11829/Blood of the Ancients: The last stand

Blood of the Ancients: The last stand
Date of Scene:	24 July 2020
Location:	Abandoned Warehouse, Lower East Side
Synopsis:	The Scoobies rescue the prisoners and shut down Armastus' camp for good.
Cast of Characters:	Buffy Summers, Phantasm (Drago), Spike, Thomas Raith, Karrin Murphy, SpyderByte
Tinyplot:	Blood of the Ancients

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Buffy Summers has posed:
The sun has just set when they return to the warehouse, and lights are starting to turn on in the abandoned building,indicating activity within. Buffy had hoped for a bigger posse tonight but some people could not make it. Either way this will have to do. She crouches outside the back, peering around as she hides in a nearby bush, glancing at Nick, "Think you can do a perimeter check, find the path of least resistance?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The previously mentioned Nick glances from under the dark ballcap pulled over his head. "JUST the perimiter?" He asks, hands absentmindedly touching the pockets to be sure the items he tucked in there are still in place. Which, kind of kills the confidence of the question posed. However it's not a visual thing they're dealing for much longer as he starts to dim from view. "Yeah. Can do."

Spike has posed:
     Spike...well Spike is Spike. A fight is always a plus. He watches in the distance, taking a drag from his cigarette and exhaling slowly. His eyes move from Buffy first and then each one after thoughtfully. He's not the master planner here, just the muscle.

Thomas Raith has posed:
From just behind Buffy's ear she can hear a silky sweet voice say, "Sorry I'm late love, glad you didn't start the party without me." Unusually for Thomas Raith he's not dressed in his trademark white, after all it is a stealth mission. So it's dark jeans, and a maroon t-shirt so tight that one can count his muscles through it. His long black hair is pulled back into a simple pony tail. He gives a wicked smile that shows all his white teeth. "So what are we looking at?" he asks casually. Also his nose shows no signs of being broken recently.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Karrin was still sore as hell and bandaged up, but she wasn't going to leave Buffy high and dry. The woman was her best friend. So, taped ribs, body armor in place, fresh set of bandages, a few hours sleep, and a few extra strength pain killers, and Karrin Murphy is as ready to go as she's going to be. She's got a different, brown leather jacket on today, her moto jacket in desperate need of repair after the other mess. She comes in quietly, ice blue eyes studying the room with worried wariness, but she only sees familiar faces now. She gives a small nod in Buffy and Nick's direction. "...I'm prepared. Have more things in the car if we need them." Things probably being weapons and medical supplies, but who knows these days.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers nods to Nick, rising from behind the bush that gives them some cover at least. "Yeah, with Willow'a help we managed to disarm most of those sigils the other day, and I knocked out one or two cameras, but they probably repaired at least some of em. We need to find the lest monitored point of entry.

As Thomas approaches, she smirks, glancing sidelong at him. "Glad you could make it..Murph, you too, how you holding up?" as for her own shoulder wound from the other night, looks like it's more or less healed up already. She just shrugs, shouldering her battle axe over one arm, some wooden stakes sticking out of her utility belt as well as bottles of holy water. Her signature red leather pants cover her legs and a thin black tank top under her black leather jacket.

"Alright, follow Nick, he'll lead us in, then we split up to find the prisoners..As for the layout.." she grins, flipping open her phone, calling a number, or rather texting him. Spider Byte was helpful before and she had met him to discuss her current break in attempt. <<Spider Byte, what can you tell me about the layout of the building and security details if possible? Did you get some info on it?>>

SpyderByte has posed:
There is a small 'ping' on Buffy's phone.

A flashing green spider cursor shows up, followed by bright white letters from an unknown blocked number.

<< The building is four stories and your prisoners are kept in the basement. The main level once you get through the entrance has numerous cameras that are now replaying the last hour. You should go through the back door as there are no guards and only a couple of cameras I have on replay as well. >>

There is another 'ping' from the phone.

<< I will coordinate the rest of the way and pull any potential targets to create an easier path. Let me know when you reach the elevator to the basement and I will create a diversion to pull any foot soldiers. >>

Spike has posed:
     Taking another drag from his cigarette, Spike exhales and tosses it aside. Likely his long black coat conceals any number of nasty things. Rolling his neck a few times and gets ready for promise of things to come.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith takes a step away from Buffy as she coordinates. He casts a small nod to Spike, the two have worked together in the past well enough, and it never hurts to respect your elders. Also they have Buffy in common which .. is a thing. He then sidles up to Karrin and sighs, "So I'm sure you heard that I told him. He took it pretty well I think."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
A slight nod of greeting is given in Buffy's direction and a faint line of a grimace to her lips, "...Dresden's still recovering. I...got enough Tylenol in me that I'm here. It'll have to do." That's Murph for 'Feel like shit, doesn't matter, let's do the job.' She's definitely a little pale around the edges but she has her game face on, especially as she looks over the two vampires who are the only other people she can see giving back up for the job. She gives Spike a little, wary nod, half respectful but also still on her toes about him. "Good to be...working together again." Then Thomas slips up to her side and she smirks a bit deeper, wryness behind pale blue eyes. "...I heard. He...took it as well as you could expect. I...talked him through it a bit. You're lucky it was just the rings he used." She mutters gently to him, but there's no anger in her voice. Just worry. Worry for everyone here, really. She searches for Nick, but is seeing nothing, "...WHO are we supposed to follow?" She whispers to the vamps.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
After following up on Buffy's request to do a perimiter check, Nick pops back into view in front of the group. Right in front of the confused cop. "Alright. Back door seems best option. Some cameras though."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers nods to Nick as he slips off and as they wait she slowly approaches the building. Harry is mentioned and she sighs, "He'll be alright, right now I'm more concerned about those Denarians but we'll figure it all out later." and with Nick doing a perimeter check, she'll advance towards the back door and loading dock, nodding to him.

"Nick, Karrin, think you can knock out some of those cameras? Spike, Thomas, I'm gonna need you for muscle. I'm guessing there are guards waiting even at the back doors." she proceeds carefully, waiting for Nick and Karrin to knock out any cameras covering the loading duck before getting too close.

<<Alright, our priority is getting the prisoners out. Heading for loading dock now, will let you know when we're in..>>

Spike has posed:
     Spike rolls his neck once and rocks back and forth on his legs to loosen them up a little. A few moments later is body sways a little as if hearing a song nobody else does and resembling a cobra at the end of a charmer's flute. His eyes meet Thomas' gaze and returns the nod that is offered. Familiarity goes a long way with him in these sorts of things.

     Shifting his gaze towards Murphy as she speaks,"The same...." he replies softly. He's calm, but ready for the storm,"We've got to stop meeting like this." He can at least try to make a wise crack.

     The sudden appearance of Nick gets his attention to hear what is said about the situation. The time for door kicking is closing in.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith nods slightly and "Gets his game face on," which isn't too much different then his regular face, slow smirk and amused glint in his eyes... but it also has a Kukri knife in his left hand and a sawed off shotgun in his right. He grins at his lover, "whenever you give the signal.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
As Nick reappears, Karrin doesn't exactly jump, but her eyes go a bit wider that says she is a bit surprised. She's not 100 percent tonight, but probably at least 95, and her 95 is damn good. The question of the cameras makes her frown, "...Yeah, but not that they'll still play. Someone will know they are down." Karrin mutters, unaware the cameras might still be safe. She waits for the vamps and others to look ready and then she spills into the other room, shoulders hugging the walls, not going into the middle where the cameras might catch at all. She moves fast, surgically using a snap out baton to jerk power supply from the walls of those cameras and then tilt them upwards, just in case they have battery generators. Hopefully the continuous play from an hour ago is patched into the main system. If so, they're double protected now.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick glances over to Buffy. "Yeah we can handle some cameras." Nick assures, fading back out of sight.

