Skip Navigation
Spiritual Insight of a Different Sort (Elliot&Isaac/Alicia)
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 4, 2017 22:13:17 GMT
"Hostile?" Isaac actually looked kind of hurt by that one! He looked down at his feet somewhat, earlier bravado and determination a little bit quashed. "I know I can have a bit of a temper sometimes, and that I'm stubborn, but do you really think I'd lash out at you like that? I mean, you're important to Alicia, and she's important to us. And you've been really helpful to us so far, even with all the questions we've had or trouble we've brought with us. If you really want me to think on this more on my own, I'm fine with that. But please, you can trust me."
As Sol broke down Gargoylemon's problems with perfect accuracy, Isaac found himself nodding along. "You hit the nail on the head with all of those," he said, almost staggered by the spirit's accuracy at breaking it down. "It's a kind of imbalance that's really hard for Elliot to work with. And when the rage erupts out, he sometimes can't even tell friend from foe. I try to tell him it isn't his fault, but seeing him look so guilty kills me every time." He sighed, making sure to listen even more closely when Sol described his solution.
Thankfully, it was way easier than Isaac feared. There was no mystic quest or inner demon to slay. It just boiled down to meditating and finding comfort with one's self, no matter the situation. "That . . . makes a lot of sense," Isaac said, surprised he hadn't thought of that sooner. "Does he need to be in Gargoylemon form to use it, though? Because I'm pretty sure, as it is now, he won't be touching that with a ten foot pole," he asked, hoping he was fully understanding Sol's instructions in this case. "He's a brave kid, though. I bet if push comes to shove, he'll be able to step up to the plate."
This was a lot of tense seriousness. A little nervous chuckle escaped Isaac to help diffuse some tension. "Good thing my beast spirit's so easy to work with, eh?" he asked.
|
|
|
Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 6, 2017 9:51:56 GMT
”Do I think you’d lash out at me? Not really, but all living things can act irrationally when sufficiently upset, antagonized, etc. Everyone has their breaking point, and I neither know yours nor do I have any desire to discover it.” Sol replied in a pacifying manner. He also decided not to mention the fact that even if Isaac was the kind to lash out easily, it wouldn’t matter anyways since he can just go incorporeal and just have any punches phase through him. But that’s neither here nor there.
”Ah, good to see my ability to analyze problems hasn’t deteriorated any. I would’ve been terribly embarrassed if I’d missed the mark even a little bit. The worst kind of advice is wrong advice after all.” Nodding to himself, he smiled as Isaac asked for a bit of clarification. ”It will indeed absolutely require that he is in Gargoylemon form. I get the feeling that unless the forms are in use the spirit in question is either ignoring what’s going on or is not conscious enough at the time to realize what is being done. One or the other, I can’t say which for sure.”
It was all well and good that Isaac was trying to break up the tension, but that just got Sol to furrow his eyebrows and snap his fingers. ”Ah. Thank you for reminding me, Isaac. You are in quite a bit of trouble yourself, though you’ve yet to realize it. You have this very faint red glint to your eyes, and you carry yourself with the slightest hint of a wild heart and reckless abandon now compared to when we first met. I’ll just try and hit the nail on the head again, you’re even more impulsive as Devidramon then you normally are, up to and including possibly relishing the times you get to use that form, yes?”
Shaking his head, the dragon suddenly lashed his hand out and firmly gripped Isaac’s chin, leaning in and tilting his own head down enough until they were nearly touching forehead to forehead. Lowering his voice and narrowing his eyes, the dragon spirit finished the line of thought he was on. ”Let me make this crystal clear to you, Isaac. That reckless abandon is Devidramon eating away at your will because you’re letting it call all the shots while in that form. When you convince Elliot to go and meditate to calm Gargoylemon’s rage down, you are to go with him and do the same as Devidramon. You will have it much harder then him by nature of being a bearer of Chaos, but it is even more important for you to do so then Elliot. Elliot will only have to deal with his spirit throwing a temper tantrum of super-powered proportions. Dangerous, but something that can be curtailed in a pinch. You on the other hand, may wind up losing all self-control and consumed by your own impulses, or worse yet be put into the spirit’s place while that ancient creature lives your life as it pleases. So you are going to swear to me right now that you will take this measure to reassert yourself as the dominant will. And make no mistake, if you lose yourself to Devidramon…”
The dragon took a moment to sigh to himself. ”Well… I’d hate to have to break Alicia’s heart by killing such a tender soul like you. It wouldn’t be the first time I had to put a dear comrade out of his misery.” Hold the phone where did that come from!? ”I hope that drives home just how serious what I’ve said is.” Way to make the tensions run even higher, big guy...
