The Mortal Instruments

Random dudes' pov:


There was a random dude going about to ever bar and every known location were downworlders would be. This man was not a normal man her was a bragger. The man walked into bar a screemed, "Gueess what I stole the mortal cup I did it. I am a powerful magic user and I stole the power cup. Now kiss my feet for I am god now. You shall fear me. The random dude left as soon as he came. He would continue this to he went to every bar.
the above did not really happen


Jenny's pov:



She stepped into the building and walked up to someone that was a downworlder. "What do you know about the resent deaths of the fairy and the other downworlder?" She hoped that this was not a waste of time. "Do not waste my time for you will regret it." She waited a moment before asking another question. "What do you know about the mortal cup?"


Npc's pov:

Npc picture

The npc was just sitting there when some girl came up to them. They asked a question about the resent deaths of the fairy and the other downworlder. They thought about just ant answering then there was something about wasting time. "There was a rogue alpha and a serial killer running around and the shadowhunter took care of them both." Then there was another question. "I know nothing but someone who lives around downtown New York maybe able to help. There name is Clarity."


Jenny's pov:

The magic people did not seem to know anything that she did not already know. They knew nothing about the mortal cup which might be odd. With a new name and a new location she knew where to go. She thought about texting Brianne that the local magic user did not know a thing, but it was to soon for the girl to have got a new phone. It might be best to head back to the institute. With that said she would head back unless something happened and then she would head to down town.

 

"Now, now, we were getting along so beautifully Brianne. Don't ruin it now." Corvo said dangerously, narrowing his eyes. "There are things going on that you're not aware of. My role has been extended. And I am doing this for the sake of the Accords, for the sake of us Nephilim. What we will be doing is working with these Downworlders in order to allow us to do our jobs better. They'll need to come to Alicante, but this is for the betterment of all." And it was true. His purpose, and Yorick's purpose, were higher than anything these people could possibly know. Their work was one of ascension, something to take them beyond their limitations and allow them to protect and serve, just as the Angel Raziel had commanded them. He decided to try to take a different approach.
"I realise that I have been... Harsh in my presentation of this. As you can imagine, this is the attitude I am used to taking with people." He explained. "Truly, it is vital that you help me in this. Tell me, is there anything that you want to protect? By helping me, by helping the Clave, you can guarantee its safety now, and for all time to come." It was perhaps overdramatised, but to him it was the truth. The power that they would be able to wield would be astounding. What they could do would be beyond anything they, simple Nephilim, had been able to do before. They could fulfil their purpose of protection on a grand scale. And the best part? It only required a small sacrifice. Compared to the immense price that would be paid over the years of missing that bit of extra power, it was nothing. Compared to what already had been lost, and what could have been saved, this small sacrifice of a few Downworlders meant nothing.
"Do you understand why I am asking for your help now? Not because I have poor intentions, or that I am some kind of zealot, but because I believe that this will help us serve our duty better." ​

 

The werewolf was pretty adamant about leaping out of the window, in fact he went ahead and did just that. This lead to a sigh from Valister. To be honest he wasn't sure just what was going on within the institute beyond what he was informed, so whether Rhett was right about there being someone here was up in the air.

Regardless of the doubt however, he choose to believe the werewolf and having approached the window, jumped out of it. The vampire didn't need to roll to soften the landing as he basically floated down til he'd landed safely. "So then, where to now?"

​

Having arrived outside the the mentioned building, Creed took one more look at his phone and another at a nearby street signs. The two addresses matched so he was in the right place. Maybe now he would be able to get some answers as to why he was being hunted by this Clave person, Venturing into the building, he was struck by an interesting sight. There were four other people here besides himself, one of which was holding a knife in the directions of two others. Creed may not have known was usually went on in safe houses, but this kinda goes against the 'safe' part of safe house. "Easy there, no clue what's going on, but I don't think we need to start knifing people."

 

Aethelrick appreciated the reasoning Clarity offered up. "I can't really argue with that." The Nephilim said "Except for the fact there is not much use for cash when you're under lock and key, but I trust you got that all figured out for yourself." He received the message with the adress of the safe house to go to after they had gotten Hendrick out. There seemed to be a lot more going on here than initilly suspected. "And hey if you need bailing out, you know where to find me. Good luck with your part in this." Aethelrick said as he himself got up as well, rather eager to get started. After all there was stuff to blow up and they were burning away daylight there, well metaphoricaly as it had gone dark by now. He turned to Felicia as Clarity went ahead. "Come on, we should go too, stuff to blow up and you can't let a man wait on such things, it's inhumane." Aethelrick joked at his own expense.

