MCU: Skull and Bones

Chapter 14: Vacation

2010

Everglades, Florida

Fort Johnson, Strategic. Operations. Command. Center (SOCC)

Two Days Later

(Brock POV)

"So, you want to take a leave of absence while we're still in the middle of a very serious operation?" General Ross said as he was seated behind his desk.

I nodded, "Yes Sir."

General Ross fixed me with that same stern glare. "I need to ask why Private?"

I put a weathered look on my face, showing fatigue. "I'm tired sir. This op has caused us to go up against that monster twice now. Both times I was one of the lucky few to come back. I need a break, Sir."

The General stared at me, his face softening a fraction. He could see I was at my limit and I knew he didn't want to push a promising new soldier too quick off the edge.

General Ross let out a bone-weary sigh and picked up my request form from his desk.

"How long do you think you'll need Private?"

I take a second to think how long it would take to enact my plan.

"Three months, sir?"

General Ross shakes his head at that.

"That I can't do Private. At most I can give you one month."

Shit.

I guess I'll have to skip a few steps.

************

Seoul, South Korea

Incheon International Airport

Two Days Later

Getting off the plane, the thought of how stupid my plan was kept running through my mind.

I mean I was pretty much basing this entire thing off of a children's cartoon.

After I searched the internet and through all the files the SOCC had. I found that there was indeed a Cain Marko alive in this universe. But the strange thing was that he wasn't the all-powerful Juggernaut I remembered he was in the show.

Instead, the man was running a small business with his Mom in California.

I didn't know what this change meant for this reality or if my idea was even still viable. But this trip to Korea would confirm a few things for me.

Walking through the exiting gate of the airport, I felt a pair of eyes on me.

Not making it obvious, I scanned around the terminal until my gaze landed on a small middle-aged Asian man with black shades staring right at me.

When he saw me looking he started to approach me and I got ready for a fight.

Once he was in front of me, the man looked around us to see if anyone was paying attention then leaned his head closer to mine.

"Hail Hydra." He whispered.

Fuck.

**************

Seoul, South Korea

"My name is Philip Cho, I am here to assist you with anything you need during your stay here, Agent Rumlow," Philp explained while I threw my bag in the back of the SUV and climbed in.

The man eyed me for a response but when I didn't give one he started the truck and pulled off onto the highway.

While in the passenger seat I studied the man from the corner of my eye.

I knew the real reason Hydra sent him was to watch me.

It would seem that Hydra didn't like not knowing what their agents were up to. Who knew?

They had no idea what I was doing here other than my officially reported vacation with Ross, and I would like to keep it that way.

"Where to, Sir?" Philp asked from the driver's seat.

"The National Library of Korea," I stated.

Phillip looked over at me, confused.

"The Library, Sir?" He questioned to get more out of me but I sat there in silence while he took me to where I would be spending most of my trip.

************

Seoul, South Korea

National Library of Korea

Seventeen Days Later

Yes! I finally found something!!

Searching through this damn library was a fucking pain in the ass.

At the start, Philip would try and supervise me, but after the first week when he saw I was just there to read he decided to wait back at the hotel.

After combing through millions of old books, scrolls, tomes, and inscribed weapons and items. I finally found two stone tablets on what I was looking for in the locked undercroft of the Library.

I gazed at the two stone tablets.

The first showed a crude carving of eight creatures at the top with small lettering written in old Idu script at the bottom. The second one showed a more detailed carving of a giant crablike man seated on a throne and had the same writing at the bottom.

Because I couldn't read the script I would have had no idea this was what I was looking for if not for the single word written in English at the bottom of the more detailed carving.

Cyttorak

***********

Seoul, South Korea

Gangseo District

Two Days Later

Finding a translator for the tablets was difficult. I knew nothing about the area and didn't even have a place to start looking.

In the end, I had to do something I really didn't want to do.

I asked Philip.

