Malkavian Madness Network
Other Systems => Digimon: Digital Adventures => Topic started by: MrParaduo on April 22, 2022, 04:53:12 PM
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Heart pounding. A blackened sky. Eyes aflame. A distant cry...
...
Alemana's eyes shot wide open. Birdsong and cricket chirps echoed all around him, as he stared transfixed by the canopy of green overhead. He felt sore all over, especially his head and back, as he tried to sit up from the bed he had made of a massive shrub he had never seen before.
[Alright, describe yourself. What are you wearing? What do you remember of last night?]
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Alemana would look around wildly, eyes large as saucers as he tried to figure out where he was. Patting his arms, the Boy would inspect his dark skin- evidence of his Polynesian ancestry- and would feel around his face.. wincing as his neck gave a throne of pain. As he tried to get a grasp on his surroundings.. he would wander away from that strange shrub-bed and scrunch his face in thought. What had happened? He remembered staying late at school for basketball practice, and then decided to walk home instead of getting a ride from one of his friends mom. Ordinarily he would’ve been picked up by his older sister, Keilani, but ever since the end of summer his sister had been gone- busy with her new life as a college student, something that hurt him a bit more than he openly admitted. Alemana did everything with his sister- or at least he tagged along with her as often as she felt like bringing him along- and to suddenly be the only one in the house besides his parents.. well it was lonely- and boring. So he had been spending more time doing After -school activities.
That particular evening he was walking home alone, perhaps foolishly listening to creepy internet stories when something caught his eye, a little blur of movement near the bushes. At first his instinct was to keep walking, his imagination telling him that some sort of monster was in the bushes, but then the mystery animal would zoom from one bush to the next- and he got a better look. It was small and quadrupedal, and his brain likened it to a strange breed of designer pet, one of those custom bred cats that rich people sometimes bought- but it’s fur was a bizarre color. It was hard to see.. but it looked to be .. yellow? The very last thing he remembered was trying to get the strange cats attention before a piercing shriek got his- and he turned just in time to see a blinding pair of- headlights, maybe? - rushing towards him. Then he woke up here- where here was..
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As the youth began to look around, he noticed just how wrong his surroundings were. The trees… had they always been so tall? As he followed them down to the base of their trunks, they only grew wider and wider. Wait, were those pipes coming out them? Large, steel pipes that bent perpendicular to the ground. A babbling brook snaked its way past them, coming in and out of view. But Alemana’s line of sight was broken by the sudden rush of birds erupting from the underbrush; a flash of many colors that grew smaller and smaller by the second. As they approached the trees, only then did the boy realize the colossal size of these trees! Which meant the brook would have to be a full-blown river!
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At first, he didn’t realize what he was looking at, after all.. that was crazy. Unless he had just stumbled upon someone’s art project.. pipes didn’t just grow out of trees. Backing away from the strange arboreal abomination, he would begin to try to get to that brook. But as he took a look at these infeasibly massive trees and the strange birds.. his heart began pounding as he started to trot, and then run towards that river. And as he ran, against common sense he began calling out.
“Hello? Hello!? Is anybody out here? I’m lost, I don’t know how I got here! Where even is here?!”
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*Rollz*
Just as the boy broke into a sprint, he caught himself at the last second as he spotted the sheer cliff beneath his feet! The sudden stop near threw him off balance, alongside a sudden rush of vertigo as he eyeballed the distance to the ground! Too high. Definitely too high.
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[ Rolling = 3 6 5 +2= 16]
Alemana just barely avoided tumbling off the cliff, backpedaling until he practically collided with one of the titanic pipe-trees, arms spread wide, chest heaving from adrenaline. Wherever he was, it wasn't Hawaii anymore.. at least he didn't think so. There was state park near the town, sure... but the handful of times he took school trips to it, he was sure the trees weren't THIS big.. nor were there sheer cliffs. As he tried to control his breathing, he then remembered that he had a phone... it was in his pocket when he was walking home.. maybe he could call his parents, or the police, or someone! He then jammed his hand into said pocket, hoping he still had it.
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The boy pulled out his smartphone, racing to put in the passcode. Then, it happened. The moment he unlocked the final digit, the screen began to glow a solid color, emitting a quiet but sharp, metallic shrill. Right before his eyes, Alemana watched as his phone warped and shifted in his hand like water. Size, shape, even coloration, by the time it ceased moving, it was barely recognizable. The metal device was now encased in an elongated octagonal frame. Encasing the screen was a rectangular ring of reseda-green metal with bizarre symbols etched into it. And as the screen darkened, the following words slowly appeared:
++//User Designation: Alemana Sonson. Welcome++
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His fingers were fumbling for a moment before he finished imputing his password to unlock his phone, and once the device began to glow and transform he gave a startled shout. His impulse was to drop the phone, but for a reason he couldn't understand he couldn't- it was like his hand was paralyzed, his fingers unable to loosen and let it fall from his grip. And once the glowing faded and he could behold all the changes that befell his phone, his jaw hung open.
"W-what.. what the hel- I mean.. what the heck!?" he blurted out, turning the device over in his hands. "This... that's not possible.." he whispered as he looked at the welcome message. Though he wanted to throw the device away, he hadn't forgotten about his desire to call for help.. so he tentatively tried to see if his phone still acted like, well, a phone.
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Tapping the screen, Alemana found the layout had changed just as much as the rest of his phone. Four hyperlinks were present, but only half of them didn't have a percentage bar next to it saying "updates underway". One kinda looked like the Firefox logo. The other? A compass...
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The boys heart sank as he saw that all the previous apps were gone, replaced by these four mystery links. He would stare at them for several hard moments before he then looked at the logo that he hoped was a web browser, and would then press it. If it was a browser, maybe he could connect to Facebook or something, and send out a message for help. After all, he seemed to be getting at least some sort of signal out here in this bizarro land, seeing that his newly mutated phone was getting system updates.
“C’mon.. c’mon..”
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Opening the browser revealed a list of pictographs similar to the ones carved into the boy's new phone - each symbol shifting in place and changing as if the program was cycling through them. Only the top one revealed alphabetic letters, and as if anticipating Alemana's desires, the phone opened the link - the script blinking inverted coloring as a new window popped up.
Connecting... it read over a black background, the punctuations making up the ellipses slowly going up to three before starting over again and again.
As if an eye, the window's text blinked before changing into a static-heavy video. The boy could make out a silhouette, but there was so much interference the only thing that was certain was that someone was on the other end.
"++Al---wHe---aR-----++"
So much static... yet the voice... it sounded familiar...
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Alemana’s eyes grew wide as he saw the display as he saw that shape, and when he heard that voice, a part of his brain then sparked into overdrive. It was heavily distorted.. but he could make out enough to recognize the voice at least slightly, and he immediately began yelling at the phone.
“Hello? Hello!? Is that you sis?! It’s me Alemana! I- I woke up somewhere in these weird woods.. I don’t know where I am! There’s these stupidly big trees with pipes growing out of them! Please, help me sis!”
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The static noise intensified. Suddenly, the window shrank out of view. The compass app was now bouncing up and down, with its needle spinning round and round. From it, a new window popped up. This one showed an eight-sided prism. Inside it, a ball of light glowed gently as the prism rotated in place. The video call-window then reappeared next to it, and then both shrank -- no... zoomed out, to reveal a grid map! A segmented line arched its way from the prism towards a gemlike green arrow head, under which glowing ripples emitted.
++Caller's approx location++ read the screen. ++1/4 mile, north-west++
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Watching the device seem to activate a map function, and while he was still freaking out.. he was starting to admit that maybe this change to his smart phone wasn’t too bad after all. Looking over the map, and seeing where it was telling him to go, the kid would put on a brave face as a plan started to form in his head.
“Stay where you are sis, I’m coming to you!” And he would begin following the compass, a look of determination on his face.
Ideally, this would only be a twenty minute walk, assuming he didn’t accidentally throw himself off another cliff face.
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[Now there's a thought >xD ]
[Alright, roll meeee... Athletics ]
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[ 5 1 4 = 12]
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Getting started, the twelve-year old followed the edge of the cliff as he followed the map. It was fortunate the map always showed in which direction he was facing in, as well as which direction the prism was. Especially, whenever he had to backtrack or climb down a small section of the cliff to reach a lower landing.
As he made his way, and as the initial panic of it all began to subside in his mind, Alemana noticed more and more of the world around him. Shrubs and bushes bloomed with vibrant Hawaiian flowers. Or at least, they looked like flowers native to Hilo. Just... bigger. At one point, he could sworn he saw toucans rushing into the greenery, wearing shoes... and red cartoon pants.
