Chapter 19_Lost in the Snow
Chapter Summary: The group has been separated from one another in the frozen tundra of the wasteland. Now they must try to survive and find each other as the imp forces hunt them down.
Endeavor practically stomped through the halls of the ice caverns, fuming as his flames flared. So! Demons had returned once more to their lands, have they? They took down the trolls, and his people were to be next, were there? No. No, Endeavor wouldn't allow that. True, he and his kind had fallen prey to the demons and their powers once, but he would not make that mistake twice. He hesitated back then, but not this time. He would hunt the summoner and his followers down himself!
He entered a room filled with his people. There weren't as many as there once were, however, that just meant that the weak had been weeded out, and now the strongest stood before him.
"Why have you called us here, Endeavor?" one of the imps asked, teeth clattering despite the furs. "There had better be a good reason!" Endeavor growled in response as he stepped on a platform to address his people. The chatter continued until Endeavor created a blast in his hands.
BOOM!
The sound echoed, shaking the cavern. While the imps thought this action was stupid as they were inside a cave, the sound did its job, and the others fell silent. Once the Chief had the attention of his followers, he began to speak.
"A demon summoner has arrived in our lands," he announced to everyone around him. Voices exploded out in a mix of tones.
"What?"
"Demons? Here? Are you quite sure?"
"What does that mean?"
"Does that mean that brat has-"
Endeavor raised his hand. This didn't silence them, but the flash of the jewel on his chest did.
"I saw him and his beast. I destroyed the demon, but it's likely the summoner had a trick to defend himself-" They usually did. "—so he will soon call others. For that reason, we will hunt him down and kill him before he can do so.
"He has seven helpers on his side. They may look like small children but don't be fooled; Demons have many tricks that they will use to try and fool you. You can't give them even an inch without dire consequences. As you all well know-" He waved at the snow around them. There was a variety of expressions in the crowd, most of them angry. "If you see the summoner or his helpers, do NOT hesitate. Kill them immediately. That is an order!"
He stepped down from the platform as he started to walk away. As he did so, another walked beside him.
"Is it true? That the demons are returning?"
"Seems so."
"And… are they responsible for bringing the mountain down?"
"Who else?" They tried to blame it on the Troll Queen, and while Endeavor wouldn't put it past her, that made no sense. Why bring her kingdom down? She was blood-thirsty and quite insane, but not stupid. It was more likely that the summoner or one of his cohorts did something to her, got in her head, and manipulated her somehow. Demons were good at that. Now the trolls and their mountain were gone.
'Good riddance.' he thought. It was their fault for being too weak and foolish to handle the enemy. That wouldn't happen to him or his people, no. No, they were strong. The winter was a hindrance at first, but they arose from the ice stronger than ever. Stronger than even THAT person. That boy may have tried to wipe them out, yet they survived. True, a few died along the way, but that was their own fault for not being strong enough.
"Sir, if what you're saying is true and the demons are returning, it may be wise to lower the barrier and-" The man was cut off as a hand wrapped around his throat. Endeavor growled, his flames growing around him.
"DON'T. YOU. DARE!" he seethed. "We don't need them! We've NEVER needed them! We can handle this ourselves!" With that said, he tossed the man at the far wall before stomping off, his footsteps echoing.
From a corner, hidden behind the ice, three children watched.
"Sheesh! Is it just me, or is he angrier than usual?" A girl with pink hair said in a quiet whisper.
"Who knows?" a slightly older boy with red and whitehair mumbled.
Beside him, Bakugou let out a growl. "Frickin' asshole! I found them! They're MY prey! I should be the only one allowed to hunt them down! It's my right!"
"Chill out, Bakugou!" the girl said, an annoyed frown on her face. His attitude really got on her nerves. He was always stomping around, acting like he was the biggest, baddest, imp ever born, and made sure the world knew it. Nonetheless, she decided to be the mature one here. Heck knows he wouldn't. She took in a breath.
"Maybe this is for the best. I mean, demons aren't things you want to mess with," she tried to reason. "And they took down an entire mountain! Hell, it was probably a good thing Endeavor found you when he did."
Rather than calming him, this enraged the imp.
"Are you calling me weak?!" Bakugou snarled. His hands sparked, and the impette ducked behind the other boy with a squeak. Said boy didn't make any notable movement, but it was clear that Bakugou wouldn't be allowed to harm her. Not that Bakugou was going to bother to try.
"I'll have you know I would have crushed them last night if Endeavor hadn't gotten in the way!" he ranted, furious at the memory. He had been so close! Compared to him they were weak. This whole business would have been avoided if not for the Imp Chief.
