Chapter 40
Boot Camp
Part Three
"So…this is where you've been hanging out?" Surtr said as she noticed Jirou currently relaxing on Fenrir's back as they were both watching Bakugo and Baobhan fighting each other. "Would've expected you to be inside having a mental breakdown or something."
"Hard to have a mental breakdown with the sound of Bakugo screaming…and your friend here constantly licking me for comfort." She said before looking down at Fenrir who let out a small snort-like grunt.
"Fair enough," She said before taking a seat next to them. "My second assumption would be due to Bakugo wanting to take Baobhan down after the comment she made about his small dick matching his ego."
"...That also has something to do with that." She said before looking over at Bakugo who was firing off condensed beams of explosions as the fairy knight casually dodged them and countered with a magical bullet at his forehead which caused him to be sent flying backwards into a nearby tree.
"You don't trust us, do you?"
"Given what we just went through and what you told us, what do you think?"
"Again, fair enough. But I would recommend you at least place a little trust in us if you want to make it out of this alive."
"And you think that's going to help us?" Jirou asked as she glared at the servant. "Half of our classmates are dead or knocked out, we're stuck in a place where no one can come and save us, and our only hope is a villain who's destined to save the world or some crap. What makes you think that I would place my trust in a group of people or whatever you all are when even they can't save us."
"...Well it's not like you have much of a choice in the matter," Surtr said as she placed her hands on her hips. "You can either leave and find your way out, but I doubt you'll manage on your own seeing how there are demonic beasts, skeletons, and the undead king & his servants roaming around the city. Or stay here and train to have a better chance at fighting so you can see your family again."
"...You're horrible at trying to comfort people, you know that?"
"Well excuse me, Princess. Unlike you who was born in the age of man, I was born during the age of the gods. We didn't have stuff like TVs, technology, warm comfortable homes to protect us from the environmental weather, or stores to get food from. We had to hunt, fight, and survive with the skills that we had." Surtr said with an annoyed expression on her face. "So forgive me if I lack no skills when it comes to comforting someone seeing how not everyone has the luxury to learn that on their own... then again I never had the time to do that at all."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You really should pay more attention to your history books. I know for a fact that this planet has a certain history of Norse mythology, but you at least have heard of the fire titan known as Surtr, who he is…which is me, right?" Surtr asked as Jirou raised an eyebrow at her appearance.
"He…if Surtr's a guy, then how come you're a girl?"
"Yeah, yeah, divine spirits or heroic spirits can change their genders when summoned, we don't have to be the gender we were given at birth. Look, I am the genuine article of the fire giants and king of Muspelhim, the realm of fire. I was born from the remnants of the destructive wrath of Ymir, the previous ruler of the Fire Jotunn." She said which caused Jirou to raise an eyebrow at her. "Fire Giants, come on, learn your history."
"We haven't even hit that part back at school. We've only been doing stuff about American history this month." She said which caused the fire giant to stare at her in even more annoyance before scoffing.
"Of course, what do they have that the age of the gods era don't have?"
"...Technology that allows us to try and understand old history?" Jirou answered with a nervous smile on her face. Surtr was about to reply but kept her mouth shut and sighed in defeat.
"Point taken...You win this match child of man." Surtr said before regaining her composure and continuing her story while using her magic to create the tree of Yggdrasil and the nine realms. Jirou blinked in surprise upon seeing this as she couldn't help but admire the images of the nine realms...well well the ones that she assumes look peaceful. "As I was saying, I was born from the remnants of the previous primordial giant, Ymir. In terms, I am the primordial god of fire and wrath. Can't interact with people without setting them on fire due to being near them, and of course, the Norse gods wouldn't be friends with someone like me given my role."
"What was your role?"
"My role was to bring about the Twilight of the gods of Norse mythology in the battle of Ragnarok." She said before looking up at the images of her world. "I brought about the end of nine realms and the gods by burning them all to nothingness...I didn't want to stop there if I'm being honest."
"...I'm afraid to ask, but what do you mean by that?" Jirou asked as the titan looked over at the girl with a melancholy expression on her face.
