Starring:
Jaken (as Grim), Nariko, Amani
Date: February 12, 2017
Summary:
Goat Pox has broken out on an island of goats and it needs help. Enter Amani to save the day! But she'll need help and it comes in the form of a mercenary and a best friend! Strange, though as the summons she was sent did not go through the village, but never one to turn down assistance, she heads out anyway to see to it that the problem is dealt with. The group later comes to find out that the case of Goat Pox was just a Goat hoax in one elaborate plan of golden revenge.
"Fleece of the Golden Goat: Revenge of Kiniro"
Goat Island: Land of Lightning
"I leave the hospital in your hands. I must go and handle a situation that I have been summoned for. It's…" Amani read the message she received carefully. "Someplace I don't bother trying to pronounce the name of! But it appears they have a case of Goat Pox there and it must be handled. I will see to it that the population is well taken care of while I'm away. I know you all can handle things by yourselves well enough, so do just that! I'll return soon."
She headed off with a pack on her back and an intent to drag someone along. Someone she knows… A familiar face! "You!" She called out to Grim. "You will go with me! We must away quickly! I have everything all ready to go." She held up a sack of money. "This! This is what you want, right? I require assistance!"
Lounging at the fountain in the center of town was the Visiting Desert Mercenary, Grim, watching the people of Kumogakure go about their daily routines. It was educational to observe how people went about, what they wore, how they talk, phrases they use to describe things. The glowing embers of his pipe occasionally setting ablaze with a fiery passion before giving way to a wisp of smoke either escaping his lips or nose. "And.. now I am bored.." he says leaning back with a slump of his shoulders.
However just a minute later, the ever animated, Doctor accosts him with a proposition for profit, his favorite kind of proposition. "Alright, All my important immediate questions have been answered by your offer of payment. But for formality is this On or Off the record contract?" as he stands up to tower over the diminutive doctor with her sack of ryo. "It does help pay for things I need.." looking at the pack on her back.
"Off the record! No formal request was sent in, just some note, specifically to me, about Goat Pox. Now, I have helped different people before and it's not uncommon, but going alone means that I'm more likely to do something that's going to be regrettable for Kumo, so to prevent that, I require…an escort," Amani muttered. "It's not like I've done anything terrible! I just have…different methods to reach results that work! So, if money keeps you from asking why and instead helps me to do my job, I am more than happy to part with it." She tossed the sack to Grim.
"Let's make haste! I will take my ship there. It's going to be a couple of hours, I figure since the place I can't pronounce is not too far from here, but far enough. All alone in the water. Guess ships pass by often enough for people to know it's there."
She leads them to the docks where she introduces her totally not pirate ship anymore. "Behold! The Hypocritic Oath! Go ahead and find someplace comfortable. Your captain is me!"
Grim gives a flourish of his hand as he bows to her request. "As you wish, escort the doctor to the goat pox.. don't let doctor bring shame on village." this was going to an impossible fools errand. He catches the sack and it immediately disappears into the unseen. "I've never been on a boat before.. or on the ocean.. it kinda of feels like it's trying to eat.. my.. soul.. with every wave.." he says mesmerized by the sight of the giant body of brine. "So like a fishing town or rest stop or something?" he asks getting on the boat, looking around he decides that to be ultimately safe he must clutch to the mast to tightly it will forever bear his handprints. "Hypocritic Oath? o..k..a..y.." he says in a moment of befuddlement.
"Looks like it!" Amani begins, ignoring all of the other concerns listed. "Some sort of rest stop type island. Benefits well from the ships that pass by for trade, so on and so forth," she states while they begin to make their move away from the docks and into open water.
"You can hold on to the mast, just so long as you don't break it in fear. If you want something to eat and drink, you can head down and see what I have stored away. I usually keep this ship well stocked. I also have some medicine that should help with that little problem," she snickered. "Do you know any shanties to sing?"
The trip wouldn't be so bad. The winds were fair and though the ship sloshed along the rising and falling wasn't drastic. Still, without sea legs, it could take a bit of time to get used to.
"I'll be alright.. I am just pretending it's a giant ocean of sand.. that has giant creatures in it.." Grim says before shaking his head, "No I'm comfortable here.." tightly wrapped around the mast. "I won't break it.. I think I know my own strength.." he says in a moment of defiant pride. "I'm afraid I don't.." he replies to her request for a song, she didn't pay for entertainment only escorting.. It was going to be a long several hours.
