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Ain't No Mountain- Demon Lords 1E (Ophelia, Zachary, Arthur)
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Post by Arthur Reville on May 3, 2019 7:09:19 GMT
As the beam faded, Arthur blinked and rubbed his eyes. How did superheroes with laser eye powers deal with this kind of crap? Even in a robotic form, the heat from the lasers dried the hell out of his eyes and made them uncomfortably itchy. After a moment, moisture returned to his eyes as he ran to join the others on the lift, having to jump slightly to make sure he made it on. The American glared at Zachary. "Mind waiting a little bit for me to get moving next time? Guardromon's not exactly known for its top class sprinting," Arthur chided as a similar data stream surrounded his body and he returned to his human form, pocketing his D-Tector before looking back to the mountain. His glare turned to a steady, scrutinizing gaze, waiting for any change in the mountain that might require a quick response.
He rested his hands on the guardrail of the lift, one foot lifted up and lightly kicking against the ground with nervous energy. Initially, he tried to shrug off his teammates' efforts to drag him back into a pile, though he relented after a moment of resistance. Better to keep his muscles and body free from the cold rather than let it set in and hamper his performance. Still, he continued to stare intently at the mountain, straining to look past the thickening fog. His concentration was so intense, the sudden reappearance of Sloth's voice made him jump in surprise.
"For a guy named 'Sloth,' he sure does talk a lot," the human grumbled quietly as the Demon Lord finished speaking. He stayed quiet for a moment, letting Ophelia vent out her anger at Sloth for a moment before shaking his head. "The cold is the least of our worries, right now. He pointed out a very important detail: we're vulnerable and he can slap us around to his heart's content if he was so inclined," he said, returning his gaze to watch for suspicious activity. "Anyway, shouting at him won't do any good. Save it for when we're going toe to toe with this guy. If we even should try to go toe to toe with him."
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Post by Zachary "Zaber" Scryer on May 3, 2019 16:50:37 GMT
Zachary blinked at Arthur's reaction-- having thought he would have been alright. He was American too btw. "Um... I'm sorry?" He said nervously as the lift began to ascend up the mountainside. IT baffled Zachary how a human could become a Digimon-- even liked the idea, but he wouldn't trade Panthermon-- the Digimon he dreamed up for the world.
They had soon decide to bundle up. Luckily considering the cold, Panther was less picky about the others getting so near him-- having dropped his hellcat cloak to allow them to get close and not burn. He let out a mild-irritated growl but soon gave in as they would press against his fur. He rested his head down for the time being and accepted it. Zachary too couldn't say now to the hugs. Though he kept a cool, almost neutral expression, he wrapped an arm around Ophellia to snuggle the smaller lion. Considering what they were up against, the inner child of him could use the hugs.
That was when things grew chilly in the creepy sense of the word as the mysterious voice spoke through the fog that surrounded the car. Zachary jumped up from the snuggle with the Spadamon, and Panthermon rose his head with a warring growl.
The voice was ominous, and spoke of the one that slept. It was confusing, but slowly Zachary considered every word as Panthermon growled in multiple directions, eager to find the source. "These demon lords are starting to get under my fur!" he said, scratching at the bottom of the metal lift to sharpen his claws.
Zachary paused as the voices fade, and looked out at the window. "Either the enemy is talking in the third person-- which is a bad sign, OR even worse, the one we are after is not the only enemy on this mountain." Zachary proposed and looked at his Digivice. Perhaps he could use it to detect any presence of threats on it. "I have no clue what these Demon Lords are truly capable of, but I had presumed 'Sloth" here was the only force so far. "
For the moment, despite his attitude, Zachary agreed with Arthur and approached the lift controls. "Then let's not wait around." Zachary said as he eased up on the accelerator, moving us forward to not stay in the mysterious mist. To jerk it into a higher speed would of been bad, but if he eased it, they probably would be okay.
(Propose they are not only facing Sloth here on this mountain but something else. Taking Arthur's advice, uses the lift control to ascend faster-- but easing the control to not cause any issues)
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Post by Bonetrousled? on May 5, 2019 6:54:03 GMT
The mysterious voice didn't have much to say to Ophelia or Zachary's barbs . . . but as soon as Arthur opened his mouth, the mist seemed to shake violently. "Sloth? Sloth!?" the voice demanded, seeming to fragment into various pitches and intensities in her fury. "Are you so inattentive that you mistake me for my useless layabout of a brother?" The voice scoffed, its earlier harshness trailing off into almost imperceptible muttering. "Not that I'm surprised. All he does is sleep, and yet you still deem him more worthy of a thwarting than I . . ."
Once the unseen foe had finished talking, the mist settled back into its usual pattern. "No, this is not Belphemon. This is Leviamon, mistress of a world most deep-seated," she explained. "My brother may be the only force present on this mountain, but he is not the only force at work. Our shadows stretch far, far longer than we do, and we can work our influence in quite a few ways."
The wind began howling again, and Leviamon's mist started to ripple and distort at the edges. However, despite all logic and reason, it held firm in the face of the incoming storm. The bitter cold was kept out near-entirely, only a slight chill permeating through the mist.