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 7, 2017 0:10:11 GMT
Isaac sighed. Of course that was the answer. 'I don't think you'll lash out, I just don't trust you not to lash out.' Wonderful. "Gee, thanks," he said, voice so dry that all of the water in the room just evaporated.
Of course, Isaac quickly had the same revelation that Sol had "Wait, why does it even matter? You're a spirit!" he blurted. "If I did get pissy, which I won't, you could just just blink back into Alicia's head and leave me ranting to myself like a loon." He didn't even bring up the possibility of hitting Sol, because why the hell would he? Even then, though, that'd probably be as effective as trying to fight a cloud.
If Sol was trying to avoid touchy subjects, he wasn't doing a great job of it. As soon as Sol mentioned Devidramon Isaac recoiled somewhat, immediately saying "No way. I'm fine. I promise." Nevertheless, Sol didn't seem inclined to drop the topic at this original rejection, instead breaking his assessment down into far more clear explanations. Whereas Isaac's innate reaction was one of great discomfort, he seemed to be listening a lot more as Sol went into detail. Was he really about to lose himself to his own spirit? That couldn't be true. He was the one in control here. He always was, even when he was fully giving in to the freeing, tempting nature that Devidramon's presence promised.
When Sol finished, Isaac let out a slight chuckle. "You know why I use Devidramon so much?" he asked, voice equal parts unsure and all too sure. "He just feels so freeing. Impmon's tiny. Yasyamon's pretty good, but just feels like I'm a little bigger. But Devidramon? Suddenly I'm huge, and I've got more power in my little claw than I've ever had in my whole body. I can really make a difference, even when things seem hopeless. And I can do anything I want, too. I can fly! It took a lot of practice, but now that I've gotten in touch with his body there isn't anything that can hold me down.
But that's still me in control through all of it. I don't give in. I don't let myself get lost. I can fly everywhere I want, but that's still me calling the shots of where and when." He paused, looking around as if he wanted to be anywhere but here right now. "Right?"
He grit his teeth an grumbled. It was clear that he was troubled by Sol's assessment, and he was trying his hardest not to show his agreement. "Devidramon couldn't really steal his body, could he?" Isaac asked, voice far smaller than it was before.
|
|
|
Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 7, 2017 7:42:44 GMT
Sol sighed softly for the umpteenth time as Isaac tried to deflect, deny, and appeal to… what, pity? Not quite, he didn’t seem like the guy to want a pity party at any time. Freedom almost certainly, that was a big point in his retort. Freedom and Power which were the innate, most basic qualities of Chaos… and also it’s honey sweet trap. It was something the dragon spirit was terribly familiar with.
”Isaac… please hear me loud and clear when I say this. I speak from experience the horrors Chaos can inflict if one fails to keep their will strong and firm in the face of the torrential power. One could even say Chaos is a secondary attribute of mine, manifesting itself in the three paths I know you’ve noticed Alicia take, dying the Steel depending on the path. I’ve been in those shoes before, but I didn’t have anyone around to knock some sense into me before it was too late. It’s only because of Kisara that I stand before you now. She pulled me back away from the brink of oblivion at the last second. I don’t have the luxury of time with this problem… so I will show you what I had become at my lowest and most vile state. What could happen to you if you don’t heed my warnings.”
Taking a step back to open some distance, the dragon then closed his eyes, and his figure… distorted. The armor grew wicked spikes, and some horns grew and curled forward like a demon’s. The spirit hunched over visibly as his emerald scales were died black and red, like bloody tar. The steel adorning his body was rent in non-vital places as if a wild beast had torn into it, and sections appeared now to be torched black, as if by unnaturally hot fire. The now-hellish dragon’s eyes opened again, but unnervingly they were pools of pure gray. No pupil, no iris, not even the slightest hint of even a vein, just solid and dead gray. Topping it off, the dragon had a strange 'aura' around him that made his scales seem to stand up and bristle more, his breath to be visible like it was the middle of winter, and the whole figure steam like some feral fiend.
