Izuku learns exactly what a Fel Drake is. Ochako learns how lucrative adventuring it. The two of them help each other out with gear. And they find themselves ready to take on their very first quest together...in the icy mountains. Oh dear.
Izuku awoke to a familiar sight…bare wooden ceiling, bare wooden walls, sunlight streaming in from a partly opened window to his left. He was laying in an old, if serviceable cot, a thin blanket pulled up over him as he blinked to clear the sleep from his eyes. He let out a jaw-cracking yawn and slowly tried to sit up, wincing in anticipation of pain…but finding nothing but a dull ache in his abdomen.
He glanced down to his stomach, realizing that for one, he was shirtless, and two, the seeping wound that had been on him was gone, nothing but an angry red scar in its place. Pushing the blanket down to look at his leg, he saw the red and raw scars still in place, but no open wounds, and his leg seemed to be mobile.
Thinking back, he realized that shortly after revealing his rank to Ochako, he'd passed out from the combination of exhaustion and pain, and he must have been brought back here to his room at Last Chance, where he'd been staying the past three weeks. He was not looking forward to the bill for the healing and transport…but maybe it'd be offset by the creature? They did mention something about it being a higher tier, perhaps he'd get some reward for its defeat?
Shaking his head, he figured it's best to face the music now and managed to clamber out of bed. He stumbled about the small room, barely avoiding knocking his head into the nightstand as he bent down to grab his bag. He opened it and shuffled around inside, belatedly realizing…he had no shirts left. Oh…well…shit. The tunic he'd ripped to pieces the day before was trashed, and that was his last shirt. Well.
He took a bracing breath, ready for the mockery he was sure to incur. He expected it…not only had he needed to be carried to safety, not only did he need the help of a blacksmith (although Ochako was incredible, maybe she'd get some business from this?), but he had no clothes left but the pants he wore…and if he was being honest, he was pretty sure they'd be the next to go, with the tears in one leg from the creature's claws.
Shouldering his bag, he opened his door and went down the three flights of stairs, closing his eyes as he stepped into the main area of Last Chance's Adventurer's Guild, where most of the morning crowd would be…to silence. He cracked his eyes open, shoulders hunched, waiting for the mockery to begin…only to see a good two dozen various adventurers, some he knew, some he only knew of, staring at him blankly for a second…two…five…and then…
A wave of sound buffeted him, making him reel back with wide eyes as a half dozen people practically rushed him. He tensed for a blow of some kind, only to feel the arms patting him on the back and shoulder, cheer and joy in their voices. He stared at them, confused, only to lose his breath as a massive furred hand landed on his shoulder and spoke in a booming voice.
"Calm down, let the kid breathe!"
Izuku glanced up, eyes going wide at the sight of one of the most celebrated adventurers in the city, A+ Rank Andemos. The white-furred minotaur had one hand clasped firmly on Izuku's shoulder, giving him a quick squeeze as he smiled down at the much shorter young man before him.
"A-Andemos sir?" Izuku managed to sputter out.
"What's up kid?"
"...what's going on?" he asked, utterly lost.
Andemos threw back his head and let out a booming laugh. "Why, you saved lives! A Fel Drake was hunting nearby and you took it down! That's a helluva accomplishment for someone brand new! And your companion there was telling us all about how you two took the beast down!" He waved one massive hand over to the center of the room, where Izuku's eyes turned to spot Ochako at a table, surrounded by other adventurers as she spoke, gesturing wildly.
At the sound of Andemos commenting on her, it seemed she noticed the commotion and looked up, seeing Izuku standing there, lost, without a shirt and in ripped and tattered pants. She waved frantically at him, beckoning him over, making Izuku start to walk over without even realizing he was…until she smiled.
He felt his steps stutter, nearly falling over at the sight of her beaming at him like the sun itself. The prior day she's been somewhat mollified while they spoke, and she had let out a little giggle or grin here or there, but this? This was pure, unadulterated joy. The shock of emotions that flitted through him made his chest tight and his limbs suddenly not want to cooperate, the green-haired adventurer almost falling over if it weren't for Andemos' quick hand catching him.
