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Birth of a Cultivator {Open}
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Post by Lianqimon on Feb 15, 2018 18:29:54 GMT
The Heavens shake, the Earth trembles. In the middle of the blazing Folder Desert, a storm rages. Powerful winds pull the sands into a vortex, a tower of dust that seems to extend to the heavens. The unusual occurrence is visible from tens of li1 away, certain to catch the eye of those in the desert. As for how many will let their curiousity get the best of them, only time will tell.
Hidden from view by the cyclone, a bizarre occurrence takes place in the heart of the storm. Data agglomerates into a sphere, which some may be able to recognize as a Digicore. as time passes, what appears to be veins grow from the core, forming a vaguely humanoid figure- Yet they clearly do not align with how veins should appear. These are meridians, vessels for carrying Qi throughout the body, and no sooner have they formed than a body begins to form around them, a human body. The body of a child. Swiftly, Lianqimon’s birth concludes, as clothes weave themselves upon his body.
His birth complete, the accompanying storm subsides. As the nameless boy opens his eyes, the last grain of sand falls into place, as if no storm had occurred.
Gazing around, the boy who looks no older than ten finds no familiarity in his surroundings, much to his dismay. To his even greater dismay, he swiftly realizes that he is not even sure what he would call familiar in the first place. Pain courses through his head as he searches through his memory for any clue to where he is- Only to discover that there is nothing to search.
Grimacing, the boy takes solace in one fact- The fact that despite his memory loss, he is still alive. Surely, though he is lost in the middle of a desert with not even a name to call his own, he has hope as long as he has life. Following this thought, the panic subsides, allowing him to think clearly.
The first order of business, clearly, is to make sense of what he knows. His memory may be gone, but surely something remains, for he still holds some level of knowledge, able to recognize a desert despite never having seen one before. Feeling that it is only proper, Lianqimon sits cross-legged, and begins to meditate.
His name is... Gone, with the rest of his memories, but some knowledge about himself comes unbidden to his mind. Knowledge of cultivation. As though by instinct, the boy sinks deeply into himself, observing that which is within him- And inside is where he sees his meridians, which he follows to their source, a slightly liquid-filled sphere in his dantian which must be his Qi pool. As though he has done it a thousand times, the child’s will sinks into his Digicore, and the liquid within begins to move, pouring into the meridians, coursing through his body.
As the Qi moves, Qi in the air around responds, being drawn in to the small body of the child, and refining into the same liquid that courses through him. Opening his eyes, Lianqimon comes up with the words to explain what has just happened.
I am a cultivator, and my Cultivation is at the earliest stage of Qi Refining. My memory is gone, for some unknown reason. Did I drink the soup of Meng Po2? Or was I schemed against by some powerful being? Either way, it will be impossible to find answers without strength.
And thus is the conclusion Lianqimon draws. Based on how familiar the knowledge is to him, it is obvious that he must have been a cultivator previously- Though of what stage, he does not know. However, as a cultivator, if a being killed him or erased his memory, it meant two things- That he was a threat to that being, and that that being was of immense power. The idea that he died of natural causes is rejected offhand, as Lianqimon refuses to believe that his past self could have had such an ending. The truth, of course, never even comes to mind.
Notes:
1 One li is a unit of measurement equal to 500 meters.
2 Meng Po is the lady of forgetfulness in Chinese folklore, her broth of oblivion is fed to spirits before they enter the cycle of reincarnation, causing them to forget their past life.
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Post by Rinji on Feb 15, 2018 20:19:33 GMT
Traveling through the desert wasn't exactly Rinji's idea of a good time, but the desire to visit Rustport Town after discovering its existence had won out.
The talk of it being a metal oasis carved out in the sands was now looking like a very unhelpful rumour, Rinji realised, as the sand rubbed against the joints in his carapace. It was incredibly uncomfortable.
"Argh," he shook a couple of his legs loose of the granules, annoyed at the grinding sensation. "I didn't even know it was possible to be sore in those parts..." Indeed, the centipede-mon was very much considering turning right back 'round straight back to the forest.
