Back down on the street, Finn and Rayna were still going at it.
Unbeknownst to him, she had three lives left, something she was keenly aware of as she fought him.
Her eyes constantly flickering in all directions for somebody else to kill to refill the stone's power.
Finn sighed, "It's starting to feel like you don't even want to fight anymore," he said, batting away another weak strike, nearly getting another kill as she desperately rolled away, slashing at his legs.
Hopping back, Finn dove back in as she got back to her feet with a flurry of blows, keeping her off balance.
Stumbling back into a parked car, she rolled over the hood to escape, giving her some much-needed breathing room.
As he zoomed around, she tore off the car's front door to use as a makeshift shield to help combat his overwhelming dual-wielding skills. Blocking his next strike as the car alarm went off, making them both wince in annoyance.
"Shall we take this somewhere else?" Finn offered generously.
"Let's," Rayna agreed instantly, taking off without a moment's notice, giving her the chance to search for his group, not wanting to resort to something she'd regret.
Finn scowled when he saw which direction she took and quickly gave chase.
"Where the fuck you think you're going?" He growled from behind when the alarm was no longer in earshot.
"Thought I'd give you a break, seeing how you're bleeding everywhere," quipped Rayna without stopping.
"You're jokes do nothing to lessen the fear in your voice," Finn taunted.
"Fear? This is called strategy. I'll admit you're a tough son of a bitch, but if you think I'm going to sit there and keep letting you kill me when I can be doing other stuff while you slowly weaken, you've got another thing coming," said Rayna unperturbed, throwing the car door back at him.
Evading the door, he sneered, "It seems you forget, I'll heal even from this if you wait too long."
"Then I'll be sure not to wait too long, just long enough," said Rayna, taking the turn towards Lucien's.
Gritting his teeth, Finn pushed himself to his limits, trying to catch her. Fearing one swipe of that sword could do irreparable harm to his loved ones, ring or not.
Seeing a building with doors wide open, Rayna grinned.
Running out of time, Finn threw one of his daggers with everything he had.
Hearing something off, Rayna turned as the dagger struck her in the arm, causing her to go tumbling head over heels, banging into a street pole, which fell moments later as Finn ran up on her, dagger poised to strike.
Whipping out her sword, she managed to block it as he grappled her, going for the dagger in her arm, and as he yanked it out sideways, severing most of her tendons, she cried out, swiftly dropping her sword to roll out of the way of the killing blow.
Scrambling to her feet, she grabbed the only thing she could, the pole, and swung it with all she had in her one good arm.
He caught it with his arms, scoffing, "Really?"
"Really," she said, forcing him back a step as they competed with one another.
Pushing it away in irritation, he ducked underneath her next pathetic attempt and sped up on her defenseless form.
Not one to go down without a fight, Rayna dropped the pole and ran around the car like a child avoiding their sibling.
"Why don't you just stand still and let me kill you!?" yelled Finn, beyond annoyed.
"Never!" she shouted back childishly, taking the chance to go for her sword.
"What is this? What happened to the cool Slayer vibes you had going on? Has killing you so many times left your mind feeble?" asked Finn, mildly amused by her new attitude as he ran around to face her. Unaware of how right he was.
She snorted, "At this point, I've known you longer than I have anyone else; you're bound to see something new."
"Wow, that wasn't scary at all," Finn said sarcastically, given the implications.
Lunging at her, she did her best to fight back with one working arm, but it was over in an instant as he repeatedly stabbed her defenseless form until she fell.
He almost felt bad for her.
Getting an idea, he put his daggers away and picked up the pole. Lifting it high overhead, he patiently waited for the fire to subside before swinging it down at her.
"Oh fu…" She briefly saw it before it crushed her head.
He grinned, not bothering a second time since she'd be ready for it.
"Really?" she asked when she revived yet again, cautiously looking around, ready to dodge.
"Really," he chuckled, taking his daggers back out.
Suddenly, she stiffened, realizing she was down to her last life.
"Something wrong?" asked Finn, stalking closer.
"Wrong? No. I am, however, growing tired of you constantly killing me. When are you going to give up?" asked Rayna tightly.
"If you wanted me to give up, you shouldn't have gone after my friends," said Finn seriously, losing all mirth in his voice. His eyes darted to the hilt of her sword, its dim glow barely visible.
