Sunday – 26/04/2009
"So... have you given any thought to whether you want to stay at out school?" she asked hesitantly, watching Kuro mess with his phone on the ride back, they were almost home and she'd been trying to decide how best to start this the entire ride back.
"A bit, have to admit, Miss Frosts offer is more enticing than Xavier's." he said after a moment of thought making her heart drop slightly. She knew this was going to go wrong from the moment Charles told her about the drugs. Nothing stays secret forever, even more so when there's so many telepaths around.
"...You realise that Emma Frost wants you for the exact same reason as the headmaster?" she asked after a moment of silence, watching him laugh.
"Obviously, the difference is that she's told me what she wants from me up-front, where Xavier just had me drugged so he could steal a sample. Being drugged and molested on my first night wasn't exactly the best start was it?" he asked calmly, making her wince.
"I- Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay?" she asked hesitantly, watching a smirk grow on his face. She was pretty sure he was enjoying her awkwardness, along with the power he had over them. She couldn't blame him, if she'd been molested in her sleep by a teacher when she was his age she'd have blasted the teachers with lightning and left... he was being far more reasonable than most people would be. She could already hear Charles trying to get her to do whatever it took to keep him at the academy. Charles had a grand plan involving Kuro, one that he didn't seem in a rush to tell anyone about.
"Honestly? If it wasn't for Rogue and Kitty I would have already left, but since I don't want to leave them and I don't think I could get Kitty to join me at Massachusetts easily, I'm open to... negotiating." he said with a grin.
...The fact that he didn't include Rogue in the reason to stay was telling... she'd follow him if he left obviously, a fact he already knew. Of course she would, he was the only person she could really interact with. And he couldn't get Kitty to join him 'easily'. Not that he couldn't get her to join him, just that it wouldn't be easy. He was certainly confident.
"And what would it take to keep you with us?" she asked after a moment.
"I hate cleaning, honestly I'm a very lazy person at heart... so I can't be bothered with the whole keeping my room clean myself, even if it's supposed to help make me independent... I could defenitely get Rogue to do it for me but that wouldn't be very nice... so I want a sexy maid to do it for me, you don't mind do you?" he asked as he smirked at her.
He was definitely enjoying this.
"Really?" she asked with a sigh.
"Really, honestly? I just want to embarrass you for revenge, and making you act like my maid seems like a good start, Miss Weather Goddess." he replied honestly.
Spiteful, but again far more tame than her response would have been.
"Just cleaning?" she asked after a moment.
"Don't worry, I'll respect your personal space exactly as much as you did mine." he replied happily making her lips twitch despite herself. Yeah, he was absolutely enjoying this.
"And you'll stay if I play along with this?" she asked sternly, making him smirk at her.
"Of course, for as long as you play along, that's fair right?" he replied with a grin. "No need for me to go to the press with stories about being drugged and molested at the creepy old mans school, do you think there are any traces of the drug left in me?" he asked casually making her blood run cold... that was a very good threat.
Their school couldn't afford to be investigated like that, and telepathy only went so far if Kuro went to the press.
"You've done this before." she said bluntly, making him laugh. "You're too casual for this to be your first time blackmailing someone..." she said watching him simply smirk back at her as they entered the gates of the school.
Logan was definitely right about him having a past, but their looks into his history had revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
"Fine, have it your way... I am not wearing a maid outfit out of some low budget porn film though." she said with a slightly amused sigh. Despite herself she couldn't fully blame him for taking advantage of the situation.
Honestly his high libido was probably a boon for the mutant race. It'd be amusing if their race was saved by the perversion of a teenage boy.
"Oh? So if it''s not low budget you will wear it?" he asked as she pulled up, making her roll her eyes.
"I will handle my 'uniform', you are not dressing me." she answered with a stern look.
"Is that any way for a maid to talk to her master?" he asked with a laugh.
"Outside of your room, I am a teacher and will act as such, I have a reputation to uphold after all. And I won't call you master, but I will call you Sir if I must." she said calmly, she wasn't going to be embarrassed over something like this.
Getting out of the car, she turned to the smirking teen.
"I have some data to pass onto Hank and the Headmaster, we can continue this tomorrow, after classes." she said finally as she turned and walked towards the school.
"Sure thing... Professor." he said, his tone teasing, almost mocking.
He was going to be an annoyance.. but it wasn't anything that they didn't deserve... and in all honesty? Having it all out in the open actually made her feel better already, the constant guilt had started to fade.
She'd rather deal with a pervy teen than constant growing guilt. If he went too far she could just put a stop to it.
- Kuro -
"No Kitty tonight?" I ask as I strip down to my boxers, Rogue already waiting for me in my bed in her sexy green lingerie.
"She has an assignment for Professor McCoy due tomorrow which she forgot about, so it's just us tonight, Sugah..." she replies with a shy smile as she lays
"Oh really? Well isn't that interesting... and here I was getting used to performing with an audience." I say as I climb onto the bed, kissing her before she can respond.
"We can't stay up to late... Logan's class is first thing in the morning... if we're late he'll come looking for us, and Logan would happily drag us both to class naked if we don't show up." she mumbled between kisses.
"Oh? So we're going to be naked?" I ask making her blush, the deep red travelling down all the way to her chest, her see-through negligee failing to hide it.
"Don't tease me... you know we are going to be..." she admits as she spins us over, sitting on my lap as she runs her hands over my bare chest.
"True, we just can't keep our hands off each other can we? How are you going to manage the two nights a week I'll be up at Massachusetts?" I ask making her frown, slapping my chest lightly.
"I'm not made of glass, Sugah, I can go without... I just really don't want to, and I'll just jump you the moment you get back, if we're lucky we might get back to your room before I jump you... if not? Some people will be getting a show." she says with a shrug, kissing me again as she grinds herself against me.