If only that dust twister hadn't formed right where his footprints were. "Oh." It was almost a speck in the distance, but had almost certainly blown away the only tracks he would've left.
He was now lost, again. The only thing he had going for him, was to head straight back towards the storm. It looked like it was dying down, now, anyway - so it wouldn't be too bad, right?
Rinji set off again, this time back-tracking on his very peculiar footprints, towards the vortex. He wasn't going to get too close to it, but he couldn't hang around, either.
"Maybe I'll have to go around it?" He muttered to himself as he approached the crest of a dune, looking onward at the twister. Almost as soon as he'd finished speaking, the sand dropped from the air, and the winds dissolved.
Was that a human there?
It was one of the smaller-type humans that Rinji knew, but no doubt about it, it looked like a human. Were they alright? They surely couldn't have been well to be caught in a sandstorm like that. "Excuse me!? Are you alright!?" He yelled from across the dune, about 50-odd meters away, not wanting to get too close incase he scared them. He seemed to have a knack for surprising small humans, as he thought back to his previous encounters.
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Post by Lianqimon on Feb 15, 2018 20:56:11 GMT
“Excuse me!? Are you alright!?”
A voice snaps the boy from his meditation. Finally, a person to ask just where the heck he is! Withdrawing his consciousness from his meridians, the childlike Digimon opens his eyes as he stands up.... Or he would, if he did not freeze in place the second he began to stand.
“D... D.... Demonic beast!”
The boy cries out in shock, seeing the gigantic centipede before him. It is the only adequate descriptor for this creature, and the cultivator knows that he is currently no match for any such creature. Stepping backwards without fully standing up, the conclusion is inevitable as the newborn Lianqimon falls to his rear.
”W... Wait, you can talk?”
Based on his residual knowledge, only High Ranking demonic beasts have the ability to speak, and although the initial shock has not passed, the boy remembers that he had opened his eyes upon hearing someone speak... And there is only this creature before him. Is it some kind of trick? But for a beast capable of speech, what need does it have to trick him? If it was going to kill him, he would have been dead before he opened his eyes.
A cold sweat drips from his forehead, as he realizes how close he came to never opening his eyes again. The lesson has been learned, that meditation should be saved for safer places than this. Who knows what other beasts lurk under the sand.
Y... You’re not going to eat me?
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Post by John Davis on Feb 15, 2018 22:12:30 GMT
The desert sun's heat spelled certain death for most if one had improperly prepared for a journey across the sea made of sand. Though miraculously, life clung to the biome in many shapes and sizes. Well, life as far as the DIgital World was concerned. And it was in the desert that John and his partner, Casimeir, traversed toward their current destination; Rustport Town. John's recent assignment involved an on-going investigation regarding data corruption and mysterious black spires, which were reported to be sprouting all across the Digital World. And being that he recently visited the Spears of Megiddo, he and Casimeir decided that Rustport Town should be their next stop.
Casimeir, currently in his Greymon state, was happily performing all of the footwork while he let his human partner rest atop of his chitin crown. Greymon was the perfect Digimon to cross the arid region, being that he did not need to worry so much about remaining hydrated. On top of that, he was able to cover more ground with his strides being much more prominent than an Agumon's.
John remained cross-legged while he fished into his backpack to grab a chilled blue Powerade. All while he had his Digi-FM tuned to "Horse With No Name" by the music group, America. "You good on drinks, Cas? I have a bunch of Powerades in here to keep your energy up." He paused, scratching his cheek. "Do Digimon even have to worry about electrolytes?"
Casimeir's crimson irises rolled upward toward where his partner was. "I'm sure that's only something that humans have to worry about. But I'll be good for a while. I can make it to Rustport, no problem."
John scanned the horizon to observe the wicked sand twister that would put a dust devil to shame. The pair was making sure to traverse around the vortex, which was already adding to their travel time. However, the human's face brightened with hope when he witnessed it die down over the next few moments. Excitedly, he patted Casimeir's head. "Hey, we can head straight to town, now! The storm's gone!"
Casimeir craned his neck to view the direction in which the storm initially brewed. Just as John said, it was gone as if it never formed in the first place. "Alright, we should get there in no time, now. Hold on tight!" Once John braced himself, the Greymon broke to a run and made a course correction. Each footfall caused puffs of sand and dust to be kicked up behind them.
