Brianne sighed, rubbing her temples. "Thank you Rhett. Hendrik will be in charge of hunting Masque. I find myself called back to the Institute." She turned to Hendrik, clasping his shoulder with one hand as she passed by. "I hope you'll have no problem working with him." She told the other Shadowhunter. "And I hope we can rejoin you as quickly as possible. "May the Angel watch over you." She told him, as she turned away, beckoning with two fingers towards the second Shadowhunter. "Come on Roxanne. I want to get this over and done with." The kindness had left her voice, replaced with irritation. She really didn't mean to, but something about the other girl just set her off. Brianne tried to compose her face as she walked out of Pandemonium, ignoring the small groupings of Downworlders as she made her way into the backstreets, and back towards the Institute. Morrigan's lips tightened, and she turned her head away. "Please, leave her covered. She deserves to be remembered as she was, not as she is. I do not want her mother and sisters to see her this way." she said to Ash. She lowered her hands, though her eyes remained turned away. "I did not know her as a friend, but each of the Fey knows another. We aren't such a large society that we don't know each of our names, or our faces." She lifted her hand up, and a small bat dropped from the sky, alighting on her fingertips. She smiled gently, and tickled the head of the creature as it hung upside down, before whispering gently to it. The words that passed her lips were from no language she had ever read, nor one she had ever been taught. Morrigan called it "magic-speak", the ability to talk to other species besides the ones that could speak words. She was one of the few amongst the Seelie Court who retained this gift, another reason they were calling for her swift marriage. Magic among the Fey could be passed down to children, or grandchildren, with the right breeding, of course. But now wasn't the time to dwell on her fate. The bat nudged against against her finger, and squeaked in response before dropping, and swooping back into the night. He would find the right people, the safe people. "I'm afraid I must ask a favor." She murmured to Ash, tucking a strand of hair behind her pointed ear. "I need help carrying her body to the edge of our land. The pond in Central Park. I will ensure you are rewarded for your time, or that of your lackey's. Once we arrive there, the others will take her home. Please, will you help me?" The favor of a fairy was a heavy thing to offer, and Morrigan prayed it was enough.
Kala slowed down, her head whirling a little bit. Taking that man's energy.....she wanted to drop to the ground and cry, kicking and screaming to whoever lived in the skies that she hadn't meant to, she hadn't tried to hurt anyone. It was so unfair, that for her to live others had to suffer. "The Shards of Hope?" She responded to Timothy, her voice breathless from the exercise. "If you think that's what would be good...." She hugged herself, shivering as the unknown man's life force was converted into her own. The process itself took time, days, but it was uncomfortable. "Then let's go. Maybe they can show me how to stop hurting people." She agreed. Veera's eyes narrowed, and she lowered her gaze. See, she's not a true Alpha. She doesn't know how to lead. She should only follow. Maybe follow us. No, Ashleigh would never submit to that. Nor did Veera want her to. Then let's go, on our own. We won't be missed. She's busy with the newcomers, and that girl, she's dangerous. She might try to come back later. She might have been testing to see how strong we are. And we failed. Veera clenched her hands, then stalked in the direction the girl had run. Before long she started running, the wolf instinct overtaking her better judgement. The girl had a headstart, but she didn't have Veera's senses, or stamina. And the hunt was afoot.