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While he wouldn’t openly admit it, the amount of attention it took to safely climb did wonders to help bleed off some of that internal panic, and he would occasionally look about at the landscape that was so bizarre, yet at the same time familiar. The flowers especially did remind him of home- not taking their size into account that is- so he began to breathe. Little more easier. When one of those Toucans flew by, he actually smiled.. but when one of the birds landed on a tree branch about ten feet above him and he saw hat it was wearing little shoes.. his expression became one of perplexity and mild dread.
“Uh.. I didn’t know they made shoes for birds..” he mumbled to himself, though loud enough to be heard.
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One of the creatures froze in place, elbows at shoulder level as it looked back at Al.
"Wha--A HUMAN!!" it cried aloud, startling its neighbors to the point where one had to save the other from falling off the branch by grabbing their ankle.
"Help!" exclaimed the hanging bird. "Pullmeuppullmeuppullmeuppullmeuppullmeup--!!"
"Hold still, birdbrain!"
"You idiot, we're ALL birds!!"
The distress of the trio quickly made its way down to the ground as bushes rustled on either side of Alemana. One of the massive flowers rose up to reveal a toothy, noseless green face with alien-like eyes. "A human?" it said with a girlish voice. Another flower rose up and revealed a similar face. Then another. For a hot minute, they all stared in silence at Al, then in unison, they, too, panicked! Throwing foliage-like arms up as they started running away in the opposite direction!
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Everything seemed to slow to an absolute crawl when the bird started talking, and suddenly blind panic began to overtake him when the alien plant monsters started popping up like weeds, eliciting an “AA-“ from his lips before he then realized that they were the ones running from HIM
“W-wait- why-“
He then found his voice.
“Why the heck are you all freaking out? I’m the one surrounded by weird monsters..!”
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Just as quickly as he had protested his point, a noise began to drown him out. A droning noise that only seemed to intensify the panic and speed at which the creatures fled. Looking up, Al saw no sign of the source, only that it was somewhere above and behind him. He then heard a soft ping that somehow broke through the noise. It was his phone. On it, he could see the distance between him and the prism was shrinking. He just needed to keep going north-west.
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Alemana was a rather smart kid, so when a sudden and terrifying noise started to throw the strange critters into an even greater panic, he didn’t question it and began running as well, anxiety induced babble leaving him.
“Okay, No need to say anything, I get it! I see you guys seem to have the right idea! So I’ll just leave all you to it, you know what you guys are doing. Alright I got places to be, sisters to find so I’ll catch you all later-“ and his run became a blind sprint, barely able to tell which way the compass was pointed.
“Keilani! Keilani where are you!? Heeeelp!”
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[Hmm... roll me Perception with a -1 penalty.]
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[ 4 3 +2 = 9]
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[Maniacal laughter]
So distracted by the rampant chaos was Alemana - so fixated on running and the screen of his phone - that he failed to notice that he had reached a dead-end. Indeed, he had hurried down the hill he was on only to find at its base a grassy clearing surrounded on all other sides by smooth stone and gnarled roots.
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And he nearly tripped and fell face first into the roots as he came to a stop, and he frantically began looking left and right, searching for a way out of the dead end. “What do I do, what do I do?” He said, before risking a look behind him as he began turning to make a break for it, glancing at his phone to see what the map said.
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There wasn't any doubt now. The phone was showing the prism marker moving towards Alemana. And it was moving fast. But while it was en route, something else had just arrived.
A gust of wind forced the youth to shield his eyes, followed by something large landing between him and the way back up the hill. For something so big, it barely made a seismic tremor in the ground. The droning of its insect wings ceased as they folded behind its back. It looked like a man, but it was covered in a carapace of grey and black. Its feet were pincers, and on both them and their shoulders were a row of black spikes, all dwarfed by the singular ones on either of the creature's black forearms. A massive scar stretched from left shoulder to right hip, overshadowed by the crimson compound eyes staring back at the boy.
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Alemana just stared as he saw the giant insect creature, eyes glued to it’s own as his body stood stock still. Maybe he was trying to remain calm and look as unthreatening as possible, maybe he was frozen from sheer terror. In the back of his mind, that creature looked vaguely familiar, like it was a villain from a live action show he would watch on the weekends.. but even this thought did little to slow the staccato thundering of his heartbeat in his ears.
But then suddenly, he was reminded of the weight of his hand- or rather the lack of it. He knew he shouldn’t look away from the thing just a scant number of yards away from him, but impulse won out and his eyes traveled down. His phone had fallen from his grip and was resting in the grass by his right foot, the screen pointing up at him.
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The boy heard a loud *SHKK*, even if he didn't see the massive needles that extended from the rocket-shaped protrusions on the creature's gauntlets. He didn't look up as the creature leapt forward, the back of Alemana's neck exposed as though waiting for the headman's axe.
All he saw was how the prism was directly on top of his marker.
*CRASH!!* A powerful rush of air blustered all around. A massive needle had been but an inch from Alemana's face when he looked up. Now? It was buried in the ground away from him, deflected...
[Alright, time to introduce our girl. Take it away with the description as you see Renamon with her back to you, staring down Stingmon.]
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The boy would fall back, Hand grabbing the strap of his phone- did it always have a armband strap? Didn’t matter, he yanked it up and scooted backwards as he looked up at what happened.. and his eyes widened.
The first thing he noticed was the tail: it was a long and bushy affair, twitching and swaying in the air in agitation, the fur floofed out from the pale white tip to its yellow base- wait, yellow? That was when he saw the rest of the creature. In some ways, it was like the bug monster- tall and man shaped, though where his attacker was insectoid, this figure was mammalian. Where it was black and dark green, his impromptu defender’s fur was bright, almost golden. And where as the bug was spiky and masculine, this fox like creature was androgynous- though it’s body was soft and curved enough to suggest femininity. It then turned its head to look at him, and he gasped- it’s expression was grim and serious, but it’s features were very soft.
Alemana opened his mouth to speak - but all that came out was a noise of confusion.
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With silver-blue eyes whose whites were black as night, the bipedal fox stared at the boy. "Alemana," it said with a woman's voice. "I came as fast as I could."
The fox's attention was pulled away when her opponent leaped back a full yard, having freed its weapon from the earth. Though it was impossible to tell, Alemana knew the insect was watching him, even as it began using its twin needle to whet its dirtied kin.
"Don't. Panic," warned the fox, her stance shifting. "I won't let him hurt you."
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“You know my name?”
That voice.. it was the same as the one he heard from his phone. Perhaps it was because it was so similar to his sisters voice, but he could feel a great deal of the fear he had been experiencing lift from his shoulders. Taking a few breaths to calm himself, he would get to his feet and nod, his grip on his phone tightening.
“I.. I believe you. Heck, you saved me once already.”
He then looked at the bug creature, eyes drifting to those long spikes.
“What are we gonna do?”
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"Watch him closely," she said. "He'll likely try to protect the most vulnerable parts of his body. If you see an opening, tell me. I'll make sure he feels it."
[Alright, roll initiative suckah!]
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Alemana would nod, turning his attention to the bug, his expression filled with determination. He didn’t know why, but he felt.. safe around this fox creature.
[ 6 5 6+ 3 = 20]
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*Rollz*
[Alright, you and Renamon go first. Make it count~ ;) ]
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Alemana would then have an idea, and shout out.
“This bug seems to like keeping close! We have to make sure it stays at a distance! Can you do something like that?” He asked, and the Fox creature would nod.
Leaping into the air, she would fling two handfuls of autumn leaves up around her, which began to glow brightly as they hung midair.
”Withering Storm!”
The glowing leaves then rocketed towards the bug creature like dozens of shining gold arrows.
[ accuracy roll: 6 5 6 1= 3 success dice]
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[Dodge = [?], 2 successes. 3 - 2 = 1 = Attack hits!]
[Now roll Damage with a +1 from remaining Accuracy Successes]
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[ Rolling = 5 2 2 1 + 1 = 11 damage, minus whatever armor it has! And it has the weakened effect until the end of next turn!]
Those leaves struck true, even as the bug tried to dart away- but the sheer volume of leaves ensured That it couldn’t escape unharmed. Not only that, all along it’s body were smoldering gold spots from where the attack hit it, and it seemed to be suffering from some sort of after effect.. wait!
Alemana would cheer as he saw those leaves hit the bug, and he would then have another idea.
“Fox lady! It looks to be off balance! It’s open again!”
The golden vulpine would nod and then rush forward.. leaping at the bug with one arm cocked back for a punch.
”Red Paw!” and then she struck at her enemy.
[Rolling: 3 2 5 5 = 2 success dice]
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*Rollz*
[Attack hits!]
