Earth 2018.71004
Once, in the kingdom of Musutafu, there was a knight who fell in love with a peasant woman.
Musutafu was a small kingdom, but one rich with resources and home of legendary heroes. Mages, knights, roguish thieves, and demigods were born in the lands.
Sir Hizashi of House Midoriya was not a knight of noteworthy deeds. He was merely a guard in the outermost walls of the kingdom, and only met the woman Inko while on leave. Their time was short, but one filled with love and passion.
In time, their love bore a son named Izuku. But due to the objections of his family, Hizashi would be unable to marry with the woman he loved with all his heart and so his son would only be recognized as a bastard.
It mattered not to Izuku, who would grow and listen to the bards that spoke of chivalrous knights such as King Yagi and his advisor, the wizard Shimura. How he ruled the vast land of Yamatai and defended it from the dark mages of Melnibone, explored the lands of Mid-Earth, and forged an alliance with the distant western kingdom of Delain. He marveled at their adventure and of the mystic power of the sword One For All while weeping at the tale of how he died to drive back the dark lord Seimei who wielded the evil sister sword All For One.
For years, young Izuku dreamed of becoming a hero. However, he spent years toiling away as the squire of Sir Skyline.
One day, his dreams became a reality and not in the way anyone would have foreseen...
The Eyes of The Spider
"And there I was, facing off against Lord Norman when he drank the potion gifted to him by Kulan Gath!"
Izuku stared in amazement, transfixed by the story that the man sitting on the empty apple carton. It was a fairly older man, his armor ill-fitting and rusty. The breastplate was colored by long-faded hues of red and blue, by his feet was a helmet that looked vaguely like a washing basin. His face was unshaven, a beard beginning to grow while his hair was messy and uncombed.
This was Sir Peter Parquagh, honored knight of the distant lands of Aquilonia. Sworn defender of King Conan, vanquisher of villains and monsters from distant lands, and gifted with the powers of the Spider Goddess Uttu.
Or, as many of Izuku's village stated loudly in Sir Parquagh's presence, so he claimed.
Izuku was on his knees in the grass, leaning in to take more of his story. Several young children were with him listening to Sir Parquagh's stories such as the young Kota Izumi who was a child of knights and Eri who's company had stopped into the village to resupply. Their guardians were watching from a distance, eying Sir Parquagh with barely-conceited disdain.
"He grew into a giant, giant bat-like wings sprouting from his back while green scaled grew from his skin. The man had become a monster, a goblin or troll of sorts, with fire spewing from his mouth and hands." Sir Parquagh hefted up the rusty-looking lance which still shined dully in the morning sun. "The thing that was once a man cursed and snarled, the fires of hell spewing from him in an attempt to roast me in my armor. It was a long battle, but I had managed to weave and dodge past Lord Norman's attacks and thrust my spear in his breast! The deed was done, his son and the citizens of York finally freed from his tyranny. For my bravery, King Conan gifted me my knighthood and the fair Lady Virginia Dare offered me her hand!"
He bowed a tad over dramatically. "I thank this gracious audience once again for taking the time to listen to my tale! Please show your appreciation in any way you can, for tales of my exploits come from the lands beyond these seas and are rare ones!"
Izuku reached into his pocket and tossed two gold coins into the helmet while both Kota and Eri looked to their guardians pleadingly. Grudgingly, they walked over and threw several copper pieces into the helmet before taking their charges and leaving.
Once they were out of earshot, Sir Parquagh took up the basin and clicked his tongue. "Only barely enough for food and shelter for the night."
"It was an amazing story, though!" Izuku shouted to the knight. "The descriptions of your journey to Lord Norman's castle, scaling the wall of the tower to rescue the Lady Guinevere… all of it was amazing!"
"Really? I've never been much of a storyteller. Surely you have listened enough to guess that." Sir Parquagh let out a heavy sigh. "At this rate, I'm barely going to have enough funds for my journey to the Dark Kingdom."
Izuku shivered as fear washed over him. The Dark Kingdom, once home to the dark lord Seimei. He ruled over the land and races with an iron fist, forcing the usually peaceful Orc and dark elf races to kill and die for his dream of conquest. His death should have been the end of the pain and suffering but some new dark lord took his place. Subjugated clans and won the favor of Seimei's former supporters.
An evil wizard lord whose name was spoken in whispers.
Lord Beck.
"I-It's only because our village is small." Izuku assured the man. "If you were to bring your tales to others, I'm sure they will fund your journey!"
Sir Parquagh scoffed. "Please. I hear the opinions of the folk around here. They claim that I'm merely a madman who spent enough time reading books about fairies and monsters until my brain managed to dry up." He shrugged as he put the now-empty helmet on his head. "Although, I suppose my appearance does not help. But surely they must know armor repairs and replacement are expensive and all my funds went down with the Fantastick!"
