I'm not dead yet! Spread the word for all to hear, a new chapter of Master of Reality has dropped. Tell you friends, tell your family, and tell your dog.
"Speech"
"Thought"
"Distorted speech"
"Distorted thoughts"
[Ddraig]
(Albion)
{Bahamut}
(Optional soundtrack cue)
As always, read and review, but no hate please.
Chapter 4: Beating Around The Bush.
Robert remained stoic, he hadn't shown a lick of emotion since he was escorted out of class by an envoy from the student council. As he came to expect, she he was also a devil. The young devil introduced herself as Momo Hanakai and she was a second year. She seemed nice enough, he'd caught her stealing glances at his ass, but pretended to not notice. Bahamut in the other hand, had to start sending false negatives when she started spamming detection spells.
That was the second time today.
They reached their destination without any issues, having gave the other students a wide birth as most of them were in a chaotic race to head home. Robert was a little miffed that while most students got to go home or hang out with their clubs, he had to go pay tribute to her royal highness behind the door they now stood in front of.
BOOM!
Robert beat Momo to the punch when it came to knocking, landing a singular solid pound on the door. A grin sprouted on his face as he heard the startled reactions of what he assumed was the rest of the student council. Momo's face now matched her hair when it came to paleness, clearly she wasn't expecting this amount of boldness, clearly she thought wrong.
"Enter." The flat tone of Souna Shitori answered. She was likely the only one to not leap out of her seat when he "knocked". He let Momo and her mortified self go in first and he followed suit, being sure to close the door behind him. Sure enough Souna sat at her desk, leaning on her elbows with her fingers in a tent in front of her face. She sat perfectly angled to where the glare from the light obscured her eyes. She looked ready to order him to get in a robot and fight bible themed aliens.
"Somebody ring the Dinkster?" Robert stood there with his fists on his hips, blazer coat draped over his shoulders. If this was an attempt to intimidate him, it wasn't working.
"Yes, have a seat, Robert-San." It wasn't prominent but could see a faint look of exasperation on Souna's face, likely from his earlier stunt. Robert did as he was told and sat, he looked a little comical considering he was larger bodied then all the other people present. Excluding Souna, Tsubaki, and Momo, there were another three women present. One with brown hair, one with auburn, and another with blue hair.
"Friends of yours?" Robert inquired gesturing to the unfamiliar people in his vicinity.
"Ah, I don't believe I've introduced you to the rest of the student council." Sona began to introduce the members of the student council one by one. Not that the details really mattered, Robert began tuning her out almost immediately. All the the new names went in one ear and out the other. At least he made an effort to look like he was engaged in the conversation.
"Anyway, you wanted me here for something." Robert brought up the reason he was called to the council in the first place. Sure, wasn't exactly the most patient man in the world, but it wasn't like he had anything else to do. At least he wasn't in trouble.
Right?
"I called you here to ask you how you're first day was." Souna said simply.
"That's it?"
"Yes"
He had to admit it was rather nice of her to do that, even if comedic my here was a complete waste of his time. It was the thought that counted. But he couldn't help but feel there was an ulterior motive to having him here. They were probably gonna try to indoctrinate him into their little demon society.
"It's Alright, boring as fuck in my opinion, but that's typically how school is." The women around him didn't seem to react to violently to his colorful vocabulary. While it was true he swore like a sailor, he used it as a way to convey honesty. If anyone had piped up and reprimanded him for foul language he would have told them to fuck off, enough said. "I'll be real with you, the people here are annoying, All day, the boys have been giving me the stink eye and the girls have been trying to undress me with their eyes. I don't feel all that comfortable."
Souna seemed to give him a sympathetic look before responding.
"I apologize for some of the students behavior, newcomers aren't very common here at our school, I hope you understand that. They should warm up to you in time."
"They fuckin better, I don't have the time nor patience to scream at them to stop being rude all day." He noticed them squirming from his use of profanity. They asked him how his day was and he was going to tell them how it was, it was as simple as that. "Other than that, everything else is fine."
Robert sat in stern silence, waiting for to be chewed out for his excessive cursing or something. Souna seemed like the kind of person to do that, but he wasn't going to give her the time of day. Eventually she dismissed her subordinates and they vacated the premises, including Tsubaki, who seemed to be glued to Souna's hip like some "Ride-or-die" best-friend. He wanted friends like that, alas it seemed every guy in the school had him on their shit list. Every girl, on the other hand, looked at him like a cougar would a deer fawn. There were a few exceptions but they were few and far between.
He sympathized with Dj Khaled a lot, he too suffered from success.
"Would you care to play a game of chess, Robert-San?" Souna broke the ice with a simple yet innocuous request.
He knew better though, this innocent game of chess was likely a way for her to scope out new members to indoctrinate into her cult. He would play along for now. It was far too early to arouse suspicion.
"I don't see why not, I've got nothing better to do." Robert sighed as the bespectacled woman brought out a chess board complete with pieces and placed it on the desk before her.
"I assume you're familiar with the rules, black or white?"
"I'm more of a Stratego guy myself, but yes, I know the basics." He adjusted his posture, leaning forward a little so he could reach the board easier. "It's been a hot minute since the last time I played, so I'm probably a little rusty. I'll be black."
Robert kept his mannerisms on a tight leash, he could tell the the demon across from him was trying to read him like a book. Anything he said or did could easily be used against him if he wasn't careful. At the same time he was doing the same to her, looking for behavioral cues that could suggest her intentions weren't in his best interest.
He remained calm as a rock in ebbing tide, steadfast in the face of any incoming storm. Pieces were exchanged and openings were exploited at any chance they could. Robert had a specific strategy he wanted to play, but first he had to decipher what his opponent's first. He'd learned everything he knew about chess from an old Russian guy he met in a park once. There were likely a lot of gaps in his knowledge, but he thought himself skilled enough to beat casual players.