"Look at you. The freedom to go wherever you want. And you choose to squander it, putting your fates in a tiny, metal box," she snarled. Was she personally offended by their choice of transportation? "Some of us would kill for relief from our prisons. Yet here you are, willingly entering one. But what else is new? You signed your fates when you set foot inside of here. Well? Does hearing the truth get under your skin?" A hole in the mist opened up behind Zachary, heavy snow blowing towards him before it promptly sealed itself back up. "Or would you rather I go 'shut my trap', and with it take my pity for you back?" Now the hole opened behind Ophelia, letting the ferocious winds whip at her before sealing back up.
"Whatever. You have no interest in me, and in turn I have no interest in you," she concluded. "Just know that you're not the only one seeking to knock my brother down a peg." The rainbow-colored mist started to thin out, just in time for the ski lift to begin moving past it.
It also meant that the lift would be going directly into the snowstorm. Conditions were once more nearing whiteout levels, and the roar of the wind swallowed up any and all communication. The ski lift began swaying in dangerous circles as the wind battered it on all sides, each sway making the hinge attaching it to its cable groan louder in the process. At this point in the journey the attached cable was slick from all of the precipitation battering it, and every once in a while the lift would grind to a halt as it stuck into a snowbank.
It didn't seem like the ski lift could take much more of this abuse. Yet with the snow blinding any and all onboard the lift, it was hard to tell how close they were to their destination. At this point, the only question remaining was faith.
Combat Log Inclement Conditions - I'm running out of witty ways to mention that this hasn't been a problem. Can one of you guys do something stupid and catch frostbite already? A Cold Wind Blows - The wind blows yet again! While Leviamon's mist kept it at bay for the first half of this journey, it's blowing fast and furious now. If our heroes can hold out just a bit longer, I'm sure they can make it through!
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Ophelia
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Tsukistar
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Post by Ophelia on May 5, 2019 23:15:12 GMT
Ophelia would narrow her eyes at the voice, and the surrounding fog, as they - Leviamon - continued to rant to them. As far as Ophelia cared, Leviamon was preaching just to preach; the hell did she think she was accomplishing rambling on like this, besides hearing her own voice? Who'd listen to this type of crap? "The 'tiny metal box' is going the same way we're going, so the hell's the problem with us hitching a ride for a little bit?" Ophelia questioned, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. "Half the shit - oh, I'm sorry, the truth- you're going at us about is mundane and dumb as fuck, not to mention - I thought Demon Lords were smart and tempting or whatever! What kind of digimon would call a box with very much clearly-open windows and doors a 'prison'??"Ophelia would throw her arms up as she added "It teeters back and forth, yeah; but we're also on the fucking MOUNTAIN, where the weather's a little crazy as shit, No Fucking Duh!"
She'd roll her eyes, and mockingly imitate Leviamon's voice - stating "Oh, look at you, breathing. How droll. You chose to eat a sandwich instead of a pizza? What is your life anymore? Why don't you go preen in a mirror or something if you think you're that important; and come back when you've got an actual point besides 'normal stuff is normal'? And lets not forget; as far as the cold goes, I grew up on these mountains. I grew up where Homeostasis was saying 'FUCK YOU IN PARTICULAR' on a regular basis with the cold and blizzards; as far as I care, this is pretty much just Sloth going 'Hold my beer'! And we're already working on fixing it, so what the fuck ever."
Cassie would blink in visible surprise at Ophelia's counter-rant; jeez, she wasn't sure if she ever heard Ophelia rant this much! Though then again, she didn't recall the last time they had a weird disembodied voice trying to mock them, either. Most of what Cassie knew - as far as how Ophelia interacted with others went - was how she interacted with their family, and how Ophelia behaved around these other people. So maybe Ophelia just really had a vendetta against preachy demon lords? Either way, she didn't have much to comment here - instead just glancing over to Arthur and Zachary, mentioning "Yeah, I think getting a move on might be a good idea." with a soft hum.
Ophelia couldn't help a small flinch though, and Cassie a small "Yeep!", when the fog would part for but a minute, and the winds would whip about her and Cassie. Although, it seemed less like either of them were all that affected by the brief storm, and more like they were just reacting on the same level as if someone had suddenly blew in their faces. Ophelia would grumble a bit, brushing the snow and frost that the winds dusted her fur with off, and looking over to Cassie to check on her - "You alright?" "Mhmm!" - before glancing to Zachary and Arthur as Leviamon concluded what she had to say.
As they began to leave the iridescent fog though, and the snowstorm would begin to fade back in, Ophelia would almost immediately move to direct everyone. Raising her voice before the storm returned in full, she would shout to the others - "Make sure you're hanging onto something, or someone!" - as she moved to hang onto Cassie and Panthermon, and Cassie onto Arthur. "If you fall off, don't wander off while it's a whiteout - follow the cable if the storm clears, or wait for one of us to find ya!"
