Chapter Text
Monsters.
Cryptids.
Legends.
Dark powers.
In a world where souls never quite leave, and where beings that were never quite born wander the Earth to never die, to be human is to be unable to control things you don’t understand.
But what was once a threat, became controlled, and now tamed.
What humans didn’t have in strength and magical abilities, they had with their intelligence and their capacity to adapt.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be able to control the monster under your bed ?
Today, humans have uncovered magic’s working, and mastered it like a science. Only few can use this element, going against nature’s original making which deprived them of this ability. And where power and strength speak louder than the rest, monsters quickly became an easier, although rougher, way to wage war.
Cryptid beings forced to fight for humans. Two species far from allies, where communication blocks the way once again.
A loud metallic bang followed as Soap Mactavish pushed the doors of the training room open, followed by soldiers from the task force 141. The mohican was walking with confidence, and clapped his hands in front of him.
“Okay everyone ! Let’s get this over with yeah ?”
He was greeted by a large older man with a thick mustache and a bush hat ; Captain Price.
“Sergeant Mactavish ! What’s the loud entrance for eh ?”
Soap gave his captain a firm handshake, smiling.
“Oh you know I’ve been waiting for this. It’s not everyday you get to have your own monster”
His gaze turned to the dark skinned man standing beside the captain. Gaz was frowning his eyes like a tired mom, disapproval in his eyes.
“I still think this isn’t a good idea”
“Medic said I “have the required physical conditions” to do that” Soap chuckled “You gonna explain to me how it works or not ?”
Gaz rolled his eyes, not after checking for any support from Price who gave him a cheeky smile as his only answer. He fumbled in his back pocket, sighing.
“You don’t even know how any of this works don’t you ? You lack training”
“I don’t like using magic on the field, my aim is better with guns. It won’t be a problem anymore once I have my own magical creature to do it for me yeah ?”
Gaz handed him a thick black leathered glove, with some ancient symbol carved on it. Soap put it on his right hand, flexing his fingers inside while Gaz kept on complaining.
“Having a monster under your care isn’t that easy Soap, that’s why we don’t have many”
“But it would be a great asset to the 141 if the sergeant had one” Price added
Gaz raised his eyebrows, giving up. He smiled knowing well no one could stop Mactavish when he has an idea.
In front of him, the scot was shaking the apprehension accumulating in his arms.
Soap waited months, if not years to be able to try and summon a monster.
Soldiers with lower ranks do not have the right to do it, limited to the use of spells and other jinxes. He had to do multiple medical checkups to make sure he had the physical and mental strength to control a monster. Soap had to wait mostly because he kept getting injured during missions, and had to recover. But now, he was all healed, and determined to get this through.
But as Gaz said, he did lack practice regarding dark magics and stuff. Gaz on the other hand was the tasks force's expert, and he already had several monsters before, powerful ones even.
Soap didn’t expect to summon the most powerful lovecraftian entity in the world, but having a monster under his orders would still mean much more power and possibilities.
Around them, more men had gathered to watch. They were keeping a reasonable distance from where the action would take place, but none of them would have missed the event.
Price took a few steps back too, letting Gaz lead his colleague.
“The glove I gave you is what we use here to summon monsters. It’ll take your energy and focus it on the summoning, clear ?”
Soap was listening attentively. Fail wasn’t an option, and Gaz's knowledge was precious for him.
“Clear”
Gaz held his own hand in front of him
“You’ll direct your hand in front of you, where you want the monster to take form. Then, focus your energy just like you’d do with a spell, that means poorly for you I guess”
“Oh fuck off nyaff” Soap grinned
“And concentrate on any possible monster that could be in the area” Gaz continued, ignoring him with a smile,
“The closest will be dragged here by your will, and by the glove. Just make sure you hold on it long enough so it forms completely and doesn’t escape”
“Got it, summon the thing, keep it here, all clear”
Gaz smiled and walked away to stand next to Price to watch the show too.
“Don’t fuck this up Soap, you have an audience !” He said, petty
Soap stretched his shoulders.
“Yeah yeah, I’ll show you how it’s done”
He knew he could do it, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous about it. He did make some researches beforehand, and there wasn’t any risk doing that even if he failed, beside being tired as fuck. The hair on his neck tickled with adrenaline, and he closed his eyes to focus.
Let’s get this over with
Price and Gaz had already made some bets about the kind of monster he’d get. But they didn’t have the time to set the amount of alcohol they were playing.
A strong wind rised in the room, and everyone stopped talking to look at the scene.
