Soul in the Iron (IC)

[GranspearZX]

You've GOT to be kidding.

It made sense, but both Marcus and his feral counterpart had the exact same thought at the exact same time. He didn't have a lot of time for answers... so he'd have to choose his questions carefully. The first was rather obvious, and his ear twitched a bit as the rhythmic pounding of Gauntlet's assault drew closer."Who is this 'master'? And where do I find him?"

[Supercape]

GM

"Ha ha" laughed the cultist "He was down one of the other passageways! the one opposite to mine, I think..."

He grinned at Arcturus' problem.

"Or, you could go swimming through the sewers, lots of winding passageways of filth here, see if you can track him down, hahaha!"

The cultist now started giggling outright at the schadenfreude.

[GranspearZX]

Marcus shifted his weight, slamming the cultist into the wall and gripping his robe tightly enough that his fingernails were likely leaving permanent holes in the fabric. "You think this is funny?!" He could feel a very familiar rage building, and the Beast Rune was only making it worse. At the overwhelming urge to hurt this cultist as much as physically possible, Marcus forcefully reeled himself back in. It was like waking up from a bad dream, disorienting and a little bit scary.

The idea of swimming--never mind the filthy conditions--was more than he wanted to think about. It was either that or go through Gauntlet, which wasn't impossible, but far more difficult than his bestial half was willing to admit.

Fine. If you're not gonna let me turn that guy into scrap metal, at least make it a little easier on yourself.

Easy like how? I'm NOT getting in that water.

Sure you are. Remember that gator we took out earlier? We're gonna do that.

...how?

Let me take care of it. Same as when we met.

Marcus hesitated for a moment. It meant giving himself completely over to the Beast Rune, and he'd only ever done that once--by accident. It was how he discovered his magical heritage in the first place... and now here he was, doing it again. Once again, it was a life-or-death decision...

...okay.

In that split second of hesitation, the Beast Rune took over, bullying the cultist forward down the corridor to a larger passageway. From there, the not-quite Marcus finally stood upright, grinning with clear malice in his expression.

"Let me show you why you shouldn't be sending goons after us."

There was a blue flash as Marcus began to transform, his body physically changing as if he were going to assume his bear form again. It happened in seconds, but this time, it was completely different. Where there once had been black fur, he was covered by a green, scaly hide, and his clawed hands and feet were webbed. A long snout filled with razor sharp teeth bore a disturbing, Cheshire cat grin at the cultist, who was now staring at an eight foot tall crocodile. He leaned forward and sniffed at the cultist, those menacing teeth dangerously close to the cultist's fragile form. He figured this 'master' had a scent all his own, and if he could separate it from the cultist's scent... tracking him through the sewers would be a breeze.

[Supercape]

GM

The water was, unsurprisingly, filthy.

But, better 'gator skin than bear fur!

The gator form was almost perfectly adapted for swimming through the sewers, despite the muck and filth. Despite the darkness, the smells, and the mould.

And it was not soon before another cowled figure was in the sight, and nostrils, of Arcturus, crouched over some candles, in a meditative trance, and with a series of runes inscribed around him. He too was mumbling some Latin phrases quietly. There was something about this figure that made him look a little more confident, quietly confident perhaps, than the stiff that Arcturus had ran into before.

[GranspearZX]

Marcus was more surprised than anything that it worked.

Being underwater had freaked him out, and it was something he'd never get used to, but the Beast Rune was managing to power him through. The filthy water didn't seem to bother Arcturus at all, and he could breathe. It was the strangest feeling in the world, both natural and foreign at the same time. Arcturus swam as if he'd been doing it his entire life, moving through the water silently, confident that Gauntlet would never be able to follow.

He'd managed to follow the scent through the water, surfacing briefly only to gather his bearings. It wasn't long before he found the supposed leader of the cult, meditating and chanting with several runes surrounding him. After having studied wards, he knew exactly what they were for... to keep him out. Arcturus's eyes narrowed as he rose from the water, taking a few silent steps forward towards him and eyeing the runes. If he got too close, he'd revert to his human form again... He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet.

[Supercape]

GM

The hooded and cowled man spun around as the 'Gator approached.

