Werewolves, Sorcerers and Grenade Launchers: Part 4
by Jared Cantrell
Part Four

Xander knew exactly when Buffy began her run from the back entrance of the school. He was looking out towards the front of the school when her heard a great hunting cry from off in the distance. A number of shadowy shapes broke from cover and began to dash in the direction Buffy was to have taken. He took aim at two of the monsters, hoping to give Buffy a better chance of survival. The first one he shot went down as the bullet pierced its skull. The second shot missed when the creature raced behind another batch of cover.

Xander gave up on those when he heard the front doors open and saw Oz's werewolf, Willow, Cordelia, and Giles begin their mad dash towards the cemetary. He tracked them with his scope and looked ahead of them for surprises.

Some of the creatures had not followed the hunt for the running Slayer. One of them leapt from the bushes at the fleeing party. Xander quickly put it down with a single bullet, and the group raced on without having seen it. Two more abandoned their cover to attack the group and Xander as quickly and methodically killed them. The second one had come dangerously close to Cordelia and he pumped an extra two bullets into it as its lifeless body fell to the ground. Then three more, unheeding of the deaths of their comrades, raced towards them. Xander took aim at one and fired. The bullet struck it full in the face and sent it tumbling, dead. The other two he could not get a clear shot at as Cordelia and Willow were in the line of fire. But the werewolf was apparently unworried by the two monsters as it grabbed the two charging creatures by their throats and smashed them together with a terrific force. Xander could hear the sickening crunch all the way from the library and he watched as Oz's werewolf tossed the two corpses to the side and ran on.

Xander continued to track them, but no more of the beasts appeared. He watched the group until they turned a corner at the far end of the street. They were free and clear and now he had to prepare for his and Buffy's stand here. He tossed the sniper rifle aside and checked his two pistols that he still had holstered behind his back. He then picked up the assault rifle and pulled a few extra clips from his bag.

'That's seven I just killed. We just cut their numbers by a third, maybe half. Buffy and I might just have a chance yet,' he thought to himself as he readied his weapons.

Gun in hand, he raced to the library doors and looked down the hall anxiously. He saw Buffy come tearing through the front doors with two of the creatures in hot pursuit. Three more were following further back but had yet to enter the building. Xander took aim and fired a quick burst at one of those closest to Buffy. He watched as the black ichor of their blood splashed against Buffy's jacket. The other one was directly behind her so he couldn't fire. Seeing herself in the home stretch, Buffy ducked down and dodged to the side as the monster's teeth snapped at where she would have been. Instead, its teeth were shattered by the crashing steel of Buffy's sword as it swept through the creature's mouth through armor, flesh, and bone and out the back of its head. She quickly got back up and ran towards Xander. As she ran through the library doors, Xander fired the grenade launcher down the hall at the three beasts that had just entered the building in pursuit of their prey.

The explosion rocked the library. Buffy was out of breath as she pointed to his grenade launcher.

"Reload that thing!" she finally got out, through ragged gasps. "The big one's coming!"

Xander ejected the spent shell, ran up the stairs to his bag and loaded a fresh one in.

"How many more are there?" Xander called down to her rapidly.

She took a few more deep breaths before she answered. "Other than the two we killed and the three you just blew up, I saw eight more chasing me. But they are _not_ our main problem!"

The floor beneath them began to shake as some great mass raced towards them.

"That is!" she shouted.

The doors and surrounding wall burst apart as a shadowy creature the size of an elephant crashed into the library. Even up close it was hard for Xander to determine its features as it seemed to swallow up the meager light around it. But he didn't have to see its beauty marks to shoot it. Buffy backpedaled from the behemoth to get out of the blast radius of the explosion and Xander raised the gun to fire.

From the window to his left, one of the beasts leapt at him. Instinctively he blocked its biting snap with the only thing in his hands, the rifle. It snapped clean in half under the powerful jaw muscles and the weight of charging monster sent them both to the ground. Its flailing claws ripped into Xander's chest, but he suddenly had one of his pistols in hand. He fired repeatedly at the beast's head killing it on the third shot. He pushed the body off him and got to his feet.

Buffy expected the mountainous beast she was facing to be blown up as it entered the library. From the corner of her eye she saw Xander blindsided by one of the creatures and his rifle destroyed. At the same time, the giant in front of her moved forward with suprising quickness for something so big, and swiped at her. She tried to dodge but there was no where to move to. All she could do was avoid the claws and cushion the blow. As it was, it sent her flying into the wall, dazed and confused. It moved in for the kill.

Xander watched it move towards Buffy as she tried to get up. He drew his other pistol and leaped down to the floor of the library. With both pistols he fired at the beast ricocheting rounds off its armored hide. It turned its head towards him in annoyance. It was all the chance Xander needed. One of his rounds caught the creature in the eye and it howled in pain. It abandoned the prone Slayer and charged towards Xander. He countinued to fire off shots, ineffectually, as the beast rammed into him sending him flying across the room, knocking over book shelves.

