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Post by Duran on Sept 8, 2021 7:16:44 GMT -8
It had been a hunch, but he had been right about finding work in a whimsical place called Pilaf Land. It was an amusement park, and a business empire. While it was all smiles and fun on the outside, it was dirty like all other businesses on the inside. His current client might not have understood why he had taken a job to find ki-filled carrots. They had literally dismounted a burning blimp, and they would need money to continue their journey. It may have seemed ridiculous to be walking a field in the middle of nowhere. With how much the corporation was paying him (which had been more than what Hapu was paying him to find someone), every carrot that he found cost the price of a truffle. Duran hadn’t been feeling himself that morning. He had a headache from being hung over. Every now and then, he would walk for a bit, and then stop when he started to feel nauseous. He grasped a canteen at his belt, unscrewed the top, and took a few swigs of fresh water. From the open mouth of his mask, he looked pale and his lips were chapped. By the cosmos, I think I’m going to hurl, he thought miserably. His helmet uttered a beep, and a light-blue square darted across the ground, settling upon a section of dirt. The square blinked rapidly, turning from light-blue to white. Duran’s lenses rotated as they zoomed in on the spot to notice a green lock of leaves distinctly protruding from the soil. “How convenient. Found one already. This task may be a simple one after all,” he muttered as he screwed the lid back onto his canteen and returned it to his hip. He approached the carrot and took a knee next to it to inspect how deep it was in the ground. Removing a small utility knife, Duran carefully extracted the orange plant, removing from the ground quite a sizable tuber. The carrot was wider than his hand and head a healthy and vibrant color. “This is the largest carrot I’ve ever seen. Do they create GMOs out here?” The scientist in him was very curious. Earth was already at the level to produce GMO crops—fascinating. WC: 374 Tag: Hapu Dokunado
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Post by Hapu Dokunado on Sept 8, 2021 11:31:04 GMT -8
The usual nasty snarl of an impatient asshole was painted on Hapu's scales face. After the zeppelin crash landing, the two had begun their search for an evil warlock within Pilafland.
Juust sought to use Dragon Shards to repurchase sacred Namekian Dragon magic, and Hapu was looking to end his search. In particular he was searching for a Dragon Shard this warlock might have.
Before any of that however, Hapu and Duran needed money. Typically evil, Hapu wasn't much of a thief of being poor didn't sit well with him. Duran was also equally stunted for zenni, so they picked up some side work.
In a farm village close to where they landed, super food carrots were being grown. That was all Hapu knew. Once he heard carrot, he let his partner take care of the rest. Hapu despised fruit and vegetables, in fact he was a strict carnivore. Never above working for his zenni rough, he agreed with Duran that he would help pick carrots.
Cross legged Hapu floated just above the field ground, his barbed tail hanging below. Swishing the sharp spikes Hapu decapitated some brush, and leaned over. His red eyes scanned the ground for a carrot top.
Flying on he kept it up, looking for a carrot. As he cut down the greenery and looked at a super veggie, Hapu thought to himself.
"Hard to believe those dumb asses at the airport checked me but not those pigs. This planets xenographic is so largely misrepresented its unreal. I bet those ignorant Piccolo spawn have done nothing for the Earthling occupation of human society. It's hard to believe this planet sustained Dragon Balls at all, the way these humans let anyone rule their lives with any inclination of knowledge of power. I bet Earth's first guardian expected Shenron to be a final epitaph of his failure."
Hapu hated Namekians of most color and sort, and considered most non-humans to be a poison of Earth. As he was maliciously wishing death upon his enemies, and mindlessly clearing brush out for a good look at a root vegetable top; he eventually found one.
Floading onto two feet Hapu bent over and sunk his claws into the dirt. The carrot was huge, and instead of wrapping his large hands around it; Hapu stuck his claws in the vegetable flesh. The scales green man was bent over pulling it up.
As he raised it higher and higher, the carrot looked to be over six feet tall. Eventually Hapu flung it into the air. A long root tail went flying with the carrot, and it soared high into the air. It whistled as it flew further away, and eventually the sound and sight was gone.
WordCount: 453
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Post by Duran on Sept 8, 2021 16:58:44 GMT -8
It seemed as soon as Duran had made that comment about his carrot being the largest he had ever seen, Hapu had managed to uproot a tuber large enough to feed a starving village…and make it the first carrot to land on the moon. The mercenary lowered his carrot in disbelief at what he had just seen. It hadn’t been the irrational act itself.
“You big, green wanka’! Did you seriously just send that carrot to the next region? That carrot was money!” Duran yelled.
He stood and marched over to Hapu, swinging a carrot by its greens around and causing it to flop all over in his scaly face. “Do you think I like being out here looking for carrots when I could be doing something more productive with my time? Like telling you how idiotic that was. The corporation wants us to turn in these carrots in mint condition. I swear if you lose or damage another carrot, then I’m going to shove this big fat one..” He waved the carrot in his face like a knife. “…Up your scaly arse!”
Lowering the carrot, he hissed, “You may be my employer, but this cabbage patch bullshite pays more than your scavenger hunt. Either assist or piss off, and don’t touch anything!”
WC: 213 | 1,040/2,000
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Post by Hapu Dokunado on Sept 8, 2021 17:37:05 GMT -8
The Shaman couldn't believe Duran was talking to him like that. Hapu had never been called a wanna, and scowled as Duran was scolding him. Those big sharp teeth shined in the daylight sun as Hapu told Duran back off.
