TheGreatBubbaJ - Aye. Whether that's in my plans, though, that's a question.
Jpx0999 - Aye, that sounds like a very probable future :V
Detrametal - Doing my best to expand worldbuilding in a way that doesn't feel forced/like a lecture :D
bitchbitchanson16 - Man, that's one way of announcing that you're maidenless, ngl
SwordofTheGods - Look, suddenly a next button appeared :V Let's just say that one of the Summit chapters is going to have content warnings for risks of excessive laughter and choking as I had nigh-fatalities among readers lmao xD Wait for it, it's worth it.
(***)
They didn't end up having to walk all the way to the main building in the snowstorm. Because a moment after Yagi finished describing the spell, they discovered that they weren't alone anymore.
"Welcome to the Frozen Palace." A Cold One says. They are a girl, maybe twenty-one or twenty-two years old, wearing some sort of official dress in a light blue color, decorated with some snowflake imagery." My name is Tsukiko Okuda, and I'm going to be your guide and attendant for the duration of the event."
"Hi, Tsuki." Shoto waves his hand before Izuku has the time to open his mouth. "It's been a while."
The cold one smiles back at him and is about to open her mouth, when she notices something out of place.
"You're oddly emotional, Sho." The cold one says, while shaking his hand. "Did something good happen to you?"
"Kind of." Todoroki nods, while turning his head towards the rest. "Let me introduce to you, Tsukiko Okuda, formerly Tsukiko Todoroki. Another cousin of mine, officially kicked out of the family tree for becoming a demihuman."
Ah yes, the classic racial hatreds of the Initiates. Though in this case it might be Todoroki's father seeing becoming a demihuman as a form of 'failure' to live up to his standards (it being a sign of making serious mistakes as a initiate), so it was less racial hatred and more… this.
"Nice to meet you." Izuku replies. It looks like Shoto managed to conjure some friendly faces around, great. "We weren't late?"
"No, the Summit officially starts in two hours." Okuda reassures him. "The other Warlords are already lounging around the Palace. Also, I hope you've taken spare clothes and toothbrushes, because the snowstorm is projected to last at least until next morning, and it will take Intelli's cabal at least an hour or two to make the roads traversable afterwards. Even with your… particular choice of vehicles."
"No, we didn't, but that's not exactly a problem." Midoriya replies. He is going to shout at Todoroki for not suggesting it later. Thankfully, they have the option to return to the Overlook when needed. Or if things were going to go bad. "What's the first thing on the schedule?"
"We still have two hours before the Summit starts." Okuda replies. "I believe that it's enough time to show you your quarters."
Great, Izuku is actually kind of interested in how the Cold Ones live. Being able to do it while the concept of temperature took a temporary vacation - and thus, low risks of common cold and general displeasures of coldness - sounds like a great thing.
On a sidenote, getting to see Tsukiko makes him realize that the cold ones are probably the entities behind the yuki-onna myth, even if they clearly also have males around. Then again…
… Geten could probably pass for a girl in the right clothes. Are all male cold ones veering into the bishounen field? That might have explained why yuki-onnas were all supposed to be females.
He has no idea how Tsukiko looked before becoming a cold one, but her current self's face and body alone are like works of art, really. Is that normal, or do they get to sculpt themselves a bit like they probably can do to ice?
Fascinating subject.
The cold one clearly glanced at Izuku once or twice, but he is wearing his sunglasses. It seems to be the 'oh dear, he's hot', not the full-blown charm, but just in case Izuku does his best to not make eye contact, even one-sided.
He has enough girlfriends.
(***)
The garage turned out to be connected with the main complex of the Frozen Palace through an underground tunnel. Sculpted in ice. Whatever the cold ones did, the stairs weren't slippery at all.
Thank god.
The cold ones must have been interested in beauty both on the outside and on the inside. Not only did they all seem to be rather pretty, but they were also interested in art. The entire corridor had its walls decorated with rather intricate bas-reliefs.
Most of it was geometrical and floral shapes, but they were really detailed. Whoever made them, was an artist with a lot of time to spare. They were absolutely breathtaking in Izuku's opinion.
Even Toga's eyes were on them the whole time.
The sculptures that decorated the big hall they passed by were incredibly detailed too. Shame that the art style was that of an anime. That kind of ruined the atmosphere for Izuku, especially for such a grand and magical place.
