Spider's Character: Don't really expect many to read this but oh well.
I realize people likely won't have read all my other fics where I've fleshed out certain details of Spider's past, powers etc... I'll set out a brief summary so if you don't understand why Spider can do something that she shouldn't in canon then it's your own fault.
Also for those who don't think the name is "lore friendly" kindly fuck off it's my Dragonborn so I'll call her what I want.
She was named after the discovery of a dwemer ruin near Cyrodil which manufactured dwarven spider repair drones. She is over 2400 years old by the time she ends up in this fic because when she devoured Alduin's soul she became the new god of destruction, as is the case with most gods she is immortal.
Born an imperial in Cyrodil to the chief advisor to the emperor so she grew up in nobility. Her family was slaughtered mere weeks after the defeat of Alduin while her body was adjusting to it's newfound powers. This sent Spider on a killing spree (Thalmor suffered the most losses in this on a global scale) and on a steep slope down into depression. For years she tried to end her own life in order to join her family but by this point she was too strong to die by her own hand, her only hope was to be killed by a daedric prince however like hell would she die without a fight. Serena had eventually confided in Spider how she became a vampire (Molag Bal rape) and so Spider went to war with him, alone. Despite his vast armies and godly power Spider was able to kill him and eat his soul too making his realm her own.
Leaving Nirn with basically no choice she crowned herself Empress and corrected a lot of the things she found wrong with the world like slavery and discrimination. Her rule lasted a few decades but she stepped down and let a new line take her place provided they swear on a binding scroll to rule fairly.
Now Spider, with the help of Sheogorath who picks the locations using the stored power she sends to his realm, travels the multiverse (after two thousand years of stockpiling) in order to better herself and finally heal.
Powers: Spider can harness the knowledge and strength of all the souls she's eaten in the last few millenia, this includes Dragons, humans, elves, beast races, animals, monsters and the two gods. Within her they essentially act as batteries that never run out of power.
She has fully unlocked her draconic self and in rare occasions enters that demonic-dragon hybrid form to absolutely terrify her enemies. On this note Spider can create her own dragon shouts too.
In general Spider is invincible and cannot be so much as scratched. Her strength is also enough to destroy the planet since she took it from two gods plus however many thousands of dragons and other mortals she's killed. Those souls also still have wills of their own but are completely submissive to Spider since she bested them both physically and mentally.
I've implemented her inventory as a pocket dimension Spider can access at will to store and take items as she wishes.
Appearance: Normally Spider is an imperial just over 6ft tall, with almost shoulder length blonde hair and emerald green eyes. She usually wears her daedric armour though in this case will probably set up the illusion of wearing regular clothes.
There will also be references to other fics I've done/plan on doing but only characters.
I think that just about covers it.
This was new. A haze of dancing purple flames surrounded Spider yet started to disperse as quickly as they'd appeared. True this was her usual method of teleportation when she didn't feel like walking but it was the first time she had entered another world in this fashion.
'Sheo must be trying to keep things fresh.' She thought to herself. Usually she would be unconscious and wake up in a strange new world surrounded by the people Sheo thought she would want to help, but now it looked like he wanted to change it up a bit.
Spider looked around and recognised that she was at the top of a stairwell. It looked modern and despite what others may think it wasn't really that startling to her, she had seen futuristic cities plenty of times before and felt just as much at home here as she did in a more medieval setting. A warrior either has to adapt or die as the companions used to say.
She could hear a feint conversation just outside a nearby door and she was too curious not to check it out, besides one of the voices was eerily familiar, but that couldn't be right. Zoro shouldn't be here. Spider quietly opened the door and stepped outside onto the roof of the building.
There were two people, a boy with unruly dark green hair that oddly suited him, a thin, frail looking man with long blonde hair that seemed too wild for it's own good. But it was his unhealthy features that drew her attention, yet his piercing blue eyes looked more alive than ever.
Neither one seemed to notice her which was hardly surprising with how intense the conversation seemed to be. Then again she could stand right in front of them and they wouldn't see her if she didn't want them too.
"... Pro heroes are always having to risk their lives, some villains just can't be beaten without powers. So no I honestly don't think you can become a hero without a quirk." The frail man finished.
This seemed to have a profound effect on the boy, his eyes were wide and the look of disappointment was obvious to anyone. He looked down at his shoes, green eyes filling with tears. "I see." He said defeated.
'I guess it was a coincidence that he has Zoro's voice, he would never say something so stupid, either way that's a lot to take in. Looks like Sheo put me somewhere super powers are commonplace.' Spider thought to herself but stored it away for later. 'I don't like what the guy is saying though. Just because someone looks powerless doesn't mean they can't kill you.' Stepping further into their line of sight she intervened. "I disagree, saying he can't become a hero because he lacks powers is just closed minded, I've seen many people with abilities beaten by those without so who are you to decide what he can become?"
There was a brief moment of quiet before the boy jumped back and the man sprang to his feet. "WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!?" They both cried indignantly.
Spider tilted her head. Where did they think she came from? It's not as if she just appeared out thin- actually that's exactly what happened but it's not like they'd know that. Instead she gestured to the door of the building and acted like it was obvious "The same way I assume you two got here." 8/10 times if you act confident enough people will believe anything you say.
"Right, I take that to mean you don't know who I am young lady?" The blonde asked.
