The Mortal Instruments

​

Luce prepared as best she could, knowing that by leaving this room she may not return. It was a risk that each Shadowhunter took when they left for battle. It wasn't something she relished, but as she inscribed one last bullet before slipping it into the cartridge and pulling the lever back on her bolt action rifle, she realized that her life would be incomplete. She had been raised to cherish the sanctity of battle, the thrill of the fight, and the heady rush of victory. Without that, who or what was she?

She nodded to Corvo, following him out of the room and making sure the door was locked behind them. Just because they might not come back didn't mean they had to make it easy for spies and thieves. Corvo seemed preoccupied with his phone, which was a funny bit of irony to Luce, but she didn't bother to comment, her eyes set ahead on the future. They would get to the Institute, get their weapons and allies, and then they would rescue Yorick. She looked up at the architecture of the building she had heard so much about, but never actually visited.

Just as she was about to step forward, Corvo yanked her back. His words made her blood run cold. She dropped her gun to the ground and yanked out her seraphim blade, hissing its name just as the light glowed. But it was too late. Stupid stupid stupid Luce, you walked into it like a doe into a trap. She couldn't help the shriek that left her lips as the ground shattered from underneath her feet, the roots catching and entangling her. She just had time to throw her blade to Corvo with a, "Get in the Institute you fucking moron!" before she was whisked away and around the corner, held just to the left of the Seelie Queen. Her mouth went dry as those glowing green eyes met hers.

​

"You think?" Titania's laugh echoed through the air. "You should be certain, young one. After all, lives depend on it. Namely, yours." She bent close, her face inches from Rhett's. "Maybe I'll just see if your screams are enough to bring her running." She felt Cin struggle, but he wasn't going anywhere, and she had the rest of time to deal with his infractions. She couldn't help but smile at the thought, the expression disappearing at Rhett's uttered threat. Her hand whipped out, grabbing the werewolf around the throat and constricting, her eyes narrowed. "Never speak of her to me." She hissed, the vines weaving up around his body and tightening. She smiled sweetly, increasing the pressure until she was sure his ribs would crack, before letting go. Her eyes widened as she turned away, and a truly delighted expression lit up her face.

"Oh my. Corvo, my darling. You've truly outdone yourself." She whispered. The trees and vines around her began to weave in ecstasy as they dragged Luce through the air towards her. She stepped in close, taking a strand of Luce's hair and twirling it around her finger. "My, haven't you grown up." She murmured, her eyes glowing. "Such a little girl you used to be, all those years ago. But look at you now. No wonder Yorick has been so protective of you, keeping you from me all these years. I suppose, time isn't the same, is it? Years are seconds, at best. No matter. You're here now. Don't worry. I'll take good care of you." She kissed Luce's cheek before turning back to Rhett. "Right, where was I?"

She clenched her fists, and the vines tightened, unyielding in their grasp. "Howl for me, little wolf."

​

Fading in....fading out....she wasn't sure if this was life, death, or somewhere in between. If it was, it could have been a little warmer. And more comfortable. She felt the vines restrict around her, and sighed, choking on the blood that was leaking through her chest cavity. Alright, so maybe not quite death. If she was doomed to asphyxiation by blood for the entire afterlife, then it was going to get a little messy.

Her hands slipped around something so familiar, she could practically see it in her minds eye. Her fingers began to move, so infuriatingly slow she could have screamed with frustration, if she had the wherewithal. Instead, she finished what she needed to do, and then began to laugh as the phone slipped from her grasp. Her laughter turned to choking coughs as she felt the vines tighten around her. "Stupid bitch." she whispered, even as Titania's presence drew closer. She wanted to say something more, but her vision was gone, her heart was slowing. Exhale, inhale. Exhale, inhale. her mind was breaking down. Exhale, inhale. She couldn't....Exhale, inhale. "Stay with Ash." The words barely left her lips, meant for only one person. Exhale.

​

Gaia turned to Shadi, one eyebrow raised. "I don't recall saying the test is complete." Turning away, she watched as four more came to the clearing. Three calm, if not a little shaken, and one very upset little warlock. How disappointing. She merely blinked as the painting came hurtling towards her, only to land on the ground at her feet. She let Masque scream and yell, simply waiting out the storm. There was no sense in trying to battle the waves, and only riding them out would lead everyone safely to shore. Well, mostly everyone.

"And I had such high hopes for someone of your intelligence." She finally said, getting to her feet and smoothing out her dress as one by one, the Downworlders that had let the comrades back disappeared. "But I suppose, that is the way of the test. To rule out those that cannot stand before the trials that matter."
A vampire approached her, the same one that had led Masque and Valister to their trial. The same that led them back. The difference was, this one was real. He handed her something, his expression passive. "Thank you." She told him as he turned and disappeared back into the crowd of Downworlders who had stopped their daily work, wary of the spectacle. Gaia didn't blame them. It wasn't every day someone threw a painting made of blood at their Lady, after all.

