All right folks, gather around, it's time we all had a talk. Make yourselves comfortable.
This chapter is going to start with Mina being naked. This is not the only time she will be naked in this fic. It is not the only time other people are going to see her naked. The reason I tell you this is because you and I need to reach a mutual understanding that this fic is not going to explore anything sexual. Y'all may be here to read it, and that's fine, but I'm not here to write it. The thing is, nudity is a state of being for nymphs. As Mina briefly mentioned last chapter, nymphs deal with weather better than humans. They don't have a default need for clothing like humans do due to them being, in part, nature spirits. Mina wears clothes because she's been around humans enough to understand that wearing clothes is part of how things work. This will also be true of most of the other nymphs that will be encountered over the course of the story, but sometimes, folks are gonna be naked. Don't make it weird.
Please. I'm begging you. Don't make it weird.
Mina watched the fish go by her as she swam along the bottom of the river. It'd been a long time since she'd actually stayed in a river longer than she needed to bathe, but today, she needed some extra time to think.
The subject of her thoughts, of course, was Izuku. While she understood that the circumstances were very different, he had shown that same fearless determination in his fake fight with Tenya as he did when he came to save her from the vampire. Regardless of the fact that he was getting hit over and over with no indication that he'd ever make any successful attack in return, he kept on going. And that was just the first fight! The two of them had gone on like that for almost an hour, and Izuku had been soundly beaten each time. He had gotten a few hits on Tenya, sure, but for every time he managed past the Godling's guard, he took at least ten strikes in return. Any normal person should have been discouraged by this, but he had left their last fight grinning like a fool because he had finally managed to hit his opponent without being struck in the process.
She came up for air, breathing in deep lungfuls, before diving back down. This time, instead of watching the fish, she examined the riverbed's plants. Well, not all of them were plants – several were algae that humans insisted were seaweed for some reason. Mina ran her hands along a frond, considering its color.
He was just so weird. She hadn't really started being around humans until she was in her teens, but she'd learned so much about them since she had. Humans could be kind or mean, selfish or generous, any collection of opposing character traits you wanted, but there were a few things she noticed that were almost always true. The first was that humans wanted to belong somewhere, which made sense. While nymphs tended to be more solitary, not stretching far beyond family units, humans were like dogs. They wanted to be together, so they congregated in their cities to make it safe for other humans to be near them so that they can find other humans that they like.
The second was that humans didn't like nature. Some of them went out into it for fun or for food, but they made their houses and their walls so that they could keep nature out. That didn't make as much sense to Mina, but she kind of got it. Humans weren't proofed against nature like nymphs were, so they wanted to stay where they could be warm and dry and away from animals that might kill them. It had a lot more to offer than that, but they also weren't born knowing about nature like she was, so it was hard to blame them for not understanding.
The last thing she knew about humans, and one that had never failed to be true of them before Izuku, was that humans were terrified of dying. Which, to be fair, she wasn't too keen on the idea either, but she had seen humans do absolutely crazy things when they thought they were going to die, or even just get hurt. Self-preservation was big for them, which made their dislike of nature make a bit more sense, but he didn't have that. He ran into danger despite not having any way of protecting himself from it! It didn't make any sense! And when given the opportunity to learn how to protect himself, he was so enthusiastic about doing it that he let himself get hurt over and over again! He didn't even act like it was a problem that he was getting hurt, he was happy about it!
A faint burning in her lungs reminded Mina that she needed to breathe. She surfaced and kept her head above water for a moment. She wasn't the kind of girl who spent a lot of time thinking about things. If she wanted to do something, she mostly just did it and figured the rest out as she went, and that had worked out for her pretty well over the course of her life. It was different for her to spend so much time thinking and not just living in the moment.
She ran her hands through her hair to push it back away from her eyes. The worst part about this, the part that made the least sense? Izuku wasn't even getting anything out of this. He wasn't on the track to Godhood himself, and he wasn't going to be set for life from Tenya, Ochako or herself showering him with rewards if he went and got himself killed. The only way any of his behavior made sense is if he truly believed what he had said about wanting to make the world a better place, whether or not he was there to see it, and that was just baffling to her. It was admirable, there was no question about that, but how could someone be so idealistic that they would put their own life up against the world?
She sank back below, just letting the water run around her rather than focusing on or doing anything specific. It made a certain kind of sense. Mina could see how someone could come to the conclusion that their life wasn't as important as the lives of everyone in the world for the next three thousand years or so. Still, to believe that so intensely that he was willing to act on it...
Well, that brought her right back to where she started. Izuku was different, and she didn't know why.