"Ah, you still must be tired from all that healing! Healing uses up your stamina after all, and boy you got pretty banged up, haha! Here, lemme help you, you need to get some food into you!" The minotaur didn't wait for Izuku's reply, half carrying the boy over to the table where Ochako was and dropping him in the chair next to her.
"Izuku! Oh my gosh you never said how lucrative this business could be, hah!" she practically shouted, her grin spread from ear to ear. "Oh, and here! The healer said you needed to eat up, I guess you had been poisoned from the slash to your stomach or something?" She shoved a plate full of cured meats and roasted vegetables at him, the scent making his stomach growl in protest as he stared at her blankly.
"You're all too loud…Give them some space. I need his report," a deep, droning voice said, all the nearby adventurer's letting out sheepish or nervous grins as they scattered, revealing the dark-haired visage of the Vice Guildmaster, Shota Aizawa. The man looked down at the duo at the table with sleepy eyes, practically falling into the chair across from them. He sighed, pulling out an ink pen and a notepad, leaning on one elbow as he stared at Izuku. "Alright…talk me through what happened."
"...Sir, I…I think I'm dreaming. Or something. I'm, um…very confused," Izuku said quietly.
"Why?" Ochako asked, her cheer slowly fading away at the tone in Izuku's voice.
"What's the matter?" Shota asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion at the young man before him.
Izuku stared down at the table, refusing to meet anyone's glance. "...I spent all of the day before yesterday trying to convince someone about this dangerous monster only to be told I was making it up. I was wounded and no one would even give me a damned bandage. The only reason I even lived was because Ochako was kind enough to keep me from bleeding out in the street and Miss Tsu gave me a tonic to keep me moving. And now, suddenly, everyone's being all nice to me because I fought that thing, which honestly Ochako did most of the work, and-"
"Excuse you, I'm not taking credit for something I didn't do! It was your plan that got us out of there in one piece!" She interjected, narrowing her eyes at the green-haired boy.
He scoffed. "My plan nearly got us killed because I didn't even know what we were fighting to begin with. I went in there half-cocked without any knowledge and nearly got you killed, and I broke the sword you were so kind to lend me! And now I'm here, without even a shirt to my name, and everyones all cheerful and nice now and…I'm just confused as to what's even going on."
Shota sighed, reaching up and rubbing his temples. "Goddamned Problem Children everywhere. Look, the fact your report went ignored is an issue and should not have happened. We'll be dealing with it. No matter your rank or accomplishment, your report should have been listened to and at least given an inspection. As for the accomplishment…it's clear you have no clue what a Fel Drake even is, or else you wouldn't be asking why people are so shocked by you two beating it."
"It's a B-Tier, right? That's what the uh…collectors? Called it?" Ochako asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Yes, but you have to understand what that even means. B-Tier isn't some feral goblin camp. A B-Tier creature is one which has potential to kill hundreds of people. Fel Drake's are huge, but are ambush predators. They strike quietly, from the shadows. They are given a B rank because they are a true danger, and where it was? Not only was it likely to kill merchants and travelers, and from what we can tell it probably did considering how many went missing on the road near it the past few weeks…but it might have stirred up the Wraiths at Aegis and no one wants that."
Izuku blinked at him, somewhat dumbstruck. "...oh. Okay. I um…I'm glad it was dealt with then?"
Shota stared at him. "...it'll be better dealt with when you give me your report. I have a full investigation to perform, and then you need to pick up your reward. And a new shirt."
"Hey, speaking of that, can I register to become like, a part time adventurer? This was…um, kinda fun?" Ochako asked, interrupting Izuku before he began to speak.
Shota shrugged. "Of course. You choose when and where to take missions. That's all."
"Sweet! Izuku, can I work with you then? I think we did a pretty good job together, don't you?" She asked, turning to Izuku with her blinding grin back on her face.
"W-wait, you want to party up with me?" he asked, pointing at himself, flabbergasted.
"Hells yeah! We made a good team, don't you think?"
"But…I broke your sword…" Izuku muttered, looking away from her.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh my gods Izuku, I was joking. Besides…you didn't listen to the reward part."