She unrolled the cloth, bespelled by magic to have kept the item inside invisible, along with its protector. It hadn't been a great stretch, to replace the real people with hallucinations. After all, illusions would hardly have been able to interfere had something truly gone wrong. And Gaia had learned a thousand years ago that leaving things to chance meant tempting the God of Death. Holding up Masque's true mask, she offered it out to the warlock, her expression hard. "I find it the most painful of ironies in that protesting how unlike everyone else you are, you've become exactly like them. Don't try to pretend for one moment that in your utterly short life, you could hope to understand the things I've seen, the places I've been, and the tragedies I've endured. I assure you, little one, they make yours seem paltry by comparison." She set the mask down gently on the ground before turning, and walking away.

​

Morrigan looked down to her injuries, then shook her head. "They are my scars to bear. I will do as I must to prove my strength." She said in return, taking Ash's hand and squeezing it gently before releasing her hold on the warlock. "Tá mé go maith, Luaith." She turned her eyes to Masque, then Gaia. Though she wished to interfere, instinct told her that to do so would invite trouble she could not handle. And so she waited simply to see what the warlock would do.

The werewolf appeared as silently as she had gone, though her expression was more solemn. "It was for the Lady to decide whether you have passed. And The Lady has proved to be merciful." She glanced from Sien to Aethelrick, and shrugged. "If you believe in the gods, I would start praying to them now." Turning, she walked back to the clearing, where she clapped her hands to get the attention of the others. "The Lady wishes for your second trial to start now. Morrigan, Alarick, Nick, and Sien, you will be coming with me. Masque, Valister, Aethelrick and Ash, you will be following Vo." The fairy appeared, her wings fluttering gently. "Masque, if you wish to remain behind, you may do so, but your team will suffer without you." The werewolf shrugged once more before turning away. "Let's go kiddos, I want to eat supper on time tonight." She led the four away, to another clearing, and then disappeared once more, as Vo did the same with the other group.
​

 

"I guess we did it then." Aethelrick said at the re-appearance of the werewolf that had lead them there in the first place. She explained they had passed purely on the mercy of the lady Gaia, well damn. Atleast they passed so that was a good thing right? He merely followed the werewolf, softly reciting prayers to the Angel as they went, after Prague he had more faith in the Angel than in the Clave or his fellow Nephilim, exceptions existed. As they went he still carefully examined the werewolf, she bore some resemblance to Sarah but he doubted it was her. When they arrived at the clearing he saw all others there too, not sure if everyone else had passed as well but there was talk of another trial. In the midst of all this Masque seemed extremely upset, Gaia was giving him back his mask and made some observations. He himself didn't know the dude, didn't seem too bad a guy. They were again split up this time into two groups, he knew none of these people none of their capabilities, however one of them was offered to stay behind, as they were lead away, he lingered for a short moment "You comin'?" He asked Masque, his tone rather friendly. He shortly fell in line behind Ash and Vo, following to whatever Trial they faced next.

As he got inside he kept his head low, he heard Roxanne freak out in the hallway as she gave instructions to Brianne. Hendrick walked over, removing the rune of Invisibility from his arm, reappearing out of thin air "Don't worry.... it's only me..." He said. Brianne didn't look well having to be supported by Creed. Hendrick's face looked grim, today was a very bad day. He hated the powerlessness, he looked at Brianne unsure of what to say, it was a hell out there. He knew the Nephilim Motto damn well, Descensus facilis Averno est but the question wasn't descending into hell, all they had to do was walk out of that door, but would they come back? And if they didn't what was the point of dying? If he had died in Prague it would have been clear the protection of the mundanes, their purpose. That purpose that they seemed to have lost. He could see Brianne wasn't okay and therefor decided not to ask the stupid questions. "It's hell out there..." Hendrick said, the feeling of powerlessness turned into anger and he clenched his fists, his nails digging into the palms of his hands as his knuckles turned white. They were being outplayed and outmaneuvered on all sides, it wouldn't be too long until they would all be gone as ashes scattered by the wind.

"That remains to be seen and isn't for you or me to decide, though I admire your conviction." Shadi told Ash, then Masque became very upset, he felt sorry for the man. The mask must have meant an aweful lot to him and he looked sympatheticly at the Warlock, wishing he could help the lad out. Mother Gaia had remarked that his test had not yet been completed "My apologies, your Grace, I stand corrected." He took a look at the painting that Masque had thrown towards her, knowing full well that it wouldn't have hit his queen. "Shall I put that away, my Lady? Hang it up somewhere?" He asked Gaia about the painting.