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And that fist would connect with the bugs face, her paw glowing a pale green and sheathed in fire.
[ 2 1 4 3= ten damage minus armor!]
“Way to go, you’re awesome Fox lady!” Alemana said, a smile starting to break out on his face.
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The giant insect man remained stationary as the vulpine warrior made contact. The punch struck true upon one of its compound eyes. It made no move to swat the fox away as she pushed off into a backflip and landed in one fluid motion. No... now it was a fair fight.
Alemana noticed how the monster's wounded eye had darkened, from bright crimson to a brooding purple-black. He noticed the red hair that covered the back of its neck, bristling like needles while its metallic claws clenched into angular fists. With uncanny speed, it charged forward.
*Rollz*
[Accuracy = 2 successes. Roll to Dodge]
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[6 1 6 3, attack misses!]
“Fox lady, Look out!”
The creature would jump back just in time, eyes narrowed from the near miss.
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The fox narrowly dodged a strike that would have skewered her through the neck - only to notice an incoming rear kick at the last minute.
"SPINNING. STRIKING. KICK."
*Rollz*
[3 Accuracy Sux. Roll to Dodge with a -1 penalty.]
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[4 5 5, that hits]
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The vulpine's eyes went wide as a massive wind current followed in the wake of the insect's kick, sending her flying several dozen yards away.
[Immobilize = 2xBIT = 6 = Renamon's Movement is lowered by 6]
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And Alemana could barely duck as the fox flew over his head, and hit the ground a few feet behind him.
“Fox lady!”
It was stupid,. But it would turn around and run to her, kneeling next to the vulpine.
“Hey, are you okay!?”
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The fox grunted, slowly standing herself on one knee. "I'm fine," she said, her voice ever calm. "Just knocked the wind out of me."
"Why do you protect the human, Renamon?"
Looking back towards the insect, Alemana saw the giant facing him, a black ooze leaking from its damaged eye.
"Stand down or you will share the same fate as it."
"You don't know what you're talking about," said the vulpine, an edge growing in her tone. "This boy has nothing to do with you."
"The human's presence here is sacrilege. Surrender it, or be deleted."
-
At first he felt relief that she seemed to be more or less okay. But that feeling quickly turned to dread when he heard the bug speak. Turning around, breaths began to grow a bit heavier as adrenaline rushes through him. But that’s when he then looked back at her “Renamon?” He asked.. and as their exchange continued and the bug mentioned- deletion?- he would feel his heart hammer away in his chest.. before he gripped his transformed phone in both hands before he then put himself between the bug and the fox creature. No, not fox creature, but Renamon.
“Don’t hurt her! She was just trying to help me, if I’m not supposed to be here, I’ll leave! I just.. I don’t know how to get home.”
He then looked back at her, and doing his best to be brave, he took a breath.
“But I’m not gonna let you kill her, especially because of me!”
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"Alemana, no!"
"Insolent wretch," said the insect, its striped antennae twitching. "There is no going back for you."
Upon the giant clenching its fists, the stinger-like blades protruding from either gauntlet shot back inside them. The creature then raised its right arm, as though aiming the barrel of a gun.
"This is your last chance, Renamon. If you wish to perish with this human, so be it. I will terminate you both with a single shot."
"Alemana," whispered the fox. "Listen to me. We have one chance to make it out of here. You have all the tools you need."
The boy felt Renamon rest her hand on his shoulder.
"No matter what happens, I will protect you..."
-
Alemana almost faltered, but then he felt Renamon’s paw on his shoulder, and hearing that voice that was so easy to put trust in, he would steel himself as he nodded.
“You already helped me this much, I couldn’t just let that be for nothing. Alright, let’s get him!”
And that was when the screen of his phone began glowing brighter, brighter.. and then an explosion of reseda green light engulfed both of them!
“Huh?!”
While it was hard to see, Alemana could make out Renamon’s shape before it started to shimmer and .. pixelate? Rings of green-pink Fire encircled her as symbols that looked similar to the ones on his phone began to do the same-!
”Renamon digivolve to...” and then the flames started growing even more intense as her body shape began warping and becoming more quadrupedal, flames wreathing her body, it was like a huge fox made of fire was taking shape! That burning fox tail then split into nine separate tongues of flame, and strange ornaments emerged from the fire, as did the rest of her new form: a horse sized golden fox with nine tails..!
”Kyubimon!”
Alemana stood there, utterly awestruck “You.. changed..!”
The kitsune would spare him a glance, expression softening for a moment before she leapt into action. And as she sprung forward, all nine tails stood at attention, a ball of flame with a sinister expression forming at the tips.
”Wailing Inferno!” and every fire ball was launched at the bug!
[ 6 2 4 3 5 5 6 5= 5 success dice!]
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[Jesus f*cking christ. >xD ]
Blinding by the light of it all, the giant insect snarled, its shot going wide as the nine-tailed fox came into being! By the time it could see out of its one good eye, the raging fireball was upon it! Engulfing everything it touched! It roared and bellowed its agony, racing to the ground to put it out!
"DAMN YOU!! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!!"
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[ 4 1 6 6 3 1 5 = 25 damage minus armor- JFC—!]
And the inferno would billow and engulf the big bug, his screams matched by the wailing fire!
Alemana watched for a few moments before he then spoke up
“Wait Renamon.. I mean Kyubimon! Don’t kill him!”
And after just a moment of hesitation from the fox, the flames then dispersed after giving the bug monster a moderate toasting.
-
On and on, the creature howled, grasping at the scar on its chest as it rolled back and forth on the hill.
Without looking at Alemana, a flicker of light came from Kyubimon's eyes. As she closed them, the flames receded, till nothing remained but a fading wisps of smoke.
"He lives," said the nine-tails, looking down at the unmoving giant. "But his injuries will slow him down. By the time he recovers, we will be long gone from this place."
Kyubimon turned to face the boy, a gentle smile on her face. "You were very brave back there. Not many would dare stand up to Stingmon for the sake of a stranger."
-
Even though he had tried to kill both Alemana and Kyubimon, the boy couldn’t help but feel a pang of relief when he was told that Stingmon would survive.
“Okay.. good. Maybe this will help him learn how to be less of a jerk in the future. My mom tells me that most bullies will leave you alone after they realize you can beat them up.” Al said, a smile on his face as he turned to look at her.. eyes practically sparkling as he drunk her in.
“And you.. you’re amazing Kyubimon! You’re super strong! “ and at hearing that he was brave, his cheeks warmed from embarrassment, and his grin grew a bit more bashful. “Well.. he was gonna hurt you. I couldn’t just let that happen. And I’m a stranger too, how come you went out of your way to save me when all the other critters were scared of me? You even know my name.” He then would look around for a moment before looking back at her.
“And where am I?”
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"You are my tamer," she said. "I would protect you even if it meant deletion."
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“Tamer? What does that mean? I don’t understand..” and then he stopped, looking at his phone as he held it up to her. “Does it have something to do with my phone ending up like this?”
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The nine-tails cocked her head to the side. "Phone? What you're holding is a digivice."
Both human and fox halted their conversation as they heard strained grunting from Stingmon.
"We'll need to talk somewhere else," said Kyubimon, turning around. "Hop on."
-
Digivice? Was that what they called phones here? Before he could ask what she meant, the stirring bug would make all his questions irrelevant for the moment.
“Right, yeah that’s a good idea-“ and he would then awkwardly climb up the Fox’s side
“Sorry, Sorry..” and then he would plop himself on her back.
“Okay, lets go!”
-
"Hold on~" she mused, breaking into a sprint on the first step. As Alemana clung to Kyubimon, the boy watched as she leaped over the rocks of the dead-end. The prone form of Stingmon disappearing from view behind a blur of greens and yellows. Giant trees and small trees alike passed the boy and his new friend. Neither branch nor root impeded them no matter how dense the foliage became. So strong was the speed at which Kyubimon ran that flower petals chased after her on the wind. A quiet chuckle betrayed her every time Alemana gasped or exclaimed, when she jumped cliff after narrow cliff without missing a beat or breaking a sweat.
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“Okay just be careFULLLLL!” And he would practically hug the fox’s neck as she began speeding off, terrified that he would fall off if he wasn’t careful. But after that initial near heart attack, he would peek up fro where his face had been buried in her fur, and truly was able to appreciate the speed and the grace that was being displayed by Kyubimon. Tentatively he sat a little straighter, and as they continued to race through the woodlands his mutterings and pleas for caution gradually began turning into laughter and shouts of exhilaration. As she cleared a small ditch, he actually held his hands up and whooped, before the jostle of the landing startled him and caused him to assume his death grip on her fur.