"That's fair... if we need to be up early we better get started hadn't we?"
- Next Morning - Monday – 27/04/2009 -
Whoever looked at the schedule that put P.E. with Wolverine first thing Monday morning and went 'Yep that looks fine to me' should be shot repeatedly, but not fatally, buried alive, resurrected and then burnt alive. Apparently we need to learn to protect ourselves without revealing our powers and that means...
Blocking a swing from my sparing partner I jump back to dodge a kick, grabbing her extended leg and flipping her with it as she hits the ground with a grunt, before she can recover I make my move, grabbing her arms above her head as I kneel on her stomach keeping her pinned.
"Damn... you're fast, new kid." Ellie says as I move off her, helping her up.
"Peak human condition apparently, you aren't bad yourself." I say with a smile, getting a grin back.
"If you weren't blocking my powers, I'd totally kick your ass though." she says as she gets back into position.
"We aren't supposed to use our powers in this class, but probably, not sure I want to test theory Miss Negasonic Teenage Warhead... so how old were you when you picked that name?" I ask making her roll her eyes.
"You can't say anything I haven't heard a hundred times before..." she mutters with a tiny blush.
"Don't look now... but your girlfriend is getting her ass kicked." I say making her turn to where the Japanese mutant is fighting Nightcrawler, and losing... badly.
"Dammit Yukio... she's holding back. She always does this... wait, no Logan's on it." she says seeing Logan call her aside.
"Nice girl... maybe a bit too nice, round two?" I ask making her smirk.
"Sure... don't look now but your girlfriend is beating up... your other girlfriend, bit of a playboy huh?" she asks as I look over where Rogue is fighting Kitty, Rogue is in a full body suit, Kitty is having trouble since she can't aim for the face. Logan is hovering nearby just in case things go south.
I had wondered about that... I thought we'd be paired together but I guess they made plans for things like Rogue's X-power. Makes sense.
"Something like-" I start, cutting off as she kicks me in the stomach with a considerable amount of force, forcing me to keel over slightly. As she goes uppercut me I grab her fist, spinning her around and bending her arm behind her back, kneeing her in the back of her leg to force her down to her knees. "That was dirty." I say as she struggles to escape.
"Alls fair in love and war, you're stupidly strong and I can't beat that fairly." she says with a grunt as she pushes back against me, trying to headbutt me, our positioning making her hit my chest instead.
"Fair enough, shame it didn't work out for you... you give up or do you want to struggle some more?" I ask as she tries elbowing me, it's easy to see the benefits of Peak Human Condition when you actually fight another human, or mutant in this case. I'm not that much taller or bigger than her but I'm handling her like a small child.
"Hell no, you aren't getting two wins that easily." she says with a scowl as she elbows me again, aiming somewhere more personal this time. As I move her elbow strikes just to the left of my dick making me wince subconsciously.
"Okay, you want to play like that?" I say pressing myself against her, leaving no room between us for her to hit me in the dick again, forcing her down to the ground I pin her easily, it's actually kinda cute watching her struggle in my grip, after a moment she freezes in place.
"...that better not be what I think it is pressing against my ass." she grounds out pausing her struggles.
"You're the one pushing your ass against it, don't blame me for a natural reaction. Besides, alls fair in love and war..."
"Ugh, fine... you win. Now get off me." she reluctantly says making me laugh,
+10 Affection with Ellie Phimister (Negasonic Teenage Warhead) [10/100] for impressing her.
...-5 Affection with Ellie Phimister (Negasonic Teenage Warhead) [5/100] for grinding your dick against her ass.
...+5 Affection with Ellie Phimister (Negasonic Teenage Warhead) [10/100] for impressing her a different way entirely.
"Was that so hard?" I ask making her frown. It doesn't take long to calm my erection, I was only at half-mast anyway.
"If this is about to lead to a pun about your dick, I'm going to hurt you." she says bluntly making me laugh, a blush on her cheeks that's quickly fading.
"I wasn't actually going there, but you said it not me. Hi Yukio." I say as she runs over to us.
"Hi Kuro, you lost Ellie?" she asks her embarrassed girlfriend.
"He's made out of steel apparently, well not exactly, that's Professor Rasputin, but you get what I mean. I can't really budge him." she admits with a frown and a light blush. After giving Ellie a hug she walks over to me, looking up at me with a frown before she punches me in the abs lightly, moving her hand back and shaking it. A moment later she pokes me in the stomach with a grin.
"I can see what you mean, you must work out a lot huh?" she asks making me laugh.
"Nope, some people are just born perfect... apparently it's my second power. I'm at Peak condition, and I don't even need to work out for it." I brag lightly as I flex.
"I hate you, please go die." Ellie deadpans, making Yukio slap her on the chest lightly.
"I'll think about it." I reply with a smile.
"Yukio, Negasonic... go hit each other for a while. Kuro get over here." Logan shouts.
"Have fun with your domestic abuse, Bye Yukio." I say with a wave as I head over to Wolverine, hearing a Bye Kuro in the background. She's nice. So is Ellie even if she pretends not to be.
"What's up old man?" I ask making him scowl at me slightly.
"What's up is that your powers are bullshit, enhanced strength and reflexes along with the power to take away other peoples powers? You're going to beat pretty much everyone, and I'm not letting you get off that easily." he mutters, the only warning I have before his fist is heading for my face.
Ducking just in time, I don't have time to recover before a kick to the side sends me rolling across the ground. Oww...
Getting up to my knees my eyes widen seeing Logan lunge at me, barely rolling away just as he throws a punch where my face was moments before.
Again, I'm still mid-dodge before he attacks again, simply grabbing me and throwing me through the air.
...Oh dear.