”I did terrible things I will never forgive myssself for while I was lossst...” Even the dragon’s voice had changed, taking on an airy and emotionless hissing sound. ”I killed sssso many innocent people… I hurt everyone I loved. Permanently sssscarred a number of them even… Thissss is the true horror of Chaos… Power and Freedom… It happily gives and gives as one indulges It’s whims, until one is nearly addicted to the ssssensation of being able to throw caution to the wind. Then Chaos takessss from the poor victim, robbing them of everything they allowed that power to touch. The metaphorical Loan SSShark from Hell, as it were. Take inches from it and it will one day demand a mile for each inch, knowing you need to borrow more from it to meet the current demand. Chaosss is not inherently evil… but it has far greater potential for evil then Order does… Be ever vigilant, Issssaac...”
His piece said, Sol, after what had to feel like hours, finally undid the distortion, returning to his normal self and looking Isaac in the eye. "Please... this once I shall beg if I must... Don't make the same mistake I did..."
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 8, 2017 6:41:44 GMT
It sounded like Isaac's fears were correct. He wasn't nearly as in control as he thought he was, and if he thought otherwise there was currently some rather terrifying proof standing right in front of him. He took a step back in shock as he noticed Sol's form shifting into a much more malevolent one, seared by unnatural flame and surrounded by equally unnatural ice. Compared to the usual composed nature of the dragon spirit, it was downright unnerving. How did someone like Sol get carried away like that, to the point of slaughtering innocents?
It was starting to occur to Isaac that Sol may have been vastly different before millennia of becoming a spirit.
"You're right," he said, shoulders slumping as he looked down at the floor. "Spirits change people. A lot, sometimes. And if we give into them too much, really bad things can happen. Like, a few days before this, I got abducted by these alien Digimon. They took Asher too, later, and we tried to break out. But Elliot joined us, and he had fully let Gargoylemon's rage take over. He broke off his chains and just went nuts, smashing his way through the ship. And once he beat the head alien down, he didn't even recognize Asher. He just . . . charged him.
I had to stab my own brother through the chest just to snap him out of it. I've seen what it's like."
He let out a deep, heavy sigh. That wasn't an incident anyone enjoyed recounting, and yet here Isaac was. "I don't want to end up on either end of that, ever. And I know I keep saying I'm strong enough to push past it, but if someone as gentle as Elliot can be pushed to be that violent, what kind of chance do I have doing this on my own?"
He sighed wearily, trying to smile a little as he looked up at Sol. "Thanks for talking to me about all this. I promise, I'm not going to let either of us get lost, okay?"
|
|
|
Post by Alicia Westfield on Apr 16, 2017 5:01:48 GMT
Sol sighed softly and smiled as Isaac relented in his denials. ”I’m sorry for having to take such a… drastic turn with tearing the veil down and shoving the truth of the matter into your face. I was… such a wild one in my early years, and that made me easy prey for the lures of Chaos… I’d rather not see another fall down that path.”
At the recollection of an event Isaac had been privy too, the dragon spirit then winced. ”Dear me, it’s worse then I had anticipated. For him to lose control that badly that you had to actively wound him to such a… brutal degree. He needs this meditation more then I had feared. Either way, I believe we’ve finished all of what we needed to discuss in private. Let us rejoin the rest of the group. And Isaac… don’t forget that little parable I told you, in light of all this.” He still wouldn’t let that one go, would he?
With that, the dragon spirit turned to meet the others again, smiling to Isaac.
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 18, 2017 19:33:46 GMT
Isaac shook his head at Sol's insistence on apologizing. "It's fine, really," he said, trying to hide the somewhat rattled tone to his voice. "I needed the wake-up call. And Elliot needed to stop being scared of his own transformation. I think your advice is going to help the both of us out."
The surprise in Sol's voice didn't help with the worry in Isaac's voice. Was what he did so shocking that it left even an ancient spirit wincing? "It wasn't like that!" Isaac protested. "I mean, it kinda was, but I didn't wound him or anything! I just needed to do something to shock him out of it, and there isn't really much more shocking than being attacked by your own brother, right? I didn't let him get hurt too much or anything. I promise!"
Sol's reaction certainly left Isaac shocked. Nevertheless, it was time to get moving, so he nodded and dutifully followed Sol outside.
