Buffy and her friends were all gathered in the small dining area of her house listening as Giles explained in more detail his knowledge of the First and it’s plans to wipe out the slayer line. He’d made it clear that more and more potentials would be on their way to Sunnydale in the coming weeks and would need training. Buffy just hoped they wouldn’t all be staying with her, the house was already crowded with just Kennedy and Molly and between the two of them and Dawn getting a shower in the morning was nearing impossible.
Giles continued to pace around, walking past Joyce, taking a cup of coffee off the tray she was carrying without stopping his speech.
Looking down the table she could see Xander eying up the two new potentials, clearly not listening to Giles or noticing the evil look Anya was shooting him from the other side of the table.
At the same time Willow, Tara,& jenny were looking at texts and spells Giles had brought relating to the first hoping to find some answers there but it’s didn’t look like they were having much luck.
Buffy for once was actually listening to everything Giles had to say, her first encounter with the first when it had tried to use the image of Drusilla to torture Angel into killing himself (NB: In this reality Angelus didn’t kill Jenny so the First couldn’t take her form to torment Angel) had left her rattled and she wasn’t eager to meet it again or it’s nasty little ubervamp.
Then while walking past a small table Giles knocked a folder off causing a number of photographs to fall to the floor. He quickly picked them up catching a quick glance.
“These new pieces.” He asked Joyce.
“Yes, we got several boxes delivered yesterday, those are the items we still have to catalogue and display.”
“Very impressive.” Giles said taking a closer look at them but suddenly he stopped putting down all but one of the photos.
“What is it?” asked Willow.
“Oh it’s probably nothing, why?” replied Giles.
“Because, you got that ‘I want to get out the books and do some research’ look on your face.” Willow said.
“He likes to do that a lot.” Xander said turning to the two potentials.
Giles continued to look and the picture with a funny look when he noticed something, “I need a magnifying glass.” He said rushing off to the hallway returning moments later with his magnifying glass staring intently at the picture, “Oh my.” He pushed his glasses back up.
“You better not say it’s the end of the world again,” said Buffy, “Cause I got my hands full stopping this apocalypse I don’t need another one.”
“Well it’s not the end of the world as such,” he showed Buffy what it was he was looking at, “I believe this is the mark of Prax.”
“So.”
“Prax was a demonic sorcerer who developed a magical artifact that could alter reality to suit the will of whoever touched it, initially it could only work within the confines of four walls but over time he had increased it’s power to encompass an entire village, he hoped to create his own personal hell on Earth but was slain before he got a chance the artifact was to powerful and dangerous to destroy so it was encased inside a stone statue so no one could directly touch it.”
“So I’m guessing if this fell into evil hands it would be bad.” Said Buffy.
“Oh my, I had no idea.” Joyce said panicking.
“Don’t worry,” said Buffy, “If you give us the keys we’ll go get it and do something about it besides,” she turned to Kennedy and Molly, “We might as well get the breaking entering, stealing and destroying part of your training over with while it’s still quiet.”
The two potentials got up along with Willow & Xander.
“If we have the keys is it technically breaking and entering?” Molly asked Kennedy.
**************
Entering the Gallery Buffy, Willow, Giles, Xander, Kennedy & Molly headed to the storeroom where Joyce had told them the latest items were being held. They’d had Willow hack in and loop the security cameras so no one would notice and had smooth sailing all the way but then they noticed the door to the supposedly locked storeroom was ajar.
Throwing it open Buffy stepped inside to see a figured dressed all in black opening on of the boxes.
“What you betting this guy is here for the same thing we are?” Buffy said to Giles.
The figure threw the box he was raking through at Buffy but she simply deflected it and charged at him.
He raised his hand as Buffy approached causing her to collide with an energy barrio and collapse to the ground.
“Oh that hurt.” Said Buffy as Xander and Willow helped her to her feet.
Buffy looked back at the figure to see he was now pulling the statue out of a box. Buffy lunged at him again catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground. The statue went flying and cracked in two as Buffy felt to the ground on top of the figure, knocking his mask off, revealing his real identity.
“Warren.” Buffy said shocked, “Oh I am so going to kill you.”
Warren again raised his hand and emitted a bright flash of light in Buffy’s face, momentarily blinding her. He shoved her off and leaped for the cracked statue.
“Don’t let him get the statue.” Yelled Buffy waiting for her eyesight to clear.
Xander and Willow both through themselves to the floor and began to reach for the artifact as well.
“What ever you do don’t touch it.” Giles yelled but it was to late.
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