Deep breaths... nice and calm... Deep, deep breathes. Pros... I'm alive. I should be dead, but I'm not. Cons... EVERYTHING ELSE!
My Skills? Gone. My Levels? Gone. My Inventory, my Perks... all gone.
"Hey..." a hologram of Shiro starts, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. I know it's a Hologram because I tried to punch him when he appeared, but I went straight through. "So, I know you probably aren't exactly happy about all this."
Oh really... what gave it away?
"But, I'd like to bring your attention to the good sides of all this! One, we took your... technical death as a chance to update you to the full Game, no more training wheels for you. Two, this is a chance for a do over, any mistakes you made? Just avoid them, I mean realistically you've spent what? A couple of months? You haven't lost that much time, and yes, I'm sure that re-doing DxD and Overlord will be annoying, but it won't be time consuming at least." he said making me scowl, he isn't completely wrong... and getting out of this limited game mode is a nice benefit even if it doesn't make up for everything else.
I don't care that I've lost progress, I can get that back... Losing my girls hurts however, even if I can get them back.
"I was going to try saving your progress but.. well Ophis took your death poorly, and there's not much left of DxD. And the destruction of the Tower Heart kinda... blew up your tower... along with everything in it's vicinity. I did manage to save some data, some of your girls memories to be exact... you'll know them when you find them... and I saved your pet bird, she'll be back soon enough, when you're in a place she wouldn't attract the wrong kind of attention."
Well... at least I have that. Nyx being fine takes the edge of... slightly.
"I also managed to recover some of your old data, turns out the Game has a recycle bin... it's been really touchy about that, all this time and it never realised it wasn't properly deleting data... even if a lot of it was corrupted. I gave some of them a bit of a touch-up... along with a little gift from me to you, call it an apology, you're not the only one who's played with Necromancy"
Item Received
[The Black Necronomica]
A Grimoire on Necromancy, compiled by the Grand Necromancer Shiro the Wight after centuries of research.
Skills Recovered
[Gamers Mind (Kuro's)] (Passive)
Protects the mind of the User, preventing outside influences and access without the Users permission.
Does not affect the mind or personality of the User.
Has other abilities for the User to discover.
[Gamers Body (Kuro's)] (Passive)
Allows the User's body to take on Game-like abilities, preventing the user from dying as long as they have HP.
Has other abilities for the User to discover.
[Observe (Kuro's)] (Active)
Provides information on the target.
[Skill Creation (Full)]
Allows the User to create their own skills if they have the pre-requisite knowledge and proficiencies for them.
Perks Recovered
[Background Customisation]
Allows you full customisation of your chosen background when it is selected during a Jump-chain, allowing you to alter it to your will.
[Companion Background Maker]
Allows you to create a background for your companions in other worlds, allowing them to blend in easier with real documents to prove they are who you say they are. The backgrounds will be made true, Altering the History of the world you are creating the background in.
Cannot explain away races foreign to the world you are in.
[Companion Alignment Suppressor ]
Companions aren't always going to agree with you, Heroes won't want to help villains and Villains won't want to be made act like do-gooders... that's where this comes in.
This Perk prevents Companions from disobeying or betraying you due to your actions... they won't Approve of your actions if they are against the Companions code but they won't Oppose them either.
Does not prevent Affection and Reputation Loss from actions.
[Soulbound Bets]
Any Bets made with you are Soulbound, forcing all participants to follow through with their bets, unable to try and worm out of it no matter what their personality is like.
Warning! All Participants includes you...
[The Multiverses Most Popular Man]
Makes People in organisations desperate to recruit you into their organisations, or if that is impossible then they will attempt to ally you with them.
Makes people more likely to join any Organisation that you are the leader of.
Warning, Desperate People do stupid things sometimes. This won't always be to your benefit, as Evil Organisations, or Evil Members of Neutral or Good Organisations may attempt methods such as Blackmail or Threats to force you into their organisation.
I know I should be focusing on the recovered stuff... but really? Shiro the 'Wight'?
"Gonna admit... the Game shredded the rest. I was teasing it about never realising that it had a recycle bin... and it emptied it out of spite. It's still such a dick... which brings me to my next point! You may have noticed how.. quiet the Game is being? Yeah, you aren't connected to it any-more. Say hi, Isis."
Hello, Master. It's a pleasure to meet you at last.
The feminine voice says directly into my head, no text boxes this time?
"This is Isis, she is your replacement Game... it took a few hundred years to work out how to recreate the Game but I think I did a good job... I decided to give her a name to make her more relatable? She's basically a child at the moment, nowhere near as strong as her predecessor, but she'll grow with you, she might even surpass the asshole I'm stuck with given enough time and effort... long story short the Game couldn;t connect with you any-more... because I made a new Multi-Verse for you to play in, without my kids getting involved... there's certainly enough of them." he laughs before focusing again. "That's pretty much everything I had to say, it's going to be... a while before we see each other again... I have a lot to do. Well, for me it'll pass quickly, I've had thousands of years pass by without noticing, but for you I imagine it'll seem like an eon. Still... we'll see each other eventually, see you around, Player Two." he says with a wave as he fades. Huh... I'm still pissed at him, but I have to admit it will be weird without him and the Game butting in.
...Okay, so now what?
I believe it is my turn, Master.
While my current capacities are limited, I have the ability to take you to your 'first' world, with your permission?
Looking around the bedroom, I notice something now that I'm calm... well, calmer. There's no door or windows. This room is completely insular, no way in or out.
Which means...
"Do I have to speak out loud?" I ask Isis quickly.
No, Master. I am connected to you just as my predecessor was, more so even. Simply think and I will respond.
Lovely, at least you're less of a dick than the Game. Let's get this over with, I'm ready.
Ordinarily this would be the part where you make your decisions on your background... but the Gamer Shiro pre-set everything for this jump.
