The Cat is Under the Table [Syre] [Career]

"Looking for something that's not here would be kind of tricky - well, I guess we gotta play it by ear either way, right?" Returning a small chuckle to her auntie's point, Syre returned her focus to the ledge. No matter how she pieced it together, there was just no way that she alone could manage. Scaling the wall was easy, sure, but in a way that would avoid contact with the red material? Maybe they could try and burn it away, but then again, what if this 'lichen' was all that was left keeping the wall in place?

Fortunately, Syre didn't need to have an answer - Amelie had one! Seeing that D-Tector drawn, Syre gave a step back, as her auntie took the shape of, well, a relatively person-shaped amalgamate of purple tendrils and stark white bones. As nice as her auntie was, her spirits always made Syre a touch nervous, but with a nod, she'd climb aboard - easily whisked away upward and past the ledge, through a narrower pass than it seemed from below. Still, there was enough of an opening that the two would be able to make their way through, a good five feet, before the cave would open up again.

Inside? Syre gave a blink, shielding her eyes from a red light that soaked through the area, budding from the 'center' of this rocky clearing. Directing Driftermon down to the left, to a 'clean' patch of rock, they would be able to better take a stock of this room, where the D-Reaper's lichen stretched across the floor, the walls, and the ceiling in a fibrous, spider-like pattern. It all culminated near the center of the room, the source of that red light.

"What in blazes..."

Syre didn't know what to make of it: at the center of this room was a spirit totem - not one that called out to Amelie's own, but of a powerful-looking avian spirit. Around it was a stark, cracking green sphere of energy, as if pushing back against the encroaching D-Reaper. Like a plant, the Reaper's roots had spread across the center, half-enveloping that barrier like an egg. This definitely seemed like the source, Syre gritting her teeth at the sight.

"It feels like its struggling." Her tone was short, but quiet, as if fearing the D-Reaper would overhear!

As 'bizarre' as Amelie's spirits were, this wasn't Syre's first time seeing them - and as such, her auntie's method of communication was something the cat had grown used to. Perhaps it had been frightening at first, but now, Syre even kept a careful hand around one of the Driftermon's tendrils, to make sure that Amelie could keep in line with the cat's thoughts.

It made them an interesting duo, and the scene before them was perhaps their first real test. Amelie's words confirmed what the cat already knew, Syre gritting her teeth slightly at the sight of it. That poor spirit was trapped, struggling against the encroaching grip of the D-Reaper. Who knew just how long that barrier would stay up? Her ear gave a twitch at Amelie's other points.

Just what would happen if they tried to free it? Syre's mind focused on that question, but with her limited knowledge on the subject, her thoughts were a bit scattered. It burned on touch, but if they acted so openly, would the D-Reaper try to grab and ensnare them? Would an agent bud and try and fight them inside the cave? Even if they got through it, if one of them touched the totem, would the spirit within possess them? Heck, what would dad think if she tried something so reckless?

The Driftermon would feel each passing thought, each bit of unease, as Syre tried to piece it together in her head. There was obviously so much that could go wrong, that could go against them... gah, no, that wasn't important! The BlackGatomon lowered and shook her head, clearing her head as best as she could. Instead of focusing on the negatives, the cat started to think forward. Maybe they could cut forward with a Saberk, or maybe they could burn at the edges of those tendrils. Seeing that sparking barrier in the distance, Syre gave a slow, calm breath out.

The words she spoke matched her thoughts, point for point:

"Don't know. But don't we have to try?"

It was really that simple, wasn't it? Feeling Driftermon's emotion shift through her, Syre 'returned' Amelie's unspoken smile, a nod given to those mental words. Fire to burn away the D-Reaper, and a blade to cut through the tendrils. "Let's see..."

Extending her right arm out to the side, Syre gave a 'test', creating a Saberk blade in her right hand. The BlackGatomon's eyes were focused on the nearest tendrils of the D-Reaper, both tense and curious as to if the mass would react. As it would turn out, however, the D-Reaper remained passive. "Alright - so long as we don't attack it directly, it doesn't seem like the stuff is interested in us."

This gave Syre more time - the Saberk could imitate any blade, after all, and comprised of energy, it would hardly have any weight. Knowing this, the cat made a long, curved sword, a scimitar with a blade nearly the size of her body. Holding it off to the side, she carefully drew her focus forward. "More than the method though, we need to be fast. Go in, grab the totem, get out." With a sigh, she carefully stood. She trusted Amelie to know what to do: with as little ground as there was to work with, Syre was going to have to 'fly' with her auntie, just like they had done when they got into the cave. So, waiting for her aunt to start the charge, she gave a nod:

"Let's do it."

Their plan was set - re-verified in each-other's minds - and the BlackGatomon gave a nod. Once more perched on the glorified 'back' of the Driftermon, Syre brought her focus forward. "On your mark, Amy."

