WHEN HELL HAS NO MORE ROOM, I SHALL WALK THE! *Sees a near month has passed* Hell. What the Hell.
Got DAMN, I'm sorry for the lack of anything in the last while. My computer, the wonder that it was, decided it wouldn't type more than a character for every three to five I clicked. What a joy, but that's barely an excuse. thus, I strike while the iron is hot! And hope you all can forgive me.
I still own none of the properties I write about here. I don't claim to, nor have I ever. What I do own is the time I use to write however, and any bits thrown towards me help me write for longer, as well as eat while doing so. Available here, which is a link to my P A Treon. If you're looking for something not once a month though here, is a link to a pool, for those of you looking to commission or just incentive me.
Now let's roll.
Chapter 20: Second Fallout
OR
We Blew Em' Away, Figuratively and All Too Literally
With the immediate dispatch of Guild employee's to the site of the Cabbage Massacre, it took only two days for a verdict to be reached.
First, with some general rulings, the literal use of every possible piece of spirit in the vicinity of the blast zone appeared to the rendered the Cabbage itself to only issue the same amount of EXP a normal Cabbage would have for anyone else, which was to say 1 to 3 points for each head, a matter that was verified thanks to those few Adventurers jotting down their current numbers for the purpose of bets. A stupid and petty reason, but a useful one for comparative study. The only exception was one Barbarian who literally ate the Cabbage he caught before the Detonation happened.
Secondly, the same situation that drained the Spirits from the land didn't stop at just the new additions. Without outside help, the landscape outside of Axel would remain a bleak, barren wasteland, unable to grow or support even the smallest of life with its soil. Thus, it was flagged as a new emergency quest for Druid's and Shaman's across the country, in the hopes to repair the damage before it began to effect ecosystems close to the fallout zone.
And lastly? Izuku and his Ultimate Academy were to be awarded a full 30 million Eris for the complete eradication of the Cabbages, with another 90 being given to the local Guild Hall, where Luna refused to be budged from her place atop of the massive sack. And while it seemed like a massive amount of money to throw at a relatively unknown Adventurer, to say nothing of the school he had opened, with zero resources to help pay it back from the result, well... their first public interaction with the Guild Association was cleaning up the literal blast zone from one of said students. Some wanted to see what they could do with actual resources and connections at their side, most others were just pissing themselves scared and wanted to get on their good side early.
The truth wasn't always pretty, was it?
Izuku shook his head as he read through what felt like the millionth letter of the day, this one explaining about what an absolute honor it would be if his school changed locations to their town and the 'incentives' they would part with for doing so. It went in the Flattery/Bribe pile, beside the also growing Threats pile, Begging Mercy pile, and the shockingly low Enrollment Pile.
Izuku rubbed his eyes for a moment, feeling his headache grow even more when he spotted Sheer drop another two bags of mail into the corner of his office, adding to the 7 already there and leaving with a nod. Of all the reactions he could have expected, he would have thought Angry Adventurer's would have topped the list. But no, it was the sheer amount of attention they all suddenly had on them.
The Adventurer's already there skipped straight past fear and went right to awe, basking in the presence of his students when they went out and constantly toting those homegrown as 'The Pride of Axel', which was fine in itself, but it crossed the lines into annoyance when you went out to get food from the local market only to be lifted on someone's shoulders and carried away to the bar. The only ones who didn't seem to mind were Megumin and Chris. The former because of her already massive self-perception, while the latter Izuku could only presume came from some kind of Thief Skill to avoid notice.
Did Izuku also mention the attention already? Because it also had to be stated again. The money itself was incredibly useful, and nearly sent his mind spiraling again when he recovered from his...entrapment, by Luna, but it was the double edged sword in the worst of ways. With it, he was able to get actual beds and accessories like cabinets and mirrors for the rooms his students were using, along with future ones as well, but every purchase sent whispers amongst the populace, as if every item would be used for training or some secret technique.
What could mirrors possibly do to strengthen his current students! None of them could currently manipulate light! And NO, you do not haul beds around if you want to sleep in one! It was less the rumors themselves that were irritating but the sheer idiocy of some of the thought methods, as well as a general sense of worry of someone actually trying it themselves based off of a rumor.
Still, the list of basic amenities was at least accounted for with money to spare, leaving Izuku to wonder something.
What now?