Buffy got to her feet in time to see Xander land amidst the stacks and lay there unmoving. Her fury mounted and her head cleared and she picked up the shortsword she had dropped and called out to the mammoth beast.

"Yo!" she screamed at it. "Right here!" It turned and roared at her, its maw gaping wide.

"I WILL FEAST ON YOUR BONES, SLAYER!" It charged towards her, its mouth open wide as if to bite her in half. She took two quick steps to meet it in the middle and, holding the sword like a javelin, hurled it into its open mouth using all her strength. The sword plunged through the soft palatte of the creature and up through the brain to stick halfway out the back of its head. The impact staggered it backwards and its glowing green eyes quickly faded to a dull grey. The body hit the ground with a resounding crash and ceased to move.

"'Feast on this!'" Buffy yelled out belatedly. "That's what I should have said at the end! 'Feast on this!' Yeah, that would have been good." She put a hand to her bleeding and head and staggered woozily, then she suddenly looked up.

"Xander!"

She vaulted over the railing and ran to his side, pulling him gently out of the wreckage of shelves.

"Xander, you okay? Speak to me. Xander?" He groaned groggily after she slapped him lightly a few times. She noticed the deep three furrowed gash through his chest and searched for a way to stop the bleeding.

From behind her came a low growl. She turned to find the last seven of the beasts had entered the room and were slowly moving to encircle her and Xander.

'I've got no sword,' she thought to herself. 'Xander's out of it. I've probably got a concussion. Anything I've left out?' She let out a long sigh.

"Oh, you guys just don't give up, do you?" she asked them as she prepared to die.


They ran through the streets of Sunndydale headed towards the cemetary. They had not ran into anymore of the creatures but Oz was still in his werewolf form, leading the party. Willow and Cordelia had begun to flag from the the constant running, and Giles, almost as winded as the girls urged Oz to slow down. It took some moments of explaining to convince Oz. He was apparently capable of some manner of rational thought while in this dimension but it still took some time for him to understand what people were saying.

They began a fast walk through the shadowy streets. Willow was holding a stitch in her side and Cordelia's every step was a painful exercise.

"I'm never getting captured in heels again," she complained out loud.

"Cordelia, can't you think of anything other than yourself?!" Willow angrily asked her. "They could be dead now for all we know!"

"Look, Willow: you deal with it your way, I'll deal with it mine! Don't try to judge me!"

"Girls," Giles tried to intervene. "Now, calm down. Those explosions we heard as we ran away seem to have died off now. They've probably finished off the last of those creatures and are right behind us."

"Those explosions we heard weren't coming from the school," Cordelia told him. "They were too far away, and they were in another direction."

"Cordelia's right," Willow grudgingly agreed. "And there were sounds of electrical discharges too like from a tesla coil. Something was happening on the outside of town, but it wasn't any of us."

Behind them, from the direction of the school, they heard the sound of another explosion, different from the ones they had been hearing before.

"_That_ came from the school," Cordelia announced with a trace of worry in her voice.

Oz gave a low growl and pointed a clawed finger up in the sky ahead of them. An armored figure descended slowly out of the sky and alighted near them.

His armor still wore the symbol of the Order of the Blade of God, but he was now completely covered in black gore and ichor. His armor was rent in several places and the man walked slowly and unsteadily towards the group.

"My God," Giles looked at him. "What happened?"

"I fought them," the man spoke wearily. "I wounded their leader, perhaps mortally, and killed quite a few of his minions. The ones that aren't dead are scattered and hiding on the far side of town. They shouldn't be bothering us. But one of his lieutenants was absent from the fight along with some of his pack. I figure they must have gone into hiding."

"No," Willow quickly told him. "They trapped us at the school! Buffy and Xander stayed behind to help us escape!"

"You've got to help them," Cordelia pleaded.

The knight let out a deep breath.

"The Slayer and her gun-toting friend, huh? Damn!" He looked off in the direction of the school. "You guys head towards the cemetary. We'll meet you there. I'll go get your friends." With that, he leaped into the air, taking flight towards the school at great speed.

"Wow," Willow marvelled. "He can fly."

"Hmph," Giles replied. "Just one more thing for Buffy to be jealous of."


Buffy cradled Xander's broken, bleeding body closer to her. The creatures spread out before her growling low, preparing to attack.

"Hold on Xander," she whispered to him. "This is gonna by rough." She tensed herself for action when she saw the creatures getting ready to pounce.

Then the skylight above them crashed apart as an armored form dropped into the room. He landed in a crouch in the center of the library attracting the attention of the gathered beasts. He held out his hand as if to grasp something and a bright glow began to appear there. It elongated and spread in his hand. When the light finally faded he held a long engraved sword in his hand. The creatures growled at him menacingly as he surveyed the room.

