Soul Illusion

Chapter 4.

“Tool up.” Spike called as he came into the lobby. “We’ve got a big nasty over on the east side.”

The team were moving, grabbing up weapons and readying themselves. Everyone except Greg and Xander, they stayed where they were, playing a game on the computer. Xan was winning, much to Greg’s annoyance.

“Sorry Greggo, gonna have to steal your playmate.” Spike’s voice cut through as he was hauling a stunned Xander to his feet and towards the stairs.

“Huh? Me? Why?” The brunette almost stammered.

It had been only a day since the discovery of the young man’s destiny, he hadn’t yet found the nerve to tell the others, but Angel had told him that he would have to do it soon. It wasn’t fair on Greg to leave him in the dark when he was putting in the hours on the researching. The others had been out to kill something or other two or three times in that short space of time, and he had started to get used to being left behind with the goofy science geek.

They were outside his room with Angel by the time Spike replied. “Because we’ve faced one of these guys before, back in Sunnyhell. Go and get bloody changed.”

As the door closed behind him, the human had a brief moment of uncertainty. He couldn’t go and fight in the black silk, but Angel had said he would tell him what to wear if they were going out anywhere. He looked around then headed to the closet, pulling it open and grabbing out a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. He thought it was a safe combination.

When a fully dressed Xander reached the bottom of the stairs Spike handed him an axe. Xander moved the weight from his left hand to his right and back again. It was an impressive looking weapon and he hoped he wouldn’t hurt himself with it. He nodded his approval at the weapon, while wondering if Angel knew of the situation. He looked towards the office door.

“Peaches knows, pet. He’s getting himself ready too.” The bleached blond vampire almost seemed to read his thoughts.

Xander nodded. “Okay.”

They piled into the SUV with Angel bringing up the rear, he slammed the door shut and the squeal of tyres signalled that they were in a real hurry. Spike normally drove like that though so it wasn’t anything different. Xan grinned as he looked at Chase’s disapproving face. Spike was talking, telling them about the demon and the young cocky blond was trying not to look fazed by the prospect of what they were about to face.

“A what demon? Max asked from the back.

Spike made that weird throaty sound again and Xander chuckled. “Quit showing off that you can speak the language, Fangless” He called to his friend.

There was a loud laugh from the blond menace. “Crghthalx” He said it again, with less of an accent. “Bloody nasty buggers they are. All limbs and eyes.”

“And slime.” Xander added, “don’t forget the slime.”

“How would you know?” Chase shot at him.

“The whelp and me took one of these buggers out back in the day. Ain’t that so, pet?” Spike beamed with pride at the accomplishment.

Xan smiled and nodded. “That we did, I swear I was showering off the slime a week later still, that stuff got everywhere.” He shivered at the memory, as he did so it caused him to shift and be reminded of leather pouch and butt plug he was wearing under his jeans. He bit his lip to suppress a moan. ‘Not the most practical in battle wear’ he told himself. Feeling someone watching him he turned his head and raised his eyes meeting Angel’s intense dark gaze. He watched a slow smile spread across the dark vampire’s face and Xan wondered if that should worry him.

The Crghthalx demon was living in an old warehouse… an old, huge warehouse. The group of 6 walked in through the small door in the larger loading bay doors; weapons in hand and an air of nervous anticipation surrounding them. Spike and Angel led them and Xander brought up the rear. It was dark inside and Spike broke off to head for the lights, he flicked the switch and the inside of the building was bathed in stark artificial light.

There was a loud, high-pitched wail that battered their eardrums and then the demon came lurching from behind some boxes. There were gasps and mutters from those that had never seen one before. Illyria swung her axe happily; finally, something to kill that would be a nice challenge.

“You never mentioned the thing about the eyes being ‘on’ the limbs.” Max protested.

“Oops! musta slipped my mind.” Spike grinned, mischievously.

The demon was easily 8 feet across, it’s body was only 5 feet tall but it had at least a dozen arm like appendages, each one 8 foot long with a pair of eyes and three finger like protrusions, with razor sharp nails on each. It didn’t have feet as such; it sort of slid along like a slug. A giant slug with 24 eyes, 36 razor sharp nails and oozing a smelly yellowish slime!

“It’s smaller than the other one.” Xander pointed out.

“Smaller?” Asked an incredulous Max.

“Probably just a baby.” The brunette continued.

Chase just glared while Spike and Xander chuckled at the look on the ex-special ops agent’s face, he’d paled considerably.

They went to work, Angel and Spike dodged the flailing limbs easily with their vampiric speed, each of them bringing down their weapons and severing a limb. They were squirted with yellow slime for their efforts and their momentarily triumphant smiles became disgusted grimaces at the stench of the demons ‘blood’.

