Is there a tutorial?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works, if you recognise it from somewhere else, surprise it isn't mine.

Betad by morde24, Atrius, Hermes, Priapus, Marethyu, Old man of the mountain and TheDonFluffles

Atrius' Note: I know I usually do these at the end if I do them at all, but Shiro. What is it now? 14 fics? I can't even keep track. I don't know if I'm impressed or horrified. I think impressed. Why? I don't know?

Hermes' note: LOL, let the chaos continue!!!

The Gamers Guide to Necromancy, Remastered

Chapter 01: Is there a tutorial?

Congratulations, you're dead!

Unable to move my body, I can only stare at the mocking text box in front of me with confusion and a hint of fear.

I'm dead? That can't be right, I was alive moments ago. I was just sitting in the backseat of the car.

You are very much dead, a truck t-boned your car while you were looking at your phone. You died instantly.

I do remember a bright light off to the side, and then… nothing. Where am I? Why can't I feel anything?

You're in the void, between life and death. Your soul was grabbed on its journey to the afterlife so we could have this little chat.

As for your body? It was a big truck, you were reduced to a smear. You're immaterial at the moment but we'll fix that soon enough.

What do you want?

To make you an offer you can't refuse.

Literally, you don't actually have a choice in this.

You have been chosen to be granted a second chance at life, to host a Gamer system. Lucky you, now let's take a look at your stats.

My what?

Kuro

Race - Human

Strength: E-

Dexterity: E-

Constitution: E

Intelligence: B-

Wisdom: D-

Charisma: C+

Luck: C

Kuro, is that me? Why can't I remember what I used to be called? I can't even remember who was in the car with me, just blurry faces.

Your past life has been… blurred, because it doesn't matter and that kind of shit would just hold you back. I picked your name, it's very fitting even if you don't see why just yet.

I'd object but somehow I don't think you care.

I don't :)

Figures.

Somehow I feel like I'm being insulted with my stats. Sure I didn't get out much as many nights were wasted away in front of a computer but really?

At least my intelligence is decent.

Yup, don't blame me for you being out of shape. Anyway, let's get started.

Please select a race!

[Human] [???] [???] [???] [???]

Yeah, I'm not picking a mystery race that will affect my second life. Sure, one of those could be 'Deity' but it could also be 'Goblin' or 'Worm'.

Human it is.

Nice reasoning, better safe than sorry when you're dealing with ROB, right?

Please select a class!

[Fighter] [Rogue] [Mage] [Special]

Hm, I'm definitely starting to see the similarities between the games I've played and this 'system'.

Okay, Kuro, think. Fighter and Rogue are out, because my physical stats suck major ass right now and I don't want to start with a build that is completely unoptimised.

Special is interesting, but again it's too vague so it's gotta be Mage.

Not that I'd pick anything else even if my stats were different, I always play magic users in games.

I can respect that.

Please select a subclass!

[Evocation Mage] [Illusionist] [White Mage] [Conjurer] [Enchanter] [Abjuration Mage] [Divination Mage] [Necromancer]

Hm.

I recognise the DnD terms, except White Mage which is obviously a healer/support class.

If I have learnt one thing from playing MMOs it's that Healers never get left alone, it's the most stressful position and you're always in high demand.

Sure, people are grateful when you heal them but for everyone you heal there's a dozen complaining it wasn't them instead.

So fuck that. I've been the healer/support in too many games to want to make a life out of it.

Abjuration and Divination are out because I want something with more offensive capabilities than that. Sure, they're both powerful but I'd rather pick something that lets me fight.

Enchanter is either dealing with enchanting gear or it's about mind fuckery, either way it's still out since it's not offensive enough, same with Illusions.

Mind fuckery and illusions are good, don't get me wrong… but all it takes is someone who can see through them and you're fucked.

Evocation, Conjuration or Necromancy.

Evocation will have the most powerful attacks, Conjuration gives lots of options for making other people do the fighting for me.

But Conjurers are kinda useless if you take away their summons, so it's a poor choice.

But Necromancy?

It's the best of both worlds, the undead work as servants to do the heavy lifting for me while it usually has access to death magic which works as my way of defending myself.

If it helps, you can change classes later on, plus all the classes have advanced classes that unlock once you have mastered it.

In that case, Necromancer it is.

Class Gained

[Necromancer: Novice]

Spells Gained

[Create Undead]

This spell allows the caster to raise one that has died as a member of the undead, no longer alive but still walking amongst the living. The spell ensures their creator will always command them. They have all the strength and physical ability they had possessed when alive, however they lack any real intelligence. They will decay at the same rate as any other dead.

Your undead limit is tied to your Intelligence.

