Arc 1: The 1st Adventure (Part 4)

 

made by ナンコツ

Years ago, Tenshi and Kaoru were flying atop a Keystone It seemed they had done something foolish.

Tenshi: Ahhh, it was fun teasing those other Celestials. -She smiled-

Kao: You certainly had fun.

Tenshi: It's so boring here that I want to leave.

Kao: Why would you want to leave?

Tenshi: What do you mean, why? Because Heaven is boring! I want to be entertained! I hate being bored!

Kao: I understand, but aren't you entertained here?

Tenshi: No, that's why I want to leave here, or at least entertain myself with something.

Kao: And aren't you entertained by me?

Tenshi: Of course I am! You're the only Celestial who understands how I feel, without suppressing me or boring me.

Kao: Well... I won't deny that I have been entertained by you...

Tenshi: You see?! With you, I can do anything with your help.

Kao: ...

Tenshi: Is something wrong?

Kao: It's nothing, I was just... thinking...

Tenshi: What are you thinking about? Tell me,

Kao: I'm not really in favor of what you're doing, but... I won't deny that maybe I do want to leave here too.

Tenshi: Do you... want to come with me to do what I want to do?!

Kao: Not exactly. I am curious about what you're going to do, but... see other places?

Tenshi: That would be more fun, actually. Seeing new places, trying new food, and lots of other things, really.

Kao: ...Maybe I'll consider it...

"...but maybe I should do this alone..."

 made by Prinz__Myshkin

Kaoru woke up slowly and saw that she was in her room, specifically the room that had been prepared for her on the ship. She lay there for a while and suddenly remembered the last thing that had happened before she fainted... right, she had to go see the others. She was about to get up, but she felt something lying next to her and was surprised to see... a cat. A cat resting very comfortably beside her. Kaoru needed to get out of bed, so she tried to get up carefully, but the cat got up too. Perhaps it already knew what Kaoru was about to do, or perhaps it had been awake for a while. Kaoru sat up in bed and wondered who the cat was until she noticed it had a collar with a name on it: Tenko. For some reason, the name seemed familiar; it brought back an old memory.

The cat, or "Tenko," kept looking at her. This didn't bother Kaoru, so she let it accompany her, and they both left the room. They saw that they were on a quiet island in the middle of the sea and also noticed that the group members were settled on the shore. She went to the Caravaneer to find out how they got there, but he saw him talking to the Commander and an old woman.

The old woman was the Chief of the island, and she welcomed them to Cheeko Sands. Kaoru got up to speed on the situation so far; everyone was fine, and the ship hadn't sustained any damage despite everything. But then they touched on an important topic: the monster that had attacked them had a name: Gore Magala. The Commander mentioned that Gore Magala was a walking threat that harmed everything around it, and the best thing to do was eliminate it. Kaoru was interested in this since she had been able to control the Frenzy Virus without any problems and wanted to help, but the Commander refused, saying that the Ace Hunters should handle it. The Caravaneer intervened and explained that it was also a danger to his group; however, that didn't change his mind.

With nothing much to do, the Caravaneer remembered the trip to Cathar, and this reached the Chief's ears. She told them that to get there they would have to fly, as the place was located high in the mountains. Kaoru liked the idea because it sounded like going back to Heaven, even if it was in another world, and they discussed how to get there. But the Chief interrupted them to ask a favor. There was a small island near Cheeko Sands called Sunsnug Island, and they needed help with a monster. Since it would take a while to do anything, Kaoru agreed to go there and see the situation... but first, she wanted to know something about the cat, Tenko.

They explained that in this world there were feline creatures called Palicos who were specialists in many things, such as hunting and cooking, and they were generally good companions for Hunters. Hmm, this is important, Kaoru thought, and she let Tenko accompany her to the island. Perhaps that explained the presence of more Palicos on the coast.

