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As I Walk Through the Valley (Mana) (Hunt)
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Nov 14, 2017 2:53:23 GMT
I'm going back.
Elliot had texted but three words to Mana, but the meaning of those three words was abundantly obvious. What else could he mean, when up to this point he had avoided the Digital World like it was the plague? What else could he mean, when beforehand his Digivice wouldn't have even lit up anymore? What else could he mean, when slowly but surely he had taken back every aspect of his life bar one flagrant exception. All of his past weeks had basically been leading up to this one critical moment.
A shame it wasn't a very pleasant re-introduction.
Elliot ducked frantically as a massive, green forearm crashed down in front of his head, sending fragments of rock splintering in every direction. Craning his neck up to see whose it was, Elliot could faintly make out the face of his aggressor. It was a Triceramon, one of its bright blue eyes the size of Elliot's entire head. Its lips were peeled back in a vicious snarl, and puffs of smoke seemed to blow from its nose as it let out a few heavy snorts. Right now, Elliot was stuck between a wall of stone and a furious dinosaur, and its snarl shifted into a menacing smile as it realized that it had Elliot completely trapped.
It reared back slightly to headbutt Elliot, only for Elliot to desperately hold his hand to the sky. Pillars of light formed around him, the force of them sending the Triceramon sprawling back. It threw its hands up to its face, stumbling back and buying Elliot time to quickly dart away. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The Triceramon recovered quickly, grabbing Elliot by the back of his robes. The dinosaur hefted him up with little more than brute force, sending Elliot skyward before smashing him into the stony floor below. Cracks spread at the site of the MagnaAngemon's impact, the Triceramon letting out a primal roar. Dazed, Elliot stared up at the sun, squinting.
~~~~
Elliot blinked, turning away from the fluorescent lighting and waiting for school to end. After his little week of sneaking out with Karin, he finally felt okay enough to make his way back to classes. Now that he was emotionally equipped to handle it again, he was actually enjoying himself! He wasn't as focused as usual, true. He fought off the urge to drift off to sleep in the early morning periods, and in the late afternoon periods his eyes were almost glued to the window. His performance on a pop quiz, wracked with sleep deprivation and distractions, was the worst he had done in an academic context in years. Yet he still couldn't help but feel accomplished just mustering up the willpower to go. He had his foot in the door, he was getting his life back on track, and he didn't even need to keep walking in the long shadow Isaac had cast behind him. Maybe, just maybe, Elliot could finally live for himself.
He was more sociable than the ghost he had been around town. Having actual fun with Karin put some enthusiasm and cheer back in Elliot's heart. However, there were still some people he just couldn't muster up the strength to talk to. One of them was his fellow adventurer, classmate, and great friend, Mana. She was one of the people that Elliot had completely faded away from when the D-Reaper incident happened, if only due to being either unable or unwilling to face her about what happened. She had his number, so it was a bit trickier than with most. He'd still text her about homework, and assure her he was fine, but he was always just too sick and too troubled to hang out. It wasn't an excuse, honest!
Now, though, Mana would know he was here. Somehow, Elliot had the feeling he wouldn't be able to sneak his way out of this one. At the same time, Elliot just knew that this time he'd be strong enough. He sighed as he rose from his seat, eyes darting around the room as he looked for Mana. Would she be looking for him? God, he didn't even know.
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on Nov 16, 2017 3:39:36 GMT
"..."
A loud, thumping sound was heard immediately after; unmistakably, it was the sound of a cellphone colliding with the hard floor of the changing room where Mana was currently at. As deceptively simple as those three words were, they had managed to hit the girl like a bucket of cold water directly in her face. And just directly after taking a shower, to boot! In any other situation, this would have probably been slightly unfair.
"Miss—Err, Mana." The not-so-subtly holosuited digimon spoke right away. Noticing the rather abrupt reaction coming from her partner. "Is everything o-."
"We have to go to the Digital World right now, Aya. I'll tell you in the way."
Just a simple nod before a pile of clothes was promptly stuffed inside a duffel bag while the redhead finished changing as fast as she could. How bad was this?
Probably between really bad and catastrophic, honestly. She had to run.
How much time it had been?
At first, Mana had been outright jovial at the realization that Elliot and she were classmates! It was amazing; she had somebody who made this otherwise alien environment slightly less alien. And boy, he sure made sure of that.
Yeah, he was awkward and easily flustered at times, but so far, he was probably the best person she could've asked for to have as companion in something as complicated as school. It frankly made her feel more at home than in "her own" apartment. Not to blame Yuu or anything; she had proven to be a most gracious hostess and whatnot, but their relationship was... strange. Not to say that the blonde was busy more often than not. PROFIT seemed like a monster to maintain, and that responsibility seemed to fall exclusively on top of her shoulders.
Every now and then, she couldn't but pity her.
Sometimes, she felt lonely. And that feeling was exacerbated as soon as he began to avoid her. At first, she thought there were just random episodes, but as the time went on, she kinda realized it. At least, she was smart enough to do that.
Yet... she couldn't bring herself to ask why. In part because she would eventually be told if Elliot trusted her enough, and on the other... because she terrified of the potential answer. What if he hated her? She usually dismissed those thoughts instantly, but as the time went on and the answers she got began to get more and more repetitive, that option began to be seriously contemplated.
And that scared her a little too much. She just wanted to have her friend back. Was that something bad, or selfish? She didn't know, in all honesty.
She noticed how he began to miss classes and skip school. And as puzzled as she was, she did nothing about it, except for sharing her notes if asked for them.
What had happened to their friendship?
A lazy gaze was directed at the window. School would end at any time, and most students were already packing their stuff up. Her eyes went through the classroom, until they briefly stopped on Elliot's seat.
