I should do a disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Noblesse.
Sometime around chapters 39 and 40 of Monster I wanted to show how Franken was before he met Rai. Like, the Franken that stalked down nobles to maim and murder them for contracting humans and making mutants. The Franken that Tesamu was proud of.
Janus
"It's him. The Human!"
Frankenstein smiled. "So you were looking for me after all?" he said, as if the very scant idea of it was preposterous. "Why are the knights of nobles pursuing someone like me?"
One of the taller, broader men took the lead when no one answered, staring at him like he was too afraid to take his eyes off him even for a moment. "To punish you for the crime of attacking nobles."
"Aha," Frankenstein mused.
"Come with us," the noble commanded.
"Nope," Frankenstein said.
"Then we will have to resort to force." They unsheathed their weapons. All sorts of them, knives, swords, blunt sticks.
Frankenstein's back snapped into a crescent, his hands grabbing a fistful of hair as he laughed. He just laughed and laughed, leaning backwards into a dark, mewling sea of souls that took him with open arms. The nobles surrounded him, weapons drawn and impossible for Frankenstein to try wipe all at once. He would have to escape and run, but they would all remember, and the rest of them would be alerted.
Dark Spear sparked alive, the happiest they've ever been.
"Arrest me if you can, oh great nobles."
Dark Spear keened, whirling around Frankenstein in the blank space as they sang. Caught in the middle of a purple storm, Frankenstein did nothing to stop them from having their way with him. Outside, Frankenstein stood over the unconscious bodies of nobles.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
"This one." Frankenstein lifted his clawed hand, pointing to the last body on the left. "I recognise him. He was the one commanding the mutants at the edge of the town."
Dark Spear chittered, rearing up to caress the back of his neck. Yessss, that's the one….
"They bought back more this time. We need to be more vigilant."
Yessssssss. Dark Spear rolled affectionally. Call us…
Frankenstein shook his head. "You don't recognise the others. If you had you'd be itching to tell me."
Dark Spear rolled back so that Frankenstein stood alone in the blank space.
So what iff we don't recognise it?
They're nobles.
"Nobles…" Frankenstein closed his eyes. Dark Spear breathed in his face in the blankness, then broke away into nothing. Then Frankenstein's eyes snapped open and he scoffed like he had just thought of the most preposterous thing. "You're right. What does it matter who the rest of them are. All they've done is lay waste to humanity."
Dark Spear sparked alive again, coating up his arm in a fiery blaze.
"Nobles don't deserve to live."
No.
"How about this." The man's voice sounded like green and purple bruising on the inside, and his breathing sounded like quiet rattling chains. "You've been reported one time too many, human. It's already too late. When my Clan Leader finds out I'm missing, you're done for."
The noble chained to his wall line-up lunged forward as best he could, spitting at Frankenstein's feet. Frankenstein crossed his legs the other way and put down his clipboard to rest on his knees. "And you're sure? One more tattle-tale and your Cult Leader comes out of the woodwork?"
"—Clan Leader!" the noble grunted.
Frankenstein smiled a friendly smile. "I see," he stated. "It looks like kidnapping and maiming nobles in bulk has got me their attention."
The noble made the distinct sound of one whose air was slowly escaping their lungs. "You knew we're after you? You knew this entire time…"
"You're about the sixth person to spill the beans gloating about it this week," Frankenstein said sagely, adjusting his monocle. He frowned, took it off, blew on it with his breath, and wiped it on his chest before setting it back experimentally. When that remedy didn't satisfy him, he let it drop completely. "This single week."
"You're arrogant. You're—"
The noble shook his head, his eyes wide and crazed. He just stared, glaring at Frankenstein with a reproachful look. "You knew our people are trying to capture you. And yet you still take the offensive?"
"And yet who is it that has captured who?" Frankenstein said snidely.
"You're a criminal," the noble began, the start of another drawn-out tirade, "you're nothing but—"
"—You can end your intrepid lecturing here. I'm letting you go."
The noble's face blanked. "What?"
"Go back to your Cult Leader."
"…Clan Leader…"
"Tell him what I am."
"You're a criminal."
"I am human," Frankenstein said, "And I am angry."
You're a liar, Dark Spear once said to him.
Frankenstein's brows went up. "What?"
A liarrr, they slurred, fork-tongued.
Frankenstein flipped the next page of his book and moved to cross his legs the other way. "Are we just sharing some innocuous facts about ourselves? Or?"