- Later -
Proficiency Acquired due to... extreme experience
[Martial Arts Proficiency (Novice)] (Passive)
You know how to defend yourself, more or less.
...Everything hurts.
I like the skill, I do... but everything hurts. Negating Logan's powers doesn't actually help... at all. Sure, he can't heal or bring out his claws but he has decades if not centuries of experience fighting, which means he can still beat my ass like I owe him money. Got some END from it at least..
"Come on, I'll help you up... Logan either likes you or really doesn't like you... I haven't seen him be that rough with... anyone." Rogue says as she helps me up, making me groan slightly.
"Lovely, what class is next?" I ask as she helps me to the changing room, there are individual stalls to change in so Rogue even helps me change back into some jeans and a white t-shirt, losing the training outfit we have to wear.
"Ethics and Self-Control with Professor Munroe, you know to stop people from losing their temper at discrimination? Most of the classes here are like that, all about controlling your powers and blending in with Humanity, sorry 'Co-Existing'." she says, a bit of bitterness entering her tone, giving her hand a squeeze she smiles at me. "Sorry, it's pretty annoying being told to blend in and co-exist when I can kill people with an accidental touch, I can't control it... no amount of training has made a difference... before you showed up." she says with a smile, squeezing my hand back.
Heading to class, we keep holding hand, catching a few murmurs as we do. Words already gotten around somehow that I'm dating Kitty and Rogue, which is odd since neither of them have said anything and I haven't either. Apparently someone saw them enter my room together and not come out, and a school of kids is always going to be full of gossiping.
People have been mostly accepting... which makes me think Xavier is up to something shifty. There's no way a full school would not care about it to this level... the part that really gave it away was meeting Kurt this morning while we were waiting for class to start.
Kurt Wagner is a die-hard Christian (or maybe Catholic, can't quite remember which.) and he wasn't even put off by it even after he asked Kitty to check, I wasn't expecting judging don't get me wrong, Kurt is a nice guy, but not even the slightest hint of disapproval? Something funky is going on.
And the prime suspect? The Telepath with a Greater Good complex.
Sitting down in between Kitty and Rogue I immediately zone out as Ororo starts the class, thankfully back in Kuoh I mastered the art of paying attention without actually paying attention. This shit is basically done on auto-pilot.
Classes here are long... two hours with Logan, two hours and fifteen minutes with Ororo, followed by lunch for an hour... then a whole two and a half hours with Henry McCoy practising controlling our powers, the scientist helping as he puts his mind to work as he works out how our powers work. I'm pretty sure he's studying us as much as we are studying ourselves, there was a slight commotion when I turned him back into a normal human but he seemed pretty happy about it, even if it didn't last once he left my range.
This class was wonderful for my quest, racking up countless power nullifications, it's pretty useful. And technically exactly what I was supposed to be doing. The only difference is that I have a exact objective instead of just 'practising'.
I've spotted a few familiar faces during the classes, Scott Summers and his iconic sunglasses in doors/punchable face. Bobby Drake playing with his Ice. The biggest one... Jean Grey.
The Phoenix. Do I want to approach her? Do I want to risk being anywhere near the fucking Phoenix force? I don't know. I might not have a choice given the curious looks she keeps sending my way.
...Scott Summers is apparently one of the mutants who didn't end up gay given the angry looks he keeps giving me, he noticed Jean watching me and I immediately lost 20 reputation with him.
Asshole. I already wanted to punch him in his stupid face, he's just giving me a reason. Getting that upset that Jean looked at another guy for too long? They aren't even dating, I asked Rogue after I caught him glaring, Jean is dating some jock from the high-school we're going to on Wednesday and Thursday (and Friday for them, but I won't be there). He's getting jealous and possessive over a girl who sees him as a friend, he's basically a 'Nice Guy', just needs a fedora and he'll be set to live in the friend zone till the end of days.
Except Cable and Rachel Summers are a thing (Maybe? Sterility being a thing after all)... fuck it, stealing Jean from him. Fucking Cyclops doesn't get to date Jean Grey, no way. Not on my watch.
The final class of the day is with Xavier himself, History and Current Events. The long and sordid history of Mutants (told by the completely unbiased and fair Xavier of course), and an update on the events going on in the world and how they could effect us.
I'm not surprised he teaches this himself, controlling information is an wonderful way of indoctrinating people. It's mostly garbage of course, but the knowledge that HYDRA are outright talked about is interesting, he was mostly warning us of the danger they pose to us, experiments, mind-control, being turned into weapons.
But the fact that they were acknowledged as still existing, not just being some Boogeyman from world war two is interesting indeed, do they still have their fingers in SHIELD? Impossible to tell, at least for now.
As classes come to a close... at 5pm which doesn't bode well for my free time on Mondays and Tuesdays, Rogue and Kitty both tell me that they have 'extra classes' for their X-men training... being an Trainee X-Men is a full-time job apparently, more reason why that can fuck right off. High levels of danger... and extra training more nights? Who in the hell would agree to that?
Giving them both a kiss I smirk at Kitty's embarrassment, the tips of her ears turning red as she looks around the still mostly full classroom, this place has lots of nobodies, people barely worth remembering.
"People will talk.." she says weakly, trying pushing me away with no real effort, despite herself she clearly isn't putting her heart into it.
"Let them talk." I mutter kissing her again, deeper this time. The murmurs around us increase, along with the sound of someone laughing. Breaking the kiss I share a smirk with Ellie as she and Yukio leave the room. Sooraya doesn't look impressed though.
"Don't forget me, Sugah..." Rogue interrupts as she grabs me pulling me in for her second kiss.
"...As entertaining as this is to watch, we need to be in the danger room soon." Jean interrupts making Rogue pull away with a blush, a small frown appearing on her face.
