The Other Ascension: Part One
by Daniel Jay
If a character hasn't been seen in an episode of Buffy the Vampire SlayerI own them. Everybody else is owned by Joss Whedon. I messed around a tad with Faith to fit my story. I wrote this in January of 99 so I DID NOT copy the title or basic concept(I copied the title from Becoming). Also, this is designed for non Buffy watchers(people who don't know the history).
Part One
"What are you doing up so early?"
"Couldn't sleep."
"Well, have some breakfast at least. I made some eggs with bacon on the side."
The woman, getting up, proceeded to gather a decent breakfast for her young daughter. She then put the plate and a glass of orange juice down in front of the teenage girl.
"Stand up a sec." The girl, still half-asleep, obediently got up. "Do I ever tell you how proud I am of you."
"Only every day," the girl said sarcastically.
"Well that's because I am. It takes a lot of courage to do what you are doing."
"Thanks mom."
"Now give your old mother a hug."
The two then met for a heartfelt hug. Suddenly the girl's face turned into the demonic snarl of a vampire. The girl then bit ferociously into the neck of her mother. The woman's face was filled with shock and disappointment.
Faith woke up from her turbulent sleep breathing heavily. In a pool of sweat she lay in the bed of her hotel room, and closed her eyes tightly. After a few minutes her breathing finally began to slowdown. She then sat straight up, and looked at the clock on her nightstand. It read 5:55 am.
"Right on time," she said bitterly.
Faith slid out of bed and proceeded to the bathroom. She flicked on the light, and instinctively covered her eyes with her hands. There she saw a wet towel on the sink. She grabbed it and threw in onto a pile on the floor. She turned the handle of the faucet, and slowly began to caress the water against her face. Faith turned off the light and faucet. Walking out of the bathroom, she began to navigate around clothes, pizza boxes, and other discarded pieces of garbage on the floor.
"Shit!" she said painfully subbing her toe on a chair. "I've got to clear this place up tomorrow." A smile appeared on her face since she knew it would never happen.
She pulled a blanket off the bed, and sat down in a chair facing the window. Across the street was a park with several trees. Everything was peace full with the moonlight faintly illuminating the street. Wrapped up in her blanket she stared blankly out the window. Unknown to her a set of eyes stared back at her.
Not many students go into the library at Sunnydale High School, mainly because of the librarian Rupert Giles, and the rumors surrounding him. Rumors of witchcraft, devil worshipping and other such things. To some extent the rumors are true, since he does have a great knowledge of all things supernatural. Such is the life of a watcher, whose purpose is to train and guide the slayer assigned to him. This particular watcher has his hands full with not one but two slayers.
Faith charged towards Buffy with a wooden sword in hand. Buffy ducked the sword, which just missed the top of her head.
"Careful Faith," Giles said seriously. "These weapons may be wooden but they will still hurt if they connect."
"Just keeping her off balance G-man." Swinging at Buffy's legs she jumped up to avoid the hit. While in the air Buffy kicked Faith on the side of her head causing, her to stumble back.
"Nice kick."
"Thanks. Come over here and I'll show it to you again"
"Remember Buffy the object is to hit your opponent with your sword. Not to beat them senseless."
"Like she said, Giles, just trying to keep her off balance."
After they positioned themselves, Faith once again charged towards Buffy. Anticipating this, Buffy ducked down and sweep kicked Faith' legs. Landing on her back Faith felt something touching the side of her head. After opening her eyes, Faith saw Buffy's sword dangling in front of her face.
" You really should stop trying to go for your opponent's head," Buffy said chuckling.
" It's my second favorite death zone. Sue me."
"And what's your favorite?"
"The heart of course."
"What a coincidence it's mine too," Buffy said sarcastically.
"Well, maybe we can go and stab some guys in the heart with pointy sticks."
"That would be fun too. Let me help you up." Grabbing Faith's hand Buffy pulled Faith up in one quick motion. Walking over to Giles they hand him their swords.
"Now that you've practiced using swords, we should move into staffs." Giles said walking over to the weapon closet, a cage big enough to be a prison cell.
"So we've graduated from medium sized sticks to really big ones. Hooray for us."
"I know you don't like the staff Buffy, but you should be trained in all forms of combat."
"Well, you'll have to train me some other time cause I got to go home. Mom's been wigging on me since she found out I'm a slayer, so it would probably mean a lot to her if I showed up for supper. Do you need me to go out patrolling later?"