They lost Yagi-sensei right after exiting the tunnel. He ran into another faculty member - with a rather upright hairdo and a surname of Yamada apparently, the former kind of contrasting with the suit he was wearing - and ended up staying behind to get some updates on the situation.
The teacher had a gun and earpiece, of course. He looked like someone's bodyguard, at least to Izuku.
The quarters were rather lavish.
And made of ice, well, mostly.
Chairs were made of ice. Bed frame was made of ice. Literally everything was made of ice. The locals clearly knew how to achieve several slightly different colourations of it (from nigh-transparent to blueish one) and were working hard with it.
Good examples were the windows. Yes, there were windows - from transparent ice, to contrast with the non-transparent walls. They appeared to be fully functional as well. Quite incredible.
Even the tap in the bathroom was actually shaped like a woman pouring water out of a large jar.
The decorations were pretty close to reaching the point of becoming a tiny bit overwhelming and almost cringe-tier - it's the point where they make the room look like the owner was compensating for something. Like an upstart that became wealthy trying to put gold everywhere just to flaunt his wealth.
But it wasn't quite there, so instead it was breathtaking and impressive.
While the furniture framework was clearly made of some surprisingly resistant ice, the rest was made of more or less normal materials. Quilts were there, just… on the thinner end of the scale, mostly. The beds, couches and so on were also pleasantly soft.
Being cold doesn't mean the cold ones want to be uncomfortable, it seems. Or that they want their guests to be uncomfortable, since this is the Nightmare of Frost's equivalent of a guesthouse.
There is a TV, though apparently they shouldn't expect to have a signal during the snowstorm. Also it's apparently some custom-made thing, made to work in -40C, but still covered with something fluffy, aside from the side where the screen was.
Apparently, a small heating system covered in something for more efficient heating. Some small heaters to keep the TV warm. When the TV goes too warm, they shut off on their own, letting their surroundings cool them down. It's a standard thing for most electronics in Cold Ones' habitats.
Cool (ha!).
They are probably outfitted like this in case the location was visited with some cold ones, because Izuku just can't imagine the point of it when you can just cast the 'temperature begone' spell.
"We also have wi-fi, at least when the snowstorm doesn't keep the internet offline." Okuda announces as they finish checking out those particular quarters (they have their own, but they are all identical, so it's just an example). "In case the snow stopped, the password's here."
She hands Izuku a small, business-card sized piece of paper. Izuku checks it out, and then immediately stares at her.
"'NoseBoopLmao', seriously?" He asks. Okuda appears to have problems not laughing.
"Geten getting his ass handed to him with a nose boop has already become something of a legend in the Frozen Palace." She replies. "You've made him a laughingstock. Mistress Michiko has set the wi-fi password that way right after and had some of Intelli's computer handymen set it so that Geten has to input it manually each time he wants to do something on the internet rather than make his phone and computer connect to the wi-fi automatically."
… oof.
"I truly admire Soma Michiko's ability to creatively inconvenience the people she dislikes." Izuku announces. "Hat's off, really. It seems that even her own sibling isn't beyond her wrath."
"Geten is just built differently." Okuda replies. "He is the vicious one, trying to measure up to the Dread Queen in any way possible. His power is significant and still growing, I give him that. But in Michiko-sama's opinion, he is way too much of a tryhard."
"So that's why he is giving me similar vibes to my dad." Todoroki deadpans. Okuda actually gives him a wry smile, before continuing.
"He is always doing his best to not give her any valid reason to be thrown out of the Frozen Palace, so he is still around." Okuda says to Izuku. "But Mistress takes any occasion she can to put him back in his place a little."
"Speaking off, is he here?" Izuku decides to make sure that nothing disastrously bad happens.
"No worries, Michiko-sama sent him out of the Palace for the duration of the Summit" Okuda reassures him. "He's officially being pretty much an attache at Intelli's cabal for now, but this is just another way of humiliating him. Intelli is absolutely livid at him over failing at the raid and attacking Shoto Todoroki while at it."