Souna was a whole different case of beer. Understanding the bespectacled devil before him was like reading a book. A book that was written in Akkadian cuneiform and printed backwards. He had no doubt that her skill level was that of, if not superior to that of a grandmaster. When it came to experience, she had him beat a hundred times over. However he had a trick up his sleeve, a trick that would serve as a last resort.
He could cheat.
He had his grandfather in his head to help guide him, Robert would take that any day over using vibrating anal beads.
Sure it wasn't the ethnical choice, but it was to serve as a last ditch effort, a Hail Mary. His pride as a dragon demanded he wipe the floor with her. However, winning against an expert like her would certainly out him as a supernatural creature. Such a suspicious victory would most likely get him vaporized or worse.
Therefore, cheating was a not an option. If he lost, he would have to swallow his pride and leave it at that.
"I hear you come from a rich family back in in the United States." Souna tried her hand at small talk, taking initiative in the conversation. Robert would have likely remained silent if she hadn't spoken up.
"Well I wouldn't be here if my family didn't have their high paying careers." It took every fiber of his being for Robert not to respond sarcastically. In this world there were three types of socially awkward. The shy stutterer, the aloof mumbler, and the sarcastic grump. Robert was a sarcastic grump, something he would never admit to out loud. But in this situation involving the stern Souna Shitori, it wasn't an option, He'd like to keep his soul, thank you.
"What do they do for a living gets them that much money?" Using a chess game as a form of interrogation was unorthodox, but boy did it work. He decided it was his best interest to comply for the time being.
"My mother is a retired supermodel and my father is a high ranking military official." Robert began to recited the prefabricated answers he'd spent heinous amounts of time rehearsing with his mother before his trip. The answers so far seemed to be satisfactory to the president of the student council. He could tell because she seemed to stop and mentally record his answers. "My elder brother is also a high grade actor in Hollywood, I'm sure you've heard of him."
"Douglas Drake is your brother?" Souna was as smart as she looked, hitting the nail on the head first try. It was clear that his sibling not only had a cult following in japan, but in the underworld too. Judging by how her eyes lit up for the briefest of moments it confirmed his notion.
"...Yes." Robert confirmed although reluctantly.
"I'll admit I'm a great fan of his work" Sona admitted, holding back her excitement with notable skill. "Have you considered joining any clubs, it is required to graduate."
Lovely, just lovely, apparently it was required for him join a club and interact with other people. Alas, he knew something like this was inevitable and planned accordingly. He silently moved his chess piece to his desired location, so far his chess strategy was going swimmingly, as expected. The undercover dragon had been tutored in military strategy by his father, to the point he was eighty percent confident he could pull this off. He assumed Souna rarely ever lost when it came to chess. Robert knew he couldn't win, but that didn't mean he couldn't give her a scare.
"Gimme a break, man I just got here. At least let get adjusted before telling me to commit." He joked nonchalantly, sporting his trademark fake smile.
"My apologies, I did not mean to rush you."
"Ah, forget about it."
"There is a spot available in the student council." There it was, the proposition, the thinly veiled ultimatum. Either join me or I'll make your life miserable. What's it gonna be?
"Oh I'm not brave enough for politics, but I'll consider it." Robert took the middle path, a path so unused it was practically an overgrown game trail compared to its contemporaries. A path least traveled. The neglected third choice. Being impartial in a moment like this was paramount in his opinion. Jumping to a decision would only worsen the problem. It was a way to decline without need of explanation and it didn't make you look like an asshole. The latter was a problem Robert had when he attempted mingling with others. It wasn't his fault he had resting "I hate everyone and everything" face. "Oh, and check."
The sheer amount of bliss he felt when he saw the confused look on Souna's face was equal to when he heard the news of the Soviet collapse, if not greater. It only got better as that look of befuddlement turned shock and then into panic. While Souna took the time to rethink her strategy, Robert mentally readied himself for the onslaught of a serious Souna Shitori.
"Do you think it would be possible for me to start my own club?" He asked innocently, disregarding the utter state Souna was in. Sona composed herself, shaking off the initial shock. While it wasn't visible, Robert could feel a shift in her behavior, perhaps she was going to consider him a threat to her likely thousand mile long winning streak.
"Its possible, it requires a lot of responsibility." Sona began, she moved her pieces around skillfully, taking several aid his with them. Robert's strategy was not by any means a winning strategy. It involved him wearing her down by taking some of her more important pieces, then swooping in with his queen to jeopardize her unguarded king. It of course wasn't easy he had to sacrifice a few pawns and a knight. It was worth it however, to see her look of alarm. "Every new club has to be approved by the teachers and myself."
"Aight, I'll throw some proposals your way when they come to me." Robert suggested. He watched, although begrudgingly, as his strategy was dismantled like a Lego set being dropped down the stairs. It would be a loss for him, but it would be Pyrrhic victory for her. Served her right for taking him as a joke.
"Very well, visit me when when you're ready." Souna spoke in an expectant tone. Robert had several ideas for a club, all of which had to go through the gauntlet that was her scrutiny. "I've been meaning to ask you something, Robert-San."
"And that is?"
"Do you believe in the supernatural?" There it was, the big question. The sheer amount of tonal whiplash was enough to kill a man. Robert had to admit his brain did a hard reset, temporarily unable to fathom what the fuck just happened.
"Straight to the point, I guess." Robert had seen the conversation eventually reaching this point. Queries involving the preternatural were a typical way to scope out whether someone was in the know or not. Judging how they reacted, it was easy to tell. It was times like these that he was actually thankful for his resting grouch face. He wasn't out of the woods yet, one flubbed line and the jig was up. Luckily for him, he came prepared.
He was well versed in the ancient art of bullshitting.
"Bigfoot is real, I've seen 'em!" Robert abruptly blurted.
"What?"
"Y'know, eight foot tall, Man-beast anthropoid."
