Ch.37

Buffy didn't use the suit or her Scythe since she'd elected to keep just one because dual wielding wasn't her style. Still, she didn't use it, or let me participate at all. She said she had to do it and she was right, she had to prove it could be done without help. In the end she took it's head with a strip of razor wire, rendering the Turok-Han to ashes.

The watch still healed her so I jumped down and handed her the scythe I'd held for her. Soon enough Buffy was taking the potentials on outings and more and more of them showed up. I instituted a pat test to prevent the First from pretending to be anyone while in the house which was awkward, but I told them that personal space didn't have to be violated, just a simple tap on the arm or shoulder would be enough to know and we'd be able to keep it from coming at them through infiltration.

It worked marginally well while some of the girls took it a bit too far before being told to quit touching me or I'd drop their asses from orbit. Buffy told them I couldn't be the First because I couldn't die permanently but then helpful Xander opened his mouth saying I could die like she had and come back though and that could be enough. The death glare I gave him made him flinch saying. "Shutting up now."

I sighed and told Buffy he was right that the First could potentially pretend to be either of us or kill one or more of anyone else off to pretend being them. I told the girls they could pat my arms, not grope or hold them before leaving to warn Robin and make a call to a prison to warn Faith of the Bringers and others that may put a bounty on her head.

Buffy had reluctantly agreed that it had to be done so she volunteered me for it since I'd never met Faith and talking to her wasn't entirely awkward. She thanked me for the heads up asking about Buffy and how things were going. I told her everything that happened, seeing no reason to hide anything including how Buffy was training potentials to be an army to face the army that may come from the hellmouth.

A bit later we saved Dawn and another potential that already lived in town. Xander gave Dawn his extraordinary speech and I spoke up. "Plus if you ever learned to tap into your power as the key you'd literally become a near instant goddess with the power to warp space around you and fold dimensions like legos. You're literally the definition of untapped potential energy which is probably why the spell went through you and made you glow just like it had Amanda. You may not be a slayer but I think immortal, invincible, all powerful goddess beats potential slayer any day of the week."

Xander coughed. "Huh with the what?"

I shrugged. "You didn't think she'd stop being made of key energy just because the time to use it had passed did you? Even if she doesn't learn to tap into the energy her body will eventually stop aging and make her immortal because the key's energy is timeless and infinite like the stones. Her very being is an aspect of the laws of this reality."

I turned to Dawn who was shocked. "When you're responsible enough and if Buffy agrees I'll teach you magic someday. Until then it's not something you nor anyone teaching you should rush into. It's dangerous, not entirely predictable and sometimes volatile which can hurt even the most experienced witches let alone a first time practitioner."

She was still exited to learn and I groaned before telling her that it wasn't a game. She got serious and agreed before I flicked her forehead gently. "And I won't teach you until after this new threat is over regardless because I won't teach someone who would be in a rush to learn everything to help. Rushing can do more harm than good when it comes to magic, just look at Willow's condition for yourself."

She flinched and I turned to Xander. "Tell Buffy I'll be meditating so she knows where to find me."

He sighed. "You seem to be doing a lot of that these days."

I shrugged. "It's better than the alternative for now. My animal side and the split is trying to form a split personality which would be extremely bad."

His eyes lit up. "Like the Hulk?"

I frowned. "The Hulk was a childish personality of Banner's. No, what this'll become will leave a body count like Thanos if I'm not careful. I need to prevent it from forming so meditation is key."

I left them there and spent more time in meditation until Buffy asked if Dawn would really become immortal one day. I didn't even open my eyes when I answered. "Yes, if she lives long enough. For her and the key itself it's a natural state of being after all."

Soon enough Giles took the potentials on a spirit walk of sorts while Buffy contacted the government to get Spike's malfunctioning chip removed and Willow was hexed by Amy Madison, which turned her into a carbon copy of Rack, the dark warlock she'd killed. Tara was able to break said hex with a kiss and I cursed Amy back into rat form for good measure. Buffy got Spike's chip removed and soon enough Xander went on a date with a demon we ended up saving him from.

Robin came to see our setup after giving Buffy his mother's slayer handbag which he was impressed at seeing me train the potentials in the back yard. I wasn't like a basic instructor having them repeat moves in an effort to learn them on basics. No, I had them fight one another, using said moves and my suit to heal them since Buffy didn't need it during the day. I told them if they get bloody, they'd heal and if they break bones to walk it off.

I explained that pain was the best teacher because it lingered and made one understand what they did wrong so they wouldn't do so again. It was cruel granted, but it worked and they learned fast. I told them flat out that not all of them would survive the coming war be it in small skirmishes or the big battles to come, but those that did survive would know they damned well earned the right to by working their hardest to increase their odds of survival.

Spike wearing the gem of Amara sparred with them and me in demonstrations. I closed my eyes and moved as if my eyes were open, beating him down again and again as he couldn't land a single blow on me. Kennedy asked how I was doing that and I grunted. "One doesn't need eyes to know where their opponent is. All it really takes is a single instinct of danger. Be it a scent on the breeze or a noise that makes their hairs on the back of one's neck to stand up."

I dodged Spike's punches with ease while speaking. "Trusting your instincts, your understanding of your surroundings and your experience in battle can be more of a factor in surviving than relying on what your eyes can see. Illusions, glamours, invisibility and technology, your eyes can be fooled. Your instincts are far harder to fool by anything because they are your subconscious picking up on things your conscious mind can't actively tell."