Some time later, Kaoru and Tenko arrived at a relatively smaller island and approached a Palico named Headwhiskress, who needed the help of strong Palicoes to deal with a monster approaching the village. Suddenly, they saw an arrow in the sky falling toward them, but Tenko caught it flawlessly. They read the note attached to the arrow: "A Congalala is invading a small Palico village on the island, meow meow meow." Headwhiskress was impressed by Tenko's reflexes and pleased to hear that he and his Hunter minion would save the other Palicoes.

They both headed to a nearby jungle. The atmosphere was tropical and very cool, but they had to concentrate on their search. Soon they heard many noises and saw a pink monster tormenting other Palicos. Kaoru found its appearance amusing until the monster let out a very loud and smelly fart, so loud that it sent a Palico flying as it was about to attack it from behind. Congalala fled, and Tenko and his trusty Hunter minion went after the stinky creature. Congalala was aggressive and began attacking them. Kaoru started fighting back, but when she was hit by the farts, she felt disgusted. The smell was so strong that it prevented her from concentrating, a situation Congalala took advantage of, striking her by leaping upwards and unleashing a torrent of paralyzing breath. While Kao had witnessed similar things in previous quests, this was entirely new, and he wanted to destroy it not to finish quickly, but because he couldn't stand the smell of the fumes. It wasn't until Tenko attacked the powerful monster that it fell to the ground, prompting both of them to attack. Congalala then rose and unleashed a poisonous breath. They continued this struggle for a long time until the two of them delivered the final blow, and Congalala collapsed to the ground, completely dead.

Back on the shore, completely clear of the fumes, Kaoru saw the Ace Hunters leaving. The Caravaneer told her they were going to look for Gore Magala, which discouraged her a little since she wanted to go after that monster too, but she decided to continue with her own mission alongside Tenko. Just then, he told them he'd heard about Congalala and that the Headwhiskress wanted to see them. They went back to the small island and saw that it was now inhabited by the Palicos from the jungle village. In gratitude for their help, the Palicos offered to assist them by gathering resources and fishing. Kaoru was somewhat frustrated by this, but it wasn't long before the Headwhiskress saw another arrow in the sky. This time, Tenko's reflexes failed him, and the arrow fell to the sand. They read the note on the arrow: Zamtrios attacks us, meow meow meow. Once again, Tenko and Kaoru agreed to help, but our dear Hunter minion had never heard such a name and went to speak with the Guildmarm to find out more. She told her that it was located in a very specific part of the island, where the temperature is below zero and that it never melts. This surprised Kaoru, as she thought the island was entirely tropical.

They began their mission in that frigid region and explored the area a bit; luckily, the Hot Drinks helped ward off the cold. They saw a huge cliff where they could walk along the edge, but in the distance, Kaoru spotted a village, not of Palicos... but of humans. It didn't look very big, and she was curious, but right now she had to prioritize the monster, so they continued their search. They reached an open area with a layer of ice on the ground and saw three Palicos fleeing from a mysterious creature that was showing its dorsal fin. They approached the three Palicos, who seemed confident enough to fight, but from the ice emerged a kind of giant fish covered in ice armor. Kaoru found it interesting to see a fish with arms and legs, but she also saw that the group became frightened and moved away. It was just Kaoru and Tenko against the fish.

Zamtrios was incredibly aggressive, and his armor made it difficult to land a single blow, not to mention his ice attacks. Tenko attacked him with ease, given his sheer size, but Kaoru needed to break his armor. Then, without warning, Zamtrios shed his armor and... inflated like a balloon. Kaoru seized the opportunity to attack, but the monster kept bouncing away, a frustrating situation. For several minutes, the battle consisted of breaking his armor and trying to deflate Zamtrios until they finally managed to kill him. Kaoru was surprised not only by the monster's aggression but also by the Arctic setting. Perhaps there were more surprises like this in this world or in other worlds.
They returned to Sunsnug Island, and Kaoru and Tenko once again felt the warmth of the sun. First, they went to the Headwhiskress, who thanked them again for helping the three palicos and, as a token of her gratitude, gave Tenko new armor so he would be better prepared. After that, Kaoru returned to the Caravaneer, and he told her that Little Miss had an idea: if Cathar was in the mountains, why not convert the ship into an airship? The group agreed to the idea and decided that after finishing their work in Cheeko Sands, they would return to Harth to build the airship. Kaoru was curious to be in the sky again, but the Chief asked them for one last favor. She wanted to help them by giving them cooking ingredients, but a monster called Najarala was causing some problems, so she asked Kaoru for help with that. She agreed, but not specifically because of the beast; she also wanted to take the opportunity to visit that village with humans. She got ready alongside Tenko, and they set off to explore once more.