"Huh?"
"Harry and the Hendersons."
"That's not what I meant by supernatural, Robert-San. What I wanted to know was if you were familiar with the Abrahamic religions."
"Tsubaki asked me a similar question, so I'll say it again. I'm not the most religious guy out there, I prefer to label myself as an agnostic." Again Robert went down the middle road, leaning neither to one side or the other. A half truth. The disguised dragon wasn't too fond of lying, or any other form of deception. It was another reason why his opinion of the devils wasn't too high. It was a necessary evil however, his entire human identity was based around a big fat lie. Call him a hypocrite all you want, but it's what kept him and his family alive and well for centuries. "I will admit I am a little superstitious, it's better to be prepared for a war that's not coming than to be caught with your pants down when it happens."
"That's a great mindset to have, preparedness is always important." Souna replied, almost absentmindedly capturing his queen. "What are your opinions on angels and devils?"
"Aliens."
"Excuse me?" The bespectacled demon gave him a perplexed look that would have made burst into laughter if he wasn't trying to be serious.
"I'm not trying to say it's aliens, but it's aliens."
"Please elaborate."
"I think it's possible that we've been visited by extraterrestrial and or extradimentional entities in the past. The pyramids for example were clearly not built by human hands." That was lie, pyramids were indeed built by humans, but for the sake of his narrative that would be ignored.
"What proof do you have of this, Drake-San?" Souna gave him a strange look, bordering on half concerned and half judgmental.
"I'm glad you asked! The Anunnaki, these old deities from the Middle East, supposedly hailed from another planet named Nibiru. It's said that they created humans to collect valuable resources, like gold, to build their spacecraft." Robert went full on tin foil hat, gay frog, conspiracy theorist while the student council president sat there utterly flabbergasted. "Demons are probably a race of subterranean creatures that live in the hollow earth. Or, they are extradimentional beings that were contacted via the use of hallucinogenic drugs like DMT."
"You don't honestly believe in that do you?" Souna said almost callously. She couldn't gaslight him into thinking he was crazy. Good luck with that.
"I Do. And I'm tired of pretending I don't." Robert doubled down. he had no reason not, he was having far too much fun. "If not, then they're made up."
Souna could only nod, the power of bullshit cared for no one and knew no limits.
"I see, then I believe we are done here." Souna stated abruptly, it seemed she'd seen enough to make a internal profile of him. Robert patted himself on the back for that. "Oh and checkmate."He'd made the correct assumption that he would be steamrolled once the gloves came off. His king was surrounded.
"FUCK!" Robert flipped the board in an explosive fit of frustration. Even though he knew he was going to lose, his pride as a dragon was still bruised. Souna gave him a look of disapproval that immediately made him backtrack. "Sorry, force of habit. Am I free to go?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll see myself out." Robert gave Souna a smile, picked up his belongings, and headed for the door. His foot nearly crossed the threshold before he was wrangled back into a conversation by the demon masquerading as president.
"Ah, I forgot to ask, why do you wear sunglasses? I am aware that the dress code says nothing about them, but why do you wear them?" Robert raised an eyebrow at that, it was an innocent question with no real ramifications.
"That's weird fucking question to ask. If you must know... it's because they look cool." Robert lowered his glasses, revealing the fiery orange orbs behind them, then returned them to their original position. His confusion only heightened when she froze like a deer in headlights, the dragon hadn't the slightest idea why. Regardless, he gave Souna a wave before making a brisk exit, closing the door behind him. He made his way down the hallway, disregarding everyone and everything. He had only one destination in mind.
Sona Sitri was not paranoid, but she was cautious. Nothing escaped her notice, her role as president and king of a peerage required her to be perceptive. Such a role required one to read other people, much like one would a book. It was a novel ability she'd honed over the years, to the point she was confident she could read anyone.
That was until today.
Robert Drake was a man that absolutely baffled her. How he managed to was beyond her. Her intitial thoughts on him were that he was an eccentric foreign exchange student from a well off family. Things about him felt off, but she would later dismiss them as a product of paranoia. Things changed when Tsubaki returned. She said that there was something strange about him, but it was hard to pinpoint. Perhaps she wasn't paranoid, but she would have to confirm for herself.
The end of the day came and she requested his presence in the council chambers. His presence was was intimidating to say the least. He had tweaked his uniform, adding brass buttons and a tie, giving him an almost decorated war veteran look. Coupled with his no-nonsense demeanor, it made him look like a distinguished and respectable man, someone she could get along with. Then everything was flipped on its head when his personality shined through.
And what a personality he had. At first glance it seemed he was quite a down to earth, serious person, much like herself. But that changed as their conversation progressed. He was vulgar, extremely so. Tsubaki had informed her about his colorful language when she returned from giving him a tour of a school. At the time she dismissed it as a stress induced reaction to the intrusive acts of an unnamed individual.
He wasn't too talkative to begin with so she took it slow. His answers where short, blunt, and brutally honest. When prompted he vomited a verbal soup of obscenity about particular things he didn't like. He wasn't vulgar in the sense he was rude, rather he lacked a filter. It's said swearing corresponded with high intelligence, Sona would have to look further into him.
his intellect was self evident, having momentarily caught her off guard during their game of chess. How he managed to catch her off guard, completely unaware, was still a mystery to her. It was an outstanding move, one that was a wake-up call for her to take him more seriously. That she did, proceeding to tear him asunder in the process. With his father being a high ranking official in the U.S. military, it wasn't too far of to speculate that he was good at strategy.
Robert Drake had certainly piqued her interest, he had potential to become a great asset to her peerage. She'd made the decision to probe him deeper, asking if he was a believer in the supernatural. She would later regret that decision. Robert proceeded on a rant about aliens and other nonsense she didn't understand. That fact that he believed it wholeheartedly made the situation worse. If she revealed the whole truth of the supernatural, Sona feared he would have a stroke from the paradigm being shifted. She had to cut the meeting short due to the amount of brain cells she likely lost from his speech about the Anunnaki.