"Report first!" Shota snapped. He sighed deeply. "Talk about all that after you tell me everything."
"Y-yes sir!" Izuku replied, offering a terrible salute that got him an unimpressed glare from the Vice Guildmaster. He gave a nervous grin, his teeth visible, before he began explaining the full tale, from the time he came to the guild to report the creature, through his trek through the city, passing out in front of Ochako's shop (she interjected here to talk about finding him and calling Tsuyu over), and then the two agreeing to go fight the drake themselves.
Describing the fight was a bit more difficult for the two of them, since half of it was an adrenaline and pain-fueled nightmare, but between the two of them they managed to get the gist out for Shota's report, and finished with the call to the collection team. As Izuku fell silent, since the rest of it he assumed was known, Shota finished a few final notes before nodding.
"Alright. One of the automatons has your reward. You'll be given an emergency mission reward, on top of a sale of the Fel Drake parts, although we set aside a number of scales, teeth, and bones at Ochako's insistence."
"Huh?"
She looked at him smugly. "I am a smith, you know. You need new armor. I can do a lot with that sort of material!...assuming you're willing to engage my smithing services, that is."
"O-oh, of course I was! That sword was way better than anything I've used before! I-I was going to ask you to make my new stuff either way!" He assured the brunette, the smith's own nervous expression fading at his effusive praise.
"Ehem…I'm not done?" Shota interjected before the two could continue. Chastened, the duo turned back to him to listen.
He sighed to himself once more, muttering something under his breath. "You're also now promoted to rank C. Normally we'd kick you up to B, but we can't skip three whole ranks. Two's the best we could do. If you register as an adventurer as you asked about, you'll also be given rank C, Ochako. Lastly, Izuku, you're going to have to take a magic assessment test. You either underrated your magical power or lied, and I don't think you can lie to save your life. And you should have someone check you for a Blessing, because Fel Drake venom kills in five minutes, but you had the damned venom in your system for two days and weren't dead. But that part's just a suggestion."
"...wait, what?" he asked, back to confusion.
"You had Fel Drake venom from the injury you took the day before. But you lived. That's not normal. The fact you could 'smell' it as you said isn't normal for a human either. You probably have some Fae blood or something weird, or a Blessing of some kind. It's not that unusual. But the magic, you listed your spec as Alteration and said it was 'weak'. But according to her report, your strength and speed were far too strong for a 'weak' Alteration spec. And the healing you did, that's Creation spec, not Alteration. So yes, we need to test it to properly register it."
"They tested mine earlier! I guess I have very strong Celestial spec magic?" Ochako added, a little bit hesitant.
"Yes, upper echelon of power for your subspec of gravity. With training and use it'll probably reach the highest possible tier. Which is good if the two of you intend on forming a party. But we'll deal with it later…you need to eat, pick up your reward, and pick up some clothes. I got what I needed. Good day to the both of you," Shota said, standing up abruptly and spinning about, striding to the stairs at the back of the room, presumably to go to his office.
Izuku slumped back in his chair, still staring ahead blankly. That…was a lot to go over right now. He was broken out of his thoughts by a finger poking him in the cheek, making him glance over to meet the gaze of Ochako.
"You okay?"
"...yeah. Just…a lot, you know?" he said with a nervous half-smile. He didn't think he really could express how weird it was to him, everyone being nice after the debacle the day before yesterday. Then again, he did notice none of the people who had been mocking him were around…maybe he just ran into a bad crowd or something. Whatever. His stomach growling reminded him that yes, they were right…he was bloody starving.
Ochako giggled, pushing his plate closer to him once more as encouragement. He gave her a warm smile, finally accepting the food and the fact he apparently did good. All the way up to C already too! He couldn't wait to get started on some super cool missions!...once he got some gear.
The flapping ball of mechanical silver wings and golden claws chirped happily at the duo as it counted out the gold coins before their ever-widening eyes, placing them carefully in a pair of leather bags. Between the reward for the Fel Drake, which apparently had a fifty percent bonus for it being an emergency mission, as well the sale of its respective parts and components…Izuku had literally never seen this much gold in one place. Going by the pale color of Ochako's cheeks and how she looked like she was half a second from passing out from sheer shock, he assumed she hadn't either.