"Young lady?" Spider mimicked and looked at herself for the first time. She was shorter than usual and although she could feel herself wearing her daedric armour sans the helmet that was tucked neatly away in her inventory it appeared like she was wearing a red tank top with black skirt and tights with red trainers. Basically she looked like a kid. Without a doubt Sheo made her look more youthful than she already did. Spider liked to keep the vessel looking as much like her old self as possible rather than the form she'd taken on after becoming the new god of destruction. It reminded her of happier times so to say she was more than a little pissed Sheo thought he could do this without her permission was putting it mildly.
'If he wasn't so useful I'd have killed that clown by now.' Spider breathed deeply a few times before answering the man's question. "No I don't, I'm new here so please don't take it personally." She said as politely as possible.
He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the green haired boy. "I have to go, and look it's not bad to have a dream young man but just make sure those dreams are attainable. Understand." He exited the rooftop with that final word and left the two staring after him.
"Only a fool would tell someone it can not be done without first seeing them try." Spider replied despite him not being able to hear her. It wasn't him she was really talking to anyway. She turned to the green haired boy and held out her hand. "I'm Spider PoisonBlood, a pleasure to meet you."
He was taken aback for a moment before shaking her hand, "Izuku Midoriya, it's nice to meet you too." He responded genuinely. "Hey did you mean what you said before? that even people without a quirk can become a hero." He asked after letting go of her hand.
"Of course, strength isn't solely measured by superhuman abilities and anyone who thinks it is will likely die from such hubris. For example someone with a speed 'quirk' will be rendered useless if I make him run over a strong adhesive." Spider explained.
"That's true but what about other quirks like explosive touch?" Midoriya asked tentatively.
Spider sensed that there was more to this question than he was letting on but let it slide. "I could stand here and tell you how best to counter any quirk you can think of but you're forgetting something important about everyone who has powers."
"What do you mean?" He inquired.
"Their mortal, and every mortal has their weakness whether it be arrogance you can tempt into a trap, a routine you can exploit or something precious to them that can be taken away. Once you know everyone's specific weaknesses you're suddenly the most powerful person in the room." Spider told him with a wicked smile. "Does that answer your question Izuku?"
The boy was thoughtful at first until he seemed to realise something and that wide eyed shock came back. "Y-you just called me by my first name?"
Now it was Spider's turn to be confused. "Yes? That tends to be the point of a name, is there something wrong?"
"Uhm well no it's just in Japan we don't use first names unless we're close with someone." Midoriya explained.
"I see. My apologies, I was unaware of your customs Midoriya but I would like to ask a favour." Spider responded.
"Oh uh, apology accepted. Uhm what do you need?" He asked
"I'll be fine calling you by your surname but 'PoisonBlood' is a bit of a mouthful so feel free to call me by my first name, alright?" She asked politely.
"Yeah I can do that." He agreed with a smile. The conversation was cut however by an explosion in the distance. "A villain! I wonder which hero will show." Midoriya looked to his new friend. "Are you coming?"
"Sure, I've got the time."
Midoriya and Spider were dashing through the streets towards the chaos and honestly it was refreshing to see such vigour and excitement over a battle, especially from someone who wasn't even participating or could so much as see it yet. They closed in on the area and eventually found their way at the back of a crowd. The street ahead of them was on fire and looked like a bomb had been dropped. Several people in funky outfits were a few meters away from the cause of the scene.
A large green goo monster was nigh on suffocating a hostage that was sporadically creating explosions and making it too dangerous for anyone to get close. Looking to her right Spider saw Midoriya had his hand covering his mouth and he looked sick.
"Which one is it?" Spider asked which got him to tear his attention away from the scene. "The villain or the hostage, I assume you know one of them?"
This made him look back and if it was possible his eyes grew wider. Then he was gone. Spider blinked and looked back to her side only to find Midoriya missing, searching the crowd she saw the boy sprinting towards the danger as fast as his legs would carry him, despite the utter stupidity of it Spider chuckled. "He really is a hero." She said and pushed her way through the crowd herself.
Once through she could see Midoriya had just threw his yellow back pack at the villain and dodged an attack in order to reach the main body where he was keeping the hostage. She continued walking even when the 'heroes' tried to stop her, one particularly buff man in a blue leotard with black and yellow wrist guards and a similar headband made to grab her in order to move her back to safety.
Without skipping a beat Spider kicked the side of his right knee causing him to fall on it and bring him to her level, grabbing the man by the neck she brought him forward and brutally headbutted him into unconsciousness with a loud crack and threw him aside. This gained an audible gasp from the crowd and heroes alike but Spider couldn't have cared less, she just carried on walking towards Midoriya.
The boy was desperately clawing at the villain around the hostages mouth, trying to let the other boy breath but it was obvious he was outmatched. Spider reached them quickly and heard Midoriya respond to the blonde. "Kacchan, I couldn't just stand there and watch you die."
"Look at that, practically a hero already." Spider commented beside him. She proceeded to jam her hand into the villain and grab the hostage, ripping him out of the gooey prison.
"WHAT THE HELL!" The thing screeched in anger, creating a tentacle like appendage and moving to attack the three of them with intent to kill.
"NO!"
"THEY'LL BE CRUSHED!" Shouted the heroes on the scene. Those that were still conscious anyway.