According to Guildmarm Najarala, she was in a rather remote location, and it was precisely on her way that she also came across the human village. But instead of approaching it, she noticed three people nearby: a girl with orange hair and red clothes, a girl with brown hair and green clothes, but different from the orange girl's, and a boy with black hair, a nose ring, and a blue loincloth. While Kaoru and Tenko were hidden behind a bush, Kaoru noticed that they weren't dressed like the people in Val Habar or Harth. Without warning, Tenko approached the children. The orange girl saw him, and as she was about to grab him...

Kao: -approached the group- Tenko, you shouldn't have wandered off.

The three children heard this and saw a young woman with blue hair and armor.

????: Whoa! I've never seen anyone in armor like that!

Kao: -looking at the woman with orange hair- Is it for training

????: Oh yeah? You look like you're dressed up for some convention or something.

Kao: Convention? Is that something humans do these days?

????: Humans? But... you are one.

The boy in the blue loincloth inspected her.

????: It seems... it's armor made from parts of different beasts she apparently hunted. It's clear she's been in many battles.

Kao: Whoa! Do you know about battles? -her observations were correct after all-

????: Hunters usually hunt beasts in case of danger or with a specific objective in mind.

Kao: Well... that's how things have been since I got here... hehe... -Kao scratched the back of her head, but she felt watched-

The girl with orange hair kept staring at her, curious and clearly wanting to ask her a lot of questions.

????: What's your name?

Kao: Oh? My name... well, you can call me Kaoru or Kao... and that cat over there is called Tenko.

????: Nice to meet you. My name is Mike, and these are Lu and Og.

Kao: Nice to meet you.

Kao was about to ask them about Najarala when the girl in green approached her.

Lu: Oh~ a hunter? Will you be able to protect me from all beasts? -points at Mike- And from her?

Kao: Wait, wait... this is fast, I just met you guys...

Lu: I don't care! If you're a hunter, protect me or leave!

Mike: Okay, okay, Kao will decide whether to protect you or not. -looks at Kao- Anyway, are you from around here?

Kao: Hmm, let's just say I'm not from around here... you see...

Kao explained the situation to the three children. They listened intently to what she was saying, and sometimes they found it hard to believe certain parts, but Kaoru spoke with such sincerity that they also thought she wasn't lying at all.

Og: A ship that flies?... Interesting idea.

Mike: Whoa! Do they have that in other places too? Where I come from, there are airplanes.

Kao: H...airplanes? -She felt confused-

Mike: Yep, they have wings, where they can carry people.

Kao: -Thinking: Hmm... even though I left Heaven for this adventure, why do I feel like I still have to search in other worlds for answers? Besides... Mike doesn't look like he's from this island... or this world either-

Mike: But a ship that can fly also sounds cool.

Kao: Yeah, at least it's comfortable to travel on.

Lu: -Suddenly saw a turtle looking at Tenko- Lancelot, leave that cat alone!

Kao: Lancelot?

Lu: Yes, he's my pet and my servant. -She pointed at the turtle-

Kao: So he obeys your orders too...

Lu: Every day! Every night! -Lancelot watched Tenko until his pet wanted to leave. "Lancelot! Where are you going?!" For some reason, the turtle started following Tenko.

Kao: Oh... I think Tenko found something.

Mike: Do you think it's what you're looking for?

Kao: I don't know, but if it's that beast, it's best if you don't go near it.

Og: There haven't usually been attacks from that beast in the village, but...if there were, there would be destruction by now.

