ic Codus Immortus: Icy Juice

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Duke dove to the floor and got major grass stains on his silk shirt. 

 

"You ruined it! Ruined it, you did!" he protested. "My garden, my shirt, and my pride!"

 

He didn't looked that bruised in pride, to be honest. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, by all appearances. He just liked complaining, and doing so with a grin on his face. 

 

He turned over, still lying down, and took the pose of a reclining Buddha which fitted his rather short, rather fat frame. 

 

"Oh I do like a lady who is unladylike!" he said, blowing her a kiss and giving her a wink. 

[Exaccus]

"thanks but if i want ye opinion ill shake your over polished magic eight-ball head for it,  laughing boy....though its amazing you managed to keep all your teeth...i'd imagine being such a jerk since forever ago would've gotten some of em kicked in for ya." he rumbled half heartedly, eyes still fixed on the combat between morgan and frost.

 

Its not that he didn't trust either of them, he just had felt what it was like to be primal raging fire and he imagined being primordial life stealing cold was something similar, ontop of his various other...lapses in control he was all to familiar with the irrepressible urge to indulge, so he kept watch for it ready to make his move.

Edited September 1, 2018 by Exaccus

[Supercape]

GM

 

"You have clearly defeated me" laughed Dr Sin, who looked for all the world as if he had one a huge victory. "I am completely powerless, and at your disposal!"

 

He looked Dreadnought straight in the eye. 

 

"You have signed the Codus, have you not? I know you are bound not to kill me, or induce promethean suffering. Yes, I saw your scrawl in Murk's book, along with mine own. So enough with your threats! I have surrendered to your will, and I know you will not dare face the wrath of the Codus. I confess, even I would find such animosity worrisome!"

 

Meanwhile, Morgen paused. She held her sword with a ferocious grip, and her muscles were tight with coiled anger. 

 

"Well, Ice-man? It seems I have another cold hearted demon defeated..." she said, blunt and determined. "My..friend...Joseph, speaks well enough of you that I will mute my suspicion, and stay my hand. Do you yield?"

Edited September 5, 2018 by Supercape

[Avenger Assembled]

Frost tasted blood - his own. It tasted terrible! He spat it out, the better to avoid it leaking while he spoke. "Your pardon, my lady. Anyway, I sit defeated with a lady's sword through what passes for my heart," he would have shrugged, but that would not have helped his torso one bit. "Naturally I yield. Now come, we have evil to take to its natural home, and a world to show you." 

[Exaccus]

"Aw Im sorry Doctor, i didn't mean to ruffle yer feathers so, just a bit of hyperbole banter you know?" he offered in mock sincereity "here lets kiss and make up." with with that he very gently kissed the aging man's head "there...all better now?" he asked with a flutter of his eye lids before leaning back in with sudden seriousness

 

"You've read my file right? there are plenty of ways you could take revenge on me....even as immortal and indestructible as i am...but i do so teeter on the edge with instability don't I? if the codus assembled they would stop me eventually no doubt but how much damage might i do in the mean time...and what direction i aim it in when freed of rationality.... those are some scary things to consider." he whispered lowly "So just keep it personal ok?"

 

"Good match morgen, frost!"  he boomed once he'd seen it draw to a close "Don't you think so doctor?"

[Supercape]

GM

 

Morgen stayed her blade, her fury oozing out of with her sweat. 

 

"Ice man, I will make my own path through this world, and I am glad it does not begin with death. And yet...I am not sure if you are life, or death, or something in between. I pray you are on the side of life, anyway. I pray I will not rue this day..."

 

She lowered the blade. 

 

"Now, as you yield, you must swear to let me be, and not hinder my own road..." she demanded. Although now, her kindness showed. This was not a demand of fury, but a demand of liberty. 

 

"I confess, this day has not gone quite as I anticipated" said Sin, slowly. "The Icy Juice was invaluable, you see. If only we could have harvested more!". He looked...dissapointed...but not, despite every appearance, defeated. 

 

The Duke, for his part, was happy. 

 

"What a show! What delightful little people you all are!" he laughed, quite gay. "Now, if you would mind taking your boot off me" he asked Voin. "I would love to bake you a cake and listen to your wonderful stories! And tell me of this Codus...."