He was gazing at her.
She gave him a genuine, yet unintentionally awkward smile and a wave as she rose up from her seat, most of her stuff already packed. What was he up to? Guess that if he wanted to talk, he'd give the first step.
The trio descended from a Trailmon, right into the Valley of Dragons. What was Elliot doing in here, of all the places? Guess they'd have the answer for that soon enough.
First, they had to find him.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Nov 17, 2017 0:45:50 GMT
The Triceramon wasn't finished yet. It stooped down to grab Elliot roughly by the head, only stopping when it suddenly felt an obstruction between the webbing of its fingers. It tilted its head somewhat inwards, noticing that Elliot was still managing to put up something resembling a fight. He had produced a cudgel from his robes, holding it against Triceramon's claw to keep it at bay to the best of his ability. It started to glow a faint white, sizzling the Triceramon's hand and causing it to jolt back.
Slowly but surely, Elliot pushed himself to his feet. He could barely stand under his own power after such a vicious assault, needing to use his cudgel to peel himself back off of the ground. He forced himself to look up at Triceramon, making sure not to break eye contact as he held his cudgel defensively close. "I am not going to fight you," Elliot said, the fear pounding in his heart not reflecting in the slightest through MagnaAngemon's permanently serene voice. "I simply wish to pass." The Triceramon lowered onto all fours to meet Elliot's eyes, but the angel simply stared back, unblinking.
A low, warning snarl turned into a crackling roar as the Triceramon charged forward, the weakened stone cracking beneath its heavy footsteps. Elliot squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for just the right moment, and leaped skyward as soon as the Triceramon neared. He could practically feel the solid air from how fast Triceramon was rushing, and his stomach felt weightless.
~~~~
Weightless. How else could it feel being on the receiving end of that somewhat awkward smile? Mana's smiles always came so easily before, and the more time the two spent together the more comfortable she seemed to be showing it off. It was a nice little sign of her progress, navigating through her amnesia and finding happiness in the life she had once lost. Sure, her memories didn't just magically come back, but it almost seemed like that was being less of a concern. She was finding peace. She was finding friendship. She was finding happiness.
Seeing the awkwardness behind the smile was a painful reminder that, whether Elliot liked it or not, something had changed. Nevertheless, he tried to justify it to himself. He smiled back, but it looked just as awkward as Mana's did. If anything, with how much was weighing on Elliot's mind, it looked even painfully more so.
Why did he think he could just fade out of peoples' lives and act as if nothing happened when he was ready to come back? "Hey, Mana," he said, the hesitance in his voice making it abundantly clear he was hiding something. "I-"
Oh, who was he kidding? Mana had been someone he became fast friends with from the near beginning. She had been a tether between worlds, and someone his own age he could actually confide in about struggles both human and digital. As nice as friends like Asher and Karin were, Mana was someone right by his side in the world. Heck, she was somebody that he had promised he would stand by no matter what. And what did he do? When he felt pressure on his end, he just crumpled, ran, and hid. He didn't even think about how she would feel, did he? Or, rather, he did, but it seemed he only thought about what his presence would do to her and not what his absence would.
How could he be so stupid?
He looked down at his feet, blushing slightly from the sheer shame of it all. "I . . . I'm sorry . . ." he muttered, his heart pounding heavily from how much of a weight had finally fallen off of it.
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on Nov 17, 2017 3:04:19 GMT
Most of all, she was genuinely confused. As the bell rang and the classroom began to vacate, Mana's own smile was reciprocated as she drew closer to Elliot —to her friend—. She wasn't going to mask it; it was harsh, and very much so. This... show of warmth when the last couple of... weeks? Months maybe? The redhead didn't really care, but it had felt like an eternity.
An eternity of indifference, she had to add.
But, she still couldn't bring herself to feel anger, or anything remotely like it. How could she? Elliot was (or had been?) her best friend, and such a reaction probably wouldn't be fit for the situation. If anything, those words made her feel... relieved? Maybe whatever made him refrain from speaking to her wasn't an issue anymore? Maybe everything could go back to what it was? Back in the past, when their biggest worries were trying to play it cool while inside a sauna.
Heh. That had been fun.
"Hey." She immediately replied, her smile becoming a little less awkward, and quite more authentic. Was this a second chance? If that was the case, she'd make sure to seize it.
Color her surprised when apparently... none of this had been her fault? The very moment Elliot's apology was muttered, the girl found herself staring confusing at it all. "Huh?" Yup, she was dumbfounded; and by now... wasn't even sure about what was up.
Still, she couldn't chase away this urge to get to the bottom of whatever was happening. Just for her peace of mind. "Why so, though?"
Gently placing a hand on his shoulder, her smile seemed a lot less awkward; you could even say it was pretty reminiscent of her usual expression. "Also, yanno. I kinda like people looking at me when they're talking to me. Think you can pull it off?"
Maybe she was being too casual about this? Frankly, her legs were shaking and this bravado seemed to be a good way to hide her own insecurities.
Not to say that Elliot looked kinda cute while blushing~. "That's it. Hope you don't have any questions, because if what I think that's happening is happening, I think we'll end up doing a dramatic entrance."
The tale had been a wild one, but neither Ayaka nor Suzuran had expected any less. While the good-natured twin just nodded, her sister couldn't but... to snicker at the tale. "You care too much about that human, you know? I do not know why we are going to be the cavalry if he so desperately wants to get his behind handed to him, but I guess it is too late to talk about that. Do you think you can track down his signal?"
"I'll try." Luckily, it was quite easy, and he wasn't that far away, to boot! "Let's go. We have no time to waste."
