"It appears he headed that way." Veera murmured, pointing to the mass of tracks. They split off in two directions, one heading towards the forest next to the river, and the other heading along the river, directly away from Oxenfurt. She glanced at the first set; some were old, new footsteps overlaying over them. Large numbers of people had come this way, but not at the same time. Glancing at the other set, her suspicions were confirmed. They were all about the same age, with footsteps both large and small, the shapes indicating an odd gait. "He headed for the fork in the river." Veera turned and began to walk alongside the tracks, motioning for Kruez to follow. "Let's see if we can catch up to them." If she recalled correctly, there was a small village of some sort along the river, a trading post on the way to Oxenfurt. She shuddered to think what they would find when they got there. Judging by the tracks, they were at least a day behind the necromancer. Treasa took the weapon with a grateful smile before glancing back the way the two previous enemies had come. There didn't appear to be anymore, but the first had come from the opposite way. And why were two warriors guarding only one worker? Unless....she twirled the blade experimentally as another warrior appeared. But no more soldiers? Something wasn't right.... All the same, she stuck the sword in the ground, mentally making a note to apologize to Derrick later before drawing an arrow and firing upon the incoming warrior. That was when the ground shook beneath her feet, causing her to stumble. She grabbed the sword and rolled away as the endrega tried to stick her with its poisonous quills, the lethal weapon barely missing her leg. She turned, ready for trouble, when her jaw slackened, mouth hanging open for a moment as she stared in horror at the creature running towards them. She had no words to describe the abomination as it crushed the warrior that had attacked her, swinging a giant claw towards her companion. Spoiler "Derrick!" She screamed, dropping the sword and pulling out her bow to fire another arrow at the....thing. She had seen some monsters in her time, but none fit the word more then the creature that now lay between her and Derrick. Tessa opened the door and strode in. "I need a dagger. Can I borrow one? We're going to get her brother. Not that one." She indicated Greg. "The other one. Older. Seth and I are going with, and I need a weapon." She reiterated, realizing that Sigmund hadn't been privy to their conversation earlier. "I'll pay you back." She added, her eyes glancing at the mess of an experiment for a second before returning to Sigmund. "But you can give me one, or I can try to steal one, or I can just go without." She shrugged. She didn't want to sit at home, a helpless girl while others got hurt. She hated being taken care of. It was that same attitude that had kept her in Sanctuary all those years, blinding her to how things were.
Bryce nodded, smiling to Aedan before following Sanderson in. He flinched at the strange woman's voice, but followed his leader inside the house nonetheless. After all, he had promised to go with Sanderson to help him. "We want to know about the Winter Man. He sounds like a bad person. The Citrus God knows more about it, though. He talked to drakes." Bryce stated proudly, pulling Aedan closer for the Cold Woman's inspection. "He knows lots of things. Tell her!" He turned to Aedan, a sleepy smile on his face. Tessa was already kneeling beside the spider as Rayyad spoke, trying to discern if the creature was still breathing. Judging by the spiders it could call forth, it was a leader of some sort. A caretaker. She wouldn't kill a mother bear, and she would rather not leave this spider in any less shape to take care of the young ones she was assuming were around here somewhere. Tessa nodded in reply to Rayyad, tearing some of the strips off her shirt in order to bandage the spider. As she worked, she glanced up, seeing for the first time all the eyes that were watching them. "Sorry, little ones." She murmured, carefully stopping the wound from bleeding. "We just need to get through, and then we'll be on our way." She patted the spider gently, hoping somehow it would sense that she hadn't wanted to hurt it, and she hoped that it would get better. "As good as I can get it." She told Conrad and Rayyad, standing up. Kara ran her fingers through her hair. "You should listen to Lumen, Ren." She said tiredly. "I won't be able to carry you if you collapse halfway through the tunnels, and I highly doubt Lumen or Alice would want to take the honor." She found a place to sit, a half rotted bench, and gingerly sat on the sturdiest looking parts. "How did you guys end up here?" She directed the question at Lumen, mostly because Alice was radiating dislike. She wasn't sure why, but she couldn't be bothered, given that Alice gave off the aura of a mouse, and Kara had made friends with a godsdamned spider.
Ana smiled, blushing a little at Vyle's praise before her eyes once more filled with fire, and she turned to the far wall, her hands making the gestures to cast the portal. She waited until Zephyr was there to finish the process, showing him as she moved slowly what to do. When they had time, she would have to have him make one for himself. Though when she had first been taught, she had ended up in the middle of the ocean with her mentor... Shaking off the memory with a slight sigh, she strode into the portal confidently, Zephyr and Vyle following her. This one was much stronger, given she had time to regain her magic and heal her injuries, and there were only three of them. When she stepped out onto the grass, blinking in the sunlight, she looked around. They had appeared to have landed two miles east of Oxenfurt. Luckily, no monsters were roaming in the nearby vicinity. "Hm..." Ana crossed her arms over her chest, brow furrowed as she debated. "I doubt Solomon would remain in Oxenfurt. It looks...." There was still a column of smoke rising from the gutted city. "Would he have gone somewhere else to strengthen his army? The witchers did take out a lot of his numbers." She turned. "Or could he have left a clue somewhere in the city itself?" Veera watched as Kruez created a portal. She stepped inside nervously, apprehensive after what had happened last time. The winds only gently tugged at her hair this time, and when they exited the magical transportation spell, they had arrived next to the river that bordered the city. So near, in fact, that Veera could have said she was in the river as she looked down, feeling the water seep through her trousers at the knees. She quickly left the freezing water, deciding not to comment upon it. "When I saw him last, he seemed to be heading out of the city." She glanced around, and finding the bridge, started towards it. Tracks would be hard, at least, it would be hard to tell the tracks of the living from those of the undead. That didn't mean she couldn't try. Any number that came from a large group of people was worth following. Treasa raised her eyebrows. "I thought we had already touched on the subject of how easy I am." She turned, her back centimeters away from Derrick's as the clicking came from behind them as well. A smaller Engreda, a worker, appeared out of the trees. She raised her bow, narrowing her eyes before taking the shot. The worker's armor wasn't as tough as the soldier's, and the arrow pierced the hide, the shaft wavering with the force of her draw. She nocked another arrow to the string, drawing back before firing again. "This isn't my first fight with these insects. However..." She inhaled, letting the arrow fly from her fingers and hit the monster with a thud before pulling another out of her quiver. "I find myself wishing I had picked myself up a blade somewhere along the way. Any ideas?" She had halted the progress of the worker, but there was another soldier coming up behind it, and arrows would not be as proficient against the tougher armor. Tessa nodded as Seth talked into Matilda letting them help, then led the way through the home. She found a servant relatively quickly, and pulled the girl aside, whispering that she needed to speak with Sigmund. The girl looked from her, to Matilda and Greg behind, followed up by Seth, before shrugging and leading through the hallway to another door. She bowed to them before continuing on her way. Tessa squared her shoulders and knocked on the door. "Sigmund? Can we talk to you?" As Alastar and Olivia traipsed through the mountains, the quickest but arguably most dangerous route, they could hear a faint sound on the wind. Something, no...two somethings, was fast approaching. The two basilisks careened high over Alastar and Olivia's heads, screeching their displeasure at being disturbed before diving; the male towards Alastar and the female towards Olivia. The male's hind claws were outstretched, intending to grab Alastar and drag him into the ground. The female landed, hissing as she circled the girl witcher before turning her back and using her tail to whip towards Olivia's legs.
