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Our Reflections [Isaac/Ask]
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 10, 2017 5:59:58 GMT
Isaac jumped back a little in shock as his shadow was snatched up and turned into weapons. It was also another reminder of his new inhumanity. Being only around 3 feet tall, his shadow was only worth two needles. Was that a petty thing to be rustled about? Because Isaac was pretty darn rustled by that. Nevertheless, it was pretty impressive seeing Iko actually get down to business. "Jeez, feels weird not having one of those," Isaac remarked, turning around as if trying to will a shadow right back out of him. "You ever do that just to tease Luke? Just get rid of his shadow and see how long it takes him to notice?" It seemed even in Digimon form, it was hard to make Isaac stop thinking like a pesky brother.
That said, it seemed like Isaac's plan worked. The fire was lower, and only half of the room got messed up in the process. All it took was some clever shadow manipulation by Iko to tie it all together, making sure his own shadow was sequestered away from the flames. Isaac couldn't help but grin. He was only used to seeing Iko's cunning on the battlefield. Now he was seeing it in full display, and a lot of the applications of it were frankly quite genius. "Wish my powers were that flexible," he commented. All Impmon really had was explosions, and the rest of his forms were currently locked up in The Box. A shame. He was really hoping to sink his teeth into Samudramon some more.
Less fun was seeing the shadowflame sink its teeth into Iko, Isaac's plan collapsing as flame cascaded back onto the blade. So much for that! Nevertheless, Iko didn't even seem phased by it. It was more the blade hurting Iko if anything, judging by how he was describing what was going on. Isaac cringed at seeing his friend and occasional mentor in such dire straits, and he knew if he didn't intervene somehow the pain was going to bring Iko to his knees. Yet, what could Isaac even do? If he touched the blade he'd meet the same fate. If he tried to help Iko lift, the fire might consume him as well. Was Iko supposed to be absorbing it?
"Come on, you can do this," Isaac found himself muttering, worry shining in his eyes. He waited patiently, hand outstretched. If Iko ever got too overwhelmed to continue, he would kick up another Imp-losion and try to draw some flame away from him. That said, would it be too late by then?
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Post by darkblade on Apr 11, 2017 0:18:00 GMT
On that bit about shadows, Luke rolled his eyes. "Please, don't give him the idea-"
"I think the better question," Iko cut in with a grin, "Is if he's even noticed I did it before?" Ah, nothing like a little humor to break up the dreary tone. Luke just blinked, shaking his head as he pinched his sinus. "Damn it, you demon wolf..."
Oh, if only that tone could carry through right now. For Iko, both Isaac and Luke's mutterings were just the buzzing of insects in this maelstrom of fire. The Ankomon definitely felt the cursed heat wrap over his shoulders, the black veil coating his back, and the right side of his face. His arm shook, red energy still crackling straight up his arm, the cursed blade as still as it ever was.
C'mon... An unfortunate, familiar voice echoed in Iko's head, silent to the other two, even as Iko gritted his teeth. Look at you! Tied to a human, trying to act strong for another... don't you think you're too soft for something like this?
Too soft, eh?
Mhm. Well, not that it matters now: half coated in virus data, and bound to this thing the moment you touched it. If you do it halfway, you'll be torn to shreds!
"... You're nothing." Iko's two, physical words echoed out into the room, seemingly out of context, just as the flame would cover the last of his exposed arm and leg. Haha... nothing? Is that a thing to call yourself, Iko?
"Heh... c'mon. It would be a pretty pathetic show just to fail a test. Especially in front of both of them." With the flame still roaring around him, the Ankmon squared his stance, and with one pull, the blade started to budge, a slight scrape to the stone underneath. And then, with a yell, a roar that shook even the stone of this room, the blade clambered free. His arm was awkwardly raised to the air as he fell backwards, the blade held tight in that veiled hand. Even then, however, the rest of the flame in the room shot right at him, covering his form!
"Iko!"
