I wake up and yawn as I roll out of bed. There's much to be done today, the second day of my time here. Within minutes, I'm suited up and ready to roll. As I leave, I take a glance at the screen covering the kitchen. The damn thing is sealed by a special kind of key... one that apparently only opens to Usagis. Way to force the game system onto me, Yukari.
On exiting the place, I notice someone standing near the outcropping just outside. From behind, it looks like a gigantic backpack, but the sight of an Usagi slumped across the gigantic bone at the top arouses a feeling of excitement in me. Crossing my fingers for luck, I hurry over to talk to the person.
Yep, it's Tewi, another Tewi. "Yo."
Unlike her junk-collecting counterpart, this Tewi's clothes has a teal scheme to them, plus there's another Usagi hanging off the side. In spite of that, Usagi Tewi doesn't seem encumbered in the least.
"Yo, yourself." Usagi Tewi grins. "I'm the granny who takes care of getting these Usagis work. You're a hunter, ain'tcha?"
I nod. "Granny? You don't look that age."
"Aw, isn't it nice of you to say so?" Usagi Tewi tilts her head, making her bunny ears flop around. "Anyway, how about trying some of these Usagis as workers?"
"As Chefs, right?" I didn't play Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, so I'm only familiar with chefs.
"I've got those, and I've got Usagi Comrades too. They're a hunter's best friend."
Usagi Tewi gives me an explanation of the two. Chefs cook gourmet meals to boost my stats... which I'm wondering whether will it apply to my current situation. She offers me a free choice of one as a promotion offer, with the extraction of a promise to pay for any future ones. Then there are Usagi Comrades; those are meant to accompany me on quests, to play one of several roles depending on their type. There are other restrictions, like not bringing them on dangerous or group quests, but I can handle those.
"So, I've got these five, take your pick." She hands me five documents detailing the Usagis she has in stock.
Let's see... Charl, Lau, Cecil, Houki, Lin... levels are 1 or 2, I should focus on ingredients mainly... the food specialty skills aren't really much to bother about at the moment. Ooh, this one has 3 star skill for meat as a main ingredient, lucky! Skills... Usagi Kicker, Usagi Negotiation, and... Ultra Lucky Bunny! Bingo!
I return the papers. "I'll take Lau."
The Usagi immediately steps forward. It's light grey in color around the head, but pale white below that. For some reason it's wearing an eyepatch over its left eye, and it's wearing a grey coat of a slightly darker tone.
"Pleasure doing business with you." Usagi Tewi says, "Sorry, but I gotta go. I'll be back, so if you want to hire others, just say so, yeah? Don't know when I'll be here though!" She grins. "If you want to hire more though, you need to be a more reliable hunter. I'll be happy to do business with you then."
Just like the Tewi I know. Teasing with the bait, then pulling it away. I think to myself fondly as I lead my new tenant back to the house, where it unlocks and removes the screen. While it putters around inside, I head over to the chest to sort through the spoils of my gathering quest. The materials I just dump straight into the chest, while I keep the Paintball I picked up on me. When I finally look up from arranging the stuff (no auto-arrange, damn), there's a cloth screen hanging in the doorway, signaling the kitchen's readiness.
I enter it to see Lau scampering all over the kitchen. Wow... it's pretty cooking-ready for something that's been boarded up.
Lau finally jumps off the big table in the center and looks at me expectantly. I stare back.
We spend about two minutes just staring at each other, until Lau speaks first. Turns out Lau is female.
"Welcome, Gastronome! Thanks for hiring me -usa!" A paw rubs her face. "I promise to make you great food, so bon appetit -usa!"
She explains that meals are free if only one Usagi is cooking, but the price increases with the number of staff. Just like the game. According to my memory, Meat and Vegetable is a beneficial combo, but that's for a five-Felyne staff. So, I just decide to play it safe and go with that. I sit at the table and ring the bell.
"What'll it be -usa?" Lau asks.
I check the list of ingredients. "Uhh... Meat Scraps and..." Good, there's vegetables on this list. "Jungle Onion."
"Got it!"