 

​

In what was likely a stroke of luck for them, Roxanne had appeared in their path. Creed had no idea just who the Seelie Queen was, but going off of the panic tone in her voice, it wasn't hard to tell that she wasn't someone that he wanted to encounter. Before he could take a step in the opposite direction, someone else had appeared out of nowhere in front of them. Once the surprised had passed, Creed recognized him as someone else who had been at the safe house prior to all this. He had said that it was hell outside, which served as another reason as to why they shouldn't go out the front. "Alright, I'll do what I can." Not only was the pretty much the only thing that he could do, but it was likely the best thing that he could do. "Is there a back entrance we can use?" He asked. Creed didn't know the layout to the institute at all, so he'd decided to ask before he headed that way.

​

It had appeared that Gaia had decided to let them pass. Learning that information from the werewolf had let him with mix feelings. On the one hand he was glad to know that they had managed to pass, but on the other hand if Gaia hadn't decided to show mercy to them, what would have happened then? Well worrying about it wasn't going to get them anyway. Bottom line was that they had passed. Making their way back to the clearing, it had looked like everyone else had made it pass their trials as well. Masque was the only one who had appeared to be upset, but for completely different reasons that what he would think. Upon hearing that the second trial would be starting, Sien silently followed behind the werewolf.

Hearing the vampire's warning him on the consequences on trying to harm others, Valister nodded. "You're Queen won't have to worry about that." The brekaing of Masque's mask was a surprise as was Masque's reaction to it being broken. The vampire knew very little on the man that he had been partnered up for the trial and from thsi he coudl assume that the mask that was seemingly broken meant a lot to him. The warlock was given the option to either stay behind or follow behind his assigned group. The choice was his and regardless of what he choose, Valister followed behind the fairy named Vo.

 

"No, Luce!" Corvo cried out as his only somewhat reliable ally was taken away by the Seelie Queen. He caught her blade and looked across. She had suspended others with more of those damn vines, including another Fae. Interesting. He steeled himself and sprinted for the door. He was drawing close to the Seelie Queen, but he could see her attention wasn't on him. It was on another one, werewolf by the looks of things. He saw the Ifrit, Clarity was bound as well, damn near dead. Normally he wouldn't have been particularly bothered by this sight, but it pained a little to see a potential ally against the Seelie Queen lost. It wasn't over yet. He could still make it to the Institute. Part of him was tempted to try to free one of the prisoners there on the way past. She wanted them for something. Should he deny her? Could he afford to take the risk? He remembered the Seelie Knights in her chambers. It was best not. That Fae was going to have to make it out alone, and may the Angel help the rest. Corvo sped past the group, but as he passed, he looked at Luce with an expression of anger on his face. "I'll get you back!" He turned away, and as he reached the door he saw a Barrier Rune. He had to take the chance. He could only hope that it was written to keep out Downworlders like most. Luckily, it was. The Inquisitor burst through the doors of the Institute and slammed them behind him. There were a few people in front of him in the foyer, one of them being Roxanne.
"Excellent Roxanne, you made it here. She won't get through. I doubt she'll even try. She has what she came here for. She must have, or she'd have gone after me too." A dark look crossed his face, and he examined the situation inside. It was a disorganised mess to be sure, and he could see the effects of what happened to Brianne playing out on her. It didn't look good. They needed someone to take charge here. Interestingly he spotted Cyrus, but no Aethelrick. And a Vampire. Questions for another time. "I'll answer any and all questions later. For now - Cyrus, Roxanne; Carry Brianne out of the foyer and get her to a bed. What's happening isn't going to be pretty, she should be put somewhere comfortable. Downworlder, you're keeping watch with me until she leaves. If we leave the Institute, we leave the best protection that we have. Even if we have to move, it's best to keep Brianne out of the way. She can't fight in her condition, and if it comes to it she'll only hold us back. Is there anyone else here that I haven't accounted for?" ​

 

Nicholas Nightwine​

Nick, relieved at having succeeded, walked with Morrigan into the clearing, where they met the others. It wasn't long before the warlock, Ash, made it clear Nick wasn't wanted with them. Although looking at Alarick, he was probably right. Nick nodded to Morrigan "See ya, I hope I get to talk to you some more" he said as a way of farewell, before walking over to Alarick "Hey" he greeted tentatively "Are you alright? It seems we're going to be together in the next trial"

Masque​

Masque's anger slowly waned as Gaia calmly returned his mask. For a moment he just stared at her, eyes full of hate, behind his hands, before turning away and placing the mask back on his face. He did not grace the fairy queen with a response, and merely stepped back trying to avoid attention "Fine" he said bitterly, drawing out the word.

