The Draconis diary. By Enterprise1701_d

 

First of all, I want to take this opportunity to say that this is a story that shouldn't be read. It's a child of the deepest, darkest recesses of my sick mind, and as such should be unavailable to everyone who isn't (at least) dying.

For those of you who are thick of skin, not easily shaken, and are still determined to read this story, a final warning: this story contains scenes of rape, torture, excess violence, and all other kinds of evil deeds. A lot of bad things happen to good people, so be warned. I urge you one final time not to read on beyond this point. Even I, as the author, felt uneasy at certain points.

 

Introduction.

Of all the swords whose names were sung by Viking poets, none was so vibrant with its own identity as Skofnung, the sword of warrior king Hrolf Kraki. Skofnung had such a lust for blood that it would shriek in its scabbard at the sight of wounds, crying to be let out for carnage. When Kraki died, his subjects and descendants were too frightened of Skofnung to claim it as their own; instead, they buried the terrible sword with its master.

There Skofnung lay, untouched, for two long centuries, until a fearless warrior called Skeggi dug up the grave with his bare hands and wrested the weapon from the decomposed fist of the dead king. Skeggi's followers watched this desecration with alarm, convinced that Skofnung would turn on their leader and hack him to death. But Skofnung, it seemed, was content to be thus resurrected: in the peace of the grave there were no battles to be fought.

Moreover, Skeggi was not a fool: he had carefully studied the protocol for being the sword's partner. He knew that Skofnung should never be drawn without the express intention of drawing blood. If there were none to draw, then Skeggi would have to shed his own blood to slake the sword's thirst. The sun should never be allowed to shine full on the handle of Skofnung, nor should the eyes of women rest on the unsheathed blade. All these rules and others Skeggi religiously followed, and in return Skofnung brought him fabulous success and invincibility in battle.

One fateful day, however, Skeggi's comrade Kormak presented the warrior with a conflict of loyalties: Kormak asked to borrow the sword to fight a duel. After much procrastination, Skeggi eventually surrendered his treasure, but only after he had spend many hours lecturing his friend on how to handle Skofnung correctly. Delighted, Kormak hurried home with his prize -- and broke the rules at once by unsheathing Skofnung with a flourish in bright sunshine and calling his mother to come and admire the splendid weapon that Skeggi had lent him.

At such gross stupidity Skofnung flew into a terrible tantrum. The mighty blade hacked and hewed, slicing the boastful warrior and his unfortunate mother to ribbons. Then it hurled itself violently against a mighty rock and shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.

(Time-Life books: The Enchanted World series, The Secret Arts)

Or so the legend goes...

 

The Draconis Diary, Chapter One - gliding through the ages.

 

Two men squared off against each other. Both were dressed in Viking clothing, and both had swords out. One was a 1.9 meter-tall man with broad shoulders and deep-black hair than hung over his shoulders. He weighed at least 100 kilos, all of it muscle. The other was smaller, had blonde hair, and weighed about 20 kilos less.

“Why are you doing this, Draconis?” the blonde man asked, continuing to circle the larger man.

“This is the nature of things, Eirikur. You know this. There can be only one!”

“But I am your TEACHER!”

“And you taught me well. But now you are of no more use to me. Fight me, and prepare to join Odin!” the large man bellowed, and charged. The blonde man, Eirikur, parried.

“I gave you that sword, Draconis. Now you attack me with it?”

“This is but a piece of dead steel, Eirikur. Your sentimentality is your undoing. You KNEW how I was before you trained me. You saw me go into that tavern and carve everyone up who stood in my way!”

“Yes, and I trained you to be better than that!”

“And I accepted your foolish sentiments in order to get your training, foolish old man! Two hundred years or not, you will die here today! Fight me honorably, and join Valhalla!” Again, the large, dark-haired man charged. Eirikur parried.

Finally, the two men broke off their hacking, Draconis sporting a large tear across his abdomen.

“Stop this foolishness now, Draconis. You know I am your superior!”

“When I kill you, your Quickening will provide me with all the strength and abilities I need, Eirikur! Now DIE!” Draconis charged. Eirikur parried. The man was good, but just he wasn’t good enough. The follow-up came too fast for him to block, and Draconis’ sword ran him through. The world turned black as Eirikur died, never to rise again as Draconis severed the older Immortal’s head immediately afterwards.

 

Draconis came by the slain bodies of the warrior Kormak and his mother after a good brawl in a tavern not far away. He had witnessed the entire event, and it had left him cold. Nothing could touch him. Certainly not something like this gross stupidity.

Draconis advanced on the rock where Skofnung was embedded. The blade had hurled itself against it, obviously attempting suicide, but it had just embedded itself instead. Draconis steeled himself, grabbed the handle, and tensed his muscles. Cold as he may be, Draconis was no fool. He had seen the weapon act on itself, and he was in no hurry to join the fallen warriors in Valhalla.

"Be my partner, blade, and we will be the mightiest duo ever to ride the world," he muttered as he began to draw the sword from the rock. It did not resist, and came out rather easy.

The next moment, Draconis had drawn his own sword, shattered it against the rock, and had sheathed Skofnung in the scabbard. It was hidden from sunlight by the vest of reindeer hide Draconis was carrying. The Norse weather could be icy cold, even in mid-summer.

Draconis looked at his shattered Viking sword, and thought of his master, Eirikur, who had given him that sword, over a hundred years ago. By shattering it, Draconis had shattered the final bounds with that life. He felt free, free of the rules of Eirikur and of society, and free of the bounds that threatened to grip his soul every now and then.

Walking into the depths of a nearby forest, Draconis set fire to some branches he had gathered along the way. Drawing the sword, he was finally able to admire it in the dancing light of the flames. The sword was not happy, and Draconis could feel it vibrating in his hands.

Shrugging, Draconis used the razor-sharp blade to cut his wrists, and draw two bloody lines across his abdomen, so his intestines spilled out. The trembling stopped the moment the edge tasted blood. Draconis died, holding his guts in with his hands, only to resurrect ten minutes later. His eyes opened, and rested on the fallen sword.

"I told you we would be the mightiest duo on this planet," he said as he sheathed the mystical blade.

 

The year 987, a nunnery on the eastern sea-border of England.

"Gold!" Draconis yelled. "Plunder, my companions!" Ten Viking warriors stormed through the burst gates of the nunnery, enraged by Draconis' sweeping motions of the mystical blade Skofnung. The blade was dripping with the blood of the peasants trying to protect the place, and frankly, the blade couldn't care if these nuns saw it. After all, none would live.

A couple of hours later, the blade's prediction was coming true: Only three of the nunnery's 80 women were still alive. All three faced a fate worse than death - Draconis had claimed them for himself.

All three had been tied up with sturdy Viking rope, and Draconis' intense dark-brown eyes slid leeringly over the women. All of them had been stripped of their wimples. He grabbed a woman of about 20, threw her against the wall, and was immediately on top of her. Spreading her legs, he ripped at her underwear.

"It's a crime to keep such treasures for yourself, bitch," Draconis grunted in her ear as a tearing sound, along with her sudden exposure, made the nun gasp.

"The Lord will punish you!" the woman gasped as his hand played with parts no man had ever touched. Draconis didn't understand her, and he couldn't care. Grasping at his pants, he managed to bare his weapon. A scream pierced the air as Draconis entered her, feeling her warm tightness engulf his manhood.

The other two nuns screamed at him in their native language, one Draconis didn't understand. He ignored them as he allowed his pleasure to dominate his senses. Finally, Draconis finished, and let the nun fall to the ground as he left her. Her habit was ripped where Draconis' fingers had exposed the sensitive flesh of her breasts, and telltale redness stained the robe between her legs.

Draconis turned his gaze to the two remaining women, not granting the defiled nun another look. For him, she was worthless now that he had taken her. The two remaining nuns looked fearfully at the Viking Leader as he approached them, a leering look in his eyes.

An hour later, Draconis left the room with a pleased look plastered on his face.

"How are we, men?" he asked as he approached the snek, the Viking longboat decorated with the head of a monster on both the rear and the stern.

"We have all the gold and silver," one of the men answered.

"As to your orders, we killed all the women. Too bad. They could have fetched a good price," a second remarked. Draconis grabbed the man, lifted him off the ground, and shook him back and forth.

"Do you dare to question me?" Draconis barked. Skofnung shuddered in its scabbard, telling its human partner it was looking forward to tasting Viking blood once more.

"No, SIR!" the man barked out. Draconis let the man fall to the ground, and Skofnung gave a disappointed shudder. As soon as Draconis had turned his back, the man drew his sword, and charged at Draconis' unprotected back.

 Draconis twisted out of the way, drew Skofnung, and listened to the blade's cry of war. It drove the fear of Odin into the attacker. It didn't take long for the man to go meet the god in person.

 

1066, battle of Hastings, near Hastings, England.

Draconis swung Skofnung from left to right, killing Norman and Anglo-Saxon alike. He had not been paid, and was mad in anger. The Saxons had summoned his assistance, but had refrained from paying the agreed amount of gold. More and more, Draconis focussed on the Anglo-Saxons. They would regret double-crossing him. They did. In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, also known as the Conqueror, defeated the Anglo-Saxon army, and with it, England. He took the country and all its inhabitants.

Draconis and Skofnung were exhilarated. Both had enjoyed the outing of indiscriminate killing, the hacking and hewing at whoever came within striking distance. Draconis had found his goal in life. And Skofnung would be by his side.

To celebrate, Draconis walked to a small village. It was inhabited by maybe a couple dozen people; all decent, hard-working, God-fearing people. As Draconis entered the village, he uttered the Normandy battle cry, and barked for gold. He demanded that the villagers surrendered all their gold, fed him, drank him, and gave him a horse. The people refused, and the farmers came at him with rakes and spades. If they thought they feared God, than Draconis would teach them a lesson in fear.

Draconis laughed, and drew Skofnung. The bloodthirsty weapon discriminated not, whether it slew villagers or warriors, peasants or kings. The blade was happy as long as it tasted blood. It tasted the blood of the 32 men instantly, along with 20 of the women, and the 25 children. Ten more women survived through the night, only to wish they had been killed like the others.

Draconis, not pressing his luck by using Skofnung, killed the women at daybreak, using a bow and arrows. One by one, the women fell to his arrows. Afterward, Draconis torched the village, which is why no modern man has heard of it.

 

From the year 1097 on, Draconis entered the crusades. Fighting for either side, the Immortal satisfied all his urges, be it for blood, rape, ransacking, or just plain fun in the Sultan's torture chambers. Draconis loved the quiet interludes in which to indulge his sadistic side. And believe this humble chronicler when he says that Draconis had a very sadistic side.

One interlude exists in this period, however. This is the period during which Draconis was fighting on the side of Temujin, the man best known as Genghis Khan.

When Temujin didn’t pay Draconis for his services, the immortal took his revenge by hurting Genghis Khan where it hurt. Temujin lived for conquest; be it on the battlefield or in bed.

Draconis burnt out Temujin’s eyes, and broke both his arms and legs in multiple places. The crippled Temujin was then rendered sterile… through castration.

After this interlude, Draconis rejoined the Crusades.

The year 1268, Antioch.

Draconis opened his eyes it was dark outside of the Moorish tent, signifying that the night had fallen. His long hair was trimmed short, and his beard and mustache had disappeared, all courtesy of the Moorish sultan.

Not one bad word on the sultan, Draconis thought. He paid half my fee up front, he’s waited for nightfall, and he even had a barber look after my hair… it needed a good trimming. It had been a couple of years, after all.

Draconis sat up, and reached for the blade, still tied to his hips. He never untied it, not even while sleeping. The bloodthirsty sword was too valuable. It brought victory, and invincibility, in battle. Draconis didn’t draw the sword. Not yet. After all, this was the sultan’s call, not his. Draconis didn’t care. When he got paid, he fought whoever he was told to fight. When he didn’t get paid… woe the entire clan, for they would surely die at the hands of Draconis, and the edge of the terrible sword known as Skofnung.

Outside the tent, Draconis looked over the Berber army that was to take Antioch from the Christians. When the Sultan gave the sign, the army surged forward, with Draconis leading the way. Actually, it was Skofnung who led, the blade extended as far as Draconis could reach. The weapon could taste blood... and it was thirsty. Very thirsty.

When the Christians started losing ground, Draconis enjoyed nothing more than joining the Moorish armies, and slaughtering them even further. Draconis' Viking heritage had instilled in him a sense of loathing for the Christians.  

After 1444, after four hundred years of battle in the same region, Draconis was getting tired of the Middle East. Deciding on broadening his horizons, he traveled the world, and learned new tricks from new Immortals. This humble Chronicler already explained the ways of Draconis' study.

When he found a mortal with useful techniques, Draconis played his role as humble student with the same religious quality as he had done with Eirikur. None of his teachers ever suspected a thing... not until the last day of training, when Draconis always explained why their knowledge should not fall into the wrong hands. Skofnung was very persuading.

 

The year 1521,Tenochtitlan, Aztec Capital.

Draconis had joined the expeditionary armies of Hernando Cortez, Conquistador for the Spanish Kingdom. Since 1519, he had helped bring down the Aztecs. Now, in front of the Place next to the Hard Prickly-Pear Cactus, Tenochtitlan, ten thousand Aztecs had gathered.

No longer awed by the Spanish horses, or the Spanish cannons, the Aztec people faced the Spaniards with wooden weapons and shields. The superior technology of the Europeans might do the trick, but Draconis was determined to earn his gold. He had been given one thousand golden Florins for his tasks.

Skofnung let out a song of battle as Draconis charged right into the middle of the Aztec armies. He could not hear the Spanish gasps, or their muttering. "He must be insane." "He's a madman." Or, the single, "He was touched by God... That is the Holy Warrior."

If Draconis had heard them, he would have laughed it off as superstitious nonsense. By now, he had reached the front lines of the Aztec phalanx, and Skofnung could taste the blood in the air. The mighty blade sang a mighty tune as its magic gave enormous strength to its wielder.

Draconis shouted in exhilaration, the salty smell of blood surrounded him, clung to his clothes, entered his nostrils, and burned deep into his brain. For Draconis, there was no better drug than battle.

He was vaguely aware of the Spanish musket shots, but he ignored them. What he cared about was the rush of battle, the smell of blood, and the moaning of the wounded. Oh, yes, how he loved the moan of wounded. People he would get to kill later, after the battle had been fought.

