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As I Walk Through the Valley (Mana) (Hunt)
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on May 9, 2018 2:13:02 GMT
Operation: Emergency Raft seemed to be off to a great start! Elliot was paddling at a far steadier pace than he had expected, especially with Ayaka's ice arrow making it a lot harder for MegaSeadramon to kick up any other waves. The waters still churned, if only from the ripple effect, but Elliot found them surprisingly easy to tackle. "We are close now. And do not worry, I am doing quite fine," he assured Mana. "The fairies and I could almost make this jump, although it may be wise to wait until we are closer." He intensified the speed at which he rowed, keeping to single, strong motions to avoid spinning out but not wanting to end up slowing and getting caught by MegaSeadramon.
The serpent's fins writhed, the sound of cracking ice warning Elliot that MegaSeadramon wouldn't be chilled for long. Sure enough, soon the sea serpent's frosty outer layer had shattered, MegaSeadramon turning its head to the sky and roaring in triumph. "This might get a bit hairy!" Elliot warned as he looked over his shoulder, turning in time to see MegaSeadramon wheel around and lunge at them.
MegaSeadramon's horn sparked, this time not with the chilling mist of frost but instead with tendrils of lightning. He looked down at Elliot and Mana, horn crackling for a bit before a plume of lightning launched at the three. Elliot quickly tried to steer the bridge-raft away, but the leftmost corner of the bridge was hit hard. The raft nearly flipped from the force of impact, and Elliot could see a solid amount of it reduced to ashes drifting away in the water.
MegaSeadramon was charging up for another lightning blast quickly. If he was successful, it might have spelled the end for this little raft.
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on May 10, 2018 19:35:33 GMT
Yup, the rafting was going pretty well, or at least that's what Mana would've liked to think. In all honesty, she couldn't have anticipated that a MagnaAngemon could use a cudgel so efficiently to move their makeshift means of transportation. More or less a blessing in disguise, honestly.
They would reach their destination shortly, or at least would've if it wasn't for the MegaSeadramon unfreezing himself. The first attack had taken the group by surprise, but that wouldn't be the case the second time. They would counterattack or at least try to divert the oncoming attack. Ayaka herself prepared another arrow and Suzuran would try to divert the Seadramon's attack by forcing him to dodge out of the path of the raft's remains. "This is gonna be shaky!"
She just hoped their efforts would be enough for them to reach the shore unscathed. Or at least mostly unscathed. The rest was up to their luck.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on May 15, 2018 5:41:38 GMT
Ayaka's arrow connected directly with the MegaSeadramon's lightning spear, leaving behind what looked like a scar of grass as the lightning froze over. It fell into the water with a mighty splash, a sign that for the time being Elliot and Mana would be fine. The other side of this lake was oh so close now, and if Elliot could just swing over a bit more hopping from the bridge to the mainland would be trivial. MegaSeadramon's avenues of attack had all been averted, and it seemed like they were in the home stretch now.
Unfortunately, MegaSeadramon was faster than a makeshift rowboat, and while his original attack was blocked he wouldn't let his offensive come to an end. Elliot watched as he submerged into the waves, the shadow of his approach coming towards the front of the boat at terrifying speeds. "Stay ready. He is coming," Elliot warned, closing his eyes shut as he primed the card data loaded into his core. He would need to wait for the perfect second to fix this, and until then he needed absolute silence.
When Elliot heard MegaSeadramon breach through water, he knew that chance had come. Immediately he loaded the Zudomon card, raising a hand high and calling forth a wave of his own. The wave clashed with the wave from MegaSeadramon's approach, the two's equal yet opposite frequencies cancelling each other out. That left the path completely open, and Elliot started to row like he had never rowed before.
Ever persistent, the furious MegaSeadramon lunged for the bridge, hoping to just consume the quartet right then and there. With safe land only seconds away, Elliot figured it was finally time to chance it. He motioned for the others to follow, then dove right off of the bridge in hopes of making it to shore. Would Mana and her fairies follow, or would they try taking a more direct approach to fending off the serpent?