"IIZ SLEN NUS!" (Ice Flesh Statue) Spider's thuum burst forth and the villain became encased in an inescapable layer of frost. What she hadn't seen coming however was the large, looming figure of the blonde man she'd met on the roof earlier. His aura was the same so it was no doubt this was the man she had met though it did briefly take her aback that he had changed his appearance. 'Must be another 'quirk.'
There was a loud boom as his punch shattered the villain into pieces blowing him away with the immense pressure, putting out the fires created by 'Kachan's' quirk and causing the clouds in the sky to swirl overhead until the sky turned darker and began to pour.
"WHAT?" He barely had the chance to ask before the other heroes came in to take Midoriya and his associate away along with Spider herself. They were checked over by the ambulances that had arrived though Spider and Midoriya were asked to step aside by the heroes, the one in the blue leotard was among them sporting a bloody nose and wounded pride she would bet.
The blonde man from before wasn't among them, Spider assumed he'd slink away once it was over to get his strength back since he seemed to be struggling but nope he was surrounded by reporters so she guessed he was famous. There were three others, a woman wearing a cream, orange and purple onesie, another seemingly made out of wood, and the last dressed like a fire fighter she had seen in similar worlds.
"You morons!" The wood hero yelled.
"There was absolutely no reason to put yourselves in danger like that!" The buff guy chided.
Midoriya was on his knees nodding his head not saying a word. Spider placed a hand on his shoulder getting him to look up to her, she offered a small smile and whispered "Watch this." Releasing her grip she turned back to four heroes and held their gaze. "You should all be ashamed." She told them after a short silence. "You stood there and watched as a child was slowly being suffocated to death whining that your quirks weren't perfect, thanks to this young man he was able to take those vital breaths that kept him alive long enough to be saved. It didn't matter that he doesn't have a quirk because to him it was worth risking his life to save another, correct me if I'm wrong but I didn't see any of you do a damn thing once you realised your powers were at a disadvantage." They were all shocked at the words coming from a girl who couldn't be older than fifteen. "All it takes for evil to triumph is that good people look on and do nothing. Remember that the next time feel like sitting on the side-lines 'heroes'" Spider spat the last word and held out her hand for Midoriya to take.
She helped him up and they'd began to walk away with the boy looking at her in awe that she'd managed to actually talk down to honest to goodness heroes and still have the moral high ground.
"Hey hold on a minute!" The buff one called out. "We still need to discuss you attacking a licenced hero." He said, feeling like he'd gained back some of his dignity.
"How old are you?" Spider asked Izuku quietly.
"fifteen." Midoriya replied
She looked back at the hero flippantly. "You were about to grab a fifteen year old girl and got put in your place, maybe you should rethink the hero thing." She stated and turned her head away once again to continue walking. 'Arrogant piece of shit, a few decades ago I would have broke the leg and snapped his neck with that move. Little bastard got off easy.'
Midoriya guided them towards his home as they talked, it was mostly him asking questions about how she was able to do what she did to save 'Kacchan' who she assumed was a friend of his given the familiarity in his voice. Not exactly lying she told him that her 'quirk' was energy manipulation and she could control it however she wished. Spider had done the whole 'I am not from this universe' talk before and it was just too difficult to explain over and over again. Magic was a pain sometimes.
The sun was setting casting the neighbourhood the two walked through in heughs of brilliant yellow and it wasn't often Spider got to appreciate the beauty in other worlds, usually she was thrust right into action but this was different. She had chance to take a breath and take it all in.
It was quite peaceful until they both heard yelling behind them. "DEKU!"
Spider recognised the boy she'd pulled out of the goo villain, he sported the same uniform as Midoriya and as he ran towards the pair they stopped to see what he wanted.
As he finally caught up he stopped to catch his breath then started to speak. "Listen, I would never ask for weaklings like you to help me. Don't think you can look down on me! GOT THAT! I was fine by myself, you're just a quirkless failure and anyone who hangs out with him is just as useless!"
Spider could see he was gearing up for more insults and decided to close the distance between them before he could dig the hole any deeper. Once she was in front of him Spider placed her left hand on his shoulder getting him to look away then sucker punched the kid knocking the air from his lungs. Using the same hand she punched him with Spider covered his mouth and nose proceeding to shove the brat against a nearby wall. As panic set in the boy made a swipe at Spider's head but she backed away causing him to fall on his ass and suck in as much air as he could.
Kneeling down so that she was at eye level Spider spoke. "Listen carefully, if it wasn't for him." She nodded towards Midoriya. "You would have been knocked unconscious due to lack of oxygen to your brain long before I managed to pull you out. When that happens the damage to your brain starts immediately and I'm not convinced you would have been anything more than a vegetable if you regained consciousness at all. So like it or not you owe that kid your life, anything you do or become is thanks to him."
She stood and turned to walk back towards Midoriya when she saw him hold out his arm and yell. "SPIDER LOOK OUT!"
She'd seen it coming long before he actually did it. The boy was on his feet, hand outstretched towards her head. His face contorted in anger as he activated his quirk. The explosion was contained, no thanks to the quirk's owner because Spider activated a barrier around them to stop collateral damage, but it was strong enough to level a building.
By the time he had realised what he'd done 'Kacchan' stumbled back and the barrier was down as soon as the blast cleared. Spider turned her head to look at the teen, he seemed afraid of what he thought he'd done but that fear soon became scarce as a new one took it's place. Draconic eyes glared daggers into his very soul. "I don't care if you're blinded by anger, the next time you try and kill someone you'd better make sure it takes."