Hendrick lay on his back, the places he had been injured throbbing, listening to the sounds of the city as his phone buzzed again. He grabbed his phone and read the new message, it had taken a bit longer to arrive than anticipated, Clarity was probably extremely busy, given the delay. He had to stay near a window and be prepared to leave. Well the ceiling of his entire room was made up out of glass windows some of which he could open to let the 'fresh' air in and in the summer to let his room cool more quickly in the evening. He was glad he had his weapons right here with him. The only problem he could think of at the moment was getting down after exiting the window, normally he'd try his luck with the jump and try to roll, but he was in no shape to pull that off. He gathered up his weapons again and texted Clarity back "Okay, I don't know what's going on, but I trust you. Standing by for further instructions"

 

Lilly's pov:



She walked around the outside of the institute looking at the building. The barrier seemed to be gone along the whole institute. She looked up at the windows of the institute looking for any sign of forced entry or at lest something that would give her a clue. Her first thought going to someone braking in. She had no clue how someone would brake the barrier, but it was always a possibility. There was nothing she could see, so maybe it was just down to let someone in. She did not see anyone enter the building so this seemed odd. That said she might be looking to far into it. She would have thought that the barrier would have been put back up if it was to let someone in, yet it was not. This only left more questions then answers. She moved away from the institute far enough away to watch for any signs of something, but she did not really see anything. It did not seem like anyone was around it might be better to head off and come back another time.


Jenny's pov:



She continued her way back. She hoped that something more would happen. She wished that she had not gone so far away, but it was one of the few places where she knew magic user would be. Soon enough she might find the answer. Maybe Valister had some idea what was going on. So far she was not able to find anything of use. Magic, why magic? Why not something else?


Adam's pov:



The day was longer then it normally would be. He could not stop thinking about the conversation he over heard. Who was his mom talking to? What did it have to do with him. Fifth period came and he was called to the office. What now? What else could go wrong today. He would in the office. A man sat in a set. What was going on? 'We had reports of you leaving school.' "I always leave for lunch that is nothing new." 'There is something else, Adam.' "What would what be?" 'Someone said that you were going around and hunting students.' He could not belive this he was gone how, could they believe this lie. What would be next? Who said such a thing? His mind went to Jon.

 

​

Morrigan stepped closer to her warlock, eyeing the strangers. "We're not enemies." She told the girl holding the knife, watching the others who arrived. A random assortment of Downworlders and Nephilim, it seemed. Good.

"We're in the same trouble you are. We're here to help, and hopefully you can help us." She glanced at Ash, uncertain how to proceed. She wanted their help, desperately, but how could she ask when she couldn't even begin to explain why? Just a feeling she had? And what about them? They were in the same trouble as Ash was, and she didn't know the full story behind that, either.

She shifted. "I swear, on my honor as a fairy, I will not harm any of you." She promised, her hand brushing along the braided strands of hair that slipped over her shoulder. "As a fey, I am unable to lie."

​

Brianne kept a safe distance between herself and Corvo as she watched him with narrowed eyes. "Of course there's things I care about, and people I want to protect. But nothing, ever is a guarantee." Her hands itched for something, anything to protect herself as her instincts screamed that this was going horribly wrong. Had Alarick been there, he would have lied just long enough to get out in one piece. Ash would have burned Corvo where he stood. But Brianne? She sighed. She always got stuck in the middle of everything.

"We could argue about the semantics of the value of one life versus the many for decades, and still not come up with an answer. Respectfully, Corvo, you believe that the greater good can come from sacrificing the small and insignificant. But I disagree. If we don't treasure everything equally, then we're hypocrites. We can't protect the other races from the demons, and the worst amongst ourselves, if we don't think of them as anything less then what we consider ourselves."

She gestured with her hand before letting it drop to her side. "How can we consider ourselves the descendants of angels and protectors if we slaughter our charges to benefit ourselves?"

 

Aethelrick followed Felicia throughout the city towards the Institute picking up the explosives along the way. Clarity did not **** around when it came to distractions and he was happy to see that, the amount of explosives provided could level the entire Institute if wired properly, but that wasn't what they wanted to do with Cyrus still inside. Felicia called him a boy eventhough he was far older than her anyways. He did as instructed and stayed low when Felicia went to set the charges for the distraction. He wanted to remind her to set the charges as close to the building as possible, but hey maybe she could actually use the brain that she had been born with.