Undead Types

[Skeleton] [Zombie]

[Summon Spirits]

Allows you to call forth for spirits from the afterlife. The caster must be careful to specify what spirits they wish to summon lest they call forth the hordes of evil spirits seeking to escape their torment. Not all spirits are friendly, nor are they bound to your will.

[Spiritual Circle]

This grants you the knowledge of how to craft a ritual circle which will bind any spirits that are summoned or caught inside it.

Its strength is tied to your Intelligence.

[Create Soulflask]

This grants you the knowledge of how to create an enchanted glass flask capable of holding a single soul, those who die near an empty and open soul flask have their soul pulled into it, and once the cap is closed the spirit will be unable to escape, trapped in liquid form.

[Ray of Death]

Unleashes a ray of death towards your enemies, causing rot and decay where it strikes.

The spell's power is tied to your Intelligence.

Perk Added

[Grim Harvest]

Death empowers you. When you slay an enemy with a necromantic spell, you will harvest their spent life force to heal yourself.

Knowledge floods my brain as I make my decision, the dark rituals that can imbue life into death, how to blast my foes with necrotic energy and make them rot and decay before me

Now, one last question.

Would you prefer to attack or defend?

A bit odd, but I'd rather defend. Necromancers are usually found in hidden lairs surrounded by hordes of undead after all.

Excellent.

That's everything, so good luck, player two!

I hope for your sake you do better than your predecessors.

That's ominous, but before I can respond I feel myself being pulled through the void as my vision goes completely black, before I land on something soft with a grunt.

As my vision clears, I look around in confusion, finding myself in a rather generic bedroom.

Memories rush into my head to help me adjust: this is my bedroom, in my apartment in a town called Kuoh.

The name sends a shiver through me as memories from my past life help me place exactly where 'Player One' has sent me.

I'm in the fucking titty anime.

Okay, that doesn't exactly narrow it down but I'm in Highschool DxD. I fucking hated DxD.

But my new memories only confirm my fears. I'm a new transfer student at Kuoh Academy, starting tomorrow (a little late into the year).

It was an exception made by the head of the schools board, one 'Sirzechs Lucifer.'

Oh for fucks sake, of all the places I could end up in, I ended up in this shithole?

I didn't even watch it for long, and I definitely didn't pay any attention to anything but the lewds since Issei drove me fucking mental.

I love boobs as much as the next guy, but seriously dude… shut the fuck up.

Item Gained

[Dungeon Seed]

Can be used to create a dungeon and dungeon core.

I think I understand his final question now, because I get the feeling this is how I'm going to grow stronger, one of the ways at least.

Necromancer Class Quest

Objective: Slay 10 enemies with death magic (0/10)

Objective: Raise 10 Undead (0/10)

Objective: Have your undead kill 10 enemies (0/10)

And that would be another way, I suppose.

I frown at the familiar looking uniform hung in my wardrobe, a reminder that I'm expected at Kuoh Academy tomorrow morning.

Where two different groups of devils are waiting, plus more depending on where I am in the plot. I hope to G-

Probably shouldn't say that name, so I hope to Player One that the whole engagement plot is already over because if not Rias is going to be unbearable.

Quest Added

[Welcome to the Game]

Objective: Plant the Dungeon Seed

Objective: Complete your Class Quest

Reward: ???

Right, so DxD.

The way I see it, I have four real choices.

Let myself get pulled into the plot, maybe even join Rias' peerage if it's early enough that she doesn't have Asia, befriend Issei and use his shounen protag bullshit for an easier life.

Join one of the other factions and inevitably change the plot, the Fallen are in Kuoh and I think I remember there being some Youkai in Kyoto. I could also try to join the Hero faction I suppose.

Run and hide, stick my head in the sand and hope the world leaves me alone.

Or I get strong enough that I can tell the plot and all the factions to fuck right off, I get to work and become so powerful that I can just ignore the idiotic plots and whatever demands or requests the factions have of me.

I'm not a joiner, and I've never been good at taking orders. I'm not joining anyone, I'm my own man dammit and I am in charge of my own destiny.

Not Rias, not Sirzechs, not anyone else, me.

But I'm not going to hide, to run around in a world I don't know. At least in Kuoh I know some of the movers and shakers, I could go one town over and find it's the home of a cult of devil worshippers who sacrifice mages like me.

I'd rather stay in the town where I at least know some of what's going on, as spotty as my knowledge may be.

So, I just need to become so powerful I can give gods, angels and devils alike the middle finger, so powerful that nobody can risk trying anything against me.

It's time to get to work.

My new memories have some knowledge of the layout of Kuoh, and my apartment is on the edge of the town, with a forest within a few minutes walk.

I don't know what this seed really does, but I figure I should do it away from the public eye.