She sincerely hoped they weren't too late and that he would be okay. Just a little more... and they'd be there.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Nov 18, 2017 7:50:39 GMT
Elliot had expected a lot of reactions from Mana. Exasperation, maybe, from how he thought he could pull a disappearing act and come back all of a sudden. Possibly betrayal, from how after all of the promises that he had made he simply vanished. Heck, he could have even seen just walking away in frustration. After all of this, he would've been fine with any of these. But dumbfounded shock? Confusion? Did she not even see why he was apologizing like this? There had to be a mistake. He must've said something else instead of sorry, right? He didn't even want to acknowledge the possibility that, despite all of this, Mana might not have even thought he needed to apologize.
A sudden pressure on his shoulder snapped him out of his daze, causing him to immediately tense up. Between his fight or flight reflexes being in overdrive since the D-Reaper incident and his own anxieties about this conversation, he was still a little tightly wound. Thankfully, the rest of his brain caught up to the rest of him, and he realized that Mana had gently put her hand on him. It was a gesture that summed up a lot about Mana, really. Playful yet encouraging, and casual even in the face of what had to be a lot of stress.
He couldn't help but muse on how he admired her for that. She was always so cool.
Thankfully, Mana had been able to bring him back down to Earth. He turned back to face her, even if her gesture had deepened his blush. He let out a small sigh as he tried to compose himself, then finally started to talk. "For disappearing on you like that," he said, feeling a pit deepen in his stomach as he remembered how he got here in the first place. "I . . . something really bad happened. And I just needed to get away from it all. Especially everything that reminded me of the Digital World. It just hurt too much to think about, you know?
But that doesn't make it okay. You deserve better than that." It should have felt getting that guilt off of his chest, but he couldn't lie. Admitting to his own failing hurt, too. A few tears started to sting at the corners of Elliot's eyes, forcing him to blink them back.
~~~~
Even if it stung so badly, Elliot needed to focus. He lowered his head and blinked the sun out of his eyes, aiming his cudgel down at Triceramon. Fortunately, Triceramon were bruisers in the truest sense of the word, little more or less. They didn't have a lot in the way of projectiles, their stumpy legs made them astoundingly poor jumpers, and they weren't exactly fast when it came to anything but charging in a straight line. Here in the sky, Elliot was fully in control.
At least, of course, until he noticed the Triceramon smash his hands into the walls of the canyon. A cruel smirk spread across his face as he pulled with all of his might, slowly causing the wall to crack and weaken. Soon he had yanked out a large boulder, and Elliot's relief gave way to a new sense of fright. The Triceramon spun in a small circle, then flung the boulder right at him in terrifying speeds. MagnaAngemon wasn't exactly the fastest flier, but with how deadly a direct hit like that would be Elliot knew he'd have to force himself to dart out of the way.
By the time he recovered from what amounted to a midair stumble, the Triceramon was already spinning to hurl another smaller boulder. Still keeping his momentum from the first dodge, Elliot was flat-out unable to get out of the way of this speedier stone. It hit him right in the gut, sending him spiraling back down to the ground. It was almost like seeing a bird shot out of the sky.
Triceramon wasted no time in pressing the advantage. He charged towards Elliot, bucking his head up and smashing Elliot back into the sky. The MagnaAngemon was sent spinning from the sheer force of the blow, only spared severe pain by the fact that it wasn't quite a direct hit. Rather than end the fight here and now, Triceramon had slipped past Elliot to knock him away. It was almost as if the dinosaur was toying with him by this point. Further confirming this was the fact that the Triceramon had made a big 180 with its charge, and was now looping around to rush Elliot again.
Unsure what else to do, Elliot simply squeezed his eyes shut and prepared to brace himself for impact.
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on Nov 20, 2017 16:18:11 GMT
Elliot's gestures conveyed something Mana hadn't seen in him for a long time. Well, it wasn't like she hadn't seen anything but cold-ish casualness from him recently, but that was probably off point. In all honesty, she was slightly dumbfounded; it was almost as if a wall that had stood tall was being torn down in the front of her very eyes.
Whether this was good or bad, she didn't know. The only thing she could feel at the moment was pure relief at her not being the cause of this strange hiatus their friendship had taken. That was everything she needed right now.
A kind smile resulted from the full explanation that ensued. By the sound of it, he had gone through so much; it stung that he hadn't been able to confide on her before, but that was nothing compared to the fact that she was... getting her friend back. Besides, it's not like she could be angry at Elliot.
The hand that had been placed on his shoulder began to turn into a tight, yet gentle hug. "It's fine." There was the slightest hint of her voice... wavering? At this point, she just didn't care. "I-I'm glad to have you're back." Least to say, Elliot wasn't the only one blinking back tears at the moment. Even if Mana's own were of joy.
It was probably too corny to maintain that hug for long, so the redhead's own body disengaged after a while. Tne face Elliot would see wasn't the cool facade from moments before, but at least she was doing a pretty good job at not looking like a mess right now. "So... how's that thing? Were you able to... solve it?" Asking those kinds of questions was dangerous, but Mana decided to take her chances regarding it.
If Elliot wanted to tell her about it, she figured she needed to know about it. At last! Elliot was near enough! The digivice's more frequent beeps alerted her of the location. He...
"He is being mauled by a Triceramon." Suzuran's voice was calm and collected despite the sentence's dire meaning; she had been the first to catch a glimpse of the fight unfolding between MagnaAngemon and the Triceramon. By the look of it, he wouldn't last long.
Mana's own expression turned into one of pure dread. She gazed into the distance, and couldn't stare in dismay at the battle unfolding. "We need to help him, fast!"
"I was guessing how long it would take you to ask that. Are you ready, sister?"
