Stealing the Future
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the streetwise Belzerg to fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
- The Prophecy of Eris (who steals all of hers)
Mina Ashido blinked, the world coming back into focus. Weird, it was almost like there had been nothing there for a second. Was that someone's quirk? Wait, where even was she right now? What happened to Kirishima and the others?
"I am very sorry, Mina Ashido, but you have-oh!"
Mina's gaze settled on a startled looking young woman sitting in front of her, dressed in some weird hero costume, looking like a cross between a priestess and some kind of idol, or something..
"Oh, hi!" Mina said, giving a winning smile. It was always best to smile, even if you didn't feel like it, and right now Mina really didn't feel like it. Something was wrong. "Are you like, the person who sent me here or something? What happened? Is this your Quirk? What about the Sports Festival?"
The woman shook her head slowly, not taking her eyes off Mina. "I am sorry, but...are you...human?"
That hurt. It always did. Most didn't put it quite that frankly or go that far, but there were always a few people who looked at her funny. She saw the stares, heard the mutters. Mutant. Freak. It was almost funny how much they had to repeat themselves. She forced herself to keep smiling. "Yep! I'm as human as everybody else! Just your regular old heteromorphic type!"
"Heteromorphic type?" the woman asked, glancing down at a clipboard and frowning. "Is that...are you a human subspecies? I thought you were from Japan…"
"Eh? Yeah, I'm from Chiba, I go to UA High. Er, do you really need to know that though? I mean, what else would I be except a human, and wouldn't you know that if you were a hero working with the Sports Festival? Who are you, exactly?" Mina asked cautiously, her smile slipping slightly.
"Oh, I am sorry. I am the Goddess of Fortune, Eris. And I am afraid you have just died, Mina Ashido."
Mina's grin vanished now, and she felt her right eye twitch. "What!?"
"Yes, it seems there was an accident, and you were tragically killed before your time," Eris said solemnly. "You are...excuse me, I have seen many young people from Japan, but you are a most extraordinary individual. Please, can you tell me of yourself? What I have here seems to be incomplete."
"Er, well, I like dancing and music, and I'm in the UA Hero Program." Mina said slowly, almost mechanically, trying to wrap her head around what was going on. She didn't really feel dead, but would she know what that actually felt like? She did remember pain and sudden darkness. Had she really died? No. No way. This was obviously a lie.
"Yes, what about this skill I see listed, Acid. What is that?" Eris asked.
"Huh? That's just my quirk. I make acid," Mina explained, partially coming out of her stupor as she summoned a globule. She sat there and let it race through her grip and thicken between her hands, a grin on her face once more. "See? Pretty cool, huh?"
Eris blinked, her expression one of startlement. "I...yes. This Acid...what can it do?"
"It can-oops!" the acid dripped down onto Mina's chair, immediately biting into it and leaving hissing holes. She winced. "Um, sorry, made it a bit too strong. But, I mean, it's acid. It dissolves stuff. I've totally practiced at spraying it and throwing it, and I'm really good at skating on it! I can usually control how strong it is, but, um, I'm sorta nervous right now, so…"
"Yes, I see." Eris nodded, cocking her head to one side. "You are...hmm. I have never met someone like you before, Ashido, and I have judged thousands of human souls, perhaps millions."
"Thanks?" Mina managed, feeling very uncertain.
"Normally I would offer to send you to heaven or to be reincarnated, but...it seems you present a unique opportunity. You say you were in training to be a hero?"
"Yep! I even got into UAl, pretty cool, huh? My buddy Kirishma made it in too! His quirk is Hardening. He's sorta cute, especially since his makeover, but sometimes I wonder if he even notices me…" Mina blushed, looking away. She was babbling. She did that when she was nervous, but this was a bit much, even for her. Something wasn't right...
"Kirishima, you say?" Eris flipped through her folder. "I see. I will be postponing your judgement, Mina. Relax, to you, it will seem as though no time at all passes."
"Ok," Mina said, frowning. "But why do I-"
She blinked. Eris was gone. After what seemed like an instant, she was back.
"Well, this is most interesting," Eris said, a strange gleam entering her eyes. "Mina, you could pass for someone who wasn't human at all."
Mina decided that maybe she didn't have to smile at Eris, not after a comment like that. "Um, I mean, that's seriously rude to say, but I was going to choose Alien Queen as my hero name, so-"
"Excellent," Eris agreed. "Tell me, would you be willing to save a world in grave danger? Your friend Kirishima has already agreed. I will warn you however, this is a dangerous mission. Many have already failed, including myself. But, there is an evil being known as the Lord of the Tomb who has conquered many worlds. One of them, Belzerg, has a chance to be freed. With your help, Mina, I think we could save Belzerg, and push back the Lord of the Tomb."
