Sudden Unstable Mission! Call of the Onyx Qurupeco!

Travel Multiversal

Ookami Hearts Episode 10

"Sudden Unstable Mission! Call of the Onyx Qurupeco!"

An RP between kamehamehadude and eshonen

With Snoopy having found his bravery after Masked Eagle agrees to let him become her apprentice, Nikki's bravery boosting plan for him and Ring is put in jeapordy. Pepper had arranged for the three of them to accompany him on a small resource gathering mission he had obtained from the guild they both work for; now a party member short, Nikki needs to quickly recruit somebody to fill Snoopy's spot. When Nikki discovers that everybody else has plans for that day, she's left with only two other people to ask: Ashuro or Skylar, who are both training together at the moment.

Ashuro: You've really gotten used to using E-nergy, Skylar; it's as if it's second nature to you now. Since you're able to learn and do something after seeing it once, I'd like to show you a move I learned about a while back; it'll be a nice attack to add to your arsenal.

Skylar: Hehe, thanks Ashuro. No damn Saiyan creep will EVER get their hands on me again!

Ashuro: Yeah, that's the spirit! Okay now, watch closely.

*Ashuro jumps high in the air and starts to spin rapidly at a high speed as he comes down, looking like a spinning drill. When he hits the ground, he immediately drills through it, leaving a perfectly round tunnel in the ground. He later resurfaces by shooting out of the ground and into the air, still spinning like a drill and lands on his feet when he lands.*

Ashuro: That was... I never came up with a name for it, but that was the attack I wanted to show you. It's capable of penetrating through pretty much anything that stands in your way. And with your strong claws and raw power, you could even cut through metal as if it was butter. The trick to doing this move is to use your E-nergy to make you spin in a single direction, like a drill, and to keep it up until you've finished you attack. To stop quickly, simply use your E-nergy to spin in the opposite direction just long enough to halt the spin. You get all of that?

Skylar: After watching Kiba do the Gatsuga, it was much easier to undertand how to do this technique. ^^ I'll make sure to try it out sometime.

Ashuro: Cool...hey, there's Nikki; she seems sort of...tired.

*Nikki walks up to the two of them looking really exhausted.*

Nikki: Oh, there you two are...

*Skylar walks over and strokes her on top of her head, showing concern for her*

Skylar: You okay? ...you look a bit sleepy...

Nikki: ...that stupid Snoopy; in one day he's really messed up the bravery-boosting plan I created for him and Ring that took me a week to comepletely revise.

Skylar: Aww... poor you sweetie... I'm sure it was a good plan, though...

*Skylar gently starts scratching her good spot, behind her ear, to relax her*

Nikki: Ahh, that's the spot; so soothing...I'm feeling better already; thank you so much.

Skylar: Anything for my little puppy-girl...

*Skylar gives her a soft little kiss, still scratching behind her ear*

Nikki: Hehe. Okay, here's the problem. I got with Pepper earlier this week and asked if he could take Snoopy, Ring and I with him on his next 1-star mission. I thought that I'd start off by giving them small but much appriciated things to start off with; y'know give them a little confidence boost. He agreed and today I just got the call that he'll be doing such a mission tomorrow. I went to tell Snoopy, and he informed me that he couldn't go with us. Apparently, during that one week I was working on this plan of mine, Snoopy found his bravery and became Masked Eagle's apprentice. For 10 years I've been trying to make him braver; then a masked heroine comes along and somehow "inspires" him to overcome his weakness. Have you seen him lately? He's doing things he'd never attempt in a thousand years! So all day today I've been trying to find a replacement to take his spot, and EVERYBODY will be busy.

Skylar: Wow... Well, I say "good luck" to him... So, what'cha gonna do?

Nikki: Ashuro, can you help me out tomorrow, please?

Ashuro: Sorry, I can't.

Nikki: WHA?? WHY NOT?!

Ashuro: I've going to the new amusement park that opens tomorrow with Kevin, Violet and Annaliese; it's something of a double-date.

Nikki: Can't you cancel?

Ashuro: No, and for two good reasons.

Nikki: Which are?