"Sorry I'm late," he spoke to the Slayer. His words were enough to launch the monsters into action.

Buffy watched as the armored knight danced gracefully among the creatures. His sword swept among them impaling and decapitating them, slicing through their armored bodies as if through jello. The fight was over almost as soon as it began, and at the end, seven more corpses littered the library draining their dark fluids onto the floor.

The knights sword glowed faintly after the brief battle and it disappeared from view. He walked up the stairs stiffly, obviously in some pain. She noticed the black blood covering him and the numerous dents, tears, and missing links in his armor.

"How is he," he asked Buffy as he came up to the landing.

"I-I-He's bleeding and I think he has some broken bones. He's hurt pretty bad." She looked up at him as he walked towards her.

"Let me see." He kneeled down next to them and ran his hands over Xander's chest and head. A faint glow seemed to spread from his hands and Buffy saw Xander's wounds close up. The knight touched a few of Xander's limbs and then looked down at him as if finished.

"He'll be alright now. How about you?" He reached his hand to her head and she felt a warmth spread through her body at his touch. Her dizziness and nausea passed suddenly, and the ache in her bones lessened. She reached her hand up to her face and found his still there. At her touch, he pulled his hand away and stood up. His voice was gruff and quick when he spoke to her.

"We'd better get moving," he told her. "Your friends are waiting at the cemetary and dawn is fast approaching. Time to get you home. I'll carry him."

"Thank you," she said as she got to her feet. "I-I appreciate your help." She watched as he helped the mostly unconcious Xander to his feet.

"I guess I better grab his bag of guns," she said. "He'd be mad if I left them." The knight ignored her as he walked towards the remains of the library doors supporting Xander.

"'Sorry I'm late,'" she muttered to herself. "Gotta add that one to my repertoire."


They all stood in the eerie twilight of the cemetary as Buffy, Xander, and the weary knight approached. Cordelia ran to Xander who was mostly walking by himself now. Giles was visibly relieved to see Buffy and him alive and well. Oz was still in his werewolf form keeping a wary eye on the dimly lit surroundings.

"The barrier between the dimensions is weak enough now," the knight told them. "The sun should just be coming up in your world. It's time to go."

"Not a moment too soon," Cordelia said as she supported Xander. The knight gestured and a glowing portal appeared in the air before them.

Oz and Willow were the first to enter. Oz gave a short animal grunt and Willow waved good-bye to the stranger. Xander and Cordelia went next. Giles looked at the knight. "I really wanted to talk to you some about the-"

The knight cut him off.

"I am really at the limits of my reserves. I can't keep this open for long. It's time to go. Now."

"Oh-Oh of course. Well thank you again for your help." Giles stepped through the portal.

Buffy walked towards the gate and was about to step through when the knight began to speak.

"You know, when people like us go out to combat evil, we know we have the skills, we know we have the power behind us. We're a match for the forces arrayed against us. But when I see people like your friends, especially that guy with the guns, standing up against the forces of darkness, it makes me humble. What they do, that's real courage."

"Who _are_ you?" she asked him.

He seemed to consider answering for a moment.

"Watch your back, Slayer," was his only reply. With that, the portal reached out and engulfed her, drawing her into the light.


Everyone was on the ground. The portal cut out as soon a Buffy tumbled through on to the wet, green grass. Oz had reverted to his human form on returning to their world. The sun was just cresting the horizon and beginning to warm them. Oz quickly grabbed his tattered robe from Willow and wrapped it around himself. Cordelia helped Xander shakily to his feet, but he seemed to be getting better with each minute. Giles stood up and looked around.

"We're not that far from the sorcerer's mansion. Just about a half mile or so from here. We can go pick up my car and grab a bite to eat."

"Second that!" Oz loudly agreed. "I am starving. I am so hungry-! I don't know how hungry I am, but I'm hungry!"

"Did somebody remember my guns?" Xander dazedly asked as they began to head toward the mansion.

"Yes," Cordelia answered him. "We got your guns, Feeble Weapon. Now come on. I gotta get a decent pair of shoes."

"I thought you said I wasn't 'Feeble Weapon' anymore? I thought you said I was cool?"

"Well, we're back in the real world now, Honey, so get used to it."

"'Honey.' I like that better."

"I'm sure you do, but you'll always be 'Feeble Weapon' to me."

"Speaking of shoes-" Buffy began.

"Yes, yes, yes." Giles told her, exasperated. "The mall will be open again in a few hours. You can go get your shoes then."

Oz raised one hand while the other held the swath of cloth covering him.

"Hey, Giles. You mind if we stop by my house and pick up some clothes first? I don't think I'm really dressed for eating out."

As the group left the cemetary behind, an armored figure stood in the spot where they had come through. He stared after them, focusing intently on the young blond girl in the lead.

"Good luck, Slayer," he whispered. "You're going to need it."

The End

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