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on May 16, 2018 0:10:40 GMT
Thus far, the fight hadn't been anything short of epic! Honestly, the fight against the MegaSeadramon had been way more exciting than trying to climb some dumb mountain or anything of the sort, and for that much, Mana was relatively thankful.
The fight raged on, and the sea serpent wasn't willing to give up just yet; if that had been the test any prospective spirit wielder must have undertaken, the redhead wondered what were their fates, since the foursome was currently struggling with a perfect level at their disposal, and these kinds of trials were mostly meant to be partaken alone. And by champion levels at most.
But! Pondering about that wasn't something fitting for the moment. The group had shaken off their enemy for a short while, and after Elliot slashing that card, the two had found a clear opening to get to the other side. They were almost there, yet... the MegaSeadramon wasn't willing to let them get away just yet. With effort, he tried one last charge, and that's when Mana knew it.
"Jump!" A single word, and probably enough to convey they had to get the eff away from this makeshift raft right now. Holding off the digimon sounded like an awful idea, especially since they normally turned friendly once they accomplished their goals.
For now, she hoped they wouldn't be mistaken.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on May 16, 2018 0:30:40 GMT
Upon seeing that Mana and the fairies had made the jump, Elliot didn't even look back. He ran for the pedestal at the end of the room, and with it the silver hand mirror that sat in the top of it. He clutched it in both hands, bracing a foot against the pedestal for leverage as he reached to pull it out with all of his might. Apparently, he was just in time. MegaSeadramon had emerged from his latest failed dodge, electricity sparking at the edge of his horn anew. He looked all prepared to fire, but stopped when he saw Elliot holding the mirror triumphantly into the air.
He shook his head to dispel the electricity, laughing as his kelp-like hair shook back and forth. "Oh man! I haven't gotten a workout like that in years!" he said. While his voice was hard to hear over the roars of the waves before, as the oceans settled it was clear he sounded a little like a surfer dude. "Did you guys seriously break the bridge so you wouldn't have to deal with it? Man, if that's the kind of guts you guys have, you're not even gonna need the next trial."
"I take it that is the-"
"Giant pit, yeah," he interrupted. "Don't worry, you'll be able to put those feathers to use there. Although you're gonna need them, big time."
"What are these trials for, anyway?" Elliot asked. "The last dragon was talking all about regrets, and the past, and-"
"Psh, Groundramon? That wet blanket? Please," MegaSeadramon said. "Dude's always trying to sound all fancy and important and stuff. But I guess being the little bro means he's got one of a chip on his shoulder. Far as I know, you're just trying to put all these treasures together to find the spirit here. Kinda forgot the details. I'm an in the now kinda guy, you know?"
That was equal parts helpful and unhelpful. It seemed there was more than what MegaSeadramon was letting on here, but he was a bit too carefree to sweat it. Nevertheless, Elliot was just happy that another part of the trial was over.
He turned to Mana, clearly relieved. "Any questions, or should we just head to the last trial?" he asked.
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on May 17, 2018 21:53:06 GMT
Phew. Just as expected, the trial was over as soon as Elliot had gotten the stone. And that meant... just one more left in order to be done with this series of trials.
What could Mana say; given how complex this whole ordeal has been, she expected for the spirit to be really good at the very least. Else... it'd be a bit of a disappointment. Imagine what would happen if they went through this all for Elliot to become... a Sukamon? Yup, that'd be a just a little bit frustrating.
But if that was something they'd have to deal with later. For now, they had more important things to take care of; the trio listened to what the MegaSeadramon had to say, and in all honesty... there wasn't much they didn't know already. Except that They could finally make use of their flight ability, and that it'd be much needed.
The Seadramon variant himself saying that he didn't remember the details wasn't the most reassuring thing ever. And thus, in regards to her... "No questions over here, honestly. Take you won't spoil us what the next trial is about and how to get through more easily, will you?"
