Izuku woke up to look at the wooden ceiling of a large building.
The first realization that hit him was that the bed he was on was odd. He wasn't picky, after all he had slept in his share of futons, but there was something odd with the mattress…
That was when, in his effort to touch the mattress, he found himself with a hand covered in straw. A look downward proved to him that he was, in fact, sleeping over some hay. That was enough to wake him up completely and make him look around the room.
That was when the second realization hit him, in concomitance with the stink of excrement and the loud bellowing of a cow. He was in a barn. Looking around, he realized he was in an above level filled with hay. A stair would lead him from there down towards the ground, where a quick look made him count at least eight cows, two horses of different sizes, and a number of farming tools.
Midoriya stood up, and suddenly the third realization, the memory of what had happened, bolted in his mind all at once. He looked around. No sign of the others, or for that matter of his bag. He focused. The last thing he could remember was the campfire, the man with a sword, and…
He jumped down and ran out of the barn, before stopping in awe. The barn opened towards a large house of wood and stone. A dirt path lead from the house to the barn, branching out in other directions. To his left were large fields of what he was fairly sure was grain, although he was never an expert. The ears were rustling softly in the wind coming from the east. In that direction, past the fields and some river, Izuku saw a forest, and beyond that the far-off profile of tall, rocky mountains.
Turning west, he saw another dirt path go from that point toward a dirt road, that continued westward across prairies unlike any Izuku had seen before. He had never been to a place that looked so untouched by the modern world. No asphalt on the road, no sound of machines in any direction. There wasn't even a tractor, and he couldn't see any electric light on the outside of the house or the barn.
He decided to head for the house. Getting closer, he noticed that something seemed off. There wasn't a garage, for one, and he couldn't imagine a farm without a tractor at least. When he made it closer, he noticed some signs of wheels on the ground. Curious, he followed them around the house. Here, under what he would have called a porch, was sitting a wooden cart large enough to comfortably house six people in the back and two in the front.
Even more intrigued, he went back to the front and knocked at the door. To his surprise, the one that opened was Todoroki. Izuku noticed his regrowth was growing more noticeable, red and white hair now visible under the black even without him moving his hair.
"Good morning." He said. "Or, well, I should say good afternoon. It's already three PM after all.
"Oh, Todoroki. Where… Where are we?"
"Now that's an interesting question." He said, "Follow me." He lead him through a corridor with little decorations, and Izuku realized there weren't electrical lights here either. Turning left, they entered the kitchen.
"Oh, you are awake." A familiar voice said from the table "Walked right into that imperial ambush…"
"Shut it Ojiro." Todoroki cut in. The blonde man pouted for a moment, before just shaking his head.
"You have no taste. We end up in a medieval fantasy and all you can think of is how inconvenient this is."
"For the last time, we have not been 'isekaied'." Todoroki replied, while Izuku looked around the room. Like the rest of the house, there was something off about it. There was a fireplace with a metallic pot hanging over it. Some cupboards of various sizes. Plates made of wood piled neatly on one of them, next to some pans made of bronze. No electricity, no sinks…
"Yeah, we haven't even been hit by a truck."
"Ojiro I swear I will melt your face off!" Todoroki shouted, and the other man just chuckled.
"Gods you are loud. I carried you four all the way from the Greywoods, you could at least let me sleep." Another voice said, and they turned to the door. Izuku gasped.
At this point, he had accepted that wherever he would go in the multiverse, he would find another Izuku Midoriya. That didn't change the fact that meeting one was always something surprising. Especially when this version of him was wearing a sword at his belt, had an aura of confidence on his face Izuku had rarely seen on his own, short green hair, and a scar on his left cheek. "Uhm, hello?" He said.
"Ah, you are up too. Sorry for the barn, the farmer here is quite the difficult man."
"A night on some hay has never killed anyone." A second voice, old and raspy, said. The man that entered was an elder man with a short beard. Well built despite his age, Izuku immediately recognized him, even if the difference in height made him doubt his own eyes. That was unmistakably…
"Gran Torino?" He asked.