"Alright, your choice!" Amani states as she began singing her own shanties. "Yes, my crazy dictates that I sing very well! You won't have to worry about that for much longer. Land is ahead! I'll get us settled in and you'll get to acquaint yourself with the earth again!" The maneuvered the boat like a seasoned pro with respect to Grim and tried to ease it in as gently as she could to minimize his distress further.
With the boat docked, she gathers up her belongings and proceeds off the boat and onto the Island of the Unpronouncable Name. "We are here! It's as green as I expected, but not by much. Nice coverage, not too dense. A bit rocky… Perfect for goats or are goats perfect for it?" Onward to the village!
There was a light bustle of activity here with other boats docked from other countries. Thankfully, no trouble was started. Just a little ways in was the village they were to visit with an equally unpronouncable name. There they would be greeted by some elders who had troubling news.
"What do you mean there's no Goat Pox?!" She shouted, eying a goat that crossed her path at a leisurely pace. "So, instead of Goat Pox, you have some other group of people causing problems for you, hm?! That means I have to pay him extra since he's along for a ride that wasn't in his contract. Uuugh, alright, I'll do it. Money isn't an issue, but now we have to go and see the elders on the other side of the island to see what's going on with them."
Unbeknowst to his captain he had already took the liberty to self-medicate with a healthy dose of Kumogakure Sake, "It's the motion that bothers me.. it's the infinite dark depths that beckon my soul beneath their palladly beautiful exterior." before shrugging and even joining in with her shanties, it was only neighborly.. As the disembark he looks around "In my experience, goats will be wherever they want, not terrain, not nature, or even gravity will defy them.." he says looking around offering to carry anything she wished to offload onto him. "You paid for an armed escort.. so it's alright." he was hard to avoid the extra pay but it wouldn't be good to the scorpion squad brand. "Lead on then Doctor Goat or Goat Doctor? Medic maniac?" he continues going through several names trying find one that fit because real names were not really Grim's thing.
"Yes, all of those things! And work in 'disparate' somewhere in there!" Amani nodded. There wasn't much to say of animals in these parts aside from massive amounts of goats everywhere. Feral goats, farm goats, friendly goats, fiend goats, all kinds of goats! If there ever was a Goat Pox here, the outbreak would get to /everyone/. "I think this place has Kumo beat for goats, but it is just an island. Perhaps it's just the density…" She hummed.
The two trek their way to the other side of the island where they are greeted with the other elders that were supposedly causing problems for the villagers they'd just met. "I'll cut straight to the chase, why are you causing problems for the other villagers?" The elders begin to explain that sometime ago, their prize goat disappeared and they have reason to believe that it was the other village that was responsible for it. Both villages have bred goats for generations, each competing to take the title of G.O.A.T., that is Greatest of All Time for their goats in their annual goat festival. So. Much. Goat. If they're able to find their prize winning goat, they'll end the fight between their two villages and have things return to normal.
"…We're off to find a goat! I will need your…eye," she wanted to say eyes, but it seemed he only had a singular one. "Keep a look out for a goat. It seems he has well defined horns and a nice, brown coat. He's the only one to have a specialized engraved bell. It's silver with a green ribbon. We'll have to keep ourselves alert of feral goats that don't take kindly to…almost anything."
"I'll See, thing about nicknames is they just fit when they fit." he says before looking around listening to her explain about this type of goat or that type. "So it would be safe to call this Goat Island?" when it explains to them that the reason for the visit is the prize winning goat was stolen. "Yes Goat Island, in the Goat sea, in the Goat archipelago" he says rubbing his hand down his face in anguish. "I'll keep an eye out" Grim says with a hint of sarcasm before shaking his head "Is this the island where Mountain Goat got bitten by the Golden Goat and became goat touched?" in the head. "So punch the baad ones, capture the good one?" he says repeating the mission parameters.
"…." Amani gave Grim's words some thought. "The Island of the Unpronouncable Name is now called Goat Island! Thank you for clearing up that mystery. There is extra pay in this for you!" Yep, so much pay. "If local legends are true that I only learned about five minutes ago, then it is possible that she did!" At least the Golden Goat part seemed to hold true, the rest is rather fuzzy. "I hope we do not anger the Golden Goat in doing so, but yes, punch the bad ones. Capture the good one," she nodded.
What they have to look for isn't too hard. The description was very easy to look out for, but it's all the dangers of these feral goats that are the problem and avoiding them is almost impossible. There's no place they can't get to, so it's knuck to buck.