Wait.

Did he just ditch them? Because it sure as hell looks like Karrin's doing all of the w-

A camera splits in half, the wiring sticking out of it like electrical entrails as the lens now faces the wall.

Nevermind.

Buffy Summers has posed:
While Karrin and Nick focus on killing some cameras in the front, a security team is already dispatched to check on it which gives the Scoobies a chance to sneak in the back. Buffy finds to her surprise that the door opens with a click and is already unlocked. So much for kicking the door down. "Nice work everyone, lets go!"

<<Alright, we're inside..What's the quickest route to the basement?>> she's already surprised and impressed at Spider Byte's abilities but even as she adjusts to the dim lighting of the indoor garage and the couple of vans parked there, it soon becomes clear that they are not alone..

Three large ghouls are loading supplies into a couple of large vans although they pause and snarl at the interlopers, already charging at them with a loping, powerful gait.

Spike has posed:
     Walking in with the rest, Spike pauses as he notes the approaching of the ghouls,"One thing about it with you, life is never dull." he mutters under his breathe at Buffy. He's been spoiling for a fight and opportunity has finally presented itself.

     If there is anything more annoying than an invader it is one with an arrogant, borderline cocky smile. A smile like that is etched into Spike's face,"Here we are now..." he comments to the approaching beasts,"....entertain us." From under his coat a short sword appears and he cracks his neck once and settles in on their approach.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith takes a stance near Spike but well out of his blades range. He flurishes his kukri in a dazziling display of skill... but since hee is also an impatiant sort raises his shotgun and fires it right into the snarling face of one of the ghouls.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Well, that lets Karrin know just how quick a dead camera is noticed around here. As the security team spills in the front, she presses herself back against a wall, behind another abandoned door. She has no clue where Nick has gone, but has hopes he's somewhere near still because she can only get two non-lethally and these people don't necessarily deserve to die. She waits until the two nearest guards do a sweep in her direction and very abruptly jerks out, swinging a violent kick to the temple of the farthest guard and a fast choke hold to the nearest, just tight enough to hopefully make him pass out. She doesn't want to kill anyone but cannot afford to be caught.

SpyderByte has posed:
Ping.

<< Just follow the arrows on your phone, it will lead you to the basement elevator. Be careful though, you have company. >>

Buffy's phone lights up with a pulsing, glowing arrow, showing the path to the elevator. It's like a GPS.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well, if Karrin is really wanting to know where the phantasm is at the moment, she'd just need to over to the third guard. Why? Because that's where the phantasm is currently focusing most of his strength into clotheslining the poor bastard. Which does not do well for stealth but hey... you want a distraction? There you go.

Buffy Summers has posed:
The fight is on! The first ghoul snarls as it rushes at Spike, attempting to grab him by the neck and throw him into a wall forcefully. The hideous creatures are capable off pulling off a human like visage at least initially. But once their anger is unleashed, it's hard to keep up appearances.

It won't take long for Karrin to realize these are not ordinary human guards. Even so,the second ghoul is at least stunned as she swings a powerful and well placed kick to its temple. It's not enough to knock it out but it sure stuns it for a moment, long enough for Thomas to blast it in the face full of bulkets. Now that hurts and it snarls angrily, but it's not quite enough to kill it as it charges at him and attempts to pummel him with powerful blows.
    
The third ghoul is aught off guard by Murphy's choke hold but it's no normal guard and with a roar it attempts to slam her into a nearby wall as it backs up, then gets slammed by Nick. Still, it's enough to stun it briefly, maybe enough for Karrin to get free, but it's gonna take more to take it down.

Meanwhile, Buffy glances briefly at her phone and frowns, better take care of these punks first. She rushes at t
The third ghoul, concerned the most about an already injured Murphy, swinging her axe at its face with a snarl.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith grins wickedly, as the Ghoul charges his position, swinging his Kukri around again in a move to, quite literally, disarm the attacking beast. He twirls the shotgun around his hand, somehow cocking it again in the proccess, and all things going his way will fire it point blank into the charging Ghouls mush.

Spike has posed:
     Well, maybe he was not as ready as he seemed because the ghoul does grab him by the neck. Guess who doesn't need to breathe. Instead as the creature starts to drive him towards the wall, Spike swipes the sword hard against the wrist of the creature to severe the hand at his neck from the arm.

     Whether that works or not, he takes advatage of the short sword to pass it between the two of them, pressing the hilt of the weapon against his chest and stabbeing the tip of the blade into the ghoul's chest. This is going to hurt Spike, but the ghoul will be impaled on the blade. Take one for the team.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Oh. These are just overpaid mall cops. Karrin finds that out about .5 seconds too late and is slammed against the wall, all her breath leaving her body and already abused ribs. She's seeing stars and would probably be in a LOT of trouble if Nick wasn't suddenly there, getting the thing off of her as she stumbles down and now jerks her gun out of it's holster, safety being flicked off in the same motion, and she unloads two rounds into the ghoul coming up behind Nick before jerking the gun over and putting one into the head of the one she kicked. She keeps her back pressed to the wall, so it's protected even if that traps her a little more. "Thanks..." She raggedly breathes out to Nick.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
He turns his head, seeing a ghoul approaching in time for Karrin to shoot it. He blinks. That shouldn't happen... Hearing the thanks, Nick gives an unseen shrug. "What I'm here for." he replies.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Goul #1 is not doing so well. It shrieks in rage and pain as Thomas slices its arms off and blood sprays everywhere. As if that's not enough, he blasts it to smithereens at point blank range and the friend goes downs in an ugly, twitching heap on the floor, though it's movements become slower and slower by the minute.

Spike fares equally well as his ghoul forgot to factor in the whole 'vampires can't breathe' thing. It's the last thing that goes through it's mind as Spike impales it at close quarters. Again it's not an immediate death and will withe in agony for a few moments on the floor.

As for the third ghoul, between Karrin's well placed shot, Buffy's furious slashing at its stomach and Nick's attack it too let's out a pained shriek as it falls to the ground. Buffy does not hesitate to finish it off, pummeling it into oblivion with her axe.

"Let's hurry, we do t have much time!" she calls to the others, "Follow me!" and she in turn follows the directions in her phone, moving down a long hallway and down towards the elevator. It seems the security are lax around here, either that or a Jeremy has them looking elsewhere.

"Alright.." she waits for everyone to join her, to catch their breath as they head onto the last leg of their journey. "Remember, freeing the prisoners is our priority. If need be, Spike, Thomas, I need your help to distract any heavy hitters. Karrin, Nick, I need you to focus on freeing prisoners.."

SpyderByte has posed:
Ding.

The elevator doors open up once the Scooby gang reaches it.

On Buffy's phone, the words: 'Going down?' is flashing along the screen.

