[] Try to take things outside, where things are less likely to be damaged and more noticeable. Thus draw in help more quickly. On the other paw, this will leave you a bit more vulnerable as you retreat.
===
Swallowing nervously from the very real threat, you take a single step back out of the doorframe in an attempt to leave the storage building.
I-I need to get outside! If we do this out there it'll draw in the others!
"No you don't!" However the mysterious digimon is already in motion, darting forward with surprising speed and sweeping low with a claw. His attack catches you mid-movement and totally disrupts your balance, making you fall back out of the structure entirely. Your back impacts the ground a moment later, knocking the air out of your chest but not doing any significant damage. Nothing to hinder you from fighting at least.
It leaps after you, one arm rearing back for a powerful punch aimed directly at your face, but with a desperate cry you swivel your head and slam the side of your drill into his head, batting him out of the air. With speed born from fear, you roll over and pop back up onto your feet. The reptile digimon lands just a couple feet away, then immediately darts forward once again - this time aiming directly for your guard, as if wanting to simply bowl his way through it. Despite its speed and power, his attack is both predictable and straightforward. As such, you have no problem with simply reaching out with your right paw and swiping the strike aside mid-movement, redirecting the entire mons momentum to your left.
"Wha-?"
Your counter catches him in the very next moment, clothes-lining the reptile digimon with your left arm and
slamming him down into the ground. For a moment you think that this might be enough to take the hostile digimon down, then he lets out a weary sigh.
"You're better than I thought." he mumbles in slight embarrassment, seemingly not fazed by your attack in the least. "Kinda thought you'd go down with one hit..." The winged rookie audibly sighs before placing his claws against your chest. With a small grunt of effort, he shoves you off of his body. "Impmon! I don't think we're getting out of this one easily!"
"Yeah, yeah. Just hold on ya mook. I'll be dere aftuh I'm down chowin down."
Seeing the pause that comes from their talk, you hurried scream out your own message.
"Gramps H-elp! Intruders! There's-!"
The smaller digimon attacks before you can finish speaking, and in the next seconds it's all you can do to defend yourself from his attack. Having learned from being countered earlier, the digimon goes for a different strategy this time, namely trying to completely overwhelm you with a flurry of blows. He's faster, stronger and if the results of your attack was any indication, also tougher than you. But as you defend against his blows something becomes clear, you're just plain
better at fighting then he is.
You skillfully deflect and block the various punches thrown your way, preventing even a single one from hitting home, but the sheer force of each hit ends up pushing you back regardless. Every claw blow that hits shakes your very bones, and what's worse, the opponent doesn't look like he's even trying that hard. It's almost like he's still holding back. Indeed, you can't even attack back, not without dropping part of your defense, which would only lead to a quicker defeat.
With aching arms you come to a scary somewhat sickening realization.
I... I can't win this.
"Beat Knuckle!"
All of a sudden, a much faster series of blows rips apart your defense, tossing your arms aside as he pulls back a fist for one finishing blow. Instinctively you close your eyes, not wanting to see the punch that knocks your lights out.
"Body Attack!"
Tentatively, you reopen your eyes a moment later to see that Gramps has tackled the purple rookie away and sent him tumbling into the side of the storage shack.
"You. Monodramon!" The caretaker growls, his tails standing menacingly at attention though strangely not glistening with electrify "Spirits above, explain yourself!"
The newly identified mon drags himself back up from his impact, winces yet again but doesn't raise his arms to fight again. He looks from Gramps to you, and then back again, before sighing and apparently deciding to just come clean.
"Right... Sorry about this. My partner Impmon and I are chasing down an evil digimon that fled to this area but... Well, we kind of ran out of food?" The seemingly unharmed rookie hangs his head in shame. "We snuck in and well. Stole from your stockpile. But I swear I was going to come back and make up for it! Later I mean, once we've uh finished our mission." He turns over to you and then bows his head in apology. "Sorry about the whole attack you thing, we wanted to try and leave without alerting anyone else. I'm an ally of justice I swear! I didn't want to hurt you but..."
D-didn't want to hurt me?! I have bruises that say otherwise and...Wait! Evil digimon?!
You look down at your heavily bruised arms in disbelief.
Gramps gives the slightly larger rookie a snort of disbelief and steps forward, clearly not believing a single word of his explanation.
