Gaining Strength [Part 13]
Jul. 22nd, 2020 12:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Frankenstein needs to gain strength to protect humanity; the werewolves might hold the key to that.
Notes: Frankenstein decides werewolves are the bigger threat AU.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 2,137
Total word count: 28,296
Status: Work in progress
Frankenstein was definitely being followed out of the port.
Perhaps he was being paranoid. There could be another reason why they were following him.
Such as...?
Frankenstein sighed, checking his bag. No, it was still there so they couldn't be trying to return it. And if they were, they would have called him over by now. Everything else was where it should be as well.
So it couldn't be that.
Could it be the rumours? Even by the time he left for the werewolf territory, the rumours had twisted so much that he was an eight foot tall wolf with golden fur and claws as long as a forearm. But if the Union had renewed the rumours to guide it back to his true appearance...
Frankenstein ran a hand through his hair. Would a hairtie work now, or was it too late? It would be suspicious of him to cut his hair in the street, and they were already suspicious of him.
Hm. Frankenstein slowed his steps. This would continue to gnaw at him until he found out the reason. He needed to know if it was something he could do to avoid next time, or if he should just not return to this place altogether in the future.
The guards were human, so if it was something nefarious, he could easily get away.
He continued wandering through the port until he found the quieter, more residential area, their steps continuing to trail after him.
He paused when he turned down one area and two guards were there waiting for him.
The other two that had been following him arrived at his back, closing him in.
"Can I help you?" Frankenstein asked, seeing their hands duck towards their swords. Well, that told him enough.
"Are you Frankenstein?" one of the guards in front of him asked. His partner's eyes kept flicking towards Frankenstein's neck.
...Damn, he'd forgotten he still had that scar. Even if he'd changed his appearance, he would have forgotten to hide that.
"I'm sorry," Frankenstein said, putting on his most placating smile. "I don't know anyone by that name."
"Blond, blue eyes, distinctive claw marks across the neck," the first guard drawled. "You look like the man we were told to keep an eye out for."
Something was off about that. Guards wouldn't still be actively searching for a rumour for that long. Especially on a different continent. Though with the Union...
"And you're here to arrest me?" It was only pleasantries at this point. Useless words with the outcome clear, because they were drawing their weapons.
"You're too dangerous to let you continue to roam the streets," the guard said as they advanced, step by step. "We'll take the research you've stolen and return it to its rightful owners."
He was the rightful owner!
That was not the orders of someone acting on baseless rumours. They had been warned of his arrival.
"I see," Frankenstein said. "Thank you for your time." He ran, jumping over their heads.
He didn't stop running until he was out of the port and he was sure he hadn't been followed. He paced back and forth in the forest he had found himself in.
They had known he was coming. They had known he would be at the port. How?
The only person who knew where he was going was...
Muzaka.
Muzaka wouldn't, would he...?
Frankenstein frowned and then snorted, shaking his head.
Muzaka had no reason to kill him through subterfuge: Muzaka was strong enough to kill him outright in a spar, and no-one would question it.
Which meant the werewolf problem of those who wanted to rule over humanity hadn't been fully dug out. Only better hidden.
It didn't explain why he wasn't attacked in the werewolf territory however. The warriors knew what island he stayed on and sought him out. Why was it set up so he was attacked by humans elsewhere? Wouldn't it be easier for them to attack him in their own lands?
Maybe it wasn't someone who wanted him dead, but had only been spying on him for someone who did.
Which meant the Union.
He sighed. If the guards had been able to kill him, they wouldn't have found anything of use, because he wasn't carrying any of his research journals with him. Only the one he sketched the local fauna with. It was all in the werewolf territory.
That -
Frankenstein's insides froze and he started running again.
All his research was in the werewolf territory, that the spy had access to.
He could only hope he hadn't been too late to notice his work being stolen again.
* * *
Frankenstein's lab was untouched when he returned.
He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but he'd thought the same before and had been wrong.