"It might have been a trick to lure you into false safety!" the girl urged. Despite her intense dislike of the bully, she still worried slightly. "Bakugou, maybe you should just let the adults handle it. It's not safe-!"
The boy viciously waved her concern aside as he threw out his arm.
"Shut up! A nobody who only makes sprinkles of acid should stay silent and think twice before speaking to their better!" The girl shuffled back slightly, annoyed and hurt, but Bakugou paid no mind. "I'm going to be the greatest warrior there was! I'll even surpass All Might! And to prove it, 'll find this summoner and his followers an' I'll kill them all myself! And then-" He pointed at the other boy who had remained quiet the whole time. "You're next, half and half!"
With that, he stormed off, resembling their leader a bit too much for the impette's liking. She let out an irritated sigh as she stepped out from behind the other. "Should we let him go?"
The other boy shrugged, not really giving a damn.
"If he wants to throw his life away, that's on him," he said as he started to walk away. "Thanks to that bastard, we'll all die anyway."
777
When Shouta awoke, his skin stung from the cold. Movement was hard for the human, but he managed to push himself up. His eyes searched the dark blue area.
"Izuku? Tsuyu? Toru? Tenya?" he called. "Ochaco? Denki? Momo? Anyone? Hey, answer me!"
No, no, no! This couldn't be happening, it couldn't! He scrambled to his feet and called out their names again and again. The only answer Shouta received, however, was the billowing of the cold wind. Shouta fell to his knees and slammed both fists into the feathery frost.
"Dammit!" He had just saved them. He had just saved them from the troll queen only to lose them here?! Why was the world so against him?!
He took deep breaths and tried to rationalize his thoughts. He survived, so it was reasonable they did too. He just had to find them before they froze to death. Momo might be okay, as she could make blankets for herself, and Izuku was resourceful, so he'd be fine as well. The rest were in trouble, especially Tsuyu, who could already be freezing to death.
And that bird—as stupid as it was to care about it, Shouta did. The creature tried to save them and was probably burned alive for its efforts. Then again, it wasn't a natural bird, so maybe it survived. He couldn't believe that he hoped it did.
He struggled to his feet. If nothing else, he knew he had to keep moving. That was the important thing right now. If he allowed himself to freeze to death, who would save Hizashi and the dwarfs? He had to survive, no matter what the world threw at him. Not that he wanted to tempt it at this point.
"Well. What do we have here?"
'Shit.'
777
Izuku, Momo, and Tenya thought they were off well enough. After all, they were the thinkers of the seven dwarfs. As soon as they found each other and made sure everyone was okay, they started discussing their next move to find the others as they got their bearings.
"According to the compass Momoyao made, the elfs are this way!" Izuku pointed south, towards the green light in the distance.
"But the others won't know that, will they?" Momo pointed out.
Tenya nodded in agreement. "That's right, they won't. And we can't leave them in enemy territory."
Though it seemed everywhere was 'enemy' territory lately. To be fair, it had been that way their whole lives, but at least in the forest, they could always retreat to the safety of their cottage. Not to mention they always had their gems to protect them. Now they had nothing to protect them except each other, and they were separated.
Izuku shifted as he thought. "I know that, but how can we find them? If they're not…"
No one said that last word. It wasn't the first time the dwarfs lost someone, but it still hurt. Even so, what could they do? They were unfamiliar with the area, had no idea where the rest of their family was and were surrounded by enemies. The situation was against them.
Momo pressed her lips together, then bit them as she thought of a plan. "I think—we should try to get to the elfs," The boys turned to her. "Wandering around will just get us into trouble. And waiting around will just bring trouble to us."
"But what about the others?! We can't just-" Tenya started.
"We can't do anything except try to get help!" Momo urged. "I'm worried too, but we can't just search every part of this area. Plus, everyone knows where we're going, so they'll try to head that way. I hate it too, but it's all we can do right now."
Tenya bit his bottom lip."I hate to admit it, but you're right…" Then he looked up, determined. "But we have to hurry! The longer we dally, the more likely everyone—will be in danger. The other two nodded in agreement. Knowing that time was against them like everything else, they all started to run.
They just prayed that the others were alright.
777
"AHCHOO!" Denki shot awake with a sneeze. He wiped at his nose with his sleeve. "Ugh, why is it so cold?" He glanced around and saw snow, snow, more snow, the fleeting hope of seeing anything but snow, and Ochaco with Tsuyu. Tsuyu was dozing away in Ochaco's arms as the girl tried to wake her.
Ochaco looked up as he started to move. "Are you okay, Denki?"
Denki moaned, placing a hand to his head. "Urk… What the hell happened?"
