Classes are boring. Bold statement, I know.
It was now the next day after my first dungeon expedition and unfortunately another boring day of sitting through classes, or really I guess in some ways my first day of this. At least since the whole soul merging thing happened.
I'm fairly certain I already completed school in my previous life, so I wasn't too keen on doing it again, but at the very least I was already in my last year of school, so I wouldn't have to endure it for many years to come.
After beating the boss last night in the dungeon, I was already quite tired both mentally as well as physically from the constant fighting, but my curiosity got the better of me and I still ended up taking a peek at the second floor of the dungeon. The world it took me to was one where almost all life had died out, as I was dropped in the middle of a modern city very much like New York, only overgrown with plants and only inhabited by animals that were weaker than normal due to some virus that once rampaged on the planet.
Nothing unmanageable and I would be heading back in today to hopefully, if not clear it, at least make good progress. Gali said the first few floors are very short, so I might have a chance, but I can't say I feel like I'm in too much of a hurry. If I feel tired, I will just dip and continue another day, better safe than sorry.
After taking a quick look around there, I left the dungeon and immediately dumped my battle word clothes straight into my inventory, which I found out I could do by the way. They weren't too broken, if the game had a durability system it would be at a solid 80% I judge, but they are so soaked in halfling blood that I honestly can't be bothered to wash them. Nor do I want to put the same dirty clothes on again.
Instead, I have this ingenious idea of simply going out and buying a brand-new set with all the money I made from hunting. I checked this morning if that magical reality altering card works on a vending machine and was able to buy a drink with no problem. Just like that, I had made nearly 10k in a single day of work, not bad I'd say. In conclusion, throwing away my old clothes and buying new ones was just easier.
I let out a sigh, thinking about what the store will think about me coming in several days a week just to buy a whole new kit. Maybe I should just hit up different stores around the city to make my purchases…
With those thoughts, I tune out the teacher's yapping and watch birds flying outside. School is less boring, bearable at least, when Gwen is here. Too bad she called in sick for today.
I did get a message from her in the morning, which at least means she is okay and awake. Frankly, probably just taking some time to figure out what is going on with her body. I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up tomorrow to see news about an unknown woman using webs to swing through the city at night.
I shall watch her career with great interest.
Like that, I continued to daydream about random things for the majority of the lesson until we were finally let go by the teacher.
"Well, it looks like the lot of you are entirely uninterested in organic chemistry and can't stay focused on the last lesson of a Friday, so how about we end this ten minutes early? I've got to meet with a new potential transfer student anyway and show them around, so you can all count yourselves lucky." The older man said and was met with a resounding cheer by the class, who were lightning quick to bag their books and dash for the door before the teacher had time to change his mind.
"Heh, bye Lawrence." Flash was the first to bolt for the door, never having taken out his books in the first place.
"That is Mr. Young to you. And have a good weekend, Thompson." The teacher sighed as the rest soon followed after Flash, leaving and saying goodbye to him. I quickly pack up and leave with the crowd.
Yippee, time for more dungeon. I only got a taste of my stats increasing and getting stronger, but I'm already addicted to the feeling.
On the way out of the class, I see Peter taking a different path from the rest who head toward the exit.
"Not going home?" I stop and ask out of pure curiosity. I mean, a pretty stupid question now that I think about it, he is probably just going to the library or something to study.
"Ah! No, I got some ideas after Doctor Connors' exhibit yesterday at Oscorp, so I was gonna go ahead and borrow the lab to test some of my theories…" He surprises me with his answer.
"Ah, I see, good luck. I'll see you next week." I say with a blank expression as he turns to leave. Interesting, very interesting. I wonder if I should stop him before he ends up turning himself into a lizard…
Maybe I will just force Gwen to join me in training so she can learn to pull her punches and doesn't kill the guy when they fight. I'm gonna look for a place tomorrow either way, so guess I can drag her along with me later. Maybe we can end up with a heroic lizard later in this timeline.
Peter, clearly excited about doing his experiments, quickly walks off and turns the corner, at which point I stop staring and continue on myself behind the rest of the class, who had passed me by now.
As I turn the next corner out into the courtyard of the school, I catch a sight of something off to the side, a small crowd gathering near the fencing, with most looking a little tense. The rest of the students are filing out through the main gate and walking right past without a second glance, more invested in getting home.
Curious, I step away from the crowd and angle closer to the group. That's when I hear the conversation.
"C'mon Anna. You really think those goody-two-shoes X-clowns are gonna be able to do anything for you?"
A second voice, this one less casual and more sharp, "Yeah, I bet they've got you cleaning floors and pretending to be normal like the rest of the human monkeys. You really think they will ever trust you?"
Three guys surrounding a single girl. One of the guys is short with twitchy eyes that keep darting around to an extreme, I am genuinely amazed they haven't spotted me casually walking up to them. Another has a hoodie with its sleeves cut off and ripped jeans, basically someone who wants to appear badass but looks more like your local druggie. The final one is overweight and just… huge.
