Buffy X-overs 1. Ariel's Offer

The Tales of a Traveling Reaver

By ColdFang

Disclaimer: I am but a penniless college student. I do not own anything.

Set post-Defiance in LoK and post-Chosen in BTVS.

Summary:

Crossover with Legacy of Kain. Raziel is given another chance at life. He is given the choice to travel to new worlds and help unwilling pawns to break free. In his first assignment, he helps Xander, after his lie about the soul spell comes out.

" " talking

_Italics _thoughts

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Date: Unknown

Location: Ancient Vampire Citadel, Nosgoth

**Kain's POV: **

I tried to pull back the Soul Reaver from where it had impaled Raziel, but he wouldn't let me. He was trying to tell me it was necessary…..that his soul _needed_ to be consumed by the blade.

"The Soul Reaver…. pure of all corruption….. This is what it is for…… This is what I am for….. The two become one….Both Soul Reavers….And the scion of Balance is healed….And I am not your enemy….Not your destroyer……I am...as before….your right hand….your sword…."

"No, Raziel." I said. "This can't be the way."

"And now…." He continued… "You will see the **true** enemy…."

As Raziel said this he fell back against the rock, to which the blade was impaled, and faded from reality. After his image disappeared, the glow around the blade, took on a bright blue hue. It was the same color as the glow that had emanated from Raziel's eyes.

"Raziel….." I exclaimed as I withdrew the blade in horror, and it was then that _I saw…_

A very large tentacled creature just appeared where there had been nothing at all….

"SO I AM REVEALED TO YOU AT LAST"

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Elsewhere:

In a strange, dark mist-shrouded realm, a humanoid figure began to appear, its presence, a stark contrast to vagueness of the world around it.

The being spoke, "Where…..Where am I? …. Where is this place? ….Am I now in the Reaver?

Another voice sounded out of the darkness "Yes, little soul."

The visible being swiveled, trying to peer through the darkness "What or Who….is there?"

Another figure began to take shape in the mists. It was pale and ghostly, like the mists surrounding it.

The first being turned to face the second figure "Ariel?... Is that you?"

If the realm had not been so dark, a spectator would have been able to see a smile appear on the second figure's face.

"Yes Raziel, it is I. And yes this is the realm of the Reaver. It is not, however, your end of journey's. I am here to help send you on your journey."

The being called Raziel shook his head. "I cannot go. I must remain here to help Kain. He is the last hope for Nosgoth."

"But you have helped him," Ariel explained. "You have sacrificed yourself to heal him so that he may restore the balance. You need not remain here. There are others in need of your assistance."

These words sparked a wave of anger within Raziel. "I refuse to be a pawn in the game of fate any longer…. I ….Have….A….CHOICE!!"

Rather than becoming angered or surprised, Ariel shook her head, an expression of semi-amusement on her face. "Yes Raziel, you do have a choice. You can choose to remain here in this place for all time, or you can choose to come with me and help other people……people who are entrapped in a world of destiny and bound by fate to their current roles."

"That is not much of a choice." Raziel observed.

"Just because you have a choice does not mean your options are bound to be easy paths to take."

For a few moments, both beings were silent. Then Raziel sighed. "Take me elsewhere then, I have no desire to spend eternity in a shapeless void."

Ariel's form seemed to solidify to a degree and her eyes began to glow a bright yellow, "Very well. I shall take you to the first one in need of guidance. But first you will be presented with a few gifts to aid you in your journeys. "

"What gifts?" Raziel asked.

The spirit, with her eyes still glowing brightly, answered his question. "You need to be able to blend in with the inhabitants of the realms you visit. So you shall be given the gift of form-shifting. You will be able to shift at will to any one of three forms. They are, a human form, an enhanced version of your vampire form, and your current Reaver-of-Souls form.

"Unfortunately, you will not be able to access the Soul Reaver in its physical form, so instead you shall be gifted with a duplicate of its physical form. This blade will only appear when you are in your vampire form.

"You shall also be gifted with a variety of ancient magics, as well as the knowledge of a forgotten form of glyph magic. Temporary control of the elements will also be given.

"With these gifts come certain rules. You must not use these gifts to influence the current realm on a large scale beyond what is necessary. Your goal is to help those in need, not to re-make their world to suit their desires or your own.

"You must not take a course of action that will critically endanger those in need beyond what is necessary. Do NOT take excessive risks.

"If you violate these principles to an extent where the mission has become threatened, you shall be removed instantly. If you cannot explain your actions to the ruling influence of that realm and myself, then you will be returned to the realm of the Reaver. However, if your actions were damaging enough, you will not return the Reaver……you shall instead cease to exist.

