Chapter 30
The demon is chained back up, on a different pillar in the basement, as far as stability goes, but still chained up. Not so shockingly, he’s very surly when he’s roused and even not knowing his language I can tell what he’s saying about us and our family lines.
“Best you tell us.” Willow says, “Cooperate and we’ll see you back to your own realm safely.”
He snorts and says something that we still don’t understand.
“I don’t think he even knows.” Xander remarks.
“Even if he did how would we understand him. I doubt even Giles knows that dialect.” I point out, “Given they’re from a different dimension and everything.”
Willow pulls a face, “We can just track them again, use some of this guy—we have bits of potion left.” She adds, probably seeing my horrified face.
“It’s a demon.” Xander tells me, primarily, “It’s not like it’s going to last much longer anyway.”
“Why I tell you then?” the demon croaks out, “If you kill me anyway?”
“I can make you tell us.” Willow hisses, closing the distance on him.
“Willow—” I take her arm, “—don’t.”
The demon’s laugh is a wet, throaty affair that makes me want to hurl. He murmurs something which I barely catch just an, “as them.” But there were three dots in the house he came from. Two people needed to summon him maybe? Or three people who hadn’t summoned him yet?
“What’s it matter?” she whispers.
“You’re okay with doing something like that?” I ask her, “You think that’s okay?”
“He hurt Buffy!” she snaps, pulling away from me.
“He’s a pawn.” I point out.
She makes a grumbling noise and walks to the opposite side of the room. Xander wafts his hands from side to side and glances towards the stairs.
“What do you suggest we do then?” Willow asks in my head, and I realize it’s in Xander’s as well when he says:
“Don’t do that all of a sudden! I thought I was going crazy.” After a pause he says, “Poor choice of words considering our recent situation. I realize. But I don’t know what to do. Clearly, he doesn’t have any important information—”
I feel Willow smiling, “You talk about them?” she remarks, “Obviously they did just think you a pawn to throw our way. Probably figured the Slayer would just kill you like she did the previous demon they threw at her. He died right over there, actually. Beaten to death with a pipe.”
“So? I’m supposed to be scared?” he asks, “Oooh, you lift me in the air and hold me in place. Just gives me a nice relax while you tap out your power.”
“I’ve taken down a God.” She says, haughtily, “You are nothing in comparison. I should just explode your heart, after ripping it from you, but you deserve to be returned to your home plane considering it’s not your fault you’re here after all.”
She’s not scaring me any less, right now, if I’m honest with myself. Her acting is terrifying; but I’ve heard about her time having to pretend to be a vampire version of herself, and, at least, according to her she was barely able to hold it together.
The demon shakes his head, “I don’t see your blowy pipe. You can’t send me anywhere.”
Xander starts to say something but Willow interrupts, “You’re talking about crutches.” She says.
“You’re not seriously going to open a dimensional portal in the basement?” I query through the mind space.
“Yeah, Will.” Xander puts in, “That could lead to way more problems than a flood.”
“Trust me.” She says.
A shimmer of swirling light appears spinning in a circle and creating the illusion that it’s getting bigger and bigger and then she snuffs it out with a flourish of one hand.
“That’s—” the demon starts. Then he rolls his head and eyes, “Not that it’ll do you much good.” He snarls, “The little purkas was barely taller than the pipe. Called himself Andreas the Magnificent.”
“Well, that sounds made up.” Xander says.
“It happened!” the demon growls.
“I meant his name.” Xander says, “That’s a LARPing name, for sure. He’s probably called Eugene or something.”
“What does he look like?” Willow asks, “and didn’t you say ‘them’.”
The demon sighs, “His fur tuft is paler than everyone—maybe not hers.” He points to me, “but yours and his. He’s a waif. I could have snapped him like a twig. His coverings were black. His voice was high pitched. I would have thought him one of your whelplings did he not have the pipe, and the other basically same but dark fur tuft and smaller still.”
I don’t know how helpful any of that is. He’s sadly right.
“Now send me home.” The demon snarls.
“Send who home?” Buffy’s voice asks from the top of the stairs.
“We were trying to get info on who called him.” Willow explains.
“You know I honestly forgot you were even here.” She remarks, coming down into the basement.
He snarls at her and pulls on his chains leaning as best he can in her direction. The chains pull taut but they hold.
“Let him free.” Buffy instructs, “After you get upstairs.”
“We can help—” Willow says.
“He and I have unfinished business.” She explains.
“You’re awake.” He says, “So you did work out the cure.”
“Of course.” She says, “We’re a good team.” She looks at us, who haven’t moved, “and right now the team needs to go upstairs.”
Xander leads the way. Willow last and very reluctant.
“She’s got this.” I remind her, as weird as it feels right now, walking away and leaving her to kill the demon.
Buffy makes short work of the creature and comes away, thankfully, unscathed.
“I’ll bet he didn’t happen to evaporate or poof into dust, did he?” Xander asks.
“No…” Buffy says, glancing down the stairs at the corpse.
Xander sighs, “I’ll get the tarp.”