'Well I can tell they're angry, that and when they saw me here they left' Xander thought while sighing slightly. Placing his eyes back on the costume rack of Ethan's looking for the perfect costume 'He's a sissy...Kenny, nah he always dies...annoying voice...err what goes where'. Continuing his trek he come to the medieval costumes, 'whoa, now that's perfect'.
What he saw looked like typical knights armour below the waste, only a metallic blue colour, the chest plate was where it started to go different. The chest plate had a stylised eye in its centre while the right arm was a more malformed demonic tri-claw that was completely red with black lines where it appeared to be almost like an exoskeleton. The helmet had a face guard that covered most of the face, but had a horizontal hole to see through and large horns, all in the metallic blue colour of the armour. The sword, it seemed, definitely fit the demonic arm because it was enormous, almost his height maybe bigger, with the blades edges visible but towards its middle was almost flesh like and blood red, the large unblinking eye just made it seemed all the more evil, and the grip was cut into the blade providing a knuckle guard when blocking.
'I've gotta get this costume'
'This is going to be a fun night, so much chaos' Ethan thought. Looking around to gage the number of costumes that are being picked 'must keep a balance' while subtly redirecting a group of adolescents to the police and army costumes with the lure of discounts. 'What's wrong with him, he's drooling, likes that one does he well lets see if I can make a sale on THAT one, if I do this is gonna be fun'.
"May I help you" 'waahh, damn he made me jump' Xander turned to look at a slightly lanky man who was the owner of the English Accented voice, and says in mild annoyance "No just admiring"
While saying under his breath "Damn first Giles now this guy, place really attracts the British guys", he heard though because his face lights up on the mention of a name. "You know Rupert Giles", nodding he sees him smiles, or maybe it's a grin.
"Well if you know Giles I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement as a favour to my old friend hmm"
'Here's some good luck for once today' Xander thought "Okay, erm I only have 30 dollars and this is 50"
"Don't worry, you have a deal just say you got it from here and were even, especially since you know my old friend Rupert Giles" 'won't ripper get a kick out of this'
"Okay but what's the armour made of" 'If that's metal it will squash me flat'
"It's plastic just like the sword, I very much doubt anyone could lift or move with it otherwise, anyway do we have a deal 30 dollars" 'this will be fun'
"Deal" 'Definitely a lucky end to this day'
"Good come this way please, oh you'll need this" Ethan handed Xander a sheet of paper
"Huh instructions, what do I need these for"
"Do you know how to put this armour on?"
"Err…no"
"Then you'll need this, don't worry you'll look 'Cool' I believe is the term Americans use"
"Okay, but who is he anyway"
"Well he was known as the Azure Knight"
'This costume is so cool' Xander thinks as he walks down the street towards Revello Drive. It had taken a while to properly don the armour but the store guy was right, he looked cool 'Buffy called earlier and apologised for embarrassing me and to get me to see hers and Willows costumes' he thought. Continuing to walk up to the drive approaching the door 'Hope they like my costume, wonder what they got at Party Town' he raises his tri-clawed hand and knocks.
'Its Xander' Dawn races to the door and yanks it open then freezes "Whoa! cool costume Xand"
"Thanks Dawnie where are Buffy and Will's"
"There upstairs getting ready, err who are you supposed to be"
"Oh costume I'm wearing is a guy called Nightma".
"Great Costume Xander looks really cool"
Dawn thought 'She looks like she's going to a dinner party'
'Wow that looks really good, she looks like a really proper lady, though it is to impress a corpse...Eww bad thought, how's she walk in that thing anyway?'
"Hey Buffy, Duchess of Buffonia I am in awe, I totally renounce spandex" 'Well not the cheerleaders spandex' Xander thought with a smirk underneath the helmet
'He looks really cool but who is he supposed to be'
"Oh wait till you see Willow she's…(Sigh) Casper" 'what happened to the other costume we picked'
"Don't worry Buff, Will's been poster girl for the ghost costume for the past 3 years"
"HeyXandcoolcostumebutwhoareyouanyway"
'I still don't understand her when she does that' both Dawn and Buffy thought
"Well, I'll tell you later so lets get going before Snyder expels us for being late"
"Let's start this party.
Oh Janus great god of the many faces, hear your humble servant and great his desire so that he may serve you"
With Xander and his group
"Huh wha"
Falling to his knees, Xander felt a pain not unlike a hot knife surge through his brain before he blacked out.
Rising in his place, armour clinking at the joints, to stand at and impressive 6 ft 9 was the Azure Knight, now in the modern world to mete out carnage and death in the pursuit to feed his sword.
Eye blinking rapidly the sword awoke, feeling the magic in the air, as it was swung into the iron clad grip of its wielder and prepared to feed its voice whispering into the knight's mind <More, need more souls>
Hoisting his blade the warrior turned his head towards his former charges, which were mostly demonic children who were snarling and looking around, disoriented and angry and the few who hadn't gone to Ethan's were now trying to run away or were starting to cry in fear. One who ran past the knight quickly found he was sliced in half from left shoulder to right hip by the monstrous, armour clad warrior.
Facing them fully, sword clasped firmly in his deformed and deadly tri-clawed hand, he charged towards the children calling out as he brought he sword down onto the head of another child-demon "Sword give me STRENGTH!"
Nightmare the Azure warrior stood observing the carnage around him the children, whether they were demonically costumed or normal, lay dead and in pieces at his feet.
