Chapter Text
The Magic Box.
Tara looked up from her work at the counter as she blended different items together for a cloaking spell. She heard what Willow said about there being a problem, and it made her uneasy as she thought about what her girlfriend could have found. Tara put away the mortar and pestle upon sensing a great unease within Willow, and followed her out from behind the counter. At that same time, Buffy, Faith, Kristoff, Xander, Anya, and Giles were at the table about to look through some books that they collected from the upper level. It was then that Willow realized she hadn't been hacking for too long into the Sunnydale Mercy Medical files.
With everyone's attention at her, Willow took in a deep breath while Tara placed a hand on her shoulders. Tara gently asked what it was that Willow found, "you look kinda worried."
Willow then explained what she learned after hacking into Sunnydale Mercy's files – that there were at least ten people admitted into the mental ward over the last two days, "and none of them had any history of mental illness." Her words left everyone stunned. The redhead could only guess what the others were thinking – that there were ten people who fell victim in only two days. How much more damage could she do to the city? Willow looked over at the stunned Tara who reached down and held the redhead's hand before they both looked at the people at the table looking back at them. The whole store was silent as they absorbed that little bit of information.
"The Beast… Glorificus," Kristoff said before he gulped, "will not stop at only ten humans. The closer it is to the desired time the Key must be utilized, the more she will hunger." Giles was the one who caught onto what Kristoff said before anyone else.
The two of them were sitting side by side so all Giles had t o do was turn his head and ask, "if there is a time when the Key has to be used, what happens when we go past that time and Glory still doesn't have the Key?"
"She would fail," Kristoff answered as if it was the most obvious question in the world. HE then apologized for his flippant answer and explained, "Glorificus would be angered. If you are intent on preventing her from getting to the Key, then she would be very angry if she does not have it by the required time. There is a possibility she could go on a rampage just to…"
"Just to make a point?" Faith asked leaning back against her seat while covering her mouth with one hand, "she would cause massive destruction just to make a point?"
"Yes," Kristoff nodded his head, "she is vindictive and…" Kristoff then had a far-away look on his face as he remembered the brutal fashion in which Glory killed all of the other monks. By the time he had reached the secret tunnels out of the castle housing the Order, he heard the last painful scream of the last of his brothers. He then gathered himself quickly before adding, "and cruel." The Scoobies all glanced at each other upon noticing the anguish on the man's face; they felt sorry for the man. Especially after he recounted what happened in the castle.
Willow then took a deep breath after Kristoff was finished before asking if there was a way to kill a god. Kristoff gathered his bearings after recounting what happened before looking up at the serious look on Willow's face. There was only one way he knew of defeating Glory, and it was nearly impossible. After all, not even the order had a way to tack Glory when she was in her human form.
"If the human form is killed, the god within that human prison is killed," Kristoff said as Willow pressed her lips together. Willow glanced at Tara who was staring at Buffy and the others in surprise before the redhead looked over at Buffy.
'What would you do, Buffy?' Willow thought to herself.
Buffy pursed her lips together as she stared at the books on the table. After a few seconds, she looked up and over at Kristoff before saying, "is there any way to find her prison… her human prison?"
Kristoff shook his head from side to side.
'So, no way then,' Willow thought to herself as she gently squeezed Tara's hand.
"If we can't find him or her, then can we send Dawn away to your father?" Giles asked Buffy who immediately frowned.
"If the Beast was able to track the Key here…" Kristoff then clarified upon the nervous looks he was getting from Buffy, "Glorificus does not know the Key has been transformed into a human girl. Therefore, if Glorificus can track the Key here without knowing who or what it has been transformed into, she can track the Key to any location."
"Dawn would be in danger wherever we send her," Giles whispered, his voice low.
It was times like this that Willow wished that Nico had finished interplanetary teleportation. She could simply teleport with Dawn to another world until the danger had passed. But then again, she reminded herself that Glory could very well go on a rampage if she didn't get the Key by the time came to use it. 'Anyway, it's not like something in a cartoon could work in real life…' Willow then mentally shrugged as she continued to think, 'then again, I have a series five implant in my brain, a technologically advanced badge that can store Alpha Radiation, and I have some kick-ass moves.' Willow brought herself out of her own self-amusement and wondered if it was really possible to teleport herself and Dawn away. She recalled having managed to access the Earth's lifeforce, 'what if I can access the lifeforce of another world from here… one that could support life. Could it really work?'
As Anya and the others brainstormed possible solutions to the problem of Glory and her human host, Willow glanced at movement to her left. Out of the corner of her eye, Willow saw Ariel levitating off the floor with her legs crossed over one another. There was a smirk on Ariel's face as she asked, "have you even tried? Nico couldn't finish that part of her training. Perhaps you could, Willow. You did connect with the Earth's lifeforce after all."