Ayaka just nodded while Mana focused on her own digivice. Interestingly enough, the sight was oddly familiar, almost if by other time, something similar had happened. It had been an angel too, hadn't it? That wish to help that life in peril had managed to unlock power that was there, but hadn't been discovered just yet. A sensation akin to an electrical surged coursed through her body as she realized it.
The colors of her D-Arc began to invert while the device vibrated. She didn't know why, but discovering that you were stronger than what you thought was an exhilarating feeling.
"You should make haste, sister." Ayaka's own calm expression conveyed a strange sense of urgency. She could feel what was happening, and being anywhere near a human was a probably not a good idea; not even bothering to answer to that, the fairy began to race towards the battlefield just as two green, LED-like words began to appear on the redhead's digivice.
[MATRIX EVOLUTION]
Both Champion-level faeries bodies were enveloped in a bright, white light as her features began to change, to refine. As if heralding Suzuran's perfect form, a noxious purple cloud began to extend around her changing body; eventually, both digimons' bodies were fully formed, Acerimon standing right beside her partner while Convallariamon raced to meet to meet the Triceramon head-on.
First thing the Triceramon would see was an arrow made out of pure frost careening towards him before a fairy appeared right in front of him. Suzuran's perfect-level wasn't the particularly adept at physical activities, but if her sister's attack was successful, she figured she could prevent more harm from coming to Elliot.
"Closing your eyes in the middle of a fight, human?" Funnily enough, her voice at this level was even more childlike than usual, making it sound almost mocking. "If you are going to be that disgusting and have already given up, you can go lick your wounds while I take care of this."
As if making an emphasis, the cloud surrounding Suzuran began to dangerously expand through the battlefield. If Elliot didn't move away, he'd be on its radius pretty readily. Ayaka is using Winds of Change, changing her season to Summer and chaining to Pinnacle of Frost:
Winds of Change: As the new season coalesces in Ayaka's body, a wave of wind blows on a circle around her. She immediately performs an another ability of her move list (if able) and that ability gains additional effects. Pinnacle of Frost: Effect Duration is doubled.
Pinnacle of Frost: As Ayaka draws the string of her bow, an arrow made of the whitest and purest ice is generated in it. Enemies hit by it are instantly frostbitten, becoming barely able to move or to act for 1 post and are still somewhat slowed down on their next post as the ice finishes to melt away. 1-post cooldown.
Suzuran's using Pandemia Temporarily, Suzuran extends the range and radius of Toxic Visage and Corrosive Poison greatly. Both abilities have ten times more reach and radius than usual. Lasts 3 posts. 2-post cooldown.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Nov 20, 2017 23:14:25 GMT
Elliot let out an almost inaudible yelp of surprise as Mana suddenly wrapped her arms around him tightly. Frankly, it had been a while since anyone had been so bold with their physical affection. Those who even approached noticed how worn and frail he had seemed and went for a more gentle touch, as if afraid he'd splinter into a million pieces otherwise. This was different. It was warm, and secure, and close, and for a brief second Elliot found himself forgetting about all of the stress that had slammed itself down on his shoulders. While he may have frozen up for a brief second in shock, he soon found himself holding Mana just as closely as she was holding him.
It was funny. He was so used to having to be the one leaning up into hugs. When did he get taller than Mana like this?
"I . . . I shouldn't have been gone," he said, voice little more than a frail, sorrowful whisper as the two pulled apart. "But thank you so much for letting me come back." As he looked at Mana, he couldn't help but notice the tears in the corner of her eyes. Reaching into his pocket, he dug around for a bit before grabbing a spare, rather pristine looking handkerchief for her. "Don't worry, it's clean," he joked, weakly smiling at his attempt at lightening the mood.
Neither of them looked great right now, did they? Any attempts at cool facades from earlier in the day had melted away, leaving the two of them wearing their hearts clearly on their sleeves. They both seemed to be dangling at the edge of melting into messes, but at least for the time being their dignities would be intact. That lasted approximately until Mana asked how resolved his worry was, at which point Elliot let out a world-weary sigh. "Not even close," he lamented. "I mean, if it was all solved and good, Isaac would be back now."
He paused. Surely Mana had noticed the absence. While Elliot may have lived with it for all of this time, it still hurt to even acknowledge like that. "We were on a mission, you see," he started. "It was in the Dark Area. There was this corrupted Digimon, and they wanted some of us to go into its mind to try and find the cause. And there was this monster. It wasn't a Digimon or anything. It was like some kind of . . . living slime."
His voice got more frantic as he continued to talk, Elliot almost having to clench his jaw to beat back the tears forming in his eyes. "And there were so many of them, and they kept corrupting everything they touched, and then one of them took Isaac, and while he was in there they . . . they . . ."
Suddenly, Elliot's ramble broke. His eyes seemed to dull somewhat as he said the next few words. "He's stuck now," Elliot finally forced himself to say. "Something got messed up in his code, and he's a Digimon now. And instead of staying there to help, I just ran." He let out another withered sounding sigh. "He told me to, you know. But even if he didn't, I don't know if I'd want to go back. Not after what I saw. I . . .
Mana, I'm scared.
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Triceramon tried to roar, but the unforgiving cold that permeated through his body left his vocal cords too chilled to even vibrate properly. Instead he simply glared furiously in Ayaka's direction as he literally slid to a halt, horns lightly brushing into the front fold of Elliot's robes. There he stood, near-paralyzed, doing his damned best to keep trundling towards Elliot. Unfortunately, with him stuck in a state of impossibly slowed motion, it was highly unlikely he would be able to do so.
