In a Corrupted Mind [Mission]

Isaac noticed the urgent tone in Maia's voice when she pleaded with him to stay safe. He wished he could revert back to human form for a bit, so he could try and take her hand or hug her for comfort. Instead, he simply looked her straight in the eye, trying to choke down the worry in his own voice and be her rock. "I'd be scum if I did something let us get torn apart so soon," he said. It felt so long ago, yet still so recently, that Isaac worked up the nerve to tell Maia how he truly felt. To already leave her, in a more permanent and deadly way, was inconceivable to him. "I'm gonna be fighting my hardest to come back to you in one piece. I promise." He made his way to one of the beds, Elliot heading for the one to his left. They were always each others' right-hand men, but today Elliot new that spot'd belong to someone else. Then, without any further word, they plugged in the neural implants.

Would it be like sleeping? Would this all be like one big fever dream? Or was it going to feel a lot more real? As their consciousness gave way to nothing but an endless darkness, they realized they were about to find out sooner rather than later.

And so they stared.

This group was definitely an interesting lot... though, for the D-Reaper, they had quite a different opinion of what interested them then most. It didn't matter how friendly or hostile anyone in the group acted, these little scouts wouldn't change expression, and for the most part wouldn't even move from their position.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. At Elliot's question, the Searcher assigned to the Impmon would tilt its head, a curious clicking emanating from deep in its core, like a curious bird. For a moment, it almost seemed like an attempt at a response, but it wasn't 'quite' that. OmegaShoutmon's appearance got a bit more action: the Searchers on Impmon and Blackagumon immediately lost interest in their respective quarries, and immediately circled around this far more interesting process of evolution. They looked to him, the Scouts looking at each-other, as if to confer, before they would all return to their original posts. Signs of power seemed to make them more curious than scared.

Kuu would get the most interesting response of all... provided that he didn't follow his tamer's orders. As the weasel beckoned, the scout would indeed come closer, and as the paw would touch its wing...

BZZZZT.

Merely touching it would prove dangerous. On contact, Kuu would feel a red goop coat over his paw, as a reaction forced him to be pushed back from the bird. It would cake on, sparking for a moment, feeling much like a deep burn, before the mass would vanish. It would hurt, but there was no lasting damage. Nor, still, was there any intent to hurt felt from these scouts. A few moments later, they would dart right back into the trees, as if something spooked them. But if they looked carefully, they would still see their masks glinting, looking over all of them.

They would watch. But as far as this place was concerned, they had seen enough. To the Impmon's left, the burnt bushes would shake, something else approaching fast. Eight red eyes pulsed, four pairs as pinpoints very close to each-other, before these... 'monstrosities' would crawl out. Moving, by dragging their front limbs, the similar cords dragging behind.

These.... whatever they were, were each almost the size of BigAgumon. And as soon as the four of them would break through, they would hold position in a line, and 'stand' aiming their forearms forward, openings aimed at the group, arms engorging. The next moment, a stark bolt of red energy would fire out, firing from each 'Bubbles' towards Impmon, Veemon, Kuu, and Shiro, respectively. And it wouldn't just be a single shot: as a 'turret' entity, they would continue firing out, without rest, every two seconds. Their intent?

To tire them out.

And it wouldn't just be 'Bubbles': one more would appear a moment later, cutting through the canopy:

A single bladed enemy, this about half the size of the 'Bubbles' would appear from above. It seemed, for a moment, almost as passive as a 'watcher'. But its coat would unfurl, revealing several cords and scythes, each glistening with some red light. Cord dangling behind, it would shoot forth. But for which one of them?

For all the information the Searchers had collected... it turned, locking eyes with a single target.

Maia.

And it would shoot forth, to try and get in close. Blades flashing, it would throw out its wires, in an attempt to entangle its target!

Isaac found rising to the occasion to be far easier than Elliot. Veemon was a solid, stout form built for combat. Impmon was an agile, floaty form built for keeping away. That was why Isaac was able to gracefully flip and leap out of the way of the turret's firing, while Elliot had to clumsily fling himself out of harm's way and endure several glancing blows. At this rate he'd end up tiring far more quickly, and against these strange foes who knows what that might have meant? Still, for now both brothers were fresh, although Elliot had no clue how long he could hold out for. Would there be room for counterattack of Digivolution? Not with this hail of bullets coming their way.

It was the appearance of the pendulum beast, and specifically who it sought to target, that first caught Isaac's attention. He whipped around, preparing to hurl an Imp-losion at the monster, but his concentration was shattered by a shot to the head. His attention was currently split between his vow to protect Maia and his attempts at dodging the bubbles. He could barely even disengage from combat. How was he supposed to help at this rate? Thankfully Scout came onto the scene, blasting at it with a large burst of energy. Normally he'd be irked about missing his chance, but Maia's safety meant far more to him than his ego. Instead he tried to plan his next move, hoping to both dodge the turret and retaliate for that creature even thinking of targeting Maia. The key was to wait until the turret was just about to fire, Isaac nestling between the one that targeted him and the one that targeted Elliot.

It fired. Zero seconds. "Explosive Warp!" he shouted. One second to shout the move out, one more second to disappear. By the time the turret would have started to fire Isaac would have vanished in a small explosion, hoping to hit Elliot's pursuer with both the explosion and the ensuing turret blast. Then came the backswing of the move. Isaac planned to reappear where the pendulum monster's next location would be, after either dodging or being smashed by Scout. Would it even still be there in two seconds time, or would Isaac find himself exploding next to nothing but open air? It was a risky move, and one that would likely leave him wide open for attack if it missed, but he knew he had to try.

Elliot continued trying to dodge and weave, wishing he could deal with sustained projectile fire as easily as Isaac could. However, he knew there just wasn't much opportunity to run. So long as he was under heavy fire, it was keep dodging as Veemon or run into the terrifying forest of nightmares. Compared to being stuck in Sprite form? Nightmare forest started to sound increasingly appealing, especially if he kept to the edge of the woods. Once Isaac teleported away Elliot bolted, keeping close to a nearby tree and holding his Digivice tight. He held it closely to his chest and prayed that nothing would ambush him as he surrounded himself in a cocoon of light.