If I recall correctly, there should be a scene where Lau prepares the food while I bob up and down with utensil in hand... basically looking like an idiot. I'll pass on that, thank you very much. Anyway, I get a simple meal in front of me, but it smells good enough that I dig in right away. Once again, I feel no evident effect, but I'm sure there is something.
"Thanks for the meal!" And now it's time for hunting! I head out to see Akyuu again after changing my equipment.
This time, I grab the Giaprey quest. Five of them... it's not going to be hard at all.
Part 2: Slaying Beginnings
I take my time on it, harvesting even more Honey, Ice Crystals and Iron Ore on my way to Area 5, where I know a few Giaprey will be. I need to start planning long term... I know what weapons I want, but the armor is going to be a problem... maybe start off with the crab armor first? Rathalos armor is good too, but a bit far off for me. Maybe Tigrex, since I don't really like Tigrex weapons.
The screeching of the Giaprey draws my attention back to the present. Drawing out my Iron Hammer, I run towards the beasts. The first one turns... just as I unleash the whirling spin, slamming it away.
HOME RUN! I'm not about to scream it out, since there's the risk of dislodging icicles from the ceiling.
Just as the momentum starts to run out, I adjust my grip on the handle and slide my left foot around, setting up for a jump. This move would never exist in the actual game, but then again, this isn't a game. I push off and launch myself up into the air, bringing the heavy weapon around and over my head.
"IT'S HAMMER TIME!" I can't resist yelling. (1)
Then I bring it down onto the head of the one I hit before it can get up. SPLAT.
I quickly roll away before a freezing clump of snow hits me, coming to my feet and turning at the same time. There are two more Giaprey to deal with, and the one that didn't just attack is crouching for a leap.
Rolling again, I pull the hammer back for a quick whack to the legs, but it only stumbles slightly. Damn, those are some muscles! And they're actually taller than me now that I'm up close in reality.
It turns, hopping to do so. The other one jumps, but I roll under it and charge for a ground slam. Before either of them can turn to face me, I swing the hammer up, catching one of them on the ribs with the upswing. Then I slam it hard down onto their combined heads.
One of them goes down, but the other staggers on its feet still. I dispatch it with another whack, finally bringing it down.
After that comes the carving, I get a pelt, a claw and a fang from their carcasses. The next area I head to is Area 3, where the eggs and stuff are. Sure enough, there are another two.
One of them is far away, while the other is close by. Before the nearer one can alert its compatriot, I bash the top of its head, once, twice, then I finish it off with a swing that a golfer would be proud of, sending it flying across the place. Yelling, I charge towards the remaining Giaprey, preparing to pound its brains out.
It dodges by jumping back.
Damn, I got careless. I quickly roll away before it can bite me, then perform another non-game attack.
I step into a spin around behind it, swinging the hammer around down low, and the heavy head takes it perfectly across the ankles. The Giaprey is swept off its feet and crashes to the icy ground with a choked screech. Before it can get up, I'm already in position, hammer drawn back behind me, staring into its yellow reptilian eyes.
"Eat hammer!" The head gets smashed.
The armlet beeps, signaling acknowledgement of my mission completion, telling me I only have a while before they come to pick me up. Mission cleared, with zero damage!
I'm not going to get any fangs out of this one. I muse as I put away the hammer and draw out my carving knife. Wait, how do they know that I finished the mission anyway? Oh my god, I'm being stalked! Geez, I bet the Guild people are full of voyeurs!
Uncomfortable thoughts aside, I quickly work on grabbing whatever resources I can after I'm finished carving. Mushroom, bones, anything that looks possible to scavenge, I grab. It's only after the Guild people comes for me in their hot air balloon that I realize I might have inadvertently handled frozen wyvern poop.
Ew. Even if I need dung for fertilizer, that's just... ew.
Anyway, a quick check with Akyuu tells me that the Blango slaying quest is at night, so I have some time to kill before then. After washing up in my house, I head over to the entrance to the farm. Sure enough, there's a man standing near the lifts, apparently waiting for me.
And I'm right.
