It didn't start off so bad: The party kept going over the now normal terrain for miles and miles, even when Ei sped it up for them because of letting them have a ride. Mina scouted ahead in place of Sight.

At the end of one day, no more monsters had attacked them, and they began to hope that for this final stretch, they would be left alone. As is common with being almost at your journey's end, they all felt more tired and impatient now that it was close than they had when it was far. They had seen enough frightening things to wish to be done with them.

Denki kept paying songs to boost their spirits.

There weren't any inhabitants this far north, but some more fishing villages dotted the coast, from what Kyoka said. They didn't try to go to any of them. They just wanted to hurry. It got dark, and it was colder than ever. They risked making a fire as well as snuggling up to Ei in his dragon form. 

"You know, I'll kind of miss this," Ochako said, "I mean, once we find the 8th and all. I won't miss the near-death every few days, but I'll miss the camaraderie."

"We should all stay in touch," Denki said, "You guys need to write letters or something." 

"Or we could visit," Ei said. 

"Sure thing, we can steal away from the tribe," Camie said slyly.

 "I don't think I'll be able to spend much time visiting," Shoto said grimly, "I have to find my mother." 

Momo glanced sideways at him, then put her chin on her knees. Suddenly, the prospect of her going off on her own seemed pretty lonely.

They fell asleep and later woke up, as they had so many times, to something startling them. Ei lifted his head and sniffed. "I think I sense humans." 

The next minute they were surrounded by people who seemed to come out of nowhere. They wore black and carried long, jagged weapons, that, even in the pale moonlight, gleamed threateningly. The party stared at them, reaching for their weapons, but they couldn't find them... It was as if they'd vanished.

 Mina rubbed her eyes. "Something's obscuring our vision."

"This is strong illusion magic," Camie tapped her head as if to rattle it free, "I can't see through it...It's not normal..." 

"Who are all you freaks?" Bakugo demanded, sparking up his hands. His magic seemed to be snuffed out the next moment. 

"We don't give names," one spoke in a harsh, rough voice, "You can call us the Shadow Bandits if you like." 

"I thought that was a myth," Denki muttered.

 "What? What are they? " Kyoka asked, "Orcs?"

"No, they're kind of weak dark mages, I guess. They prey on people who live around here who don't have strong magic, or who do, maybe. I thought it was just to keep kids from wanting to go north. 'The shadows will swallow you,' and all that." 

"That's not too far off," one Bandit laughed, "Now, we'll collect your valuables and be on our way." 

"Got 'em boss," one man said, holding up their packs. How had he gotten them? 

"Like candy from a baby," a female said cruelly, "And now we kill 'em all? Or do you want to take a few? They're pretty good looking, some of them." 

The boss rubbed his sword and considered them. "Not bad, but a couple of warriors would cause more trouble than they're worth. Maybe the little one there."

 He pointed at Ochako, who blanched. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"See, you don't actually get a choice," the boss said, "Once we've killed the rest of you, it won't be any trouble at all. Maybe take the mage too. He looks like someone might want him turned in."

 "I believe that might be the prince of the south east domain," said a different bandit, "If so, he's worth more alive."

Shoto held up his hands. "Even if you take our weapons, we're not helpless. You won't be taking her or any of us. We've come too far to be stopped by you."

As soon as he said this, it was like the shadow around them rose up like a blanket or a net and leapt over their heads, smothering them. None of the mage's powers worked. Ochako felt something grab her feet and started screaming. Shoto then felt stuff tie his hands together. He started kicking and squirming, and something hit him in the face. Though it didn't knock him out, it did stun him enough for them to pin his arms and legs down completely. The others kept yelling but didn't seem able to see them or find them. Soba neighed; the bandits were taking him too. 

Ei thrashed but found cords restraining him. "Hey, get off me!"

"A dragon boy might fetch a good price too," the bandits jeered, "or maybe just be good eating."

 What a terrible thought! Deku struggled and began to think he really was the most useless, helpless, pathetic person ever. It looked hopeless! How could this be what finally got them? It was like some terrible nightmare... Suddenly, they heard whistling. Everyone stopped yelling. The Shadow Bandits seemed a little surprised.

 "Oh, it's the scrawny one," said the woman, "He's not too bad. Want to take him? I bet we could sell him."

 "Yeah, it might be worth it. He doesn't look like he'd win a fight with a chicken," laughed the boss. Denki found himself pulled up. He took a deep breath.

 "Hey, uh, Shadow Bandits, before you, you know, tie and gag me, can I ask you a question? Just real quick." 

"If it's whether we'll show you mercy, don't waste your breath," said one of the bandits, pulling a rope out. 

