Frankenstein VII – Werewolf Island, 12th December, 19:45
Frankenstein really had a talent for getting himself into the weirdest of situations. He was surprised enough that the werewolf patrol just believed him that he was an Elder of the Union – and he would have been satisfied with the opportunity to just kill at least one of those bastards. Like Ignes. Who was out of reach. Except … Frankenstein froze as Ignes greeted him as though he was an old friend – the Third Elder. Wait. There was no way she did not recognize him. She was playing along? "Times change, you know?" He smiled as well. What was her game?
"Oh they sure do!' she said cheerfully. "You're here to see the Lord, aren't you? He's busy right now, but that's no issue, right? We have so much to catch up on!" She waved her hand at Gotaru to dismiss him. "Well done. I'm taking over from here."
He'd be alone with her. He could attack, take down the threat that had harmed noble children in his care. "Yes. It's good to see you're doing well. I'm sure First will be happy to hear it too," Frankenstein assured with a strained smile.
She needed to think. What was she supposed to do? Ignes started walking beside him. "Oh absolutely. Maybe he can help catching that modified human I lost a while back." A casual chatter tone. He might catch on that one while she came up with something.
M-21... had escaped. Good. "How's the Lord doing? I'll ask myself later, but since he's busy..."
"The usual." She could borrow one of the reception rooms. They shouldn't be wired. Ignes took a deep breath as she placed her hand on the door handle. "This room is quite private. Ideal for whatever Union business you and the Lord have." Hopefully he'd figure out that if she were looking to attack him, she'd have done so with the warrior squad still there, not in a quiet tea room.
With the squad gone, he rounded on her immediately. She should have seen it coming. "What's your game here, Ignes Kravei?" Kidnapping people under his protection. Likely having harmed M-21. This woman was on his shit list and nothing was changing that.
Ignes pounced back. "If you want a chance to leave this place alive, you sit down!"
"I'm fine standing, thanks." Defiant to the end.
A frustrated groan. "Fine!" Leviathan manifested in her hand. "If you want to die, I can finish what we started."
"I don't like being told what to do." He glared. Only one person had that right, and he was dead now.
Ignes took a deep breath. "How the fuck are you still alive?"
"Bold of you to assume I'd die so easily."
"And coming here is the smartest you could come up with?"
"Ah, yes. Because being caught by a patrol means you can definitely leave. Please. It was already too late. I was just going to take you down with me, sweetheart."
"I'm absolutely flattered." She sat on the couch. He could stand for all she cared. "What my game is? Change of circumstances."
"... I'm listening." If only so that he could point out how monumentally dumb whatever it was had to be.
"With some luck, that human friend of yours is in Korea by now. With some real luck he's doing what he was supposed to and mediating between Lukedonia and the Union."
"Why on earth would that pack of wild dogs work with the nobles?"
"Because the friendly neighbourhood wolves will eat those dogs otherwise."
"Friendly. Sure.""Someone has to do something. Knowing the nobles, they sit there, drink tea, and wait for a miracle."
"Gejutel is a better strategist than that. Not a great one, of course, but he's not an idiot."
"Last time I checked, the nobles got the short end of the stick. That malicious energy of yours. Where is it gone?"
"Hell if I know. I woke up like this."
"So you're out of commission. Muzaka is dead. The Noblesse probably can't even summon a blood puddle anymore and Raskreia will be blown to pieces if she sets a food outside her cell. Unless they got some hidden winning cards, they sound pretty fucked. But that's okay. The Union's pretty fucked too."
And of course miss 'I forced my daddy into the Union because I can't be a reasonable person' would know that. "Now, why would someone who is winning care about that?"
"I am not winning. Not here." She leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. "Before you start raving about anything: I don't need anything from you."
"And here I'd thought it was your personal paradise. Unlimited test subjects and no limits on your own research." Which was almost what she'd had in the Union.
Ignes laughed bitterly. "Not for free." And with him forcing her to take students... he clearly was working on making her replaceable and then...
"Nothing is free. Didn't Daddy teach you that?"
Her lip twitched. "Fine. No going back to Lukedonia to see the Noblesse for you."
His eyes narrowed. "What kind of a fool do you take me for? My master is dead. I'm just out for revenge."
"If he died, he didn't die on this island," she replied dryly.
"The bond is gone. Which means he succumbed to his wounds later even if he got away."
"Ah. What a tragedy." Except she did not sound sad at all. "Well. Then I guess this is it. It was nice having a civilised chat, I guess." She got up again. Frankenstein tensed. What was she planning?
"It's nothing personal," she assured with a mirthless smile as Leviathan manifested once more. "Even the fact I spent this long talking to you instead of attacking you on sight is enough of a risk, let alone having you anywhere you can talk. You know too much, now."