As for the girl, her most striking feature is her twin colored long hair that is half white, half black, and her very goth-like fashion sense. She is standing against a chain-link fence and despite the situation doesn't look the least bit tense or scared. If anything, she looks bored. Like this, whole ordeal is a waste of her time.
"And what's any of that got to do with you Three Stooges?" She asks, her voice flat and unimpressed.
"The brotherhood took you in," the hooded guy says. "We gave you purpose. You think you can just walk away from us?"
Looks like my school is infested with mutants as well. Not that I didn't know that already. I had seen several of them before my soul merge, but never thought anything of them until I got my new set of memories. They didn't exactly go around advertising that they are mutants, well they kind of are right now with the volume they are speaking though.
The short guy - twitchy - speaks up. "Magneto's pissed. Mystique's pissed. Everyone's pissed. You were one of us, Rogue."
Rogue. Yeah, could have guessed that with the hair and goth clothing. As for the three guys, they are probably Toad, Pyro and Avalanche.
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I glance around. No one else is stopping or even looking over, the majority have already left the school grounds completely. By all logic, I should do the same, turn around and go worry about my own business.
But something about this rubs me the wrong way. Not because she looks in danger - she doesn't. If anything it looks like she would throw all three through a wall if it came to that, but with nobody stepping in or noticing I almost feel like it's my duty to step in.
It's not like I have a savior complex, but three guys surrounding and bullying a girl like this feels wrong, yeah? Anyway, I approach the group.
"Hey" I call out casually as if I'm just stumbling into the random conversation about to ask for directions to the nearest supermarket. "That's an awful lot of posturing for a Friday afternoon, no?"
All three turn around to look at me, their attention shifting from Rogue, who also turns her eyes. The jock of the group, Avalanche, I think, narrows his eyes. "Beat it, man. This is a private conversation that doesn't involve you."
"Yeah?" Didn't look very private from where I was standing. More like three guys ganging up on one girl." I stop a few steps away.
"She's not just some girl," The smallest guy with darting eyes mutters. Pyro.
"Really?" I raise an eyebrow. "Because to me, it looks like she is just trying to leave and you three are making it weird."
I feel the gaze of Rogue on me all the while this conversation is ongoing. She isn't looking at me in annoyance for intervening, more like there is curiosity in her eyes.
"Relax, pretty boy." Toad, the biggest guy of the group, says. "We're just talking."
"Sure. Just talking, and I believe that."
Pyro's hand twitches slightly, and I see him reach into his pocket and reveal a lighter, which he plays with in his hand. He is itching to light it up and use his powers, but we are in a public place where people would take notice easily. The whole reason for why I dared to intervene in the first place. If this wasn't the case, I would have kept walking without a second thought, since I am nowhere near strong enough to actually do anything to these three right now.
Before he can consider his actions any further, a new voice enters the conversation, cutting the tension like a blade through the air.
"That's enough."
The three brotherhood members tense up, and Pyro puts the lighter back into his pocket at a speed that rivals quicksilver. All of their eyes turn from me to the guy approaching from behind me. A man wearing red sunglasses, a backpack over one of his shoulders and a posture that is straight enough to fit him in the ranks of the military.
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"You've made your point, but this isn't the place for it. Now back off." He says in a calm and quiet voice as he stops right next to me and crosses his arms.
There is a long, tense pause as the three look at each other before Avalanche scoffs, "This ain't over."
"For your sake, I hope it is." The man in sunglasses, clearly Scott, says, and the three scatter off with a very quick pace. God-damn, these guys really don't wanna mess with him.
Before I can even say anything, I feel a light pat on my shoulder. "Thanks for stepping in, most people wouldn't have."
"You're welcome, though it looks like you two would have had it under control." I say as Rogue walks towards us from her corner and stops right beside Scott.
"Maybe, but it's about doing the right thing, not the final outcome." Scott says, looking over at Rogue to make sure she is okay. Getting a nod from her, he turns around to leave with Rogue in tow. "We're gonna head off but thanks again. You don't have to worry about those guys, they are more bark than bite."
"Appreciate the help." Rogue says as well with a wave to me as the duo quickly join the stragglers of the crowd leaving school. All things considered that ended pretty well for me, managed to make a good impression on the X-men which could help me in the future, and it cost me nothing but a few minutes of my time.
With no point standing around, I also join the rest of the students in leaving the school, as another day in the dungeon awaits me.
At the gates, I see my homeroom teacher Lawrence Young talking with a girl with striking platinum hair, probably the transfer student. As I walk past, her eyes briefly turn to me and a strange glint shines in her eye briefly, as if a cat waiting to pounce on their prey.
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This school ain't normal (big surprise). I speed up my steps and leave as she turns her attention back to the teacher.
***
Author Notes: Man I used to hate Scott and considered him just as bad as Professor X but reading a few comics and seeing him in Xmen 97 has really changed my mind. Guy is kind of a badass and a really good leader. Just easily manipulated because of his values.
Images will be uploaded as soon as I wake up from my nap.