Chapter 3: Macbeth vs The Bayou Brawler
Review Replies
Nox Magnus Dux: Okay, where do I begin? I do like your OC. The whole New York Sewer Alligator myth for a basis combined with his strong Cajun accent makes him feel unique in a great way. I can picture his appearance and voice in my head very well. The fact that you intend to ship him with Hyena is also an interesting choice, and refreshing as well. In a fandom where 99 percent of the OCs are humans or gargoyles (or humans that get to turn into gargoyles later) who usually get shipped with Demona or Brooklyn, I respect that you are trying to be different. There's just one BIG problem. You keep spelling the name of Elisa Maza wrong. It's Elisa with an E, not Alisa with an A. I would suggest you fix that quickly. Other than that, I'm interested in seeing where this goes.
ThermalsniperN7: Okay, that last part is on me. The way they're both pronounced threw me off completely when I typed her name. Seriously, the pronunciation is so similar it's hard to spot the difference.
Dragon Emperor0: That's exactly my thoughts on it. But thank you for pointing it out so candidly. And thank you for the truly helpful and uplifting feedback.
ZILLAFAN: Question: why Hyena and not Maggie? It'd be the closest thing we'd get to a finished 'Rise of Killer Croc'.
Dragon Emperor0: Well. Thing is, we actually wanted to take a DC-esk route with Jean, but pairing him with Maggie probably wouldn't have worked given her pretty well established relationship with Elisa's brother Darrek. Honestly, Hyena seemed like the most logical second option, since their dynamic would be like Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle's from the Batman comics.
ThermalsniperN7: Kinda hard to go wrong with something like that when you think about it.
-New York Prison-
David Xanatos sat on the opposite side of a visiting window of the prison he was being held in, with his secretary Owen on the other end. Currently, the rather rigid and wooden man was showing him a video feed he had recorded when he was there to witness Jean LeBeau as a combatant. Needless to say, the multi billionaire was rather intrigued.
"My word. He's quite the fighter." The billionaire mused as the footage ended. He then stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Quite powerful as well. This certainly is an interesting development." He nodded.
"Yes, he seems to stay in the sewers for most of his time, only coming to the surface for food or anything that strikes his interest." Owen nodded. "If you wanted to, you could use this infrequent pattern to take out the gargoyles while they're stone during the day." He added.
"I could… But it seems like such a waste." Xanatos stated. It was at that moment a guard came in. He was a rather muscular man with long grey hair and a similarly colored beard, with features that indicated that he was rather old.
"I do believe I still have ten minutes left." Owen stated, checking his watch.
"Take all the time you need." The man said in a rather thick Scottish Lowlands accent. "Right now I have a proposition for Mr. Xanatos." He continued, sitting down in a nearby chair.
"...I'm listening." The man in question said, deciding to hear him out.
"Very good. Now, I'd like to offer my services to solve your pest problem." The guard said.
"I don't recall requesting pest control." Xanatos said with a frown of confusion.
"True, but you see I'm familiar with the nature of these particular… Pests." The man said as he got up.
"Oh? And just who are you, exactly?" The tycoon questioned.
"They call me MacBeth." He replied.
(Elsewhere)
-New York Sewers-
Meanwhile in the sewer junction between time square and the East River, Jean was busy hauling around several large bags that he found at the bottom of the particularly dirty river. As he got it onto the concrete ledge of the walkway, he looked inside and his eyes widened in shock at what he was looking at.
Inside were several Scottish treasures, some dating back by a thousand years. He got a closer look at them and concluded they were legitimate judging by the aging they sported.
Though in the other bag, he found something that made him nearly drop it in horror. Stone pieces, those of gargoyles, the living kind as well. "Sacrebleu!" The gator man exclaimed as he nearly dropped the bag into the water.
As he collected himself, he looked at the fragments with a grim look as questions went through his head. Who did this? What drove them to commit such an act? So many questions, and he had no answers for them.
Deciding to try and lay these creatures to rest, he decided to take the sacks back to his island and hid them somewhere safe, at least until he could figure out how Gargoyles handled the treatment of their dead.
Luckily though, he knew just who to ask such questions. Deciding to hide the bag of fragments as well, he entered the sewer stream and started swimming towards the manhole that was right in front of Xanatos Tower.
However, as he swam away, a shadow loomed over the place where he hid the sack, a very familiar and uniquely feminine one, before a blue wing swept over the spot and disappeared.
(Elsewhere)
On the tower roof of the castle, Elisa was having an argument with Goliath. She has been trying to convince the purple gargoyle to leave the place, but he was too stubborn to listen.