Seth wouldn't do those things. He couldn't. Tears welled up in Tessa's eyes, but she kept her gaze firmly fixed on the crackling flames. Then why did he run? Didn't he know I would have believed him? Her vision blurred, then cleared as the droplets fell from her eyes, streaming silently down her cheeks, before dropping to the ground, one by one. He thought I would believe this man. Because the truth always comes out. It was something Bryce had said to her, before telling her that he had killed the witcher who had destroyed her parents. According to the witcher, she now had a choice. Remain in safety, or go back. "I've been safe all my life. I'm tired of being safe. I'm going to find Seth, and if what you say is the truth, then I'm going to hear it from him. I'll be able to tell if he lies." She wiped her cheeks with one hand carelessly. "I won't give up until I find him and hear him say it. He owes me that." And then she was going to find Bryce, and she was going to tell him she was leaving. She had had enough of this city. Enough of this life. And if she died trying to find a new one, then that was it. But she was done being protected, and then left behind. "I'm done." she whispered, shutting her eyes against the light of the fire. The next few hours passed in darkness, as the stars in the sky slowly drifted over the land. Eventually, the sun began to rise above the horizon, shedding pinks, purples and yellows as it fought with the moon for control of the sky. It was this day that would decide the fate of many. Hardly any of them knew it; from the dopplers arming themselves in the undercity of Sanctuary, to the farmers already at work in the fields, to the priests that ran the morning bells. In the northern part of the city, five or so men traveled with their heads held high, no fear in their eyes. They were armed to the teeth, and dressed for the wilds. Many turned away in fear, others in reverence. Witch hunters. The words were on the lips of all they passed. The rivals of the witchers themselves, scourge of the darkness, and enemy of all things nonhuman. They had a specific destination in mind, a certain part of the lower city, where a man waited with what he claimed were prizes beyond their imagination. The man had never lied, and the witch hunters were eager to let the blood begin flowing from their prey. Veera's golden eyes shone in the sunlight as she watched the sun rise. She slowly stood from her kneeling position, her muscles stretching as the wind tugged at her hair. It had been a struggle to try to meditate. It wasn't the strange surroundings, or the cold. It had been her own thoughts that had disturbed her rest. She turned, waiting for Aaron to wake. While Raymond had been a gracious host, they needed to get into the city and search for their allies. If they failed that, they had to find some of their own in the townspeople. It was their city the dopplers were going to raize to the ground, after all. She was fairly certain that, given the right words, they would be persuaded to help her defend their homes and families. "Aaron." She murmured softly. "It's time." Ana grimaced as the sun hit her eyes, and shielded them with her hand before opening them. Her head ached, and judging by how weak she felt, her magic had been rendered useless. She looked down at the cold metal around her legs, yanking on them gently as her skull throbbed with the sound of the chains when they clinked. They were so cold it nearly burned her skin, and she shuddered as she recognized the feel of dimeritium. Teliana was not alone, she realized, as she sat up from the floor. Another man, presumably a mage, was also chained to the floor, in a cage next to hers. As she crawled towards the bars, her hands flashed in and out of spots of light on the floor. How long was I unconscious? She wondered, grabbing the bars with her hands, and then yanking them back, hissing as it nearly seared her skin. "Who are you?" she asked the mage, her voice weak. "Why are we here?" Tessa blinked, then tried to stand, and nearly fell over. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but while sitting in front of the fire, she must have dozed off. Her eyes felt swollen, and she touched them with cold fingers before lowering her hands, and unclasping the cloak from around her shoulders, folding it and laying it next to the sitting witcher. She couldn't tell if he too, had fallen asleep sitting up, or if he was just ignoring her, but it didn't matter. She turned to look at the city of Oxenfurt, her home, from across the river. She needed to go back, and find Seth. She needed to say goodbye to Bryce. And then she needed to leave, for good. Bryce was leaning on the doorway outside. He had been ignoring his captives since dawn. As long as they weren't dead, they were useful. Honestly, even if they were dead, he was sure the witch hunters could find use of them. And speaking of the devil, he saw the familiar figures come down. The leader was someone he had been dealing with for years. They had an understanding, one that worked for both of them. Bryce stepped forward, bowing in an almost mocking fashion towards them. "Good morning, gentlemen. Have you reached a consensus on who you'll be taking?" He smiled, though he didn't show his teeth, nor his genuine feelings with the act. "If you're only taking one, then you must have brought the dimeritium collar I require for keeping a pet mage." He didn't see it among them, but they could very well have it hidden, to keep him guessing. Witch hunters were tricky like that. "So, what'll it be? One, or two? I have business that requires tending to after this, and as you know, it's urgent." Zack yawned, covering his mouth before stretching his arms. He had fallen asleep some time after Bryce had taken the unconscious woman inside the house. The doppler must have returned some time while he had been sleeping, but the man and the woman were not in his immediate sight. Zack cursed his careless, and crouched, ignoring his aching muscles. Bryce was meeting people, who smelt of danger. Witch hunters. Zack had seen them plenty of times before, at the burnings, walking the streets, and tearing dopplers, even women and children, away from their homes, tying them to the wooden stakes. But why was Bryce dealing with them? A cold pit began to grow in Zack's stomach as he settled down to watch.