"What's this? the failed experiment? Perhaps there is more value in you than we had first thou...ah... but wait...I recognise you know!" the man smiled beneath his hood. "Appearances can be deceiving... and there is more to see than just flesh and bone. Run away from your steel brother, have you, my ursine friend? muahaha!"

He drew a knife, more out of reflex than anything else "And don't think you can get the better of me, beast-man... I have studied the beast runes for years! the beast cult has initiated me into their rites! I was the one chosen to bind a rune into our greatest creation, gauntlet! he will bring us to a new century of power! nobody has ever managed to chain such power before... is he not wonderful? And now, you bring us another rune...perhaps even stronger...I wonder if we can chain that one in iron too?"

[GranspearZX]

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You might know the Beast Rune... but you don't know me. I'm not running away from anything; I'm just gonna snuff out my annoyance at the source."

His eyes narrowed a bit at the knife. "What're you gonna do with that knife besides hurt yourself?"

Marcus had bound runes to objects before. In fact, it was a large portion of how runic magic worked. Binding a magical symbol to a terrestrial object causes the symbol's energy to manifest physically. That was the summary of the theory Marcus had learned, word for word. Binding a rune to a human being deliberately was quite the taboo, and Marcus only circumvented that because he was born with his. Animating an object was just as risky, as there was always the off chance that the primal force of the rune would cause it to run amok, turning it into something like Gauntlet. It was why Marcus always kept his runecrafting small--small stones, clothing... certainly nothing fourteen feet tall and built like a tank.

"This power you think you want isn't yours to control. 'Chain me in iron', you say... tch. I want to see you try." His toothy grin widened and his eyes turned a brilliant blue. "Really. Because if you want to keep coming after me like I'm some kind of novelty, you should see what you're in for."

He lowered his stance a bit, a low rumble of a growl forming in his throat. He doubted this cultist was dumb enough to be lured out of his protective circle that easily... but it was still worth a shot.

[Supercape]

GM

"This power you think you want isn't yours to control. 'Chain me in iron', you say... tch. I want to see you try." His toothy grin widened and his eyes turned a brilliant blue. "Really. Because if you want to keep coming after me like I'm some kind of novelty, you should see what you're in for."

The cultists bared his teeth under the hood and hissed.

"Gah! I am sure I can wait! Gauntlet will be keen enough to do that, I am sure, when he finally gets here... it is, I must admit, a shame we could not make him a little smaller... but such is the power of the beast rune...that the chains needed to be sufficient in strength...."

"But there is no need to be chained, such a wond'rous thing as yourself! join the cult of the beast rune and live free, revel in your power... the cult of the beast rune will roam free and wild, unchained by none, harnessing the power of the beast rune and answering to no man... surely you can feel it, can you not? Join us, and let it run wild, revel in it!"

[GranspearZX]

"I don't need your stupid cult, or anyone else."

The disturbing truth was that the cultist wasn't entirely wrong. Every time he tapped into the Beast Rune's power, he could feel that part of his nature amplified. It wasn't something he necessarily found pleasure in doing; using this particular aspect of his magic was just natural. Normal. All animals in the world had their own place in it, and it was frustrating that his humanity was often what was holding him back...

Oh God, what the hell am I thinking?!

Arcturus could have denied it all day long, but those thoughts weren't the Beast Rune's--they were his own. "I don't really care what you want. Just stay out of my way." He took a quick glance around the area, listening--he really didn't want Gauntlet to show up, and he'd already learned far more than he'd bargained for.

[Supercape]

GM

"I don't really care what you want. Just stay out of my way."

The hooded man laughed.

"Hahaha! You may not care what I want, my friend... but I so much care what you want! don't try to deny your nature. You could be so much more than what you are. All you need is the right key... the right twist..."

He laughed again, a mixture of cruelty and wild abandon.

"And speaking of key's, I think I hear something..."

In the distance, a thud...thud... of metal on stone could be heard far off, the sound reverberating along the winding sewers.

He was still far away, and perhaps not even on the right track, but there was no mistaking that sound. The sound of gauntlet.

[GranspearZX]

Arcturus wasn't entirely sure what to do. The frustration of the situation wore on his face in a rather obvious fashion, making him that much more angry. The fact that this total stranger presumed to know him so well only made the red in his eyes intensify.