The battering winds were harsh though - and Ophelia couldn't help but wonder for how much longer they could trust in the safety of the ski lift. It was convenient, she imagined it took off a chunk of their trip - but it was starting to groan and sway as though it were ready to snap at any moment!
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Post by Arthur Reville on May 8, 2019 1:42:40 GMT
Arthur couldn't help but smirk as the now revealed Leviamon raged at his case of mistaken identity. Clearly, he had touched a nerve within the Demon Lord, which made it clear that they weren't so grandiose as he had previously thought. It might have been small, but it was something he could potentially turn against his enemy, along with any other weaknesses they could potentially exploit. And, given their main adversary was a Digimon known as Sloth, he could infer that there was, more than likely, six more with names also based on the Seven Deadly Sins. One has to appreciate the naming scheme coordination that could lead to their downfall by giving away too much information about their potential vices.
"Getting angry at a Demon Lord isn't going to help, you know." he told Ophelia after she finished her rant towards Leviamon. "Especially when one's named 'Sloth.' More than likely, he's got a brother named 'Wrath' and you're probably giving him a feast to remember by raging at his very sensitive sister." He looked out towards the mist, still smirking slightly. "So, which one are you? What's your piece of the pie? Lust? Greed? Let's figure out how much of a stereotype you are."
But, by that time, the mist had already dissipated and the powerful winds returned. Arthur squinted as snow flew into his eyes as he pulled his jacket tighter around him. This was looking bad. As much as he wanted to make fun of Leviamon, she was correct about their predicament. Unless one of his companions could Digivolve into a creature with wings that could fly them up to the top of the mountain in an emergency, they'd wind up as mystery meat in a tin can at the base.
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Post by Zachary "Zaber" Scryer on May 10, 2019 4:42:32 GMT
Zachary felt the icy winds from the portal lash at him. They were too quick to really brace against as Zachary was tossed forward by the gust that hit him. Panthermon would of shouted but he was quickly 'snuggled' by the others.
Had Zachary not of had his own jacket with him, he probably would of been chilled to the point of frost stinging his limbs. Still, he knew now was the worst time to crumble. While Zachary posed the mystery of who they were facing on this mountainside-- the car they were in was more important. The winds outside would no doubt toss them about if they were not careful.
Fighting to keep his balance, Zachary crawled up to the controls and reached the lever-- he pulled and put the car into a slower state of ascendance. If they moved too fast now, they would no doubt derail the car. So now Zachary used his judgement and slowed the car down to a slower speed.
Hopefully that would keep them from falling and they could just ride up at a slower speed, to reach the top-- if the ice on the cable didn't hinder them.
(OOC: Sorry for delay. Zachary struggled up to the controls and put the speed of the crane to slower speed-- to not recklessly climb up and risk falling. )
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Post by Bonetrousled? on May 12, 2019 18:13:41 GMT
"You think I'm calling this ski lift a prison? Interesting, interesting," Leviamon said. "No, this entire frozen hellhole is a prison. One my layabout of a brother avoids, nestled safe and south in the heart of the mountain. Lava flows shelter him from the bitter cold, and solid stone keeps him safe from any who wish to harm him. Of course he gets the privilege of resting easy. When you're not under any threat, you can afford to not care."
She laughed bitterly at Ophelia's words. "I know I'm not important. But if you lived on this mountain and think any of this is normal, than I can at least take heart knowing I'm not as foolish as you," she spat. Her words started to fade out, following right after the rainbow mist that had already departed. "But then again, what do I know? I'm just bitter old Envy. Clearly, compared to a pack of brats, I know nothing. Especially not about the machinations of my own brother.
May your pride not be your downfall."
The ski lift continued to be assailed on all sides as the snowstorms took their leave. Metal started to splinter off of the sides from the sheer force of the winds, leaving a few cracks that let the cold in all the more. The occasional bit of snow blew in, forming cold, wet pools at the group's feet whenever it melted. The cable the ski lift hang from continued to groan in protest, the occasional snapping sound cracking through the air like a strike from a whip. Nevertheless, the cable seemed to hold firm for now, especially as Zachary lightened the loan by slowing the lift down.
With its latest assault finished, the storm swirled back up the mountain. Its timing continued to be infuriatingly regular, equal parts a blessing and a curse. Once the white-out snows had been pulled back away, it was clear that the group was near their goal. The end of the ski lift's path, about two-thirds the way up the mountain, was oh so close to the group now. They'd simply need to push onward for another few minutes and they'd make it. However, the snapping of the cable earlier would surely put their plan into question. If they pushed too quickly, would their speed rupture the cable and make them end up falling? Or, if they slowed down too much, would the weight of the ski lift have more time to pull down on the cable and snap it that way? It was frustratingly uncertain.
Perhaps it was so frustrating, that it would be better if the group gave up entirely. Defeatist thoughts would start to creep into their minds, agonizing over every little detail of the plan that could possibly go wrong. They brought up how much easier it would've been if they had just waited in the cabin, where it was safe and warm. About how much easier it'd be even now to just wait for the storms to stop entirely, rather than risk pushing the cart forward and rocking the boat. To Ophelia, these would be somewhat muffled, but a few intrusive thoughts would slip past even her iron will. To the rest? They'd only have their own wits on their side for determining which feelings were invasive and which were true.