Of course he did...
Race set to [Human (Homo Superior)]
Class set to [Student]
Level set to [29]
Background Skills added
Saved Skill [Nullification Gear] repurposed.
[Nullification (X-Gene)]
Your X-Gene allows you to nullify the powers of other mutants you are touching, and you emit a small aura that prevents most X-Genes from working around you.
[Literature Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You have the skill to read and write with few errors.
[Japanese Language (Expert)] (Passive)
You are a natural with the Japanese Language.
[English Language (Expert)] (Passive)
You are a natural with the English Language.
[Maths Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You have the knowledge to do both basic and more advanced mathematical problems.
[Chemistry Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You have a decent understanding of Chemistry.
[Biology Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You have a decent understanding of Biology, both Human and Animal.
[Physics Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You have a decent understanding of Physics.
[Athletics Proficiency (Novice)] (Passive)
You have a basic understanding of your own body, and how to use it.
[Medical Proficiency (Novice)] (Passive)
You have a basic understanding of how to spot injuries, and deal with them... basically you attending a first-aid course once.
[Cooking Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You live alone, it was either this or take-out...
Your cooked meals have a decent effect on health regeneration.
[Cleaning Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You live alone, and no-one wants to live in a dump.
[Driving Proficiency (Novice)] (Passive)
You can drive simpler vehicles, and you'll only occasionally crash.
[Basketball Proficiency (Novice)] (Passive)
You more or less know how to dribble... and sometimes you even get the ball in the hoop.
[Pickpocketing Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You have sticky hands, unaware targets won't notice their wallets missing until you are long gone.
[Lockpicking Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
Just because it's locked, doesn't mean it's 'Locked'.
[Kissing Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
Great news! You know where the mouth is, and you can aim for it properly.
Your partners will be satisfied, if not impressed.
[Groping Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You are decent at finding just the right spot on your partners, no more fumbling around.
Your partners will find your touch enjoyable.
[Oral Sex Proficiency (Apprentice)] (Passive)
You have a tongue don't you? Put it to good use...
Your partners will enjoy your efforts, not finding you wanting.
Wait... X-Gene?
Oh no... nonononono. Isis, cancel, stop, halt?
As I'm engulfed in light I take a moment to curse Shiro one last time, of all the places he could have sent me.. why the hell would he choose there?!
As the light fades, I forcibly calm myself as I look around the new room... it's nothing special of course, but it's what it represents that is so worrying...
Marvel. I'm in the fucking Marvel Universe. As far as Universes go it's a pretty bad one... it's full of things that could erase me in the blink of an eye, foes that could erase me without a moment of hesitation, why would he put me here?!
Well, cause he's an asshole, that's why.
Calming myself, again, I take a deep breath. While this place is deadly... I should be fine for the most part, most of the big bads would have no reason to bother someone like me, I'm a nobody at the moment.
But then.. I'm not am I? I'm a Mutant, a part of the Homo Superior Race. Which puts me on the radar, right in the spotlight. Cerebro has probably already picked me up and the brotherhood... Magneto will not be far behind.
A final 'prank' from Shiro? Drop my ass in the middle of one of the most dangerous worlds for a joke?
Gamer Shiro believed that a sink or swim approach was required, but insists that it is not as bad as it seems, Master.
Of course he did... not as bad?
It's like I'm back in DxD when I was just starting again... Just a weakling with too many big people looking at me. This world has far too many dangers, and my only combat ability... is something that I can only use on Mutants.
I don't even know which Marvel universe I am in... there's way too many...
It is not a Canon one, Master... The Gamer Shiro built this one from scratch taking parts from many versions and combining them into a single world.
Lovely, a world custom built by Shiro? This is going to go wonderfully.
First things first... what year is it? And more importantly has the MCU been added to this custom world.
Looking around my room, I find a pc sitting on a desk, it takes me a moment to rememberer the password for it but I log on with little difficulty, quickly loading up a search engine.
I need answers and I need them as soon as possible.
It doesn't take me long to work out when I am... 2010... and Tony Stark is currently missing, presumed dead. He isn't obviously, and Iron Man will be showing up sooner or later.
What's interesting is that some more searches reveal some more familiar names... the Fantastic Four come up, already having their powers... and more importantly they already have their... rivalry with Dr Doom.
One of the biggest threats as far as I'm concerned. Victor Von Doom is one of the smartest and most dangerous villains around, and a man I do not want on to be on the shit-list off...
If the time-line stays the same... I have one year before Thor happens, and two years before the attack on New York by Loki and the Chitauri. Which is the first major event I probably won't be able to avoid.
I don't have to get involved in Thor, as interesting as trying to steal Mjolnir would be I wouldn't be able to lift it... and even if I could I'd just be putting myself on everyone's watchlist.
I could just hide during the invasion of course... only, I'm a Mutant. Which means I need to pick a side... Magneto or Xavier. I suppose the Hellfire Club is another choice, but my searches have found very little about them... is Sebastian Shaw in charge? I don't want to deal with him.
Magneto is one of my favourite villains... but I don't think being a part of his organisation would end well for me, Xavier is the better choice simply because he's soft.
But... Isis, would my Gamers Mind be able to keep telepaths out of my head?
Of course, Master.
Even if it couldn't, you're X-Gene would nullify his attempts to enter your mind.
Thanks Isis... so much nicer than the Game.
I live to serve, Master.
So, I don;t have to worry about Xavier... and Jean Grey, possibly Emma Frost and Rachel Summers rummaging around in my head. There are... other reasons I wouldn't want to join Xavier's school, which I know exists, it has it's own site, ran by Dr Hank McCoy.
Mostly... Cyclops. I despise Cyclops, always have. The moment he came on the screen in the first X-Men movie I thought 'That guy is a douche'. Didn't even need him to speak. He just had the look of an asshole.