"Where do your skills lie?" She asked of Grim. "My skills are primarily ninjutsu. I am medic first and fighter second. I am a Yamayuki, so I can utilize sound to my advantage." A few goats pass by, hopping off merrily to some other source of food or no, wait, no, they were running. A group of feral goats just showed up. Guess they crossed into the wrong territory. They look none too pleased. One male, two females. "Have you ever fought a goat before?" She wondered. That question can be answered as they begin their charge.
Grim nods "You are welcome, it is easier to say.." before nodding his head in agreement "Yes these local legends which I just said for the first time a moment ago must be true.." before shaking his head "Affirmative." in response to her confirmation of the objectives. "My Skills? I'm suppose have those? You didn't say I needed to pack those?!" he says looking around in a false panic.. "Doctor Ninjagoat got it.." he says before looking at the goats in their way "Isn't it cute?! I should pet it" he says approaching it only to be charged with the horns landing solidly in the manly bits.. "Shiver me timber.. man overboard" he says sliding down to his knees, now looking his opponent face to face he attempts to headbutt the goat.. "Goatjutsu: Headbutt—desuuu" he says in classic shouting out his power moves.
Magical Goat form deactivate! Appearing behind Amani and Grim was a very explosive cloud of glitter and smoke. Not only that but there was gratuitous lens flare and a explosive sound as the Yotsuki woman known as Nariko appears out of her goat form and into Nariko form, her right hand making a peace sign by her right eye and her left hand on her hip. "Nariko is here to save you! In the name of the Golden Goat, I shall punish you!" She smiles and looks to Amani and then to Grim. "Oh…you guys really do need my help." Without pause she runs at the goats and utilizes her hard, Yotsuki head of hers, to headbutt one of the bad goats. "Golden Goat Power activate! Form of a headbutt!"
"You would've had room for skills if you didn't pack your bag full of adjectives!" Amani shook her fist at Grim while the other hand was extended, creating a cushion of sound for the attacking goats to run into. "But I accept the name of Doctor Ninjagoat! I like it!" She'd have expressed more happiness, but Grim took a shot straight to the love below. "You're going to challenge the goat with a headbutt? Dangerous waters you're going into!"
She was just about to retaliate against the feral goats, but her focus was switched from them to the explosion that happened behind her and her partner. "What goat is capable of making the ground quake?!" What goat? The Narigoat! That's who! "Could…could it be?!" Yes, it could be!
The goats launched their attacks only to fail in their charging, taking strikes forceful enough to make them stumble. They weren't down for the count, but they did meet their match for now. Can't fight these guys off. Time to concede.
"Yes, yes we did need your help," Amani states while watching the feral goats take off. "And now that we have it, you're stuck here and I will be paying you also! For now, we need to move on. We have a brown goat with well defined horns to look for with bell fastened around its neck with a green ribbon. Think you can keep an eye out or that?"
"But I need them!" Grim says in defense to her accusation of his bag of colorful adjectives. "And I brought sake too.." he says before jumping to his feet with a spring as the emergence of his eternal nemesis, emerges. "Mountain Goat!" he snarls before looking back to the rogue goats who having tasted a double heabutt from the Scorpion Squad and friends. "See.. see.. I told you that she is most often seen in her natural form. The Elusive Narigoat" before dusting himself off. "I think she paid them off to do this! So she could have her, albeit fantastic showmanship, entrance" before looking around for the rest of the nonsense.
Nariko brushes her hands off as the goats flee. When she mentions what this Golden Goat looks like, she snaps and points at her. "Oh, you mean Gorudo. He's a cool dude. Met him the last time I was here. He enjoys long walks on the beach and enjoys daikon radishes." She looks to Grim with a "What the heck are you talking about" look and shakes her head. "I did nothing of the sort. Those goats are like the worst goats you could ever come across. I mean, they eat rocks and think that I am not one of them. I mean, seriously." She could not believe Grim thought she was the mastermind behind all of this. "I think he ate some of those special mushrooms from Suna. So, be careful."
"I will allow it! For without the adjectives, you would not have unpacked Doctor Ninjagoat! Perhaps helped in large part by sake." Amani moved over to Grim to check over for wounds. "Is there anything I can assist you with? You took a pretty hard blow." He appeared to be okay, but she had to be sure.
"You…you know the goat we are looking for?" She whipped around to face her. "Where would he be at this time? I need his schedule! Escort us through this island." Just as she said that, a bell went off in the distance. She held up a finger. "Wait, did you hear that." The chime went off again. "That! Did you hear it?!" She ran off without saying much more to pinpoint the sound of the bell. For her, shouldn't be much of a problem. "Tell me more about the magic mushrooms!" Her voice went off in the distance while she ran.
