The Mortal Instruments

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Brianne blinked at Roxanne, whipping her stele through the air in the glamoring rune before sliding it back into the sheath. "I guess your brand of crazy is rubbing off on me." She responded before cracking her knuckles and leading the way out of the Institute, the rune sealing behind her. Only the Nephilim could see it now. "We're off demon hunting. So yes, you can use your knives, but only if you're absolutely sure it's the demon. Or a demon." She halted in her stride, turning to grab the girl's shoulder. "Please, Roxanne. I'm up to my ears in Clave shit and believe me, the last thing I want to do is have to baby sit you. But I need your help, okay? I need us to work together on this. A human killing demon and a rogue warlock besides, we're already outnumbered. We can't afford to lose any more."

Done with her speech, she cleared her throat, dropping her hand and walking into the street. "Hotel's this way. Be ready for anything."

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Morrigan crossed her arms, tapping her fingers against them. "I didn't realize traveling with you was a euphemism for delving into my personal life." She commented, narrowing her eyes at Ash's back. Normally it was the fey who were the tricky ones. This warlock was clearly born in the wrong species. "Who wouldn't be interested in such an offer?" She quipped, her hair falling over her shoulder as she tilted her head. It wasn't a lie, but it also hid the truth that she would be interested. It was hard to imagine freedom when chains existed for so long, and while she hardly had hope that the warlock could provide a solution, it would be interesting to hear what he thought, regardless.

People never ceased to surprise her.

 

Rhett had turned to him and responded to him even in this form, good. They could still cooperate well it was one way traffic but even that was better than absolutely nothing or just a savage that would attack the first thing it would see. He watched Rhett sail through the air after his powerful hindlegs sent him to the next rooftop. Hendrik nodded approvingly that he was a little bit impressed by it, but he knew he himself he could do it as well. While he did take a little bit of a run-up but he still made the jump easily with the boost of the speed rune. He rolled and immediatly landed on his feet next to Rhett and smiled. "I may be old, but I'm not that old, let's go" He would follow Rhett across the rooftops, leaping through the air, rolling upon impact and back into running again, hardly losing any momentum. Now this was the life, sailing through the air during the night time sky of New york. He made sure not to lose any of his weapons in the process, the only thing that could be better was if he had one of those ancient warhorns.

 

Nicholas decided to steel himself and go back into the motel crime scene, only to find a policewoman also there, investigating presumably. Nicholas decided that maybe she could help, she was a mundie, but there was always a chance. Nick slipped past her and went up into the room before it was closed off or something.

 

Nick was surprised when the policewoman suddenly noticed him and started ranting at him "Ah... well... you see... if you'd stop talking I can actually... would you let me get a word in edgewise?... I see... well I GAH!" Nick yelped as he was handcuffed "Wait a second... you're not a policewoman!" he realised, confused. He blushed as the woman brushed her lips against his "Uh, you see... the thing is... I'm not really interested" Nick stated, flustered and squirming. He wondered if he was strong enough to break the handcuffs, and concluded that he probably wasn't. Was this policewoman secretly not a human? Was it a demon? Oh god, what kind of mess had Nick got himself into this time...

 

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Brianne couldn't help but smile at Roxanne's response. The girl was crazy, yeah, but she meant well. "Come on then, we'll make short work of this demon, and if the Angel is with us, catch Masque before dawn." Brianne led the way down the shady alley, only to stop dead, her hand out to stop Roxanne from proceeding.

Two figures approached them, one an obvious warlock with a lizard's tail swishing from underneath his heavy coat. The other appeared to be a neophyte vampire, his quivering arms a sign of instability. "You're Shadowhunters." The warlock hissed from underneath his wide brimmed hat.

"Is there a problem?" Brianne asked, her grip on her stele tightening. She hadn't even realized her hand had gone for the weapon; such was the instinct ingrained in them for battle.

"We want the Cup. Give it to us." The vampire snarled, reaching for Brianne with outstretched hands. Brianne darted forward and shoved her blade underneath the vampire's rib cage, earning herself a scratch on the cheek as the creature snarled.