Ashuro: 1. Annaliese and I haven't been able to see each other a lot because of our schedules...and I really wanna be with her; I love her, y'know.

Nikki: Aww, you're a sweetie, Ashuro. So what's the second reason?

Ashuro: 2. I promised that I'd be there, and you know how I am when it comes to keeping promises.

Nikki: Yeah, you never break them; no matter what. Okay, I understand...I'll just have to tell Pepper that...OoO...wait, Skylar, what about you? Can you help me out, tomorrow, please? I-I'll give you a 25 lv. boost if you do; please, you're the only one left that I can ask.

Skylar: 25?! That brings me to 75! Count on me Nikki, I'm with you babe! (Wow, I'd done it for free... but can't let this opinion slide by...)

Nikki: Yay, Skylar, you're my hero! Thank you so much! I'm going to go get in touch with Pepper now and finalize the details. Make sure to get plenty of sleep tonight and have a nice breakfast in the morning; you're going to need all of your energy for tomorrow. See you then!

*Nikki dashes off with renewed energy.*

Ashuro: Y'know, it's interesting...

Skylar: Hmm? What is?

Ashuro: When the two of you started dating, it seemed like Nikki was always the one taking the lead and controlling everything; now it seems like things have reversed and you're the one in charge now. For the past month now, Nikki hasn't once lost her temper or done something violent to anybody; I don't know how you did it, but you've actually tamed our headstrong tsundere Lobinu.

Skylar: Well...

*Skylar blushes and chuckles a bit, smiling*

Skylar: Thanks for the compliment. I guess the spanking I gave her helped a bit...

Ashuro: OoO You did that to her? Wow, if any of us had tried that we'd have ended up in the emergency ward afterwards. Well, keep up the good work then! Let's call it a day for training; I also need to rest up for tomorrow. See ya later, Skylar!

Skylar: See ya, buddy!

*Getting down on all-fours, Skylar leaps off and heads to his usual place to rest up for tommorrow. The next day, Skylar recieves a call from Nikki and is told where to meet up with her. Heading to the designated area, he finds both Nikki and Ring waiting for him.*

Nikki: Nice to see you!

Ring: H-hi, Skylar-senpai.

Skylar: Nice to see you too, Nikki. *lightly kisses her cheek* And good day to you, Ring.

Ring: ^w^...

Nikki: Whenever you're ready, let's head inside the building behind us.

*Behind them stands a small office building; the sign on the ground in front of it says "Helping Hand Guild: All you have to do is ask."

Skylar: Okay then, come on.

*The three of them enter the building together. Inside, it looks like a simple office; in the waiting area, there are a few chairs and a magazine rack. In the very center of the room stands the receptionist stand, and behind that are two doorways that each lead into seperate rooms. While Nikki goes over to speak with the receptionist to finalize a few minor details, Ring timidly walks up to Skylar.*

Ring: S-Sk-Skylar-senpai...

Skylar: Yes Ring, is something wrong?

Ring: I'm s-scared. What should i d-d-do? I wanna g-go home, but I promised Nikki th-that I'd try my best. I'm just s-s-so s-scared; I w-wish Ashuro was here with me.

*With tears in her eyes, Ring is ready to cry; seeing her in anguish, Skylar knows that he has to do something to make her feel better. Thinking fast, he tries to calm her down by saying something reassuring.*

Skylar: Ring, don't be scared. I'm here for you if you need it... I'll...

*Skylar knocks himself little on the head and stands proudly before her, a look of seriousness shining bright in his eyes*

Skylar: I'm not letting Nikki or you get hurt no matter what! I'll protect you, I swear!

*He gives her a thumbs up, which makes a smile appear on her face*

Ring: Ashuro was r-right about you, S-Skylar-senpai; th-thank you SO m-m-much!

*Ring embraces Skylar with a warm, heartfelt and tight hug...real tight...very tight...a little too tight ...bones can be heard popping ...as well as labored breathing *

Nikki: OoO;;Ring, let go! Skylar's body isn't like Ashuro's!

Ring: It's n-not? How?

Nikki: He's got bones in his body!

Ring: Bones...? OwO;EEP!

