Sorry for my bad English.
The second chapter of team STRK's adventure is here. The initial feedback was not so good but I will continue to see how it will end.
To the fic!
Water? Check.
Compass? Check.
First Aid Kit? Check.
Lanterns? Check.
Map? Check.
Sunscreen? Check.
Protein Food? Check.
All the food from away from Koro? Check.
They were all ready for a trip through the desert, or at least they hoped to.
After the strange meeting with Professor Papyrus Scroll, PhD, the whole group immediately went to the parking lot where the professor keep his vehicle.
It was an old jeep with at least four seats and space behind for their luggage. The color was a long ago disappeared from the metal, it really needed to change the tires, the windshield also needed to be cleaned, the headlamps were cracked, and they listed all the problems all of them could point out, they would be staring at the old vehicle all day long.
-Isn't beautiful? -Papyrus asked rhetorically.
-A bit old, don't you think? -And yet, Ryan answered.
-Old?! How dare you?! -Papyrus scolded him. -It is a classic!
-If become more classic, it can be put in a museum. -Koro mocked.
-Youngsters. -Papyrus complained and went to the front seat.
-We really are going to travel in the desert on this? -Koro asked.
-Rest assure that my automobile has seen more sand than any other vehicle on Vacuo, and will see much more from onward! -Papyrus proudly announced.
Once everyone put their belongings on the top of the jeep, they took a seat inside the car, Koro by Papyrus' side, the girls on the back seat, and Ryan settled in the back.
-Professor, are you sure this vehicle will be able to travel through the desert? -Sally asked.
-No worries miss! We shall be in the middle of the desert before you can even predict.
He has no idea.
The vehicle, to the team's surprise, turned on and moved out of the parking lot, making its way to the desert, where one of the greastest discoveries of archeology was waiting for them.
Not after they left the town, the team leader tried to warn the archeologist that his vehicle would be able to go to the desert but not make its way back to the town. Papyrus stubbornly ignored her warnings and keep driving below the burning sun of the desert while Sally keeps trying to warn him.
When the town was out of sight, the jeep, Papyrus' long-time partner, finally submitted to its fate and allowed the motor to blow up, making a huge smoke signal on the desert.
Not wanting to abandon his long-time partner, Papyrus jumped out of the jeep and went to fix it. After an hour, it was clear the jeep was a lost cause.
-He can't say I warned him. -Sally thought as she used the side mirror to apply her lip gloss.
Unicorn just played her guitar while Koro meditated on the top of the car and Ryan was poking the sand in clear boredom.
-Professor, should you not be looking for whatever we came here to look for? -Ryan asked, tired of poking the sand.
-In a minute Mr. Forest! -Papyrus called. -I think I discovered the problem!
-There are so many jokes to make about his statement that I don't know which one I should choose. -Koro stated.
-Joke all you want lad! Once my vehicle is working again, you shall eat those rude words!
-Can't I just eat the lunch?
-No. -Sally answered. -We may be in the desert for a while, so we must ration our food properly. Which means, not eating all we had in the first chance you have.
-How long we are going to help the old goat again? -Koro asked.
-I just need a week to explore this desert to find clues to my last discovery! -Papyrus stated.
*BOOM!*
Then something blew on his face.
-Right. -Ryan began. -What exactly you are looking for?
-Any of you are familiar with Thantan-Ka? -Papyrus asked, still trying to fix the motor even after the small explosion.
-I'm afraid I have not. -Sally answered.
-Never heard of. -Followed by Koro.
The unicorn seemed to not pay attention while Ryan seemed to think a little.
-It was that desert emperor, right? -Ryan asked.
-Precisely! -Papyrus said, finally getting his head away from the motor, revealing his face covered with soot. -Even before the great war, the desert had one great leader, venerated by the civilians of the desert, it was the last known emperor to ruler the deserts of Vacuo before the end of the war.
-Whatever happened to him? -Koro asked.
-A giant sandstorm happened, all his subjects left in a hurry, but he stayed behind. -Ryan explained. -The only explanation found was that he did not want to abandon his palace, so he stayed and was buried inside his own palace, which also becomes his tomb.