Teliana tilted her head to the side, confused by Alanna's grin, when a sudden pain to the back of her head stunned her. As her vision slowly blackened, she cursed her stupidity and her naivety before losing all conscious thought. I should have known coming back was a mistake. Bryce looked outside the window, and smiled a true smile. "I'll let you consider that offer, then." He told Zephyr, before stepping outside, and shutting the door behind him. "I see that you've had luck." And his own luck improved as a result. "I'll take that, before she decides to wake up." He took the limp mage girl from Adolin and none too gently, carried her inside, shoving the door aside with his shoulder. "Looks like you have company." He told Zephyr as he shoved Teliana in the cell next door, shackling her ankles before shutting the cell door, and walking back out towards the doppler and mage. "I'll have to summon my buyers, I doubt they'll be here before dawn." He produced a piece of paper, which he handed to Adolin. "My people will find you with your share of the payment, but should you have any issues, this is where you can find me. Of course, my people will also take instructions on what I need to do to fulfill my side of the bargain. You're welcome to wait for the witch hunters, of course, but your companion...might be better served elsewhere." Bryce shrugged. "I can only promise my own people's safety, not hers. These fellows are a snippy bunch...but I'm sure you understand." Bryce shook Adolin's hand, nodded to Alanna, and then turned to make sure the door to the house was locked before heading down the street. He had a buyer to call, and this time, he had more then one present to give. Tessa shivered as her eyes met the witcher's. Almost a week. She wanted to reply, but something about those eyes made her decide that it wasn't the wisest course to sass a witcher. She didn't have Bryce or Seth to protect her anymore. She didn't have her dagger, lost in the river. She didn't even have anywhere to run to, because Veceslav would surely catch her. She had no one. She had nothing. She walked to the very edge of the fire's light, and sank to the ground once more, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping the cloak around herself, covering everything below the neck. She pressed her lower face against her kneecaps and stared into the flames, trying to lose herself in the colors. Just to get through this night, towards whatever her future might hold, should she survive.
Kala wasn't quite sure where she was running, or really what she was running to. That's all she knew how to do. Run run run run run. Keep running. Her head down, cloak streaming in the wind, she didn't plan on stopping.
Teliana shifted."He's a character. You know...I should probably go find him. I'm sure he just went and got lost somewhere." She tried to smile, but really, it had been too long. Either Vyle was getting into trouble...or she was. "It was nice meeting you, though." she said, getting to her feet and brushing off her clothes. "I hope you enjoy your stay here." She held out her hand to shake Alanna's. "May the gods watch over you." She worried that Vyle had gone and done something he shouldn't. Honestly, he shouldn't have just left her behind to begin with. Men. Tessa shrugged out of Veceslav's grasp, sullenly staring out across the water. He wasn't coming back. He had left her. Those two thoughts were all that circled her brain, accompanied only by one other. "I'm considered a monster for existing." Seth's words. Well, if he was a monster, then she was too, wasn't she? Just a weak monster, too naive to take care of herself. It was funny, out of everything he had said, that was what she remembered. She knew there had been good things, and probably other bad things, but of everything, it was this one that ran in circles like a crazed dog. She could sense that Veceslav was still there, hovering. It made her angry, and anxious. Why had he been the one who stayed? Why couldn't it have been him that had run, and Seth that had stayed, pointing out the stars to her and showing her how to start a fire? Because we're monsters. Monsters don't get to be happy. This was a new train of thought, and one that she didn't want to continue. The path that it followed led somewhere dark. Somewhere angry and hurt and bad. Suddenly, she couldn't take being followed, being cared for, being weak. This anger reared its head, but instead of turning on Seth, it turned on the witcher. "Leave me ALONE!" She curled her fist and whipped around, aiming to punch the witcher in the face. At least then he might leave her here.
