Spike, Angel, and Buffy attacked from different sides, but the beast had thick skin. Their blows seemed not to hurt it at all. And it was strong. Buffy found out just how strong when it picked her up by the waist and slammed her into the cavernous wall of the cave. Its claws gashed her belly, and she cried out at the pain of both that and being crushed to the wall. Angel let out a howl of rage, and attacked the beast with full fury as Buffy crumpled to the ground. However, his kicks, punches, and axe-swings seemed only to annoy the beast, and soon Angel was also tossed against a wall. Spike blocked a few swipes form the beast before glancing back at Willow and Tara.
“Red? Glinda? Got any mojo you wanna work on Tall-Dark-&-Ugly over here? Maybe a nice melting spell? SOMEthing?!” He took a swipe to the face and fell back slightly. The he growled and kicked the beast in the stomach. Of course, it simply roared and renewed its furious attack.
“Right!” Willow cried, grasping Tara’s hand. “Dissolvo fractum!” the witches cried in unison. The beast began to crack, bright light pulsing through the opening gaps in it’s bright skin. Then, suddenly, it was gone. Willow and Tara exchanged a satisfied look, then rushed over to where Buffy had fallen. Angel and Spike got there first, and Angel started to look over her.
“Buffy? Are you okay?” he asked, worriedly. She groaned in pain.
“I think he had salt-claws. They’re just flesh-wounds. But they hurt. Plus the whole crushed-into-a-rock thing.” Buffy struggled to sit up. “But I don’t like that. Unbeatable beast? Just before we find the book? That’s a bad sign. There are no coincidences in Sunnydale.” Angel nodded. “Right. Spike, I want you to go ahead with Willow and Tara. Find the book. Get it, bring it out. I’m going to take Buffy outside. See if I can get a better look at these wounds.”
“I’m okay, Angel,” she said, standing up. Immediately, she swooned, and Angel caught her. Then he smelled it.
“Spike,” he said harshly. Spike looked up at the taller vampire, and his look confirmed what Angel suspected. They both smelled it. Poison.
“What?” Buffy said, grunting in pain again. Her belly was throbbing, burning.
“That thing. Whatever it was…its claws were poison. You’ve got poison in your wounds,” Spike told her.
“Poison? What?! That is SO unfair!” she said weakly. Then she passed out.
“Buffy!” Angel cried. No response. He picked her up. “Okay. You three, go get the book. And BE CAREFUL. I’m going to get her back to Giles and Wesley. Maybe we can ID the demon and get an antidote.” With that, he turned and ran out into the night. Spike turned to the two witches.
“Lets be quick, ladies,” he told them. “I don’t fancy fightin another of those nasties.”
The trio continued into the cave.
*~*~*
“Giles!” Angel cried loudly, bursting through the Magic Box doorway. “Wes!” The two men came forward immediately. Then the group saw Buffy. She was pale, sweating, and bleeding. She was shivering, too.
“What happened?” Giles asked, as Angel deposited Buffy on the table.
“We were attacked. Some demon. We didn’t know what it was, but it was strong. It got her. Willow had to use magic to kill it. Its claws…they were poisoned,” Angel said quickly, the calm in his voice betraying the utter panic in his heart.
“You don’t know the type of demon?” Giles asked.
“No. I-it was big. Orange. Slimy. Big,” Angel repeated.
“All right. Let’s get her in the back. Xander, grab some blankets. Anya, get a bowl of water, we’ll try to clean the wounds,” Giles instructed. Xander and Anya moved to follow his orders, while Angel picked Buffy up again, and carried her through to the back. Gunn and Cordelia immediately began looking through the books to see if they could identify the demon that had attacked them. That was the only way to discover an antidote, and they had spent enough time working with Angel and Wesley to know that.
*~*~*
“I think it’s this way,” Willow said, pointing to the right.
“How do you know?” Spike asked her.
“I can feel the power,” Willow said quietly. The group moved in the direction she had indicated. The walked about thirty feet before entering a cavern. There, in the center, was a stone pillar. Beside it stood a tall, fair-haired man, holding a thick, dusty book. He grinned maliciously at them.
“Hmm. Didn’t expect you so soon,” he said, smiling. “I thought for sure that my Growkslerf would detain you for longer.” He sighed. “No matter. You’re too late, anyway. I have the book.”
Spike, Willow, and Tara all exchanged confused looks. Then Spike stepped forward, his game face surfacing quickly.
“Suggest you put that back, mate,” he said menacingly.
The man laughed delightedly. “Oh! I’m being threatened by William the Bloody! How splendid!” Spike took a hesitant step. How had the man known who he was?
“Spike, don’t,” Willow said, almost inaudibly, from beside him. There was intense fear in her voice.
“Why not?” he asked, just as quietly.
“He’s a Warlock. Powerful.”
Spike looked at the man again.
“That book belongs to the redhead,” he ordered confidently.
“Mm. Mine now,” said the man.
“Who are you?” Tara asked, stepping forward. Fear in her voice, anyway.
“I’m Kellan. Not that it matters, little Witch. I have the book. See you around!” Suddenly, a plume of gray smoke appeared where the man had been. He was gone. So was the book. Spike, Tara, and Willow exchanged a look of dread. Only Spike knew how serious it really was. But he suspected the Watcher would tell the rest of the scoobies, the witches included, as soon as they got back to the store.
He wondered what they’d do when they found out which part of the prophecy was going to be fulfilled.