It was a sight to behold in one instant, and a moment of panic in the next: somehow, someway, the dumb demon wolf managed to actually pull it off! But before there was even a word of success between them, he was already pulled out of sight, surrounded and seemingly assaulted by this black flame! "Damn it, get up! You're not that-"
"... Grr..."
Wait... on a second look, it seemed that the fire was dying out, receding at a quick rate. And raising black arm from the opaque flame, a creature of flame stood up, shadowfire idly burning off its skin. There, Iko stood, back hunched as he looked curiously at the dagger in his hand. It no longer seemed to hurt, not at this point: the creature's gaze flicked towards Isaac, than Luke, red lines of light trailing from its eyes. Luke stepped back... just what was-
"See?" Iko stood up, seemingly cracking his back, the newfound flame flickering around his head. He pulled the veil back: underneath, Iko's own face was clear, his free hand moving to rub his eye. 'Underneath', the only visible change was that crescent moon on his head, taking the shape of a full moon.
"Wait... what?" Luke was stunned: his partner was just engulfed in flame, surrounded by shadow, and yet his voice was so calm! Iko even gave a yawn, shaking his head. "Ugh... Isaac? Take care of... that one..."
He pointed over his shoulder, towards the shrine. And as Luke looked over, it was... well, actually, something Luke was unfamiliar with, a suspended white 'ring' of some kind.
Fractal Code, to be more specific.
"It should... oh, jeez, this form's not easy..." He yawned, again! "It should be the data for this temple. Just load it, and this whole, corrupting temple will just vanish around us..."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 11, 2017 5:36:50 GMT
Isaac pumped a fist in victory as Iko tore the sword right out of the stone. Did it look painful? Hell yes. Was the mission a success anyway? Hell yes. "I knew you could do it," Isaac said, a proud grin spreading across his face. "Doesn't that hurt, though? I mean, sheesh, you're still covered in all that fire."
It seemed like the fire wasn't hurting Iko at all, though. In fact, he seemed even calmer than usual beneath it, and the insignia on his head at shifted as well. Did he just transform? Hell, did he just Digivolve? Isaac wasn't even sure that Digivolution worked that way, but considering his entire Digivolution line was based on finding artifacts it didn't really come as a surprise. Instead he took in the new form, his grin holding as he nodded in approval. "Well, that's a good look for you," he said, wishing that he would have a better one than Impmon sometime soon.
Then again, it wasn't too easy of a form even if it looked quite snazzy. Isaac's pride gave way to concern as he noticed the wolf yawning and sagging somewhat, and he made a mental note to speed out of here before Iko ended up collapsing. While he stepped forward at first to help prop Iko up, the white ring of code he was pointed at quickly stole his attention instead.
Apparently, he was supposed to pick it up.
Isaac's eyes widened as he imagined reaching for the code, its pristine white surface staining red the second his corrupted code merged with it. He imagined the shadowflame on the walls giving way to horrid tendrils, lashing out and whipping at him, Luke, and Iko. He imagined the floor of the temple falling out into a sea of red goo. He imagined Ebemon's laughter echoing through his head. Had he even felled the alien? God, it was almost impossible to remember. Putting him on the pilot's seat of an abandoned temple filled with artifacts, or at least an artifact, seemed like an awful idea. Would that happen if he tried to integrate with the code? Could he even integrate it, or would it simply reject him?
He didn't want to risk it. He turned to Luke, and if an Impmon was capable of paling in fear Isaac certainly was. "I don't think it'd work out," he said, trying to hide a nervous cough. "I'm a human, after all. What if it doesn't fit right? It's probably a better idea for Iko to do it instead." He felt bad about throwing his already tired friend under the bus, but he really couldn't risk them getting hurt by his own poor decisions.
Isaac just hoped they wouldn't press him. If it came to excuses, he really had none.
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Post by darkblade on Apr 11, 2017 23:41:46 GMT
Well, Isaac's attitude bounced back pretty quickly from seeing Iko engulfed in flame - though, then again, so did the wolf's, with his normal laid-back attitude right at the forefront. This brought Luke to just shake his head again - "You know, we were worried," and Iko to just chuckle. "About this old place? Please... we've fought on flying boulders, this is nothing."