"Ahh... Hello, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, which is why I'd like to ask you for a favor."
Dude, that sounds creepy. Like molesting pervert creepy. I fake a grin and nod. "What is it?"
"I forgot to introduce myself last time." The guy smiles back. "I'm Treshi's disciple. You know who Treshi is, right?"
Ummm... not really sure...
"If not, you should go meet him in the Gathering Hall." He points towards the place.
Oh wait, I remember now! He's the midget I go see for the treasure hunting quests!
"The favor that I want to ask actually comes from Treshi. You see, he has a farm, but no one to maintain it. We were hoping you'd be up for the job."
Given the BENEFITS (That's right, capitalized for importance!) of the farm and not actually having to do much of the physical upkeep, I'd be a total idiot not to go along with it.
"It's conveniently called Pokke Farm. Everything you need to start off, along with some Usagi and Felyne labor, has already been provided."
See?
"Everything you farm, be it ore, fish, etc... is yours to use as you please. If you need to know how to reap the land, ask whoever in charge of the spot."
SEE?
I tune the rest of the explanation out. I know I'm supposed to get Pokke Points by helping Treshi out, by gathering stuff to trade in, and use those Points for buying upgrades on the farm. Not sure how to get those Points outside of gathering Account items and Treasure Hunting Quests though. And the guy doesn't tell me about those alternate methods, only saying he will deliver another issue of Hunting Life to my house and wishing me luck.
Unexpectedly, Usagi Tewi turns up, and this time she has brought Usagi Comrades! I didn't play Freedom Unite, so this is a kind of new experience for me. Who knew that they would also live in the Kitchen with the Chefs? But being able to have up to ten of them is pretty good, I have to say. Wonder what Usagi-types are capable of? I still have yet to see the cats and dolls Yukari told me about.
Anyway, looking over the five documents she hands to me, I can see it's a bit complicated. There's level, which I don't really need to care about since they'll progress eventually. Attack and defense are important stats, but I'll look at them later. Fondness... well, let's skip that for now, shall we? Coloration's a bit obvious, but the thing that is the most troublesome is Temperament, which I have no idea about, but can tell is important to their actions in the field. Striking versus impacts... well, that's another obvious one.
The five are Sia, Nerin, Maple, Prim, and Asa, with temperaments Weapon Lover, Bomb Lover, Average, Peace Loving and Scrapper respectively. In the end, I pick Nerin as my choice, spending 500z for her.
"Thanks for the business!" Usagi Tewi waves after me as I return to check out the Comrade Board in my Kitchen.
Hmm... I'm supposed to set a training schedule for what part of the body to train in and let them learn skills. Are bombs even affected by the attack stat? Meh, let's just put her to training her defense then. I mark it on the board. She doesn't have enough points, so never mind that for now since she's not a direct attacker.
I activate her as my Comrade, dressing her up in Mofumofu. I'm still quite blur on this, but it makes one thing clear; the next time I see Yukari, I'm going to hit her up for as much information about the game as I can. I don't want to be unprepared for whatever may come, especially regarding the armor issue.
The next part is to head down to the farm. I take the wooden cable car down to the base of the mountain. It's a rather smooth ride, as long as I stay still in the cramped box. The farm itself is a bit ramshackle, but that's natural given the humble beginnings. I stand beneath the sign over the entrance, looking the place over thoughtfully for a few seconds.
Let's grab all that I can! With a wide grin on my face, I run right in to get to work..
Mine some whetstones! Like a boss! Plant some seeds! Like a boss! Try fishing! Like a boss! Lose my bait! Like a boss! Try again! Like a boss! Catch Sushifish! Like a boss! Go catch bugs! Like a boss! Need more upgrades! Like a boss! Nothing left! Like a boss! (2)
That was a bit on the meager side... but at least I got something. Laden with my spoils of war, I head back up the mountain. That song's kind of catchy... although it seems a bit dumb now that I'm done.
After I'm done depositing the stuff in my item box, I go for the Blango slaying quest. Just before I leave, I realize that I'm still holding the Hammer, so I run back and change it for the Bone, a Long Sword.