Kao: Hmmm... -she started walking in the direction where Tenko was-

Mike: Well, let's see what he found...

Kaoru became suspicious and started walking in the direction Tenko was going. The children followed her. Several minutes passed before Tenko found several hard scales lying around. Kaoru and the children approached him.

Lu: -arrived with Lancelot and picked him up- Lancelot! When I ask you where you're going, just tell me!

Mike: -saw what Kaoru found- Wow! You don't see that every day.

Kaoru: -picked up a scale and examined it carefully- Hmmm... -looked at Mike and Og- Have you guys seen this before?

Mike: Nope.

Og: -looked at the scale Kaoru had- Hm, judging by the quality and hardness of the scale, it's possible that Beast was here recently.

Kaoru: So Najarala must be close... -Kao looked around and thought that he was possibly inside that jungle- Do you think you can be safe here? 

Mike: Don't worry, if anything happens, we'll be well prepared.

Kao: -sighs slightly- Okay... -looks at the three of them- I'll see if I can find him and finish him off. You guys try not to go in there... just so no one gets hurt.

Mike: Okay, just be careful.

Kao: Don't worry, I've dealt with worse.

Og: -suddenly approaches Kaoru- If you can... could you bring me a sample of his other scales? I'm curious what they'll be like.

Kao: Okay, I'll see what I can bring.

-Kao had entered that jungle with tenko, while those 3 said goodbye to her and waited for her return-

Lu: your cat almost took my Lancelot

Mike: Don't worry, Kao didn't come to cause any problems and seemed nice.

Lu: hm! If she comes back she better not cause any more problems!

Kaoru and Tenko entered the jungle, and after a few minutes, they ventured deeper until they reached a place shrouded in thick fog. Suddenly, enormous scales were flung to the ground, very close to them. They were the same scales she had seen before, and Kaoru could see something moving in the fog—a scaly tail rising until suddenly... the tail began to emit an intense rattle. The sound echoed off the scales on the ground, and it was so deafening that they both covered their ears in pain. Tenko even positioned herself beneath Kaoru. As this was happening, the scales exploded, and something else surrounded them, drawing ever closer. Kaoru dodged the imminent attack, and behind her, the beast—a giant yellow snake—let out a shriek that cleared the fog. The battle had begun.

Kaoru tried to strike Najarala with her sword, but the scales covering its body were so hard that she couldn't make a single cut. Tenko tried to distract it, giving Kaoru an opening to attack. It didn't take long to figure out its weak points, but Najarala took advantage of a couple of opportunities to flank her and prevent her escape. However, it was all in vain, as Kaoru managed to evade its attacks. The battle quickly intensified, especially because the beast was throwing its scales and making that annoying echoing sound. Kaoru had to learn the hard way to ignore and resist this sonic assault, even though it hurt her ears. Thanks to this, she was able to continue attacking until she could penetrate its scales more and more easily. Najarala weakened and fled to the edge of a cliff, but taking advantage of a moment of carelessness, Kaoru managed to leap onto it and deliver a ferocious blow that sent the beast crashing to the ground, dead.

Kaoru felt relieved to have defeated Najarala; her ears were very sensitive from the sonic attacks, and she rested for a couple of minutes with Tenko. Later, the whole group returned to the village, and Kaoru explained Najarala to the children. They hadn't expected such a ferocious and troublesome beast. Kaoru wanted to stay a while longer, but she had to return to the others, so she said goodbye to the three of them, but not before giving Og the scales he had asked for. As they walked away, Kaoru wondered where Mike came from, since she definitely wasn't from the island...

Back at Cheeko Sands, Kaoru informed the Chief about what had happened with Najarala, and she thanked him for his help. Everything seemed to be going well, but suddenly the Caravaneer was alarmed by bad news. The Ace Hunters had failed to defeat Gore Magala. The group was badly injured and was currently receiving medical attention at the Guild's Gathering Hub in Val Habar. The ship was still operational, so they quickly set sail for the area.