"Oh, no, I just wanted to ask you if you guys had real names?" Denki said.

 "Real names...?" the woman said, as if he was loony, "What's it to you? Just shut up before we hurt you." 

"I just wanted to know if you had names, or if you're completely illiterate," Denki said.

 The others wondered why he said something so pointless. Has he lost it? Kyoka thought. The pressure finally got to him. He is just a bard after all. How much can one untrained person take?

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" the boss sounded vaguely amused.

 "No, just, your demeanor already makes me question your intelligence," Denki replied.

 Silence. 

The bandits were going to murder him! 

"What was that?" said another Shadow Bandit... It was impossible to distinguish who was speaking.

 "I mean, I would ask if you guys were part of a guild, but I don't think any of you have the skills," Denki said slyly. 

"You want to go?" One person grabbed him by the collar and shook him. "You know, for how notorious you are, I would have expected to see some wanted posters, but I guess they were too scared to draw your teeth!" 

The bandit released him and covered his mouth, as if embarrassed. 

"You gonna let that get to you?" scoffed another one. "Hey, you should talk," Denki said, "So I just have to know, did you get your own lovely ensemble by killing plague rats and skinning them, or does it just naturally have that musk?" 

The bandits grabbed their clothes and looked peeved.

 The boss was just smirking. "They don't meet your standard, shrimp?"

 "Oh, no, I must say I'm impressed. You guys are the most refined trolls I've ever met," Denki said. At this point, even the boss began to be affected. He scowled. 

"Hey, that's just rude," the woman said.

 Denki cringed away, "Ah, guys! Look out, it's the swamp witch--oh, wait, I'm sorry, I thought you were a woman."

The woman bandit flinched.

 Denki went on, on a roll, "Funny how we didn't see you coming. You guys are either really good at camouflage, or the fact that none of your features are symmetrical help you blend in with the scenery. You know, my mother warned me about people like you. She told me 'Denki, never become like those ugly, uneducated people who have to resort to robbery and thieving because their mothers didn't love them.'" 

Some of the bandits started to sniffle. The party suddenly found they could see and breathe again. They began to stand. Momo and Deku pulled the binding off Shoto and Ochako.

 "Seriously, my alpaca is ten times more human looking than you. What dark entity cursed you so you turned out like this? You know what? I fought a roc earlier, and I would gladly have him over for tea, if it meant not to have to look at you for another minute!"

 
"Stop it," one of the bandits whimpered. 

 "And you," Denki pointed at a thin one, "I think you'd be perfect for my friend. He's a dragon, you see, and he needs a new tooth pick." 

The bandit moaned.

 "Like, I didn't used to believe in higher power. Until I saw you and I realized: I need something to save my soul!" Denki continued smugly.

"But hey, looks aren't everything. You have a brain, clearly. You are the smartest talking pile of horse dung that I've ever heard."

 The bandits shrank back. It was one of the scariest things anyone in the party had ever seen. Denki's words were flying like daggers through the air and striking their targets perfectly. It wasn't so much the cleverness as the delivery. He looked at the boss.

 "Hey, what do you call a garbage sack that has been kicked down the stairs and run over with a wagon wheel? Well, I'm not sure, but it must have been one of your parents."

 The boss fell back like he'd been struck and made a squeaky sound.

 
"And you," Denki pointed at someone else, "Your father sent me a letter the other day. He said leaving you was the best decision he ever made."

 "How did you know...?" whimpered the bandit. 

"And you," Denki pointed to a different one, "I don't know if your father is dead or cut you out of his life but my condolences-- to him, for having you." 

"Hey!" yelled the guy. He was a big guy. He swung a club at Denki---but his strike was surprisingly shallow and weak, and Denki blocked it with his arm. "Is that all you got? Come on, Kyoka is more manly than you."

 Kyoka glared at him.

 "You're right, ten times more manly!" Denki said, in fine form now, "Why, you all make Shoto here look friendly." 

Shoto frowned. 

"What is he doing?" Momo mumbled. 

The bard went on, "Bakugo was going to insult you, but he's a king, so I have to take on the menial tasks of his agenda. And you are really the most menial task of his agenda."

 Bakugo smirked. Denki then grabbed Deku and pulled him over:

 
"Look! Look at this small, fragile, innocent child! This is Deku. He's from a small village. He knows nothing of the outside world. He's weak. He can't even hold up a knife. His best trait is that he is innocent and looks like a wee bairn--kind of naive to be honest. How could you do this to him? How could you make this incompetent--dare I say--cotton-headed ninny-muggins look GOOD by comparison?"

 The party gasped. The bandits all fell back on their hind ends. Bakugo suddenly blew all of them up, and they went flying every which way. 

