At the Abattoir, everyone was gathered in the open courtyard.
"Meeting is set for noon today," said Elijah.
"Good. You will go and represent me along with Tyler and any others you see fit to join you," said Klaus.
"I'll go," offered Kol.
Which Klaus immediately shut down, "No. You'll stay here where I can watch you."
Kol scowled but otherwise kept silent.
After Elijah picked a few hybrids to join him, he set off.
Klaus frowned, spotting Jackson cozying up to Hayley in the back again. "Jackson."
"Sir," answered Jackson, snapping to attention as Hayley frowned.
"Go check on Marcel and make sure he isn't doing anything foolish," said Klaus.
"Foolish, sir?" questioned Jackson.
"Like talking to those he shouldn't be talking to, or getting into fights with my brother without me," said Klaus.
"Understood," said Jackson, heading for the door.
"Think the Strix will target him?" asked Kol, guessing his intentions.
"It's a possibility, Tristan was always keen on politics, much like myself," said Klaus.
"Speaking of, I've been feeling left out of this line war. Where is my line?" asked Kol despondently.
"I hear you don't have much of one, due to your erratic behavior, and poor choice in those you let live, though there are rumors of some fringe groups of yours coming together, but I doubt it'll ever amount to anything of note," answered Klaus.
"Tch, whatever," said Kol, walking away.
…
Walking up to the large, expensive-looking house, Elijah turns to the others, "Wait here."
"They can wait here, but I'm coming with you," said Tyler.
Elijah stares at him, unsure how to feel about him being nothing more than a slave to Klaus's whims. "Do what you must," he said, walking towards the door.
"Keep watch," said Tyler to the others before following him.
Just as the door opened and the invitation for Elijah began to sound, a blur rushed past Tyler, stabbing Elijah from behind and propelling him inside as the universal invite went out, "Come in."
And Elijah howled as he was lifted into the air by the silver dagger in his back, his four limbs dangling uselessly as he managed to turn his head in time to see Finn's smirk before losing consciousness.
"Long time no see Elijah, about time one of you fuckers left the nest," said Finn, dropping his cold corpse on the ground. His eyes moved towards the stunned warlock.
With a grin, he grabbed the warlock by the throat, cutting off whatever he was about to say, and crushed it.
A few more witches and warlocks inside came to see what the disturbance was, like lambs to the slaughter as he zoomed down the corridor, tearing into them, quickly turning the place into a house of horrors.
Tyler rushed to the door but bounced off, having been too far away to receive the invite. "Elijah! Fuck, someone invite me in!" he yelled, pounding on the invisible barrier, just short of reaching him. The other three hybrids running up to his side.
.
Inside a room at the back of the house waited the regent, Josephine LaRue.
An older woman in her late 60s, standing at 5'6". Her most striking features are her ice-blue eyes. Due to a hex cast on her by her mother, her hands were so swollen and arthritic that she had lost much of her fine motor abilities in her fingers. She was always dressed regally in a formal dress and shawl with her auburn hair styled in a sleek updo. Her signature fashion accessory was the ribbon choker in pastel colors that she typically wore around her neck. She was a fan of cool colors and was usually seen wearing shades of green, blue, purple, and black.
She sat in an antique gold chair, sipping tea, when she heard the screams. Setting her cup down on the small table beside her, she patiently waited for her end, already resigned to her fate as soon as she heard of Elijah's defeat.
"Regent, we should flee," said one of her terrified aides.
"I'm afraid I'm too old for that. Flee out the back while you can, I'll be staying here," said Josephine calmly.
"Regent, please, while there's still time," urged the aide.
"Better hurry, he's not far now," said Josephine.
Her aides fled for their lives as the door opened, revealing Finn's bloody form.
"You must be the Regent I've heard so much about. Davina sends her regards," said Finn, casually strolling in. Taking time to look at the paintings now that he was sure she wouldn't flee.
"Ah, yes, that was an unfortunate incident, and you must be Finn Mikaelson," she said, picking her tea back up when it was clear he wasn't going to straight up murder her.
"So, you're lot thinks sacrificing young girls is nothing more than unfortunate?" asked Finn, wiping a bloody finger on a painting, putting a smile on one of the faces.
She sighed, "That was an original."
"Apologies, I fail to see the family resemblance," said Finn bemusedly, then proceeded to poke a hole in it and rip it apart.
