[Armor Hunt] - Thank You, But I Cannot Accept This - [Solo]
Dec 29, 2018 2:48:26 GMT
Post by Alan Pantell on Dec 29, 2018 2:48:26 GMT
Terminus City - a capital of sorts for the Digital World. Although his first visit to this city was an awkward and stressful experience, Alan still saw fit to visit every so often, just to explore, and make better memories, though he couldn't let go of the old ones; they were important, and they weren't that bad, anyway. Plus, if he was going to explore as much of the digital world as he could, it wouldn't make much sense to ignore the single most important location. Every time he came there, he tended to find a new place he liked; a hotel, a restaurant, a shop, heck, even a club, if he was feeling particularly brave. Little by little, he had gotten to know more about various residents, even once helping a local storeowner with a bit of reconnaissance work involving suspicious back-alley peddlers.
Alan, a young man of eighteen, was strolling down one of the many streets of Terminus with his digimon partner, Levi, a Veemon who had gotten in the habit of wearing a grey ivy cap whenever he could. They had taken care to avoid most of the riskier parts of town, which is why it came as a shock to them when they were approached by a someone, a Wizardmon, who was, while otherwise relatively normal in appearance, acting suspiciously like one of those peddlers.
"Excuse me," said the stranger's voice from behind, "would either of you happen to have been inquiring about digimentals?"
The partners froze. This could be a good thing, but if it wasn't it was something absolutely horrible. They casually turned their heads - not too slowly, not too quickly - so that they didn't appear as if they had just been caught in an act.
Alan hummed, eyeing the stranger up and down. They appeared menacing, to be sure, but the human knew far better to judge based off of appearances in the digital world. A majority of the "ordinary" citizens had menacing appearances about them. No, something else was concerning here. He didn't remember speaking to this digimon in particular at any point, though he was open to the possibility that he had forgotten, or that they were simply in a different form at the time.
"Not to be rude, but, while I do remember asking, I do not remember speaking to you, specifically."
"It's quite alright," replied the Wizardmon, gentle kindness in his voice. He began to rummage around in one of his suit's many pockets. "I don't expect you to. I admit, I happened to overhear a few words, and couldn't help but eavesdrop. My apologies. I, too, consider myself an explorer, and in my travels, I made an intriguing find." The stranger produced a strange-looking ring after patting himself to find the correct pocket. The ring glinted as if gold, but was covered in waves of gold, red, orange, and yellow. It had rounded edges, and was large enough to be worn as a wristband. However, there was another conspicuous detail to it: a single bladed horn, protruding from one side of the ring, tapering, and ending in a small hook. On the other side of the blade's base was some kind of insignia, hard to notice, but present nonetheless. "As you can see, it's significantly smaller than most, but what I find most interesting is that I was even able to pick it up. They don't tend to respond to those who aren't their intended wielders."
"Hold up. How do you know you're not-"
"You figure it out after a few years," said Wizardmon, with a small sneer. "I apologize for my tone. Most... chosen Armor wielders happen upon their own first. That's why I want you to have this." He thrust it into Alan's hand before the human could protest. Thankfully, he could hold it. "Digimon can never be sure, but you're a chosen human. Everything I know says you're guaranteed at least two digimentals. Please, take it."
"Hey, why are you-" but it was too late. Be it by running, teleportation, or any other method, Wizardmon was already out of sight, leaving Alan and Levi to ponder what had just happened. Levi hadn't even gotten a word into the conversation. First, Alan considered the object he was holding. It was small, but warm to the touch. Holding onto it sent through him an inexplicable feeling of comfort, of safety.
He had felt this before. One of those "important" memories. Suddenly, his questions that had been cast aside for but a few moments came flooding back.
"How do I know this is real? If we could both hold it... why am I convinced this is real? That it's not one of those artificial ones? I didn't do anything to earn- why did he-? Damn it!" He kicked the ground as hard as he could, wincing at the impact. "Some rando just took pity on me! What? Does he think I'd never be able find one myself? If that's the case..."
He turned his head down.
"...then I suppose that makes two of us."
Levi finally found something to say. "Well... what are we gonna do now? We can't just throw it away."
Alan remained silent to think of what to say. "I... I know. But I can't use this! I'd feel bad. I wouldn't feel right. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. And say this is the real digimental, huh? What do I do then? Have someone hide it again? I wouldn't feel good about that, either. I'm worried I just had my one chance to feel proud about this ruined for me. I..."
"We need to hear his side of the story. If we don't know if this is a real digimental, then we can't possibly make an informed decision."
"So how do you suggest we find him?"
"I don't know, but if we don't at least try, then-"
"Maybe he'll take pity again and show himself."
"Alan..." Levi was at a loss trying to think of anything that might help Alan become motivated once more. "Do you... want to let me hold it?"