Doctor Bishop​

Doctor Bishop was getting bored, he'd expected this to be a more interesting fight, but nobody was hitting anybody. He nodded to Black Knight, who readied her stele, and reached for the microphone
"Please co-operate with the test. Demon, if you do not fight back we will have to force you. And Grayson, try to hit him"

White Queen & Black Rook​

Paragon's agents arrived in a jungle clearing and looked around bemused. White Queen stood up, brushing the dust off her clothes with indignation
"So this is where the Mother of Fairies lives now? I'm not impressed" White Queen scoffed at the wilderness
"What were you expecting, magical flowers and mushrooms everywhere?" Black Rook responded bitterly, the portal had left him with a slight headache.
"Do we wait for her? Or is she expecting us to find her?" the vampire looked quizzically at her companion, who simply shrugged indifferently. Rolling her eyes, she began to turn away and head into the jungle, when she thought she saw something, or someone, approaching.

 

​

Luce wanted to scream as Corvo ran. She had told him to, could hardly fault him for leaving, but she was terrified. And judging by the Seelie Queen's words, she had somehow missed a big piece of the puzzle. She struggled against the vines, but it was hopeless. The more she tried, her worse it got until she could only manage small gasps of air, her heart racing in her chest. She lost the feeling in her fingers, and shut her eyes, hoping that she might wake up and find this all a terrible dream. Please, let this be a dream.

​

Titania smiled at Rhett's response. "Perhaps I should meet your grandmother. She might make a lovely addition to my household. I don't discriminate against age, after all. Magic can fix nearly everything." Her enjoyment was ruined, however, by the stupid ifrit's laughter. She strode over just as a few words slipped from the girl's mouth. Titania hadn't been close enough to hear them, but she was close enough to see that she wasn't breathing. "Well, it seems your little friend was not as strong as I'd hoped." She commented to Rhett, nudging the girl's body with a vine. "That's just unfortunate. I suppose I have to just take you instead. One way or another, Morrigan will be mine again. I do like having a back up, after all."

Dropping Clarity's body to the ground, she stopped, freezing in her place as the plants shrieked around her, shriveling up and dying. "You." She hissed, her hands glowing green as she called up more greenery in place of the dead.

​

Hestia's eyes glowed as she strode forward, the cat made of fire at her side. Its fur was up, its hackles raised as it hissed at the sight of the Seelie Queen. "You had best pray, for your sake that the girl is not dead." Hestia murmured, her voice dead quiet as flames burned in her irises. "I knew you were lost, Titania, but to lay your hands on one of my subjects..." she knelt by Clarity's body, her eyes lowered for a moment. The cat rubbed against the girl's leather shirt, burning it. "You have lost your mind." She pressed a hand to Clarity's chest, then rose, her eyes grim. "How dare you." She spoke, her voice never raising, her tone anything but gentle. "How dare you cast your mother, burn away her memory to ash. How dare you kill her mate, driving her to the very depths of heartbreak?" She planted herself in front of Clarity and Rhett, the cat at her side. It was slowly growing larger, now the size of a dog.

"You have no right." Titania hissed, vines struggling to wrap around Hestia's legs. She simply burned them away with a flick of her wrist. "I have every right. I was your sister. Who will, if not me? I let it go for a thousand years, but no longer." The cat, now the size of a tiger, roared its fury. The vines around Rhett burned, letting him drop to the ground. "Now leave. And pray that she lives the night. Or come morning, there will not be an inch of your home left unscathed." Hestia swore as the tiger ran towards Titania. When its paws hit the ground in front of her, it exploded into a fire ball that lit up the surrounding area. After the smoke had cleared, Hestia was picking up the small body of the fire kitten, caressing it gently. Titania, Cin, and Luce were gone.

​

Alarick felt the edges of his lips twitch as Nick approached. "I find I am glad of that fact." He replied quietly, grabbing Nick's shoulder and squeezing it before letting his hand drop. He wasn't sure if it was for his comfort, or Nick's. "It doesn't seem that the Lady is giving us an easy time of it. I hope these trials are limited. I need to get back..." He drifted back into his own thoughts, but he remained close to Nick as they headed into the clearing with the werewolf.

​

Gaia approached the pair, inwardly shaking her head. Will people never learn? But she didn't mind, she had been welcoming people into her fold for a thousand years. And if Paragon wished to test her in order to gain what he sought, she could not stop him. It had been taken out of her hands the moment she had let Titania take control, and kill....She let the memories, still painful, fade from her mind. "Why have you come here?" She asked the two, her eyes drifting from one, to the other.

​

Morrigan watched Nick walk away, her eyes slightly narrowed. We will talk, Shadowhunter. That, I can promise you. Ash left her side a moment later, separating them once more. She refused to show how much it frightened her, and instead squared her shoulders, turning to follow the werewolf into the woods. As they arrived, she looked at the others, her worry only escalating. She knew Nick the best, the other two were strangers. And Nick knew...no, she would consider it later.

