Draconic Guidance [Ophelia]

It'd be some time after her excursion out into the Western Flatlands - and thus meeting Eris - that little Ophelia would have made her way back into Northern Prominence. The Western Flatlands were indeed a new and exciting venture for her, and the experience of going someplace new was worth the trouble! Though.... Overall, Ophelia decided that she had her fill of the deserts - it was all the same after awhile - even if she had run into the ruins with that little Gigimon Eris at one point - and the sun was sweltering hot out there, even if she was confident in her ability to cope with it! So, instead, she would be heading up back north, along the western portions of the Northern Prominence.

The cold did not bother her the slightest - her thick fur was made for the chill! It, instead, reinvigorated her as she jogged across the Shining Sea - peering up at the towering crystals that dotted the landscape. The faint sunlight that peeked between the gathering clouds would refract into multiple colors as it shone thru the crystals, bathing the surface of the salt-desert in a prismatic rainbowlike hue- a beautiful sight for sure. All the same though, sometimes Ophelia got an eerie feeling from the crystals - especially when she got close to them - and though normally she'd think such spires as a perfect way to practice thru her routines and drills, she didn't want to mess up the beauty with how fragile they probably were!

Thus, she'd simply continue along her trek across the saline desert - aiming to make her way across it back towards the tundra beyond, and from there? Who knew, she'd take it wherever it led her. She was itching for a bit of a fight honestly, or just some form of excitement - she hadn't been able to find any particularly interesting digimon to spar or train against for the past while since arriving back at the Northern Prominence, which was a shame. She wanted to get bigger! Stronger! Tougher! She wanted to be the biggest bad- okay, maybe not necessarily baddest, she wasn't gonna be a bully or anything! But she wanted to be the toughest digimon around, like her momma or papa!

Grinning confidently to herself with that thought, she'd give her sword a few swings in the air, with a little "RAWR!" to match - she couldn't wait until she digivolved, and became something fierce! Maybe she'd become a Blizzarmon like her mom, or a Panjyamon like her dad! Or maybe even something else entirely, who knew?? She was eager to figure it out sooner or later, though - just how far was she from becoming a Champion? Though, as she trekked along, pondering all of this to herself - a sight off in the distance would stop both her thoughts, and her traveling, in their tracks. Just past the crystal spires, off towards the horizon, she saw something that almost looked like... A dome?

Yeah, some sort of... Snowglobe-looking dome, off in the distance. It was a little too far away to make out specific details, but she could note the dome seemed to be partially opaque, with sillohuettes of what might've been buildings within - especially as she began making her way towards it, trekking towards the mystery dome. She was extremely curious, having never heard of such a place being out here, and so she had to investigate! Had to! Was it another ruins like the ruins she ran into back in the desert? Or something more intact, even maybe inhabited? What kind of people would in a weird dome-ish deal out in the middle of nowhere?

Well, she'd find out the answer to the first question pretty quick - which was... Sort of a little bit of both? The dome - which she found wasn't actually anything solid, but more like an energy barrier - seemed to encompass a large city, which she could see beyond the boundaries of it. Some of the buildings looked all polished up and renovated, while others looked to be a little older and more worn down - and there were scents in the air, some more staler than others, of digimon and... something else, she couldn't quite identify. She'd linger for a few moments, continuing to sniff the air as she tried to get a gauge on what this scent was, before eventually giving up and glancing to the barrier instead. What was this for? Keeping bad weather out? Aggressive digimon? Curious, she'd reach a finger out to poke the barrier, when...

"OW!" She'd quickly yank her hand back, the fur at the tip slightly singed by the barrier. Owwww... That hurt! Ophelia pouted noticably, tail starting to flick from side to side as the gears in her head began to turn. If it hurt to touch the barrier, and was possibly even more dangerous going thru it, then there had to be someplace where she could enter from, right? There'd be no way in or out if the barrier fully encompassed the place! So, she'd begin to follow around the edge of the barrier, looking to see if there was an entrypoint she could enter and investigate the city proper thru.

She would jog along at a casual pace as she circled around, ears perked and tail swishing excitedly in anticipation of what she might find beyond the barrier. Though, as she trekked along, something else would begin to draw her attention. There were a couple of scents in the drifting breeze, one most definitely a digimon - even if she wasn't sure what kind - and then the other... The other was that strange scent she had smelled before, but couldn't identify. What was that...?