"You're a terrible liar. No one cares what I want."

He wanted to hit the guy. He REALLY wanted to hit the guy. He stepped closer, eyeing the runes surrounding the cultist leader. "That magical chicken scratch won't protect you forever." Arc couldn't be sure of that, of course; just because his own runic magic faded within a certain time period, that didn't necessarily mean that this person's would as well. He looked around, frowning; he could always just leave, but that wouldn't resolve anything... and he refused to run away. Whether that was the Beast Rune's stubbornness or his own, it was difficult to tell...

[Supercape]

GM

"You're a terrible liar. No one cares what I want."

The cultist leant forward slightly and grasped the air in front of him.

"That's right...No one cares what you want he said in snake-like tones...so reach out and draw from the well of the beast rune...and take want you want...!"

The clang clang of gauntlet was getting louder as Arcturus' brother sounded nearer and nearer.

"...or would you prefer we take it from you? or perhaps you would rather just run, hide, live and fight as a human, merely dipping into the beast when you find the courage to do so, or even never?"

"What's it to be, worm-thing?"

[GranspearZX]

The voice and personality Marcus often associated with the Beast Rune was mysteriously silent. Usually, it would have been goading him to just smash the guy's face in, or, in a rare moment of reason, trying to convince him to keep a level head. This time, there was no 'outside' opinion... Marcus would have to come to this decision on his own. The track record for keepers of the Beast Rune making that choice was generally not a positive outlook.

The problem was that even he didn't know what he wanted. Finding the answer had been especially difficult, and he wasn't getting any closer. And now this...

"...shut up."

He turned around, back in the direction of the water, hesitating only for a second. Was this running away? He wasn't sure. At this point, he wasn't sure of anything. Marcus needed to think... and he needed to leave before he did something he would ultimately regret. Without another word, he dove back into the water--it was about time he saw the surface world again.

[Supercape]

GM

"You will be back" laughed the Cultist, unwilling to leave the ward of protection he had inscribed around him.

"You can't deny your nature for ever! we will be waiting!!!!" he shouted as Arcturus swam off.

Even as he did so, he heard the clang clang of gauntlet and even caught sight of the Iron giant as he turned the corner. But there was no way he could catch up.

Swimming through the fetid sewers was no easy or pleasant task, but after a while, Arcturus came to a point he recognised, with suitable landmarks to guide him back to the surface. He even recognised the now meaningful, faintly etched chalkmarks on the sewer walls, the sign of the cult of the beast rune.

[GranspearZX]

Arcturus was fighting emotion.

It was an exhausting endeavor, bottling one's feelings in like that, but he wasn't ready to deal with it... not now. He was swimming fast enough that there really was no chance for Gauntlet to catch him, but there was even less chance for Arcturus to emotionally invest himself in a fight the way he usually did. The Beast Rune still was silent in his head, and as he approached the sewer access he'd come through in the beginning, he couldn't get the cultist's words out of his head.

You can't deny your nature forever...

Draw from the well of the Beast Rune... take what you want!

Arcturus snarled and lashed out at the wall next to the ladder, driving a large, fist-shaped hole in the stone wall. Shifting back to his natural form, he climbed back up to the surface, physically and mentally exhausted.

[Supercape]

"Welcome back to the world of the sun" said Rene, holding an umbrella over Marcus as he clambered out of to the street.

What a stench! he said, fighting back his gagging reflex and turning his nose slightly.

"How was it down there, other than wet and dark?" he asked, politely. His old ears may have deceived him, but he thought he had heard Marcus take a chunk of masonry out of the wall. And the man's mood looked hot as hell and twice as grim.

He took off his beret, and juggling the umbrella, pulled from it, like a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat, a thermosflask and a pair of mugs. "Some coffee to warm you up?" he asked politely and soothingly.

I hope he still has the soap...

[GranspearZX]

Marcus had forgotten it was raining, and as he surfaced, it seemed to rain even harder, mirroring both his mood and the storm swelling inside him. At first, his grunt was the only response to Rene as he walked deliberately from under the protection of the umbrella, standing in the rain for a few moments before ripping what tattered remains were left of his shirt.