And I head off just as the sun begins to set. Seeing the Popos there, I draw my odd-looking weapon and charge at them.
Then I remember why I didn't start off with a Long Sword. Because the damn thing is just too fragile. Just taking down the Popos without my Ki to enhance it (I forgot about that because I didn't put it on the hammer either) results in several nicks in the edge that I have to polish out with the whetstones I was supplied with.
Better go see Rinnosuke about upgrading this piece of crap. Grumbling, I sheathe the weapon and start climbing up the ledges to enter the ice caves. Got two Popo tongues, that should net me some Pokke Points if I recall correctly.
I continue to make my way through the Areas gathering as I go, imagining the time when I will eventually reach a point where I will be hard pressed to decide what I should continue to carry.
"Honey~ and Ice Crystals, Stone and Iron~ Ore. Mountain Herbs and Giaprey Fangs galore~ Monster hunting involves many things~ In the snowy mountains you can get all sorts of things~" I sing to myself as I slash the final Giaprey across the face. (3)
Outside in Area 6, I encounter three Blangos. Oh yay, the annoying monkeys. Time to hack and slash.
Seriously, it's too easy fighting against small fries like this given my experience, both in playing Monster Hunter and training in Gensokyo. They can try to attack, but I know how to read their body muscles to tell where they intend to go, and keep track of them even if they're behind me.
It's kind of amusing to jab them in the face with the bulging tip of my weapon just as they open their mouth, though. Carving them results in some Sharp Fangs and Blango Pelts. The latter gives me the idea to get some Blagonga armor. If I recall, it's pretty useful, and the helmet looks cool.
Dipping my hands into the snow to wipe off some of the blood, I make my way up to Area 8, where the last bunch of Blangos are. However, instead of confronting them, I search around the rock wall. The hole I'm looking for is on the west-facing side, and I crawl right through. I get a few more Mountain Herbs, before making the climb all the way to the top, trying not to slip off the icy wall.
There... the Kushala Daora skin. Time to get mining! I heft the pickaxe and start hacking at the crack. Then...
"AHHH! OW! SHIT! STOP BITING YOU DAMN WORM!"
There was a Khezu whelp in there, and now it's latched onto me. I quickly continue my mining, getting some Machalite Ore in the process. Once I'm done, I gulp down one of the First-Aid Medicines to replenish my health, before jumping down into the wide area.
The Blangos notice, but I ignore them to scour through a loose patch of rocks on the east side. By luck, I find a scale, but it's decayed slightly. I think this is an Account Item... let's keep it.
Now, all that's left is to slay me some Blangos! And a sudden boom alerts me to Nerin's presence; she managed to hit two of them with a bomb.
My frustration from the Khezu whelp makes me a little brutal; I slash horizontally across their eyes, then stab them in the throat when they rear back in pain. Once their lifeblood is pouring from the deep gash I made, I move on to the next one, and the next, until all of them have bled out. It at least allows me to carve some pretty good stuff from them. I should be able to score an upgrade with what I got.
It's not really needed, but I down another First Aid Med while waiting to be picked up. Stupid whelp... what do the Guild do with them anyway? Rear them to adulthood so hunters never run low on beasts to hunt?
That's a question that will remain with me for a while.
My hunch about the scale was right, and I net myself quite a bunch of Pokke Points. With it, I can get the Mushroom Tree, and then I can gather Blue Mushrooms and start making Potions. You can never have enough Potions...
Anyway, by the time I get back, it's late at night, so I take a quick bath and turn in to sleep. It is the end of my second day here. Wonder what do I have to hunt tomorrow? I need to see Yukari too...
(1) A reference to MC Hammer's U Can't Touch This.
(2) Reference to a meme based on The Lonely Island's album INCREDIBAD, from a song of the same name.
(3) To the tune of 'My favorite things' from The Sound of Music. Ikuto is just trying to cope with monster hunting.
So that's another chapter of Yukari's Errands down. Nothing much to say... I feel like doing a timeskip so we can get to the REAL bosses...