​

Brianne bristled, though she was too exhausted to put real fight into her words. "I may be ill, Roxanne, but I am still the Head of the Institute, and until I go through my first Change, I will remain as such. I will not run simply because the Seelie Queen wishes me dead. I imagine half of New York does at this point." Hendrick appeared at that point, and she merely smiled in his direction, though there was both nothing and everything to say to him. She lifted herself off of Creed in order to lean against the wall, pressing her hot forehead against the cool stone.

"And hello to you too Corvo. Nice of you to drop in. Though no one is removing me from the situation. And I'd like to make sure that before I do leave, you're not going to murder everyone present who doesn't have angel blood in their veins. Myself included." She turned her head to look at the Inquisitor, her forehead shining with sweat.

"And I'd like to know why I smell blood, and what in the Angel's name is going on outside my front door."

​

Grayson growled, throwing his arms out and spinning around quickly. "Doc what does it look like I been doin?" He shouted, before turning around and whipping a punch at Slavko like the chemically enhanced mutant boss he was.

The werewolf turned, her face solemn. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry." She said simply. Her form began to twist and change, growing taller then any of them, the back hunched, the skin spotted with patches of fur. "By the Angel." Alarick whispered as she turned, teeth as long as his finger shining in the near jungle light. "What is that?"
The werewolf, or whatever it was, snarled and crossed the jungle floor in a single bound, swiping at Sien, before whipping around and snapping at Morrigan.

Vo's wings fluttered as she knelt on the ground. "Good luck." She whispered in her soft voice. The ground shot up around her, creating a mound that closed up around her. The ground rolled and cracked, before a second pillar of earth shot up, from underneath Ash's feet, careening him into the sky. A second shot towards Aethelrick, aiming to shove him into the nearest tree.

 

​

While no answer was given to his question, it soon didn't matter for Brianne and pushed her away off of him and turned to the nearby wall for support. She declared that she wasn't going to be going anywhere despite any risks to her health. Not exactly the answer that Creed was hoping for, but he knew that she could handle herself so perhaps it was for the best. Then someone else had arrived, Brianne had named the man Corvo. He wasn't sure just what to think of this guy and it wasn't because the first thing that he had done upon walking in was to give out orders. No, it was what Brianne had said that lead to this uncertainty on Corvo.

​

Sien's confusion at what the werewolf had said turned into surprise and further confusion at the sight before them. He wasn't even given much time to process what was going on before the beast swiped at him. Getting hit would probably hurt like hell, thus he stepped back as quickly as he could to avoid the attack. Just what exactly were they supposed to do here?

Seeing the fairy form the dome around her as well as start raising up pillars of earth around her. Seeing as how she went ahead and made a dome of earth to surround herself, Valister assumed that it was either for her protection or a requirement to use her magic that was calling all these pillars of earth. If the former was the case, then maybe they were supposed to get past it somehow and get to her.

 

Nicholas Nightwine​

Nick smiled back at Alarick sympathetically "We'll get back soon enough" he comforted.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." The werewolf said before it abruptly attacked them
"Oh, No worries!" Nick exclaimed with a surprised expression, but keeping his calm. He pulled out his bolas and chucked them at the werewolf's legs as it snapped towards Morrigan "For what it's worth, I'm sorry"

Masque​

Masque watched casually, craning his neck upwards as Ash was catapulted into the sky. He immediately turned and jumped onto a tree, hugging it with his arms and legs and scrambling up the side. Twisting his head round, he glared at the mound of Earth with the fairy under it. He was safe now, he was safe as long as he wasn't on the earth, but how would they defeat the fairy? If only they'd let him keep his gun...

Augur HQ​

Doctor Bishop watched the battle with boredom, until suddenly Black Bishop approached him with a message from Paragon. A brief discussion later, and the doctor pulled the mic to him again
"Battle's over, both of you are needed. Paragon himself wishes to talk to you. You should consider this a great honour" he said, before signalling for Black Knight to open the doors and lead the demon and the werewolf through the headquarters. Eventually they arrived in a large room, an office, mostly plain. Behind a large desk sat the man himself, wearing clothes that looked like they belonged in the victorian era, and a hood and mask, which included a pink visor, to hide his face. Sitting in front of the desk was a very overweight man in a dirty suit
"Please, take a seat" Paragon gestured. The fat man grinned a toothy grin at the pair, showing off perfect white teeth. Black Knight leaned against the wall of the office, eyes on the pair.

