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Life Is But A Dream - Demon Lords 2E
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Post by Bonetrousled? on Dec 5, 2019 3:38:45 GMT
"We were high up on Terabyte Mountain, pulling in the haul of a lifetime," the lead Gotsumon said, grinning ear to ear. "Tons of Digimon pick at the surface of the mountain, but nobody's ever dug as deep as us."
"Well, yeah, cause you always have to go and rock the boat. Can't you wait for the ore to refresh like the rest of us?"
"And miss out on all the good stuff inside? Ha! And you said I'm the lazy one!"
"Anyway, this guy gets us deeper in the mountain than anyone's ever dug before. And you know what happened?"
"I was right, that's what happened! Digizoid as far as the eye can see!"
"And nowhere to bring it. Once the cave-in happened, we were trapped like a bunch of rats in there."
"Not like any of you would've gotten 'em out of there, anyway. It was like you were doing everything but hauling. Snacking, talking, snoozing. But none of what we came here for!
"Oh, shut yer trap already! Whatever we did, answer would've been the same. Rocks fall, air gets thin, everything gets cold, and now we're here. Any questions, wise guy?"
Apparently none, because the sudden boom had caught Kenny and Skadi's attention in a jiffy. As he left, the Gotsumon turned to Alan, curious. "Course we did!" one of them said. "What, you think we got rocks for brains? Cause we do. But that's besides the point. Anyone could've heard that. But what're we supposed to do about it, hm?"
With that, Alan headed outside to investigate the source of the crash. Beyond an impact crater and two brand new humans, there wouldn't be anything particularly of note. However, of particular interest was the way the impact crater formed. It almost seemed to be deforming by the second, slowly yet surely sinking into the earth. It was as if its very reaction to Sho and John's fall was delayed.
The two humans themselves would be considering a few of the buildings. Sho's eye had wandered toward the house with the hut symbol. It was the largest of the buildings by far, with walls of tightly packed snow held together through large chunks of lumber. Warmth seemed to ripple out from behind the building's open entryway, so strong that it was causing the air in front of it to ripple and distort. Despite there being no door or curtain blocking it, however, the inside of the building was pitch black. Only this warmth gave any indication that there was anything, or anyone, to be found within.
John, instead, had his eyes turned toward the building with the handcuffs. This was a stark contrast to the former building, instead a tiny building no larger than a port-a-potty. The walls were made of solid ice, refracting the incoming light so badly that it was difficult to tell who was currently inhabiting it. The fractured shape was mostly a shiny chrome color, with a few splashes of eye-searingly bright yellow mixed within. Surrounded by such a dull and dreary landscape, it was almost hard to take one's eyes off of.
As all of this went on, Mojyamon was none the wiser. He just smiled as Kenny and Skadi approached, clapping the boy happily on the back. "Hey, there you are, pal! Feels like it's been years, huh?" he asked. "Finally decided to smarten up and get a snack?
As for me? I'm, uh . . . great!" Any listlessness left on his face disappeared under a cheery smile. "Yeah, all peachy here. Don't you just love this place? Cause I sure do!" He didn't sound very convincing. But that was one strong thumbs up he was giving.
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Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Dec 7, 2019 6:51:44 GMT
So the Gotsumon were somewhere high on Terabyte Mountain, and decided to dig deeper than the average traveller to discover oodles of Digizoid, only to get trapped inside by the aforementioned cave-in? It wouldn't be of any surprise if Belphmon, Pajiramon, or any of their mooks had a hand in that disaster. Once the team escaped this crazy nightmare, maybe they could try and get a rescue team to dig the Gotsumon out, and wake them up so they could pull them out of here, for example?
Unfortunately, that's all they had to go off on for now, considering they had to deal with the sudden loud crash that hit nearby. Fortunately, Alan and Levi had decided to take care of the situation outside. Hopefully it would be enough for them to handle on their own for a little bit, what with Kenny and Skadi taking care of the Mojyamon from earlier.
Kenny let out a small 'oomph' as he felt himself getting slapped on the back, but otherwise, both he and Skadi were glad that Mojyamon was happy to see them again as they were with him. However, the white furred yeti's behaviour was a little... odd. Was he aware that he was being watched? That would probably explain why Tapirmon had a lot of interest in him earlier.