"That's okay, Buff, I can do it."
"Thanks Faith," Buffy said as she was walked out the door with her bag in hand.
"Hey, Buff, where's everybody else?"
"Willow's at home practicing a new spell, Oz is at rehearsal. I don't know where Xander and Cordelia are. I think they said they might go to the Bronze later." "Maybe I'll catch up with them later."
"Alright, see ya."
Alone in the library Faith turned to her adoptive watcher "You want to practice then, G-man. I promise to go easy on you."
"That's okay. I still have bruises from our last training session," Giles said motioning to the right side of his ribcage. "If you want you can practice with the crossbow, or continue your studies of ancient demons."
"That's okay. Maybe I'll go patrol. The sun is going to set soon."
"The sun is going to set soon."
This was truly a great day for Maurice Leroux. In all his years of being a vampire he had never felt so alive. Being a vampire in the body of a 77 year old man had been no picnic. Although his mind was as sharp as it would ever be, his body only made him stronger than your average human. He couldn't even hunt on his own for fear of being overpowered.
The only reason he was still alive was that his master found his use of magic's useful. Being in touch with mystic energy Maurice could feel the energy radiating from Sunnydale California. The power was at it's focal point here in this cavern; located at the furthest reaches of the sewer. Vampires referred to this point as the Hellmouth.
"I can feel it." At that point two figures completely covered from head to toe in black robes entered the cavern. "Ah, Yuki and Sean. I trust that you have acquired the material Maurice requested."
"Yes, we have," Replied Yuki throwing a white plastic bag at Maurice.
"Did you finish your scouting report?"
"Yes we did. You want to fill him in Sean?"
"Oh right," Sean said pulling his hood back with Yuki following soon after. "The cave that we now occupy was once the home of a master vampire."
"What was his name?"
"He called himself the Master."
"Not very original," their leader said snickering.
"He's the guy responsible for killing the slayer."
"And a good job he did too. She just came back to life a few minutes later."
"After the slayer killed him, the Master's second in command assumed leadership. He was a little kid named the Anointed One. Then a Spike showed up, killed the Anointed One, and took over. After Spike was critically injured by the slayer, Angelus stepped up and took over. After Angelus was killed by the slayer Spike left town. That's a lot of leadership changes."
"Indeed. Tell me, who killed the other slayer."
"Her name was Kendra. Drucilla killed her, She was Spike's girl."
"Ya got to love a woman who can take control of the situation!" their leader shouted aloud. "It's a shame about Spike and Angelus though. They were good people, but they must have gone soft. Tell me, Sean, who's the new leader around these parts?"
"A guy calling himself Mr. Trick."
"Never heard of him," their leader said shaking his head. "He's either kept a low profile all these years or he's a newbie."
"He worked for Kakistos if that's any indication."
"Kakistos!" the leader said with wide eyes. "I haven't seen him in 900 years. You know he was so old that his hands and feet were cloven. What happened to him?"
"Dead. Killed about a week ago by the slayers."
"Damn. We can only hope that we will live as long as he did. We've been underground too long boys. We're out of the loop."
"What did you find out about the slayers last night, sir?"
"There's one with brown hair and one with blonde hair." The three minions looked at their leader in a state of puzzled shock. "Just kidding, just kidding," snickered the leader. "Then again, I didn't turn you boys for your sense of humor. The blonde one is Buffy Summers. She lives with her mother Joyce. Her watcher is a British chap named Rupert Giles. Her friends are somewhat interesting, though."
"Why's that boss?" Yuki asked.
"Her read headed friend is a witch, and the witches boyfriend is a werewolf. But enough about that slayer. She is not the one we want. The one we want is named Faith."
"Why, sir?"
"She has no family, no friends, and no home here. The only people I saw her associate with were the watcher and the other slayer. She lives in an old rundown hotel at the edge of town. She also doesn't go to school, so she has no sense of a normal life."
"She is perfect, sir," Maurice said, looking at his master sitting on his throne.
"Yes, she is. So Maurice, are you ready to work your magic yet?"
"Just give me a couple of minutes sir."
"Good. Remember not to go out killing tonight, boys." Looking directly at Sean and Yuki, he continued. "If you get hungry, eat a rat. We have to keep a low profile for the time being."
Faith was bored. The only vampire she ran into was a rookie trying to feed on an old lady. A one two punch followed by a stake to the heart was all she needed to do. Hardly worth the time she spent patrolling. "Hopefully the Bronze will be more entertaining," she thought.
