A primordial, a demi-godlike being of flame, has woken up and it is not happy about it. Izuku and Ochako have their work cut out for them, trying to escape its wrath, until Izuku lights on the idea to reach out to a friend for help. Hopefully, this will do something...else things might be a bit too heated to deal with.

Bit of a wait, eh? Sorry, been very distracted with things in life and other stories, but I hope to get more chapters out for this one sooner rather than later. Either way, I hope you enjoy chapter 13!


"Get off the mountain, get off the mountain," Izuku chanted repeatedly to himself, Ochako, Himiko, and the Starmetal chunk all held up by Blackwhip as he began to run and jump and slide down the mountain, hopping from unstable ledge to unstable ledge, barely holding his footing but not seeing another solution right at this time. Ochako's gravity magic was holding them all up, not unlike she had done in the Aegis Ruins, but even with that he was running at full tilt, and quite certain if he took a single wrong step they all were dead.

But he had little to no choice, the massive fiery being of destruction had already begun to clamber out of the mountain, its body glowing orange in the afternoon sky. Izuku was both terrified of what was going on, and trying to reassure himself it would be okay. Elysium expected disaster, even apocalyptic levels of disaster, considering what occurred due to the Storms. It had a number of contingencies, that much he knew. Granted, he wasn't sure what contingency worked on a demigod of fire from another plane of existence (why the hells was it here?!), but he hoped they had something.

The flares Himiko had lit had drawn the attention of the porters, who had started coming up the mountain but he could see immediately turned back around the second they spotted the flames, and with him pushing his magic to the highest potential he could right now, he managed to catch up to them, panting, as one of them, an elf by the looks of her, leaned over the rail, eyes wide, to yell over at the group. "The hells going on!?"

"PRIMORDIAL!" Izuku shouted back, his hands scrambling under his clothing to try and access his emergency flares. The elven woman blinked at him in confusion, before her eyes went wide with the same terror he imagined was reflected in his gaze. She stumbled over to a runic array on the other side of the elevating platform and slammed her hand on it, screaming into what he assumed was some sort of magical communication device.

Even from this distance, he could hear the magical wails going off, the sirens that the city used to indicate danger rearing their screeching heads. Below him, he saw the landing platform for the Cloudtop district beginning to fill with people, adventurers, militia, and personnel alike. The elven woman scrambled back to his side as he ran, his breath coming in short, sharp pants, sweat beading off his brow as he felt his bones creaking.

"Jump aboard! We'll take you down!" she gestured to the platform, which was wide enough to support them all and the chunk of metal floating behind him. He did as commanded, leaping on board and falling to his hands and knees, his Destruction magic tendrils seeping back into him as he felt Ochako land next to him, her own gravity magic turning off and gently setting everything down.

As he tried to catch his breath, head bowed, he felt her hand rubbing his back. Internally, he felt both grateful and undeserving, considering what he may have just unleashed on the city. But he had no time to consider it, as the elven woman knelt next to him as well, laying a hand on his shoulder and making him look up at her. She held up a circular piece of glass, a mirror, which within showed an image of…the Vice Guildmaster, whose eyes narrowed immediately. "Of course it's you. What happened?"

Izuku swallowed thickly. "Primordial was inside the mountain or something. We moved the starmetal like we planned-"

"And we had the permit for!" Ochako interjected, her tone frantic and worried, but Shouta waved her statement off dismissively.

"That's not important right now, get to the main point. How'd it wake up and do you know how it's even on our plane?"

Izuku shook his head. "No idea how, but there was a crack under the metal where the water started to pour into. We didn't think anything of it, but then-" anything further spoken by Izuku was cut off by a loud roar, the very sky feeling like it was shaking, those gathered glancing back to see the fiery being standing tall in the caldera of Scarlet Peak. Surrounded by clouds of steam, the very sky seemed to be aflame as the burning coals of its eyes seemed to scan about slowly, searchingly.

"...yeah fuck it, we can deal with the how and why later. Get your asses out of there as quickly as possible. Cloudtop's being evacuated. If we're lucky it'll decide not to mess with Elysium and just wander off somewhere else, but if not, the Queen is in motion and is calling on the Archmage's specter for assistance. Hopefully they can send the thing back where it belongs," Shouta sighed.

Izuku pauses for a moment, an idea coming to him. He looks over at the mirror and nods. "I-I have an idea for someone who might be able to help. I'm gonna try calling them up first, before I get out."

"That's stupid," Shouta replied flatly. "Leave it to the Queen, and get out of danger."

"But we don't know how long we have before it goes crazy!" Izuku protested. "Or how long it'll take her to do whatever she's going to do! I need to do something!"

Shouta stared across the mirror at Izuku, eyes narrowed, before sighing. "Will it take you long to contact this person?"

"Only a minute or two! And I can escape Cloudtop by myself without a problem, I can just run down the mountain again!"

"Oh sure, run down the mountain more, you're on your knees because you barely managed that," Ochako snarled, clearly not happy with the idea of Izuku staying back.

Izuku let out a deep, annoyed sigh. "Look, just take Himiko and the metal down! I'm gonna call Li!"