<< Be careful. Prisoners are down below and still guarded. I will lock the elevator so that no one can come after you. I will have eyes on you. >>

Spike has posed:
     Looking down at the ghoul that is writhing, Spike withdraws the sword and shakes his head. Somebody really needs to deal with his bad habit. He takes a cigarette out and puts it to his mouth. He steps over the ghoul...well on the ghoul's throat to crush it down and deftly lights the cigarette with the same hand he holds the sword.

     He leans down and wipes the creatures blood off his blade and then starts to follow Buffy to whatever else she might have in mind. A look of satisfaction at causing the hurt. Over due.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith who somehow managed to dismember and decapitate his ghoul without getting a fleck of blood on him just grins a bit over at Spike, "You're not sllowing down in yor dotage, are you?" he asks the centuries old vampire with an amused challenging smile. As he steps past his ghoul he drives the kukri down into it's heart and twists before withdrawing the blade. He walks casually towards Buffy and the elevator as though they were strolling through the mall.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
With the Ghouls mostly taken care of and handled and the group approaches the elevator. There is the flicker of an unfamiliar cloaked figure, claws extending from the sleeves as Nick's voice breaks the brief silence. "Meet you in the basement." With that, he falls through the floor, taking the express route, visual fading as he does so.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
While Karrin doesn't like firing her weapon, she will when she has to. She keeps it trained at the ground, unable to see Nick but knowing he's handling things from being invisible. She trusts the man at her back. When none of the ghouls are getting up immediately, she exhales a shaking sort of breath and hugs around the room to slip into the elevator with the rest of the team. She blinks at Nick's voice, but it brings a brief smile to her lips. "Meet you there...no ordinary security guards. So, other than the victims, there really isn't an innocent here, is there?" She asks, just slightly out of breath, mainly from the wall hit earlier.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers nods and draws a deep breath as the team recuperates during the short elevator trip. On her phone she smiles and types, <<Thanks, on our way down, Nick's scouting ahead..>> Shes not sure what to expect, but passes a quick glance over everyone, relieved to see no one is too badly shaken up after round one.

Nick will find the way clear when he goes through the floor, a large open area with an upper balcony surrounding the perimeter, and a long set of stairs leading to a lower area with what looks like an area cage set up in the middle with bleachers all around and a large crowd of vampires cheering in what appears to be a caged fight going in in the center floor.

On the current floor at the far end is another large cage, this one full of humans, some of who cheer on the contestants below, others who cower fearfully in a corner. And raised at the far end on the lower floor behind the bleachers and protected by guards is Armastus himself, an Ancient and powerful vampire and the leader if this outfit.

Buffy draws a deep breath. "Dammit..Looks like a fight to the death..Karrin, Nick, think you can reach the prisoners and open that cage? I think I'm gonna gave to drop in and give em a fight worth watching, but if things get too hairy, Spike, Thomas you're with me.."

She pauses only briefly, there are so many people, they could do with some kind of cover or additional distraction, "Spiderbyte, got any further distractions in mind?"

SpyderByte has posed:
<< I hope you can see in the dark. >>

The lights go out with a click. Flooding the basement with darkness. It appears that the young Spider just cut the power. That is except for any equipment they may have on them.

The screen flashes again: << Don't move. Thirty seconds. >>

WHOOOP WHOOOOP WHOOOOP WHOOOOP WHOOOP WHOOOP

Alarms everywhere begin to pound through the speakers, red lights flashing.

<< Make your way along the south wall. Hug it tightly, stay low. >>

WHOOOP! WHOOOP! WHOOOP!

<< They will go for the elevator. I will lock them in it. >>

Spike has posed:
     Taking a moment to study the room, a slow and almost cruel looking smile touches the face of the Big Bad,"Now we're talking." he comments softly and raises the cigarette to his mouth. The end glows a little brighter and then the lights go out,"Bloody Hell." he mutters.

     Any number of bad ideas probably enter his mind, but hitting the wrong person will be unpleasant. He holds still, taking the cigarette from his mouth a second before that because he doesn't want it to give them away, then when indicated he hugs the south wall as well.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
What the hell type of basement is this? That's a lot of wasted space. After getting the orders it isn't just him that goes unseen as the light is taken away, giving the advantage to anyone who might have night vision or supplies that grant that. Which the phantasm currently does not have. So, he hangs back, having to wait until the basement becomes a noisy red light district before he continues. Moving towards the prisoner area.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Karrin leads a team when she's with the force but, here, she's back up. She takes orders and watches people's backs when she needs to. So, she's keeping close to Buffy's six when the elevator door opens downstairs, just in enough time to get a full view of the room's lay out and the chaos before the electric goes out. Well, shit. SHe's not certain where Nick might be, but she did get an idea of where the cages were. That's her order and that's her goal. She hugs the wall, possibly not the right one, but she's trying to stay small and out of the way while she cuts through the chaos in the prisoner's direction. It's hard to do mostly blind. She relies heavily on her other senses and can, at least, get to the cages. "Calm down. I'm here to help. If you know where the door is, point it out!" She tries to call over the chaos. Maybe Nick would be better at opening it.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers nods to her phone and freezes as lights turn off and sirens blare. Temporary chaos hits the group. And while some of her party include vampires who can see in the dark, Buffy cannot. "Everyone, move away from the elevators. Now!" And she darts to the other side, giving the small stampede of vamps to make a rush for the steps and the elevators.

At least half of the panicked crowd, mostly the younger more I experienced vamps make a rush for the escape route and find themselves trapped in the elevator. That's before Armastus' voice booms, low and commanding and calm over the intercom. "Everyone relax and calm down! It's just a false alarm!" he roars as he quickly checks with security and realizes something is amiss. Someone clearly pulled the alarm but there's no one showing on the cameras.

He sends some more experienced vamps up the steps to check on things topside and as they climb the steps, Buffy nods to Spike and Thomas. "You got them, time to make my appearance." it doesn't take long for backup generators to kick in and lights suddenly sprung back to life. Buffy grins, taking that as her cue as she leaps from the upper level, landing on the sparring mat in the middle of the caged arena down below.

While all eyes turn on the skater in the arena, the prisoners shriek, reaching out desperate arms towards Karrin as they approach. The cage is locked, a simple padlock but it might take some force to pry it open.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Hm-." The unseen figure says to Karrin, passing by her to head over to the cage to lift up the padlock. With him being unseen the general appearance is that of the padlock floating as the metal of the bolt brushes against the metal of the cage. It stills in it's awkward position for a moment before moving away from the cage. Unbroken. Unopened, just separated. The lock vanishes.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"I know, I know, it's scary, just.... Just calm down, we're here to help. Just let us help you." Karrin states in her best, crowd calming but authoritative voice possible. She's been through emergencies like this before, the crisis and panic response in peoples' brains not unfamiliar to her. Blue eyes flicker towards the lock, seeing it hover strangely and that means, at least, she knows where Nick is. "I got your back..." She has no clue how long it'll take him to get through to the cage, so she tries to keep eyes out for any other enemies in the darkness and chaos.

"If there is anyone injured, send them out first, everyone *stay behind me* and near the wall so we can get you out." Karrin half calls over the cage, not certain if anyone can really hear her, but she's doing her best to do this in an organized fashion. Her gun still hasn't left her hand, but it's trained at the floor now until she needs to target something again.