The man questioned why I needed a translator and I made up a story about being on a secret assignment and that I would inform him about later.

The guy looked at me with skepticism but took me to Gangseo District to meet someone he knew that could translate Idu script.

We walked into a small shop at the end of a deserted alleyway in a bad neighborhood.

An old man stood behind the counter of the shop and gave us a friendly smile.

Philip step aside and motioned for me to talk to the old man.

I stepped up to the counter and placed my bag on it.

"[In Korean] I need you to translate some stone tablets for me."

I opened the bag and showed the old man the tablets.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noted that Philip was extremely interested in what I was doing.

The old man picked up the tablet gently and turned them over in his hands.

"[In Korean] I can do this. But it will take a couple of hours?"

I nodded to the old man, agreeing, as he guided us to the back of the store where a small workbench and four chairs sat.

"[In Korean] Please have a seat while I get to work. Would you like some tea?"

We declined the old man and took a seat on the small chairs.

While the old man got to work I asked Philip a couple of questions to get his guard down with me.

At first, the man spoke one-word answers but when I asked about his family a small smile came to his lips as he talked about his Wife, Son, and Daughter.

The guy seemed to love his family a lot.

**************

Seoul, South Korea

Gangseo District

Three Hours Later

The old man, at last, finished his work and handed me two tablets back along with a single sheet of paper with the translation.

I eyed the piece of paper and then looked back at the old man.

"[In Korean] This is it? This is all that was on there?"

The old man simply nodded his head.

"[In Korean] Yes. That was all the two tablets held. I don't know why you're interested in those old legends anyway. Ther-"

The old man stopped talking in shock as I pulled a small knife out of my pocket and stabbed Philip in the neck.

"Wha...why..?" Philip questioned while holding his bleeding neck.

I just stayed silent and watched as he eventually fell to the floor, lifeless.

The old man just stood there wordlessly.

Paralyzed in fear at my brutal show of violence.

I turned my head to the old man.

"[In Korean] Sorry. "

I stated simply as I stabbed him in his carotid artery.

The old man didn't even get a word out as simply bleed out on his own shop's floor.

I took a small gas canister out of my bag and started splashing it around the shop before lighting a match and throwing it.

The small shop began to be engulfed in flames behind me as I calmly walked back to the hotel.

************

Seoul, South Korea

Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel

One Hour Later

Settled back at the hotel I take out the translated page and start reading it.

The first tablet had information about The Octessence. An assembly of eight rival entities who sought to prove themselves the most powerful of all. But instead of entering into open conflict, they set the Wager of the Octessence, in which each member would empower a mortal using a totem to fight against each other for said principality as its Exemplar.

The entities all then had Temples created to house their totems and once a mortal became an exemplar, a spell would be triggered, drawing others to the temples and creating eight Exemplars in all.

The second tablet talked about the location of the Temple of Cyttorak, one of the eight in The Octessence, as well as little info on the being itself.

An immensely powerful entity, Cyttorak was described as being both a god and a demon.

Other than the guys' titles like Master of the Raging Storm or One True Rage-Father. There wasn't a lot of info on him.

Putting down the paper, more doubts about my plan popped into my head.

Was this worth it?

If I gamble and lose would there be another chance for me?

I stood and walked over to the window looking down at the beautiful city.

My entire life since coming here has been a gamble.

I gambled with my life when training with Taskmaster.

I gambled with my life at the academy.

I stood inches away from The Incredible Hulk when he was in full rage mode.

A cold determined look came to my eyes as I made up my mind.

Life is a gamble and you don't win if you won't play.

*********

A/N: Ok I guess I need to explain a few things to you guys. In this AU Cyttorak and the Juggernaut's powers will work differently than what you've already seen. I want to lean a little more into The Wager of the Octessence, and the unexplored lore and Mythos of Cyttorak but the MC will not be his slave.

A more detailed explanation of how the powers will work will be in the next chapter. Let me know if you have any questions about what I've said and thanks for Reading!