*Ring releases Skylar from her hug.*

Ring: Skylar-senpai! Are y-you alright?

Skylar: Ngh... Yes... I didn't even need that spine anyway... Just a sec...

*Skylar hets down on all-fours and slowly stretches his body out like a wolf until bones are heard cracking. He proceeds to stand up again and shake it off*

Skylar: Woah! .....Okay, much better.

Nikki: That's good; c'mon, follow me, everything is ready.

*Nikki leads Skylar and Ring into the left-most room behind the receptionist desk. Inside, there is a giant teleporter stand in the middle of the room. Nikki enters some commands on the console attached to it and the stand activates, glowing a bright, light blue color. The three of them step inside it and in seconds are teleported to the guild's hub; a gigantic, planet sized station hovering in space. The look on the inside of the guild looked like something out of Phantasy Star Online. From the hi-tech atmosphere to the amazing view of space outside through the windows, both Skylar and Ring stand in sheer awe.*

Ring: ...Wow; so am-amazing.

Skylar: Woah.....

Nikki: Cool, huh? With the entrance looking so simple, you'd never imagine that the real building would look anything like this. Let's get going; we need to meet up with Pepper now. He's waiting for us at the mission center in section H.

*As the three of them head towards their destination, Skylar and Ring observe everything around them, totally in awe and amazement. When they arrive at the mission center in section H, Nikki starts looking for Pepper; within seconds she sees him, lounging on one of the benches.*

Nikki: Hey, Pepper, over here!

Pepper: Eh? Hey, you're all here!

*A tall male Arctic Wolf model Lobinu approaches the trio. His fur is white, sleek and spikey; he wearing a red long-sleeve shirt with a yellow Charlie Brown-like zigzag on it, purple slacks, goggles and a backpack over his shoulder. He is Pepper Quil, aka the "Hunter Wolf."

Pepper: Nice to see you again, Nikki. Hmmm...this tall one must be Ring, right?

Nikki: Right.

Ring: H-Hi...

Pepper: And...you must be Skylar, right?

Skylar: *nods* That's me. I'm prepared to do whatever it takes!

Pepper: Great, I like that enthusiasm! Okay, here are mission de...

*Pepper sees the symbol on Skylar's hat.*

Pepper: That symbol...I've seen it somewhere before not too long ago...

Skylar: The one on my hat? It's my clan/family's symbol.

Pepper: Really? Hmmm...let's talk after this is all over, okay?^^

Skylar: Sure. We can't actually let these pretty ladies wait for us to finish.

*Skylar chuckles a bit, wanting to get started*

Pepper: Alright Okay everybody, gather 'round, here's our mission for today.

*The four of them head to a nearby table and sit at it. Pepper takes the mission paper and a guidebook out of his bag.*

Pepper: This is a standard resource gathering mission. Our main objective is to gather and deliver 20 Unique Mushrooms. This mission also has two optional sub-quests that can earn us all some huge extra cash as a reward:
Sub A: Deliver 10 Choice Mushrooms
Sub B: Slay 10 Jaggai
The area we'll be in is known as the "Sandy Plains," a desert region where the temperature is blazing during the day and freezing at night; but that's only if you intend on entering the desert area high up, someplace that we won't have to go fortunately. The area's status is labeled as "stable" so we don't have to worry about any BiG danger. I've already paid the quest acceptance fee, so we can head out as soon as everybody is ready. Now, if anybody has got any questions, ask them now.

Skylar: No questions here. I lived in one of the desserts on this planet for 5 years. I think I know how to survive out there.

*Skylar gives a quick smirk, very excited about this, but also finding it weird that his life has become more like RPG game...*

Pepper: Okay; Nikki, Ring, anything on your mind?

Ring: ...um, what's a J-Jaggai?

*Opening the guidebook he pulled out earlier, Pepper shows everybody what it was.*

Pepper: This is a Jaggai, a rather rough lady reptile that'll tackle you into next week if you're not watching carefully. They're often accompanied by a few Jaggi.

*Tears start to well up in Ring's eyes as she starts quivering a little bit. Seeing what was happening, Pepper quickly gives Ring some reassurance.*

Pepper: B-But you have absolutely nothing to fear at all, Ring! Skylar, Nikki and I will take down any of them that gets anywhere near you.