White Queen & Black Rook​

White Queen shrunk away slightly from the powerful figure, trying to keep her calm in this intimidating situation. Black Rook stared slack-jawed at the goddes, before turning to the vampire expectantly. She sighed inwardly, he obviously expected her to do the talking. Standing at full height in a regal pose, White Queen faced Gaia
"You know why we are here, don't you? Hestia did, it seems everyone except us is omniscient. But I suppose you wouldn't have asked if you didn't want an answer. We were sent by Paragon. We seek knowledge"

 

​

Hestia watched Rhett with a frown on her face. "For Ash's prodigy, I didn't expect you to be so...instinctive." She spoke softly, though her footsteps were quick as she approached the werewolf. "Do you think the Seelie Queen lied? Are you so easily fooled by the breath in her lungs? Put her down." The last part was said sharply. "Take your comrade, and go inside. Clarity is under my care, and I will protect her as my subject. I can also speak for the wolves, until Yuri decides to have his say." She sighed, gently stroking the kitten in her arms. "I cannot stay here. You have a choice in front of you, Rhett. Yes, I know you. I make it my business to know." She smiled gently, but her eyes were sharp.

"You and your wolf kin can come with me. Until the Vampire King calls for a meeting to declare the next Alpha, you are all under my protection, and I am your sovereign. As such you can come with me. The Nephilim are beyond my help. Until the true Queen returns, I cannot act as their shield against Titania." She glanced inside, irises smoldering. "But I suspect you'll reject my offer. What I suggest then, is that you disperse the wolves, let them save themselves. Titania will return, and she will slaughter them. Right now, neither you or Felicia are in shape to be the Alpha they need. Don't be selfish. Then I would send the smartest, most patient person you have available to Yuri. If you can enlist his support, then we may have a chance."
She knelt down beside Clarity as Rhett set her down, placing the curled up kitten next to her.

Her hands glowed a fiery amber as she placed them over Clarity's chest, whispering in Arabic. Rhett would have this time to make a decision. In truth, Clarity would be safer happier here, and she hadn't the heart to force the girl to go somewhere she didn't want, even unconsciously. If Rhett stayed, Clarity would stay with him. And then she would get a message to Gaia.

​

Alarick shoved Morrigan out of the way and thrust his bo staff in between the creature's teeth, gritting his own. Nick acted quickly, and the wolf stumbled before the full force of her charge could be thrust upon him, allowing him to shove the werewolf back. He pressed the trigger on the staff, the blades shooting out before he swiped at the wolf.

​

Gaia smiled gently, her hair waving in the gentle breeze. "I enjoy hearing the truth, even if I already know it. I am bound to speak it by my blood, but you....Child of the Night you have no such restrictions." Her gaze slid from White Queen to Black Rook. "It is good to see the Children of the Night and Moon working together. Such a union would not have been thought possible even fifty years ago. This pleases me." She clapped her hands gently before the small mage child appeared next to her. "As such, your trial will be simple. I do not require either of you for any purpose." She bent down, brushing a curl behind the child's ears. "Go easy on them." She advised, before standing and walking away.

The child curtsyed to Paragon's minions, before clasping her hands in front of her, and closing her eyes. The wind began to pick up around her, increasing until she was caught in a vortex that swirled around her. Opening her eyes, she unclasped her hands and shoved them outwards, two gusts of wind following the direction of her fingers towards the vampire and the werewolf.

​

Morrigan gasped as she was shoved to the ground. Upon touching the dirt, the vines crawled up her arms and shot forward, wrapping around the torso of the wolf while it struggled with Nick's bolas'. She grinned; her magic was much stronger here. Almost as if...getting to her feet, she took another step back, giving herself more space between her body and the creature before pushing more magic at it, reaching for her sword. It wasn't night, but that didn't mean she couldn't try. However, as she was about to utter the spell, the wolf broke free of her plants, her form shrinking as the bolas fell to the ground. The more human then wolf form snarled before leaping at Sien, her teeth sinking into his arm and shaking him, causing him to fly to the right before she whipped around, gunning for Nick next.

​

​

Grayson sighed inwardly when the Doc interrupted the fight. "Good god, Doc, I hope you have something better then this, because I was bored to tears. If I could cry, anyway." He strolled down the hall, his hands tucked behind his neck and elbows out to the sides. When he arrived before Paragon, he grinned, letting his arms drop only to give the man who had taken him captive a salute. "Good to see you, sir." he replied, sarcasm the only tone in his voice. "I'd been missing that pink face of yours. Did you miss me too?" At the invitation to stand, he shook his head. "I gotta get moving, you understand, right? Been sitting down too long when I'm used to mile long runs a day. Gotta keep all this perfection in shape."

 

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While Sien had managed to avoid the initial swipe attack that was meant for him, there was nothing he could do about it's second attack. The teeth sunk into his arm causing a pained cry to sound out. After having been thrown aside after being bitten, he slowly started to make his way up. It hurt to just move his arm, which sucked given that in order to use his bow and arrow, he would have to move his arm to use it. On the bright side he still had his other arm and he only needed one to use his magic. Outstretching his hand, Sien fired off a concussion beam towards the werewolf.

