Katsuki Bakugo, Dragon Tamer, Barbarian of Death and Mayhem, looked on with the most disappointment he's ever felt in his life, staring at the team before them looking as if they were facing an enemy of mass destruction. "It's a fucking slime." Why did he agree to join these morons?
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" His dragon Kirishima gave a loud roar in response. The big idiot got too attached to people too quickly.
"Slimes are weak to temperature. Princy has a legendary ice and fire sword, Round cheeks is magic." He pointed at his dragon. "You fucking breath fire."
"Careful Katsuki, the last slime we fought tried to eat us." The moron 'leader' of the team, Iruma Suzuki, a guy with no skills other than surviving in nature, glared at it.
"That's because you're a physical fighter. This is a weak enemy you can beat with temperature. Hell, a campfire could do the trick."
"Hey, he's been trapped as a slave for years, it's a miricle he's been able to make it this far with as little as he knows about the world." Uraraka defended the party leader.
"You see, if it was just him, I'd get that." He really would. Being dumb was one thing, but seperated from knowledge was acceptable. "But all of you moronic servants-"
"I never fought you, I'm not your servant." Princy spoke in his cold tone.
"Act like we need to take a single SLIME seriously!"
"Slimes are dangerous if you don't take them seriously!" Tenya, a knight of the Iida clan, shouted. "In a far off land, there's a slime that rose to power and became a demon lord!" That sounded like a fucking worthless piece of land with no fighters.
"Fine, if you all want to be pansies, I'll do it." He pulled out his ax, letting it glow with energy as it became red. "DEADLY SWING!" He hit the slime head on, heat and force obliterated it and a good section of the forest. "See!"
"I see alright." The witch pointed at the destruction. "I see that you just pissed it off."
"Wha.." Something liquidy rose from the depths of the ashen ground, and the droplets slowly came together before the slime reformed as if it wasn't touched at all. "HOW THE FUCK IS THAT POSSIBLE!?"
"It's a mana eater. It consumes any and all magic that comes its way, just as I feared." Princy started to back away. "The more we attack it, the more it'll adapt to our magic."
"We can't afford to take this lightly. Suzuki, I advise that we run now." The knight suggested. Like HELL he was running from a slime!
"No, I know what to do." The party leader walked up to the slime, picked it up…and slurped it down his throat like it was a bowl of soup. "See, it's just like the bandana." The fuck!?
"Wait, what bandana?" The witch asked.
"You know from the festival?" The boy blinked. "There was … cheering for something I think …"
"Oh, the heroes of the old parade, you participated?" The straight laced glasses knight answered.
"Yes… I think… My memories have been a bit fuzzy lately…" Maybe their fight from before gave the boy a concussion or something.
The legendary demon king, Shigaraki, was paying some big bucks for an 'All Might' madoshka doll owned by an upcoming party with frankly stupid feets. Eating a slime, destroying half the castle of the Endeavor family, defeating a whole village of orcs by literally avoiding every single attack thrown at them. Most lowlies would scoff at trying to take them on.
But not Toru Hagakure, the cursed thief. Ever since, admittedly cockily, she tried to steal from the wicked witch of the east, she was cursed with invisibility, only to be lifted if she retrieved an item. She got it, but as it turns out, the witch got crushed under a FUCKING HOUSE! She would've followed the killer down the yellow brick road, but then some trees acted like complete asshoes, and she got sidetracked chopping them down into firewood.
Now she was stuck forever unseen and alone. The best thing she could do was embrace the curse, stealing endlessly and growing in skill. She now tracked the arguing party. "I'm telling you guys, as a dragon, behemoth meat tastes the best."
"Admittedly, it is pretty tender when you cook it right." The blue haired guy with a cowlick said to the red headed guy. "Although Goblin meat is alright in a pinch, and Giant Orc is pretty juicy."
"Goblins?" The aggressive shirtless guy held a hand on his mouth. "That's fucking disgusting, I don't care how desperate you are."
"Oh, did we finally find the barbarian's weakness? A few mini goblins?" The witch girl giggled.
"No, those little bastards look like their nothing but skin and bones, and I doubt they ever learned about the concept of bathing."
"Yeah, they can be pretty chewy, but sometimes you have to work with what you got." Oh would you look at that, he was sitting next to her target. She loved it when a plan came together.
"Somewhat disturbing, but resourceful nonetheless." The knight guy bowed.
