God damn it, I promise you all updates soon then wait half a month to actually update ANYTHING? It's disgraceful. Between editing for other people, getting swept up in hearthstone, and going back to work... well, I hope you understand the delay. I still own none of the properties I write about here. I don't claim to, nor do I ever. What I do own is the time I use to write, and any bits thrown towards me help me write for longer, as well as eat while doing so. Available
More will finally come however, and now it's time to satisfy those cravings you've probably been feeling. Chapter 26: Second 'Season' OR He's Mister Heat Miser, He's Mister Sun... He's Mister Freeze Miser, He's Mister Snow
The crowd of wandering Adventurers surrounded the mysterious child, who even now kept leaning against the wall, now finishing their fruit and tossing it's pit off to the side.
"Who...are the Summer Sultan and Winter Shogun?" Izuku asked hesitantly, wondering if Villains had taken residence in the city. Crime was a universal concept after all...
If the kid carried about any of this hesitance, he didn't show it, merely shrugging in his too big cloak.
"You're asking the wrong question there. It's not 'who' they are, it's 'what', Y'see, they's Elemental's." The kid chuckled, even as Megumin scoffed.
"Impossible! The names alone point them as being literal opposites, and I don't see a single sign of snow in the air! To say nothing of the absurdity of Elemental's having such a pull over a full town with no-one coming to investigate." Megumin denied, waving her hand in the air as she stared down the child, nearly eye to covered-eye with them.
The smile that seemed so wide on the kids face faded into a small smirk, looking less out of joy and more from habit.
"You really don't know where you are, do you. Hell, from the look on your friends face there, he barely even understands what I just said, does he?" The kid spoke, his head looking towards Izuku who still had a contemplative look on his face. After a moment, he found no objections if it meant getting answers.
"No, I honestly don't. From the context, and what I know before now, Elemental's are something like facets of nature moving around or causing problems because of changes to their areas, right? I'm just trying to understand why having them here causes such a problem, and why it would be impossible." Izuku admitted.
It wasn't even that Izuku couldn't imagine Spirits and Elemental's causing problems, not when they were the main contributor to why the Cabbage Migration had to be stopped or at least stymied. The problem was that this seemed to be a new problem, with the Elementals themselves as instigators.
The kid shook his head, clicking his tongue as he stood up from his seated position, but still leaned back on the building, as if for support.
"In any other case, you'd be completely right, but there are a few things you're missing for this one. Our location, the Elemental's themselves, and us townsfolk." The kid explained, raising up 3 fingers, revealing his skin to be a darker tanned color.
"This town, Latis? We rest on smack dab in the middle of the North and Southern Equator, a feat gifted to us by following the Divine Being Latis, who's since passed. This makes us the one place where both 'Hot' and 'Cold' Elements can exist naturally in the entirety of Belzerg, or so some of our priests figured. This alone would be tricky, attracting trouble and horrifying beings who could use this little detail to devastating effect, so we keep it a close secret. That...that was our first mistake." The kid seemed pained to explain the last bit, shifting against the wall in a way that either displayed discomfort or was him scratching his back.
"Elemental's are being that don't go by human logic, or really care about Human problems...in most cases. Despite not really being 'living' creatures with blood or brains, they still...learn is a bad way to put it. Adapt, that could work. They adapt to tactics that work against them. And because they so often come into conflict with Humans, or human-adjacent species, those strong or lucky enough to survive tend to copy what they see...within their worldview. An Ice elemental sees a group of warriors being lead by the strongest to cull their numbers, thus they seek to subjugate and put its fellow Spirits under its employ, gaining their power and outfitting itself with powerful armor like its foes. Thus a Winter Shogun is Formed. A Fire Elemental, meanwhile, could become entranced with the control and connections or a support role, and begin to apply subtlety to its previously wild fire. From this control its and its fellows flames grow brighter and hotter than any other, becoming a Summer Sultan." The kid's face was grave now, explaining the roles and transformations with small pictures in the dirt road.