"She has a point, babe... Don't want Logan to come looking for you, I don't want a round two." I say calmly, making her sigh.
"We can catch up later, come on Kitty." she says after one last hug, heading away with a wave, Jean hesitates for a moment, staring at me intently.
"You waiting for your kiss goodbye as well? Sure... just come here." I say opening my arms wide, making her eyes widen as a deep blush makes her cheeks match her hair before she laughs.
-10 Reputation with Scott Summers [-30/100] because he's a possessive douchebag.
"I don't think my boyfriend would like that, playboy." she says with a giggle. "I was trying to work out what you are thinking about, I read almost everyone's minds basically by accident... it's weird to look at you and hear... nothing. Nice, but weird." she admits.
"You could just ask, I was thinking about Rogue naked, then Kitty naked... then you naked, probably think about Professor Ororo later. I'm a teenage boy, I'm not that complicated." I say with a smirk, making her roll her eyes.
"Somehow, I don't believe that. I've seen lustful eyes before, a lot of times, you're thinking about more than me naked, it'll be fun to work out what... something about you feels... familiar? I can't explain it, we've never met but you just... feel so familiar." she says with a smile as she turns and heads away, giving me a wave.
+20 Affection with Jean Grey (Marvel Girl) [20/100] for a good first impression and a bit of deja vu.
"Unsurprising that the Phoenix hasn't forgotten me, Jean Grey isn't the first host of the Phoenix to meet me, and you have a trace of my power on you." Deaths cold voice echoes through my head.
She didn't seem angry or hostile though, wouldn't you and the Phoenix be enemies?
"No. The Phoenix is supposed to be immortal, and I have no desire to reap it. She isn't one of your targets, deal with her however you desire, or just ignore her, I care not." She says before my head quietens down again.
Well... at least it's nice to know that I don't have to worry about being sent after Jean later on.
Ororo messaged me saying she was busy and would meet me later on so... what do I do now?
Master, the Exploration Mode is still available if you find yourself with free time. Simply wander around aimlessly and it will trigger.
In the Mansion it would likely make you encounter one of the Mutants, or you could try out the Sling-Ring and head to New York, but even I can't tell who or what you'd encounter there.
That... is a good idea actually, I want to work out the Sling-Ring either way, using Blink to travel will be nice... but sometimes I don't want people to know where I'm going.
Heading back to my room, I pull the small ring out and slip in on my fingers, it's a bit awkward to wear since it goes on two fingers and holds them together but I can manage it.
...so now what?
I have some decent understanding of my own magic, despite everything I was a rather skilled mage in the past after all, it takes a moment to... feel my own magic within me, and a few minutes until I can get it to move from my 'core', around my stomach for some reason, and move it up into my arm, then down to my hand.
Doing the swirly gesture, and yes that is the professional mage lingo for it, I watch the sparks start to appear, picturing a alleyway I know about from my past.
The sparks are a deep purple instead of the orange from the Doctor Strange movie, but I don't think much about it as the start of a portal starts to slowly form.
Proficiency Acquired due to practice.
[Mana Control Proficiency (Novice)] (Passive)
You know how to manipulate the magic within you somewhat, making for easier spell-casting and the ability to rein in your power just a bit.
+5 Affection with the Ancient One [5/100] for beating her expectations of your learning speed.
So... now I just step though it?
This better work or... I'll look like an idiot probably. Jumping through the portal I watch it close behind me, looking around the familiar alleyway with a grin. That was more painless than I expected.
Heading out of the alleyway, I look around the streets with a frown. So time to go for a wander?
Spinning around and setting off in whatever direction I stop at, I head down the street looking around the busy streets, it's barely 5:30pm, plenty of people still going home from work, the streets are pretty packed and the side-walks aren't much better.
With such a busy area, you can see why I let my guard down slightly during my walks, I forgot one little fact.
This isn't NYC, it's Marvel NYC, the home of a billion super-heroes and villains.
The explosions quickly brought me back to my senses as I duck behind a car just in time to see.. gas grenades being launched into the crowd? The screams and rushing civilians is loud, but I can barely here some shouting over it.
"COME OUT SPIDER! You cannot hide from the Hunter!" a madman shouts with a grenade launcher in one hand... and a spear in the other? Well, Exploration mode certainly did it's job... or New York is just crazy.
Either or.
...Did Tom Holland just run past me?
- Peter Parker -
Running along side Ned, he nodded to him as he ducked into an alleyway, quickly stripping to reveal his outfit under his clothes, before he could pull his mask on he froze as his spider-sense went off, turning to the side to see a pair of red eyes staring back at him.
His blood ran cold for a moment but Kraven's shouting brought him back to his senses as he pulled his mask on quickly, swinging out of the alleyway and landing on a lamppost, staring down at the hunter who wanted to mount his head on the wall.
Nice guy.
But what the hell was he doing out of prison? He was supposed to be locked away in the Raft for a long, long time.
"Hey Kraven, miss me? Sorry I didn't write..." he started before he had to dodge, a spear passing through the spot he was inhabiting a second earlier. "Yup, you missed me." he laughed, swinging down and kicking the mad hunter in the chest.
- Kuro -
You know, seeing Spider-Sense in the movies and cartoons is cool and all... but damn is it badass in real life. Spidey is basically unhitable, even by someone like Kraven.
...he doesn't seem very good at fighting though, his attacks are predictable and telegraphed, it's only his far superior strength, agility and reflexes that are stopping Kraven from filleting him with the daggers he is swinging with far more skill than Spidey is displaying.
This is still a baby Spider-Man.
Something about this seems wrong to me... Kraven was definitely in jail, I read the articles saying he was tossed into the Raft after his first defeat, and I haven't heard about any break-outs? Also... where are the police? Explosions in the middle of New York and there's no response?