Skofnung couldn't remember how long it had been since it had felt such joy, such pleasure, such...carnage! All those years it had fought in the Crusades, and never had it felt like this. It had fought countless battles, but this one reigned supreme. The only reason was that this was just it and Draconis against a vastly superior army. The Spaniards remained at a distance, firing their muskets. As such, they were useless in the blade's opinion.

Draconis fought through the ranks of the Aztecs, hacking and hewing, slashing and thrusting the bloodthirsty weapon in all directions. Arms, legs, intestines, and heads... all kinds of body parts flew around the battlefield as Draconis went on.

For the Spaniards, the reason was clear: Draconis was possessed. By the Devil or by God, they didn't care.

Finally the Aztec Emperor was dethroned, the Aztec empire destroyed, and all the treasures were seized for Spain.

Draconis followed one convoy; one he knew was the richest of them all. Silently, he bid his time. For his cold and callus way of living, Draconis possessed a great mind and great self-discipline as well. He knew better than to kill the people in the convoy. After all, there was no way he was going to move tons of gold and silver all by himself. So, he let the convoy do the work for him.

Finally, Draconis thought when he saw the coastline. It was about time! He saw the convoy make camp for the night. For over two weeks Draconis had followed the convoy, and had been unable to make camp. He couldn't afford to be detected.

When night settled, Draconis drew Skofnung. The blade sprang to life, and hummed a tune of war. It too, felt the proximity of battle. Draconis had bid his time well. Most of the convoy's defenders were asleep, and those awake wouldn't be for much longer. Draconis had spiked their drink.

The guards slumbered near the fires, and Draconis slid closer. Skofnung gave an eerie glow in the dancing light of the campfires. Draconis' eyes glittered almost demonically, a sight mimicked by the look on his face. Silently, Draconis slid over to the half-asleep guards. His potion hadn't been strong enough, and Draconis cursed this land, of which he didn't know the working of the plants.

Skofnung cut silently through the air, its glorious song of war only audible to its bearer. One guard fell. Draconis gave no second thought to the fact that the man had a sickly mother to take care of; nor did Draconis care about the fact that the man left a wife and three young children.

The second and third man fell just as silently. Quietly, Draconis slid over to the second guard post. Here his potion had missed its working entirely, and Draconis could hear the conversations and laughter rise up quite easily.

Grabbing an arrow from the quiver on his back, Draconis readied his bow. He shot one guard, and quickly switched positions. The two other guards sounded alarm, and ran out into the woods, looking for the unknown assailant. Draconis' new position allowed him to take care of the second guard. The third guard fell to Skofnung's razor-sharp blade.

"Over five hundred years and still as sharp as ever," Draconis complimented the sword before sheathing it. Skofnung gave a smug shudder in the hidden sheath.

The guard's alarm had put the entire convoy on high alert. Every man was awake when Draconis returned.

"So much for doing this the quiet way," Draconis muttered, and drew Skofnung. Now that they no longer were doing this the 'Special operations' way, Skofnung's song rung over the battlefield as Draconis stormed the campsite. The Spaniards used their muskets, and Draconis fell after killing only three of the fifteen guards.

I definitely need to get used to bullets, Draconis thought as the world turned black on him.

When he revived, he was alone. They must think I'm dead, Draconis concluded. They wouldn't be the first to make that mistake. He checked himself. There were ten bullet holes in his clothes. Not a mark on his body. Odin, how I love immortality! He said quietly to himself before noting that all his weapons were gone.

Draconis' eyes lit up dangerously, and his face twisted. Like a wounded animal, Draconis ran through the woods from the location the Spaniards had dumped him. Somehow, Draconis knew exactly where he was, and how to get to Skofnung. The weapon was all he thought about. It drove him mad. Like a wounded mother creature, Draconis reached the campsite, eyes glittering with madness, his teeth bared in a supernatural rage. Even now, the blade's magic worked on Draconis, making him even more dangerous.

The entire regiment stared at the warrior, scared to death at seeing a dead man come back to life... looking like he did.

"SKOFNUNG!!!" Draconis' war cry pierced the night air, and the guards made a run for it. The magical blade tore through a tent, and landed perfectly in Draconis' hand. The sword sung a song of death. Not war -- death.

In a supernatural rage, the Immortal warrior charged after the guard-regiment, running as if the very beasts of Hell were chasing them. They were absolutely right.

No guard survived that night, and Draconis hid the treasure as carefully as he could. He would pick it up later, after gathering some men to do it for him. What he took, he took -- the gold the Spanish King had given him, mounted on one of the guards' horses.

 

The year 1569, the Atlantic Ocean.

A fast ship clove the waves as it raced towards a Spanish Galion. A peak at its mast revealed a black flag, sporting a grinning skull, and a pair of crossed swords underneath it. The ship's plaque identified it as the Draque, Dragon.

The Spanish ship, the Santo Piettro, was doing drastic maneuvers to stay away from the smaller, yet more heavily armed pirate vessel.

From the bridge of the Draque, Draconis was shouting orders. He had just claimed the Spanish treasure for himself, after laying low for a while. He had wanted rest, but now he and Skofnung craved blood once more. And this was a profitable enterprise, claiming Spanish ships on their return from the New World - loaded with gold, sliver, precious woods, and other valuables.

Draconis uttered a deep belly laugh when the entering hooks grappled the Santo Piettro's railing. Within minutes, the pirates were on board her, and Draconis was no exception. Reliving the earlier memories of his long life, Draconis lead in the Viking way. "Follow Me!"

Even though it was against custom for a captain to leave his ship, the Draque's crew drew strength from the fact that Draconis was there with them. And yes, their captain's insane laughter drove them on as well.

A couple of sailors fell before Draconis' Skofnung, his eyes already looking for new blood to shed. The captain! Draconis flashed Skofnung to the left and the right, killing another couple of sailors... as well as the ship's second officer, who just happened to make ready to impale one of Draconis' pirates. Draconis never saw the man's awed face.

"Fool pirate! God will punish you for this!" the Piettro's captain shouted in upper class Spanish. Feeling the need to shock this man as much as he could, Draconis used Pirate-talk.

"I'd hang ye from me yard-arm, ye ass! I'll keelhaul ye!" And Draconis spit on the floor to punctuate his remarks, and signify his contempt. The captain was shocked, to say the least. Draconis noted with glee as a vain started throbbing over the man's right eye, and his face got a deep-red complexion.

Grabbing his sword, the captain jumped down the stairs leading to the bridge, and squared off against Draconis.

"Ye'll fight me, ye land-lubber? Ye'll know a watery grave, matey!" Draconis shouted, holding Skofnung ready. The captain stared in disgust at the bloody blade, still dripping the essence of life from the killings of his crew.

All the fighting stopped as the Spanish captain and Draconis stared at each other. Finally, they launched. The captain fell to the magical sword. His crew gave up fighting as they stared at their captain's body.

It didn't take much convincing for the pirates to enslave the Piettro's crew. Sailing on after looting the Piettro, the Draque's crew laughed and feasted in the orange-red glow of the Piettro's burning hulk. The Piettro's officers and crew were dragged on deck, and were forced to watch the burning vessel, under heavy mockery from the pirates.

Draconis disappeared from the pirate lifestyle during the final years of the 1600's. After 130 years of piracy, looting, rape, and taking slaves, Draconis claimed a small island as his own. It was located in the Pacific Ocean, located in one of the best temperature zones. Draconis buried all his treasures there, amounting to enough money to buy himself a major country, and have money left over.

This time, the world's peace would last until 1775.

 

April 19th, the year 1775, Lexington, the English Colonies in the Americas.

The seventy Colonist minutemen arrived at Lexington to confront the British soldiers. Draconis watched from his vantage point, rifle at the ready.

"Let us create war," he told the sword on his hip. Skofnung shuddered. Draconis' shot reverberated across the square. Both sides assumed the other side had fired first, and a firefight broke out.

Not long after, a disappointed Draconis rode out of Lexington. "Only eight deaths! And just ten wounded! I can't believe it!" he shouted angrily. "I should have killed them all!"

Draconis looked at the sword. "No.Sword wounds are very conspicuous these days... I want them to fight, not join together to fight a common enemy."

Not much later, Draconis came across a town called 'Concord'. He saw British soldiers destroy the colonists' supplies, and a truly evil grin spread across his features. He turned his horse, and rode like the wind to the Colonist minutemen.

Draconis watched and enjoyed the ambush take effect. The minutemen literally ripped the British apart. The Immortal enjoyed the many deaths that fell that night... 273 British men died, along with 100 of the Colonist minutemen.

 

Waterloo, 18 June 1815.

Draconis crawled to the French army during the night. Suddenly, in the middle of the armies, he jumped up and howled. Skofnung caught a flash of moonlight, and Draconis charged. The guards quickly recovered, and charged Draconis.

Draconis was screaming and howling like a madman, Skofnung raining dead and destruction in fierce swings to the left and right. Using the night to his advantage, it looked as if the entire camp was under attack by a dozen demons.

None of the French armies got much sleep that night, which facilitated their demise at the hands of the British and Austrian-Hungarian armies. True to Draconis’ suggestion, the power-hungry Napoleon was condemned to Elba, a small island. Draconis loved getting back to employers who refused to pay up.

“Napoleon!” Draconis had shouted in French when he entered the commander-in-chief’s tent. “You didn’t pay. Now you lose.”

The look on Napoleon’s face, the look that just screamed ‘GHOST!!’, made Draconis chuckle for a long time.

 

The River IJzer, Belgium, 8^th August 1918.

Draconis watched the trench-riddled battlefield. To his front were the amassed German armies of his old boss, Kaiser Wilhelm. Draconis turned around, and looked at the collective French, British and American armies.

“Even though I don’t like ending wars, I like getting even,” Draconis said. “And right now, you’re all VERY happy that I want to get even.”

No answer was expected. None came. “Trust me,” Draconis added with a crooked grin. He started turning the huge wheel that kept the dam closed. The IJzer, at its high point, spewed its water into the trenches.

The trenches of the allied forces had been vacated, per Draconis’ request. After all, he wanted to get even with the German Kaiser, and had decided that nothing was more suitable as punishment than a total loss. A humiliating loss. That he ensured victory for the allies was just an unfortunate side-effect in his mind.

 

Normandy beach, 6^th June 1944, 3 AM.

“Fucking bastard,” Draconis muttered as he wiped out a pillbox post pointed at England. “No pay me, huh? Well, let’s see how happy you are to pay me when the allies land, asshole.”

Draconis jumped out of the pillbox, after thoroughly wrecking the installation. He entered the bunker, and got shot half a dozen times for his trouble. He killed the guards after he came back to life.

“Damn German Grűndlicheit. Those machine guns are more trouble than they’re worth,” Draconis said to himself while killing the guards who had shot him earlier.

Cheerfully, he made his way to the next box. The invasion of Normandy, D-Day, was only three hours or so away. Draconis watched the invasion, happily muttering to himself, “Let’s see what you say now, ass-wipe. All those years I gave you my expertise. I helped you set up the death camp system. I gave you the ideas needed to set up a good organization for deportation of the Jews. I even helped you train your stupid fucking armies. And now you don’t pay me? Big mistake, Adolph.”

Hitler never paid up, and Draconis never helped him again. Instead, he made sure that the Germans were hindered as much as possible. He enjoyed sabotaging the very system he helped create.

 

The Draconis Diary, Chapter Two - Destiny Ensues.

Location: island Bikenubati, Central Pacific Basin, today.

 

Draconis stretched out on the chair, basking in the warmth the tropical sun provided. Skofnung was hidden under the chair, keeping the powerful blade out of the sun, just as it preferred. Even though there was no problem as long as the sword remained in its sheath, Draconis didn’t want to stretch his luck.

The man was on a beach of a small island. There was only one building there: Draconis' large mansion. It was state-of-the-art, as the Immortal being who owned it never ran short of money. Draconis had returned to his old job: being a mercenary. He charged outlandish fees, but as the best, people paid happily.

The powerful Immortal wanted to scream when his satellite phone rang its ‘reveille’ tune. Draconis reached into his bag, pulled out the offending noisemaker, and pressed the ‘connect’ button after throwing a look at the caller-ID that popped up on the screen.

“You have ten seconds before I start hunting you,” Draconis said.

“Mister Draconis, this is the Mayor of Sunnydale. I have a job offering for you,” a cultured, even voice said through the phone.

“I am listening,” Draconis answered.

“I understand that you take on jobs that are out of the normal range?” the voice asked.

“Listen, pal. I charge 70 million US$ per week. If you can pay my fee, I would baby-sit your 90-year-old grandmother. Now, what’s the job?”

“I want you to come here, and take out someone who is very dangerous to my organization. She has become quite a nuisance over the last few weeks, and I want her...retired, if you understand what I mean.”

“You want me to kill a woman. Big deal. Give me something to check out your credit rating, and I’ll call you back within 24 hours.”

“As I said, I am the Mayor of Sunnydale, California. I can assure you that I am quite able to pay your fee, Mr. Draconis."

"Really?" Draconis asked, his voice just displaying the barest hint of sarcasm. "Just as a matter of interest, what is your organization dedicated to?"

"Isn't that obvious, Mr. Draconis? I am going through my Ascension shortly. After that... the world will follow."

Another would-be world conqueror. "Listen, I have no problems with world domination, but I will expect you to follow the contract. No invasion of my island, or of the Boriki islands, got it? I'll personally rip you to pieces and send you to the seventh gate of Hell if you disobey. And believe me, I am very able to do just that."

"No need for that, Mr. Draconis. I have no interest in your small array of islands, and you are very welcome to them ... If you succeed in retiring this nuisance."

"Tell you what, you send ten million to the Swiss bank account the contact provided you with, and you do it within the next ten hours. If you do, I'll get over to Sunnydale within twenty-four hours after receiving the money. If not, you better find a good undertaker, for your days on this plain of existence have ended."

"The money is being wired as we speak," the voice reported with a ten-second delay. Draconis nodded in satisfaction.

"Yo, Robbie, Status on transfer account?" Draconis shouted to the house not far from where he was sunbathing.

"Status-plus-one-zero-million-dollars-US. Source-unknown," the computer voice reported.