It wasn't long until the duo saw some individuals up ahead. Both of them squinted to make out who or what they were. "Hey, what do you see up there?"
"Looks like a Digimon and a human," Casimeir speculated. "Think they could be lost?"
Upon further inspection, and with the distance closing between them, the boy's stature appeared to be one of nervousness while the Digimon who resembled a centipede looked over the boy. "Wait, isn't that where the sandstorm was? We need to see if they're okay!"
"Right!" More purpose welled within the Greymon now that someone could be hurt. But a charging Greymon would more than likely pose as a fear-inducing image to a little boy. "John, I'm gonna De-Digivolve!"
John took that as a quick suggestion to sling his backpack around his shoulders and prepare to make a jump. To better aid the human partner, Casimeir stopped, and bent downward, enabling John to have a softer landing. Once off of his head, Casimeir became surrounded by light, and his form shrank down to his Rookie stage. Not skipping a beat, the pair continued running toward the two up ahead of them.
"Hey!" John called out, "You guys alright!?"
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Post by Rinji on Feb 15, 2018 23:26:10 GMT
Demonic beast? He wasn't from the Dark Area! "It's okay! I'm from the forest!" He shouted across the sand, still wary of coming too close.
It seemed that, despite his caution, the human was still shocked anyway. His head tilted and his antennae drooped, feeling sorry for the human. This was just like all the other times he had met lost and confused humans. Couldn't the forces that orchestrated these things ever do it in a straight-forward way?
"Yep, I can talk!" He replied back to the boy, realising they probably didn't know what Digimon were yet. Being friendly is the best way to introduce new humans, as he had observed from Coolmon's mannerisms. Even if he wasn't as good at being as confident and enthusiastic as her.
"No?" He was a little shocked at the thought. Being eaten? Was that really what humans thought when they saw him? He felt deflated at the thought, but decided that it was probably safe enough to approach now. Wasting energy shouting into the desert air was getting tiring, and it was starting to dry out his mouth too.
Just as he was scuttling down the sandy slope (and making sure not to break into an uncontrollable slippery slide), he heard music in the distance. That, in itself, was a pretty rare thing to hear in the digital wilderness, let alone a desert. Deserts are surprisingly silent, until you hear a noisy one. "D-do you hear that?" He asked the kid, confused.
Then, as the music neared, he saw it. A Greymon was running towards them from the distance! Rinji was just about to panic, to tell the human that maybe they should run, when the Greymon suddenly glowed white against the horizon - and shrank into an Agumon.
There also appeared to be a human alongside the Agumon as well. A larger human, like Amy. "Oh, it must be a tamer," he commented, the panic on his face fading. Tamers were always good.
Said tamer shouted out, asking if they were alright. Well, that was a bit awkward, as Rinji had just asked the same question towards the smaller human.
"I'm alright! I don't know about the human though! I just found him here!" He shouted back, immediately regretting it as his voice cracked at the end. The air was simply too dry for him to keep shouting.
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Post by Lianqimon on Feb 16, 2018 0:42:35 GMT
From the forest? What does that have to do with.... being a demonic beast? Demonic beasts love forests! And what was with this creature being so friendly? If it was going to be like that, it was... Hard to be scared of it. Which could be a trap, Lianqimon felt, watching the creature cautiously.
But some things just can’t be faked, like the obvious surprise the creature showed when it was asked if it would eat him. It was as though such a thought had never crossed the creature’s mind, and was too natural to have been faked. It was at that moment, that he finally let his guard down. Ready to apologize for insulting him with his mistrust, Lianqimon prepared to introduce himself...
Well, setting aside that he had nothing to introduce himself with, the attempt at explaining never came.
"D-do you hear that?"
A sound rolls in from the distance. Music. In... English, the name of the language comes to the boy’s head. You mean, the music? Is it something we need to worry about?” The amnesiac child asks, mistaking the centipede’s confusion for trepidation. A confusion which only makes more sense, as the sound heralds the arrival of a massive reptilian Demonic Beast.
