A Tarnished Hero

After leaving the corpses, Izuku, Katsuki, and Torrent continued on their journey. As his spectral steed's hooves clopped against the stone road, Izuku couldn't help but think back to their aggressors earlier. They wore the standard equipment of those that served the late lord of Stormveil Castle, but their insignias, the tabards that they wore were gone.

Did that mean that the soldiers had rebelled once their lord no longer lived? Or was it something else?

Actually, now that he thought about it, the soldiers' attack patterns were vastly different from the last time he had fought them. Were they not the soldiers that roamed the Stormveil Castle and their surroundings, capturing Tarnished left and right for their Lord?

Refreshing his memory, he tried analyzing one soldier's face that was not rotting in the distance, all the while Torrent continued trotting along the path. Katsuki behind him was silent, and every now and then, he could feel the ash blond quivering just a tiny bit.

Ignoring Katsuki for a moment, Izuku thought long and hard about the soldier. He looked just like any mentally degraded being on this godforsaken land. Furrowing his brows, Izuku thought deeper, trying to remember the soldiers under Godrick he had faced and killed.

His eyes opened wide, and a metaphorical lightbulb over his head. Snapping his fingers, he finally had a clue as to why they seemed so different.

The soldier he had killed earlier was gaunt. Gaunter than even the gauntest of Godrick's soldiers. He recalled the feeling of stripping the corpse, down to its clothed bits and the corpse compared that to one of the weakest soldiers of Godrick he had fought in the past.

There was no mistaking it, that wasn't one of Godrick's. In fact, they felt similar to the bandits he had fought back in the cave where he first saw Patches. At least Godrick's soldiers had the sense of knowing how to use and wield a sword effectively, but the ones they just fought felt like a bunch of kids swinging around lumps of metal.

Now wasn't that funny. Because they lost their Lord to him, the soldiers that once populated Limgrave were gone, replaced by bandits who had thought it was the best time to strike while the iron was hot.

A bunch of mentally degraded people they may be due to their sanity being lost over a couple centuries of dying and reviving — possibly reaching millennia from what Melina says — staging an uprising and causing havoc amongst the remaining dregs of Godrick's once proud army.

Then again, even Godrick's soldiers were barely holding on to their sanity at this point, so maybe losing their Lord was the tipping point.

Anyhow, that wasn't important. It was nice knowing that those he may encounter here were reduced to bandits playing knights and soldiers because of the gear they stole, making Limgrave easier to traverse, but it was an afterthought.

What was more important was getting to the Dragon Communion Church in that island before sundown, and at the rate they're going, it might take half a day without stopping just to reach the shore where the tunnel connecting the island and Limgrave could be found.

"Torrent, can you go faster?" Izuku leaned down towards his spectral steed's head, he free hand coming to stroke his flowing mane. "I want to reach the cave before the sun goes down. I know I'm already pushing you with your pace, but I don't want this trip to extend another day because we might run into some stupid shit just like earlier."

Torrent snorted a bit, as if offended that this pace could even remotely affect him. Then again, he had experienced first hand that Torrent could go hours upon hours of running without being the slightest bit winded. But that didn't mean he wanted to treat Torrent like that.

"Heh, yeah." Izuku smiled, his hand still combing through Torrent's mane. "I just care about you, you big lug. And I don't want to treat you like some kind of unfeeling form of transportation I can use to get around faster."

His words carried deep into his spectral steed's core, but the only reaction he got was a neigh. However, he did feel their pace going faster, and all Izuku could do was promise his best boi the best raisins Limgrave could offer.

The next hour and a half were spent in silence as Torrent galloped across the forest, the rushing wind tossing leaves along its current. They could hear the howls of wolves coming from deep within the canopy of trees, but they were left unharmed as their pace proved too much to chase.

That, and because the wolves here preferred to hunt at night. He had first hand experience with them before, and the unfortunate experience of being ripped to shreds and eaten alive by the cubs, but that was then. He is strong now, and he doubted a bunch of mutts could even reduce him to a state just like before.

Also, he already had his revenge in the form of rampaging across this forest by killing the packs that had killed him in an attempt to recover the runes he had lost.

"Where… Where the hell are we going anyway…" The silence was broken by Katsuki opening his mouth to ask a question. Turning his upper body so he could get a good look at Katsuki, Izuku raised an eyebrow and mouthed a silent wait. "I just want to know, okay? Fuck, my ass feels like it's burning…"

"… Okay, on that part, I understand and feel you." Izuku nodded, a bit empathetic to Katsuki's plight. His first time riding Torrent for a prolonged amount of time did the same thing to his ass. "But you better get used to it. We won't be stopping until we reach the shore on the other side."

Katsuki looked at the horizon, his vision blocked by the canopy of trees looming over them. He squinted for a bit, only to blink when the end of the forest was nearly in sight.

