Test of Courage

10

Midoriya's POV
I winced, Todoroki muttered a small sorry. After our talk this morning I let him help with my bandages. Currently, he was wrapping my ribs while I held my arms up and out of the way. Once he finished I pulled my shirt back on and buttoned my green vest over it.

"On the other side of these mountains should be Mt. Shimura," Iida said as we packed up what little we took out of our bags. I pulled myself onto my horse. The mountains were tall and rocky. Snow dusted the tops of the taller few. We began our walk up the mountains.

"Didn't we already pass that pile of rocks?" Bakugou growled hours later. Kirishima groaned and rubbed his eyes. We had been walking all morning.

"There's something messing with the compass. The needle won't stop moving," Iida said. He had the map out too. The compass needle spun pointing in a random direction before moving again and pointing somewhere else.

"How about we stop and take a break? Then we have a chance to refresh and continue," I suggested.

"I agree," Todoroki added. The rest of the group agreed and I climbed off of my horse. Then sound of many footsteps surrounded us. The five of us got into stances with our swords drawn.

"Put your swords down or we will shoot," A voice called. My eyes darted around and I noticed people with clothing made of furs. Their faces were covered with wood masks. They had bows aimed at us. This felt little too familiar. I begrudgingly put my sword down and so did the others. I heard Bakugou curse under his breath.

"Why are you trespassing on our land? Were you sent from Chester?" Another person called. Their voice was deeper and sounded masculine.

"We have nothing to do with Chester. We are only passing through on some business," Iida spoke for us. There was quiet muttering and I couldn't make sense of any of it.

"For all we know you could be lying. I wouldn't but it past Chester to send spies into our land to get our resources," The same person spoke again. Todoroki was about to protest when they continued. "If you complete a favor for us we will let you pass through safely." The five of us looked at each other.

"We accept your circumstances," Iida said. The bows were lowered people came out from their hiding places. The person who was talking came up to us. They must have been the leader because their mask was the most decorated. While all the other masks were plain and oval shaped, this one was colored with black, yellow, red, and white paints. He also was the only one with a big fur cape. The person removed their mask. He was a middle aged man with long black hair. His eyes were dark and tired. A scar went across his cheek under his right eye.

"I'm Shota Aizawa. I'll be keeping an eye on you so don't try anything," He said firmly. We nodded. "I'll lead you to the problem." The five of us followed him along with the rest on his people. They took off their masks too so I could see all of their faces clearly.

"There is a basilisk. When it's hungry it attacks our village. Many of us have been injured or killed. It's fangs are poisonous," Aizawa explained while he lead the way. A man with long blonde hair and a small mustache came over and pulled him away from us. I could just barely hear their conversation.

"Shota, are you sure about this? Our best soldiers didn't even stand a chance against it. It will kill them," The blonde man whispered.

"This is the best way to prove they mean no harm, Hizashi. If they succeed then our problem with be gone. If not, this new problem will be gone," Aizawa whispered back, gesturing to us during the last sentence. The blonde man still looked worried but he nodded.

Iida's POV
Aizawa stopped us at a wall of crumbled rocks. There were dips and cracks and I could see the mouth of a cave on the other side.

"On the other side of this wall is the basilisk' cave," Aizawa announced.

"Please stay here, Midoriya," Todoroki insisted.

"I can help," He protested.

"Your ribs need to heal. It takes six weeks and you've only had five days," Todoroki said. Midoriya gave up and Todoroki, Bakugou, Kirishima, and I quietly made our way over the stone wall. We crept up to the cave.

"Any plan?" Todoroki muttered.

"Nope," Kirishima replied.

"DIE!" Bakugou yelled as he threw a rock into the cave. A loud hissing filled the air. The basilisk slithered from it's home. It was at least fifty feet long. Big fangs stuck out of its mouth. The monster's scales were a dark grayish color that helped it blend into the surrounding stone. It towered over us, it's tongue flicking in and out of its mouth.

"Great going, Bakugou," Todoroki sighed, "You made it mad." It snapped at Bakugou who jumped back. Then it snapped at Todoroki who dodged too.

"Does anyone have a better plan?" Kirishima yelled as he ducked under the giant snake's tail. My mind raced as I tried to think of an idea.

"Try to hit it in a vulnerable place. Like the roof of it's mouth," I suggested.

"Easier said than done, four eyes," Bakugou growled. The Basilisk snapped at me. The four of us battled it, trying to find a better weak spot or a way to stab the inside of it's mouth without getting bit. I ducked under it's tail and swung my sword. I barely nicked it's scales. It let out an angry hiss. It tried to bite me when Todoroki started yelling to my right.

"Over here!" He hollered. The snake tried to take a bite out of his arm and he barely dodged in time. The prince fell to the ground and winced. Bakugou, Kirishima, and I ran to him but we were caught off guard the basilisk's whip like tail. The three of us were knocked off our feet. It was about to eat Todoroki whole when a rock hit the side of it's head. The basilisk paused.

"Leave him alone!" Midoriya yelled, his sword was in one hand. The snake decided he was a better victim. "I'll distract it. You guys get it's weak spot." I could see the unnatural look he gets in his eyes when he fights. The rest of us got to our feet.

"Iida, your the fastest one here. Get close to the basilisk and when you see an opening stab it," Todoroki ordered. He was in his 'king mode'. Every once and a while he takes charge and sounds official, like he was taught in his classes. I nodded and ran toward Midoriya. Once I was close enough I slowed and crept up while staying out of the snakes sight. The basilisk lounged at Midoriya with it's mouth wide open. I thrust my sword into the roof of it's mouth. It recoiled, taking my sword with it. It let out one last hiss before falling to the ground.

Midoriya shook his head and his eyes returned to normal. I went to get my sword, while being careful of the poisonous fangs. Aizawa and the others came over the rocky wall cheering and congratulating us.

"I'm Hizashi Yamada, I want to say, the people of Nedzu thank you!!" The blonde man from earlier came over to our group.

"It was our pleasure," I said with a polite smile.

"Todoroki!" Midoriya yelped. I turned and Todoroki had collapsed into his arms. "Todoroki, are you okay!?"