"Um, ok, this is getting really weird really quickly." Mina said nervously. "Are you really a goddess?"
Eris gave Mina a gentle smile. "I am. I know this is hard to hear. You were killed suddenly, in an unexpected accident that was not your fault. But I am the goddess of Fortune. Prophecy is not a strong domain of mine, but I believe I foretold your coming. I think you are the hero that this world needs, Ashido. Please, will you help save Belzerg?"
"Ok, I mean, if Kirishima's agreed to coming, it can't be that bad, right?" Mina said with a nervous laugh. "So, um, how does this work?"
"You must choose a blessing to take with you," Eris told Mina with a smile of relief. "Normally, that would be a special item. However, I must ask you to choose me."
"Choose you? What do you mean? You're coming with me, right?" Mina asked blankly, not sure at all what was going on.
"Yes. I must. These vile undead must be stopped, and my followers saved. I would do anything to free Belzerg, Ashido, even lay down my own life. I shall come with you, a light to guide you. Together, we will destroy the Lord of the Tomb, and save humanity for its dark fate," Eris promised.
MIna forced another smile on her face. Nothing made sense, but fighting bad guys? That she understood. "Well, I guess we're going then! I'll do my best, and save people! So yeah, let's go! I pick you, Eris. We'll save Belzerg together!"
A blue circle surrounded them, and Eris' expression became grim. Her clothes shimmered, and even her appearance changed. Her garb changed to filthy rags, and her hair became close cropped and dirty, her body smeared with filth. At the same time, Kirishima appeared beside Mina, a large granite hammer in his hands.
"Ashido!? Wait, you died too? Crap, what happened?" Kirishima gasped.
"Be ready," Eris warned. "When we arrive, foes will most likely immediately surround us. If possible, do not fight them. Claim I am your slave, and that you just teleported in from another of the Lord of the Tombs worlds. If the enemy forces the issue, we must slay them all. Let none escape."
"Wait, we're going to kill people!?" Mina asked, her stomach twisting at this sudden escalation.
Eris shook her head. "We shall be putting them to rest. They are already dead."
Then the blue circle suddenly brightened, and the next thing Mina knew she was standing atop a grassy hill, the bright sun in the sky. She put a hand to her chest, gasping in shock from the sudden transition.
"Quickly, take my chain," Eris hissed to Mina, holding up a length of iron links hooked to a collar around her neck.
"Wait, what?" Mina gasped, frowning. "What's-"
"Kirishima, activate your quirk, and do not turn it off," Eris ordered.
"Oh! Uhh, sure?," Kirishima agreed, and his body transformed into its rocky state.
After a moment of nothing happening, Mina had at least enough time to get acclimated to the new environment, and looked around, baffled, before she spied a town some distance away. It didn't look right though, like something out of a fairytale or video game. For a supposed world full of monsters, things looked downright peaceful. She could see farms and fields closer by, and things looked normal. Well, for a crazy situation like this anyway.
"Woah, this is, um, different. Where are we?"
"Belzerg?" Kirishima guessed. "I mean, I don't-"
Suddenly, a large force of what Mina could only think of as halloween spooks appeared around them. They were giant skeletons with dark metal weapons and shields, and glowing red eyes. One of them, smaller than the others, bore a staff with what Mina really hoped wasn't a real human skull atop it.
"Adventurers! Submit or- wait. Where are the humans?" the skeletal mage hissed.
Eris whimpered and sank to her knees. "Mistress, save me!"
"Woah, hey, who are you guys?" Mina snapped, glaring and summoning a fistful of hissing acid. "What's the big idea, why'd you warp in on top of us?"
"Yeah, who are you callin' human?" Kirishima demanded. It made Mina frown, but she guessed he was already playing along.
"Some sort of magical veil?" the skeletal mage growled, raising the staff. The skulls eyes glowed with an infernal purple light, and then there was a flash.
Mina blinked the small spots out of her eyes, but didn't feel anything actually hurt from it. "Ok, you try and use your quirk on me again, I'll melt your bones to sludge, get it?"
"Quirk?" the mage asked, tilting its head to one side. It glanced down at Eris, its jaw shifting to a more menacing set. "What is this? That one is human."
"She's our slave. We just teleported in from one of the Lord of the Tomb's other worlds," Kirshima explained gruffly, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "Now, are you boys gonna cause trouble, or you gonna let us be?"
"Hmph. A false alarm then. Still. Come. We shall take you to the Duke. He shall decide your fate," the mage rasped.