Everything seemed to be in order when he entered, and when he checked his journals, they were in the same place.
Good.
That was good.
He sagged against the wall, relief flooding through him. His work wasn't being used to hurt people. But...
He stared at the journals lining his wall. His research wasn't safe. He had to burn it.
He might have been wrong - maybe someone had already entered his lab and had successfully returned his journals to the right place.
He had to be sure.
If it had happened, he would just have to hope his encryption was enough to hide what he'd found.
Frankenstein gathered up his journals and went outside.
* * *
Hm. He'd written a lot in the past couple of months, hadn't he? The smell was different from burning logs - the ink added its own iron tinge, and with it, brought forth memories of the last time he'd done this.
"Yo, you're back!"
Frankenstein didn't look up, his eyes focused on the fire, making sure everything was burning. The fire was hot against his skin. Maybe he should add more wood, just in case. To make sure it all burned.
"You coulda just gone to the campfires to..." Muzaka stopped. "What're you burning?"
"My research," Frankenstein replied flatly, adding another journal to the fire. Breathe in and out. Keep his emotions under lock and key. He'd done this before. He would do this again.
Muzaka snatched the journal before it hit the fire and dragged Frankenstein away by the arm. "What's going on?"
"Tell me," Frankenstein said through gritted teeth, through grief that was trying to burst out, the anger, "did you tell anyone where I was going?" He reached for his journal, but Muzaka kept it away.
"Yeah? Lots of people were wonderin' where you'd disappeared to."
"Dammit." Frankenstein sagged, Muzaka supporting his weight. He couldn't trace the thread back - that information could have spread to anyone that way.
But it hadn't been Muzaka. Good.
Muzaka eased him down until they were both sitting. "What happened?
Frankenstein didn't say anything, staring at the flames.
"Frankenstein," Muzaka said softly, "what happened...?"
He sighed, wrapping his arms around his knees, watching the paper burn. "While I was away, I was attacked by people who knew who I was and that I would be in the area. They were warned I would be there." He exhaled. "They had been told to collect my research from my corpse. Since you were the only one I informed where I was going..."
Muzaka didn't say anything for a few seconds. "You thought I betrayed you?"
Frankenstein shook his head. "If you wanted me dead, it would have easily happened during one of our spars. But it does tell me that there is someone -or multiple people- here who would either like me dead, or is working with someone who would." He paused, mulling it over. "Possibly both." Working together for a common goal.
Frankenstein glanced over as he felt Muzaka's aura press down for a second. Fur rippled over Muzaka's skin before it settled down again.
"Though, one thing I don't understand is," Frankenstein continued, "if they were acting with ones who wanted me dead, then why not attack me here? Surely it would be far easier and faster than waiting for me to leave." He hadn't even thought he would leave the territory, but with werewolf lifespans, they could afford to wait.
"Or they were worried about my retribution if I found out you'd been attacked for that reason," Muzaka said, his voice low, rumbling on the verge of a growl.
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow. "Your retribution?"
"Yeah. You're here because I allow it. Trying to get rid of you is undermining what I say."
"Huh. 'Because I allow it'?" Frankenstein repeated. He snorted. "If you threw me out, I'd come back if your werewolves kept attacking humans."
Muzaka's dark expression softened as he smiled at Frankenstein. "An' it'd be because of that stubbornness and willingness to fight us, I'd let you stay."
Frankenstein still couldn't always follow how Muzaka thought, but he was starting to get a better grasp of how werewolves thought.
"And this?" Muzaka said, waving the journal he'd saved.
"They want my research," Frankenstein said. "I can't let them have it. Too many people have already been hurt by it when my research wasn't ready to be used. If there are werewolves here who are working with those who want my research... I can't risk that happening again."
"...Ah." Muzaka held the journal out to Frankenstein.
"Thank you." Frankenstein took it and tossed it into the fire.