When she came back she handed him the detonator, waiting for the signal to start the fireworks. When she pulled out a speaker and started blasting Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, he sighed. "Really?" He asked her why, I mean sure there was that one movie that had this done, but were they really gonna just do that? Couldn't it just be a simple explosion, which was beautiful in it's own right? "I hope you placed those charges right, we got only one shot at this." He would have done it himself, maybe even had gotten himself a jerrycan of gasoline or two or a pack of flour for a nice fireball, but hey couldn't have everything. When given the signal he had hit the detonator and watched the fireworks, praying to the Angel this worked.

 

​

Titania watched Cinead leave with a solemn face. She knew what she was asking. Did it bother her? She stood, her dress sweeping around her feet as the rest of the Court bowed at the waist. The vine slid up, around her arm as she gently plucked three of the flowers from it, before it receded back to adorn her throne. No. After nearly two thousand years of life, the fleeting desires and feelings that came with a mortal dwelling had ceased to have any meaning. Legacy had meaning. There were those who remembered her mother, but what did the humans, the Shadowhunters remember? Nothing but a Goddess who ceased to have any meaning. Titania would not cease. She would remain.

There is a reason I have no heir, and will never carry one. After all, it wouldn't take an exceeding amount of imagination to see that her own daughter could do what she had done to her mother. She walked behind her throne, and into the back room where resided her quarters, and more importantly, her personal apothecary station. She heard the four Seelie Knights enter behind her, and ignored them as she set the purple petals on the desk and began to crush them with her mortar and pestle.

I will never be a memory.

​

Yorick paced in his chambers. Despite all of his hard planning, all of his careful work, he could feel something was amiss. It was't that Alarick hadn't yet returned to Alicante with his prize; he wouldn't be due back until early morning. It wasn't that meeting with his "ally" had left him unsettled either; she had spent a long time learning how humans worked, breathed and lived. Humans. The word itself was dirty, and he wanted to spit as soon as it reached his mind.

Why? Why did you have to make us so...lowly? Yorick paced in a circle, hands behind his back. Raziel could have, should have made them angels. Angels that walked the earth as guardians, keeping the peace. Instead they had been made from humans, part of the humans, and for what purpose? They didn't fraternize with the mundanes, live among them, or work with them. The humans didn't even know the Shadowhunters existed. So why exactly should they waste their time acting as humans, when the Nephilim could become so much more?

Yorick looked towards the glass towers of Alicante, easily seen from his window. In several hours, if Alarick hadn't returned, then he would know where the man stood, and he would make the call. It could be that Corvo would have a lot on his hands to deal with, but Yorick had faith the man wouldn't waiver. He made a note to contact his ally, and have her send additional help to aid Corvo. After all, if anyone could hunt down the wayward sacrifices, it would be Corvo.

​

Clarity stayed with Felicia and Aethelrick until the very last minute, winking at Felicia when she mentioned a bail out. "I'm more of a prison break kind of girl." She replied before mock saluting the two of them and jogging off. Her sprint slowed to a fast walk as she crouched, running around to the back of the Institute. She hadn't been here very many times, but it was enough that the floor plans she had seen were lodged in her memory.

She lifted up her shirt to reveal the hem of her pants, where a loop of rope had been used in place of a belt. The only handy place to keep such a thing, really. She unraveled it before calmly walking up to the side of the building. Hendrick had taken a liking to gardening, and as a result several vines had begun to grow along the Institute's walls. Clarity grabbed one of the vines, offering the plant a silent apology before leaping off the ground. The plants would only hold for a few seconds before giving way, and she used that time wisely, pressing her feet against the wall and scaling it quickly before leaping to the next plant. She leaped at the last second, her fingers barely grasping the open window sill.

She grunted as she pulled herself up into the garden room, arms protesting their need to carry her entire weight. She ignored their complaints and straightened, winking at Hendrick. "I wish I could say this was the first time I'd climbed into a man's bedroom, but..." she let the sentence die as she pulled him towards her, gently, and handed him the rope. "Make yourself a harness, and please don't tell me you forgot all your knots." She set to work barricading the door, just in case someone decided to interrupt them. At the moment she didn't care if it was Alarick or Brianne, she would explain later.