In the middle of the large room, Soap had lowered himself in a squat for better balance, and was holding his gloved hand in front of him. The runes on it started to glow a bright red, and the wind got stronger.
The man was clenching his jaw, as all of his senses started burning in his head.
He needed to find something that wasn’t human, something that wasn't alive, something that he shouldn’t be able to see...
Seconds later, he wasn’t seeing the room around him anymore, only focused on his goal.
He didn’t see the wind getting sprinkled with black particles, growing bigger with dark stripes of smoke swirling all over the place.
Gaz nodded
“He's holding on great so far”
In a sizzling sound, a large black circle suddenly formed around Soap on the ground.
Some exclamations could be heard, and before anyone could move, the man disappeared under a dense spinning globe of smoke.
The wind got stronger, forcing the soldiers around to step back and raise their arms to protect themselves.
Price's blood ran cold.
“SOAP ?!” He screamed in the chaos
“That’s a strong one…” Gaz said, feeling the power growing in the room.
“SOAP CAN YOU HEAR ME ?!” Price shouted against the wind.
Inside the dark smoke, Soap tried to open his eyes through the blast. He couldn’t see much more than the darkness spinning around him, and his shaky arm still held before him.
A sudden gust of wind forced him down on one knee, and he used his other hand to grab on his arm to keep it in front of him. He was trying his best to stay focused, feeling his energy being drained by the spell.
For a second he could make out the words of Price getting through the storm.
He tried to catch his breath, as a shadow started to take form in front of him.
“I’M ALRIGHT !” He screamed back to his captain
“DID YOU SUMMON IT ?! DO YOU NEED HELP ?!” His captain asked
Soap was watching as a body was emerging from the smoky ground, slowly. He swallowed hardly, almost swaying from the power even he could sense emanating from the being taking form before him.
“I’M OKAY, I CAN SEE IT…IT’S-”
He was stopped mid sentence, with no words that would describe the scene before him.
From the ground, a low growl shook him from his rib cage to his throat. The smoke rose up to reveal a large, muscular back. The sergeant wasn’t listening to his captain anymore, watching, as two crimson blood lights emerged in infinite darkness to look at him, enclosed in a bare skull taking its place on the broad figure as a head.
Soap forgot how to breathe. If his fascination wouldn’t have been stronger than his fear he’d have been running away. At that very moment he got himself thinking he’d kill himself if that meant he wouldn’t have to die by the hand of that thing, and that made him smile just a bit, thrilled by the scene.
Lurking on the smoky ground like a beast, the skulled head was looking straight at him like his eyes could kill, unmoving.
Soap felt a slight movement in his arm, and suddenly the smoke vanished around him in a final burst.
Soap was deafened by how quiet the world suddenly got.
He finally blinked and caught his breath, letting his arm fall completely.
Price ran to him and helped him get up, supporting the still swaying man.
“Bloody hell you scared me Soap. You didn’t have to be so dramatic with the performance”
He taped his shoulder to congratulate his efforts. Soap was still trying to process what he just saw, and just laughed nervously at his captain.
Some whispers could be heard across the room. Gaz was standing where the smoke had just vanished.
“Where is it ?” He said, concerned
Soap raised his head.
Gaz was alone in front of him. The three men were alone in the middle of the room, no monster in sight.
Soap looked around, confused.
“He was right here…I saw him…”
Gaz frowned his eyebrows.
“That’s not supposed to happen. Can you call it back ?”
“What ?”
“If the summoning was successful, you’re now able to get it to appear wherever you are. Focus on it”
Soap was already making some effort to stand on his legs, and everything seemed hard to process. He huffed at Gaz’s request and tried to call the skull he saw back to him.
Nothing happened, and he took off the glove, shaking his head.
“I’m beat Gaz, I don’t think I can do it right now, you’ll teach me how to do it later”
“Yeah you need some rest. And it can’t be that far, the whole base is monster proofed”
Soap nodded, and realized he was leaning on Price for support. He took a step back to stand on his own. He still had to look for that monster, his monster.
Gaz turned around to the men in the room.
“Everyone listen, the monster is somewhere in the base ! He could be anywhere, so signal it as soon as you see it. It is harmless, so do not attack it ! It cannot do anything as long as the sergeant Mctavish doesn’t order it, so don’t shit yourself in front of it yeah ?”
Everyone started to evacuate the room in a chatter. Soap followed, sighing. He scratched his beard.
