Ideasguy hit his mark solidly, so I must follow up. At this point, it feels almost like competing threads, which is something I love immensely, and now I must fire back! Nothing like competition. Also, hot damn man, you've written 10 K worth of side content! I feel so lucky!
Ialso own none of the properties I write about here. I don't claim to, nor do I ever. What I do own is the time I use to write, and any bits thrown towards me help me write for longer, as well as eat while doing so. Available here, is a link to my P A Treon. And if you're looking for something not once a month try here, which is a link to a pool, for those of you looking to commission or just some incentive for me. If these links aren't available, check my profiles! Any of em! Chapter 25: First 'Season' OR Tis the Season...OF DOOM!
Izuku looked upward at the massive sign his schooltrain had been stopped in front of, absentmindedly petting the flaming conductor as it panted and huffed.
'WELCOME TO LATIS!' the sign cheerily proclaimed, sporting crude pictures of the sun and a snowflake at each corner.
While the sign wasn't much to really take note of, being even a nice break from the otherwise regular entrance to a forest, it was rather the sheer damage to the surrounding areas around said sign that got their attention. With the view to the right leaving nothing but burnt out husks of trees, the left contrasted greatly with its iced over canopy, looking more like finely-crafted sculptures compared to the few still living examples just beyond them.
Upon the touch of one, Izuku let a hiss of breath escape him as he wretched his hand away from the iced surface. So cold it burnt...
"This...this isn't normal for the area, is it." Izuku cautiously asked his students, holding his hand and carefully moving his fingers as the numbness faded, still taking note at how quickly the feeling had set in from a bare touch.
Megumin and Chris were the first to answer, though each with varying levels of excitement."
"Yes/No." They both said, prompting them to look at one another. After a moment, Chris gave a small nod and let Megumin explain herself.
"Ahem! Such examples of elemental destruction, while damaging to property values, are generally about what you would expect around areas holding Magic institutes. Trees make for wonderful target practice after all, rarely ever scream for help, and you can usually blackmail or bribe other students fix anything you might have also broken along the way. Though it IS odd to see such distinct damage around the entrance to a town, that generally tips off merchant vans to stay away and can drive down property rates..." Megumin explained before trailing off as the thought registered with her.
With a hum of recognition, Izuku turned to Chris for her explanation.
Chris coughed for a moment as she blushed at the attention, but carried on.
"Right, well. Megumin is correct about Mage academy's having such displays of 'elemental destruction', as she said it, I can say for a fact that this area doesn't HAVE a Magic institute around or even near it. They all tend to funnel into Crimson Demon territory, whether due to the higher educational pursuits, or the subsequent mobs chasing them there due to the devastated landscapes that low-experienced Mages tend to leave behind." Chris pointed out a bit stiffly, even as Izuku blinked slightly in confusion, before understanding.
Right, no-one really wanted their places destroyed, so they were driven to places that could fix the damages, by choice or not.
Huh. Who knows how long Megumin actually would have been allowed in Axel, if he hadn't moved the school?
In any case, it cemented that this was a warning sign, at least for the moment. Anything else required seeing more.
"We'll go to the town, we need supplies and to see what the situation is anyway. But be aware of anything you think is out of the ordinary or suspicious. In fact, consider this an assignment. Write down everything you see when we're there. Understood?" Izuku decided after a moment of thought, before nodding decisively.
It was against the nature of a Hero to ignore someone in need, doubly so for a possible populous. If it was nothing, then it could be blown off as an important lesson into observing new surroundings, but if it was something serious...
Well, then there were already Hero's here.
""Yes, Izuku-Sensei!"" His students chorused, each with varying levels of enthusiasm.
"Good. Now get ready to head to town while I park the school. And Sheer, stop trying the chop the frozen trees. You'll either chip your axe from the temperature difference or have it shatter on top of you."
"Awwww."
And so they went.
-2 Hours Later-
With the school safely 'parked' around about 25 feet from the forest entrance, Izuku and his students made way for the city of Latis. Mari-Sensei was invited as well, but declined under the premise of 'not wanting to deal with Magical shenanigans from anyone other than herself or her students.' Which, really, would be fair in most other professions as well.
Still, after about another half hour of walking through a forest path, the town of Latis was revealed. It was...different, from Axel.
The buildings themselves tended to be simple things, one story at the most and being almost oval shaped, leading into an almost circular central market that could be seen from every angle. Color wise however, is where things went odd.
Every building, without seeming rhyme or reason, was either a blinding orange or a near cyan blue color, which would have been nice in moderation, but certainly not the case here.
It took a moment to adjust to the garish sights, but it was possible, so on they went.
As they actually entered the market however...
"Ah! Look! New faces to our humble abode!"
"Ooh! You're right! Hey, want to buy our genuine Winter Goggles! It'll let you see through the thickest of snowstorms!"
"Phht! They don't need stinkin' Winter Goggles, they need my Summer Sarong! Why bother beating the heat when you can fire it at your enemies!"
"PLEASE! They don't need either of your shit products! These look like high-tier Adventurers here in our little podunk! What they need is some ice cold refreshment from their long journey! Behold! Never-Melt Fruitjuice! Buy one and you'll drink it forever!* *warning forever consists of 2 day time period, do not consume for more than two hours at a time*
"Get out of here with your flimflamery! A hot meal lets a fine Adventurer conquer the world! Try my Form Blazing Kabab! I guarantee you've never had a spicier flame go down your throat!" The last merchant roared, literally waving around a torch.
The endless parade of shouts and calls of purchase continued to come, even as they closed in, leaving the group no choice but to retreat, lest they be kitted out in useless-sounding items and stripped of their money.
It was only when they slipped between two orange houses further in that they were allowed a reprieve, narrowly escaping the Used Horse salesman who had been literally chasing them down for a product demonstration.
"Haah, haaaah, I've, ah, never seen such targeted marketing!" Andrew wheezed out as he plucked a small 'capture' arrow from his back, before getting smacked upside the head by Ivy for the terrible pun.
The woman in question herself was smelling like most types of flowers under the sun and quite a few normally buried in caves. It wasn't a good mix, and the sooner Ivy could take a dirt nap, the better. Until then, she had to make due to utterly ignoring everything wrong with the moment, even as she tugged Sheer along, who, while still stoic faced as usual, expressed his own shock through the clenching and re-clenching of his hands, along with just how shaky his pupils were.
Izuku, meanwhile, while not panting, was busy carrying Chris and Megumin, if both for different reasons.
Chris froze up upon being met with the gold hungry horde, and had to be carried away. Megumin though...
Izuku could FEEL the excitement and stars around her form when a merchant called out, swinging a 'Staff of Sunfire', able to increase Fire Damage by 27%. All for a few million Eris.
So, it was a bit self-explanatory why a tactical retreat was in order.
"Okay...so, something's definitely up here, right?" Ivy spoke out semi-casually, even as Andrew plucked the last 'arrow' out, and cautiously looked out the alley, ducking back quickly as a small rocket whizzed past where his head had been.
"Yes. But don't think too harshly of them, they need the money." A voice suddenly spoke out from the end of alley they were in, making the group freeze for a moment, before snapping to attention to face the voice, Izuku instantly setting the girls to their feet.
At the end of the alley, sitting casually against the wall, was a small child-sized figure in a cloak, eating what looked like some kind of fruit. Not an apple, from the purple color, but something close to it?
"After all, The Winter Shogun and The Summer Sultan both demand patronage."
END OF CHAPTER
ORIGINAL ARC BOYS, WE GETTIN REAL! Also posted Ideaguy's stuff for this story over on FAnfic now, so now everyone can share in the fun! And as always, he has some...influence.