And he didn't even seem the type that would talk in cryptic riddles, so... overall probably something that won't be too productive.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on May 18, 2018 3:34:23 GMT
"I'll do you one better," the MegaSeadramon said, grinning cockily. He gave the ground a tremendous smash with his tail, and soon a few cracks started spreading underneath Elliot's feet. He looked down, confused, only for a geyser to suddenly launch him high into the air. MegaSeadramon looped down in a graceful arch, and he quickly caught Elliot on the way down. "Next stop, the last trial!" Hopefully Mana and the fairies would catch him! If not, they'd have a bit longer of a walk to the next room than Elliot would.
The first thing that Elliot noticed as MegaSeadramon blasted through the moon-shaped door was that the main chamber of the room was now filled with nothing but darkness. Even the glow of MegaSeadramon's horn had faded, and the shine from Elliot's cudgel barely stretched more than an inch in front of the darkness. He worriedly clung to the sea serpent's back, not wanting to even chance falling off after coming so far. Occasionally shapes moved in the darkness, letting out low growls as their claws scraped against the floor. One came face to face with Elliot, a blue dragon with fangs bared hatefully. It was fortunately slapped away by one of MegaSeadramon's great rolling coils, Elliot swallowing nervously as he heard the dragon scramble away again.
"So if you are a red dragon, and your brother was a green dragon-"
"Yep. Blue's next," MegaSeadramon said. He sounded mildly less stoked than before, almost as if he was hiding something. "Y'know, the whole sealed in a temple thing's been a pretty rough time for him. So, uh, sorry 'bout his manners in advance. If I were you, I really wouldn't take it slow on this one."
Elliot didn't even want to ask, and fortunately he didn't have to. Soon MegaSeadramon was right by the door with the sun marking on it, knocking it open with a powerful torrent of water. He skidded somewhat, until soon his snout was resting right by where the massive chasm began.
"End of the line, little dudes," MegaSeadramon said. "This is probably the part where we never see each other again, so . . . uh . . . good luck!" With that said MegaSeadramon turned around, his long, sloping body snaking through the main hall anew.
Already Elliot could hear the hisses and snarls of the blue dragons, even if the darkness made their proximity very difficult to gauge. He looked over the precipice, eyes locked on the tiny spot of light at the end of the "tunnel."
All he'd have to do is jump, right?
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on May 20, 2018 15:47:51 GMT
Well, this was interesting. The Seadramon was willing to carry Elliot to their next Trial? That was pretty interesting! And way more helpful than what the old, grumpy Groundramon had been. In any case, the trio had been pretty quick on catching up with him; otherwise, they'd have probably been up for a pretty lengthy walk, and as long as the digimon didn't mind stowaways, that'd be fine.
Mana would comment on there being no clear pattern on green - red - blue, but she wasn't going to get picky when they were moments away from their last trial. Maybe there was something she didn't see? They hadn't sustained many injuries this time, and that meant they could pretty much rush there. Well, after two trials and a battle, yeah, probably not in the best of shapes, buuuut they weren't going to back down just now, weren't they? She had no idea about what the last trial would be, but they were as ready as ever.
Waving at the departing dragon after being carried to their destination. The redhead gazed at the HolyAngemon; well, the trial ahead undoubtedly seemed... interesting. The fairies gazed at it, expressions of curiosity and disdain, respectively.
"Right behind you. Feel free to begin when you're ready."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on May 21, 2018 3:10:56 GMT
Elliot looked down into the pit, completely transfixed by that small, precious light at the bottom. He couldn't really see what all of the items that he had found so far had to do with each other. A handheld mirror and a brazier were two very different things, and there weren't any obvious mechanisms or hints that put them together. And what did either of those have to do with celestial bodies or dragons? The whole thing was absolutely bizarre, and this literal light at the end of the tunnel would either tie it all together or prove he had been on the most wild of goose chases.
Even if there was no spirit, though, Elliot had found something even more precious. His confidence and drive had come back to him, and even took on a more daring undercurrent not entirely unlike Isaac's. Whereas before his return the idea of plummeting into the dark unknown would have terrified him, now his wings were tensed and ready.
Hearing Mana was right behind him helped. He looked over his shoulder at her, nodding once."Let us begin," he said, extending a hand for her to take. It would be the second time the two took a fly like this, but this would be far less scenic than the last.
