Digimon Inheritance: A Heroic Lion's Turbulent Times (Finished)

[] Pledge to Sparks that you'll join him to delete Count and his servants. After all, you were planning to delete them all anyway. However, point out that Lunamon and Thresh are still alive. The two of you need to save them as well, and if you don't make it with whatever time you have left... You'll need his help to do it.

===

"...Of course. We'll do it together." You nod, before placing a paw on his shoulder. You try to give him a reassuring smile like Flamemon would, but it doesn't quite come out. "I swear that we'll delete all of them."

Sparks looks like he wants to flinch back as your drills begin to lightly rev, but he manages to hold on and instead forces a nervous grin.

"Yeah we-we will." The one armed rookie nods once, and then steps back.

"Lunamon and Thresh are still alive." After a second of thinking you continue. "Auger too."

"They are!?" Your friend exclaims, a hint of genuine happiness working its way into his surprise.

"Yes. We are going to take them back."

"Of-of course we are! If Lunamon and the others are with them then-then..."

"Sparks." You gravely stare down at the other rookie. "Even if I fall, promise me that you'll do it." "Even if I can't."

"Verge I-I..." The Candlemon looks down away from your gaze then swallows, taking a moment to let the gravity of your statement seep in. "I promise."

Good.

"I'm back sweeties!" Frigimon cheerily proclaims, pushing in through the door with two large bowls in her hands and in the process not just killing the mood but messily bludgeoning it into a paste. In the space of a single surprised blink, the white champion has thrust the larger of the two dishes into your paws, leaving you looking down at a familiar looking meal. You hesitantly bring it up, then lick the dark substance, confirming your suspicion.

Chocolate pudding?

Seeing that Sparks only has a single arm, and thus can't exactly properly eat his, the large caretaker summons up a very large snowball in her free hand. From there she drops to the metal ground giving your friend a makeshift table.

"This-this is pu-pudding..." Sparks stammers, his flaming head rotating up to track to the ice digimon.

"Why, yes it is sweetie!" Frigimon agrees, sounding slightly surprised by the fact that your friend knows about it. "My caretaker taught me the recipe back when I was still a cute little rookie." The Frigimon straightens up suddenly, as if realizing something. "Little ones, the mayor told me your village was destroyed. The caretaker there, was he an Elecmon with a scar on his head?"

"Gramps..." Sparks lets out a sad sniff, but manages to avoid breaking back into tears. "Ye-yeah."

Frigimon goes utterly still at his word, all traces of her cheery persona vanishing.

"Oh dear that is... Holy word that just breaks my heart" The champion turns away from the two of you, one mitt moving up to wipe at her face. While you can't see it, but you're pretty sure the older digimon is crying. Silence stretches on for a minute before Sparks speaks up again.

"Did-did you know Sorcerymon too?"

"Yes little one." Frigimon replies, with a small *Sniff* "I did" The champion stays in her spot for another few seconds longer, then suddenly spins around, two trails of water down her face. "Sorry you two. I must be a sorry sight right now." Her voice is *Cheery* once more, though very clearly strained in keeping that way. She steps back out through the door and uses her hand to keep the portal open. "Come along after you're done. I'll introduce you to the class."

Class?

For some reason that word seems eerily familiar.

===

Frigimon leads both yourself and Sparks out of the mansion and into the town proper, towards a squat squarish building near the very center. On the way you pass a number of other champions, including a dinosaur that looks remarkably like the evolved Agumon who saved you from Count's servant. Sparks clings to you for most of the walk, flinching whenever one of the large mons so much as glances your way.

You also decide that you don't like these brick roads. On one occasion, your claws end up getting caught in the gaps between the bricks while you walk, which is somewhat painful considering that it causes you to fall on your face. Normally you'd just rev them up a little, and tear your way free, but you don't think that'd be okay to do here. It's the ground, but it's also… the town's property? Or something like that, you think. It's weird. In the end Frigimon has to help pull you out.

After arriving at the building's large door, Frigimon gently lifts the three napping KoDokugumon from your paws, then ushers you in to join the mon already inside. You're a bit hesitant to let her take the three spiderlings, but are reassured that she's just going to take them back to the mansion for check-ups of their own. All the rookies you'd seen from the morning prove to be within the building's walls, each seated on some sort of strange chair, table hybrid. This unfortunately includes Beat, who begins glaring at you and then just doesn't stop.

The caretaker quickly explains your situation to the cheery wizardmon (who certainly proves to be different than the one you previously fought), who is more than happy to welcome the two of you to his lessons, even if you're technically late. With that she leaves along with Warren and his brothers, taking them back to the mansion.

Sparks hops ahead of you and overtakes a free desk in the corner, and you naturally choose to stand beside him. Your ears catch a few whisper about "Cripple", "One arm", "Scary", & "*Champion*", but you do your best to ignore them in favour of paying attention to what's being taught.

The *lessons* turn out to be a mixture of basic math and spelling, based around the *Digimoji Alphabet*. Having previously learned this from Sorcerymon you have an easy time learning, though Sparks seems to just be completely lost. What's surprising however, is that a couple hours later, Pidmon comes into the building and swaps places with the magic digimon.