And before the argument could go any further, MacBeth approached the clan of gargoyles, causing the group to become understandably apprehensive of the unknown visitor.
"Who are you?" Elisa asked cautiously.
"They call me MacBeth. And I have an offer to make you." The man said. "You see I'm familiar with your kind, and I came to offer you a place at my own home, away from your enemy." He continued.
"I'm afraid we'll have to refuse." Goliath replied, still refusing to leave the castle.
"And I'm afraid I must insist." Macbeth said, drawing a gun. This soon broke out into a fight, and Elisa quickly went to take cover before she could get injured again. Though her crutches made this rather difficult.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile down at street level, Jean moved the manhole cover that was in his way before he popped his head out of the sewer opening, and as he made sure that the coast was clear, he heard the sound of a helicopter above him, and looked up to see Goliath attacking it.
"What in da—?" Jean questioned as he climbed out onto the street before an electric barrier on the aircraft's outer shell caused Goliath to fall off. "Uh oh…" He said as he dived out of the way before Goliath could fall on top of him.
The purple gargoyle groaned as Jean helped him up. The others were quick to rush up to them. Though Bronx, Brooklyn, and Lexington were nowhere to be seen.
"Are you alright, lad?" Hudson questioned as he helped Goliath steady himself, the larger of the two shaking the gravel from his head.
"Ngh… Where are Bronx, Brooklyn and Lexington?" Goliath questioned, not spotting his clanmates anywhere.
"That Macbeth guy took them." Broadway replied with a look of frustration at the fact that it happened.
"Wai-wai-wait, you mean the king from the Shakespeare play?" Jean questioned, trying to wrap his head around the situation he was just thrust into.
"I'm not sure it's the same here." Elisa said. Goliath growled as he turned to Hudson and Broadway.
"You two stay here and protect our home, protect Elisa." He ordered before turning to Jean. "As for you, Jean, would you be able to look for the others by looking out the sewer exits?" He questioned.
"Yeah. I think I can manage that." The mutant man nodded.
"Then go! We will find them before the night is done!" Goliath declared before he took flight.
"Goliath, wait!" Elisa called after him, but he flew off before anything else could be said.
"He really is a stubborn one, isn't he?" Jean remarked.
"That about sums it up, yeah." The detective nodded.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile in a castle that was outside the city, Brooklyn, Lexington and Bronx were all in cages in some sort of dungeon. The red gargoyle touched the bars of his cage with his finger and got shocked every time.
"How many times are you gonna do that?" The bald gargoyle questioned.
"I'll do it until you figure out a way to get us out of here." The maroon computed gargoyle shot back as he touched the bars again. "Ouch." He said plainly. "Ouch." He repeated, causing his yellow companion to notice something about the lights.
"Hey, did you see how the lights flickered when you touched those bars?" Lexington asked.
"No, I was too busy writhing in agony. What about it?" Brooklyn asked in reply.
"I bet it takes a lot of power to electrify these bars. If we can get enough of it focused on our cell, Bronx can get out and find help." Lexington explained.
"But how are we gonna do—oh, I get it." The older of the two groaned as he realized just what this was entailing.
"Well we can't just sit here, now come on and get to grabbing." He stated, getting up. Brooklyn rolled his eyes but got ready all the same. "Okay, one. Two. Three!" The younger gargoyle exclaimed as the two of them grabbed the bars, causing the lights to dim from the energy surge.
Bronx quickly forced his way through the bars, getting zapped a bit as he did. That didn't stop him from getting through, though. When he was free, Lexington and Brooklyn released their hold on the bars and collapsed.
"Go. Find help!" The maroon gargoyle called tiredly. The bulldog-like gargoyle whimpered in concern before he shook his head and hightailed it out of the castle and tore like hell across the planes towards the city after breaking through the castle wall.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile back in the city, Jean had just finished checking the Hudson River and turned up nothing. But before he could turn around to keep looking, he heard barking as a very familiar canine-like creature started bounding towards him.
"What the-! Bronx?" He got out in surprise as the nocturnal dog stopped in front of him. "Where are Brooklyn and Lex, boy?" He asked. The dog barked and howled as he pulled on the gator man's arm for him to follow.
Jean nodded as he turned his snout up and then started letting out a low and loud bellowing sound from the inside of his throat to try and get the attention of Goliath, who was gliding overhead.
The clan leader heard the bellowing sound and looked down. Upon spotting Jean standing with Bronx next to him, he dived down to meet them.