Ochako paused, blinking rapidly as she stared at Izuku for a moment in consternation. "I…I actually hate how much sense that makes."

"Li, as in…the lich you met in the Aegis Ruins?!" Shouta asked, eye twitching.

"Tell me who would be a better ally right now!" Izuku shouted back, gesturing wildly towards the primordial.

Shouta sighed, rubbing at his face. "...fine. Call the damned lich. But get off the mountain as soon as you have!"

Izuku clasped his hands in front of his face and bowed his head. "Thank you, I will! I just wanna see if Li has an idea, that's all."

"Erm…a lich?" the elven woman asked, still confused as she stared at the mirror and the adventurer's talking before her.

"Long story, no time to tell, we have to get out of here. Take the others the whole way down when you go, I'm going to hop off on the landing platform and-"

"You're not going anywhere without me, Izuku," Ochako said, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at him.

Izuku returned the same narrowed eyes as he spoke quietly. "Ochako, there's no reason for you to stay. You need to take Himiko and the metal back-"

"They'll be fine without me. If I'm not here, you'll do something suicidally stupid."

"That is not fair, I-"

"You would and you know it, you always do. Stop trying to be the damned hero and let me help you!"

Izuku let out an aggravated breath. "I don't even know if Li will have any ideas! There's no reason for both of us to be here!"

Ochako let out her own annoyed breath. "And if I'm here, we can literally throw ourselves off the damned mountain and be fine! Better than you running down it again!"

Izuku opened his mouth to protest, but this one he didn't have a ready counter for, so he settled for giving her an annoyed glare which she matched. After a brief moment, he sighed, slowly clambering to his feet. "I'm not winning this one, am I?"

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p'.

"Well if you're going to do something, do it now. We've reached the landing. You want us to take this metal down with her?" the elven woman asked, arching an eyebrow at the duo.

Izuku nodded, quickly turning to Himiko who had been standing there silently. "Can you keep an eye on this for us? We'll be right behind you, we promise!"

Himiko pursed her lips, glancing between the two and letting out a deep sigh. "Be careful. Eri would be upset if you two didn't come back, got it?"

Ochako smiled at her. "Got it." With that, she leapt off the edge of the elevating platform, Izuku following suit a second later. The platform quickly pulled away from the landing, starting its descent towards the main city, joined by a number of other platforms as well as various citizens using their own means of flight to flee. Izuku took a deep breath, pulling out the emblem Li had given them to call them with, and focused on it as he'd been told to.

After a brief moment, it began to glow and spark, black and purple streaks of energy shimmering and shifting around it. They leapt off the emblem into the air, falling to the ground in a chaotic mess of arcane energies, before sparking with passion and screeching up into the air, tearing open what looked like a glowing, purple portal of some kind. A moment later, there was a 'click' noise, and the portal…opened, for lack of a better word, revealing the bleached skull of Li, blue flames alight in their eyes, tilting their head curiously at Izuku and Ochako.

"Oh well hello my friends! I didn't expect to see you so soon! How are you doing this fine day?" Li exclaimed.

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Um…we kinda wanted to ask if you had any advice for how to deal with a rampaging fire primordial?"

Li stared at Izuku for a good ten seconds, as if uncomprehending of what was being said. "Come again?" they asked. In response, Izuku pointed back over his shoulder, Li following the line of Izuku's hand, their skull lifting up as they followed the curve of the mountain and stopped after a moment. "Ah. I see the issue. I'd ask how it got there but I imagine that is a tale best told over tea once this is all resolved."

"Pretty much! We were hoping you had like…any ideas?" Ochako asked, nervously looking back up at the giant flaming creature which had started slowly spinning about, as if in confusion.

Li stared at it for a moment, humming to themselves…before shrugging. "I got nothing!"

Izuku sighed, his shoulders slumping. "...I was afraid you were going to say that."

"I can tell you that someone in the city is currently winding up some powerful spell or artifact. I can sense the magic from here. Can't say for certain what it is, but it'll be active in a few minutes or so," Li added offhandedly.

"A few minutes? I don't know if we have that much time before it decides to come down the mountain," Izuku muttered.

Li shrugged. "Well, why not delay it then?"

Ochako arched an eyebrow at them. "How are we supposed to delay that?!"

Li shook their head in negation. "Not the both of you. You." They pointed at Ochako, making Izuku and Ochako stare at them in confusion.

"Wait, what? Ochako can't just…fight a primordial! That's suicide!" Izuku protested.

"I didn't say anything about fighting it?" Li said, sounding confused as they scratched their skull in thought. "In fact, yes, I'm quite certain I just said to delay it."

"Okay, okay, no confusion, the fuck you mean I can delay it? How? I can't do no fancy magic like you!" she exclaimed, waving her hands dramatically.

"But…your magic is Celestial, is it not? Gravity subspec? Just trap it in a gravitational field. It wouldn't hold it for long, but it'd prevent it from moving for a period of time."

Silence fell over the duo as they tried to comprehend what Li had said. Izuku's mouth moved soundlessly, blinking rapidly, as Ochako shook her head. "B-but I can't do that! I just make my hammer lighter! That's all!"