Turning, she impatiently helped Hendrick finish the harness, whistling as she caught sight of his injuries. "Damn. I pity the other fellows." Grabbing his bedsheets, she twisted them before tying them to the harness. "Get your friend to buy you new ones. Somehow I think he'll oblige." She hooked the other end to one of the many hanging hooks in the room, gently setting the plant that had resided there onto the ground and replacing it with the cloth. "Now get yourself to the ground, and I know it might hurt, but please hurry." She gripped the makeshift pulley system in order to be sure the sheets held out against Hendrick's body weight, letting the cloth slip through her hands to slowly slide the Shadowhunter to the ground. That was when the explosion happened, and she cursed her luck.

Always running out of time, Clary. "You bastard, you're wrong." She growled at the memory as she waited for Hendrick to give her a signal he had reached the bottom. At this point she didn't care if she had to jump out that window and break her ankles, she was not getting trapped here.

​

Alarick led Sien and Max through the storm that was New York traffic, until they finally arrived at his home. He blinked, not quite expecting the menagerie of people that were standing halfway in and out of his home, but quickly adjusted. "Pardon us." He said, shouldering his way through and leading Max and Sien up the stairs. It was most important to get Max inside, in case the shy warlock decided to bolt. Not only that, but it would be easier to keep him safe, should anyone risk talking about his identity or recognize him.

"It would be best if we discussed this inside." He pointed out, noticing Roxanne on the steps amidst an unfamiliar werewolf and a vampire. The message must have been forwarded to those it concerned. He hoped that was the case, anyway. The magic that had been put on this shelter had been costly, hiding it from the eyes of those that would spy on him or harm him unless they knew the exact address. Once they did, unless their memory was erased, there was no taking back what they could or couldn't see.

Once everyone was inside, Alarick shut the door, and crossed into the center of the living room. "Sit..or stand. I don't much care." Scanning the faces, he noticed that his sister and Clarity were not yet present, nor was Hendrick. He frowned, but turned his thoughts away from that, for now. It was possible they had gotten caught up in something, or were trying to find the stragglers.

"Some of you know me, some of you don't. I am Alarick Lightwood, of the Nephilim. We'll have time to introduce you all to each other later, but for now, what I have to say must be heard." He took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. "You may know my sister Brianne, if you don't know me. Regardless, you are here because of one single uniting factor; you have been seen with us. It matters not if it was for an hour, or if you've known us for months."

"The Clave, specifically Master Yorick, has decided that because of this, you are a danger to our reputation, and you must be put down. I know this may be a struggle to believe, but.." He took a deep breath again, steeling himself. "This is not the first time such a purge has occurred, and this will be far from over, even if he gets his hands on you. If any of you should be captured, you will be tortured for information regarding the rest of us, and then you will be transported to Alicante. Yorick will then sacrifice you in the name of the Angel Raziel, in order to bring out what he desires."

"I wish this was the worst of it, but unfortunately, there's more trouble brewing. The Inquisitor has been sent to capture all of you, and force the Shadowhunters into cooperation. Nick, Roxanne, Hendrick, Brianne and I have a few hours, perhaps, before Corvo figures out that we are not all on the same side. We will then become targets as well. He is not a man to be underestimated. He has been authorized by the Clave to use...unsavory techniques."

"There is one more thing." Alarick glanced at the single fairy in the room. She had not been named, and this only confirmed his suspicions. "Yorick has an ally; someone he has been working with for many years in regards to this end game. I believe it to be the Seelie Queen, evidenced by his words earlier, and by the lack of fairies' names given to us to seek out. This complicates matters for all of us, as we will not be hunted only by Corvo, but by the Seelie Queen and her Knights. Possibly the most dangerous enemy we could make."

Alarick spread his hands. "I know none of you asked for this burden, and it has been unfairly placed. However, for the sake of all of us, we have to work together to bring Yorick and the Queen down. The Shadowhunters themselves are not evil, nor do they know what Yorick has in store for them. They follow orders blindly, but should not be held accountable for the devious actions of their leader. The fairies themselves are a fair people, and I do not hold them to blame for our current predicament, but the Queen is more dangerous then you could possibly know. The streets of New York are no longer safe." Alarick stopped speaking, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I hope that you'll help me try to stop them. I know I cannot do this alone."

​

Morrigan surreptitiously took Ash's hand when the Shadowhunter entered with Masque. The room narrowed to the warlock's face, and she pressed against the back of Ash's shoulder, as if trying to keep the warlock between her and the one who had nearly caused her death. He looked...different, not quite the same as he had when he had poisoned her, but still, her skin broke out into a cold sweat, and her heart raced with fear.

