The Mortal Instruments

​

Brianne ran a hand over her face before taking a deep breath. "This needs to be spoken about privately." It was not an admonishment to Hendrick or Roxanne, but more of a reminder to herself as she heard voices echoing from the doorway. "I'll meet you in the emergency bunk room." She put her hand on Roxanne's shoulder, to draw strength or give it, she couldn't be sure, but she managed a small smile as she looked at the other girl before turning to Hendrick. "I'm sorry you can't rest, but I need to know you're safe, and you're safe with the group. I'll see you both in there after I retrieve my brother." The last words were said in a tense hiss as she descended the stairs.

"Why in the name of the Angel does it have to pour when it rains?" She muttered, coming up behind Nick and Alarick. "Both of you. Bunk room." She said through gritted teeth, her nerves ready to snap.

​

At least he's got a spine. Alarick thought to himself as Nick tried to close the door on the fairy. He could sense his sister coming up behind them as well, and in that moment, his mind worked quickly. By the time Brianne came up, demanding their presence, he was able to turn out, simultaneously putting his foot in the door to keep it from closing. "I didn't realize I was such a necessary element to your life, sister." He commented, turning his head slightly to look at her. "However, this gentleman from the Seelie Court is demanding our attention. It would be unwise to deny such an important visitor, especially when we need all the allies we can get."

He had a feeling that the reason his sister was wound tighter then the bowstring had to do with the Old Man's orders. She would do better without him there, without having to prove her strength and authority to him while simultaneously trying to keep her wits about her and give the orders to her subordinates. Just thinking about it made his own head hurt. We used to be close. He blinked away the regret, and opened the door slightly wider, to allow the fairy entrance. "Nicholas here can go with you. I will take our new friend here into the meeting room over there. It's still open, yes?" Without waiting for her response, he glanced at Nick. "You can bring me up to speed afterwards." He turned to Cin. "I am Alarick Lightwood. If you would please go in," he pointed at a room just to the left. "I will be with you shortly."

​

She couldn't breathe. The walls of her mind closed in around her as her panic only worsened. The dark pressed in on her, relentless. There was no moon to light her way, and if she hadn't already been short of breath, the fear would have choked her. I've always been claustrophobic. Why? Her screaming of cages had woken her parents on more then one occasion, until they simply started drugging her to keep her sleeping. But this was not sleep. This was-

Her eyes flew open, staring up at the hazy sky. She had been right not to trust this warlock. You stupid stupid girl. Her mind taunted as her hands scrabbled uselessly at his, trying to free herself. You wanted to die. Looks like life has a funny way of giving us what we want. Then why did she fight it? For a moment, her hands slackened. But then he wins. They win. You pretty puppet. Now that your strings have been cut, you're so useless. You let them win.

No. No. This was not her purpose. I'm not a puppet. I'm a goddamned fairy. I'm no one's toy. She drew her hand back, and smashed it into Ash's elbow, forcing him to drop her. Falling to her knees, the air poured into her lungs as she gasped and choked. Stumbling, nearly crawling, she started to run towards the woods, further in, only to be halted as the shadow slid up in front of her, like so much oil that moved on the ground. Gasping, she narrowed her eyes, then turned, the wind tugging her hair past her face. I need a sword.

But it had been left, wherever her body had been. She then smiled grimly, staring at Ash. So this is what it comes to. "Fás." The word was barely able to leave her swollen and bruised through, but when it did, nothing appeared to happen at first. But Morrigan knew differently. The growth was slow at first, but it quickly accelerated as she poured more and more of herself into the plants around her, forcing them to grow beyond what they could have afforded themselves. They wrapped themselves around Ash, rooting him to the spot and holding him there before she grabbed a nearby stick. "Solas oíche." The stick began to glow with a radiance only allowed for the moon. Her legs trembled at the excessive use of magic, but she whirled around, her arm thrusting out to stab the shadow, and clear her path to freedom.

I won't let them win.

 

Hendrick looked at Brianne when she apologised that he couldn't rest. Roxanne had thanked him for the offer of help it was simple, they were all brothers and sisters in arms. And he had been blind to how broken the girl was. "Just leave the apologies at the door, I know you don't have a choice, the situation calls for all of us at full attention. I understand that, I'll try to do what I can." Hendrick said as he walked over to the fortified bunkroom they had been directed to. Walking went better as he went, finding ways to pain himself less. With Roxanne's help they got to the room faster, but he was confident he could get back to the room alone if necesarry fighting was a different question entirely though. Once in the emergency bunkroom, Hendrick sat down on one of the beds waiting for Brianne to come back.