Would this be one last hurdle to leap as they made their way onto the mountain? Or would such thoughts haunt them all the while?
Combat Log Inclement Conditions - I'm running out of witty ways to mention that this hasn't been a problem. Can one of you guys do something stupid and catch frostbite already? A Cold Wind Blows - As the wind blows, the wind subsides. Unfortunately, the snowstorm raging meant the cable car took quite a beating . . . Aura of Malaise - As the group draws closer to the mountain, a lethargy starts to worm its way into their minds. Even those who resist mental techniques normally feel it gnaw in the back of their mind, albeit at reduced magnitude.
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Ophelia
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Tsukistar
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Post by Ophelia on May 12, 2019 23:01:15 GMT
Ophelia would growl softly to herself, as the cablecar seemed to be falling apart at the seams. Everything around her was cracking and snapping apart, setting her on edge and making a constant rumble rattle up in her throat; even if the howling wind drowned it out. The pools of water didn't exactly comfort her, either; she and Cassie both stood up to avoid the puddles and to avoid getting too wet in general- the last thing they needed was soaked fur. They'd coax Panthermon and Arthur into standing as well, in the midst of this, to keep them from getting wet - wet fur, and she imagined wet clothes as well, was worse than no fur or clothes at all. That's what her father and mother both drilled into them as kids, for their safety.
As the winds began to calm once more though - no longer battering the lift - and as the snow pulled back its curtains, Ophelia would glance around - to see that they were almost there! Her ears pricked, and she'd move to stand up next to Zachary and peer out the front windows; having to somewhat climb up to one of the smooth, more buttonless portions of the panel to better see with her short height. "We're almost there!" She chirped with a confident grin - they just had to persevere a little longer!
... ... But the cable was snapping, wasn't it...? Should they really risk it, with their present height...?
... Ophelia blinked a bit, pausing, her confidence and cheery nature faltering a hair at this thought. Where'd that thought even come from, she wondered at first - before she noticed a strange... Feeling, in the air. A depressing feeling, something that seemed to want to drag her down. It made her limbs feel heavier than usual, and it pulled a slight fog over her mind - even if her own will made her try to shake it off, to ignore it. But it clung to her still, which... Frankly, irritated her. She'd growl faintly to herself - before she'd glance to the others...
It seemed Cassie wasn't faring that well, though. She appeared nervous, unsure, as she gazed out across the snow. "... The storm's going to pick us off before we even get up there, isn't it...?" She'd murmur out before she could stop herself, and it seemed for a moment that Cassie would blink, confused, wondering where the heck that thought came from. But even with her jolly nature, she didn't hold the same amount of tenacity and willpower that Ophelia did. Ophelia, though, wasn't about to let her sister get droopy - she'd march up to Cassandra and lift her up in her arms (even with Cassie's startled squeak at such), stating Yes, we should turn ba- "Like hell we'll get taken out that easily; we haven't even gotten into a good fight yet! C'mon, lets keep going!"
But we're only rookies.
"With the lot of us, we can show any bastards on this mountain what-for!"
Would Mom even notice me then...?
... ... Ophelia cringed for a second at that thought. She immediately pushed it back, refused to even offer it a rebuttal, instead aggressively snuggling Cassandra until the little Gomamon-X was smiling and laughing again - "Pftahaha, Okay, okay, I get it- no frowning here, then - ehehehe!" Even if it wasn't quite as bright, quite as energetic - it at least was sign enough that Ophelia had snapped her out of these bad thoughts for at least the meantime. So, she'd think for a moment... And on a whim, would check her D-Nexus, to see if she couldn't get back in touch with those angel-people.
Assuming that she was able to reach them, she'd ask "Mind if I keep this call or whatever going...? Shit's getting... weird up here. And I think having you guys to give us a verbal smackin' to get us out of any weird thoughts might help." Ophelia thought an anchor might be helpful, to just keep their thoughts in line while they made for the mountain. And if not, then fuck it, she'd be the anchor!
Nonetheless though, she'd glance to Zachary and Arthur - remarking "Frankly, I don't mind keeping it steady if it means we get up there in one piece; it'd be better than waiting here until we became popsicles, at least." She'd try to patch up the lift the best she could, with her limited control of ice - she wasn't exactly the best at it, though she could certainly coat something or patch a hole with it. And as long as the outside was cold enough, the ice would stay intact! Cassie, meanwhilst, glanced around - asking "Nobody was hurt, right?"
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Post by Arthur Reville on May 15, 2019 14:17:46 GMT
Arthur made a big show of slapping his forehead as Leviamon revealed her designated title. ”Oh, Envy. I should have guessed that earlier!” he said even as the Demon Lord pulled her presence away from them. ”I thought I heard the sting of bitter jealousy in your voice. Guess dear old brother’s cell is a lot cozier than yours, hmm?” Even if it seemed that Leviamon had left them to their fates, Arthur didn’t buy for a second that she wasn’t still observing them, likely laughing at the situation they were heading into. He didn’t ignore her warning, despite his seemingly nonchalant attitude. He was on edge, tense and waiting for something to go wrong. Conditions like these combined with heavy uncertainty in the integrity of equipment almost always led to a disaster.