"What's that?" The man replied, before looking to Izuku and then back to the other version of him. "You never told me you had a younger brother."
"I don't." The other simply replied.
"Cousin? Nephew? Not a bastard, you are too young for one his age."
"I'm also already engaged." The green haired man replied.
The Gran Torino scoffed "Like that ever stopped any of you youngsters."
"First, that's not nice. Second, if he were here Sir Tenri would take offense at that."
The elderly man scoffed again "Sir Tenri should take offense at the stick someone inserted at birth up his…"
Todoroki cleared his throat "This is very fascinating, but can we get to the part where we introduce you two?"
"Right, of course. I'm Izo. Well, Izo of Green Valley, but I bet you have no idea where that is. No one ever does." He said, moving his hand forward to shake hands with him. Izuku noticed the calluses on his hands. He had read something about sword-using Heroes often developing them, so it made sense.
"Uhm. Izuku. Izuku Midoriya." He replied, shaking his hand back. He flinched feeling the strength of his other self's shake.
"Interesting name. Not the first person I meet with that surname." Izo commented, before glancing back at the older man, who just sighed.
"Fine. Hello, youngster that got carried to my property uninvited. My name is Sorak. Is that enough?"
"Sir Sorak Torino, retired Knight of the Order of the Sacred Sword." Izo corrected with a grin, "You should sell yourself better, master."
"I'm an old man that wants to live his last years in his farm on the edge of the Greywoods. Possibly with less youngsters showing up like this is some tavern. I'm not a Knight and certainly not a master." He replied, "Speaking of which, I'll go check the chickens." He glanced at Izuku "And eat something kid, you slept for so long I thought Izo was trying to hide a corpse. Two, if the girl doesn't wake up fast."
He walked out, but his words had woken Izuku's attention "Itsumi, where is she?"
"Still sleeping in a room upstairs." Todoroki said first "Whatever happened last night, it knocked all of us out cold but did a real number on you two in particular."
Izuku nodded. Something had gone wrong, that was for sure. Had they messed up? But she had been using Guide since she was young, so she couldn't have made a mistake. Maybe he had messed up.
"Kid, relax." The green-haired swordsman said.
"You call him kid, but you look barely older than him." Ojiro commented.
"I'm twenty-one, I can damn well call a… sixteen?" He stopped uncertain, and Todoroki nodded "A sixteen-year-old 'kid'."
"If you say so…" Todoroki replied, "Anyway, Izu, to cut a chase short, we ended up in what amounts to a fantasy world. I think some sort of… I don't know, evil overlord sending minions to fight until a chosen one can stop him kind of deal."
"I'd resent the fact you treat my world like it's some fictional tale, but you are not the first to do it." Izo replied, walking to the back of the kitchen. He opened the pot and Izuku felt the smell of soup fill the room. His stomach took it as a notice to start gurgling, which made Ojiro chuckle.
"So…" He started to ask, "We aren't the first?"
"No, you are the third. Second I've met in person, but I heard enough about the third one to not doubt the story." The man explained "So, which of them has the ability? You said you wanted one of the kids to be awake, and now here we are."
"The ability?"
"The spell, or whatever you call it in your world, to jump from a world to another. I'd say it's like Plane Shift, but to be honest I don't know enough about that to make a comparison, since it's such a high-tier spell. I do not think it can take you to another universe though, merely to another Plane within the same universe. Although shouldn't that be possible for you too given…"
"So that's where Izo and Izu's personalities intersect…" Todoroki commented with a grin in the two green-haired direction.
Izo snapped out of his muttering and put the bowl of soup in front of Deku, along with a wooden spoon. "Get some food."
"Thank you." Izuku said, taking a sip. It was still tepid, but he had to admit it was far from the best meal he had eaten. Still, beggars can't be choosers, so he started eating. After a few spoonful, he looked up "I'm the one with the ability." He finally said.
Izo smiled "Ah! Sorak is gonna have to pay his due. He bet on the girl."
Ojiro stared at him "You are awfully calm about this. Is that because of the other man you met?"