Still, with the possibility that Tapirmon was still hanging around, probably listening in to the team, how were they going to word it without giving out too much information? Kenny just paused for a second, before starting to answer "Well, we thought it would be nice to catch up with you again, and probably have a nice chat over lunch after our little tour of the city earlier." He briefly explained to Mojyamon, "And I gotta admit, this place is pretty interesting. We saw a few things, met some of the residents there, and we've generally been having a good time so far." This watered down explanation had to do for now. Maybe when they had some time to themselves, they could explain what really happened earlier, just to catch the timid Champion level up to speed.
Meanwhile, Skadi tilted her head a little in concern, "You looked a little scared when that loud crash hit earlier. We just wanted to make sure you were OK. Like I said earlier, our friends are helping to deal with the crash right now. We just want to keep you safe, OK pal?" She reassured the yeti as well, "They'll be back here in a minute. You want us to get you anything in the meantime, Mojyamon?"
For now, their concerns were focused on keeping Mojyamon happy. But if Alan and Levi needed any help, they wouldn't hesitate to get them the help they needed. Hopefully they still stayed a little close by so the team could still stick together at all times. Besides, Mojyamon could be a huge help in their quest to save the victims of the dream world.
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Post by Alan Pantell on Dec 12, 2019 3:25:05 GMT
Alan's first instinct was to tell the rock monsters to "stay put" while he and his partner inspected his explosion. However, it soon came to him that doing something as reckless as stalling on what might have been an urgent situation was pretty slothful, right? It could only get them out of there faster in the long run. It might have been a test after all, so before leaving the restaurant, the human boy wanted to say something else to the Gotsumon.
"Ah, I was just wondering, since there are a lot of things people seem to perceive differently around here, but uhh… I've got another question. I couldn't help but notice that you've been repeatedly accusing each other of slacking off on your haul. No matter who it was, was that normal behavior for the people in question, or did it start recently?" While he spoke, Levi shambled over to the door, turning slack-jawed to stare in Alan's direction. It was an impatient expression, yet one equally as uneager to return to the snows outside.
Once Alan had his answer, and assuming that answer did not raise any more questions, he and Levi would amble their way outside, searching their environment for the source of the noise with their eyes, rather than their entire heads. They were dedicated to the part, but they were still alarmed to find two newly-arrived humans at the scene of the crash! Too impatient to wait until they could slowly reach them, Levi breathed deeply for roughly three seconds, and called out to the two humans, with a sound almost as droning as a yawn.
"Heeeeeeeeeey! Youuuuuu twoooo! Are you okaaaaaaaaay?!"
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Post by John Jourdain on Dec 14, 2019 1:32:45 GMT
John continues to head on to the building he's going for, despite a part of him wanting to go to the warmer looking building. He jumps a bit as someone yells to them, or at least tries too, he talks so slow that John could make it to the cuff building and back before they finished a conversation. Runa gets out of the bag and looks at the one who called out. "Whyyyyyy areeeee youuuuuu talking like thaaaaaaat?" She calls back, imitating his speeed.
John ignored her and waved with his free hand. "Oh uh yeah! Can you help us, we just got away from some digimon that attacked us, this guy's exhausted. Can you help get him into a warm building while I inform the police about it?" He said, nervously glancing back to where they came from. "Yeah, we have no way to handle a thing like that, it was shooting spear sized arrows or something!" Runa chimed in, slinking back into the backpack.
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Post by Bonetrousled? on Jan 15, 2020 2:15:09 GMT
"Oh, all the time!" the grumpiest of the Gotsumon said. "It's like these goons make it their life's mission to waste my time. The nerve of it all!"
"Pretty sure the only slacker here's the one that's all jibber jabber and no action!"
"Oh yeah? Well I'm pretty sure that-!"
This would likely be the time Alan and Levi took to leave. The only questions being answered here would be how often the Gotsumon could argue in circles for. The answer? A long, long time. As the curtain closed behind Alan, he would faintly hear the Gotsumon continuing their argument without him. "See? And now you just went and scared him off!"
Mojyamon wasn't scared off by the griping. In fact, judging by the small shuffle-step he took away from the Gotsumon table, he seemed to be trying his hardest to not pay any attention to it. "Sheesh, you bunch are already done with your tour?" he asked, picking at his ear as if to confirm he heard Kenny right. "Must be one heck of a tour! It's only been, like, half a minute since we got here. I haven't even gone to see the rest of the town yet. Heck, come to think of it, I haven't even seen a tour yet. Everyone's just kinda . . . sliding around, aimlessly. Gotta admit, I've got no clue how they're getting around. But, hey, if it works it works, right?"