Denki began to say something, "And Momo---" 

Momo stiffened. 

"Hey," Shoto warned, "That's enough."

"Hey, don't get me started on you--" Denki began, but Kyoka punched him dead in the face, and he fell onto his back. 

She rubbed her fist. "Let's get out of here before this fool says anything else crazy." 

Denki rubbed his chin.

"That was mad terrifying," Camie said. 

Bakugo was smirking still. "You're lucky you didn't say anything about me, or I'd have broken you in half." 

Denki looked up at him. "What could I say about you that isn't already obvious?" 

"What?" Bakugo turned to him savagely. 

Denki clamped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

"What was that?" Mina rubbed her ears, "What did you just do?"

"That was one of the most feared bard tactics in the world!" Camie said, impressed, "Vicious Mockery! Able to weaken you opponents through the power of mere words. I wanted to learn it myself, but I'm just too nice, you know... Dang, Denki that was impressive. I was literally terrified of you. And that's coming from me!"

Denki laughed nervously, "Oh, uh...thanks I guess..." he rubbed his head, "I...I'm sorry, everyone. I got carried away." 

"You think?" Shoto said frostily. 

Denki looked down. While he'd been mocking, he'd had a crazy wild look in his eyes, and it was frightening. Now he seemed down...

After they'd gotten about a mile away, he said, "I never use Vicious Mockery. It takes a lot of energy, for one thing. I can get dazed--I think I was for a bit there... but, also, it can be a rush, and you get too caught up in it, and I lose control. I hurt someone's feelings pretty badly in the past. I'm sorry. I didn't plan to start in on you guys, but eventually it just becomes directed at anyone I see..." 

"That's so scary," Mina said, but she didn't really mind, "I wish I could do that."

"Hmpf, that was the best part of this whole d--- quest!" Bakugo was still laughing inwardly over it. He relished the looks on everyone's faces while Denki was lambasting them.

Kyoka was walking slowly, staring at her feet at the back of the party. "That punch hurt..." Denki said uneasily, falling back, "You didn't pull it, did you?"

 "You deserved it!" Kyoka said, "You were being an ass." 

"Uh, yes, I guess you're right," Denki rubbed his head guiltily. Kyoka was clearly upset. "You really think I'm manly?" she said tightly, "I guess it makes sense." 

"Huh? Oh, no, I wasn't thinking about what I was saying!" Denki held up his hands, "You have to believe me, Kyoka, the whole Vicious Mockery thing isn't based off our real opinion of someone. It's about what they will feel the worst about---" he stopped. "Uh, or just random insults. 'Cause, you know, that'll bother some people more. Besides, you really could see that as a compliment." 

She glared at him. "Really? Because I'm a warrior? Is that it? That's not feminine, so I should be flattered?"

"No, no, I mean, being tough is a good thing, right?" Denki backpedaled, "That's all. Manly just sounded more insulting to the bandits, that's all. It's just an expression."

 Kyoka didn't appear to be convinced. "Whatever..." she said sulkily.

 Denki began to talk nervously in his effort to fix this: "Hey, don't feel so bad, I didn't mean it like that...and no one else is going to care what I say anyway, so it's not a big deal. Plenty of people would like a girl like you, so don't worry about it." 

"Sure," Kyoka said dully, "I know what everyone actually thinks...I'm mean and quick tempered and insensitive. That's what they really think. No need to lie about it to make me feel better." 

"Actually, if anything, you're too sensitive..." Denki muttered. 

"What?" she looked up sharply. "That's what I mean!" he moved out of hitting distance, "But that's fine... Who isn't sensitive about some things, right? I wouldn't like being called girly... And okay, you can be a little...uh... forceful...but not mean. No one thinks that. Not in the party, anyway. Plus, you're always trying to protect Momo and everyone else, and maybe that's just a lot of pressure. Anyone would get a little high strung. I'm just saying, you probably see it that way more than anyone else does." 

Kyoka looked up. "Are you being serious right now?" "Oh, sure," Denki said, glad this was finally working, "You really should be a little more confident too. Then you could relax a little. It's actually pretty fun when you're not in battle mode all the time. I mean, who else around here likes music that much?" 

His goal was just to get her not mad at him anymore, but he might be surpassing it too much. Kyoka was starting to turn red. Denki, however, didn't notice. He was utilizing his bard skills. "So, I really didn't mean it... but, I get it, the charisma makes it hard to forget about it... Want me to use Bardic Inspiration to make it better?" 

"You weren't doing that just now?" Kyoka said. 

"Was I?" Denki hadn't noticed if he was. 

"Yes, you were using it now, right?" Kyoka said. That must be the warm, fuzzy feeling she had. "That's the infuriating thing that makes me want to either kill you or kiss you--" She stopped. That last part had been an accident. "I, uh, said that wrong," she stammered.