"Don't you remember?" He frowned. Then it all came back to him in a rush—the Queen trying to kill them, the mountain caving in, the crazy imps trying to kill them, the bird saving them, then the fire tornado.
Denki gulped. "Are we dead?"
Ochaco shook her head. "I don't think so. But we got separated from Mr. Aizawa and the others." Denki looked around and saw that she was right. They really were alone.
Instinctively he shifted closer to the girls. "Do you know where they are?" Denki groaned when she shook her head. "Then what do we do?"
Ochaco pulled the sleeping Tsuyu closer, her thick brows cress together. Usually, they followed Tenya or Momo, and when they weren't around they followed Tsuyu or Izuku. Now all of them were missing except for Tsuyu, who was in no condition to do anything but sleep. Ochaco got used to following Mr. Aizawa, but he was gone too, wasn't he? It was just them.
She glanced down at Tsuyu, hoping the other dwarfelle would wake up and help them. Not only did she continue to sleep, but she was getting colder, her skin tinged with blue. Didn't Mr. Aizawa tell them that they could get sick if they got too cold? And if she got ill, then-
"We need to find something warm!" Ochaco announced finally. "We have to get Tsuyu warm before she gets sick!" It wasn't a plan, but it gave them something to focus on.
Denki nodded in agreement. "Okay, but what? I doubt we'll find blankets anywhere."
"We'll look for fire!"
"Where? The only ones who have fire are those imp guys, and I don't want to meet any of them EVER again." Denki said, groaning at the memory.
Ochaco sighed, agreeing with him. "Too bad your lightning can't create fires." Then she remembered something. "Speaking of which, how is your quirk? Does it—does it still hurt?" Denki shifted.
"Kinda? I don't wanna use unless we have to, though." He didn't like it when his brain short-circuited. It wasn't a new thing, but it only happened when he used too much juice. Now even the tiny sparks hurt him.
Ochaco, whose own powers made her sick, understood. "Let's just start walking. I'm sure we'll find something."
"Hopefully, some hot babes," Denki muttered with a pervy chortle, remembering the women from the pictures in Izuku's book. He thought for a beat. "Then again, with our luck, those hot women would be on fire or trying to set fire to us." Ochaco giggled at that, but it faded.
"I hope Mr. Aizawa and the others are okay."
777
Shouta stared up at his captor, cursing his run of luck.
Standing above him was a woman with horns that resembled rabbit ears. She met his gaze, flipping her long white hair over her shoulder. She had a large, wide grin on her face. It wasn't a friendly one, but one of someone looking for an excuse to beat someone up.
"So, you're the one that's got our leader all wound up, huh?" she commented, looking him over with a red gaze of embers. Her face displayed that she wasn't impressed at all. "You don't look like much. But I've never seen a vampire in yellow, so that's something."
Shouta made a sound in his throat as his face fell into irritation. Rather than saying anything, he tugged experimentally at the rope binding his wrists behind his back.
There weren't any rational reasons to fight back. He was exhausted, injured, lost, and it was clear this woman was a fighter. He was not. Plus, he hoped that by letting himself be captured, he might find the dwarfs. If he was lucky, he might even be able to steal a map so they could get out of here.
"Then again, maybe that's just how all demon summoners dress." Shouta bit back a comment.
"I'm not a demon summoner," he said instead.
"Uh-huh, which is why you were flying on a demon bird." How did she see that?
"I didn't summon it," Shouta explained. "It just showed up and started following us. I don't have any idea where it came from or what it wants."
The woman scoffed, folding her arms. "You expect me to buy that?" Her face stated that overall she was bored and annoyed with the human and thought that talking was a waste of time. Shouta met her look with his own glare.
"Why would I lie?" he demanded. The woman let out a sarcastic laugh. "Why would someone who works with demons tell the truth?" Fair point.
"I don't work with demons!" He implored. "I don't know anything about them except what stories say!"
"So, you're trying to say that a demon randomly helped you? That's not how they work."
Shouta growled a little, brow creased with annoyance.
"I wouldn't know. I've never. Worked. With. Demons!" he stated through clenched teeth. He knew the bird wasn't normal, and but was it really a demon? If so, then why—no. No time for that. "Look, we never meant to cause trouble. All we wanted to do was get to the Elfin Lands." The woman blinked curiously.
"Oh? Why's that?" Shouta's sighed. How many times has he had to answer that question?
"I need their help!" he said, voice full of exasperation. The woman rolled her eyes.
"Don't we all?" she grumbled, tugging at a strand of white hair. "But you're not going to get it. No one gets to the Elfin lands."