"One final note," the tiefling next to the automaton said as it finished placing the gold in each of the pouches and closing them off for the duo. "We found this in the belly of the beast. As you are the ones who took it down, you're entitled to it, unless you want to sell it as well." She slid a rusted piece of metal towards the duo, Ochako's hands snatching it up before Izuku could even glance at it. She saw the look he gave her and held it where he could see it as well, the two looking down at what was…the hilt to a sword?
"Is that…a sword hilt?" he asked, pretty sure but wanted to be specific.
"Yeah…an old one. Like, pre-Storm old. It's made from an ore we don't have access to anymore. You can tell by the weird shimmer it has if you move it just right, like this! See?" she pointed at it, but Izuku didn't notice anything different about it. He shrugged at her unimpressed stare, the blacksmith rolling her eyes at him. "Anyways, yeah, this is real old. I wonder where it's from…"
"It resisted all scrying attempts we performed upon it. But we can confirm your findings. A collector may purchase it for a large price, if you so choose to sell it," the tiefling woman offered.
"...if it's okay with you, Izuku…I kinda wanna keep it with us? Like…I just…this is super old and they did things different back then and-"
Izuku cut her off with a chuckle. "Ochako, absolutely. Let's keep it as a memento of our first mission together!"
She smiled back at him, the green-haired young man feeling that tightness in his chest once more at the warmth in her grin. She clenched her fists around the hilt and shimmied in place happily. "Yeah! Alright then…well, we got our reward and I finished registering, so…let's go back to my shop! I can get started on your new gear right away!"
"Oh, I mean, you don't have to-"
"Izuku…you do realize I'm a blacksmith because I like to be, not because I have to be, right?" she deadpanned, cutting him off.
He paused, before nodding as he accepted her words. He had kind of realized by now that she was never going to listen to him when he tried to stop her…so maybe he should just go with it, before she hit him with her hammer. Besides…new gear custom made for him? That…that sounded really cool.
"Alright…let's go then!" he replied with his own grin, his smile mirrored on her face. The two of them nodded to the automaton and the tiefling behind the desk, the woman waving at them cheerfully as they left, headed for Ochako's smithy.
Watching her work was something else. Ochako had been pretty confident when he'd spoken to her before, but seeing the incredibly intense focus she had, the precision and skill as she melded pieces together…watching the steam erupt as she plunged a new, heated piece of metal into a trough to quench, her entire form partly obscured within the cloud but somehow still visible to him. It was something…otherworldly. Geez. It was really hot in a smithy, wasn't it?
They'd stopped at a few shops on the way…for the first time in a long time, Izuku had clothes that were new! Most of what he'd had at home his mom or him had had to make, or bought secondhand from the rare trader who came out that far. Even after getting into the city, he couldn't afford anything brand new, so he'd had to go with a used leather vest and his green tunic that had seen far better days. But now? Now he had a few changes of clothes! Enough so he didn't have to do wash day more than once a week! Which was very helpful considering how much a good cleansing cost in the city.
Ochako he'd noticed had picked up a few small things, but apparently what she'd really wanted was a brand new smithing hammer…she'd spent an entire hour perusing the various hammers and testing their weights before selecting the one she did. It was enchanted, allowing her to change the shape of the hammer head as well as the size, which meant it could replace a lot of her various tools around the shop she had told him. He didn't quite get it, but he wasn't about to argue with an expert at their craft after all.
As he watched her work, once she'd hit a lull in the effort and was leaning back, wiping at her forehead with the back of her bare arm, he decided to bring something up that had been confusing him all day. "Um, Ochako?"
"Hmm?" she replied distractedly.
"You were a lot…um…nicer, today? Not that you weren't nice before, I mean! You really were! And super generous! I um-"
She snorted, cutting off his ever increasing in speed ramblings. "I know what you meant. I guess…I was in a bad mood yesterday is all. Well…the past week, if I'm being honest." She sighed, stepping away from the forge and wandering to the far side of her smithy for a moment, looking down at her desk. "Money's…not been great. I just got here a couple weeks ago, and I tried drumming up business but people got their favorites and it's real hard to break into the business, you know?"