Thankfully, I don't have a family in this world so I don't have to explain anything as I head out of the small, one bedroom apartment.

Heading out and into the forest, which isn't enough to draw attention since it has an obviously well used hiking trail which I stick to for a while before I break off and head deeper into the forest, the trees growing thicker and more dense.

Pulling out the small golden seed, I walk for a bit further before I look at it, the knowledge of how to use it entering my brain.

Just squeezing it, it vanishes into sparkles of light as I get teleported into the newly formed dungeon.

Hovering above my head is the dungeon marble, my core, but the room is extremely simple.

It's a large cavernous room made of dark stone, with only the massive red gem-like core lighting it up.

There's a single large arch that leads down a large empty corridor.

I know how this works, I've played Dungeon Keeper. It seems like I can trigger the attack on my dungeon, but right now I have nothing to show for it.

They'd spawn at the end of the corridor, rush me and kick my ass before they fucked up my core. I need my horde and to expand my dungeon before I can try something like that.

So, I need bodies.

Skill Gained

[Dungeon Recall]

You can instantly return to your dungeon core, bringing along your minions to defend the core or to retreat to your lair.

For now, I head out of my dungeon by going to the portal at the end of the hallway, which puts me back out where I started, making me nod to myself.

It'll be useful later, but I need my horde before I can really use that.

So, I suppose I get to start with the time-honoured tradition of all Necromancers.

Grave Robbing.

I either need full corpses for zombies or enough bones to piece together a skeleton.

Heading back into the town, I decide to familiarise myself with my new town as I take a walk.

It's on this walk that I manage to place exactly when I am, my eyes catching a dumb looking guy with equally stupid brown hair walking besides an incredibly beautiful black haired girl (with a body that screams 'woman').

Issei and Raynare, which means I'm still in season one. Very early in season one as I start to plan.

I need bodies, and Issei is about to die. Raynare glances at me, her eyes narrowing for a moment but by the time she turns to me (presumably sensing my own nature), I'm already walking away.

Their date doesn't end until evening. He should die in a park in front of a fountain, and I'm almost certain I know where it is.

I have plans in my head, ideas… and I know how I can make the most use out of this.

But, if I do this I'm definitely going to upset Rias and fuck up the entire plot of this world.

I pause for all of a split second until I snort in laughter, sucks to be her and this world deserves to see its plot fucked up.

Buying a few things, I head home and get to work as I follow the plans in my head, creating a soul flask before I set out for the park.

It doesn't take me long to find the park, and even less time to find the fountain that Issei dies in front of, but I'm early so I wander around the area and hope her ability to sense magic requires me to be pretty close.

If she approaches me, I'll claim I'm just curious what the Fallen are doing in a Devil town, as a neutral party that doesn't want to get caught up in them fighting.

As the sun sets, I feel a burst of magic as something passes over me, making me frown before I smile.

I'm pretty sure that's some kind of ward to keep regular mortals away from the supernatural, but I'm supernatural myself so it passed over me without doing a damn thing.

Heading back towards the fountain, I arrive just in time to watch Issei get a glowing red spear through the stomach, Raynare saying something I can't hear before she flies into the air.

She glances my way again, but just frowns in confusion as she sees me approaching the body, pausing for a moment.

Seeing Issei coughing up blood makes me hesitate, before I raise my hand and point a finger at him, a ray of green energy shooting forwards and striking him.

Issei was already dying, the spell kills him almost instantly and it's practically a mercy killing as he gasps, the skin where my spell hits turning black and rotting as he takes his final breath.

A thin white mist leaves him, with a hint of red and gold but it is immediately sucked into my waiting flask.

Seeing him dead, Raynare leaves quickly but I'm guessing she wasn't supposed to be operating in devil territory in the first place.

Moving forwards quickly, I pick up the body with a grunt of effort and activate my dungeon recall, vanishing with my well-earned prize as I grab the flyer out of his pocket and tossing it aside.

I barely see a flash of red as I disappear, but Rias isn't my problem.

— Raynare —

Kuoh was a hub of supernatural activity, they knew that when they came here.

But a magician with seemingly no connection to the Devils following her around wasn't part of their plans and she didn't live this long by being stupid.

You never attacked a mage without knowing what they were capable of. Humans might be weaker than the other races but you couldn't underestimate a mage since you never knew what they were hiding up their sleeves. She'd seen Fallen stronger than her get decimated because they underestimated some human magician.

She had suspicions of what that mist had been, and if she was right then the knowledge that there was a mage capable of stealing sacred gears from corpses was more important than the twice critical Issei had.

She killed Issei to prevent him from being recruited by either of the devils and becoming a minor inconvenience to Lord Azazel's plans, if this mage was independent then he wasn't an issue, even with the sacred gear.

