Dungeons And Heroes

Dark Force

     "Dungeon Master, I'd like to roll for persuasion," Izuku said confidently, stepping up to face Katsuki.
     The D.M. smirked. "Now you're getting it..." He frowned in surprise as he observed the results. "You've got a 15 out of 20. Not bad, kid."
Izuku nodded with satisfaction. "Katsuki," he began slowly. His former friend scowled, tugging on his necklace made from teeth. "This is so amazing, Katsuki!" Izuku gestured to the dragons and the cave around them. "It's so grand that you've learned to train these dragons. It almost makes me jealous! However, recently, a bunch of villages have been attacked, including my own, and I hate to say it, but your own dragons have caused all of them. I come here to ask you sincerely to restrain your dragons. I know you may not even be aware of all this, but I'm telling you this now in hope that you can put an end to this. Unleashing your dragons freely is not the way."
     Katsuki scowled in response. "You're wrong, Deku," he spat angrily. "I know my dragons. They would never cause harm without my command, and I never commanded them to cause any havoc!"
     Izuku winced. "But maybe it was accidental-"
     "It was absolutely not!" Katsuki shot up from his throne. "My mature dragons are fully tame! It's not like I send the babies out to do whatever they please! They're not even allowed to leave the cave without a parent of theirs! You accuse me of something I know isn't true- and I hate that!" he shouted with a sneer.
     "What do we do now?" Ochaco nervously mumbled to Tenya.
     "Eijirou," Shoto said, stepping forward, his head held regally high. "Does your friend speak the truth?"
Eijirou straightened with a nod. "Everything he just said is completely certain. He hasn't given false testimony to you. You have my word."
Izuku shook with an unforeseen chill. "Then... that could only mean..."
Realization dawned on the members of the campaign. Tenya drew a sharp intake of breath. "The dark force Denki's group felt in the mountains!"
Fear flashed across Eijirou's face. More anger only passed Katsuki's. "It doesn't exist!" he shouted roughly. "I'm the one in control here!"
"You're not, though," Izuku fervently insisted. "If you didn't cause the dragons to destruct, something else must've had to!"
"You're lying!" Katsuki bared his teeth with a hiss.
"Katsuki," Eijirou said softly, looking to his friend, "why would they lie?"
For the first time since the explorers arrived, a hint of doubt crept into Katsuki's expression. He looked uncertain, the dim light of the cave passing shadows across his troubled face. "You're serious?" He turned to Eijirou, serious curiosity tracing his voice. "You really think this 'dark force' exists here with us?"
Eijirou looked over his shoulder cautiously as if whatever they were talking about was in the cavern with them. "I do. I really think it does. Especially since this campaign comes and tells us what we only begun to believe on our own campaign... and besides, what else would make the dragons go mad? I know how gentle they are. This must really be some powerful magic."
     Katsuki crossed his arms and scowled in frustration. "How on earth are we supposed to find this dark magic and put a stop to it, then? I barely believed in it until now, and now Deku comes by and wants to destroy it? How?" He flipped his gaze to Izuku. "You're weak, anyway. Don't you know that?"
     "I'm not trying to lord anything above you Katsuki, but if that's true, why would I be the one to pull the sword of All Knight from the stone?"
     Eijirou's and Katsuki's eyes flashed with amazement as  Izuku pulled the weapon from his scabbard.
     "There's no way..." Katsuki whispered, gaping.
     "Izuku, that's incredible!" Eijirou shouted, beaming.
     "It is, and all that," Ochaco agreed with a half smile. "However, how is this going to help us find this villain? If it's even a person at all..."
     The group thought for a while until Eijirou gave a little shout of excitement as an idea came to him. "I've got it! We just have to set a trap, and then counteract the magician from there!"
     Katsuki shifted his gaze to Eijirou warily. "And how exactly are we going to set this trap? Leave Deku out somewhere and see how it goes!"
     "No!" Eijirou answered with a wag of his finger. "I'll be the bait!"
     Katsuki's expression suddenly became one completely different than the one he'd just had. He was wearing an emotion of fear. "What? No. Absolutely not. Deku will do it."
     "Would you stop that?" Tenya snapped. "Izuku's not your slave- learn some respect! You can't be a hero without the ability to respect those around you. That's practically the number one rule of being a knight!"
     "Well, then," Katsuki smirked, stomping right up to Tenya and leering, "it's a good thing that I'm a dragon trainer."
     "Katsuki," Eijirou reprimanded him with a serious glare. He then leaned close to his friend and started whispering in Katsuki's ear. After a few sentences of that, Katsuki would whisper something back. And so forth...
     "That sure doesn't make me feel left out," Shoto said sarcastically.
     "What do you think they're talking about?" Izuku asked, glancing between his team and the two whisperers.
     Eijirou cleared his throat. "Everyone!" he shouted, catching their attention. All heads turned to look at him. "It has been decided that I will be bait, but only to attract this dark power. I'll be in my dragon form, so it's more likely. It would be more useful to have more people here to help attack whatever evil we find, but we'll have to make due with what we ha-"
     "More people?!" a loud shout came echoing through the cave. In utter shock, the youths all turned to find that they had been followed. The musketeer Denki stood at the end of the hall wearing a smirk, many others with him. "Coming right up, Eijirou, my friend!"