"I'm fine with just about anything as long as I'm not sitting across from my father." Looks like there was trouble brewing in the house of Todoroki.
So close, just a few more inches until she grabbed it. "Toru?" She froze, the boy staring at her straight in the eyes. As if she was a human being, as if she had presence for once in what felt like so long.
"What are you talking about?" The prince asked.
"I just felt someone close by and … the name came to my mind." Did he know about her? How did he notice her somehow? She was sure she was being quiet.
"I've heard of an invisible thief that goes by that name." The knight was on edge now, great. She needed to work past this! Figure out why the surprising cute guy could see her later..
"Are you hungry?" The guy was looking right into her eyes once again, showing compassion, kindness, emotions she hasn't felt from another human being for so long.
"Yes." As soon as she quietly spoke those words, everyone got their weapons out. Shit, she was distracted. Now she needed to make a getaway.
"Wait, wait , wait, don't attack her, she's unarmed!" The boy got in front of her, holding out those strong, kind arms to protect her, HER of all people from his own party.
"How the heck do you know that?! She's invisible! Who knows what she has on her!" The barbarian screamed.
"I…I just do, alright! I can tell when something is dangerous and trying to kill me, and she isn't!" He turned to her, raising a hand and somehow, SOMEHOW was able to notice her own hair was in front of her face, and scooted it away. "You're alone right now, right?"
"Yeah … I didn't want to split the money …"
"What money?" Prince asked.
"Um, the demon king placed a bounty on that object." She pointed at the doll. "Five thousand gold." She needed to be honest here.
"Really, this bunny statue is worth that much?" The boy didn't even know what it was he was holding.
"It shouldn't be, those things tend to run for silvers, a single gold at most if it's made well." The knight looked it over. "Where did you find it?"
"In a secret cave filled with glowing writing pierced by a sword with a lady calling me the chosen one." Everyone looked at him with wide eyes and slack jaws. "I can't believe she chose me to get a five thousand gold collectible." And then promptly face palmed.
"The fate of the world is in his hands, we're doomed." She reluctantly agreed with the barbarian, no matter how much she wanted to punch him. Well, she might as well die happy with the only guy capable of loving her with the end coming soon.
Tsu walked over, handing the group yet another large meal and refreshments for their beverages. "Here you go."
"Thank you!" The cowlick kid that looked so innocent smiled before holding out his cup of juice. "To blowing up a castle of the demon king!" He shouted out to his group of comrades. That would be something to celebrate, if it didn't mark everyone in this party for death.
"To shoving a loss on the smug bastard!" The barbarian laughed, drinking his ale with a single gulp. "The rest of the generals better not be as easy as that one."
"I do agree, it seemed far too simple to simply bring antidotes that the villain carried around the castle in case of emergencies." A female knight with a black ponytail stated. "It's like he wanted to lose."
"Believe me, that's not the craziest thing to ever happen around these parts." A blonde haired rouge with a black streak snorted. "There's this one castle where the lord of it stuffs potions and gold coins into floating bricks everywhere. It's a jackpot for anyone that invades it."
"So what's the next spot on our list?" Asks a girl that once tried to attack them all in the bar as they spoke, Kyoka the spy. Now she joined them in their quest.
"Some guy named Moonfish, a general that forces his subjects to feed him lest they be eaten in their steed." The invisible thief answered. "Rumors say he's also allied with a vampire that can steal anyone's face for herself."
"If we fight her we might want to avoid having her see you, Toru." The witch smiled. "You're invisible after all. Don't worry, I'll look after Iruma."
"Hehahaha, yeah, no, I'm looking after Iruma-kun. You're the one who works with dark arts, you fight the vampire. You probably have so much in common with each other." Ugh, love triangle within the party. That's what stopped her from joining one full time. Way too much drama.
"Then let's keep it up." The boy raised his cup high. "Assaulting the Demon King and saving everyone we can!"
"Fuck you, headless bastard!" Ibara heard the words of the barbarian as he launched another attack.
The Dullahan that stains the world with blood of adventurers, a force so great it was necessary to combine two parties to take him on, and the assessment was proven correct. Thanks to their high agility they avoided every holy attack, because that was all they needed to do. Their undead status already made them immune to most conventional attacks.
"Fumi, we need Dark Shadow to pin him down!"
"He cut my demon, and it refuses to come out even in this dark. The blade is cursed, do not let it scratch you."