Elliot had no idea what delivered him from his fear until he heard a familiar voice droning in his ear. He squeezed his eye open, turning and noticing a cute looking orange fairy standing in front of him. He couldn't put a name on the face, but the voice was practically on the tip of his tongue. "Who are-" he started, turning to scan the battlefield. Were these friends? Foes? Scavengers ready to pick the bones of him once Triceramon was done with him?
A familiar shock of red hair answered every question that he could have possibly had. "Mana!" he said, both joy and worry shining through even MagnaAngemon's perpetually stoic voice. Immediately he took Suzuran's advice, if only so he could run right to her side. "I . . . " he trailed off, unsure what to even say in a situation like this. Finally, he settled on a simple, somewhat surprised "You're here."
Of course, neither of them would be here if Suzuran's poison got out of hand. Just in case there was a problem, Elliot gently touched the ground with an open palm. A golden circle spread from where he stood, creating a general feeling of peace and tranquility for all who stood within its confines.
Triceramon, who was not included, would not be so fortunate. Its eyes started to water as the toxins stung at it, redoubling its efforts at thrashing its way through Ayaka's frost.
Sanctuary: MagnaAngemon blesses the ground beneath his feet, forming a hallowed circle. Anyone standing in close proximity to him is blessed, supressing status effects and debuffs from Champion Digimon and weaker. Ultimate status effects are halved in magnitude instead, and anything above is unaffected. If a Digimon leaves the Sanctuary its status effects immediately reassert themselves; poisons and burns flare up to deal damage, stuns lock the target back up, and weakening effects resume sapping the target's strength. Effect Size: 15-foot radius. Duration: Two Posts. Cooldown: Two Posts.
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on Nov 22, 2017 15:15:45 GMT
A wise man once said there wasn't anything that could heal. Well, Mana had to admit that he was right; it was amazing how much their embrace could do to give her some good old peace of mind. At this point, pretty much anything else was irrelevant. Both were fine and that's what really mattered, at least for her.
"It's... fine." She replied right away, her voice quivering ever so slightly. The redhead knew that whatever had triggered situation had to be severe at the very least. Only that much could prompt such a kind of reaction. As she extended her hand to accept the handkerchief, she gave him a small smile as she prepared to... whatever came next. It would be rough, wouldn't it?
So that was it; Isaac. Mana had to admit that she had her suspicions about that being the case, but that didn't make the confirmation feel any better. Even if she definitely got along better with Elliot, Isaac was still among the first friends she ever had and she still treasured him; the fact that he was... stuck hit her like a bucket of cold water. Using the handkerchief she had been given, she made her best effort to dissimulate the tears
But... it wasn't right to be sad at this, was it? She wasn't the one that had gotten the short end of the stick; another hug ensued right away, and while it wasn't much to make the situation better, on that moment she vowed to find a way to help them somehow. "I'm not gonna say it's okay but... we'll find a solution. I swear I'll get Isaac back."
She wasn't going to say she wasn't scared but... she owed them that much. That was more like it; now with the human out of the way, Suzuran could fight at full power without being concerned about inconsequential stuff like her partner being sad in case the human died or something. First order of the day was to widen the gap between them, just as a mass of poisonous gas converged on her hands. The battle was finally beginning to get interesting!
On the other side of the battlefield, Mana couldn't but be slightly... puzzled? "Well, yes?" She replied somewhat dubiously. "Why wouldn't I be here? You told me you were coming back."
Unadvertly, the mass of poison on Suzuran's hands began to grow even more potent and vicious, a sign that Ayaka's attack had finally affected her. Taking a couple more steps back, she finally released that stream of toxicity in Triceramon's direction. Ayaka is using Everburning Spirit on Suzuran.
Everburning Spirit Until the end of its next post, Ayaka raises her target's speed and attack to such high levels that the exertion ends up damaging them for a champion-level attack.
Suzuran is using Corrosive Poison on Triceramon
Corrosive Poison Even if mere contact with Suzuran's body or the cloud surrounding her is enough for that being to be instantly afflicted by this ability, she can also manipulate it and use it as a projectile. 1-post cooldown.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Nov 25, 2017 1:47:59 GMT
It didn't feel fine. The hug, though? Elliot sure as heck couldn't complain about that. He smiled shyly as he was pulled into it, letting out a slight sigh. Normally, his answer to this question was always the same. He had no idea where Isaac was. He had no idea if Isaac even wanted help. He had no idea if said help would even help Isaac, or if it'd just let him down again. Even now he felt those worries gnawing at the forefront of his mind, bubbling back to the surface after having taken a week off to rest.
Today, though, he also felt something else. He pulled back somewhat from the hug, noticing the determined glint in Mana's eyes and the mix of assurance and worry in her voice. He didn't know if she was right. Heck, she didn't even seem to know if she was right. However, somehow, the way that Mana was talking made him want to believe. He laughed somewhat nervously. "And here I wasn't saying anything because I didn't want to worry you," Elliot admitted. He was tempted to shy away from Mana as he said this, but instead he had to keep what she said earlier in mind. He looked Mana right in the eye, even as he started to blush brightly. "I'm kind of dumb, huh?"
Regardless, he wasn't here to flog himself beyond a bit of gentle nudging. Right now, the point was Isaac. "I know you probably figured this already, but Isaac's still a stubborn butt. Yeah, even when he's like this. Go figure, right? If you want to help you've probably got a lot of searching to do, and even then you're gonna have to deal with him grumbling about it." Normally, these brotherly annoyances would be paired with some fond, albeit irritated, eye-rolling. Today, however, it was clear that there was nothing Elliot missed more.