Despite the brush with death he had only minutes ago, he was actually pretty happy. Riding Kyubimon like this made him think of the handful of times his sister let him ride her moped with her, and the memory made him smile.
-
The two eventually came to a tiny gorge overlooking a pond. It was secluded and quiet, save for the burbling of a stream that fed into the pond.
"I need to stop," said Kyubimon, her reason becoming clear as she began glowing again. Slowly, her form shifted to the sound of digital background noise. The next thing Alemana knew, the vulpine was the shape she had been as Renamon.
"Guess that's that," she said, checking her gloves.
-
And as they stopped, Alemana would look around and inspect the pond. “Do you need a water break or somethi-“ and he gave a small gasp of surprise as she started changing under him, and when the light faded he was sitting piggyback, arms around her shoulders.
“Oh, that’s why. Huh that’s weird, I figured it would’ve been permanent. That’s how it works in most video games anyway..” he muttered before he then felt his ears grow hot as he caught his reflection in the pond- he looked kind of silly just hanging from her shoulders.
“Sorry,” and then he would slide off her back.
-
"Don't be," said the fox. "I'm always happy to carry you if you get tired."
-
“It.. it’s okay! You don’t have to do that!” He said quickly, his face red from embarrassment. But after a moment he would then find a rock to sit on, sighing as he just took in the peace and quiet.
“It’s hard to believe any of this is really happening, even though I have nothing but undeniable proof right in front of me,” he said as he gave a nervous chuckle as he turned his gaze over to Renamon. “I still have those questions, if you are okay with filling me in, Renamon.”
-
Renamon nodded. "I will do my best to answer them all," she said, the vulpine crossing her legs as she sat down on the grass. "What do you wish to know first?"
-
“Well first, and probably the most important question.. where am I and how did I get here?” Alemana asked before he then paused. “Well okay, that was really two questions.” He said with a small laugh
-
"You're in a placed called: the digital world; a world separate from the human world, but connected. As for how you got here, I cannot say. Only that those who set foot here from your world seldom remain here for long."
-
“Digital World? Wait, so am I in some sort of virtual reality land?” And then he grimaced as she mentioned that humans rarely stayed here.
“...I’m guessing it’s not a case of them just going home again, is it? If that bug guy is any indication..” he then sighed
“Why is that, by the way? Some toucans with shoes and a few green flower monsters acted like I was going to eat them.. is everyone here like that? Well I mean aside from you of course. Why were they so scared of me?”
-
"I think they're scared because they don't want to end up like those unfortunate enough to meet Stingmon," said Renamon, her eyes downcast. Breathing in, she continued. "You truly don't know how glad I was to reach you in time, Alemana..."
-
Her tone of voice, how genuinely somber her words were and the palpable relief she was expressing due to having found him caused him to reach out and gently pat her gloved hand. “And it’s thanks to you that I’m safe. Thank you, Renamon.. I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up..”
He then glanced down at his phone- or digivice as she called it, and again would hold it up, absently tilting it from one side to the other. “You mentioned that I was your tamer, and that’s how you knew my name. I gotta ask.. what does that mean? This tamer business.”
-
"A tamer is a human who bonds with a digimon," she said. "You called me, and so I answered. There's more to it than that, but through that device, a pact of sorts was made. In exchange for your safety and health, I can find you anywhere. And vice-versa." Renamon took the boy's digivice, placing it between his hand and her paw. "Whatever you do, don't lose your digivice," she warned. "You won't be able to get back home without it."
-
And he would be quiet as he listened to her explanation, taking in the magnitude of what she was saying. When she placed the digivice back into his hand and her fingers touched his wrist and the edges of his palm, the digivice seemed to glow for a few seconds before dimming down to a black screen again.
“So.. you and I are connected then?” He asked, his voice low and filled with wonder. “What do you get out of it, if it’s a Pact.”
-
The vulpine nodded. "I can take you to someone who knows more, but we'll have to wait until it gets dark."
*Rollz*
Just then, a growl rumbled within Alemana's stomach, drawing Renamon's attention.
-
And that would evoke a reddened face as that happened. He had been so preoccupied by all this craziness that he forgot that he hadn’t eaten since lunchtime that school day.
“Heh... I guess it’s way past my usual dinner time..”
-
Renamon looked up towards the canopy, eyes narrowing. "Hmm... it being about noon here, I'd say we could both use some lunch." Standing up, she motioned to leave, but turned to look over her shoulder at Al. "I'll be back with some food. Wait here."
Then, in the blink of an eye, the vulpine vanished as though melting into the scenery behind her, the sound of a flute playing a single, solemn note...
-
“It’s noon? Well I guess that makes sense, being daylight..” he muttered, then he looked up “Wait, so you mean I’ve been here almost a day- and she’s gone.” Alemana then sighed.. but then he looked around a bit. “Well this place is pretty at least. There’s worse places to have a picnic.” And he would again look at his digivice, his expression a little more somber now. “ I wonder if mom and dad are out looking for me.. if that’s the case I hope that person Renamon mentioned knows how to get me home..” he mused to himself, but then his grumbling belly made him look around sheepishly. “Well lunch is more important right now any!” And he would wait for Renamon.
As he waited for her though, he would curiously wander to the pond. He was a little thirsty as well.. but he was also a little wary of just taking a drink. Was it even safe to drink? As he weighed his options, he absently tossed a pebble into the clear water.
-
Skip, skip, skip, skip-- *TONK!* The skipping stone had hit something near the center of the pool. Metal?
[Roll Perception with a +1]
-
That made the boy tilt his head in confusion.. what was that? Narrowing his eyes, he peered closer.
[ 4 4 2 6 + 1= 17]
-
[Critical Success!]
On examining the pond, Alemana saw a pole of some sort mere inches beneath the water, with a sphere at it's zenith. Following the length down, he could see that the base of the pond was comprised of what looked like a massive steamer basket, partially buried beneath mud, rocks and algae.
-
That caught his attention, and confused him greatly. Why was something like that in a pond? Curiosity getting the better of him, he would take off his shoes and socks, and then his shirt and pants. In his rush to get home from school, he just left his basketball uniform on Under his clothes. Peeling off his his jersey and leaving himself in his basketball shorts, the boy then waded into the pond, shivering from the cold water.
“Okay.. why is this crazy thing here?”
-
[Roll Athletics.]
-
[ 2 5 1 6 1 5= 20]
-
[For christ's sake -w-]
Diving under the surface, Al found the pond surprisingly deep, taking a good five or more seconds to reach the bottom. As he swam, he could make out more than the popping of joints through the water. It sounded like one of those old-timey routers was going off. At first it was faint, muffled by the water, but the closer he got to the base of the pole, the more certain he was of its nature. That's when he noticed a control panel. The buttons and screen were covered in moss...
-
And he would grow even more intrigued, and he reached out to touch the panel when he stopped.. and began to swim back up so he could get a breath of fresh air.. he hadn’t expected it to be quite this deep! But when he got back up to the surface and took several deep breaths.. he would look down into the water. “Okay, that’s way too weird to NOT try to mess with. Let’s try again, one, two, three...” and he would take a deep breath and dive back down again!
-
[Roll again with a +1]
-
[ 3 4 1 6 3 2 + 1 = 20]
-
[I swear to fucking god, man. >|3 ]
Down he went again, this time much faster than before. Once he reached the panel, he found he had more air left before he needed to resurface, giving him extra time to work with.
-
And as he got back to the console, he would peer at it, and with only a moments hesitation he reached out and would try to scratch away at some of the moss, while the other hand tested one of the buttons.
[computer roll= 1 2 6 2 5 2 = 18]
-
Scraping off the cling-ons, Al pushed the one button on the panel separate from the number pad and two toggle switches. The moment he did, a *Sh-BWOO-ONG!* noise accompanied the screen lighting up. On it, a progress bar popped open beside strange graphs and 3D-models. The router noises immediately being replaced by a strange yet merry tune...!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdHJWjfLr6I&ab_channel=AGC
-
He had to keep holding his breath, so he couldn't make any noises of bemusement, but he would give the screen a few more glances before he then swam up for air again, spitting up water. "Oh okay, so I guess they just have an underwater jukebox for some reason...Yeah that makes sense, as much sense as trees with pipes coming out of em..." He then made a raspberry in thought.
"Should I even go back down there and see what I actually turned on? Eh, I can do that after lunch I guess!" And he started to swim back to the shore, leaving the submerged device alone for the time being.
-
Alemana only realized someone was waiting for him on shore when he reached the edge of the pond. Hearing the polite sound of someone clearing their throat.
"Am I interrupting something?" asked Renamon, the vulpine staring down at the boy whilst holding strange fruits in one arm.