"I don't see water." Katsuki's dull tone was overshadowed by Izuku's sudden laughter, a tear dripping from the helmeted greenette's eyes.

"Of course you won't see it. When I said the other side, I meant the other side of the land, not the forest." Izuku knew at that very moment, Katsuki felt his ass was in danger. Just looking at how pale the ash blond became was amusing to him, and he was going to save the face Katsuki was making into his memory banks to call upon if he ever needed something to laugh at. He also knew the question just at the tip of the ash blond's tongue, so before he could ask, he stopped him in his tracks. "Also, we won't be stopping. I don't want this trip to reach until tomorrow. By sundown we need to be either at the shore, or the island where our destination is."

"Motherfucker…" All Katsuki could do was swear, and hope that his ass wouldn't be screaming for vengeance by the time they reached the shore. But Izuku wasn't going to stop there. Katsuki would forever hate him for this, which Izuku is completely fine with, but after dismounting Torrent at the shore, they were going to hoof it immediately into the tunnel.

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Katsuki huffed, sweat dripping from his brow as he hunched down. His arms swayed side to side, his palms sweaty and blistering hot, a hint of a crackle over trembling fingers.

They were ambushed again just not too long after leaving the forest, the fuckers having some kind of death wish as they hurled themselves into the meat grinder that was Izuku fucking Midoriya. Then again, the more he looked at one of the corpses – that he had personally created – the more he thought of these assholes less than human and more crazed animals.

It slightly lessened the disgust he felt for himself after vowing not to be the same asshole he was in the past to Izuku, but all in all, his hands were already stained with the blood of those he had killed in the name of self-defense. Then again, they were already stained when his stupid ass caused Izuku's death.

Sighing, he bent down and got ready to strip the corpse of his belongings. He did not want to have Izuku breathing down his neck about not helping him gather the loot. Plus, the more time wasted, the more he suffers riding Izuku's mount, which did not help with his sore ass cheeks.

It took a little bit of elbow grease to get their armor off and waylaid onto the nearby ground, but thankfully, these dumbfucks – for what else are they, what with all the groaning and unintelligible growls – didn't know how to wear them properly. They hung loose over their limbs, the straps weren't secured properly, there were even some of them worn backwards.

Izuku was right. They weren't soldiers. They were just bandits posing as soldiers for the local lord, which Izuku had killed apparently because the guy was a dick. He didn't get that many details from him, but Izuku only said that all he needed to know as of now was these… people they were killing via self-defense were bandits, the lowest of the low scum of the earth.

That lessened his disgust even more, comparing them to the heinous villains that populated their world. 

Back in Japan, they would call him a villain for doing this. Hell, they would probably shout for him to get tossed into the deepest pit of Tartarus because he went a step further and stripped a corpse of its belongings, and he would agree with them.

Not the part where he was sent to Tartarus, for fuck's sake. The part where he was called a villain. They had every right to call him that, Izuku much more so for the shit he had put him through.

Grunting for a bit as he finally stripped the last one, he wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Izuku, only to jump with a twitch when he saw his face inches away from him, his pearly whites showing.

"Hmm… Didn't need to tell you to strip them. Good work." Izuku patted him on the back and his touch felt like a giant anvil hammering into his spine. "Thought I'd have to tell you to do it."

Izuku grabbed the box on his hip and opened it. Peering over, Katsuki's eyes swirled. He couldn't get over not seeing the bottom of the small box, and looking at it for an extended period of time made his head dizzy.

Shaking his head, Katsuki walked over to the antlered horse. Izuku called him Torrent and damn him if he ain't respecting their only way of speedy transportation. Plus, from what he gathered yesterday, the horse had some sort of a mischievous streak.

He thought he was gonna die falling to his death yesterday! And yeah, he could technically fly with his explosions, but he was still getting the hang of it. It didn't take long for Izuku to grab all of the loot and walk back to his horse, a large smile on his face.

"Anyway, time to go." Izuku hopped on, a hand gliding over his horse's mane, and Katsuki followed suit. Clambering atop Torrent, Katsuki scrunched his nose, a hand coming up to his mouth, only to stop it dead in its tracks when he saw the stains on his palms and fingers.

Noticing the sudden movement from behind, Izuku turned back, Torrent still not moving as his tail swished to and fro.

"What? We're about to move." Izuku's eyes blinked.

"... You smell." Katsuki immediately put down his hand, his mind playing the view of his hand in slow motion.

"Okaaay… Anyway, just… Hold on. Would want you to be thrown off and die because you fell and cracked your neck." Izuku chuckled at the morbid thought, and Katsuki shivered. He didn't need that image in his head. Reluctantly snaking his hands around Izuku's waist, Torrent suddenly rushed into a gallop, the speed nearly knocking him off the saddle.

The wind rushed past the sides of his head, his ash blond locks flowing through as the dust in the air made its home in his eyes. Blinking rather harshly, Katsuki got the annoying piece of dust out of his eyes and sighed. Hopefully, they will get there faster. He didn't want his ass cheeks burning for the next day.