Afterwards I was wondering if he was just badly represented in the movies, and checked out the comics... turns out I hated him even more there.
More searching makes me pause in confusion... Spider-man.
Why is Spider-man active already? It's not much, a few YouTube videos and some small posts, nothing major but he is already swinging through New York... but if this has the MCU then... he shouldn't show up till just before Civil War right?
Already my time-line is falling apart.
On the bright side, searching for Thor and Asgard finds me absolutely nothing aside from mythology. Not even the slightest hint that they are real, and Jane Foster brings up a Astrophysicist that looks an awful lot like Natalie Portman, so she's the movie version which means Thor should be the same.
Tony Stark is Robert Downing Jr of course, who else could he be?
...I'm not googling Nick Fury, he'll probably show up within an hour if I do. Let's not do anything to attract the attention of the super-spy. And I obviously won't find any pictures of Black Widow or Hawkeye either, not going to search for S.H.I.E.L.D.
Searching for Captain America brings up an old picture, and the directions to a museum? Looks like the good Captain is the Movie version as well.
A few more searches reveals that Frost International is ran by Emma Frost, which means she's probably already the White Queen, probably. Hellfire Club is a bit of a mystery to me, I have a general knowledge about it but not enough. I know they're not exactly nice though...
Honestly, if I can find an in with them it might not be a bad idea to join up, if I can get enough information about them first, I don't like going in blind. At least I know the X-men and the Brotherhood of Mutants.
Closing the browser I look through the computer in amusement, porn and porn games is basically all that's on it. Some course-work, some pictures, other than that? Nothing.
Leaning back I sigh slightly, realistically this might not be that bad. Marvel is a world that ranges from street level fighting with barely above average levels of strength, to the universe level threats.
I just need to keep my head down, and not attract any of the biggest threats. Thanos? Doesn't even know I exist. Hulk? Somewhere in south America I think, works for me. Galactus? Will probably show up and try and eat earth sooner or later, but he won't be my problem. One Above All? No Idea... and that scares me.
When Gamer Shiro created this world, he didn't bother creating One Above All, calling him an annoyance. There is no One Above All in this version of Marvel.
Huh... I suppose Shiro has his plus-sides, the knowledge that I'm not going to be insta-killed by something I could never possibly fight is good.
Honestly, a lot of the villains and threats I can simply... ignore. If I don't attract their attention, then they aren't my problem. This world has just as many Heroes as it does Villains, I can just sit back and watch them battle it out, maybe grabbing some of the spoils if no-one is looking.
I don't think Xavier forces people to join the X-Men, if he does come for me I can sit pretty in his nice posh school... which gets attacked every other Tuesday.
Still, I will happily be a background character. Don't even bother colouring me in, I can be one of those face-less guys in the comics that don't even get any details.
I have to admit though...
Kuro Tepes
Level – 29
Class – Student
Race – Human (Homo Superior)
Alignment – ?
Mentor – None
Apprentice – None
HP – 495 [66 regen per five minutes]
MP – 1,005 [138 regen per minute]
SP – 495 [66 regen per minute]
STR – 37
END – 33
DEX – 31
INT – 67
WIS – 69
CHA – 58
LCK – 54
Credits – 0
It's not great, but... it's not Level One either. Also... Kuro Tepes? As in Vlad Tepes? Shiro... what did you do?
I need to level... and more importantly, I need my magic back... which is why I have this.
Pulling the Grimoire from Shiro out of my Inventory I pause, looking at the black leather book. What is that leather made out of? It doesn't feel like regular leather...
Why is the writing red?
Fucking Shiro... I can't say I'm surprised... I'd probably do the same thing, if you're making a Necromancy Grimoire there are certain cliches you have to follow.
Still... it can go back in the inventory for now, I don't want to get caught with a book made from bits of human, that would be fun to explain.
I have memories of my landlord bursting into my room whenever he wants to, and he already hates me. He's a nobody, just some bitter old man who likes overcharging me for this shitty apartment.
He's convinced I robbed him a couple of years back... which to be fair, I do remember doing. He started it, he increased my rent over me having someone over, so I took the extra money from him. Dick.
Looking around, I grab a cheap hoodie from my wardrobe and head out. If I'm going to be living in New York I might as well get to know the area, and I do want to see central park.
Look, Necromancers can act like tourist too.
I could be getting angry and raging over my lost levels... over my lost progress... but anger is just so... inefficient. Getting angry won't help me get my power back, and Shiro has fucked off somewhere, probably taking the bitch with him.
So who would I get angry at? I should focus on regaining my power so I can reach DxD and Overlord again, getting my girls back. I was barely in Highschool of the Dead so I have less of a connection with those girls, but I want my girls back dammit.
Still... Isis, I have a question.
How can I assist, Master?
How do I level? I noticed I don't have my ID skills any more, so how am I supposed to gain levels?
The system has been changed Master, each Class is leveled by doing actions befitting that class. A Student can level by Studying, attending class, going to school clubs.
By acting like a student essentially, each class has its own actions that will increase its level, if you ever get stuck, feel free to ask.
The Class Level Actions aren't locked, so I am free to tell you them whenever you ask.
Huh... so to power-level my current class I need to spend time in a library not a dungeon? I can't say it doesn't make more sense... and how do I get more classes? I only have Student at the moment.
Simple, Master. By earning them, the requirements change from class to class but they are all related to the class itself. You could gain Spy by studying under Black Widow, Martial Artist by learning martial arts.
For magic classes you either need a Teacher... or a Grimoire.
I have been given selection of Grimoires to serve as rewards, but the Game has been placed limiters on me to prevent me from simply giving them to you.
You have to earn them.
Which is why he gave me the Necromancy Grimoire... nice to know, and I can't say I'm surprised the Game took precautions. I'll have to study it when I get the chance. Thanks Isis.