That left only one thing unanswered.
What were the strange readings she got from him?
Throughout the entire interview she casted several detection spells, Tsubaki had done the same earlier. They either came back negative or indeterminate. However, she felt like there was still something there, something that lurked beyond the reach of her spells. Whatever it was, sacred gear or not, seemed to toy with her. Just as she felt like she was on to something it would retreat back into the abyss. It was frustrating, infuriating even.
Then there were his eyes. Those molten orange orbs that smoldered like a wildfire. She only got a quick glance but it was more than enough. Sona had frozen stiff, chills going up her spine, as a sense of fear she never felt in her life washed over her. It was primordial. As if some unknowable, all powerful being lurked above her, waiting for her to move so it could snatch her up. What was a mere split second felt like a half hour. Only one phrase could only describe the message that was being sent.
Fuck around and find out.
Robert Drake clearly had some relation to the supernatural. It was also evident he wasn't even aware of the fact, judging by his confused reaction. Whatever he was, or whatever he had was still a mystery. Sona Sitri loved a good mystery.
"Just what are you, Robert Drake?"
"AAAAAAAACHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Robert's head recoiled like a high caliber gun as he let out the loudest sneeze known to man. If he weren't already in his car he would've surely blown out the eardrums of several people.
{Bless you.} The dragon in his watch replied curtly.
"Thanks, someone's taking mad shit about me behind my back." Robert said, grabbing his bag and exiting his car. "Twenty bucks says it's that demon running the student council."
{Bet.}
~One Week Later ~
One week passed. New routines began and new habits formed. What once was new became the new normal. The school day quickly slipped into vapid monotony. Throughout this time Robert Drake would sit at his desk and jot down anything of importance that the teacher mentioned. He was a good student, raising his had to ask and answer questions and try his damned best to to look interested.
He still kept mostly to himself, only really interacted with people if he was directly prompted into conversation. Some people still showed visible distain for him but it was in lesser quantities. Some individuals even apologized for their earlier behavior, he appreciated it and let bygones be bygones. All together he remained relatively neutral, only interfering if there was something very wrong afoot.
Like now.
The giggling from the bushes told him everything. His daily lunchtime respite was rudely interrupted once again. The orange he was about to peel was reduced to pulp in his balled fist. He got onto feet, coat of his uniform waving in the wind like a cape as it was draped over his shoulders. This particular endeavor had become commonplace over the last two days.
"If those fuckers are at it again, I swear..."
~Flashback: Two days ago.~
They day had been about as entertaining as it usually was. The math teacher had droned on and on about some dumb shit he didn't care for. He nonetheless jotted down for later reference, whoever thought it was a good idea to put letters in math should've been taken around the back of the shed and shot. The equations the teacher wrote on the board resembled an Alien language more than they did a math equation.
Thankfully it was all over, the bell harshly announced the end of classes. An accumulative blessing for all persons involved, Robert being among them. The sooner he got out of here the less likely it was for him to be accosted by the crazed groupies or the nosey demons that lurked behind every corner. He was usually long gone within a few seconds of the bell ringing, today was no different.
He walked with a serious face, keeping his face forward at all times. It gave of an aura of professionalism that no one dared defy. People parted in the hallway to let the taller man pass, to which he would give a polite nod in thanks. Yes, he strolled around like he owned the place but that didn't mean he would treat his fellow students like garbage.
The school day ended at three o'clock and Robert was at a his car at three oh five. Again, today would've been no different. It would have if the universe didn't have other plans for him. His usual route to him past the locker room for the women's kendo club. The fence was visible from where he was standing, allowing him to see the three figures that were gathered around a point in fence line.
"What are you doing?" The blue haired man asked as he approached the trio by the fence. The three of them froze like statues before they slowly turned their heads, neck joints creaking like rusted hinges. The three of them audibly gulped when they looked up at the giant of a man bearing down on them, arms crossed.
The first of them was bald, that was his only notable feature. He was the most athletically inclined of the three, likely being a member of the track team. The second wore a pair of glasses and had black hair, likely the brains of the group to the bald ones brawn. The third had spiky brown hair and brown eyes. Out of the three of them he had the most punchable face. The whole thing seemed fishy so Robert approached the situation with more stoned faced caution than he usually would.
"What do you want, pretty boy?" The bald one snarked defensively. Robert furrowed his eyebrows.
"What I want is to know whatever it was you were doing." Robert barked, putting the bald kid on the back foot. His shiny dome of a head looked very slappable right now, but he had to fight the intrusive thoughts.
"We're basking in the glory that is oppai!" The brown haired kid exclaimed, a little too passionately.
"The fuck is an oppai?" Robert asked, his Dwayne Johnson eyebrow game was strong and it showed. The trio before him all gasped in shock as if he'd just committed the worst sin imaginable.
"Oppai is the greatest gift to mankind, the bigger the holier." The brunette exalted like he was preaching the gospel.
"What do you mean, Hyoudou, flat is justice!" The bald one argued.
"What the fuck?" Robert thought to himself, he still hadn't a clue what they were on about. He was fluent in Japanese, yes, but the brain rot he was experiencing from today practically negated the ability to comprehend anything those clowns said.
"Both is good." The one with glasses quipped, seeming ending the disagreement between his compatriots.
"Amen." The trinity stated in unison like it was some group prayer.
"Can I... uh... see this 'oppai' you speak of." Robert asked cautiously, something seemed awfully awry about this whole state of affairs.
"Of course, get a load of these babies. If you want the real deal look through this hole." The one with glasses pulled an adult magazine out of his book bag. The cover depicted a woman in the nude, tits and all, with the word Oppai printed in big letters at the top. It reminded him of the pinup of Pamela Anderson he hung up in his closet.