"Only thing money about this grub is that neither these nor zenni are edible. And for that matter if you stuck one of these plastic ramrod up anyone's are its be the most productive thing you'll ever get paid for." Hapu spit in the ground, and didn't see Duran Charging at him with one of the soil packed tubers.
Grimacing at the mere sight of a filthy vegetable, Hapu cringed as Duran approached him with the rodent snack. His tail was swishing around fussily and the Namekian was fake retching. Pretending to puke at the idea of paid labor, Hapu infamously groaned at the fact Duran actually approached him with a carrot. What help he had hired.
Growling with certain malice Hapu told his partner, "Get your disgusting bug infested slop away from me." Hapu threw one of the smaller carrots in his partners own basket, and it elegantly landed in Durans kitschy little work basket. "There you go, an extra whatever fifty zenni for the tuber fund you're collecting there. Also for the record no one will ever throw a giant carrot that far ever again." Hapu hated the idea of tubers, but was impressed by his reach.
With his own basket that much emptier he shot a teeny tiny ki blast from his finger tip to clear some ground for harvesting of the super special carrots. A bunch of brush lit up in fire, and Hapu stuck his tongue out in the same direction. The Dragon Shaman made a deep humming sound a a red sigil shot from his mouth to the fire. The fire magically erupted as if gasoline was poured on it and burned a clean spot in the ground in just a couple seconds.
One carrot top was singed good in the process, and Hapu proudly assumed the collection. He truly could not believe he was farming, let alone working for the monkey suits of Pilafland.
Finding Juust was becoming more and more of a chore, and Duran was strange. Hapu was fond of him though, most people were too afraid ofnhim to even say "fuck off wanka." Duran was special indeed.
"There we go, let's just burn the brush up. Find and gather the carrot tops under the uh.. ashes. Quick, easy and all within eyesight of where we can blast clear a path. Just don't cook the little bug motels before they get into he basket. Turn your fancy ring down to whatever setting, safe mode. Haha" Hapu pulled the burnt carrot out of the dirt as he letnout a chuckle. The entire top was scorched black and covered in ashes from the carrot plants stalk. "No one eats the top right?" Hapu chuckled again, he was having fun burning stuff with Duran.
WordCount: 515
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Post by Duran on Sept 8, 2021 19:26:42 GMT -8
Duran watched the dragon man resume carrot-gathering in a fit. He started to burn all the tall grass and weeds to make it easier to spot the carrots. “If I wasn’t wearing a hi-tech Pomegranate-class targeting system, then that might have been a good idea. The carrots that we’re looking for emit a ki signature. How? I haven’t a a clue. It may very well be a government secret that ki might be what they’re using to genetically modify vegetables. Or perhaps…” He was on a curious rant: “…these carrots are experimental test subjects. Why use carrots and not animals…maybe to avoid some rights violation of some sort. The genes of animals are closer to Human genes, so I can’t imagine that being the case. If Humans really are using ki to modify their food, then they might be onto something.” Duran crouched, removing another carrot from the ground. He stared at it thoughtfully, his lenses whirring as they focused on it. “If you eat a ki-infused carrot, would you gain the ki within it? Would it become sustenance for your body? Will it add to your body’s own energy stores? Hm…” The rambling former engineer glanced over his shoulder at Hapu and asked, “What if they were enslaving people and extracting the ki from their bodies using a machine of some sort? What if this food…(he mused in silence for a few seconds)…was not designed for mass consumption, but instead for an exclusive group? It would explain why they are paying us 100,000 zeni for some damn carrots.” WC: 259 | 1,814/2,000 Tag: Hapu Dokunado
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Post by Hapu Dokunado on Sept 9, 2021 11:32:31 GMT -8
Floating once again over the shrubbery Hapu as blasting away at the greenery. Some of the carrots had yet to grow, and probably never would. Hapu didn't care though, and he mindlessly searched the ground for any carrot tops while still listening to Duran.
Usually Hapus own inner monologue was a chaotic setting of the Namekian conquering lawless idiots on Earth, and the things occupying that thought space were of some magical alignment or orientation.
For Duran things were much more mundane. Hapu respected that, and was thankful he didn't have to contend with some bizarre conspirator as they worked in field. Science was fascinating in that fact of pertaining to wonders with inherently simple laws as a veil to the mysteries of life.
Magic was different, but had the same path. Where science could always be found and proven, was the the same magical x factor sought out by so many wanna be thaumaturgists and priests. That special link into theninherentually supernatural force of ki.
Blasting away with fire Hapu was thinking about what Duran said. He hadn't recently found a carrot, so taking the moment to talk didn't bother his progress at all. In fact he was sort of ignorant as a hired hand, but that was beyond Hapu's scope of introspection.
Floating at chest level Hapu's tail was touching the ground. He looked to be sitting on it, and over talked Duran from the distance. The raspy roar of Hapu's voice sent birds all over flyingninto the air.
"I think these carrots are for bugs to grow Ki inside. They eat the nasty orange shell, then turn into like.. monster dinosaurus rex. Maybe those researchers make a special dish out of insect reptilian.. something or other..." Hapu was looking at Duran, but the oddly poised exposition just sounded odd. Duran probably wasn't sure what exactly he meant, but that didn't stop the two from finishing work in the fields.
Hapu stayed silent for the rest of their time, thinking about why anyone would want bugs to eat ki carrots. Most importantly he wondered if those insectoid dinosauruses would be tasty.
WordCount: 355
Personal Total WordCount: 1,325 Personal Bonus: 25% NP, 50% DS
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