As she began to follow the scent around the perimeter of the barrier to properly investigate, the sounds of something became audible - it sounded like... Maybe fighting? This thought would make her perk noticably in excitement - were there people fighting? Was this some big battle, or whatever? Was the unfamiliar thing involved in the battle?? Her steps would pick up from a jog to a casual run as she went to investigate - and as she made her way around the bend of the barrier, and it all came into view...

... she'd see the training grounds that rested outside of the barrier, and with it, two individuals who were beginning to part from what looked to be a spar. One of them she'd recognize to be a digimon of some sort - but the other, the other seemed.... Different. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, though. They both looked to be quite tough, though! Both of them were noticably muscular, and beared multiple scars - she couldn't even begin to consider just how strong they might be, but that wasn't a deterrent. In fact, she grew even more interested! And in true Ophelia fashion, she threw any sense of caution out the window as she ran up to the edge of the training grounds, and came into view.

"HEY!" She'd shout, to get their attention. Her expression would be a wide, eager grin as she bounced a little in place; clearly brimming with energy. Instead of wasting time on pleasantries or introductions though, she'd point to Ryouta, calling "You- yeah, you! Ya look pretty tough! You wanna fight??" She'd bring her fists up in a boxer-type stance - like her father had taught her and her siblings - clearly readied. "C'mon! I've never seen anything like ya, but I wanna fight you, I can take whatever ya throw at me!"

Suppose that's one way to greet a stranger.

"Hell yeah I'm eager!" Ophelia would shout, fistpumping in the air - she was ready to throw down with someone completely new to her! Though when Valt began explaining humans to her, she'd pause a minute. Wait, so this guy wasn't just some weird digimon? They don't come back when they die? She'd take a good few moments to think it over, and actually register this; considering this was all... Well... New to her!

"Wait... back up," Ophelia stated for a second, holding up her hands in a 'wait a second' motion. "So... they're not digimon? I've never heard of a... Hooman before." She remarked, it seemed her enthusiasm was thrown a bit off-track and now she was instead just... Curious. And maybe needed a chance to get the hang of pronouncing 'human'. "Where do they come from? Why've I never seen one until now? Are you like us, just formatted differently?"

As for the sparring itself, though... "And I wasn't gonna use my sword," She'd clarify after a second, adding "Was gonna use my fists - less likely to hurt someone that way." That, and she needed to practice with her fists as much as her sword; else if she ends up losing her sword, she's fucked! At the idea of sparring with a couple training swords though, she'd shrug then nod. "Sure though! I'm game with training swords! I can really show ya what I'm made of that way, ay?" She'd grin cockily in Ryouta's direction, once more that inner spirit coming thru as she began to hop in place; miming swinging around an imaginary sword. "Way better with a sword than my fists, anyways."

Ophelia would tilt her head a bit like a lost puppy as Valt and Ryouta would try to answer her questions and explain humans to her - she was... Still a bit confused, but she supposed 'travelers from another world' worked for her! And them not being as resilient to the cold explained having never seen any growing up - she would nod in confirmation to Valt's question of her being a native to the north. She was unsure what Ryouta meant by their creation method being 'completely different', but she wouldn't question it.

Instead, she'd perk up as Valt tossed a training sword to her, and would deftly catch it- her tail swishing eagerly. While Valt and Ryouta discussed the large sword that Ryouta had gotten, Ophelia would be getting a feel for her own training sword - swinging it around at the air and tossing it between both hands. It was a bit lighter than her own sword, which probably would throw things off a tiny bit - but she was still confident in her ability to use this in a sparring match.

With that, though - she'd glance to Ryouta and Valt, nodding and grinning. "Hell yeah!" Ophelia proclaimed, grinning widely as she took up a readied stance. The only warning Ryouta would get was her shouting "Lets do this!" before she charged forward, swinging her sword with a spirited battlecry in the form of a loud "GRAAAAWR!" Though it was a loud roar, it probably would've been more fearsome if it didn't come from such a small frame; she was still a young lion-girl, for all intents and purposes. Still though, she plenty made up for it with the energy and courage she put into her charge and strike - it was clear even if this was just a spar, and would be careful to not seriously injure Ryouta, she would otherwise not be playing around.