The sound of a part of the cable snapping made him jump, then look towards the roof of the cable car. That definitely wasn’t a good sign and it almost acted as a timer. It wouldn’t be long before the snapping got quicker as the weight of the car became too great for the fraying cable to handle. They should have just stayed at the bottom of the mountain...
Arthur blinked. That wasn’t right. Why has he thought that? He’d been the one pushing to take the cable car because it was their best option for both speed and warmth. But was it? Arthur blinked again and shook his head as more thoughts encouraging this idea of passivity and giving up crept into his mind. He hadn’t been thinking that before, he was sure of it. Arthur bit down on his finger hard, letting the pain give him clarity as the coppery taste of blood hit his tongue. Giving up, laying around waiting for things to happen, lethargy, and laziness. That was Sloth’s doing. It was some last ditch effort to make them turn back, meaning he was either nervous about their approach or he didn’t care. It didn’t take debilitating doubts to make him believe it was the latter.
With a bit of difficulty, Arthur got back to his feet, fighting the desire to simply sit and let things play out as he approached the control console. ”We need to speed up. If we sit too long, it’ll only get worse for us,” he said, reaching out for the controls. He paused for a moment as the desire to throw the thing into reverse washed over him. Biting on his cheek to regain his focus, Arthur reached down and slowly began to inch the speed back up. ”So long as we avoid a speed that causes us to vibrate at a frequency that makes the car resonate with the cable, we can go a bit faster. How you’ll know if it’s too close is when the car and cable will began to shake and vibrate violently.”
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Post by Zachary "Zaber" Scryer on May 17, 2019 23:10:21 GMT
Zachary listened to the voice address them-- but while it was talking, Zachary was trying to think. As was Panthermon. The creeking of the car was not going to stop till they took action. Sure, Zachary slowed them down-- and that was the right call considering the pressure on the car's line that was pulling them up. If they didn't do something soon, the wind could very well blow them off and have them fall to the mountain below.
Perhaps it would of been smarter to go on foot-- instead of risking using the lift to climb up. Everything seemed to be going wrong. The thoughts of failure was starting to sink into his mind as he clung to the top of the controls to not topple. He already fallen to his knees from the shaking.
He felt paralyzed suddenly, his body refusing to move the more he thought of how stupid he was to try and take point like this. He only been doing this a few weeks and here he was, about to freeze to death-- now shivering due to the cold and sense of dread that echoed. The last words of May your pride be your downfall. That couldn't be more true..
Growl. *CHOMP* "YOUWCH!!" Zachary felt the pain bite into his arm as his thoughts were pulled away from the endless loop of doubt. Panthermon was before him, growling. His eyes were glowling yellow pupils. It was then he heard it. The panther's voice in his mind, the way they would communicate from a distance.
"Now is not the time to doubt. As bad as this is, we must keep moving forward. You know that as well as I do. I am a guardian of darkness-- and I will not let them control me. Neither will you. Let us show them how far our pride will take us." he said to Zachary, his voice now working to encourage him-- countering the wicked voice of doubt.
Zachary took a moment and felt the pang of nervousness still knot in his chest. Still, he looked out the window, spotting the freezing cables. It was then Zachary had an idea.
"Guys, huddle up as you can. Its about to get a little chilly for a moment," Zachary said as he pushed a hand up to the front window-- in clear view of the cables. "Panthermon. Can you fire your flames up near the cables. Just below them without hitting them directly to heat them up? "
The panther growled, now free from the catpile to help his partner. "Easily."
Zachary timed it with Panthermon and him--- and he opened the window, causing a gust of cold air to blast right into him. However, Panthermon was quick and let out a panther-like cry. Red flames gushed out from his maw out into the blizzard. Even if the initial attack would stop, the flames were doing as they did before.
Melting the building snow and ice along the car's cables.
As Panthermon sent out stream after stream as he could, Zachary grabbed a hold of the lever-- and pushed it forward. With the added heat from Panthermon, once more, he used it to push them forward and hopefully finish the climb up the mountainside.
"Just a little further... Just a little further..." he said, keeping hope that they would make it to the top and survive.
( Zachary is in doubt that their pride got them into trouble... till Panthermon also fights thorugh it and bites Zachary in the arm to snap him out of it. He takes his pride seriously... and encourages Zachary to make a plan. Panthermon applies his fire to the cables once more-- and Zachary becomes chilled more, and tries to move the lift up to help them reach the top)
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Post by Bonetrousled? on May 21, 2019 1:39:46 GMT
"Weird thoughts?" Rasielmon's voice was filled with static, much as it was when Leviamon had hijacked their broadcast previously. It almost seemed like the influence of a Demon Lord kept the group's heavenly helpers at bay, or at least obscured their presence. Nevertheless, the static could clearly be discerned as words. "Huh. Normally I'd chalk it up to mountain madness, but you really don't seem like the type. Unless . . . are these self-defeating thoughts, by any chance? Hopelessness? An urge to give up? Feeling alone and abandoned in the void of a cold, uncaring universe where you're neck deep in situations way above your pay grade and all you can do is fight for your life?"