Bubbles rose to the surface as she let out a frustrated sigh. Mina didn't understand a lot of things, and that was fine, but one thing she desperately wanted was to understand humans. She'd always been curious about them, but she had thought she'd mostly figured them out by now. Then, Izuku had to come along and be so wildly different that she couldn't help but need to figure him out. There was nothing to be done for it but to keep watching him.
The sun was starting to rise in earnest. It had almost completely crested the horizon, and light shone in more than just pale rays into the river. The others would be up soon. She began swimming back to where she had entered the river, where her clothes were put up on a rock to keep them from getting wet.
When she rounded the final bend, Mina saw that someone else had gotten into the water. Surfacing to see who it was, she found Izuku scrubbing himself down with soap, his back facing her. What she could see of his body made her wince. His arms were covered with bruises of varying intensity, and she could see knots and welts on his back from almost twenty feet away. He didn't seem bothered, though. She could actually catch the faint humming of a cheerful tune, even over the sound of running water.
As she closed the distance between them, something else became evident. The discoloration from his injuries had prevented her from noticing that he had impossibly large muscles for a scribe – large enough that she had mistaken the shape for swelling in some places. Mina had felt that his arms were firm when she half-carried him back to Musutafu, but she had never expected that his tunic had hid such mass. Come to think of it, the clothes she had seen him in had always seemed a little baggy, but she never really questioned why – some humans just wore their clothes like that.
"Hey," she said from just a few feet behind him. "Do you want some help with those welts? I can make Nectar to bring the swelling down."
The green-haired man did a standing jump that nearly carried him out of the water, which was rather impressive considering that the water was halfway up his stomach where he was standing. More impressive was the shrill scream he let out. Mina had to consciously bite down to keep herself from screaming back. He was skittish, wasn't he?
"Sorry," she laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "I probably should have said something before I was right behind you, huh? And I just scared you like that the other night, too."
Mina hadn't known Izuku for long, but she was aware that he was a bit stuttery. Even so, it was odd that what was coming out of his mouth was not recognizable as any language she was aware of. He hadn't even turned around to look at her.
"So... Did you want me to rub some Nectar in for you?" She put a hand on a particularly nasty welt on his shoulder, making sure to be gentle. She didn't want to hurt him.
As soon as her fingers brushed against his skin, he tensed up, and a split second later, scrambled away from her. He finally turned to face her, and he sounded like he might say something coherent, but then his face lit up bright red and his mouth stopped making noise.
Mina knitted her eyebrows together. "Hey, are you okay? Your face is all red. You're not sick, are you?" She walked towards him. "I'm not a healer like Granny or anything, but there are all sorts of plants that are good to eat or drink when you're sick."
"N-no!" Izuku finally managed. He was looking up at the sky for some unknowable reason. "Nope! I'm, uh, I'm, I'm good! Feeling better than, uh, yeah, I'm fine!" He turned away from her to sprint to the bank, slipping on the silty bed several times before he freed himself from the water. He practically dove to grab a towel and wrap it around himself, grabbed his clothes, and took off back towards their camp.
She watched him in disbelief. This was weird, even for him. What could possibly have set him off like that? She...
Oh, no.
Mina looked down and swore. "Nudity! Humans are weird about nudity!" She grabbed fistfuls of her hair in frustration. "I can't believe I forgot that! Stupid river! Stupid bath!" She stormed out of the water, cursing herself, nature, and the need to bathe for scaring Izuku off. After stalking around the grass for several moments, she took a deep breath and went for her clothes. Her glistening skin gave her pause as she reached for the stack of undergarments laid atop her makeshift dress.
She wouldn't be doing herself any favors if she went to catch him and soaked through her clothes. It'd be just as bad as being naked.
With another frustrated growl, Mina began furiously trying to wipe the water off, shake it off, wring it from her hair, whatever came to mind. She was met with minor success, but ultimately she knew she'd have to wait to dry off. Normally, she wouldn't have minded. Lounging in the grass and sun drying was part of her bathing ritual, but she just didn't have time for it now. With an exaggerated groan, she flopped onto her back and willed the sun to come up faster and be hotter so that she could be dry sooner.
Fifteen minutes later, she slid back into the camp. Her skin was still somewhat damp, but Mina figured it wouldn't show through the reasonably thick fabric of her dress-tunic. Gracefully switching from sliding over the liquid to a brisk walk on solid ground, she approached Ochako. "Hey, have you seen Izuku?"
Her friend was in the process of breaking down her tent. She looked over her shoulder and said, "Yeah, he ran back into his tent a little bit ago and hasn't come out since. Iida tried asking what was going on, but he won't answer."
"Yeah, that was my fault... I tried to talk to him while we were both in the river."
Ochako winced. "He saw you naked, then?"
Mina nodded. "I forgot humans are weird about it. I'm going to go talk to him." She began walking towards the only tent still standing.