You okay?
Brianne saw what Rhett meant to do and moved her hand, gritting her teeth as her fingers stung. Yanking the blade out by the handle from the wolf's fur, she stabbed it again, twisting to drive the small weapon towards the creature's heart. Suddenly, the fight left, and the wolf shifted, collapsing on top of her. She wiggled out from under it, her heart racing as she slowly got to her feet, looking down at the weapon in her hand. The blood on her palm was mostly her own, stemming from the gashes created on her middle and ring finger when the blade had sank between them. She looked from the stained knife, slowly up to Rhett, her eyes widening as she leaned against the wall to support herself, her legs suddenly weak. Which hand did you use to throw the knife, Rhett? She wanted to ask so badly, her lip trembling as her hand began to burn. His dominant hand was covered in blood, most of which seemed to stem from an open wound on his chest. The other was clean. She dropped the knife to the floor, tearing off a part of the unconscious man's shirt and using it for a bandage, her hands trembling. She didn't need to ask, because she knew. Her phone blipped, and she pulled it out, forcing her hand to steady as she quickly read the message from Clarity before typing a reply, and shoving the now bloodstained phone back into her pocket. "Alarick needs us." There was a hint of a shake in her voice, and she cleared her throat. "Let's get this over with,"
"WHY?" Teliana screamed, throwing herself to the side as the infuriating woman fired two more crossbows at him. She didn't move quick enough, one of the missiles slicing open her arm. "Get HIM! He's the demi god!" She pointed at Kalak before whipping her arm in front to block the lance strike, her arms shaking with effort. If this kept up, she was going to have to use her eyes just to try and escape, since Kalak, (here she wasted a few seconds to glare at the man who was totally not backing her up), before swinging her arm up, leaning back to force the lance up and away from her vital organs. "You really should go get him." She told Reitan, the blood from her gash dripping down her arm to join the already formed sword. Her arm began to shake, and she broke the stalemate, swinging towards Reitan's side as she jumped back. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she darted around to his side, her sword swinging in a curve as she moved towards his (mostly) undefended back. She hadn't forgotten the archer, after all. Veera frowned as Alpha hissed. "You want us to work alone?" She confirmed with Ashleigh, her brow furrowing. While Veera wasn't against that course of action, if she was to sneak an entire army in, it would be nice to know her back was at least somewhat guarded by something other then amateurs. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Ashleigh needed to make up her mind. First she was saying she couldn't trust Veera, and needed to keep an eye on her to reign in the woman's temper, but now she was cutting her loose? It made her head hurt and Alpha snarl. "Why do we deal with them?" Kala replied to Timothy, her tone teasing but her eyes bright as she watched the robot attack her own attacker. Something about him....it made the darkness in her head purr with desire. It wasn't the same feeling as she had felt, gazing upon Zahariel, but it was similar. A little dimmer, maybe. "I think..." She licked her lips, blinking quickly. "I feel hungry." The feeling grew with intensity as she darted towards the man, reaching for his shoulder. She wanted to taste what his life felt like.
Treasa paused, unsure how to reply. His logic was sound, as much as she hated to admit it. She knew all too well the hardship most of folk they helped would face after they left. And a witcher must always be paid. She clicked to the horse, pushing it to ride past him as she tossed him the empty vial. "Maybe for you it's pleasant." It was still selfish, and some part of her mind said it was wrong. She wanted to ride ahead, clear her thoughts, try and understand. Because what she had once thought of Derrick, what she now thought, and what she wanted to think were slowly becoming more convoluted the more questions she asked. This time, her thoughts weren't interrupted by Derrick, but by the sound of chittering. Swearing, Treasa managed to jump off the horse just as it panicked, rearing its hind legs up in the air. Her bow slipped off her shoulder as she pulled an arrow form the quiver, aiming it at the Endrega warrior that moved towards her with alarming speed. Where there was one, there were always more. And a queen. She fired, the arrow having little to no effect on the hardened shell, backing up a step as she reached for another missile to launch at the monster. Though if Derrick chose to reveal his true nature and ride off now, she would be utterly screwed.