Once inside the club, she looked around, and scanned for a familiar face. Nothing, she thought to herself. Not even vampires.
"I've got some energy to burn," she mumbled.
She sighed and walked onto the dance floor. Except for when she was slaying, dancing was the only time when Faith felt at peace with herself. This is the only time she would get lost in her own world and forget about her responsibilities. Maybe even forget about the nightmares.
"Watch it!" Realizing that she had bumped into someone, Faith simultaneously turned around with the stranger, facing him. "You made me spill my. . ." upon seeing the girl that bumped into her the stranger's voice immediately concurred. "drink."
"Well, maybe you should watch where you're walking, buddy," Faith said, trying to sound angry.
"You're right I'm sorry," the stranger blurted out nervously.
Noticing that he had a foreign accent, Faith continued in the conversation. "Your not from around here are you?"
"No I'm not. I'm originally from Scotland, but I haven't been back there in a while."
"Well, what are you doing here in Sunnydale?"
"Just traveling. Me and my friends are trying to see the world before we get old."
"Here's some free advice," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Watch where you're going. This isn't the kind of town you want to go bumbling around in."
Finishing her speech she turned and walked through the sea of people towards the door. Once outside, she heard some footsteps behind her. In any other situation she would assume it was vampires and prepare to fight. This was not one of those times.
"I didn't catch your name."
"It's Faith. Now get up here and walk beside me. It feels like I'm being stalked."
The man then sprinted until he was beside her. "Sorry." After a few seconds of awkward silence, the man spoke again. "Fine. I'll volunteer my name. Nathan Davison. You may call me Nate."
"Nice to meet you, Nate." They shook hands while continuing to walk down the street. "So Nate, don't your parents worry about you wandering the streets at night?"
"Actually my parents are dead."
"I'm sorry." Faith said sympathetically.
"It's okay they died a long time ago."
"I sympathize, though. My mom died a couple of years ago."
"How?"
"Cancer. It spread through her body and ate her alive."
Nathan stayed silent for a moment as if to mourn her passing. "So, you living with your dad now?
"No. He left a long time ago." Nathan could hear a mixture of sadness and resent in her words. "We're here."
Nathan looked around. "What are we doing at the cemetery?"
"I work here."
"What do you do? Dig Graves?" Nathan said comically.
"You could say that."
"See you round, Nate," Faith said as she walked away.
Nathan stood and watched her enter the cemetery with a sinister look on his face.
"Maurice, your masking spell worked perfectly."
"It did, sir."
"Yes it did. She had no clue I'm vampire." Nathan let out an exuberant sigh. He was obviously pleased with himself. "It's time for the next phase or our plan."
"Remember, sir, we need the book of Buchhotz. I can't perform the ritual without it."
"Don't worry about it, the watcher in Munich said that he sent it here to be transcribed by Rupert Giles. The fool obviously didn't know what he had."
"How do you know he wasn't lying," Maurice asked not trying to insult his master.
"Because when you're a human, you'll do whatever to stop someone from ripping your heart out." A smirk appeared on Nathan's face. "Tastiest I ever ate." Springing to his feet Nathan walked over to where Maurice was sitting. "Where are Sean and Yuki?"
"They are in the sewer collecting our dinner."
"Be a dear and go fetch them. I want to pay someone a visit before the sun rises."
"I love my life."
Just two years ago this man was a computer salesman in Washington D.C, making 15 000 dollars a year and living in a one bedroom apartment this is not what he had envisioned for himself. Everything was going wrong until he was attacked on his way home. This was not just any mugger, though. The attacker dragged him into an allay where it revealed its dark side.
Preparing to feed, the attacker's brow began to protrude unnaturally. It's eyes became yellow with minstrel black dots in the middle. The thing that caught the man's attention in actuality were the immense fangs that appeared where the canines once were.
Pain. That's the next thing he would remember. The indescribable pain of having those fangs puncture your neck, and having your blood sucked out of your body. The last thing he would remember is his attacker putting his finger in his mouth, and the blood traveling down his throat.
Three days later he woke up. Trapped in an enclosed dark space, he panicked. He punched through the top of his wooden cage, and began to crawl through the mountain of dirt. After what seemed like an eternity he reached the exit. Pulling himself to his feet, he looked around.