Geten was on the receiving end of a serious humiliation conga, it seemed. Impressive, Izuku had to admit. He totally deserved it, to be honest. He wasn't quite sure what sort of backstory Soma Michiko had to get herself a title of Nightmare of Frost, but…
Well, she was an internet friend of Ibara 'I did it in self-defense' Shiozaki, apparently. Shiozaki didn't strike him as someone who would hang out with a willing mass-murderer. And Geten was clearly a murderous loony, only kept from killing someone by the explicit orders he received.
It was all on him.
In the meantime, though…
"Shoto." Izuku says. "Can I please know how exactly the nose boop thing became public knowledge? Because for some reason I do not expect Geten to be telling that to people." He certainly didn't feel like someone who would ruin his own image to this degree.
"In my defense…" Todoroki replies. "... it made your cabal appear significantly more intimidating, reinforcing the deterrence factor caused by you somehow recruiting the Nightmare of Blood. It was for your own good."
Izuku sighs.
"At least please tell me about it next time, alright?" He asks.
"Sure, I only did it behind your back because I wasn't officially a part of your cabal back then." Todoroki replies. "Things have changed since then."
"Congratulations for getting Shoto 'Lone Wolf' Todoroki to actually join your cabal, by the way." Okuda announces. "Everyone thought that it was completely impossible, he practically skipped the Candidature period by being this good, and then stayed completely alone the whole time. How the hell did you even achieve it?"
"It was unbelievable, impossible, completely beyond a mortal ken." Todoroki deadpans. "Naturally, Midoriya achieved that in less than a month, and without even trying."
Izuku sighs. He is getting viciously attacked with the truth.
As a sidenote, Todoroki somehow learned how to weaponize his emotionlessness even more. His deadpans feel even more dead now that his normal degree of emotional expression has been slightly… improved.
It somehow stings even more now.
"Let's head for wherever the Warlords are hanging around." Izuku decides. Time to face the music.
(***)
"By the way…" Todoroki leans over Izuku's shoulder as they follow Okuda out of the guest house. "... you don't have to worry about your charm with Tsuki around. Even a direct eye contact shouldn't do anything, although you probably shouldn't test it just in case."
"Why?" Izuku asks.
"She's absolutely and completely homosexual." Todoroki replies. "And, in case you didn't notice it, a sizable simp for the Mistress of the Frozen Palace."
… that puts things in perspective.
"I have a feeling she was checking me out earlier." Izuku asks back. He wants to make sure that his charm doesn't let him overwrite sexual orientations, because that would be… bad. And in so many ways.
His little quirk inspiring sexual attraction where there was none would be potentially disastrous, even if not on this particular field.
"If you were standing in a room and suddenly a man would enter it, looking like a greek god or at the very least some famous actor, wouldn't you at the very least glance at their face and think some variant of 'that's some good genetic lottery, damn, wish that I was looking like this'? Despite being heterosexual?" Todoroki asks. "I think that Tsuki had something like this, minus the 'looking like this' part and the heterosexuality."
Oh, that makes sense. Especially as she clearly didn't appear to be looking at him more than anyone else afterwards. So it was probably something like this. An aesthetic appreciation with no undertone of sexual attraction.
"That's reassuring." Izuku replies. Figuring out and confirming the limits of his charm is helpful for the future.
(***)
The first Warlord they encounter is Saiko Intelli. Izuku had the Four Warlords more or less described to him by Todoroki, so he recognized her long periwinkle-coloured hair and monocle instantly.
How… posh.
She is giving him the unironic 'whomst've' vibe, but apparently has the background, intellect and the taste to match her almost cringey high class exterior.
"Shoto, how nice to see you again." She says, smiling at Shoto. She looks, well, Izuku will be honest here.
She looks incredible.
That's some well-tailored dress that nicely compliments her hair color, some just right amount of make-up to accentuate her already beautiful face, neatly styled hair… Honestly, Izuku feels even more like a poor cousin of a wealthy family.
She has some of her sidekicks around them. Part of Izuku feared that Shinsou would be among them, but no one seems to radiate pure hatred towards Toga. So Intelli probably decided not to start a fight.
Of course, she also completely ignored Izuku being there, despite recognizing him without a shred of doubt. Well, that's not nice at all, but probably par for the course among the Warlords.
He needs to prove himself first, to be respected.
"Likewise, Saiko." Todoroki replies. "But you're here to talk with Midoriya, I believe." Wow, what a smooth dodge.