"Bronx, where are the others?" He questioned. Bronx then got into a point pose and started running away, barking the whole way.
"He's heading off the island, Ah'll meet ya there." The gator man said as he dove back into the river while Goliath got ready to glide again and flew after Bronx.
(Later)
Back at the castle, MacBeth was watching the security of his home with a cup of coffee in his hand, before he suddenly jumped when a massive eight, possibly nine foot tall Alligator man suddenly rammed himself through the door, bellowing loudly as he charged through the castle.
"What the blazes…?" He muttered as he put his coffee down and went to address his unexpected guest. He expected gargoyles, not alligator men.
"Put yo armor on ya damn Yankie, I'm cookin' Scottish etouffee tonight!" Jean bellowed as he punched another hole through the wall in front of him as Bronx and Goliath followed, both also letting out battle cries.
Macbeth rounded a corner, and when he saw Jean charging his way, he quickly got out of his way and just barely avoided taking a blow from Goliath. Both gargoyle and alligator man growled as they glared at their target.
"Bronx, go and find Lexington and Brooklyn! We'll handle him!" Goliath ordered. The dog-like beast let out a bark before running off.
Cracking his knuckles, Jean snarled at the Scottish Hunter as he got into a stance common among men who practiced the outboxing style of boxing. "Laisse le bouton rouler." He grinned as he started throwing large fisted jabs at Macbeth, which the man managed to dodge, but was still forced to bear witness to the gaping craters that the reptilian man's punches made in the solid stone of the castle—which were also mere inches from his head.
'Okay, that's actually unnerving.' Macbeth thought with a small bead of sweat going down the side of his head unnoticed. However, as he was distracted by Jean's assault, he was left wide open for a haymaker from Goliath to connect to the right side of his face.
Grunting, the old hunter made a tactical retreat so he could lose his assailants and rearm himself. If he could separate them, then that worked just as well.
(Elsewhere)
Back in the dungeon, both Brooklyn and Lexington had heard the commotion up stairs.
"Looks like Bronx found Goliath and Jean." The yellow gargoyle noted warily.
"Uh, yeah." Brooklyn nodded sarcastically, having surmised that much already. It was at that moment Bronx came back to them and forced the electrified bars apart through sheer strength and will, and only got winded by the action.
"Good boy, Bronx." Lexington praised as he scratched the pet's head.
"Come on, let's get out of here before things get really hairy." The maroon colored gargoyle said as they all bolted up the stairs.
(Elsewhere)
Back with Jean and Goliath, they managed to chase Macbeth to his armory where the man quickly armed himself with a one handed claymore. To which Jean quickly pulled out his Grandaddy's knife.
The two then clashed as Goliath jumped out of the way and within a few seconds, the Scotsman soon started to get bent over backwards as he was pushed back by Jean's superior strength. Forcing the sword out to the man's second hand and leaving him open while he still held onto it, the gator man sheathed his weapon and then swept his opponents legs out from under him and got ready to jump on him.
However, Macbeth was quick to block him with the flat of his sword, which the Cajun quickly clamped down on with his massive jaws.
"Argh! You're a really tough one, aren't ya?!" Macbeth grunted as he struggled against the alligator man's strong jaws.
"Why are you doing this? We did you no wrong!" Goliath questioned, wanting to know just what Macbeth's reasons for this trouble was. Macbeth growled as he kicked Jean off of him, causing the beast to stand up—the claymore still in his maw—and chomp down on it, shattering the sharpened billet of metal into dozens of tiny pieces, which he promptly spat out.
"Aye, but it's not you I want, it's your Queen." The old man stated as he pulled out a gun and shot at the two, causing Goliath to duck and cover while the gator man simply grabbed a table and used it as a shield.
"What are ya goin' on about?" Jean questioned as he threw the table at the man, forcing him to dodge and give Goliath a window to strike. He quickly grabbed the hunter's gun and crushed it.
"Isn't it obvious? I want Demona!" Macbeth exclaimed. Goliath couldn't help but laugh in amusement at his words. "What's so funny?!" He questioned.
"If you truly brought us here to draw Demona out, then you are a fool. Demona is our enemy, she won't lift a talon to help us." The leader of the clan chuckled. This made Macbeth glare at the two before he threw a smoke pellet on the ground and made another tactical retreat.
"That definitely struck a nerve. Come on. Let's end this. There's something I need to talk to you about when this is over." Jean beckoned.
"Lead the way, my brother." Goliath nodded as the two started following Macbeth again.