That was a story for another time, though: the first order of business was dealing with this temple, and thus solving the issue of the forest's tumor. The ring of fractal code, born apparently from the stone where the blade was wedged, held the corrupted data keeping this place together. And though Iko didn't know too much about spirit wielders, he did know that it was generally their ability to manipulate said data, absorb it, and 'correct' broken pieces of land.
This is why Iko tilted his head, when Isaac seemed absolutely 'terrified' by the idea. There were so many holes in that: didn't he take on spirits, which were much more complicated data structures? Wasn't the entire purpose of being a spirit holder, the ability to process data? Did the human element actually matter at all? These, and several other questions were ones that Iko could have asked in immediate response, and he definitely took a moment to chew on that information.
"Er... Iko?" Luke noted the pause. "Something wrong-"
"... Well, it can't be helped." Iko cut Luke off: though it was clear he knew something was up, for the moment, he let it slide. "I'm not perfect at this - heck, I can't even start the process without damaging the fractal, but its not like we need to do a stellar job here." Right there, he managed a small grin on his face, before moving the shadowfire to cover it once more. He quickly made his way in front of the code, looking it over once, before he brandished his free hand: his claw struck the edge, piercing through, red data fraying from the end as he tore into it like a ribbon.
The code responded, the newfound ribbon coiling and compressing into Iko's palm, a ball of spinning, blinking data forming in his hand. Similarly, the entire temple took the same texture, white panels of 0s and 1s flickering and appearing around them... until, all at once, the temple vanished, all three falling a good two inches to the mud underneath!
"Are you... what?" Luke looked around. They were outside, and sitting at the bottom of a pit, dirt walls on each side! "Yeah, trippy, I know." Holding the data in his hand, Iko's mega form unceremoniously broke, blade and veil disappearing, his mark receding to a crescent moon. "Now, let's climb up..."
And, once they were all free of the hole, Iko raised the ball of data again. This time, it spun outwards, coiling back and filling the hole, a white patch of light 'repairing' the land. And, as Iko predicted, it wasn't perfect: the grass was a dull, sickly color, and what was once a well carved wooden sculpture of a Cherrymon, in the center of the clearing, was now half rotten and cracked. Iko scratched his head, and sighed. "A spirit wielder, I am not, I guess... not bad for like my second time trying this, I guess?" He shrugged.
"I guess, but maybe we should give this place one more look over?"
"Yeah, you do that." At that, Iko turned to face Isaac. "Hey? Just quick, we need to talk."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 12, 2017 5:38:53 GMT
Isaac cringe a little as Iko jabbed a claw into the fractal code, rending it in the process of absorbing it. Was that supposed to happen? No, definitely not. Immediately he realized that he had made the wrong choice, and he could only hope that as a result too much havoc wouldn't be wreaked on the environment. Was it supposed to be humans who did this usually? It made sense. They had Digivices, while Iko just had his claws and fangs to work with. Maybe he was too hasty in pushing off the duty. Then again, Isaac didn't even have a Digivice to work with anymore. It was part of his form, as it always was when he was in mid-Digivolution, and until he could be himself again it'd be stuck that way.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice the world shifting beneath his feet. His stomach lurched ever so slightly from the minuscule fall, and by the time he finally opened his eyes he noticed how different everything looked.
Unfortunately, it wasn't too pretty. There was dirt all over the grass, and what was surely an ornate carving before was now as disfigured as he land below. He let out a sigh as he watched it all. This was all his fault, wasn't it? Just like his absolute failure to watch his loved ones in the D-Reaper mission, he had completely dropped the ball here. If that was the kind of strength he could muster up, maybe he deserved to be stuck in this body. He wished, ever so briefly, that he could turn back time, step up to the plate, and help out. Maybe it'd be better, maybe it'd be worse. Either way, at least he wouldn't have to be a passenger in his own life.