"Good luck," the wizard called after her.
When she reached the entrance, she paused. "Izuku? Are you in there?"
She heard a small, panicked noise, but it didn't sound like he was going to say anything. Just before she went to talk again, though, he finally said, "...Yes?"
"Can I come in? I'm, uh, dressed now."
There was another pause. "Why?"
"Well, you seemed bothered by me being naked, so I figured I should probably put my clothes on."
That weird noise came from in the tent again. "I meant... um... Why do you want to come in?"
"Oh." She felt her face heat up a bit at the misunderstanding, which confused her. "I want to talk to you, and I'd rather be able to see you when I do."
There was some shuffling around inside the tent, and then Izuku's head popped out, looking up at her. His face turned red again and he muttered, "No, this is worse..." before retreating back inside and holding the flap open.
Mina ducked inside the tent. She honestly wasn't sure what she expected – it was just some cloth between whoever was inside and the elements. It looked like all of Izuku's things had already been stowed away in his backpack, save the tent itself. As soon as she was fully inside, he retreated over to the other end of the shelter, his face still bright red.
She sat down and sighed. "You know I'm not upset at you or anything, right? It's not like you came down trying to spy on me." Not that she thought he'd do that. He'd already proven he wasn't after her body, and it wasn't like she was particular about hiding herself. She was a nymph. Frankly, being clothed was probably the weirder option for her people, on average.
Izuku was very pointedly not looking at her. "I, um... I know... but it's... You shouldn't, uh... look at women when..." He scratched at his arm. "Um, like that."
She raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that being naked is completely normal, right?"
"It's... I mean... You just..." He sputtered a moment longer before taking a deep breath. Some of the red seemed to recede for a moment, but it could have been a trick of the rather dim light. "It's just... polite. To not look, I mean. And, uh, I've also... never..." He coughed.
She rolled her eyes. "Well, it's really not that big of a deal. You humans need to get over it. If I cared, I wouldn't have come right up to you, you know?"
"...You, um... You might not care, but... I do."
Something about the way he said that made her feel that same welling up of shame she had experienced while at Granny Chiyo's house. Mina sighed. "All right. If you care, I'll... Try to make sure I'm clothed when you're around, I guess." Humans. "How're you feeling, though? You looked really bruised and swollen when I saw you in the river."
He hid his face behind his hands. What, was he embarrassed that she saw him? She hadn't checked him out or anything; she had been much more concerned about his injuries at the time. "I'm fine," he said.
She crossed her arms. "Fine, huh? Is that why your biceps are completely purple? Or why your shoulders have welts the size of apples on them?"
"They aren't that big," he protested. "And I'm used to being a little sore."
"A little? Listen, Izuku, I don't know what's going on in your head that tells you that you don't need to take care of yourself, but you either need to stop listening to it or I'm going to take care of you, whether you like it or not." An image of his body, a pale husk on the ground at the vampire's feet, came unbidden to her mind.
"Mina, I'm fine, I've... I've dealt with worse, okay?"
"What, are you talking about your run-in with the Godling of War?" He seemed surprised when she said that. "Iida told us about that. So you think it's okay to walk around as a giant lump of bruises just because you survived getting burned up and losing an eye? From the sounds of it, your survival was an act of the Gods, not a testament to your endurance!" He flinched under her tirade. "So here are your options: Either you let me give you Nectar to rub in and help you recover faster, or I come over there, take your shirt off, and rub it in myself."
He stared at her, jaw slack, for long enough that she became impatient with his lack of response.
Mina leaned towards him, a devilish glint in her eye. "Unless you want me to undress you~?"
Izuku yelped, his face redder than ever before. "N-No! No, I can do it, that's fine! You don't need to, uh, nope! I'll just... Um... Can you shut your eyes? I... I don't have anything for you to put the Nectar in, and... I don't want to get it on my shirt..."
Grinning in victory, she humored him and shut her eyes. She felt mildly bad for making him so uncomfortable, but if that's what it took to get him to actually take care of his body, then that's what she'd do. Gods knew she wasn't about to let him get himself killed before she could repay him his kindness outside Musutafu.
After some shuffling, he said, "Okay, um... I'm... if you want to give it to me..."
"Well, I can't see where it needs to go. I'd need to open my eyes to make sure it doesn't just go all over the ground." Mina wanted him to take care of himself, yes, but she'd be lying if she didn't admit that it was fun to tease him. She could be helpful and entertain herself at the same time, after all.
"No, don't! It's, um..." She felt his hands grab hers and turn them over. "There. My hands are right under yours now, so, uh, you can make the Nectar and... uh... You don't have to look."