Seeing as how they were surrounded by a dozen monsters, Mina figured they didn't really have a choice, unless they fought. So she reluctantly followed along, feeling nervous at being surrounded by what were obviously evil abominations. She looked to Eris, but the goddess had her head down, trudging after Mina. She felt a bit bad about the whole collar thing, but hey, it was Eris's own idea.
They came to the town after only a few minutes of walking, and Mina had to fight back a gasp. There were all sorts of strange creatures, from what looked like demons to goblins, more undead, and even a few humans in rags like Eris's doing manual labor.
"Step right up! Fresh humans, fat, and ready to eat!" a bull-like humanoid called, pointing to a batch of slaves in a pen. "Hard workers, if you need them, or a tasty meal on the go! Only 10,000gp each!"
"You eat people!?" Mina gasped, unable to hold it back.
The skeletal mage glanced at her, its skeletal visage unreadable. "Of course. They are humans. You have one yourself. They are little better than fodder."
"Just seems like a waste. They're expensive, and to get big enough to eat, you have to feed them decent food," Kirishima said, his tone light. Mina could tell he was nervous and angry, barely holding it together by how grating his tone was.
"Why do you care? You know our master has decreed humans to be the lowest of beings, a stain upon the worlds. Do you defy the will of Ainz Ooal Gown?"
"No," Mina covered quickly. "Humans were just really rare where we're from. Ours was really expensive. Eating her would be a waste of good money."
Eris let out a dramatic whimper. "Please, do not eat me, master, mistress!"
"You're too skinny to eat," Kirishima said, barking out a manic laugh.
"Hmph. Do with your property as you will then. Feeding is for the living. I care not about such things," the skeleton declared.
He led them through the town, where Mina's heart broke all over again. Humans were reduced to animals, kicked aside by the other races, living in squalor and filth, or worse. They cowered and bowed low, their eyes downcast as they scampered at the edges of the road.
In contrast, the goblins, lizards, undead, and other creatures seemed well cared for, striding about in fine clothing. It was bizarre, a world wholly different than the one Mina knew. There, she was strange. Here, barely anyone gave her a second glance, and yet she felt as though she'd descended into hell.
They were led to a large building at the center of town, which bore upon it a strange mask like emblem.
"You there!" a lizard man growled, coming down the steps. "Lich! The Duke wishes to know, what happened to those Adventurers?"
"I found these two strangers there," the lich replied. "They say they are from another of Nazarick's worlds. They are not from one of the races I recognize."
The lizard man scowled. "Well, what about the human with them? She a slave?"
"Yes, so it seems. I was bringing them to the Duke for interrogation."
"Fine. Get back to work. I got a report someone's selling humans for food at the gates. You know that will piss the Witch off. Get them to knock that off! No eating humans in Axel!"
The lich hissed. "Lord Ainz has declared-"
"That the Duke and the Witch rule Axel. And they say no eating humans! You know the Duke feeds off human emotions, and he and the other demons can't damn well do that if people keep eating them! So do your damn job and stop it. Lousy undead. Come back as bones and suddenly they're above doing their damn jobs. Come on, you two. Duke wants information on any people teleporting into Axel so he can report to Demiurge."
"Fine," Kirishima said, bristling. "We'll talk to this Duke."
They were led inside and up a flight of stairs to a large, well appointed office.
"Oh-hoho, what have you brought before moi, today? A treat, a terrified human or two to dine on?" a masked man chuckled as they entered. He was dressed in an old fashioned tuxedo, with white gloves on his hands.
"This is the group that came in. Only one's human though, obviously. But you wanted to see them, boss, so here they are," the lizard man said with a deep bow.
The Duke peered at them, shaking his head. "Very well. Leave us. Moi shall speak to them alone."
"Right." The lizard man left, shutting the door behind him.
Slowly, the duke moved forward, almost sliding across the floor more than walking, until he was looking down at Eris, who was trembling slightly as she looked up at him, her eyes burning with fury. Then the Duke knelt, bowing his head, hand to his heart. "Goddess, you take a great risk, coming here as yourself. Moi was given to thinking that such things were forbidden now, no? And yet, you bring with you two who are human, yet do not look it. Why is that, moi wonders?"
"You know why, Vanir," Eris growled. "Now are you going to keep our bargain, or is the last thing I do before dying going to be finally cleansing your filth from this world?"
"Oh-ho ho, you wound moi, truly!" Vanir laughed heartily, throwing an arm across his face dramatically. He smiled, then shook his head. "The bargain stands, O luckless goddess of fortune. Truly, this is not the world I sought to create! To kill humans, for no other reason than that they worship strange goddesses, such a waste! But will you fulfill your end of the bargain, moi wonders?"