Izuku doesn't wait for Saiko Intelli to acknowledge his presence in the hallway. He isn't sure if he's doing the right thing, but… a disrespect for disrespect.
"You don't have to worry, Shoto." Midoriya replies. "It's still an improvement after having Geten almost murder us, I'd say. So things are getting better."
Intelli clearly felt that slap.
"Geten acted against my orders." She replies calmly.
"Are you sure that your patron is the Ancient of Control, then?" Izuku decides to drive the nail home, matching her fake calmness with those of his own.
They stare at each other for several seconds. Eventually Intelli sighs.
"You're not what I expected after hearing of someone who was initiated less than a month ago." She replies, clearly reappraising him again with her eyes. "Especially with your apparently… chaotic hijinks that I heard the tales of."
"I learn fast." Midoriya replies calmly. "Shoto's help with showing me the ropes is an invaluable aid."
"It certainly seems so." Intelli agrees with him. "I officially apologize for Geten's behavior. He is powerful, I admit that much, but it seems that both my cabal and the Frozen Palace have overestimated his mental stability. My cabal will never use him again for any sort of raid once he proved himself to be prone to attacking random people while operating under my banner."
She appears sincere enough. Then again, she can probably lie convincingly, so he doesn't put a lot of faith in her words. Still…
"Apologies accepted." Midoriya replies. "I'm going to treat this incident as Geten acting on his own whim. Of course, to forgive doesn't mean to forget." He then gestures at Todoroki that it's time to leave.
He can feel Intelli's appraising eyes on him the whole time, until they leave the hallway.
"Good job." Todoroki then speaks. "You've actually made her apologize to you, despite the fact that aside from your seat of a Warlord, you're basically a nobody to her. You're performing better than I expected."
How incredibly supportive of him.
"That's so surprising?" Izuku replies. It's nice to know that he performed well in one of the most nerve-wracking stunts in his life.
Why the hell is this somehow more terrifying to him than the trip to Elsewhere?
Right, because the trip felt too surreal for him to be treating it as (at least subconsciously) not a bad dream.
"Honestly speaking, yes." Todoroki admits. "If she actually apologized, it means that she decided to not antagonize you any further after her initial and fully intentional disrespect. This means that she decided to reclassify you from someone who was simply lucky to someone who probably wasn't just lucky, but actually has skills that contributed to his success."
"In short, I stood up to her, and she decided that I might be worth her time?" Izuku asks.
"Yes, especially as you did it without shouting, or doing weird movements with your upper or lower limbs." Todoroki replies. "You were exactly as disrespectful to her as she was to you, not more than that. And you didn't appear to waver, despite being in the presence of a Warlord. And if there is a single thing that Saiko has in abundance, it's an eye for talent."
Makes you wonder how close Todoroki really was with the Warlords to casually refer to Intelli as Saiko. Then again, he had to at least pretend he is being swayed to maintain their competitiveness without giving in anything substantial.
"The next meeting…" Todoroki then adds. "... might end up ending less nicely."
Uh-oh?
(***)
Todoroki, unfortunately, was right. The next Warlord they met was Neito Monoma. He was waiting right before the apparent meeting hall (still locked with massive chains of ice, as it wasn't quite The Time), with his two sidekicks and what Todoroki later called 'his signature smug look of superiority'.
Midoriya himself would refer to it as a 'perfectly punchable face'.
Said two sidekicks were apparently regulars. A bulky young man built like Kirishima, apparently going by Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu (Toga went goddamn hysterical when she heard the name and she almost tore her dress in a fit of laughter), and a quite stunning redhead (Itsuka Kendou) that was Monoma's second-in-command.
Tetsutetsu was apparently a brawler with a focus in the power of Primordial of Metal (this time it was Uraraka that found the name overlap hilarious), while the latter was a follower of the Ancient of Strife.
And probably a more dangerous melee fighter than Tetsutetsu.
"My, my, my, the famed fifth Warlord is here." Monoma says, his eyes narrowing on Izuku. "I expected you to be taller."
"Likewise." Midoriya replies. His goal is to not antagonize anyone, even if Todoroki made it clear that it won't exactly influence the outcome of the Summit (while still not elaborating on his plan). But making - or not - enemies here might influence their future coexistence, and thus…
"You know, I've heard quite an interesting gossip." Monoma announces. Uh-oh, this feels like someone was trying to start a fight. "Apparently, you have managed to steal Tokage's cabal from Yaoyorozu thanks to one of their members being a demihuman in disguise."