She couldn't help herself. She laughed. "All right, have it your way." She drew on her mantle, pulling the properties of the various plants she'd need from her mind to concoct the mixture that would heal his injuries. It poured from her palms like honey until she felt she'd made enough. "There you go. Rub that into anywhere you're sore. It should stop hurting, and the swelling should go down, too. Might want to give it a few minutes to dry afterwards, since you're so worried about your shirt."
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"Any time!" Mina chirped, turning around and opening her eyes to find her way out of the tent.
The rest of the camp had been completely broken down in the short time she was in the tent. Tenya and Ochako rested near their bags, waiting for her and Izuku to be ready to go, presumably.
"I hope you were able to resolve whatever issues drove Midoriya to silence in his tent?" the former asked.
"Yup! He's just sore from you smacking him around last night. I gave him some Nectar to help, he'll be ready to go soon."
He looked doubtful. "If he was just sore, why would he not respond when I asked him why he seemed in such a hurry?"
"Don't worry about it, Iida," Ochako said, patting his shoulder. "Mina got it taken care of, and I'm sure Midoriya would tell us if something was bothering him." She gave Mina a knowing look.
Mina winked back. "She's right, nothing you need to worry about."
He didn't seem particularly convinced, but Mina didn't particularly care.
It was very difficult to avoid someone when you were traveling with them.
Fortunately for Izuku, Mina seemed content to stay towards the far end of the group from him. She didn't make any real efforts to force him into conversation or even acknowledge him, gravitating instead towards Uraraka and the odd plant they saw from the road. He was very grateful for this, since several of the events from this morning couldn't have been more effectively burned into his mind if someone had taken an iron brand to it.
He had spent the majority of their travel time going through a cycle. First, his face would light on fire from the embarrassment of those events. Then he would talk himself down, going through a fictional series of interactions wherein he and Mina would return to interacting normally in the future, which was immediately followed by his mind cascading out of control and imagining how things would only get worse moving forward, beginning the pattern anew. He contributed halfheartedly to conversations when his involvement was requested, unable to pay full attention unless he was dragged into a topic that involved Mina in some way. Even then, the attention was mostly a result of his mind using the discussion as fuel for his latest round of imagined catastrophe.
The topic he was currently despairing about was her hands. He had, in a moment of panic, grabbed them somewhat forcefully to keep her from opening her eyes. Even now, hours later, Izuku couldn't fully express why the idea of her seeing him shirtless made him uncomfortable. Anything had seemed preferable to that at the time. As a result of that action, his mind now toggled between the surprising softness of them for someone who had spent her whole life living in the wild and images of dark purple bruises that he knew he hadn't given her. They were a figment of his imagination, and he had confirmed this by surreptitiously glancing over at her, but something in the back of his head kept asking what would have happened if he had accidentally drawn on his mantle when he had reached out.
The bruises were one of the better options he had come up with, and if Izuku had to pick which would torment him, he probably would have settled on them anyways.
Before the other things that might have happened could intrude upon his thoughts, he took a deep breath and thought about the library. It stung, because the first thing that came to mind was Nighteye's body and the fire surrounding him. He pushed past that and centered himself on the books. He didn't know all of them by memory, but he remembered many well enough to walk himself through the broad strokes. Izuku built the books around his mind like a castle wall, preparing to defend himself from the next round of horrific what-ifs he'd been suffering through, when an unexpected hand placed on his shoulder caused the entire structure to come crumbling down.
"Are you well, Midoriya? You've been remarkably distant today. I understand that not all topics are engaged with equal vigor, but I thought you'd at least have something to say on Uraraka's latest portent."
"Latest... Portent?" Izuku asked. He furrowed his brow. He thought he'd been doing a fair job of keeping track of what was being said, but he couldn't think of any mention of such a thing. "Sorry, I... I guess I'm just tired today." He tried to smile convincingly.
"We did spar for quite some time last night," the other Godling mused. "I hope you aren't upset with me over it? Miss Mina said earlier that your injuries were why you didn't speak with me when you retreated to your tent."
He knew his face was bright red. Lately, it had become a familiar feeling, especially when Mina was involved. He spied her looking at him from behind Iida, a large and sheepish smile upon her face. "Uh... I... I'm definitely, um, not mad at you. I just... have been out of sorts today?" He didn't like lying, but he didn't need all of his friends to know about what had happened at the river, or worse, Mina's threat to strip off his clothing and tend to his bruises. Before the nobleman could respond, Izuku hastily changed the subject. "So, uh, portent? What portent?"
Uraraka chimed in so quickly that she must have been waiting for an excuse to begin talking about it. "It came in a little after we left camp!" She held out her staff. The orb that crowned it had indeed dispersed the clouds within itself and instead showed pinpricks of light against a black sky. "I can't read all of it, but I can see the words... Well, word, I guess. It says 'Forgefire,' but it's definitely all one word. I don't know why there isn't a space, and I don't know why I can't see the rest, but Iida thinks that he might be able to help find the stars tonight!"