If he was a passenger, Iko was taking the driver's seat. Isaac's reflexive response to the wolf was all too typical. "I'm fine," he said, looking more at his feet at first before turning to properly face Iko.
Interesting how he responded to a question he wasn't even asked.
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Post by darkblade on Apr 13, 2017 1:19:36 GMT
Yeah, Isaac knew he screwed up. Iko could tell, just seeing the look on the kid's face, before the wolf even addressed him. And that wasn't the only piece of evidence he had: no, back when they first met in the woods, when Iko looked into his code, and even the following conversation? The fact that this Impmon, once wanting to defend his brother from this world, just brushed his mention off the back of his hand?
And, the fact that Isaac seemed so quick to want to try and switch the topic?
"Luke, we may be a while." Iko didn't even take no for an answer, and Luke, somewhat sensing the situation here, gave a nod and moved to the other side of the clearing. It wasn't as if anything was going to try and find them over this foul-smelling fungal rot, anyway.
And it was only then that Iko returned his gaze towards Isaac. But unlike before, the gaze was sharp, and the Ankomon's usual smile was nowhere to be seen. Slowly, he knelt down, looking over the Impmon, shaking his head. "Now, c'mon, you're not even good at hiding it. I haven't even asked." Iko was still sharp, after all, and with a sigh, his look softened a bit. Perhaps he was being too hard?
Or perhaps not: Isaac somehow looked like he had been like this for a while. "Don't worry, I've seen shit in my own right. A fierce lion destroying entire an entire town, half of Network Plains being ripped up to make some kind of demented floating satellite, sea monsters attacking the coast, and all the stuff in the Dark Area."
He let that sink in, before pressing further: "Now. I didn't ask before, because we had this temple to take care of. But tell me... what's going on? What happened to you?"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 13, 2017 4:05:03 GMT
Isaac glowered slightly as Iko quite literally looked down on him, but he tried not to let the look hold. He knew it wasn't Iko's fault, even if he seriously wasn't feeling up to the wolf's prodding right now. Hell, considering just earlier today he was grumbling about Iko not cottoning onto his problems, maybe he should've been thankful. It was the worst part of having such a deep, hard to shake issue. Neither attention nor ignorance could make him feel relieved, only the problem going away in the first place.
That said, from the sound of things Iko had seen a lot in his day too. Isaac just had no idea if it was anything quite like this. How could he, or anyone? Surely something this monumental was a once in a lifetime occurrence. "Not all the stuff in the Dark Area," he grumbled under his breath, trying not to let too much misplaced resentment bleed into his tone.
He sighed to clear his head. The least he could do was give Iko a proper explanation.
"My bro and I have been through a lot, too. But we hadn't been through anything like this before," he started. That was always the opening to a pleasant story. "I signed up for a job to help out a Datamon and a Wizardmon. They were doing some research on a strange anomaly, and needed some strong people to back them up. I wasn't sure if I'd be tough enough, but I made sure to prepare really hard and rise up to the task. Elliot found out, and he wanted to come too. I tried everything I could, but he wouldn't let me shake him. So I had to let him come along too. What else could I do?
It started off fine. Mysterious and unnerving, but fine. Then one of the things we were fighting swooped down and tried to snatch my girlfriend up. I threw myself in the way to distract it. What else could I do? Turned out, that just lead to me getting dragged away instead. I abandoned them all. And in the end, I was stuck inside of this . . . thing's brain. There was an Ebemon there. It prodded me. Analyzed me. Tried to get me to join it, or tried to break me down into parts. I don't even know. And it did something funny to my code. I didn't know what it did at the time, but now it's all been too clear.
I'm stuck like this now. Nothing human left here. It's all been locked away. And now I'm abandoning Elliot and Maia more than ever, because how the hell am I supposed to be what I'm supposed to be for them anymore?
Elliot's taking it real bad, too. Once I couldn't be a human anymore, he basically quit too. But at least he's finally got a shot at a normal life, right? He can still keep up with his grades, and his friends, and our family. Better than the hand I drew, at least. But what he saw there . . . god, it changed him. And when he saw I wasn't coming back, it was like I ripped the spark right out of his eyes. I just hope now that he's got his life back, he'll be able to enjoy it.