"I'm a servant from a lostbelt, lostbelts are human history that made a wrong turn due to a decision or action that would lead it to a dead end. I brought it to that result when I defied my role as the bringer of Twilight. I was pissed off at pan-human history back on the planet where it originated from. Life continued, while everything from the age of the gods vanished, including the version of me that followed down that path." She said Jirou noticed small flames coming off her body. "I was angry, I was pissed, how come they can go on while we disappear into nothingness. So out of anger and rage, I decided to defy my fate. The moment Fenrir's guard was down after eating the moon, I descended upon him...and ate him."
"You ate Fenrir!?" Jirou yelled in slight anger and shock. "Why!? What did he ever do to you for you to do that!?"
"He didn't do anything, I was angry and wanted power. And his authority, The Wind of Nifelheim was what I needed to burn the world. With his power, and my own. I was an unstoppable force of nature...well almost unstoppable. Through the sacrifice of almost all the gods, I was sealed away within a false sun thanks to Odin. Needless to say, within about a month or so, the timeline I was pruned, yet for some reason I somehow managed to survive the pruning and woke up in this place with Fenrir next to me."
"...And you're still alive?"
"I know, I was expecting him to bite my head off, but he seems...passive and just acts like we're friends. I can only assume that we ended up separating from each other due to being summoned as servants or something. I get that you don't trust us, you have every right to, and I'm sorry if I'm not the type to be accommodating for your mental breakdown, but I'm a titan who hasn't had much interaction with people because of the age I was in. The best I can do is try and keep you safe to the best of my ability. But if I'm going to do that, I'm gonna need some help, your help along with the others in this place."
"What can I do to help? It's not like I have magical powers or shoot laser beams out of my hands or something."
"True, you don't...but I think I might have an idea that could help us both out."
"What do you mean by that?"
"...Let's have a small talk with Artemis, she might be of assistance to us." She said before pulling herself up and lifting Jirou onto her shoulder.
"Hey! Put me down! I can walk on my own thank you!"
"Maybe, but me carrying you there will cut the time in seconds."
"And what makes you think I'll agree to whatever it is you're planning?"
"Well it's not like you have anything better to do…unless you want to watch Bakugo make a fool out of himself," Surtr asked as Jirou looked over at Bakugo and Baobhan flying through the air.
"...Fine, let's just get this over with." She said as the servant grinned and began to make their way back inside the school. While the two were off planning something, Bakugo and Baobhan continued their so-called training as the fairy knight landed on top of a nearby tree.
"Wow, you are something," Baobhan said as she looked down at Bakugo from the tree she was standing on. "Most humans wouldn't be able to keep up with a servant. Then again, most humans can't make explosions with their sweat."
"Unlike the other extra, I'm a cut above the rest!" He yelled before aiming for the fairy knight with his right gauntlet. The pin to it popped out as he was about to pull it, only for him to stop as something was preventing him from moving. "What the hell!?"
"Cut above the rest? Don't make me laugh, scumbag." Baobhan said as Bakugo noticed the fairy knight holding a dark harp-like bow in her hands. Upon further inspection, he would see threads of strings around the area they were in as the fairy knight smirked. "If you were a cut above the rest, then you would've seen this coming a mile away. Then again, with a mindset like the one you have, it shouldn't be a surprise that you fell for something like this~"
"Bastard!" Bakugo yelled as he tried to use his quirk to try and break out of the trap he was in. The moment he moved, he felt the strings break his skin and draw some blood.
"Better not do that, less you want to lose a limb or two~"
"You bastard! Get this crap off me and fight me! What kind of a hero are you that pull something like this!?"
"That's rich coming from someone like you~," Baobhan said as she casually made her way over to Bakugo while adjusting the strings to where his hands would be aiming at his chest. "Katsuki Bakugo, the self-proclaimed hero. Praised by just about everyone for having an amazing quirk. Because of that, he ended up having a big head, thinking that he was better than anyone else." She said while placing a hand on the young man's chin as he glared at her. "Because of all the praise he was given as a kid, he was slowly turning into a monster."
"Who are you calling a monster you-" Before he could finish his sentence, he felt the string around his neck tighten which caused him to gag a bit.
"I'm calling you a monster because that's what you and I are~," Ba said before leaning toward his ear to whisper. "I've seen the images from Artemis about what you've done. I must say, I'm very impressed by how twisted and monstrous you can be. Especially towards that kid, you called Deku~"
"What about that nerd?"