-His subjects show no interest in go after him. -Papyrus began. -Only a few dared to venture in the desert to look for his tomb to take him out.
-Professor, from what was just explained, the tomb may be buried below years and years of sand. -Sally began. -It may be hundreds of meters below the desert, even more. How do you pretend to find the tomb?
-It is simple. -Papyrus answered and closed the car hood before explain. -Through my researches, I discovered that it had a way for the habitants of the desert to find civilization while traveling. -As he explained, Papyrus took an old papyrus from his money belt. -The method they used was to use big obelisks with symbols to point the right direction they should follow.
-So we just need to find one of those obelisks? -Koro asked and then, had another question. -Uh, what is an obelisk?
-An obelisk is a commemorative monument consisting of an elongated and subtle square-shaped stone pillar that tapers slightly towards its highest part, usually decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions engraved on all four sides, ending with a pyramidal tip. -Sally answered.
-So, giant stone skewers?
-Pretty much. -Sally answer and turns back to the professor. -And how is this obelisk you are looking for, professor?
-It is quite simple, we just need to-something is wrong, Mr. Forest? -Papyrus asked, noticing the strange face the gunslinger was making.
-Ryan, is something wrong? -Sally asked.
Normally when the gunslinger is making a strange expression, something bad was coming.
You see, Ryan has something that could be called Instinct.
This Instinct works like a sixth sense for him to feel danger coming, like when he accidentally cut some strands from Yang Xiao Long's hair. It comes from the well-known chill in the spine compared to when a haunt appears.
Right at the end of the explanation about obelisks, Ryan felt the chill on his spine telling him that something was coming from the underground.
Now, as a huntsman-in-training, of course, Ryan will take the most appropriate course of action, which was to shriek in fear and jump to the top of the car.
-Incoming from below! -Ryan shouts.
Sally's eyes widened as she pulled out her pistols and pointed in two different directions, one below her and the other near professor Papyrus. A second later, worm Grimms came from the sand, fangs ready to take a bite.
Undercrawlers, worm grimm with two big fangs coming out from their mouths.
She pulled the triggers of both pistols, putting a bullet in the two worm Grimms.
At the same time, Koro pulled out his katana and beheaded the monster that came from his back.
And finally, Unicorn merely took hold of the grimm by its neck, which struggled against the black-haired girl's hold.
It was an easy first round.
-Professor Papyrus, please join Ryan! -Sally stated. -Undercrawlers normally walk in huge groups!
After hearing the team leader's statement, Papyrus immediately joined the indigenous descendant gunslinger on the top of the car.
Not a second after, more grimm worms came from the sands of the desert wanting a piece of the foolish humans who dared to travel alone through the desert.
-Great. -Koro spoke. -A bunch of big worms and no place to fish.
As he finished his sentence, one worm attacked him, fangs ready to take a bite. Both fangs dig in his neck, only for the Undercrawler to freeze in midair. The other worms were shocked with what they saw, and one was stabbed on the top of the head by Koro's katana, the ninja appearing behind one of them.
Hearing the painful scream of the killed worm, the rest went after the hobo ninja, who used his katana to cut in half most of the worms, some being beheaded. One tried to come from underground and take his feet, but he felt the vibrations below his feet and took it away to shove the blade of his katana right in the middle of the Undercrawler who tried to take a bite of his leg.
Unicorn found no reason to use her weapon. She merely used the grimm in her hand as an improvised weapon to strike the incoming worms, swinging the worm from the left to right and sending some flying away with a precise strike, some being cut by the worm's fangs.
Sally was making each shot from her pistols worthy as she took down each Undercrawler a second after their heads came from the sand. One tried to do to her the same one tried with Koro and went under her foot. Despite not feeling the vibrations below the heels of her boots, she knew it was coming and took her leg away just in time to shove a bullet on the Undercrawler's head.