Clarity ignored any and all banter behind her, beginning to grow irritated with the mortals she led into the Institute. Did they not understand exactly what had happened? Glancing back, she caught sight of Alarick's stoic face. Well...one person knew, at least. She brooded as she led them into a medical room, sitting on a bed, and crossing her arms across her very sore chest. As she waited for the others to settle, she pulled out her phone and texted Brianne. At the Institute with Alarick. Come when able. Still bring backup. There was no telling how much longer she could keep this situation stable, and in her condition she would not be able to stop a fight from breaking out, which it looked like it could any moment. Alarick waited until they were inside the Institute's familiar walls before he rounded on Felicia. "When you find the Alpha, you let him know I'm here. Because what's standing in front of me isn't anything close." He gritted his teeth, frustrated and angry and more then willing to break the Accords if only to put the werewolf in her place. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't put Clarity in danger, and he needed this woman to help protect Brianne from the Inquisitor while he was gone. "Clarity says you're staying, and I suppose you're not intelligent enough to understand you would be safer on the far side of the country. Fine. But understand that Brianne is the authority here, and you will be under her command as long as you stay. This is her home, not yours. You are a guest, albeit temporarily. There will be others staying here, our allies. You will not bother them." He frowned. "The only reason I'm giving you this chance is because Clarity trusts you to that extent. Make no mistake on that." Brianne grinned as Creed and Rhett worked together in tandem; they made a surprisingly good team. Her distraction cost her as the last werewolf leaped towards her, Changing in midair. She landed on her back, wolf's paws on her chest as its hot breath steamed her face. She pressed her arm against its throat, trying to keep the snapping jaws away from her. Her hands were slippery with sweat as she scrabbled for her seraphim blade, knocked from her grasp by the force of her fall. First cardinal rule, never drop your weapon. Alarick would murder her if he had seen that. She gave up on trying to reach her weapon and punched the wolf in the ribs. "Get OFF!" She yelled, kneeing it in the stomach. That only served to push the jaws dangerously close to her face, stopping her heart for a moment. All it would take was one bite.
Veera blinked. "Oh." She hadn't expected that response at all. "Well then. Follow me, I suppose." She turned and began walking once more, down the long road to Oxenfurt. This time she had company, and she found that she didn't mind all that much. Treasa frowned as Derrick spoke, but didn't say anything in return. She wasn't sure what she could say. It all went back to using women as objects, hardly considering them as a person. She found that she didn't want to believe Derrick was like that, but by the words from his own mouth he was proving otherwise. She rubbed her hand on the back of her neck, trying to ease some of the tension in her spine. "Am I only different because I can fight? Or because my uncle is a witcher? Or just because I helped save you?" She asked. "What makes me so special that you wouldn't try your charms on me?" She didn't want them, honestly. But the thought that there was something wrong with her that made her not good enough for Derrick of Kaedwen irked her. He didn't know about her past, so that couldn't be the issue. Zack grimaced as once more Lila and Gregory began to argue. Lila was all for Zack's course of action, while Gregory was completely against it. "What makes you think he'll honor such an agreement? If the past is any indicator, peace is the last thing on his mind!" The old man was nearly shouting, until Rael put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Lila simply folded her arms across her chest, frowning. "Because we have no choice but to hope for the best. We are going to starve soon, we're still in the midst of winter, we have no supplies or support, and how long will it be before the city guard turns back to Archon, who has, by all accounts, ordered dopplers to be slaughtered in the streets of Novigrad?" Angeal moved forward at this, his face also set in a frown. "We have no desire nor allegiance to Archon, and never will. He abandoned us in our hour of need, and that is not something I, or my men will forget." "The promise of gold causes many men to forget even the most heinous of crimes." Lila replied, causing the guard captain's knuckles to whiten. Zack had had enough. He slammed his hands on the table to get the others' attention, all of which turned to him. "Lila is right. Gregory is right. You all are right. But this is the only way." He told them. "If we are going to be the leaders of this community, we have to put our own desires after the safety and welfare of our own people." The tent was silent, waiting for him to continue. "It's been a blessed winter. Fairly little snow, the cold has been bearable, and the we've had plenty of food and coin saved up. But things are different now. We cannot survive in tents made out of cloth if the snows return and the temperature drops; we'll freeze in our beds before we know what's happened. We don't have enough food to survive the week, let alone a month. We do not have the numbers to start a war, let alone a siege, nor the supplies. We barely have enough to defend ourselves. So I ask you, what choice do we have?" The members of the Council looked at each other, then at Zack. One by one they each nodded their assent. Zack sighed with relief, or as much relief as he could muster, and after they had left, turned to Rael. "Send this on the fastest bird you can find." He told his bodyguard, who looked at him with a mixture of admiration and surprise. "You knew they would agree." He murmured, taking the scroll gently. "I hoped they would see reason. Otherwise there would have been a schism. It's been avoided, thank the gods." Zack ran his hand through his hair, tired even though the day had barely started. "Rest, ser. Everything else will be taken care of." Rael gently squeezed Zack's shoulder before turning and exiting the tent flap. Zack instead braced his hands on the table, mind still working quickly as his thoughts briefly drifted to the thought of another letter he had sent. Tessa's hands clenched as she waited for Matilda to finish. "We have to help. I'm really good at navigating cities." It hadn't occurred to Tessa that not all cities were shaped the same way, but it didn't matter, not to her. "Greg could come with us, since Seth is good with weapons and I know my way around a dagger, and we'll split up. That way, when you find him, if he's in trouble you can deal with that while Seth and distract Greg." Tessa spoke quietly so the little one wouldn't hear, but her eyes and voice were filled with determination. Bryce, whoever he was now, wouldn't have just let someone suffer and stand by. He would do something about it. Even if it meant putting himself in danger. "We can help, and so we have an obligation to help." He had always told her. And she still believed it, with all her heart. "I just need to ask Sigmund if there's a dagger I can borrow." She said, getting to her feet. ~Back in Novigrad~ The old man frowned, but shrugged. "Twenty gold for the other three. Call it a special." He told her, bushy eyebrows coming together in a frown. It wasn't his business what they needed the powder for, but he had some misgivings about selling his entire stock to the girl. For one thing, she would be carrying enough to level a good part of Novigrad if she slipped up. It was a risk he would have to take, provided she didn't stumble right outside the door and send them all careening into the afterlife. "If you're going to blow yourself up, do it far away from my shop." he told her before going back to the storage room as she counted the coins. When he returned, a special bag in tow, she had the money laid out on the counter. He swept it up and began to package the explosives in the special bag. "This will keep it from getting wet or jolted too much." He told the girl as he carefully strapped each pouch in. "But that's not an excuse to go cavorting about the country side." Grudgingly, he handed the bag over to her. It had a thick shoulder strap so it could be slung across the front of her body.
