A dangerous sorcerer named Felix Faust has come to Sunnydale, intent on raising an ancient demon to subjugate all of humankind. To succeed, he must perform a powerful curse to displace his enemies, transporting them from one time and place and exch...
The orb of light continued to swirl and expand over Buffy's head. She and the others remained pinned to the desert floor by Avurkana's magic. Buffy struggled but could barely lift her head an inch off the ground. But she had to break free somehow, before the shining portal above her ushered in a bazillion demons.
"Kalderon," several unearthly voices called from within the orb's center. "Kalderon!"
Avurkana raised her hands in triumph to welcome the monsters. "Come forth!" she called. "Come forth and rule mankind!"
"What's happening?" Buffy cried.
Batman grit his teeth. "Whatever's in there is hungry, and grasping for whatever it can still reach."
"That's right, detective," Faust gloated. "You have defeated Kalderon but the demons still demand the blood of the most powerful opponent. One of you Champions will still be dragged into Hell!"
"The portal is closing," moaned several voices in unison. "Feed us! Give us power!"
"Yes!" Avurkana cried. "Come and feed! The Champions are here waiting for you! Devour your enemies and consume their strength!"
Several clawed hands stretched forth from the center of light, extending across the sandy floor. Buffy struggled to escape as the crowd of grasping claws reached past Helena and Batman, targeting her.
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"Yes!" Avurkana shouted. "Take her! Take them all!"
The hands kept stretching, beyond where Buffy writhed in desperation. Moving past her quickly and arching slightly upward toward Avurkana.
The witch's face fell. "What are you doing?"
The multiple claws seized hold of her, clamping onto her wrists, elbows, neck and legs.
"No!" she cried as the demons dragged her, screaming, into the void. "Nooo!"
They tugged her mightily as she tried to twist free. The demons' claws snapped back like a rubber band, yanking Avurkana straight into the orb of light. She continued to scream as the luminous portal started to shrink, suddenly closing in on itself to disappear altogether.
Faust gaped at the empty space into which Avurkana had vanished, as everyone was freed of her invisible grip. "I don't understand. They should have chosen one of you, as a powerful adversary."
Batman rose to his feet, drawing his Batarang. "They craved power. Whatever they originally intended, they became desperate when the portal started to close. They seized the most powerful source available, drawn to Avurkana like a lightning rod."
Buffy flipped herself to an upright position, to land right in front of Faust. She cocked her head. "Hey, you know that damsel-in-distress thing? I'm over it."
She punched him hard, watching his eyes cross before he tumbled backward to the ground.
Behind her, Xander had picked up a partial wooden beam, splintered off the St. Andrew's cross Buffy had broken. "Hey, Scarecrow!" he called. "This is for Jesse! And for completely ruining The Wizard of Oz for me!"
