It was their third pot of stew, the first two bringing abominations that had to be put down for the good of all living things. He could still hear their screeches, and knew they would haunt his nightmares.
"Okay, attempt number three at cooking …." Lied said, as they all stared at the pot. "Eiko, you taste it."
"WHAT!?"
"Now hear me out. I steal your tastebuds, then you eat it, and I get all the bad taste, while you get all the health problems." Lied tried to justify.
"Guys look, I'll just take the first bite." He tried to insert himself into the conversation.
"No, you shouldn't risk yourself Izu, Lied should." Eiko pointed out as if his life had more meaning.
"Why am I the sacrificial lamb here?! I thought we bonded through our torture!" Lied and Eiko were sending death glares to each other once again. "How about we just say we tried it and agree to eat the grass from here on out? We've gone through enough supplies as it is."
"Guys, here, I'll end it right now." He took a spoonful of their cobbled up stew. "It's.." That immediately sent a spike of pain into his gut. "..barely palatable. It doesn't taste like anything, so we're not going to throw it back up."
"Thank Devi." Lied spoke, gobbling it down. "I just need something in my stomach to last, my own taste buds have been utterly destroyed."
"Tell me about it, I don't think I can look at another candy again without going green. I don't know how Clara survives on so much sugar on a daily basis." Eiko shuddered. "Barbatos didn't have you hunt your own food or anything for your training, right?"
"No, she just made me kill the food, the rest she cooked herself." He shrugged as the other two looked at him. "... I had to improve accuracy with moving targets."
"Huh, to think I bet on you just staying her maid throughout the entire time. I can never pick the right bet when it comes to you." Lied huffed. "Are you sure you still want to place a thousand on you winning? I love the gamble, but even for you it's a big risk to take."
"I'm loaded thanks to grandpa, it's the matter of principle at this point. Everyone keeps making bets on me and for antichrist's sake, I'm going to win one of them." He growled.
"Well I'll be happy to make sure you wi-" The two cut themselves off, looking at a bush. "... We're not alone." And that was one thing to set Izuku on edge.
"This could literally be anything. It could be a dangerous beast or one of the students hoping to take advantage of our slower strategy." Izuku alearted his team. "Prepare to make a run for it. I have something that'll help us flee."
Lied held his hand over his headset. "The footsteps are dainty, planed, body type is likely that of a woman. Just one." He called out. One woman, that didn't spell good news.
The bushes actually rumbled this time, everyone tensed as out of it came … Elizabetta? "Oh, hello everyone."
"Oh shit, we're doomed." Lied cried out. "Don't look at her, don't look at her." Lied turned around, but Izuku and Eiko didn't move at all. "I SAID DON'T LOOK AT HER! She's too strong for us!"
"Uh, okay, if you say so." Eiko shrugged, looking back at the succubus. "I mean, I know we all agreed that it's every demon for themselves this time around, but aren't you overblowing it a little?"
"What makes you say that? It's actually my partner that suggested this." Izuku was tapped on his shoulder as a chill went down his spine, spinning around for … Falfal? No, it was a stuffed costume of Falfal.
"Izuku-kins." Clara's voice came from inside the costume.
"Oh Clara, I almost forgot about your costume. It really has been a while for us, hasn't it?" He greeted his best friend. "Do you need help with anything?" Even if it was a competition, he wasn't above assisting her or anyone that asked.
She raised her hand and gestured a 'come here' signal of wanting to whisper something in his ear. Seeing nothing wrong, he leaned down closer, reaching her eye level. She then gave a smirk that sent a chill up his spine, the mouth of the suit closing and opening to show a green and bottomless hole, one that she quickly dragged him through. Somehow, still not the weirdest thing she's done.
Eiko could only watch in terror as Clara just ATE IZU! "You little bitch! Spit him back out!" She charged at the walking pile of soon to be shredded pillow stuffing, but the annoying girl just did that irritating rolling move she always does.
"Wait, don't leave me behind! I can't handle her on my own!" Fuck Lied, Izu comes first. She continued to chase the rolling creature, trying to cut it off but failing. The sheer sugar it contained fuling it endlessly.