"I had originally thought to use my mantle to divine the rest of the portent, but I must be holding the source of the information to get anything more than vague hints, and that was all I received. Therefore, since the staff isn't the source, the stars must be, and I'm not likely to lay hands on them."
Izuku picked up on the logic Iida was following. "But you could try to use it like the index, and have it point you to where the stars are so that Uraraka can read the whole portent!"
He nodded, a broad smile on his face. "Precisely!"
Uraraka skipped forward a couple steps, holding the staff tightly against her. "It's super exciting! I've never found the stars the same night, so they'll be in the exact positions they were when I got it! Or, well, close enough, anyways. My last one was really hard to read because by the time I found it, the stars had moved enough that the message was obscured and I just got the two words. But this one will be different!" She let out a small squealing noise, which evoked a laugh from Mina.
A brightly colored carriage passed them by, the driver looking harried and great noise coming from inside. As it passed, Izuku asked, "Do you think 'Forgefire' could have something to do with Lord Maijima's Godling?"
Mina nodded. "That was my guess, too!" Her input brought a flash of bruised hands to his mind. He tried to drown it out.
Iida harumphed. "I still believe it to be folly to assume that the mere mention of a forge is enough to indicate that The Smith or his Godling are involved."
Uraraka quickly cut in. "I don't think we need to hash that out again. Like I said, we'll just have to wait and see, right?"
The nobleman sighed and nodded. Mina turned up her nose slightly and looked away from him.
Izuku looked between the two, slightly puzzled. Clearly, something had happened while he was up in his head. It had most likely been an argument about the subject of the portent, but it must have caused some tension to form for their reactions to be like this. What had been said? And how had he managed to be so far removed from reality that he had managed to miss it?
That tension worried him. Uraraka had told him about what had happened while he was being treated by Grandmother – Mina had invited herself along, and Iida had only accepted under duress. The former wizard's apprentice, at least, had plead her case and been accepted, much like Izuku himself had. While he didn't think that their leader had very strong feelings about the Godling of Revelry, Izuku knew that he didn't like her very much. If that sentiment were to fester... Well, there were a lot of things that could happen, but none of them were good. Even in the best case scenario, he would likely try to chase her out of the group.
In fairness, Mina didn't seem to care for him very much, either. As far as Izuku could tell, she had joined them because of her fondness of Uraraka and maybe out of some sense of gratitude towards him. As such, a further deteriorated relationship with Iida wasn't likely to instigate her leaving the group of her own accord. Unless he or the Thirteenth's Godling were to cause a split, Izuku figured that she'd choose to stick around regardless of her thoughts on the nobleman.
The group progressed in awkward silence for some time. The most speaking any of them did was halfhearted greetings to other travelers on the road. Izuku attempted to bring himself back to the library and shield his mind with a bulwark of literature, but the walls would not come up. Every time he tried to concentrate, he consistently began to despair about the future fracturing of their group, sometimes by rising tension, sometimes by the revealing of his secret.
He couldn't decide if it was better than agonizing over hurting Mina or not.
Four Days Later
Izuku and Iida walked to the city gates in relative silence. Commentary about their most recent spar had already died down, and as the sun moved from afternoon to evening, they returned to reunite with the women and find a way to pass time until night arrived.
Against all of his panicked predictions, his friendship with Mina had, in fact, not completely broken down following the incident at the river. While he still flushed and stuttered when she talked to him, he didn't feel the need to try and avoid her like he had that morning anymore. True to her word, she didn't seem to mind that it had happened at all and carried on as though it hadn't. She had continued to shut her eyes upon entering his tent to provide the Nectar, which he greatly appreciated. It was likely the only reason Izuku had been able to continue his lessons in swordplay with Iida nightly. He couldn't claim to understand how it dulled the pain of his bruises or kept his body from swelling, but it did, and his skill benefited greatly for it. He had yet to win a bout against his instructor, but with each passing day, he took fewer hits and dealt more.
Izuku wished Mina and Iida had got on nearly as well. Even following the location of the stars present in Uraraka's staff, the two seemed aloof to each other at best. There had been the briefest stirrings of a fight when the wizard had read the full portent from the sky, but it was as swiftly defused as the previous one had been. He was grateful that the two didn't seem to actually want to argue, even if they were becoming averse. It was a problem he desperately wanted to solve, but had no idea how to. He hadn't expected to, of course. How could he, when he couldn't even solve his own relationship dilemmas with the nobleman?