At mention of the crash, he sighed in relief. "Phew. Okay, got it. Guessing that means I should stay in for the time being, huh?" he asked. "And I appreciate the offer and all. But I think I've got a one-of-everything coming up, whatever that means. That girl behind the counter's taking a long time to get it, too, so I'm sure it's gonna be good!"
Everything seemed like business as usual. At least, of course, until John mentioned a certain crystalline arrow. As soon as the words left his mouth, a group of Penguinmon sliding past stopped in their tracks. So, too, did a Pillowmon painstakingly adjusting one of the tarp walls of the nearby building. Even the animated conversations in the diner came to a halt, leaving a bewildered Mojyamon looking around and scratching his head. Every Digimon that fell silent looked to be frozen in place, their chests not even rising or falling with their breath.
When Alan and John next blinked, the frozen Digimon would've all been turned around in unison. And their eyes fixated right on the unfortunate duo.
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Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Jan 23, 2020 9:36:11 GMT
At first, Kenny just silently blinked at Mojyamon's comments in confusion, but quickly he reminded himself; time was pretty much borked up inside the dream realm, if the team's earlier failed trek to the spire was anything to go by. Still, Kenny was quick to think of a response, mainly to cover the team's tracks, "Yeah, admittedly, this place is a little bit small, honestly. It really didn't take us much for us to get a good idea about our new home, but hey, I'm not complaining." He shrugged to the yeti. "Besides, it's not like you need to slide for very long to get to where you need to go, so that's something at least." It was a simple lie, but the fortuneteller's words still rang in the two's heads.
Thankfully for Skadi, her legitimate concern for the timid not-quite-abominable snowman had paid off, smiling as the yeti started to relax himself a little bit. As soon as Mojyamon finished up, Skadi was quick to respond, putting a gentle hand over yeti's arm, "Actually, how about we take care of you for a little bit, Mojyamon, at least until you get your bearings properly? We can give you a tour around here after dinner, and help you adjust to our new home. Does that sound good to you?" She asked the Champion level, as the tamer nodded and smiled as well.
Before anyone could say anything else, however, the entirety of the diner froze up without even so much of anything resembling a proper warning. At first, both tamer and Digimon's eyes darted around everywhere, to see that the frozen Digimon were looking somewhere. Just what had happened, exactly?
Mojyamon looked to be the only one unaffected, and poor thing was starting to get confused again once more too. Without hesitating, he threw an arm around the yeti reassuringly, "Uh... do you want to get some fresh air quickly, pal? Hopefully, that'll clear your mind. I'll just tell the waitress we'll be back in a second, if that sounds good to you." If Mojyamon agreed, the tamer would then turn to the Cresecemon, and wave, "Don't worry, we'll be back in a minute. We just need to grab some fresh air for a moment."
"Mojyamon's looking a little stressed," A worried glance passed the Valaismon's face, her eyes on the aforementioned hairy yeti as she spoke, "We're just going to take him on a little walk, OK? We'll be back soon, promise!" She waved off to the Perfect-level.
Regardless of the answer (if they got any) and whenever Mojyamon did follow or not, they would go out anyways, still shuffling out to see what was going on. As they walked outside to try and meet up with Alan once more, another particular sight greeted them the moment they stepped outside; accompanying Alan was a man in his late teen's, partnered by what looked to be a Viximon. And a whole group of Digimon staring directly at the newcomers.
For a few moments, neither member of the pair dared say anything. They just let themselves register what had happened, trying to comprehend just how did the young adult and his Viximon manage to find their way into the mysterious dream. Last they checked, they weren't there when Cherubimon brought them to the lodge and hit them with the knock-out powder, and, discounting the humanshaped fortuneteller, there were no other proper humans to be found within the city.
Finally, Kenny just up and said it, "...ooooookay. Can anybody here please explain what the hell just happened?"
Yeah, that was a rather blunt question, but it wasn't like the sight in front of them was any more understandable. Or comprehensible, for that matter.
Maybe God, Buddha and Arceus could float them down a clue, hint hint nudge nudge?
