While I can applaud people for foresight, I would like to point out that we've been managing to get spells down in only a few days. I'll make an agreement with anyone willing to flip their vote, that if we learn Agility Burst now, I will whole-heartedly support the more powerful heal spell at our next opportunity.
Something to consider here is the potential short term. Right now Verge's current healing spell works fine for him and there's no telling when he'll digivolve. It may be like some are suggesting and be right quick, but there's no way to know that for sure.
Is the better healing spell just more HP recovery or does it have other properties to it or do we not know at this point? Sorry if this has been gone over before and am missing it. Because there are several short term and long term reasons why would want a better healing spell / what hope to get out of one :
Healing more long term injuries (I know some of these require actually defeating the one who inflicted them or are probably going to still be a long off project, but part of reason want better healing)
Better / more efficiently being able to heal Champions and Ultimates and being ready for worst case scenarios
Removing status effects and other negative conditions. They are starting to come up more and sure Ardat was kind of dumb to have gotten hit by the one she just did, but if we have heavy hitters sitting on the sidelines and not actively contributing in battle despite being mostly healthy that is going to hurt a lot. I would love to have something strong enough to quickly remove influence of Black Gears (so can do a cast and leave), but that is less necessary in the immediate future.
Verge's spell and Pidmon's natural ability have been working fine so far, but I worry where going to be hitting the point where they are outpaced or can't actually fix the current problem.
I'm willing to switch to another spell depending on exactly what better healing is.
It heals in a different way then Verge's first one, calling upon holy element power to buff things up while putting in more energy. This is different than the first one which acts as basically temporary high tier regeneration.
The new healing spell should have cleansing effects against the dark element yes. Though it probably won't be able to heal the scar and it's unknown to Verge whether it would be able to wipe out dark gears.
Beyond that it's a champion tier spell instead of a rookie one, so it has a much higher cap when it comes to pure mass than Verge's current healing spell.
Well, look at Pidmon's track record so far. He knocked himself out during one fight. And just now he got so into smiting the "accursed Gloaming" that one of his own allies had to attack just to get him to heal us.
Pidmon's Mega Heal is good, but the mon himself isn't always so reliable.
Well, look at Pidmon's track record so far. He knocked himself out during one fight. And just now he got so into smiting the "accursed Gloaming" that one of his own allies had to attack just to get him to heal us.
Pidmon's Mega Heal is good, but the mon himself isn't always so reliable.
... For some reason I can't help but think of Verge as being more and more the team mom if only because he's got a generally kind personality and for all of his BOUNDLESS ANGER when provoked is calm, collected, and patient with the rather.... eccentric nature of his teammates.
Probably about as many times as our Crusher Bone and Holy Light Strike, what with Crusher Bone being a Champion-level Attack and HLS apparently costing about as much.
Of course, that fails to take into consideration the boost(and possibly Level Compatibility making it a bit cheaper if that's a thing?) we'll get once we Digivolve, making it all that much more usable.
I can't remember if it's been mentioned before but we have a blessing from Yggdrasil and most of our spells are holy and it looks like are going to start focusing on a more tanky build. Does that make us a paladin?
Okay, so with that in mind, guys, it's literally only good in an absolute emergency. I'd much rather do the Agility buff so that we can end fights faster (literally) and then go for healing when we're even closer to evolving. A lot of you seem to be making the choice on assumed meta-knowledge that "of course Verge is going to digivolve soon!" But we don't actually know that. Hell, as a beta-writer I don't even know when we'll digivolve.
I will note that since we're travelling by train, there's literally nothing else to do but study, so we should be able to take care of it pretty quickly.
Which is fine, because if we learn it right now, the only reason we would use it before evolving (outside of training) is if a real emergency arises.
The most likely such scenario is Pidmon being too injured to cast Mega Heal (Verge heals Pidmon and then Pidmon heals everyone else).
The second most likely scenario is that an ally who can't be stabilized by the first spell is going to die from their wounds before Pidmon can arrive to help.
Edit:
In regards to your point, Tempest, for me part of it is also that I think such an emergency is one of the most likely scenarios for Verge to evolve in. I have a gut feeling that an emergency like that which actually arise soonish, and want to be prepared so that we don't need to have another friend die.
As for helping us before we evolve, I feel like what would help the most is actually grinding up our general combat skill.