Izuku nodded. He remembered Sir Parquagh purpose for journeying to these lands. He had been sent by King Conan to investigate rumors of a powerful dark mage accruing power. He had traveled far in a boat full of supplies and official documents, however a mighty storm that he claims was controlled by a man with silver hair sunk the boat. Sir Parquagh managed to swim to shore, but all proof of his identity had been lost and his journey to the nearest village lead to his armor rusting.
As such, his tales and explanations were only met with mockery and scorn. For none of their people had ever heard of the lands of Aquilonia where the leatherwings were plentiful, gods walked amongst men, and beings from beyond the heavens descended down to the earth to converse with humans.
"Do not lose hope, Sir Parquagh!" Izuku shouted, steeling himself into determination. "I believe you! And if I can be touched by your tales then surely the brave knights of my land will as well!"
Sir Parquagh chuckled and reached out to ruffle his head. "I'm glad for your confidence, Young Izuku. Now run along before your friends and mother worry even more about your association with me."
With that, Sir Parquagh left Izuku heading towards one of the local taverns of Musutafu. The New Hope provided room and board cheaply to any visitors but apparently the meals provided to the guests were stale bread and a jam who's ingredients none could guess.
Izuku sighed and took out two copper pieces he had left on his person. It was enough to provide him a mug of beer while he waited for his friends.
"You are both so lucky…" Izuku muttered as he stared at his half-empty mug. "You two are able to go on such an important adventure while I'm stuck here! Life can be so cruel…"
Sitting across the table were his two childhood friends, Tenya of the Iida clan and the arch-witch Ochako Uraraka. Tenya rarely took off his shining armor, gifted to him by his family of knights, even when he was in as dirty of a tavern as the Jolly Radish. Ochako's patchwork witch robe and hat were more homely and suited for the place, as it didn't make her a target for any pickpockets that should come her way.
Tenya was a frequent target of bandits but he was able to defeat them with ease due to both his training and his Witchbreed powers that granted him amazing speed.
"You shouldn't be that jealous of us, Izuku." Ochako said as she picked up her chicken leg. "We must pass through the Dragon Lands and then enter the realm of the Dark Kingdom!" She bit into her meal and tore the meat off.
"Indeed. Our journey will be fraught with peril." Tenya began to scrape the beer sludge from his mug with a spoon. "For example, we have been tasked by the Adventurer's Guild to recruit the Dragon Prince Katsuki. His fiery temper has already singed many diplomats and I hear stories of his bloodlust."
"I don't know… perhaps he simply needs someone willing to talk to him. From what I hear most adventurers simply pick fights with the dragons which makes the Dragon Prince come to do battle with them." Izuku downed another mouthful of radish-tasting beer. Setting it down, he sighed. "Maybe… maybe if I could go…"
Tenya and Ochako glanced at each other. "It… would be unwise." Tenya said slowly. "After all…"
"Yes, yes I know. I was born without being a Witchbreed." He knew that most people born these days were given abilities far surpassing the men of old. They turned the name "Witchbreed", once a name of scorn, into something noble. Knights used their abilities to help others while adventurers like Tenya and Ochako journeyed into dungeons with goblin guides and fought monsters to obtain treasure. "But I am training in the old ways! Soon I shall be capable enough to become a part of the Adventurer's Guild!"
Ochako smiled. "Yes, I've seen you go in the fields, Izuku! You have made a lot of progress!"
"Thank you, but I still cannot hold my own against Tenya when he spars with me."
Tenya tapped his mug. "Hm… I hate to bring this up, but I'm still thirsty." He looked to Izuku and took out a pouch on coin. "Do you mind getting some more ale for all three of us? It's on me."
"Not a problem!" Izuku took the pouch and stumbled towards the counter, weaving through the crowd of drunken townsfolk and visiting adventurers.
Tenya turned to Ochako and glared at her. "Why must you give him false hope? You know he's weak in body."
"It's better than giving him no hope at all. You know how much he dreams of becoming a knight." Ochako looked glumly at the counter. "And I want him to join us. It's too cruel for him to stay here."
"What's cruel is you making him believe he can when you know there's no chance of the Adventurer's Guild accepting him."
Unknown to the two, despite all the noise in the tavern, Izuku heard every word as the barkeep filled three dirty mugs.
"'S not fair…" Izuku muttered to himself as he staggered down the village streets. "Why did fate curse me with such a lot in life?"