"Hehe nice... WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE!" It finally clicked in Robert's head that "Oppai" was Japanese for boobs. Robert threw the magazine back in the kid's face. "JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYNA PULL! WHAT KIND OF DEGENERATE SHIT ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME DO!"
"Calm down man, you said you wanted to see some oppai." The three of them huddled together to try and brave the onslaught of Robert's verbal assault.
"Where I come from you could get arrested for this!" Robert yelled, his bottled up frustration from the day finally sprung a leak. "To think I was almost duped by a bunch of pervs. DO YOU WANT TO BE REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES!" The trio winced, the thought of being labeled criminals. A life behind bars didn't sit all that well with them.
The disguised dragon turned and walked off, seemingly going to blow off some steam elsewhere. The three perverts relaxed, perhaps the would get off easy, maybe the angry giant was all bark and no bite. The feeling of relief left rapidly when they saw exactly were he was going.
The girls locker room.
Robert rapped on the door, making it sound urgent as possible. Within a few seconds a girl with pink hair wearing the typical kendo getup answered the door. She had to do a double take when she saw how tall he was. Robert had to lean down slightly in order to make eye contact with her.
"Hi~ can I help you." She said in a singsong voice. It was clear she immediately had the hots for him. Sometimes being handsome had its perks but every good thing had its drawbacks. Sure, he got a lot of attention from the ladies, but that didn't mean they were exactly compatible. He wasn't here for brownie points, no, he was here to teach a few people a lesson in human decency.
"Good afternoon, madam." He introduced himself with proper manners. He lifted one muscular arm and pointed at the three miscreants who were still huddled along the fence line, wincing when his index finger was leveled at them. "I'm afraid you've got company of the unwelcome sort."
The pinkette's face shriveled into the second nastiest expression he'd ever seen, The first being his father, but that was a different story.
"Don't tell me those perverts are at it again." She practically snarled.
"Again? Your telling me they've done it before."
"Every. Other. Day."
"Goddamn. Have you complained about it enough to the student council?"
"Multiple times, it's not just the kendo club, but the tennis and swimming clubs too. The council has reprimanded them multiple times but they never seem to learn." Robert let that information stew in his head for a few seconds.
"That's vile, and they just keep getting away with it? You ever considered taking matters into your own hands?" Robert suggested, fighting the urge to march back up to the council chamber and rip Souna a new one for enabling sexual harassment.
"Oh we have, name's Katase by the way." The pink haired girl introduced her self properly before yelling something about the "Damn perverts are back again" to the other girls in the locker room.
"Robert, you got a spare bokken? I wouldn't mind joining in on beating some sense into those circus animals." He asked, a sly grin splitting his face once again.
"Oh, of course, but we actually use shinai, a bokken is-"
"Same thing, just give me a damn sword so I can bash some skulls in." Katase could only nod in agreement. Within seconds a parade of angry swordswomen marched out of their quarters and closed in on the gaggle of peeping toms. The hormonal teens could only cower in fear before the army of wronged warriors led by the towering figure of the exchange student.
"Please, can we talk about this?" The one with glasses begged.
"We're gonna kill you~" Was the only response they got as their pleads fell on deaf ears. Throughout the afternoon the screams of three boys could be heard across campus.
~Present~
Robert slinked through the bushes like a cat, silently approaching his targets from behind. It was the same group of repugnant individuals from a few days ago, skulking around another hole in the fence. It had only been a day and the perverted trio were already back at their games. The perverted trio was what their little posse were officially called by the other students. Word was that they'd been a nuisance since they first began attending the academy. It was a wonder they hadn't been expelled and put behind bars yet.
The first was Matsuda, the bald one. As Robert had astutely guessed, he was a former member of the track team that had fallen from grace. He was a self proclaimed lolicon. Robert had to google the word, he would later regret it. What he found made him dislike him even more than he already did. He was also a member of the photography club, earning him the verbose moniker "sexual harassment paparazzi" but he also went by another nickname which was "perverted baldy." Robert got a chuckle out of it but he came up with something even better.
The peeping thumb.
Next was Motohama, arguably the brains of the group. Motohama was rumored to have been a straight A student before coming to kuoh. From what Robert observed, however, he was likely an incorrigible perv before he ever arrived here. The brain rot from a pornography addiction was likely a primary factor behind his descent into degeneracy. He was called the "Three size scouter" for reasons he didn't stick around to find out. He was also known as "perverted glasses" but that was too similar to Matsuda's alias so Robert began calling him "Creep goggles" for obvious reasons and that it rolled off the tongue better.
Then there was the "Perverted Beast", Issei Hyoudou, or "The Neanderthal" as Robert coined him. The nickname was probably an insult to every Neanderthal that ever lived, but it wasn't like they were alive to take offense. If there were two brain cells shared between the three of them, Hyoudou got none, that was how rotted his brain was. Yes, those were some harsh words but Robert couldn't help it. Hyoudou was the most outspoken about his activities, more so than his colleagues. He would constantly blabber about boobs and declare that he was going to be the "Harem King", much to the discomfort of everyone in earshot.
The goal wasn't remotely attainable at his current state. All three of them were terminally maidenless and their uncouth behavior practically made them lady repellent. Regardless of the trio's inability to pull any bitches, or Issei's impersonation of the average resident of Utah, something about the Hyoudou kid rubbed Robert the wrong way. His draconic instincts screamed at him to beat him bloody and leave him in a ditch on the side of the highway. Now a reaction like that wasn't uncommon especially around other dragons, it was a response to competition. The only question was why Hyoudou, a boy so unimpressive and unthreatening that the only real threat he posed was to the ants he stepped on, would trigger such violent reaction out of him.
{He's probably got a sacred gear, that's the only feasible option the varmint has. I suggest you keep an eye on him.}
"I'll think about it." Robert responded as he silently closed in on the three degenerates. It was a wonder how a man of his stature could move without so much as a sound. The fact they were so clueless of the world of hurt they were about to experience.