Veera ran her fingers through her loose hair, sighing before opening the door to Flame's chambers. "Your Majesty, I have the report from the evening. Very little activity." She frowned. "If I didn't want to tempt the gods, I would say it's too quiet." Kala stared out into the trees, her knees curled up to her chest and her mouth resting against the tops as her arms wrapped around her legs. She had been woken in the middle of the night by more terrible dreams, and rather then wake her sleeping roommate, she had crept outside, and remained. Her body was stiff with cold, and her neck hurt from the awkward angle, but she felt calmer, looking up at the stars. Everything was more peaceful up there, more....whole. She felt so fractured, disjointed, wrong. The mood stayed with her as she readied for her day with Galadorn before slipping off to her shift to guard Flame. Now, standing next to the princess, staring straight ahead, she slowly let the depression eat away at her. What was the point in fighting it anyway? Zack snagged an arm around Adelina's waist and pulled her in, grumbling. "Woman, it's the first time I've been able to sleep during the same time as the sun. Why are the babies on the floor?" He had opened his eyes briefly, noticing his children apparently amusing themselves as his girlfriend tried to wake him. They looked so small, and helpless....he shut his eyes, not liking the way the image made him feel. "I'm up, I'm up." He muttered, sitting up and rubbing his hair with a hand, messing it up even worse. "What's the plan for the day?" Tessa had brushed her hair, and freshly braided it. Her clothes were wrinkled, but clean, and while the shadows underneath her eyes remained, they weren't as dark as the previous day. She hadn't ordered her food yet, picking out a table in the corner so she could see who walked through the door, and they could see her. It was only out of politeness to Gale to make it easier to find her. Not that her hair would have made her stand out from the crowd or anything. Sipping the coffee she gotten, relishing the bitter liquid as caffeine helped her wake up, she waited. She wasn't sure why Gale had asked to share his morning meal with her, but it was kind, and she didn't mind the company.
Alarick blinked. Took a deep breath, and blinked again. "You are probably the most ignorant creature I have ever had the displeasure of working with. And I work with him." He jerked his head at Aethelrick. "You're doing this to protect them? You've just signed their death warrants. And yours." He pointed at the Institute. "No Downworlder is supposed to be inside of there. Ever. You've just destroyed every chance we had of talking to the Clave and coming to some sort of truce. Now we have no choice but to fight them if we want to retain our lives, and keep you from losing yours. And right now, I don't see why I should take that option." He gritted his teeth, voice rising. "You have damned every single one of us to torture, at which we can only pray they'll give us death. Do you even understand what that means? Can you even begin to fathom the consequences for your carelessness?" Clarity's head jerked up. Was Alarick shouting? She turned and bolted down the stairs as fast as her trembling baby deer legs could carry her. Shoving past the werewolf guards, she almost tumbled into the Shadowhunter himself, tripping over her feet and nearly throwing herself at Aethelrick to steady her legs. "Don't get your hopes up, big boy." She told Aethelrick as she righted herself. "I've a strict relationship with my bed. We're very serious about each other. I think it might be love. No room for anyone else." She turned to Alarick, eyes widening a fraction. He was more upset then she had ever seen him, and she had seen him standing over an unconscious Brianne. "Hey." She reached forward and placed blue palms on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her. "Breathe." She reminded him, frowning until he did as she commanded. "Now. You and the werewolf will discuss strategy, inside. I would rather not be sniped by your crazy Inquisitor, specially since he might be inwardly bleeding and angry about it. Felicia is one of the most stubborn fluffies I've met, and if she says she's not going anywhere, then she's not. You both are going to start getting along right f*cking now. We need each other. Capische?" She waited until Alarick nodded, then turned to Felicia. "Right this way to the honeymoon suite. You two make the most perfect couple." Dropping the gushing tones in her voice, she turned on her heel and went inside, heading for the medical room. If nothing else, she wanted to sit while they discussed important things.
The Seelie Queen watched Corvo work, the scene causing an emotion which she could only identify as being the closest to actual amusement she had felt in centuries. "Never trust the word of a Shadowhunter." She turned to walk away from Corvo, snapping her fingers and causing two Seelie Knights to appear. More then enough to handle Roxanne, when the Inquisitor was finished with her. "Just like their forefathers. No matter which way you turn them you always end up with a knife in your back." She half turned, the smile dropping from her face. "Take care what you do to those Lightwood twins of yours, Inquisitor. I may have need of them yet, and if I find them broken beyond the means that fulfill my desire..." She didn't finish the sentence as her eyes glowed green. Most mortals could only dream of the agony of a painful death. Corvo, and perhaps a few others still alive today understood the fundamentals of true torture, but they hadn't had the centuries of life to perfect the exquisite art of soul rending torment. And Titania hadn't had a new plaything in far too long. Clarity shrugged, the movement causing her to flinch. "How could I resist you, gorgeous? My heart was bleeding every second we were apart. Didn't you hear its pathetic cries?" She sighed, looking around the training room with only the slightest of interests. "But I must be honest with you, my heart belongs more fully to another. I have come to reclaim my knives, and my sword, which I assume are still in Hendrick's room." She turned to go, shouldering past the unimportant werewolf with a, "Down boy," before turning to look at Felicia over her shoulder, all cynicism gone from her voice. "You've made a mistake in trying to make this your home. I suggest you go out and parley with the two Shadowhunters that are waiting for their allies to arrive, before this turns into a total warzone. You've taken away something very precious, and they are desperate enough to incite violence for its return. Because when push comes to shove, they've saved my ass four times combined. Can't compare that to a measly one. Even if I am grateful." Clarity turned back around and walked up the stairs, intimately familiar with the Institute in a way no Downworlder should have been. "Oh my babies, I'll never leave you again." She murmured, nuzzling the blade against her cheek as though it was a puppy. Stowing them back where they belonged, she looked around the room. "I have a feeling things are going to get uglier then the decor." "It's nice to know I've incurred the jealous wrath of a forty year old man with a five year old's mind." Alarick replied quietly to Aethelrick, his arms folded across his chest as he waited. "I trust Clarity far more then I trust most other people right now. We wait." And that was what he intended to do. He didn't know what he was waiting for, and it made him slightly nervous, but he knew the ifrit wouldn't send him into the wolves' den alone. The three of them had watched out for each other far too many times for the tradition to be broken now. Morrigan looked up at the sound of Ash's voice, and though she hadn't known it had existed, the knot in her chest slowly unwound. He didn't look amused, nor pleased to see her conversing with her would be murderer, and Morrigan would have had to agree, had she