 

​

Morrigan hissed as the ground swayed underneath her feet, and her pulse throbbed through her body, veins darkening for a second before disappearing once more. She hated whatever magic drove her to tell the truth once the question was asked. Many of her kind mastered the half truths, masking what they could in front of their enemies. It had not been one of her talents, and now she found herself wishing for more time to study it, master it.

"Yes, I will fight." Her words came out slowly, as if each cost her dearly, which, it did. "If only to one day make you feel how I do now. To be the slave to something beyond your control."

She leaned against an oak tree, her nails digging into the bark as she struggled to keep herself upright. "It's a shame the Queen didn't ever invite you to court. You would have fit right in." Right in with the vipers that were her parents, selling her to the highest bidder. Manipulating her into what they wanted. She nearly choked on the hatred that rose up inside of her, putting a hand to the throbbing bruise that covered her throat. "I'd say I hope it hurts you to stare at it, Ash, but you'd have to have a heart." she motioned towards the bruise before pressing her lips together, done talking. She needed to give her vocal cords, her larynx time to heal. Using it would only prolong the pain, which was beginning to throb in the tips of her fingers, causing her to feel as though she was pressing them into a flame. She merely flexed the digits, keeping her back against the tree to support her wobbly legs.

 

​

Brianne wanted to smack her brother's head against the wall as he raised an eyebrow to her, promptly ignored her, and turned back to Nick. Her eyes narrowed at what she saw, and she grabbed Nick's arm as Alarick started towards the side room after Cin. "Hey." She spoke softly to avoid gaining attention, but loud enough it should get Nick's. "Be careful around him. He's not someone to mess around with." She lifted her fingers off of Nick's sleeve, and smiled a little. "I don't want to see my friends get hurt." Turning, she walked back up the stairs and into the infirmary, stopping when Roxanne almost kicked her in the face.

"Right." she waited until Roxanne had finished, before shutting the door behind her. "They told me not to trust you. I could be dragged before the Clave by repeating what I'm about to say, so it's important that unless it's to Nick or Alarick, none of what I'm about to say leaves the room." She paused, trying to draw from her inner strength.

"The Mortal Cup has been stolen. And it's has been given to a Downworlder, by one of our own. We've been ordered to stay on the front lines, and try to hold back what is going to be one of the largest rebellions we've ever had to face." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "But that's not all. Alarick has been charged with protecting Raziel's Sword. I have hidden it here, and for your own protection I'm not going to tell you where. Only I and Alarick will know, so that if we are unable to hold back the Downworlders, they will only torture me or Alarick for the informatin."

She wished that was it, but unfortunately, there was more to come. "On top of all of this, we are still charged with hunting down Masque, the rogue warlock, and a new threat, the Pack Leader Grayson Keller. His pack has already started hunting down anything that runs. He's got ten wolves behind him, and more will follow."

She looked from Roxanne to Hendrick, trying to smile despite the intense stress she was under. "So, that's it. Find the Mortal Cup, which they think has been brought here, protect the sword, which has been brought here, kill the leader of a growing werewolf pack, find a serial killer warlock, and uphold the balance of peace. No big deal."

​

Alarick walked into the room, stepping ahead of Cin to open the door for the fey before walking inside. The room was dusty from lack of use and maintenance, and he sighed before waiting for the fairy to enter. Once he did so, Alarick sized him up silently before crossing his arms over his chest and cleaning against the wall. "So, you're missing one of your own, and you think Masque is responsible. I would first ask how you know it was him, and she simply hasn't disappeared with a mate or run away. It isn't impossible for one of your kind to stray from the flock for a few decades, is it? After all, you have endless time."

His eyes remained on Cin as he watched reactions, and waited for a response.

​

Morrigan stilled under Ash's examination, but she refused his hand to help her up, instead clinging to the trunk of the tree until she was on her feet, newborn calf legs be damned. "Go." She managed to force the word out of her swollen throat, a weak whisper that was contrasted by her eyes, which burned with anger. You stupid warlock, what do you think they'll do to you when they see what you've done to me? She couldn't allow such a fate to befall her people, should they fail. Should they succeed, she wanted him farther away, because she intended to make good on her own promise, first.