Buffy Summers has posed:
The lock just vanishes and a few of the prisoners panic, trying to shove others out of their way in their desperation to be free. "This isn't what I signed up for! It wasn't supposed to be this way! Are those real vampires? I don't wanna die!" they talk all at once but when Murphy addresses them they calm down, mostly. No one seems to be injured, just tired, hungry, scared..

Unfortunately, even as Buffy distracts most of them down below in the cage with Spike and Thomas' help, a few vamps on guard glower at Karrin and start to charge for her, snarling.

Spike has posed:

     Buffy and Thomas head on and Spike pauses only long enough to make sure Nick and Karrin are settled. Not that they can't take care of themselves, but he knows
     Buffy and Thomas are better equipped for this. There is a smirk that touches his features,"I smell dead things. Things that need to be...dead more." he muses softly and looks off in the direction past Karrin. Of course they are probably everywhere really, but besides the point.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The door to the cage swings open before it start to swing back. Seems no one is holding the door open, just indicating that an exit is possible.

A low growl emits from emptiness near the cage before it cuts off. The hidden figure moving quickly towards one of the guards, leaping towards him. A cloaked figure of black appears mid lunge, Claws extended, slashing at the guard's neck.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
While Karrin is an excellent fighter, getting the victims out is the absolute goal here. She's got to trust that Nick is going to be able to keep the vampires off her as she begins ushering people out of the cage, "Stay against the wall! Follow the wall to the far corner, keep eyes out, keep close to each other. The less of your body you show to the room, the more you can protect yourself!" Karrin calls over the group. Then, before she can talk again or ensure eveyrone is out of the cage, she's being abruptly rushed by someone who does NOT entirely seem human to her. Her gun jerks up, safety off, and she fires twice into the vampire's center mass. "KEEP BEHIND ME!" She yells to the group.

The guards are not happy about losing their valuable cattle. The one on Nick growls loudly, teeth out, overly-strong hands trying to keep the claws off it's throat, but a spray of undead blood comes a moment later across the wall and some of Nick's body, his claws having landed home on some sort of artery. The vampire is still fighting, but it's struggles are a little more shocked now and a little slower.

There are vampires everywhere. One, whose hearing is sharp enough to have caught Spike's words, hisses at him and runs in for a violent body tackle, "Traitor! You could have these people as well, you are better than this!"

Spike has posed:
     The smile that crosses his lips is something that would make the coldest of souls chill and Spike rolls his neck once before walking towards the rush of vampires,"Where were you bringing them to me when I didn't have a way to get blood?" he replies to the vampire. It's a bit childish of course, but the side step away from the body tackle is impressive, the kick in the body flying vampire's head is devastating to his face.

     He circles back enough keep his currently dance partner in front of him, but also more or less keep his back safe from a Pearl Harbor attack as much as possible,"Come on big boy. Let's see what you've got besides tired lines and and a broken nose."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the vampire continues to struggle, the sprays of blood both hitting and passing through the figure on top of him. One of the last few sights the guard is treated to is red eyes fixated on him and the jagged glow of teeth in the hood's abyss contorting into a grotesque smile as it continues to tear away at the neck until nothing holds the head to the rest of the body. Head glancing up, the shadowperson scouts out another quarry before running towards another vampire.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The group is slow moving, but actually moving. Karrin's keeping herself at the lead so she's between any incoming vampires and the already traumatized victims. The one vampire which she put two bullets in stumbles, just a touch, but gets back to his feed and continues coming. So, she ends up putting one bullet into his head. At this range, with her little but fairly powerful SIG, it takes out half of his cheek and eye. That's enough to send him down, but there's two more popping up in his place.

The vampires with Spike are now mainly trying to get past him, to the mortal woman and the victims she's stealing from them all. The one with the broken nose spits blood in Spike's face, then comes forward, knive suddely in his hand and going for Spike's throat so, hopefully, his friends can get past.

The victims in the back, now seeing (or sort of not seeing) Nick and the chaos around him, the blood everywhere, they just start screaming. One woman is totally frozen in place in panic, unable to stop the repeated screams from her lips. The vampire Nick took down, it's lower body collapses to the floor, but another is going straight for the panicking woman. At least he could feed before continuing the fight. Besides, it was hard to attack what he couldn't see.

Spike has posed:
     "Bright one aren't you?" Spike mutters softly, side stepping again, throwing a side kick into his knee. A split second later, Spike spins back against the vampire and burying a stake into the vamp's chest. A poof and and a scream then all that remains is dust.

     No time for grand standing anymore, Spike turns his attention towards the nearest thing trying to get past him and throws a hard right cross at his jaw. Stopping him isn't likely on one swing, but he will certainly stagger the vampire.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well, it just so happens the vampire that is targeting the panicking woman is the quarry that the creepily gleeful phantasm spots. With the vampire's focus upon the woman, it makes it all the easier for the cloaked figure to leap and knock the vampire away from the hunt. The hood shakes, side to side. "Nu-uh." The dark figure chides, pulling a stick from within the folds.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The clip of bullets in Karrin's gun is getting low and she's honestly not certain how much time she will have to reload. Just ten feet from the firescape door, another vampire slides too-fast right next to her, reaching for her gun hand even as she fires into it's chest. Probably not effectively. She swears loudly, heel swinging out in a violent kick to the vampire's knee, trying to buckle it. She'll fight dirty if she has to.

The punch to his face makes the vampire with Spike certainly stumble, flying a bit to the right, but he cmes back a second later with that knife, straight to Spike's stomach this time, almost trying to gut him.

The vampire that was going for a victim screams out a curse as he comes under attack from the unexpected angle. He violently elbows into Nick's stomach and then shoulder to his chest, trying to knock him away and into the cage where Nick just freed the people.

Spike has posed:
     Unusual for Spike, he takes another side step, this time taking control of the arm and guiding the attacker on his way towards the floor. One foot trips him to help him along.

     A quick look around and he rolls his stake through his fingers with a smirk. Might as well have fun with the one that is trying to hard to gut him. Maturity level has never been a strong suit for Spike and he steps on the hand the knife holds before the vampire can get up.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
It makes for an unusual interaction, fighting with a phantasm. The elbow, not seen ends up actually passing through the dark figure but the shoulder does connect giving what is probably a satisfying thump feel for the vampire. Even if the other strike had no response.

The jagged smile twists into a frown as he gives off the appearance of being thrown for a loop. No movement made to raise the stick up for a strike. The hand just shifts, dragging the stick unfeelingly through the vampire's form.

There is more of a percieved struggle before the vampire is rewarded with a short victory of the phantasm being pushed back. The stick the phantasm lets go of in the process, simply resolidifies in its new home, the vampire's heart.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Stakes. That's what Karrin needed to remember to start carrying. It wasn't her usual kit, but her usual fighting wasn't doing much against the creatures. She hisses in pain as the vampire that's swung in on her goes through her throat, the bite violent but also distracting. As he drinks, she manages to shift her gun just enough to shoot up through the bottom of his chin, to the back of his head. It's enough to stop him, but now she's covered in blood and even some gray matter. There are more screams behind her.