Any time, Master.
Well, that's for later... As for why I am going to central park? Well... I could just try and level non-stop, but that would be both emotionally and mentally draining. Rushing would just drain me, patience and careful planning will take me further than just rushing.
Overlord taught me that. I rushed around like an idiot and I paid for it, and in a world as dangerous as Marvel? I should take my time, it's better to gain power slowly without gaining attention than to rush everything and get myself killed.
Besides... If I'm trying to prepare for surviving the attack on New York then I have around two years to get to a level where I can survive the attack and honestly the Chitauri weren't the strongest enemies if you ignore the big ass leviathans.
They have numbers, but really? Hawkeye was taking them down with a fucking bow, it was probably made from some super metal, with equally special arrows. But still, if arrows can kill them then surely my magic can as well?
Once I have it back... wait weren't they cybernetically enhanced? Would Death Magic even work on them? That would suck to find out... pretty sure a Bayrok could take them down either way, not sure about a Death Knight... they're melee units and the Chitauri would have to be stupid to get killed by a corpse with a sword when they're mostly flying ranged units.
Yes, I do remember that Captain America, Thor and Hulk fought them in close range, but try telling the Hulk that he can't hit a flying unit, see how that goes for you. Plus Thor can just bring the lightning and no-one told the good Captain that shields were for defence.
Grabbing my phone and heading out, I ignore the scowling landlord peering through his door and set out into the wider city. I know Marvel New York is crime central with all the villains based in it, but I shouldn't get dragged into anything in the middle of the day.
I already know my way around... more or less, I have the memories of growing up here after all.
The background Shiro gave me is an that of an half-British half-Japanese orphan... in America for some reason? My mother was British and my father Japanese, which doesn't make sense... Tepes is a Romanian name... Shiro wasn't even trying was he? I think my mother had some Romanian blood but my past self didn't really care about his heritage so he didn't really know.
Both of my 'parents' died in a car crash leaving me to alone, I have a decent amount of money in the bank from selling the house, but not enough to buy a new place, which is why I'm renting this shithole.
It's in East Harlem, crime rates are... not great here, but from my memories if you keep your head down and avoid certain ally-ways which are different gangs territory you can be mostly unbothered.
The trick is not to dress up, if you look like you don't have anything worth taking then they won't bother you... a lesson learnt after a couple of lost wallets and phones.
Besides, Spider-man is getting more and more active, and I can remember hearing rumours of someone attacking criminals in Hells Kitchen. My past self shrugged it off, but I know better. Daredevil is starting to move.
Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones won't be that far behind, probably.
My 'background' is that of a fairly nerdy guy with a bit of an attitude problem, and some bad habits. He doesn't need money, but pickpocketing was a hobby of his, as was breaking and entering into the homes of people who pissed him off.
He was mostly just acting out over his parents death, I'll stop that. Unnecessary risks and all that.
He kept to himself in school, a few associates but no real friends. Even his fuck-buddy isn't someone he cares about, their relationship is purely physical, neither of them care enough to make it any more than that. Which means I have little in the way of connections I need to care about, I'm thankful for that.
The memories might be in my head, but I can't quite connect with them, I wouldn't gain any feelings my past life had if he had a girlfriend, and they'd notice me acting different.
Having only acquaintances should make things similar, I can make new connections with better people.
He was smart, slacked off in class and skipped occasionally but he got away with it since his grades were always great, he was good with tests.
Heading along the familiar streets I let my background memories guide me, I know my way around but I don't quite recognise anything around me.
It's an odd feeling of Deja vu, I have memories of this place, but they aren't mine... it's like seeing a place in a movie or touring it in street-view, and then going there for the first time. It's all familiar, just not that familiar.
I haven't seen all 'my' memories yet, they're filtering through as I walk, remembering more and more.
It doesn't take me long, even on foot to reach Central Park. I think I wanted to come here in my original life... before I ever started the Game. It's blurry, but I can vaguely remember seeing it in a game I was playing and thinking... I want to see that with my own eyes.
As I walk towards the park an all too familiar red-clad figure swings straight over me, turning I manage to spot Spider-man as he swings around a corner, heading out of sight.
...He looked small, not a fully-grown man clearly. So that would make Peter still a high-school student? Probably around my current age, sixteen or seventeen.
He definitely hasn't been active for very long. Pulling my phone out I put in some quick searches, getting mixed results.
Rhino, Kraven the Hunter, Electro, Sandman and Tombstone all bring up results... but Green Goblin, Vulture and the other major villains do not.
Norman Osborn is the CEO of Oscorp, no mentions of any crimes... well, any super-crimes. He's still a shady bastard. Otto Octavius comes up with some papers he's written, nothing out of the ordinary.
May Parker comes up as well oddly enough, as a worker at F.E.A.S.T... which is from the Spiderman PS4 game, but the picture on Facebook is clearly MCU May Parker.
It's going to be a bitch to work out who is from what version in this place... Martin Li, or Mr Negative is at F.E.A.S.T as well.
Looking up X-men villains is informative, Magneto comes up with a few dozen warnings, he's wanted in just about every country. Mystique is mentioned in his associates, but there's not much else. Apocalypse doesn't come up, which means that's not happened yet... neither does Mr. Sinister.
Sabretooth is a wanted serial killer, William Stryker is a respected Colonel so that means the Purifiers haven't happened yet. None of the Brotherhood mutants really bring anything up... but Pietro does have a Facebook page.
I'm getting nowhere with this, Pietro has the look of his X-Men Days of Future Past counterpart, which is admittedly the best Quicksilver. But if Tony Stark is the MCU version shouldn't he be the Age of Ultron version?
Not to mention he lives in New York not Sokovia.
Ugh... this is going to be such a headache to work out.