"Yes. Isaac Midoriya was a great ally when I first met him. I learned the difference between a universe and a Plane from him." He chuckled "Well, after I almost killed him thinking he was a shapeshifter sent from the Demon King's army."
"Does he come around here often?" Izuku asked. Maybe that meant there was hope.
"Oh, absolutely. Well, not here, but he does pop up in the capital at least once every two or three moons. He is investigating something about my predecessor as One for All's wielder."
Todoroki looked at him puzzled "Really, why?"
"Well…" He started, but then a scream interrupted them, and they rushed upstairs. They found Itsumi on her feet, looking around in a panic.
"Itsumi, calm down." Izuku said, walking up to her.
"W… Where are we? What happened?" She asked "What about the Noumu? What about my parents?!"
"We… We jumped universe." Izuku replied, stuttering a moment before collecting himself "I think something went wrong when we tried to use our Quirks, that's why we lost consciousness."
"What? But why?! I am sure I used my Guide on you."
"And I definitely used Teleport." Deku said "I think we need to find someone in the know. It's the only way to figure this out."
"Yes, definitely." She said "So, what are we waiting for? Just Teleport already."
"Not so fast." Todoroki replied, stepping in "We aren't going anywhere until we have figured out at least what caused us all to faint. We were lucky this time, but if Izu just brought us six meters to the left we would have landed in a campfire. I'm all for going back to your home as fast as possible," He said, and Izuku noticed there was a focus on your in that sentence, "but if before I considered it an option, now I don't think we can just jump like this and keep getting lucky."
"So what? We just stay here?"
"You could ask Atura." Izo replied. Everyone turned to him.
"Who?" Ojiro asked, voicing everyone's question. Well, not everyone, as Izuku thought he knew the answer before it came.
"Atura Mei. She is an alchemist and artificer from the capital. She befriended Isaac over their shared interest in science, so she knows more about his powers than anyone else in this world. And even if she doesn't have the answer, you should go to the capital anyway."
"Because Isaac is supposed to show up there eventually?"
"That, and because King Envor request by law that anyone from another universe is presented to him to make sure they are not villainous in their intent. He put up that law after Isaac came around. Don't worry, I can vouch for you."
"Is it that important? No one knows who we are." Itsumi asked "Not to mention, I'd like to go home as fast as possible."
"I understand, but as a Knight of the kingdom, I can't really break the laws, even if it's to help someone." He said "Come on now, it's two weeks on foot for the capital, but I'll ask Sorak if we can borrow the cart and horses. We should make it in nine days that way."
"Nine days! Isn't there a faster way?"
Izo shook his head "They Greywoods are not a very developed place, in case you hadn't noticed, and I came around here alone this time. If Tenro was here, I could maybe ask him to use his magic to make us go faster, but he is in the capital. Would Urane's Gravity magic help too I wonder…"
"What about your magic?" Ojiro asked "The hero of the kingdom never unlocked fast travel?"
"Isaac asked the same question, but I still don't understand what you mean. I usually travel by foot or buy a horse, but I never found a magic item to make myself travel faster."
Todoroki sighed "Just ask Ser Sorak for the cart, please. I will get them ready."
Izo nodded and left, while the four looked at each other. "So… Fantasy world. Cool, right?" Ojiro asked.
"Mashirao, I know what you are doing, but if you utter another word in front of Itsumi that isn't about her family I will freeze your skull." Shoto calmly replied, before the man looked at Itsumi. "Look, I know how scary this is. I didn't have the… best relationship with my father, but later in life I learned to appreciate some parts of him. I did get scared for his life. I am, right now. And I am scared for my wife, and for my friends. But we need to trust a pro. My father will survive. My wife will survive. And your parents will as well."
Ojiro smiled, a warm expression Midoriya had only seen before on his face when they were talking in the car. He sighed "Sorry. I thought maybe not talking about it was for the best…" He was interrupted where some shouting started from outside the window. Judging from the sound, Sorak wasn't taking well the idea of giving up his cart. "I'll go see if they need help."