 

Hendrick heard Creed ask about a backdoor. "There is a backdoor, but leaving this place is abandoning the best protection we have, no matter where you try to go, there won't be a better place out there. I'd advise against heading out there and running most likely straight into their crosshairs." Hendrick said and Brianne seemed to back him up in this as did the Inquisitor. He caught the smile she gave in his direction and he wondered how she could smile when the world seemed to be against them. Roxanne tried to reason some more and once again got upset. "Roxi, she's right, The Inquisitor is right. This place." He said gesturing to his surroundings indicating the building. "It's the best place out there, the only protection we got...."

He turned to the Inquisitor, he was once again confused when Brianne seemed to be dealing so calmly with this man. The man that had opened fire atleast twice upon Clarity. "The name's Hendrick I don't give a **** about whatever your reports or records say it is.." The venom in his voice taking root in the anger that Hendrick felt, anger at being reminded of the past, anger at feeling powerless against all this and from what Brianne had said about her first change which meant something very wrong must have transpired, anger at the situation that he unjustly took out on the Inquisitor. Well he did blame him for shooting Clarity, twice either having **** aim or someone patched her up since she had been alright. Had been being the keywords in the phrase.

He turned back to Brianne again who was leaning against the wall, she really didn't seem to be in a good shape at all. "Blood, I don't know, I don't think I got nicked... As to what's happening out there... I don't know how the situation came to be, but some of our allies were fighting a fairy, beast of a man, claymore and all. I decided to help them out with my bow in my usual fashion. I got one shot off before everything went to hell. I do not know where the hell she came from but the Seelie Queen was here. The others were all in very bad shape from the fight with the fairy... All the plants were starting to go mad. There was nothing I could do... I'm ashamed to admit it but I left them all out there... Two of them were wrapped up by vines... I do not know what happened after that..." Hendrick said stopping a few times as he spoke to swallow past the lump in his throat.

The anger now had another reason to be there, directed at himself for the choice he made there and the shame he felt. He couldn't look Brianne in the eyes and had his own eyes cast downwards in shame. He knew he had lied to her about who was all out there and she could probably figure it out from the way he acted, he wouldn't be able to hide it not in this state. But if she was going out there with the Seelie Queen out there who had it out for her, she'd die, undoubtebly and that was something he couldn't let happen. He too would die, since he wouldn't let her go out there alone and he had seen her power, they wouldn't stand a chance, their deaths serving no point, he knew that damn well. But atleast he'd die with a comrade at his side, he wouldn't ask for much more.

When they arrived at the clearing the fairy wished them good luck and then dug herself into some dirt dome. Aethelrick watche rather surprised to see Ash being lifted into the air on a pillar of dirt. He was then blindsided as another pillar of dirt crashed into him, hitting like a damn truck that he was clinging on to. He was trying to get out in front of it as he was headed for a tree and being crushed wasn't really on his bucketlist. However the momentum of the pillar made it difficult for him to move out of the way and he was half out of the way when he struck the tree. His shoulder and left arm being held between the tree and the pillar, it hurt like hell though if there was any more pressure on it he was certain he could feel bones start to snap. He cursed himself for such a damn rookie mistake, getting distracted during a battle.

 

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Brianne sagged slightly. "Well if the Seelie Queen is out there, then this building is our only hope. Its hallowed ground has been around just as long as she has, if not longer. None of the Ruling Four can come in here. Not even with permission." She wondered if it had been a gift from the Angels, given that the Nephilim had ruled the Downworlders through the use of their Runes, without the help of magic or accentuated speed or strength. They had been given a safe haven from the clutches of the most powerful of their enemies, at least for now.

"We need to seek out Hestia, and the Vampire King. If she's willing to come here, then..." Brianne drifted off, her voice fading for a moment as she shut her eyes, waiting for her strength to return. "Yuri is...hard to deal with, but if he can talk him into coming to our side, then Hestia will help us in a heartbeat." She told Corvo and Hendrick before she glared at Roxanne. "You can either calm down, or you can walk away. But I am still in charge of my own life, last I checked." Roxanne had her heart in the right place, but she was going about it the wrong way, and the sickness was taking all of Brianne's patience.

Vo, safe inside her dome, could hear the muffled sounds of battle. She used that to determine where the participants of the trial were. One of them was oddly silent, but she would deal with that later. She had the Shadowhunter pressed against the tree, and kept him there, another pillar shooting up into the air and curving around to smash Valister into the ground. All she had to do was trap all four of them, get them to yield, and they would lose. Another pillar shot up under Ash's feet, faster this time in an effort to dislodge him while she spread her awareness further, trying to find that fourth....