"Looks like I'll be there shortly, Boss. See ya later," Draconis said, and hung up the phone. Taking Skofnung, the man disappeared inside the house. Half an hour later, a helicopter took off from the helipad, on a course for the airport of the main island of Bonriki. He owned everybody there, so customs shouldn't hassle him on this end. Draconis only smiled as he thought of U.S. customs.

As he sunk into the plushy seat of the airplane, Draconis patted the pocket containing his wallet. Diplomatic Immunity. What a great invention! As sole inhabitant of his island country, Draconis was both ambassador, and president, of his island.

Sure, he didn’t partake in any U.N. council meetings, or whatever else would require an ambassador, but that didn’t stop Draconis from using his ‘immunity’ to bring his weapons with him wherever he went. At least, most countries accepted his immunity. And those that didn’t, he bought.

The jet landed at LAX, and Draconis flashed his immunity-ID at the customs officers. They saluted immediately, allowing his diplomatic pouch through without putting it through the X-ray scanner. His sword, guns, and his rifle were safe inside the pouch. Draconis’ bags contained nothing more than the basic in clothing.

Walking out of the airport, Draconis scanned the LA area he had arrived in.

I better wait till nightfall. I need a car, and some additional hardware, so I might better make some arrangements. Draconis walked to a bar, sat down on a terrace, and ordered a double whiskey. As soon as his drink arrived, Draconis downed it, paid, and pretended to leave. He made sure that the waitress would remember him by tipping her ten dollars.

Now that someone could testify that Draconis was in LA, he disappeared in the restroom of the café. Once inside, he locked both the restroom door and the door of the stall he was in. Draconis opened his bags, put on a large trench coat, and slipped the two silenced subsonic handguns in the holsters he attached to his belt. Skofnung appeared out of the diplomatic bag right after, and was attached to a prime spot on his left hip.

Draconis assembled the sniper rifle, hid it on his back, under the coat. The second bag was opened, and Draconis donned camouflage. A blonde wig hid his dark-brown hair. He used a pair of contacts to hide the color of his eyes. A fake beard and mustache in a matching blonde color finished the makeover.

Draconis walked out of the restroom, ‘forgetting’ the second bag. The first bag, the one that had contained his trusted sword as well as his handguns and rifle, had collapsed to a size that was easily hidden.

Good. Night is falling. Now, a car… Draconis walked along the streets of darkening LA, his black clothing making his more and more invisible with every passing minute.

Mercedes C-class? Not bad. BMW 320? Nice car, but not my style. VW Golf? <Shudder> No, thank you.

Draconis suddenly halted in front of a BMW dealership. All the lights were off. At least, the ones he could see. Resisting the urge to just shoot the window, Draconis walked to the front door, and flipped open the trench coat. Taking a locksmith’s tool, the Immortal had the door open in ten seconds flat.

Alarm bells started ringing, and Draconis cursed himself. He had wanted to avoid alarms, and had settled for picking the door lock. Putting the set away, Draconis scanned the showroom.

Good. A selection! The Immortal walked to the back, as he knew that most dealerships locked the cars in the showroom. Taking all the keys he could find, Draconis walked to the very nice 850 CXI. Painted as black as a moonless and heavily clouded night, the car held a certain attraction to Draconis.

He had the keys to it pretty soon, but not soon enough. No sooner had he opened the door, or an attendant walked into the showroom, brandishing a handgun.

“Freeze!” the man shouted at Draconis. The immortal turned to the man.

“What the fuck are you still doing here, boy?” Draconis asked. One hand reached for the left handgun, just next to Skofnung. Feeling the powerful blade trembling through the coat, his left hand halted on the hilt. One more second, old friend.

“Shut up! The police will be here any minute!” the man was bordering on hysteria. Draconis displayed an evil smile. With the grace of an enraged panther, Draconis ran directly at the man, yelling at the top of his lungs. Skofnung was drawn in his right hand before the attendant even knew what was happening.

Human beings have a subconscious reflex called ‘fight or flight’. When confronted by danger, this reflex tenses the muscles, releases VAST amounts of adrenaline, and routes energy-rich blood away from the digestive system, and into the muscles. When facing mortal danger, a human being will run like a startled deer.

What soldiers do, fighting when being fired upon, is a very unnatural thing to do and requires a lot of hard work. Not to mention the fact that most humans have an animosity towards killing a fellow human being.

In other words, when Draconis ran directly at the attendant, screaming at the top of his lungs, the attendant froze as the subconscious tried to determine ‘fight, or flight?’

It was to be flight. The man stared at Draconis, who saw the leg muscles of his target tense in preparation to run. When the man ran for it, Draconis was already too close to avoid. Changing trajectories, the immortal intercepted the man before he had made two steps.

Skofnung sang through the air, severing one of the man’s legs. He went down, unseeing eyes testifying to the man’s inability to feel pain. Endorphins blocked all pain-sensations. Usually a survival reflex, endorphins in this quantity could cause severe shock.

The dealership attendant never had a chance to slip into shock as Skofnung came down and severed the man’s head from his body.

Sheathing the bloodthirsty blade, Draconis eased himself in the anthracite-colored leather seats of the 850. Rolling down the window after keying the engine, Draconis shot the front window of the showroom, allowing him to get the car out without scratching the paint. Draconis never liked scratching a newly stolen car’s finish.

A couple of blocks from the scene, Draconis swiped a couple of license plates. How his eyes fell on the ‘badman’ plates he would never know. Draconis couldn’t care less, but this was something he couldn’t pass up.

As he drove to Sunnydale, Draconis took his satellite phone, and dialed a memorized number.

“Dragon here. Need a couple of LAW’s. Always like to have ‘em handy,” Draconis said in the phone.

“Location?” a scrambled voice asked.

“Sunnydale, California, USA “

“Address?”

“Mayor’s office,” Draconis answered dispassionately. He might as well have been telling the weather. The voice on the other side didn’t react, just seemed to accept Draconis’ word.

“Time?”

“Yesterday, of course,” Draconis answered with a small chuckle. The voice on the other side didn’t react.

“One million.”

Damn. The price has gone up. However, Draconis knew better than to hassle. Take the price, or leave it. Hassling would get him bumped, and would ensure that a very reliable source would no longer be available.

“I’ll take three,” Draconis answered.

“They’ll be there ASAP.” The Voice hung up. Draconis did as well. ASAP, As Soon As Possible, usually meant within ten hours.

Draconis' 'badman' BMW raced towards Sunnydale at break-neck speeds as Draconis floored it right after finishing his phone call. He actually got quite a lot of travelling done before he heard the sirens of a pursuing patrol car. 

Draconis calmly looked in the rear-view mirror, deciding whether or not he wanted to out-race the jackass in the patrol car. He knew he could... the V12 engine in the front of the 850 could outrun anything but the fastest cars.

Deciding on having fun, Draconis slowed down and pulled over. When he saw a female cop exit the vehicle, Draconis smiled.

Scratch the jackass remark. I want a piece of her... later on. Right now, I have an appointment to keep.

"Come out with your hands up where I can see them!" the cop screamed. Draconis silently reached in his coat, and removed one gun. Thinking over his options, his left hand materialized a gun as well. He released the car door, came out, and shot the female cop. She sunk silently top the dirty ground, Draconis' silenced gun having hardly made a sound.

Draconis paid no attention, and shot at the car. Knowing precisely where to hit it, the armor piercing explosive-tipped round in the second gun bit into the car's engine compartment. The car blew up in a gigantic ball of flame.

Draconis heard sirens of backup approaching. Paying no attention to the wailing sirens, Draconis turned the cop's corpse over. "Too bad. You're a pretty thing. We could have had such fun," Draconis said as a sort of eulogy to the corpse.

"Officer Grummond," Draconis read from her badge. Taking his time, Draconis knelt down, holstered the normal gun, and took her ID card. "Liza Grummond," he read.

"Well Lizzy, looks like you'll be having no more fun. Guess you wished you'd let me go, right?" Draconis laughed at his own joke. The wailing sirens were almost upon him, and Draconis righted himself. The heavy-rounded gun was dangling in his left hand. He could faintly see cars coming in from the Sunnydale direction. Aiming without lifting his gun, Draconis stood ready. As soon as he was sure he saw all the cars, his hand moved as on automatic.

Not even thinking about switching from his left to his right hand, Draconis lifted the gun, shot the first car, shifted positions, and shot the second car. Two balls of flame illuminated the night sky as Draconis shot the third and fourth cars.

Draconis holstered the gun, got into his car, and drove on. "Guess I made an entrance," Draconis muttered. His mutter turned into a full-blown laugh as he found the local heavy-metal station on the radio. Banging his head along with the rhythm, Draconis pulled up to the city hall, and got out of the car.

Thinking about shooting the car, Draconis walked to the entrance. He decided that he liked the car, and would keep it around for a little longer. After disposing of his disguise, he found the mayor's office in no time. Without bothering to knock, he pushed the door open.

"You the mayor?" Draconis asked the man seated at the desk. The man was not alone. There was a girl seated on the desk. She wore dark clothes, had black hair and dark eyes. He catalogued her as potential.

"I am, Mr...Eh, I never caught your name?"

"Draconis. You had a job for me."

"Ah, yes. Mr. Draconis. How good of you to join us. This here is Faith. She will be your... liaison," the mayor said politely, indicating the girl on the desk.

"Forget it. I work alone. Now, you want me, or not?" Draconis asked icily.

"Oh, I think you'll want to work with Faith. She has...ah unique abilities."

"Really, now? What? She fucks people to death?" Draconis asked. He saw the girl move. Fast. He was faster. The next moment, Faith found herself thrown against the wall, with two vicious-looking custom-built guns trained on her.

"You have potential. Nothing more," Draconis stated calmly. Inside, he was anything but calm. Faith had moved from total standstill to fast in a time that had astonished him. He had moved faster, yes. And he was stronger, yes. But only because of his accumulated Quickenings. He had never seen anyone, let alone some schoolgirl, move that fast.

"Very good, Mr. Draconis. As you no doubt noticed, Faith here is faster than the average girl."

"She has potential," Draconis avoided. He knew that, with proper training, she could be the deadliest person alive. He considered taking her in as his charge, then dismissed the thought. She was not immortal.

"Yes, well, she is what is called a 'Slayer'. A Slayer is a girl..."

"A SLAYER? You mean those aren't just legends? You better be telling me the truth, or I will make sure to rip out your throat and shove it up your ass!" Draconis yelled, training one gun, the normal one, on the mayor. His brain raced. What in hell was going on here?

"I can assure you that I am telling the truth," the mayor assured Draconis.

"Yeah, don't be so uptight! I mean, if what he says is true, you can't die, so you were safe," Faith said. Draconis noted the slightly fearful undertone.

"Great. You have a Slayer under your command. So, who is it that you want me to take out? A vampire, or something?" Draconis said, seeming to accept their explanation for now. The guns disappeared like snow in the sun as Draconis sat down in front of the desk.

"A second Slayer," the mayor said, pushing a folder towards Draconis, who stared at him as if he were nuts.

"There is only one girl at a time," Draconis said. "Or is that only hogwash that's part of the legend?"

"Nope. B kicked the bucket, and got back. But, a second Slayer was called. She crooked, for good, and that's when I came in," Faith explains.

Draconis shrugged as he leafed through the folder. "Buffy, huh? She looks nice. You want her killed, or just gone?"

"Frankly, I don't see the difference, Mr. Draconis. All I want of you is to keep her, and her pesky friends, from interfering with my Ascension."

Draconis went on. "Willow Rosenberg. Xander Harris. Oswald Green. Rupert Giles. No problem. Same question for the little witch, Willow. You want her gone, or killed?"

"As I said, all I want is to make sure they do not interfere."

"Great," Draconis answered with a small smile on his face. He slapped the folder shut, and put it back on the desk.

"Why?" Faith asked.

"I am like a cat. I like playing with my food. Only my food is my victims. Especially female victims," Draconis answered coolly. "They scream so nice when we're having fun together."

Faith exchanged a look with the mayor. "Anyway, I am going to take care of this. See you later," Draconis said and got up from his chair.

"Hey, hang on!" Faith exclaimed. "I'm coming with you!"

Draconis sighed, but let her into the car anyway.

"Here's the deal," Draconis said as he started the car, and pulled away from the curb. "Tonight, I do shit. I find myself a place to stay, someplace low-key preferably, and I do some stakeouts. You know, basic where-the-hell-is-everything-and-everybody."

"Don't have a cow, D-man! You can crash at my place. It’s got plenty of room," Faith said.

Draconis shrugged. "People won't notice I'm there?"

"Nah. The mayor took extra precautions," she assured him.

"Fine, then. Now, let's go check out this Buffy chick. If I'm going to kill her, I have to get to know her."

"Why? I mean, why not just shoot and get the fuck out of here?" Faith questioned. She totally didn’t understand this guy. She knew he was dangerous. What she didn’t understand was why he held back like this.

"Fun," Draconis answered plainly. "It's fun watching people, fully aware that they have no idea you're watching them, plotting their death."

"You are one sick motherfucker, you know that?" Faith asked, shaking her head in amusement. Then she added playfully, "I think I'm going to like hanging out with you. I like doing crazy shit."

"That’s probably why you're in league with another would-be world conqueror," Draconis said coolly.

Faith shrugged. "I don't care what he does, as long as he lets me be who I am. Besides, you got something against world domination?"

"Nope. Just as long as they leave me alone, I leave them alone. All I want is my chain of islands, and the money for my services. All the rest, I don't care."

"There's the cemetery. B's usually hunting right around now," Faith said, pointing out a place. Draconis pulled over.

"One piece of advice, kid. I'm in charge. You don't like it, tough. You can go back to your mayor. But, if you're gonna stick with me, then you're gonna pick up a few nasty tricks, but you have to do what I tell you, when I tell you. Got it?"

"Listen..." Faith began. Draconis stepped out of the car. She followed, trying to continue. "I don't take orders..."

"Listen, kid. You know this town. Get back to your mayor before I kick you there." Draconis' voice was cold as ice, and Faith saw a dangerous light reflecting in them. Even though it was pitch dark, his eyes seemed to glow in an underworldly light.

"Great," Faith mumbled, following the man. She decided on keeping quiet, just until she found out what he was made off.