I dodged and him jumping at me with his vamp face on and kicked Spike so hard he slid into a ditch and stopped across the yard when he hit a tree. I told the girls. "Your instincts and training will take you farther than any power being a slayer can offer you. Master them, master yourself and you'll find there are few limits to the human body. Pain can be lessened, rage can be tapped into and when one achieves true balance-"

I did a back flip, dodging Spike and grabbing his shoulders in mid flip, spinning with moment and throwing him with enough forced to break the three he'd hit before. "Nothing is impossible. All humans have the potential to do what I just did, be they hormonal teenagers or slayers."

I took off my blindfold and looked to their shocked faces. Spike was out cold even with the gem of Amara. I turned to Robin who was equally as impressed as Buffy whom he was standing by. "Care to have a go, boy? To show them what you've learned from our own spars?"

He shook his head. "I'm good right now thanks. I'm still sore from getting my butt kicked."

I grunted. "Only in your pride. Just don't let it hamper your progress. Pride is a useless sentiment that does nothing and means nothing more than selfish indulgence. Keep it or discard it, but don't wallow in it."

I turned to Buffy and she shook her head. "No thanks. You know I enjoy a good fight to unwind, but unfortunately I'm busy at the moment and I don't have time to unwind."

I nodded and turned to the potentials. "As I was saying, all of you can learn to do what I just did. It doesn't require much strength because you're using physics and your opponent's power against them. I can teach you many things and train you to be unstoppable in battle, but I cannot train you to be fearless nor would I. Fear is a useful tool that keeps you from overstepping and getting yourself killed. So long as you recognize it and understand it's lessons, it can be a powerful survival tool and hold no sway over your actions."

I told Kennedy to step forward and hold out her hand. She did so and I put a dagger in it. "This is an Arctic Vibranium weapon, made of the same material as my claws mostly and it can pierce my skin and kill me, albeit temporarily no matter how much magic I have inside my body. It's material literally cuts through all metals no matter how enchanted."

I stepped back. "Now, I want you to drive it into my heart within the next five minutes. Fail and I pin your hands to the tree with it for another five minutes with it and you won't like how."

She came at me and I didn't fight back, merely dodging and watching her movements while correcting her. Sure enough when the five minutes were up we were right next to the tree and I grabbed her hands, shoving the blade through them while she cried out. I asked why and she told me while pissed off. "You try having your hands stabbed and see how you like it!"

I brought out my claws slowly while showing her. "I feel the pain you do now each time I use my claws. It is there, but I am used to it so I can ignore it and keep fighting. Free yourself or you'll stay this way until you die of dehydration in three days."

I turned and walked to the rest who were afraid. "Pain is apart of life. It lets you know you're alive and reminds you that you're injured or wounded. It is a fact of life you'll either learn to live with or die as soon as a battle begins. I won't coddle you, your lives mean too much for such half assed teachings. You will become strong in body and mind or you will die before you can be useful. The goal of any battle is to inflict death upon your enemies. They will not hesitate, they won't falter and they won't die easily so you need to be prepared to do the same. As long as you draw breath you've survived. As long as you feel pain you can be healed and as long as you never falter in your resolve, you can win this war."

I looked to each of their grimacing faces before asking Kennedy. "Are you going to die? Is the wounds so grievous that you'll let any bringer that finds you this way slit your throat? Will this be the end of you because you fear more pain? Or will you overcome that fear, realize that it's not killing you and break free of it?"

I walked to the picnic table and told her. "I'll make it easy on you. The healing watch is here. If you reach it before nightfall I'll let you kill me without dodging or fighting back. Succeed and you can be healed within seconds. Fail and your pain will last as long as you do."

I turned to the others and continued the lesson while ignoring her struggles. An hour later she removed her hands, tearing them up badly and used the watch ten minutes later. Her hands were repaired in minutes and she glared at me while I taught the others. I stopped and waited. "Do you hate me for the lessons I've taught you? Do you think I care that it was painful?"

She scowled and pulled the dagger free while I waited. I told her coldly. "You've yet to understand pain, girl, but don't worry, I'll do far worse if it helps to keep you alive."

She hesitated before handing me the dagger. I nodded. "Fall back in line after you wake up Spike. Feel free to be as gentle as I was with you. He'll heal quickly after all."

Some muffled screams later and Spike continued being a useful punching bag that helped train the girls. I told Kennedy to take over and passed her a basic dagger, telling her to lead them in their training and not to fool around and waste time. I walked over to Buffy and Robin who were talking about his taking over the Ten Rings. I'd been training him one on one in combat and the mystic arts for a while now and he could open a portal via the sling ring method even without the sling ring, but he'd get to master the many other aspects.

Still, he was a quick study and a diligent student. Chloe, one of the potentials, ended up hanging herself the next night and Buffy had a slayer dream about it before finding the body. She buried Chloe like they had Annabelle before telling them to fall in line and declared an emergency. They broke out the slayer emergency kit and ended up opening a portal into the past.

Buffy said she had to go and I took her hand before tossing Kennedy my watch and telling Buffy. "Not alone."

She nodded and we entered the portal together. We ended up transported to the past.