She silently prayed that Ash would not cause a problem with Masque in the room, knowing they needed these allies more then they needed another enemy. And if Alarick had captured Masque, perhaps he had nowhere else to bring him. She tried to focus on the numerous others, forcing a smile when she saw Rhett's face among the unfamiliar crowd; he appeared to be doing much better. Much to her relief, he was standing straighter, his gaze more focused. But when Alarick's eyes turned on her, and he spoke of the Seelie Queen, she felt her stomach drop. It was as she feared, then. The Seelie Queen was working with Yorick, the leader of the Nephilim, to bring about this crazed dream.

And I am the only fairy here. Hopefully none of the other Downworlders saw that as reason to try and use her as a hostage to gain leverage with the Queen. It wouldn't work on the cold hearted woman, anyway.

Keeping her eyes away from Masque, she squeezed Ash's hand before speaking up. "Ash and I believe we have found a way to defeat the Seelie Queen. She has..." She bit her lip. "She has a mother. Barely any are left who remember Gaia as Queen of the Fairies, but it's true that Titania was not always in power. There was a falling out, when Titania came of age, and Gaia disappeared. I..managed to find her. She's in Somalia. We need to go there, speak with her, and I know she'll rein in her daughter." The best case scenario was that Gaia would return and take her place as Queen, but Morrigan wasn't sure how to make that happen.

Morrigan fell silent, her neck prickling. The Shadowhunter thought for a moment, then nodded. "Then I shall accompany you, if you are willing to have me. She is a far more dangerous enemy then Yorick and his fanaticism."

​

Brianne opened her mouth to continue the argument with Corvo, when a sudden explosion rocked the ground on which she stood. Only her reflexes saved her from falling as she caught the counter, waiting until her feet had steadied under her before glancing up at the Inquisitor. "I take it that's not your doing?" She asked calmly before taking off, racing through the kitchen and towards the front door to see exactly what had happened.

 

Hendrick had been prepared to go, watching through the window as he waited. When he saw Clarity climb up he opened the window in advance and at the last moment helped her up. He caught the wink and smiled, inside he was uncertain what else to do. When she pulled him close and handed him the rope the confusion at the situation got even worse. "No, I haven't forgotten...And you know, you could have used the door to this room..." Hendrick said as he sat to work, tying himself a harness. Something that Clarity helped him with as there appeared to be some pressure behind it.

She remarked on his wounds saying she'd pity the guys that did that to him. "They're all taken care off. I'll be fine, I just need to get rest, but something's telling me I'm not going to get any anytime soon... Clary... what's all this what's going on?" He asked her looking her in the eyes, but he wasn't given an answer, but rather told everything would be explained later. The mention of a friend puzzled him, why was there so much trouble around a friend wanting to see him? They knew where to find him, why not just text or call him and meet-up either here or somewhere else? Questions seemed to keep on coming where as much needed answers were left out. When told to try and hurry up he stalled for one last moment, looking the Ifrit in the eyes, he blindly trusted her, something that didn't come easy with him and she knew it. "Clary... I don't know what's going on, but it would seem you're putting an aweful lot of time and effort in for old me here, I really ought to repay you some day, not just for this, but for everything..." This wasn't the first time she had helped him out and he hadn't properly thanked her at all.

As he lowered himself it did indeed hurt and he made it as quick as he could. Before he planted his feet on firm ground however he was thrown against the side of the building by the force of the explosions, he bit his tongue, hard trying to surpress shouting out in pain. However he made it to the ground and got out of the harness, then jerked on the improvised rope to let Clarity know that he was firmly with his feet on the ground. Following it up with the hoot of an Owl just to make it clear, he was quite good at imitating the sound, something he had practiced for hours, useless most of the times, but briliant in those few situations to give signals over larger distances. He heard another owl and narrowed his eyes, wait friend? The hooting of an owl? This was the city and it wasn't entirely impossible that it was one of the majestic hunters of the night, but with all this going on he was certain it wasn't that simple...