My alleyway is pretty close to the fight, I ducked into it after Spidey distracted Kraven, Peter isn't careful enough with his secret identity yet. This is definitely MCU Spidey, can't keep his mask on to save his life.
Watching carefully, I see the moment things go to shit, Spidey freezes, his senses warning him of the danger just a second to slowly as he attempts to dodge, a bullet tearing through his shoulder, the Hunter takes the opening as he stabs Peter in the stomach.
Path Selection
[Save Spider-man]
Greatly increased Reputation with Spider-Man and his allies, increased Renown... and infamy.
Decreased Reputation with Kraven, Bullseye and Wilson Fisk.
[Moving Right Along...]
Get out of here.
67% chance that Spider-man is killed
No Renown or Infamy
...I don't want to fight Kraven, definitely don't want to fight Bullseye, I can't even see him. I don't even have a mask to hide my identity.
But I don't need to, not fully anyway. Fuck, I don't want to do this... but I don't think letting Spidey die is the right move either.
As Kraven slowly strolls towards the fallen Spider, I grab a trash can and toss it hard at him, putting my full strength behind the throw, it doesn't hit him as he dodges out of the way, grabbing his knife as I rush to Spidey, immediately using my Sling-Ring to create a portal as I grab him and pull him through it, closing the portal just in time to stop Kraven from following me.
...He definitely saw my face. Welp, gonna have to kill him. Fuck.
I'm sorry, Master... if I hadn't...
No, it's fine. I can work with this. Shit happens, all that matters is how I deal with it.
Placing Peter on my bed I watch him groan as he tries to say something.
"You have a bullet hole in your shoulder, and a knife where your lung is supposed to be, save the talking for later." I say as I pull out my Healing Grimoire, opening it and quickly looking for any spell that can help. The words on the page blur for a moment as knowledge is forced into my head, the basics of White Magic to be exact.
[White Magic Proficiency (Novice)]
You are just beginning on the path of a White Mage.
Spell Added
[Healing Scan]
50 MP to cast
Scan a target and get a report of all the damaged parts.
[Minor Heal]
100 MP to cast
Coat your hand in Healing Magic and use it to heal a target.
Effect - Heals the target for [INT] HP.
Range – Touching
[Light Arrow]
150 MP to cast
Create an arrow made of Pure Light and launch it towards a target.
Effect – Deal [INTx2] Light Damage
Range – Short
Well, it'll do for now.
"Brace yourself..." I say gripping the dagger and pulling it out of him making him groan in pain. Well... time to start I guess?
'[Minor Heal], [Minor Heal], [Minor Heal]'
Watching my hand glow with a faint white light, I press it on his mostly covered chest, watching his wound slowly start to close. I have enough MP to do this twelve times, and I get enough MP back to cast it three times every two minutes so I can keep this up.
"Wha-... how are you doing that?" he asks making me roll my eyes.
"Please stay quiet until I am done... I'm kinda new at this." I admit as I throw in a scan, his shoulder is pretty fucked up, but the damage to his lung has been repaired at least, it seems to focus on the most threatening damage first.
"Sorry?" he half-asks as the door opens, Ororo and Beast rushing in before they freeze.
"Do you mind, I'm working here." I mutter as I keep healing him.
"Kuro? What happened here?" Ororo asks, the lightning at her fingertips crackling as she stares at spider-man.
"I tried out my magic, took a trip to the city and saved this guy from a man who I'm pretty sure was planning on stuffing him." I say with a sigh.
"Err... hi? Please put the lightning away? I've been shocked, it wasn't fun..." Peter pipes up, making Storm stand down after a moment.
"You're the vigilante aren't you? Spider-boy." she asks making him groan.
"Man... it's Spider-Man... don't forget the hyphen." he quips making her stare at him sternly.
"I'm a teacher, Spider-'Man'. I know a boy when I hear one. You can't be more than sixteen, at a generous guess." she says making him flinch, doesn't like how right she is huh? "I wasn't aware you could heal, Kuro?" she asks turning back to me.
"It's magic, and it's new... I barely know what I'm doing... but it's working, I just need to fix his shoulder and he'll be right as rain." I reply. "Can the questions wait till I don't have a bleeding man on my bed?" I ask with a frown.
"We could take this to the infirmary, but it does appear that you have this under control... fascinating." Hank says, watching me closely.
"I can only move to places I know, and I've never been to the infirmary. Didn't want to appear in the middle of the school with a bleeding bo- sorry man either." I say making him nod calmly.
"A smart decision, panicked students can certainly be... more troublesome than usual here." he admits, I can imagine. When people can throw fire, ice and eye-lasers it's probably best not to startle them.
"...is it insensitive to ask why you're blue?" Peter asks after a moment making Hank laugh slightly.
"No, I get that a lot." he admits with a chuckle.
- Later -
Standing in Xavier's office I sigh mentally, Peter insisted on going back so I opened a portal for him... Logan even went with him but Kraven and Bullseye were long gone.
The police were around though, Xavier smoothed things over and Spidey swung off after thanking me... along with a +40 Rep boost, I get the feeling he wanted to talk about me seeing him without his mask but he didn't want to talk with the others around.
-20 with Bullseye and Fisk though... and a -50 with Kraven. Oh boy is he pissed. I ruined his hunt, and now he is really really angry.
Aside from that? I got plus five affection/reputation with a lot of people, playing the hero has it's perks.
"I'm not going to scold you or say you shouldn't have left the school, Kuro. You are a student, not a prisoner. However this little outing has had... consequences." Xavier starts, turning on the TV to a news report.
...With my face plastered on it. Oh for fucks sake.