The sheer amount of capital he had at the moment put him just a bit below the Noble Family ruling near Axel, but Izuku didn't really need armor or weapons given his propensity to bare handed or bone-based combat as of recently. The same went for his students, who, while running with their own expenses, still stayed solidly in the green with how Izuku was keeping them housed, fed, and combat-ready.
The only thing that really stuck out to him...was more teachers. But even then, the choice was hard.
Izuku had no formal training with Spears, Knives, Swords, weapons in general really, beyond what most video games showed and that the point was to put the pointed and/or edged bit into whatever you were fighting. But there was more to it than that, absolutely. And Izuku would be damned if he let his students down in such a basic area.
The problem, however, stemmed from his area. Axel, while holding one of the largest collections of Adventurer's the world over of near every Class and Rank, was still proudly the 'Town of Beginnings'. Or, as he'd read in one particularly pointed and taunt-filled letter, 'Mediocrity-Burg'. In a way, they were even right.
Axel was a town where three times as many Adventurer's as some other towns, for one specific reason. People, actually retired in Axel. They started families, taught their kids what they knew, and kept up the family business. They wanted what their own parents had, so they never really dreamed big, or tried their hardest to go out and make a name for themselves. It was a massive change from the average treatment of an Adventurer's live fast, hard, and usually dying young lifestyle, but it was absolutely a better outcome. All it cost...was their dreams for the future. Unless you were related to someone who knew how to use a weapon, or cast the right kind of magic, it was a pretty chance you'd learn anything outside of store-bought Magic books and the noted exception of the Thieves Guild, but they apparently didn't count because they moved town to town.
It made finding a teacher who didn't try to charge through the nose or simply shut the door when asked, but it wasn't an immediate issue, so Izuku would just grin and deal with it for the moment.
"My my, mayhaps I, could be of assistance?" A voice whispered in Izuku's ear, making him whirl around in an instant. As he saw the mask and the grin holding far too perfect teeth, Izuku followed his instincts.
"LIMIT BREAK!" Izuku shouted as his fist, filled to the literal breaking point with Mana barreled into the figures face, cracking the mask in half before the energy within the fist finally exploded, sending him rocking back and through the reinforced wall behind him, skipping across the ground like a rock on a lake even as Izuku rushed out after him, ignoring his broken hand with long-ease even as he forced bone back into place with new calcium to fill gaps from his Mana Pool.
Finally, after running to the final point of impact, and ignoring the panicked cries from his students behind him now seeing the sudden trail of violence, Izuku, Deku, focused on the man he had just punched. And for a man who just took a punch that ended robots and literal Muscle-men, he was looking remarkably intact. Deku tensed as he got closer, as the figure pushed himself into a crouching position, and, of all things, began to giggle.
"Hehehe! Oh, holy SHIT kid! Of everything, I was NOT expecting a show like that! You weren't even hesitating there, a little bit more, and Vanir might have been Va-Neverywhere! I would have literally exploded! Pfffttaaaahahahaha!" The figure, Vanir apparently, continued to laugh, one hand holding his stomach while the other covered his mouth, where laughter continued to escape.
Deku felt his eye twitch, and immediately killed the guilt he might have been feeling for hitting an innocent. The figure, in full suit and a half mask with no eye-holes, set up the figure as immediately suspicious. Plus, for that single moment his fist had connected...it hadn't been as painful as it should have been. Deku knew what breaking a bone felt like, and that was honestly closer to a dislocation or crack, which was part of the reason he had been able to deal with it so quickly, ignoring the rapid bruising.
"Who are you, why are you in my school, and why should I not be dragging you back to Axel?" Deku coldly asked, as he stood ready for any sudden action. He also took note of his students running towards them from the background, but didn't pay them much more attention while he had to focus.
Vanir finally got out of his little crater, standing with an air of nonchalance as he dusted off his suit and fixed his mask with a thumb streaking back his I bearing forehead to fix his ruffled hair somehow.
"Well I was mostly here for some fun and profit, as well as a deal I was a bit hesitant about before, but BOY did you beat that out of me. I, my good Lich, am Vanir! A humble merchant as of current days, I was looking to see what I might offer a school so successful as your own, and I'd avoid dragging me back for at least a few more minutes unless you'd like some VERY awkward questions to answer. And to answer something you haven't asked, cause I'm generous like that, I'm here to see if you have any interest in being a Demon General!" Vanir finished proudly.
Izuku, and his students within earshot of the crater, instantly froze.
""WHAT""
END OF CHAPTER
Never let it be said I play around. Or maybe you can, depends on how you see this.