"A cemetery. What the hell am I doing in a cemetery?" Looking down in front of himself lay a plaque bearing his name. "Oh my god," he whispered to himself. Infuriated he screamed "That cheap bitch of a girlfriend only bought me a plaque. I'm going to rip her throat out!"
Wait a second, he thought. I never talked like that before. Then from the back of his head he heard But it feels so good. That's right. It does feel good.
Enraged he grabbed the plaque, wrenched it out of the ground, and tossed it across the cemetery. "Damn, I'm strong."
In the next few days he would taste the blood of his first kill (that was one hickey his girlfriend would never forget). He learned exactly what he was. A vampire. When he died his soul left his body and was replaced by a demon. Although he still retained his memories, he was now evil incarnate. The demon also made him stronger than any human ever would be.
The change was not perfect, though. Many of the vampire myths proved to be true. Sunlight, crosses, holy water, stakes to the heart, all hazardous to a vampires health. Standing in front of a mirror, he saw no reflection. You also had to feed. Drink the blood of any living animal. Although human blood was preferred, any animal blood would suffice.
He also met Kakistos. A vampire older than time who ruled the Washington D.C. area. The man has no vision, was a recurring thought. He wasn't even modernized until I came along. But he eventually earned the vampire's trust and became second in command. Not bad for a rookie.
Although he was the youngest vampire to have such a high position he was far from satisfied with his level of power. He wanted to rule his own pack of vampires. So when the opportunity arose, how could he pass it up.
Kakistos in a fight with the two slayers. You standing across the room watching. You say "They might kill him." Worse things could happen. You turn and walk out the door. When you return the next day there is a pile of ashes where Kakistos once stood. Worse things could happen indeed.
He now lived in Sunnydale, California. Leader of several dozen vampires. Owning your very own house in a very posh neighborhood. Having the money to buy whatever you desire.
"Not bad for a young brother from D.C."
The intercom buzzed "Mr.Trick."
"Yes."
"There's some people here to see you. They say they're tourists and they're looking for the town representative."
"Send them in."
Mr. Trick sat behind his desk when three young fellows walked in. A man looking about nineteen led the group. The two remaining members wore long black trenchcoats, and looked several years older than the leader. Although looks can be extremely deceiving in this business, Trick thought.
"Nice place you got here," the leader said examining the place. "Plenty of rooms, private office, servants to service your every whim."
"Thank you, but who are you and what are you doing in my house?"
"First, let me introduce my friends." After glancing at Yuki, he continued. "This man here is Yuki Migamoto, samurai extradanare. The man to my right here is Sean O'Reily. You may call me Davision. What's up with your name anywise?" Davision continued in a mocking tone. "It sounds like a candy bar."
"My first name doesn't exactly sound intimidating, so I have people address me by my last name. Saying Mr. is just a sign of respect."
"Before we came here I had a few questions about you. My main one was why I never heard about you before. I mean the name Mr. Trick isn't exactly a name that you forget. When we found your house I immediately had my answer." Looking directly into Mr. Tricks eyes, Davison said, "You're a newbie."
"What makes you say that?" Mr. Trick said in a very cool tone.
"Just looking at this place. The older boys have a thing about living so exposed and modern." Davison looked amused with himself. "Don't take me the wrong way, though. I know most older vampires have a thing against youngsters having so much power. I myself think that if you're smart enough to acquire the power, you have the rights to it."
"Well, if you're not here to try and secure leadership of this area, what do you want?"
"Information with a few favors on the side."
"What kind of favors?"
"Nothing that your boys can't handle. The reason that I'm asking is that I'm trying to keep a low profile for now."
"And what exactly do I get for my troubles?"
"A promise. If you do these things for me, both slayers will no longer cause any trouble for you."
Mr. Trick was obviously intrigued "Continue."
"First I want to know everything you know about t he slayer named Faith."
"Faith!" Mr. Trick smirked. "She's the reason I'm in this town. About a month ago we heard that a new slayer was in Boston. So Kakistos, my former master, decided that we should go kill her. When we arrived, though, the slayer caught him off guard and took out his left eye." Mr. Trick let out a brief sigh. "Needless to say, he was extremely pissed. He became obsessed with killing her. So when she left town after we killed her watcher, we tracked her down here."
"Two slayers proved to be more than a match for him?"
"That's right. So I took over our little group and decided to stay here." Mr. Trick beamed. "What better place to live than the murder capital of the world. What do you want with the slayer anyways?"
"I want to kill her."
To Be Continued....
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