Todoroki nodded "I'll go with him. You two get ready to leave soon."
Itsumi and Izuku nodded back, as the man walked off too. "I'm sorry for messing up." They both said after a second, before looking at each other.
"It was probably me. I've only used Teleport a few times, and this was the first time I…"
"It was probably me, I bet it's because I tried to attack and use Guide on you at the same time that…"
They stopped, and then, after a moment, both started chuckling.
"We agree it was both of us, ok?" Itsumi asked once they calmed down.
"Sure." Deku took a deep breath "Look I… I am sure your parents will make it through."
"Yeah." She replied with a sigh "I just wish we could… help them, somehow. But I suppose that's not possible. Where are we going anyway?"
"We have… sort of a plan." Izuku quickly explained everything, making sure to mention Isaac's possible presence in the universe they were in.
"So… We meet this woman and maybe she knows enough from Isaac to help us. That's the whole plan."
"Well… it's better than what we had with your parents, and that worked. A bit. We got something at least. Worst case, we can always try to find Isaac. Izo says he shows up often in this universe."
"I guess that's possible. Man, this is so messed up. I'm supposed to be the cheerful one, not the one that needs help."
"Hey, it's ok. You are going through a lot."
"Oh please, we are both stranded here."
"I didn't leave in the middle of a Noumu attack." He said, before walking to the door. "Come on, we have to go."
As he walked downstairs, he couldn't help but think that, in reality, this was his fault. If he had never showed up at her door, Itsumi would have never been dragged with them now. If they had decided to go to Red Jewel or Lemillion's agencies instead of Fireblitz', or if he had just not jumped in her universe, she wouldn't have been involved. 'She would also be dead. You think she could beat all those Noumu by herself?' A small part of himself argued, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that he had been the one that had actually dragged her into this mess. 'I need to figure this out and help her go back home. That's the least I could do.'
-
It took a lot to convince Sorak to part with his cart and horse. Izo had to promise him to bring it back, and even to pay for a new one if anything happened to it. There weren't really seats on the cart, so they just run a quick rock-paper-scissors contest to decide who would sit next to the knight at the front. To his own surprise, Izuku was victorious, ending up sit behind the horse. The others did their best to place themselves comfortably on the cart's floor.
With that, and a last warning from the elderly to make sure they didn't destroy his cart to fight some bandits 'again' – something that got a laugh out of Izo and another shout from the old man – they set off.
To Izuku, travelling at this speed was quite a change. He had moved on foot, of course, but he had never been on a vehicle slower than a car, except for something small like a bike. And he was pretty sure even a bike would go faster. "Can't we go faster?"
The swordsman shook his head, smiling "Just relax. I know from Isaac's tales you have those amazing things that can take you everywhere faster than any car, or even of a dragon, but the horses will take us where we need to at a reasonable pace."
Deku nodded, but he couldn't help but feel on hedge. So far, he had been to two universes. In one, a series of villain had tried to kill him. In the second, everything seemed good at first, only for things to escalate as they had. 'I really hope it doesn't turn out Teleport is attracted to One for All being in danger.' He pondered the notion a moment, then dismissed it. If that was the case, he would have never landed in All for Deku's world.
'All for Deku…' He looked at his surrounding, the large plains continuing as they traversed farmlands and small thickets of woods. 'Could I have ended up like him? He seems so… unnatural, but he is me, he said that himself.' He shook his head. He didn't know what made them different, but there was something. Something had made one Izuku All for One's successor, and it wasn't just a small change. He wanted to believe… No, he believed that no matter how down in his life he was. No matter how exhausted by the fact he could not reach his dream he was. He would have never become a villain.
He listened to the back of the cart, where the others were talking about the sky. He looked up, and gasped.
The largest flock of birds he had ever seen in his life, thousands of birds making their way across the clear sky in a large, uniform cloud that swirled and turned around. Izuku looked in amazement, but next to him, Izo did something else. He moved his hand to a poach to his side, and after complaining about needing a Bag of Holding or something like that, he took out a small whistle shaped like a beak, that he proceeded to sound. Izuku noticed the hilt of the sword shine for a moment, then a bird detached itself from the flock and landed on the man's shoulder.
