Thank you Madame aZure, Elims, for your support, and Laryna6 for your editorial comments. I do not know if I can fix the title (I understand your point about it reflecting poorly on the story, although I am struggling with a title). I think I have the grammar correct, but if you spot anything, please let me know. I had previously enjoyed the Noblesse fanfictions the two of you have written. Thank you again for the support.
Well, Frankenstein thought to himself, accepting a cup of tea from Seira, and taking a seat next to his master, it could have been worse. That said, the move had been harrowing. Even with super-human strength, there were some things it was simply awkward to carry. The number of times Frankenstein had blanched as something leaned towards a wall... Thankfully, Tao had gone to do the research for Master. Frankenstein was fond of the boy, but exuberance was not helpful when moving. Everyone else had been careful to avoid marking the walls as appropriate furniture was moved to the containment room for Master. Of course, if this situation lasted, Frankenstein would need to buy new furniture for the living room, but that was fine. Anything for his master.
Frankenstein sipped his tea, examining the room to work out how to improve the aesthetics. What would interest Master without a window to look out? If Tao wasn't busy doing work for Master, Frankenstein might have asked him to bring a computer in, but the room wasn't wired for it and -
Frankenstein.
Yes, Master? He startled, hearing Master's voice in his head.
...I will not be here for long.
Yes, I know, Frankenstein admitted, but even one day was too long, to see his master caged like this.
I have chosen this. Frankenstein nodded, knowing Master's decisions were unquestionable. ...I do not believe there is a reason for you to stay here, Frankenstein. His master added after a few minutes of silence.
Frankenstein glanced at his master. Was he intruding? No, he realized moments later. Master had just given him permission to go to the island and make the seals. The fastest Frankenstein would be able to return would be four days, but if Master said he would be fine... Feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Frankenstein bowed deeply.
Thank you, Master.
Precisely four days later, Frankenstein returned. On the fifth day, his power now sealed, Master instructed Frankenstein to have agents Sangeen and Yonsu meet with them.
For some reason, seeing Frankenstein clean the house before their guests arrived sent the rest of the household into a panic. They huddled in the hallway, whispering and pointing while watching him. Hoping that they would stay out of his way if he ignored them, Frankenstein continued dusting, trying not to sigh.
Predictably, the first person to approach him was Tao.
"...Boss, how about I do that for you?"
Frankenstein stared at him. "Master has already assigned work to you."
"Yes, but it's disturbing seeing you clean."
Frankenstein continued staring at Tao, perplexed. He was normally quite a bright child. "...I clean quite frequently, Tao, but being away for a couple of weeks has really allowed the dust to gather."
Tao glanced at the cabinets Frankenstein was dusting, then, seeming frustrated, Tao glanced back at the others, who made a series of strange gestures in response. What was going on?
"It is my duty to clean," Regis stated, walking over. "I have clearly been remiss in my duties if you feel the need to clean. Please allow me to take responsibility for my mistake."
"There is no need for the homeowner to clean," Rael commented, stunning Frankenstein. Since when? Seeing Karias open his mouth, Frankenstein interrupted, trying to forestall any further delays.
"Agents Sangeen and Yonsu will be here shortly." The fastest way to get the house clean was to do it himself, which was what he was doing. Why was this a problem?
"I thought they were coming in two hours," M-21 replied, joining them.
"Yes." Frankenstein agreed. What was wrong with everyone today? He had so much to do before their guests arrived! What if agents Sangeen and Yonsu thought that Frankenstein did not respect his master because he allowed him to live in a dirty house? What food would be appropriate? Master had not given any indication of how long he expected the meeting to last, so Frankenstein needed to prepare in case it lasted until dinner time...
"I will prepare the food." Seira said, coming forward. Seira, too? Frankenstein sighed, looking at the determined faces before him. Arguing would waste more time. Well, since everyone was here, he had might as well get them to help. Now, who was best suited to...
Agents Sangeen and Yonsu arrived punctually. Tao greeted them at the door, and led them to the carefully reassembled living room where everyone was gathered. Extra seats had been brought in for the meeting, disrupting the cohesion of the design choices. I will need to fix that in the future, Frankenstein thought chagrined, as he stood back and examined the room. The modified humans greeted everyone politely, their eyes constantly flicking back to Master, before cautiously sitting down. Master had taken his favourite seat, but had yet to touch his tea. Had Frankenstein made a mistake preparing it? Had he not added enough sugar? Had he -
"We were surprised to be invited to your home, Chairman." Agent Sangeen spoke carefully, interrupting Frankenstein's rising panic. Since all of their other meetings had been at the school or at the KSA headquarters, this was understandable.