 

Aethelrick was grateful for the assist from Ash as the pressure decreased he got himself out of that one and this time decided to remain vigilant. This fairy held a lot of power for her size, then again, he should know better than to judge power by the size of his opponent. Ash was once again launched into the air by a pillar of earth and this time landed in a tree. Hmm not a bad idea actually, if they had extra time to react to the earth attacks, speaking of which one was headed straight for Valister. They had to take that damn dome out, he himself had his P90, but he knew that dirt would stop it dead in it's tracks. His runes wouldn't do much against it, seeing it was a dirt and he doubted it would respond to a damn rune of unlocking. Speaking of runes, he quickly carved runes of speed, strength and agility on him while he wasn't being targeted and put the stele away again. Ash was up in a tree, he couldn't see Masque anywhere and Valister was being targeted. "Valistar, get out of there damn it!" Aethelrick shouted as he went for the treeline, time to get off the damn ground as he climbed the same tree that Ash was in, headed for a branch below the Warlock they needed to cooperate and cooperation meant being together.

Hendrick listened to what Brianne said, the information about the hallowed ground wasn't exactly new to him. Hence why he advocated for staying here. What he didn't know though was that none of the ruling four could get there. Then she got to a part that while sensible, he wasn't particularly fond of he had to work together with Corvo. However having seen what he had seen outside he knew they needed back-up and lots of it. He knew bringing up the objection would get him nowhere, it wouldn't get any of them anywhere except on the high-speed to the great beyond. "Alright... that sounds like a pretty good idea, we could use some serious back-up with the Seelie Queen bearing down on us." Hendrick said, carefully managing his tone to not let the anger slip in that needn't be there. "I got a pretty good idea where to find Yuri, Hestia on the other hand... but since her support hinges on Yuri's, we'll secure his support first before bothering to try and find Hestia." He looked at Brianne and smiled not a happy smile, but rather a reassuring one. They'd try and get it done. "I think I'll go prepare, if there's nothing else..." Hendrick said, he'd like to be prepared in case things went to hell this time around and with the luck they had been having, it'd surely go to hell.

 

"I'm only here to talk Brianne. I've no desire to kill you. Besides, the situation has changed. We need to talk at some point." The Inquisitor said, answering her before allowing the rest to play out. He watched the others, observing the dynamics there. One of the first things he noted was that Cyrus was annoyed at being called by his old name. He nodded respectfully. "I'll refer to you as such from now on then, Hendrick." It was immediately obvious to him that Roxanne was the lesser of the people here. He got the impression that she wasn't thought well of, and she showed signs of intense instability. She wasn't reliable, he could see that better now. He wasn't sure at first whether her behaviour was down to the sudden intensity of the situation of being captured, but she was generally like that it seemed. He couldn't help but wonder who decided that she was fit for field work. When all this was over, he was going to go back to Alicante and get her reassigned. She wasn't suitable for this.
"For the record Brianne, she took another Nephilim. Luce Hemingway, Yorick's assistant. We need to talk about what I learned from her. There was also a werewolf, and a Seelie Knight. Was that werewolf outside the one who...?" He didn't need to finish the sentence, the rest was implicit. "And I concur. Titania's plans are a threat to everyone. I'm sure that both will unite against her if they know what she is doing to their people, and how the balance of power is shifting." Hendrick spoke up, stating that he had a good idea of how to contact Yuri.
"Very well. If I may make a suggestion, then if Hendrick pursues his lead on Yuri then I can look into contacting Hestia." He offered. "And might it be worth someone checking the situation outside? It's been quiet out there." ​

 

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As the three talked around him regarding things things that didn't involve him, least before he would've that this didn't involve him nor should he know about it. Now he was treating this as something to keep in mind. Hestia and Yuri. Right now they were nothing more then names to him, however one of those names came with a title. Yuri was the vampire king and if he was needed for them to get Hestia for assistance against the Seelie Queen, then clearly they were people of power. How much power Creed didn't know, but clearly enough do that having them on their side would be a good thing. "I'll do it." Creed spoke at the suggestion of checking outside. It would be better than just standing around here.

Instead of looking through the door, Creed opted to look through the window to check outside. Plants grown larger than normal and someone treating Clarity were the first things that he noticed. Seeing Clarity's injured body came as a shock to Creed which momentarily drew attention away from the fact that someone he didn't recognized was treating to whatever injuries that she had. . Last he saw her she was inside and looked to be in better health. His eyes scanned around slowly before seeing the next surprise, a flaming cat. So plants, a person healing Clarity and a flaming cat. Noted. His hand moved away from the curtain and he backed away from the window before turning to head back to where he'd left. Upon stopping in the area, he spoke up once more. "There's a bunch of overgrown plants, some lady treating Clarity and a flaming cat."

Valister time to contemplate what to do was cut short by the oncoming pillar being sent towards him. A quick roll was all that was needed to get out of harms way. So far the one solution that Valister had in mind was to break through the dome of earth and get to the person inside. Beyond that will come when we get there. The vampire took a quick moment to get up on his feet, he dashed towards the dome and swung at it with his fist. Hopefully his vampire strength would aid his at least denting the dome. If not, then it would be completely likely that there would be a pillar of earth hitting him in the face in his future.