To an outsider it looked like a skirmish, to Bakugo, Spider looked like a predator barely resisting the urge to tear off his head. He wanted to fall to the floor but something kept him standing there, paralysed.
Taking a second to cool down Spider covered her aura and let the boy drop to the ground again, as if the invisible strings keeping him aloft were cut. She shook her head clear and walked back towards Midoriya who was... confused to say the least. It took some nudging but he agreed to leave the other boy alone after Spider told him she'd only used some illusion magic to scare him. Without using the term 'magic' of course
"And you're sure he won't be stuck like that?" Midoriya asked looking back at his one time friend who was sat against the wall in the street holding his head in his hands.
"Yes I promise he's fine, probably just trying to get over the shock that there's a person out here he can't bully into doing what he wants." She said.
"How do you know he does that?"
"I've been around a long time, I know the type when I see one. After a fright like this he'll be more careful who he tries speaking to the way he does you." Spider replied. 'Any fucker that calls me useless after I save his ungrateful ass is lucky I don't send him to oblivion.' She thought secretly.
"It's fine really, Kacchan has been like that since we were little." Midoriya confided.
"And you haven't been able to stand up to him because of his explosive temper." Spider commented getting the green haired boy to stop dead in his tracks, only to break out into a wide grin.
"That was terrible!" He said while attempting to refrain from laughing.
"I have my moments." She replied happily. "Now come on we need to get you home before someone starts to worry about you."
"Right!" Midoriya picked up the pace along side the Dovahkiin, continuing to chat about her 'quirk'.
But apparently you couldn't even walk for five minutes in this place before being interrupted. Again. Out of an alley to the left of the pair came a giant of a man skidding to a halt in front of them and loudly announcing "I AM HERE!" Summarily causing Midoriya to scream from the suddenness of his appearance.
"All Might! How did you get rid of those reporters?" Izuku asked.
"This man comes crashing in from nowhere looking for a couple of kids and that is the first thing you ask him?" Spider questioned the priorities of her new acquaintance.
"AH, I DIDN'T REALISE YOU TWO KNEW EACH OTHER, I THOUGHT YOUNG MIDORIYA WOULD BE ALONE." All Might spoke nervously.
Spider drew her daedric sword from seemingly nowhere and levelled it at the man. "That doesn't sound any better rooftop freak, you're digging yourself a mighty deep hole joor."
"Please stop with the puns." Midoriya deadpanned.
"I'll have you know that one was an accident." She retorted.
Their little argument was interrupted however by a violent coughing fit from All Might and a puff of smoke, looking back at him the man had reverted back to his thin and frail form, though what was concerning was the amount of blood he was coughing up. Sheathing the sword Spider stepped towards him while pulling a small red bottle from her inventory. pulling the cork she handed it to All Might.
"Drink this and you'll feel better." Spider told him as he weakly took the bottle.
"What is it?" He asked, wiping blood from his mouth.
"Apple juice." Spider replied sarcastically. "It's medicine, trust me it will help."
All Might was hesitant for a moment before taking a swig from the bottle and getting a taste of the liquid. In no time he took another and downed the lot of it. "What was that? It tasted like freshly baked bread but better, and I feel..." He looked surprised and relieved all at once, pulling up his shirt revealed a nasty looking scar that glowed a strange pinkish purple colour however it was quickly fading until it was hardly noticeable. When he looked back up his face had lost some of the sharp edges and appeared softer.
"Not the best but at least you look healthier." Spider commented completely oblivious to the shock everyone around her was in. "Was there something you needed?" She asked after returning to Midoriya's side.
"I- damn it I had a whole speech prepared. How did you know who I was, I thought you said you were new around here." All Might still sounded like he couldn't quite believe what was happening.
"You're aura was the same and abouth the speech, I find it helps if you skip to the good parts." Spider replied easily.
Nodding shakily he looked at Midoriya. "Young man, there are stories about every hero. How they became great but most have one thing in common, their bodies moved before they had a chance to think, almost on their own." The affect of his words were evident as Izuku began to tear up. "You reminded me of what I stand for and I want to help you become a hero."
The tears flowed freely and Midoriya dropped to his knees. It was very cinematic Spider had to admit but was it really necessary for the blonde to pose like he was the boys salvation? She shrugged, different world means different social cues. For all she knew this was normal, like the surname thing.
"What I'm about to reveal niether of you can tell anyone else, I wasn't born with this power I inherited it from someone else and it has been passed down many times, growing stronger with every hero." He held out his hand and in it glowed a rainbow ball of light, Spider could feel the power and it was impressive... by mortal standards anyway. "The name of my quirk is One for All."
"But why would you choose to give me a gift like that?" Midoriya asked from his kneeling position. "What if I can't live up to it."
"I've been searching a long time for a worthy successor and you might have just been a quirkless fan boy but you jumped into action while the rest of us stood idly by, that is the mark of a hero." He declared making Midoriya cry just a little more from the emotions he was undoubtedly feeling. After all this time he finally had thee chance to be a real hero. "Aha, seriously you gotta stop crying so much if you want my quirk. Come on kid."
"I think it's endearing, reminds people that you're human too." Spider smiled down at the teen.