"What are the tidings, o proud one?" Izo asked. The bird took a moment, and Izuku thought the swordsman was just joking, then it spoke.
"The Demon Army Fifth Legion advances through the Swamps of the Deadly Herons up north-east. The Tribe of the Rebellious Blood is harassing them, taking their toll, but Chieftess Mina has requested help. The Men that Fly respond with Chief Tomai and Ser Hawk in the lead." The bird said.
"Shit…" The swordsman said, "Thank you, o proud one."
"A friend of the Men that Fly is a friend of all Birdkind. Ring the Beak Whistle, and we shall always help." The bird said, and with that he took flight once more.
"Pardon my Bakugo. The fuck?" Todoroki asked from the back of the cart "Did you just talk with a damn bird?"
"Those 'damn birds' are actually Dark Shadow Crows. They nest in the land of the Birdmen, or 'Men that Fly' as they call them, up in the Mountains of Dawn in the east. They are the most intelligent birds in the world, and are capable of human speech. Their adults are as big as a horse, with wings large enough to cover the entire cart. Back before we made peace with the Birdmen, the Dark Shadow Crows were their spies and their vanguard. Now, they are their messengers to all those that oppose the Demon King. Seeing just one might be an oddity, but seeing that many is unmistakable. Chief Tomai is clearly aware this is an important battle."
"Will you help?" Itsumi asked.
"Probably. Once we get to the capital, I can use the Shadow Mist to travel there."
"I thought you didn't have a way to fast tr... move through different places at high speed."
"I don't. The Shadow Mist is a living thing, we merely managed to keep it imprisoned. Using it is dangerous, but I'm the wielder of One for All. I can't just avoid the fight."
"If it's so important, what were you doing alone out here?" Todoroki asked.
Izo did not reply for a long moment, before shaking his head "Just something an old seer told me to do at the right time."
Izuku and Ojiro looked at each other, but they all agreed it wasn't a matter to press further, so Izuku moved to another matter.
"So… One for All is that sword, uh?"
"Indeed." The knight replied "I believe you come from one of those worlds where One for All is a form of magic. But here, the sword itself is something more."
He showed the weapon. Izuku recognized it as a western sword, one he had seen in movies and comics, but he didn't know enough to be impressed by the quality. The curved hilt, the simple design and the general look didn't make it look special. If anything, the sword looked old, with scratches all over it. However, there was something more to the weapon. Izuku could tell at a glance this wasn't just any old sword.
Izo aimed the blade at a tree stump next to a barren patch of land, and started to chant. "Oh, Hero of the Storm and Thunder, third wielder of the Sword of Mankind, lend me your power and through your grace give me the magic to slay my foe."
The sword crackled with electricity, before a thunder resounded at the same time as the tree stump was struck by lightning. Izo chuckled, before quickly chanting again, this time at a lower tone. Izuku felt a drop on his head and looked up to see a small cloud that quickly started releasing water on the tree stump and the area around it. "That is so cool…" He heard Ojiro comment from the back, and looked in time to see Todoroki's jaw go back in it's place.
"The wielder of One for All inherits the magic and battle prowess of its predecessors, summoning them to battle by his or her side. I am the tenth of them all, the first in a century."
"Isn't it hard to chant every time you have to use it though?"
"You learn to get fast. For one, it's a great encouragement to stop stuttering." The wielder replied with a chuckle.
The cart grew quiet again. Izuku looked at the surrounding land as the road left behind the plains to continue west, entering the hills. Here, he noticed the things he hadn't before, looking at squirrels on the trees, foxes disappearing in the undergrowth, and eagles flying in the sky above. Then, as the sun set behind the hills, they saw the city. Standing on a more isolated hill, the town had a small defensive wall of wood, that Izuku could have climbed with ease. The gates were wide open, allowing carts in and out of the city, and so they entered.