Was he a coward for leaving? Had he done the right thing by allowing the leader of the Cult of the Beast and Gauntlet to simply roam free? Everyone seemed adamant on pointing out how little he mattered in comparison to the Beast Rune; the only one who never really made a true distinction between the beast and the man was him... and now, he wasn't so sure.

He stood there, steeped in sewer stench and self-pity for a few moments before he finally remembered Rene was there. He looked over at Rene and gave a polite smile and a shake of his head, pretending the pain and anger behind his eyes wasn't real. "I'm okay," he replied, his tone a little too even and saccharine for him. "We should probably talk about it later... somewhere else." He looked down at the manhole cover.... there was no way a little thing like 'distance' was going to stop Gauntlet. He did what he could to solve his smell problem, reaching for the bar of soap he'd been carrying.

[Supercape]

Rene arched an eyebrow and handed Marcus some coffee. He then took time to scratch his beard and ponder the young man. Well, young compared to him.

But most people were young compared to him.

"You look rather battered, my friend" he commented "and I don't mean in flesh and bone, but rather in spirit. Come, time to lick the wounds, he lead Marcus away from the manhole, this time at his normal pace, rather than the slightly slow and bent one he used when over-emphasising his age.

"Do we need to make haste? is danger afoot?" he asked as they walked away in the gentle rain. "And more importantly, do you have some spare clothes? it is warm enough, but you do look a little...unusually dressed. Pardon me, I don't know the fashion you young folk wear these days, but rags were never stylish when I was younger..."

[GranspearZX]

Was it really that obvious? Was Rene reading his mind?

Rene shoved the coffee into his hands, and for a moment he tried to pull off a glare of disapproval. Instead, he turned his gaze from Rene to the coffee, as if the answer to all the world's problems were somewhere in the bottom of the cup.

"I've got a change of clothes in my trunk. And there's... something down there that's after me. Giant suit of armor... using the Beast Rune to animate it."

The clothes in his truck weren't really much--a black hoodie, jeans, and an extra pair of sneakers. In another gym bag, he had socks, underwear, and a couple of towels--he was surprisingly prepared. Then again, given the nature if his magic, it probably wasn't all that surprising at all.

[Supercape]

"I've got a change of clothes in my trunk. And there's... something down there that's after me. Giant suit of armor... using the Beast Rune to animate it."

"What?" now it was Rene's turn to be surprised. He had seen a lot in his years, both arcane and mundane. But this was something new. And quite frightening - an abomination.

"Forgive me, my friend, you know more of ze Rune of the Beast than I do, but this sounds terrible! ze Beast Rune is a wild creature, to place it in an Iron cage... the consequences... could be serious, non? I am mistaken?"

Rene reached into his pocket and brought out a few pictures. He always had a few key ones... his home, Paris, one or two major landmarks in Freedom City, and the Parkhurst Hotel. They were there not just for sentimental reasons.

He fished out his magic paintbrush too. "I think we need to if we can find out more... and you need a bath, my friend. A proper one. To ze Parkhurst hotel?"

[GranspearZX]

"More serious than you know," Marcus muttered grimly, shaking his head. He sipped his coffee and sighed; the rain had washed away a good portion of the nasty sewer water he'd been covered in, but that was far from his primary concern. He had no idea what to do next, and he didn't want to involve anyone else.

"The cult that created it won't be able to control it forever. And when they can't..." He didn't want to think about it, but the moment he stopped talking, the familiar image of the Khimera picture popped into his head. He shuddered involuntarily.

"...anyway. Talk later. Shower now."

[Supercape]

"...anyway. Talk later. Shower now."

"Good Idea" replied Rene "You smell like a nest of rats. Worse than a nest of rats, to be honest. " he added.

He picked out the picture of Parkhurst and started weaving his paintbrush, drawing a picture of Marcus and himself on the picture.

"Now, a good rest, a good shower, a good meal, and, I think, a modest glass of good wine, and we should be ready to unravel ze mystery. And then...

The two men disappeared from the street, leaving only the drizzling rain.

And a very faint sound from below...

Clang...clang...clang...clang...

~ Fin ~