Does he have someone in Yaoyorozu's cabal? Izuku can't help but wonder. Yaoyorozu might want to know.
"I thought about it for a little, and guess what." Monoma continues. "The most likely candidates for our unnamed hidden demihuman are Shiozaki and Komori, since the rest are seen outside often enough and Tokage is most certainly not the person we're looking for. And now that I think about it, aren't those two the best fit for being a dryad?"
Oh, crap. Izuku can see Todoroki freezing suddenly right next to him. Kendou and Tetsutetsu having their eyes on Izuku's comrades… probably in case they ended up coming to blows. Even Okuda appears to stare daggers at Monoma.
"Did you just hire the Nightmare of Leaves, the woman that destroyed the cabal of my predecessor?" Monoma asks, staring at Midoriya with actual hostility in his eyes.
"I didn't know…" Midoriya replies. "... that Warlords are supposed to tell such things to each other. Their relationship struck me as more of a wargame than a co-op strategy." The fact that he can't just ask Todoroki what to do without weakening his own position is a pain in the ass.
"I'd argue that hiring a mass murderer that destroyed my predecessors can be considered a hostile act." Monoma glances at Toga. "... then again, you might be simply collecting them. So, am I right or not?"
That he probably does, although… yeah, Monoma is clearly trying to instigate something, and Izuku has to figure out how to approach the situation. Actually, he has an idea. It might be stupid, but…
"Yes, you're right." Midoriya replies. Even Todoroki glances at him slightly nervously over him casually admitting that. "Nightmare of Leaves is working for me. What about it?"
"I believe…" Monoma replies. "... that asking you to expedite her back to the Black Forest is only just, isn't it? After all, her ability to control forests is rather threatening to me, and you giving her asylum is a rather clear sign of you considering using her against me."
"Naturally, I'm ready to do that." Midoriya replies. Now even Okuda is giving him a weird look. "Of course, not for free. Since you appear intent on making me clean up your mess, expecting you to do the same for me is perfectly valid, am I right?"
"Excuse me?" Monoma didn't expect this.
"Well, you see, it turns out that the forest that she's currently living in is housing your old friend, Spider from the Forest Red." Midoriya replies. Monoma's eyes grow slightly larger. "In fact, I need her there to keep its servants at bay. You'll naturally clean up your mess in return for my help and lead your cabalites on a proper subjugation mission, right? Right through the temperate equivalent of a jungle filled with numerous powerful cryptids, which, to be honest, is the same threat that I'll have to face if I decided to apprehend the Nightmare of Leaves. It's only just that you do the same for me, am I right?"
Silence. Monoma glaring down at him. This is clearly not the answer that he expected.
"... am I right to assume that even if I say yes, you'll invite me to the negotiations that you'll constantly sabotage, until I'll have enough of it and give up?" Monoma then asks.
"Well, to be honest, after seeing the magnificence of the Frozen Palace, I just do not want our host to discover that I sold her internet friend to you." Midoriya replies calmly, before smiling brightly. "Naturally, you're ready to face the wrath of the Dread Queen of the North alongside me, just to get revenge for the people whose deaths allowed you to become a Warlord, right? After all, it's only just."
Monoma stares at him in silence for at least ten seconds. Then, finally, he speaks.
"... the gossip clearly didn't do you justice." He announces. "We'll see each other during the Summit." Then he and his sidekicks left.
"Am I allowed to say that Monoma is a dick?" Midoriya says calmly when Neito vanishes behind the corner.
"You are, although it wouldn't be exactly correct." Todoroki replies. "He doesn't care about his predecessor's death nor about the Nightmare of Leaves, he just decided to see if you'd crumble under pressure. But you've managed to find a reasonable middle-ground, though you should probably explain what happened to our dryad before she hears some malformed gossip about you considering the option to sell her to Monoma." He glances at Midoriya. "You're kind of natural at it, in your own weird way, you know? Although admitting that we have a problem with the Spider, well, I'm not sure if that was a good idea."
"Neither am I." Izuku admits. "What do we do next?"
"I think that it might be a good idea to wait here, and let the others approach us instead." Todoroki replies. To Izuku, well, that sounds like a plan.