 

"Indeed, we could argue this back and forth forever as much as we like, and I see you've come to your own conclusions about what we intend to use the people for." Corvo replied. "However, I don't believe that it's really important. Truthfully, all I'm asking you to do is try to have trust in the Clave and I, that we know what is best. Truthfully, I firmly believe that any other course of action is selfish. When faced with the potential to do so much good in the future, what is the present if not a sacrifice to pave the way?" Perhaps she would notice the passion with which he spoke. Corvo believed in his cause .
"Nobody is more dedicated to our duty than I, Brianne. That is why I do this. For the sake of the times to come." He explained. "Remember, even the Angels made sacr-" Then the explosions went off and he stood up. He flipped out his Stele and a bullet and carved a Rune of Acceleration into it in preparation. He put away the Stele and broke the Contender open, fitted the bullet in and closed it, then cocked it ready to fire.
"Not at all! Get outside, Aethelrick's probably coming after Hendrick! I never thought that he would be so bold!" The Inquisitor shouted over the noise. He raced upstairs and through the Institute, trying to find the room. Eventually, he came up to a locked one. Was he in on this too? He repeatedly kicked the door by the lock, and managed to snap the mechanism. By the time he got the door open, there was an open window, and Hendrick was gone. But there was other quarry. That's not either of them? There's more to this? He didn't hesitate in raising the Contender and firing at the person standing in the window. He opened out his left hand. "Zahariel!" The shimmering Seraph Blade appeared, burning with its heavenly fire. He would bring this Downworlder down, for this was no Shadow Hunter. Then, he would torture her until she divulged her secrets. But for now, she needed to be rendered incapable of resistance. ​

 

​

Clarity whirled as the door thumped, her eyes narrowing. "By the goddamned Angels and all that's fucking holy get down Hendrick!" She called, pulling out her katana and twirling it experimentally. Just as he tugged on the rope, the door smashed open. Clary had time to see a gun pointed in her direction before she leaped to to the side, rolling into a crouch as she examined her attacker. Brianne and Alarick didn't use guns. This was a stranger, and he was staring at her as though she were a goddamned steak.

He called light to his seraph blade, and sweat rolled down her back. This was not going to be a good day. "Where I come from we at least shake hands before shooting an angel cursed gun at each other." She commented, grabbing one of the daggers from her boot. She threw it at him before darting in from the side, slashing with her katana. All she needed to do was get back towards the window, and she could jump.

​

Brianne grabbed an angel blade as she ran outside. "Haniel!" She called, the light illuminating the immediate area. Nothing. Brianne frowned, the hair rising on the back of her neck. Something was definitely wrong. She fanned the smoke away from her face, stepping forward towards the darkness, and then stilling.

An owl call. Hendrick? She whirled towards the sound, her pace quickening when she heard a reply. Normally, it would only cause more confusion for the Shadowhunter, but after the story that Hendrick told? It's not possible. She was running now, skidding to a halt when an eerily familiar profile hit her gaze. "Hendrick?!" She called out, confusion plain on her face and in her voice. That was when she saw the wolf. "Hendrick!" She called again, her eyes on the possible target. Up in the room, the sound of a gunshot echoed in the night, causing her heart to race. "What in the Angel's name is going on?"

And then, to make things even better, a third figure appeared, this one completely unfamiliar. "Who are you two?!" She asked, trying to edge her way towards Hendrick, the one ally within seeing distance.

 

Hendrick heard gunfire coming from the window and swore. He then heard Brianne call to him, he hadn't seen the wolf as he turned to Brianne running over to her. "Bri... what the hell is going on... these strange texts.. explosions.... what is happening?" He asked her only to hear her ask him the same. "All I know is that I am being re-united with a friend, atleast that's what I was told..." Hendrick explained to her. The return hoot however, knew which particular friend that was. It was then that the cloaked Shadow hunter appeared, he'd recognise that gait anywhere, it was Aethel. But what was he doing here? "Bri... I don't know how or why, but remember the story I told you? Well I guess this is him, it's Aethelrick... Aethel, this is Brianne..." The shadowhunter gave Brianne a nod. "Well met, wish it were under more pleasant circumstances."

"Come on we should go, now and for the record don't fight that wolf, it's an ally." Aethelrick said, after giving his parabatai the friendly shoulderbump. "We can't go, my friend is still up there, I'm not going to leave her behind, you should know that, Aethel." Hendrick said as he started going towards the entrance of the Institute. "I didn't take all this effort to find you, and get you out, just to have you throw it back in my face, Cyrus" Aethelrick knew that a year and a half ago, he could have been killed himself were it not for Cyrus. "Cyrus, there is more at play here, it ain't safe in there, come with me. I know a safe place where we can hide, plan. Going back in there won't save your friend and it'll only land you in a nastier spot than last time you disagreed with the Clave." Hendrick stopped and turned around, visibly angry "So, I'm supposed to just let my friend die in there? Abandon her? I saved you back in Prague 'cause I gave a **** about you, same here goes for her up there, now either help me out in there or just leave, I can't use this right now!"