"I get it. Well, not quite, but kinda. I just registered three weeks ago myself, no one wanted to actually, you know, party with me or talk to me, really," Izuku replied quietly.
"And then everyone was suddenly nice today, huh? Guess that was a bit weird for you," she replied, turning back to look at Izuku.
Izuku shrugged, giving her a soft smile. "Yeah. Honestly…you've been the nicest person I've met in the city. Well, Miss Tsuyu's really nice too, but I haven't really talked to her much, just a few words when dropping off her orders."
Ochako nodded. "Yeah, I've spent a bit of time with her. She's come by for some specialized equipment that I guess most of the smiths here don't work on? I dunno, I found it pretty easy. But a lotta smiths here seem to be focused on big name stuff like weapons and armor…I love making those too, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it's nice to work on things used for saving lives, rather than helping take them."
She shook her head to clear it after a moment. Striding over to a small cupboard, she opened it and pulled out a waterskin, draining half of it in one gulp. She turned and offered it to Izuku, but he shook his head, tapping the half empty skin at his hip. She shrugged, placing it back and leaning against the cupboard. "So, you do anything besides chasing down monsters? Like, do you have a craft you like?"
"Heh, not really. Nothing like you or Miss Tsu. I guess I'm okay at woodcarving though…used to do it when bored at home. That's how I got into fighting, actually…using knives a lot for whittling, and then bows and knives for hunting, I just kinda…got into it. Had to drive off some feral goblins who were bothering mom a few times, but nothing major till I got here," Izuku explained, his pose mirroring hers on the other side of the smith.
"Well maybe I'll have you carve something pretty on my hammer grip then," Ochako teased with a grin.
Izuku arched his eyebrow at her, grinning back. "I mean, if you want, I really can. You're making me my new gear, it'd be the least I could do."
"You're paying for it, you don't gotta pay me back you know," she pointed out, but he shook his head slowly.
"I know, but still…it's a lot of effort. Besides, I'm just sitting here waiting, I can't take a quest till you're done anyways if we're a party. If you really want me to add some detail I can. I'm not great at it, but I'd be happy to try?" he offered.
She tilted her head at him, then shrugged. "I mean…sure, if you really don't mind."
"Know what you want?"
"Surprise me!" she said with a grin. He smirked in return, then nodded towards the hammer hanging on the wall.
"That one, right?"
"Yep. The shaft's wood…enchanted, of course, but the durability enchant shouldn't stop a little bit of carving."
"Alright," Izuku said, walking over to the wall and reaching for it. Ochako's eyes went wide and she reached out to stop him, about to point out the sheer weight of the hammer…but then froze as he casually lifted it, green sparks flitting off his skin. He grunted slightly as the full weight reached him, but seemed to have no issue setting it down on the nearby table and taking a seat in front of it.
"...well…alright then," Ochako said, a little bit astounded by how easily he'd lifted something she had specifically designed to work solely with her magic. From the fact he had struggled for a brief moment she was pretty sure he couldn't use it the way she did…but still…he was strong. She hadn't realized how strong until just now. Now she understood why the Vice Guildmaster wanted him to test his magic strength.
She shook her head. He had something to occupy him, so she'd get back to her work. She was actually pretty happy with it…working with scales from dragonkin was always awkward, because it ended up being partly smith-work and part leatherworking, but she had a good familiarity with that as well. She had to, with how often she had to mix and match pieces.
Luckily, she was nearly done with Izuku's new armor…she'd noticed he seemed to prefer a more mobility based fighting style. Luckily for him, with how sturdy Fel Drake scales were (she may not have known what it was before, but she'd be damned if she didn't do her research once they told her), she could make a very light mail chestpiece that wouldn't hamper him but give him protection that an entire breastplate made of 'normal' materials never could. Once she finished this up, she'd start on her own, a more sturdy variation. She didn't need to move fast, she just needed to be able to take a hit and swing her hammer.