* * *
Frankenstein poked at the remains of the embers and all that revealed itself was more ash. None of the pale paper remained. Good.
It was clear there was only one group of people who would be this persistent about getting his research was the Union. But did they only want his death because he'd ran away from them?
It would make more sense if they took him back alive to continue working for them. But...he'd already proven that he had no interest in working with them by running in the first place and hiding for all this time.
He'd ran once, and would do it again.
But had they made no progress in the time since he'd left? His work had been updated with new information during his stay with the werewolves, but he still had success with his incomplete work.
Though... Maybe that was due to the werewolf he had taken the blood from. He wouldn't know. Not unless he talked with Osbern and that wouldn't happen.
He sighed, pouring water over the smouldering embers. He may not be able to find the werewolf or werewolves through who Muzaka had talked to, but if he could find who the werewolves were talking to...
Well. That was as almost an impossible task, but only slightly less.
In some ways it would also be more dangerous - and yet, he'd stayed amongst werewolves for months now, which the Union had forbade any of its people from doing.
He sighed. He at least had somewhere to start with the Union. As big as they were, the Union hadn't had many people working on researching werewolves - they'd focused more on nobles.
Right. That was it, then.
Frankenstein glanced at his door. He would have liked to rest after all the travelling he had already done, but he couldn't waste time. And now that he was aware there were werewolves around who had no problems with his death... It would be too easy to trap and catch him within his lab.
Frankenstein dusted off his hands, turning to Muzaka. "I'll be returning to the human lands," Frankenstein told him, running through if there was anything he would need. He'd already picked up everything for his previous trip, and burned everything else that had needed to be. "I may not be able to find out who is in contact with humans here, but I might be able to if I go back."
"Hnn," Muzaka said, a wry smile on his face. "Think I get how people felt when I came back just to leave again."
"Sorry," Frankenstein said, "but I need to find this out." He couldn't leave it as it was. The attacks would continue every time he stepped off the werewolf islands. "I'll try to return as quickly as possible."
Muzaka's smile warmed. "Yeah, I know you will."
Summary: Frankenstein needs to gain strength to protect humanity; the werewolves might hold the key to that.
Notes: Frankenstein decides werewolves are the bigger threat AU.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 2,137
Total word count: 28,296
Status: Work in progress
Frankenstein was definitely being followed out of the port.
Perhaps he was being paranoid. There could be another reason why they were following him.
Such as...?
Frankenstein sighed, checking his bag. No, it was still there so they couldn't be trying to return it. And if they were, they would have called him over by now. Everything else was where it should be as well.
So it couldn't be that.
Could it be the rumours? Even by the time he left for the werewolf territory, the rumours had twisted so much that he was an eight foot tall wolf with golden fur and claws as long as a forearm. But if the Union had renewed the rumours to guide it back to his true appearance...
Frankenstein ran a hand through his hair. Would a hairtie work now, or was it too late? It would be suspicious of him to cut his hair in the street, and they were already suspicious of him.
Hm. Frankenstein slowed his steps. This would continue to gnaw at him until he found out the reason. He needed to know if it was something he could do to avoid next time, or if he should just not return to this place altogether in the future.
The guards were human, so if it was something nefarious, he could easily get away.
He continued wandering through the port until he found the quieter, more residential area, their steps continuing to trail after him.
He paused when he turned down one area and two guards were there waiting for him.
The other two that had been following him arrived at his back, closing him in.
"Can I help you?" Frankenstein asked, seeing their hands duck towards their swords. Well, that told him enough.
"Are you Frankenstein?" one of the guards in front of him asked. His partner's eyes kept flicking towards Frankenstein's neck.
...Damn, he'd forgotten he still had that scar. Even if he'd changed his appearance, he would have forgotten to hide that.
"I'm sorry," Frankenstein said, putting on his most placating smile. "I don't know anyone by that name."
"Blond, blue eyes, distinctive claw marks across the neck," the first guard drawled. "You look like the man we were told to keep an eye out for."