"Faaaaaakes." The vile monster kept shouting in it's horrid raspy voice. "Adventurers….quests…heroes….no…one….worthy….!"
"You don't get to decide the fate of anyone, you deplorable, miserable creature!" The Knight of the Iida clan charged right in, attempting to send the dullahan back. "On the honor of the Iida clan, I will avenge my brother!"
"Don't get so angry, Tenya! Unless your Bakugo, that's what makes people fight stupid!" The witch called out to him.
"Iida is the only one that can keep up!" The prince shouted, shooting off long distance attacks with her fellow party member, a lizard man cursed sharp scales to never hold another. "We need to either match his speed and rip off his legs, or pin him down, nothing else works!"
"Fakes … must … die … kill …" The monster was a lost soul, unable to comprehend their words, but smart and skilled enough to avoid their attacks and counter when an opening showed up.
"This is why our Party is superior!" Neito shouted arrogantly. "Copy Magic, Glue Gatling!" He and Bondo started to attack the beast and land a hit to make it stuck.
"Gattling …" The blue haired angel looked confused, but was caught out of it by his companion.
"Attack now, think later!" The invisible hoar reminded him, ducking her down on the ground. "You think you can avoid his attacks long enough for us to restrain him?"
"Yeah, yeah, I can!" Her angel steadied his resolve. "Ibara, when I give the signal, ready your vines and fill it with as much holy magic as you can make." Her angel charged forward, using the speeds blessed by the gods themselves to aid his evasion. Let his plan work, please.
"Mud Magic, unstable ground!" Juzo removed the ground making this a battle in the trees for the two.
The female knight charged her bade. "And time it right …. There." And sent out a swing of energy straight at the branch the dullahan would have used, sending him falling. With a little holy magic, the monster was defeated, everyone safe, if exhausted. She would have to work more with this team she supposed … spend time with her angel.
"It's all come down to this, Iruma-kun." The journey that had taken them three years was finally coming to its end. "Behind these doors, the Demon king awaits."
"It doesn't feel real." For most of his life, it felt like he had no future, no life to look forward to at all. "Everything we've been fighting towards is just two steps away. What's going to happen when we face him?"
"We'll beat the bastard and win, no shit." Bakugo growled. "Hurry up, chosen one or not, you're not the only one that wants to beat this asshole's skull in."
"We'll do this together." Todoroki pulled out his blade. "All or nothing. As friends, as comrades."
"All For One, and One For All." Uraraka cheered.
Iruma took a single step forward with his friends … and the world tilted. "What the?" The entire planet was folding in on itself, about to crash. He had no time to call out for his friends, as he hit face first into … open air?
"Come on, give it back!" He blinked in confusion, looking to see a thin looking boy, white hair and a pouty expression, stretching for a book.
"Now now, you know it's past your bedtime, right?" A familiar voice, even if younger, lightly chided the boy. "We already stayed up so late just to finish the volume."
"Yeah, but we're just getting to the good part!" The thin boy coughed a bit violently, and it sounded very concerning.
"Yochi, you okay?" The older boy grabbed a bottle and poured out a pill. "One left? Weren't mom and dad supposed to get you a new one?"
"They said they didn't have the money." He spoke. "I didn't want to bother them with me."
"You are never a bother, remember that." The man that will be a villain fed the boy his pill, looking at the empty bottle. "I'm gonna go out, promise me you won't tell mom and dad. Please?"
"O..Okay." The younger brother, the one that would begin the fight against the villain nodded weakly. Iruma didn't know how, but he could tell this wasn't just a dream…this was All For One and One For All as kids.
"I miss him sometimes." He turned to the ghost. "Even if he's an unredeemable bastard … I feel it's my fault I couldn't save him." The ghost looked at him. "Save people from my mistake, please?"
Iruma woke up, sweating and gasping for air. He scrambled out, forgetting for a moment he know had his own bed to sleep on, as well as his own room. "Iruma-kun, are you okay!?" Toru yelled in front of him.
"Beds make you dream of ghosts!" The invisible girl immediately hugged him from the side.
"Don't worry, no ghost is going to hurt my Iruma-kun!" She squeezed him tighter.
"No, it was just talking and …" He paused. "Why are you in my room?"
"To make sure nobody breaks in while you sleep." That was fair. Locks could only keep out intruders so much.