"Come back here! Don't tell me you spent all this time training just to get Izu all to yourself!?" Damn it! She knew she should've kept a closer eye on her! In all honesty, she didn't expect Clara to learn anything at all in terms of seduction, and considering Eiko was on the same team as Izu, she highly doubted she'd get the chance to do anything either.
'But now they're together, all alone, in a dark, stuffy, costume that's probably making them super sweaty and forcing their bodies to constantly spoon one another!' Her imagination was rightfully going wild at the thought, as Clara was no doubt already attempting to take Izu's innocence away!
She reached into her bag, focusing on running while assembling without much effort, eventually making a grappling hook. She would have just blasted the girl, but that would have run the risk of damaging Izu. She attempted to shoot, but the thing just jumped onto a tree, climbing it high. "Come on, how are you this fast and mobile with two people in it!?"
The suit, as if hearing her, just gave her the middle finger as it climbed. Oh it was on now! She screamed in rage, taking out metal blades and just climbing the tree with sheer force of will and effort. "I may have not learned to be super agile in my training, but I know how to handle an escalating situation with ease!" The entire jungle was like one large puzzle in her eyes, there was something that alway fit everywhere. Like how the vines made very convenient ropes!
They now chased upon treetops, branch to branch as they made their way. A clever monkey screamed in horror when the dinosaur suit and her sped past them at incredible speed. She would chase this woman to the ends of the earth … or back to the campsite. Did they really just go in a giant circle? She also happened to notice, however, an unconscious Lied under a smiling Elizabetta, who noticed and waved to Eiko. What happened! How was she so dangerous!?
"Now that they've left that leaves just the two of us … doesn't it?" She smiled at the shaking boy. Oh, looks like PH2 picked up some of PH4's traits. It suited him very well. "Let's enjoy the privacy as they have their playtime."
"Us, alone?" PH2 stuttered out, doing everything in his power to keep his back turned away from her allure. "No! Not going to happen! I won't let myself be deceived!"
She tilted her head. "And what do you mean … deceived?" Elizabetta asked, tilting herself forward, a bounce of her breasts in his eyes.
"I know how this ends! You hypnotize me and walk away with the goods. I've seen way too many dating sims to know the pretty one doesn't want anything to do with the loser."
Oh dear, looks like PH2 had more in common with PH4 than she assumed. "Don't you remember your challenge with the Astrology-sensei, about how my bloodline works? We worked pretty well together, didn't we?" She leaned in more forward, gently caressing the tip of his right horn.
"Yeah, we did. You made him do what you say with pheromones, while I distracted him while playing. Hardest game of my life other than training, I um, couldn't have won without you." Oh, was this what it felt like to be on the receiving end of PH4's smile? The warm feeling of importance deep inside of you that yearns to be free and repricicate the attention?
"Yes, and I thought I told you about how I use it." She cupped his cheek. "I could never use it against somebody I like, no matter how much I'd want to." Elizabetta gently started rubbing his face, lowering her hand towards the buttons of his uniform. "And I'm sure you're someone I like very much."
"Re-really?" He asked, gulping and sweating. "Do you, you really like me?" She gently began to unbutton his top, slowly, as she leaned into his ear.
"Of course, you're quite the amazing demon. Very cute as well." If PH1 didn't wise up soon and start paying more attention to her, they may actually go down a rank in her eyes very, VERY soon.
"TAKE IT!" PH2 shoved his supplies towards her, having broken down the moment skin hit his chest. "It's everything we've been able to gather so far. We have food to eat too, in case you'd like to stick around, and, ah, talk more about what you like!"
"What do I like?" She asked, smiling as she took it. He was very kind, even if acted a bit rough and out of it. "I like everyone in our class of course."
"... Everyone?" He asked, suddenly much less red. Strange, what caused this reaction in PH2?
"Why yes, I like everyone in the class." And suddenly his face went very blue before hitting the ground. Odd, she could have sworn she made it clear at one point or another. There was no one in the class she didn't want to marry. They all had the chance to be her prince in her eyes!