"You three don't know when to quit, do you?" The band of peepers practically leapt out of their skins when his voice reached their ears. Robert cracked a smile when he saw the fear of god in their eyes. The three of them parted away from their peephole as Robert slowly approached the fence, leaning his back against it.
"W-what do you want, Dragon king?" The bald one, Matsuda, stammered out in an attempt to be intimidating. Of course, this was all bark and no bite. It was like a shrimp trying to fight a shark. The alias "Dragon King" was a relatively new occurrence, he'd been given various titles over the past week. Ironically, it was the only one that stuck. He actually was wasn't that far off, in terms of strength, to an actual dragon king. Although it nearly gave him a heart attack when he first heard the name being thrown around. Robert quickly got used to it, as he did with every new thing.
"You know exactly what I want, Peeping Thumb." His two friends snickered at the nickname but went silent when he sent them glares.
"P-please, we'll do anything, just don't tell the kendo club." Motohama, the bespectacled one, begged on his knees.
"Anything?"
"Yes, Drake-senpai, we'll do anything!" Hyoudou joined his
"I don't buy, and don't call me that. I don't want you losers looking up to me." The trio gulped as he uncrossed his arms and slapped on the fence a couple times with his open hand. Immediately he could hear the kendo girls scrambling like fighter pilots during an air raid. Robert's grin only grew wider.
"Good luck." With that he went back to his lunch.
"DRAGON KING!"
Well, he would have if he wasn't faced with another obstacle.
"For fuck's sake, now what?" Robert turned around and was face with another boy, one he only vaguely recognized from his class. He was a wide set and barrel chested individual and was dressed in the typical Kuoh blazer. Short cut black hair grew from his scalp. He had an intense look in his brown eyes that Robert had difficulty interpreting.
"The fuck do you want?" Robert was getting tired of having the only free time of the day taken away.
"My name is Dan Moroboshi and I want to fight you."
There not once was a moment in his life that had Robert Drake as gobsmacked as he was now. Not once in his life had he ever been challenged in a fight by a human, not ever. Yet this guy from his class just casually walked up to him and challenged him like it was the week before Wrestlemania. Robert didn't know whether to laugh at him or kick his teeth in right then and there.
It wasn't just him who was baffled, both the kendo club and the perverted trio stop what they were doing and looked at the approaching student like he grew ten heads. That confirmed to Robert wasn't hallucinating. Even in human form he stood a full head taller than the Moroboshi boy.
"What? Why?" Robert asked in complete confusion.
"Because I'm tired of being upstaged by my peers, I want to surpass my competition."
"Alright, tough guy, you and me. The front gate. Three thirty. Be there or be square." If he wanted a fight, he was going to get a fight. The Moroboshi kid needed to be knocked down a few rungs. Of course Robert didn't want to fight him, but I was clear Dan had no intention of backing down. Push had come to shove and he was going to make the most of an already bad situation.
"You're on!" Dan answered with the gusto of a professional wrestler. Robert resisted the urge to scoff, his ego had to be clipped before it got him hurt or worse.
"Be careful Drake-San, Moroboshi-Kun is at the top of the wrestling team. He's not someone you should mess with." One of the kendo girls warned, he forgot her name but she was the team captain.
"Yeah, Moroboshi-San is bad news." Hyoudou added his two cents, Earning a glare from both opposing parties.
"I'm sorry, have you not seen me?" Robert remarked sarcastically. He rolled up his sleeve revealing his bicep and flexed it for added effect. "I've got two tickets to the guns show, and they're both reserved for him." Understandably, the girls drooled over his muscular physique while the trio of pervs glowered at him with jealousy.
"So what?, I've got muscles too!" Matsuda made another proclamation no one asked for.
"Yeah, only on your left arm." Robert retorted without hesitation
"Oooooooooo" everyone's mouth contorted into an "o" shape as they stared at the bald boy who looked absolutely devastated. He resigned himself to defeat for he could not come up with a quick enough comeback. Robert wasn't a smoker, but if he was he would have lit one up for added emotional damage.
Riiiiiiing!
That was his cue to skidoo, the sound of the bell marked the end of lunch and Matsuda's defeat in manhood. For the first time Robert felt invigorated to do well in class. The coming scuffle with his classmate lit a fire in his had he didn't know had been snuffed. For the first time in weeks, Robert drake was excited.
"You better watch your back, Mr. Moroboshi. The Robster ain't here to play no games."
~Later~
Classes came and went quicker than they usually did. Most of it, however was his own teacher's doing. Mr. Muramatsu, the world history teacher, was a natural born storyteller. He was a man in his sixties, judging by his graying hair, but his attitude was as jovial as a man in his twenties. The man walked around with a pipe sticking out of his mouth even though he didn't smoke, it gave him a sort of armchair historian vibe.
He was a veteran and apparently a retired member of the intelligence agency, judging by the outlandish stories he told. Mr. Muramatsu seemed to have been present for every significant historical event since the sixties, so it appeared.
Of course nobody in his class, minus himself, believed his tales. Robert could tell by the way he spoke that the old professor had seen some wild shit in his time. Regardless of historical accuracy, it was mutually agreed upon that Mr. Muramatsu's class was a treat, especially after a long day. It was a shame class ended.
Robert was still giddy despite it.
It been quite some while since he'd had to personally humble someone, especially with his fists. He would have gladly talked it out with the Moroboshi kid like civilized men, however the guy seemed pretty insistent on throwing hands. Robert looked at his watch in anticipation as he leaned against the wall adjacent to the front gates.
3:30pm.
"Where is that punk, don't tell me he pus-"
"Hey!" Robert tuned his head and locked eyes with the upstart Dan Moroboshi.
"Oh good, you actually showed up." Robert returned in a low tone. He fixed his posture, repelling himself off the wall, and began towards his opponent.