One... two... three! Right in line with her auntie's motions, Syre tensed her hand around the ethereal base of that blade as the two lurched forward! The fire itself seemed to do the trick, as the D-Reaper naturally receded away from the heat. Perhaps as expected, the mass was a little more problematic around the barrier and the totem itself, but that was what the Saberk was for!

There! One quick slice of that blade was more than enough to cut through the encroaching D-Reaper, and Driftermon's tendril was easily able to slip past and grip around the totem. Even better, whatever spirit was inhabiting it didn't try to possess the 'non-user' who tried to touch it! All seemed well, as they would turn to try and bank out of the cave -

"Gah!" Scratch that! Just as they would turn to try and slip past, that encroaching tendril of that red mass bubbled back, snaked out, and managed to get a grip on Syre's ankle! She hadn't noticed with her focus on the plan at first, but as Amelie pulled away, the sudden catch of the slack forced her to jolt back! Eyes wide, she gripped tight around the Driftermon's tendrils, angrily shooting a gaze back down at that... that stuff!

Damn it!

Syre wasn't about to just let herself be pulled in by the D-Reaper's grip, either. After her initial shout of pain, righting herself as best as she could in the Driftermon's grip, the BlackGatomon turned her focus back down at that offending tendril. If it was anything like the one that she had just cut through, all they had to do was destroy it and slip out, right?

Along with Amelie, Syre swung her blade down, attempting to pierce through the tendril in one go - but, somehow, it wasn't that simple. The grip tightened as the swipe of the blade and Amelie's lashing bounced off what felt like a tight cable - one that had quite a firm hold on the cat's foot. Tch... if that's not enough...

At this point, Syre didn't know exactly what was going through her head. All she knew was that she needed more strength than that last swing: tensing her hand once more, she simply 'willed' all the power she had into that Saberk - and, as if she had done it a thousand times before, a harsh cold aura surrounded the energy blade. At the same time, a small flash of light blinked from the cat's tail, as she gave that attack:

One more swing. This one easily sliced through the cable, the sudden release of tension surging the cat back solidly into Amelie's grip! Shaking her head, she simply pointed right back towards the cave opening. Right, they didn't need to be there for much longer! In it all, the black ring adorning Syre's tail simply fell into the background:

Just make a cloak of fire and rush all the way out of the cave!

An ace in the hole?

Hardly, this was a sheer fluke - and even now, the BlackGatomon wasn't entirely sure what had happened! All that really mattered was that her leg was free, and the two were once more and the two were free to try and make their escape from the cave. The D-Reaper somehow seemed more active than before - starting to grow and 'crawl' along the walls at a hurried rate - but it still seemed to maintain the properties of lichen. With the veil of fire - and the occasional swing from Syre's blade - it didn't take long for the two to shoot back out over the ledge.

Of course, they would go further than that. With Syre riding Driftermon all the way, the two would find their way out a lot quicker than they made their way in, even if both the cat and Amelie suffered a few scratches on the way out. When they finally cleared that cavern's entrance - and got a good distance away from it - Syre gave a good, long look back towards the cave.

... Nothing. It didn't seem like the D-Reaper would chase them out here.

"Oh thank Sovereign."

Taking a breath out, Syre would step off from Driftermon's back, stand on her own two feet - and immediately regret it. She quickly sat down, wrapping both of her hands around that leg, a faint cold energy radiating out as she tried to cool off her shin. For a moment, she seemed tense... but a few seconds later?

She gave a chuckle, followed by a small laugh! "Freaking... we actually did that! Heh!"

They did it, somehow! Still laughing, a tired smile wide across Syre's face, the BlackGatomon soon find herself plucked right off the ground, tightly hugged by her auntie. The cat was taken a bit by surprise, both by the action and the very tight grip that Amelie was giving!

"Nyah!" That 'meow' was more given out of the surprise of the hug than anything else, but fortunately, she was soon let go, allowing the BlackGatomon to try and test her foot. "Let's see... I don't think its that bad - ack!" No, scratch that: one attempt to put weight on it brought the pain right back to her ankle. It was less the burn that gave her problems, but the sudden pull from the 'cable' had managed to torque her foot somewhat. She wanted to try and tough it out, but after a few moments, relented: "Yeah, if you don't mind, go ahead and carry me."

Presumably plucked up into Amelie's grip - the totem either picked up next to her or stored in Amelie's bag - the cat's ear twitched at her aunt's next point. Right... right, dad! "He did tell us not to mess with that stuff, didn't he? Well... well, maybe he'll understand that we were trying to help someone?" That made it alright, right? Surely the punishment wouldn't be too bad? Amelie's tone made it hard for the cat to sound sure.

As for that obvious question? "Um... well, do you have enough for your article, auntie?" That was the whole reason they were down here, right? "If you're ready to go back, I am..."