The second he stepped out of the doors he put on a big, fake smile, excited chattering in Sol's direction. "You're right! I guess that is the secret to mastering my power, isn't it?" he asked. It seemed he was throwing up some major smokescreens around the true nature of their conversation. "Think Elliot will be able to step up to the plate and handle it?"
|
|
|
Post by Alicia Westfield on May 3, 2017 2:35:11 GMT
Letting this issue drop, Sol decided to not drag things out further in favor of returning to the group. Noting the boy beginning to put on an act, he smirked at Isaac and let out a frankly full and booming laughing.
He knew cues when he saw them after all. Being able to pick them up had saved his tail on more then one occasion after all, to the point that it had become a practically mandatory skill to continue surviving. Reaching over, he firmly pat Isaac on the shoulder. ”Certainly. You’re both sharp, possibly sharper then even I give you credit for. Dealing with this is probably going to be a minor bump in the road at worst. Stay alert and you’ll have nothing to worry about.” the dragon spirit answered back. And he really did mean it, even if it was to help sell Isaac’s attempt at screening the true nature of what went on.
Kisara was just staring at Sol though, not buying the smokescreen at all. Still, she could also pick up cues pretty well, so she didn’t call them out on it, and instead broke eye contact to pretend she didn’t notice anything odd. The dragon spirit sighed quietly to himself, having already known the ice maiden was far too perceptive to be fooled by any kind of acting he could put up. He was just happy that she didn’t speak up about it.
Alicia meanwhile just waved. “Welcome back Isaac, Sol. Good news then?” The Spirit Wielder, on the other hand, seemed completely fooled.
|
|
|
Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on May 7, 2017 21:20:10 GMT
That was some real loud laughter on Sol's part. Was it too much, for such a stoic dragon? Isaac shot a suspicious look around, as if making sure nobody caught on, but thankfully everyone seemed thoroughly convinced. "Thanks," Isaac said, smirking a little at the double meaning of his gratitude. "We'll make sure to keep as sharp an eye as possible. Isn't that right, Elliot?"
"Yep!" Elliot chirped, briefly realizing that he didn't even know what Isaac was talking about. Isaac's advice was good, though, even if a bit rudimentary. Even if he wasn't sure why he was agreeing, there really wasn't any reason not to agree.
When asked about good news, Isaac merely smiled. "Yeah. Sol was really proud of how far our spirits has been coming, and wanted to give me a little evaluation," he said, masterfully stringing a series of half-truths together. "He thinks we'll be able to make a big difference once we finish mastering the spirits we've assembled. Honestly, I'm just glad I can live up to it. It's a real high bar to clear!"
Big differences got the gears in Elliot's head turning, though. He had heard a general description of the spirits' story, and why they feuded, but that just left even more cool questions to consider. "What's the biggest thing our spirits have done?" Elliot asked, eager to know how these distant avatars of the past were able to make a difference for the people around them.
|
|
|
Post by Alicia Westfield on Jun 11, 2017 7:07:29 GMT
Sol merely nodded slightly to Kisara in thanks for not calling him on his acting when no one was looking, before glancing over at the bros and smiling. Another nod to Isaac as he mentioned the growth of the spirits, and the dragon warrior took his seat again.
“Good to hear things are going well for you two. Hopefully things will continue to go well.” Alicia quipped with a happy smile. Then she tilted her head as Elliot suddenly asked for a recount of one of the biggest things the two ancient spirits had done. That was abrupt!
Sol grinned at being put on the spot and hummed. ”The biggest thing? Well… lets see, as they managed to do a lot of good in their time… Hmm...” the Steel dragon tapped a finger to his chin and smiled. ”Well… once the two had truly come to understand one another and work especially well together, the banchou had discovered a vile nest of demon Digimon. Their leader as a blackened Ghoulmon who had been gathering power to become a particularly powerful Demon Lord digimon. The two entered alone and systematically broke the encampment of murderous monsters with a hail of raging power. The Ghoulmon itself was especially powerful though, taking all of their combined experience, instinct, and wit to bring down before he could achieve his ambitions and bring great amounts of suffering.”
“… Well that’s certainly something, even as a heavily cliff noted version.” The Steel Spirit Wielder commented with wide eyes.
”We’d be here all day if I went into detail. It was quite the fiasco.” Sol returned with a grin.
|
|
|