It didn't take long before Draconis pulled Faith down behind a tombstone. "Buffy, Willow, and Xander," Faith muttered. Draconis looked on as the threesome went about patrolling.

"I think I will like Buffy and Willow," Draconis muttered. "I never ravaged a Slayer before. And that little redheaded witch sure is gonna love my attentions after her companion's out of juice."

"You're thinking of sex on a cemetery? In the middle of the night? With vampires around?" Faith threw her companion as crooked grin.

"Not just sex. Rough, violent, animalistic sex. The kind that makes the blood boil and makes your skin crawl," Draconis answered, licking his lips.

Faith looked at her companion and nodded in satisfaction. "I knew I'd like you, man. So, you up for some one-on-one action once we get to my place?"

Draconis uttered a small laugh. "You've got style, kid. And balls, too, for a chick. Sure. I'm up for it. Are you?"

Faith ignored the insults. She had no desire to fight here, but did answer, "Just watch me after I kill some vamps. Slaying makes my hungry and horny."

"Plenty of me to feast on, kid. First, let's follow the other Slayer chick. I want to check out her place."

Faith snorted. "I can take you there, and it won't take me as long as it'll take them."

Draconis shook his head. "Listen, kid. Work first, and play later. Now, be a good girl and I won't have to spank you when we get home."

"Promises, promises," Faith muttered. Before she knew what had happened, Draconis had grabbed her, wrestled her to the ground, and he slapped her ass. Hard. Faith managed to keep quiet. A good thing too, since Buffy and her friends were still around. Sure, they were walking away, but they were still within hearing range.

Draconis let go of Faith after only three hard slaps. "There's plenty more where those came from. Now, be quiet."

"Yes, daddy," Faith muttered playfully, rubbing her ass. Draconis sure had hit her hard. And what was even more unbelievable to the dark Slayer was the fact that she felt the familiar tingle in her crotch. She had liked it.

"Good girl. You're a quick study, kid. Now, let's follow them."

"Sure," Faith muttered, sliding after Draconis. The two of them followed the small group around until they finally dispersed. Draconis had gotten all the information he wanted, having overheard most of their conversation.

"Blondie has a mother. Good. That'll give some leverage if I decide to have some fun. Good thing to know that Harris and his parents aren't close. Won't be able to use them against him," Draconis said as he led them back to the cemetery.

"I could have told you that," Faith complained. She perked up when she saw the cemetery.

"Go and slay," Draconis ordered. "I want to see what you have in store."

"Cool," Faith said, drawing a stake, and searching for more vampires.  Unfortunately, Buffy seemed to have done a good job, as Faith didn't get to slay a single vampire. Not until they left the cemetery and into the bad part of town.

Draconis nodded in approval as Faith took care of three vampires that had dared to ambush them. He found it ironical that the three undead creatures were more scared of him than they had been of Faith... until she engaged them. It didn't last long.

"You're fast, kid. Almost up to par with me," Draconis said, grinning.

They didn't go to Faith's apartment for hours.

"Here we are," Faith said as she opened the door to her apartment. Draconis nodded approvingly. 

"Nice place," he told her as he put his diplomatic bag down.

"Mayor pays for it," Faith said, shrugging. "I like it. Now, come here." She grabbed Draconis by his collar, and kissed him, hard and deep.

"Not bad, kid," Draconis grunted, feeling a tightness in his pants. "But there is just one more matter."

"What?" Faith asked in exasperation. She really should have seen it coming as she found herself wrestled down onto the couch, her pants and panties stripped down. Draconis' right hand started hitting her. Hard.

"Hey!" Faith protested. "Stop that! Aw! Hey, that hurts!"

"Naughty girls need to be punished," Draconis answered. "And you're a very bad girl, aren't you, Faith?"

"I should spank you!" Faith protested, breaking free from his grasp. However, her pants and panties were still down around her ankles, and they tripped Faith as she tried to get away from Draconis. The next moment, he was on her.

"Such a naughty girl," he whispered. "I don't think spanking is gonna help you, you naughty girl." Faith couldn't believe how wet she was. Granted, slaying made her horny, but this man...his very aura was permeated with darkness. And it turned her on. It turned her on big time.

It was then that she came to the realization that he was naked from the waist down. When had he done that?  Faith didn't remember. The next moment, she couldn't care less as Draconis entered her violently. Faith screamed out as her pussy stretched around his member.

"Jee-zes, you're big!" she groaned.

"I've entertained lots of women with this, honey. Most said similar things," Draconis said, laughing, as he pumped steadily in and out of her. Faith groaned as she rubbed herself against his hardness, her swollen clit trying to dig deeper into his flesh.

Draconis groaned now as Faith tightened her pussy. "Slayer...ugh...strength," Faith moaned.

"I...<grunt>...know," Draconis groaned back. "You're ...ugh...good, kid!" he arched his back, shooting his first load deep inside her quivering pussy. Faith shouted out loud as she felt his cock explode deep inside of her. A fire overtook her, her passion flaring up white-hot. She came like a hydrogen bomb.

Her arms clenched at him, clenching at him with her full Slayer-strength, all boundaries and inhibitions momentarily forgotten. Draconis, caught up in bliss, only groaned louder as she crunched him, pain fueling his passion. His hands had gripped onto her breasts, squeezing them tightly. Faith too, cried out louder.

`Using the momentary lapse, Draconis managed to get the rest of his clothes off. Being over a thousand had given the man an inhuman stamina. Faith, still recovering from the most intense orgasm of her life, had her eyes closed. As such, she had no idea what was coming next.

Draconis grabbed her, and flung her over the arm of the couch, so her bare ass stuck into the air. Faith gasped at the violent action, and looked over her back at Draconis. He twisted his hands in her full black hair, and used it for leverage for his sudden penetration. Faith cried out again. Draconis moaned.

They finished quickly this time, and Draconis suddenly materialized Skofnung from somewhere. Pushing the Slayer’s head down into the plushy seats, he used the blade to cut the clothes of her body. Faith gasped, moaned, and groaned as she felt the cold steel of the blade pass over her.

First Draconis cut off the black sweater. The black T-shirt was next, and a black lacy bra finished the baring of Faith’s upper torso. Draconis let the blade move to the black pants and lacy panties, and halved them. The sword disappeared consequently, and Draconis violently yanked the clothes from under Faith, who muttered in protest. 

“That was my best outfit,” Faith protested weakly.

“And you liked me cutting it off you,” Draconis stated as he started his doggy-style pumping at a moderate pace. Faith responded by bucking her ass back at him. “You’re such a whore, Faith. A real whore, who can’t live without her fix.”

Faith felt her pussy juice more than it had ever done before. “Talk dirty to me, D-man. Talk to me!” she moaned.

“My little slut likes it when I tell her the truth, doesn’t she?” Draconis went on. “Well slut, I am going to fuck you so hard and so much you will think you’re in Heaven. You’ll fall down from exhaustion as I ram my big cock up that slutty box of yours over and over again.”

“Mmmm,” Faith moaned, pushing harder at Draconis’ steady, although slow, rhythm.

“Fuck me hard, D-man!” Faith asked.

“No, my little slut. I am going to work you. I am going to work you so you’ll come so hard you’ll go into orbit,” Draconis promised as he held off just a little, to have Faith calm down a little. He didn’t want her to come. Not yet.

“Come on,” Faith begged.

“You want to come, slut? You want me to give you the most intense orgasm of you life? Do you?” Draconis asked sweetly.

“Yes! Yes please! Let me come!”

“Beg me. Beg me good, and I’ll think about it!” Draconis shouted while teasing her clit by running his thumb lightly over it, just hard enough to give her another jolt, but not enough to make her come.

Faith twisted around, and tried to grab Draconis, but he was in the superior position. Pinning her down onto the sofa’s arm, he stopped fucking her. “You are a bad girl, Faith. I am going to have to spank you.”

“No! Please no!” Faith begged. Draconis’ hand came down on her exposed backside, turning it pink. Faith moaned. Draconis’ hand came down again, and again, turning her pink ass to bright red. Faith moaned and groaned. Finally, Draconis pulled out just until the head of his cock was embedded into her. He slammed into her, and slapped her ass very hard at the same time.

Faith went into orbit.

 

The next morning, Faith woke up, lying on her left side. She felt strangely sated, and purred like a cat as she opened her eyes. She could feel a strong arm draped over her left side, grabbing her breast on that side. The dark-brown knob on her tit was hard as a rock.

"What a night," Faith muttered as she felt a wetness between her legs. A second hand wormed its way to her pussy from behind. It started stroking her pussy. 

"And it looks like a good morning, too," Draconis muttered as he kissed her cheek. "I don't know what it was, but I had a fun evening."

"And night and early morning," Faith added. "I don't think I ever came so hard."

"You're one of the few women I ever met who actually enjoyed my attentions. Most other bitches have to be forced."

"Really?" Faith muttered, turning sideways so she could see him. "Show me?"

Draconis lifted himself up on the arm that had been caressing her tit. He smiled wickedly at her. His other hand withdrew violently, leaving Faith to gasp in protest. Draconis loomed over her. He grabbed her, threw her on the floor, and savagely spread her legs. Faith moaned as he entered her, and finished her off with short, brutal strokes.

"Oh...my...God!!" Faith shouted. "You motherfucking son of a bitch! Oh! So Good! Harder, asshole! Rape me! Hard! Ohh my GODD!!!! FUCK ME!!!"

Draconis was in heaven. Her slayer-strength pussy had clamped down on his shaft, creating a tightness he hadn't felt since he raped a nun's ass over a hundred years ago.

"Shit! You're strong, bitch! No worry. I'll help ya get rid of that pesky tightness!" Draconis shouted back, pumping harder than ever.

The two grunting bodies collapsed an hour later, their energy spent once again. Draconis, being Immortal, got up within minutes. It took Faith a little longer, albeit not much longer.

Much to Faith’s surprise, they actually managed to get to the mayor’s office at all that day. It was around nine when Draconis pulled up to the curb in front of the city hall. a strange man with a clipboard greeted them as soon as they came inside.

Well, ‘greeting’ them was not the correct term. He walked up to them, and nodded in Draconis’ direction.

“Did you bring the goods?” Draconis asked. Faith’s mouth opened as she stared at Draconis. She didn’t speak as she saw the warning look in his eyes.

The man extended the clipboard. As soon as Draconis had taken it, the man guided them back out the front door to a van parked not for from Draconis’ BMW. The strange man opened the trunk, and pointed to a large and sturdy plastic box.

Draconis opened one part of the box, threw a look inside, and closed it up again. He extended a check to the strange man. The man took it, and seemed to appraise Draconis for a moment. Finally, he nodded and put the check away.

The man gave a final nod to Draconis, who had now taken the indistinct box. The strange man closed the booth of the van, and disappeared behind the wheel. The van was gone by the time Draconis had the box in the trunk of his BMW.

“What’s in the box, D-man?” Faith asked.

“LAWs,” Draconis answered dryly.

“What the fuck is an LAW?” Faith asked, piqued.

“Something I know and you don’t,” Draconis responded, and walked into the city hall. They walked past the point where the stranger had met them, and Faith suddenly remembered she had not heard the man talk.

By now, they had reached the mayor’s office, and Draconis had ushered her inside before entering as well.

“Yesterday was a fruitful day,” Draconis told the mayor. “We found out all kinds of interesting things about the Slayer and her friends.”

“Yes, well, that’s good and well, Mr. Draconis, but I don’t pay you to find out things. I pay you to get rid of a certain nuisance.”

“You pay me to be thorough, and you pay me by the week. You want the job done, or not?”

The mayor was taken aback, and responded after only a few seconds of hesitation, “Quite right, Mr. Draconis. Quite right. Carry on, then.”

“Oh, I will. Don’t worry,” Draconis said, walking out of the office without as much as a goodbye.

“Friendly chap, isn’t he?” the mayor asked Faith sarcastically. For a moment, Faith’s thoughts flashed to the night, but she managed to contain herself.

“He’s the best. He has the right to have an attitude,” she tells the mayor, and walks out after Draconis.  As soon as she gets in the car, they roar off.

“Where are we going, D-man?” Faith asked Draconis.

“To see an old friend. He helps me with supernatural stuff,” Draconis answered almost curt. Faith shrugged and settled back in her seat. No sooner had she closed her eyes, or police sirens awoke her. She looked around to a scene she couldn’t understand. Draconis had pulled over.

“What are you doing?” Faith hissed.

“Having fun. Sit back and relax, kid,” Draconis told her, releasing the clip on his guns. Faith stared open-mouthed at the man.

“License and registration, please,” the cop told Draconis through the open window. Draconis, instead of reaching for the glove compartment, released the trunk instead. The cop glanced at the region of unexpected movement. That was all Draconis needed, and he put a bullet through the man’s skull. Faith gaped at the totally silent gun. Indeed, all she had heard was a faint plop, and the thud of the body hitting the ground.

Draconis threw open the door as the police car roared of in reverse, trying to put distance between the dead cop’s partner and the scene. Draconis reached in the trunk. Faith, shaken, joined him.

“You just shot that guy,” Faith stated. To her surprise, Draconis opened the box, and retrieved a metal tube. She gaped in awe as Draconis pulled out an extension of the tube, flipped up a visor and handle, and shouldered it.

A rocket left the tube as Draconis pressed the red button, and hit the police-car dead-on. The car went up in a large ball of flame. Faith stared at the flaming ball of ignited gas and molten metal.

“LAW means Light Anti-tank Weapon,” Draconis told her calmly. “Get back in the car, kid.”

Faith nodded, and silently slid back in the car. As they drove off, she regained some vigor. “You shot a cop.”

“Yep,” Draconis said with an evil grin.

“And you blew up his partner, with car and all.”

“Guilty as charged. I would have preferred keeping those things for other jobs, but sometimes I just like doing some random destruction,” Draconis said calmly.

“And I thought I was bad,” Faith muttered quietly. Draconis smiled evilly.

The twosome arrived in LA without further delays, and they pulled up to a small shop in the downtown area. Draconis and Faith entered the small shop, which reeked of all kinds of strange herbs that wouldn’t have been out of place in an alchemist workshop. Faith felt out of place here. The place gave her the creeps.