Master, I would advise that you stop looking up things that may have not have happened yet, it will attract unwanted attention.
I have erased the traces for you but I have limits placed on me determining how much I can intervene.
Good point, Isis... thanks.
So much nicer than the game. And she has a point, I need info but google searching people isn't the smartest.
Still... Central Park lives up to my expectations, might as well enjoy it while I'm here. I could use some R&R.
- Nick Fury -
Looking over the report he frowned thoughtfully. Things were changing, and it was getting harder and harder to keep up.
Enhanced Individuals were appearing at an increasing rate, and his agents were starting to struggle, even with the best tech available to mankind. They just couldn't compete with the super-powered beings showing up just about everywhere.
Super-powers weren't new, Carol was proof of that, Logan was proof of that and Mutants weren't new either, but they used to be rare. Now he was getting more and more reports of powered individuals showing up everywhere, whether they were using their powers for their own gain, playing hero or just trying to keep their heads down.
He wished he could have his men infiltrate that damn school of Xavier's so he could get some answers from the professor, but the man had protection. S.H.I.E.L.D was supposed to be able to act however he deemed fit... but even he had someone holding his leash or a council of someone's to be exact.
School for the 'gifted' his ass, why would James Logan be teaching at a normal school? The man could teach, Natasha was proof of that, but what would he teach normal children?
Charles Xavier was off-limits, as was his school. For now. And the other mutant leader? Magneto had gone to ground, and when he did show up it ended badly for S.H.I.E.L.D. How do you fight someone who can control metal... when almost everything they used was made of metal?
Metal was everywhere, and even with his scientists trying to make plastic versions of their gear, he could still control any metal around them. Last time they fought with him they lost a Helicarrier, he just tore it up and threw it in the ocean.
Covering that up was difficult, replacing all the men who died on it was even more so. He had a lot of people on the Brotherhood case, but so far? Nothing. Magneto appeared and disappeared at random, wiping the floor with anyone who got in his way.
The 'Fantastic Four' were equally off limits, they were basically celebrities, and America loved them. He'd eat his remaining eye for a chance to get Reed Richards working for S.H.I.E.L.D, but they'd turned him down hard and he'd been ordered to accept their decision.
They were 'independent' and he had to respect that. What was the point of being a super-spy in charge of a super-spy organisation if you were barely allowed to spy on people?
...At least he was allowed spy on the 'Spider-man'. Spider-boy more like, Peter Parker was practically a child. He was a naïve boy with super-strength, super-reflexes and agility, possibly super-intelligence, or he was just... very smart.
He'd been left to his devices because even as a teenager who didn't look like he'd been hit by puberty yet, he was very good at taking down some of the 'Super-Villains' that were popping up in New York, which allowed S.H.I.E.L.D to grab them when he was done.
He didn't like the Raft, but it served it's purpose. Keeping all the Enhanced criminals in one place seemed like a disaster waiting to happen, but it was his job to stop that from ever happening.
Magneto could take the place apart in seconds, which is why he was never sending a single member of the brotherhood there, no matter what the council said. They learnt that when they managed to imprison Mystique, it took Magneto around two hours to free her, and most of that was travel time.
God he hated that man.
Still... he might just have a solution, Kuro Tepes. Possibly a descendent of Vlad the Impaler if his mothers Romanian heritage was anything to go by, and more importantly... a Mutant with the power to nullify other mutant powers... was Dracula a Mutant? He'd seen weirder.
He got caught up in a Independent Mutant running from S.H.I.E.L.D agents two days ago, just some idiot using his powers for petty crime with the power to fire lightning from his hands.
The criminal tried grabbing Kuro as a hostage after being cornered, but the moment he did he lost his powers. His men grabbed him but they took their eyes of Kuro for just a moment and he was gone when they finished sedating the criminal. They had reported it but they hadn't put two and two together and realised why the criminal had lost his powers.
Truly he had the best of the best working for him. Thankfully Maria was far smarter than the rest of the brain surgeons he had under him and had brought it to his attention.
Someone who could just no-sell mutant powers? That was someone he wanted in his organisation, he was technically classed as a Low Threat, his power wasn't one that would make him a danger, at least that was what it looked like so far, they needed more tests to be sure. Kuro could simply negate other Mutants powers, but as far as he was concerned? That was worth Kuro's weight in gold... or Vibranium.
Sure, he had some bad habits. But a little pickpocketing and B&E was nothing to what his best agent had done in the past, he could overlook it. It was just a kid acting out after all.
Grabbing him of the street was an option, but it wasn't exactly the best first impression. Kuro might not even know that he had powers, and it was easier to attract flies with honey than vinegar.
Last thing he needed was to make him run away and join the Brotherhood. Magneto was really good at finding Mutants, same with Xavier, one day he'd find out how they were doing it, they almost always beat him to the punch.
With Kuro activating his mutant gene it'd only be a matter of time until those two turned up, they always did. Was activating the right word? He didn't know, that was the problem when it came to mutants, he didn't know anything, and it seemed like everyone was getting in his way as he tried to learn more.
Getting an alert he resisted the urge to hit his head on the desk... Magneto had just been reported within two blocks of Kuro. He only had a single agent watching Kuro, he hadn't been able to cut through the red tape the council had wrapped him in enough to send more.
They'd blocked his 'Avengers Initiative' at every turn, and had been thoroughly against hiring powered individuals, so he'd been trying to stop them from finding out by being subtle. Sometimes he had to remind himself that they weren't enemies.
Now wasn't the time for subtlety.
"Maria, prepare three... no, four squads, the Master of Magnetism has crawled out for his hiding hole again. Make sure they're properly equipped, no metal." he ordered into his radio.
They couldn't get close with vehicles since Magneto would turn them into his weapons, so they'd have to stop a distance away from the terrorist leader, and fighting him in the middle of the city would not be in their favour.