The pulse of hot pain flashed through her again, forcing her to press her lips into a thin line. Her vision swayed for a second before the world resumed its rightful place. "I'll stay. Here." Each word felt as though she had swallowed glass, but she hoped she got the point across. At this point it was only her strength of will keeping her standing.

I'm going to make sure you feel as powerless as I do now. I'm going to watch as you have to struggle for what should be yours.

 

Warning: If you found Masque's other murders bad, this one's worse.

Spoiler

The wolves howls echoed across the city, Masque could hear them prowling close. He sat on a rooftop, with several gallons of paint in cans beside him. His mask today was a face contorted into an exaggerated expression of manic hysteria. The mouth of the mask was open wide, revealing his own grotesque, lipless mouth. A forked tongue snaked between those nonexistant lips and tasted the air. They were getting close. Grinning, he revealed rows of razor teeth. "And the show begins" in a swift movement he dropped down from the roof and landed next to a human who'd been walking along the alleyway "Did nobody tell you? It's dangerous to wander around dark alleyways" he stated grinning dangerously
"Please! Don't hurt me!" the man stumbled back, legs shaking, already reaching for his wallet. Masque leaned against the wall and chuckled
"I guess my halloween costume works!" he laughed "I'm not actually going to hurt you, sorry, I just wanted to scare you"
"Oh... huh..." the man had relaxed slightly now, but still looked at Masque suspiciously "It's a good... uh... costume"
"Thanks! I put a lot of effort into it! See here, this knife looks really real" He pulled out his knife, it glinted in the moonlight. The man stumlbed back again "Don't worry, it's not real!"
"Uh... Halloween isn't for a while"
"Yeah, it'll be a shame if I outgrow the costume before I get the chance to wear it, right?" he stated casually. The man was completely uninteresting.
"Heh... yeah"
"I know it's hard to see in this darkness, but come closer, have a look at this stitching" he walked closer to the man, who reluctantly moved forward "See here? Look closer" He stabbed the man in the eye. As the man shrieked and writhed in pain, he kicked his legs out from behind him and stomped him into the ground. Howls, and snarls, could be heard. Perfect timing. Without any further ado, Masque clambered up the side of the building and sat where he had been before.

It didn't take long for a few werewolves to come into the alley, drawn by the blood. If Masque kept up to date on current affairs, he would have guessed they belonged to Grayson Keller's pack. Shortly, they began surrounding the man, who whimpered in misery. He had no idea what was happening to him, he had no idea he was about to become food for both werewolves, and Masque's insatiable creativity. The first werewolf struck, burying its teeth into the man's arm. Blood sprayed, everywhere, and Masque gestured extravagantly in co-ordination with the splashes of blood. As more and more werewolves fed, the man's screams died out and, with his last few breaths, coughed up blood. Masque looked at his watch. Right on time. Perfect. Standing up on his perch, Masque suddenly turned on the light on the roof, a spotlight that illuminated the scene below. Lights. He clicked a button on a remote control, various cameras placed around the alley began to record. Camera. Most of the werewolves below were too busy feeding to pay attention. Masque placed his foot on one of the open paint cans, filled with bright purple liquid. For his last works, he'd used a muse. Today he was starting on a blank canvas "Action" he kicked it. As the paint spilled down onto his canvas, he was already spinning, dancing his way to the next can, One by one he kicked the cans down into the alley, dancing and gesturing as a conductor as he did so. Now the werewolves' bestial minds were suspecting something, as they were covered in red, purple, pink, orange, magenta, maroon, ochre. But they did not back down, even as their fur was matted with colour. They snarled upwards towards the roof, determined to kill whoever had interrupted their feast. Another spotlight activated, and silhouetted Masque. Those dreaded horns creating a striking shadow upon the rooftop. Masque jumped and did a front flip in the air, as he landed on his previous victim with grace. A wolf snarled and jumped towards him. Foolish. The wolf's paws slipped in the paint. "Stupid, Clumsy" he critiqued, as he vaulted over the wolf and, twisting around in the air, stabbed the wolf's back. He pulled out his pistol. Silver bullets. As the wolf turned to growl at Masque, he found himself looking down the barrel of a gun. Masque smiled madly, and shot the wolf right between the eyes.

Another wolf fell to his gun, the others fled, and now Masque kneeled in his creation. A cacophany of paint coated the alleyway, the paint near his victims mixing with blood, creating a sickly sculpture. The carnage of the half-eaten human, the wolf bodies sprawled around the alley. It was beautiful. It didn't need an explanation, it would reveal itself to all who looked upon it with an appraising eye. Clicking the remote again, Masque stopped the cameras, with one last sinister look towards them.