"Ah and can I have your word that you won't tell anyone about this Ms?" All might seemed genuinely concerned for her response.
"Darling I still have no idea who you are." Spider told him. "So have fun with your power transfer, I'm going to find a place to live."
Turns out that's not exactly how it works, All Might and Midoriya traded contact details for some kind of training regimen in order to prepare the boys body for the quirk, apparently he'd explode if he was given it now and as curious as she was to see it happen Spider would rather Midoriya continue living, she had no doubt she would be able to tag along on some interesting adventures with him.
On dropping the boy off she was quite literally dragged inside the Midoriya residence by his mother on learning she was new to the country and had no place to stay, Spider had a futon made up in the living room and the three were in the middle of a nice meal.
Inko Midoriya was a small woman with dark green hair and a caring personality, she was very worried about what she'd seen on the news when she recognised her son, luckily the cameras hadn't caught Spider's assault on the hero in the blue leotard so she wasn't questioned too much.
"You both must have been terrified, and I can't imagine what Katsuki was feeling." Inko commented.
"Oh we were fine, All Might was there so there wasn't any real danger." Izuku said between bites.
"Is Katsuki the one you call 'KaCchan'?" Spider asked changing the subject, she knew talking about what happened in detail would only drive Inko to worry more.
"Yeah his name is Katsuki Bakugo, but I've called him Kacchan since we were little." He replied happily.
"Even after you grew apart." Inko added sadly.
"Unsurprising given how rude he is." Spider responded.
Inko sighed like she knew all too well what she was talking about. "I hope he wasn't as bad as he usually is, honestly I think Mitsuki, his mother, is the only one able to reign him in."
"He tried to use his quirk to blast my head off after I knocked him on his ass and told him to be more respectful." Spider stated casually taking another bite of food, she only stopped midway through getting a second when she noticed how concerned Inko looked. "Don't worry, I used my quirk to make sure there was no collateral damage and as you can see I'm perfectly fine." She offered a reassuring smile.
"What exactly is your quirk? If you don't mind me asking." Inko said it as if it would insult the Dovahkiin.
'Time to lie for all I'm worth.' Spider mentally prepared herself. "It's both matter and energy manipulation allowing me to create and destroy objects and mimic other quirks like fire, lightening and the like. The reason I wasn't harmed is because I've changed the structure of my skin to be as hard as the deepest layer of the planet's crust so almost nothing can harm me." She explained. It's not like she could tell them that she siphoned magical power from the souls of the beings she's killed. Maybe not yet anyway.
"Oh then you must be looking to go to UA like Izuku." Inko more stated than asked if that was the case.
Spider looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Given Midoriya's age and the appearance Sheo gave my body this must be what I'm here for, to ruin- I mean benefit the education of these kids with my own experiences.' "That's right, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to enrol, perhaps you could enlighten me?" She asked, looking in Izuku's direction.
"Well the entrance exams are in ten months so there's plenty of time to get yourself situated." He informed her helpfully.
But the fact that he was helpful did not stop her from doing a double take. "Ten months?" She repeated. 'I have to entertain myself here for TEN MONTHS!' "That's just perfect." She said it as if the words physically hurt.
Spider quickly finished eating and excused herself from the table to wash up. She had a lot to prepare for tomorrow.
Two days later Spider was the official owner of Midoriya's building, she'd gone to a bank and managed to open an account with conjured documents that recognised her as a legal adult by a court of law despite that she was also sixteen years old, according to the conjured birth certificate anyway. This allowed her to make a deal with the banks manager, she gave him gold for which he would exchange this country's currency and it worked out splendidly since gold coins were highly valued, Spider was a billionaire for the low price of 20,000 gold, though from what she understood her billionaire status was only because the currency was yen, if she were to exchange it for another like the American dollar then it would be a bit less. Anyway buying the apartment complex and cutting the rent was her way of saying thank you. Living above them was a just a perk.
Unfortunately Inko Midoriya was too persistent in wanting to at least pay something for rent as she didn't feel comfortable living there for free, Spider essentially had no choice but to accept the situation, either way she knew it was the least she could do considering Sheo never sends her anywhere danger isn't present and whether its ten months away or not Izuku Midoriya would be in for a lot of it.
There was still the issue of having to wait until the entrance exam in order to enter UA however. Spider had researched the school and discovered a second set of exams Midoriya hadn't warned her about which had already been handed over for this year and immediately she conjured a copy of the required test, rather than fill it out however Spider cast an illusion spell on the paper so that it displayed the most accurate answers possible, the only thing she actually wrote herself was her name and current address. What? Don't look at her like that it's not cheating if she isn't caught.
With a flick of her hand the test was engulfed in purplish flames and transported into the desk of the headmaster at UA. Provided he wasn't already looking inside it she'd be safe and he'd probably just assume he left it there and forgot.
Now all she had to do was wait. And wait. Maybe wait some more. Looking over at the clock she despaired when it told her it had only been thirty minutes. "Come on! I used to be so good at this, I could literally stand in one place and do absolutely nothing for days, and that was when I was human!"
Seeing as there was nothing for it, she locked her door and set out on her own to explore the city of Musutafu. It wasn't very interesting for the first few hours given that Spider had already seen a lot of what it had to offer in various other worlds she'd had the pleasure of visiting however the unique powers of the citizens was truly different to anything she had seen before. Anything they did could be easily replicated with magic but the shear variety was astounding. Unfortunately Spider only saw it when a hero or villain arrived.