Ideally any battle with Magneto would be in the middle of a forest with no metal within a few miles, but things rarely went so perfectly.
He would not let his best chance at getting a counter towards the growing Mutant problem be stolen by Magneto. He had nothing against mutants from a personal stand-point, but from a professional stand-point they were a problem.
A race of super-powered individuals, that mostly looked like humans? That could be born to regular humans, popping up anywhere?
As the man whose job it was to keep track of people like that, they were a major problem, one of his biggest problem. Right behind Hydra, a group that just wouldn't die.
He didn't know who they current leader of Hydra was, but they were proving to be almost as bad the Red Skull himself, and this time there was no Captain America to fight them. He had seen far too many snake themed assassins lately.
Why did it always have to be snakes?
- Kuro -
I don't know how, but this is Shiro's fault.
Staring at the all to familiar face under a red helmet I frown to myself, asking the question I already know the answer to.
"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" I ask quickly, staring into the face of Ian McKellen, I know I'm in danger... but part of me wants to fanboy.
"You may call me Magneto." the iconic voice responds, a calm look on his face as he lifts us both into the air, using what looks like a metal sheet to raise me into the air, sliding it beneath me as he levitates himself.
I saw the agents rushing towards us, and I can see another familiar face tearing through them as Sabretooth makes short work of the gun wielding humans with a savage grin. S.H.I.E.L.D?
...From this height I might just die if I negated his powers, not that I have even the slightest plan of fighting fucking Magneto. He's on the list of people I absolutely do not want to fight, right there with Doctor Doom, The Hulk, Dormammu, Thanos, and many others.
He can lift the metal sheet beneath me because it's so large that my negation can't effect it all. My negation aura is barely a meter.
"...And you decided that the sky was a good place for a conversation?" I ask keeping myself calm, Magneto isn't just going to kill me with no reason. He's a villain but he isn't insane.
"I simply wished to keep our... guests from interrupting us, humans have no place in this conversation." he says dismissively.
"Mutants only, huh?" I ask making his eyebrow twitch.
"You already know? I see, that saves us some time... yes, I am like you, A Mutant, part of the Homo Superior race and I have come to guide you to your fellow brethren, to your brothers and sisters. You have a great gift, my boy... one that should not be squandered amongst people who would turn on you the moment your true nature was revealed. Already you have the attention of those who would use you until they had no more purpose for you, discarding you." he said calmly... I have to admit, the fact that it's Ian McKellen's voice makes declining harder... that and the height problem. Not to mention... I fucking love Magneto. Such a cool villain...
"I..." I start, trailing off as Magneto calmly moves another piece of metal above him just in time to block a lightning bolt from the skies, the sky darkening as thunder clouds appear.
"Hmm, I should have known." he mutters, ripping the metal into shards and launching them into the clouds, as the razor sharp shards shoot into the darkened sky a chocolate skinned woman flies out of them, her white hair dancing in the high winds, she wastes no time as she sends another blast of lightning at Magneto which he blocks with an almost bored expression.
"Give up, Magneto. We won't let you brainwash anyone else into your little cult." she says calmly making his eyebrows twitch, a small smirk appearing on his face.
"The 'Weather Goddess' talking about cults? Amusing. I am not the one who passed themselves off as a God, and I have no desire to brainwash anyone. I believe that's Charles role is it not? Has he not come to preach the good word about peace and love?" he asks dryly, lowering us down.
I wouldn't want to fight Storm in the skies either.
As he gets low enough he pauses, sighing slightly.
"Really Logan? How many times must I crush you before you learn that someone with metal bones can't beat a Master of Magnetism?" he asks reaching out towards some bushes, as he does Hugh Jackman jumps out from them, claws extended as he leaps towards Magneto, freezing in the air as his body contorts unnaturally. "I can detect the metal within you, you should have learnt that by know." Magneto says bluntly as he tosses Wolverine away dismissively.
As he does I catch Sabretooth just... standing there, not moving at all. Looking around I see that the S.H.I.E.L.D agents are doing the exact same thing... those that are still alive anyway.
"It's not like you to come out in person Charles, did you think your soldiers would be insufficient?" Magneto asks in amusement, levitating Xavier's wheelchair into view.
"I thought I should give this a personal touch, Old friend." Charles Xavier responds calmly, showing no fear as he is held in the air.
No fanboying, yes it's Patrick Stewart, but no fanboying Kuro...
Still... as I watch Sabretooth breaks free of Xavier's hold due to Magneto hitting him with a metal shard, the pain waking him up, more of Magneto's crew showing up as he does I have to admit... I don't want to be here.
- Charles Xavier -
Freezing the card throwing Mutant in place he watched in confusion as Erik gestured for his men to stop fighting.. they were admittedly winning through sheer numbers.
"This achieves nothing... old friend. All we have managed to do is chase our mutual target away." Erik responded to his confusion without him needing to ask, looking over at where the newly discovered mutant had been he frowned seeing the empty space.
He couldn't sense the mind of his potential student without Cerebros assistance, and they'd had to rely on Logan's ability to track Victor by scent to find them. He hadn't noticed when they had simply fled, but he wasn't surprised. This wasn't the best first impression, any normal person would flee seeing a battle between two super-powered teams.
"So you are just leaving? It's not like you to give up" he asked calmly, if Erik truly wanted him dead, he would be dead. A fact he had known for years.
"No, I have no intention of giving up. I am simply finding a different approach. Goodbye Charles, enjoy your delusions of peace while you still can." he said, gathering his team up with metal sheets and simply flying them away.
As his wheelchair dropped with a thud he frowned... the wheels had been bent out of place. Erik could be incredibly petty.
Still, it did slow him down considerably, he couldn't exactly chase after the runaway.