"Give it to us!" He screamed, jumping on her in an attempt to go for her throat. Brianne fell onto her back and kicked him off of her, rolling to the side. This night was so not going according to plan.

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Morrigan took the business card from Ash, bemused. "This is all you asked for my company for?" She questioned, turning it one way, then the other to admire the way the silver sheen caught the moonlight. "Just to offer me an enigmatic deal, and present me with a way to contact you?" She chuckled, crossing her arms, card still tucked in between her fingers. "I have no interest in a one night stand with a warlock. As for my wedding, it is for the good of my family, and my people, that I go through with the union." A child must be born. After that I will be free. She knew this wasn't true, but it helped. Somehow.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Ash, but I think I'll decline your offer. I wish you luck with whatever you seek, but you'll have a better chance with the number of my sisters that go to Pandemonium. Now, if that's all..." She turned to walk back into the woods, hair glistening in the moonlight. She had work to do, and if the warlock wouldn't help, she would do it alone. She would find Masque, and she would take revenge for her fallen siblings.

 

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Having left Pandemonium Sieg traveled across the rooftops away from the area. He was curious as to what had happened there and while he did, he held no desire to ask other people. The silence that came with being alone was something he'd gotten used to. Not that he had much of a choice. It was either get used to it or quite possibly go insane and since he clearly still had his sanity, the choice he made was clear.

He had gotten past a couple of buildings before he heard the sound of a scream. Not so much a scream of terror or pain, but more of one out of aggression. Still it was enough to grabbed his attention. Sieg looked down the alley and saw four people. One of which must've been a warlock due to the animal like feature they had. The jury was still out on the other three. Excluding the one that was currently on her back, the other one seemed to have a handle on the situation. Maybe if things started to take a turn for the worst he'd intervene, for now though he'd spectate.

 

Nick squirmed uncomfortably, he really should have prepared. He hoped that this policewoman was a demon, or a warlock, or maybe even a fairy. If she was just a human this would be sooo embarrassing. Nick blushed but remained quiet as the other police entered. Once they were gone Nick attempted to put on a brave face "I... I... I have reinforcements coming! They'll come save me! They're probably caught in traffic, heh" Nick smiled uncomfortably, trying to inject humour into the situation "Uh, these aren't weapons they're... uh... replicas. Replicas of... weapons... from my favorite TV show, Dominic Sherwood is in it, he's pretty hot... I shouldn't have said that" Nick tried to crawl back as far as he could, he hoped someone was nearby who could help him.

Meanwhile in an alley on the other side of the city, Masque walked for the last time from the door of his temporary hideout. He had no regrets about leaving, it was about to be found, and that was the greatest part of the performance. When the shadowhunters, or mundie police, arrived at his hideout they'd find him gone, leaving nothing but the disembodied heads of his most beautiful victims. He made sure to remove all other traces. Masque was back in his red robes, the suit disposed of. He rubbed the scars on his arm and looked around the city, Where to? Central Park was beautiful this time of year, truly a tranquil scene. Of course, its true beauty was brought out when that concord was disrupted. Masque strode out towards the park. Occasionally he came across the odd human, and tried to keep himself out of view. Their disgusted looks, of fear and prejudice. He couldn't stand it.

The boy finished his drawing proudly. It was a beautifully detailed pencil drawing of the young boy, standing by an older woman, his mother. It was very impressive for a boy of his age, but what was striking was the dark background. Whereas normally one would depict the happy family in the light, the boy had drawn them in darkness "Look mama!" he held up the picture proudly, the woman smiled kindly "That's a very good picture young one, very accurate... my child... why did you draw your horns?" the child's expression suddenly fell. He felt the bumps on his head "Because... that's what I look like" "Oh but child, don't you want pictures of you to look nice?" the child tore the picture in half. He was in tears "Child! Why have you ruined such a beautiful drawing?" the child did not respond, sulking in a corner of the room "Mama... why won't you let me outside?"