Everyone else just kept their quirk to themselves which was strange to say the least, surely more than a few were able to fly or had some form of transportation power available to them, so why not use it?
Honestly though the more pressing question was why the crime rate was so high, it seemed like everywhere she went there was someone with a weird quirk that wanted to cause a disturbance but this one guy... he topped all of them.
Spider had found herself in a less populated part of town when she saw a tall man dressed in formal attire, a dark purple jacket with enlarged collars and coattails, white pinstriped pants, a purple scarf and gloves to match his jacket and a cane. Oddly his shoes were a dull brown rather than anything extravagant like the rest of his clothing.
As she approached the man carried on talking to himself, or so she thought, instead he was talking to a camera he had perched on a nearby bench.
"And so dearest viewers, you have yet again been able to witness your favourite scoundrel's talents at work as not even the might of three pro heroes was enough to stop Gentle Criminal." The man posed dramatically then quickly made towards the camera and collected it.
Having finally gotten close enough Spider could see what he was talking about, behind him were three unconscious bodies wearing dreadfully bright costumes that she had come to associate with being a hero. 'If I ever wear something like that I'll be forced to kill anyone who saw me.' The Dragonborn shuddered at the thought. Now that she was closer 'Gentle Criminal' noticed Spider for the first time.
"Good day young Ms, are you perhaps a fan here to see my devilish acts for yourself?" He asked.
"I take it you were the one who did this." Spider stated simply, gesturing to the prone forms to her right.
This made the man weary. "Indeed it was I who incapacitated them, and I would rather not enter another fight after the camera has stopped rolling, especially with one so young as you."
"In that case you can consider me a fan, mind if I watch the video?" Spider asked.
"Really?" Gentle Criminal appeared confused at first. "I mean of course, take a seat." He motioned to the bench as he too sat down.
Spider sat next to him as he opened the camera and played the footage back from the start. Gentle Criminal introduced himself and proceeded to describe his next caper, spray painting a moustache that looked like his on the front of the building across from the two, looking up Spider could see it was finished and in all honesty wasn't too shabby. Then on the video it looked like the three heroes were out on patrol and interrupted Gentle as he was adding the finishing touches, with amazing grace the man was able to take the heroes down elegantly and efficiently by elasticising the air itself and slamming them into each other. He then stepped over them and completed his outro bringing them to the present.
"Inspirational is it not?" Gentle Criminal asked rhetorically as he put away the camera. "Has it given you insight into what you wish to do with your future?"
"I'm going to attempt the UA entrance exam in ten months with a friend of mine." Spider replied.
"Ah a hero in the making, why then have you not attempted to stop my dastardly deed?" He asked curiously.
"I don't think you did anything wrong." She told him gaining a surprised reaction. "You've set out to create your own fame and haven't hurt any innocent bystanders that I know of, the only reason they ended up unconscious is because they tried to stop you."
"I would never harm an innocent, you have my word as a gentleman." Gentle responded with conviction.
"Then as far as I'm concerned you're the perfect citizen. Following your dream without compromising it for strangers who really should be minding their own business since there's no harm in what you're doing." Spider reassured him.
"How delightful to meet someone who understands what it is to pursue one's own happiness." Gentle wiped a tear from his eye before standing. "Well I'd best be off, it was nice to meet you Ms...?"
"Spider PoisonBlood, and yes I agree it was wonderful meeting you Gentle Criminal." She replied with a smile. They parted ways after that, he even gave her his number so that she could call him if she needed a favour as he couldn't say no to a fan of his work. Spider took note of his trampoline-like method of transportation and was thankful she'd seen at least one interesting quirk today.
On her return home she ran into a very tired looking Izuku Midoriya attempting to open the door to the apartment complex as he leaned against the wall. Not wanting him to be this pitiful she cast a restoration spell and golden light reinvigorated the youth, alerting him to her presence.
"O- oh hey! Uhm that was weird what did you do to me I don't feel tired at all anymore." He asked as the Dovahkiin opened the door for him.
"I used a healing sp-" She coughed to cover the word she almost said. "I transmitted a wave of healing energy into your body so that you would stop looking as though you were about to die right here and now." Spider told him an closed the door as Midoriya entered the building with her.
They talked as they climbed the stairs to their respective apartments about their day, Spider told Midoriya about the quirks she'd seen and even a new friend she'd made, though she left out the criminal detail only mentioning he was a true gentlemen. Izuku in turn talked about his training with All Might which sounded nothing at all like training but more cleaning trash to make the beach look better.
"Oh I get it, it's a metaphor for all the villains you're going to defeat in the future in order to make the world a nicer looking place." Spider said as they reached Midoriya's floor.
"I didn't think of it like that, maybe you're right. Anyway I'll see you later Spider, thanks for your help." Midoriya said goodbye as the Dragonborn waved to him and continued to her own home.
'Actually the more I think about it I doubt All Might is really that philosophical and he was just too cheap to get a gym membership.' She thought briefly as she opened her door and headed straight for the living room. Spider sat down in a plush armchair and brought her journal out from her inventory along with a quill and ink pot and began to write about her day, just like she used to.
On one occasion Spider set out to the place Midoriya said he was training with All Might, Dagobah Beach. Since they were only in the beginning stages of completing the task of cleaning the entire beach of trash it still looked like a dump however it wasn't difficult to spot a mane of blonde hair alongside a mess of green lochs.