Some brother I am, right?"
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Post by darkblade on Apr 14, 2017 1:36:15 GMT
Iko's full attention was on Isaac. This was not the time for jokes, or games, or even the slightest careless word: this was a friend who needed help, even if he desperately didn't want to admit it, and the wolf was going to listen and hang onto his every word, no matter how surprising or gruesome the details. Isaac was a stubborn one, after all: for him to be this wrapped up over himself wasn't surprising, but it sure was concerning.
And indeed, there was reason to be concerned: an ill-thought out mission to the Dark Area, with a scientist who thought it wise to mess with those dark powers. Isaac's own chivalry, getting him into trouble. And though the details were sparse, Iko listened as he explained how he felt himself change, and no longer had access to his human form. He was stuck here, as an Impmon...
... And that was the crux of it. His brother, scared for what happened to him, swore off ever coming to this world again. Isaac stayed here, not wanting to disturb Elliot or Maia - this girlfriend he mentioned, probably - and, perhaps understandably, he felt helpless. And in feeling helpless, confused, and distraught, Isaac immediately assumed that he somehow brought this on himself, and that it was his own fault. There had to be that feeling, 'What could have I done differently?' or 'Did I do enough?' Either way, the damage was done, and here he was still beating himself up, even at the end.
"Some brother? Yeah..." Iko closed his eyes. "Willing to risk his neck for his allies on the drop of a pin. Willing to take the world on his own shoulders so that no-one else has to scratch a knee. And someone so ashamed of being at all weak, that they don't know the strength of their own heart." Isaac let those words hang there: he didn't expect Isaac to get it at all, nor did Iko think that the entire picture was explained to him.
"This is shit you'll have to figure out on your own, but Isaac, the world is what you make of it. I've stared death in the face a few more times than I'd like to admit... and heck, Luke over there, who was on track to being a tennis pro through college, lost his left hand in a dumb accident. But this world, neither world, is about what you can't do."
Iko stood, stretching out his back. "But, I don't need to be the one preaching to you. You have... I don't know, at least five to sort it out with in your own head." The spirits weren't for show, after all! "At any rate, whatever you do, you can't do it here. If you want, you can tag along with Luke and I for a while. If not, we'll at least get you back to Whitewater."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 17, 2017 6:37:25 GMT
Iko's kind words caught Isaac off guard. Frankly, he was expecting a lecture over being such a stupid, bullheaded idiot, not having his virtues extolled. He listened, halfheartedly at first but more intently with each word, as Iko spoke. As hard as it was for him to believe a word Iko was saying, a few of them were actually landing. The dejected frown on his face started to fade, if not fully reversed then at least brought back to a more neutral position.
He couldn't think of a word to say in response. He just closed his eyes and nodded. Maybe in time the words would fall off, or maybe in time the ones that already fell on deaf ears would stick better. For now, there was far too much on his mind for him to genuinely be sure.
That said, maybe it helped hearing that he wasn't the only one to make sacrifices. He had no idea Luke was a tennis player. Losing a hand might as well have been losing his entire life, if that was the case! Even a prosthetic likely wouldn't have enough oomph to it to put his career and passions back on track. It briefly made him remember Elliot's leg. Would Elliot have ever been a sports star? Honestly, it was really doubtful. However, a certain spark in the boy broke along with that leg, and it set off a long chain of misfortune in the family. Would things have been better if none of that ever happened?
No. Like Iko said, this wasn't a world of can'ts. It was a world of cans. Isaac may have been horribly mutated, but he was alive and capable. That was something he could never take for granted.
"I think I'll need a little bit to think," he admitted, finally mustering up a weak smile at Iko's offer. "Is it okay if I catch you guys later? It's nothing you said. I just really need time to mull all this over, get used to the hand I've been given. These woods may not be the best place, but I'm sure a good thinking stump and a moonlight view could do wonders for my head."