-
Alemana had been wringing the water from one of the legs of his basketball shorts when he suddenly heard Renamon's voice, and he almost jumped out of his skin.
"Renamon!? You almost gave me a heart attack, I didn't even hear you come back! And if you wanna know, I found-" He then stopped and then realized that he was wearing only a pair of soaked shorts and he gave a mortified noise before he hid behind a tree.
"H-hey, you can't just sneak up on me when I'm not decent like this!"
-
"I wasn't expecting you wanting a swim," she said. She then turned around to lay the fruit in a pile. "If you need privacy, I can always come back."
-
"Well I wasn't either, but I saw something down there.. and yes please! I can't get changed if you're gonna be staring at me!" He retorted, his voice a pitch or two higher from exasperation.
-
The vulpine smiled to herself. "As you wish. Call me when it's safe to come back."
Once more, she vanished into thin air; the sound of a solemn flute playing in the distance.
-
And Al would wait for a minute or so before he was certain that she was gone, before quickly scuttling over to his dry clothes and then running back to the tree, looking back and forth a few times before he peeled off those wet shorts and hung them up on a tree branch before waiting a few minutes for his body to dry- using his jersey as an impromptu towel and hanging it on the branch as well. After that he changed, coming back from around the tree and calling out to her.
"Okay.. you can come back now, Renamon!"
-
Again, a solemn flute played. And again, the fox appeared.
"Ready to eat?" she mused.
-
And he would look in the direction of her voice, and he would nod. "Y-yeah, Sorry if I snapped at ya, you surprised me is all!" he said as he approached the pile of fruits.. did he recognize any of them?
-
[Roll meeeee--Knowledge]
-
[ 3 4 1 2 6 1 5 = 22]
-
From what he could tell, Alemana spotted mangos, lychees, papaya, even dragonfruit among the assorted food.
"Don't be," said Renamon, the fox sitting down before handing Al a lychee. "I should apologize for interrupting your afternoon dip."
-
Relief flooded him as he took the fruit and bit into it.. and then he quickly ate it, moving onto another fruit. He was hungrier than he thought.
“It’s alright, you were just looking out for me.” He then took hold of an mango, took a bite- eyes lighting up- and then looked at her and offered her the mango. “Wanna bite? These are one of my favorites!”
-
The digimon paused, her eyes on the offered fruit. Tentative, she reached out and let Al rest it in her open palm, before biting into the mango's flesh.
...A somber flute played in the distance as her tail lifted off the ground behind her.
"Not bad," she said.
-
Alemana grinned up at her, and would reach for her hand that was holding the mango “You like it?”
-
"I do," she said, smiling as she edged it further out of the boy's reach.
-
“I’m glad you do! Mangoes are one of the fruits my mo- hey!” He would then gently reach further for it, his smile growing a bit more energetic. “Very funny,”
-
Eyes closed, the vulpine lifted the mango further out of Alemana's reach. When he tried to stretch past her to get it, she blocked him by covering his face with her free hand. When he tried standing up and going over her, she lifted him off the ground with her foot, holding him there till he got wise and got back down. It was a trap. He found himself banging against the ground as she pinned him there, taking a bite from her stolen mango as she hummed to herself.
"Ah ah ah~" she teased, turning around as she caught the boy between her legs, locking his neck in place as she continued eating the precious fruit.
-
And as she continued to keep the fruit out of reach, he would continue to try to get it, and he began laughing at this game of keep away.
“Hey, no fair! Your arms are way longer then mine,” he said in between laughing and trying to get that mango. When she palmed his face to keep him at bay, he gave a muffled “c’mon, that’s cheating!” As he tried to stand up.. only to feel her foot against his stomach and his own feet leave the ground, leaving him balanced on her paw as he leaned forward, then backward to try to avoid falling off her foot. “O-okay, okay you w-“ and then he flopped onto the grass.. and he felt the pressure of her legs.
“That’s so not fair-“ he said, patting one of her thighs.. but he was then distracted by her teasing remark and the way she ate the mango. He didn’t know why, but he was transfixed, his hand now flat against her leg.
-
"Hm?"
As Alemana felt the soft down of Renamon's fur, he saw how the light from the canopy dappled across it, like the glow of fireflies... then he found his mouth stuffed with what remained of his mango, a serene look on Renamon's face. "Eat up," she teased, releasing her grip on him.
-
He was caught off guard.. he didn’t really think of her fur as being pretty, but seeing it in this light? Her coat had a luxurious luster that was rather hard to ignore.. right until she stuffed the half eaten mango into his mouth, making him give a muffled noise of surprise and faux outrage. But as he was let up he would finish the fruit, grinning at her. “You got me pretty good, I won’t lie! You win this round, good fight,” and that was when he jumped at her, shouting
“Gotcha!” As he tried to wrestle her into the grass as a counter attack!
-
A knowing smile was the only warning Alemana got as the fox leaned out of the way of his lunge. Just before he fully passed her, Renamon wrapped her arms around the boy, rolling with him so she landed on her back, and he onto her front. As they shared a laugh, the vulpine slung her arm around Al's neck, using her free paw to grind and poke her knuckles into the poor youth's head.
-
That earned a startled yelp as he flew past her, but as he was caught and they both tumbled to the ground, he would pant and wriggle a bit in her grip before going slack, head against her chest fur as she noogie, arms wrapped around her midsection as the two of them just laughed. “You win, you win! Uncle!”
-
"Uncle?" mused the fox, ruthless in her administering of digimon-noogie. "You're the only male here~"
[Hmm... gonna transition to nightfall after your next post.]
-
“It’s an expression! C-cut it out, the top of my head is super sensitive okay?!” He gasped out in between Laughs as he pat her side in an pleading gesture. Though should she let him go he would of course try to get her into a headlock as well- his worries about being stranded in an alien landscape momentarily forgotten as he roughhoused with the digital fox creature, able to simply be the kid that he was. It was nice, and reminded him of being home.
-
...
The forest was awash in silver as the pale light of the moon broke through the canopy. Renamon had advised against making a fire, not wanting to draw attention to where they were. Though it was warm out, she let Al rest in her arms, having propped herself against a tree as she kept watch over the pond.
"Al," she said, her voice soft in his ear. "Are you awake?"
-
And as it turned out, the combination of fighting Stingmon, swimming to the bottom of a pond numerous times, and roughhousing with Renamon for a couple hours did a number of a child, and sure enough he readily fell asleep in her arms for a handful of hours.. being mostly peaceful- though he had a habit of shifting around in his sleep, nuzzling her chest like a fluffy pillow every now and then. When she whispered in his ear though, he gave a sleepy “Hnn?”
-
"It's time," she said, helping the boy to sit up. Once he had, she bade him look in the direction she gestured at. It wasn't the pond, but the gorge.
...Nothing seemed to have changed.
-
And he would sit up a bit, but out of sleepiness he fell back into her lap and rubbed his eyes as he looked up at her. “Oh, sorry..”
That was when he looked in the direction of the gorge, brow raised as he saw.. nothing out of the ordinary.
“Uh... are they here?”
-
Renamon blinked, pausing after Al plopped back on her. Surprise turned to quiet amusement, and so she leveled her arm to his eye level, leading his attention along the tip of her pointed finger.
"Look closely," she said. "Or you'll miss it."
[Roll Perception with a +1 from Renamon]
-
He would follow her finger, and squint as he attempted to look
[ 5 5 2 6 +1 =19]
-
It was by the blessing of natural lighting and Renamon's instruction that Alemana spotted what was happening. Into the rock wall farthest from the pond, the silhouette of an archway began to form. The rock inside it began shifting in place, sinking into the ground without a sound to be heard, reveal the entrance to a cave.
-
And his eyes lit up as he saw the cave entrance materialize, and he would get up- or try to get up out of her arms.
“Let’s go, Renamon!”
Maybe he’d be able to get home sooner than he thought!
-
"Hold on," said the fox, grabbing the boy's arm. As he turned around to face her, she raised an index paw. "The person you're about to meet is very reclusive, and has a bad temper. It's important that you remain on your best behavior when we go inside, understood?"
-
He paused and would nod, his expression respectful “Yes ma’am.”
-
Nodding, Renamon stood up and led the way. Laying a paw on the side of the arch, she had to stoop under the entrance but not by much. Once inside, Al noticed the temperature drop to a comfortable level, and saw a flight of stone steps leading down. Indeed, even with Renamon blocking most of what was ahead of him, he could see that the stairs curved to the left, as though winding around a large pillar. Wall-mounted floodlights illuminated the way, and at a wide berth from each other.