And if he proved to be a problem, she'd simply attack him on her own terms with reinforcements, just in case.

Either way, Issei died and her mission was a success.

— Rias Gremory —

Appearing just in time to see someone vanish, Issei's corpse over their shoulder, her eyes widened in despair.

Issei had called for her, activating the seal on the flyer her familiar had given to him, but someone else had gotten to him first.

She'd suspected the Fallen were sniffing around him, but she expected them to try and recruit him for his Sacred Gear, not just execute him outright.

It wasn't the Grigori's usual method of operation, and she had hoped that Issei's strong desires would call for her, giving her a chance to try and lure the known pervert to her side.

The Grigori weren't authorised to act in Kuoh, so she could use that to try and scare them off if she needed to, even if she couldn't really act on it without speaking to her brother first.

She couldn't risk being the spark that ignited the war.

Issei was supposed to be an easy recruitment, with her and Akeno there to tempt him with their assets and the promise of a legal harem in the future. She wasn't sure what sacred gear he had, though it apparently smelt draconic to Koneko, but she was desperate and grasping at straws.

But someone had stolen that away from her, whether it was targeted or just someone seeing an opportunity themselves didn't really matter as another of her lifelines was snapped.

— Ddraig —

Well, this was new.

Trapped in the strange flask, still connected to the pervert's soul, even if the boob-obsessed fool never realised his potential. The Red Dragon Emperor scratched his chin as he watched the red-eyed mage place the body of his former host and the flask they'd been trapped in on the floor of the odd room they'd been brought into.

He was supposed to move on to his next host, so even he wasn't sure what would happen now. Oh well, he'd waited over a decade for his host to realise he had powers, and it wasn't like he had urgent plans to be elsewhere.

Going back to sleep, he just hoped his next host was a little smarter. He didn't want to hear Albion's mockery if he showed up with a dumb host again.

— Kuro —

Zombies are useful, but they have some minor problems.

Like the rotting flesh and the stench, so for my first undead I want a skeleton.

Which means blasting Issei's corpse with rays of death until the flesh rots enough to fall off his bones, an arduous and disgusting process.

But I knew what I was getting into when I picked Necromancy and I'm not squeamish. The smell is bad, but it's one I'm going to have to get used to as I finally finish extracting the skeleton, nothing remaining of Issei but a pile of rotting flesh.

Sucks to be him, but I probably did this world a favour.

Is it really murder if he was already dying? I suppose you could argue that I knowingly prevented his resurrection, but that wouldn't hold up in court, and more importantly, I don't actually care.

The ritual isn't actually that complicated, at least for an undead as simple as a skeleton, the most basic of all undead. All I'm really doing is imbuing the bones with death magic to reanimate them and bind them to my will.

It won't be Issei or even have a real mind, it's just a simple construct capable of following simple orders. Without my direct guidance, it defaults to defending itself, me or my dungeon.

Watching as the skeleton starts to levitate, my magic flowing through it, I can feel the drain on my mana pool, small as it may be.

Intelligence decides on the size of my mana pool, Wisdom dictates how fast my mana refills. It's pretty basic but I don't know how to increase my base stats yet.

But Isskeleton is an important tool in the next step to my plan, though that will have to wait.

I could skip school, but I'm sure the devils already have their eyes on me (especially after tonight) and if I just never show up they'll probably come looking for me at inconvenient times.

I can use school to control when they approach me, and if it gets annoying I'll just drop it later.

Leaving the skeleton with some orders, I watch it start to claw at the stone wall, somehow starting to make a new hallway. No part of that makes sense but whatever.

Isskeleton will expand the dungeon very slowly as it doesn't have gear and is on its own, but it just gives the guy something to do while I'm asleep.

Heading out, I go back to my apartment and call it a night. It's important to get a full night's sleep, taking care of yourself is key to a healthy life.

Just because I'm magic now doesn't change anything, even mages need three meals a day and a good night's sleep.

Well, maybe they don't but I sure as fuck want them.

— Sona Sitri — Next Morning —

Watching their new student walk towards the school, she immediately narrowed her eyes behind her glasses as she felt the magic coming off him.

She suspected there would be something special about him, his transfer was personally arranged by Sirzechs Lucifer after all, but now she could at least confirm he was a magician.

The transfer was taller than her, with messy black hair and rather intense blood red eyes which narrowed at her in turn.

He could probably sense what she was but this wasn't the time or place for them to talk about that, far too public.

"Kuro Sasaki?" she asked, making him nod as he reached her.

"That's me," he confirmed, sounding tired. He had some slight bags under his eyes and she'd seen him yawning on the way towards the school.

Not an early riser then?

"I am Souna Shitori, the student council president here at Kuoh," Sona said, holding out her hand.