The vampire with Spike is matched well in strength, still trying to keep the upper hand but as he's stepped on, the force alone crumbles bones and the knife is dropped. He hisses, flashing more fangs and trying to bite at Spike's thigh, to take a massive chunk out of his body. He's fallen into fighting like a trapped dog.

The vampire with the cloaked figure feels, for just a moment, like he's got the upper hand. He laughs, reaching out to try and grab the cage door, so he can wall up his attacker. But, before he can even start to swing it shut, that unseen hand finds its place. The stake materializes and he disappears into ash, suddenly giving Nick some breathing room. The woman is still screaming, lost in her own panic.

Spike has posed:
     "Really?" Spike comments in general surprise as the creature tries to bite him. The fangs manage to bite his leg and he growls,"Bloody hell." There is a little blood of course. Fangs are big teeth and they don't feel good. Of course he blood probably doesn't taste real good either, considering it is over a century old.

     He takes a step back, tearing the fangs from his flesh. A second later he buries his stake into the prone vampire. Noting Karrin's situation he sighs and grabs another stake from within his coat. He has a glass bottle in hand as well. This is going to hurt a lot, because it will splash, but he smashes the bottle into the face of the next vamipre near him. Holy water splashes all over the vampire's face and on Spike's hand. He howls in pain and wipes it off,"Try this." he mutters when he draws close to Karrin and her current dance partner.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The creature turns his head, looking to the screaming woman. "GO." There's a flare in his eyes as the phantasm states the command before turning, grabbing another vampire to shove him through the wall.

The wall's fine though.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
So close to the exit. Karrin isn't certain what the other team has been up to, but can only hope that the upper area is clear as she yells at the victims behind her, "Go, stairs, run, there's a fire exit up the stairs, get OUTSIDE!" While looking like a horror show herself. She can't stop, though, or even take a moment to mentally process what happened. She blinks at Spike through bloodied eye lashes, while shooting at another vampire's head behind him, "What is it?!?" She yells in the chaos.

The woman Nick's screamed at seems to snap back into vague reality and, finally, starts to run. She dashes, catching up with the back of the group just as Nick tosses the next assailant through and into a wall. The vampires shocked sound is cut off as he becomes one with the foundation. A lady vampire, however, is one of the last left. She's not actively attacking, but has been watching Nick, trying to figure out exactly what is happening and how to attack him.

Spike has posed:
     "Stab it in their heart." he replies and turns around to stake the one she just shot. Another poof of dust. See how it works? Oh look a bigger one that is just begging for a fight. Karrin and Nick seem to be handling things and this one is just begging for his attention.

     He turns his head a little and pops his neck. This one will probably have his attention for a while,"It's been too long since I had a good scrap big boy. Guess who draws the short straw?" The big one squares up and they start to circle each other.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Sensing someone looking to him, the phantasm turns his head, matching a glance to the female vampire. The frown twists once more, giving another smile as he gives a low bow, fading from view as he does so.

Almost challenging.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
Ah. A stake. Karrin's eyes go a little wide but she accepts the help from Spike, "Guess these guys really are old school. Got it!" And she's focusing on guarding the victims as they pour into the stairwell, not hearing any protests or screams from above, so the way must be clear. Letting a vampire get close enough for her to stake them was quietly terrifying, but there's another tussle between her and one of the last vampires in that area of the room, before the vampire just turns to ash. Seems Karrin picks up on things pretty quickly.

The large vampire who had been hanging back, letting weaker ones exhaust the heros and rescue team first, gives Spike a low laugh and a wicked smile, "I think you will quickly realize you are the one in trouble, little boy." And he rushes into Spike, starting with a violent left hook which he'll quickly follow with an uppercut. His fists move so fast it's hard to even see them in the air. He's relentless.

The woman swears to herself, stalking through the area of the room near the cage as she tries to hunt down Nick by scent alone. Her fangs are out and she's huffing the air through both her nose and mouth, the way a predator might scent for her prey. "...come here little shadow... Or are you a coward who just hides while we finish your friends?" She still isn't able to find him. But she's trying.

Spike has posed:
     There isn't time for much. Spike covers up and the hook glances, but he still catches the uppercut clean. He staggers back and licks his blood off his own lip. The smile and laughs, quicker on his feet at least. The big one can hit fast, but Spike's got far better foot work.

     Speaking of foot work, he throws a fast leg kick. Nothing that will stop the vampire, but it will smart a little and he'll have to be wary of Spike hitting a few more of those,"Well aren't you a peach?" Spike grumbles and starts to circle again, this time against the wounded leg, making the vampire have to watch that closely.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
It is deathly quiet around the female vampire both in sound and scent but she's not alone. Sure, by going to this form he may have sacrificed three of his senses but he also does not produce smells, nor does something like a heartbeat come into play.

Unless he wants to.

The stick in his hand mirrors his current visibility status. Unseen as he stalks what is attempting to stalk him. A bar is smacked with the stick, indicating where he is. But the smell, or lack of it does not match up at all.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The vampire fighting Spike lets out a grunt of pain as his leg is taken like that. It's not near enough to put him down, but he's fighting a bit more conservatively now, having realized that he might be pretty evenly matched even if Spike looks far smaller than him. He keeps the pressure on with several repeated jabs at Spike's handsome face, trying to break his nose, collapse his cheek bone, shatter a jaw, anything to slow pretty boy down and make him back away from other friends.

Karrin's finally got the last of the victims into the hallway, but what remaining vampires are there are UNHAPPY. She's got to guard the door for as long as it takes everyone to get up and out. Using the door to protect her back, she jerks the stake she used on the ashed vampire into herself again, tucking it beneath her arm as she steadies her grip on her gun and starts firing headshots at the next vampire approaching her. She'd rather the vamp not even get close enough to stake.

The lady vamp continues hunting through the room, hissing quietly at the lack of scent, taste, or sound from him. The moment the stick smacks that bar, she jumps over and tries to tackle at where he SHOULD be in the air, her mouth open and ready to bite what she cannot see.

Spike has posed:
     Expecting abrupt attacks, Spike isn't surprised so much this time and he manages to slip his head offline from the punches. One jab mostly catches his head to the outside, enough to make his step back again. A quick kick lands pretty much on the leg where the first one did, making the injury a little worse and harder for the vamp to walk.

     The second punch shakes him just a little and he's done playing games. The leg kick sucks of course, but Spike is annoyed and it shows. The opposite leg gets a hook kick at the knee, then hooks his ribs just under the arm, and finally tees off on the big guy's head, likely dislocating the jaw and causing him several back steps. Looks like the Big Bad is done playing.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As she jumps over, an unseen clawed hand grabs the back of her head, applying even more forward momentum towards the cage. The senses he lost are soon deprived from her. Taste. Smell. Touch. It would be kind of a trippy effect if the phantasm wasn't pushing her headfirst into the bars before letting go, taking the effect, and his loaned out abilties away from her.

Another growl reaches her ears.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. It takes a few hard tries for Spike's strength to actually break the large vampires leg, but it does eventually give up and the next attempt at a punch goes wide as he collapses down onto a momentarily useless leg, growling in pain. He does jerk forward, though, arms going for Spike's waist in attempt to bring the vampire down to the floor with him. He can't stand any more, but he can wrestle, and he's trying to use his superior strength in that area.