Ring: N-N-Nikki, too?

Nikki: Of course I may not be as strong as Skylar or Pepper, but I'm a LOT tougher than I look. Just focus on gathering the mushrooms and leave the fighting to the three of us, okay?^v^

Ring: Okay...I-I'll do my b-best!

Pepper: Okay then, let's go everybody!

*Entering another teleporter, the group of four soon find themselves at the base camp of the Sandy Plains inside of a small, man-made cave in one of the mountains. Walking outside of it, the four of them look out at the clear blue sky and observe the beautiful mountain scenery.*

Skylar: Wow... Such a nice place...

*Skylar takes a deep breath, jumping up on a boulder to look further*

Skylar: I could get used to this place...

Pepper: Yeah, it is nice. I prefer the Tundra area, personally; it gets a little to hot here for my tastes.

*Looking around, Pepper spots the blue supply box next to the base camp's entrance. Opening it, he sees lots of supplies to help out for this mission.*

Pepper: Nice, they gave us some good stuff to use.

*Reaching inside of it, Pepper takes out four hand-size iPad looking devices and hands one each to Nikki, Skylar and Ring, keeping the remaining one for himself.*

Pepper: These are your basic maps that details the area in sections, including where certain resources can be found. If you slide the screen forward, you'll see this button; that's the distress signal. Should you ever find yourself lost or in a tight situation, push it; your location will be revealed to the rest of us and we come find you.

*Pepper then hands them each some various supplies like healing meds, food, and cold drinks. He gives Ring a basket that she could wear like a backpack to store the mushrooms she gathers.*

Pepper: *inhales fresh air* *exhales* Today is a good day for exploration.

Skylar: Hmm... I guess I'll try to run around and look for the stuff... Just give me a sec...

*Skylar,after getting down on his knees, starts to get more covered in fur than before, he also seems to shrink down. After a short while, he had shrunk out of his clothes and was in his puppy form, wagging his tail happily*

Skylar: Feels better this way! Oh, right, you guys didn't know I could do this, did you?

Nikki & Ring: OwO

Pepper: You can do that too?

*In a similar fashion, Pepper shrinks out of his clothes and is in his puppy form as well.*

Pepper: Nice, now I don't feel as self-concious as I did before.

Skylar: Okay... Ring, Nikki, take care of my clothes for me, will ya?

*Nikki gathers up both Skylar and Pepper's clothes, and stores them inside of Pepper's rather spacious bag.*

Pepper: There's a cave further down if we follow the path down; I know that there are definitely some mushrooms there for sure.

Skylar: Okay. And girls... try to resist the urge to hug and cuddle until later...

*Nikki and Ring snap back into reality.*

Nikki: R-right!

Ring: Um, sure...

*Skylar smiles and wags his tail*

Skylar: Don't worry, there will be enough time to do that later.

Nikki & Ring: ^w^

Pepper: I'm back guys, and I brought all of the Choice Mushrooms that we needed to earn some extra cash!

*Everybody looks at Pepper, still in his puppy form, and sees 10 Choice Mushrooms in front of him and a dust trail behind him.*

Skylar: Cool! That was fast! What other things were there to get, again?

Pepper: Just the 20 Unique Mushrooms and taking down 10 Jaggai. I can lead you to where to find those mushrooms, but I HiGHLY recommend that the two of us don't go there while we're still in our current forms; let’s leave that part to Nikki and Ring.

Skylar: Okay, then I'll find some...Jaggoay-whatever and beat them up! If anyone needs me, just scream or squeal my name!

*Skylar, not wasting rime, starts to run away from the three others, still in his puppy form, obviously just playing around and having fun. Nikki can't help but smile at this, seeing Skylar so playful with that cute face*

Pepper: OwO Hey, Skylar, wait for me!

*Pepper quickly catches up to Skylar and joins in on the fun. Soon, the two of them reach the ground level and see a few Jaggai lounging around on the ground relaxing.*

Pepper: There they are, Jaggai. Their fangs and hides can be used to make some really nice and colorful armor and weapons. Unlike Jaggi, they're not agile at all due to their bulky build, so as long as you keep moving, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Ready?