Kuro took it and shook it easily, not seeming worried about her true nature which was good. She didn't need a devil-hating mage running around her school.

"A pleasure, is there something I can do for you? I thought my transfer was already complete," Kuro asked, making her smile slightly.

"It's nothing like that, Mr Sasaki, I just like to meet all new students. I like to keep things orderly here, so I hope you aren't going to cause any trouble," Sona said, her hand briefly squeezing down on his hand with more strength than a teenage girl should be capable of.

"Don't worry, Miss Sitri, I don't plan to cause any trouble on the school grounds, if nobody starts trouble with me," Kuro replied, making her smile at his 'slip'.

He knew who she was, and she could accept his words.

"If anyone does decide to cause trouble, I do hope you'll let me do my job and handle it without exacerbating the situation," Sona said, making him smirk.

"I suppose we'll have to wait and see," Kuro said, making her sigh.

Yeah, that was probably too much to hope for. Kuoh was technically Devil territory but if anyone attacked or tried to pressure Kuro, he was within his rights to handle it himself even if it would cause a lot of work for her.

"I see. In that case, welcome to Kuoh Academy. Please don't make too much work for me," Sona said bluntly, making him snort.

"I'm not planning to. Don't worry, I'm just here to study, as long as I'm left to do just that I won't make any trouble," Kuro promised, giving her a smirk.

'Leave me alone and I'll do the same?'

She could work with that, but…

Her eyes flickered over to the window from where Rias was watching them, making her hide her sigh. Rias wouldn't leave him alone.

"I understand, I hope you have a calm and productive time here at Kuoh. I'm sure we'll have more opportunities to talk later," Sona said, dismissing him as he gave her a lazy smile and walked past her, heading into the school.

As he did, he pulled out the map that was given to all new students as part of their induction package, pausing as he worked out where he was going.

Spending some more time at the gate, she scolded a few tardy students before she headed into the building, tracking down her fellow King.

"That's him, he's the one who stole Issei's body," Rias said immediately, frowning as Sona paused.

"Irrelevant, Issei might have tried to summon you but there's no such thing as dibs in the supernatural world. You knew other people were interested in Issei, you had plenty of chances to approach him," Sona said bluntly, making Rias pout sadly.

Rias knew she was right.

"He's the one Sirzechs arranged to come here, right?" Rias asked, making Sona nod.

"Kuro Sasaki was invited to join Kuoh as part of a scholarship, he's an orphan who until recently was studying in Tokyo. Great grades, but generally described as 'unmotivated' by his teachers," Sona rattled off. "He's also clearly aware of the supernatural, including our nature since he called me Miss Sitri. He's a human mage as far as I can tell, and claims he doesn't plan to cause any trouble with us if we leave him alone."

"You know I can't do that, especially now that Issei has been taken away," Rias said sadly, making her sigh.

"And Sirzechs probably arranged for Kuro's transfer so you could recruit him, but Kuro doesn't seem aware of the Satan Lucifer's plans," Sona pointed out.

"That doesn't surprise me, he probably wants to be able to pretend he's not interfering if the Phenexs take offence," Rias agreed. "Having a mage come to Kuoh isn't interfering in the engagement, even if it gives me a chance to recruit him and balance the odds."

"You think Sirzechs believes Kuro can help you?" Sona asked, watching Rias nod.

"Why else would he do it? There's thousands of human mages, so why Kuro in particular?" Rias pointed out.

There were even some mages in Kuoh, though she knew that none of them wanted to join a Peerage. Most of them were from families that had been here since before Kuoh was devil territory and had made deals with the Satans when the devils first arrived at Kuoh.

Most mages were only really interested in furthering their magical knowledge and power, and while they'd often make contracts with devils to achieve that goal, it was surprisingly rare that a mage would fully join a Peerage.

"I don't know, I have no idea what type of magic he practices, and we can't exactly just ask him. Mages aren't known for being particularly open with their secrets," Sona deadpanned, making Rias sigh. "You do realise that he'll likely refuse any attempts at recruitment?"

"I know, but I'm running out of time. Even if I got Issei's body back, his Sacred Gear will have already moved on," Rias replied.

"Don't push too hard, the last thing we need is for him to take offence and turn hostile while we have no idea what he can do," Sona warned, making Rias nod with a sigh.

"I won't, don't worry," Rias promised, making Sona force down her response.

Somehow, she doubted that. She'd watched Rias get increasingly desperate as her marriage approached.

She would have lent Rias some of her Peerage but she wasn't convinced it would help and more importantly she had been told not to by her parents.

The Sitri family were allies with the Gremory's, and they'd also benefit if the Phenex family joined their alliance, plus it would be an issue if the Sitri heiress was interfering in a deal between two other families.