Eris gritted her teeth, and nodded. "Yes. I'll let you have the death you desire. And Wiz will be restored to life, human once more. Even if you should both be purged like the rest."
"Excellent, excellent! Moi shall call Wiz up immediately. Truly, it astounds moi, that even after all these hundreds of years she manages to let any funds slip through her fingers, an immortal being in perpetual poverty. It is not right!"
A moment later, a beautiful woman who looked entirely human to Mina hurried into the room. "Vanir? What is it, I-OH!" She quickly shut the doors behind her, hurrying over and bowing before Eris. "Goddess, is it time at last? Can we finally free this world, and save the people?"
Tears filled the woman's eyes, and she reached out a trembling hand towards Eris. "I've tried to help them, really, I have! I'm so sorry I couldn't do more, but I thought, maybe, if I agreed to run one of the districts, I could save a few more innocent lives…"
Eris took a deep breath, forcing a calm look onto her face. "I know, Wiz. You know how I feel about demons and the undead. But I will agree to work with you, to save my followers. And, should we succeed, I will see to it that you are granted life once more as a human."
"Why anyone would WANT to live as food again still escapes moi," Vanir mused. "To be little better than cattle, it is-"
That was when Kirishima's fist connected with the Vanir's mask, and literally drove his head through the desk he was standing in front of, the body crashing into a bookshelf beside it and knocking it over. Kirishima stood over the corpse, panting, his eyes filled with tears of rage.
"Don't you DARE finish that sentence! I'll kill every last monster in this town! This is despicable! Come on, Ashido, between the two of us, we can save the people here. We can take these bastards!" Kirishima snarled.
"Damn right!" Mina found herself echoing, acid forming at her fingertips. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do, until I saw that guy selling people for food at the gate! It's horrifying and disgusting, I-"
"WHAT?!" Wiz suddenly shrieked. The temperature plummeted, ice radiating out of her in a wave as a snarl of rage appeared on Wiz's face, her hair flickering to white, the image of a beautiful woman replaced by that of a withered corpse. "I have made it clear...I will return." She vanished in a sudden glow, leaving Mina alone with Eris and Kirishima.
And, apparently, Vanir. "Oh-ho ho!" the mask laughed as the old body crumbled to dust, and a pillar of earth formed beneath it, taking the shape of a man once more. "This boy of stone and flesh, he packs quite a punch, doesn't me? Hmmm, has moi said something to offend you? Truly, you humans are a tiresome lot to manage, how quickly you lash out! Do you not know moi is your ally in this?"
"Screw you! A real man would get out there and fight, he'd save the people, like a hero! We don't need bastards like you to help us either!" Kirshima snapped, hoisting his hammer and striding over to smash Vanir once more.
"Yes, indeed, which is why all the real heroes of Belzerg are dead," Vanir laughed with genuine joy. "But please, continue! Your pain, the futility, the guilt, it is all exquisite! Truly, moi has fed well these past few years. Ah, if only dear Wiz would be content to live in such a world, moi could die in peace!"
"Kirishima," Eris said quietly, putting a hand on the rocky boy's arm. "He's sadly right. I tried fighting the Tomb head on. It resulted in the death of my avatar, and in the death of many of my friends. We have to try another way."
Kirishima hesitated as Vanir's body took on the exact form it had before, down to the old style tux. "But...he's evil, right? Why are we even risking so much trusting him?"
"It pains me to say this, but, Vanir is by far the lesser evil in this situation. He is a vile abomination that I would love nothing more than to suffer for the crimes he has committed, true. But he does not seek the extermination of humanity, nor the death of all gods. Against the Great Tomb, he is our ally."
"Indeed, indeed, and, if moi is not mistaken, traditionally allies are not smashed to pieces at the bargaining table. Though I must say, it has done the job getting my interest raised.," Vanir snickered, giving Kirishima an impudent grin.
Kirishima was about to reply with his hammer, when the wind outside of the window suddenly howled.
"HEAR ME, AXEL. I AM THE FROST WITCH, THE LICH OF BELZERG, GENERAL OF THE DEVIL KING AND LIEUTENANT OF NAZARICK. THIS FOOL WAS CAUGHT SELLING AND CONSUMING HUMAN FLESH IN MY LANDS!"
Outside the window, Mina could see a block of ice floating in midair. With a start, she saw that it contained the bull-man from earlier, a look of terror etched on his features within the ice.
"SUCH IS FORBIDDEN! UPON PAIN OF DEATH, NONE MAY EAT HUMAN FLESH WITHIN MY DOMAIN! LOOK UPON THIS FOOL, AND KNOW AGAIN THE CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATING MY WILL!"