When Masque arrived at home, a small apartment he rented, he changed clothes immediately. A red T-Shirt and Jeans looked far more appropriate than his blood and paint spattered robes. He also changed masks to one a bit more subtle. He would have to go down to the laundry area of the building and wash his robes, but it wasn't too much of a problem as long as he kept up a glamour. He groaned as he realised he would have to go to work sooner or later. He worked in a Starbucks, he hated the coffee, and dealing with customers, but he needed the money to fund his art. Selling his painting and drawings didn't earn him enough anymore.

 

Adam's pov:



Something seemed to be bother him, like it always did when he was leaving for school. His mother told he would make some friends, but that never seemed to happen. He always sat by himself at lunch and he was into sports. He did things after school, but it was not the same as having a friend. Everyone seemed to stay away from him and they always called him names. He never seemed to fit in at school. He grabbed his back pack and made his way to the door of the house. He left the house waving to his mom before he left and shut the door right after that. That was when he began his way to school. He always walked to school it did not matter if it was snowing or raining. He could not stand being on a screaming mental death trap. The cold did not really bother him anyways. The walk to school was a long one, that was why he had to leave so early. The walk to school was not to interesting. It was ether that he was left alone until he got to school and was picked on there or he was picked on when he was on his way to school and when he was at school. Thinking back to when he asked his mom to teach him how to fight and defend himself she looked like she was going to have a heart attack, but after he told her what was going on at school she went long with it. He looked around school was in sight now not too long now. All he had to do was make it to school and hope for the best. That was probably not going to happen, but he had to hope for the best. The kids that picked on him was the many reason he was such a good student at school an the teacher did not have any problems with him. He did not want to be another problems for the teachers.

 

Hendrick had been watching Roxanne perform her gymnastics. She was really good at it and he watched her with a smile on his face. Until she nearly kicked Brianne in the face, he swallowed and said "Well damn, close one, Rox" Hendrick said as he looked at his superior who wasn't amused by this. "But, damn you do a bloody great job at that." He said to Roxanne. He listened attentively to what Brianne had said. So Alarick was here, just bloody terrific. Just the person whom he had wanted to see here in these days. Mr Perfect hadn't said a word during his trial. And now he really didn't want to run into him again, but it would probably impossible to avoid him now.

"You're taking a very big risk here, Brianne. The Clave doesn't take lightly to rulebreaking." Hendrick stated "But hey they won't hear a thing from me." The Clave wouldn't hesitate to strip her off her rank, then again he wasn't aware of her record. Something that might save someone, like it had saved his own hide. "You do realise we'll be tortured regardless, since they don't know we know. It'll just be wasting their time making them more pissed when they get to you." Hendrick didn't mean any disrespect he was merely pointing out the most obvious flaw he saw with this plan but he understood the fact the sword needed to remain safe. "As for Masque, we lost him, no trail left behind. and it wouldn't be a big deal if it were normal circumstances but these are far from normal or ideal circumstances, now the hunters have joined the hunted." Hendrik didn't like it and he wish that Aethelric was there with him, but alas, no joy.

 

​

Alarick raised an eyebrow, but his frown only deepened. "Perhaps something happened that drew her away." But he had to admit, the fairy's arguments were sound. "But you're sure the warlock that accompanied her didn't simply spirit her away? Fey are known for their beauty, and well..." He stepped away from the wall, cracking his neck. "Very well. I'll-" he stopped as his phone vibrated, and pulled the thing out of his pocket. The crease between his brows was the only indication that something far more worrying had happened. Quickly he forwarded the text to his sister, along with a brief message, and slipped the device back into his pocket. "We leave now. Masque has just struck again, and we need to pick up the trail before it goes cold." He glanced at Nick, thinking quickly. "You're with me. We'll leave the other two with Brianne. I hope you can keep up."

He strode out of the room without waiting for the fairy or Nick, grabbing his bo staff as it rested by the door. "You're going to start a twice damned war, you stupid bastard." he muttered, holding the staff in one hand before tracing runes over his arm with the other, one for increased perception and another for dexterity. He opened the door and jerked his head. "Out. Let's go. I hope you can draw runes on the way." The last part was directed at Nick as he waited for them to follow him out. After Cin and Nick left he slammed the door and walked down the steps quickly, striding off in the direction of Masque's latest project. He didn't forget to pull the phone out of his pocket one more time and texted Sien. "Plans have changed." along with the new address. Hopefully the warlock would agree to help him stop this Angel cursed maniac before he succeeded in starting a Downworlder war.