But just as he prepares for the worst, the approaching creature begins to glow, before disappearing. Or wait, no, not disappearing, it has merely shrunk- Into a much smaller orange demonic beast. Perhaps some form of transformation skill? Furthermore, as it approaches, it becomes clear that it is accompanied by a human. The centipede calls the man a tamer, which suits Lianqimon’s ‘memories’ perfectly. A demonic beast tamer.
Of course, unlike the centipede, the boy cannot relax. In fact, seeing the man only makes him tense up once more- In the world of Cultivation, there are no good samaritans, and the strong prey upon the weak. Right now, at the beginning phase of Qi Refining, the boy can be considered nothing but weak. If this man should so decide, that demonic beast could kill him with ease. If there is one consolation, it is that he currently owns nothing of value. As the saying goes, owning a piece of treasured jade becomes a crime1
Still watching the man with suspicion, the boy replies. ”I am.... Fine.”
Notably, he chooses to hide his amnesia. While the centipede is trustworthy, no such thing can be said about this beast tamer, and without knowing who he can trust, it is best to hide oneself deep.
1Treasuring a piece of jade becomes a crime- Chinese idiom suggesting that owning something precious incites the greed of others.
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Post by John Davis on Feb 16, 2018 2:27:30 GMT
John and Caismeir felt relieved upon hearing that the two strangers were okay. Now in normal talking distance, John could adequately examine the boy and the Digimon to see if they sustained any injuries from the storm. So, John thought, this wasn't a human and Digimon pair like he expected. It seemed like the more rational scenario being that a little boy was out here in the desert in the first place. Did he really wander the sands by himself?
If that was the case, then John had to act quickly. He shifted his backpack to remove it from his person and plopped it down in front of him, all while bending down to open it. From its contents, he grasped an unopened water bottle that still had a nice chill to it. He stretched out his arm to offer the drink to the boy, smiling gently with sincerity etched into his features.
"Here, drink up. You should keep yourself hydrated out here in the desert." His tone was calm as well as soft. It was apparent that the boy was shaken from seeing the Greymon before, so the best thing to do was to show that he nor Casimeir wished any harm. From how apprehensive the young child appeared to act, John figured that Digimon were a brand new concept to him. His gaze shifted toward the Scolomon. "Would you also like some water? I have plenty. There's also some Powerade, if that's what you prefer." The human focused on the boy again. "My name's John."
"And I'm Casimeir," the Agumon piped up with a sincere grin. "I'm an Agumon. Sorry for frightening you guys." Casimeir then walked up to stand on the left side of John. "You must be new to the Digital World. You've never met a Digimon before, have you?"
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Post by Rinji on Feb 16, 2018 18:55:56 GMT
Watching the interaction between the boy and taller human, Rinji couldn't help but notice that the kid seemed tense. Which was strange, as he'd assumed that humans would naturally trust each other.
Hearing and seeing that the small human was alright was good enough for now, though. "That's lucky - that sandstorm looked bad," he commented while the other human went to get something out of his bag. He had no idea of human resilience in sandstorms, but he knew that it would certainly be painful for most digimon. If only he'd known how awful the desert and its sand could be, maybe he'd have come prepared as well. Or never came at all.
However, it looked like the Agumon and human had come prepared. Just the sight of refreshing water was a relief. "Water is good, please." Powerade sounded like... some sort of virus. Although it was probably some exotic human drink that he'd just never heard of.
Soon enough, the standard introductions were laid out. Was it him, or did it seem more and more common for Digimon to have names these days? "And my name is Rinji, I'm a Scolomon." He added after John and Casimeir had finished introducing themselves. It also seemed like he wasn't the only one with a habit of introducing his species with his name - although it was odd that Agumon of all digimon found it necessary. Weren't they a common sight in the more populated areas of the Digital World?
"Oh, Digimon stands for Digital Monster. Me and Casimeir are both Digimon," he explained after the Agumon, wanting to keep the human as up-to-speed as possible. Most humans seemed to get antsy when kept in the dark about Digimon for too long.