Once they arrived in Val Habar, the Caravaneer took Kaoru to the Gathering Hub. She observed the place, noting that it was clearly an ideal location for all types of Hunters. She saw the Commander and the Ace Gunner recovering in a separate section of the Hub, with the owner of the place also present. It appeared the Ace Hunters had attempted to defeat Gore Magala, but they were unprepared to control the Frenzy Virus, causing them to quickly fall in battle. Kaoru realized something: the other two members weren't in the Hub; they were trapped in the area where they had encountered Gore Magala. The Commander wanted to rescue them, but he was clearly in no condition to continue, and the Guildmaster contacted the Hub members for assistance. Kaoru also noticed something else: Tenko was missing. The Caravaneer went to look for Tenko with the group, but he wasn't with them either. He spoke with Kaoru and suspected he had gone to find the remaining Ace Hunters. Kaoru couldn't believe what was happening; she had no problem with Gore Magala... she was worried that Tenko would be affected by the Frenzy Virus, so without hesitation she quickly prepared to search for the Ace Hunters as well.

Kaoru knew that monster was a threat to the two hunters and Tenko, so she hurried and arrived at a very... familiar area. It turned out to be the same area where she had defeated that Velocidrome some time ago. Meanwhile, Tenko was defending the hunters from Gore Magala, trying to dodge every attack, but she was taking the full force of the blows. One of the hunters was injured, and the other was trying to help him, but thanks to Tenko, they had a chance to escape. Unfortunately, Gore Magala noticed this, and just as she was about to attack them, Kaoru appeared and jumped onto the monster. The threat was very aggressive, and Kaoru tried to hold on as long as she could to buy time for the hunters to get to safety until she was thrown toward Tenko. It still wasn't enough time; one of the hunters asked them to distract the creature... Kaoru and Tenko had no choice but to face Gore Magala again.

Kaoru knew how to control the Frenzy Virus and used it to her advantage. For a moment, she thought Tenko would be affected, but she noticed he could control it well too—one less worry. Several minutes later, Gore Magala moved away, and they both quickly went to the Hunters. The only exit was blocked by enormous rocks, and to make matters worse, a group of Velociprey surrounded them. Kaoru took charge of protecting the Hunters while Tenko prepared bombs to blast the rocks. It didn't take long for the rocks to be destroyed and the Velociprey defeated, but as if by chance, Gore Magala reappeared, and Kaoru and Tenko dealt with it. All of this allowed the Hunters to finally escape, but at the same time, Gore Magala moved away again. Kaoru felt calm now that everything was under control, but seeing Gore leave she wondered, "What could be the reason he's appearing where I've been before?"

The two Hunters were received and attended to at the Hub, while Kaoru went to meet with the Caravaneer, the Commander, and the Guildmaster. The Commander thanked Kaoru profusely for her help and apologized for having underestimated her on more than one occasion. He realized she was indeed an experienced Hunter and asked her a favor: to eliminate Gore Magala. The Guildmaster asked if this was a good idea, and the Commander mentioned that Kaoru had survived Gore Magala more than once and was an expert in this matter. The Caravaneer agreed and was eager to see how Kaoru handled it.

She longed to be done with all of this... so she could go to that place in the sky... Cathar...

While preparing, she spoke with the Guildmarm about the quest, and the Guildmarm seemed very eager to have all the information about Gore Magala in her records. Kaoru found this amusing, as the atmosphere was lively, not tense. She realized that even in times of crisis or danger, it was clear that in this world, they wanted these missions to be iconic moments. Kaoru began to feel comfortable in this atmosphere. She knew that a Celestial should be in Heaven relaxing and having fun, but she couldn't deny that Tenshi was right: being in Heaven could be boring. Kaoru wanted to show Tenshi everything she had seen in this world, and she suspected that Tenshi would also enjoy it.

She finished preparing and was informed that Gore Magala had last been seen in the same place wheres he faced the Jaggi. Interestingly, the rest of the group encouraged Kaoru before leaving.

