[] Try to talk to Sparks about what happened. Ogremon, one of the digimon the two of you have sworn to kill, escaped.
[] You agree with the Sergeant; there's no guarantee that you could have killed him, and the risk was too great.
===
He was probably right. The risk was… It was too great. I-we can delete him later.
Shaking your head in frustration, you look away from the sergeant and eye the claw marks on Sparks' body. As much as you don't want to admit it, the small champion is right. Ardat is the only one that could conceivably chase after the two champions due to their flight. Even if your group had been able to follow the two champions via her broom (which you doubt could carry just you, let along everyone), there's no telling what you might have run into. So with narrowed eye, you raise a paw towards Sparks and begin to utter your healing spell for the second time today.
The crippled rookie continues to glare at the ground with both sets of eyes, his upper head burning in furious anger. Quiet angry mumbling sounds emit from his wax mouth, as the rookie takes a page from Gramps and grumbles about the situation under his breath. You wait until the claw marks across his body are healed before putting a paw on his shoulder.
"Sparks it's… okay." You wince. Despite your words, it sure doesn't feel okay, but you hope you sound convincing, "It wasn't... Well, Scratch is right; it's not worth the risk. Chasing after him, I mean. We can… always get him later, when we're.
Stronger." The fire data atop his body slowly turns until it's glaring at you. Your friend doesn't move.
"
We should have tried!" he half snarl, half sobs. "
I should-should have been able to do something! Before-before you got hurt!" he twists, batting your arm off his shoulder and hops away. You stare after him, tears in your eye and a sunken feeling in your core, but don't try and follow. You don't want him to yell at you again.
"Fledgling Verge," Gladimon's voice snaps out, causing you to freeze in place. "Tend to Pidmon."
Right. Okay that's...Yeah.
"Yes sir," You mumble, eye trailing towards the collapsed angel digimon. He doesn't actually look all that hurt,aside from his wing, but having ones head rammed through a tree would probably ruin anyone's day, powerful champion or not. After taking a deep breath you break into a scrambling run towards the wounded angel digimon and begin trying to murmur your healing spell a third time. Normally you'd be exhausted after two casts, but you guess that the recent training must have deepened your pool of internal energy, because you seem to have just enough for this last cast.
The ensuing ripple of light manages to partially mend your new friend's damaged wing and even heal the minor scratches across his body, but it's not enough to wake him up.
...I'm going to have to carry him aren't I?
You send the sergeant a pleading look, but he shakes his... head/body, then moves over to grab the massive pack the holy mon had been carrying before battle broke out. You sigh, then reach out with a paw to start haulingPidmon. Despite your earlier attempt at healing the damage, most of your back still hurts from the Vilemon's attack. Slinging the seven foot angel digimon up onto your back is painful but you bear it anyway. He's your friend now, after all. Even if he's not close like Sparks, carrying him is the least you can do.
Ardat quietly shuffles into the edge of your vision following behind Scratch. The Witchmon seems strangely meek; what with her shoulders slumped and head staring towards the ground. It's not enough, not nearly enough to wipe away the memories of what she'd done just a minute ago. With a shudder of fear and disgust you turn away, not wanting to look at the feminine digimon.
Greymon happily saunters back to his cart, and after spending a minute checking the inventory he nods to himself, taking up the handles to it once again.
"Huehue." He chuckles to himself before continuing speaking a deep gravelly voice "Thanks for the save. I wouldn't have stood a ghost of a chance against all those Bakemon."
Ardat raises a claw to her mouth and lets out a little giggle.
What? What is it?
"And if I'd had to go up against their leader, it would have been pterable. The fight would all be ogre now." He lets out another small laugh at his words, and is followed by another chuckle from the resident Witchmon. Beat lets out a snort for some reason, and Scratch just kind of stares blankly at the Greymon.
I, uh. I think he means terrible and over? Should… Should I tell him?
You tilt your head at the digimon, but don't correct him. For some reason you feel like that wouldn't be the polite thing to do.
The merchant and your party continue onwards after that, albeit having picked up the pace considerably. By the time night arrives Sparks is too tired to do anything more than fall on his mat and sleep. With your second spell learnt, there's not much you can do in terms spell training (just thinking about the idea of starting that third one is making your brain hurt), so instead you focus harder on sparring with Beat.
Your comrade is more than happy to fight you again, especially now that you're more focused on the actual fighting part of it. He's still a bit angry and frustrated when trying to hit you, but something is a bit different. Almost like the malicious edge he'd had against you is gone, or at the very least dulled.
Once your session is finished, you tell the small rookie that you're thankful for his intervention in the last battle, and that you're glad that he's getting along better with Sparks now. His response is not what you expected.
"Tsk. I don't know what you're talking about."
===
That night you have a very, very, very strange dream. You're dressed in some sort of
blue armor and posses strange new digits on your paw that allow you to more easily hold Sorcerymon's gifted wand. What's more, you can fire powerful blasts of energy from its tip.
Sparks is also there also dressed in some sort of weird garb and together the two of you fight through hordes of machine digimon before battling against a strange
purple humanoid digimon with one red eye.