Ardat the: Grandmaster Of Wind Sorcery, Librarian Of Forbidden Knowledge, Most Beautiful Maiden Of The Blessed Host and Future Leading/Ruling Lady Of The Digital World… excetera, excetera is as always having a perfect, absolutely stellar time.
She most certainly is not spitting out dirt after being sneak attacked by a cowardly sniveling Wizardmon. Nor is she feeling jealous that her fluff friend had chosen to cushion Sparks over her! The Witchmon leaps to her feet, and grins excitedly,
Her trusty mount Dullahan once again proves it's worth to her, it's sole glorious master by making quick work of the dirt adorning her dress, leaving it as pristine as the day she first digivolved. She twirls the broom around in her claws with graceful, skill perfected over long nights of playing training, and slams it to the ground. A whisper summons up her favorite cantrip, calling wind to frame her pose as she thrusts her empty claw out to the side and inclines her head.
There's always time to show her magnificent talents to others! Even if it's to an opponent that was rude enough to just attack her out of nowhere like a big jerk!
She holds the pose, eye scanning the forest for her foe, and spots him running towards her right side. Clearly hoping to use her eyepatch against her! A good tactic, but useless! Unlike Verge she actually still had the user of her eye! It's a simple matter to reach up and cleverly move the patch to cover her other eye in a move that would surely confound this sneaky Wizardmon!
"Magic Game!"
Ardat smiles as the other magic user throws a card her way, then laughs as it warms into a net mid flight. Hah! As if a tiny net like that would so much as Inconvenience her! Defeating it is a simple matter for a Sorceress such as her!
"Balaluna Gale!" The Witchmon shouts, waving her hand contemptuously at the slow-moving net. Her spell effortlessly slice it into shreds, then continues on towards the Wizardmon, easily cutting the tree he tries to hide behind in half and hitting her true target. "AHaHaHaHaHa!" She laughs, as his hat falls to the earth neatest severed in two.
"Time out!" The Wizardmon shouts pathetically, hopping out from behind his worthless cover.
"Aha! Are you surrendering? It only makes sense that you've realized the gap between our Sorcery!"
"Yes I have!" The Wizardmon agrees, "Yours is far more powerful than mind it's true but…" Ardat tilts her head at that, curiosity peaked. Buuuut? That must mean he has some sort of trick up his sleeve! She would of course face it head on and show this lesser spellcaster his place! "Question?"
"Yes-I mean! What does one such as you wish to know from me the Master Of Wind Sorcery?!"
"Do you want to see something cool?"
Always!
"Of course! You mean magic right?"
"Yeah-huh gehehe, just look into my eyes and I'll show you the best magic you've ever seen..."
"Best magic?! None can compare to wind-"
===
Up above In the sky above the two magicians altercation, Beat tilts his head to the side, letting the thrust trident scrap harmlessly off the side of his chitinous head. Before the Boogiemon can withdraw the weapon, he darts forward, wrapping his claws around the surprised devil's throat and drags it around, just in time to receive his second opponents stab. A quarter-moment later, his hidden weapon pops free, drilling straight through the screaming mon's skull.
"Death Clash!"
The third devil lunges towards his vulnerable side and is met with the sight of the Stingmon's other arm pointed directly towards his head.
"Moon Shooter"
Beat's first clenches, and a spike rips through the charging Boogiemon's eye.
The victorious Stingmonbegims tears the data free from both deceased mon , takes a moment to glance down towards his ally while his only remaining opponent is struggling to yank his weapon free, and has to resist the urge ply a clawed hand to his own face.
He contemplates flying down to end the Wizardmon now as it sprints away at top speed, but after a moment decides that the now fleeing third Boogiemon would make for a better target. After all, even Sparks an exceptional one had a glass jaw. This one would ostensibly be worse. For his quest to power, it would better serve him and his allies to take the third devil out. He glances at the Witchmon one last time, tries not to sigh, then vanishes into a green blur.
The rest of the day passes by quickly as you throw yourself into the painful act of training with new fervor. Despite approaching your limits more than ever, and the continuous and painful rippling of energy in your body, losing that fight and nearly dying ignited a spark within your core. Since there isn't that much else to do on the ride you're able to throw nearly every moment into the act, only stopping at night to finish off your understanding of Frame Reinforce.
Centarumon's slaves, as it turns out, had been sent to hide inside a cabinet on the second floor during the attack, and while they're banged up a little they survived everything. Because of the epoxy having entered some of its internal systems, the strange, huge ultimate carrying you is forced to move slower, thus extending the time of your ride. In a sense it's a curse and a blessing: you get to train more but... you're forced to train more. At least on the positive side, it allows you to ignore the incoming brutal fate that seems to be approaching all the more swiftly.