At last, the two came to the landing, where a wide open arch led into a spacious living space of some sort. It reminded Al of videos online showing people handmake secret underground hideaways from clay and wood, but here? The décor was awash with Hawaiian tribal traditions. From the pottery to the carpeting, even the strange appliances whose loose cords hung from cubbyholes carved out of the walls here and there had an Polynesian aesthetic to them, almost ceremonial in shape and craftsmanship. This, however, was all marred by the sheer mess that covered every surface of the living space, with the floor being the sole exception. Spare parts like cogs, springs, and scrap metal forced anyone standing to stick to the center of what must have been the high trafficked pathways.
-
Al would remain right behind her the entire time, holding onto her tail for balance as he followed her down the spiraling steps, the wall looked just a little too slick for his liking to use it for support- though he was sure to be as gentle as possible, he didn’t want to accidentally yank on her tail and hurt her. When they reached the bottom he would let go of her tail and looked around, his eyes wide with wonder. The mix of sights both unfamiliar and intimately so brought a strange sense of ease to him. If there was all this stuff that looked like it came from Hawaii, surely this person knew how to get him home!
Looking around at the assorted metal junk on the floor though, left him puzzled. “Well I guess you weren’t kidding when you said he was a recluse.. it doesn’t look like he’s had a lot of company lately..”
-
[Hmm... roll me Perception. Then roll Knowledge]
-
[ 1 5 5 4= 15 For Perception]
[ 4 2 6 3 6= 21 for Knowledge]
-
Surveying the room, Al could make out a vague impression of the setup: a circular living space surrounding a small firepit; an open kitchen (filthy as hell); and two open doorways leading to others parts of the apartment... and then there was a portion of the wall across from the living area that looked like blast shielding. If the boy were to visualize the proximity of the bunker to everything outside, he'd realize that outside that shield was none other than the pond itself!
Then he heard what sounded like wooden against metal. It was coming from the doorway farthest from him and Renamon.
"Let's try not to make too much noise," whispered Renamon, the vulpine already tip-toeing across the minefield of a floor.
-
[ Any roll?]
-
[Hmm... roll Athletics.]
-
[ 1 5 4 4= 14]
-
[Heheheheh]
Al found the prospect of crossing the room easier said than done. Athletic though he was, there was only so much room to maneuver without stepping on one or two pieces of junk. It wasn't enough to cause anything louder than a *clink* or two, but it did cause Renamon to turn sharply to look over her shoulder. When nothing happened, she relaxed her shoulders, and continued creeping towards the source of the noise from earlier.
At the threshold, both tamer and digimon crouched, peering inside to see a flight of stairs leading down to a workshop, judging from the piles of scrap both wooden and metal laying atop tables. At the center of it all was an elevated platform, and it was there that a figure stood with his back to the door. It looked like a dwarf. They were dressed in a kihei shawl, and had tribal tattoos over their dark skin, but nothing could penetrate the mop of black hair covering their head as they wacked away at whatever it was they were focused on.
Suddenly, no sooner had Al laid eyes on them, than the strange figure stopped.
"Wha-who's there?!" chided a man's voice. Snapping around, the figure revealed his face. Kind of. It lay buried beneath a magnificent beard and mustache almost as bushy as their mane of hair. Not even the tip of their nose could be seen. "I said who the FUCK is there?!!"
-
Alemana would look at Renamon with a questioning expression before he slowly braised his hands and stepped into view, a sheepish look on his face.
“Sorry to intrude sir, I-I would’ve knocked.. but your door is sort of up a couple flights of stairs.. my name is Aleman Sonson.. and I-I guess I’m what you call a tamer?” He tentatively then held up a digvice to prove that claim.”
“Renamon told me that you would be able to help me, so I’ve come here to ask for your assistance, sir.”
-
[Hmm... roll Persuasion.]
-
[ 4 6 5 = 15]
-
The strange man raised his fists towards the ceiling, only to stop midway.
"A human?" he said, his bluster cut short. His beard then shifted in the direction of Renamon. "Oh, it's you."
"Aloha, Menehunemon," said the fox.
"Don't you aloha me. You've got some nerve barging in here without so much as even knocking."
"If we had, you'd just have kicked us out," she mused.
"Hmph, don't think I still can't." the dwarf muttered. He then pointed at Alamana with a comically large hand. "And you! Think you're some sort of hotshot, waving that digivice around? How old even are you?"
-
“Uh.. I’m twelve, but I’ll be turning thirteen in eight months... and I don’t think I’m a hotshot sir, I came to you because I don’t know what I’m doing here or what I’m even supposed to be doing,” he said as he then thought and tried a new tact.. this .. Digimon? He seemed to have some sort of connection to Hawaii..”
“And I couldn’t help but notice that you have a lot of stuff that looks like it’s from the place I live, Hawaii! If you have that much love for the islands, then that definitely makes you a cousin of mine!”
-
[Hmm... roll Persuasion or Manipulation, with a +1]
-
[ 6 6 4 + 1= 17!]
-
Taken aback, the hairy digimon puffed out his chest, stroking his beard as he admired a corner of the ceiling.
"Huh, a keiki with good taste," he said. "Alright, maybe I got a few minutes to spare."
Al didn't miss the smile Renamon gave him as she hid a thumbs-up from Menehunemon's line of sight.
-
“Well my makuahine taught me that it doesn’t matter where they come from or how far away they may be, Ohana is still Ohana!” Alemana said with a proud smile on his face, and he would then ask
“Does this mean you’re willing to hear me out, kupuna kane?”
-
"What's there to tell? You're not the first human to end up here. I'm guessing you haven't got a clue on why any of this is happening to you. That's the case with most tamers. Most of them."
-
Others? Well judging by how Stingmon acted, it only made sense that there would be others here. Well aside from the ones he had apparently gotten to..
Not wanting to dwell on that, he would shake his head . “No.. I don’t know why I’m here or anything about what’s going on, you’re right about that. But you said there are other Tamers? Actually.. Renamon kinda explained the Tamer thing, but she didn’t go into any great detail other than me and her were bonded together in a partnership. Is there anything more to it? Why was I chosen?”
-
"E kali iki," said the dwarf digimon, holding his hand up. "I'm gonna get a crick in my neck if I have to keep talking up at you."
Alamana watched as the figure began untying something behind his back, soon realizing that hidden under that massive beard was an apron. Menehunemon made his way off the platform to hang the apron on a wall mounted hook before gesturing Al and Renemon to come downstairs.
"First thing's first," said the dwarf. "What do you know about digimon?"
-
“O-Oh.. Sorry.”
And he would follow him, waiting just enough so he was beside Renamon before increasing his pace. “Before today, I knew nothing of them at all.”
-
"Not surprised. Few humans make a habit of telling people about the Digital World. That is, those that return."
"But they can return, though," reasoned Renamon. "Right?"
"Of course," shrugged Menehunemon. Slipping a hand into the pouch of his hanging apron, he procured a banana, to which he promptly began peeling. "Door swings both ways. Or at least, it used to." The dwarf then opened his mouth, revealing how massive it truly was as he swallowed the banana, peel and all. "But we'll get to that," sucking his fingers clean. "Right now, we're talking about digimon. In short, we're what you'd call 'digital monsters' - hence the name. More accurately, we're lifeforms composed of packets of data like you humans are flesh and blood."
-
Alemana felt a flood of relief awash over him when her heard that it was possible to return home.. but his brow creased into a concerned frown at the "used to" part. Did the door only open one way now? God, he hoped not. But as his impromptu host ate that banana whole and continued talking, the boy would then speak up. "Data? So wait, if you guys are digital life forms, did we like.. make you?" Alemana asked.. though he felt a little embarrassed "I-I don't mean to insult you guys, I sometimes don't think about what I say until after I say it.."
-
"Pffft, geeze, keiki, jumping right into the deep end of things. The truth is, the Digital World has always existed alongside the human world, but not always as it is now. Picture all things, whether living or inanimate as information. Right down to the atoms. Information, whether it be your DNA or favorite hobbies, to even your memories and influence on the world around you, makes up who you are. For us digimon, all that info is translated into energy, and in the Digital World's current set up, that energy is translated as 1s and 0s. The only difference between your world and ours is that it's all a little more... literal on our side. And easier to change."
-
"Oh," While he didn't fully understand all of that, somethings were a little too much for a twelve year old to take in all at once, he got the gist of what the old Digimon was saying. "So there's been a whole world connected to mine the entire time... that's wild..!" He then looked at Renamon, and then back to Menehunemon. "But.. where does that leave us, Tamers I mean? Why make partnerships? We ran into a guy.. or a bug.. called Stingmon, and he seemed pretty convinced that I wasn't supposed to be here in this world.. would've put a spike through my head if Renamon hadn't found me.."