Something was off about that. Guards wouldn't still be actively searching for a rumour for that long. Especially on a different continent. Though with the Union...
"And you're here to arrest me?" It was only pleasantries at this point. Useless words with the outcome clear, because they were drawing their weapons.
"You're too dangerous to let you continue to roam the streets," the guard said as they advanced, step by step. "We'll take the research you've stolen and return it to its rightful owners."
He was the rightful owner!
That was not the orders of someone acting on baseless rumours. They had been warned of his arrival.
"I see," Frankenstein said. "Thank you for your time." He ran, jumping over their heads.
He didn't stop running until he was out of the port and he was sure he hadn't been followed. He paced back and forth in the forest he had found himself in.
They had known he was coming. They had known he would be at the port. How?
The only person who knew where he was going was...
Muzaka.
Muzaka wouldn't, would he...?
Frankenstein frowned and then snorted, shaking his head.
Muzaka had no reason to kill him through subterfuge: Muzaka was strong enough to kill him outright in a spar, and no-one would question it.
Which meant the werewolf problem of those who wanted to rule over humanity hadn't been fully dug out. Only better hidden.
It didn't explain why he wasn't attacked in the werewolf territory however. The warriors knew what island he stayed on and sought him out. Why was it set up so he was attacked by humans elsewhere? Wouldn't it be easier for them to attack him in their own lands?
Maybe it wasn't someone who wanted him dead, but had only been spying on him for someone who did.
Which meant the Union.
He sighed. If the guards had been able to kill him, they wouldn't have found anything of use, because he wasn't carrying any of his research journals with him. Only the one he sketched the local fauna with. It was all in the werewolf territory.
That -
Frankenstein's insides froze and he started running again.
All his research was in the werewolf territory, that the spy had access to.
He could only hope he hadn't been too late to notice his work being stolen again.
Frankenstein's lab was untouched when he returned.
He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but he'd thought the same before and had been wrong.
Everything seemed to be in order when he entered, and when he checked his journals, they were in the same place.
Good.
That was good.
He sagged against the wall, relief flooding through him. His work wasn't being used to hurt people. But...
He stared at the journals lining his wall. His research wasn't safe. He had to burn it.
He might have been wrong - maybe someone had already entered his lab and had successfully returned his journals to the right place.
He had to be sure.
If it had happened, he would just have to hope his encryption was enough to hide what he'd found.
Frankenstein gathered up his journals and went outside.
Hm. He'd written a lot in the past couple of months, hadn't he? The smell was different from burning logs - the ink added its own iron tinge, and with it, brought forth memories of the last time he'd done this.
"Yo, you're back!"
Frankenstein didn't look up, his eyes focused on the fire, making sure everything was burning. The fire was hot against his skin. Maybe he should add more wood, just in case. To make sure it all burned.
"You coulda just gone to the campfires to..." Muzaka stopped. "What're you burning?"
"My research," Frankenstein replied flatly, adding another journal to the fire. Breathe in and out. Keep his emotions under lock and key. He'd done this before. He would do this again.
Muzaka snatched the journal before it hit the fire and dragged Frankenstein away by the arm. "What's going on?"
"Tell me," Frankenstein said through gritted teeth, through grief that was trying to burst out, the anger, "did you tell anyone where I was going?" He reached for his journal, but Muzaka kept it away.
"Yeah? Lots of people were wonderin' where you'd disappeared to."
"Dammit." Frankenstein sagged, Muzaka supporting his weight. He couldn't trace the thread back - that information could have spread to anyone that way.
But it hadn't been Muzaka. Good.
Muzaka eased him down until they were both sitting. "What happened?
Frankenstein didn't say anything, staring at the flames.
"Frankenstein," Muzaka said softly, "what happened...?"
He sighed, wrapping his arms around his knees, watching the paper burn. "While I was away, I was attacked by people who knew who I was and that I would be in the area. They were warned I would be there." He exhaled. "They had been told to collect my research from my corpse. Since you were the only one I informed where I was going..."