Faith had imagined the place being run by the stereotypical old Chinese guy, speaking broken English. She was proven right on many accounts, except for the broken English. The man spoke Chinese, and Chinese only. Faith didn’t like it when Draconis and the man struck up a vivid conversation in said language. She didn’t like to be kept in the dark.

Less than ten minutes later, Draconis and Faith were back in the car. Draconis had stacked away a small package of herbs the old man had given him.

“So what did he had to say?” Faith asked.

“Stuff,” Draconis answered with a dry grin. “To kill Slayers.”

“Waitaminute, D-man. Kill Slayers? How?”

“Secret,” Draconis said, closing the topic. Faith kept prying, but didn’t get anything out of the man behind the wheel. After they made their way back to Sunnydale, and Draconis had pilled the box with the two remaining LAWs in Faith’s apartment, Draconis set out to find a new car. The old one had become too hot for him to handle.

That evening, Draconis and Faith went out once more. Faith stole herself a crossbow, one of her favorite weapons, and took it with her to ‘hunt for vampires’.

Draconis could see in her mannerisms that she was not new to this, but he also knew that Faith was just showing off, trying to impress him.

Nothing much happened for the evening, except for a couple of vampires trying to sneak up on the duo after they completed their check on Buffy and her friends. Faith shot one of them with her crossbow, and staked the second one. She had told Draconis about herself, and, more importantly, about the fact that she killed one of the mayor’s associates. She had thought he was a vampire, and staked him.

“How did it make you feel?” Draconis asked.

“Strange, at first. Like I wasn’t there, you know? But later on, when I thought back… it was like a huge thrill or something. I know it sounds crazy.”

“Nope. Killing is one of the best thrills someone can experience. And I know, I’ve tried them all.”

“What d’ya mean, D-man?”

“All thrills,” Draconis answered calmly. “I killed, raped, tortured, extorted, used drugs, and I’ve done shit a lot crazier than that. I know that rape and killing are among my favorites. I never liked drugs, however. Don’t know why.” Draconis shrugged. “And I don’t care, either. I know what I like, and I get myself some whenever I see a chance.”

Faith looked at him in admiration. “Really? You are a crazy motherfucker, aren’t you?”

“Thank you,” Draconis answered automatically. The rest of the night passed uneventfully, until they got back to Faith’s place, that is. His grunts and her cries could wake the dead for most of the night.

The next day, Draconis started working on a plan to take out Buffy and her friends with as little hassle as possible. Now that he more or less knew her schedule, it would be easy to do. And, with the end of the school year approaching, hectic circumstances would keep her off-guard.

After a day of planning, Draconis was sure he had a foolproof plan. After eating dinner, he announced that he would go out for a new car.

“No need for you to come. Maybe you could go out and harass Buffy for me. The more she’s on edge, the easier she’ll make a mistake. There is no better person to defeat someone than themselves,” Draconis told Faith.

“Okay. I can do that,” Faith said, smiling. She left the apartment almost immediately. Draconis took a phone book, and looked for local dealerships. He did some research, and left the building about half an hour after Faith had done so.

Whistling silently to himself, Draconis walked along the streets of nighttime Sunnydale, strolling past the dealerships his mind had recorded.

“Mercedes-Benz,” Draconis muttered to himself. His gaze settled on a bright blue two-seater convertible. “Too bad I’ll be transporting a lot of people soon. That E 350 looks mighty fine to me.” Draconis looked further, leaving the Mercedes dealership as it was. He needed a van, or something with a large storage capacity. Somehow, when he thought about large storage capacity, his thoughts dwelled on a garbage truck. I’ve heard the cabins of those things are pretty comfortable.

Draconis shook his head in amusement. Hello! Chrysler! Grand Voyager, full options. Hold eight in all luxury one can ever want. I’ll have one of those. Before breaking the window, Draconis stopped. Hang on a sec. What did Faith say? Want, grab, have? Or was that want, take, have? Draconis shrugged. His mind automatically banished such trivial thoughts.

Why my effectuation for the bitch? Sure, she’s a good fuck…oh, shit. I am NOT falling in love with her! His mind didn’t shed ALL thoughts after all. Draconis broke the glass with one well-aimed kick. Alarm bells started ringing. Drawing one gun, the one with the normal bullets, Draconis opened the door of the car. Great. No keys. He calmly made his way to the back of the dealership, got hold of the keys, and calmly walked back. There was no reason to rush.

The car roared off before the cops got there. Halfway back to Faith’s place, Skofnung started yelling and shouting in its scabbard. It was flailing around, almost shredding the scabbard it was kept in.

“Woah, pal! What’s going on?” Draconis shouted, almost losing control over the car due to the trashing about of the sword at his side.

The blade didn’t answer, but it did calm down somewhat. To Draconis, it almost felt as if the sword had resigned in something. He got no answer from the sword on the further way back.

As soon as he stopped in front of the apartment building, a tight sensation made its presence felt in Draconis’ heart. Instincts, honed by a thousand years of living on the edge, warned him that something was wrong.

He ran up the stairs to Faith’s apartment. The door was open. Dreading what he might find, Draconis stepped inside. The nice apartment had been completely trashed. Draconis yelled Faith’s name. He got a groan, and homed in on it like an AMRAAM missile with a major attitude problem. The French doors leading to the balcony had been destroyed as well, and Faith was lying there, on the balcony, with a large knife in her side.

“Faith…” Draconis muttered as he knelt down next to her. “You ok, kid?” he got no answer. “Faith?” he tried harder. A small groan escaped her lips one final time before she slipped deeper into unconsciousness.

“ODIN!!!!” Draconis howled to the inky darkness. Odin, the Lord of the Norse Gods, was also the God of the Warriors. Somehow, Draconis had always seen him as his patron God. “ODIN!!! Help her!” he shouted. His cries carried into the night like the cry of a mortally wounded animal. Skofnung, at Draconis’ side, vibrated silently in its sheath.

//Use me.// The sword communicated. It was not often that it spoke in the Human tongue. When it did, it was in the old Viking language, the language of the people that had created it.

“What?”  Draconis asked.

//Trust me. Use me.//

“You want me to…kill her?” Draconis asked again.

//Trust.// The sword communicated. //Trust!//

Draconis took a deep breath, and drew the weapon. Lifting it high above his head, tip facing down, Draconis prepared to stab Faith through the heart. Somehow, he and the sword had a notion of understanding, and had established trust between each other.

Taking another deep breath, Draconis steeled himself. “I entrust her to you, Skofnung,” he muttered. The sharp blade glowed in a bright light as it plummeted down to the dark-haired Slayer’s heart. It penetrated with unnatural easiness. Her mouth opened in a final, unfinished, gasp, and Faith … died.

Withdrawing and sheathing the sword in the same stroke, Draconis bent over her limp body. “What have I done?” he asked himself out loud. A millennium of blood had steeled the Immortal to just about anything. But this… this was different. She was only person who had come close in his entire life.

She hadn’t entered, though. As such, Draconis shrugged off the uneasy feelings he had, and got up. He would mourn her…after he had avenged her death on this entire backwards little town. Then, the Buzz hits him.

“What the…” Draconis muttered, turning around. Faith veered up from the floor, grunting in pain. The wound Skofnung had made was disappearing. The knife-wound wasn’t healing, because the knife was still in it. Rushing to her side, Draconis savagely drew the knife out of her side. Faith rasped in pain.

“Sleep,” Draconis muttered, pressing specific pressure points around the base of her neck. Faith’s eyes locked with his, before she closed them and dropped off. Draconis carried her healing body to her bedroom, and put her to bed. Draconis knew that Faith would be back in a couple of hours, and decided on getting her nourishment. Healing massive wounds required tremendous energy.

The Immortal returned with enough pizza of every variety to feed an army. The Voyager came in handy to carry the two dozen pizzas, and the six bottles of Mountain Dew.

Settling himself in her bedroom, Draconis ate an entire pepperoni and cheese pizza and drank an entire bottle of Mountain Dew before Faith woke up. She looked longingly at the pizzas, and Draconis was more than happy to dump the stack near her bed. Faith dug in like…well, like an immortal that had just finished healing up massive wounds.

Draconis handed her a large glass of Mountain Dew. The large amounts of caffeine in the drink would help replenish her energy. Faith grasped it out of his hand, and handed it back to him before he could blink. The glass was empty.

Shaking his head in amusement, Draconis handed her the refilled glass and put the rest of the bottles near the bed, within easy reaching distance.

“I know you have a lot of questions. Let me try to answer them for you,” Draconis said at the eating and drinking form. “Yes, you were stabbed. You died… somehow Skofnung could sense what you would become, so I set you free. By killing you, I triggered your immortality. That means, you will look like that forever, immune to aging, disease, and any wound you contract will heal very, very rapidly. You cannot die, unless your head is cut off. Now, you have to know that healing requires a lot of energy, which is why you’re pigging out right now. And yes, I am an immortal as well.”

Faith shrugged, and continued to eat. By now her rhythm was beginning to decrease.

“Some immortals believe in this thing called the Game. It involved running around with swords and/or axes, cutting off the head of other immortals, thus gaining their experiences, as well as the experiences that immortal has gained through killings of his/her own.” When Faith stared at him with a scared look, Draconis continued, “ I don’t personally believe that being the sole remaining immortal will get me some mystical prize, like the others do. But, when they want to fight, who am I to stop them? Any immortal who challenges me, dies.”

Faith shrugged, her expression indicating she agreed with Draconis.

“In case you want to know, I am 1089 years old, and was born in present-day Norway, as a Viking warrior.”

“Hw mny?” Faith asked through a lot of pizza.

“What?” Draconis asked.

“How many?” Faith asked again, after gulping down her mouthful of pizza.”

“How many what?” Draconis asked.

“Kills,” Faith asked again, in between bites.

Draconis rubbed his chin with an unknowing expression on his face. “About three to four hundred, I suppose.”

Faith whistled. “That’s a lot of experiences. What else do you get from killing them? Or is that it? Experience?”

Draconis shook his head. “It’s broader than that… a technique one guy taught me has allowed me to fully use the Quickening. That’s the name for the transfer, by the way. A Quickening. As such, I get stronger, faster, and I am able to fully use the knowledge and abilities of the guys I kill.”

Faith shook her head. “Incredible. And what’s the catch? Do you drink blood or something?”

Draconis laughed heartily, and shook his head. “No, we consume normal food, just like you’re doing now.”

Faith breathed a sigh of relief on that. “Now what happens?” Faith asked.

“I go avenge you. You’re still too weak to do anything. And don’t protest! Your system had had a major shock. It not only died, but it died very violently, and it had to regenerate two very nasty wounds. You’ll be weak for at least a day or two. Now, tell me who did this.”

Faith muttered something quietly.

“Who?” Draconis asked, coming closer.

“B did it,” Faith muttered a little louder. She would never forget the look in Draconis’ eyes. They looked demonic.

“Buffy Summers will wish that she was never spawned. No, correct that. She will wish that her entire family never crawled out of the primordial soup,” Draconis said in a voice that was so cold it made the room look like a freezer. A really deep freezer. Faith shivered at his tone.

Draconis wanted to go out, and kill everyone in sight. He knew he was no doubt capable of it. He also knew that he had been awake for close to 18 hours, and that battling someone with magical abilities was not recommended right now. Draconis decided to stay with Faith until she was asleep, and place himself in a deep meditation state to regenerate his body faster. He would be up within four to six hours.

All conversation halted until Faith announced, “I’ve had enough. Sheesh, How did I manage to pack away eight large pizzas?”

Draconis shrugged. The demonic light seemed to have died down, and he answered in a more natural tone of voice, “I don’t know. All I know is that an immortal is able to stow away vast quantities of food in these situations. Must be something that’s part of being immortal. Now, why don’t you try and get some sleep? It’s after one in the morning after all.”

“How can I sleep? I put down two bottles of Mountain Dew! That stuff has loads of caffeine in it!” Faith protested meekly.

“Caffeine energizes the body. And your body puts all its energy into healing right now.” Draconis got up, and walked over to the bed. Brushing off the empty pizza boxes, Draconis lie down next to her. “Try to relax,” he cautioned her. Calmly grabbing her shoulders, Draconis started a massage. Faith sighed, and relaxed almost instantly.

Faith asked herself how he did that, but she slipped off before she could voice her question out loud.

Draconis pressed the pressure points at the bottom of her neck, and Faith slumped over almost immediately. This time, Draconis made sure to rub them, and to press the other points as well. Instead of a light sleep, this was a really deep and regenerative sleep. He knew Faith would be out for 12 hours.

Settling down on his part of the bed, Draconis crossed his legs, and put his sword across his knees, keeping it locked by putting his hands over the scabbard and pressing it lightly to his knees.

“How did you know?” He asked the sword in the Norse language. “And why did you do it? You don’t even like women!”

//I knew,// the sword answered enigmatically. //Besides, I like her,// it added lightly.

“You like her?”

//She thinks like a man. She has fighting spirit. Not to mention I like the way she makes you feel.//

“Really? And how is that?”

//Right now, she makes you feel…protective. Angry. Avenging. She gives you a cause to fight for, namely her. And you know that the best warriors are those who have something to lose.//

“Great. Is this your way of setting me up with her?” Draconis asked in exasperation.

//You don’t need my help,// the sword answered dryly. //Besides, I am the bloodthirsty, not to mention insane, sword, remember? I don’t set people up.//

Draconis shook his head. This had been the longest conversation he had ever had with his trusted companion, other than the occasional shuddering, twisting, and moaning. He closed his eyes, and slipped into deep sleep.

Draconis awake at around seven. Getting up from the cramped position, his knees cracked as they went back into action. Putting the sword at his left hip, Draconis went through some relaxation exercises to loosen his muscles. The relaxation exercises turning to full-fledged combat as Draconis pulled the rage into memory. His eyes shot fire, and his stance became dangerous.

Draconis put the long trench coat on, holstered his two guns as well as his rifle, and grabbed the bag of herbs he had received the day before.

Boil for half an hour, and drink the extract. It will give you superhuman strength and speed. It will boost your regenerative powers. It will increase your stamina. It will drain your energy, and leave you helpless. Remember to replenish your energy before you use the potion.

“Thank you, Lee Kang,” Draconis said out loud as he boiled the herbs in the required amount of water. He made sure they boiled for half an hour, and then put the potion in a small bottle, after making sure it was cooled down. Draconis ate some of the cold pizza, and drank the now warm Mountain Dew. He quickly put the drink the refrigerator. He wanted his Mountain Dew cold. The pizza he left where it was.