"Yes. I think I would." Alan handed the digimental over to Levi without hesitation. "It's got some magical calming aura or something, but it's just making me pissed off and a bit nauseous. 'Congratulations on finding the magical thing, here's a magical backrub to make you feel better after a long day of searching and proving you're not worthless and-"
"You realize you-"
"I am aware I'm not worthless! Let's just go find that guy and give it back to him, tell him he can have a nice day... urgh!"
Wizardmon's existence had taken a turn for the confusing. Not even he knew what mysterious hand of fate named the digidestined, the digimentals, the digivices, or even which digimon were chosen to be able to tap into similar powers. What he did knew is that this force spoke to him. Perhaps it had taken pity on him, or perhaps this wasn't even the same force, but after trying and failing so many times to become one of the chosen few, even digivolving once naturally along the way, he began to receive premonitions. Vague, but generally easy-to-understand hints. Instructions. He loved helping others, but he hated living life being told what to do, and not even by a friendly face. Merely... being told what to do. What he was supposed to be doing now was waiting. Waiting in a bar in Old Terminus for the boy and the Veemon to show up. So they did. What a surprise. And now the boy was going to ask:
"Is this yours?"
"No. It's yours."
"You know what I meant. Did you give this to us?"
"Yes."
"Where did you get it?"
Go to the Bayou. Remove the Digimental of Integrity from its resting place.
"Backup Bayou."
"The Bayou... Archon said he felt something powerful there. If it wasn't yours, forget how you could take it. Why did you take it?"
...and bring it to Terminus City. You will find a human boy travelling with a Veemon wearing a hat.
"I... I..."
Give it to them. They will have need of it soon.
"...Because believe it or not, this is about more than your pride!"
Alan and Levi were taken aback by the Wizardmon's sudden remark.
"MY!" He breathed hard, angry at no one in particular. "APOLOGIES! ALLOW ME! TO CALM.... down. I... am no fortune teller, but I am for your sake, for the fortune is told to me. You're going to have to trust me. I wouldn't be giving this to you if you didn't earn it. How do I know this? Because the very same annoying, vague, sporadic, unknowable force that decided it decides these things told me to do so. You know why I'm giving this to you? You're going to need it soon, apparently. So please... even if you feel bad... even if you don't feel worthy... your conviction was strong enough that you would refuse to make use of the digimental's power. Even if you needed it. You hold fast to your beliefs once you've decided what you believe in. There's no question about it, and it's your own life on the line. So take it. Take the Digimental of Integrity, and put it to good use." He weakly pushed the ring back towards Alan. "You will... probably die if you don't take this thing. Just so we're clear. Is that not enough for you to get over yourself?"
Alan moved his head in some direction and grabbed hold of the digimental to place it in his infini-store before leaving, closely followed by Levi.
He was no longer pissed off.
Now he just felt nauseous.
Words: 1626
Alan, a young man of eighteen, was strolling down one of the many streets of Terminus with his digimon partner, Levi, a Veemon who had gotten in the habit of wearing a grey ivy cap whenever he could. They had taken care to avoid most of the riskier parts of town, which is why it came as a shock to them when they were approached by a someone, a Wizardmon, who was, while otherwise relatively normal in appearance, acting suspiciously like one of those peddlers.
"Excuse me," said the stranger's voice from behind, "would either of you happen to have been inquiring about digimentals?"
The partners froze. This could be a good thing, but if it wasn't it was something absolutely horrible. They casually turned their heads - not too slowly, not too quickly - so that they didn't appear as if they had just been caught in an act.
Alan hummed, eyeing the stranger up and down. They appeared menacing, to be sure, but the human knew far better to judge based off of appearances in the digital world. A majority of the "ordinary" citizens had menacing appearances about them. No, something else was concerning here. He didn't remember speaking to this digimon in particular at any point, though he was open to the possibility that he had forgotten, or that they were simply in a different form at the time.
"Not to be rude, but, while I do remember asking, I do not remember speaking to you, specifically."
"It's quite alright," replied the Wizardmon, gentle kindness in his voice. He began to rummage around in one of his suit's many pockets. "I don't expect you to. I admit, I happened to overhear a few words, and couldn't help but eavesdrop. My apologies. I, too, consider myself an explorer, and in my travels, I made an intriguing find." The stranger produced a strange-looking ring after patting himself to find the correct pocket. The ring glinted as if gold, but was covered in waves of gold, red, orange, and yellow. It had rounded edges, and was large enough to be worn as a wristband. However, there was another conspicuous detail to it: a single bladed horn, protruding from one side of the ring, tapering, and ending in a small hook. On the other side of the blade's base was some kind of insignia, hard to notice, but present nonetheless. "As you can see, it's significantly smaller than most, but what I find most interesting is that I was even able to pick it up. They don't tend to respond to those who aren't their intended wielders."