Maybe he still didn't feel good enough for a proper city, but at least Isaac was making strides. However, judging by the look in his eye, there seemed to be something left on his mind. " 'Sides, I get the feeling there's something here I've gotta look for, still . . ."
Finding yourself was quite literal when you were a spirit user!
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Post by darkblade on Apr 17, 2017 23:11:48 GMT
For Isaac's sake, Iko hoped the words stuck. As for the moment, the wolf didn't press forth any more unnecessary words, just giving Isaac the time to process what was said - which, honestly, might take more than today, or even this week. Heck, the wolf was still trying to figure out some of this stuff himself! But, as Isaac finally gave a smile, Iko returned his own. Yes, it was only natural that Isaac needed time.
"Well, I'll tell you what, Luke and I will be out of your hair by tomorrow morning." Iko gave a nod, not giving too much leeway to argue there. And it was about then that Luke was making his way back, and he called over: "What do you mean, tomorrow morning? I checked, its barely eight, and we're not even that far into the forest-"
"-Which isn't how you go about walking through a forest, Luke." Iko's own rebuttal came with a sigh, and he pointed to the surrounding area. "You see how the tree's shadows are cast at such a steep angle? Any landmark we used to get here, we'll never be able to see in this light, much less keep track of any trail. Its like we're in an entirely different Server Woods."
"... Huh. I wonder if that's why there's that Impmon story here. Just a trick of the light as the day passes?"
"Can't say. But, you seemed to be coming over here for something else? You find something?"
"Kind of?" Luke's voice was uncertain, as if he really didn't know if there was a problem with this place or not. "Its all muddied-up woods around here, though there's no more of that black patch than there was already. Though if you look around..." Luke gestured towards the side. And there was one particular patch of plants, what looked like a silver tuft of crab grass. It wouldn't be noteworthy at all, if not for the sheen on its color.
"... Sheesh, I didn't think I screwed up the data that badly. Oh, nothing to be concerned about," Iko quickly qualified. "That's just Bladegrass."
Apparently 'That's just Bladegrass' was enough for Iko to stand up, light up his palm in black flame, and ignite the patch. An abnormal amount of trash data fluttered out into the wind, as Iko stamped his foot down, taking care of the lingering black flames. "Its a weed that feeds on corrupted data. A good thing it does, or this entire field would look like nothing but a glitchy mess, but the plant is annoying in its own right. C'mon, let's burn out the rest of it."
Iko, of course, didn't know the specific, technical word for it... but that was the D-Reaper's form, in the waking world: just an annoyance that started a weedkilling service in the Dark Area.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 21, 2017 4:50:02 GMT
"Tomorrow morning, huh?" Isaac asked. Was it really that late at night already? The forest could get so dark that Isaac lost track at times. He didn't feel as tired as usual, but that could've easily been due to the adventure messing with his adrenaline cycle. At least Luke seemed to back him up, pointing in bewilderment just how early it actually was. Thank goodness someone here had a watch. At this point, Isaac's was just stuck inside of his entire being.
That said, Isaac could understand their reluctance to travel in this light. His own attempts at doing so tended to get him seriously lost, and camping out was way easier when there was an actual human with actual supplies on the group's side. Isaac wasn't even sure if he would take a chance to rest, though. There was still so much weighing on his mind. A walk in the woods by his lonesome really sounded ideal.
He'd need to wait for everyone else to fall asleep, though. Having someone else around would've just gotten in the way, no offense meant towards Luke or Iko. Their words had given him plenty of help, but he'd need to do this next part by himself.
Iko's description of Bladegrass caught Isaac off guard, however. Glitchy messes? Corrupted data? Strange growths that consumed entire fields? Isaac didn't want to admit it, but he was finding himself recoiling just at the description. It was all too close for comfort. They couldn't have possibly been related, though. Could they? At least Iko had the good sense to incinerate it before anything bad could happen. Isaac's sigh of relief was practically audible. "Thanks for that. I've had more than enough corrupted data for one day," Isaac found himself saying. He was more than happy to fling Imp-losions at the mess to lend a hand, not stopping until every last shred of silvery glass was incinerated.