Whereas one might have expected Elliot to dive in right away, he didn't. Instead he held his wings wide and let himself slowly descend. It was more like a very slow fall than actual flight, Elliot's wings fighting valiantly against gravity to allow him to carefully scale the chasm's walls. He could barely see a thing, beyond the speck of light in the distance, but he refused to let that dissuade him. He only tightened his hand slightly around Mana's, as if to confirm to himself that she was still there.
Occasionally he saw shapes within the darkness. They were more blue dragons, matching the pace of Elliot's descent perfectly. Their red eyes occasionally pierced through the dark, and as they moved their bodies distorted the still shade around them, but for the most part Elliot could only identify their presence by the flapping of their wings and the heat of their breath.
However, the was another sound mixed in with the descending dragons. This was of a beast far bigger, its wing beats infrequent yet loud enough to echo through the chasm. They were underscored by a low growl, so quiet Elliot almost mistook it for the sound of air passing through his ears. Whatever it was, it seemed to be encircling Elliot and Mana, if Elliot was properly gauging the direction of each flap.
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on May 24, 2018 16:11:54 GMT
A slow descent. With Ayaka and Suzuran closely behind, And Elliot making sure to get a good hold of Mana. This was the last test, and the girl could already see what it was about.
She saw the blue dragons around them, and how they probably weren't up for anything good. The redhead began to eye the circling figures; even if a little vague... the fact that they were there was all too real.
Neither Ayaka nor Suzuran lost a second; the two were already prepared for anything that would come their way, no matter what it was.
"I guess... a battle's brewing." The girl managed to say, a little more uncertain than what she had expected. Sure, it seemed like that, especially when dealing with the growling dragon that seemed to be the biggest being they'd find for a while.
If things were what she expected them to be, this would end as some sort of race towards the item that'd let them pass the test, but that didn't make her too excited about this. Even if rules hadn't changed in the past, this was supposed to be the last test, and who knows what the dragons would have in store for them.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on May 26, 2018 0:23:20 GMT
And so as Mana decreed it, so it had begun.
Were it not for her timely warning, Elliot would not have turned in time to notice the blue blur careening towards him. He quickly turned, pulling Mana close and sheltering her with his wings in order to make them a far smaller, and less appealing, target to attack. He had barely succeeded; the blue shape, wings aloft and fangs bared, was so close that the sonic booms of its approach sent Elliot spiraling through the air. Fortunately, two of his four pairs of wings helped him keep Mana safe as he tumbled, while the remaining two beat furiously to help him re-establish air control. MagnaAngemon wasn't much for fancy footwork, but at least he could brake on a dime.
As the hostile dragon slowed, Elliot could get a better look at it. Unlike the stranger looking dragons that he had seen prior, this was a rather traditional looking Western dragon. Four legs, wings, tail, and a nasty set of fangs. However, there was one thing different. A massive lance seemed almost parasitically infused with its back, sliding into a large nub of flesh that concealed it. It was almost like the stinger of a bee, if bees were even more nightmarish than they usually were.
Elliot did not want to imagine that thing shooting out after a charge, piercing clean through him like a pile bunker.
He let his wings fan out again as he swiveled his body to keep a close eye on the dragon. The rest of this pit was empty, as far as he could see, and judging by the frantic wingbeats going further away all of the other dragons were vacating to make room for the biggest and baddest one here. This wasn't an obstacle course but a race, and only by keeping a close eye on the opposition could he make sure that he finished. Still facing the dragon, he flared all eight of his wings out and pushed back heavily. One way or another, he would beat it down to the end of this pit.
He couldn't outrun the speed of sound, however. That was exactly what the dragon banked on as he pulled his head back, roaring at frequencies so fast that they started to hear the air around them. Elliot found himself sweating as he began pushing away, hoping to avoid the attack before it went from uncomfortable to painful.
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on May 26, 2018 14:22:53 GMT
Talk about a rocky way down; these digimons wouldn't make it easy on them, would they? The first strike almost seemed like a warning shot of sorts, and it was obvious that their intent wasn't friendly at all.
However, what could they do about it? The speed of sound was, fittingly, unbelievably quick and Elliot had just gone through a close call. Heck; was it even a close call? Mana herself wasn't sure about it.