Without realizing it, he had reached for her tail again.. only to curl his fingers around her hand.
-
The vulpine did the same, brushing her thumb along the back of Al's hand.
Menehunemon continued to talk, looking over the various tools lining the nearby wall above his apron hanger. "That is a question that has plagued both worlds for generations. When a human finds their way here, they always end up acquiring a digivice and a digimon partner. Some say it's the Digital World reacting to all that information you humans are made up of, and how some of it doesn't easily translate into our reality. A digimon that winds up in the human world, though? They don't end up with a snazzy new digivice and tamer. Sometimes they do, but often times they're just shunted right back into the Digital World. As for Stingmon, rumor has it he works for someone called the 'Green Lady'. She's obsessed with humans, y'see. It's why even the locals are having a tough time getting around the island. She's locked it down, sending her goons to find and destroy any humans that wind up here."
-
As he listened, he would gently tighten his grasp on Renamon's hand while he processed what he was told. He had hoped that there was some sort of deliberate reason behind the whole Tamer/Digimon thing.. buta s he thought about it, and as he held Renamon's hand.. a thought came to him. "Maybe its the Digital World saying that my kind and your kind are supposed to be connected.." and then he sighed as he heard what was said about Stingmon "Great.. maybe it wasn't such a good idea to let him live... but I'm not a murderer." He then looked at the digivice that was still in his other hand before then asking. "You said that the door used to swing both ways, do you happen to know where the door is, Kuku?"
-
"I do," he said. "But it won't do you much good, I'm afraid. Blasted thing went down right about the same time Stingmon showed up. Could be that him and his supposed 'patron' are responsible for the interference. To know for sure, you'll have to ask 'em yourself."
"No," said Renamon. "It's too dangerous to try something so bold. There has to be another way."
Menehunemon shrugged, pulling out a strange length of grass he began sampling. "Listen, na makamaka, I could go on all night about these sorts of things, but for now? I'm, like, SUPER parched from talking. You want more out of me, you're gonna have to make it worth my while."
-
Hearing that caused the boy to flinch, and his face to go slightly pale. If that really was true, and this Green Lady was the cause for the gateway between this world and his home to be on the fritz, then his hopes for a speedy return home were little more than a pipe dream. If she was having that bug hunt down humans like him and kill them, there was no way he could just go to Stingmon and ask to talk. So that just left confrontation. But.. what could he do? He just got here, and hardly knew anything about this world at all! There was no way that him and Renamon could just find Stingmon again, beat him up, and then force him to take them to the Green Lady, not to mention whatever other toadies she had in her pocket!
Then again.. it wasn't Renamon who nearly killed Stingmon- well it was.. but she had changed. Kyubimon was strong- REALLY strong. If they could just make it to the Green Lady, maybe they could have a chance... and who knew, if she could turn into Kyubimon.. maybe it was possible that there were other forms she could take as well- forms that might be stronger! He had no proof that Renamon DID have more forms beyond Kyubimon.. but the possibility was there.
Renamon's exchange broke him out of his thoughts, and he caught what he said.
"And what would be worth your while?"
-
"Yes, Menehunemon," Renamon mused, the fox stepping between Al and the ancient digimon. "What would be worth your while? After all the trouble Alamana went fixing your satellite dish."
The dwarf froze. "He what?"
Renamon glanced down at the boy, smiling. "Go ahead, Al. Tell him about what you found in the pond."
-
Alemana looked at her in slight confusion, but then he’d began smiling as he started to put two and two together.
“That’s right, I did. Which wasn’t easy by the the way, it is under water.. but I got it working again!”
-
Grumbling something under his breath, Menehunemon brushed both fox and human out of his way as he stormed off towards the stairs. Or rather, what was under them. In stark contrast with the rest of the workshop was a desk and computer, with three monitors that blended seamlessly together as the digimon pushed the power button. He clicked the mouse, and after typing in a password, the room was filled with the familiar jingle Al had heard in the pond. The screens began displaying images and live-updated graphs, but the dwarf wasn't paying attention to that. In silence, he stared at the music file, hands dropping to his sides as he hunched over the desk. His head began bobbing side-to-side along to the tune after a while - before he abruptly snapped out of his trance.
"Now wait just a minute!" he exclaimed, stabbing the pause button on the keyboard as he turned to face the pair. "How would you know that my dish wasn't working to begin with?!" Composing himself, he began to stroke his beard. "I mean I could have been working on something serious when you did that. Maybe you caused my connection to crash. Setting my work back days or even weeks."
-
Alemana almost fell into a pile of metal bits, and he would watch him fiddle with the computer. For a moment he smiled as he watched the digimon bebop along with the music, but then he jumped as Menehunemon spun around and accused him of possibly ruining his work. Taking a moment to regain his composure,. He would rub his arm in thought. “Well.. it wasn’t playing music and the screen was black and unresponsive.. that tells me that there probably wasn’t a signal being transceived..”
-
"He has a point," mused Renamon, folding her arms.
"(Lousy alopeke, butting her nose in where it don't belong.)"
"What's that? I can't hear you~"
"Alright, fine!" barked the dwarf. "You did me a solid, keiki. I'll help where I can, but I make no promises."
-
Alemana would gently pat Renamon’s side as she poked fun at him, gently running his fingers through the fur near her ribs. “Hey, no need to be mean to him,” he said, though he held back a laugh of his own. Turning his attention to Menehunemon again he would then bow his head. “I’m just happy I could get your dish working again. But if you’re offering I do have two more questions. The first is , do you have a way for me to get in contact you in the future? And the other is: have you seen any other humans besides me recently?”
-
Rubbing his invisible chin, the dwarf opened a drawer in his desk. Pulling out a knockoff brand of popular coconut soda. "You have a digivice, don't you?" he asked, opening the can up. "Bring it over here and show me."
-
While coconut soda wasn’t his favorite, the sight of a soft drink of any kind made his throat feel a bit parched.
“Oh, well here you go-“ and he would hold out his hand, presenting the digivice.
-
As Menehunemon took the object in hand, he looked up at Al, following the boy's line of sight. Grumbling, he exchanged the digivice for his yet untasted soda. With both hands now free to handle the digivice, the dwarf inspected it's every facet, even sniffing it before nodding to himself and interacting with the touch screen.
"Well how about that," he said, grabbing another soda from the drawer behind him. "This here's a brand new model from the one's I've seen. Just finished updating, too."
-
They took him off guard, and he would take a look at it.
“It did?” He asked, now super curious
-
The dwarf past the digivice back to Al, taking the time to open his soda while the boy examined the screen.
//Digimon -- Renamon
++//Status
//Contacts
//Map
//Scanner
//Storage
//!!BLOCKED!!
A second later, the text was then replaced by the app icons from before, with the fox-logo sharing the stylized silhouette of Renamon.
[I'll let you decide what icons represent what. The map icon is me spoofing Safari, and you already know what Firefox represents. ;3 ]
-
Alemana would look over the icons again.. and he would then hit the “contacts button” which resembled three smiling little slime creature faces in a triangle.
-
On activating, the icon showed the slimes trying to squeeze out of the frame, only to end up opening a window containing all of Alemana's old contacts!
-
He had to admit, that animation was surprisingly adorable..And Alemana felt his heart leap into his throat as he then immediately would try to call his mother, hitting her name as soon as he saw it!
-
Booop... booop... booop...
The receiver's beeping turned to router noises.
Menehunemon shook his head. "Sorry keiki. Whatever's stopping you from getting home is likely making it next to impossible to contact anyone on the other side."
Without saying a word, Renamon laid a gentle paw on Al's shoulder.
-
Alemana felt his shoulders sink, but he would put on a brave face and a smile “Well, I had to try.” And he would then gently pat Renamon’s hand. “I’ll be okay, I promise.”
-
"We'll get you home, Alemana," she said.
"Try another one," reasoned Menehunemon. "Who knows, you might get lucky."
Looking back at the digivice, Al saw that 2 new contacts had been added. They were in bold, with 2D sprites next to them.
--//Renamon
--//"Kuku" Menehunemon
-
He didn’t really have hope that it would work.. but he would choose another number and hit it.
-
Without looking, Al tapped one of the listed numbers. Suddenly, Renamon froze in place, her ears perking.
"What was that?" she asked, her voice coming in tandem and in stereo with Al's digivice.
"Now talk into the receiver," chuckled Menehunemon.
-
Alemana would look at the two of them before he would bring that phone to his ear , speaking a hesitant “Hello?”
-
The vulpine's eyes widened. "I felt that."
"Heh, when you contact a digimon via digivice, they'll hear it in their head. Sort of like telepathy, if you will."