"Not one step closer!" The bandanna wearing mon's voice calls out, prompting you all to look towards the storage sheds doorway. Gestures to everyone present with a sweep of his hand. "Doan lump me in wit' you Mono. I'm fine wit' fightin' any of dese lowuh beings and showin' dem deir propuh place. Yuh with me?"
The Monodramon puts a hand to his face at the words and in what seems disturbingly similar to Gramps mutters something under his breath. A moment later he perks up, an apology on his lips.
"Sorry about my partner's words! He's uh... nicer than he sounds?"
"Am not!"
Before anyone else can speak, a shadow falls over the area and then a moment later Fu arrives, plopping down right in front of you. In fact she nearly lands on of you, only barely missing stopping on your long nose.
"Don't worry Verge!" The massive digimon exclaims. "Your glorious big sis is here to defeat these dummies!" A feeling of relief rolls down your spine as she glowers down at the two offending mon. Only, the thinner mon doesn't look scared at all. Rather he actively smiles up at Fu, his hands lazily rising up to point in her direction.
"Just becawze yuh have a champion doesn't mean I'll back down!"
He-he's not scared?! Either he's dumb or... Or like Flamemon!
"Er-hrm!" Sorcermyon coughs stepping into the kerfuffle with his staff pointed at the confident thief. "Might want ta rethink that statement ya little varmit."
Impmon pauses at the new presence, but after giving your magical mentor a quick look over smirks then moves his left hand away from Fu to point at him. Blue and red orbs spring to life in his palms as he clearly gets ready to fight. What none of you expect is for the Monodramon to stomp forward and lash out with a claw, punching him in the side.
Aside from a dull thud and pushing the other rookie back a step it doesn't do all that much. The Monodramon receives a heavy glare from his *partner*, but after a few seconds reluctantly lowers his arms. Sorcerymon lowers his staff a moment later and Fu gives a slightly disappointed *Hmph* before taking a step back. You breathe a sigh of relief as the tension in the air is somewhat lessened then decide to ask about the very worrying subject the Monodramon had brought up earlier.
"You-you said that you were chasing an evil digimon?"
The Impmon lets out a non-committal grunt and crosses his arms, seeming not to care enough to answer your question. But the Monodramon speaks up instead.
"Uh-yeah! It's a newly evolved DoKugamon." He explains with a small wave of his hand. "It fled east here to the Ragged Alps from Hub City. We're going to bring it to justice!"
Gramps perks up at the mention of a *Dokugamon*, suddenly seeming to actually be interested in their story.
"Now ah have ta ask." Sorcerymon speaks up. "Why in tarnation would would you little fellers like yerselves be chasing a darn champion?" Monodramon perks up at the question rising to his full height and slamming a claw to his chest.
"Why, we're on a mission for Anu-"
*Thwack*
Impmon's open hand blurs out, sharply slapping the back of his ally's head and cutting him off mid-sentence.
"Dats none of your business."
"Are we going to fight?" Fu asks in exasperation, breaking up the questions. "This is boooring!" The Impmon grins viciously up at her and idly cracks his knuckles.
"Well if its a fightcha want. I can do dat fawh you"
Gramps hops in between the two rowdy digimon before things can get any more heated than they already are. He grunts with effort, most likely if trying to summon a small burst of lighting. But as it completely fails, he settles for merely glaring at the two of them. You're taken aback by the caretaker's sudden inability to use his trademark element, but stay silent in the fear that announcing it might make things worse.
"Spirits above. Fu, stop it!" Gramps growls out, making the former Lalmamon cross her arms in displeasure. The Impmon lets out a little chuckle at that, but it only serves to draw the Elecmons ire. "And you two!" He shouts, rounding on the foreign rookies. "You won't get out of this that easily! You'll pay for the food you took, one way or another"
"Pfft. You're welcome tuh try geezer!" The oddly accented mon snorts, his hands moving to summons up fire. A fire that is quickly extinguished as Sorcerymon releases a chilling cold wind in response.
Please no. We-we just got done with this! I don't want another fight...
"Arf! Arf! Erge!" The ragged voice of Thresh suddenly erupts from behind as the In-Training digimon barks wildly. You turn around to look at the sprinting mon and are surprised by just how scared the little digimon looks, with his small face scrunched up in a strange sort of worry. In the relatively short amount of time you've spent with him you don't think you've ever seen that particular emotion from him before. That, more than anything else that's happened today, puts you on edge.
"De heck is dat? Some sawht of Dobermon?"