Kara remained strangely silent on the way to the lodging. Once there, she waited until everyone had spoken or been served before slipping away. Working through her crowd, her fingers lifted the coins from several pockets, until she had enough for an ale. Which she promptly ordered, and began sipping away at, her fingers drumming on the wooden cup. Wolfie and Hawk were getting along now. Doe Eyes seemed alright, and Mouse was...being a mouse. Bi-Shrya was being miserly, but Kara had never known the rich to be anything else. She supposed that was good, but it wasn't what concerned. No, what concerned her was the number of people who had tried to aide her after she had been bitten. Setting her tankard down, she lifted her pant leg just enough to check that the bite no longer remained. The skin looked a little inflamed, but none the worse for wear. There had been Tessa's strange flower..... Everything she could have taken for granted, ignored, or just denied it happened. But now it was kind of hitting her a little hard. She was in a strange place, with strange people, who for some reason kept her alive. It wasn't like that in the guild. It had never been like that, anywhere. She frowned before swallowing more of the bittersweet liquid. So what was the catch? There had to be one. The air inside the inn was suddenly quite stuffy, the walls looking like they were closing in. Time for a break. "I"m going to go find the rooms!" She announced brightly, finishing her ale and walking off as quickly as she could. Of course she had no idea what rooms they would be, but right now she just needed some space to think. And maybe steal a few things while she was at it. Tessa remained normally silent on the way to the lodging, deep in her thoughts. Shyra was right, it was strange that the spiders had been so far from their homes. The question wasn't why, but who had persuaded them to do it? If someone had taken their caves from them, it might force them to wander. She brooded until they reached the inn, where she further brooded, ignoring all else as she took a seat at the table. It wasn't until Kara announced her intent that she blinked, and looked around. The soup.....if that could be called soup, was sitting in front of her. She drank the water gratefully, but hesitated to eat the foreign food. Honestly, her stomach was still twisting a little after the crunching sound that spider had made....No, she wouldn't think about that. She would instead, observe how these people interacted. It would maybe help her in future travels. Bryce walked awkwardly for a while, just following Sanderson. His attempts to act normal were working (or so he thought), until they arrived at the inn. "Uh......do you have the buns with cinnamon and raisins?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck with gauntleted hands. Ow. "Just because..no one has them, so..." He blinked, and flushed a little, before pulling his helmet off and letting his hair breathe a little. "If you don't...I guess any kind of fruit would be good. As long as it doesn't look like a monster. Like those...dragon fruits. Those things look weird." You're prattling. His mind told him, and he promptly shut his mouth.
Remy was getting frustrated, but kept his cool, and used his Explosive Inducement. Kara was growing increasingly angry, and couldn't wait to get out of this frozen prison. They would all pay. Tessa nearly screamed, before using her martial arts again. They hadn't had an enemy that was this frustrating and over powered, as her health slowly drained away. She wasn't sure she would make it if the battle didn't turn in their favor, soon.
Veera cautiously walked through the ruined streets. She had found an..."unused" scout blade, which she had taken for her own. Another search had procured new maneuvering gear. She was nowhere near ready to take on a titan, but she could defend herself against any of the people of this city. It didn't escape her attention that had things been different, she would have been one of them, possibly watching the captain torture another girl from Kantya. What a strange twist it was, that her own people, were the ones who inflicted the worst pain upon her. Not my people anymore. She reminded herself. Walking down the street, Veera realized she recognized where she was. Almost against her will, she was drawn to a particular house on the street. It looked nearly the same as it had years ago, although the hole in the roof was new. Glancing around, she didn't hear anything, or see anyone. She was alone. Veera stepped inside the doorway, pushing the ajar door aside. Zack took a deep breath. Well, they would just have to wait the drunkenness out. He had no magic, and Adelina was in no shape to use any of hers. "It's something that can wait." The quickest way, was either to guzzle water, or sleep. As he had no water, it seemed sleep might be the only idea. "Why don't you close your eyes?" He suggested softly, making his way back towards the fairy girl. "We might as well grab some rest while we can." And she didn't look far off from sleep. "Here, I'll sit with you." He offered, placing himself next to her. "I'll watch over you while you sleep." Tessa was surprised that Gale kept his word, and stayed with her. A part of her, the emotional part, wanted to try to figure this out, understand it. The more logical part told herself that now was not the time. Up ahead, the titans waited. She took a deep breath, then sprang forward, running along the wall before leaping up into the air, and landing on the shoulder of a titan. As it turned to look at her, she blinked, and for a moment, her mind faltered. "Uh.....hi." Then up came the hand, and instinct made her jump up, just in time to avoid it as the creature slammed its palm down. It stumbled from the impact of its own hit, before coming towards her, the other arm outstretched. She swung back and around, landing once more on its shoulder. Swinging her blades down, she cut at the neck...and missed. Cursing herself, she reattached her maneuvering gear to a nearby building and took off. Kala fought the titans with Galadorn.