Muzaka didn't say anything for a few seconds. "You thought I betrayed you?"
Frankenstein shook his head. "If you wanted me dead, it would have easily happened during one of our spars. But it does tell me that there is someone -or multiple people- here who would either like me dead, or is working with someone who would." He paused, mulling it over. "Possibly both." Working together for a common goal.
Frankenstein glanced over as he felt Muzaka's aura press down for a second. Fur rippled over Muzaka's skin before it settled down again.
"Though, one thing I don't understand is," Frankenstein continued, "if they were acting with ones who wanted me dead, then why not attack me here? Surely it would be far easier and faster than waiting for me to leave." He hadn't even thought he would leave the territory, but with werewolf lifespans, they could afford to wait.
"Or they were worried about my retribution if I found out you'd been attacked for that reason," Muzaka said, his voice low, rumbling on the verge of a growl.
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow. "Your retribution?"
"Yeah. You're here because I allow it. Trying to get rid of you is undermining what I say."
"Huh. 'Because I allow it'?" Frankenstein repeated. He snorted. "If you threw me out, I'd come back if your werewolves kept attacking humans."
Muzaka's dark expression softened as he smiled at Frankenstein. "An' it'd be because of that stubbornness and willingness to fight us, I'd let you stay."
Frankenstein still couldn't always follow how Muzaka thought, but he was starting to get a better grasp of how werewolves thought.
"And this?" Muzaka said, waving the journal he'd saved.
"They want my research," Frankenstein said. "I can't let them have it. Too many people have already been hurt by it when my research wasn't ready to be used. If there are werewolves here who are working with those who want my research... I can't risk that happening again."
"...Ah." Muzaka held the journal out to Frankenstein.
"Thank you." Frankenstein took it and tossed it into the fire.
Frankenstein poked at the remains of the embers and all that revealed itself was more ash. None of the pale paper remained. Good.
It was clear there was only one group of people who would be this persistent about getting his research was the Union. But did they only want his death because he'd ran away from them?
It would make more sense if they took him back alive to continue working for them. But...he'd already proven that he had no interest in working with them by running in the first place and hiding for all this time.
He'd ran once, and would do it again.
But had they made no progress in the time since he'd left? His work had been updated with new information during his stay with the werewolves, but he still had success with his incomplete work.
Though... Maybe that was due to the werewolf he had taken the blood from. He wouldn't know. Not unless he talked with Osbern and that wouldn't happen.
He sighed, pouring water over the smouldering embers. He may not be able to find the werewolf or werewolves through who Muzaka had talked to, but if he could find who the werewolves were talking to...
Well. That was as almost an impossible task, but only slightly less.
In some ways it would also be more dangerous - and yet, he'd stayed amongst werewolves for months now, which the Union had forbade any of its people from doing.
He sighed. He at least had somewhere to start with the Union. As big as they were, the Union hadn't had many people working on researching werewolves - they'd focused more on nobles.
Right. That was it, then.
Frankenstein glanced at his door. He would have liked to rest after all the travelling he had already done, but he couldn't waste time. And now that he was aware there were werewolves around who had no problems with his death... It would be too easy to trap and catch him within his lab.
Frankenstein dusted off his hands, turning to Muzaka. "I'll be returning to the human lands," Frankenstein told him, running through if there was anything he would need. He'd already picked up everything for his previous trip, and burned everything else that had needed to be. "I may not be able to find out who is in contact with humans here, but I might be able to if I go back."
"Hnn," Muzaka said, a wry smile on his face. "Think I get how people felt when I came back just to leave again."
"Sorry," Frankenstein said, "but I need to find this out." He couldn't leave it as it was. The attacks would continue every time he stepped off the werewolf islands. "I'll try to return as quickly as possible."
Muzaka's smile warmed. "Yeah, I know you will."