The woman growls loudly as she's suddenly grabbed. She tries to put clawed hands into the unseen attacker, but she can't touch ANYTHING right now. For a moment, she begins to panic, realizing she might be outmatched. And when her body rematerializes, the bars in the middle of her flesh. She sreams in agony, trapped as a part of the cage's bars, unable to get herself free as she claws at the air around where he should be.

Karrin takes a single second to wipe some of the blood and grey matter from her eyes, so she can see better to shoot. And that second was too much. Another vampire is on her like white on rice, she coughing out a loud curse as she grabs for that stake again. It's hard to get the angle this close, but she's not leaving the door. So, she starts struggling with the vamp, only her martial arts training keeping her alive. She just needs a single moment of opportunity.

Spike has posed:
     The funny thing about the ground. Once you hit the ground you are the same size no matter how strong the other guy might be. Spike isn't as accomplished at ground fighting as some, but he's smart enough to catch the attacker just above the hips with his legs. The usual stuff won't work here, but there is nothing usual about Spike.

     Most people would panic or try to set up a submission of some sort. Spike jams his thumb into one of the big vampire's eyes, digging it out with his thumb and forefinger. His stake takes the other eye and leaves the blind screaming vampire a moment later. The stake comes back out and Spike gets ready to put an end to this one. There really is a demon inside him it seems.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
With the woman vampire now stuck, the phantasm momentarily loses interest in her. There's time and with the looks of things, someone else needs his attention.

Wordless but not quiet, the Phantasm turns, running towards the vampire fighting with Karrin, becoming quite visible halfway over.

For the vampire, should he glance up, it's not a very comforting expression coming from underneath the darkness of the hood. Jagged teeth and red glowing eyes should never be that gleeful.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The howl of pain and rage from the large vampire is almost defeaning, blinded now, he's not got a chance against the blonde vampire above him. He's failing, fingernails like claws, reaching up to grab anything and everything of Spike's he can touch in his last moments of life. He's searching for Spike's eyes to return the favor and slams home a kick meant for his crotch or stomach, but it's the death throws of someone who knows he's lost a fight.

Karrin's attacker is faster than she is, but she's got more training. She just needs a single moment to get the upper hand and, a few seconds later, does manage to flip the vampire across her shoulder, using it's own momentum against it. That's when she looks up and sees that red eyed darkness coming at them. Karrin vaguely knew Nick's power, but it's different seeing it face to face. It puts her off her game just a moment and the vampire is shifting up again. SHe swears, "Pin him for me and I can finish it!" She yells at her intimidating friend.

Spike has posed:
     Oh that one last try at hurting your opponent before you die. He throws the wicked knee at Spike's crotch, but it turns to dust with the rest of the vampire. Spike wears the dust and actually spits as it gets all over him and his face. No time for that.

     He raises his knee to his chest and uses his shoulders and back to push himself up to his feet with practiced ease. He dusts off a little more and looks for something else to hit or worse. His eyes go to Karrin and Nick. That nobody warned him about, but she doesn't seem worried about the demon looking creature.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The dark figure takes the order, slamming into the vampire, latching on to him. To add to the the distraction the phantasm starts clawing at his face.

Service with a smile.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
And with that, Karrin drives a spike into the last vampire's chest, Nick having given her the opening she needed. He dusts beneath her and the room falls into a strange quiet, other than the pained mewling of the woman vampire whose body is stuck with bars running through it. Karrin breathes hard, slightly stumbling back from the dusty air below her, much of it sticking to her blood covered skin. She rubs one hand across the bite wound on her throat, but it wasn't that bad. She didn't think. "...I really...hope...these aren't one bite and done...in turning you. I'd rather not join them." She mutters softly, pale eyes scanning the room for any other threats. She gives Spike a quiet nod of thanks, "...How... are you both?"

Spike has posed:

     Noting Karrin's wound Spike walks over to take a look,"Nice hickie ya got there love." he teases mildly and as long as she doesn't stop him he takes a closer look,"Amateur. Missed the caratoids and windpipe." He doesn't sound like a good guy really, more a guy disappointed in someone not living up to their expectations.

     He shakes his head and adds,"You don't have anything to worry about short of getting an infection if you don't take care of it. It will heal. For you to be a vampire means the sire drinks you dry and then gives you his blood. You're soul will go on its merry way to the next life and a demon's soul replaces it." He really isn't good at sugar coating things.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
There's a twist to the features of the phantasm as he doesn't respond, and instead looks from the neck wound over towards the pinned vampire. He starts to turn but pauses. Smile fading as he shakes his head.

"That Everyone?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The expression on Karrin's face hardens a little more as Spike dares touch her. She doesn't stop him as he clearly knows more about these creatures than herself, but her hackles are up. Especially as he describes it like that. "Well... Guess I was lucky. Don't have plans of making it a habit or joining up with any demons any time soon." She grumbles quietly. Blue eyes drink in the place again and she nods, "Down here, at least. I hope the rest of the team got upstairs cleared. I... should go join the victims. I'll help coordinate EMTs and the like if neither of you want your faces seen."

Spike has posed:
     "Keep it covered and disinfected. Probably you should let an actual medic look at it." Spike mutters and stands up again, stepping away,"Tell him a suspect took a barbecue fork after you." He reaches into his coat pocket and takes out his cigarettes,"Most medical types buy that." A nod to the stake she has,"Keep it. Momento of the night."

     A cigarette goes to the corner of his mouth and Zippo clicks to life. A few short breaths draw the flame into it and he looks between Karrin and Nick and comments,"I better go see what Buffy and Thomas have managed to find." Without another word the blonde vampire moves to the stairs and goes in the last direction he saw the love birds.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
There's a few twitch to the phantasm's features before he looks to the exit. "Go..." The voice is not a growl but more parts combined. Mostly Nick, a sizable chunk fatigue, and a hint of- something else. "Covered." He turns his back, looking once more over to the vampire in the bars.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The moment she's told to go and the others are clearly handling themselves, she does. Karrin turns back around and dashes up the fire stairs to join the crowd of prisoners and start organizing the mortal side of things. There'd be a lot of explanations to give and noses to sort before people or cops got too curious. Fortunately, that's what she's good at.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Left behind, the phantasm fades from view and all appears calm at the entry way. It becomes even quieter as the vampiress pinned by the bars soon turns to dust.

Buffy Summers has posed:
While Karrin and Nick sneak the prisoners out, they are accosted by a handful of vamps but by far, the majority are distracted by the sudden appearance of The Slayer. A few vamps snarl, licking their lips. She's terribly outnumbered but not overly concerned as she leaps into the arena. Afterall, she brought back up!

"So what, you guys had a party and didn't invite me?" she mock pouts, cocking her head slightly as she focuses on the two vamps currently cornering a prisoner. He makes a valiant attempt but only the strongest of the strong survive this game, and he's about to get mauled. Before he does however, she leaps at the two vamps, hurling a stake through the heart of the first, slicing off the head of the second with her new favourite bladed toy.

Armastus' eyes narrow, first in anger then in glee as he rubs his hands, "Crush her!" he yells atop his throne and suddenly there are some fifteen vamps rushing at her into the caged arena.

Spike has posed:
     Spike lagged behind to back up Karrin and Nick if need be. The need was there and he looks like he's already been through something. A few bruises on his face and a trickle of blood on his leg. To say the least, he's annoyed and looking for something else to hit.