Grim nods his head in agreement, before eyeing the diminutive doctor ninjagoat who is assessing his wounds "You can assess the damage later.. I'll live" there were times that his tough immovable body was a boon, it also doesn't hurt to wear proper armor in strategically important areas.. like all over. "You .. know.. him.." he pauses pinching the bridge of his nose "Of course you do.." he pauses again to listen as she explain more. "Gorudo.. Of course.. Daikon.. mhmmmhmm" he was repeating everything back almost mindlessly, he had checked out.. When the sound is pointed out "Uh No.. No One can ever hear the sound that you just talk all over asking if people can hear it.." he snorts before chasing after the Doctor "Mushrooms?.. oh you mean those! I don't know what your talking about, I don't know anything about the mushrooms that secretly make you see things or extremely suggestive to suggestions.. Never heard of them.." surely somewhere Itami feels the tickle to sneeze and the irrational drive to blame Grim for something.
Nariko shrugs. "I can't tell you that. I have only had conversations with him. I mean, it isn't like he's my best friend." She lets out a sigh. When she sees Amani become more alert, she tries to listen in for this sound. She shrugs when Amani begins to run off. "Of course you 'don't' know." She shook her head and smiled. "I think we should run after her." If allowed, she would grab Grim and then run after Amani with him. "Amani, slow down!" She was tired from being a goat, and it almost seemed as if she had been prancing all over the place.
Amani followed after the chimes until she came up to a pit. No, more like, she ran and fell into the pit. In all her excitement, she didn't watch where she was going. The good news of this is that she found the goat they were looking for. The bad news is that she would need to find a way out of here. "I foooouuuunnnd hiiiim!" She called out from the hole. A bleat to confirm this came from the G.O.A.T. goat. "But now we're both stuck in here!"
Soon, feral goats began to gather around the area, surrounding Grim and Nariko. On an outcropping, a golden goat walks up and overlooks the area. So, it is true? With a loud bleat, the goats ran through the trees and across the field to begin their assault.
Grim is serious incredulously cutting his good eye as Nariko explains her extracurricular activities that he didn't believe for a minute. "Sometimes Mountain Goat.." he says as they chase after the surprising quick doctor, it was harder since he was being weighted down by a Yotsuki who had a grip on his cloak collar while in chase. Before coming to sudden halt, because he was aware of his surroundings, also because he saw her fall into it, don't tell her that. "That's nice.. I think we're in our problem up here.. can't you goatwalk up walls, Doctor Ninjagoat?" he says trying to dodge out of the way of a charging pair of horns but takes a headbutt to the knee, will he every be an adventurer again? There was no time to process the pain even with a trickle of blood streaming out the tears of his pants, when the second goat reaches him already in a full-charge this time when it hits him it deflects off as if it had hit a boulder before he sends a punch which explodes out a burst into the goat that drew blood.
Nariko clasps the bridge of her nose as Amani gets stuck. "Well, I guess we have to go rescue her now." When the goats come towards her, she reaches out to grab the first one by the horns, electricity surging through her arms. She picks it up and throws it to the side, doing the same to the second goat coming towards her. "Golden Goat power activate! Form of a punch!" She takes her arm and thrusts it forward with all her power towards one of the goats in front of her. "By the power of the Goat!" She gasps for a moment, surprised slightly by the Golden Goat.
"I…can," Amani replied to Grim. "I can walk out of here!" She smacked a hand to her head. "Why did you remind me that I was a ninja?! I wanted to forget so badly!" She whined. "I'll be up in a bit!" She states, starting her climb up the hole.
Just upstairs, the battle is waged between goat and man and it appears that they equalized. Goats go flying across the way while knees are being robbed of caps! And one courageous goat dared to take a soul strike straight to the head and press forward in its assault.
The golden goat continues to look down at the battle and bleats, but that bleat soon turns to laughter and that laughter is complemented with a twirl of a mustache! "Yes, fight for me! Exact my revenge!" That was a familiar voice.
"Make sure they think to never challenge me again!"
Grim shakes his head "It's in your name Dr Ninjaaaa-Goat!" he shouts down the hole with a little bit of anger mixed with sake breath. Before holding out his hand stopping a goat that was charging him folding it up as it's rear legs overtake it's front because of the momentum shift. In a moment, you would think it was Nariko in a Grim suit as his technique mimics her punch to the head "Golden Goat Power activate! Form of a punch!" he says before spinning around at the voice that he hears coming from the golden goat "Kiniro! You fiend! How dare you besmirch the legend of the golden goat.. You still upset that we busted your acorns the last time?!" he says pointing at the golden goat.