~~~~
Elliot couldn't help but smile at Mana's mild confusion. "I did not think that you would make it this quickly," he admitted. "Like, considering the time difference, it is like I only just got here. But . . . I am really glad you came." This was probably the most that MagnaAngemon had smiled, beyond the slight, serene grin that he almost always wore on his face.
Of course, while Elliot wasn't much of a fighter in this form, he didn't intend on being a wallflower while Mana saved his sorry butt. He kept his cudgel close as he watched Suzuran get up close and personal with the Triceramon, waiting to see how the tide of the fight would turn. Would she need support, or a combat partner?
For the now, her current combat partner seemed to have her back quite effectively. Triceramon was still mostly frozen in place. His mobility, while starting to recover slightly, was still lagging quite badly. For this reason he took a toxic blast right to the face, letting out a horrid wheeze as he slowly brought an arm in front of his face. Thankfully he had been able to seal it close to his face, preventing him from injesting any more poison as he staggered away from the plant fairy.
Once he had made an escape, or at least slogged out of the poison's main path, he wheeled around to smash the ground with both of his fists. While the vicious slow overtaking his body meant that he didn't get much momentum behind the strike, he was still able to kick up a few vicious stalagmites that shot up towards Suzuran. Sure, it left him vulnerable again, but this flower was really getting on his nerves!
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on Nov 28, 2017 1:12:45 GMT
The whole matter seemed to be really sensitive, and Mana could be very sure that this would be as taxing as it got, but she was determined to see this through. What else could she do at the sight of a friend in need? It was out of obligation, but out of thankfulness towards the brothers. She could finally begin to pay this small debt of gratitude; Elliot himself didn't seem to be that sure about it, but that was kind of to be expected. She wouldn't mind to support him, as long as that made the weight on his shoulders just a little lighter.
Gazing back at him, she was a little at a loss at first, even if... "Honestly." A long sigh ensued before she followed suit. "I kinda worried more when I didn't know what was up. At least, right now... I can do something to help you guys out. Maybe it's just me, but having something to do instead of just scratching my head wondering feels way better. Not to say I get to talk to you again."
She couldn't but limit herself to nod and snicker some at his remark of him being dumb, even if that had been somewhat understandable. Had she been in his situation, she wasn't sure on how to tackle the situation herself; being outside and inside were two different things, she guessed.
So... they had to get to work! "Guess that sometimes, you gotta help somebody even if they don't want to get help, don't you think? That's what friends are for. Wherever Isaac is, he won't be able to hide forever. I'm sure this is me making a gross simplification, but as long as we are able to find him and get even the slightest of clues on how to help him, I'm sure we'll be fine."
It was a little hard to believe, but she was sure of that one. Mana knew this wouldn't be easy, but she had no doubts about their chances of succeeding.
A small smile was drawn in Mana's face after Elliot's remark. It was true that she had gotten there somewhat fast, but what else was expected from her? Maybe it didn't help she... kinda assumed the worst. Not like she would say that though. "Figured you'd need some help. Glad I guessed right."
It wasn't the moment to be smug about it, though! A fight was undergoing right in front of them, and they probably needed to focus on that at the moment. Well, at least Suzuran seemed to have focus to spare at least; not giving the Triceramon any room to revert the advantage she currently; her movements were still sluggish, and that resulted on his attacks being somewhat predictable.
"Human." Her voice carried over to the place where the Mana and Elliot currently were. "Do that. Ice is melting soon anyway." Gliding over the battlefield in a quick motion to avoid the oncoming stalagmites, she once again felt a surge of power, courtesy of Ayaka; this would be fun.
Mana knew what to do, even if she thought it was a bit of an overkill. Bringing out her D-Arc, she slashed the card corresponding to a certain fiery man; she didn't know why Suzuran fancied much that attack considering she was a flower, but it wasn't like she was going to argue.
Lest to say, a relatively small sphere of pure heat before willing it towards Triceramon. If he wasn't dodging, that one, he was in for a world of pain. Mana Slashed Aldamon.
Ayaka's using Everburning Spirit on Suzuran again.
Suzuran is using Solar Wind Destroyer on Triceramon, Solar Wind Destroyer: The target Digimon summons a miniature sun, then detonates it into holy flame.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Nov 30, 2017 0:27:09 GMT
In his attempt at sparing Mana's feelings, Elliot at proceeded to do the complete opposite. He had honestly figured that to be the case since the second he started talking to her, but having it spelled out in plain speech still stung a little. "Heh. Oops," he said, a bit of nervousness to his little chuckle. "But hey. At least we got all this sorted out, right? And I'm really glad we're talking again, too. I really missed you." Trying to keep all of this wrapped up inside was quite honestly killing him, and was one of the major contributions to his awful mood over the past few weeks. Getting this finally off of his chest was more freeing than Elliot could have ever imagined, to the point where he didn't even care how free he was with his relief.
He missed Isaac too, though, and that was a much harder problem to resolve. "Unfortunately, he's in the Digital World right now. And that means he's had seven times the amount of time to wander and explore than we have," Elliot warned. "I last saw him in Terminus, right before I went back to the human world for the last time. Now, he could be anywhere. Especially because I highly doubt he was going to stay in the city for long, with how he was worrying about money and places to live. At this point, even following his tracks is going to be a major pain."
It was almost as if Isaac was trying not to be found. Elliot looked out the window, smiling. "Y'know, it's not like I thought I'd always be stapled to Isaac 24/7," he mused. "But I figured it'd be a little bit longer before he was all gone. Like, maybe when he finally got tired of everything, ran off with Maia, and started a tiny, blonde family with her. Not like this." Even if there was a more somber tone to his voice, he was still at least joking around now. Maybe this was some progress.