Masque shook his head. The past was gone, the present was all that mattered. Finally he arrived at Central Park, and began to gaze in admiration at the beautiful scenery. So taken in by the scenery, he was, that he didn't notice as he bumped into a fairy (Morrigan). Stupid Masque, stupid. Watch where you're going. "Oh. Greetings. OH... my" Masque greeted the fairy, but was caught off guard as he saw the woman's face. That face. Not a face of beauty, but a face of strength and defiance. She was a fighter. Masque would love to see that defiance broken down...

 

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Brianne ducked once more underneath the vampire's grasping hands before using her stele to nearly split him in half. "Roxanne, I'll meet you there!" She called out, seeing that the girl was still busy with her foe. And knowing Roxanne, she wouldn't appreciate interference. Brianne bolted up the street, towards the hotel. She quickly spelled out her last rune, one of glamour, to allow her to slip past the human police unnoticed. She bolted up the staircase, taking two at a time.

She hadn't seen Nick outside, and her panic was slowly mounting when he wasn't waiting for them. Because of course this night had to get worse. And then she froze in the stairwell, unable to move as a voice boomed over head.

"You're all fools." The voice intoned, distorted and low. It echoed across courtyards, down subway tunnels, and through the streets, reaching the ears of every Downworlder and Shadow Hunter in New York City.

"You have cowered from the Nephilim for so long, allowing them to govern you, to kill you. Now.... now they will cower from me. For I have taken the Mortal Cup!"

There was a dramatic pause, and the voice chuckled. "I have taken the Mortal Cup. How sweet these words are to me. They'll be sweet to you too Downworlders, for there is one more Mortal Instrument to be taken. I shall bide my time, and reclaim the power that should have been ours, but in the meantime, I will handsomely reward whichever of you bring it to me."

Another pause. "The Nephilim are not as strong as you think they are. Kill them like your families have been killed. Hunt them like you have been hunted. For our time, is now."
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Brianne grasped the railing for strength as her legs nearly failed her. The Mortal Cup? Gone? Those two in the alley.....she shook her head, and raced up the stairs. She had to get to Nick, and then she had to get to Roxanne, and send them both back to the Institute. Then she would go for Hendrik. Hopefully she hadn't been the only one to hear the voice, and he was already on his way back.

Brianne shoved the door to the hallway open, and bolted through, pausing. None of the doors were open. She listened, then kicked open the door to her right where a man and a woman were- "Shit." she whispered as the couple stared at the door in confusion, not understanding why their door had just blown open. The next two doors yielded results that were similar, but none nearly as graphic, thank the Angel.

The final door, Brianne took a deep breath, and shoved open. "Nick!" She shouted with relief, before her eyes widened. "What in the Angel's name?"

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"Apologies." Morrigan told Masque, bowing her head slightly. "I was not paying attention." She turned to walk away, and startled, her fists clenched as the voice boomed above her. The Mortal Cup? The Shadowhunters would be out in force, interrogating every one of them. Whoever had done this had done the Downworlders no favors, instead the Nephilim would come down harder then they had before. And once they found out which of the races had taken the Cup....she shuddered, shutting her eyes as the message finished, and faded away into the chilly night air. It would be genocide.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered to Masque, looking up at the clear night sky. What had started out as a peaceful evening in the park was quickly becoming a torrent of events that she was hard pressed to keep up with.

 

Thank the angel, Brianne was here... and Roxanne... she made him uncomfortable. But not as uncomfortable as this policewoman. She was distracted now, time to take this opportunity. Nick's arms were bound, but not his legs, he kicked the policewoman in the face, then pulled hard on the handcuffs. The bed frame was wooden, and not best quality. with a CRACK, the bedpost split and Nick pulled it forward, smashing it over the demon's head. "Get off me you creep!"

Masque stared at the fairy with a wistful expression. The words boomed over the world, but he wasn't paying attention. That face... he wanted to see it slowly die. In his mind he imagined the expression of shock she would experience, then the slow realisation... and the eventual destruction. Masque took out a long needle, he'd been saving this for something special, now was the time "Please, don't struggle" he said calmly, as he viciously stabbed the fairy in the side, piercing her flesh. The needle was poisoned with a special toxin Masque had managed to acquire. Masque took out a camera "Don't smile" he asked as he captured the moment. Perfect. A wonderful representation of shock and horror.