(Elsewhere)
Brooklyn, Lexington and Bronx panted as they all made it outside the castle in one piece, collapsing underneath a white oak tree that was several yards away from the structure to try and rest.
"Think Jean and Goliath will be okay?" Brooklyn asked as he tried to catch his breath.
"I hope so. That Macbeth guy is a really tough customer." Lexington panted as well as Bronx rolled over on his back, almost like he was playing dead. "You said it Bronx, that was exhausting." He sighed.
(Elsewhere)
Goliath roared as he tore open the metal doors to another part of the castle which led him and Jean into a hall of mirrors. Which the Cajun found particularly annoying because of the fact that he once had to live in one of these madhouses during his brief stint in the now mostly abandoned Fawtick Bayou.
"Care to tell us how you know Demona?" The gator man questioned in annoyance as he tried to figure out where to go. Luckily that was where his nose and sensory pits came in handy.
"Ha ha! Know her? I named her!" The Hunter laughed as he came into view, Goliath punching the image, only for it to shatter—revealing that it was a mirror.
"Named her? Just how old are you, old man?" Jean continued to question.
"More than you, I'll say that much." Macbeth replied. The sound's vibrations felt like they were directly behind him, so the Bayou Brawler swung his tail and delivered a powerful blow to the man, causing him to crash through several mirrors and hit a wall.
"That's not going to stop me!" The Hunter growled as he made a hatch open under Jean and Goliath, causing them to fall.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile with Elisa, Broadway and Hudson, the three had just managed to leave the castle and grabbed the Grimoire so Xanatos couldn't keep it in his possession.
"Where do we go now?" Broadway wondered.
"I've got a good idea that should work." The detective smiled.
"Then by all means, lass, lead the way." Hudson nodded as he held the spell book tightly in his claws.
(Elsewhere)
Back with Jean and Goliath, the two found themselves at the bottom of the castle, and as luck would have it, there happened to be a water way that led straight to the moat outside the building.
"At least we have a way out." Jean shrugged. It was at that moment Macbeth reappeared, another sword in hand. "Oh you think you're dangerous? Ah'll show you dangerous, yeah!" He yelled as he and Goliath both lunged at the man. The gargoyle disarmed him with a mace and Jean delivered a powerful right hook to his face which sent him into the water, which the Gator man quickly followed.
Macbeth swam as quickly as he could to get away, but Jean's traits made him much faster. He effortlessly caught up to the man and grabbed him in his mouth before doing a death roll.
This made the man quickly lose consciousness from the thrashing, his head hitting the side of the inside mote and knocking him out. Hurling his opponent onto the dry ground, the walking behemoth then let out a bellow of victory, causing the water and ground to vibrate before he swam over to the grating and ripped it clean off.
"Aye-ie! This way Goliath, we're going home!" He called his friend, who quickly followed him.
(Later)
It was about fifteen, possibly twenty minutes later and Goliath was now reunited with his clan again at Jean's island in the sewers, and was currently having a rather heated argument with the others while Jean attempted to get the things he wanted to show them.
"The castle is our home, Elisa! We will not abandon it!" Goliath barked angrily.
"Staying there is suicide! Xanatos could easily destroy you all during the day, and you'd be powerless to stop it!" The detective countered in frustration.
"Elisa's right Goliath, we all know it's too dangerous there and you do too, stop being so stubborn!" Broadway barked as well.
"Hudson, please, help me make them see reason!" Goliath pleaded to his old friend.
"I agree with them, lad. The castle is just a heap of stone and wood, home is where we, the six of us are, together. It doesn't matter where that is." The elderly gargoyle said as Jean came walking back.
"It's like my Grand Mere Mere always told us every holiday, home is where the heart is. Doesn't matter what or where it is. Whether it be a castle in the clouds…" He said as he set the sack down. "Or an old New Orleans trolley car in the middle of the sewers." He chuckled before he opened the two sacks, allowing the gargoyles to look inside.
"By the stars!" Hudson shouted in shock and horror upon seeing the gargoyle remains. The others looked and recoiled with wide eyes of horror themselves.
"This is what I wanted to talk about. What do you guys do with the remains of your deceased?" Jean asked.
"Well, usually we try our best to reassemble them and turn them into their own memorials." Lexington said as he gingerly held a stone talon.
"Or bury them in boxes." Brooklyn added.
"We'll probably end up doing the second one. These pieces look too… eroded, I guess, for reassembly." Elisa said as she looked over the remains carefully.
Goliath examined the remains reverently with Hudson, before their expressions turned grim. "These remains are of our clan, but… there is one missing." The leader noted.