A short time later, they arrived (because Magick didn't want to waste time on banter.) Alarick looked at the scene with something close to disgust, and ran a hand through his hair. "Spread out, search for clues. And keep an eye out for any of Grayson's wolves. Word has it they're willing to kill anything on two legs."

​

"I'll tell them you don't know anything, and regardless of them torturing you, I won't tell them a thing. I have to protect both of you somehow. It's my job, as Head of the Institute."

"As for Nick," she glanced at Roxanne, her eyes gentle for a single moment. "He'll stay by Alarick's side, for now. Since you're with me, and I can barely keep up with you." The last part was said gently, meant to be teasing. "Alarick will be able to keep him safe from Slavko until we develop a more permanent solution. As for regards to Masque, I-" She glanced at the incessant beeping of her phone and grimaced, yanking it out of her pocket with such force it nearly flew out of her hands. Her face tightened as she read the message, before she actually did throw the phone into the nearest wall. The resounding crack made her feel a little better, though she stared at the shattered device with a small amount of remorse. Now she had no way to text her idiot brother back and tell him what a fool he was.

"It appears Alarick will be handling Masque." She said after a deep breath. Always running into danger so I don't have to. "Alright." She turned and walked back to Hendrick. "Roxanne and I will be going after Grayson Kellar, and keeping our ears open about the Mortal Cup along the way. If you can keep up, then I'll always welcome another helping hand, but I don't want you to endanger yourself unnecessarily. Roxanne and I can layer you with stamina and health runes, but I don't need you dying on us." She turned back to look at Roxanne. "Alarick's number is [redacted so a real number isn't used on accident]. Can you please text him and tell him if he needs us that you'll be communications manager?"

Hoping Roxanne would do as she asked without too much backtalk, she turned back to Hendrick. "What do you think?" She asked, her voice calm.

​

Morrigan waited until Ash was out of sight before letting her legs collapse from underneath her. Now that she was alone, she lay on her side, curling up into a ball and let the tears flow. Fighting for her life, Ash telling her she hadn't been in any danger all along, Masque, it had been too much for any one person to handle. She sobbed into her hands, her frame shaking with muffled whimpers and gasps until she had exhausted herself. Too tired to wipe the remaining moisture from her cheeks, she simply stared at the blades of grass in front of her face until her eyelids slowly closed, and she receded into an exhausted sleep.

"Have you ever been in love?"

"No, have you?"

"No, but...it's not all about making children and preserving bloodlines and having a home. People can love each other and be friends, right?"

"Yeah, of course! We're friends and we love each other!"

"We'll always be friends, right?"

"Yeah, always."

​

Grayson closed his eyes as mourning howls filled the ruined hall. "This warlock... silver bullets?" He asked his beta. The beta nodded, his eyes red from weeping. After all, it had been his mate that Masque had slaughtered. Grayson put his hand on the werewolf's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "We will avenge her." He promised, his voice filled with wrath. "Tonight we do not hunt vampire, or wolf. Leave the weaklings for another day." He turned to the rest of the pack, who looked up to him with hope and pain and rage. "Tonight, we hunt warlock! Tonight we will feast on the blood of the man who has taken our brethren from us!" They howled in response, their eyes glowing with suppressed blood lust. "No one takes someone from our pack and gets away with it." Grayson vowed, clenching his fists. "NO ONE!" His own emotion ridden howl joined the others in chorus.

They would begin to make preparations, and plans. When the sun went down, that warlock was a dead man. He turned to the two followers behind his beta. By law of the pack they were now his third and fourth in command. "Let every Downworlder know that Masque is a dead man. Let them know that any who shelter him or keep information from us will be ripped limb from limb while living." Both werewolves nodded and vanished from his sight.

"When you are ready, my friend, we plan." he told the beta, who nodded. In truth, every one of them was expendable. He was the alpha, only he could not be replaced. But he could not afford to let any Downworlder think they could kill someone under his protection. Under the clothes he wore were scars from hundreds of battles, scars he had won. He would not let anyone think they had been for naught. He would find this warlock, and leave his entrails hanging as a warning to those that would follow in his foosteps; Don't mess with Grayson Kellar.