Seeing a medieval city was something new for Izuku. Which was a given, but it wasn't even like a comic, an anime, or a book. Most of those didn't give quite the same vibe as the city in the late afternoon, with a large central roads and smaller alleys that led deeper into the small maze of houses. Izo however did not stop, merely continuing until he reached a larger house. No, Izuku realized looking at the sign, a tavern.
Ojiro was the most excited at the idea of seeing a real tavern. He had pretty much figured out already the man really liked medieval fantasy settings. Todoroki just shook his head as they followed the swordsman inside, after he tied the horses.
The tavern itself was filled with people. At first, Izuku thought it was strange there was no one with a Mutant Quirk, then he realized here it was normal. 'Well, a world where everyone looks human, that's another thing that is weird to imagine.' Of course, he knew that before the Quirk emerged, his own world was the same, but seeing it was quite another thing.
"I'm suddenly glad I don't have my tail." Ojiro murmured, and Izuku realized everyone was looking at them like they were some sort of wild beast.
"They don't get many visitors here. It's a very isolated area." Izo explained, "Just take a seat and try to not act like you have dangerous intentions. I'll be right back." He walked to the bar, while the others sat down at a free table.
"Charming." Todoroki commented, "We have been here for two minutes and I hate it already."
"Yeah I know, the 'village afraid of strangers' is a boring trope. Usually it get solved easily by… Oh shit."
"Please don't say that…"
"No, you don't understand, this is where we get either the 'mob that tries to attack the hero for made up reasons' or the 'mysterious attack that the hero defeats gaining everyone's trust'."
"Ojiro I will…"
"Melt my face, whatever, listen, this is a fantasy world. I know this stuff."
"Then read better books and watch better anime, I don't care. The fact this world has magic and a medieval society doesn't make it a 'fantasy' world, it just makes it a… medieval world with magic."
"A thousand yen says tonight something big happens."
"Know what? Fine. Here, Izu, hold them for me." Todoroki said, taking out some of their money and handing them to Izuku "I'll get them back tomorrow morning."
"Not to interrupt something, but can we talk of what's actually important?" Itsumi asked "Namely, what we are gonna do once we get to the city."
"That's easy." Izo explained, returning to the table with the same smile he seemed to keep on his face whenever he wasn't worried, sitting next to them "I will introduce you to the court. Once that formality is taken care of, we can go meet Atura. Hopefully, she knows something that can help."
"Yeah, and if she doesn't? I wanted to know if they felt like jumping or waiting for Isaac. I personally want to try the former, but…"
"But you don't think it's safe." The swordsman replied, nodding "Well, the Prince once told me that if we always assume the worst-case scenario, we will never take a single step forward. That a risk should be calculated, but it should never stop someone from acting if they believe it's the right course of action."
"Pretty smart prince." Ojiro commented "So, does he like his father or…"
"Your face. Melted." Shoto replied, stopping him.
"It's not about the… setting. It's about the fact that I think the son of king Envor would be someone with a red and white mane, if you catch my drift."
"Oh."
"Yes, the king and his son are in a decent relationship. Not the best, but nothing that makes the court whisper. Prince Shor is the heir to the throne, after his older brothers' death, so everyone scrutinizes him a lot. Not that they have to worry. He is the smartest Human I know, and a good sorcerer as well."
"Why specify human?"
"Well I know a smart Beastman that looks like a mouse… or is it a bear… whatever, and that one is the smartest person I know."
-
After a dinner of bread, cheese and meat, with some beer Izuku managed to turn down without sounding too offensive, Izo lead the four travelers to a bedroom with four beds and then pointed Itsumi to a single room. Deku barely managed to touch the bed before he quickly fell asleep, still tired from the teleportation.
Only to be awakened by the sound of a large bell.
As Deku opened his eyes and looked outside the narrow window, he could hear Todoroki's curses.
"Goddammit Ojiro." He said, as they stared at the western wall, where some mysterious figures were climbing and apparently fighting off some guards "Would it hurt you to be wrong sometimes?"