"Oh, nothing in particular. Just wondering why a scumbag like you wants to be a hero? Especially given what you did to him~" She asked as a sadistic grin appeared on her face. "All those years of tormenting him, abusing him, treating him like he was nothing more than a bug in your shoes. Yet for some reason he still follows after you like a lovesick puppy. It's kind of cute when you think about it."
"Get to the point you old hag."
"There's no point to it, but I will say this much. You have no right to call yourself a hero if this is how much of a prideful jackass you are. You'll be a danger to not only yourself, but to others around you, and the people you want to save. Because you're a monster just like me. We take great joy in seeing others that are weaker humiliated, we take great joy in knowing that we're better than others, and we take great joy knowing that we can do whatever we want without consequences ~ "
"I am nothing like you, you old hag! You're nothing more than some dead hero from some dead world or something!" He said as the fairy knight would notice the boy struggling in his restraints. "I don't need to be judged by some dead hero, nor someone that's with that villain that caused this mess in the first place. I'm going to become a rich and famous hero! I'll get all the money, all the fame, and be better than All Might. Once I'm out of this stupid place, my thing to do is take down that villain who's your boss."
"...Oh, well aren't you just a monster made by hero society and he doesn't even know it~," She said before moving away from Bakugo and began to walk off.
"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going!? Get this stuff off me you old hag!"
"You're done for today, the strings will vanish within the hour. Hopefully, you'll cool down by that time and try to have a better mindset, or not. No difference to me considering you'll be the first to day once the final battle starts~"
"Bastards! Don't you dare look down on me!"
"I'll look down on you as much as I want considering how weak you are, little boy~," Baobhan said as she quickly vanished from the area they were in, leaving an enraged pomeranian tied up in the small tree-like area of the school.
"Hey! Get back here!" Bakugo yelled as he struggled within his restraints again. While the boy was left alone in the area of the school, grand servants were currently on the ground of the open field they were in. Tired, bruised, and out of breath, the grand servants reached their limit for today as Gawain was currently standing without so much as a dent in his armor or sweat rolling down his face.
"Good, you're all improving. Even though it's been an hour, you five worked together to try and move me. While it failed, it does show you're thinking as a group." Gawain said as he sheathed his sword and looked up at the celestial bodies of Artemis and Aphrodite. "Given the position of their bodies, I think this will be enough for today."
"Oh thank god!" Kaminari yelled as she was gasping for air.
"I knew servants were impressive, but I didn't think they would be this impressive," Momo said as she staggered to her feet, only to fall back onto the ground.
"I can't feel my legs…I think they're broken beyond repair!" Mineta yelled while flailing his arms around a bit as he lay on top of Kaminari.
"And I thought that the training we get from U.A. was intense. This is something on a whole different level than what we're used to." Uraraka said as she pulled herself up a bit, but leaned off to the side as she vomited.
"I'm going to need a shower after this…I think I sweated out all the sweat I had in me and then some." Mina added.
"Don't worry, upon the third day, your bodies will become more accustomed to the training," Gawain said as he sheathed his sword and began making his way to the school. "I'll prepare us a feast, you all can rest until you're able to move once again!" He said before walking off, leaving the grand servants to talk among each other.
"Can anyone move? Like being able to pick themself up and carry something?" Mina asked as she noticed Kaminari raise her hand slightly.
"I just need a minute or two to catch my breath...Geez, if this is him only holding back, I can't imagine how he would be if he went all out." Kaminari said as she felt Mineta trying to move, but would end up having his head placed in between her breasts.
"Mineta!" Momo yelled as he and Kaminari looked over at the class rep with tired expressions on their faces.
"I'm tired, you can't expect me to not move from off of Kaminari!" He yelled before looking over at Kaminari. "You're okay with this right?"
"I'm too tired to even say anything or do anything about this, right now I just want to rest." She said before looking up at the cloud-covered sky. "I thought Aizawa was a strict instructor, this guy takes the cake of being on a whole different level of teachers."
"Well he is a heroic spirit," Magni said as she appeared on top of Mineta's chest in a small form. "Unlike the so-called teachers from your world, they're from the era of man where peace has been a stable thing for the past couple of years or so. They don't have to worry so much about sleeping with one eye open and having a man stab their cuts out, animals attacking from out of the bushes and right their throat out, or petty gods to make a person's life miserable."