He had found his parabatai again and here he was losing him again, all for the life of a ****ing downworlder. No, Cyrus' mind was clouded, he didn't see the reasoning and Aethelrick sighed, taking out the P90 going after his parabatai and then hit him on the back of the head with the but of the gun, hard. Cyrus fell to the ground. "I'm sorry, I had to do this Cyrus, but you'll thank me for this later..." He picked up his fallen comrade on the shoulders, the way a firefighter does. He turned to Brianne "You should come with me too, I don't know what he told you about me, but I'm Aethelrick, was his parabatai, you can trust me." He knew how stupid it sounded after just lamping her friend in front of her, but there was no time, they had to get away. "There is no time, we should get going, now." Aethelrick said.

 

"Apologies for the disrespect but I don't really have time for pleasantries." Corvo retorted, stepping neatly aside from her daggers. Throwing knives, how quaint. He saw her moving towards him with her Katana, and quickly planted his blade in the ground. He swiftly reloaded the weapon and fired off another shot from the Contender before holstering it and picking up the blade. He just about managed to parry her attack and jumped to the side to get some distance, positioning himself between her and the window. Now that he had some distance, the length of the weapon could really become useful. He planted himself firmly and waited for her to come in range. First, he made an overhead feint for the left shoulder, then at the last moment span the blade downwards across her stomach. He wasted no time in capitalising on the strike, striking diagonally upwards from there and getting back again. "So, I imagine you're working with Aetherick. What for? Do you have any idea what that man has done girl? You made a mistake coming here, although I admire your boldness." He smiled tauntingly, twirling his blade to show off and holding his blade in both hands again.
"But all you'll find here is pain. Such is the fate of those that help traitors." His features darkened and all sense of lightness was lost from his face, replaced with a dark glare. He was going to make her spill all of her secrets, reveal the plots of this traitor and then perhaps he would let her live in Alicante, serving as a sacrifice. Now that he got a good look at her, he realised that she was one of his targets. That was just perfect. The grin of a wolf crossed the Inquisitor's blades as he crossed blades with Clarity the Ifrit. ​

 

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Clarity saw that infernal gun aimed at her again, and this time, she had no way of dodging. Instead, she could only brace herself for the impact of the bullet. The force of it stopped her motion, dropping her to the ground as she gasped in pain. The man was fast, and attacked her while she struggled to her feet once more. She managed to raise her katana in time to block the first hit, saving her insides from certain destruction.

The bullet had pierced her shoulder, however, and it lost strength after the first blow was deflected. She fell to the side as the blade uppercut, slicing her open along her collarbone. She hissed, rolling away and getting to her feet, her legs shaking. "He paid me for one purpose. I don't ask questions about my clients' histories." She replied through gritted teeth, readjusting her grip on her katana. "And had I known you were here, I might have changed my mind."

The expression on his face become absolutely predatory, sending a shiver down Clarity's spine. In that moment, she knew there was no way she was leaving this room under her own willpower. She brought up her katana again to attack, upper cutting towards his chest before cutting towards his stomach. "I could offer you the money, a favor, my goodwill, but I have a feeling none of it would matter, would it?" Her voice was quiet over the sounds of clashing swords and battle, as she swiftly considered her options. Always running out of time, Clarity. This time she couldn't tell her father's voice to shut up, because he was right.

​

Brianne watched Hendrick and Aethelrick's reunion with wide eyes. She wasn't quite sure what to do at all, really. Hendrick protested leaving as the sound of another shot shook Brianne's nerves, stimulating her adrenaline. She ignored Aethelrick for a moment as she leaned down, checking Hendrick's pulse to make sure he was alright before looking up at Aethelrick. "He's going to hate you for that, you know." she murmured, brushing the Shadowhunter's hair out of face before standing.

She glanced back at the room, from which there could be no sounds heard, to the wolf. "The Inquisitor is up there." Brianne felt her heart tug her in two different directions. She wanted to help the unnamed person who was by now probably injured, and desperate, but to do so would put her directly where the Inquisitor wanted her, and she had no doubts she would be at his mercy.

"Even all of us together would have a hard time taking him on." Her mind racing, Brianne ran her hands through her hair, face twisting with turmoil. "I don't know what to do!" She burst out, her legs itching for her to run; where she didn't know. Alarick would write the person above off as a lost cause and return another day when his position was stronger. Ash would do the same. Rhett...she pressed her palms against her eyes, silently begging the Angel to give her an answer.