 "Oh, shoot, I must have used it by accident." He looked guilty. "I'm sorry, Kyoka. Just forget that happened." He thought she was going to kill him for sure. 

Kyoka nodded. "Yes, just forget it, and watch that charisma of yours before I break.... Anyway."

 She walked away. Denki sighed. He was still alive.

Camie leaned over to Bakugo. "I was paying attention. He wasn't using Charisma during that whole conversation."

 "Shut up. Don't ruin it," Bakugo muttered. 

"What? You care?" Camie was surprised. 

"Anything's better than watching them get all sappy and making me sick," Bakugo grumbled.

 "You're the most unromantic fiance ever," Camie sighed. "Ah, well, I'm sure they'll figure it out. And if not, I can always give a little push." 

After that incident, they traveled uneventfully for the next two days. The only problems they ran into were some monsters, that were small fry compared to what they'd been through--a minotaur and some vampire bats. They took care of all of them with teamwork, and the battles lasted hardly thirty minutes. The smell of salt water hit them again on the third day, and when Mina flew high into the air, she saw the ocean on both sides of them, to the East and West, and knew they were getting to the narrower land that would lead to the Peninsula. They redoubled their pace in excitement.

The fourth day, they could all see the ocean even from the ground, and they saw gulls flying overhead and pelicans. And by noon, they heard the sound of the ocean, though it was over the edge of the land and a good 300 foot drop at least to the water. 

                                                                         (Painting by Gevorg Avagyan)

"That must be it," Deku said, almost choking, "That's where the 8th is." He held up his map. Sure enough, the line they were following led dead ahead.

They were here.

"Well, well, well," a raspy voice said. They all turned around. To their horror, a dark cloud of smoke was standing behind them, along with a monster the size of a bear and Tomura, the masked bounty hunter--and a few other figures behind them, wearing hoods.

"Looks like we're all just in time," Tomura said, with an ugly smile.

Bonus: List of all the vicious insults me and my sisters brainstormed for this part, sadly I could not put all of them in, but I did put in most of them, lol.

Vicious Mockery List

So do you guys have a party name or are you completely illiterate?

I would ask if you guys were part of a guild, but I don't think any of you are talented enough

Should I ask which guilt you're from or which nursery?

For how notorious you claim to be, I thought I would've seen some wanted posters, but I guess they were too scared to draw your teeth.

You know you guys are either really good at camouflage, or the fact that none of your features are symmetrical help you blend in with the scenery.

I used to feel bad for my aunt for having lockjaw, but now that' I've met you I think it was a blessing in disguise.

What do you call a garbage sack that has been kicked down the stairs, and run over with a wagon wheel? Well, I'm not sure, but it must have been one of your parents.

I must say I'm impressed, you guys are the most refined trolls I've ever met.

So I just have to know, did you get your own lovely ensemble by killing plague rats and skinning them, or does it just naturally have that musk?

Look out, it's the swamp witch--oh, wait, I'm sorry, I thought you were a woman.

Mother warned me about people like you, she told me "Denki, never become like those ugly uneducated people who have to resort to robbery and thieving because their mothers didn't love them."

Your father sent me a letter the other day, he said leaving you was the best decision he ever made.

I don't know if your father is dead, or cut you out of his life, but my condolences-- to him, for having you.

You're a few spokes short of a wagon wheel, and your mind is in the gutter. (Me)

My alpaca is ten times more human looking than you.

I fought a roc earlier, and I would gladly have him over for tea, if it meant not to have to look at you for another minute. (me and E)

What dark entity cursed you so you turned out like this?

Are you half gremlin?

You are the smartest talking pile of horse dung that I've heard. (Me)

I think you'd be perfect for my friend, he's a dragon you see, and he needs a new tooth pick!

I didn't used to believe in higher power, until I saw you and I realized: I need something to save my soul!

Kyoka is more manly than You! Glare "You're right, ten times more manly."

23. Bakugo was going to insult you, but he's a king, so I have to take on the menial tasks of his agenda, and you are really the most menial task of his agenda.

24. Stop, stop fighting. Put down your swords. Look at this small, fragile, innocent child. This is Deku. He's from a small village. He knows nothing of the outside world. He's weak. He can't even hold up a knife. His best traits is that he is innocent and looks like a wee bairn--kind of naive to be honest. How could you do this to him? How could you make this incompetent--dare i say, cotton-headed ninny-muggins, look GOOD by comparison?

25. Bakugo: You're lucky you didn't say anything about me, or I'd have broken you in half.

Kaminari: What could I say about you that isn't already obvious