Your prior decision to act as Sparks' shield comes into play as you try to put more emphasis on your physical toughness, actually going so far as to ask Beat to *spar* with you in the container. He's grown even more powerful thanks to yesterdays battle, and you end up more hurt than usual, which is saying something. However the brace Grip made for you came in handy, increasing the effectiveness of your healing spell and lowering the energy lost with each use. It's a small boost, but it really adds up over the course of multiple uses.
With the second of Scratch's spells learned, you focus on finishing off the third and final spell listed in your own grimoire, namely the more powerful healing incantation Sorcerymon had written down. You're the only one who gets significant benefit out of your own healing anymore, and that issue will only be exaggerated over time, so you're confident this effort will be worth it. This one however proves to be an entirely different beast than the first, as instead of relying on using energy to speed up the target's natural regeneration, this one takes more of a brute force approach. Using holy elemental energy, it rewrites damaged sections of code, thus forcing wounds to heal, substituting for the lost data with pure power. In fact, it relies on actually calling a shred of power from something other than the user. You're not exactly sure what that is, but judging by how the coding is phrased and since it's Holy magic, you presume it has something to do with the entity the Blessed Host worships.
You're also not sure if learning this technically makes you a member of their religion, but are a bit too nervous to ask about it. Not that you even could, given that the other half of your party are in other cargo containers. In the end you decide to just put if off until an appropriate time. Like if you ever meet another Sorcerymon, or have a chance to talk to that Pegasusmon again.
Later during the second evening you get an odd feeling... Sure the rate at which you'd gained more strength had slowed to a crawl, but... it felt like you were getting close to some sort of breakthrough. Instead of resting like before you forced yourself to continue training into the evening. Eventually something snaps and the barrier you'd been straining against for so long shatters. You're not sure how that worked, but end up very glad that it did. Sure, while it didn't allow you to make fantastical leaps like when you'd first started training, it did allow you to easily make the last few days worth of gains in a single afternoon.
Oddly enough, it came with the strange effect of making you, well... grow again. It was only noticeable the next morning, but now you really are the same height as Pidmon and Beat instead of just a few inches shorter.
That night, while Beat sleeps in the container's opposite corner, you're visited by Sparks, his mirror-like eyes watering as he tries his best not to cry.
=
"Sparks? Are you... okay?"
"Verge, I-I..." The crippled Wizardmon trails off, his hand clenching tightly around the shaft of his focus. You frown down at the small champion, wincing as his body begins to shake and after a few seconds move to put a paw on his shoulder. This, it seems, finally gives him the fortitude to speak, if not in more than a fierce whisper. "I don't want you to go!"
Huh? Go? Where would I go?
"Sparks... what uh, do you mean?"
"What Frigimon said, about your... thine fate. It's-it's starting to happen. Back whenst the raid occurred, your wound..."
Oh... Yeah. Tha-that.
"I don't... want to go either." You eventually settle on, with a shiver. "A-and I won't. I'll just digivolve before... it happens." You give an awkward smile, hoping he'll feel more reassured than you do.
"... heh, I want to believe that. Mine mind wishes it to be true." He half-laughs, though it's tainted by a familiar depression.
He's right... I might not. Bu-but if I do then... What about the others?
"Should- should the worst come to pass, I'll-" Your friend swallows, tearing his gaze away from your eye. "-I'll rescue Lunamon in thine place from... him."
...
"Tha-thank you Sparks, I..." You trail off, not knowing what to say.
"Heh." Your friend, drops his staff and takes a moment to rub his face. "Mine mind thinks it foolish, but... as fantastical and degenerate as it is, part of me still wants to believe the drivel Flamemon held dear, and uphold the promise made. To... hehehe, be a hero with you. Nonsense, truly..." This time he does break into tears, and despite the uncomfortableness of the position you hold the champion until the falls asleep.
=
The Locomon stops once again In the morning, and for once it isn't in a town. Rather when you exit the cargo container you're met with the familiar sight of the forest at the edge of the base of the Ragged Alps, no station or platform in sight. As you find out a few minutes later, Centarumon deems this the faster method of getting to your destination thanks to the Locomon's speed being inhibited. So for the entirety of the third day, instead of riding in the relative comfort of the cargo trainer, your party gets back to the more stand type of transportation i.e. walking.