"Hold up. How do you know you're not-"
"You figure it out after a few years," said Wizardmon, with a small sneer. "I apologize for my tone. Most... chosen Armor wielders happen upon their own first. That's why I want you to have this." He thrust it into Alan's hand before the human could protest. Thankfully, he could hold it. "Digimon can never be sure, but you're a chosen human. Everything I know says you're guaranteed at least two digimentals. Please, take it."
"Hey, why are you-" but it was too late. Be it by running, teleportation, or any other method, Wizardmon was already out of sight, leaving Alan and Levi to ponder what had just happened. Levi hadn't even gotten a word into the conversation. First, Alan considered the object he was holding. It was small, but warm to the touch. Holding onto it sent through him an inexplicable feeling of comfort, of safety.
He had felt this before. One of those "important" memories. Suddenly, his questions that had been cast aside for but a few moments came flooding back.
"How do I know this is real? If we could both hold it... why am I convinced this is real? That it's not one of those artificial ones? I didn't do anything to earn- why did he-? Damn it!" He kicked the ground as hard as he could, wincing at the impact. "Some rando just took pity on me! What? Does he think I'd never be able find one myself? If that's the case..."
He turned his head down.
"...then I suppose that makes two of us."
Levi finally found something to say. "Well... what are we gonna do now? We can't just throw it away."
Alan remained silent to think of what to say. "I... I know. But I can't use this! I'd feel bad. I wouldn't feel right. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. And say this is the real digimental, huh? What do I do then? Have someone hide it again? I wouldn't feel good about that, either. I'm worried I just had my one chance to feel proud about this ruined for me. I..."
"We need to hear his side of the story. If we don't know if this is a real digimental, then we can't possibly make an informed decision."
"So how do you suggest we find him?"
"I don't know, but if we don't at least try, then-"
"Maybe he'll take pity again and show himself."
"Alan..." Levi was at a loss trying to think of anything that might help Alan become motivated once more. "Do you... want to let me hold it?"
"Yes. I think I would." Alan handed the digimental over to Levi without hesitation. "It's got some magical calming aura or something, but it's just making me pissed off and a bit nauseous. 'Congratulations on finding the magical thing, here's a magical backrub to make you feel better after a long day of searching and proving you're not worthless and-"
"You realize you-"
"I am aware I'm not worthless! Let's just go find that guy and give it back to him, tell him he can have a nice day... urgh!"
Wizardmon's existence had taken a turn for the confusing. Not even he knew what mysterious hand of fate named the digidestined, the digimentals, the digivices, or even which digimon were chosen to be able to tap into similar powers. What he did knew is that this force spoke to him. Perhaps it had taken pity on him, or perhaps this wasn't even the same force, but after trying and failing so many times to become one of the chosen few, even digivolving once naturally along the way, he began to receive premonitions. Vague, but generally easy-to-understand hints. Instructions. He loved helping others, but he hated living life being told what to do, and not even by a friendly face. Merely... being told what to do. What he was supposed to be doing now was waiting. Waiting in a bar in Old Terminus for the boy and the Veemon to show up. So they did. What a surprise. And now the boy was going to ask:
"Is this yours?"
"No. It's yours."
"You know what I meant. Did you give this to us?"
"Yes."
"Where did you get it?"
Go to the Bayou. Remove the Digimental of Integrity from its resting place.
"Backup Bayou."
"The Bayou... Archon said he felt something powerful there. If it wasn't yours, forget how you could take it. Why did you take it?"
...and bring it to Terminus City. You will find a human boy travelling with a Veemon wearing a hat.
"I... I..."
Give it to them. They will have need of it soon.
"...Because believe it or not, this is about more than your pride!"
Alan and Levi were taken aback by the Wizardmon's sudden remark.
"MY!" He breathed hard, angry at no one in particular. "APOLOGIES! ALLOW ME! TO CALM.... down. I... am no fortune teller, but I am for your sake, for the fortune is told to me. You're going to have to trust me. I wouldn't be giving this to you if you didn't earn it. How do I know this? Because the very same annoying, vague, sporadic, unknowable force that decided it decides these things told me to do so. You know why I'm giving this to you? You're going to need it soon, apparently. So please... even if you feel bad... even if you don't feel worthy... your conviction was strong enough that you would refuse to make use of the digimental's power. Even if you needed it. You hold fast to your beliefs once you've decided what you believe in. There's no question about it, and it's your own life on the line. So take it. Take the Digimental of Integrity, and put it to good use." He weakly pushed the ring back towards Alan. "You will... probably die if you don't take this thing. Just so we're clear. Is that not enough for you to get over yourself?"
Alan moved his head in some direction and grabbed hold of the digimental to place it in his infini-store before leaving, closely followed by Levi.
He was no longer pissed off.
Now he just felt nauseous.
Words: 1626