Instead of more practical lessons, the angel digimon begins to rather boisterously praise the Blessed Host and its ideals. Talking about "God", the "Supreme Divine Being" who created the world and how everyone should join together in "Worship". It's odd, but a number of the rookies there seem to really enjoy the sermon, though you're really not sure what to think of it. You can't help but wonder if he does this every day. It sounds exhausting, both for him and the students. Sparks seems a bit disgruntled by the entire thing and you catch him muttering words under his breath a few times about not liking how he's dismissing The 10 religion as unimportant in face of some overarching figure, but he doesn't dare to actually speak up about it.

What does get his attention is when Pidmon moves on to another subject, talking about the *evil* of the Gloaming and how one day all the rookies here will have their chance to participate in "fighting the good fight". You're more interested in that last part, but sadly the champion doesn't specify how that could be.

Eventually this too comes to an end, and the happy angel loudly declares that "School's Out!" which triggers a mad rush for the door. Beat sends one last scalding look your way before his Otamamon friend ushers him out of the building for lunch.

Surprisingly, Frigimon actually meets you outside the building and as an apology for this morning gives the two of you each a loaf of travel bread. Sparks puts his away in his bag, while you *make use* of the food. From there, the once again cheery digimon leads you on a tour of the town, focusing on what she calls the "Fun Places".

This includes the Mayor's office, where an enormous, scarred dinosaur digimon waves at your group. A few buildings serving food which she calls *restaurants*, something called a *gym*, and a very tall white building bearing a sign labelled:

She doesn't take you inside, but you have a feeling it's where Sorcerymon probably would have done his business in town.

The last place she shows the two of you is also the strangest - a large metal structure on the opposite end of town from the mansion. Just from what you're able to tell with the boxy metal walls blocking what's inside from sight, and the dozen odd rookies patrolling outside, it probably wouldn't be easy to attack.

Sparks asks what it is on the way back and Frigimon explains that the town is lucky enough to host one of *Bulwark's* outposts. This, combined with the presence of the blessed host's sponsoring, means that the town is one of the truly safe spots in the area south of the hazard Coast.

Something about the whole thing rubs you the wrong way, but you're not able to put a claw on it exactly.

However, at the very least you're able to recognize that the apathy you'd been feeling is finally beginning to drain away. Hopefully that ends up being for the better.

=== During the latter half of the day you: (Choose One)

[] Try some sparring with Sparks. The two of you need to get stronger.

[] Continue resting, and do some digging. It's not much but your hobby is still a fun outlet.

[] Spend more time with the KoDokugumon.

===

The next night and morning are nearly identical to that of the previous day. Another nightmare of Repulsa, more crying, then breakfast and *School*. With the only differences being Beat not challenging you to a fight, the Wizardmon's lessons' contents changing, and no checkup from Frigimon.

No, the major mix-up occurs in the afternoon after the caretaker takes the entire class off by the tall grass near the mansion for a *Picnic*

As during the meal, you spot something odd. Namely, a strange humanoid figure flying down from the air towards your class.

Something about the humanoid figure's body shape puts you on edge.




"Verge? What-what's wrong?"

You glare past him as the female digimon sets down in front of the group, her sharp teeth turned upwards into a gleeful smile. A low growl rumbles out from your lungs even as your single eye moves to glare at the figure. Off the side Frigimon gasps, then puts a hand up to cover her eyes.

The grinning figure twirls her weapon in one clawed hand, then slams it into the ground tip first, creating a blast of wind that flattens the nearby grass in a circle around her and sets her cape to begin billowing wildly behind her. You take a moment to stand up, paws rising in case of a fight.

"You lowly creatures stand before the Great Ardat!" She happily crows, 'Dramatically' thrusting her free arm out to the side. "Grandmaster of wind magic! The Librarian Of Forbidden Knowledge! The Beautiful Maiden Of The Blessed Host, and The Future Ruling Lady Of The Digital World!" She takes a second to gasp for air, the previous titles having taken all the air from her lungs. "You should one and all bow before my arcane power and-mmph!"

-Whatever she's about to say is cut off as as a snowball slams into the magical digimon, completely burying her in the sighing Frigimon's attack.

For a few seconds all that's heard is the panicked struggling as he tries and fails to free herself from the mass of snow, then Sparks breaks it by letting out a single chuckle.

"...Heh"

"Don't be alarmed, children." Frigimon proclaims. "She's just a..."

"Another idiot." Dracmon answers, with a roll of his strange eyes. "Like Drop."

"...Hey! Don't call me that! I'm an amazing goddess!"

"Idiot!"

"Wa-Waaaaah! Beat! He's being mean to me again!"

"..."

You're distracted from the conversation as another blast of wind erupts through the clearing, blasting the mass of snow off the humanoid digimon and sending it in all directions. The now shivering mon steps free from Frigmon's attack, her teeth chattering and arms crossed over his body. Frigimon, but is cut off before as the strange digimon spots you.

A sharp squeeing sound echoes through the air, and a moment later the clawed arms are wrapped around your body.

"Mmm. So warm. So soft and fluffy." With that, she buries her head into the thick fur on your chest.

=== Choose One:

[] Bite.

[] Drill.

[] Headbutt.

[] Go limp.

=== Stat Changes: (BP: Agility, Spirit, Endurance)

• Strength: 119.75
• Fortitude: 129.25
• Endurance: 111.75->113.50
• Agility: 100.50->102.00
• Special: 52.25
• Spirit: 40.75->42.25

===

Authors Note: Hehe. Admittedly I did have some fun with this last scene.