"Now, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way." The dragon took his coat off his shoulders and folded it neatly, placing it near his book bag. "The choice is yours."
"The hell does that mean!" Dan rebutted, taking his coat off in turn and throwing it to the side in the manner off a typical street thug.
"It means I'm giving you an out. You can turn around and walk away anytime." Robert retorted, crossing his arms. He was trying his best to be nice. A Fair warning was something he rarely gave.
"Like hell I'm running away from a fight." Dan snarled before bum rushing the larger male, who promptly sidestepped the oncoming punch. The ruffian had little time to react, receiving an elbow to the head. Dan recovered quickly, getting into a proper fighting pose as Robert did the same.
"Hard way it is." Robert mentally commentedq as he weaved and blocked various punches and jabs from his opponent. He had to admit the Moroboshi boy was quite a skilled fighter, even managing to dodge a few of his own punches. "Let's see this top wrestler in action."
{Try not to kill him please.} Bahamut scolded.
"Yeah yeah, I know."
Robert was extracted from his internal dialogue by a kick to the gut. It didn't hurt of course, but the smug look on Moroboshi's face irked him. The two of them exchanged more blows, the magnitude increased with each hit. It got to the point where Robert got fed up and grabbed one of Dan's fist before it collided with him. At that point the fight devolved into a brawl between two heavyweights. The two grappled like two grizzly bears fighting over a salmon. It no longer mattered who could throw the hardest punch. What mattered was who had the greater strength, who's will would break first?
Robert had to seal off most of his draconic strength in order to not snap people in half when he got into the occasional fight. As cathartic as it was to shit stomp someone, it was also great fun to give the opponent an opportunity to fight on even ground. He wasn't a battle junky though, he only did out of mutual respect. That respect was not shared by Dan Moroboshi.
Dan glared at him with clenched teeth, Robert merely countered with a scowl of his own. Each of them attempted to shove the other to the ground. Though most of the student body had left by the time the two men began their scuffle, a few remained and watched. Unfazed by the presence of the bystanders, Dan attempted to perform a judo throw on Robert. However, due to his superior muscle mass and stature, such a feat was next to impossible. Still, Dan tried, only to fail. Though it was a mere split second, Robert could have seen a smile on his opponent's face.
In an instant, Moroboshi disengaged himself and delivered a powerful uppercut straight to Robert's chin. What little amount of people stuck around were stunned to silence by Dan's act of defiance. Robert too was in a momentary state of shock, his shades nearly being knocked off his face. A deeper scowl contorted his face.
"Alright, no more Freebies."
Dan didn't even have time to visibly pale before he was knocked on his ass by a perfectly placed right hook. Dan's world spun like a top as he lay sprawled across the pavement. His entire life flashed before his eyes as his previous life choices rang through his mind like phantom bells.
"Was it worth it?"
Dan's battered and bruised head turned to answer the voice, His left eye blackened and swollen shut. Robert bared overhead, looking down on him in the manner of a disapproving parent.
"Fuck you, bastard, I can still fight." Dan spat, attempting to get back on his feet. Robert's gaze intensified, he didn't move an inch.
"For your information, I was born well within wedlock, thank you very much." Robert corrected, crossing his arms once again. "I don't doubt you can still fight, but that's not what I asked. I'd much prefer not to fuck you up more than I already have."
"Drake-San is right, Moroboshi-Kun."
Robert's eyes moved to meet the form of Souna Shitori, accompanied by vice president Tsubaki Shinra. The duo had apparently approached while Dan and himself were having their slugfest. Robert cursed internally, it was only a week into the school year and he was already in hot water.
"You needn't worry, Robert-San, we saw the whole thing." Tsubaki seemed to have picked up on his distress with almost psychic precision. "You had every right to defend yourself. This isn't the first time Moroboshi-Kun has lashed out at new students."
Robert visibly relaxed, his shoulders sagged in relief.
"As for you." Souna directed her attention at dan who was white as a ghost. Robert resisted the urge to chuckle at the pickle he'd gotten into. "I'll see you in the council room after you get patched up. Other than that, you're free to go Drake-San."
"Welp, whoever did the crime, does the time." Robert quipped jokingly, attempting to lighten the mood a little. He presented his hand to to Dan in a gesture to help him to his feet. "Listen, you're a great fighter, but you really need to get that ego checked.
Dan looked like he was about to bat his hand away, but paused before accepting his kind gesture, although reluctantly. Once on his feet he turned to head towards the nurses office, not before looking back at Robert one last time.
"This isn't over, Drake."
"Pretty sure it is, unless you want a matching pair of black eyes?"
"Tch, Fuck you."
"Fuck you too and I'll see you tomorrow."
Both went their separate ways, a mutual respect for each other seemed to briefly spark. Robert collected his coat and book bag, looking around briefly to make sure nobody was watching. The small crowd of people that gathered to watch him and Dan throw hands had disbanded, leaving him the only person still there. Content with his situation Robert promptly left through the front gates, towards his car.
He stopped short, taking the time to look at the scenery and take a breath of fresh air. The sun was still relatively high in the sky but had begun its descent towards the western horizon. The parking lot was mostly barren aside from a few cars, including his own. All was right, the noise of distant cars, songbirds, and the ever present hiss of the cicadas.
"Excuse me." Robert was snapped back to reality by a feminine voice that originated to his left. Momentarily annoyed at having to partake in human interaction once again, Robert swallowed his frustration and turned toward the voice.
Said voice belonged to a young woman probably the late teens- early twenties area. She had long navy blue hair that partially obscured her right eye. Said eyes were a piercing yellow, almost golden in color. The girl had quite the curvy figure, being well proportioned in all the right places. She wore a school uniform that was rather different than his as it was a more of a dark maroon color and featured a large "P" emblazoned on the chest in gold. The whole outfit looked a little small on her, perhaps it shrank in the wash.