“Uuugh that was something…I didn’t know I’d fuck up that bad”
“You didn’t fuck it up, I think it was successful” Gaz said, smiling “You can confirm later by checking your mark, but as the monster took form I think it’ll be fine”
“Yeah sure…” Soap’s mind was already somewhere else
Price nudged him with his elbow.
“You go and get some rest soldier. You did a good job”
“I have to find him I can’t just go and sleep like that”
“I wasn’t asking, Mactavish” Price ordered with a smile “To your room, now”
Soap nodded, relieved. He could still walk but a good nap would be salvatory. He let Gaz and Price walk away, chatting about the event.
“I wonder what it looks like. Ah don’t tell me ! I want to be surprised” Price said
“The scarier the better” Gaz echoed
Soap left them, and walked all the way to his room like a corpse. He received a few compliments on his way back from the audience, which he politely dismissed.
His bed was calling him, and he could not resist its call. He would take care of his monster tomorrow when the others had found him. He laughed inwardly thinking about how scared someone would be when they find the terrifying man he saw, topped with a skull and black smoke.
As he walked he thought back to his time in the fog, still unsure of what he had seen.
Beyond the muscular form he had watched being birthed by nothing from the ground, he was still in shock from the aura that had made it impossible for him to move or even think at that moment.
He was still re-reading the expression of that creature. Its sanguine eyes, anchored in an inky black that he should not have looked at for so long. The red dots stared into his very soul. He still felt like he was being sucked into that black void...
He remembered the wave of animosity that had pierced him. So much thirst for death and blood, condensed on him alone. And yet he was still standing, and alive.
He shivered and shook his head to stop thinking about it.
If he had failed, the entity would have attacked him on sight.
He had always been confident in his abilities, and summoning demonic beings was no exception. He could do it and he did it.
He finally arrived at his quarters, still disturbed.
He entered his room and closed the door behind him, already thinking about a hot shower and a good sleep.
He wouldn't have been able to hear the dark figure standing behind him as he closed the door...
Looking down on him, its smoke waving furiously, the skulled monster simply wasn't making any sound...
Soap turned around and his heart nearly gave out as he saw the figure that was not there just a second before.
The monster grabbed him roughly by the mouth, slamming his head against the door behind him, preventing him from screaming.
Soap's instincts kicked in and he reacted quickly, lifting his arms in front of him to get out of the grip. His right leg flew up to strike his opponent, who took the blow right in the hip.
His smoke flickered, and he slightly lost his balance.
Soap hit him full force in the pelvis with his foot, forcing him backwards violently under the impact.
With his mouth now uncovered, Soap sucked in large gulps of air, and backed further into the room to get out of his oponent's range.
The adrenaline was burning his muscles and senses, and he didn’t feel like sleeping anymore. He looked at the being in front of him, who seemed more affected than expected by his blow.
He remained one moment where he had been pushed, before turning sharply towards the sergeant, infuriated.
Soap raised his arms in a defensive position.
He could have screamed for help, but he wanted to deal with what he had seen during the summoning. He thought for a second that he should find a weapon to defend himself, but he didn't have time to plan further.
Without seeing him move, the man was again facing him, a few centimeters away, dominating him from his height.
"Shit-"
Soap stifled a grunt when his wrists were painfully slammed to the wall behind him. It was useless to struggle, the grip was only getting tighter. He looked up to face the nightmare that stood before him.
The skull dropped on him, stopping just a few centimeters away from his face.
An inhumane noise echoed from the back of his throat and the smoke only grew and swirled more sharply, brushing Soap’s skin swiftly.
Soap couldn't escape the red eyes in front of him, but he didn't look away.
He can't attack me...that's pure intimidation…
He clenched his jaw, maintaining eye contact.
A more intense growl was the only response he received, the pain in his forearms grew worse.
Soap choked back a groan, sweating.
The monster suddenly let go of him, grabbing him by his collar to lift him off the ground as if he weighed nothing.
The skull fiercely snapped its teeth in front of Soap's face, who was now clutching on to his opponent's arms to try to keep some balance in the air.
He didn't fight back, he understood that he wasn't going to kill him. He just had to keep going long enough for his opponent to get tired. And Soap wasn't that easy to intimidate.
The monster relaxed his grip a bit, snarling.
Yeah that’s right, you let go now…
The skull cocked his head to the side, looking at Soap sideways. The man said nothing, continuing to return his gaze from the very uncomfortable position he was in.
A large hand grabbed his jaw again, taking him by surprise. His head was firmly tilted to the right, then to the left. Soap didn't move, not knowing exactly what was going on.
What is he doing ?!