And finally, Ryan was having some work himself, holding professor Papyrus in his arms as the Undercrawlers, for some reason we're trying to get a bite on the old man. One come from the left, Ryan pulled the professor to the right. One come from the right, Ryan pulled the professor to the left.
At some point, he keep the professor above his head, so the worms aimed to take a bite on Ryan's legs, so he began to dance his way away from the sharp fangs from the worms and even kicked some of the grimm worms. And despite his Instinct, he still could be taken by surprise, such as one of the Undercrawlers coming from behind the car and aiming directly on his buttocks.
-AAAHHHH! -Ryan screams and taking a leap above to while still holding the professor.
The scream, of course, took the attention of his teammates.
They saw Ryan falling down, hands on his buttocks while some tears were falling from his eye... until he fell face-first on the ground with his upper half below the ground, and it seems he threw the professor far above, but he had more to worry about.
Surrounding the lower half of his body were a bunch of Undecrawlers, and they immediately attacked. Surprisingly, despite not being able to see, Ryan began to kick all of the worm Grimms away from him. Moving his legs from left to right, no worm was able to get their fangs on the unlucky gunslinger.
-He's fine! -Koro shouts before cut another worm grimm. -Let's clean the area!
Putting the katana back on the sheath, Koro made some signs with his hand, and then, electricity began to form around his arm from the wrist to the point of his fingers. Pointing ahead, he shot the electricity like a spear, going through some Undercrawlers, and those who dodge, with a simple motion from Koro's fingers, made the electric spear turn around and hit the worm Grimms who dodged the electric attack before.
While the ninja of the team deal with the enemies in his way, Sally and Unicorn, who threw the Grimm away and pulled her sword, were back to back, waiting for the worm Grimms to attack.
-Thirty degrees! -Sally shouts and they moved.
Unicorn beheaded one worm while Sally shot the other two.
-Fifty degrees! -Sally shouts again and they moved again.
This time, Unicorn cut two of the worms while Sally shot two.
-Twenty degrees! -Sally shouts once more and they moved once more.
It is clear that Sally was telling Unicorn how much they needed to move in order to intercept the attack from the worms coming from the sand. It even comes to the point where Unicorn shoved her blade on her back, below her armpit while Sally shot her back, avoiding their partners but killing two Undercrawlers in the process.
With all of them killed, the team relaxed and put their weapons back. Ryan, who was still stuck on the sand, took one of his revolvers and shot the area surrounding him, sending a big smokescreen and freeing himself from the sand.
-Well... that's that. -Ryan said before remembering an important detail. -Wait for a second, professor!
The four teenagers look above and notice the old man coming. Ryan runs from left to right in hopes to get a hold of the professor before he crashes on the sand. When he stopped running and stood to where he thought the professor would fall, a small tornado formed in front of him, cushing the professor's fall.
-Good lord. -Papyrus exclaimed before his butt hits the sand. -This is, without a doubt, the most exciting expedition I ever did!
-And it is just the beginning. -Ryan said, sounding like he was complaining.
-I don't think there is any Undercrawler left. -Sally stated before turning her attention to the one-armed ninja. -Koro, it is not a good idea for you to use dust like that. -Sally explained. -Remember to save it to use only against strong opponents. -She explained, referring to the fact that Koro needs dust to use his semblance.
-Fair enough. -Koro said.
-Just to be clear, there is none left, right? -Ryan.
-Yes, we all did our best. -Sally stated with a smile.
-Our best? -Koro asked. -Please babydoll, I could have done better.
-You also can do better in class but you never do. -Ryan spoke next.
-Pff, it because this is important. -Koro defended himself.
-I don't have an argument for that. -Ryan said.
In all, their first day on the mission was going pretty well.
They could only hope to be this simple for the rest of the mission, something they all knew that was asking too much for.
End of the chapter.
A bit of action before engaging the team and the professor in some more talk.
To have an idea about how the Undercrawler is regarding his physical appearance, it is similar to the Yu Gi Oh monster Leghul.
Next time, the team will face the dangers of the desert itself, with some shenanigans.
That's all folks, see you next time.