-
“So you can hear this, Renamon?” He asked, before a glittering formed in his eyes before then then decided to tease her by whispering “pspspspsp”
-
Renamon's ears shot up as she crushed her lips together, face going from yellow to orange to bright red. Just the sight of it was enough to get Menehunemon to spit out his drink, laughing!
-
And Alemana would end the connection, and he would come up to her and hug the tall vulpine, trying to not laugh himself “Sorry, sorry! I didn’t cause you any pain did I?” He asked, not really understanding the cause of her change of expression
-
"N-n-no," she said, holding back a smile (poorly) as she returned the hug. "W-was just caught off guard." Letting go of the boy, Renamon cleared her throat, straightening her fur out as she regained her composure. "Why don't we try one of the other features. See anything?"
-
He would tighten his hug for a moment before lifting his digivice and looking at the Storage button- a box with oddly cute, googly eyestalks. “Storage?” He asked as he hit it.
-
Poking the icon caused the box to open, startling the googly eyes into opening a new window. Inside, 2 items were listed.
//Storage:
--Shouldermount x1
--Wristmount x1
-
He would blink, but then tap the shoulder mount .
-
The digivice' screen began to glow, as the light went further away from it, the more it bended into a sphere. Inside said-sphere, the outline of something began to take shape, first as a 3D model, then, in a similar light as the screen, a solid object! And when it darkened again, Alemana saw strange belt floating above his digivice. Gravity only took hold of it after the boy had it in his free hand. On closer inspection, the object reminded Al of the arm bands he'd seen hikers use for their smartphones. It was even color-coordinated with his digivice.
-
He watched, mesmerized as the strap materialized before him.. and he turned it around in his hands.. and he grinned "Woah!"
-
"That storage feature will let you carry stuff inside your digivice," explained Menehunemon. "Assuming you still got enough room."
"Does that include perishables?" asked Renamon.
"As long as it's not too complex like a digimon or human, it should work."
-
“That will be really useful actually…” Alemana mused, as he then looked at the Blocked feature “I wonder what this is?”
-
"Why would your digivice have blocked features?"
"It's a common trait with the newer models," said Menehunemon. "They grow with the user, unlocking more stuff the more accustomed to the Digital World they become."
The dwarf crushed his now empty can between his hands, before placing it on the desk.
"Try scanning this into your digivice, keiki. Get in some practice."
-
“Time release features basically? Weird..” and he would look at the can and gave a small shrug. “Well alright..” and he would aim his digivice and attempt to scan the can.
-
After a brief loading period, the digivice shot a cone of light from a camera lens that until now had been concealed. In a reverse of what had transpired with the arm-mount, the crushed soda can dematerialized, each piece of it turning into a tiny ball of light that shot back into the lens. From there, a picture of it manifested on screen, before dropping into a pixelated box with the word "Crushed Can x1" being typed into existence next to it. A "DS" also appeared beside a "0.2".
"Flashy," mused Renamon.
-
He would nod, and would then retrieve the can, and set it down. “That definitely will come in handy!” He would turn grin at Renamon before turning his attention back to the dwarf
“Have you heard anything about other humans popping up recently, besides me?”
-
"All the time. But it's mostly hearsay from easily startled digimon and conspiracy nut jobs. That said--" he began stroking his beard again. "Try using the map function on your digivice. Piggyback-riding on my satellite dish's connection might just give you the boost you need."
Following the ancient digimon's instructions, Alemana accessed the map feature. A silent ripple crossed the screen from where he touched, and soon after a grid map blossomed into being. From it, he could make out the geography of the immediate area, down to the tree roots. He saw the green arrowhead icon from when he last used the map, as well as a purple-yellow one directly beside it... then he saw not one but two chrome arrowheads pointing towards the periphery of the map! One due west, and the other due north-west.
-
“Well hearsay is better than hearing nothing at all.. “ and he would do as instructed and when he saw those two pings, he then gasped “There are two nearby.. I wonder..” he then imagined Stingmon hunting down another kid and his heart started beating a bit faster.
“We have to go find them, Renamon!”
-
Renamon nodded, motioning towards the stairs alongside Al.
"Take it easy, keiki," said Menehunemon. "Take another look at your map."
Checking, Al saw numbers beginning to rise and fall next to the arrowheads. The one to the west was bouncing between 48-50 miles, while the north-western one was reading 26-30 miles.
"If what you told me is true, then Stingmon's gonna take a while before he can get to anyone. Even digimon need sleep."
-
His heart sank a bit as he saw that, and he looked up and Menehunemon “But.. but what if they’re in trouble, or hurt?”
-
"Go now and you'll be too exhausted to help anybody," reasoned the dwarf. "Don't worry. They'll have digimon partners of their own, and if they're any good as Renamon here, you'll have plenty of time to reach them both."
Renamon turned to look at Al. "It's your call, Alemana."
-
While he hated to admit it, the digimon was right. If they made a mad dash across dozens of miles of unknown terrain, surrounded by who knows what sorts of digimon- some of which were possibly working for this Green Lady.. things weren’t in their favor. Taking a couple breaths to calm himself, Alemana would merely flop against Renamon and sigh.
“You made you point… we’ll rest first and then go after them. If only we could talk to them and give them a heads up, set up a point where we could get to each other..”
-
The vulpine put her arms around the boy, holding him close.
"Get some sleep," said Menehunemon. "You can use my bed. I sleep in the workshop most of the time, anyway."
Renamon looked back at the dwarf. "Thank you... kuku."
Menehunemon made a dismissive gesture as he turned his back to the duo, leaving Renamon to carry Al back up the stairs in her arms.
-
Alemana would give a word of thanks as he was carried up the stairs, and when they found said bed he would look at it and look at the fox.
“Well.. it’s kinda small, isn’t it?”
-
Renamon looked over the spread. It looked like a king-sized bed... for someone Menehunemon's size.
"You'll be fine," she mused, laying the boy down on it. At least the mattress and pillow were soft. Judging from how tidy it was, the ancient digimon hadn't slept in it in a long while.
Renamon knelt down beside the bed, smiling as she reached eyelevel with Al. "Need me to tuck you in?"
-
He would lay there and reach out, grabbing her glove “could you just.. lay here for awhile?”
-
The vulpine paused, glancing down at Alemana's hand. Gingerly she lay a paw on it. "Of course," she said. "I'll be right here with you."
-
Smiling, the boy would give her paw a squeeze before he scooted over as much as he could to give her the proper amount of room to join him. “Thanks, Renamon..”
-
The fox tilted her head to the side. "On the bed?" she asked. Staring at the mattress, she pushed a paw down on it, testing the weight. After a moment, she motioned her foot over, next, before sliding under the blanket with Al. "Like this...?"
-
And Alemana would nod, smiling as she climbed up. “Yeah, it wouldn’t be fair to make you sleep on the floor. We’re partners right? We should have equal standing with each other.” He said, his tone having a small bit of pride in it. “That’s how a successful team works after all!”
-
"It may get a bit cramped during the night," chuckled Renamon.
-
“Well that just means we need to scoot close together!” And sure enough, the boy was nestled up against the vulpine, arms around her waist and head resting on her chest. “You’re definitely way better than any blanket after all!”
-
"Hah, I should hope so!" she said. "But let's see if you're--TICKLISH!" Without further warning or mercy, the fox dug her paws into Alemana's sides, seeming to know exactly where to strike hardest for maximum results!
-
And the boy yelped and started laughing wildly and squirming about, face quickly growing a bright red “Rena.. Renamon! No fair..!” He said in between laughs as she attacked him with no mercy!
-
The fox would not relent. So great was the savagery she brought upon him, squeezing him tighter and tighter against her bosom the more he squirmed to escape. Only when Al was limp in her arms and dizzy from laughing fits did she relent. With tender grace, she caressed the boy, stroking his hair as things settled down.
"Goodnight, Alemana," she whispered.
-
Panting and still laughing a bit, he would hug the golden fox, nuzzling her chest as he closed his eyes. “Night.. Rena..” and then he was asleep, curled up beside her
-
As the two fell asleep, neither noticed Menehunemon peeking into the room, the ancient digimon smiling to himself as he walked away. Down the hall he went, passing a row of strange devices spread out across a long credenza. He would stop near the end, but only for a minute, to regard the last of these devices. An old thing, dull and cracked. Beside it was a closet space, containing only a stand on which a feathered cloak and helm gathered dust, alongside a ko'i whose blade was made of metal as black as volcanic earth...
CHAPTER COMPLETED
Welcome to the Digital World! 2 EXP + 1 DP
Technical Difficulties! 1 EXP
Free Wifi! 1 EXP
With Friends like these! 1 Inspiration
Total: 4 EXP +1 DP + 1 Inspiration!