"There won't be any legal response, magic isn't against the law, nor is being a mutant. And Miss Frost is working her considerable political muscle to deal with any attempts to punish or use you, but your name and face are in the public now. The public are mostly on your side at the moment, and Miss Frost will no doubt keep it that way, Spider-Man has a polarizing reputation but the general opinion is either that you saved a Hero, or that you saved a fool out of his league. Kraven's former actions in the city have made him the clear villain in the situation. The biggest problem is that Kraven and his sniper ally are both missing, they are not likely to let this go... neither is whoever hired them. Kraven was secretly broken out of the Raft, a body double taking his place, and even the body double didn't know who arranged for him to take Kraven's place, you may have made a powerful enemy today. If you must leave, please tell someone first, you represent the hope of the Mutant Race, losing you after just getting you would be... horrifying. Please exercise more caution." he says making me pause before I nod.
"That's fine..." I say, and really? It is, using the X-Men as bodyguards works for me while the fucking Kingpin is pissed at me.
"As for your magic... I understand that you got the... 'Grimoire' from the Ancient One, I won't ask you to stop studying it, just don't let it interfere with your other studies." he says kindly, that's the thing about Charles Xavier... he is a good man he just always thinks he is right. As for his belief? Sure, I can roll with that.
I don't dislike him personally, I dislike how controlling he can be if he thinks it's necessary. I was half-expecting to have to jump ship as he tried to lock me up, I have the Sling-Ring in my inventory just in case.
"Got it, I'm pretty good at keeping on top of my studies." I say making him smile.
"Aside from that, you did well today. Saving Spider-man was a wise decision, despite the consequences, he is doing good work despite his age and inexperience. That will be all, I will handle any unpleasant side effects that Miss Frost misses... as few as they may be, she is very good at what she does. I suggest you get some rest, you still have classes tomorrow." he says, going back to some paperwork.
"Will do, thanks for the help Professor." I say, showing myself out.
Right... I got seen using powers. But, I got seen using a portal, nothing else. Which I can use... as long as I keep Portals and maybe Healing Magic as the things connected to Kuro, then things might go well?
Neither powers are as hated as Necromancy after all... travelling and healing is fine right?
All things consider? Things could be far worse.
Kraven is definitely hunting me though.
- Wilson Fisk -
"I thought you said you never missed..." he said with a glare, staring Bullseye dead in the eye.
"I don't. I hit the Spider, if Kraven hadn't wasted time boasting the Spider would be dead by now... he definitely has some kind of sixth sense though, he was dodging my bullet before I'd even fired it." Bullseye said calmly. "We got out of there when the police showed up."
"And where is Kraven?" he asked, he could only hold the police off so long when Kraven decided to just set off bombs in the middle of New York.
"Don't know, he ran off after we left..." he admitted making Fisk sigh,
"Fine, focus on the Devil for now. Leave me." he ordered, watching the assassin leave, before he sighed.
Kraven was the only one of Spider-man's enemies he could free at short notice, he wasn't an enhanced person so he was in lower security. The Spider was a minor problem and one that would continue to be a problem since the unexpected 'hero' saved him.
Maybe he should show him what...
Looking at his vibrating phone he checked it, wincing at the message on the screen,
'Kuro is of interest to the Hellfire Club, more so than you. Any attack on him will be returned tenfold.'
That wasn't a coincidence... even his own mind wasn't safe from Frost.
Irritating, very irritating.
Well, he was a minor issue, he had bigger problems to focus on... how had his men still not found the thief yet?! How many white-haired cat burglars could there be in New York?
That flash-drive had enough information about his operations that it could bring him down.. or at least badly hurt him. He'd thought it was safe in the museum he owned, surrounded by guards he'd hired...
Seeing his phone ring again he groaned, an act of weakness he wouldn't show if anyone else was around.
"What do you want Osborn?" he asked coldly.
"Mayor Osborn... and what I want is to know why your set a madman free in my city, Fisk." the voice half-snarled, making him smirk. He had too much on Osborn for him to do anything more than bark at him.
It might be Osborn's city, but that would change soon enough.
- Kuro -
Isis... why didn't reading the Grimoire create a new class?
I decided not to bother with it... the Class System was created to contain and Control Shiro, giving the Game the ability to control his skills and abilities better.
That... makes far too much sense, the fuck did Shiro do to piss the Game off so much?
...So, so much.
Anyway, thanks Isis, I appreciate the trust.
Of course, Master. This is far more enjoyable than... whatever those two are doing.
+5 Affection with... Me! [45/100], go you, Master!
So much nicer.
Checking my computer, I look over the news already reporting on my actions. Xavier was right for the most part, despite using powers I'm generally seen as a innocent by-stander that got caught up in a super-powered fight, even if Kraven isn't powered... I think?
Risking my life for Spider-Man has gained some respect from the city that seems to like Spidey, mostly. There's already some assholes calling me a demon/abomination, nothing out of the ordinary. No-one is completely beloved and if they are? They're cheating.
After a bit of searching I find something... interesting.
I know that moustache.
"By now, you've probably all heard about Spider-man's latest masterpiece. Turning the streets of New York into a war-zone with his 'Super-Rivalries'! And yes, I can already here the deranged 'fan-boys' calling. 'But J.J, it was Kraven who set of the bombs, Spider-Man was just helping out.' And you'd be right.. partly at least. Kraven was only there looking for Spider-man! The moment that masked menace showed up in our fair city, these freaks showed up to fight him! This didn't happen when the Fantastic Four showed up, but Spider-Man? Every week there's another freak destroying the city in their fights with the so-called 'hero'." J.J. Jameson rants at the screen, already pissed him off, huh Peter?