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"Fuuuuuuuckkk…" Katsuki groaned, his legs trembling as he laid his hands on his ass.

"Ass cheeks still on fire?" Izuku teased and all Katsuki could do was glare at him. Chuckling, Izuku turned around and looked at the mouth of the cave, memories of a defeated looking demi-human, bruised and bloodied rushing through his mind. His mouth pursed, eyes closed as he waved the memory away, but it stayed all the same.

The first time he found Boc, he was a bit surprised. In fact, he almost lopped his head off because of how shocked he was when the bush he bumped into turned into a demi-human.

He was also fresh off a fight so the adrenaline still running through his veins didn't help things.

Boc vowed to repay him for his help, and Izuku knew that he needed help. Any kind of help, really. Back then, he was still green around the ears and wasn't that much accustomed to pain and death.

So, imagine his surprise when traveling along the coast because of his trial to find something that could help against Margit, he came across the very same cave he was looking at right now and saw Boc looking worse for wear just by the entrance inside.

Those frail arms… Those trembling legs… The shaky voice… How could he not help, even at the cost of himself?

Even today, his predisposition to save people was still hardwired in him. One only needed to look at the USJ incident to know that he still helped people, even with his nonchalant attitude and frankly disturbing mentality.

Approaching the cave, he readied the lantern he had purchased from the nomadic merchant that was gathering dust in his bottomless box up until now. Hooking to his belt, he turned around and whistled, garnering Katsuki's attention.

"Come on, in here." Katsuki grumbled something about his ass still stinging, but otherwise followed him without much resistance. The sun was close to setting, but the orange glow coming from the horizon was still enough to light the shore in its majestic amber light.

It was breathtakingly beautiful, if you discount the corpses of tentacled monstrosities that littered the area. They were lucky that Torrent was going faster than what was asked for so they could arrive even an hour earlier than expected.

"Lemme guess, this cave has a tunnel that connects to that fuck-off island over there?" Katsuki pointed at their destination, to which Izuku nodded. At first, the blond was skeptical about how they were going to reach the island about two to three kilometers away surrounded by deep sea water infested by those tentacled monstrosities, but after reassuring him that there was a way, he clamped his mouth shut.

"No time to lose, I want to exit the tunnel before the sun goes down." Izuku's words were understandable. There was no point in prolonging their journey with a pitstop. Katsuki clenched his fist, a crease on his brow. Izuku could see that there was something going on in his mind, but he ignored it.

Entering the cave, Izuku's lantern lit the way. His armored boots ground against the rough surface of the rocks, his footsteps echoing through the claustrophobic tunnel. Behind him, Katsuki stayed close, his eyes following the light emitted by Izuku's lantern.

They came across a slightly larger expansion of the tunnel where a Site of Grace could be seen hovering. Izuku's eyes gleamed as he regarded the site, his body being sustained by the warmth emanating from its splendor. Meanwhile, Katsuki wasn't able to see, much less feel it. It made sense to Izuku, the ash blond wasn't a Tarnished, meaning that one death was all it took to erase him from existence.

That put a damper on his mood. Now protecting him just went up to the top of his priorities. Sighing, he picked up the pace.

They traveled in near silence for a good few minutes, until Izuku stopped. The ash blond behind him stopped as well.

Ahead of them, Izuku saw a cliff. It was also a somewhat long drop, and he didn't want to abuse his knees from the fall. Luckily, he knew there was another pathway leading down, and it was located just to their right.

The tunnel sloped downward, their trek becoming a tad bit easier, and at the same time, slightly harder. As they continued for a few minutes, Izuku couldn't help but notice a stark difference from the time he had delved into these tunnels the last time.

Where were the demi-humans? They were also a part of this never-ending cycle of death and rebirth, so it would've made sense for Izuku to spot them chilling in their home. Hell, there wasn't any demi-human outside, either. Just those tentacle things…

Did something happen? Either way, he would not look a gift horse in the mouth. The less obstacles there were, the better. But Izuku didn't let his guard down.

If there was one thing he knew, it was that when things seemed peaceful in the Lands Between, it never really was.

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His paranoia wasn't rewarded.

His eyes gazed upon the setting sun, its amber glow bathing the island in all its luminescent glory. Beside him, Katsuki stared wide-eyed, his mouth agape.

"For all its dangers and insane inhabitants, you really have to admit the Lands Between is such a beautiful land." Izuku muttered, mostly to himself. Looking to the ascending hill, Izuku pointed at the ruins just at the top while getting Katsuku's attention. "There, we'll make camp there. And by we, I mean you. I have something important to do."

Inside his bottomless box, the dragon heart laid silent. Izuku could already taste the power about to be bestowed upon him.

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A/N: Happy New Year everyone! And now my back hurts... Fuck, I'm getting old.

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