He had departed from his friends after a long conversation about their mission and why Sir Parquagh could not join them. They admitted that because the man hadn't joined the Adventurer's Guild, they were under no obligation to fund his expenses if he did try to join them and they were legally barred from seeking outside help. He wasn't angry with his friends, for they merely wished for him to be happy and were uncomfortable with speaking about the reality of his situation.
"But I want to be a knight. To be a hero. To defend the weak and defeat evil when I see it…" He hiccuped and wiped away a tear. "Why must I have been cursed with this weak body?"
He knew ever since he was a young man that he didn't have the body to be an adventurer or a knight. His magic skills were nonexistent, he bruised easily, and other children easily overpowered him. It wasn't from either his mother or father's side of the family, for both were Witchbreed and had families of strong constitution.
He merely was unlucky.
Sickness rose from his stomach and Izuku cupped his hands. He rushed to a space between the New Hope and the local post office and began to heave out the bar nuts he had consumed.
Damn it. He was drunk. What will his mother say when he returned home!?
"I shouldn't have let Iida pay for all my drinks…" Izuku wiped away sick from his mouth. "I shouldn't have felt sorry for myself, angry and sad over not being able to become… become…"
Tears began to form from the corners of his eyes.
"Damn it… I would do anything to become a hero!"
"Is that so?"
Izuku looked around him, trying to pinpoint the otherworldly voice he had heard. "Who's there!?"
"Down here."
His mind registered that there was something on his right hand. Slowly, he looked down to see a spider unlike any he had seen before. Black in body with eyes that glowed in a light unlike any he had seen on earth. It seemed to let off a wave of energy that glittered, adding to its unearthly nature.
"Would you give anything to become a hero, human?"
Izuku didn't know if it was his desire or the drink, but the answer spilled forth from his lips. "Y-yes! Anything!"
The spider chuckled.
"Very well, for the contract is now sealed!"
It bit into his hand. He screamed as searing pain not unlike dipping his hand into molten steel registered in his brain. He swung his hand, dislodging the spider.
"H-Hey! How dare you treat a goddess like this!?"
He fell onto the ground, clutching his hand which throbbed. "W-What is this!?" He remarked as he saw that in the same place the spider had bit him was a tattoo of a black spider.
It still hurt and it glowed a faint sickly red before it disappeared completely.
"So impatient! We will have to work on that."
Izuku felt a rush of cold air and looked up. Standing before him was a naked girl about his age, her skin brown and her short hair blond. Her red eyes glowed as she stared down at him, her hands on her hips as if she had no shame for her state.
He quickly covered his face. "W-Wha-WHAT!?" He shook his head, shutting his eyes as he continued to babble. "W-Who are you!? N-Never mind that, please cover yourself for your own honor and for mine!"
Izuku couldn't see it, but he could tell that the girl was smirking.
"Do not close your eyes, mortal! For you have the privilege of gazing at a goddess' form!"
Izuku felt cold. A goddess!? He heard stories about the gods visiting the human realm, sometimes to become caretakers to humans. Other times it was just to lay with humans and birth demigods. Either way, it was usually a bad idea to disobey them.
His cheeks burning, Izuku stared at the girl who had a pleased smirk on her face as she stood haughtily above him.
The effect would have been greater, but…
"I-I'm sorry goddess, but you're standing in my… um…"
She glanced down and her cheeks burned in embarrassment. "N-Nevermind that!" She pointed at Izuku. "You, mortal, have been chosen above all your number to become my champion! Using the powers I, the great Uttu, you shall defeat the dark lord plaguing this land! This is your fate!"
"I-I have… you gave me…!?" Izuku could not believe it. Was this simply a drunken hallucination!? Had he really just been blessed by a goddess!? "I-I can become a hero?"
"Indeed! Now, prostrate before me for my generosity and…!"
"Izuku?"
Both of them turned to see Sir Parquagh at the alleyway's opening, looking at them with confusion.
"Young man, while I am in awe of your skills in bedding women at such a young age this is not the place for such…" He seemed to recognize Uttu and groaned. "Oh no, no, NO!" He pointed at her, his expression one of annoyance and anger. "What are you doing here, you good for nothing goddess!?"
"Who are you calling good for nothing, mortal!?" She coughed and said, "Nevermind that. As another example of my generosity…" She pointed at Sir Parquagh. "My former champion shall help mentor you during your quest!"
Sir Parquagh groaned. "Don't tell me…" He looked at Izuku and glanced down at his hand. "Damn it. Tell me you at least got the time right for your champion. You did, after all, give me these powers by complete accident."
Uttu blushed even harder. "I told you before, it is above the gods to register something as inconsequential as time!"
"You were just too lazy to notice that you made a champion years before the danger arrived! I bet the gods held that little mess over your head since then!"
"Shut up!"