"What?" Robert promptly responded in perhaps the least charming way possible. His social battery had long been drained and was essentially running on fumes and prayers.
"You wouldn't happen to know anyone by the name of Robert Drake, would you?" Robert's eyebrow migrated a few centimeters up his forehead.
"Of course I know him, He's me." He stated in a matter of fact tone, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Ah, yes, I'm Carla Wagner." Robert motioned her to go on, the impatience visible on his face. "Are you seeing anyone at the moment?"
"I'm not blind, I can see you."
"No, I meant are you single?"
"Oh, no I'm not."
"Will you go out with me?"
Robert once again raised his eyebrow, any man with common sense would have done the same. It's not every day that some chick you don't know, or have ever seen, walks up to you and asks you out. Alarm bells were ringing within Robert's head and it showed. Carla seemed to notice his concern.
"Listen, I know this sounds sketchy but I'm just trying to shoot my shot."
"Yeah, no shit. Judging by your negative rizz, I'm guessing you didn't practice any pick up lines before coming my way." Blatant stalking aside, Carla's game was down right atrocious. "Plus, I'm not all that interested in dating, high school relationships have a bad habit of falling apart around a week in, sometimes a month if they're lucky."
Carla's face became crestfallen, similar to child's after being told Santa wasn't real. However Robert wasn't finished.
"BUT. Since you put in all that effort into asking me, I think you deserve a trial run."
"Really?" The blue-haired girl perked up.
"Of course, who am I to deny a cutie like you." Robert activated his rizz, wiggling his eyebrows to seal the deal. Carla lit up like a Christmas tree. "I've got nothing else to do this week, does Friday night sound good to you?"
"That's perfect! I'll see you then." Carla exclaimed, all giddy and the like. Robert gave her one of his signature fake smiles. In truth he had postponed one of his fishing trips to go on a trial date with some girl he had only just met.
The things he did to make others happy at his expense.
The two blue haired individuals exchanged contact information, before parting their respective ways. Robert climbed into his muscle car and sat idly as he watched his future date disappear around a corner.
"You felt that too, right?"
{Clear as day.} Bahamut responded, clearly on the same page.
"First demons, now fallen angels, this town is a fucking zoo." Fallen angels were a mixed bag when it came to supernatural races. They were similar to humans in many regards, both had their flaws and strengths. To Robert it made them more personable than any of the other Abrahamic creatures. Still, a great many of them were power hungry sociopaths that saw themselves as the superior race. The few that didn't have any screws lose were actually decent people, despite their vices.
Angels as beings were designed to be as close to perfect as conceptually possible, meaning everything they did was fine tuned to be efficient and without flaw.
Sin was considered a flaw.
Unlike humanity, Sinning was a strictly conscious choice for angels. They lacked the ability to make mistakes like other races. Those who chose a different path were disconnected from the holy mainframe and promptly booted from heaven.
At least that was Robert's theory, he never brought up the subject when he conversed with them. Mostly due to him wanting to mind his own business and not wanting to out himself as a nosy little reptile. Inversely he'd never met a pure angel in the flesh before, therefore his hypothesis couldn't be proven. However, to this day, his mother still says she saw a seraph while walking the streets of Rome.
According to his mother, she was as naive as she was beautiful.
Perhaps they weren't as perfect as the Bible made them out to be.
Robert let out an amused snort at the thought of a seraph wandering around Italy, not knowing how to use an ATM or a smartphone. He rounded the corner, leaving the school parking lot, and sped off into the afternoon, the bellow of the v8 announcing his departure.
However, he was oblivious to the head of black hair that saw the entire exchange. One Akeno Himejima trotted out from behind the school's perimeter wall, having eavesdropped on the entire conversation. The buxom beauty had a look of Contempt on her face that was equally marred by concern.
"President needs to know about this as soon as possible." She thought to herself mysteriously. Not only was this a matter of diplomatic concern, but the target of her affection was in the crosshairs of a group she wasn't all to fond of. A flash of memories she'd rather forget reared their ugly head as she heard the distant rumble of the American muscle car. She shook herself out of that dark place before making a beeline in a certain direction, towards the abandoned school building.
Where the Occult Research Club resided.
And roll credits.
Procrastination and Writers block are one hell of a drug. Not to mention a little burnout thrown in there for added taste. Life is tough, but what matters is that we get back up when we're knocked down and we keep fighting. It will be worth it in the end. Life advice aside, the chapter is finished, the show goes on.
Sona's becoming a little suspicious of our boy, a chess genius like her is not likely to be caught off guard. Regardless Robert threw her a wicked googly but ultimately threw the match. Considering Sona's marital contract is tied to her winning streak, Robert may have dodged a metaphorical bullet.
Hydoudou and the Perverted Trio have been finally introduced. Our resident dragon emperor will be one of the many supporting characters in this story, he also won't be completely outshined by the big man, Robert. However, Robert is the main protagonist of this story.
Issei will get some bitches, I can promise you that.
I've also had another original character introduced in the form of Dan Moroboshi. His name is a reference to something only true men of culture will understand.
Cough Ultraseven Cough.
I've got a small army of OCs waiting to be introduced, along with references to Kaiju media. But that's all I'm willing to share for now.
Then there's Carla Wagner, or that's what she wants you to believe. What is she trying to accomplish, what are her motives, and why is targeting the big guy? Akeno seems to get what's going on, or is it her past blocking her judgment.
All of this will be revealed next time on dragon ball z.
Jokes aside, I'm very happy with all the support this story is getting, what started as shitpost dreamt up by a gaggle fuck of goofy goobers, now has a cult following. I can't thank all of you enough.
For today's music reference, the name of chapter is a reference to the AC/DC song "Beating around the bush" of the hit album Highway to Hell released in 1979.
Read and review, that's all I ask of you.
Peace out.