"So what's the plan? Are we going to set up camp for the night?" Isaac asked. As much as he hated to admit it, he was start to get a bit drowsy from the effort of incinerating an entire field of Bladegrass.
Good riddance.
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Post by darkblade on Apr 22, 2017 20:55:47 GMT
Well, thankfully, Isaac didn't take issue with the two of them staying for at least a little while longer, nor did he insist on heading off on his own. That was just a passing thought, though: Isaac and Iko had work to do, to clear the field out of this mess. Thankfully the Bladegrass seemed to be just a weed, though the sheer amount of trash data that filled the air when the two burned away such a large amount of it made an almost blinding maelstrom of red dust! Luke would just wait for the two to be done, setting himself down on an already singed part of the clearing.
"Hah... how's that for a workout?" Isaac wasn't the only one that was tired, after all that: the champion stretched out his back, looking over the practically scorched field. Iko's dark flames had controlled the burn, while Isaac's fireballs ignited the tufts directly: combined with the damp nature of the black, fungal grass around the area, their impromptu inferno was nice and contained. After all this, though, Iko rested on a knee, a flash of light surrounding him as he took on his rookie form: the white squirrel, Kinezumon.
"... If I didn't know better, I think you were just trying to get out of setting up the tent." Luke sighed, pulling off his backpack.
"Oh, lighten up. I pulled a dark sword from a demented shrine, half-purified a temple, and held a blaze to this area. I deserve a break." Now shorter than Isaac, Iko looked over to the other rookie, tilting his head. "Ah, right, first time you've seen my rookie? Yeah, we're just gonna get a tent up..."
And that didn't take long at all: a good ten or so minutes later, Luke stowed away a hammer, wiping his brow as a single tent was set up, a small ring of rocks holding lit tinder and branches sparking away against the darkening sky. Currently, he was letting a pot of chili (canned, of course) heat up, Iko resting on a charred stump a short distance away from the flame.
"... So." Once they were all settled again, Iko gave a glance to Isaac. "I'm sure you have a plan, for whatever you're doing out here. But, just know that we're here if you need anything, whether its getting busted out of a desert prison or just to chill."
"Assuming Iko's not on one of his political stints again," Luke smirked in response. "Seriously, you bounce around every other week, just trying to find something. Fine with me, but aren't you going to settle for something, someday?"
"Hmph." He rolled his eyes, at that. "I'm a Digimon to a tamer! I should be an adventurer; why would I tie myself down?"
"... If you say so..."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 24, 2017 5:45:42 GMT
Isaac let out a sigh as he slumped against the ground. He wasn't the kind of guy to start sleeping on the floor, but when there was nowhere else to slump sometimes he had to take advantage of the meager space around him. "It's no running from giant bugs," Isaac started, letting out a slight laugh at what his life had become. "But man, it's been ages since I've put in effort like that. Much as I've been stuck in this Digimon body, I haven't really had much chance to get much use out of it." Sure, he flung the occasional fireball at a pissed-off Kuwagamon, but nothing like this.
That said, when he looked over and saw the form Iko devolved into, Isaac couldn't help but laugh. "And I thought my rookie form looked shrimpy!" he said, quickly adding in a hasty "No offense." Sure enough, there wasn't even any malice in Isaac's laugh. If anything it was one of relief, knowing that he wasn't the only one to end up in such a small, powerless-looking form in dire straits. Hell, Iko was kind of adorable now! That was never something Isaac expected. "Guess we both need a rest, don't we?"
Thankfully, Luke understood that, getting to work on the tent quite quickly. It certainly wasn't a bad job, even if it was one guy doing the work for three. "Thanks for the offer, Iko. I'll make sure to call you if I ever need, okay?" Isaac said. "Although, desert prison? Talking from experience here, or just pulling out the biggest fear you could think of?" That was certainly an odd example to just come out of nowhere like that!