"Kraven was in the Raft, a max security prison where he should have rotted away for the rest of his days... how did he even get out? My theory? Spider-Man freed him! The attention seeker needs 'villains' to fight after all, and it's been a slow week for him." he continues. "But it didn't go so well this time did it, 'Hero'? Once again, Spider-man proved that he is unreliable, untrained and completely irresponsible. His glorious battle ended in disaster for him when he was beaten to the ground, moments away from being mounted on a wall by the loony calling himself a hunter! Now, if you've listened to me before, and I know you all have, you'll know that I do not like Spider-man, you might even think I'd be celebrating his defeat, hoping for it? But make no mistake, I don't want Spider-man dead, he's a dumb kid with delusions of grandeur, and I never want to see a child die... even a stupid one. I want him to give up his little grandstanding, to leave things to the professionals, not to stick his nose where it isn't wanted or needed. Which is why I am glad this happened." he says, the screen changing to a shaky cam of the fight, I can barely make out my own features as I charge towards the downed hero, grabbing him and jumping through my portal.
"As you can see... Spider-man wasn't the only Enhanced person there, and luckily for the vigilante, the other one was far more responsible. He did what Spider-man should have done to begin with, left the area, he even risked his life to grab the idiot. You might think I would disapprove of him having powers... but don't misunderstand things, I have no issue with powered individuals, I have a problem with them using their powers for their own benefit at the price of other people, whether it's grandstanding and attention seeking like Spider-man or stealing and hurting people like these so-called super-villains. The boy simply opened some kind of portal and left the area, and what happened next? With Spider-man gone the Hunter ran off, having no reason to cause such chaos without his 'opponent'. And that just proves me right, if Spider-man had just hung up his costume and stayed home, none of this would have happened. Once again, J.J. Jameson was right. Take a hint you Spider-Fanatics!" he shouts, some spit landing on the camera.
...Does Peter watch these?
"And can we hold Spider-man accountable for his actions? Of course not... because the coward hides behind a mask. If the Fantastic Four destroy a building by accident, if they get people hurt? We can hold them to their actions, we know their names, we know where they live. They aren't hiding anything... but Spider-man!?"
"I'm surprised you've managed to watch that far into one of his rants..." Ororo's voice pulls me away from my amusement, making me close the tab with a laugh as I turn, it dying in my throat as I look over her 'uniform'.
...The smirk on her face that she quickly hides gives away her pride in my reaction as I quickly recover my composure.
- Later -
"I know you agreed... but I honestly thought you wouldn't do it." I say as I watch Ororo make my bed, replacing the sheets that had some spidey-blood on them.
"I am a woman of my word, Mr Tepes, I suggest you remember that. I do hope that I won't be cleaning blood up too often though." she says calmly, her skirt riding up enticingly as she bends over the bed, revealing more of her long chocolate legs.
"...Which is weird, because I could have sworn you said you wouldn't dress up in a low-budget porn outfit... where did you even get that?" I ask looking over the French Maid she is wearing as she stands up straight, staring at me.
"...Jennifer gave me it, it was her Halloween costume for a party a couple of years back, before she transformed... it is a tight fit." she admits pulling the skirt down with a frown. "...She thinks this is entirely too funny."
"I knew she had a good sense of humour, she seems fun." I say with a laugh as she goes back to cleaning, she really is going all out for this... she brought half a stores cleaning section with her. Watching her go to town on my room is mildly entertaining, despite her short skirt it never fully moves up... she's good.
"Ugh... how do teenagers accumulate so much dust so quickly?" she mutters as she dusts the top of the wardrobe with a frown. Testing the waters I slowly get up and walk behind her, being ignored as I do...
Reaching out, I place my hand gently on her backside making her freeze for a moment before she goes back to cleaning without a word. Sliding my hand down I slip it under her skirt, placing it on her bare ass... wait, bare ass?
After a moment I realise that she isn't going commando, her panties however don't exactly cover her firm buttocks, doing nothing to stop me from groping her gently.
+10 Obedience with Ororo Monroe [30/100]... guilts one hell of a motivator, huh master?
Finishing up, she turns around glancing down at where my hand is wrapped around her waist, still gently caressing her ass.
"Will that be all?" she asks, before she sighs. "Will that be all... Sir?" she corrects making me smirk.
"Hmm... just one more thing." I say, leaning forwards and kissing her on the lips, making her look at me sternly.
"That was hardly professional sir..." she says, Ha... going the professional maid route? Didn't work for Grayfia either.
"Neither was teasing me with that tiny skirt, you don't see me complaining. But yes, that is all for tonight... we can continue this another day." I say making her give me a professional bow, revealing some cleavage before she leaves without a word...
Not a single negative affection for outright molesting her? Interesting.
"So... did I just imagine Professor Ororo leaving in a maid outfit?" Rouge asks as she enters the room with a confused look.
"...I hate cleaning, so I hired a maid. That's all." I reply calmly, making her stare at me for a moment before she shrugs, stripping down.
"You're already hard? You know what? I don't want to know." she mutters as she pulls me towards the bed.
- Late Night -
Waking up to my phone vibrating, I extract myself from Rogue and Kitty's grip ad get up, grabbing my phone and looking at the caller ID. Frowning thoughtfully before I answer.
"Wasn't expecting to hear from you, certainly not this late, but I did forget to mention I was swapping schools." I admit quietly, getting a call from my (or my former selves) occasional fuck buddy is a bit of a surprise, we aren't emotionally close at all.
"It's not about that... we both barely attended anyway, look I need your help." She answered quickly making me frown.
"Okay... didn't we agree not to get personal? Pretty sure you were the one of say that." I reply hearing a sigh over the line.
"I know... we agreed to keep it physical, but I don't know who else I can turn to, just hear me out okay?" She asks, a slight hint of desperation filling her tone.
"Fine, fine... you pickpocketed the wrong person? Owe money to a dealer?" I ask making her sigh.