*While Pepper tried to explain, Skylar had dragged one of the Jaggai away and was now sitting on the lifeless remains*

Skylar: Huh? Did you say something?

Pepper: O_O Nothing important apparently.

*An eerie mood suddenly descends on the area and the sky starts to slowly turns dark and stormy. The remaining Jaggai run away, sensing something dangerous approaching.*

Pepper: ...that's very odd.

*The scene gets even eerier as a large portal crackling with lightning opens up in the sky.*

Pepper: Not good! Skylar, there's the place where the Jaggai were nesting; it's empty now, so let's take cover there until it looks safe again.

*The two of them take cover in the stone cave-like nest. As the portal becomes larger and more dangerous-looking, five bird-like creatures fly out of it and land on the ground. Afterwards, the portal closes, returning the sky and overall atmosphere back to normal. Examining the bird-creatures from the safety of their impromptu shelter, Pepper is able to identify what they are.*

Pepper: What the...those are...Qurupeco?

Skylar: Hmm... Looks quite interesting...

Pepper: But, something's not right. I've never seen a Qurupeco with an onyx-black coloration...or give off such a foul E-nergy.

*Four of the five Qurupeco fly off, all in different directions. The remaining one casually struts around the area, observing it.*

Pepper: I don't like this. We need to get back to base and cancel the mission; things have just gotten really dangerous.

Skylar: I guess you're right... Aren't one of those things flying to where Nikki and Ring are?

Pepper: No, they're okay for now; from my experience, there's never more than one Qurupeco within a 100 mile radius. So that one in front of us is the only one in this area.

*The Qurupeco preens it's feathers.*

Pepper: It doesn't seem hostile right now; we might be able to make it back to the base if we keep low and out of sight.

*Before the two of them can begin moving, the Qurupeco starts to walk directly towards their location.*

Pepper: Oh man, did it see us?

Skylar: I said not to eat a garlic sandwich before we left the base... -_-;

*As the Qurupeco gets closer, it suddenly stops and looks around and heads in a different direction, as if something more interesting had caught it's attention.*

Pepper: That was cl...

KA-BOOM!

*Their hideout suddenly explodes and sends the two flying upwards and the land on a nearby tree. The Qurupeco had used the flints on the tips of it's arms to cause a firey explosion.*

Pepper: IT FAKED US OUT!

Skylar: Alright... clother or no clothes at all... that thing is gonna pay...

*Skylar quickly jumps up on his feet and transforms back into himself, drawing his claws out and leaps at the Qurupeco*

Skylar: Crimson Slash!

*He hits it's arm, cutting half-way through it*

*The Qurupeco screeches in agonizing pain.*

Pepper: Ha, there's an opening!

*Still in his puppy form, Pepper strints towards the Qurupeco; when he's half way there, he shoots forward like a bullet in a burst of speed.*

Pepper: Mach Bolt!

*He collides into it's chest, bringing it to the ground, gasping for air. Skylar walks up to Pepper to congradulate him, but stops when he sees something small and familiar on Pepper's head. Picking it up, he examines it and nearly has a heart attack when he realizes what it was: the exact same type of Saiyan tech device that Ashuro had pulled out of him some time ago.*

Pepper: Hey, are you okay, Skylar? You look like you've just seen a gh-OH MY GAWD!

*A foul, corrupted E-nergy starts to eminate from the Qurupeco as all of it's injuries heal up, like it had never been hurt before.*

Pepper: ...that's new.

Pepper: Okay, I'll go and get them and make sure they get back safely. Just so you know, if it hits you with a mucus shot, try to stay far away from it until you can get it off of you; that stuff lowers your resistance to fire. If you're hit by it's explosion attack while it's still on you, you'll take 3x the damage than usual. And most important of all...

*The Qurupeco gets back on it's feet and starts beating the flints on it's arms together to prepare it's explosion attack.*

Pepper: Be careful!

*Pepper quickly sprints off to search for the girls.*

Skylar: Damn, I hate fightingfire ever since Natsu fried my butt... Really wish I had my clothes, but whatever!