~~~~
Maybe someone like Isaac would've huffed and puffed about being fine, but Elliot never was much for macho posturing. He simply sighed a little, smiling gratefully at Mana's figuring. "I'm glad too" he admitted. "That could've been awful. I might've been able to escape, but if that thing knocked me out of the sky . . ."
Elliot didn't even want to continue that train of thought.
The Triceramon didn't want to think about going extinct, either, but that was a lot trickier of a proposition. After all, he was still iced over, and now there was a miniature sun hurtling in his direction. Thankfully, the two attacks provided some small form of neutralization. The heat melted the frost as Triceramon fell onto four legs, giving the Triceramon just enough leeway to bumrush away from the sun. It sailed over his shoulder, the Triceramon letting out a triumphant roar at what seemed like a total miss.
He didn't even notice as the sun exploded behind him, heat rushing over his hard carapace. The force of the explosions sent him sprawling forward, the little bit of ice still on the soles of his feet causing him to slip further than he normally would. Seeing his chance, Elliot glided towards the fumbling Triceramon, raising a hand to the sky. Pillars of light sprang from the ground in front of him. It was a weaker move from a weaker Digimon, but with how unstable Triceramon's footing already was a direct shot to the chest was enough to flip him over.
Triceramon wiggled back and forth slightly, letting out frustrated roars as he tried to right himself. Elliot turned to Mana and her Digimon, gesturing slightly over his shoulder towards the area further down the Valley. "He can no longer hurt us. I believe we can pass, right?" he offered. Big surprise, the big-hearted kid currently taking on the body of an angel wasn't much for executing fallen opponents. Who knew?
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on Dec 2, 2017 22:33:21 GMT
At least now they were good; that was what absolutely mattered at the moment. "Yup, I'm glad." She said with a genuine smile. It felt reassuring for her to finally have her friend back, even if the quest in front of them would probably be a long one. Not like she cared about that, though.
"Missed you too, you know. I'm glad you decided to trust me." Hopefully the next time would take less, though! She really wasn't up to go through this again, fooor sure. Those were thoughts for later, though. Right now, the plan was probably to focus on how to get Isaac back. And drag him back whether he liked that or not. That sounded like a good plan.
"I wouldn't underestimate ourselves, though! I'm sure we'll be able to find Isaac if we put our minds into it. What I'm wondering right now is how are we going to solve this small problem. That's going to be the most major of pains, in my opinion. We'll have to do some... research. I'm sure there's a cure; it's a matter of just finding it out. And probably before we get to look for your bro, while we're at it. Unless he suddenly decides he wants to help us out."
One last determined look was directed at Elliot before Mana finally added. "Don't think he's gone yet; I think guy guys are far off from the end of your tale as brothers; don't lose heart, and I'm sure he won't either. That's the nature of relationships, isn't it? To be there for the other when they need you the most." "I'm glad we arrived on time." The girl preferred to not think what would've happened if things had gotten ugly. Luckily, that hadn't been the case.
The victor of this battle was painfully obvious, and of course it was Suzuran. She hadn't doubted the result on the slightest. But, as she moved to finish her opponent off, the human decided to... interject, for the lack of a better word. "Spare it, you mean? Chances are the will be dead by the end of the day, anyway. Valley is a bit of an unforgiving place for the weak. So be it."
Given the unnecessary burden it was for them, both digimons promptly devolved as the noxious cloud enveloping Suzuran and her surroundings dissipated. Now they were safe, at least for the moment. "Lead the way, human. Wherever you want to go."
Mana nodded at her partner's statement before... proceeding to follow Elliot along with Ayaka.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 10, 2017 5:55:16 GMT
"I should've from the start," Elliot admitted. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I did. But I didn't trust myself, and that hurt you just as much. I'm not gonna shut myself off like this again. At least, not from you." It was big thing to admit, but frankly Elliot had eaten more than enough slices of humble pie for now. At this point he just wanted to finally start moving on with his life rather than keep getting bogged down in the same struggles, and finally coming clean to Mana was doing wonders for this.
"Doing research is a real good idea," he said. "I don't know how much the Digital World already knows about corruption like this, but somebody has to have answers, right? Even if one other Digimon's been corrupted like this, that's still another experience we can draw from. And if someone's already working on a cure, that's a huge step!" Even talking theoretically like this was giving Elliot's mood a huge boost. The impossible was starting to sound far more possible.
How could he believe it was the end now that he had hope like this? At Mana's encouragement he smiled softly, nodding. "Definitely," he said. "And when I see him again, I'm gonna do everything I can to let him know I appreciate him. I don't want to ever risk taking him for granted again."
~~~~
As much as Elliot hated to admit it, Suzuran was probably right. The Valley would not be kind to a helpless Triceramon like this, especially one currently poisoned and injured in several places. Any opportunistic dragon could just stick a talon in him and drain the data right out of him. Elliot sighed, then started to approach the Triceramon. He raised his hands in absolution as the Triceramon snarled at him, only to gently set a hand on the Triceramon's carapace. He squeezed his eyes shut as soft light pulsed around his hand.
Some of the Triceramon's wounds mended before Elliot pulled away, the angel setting a hand on his forehead. Easing others' wounds was always a horrible headache for him, at least in this form, and he could practically feel the energy being sapped from his body. Nevertheless, he held his weariness with a weak smile as he returned to Mana's side. "This should at least give him a chance," Elliot said, the Triceramon looking frankly baffled as it finally started to right itself.
With that all said and done, Elliot looked towards the edge of the valley. "I can feel it to the west," Elliot said. "But it still does not feel very close. I am wondering if it might be near the Digital World's westernmost point, or at least as far deep as the Valley will allow us to travel.