"Logan, can you track our wayward potential student? Ororo... I believe I require assistance." he admitted calmly, ignoring Logan's amused chuckle, taking a brief moment to erase the memories of the government agents with a frown. He was sure his allies in congress had ordered Director Fury to stop that.
"This is why we said you should stay in the mansion, Chuck. Don't worry, I can already smell him, I'll bring him back." Logan said with a smirk.
"And if he did we would have been overwhelmed, Magneto has been recruiting... and it seems he's less worried about sending his recruits out than we were... perhaps we should have brought Cyclops and the others after all." Ororo remarked making him frown.
"They aren't ready, not yet." he said quickly, watching as Logan set off into the distance.
"Perhaps, but we are outnumbered, Charles. Magneto maybe a fanatic... but he's a convincing one, each time we meet him his side has grown." she said making him sigh as she lifted him out of his wheelchair, she wasn't wrong.
He didn't force any of his students to join the X-Men, and he wouldn't send the new X-Men out into danger until he was sure they were ready, Erik clearly didn't agree, and he excelled at creating fanatics for his cause.
They needed allies, fortunately he already had something in the works for that.
...if he was a younger man he might be embarrassed over being carried in what could be referred to as a princess carry. Fortunately he was above such things.
- Kuro -
Maybe just high-tailing it out of there wasn't the best idea, but things were getting chaotic, Gambit was tossing his cards all over, Storm was blasting people with lightning, Sabretooth and Wolverine were clashing together.
I could have died by accident there, and I need to test my mutant ability before I can be confident that it would protect me. Sure, I could probably catch Gambit's cards and negate the explosion before it happens... but what if it blows up in front of me? What if a rock is sent flying by an attack and it smashes into my head?
Being near a mutant battle is just a bad idea in general, as weak as I am now? It's suicide.
Of course, running isn't going to work. Sabretooth and Wolverine can track by scent which isn't something I can negate, so I'm not heading home, I'm just heading away from the fight.
I've left central park completely, moving between the streets via the alleyways, it's still light out so I don't think I need to worry about gangs bothering me.
I'm counting on the fact that Magneto wanted to recruit me, so Sabretooth shouldn't kill me if he is the first to find me, and Wolverine won't hurt me... probably?
"Stop running, Bub. I promise you, I'm faster." Wolverine says as he passes me and gets in front of me easily...
"...You're covered in blood, and have hand knifes. I definitely should be running." I say bluntly making him look down at himself before he retracts his claws with a shrug.
"It's mostly mine, I ain't gonna hurt you kid, I'm from a school that's made to help young mutants control their powers, we just wanted to invite you there, that's all." he says raising his hands slightly.
"Pretty sure someone else was giving me an invitation too before you guys showed up and everything went to hell." I say making him scowl.
"Don't listen to that fu... to Magneto, he's a terrorist, if he had his way you'd be one of his soldiers fighting for his cause, guys bad news." he says quickly.
"And that's your unbiased opinion?" I ask making him roll his eyes.
"Snarky little fucker ain't you? You could just ask the men his attack dog killed if you'd prefer? Look, I'm shit at this recruitment thing, you coming or not? Just listen to what the professor has to say, if you don't like it you can leave. We don't force anyone to stay." he said with a scowl.
Master, shall I activate my guidance program?
The what?
My Guidance Program allows me to find the most viable 'paths' for you, and predict the consequences of each choice.
Of course, if you find them unsuitable you can choose your own path and ignore my suggestions, my role is simply to advise.
...Sure, go ahead Isis.
[Path 1: Go with Logan]
Will result in an offer to join Xavier's school, along with the X-Men when they discover the usefulness of your power.
You will be trained in controlling your power, allowing you to upgrade it faster.
This path will result in you meeting many the characters that Xavier is acquainted with, including the Fantastic Four, the rest of the X-Men, and the members of the Massachusetts Academy.
Xavier will protect you from S.H.I.E.L.D and other government agencies as long as you are one of his students.
[Path 2: Refuse the offer]
Logan will reluctantly accept your choice, and leave you alone.
Once alone, either S.H.I.E.L.D or Magneto would return and 'collect' you, taking you to their respective leaders.
This could result in you working as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent if you desired... though Fury would be hard to deny, which would result in missions, gadgets and advanced training.
This could result in you joining the Brotherhood, this path would have training but most of it would be on assignments, you would meet many 'villain' types during your time there, it would also result in you becoming wanted by authorities when your affiliation is discovered.
Fury wants me to work as an Agent? That's... better than what I expected he wanted with me, but no thanks. That would put me in the middle of all the shit that happens... oh and S.H.I.E.L.D is Hydra at the moment if things are staying like the MCU, and I don't want Hydras attention.
Being part of the Brotherhood is a No, I don't want to get on any government wanted lists on my first day here, as I expected Xavier is the safe choice for now.
I have no intention of becoming a member of his little scout group, but I can study there easily enough. Thanks Isis.
I'm happy to be of assistance, Master.
"Fine, lead the way... Bub." I say making him scowl.
"It sounds stupid when you say it, brat. The names Logan, come on, the Blackbird's not far..." he mutters.
"And my names Kuro, not brat. So, how are you planning on explaining the whole covered in blood thing to anyone who sees us?" I ask casually making him grunt.
"Chucks had everyone nearby leave, so we don't need to worry about that... would have been easier if you didn't run around like a headless chicken... I get the feeling I'm not going to like you... Brat." he mutters as he leads me out of the alleyway.
- Later -
...I'm going to admit, I zoned out during Xavier's speech about peace and coexistence, Mutants and Humans holding hands and planting flowers or whatever he was saying. Also, Storms outfit, more of a bikini really, is far more interesting.
He just kept going on and on, but I at least pretended to be paying attention even if my attention wandered a few times.