"One? Who would that be?" Jean asked as Lexington started looking through the bag of treasures.
"Goliath's rookery brother, he was in charge of taking care of the eggs when we were out of patrol. His mate was often pursued by his wicked brother quite frequently." Hudson explained. The gator man winced at that, knowing how that felt. His family had a similar situation with their neighbors, the LaBuffs, a rather wealthy Cajun family that had a former plantation that was converted into a very profitable bed and breakfast. The two families hated each other due to the fact that the latter kept messing with their fishing business.
"But… where'd his remains go?" Broadway wondered.
"I'm not sure… but I doubt I will like the answer." Goliath said with a frown.
"Well, if you'd like, you can lay your family to rest here for now, at least until Ah can find a good final resting place." Jean told him, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Thank you." Goliath nodded as he and the others started sorting through the remains to deduce who was who.
"On a lighter note though, who here wants some Cafe Du Monde bennetts with coffee and chicory?" The reptilian male questioned as he walked back over to a table with dough for said pastries, a pot of oil and a rather nice looking coffee pot Elisa got him.
"After tonight, I could go for a meal like that." Brooklyn remarked as his stomach grumbled.
"Sounds good to me." Broadway nodded.
"I'm game." Lexington nodded, a crown he was wearing sliding down his head.
"Thank you lad, you really are good to us." Hudson sighed as he sat in a lawn chair.
"Yes, thank you, Jean." Elisa added. Goliath meanwhile seemed lost in thought before he turned to Jean.
"You've helped us so many times now. It's a debt I fear may never be able to pay. But…" The gargoyle said as he placed a hand on the larger man's shoulder. "I am honored to call you my brother." He added firmly.
"The feeling's mutual, Goliath." Jean nodded in reply.
Everyone enjoyed their food in a somewhat comfortable silence after that. Nothing more needed to be said.
(About a week later)
About a week after Xanatos was let out of prison, he arranged for Hyena to start scoping out the newly introduced gator man with her brother Jackal. It was for a fair sum of money, but despite the incentive, the male of the pair was far from enthused about the situation.
"I hate this." Jackal grumbled.
"Why? We're getting paid, and we get the possibility of fighting something that'll probably give us enough alligator skin to make two new pairs of boots for us, and me a new purse." His sister pointed out. "It's a win-win situation." She added.
"Except I'd rather just leave the damn mutant freak alone. I have no plans to be thrashed by him again, thanks for asking." The man shot back.
"Again? You met him too without me?" Hyena questioned, not aware that he'd met Jean before.
"I was being chased by the cops down Broadway and he grabbed me and dragged me into the sewers. I ended up not being able to get the smell out for weeks." The man groaned.
"Oh." The woman said with a blink before shrugging. "Well, we're not gonna fight him. Just scope him out. No getting up close and personal." She added. However as she said that, the sound of water rushing up followed by footsteps approached them, before a large shadow loomed over them both.
"He's right behind us, isn't he?" Jackal questioned, receiving a deep and guttural gator-like growl in response. The two then turned around to face the giant reptilian humanoid behind them, and Hyena was quick to give him a flirtatious smirk and wave.
"Well, hello again, handsome." She said, placatingly.
"You always flirt with targets, Cher?" Jean asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not very often, I'll say that much." Jackal stated as the two quickly jumped back before looking at his sister. "Any ideas on how we're going to even attempt to beat that walking mountain of prehistoric muscle, dear sister?" He questioned.
"Not right now, honestly." Hyena replied. Jean cracked his knuckles as he walked towards them, wrapping new athletic tape around his hands and banging his knuckles together.
"Well, Cherie, if you wanted a second 'date' you could've just asked." He said as he taunted the two with a clawed hand. "Come on, come and get it." He added, slapping his tail on the ground.
The brother and sister duo looked at each other for a moment. "You have the strangest taste in guys, Hyena." Jackal stated before the two lunged at Jean while he charged at them as well.
Dragon Emperor0: They say that Alligators sometimes wrestle with potential mates when bulls try to assert their overall dominance. I wonder if Jean has that same kind of impulse?
ThermalsniperN7: He could. It would make things more interesting in the long run. And how in the world did those Scottish treasures and Gargoyle remains find their way to the Big Apple?
Dragon Emperor0: If I had to guess it's probably Demona's doing. Also, isn't it nice how Jean's able to find ways to enjoy all the comforts of his old home, food included? I mean, it's like he never left at all!
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah. That's just awesome outright. A lot of people can learn a thing or two about how to bring the joys of home to wherever they are. Anyway, see you guys next time!