She hated politics sometimes, but she had to play the game.

Rias was placing her bets on beating Riser to regain her freedom, and while Sona was rooting for her best friend…

Riser had never lost without actively throwing the match, and Rias was too busy being angry at Riser to realise that he was a lot smarter than he generally acted.

Rias was desperate, and now Sirzechs had placed this mage in front of her. She wouldn't just give up, regardless of Kuro's decisions.

"Just don't procrastinate so much this time, you don't have time to waste," Sona finally said, making Rias nod seriously.

— Kuro —

I knew they wouldn't leave me alone, but really? On day one?

I'm trying to pretend I haven't seen Rias and Akeno staring at me as I pay attention to the class (for once in my life).

I can sense their nature, presumably thanks to my own magical nature, and they both have an almost tainted aura around them.

It's barely noticeable at my level, just a sense of wrongness about them, and I didn't notice it until they were very close. I'll have to work out how to improve my ability to sense magic, it could be incredibly useful in avoiding people in the future.

I also need to learn how to suppress my own, because I've no doubt they can sense my nature, Sona certainly could.

The class passed easily enough and I certainly got some attention as the new kid, including some female attention since thankfully I've always been blessed with good looks, but it dies down quickly enough.

The two idiots at the back of the class complain about another pretty boy or something, but oddly enough they're a little distracted by the empty seat between them.

Sorry lads, Issei isn't going to be joining us any time soon, he's a little busy at the moment.

Of course, while the rest of the class go back to focusing on their own lives, Rias and Akeno do not.

Ugh, season one. Rias and her quest to not take Riser's dick, which she is now on the quest to drag me into.

I don't care about Riser, I don't care about Rias, I definitely don't give a shit about underworld politics.

I'm pretty sure this world is downright apocalyptic, though I didn't watch or read enough to really know why.

…and I have the protagonist in my basement, so Issei won't be saving the world.

I need to get strong enough to survive whatever shounen bullshit this world is going to throw at me.

Note I said 'survive', this place can burn to the ground as long as I'm still around at the end to piss on the ashes.

As the class ends, I get up and escape immediately, making it to the door before Rias or Akeno can grab me.

Putting my earphones in, I put my music on and ignore the rest of the students as I make my way out of here, my scheme is almost perfect as I leave Akeno and Rias in the dust.

Apparently I need to practice scheming for the future, as I reach the gate, my freedom in reach, and Kiba stands in front of me, waiting by the gate for me.

Pulling one earphone out, I give him a raised eyebrow.

"Kuro, right?" Kiba asks as I frown. "The President of the Occult Research Club would like to speak with you, it shouldn't take long."

I could ignore him, but they won't give up. No, I'll meet with Rias and tell her exactly how interested I am in her problems, and we'll see where we go from there.

"Fine, lead the way," I say, my displeasure clear to see as I follow Kiba.

It doesn't take us long to reach the building the ORC have claimed as their clubhouse, a clear sign that Rias is more than a regular student for anyone who is paying attention.

Every other club has a single room, the ORC have an entire building to themselves.

Following Kiba, I spot Koneko sitting on a couch, her eyes narrowing at me as she subtly sniffs the air as we walk past, scowling.

"It's just in here, Rias should be here soon," Kiba says as he leads me into a comfortable room, gesturing for me to sit down in the admittedly cushy chair.

"She has two minutes until I walk, I've got things to do that don't involve sitting around waiting on her," I say bluntly, making him pause as his eyes narrow briefly at my disrespect towards his master.

"She won't be long," Kiba finally says, turning and leaving the room.

She better not, because I wasn't joking as I put my earphone back in and start a song. She has until this song finishes or I'm just leaving, I'm not gonna sit around and wait on some spoiled princess.

— Rias Gremory —

Getting a message from Kiba telling her that Kuro was planning to leave soon, she sped up her walking.

It wasn't that she was planning on keeping him waiting around, she'd just told Kiba to bring him to their building so she could see how receptive he was to recruitment.

She had an idea already given how he immediately tried to ditch her, which wasn't exactly an encouraging start, and she didn't want to make things worse by wasting his time.

Arriving at the building, Koneko approached her with a frown.

"Don't like him. Smells like death," Koneko said simply, making her frown.

"Will it be a problem?" Rias asked, making Koneko pause before she shook her head.

"No, he just smells wrong," Koneko finally said, smiling slightly as Rias reached forwards and rubbed her head.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks Koneko," Rias said, moving past her and towards the room, Akeno following behind.

Opening the door, she walked in as Kuro gave her a mildly annoyed look.

"Thanks for coming, Kuro," Rias started, taking a seat opposite him as he snorted slightly.