Veera tilted her head, and gently poked the corner of the man's jaw with the blade, before sighing, and withdrawing it. "Well then you should watch it. People are getting upset around here, and if you thought my response was hostile, just wait until you see the riot." She rubbed her neck, glancing from one side to another. "Well, come with me. I can't just let a newcomer run around without at least a little protection." She started off towards the other side of town. "Don't feel obligated, but I'm not sticking around to watch the wealthy get ripped into pieces by the poor. When they go mad, there's no counting on which side they'll put you." Kara sighed with relief, before gently blowing on the fire, and letting it hang in the air while she began to pick the lock. "My name is Kara. We're both prisoners, I don't know who took us. They need us alive for whatever their purposes are, but I don't want to stick around and find out what it is, do you?" She focused her attention solely on the lock, hoping the girl was at least coherent enough to watch her back while she did so. "There." She said with some satisfaction as the lock opened. She yanked it off the door and opened it before stepping back. "Now you're free to go. I don't know about you, but I'm getting out of here."
Teliana ignored the discomfort in her knees as she sipped from the stream, wiping the back of her hand against her mouth when she had finished. It was peaceful here; the green trees, quietly burbling stream, the song of birds. She knew she couldn't stay forever, but she wanted to. She wanted to give up, and just try to find a place to spend the rest of her days. To keep fighting, to try to keep searching...it was exhausting, and taking a toll on her. She knew she had the beginnings of crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, despite her young age, and the circles underneath them never seemed to leave no matter how much sleep she tried to get. Maybe one day, she could rest. One day soon, hopefully. But for now, she was better served moving on. Getting to her feet, she ran her fingers through her hair, and started off.
Veera watched with something close to a smile as Xara began to wade through the heartless. The girl clearly hadn't been at this very long. And the strange man....she didn't wan tto trust anyone but Xara right now, but they didn't have a choice. If the man was going to help them, then she was going to have to just go along with it for now. But that didn't mean she would keep her back to him. The old man, their current enemy, had mentioned that he was part of an "Order." Veera's memory searched itself for any sign or mention of the word before, but all it conjured was an ominous feeling that she and Xara had somehow stepped into something much bigger then either of them could really have imagined. She wanted to question this newcomer, try to understand what was going on, but right now, her other talents were needed. Stepping forward with her keyblade out to the side, she took a deep breath as the heartless surrounded her. Shutting her eyes, she imagined a peaceful beach, the crystalline waves lapping on the sandy shore as seagulls cried around her, and the emerald green palm tree leaves gently waved in the wind. A true smile curved her lips as her eyes opened, emotionless. She whirled, cutting the five heartless in a circle before leaping up into the air, and rocketing back down, keyblade smacking against the ground first to create a small earthquake that knocked out a sixth.
Valar Morghulis.
I like all my characters though..........I'd rather pick two or three, and have them be my main. Two at the very least. But otherwise that sounds like a fun idea.
Kara stuck her seraph blade in the ground, looking down at the body of the spider with some satisfaction as she leaned on the weapon. "Well...that takes care of that." She cast a cursory glance over the rest of their party, just to make sure everyone was still standing. Mostly because if someone had to be carried, she wanted to escape that particular duty. "Damn." She commented at the sight of the spider, crushed by his comrade. "Strategical of you, Wolfie." Next came her own injury. She examined the healed skin with something close to admiration. Close. "Doe Eyes, I gotta say, you know your flowers. Might be a useful girl to keep around, even after this." She winked at the smaller girl, who had ignored her words and wandered over to the pile of spiders. Kara shrugged, yanking her blade out of the ground and tossing her hair over her shoulder. "So what now?" Tessa had winced when the spider had landed on its brethren, and now that it seemed the coast was clear, she called her flower back into the earth, retracting her powers with a flick of her wrist before wandering over to the pile of arachnid bodies. Kara was speaking to her, but her mind ignored the words. It was likely she wouldn't miss much, anyway. She knelt beside the bodies, biting her lip as she hesitantly touched one of the legs, stroking the delicate fibers along the joints. "I'm sorry." She whispered to both of them sadly. It was true, the spiders had attacked first, but had she been in their place, she would have wanted some empathy. "I hope you leave this world peacefully and that your souls find rest in the next life." She would have said the words over the body next to Kara, but she had a feeling the girl would make a huge deal out of it, and well, Tessa didn't think that was necessary. Just because they had been enemies didn't mean the spiders didn't deserve a good death either. Part of her was a little upset that Conrad hadn't let the last one escape. She found no honor in killing fleeing enemies, unless she was starving and they were prey. She knew if it hadn't been him, someone else would have killed the creature, but it would have been easier to be mad at someone else, for some reason.