Eight, Draconis read from his digital watch. Pacific Time, he added as his watch indicated his ‘home’ time as well. Thankfully, his many travels had instilled an almost inhuman ability to adjust to different time zones.

Draconis dragged the two remain LAWs into the Grand Voyager. Making sure that all his guns had been fully loaded, Draconis also took a small dart gun. It contained five darts, with a special knockout solution. It would incapacitate a victim, but leave no traces, or any damage whatsoever. Ideal for what he had in mind.

Those are the only darts I have with me. I have to be careful whom I use them on.

Draconis got into ‘his’ car, and drove to the place he knew Buffy’s mother worked.

He entered the art gallery with a look of pure venom and death on his face. Skofnung, knowing what was to come, prepared to start his song of war. Draconis silenced him by slapping his hilt. The two had become very close over the years, and Skofnung did as his wielder asked.

“I am looking for Joyce Summers,” Draconis asked the first person he saw. He knew Buffy’s mother worked here, but he had no idea what she looked like. He hadn’t had time to check out everything he wanted to check out.

“Speaking, Mr…” the blonde woman answered.

Draconis drew the dart gun. Before anyone knew what had happened, Draconis and Joyce had vanished. He stopped at the park, and tied up the woman using robes made for mountaineering. After he made sure that she wasn’t about to break them, Draconis set course for the High School.

Draconis left the car, and walked straight up to the school as if he owned the place. He quickly found the principal’s office, and entered without knocking.

“I want Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, and Oswald Green sent to the library immediately. I also want Rupert Giles to be there,” Draconis stated. The man behind the desk stared at Draconis.

“I don’t know who you are, but you can’t just barge in here…”

Draconis drew his right gun, and aimed it right at the ugly little man’s head. “I will give you three seconds to comply before I get them myself. And you do not want me to get them myself, believe me. One… two…thr…”

The man, ‘principal Snyder’ his name tag read, grabbed the microphone for the intercom system. He announced that the presence of so-and-so was requested in the library. As soon as Draconis was satisfied that the little troll had put the microphone down, and had turned it off, he unceremoniously put a bullet in the man’s head. Draconis felt an odd satisfaction when he saw the principal’s brains splatter all over the place. He had disliked the man.

Not being liked by Draconis was a very hazardous job. It sported a 100% mortality rate.

Shrugging, Draconis holstered the gun and calmly walked to the library. He pushed open the double doors, even managing a small smile.

“I am Draconis,” he announced. His eyes trailed over the group. Everyone was there. “I have come for a little business that needs to be cleared up.”

“Excuse me, sir. But what business would that be?” the man Draconis knew was Rupert Giles asked.

“Well, Mr. Giles, it’s like this. I have been sent here by the mayor to take care of all of you.” Draconis noted with a pleased satisfaction that everyone turned pale as he said this. “So far, no problem. But, you see, complications have arisen.”

“What kind of complications are we talking about? The good kind, or the bad kind?” the boy known as Xander Harris asked. He seemed to be nervous, knowing no way to handle his nerves.

“Very bad. A friend of mine got hurt. I don’t have many friends, given my business. I’m sure you can understand. The problem is this: my friend was hurt by one of you. As such, this is personal.”

“Who’s your friend?” Buffy asked. Finally! The blonde bitch-Slayer speaks! Draconis thought.

“My friend… is Faith Spencer. And you stabbed her,” Draconis announced in a cheerful voice. The comment struck like a bombshell, just as he had planned it, and the cheerful detachment had thrown everyone even further off-guard.

Draconis drew his one gun. Xander died as his head was struck by a hollow-point round. It took off the back of Xande's skull. Giles died right after as his heart region exploded due to a similar bullet. Oz reacted, and charged Draconis, only to be cut down by a bullet through the heart as well. Draconis holstered the gun as he walked to the two girls. Willow was nearly hysterical as she looked at the three corpses. Buffy was in shock, unable to utter a word.

Draconis knocked out both girls using the knowledge of pressure points one of his teachers had ‘left’ him. He carried them casually to the car, and started tying them up. He used the same mountaineering rope on Willow as he had used on Buffy’s mother.

As he had no idea of Buffy’s full strength, Draconis used industrial-grade high-tension titanium steel chain to tie up Buffy. The chain alone was as heavy as the Slayer. When he was sure his captives were secure, Draconis woke them up. Joyce was a little harder to do as she had been drugged, but he managed.

“I want you three lovely ladies to watch,” Draconis told them. Joyce started screaming, while Willow just stared blankly at him. Buffy, although quiet, looked at him with a look of pure hatred. Draconis could respect that. Opening the box that was on the back seat, Draconis took out the two remaining LAWs. The three women stared at him. Willow had snapped out of her trance as some subconscious part of her mind had recognized the thing in Draconis’ hands.

Draconis slid open the side door, and shot the first rocket directly into the school. The second rocket followed soon after, detonating at the other side of the main entrance. Panic-stricken people ran in all directions as flames struck in a chorus of roaring thunder.

“That’s what happens when you fuck with me,” Draconis said as he slammed the side door closed. “Everyone around you gets hurt. And I mean everyone. I am a very evil bastard when someone pisses me off. Now go to sleep,” he ordered as he shot the three women with his dart gun. One dart left. Guess I’m in luck, he mind noted casually as he drove to Faith’s apartment.

 

When Faith awoke, she stared at three female forms, each tied to a chair. She recognized them immediately.

"Drac..." she asked as her eyes flung around the room.

"Right here," Draconis said, gliding into view. The trench coat had disappeared once more. The warrior was now only armed with his trusted sword, Faith noted.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice now rapidly regaining strength.

"You fell asleep," Draconis noted. "As I said, your body had a lot to make up for. Now, let's wake up our guests and start the fun."

"Really?" Faith was waking up fast now. She looked at the three women. "Where is the rest?"

"Xander, Oz, and Giles couldn't join us. They had to take a one-way trip to the next plain of existence," Draconis noted matter-of-factly.

"You killed them?" Faith asked. There was not accusation in her voice; she merely wanted to know what her ears were telling her was the truth.

"I did," Draconis stated. "Did you want them for yourself?" His question was apologetic. He hadn’t wanted to rob Faith of the pleasure of doing them in herself.

"Nah," Faith said, shrugging. "I'm just surprised, that's all. No one has ever managed to kill one of them before, except for Faith, and that took a whole horde of vampires.”

"I am the best," Draconis said, shrugging. "By the way, did you know the principal of the High School?"

"Snyder? Yeah, I did. Why?" Faith asked, confusion written all over her face.

"Did you like him?" Draconis persisted. When Faith shook her head, and was about to ask where this was going, Draconis said, "I killed him, too. And remember those two remaining LAWs? I shot them at the school building."

Faith's mouth dropped wide open. "You fired two rockets into the school? Jeezes Christ! What were you trying to do?"

"I am pissed off. People tend to die when I am pissed off." The tone in Draconis' voice gave Faith the shivers. She didn't know whether it was the complete detachment with which he delivered his message, or if it was the flat tone in which he said it.

"Now, shall we have fun with our guests?"

Faith jumped off the bed, neatly avoiding the stack of cold pizzas and empty pizza boxes still next to it. "I'm your girl, D-man. What'd ya have in mind?"

"First, we untie Joyce here, and get her up onto the bed. Then I wake her up, and have some fun with her. I will show you how to wake up the others. I want you to wait until I have the show on the road, and then you will wake them up. I want those two bitches to wake up to the sight of me raping the hell out of Buffy’s mother."

Faith stared for a few moments as she digested everything Draconis had told her. "Why? I mean, why not just wake them up, and shoot them?"

"Because I want to totally break them down. I want to hurt them, both physically and emotionally. Remember, I am a Viking. A Viking was as quick to shed tears, as he was to shed blood. And right now, I want blood."

"Tears, D-man? You? Tears? Why?" Faith could not, would not, believe what Draconis had just told her.

"You are about the only friend I have ever had. I didn't even realize it until Skofnung pushed my nose in it."

"Skofnung? The sword, Skofnung?"

"The one and only," Draconis said. "Now, this is what you'll do..." Draconis showed Faith how to wake up the others by demonstrating the technique on Joyce. Faith nodded in understanding.

Joyce woke up to a feeling of weightlessness, followed soon after by a sensation of hitting a bed. As she opened her eyes, she immediately closed them again to shield out the light. She felt her clothes being ripped off her, and started screaming.

"Scream all you want, bitch. No one can hear you," Draconis grunted in her face as he ripped off the last of the woman's clothing. He jumped on top of her, and held her immobilized.

“I bet you will enjoy this,” Draconis said calmly. “You’re one of those women who likes it rough, no doubt.”

Joyce refused to answer him, and resigned herself to keep her eyes closed. That resolution went out the door the moment Draconis entered her. Her eyes opened up so far that the whites showed all around the pupils, and her scream was loud enough to wake the dead. Fortunately, it didn’t wake Buffy or Willow.

As Draconis started pumping, Joyce’s eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling, all the fight drained out of her. She was totally silent during the ordeal, a fact that did not suit Draconis in the least. He started pumping extra hard, causing the woman to whimper once again. The trance she seemed to have been in broke, and Draconis smiled evilly as she started screaming and pleading once again.

Pleased that he might have the desired effect on Buffy and her friend, Draconis gave the sign to Faith, who hurriedly pressed the correct pressure points on the two girls. She felt mildly uneasy, never having witnessed a rape before. Faith was unsure on what to think of herself… she felt an odd pleasure from watching the scene.

Buffy was the first to awake, and she screamed immediately at Draconis. Willow awoke soon after, and she just gasped, closed her eyes, and averted her gaze. She whimpered silently.

Buffy yelled at Draconis to stop hurting her mother, but the immortal would hear nothing of it. He had positioned himself in such a fashion that the two girls had a full view of his cock sliding in and out of Joyce's pussy.

"You're such a good little whore, Joyce," Draconis muttered. Joyce whimpered, and Buffy finally closed her eyes and looked away. She whimpered along with Willow.

Draconis finished up soon after, and made sure that the experience was as painful as possible for Joyce. He slammed her back on the chair as soon as he was done, and tied her up again.

"Buffy," Draconis said. Buffy didn't look. "Buffy!" Draconis yelled, more insisting this time. She looked at his fully nude form.

"You animal!" she howled at him. "How could you do this?"

"How could I, indeed?" Draconis asked. At a signal from him, Faith stepped from the chairs. For the first time, the captives saw Faith.

"Faith?" Buffy asked. "But I...I..."

"You stabbed me, B. Left me for death. If Draconis hadn't found me, found me and released me, I would be in a hospital fighting for my life. That's not a very nice thing, B. And you see, I have a friend. Draconis here is pissed at you trying to kill me. Now he's going to kill you. As painfully as he can."

"Set you free? I don't understand. What does my mother have to do with this?" Buffy demanded.

"I won't explain it to you, B. It's a secret between me and D-man, here. And your mother... well, your mother never should have spawned you. All that talk about being friends, and then you go out and stab me? Left me to die?"

"Faith...I...I needed to do it! We have to stop the mayor!" Buffy defended herself.

"The mayor can't be stopped," Faith said.

"Enough chit-chat, girls. Faith, could you get the right gun out of my coat, please?" Draconis asked. Faith glared one final time at Buffy, and disappeared. She came back with a vicious-looking custom-built gun.

"Point it at Joyce's head. I want you to pull that trigger when I tell you to," Draconis said.

"You want me to kill someone in cold blood?" Faith asked, now no longer sounding so sure of herself.

"If you're not up to it..." Draconis said.

"No! I'll do it, D-man. Don't worry." Faith raised the gun to Joyce's forehead. Her expression had changed to pure conviction. “I was just surprised, that’s all. I’m totally cool with this, D-man. Trust me.”

"You don't have to do this, Faith! You're better than this!" Buffy shouted.

"Now, Buffy. I am going to untie you. This is the first rule: you make one wrong move, and Faith is going to pull that trigger. Second rule: You will strip yourself completely. And the third rule: you will get in that bed, with me, and we will have one swell time."

"What? You're insane!" Buffy screamed.

Draconis shrugged. "Faith, blast her."

"No!! Buffy screamed. Draconis lifted his hand, stopping Faith. "Alright..." Buffy whispered.

"I knew you'd come around," Draconis said, ignoring the stereotypical 'Don't do it, Buffy' from both Joyce and Willow. Draconis released the chains, allowing the blonde Slayer to get up from her chair.

The next moment, she attacked Draconis, and broke his neck before Faith could make a move. The gun was now trained on Buffy. Faith could feel the weakness in her muscles, and she knew she didn't stand much of a chance against the blonde if this came to a hand fight.

"You made a mistake, B," Faith told the other Slayer.

"Oh, I don't think so," Buffy grunted, ready to pounce the black-haired Slayer. "I will kill you. You do know that, don't you?" Buffy said.

Faith smiled. To Buffy's surprise, and to the surprise of everybody else, she started laughing. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you?" Faith asked, laughing.

The next moment, Draconis howled as he woke up. He jumped up, grabbed Buffy, and threw her against the wall.

"I wanted you to be awake for this, D-man," Faith said, leveling the gun on Joyce's head, and starting to press the trigger.

"No! Please...please, don't!" Buffy begged. Faith looked questioningly at Draconis.

"Wait," he told the dark Slayer. "I think our little kitten is going to cooperate now that she knows that she can't kill me." Draconis leered evilly at Buffy. She just knew he was enjoying this.

Buffy's hands trembled as she disrobed, crying silently to herself. Finally, she stood naked. She started to make her way for the bed, to cover herself up with the blankets, when Draconis stopped her.

Not believing the humiliation, Buffy looked at him with tear-filled eyes. To Draconis, this was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. He liked crying girls.

"Turn around," Draconis ordered. Buffy pleaded with her eyes, but to no avail. She pivoted slowly around, letting the evil immortal have a good look at her body.

"Not bad, huh Faith?" Draconis asked.

"I always told her she was very pretty," Faith answered. "I bet she wished she had staid with me instead of staying with those bullshit kids at school." Faith said the latter while stroking Willow's red hair with her free hand. Willow whimpered silently. She was afraid to jerk her head away. Afraid that Faith would shoot Joyce.