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Post by John Davis on Feb 19, 2018 22:31:41 GMT
John was ready to pass another water bottle to the Scolomon. However, Lady Fate appeared to have other plans. A soft rumbling of the earth made itself known to the group in the desert. The sensation cause John to pause his actions. "Did anyone else feel that just now?"
As if to answer him, the sand beneath John and Casimeir's feet gave way. The two yelped in unison while they fell helplessly into the sea of earth, both trying desperately to hold on. John's heart banged hard inside of his chest while his Fight or Flight responses kicked in. "John! We're being sucked in!"
"Hold on, Cas!" But it was too late. In an instant, the sand swallowed them up. An eternity seemed to pass by while the two slid down a sandy tunnel leading to who-knew-where beneath the desert. John held onto his partner tightly, wanting to protect the Agumon from the ordeal as best as he could. All the while sand and dust were being kicked up and sprayed into John's eyes and mouth. The gritty taste was not pleasant at all. If the duo had to take any solace, they hoped that the tunnel had to lead somewhere.
And admittedly, it did. Both human and Digimon were launched into a more massive underground tunnel with both haphazardly tumbling onto the sweet solid ground below. John was panting, hard, from the whole experience. "Cas! Are you okay?"
"Yeah," the Agumon responded, tenderly holding his head with a paw. "I'm okay. Are you?"
John took a moment to check himself over. "No pain, no broken bones...Yeah. I'm alright." He looked up toward the entrance they fell through, worried for the others. "I hope they're okay, too. What the hell was that all about?"
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Post by Rinji on Apr 30, 2018 10:54:11 GMT
Rinji first felt the rumbling through his many legs. "I think I felt it." He looked at John, hoping the human could explain what was going on. But before anyone could think twice, Rinji got a sinking feeling. Literally. "Oh no, oh no, agh!" He tried scrambling back up the sand, hoping that he'd be able to make it back up if he were quick enough - and he did make a little bit of headway, before tumbling backwards into the sandy pit.
"Aghhh!!!" He could only scream as he fell belly-up and began sliding down some sort of tunnel.. Within the next few seconds, the ground came up to meet him back-first.
An enormous thud, and silence was followed by a groan. He wasn't sure if his carapace had been snapped by the fall, but a quick look around confirmed it was still intact. Not to mention Cas and John were here. It looked like they'd also been taken for a ride in that tunnel. "H-hey!"
He rocked himself back onto his feet and shook the sand out from his chitin. Despite not being broken, it was now scratched and marred from the abrasive ride.
"Any idea what that was? Hey, where did that other human go?" He looked around, confused at the new surroundings and how the human boy had come and gone as mysteriously as a mirage.
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Post by John Davis on May 5, 2018 16:16:51 GMT
It would seem that John and Casimeir were the only ones swallowed up by the desert for but a moment until Rinji soon fell into the chamber with them. The two quickly got to their feet to offer their aid to the Scolomon, both checking him over to see what damage was done. Just a few scratches, thank goodness.
Upon Rinji's questions, the pair looked at each other. "I'm not sure what happened," John admitted. "Maybe this is a normality out here in the desert."
Casimeir's gaze locked with the ceiling above them. "He's not down here, maybe he's still up there?"
John sat on the ground and crossed his legs. "Are you hurt, Rinji? I might have some first-aid stuff in my bag."
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Post by Rinji on May 5, 2018 18:26:51 GMT
Giant sinking pits of sand being a normality in the desert? Now he really wished he hadn't come here. "W-what if a digimon made this tunnel?" He thought out loud, both hopeful it had been something friendly like Drimogemon and fearful it could've been something a lot less friendly.
He looked back up the tunnel the group had slid down, almost expecting the kid to come sliding down after them. Nothing. "I-I hope he's alright." Casimeir was probably right, although now there wasn't much they could do about it.
Was he injured? Rinji looked back at himself again; he didn't feel hurt. "I think I'm okay for now." The scratches were mostly superficial and would disappear eventually - he didn't want John to waste his supplies on him.
"Should we try going through the tunnel?" He asked, trying to look into its depths. He remembered the last time he explored a cave. Bad memories. "Do you have a torch by any chance?" He didn't fancy stumbling around in the dark again.
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