"Why bother staving off the inevitable, whether it's me or someone else, you're all going to die soon. The big covens have willed it," said Rayna confidently, reaching for another car door to use as a shield, reimplementing her earlier strategy that she never got to use fully.
"Call me an optimist, or better yet, general spite for any fucker that thinks they control me. Whichever you prefer," said Finn casually.
"You can't fight magic," said Rayna, wielding her makeshift shield and short sword.
"Says the chick who's completely immune as far as I can tell," Finn retorted.
"Yes, I am, and I noticed you are too, for whatever reason, but personal immunity, while great, can only take you so far against them. The only reason you Originals have lived so long is because you've fled to the new world," said Rayna.
"Huh uh, are we going to fight or what?" asked Finn, standing before her. He didn't exactly hate her for being a slayer and all, but if she was working for the witches and hunting down his family, he had to do what he had to do.
Her eyes darted to the left, spotting a curious gaze from a window, and she charged, shield forward. Finn could do nothing but get out of the way as she sped past, her sword piercing through the window, shattering it, and reaping the life of a small boy.
"The fuck did you do!?" yelled Finn, rushing over.
"What I had to!" she growled, slashing through the body and swinging it back around at him.
The hilt aglow, having sucked in the soul.
Finn shouted angrily, "You killed a child!" parrying the sword away overhead as he stepped under, stabbing with the right, piercing through the car door.
"That's on you!" she shouted back, continuing to spin, ripping the dagger from his grip as it got stuck in the door as she came around for another slash.
Catching her arm with his free hand, he stabbed at her exposed back.
However, she didn't stop her momentum as she continued to pivot into a fireman toss, dropping low and coming around with her shield, knocking him off his feet and throwing him into the building as the parents ran down to see what was happening.
With quick thinking, he grabbed the dagger as he went through what was left of the window, crashing in front of the parents.
Getting to his feet, he instantly felt the rejection as some unseen force tried to push him out.
Catching Rayna's look towards them as the mother let out a horrifying wail at the discovery of her child's demise, he gritted his teeth and, through sheer willpower, kept him self stable as he sped to intercept, clashing with her sword and shield.
"You need to leave!" yelled Finn to everyone as Rayna tried to get around.
There was no talking to them however, as both parents were overcome with the devastating shock, crippled by grief.
Recognizing his predicament, Rayna used the opportunity to her benefit, shoving Finn aside and letting the force push him out, then seized the moment by hitting him from behind before he could fully recover, landing a slash across his back.
With a painful grunt, he dashed away to create some distance to turn around safely.
Seeing how she wasn't going to land another lucky hit any time soon, Rayna took the opportunity to go after his group with him distracted before she had to take another innocent life. Something she was forced to do when she was on her last life, and her survivor's mode is activated, making her do whatever it takes, or kill whoever, to survive.
However, Finn was right on her tail, tackling her from behind as they tumbled over. Scrambling to their feet, he stood in front of Lucien's building with fury in his eyes, "Today you die!"
"We both know that's not going to happen, not for long anyway," said Rayna, still maintaining the air of invincibility despite evidence to the contrary.
"Then why did you kill that child?!" Finn growled, running at her.
Rayna scowled but said nothing as they clashed again.
Smashing her shield down on his foot, he grunted, leaning back as she shot up with the door, trying to bash his face, and then falling over to avoid the following sword strike upper cut.
Rolling back to his feet, she hit him with a shield bash, causing him to slide back as he stabbed through the car door's open window.
Something she was prepared for as she let go and grabbed his wrist, using her right leg to kick it against him, intending to keep her leg straight while pulling the wrist, forcing him to stay stretched out as she brought her sword to bear in an attempt to slice off his arm.
Feeling genuine fear about whether he could even grow it back if sliced off, severing the part of the magic that maintains it.
He quickly brought forth his other arm through the window, his dagger making it just in time to block her strike as the sword bashed the blade into his flesh, nicking him around the edges as the dagger held strong, while simultaneously jumping up, diving through the door's window frame as it was being kicked at him, allowing it to sail on by.
Pissed off at the near possible disaster, Finn, staying low to the ground after his abrupt landing, shot his right foot out, knocking her feet out from under her. Maintaining pressure on the sword with his left dagger, keeping it safely away as she fell, he stabbed her with his right dagger in the neck and slammed her down hard.