That said, it sounded like there was something else weighing on the duo's mind. Apparently Iko had been quite restless lately, to the point where Luke was starting to ask him plenty of questions about it. "Settle?" Isaac asked, shooting the duo a curious look. He wanted answers, damnit!
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Post by darkblade on Apr 25, 2017 23:38:02 GMT
"Oh, shrimpy huh?" Iko chuckled back, toying with Isaac's words. "Oh, but you'd much rather be a squirrel running away from giant bugs. I could be up a tree in a matter of seconds!"
"Plus, its much easier to have you hang off my bag like that. You fit in much more reasonably than your champion does." To this, Iko just rolled his eyes. It was a relief, after the temple and that intense heart-to-heart talk, to just have the whole group bounce off each-other like this!
Once the camp was settled, things proceeded much more comfortably. He nodded back to Isaac, but his retort caught him a little off-guard. "Er... that first thing, honestly. There's a few Starmon out there who will lock you up and throw away the key for any little infraction, some things I think they just make up!"
"... Not that we've ever actually been there, Iko." Luke actually found Iko's fierce words about it curious himself. Luke's never had a reason to go out into the desert, nor did he ever want to, so what was this all of the sudden? "Er... I mean..." He sighed, looking for an excuse to change the subject.
And thankfully, Isaac provided the out, albeit with another personal point: settling down. "Aye, you know, like in a city or whatever. A lot of Digimon do just fine like that, sort of like how it works in your world: spreading your roots, opening a business, that sort of thing. But it just doesn't work that way in the Digital World, and its definitely not the case for me. Not yet, anyway."
Luke shook his head. "It just gets to me that he thinks he has time for all this. Between getting dragged into the real world whenever I'm there to study or just take a break, he just seems to want to do things on different ends of the world. It seemed like he wanted to stick around Whitewater for a bit... but..."
"... Well, enough of that." Yeah, Iko didn't seem to really have a reply to that one, at least not offhand. "Is the food 'bout ready?"
"Ah, it should be..."
"But yeah," He turned to Isaac, giving a shrug. "Guess you could say I'm a bit restless, though that ain't a bad thing. I mean, if you don't mind me asking, what do you want to do once you get out of these woods?"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Apr 30, 2017 5:37:04 GMT
"You got that right," Isaac said, grinning slightly. " 'Course, Impmon can fly, so I bet we're even on that one. Unless you've got more tricks up your sleeve than I know." Digimon were rarely without their strong points, even shrimpy ones.
For example, Starmon had the ability to lock people in jail cells! Sounded like poor Iko did some time in the slammer in the past. "Do they, now?" Isaac asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I'll make sure to stay off their bad side, then. Not quite sure what a Starmon even is, but I get the feeling I'll know it when I see it." Digimon tended to be very literal in description. Garbagemon was Garbage. Vademon was an inVader. Impmon was an imp. Veemon had Vs all over his head. A Starmon would be fairly obvious, wouldn't it?
So was the fact that Digimon had their own civilization, even if the wilderness Isaac had been submerged in sometimes made him forget. "Yeah. Like everyone in Terminus," Isaac said, remembering the almost strangely in-depth civilization the city had when compared to the wilder parts of the Digital World. "Still, would you bring Luke with you? I mean, if you guys are partners you're pretty much bonded together, right?" For a second, Isaac tried to visualize a world where Maia didn't have Kuu by her side. It just felt wrong.
Iko seemed to account for that, however. He was apparently accustomed to running all around both worlds to tackle every ambition in his way. In that regard, he was a lot like Isaac. "I feel ya. It isn't easy being tied down all the time, is it?" he asked, wondering just what was on Iko's mind at the moment. Iko already knew what was on Isaac's, though. He had pinpointed that, or rather a lack thereof, with startling ease. Isaac took a second to ponder the question before eventually shrugging. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'm going to try and find more spirits to get back to protecting my friends, then see if I can get back into my proper body. Like hell I'm staying in this one longer than I have to.
How about you?"
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