The first showed a small snowflake watching a triumphant adventurer, before seemingly stuffing his face with smaller snowflakes. The first flake then seemed to grow, and got the same sword the adventurer was holding. The second was a small ball watching someone spark a campfire. Then the small ball seemed to do the same motion, making another smaller ball, as the first grew what looked like either a wick or a scarf, it was hard to tell.
"Wait, if Elemental's never really die, and they can get that dangerous that easily, why haven't we seen more damage, or any warnings about such large scale threats." Izuku was quick to point out, as Chris seemed to be miming out the small dirt comic to Sheer.
The kid merely scoffed.
"And there we go to point three. We're a bunch of no-name bumpkins too far out from anything to meaningfully trade with and aren't even worth the amount of time and resources it would take for the Demon King's Army to clean up and maintain. No one would come if we put up a Quest because people would see the distance and amount as either too low or a trap for the gullible. Trust me, a few of us have tried. We even went personally to a Guild hall to try and get help, but were laughed out when people just like little miss Magic over there dismissed or laughed that it was impossible." The kid sneered at Megumin, who bared her teeth right back before being bopped on the head by Izuku.
"The only good side to all this is how fucking gullible Elemental's apparently are when they have your lives completely under their ownership. It only took a few displays before they thought it was completely normal for rulers or people of high standing to give useful or magical items to those beneath them. Even painted our houses nice and clearly so they know who was what side. The problem them was that they also somehow understand material costs. Now we're in a catch-22 of being gifted things we barely need to random passersby in hopes of getting enough gold to fuck off for good. To say nothing of those bastards who've honestly forgotten why they were even competing against each other. The kid, who had passionately been explaining all of this before hand, seemed to deflate.
"That...that's terrible. There must be some way we can help you all!" Andrew hissed out, looking like he was about to storm out the alley and throw his money pouch at someones face. Before he could move a step however, Izuku grabbed a hold of his arm, stopping any sudden movements.
"I'm sorry for everything that's happened, and I'm thankful for you explaining what you know about such a sensitive topic. But all of this seems like a lot to be explaining to random strangers you had just met, especially in regards to what we can do about it." Izuku spoke back, eyes resolute as he stared at the cloaked kid.
He chuffed out a laugh, or it would have been if there was any amusement in it.
"Was I that obvious? Yeah, I guess that was a bit much. After I went so far to look cool too..." The Kid muttered for a second before unsteadily leaving the wall for first time, tearing back his hood as Izuku merely blinked, taking note of Ivy gasping behind him.
The kid was an elf. Or, at least, he had pointed ears, each with a duel piercing, which contrasted nicely with his indeed tanned skin and stark red eyes. He also looked like he couldn't have been older than 7 or 8, cementing him in Izuku's view as a kid.
"If I hadn't been scavenging through the forest as your monstrosity of bone and flame barreled across the countryside, I'd have left you to had your coin-purses emptied and your hands full of semi-to-useless items. But I was, so here I am, coming to you and your most likely disciples of Evil with my request. Please, in return for my, Chrul the Dark Elf's life's service, bring me to the Spring King and Fall President so I might finally free Latis from this fate!" The child, Chrul, all but pleaded as he dropped to his knees, followed by his head to the ground.
A quiet breeze blew through the alleyway, utterly quiet beyond the merchants in the background bemoaning their missing of the customers.
With simple steps, Izuku went to the prostrating, knelled down, and put a hand on his shoulder.
With a startled gasp at the sudden touch, Chrul looked upward at resolute eyes, a small smile on his face.
"You don't have to worry anymore, Chrul. Why?" Izuku asked, as if reading the child's mind.
He then grinned the brightest smile Chrul had ever seen before.
"Because we are Heroes. And We, Are. Here."
For the first time in his life...Chrul decided he made the right choice.
END OF CHAPTER
WOO, Back in the saddle! Good to feel the emotion to!