been in his shoes, she wouldn't have been that happy about it either. But Morrigan didn't wear shoes. Unable to trust the vampire who had remained behind, unwilling to let the warlock out of her sight when he could so easily disappear, she motioned. "Come with me." She said it politely, but it was not a request. She was not letting Masque out of her sight until her desire to understand him was sated, and she was not letting anyone else have him until then either. She had claimed his life, and hers it would remain. Turning, she walked lightly towards Ash, her eyes remaining on his face. "I see you've returned." She said quietly, her tone gentle. Her eyes were not. You can't have it both ways. Brianne swore and yanked out her seraphim blade. "Haniel!" She yelled, just as one of the werewolves was nearly on top of her. The light blinded the man, and she used the hilt to smack the side of the Downworlder's temple. It was unsuccessful, and she found herself flying through the air. Tucking into a ball, she rolled, using gravity to her advantage, until she smashed into one of the tables and ended up on her feet. Whipping around, she caught the werewolf's fists between her hands as he bore down on her, using his superior size and weight to press in on her tinier form. His eyes began to glow, and Brianne gritted her teeth before using an age old trick that Clarity swore by; she kneed the man between the legs. He went down like a sack of potatoes, and she pressed her knee into his massive back, seraphim blade against his neck. "Stay down." She growled to him, baring her teeth in a snarl before she switched her knee to a better position, cutting off the air supply to his diaphragm. He would be unconscious in a few seconds, but she realized she might not have that much time as another wolf, a female, started towards her. "Guys!" She yelled, trying to indicate she could use some back up.
Clarity flushed. She hadn't actually expected Rel to follow her; given her lack of pre-empting the situation with the drunk. Her blush turned a darker color when she realized he wasn't actually following her, he was a crewmate. She found herself saved from responding as the woman finished talking to Rel and turned to Clarity herself, giving her assignment and location. Clarity found herself nodding and murmuring in assent, saluting the woman before stepping onto the ship. "I hope you don't think I'm rude." She told Rel with a small, uncertain smile. "I simply didn't want to take up any more of your time." She wasn't this shy, or this gentle on her home planet. But cultural shock and homesickness hit hard on both fronts, forcing the Varun to withrdaw. That is, until the drunk tried to literally force her out. "I suppose I'll be seeing you around." She bit her lip, wondering which way the med bay was. Surely there were signs....somewhere....Dammit, she just needed one thing to be easy. Brianne watched the elevator door close, and heaved a sigh. She hadn't actually paid attention to which floor she had selected on the menu until the doors slid open once more to reveal the bridge. Squaring her shoulders, Brianne walked by most of the crew, her eyes straight forward and her hands at her side. She didn't feel in any particular mood for conversation, not after what had just occurred. She wanted time to decompress, ponder and strategically think on how to deal with this issue. The sight of a crew member, not familiar and yet all too familiar at the same time, flicking through the screens pertaining to the ship's defenses caught her attention. He was speaking to a young woman, a pilot. She stepped up to them, hands locking behind her back. "Everything to your liking?" She asked them both, though her eyes remained on Quint for a second longer before they turned to Yvette. "Commander Lightwood. You are?"
Veera blinked; it wasn't the response she had expected. "He's...he can raise the dead. And he's got a of those raised dead formulated into an army of some sort. I don't think he's..." she sighed. "There's something wrong with him. He's not all there." Not that I'm any better. "I'm not sure if that helps. But I really must be on my way." The mage didn't seem to understand her dire circumstances. If Veceslav saw her again, he would be well within his rights to slay her on sight. She didn't want that to be the case five minutes into her banishment. To be fair...but life wasn't fair. And most first impressions were made based on the stories and legends, especially in regards to the witchers. "Fate is cruel to you indeed. To partner you with the one person in the entire world who wouldn't simply drop to their knees and beg for your favors." She rolled the vial around in her hands a little bit before stowing it in her pouch. It would be easier to simply give it back to Derrick when they arrived. "I've heard that not all of your partners were....willing, until you coerced them. Is that true?" She asked; another test. It was one thing to admit to sleeping around, but another to admit using methods that were beyond most human's control. And Treasa had used Axii enough times to know that it could be used for ill just as much as good. Tessa patted Greg on the head before getting to her feet stiffly. She knelt in front of Matilda, her arm arching over her shoulder to reach the hem of her shirt, which she lifted with her fingers to display the wound. Ugly. The word drifted through Tessa's mind as she lowered her eyes to the floor, that mantra of shame once more slipping into her awareness. The shame of being weak and naive. "If your brother is missing, I will do whatever I can to help." she murmured to Matilda, watching Greg play. "Nothing is more important then family." In the dungeons of Morder Novigrad "Hm, good poin'. Reckon you didn't think of that when you let them throw you in here." Chuck leaned against the bars, his eyes dimming as he went back to another time. "They'll probaby hang ya, boy. Dopper sympathizer, going against the king's orders...." He drank a litte more before putting a stopper in the bottle. "And any that love ye enough to find you here, will be sentenced as well. It's not a pretty thing, going against King Archon." He suddenly reached in, grabbing Talon and pulling him close enough to smell the alcohol on the guard's breath. "Boy, see this here." He held the key in front of Talon, just within reach. "Ye have a choice, now. Ye can ruin my life, take this key, and go. Arguable it might be that I could escape, find a new life serving the Black Ones. And mayhap it happens. But there's no certain thing with Archon, you see. Man knows a lot more then he lets on." Chuck paused for a moment. "If ye don't, it's fair certain though, that ye and whoever comes for ya will suffer. And there's no greater shame then failing to protect those you love." Chuck waited for Talon's reply. If the boy chose to go, he would have the key, be able to open the door, and be gone. If he didn't....Chuck drank to forget what happened to those who waited Archon's punishment. Down in Flea Bottom Bay The old alchemist nodded, and promptly began to pack up the other satchels, handling them with as much care as necessary. Once that was finished, he brought out one more bag of the favored powder, and placed it on the counter. "Free of charge." He told the two of them, his eyes on the mage. "Archon may not be the most generous of kings, praise be his name, but he has made life better for us magical folk. I'd hate to see what our lives would be like under the Black One's rules." He bowed to Alanna, and nodded to Adolin. "Safe travels, and whatever you do, remember." He looked from one to the other again to make sure they were both paying attention. "Do not take this powder out of the satchel until you are ready to damage buildings and people. The satchels both have five layers to keep from breaking easily, but once the powder mixes with air, you have three minutes before the reaction completes itself." He shrugged. "Good fortune to you both."