 

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Brianne flicked her fingers in silent command for Roxanne to guard the exit while she circled towards the bound Nick and "police officer". "As far as I know, my friend there doesn't prefer the company of women." She told the police officer calmly, her stele hanging by her side. "And besides," She raised her arm, showing the glowing runes. "Humans can't see us."

That was when Nick broke free, moving to attack the demon with the headboard. Brianne took the moment to dart around, so that the demon and Nick were caught in between her and Roxanne. She was content to let Nick handle this, but remained at the ready, watching the fight. He needed to learn from his mistakes, after all. Her eyes flicked to Roxanne for a moment, assessing the other girl for any obvious injuries. Seeing none, she gave a mental nod of satisfaction before turning her eyes back to Nick.

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"Please don't struggle." The stranger said as he approached her with more speed then she could have imagined. Morrigan, distracted by the strange voice overhead, didn't notice the needle until it was too late as it pierced both dress and skin. She gasped, blinded momentarily as the flash of the camera stunned her, before turning, calling the magic of the moon into her fist to knock this Downworlder's head off. Her fingers tingled, but not with the familiarity of magic, and what should have been a powerful magical attack was turned into a slap across the face. She stumbled, falling to her knees as her feet began to tingle as well.

"What have you done?" She gasped, holding her side as though to ease the throbbing pain that had begun there. What was wrong with her wasn't in her ability to fix, on the outside. No, something was very very wrong inside of her. Her hands clenched, handfuls of grass caught between her fingers. "What have you done?!" Morrigan demanded, slowly rising back to her feet as a terrible thought struck her. "Is this...are you...." She began to sweat, the perspiration shining off her skin. Masque. Her mind made the connection that her lips could not. It's him. Not many others attacked the fey. No one, other then demons.

 

"Brianne, you don't have to tell everyone" Nick grumbled as the more experienced Nephilim explained his preferences. So Roxanne knew this demon? And it seemed his colleagues were leaving this situation up to him. Gulp. "Like I needed your permission" Nick muttered in response to Roxanne. Hands still cuffed he couldn't do much, and his weapon was a large piece of wood. Great. As the demon whipped its chain towards him he yelped and tried to move back, wich was difficult in his position. The chain slashed across his chest, cutting the skin, but Nick was more worried about his clothes "That was my best tie!" Nick launched himself at the demon, he swiped at the creature with the bedpost and swooped behind him. Letting go of the post, he jumped onto the demon's back and brought his hands over its head, so the chain of the handcuffs was choking it.

She slapped him across the face, wonderful. It was glorious to see such an act of defiance, weakened by the poison "Heard of me have you?" Masque kneeled down to look the fairy in the eyes. He gently put his gloved finger on her lips "Oh, you knew my last muse. You must be so sad for her passing. Let me tell you a secret" He leaned down even closer "She was nothing before I arrived. I made her famous. She was a wreck, a drunk partying wreck whose life was filled with bad decisions. I captured her in her moment of perfection, and made her art" Slowly he began to lift up the mask to reveal a hideous mouth "You look like someone with regrets, burdens. Wouldn't it be lovely to let them... float away? When you are gone, people will relish their good memories of you. Memories are like photographs, they capture the most interesting moments" Masque opened his mouth wide, a faint trace of energy could be seen going from the fairy into Masque's mouth as he devoured her essence. He savored the emotions brought in from her, and licked his lips. Stepping back away again he replaced the mask, and wove in the air a perfect copy of the fairy. The illusion stood above Morrigan, looking towards the sky while the fairy looked towards the earth. He shifted the angle of the light on the pair and adjusted the illusion's position, he needed to get this perfect. Finally it was complete, and Masque took a picture to capture the beautifully disturbing sculpture. "Wonderful. Have you ever looked any better than this?"