Yesterday, they had arrived at the city of Hosu. Iida had informed that they would be staying here for several days, as the date of his appointment was drawing near and this was the location. He finally revealed to Uraraka and Mina that the commitment was specifically to meet someone, but he still wouldn't say who. All of them had pressed for any kind of information at some point over the past two days, but their leader remained tight-lipped. Izuku had some vague ideas about what was going on due to what he had been told when the Godling of Intellect had first agreed to travel together. Iida had said that he and the mysterious person he was meeting had agreed to meet, but they didn't know the location of the Palace when they had separated initially. That meant that whoever this was, it was someone invested in helping Iida become King of the Gods. It was possible that it was another Godling, but based on the distaste his friend had shown each time another Godling had asked to join them, he doubted it. More likely, it was a trusted friend or family member who he had asked for assistance once he had become a Godling before the split up to pursue multiple avenues of information gathering.
As he pondered Iida's incoming friend, they drew close enough to the gates that they could hear a commotion.
"I've told you, ma'am, our orders are to keep the city secure. With the Temples at each other's throats, the captain isn't sparing manpower to patrol anything besides the roads." One of the guards was loudly and firmly dismissing the well-dressed woman in front of him.
She had long black hair, which she kept tied back, and was likely taller than the guard. However, it was difficult to be sure; she was nearly in a bowing position as she begged him, "Please! It's a fortress! It's your fortress! They'll kill her once they get what they want out of her, and the consequences will be more dire than you could ever imagine! You have to do something!" She sounded out of breath, and Izuku realized that he could see the sweat covering her arms and soaking through her shirt as they picked up the pace to see what was going on.
Exasperation was clear in the guard's voice. "And like I said, I don't have the authority to do anything about it. I'm sorry your friend's in trouble, but you'll need to make an appointment with the captain. Our orders are to make sure the priests don't start trying to kill each other again and keep the city secure, not to get involved in this 'Godling' nonsense. Besides, the fort was destroyed over a century ago. We can't be expected to garrison every half-wall in the woods."
The Godlings skidded to a halt next to the woman, speaking at the same time.
"Someone's in trouble?"
"What manner of consequences are we speaking of?"
She turned to face them, and when she saw their armor and weapons (wooden though they were, the actual blades were at the inn), her eyes lit up with hope. She burst into explanation: "I'm Momo Yaoyarozu, Godling of the Lord of the Loom. I was traveling in a caravan with my friend when bandits ambushed us. There were too many to fight, so she promised to make them weapons if they left everyone else alone. I didn't know what to do, so I followed them. They're using Fort Ekko as their base, and I can't rescue her from a fortress by myself, and it's only a matter of time before they find out that she's a Godling!"
"Please," the guard said in a level tone, "Help her so she stops bothering me."
Izuku found himself with an intense dislike of this guard. His casual disregard for the danger another person was in didn't sit well. Regardless of orders, wasn't it literally his job to help people? Protect the citizenry, uphold the law?
While he was distracted thinking about the guard, Iida replied. "Then you'll have our help. We can't let a Godling die to a common brigand. Come with us, our weapons are in the city, as are our traveling companions. We'll collect them and depart for this fortress."
"Thank you," the guard muttered.
She wiped away the tears brimming in her eyes. "Thank you! A thousand times, thank you, I can't tell you what this means to me!" Taking a deep breath, Yaoyarozu drew to her full height and started a brisk pace towards the gates before Izuku grabbed onto her wrist.
"You, uh..." He swallowed and let go of her, shrinking and flushing under her puzzled gaze. "You look like you've run a long way. We should take it easy, we're... You won't be able to help her if you wear yourself out before even getting to the, um. Fort?"
From behind him, Iida said, "That seems a sound assessment."
"But..." He could see her struggling between reason and emotion, which surprised him. Izuku wasn't used to having clear insight into other people's emotions. While they weren't entirely a mystery to him, reading them wasn't something he was particularly good at, either. The conflict itself was something he could sympathize with, however. He could only imagine if it were one of his friends in danger. Could he so easily pace himself if that were the case?
After a short battle, she relented. "I... can't argue with that. Let's not waste time, though." She began walking again, this time at a much more measured speed. "Every minute that passes is a minute she's in further danger." Izuku and Iida formed up around her in short order, guiding her to the inn they were staying at.
"You said that they were occupying Fort Ekko – I'm not terribly familiar with it," Iida said. "The guard called it a half-wall?"
"It was a major battleground in the Itran War about a hundred years ago," Izuku said. He had to consciously think about keeping his voice level. The fort had featured in several historical texts he'd read, but the final one he had read in his leisure at Nighteye's Library – Recollections on Ataran History, Volume IV – had gone into it in detail, and much of it was still fresh in his mind. "It's famous... or maybe infamous? Either way, it got its reputation for being taken by the enemy, reconquered, and those victories repeated by both sides about a half dozen times." Izuku held up a finger, reciting a line that had stuck in his mind particularly well: "More Ataran blood was shed on the grounds of Fort Ekko than all foreign battlefields combined in the last two centuries. But, uh, that's partially because we've only been to war maybe thrice in that time? Including the Itran War."