"Do you still wish to accept? I cannot force you."

Raziel was silent. His mind was trying to take in the offer he had been given. Finally, he looked back at Ariel and said. "Yes, I accept."

As soon as he spoke the words, Raziel was suddenly encased in a bright light. The light intensified and expanded until it seemed to fill the entire realm. Then it was gone and the shadowy void returned, showing no trace of either being that had once been there.

Then, a chorus of voices was heard as they spoke as one. **_"IT IS DONE!!!!!"_**

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Date: August 24, 2008

Location: Cleveland, Ohio USA

It is a dark moonlit night in what appears to be an empty park. A flash of light appears and leaves behind an odd figure. To an outside observer, it would appear to be human, if one ignored the large pale leathery bat-like wings rising above its shoulders and stretching down to its knees. The being looked around, surveying his surroundings carefully.

"Well this must be the first realm to which I am to provide assistance." _But I feel somewhat taller now, and there's something else different too…. It feels familiar somehow….._

Raziel began stretching his long unused muscles, but he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he realized why he had felt different and why it was familiar.

_MY WINGS!! Wait, they seem to be a bit bigger than I remember. _He flapped them once, and was surprised by the way he nearly shot into the air. _They also seem to be a lot stronger and more powerful too. So, this is what Ariel meant by an enhanced version of my Vampire form. _A feeling of long-forgotten joy ran through him as he reveled in the comforting weight upon his back that he had missed for so long.

As he stretched he notices a long, thin box and an envelope on the ground before him. Opening the box he saw a sword inside. But this was not just any sword. The Soul Reaver. _Well its not The Soul Reaver, but a Soul Reaver_. He mused.

Opening the envelope, he found a few pieces of paper addressed to him. Reading through them, he came to learn about what world he was in, who needed his help, and what would be the best way to approach them.

_Interesting_, he thought. _The first thing I, a semi-vampiric spirit, is expected to do is help a group of vampire hunters. I feel like I'm almost back in Nosgoth. I suppose the first thing I should do is this group and talk to their leader, the head of the Watcher's Council._

TBC……

FangNote: Well, What do you think? Any Questions or Comments? Please Review. I need all the input I can get. Also, is anyone is interested in becoming a beta-reader for me? I have at least two more chapters written that just need to be typed onto a computer.


	2. An Unpleasant Encounter

The Tales of a Traveling Reaver

By ColdFang

Disclaimer: I am but a penniless college student. I do not own anything.

Set post-Defiance in LoK and post-Chosen in BTVS.

Slightly AU.

Summary:

Crossover with Legacy of Kain. Raziel is given another chance at life. He is given the choice to travel to new worlds and help unwilling pawns to break free. In his first assignment, he helps Xander, after his lie about the soul spell comes out.

" " talking

_Italics _thoughts

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Chapter 2: An Unpleasant Encounter

Date: August 24, 2008, About 10:22 PM

Location: Near Cleveland, Ohio USA

On a dark night, in an area just outside Cleveland, a lone figure begins a long walk up a long stone walkway that led up to an old-looking large house with brightly lit windows.

Inside the structure, the current Head of the Watchers Council wondered over what he could do to solve his current problems.

Rupert Giles, the current Head of the Watcher's Council, an older gentlemen clad in a tweed suit was just sitting down in a chair musing over the days event.

He couldn't help but groan out at how far his group had fallen. Today, one of his charges had almost beaten one of his other charges to death. If the violence suppressor wards, which were crafted into the building, hadn't gone active and alerted the leading member of the council, then Xander would have been dead. It would seem that Xander had not told Buffy that Willow was going attempt to re-curse Angelus with a soul long ago in Sunnydale. _Yes, the words 'kick his ass' are not ones a person would normally use to indicate such an attempt,_ he mused.

Several years later, Buffy had found out while discussing magical enhancement techniques with Willow. In a fit of rage, she had called Xander over to the house and then proceeded to attempt to beat him to death. Thankfully, the wards had quickly deemed her a threat and magically restrained the enraged Slayer.

When Giles reached the three youths and learned what had happened, he had quickly rushed Xander to the hospital. Before he left, he placed a locking and stasis spell on the door to prevent Buffy from following and stop her from trying to finish the job.

After getting Xander to the hospital and the emergency room, Giles returned to the house to check on Buffy and Willow. He then began to make himself some tea and set about preparing to return and stay the night at the hospital.