Then, in a momentary lapse of judgment due to hunger from the constant bleeding he was still doing from the cut on his back and arm, he went for her neck and bit. Something he's been avoiding since learning she was of a different breed, a hunter made with special traits, and the ability to burst into flames after death, but figured it might be safe enough since she hasn't used it as a weapon yet, and drank.
Surprised, Rayna couldn't help but grin as she felt his teeth sink into her as she died, for her blood was poisonous to witches and creatures of magic due to her magical immunity. A trait she never thought to exploit, because her weapon was always good enough.
Feeling something off, Finn backs off as Rayna passes, taking several steps back as his insides twist and turn.
Dropping his daggers, he doubles over, clutching his stomach, groaning in pain, while his magic strains to combat the looming disaster. Unbeknownst to him, his amulet begins to resonate with his magical energy, initiating a subtle transformation that gradually converts the foreign blood inside him.
After the flames subsided, Rayna rose with a triumphant smile as she saw her crumbled foe withering in pain before her.
Basking in her forthcoming victory, she strolled over with all manner of smugness as she gripped her sword for the coming strike, when a body fell out of the sky between them.
She could tell immediately it was a vampire as the broken form continued to twitch before her.
Unable to resist, she took him out first as Lucien's eyes widened in fright at the descending blade, "No wait!" he managed to cry out one last time before his soul was reaped.
Looking back up, she was surprised to find Finn right before her, tackling her to the ground and quickly dispatching her for the umpteenth time, more than tired of her constant revivals.
"Fucking lucky bitch just won't stay fucking dead, goddamn bodies falling from the sky for her," he grumbled as he carefully prepared for the next fight.
Last time she was down this low, she tried to flee and kill innocents; this time, he was ready. The moment she revived, he was on her, relentlessly attacking while she continuously backed away, looking for any chance she could to escape.
"You're not getting away this time," said Finn, pushing her towards a wall.
"You'll have to attack faster than that if you want to stop me," said Rayna encouragingly, blocking and dodging, but otherwise unable to break away.
"Sounds like you want me to?" questioned Finn, confused by her tone as he quickly slashed out in time to stop her from getting behind a car.
"That's for you to decide," said Rayna, unable to give him a definitive answer. Her eyes darting around for anyone else nearby, looking towards the nearest building.
"I don't know your story, but I promise the people responsible for this will die. As will you," said Finn, and then he ran up, taking a hit from her blade in the side, trapping her arm as he traded blows, stabbing her once more for what he hoped was the final time.
Pulling free, he drops her body and patiently waits for anything to happen. His breath caught in his throat when her body burned yet again, but he was able to breathe easier when it all burned away, leaving nothing behind.
His eyes then snapped towards the blade as the gem's glow grew brighter and brighter, "Fuck me," he cursed, speeding away as it exploded, taking out the nearby buildings and cars, leaving a great big crater behind.
Hearing the following screams, he shook his head sadly and did what he could to help, feeling responsible.
"There you are," said Sage, when she found him, reaching for his wound.
"It'll heal," said Finn, preventing her from touching it. He wrapped his arms around her, seeking comfort, beyond exhausted.
"I have a present for you," Sage whispered into his ear.
"I just want to go home and fall asleep," said Finn softly.
"Trust me, this will cheer you up," said Sage, offering her hand.
"Alright," he sighed, allowing her to lead him away to a secluded spot where the others were waiting, and there he saw Kol bound and gagged.
He stepped forward in shock, "How the hell did you pull this off?"
Kol's eyes grew wide with fright upon seeing him, struggling against his restraints as the other vamps firmly held him in place.
Embracing him from behind, careful not to aggravate his back wound, she kissed his cheek and smiled, resting her head on his shoulder, "Told you you'd like it. We found him like that at Lucien's, where they were using him in some ritual before we interrupted them."
"You outdid yourself babe. I couldn't ask for a better present," he grinned, bringing his wife in for another deep kiss before turning his attention back to Kol.
"Hey! I helped to," Davina pouted at being left out.
"And I won't forget it." Finn chuckled, ruffling her hair, which she slapped away, annoyed as he sauntered over to his brother.
"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not a kid?" Davina grumbled.