"She's not wrong," Mushashi said as she appeared on Momo's head. "While I have nothing against the age of man personally on this planet. The humans of this age are living in a bubble of illusion. The peace that All Might has brought was good, but too much peace makes a warrior sense duller than a blade."
"Well, there is All Might and Stars & Stripes, who can give a servant a run for their money. But take them out of the equation, and you're left with just a bunch of people who can't fight worth a damn." Magni added as she moved onto Kaminari's forehead. "Though I can say, they're at least doing a slightly decent job at training children, so I will give them some credit."
"I don't know if that was a compliment or an insult," Mina asked as Musashi shrugged.
"Take it however you like it, but you all have a long road ahead of you once we get out of this singularity."
"Question, if you don't m-mind me asking?" Uraraka asked as she gagged a bit once she recovered from her vomiting.
"Go ahead kid, ask away."
"The whole ascension thing…are we going to go through the same thing as Lily is going through?"
"To my knowledge, I don't think so…though now that I think about it. She should've been able to do it on the spot given how Artoria is the one that initiates it." Magni stated which caused the grand servants to stare at her in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" Mineta asked.
"Well, servants when given the right conditions can level up on the spot. This also applies to pseudo servants as well, but how come they didn't do it on the spot?"
"Well, maybe because we're different compared to the ones you've seen before?" Kaminari asked as Magni was about to comment, only for U-Olga to appear on Uraraka's shoulder.
"Isn't it obvious? Because they're humans. She's not," She said, which caused everyone to blink in surprise. "What? Didn't you guys notice it?"
"What do you mean by that? Lily's not some alien from another world, she's human just like us...Right?"
"You're serious? You guys don't know? I would assume Mineta would know, what with Artemis performing the process that's going on in the school."
"Is…there something that you know about Lily?" Momo asked as the divine spirit noticed the group's worried expressions on their faces.
"You…do know that she's a homunculus, right?" She asked which took everyone by surprise.
"A homuncu-what?" Kaminari asked.
"Homunculus, they're lifeforms created through an alchemical method. Like being able to create a human without the need of a woman if I have to simplify it for you all." U-Olga answered as she placed a hand on her chin. "I'm curious though. Normally a homunculus would be full grown, but in Lily's case she was made as an infant and grew up just like a normal human, which should be impossible considering how homunculus can't age."
"What do you mean by that?" Uraraka asked.
"Homunculi are born with mature bodies and all necessary knowledge and reasoning given to them the moment they're born. Granted there are a few exceptions, but given the interactions you all have been having with her along with what I can go with via Uraraka's memories, and from what I could gather without Artoria blocking certain aspects of the girl, this girl wasn't given much of…anything."
"But wouldn't it be impossible for something like that to happen? You said so yourself that this planet has little to no magic and magecraft is nonexistent." Momo said as she watched the divine spirit pacing around Uraraka.
"And yet someone on this planet was about to create someone like her…This girl is a patchwork doll, made from parts that couldn't be compatible with each other. Were it not for the fact that she has Avalon on her person, she would be dead within a year or two. Which would explain the whole organ failure that she mentioned." She said which caused pale expressions to appear on Momo, Mina, Mineta, Kaminari, and Uraraka faces. "I have a slight hunch that someone planned for this to happen. Like someone set things up for these chains of events going on."
"Is something like that even possible?" Musashi asked.
"It would be…but this requires some investigation," U-Olga said as she looked over at the others. "I recommend we keep this between us and not inform Lily about this. Mainly because we don't want her being distracted during the final battle with the corpse king."
"I figure that would be the case…but what's stopping her from having Artoria read our minds and stuff?" She asked before noticing U-Olga appearing in front of her.
"I can place a spell that will block off this conversation from your memories. It won't be gone, but it'll be like a forgotten thought that appears in your head, but vanishes when you're distracted by something." She said before returning to Uraraka and vanishing inside her. Once inside, Uraraka felt her arm raised towards the group as a magic circle appeared in front of them. "Only us heroic spirits will know about this conversation. So for the time being, just forget this and continue like nothing happened." Before anyone could say anything else, the spell that U-Olga cast took effect as the world around them vanished into darkness, and they faded into unconsciousness.