"Master wished to meet with you," Frankenstein replied. Several minutes passed in silence, with no one willing to push Master to speak. Finally, Frankenstein felt the need to inform his master that humans often feel awkward in situations of prolonged silence.
"...He is not here yet," Master replied. Who wasn't? Before Frankenstein had a chance to decide if he was going to ask, the doorbell rang. A glance had Tao moving to answer it.
A moment later, Muzaka's voice carried clearly from the foyer. "Nice digs, Raizel." Frankenstein stiffened. Even if he was Master's friend, even if Master had forgiven him, Frankenstein would never be able to forget how much Muzaka had cost his master. "I see some new faces," Muzaka continued, waltzing in, with Tao trailing him anxiously.
Introductions were therefore required, and Frankenstein took the opportunity to ensure that everyone had a drink. Tao's nervousness had been picked up by the others, and the tension in the room had risen dramatically.
"So why did you call me, Raizel?" Muzaka had pulled up a chair so he could lounge next to Master. How did someone lounge in an armchair, anyways? Was that man completely incapable of sitting properly? Frankenstein wondered, frustrated. And how had Master called him? Did Muzaka have a cell phone?
"Humans speak frequently of the past," Master began tentatively, once everyone was settled, clearly choosing his words with care. "Nobles do not. There is much that we do not wish to remember. Unfortunately, it seems that we must now speak of the past to face the future." He paused, a slight frown crossing his face. "I believe that humans have passed on stories about creatures who corrupt anyone they come in contact with." Master's mind brushed against Frankenstein's, looking for the word.
"They are referred to differently around the world, Master, but they are often called demons." Understanding his master through their link, Frankenstein was able to supply the word, although he wondered where his master was going with this.
"I thought those stories began with you, Frankenstein," Muzaka interjected unnecessarily.
"Nobles did not always have a court, or soul weapons," Master continued, ignoring the interruption. Everyone froze, riveted with just a few words. Frankenstein narrowed his focus to his master, never having heard the origins of the court. He had assumed that, like so many other things, it had been forgotten over time. Even though Master had not moved, he had distanced himself from them. "Many thousands of years ago, there were other races. One race were the creatures you now call demons. They ate souls-" Frankenstein, and all the nobles present flinched, and Master paused a moment.
"Are you alright?" M-21 asked Regis, who was looking a little green.
"Fine." The boy replied, obviously trying to collect himself.
"Nobles are their souls," Muzaka informed the humans, watching Master intently.
"A pureblood noble will not leave a body when they die, since a pureblood's existence is their soul," Frankenstein explained, ignoring Muzaka. "Their bodies are physical representations of their souls, which age according to their experiences. There is no way to overstate how important a soul is to a noble."
"Yes," Master agreed, "and as such, we were hunted viciously. Demons and werewolves also fought, but we were their... favourite food." Regis was no longer the only one looking green. The thought of eating nobles was repulsive, even to Frankenstein. Karias' miraculous silence was a gift. "Our losses were heavy, and we saw other races go extinct fighting these demons. We are solitary by nature, but over time, nobles began gathering around the first Lord to defend themselves. She was..." Master opened the link between them for a moment.
"Charismatic," Frankenstein offered, basking in the feel of his master's mind brushing against his own. He ignored Muzaka's snort at his expression.
"Yes. She was charismatic, and she drew us to her. We formed groups and fought together for the first time. The first Clan Leaders were those who had the determination, and skill, to pass their souls to their children when they died without being consumed by the enemy." With four Clan Leaders in the room, this was understandably fascinating. "We were never able to kill our enemy..." Master continued, stunning his audience, "we simply learned to contain them."
"The artifacts," Frankenstein whispered, the pieces finally coming together. His deduction earned him a warm glance from his master.
"Yes. We trapped them in stones, and scattered them around the world. We buried them, hid them in the oceans, threw them in volcanos... It took centuries for us to rid ourselves of them. Unfortunately, there have been instances where these stones have been found."
"You are saying that someone has found one of these stones recently?" With Muzaka in the room, no one else needed to ask questions. Master nodded.
"These stones have voices. Those who hear them can gain great power through blood, but they loose themselves in it. They become nothing more than bodies for the stones, who thirst only for blood and power."