Seeing that he's gained your attention, Thresh barks again and then jumps, spinning around mid-air to turn towards the hole in the wall Sparks made earlier. Your *Little Brother* begins to growl lowly at the opening, almost as if he's trying to alert you to something. It's then that you notice something a bit odd. You can't see Auger or Lunamon anywhere in the village! You can't hear them at all either, despite all the time they've had to react to the commotion.
Wh-where did they go?
"Umamon. Aw-ger" Thresh continues. "Spa-arks! Ga-on!"
You begin to get a sinking feeling in your core. Trying to understand Thresh is difficult at times but you've had a bit of practice. He's obviously referring to he other rookies in the village not being here anymore.
"Gramps! You shout, pivoting to look over at the glowering red digimon. "Where are the others?"
"Hrm? Sparks invited them to see his Mechanorimon. Why?"
The two foreign digimon flash a quick look at each other, then nod.
"Grr-On. Too-ook-Em!"
"Well, ain't dis convenient dat mon might have played a visit tuh dis place." The Impmon chortles, "Makes tings easiuh fawh us."
"Impmon! If that's true then the villain has them in its fiendish grasp! We need to help them!"
"Bah, dat's not our job!" the little rookie waves off his companion with a "shoo"-type gesture.
"Be quiet, both of you!" Gramps barks out, before whirling towards Sorcerymon. As good as he is at dealing with unruly rookies, the two foreigners are briefly taken aback and pipe down. Watch them over Verge go and-!"
The scarred rookie cuts himself off. After all, you're already sprinting towards the hole in the wall at top speed.
Nononono! Please be safe! Please be there! Please be-
You burst out past the opening and turn, skidding to a stop as you gaze upon Sparks' Vehicle. There's a few large patches of a strange material covering the vehicle.
Webs.
A quiet voice supplies.
This-they've been... Oh no.
Gramps arrives at the top of the wall a second later, takes on look at the situation then begins frantically shouting.
"Spirits Below! Verge, get Flamemon! Sorcerymon! Come here! Fu! Fly up and see if you can spot anything!-" Whatever the old mon says next is lost under an avalanche of thoughts as you rush towards Flamemon's hut.
Have to get Flamemon! Have to get Flamemon! Have to get Flamemon! Have to get Flamemon!
You rush across the village in record time and veritably leap into your best friend's shelter, not even bothering to slow down as you get inside. The humanoid rookie proves to be leaning against the wall at the back and he has to dodge out of the way as your momentum carries you forward. In the next moment you slam nose first into the wooden wall.
"Verge?" He questions, sounding strangely tired. "There's shouting! What's going on?"
"Flamemon!" You shout, moving back to pull your nose free from the wood. " S-sparks, Auger and L-l-lu-lunamon have been taken!" You scramble around to look at the tall rookie and are surprised at his state. The depressive sense he was sporting just a moment ago is gone, replaced by a sudden wakeful alertness.
"Taken... You mean kidnapped!?" he exclaims, raising his one good arm up into the air. "Then there's no time to waste, we must go rescue them!"
You nod along at a hyperactive pace, only to pause as you get a more in depth look at your friend. He seems somewhat thinner than before, likely because of his missed meals, and his various cuts and bruises don't look to have actually healed all that well. Even his other arm is still hanging limply by his side.
I-if we have to fight a champion th-then... Flamemon is. I-I can heal him!
You have a feeling that in his current state your best friend won't exactly be up to his usual level of power. But you do have a couple methods of making him better able to do so.
=== Choose One:
[] You'll perform your minor healing spell on him. It might not be able to fully heal his arm, but it should still bring him back to nearly full strength. (Warning: can only heal once per day)
[] You bought a healing disk for exactly this sort of reason. Give it to Flamemon, let him be fully healed and restored. (Verge only has one disk).
[] Don't heal him. You're confident Flamemon can carry on and help fight regardless. Aside from that one lupine mon he hasn't lost yet!
=== Stat Boosts: (From Bonus Points: Strength, Spirit, Agility)
- Strength: 102.25->104.00
- Fortitude: 110.00
- Endurance: 97.75
- Agility: 83.50->85.00
- Special: 31.00
- Spirit: 26.25->27.50
===
Authors Note: Yeah this update was bigger than I thought it would be. Heh. Sorry if things near the end seem a bit rushed.
Also sorry for not updating yesterday. Had something really annoying happen. This update was not Beta'd. If it does get beta'd I'll replace it.