 

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"Correction; I wouldn't have needed to tell everyone, if you hadn't let yourself become captured by a demon." Brianne spoke to Nick over the sounds of battle as she traced her stele through the air, performing a quick healing rune for Roxanne. It wouldn't do more then coagulate her blood and stop the wound from killing Roxanne, but it would have to be enough. The girl didn't deserve immediate attention for her indiscretion, though Brianne could hardly blame her. Still, she was hardly going to leave her post and let the demon escape.

Clearly Nick wasn't the only one who had lots to learn, but this wasn't the time nor the place. If he didn't have the skill to end the creature soon, Brianne would do it herself. They needed to get back to the Institute yesterday.

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Morrigan tried to scream and curse as as the warlock stole her very soul, or at least a part of it. Her will was the only thing that kept her sitting upright, hands clenching handfuls of grass in an effort to keep from falling over. "I refuse to die." She spat at the warlock's feet, trying to find the strength in her body to push herself to her feet, just as the moon revealed a small amount of its face, the light shining on her skin. She sucked in her breath, and with it, the power of the moon, drawing the strength from the foreign orb in order to stand. She had one shot at this, and only one.

It was ironic, or stupidity. Probably both. She drew her sword from the sheath tied to her dress, letting the blade shine in the moonlight as she gathered the little power she could. This last burst of defiance, this last call to the magic was likely to kill her. She could feel it accelerating the poison through her body, into her bloodstream and towards her heart. "For my sisters!" She hissed as the sword hummed, now glowing with its own light. And for me.

She stabbed towards Masque with the sword, aiming for his heart.

 

Nick stood up, wiping his brow. He'd done it, he'd beaten a demon! "Did you guys see that? I just beat a demon! A demon! of course, uh, i couldn't have done it if you guys hadn't shown up" Nick sat back, and looked down at the two human bodies that were still on the motel floor "Mystery solved I guess, but now there's a bigger mystery... what is this mortal cup thing? I feel like, uh, I should know what it is... but I may not have been paying attention..."

Masque relished her curses and defiance, so beautiful, there was something so very poetic about the way the soul clung on with determination against impossible odds. That was when she hissed a battlecry and stabbed towards him. Masque tried to stepped out of the way but the sword still cut him in the arm. He held the injured arm and hissed in pain "Why would you say "for my sisters" before attacking?" he screeched angrily "That just makes it obvious that you're attacking, are you an idiot? I don't want you to be an idiot, I want you to be my masterpiece, why does nobody live up to expectations?" Masque stomped his feet and cursed

Mama had not returned in a while. The child looked at the clock expectantly, perhaps she was simply busy. The child patiently waited at the dinner table. Every so often he would look up, to the tiny square of light coming from the basement door. She would return. She had to. The next time the child looked at the clock an hour has passed and mama had not returned. She was late, that was it. The child left the table and returned to his drawings, he had been trying to draw the potted plant in the corner of the room for the whole day, various attempts were spread across the floor, each a different and unique take on something that seemed simple. The child's gaze darted from the plant to his paper, he was dedicated to this picture, he felt like this could be the one, the perfect picture. Momentarily his eyes darted over the clock. Two hours had passed. This was such a shock the child twitched, leaving an ugly mark across the paper. For a moment he just stared at the mark. Ugly. Imperfection. Out of place. He ripped the paper in two and threw it away, and in that moment he understood. Mama had left him. He was ugly, imperfect, out of place. Who would want him? He looked up at the square of light in the basement door, a small part of him hoped she would return, but he knew she wouldn't. the child crumpled the to the floor, sobbing, tears falling to the floor. Another hour passed, the child sobbing on the floor. There was a knife in the kitchen, he knew. the child walked with depressed purpose, his steps heavy, his hands reaching for the serrated blade. These horns. They had to be removed.

Masque kicked the fairy "Stay. In. Position!" he commanded, shoving her back into place "Now stay there for when someone finds you" After this demand, he became invisible and wandered into a nearby bush, watching over whatever would happen next.