Shouta frowned, not just at her words, but the way she said it. "Why?"
The woman rolled her eyes, a disgusted grunt in her throat.
"Because our great leader demands it," Then in an undertone, she added, "Even when his people are literally freezing to death." The way she said the word "leader" told Shouta she wasn't too fond of him. Could he use that to his advantage? He'd need more information.
Before he could press for more, another woman with short blonde hair and golden eyes entered. She wore a headdress with bat wings and something that looked like a metal claw over her left eye.
"No sign of the demon, Ryuko?" Shouta's interrogator asked.
"None. But demons are good at hiding," The woman said as she walked up. "Of course, it's possible that Endeavor's flame burnt it to a crisp." Shouta's heart tightened at that. He hadn't known the creature long but it saved him twice now. Not to mention it was such a sweet thing toward him and the kids. The idea that it was dead hurt more than it rationally should. He shook his head.
"What about any children?" he asked before he could stop himself. It wasn't bright of Shouta to give away that he wasn't alone, but he was worried. The women turned to look at him, brows raised in questioning. "I came here with seven dwarf children, but lost them when we fell."
"Dwarfs? They don't exist." Rumi scoffed. The other woman looked sympathetic.
"We were lucky to find you. If there are any children out there—unless they can resist the cold or ignite the trees, then…" Shouta's heart almost stopped completely.
'No,' he told himself. 'When you were with them before, they were fine. They're probably still fine.' It was a slim chance, but it was the only hope he had. Even so, he needed to find them.
"Look, I'm not a demon summoner or trying to take anyone's land!" he urged. "All we want is to get to the elfs and find—a warrior to help me take down Shigaraki-" The name snapped their attention to him and their eyes narrowed. Shouta wondered if he made a mistake.
"Shigaraki?!" Rumi hissed through teeth clenched so hard Shouta could hear them grind. The man was slightly taken aback.
"You know him?" Was that good or bad for him? Scratch that, it was automatically bad. The real question was how bad was this for him. Rumi gave a smile that would make a dragon cry out in terror.
"You could say that."
777
Using her compass, Momo made her way south with Izuku and Tenya. As they did, the trio noted they were heading towards the green light in the distance. They thought it was a sunrise, but as time passed and the sun never rose, they started to suspect it might be something else.
"Do you think that it's a good thing or a bad thing?" Momo asked when Izuku pointed it out.
He scrunched his face as he thought, pulling all the knowledge from his All Might stories and what they had learned ever since they left the forest. "Hmm! Hard to say. With the way things have been though, we should be prepared, just in case."
"Right. It seems everything is out to get us," Tenya sighed. He frowned, several conflicting emotions showing on his face. "We can't afford to slow our pace if we're going to save Mr. Aizawa and the others! But even so we-"
A chill ran down Izuku's spine, and it wasn't from the cold. From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash.
"Look out!"
Izuku tackled Momo and Tenya to the ground as an eexplosion rushed over them. After they pushed their heads up, their eyes widen.
The imp they had seen the night before stalked towards them.
"Finally!" he seethed through a grin that enveloped his face. "Took me all night to find you, so you better make it worth the effort!"
The dwarfs felt their hearts race in fear as they recalled how the imp attacked Mr. Aizawa the night before. It also became clear that this boy was looking for a fight, but while the trio had play fought with the others, they had never been in a real fight before. And to be honest, they really didn't want to be in one now, particularly with someone who could create fire.
The imp—Bakugou-seemed joyful at their looks of terror. He snickered as steam started to billow around him.
"That bastard thinks he can just step in and take my kills?! I don't think so!" Bakugou boasted as his fists sparked. "I won't let you get away this time, so you better stand and fight, ya hear?!"
Tenya swallowed as he stepped forward. His body shook as he raised his fists. "I-I don't want to fight," he said. "But I refuse to let you hurt my friends!"
Bakugou smirked.
"Let's go then!"
He leaped to attack, but thanks to his speed Tenya managed to jump back before he was hit. He then managed to dodge a tail swipe that would have cut his throat if Tenya hadn't ducked at just the right moment if the deep gash on the rock behind him was any indication. Tenya's heart leaped at the realization that if he slipped, he was dead.
Bakugou's eyes flashed. "You've got quick moves!" he sneered. "Let's see how long they save you!"
777
Denki and Ochaco stumbled through the snow. Ochaco carried Tsuyu on her back, using her quirk to make the slumbering girl lighter. The overuse of her quirk had them stopping often though, so she could puke. It was weird to see how fast her vomit froze in the freezing weather.
"I don't think we're getting anywhere," Denki said. Ochaco didn't want to agree but had to. Despite walking for a long while, they had found nothing but snow and the occasional tree which offered no assistance.