"Get on the bed. Not under the covers. On it," Draconis told the blonde. Buffy silently took the added humiliation as she lied down on top of the covers. Draconis' excitement was clearly visible to her, adding to the fear and humiliation of the blonde Slayer.

"You are so beautiful," Draconis muttered. "Almost as beautiful as Faith. I wonder if you're almost as good in bed as well."

Faith crooked an eyebrow at the man, and took the compliment in stride. No one had ever called her beautiful before. Then again, she had never met a man like Draconis before either. Faith felt an unfamiliar warmth spread through her insides, accompanied by the realization that she would follow this man to the end of the world, and beyond.

"You can still let us go," Buffy asked.

"And let go of my main prize? I don't think so. You see, you and your lovely witch-friend are going with me to my island. I always wanted a couple of sex-slaves of my own, and this is my chance."

Buffy really started crying now, only to intensify when Draconis got down on top of her, and slid into her tight pussy. Buffy screamed as she was opened, and Draconis grunted against the tightness. He slammed into her, making Buffy scream once again.

"So...ugh...tight," Draconis muttered. Buffy groaned, and closed her eyes.

“Fuck,” Draconis muttered. “Not again!” He knew from experience that Buffy’s psyche was protecting itself, the same way her mother had done. And he knew that he didn’t enjoy his women like this. He might as well have been fucking a corpse.

Deciding on switching tactics, Draconis slid out of the blonde Slayer. He started gently stroking her hair, cooing her out of her psychological prison, one she had put upon herself.

When she blinked, Draconis knew he had her back. “Welcome back, Buffy,” he muttered. She groaned, and turned away.

“You know, this isn’t really nice of you. After all, we are more or less married now.”

“What?!?” Buffy exclaimed, turning angrily towards Draconis.

“In most cultures, a man and a women are married when they have sex,” Draconis said softly, still stroking the Slayer’s hair. Faith remained where she was, unsure of where Draconis was going with this. Willow and Joyce looked on, appalled at the sight, yet unable to intervene.

Already, Draconis’ soft words and gentle stroking was having its effects on Buffy. Her guards lowered, her breathing relaxed, and her heartbeat let up. Buffy was starting to relax. As soon as she realized it, she tensed up again.

“Don’t fight it, Buffy,” Draconis muttered softly. He looked over her body. “You’re really pretty, you know that?” his hand traveled down her hair, traced the outline of her face, and slowly went down her chest. The probing fingers settled on Buffy’s nipple, and started gently toying with it.

Buffy tried to twist away, only to have her efforts thwarted by Draconis’ insisting fingers, which seemed to follow her every move.

“Don’t fight it, Buffy,” Draconis cooed again. “It feels good, doesn’t it?”

Buffy groaned, and turned away, showing her back to him. She half-expected him to lash out, be brutal, hit her, or hurt her. She didn’t expect him to be nice.

“Buffy, that’s not nice,” Draconis whispered in her ear. “Turn on your back?” he asked gently. His hand was gently stroking her back, his knowledgeable fingers finding and manipulating the energy streams on their own violation. Buffy’s guards went down even more. Reluctantly, she turned back.

“There,” Draconis said, smiling. “Now I can see that pretty face of yours. Doesn’t that feel better?”

“No,” Buffy answered calmly. Draconis smiled, his hand returning to her hair. It was stroking her hair again, and Buffy was appalled at her body’s reaction. It relaxed again. Again and again, she fought it. There was no defense against Draconis’ knowledge.

He was manipulating her, testing her nerves, making them used to his manipulations. Buffy’s psyche dealt with it as he had wanted it to. Draconis knew a lot of psychology. Whenever he had the time, he loved playing games like these. It took time, but the rewards were so much more rewarding.

Buffy’s nipples were erect now, and a faint aroma of femininity started filling the room. Draconis knew that Buffy’s body was responding now; he had broken her subconscious defenses. Draconis smiled at her.

“I told you it would feel good,” he muttered. “All you had to do was let me.” His fingers traveled from her left nipple down her abdomen. Buffy’s muscles tightened against the tickling sensation.

“Ticklish, aren’t we?” Draconis playfully muttered. His fingers played with her bellybutton for a few seconds, drawing forced laughs from the blonde Slayer, before they traveled down to the grand prize.

Tangling in the short bush, Draconis let his fingers roam the area. Buffy moaned, twisting her hips to avoid the electrifying contact.

“No,” she muttered.

“Come on, Buffy. You know you want to give in,” Draconis muttered.

“Buffy, don’t!” Willow shouted.

“Fight him, honey! I know you can!” Joyce cried as well. Faith desperately wanted to join in. seeing what Draconis could do to an unwilling Buffy made Faith wet. Very wet.

His fingers knew exactly what to, and what buttons to press. Buffy moaned, and kept trying to avoid the contact. Draconis’ attempts sent raw power coursing through her body…pure energy. Buffy’s hips rose subconsciously to press harder against Draconis’ fingers.

“Yes,” Draconis whispered. He got back on top of her, and slid inside easily, his passage easier due to her wetness. “You are enjoying this,” he stated.

“No,” Buffy moaned, shaking her head from side to side. At the same time, her hips pressed to meet his trusts.

“You have the strangest notion of the word ‘no’,” Draconis muttered quietly as he continued his pace.

“Yes,” whispered Buffy. Draconis’ smile was almost illuminant.

Draconis increased the pace. Buffy’s hips matched. His moans mingled with hers. Buffy … had cracked. Draconis shot a look at Faith over his shoulder, giving her a crooked grin and a wink. Faith shook her head in awe of the immortal.

Draconis finished Buffy off with a couple of flicks of his finger over her clit. Her spasming Slayer muscles did the same for him, and Draconis howled as he came deep in her.

Realization came back to Buffy as she came down form her high. She groaned, and turned on her side.

“I told you that you’d like it,” Draconis said, grabbing the now sobbing girl in his arms. She resisted only symbolically, and allowed him to pull her in for a hug.

“Buffy?” Draconis asked, tilting her head to look up at him. “I want you to watch something.”

Buffy looked confused at the immortal, who tilted her head to look at her shocked mother, and her equally shocked best friend. Buffy’s eyes teared up fully.

“Faith,” Draconis said, giving her a nod. Fear shot through willow and Joyce, plainly visible on their faces. Buffy tensed.

Faith nodded, took a step back, and braced herself behind the gun. She squeezed the trigger. A faint plop was audible, soon overshadowed by a fierce explosion.

Faith stared at the carnage she had caused, namely, Joyce’s almost-headless corpse. The far half of the woman’s head had exploded, sending bone, blood, and brain-matter all over Willow and the rest of the room. The explosion had also caused massive damage to the part of Joyce’s head that had been facing Faith.

Blood and brain-mass had been forced out through the ear-hole that was now devoid of the ear. The bullet-hole was plainly visible, also caked with blood and brainmatter. The near part of the skull also featured an empty eye-socket, with the eye having hit the bed.

Faith stared confusedly at the slumped corpse. Willow couldn’t breathe, soon to be replaced by hyperventilation, after which she passed out due to the severe psychological shock of being covered by bone, gray matter and blood.

Buffy cried hysterically in Draconis’ arms, not caring who held her.

“Faith, honey,” Draconis calmly said.

“Huh?” Faith asked dumb. “What happened?”

“Wrong gun,” Draconis commented dryly. “That one is loaded with armor-piercing explosive-tipped rounds. The armor-piercing part got it through Joyce’s skull undamaged. The bullet must have exploded when it tried to exit from the other side.”

“You said the right gun!” Faith protested.

“Yes, and you took the left one. No matter, you got her,” Draconis said. “Good thing that bullet exploded … or we would have one had to repair that wall.”

“I …I blew her head off!” Faith said.

“You did. What? Something wrong with blowing off her head, rather than sending in a hollow-point bullet, and blowing a hole through her brains?”

“I’m FINE!” Faith protested, a little louder than was necessary. “Just…a little shocked, that’s all.”

Draconis shrugged. “Probably because it’s your first time. Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re not mad/” Faith asked. “For taking the wrong gun, I mean.”

Draconis shrugged. “Not really. I don’t like to waste those rounds like this, they’re expensive, you know? Oh, well, you got a lesson from it, so I guess it’s worth it.”

Faith shook her head bemusedly. “You are a cold bastard. I just blew her head off, and you comment on the price of the bullet.”

“I knew where Buffy’s father lives. I’ll send him a bill for the bullet, the tranquilizer, and the heavy chains and ropes. Don’t worry about it.”

Faith’s eyes went big. “You’re kidding!”

“Nope. Chinese SOP. I know this little agency, and they know how to get my bills paid, don’t worry.”

“SOP? What the fuck is a SOP?” Faith asked gruffly. “And what agency?”

“Standard Operating Procedure. I introduced it to them. And they prefer to remain anonymous. The mob doesn’t like me advertising their services,” Draconis answered with a smirk. Faith shook her head, bewildered.

“I think we have a lot to talk about,” Faith muttered.

“Good. You’re remaining calm about this. You will make a fine student, Faith Spencer.”

“Thanks. I guess…” Faith muttered. Buffy’s wails had died down, and Draconis realized that she had fallen asleep. Asleep or unconscious, he didn’t care at the moment. “Hey, wait a minute!” Faith yelled out, drawing his glance away from the sleeping blonde. “Did you call me honey?”

Draconis batted an eyebrow. “You don’t like honey?”

“Nobody ever said that to me before,” Faith muttered. “Well, not in that sense, anyway.”

“As I said, we like you.”

“We?” Faith asked.

“Yeah, Skofnung and I.”

“Now you’re nuts,” Faith said, sitting down next to Draconis, who was still holding on to the blonde Slayer.

“Why?” Draconis asked, eyeing her warily.

“A sword? Come on!” Faith shouted. “I was too tired yesterday, but I remember you saying Skofnung could sense me being what I was. What’s wrong with you? You’re talking about that sword as if it’s alive!”

“Well, it is … more or less.” Draconis sighed, and continued, ”You see, Skofnung is magical. It’s really bloodthirsty, and so on. As such, it’s a good partner for me. There are some other things, like giving it’s wielder fabulous success and invincibility in battle. But, there’s a downside.”

Faith, deciding to humor this crazy coot, asked, “Really? What is it?”

“First of all, the sun can not shine fully on the handle. So, I wrapped it in black leather strips. The next thing is that Skofnung does not like women. No woman can ever see the unsheathed blade, and live.”

Faith burst out laughing now. “Really? Then why did it save me? Now I know you’re lying D-man. You’re just playing a joke on me, aren’t you?”

“As I said, it likes you, Faith. Skofnung says you think like a warrior.”

“Gee, thanks,” Faith said to the wrapped-up sword. To her utter surprise, the sword lifted in the air, and threw itself at her, as if guided by an invisible hand. For a moment, she thought the weapon would actually draw itself from its sheath, and attack her. The weapon slowed down, and landed right in front of her feat with a dull thud.

“That’s Skofnung’s way of saying ‘hello’,” Draconis said. “Well, a variation, anyway. Usually, it says hello by cutting people to ribbons.”

“Fuck,” Faith grunted, looking at the sheathed blade at her feet. Draconis gently put the blonde Slayer down, and sat up next to Faith. Grabbing the sheathed sword, he lifted it.

“As I said, Skofnung likes you,” Draconis continued, drawing the sword in a fluid movement. “Be honored, Faith. This is the first time a woman has seen this sword, and survived.” He turned the sword, and presented it to her, handle first.

Faith stared at the powerful weapon as if it could vaporize her on the spot. Hesitantly, she put her hand on the handle. To her dismay, she felt a tremor go through the weapon. She jerked her hand away.

“It moved! It fucking moved!” she cried out, jumping up and away from the weapon.

“Don’t worry, Faith. Trust me, Skofnung won’t harm you. It wants this, you know. It’s as curious about you as you are of it.”

“I am not curious!” Faith protested. “Terrified, yes. But not curious!”

Draconis got up, and walked up to her. He put out the handle once more. “Trust me, Faith. Skofnung will not harm you. The blade contains powerful magical forces, which is why it’s never completely still.”

Faith took a deep breath, and stuck out her hand. “This is silly. I am not scared of a weapon. I am not scared of a weapon,” she muttered. Her hand closed around the handle. Tremors could be felt.

“This handle is still,” Faith droned as he hand gripped the handle tightly. She lifted the sword from Draconis’ hands. The sword felt … perfect. She gave it a couple of experimental swings, and found it perfectly balanced.

“This feels incredible!” Faith said, astonished. “I feel so … strong!”

“Skofnung grants invincibility in battle,” Draconis said. “For the moment, that’s you.”

“Really?” Faith asked. “And what if I went after you?” She swung the blade at Draconis’ head, only to find that Skofnung halted mysteriously in front of him.

“But it won’t harm me. The only reason you’re holding on to that sword now is because Skofnung knew you weren’t going to harm me. If you were, it would have hacked you to bits by now. This was merely a demonstration,” Draconis said, smiling. He put out his hand, and Faith gave the sword back only reluctantly.

“It felt…so good,” the dark Slayer muttered. “Can I have one?”

Draconis laughed heartily. “Skofnung is over two hundred years older than I am. There is no way that I know of to create a magic sword.”

“Oh,” Faith answered. “Well, how about a deal? The next magical blade’s mine.”

Draconis eyed her strangely. Then, he shrugged, and nodded. “Sure. You’ll get the next magical blade we come across.”

 

Buffy awoke form the stupor her psyche had induced upon itself. Feeling drained, Buffy forced her eyes open. She didn’t know what to do next, but she did know that just staying put was not the ideal solution.

Her wary eyes scanned the room, finding it spotless. Willow, still tied up, had been put in the bed next to Buffy.

“Will?” Buffy asked her unconscious friend. She received no answer. It was only after she shook Willow’s shoulder that Buffy realized that she hadn’t been tied up. Looking at the tight knots in the mountaineering rope, Buffy tried to find a way to untie them. She found none.

Groaning, Buffy tried to break the rope. Again, her efforts failed. Draconis had been wise enough to use the tight knots he had learned while being a pirate, and he had bought the highest-tension rope he could find. There was no way anything short of a Mack truck was going to rip these ropes.

