swivelled their baleful glare upon the young man and he was flung through the air as if he had been struck by a wrecking ball. With a loud smack Xander struck the far wall and dropped to the floor. Instantly Buffy, Faith and Anya began to move towards his prone figure, to see if he was still alive. "No, don't move!" Willow pleaded in their heads. "It will not tolerate the actions of anyone but the ones it is choosing to speak too. To move or speak out of turn will only anger it."
Buffy squinted long and hard at Xander, until she could make out the slow rise and fall of his breathing. Her lips narrowed into a thin line as she turned back to the demon. She stared it directly in the eye for several seconds before she spoke. Luckily for Ko-lan, her looks couldn't kill.
"Oh kaaay. Now we know who is in charge here, are you going to tell us what we want to know?"
"ASK YOUR QUESTION THEN AND YOU SHALL HEAR THE WISDOM OF THE SEER, BUG." Clouds of the green vapour seethed around the horrific face. Buffy took a deep breath to control her anger.
"How do..."
"ONCE YOU HAVE ENTERTAINED ME SOME MORE, OF COURSE." The creature's face held a sickly grin.
"I'm not about to entertain you, and if you think that it is fun to hurt my friends then you better think again!" Buffy snapped. "I will not stand here and continue with this stupid charade just so that you can get your jollies!" She turned to Giles. "We'll find another way to stop The Corrupter, I've had it with this guy." Giles glanced across to Willow and then, knowing he should not speak, shook his head.
"Oh come of it!" Buffy gasped, exasperated. "The Corrupter's supposed to be this things enemy and we want to stop him gaining power. He should want to help us! But this thing is more interested in making us jump through hoops. It probably doesn't even know how we could stop Brakkhan anyway! We should just find Spike and dust him."
"BRAKKHAN MUST BE SUMMONED BY A COMPLEX RITUAL THAT TAKES TWO DAYS TO COMPLETE." The floating head declared. "ANY DISRUPTION TO THAT RITUAL WILL NOT DESTROY HIM, BUT ONLY FREE HIM SOONER FROM THE SERVITUDE OF THE SUMMONER!"
Buffy stared at the floor for a moment before looking first to Dawn and then to Ko-lan. "Finally we're getting somewhere! So if we disrupt the ritual, Spike will no longer be able to control The Corrupter. That's good, right?"
"No, Buffy." Willow's voice sounded in her head. "Spike may have his own agenda in mind, but if The Corrupter is free to act as he wishes, he will destroy everything! Men will fall under his spell and his vile wishes will be made real. People will suffer all types of torment and pain. Nobody would be able to resist, not even you."
Willow's eyes held Buffy's for a moment, conveying her fear. Bitter resignation formed within the slayer. "Alright, we'll do it your way." she said to the demon. "What is it you want me to do to ' entertain ' you?"
"THE HUMILIATION OF ONE SO PROUD AS YOU WILL SUFFICE. I WILL WATCH YOU RUT LIKE THE COMMON BEAST OF THE FIELD FOR MY PLEASURE."
"Rut like the....? Now hold on there a minute! I'm not going to.... not infront of....."
"THEN YOU SHALL NEVER LEARN WHAT YOU NEED TO LEARN. BRAKKHAN WILL TAINT YOUR LAND AND DEFILE THOSE YOU LOVE!"
Again Buffy turned to look at Dawn. The young woman looked back at her with defiant eyes, silently letting Buffy know that she would be okay and not to do what the demon wanted. Love for her sister brought a lump to Buffy's throat. No one else could look after Dawn if she failed. With a sigh she realised that she didn't really have a choice.
"Who with?" she whispered quietly looking anywhere but at her friends.
Ko-lan's gaze swept the room. He looked at the red haired witch. She was a brave one, staring back at him unflinching. He looked across at her wiccan lover, but the little blonde mouse kept her gaze averted. Next he focused on Anyanka, but she hadn't taken her eyes away from her precious Xander since he got hurt. No not her. With a sharp toothed smile he looked at the Watcher. Yes. It would pain the slayer more to lay with her mentor.