As the wood clacked together, the sound carrying easily over the empty air of the salt desert, Ophelia would grin widely, wildly - getting into fights like these always made her a little excited, really, even if this was just a friendly spar! And that excitement was visible in her demeanor - ears perked, tail lashing side-to-side, and that giddy grin. "Heh; humans must be pretty strong too, even if they're squishy!" Ophelia chirped in observation, between how Ryouta held up to the parried swing, the boy's muscular form, and the large sword he was using.

With the small talk though, she'd nod with an 'mhmm!' - although didn't respond right away, as she saw him break the grip of one hand away from his sword. She would stand her ground though, pushing against the parry with a playful growl - the armstrike at her rib slamming into the armor that protected her upper torso with a BANG! Though the armor protected her from any sort of damage or pain, it'd still make her stumble a little with Ryouta's strength. With this, she would disengage to not allow him to follow up, bouncing back a few paces.

She would begin hopping between either foot as she held the sword in a readied stance, now ready to properly respond to Ryouta's question before. "My mama is a Blizzarmon - she's who taught me to fight with weapons like this - and my papa's a Panjyamon who knows a few tricks too, even if he prefers using his fists!" She'd explain with a big, proud grin - proclaiming "and I'ma get strong sparring and training against others so that I can make both of them proud!" With that, Ophelia would dart in once more with a horizontal swing of the training sword - trying to keep Ryouta on the defensive, and being as aggressive in her fighting style as ever.

Height? Ophelia would hum to herself - that made sense, thinking back to her spars with her mom and dad! She'd nod, seeming to be taking Ryouta's point and praise to heart with a wide grin. Leading up to her horizontal slash, her tail had been twitching and swishing - belying her excited nature as the gears in her head turned.

However, in charging forward and slashing - she would be visibly surprised at how Ryouta parried it! The grip on his large training sword seemed a bit unconventional to her - being unused to larger swords like that - and Ryouta was definitely putting his strength into it! Her ears twitched - seeming to catch Valt's mutter, though she didn't pay too mind to it otherwise - she wasn't about to let this stop her! Growling and baring her fangs with a playful grin, she'd try to push right back into the parry, digging her claws into the earth. Even with her footing and tenacity though, she would find herself sliding back a short distance against the push - even when she tried to place the heel of her palm against the back of her training sword!

Then would come the kick - the strike to her chest would catch her off guard, and she'd be knocked back as a result. She began stumbling backwards; visibly off balance now as her tail lashed for balance and she tried to keep from falling on her rear in the process - "W-woah!"

Unable to recover her balance in time to dodge, Ophelia would be knocked aside with a definite "Ooof!" as the training sword slammed into her side, sending her toppling over. She'd tumble a little, gritting her teeth a bit at the definite ache in her side - even if it hit her armor, she could still feel it! But she'd be quick to get up to her feet nonetheless, with a wide grin on her face. Even when having taken a hit, she didn't seem discouraged at all by it or the ache - in fact, she was still cheery as ever, and ready as ever to continue the spar!

"Hell yeah! I ain't giving up that easily!" She'd exclaim, he seemed to be good with that big ol' thing! She'd hop from foot to foot as she thought to herself for a second - which would let him have a chance to recover, though she wasn't about to give him much time to follow up or go on the offensive otherwise! She would begin trying to dart around and attack him from his non-dominant right side, jabbing her training sword forward at him with a small and playful "Rrrawr!" Overall, she seemed to be having an utter blast sparring with Ryouta; treating it as play as much as she was treating it as a proper practice session.

Ophelia let out a soft purr of pride at landing the jabs, her tail swishing side-to-side with her energy and the gears in her head turning admist the battle. As Ryouta pulled back, she'd grin right back, calling "Just watch me!" with a giggle - seeming ready to dart in for a followup, though she'd pause; noticably perking up, at attention when she saw Ryouta change his stance. Her tailtip quivered a little as she dug her claws into the ground beneath her for traction, eyeballing him to see what he was up to.

Then came Ryouta's charge forward, with a flurry of kicks! Ophelia would bounce backwards in a bid to dodge them - though quickly realized in doing this, she was being put on the defensive this time! Growling a little and gritting her teeth - she'd try to make a gambit to turn things back around for her, trying to dart in on his diagonal upward kick to try and slash at his not-kicking leg, in a bid to put him off-balance. Though, in doing so, she would also take a kick to the shoulder, causing her to hiss a bit and stagger to the side; but she was more prepared for this than the kick and slash that had knocked her over before.