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Zhenschina-voin

She shouldn't have, Klara should have taken his surrender gracefully, but the Duke was a very irritating man and she could help herself. She punched him firmly in the face, not enough to really hurt him but enough to cause a satisfactory sound.

 

"Now I am!" she smiled down at the Duke before stepping back.

 

She even offered a hand to help him up, taking special effort to show that it was open and she wasn't going to punch him again. Even if it was really, really tempting right now.

[Exaccus]

"yeah what were you doing with that stuff anyway Sin?" dreadnought asked as he pondered "something with immortality that i got and something about one mind amongst many bodies or whatever? making immortal backup bodies or something?" he questioned as he looked around.

 

"Hey you folks, you know a lot about magic and ice stuff, Something like that possible?" he asked aloud to all present, having not yet seen that voin had clobbered the duke in the chops but if he had he'd probably laughed.

 

"speaking of iceman, you need a quick pick me up? feel free." he offered looking at his exposed arm.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Me?" replied Sin, innocuous. It was hardly that he was playing innocent; for no cunning would obscure his crimes. But he was oozing confidence, his pulse alive with the beat of plans within plans within plans.

 

"I was merely aiding the Duke here in his research. Cloning, particularly. He has a particular gift, and we came to a mutually agreeable conclusion" he smiled. 

 

"I'm innocent!" called out the Duke. "I just wanted to not-die!" he explained. "I can clone my body over and over again. An immortaility of sorts. But every time it...looses something. Every time the connection between brain and body seemed to be more dull. Slower. I was missing, for lack of a better word, vitality. Doctor Sin showed me how to rejunvinate the process with your lady-friends coccoon!"

 

 

[Avenger Assembled]

"Walk whatever path you like; I do not actually care what you do, woman - important thing is that I won by losing, which is, uhf, important philosophical principle...." Frost was sitting down and bleeding from the mouth more heavily than he would have liked. "Joseph, please do not taunt helpless man even if is Sin - is unseemly and he is laughing at your face." He dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief and found more blood still, icy and thick like a child's treat half-melted. "And as for you, you miserable little man," he said in the Duke's direction, his voice growing weaker as he said it, "I know your type. A man who has taken eternal life for himself at the expense of his neighbor has damned himself all unknowing, you...ugh." He slumped down to one side and said, "Listen, am very tired. Will meet you all later." And with that, in a cloud of icy mist, he vanished. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Zhenshchina-voin

Trust Dimitri to win by losing, it was such him in a nutshell, she was still worried about him he was a friend after all or at least a frienemy of the highest order!

 

"We'd like you to return with us to your home, the way tribes and territory work now is very different from your time. But I swear to you that once we've arranged thing you are free to live as you wish." no honey words or half-truths here all they had over the two villains was the truth

 

"You should look towards Doctor Zui as to how to act in such ways, it's not a burden to carry but a problem to solve a challenge to think through. Though maybe with less crime." she gave his shoulder a squeeze, a little too hard maybe he still was a very annoying man "But we are at an impasse now, what are we going to do now?"

[Exaccus]

I'd be reckonin' we turn sin over t' authorities an duke as 'n accomplice fer shelterin' fugitive...not china tho, we'd be bustin' him out before we'd turn'd corner." Dreadnought reasoned after a moment of contemplation

 

"anywhere in particular you'd prefer sin? I imagine it won't keep you locked up fer long now but maybe a little holiday might be nice."

[Supercape]

GM

 

"I graciously accept your judgement" bowed Dr. Sin. 

 

"Except...I believe I would be under the death penalty in the United States, would I not?" he asked, a smile on his face. "Which is forbidden under the Codus Immortus"

 

His grin grew more and more sly. "So, what will you do? Turn me in for execution to the United States? Holland or your own England would prohibit such a punishment, of course" he said, softly. 

 

"As for me, I didn't harbour anyone!" protested the Duke. "I didn't know he was a criminal? We just had tea and did some experiments together!" he explained. "Hmph! Well, I am sure you can arrest me on suspicion of blah blah this or blah blah that, but I am certain I will not be found guilty! I know my rights! Why, I once even studied law! For four months in Brussels. Before I got bored. My, what a tedious experience!" he yawned. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Zhenschina-voin

"Well, it nice that you invited us all to tea then, or all this would be complicated!" Klara grinned at the Duke, who'd bumbled into letting them ignore that they weren't exactly guests.