"I figure I should at least pay lip service to one of the 'Kings' of Kuoh," Kuro said, making her smile despite his less than warm tone.

"Ah, so you do know. That should help speed things up," Rias said, pausing as Akeno got to work. "Would you like some tea?"

"I'll pass, I'm not planning to stick around," Kuro said bluntly, making Akeno pout at him. "So, what does the Heiress of the Gremory family want with me?"

"Firstly, I like to know all the supernatural beings who live in my territory, especially ones who were invited here by my brother," Rias starts, Kuro not reacting to that.

So, he also knew Sirzechs was behind his invitation?

"Fair enough. Kuro Sasaki, mage in training, it's a pleasure to meet you," Kuro said, making her smile.

"The pleasure is mine, now I don't suppose you know why my brother arranged for you to attend Kuoh Academy?" Rias asked, making Kuro snort.

"Presumably as part of some grand plan, I don't presume to know the mind of a Great Satan. All I know is my reasons for being here," Kuro said, making her eyebrow raise even as she nodded in acceptance of his answer.

"And why is that? Not many independent mages would willingly move into devil territory," Rias pointed out, making him smirk.

"Kuoh is old, and it was enriched by the supernatural long before you devils showed up and claimed it. I have my own reasons for agreeing to come here, and frankly you devils don't factor into them," Kuro said, both answering her question while also not explaining anything.

"Fair enough, and I don't suppose you're willing to tell me what you want?" Rias asked, making Kuro chuckle.

"You shouldn't need to ask. I want what all mages want, to learn. My plans are simply to continue studying magic, I have no interest in the squabbles of the 'three great factions'," Kuro said bluntly, again answering her question without actually telling her anything.

"I see, and would that research be why you stole Issei's body?" Rias asked, changing tactics as he smirked.

"Ah, so that was you who was summoned as I was leaving? Yes, I needed a body for one of my spells and I saw an opportunity when I spotted a Fallen luring a human away," Kuro admitted lazily. "I wouldn't say I stole anything, the Fallen obviously didn't care once the fool was dead, I just cleaned up after her."

"Issei was supposed to be mine, if you hadn't taken his corpse away then he'd be alive and a member of my Peerage," Rias said bluntly, matching his attitude which just made him smirk.

"Finders keepers, he wasn't a part of your Peerage and he wasn't one of your contractors. The Fallen wouldn't be sniffing around him otherwise. You might have had plans, but you didn't act on them and you missed out. That's on you," Kuro deadpanned, utterly uncaring of how he had fucked up her plans.

That was par for the course. Most supernatural beings were self-serving and mages were no exception. Secretive and selfish in equal regards.

She couldn't make a fuss about him being in her territory, not when Sirzechs was the one to invite him, and she couldn't say he was wrong.

Sona had warned her that she should have acted sooner, she didn't listen and she missed out because of it.

"Fair enough. I'll be blunt, you've put me in an unfortunate position, though admittedly a large part of the fault is mine, because I have an upcoming fight that I have to win, no matter what. So I'd like to ask-"

"I have no interest in becoming a Devil, and even less in joining your Peerage," Kuro interrupted, as blunt as ever as she sighed. "I am nobody's slave.

"I understand your hesitation, and there are certainly devils who treat their peerage like that but I assure you I don't treat my peerage like slaves," Rias said gently, making Kuro snort.

"Just because you treat a slave nicely doesn't change the fact that it is a slave, besides it's irrelevant in the grand scheme of things as I don't want to become a devil and I don't want to join any of the factions," Kuro said immediately, not budging as she sighed. "I have no quarrel with you or any faction, but that doesn't mean I want anything to do with you either."

Of course it wouldn't be that simple.

"I understand, but I'm afraid I'm not in a position to take no for an answer," Rias admitted, seeing Kuro tense up as she quickly continued. "I'm not going to force you, don't worry, but I will convince you to change your mind," Rias said confidently, making Kuro chuckle.

"You're welcome to try, just don't get too offended when you fail," Kuro deadpanned. "I'm just not interested in you or anything you're selling. My goal is true mastery of magic, and I'll grasp it with my own hands."

Despite his blunt refusal, she couldn't help but smile at his words even as they grated her pride. She was the most attractive girl in their school, nobody had ever been so blunt as to say they weren't interested in her before.

"Surely the immortality of us devils would help with that," Rias pointed out, making him chuckle.

"That's the easy way to become ageless, not truly immortal. I'll find my own way, without selling my soul into slavery or signing up to fight in some war in the process," Kuro said, clearly having some pride of his own.

"I see, I can understand that. Would you like to join the occult research club? It is made up of my Peerage but you'd be welcome to join us without joining my Peerage, and we do investigate a great deal of occult locations and rumours," Rias offered again, making him pause.