Dark Spear chittered. There was a pressure at the back of his head. It wasn't painful or irritable, it just pressed in on him. The ever-present feeling of being alone but not-alone became apparent again. They said nothing. Frankenstein read the same line in his book three times without absorbing it.
The feeling of being watched used to drive him crazy. It was a knife he couldn't pull from his back, for he couldn't reach. Now it followed him everywhere, digging deeper and deeper. He had to learn how to shut it out.
"If you've something to say I'd rather you say it now than when I'm trying to cook the master of the house's dinner…"
You know what you are…
"That, I do."
He'll know, too.
"Use some definitive language, I've no idea if you're talking about Kertia, Landegre, Agvain or Kravis."
Frankenstein did some mental math despite himself. Of course he'd lied to everyone he'd met here so far, it was the smart thing to do.
No, Mister Kertia, I don't have any plans that I would rip up in an instant to make time especially to fight you; oh look, I'm free tomorrow, today if you're up for it. Yes Mister Landegre, I plucked their nails from their fingers just for fun, and would absolutely do it again, like you insinuated. Hello Agvain, you thorn in the Noblesse's side, no he's definitely not home, stop coming here unannounced like an uncivilised swine. Ah, Roctis. We're on first name terms, aren't we? You look good today.
Him.
"Well, since most of the list I've compileed identify as men, you'll have to be a bit more decisive in your wording, won't you?"
Him.
"Cadis Etrama di Raizel."
They snickered as if they knew something Frankenstein didn't, and it made him look bad.
Sure, Frankenstein must have lied to him sometime. Small lies. White lies. Such as, yes, Raizel-nim, it's completely normal to take your tea with this much sugar. Absolutely stately. Let me help you. Yes, Sir, my hands are faring much better after I use Dark Spear. I am fine. I can leave here when I like, anytime, without notice.
You're a liar. He will know soon. He will find out. He will hate—
"I've not the slightest idea what you're talking about. We've had this conversation before. In fact, I have no want whatsoever to find out what you're talking about." Frankenstein held his book up to his face. "Get back in to your corner."
He flipped a page he didn't read. There was a long, quiet pause.
"…What have I said to him?" Frankenstein asked aloud.
Hmmmmm…
"What did I say?"
Not what you said. What you are.
"Then what am I?"
A murderer,
Frankensteinnn.
Frankenstein snapped his book shut. It tumbled to the floor in his anger, hitting it at odd edges and making a large sound. Frankenstein gripped the edge of the armchair.
"…He knows that," he said calmly. "He…knows."
You're a liar.
"Everyone knows that here. That's what I must do."
You're a liar for playing pretend.
For talking sweetly
And hating them all the while… Dark Spear sang. He thinks you're such a good man,
You think he should die.
"I've never thought that a day in my life. And if I did, you put it there!" Frankenstein said, a growl in his voice.
You hate nobles. We hate nobles,
Have you—
Forgotten?
Frankenstein grimaced and grit his teeth.
We should leave. We can't stay in the house of someone you need to cull. We should—
"Well, we're staying here until I can weed out who the top contractors are! The chain of noble contractors, the ones giving commands to make mutants, starts here. Until then," Frankenstein picked up his book, "we're staying, and taking Raizel-nim's generous hospitality," he said through gritted teeth.
"You will get what you want, Dark Spear," Frankenstein said. "We are killing nobles. But only the right ones, from now on."
Dark Spear snapped their jaws shut, irate. You wanted them dead, they started, you wanted them all dead — you said you said you wanted—
"I did!" Frankenstein yelled.
"And now I don't."
Notes
Three different excerpts that I wrote at different times. Cut cos none of them worked for me. It's made pretty clear Franken only experimented on/killed the criminal nobles. He 'only took some blood' from the innocent ones before leaving them wiped: see chapter 239 flashback arc.
Dark Spear has changed a lot since early Who is the Monster. They/it used to only be able to say repetitve phrases and mumble things that sounded like it was trying to speak. Not they hold full arguments with their host. Dark Spear got a lot more eloquent as time went on, lol. What do you think of this?
Janus is the Roman god of of beginnings, transitions, change, time, passages, and ending. Janus is always depicted with two faces. (Fun fact, I almost named Zeroth Elder's Fake Name as Janus. But I'm glad I picked Faust.)