Then after that, it was a new sword for him. Only the best for her…party member? Friend? Were they friends at this point? They'd only known each other a couple days, but they also almost died together…was that a good enough basis? Meh. She'd worry about that later. She'd use the Drake tooth for the hilt, it being as solid as a good metal, and use some of her good quality steel for the blade. He could afford it now, and he'd still have plenty…she priced competitively, after all. She shook her head to clear out the distraction…time to focus up and get shit done.
Time got away from her, as it often did when she got deep into her craft. She took pride in her work and never gave anything but her best. It apparently went underappreciated in this city, but at least Izuku seemed to like her work! She could take that to heart…he was much stronger than even he knew, and he was very heroic, considering how willing he was to go fight a monster as powerful as the Fel Drake solo, even knowing he likely would have died.
That thought sobered her slightly, the smile that had been unconsciously tracing across her face vanishing. If she hadn't gone with him…no. It didn't matter. Overthinking about the past was a waste of time. She went with him and the two of them were badasses, and kicked the crap out of a really powerful monster! As she leaned back to wipe at her cheek once more, smiling down at the now completed chestpiece, she heard her name being called softly.
"Hmm?" she hummed, turning about to look at Izuku.
He beamed at her proudly, gesturing to the table before him. "I finished! I wasn't really sure what you wanted, so I kind of just went with some basic stuff, added a bit of flare. I think it looks okay!" Curious, she stepped over to him, leaning past him to look down at her hammer. Her eyes went wide in shock, jaw dropping.
Intricate whorls, ancient runes, flickering stars seemed to dot the landscape of the haft, beautifully carved symbols of the various constellations in the night sky looking back at her. And in the center, an intricately carved symbol of the god of war, Kahl…she never even mentioned that he was her patron deity, how did Izuku know?
"Well, the Resonance is all about competition in all things, right? And you seem really proud of your work, so I figured…you know, he'd be the type you followed? Especially if we're going into battle, we could use some backup from the god of war after all!" Izuku said with a nervous grin, clueing her into the fact she must have been speaking aloud.
"...I mean…you're right," she murmured, running her fingers across the haft carefully. Nary a nick or spot to catch on, not a single splinter out of place to snag her fingers with. The parts she gripped were not touched, but around them Izuku had carved a beautiful flowering vine, small flowers springing from it so detailed she felt like they were about to come to life. "This…this is beautiful, Izuku. I love it! Thank you so much!" she cheered, the shock fading away as she found herself suddenly with her arms thrown about the man beside her.
He stiffened in shock, spine straight, a small hiss of air escaping from him for a moment, before he finally managed to calm down enough to hesitantly return the hug for a moment. She broke it after a second, shooting him a quick grin before grabbing his hand and pulling him over to her work. She gestured down at the newly created chain-scale shirt she'd created for him, the emerald green of the scales glinting in the firelight. "Good timing too, I just finished up with your new armor!"
He gaped at it for a moment with wide, shimmering eyes. "Oh my gods, wow! It's so awesome! It looks so cool too!"
"Yep! And it's way better than what you had before, that's for sure!" She paused for a moment, before getting impatient at his staring. She snatched it up and shoved it at him with a gleeful smile, shoving it into his chest so hard he took a step back. "Well, go on! Try it on! Gotta make sure it fits right!"
"O-oh, right," he stammered. After a moment's consternation, he stripped off his jacket, leaving him only in the skin tight undershirt he wore beneath his armor. Ochako felt her face flush slightly, realizing she was staring a little too closely at the interplay of muscles hidden beneath the thin black shirt he wore, even as he began to pull the new armor over his head.
It slipped on like a glove, contouring to him without issue. He took a couple minutes to double check his mobility, stretching and spinning about, before turning back to Ochako with a matching, beaming smile. "It's perfect!"
"Another satisfied customer!" She said, her hands on her hips proudly. He giggled at her, the sound bringing another smile to her face. At this rate, she might end up with her face stuck with a perpetual smile, she thought. She just watched as he darted about, shadowboxing in the armor to test its flexibility, his own grin beaming in the firelight. She felt her heart warm from seeing someone who liked her work that much, pride warring with a different feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on…but that was okay. She had more to craft, and then they could go kick some ass together!