*Skylar starts to run around in circles, moving closer and closer while letting his claws claw up the ground he's walking on, obviously preparing for one of his attacks*

<scene change - base camp with Pepper and co.>

Nikki: We got all of the Mushrooms, Pepper; Ring did a GREAT job in diligently gathering them all.

Ring: It-it was n-n-nothing; I didn't d-do much...

Nikki: Of course you did, Ring; you did it all. Ashuro will be so proud of you.

Ring: Really?

Nikki: Really. So were all ready to go; where's Skylar?

Pepper: Well, about that...

<scene change - plains area with Skylar>

*Skylar's attack is ready to be unleashed.*

Skylar: Silver Slicer!

*In a single and swift swipe, his claws goes straight through it's targets, cutting it nearly in two. The monster screeches in pain, but it's wounds once again start to heal up; had it been a normal Qurupeco, Skylar would've soundly defeated it with that attack. Once it's healed up, it takes to the sky, hover about 3 feet off of the ground. It rears it's head back and shoots 3 balls of mucus at Skylar.*

Skylar: Woah...

*skylar leaps to the right and dodges the first, then back to the left and dodges the other, but slips on the mucus there and falls onto his back, getting hit by the third ball*

Skylar: Damn it...

*The Qurupeco lands in front of Skylar and begins trying to attack him by pecking at him with it's massive beak. Skylar opens his mouth and bites hard onto it's beak, swinging the Qurupeco around like a toy before slamming it into the ground and jumping up on it, sinking his claws and fangs into it's body and starts tearing it to shreds. The device within the monster kicks into overdrive and a massive shockwave of E-nergy pushes Skylar away from it. The Qurupeco does a small dance while clacking it's flints together and puffing the sac on it's chest out; it then vocalizes a sound that mimics that of a tea kettle. Skylar keeps his distance, trying to figure out what it's doing. Once it's finished, a bright red light flashes from it's body. Just as Skylar begins to go back on the offensive, a white blur appears and whisks him away from the Qurupeco, into the cave area of the Sandy Plains. Once stopped, the white blur turns out to be Pepper, in his normal form, fully clothed. He hands Skylar his clothes to change into before explaining the situation.*

Pepper: That was close; that thing just increased it's attack power.

Skylar: Yeah, I kinda figured that out...

*Skylar, not wanting to waste time, just puts on his pants and his hat, getting ready once again*

Skylar: And the girls?

Pepper: They're safe; by the time I got back to the base, they were already there WiTH the mushrooms. I told them about what's going on and had them go back to the guild to alert them about the other 4 onyx Qurupeco that flew off. I came back here to help you. Although this monster is a lot tougher than normal, it's STiLL a Qurupeco, so it'll have the same weakness of one as well. To make it easier to take on down there are two things you can do...

Skylar: Okay... I thought I had it... So what do I have to do?

Pepper: Now don't get me wrong, hacking away at any monster is definitely the way to go; but some require just a little bit of prep work before they start to go down. First, we need to break those flints on it's arms; with those gone, it's explosions will be severely weak. Plus, those broken flints are worth collecting; you'll see why after that thing is dead. Second, break the beak; I think the reason why is quite obvious after fighting it for a while. With you're awesome strength and my speed, we'll take that thing out without a doubt. Ready?

Skylar: I’ll go for the beak. *smirks*

Pepper: And I'll take the flints.

*Reports on the remaining 4 Qurupeco's locations have been confirmed. One has landed at an amusement park, the same one that Ashuro, Kevin, Annaliese and Violet are currently at. The second one is in an artic location where Rocko, Arashi and Sora are currently visiting. A third one has been found in a huge bustling city where Snoopy and Masked Eagle have been patroling. The fourth and final one has landed in a beach resort area where e-chan, Trey, Emerald and Yachiru were enjoying some much needed time off. Those stories will have to wait for another time; right now, both Skylar and Pepper are staring down the powered-up Qurupeco they have fighting in the Sandy Plains.*

Pepper: Ready to go wild, buddy?

Skylar: Let's do this! *howls at the sky*

To be continued...