The sound of a sword being drawn forced Tessa's senses into hyper alert mode. By the time she had sat up, it was clear the words she had spoken in her half conscious state had caused a storm to break. "Girl? What girl?" Tessa asked, looking from Veceslav to Seth. "Seth, what's he talking about?" She stood, wavering on her feet, cloak clutched around her body with one hand. "Seth is innocent, he wouldn't hurt anyone!" She protested, stepping towards the tense pair with the intention of getting in between them, calming them down. Clearly this was just a misunderstanding, Seth would never do anything wrong. And the witcher had been nice so far, saving her and then caring for her further. That was when Seth bolted, jumping into the river before she could open her mouth to scream. It wasn't until he had reached the far bank that she stumbled to the edge of the river, dropping to her knees as the water lapped at her still wet clothing. "SETH!" She screamed, the force of the sound tearing at her throat as she stared at the far bank, tears joining the water of the river. "Please don't leave me!" She begged, even as the figure got further away. Please don't leave me like my parents did. But he had, and he continued to run further away, until she lost sight of his figure in the darkness. Tessa's knees began to ache, and then go numb, and her legs started to tingle, the nerves protesting the strange angle, but she couldn't find the strength to move, hoping that with each passing second he would come back, laughing, saying it was all a joke. And each passing second, turning into minutes, only brought her more heartache. Seth hadn't died, the way her parents had died, but he had left her behind just as much as they had. Just as alone. The mage was awake, and speaking. Bryce looked over at him with disdain, running a cleaning cloth over his prized silver sword. "That would be the obvious assumption, wouldn't it?" He replied, turning his gaze back down to the sword. One cut wouldn't kill him, but a slice across the wrist, or the right vein, would be problematic. He didn't speak until he was done, before sheathing the sword and tossing the cloth onto a small table. "I wouldn't take it personally. Could have been anyone that my birds told me about. But it was just the god's own luck that it was you." He leaned back against the doorway, eyes lowering. "You might want to prepare yourself, lad. Get some more sleep. You probably won't be getting any of that, or the other necessities. For a while. If you decide to be unhelpful, and I have to give you to the witch hunters, that is." This was a new development, really. If the two failed to bring him Teliana, then he would have a hard time trying to get the witch hunters to let him keep Zephyr. But he had only promised them one captive. To be fair, he hadn't even promised a mage. Just a subject, ready for torture, to provide information. He could think of a number of people that could supply those needs. But only a handful he could get before dawn. All the same, if this mage wanted to be useful, and would help him demolish the witchers, he was fairly sure he could bargain with the witch hunters. Depending on what happened with the woman.
Brianne's conversation with Hendrik was cut short by Roxanne's appearance. Brianne made sure to take one long, deep breath, in order to keep herself from trying to murder the fellow Shadowhunter. "Unless, you would be willing to take Roxanne back to the Institute, and I'll follow the trail." She kept her gaze empty, her voice blank. She would not beg another Nephilim to take her place. It was her job, as Head of the Institute, to keep control of the Shadowhunters and keep in contact with the Clave. As much as she would rather be out here, hunting the rogue warlock, she knew where she belonged. That didn't mean she wouldn't let another take her place, if they desired. The place they should have gotten, instead of her. It was then, that Rhett entered her radius of attention. "Ash's.....friend." She introduced him to Hendrik, completely ignoring whether Roxanne was paying attention. "Are you here to assist us?" She asked, hands on her hips. Morrigan gracefully sidestepped to avoid running into Arachea before inclining her head. "Arachea. You were looking for me?" she inquired politely, her hands clasped in front of her. "You may follow me, if you wish, but...something terrible has happened. One of Fair Folk's life was interrupted far too soon, and I am going to collect her remains. She should be put in her final resting place with our people. Not left to rot in an unmarked, glamoured grave." It was debatable whether fairies' bodies could even rot, but Morrigan wasn't in the mood for semantics. Assuming that Arachea would follow, she turned and walked away, her bare feet touching the cold ground as lightly as though she was made of air. Finally she came to scene. A figure stood near the body, and for a singular moment Morrigan had a fear that the vampires had come to taste Fey blood. She darted forward, putting herself in-between the body of the girl and the figure. He was a man, that much was clear. "I'm here for my sister. She belongs with her kind in her final moments. Do not make me fight you for this." The last sentence was a plea to Ash. She wouldn't be afraid to call the plants alive around her. The mundanes would be turned away by the glamour of Pandemonium, even here on the sidewalk, but that wasn't her concern. She was far from the least powerful fairy, but she hadn't yet grown her wings. Escaping if things went wrong would be...problematic.