Tsuyu slept the entire trek, barely even twitching. She was almost as pale as Mr. Aizawa now, though her nose and cheeks were red. The others had tried to wake her up now and then, but she never stirred. They knew was alive as they had seen dead bodies before and luckily Tsuyu wasn't anything like them. Plus, this wasn't anything new. When Tsuyu was cold, she slept till it was warm. It was just her nature.
Still, that didn't help the other two any and they really wished she was awake because they were getting nowhere. Tsuyu was pretty logical and rational (almost like Mr. Aizawa), thus she was good at coming with plans when the need came.
Alas, she wasn't stirring and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. The other dwarfelle and dwarf sighed.
"So, what-"
AHHH!
A high-pitched scream cut through the air. While most people would run away from screams, the dwarfs felt that if someone screamed they were in trouble, so they had to try and help.
They ran over a hill and below they saw a lake completely covered in ice and snow, except for one part which had a hole. In this hole, something pink was crying as she struggled to get out of the water.
"Hold on!" Ochaco handed Tsuyu off to Denki as best she could. "Take her!"
"Wait! If you go out there, you'll fall in too, won't you?"
"No, I won't!" Ochaco scrunched herself into a ball, puffing her cheeks. As she did so she floated over the ice and towards the hole where the pink-haired girl was flailing about.
"Grab my hand!" she called. The other did so and Ochaco was almost pulled in, but she used her quirk to make the other girl lighter. The pink child hacked and cough as she was lifted out of the water. Ochaco struggled not to puke as she floated back to the other two dwarfs.
As soon as she reached them however she fell to the ground where she started to empty her stomach of its contents.
"H-hey! Are you okay?" Denki asked Ochaco. She gave a weak nod. Behind them, the pink girl let out a small whimper.
"You saved me…" she said. Denki and Ochaco turned.
"Well, yeah! You were drowning. Why wouldn't we?" Denki said. "Um, are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, I'm okay…" the girl sniffed. She appeared to be around the same age as them but she was a bit taller and was completely pink. She wore a teal leather suit with sploshes of purple. Around her neck she wore a fur collar and cape. "I'm just embarrassed. I didn't even know I was standing on ice until I fell through." She shook her head, splashing the icy water from her hair which fluffed up instantly. She smiled brightly, golden irises sparkling against black sclera.
"I'm Mina Ashido!" The pink imp said as she held out her hand. Her tail bounced up and down like an excited puppy dog's. "Who are you?" Ochaco shook her hand, swallowing her discomfort from having thrown up. She then yelped suddenly as she pulled her hand away. Her skin sizzled slightly after touching the other girl.
"Ahh! I'm so sorry! I forgot I coated my skin in acid to stay warm!" Mina yelped, looking very concerned.
"You coat your skin in acid?!" Denki exclaimed. He wasn't exactly sure what that was, but it sounded bad and from Ochaco's reaction it hurt.
"Well, yeah! I have to or I'll freeze to death." The imp girl explained. She drizzled a few drops onto the snow. The snow didn't melt, but steam frizzled as new ice stones were made.
"O...kay?" This wasn't what Denki had in mind when he said he wanted to meet hot girls (though the imp was cute).
Ochaco shoved her hand in the snow to cool it off. She vaguely wondered why her hand didn't burn earlier. Maybe it was the cold water? She forced a smile, mostly sure the other girl didn't mean any harm.
"T-that's okay? I'm Ochaco. This is Denki and Tsuyu." She nodded at the other two. Mina tilted her head at them curiously then shifted back.
"Wait a minute…! Are—are you with the demon summoner?" The dwarfs blinked at the impette, their confusion hanging over their heads, except for Tsuyu who was in the land of herbal tea and apple crisps. (Though the expression is the land of milk and cookies, Tsuyu had never seen either and so she instead dreamed of the treats they had at Chiyo's house.)
"Um, who?" they asked.
"The summoner that Endeavor fought last night! He said he had helpers that looked like children."
Denki frowned. He vaguely remembered hearing the name "Endeavor" last night, so assumed that was one of the people who had attacked them. He also recalled one of the imps accusing Mr. Aizawa of being a demon summoner, which was just ridiculous. He shook his head.
"That's not us! We never summoned anything, least of all demons."
The pink girl didn't seem convinced. "I dunno…" Denki, who had a very long day already, became annoyed.
"Look. If we had demons we wouldn't be wandering around in all this!" he said, motioning to the snow. Mina thought on this as she looked them over. After a moment she came to a conclusion in her head.