Her approach went unnoticed while Midoriya tried to pull a washing Machine All Might was sitting on in his muscle form. It panned out exactly as you would expect with the boy falling over himself trying to move it yet getting nowhere.
"You were serious... you're literally just moving trash." Spider's voice made both of them turn towards her.
"Ah young PoisonBlood, did you come to cheer on young Midoriya?" All Might asked from his sitting position.
"He looked like death warmed over yesterday so I wanted to see why, I half expected his explanation of... whatever this is to be a joke." Spider was honestly just trying not to take over the boy's training herself.
"But I- I thought you liked the idea, you said before that it represents the future and-" Midoriya was too exhausted to think straight at this point and stopped talking after Spider put up a hand to halt what would have been a never ending flow of words.
"I know, I'm sorry if I offended your work out regime it's just that I have never seen this kind of teaching before." She explained wearily. "Please continue."
"Perhaps you would like to join young Midoriya in his training as I heard you too wish to attend UA, I would need to redo his schedule however it wouldn't be a problem." All Might offered, jumping down from the washing machine.
Unable to keep the small chuckle back the Dragonborn resolved to show the man why his offer was laughable. Placing a hand on the largest piece of junk in the immediate vicinity Spider's fingers sank into the metal seamlessly before it was rocketed skyward in the blink of an eye. Neither Midoriya or All Might had seen it for more than a second as it disappeared from view, not even a spec in the rich blue sky.
"Due to the nature of my quirk I'm already the most powerful being on this planet so I don't exactly need the extra training, but thank you for offering." Spider said as she crossed her arms over her chest with a cocky attitude overtaking her.
All Might took a moment to look her in the eye. "And what if there was someone able to take your quirk away?"
"An interesting scenario but unfortunately no one to create it as another person's quirk is simply a part of them be it in the form of matter or energy and I have control over both, so if anyone was to try and take my power away I assure you they would find it quite impossible." Spider explained confidently. She left the two shortly after and gave Midoriya a few potions to keep his stamina up as well as another health potion for All Might.
A few days later Spider was pacing her apartment thinking of anything she could do in order to relieve her boredom when Inko Midoriya knocked on her door. After a brief hello she asked Spider for a small favour, Izuku had been running himself ragged lately training for the UA entrance exams and he'd forgotten his lunch for today and she wondered if the Dovahkiin would mind dropping it off for him.
Given it was nearing 12:00pm Spider took the box Inko had in her arms and assured her tenant that she would get it to her son, once Inko returned to her home Spider teleported herself to Midoriya's location though it took her a second to figure out why she'd ended up outside when the teen was meant to be in school. Looking around Spider realised she was beside the school building and in a corner stood Midoriya cowering in a corner, three other students trapping him. The three didn't look particularly special in any way, though the chubby one had large wings similar to the imps that dwelled in Spider's realm of oblivion.
"What's wrong Midoriya? Don't tell me you thought that just because Bakugo suddenly started laying off you were gonna get off easy" One with shoulder length dark grey hair all but spat.
"Just means we gotta put you in your place for him." The largest of them said while cracking his knuckles.
"In a way its your own fault, after all why would a quirkless loser apply to go to UA." The last of the three looked just as plain, his hair a little darker than the first one to speak but it was much shorter.
"How do you put up with this?" Spider's voice cut through the four boys making them all turn towards her. "It sounds like they do this often, is there no one that helps you?" She asked Midoriya as she approached.
"Who are you?" The long haired boy demanded.
"Who cares it's just a girl, look she doesn't even go here otherwise she'd have a uniform." Reasoned the shorter haired bully.
"Spider! Wha- what are you doing here?" Midoriya asked nervously.
"That's not important, answer my question." Spider told him, now only a few feet from the group.
"Why would anyone help him? He's quirkless." The fat one said it as if that explained everything.
"Your point being?" She asked irritated.
"Just what he said." Replied long hair. "And if you've got a problem with it go cry to the teacher."
"What's your quirk." Spider's question caught them off guard. "I mean they must be really impressive for you to feel this superior to Izuku. So please, show them too me." She said taking a defensive stance.
"You asked for it." The big one lifted himself off the ground with a flap of his wings, using them to stay airborne while the long haired boy stretched his fingers by about forty centimetres, and the short haired one twisted his facial features into a grotesque image.
Spider was unimpressed to say the least. "You better have a fucking brilliant excuse for letting these rejects bully you." She said looking to Midoriya and dropping her stance. Angered by her comment the tubby one was the first to attack charging down at her, Spider simply leaned to the right completely avoiding him. On his way past she conjured a dagger in her left hand swiftly burying the ethereal looking blade into the boys gut as he crashed to the ground, blood slowly pooling around him.
Unfortunately the other two were already mid swing by the time they'd seen what she did to their friend, their fear taking control too late. Simultaneously grabbing an elongated finger of one and the jaw of the other Spider twisted the long haired boy's appendage until a wet snap was heard causing him to cry out in pain, she quickly let him go and he rushed past her and over the body of his still bleeding friend.
Focusing on the boy with short hair she saw his face had now taken it's regular appearance. "You'd better go and convince you're friend to keep this between us, or you'll have more to worry about than a broken nose." His eyes grew wide from fear and confusion until Spider's head made contact with the bridge of his nose making it crooked and start bleeding.