Li snorted. "That's not how magic works, my friend. If you have a subspecialization, you can utilize any of that subspecialization's magic. Just because you haven't done it doesn't mean you can't. You merely need to know how to use it. Here, let me help!" Without waiting for a response, Li reached out and poked Ochako in the forehead with one boney finger, a spark of blue and white light flicking off their fingertip and making Ochako jolt back, eyes blinking rapidly as she swayed in place.

Izuku quickly steadied her, looking at her worriedly as she continued to sway for a moment, before seeming to come to her senses. She looked at Izuku with her jaw dropped, whispering "I-I can do so many things!"

"...so wait, you really can slow it down?" Izuku asked.

Ochako nodded rapidly. "Hells yeah! I don't even gotta be that close, since I can clearly see it! It won't stop it from using its own magic though…but I can stop it from moving!"

"I should warn you, such a spell of that magnitude is draining to the caster. You cannot hold it longer than five minutes at maximum, else you risk causing severe, unhealable damage to yourself. Possibly killing you, and while I could bring you back, I'm under the impression you would prefer not being undead," Li interjected.

Izuku's eyes went wide as he took a step back, shaking his head in negation. "Well then that's not an option. We need a new plan."

"Um, it very much is an option, and it's the option I'm gonna use! Don't start on me, mister, you know you'd be all about doing the same thing if you had the ability to do so!" Ochako shot back, hands on her hips.

"Not if it might kill me!" Izuku replied hotly, belatedly realizing that yes, he had gone on similar missions before and she knew about it. Her unamused stare informed him she hadn't forgotten how they'd met, and he clenched his fist as he turned away from her and cursed to himself. He shook his head and turned back to her. "Ochako, it's way too dangerous! If it can still use its magic, it'll just retaliate against you!"

"Well, why don't you help protect her then?" Li replied, holding their hands out wide. Izuku glanced back at the lich, Li's eyes burning with a bright intensity. "Likely, it will launch various Elemental attacks towards her. Your Destruction magic can deflect or destroy most smaller scale Elemental attacks, and I can ward off the larger ones, as they move slower and will give me more time to react appropriately. Your speed will allow you to deal with the smaller ones, as I handle the larger attacks. We need only hold it for a few minutes, the city's weapon is nearly active."

"I-" Izuku began, still unsure and concerned, but a sudden shake in the ground beneath his feet made him stumble, almost losing his footing. He glanced back to see the primordial had apparently decided enough was enough, its foot lifting up and over the edge of the caldera, the being starting to move as if it intended on coming down towards the city.

"Nope, no more arguin' Izuku! I'm doing it! Watch my back, okay?" Ochako smiled at Izuku, the smile not quite reaching her eyes as she leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "For luck," she said, her cheeks pinking. Her hands lifted up to point at the primordial, pink sparks gathering at her fingertips, as she focused her magic upon the massive fiery figure above them.

Izuku clenched his fists, taking a deep, bracing breath as he saw her eyes beginning to glow. If this was what she was determined to do…he'd keep her safe. Green lightning flickered across his skin, eyes glowing with emerald energy, as the black tendrils of his Destruction magic began to slide out from his skin, creeping around him, ready to launch themselves out to do what was necessary. Li's eyes burned brighter, jaw clacking as they cackled, hands weaving patterns in the air as they began pre-casting their magic in preparation for the next few minutes.

With that, Ochako let out a single breath, focused and directed. Izuku watched, eyes wide, as an enormous pink and white glyph erupted into existence above the primordial, spinning out from seemingly nothing. The clouds of steam surrounding the creature were shoved away by the magical energy, vanishing from sight, as the primordial paused, looking up at the rune above its head. With a shout, Ochako brought her hands down, the rune exploding into pink light, a ray of raw, magical energy being slammed down into the primordial's form. The magic sped through its body, twisting and twining, before reaching the ground beneath it and forming a second massive rune that mirrored the one above.

Izuku could only blink at the sight, the very air around the primordial now shimmering not with waves of heat, but the pressure of gravity itself, forcing the primordial to slump in on itself. It screamed in rage, its body unable to move more than a few feet at a time, its burning white eyes instantly locking onto the glowing pink form of Ochako, the blacksmith holding her hands in front of her, shaking, teeth gritted as she focused on keeping the magic active.

"Oh dear. As I suspected, I believe we may have upset it. I do hope you're ready, Izuku. This is about to get quite hot. Well, for you, I don't really feel the temperature much anymore," Li said offhandedly.

Izuku swallowed, stepping in front of Ochako and staring down the equivalent of an angry demigod, blocking its view of Ochako as his tendrils lifted from his back and writhed in place, helping to draw attention to Izuku rather than her. He narrowed his eyes at the creature, turning his head after a moment to offer Ochako a smile. "I'll keep you safe. You got this, Ochako. I believe in you."

Ochako didn't reply, but he could see the smile on her lips as she focused on her magic. Izuku turned back once more to face the creature, preparing to do what he needed to keep her safe. They only needed to hold for five minutes at most…they could do that, right? He certainly hoped he knew the answer to that question…and he was about to find out.