REMNANT : Buffy, the Vampire Slayer meets Batman and the Red Rider

REMNANT: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer meets Batman and the Red Rider - Chapter 40

Batman watched another wolf charge through the smoke cloud at him. He pulled a miniature taser from his belt and waited for the wolf to lunge close enough for him to shock it. The wolf's eyes widened as it received the charge and fell to the ground. Though it had clearly been dazed and damaged by the jolt, it rose again after a few seconds. The shock should have killed the beast, but still it scrambled to its feet.

Until one of Helena's bolts struck it, its silver tip sending the strange poison through it for a quick death. The same way she killed the final wolf as it rushed at them.

The smoke soon cleared, confirming that Helena had disposed of each of the wolves.

"Come on," Batman said. "There might be more of them at the hovel."

"Father Vestille!" Helena said in alarm, hurrying after Batman with her crossbow.

They reached the hovel a minute later but saw no sign of wolves. Nor did they see any sign of Buffy, Xander, or Willow. Helena burst into the hovel as Batman scanned the area. She emerged quickly, confirming that Father Vestille was fine, but he had not seen the others.

They heard someone groaning, and rushed toward the sound. They soon found Xander, struggling to sit up, while Willow remained unconscious on the ground beside him.

With Faust's scroll nearby. Something had been written on the outside of it.

Batman narrowed his eyes. Of course.

He helped Xander up as Helena roused Willow. "Where's Buffy?"

Xander rubbed his forehead. "I don't know. A couple of wolves attacked us, and dragged me and Will back here. Where –." His eyes grew wide.

"Where you ran into Faust," Batman finished.

Xander blinked. "How did you know that?"

"Because this was his plan," Batman said, picking up the abandoned scroll to examine it. "I should have realized it before. Faust typically memorizes incantations, and the spell outlined in this scroll is repetitive and simple. He never needed the scroll. That's why they fled when we acquired it. They wanted us to take it, so he could trace it back to us with a locator spell."

Willow's eyebrows rose as she became fully awake. "A locator spell? You can do that? How does that one work?"

"Not now, Willow," Batman dismissed, reading the note written on the outside of the scroll. "Gorge de la Mort."

Helena stepped forward suddenly. "That's a ravine, not far away."

"That's where they've taken Buffy," Batman said. "They meant to follow us back here, but they only took her. They plan to use her instead of Helena to raise Kalderon."

"Why?" Xander questioned. "What difference does it make?"

"Because of you and Willow," Batman said. "Giles said Kalderon feeds off the fear of Champions and their followers. Those who depend on them, the way you two depend on Buffy. That's why they couldn't raise Kalderon through Helena. She's alone here, without those who rely on her."

Helena trembled as Batman turned to her. She thought of Pierre and his parents and Marceau, trapped in Buffy's faraway land, and wished she could do something to help them. After all this time, she was used to fighting alone. But she wasn't used to having no means to save her friends. Now Buffy was also in danger because of her, and she could do nothing to rescue her from powerful sorcerers like Faust and Avurkana.

"You mean Buffy's in trouble because of us?" Willow asked in a broken voice.

"That's how Kalderon works, attacking the Champion directly and amplifying their terror by feeding on the fear of the Champion's followers, when they see her being defeated.