"I'm," Bagramon said, shooting a concerned look at Rasielmon before pausing. "Just gonna ignore that. But she's got a point. When sleeping, Belphemon's able to mess with the minds of those that pass into his domain. And the closer you get, the worse it gets.
. . . Hang on a second."
"Okay, new plan!" Rasielmon chirped, sounding quite cheery. "Everyone, follow your anxieties! And don't worry about those thoughts. Even if the signal's getting kind of choppy, I'll be right here to pull you back from the brink."
"Sheesh. You're starting to sound like me, kid," Bagramon added.
"I don't like that they're in danger right now. But . . . it isn't like letting them freeze to death on the mountain is going change anything," Rasielmon countered. "They'll need to walk a painful path to get through this. The least I can do is ease them into it, right?"
Steadily the lift sped up. With Ophelia navigating, Arthur monitoring the speed, and Panthermon on obstacle clearing duty, the trip was going really smoothly. Soon the mountainside was in spitting distance, which was impressive considering the impact cold and wind had on how far anyone present could spit. All they'd need to do was inch that slightest bit closer . . .
Unfortunately, the cable didn't agree with these best laid plans. It groaned one more time, only for a sickening crack to shoot through the air. The cable snapped at the last minute, and the ski lift was on the precipice of going down.
On the bright side, by now the mountainside was fingertips away. One steady jump was all it would take to separate a successful explorer from a messy splatter on the ground. It was just a shame Belphemon's influence picked two of the worst words to beam right into the party's heads:
"You can't."
Combat Log Inclement Conditions - I'm running out of witty ways to mention that this hasn't been a problem. Can one of you guys do something stupid and catch frostbite already? A Cold Wind Blows - All clear for now. Ideally, the group can touch down on the mountain before the storm spins back up. Aura of Malaise - The cable car falls, yet the intrusive thoughts only continue bubbling. Hopefully, they won't convince anyone that staying in a falling ski lift is a good idea!
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Ophelia
In-Training
Posts: 0
OOC Name: Tsukistar
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Post by Ophelia on May 21, 2019 3:14:31 GMT
Ophelia exhaled a little, as she listened to the two angels talk. "... Alright. Trust our gut instincts, don't worry too much about the thoughts." She'd repeat from Rasielmon with a nod of understanding. Focusing on the other two's voices did help ward off the intrusive thoughts a bit, and Cassie similarly seemed comforted about having the other two to anchor them. "We'll probably have to get closer to find where the others can reach Belphemon thru, though..." the little Gomamon-X would murmur uneasily, peering out to the mountainside ahead. "We'll be fine," Ophelia was quick to retort. "We just gotta keep moving, keep looking - and stay on our toes..."
The duo would jump at Zachary's shout of pain though, and almost immediately Cassie would be at Zachary's side to check the arm bite - "A-are you okay...??" She'd ask - glancing between the two warily. Ophelia would be similarly surprised, but would toss Cassandra a roll of bandages from one of her pouches - "Wrap that up if it's bleeding, bleeding out or leaving a bloodtrail probably won't be a good idea - even if I doubt there'll be anyone up here interested in following such a trail." The Spadamon mentioned, to which Cassie nodded in agreement - already pulling back Zachary's sleeves so that she could check the bite wound, and wrap it up if it's bleeding.
At Zachary's suggestion to huddle up though, Ophelia remarked "Already on that," as she plopped down, pulling Arthur closer while Zachary handled the controls, and Panthermon worked on clearing the cables out. Cassie - once she was done bandaging Zachary's arm, assuming it needed any - would plop down with Arthur as well, flopping across Ophelia and Arthur's laps. Ophelia glanced out towards the snow beyond all the while - wondering how much further they had, from here. 'Course, they were getting to the top - Ophelia knew that - but the top didn't necessarily equal their destination. It's just that their destination was somewhere around up there.
All the while, the malaise of depressing thoughts would try to pry into their minds. Cassie seemed alright as long as she was snuggled up to Ophelia, finding her sister's presence comforting. Ophelia, meanwhilst, would busy herself - taking out her Blue Blade, a rag, whetstone, and some weapon oil - and she began to work on sharpening out any dinks in the blade; the work almost meditative for her. Whenever Cassie seemed to grow unsure or uneasy though, Ophelia was more than happy to pause in her work to reassure Cassie with a quick hug, or a gentle bunt against the Gomamon's shoulder - purring softly and reassuringly all the while.
Then, though - after some time - came the cable snapping. The initial groan already made Ophelia pause from her work, ears pricking - but the snap itself would alarm her, shoving her things back into her pouch as she and Cassie both got up, the duo stumbling as the cablecar shifted with the cable's snapping. "Fuck, we gotta move, NOW!" Ophelia would call to the others, she and Cassie already moving for the doorway to jump. But...