"How did you fuck up this bad!" Elizabetta blinked, turning to PCB and the bitch known as Clara. Well the suit was on autopilot, so it made sense that they would be hard to keep away. At the very least she cemented herself in the eyes of PH2-soon to be PH1. Now if only PH4 could break out of that dense shell of his. If PH3 could open up to PCC, there was hope for PH4.
"Would you like to share a meal while we wait for everyone to wake up? It could be some time." Elizabetta asked.
"What the-I can't just leave Izu inside an enclosed space!" PCB screamed at her.
"Oh, don't worry about that, the Toybox has plenty of open space if that's what you're worried about."
"Cl-clara, what are you doing!? What is this?!" Izuku-kins excitedly trembled as the two of them were now inside Bakkun. Oh, she could tell how much Izuku-kins missed her, he got all shaky and sweaty rubbing up against her as she squeezed them tight. Why didn't she think about doing this before!?
"I figured out a new power with Raimy, I'm going to seduce you with full power!" She shouted
"Se-seduce?! Cl-clara, aren't you taking it a bit far?" Izuku-kins asked. "W-we're already friends, there's no need to worry…"
"That's not it though." She mumbled. "Lady Red Hair, Eistring, Pink Cup, everyone wants to take you away." She squeezed him tighter. "Well no more, we're going to go to the next level."
"The … next level?" He was turning red, like a yummy sweet fruit. "Ah, wha-what's the next le-level?"
"Don't you worry, little buggy. Instructor Clara will explain everything." If only she had her teacher hat on. "Bakkun will make sure nobody interrupts us. I taught him how to run even when I'm not doing anything!" Conor and Murf made great friends with Bakkun. They kept talking about 'the end times' and 'master of makings' all the time, but they were nice to her and loved to be petted. "We're heading to my toybox now. Hang on." She became even closer to him, gently planting her forehead against his own.
It didn't take long before they were in the place she and Raimy created together! All playthings and candy anyone could ever ask for, except Izuku-kins didn't even have to ask, because she would just give it all to him, just like he always did with her! "... Clara, where are we right now?" He asked with wide eyes. "Did we suffocate? Is this the afterlife!"
"Silly Izuku-kins, we're not playing dead!" At least, not yet they weren't. "We're in my toybox! An entire world that I created for us to play in!"
"So you made a world? It's in your pocket, so I assume this is just a reversal of normal creation. That would mean this is the inside of your mind?" Izuku-kins looked at the floating trees, swirly sun, and toys all over. "... Yeah that checks out." Izuku-kins looked to himself, and started shaking again. "Ah, Clara! Why do I look like I'm four years old!?"
"Because when you're a kid your life is super fun!" Silly Izuku-kins, fun is what rules here! The court of fun judges all. "Now let's play water tag!" She grabbed a water gun and started squirting him.
"Clara-nows not-ah, I'm gonna get you!" Everyone was reluctant at first, but they eventually agreed the Toybox was super fun! "Come back, you're too fast!" He tried to shoot water at her, but she skilfully moved out of the way.
"You can't hit me, Izuku-kins! I'm the queen here! Everything you think of is possible here!" Clara rolled around, hiding behind a pillow hill.
"Oh really. Does that mean I can.." Izuku-kins looked to himself, and smiled brightly, before glowing. A flash of light later, and he was wearing some sort of blue bunny costume with yellow ears. "Yeah, I'm All Might Junior, the super strong sidekick of the best hero! Don't be alarmed, because I AM HERE!" He hopped in the air and pounced at her. "California Smash!" He slammed into her.
'Oh, so he liked heroes even as a kid.' She thought as they were launched into the pillow castle, laughing all the way. "Alright All Might Junior, then I'm going to be Bunny Lady the second, and together we fight the evil cardboard drago Azz-Azz!" She shouted, now wearing a white fluffy costume that clung to her body.
"Bah, bah, I'm cardboard, fun is boring." Shouted a giant pink haired cardboard cut out of Azz-Azz.