     There are some things that never change. He strike his Zippo to live and draws the fire into a cigarette. Entering the room and putting the lighter away, he pauses and looks over the place and the sudden inflow of more vampires,"Round two." he mutters, that cockney accent gets more obvious the madder he gets and he's sounds pissed off.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith steps up next to his lover. "Don't feel too bad Buffy," The Incubus says with a smirk, somehow having danced through the hoards of vampires while only getting a single speck of blood that landed artfully on his cheek. "I get invited to /all/ the best parties and they didn't send me an invitation to this one either." He nods to Spike, a certain Devil may care look in his eeyes and says "I'll spot you five..."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smirks at Armastus, crouching into a defensive stance as she eyes the approaching vamps. She's known for being a bit reckless from time to time but even she knows her limits. As Thomas and Spike approach, she relaxes a bit and nods, "Cover my back, we gotta get to the big cheese. Cut off the head and the rest will follow. Watch my back.." she winks to him as she charges into the Frey, swinging and slashing her axe this way and that.

Unfortunately they're now locked into a large fighting cage, so they'll have to clear the vamps, break open the cage and then fight their way to the boss vamp. Piece of cake, right?

While Buff pucks out five vamps to charge at, five more rush at Spike and Thomas each, snarling, baring teeth and deadly weapons..And these are considerably more well trained than your average vamp.

Spike has posed:
     Well trained or not, Spike is in a lousy mood and the front runner of his five meets a hurled stake. A flick of his wrist and the wooden weapon is sent straight with a practiced ease of someone that has been around over a century. He back pedals from the four that continue his direction, a drag from his cigarette and exhales slowly and waits for them to get a little closer.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith holds his Kukri knife comfortably in his right hand, waiting for the first of his oponents to charge towards him as well. As that first one reaches him Thomas spins around him like a ballet dancer, levels his sawed off shotgun directly into the mouth of the second most nearest vamp, and pulls the trigger.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Boom! Several vamps go down but some still remain. Buff has her hands full, swinging her axe in a full arc, sliding off a few more heads and suddenly finds her arms grabbed in a pincher attack. She snarls, kicking at the two remaining vamps, sending one flying before I paling another on the end of her axe handle. "And they just keep on coming.." she murmurs.

One of Spike's vamps gets pooped instantly and the others snarl, rushing at him with clubs and swords and chains, trying to corner him and bludgeon him to death.

Meanwhile one of Thomas" vamps is beheaded quickly and the remaining four take his place, also rushing from all sides at him with pointy weapons. Armastus leans forward in his throne, watching with interest and turns a knob on his chair. A loud creaking is heard and the center floor of the arena opens up into a large gaping hole, revealing lots of large wooden spikes poking out.

"You guys, careful of the floor!" Buff calls out in warning. The stakes just got higher.

Spike has posed:
     One down, four to go. Spike doesn't give too much consideration to the floor yet. Too much coming in hot. He needs a weapon and the one with the sword just voluteered the weapon.

     The sword comes down and he side steps it, stepping on the side of it to snatch if from the vampire's hand and shoves said vampire away. His foot catches the weapon and with one quick flourish the sword is in his hand and he is backing the way he came, kicking one vampire in the man bits before getting punched in the mouth by another. The joys of multiple attackers.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith meanwhile moves with the grace and ease of some beautiful angel of battle and death. He disarms one of his oponents but...well removing it's arm at the elbow. Then deciding to try something he saw in a movie once grips one of the vamps by the shirt and flips him bodily into the spike pit.

Spike has posed:
     There's nothing pretty about the way Spike fights. Queensbury rules is out. Backing into the doorway he resets himself after another punch in the mouth. He swings the sword wide catching one of them in the gut and making them all back up.

     This gives him the breathing room he needs to settle into a defensive posture with the sword,"Come on then. Who's next?" One obliges and gets impaled. A second later the sword comes down over his neck. Better trained or not, they are bottle necked by the door. Crazy or not. Fancy or not. Spike turns the environment to his favor like a master.

Thomas Raith has posed:
With two of his own oponents down, and one severly cripppled, Thomas offers an almost manic grin. His eyes having shifted from blue to almost silver-white, his skin taking on an almost etherial luminesance. He drives the barrels of his shotgun into the gut of one vamp, uses the motion to cock the weapon, then blasts it into the head of another. "Are we hving fun yet?" he calls out in a loud clear voice to his companions.

Spike has posed:
     A stake springs from his coat and impales another vampire, sending it to dust,"Time of me bloody life." he calls back and manages to catch one on the jaw. Another vicious kick to the groin of the only one he hasn't injured yet. At least that narrows down to two and both have crushed man parts.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith beheads the de-armed vampire with an almost non-chalant grace, leaving just one of his own Vampires to kill. "Should I slow down? Let you catch up?" He calls over to Spike. "I could fight this one left handed maybe?" his tone amused.

Spike has posed:
     There is a snort and another vampire poofs as his head comes off,"You missed the part topside so you're already behind ya poof." he replies. Mostly he's teasing, but he's still annoyed. One on one again, the vampire looks him in the eyes and tries to stand up at least to meet his doom.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith drops his shotgun and in a single elegant motion tosses his Kukri from one hand to the other. He deflects the thrust of some sort of javelin type weapon, spins inside his oponents gaurd and severs it's head from it's body. Left handed. Because...well Because it's Thomas. The he scowls slightly at the blond vamp and calls "Poof? Poof?! Seriously? Buffy, your ex is saying not nice things about me again."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers groans and rolls her eyes at Thomas, "Seriously? Why does *everyone* think I dated Spike? As if!" this said between hacks and slashes and shoving her remaining vamps that aren't already beheaded or staked into the pit..Glancing around she sees that the other two made quick work of the rest of the vamps and she draws a deep breath, glaring up at Armastus. "Okay then, where were we? Let's finish this little debacle and get the hell out of here!"

Shes about to charge the entrance to the cage only to have it suddenly open. Armastus slowly rises and claps his hands slowly, deliberately. "Impressive, you are both vampires and remarkable ones at that. You would do far better to serve me than this traitorous woman who would betray you in an instant." he smiles, showing razor sharp fangs. "How about it? It is a far better fate for the both of you.."

Eyes narrow dangerously on Buffy next, rising from his seat and striding towards her. "As for you, I have something 'special' planned.." with a blur of speed he rushes at her suddenly, grabbing her tightly by the neck, lifting her off her feet. "Look into my eyes.." he murmurs, his voice hypnotic.

Spike has posed:
     Not sure whether to be annoyed, offended, or both Spike snorts at the comments about the dating,"My desperation is starting to wear off." he comments and turns his attention to the last of his opponents,"You still here?" he growls and a second later he isn't. Dust on the floor. He takes a drag and exhales.

     Buffy getting attacked directly and being lifted by her throat gets his attention and changes his attitude. They aren't a thing and likely never will be, but that doesn't change the fact he cares about her on some levels so he is back in the room, noticing the stakes in the floor finally,"Bloody Hell."

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith says, "Seriously? He's going with the whole villian tries to recruit the hero's luitenants cliche?" Thomas asks to no one in perticular. "Honestly there is this list floating around the internet for the last decade or so? You should read it, it'll really step up your game." Thomas kicks his shotgun off the ground, which then defies all laws of physics and comon sense and leaps up into his empty hand. Unfortunately no amount of skill can prevent a hotgun blasts spread from also hitting the Slayer. Snarling he yells towards his lover, "BUFFY! Bolshevik Muppet!""