"You can't."
... Ophelia would stop in her tracks with the two words - it seemed that in the chaos, her mental guard was let down in lieu of planning on the spot, letting the notion worm its way. Her core skipped a beat, as a strange sense of uncertainty and anxiety washed over her. She couldn't do it? Couldn't jump? But the lift, it was...
"GYAH!" She'd suddenly find herself tumbling forward towards the edge, as a something slammed into her back - and she glanced back to see Cassie, who had headbutted her. The two digimons' eyes met for but a moment, but that moment was enough to say volumes. Like hell she couldn't.
The spitfire Spadamon got on her feet almost immediately, pushing and pulling anyone who hesitated towards the edge. "MOVE, JUMP, GET THOSE FUCKING ASSES GOING!" She'd shout to them - egging everyone on to keep moving. "LIKE HELL WE'RE STAYING IN HERE!"
Cassie was the first to jump, going into a roll to soften her fall into the snow below. Ophelia, on the other hand, would be the last - making sure everyone got out - and she was unafraid of (quite literally) throwing them out of the car if that meant they'd be safe. Once everyone else was out though, Ophelia would follow after closely - jumping down with everyone, and landing with the feline reflexes that you'd expect of a cat-digimon like herself.
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Post by Arthur Reville on May 22, 2019 23:04:55 GMT
Arthur decided it was in his best interest to tune out the team’s heavenly guides as Raiselmon started giving them words of “encouragement.” All she was really doing was assisting Belphemon’s invasive sleep talking and he really didn’t need the extra negativity. It was bad enough that two monsters made of code based on one of Christianity’s Seven Deadly Sins were hounding him already. Now that he thought about it, Arthur remembered reading that Jesus sat in some garden and saw all the sins that would ever be committed in history. Did that extend to these guys? Were Digimon souls saved when Jesus died on the cross? Or was there, like, a Digimon Jesus and Christianity?
Too many questions he’d probably never get the answer to, but it didn’t matter. They had served as a good, albeit brief, distraction from the many things assaulting his senses at once. He shrugged off Ophelia’s attempt to make him sit and used one hand to push Zachary away as the other human tried to take control of the speed lever. It wasn’t a show of trying to be the leader or anything, rather, Arthur was using the lever a point of stability. He was certain, beyond any reasonable doubt, that his education had prepared him to understand what he had said before and not even Belphemon’s whispers could change his mind.
Of course, that also applied to his certainty of the cable’s quickly approaching point of failure. He wasn’t even surprised when it finally snapped, his muscles tense and ready to jump, only to freeze in place as Sloth’s aura made him doubt the ability to make the leap. His rational brain was petrified in place, but some tucked away animal instinct reacted without impedance, guiding his hand to his pocket to retrieve his pocket knife. He snapped the blade open and sliced it across the palm of his free hand, snapping him out of his stupor for a few, precious moments and he forced his legs to push him out of the cable air.
Arthur hung in the air for a moment, feeling cold wind on his face as he stared towards the slowly shrinking distance between himself and the mountain’s edge. Then, he felt himself begin to fall, towards the mountain’s edge. It was going to be close on whether or not he would make it, which was not a factor of safety he wanted to rely on. He chucked his knife towards the mountain, certain he would be able to find the bloodstained blade against the white snow, then turned in the air as he retrieved his D-Tector from his pocket. The data stream appeared around his hand, followed by swiping his Digivice against it to wrap himself in code and change into Guardromon again. Almost as soon as he code see past the digital cloud, his eyes glowed with energy before firing out his Warning Laser attack again, propelling him back just enough to send his metal body tumbling through the snow.
Arthur rolled to a stop, changing back into his human form as he did. His heart thumped in his chest as he shoved his bleeding hand into the snow, trying to staunch the flow as he pushed himself up slightly. ”Now all we need is Saruman chanting a spell while Boromir shouts about going for the Gap of Rohan and we’ve just about got a scene out of Lord of the Rings,” he mumbled as he started pushing himself to his feet.
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Post by Zachary "Zaber" Scryer on May 22, 2019 23:33:04 GMT
Too many words and events were going on as Zachary and Arthur were 'fighting' over stabling the speed of the cable car. They were getting close. Despite the scary voice and the stupid negative thoughts that Leviamon tried to plant in their heads. It was a blessing for Zachary that Panthermon had such a steep amount of pride-- for better or worse. For now, that pride drove him forward and also helped Zachary shake out of the negativity. He too having a sense of pride in himself.
They were getting closer. Their combine efforts were getting them closer bit by bit. They saw it-- the end of the mountain just in reach. A smile formed on Zachary's face, despite the strain and screech of the wires. "We're gonna make it... We're gonna make it!"
They didn't wait till they heard the creaking get worse. The adorable Spadamon and Panthermon jumped off just in time-- being cats they were more agile without any issue or hesitation. Just as Zachary felt the uncomfortable swaying of the car-- he was about to jump till he heard the voice...