Together you fight the larger digimon, continuing to blast while dodging it's fast charges until it explodes. You get one brief impression of suddenly gaining metallic wings, then the dream ends.
It's very, very weird and in the morning at breakfast your two-headed friend refuses to meet your gaze.
===
Pidmon wakes up late the next morning with a shrill, angry scream, but calms down after realized that the devilish dragon is no longer there. He uses a "Mega Heal" to bring everyone back to tip top shape, then apologizes for his actions yesterday. Your attempts to ask him what happened end up being entirely stonewalled as Scratch ups the pace again so your party can reach the town that evening. Sadly, that also prevents you from trying to talk to Sparks much given that he struggles to so much as keep up. Just from the small bursts of conversation you're able to get, the crippled rookie just seems so
angry about what happened and actually snaps at you again.
Aside from that bit of unpleasantness, nothing else eventful happens on the journey back to town. That evening, your party finally reaches the portcullis of civilization and are able to take what is in your opinion a much-needed break.
The digimon your squad is escorting proceeds to give thanks for task of guarding his supplies, and even hands out a few *chits* filled with one-thousand bits each as a complimentary bonus for the unexpected danger. You thank him for the gift, pause for a moment, then out of curiosity ask him just what the locked metal boxes contain.
He's happy to explain it to you, citing that they're filled with medical supplies necessary for the town's operations against the Gloaming, food supplies for various shops and restaurant, and the most lucrative part of his business.
"-and huehuehue,
Merchandise."
Merchant-what?
The champion must see the confusion on your face as he nods and continues speaking.
"Items and music from some of the more popular digimon around!" he merrily explains, "It's absolutely Jurassic! I even have a few of Sistermon's most recent albums. The local garrison seems to love those."
Does... Does he mean fantastic?
"Holy Lord Above!" Pidmon exclaims, blurring to hover in front of the dinosaur twice his height. "How much are they?!" You're taken aback by his sudden exuberance, and can't help but tilt your head at the angel digimon.
Is… is this *Sistermon* really that great?
"Fifteen hundred bits" The Greymon supplies, "But for you I'll make an exception. One thousand-"
"Take it!" the angel digimon shouts, slamming the chit he'd just received back into the grinning dinosaur's massive hand.
You think you hear the winged digimon say
"Yeeeeeeeees" as the Greymon retrieves a strange disc out from a strongbox, but it's so soft and high-pitched that you dismiss it. There's no way that he could possibly have made such a sound.
With the transaction finished, Greymon shouts up for the Coredramon to lift the barrier, then moves off to deliver the supplies to the Blessed Host trading post. Ardat shouts goodbye to him one last time, before your group follows him through and starts making their way towards Frigimon's orphanage.
Surprisingly, once your group arrives, Sergeant Scratch calls for a halt and cryptically tells you that he has some business to attend to, which he doesn't elaborate on. He hands out everyone's individual payment for the mission, a nice twenty-one hundred bits, says that he'll see everyone in two days, and leaves. Ardat is the most surprised by this and tries to ask him about it, but before she can even finish speaking the small armored champion is already gone.
Sparks and Beat let out nearly identical huffs and begin moving towards the mansion's doors in strange synchronicity. This is interrupted as the doors burst open and a blue blur crashes into the Womrmon.
"Waaaaah! Beat! You're back!"
"..."
"Heh."
Is that going to like... be a thing every time we come back?
You sigh and try your best to ignore the sight in favour of heading back inside. Frigimon appears in the doorway a few moments later, expresses her relief that you're all safe and invites everyone inside for some supper, which turns out to be large, very tasty sandwiches. Sparks seems to lighten up in her presence, and during the meal even apologizes to you for his behavior, though he doesn't say anything more about that day and you decide to ignore the topic in kind.
=== For the rest of the evening you: (Choose One)
[] Try another spar with Sparks. He's stronger now and more skilled. With what happened during the fight maybe he can actually fight you now?
[] Ask Frigimon where Warren, Scourge and Grip are. You've had a long week and well... It would be nice to spend some time paying with them.
[] Try to corner Pidmon about what happened now that your group isn't being marched into the ground.
=== Tomorrow, does Verge try to get a gym membership? (-500 bits)
[] Yes.
[] No.
===Stat/Skill Changes:
Skills
- Basic High Programming: 22/100->23/100
Stats: (Endurance Training + Spirit Training. BP : Strength,Special, Spirit )
- Strength: 148.25->150.25->152.25
- Fortitude: 152.25
- Endurance: 159.25->.164.50
- Agility: 130.50->132.00
- Special: 91.50->93.50->95.50
- Spirit: 86.25->90.75->92.25
Gained 3100 Bits
===
Authors Note: This ended up being a bit bigger than I expected but that's fine. I finished this one without too much trouble.
Sparks' Stats:
Strength: 70
Fortitude: 80
Endurance: 60
Agility: 81
Special: 146
Spirit: 154
Beat's Stats:
Strength: 102
Fortitude: 123
Endurance: 96
Agility: 160
Special: 76
Spirit: 76