"Well—You did save me. You wouldn't have done that if you were working with demons," she reasoned. "But then how are you staying warm?" she asked, "You don't seem to be using any tricks. Do you have a rune on you?" The dwarfs flinched at the reminder of their lost runes.
"We're not, we're freezing!" Denki stated.
"Really? You don't look it."
"Trust me, we are!" As if to prove his point, Tsuyu shivered and curled into Denki's back.
Mina seemed to notice the girl for the first time and looked worried. "Hey, is your friend okay?"
Denki shook his head. "I mean, I dunno? Usually, when it gets really cold she just gets tired and sleeps a lot."
"Like hibernation?"
Denki shifted Tsuyu. "I dunno what that is, but maybe? Never mind! We have to get her warm somehow, so she can help us!" Despite his words, he had no idea how to do that. Mina on the other hand perked up right away.
"Oh! I know what can help! Follow me!"
777
Bakugou may have been impressed with Tenya's speed at first, but it wasn't long before he became annoyed at the cat and mouse game, as it were.
"Stop running and fight already, you coward!" he demanded. Tenya, being a rather intelligent young man, refused.
"If I do, I'll die!" The scary thing was that Tenya wasn't exaggerating. He was convinced that if he failed to dodge, even once, this boy would kill him! Yet, even with this mindset, his energy was running low. The dwarf was already panting for air, sweat layering his skin which had made his clothing and hair stick to it. He lost his glasses a while ago, making things considerably harder. Despite his determination and fear, Tenya had no idea how much longer he could keep this up.
Momo and Izuku worried about this as well.
"We have to help him!" Izuku insisted.
"I know! But we can't just jump in! Tenya's only okay because he can dodge! If we get in the way we'll all get hurt!" Momo rationalized, fists clenched at her side as she watched in worry.
"I know-" But they had to do something! If they didn't—well, they saw that right away. Tenya avoided a kick, however, Bakugou's tail hit his arm, nearly chopping it off. Tenya let out a cry, and as he stumbled Bakugou grabbed his neck before slamming him to the ground.
The imp grinned victoriously as his arm sparked and flashed. "I win!"
"Tenya!" Izuku dashed forward with frighten but furious determination. He caught the imp by surprise and tackled him off the other dwarf. They rolled for a bit, but it didn't last long for there was a vast difference in size and experience between the two.
As the imp pinned him to an ice wall he stared at Izuku with disgust.
"Tch! Pathetic. Just die already!" He moved his hand back, and Izuku was struck with an idea. Though he didn't know how, Izuku managed to maneuver out of Bakugou's hold and grab his sparking arm. The dwarf then forced it to aim at the mountain above him.
"What the hell?!" The imp growled, his brimstone eyes widening. Suddenly the mountain shook, and the snow started to rain like a waterfall.
Izuku suddenly felt the back of his collar being pulled. A moment later, he realized he was being dragged away by Tenya towards a metal plank Momo was creating. She finished just as the boys appeared behind her. They wasted no time in jumping on it. Momo pushed the boys down before hopping on herself behind them.
"Oh no, you don't-!" The dwarfs turned in time to see the snowfall on top of Bakugou. They didn't have time to be relieved or worried, as they began to move down the hill with snow chasing them.
777
Ochaco and Denki followed Mina to a tree that looked like timber at this point. Mina said that this would help, but they weren't sure how. Even if the dwarfin children hadn't grown up with the idea that trees were evil and anything but helpful, they didn't see how a tree could provide warmth.
When they were close enough, the impette reached out her hand and touched it as liquid dripped from her fingers. As it sparked to life in a rush of flames, the dwarfs rolled back.
"There! It won't melt the snow, but it should keep you warm—are you okay?" Mina blinked at the dwarfs, who stared intensely up at the tree with large, round eyes like saucers.
"Did-did you just set that tree on fire?!" Denki exclaimed. Beside him, Ochaco was slack-jawed.
"Well yeah! Why—Oh right! No one else has trees like this," Mina waved her hand at the burning tree. "These are Ember trees! They're made to burn and blaze! We use it to stay warm."
The dwarfs were horrified and amazed. To be honest, neither Denki nor Ochaco liked the sight of the burning tree as it brought back memories they worked very hard to forget. However, they wanted—they needed-the warmth. Doing their best to look anywhere but the tree, the dwarfs settled as close as they dared.
"So! What are all of you doing here?" Mina asked, not noticing their discomfort. "You look kinda like humans, but at the same time, you don't? I mean, you're way smaller than them! Then again, I've only seen grown-up humans, so maybe you're all short?"
Ochaco shook her head. "We're not humans, we're dwarfs."