Hearing groaning noises, Buffy carefully swung her legs out of the bed. She was still naked, and dove for her clothes. Jumping in them, Buffy felt a little better. Not much, but at least a little.

Buffy shuffled over to the bedroom door, the only exit from the room she was in. She turned the knob, to discover the door had not been locked. Not believing her luck, Buffy pushed against the door, and it soundlessly slid open.

Buffy moved like a shadow, trying to get out of this place, and get some help. She felt heart-wrenched about leaving Willow, but she knew that there was no other choice. Not now. Not with these people.

She had barely slid out of the room when her breath halted, and sweat broke out all over her body. What she saw made her gasp for breath.

Draconis and Faith, locked in a deadly dance of war. Their arms were a blur as they slapped against each other, their bodies moving with a grace and speed Buffy could not believe. Faith, yes… Faith was another Slayer. Faith could do this. But who was this guy? How could he not only keep up with a Slayer, but obviously be her superior in strength, speed, and skill?

“Hi, B,” Faith greeted, breaking the sparring session. Draconis still had his back to Buffy, so she had no way of seeing his smirk. The ploy had worked. Buffy had taken the bait, and had seen them fight. Now she knew… she knew that he was able to defeat a Slayer.

“Buffy,” Draconis greeted in a happy tone of voice as he turned towards her. she mistook his smile for something entirely different.

“Uh…I…Uh…was going for a walk?” Buffy offered meekly.

“Balcony’s that way,” Draconis commented dryly. Then, more angrily, he added, “But of course you already knew that.” Faith’s face indicated nothing, and Buffy felt a cold chill move down her spine.

When Buffy made no attempts to move, Faith commented, “I think you’ve had enough exercise for the day, B. I know how draining the D-man can be on a girl’s system.” She threw a look over her shoulder, at Draconis.

He smirked. “The wise hand of experience,” he said, sounding more like an Indian guru than a vicious bloodthirsty warrior.

Faith batted an eyebrow, and Buffy stared, as scared as ever. Noticing the scrutiny, Draconis shrugged. “I had a guru for a teacher once,” he offered in the way of explanation. To faith, this made sense. To Buffy, it just made him look even more insane.

When no one made work of removing her, Buffy shuffled another step closer to the door.

“B…,” Faith growled warningly.

“Yes?” Buffy hastily said, trying to look innocent.

“You’re trying our patience,” Draconis said, shooting her a look.

“So, uh… what…uh…” Buffy’s vocabulary failed her completely now. Draconis shrugged at Faith, who suddenly jumped forward and grabbed Buffy from behind. The activities had indeed worn her out, and Buffy knew she was no match for Faith. Little did she know that the other Slayer was weakened as well, her immortality still recuperating.

Draconis walked forward, grabbed Buffy at her arms, and lifted her cleanly into the air. Buffy’s battered psyche didn’t realize the clean shot she had. Not before she was thrown in the bedroom once more. This time, Buffy heard the door lock.

Faith and Draconis walked to the balcony, barely containing themselves. As soon as they were outside, and the doors closed, they burst out laughing.

“You are one vicious bastard,” Faith complimented the immortal. “I swear, I have never seen her so scared before!”

“Well, as I said, I have experience in these matters.” He calmed down form his laughing spree, and calmly said, “You know… with some work, I might actually be able to make a loyal slave out of her.”

Faith stopped laughing. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“It’s easier on her than on her witch-friend, Willow. I crossed a couple of them… didn’t like the experience much. Just a quick grab, and then she goes the same way as Joyce Summers. But Buffy… I think I can tame her.”

“Let me guess. You did that before as well.”

“Yep. You wouldn’t imagine how much fun a princess can be. Of course, once she’s totally broken, there is no more fun to be had… so I perfected a few execution methods on the wench.”

Faith gulped. “Remind me never to be on your bad side.”

Draconis chuckled, his deep voice making the chuckle sound more demonic than human. Then, just as sudden, his features became deadly serious. “See that you don’t.” Right after that, he regained that playful light in his eyes.

 

Willow remained out cold for the rest of the day. Then, evening set, and the party really got going. First, Willow awoke, and Draconis started his attentions on her. He started doubting his earlier resolution as the little witch responded better than he had thought she would.

When night had fallen completely, someone started banging on the door of the apartment. Draconis growled as his attentions towards Willow were interrupted. Buffy, tied, gagged, and utterly helpless, had seen him work on Willow with the same deadly precision he had used on her.

She was terrified.

Draconis got up, and threw on a robe. To both girl’s astonishment, he tied Skofnung to his waist, over the bathrobe.

Faith had opened the door by now. Recognizing the man at the door, she greeted him casually. “Angel.”

“Hello Faith. Can I come in? I need your help.”

Answering on automatic, faith made a mistake. “Sure, come in.”

Angel burst through the lifted barrier. No vampire could enter a private house unless invited. Faith just invited him in.

He grabbed her, and threw her into the wall. “I know you have Buffy, Willow, and Joyce.  I want to know what you did to her! And I want to know it NOW!”

“Simple,” Draconis said coldly from right behind the vampire. “They fell into my hands.”

Angel’s face shifted to the face of a vampire. His yellow eyes and fangs showing. Draconis lifted an eyebrow.

“I know what you are, infernal creature. Leave, and never return,” Draconis told the vampire. His voice and entire attitude was dangerous. A millennium of experience came to a culmination. Draconis was stone cold inside, all his emotions shut off. His mind raced over possible options. In one second, he had found a dozen techniques that would kill the vampire on the first stroke.

“You little blonde Slayer has given herself to me, now. She was a nice little bed-warmer, after I woke her up to it.”

Angel made the mistake Draconis had hoped he would make. He let go of Faith, and charged Draconis. The vampire was enraged. Draconis was pissed, and Skofnung with him.

The sword sung a song of death as it went after the vampire. Draconis had underestimated his opponent’s strength and speed, and as such, Angel managed to avoid the first blow.

“You’re stronger and faster than a normal vampire,” Draconis noted, adjusting his technique for the added strength and speed of his opponent. “You could have warned me, Faith. You just said that he was a vampire.”

Angel stared at the angry sword; still singing it’s death-tunes. Draconis focused back on Angel, his face displaying a cold darkness that was unmatched by many vampires. Angel took a step back.

Draconis howled, the blade’s angry glow pulsing as if linked to a very rapid heartbeat. The light spread, encompassing Draconis’ body. Draconis howled again, his eyes glowing in the same ghostly-amber color as the sword. The Immortal charged. It was the last thing Angel would ever see: the immortal warrior, and the singing sword of death.

“Jeezes,” Faith breathed. “What was that?”

“Berserker rage,” Draconis explained. He shrugged. “Sometimes, it just happens.”

“Yeah,” Faith muttered in exasperation. She shook her head. “I definitely do not want to be on your bad side.”

Draconis smirked.

Draconis decided that tonight wouldn’t be the best time to break Willow, and tied her up. Buffy was chained, and put in the same room as Willow. Spending the night tied up and chained to a bed was not the most comfortable of positions, and by morning both girls were ready to die.

“Well, it looks like my job here is finished. All it takes now is to collect my pay from the mayor, pack our bags, and leave. We’ll take Willow and Buffy with us,” Draconis told Faith.

Faith could cheer as she heard that Draconis was going to take her with him, and cheerfully started packing her bags. The two immortals stowed everything in the Voyager, after which Buffy and Willow were put in the large car.

The entire group drove to the City Hall, and Draconis artfully pulled up to an empty parking spot. He actually obeyed the rules, and didn’t park in the handicapped zone right in front of the Hall.

Faith remained behind to watch the prisoners. Draconis had left his guns in the car, leaving Faith with enough firepower to overcome an entire army. Neither Willow nor Buffy had any illusions about escaping.

Draconis cheerfully walked into the mayor’ office.

“I’ve come for my pay,” Draconis said, whistling a cheerful tune. He always felt excited about ending a job like he had now: he had new toys to play with, and he actually found himself a student!

“Ah, yes, Mr. Draconis,” the mayor greeted Draconis. “I have heard of your artful dispatching of Misters Giles, Harris, and Green. May in inquire, however, to the status of the two females?”

Draconis shrugged. “They’ll be going with me to my archipelago. They are removed, as you requested.”

“Very well. Your pay will be deposited within 24 hours,” the mayor said. He put out his hand, and Draconis shook it. “A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Draconis.”

“As it was with you, Mr. Mayor. Maybe, in the future, we can deal again. Until that time, you don’t know me,” Draconis said in a friendly tone.

“Of course, Mr. Draconis. That speaks for itself. Now, would you be so kind as to send Faith in?”

“Sure,” Draconis said, and gave one final greeting before leaving. He didn’t really care as to what the mayor wanted. Faith was leaving with him, and Draconis didn’t doubt her loyalty. One thing he was not, and that was paranoid. He was right not to be.

Faith came in, and sat down. “What’s up?” she asked.

“Frankly, my dear, I need you to dispatch of Draconis for me. He is a liability, and I can not afford to have liabilities, not so close to my Ascension.”

For all she was, Faith knew when to keep her mouth shut. “Of course,” she agreed. She and the mayor talked for a few more minutes before she left. Every second had been torture. With a superhuman effort, Faith managed to remain calm, and got in the car. She didn’t speak until she could no longer see Sunnydale.

“He is not going to pay,” Faith said, dropping the proverbial bomb. “In fact, he asked me to kill you.”

Draconis shot her a sideways glance. “Thanks for telling me. I suspected as much,” he coldly informed her.

“Really?” Faith asked, surprised. She really wanted to be like this man!

“Would-be conquerors always make the same mistake.”

“Which is?” Faith asked.

“They don’t pay me,” Draconis said dryly.

“WHAT??” Faith shouted.

Draconis nodded. “Genghis Khan. Napoleon Bonaparte. Kaiser Wilhelm I. Adolph Hitler. And now this guy. All of them refused to pay me. All of them lost their empire. I don’t take kindly to empty promises.”

“FUCK! You worked for these guys?” Faith asked.

“Yeah… I like their jobs. Now, let’s get ready,” Draconis said. He pulled out the satellite phone. “This is Draconis. The word is given: Bullshit.” Draconis shut off the phone.

“Okay, who did you just swear at?” Faith demanded.

“My contact. Tonight, we’re going back. And we’re going to get payback.”

“HOW? We can’t hurt the guy! He doesn’t feel pain, and you can’t kill him! Not even by chopping off his head!” Faith shouted out.

“I read up on Ascensions before I got here. I can kill him by blowing him up. But, that’s not painful enough.” Draconis looked over his shoulder, and said to his two captives, “Remember what I said? Everyone around you gets hurt? Well, in this case, everyone does.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Faith asked.

“Well, tonight, you are personally going to press the button to ignite the magical neutron bomb that is going to kill everyone in the town. And that includes the mayor.”

“How?” Faith asked.

“Well, a neutron bomb kills by radiation. Every living thing dies. The mayor lives, ergo, he dies. His problem is that the thing has been enchanted.”

“Meaning?”

“It will kill him, over and over again. He will live in terrible agony until his Ascension, which is in a few days. After that, he dies permanently. That’s where I come in. I will have a scroll to curse the bastard. He will be sent to the seventh gate of Hell, and remain there for all eternity.”

“Wow,” Faith breathed. “Bummer, huh?”

Draconis started laughing. “Faith, the seventh gate of Hell is known as Hell’s Hell. It’s a torture chamber, if you will. Only, it’s for the soul, lasts for eternity, and you can’t die because you’re already dead.”

Faith shook her head. “Fuck.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Draconis commented dryly. “He pissed me off. You do NOT piss me off by not paying me. That amounts to suicide. Very painful suicide.

Faith gulped.

 

That night, Faith and Draconis walked back to a hill that overlooked the town. They couldn’t see the entire town, but it was a fair vantage point.

“Okay, Faith. Here is the laser-pointer. Remember what I told you: point it at the City Hall,” Draconis instructed as he handed Faith an oversized gun. Faith peered through the night-vision telescopic lens, and aimed the crosshairs at the City Hall. She pressed the trigger.

“Got it,” Faith muttered. She was about to ask Draconis if he was still there, when she saw something approaching in her telescopic lens. It was eerily silent, and she pointed it out to Draconis.

“It’s the supersonic B-1 nuclear bomber,” Draconis whispered. “Keep her steady, Faith.”

“Supersonic?” Faith managed. Fuck! He doesn’t screw around, does he?

The bomber, painted a dull black, was only visible on their night scopes. Normal vision could see nothing. As it crossed the town, it pushed down, until it was almost flying straight down. A small object was launched from it, and the bomber pulled up as if Hell itself was chasing it. Afterburners kicked in, and the massive plane disappeared from view. A few seconds after the plane left view, the sonic boom hit.

The sonic boom was nothing compared to the blast of the neutron bomb as it exploded about a kilometer up into the sky. Draconis dropped his night vision goggles, and pushed the night scope away from Faith just in time. The blast would have blinded them otherwise.

For hours, the two remained deadly quiet, perched just over the top of the hill. Finally, they got up. The town appeared undamaged as the Voyager drove through it.

“Did we miss?” Faith asked

Draconis shook his head, and slowed down. “We didn’t,” he said, pointing to a cat. The animal was almost unrecognizable, the intense neutron burst had done enormous damage. Faith began to see the subtle signs of the blast: no bird was singing, no cricket was chirping. The trees seemed to have fallen over on their own accord, just like the flowers.

Faith was shocked. “I…just killed an entire town?”

“Well, I arranged it. You just pulled the trigger. Why? You don’t like it?” Draconis asked as they pulled up to the City Hall.

“It’s…it’s…brutal. I didn’t realize…”

“This is the modern age, Faith. Modern warfare is more brutal than any other kind ever before. And I speak out of experience, I have seen a thousand years of warfare evolution.”

Faith was out of the car before Draconis was. He found her throwing up against the wall of the city Hall. His gentle hand rested on her shoulder.

“You’ll be fine, Faith. I just wanted you to know what we are capable of. I could just as well have blown up the Hall, and the mayor in it. But I decided that you needed to know.”

Faith managed to contain herself, and looked up at him. “You’re right D-man. It’s just…the shock, you know?”

Draconis smiled, and nodded. “Yeah, I know. Now, let’s go curse ourselves a mayor, and let’s go home, ok?”

Faith nodded. That sounded just fine with her.