She intended to kill him. Well too bad. He had no intention of going down here. He snorted. "And here you claimed to want the nobles and the Union to win." Of course she didn't. He made a break for it. He'd have to go the other direction, to Korea, but anything was better than staying here and risking himself more.
"And you are not needed for that!" She lunged forward, Leviathan transforming into a red ribbon she could easily get around his neck as he tried to get away. Strangling really was a good way of killing someone. And then she'd rip his head off to be sure.
Ignes missed her initial attack - he dived to the ground. He wasn't letting that stupid whip around his neck. And she would not be able to wrap with a flat surface in the way.
If he was going down on the floor - she followed boldly to just use her arm instead, yanking his head back by a fistful of hair. He would not get to get away from here. If he was apprehended again, she would get in trouble.
He looked up at her with hatred in his eyes. "I'm surprised you let M-21 go. You never did care for anyone but yourself, did you bitch? That's why your father is gone."
Trembling, she yanked his head back harder- if his neck snapped, fine. Good. He was more trouble than he was worth at all.
He hissed, the bones popping in his neck, but not quite breaking. Without the constant pain of Dark Spear, everything else was far more intense. "Actually, I don't believe you let him go at all," he wheezed. "What reason could you have to do so? Like I said. You're on the winning side. And it's also the only one where you live."
He surely would have died here and now - if it were not for the door opening without prior announcement. The fresh scent of pine and amber cologne filled the room as the Lord entered. He'd just enjoyed a splendidly relaxing bath and did not even get to call for Ignes when he was informed that the Third Elder was here to speak to him. Except...
"Ignes. Would you be so kind and stop killing the Third Elder?" He sneered in mockery. What a strange situation. Ignes seemed to have a talent for getting herself into situations she probably could not really explain.
As Ignes let go of his head and moved back, Frankenstein carefully stood. "Thank you for that. I was promised an audience with you when you weren't busy and honestly I'm just feeling very attacked right now."
"Hmmh. Yes. I can see that, Frankenstein. Sit down. Both of you." This situation was bordering on surreal.
"I'd prefer to stand," Frankenstein said, rubbing his neck. Ah, that would hurt for a while. Ignes took her seat though. She knew one didn't say no to Maduke. Couldn't.
The Lord glared at Frankenstein. "Do you want this to go civil or not?"
"..." Want what to go civil? Fine. He plopped down on the couch next to Ignes, hard enough to make the boards squeak.
Maduke took a moment to take this in. "Ignes. Do you know what I will do once I run out of patience for you?"
"..." She nodded tersely. He would finally kill her. Right now she was irreplaceable, but that didn't seem to matter to him anymore either.
"Whatever game you are playing, you should stop before it's too late. Or else Garda's fate will seem enviable. Understood?"
A chill went down her spine. Of course. Of course he wouldn't let her go. No. That wasn't his style. Not with how he'd given Lunark the head. "Understood."
His gaze turned to Frankenstein. "I see you are still alive."
"I am notoriously hard to kill." Except for now, of course.
"I heard so. I also heard you've been chatting for a while. What about?"
"Mostly? About her being a bitch." Ignes shot him a glare at that.
"Is that how you talk to a woman?" Leaving aside that he regularly called her that too. Sometimes in anger, sometimes affectionately. "How did you survive?"
"I don't know. I woke up on the mountain in some weird woods." It wouldn't hurt to give him that information, probably. Biding his time for a good moment to strike seemed the best option here.
"And then?" Oh. Maduke could guess what exactly happened, but he would wait.
He shrugged. "I got better. It's not like mountain survival is tough."
Hmmh. Well. Even though he did suspect a certain someone might have helped Frankenstein, it did not matter. Not really. "You will apologize to Ignes."
"... I'm sorry?"
"You will apologize to her for being disrespectful."
I'm sorry you're a bitch. Frankenstein had to swallow the words back. "I'm sorry, Ignes."
Ignes shifted uncomfortably. What game was Maduke playing now? "Apology accepted," she mumbled. Maduke nodded benevolently and got up. Without further ado, he lunged forward, slamming down his fist on Frankenstein's head hard enough to knock him out cold. Ah. He might have gone too hard, judging by the bit of blood that trickled down the human's face. Well. He was still alive. "You will take him to the laboratory, find out everything you can, and then turn him into fodder for the new Titan."
"Understood." She sighed. "And here I'd brought him in here to keep the other warriors from killing him." But she'd been unable to reign in her temper. She was calmer now, thankfully.
"And then you decided to do it yourself?" He sat back down on the armchair.
"He's an ass."
He chuckled. Ah, how hot-headed she could get. "And I was looking forward to a relaxed evening like a fool." He patted her head. "You better make up for that. But first, you take care of him." A nod towards the passed-out Frankenstein.
"Of course." She slung the man over her shoulder, ready to take him to the Titan labs.