Giles sat down while waiting on his tea and began to collect his thoughts._ I don't know what to do. I cannot keep Buffy away from him forever, short of killing her or sending her to a special holding facility. I need her to be able to do her job and her duty humanity as a Slayer by protecting them from the Vampires and other creatures of darkness. Her duty does not include beating a former friend to death over her vampire lover! If she continues her attitude and she attempts to continue her previous actions, I might need to take drastic actions. _

He also realized that if something were to happen again, Xander needed to be able to protect himself from Buffy on his own as well as function on the reformed Watchers Council. But there was a problem. _Right now, I can't both train Xander to be able to defend himself from a slayer and lead the new council. But there was no one he knew that could be of help and be trusted with Xander. Of course, all this depended on whether Xander survived the night or not. _

His thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock at the door. He paused, wondering who would be knocking on his door at this hour, except maybe a demon. Placing a loaded crossbow within easy reach, yet out of sight, he went to answer the door.

As he opened the door, he felt a strange magical presence, one which raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Whoever was at the door, wasn't a normal human.

He looked over his visitor with a wary sense of caution. He was a somewhat pale skinned, black haired man who was dressed in black-on-red formal suit of a strange design.

"Are you Rupert Giles?" the man asked. "The current head of the Watcher's Council?"

"Yes I am. Who are you?" Rupert responded.

"My name is Raziel. I have been asked by a certain group of beings to assist you in your formation of a new Watcher Council. May I come in?" the man said.

"I'm afraid not," Giles stated. "I am in a hurry to return to a friend who has been seriously injured. I also will need more information and proof that you have no ill-intentions toward me or anyone I know. Also I will need to know who this group is and why they want to help me. For all I know you could be a demon in disguise. You certainly don't feel human."

The 'man,' Raziel sighed. "I was afraid you would say that. I'm sorry, but time is running out."

The 'man' raises his hand, which begins to glow with power. Rupert raced for the crossbow. Before he can reach it, the man's spell is released, creating a large burst of bright light which washes over him. Instantly, Rupert collapses to the ground. Carefully, Raziel picks the fallen human up from the floor and places him in a chair. Chanting softly, Raziel raises his hand to the man's forehead. After a minute he stops and goes to sit in a chair across from the mortal and waits for him to wake up.

After a few minutes, Giles begins to show signs of consciousness once again.

"Ugh, what happened, the last thing I remembered was…." he mutters. A light seems to go on inside his head as he remembers and he looks up to see the 'man' sitting calmly in a chair across from him. Instantly he jumps to his feet and he tries to reach for one of the various weapon caches hidden throughout the building.

He stops short, as he finds a curved white sword at his throat.

"Now, Mr. Giles, is this any way to treat someone who offered to help?"

"Apparently, I wasn't clear before, when I said I needed proof of your intentions, before I could trust you. Your sword at my throat, isn't exactly helping me to trust you."

"That is understandable Mr. Giles. If I remove my sword do you promise to hear me out before trying to kill me again or running away?"

"Very well Mr. Raziel, I will hear you out but after that I make no promises."

"Fair enough, Mr. Giles, only my name is simply Raziel. I have no other name or title."

The blade disappears, and Giles finds it much easier to breathe. Looking at the man, he remembers what he was doing before he showed up.

"Now will this take long, I really must return…"

"…To the hospital? …To check on Xander?" Raziel interrupts. "Is this what you meant?"

A look of shock and worry flashes onto Giles's face.

"How did you know that?" He asks.

"I was told about your situation by the group that asked me to assist you." Raziel explains.

"But he was only attacked a few hours ago! How is it possible you know?

"I was left a letter. Now, would you like me to tell you on the way, or would you rather we discuss stay here and talk about it now?"

Rupert thought about the offer. _I suppose if he already knew where Xander was and had truly wanted to hurt either of us, he would have already done so. _"Very well, Raziel. I believe for now I will trust you. But I warn you, if you give me reason to think you wish to do Xander harm, you will find the consequences….unpleasant, at best."

With this last sentence, he gave a Ripper-worthy glare to Raziel. Raziel, having faced hordes of vampires, Hylden Warriors, and Sarafan soldiers, merely smiled back.

As they left, Rupert Giles had a feeling that his bad day, was far from being over.

TBC……

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FangNote: Again I ask, What do you think? Any Questions or Comments? Please Review. I need all the input I can get. I still need a beta-reader if anyone is interested. I have lots more planned for these unlikely allies. I promise Xander will have a part in the next chapter.


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Buffy X-overs, Adventure, Fantasy