Titania laughed as Corvo commented on the burden of ruling. She was saved the trouble of causing the Nephilim emotional turmoil with her response by the girl waking up. The Seelie Queen relished the emotions she saw ruling the girl's eyes; so much pain and despair. She would have been much happier with a challenge, but never let it be said that she looked every gift horse in the mouth. Especially those that were rabid. "Oh Inquisitor, if only you had been born into the right species." She purred, drifting to the other side of the table to watch. There was no reason for her to interfere, and really, she was entertained simply by watching. After all, the best kind of spectators made plans while they played at being bystanders. And Titania had thousands of years of experience in pretending. Clarity tensed when Ash touched her. "Sorry, but I missed the part where you became my dad." She hissed, pulling away from the warlock and wincing as she hoisted herself off the table. "Have fun on your trip. Sleep around. Get drunk. Have fun. I have work to do." She waved a hand at the warlock before strolling out of the room as quickly as her injuries would allow, shoving open the door and stepping outside. She waited until she was a few blocks down, in an abandoned alley before she turned and punched the wall, gritting her teeth as it pulled on her broken ribs. Always leaving. Why am I never worth staying behind for? She would never have admitted these words out loud, and especially not to the warlock who had pretty much raised her. Because he always left, and even if he had returned in the past, there was always the chance he wouldn't. And she would never get used to it. Yanking out her cracked cell phone, she sent a message to Alarick, and blinked when she quickly received a reply. "It seems I am needed after all." she muttered, giving the wall one more resounding punch before she left. Alarick smiled grimly at the response he received from Clarity. "I swear, every time Brianne takes a step she lands into a deeper hell. Angel only knows what would happen if she deserted her post and went to Somalia in my place." Though now that he thought about it, it was very likely Brianne was no longer considered the Head of the New York Institute. He smiled to himself as he imagined the Clave appointing a new Head, only to find them returned in badly broken condition. None of them would give up New York without a decent fight. Even though Alarick had only been in and out of the city every so often, it was Brianne's home, and it was best she remained away from Alicante. Those two things were enough for Alarick to determine it was worth giving every ounce of extra energy into keeping her here. A short amount of time later because Magick cannot keep writing filler~ Clarity arrived, nodding briefly to Aethelrick before staring at Sien, and finally turning her gaze to Alarick. "Good to see you in one piece." He commented, to which she inclined her head. "Could say the same of you. I should start handing out a waiver when I take on clients." She narrowed her eyes at Aetherick before running her hands through her hair with a wince. "Right. Well I'm missing two knives, and my sword. I want them back. If the Inquisitor doesn't have them, they'll be in there." Without waiting for Alarick, she turned and strolled up to the wolves at the door. "Hey gorgeousness." She addressed the one on the left. "Love to stay and chat, but I'm in a hurry to speak with Felicia. You know, your Alpha?" She smiled sweetly. "Yeah, so I need to talk to her. Like now." Patting the werewolf's cheek, she turned to walk inside as Alarick watched, half amused while he remained in position. Leave it to Clarity to walk into the wolves' den without the slightest bit of fear. Morrigan perched on the edge of a chair, her braid falling over one shoulder. "Couldn't you channel that into protecting something, or someone?" She asked the warlock softly, one hand reaching up to twist a stray hair around her finger. "When I was dying, I tried to fight for my life, because I realized I wanted to find freedom, maybe love, one day. And then when I wanted to give up again, when I thought all was lost, I had someone remind me..." She grimaced at the painful memory of Ash wrapping his hands around her throat. That would be one for the nightmares. "And now I have more reasons to fight then I know what to do with." She finally said, shrugging. "Is it possible that you could find a reason to fight, but not to kill? Just to protect that reason?" Brianne raised her eyebrows at Rhett's suggestion of a suggestion, but didn't pursue the matter. She had too much going on right now to try and complicate anything else. "You probably shouldn't throw that around. It's only a matter of time before someone like Kellar or worse hears you bragging and decides to take you on." She warned the werewolf, skirting the door man with a wide berth. Just because she was a trusting person didn't mean she explicably trusted all Downworlders. Especially with the challenge to kill all Shadowhunters still fresh in her mind. "Right, so where do we go from here?" She asked, eyes narrowing as she examined the bar area. She didn't plan on drinking, if only to keep the two males in her company out of trouble. Her eyes trailed to Creed to make sure he was keeping up with them alright before scanning the room for trouble.
