Digimon Story: Rainbow Traverse -- Chp 13

1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

The path had been long, its trials grueling, even deadly. Yet at long last, the end seemed in sight as Alemana looked at the map on his digivice. Within the next quarter of an hour, they'd be directly on top of the Green Lady's hideout. It was this singular fact that made it all the more suspicious that not a single digimon was to be seen or heard beyond his and the other tamers' partners.

"I don't like it," said Ike, the boy following the rest of the group as they trekked through the forest.

"I think we heard you the first time, boss," said Gazimon. "An' I'll agree, this whole thing's fishy to me."

"You are the trap expert," said Renamon. "If you think we're heading straight towards one, we're all ears on navigating around it."

Tension was in the air, made all the more oppressive by the humidity. Even Kukuimon's foliage was starting to wilt.

Alemana felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was wrong… but it could’ve been just his desire to end things with the Green Lady and Varamon coupled with his anxiety about possibly returning home without Renamon or the other digimon getting to him. Even so, he could feel a conclusion fast approaching- one way or another… and it put him on edge. On the other hand, he felt a faint excitement thrumming through his chest.. it felt like embers stirring to life where his heart would be; no doubt the influence of Kumon on his psyche. And oddly enough? It brought him comfort.

“Well.. we have Wormon too.. he has an eye for traps as well. Maybe the two of them can find a solution?”

"Oh yeah?" asked Gazimon. "Alright Wormy, give us your two bits."

Wormmon sat atop Malie's head, his antennae drooping as he watched the girl's every step. "You don't need peepers to see a trap like this a mile away," he mumbled. "You're literally following the Green Lady's directions to a set location, out in the wilderness, without any foreknowledge or preparation beyond improvising at the last minute."

"Heheh, yeah," mused Malie. "They'll never see it coming."

"I wouldn't say we're going in totally blind," said Vivi. "Eyesmon's got us covered on what's up ahead."

"What about from behind?" asked Kukuimon.

The spectacled tamer forced a smile as she brushed a finger against the side of her chin. "Well... that's what Gaz, Rena, and Wormmon are for!"

("Should I back trek to see we're not being followed?") asked Renamon inside Al's head. ("There may be hiding trees nearby that we overlooked.")

Alemana would offer Wormon a piece of lettuce  as he then put his two cents in

“Well we didn’t expect to be teleported a few dozen miles with a single step. So if you think about it.. we very well could catch the Lady by surprise, being so close this quickly.. could be an advantage.”

Looking over at Vivi, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Aye aye capitan.” He then glanced at Renamon, nodding. (“Yes.. that would be a good idea.”)

Vivi paused in her step. "Captain?" she echoed.

Meanwhile, Renamon smiled before melting into the background to the sound of a distant flute. The fact that nobody commented on it suggested either they'd grown used to her vanishing without a word, or were too distracted with other things to notice.

"Do we even know if she'll come in person?" asked Ike. "Feels like wishful thinking, her bringing along the Ki'i."

Wormmon's attention shot towards the blond tamer. "Ki'i?" he echoed. "What Ki'i?"

Alemana watched as she vanished and would give a small nod of approval before answering Wormon’s question. “The Green Lady has Lonomon’s Ki’i, and we are coming to take it from her and bring it into the right hands- said hands belonging to the girl whose head you’re perched on,” he said with a small laugh.

“We need them in order to get home.. and we already were entrusted with three of them. Kumon, Kaneloamon, and Kanemon’s.”

"Uh, you okay, cousin?" asked Kukuimon, the piglet noticing Wormmon as the caterpillar began trembling in place, his face turning from vibrant green to a worrying shade of blue.

Smirking, Gazimon shrugged. "Eh, he's just speechless cuz he realizes he's in the presence of some real-time celebrities. Give 'em a minute to catch his breath."

Muffled noises intensified behind Wormmon's mandibles, his face turning purple as his eyes twitched.

"Or maybe the lettuce leaf was poison," snickered Malie.

"Malie," said Kukui. "You really shouldn't joke like that!"

"Poiiiiiison...!"

Looking away, Vivi sighed. "Strange," she said, glancing at her digivice. "Eyesmon should've reported back by now..."

Alemana would look at the caterpillar in concern, before genuine alarm crossed his face as he scooped the worm off of Malie’s head and held him like a plushie— and then squeeze, relax,. And squeeze again.

“Or maybe he’s choking-!” He said, too preoccupied to answer Vivi, though he did think to Renamon

(“Please check on Eyesmon when you get the chance, Vivi’s right something seems off.”)

The boy felt Renamon's sigh long before she responded back. ("She probably got distracting staring at something shiny,") she surmised. ("I'm on it.")

"Come on, Eyes," said Vivi, digivice pressed to her ear. "Pick up."

With one last cycle of squeezing, Wormmon fired the lodged piece of lettuce like cork from a winebottle, sending it arching towards the nearby bushes... only for it to disappear halfway through the air.

"E nana!" gasped Kukuimon. "Did you see that?!"

"Yeah," said Ike. "He spat that wad out so hard I lost track of it!"

"Nono! I saw it! It's like it flickered for a moment and then just disappeared!"

“Are you okay, Wormy?”

Alemana would pat along his back as the caterpillar finally could breathe, looking at Kukuimon

“Are you sure , Kukuimon?” He asked, feeling a bit on edge.

(“Be careful, Rena-“)

What followed was the near death experience of Kukuimon having a heart attack. From out of thin air came the gloved arm of Renamon. Only Malie's exclamation of "COOL!!" broke the silence of the group as the disembodied arm began beckoning people forward... that, and the tiny coughs that came from Wormmon's traumatized throat.

He would plop Wormy back on top of Malie’s head as he then took a breath and would bravely walk towards the arm.. taking hold of her hand as he stepped through-!

Alemana felt the joint his arm and shoulder pop as he was pulled off his feet by the Renarm. In the periphery of his gaze, he saw the way forward pixelate in a ripple as Renamon's smile greeted him just before he slammed straight into her welcoming bosom.

"Watch your step," she mused, holding him up. As the boy got his bearings, he turned to see that the pixels from before hadn't disappeared, they were translucent; an illusory wall that rippled as one by one the others followed him in. Ike and Gazimon's entrance being the most dramatic... as they tripped on a root and fell in a heap together.

"Woooow," said Malie, pulling her forelocks out of her eyes. "It's like the inside of a two-way mirror, but digital!"

Alemana would give a startled gasp, his eyes meeting gets for a split second before his face impacted her chest with a puff of breath.. and his arms wrapped around her instinctively as he pulled his head from her ruff, his cheeks red from embarrassment. “Yeah..” he said bashfully before catching Gaz and Ike’s entrance.. and he began laughing.

"Sh-shut up!" countered Ike, the blond's face burning twice as red as Al as he and Gaz struggled to pick themselves up. "(You think a guy's in trouble and you chase after him just to--)"

"Uh, boss, you're mumblin' again. Bad habit."

"Wow, just look at this place," said Vivi, roofing her eyes as she looked skyward. "It looks like we're inside a dome. Must be how the Green Lady can hide her base without anyone seeing it from a bird's eye view." The girl then looked back to her digivice, her brow furrowing. "Wonder if it's also blocking the signal between me and Eyesmon."

"I can hear a waterfall nearby," said Renamon, pointing deeper into the forest. "Perhaps she did, too, and went to investigate."