Mina tilted her head with genuine confusion. "Uh, what's that?"
Ochaco motioned with her hands, not sure how to explain. "It's… us!"
The imp didn't get it. She raised a curious brow. "Okay… what do you do?"
"Mostly dig," Denki answered. "And dig. And dig. And more digging and-"
"I get it. So you're like badgers or moles?"
"What are those?"
"Badgers are angry underground bears, and moles are naked underground rats."
"And rats are...?" They were getting nowhere. To get things on track, Ochaco spoke up.
"We used to dig up jewels!" she said. She deflated a little. "Or we did when we had a mine…" Mina's eyes sparkled when she heard this.
"Jewels! Like real gems? Like rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds?!"
"Uh, yeah?" Mina gave an excited shriek, making the others jump. "That's so cool!"
"No, it's not," Denki muttered.
"I haven't really seen any gems except for Fuyumi's necklace that she got from her mom, but it's super pretty! You guys must be super rich!" Mina squeed. Then she tilted her head. "But... that doesn't explain why you're here. Endeavor says everyone's trying to invade and steal our land. Are you here to do that?" The others quickly shook their heads. Putting aside the fact none of them were thieves it just didn't make sense to steal dirt.
"We just wanted to pass through to get to the elfs," they explained. Mina blinked.
"The elfs?" Ochaco and Denki explained about Mr. Aizawa and how they were on a mission to save his friend who was in trouble. They then explained about the storm that forced them into the mountain, where they met the trolls. The dwarfs told the pink imp about the Queen attacking them, though they didn't dwell on this too long. Their story ended by explaining how the Queen blew up the mountain and how they were attacked after their escape.
"...And now we're separated from Mr. Aizawa and the others." Ochaco finished.
"Yikes, that's a lot," Mina said. "I know the guys who attacked you though; the brat is called Bakugou. He's a jerk who always wants to fight to show off how strong he is! He's always trying to upstage Shoto and looks down on the rest of us. The other one is Endeavor. He's the leader of our clan."
Denki sighed. "Why are the maniacs always in power?"
The question went unanswered as Tsuyu started to stir with a soft moan. The other two dwarfs crowded her.
"Tsuyu! Are you okay now?" Ochaco asked.
"...C-cold…" Tsuyu shivered then sneezed. She was still dazed but was moving, which was an upside. Ochaco had to pull her back slightly as she shuffled closer to the warmth.
"No kidding! With all the fire starters and flaming trees, you'd think things would be warmer." Denki complained. Mina's shoulders drooped.
"Yeah, you'd think so," she agreed. "It wasn't always this way. Or so I've been told. To me, it's always been like this."
Ochaco tipped her head, eyes round with curiosity. "What happened?"
Mina tilted her head back and leaned against the tree. Instead of burning her the flames seemed to cushion her. She fiddled with one of the horns on her head.
"Not sure… I mean Fuyumi told me once, but I dunno if it's accurate," she muttered, looking thoughtful. "But you see, there was this guy who tried to steal Endeavor's Emerald, which is a HUGE no-no as he doesn't like anyone touching."
"Why?"
"Dunno, but rumors have it that he stole it from All Might after one of their battles. There are even rumors that it gives him powers."
"Endeavor fought All Might?!"
"Yup!"
Tsuyu rubbed her eyes as she tried to wake her tired mind. "I wonder if he's the imp from the stories."
Tsuyu always thought the All Might tales were just that, but if Mina was correct then there was a chance they were real. Izuku would be so excited to hear all this if he was here.
"Er, not sure what you're talking about, but I heard from Natsu and some of the oldsters that Endeavor would fight All Might all the time and lose until one day All Might vanished," Mina explained.
"So, the thief tried to steal All Might's gem from Endeavor and…"
"And got his ass beat," Mina stated flatly. "But I guess he was pretty young so instead of killing him, the imp was banished. No one knows what happened, but one day he returned, but Shigaraki was way different…"
777
Shouta felt himself go numb for a moment.
"Shigaraki is responsible for all of this?" He could barely believe it. It wasn't hard to imagine Shigaraki as powerful, but freeze an entire territory powerful? Shit.
The slasher grin didn't leave Rumi's face. "Yup. Fucking bastard." Nice to know they were on the same page about that. Beside her, Ryuko looked sad and hugged herself.