This was bad; not even Ayaka nor Suzuran had been particularly aware of the attack until moments after the HolyAngemon had been rammed, for the lack of a better word.
"They'll need more than that to stop us." The redhead muttered, determination brimming in her voice; instantly after, a veil of leaves enveloped both hers and Elliot's body. The Wingdramons would have a harder time at discerning the angel's figure, and Elliot would be able to anticipate the attacks better that way.
Would that be enough; time to find out.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jun 2, 2018 1:01:14 GMT
Elliot's ears perked up some as he felt the leaves swirl around him. As they danced they carried the sounds of the Wingdramon's movements, allowing Elliot to pick up on even its most distant wingbeats. He smiled at Ayaka appreciatively, not willing to risk tipping the Wingdramon off to his location by thanking her vocally. Instead he just kept his eyes peeled towards the darkness, hoping that soon his eyesight would adapt and he'd be able to make out the Wingdramon's figure.
Wingdramon didn't seem like it wanted to buy Elliot that time. He charged right at the MagnaAngemon, fangs bared and claws grasping. This time Elliot could hear his approach, however, and with a heavy flap of his wings he sent a part of his leaf veil billowing outwards. This was what caught the Wingdramon's eyes, and he promptly pounced onto it like a desperate hyena on a carcass. Even in the darkness Elliot could see the Wingdramon bite into the leaves with murderous intent, thrusting his head back as if trying to tear it leaves in half. When it realized its miscalculation it turned its head to spit the foliage out, but by then it was too late. Elliot had already bailed, the rest of his leaf veil following in his path as he darted away.
"I think it sees by motion," Elliot whispers, remembering how the swirling leaves immediately caught the Wingdramon's eye. "I mean, if we cannot see it very easily, maybe it has trouble seeing us as well. And it waited for us to move first rather than strike right away, did it not?
But . . . if we need to get to the bottom, how can we do that without moving?"
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on Jun 7, 2018 7:43:48 GMT
That was it, wasn't it? Mana had suspected the very same thing Elliot was imagining at the moment, and couldn't but agree with him.
What would they do about it? Well, for the redhead, the answer was pretty obvious. The events that had transpired were present in both the twins' minds, and that meant that they knew exactly what to do about it. A silent gesture was given in Elliot's direction coming from Suzuran before... she went down.
Yeah, taking the lead was risky in the sense that now the Wingdramons and whatever else was lurking in the cave would go hot on her trails, but with any luck that'd clear the way for the HolyAngemon. And in the end, that's what mattered. As long as Elliot could get his spirit totem, the risks they were currently taking in weren't important. Or at least that's what the fairy liked to think.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jul 6, 2018 2:23:16 GMT
Elliot nodded, smiling slightly as Suzuran flew away to draw the Wingdramon's attention. "Thank you," he said, as quiet as a whisper, as he watched the plant make her descent. Then he waited, wings held aloft in a glide. He extended a single arm out, watching as the sleeve of his robes hung still against his wrist.
Then it billowed in a single, overwhelming motion.
With that sign given, Elliot turned into a nose dive. Suzuran could only buy him so much time, especially if the Wingdramon caught wind of his own frantic motions. He would need every bit of speed that he could muster in order to make sure that he could reach the spirit totem in time, and with a heavy beat of his wings he focused entirely on that goal. Whenever his descent started to slow he beat his wings again, each time harder than the last, until the strain of each flap was starting to aggravate his recently-cured wounds.
He tried his hardest to focus entirely on the small speck of light before him, which grew increasingly close by the second. Everything else needed to fall by the wayside. He couldn't focus on the shadows of dragons that seemed to be clustering around him, there one second but gone the next. He couldn't focus on the soreness throbbing across his body from the marathon session that this hunt had been. And he absolutely couldn't focus on the massive predator diving towards Suzuran at equally fearsome speeds.
Even as Wingdramon gathered a bright blue ball of energy in the back of its mouth, firing it in a fearsome cone of sonic energy, Elliot couldn't look back. He knew to turn away now would be to make Suzuran's risky plan all for naught.
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