"It's the most evil creature I have ever encountered!" Izuku-kins smiled with determination. "Bunny Lady the second, hop on his head! I'll go for the neck!" Wow, he was getting really into this. Even in her most fun games, she's never seen him so invested in the roleplay before.
"Alright, All Might Junior, let's hop it! Super spinney Wind Kick!" She did as she was asked, dancing all over the cardboard Azz-Azz's head, making it super irritated and frustrated. "It's all on you, best friend!" Note to self, dress Azz-Azz in cardboard.
"Detroit … Smash!" He shouted, hitting the dragon in the neck and causing it to crumble. "Yay, we're heroes! I like being a hero … even if I'm quirkless." He looked sad for a moment. That wouldn't do.
"What are you talking about All Might Junior, you're the quirkiest guy I know, the most fun! Now let's go save some kittens!" She shouted with wide arms in an exaggerated motion.
"You're right, It's hero time!" He grabbed her arms and dashed forward towards a tree that was surrounded by paper fire with Kitties all around it. "Carolina Smash!" He took her into a spinning position, and the both of them shot forward like a cannon. Oh, now they even had new stuff to try out in the real world!
Jazz walked with Schneider, mentally tallying up points, the latter writing them down for extra tally. "And those last ones gave us a nice thousand points … meaning we're now carrying at least four thousand each."
"That would be correct, we're on a roll." Schnieder agreed. Who knew the nerd could easily slip into the deceptive thief roll so easily. Looks like he had a partner in crime after this was all said and done.
"Yeah, but we have to keep going. If we're planning on spitting, this isn't going to be enough. We have to go for a full victory, or that bastard is just going to keep making fun of us, and keep us in debt!" He felt his teeth grit. "It's just like dealing with my brother, except times a hundred!"
"Yeah, annoying as fuck." Scheinder also picked up the habit of cruising. It at least sounded more natural than Izuku's cursing. "Is your brother really that bad?"
Jazz growled. "The absolute worst, I'd rather deal with General Furfur than that bastard. He's an entire lump of walking self evil! A huge druck and deadbeat, never gave a single thing in his life without turning it into some sort of cash in for himself."
"Yo, little bro, got some cash!?"
"See, just like that, always asking for mone-wait a second." He froze mid step, turning to see his very brother right in front of him, looking as sleezy as ever. "What in the nine rings are you doing here!?" Jazz started to feel very drained, very sleepy, but his fear and anger at the moment was keeping it all in check.
"Hey sonny. Have some spare change?" His brother's voice called to him again, and when he turned, he saw ANOTHER Rock M. Andros.
"What could be worse than two of them!" Jazz shouted in genuine terror
"Triple trouble." "Or five." "How about thirty." He turned to each and every voice, seeing hundreds of his brothers standing around.
"Jazz, whatever you're seeing I can't, you have to know it's an illusion!" Schneider tried to shake him out of it. He knew it was an illusion, there was no way he could multiply, but the posture, the attitude, it was far too effective to be a replica.
"Oy, brat, bring me some booze!" "I pawned your watch but it was super cheap." "Can't you steal something of quality sometime?" "Hey, you have a spare five hundred on you? I'll just take your wallet." "Mom and Dad already know you're just an inferior version of me."
Every comment grated him more and more, boiling louder and louder. "Shut up!" He began kicking the illusions, over and over as his hands faded through them. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up you horrible, louching, DEADBEAT OF A BROTHER!" The voices stopped, he noticed that his last hit felt more solid.
"Attacking another student with physical assault, that's a foul." The Rock he kicked faded away, revealing another first year with glasses, blocking the kick effortlessly with his arm.. "You've been eliminated, Andro M. Jazz."
"How did … it was so real … every line was something he'd say right out of the box." Jazz starred in minor horror, reeling from that.
"My bloodline is Trauma, you created the illusion that I could never see." Glasses told him, walking away. "And I'm going to use it to drown your class and in a darkness so deep, they'll never reach the light of day." Glasses walked away without another word, fading into the forest.
"... So, what's the next move?" Schneider asked him. Wasn't it obvious? Jazz spoke these next words with a feral smile.
"We'll abuse the rules to screw him right up the ass."