 

"Well as this is the jurisdiction of the Danish we'll hand you both to the authorities, or at least you will Dreadnaught." she turned to Morgen and added, "I can take you back to the UK to get you sorted, then as promised you can wander as you please."

 

It wasn't what she wanted, taking charge of things, but at times it was necessary when dealing with supers who were very much like herding cats.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"The UK?" replied Morgen, still with burning blood in her veins. Despite that furious will of hers, she was in control. She seemed to harness her inner fire, rather than let it harness her. 

 

"My home? The hills, the rain. Trees and rivers. Cold winters and green summers. Yes, I would like that, although the world has changed and scarred in the many years I have slept" she mused. "I must see it though, and I thank you for your offer..."

 

She crinked her neck. "I will wander this earth. I need to understand it, although I fear it is too strange a place to love. In any case, I must do it alone. I will be no pawn to man, woman, nay...nor even God!" she declared, looking at the sky with her empty scarred tissue that ran through where her eye used to be. 

 

"Oh! Can I come! You are quite a delightful valkyrie!" hooted up the Duke. 

 

"No! You are lucky I do not rip your fat head from your fat shoulders!" answered Morgen, pointing her sword at him. This seemed to shut the Duke up, although only temporarily, surely...

[Exaccus]

As it should be! Thought dreadnought's inner socialist as he scooped the duke off the ground, tucking him under arm like a plump piglette.

 

"Right you ladies are, ill go tuck these two away and meet you back at t' club fer a drink." He gave the two captive felons a gentle jostle as he adjusted his grip to support their heads with his meaty hands

 

"I will be going quite fast" he explained earnestly to them as he prepared to dart.

 

"Let us be off then gentlemen, to the local constabulary, tally ho!"  And with that he was off, bowling through the gate and the security gaurds that were loyal, brave, professional or stupid enough to try and stop him, skidding to a halt on the road and making a sharp turn before hurtling off out of sight.

[Supercape]

GM

 

And so...

 

As it so happened, no security guards tried to stop Dreadnought. To make attempt was as foolish as trying to stop the sun rising in the morning. Dreadnought had will to act, and action was made, irrespective of protest otherwise. 

 

The Dutch police arrested the Duke, but - it must be said - were not hopeful. The Duke bamboozled everyone with legal jargon which might not have been so vexatious was it not for the fact that he was, in fact, much more cunning and learned than his persona suggested. 

 

Dr. Sin, however, was another matter. He had a smile on his lips the whole time he was carted off under ultra high max security (with additional security measures added). He suggested he was very much looking forward to being inside the Blackstone. 

 

And so...Club Immortus, Paris...

 

'Twas the nearest Club Immortus to Holland, and Mr. Murk was on his way. He had given a notice to the beautiful dusky woman known as "Lillian", an immortal who said little but communicated much through brown eyes and red lips. She explained that Mr. Murk was tied up, but would be pleased to serve drinks and food whilst they waited....

 

 

Edited October 1, 2018 by Supercape

[Avenger Assembled]

A somewhat bleary-eyed Comrade Frost was waiting for Mr. Murk inside the club, nursing a glass of (of all things) honest blood kindly provided by the club's substantial larder. The days-old pigs blood tasted monumentally foul and had been warmed in a microwave but truthfully Frost appreciated both things. It was never good to relax too much in a place such as this, or enjoy your meal too well. "Murk! Come, sit, we shall tell you such tales," he called out, knowing full well that his companions would not be far away. His body hurt, and so did what passed for his soul - but truthfully the outing at Murk's hand had been far from a defeat. Even if he would hardly admit such a thing on his face. 

[Exaccus]

Joseph had been happy to sit and shoot the breeze with the morgen, lillian, voin and frost (once he'd retrived his custom made chair from the basement) it was a lot nicer decorated than his local down at liverpool but it had the same warm atmosphere, generated by the bonds of its patrons, immortals, sailors, dock workers alike.