"I thought they ate souls." Agent Yonsu interrupted, shifting slightly when Frankenstein glared at her.
Master seemed confused by the question, so Frankenstein opened their link, hoping to be able to translate Yonsu's question for his master. Finding the answer, he drew back startled. Master looked at him curiously.
"Master, do you mean to say that blood is a medium for the soul?" Master nodded, apparently confused about why this needed to be said. Even under the circumstances, Frankenstein fought not to smile, his mind already reeling with the implications of the statement. The difference between what his master considered obvious, and what the rest of the world did, only highlighted the difference in their understanding; it had clearly never occurred to him that someone might not realize this.
"Raizel, why did you call me here for a history lesson?" Frankenstein would have bristled at Muzaka's tone, but the intense look on Muzaka's face made him pause. Master met Muzaka's eyes in silence. "Are you trying to say that I have one of these stones?" Ignoring the angry look on Muzaka's face, Master nodded. The children flinched, beginning to panic.
"... I am not saying that you found one, and chose to use it," Master clarified. "If someone were to draw your attention away, and then force one inside you while you were not in any condition to realize it..."
Muzaka froze. "You think my daughter was killed in order to place one of these cursed stones inside of me? To drive me mad?" The mention of his daughter's death drew startled looks, but no one interrupted.
"Even in the face of your loss, your anger was excessive."
"How would you know? You have never had a child." The words were bitter, but Master met Muzaka's eyes in silence, not disputing the statement. "How can you tell? Will you get Frankenstein to experiment on me?"
"No." Master's response was instant and sharp. Glancing at Frankenstein, his master continued, "no one must learn about these stones. To have said this much is already a great risk."
"Well?" Muzaka prompted.
"... if you were to bleed, I would be able to sense a blood stone within you."
"You really believe this, don't you?" Muzaka examined Master for a moment before nodding. "Alright, you're my best friend, so a little blood doesn't matter."
Saying so, he sliced open his arm. Master glanced at Frankenstein in apology as blood dripped on the floor. M-21 moved swiftly to the kitchen for some towels, since Frankenstein was not willing to leave his master's side. The towels would need to be thrown out if the blood didn't come out, but it was better than just leaving the blood on the floor.
"From that expression, you were right. Those bastards killed my child and tried to use me as a vessel for one of these cursed things." Master nodded. "So if you won't let Frankenstein cut it out how will you..." Muzaka's words trailed off as he stared at Master. "You're just going to shove your hand into my chest, aren't you?" Master nodded unapologetically. "Honestly, can't you try a little compassion? How big are these things, anyways?" M-21 paused his wiping, and went to the linen closet for bigger towels. This was going to be messy.
"A fragment would only be the size of a finger or two. An entire stone would be larger than your hand." Frankenstein replied for his master, giving him a chance to rest from all the talking.
"And you're just going to reach in and pull it out?" Muzaka did't respond directly, sighing theatrically as Master nodded.
"This will cause a mess, Frankenstein," his master warned, before reaching towards Muzaka. M-21 moved quickly to catch the blood before it got on the chair. Tao went to the kitchen to grab a first aid kit.
"Argh!" Muzaka complained, as Master drew a complete blood stone out of his friend's chest, leaving a gaping hole. "Honestly, that hurt Raizel! Aren't you supposed to be the spirit of compassion, or something?!" The wound clearly did not prevent Muzaka from complaining. Tao moved towards Muzaka, but waited for his nod before beginning to staunch the blood. It was obvious to everyone, though, that despite the size of the wound, it was already beginning to close. Werewolves had even better healing abilities than nobles.
"May we ask why we were called?" Agent Yonsu asked, watching Tao bandage Muzaka.
"You must warn any other agencies you can trust," Frankenstein replied, finally understanding his master's actions. "Master sent a werewolf back with a warning," Frankenstein ignored Muzaka's warning growl, although Tao and M-21 both froze where they were, "and the Lord is aware the Ragus invaded Lukedonia searching for a blood stone."
"...So humans are the only ones who have not been warned?" agent Sangeen asked. Master nodded.
"Dr. Crombell is an Elder at the Union, and since he has been experimenting on Muzaka he should be aware of this..." The "if he is competent" was left unsaid as Frankenstein realized... "He must know... He must be involved." Silence enveloped the room as the ramifications spread. Roctis and the 9th Elder had experimented on Muzaka, so they must have known. Dr. Crombell had found a way to suppress the effects of the blood stone, so he had to know... Who else was involved? How far did the corruption spread?