I wonder if an aerial view might help us. Would you like to look for yourself?" Elliot extended a hand towards Mana, wings unfurling slightly to prepare for flight.
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Mana
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Yuu
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Post by Mana on Dec 16, 2017 20:05:24 GMT
It was probably for the best to just... let go of this situation altogether. In all frankness, Mana just preferred to forget about the depressing side of this experience. Especially since they had too much to look forward too at the moment.
"I guess that doesn't matter anymore." She said with a small smile. "I'm glad you can rely on me." She wasn't sure why, but this weird feeling about them having to rely on one another in the days to come was foreboding. And, for a reason she couldn't explain, she didn't like it. "I'm not sure on how hard or easy this is gonna be, but giving up before trying doesn't sound nice, don't you think? That's why we got to try our best. Just like you did with me, eh?"
It was somewhat strange, how these two were so bound on helping others but couldn't get themselves to help each other. Thinking about that didn't matter at the moment, though. Given that Elliot finally had decided to mobilize into action, they could get to work. That's what mattered at the moment.
A soft smile began to draw on her lips at Elliot's last words. Glad that he was out of that hole, she was glad he was starting to be... Elliot again, as silly as that sounded. "Alright. When are we beginning, then? I think that we don't have time to waste in here." Suzuran scoffed at what happened next; it didn't take a genius to see how the act of saving that poor sod's life put a strain on the HolyAngemon's body, and that made the situation even more ridiculous. "I will say it takes guts to heal back a being that almost terminates you, human. Feels a bit like you are undoing my work, but I will forgive you this one. Just because my human seems to appreciate you."
Well, not like that was totally unexpected for Mana, though. Totally ignoring Suzuran's words, she just gave a smile to Elliot. "Don't overdo it. I could've asked Ayaka to do it if you really wanted to heal that guy. Anyhow, hope that gets him off your hide. There are few things as annoying as ungrateful beings."
To the west, huh? Well, at least that was a clue! "Alright! Let's take a peek. Sure you can handle me? Maybe we should rest for a while before continuing? In any case, it's up to you."
If Elliot really decided he wanted to go on, she'd just take his hand, bracing herself for a small flight.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Feb 9, 2018 3:19:21 GMT
Elliot nodded. "I'm done giving up," he said, the smile on his face slowly becoming a more serious expression. "All hiding did was make everyone feel worse, including me. I thought I'd be able to spare everyone's feelings, but it couldn't have been further from the truth." It wouldn't be fair to blame it all on others. Maybe he wanted to keep his promise to Isaac, but he should've known where to draw the line. Maybe he didn't want anyone to worry, but he should've seen when his plan wasn't working. He was stubborn, and dug his heels into the ground so he could have an excuse to wallow in this cocktail of emotions. All of this was on him.
He was getting older. The only adult thing to do would be to bring this to a head.
"Its funny. I think Isaac was just trying to help me feel better by telling me to keep quiet about this," he said, sighing wistfully. "I think I'm going to have a talk with him when I finally see him again. I bet we've both learned a lot." At this point Elliot was really just musing out loud, but it felt nice having an ear while he was doing it.
That said, Mana seemed awfully insistent on beginning their journey now. For all of his newfound confidence, Elliot briefly froze up in worry. "I'd like a bit more time with my new spirit, if that's okay," Elliot admitted. "I don't feel like I'm where I need to be with it yet. I'll let you know when I've had more time, though. Promise!" Going into the Digital World unprepared, even with someone like Mana guarding him, was frankly suicidal.
~~~~
Elliot simply offered Suzuran a serene smile when she scoffed. "If it tries to harm another again, I will have no qualms with its deletion," he admitted. "But as is, I have no further quarrel with it. I think the Digital World has seen more than enough death, personally." Without his warrior's armaments, MagnaAngemon really just was a simple healer, wasn't he? It was almost strange how much of a 180 a Digimon associated with angelic vengeance could take.
Elliot looked to the Triceramon, as if hoping for an answer on his statement. The Triceramon simply shook his head and stalked off. It was clear that, even if not the most pleasant creature, he was done with the fight for today.
Mana tried to lighten the load on Elliot, but frankly Elliot didn't really need much load lightening. "I promise you, I am alright," he said, taking her hand as she slipped it into his. "Flying is not exertion for me in this form. In fact, it is actually somewhat freeing. I have never enjoyed a form where I could just let go and drift away before, you know?" As if to demonstrate, he simply let his wings spread wide. His feet started to slowly peel off of the ground, almost as if he was floating instead of actually flying. Surely enough, Mana would feel almost weightless in the process, which explained why Elliot was able to help her drift off while taking her by the hand. It turned out holy magic had some perks.
The sun was high over the Valley of Dragons, and soon so were Elliot and Mana. The crisp blue skies were all theirs to command, the occasional shadow of a winged dragon or bird the only reminder that they weren't alone here. The sands below were an almost marble white, occasionally catching the color of the sandstone cliffs to take on a golden tone. Large, jagged cliffs marked the boundary of what many considered to be the valley, with a sea of rolling sand dunes stretching far into the horizon outside. On a cloudless day like this, the sight was breathtaking.
He flew in circles with Mana over the perimeter of the Valley, not wanting to stray too far into the desert but not wanting to lose track of where his spirit was. Finally, he found a sight far too mysterious to ignore. A strange rock formation had burst from the sand dunes to the northwest. Four pillars of stone, looking either like tiny mountains or massive stalagmites, burst from the ground in what seemed to be a semi-circle shape. A fifth, the only one out of alignment, was to the front and right of the other four.
It almost looked like a petrified dragon's claw bursting through the sands. "I feel like this may be a good location to search," Elliot offered. "Shall we?"
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