The Next Step! [Kai/Ren/Whatever.]

    Shiro was the first to charge after the monkey Digimon. He seemed to think this was a game of sorts. Kai just shrugged. "We've got no clues without that journal. We'd best get it before they do something like rip it up or soak it in the ocean. And Lucemon, you'd best not. Kill him, and we don't know where the journal is." Really, wasn't the Digimon paying attention? He started following the others towards the Monmon and his village.

Pfft. A drop-off. Sure, alright. Lucemon glides gracefully above the ground, following after Ren and the Monmon. He's not overly keen to deal with these Digimon. Their initial meeting, only an hour ago, had made a bad impression on the cherubic young Digimon. He isn't too concerned about his--...their safety. For the moment. Monmon are Rookie-level Digimon, no match for him, clearly.

Although, he'd prefer if it didn't come down to a fight.

A village. Hm. Maybe there is cause for concern. Still, the book belongs to Ren, so Lucemon will let him lead here, although those sharp eyes remain locked on Monmon, not wanting the thieving little monkey to get away. Seriously, when was the last quiet day?

The footing was a little precarious, with the path down the cliff side only occasionally wide enough for a human to walk comfortably. At the bottom of the cliff there was maybe ten feet of sand and rock between the water's edge and the rock wall of the cliff, with a channel between the two beaches easily wide enough to accommodate a decent sized ship. Ren found the Monmon waiting for him in the sand, fidgeting impatiently as it watched Kai slowly descend the ramp. Once they'd gathered at the bottom, Ren gave the young man an encouraging smile. Maybe he was afraid of heights?

The moment they were regathered at the bottom of the path, the Monmon set off again, heading for the cave where the cliffs converged. The villagers hadn't ever bothered (or needed to bother) with torches or light sources; it was surprisingly dark once they got underneath the rock. The ocean continued through the middle of the cave; from what Ren could see, it looked like someone could sail a ship right on through. If he was careful... yeah. Now all he needed was a ship.

As they walked through the tunnel-like cave, the companions began to hear the low, rhythmic sounds of some kind of tribal chanting or singing echoing softly through the chamber. As they emerged into the island's interior lagoon, the chanting built to a crescendo, then cut off as the Monmon brought them to a clearing of palm trees surrounding another hut, probably the chief's judging from the size. In the center of the clearing, a brown-furred digimon stood over a fire. It was monkey-shaped like the Monmon, with a feathered tribal mask covering its face and a large boomerang on its back.

"Sepikmon," his D-scanner announced from his pocket. "The wise monkey digimon. He can speak to the dead and you should watch your neck when he starts throwing his Spirit Boomerang to himself!"

"So you be da ones on Chief's Island. Me chief, that mean this me island. Good island for Monmon. Collect Spirits for Chief. Found one you took. Been looking long time. Part of set. You give Spirit back, Chief give you book."

Ren, his eyes sparkling, turned to regard Kai and Lucemon. "Part of a set, huh..."

    "That's all fine and good, Ren, but weren't you listening? He said you'd have to give them back, in order to get the journal. I thought the entire point of coming here was to get it?" Unless they planned to double cross the chieftain. Somehow, this seemed like a bad idea.

Lucemon sighs. That went well. He raises a hand, forming a crucifix-esque shape from ten glowing orbs of superheated energy. He throws the attack in the direction of one of the Monmon, "Grand Cross. This could be going better," He seems displeased. No prizes for guessing why.

Perhaps he should Digivolve...

Oh, wait. Right. He has to worry about a third party. "Kai, it might be best if you stay behind me. I mean no offense, but you're not equipped to handle a direct fight with other Digimon, like I am,"

Lucemon scattered a group of Monmon with his Grand Cross, while Shiro held another at bay with his Little Blasts. A few of the latter were consistently trying to slip by the little digimon to get at Kai and Kuro. All of this was made more difficult by the need for everyone on both sides to keep an eye out for the path of Sepikmon's spirit boomerang. The Chief had not as of yet targeted anything specific, seeming content to keep it flying through long arcs that would force Kai and Lucemon to dodge, duck and tumble.

While his friends fought, Ren absently wondered what bus had hit him while laying on his back in the silt at the bottom of the water a few feet away from the shore. The legs of his Crabmon form waved idly in the current from the sea while Ren gathered his wits, slowly remembering what had happened as his head stopped ringing. Got hit by that boomerang... Chief. Sepikmon. He wants my Spirit. Called it an 'Ocean Totem.' Said it was part of a set.. attacked us. US. Lucemon, Kai, Shiro and Kuro!

Scrambling around wildly, Ren threw up a great, murky cloud of silt in the water as he righted himself. Crawling out of the cloud and pausing a moment to get his bearings, he found what he was looking for quickly- the edge of a wooden post that served as one corner of the foundation for a certain hut. He followed it around to the far side before emerging from the water and degenerating back to his human form. Wow- it even dried him off! Sepikmon had apparently forgotten him after the first throw sent him flying, so Ren slipped into the Chief's hut before anyone could notice. He hoped.

Once safely inside the dim structure, Ren found it crowded with... junk. A lot of it. All manner of it. Wasn't this guy supposed to collect Spirits? Sighing, he was about to give it up when a light from his pocket caught his eye. The D-scanner again. Investigation showed him an arrow wobbling drunkenly on one side of the screen, pointing to the back corner of the hut. Okay then. Shifting past items salvaged from the shores and waters around the island, paying little attention to what he dislodged knocked down or stepped on, Ren searched frantically. What does a Spirit look like anyway?

Then, it caught his eye. Sitting on a lopsided shelf was what looked like an incomplete statuette- driftwood base, with what looked like a brass hook and iron flintlock barrel set upon it with plenty of room for more. Where was the rest? Was this even the spirit? He lifted his D-scanner to confirm, instantly rewarded with a glowing light and a warbling screech that was becoming increasingly familiar...

"Execute: Spirit Evolution!" Digicode cocooned Ren and the Spirit both, changing his body, altering the dimensions but keeping the humanoid shape this time. His right hand became a large brass hook, while his left morphed into a heavy iron cannon. Any face he had was hidden behind his coat's tall collar and shadowed under a great hat. All except a single, sparkling blue eye.

"Hookmon!"