Hendrick would have stayed behind and died, but it had cost him the person dearest to him for too long, and everything he had worked for. Roxanne would have showed the same reckless loyalty. Reckless, he called me. She lowered her eyes to look at Hendrick's prone form. Rhett would have fought to the death if someone he loved was in danger. And Clarity.....she swallowed. The ifrit would have told her, with a lot of swearing, to get out.

"I'm sorry, Hendrick, Rhett, Roxanne." She whispered, dimming Haniel's light. "But I can't die quite yet." She imagined Alarick, Ash and Clarity nodding their heads encouragingly before she looked up at Aethelrick. "Let's go." Hendrick would probably not appreciate that this was the moment she decided to take his advice and think before she acted.

 

"Then you should have thought twice before acting against the Nephilim!" Corov criticised. "Was the money worth your life, Clarity?" She wasn't giving up, even if she was on the ground but her attacks were pitiful. The Inquisitor merely laughed as she struck twice at his chest. He didn't even need to move his blade very much. She was desperate, resorting to the attacks that she could manage, but she was weak. However, his moment of distraction cost him, earning him a slice across the side. He growled and smashed her Katana aside with his blade and viciously kicked her in the chest.
"You should have just surrendered, it would have been less painful for you!" Corvo knelt down over her now that she was prone and pinned the arm holding her Katana down and held the Seraph Blade at her throat with his eyes burning. "You'd be right. Your money, nor your favours nor goodwill mean anything to me. Now then, we're going to have a chat. Drop the weapon and don't think about acting up. I'm not famed for my patience." His face seemed to show nothing but contempt.
"Now, I don't quite believe you about not asking your clients' histories. So who was it, and what do they want?" He demanded. "Easy way, or hard way. Make your choice." He put the Seraph Blade a little closer to her throat for emphasis. She was getting in his way, and she gave him a wound that now needed tending. He could feel himself bleeding, which only threw fuel on the fire. ​

 

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"My life isn't worth much." Clarity responded breathlessly. Ifrits were the lowest of the low, the spawn of a demon without the benefit of magic. She choked as his foot cracked something inside of her body and she went flying backwards, rolling a few times before landing on her back. She looked up into Corvo's eyes, and saw nothing but the promise of death. I guess I won't be seeing that starry sky.

The demon's blood in her wailed at the touch of the seraph blade, but it hadn't done any actual harm to her, yet. Her hand loosened its grip on the katana's handle as she stared up into the face of the Shadowhunter who had brought her down so quickly. "You know, I've always been curious." Her breathing was ragged, her chest rising and falling rapidly as her body responded to the pain and injuries.

"Do you think when we die, we spend our afterlife with our father, or our mother? Because I wouldn't mind spending half a year in heaven and half a year in hell, switch off on holidays..." The knife in her sweater sleeve slid into her hand, and she jammed it towards Corvo's kidneys as she spoke.

 

Corvo listened to her inane chatter with a look of impatience. He noticed her other arm moving. His arm twitched and he shouted in pain as the knife drove into his stomach. He dropped the blade. He wasn't going to need it now. He gripped the arm with the knife and pulled it away from him.
"You just don't know when to quit!" He headbutted her face and drove his knee into her stomach. He kept the sword arm pinned with his other knee and wrestled the knife out of her hand. He threw it to the other side of the room. He hit her in the face again and changed position, now placing his boot on her other elbow. Her arms were now caught. He drew his Stele and shook his head at her. "You could have made it easy, now you're going to wish for death!" He inscribed the Rune of Pain on her chest, but he was not going to stop there. It made the Rune more complicated, and he had to push down on her limbs harder to stop her struggling, but he added the Rune of Amplification into it. After what she had just done to him, he wasn't going to let it slide easily. When he finished, he didn't get off, or move. Instead, he picked up the blade and sliced a few scraps off her clothes and used them as a temporary bandage for his wounds while he watched her pain.
"I can make it stop any time I'd like Clarity," He explained calmly, tightening the cloth around the wound she gave with the knife. "But you'll have to be a good girl and answer some questions. I'll ask you again, who hired you, and why?" He watched her every move. There was a certain sense of satisfaction he got from seeing her defeated, but she had been problematic and he didn't feel like another stab wound. She was more annoying than she needed to be. Really, it frustrated him that it took him this long to subdue one pathetic little Ifrit. She made up for her weakness in cunning. He gave her that much. ​