The Godling of Intellect nodded. "I do recall hearing about that, now that you mention the context. I had forgotten the name. So it was destroyed in those battles?"
"More or less," he replied. "The Itran Army was deep into our borders, since they'd routed our armies and killed the king in his opening invasion into their territory. The bulk of their forces were trying to get past Hosu, since it was between them and the capital, but the city was too well defended." He fell back into the easy speech that came with dictating a well remembered passage. "The citizens took to the walls in the absence of the army, fighting valiantly and holding the enemy at bay until the newly-crowned queen was able to rally the military and force them back out of the country and sign the peace treaty. Fort Ekko, having been made near to the city in the days before it was large enough to merit walls of its own, changed hands eight times during the Siege of Hosu and was little more than a ruined mess at the end. Due to its ultimately redundant nature now that the city was so defensible in its own right and the unconscionable cost of repair compared to the burden of relief needed elsewhere in the nation, Ekko was left for nature to reclaim. By the time the coffers could bear the expense, the fort would have needed to be rebuilt in entirety to make up for the erosion it had suffered in the intervening years."
Yaoyarozu looked impressed. "You're very familiar with history."
Izuku flushed. "I, uh, have a pretty decent memory, and... I had just read all of that a few weeks ago. It was one of the last things I read before..." he swallowed. "Before I had to leave home."
Iida cut in before she could respond. Izuku wasn't sure if he was intentionally trying to spare him the uncomfortable responsibility of recounting why he had to leave or if he was just trying to keep them on topic. "By the sounds of it, then, this shouldn't be much of an obstacle to our rescue."
Izuku shook his head. "These decisions were made on the scale of armies. No military would consider the walls of Fort Ekko to be serviceable, but a small group of people can't bring siege weaponry to bear, and we can't pressure all of the gaps with soldiers to stretch the bandits thin. Unless the last century has been particularly cruel, even a dilapidated wall will be difficult to for us to overcome if the enemy understands how to defend it." How much of the structure remained, he wondered? What challenges would it present, and how would they conquer them while keeping everyone safe?
It was the last thought that caused his stomach to churn. They were going in to save another Godling, but it was very possible that one of them could die in the process, bringing about the very tragedy they sought to prevent. Even a plan couldn't fully protect them from the advantage numbers brought, and they had no way to make a sound plan without more knowledge of the state of Fort Ekko and information on its inhabitants – their numbers, their equipment, their leader, their behavior. Izuku was no general, but he'd read enough military theory and history to understand the basics of tactics. The only reason this mission even had a possibility of success was due to their semidivine status and the element of surprise.
That needed to be rectified. He turned to their newest companion. "Yaoyarozu, what did Fort Ekko look like when you saw it? How were the walls?"
"I didn't get a very good look at them. Once I realized where they were taking her, I came to the city as fast as I could." She put a finger to her chin. "I did see some woodwork on them, though. I remember noticing the wood because it stood out from the stonework so much, since it was green with moss. Maybe they were patching holes in the wall? I suppose that would make sense, given the damage it reportedly sustained during the last war with Itri."
"If that's the case, we'll likely need Uraraka to get us over or through the wall," said Iida. "Hopefully she'll be able to do so while simultaneously warding off arrows, or this rescue will become very difficult very quickly."
"Mina might be able to melt through the wall. If we found a blind spot, that might help us get in before they can, uh, shoot at us."
The nobleman shook his head. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. They'll likely be watching the woodwork, knowing that's their weak point, and the stonework is old. We don't know what removing part of it would do – we could bring the wall down on top of us."
"What capabilities do you and your allies possess, exactly?" Yaoyarozu asked. "I'd like to help plan, but it's difficult without knowing that."
Izuku looked to Iida, fully expecting him to be reticent to share such details. He had been chastised for sharing such details before, after all. As expected, the Godling did not answer immediately, leaving an awkward lull in the conversation. After a moment, he sighed and said, "I suppose it's necessary to share in the interest of preventing a tragedy. I am the Godling of Intellect. My powers have very limited application in combat, but I'm a skilled swordsman. At the inn, Miss Mina and Uraraka await, the Godlings of Revelry and Magic." Their companion gasped, but did not interrupt. "The former can produce a potent acid, among other things, and the latter is quite skilled with magics dealing in force." He gestured to Izuku. "Midoriya is human, but a quick study of the blade and brave to a fault. He also possesses a key that can bring us to a skilled healer from any door possessing a lock, which will be quite useful if your friend has sustained any injury, or if we do during her rescue. I'm sure there's a suitable door somewhere within the fortress."