Since Scratch hasn't been able to change back to his champion form yet, he leads the way, blazing a trail with his sword and clearing the path for everyone else. His second bout against Phelesmon the "Gloaming Lord" did not leave him completely unscathed, though considering it's the second time he's fought the other Ultimate you guess that the two must be close in terms of power. You doubt that the enemy mon is as strong as Count given how your sergeant only won that fight by dropping a mountain on him and on a technicality at that.
Now that you've had time to interact with the magical digimon over the past weeks, you've come to understand him a little better. His eyes, normally focused and utterly lifeless, do actually light up on occasion, if not frequently. Whilst fighting, or sparring (i.e. beating you into the ground) that focus sharpens dangerously and he moves without any sort of hesitation. The only time his blue orbs ever show any true emotion is when regarding Ardat, be it throwing the occasional worried glance her way; or the actual anger he'd shown when Count had harmed her. Just why the digimon holds her in such regard (and vice versa) is still a mystery, and not one you're quite curious enough to ask about yet given your fear of the officer.
It's a wonder to see the Ultimate at work though, slicing through thick brush and entire trees with casual swings of his blade. In some cases his blade doesn't even connect, but the wind is enough to cut up and uproot anything lighter than a tree out to about five feet in front of him. As a Mistymon your leader has a certain aura of power about him, one that takes a kind of visible effort for him to suppress. You know that he could advance by himself at a pace faster than anyone else in your squad, but he chooses to hang back with the rest of you instead. Indeed, it seems like he wants to go faster, like his body itself is urging him to.
Considering that the entire mission is based around escorting Centarumon, it makes sense. If he isn't around when Phelesmon shows up again, then there's nothing the rest of you could do.
The slaver's Gear-Bound take up the rear of your formation, their bodies struggling to keep pace while carrying his gear, but nonetheless the two rookies persevere emotionlessly. Being near them like this is sickening, and you catch sight of Pidmon angrily glaring both at them (or rather the gears embedded in their bodies) and at Centarumon. Though judging by how he doesn't act on his very obvious emotions, your superior more than likely informed the angel about things whilst on the Locomon ride and presumably made him promise not to do anything.
As the day drags on, and as your group draws nearer to the small mountains themselves you can't help but feel as if the surroundings are getting overly familiar. The hills you pass, the trees, it's a little vague but you can't help but feel like you've been here before. What's surprising is that you're not the only one. Sparks sidles up to you and expresses his own concern, but states that neither Beat nor Pidmon share the same feeling.
It finally clicks when you reach the base of a steep gravelly hill overlooked by a ramshackle mine. After that things pass as a kind of fugue blur.
The cries of alarm from Dozens of Goblimon, Shamanmon, and SnowGoblimon shriek out from the mine but are mercilessly silenced. Horrifying screams echo out from terrified rookies, only to be swiftly cut off be it by claw, cannon, blade or spell. Your scar burns, and tears fall unfettered down your face.
I'm Going To Kill Them All.
When it's finally over, Centarumon heads inside along with his rookies to start performing his survey, but you ignore it all in favour of staring out across the expanse of what was once your home.
Gramps, Fu, Sorcerymon, Flamemon... The village, they all were...
Time passes in a haze, and voices attempt to speak to you, to no avail. You sit down, you stare and you think. Eventually, what knocks you out of the listless daze is the sun shining painfully into your eye.
The sun... Flamemon, I...
A fact snaps into place.
Gramps made a-a place to mark everyone he lost. It... it should still be there. I could find it, I'm sure.
=== Choose One:
[] Leave: Go find the graveyard, and do what must be done. Their existences must not be forgotten.
[] Stay: You... you have a mission. It's hard to think of right now but, you think you were supposed to protect something?
9 Strength + 4 strength at E++
13 Fortitude
3 Agility
2 Endurance
3 Special
4 Spirit
Strength: 263.50->266.50->272.50
Fortitude: 247.50->255.50
Endurance: 225.50->227.00
Agility: 208.00->209.50
Special: 233.50->237.00
Spirit: 192.25->195.50
General Fighting: 32/100->33/100
Basic High Programming: 31.00/100->32.00/100
Strength has hit E++ (Caps raised)
The more powerful healing spell: 1/16
===
Authors Note: This one was pretty enjoyable to write, pretty sad in some parts though. Verge is still dealing with a LOT of trauma over everything that's happened, and right now... Well, he's not exactly in his best mind.