Willow shifted her eyes away from Ariel who faded away before she turned to Tara. She leaned in and whispered into her ear, "can we talk? You, me, and Anya."
"Anya?" Tara turned her head and whispered into Willow's ear, "what's going on?"
"She's been around for longer than any of us," Willow whispered, "there's a question I wanna ask, but I can't let Kristoff in on Nighthawk and why I need help with a possible solution – a theory actually - to our Glory problem."
Tara looked pulled her head back before locking eyes with Willow. She frowned, and Willow smirked before the two of them turned towards Anya.
"Anya," Willow said nodding towards the door in the back of the shop which led to the training area, "could we talk?"
"Will? Tara?" Buffy asked while Giles and the others stared at the redhead, "what's going on?"
"I have a theory that I need to talk to Anya about, but it may not come to anything Buffy," Willow said as Anya got up off the chair next to Xander, "I don't want to get your hopes up." Buffy pressed her lips together. She thought to herself that this was her sister they were talking about, but then again… she also knew that Willow wouldn't have said what she said unless she was uncertain of this theory of hers. Buffy then sighed while nodding her head.
As Willow, Tara, and Anya headed for the back door, Buffy reached for one of the books before saying, "lets find a way to stop Glory, or find her human host." It was then that Buffy had an idea. She knew that while the Watchers Council could not be trusted with knowledge about Dawn or Willow, they were still an organization with resources she and Giles simply could not get through any means. Heck, Buffy doubted that even Riley and his military connections could help in this situation. So, she turned to Giles and asked, "without tell the Council about Dawn and Willow, can you ask them if they have away to find Glory's human host? OR even if they have a way to imprison him?"
"Imprison him?" Kristoff asked. He had heard of the Watcher's Council and there were questions among the order if they should instead contact the Council to keep the Key safe. However, the Order also knew the Council… at least some sections of the Council… were not trustworthy when it came down to the use and protection of the Key. Many in he Order were afraid the Council would use it towards their own ends despite knowing the risks; others were afraid that they would try to destroy the Key. Neither was a good thing in the eyes of the Order… the Key was created for a reason missions of years ago and there was no way to determine what would happen if there was an attempt to destroy it. Kristoff then shook his head before saying, "he should be killed."
"I will not kill another human being," Buffy said shaking her head.
Giles glanced at Buffy; he wanted to say that there may come a time when she, or one of the Scoobies, would be forced to kill the human host. He wanted to say that she shouldn't be so naïve about the world… that despite everything she experienced, she still needed to learn a lot and grow to make hard choices. 'If it comes down to it,' Giles thought darkly as he looked away and stared at one of the book covers on the table, 'if it comes down to it, if there is no other choice, then if we discover Glory's human identity I will go kill him or her. The danger posed by Glory emerging is too great.' Giles then glanced at the conviction on Buffy's face before saying, 'he or she is too dangerous to live.'
Faith was the one who then leaned forward, placed her hands on the table, and said, "then putting into a prison would be the next best thing." Faith looked towards Buffy and continued, "but it has to be something he or she can't escape from."
"Agreed," Giles answered.
"Now, we just need to find the human host," Faith said.
Giles then turned towards Kristoff and asked, "our associate, Nighthawk, encountered creatures a few days ago." Kristoff then pressed his lips together and a look of worry was etched on his face. Giles didn't miss this, neither did the other Scoobies, as he continued speaking, "she said they looked like mishappen…" Willow, as Nighthawk, had said that the creatures that attacked that young man looked like misshapen Hobbits. But Giles did not know if Kristoff understood what 'Hobbits' meant, and so he said, "trolls. Mishappen trolls."
"They are the servants of Glorificus," Kristoff answered with worry as he recalled the screeching creatures that accompanied Glorificus into the Order's castle. He had seen them slaughter his brothers alongside their evil Mistress, "they would seek out food for the beast and… and they would seek out the Key on her order. And they would fight for her to the death."
"Good thing then they don't know about Dawn."
"Yes," Kristoff said, "yes."
While Willow, Tara, and Anya spoke in the training room; and while the other Scoobies spoke in the shop, none noticed the armoured men that were approaching the Magic Box. They were keeping eye on the Monk and the others… their mystical users already having tracked Kristoff from the moment he escaped the Order's castle. Once they made camp outside the outskirts of the city, these armoured men made their way to the magic box with their mystics. Once Kristoff's location was confirmed, the mystics were sent away and the armoured men prepared to move in… the monk knew about the Key and where it was located.
And he would tell them everything on pain of death. Once the Magic box was surrounded by the men, they took out their swords and readied their spears in the darkened street.
"Move in, my Brothers," one of the Knights said before the entire group moved towards the shop, "today the Key will be destroyed."
TBC.