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Post by Alan Pantell on Jan 23, 2020 16:11:23 GMT
Now, Alan had been as intrigued by the appearance of another human and digimon partner as anyone could be, but out in the open didn't seem the best place to discuss specific, below-surface-level details of the situation. Besides, barely did they have time to ponder these events before the mention of some giant arrows made the quartet suddenly the most interesting things in the whole town. The young man and his dragon didn't have time to register that the town had frozen before their next blink set everyone staring at them, though perhaps this was for the better, for if they had been given such a window, surely the event would be a much more startling one, rather than one mildly alarming.
Levi glanced around in confusion and said, "Okay, was that a cool trick no one taught us how to do, or does it just look like that? It's pretty rude, if well-coordinated..."
Alan had at least noticed the timing of the unified turn, and noted what the last thing that had been said before it happened was. He remembered their arrival, when Mojyamon had casually assumed that the party had borne witness to the handiwork of the town's leader, Pajiramon. Of course, Mojyamon was clearly not totally engrossed in the web in which the other dreamers seemed to have been caught. Still, why had the others been set off this time? Was it because the other new arrivals had specifically mentioned being targeted by the arrows? Yes, that most likely was the answer. It was mentioned they were used to ward off "monsters," after all. The human felt he had to say something before the interaction became too awkward... or dangerous. He turned to some of the surrounding rubberneckers and spoke aloud: "Now, now, I highly doubt our benevolent leader would ever attack guests, and new arrivals least of all. I am sure he simply sought to warn them of the dangers outside the walls!"
It was Levi who would receive Kenny, Skadi, and possible Mojyamon when they arrived. "I don't think anyone here knows what's going on," he whispered, "but I'm sure we can figure it out once we get wherever 'privacy' is a concept that applies to this place."
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Post by John Jourdain on Jan 23, 2020 22:58:02 GMT
John didn't see the synchronized turning that happened, so when he took a glance to the guards and saw that they where looking at him, he smiled and waved to them. "Oh good, excuse me, guards? there's something out there tha-" "John, don't get near them." Runa interrupted him in a hushed tone, making him stop his approach to the guards. "Runa, why not?" She waved her tail in their 'look around' signal they have, because when she went back to watching the gate, she was able to see the towns people all freeze and look at them.
"There's something off about this place, seems that this wasn't such a safe haven as we thought." she continued, the two of them tried to subtly keep an eye on the people, "That guy ahead seems normal, but we should be cautious around the people here from now on." John looks down at the guy he was carrying with concern, "What should we do Runa? I can't move fast while carrying this guy, and if a fight breaks out I'm screwed with these numbers."
Runa places her front paws on the rim of the backpack. "I'll cover you two if that happens, just make it to that building that guy came out of, for now try to defuse the situation." "How? We already outed ourselves, apparently." Runa's eyes darted from person to person. "Just, try anything."
John thinks for a moment, then pretends to rub the back of his head. "Huh... you know now that I think of it, those could have just been icicles that fell from some trees, there was fog out and our tired minds might have imagined them to be arrows. I mean, giant arrows sounds silly now that I think about it, I mean who could have possibly fired arrows that big anyway? I have trouble shooting normal ar-" "John, stop saying arrows!" She said through clenched teeth.
John stopped and gave a strained smile, he then slowly made his way to the building ahead. "A-anyway, it was a false alarm guys, I'll just go into that building there, it's cold out here after all." He said, hoping his plan worked.
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Post by Bonetrousled? on Jan 28, 2020 3:42:12 GMT
"Yeah, uh . . ." Mojyamon started, trailing off as he noticed the patrons of the restaurant turning their glares on his new companions. Crescemon looked at Skadi as she spoke, almost seeming to stare straight through her rather than at her. It didn't seem like she was getting that one-of-everything anytime soon, but frankly that was the last of Mojyamon's worries right now. "Think that's a good idea, pal. We should go for that walk, like. Soon as we can. Maybe now? Yeah, now. I think now's a good time. Catch you there!" And with that Mojyamon sped away, breaking out into a full-tilt run.
Or, at least, he tried to. He stood there, running in place with his arms flailing wildly, until Skadi and Kenny had passed through the threshold of the restaurant. Only then did he come flying out from the entrance, tumbling ass-over-teakettle. He slid on his back like a cartoon turtle, spinning in a small, sad circle as he nudged into the front paw of a Jagamon. It didn't even seem to react, just as fixated on the offending party as every other Digimon in this dream. "Kinda starting to think nobody else is in the mood for a walk," he muttered, fidgeting his fingers as he stared up at the motionless potato.