Okay, so, apparently weapons and armor weren't everything? Izuku had dragged her out to a shop that was a popular adventurer's spot, where you could pick up various adventuring equipment…torches, rations, waterskins, flasks, a ladder. Why did they need a ladder? Crowbar? What were they cracking into? She had her hammer!
He shoved it all into a bag that should not be able to hold all that, explaining it had an extradimensional space in it. She'd heard of such things but never bothered to purchase one, since they were pricey, but Izuku had no issue spending money on what he considered 'essentials'...she was pretty sure they only needed food and water, and maybe not so much food, but fine. His money his choice.
Then he dragged her to Tsuyu's herbalist shop. That at least she could agree with. The two of them entered, finding the store mostly empty. Both had visited it before to deliver various ordered things, components or devices, but this was the first time they were entering as customers, and Ochako took a moment to glance around.
The walls were made of a dark wood she wasn't familiar with, covered in shelves scattered about with little to no organization to them. No windows exposed the shop to sunlight, only a few flickering enchanted sconces dotted about the walls pulsing with a soft green-white light. Dried herbs and flasks of varying size and thickness dotted the shelves, vines hanging from the ceiling with little regard for where they were positioned. There were a number of bowls scattered about, water rippling within them and various amphibians (namely frogs) were sitting around them or within, occasionally making a noise to indicate they were there.
"Um, Miss Asui?" Izuku called out, glancing about.
"I told you to call me Tsu," came her raspy voice, the woman appearing from behind a large stack of boxes in the corner, one hand gripping onto her omnipresent carved staff.
"Right, Miss Tsu!" Izuku said with a nervous smile.
The druidic woman rolled her eyes, looking over at Ochako blankly. "You're still following this fool around?"
Ochako giggled. "Well, um…we're adventurers together now! We've formed a party and everything!"
"...what?"
"Yeah! We took down a Fel Drake! The thing that attacked me?" Izuku asked, his own grin widening to match Ochako's, even as Tsuyu's face fell further.
"...the wound in your abdomen was from a Fel Drake talon, not a Drake talon?"
"Yep!"
"How are you alive?!" Tsuyu asked, her normally flat expression gobstruck.
Izuku chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um…no ones really sure? They said I should get checked for a Blessing or something, cause I've been fine but haven't had the time…"
Tsuyu just stared at them both, before shaking her head with a deep sigh. "Come on, sit down…I need to hear this."
"So…you're now both C ranked adventurers and have formed a party, and you came here for…?"
"Potions and extracts, of course! I wanna be prepared!" Izuku said with a grin.
"He keeps insisting we buy all these unnecessary things, I really don't understand," Ochako muttered, flushing slightly at the absolutely insulted look that crossed Izuku's face.
Before the green-haired man could go on a tirade about the importance of their purchases, Tsuyu cut him off. "So, you'll be taking on C or B ranked quests soon, yeah?"
"Once we finished up here we were gonna go check out the board and see what was available!"
"Oh, that's the plan? I thought we'd do more random shopping?" Ochako remarked, eyebrow arched at the man beside her.
He had the gall to roll his eyes at her. "No one appreciates planning, I swear."
"I'm fine with planning but no need to burn all our money as soon as we make it!"
"It's an investment, Ochako! We buy the basics now and don't need to buy more anytime soon! Besides, I'm footing the bill for most of this, and you already got money off me, it's not like it'll hurt your pouch."
"You're my party member, I don't want you burning through all your gold either! You need to be more thrifty with your spending!"
"Buying good quality things now will last us a long time and save us money in the long run!"
"I-"
"As cute as your flirting is, I have a quest for you," Tsuyu interjected, making the duo realize they had been leaning a little too close into each other's face as they were arguing.
"F-Flirting?!" Izuku shrieked, almost skidding back from the two women near him.
"W-we weren't flirting, we were arguing!" Ochako started to protest, but the deadpan glare Tsuyu was giving her made her decide to swiftly switch subjects. "W-what's this about a quest?"
"B rank quest I've been waiting for months for someone to take or at least join my party for, but no one was willing. But with the two of you, we can probably do it."