The narrator, presumably.
This had turned into one hell of a day. First he met a man, who was housing his enemies. Then said enemies had attacked his base, his Sanctuary. After, he had run into a woman who had an interesting and powerful friend, and who seemed to be a mage herself. Finally, he had found his quarry, under the attack of yet another, and obviously more powerful mage. The only thing more surprising would be the gods walking through the streets or a dragon falling from the sky. Please gods, not at night.He prayed, hoping they didn't think his thoughts were a sign of temptation. Finally, the battle appeared to be over. Or at least, stale mated. As the second mage disappeared, Bryce made a mental note of his direction; while this information could be useful, it would also be helpful in making sure he didn't run into the fellow while going down that particular dark alley. Now was the time to strike, while his quarry was weak. Bryce hopped down, off the ledge, and crept up behind the fellow. "Some battle, eh?" Bryce commented with a small smile. "I suppose you're tired." His hand slipped into his back pocket, where the cloth the alchemist had given him was stowed. "Let me help you." With that, the doppler grabbed the mage's neck, forcing his face forward as his other hand grabbed the cloth and covered the mage's nose and mouth. He had done this hundreds of times, and the ease of practice gave him a little more security. Most took one big breath while they were surprised, inhaling the chemical composition quickly. Some took a little longer to fall under the sleep of the herbs. Regardless, Bryce held the mage down, counting down the five minutes in his head. No one would be able to hold their breath longer then that. After he was done, he let Zephyr's body drop to the ground, stowing the cloth away with a sigh before slinging the man's body over his shoulder, as his own body morphed into a slightly larger version of himself. Really, the witcher he had killed had been a big man, and Bryce used that strength to tow Zephyr down the streets, into a small, dilapidated house. It had once been an apartment of sorts, for a doppler. Now it held cages, three. Zephyr went into the first one, none too gently, before his ankle was shackled to the ground, and the door locked behind him. Bryce watched him for a while, before turning to wait by the door. Now, he just needed Alodin and Alanna to deliver their part. Then, he would be ready. Then he could prepare to bring down the witchers, once and for all. Zack waited outside, hiding in one of the alleyways. He had seen Bryce, leaving with the man hung over his back like the carcass of a deer. It wouldn't be unlike Bryce to help a drunken or hurt man get help, or home, but just as Zack had nearly walked up to him, Bryce's form began to change. It wasn't someone he recognized, but the yellow eyes made Zack jump back, into the safety of the shadows. Bryce had forbid the mimicry of a witcher, so why was he doing it now? Something felt hollow in the pit of Zack's stomach, and he resigned himself to silently follow Bryce, watching as the doppler he trusted tossed the unconscious man into a cell, shackling him to prevent escape, before settling to wait. Zack crouched on the balls of his feet, and waited. Something wasn't right, and he would see exactly what it was.
"Oh, that's generous of you, but I don't think my companion or I will be staying that long." She hoped, anyway. "Just a quick trip to pay a visit to his friend. He hasn't seen him in so long, and I felt...obliged." Ana replied to Alanna with a small smile. "He doesn't need much sleep, besides." A small sigh escaped her as she remembered the last time she had slept. It had been...too long. Perhaps Vyle would be obliged after this stop to let her rest her eyes for a little. Not only because her body, well, needed it, but her magic needed time and rest to replenish. The fire inside of her was already dangerously low, with the opening of the portals. Something she definitely needed to work on. Then something struck her. "I thought you said you hadn't been here for a while. But you have a house. You must be rich to afford such things." She commented, her hands resting on the stone wall. Why, in fact, had this girl come to talk to her? Walking around in the middle of the night? Not many women did that, women of good reputation, anyway. Tessa watched Seth and Veceslav interact back and forth, before curling up as close to the fire as she could. Veceslav had asked her name, but....for some reason, she didn't want to give it. And Seth seemed to be handling the man fine on his own. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just rest her eyes for a little bit. Resting her hand on her head, she let her eyelids flutter shut. "I thought you said you could wrap witchers around your little finger, Seth." She murmured sleepily. "He doesn't look like he's very....wrapped." Her sentence was paused by a yawn.