He let out a grunt as his head was tilted back, still under the cold gaze of the dark figure that held him. Soap was beginning to ache from being lifted up, his legs flailing without being able to rest on anything. He struggled to breathe and his arms ached. The red eyes were still looking at him, but with more attention
He's checking me on ?
The skull finally moved back from his face, allowing him to exhale a little better. He was put down, relieved to touch the ground. He did not let go of his assailant's arm, still not having left the red eyes from his own.
The monster remained silent. Soap couldn't afford to ease up now...
He eventually released his collar, and turned his head to look away, as if he was processing something. Soap didn't move, still ready to take another beating.
The skull turned back to him, and he slowly backed away without taking his eyes off the scot until he reached the opposite side of the room. From his corner, he crouched on the ground like an animal on the lookout, and did not move anymore, only his smoke still stirring around his shoulders.
Soap waited one more minute, just to be sure.
It's over ?...
Soap relaxed his shoulders and took a deep breath. He didn't take his eyes off the creature, still uncomfortable.
This was one of the most intimidating interactions he had ever experienced. He had seen monsters on the field before, but he had never been in such a close encounter. He wondered if it was really over, if he could lower his guard.
The being at the other end of the room had turned into a statue, its red eyes still focused on the sergeant.
Soap exhaled a heavy sigh as he rested his hands on his knees for support, the adrenaline rushing back to his tiredness all at once.
"Bloody fucki'n christ...steemin' jesus..."
He took a moment to calm his pulse, not fully able to relax with the death stare still locked on him.
He looked at him again, sighing.
"I'd be angry too if I were you..."He said softly
Monsters and humans had never gotten along. Communication impossible, and actions far too divergent, the misunderstanding that monsters presented had always made them feared and rejected beings.
During a summoning, monsters are forced onto a human plane of reality, imprisoned in a body and deprived of their freedom of action.
Soap didn't know much about monsters, but he felt empathy for the thing lurking in the corner of his room.
Soap could only put himself in his skin. If he had been captured by enemies and forced to fight for them he would have been mad too.
But now that the pressure was off, Soap wasn't sure of what to do about the situation.
He still had a threat in his room. He couldn't help but shake a little as he looked at the skull, unable to figure out what he was thinking, if he was even thinking at all.
But he seemed to have resolved to leave him alone, and Soap remembered Gaz's words. After a summoning, the monster becomes bound to its summoner, which means that it cannot disobey him. It cannot leave the human world, and is totally dependent on its master for nourishment.
This link is manifested by the apparition of a mark, specific to each monster, which appears on the body of both the human and the monster. This mark transmits the orders of the summoner to the monster, just like the runic glove transmitted the energy of Soap to the summoning.
Soap couldn't see any mark on his hands or arms, the only parts of his body he could see at the moment, which meant that the mark was elsewhere on his body. He thought to himself that he didn't want it to be on his buttocks, lest he be mocked indefinitely by his friends.
He threw a glance towards his monster. Crouching as he was, although totally naked, he did not allow that one sees his body in its totality, stuck against the wall.
Soap wasn't going to approach him for inspection now...
He was getting really tired now, each of his limbs seeming to betray him with their heaviness. He would have taken a shower a few minutes ago but the last events pushed him more towards laziness, and immediate sleep.
He pointed his finger at the monster who had not relaxed from his cornered position, ignoring the glare.
“You, you don't move from there yeah ? Don’t you fuckin’ move from there”
He received no reaction, which satisfied him. No reaction meant no movement, and he couldn't do anything now that he had ordered him to. He could spend his night without risking a sneak attack.
He didn't feel very good about spending his night with the being in his room like this, but he didn't know how to make it vanish, and it was over his head at the moment.
He took off his shoes and crashed on his bed fully dressed. He massaged his bruised wrists and neck where his shirt had hurt him for a moment, only marveling at the strength of his unexpected roommate.
He thought for an instant to turn off the light to sleep, but the fear of being in the dark in this situation seized him with doubt. But he was a grown man, he wasn't afraid of the fucking dark.
He reached for the light switch, watching for any movement from the other end of the room. He flicked the switch, plunging the room into darkness, if only for the two red dots levitating in the dark, dimly illuminating the edges of his bony orbital cavity, still locked on him.
Soap turned the light back on quickly.
Maybe he felt like being afraid of the dark tonight...
"Fuckin hell…you've got to be kidding me…”
It is with despair that Soap resolved to spend a very bad night, knowing that his guest was not going to sleep...
He had not imagined his start in monster taming like this...