"Maybe you should scope out my work for me, since you're so interested in what I do all of a sudden." Clarity ignored Ash's second comment, turning her eyes away as they entered his home. She immersed herself in studying the decor, the lighting, the wallpaper, whatever. It was much nicer then her apartment, that was for sure. She gritted her teeth when he set her down on the table, staring up at the ceiling with a grimace as he slowly examined her wounds. "I should have worn my nice lingerie today." She muttered, sucking in her breath as Ash began to clean the gunshot and the stab wound. "I would have dressed myself up if I had known someone would be interested." The worst was when he dressed the bullet wound. She muffled her sounds of pain with her uninjured arm, pressing her lips against the blue skin and shutting her eyes to mask the weakness. When it was done, her body relaxed once more, the nerves occasionally sending small darts of pain from various places on her body. Probably a side effect of whatever Rune the Inquisitor used on me. She had heard tell of such things, and took the concoction from Ash, swirling it a little as she stared into the blue depths. "You've clearly never gotten drunk on werewolf whiskey. They make that stuff just to try and kill the buyers, I swear." She choked down the medicine, grimacing at the taste. "Just like I swear you do that on purpose to try and keep me from getting into any more trouble." Letting her feet dangle over the side of the table, she fumbled the glass bottle in her hands, gaze turned downwards. "I've heard tell of Runes safe to use on Downworlders, but I'd never thought I'd experience one." She muttered, hands clenching around the glass nearly tight enough to shatter it. She could hear the fragile substance cracking underneath her grip. Morrigan jumped back a step as Masque hissed, her nerves on high alert. She hadn't yet reached for her sword, but it was easily in her grasp should he attack when...he seemed to slump over, defeated. Morrigan relaxed her body, but not her mind as she watched the warlock a little more warily. She had nearly forgotten what he had done, what he had tried to do to her, in the midst of examining his artwork, examining him. "I've never been able to want that. I've never been free to choose my own desires." She replied, her hand unconsciously going to her side, where she had been stabbed by his needle. "Ironically, your actions were the first to set me on my own path, one of my choosing, and not guided by the hands of others." Her thoughts flickered to Ash as her dark eyes rested upon the warlock in front of her. She could have told him why she had been so angry; not for the selfless reason she proclaimed, but for that which he had wrested from her. Control over the one thing she had chosen for herself. Until now, anyways. Instead, she stood a little closer to Masque, cautious, but not unfriendly. "That is beautiful." She pointed towards his sketchbook. "You should fill the world with more of that, and not more of.." She glanced at Cin's workers, who had arrived unobtrusively and were now scrubbing the blood away from the floors and walls. "Not more death. There's already too much of it. We only get this one life, to do everything we can. Might as well try to make the world a brighter place, right?" Brianne saluted Rhett, a little mockingly, before dropping her hand. "No fights, no talking. I think I can handle that. Although if one of those alpha wanna be's puts his hands on me, I can't promise I won't retaliate." She warned Rhett, her hand drifting to the Seraphim blade at her side. "And don't drink the liquor." She warned Creed with a lop sided smile. "You'll get knocked on your ass faster then you could swallow your first shot." "Hopefully someone will agree to help us. If we don't all band together, the Clave is going to tear us apart." She murmured, worry returning in light of the jokes she had made as she hurried after Rhett, running her hands through her hair.
Bryce nodded sleepily. Sanderson could have just told him he was going to be sacrificed to the Citrus God, and he would have agreed if it meant five more minutes of sleep. Unfortunately, it was not so, and felt himself hauling his body to his feet, stumbling after Sanderson with bleary eyes. "Library." He voted, resting his head on Aedan's shoulder. "Sorry, Citrus God, but I just need a little help." Perhaps if he had been more devout, the Citrus God would have given him energy to survive the day. Alas, Bryce had not paid his dues in fruits, and was lacking in the God's eyes, or so he thought. "How did you know the glowing stuff wouldn't hurt us?" He asked suddenly, his arm wrapping around Aedan's shoulders to give himself more support as he basically hugged Aedan from behind, resting his chin on the druid's shoulder. "Because I didn't know that. Did you know that?" he asked Aedan this time, turning his face slightly towards the druid's. "You smell nice." He observed, blinking. Tessa watched Conrad move up, biting her lip. She was incredibly low on mana, and couldn't cast any spells besides simply making the grass grow. Which would not be helpful here. Torn between helping Rayyad defeat the Spirit Spider, and Conrad defeat the Spirit Weaver, Tessa looked between her two friends. The Spiritweaver is what calls the spiders here. If we defeat that....but Rayyad needs help! But he's been down here long before we stumbled into his life. He knows what to do. And he said to attack it. Mouth pressed into a thin line, Tessa made her decision. Whipping her staff out to the side, she leaped over the body of the dead spider in front of her, darting forward towards the massive Spiritweaver. Fear filled her for a second as she whirled her staff through the air, trying to make the hit as powerful as she could before she brought the end down on the spider's head, smacking it with her staff. Tessa moved up 3 Spaces : 3 AP Tessa used Staff Hit on Spiritweaver : 5 AP Total AP Used: 8 AP Kara watched as Ren gritted his teeth, clearly in pain. She simply crossed her arms over her chest, fingers tapping against her arm nervously as she waited it out. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the wound seemed to begin to heal itself. Or at least, the poison seemed to be going away. It was at this time that two newcomers stepped towards them; Alice and a guy. Kara blinked, her mind trying to recall where she had seen his face before, but she wasn't having any luck. "Have we met?" She asked Lumen, rolling her eyes at Alice's look of disdain before the girl went to explore. She hadn't had time to think about her decision, not when seconds could have cost Laurentinus his arm. "If we haven't, I'm Kara. That's Ren. And I'm assuming you know Alice's name, since you got stuck traveling with her. My condolences." She offered a weary smile towards Lumen.