"What? no... well yeah I owe a bit but it's not that, I can handle that. Look I'm being stalked and I'm pretty sure I didn't pickpocket this guy... maybe?" She says after a moment.
That's the girl I remember, slight druggie with a habit of stealing, Kuro Tepes was a rebel and he got along decently with her... and may have got her into stealing in the first place.
"Alright... any idea who he is? How sure are you that he's stalking you? Has he tried anything?" I ask her after a moment.
"Never seen him before I think, he normally wears a hoodie and shows up late at night so it's hard to tell..." she starts making me frown, yeah that would do it. Definitely creepy. "He keeps showing up, I've seen him a dozen times in the past couple of days alone and he's always just staring at me, so I'm pretty sure. And no, he's not approached me, he looked like he was going to last night but he ran away after a moment..." she explains. "I kept seeing him outside my house last night, he runs away when I see him but he always comes back. I'm seriously freaking out Kuro..." she admits, sounding pretty vulnerable...
Her mother is a alcoholic and a bigger druggie than she is, she won't be any help so I won't even ask about her. It's no wonder she has issues, living in poverty, a dead father and a broken mother? Recipe for one girl with a hell of a lot of issues.
"Okay... is he there now, and what do you want me to do about it?" I ask making her pause.
"No.. I don't think so at least, It was you on the TV, right? Can you... can you come over to my place, just in case?" she asks hesitantly making me pause, seeing a pair of eyes watching me.
"Sure thing Tandy, I'll be there real soon, is your mother asleep?" I ask watching Rogue get out of bed slowly.
"Yeah, can you... do that thing to my living room?" she asks making me smile, I've been there once or twice, enough for it to work.
"Yeah, see you soon." I say turning to Rogue.
"Sounds bad, I've got good hearing Sugah... want a hand?" she asks making me smile, giving her a quick kiss.
"I'd love one." I say easily, I'll never turn down help.
Time to play Hero.. again. Better not make a habit of it.
- Bonus Scene – Learning from History -
"...are you sure this is correct?" he asked after a moment, skimming over the files with a thoughtful frown.
"As sure as we can be when dealing with Myths and Legends, sir. The name Kuro sounded familiar so I went digging, this is all from the division you had searching for records of possible Enhanced individuals throughout history." Maria responded calmly, he knew he gave her the position of second in command for a reason.
"Thank you... I'll look over them all." he said, watching her leave with a sigh.
After taking Logan into account, he'd looked into other enhanced people in history, Logan had been around for a long time from what he could tell. It had been hit or miss for the most part.
There were hundreds, thousands, of legends of people with Enhanced Powers throughout history. And that was for each individual country. Worldwide the numbers because too high to track. He'd hired professionals for just about every mythology to try and track them. Heroes, 'Demi-Gods' even real Gods.
Were they real? Did they really have powers? And more importantly, could they still be around. Lurking in the shadows... Were the various pantheons just powerful enhanced with delusions of Godhood?
He knew some where, hell he'd even met Dracula of all people in the second world war, Dracula's daughter Lilith Drake had worked with SHIELD briefly in the past, and she was a prime candidate for the super-natural task force Dugan wanted to form before the council had stepped in and denied it. It was why he wasn't dismissing the idea that Kuro was part-vampire... or would it be full vampire? He wasn't sure. Legends about Vampires were inconsistent. A Vampire Mutant... god the world was weird sometimes. Maybe he should increase the search for Lilith? He could use someone with expertise in dealing with Vampires, but she was good at not being found.
Now that he was reading over the file, he could remember this one, The Black Wanderer. A name one of his researchers gave him... the Name Kuro didn't come up often but it had been linked as one of the BW's possible identities.
A figure that seemed to pop up in just about every mythology, every era, his researchers were convinced he was an immortal travelling the world... or a time traveller. He'd practically forgotten about it as the years went by.
Maria apparently had not, she'd be a good replacement for him if anything went wrong.
The Black Mercenary General who fought in the Hundred Years War, fighting alongside Joan of Arc (or against her depending on which legend you listened to), The Black Pirate Captain who turned the Caribbean into his own playground, fighting Blackbeard and possibly Davy Jones if that could be believed. A warrior in Three Kingdoms China, a Warlord fighting in Warring States Japan. A Knight of Camelot alongside King Arthur... or a mage alongside Merlin.
The list just kept going, an Outlaw (or Ranger) in the Old West, a Mage supporting the Spartans against the Persian empire, a Mage supporting the Greek in their invasion of Troy (if that ever actually happened), defending Jerusalem against Saladin. Not to mention showing up in the Crusades, Renaissance Italy, Victorian London, Ancient Egypt, the French Revolution, and colonial America.
The name of the figure was usually lost, despite the renown he gathered, but the description stayed the same, a pale man with Red Eyes, Black Hair and strange powers, the age changing often. The name Kuro was linked to him during his time in the Warring States Japan and Three Kingdoms China, last name seemingly changing with each appearance.
It didn't make sense though, some of his 'appearances' predated Dracula, or Vlad Tepes, which means Kuro couldn't be both the Black Wanderer and a descendant of Dracula. Unless he was a time-traveller... in which case how old was he really? Had he already been to some of the places he was possibly linked to? Was he only just starting out?
He didn't know which he'd prefer.
He'd already seen possible evidence of Kuro having more powers, cameras had picked him up leaving an alleyway in the middle of New York, one that lead to a dead-end.
When he was supposed to still be at the school from his surveillance on the gates and surroundings of the mansion. Teleportation would be a pain in the ass to track.
How do you keep tabs on someone who just... vanished into thin air? Did he know about the fight that was happening? Or was going to happen? Had he seen some future where the Spider-man died and decided to stop it?
...His head hurt thinking about it.