"For now, feel free to look around and get a feel of the school, this isn't a decision you should rush after all. I have had a room prepared for you in advance..." he says closing his eyes for a moment. He does that occasionally, telepathically communicating with people... but he can't do that to me.
As the door opens, another familiar face walks in, a odd look on her face before she suppresses it, replacing it with a bored nonchalant look.
"You called for me, Professor?" Rogue asks casually, her eyes flickering over to me for the briefest of seconds before she looks back at Xavier.
As she does I look her over, definitely looks like the X-Men Evolution version, short auburn hair with a white streaks in the front, pale skin covered with almost Gothic make-up... and a spiked collar for some reason.
Her see-through green top reveals the black halter-top beneath it, revealing a decent amount of cleavage, not enough to be indecent but she clearly doesn't mind showing of what she has, same with the short black skirt showing her long legs covered in dark leggings...
I like her.
Despite her outfit, very little skin is exposed, a precaution to stop her from accidentally draining people. She's even wearing gloves.
Master, my Dating Advisor system is marking her as an 'Easy Target'.
She is a target who could be turned to your side with relative ease.
I would advise you use her to earn the Eromancer Grimoire, she's the easiest path to it!
...Well it's true but you don't need to be so blunt about it.
"Yes, I did Rogue. This is Kuro, he'll be staying here for tonight at least, and possibly joining us as a student. I'd like you to give him the tour and answer any questions he may have about the school." he replied calmly, barely
"Yeah, sure. Is that all?" she asked putting her hands in her skirt pockets.
"It is, thank you. For now, Kuro, make yourself at home, if you have any questions feel free to ask either me, one of the other teachers, or the students themselves. We can speak more tomorrow." Xavier said kindly, this is why I wanted to come here... Magneto wouldn't have been so soft.
It's a weakness of Xavier's and one that I will happily exploit..
"I will, thank you." I say, might as well be polite. "So.. Rouge was it? Lead the way." I say making her roll her eyes as she walks out of the room.
"Come on, let's go." she mutters as she leaves.
She's nice.
- Ororo Munroe -
"Why Rouge?" she asked as the door closed, leaving her alone with Charles.
"I simply believed that she was the correct choice." he said making her frown.
"Surely Jean would have been more suitable, she would have been far better for answering any questions he has. And Kitty is more of a people person, she would have made him feel more welcome." she continued, spotting the slight twitch from Charles. "Instead you took the girl who can't touch people and put her close to the one person who she would be able to touch, and I know you told Rogue about his power." she said bluntly watching him wince slightly.
"I did." he admitted, saying nothing more. He didn't need to.
Kuro was unique for more than his power, he had a trait that most male mutants lacked... he was straight.
No-one understood why, no matter how much research they did into it, but almost all the male mutants preferred men... and almost all of them were infertile. A genetic defect? A quirk of evolution?
No-one knew.
She could count the number of straight male mutants she knew with one hand, and have fingers left over.
She'd seen Kuro's eyes move over her body several times, she didn't care but she'd seen it. If she cared about being looked at she wouldn't wear a skin-tight revealing leotard on missions.
He did the same to Rogue when she walked in.
Mutants might be appearing at an increased rate, but most studies said that would slow down, if Hank and Charles was to be believed, and she had no reason not to, but a race with infertile men wasn't a race that would last long.
To make things worse, while they could breed with regular humans it usually resulted in a regular human child, not a mutant.
Charles was looking towards the future, but to solve this they had to find out why so few male mutants were straight, and for that they needed data. She didn't fully understand the science of it, that was Hank's speciality not hers, but she knew enough to realise that Charles was deliberately pushing the two students together...
What she didn't know was what the end goal is, what did he get out of pushing a pair of hormonal teens together?
- Kuro -
"...So, is what I heard about you true?" she finally asks making me pause, she's been giving me looks this entire tour.
"Probably... wait, what did you hear?" I ask watching her hesitate, biting at her lip.
- Nick Fury -
He'd come to the conclusion that 95% of his organisation were incompetent.
Still, he couldn't completely blame this on them, an all out fight between Magneto and Xavier's groups? Without any Enhanced individuals of their own there was no way they could have stood a chance.
This was why they needed the Avengers Initiative. Regular men with guns couldn't do much against someone like Sabretooth who just shrugged off being shot.
It was a problem, Kuro had been seen on the drones entering Xavier's plane with Logan, and that made getting him more difficult. But not impossible...
He couldn't have his people approach the school itself, and if Kuro stayed then he wasn't technically allowed to keep pursuing him... but when had not being allowed stopped him?
The council were being idiots, and listening to idiots was a mistake.
He wouldn't approach the school, that'd just get the council breathing down his neck, but he would make sure that when Kuro left the grounds, whether it was because he declined the offer or he was just going to do some shopping, he'd know.
When he found an opportunity, he'd have one of his agents make contact with him. He just had to be subtle, and keep it off the record for now. What the council didn't know wouldn't hurt them, or more importantly him.
And if they did find out? Well, he knew about most of the skeletons in their closets, he wasn't a spy master for nothing.
- Magneto -
Listening to Mystiques report he frowned in thought.
So the boy had gone with Wolverine? Unsurprising but disappointing. But he wasn't giving up just yet, there was something about this... Kuro that told him that he wouldn't be a good fit in Xavier's dream.
The calm way he watched Sabretooth kill the S.H.I.E.L.D agents was the first sign, there was no horror or disgust in his eyes, he wasn't enjoying the sight of them dying but he didn't care either.
It wasn't his first time seeing death, and violence didn't bother him.
He truly believed that such a person wouldn't fit in with Xavier and his dreams of peace and coexistence.
Charles had won the battle by getting Kuro to go to his precious little school, but the war was far from over. He hadn't been checkmated just yet.