The decision had been made.

              made by hanamaru_s

Kao: -thinking: If I manage to eliminate Gore Magala and visit that area in the mountains... I'll go talk to Tenshi, not just to tell her about that... but to tell her that I'll be with her, even if I visit other worlds. She taught me a lot about having fun in different ways, and if I want to have fun with her, because in the end... I appreciate her a lot, like a sister..."

Kaoru and Tenko ventured into a rocky area. Kaoru looked around, and Tenko signaled for her to look up. Thick, black smoke was billowing out, and Kaoru recognized it as the Frenzy Virus. There stood Gore Magala, ready to attack the blue Hunter and his Palico once more.

Gore soared upwards and unleashed a barrage of virus-infused attacks, enveloping the area in black smoke... as if the sky itself were darkening. With all this, Kaoru and Tenko braced themselves for one final encounter... with the wielder of the Frenzy Virus.

The battle was incredibly intense. Kaoru used the Frenzy Virus to his advantage, but Gore Magala attacked brutally. While his movements were predictable, Kaoru could tell that the beast's strength was so immense that he had to make sure his body could withstand everything, from attacks with the Virus to devastating punches. Tenko tried to distract Gore so he would attack him as well. On one occasion, he managed to knock him out momentarily, and Kaoru seized the opportunity to break through his black scales. In a moment of panic... Gore Magala let out an intense scream that revealed two horns and released an even darker aura. Kaoru recoiled at the sight.

The Celestial was impressed by the beast's sudden surge in strength; it was even falling to the ground from the blows it received. But this only made the Celestial more aggressive, even causing her to lose some of her composure. Her armor was slowly wearing away, as was her weapon. Tenko began to show a more animalistic side, becoming quite feral. She attacked Gore with her weapon and claws. This culminated in a clash between Kaoru and Gore's attacks. Tenko distracted Gore once more, and Kaoru climbed onto a rock and leaped onto him. The Celestial mounted the dark beast and delivered several blows from her position. Gore moved aggressively, trying to knock her off, even slamming her against the wall, but she wouldn't let go until Gore grew tired. Kaoru then delivered a powerful blow, sending him crashing to the ground. The battle had been going on for a long time, and Gore Magala was weakening. His horns were gone, and it was only a matter of time before Kaoru would finish him off, but he quickly escaped and hid deep in the cave. It didn't take Kaoru and Tenko long to find him and capture him, carefully dodging his virus attacks. Kaoru delivered a final blow, and Gore Magala finally fell to the ground, completely defeated. Kaoru saw this and realized she had accomplished something tremendous. Defeating the source of a deadly virus... for her and Tenko, it was a huge achievement. After three battles, that threat was gone... now she could finally rest easy.

I returned to the Hub, completely exhausted but calm after that battle. Once inside, I saw that everyone was there. The group and the Ace Hunters looked up to me as if I were their hero, along with Tenko, thanking me for eliminating that threat. The Caravaneer was proud of me; he didn't regret recruiting me, and the Commander approached Kao and extended his hand. Kaoru noticed that after everything, the Commander respected her even more for completing her mission. The other Ace Hunters thanked Tenko not only for helping Kaoru but also for helping them return to the Hub. The Guildmaster was surprised by all of this and named Kaoru an Honorable Hero. The Commander mentioned that he and the Ace Hunters had to leave, but told Kao not to hesitate to ask for his help if she needed it, which she accepted without hesitation. The Celestial needed a good rest, but the Caravaneer mentioned that they had to go to Harth to build the airship. Oh right, Kaoru almost forgot and now she felt eager to go to that area in the sky.

The group headed to Harth, where the Chief gave them a warm welcome. He noticed that Little Miss had gotten along very well with the group, which reassured him, but he was surprised to hear that the group required an airship. He readily agreed to the request, explaining that to begin construction, they needed a large quantity of coal, which required venturing deep into the volcano. However, they also had to defeat a monster that roamed the area, hindering coal collection: Gravios. Kaoru had no problem going there; after Gore Magala, she could handle threats like that. But for some reason, she sensed that, despite all her achievements and support, there might be an even greater threat...

                                                                              ...similar to Heaven.