Dispassionately moving past the gruesome and tragic sight he sought out his next victim. Moving quickly it spied many people running and screaming in terror as they were chased by dark creatures that's smothered souls he could feel, they thrummed to his senses as they desperately tried to fight against the supernatural invaders that possessed them.
Walking onward, killing any who came to close to him his senses guided him to a young, battle hardened soul that he knew could willingly or, most likely, unwillingly aid him.
"I'll be restored soon" he spoke.
Cordelia ran as fast as her feet and expensive shoes could carry her, 'this day cannot get any worse' she thought, trying to keep out of the reaching grasp of the rather large and vicious looking possessed human, though to her he wasn't certainly not human' Ohh, he'll pay for this tomorrow' while running faster.
'Finally help is here' she thought as she saw Xander in his armour steadily walking forward, sword in hand, and generally scaring any who came near him.
Missing the line of corpses behind him, and the demon arm, she practically threw herself at him before putting him between her and her pursuer.
"Xander quick stop him" she cried while hiding behind him
The creature slowed and stopped in front of him at the sight of a frighteningly large sword was raised and pointed at him.
"Hah hah, not so tough now are you Jo-Jo the dog faced boy now run along home before I really get mad" Cordelia said, confident that the armour clad Xander would, like usually, do as she said.
What she wasn't expecting was for Xander to lunge forward impaling the, now helpless and cowering, creature through the stomach before lifting both sword and creature over his head and bringing it crashing down onto the pavement before her, the formerly fearsome creature having its head cracked open and, its grey matter forming both interesting and disgusting patterns on the floor.
Backing away quickly Cordelia turned and ran; even faster than before, not looking back at the horrifying seen that had taken place. Instead she headed for where she had seen Buffy lead her troupe of trick or treaters.
Nightmare pulled his sword from the carcass and, placing the sword at his back, tri-clawed hand on the hilt, he ran after the cat suit clad Cordelia, almost subconsciously knowing she would lead him to his quarry.
Buffy, Willow and Angel moved through the carnage, stopping any that they could while looking for their missing friend, unaware that he to was looking for them but with very different intensions.
Which is how they came across Cordelia running for like the legions of Hell were giving chase. They intercepted her before she passed.
Buffy and Angel thought 'What's got here so terrified besides the obvious threats everywhere'
While Willow spoke the question "Cordelia what's wrong who's after you"
"Run quick before Xander gets here" was the hysterical reply from the Queen of Sunnydale before she tried to escape again when she saw that Xander was in fact approaching them his sword still on his back but massive arm no longer holding the hilt.
The others, not seeing his approach watched with awe as the Cheerleader broke Angel's grip and continued running
Willow called out "Head to the library it should be safe there"
before turning to regard her friend's. This is when she saw him, blood was splattered on his armour, the claw was clenching and unclenching as he approached and his gaze, from what she could see, was fixed on the back of the slayers head.
Raising her hand to her mouth while pointing at him she gasped out "Oh, Oh my Goddess what happ, happened to hi, him"
Buffy and Angel turned and got their first glance on Xander, now Nightmare as he approached gasping at the blood that stained his armour
Nightmare moved steadily towards his target while seeing Cordelia once again fleeing for her life at impressive speed 'Fast little thing isn't she', his armour clinked as he approached the group of friends before stopping in front of them.
Gazing at them her look stopped on the blond in the rather ridiculous, to him, gown.
<She's the one, take her soul for me> the whispered to him.
'Yes' he thought 'Anything to make me whole'
Reaching out quickly with his clawed hand, he made a grab for the short blond before the larger, dark haired male knocked her away, instead of the female he now had his claw firmly gripped around the males neck, which is how the slayer looked up to see him.
"Xander put him down" Buffy's voice was surprisingly calm but still had a slight tremor to it that Nightmare easily picked up on while thinking 'Who is this Xander'
The sword replied to his query <No-one of consequence at this moment>
Willow was shaking as she watched her childhood friend now turned enemy hold Angel at arms length in a horribly malformed claw like arm, she managed to rasp out "Xander, plea please dro drop him"
"Xander put him down now" Buffy's voice had risen slightly and had a hint of desperation to it
Nightmare giving the, what he now identified as a vampire, a rather brutal shake he decided to give into an impulse from the body, not his mind or the sword.
"Xander put Angel down now!" Buffy screamed at Xander, now turned Nightmare, who's malformed, 3 clawed hand firmly gripped around the ensouled vampires neck almost got ready to attack him but froze her friends next action.
Looking at the slayer then back at the vampire, his steel greave encased left hand replaced the right around Angel's neck while his right moved to grip Angel's arm before, looking into the vampires fearful eyes, he delivering a vicious pull that ripped Angel's arm off at the shoulder.
Buffy and Willow cried out at the bloodthirsty act as they took a step back in fear and horror.
Screaming and thrashing wildly Angel got loose, stumbling to his feet glaring in hate and fear at, what he considered, the most harmless of the slayers friends and backing away slowly clutching at the wound that was formerly his left arm.
Angel stumbled back while Willow helped him to his feet and pulling him back while Buffy placed herself in front of them, backing herself, Willow and her wounded boyfriend away from what they thought was an insane monster
Nightmare merely gazed at them his clawed hand reaching for the hilt of his sword.
A bleached blond vampire observed the carnage gleefully
"Well now, this is just neat"