Illyria, not one to be left out during a battle, was next to rush in. She wasn’t as fast as the other two, but she was agile, a limb caught her and cut a gash in her arm. She looked at the blood and then with a look of indignant rage, sliced through a limb…twice… just to be sure.

Xander looked at the other two, at their hesitation he began to move forward, he wouldn’t leave the other three to deal with the demon on their own, not with that many limbs still flying around. Someone could get hurt; besides, he knew these things could move faster than they first appeared. He briefly caught sight of the swirling black coat of his Master, as he twisted and jumped and took off another limb. The brunette human almost cheered, but a limb swooped down and he had to duck to avoid getting his face gashed.

Xander growled from deep inside, turned and struck out with his axe, it embedded in the limb. He had to duck another, before he could pull it out and bring it down again and finish the job. The demon was down to only 5 limbs, that he could count. He wasn’t paying any attention to anyone else; he was far too busy ducking, twisting and hopping over the remaining limbs. He was covered in slime, and the leather under his pants was rubbing in an annoying way, but it all served to focus his mind in the strangest way he’d ever experienced. He felt like he had to prove himself to Angel, prove himself worthy of belonging to him.

With a deep guttural cry, Xander leapt over a dead limb that lay on the floor and took off another, halfway along the length. He looked around and found that Spike was taking off the last limb. There was an ear splitting screech from the creature as the last limb fell to the floor and the body deflated into a pile of yellowish goo.

“Well, wasn’t that fun.” Xander grinned, covered almost completely from head to toe in slime.

Spike was bouncing on his heels. Angel was looking down at his duster with a scowl. Chase glared at Xander. Max and Illyria seemed only interested in each other.

Xander rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, he felt a tickle creeping up his spine and his skin felt like his skin was crawling. “Anyone else feel…”

There was a pulse and flash of static electricity and a portal opened behind Angel. Xander’s eyes went wide.

“Look out.” He called as something large and scaly stepped through.

Angel didn’t move fast enough as the demon’s arm arched round and sent him flying. Xander yelled out as Spike grabbed him and pulled him down behind some crates. The others dove behind there with them. Not that they would give them much protection, but it left Angel facing whatever the new big bad was.

The tickling along Xander’s spine had increased and his stomach was churning with fear for his vampire.

“We have to do something. It could kill Angel.” He turned desperate eyes on Spike.

The blond’s eyebrows shot up. “Bloody hell.”

“What?” Xander frowned, rubbing the back of his neck again but then continuing to rub his head, which was hurting.

“Your bloody eyes, they’re glowin’ blue, that’s what.”

Xander’s frown increased, a hand lifting towards his face, until a cry of pain from Angel drew his attention. He flew from his hiding place without a second thought.

Spike’s hand shot out to grab hold of the whelp, but he was too slow and his hand grasped empty air. Xander was already standing in front of the demon. All the blond menace could think was that Peaches would dust him for letting something happen to his boy. He was about to launch himself out after the human when he was stopped in his tracks by the sight that they now made.

As soon as Xander approached the ‘thing’ that had come through the portal, it dropped its grip on Angel and turned to face him.

“Enough!” The brunette put his hands on his hips.

“My Lord.” The 8 foot tall, giant of a demon had gone down on one knee and was bowing his head to Xan.

He waved his hand indignantly in the air. “How dare you attack my mate?”

To the others the noise sounded like a dozen boulders being shifted over concrete, but Xander seemed to understand it perfectly, as he then replied with the same noise. Those that were still hiding looked at each other in confusion.

The creature supplicated itself further. “Forgive me, I thought it was attacking you, I did not realise the vampire was your mate.”

Xander’s head was pounding badly, like the mother of all migraines was raging, but he knew this was important… he didn’t know how he knew that, he just did. He rubbed at his temples as he conversed with the giant.

“What do you want here?”

“My Lord, I was sent by the council of my own dimension to request your help. We have been waiting for your arrival for many years, and when our Court Mage felt your becoming, I was instructed to come to you.”

“What help do you require?” He asked diplomatically.

“My people are under threat from another species, they wish to enslave us and use us as they wish. My people are peaceable and cannot beat them. They have strong weapons and we have none. We have managed to hold out against them by our sheer number but we are falling rapidly now. Please, you are the only one that can help us.”

Xander’s eyes flared a brilliant blue that made the envoy flinch slightly. “I will help you. But you must return home now, work out with your council what help would be most beneficial and least destructive and if it is satisfactory to me, it will be done. You will not need to return here.”

The giant bowed again before he rose, turned and stepped back through the swirling portal.

The stunned gang all began, as one, to start asking Xander what the hell had just happened. But he had clutched his head and collapsed to the ground unconscious.