Nariko would facepalm if it weren't for the fact that she was trying to fight off some goats. "Are you kidding me Amani?!" Award for most forgetful goes to Amani! As the same goat attempts to come after her, she grabs it by one of it's horns and then thrusts her fist forward again. "Stop while you're ahead! You're such a baaaaad goat." Emphasizing the bad like a goat bleat. With the electricity surging through her arm, moves it so that her outstretched arms spit out crackles of lightning to surge through the group of baaaaad goats. "Golden Goat power activate! Form of Righteous fury!"
The goat took Grim's punch once more! Seems like it was made of tough stuff. The others facing Nariko find themselves tossed aside and punished by righteous fury! Feeling no need to continue this battle, they escaped while they still had the chance! Grim's goat, seeing the display, took off also, thinking it may be part of that fury also. It would seem they truly have angered the Golen Goat!
"I'm…still climbing!" Amani grunted out as she continued up the walls with the prize goat resting comfortably around her neck. "Just a bit more! And I know it's in my name! I just thought you said it because it sounded cool! I was not kidding in the slightest!" she responded to both Grim and Nariko.
Kiniro smiled. "I have come back, my acorns stronger than ever! The Golden Goat legend was easily exploitable! It took weeks of planning and many carrots! But I managed to turn enough feral goats to my side! You all ruined my lunch last time! I was this close to the best rice! Now, you will meet your doom by grabbing it by the horns!" He laughed, extending his arms to reveal seal bands on them. "Receive these pellets, with gratitude!" He proceeded to sweep his hands over the bands, sending off a barrage of metal pellets towards the two.
As the fury of the true legendary golden goat is let loose from non-other than his kunoichi avatar Mountain Goat, Grim looks over his shoulder "Really?! Really?! You can summon that level of fury and all this time you have just sparkle punched stuff.." he was livid almost as the shinobi hand-squiggle magic that produced such results.. "Whenever you're ready, no hurry or anything.. We are all fine up here.. just fine.." before pointing at Kiniro and projecting his voice "You madman! You kidnapped this innocent goat, spread the rumors about goat-pox, and even set two villages to feud?!" that seem really complicated and overly complex, sounds legitimate. "You will never win! Scorpion Squadron will stop you!" before he leans over throwing up a large rock before spinning around "Goatjutsu: Fist of The Golden Goat - Seven Signs he's not that into you—desuuu!" Grim shouts as his fist slams into the rock and an explosion of chakra sending it towards Kiniro like a heavy uncontrolled cannonball.
Nariko eyes this Kiniro person as he talks bad about the Golden Goat myth. "You don't think the Golden Goat is real?! You don't think these goats believe in the Golden Goat?! That the people of the Land of Lightning believe in this?" She sends a multitude of questions at him, sounding more and more aggressive with each question. When the pellets come at her, her body seems to stay there for a moment, but then a wisp of smoke and glitter spread as they go through and she appears close to Kiniro. She cracks her knuckles, the lightning crackling around her fist. "You are wrong." She was clearly upset. She looked him in the eyes, attempting to make him imagine a multitude of angry goats going towards him. While the spirits do so, she thrusts her fist forward into Kiniro's chest. "By the power of the Golden Goat, you will be punished! Golden Goat Power activate! Form of a punch!"
"I have not once seen this Golden Goat! I find the idea laughable, preposterous!" Says Kiniro the Golden Squirrel. "I am Kiniro the Golden Squirrel! Clearly I am above such frivolous things such as a goat with a golden coat!" Such blasphemy! His disbelief was challenged by the arrival of goat spirits. "Wh-what?! No, I don't believe it! They can be angry all they want to, they will—" He's promptly cut off when he receives a punch straight to the chest so deep, he could feel it in the depths of his soul. He was sent flying off, trailed by a rock, courtesy Grim, that was certain to land on top of him wherever he made his home next. "That was only one siiiiiiiiiign!" He called out before twinkling off into the distance.
Amani finally made her way out of the hole with the prize goat. She fell to the ground and caught her breath. "…What was all that noise about?!" She questioned. "Bah, no matter. We found the goat. Let's get him back to his home village and end this quarrel… Something smells declicious up here…" She grumbled about being hungry as she walked off, prize G.O.A.T goat close behind her.