... the haunting voice of Belphemon telling him not to. It caught him. The sudden thought in his mind made him hesitate in that final step.
Fatal mistake.
The wire broke, having taken too much more than it could and the car began to fall. And Zachary with it. He fell outside of the car but was soon in a fall towards it-- clinging to his digivice and Digimental in hand. He cried out falling from the cliff.
"ZACHARRRYYYYYY!!!" Panthermon roared, looking over the edge. But that was when it happened.
"DIGI-MENTAL UUUUPP!!!" his voice echoed, followed by the bright blue shine below.
At that moment, the snow storm was accompanied by a fierce, thundering stormcloud overhead above the mountain. The sheer power of the Digimental called it forward-- and a bolt of lightning struck right at the black panther Digimon. A fierce panther's growl escaped him as the lightning empowered him and made him change.
"Panthermon Armor Digivove!!" he roared, the lightning washing all over his body and transformed him in flashes of light and lightning. The scream of lightning shot everywhere in arches-- and in their place, formed a larger cat, adorn in black and blue lightning-striped like armor. The black armor was sharp, and accompanied by odd blades attached to the armor itself, along with a war-mask that the now larger creature, a black tiger with ash-grey stripes had. "BAGHEERAMON!!"
The moment the lightning faded, -- the armored black tiger acted and jumped off the cliff without hesitation. In a blitz of lightning-fast movement, the tiger had lunged right for Zachary, swooping him out of the air. He then landed right on the roof of the falling cable car. Despite the car in free fall, the tiger pounced right off of it-- and back up towards the cliff.
TO those who watched-- his movements were so laced in lightning it was hard to spot him, but they saw the general direction as Bageeramon lunged for the cliff wall, even with his speed unable to make a clear jump back to the top.
Its claws sliced into the stone and ice of the cliff-side-- 10 meters away from the top of the cliff where the others where. Bit by bit, the tiger would dig his claws into the wall and climb it like a tiger climbing a tree. After a minute or so-- perhaps even making the others worry they did not survive... a large sharp paw with armored claws reached over, to pull himself up.
Bagheeramon appeared with a growl and hauled himself over the cliff's ledge. As he did, and climbed up-- a blue mass hung from his mouth. Hung from the hem of his jacket, was Zachary, also panting from the fright of nearly falling to his death. That and the cold made him exhausted as the lightning tiger pretty much dropped him out of his mouth onto the cold snow.
Zachary let out a sigh as the cold soft snow comforted him like a mattress. "I'm starting to reconsider how much I like snowdays now... THanks... Bagheeramon...." he sighed, but winded and now resting on the ground.
(Zachary couldn't make the jump in time despite his partner's and he falls with it. Almost on instinct, Zachary used Digimental of Friendship and makes Panthermon Armor Digivolve to Bagheeramon. THe lightning fast tiger jumps after him, grabs him-- and jumps off the falling lift car to jump back to the cliff. The tiger, with Zachary hanging in his mouth, climb up the wall and rejoins the others, plopping an exhausted Zachary on the snow)
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Post by Bonetrousled? on May 26, 2019 7:18:44 GMT
As graceless and desperate as their jumps may have been, the intrepid explorers managed to keep their wits about them long enough to escape. The cable car was not so lucky. Without any of its supports it hurtled right into the side of the mountain, collapsing in on itself like a can in the hands of a frat bro. Ice and metal splintered in every conceivable direction as a gash tore open on the side of the car, each successive tumble down the mountain bringing it closer and closer to splitting in half. By the time it was swallowed up by the snows and mists below, it looked like it had been torn to pieces by a ferocious beast.
Surely, everyone on the mountainside would feel lucky not to share that fate.
Immediately, conditions seemed a bit more favorable. The mountain path may have been thin and precarious, but it also meant that exposure was greatly lessened. Solid stone blocked off any cold coming from the mountainside, a luxury thin cabin walls and thinner ski lift walls could not offer. Even as the wind picked up at its regular intervals, it still couldn't breach through solid stone. The coldest parts of the journey were long over.
Unfortunately, being out in the open presented its own challenges. Without a shelter to duck into, the only option left for handling the storm would be pushing through it. The path up the mountain led upwind, so any movement towards the peak would be slowed greatly. Trying to go down closer to the base, instead, would lead to the party being pushed along by the winds. Normally getting this journey over with more quickly would be ideal, but being pushed downhill by the wind seemed like it would be less helpful and more deadly.
At least navigation would be a lot simpler from here. Would uphill or downhill be the direction of choice?
Combat Log Inclement Conditions - I'm running out of witty ways to mention that this hasn't been a problem. Can one of you guys do something stupid and catch frostbite already? A Cold Wind Blows - The wind picks back up. The good news is that, with the mountain blocking much of the wind, it isn't as strong anymore. The bad news is that there's no more cover left to utilize. It's time to take a deep breath and push through. Aura of Malaise - Unfortunately, while the winds are less problematic now, Belphemon's aura has only gotten worse. At least, if what Rasielmon says is true, this may be a clue as to Belphemon's location.[/quote]
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