The block of ice slammed into the center of the square, the bottom half shattering completely while leaving the top still mid-scream causing many to shy away in terror. Wiz descended out of the blizzard, her hair blowing about her face, her eyes glowing with a horrific light. She landed on the steps of the building, turning her back on the cowering crowd in striding inside.
"Wow, that was really extra! I like her!" Mina declared. "She seems super cool."
Kirishima groaned. "Super cool? Really? The chick with the ice powers is super cool? Next you're going to tell me Todoroki is hot."
"He sure is, but he's always giving people the cold shoulder!" Mina giggled, then made a pair of finger guns and little pew pew noises at Kirishima, who groaned and rolled his eyes. But he smiled when he did it, and that made Mina feel a little better too.
Wiz stalked back inside, smoothing her dress. "Sorry, just had to take care of something unpleasant. Now, Eris, I've been able to gather a few dozen loyal followers, along with a large group of human resistance fighters equipped with the best gear I could find, ready to follow your orders."
"A large group or resistance fighters? Well armed? When did you acquire the funds to accomplish such a thing, oh perpetually impoverished friend of mine?" Vanir asked, looking suspicious.
Wiz let out a surprisingly girlish giggle. "Why Vanir, you didn't think I'd learned nothing in all this time? At the very least, I learned how to cook the books properly, so that not even you would be suspicious of where all my money went. Having a reputation for being terrible with money does come in handy at times."
"Incredible. You have outdone moi, dear Wiz, I concede defeat in this matter." Vanir declared with a proud grin and sweeping bow. "Perhaps you are not doomed to an unlife of poverty after all."
"Yeah, OK, so you two are good guys, or at least what passes for them here." Mina said. "Love the dress, by the way Wiz, purple looks good on you!"
Wiz started, then smiled shyly. "Oh, you think so? Thank you. It has been a very long time since anyone seemed to care about my clothes...Tell me, what are the two of you? What world did Eris find you in?"
Kirishima deactivated his quirk, making Wiz start, and Vanir cock his head to one side. "We're human, both of us. We're from Earth, the country of Japan. I'm Ejiro Kirishima, this is Mina Ashido."
"Japan? How quaint. Once, moi knew a foolish boy, one who was lazy and perverse, yet laid down his life to save others. All in vain of course," Vanir laughed. "But he, well, he was clearly human. The two of you, moi senses your humanity, and yet you are unlike any humans moi has met. Tell me, oh manly one who uses a bottle to hid his insecurities, how is it that you are from the same world as Kadzuma the poor adventurer?"
"They're not," Eris said. "I can't really explain, but...there are many versions of many worlds, Earth included. Theirs is different. The population there has strange abilities, called quirks. Ashido is what's known as a heteromorphic type, which changes her physical appearance, while Kirishima is a transformation type, and can alter his physical form at will."
"But just so we're clear, we're BOTH human," Kirishima said, folding his arms over his chest. "You want to be a quirkist asshole, we're going to have problems."
Mina smiled at Kirishima, but winced inwardly. He was cute and all, but she could really do without the white knighting. She just didn't let that sort of thing bother her. Much.
"These quirks shall allow them to pass as monsters," Wiz said, nodding. "They are fortunate in that regard. Thank you, for agreeing to help save our world. It will be dangerous, but thousands of lives depend on our success."
"Hey, that's what heroes do!" Mina laughed. "Now, what exactly do we need to actually do? I mean, I guess we could go fight all the monsters in the town, but something tells me you didn't need me and Kirishima for that, Wiz."
"Indeed, between us, Wiz and I could easily rid Axel of the riff raff," Vanir agreed, growing serious. "As a Duke of Hell, moi's power is not insubstantial, and as has been said, moi has fed well these past centuries. But against the Demiurge, both of us would surely fail. It is he who rules Belzerg, and the world, from his fortress in the old capitol."
"Yes. I have already sent agents to awaken the heir. I have gathered the four strongest heroes I could find as well, and with their aid, we will begin our campaign to free Belzerg," Eris explained. "First, we must draw the Demiurge out. To fight him in his home terrain would be suicide."
"Ok, so how do we do that?" Mina asked, feeling nervous. Plans weren't exactly her thing.
"Well, it seems that moi's territory is about to suffer a rebellion," Vanir sighed dramatically. "Led, of course, by the two of you."
Mina listened to the plan, looking nervously at Kirishima. He seemed worried too, but he smiled at her. Yeah. They could do this. Pinky and Red, real heroes. They'd totally save the world! She hoped.