Buffy Summers has posed:
Armastus smirks as he tightens his grip around her neck, as if trying to snuff the life out of her. Or did he have something else planned? Afterall, if he wanted to break her neck he would have, could have done it ages ago. Her eyes widen, staring into his eyes, feeling faint, dizzy...Sleepy..

And then Thomas yells at her and she does her best to twist out of the way of bullets, not that she needed to. Armastus drops her and does little to move out of the way of bullets. He's a vampire Afterall and an ancient one at that. Plus he seems to be wearing a tough armoured vest of some sort perhaps. He stumbles back just a bit as bullets spray him but miss the vital parts, namely his head.

"Go on Buffy, teach these fools a lesson.." eyes narrow. "Destroy them.." even as he speaks, Buffy turns on the two vampires, eyes blank and distant, and swings her axe at them both in a wide arc. And then another, moving swiftly, with deadly force and accuracy.

Spike has posed:
     Moving around the wooden spikes on the floor and moves to get into the fray. Once he does and sees the look on Buffy's face he is kinda sorry that he as. One thing worse than a Slayer is one possessed by a demon. Make matter worse, Spike can't really fight her or risk getting the chip. This night gets better and better. Sword down and stakes as well. He doesn't want to hurt her permanent and really doesn't wnat to try and hurt her at all.

Thomas Raith has posed:
You know it's funny... you can load allot of things in a shot gun. Buck shot, lead slugs those are great for tearing holes in low level vamps and mortals. Steel shot is ideal if you have issues with the Fae. Rock Salt is exceptionally good for things like zombies and certain Russian creatures of the night... And for /Master/ vampires... Eight feet of flame launches from both barrels of the shot gun. Bright blues and purples giving way to oranges and reds with a core of blinding white. The sheer heat of the blast turns the barrels of the weapon red hot.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Armastus' eyes widen as the flames blast at him and he darts to the side to avoid the brunt of the flames. Even so, his arm catches on fire and he shrieks, waving it and slamming it against the wall as it is nearly well burnt to a crisp. "Fool..." he snarls as Buffy quickly closes the gap between herself and Thomas, who managed to avoid her initial attack, "Kill him!" she seems to hesitate only briefly, rushing and leaping in his line of fire, attacking once more at both Spike and Thomas with her battle axe swinging in wide arcs once more , a blur of powerful movement.

Spike has posed:
"Well...this is going to suck." Spike mutters. The blur of movement causes him to duck low and spin under. He bumps her shoulder with his hard enough to take her balance off and manages not to blow up his brain. A little push should make it easier for Thomas to deal with her. He turns his attention to the master vampire, but remains aware of Buffy's position too.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith drops his gun, now nothing more then a red hot steel club abd he's not about to hit his lover with that. He dances left then right, the short Kukri no match for the heavy battle weapoon. So he drops that as well "Buffy! Buffy listen to me!" He tries calling her, invoking the 'I know you're in there, FIGHT!" cliche himself. He's said on many times, he'd never be able to take the Slayer. Not in a fair fight. So... he cheats. He tries to spin in closer to her, to get inside of her gaurd and then... well if he is still alive after that, he kisses her. Not soft tender kiss. Not something even between lovers in a heated passion. This kiss is, to put it bluntly, an attack all on it's own. That fountain of near endless life force energy that the woman radiates? Thomas tries to drink from the fire hose.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers continues to drive, or attempt to drive both Spike and Thomas back towards the spikey pit.lAnd she might have succeeded, darting back swiftly as Spike attempts to shove her away, but his shove is met by a strong block of her weapon and a forceful shove of her own, trying to push him back again towards that horrifying pit full of dusted vampires.

She snarls, spinning to face Thomas next, and at this close range it would be easy to go for a point blank stab to his heart..Only she wasn't prepared for that voice..She hesitates, eyes widening for a moment, trying to fight the mind control even as Armastus growls against the mind control, "You heard me, finish him! Kill them all!" he snarls, and Buffy staggers forward again but her aim is sloppy..

Its enough of a hesitation for him to get in close, to catch her off guard by a life draining kiss, and she drops her weapon, tries to push him away at first but even her arms goes slack, relaxing in his grasp. Slowly she blinks, her eyes going back to normal, grasping him gently by the shoulders as she returns a softer, gentler kiss that somehow feels like home, wakes her up, brings her back.

"Mmm....Thomas..?" she murmurs, as if waking up from a dream, "What's going on..?" a look of confusion crosses her face.

Spike has posed:
     Balance. Balance is important. He shoved at her, she swept back with a weapon and now he is doing tight rope walking the edge of the pit. A few steps and he throws himself back towards the floor. He hits the floor finally, rolls onto his back, a kick up back to his feet and look there. It's a sword...that he threw on the ground earlier.

     Whatever he says he's always going to have a love for Buffy, but he's also figured out he is wasting his time. Seeing the two of them, even though it is more or less a battle they are still...well them. A sigh and shaking his head he turns his attention to the would be big bad.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith says, "There you are.." He whispers softly, as for just a moment the rest of the world disapears...Fires, vampires. MAster Vampires... Just one man, one woman, and that moment. Then the moment passes and he pulls away. "Now then, in the words of the ever elequant Samual L. Jackson, 'Can we kill this Mother Fucker now?""

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers draws a deep breath, smiling lovingly at him one more time and nods, leaning up to brush a strand of ebony hair out of his eyes. Just a moment and her world melts away...Then it's back to business. Eyes narrow and she nods, grasping her axe again, "Yes, let's end this already!"

And with a fierce battle cry she rushes at Armastus, swinging that massive axe again in a complex series of circles and arcs before slashing at his face and arms, drawing spurts of blood and pinning him to the wall. "Hurry, he's fast, but we can do this..Now!" she yells at the other two.

Spike has posed:
     You want to slow down fast? One good way. Spike swings low and off ot the side. A quick slash of the sword and flavor of the week is missing from the right knee down. Another swing back around takes him out of reach of the thing and he growls,"The door is open...."

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith moves in on the vampire in a luminesant blurr. Faster then he even normally is (Which is pretty damn fast), he moves with the speed of...well of an Incubus who just topped off his tank with Slayer essence. As the creature is lunging for Spike's retreating form, Thomas comes in on it's flank. Still weaponless, he grabs the beast's arm and pulls it around into an aproximation of a half nelson. There is no way Thomas could possibly maintain the hold for long, but with it's chest exposed and facing the Slayer, does he really have to?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers is careful to stay out of the way of the other attacks, keeping him pressed against the wall and careful to avoid Armastus' eyes this time. He shrieks in pain as Spike slashes at his kneecap, making it harder for him to flee. More blood spurts as he weakens. Thomas holds him down and she finishes him of, pulling out a stake and driving it hard in his chest, spinning and kicking it in to drive it through. She then darts out of the way as he explodes in a burst of dust, falling to the floor.

Taking a short breath, she pulls her axe out of the wall. All around them, what remains of the vampire army is already fleeing, without their leader they are disorganized, aimless. She sighs, wiping her brow. "It's over, let's go home.."