Izuku, still shaken from her accusation, nonetheless caught onto what she was saying and blinked at her. "Wait…join your party?"
"I'm a B ranked adventurer, Izuku," Tsuyu replied as if she were discussing the weather.
The duo gaped at her, neither having had the remotest clue of that from any of their interactions over the past few weeks. She tilted her head to the side. "You didn't know?"
"Well you never said anything!" Izuku said, shocked.
"You never asked."
"Okay, okay, okay, let's not get all jumbled up here," Ochako said, even though she felt pretty off kilter now knowing she'd been hired by a B rank adventurer and never realized. "What's the quest exactly?"
"There is a very important person I must find, but to do it, I need a very specific potion. I have been spending months getting the equipment to brew it. But it also needs a rare ingredient…the blood of a winter wolf. Which they come in packs. I'm not a druid who specializes in the elemental stuff except water, but I'm not good with ice. I can't do it alone. I don't do well in the cold either. But if you two are up to it, we could tackle it together…you'll be paid handsomely for it, of course."
"What're winter wolves?" Ochako asked.
"Oh, large, very large, white-furred wolves with icy breath! They live and hunt in the higher slopes of the Scarlet Peaks! It's not actually clear if they are truly 'wolves' or something else entirely, but they do share a lot of habits with wolves, such as living in family units as a pack with the one in charge generally one of the parents, normally the father but sometimes the mother. It's mostly a size based hierarchy, the biggest is likely the leader. Unlike normal wolves, they are less about endurance hunting (although they can), but they tend to prefer ambush hunting with their icy breath and then eating the meat popsicles they have made!" Izuku gushed, Ochako blinking rapidly at the deluge of information he'd just dumped on her.
"...will they be hurt if I hit them with my hammer?" She asked.
"Yeah, nothing special to keep that from working. If you don't get frozen in place by the breath."
"I can help mitigate that," Tsuyu promised, waving her hand in the air, a small flicker of yellow-orange glow flitting about her fingers. "I am no expert in fire magics, but weaving a protective barrier against ice I can do. We'll need it anyway to reach them, it's pretty high up the mountain."
"See, this is why I paid for the enchanted tent, Ochako! We'll be out there for a while, you know, we'll want a safe place to sleep!"
"Are you just going to say 'I told you so' every five minutes? Why am I even partying with you, ugh," Ochako deadpanned with a little bit of snark in her voice, teasing her new friend.
His eyes went wide and he took a step back from her, looking down at the ground. "I-I'm sorry, I, well, I mean, if that's what-"
'Oh, shit!' she thought internally. She'd just been teasing but he took her seriously and now he looked like a kicked puppy! Her chest felt tight as she felt guilt well up from her careless words. She quickly waved her hands wildly in front of her in negation, her voice jumping an octave as her accent slipped a little. "No, no, I'm sorry, I was just jokin'! I really don' mind, I-I like, thought it was our thing, ya know? Just poking at each other, I mean, that's what we've been doin' right? Oh, shit, I'm sorry!"
Izuku shook his head rapidly, looking as off put as she was now. "N-no, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so sensitive, I just-"
"No no, it's my fault, I-"
"It's fine, I mean, you were just-"
"Yeah but-"
"Will you two stop talking over each other for thirty seconds?" Tsuyu interrupted, glaring at the both of them, the duo snapping their mouths shut at the admonishment. She sighed. "You two sure like to argue, don't you?"
Ochako looked down at the floor and giggled sheepishly. "I guess I'm still getting used to having friends in the city…"
"...we're friends?" Izuku asked quietly, a note of hope and disbelief evident in his tone.
"I uh…I hoped we were?" she replied, giving him a sidelong glance.
He gave her a crooked, nervous half-smile. "I um…I'd like that."
"Good. And you're my friend too. And so, as my friends…are we going to get started?" Tsuyu said with a little humor bleeding into her voice.
Izuku shared a quick glance with Ochako, seeing an excitement in her eyes he imagined was reflected in his own…their first mission as official adventurers together! And they had a party, and he had friends! This was going to be awesome!