Izuku gaped in awe at this display. Sir Parquagh was treating a goddess, an actual goddess, more like an annoyance than someone worthy of his thanks and worship! "This is…"
This was almost laughably ridiculous.
But what was important was that Sir Parquagh wasn't denying the goddess' claims!
"Um… goddess?" Uttu turned her attention back towards him. "Does this mean that… I really have Sir Parquagh's powers!"
"Indeed! You have the blessings of the spider goddess! Immense strength, swiftness and agility, able to climb walls no matter their smoothness, and the ability to weave intricate and beautiful webs!" She huffed with pride. "And I… I shall watch your progress, my hero! For I will not leave your side until the darkness has been vanquished!"
"The gods told you not to come back until the evil is beaten, didn't they." Sir Parquagh stated tiredly.
Uttu's silence was enough of an explanation.
Tears streamed down his cheeks. Izuku hiccuped and sobbed as it all came crashing down on him.
Finally, after all those years dreaming yet knowing it was an impossibility… he had been gifted the ability to become a hero.
Like King Yagi.
He didn't know what challenges waited for him in the future. He knew that the darkness was great and evil lurked in the shadows waiting to strike.
It would not be easy.
But… Izuku would meet it all with a smile on his face.
As a hero should.
"The goddess has chosen her new champion."
The dark wizard Kulan Gath sneered at the pool of blood that showed the scene of the goddess Uttu and her two champions in its reflection. The virgin dark elf maiden they had sacrificed laid cooling on the sacrificial slab, her face twisted in pain and hate as she stared up with the ceremonial blade in her throat.
"We knew that this would happen. There is no need to panic." Kulan looked behind him to see the lesser mage, a man who was a glorified illusionist yet passed himself off to be on Kulan's level.
Quentin Beck, or Lord Beck as he made their servants call him, strolled up towards the body. His flaming head crackled in the mostly silent room, only to be interrupted by the savage tug that pulled the blade from the creature's throat.
"After all, it will take them many nights to even reach the border of our lands." Beck admired the blade in the light of his head's flames. "Plenty of time for our pets to kill them. And if they do break past the border I'm sure you can handle them."
"Bite your tongue, parlor mage." Kulan growled, "Do not forget who it is here that holds true power!"
"And both of you need to silence your squabbling." Spoke a regal voice, haughty and arrogant. "The matter of mortals entering these lands are inconsequential. Especially with my blessing powering you both."
Kulan hated Loki, the foreign god that had decide to ally himself to their cabal. The Asgardian was infuriating, arrogant and clever in the worst of ways. But Kulan needed to bide his time. He was weak after his last battle with that barbarian, Conan. The worm had managed to injure him in the midst of his greatest spell, weakening Kulan to the point that he needed to rely on the likes of Beck to escape.
They had come to this foreign land to attain power away from prying eyes. And now… now they found themselves indebted to the likes of Loki and…!
"And I appreciate your faith is us, Lord Loki."
In his chair, the dark lord Seimei stirred. His face heavily scarred and his chest caved him. Around him were empty bottles of herbs and drugs, all provided to him by Loki and Kulan to heal his broken body.
He smiled, his lips heavily scarred and teeth missing.
"It is thanks to your efforts and Beck's impeccable acting that no one knows of my survival. It is thanks to you, lord, and my allies that I am able to regain what that damn Yagi took from me." He chuckled to himself and then started a coughing fit. It passed after a few seconds and with a few gasps he continued. "Soon… soon I shall control this land. And then I shall give both you, Kulan Gath, and Beck what you desire."
"...So long as I get to skin the barbarian king alive." Kulan would have made this man subservient through the use of his potions. Addiction and controlling the supply were powerful motivators. But the worm was powerful, his Witchbreed powers numerous. The worm didn't say it, but he had a power that would alert him of ill intent.
The man knew that Kulan despised him, and all these pleasantries were a message to him that there was nothing he could do about it.
"But just you wait, oh-so great 'Dark Lord'." Kulan turned his face to hide his sneer of contempt. "Once this joke of a goddess and her champions are dead… it shall be Kulan Gath that will be in control!'
In these shadows, the forces of evil continued to plot and scheme.
Awaiting the heroes of a new age to come and meet their fate…
To Be Continued...?
Notes: Just my little gift to reppuzan , a love-letter to fantasy, and a plot bunny based on the third ending of the anime!
I kinda just wrote this up in three hours! All in all, I'm pretty impressed by how easily this came out. Perhaps because I had no great ambitions for it.
And yes, the part of Uttu was indeed played by Aqua the useless goddess.
Also quick shout-out to FoxOnPie for alt!OfA's name from his side-story A World of Smiles!
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed it!