Spider dropped him too and he took off in the same direction as the long haired kid while she held her hand out and offered a smile to Midoriya who'd since fallen to the floor. "Need some help?"
He took her hand before looking to the boy she'd just stabbed curled up on the floor whimpering in the foetal position. "What about him?"
Her kind smile fell into an emotionless glare as she followed Izuku's gaze towards the kid, the way her eyes held so little compassion as they did scared the green haired teen. "What about him?" She asked coldly
"We- we can't just let him die or how could we say we want to be heroes? Even if he was cruel he deserves the chance to try again." Midoriya argued.
A concerned look crossed Spider for a brief moment. "You're right, though I do wonder how you've managed to hold on to yourself this long." She said in an oddly sage like manner before banishing the dagger and throwing a healing spell at the chubby teen so that he didn't bleed out. He slowly rose to his knees, tears burning his eyes as he looked to the two others behind the school. "One word about this and I'll finish the job." Surprisingly he was the fastest of the three to get away and once he was gone Spider went to sit down on a nearby bench with Midoriya in tow.
"Thank you." Midoriya said getting the Dragonborn's attention again after a small silence.
"So does it?" Spider asked. "Happen often I mean."
"Oh." Midoriya's hand found the back of his neck as he looked away. "I'm used to it so it's fine." He voice sounded distant.
Spider's hand shot to Midoriya's arm pulling back the sleeve of his uniform revealing multiple barely scared over cuts. "If it's fine then why are these here?" She asked dropping his arm. The teen quickly covered the injuries and looked down to the floor having no response. "No one believed you could be a hero before I met you on that roof top did they?" She said, seemingly out of the blue.
It was met with more silence as her friend tried to formulate his answer. "No." Was all he managed to say.
"Tell me about why that is. I want to... understand why everyone throws you aside." She said carefully.
"Well, I uh, I guess it started when I was little. My mom took me to a doctor because my quirk hadn't shown up like it had for everyone else my age, he told us that I had an extra joint in my toe which is a sign that I'll be quirkless, ever since, in a society where quirks are valued due to the pro heroes that work to protect the people I was seen as useless, what I wanted didn't matter." Tears pricked at his eyes but he continued regardless. "When Kacchan got his quirk he only got worse. It didn't matter that we used to be best friends, I was nothing to him, just a toy he could beat up and throw away when he was done." Midoriya wiped the tears that had pooled in his eyes as best he could while recalling the painful memories. "You know he... that day we met, after the teacher told everyone I wanted to apply to UA too he'd practically destroyed one of the the hero analysis ones I write in. Then he said that if I wanted a quirk so badly that I should... that I should take a swan dive off the roof and hope for one in my next life."
They both sat quietly as Spider soaked in the new information.
"And you don't feel angry about it? At how unfairly you've been treated?" Her tone was neutral but the words were laced with unmistakable venom.
"Of course I did... do. But until that day on the roof I still had hope that I had a chance, that at least maybe All Might would say that I could do it if I tried my hardest." Midoriya's tone hadn't changed like it usually did on mentioning the hero. "But even he told me I was too useless to be a hero. Until he offered to pass on his quirk that is." His voice picked up to sound more chipper.
"I know what that's like, to have the reason you hold to hope taken away from you. Only you were lucky enough the man came to his senses, after proving him wrong." Spider looked at the boy at her side. "You don't have to rely on him you know."
"What do you mean?" Izuku turned to look back at her.
Holding her hand out to him a glowing red spell of dazzling light was woven into existence, dancing over the palm of her hand. "One word from you and I'll give you the power to crush everyone that doubted you, no one would be able to blame you for taking it, you'd be a devil of their own design after all." 'No one would be able to hurt you ever again.'
It wasn't for very long but Spider saw it. The temptation to accept her offer and finally have his place in the world even if it wasn't what he'd originally wanted. She could see the thoughts pass through his head. He owed them nothing for the way they treated him. He deserved an opportunity to prove he was just as good as anyone else- no that he was better than they were at their own quirk filled game if only they gave him a chance. With what Spider held in her hand, he could make them see.
He reached out. His deadened eyes having lost their spark after remembering all the abuse and hardships he endured because of a childish dream. But he stopped himself half way and pulled his hand back, new determination replacing the hopelessness his eyes previously held. "I know it's going to be hard but I want to fight for a better world where people like me can feel safe. Even I only save one person, I won't have any regrets."
Spider extinguished the spell and placed a hand on Midoriya's shoulder giving him a reassuring squeeze. "I have a feeling you'll save more than just one person Izuku, and I'll make sure you get the chance to succeed where others expect you to fail."
He smiled at the Dovahkiin before standing and giving her a bow. "Thank you, I... I really needed to hear that."
"But I want you to promise me something in return. About those scars." Her voice was gentle yet stern and she only continued when her friend nodded slowly. "If you feel the need to do that again I want to talk to me instead and if I'm not there then talk to someone."
"... Okay. I- I can do that." Midoriya manages the barest trace of a smile as he stands ready to leave.
He almost left without his lunch but Spider managed to give it to him and wave goodbye as he disappeared around the corner of the school. She used her magic to clean the bloodstains from the floor but remained sitting down for a while longer.
"It's almost a shame Izuku didn't accept... he would have been terrifying."