 

"So thats when i fling old nelson's statue into the sky you see....not really thinkin about what happens when he comes a crashing down...till i see the re-entry flames!" He recounted "so thinkin quick...i grabs the column and swing it like a cricket bat and swat em clean over the horizon." He paused to gauge reactions at that point, no doubt they'd all had some pretty amazing experiences.

 

"S'where i got the idea to throw that rock like a meteorite at the ice demon that was botherin' morgen and her tribe." He added as an after thought.

 

"How bout you lillian? How'd you meet mr murk?"

Edited October 4, 2018 by Exaccus

[Tiffany Korta]

Zhenschina-voin
Whilst the other had been travelling around Klara had been busy, she'd taken Morgan back to the Vanguard to get VERA to set her up as an official citizen of the United Kingdom. She had after all been living here for far longer than most people. Luckily that annoying woman wasn't around as she tried to give Morgan a quick crash course on how the UK worked, she had after all encountered it all as a foreigner herself.

Once that was done they'd teleported Paris, she'd decided to arrive a distance from the safehouse and walk, she'd always loved to wander the city when she had a chance. After a brisk walk, she settled in with a drink to wait for their erstwhile host to arrive.

[Supercape]

Mr. Murk

 

From the shadows, Mr. Murk stepped in. His bowler hat was on his fleshy head, his eyes blind and white, and his mouth turned in that enigmatic sad smile that was his own. 

 

He took a seat by the three immortals, a small glass of gin in his hand. 

 

"I believe she met me the same way you all did. By invitation" he said in response to Dreadnought's question. "And I thank you all for your efforts today. It is something of a mess, but then, life is always something of a mess" he mused, drinking his Gin. 

 

"Morgen. Doctor Sin. Complicated" he summised. "And I am not sure that Duke fellow is quite a stupid as he looks, either. At least, not from his legal expertise. He hired a lawyer, of course. A good one too. But that was a smoke screen, I have come to understand. He knows more about law than his own lawyer..."

[Exaccus]

"Aye...that n' Sin smiling like a Cheshire cat as they prepared to cart him off to blackstone...feel like this is just some minor miss step in whatever evil flatpack plot they're brewin' with that juice they got from morgen's cocoon." Joseph complained as he nursed his flowerpot like cup of lemon tea.

 

"Whatever..." he resolved to himself "he wants to pick a fight again we'll be ready, put my size 30's down on whatever he's cookin up." He resolved as he looked around at the decor

[Supercape]

Mr Murk

 

"I don't think it will be as easy as that" replied Mr. Murk, cautiously. "If my suspicions are to be believed, he is much much more dangerous than you can imagine, and, I think, quite impossible to kill" he explained. "I am not entirely sure if he qualifies as an immortal..."

 

He paused, finishing off his gin. 

 

"The Duke is a master of many arts, but particularly cloning. He is able to clone his own body. An immortality of sorts, I suppose. But only his body. Some fluke of genetics, or psychic power, perhaps. Even magical, maybe. In any case, whilst he has as many bodies as he wants, he has only one mind. He can transfer his body instantly to any of his bodies, whilst the other ones are in a coma" he explained. 

 

"It took some considerable resources, both financial and otherwise, to find this out" he added. "Lets just say he has a disgruntled ex-butler...."

 

He paused, mulling it over. 

 

"Does this make him immortal? I am not sure..."

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Zhenschina-voin

"That is as much a question for philosophers as it is magical and science. But with so many centuries under your belt I feel if anyone can answer such a question would be yourself."

 

She raised a glass in salute to the very old man before carrying on.
 

"His singular focus makes him more an annoyance than a threat, and if he applied himself there are many places he could find what he seeks. I'm more worried about the Doctor of crime, his schemes could challenge this noble institution."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Taunting a helpless Sin was petty, Dreadnought," said Frost seriously. "You either mean nothing to him, in which case you are wasting time and energy and being seen by all, or he will hurt you. You might think that is not possible but it is. It is possible for all men." He swirled the congealing, cold blood in the glass. "It was quite a mission. I have gotten worse from better but it was all quite memorable. What are you going to see happen to fine lady?"