"I was just a child when it happened; Shigaraki was never a strong child. He had potential, but it was hard for him to control his powers," Ryuko explained. "And after he had melted his family, no one dared to go near him. I don't know what happened, but I guess that loneliness grew into hatred for all of us. Then he tried to steal Endeavor's emerald and was banished. No one thought about him again until he came back. When he did, Shigaraki unleashed a giant flood on us. The water itself would have been dangerous enough, but this water also carried a demon curse. Combined with Shigaraki's power, the flood dissolved nearly everything. Our villages, our town—everyone who wasn't able to get protection from Endeavor…" She bit her lips to hold back her tears of grief and fury. "To add insult to injury Shigaraki then froze the cursed water into snow and ice that never melts. Now we're all an eternal winter, slowly dying one by one every day. Either we freeze to death or starve as the animals fled or died."
Shouta's heart broke with sympathy and fury. He always knew that Shigaraki was a monster, but all this—he lived with that man for years. He ruled Shouta's kingdom. How did Shigaraki run the place? Shouta never thought about it. He never cared to. He figured that when his title was stripped, it was no longer his concern. Now that he did think about it, however, Shouta remembered a surprising lack of people when Hizashi took him away, the empty gray towns and dying lands. That thought sent chills through his body, colder than the winter outside of the hut.
The sound of footsteps walking around him brought Shouta back from his thoughts.
"You said you want to see the elfs to find a warrior to take him down? Why?" Rumi demanded, arms folded. A cold fury replaced the fire of blood lust in her eyes. Shouta hesitated. Just because they hated Shigaraki didn't mean they would help him. Then again, if he could manipulate that hatred, then maybe-
"I have… a power called Erasure. It nullifies magic. I can't control it, but even so, Shigaraki sees it as a threat," he explained. He kept the part about Hizashi to himself as he didn't think the hunter's peril would sway them. But hopefully, the idea of the imp getting more power would. "So he wants to eat my heart so he can take it for himself."
"Eat your heart?" She looked disgusted at the thought, which was comforting to the human. Hopefully, that meant they wouldn't try it. She turned to the other woman. "Shit, do people still do that?" The other shrugged. She thought for a minute, then looked at Shouta.
"Does your erasure work on all magic?" He blinked.
"I… don't know? I haven't had the chance to test it. It worked on the trolls' magic. And it worked on Endeavor and the kid using explosions." he answered.
Ryuko looked surprised. "Really?"
Rumi let out a loud laugh. "Ha! You managed to nullify Bakubrat and Endevdork? I don't buy it." She punched her fists together, one igniting into flames. "But let's test it anyway!" She charged forward and aimed a fist at his face. As Shouta fell back, a familiar sting filled his eyes. Immediately the flames vanished, and the fist stopped inches from his face. Rumi looked impressed.
"Huh! My flames really are gone." She pulled her arm back, and Shouta allowed himself to blink. "Oh, they're back! Guess the effects don't last."
"Which is lucky for you!" Shouta didn't know if Ryuko was scolding to Rumi or him. "Still, that is a unique ability. And one that could be useful..."
777
The Daemonium forest waited in anticipation as the dark figure of the Demon King approached. What used to be Shigaraki stepped up to the very edge of the wood where he stopped. His gaze lit up figuratively when he saw the dark woods, his smile wicked but pleased.
"Aw, look at this. A hundred years and the elfs never came back for you? How sad," he said. "But their loss is my gain!"
Then… SLAM!
His palms hit the ground.
Black tentacles made their designs as they crawled through the earth. Once they reached the trees, screams echoed out. Branches and trunks cracked and creaked like ancient bones. With groans that echoed to hell and back, they tore their roots free from the earth. Sounds of dark glee filled them as they broke from their earthly shackles. Free of the land that had been their prison, the demon forest stood taller than ever, blocking the heavens from view. Despite the part of them that was eager to run free and hunt for blood, the woods instead turned towards the king of demons, awaiting orders. The king took in the woods with a satisfied look. He flexed the fingers that used to be Shigaraki's before his consciousness was devoured.
"It's time to take back what's mine," the Demon King announced to all. "However, before that, we have a matter of pride to settle—with Snow White."
{To be Continued...}
Meta Notes:
*Yes, I know Ryuko should have been a dragon in this universe, but I needed another imp and Dabi wouldn't work here.
*I know some people may have issue with Izuku's group dropping a shit ton of snow on to Bakugou, however a) Bakugou was attacking them with intent to maim and maybe kill, and b) they've survived worse so they have no idea that what they did was that bad.
Tsuyu Notes:
*Usually the dwarfs' thick skins give then protection from outside elements. This is why Toru can run around naked just fine. However Tsuyu is half Merrow (on her father's side) and Merrows tend to go into hibernation in winter. As such when exposed to extreme cold Tsuyu tends to get tired easier. She also has softer skin.
Imp Notes:
*Impette-young female imp, Impetta- Adult female imp