 

​

Sieg was on his way to the Institute before he felt his phone vibrate. Checking to see who had messaged him. It was Aladrick again, this time letting him know that their meeting place had changed. Fortunately he also sent him the location of where it was. "Hmm, it's not all that far away from where I am now. Best not keep him waiting." Instead of the casual walk he had started off with, Seig had started jogging towards his new destination.

 

Hendrick laughed at what Brianne's response was to his observation "Well you could strip us of our runes and we'll be Mundies, we won't know anything, not a danger to anyone." He joked as he thought of the offer. On one side he could get back out there and it would beat being locked in here without a soul to speak to. Damn they should get a cat or something for this place, just to liven it up a little when you were alone. "I don't know... I really don't I'd keep at the back and support with the bow but I doubt I'm up for it given my shoulders are among the worst targeted areas... bloody vampire claws..." Hendrick reasoned "On the other hand I would probably crawl up the freaking walls since it's so damn quiet with no one around. But I think I got no other choice really, I'll just do some exercises or do some reading." He really didn't like it, but if he came along he would be a burden and that wouldn't help at all, he then took out his own phone an older model, the shaped generally compared to a brick with the same resilience and coloured in a nice shade of blue. He tossed it to Brianne "Why don't you do it yourself." He swallowed the joking comment about trying to keep that one in one piece just for keeping the peace.

 

​

Brianne couldn't help but grimace at Roxanne's comments, but when the girl protested that Hendrick should come, she couldn't help but agree. As much as he might slow them down, his insight could be invaluable, and even an injured hand was still a helping one. "It's up to Hendrick, Roxanne, and he seems to want to stay." She told the other girl, noticing that she had slipped the phone into her pocket.

She looked down at Hendrick's phone, then held it out to him. "If you're staying, you should keep it. In case something happens." she murmured, her eyes looking elsewhere. She would layer the building with different runes to keep anyone without Nephilim blood from straying inside, but her gut told her it might not be enough, with a rogue Shadowhunter wandering around, possibly in possession of the cup. "I'll understand if you want to stay with him." She continued, turning to the other girl with a small smile. "Hendrick shouldn't be left alone, but we're short handed. I can go track down leads on Grayson and stay out of combat until Alarick and Nick are able to back me up. I won't let anyone go into battle if they're unwilling."

She sighed, knowing Roxanne would protest. "If you stay with Hendrick, you both can use the library to research ways to permanently send demons back to their realm. I know that's something you want. And perhaps if everything goes well, I can get you permission to use the library at Alicante. It's up to both of you."

She stepped out of the room, heading towards the training one where they kept their weapons. "I'll be by the front door for the next ten minutes if you guys are coming." She walked down the steps, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers as she thought to herself. She hadn't expected the conversation to go the way it had, but she had forgotten who she was talking to. Thoughts about Hendrick's past dredged themselves up again, her suspicions and her questions. She tugged the strand one last time before letting it go as she strolled into the weapon's room, grabbing a second stele from the rack and buckling it to her waist before withdrawing it.

Runes for stealth, speed, and stamina were drawn on her skin. She left space for one last one, just in case she required a healing rune. Who am I kidding? A pack of murdering werewolves? I'm going to need ten healing runes. Nevertheless, she strode towards the door, leaning against the wall, and taking up the hair twirling again. Nine minutes to go.

 

Hendrick thought about it all, the opportunity to solve the other problem with Slavko, it was a good one, but then Brianne would go in alone, they either stuck together now or it was waiting for the next corpse. He took his old reliable brick from Brianne's hand. Roxanne seemed to be quite enthousiastic to have him tag along. The decision had been made and while he was reluctant to go along with it. He took out his Stele and started marking himself, one for invisibility, one for strength, one for stamina and one for healing. He wouldn't need the speed, if he needed it then he would be dead. He felt a bit better, not sure of his abilities, but he figured he could atleast try.

He walked through the Institute making a decent speed for the armoury, switching his bow around for one with a little lighter draw weight, it would have less force behind it, but it would be easier on him. He then made decent speed for the door, he got better and better at keeping his pace without too much discomfort. When he reached the front door, he found Brianne, he had probably been on the late side of things. "Not going to let you jump into hell alone, no matter how easy for us our mantra claims it is." Hendrik said, she had been twirling her hair around her finger. "And thanks for the offer to the trip to Alicante, but I'd rather pass that one up." He said with a grin on his face. Part of him wanted to go back to Idris, to the land where he grew up, but alas.