"Three Godlings," she said in an awed whisper. "It seems almost unreal how fortunate I was to encounter you."
"Fate is a curious thing," Iida agreed.
"Thank you again for helping us. I know that it's not beneficial to you winning the Game to stop and help the competition –"
Izuku cut her off. "Who cares about winning if you stop doing what's right in the process? We'd be no better than the bandits if we left your friend to die just to get a little closer to the Palace!" After a breath, he flushed and said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have cut you off..."
Yaoyarozu smiled brightly at him. "It's quite all right. It's good to know that my fellow Godlings travel in such moral company. Regardless of who wins, it suggests a benevolent monarch."
He didn't know what to say to that, and Iida wasn't forthcoming with a response either. Before the pause could stretch into discomfort, he asked, "You said that, uh, your friend had offered to make weapons. Does that mean that she's the Smith's Godling?"
"Yes, that's right." She seemed about to elaborate when she was interrupted by a heavy sigh from the blue-haired man in their company.
"And I suspect that Miss Mina will never let me forget it." At Yaoyarozu's puzzled look, he waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Please, continue."
She still seemed confused, but decided against pursuing the subject. "I understand that she was a prodigious smith even before Lord Maijima gave her the mantle. Her work is exemplary." She peeled back the collar of her shirt, and Izuku was about to look away before the glint of metal caught his eye. Beneath her clothing was a sheer coating of chain links, almost impossibly fine. "She made me this armor. It fits underneath my clothes and is flexible and loose enough to be unnoticeable, but it's strong enough to stop a weapon from cutting through it without great effort." Yaoyarozu then drew a thin sword from her side. "My rapier is also her work, enchanted to be as light as air."
She offered the hilt to them, and Iida took it. The moment she let go, his brow furrowed in disbelief. "Amazing." He swung it with such a speed that the metal almost sang as it cut through the air. He then passed it to Izuku.
Light as air wasn't an exaggeration. If he couldn't feel the hilt in his hand, he doubted he would have known he was holding anything. "Who enchanted it?" He asked.
"Mei did. It's the premier difference between her mantle and mine, in my opinion." She accepted the sword back. "I can create just about anything, including weapons, from nothing, though it's less tiring if I have material to work with. Mei has to work the metal to craft something, but her hammer can beat all manner of magics into her work. Everything I make is mundane."
While the leader of his group praised the utility and strength of their powers, Izuku couldn't help but feel somewhat... inadequate. It seemed that every Godling they met had a diverse spread of powers with utility that spoke for itself, and all he had to speak of was inhuman strength. What was that, compared to the ability to summon any manner of object from thin air, or forge metal with magic already imbued in it? Against the ability to know whether the contents of a book were useful, or read the future from the heavens? To create a substance with the qualities of any plant under the sun? Even in a fight, how would being strong stand up to the ability to detonate the air like a firework or freeze your opponent solid?
How was he supposed to be the King of the Gods when put up against such worthy candidates?
He drew himself from these thoughts before they could drag him down further. They'd continue to weigh on him, he knew, but to continue down that path would be to begin mumbling, and he couldn't afford to be overheard and reveal his secret.
Izuku's value as Divine Monarch was a subject for another time. For now, they had a Godling to save, and only as long as it took to gather the others and reach Fort Ekko to figure out how to do so.
Man, guys, I am so sorry. I know it's been almost a month and a half since my last update, but this chapter absolutely kicked my ass. The first nine pages flowed wonderfully, but after the section from Mina's point of view, it was like trying to wring water from a stone. Even now, I'm not happy with the chapter and actually mildly despise it, but this is the best version of it I've been able to write, and it's probably the fifth draft by now.
Yeah. It's been rough.
At any rate, I figured that I should stop here, let this chapter be subpar, and then hopefully be back in my groove when I write the next one.
The Royal Games
A tradition in many nations, the Royal Games are a series of competitions to showcase physical ability. All manner of challenges are held, from swordsmanship to archery, speed to strength, individual savvy to teamwork. Competitors must earn the right to join by proving their ability, and those who win are guaranteed a spot in the following year's games, barring death or injury in the time between. It's one of the few events where nobles and commoners compete side by side for gold and glory, with the winners receiving their reward directly from a member of the royal family. Skilled combatants find themselves offered places in the military or mercenary companies, well paid for their talents, while the best athletes are offered places in contests and games in other parts of the country, exercising their bodies to bring in a stream of consistent income. Gold changes hands plentifully as onlookers bet and gamble over the results of each event, with more fortunes made and lost within the walls of the coliseums than in even the most prolific gambling dens.