"Is that better?" asked Finn disdainfully, sitting opposite her.
"What do you want?" asked Josephine, finishing her tea.
"Let's start with Davina. I think you owe that girl answers," said Finn.
"That girl, as you so eloquently put, is a disaster waiting to happen if the ritual isn't completed," Josephine warned, sitting back with an air of authority.
"And while I may lament the way it took place under my watch, the hole her failed sacrifice has created is sucking all the magic out of the land. It's only a matter of time before the land around us begins to wither and die," said Josephine.
"That's not an answer," said Finn, unconcerned.
"...The French Quarter Coven was overly ambitious. Feeling their strength was sufficient enough to warrant the risk, they decided on a ritual to take them to the next step, to put them on par with the big covens, or so they thought," Josephine scoffed.
"If I had known what they were up to, I would have stopped it," said Josephine.
"Is that your way of begging me to spare you?" questioned Finn.
Josephine smirked, "No, you strike me as a very determined man, Mr. Finn. And correct me if I'm wrong, one who hates both witches and vampires."
Finn grinned mockingly, "You're a smart one, tell me what gave it away?"
"Oh, come now, the way you indiscriminately kill us speaks volumes, though I would ask you to spare Davina, I doubt she has much longer to live with the over abundant magic that's been forced upon her, it'd be best if she spent her last moments happy before you complete the ritual," said Josephine.
Finn snorted at her bold assumption, and said with a sneer, "You don't have to worry about her, or this land anymore." he growled the last part, vanishing from his seated position, flashing in front of her, chopping her head off.
"Shit!" Finn cursed as he realized he had just likely killed the last owner of this place. Speeding back to the front door to find Elijah's body gone.
Running out, he gave chase.
.
"Tyler! I hear him coming!" yelled one of the hybrids.
"We should remove the dagger!" shouted another.
"No! If we remove the dagger, Elijah will try to fight him, and then we'll be stuck out here in the open battling with no backup against Klaus's wishes," Tyler reasoned.
"We won't get far carrying him like this; there are too many people in the way," said the hybrid as they sprinted through the streets, avoiding cars and people as best they could.
The crowds gazed in wonder at the unusual sight, uncertain of what they were observing.
His mind racing with options, Tyler gritted his teeth, "You two, try and slow him down."
Their faces hardened as they complied, turning about to face the oncoming storm.
.
Spotting the two hybrids, Finn charged right through them, throwing off their attempts to hold him down as he continued the chase.
However, the two hybrids weren't done with him yet as they took up pursuit.
Frustratingly, Finn had to slow down more than once to avoid hitting a car or pedestrians. In contrast, the hybrids had no qualms about bulldozing them down, leaving screams of confused hurt, terrified people behind.
When one of the hybrids came within reach, Finn spun around, catching his extending arm and head, slamming him face first into a parked car on the side of the street, shattering glass and denting metal before taking off again while dodging the second one's tackle, making him crash into the same car as his partner.
.
"He's back," said the hybrid to Tyler's left, checking behind them.
"The French Quarter isn't far now; take him. I got this," said Tyler, handing off Elijah.
"Alright, good luck," said the hybrid speeding on ahead as Tyler spun around.
Taking a football stance, fangs extended, Tyler charged Finn with a defiant roar.
Ignoring him, Finn tried to go around with minimal effort, which was a mistake as Tyler, after years of field practice as a Cornerback/Safety, became one of the best defensive backs the Mystic Falls Timberwolves ever had. There was no way Finn would get by him without a fight.
Having his pitiful stiff arm defense bypassed, Finn found himself unexpectedly caught as Tyler drove him into an oncoming vehicle, where they were both hit and flung away.
Getting back to his feet, Finn was then tackled by one of the pursuing hybrids. Catching him by the waist, he picked him up and piledrived him into the street head first, obliterating it. A move he learned from watching wrestling on TV.
Standing again, Finn glanced over at Tyler, who was ready for round two, when suddenly, the hybrid dropped to the ground screaming in agony, clutching at his ears. A pain he remembered all too well.
Surprised, Finn looked around, noticing a few others dotted throughout the crowd experiencing something similar.
He then turned his attention to where the hybrid who took Elijah had escaped into the French Quarter in the distance with one of his silver daggers.
"Well, shit, that's annoying," he grumbled, wondering what to do next. His eyes landed back on Tyler.