Template:BattleThe Battle of the Harvest was the first attempt of the Master to break free from his entrapment at the Sunnydale hellmouth.
Background
After moving into the New World in 1937, the Master settled around the location that would later be known as Sunnydale. The Master and his vampires hoped to open the hellmouth in Sunnydale in order to release Old Ones back into the earth. However, an earthquake trapped the Master underground for 60 years, until the opportunity for the ritual called the Harvest could take place and free the ancient vampire from his entrapment.
The ritual required a proxy called the Vessel, who must feed on humans on the night of the first crescent moon after the solstice, in order to transfer power to the Master.
Warning and Initial Confrontations
The active slayer during 1997, Buffy Summers, was warned by a stranger, later revealed as Angel, about the upcoming ritual. Angel gave Buffy a silver cross necklace and then left.
Later at the Bronze, Buffy was told by her watcher to train herself in identifying vampires. She managed to find one who was taking Willow out from the club. Buffy followed the two but was unable to keep track. She told Giles she would take care of it and tried to locate Willow again. As she left, Darla was left undetected with Jesse.
Around the same time, the Master has been awoken from his hibernation in preparation for the Harvest. The ancient vampire demanded something to feed on from Luke.
Buffy and Xander tracked Willow into a mausoleum, and found Darla and Jesse in the same place as well. The male vampire attacked Buffy but he was killed effortlessly by the slayer. As Buffy fought with Darla, Luke joined the fight and overpowered Buffy, trapping her in a coffin. As Luke prepared to bite Buffy's neck, the cross Angel gave her slipped out and burned Luke. Buffy retaliated before Luke could recover.
Buffy later escaped the coffin and the mausoleum. She heard Willow scream as she and her friends were again attacked by more vampires. Buffy managed to save Willow and Xander but Jesse was nowhere in sight.
Baiting the Slayer
In the morning, they discussed what happened with Giles. Buffy decided to try and find Jesse as she felt guilty of losing her classmate the night before.
Later it was revealed that Luke and Darla left Buffy and took Jesse down to the Master, who was displeased by the offering given to him. Darla explained that there would be more if not for the interference of a girl. The Master expressed concern if the girl was a slayer and said that she must not be allowed to interfere with the ritual. The Master then chose not to feed on Jesse, turning him instead to bait in order to lure Buffy.
Buffy later located an entrance to the city's electrical tunnels, which they believed could have been the vampire's escape route from the previous confrontation. Angel reappeared and warned Buffy on what she planned to do. As Buffy made her way in, she ran into Xander, who secretly followed her into the tunnels.
In the tunnels, Buffy and Xander encountered Jesse chained to a pipe in the wall. Buffy freed Jesse, but they were being followed by vampires. They attempted to escape with Jesse leading the way but it became apparent that it was a trap as Jesse led them to a dead end before revealing that he has been turned into a vampire. Jesse revealed part of the Master's plans on killing the slayer and humans. Buffy and Xander used a vent to escape into the sunlit street.
The Ritual
Meanwhile, Luke was ordered to feed on the Master's blood to initiate his selection as the vessel. The Master painted a three-pointed star on Luke's forehead. Luke then takes several vampires to accompany him on his mission. They head out into the Bronze, where Jesse has already started to entice Cordelia. Th other vampires secured and blocked the exits as Darla turned the power off.
Luke made his presence known to everyone and had the bouncer brought to him. Luke fed on the bouncer, transferring power to the Master.
Buffy, Giles and the others reached the Bronze and discovered that all doors have been blocked. They each tried to find their way. Buffy was apprehended by a vampire as she studied Luke from a distance. However, she managed to wrestle herself free and threw the vampire down into the stage, disrupting Luke and the other vampires.
Buffy engaged Luke and the vampires in a fight while Giles and the others led the people out of the club and into safety, while also attempting to keep Darla and other vampires at bay.
Finally, using the streetlight, Buffy managed to trick Luke into thinking that sunrise has come. In Luke's momentary confusion, Buffy kills Luke, effectively stopping the ritual's fruition.
Aftermath
Buffy's classmates who helped her would eventually become her closest friends and form the Scooby Gang, which would aid her in several confrontations and battles as the slayer.
The loss of the Master and the Order of Aurelius would mark the repeated attempts of the vampires to eliminate the slayer Buffy, take control of the surface world and to open the hellmouth.