"Hm, I'll consider it Miss Gremory," Kuro said simply, the first time he didn't just shut her down immediately.

"Please, call me Rias," Rias said, crossing her legs as she deliberately flashed him, giving him a brief clear view up her very short skirt, a flash of red silky panties.

He very briefly glanced down at the sight she'd offered him, making her smile slightly as she gave him a smug look.

"As I said, Kuro, I'm not going to take no for an answer, I suggest you prepare yourself. We devils are known for our silver tongues for a reason," Rias said, putting on a flirty tone.

She had no issue with people looking at her body, she knew she was beautiful and she had no problems with using that beauty to her advantage.

Kuro was attractive enough for a human, he was a mix of a dangerous bad boy look and a cute boyish charm.

"I'm sure your tongue is pure gold, Rias, but it won't be enough. I'm a very stubborn man," Kuro admitted, making her giggle. "Is that everything, Rias?"

"For now, Kuro, for now," Rias promised, making Kuro roll his eyes despite the small grin on his face.

"Then until next time," Kuro said, rising from his seat.

"I hope you'll stay for tea next time," Akeno said, taking the opportunity to push her breasts against his arm as she pouted up at him. "I've never had any boys complain about my teas," she continued, not even being subtle as she practically engulfed his arm with her cleavage.

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to show me how wonderful your… teas are, another time," Kuro deadpanned, not giving her the reaction she was looking for which made her pout up at him.

He was playing with fire. The less people reacted to her flirtation the more Akeno became determined to get them to react.

She'd become quite the master of 'accidental' exposure and wardrobe malfunctions while seeming innocent, though the school's revealing uniform helped there.

Kuro extracted himself from Akeno's cleavage, giving her a nod as he left the room.

"He's going to be a tough one to recruit," Akeno said, making her nod.

"Probably, but the wedding is getting closer and I don't have the time to go slow," Rias said with a helpless shrug.

She didn't even know if Kuro could help, but Sirzechs seemed to think he could help and she had a spot open for a Bishop.

She wasn't in a position to be picky.

— Kuro —

As I expected, they aren't going to give up, but neither am I.

I suppose having some devils trying to convince me to sell my soul could be fun, as long as I make sure to resist ever committing to anything.

I don't plan to join anyone but they're welcome to try and fail to recruit me, especially if they make it entertaining. If nothing else I can get stuff out of them as they try and tempt me to their side, as long as I don't let them talk me into owing them anything.

Now, heading out of sight, I teleport into my dungeon with a smile as I look at the new hallway and rooms my Isskeleton has managed to excavate (which somehow has a smooth black marble floor and walls despite being created by some skeleton with its bare hands).

From what my subconscious is telling me, the more I slay people attacking my dungeon, the more power my core will gather which I can either use for myself or use to grow the dungeon.

So, I need to fight, and for that I need more than Isskeleton, as hardworking as he may be, so…

Time to go and rob some graves.

It's just not right to have all those bodies just wasting away, people really need to learn to recycle.

— Bonus Scene — Sirzechs Lucifer

Kuro had been a long shot, coming across a young human mage who was the same age as Rias and unaffiliated seemed like a blessing, but the truth was he didn't particularly know what Kuro's magic was.

Kuro had an aura of death around him, and that reminded him of some of the Grim Reapers he'd met, and the fact that even a Phenex couldn't regenerate from a reaper's attacks made him hopeful.

It was a long shot, but it was about all he had. He wasn't particularly surprised when it immediately backfired and Kuro messed up Rias's 'plans', if they could even be called that.

Rias was incredibly slothful, which wasn't uncommon amongst young devils but even her impending 'doom' as she put it wasn't enough to motivate her to actually act.

Riser wasn't the worst husband, despite Rias's complaints about him. It was true that he was an arrogant, perverted man but so were most devils.

But to Rias, Riser was the worst. A true bastard who was dedicated to stealing away her freedom so he could rape her, Akeno and Koneko before he passed them around the entire underworld for anyone who wanted a turn, and anyone who tried to tell Rias otherwise was lying and wrong.

He truly feared that if Rias was forced to marry him, she'd take her own life first. His father didn't believe it, seeing Rias's constant attempts to get out of the arrangement as just teenage rebellion, and his mother hadn't done any better at convincing her husband.

Lord Phenex and his father had set this up, and neither would change their mind, as both were incredibly prideful and couldn't see anything wrong with this and couldn't be convinced otherwise.

He had suspicions that Zekram Bael played some part in this arrangement, though admittedly he couldn't prove it as the old man was extremely crafty and even he had to admit he was utterly outclassed at the political game against the ancient Bael.

Still, all wasn't lost just yet, scratching his chin as he started scheming for how to help Rias balance the odds back in her favour.