Veera nodded to Gale and Tessa. "Let's go, scouts." She said, turning and walking away from Zack and Adelina with barely a wave. She didn't see the point in trying to be friendly. Relationships never lasted, and lives were cut short far too often. She would rather no one suffered her death, and that she fade away into obscurity. When they arrived on the outskirts of town, she checked her gear quickly, then glanced behind her. "On my move." With that, she used her 3D maneuvering gear to pull herself into the forest. Kala sat up, rereading the sentence to make sure she saw it. "Galadorn!" She exclaimed, slamming the book none too gently on the table. "Galadorn, it isn't much, but...." her voice drifted off as she read the sentence a third time, her lips moving with the words. "Someone else existed, like me! They called her a succu...bus." She sounded out the word. "It doesn't say anything else, but it's a start right?" She was giddy with excitement from actually finding something, anything. Zack stuck his tongue out at Adelina, holding Zarron protectively. "Trying to keep my son from me, I see what you do. You and your plotting, you're going to turn my children against me." He stood, kissing her cheek. "I'll take him with me. I don't need much sleep, and I'd rather give you a small break then get more time with my eyes shut. I'll sleep when I'm dead." He paused, then kissed her again, this time on her lips as one hand gently brushed her cheek. "I love you too." He told her, gently stroking her blonde hair before turning away, waving to Chrono. "Thanks for the breakfast, you too!" As he headed back to the small house he shared with Adelina and his two children, his thoughts turned from his girlfriend to his friend. Stay safe, Tessa. Tessa followed Veera quietly, glancing at Gale from time to time. She wondered what made him come with her, if anything at all besides pure boredom. She waited a second after Veera left to smile at the man besides her. "Thanks, even if it wasn't because of me. For coming with, I mean." She followed Veera, swinging through the trees. After a short amount of time, Veera had them split up to cover more ground. She took herself one way, while Tessa and Gale went another. Tessa perched on a tree branch to catch her breath, brushing the strands of hair out of her face that had gotten free of her braid. She didn't mind the sun shining through the leaves, but she could have used a little bit of water to wake herself up.
Titania glided over to where Corvo stood over Roxanne. "You have far more claim to her then I do. However, I find myself....intrigued." One fingernail drifted over Roxanne's skin. "How does one descended from such strong beings become so broken? Is this the human element of a Nephilim, I wonder?" Her gaze shifted to Corvo, and a smile graced her face. "I wonder what it would take to break you, Inquisitor." "What I plan to do with the girl remains none of your concern. Rest assured she will not be able to leave this place without my permission. You will be free to pursue your next mission free of worry for her...safety." Alarick led Sien and Aethelrick back across the city they seemed to have traipsed over multiple times. They arrived on the perimeter of the Institute, Alarick proceeding cautiously. There was obvious structural damage to the outside, over which he could only shake his head. He could see werewolves too, and gritted his teeth. He had expected to see the Inquisitor here, not Downworlders. "Any ideas?" he asked Aethelrick and Sien behind him, his mind working quickly. This could be a little harder then he first thought. But only a little." Is that how you see me? Morrigan's eyes lingered on the picture of herself, wishing she could have touched the page. It had taken Ash to show her she wasn't just property to be bought and sold, but it seemed he was not the only one who had seen her that way. She looked beautiful in Masque's sketch, not how she saw herself at all. Her heart twinged a little as she gazed upon Masque's picture of himself. There was clear contrast between the way he had drawn her, and the way he had portrayed himself. "Please." She said as he tried to pull the sketchbook away. "I'd like to see, if you'll allow me." It was some sort of tragedy, that such beautiful artistry had been twisted by madness. Had Masque's story been different, he could have been quite successful in life.
Teliana smiled a little, combing her fingers through her hair. "I blame myself for that, you know." She replied, turning away from Vyle and moving towards the other side of the room. There was a small screen here, with a tub next to it. She moved behind the screen with the clothes, dropping them to the floor before shrugging out of her dress. "If I hadn't showed mercy, if I had tried to interpret the situation different, perhaps this would have turned out differently." Perhaps Milosh was a punishment from the gods. She sighed, pulling on the oversized shirt and rolling up the sleeves, buttoning the white cloth up as far as it would go. This still left a moderate amount of her skin unveiled, but it was no longer obscene. "Where will we start? I know I should have asked you, but I'd still like Zephyr to travel with us. He needs protecting, just in case Milosh comes after him again. I wouldn't be surprised if the bastard tried to finish what he started. I wonder if he's heard I escaped...." She let the thought drift away as she slipped into the trousers. "How do I look?" She stepped out from behind the screen, doing a mock twirl before grinning, feeling a little like her old self. Veera turned, startled by the appearance of the mage. "Not by choice." She gestured back at the Kaer. "I've been banished as fitting punishment for my crimes. I'm off to destroy Solomon, the necromancer who was partly responsible for the massacre in Oxenfurt." She smiled bitterly. "I've got a long walk indeed. And what about you? What are you doing out here so early?" Treasa caught the bottle, blinking at Derrick's statement. She shifted to sit side saddle, rolling up her trousers to reveal the wound. Which was not faring as well as she hoped. Sucking in her breath, she turned the bottle over and dumped the contents onto the injury, hissing in pain. The rest, she tore a strip off her shirt to clean the wound more thoroughly, swearing under her breath with each fresh wave and sting of pain. "You're not what I thought you were, if you truly mean that." She said at least, keeping the cloth pressed to the injury for just a bit longer. Especially with the way it looked..she shuddered. Better to be in a little more pain and safe, then comfortable for a little while and sorry. Tessa smiled, helping Gregory gently untangle the knots in her hair. "Well thank you. I hope it doesn't, I've got to impress you after all." She told him. "I like your hair too. It fits you!" She ruffled it gently with a laugh, her smile dying as she listened to Matilda's words before looking at Seth, unsure of how to respond. "Not here...I guess...is there something we should be worried about here?" She asked, her wariness starting to intrude in on her carefree attitude. Back in the random happy little old man's shop "Ah." The man lost his kindly exterior, his mouth pressing into a thin line. "Say no more, then my dear." He disappeared into the back of his shop, where the sounds of rummaging could be heard. When he returned, he had several small pouches that he gingerly placed on the countertop for the two's inspection. "I've more in the back if you tack a particular liking to one or another, though I must warn you." He pointed to the one on the far left, and the one in the middle. "Those two are the most volatile, and don't take much more then water to explode. If you've a longer journey ahead, I recommend the one on the right, or the one next to it. More stable, harder to accidently set anything off. That middle one, even a portal journey could cost you your life." He observed them as they observed his wares. "Word on the street is the Black Ones are coming. You going to stop them?" He asked. In the end, he was just an old man, desperate for any sign of hope that he might live out the rest of his short years in peace.