Both Alan and John took the chance to try and solve this mess. John pleaded ignorance, claiming that the idea of giant, crystalline arrows was ridiculous and they were simple icicles. Alan, with a little bit more context, added some clarifying information. In his books, it was an act of protectiveness from the apparent leader of the dream. He simply sought to keep the walls safe, and poor John had just been caught in the crossfire. In either human's testimony, they simply couldn't be the monsters that had gotten the townsfolk so on edge.
Nevertheless, the stares of the dream's residents bore down on those assembled for what felt like hours.
It was the Pillomon that looked away first, shrugging its tiny shoulders as it went back to fixing up its tarp. The Penguinmon were the next to leave, continuing to stare blankly in the distance. While they were motionless, the ice under their feet seemed to suddenly decide to become slippery again and gently escort them forward. The Jagamon curled up into a potato-esque ball, burrowing under the permafrost to catch some rest, as the sound of muddled conversations once more spilled out from the restaurant. For whatever standard could be claimed, normalcy had reasserted itself. And while it still felt like Alan, John, and Kenny were being watched, at least the sensation wasn't as suffocating as it had been before.
Only one Digimon that they could see still had its eye on them: it was a Tapirmon, poking out from the window of the restaurant. "So you had an encounter, huh?" it asked, eyes bright with curiosity. As it spoke its trunk swayed back and forth, almost like the ticking of a pendulum. "Did you see the Beasts? What did they look like?"
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Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Jan 28, 2020 4:24:32 GMT
Kenny started to feel his heart sink a little bit, and Skadi a little unnerved as everyone in the restaurant turned to gaze at him instead, like if he said something horrible. But thankfully, Mojyamon was all too willing to help comply with them, with Kenny nodding reassuringly to help quell his fears.
But as they walked outside, a quick glance had shown them that, somehow, Mojyamon was stuck in place. An all too familiar feeling, like back into the trudge to the spire. Before they could even stick their heads back and call him in, both parties flinched as he went flying into the path of a lazy Jagamon, as Kenny called "Are you OK, Mojyamon?", as he and Skadi came over to pull him up. Thankfully, it seemed neither were harmed.
Apart from nodding at Levi's response (which wasn't too far from the truth, all things considered), all the both could do now was just stand there and listen to what Alan, and the 2 newcomers, known as 'John' and 'Runa' had to say, explaining to the group that what had attacked them were possibly icicles falling from the sky, or were they 'arrows'? Certainly, Pajiramon could wield arrows, so that seemed like the most possible explanation.
As things started to wind down for the observing Digimon returning back to normal, Kenny gave a reassuring smile at John as he went to grab his hand, "Actually, why don't you stick with us for a while. Best you go around with a group of people who at least already know this place. We should know, we had a bit of a quick tour earlier." He chuckled lightly.
Before they could continue, however, Tapirmon's all-too-familiar voice could easily be heard as both Kenny and Skadi shot a small glance back at him. In response to the creature, Kenny just wryly shrugged, before rubbing the back of his head, "The 'Beasts'? What do you mean by 'the Beasts', exactly?" Skadi did look a little confused too, tilting her head in confusion.
Just what was Tapirmon on about?
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Post by Alan Pantell on Jan 28, 2020 4:46:54 GMT
Alan and Levi said nothing further until they could be sure that the other citizens had continued moving about. "A thousand-yard stare..." muttered Alan. "Methinks they lost interest some time ago, but felt too comfy in their pose to turn around in any sort of timely manner... anyway, that's that." At that point, the human would turn his head to take further note of Kenny, Skadi, and Mojyamon's arrival. "Good time of day, fellows. Are you alright, Mojyamon? That was quite the tumble. I get it can be a bit unsettling, but don't let it get to you. Take it slow and steady, and you might find the environs less antagonizing." For this close pair as well did Tapirmon's inquiry have them perk up their ears. The first thing Alan noticed when he looked was the swaying of Tapirmon's trunk. He... decided not to look directly at it after the initial glance, noting the blatant symbolism of the motion. The friendliness wasn't enough to make him forget his own suspicions, of course, but somehow, honesty seemed a better policy in this situation than any precaution which might prove to make them look even more suspicious. (It didn't seem likely that they even could do a job of hiding their intentions from anyone who was looking. All he could do was try not to give the hypothetical "knowers" a reason to care.) "We didn't see any beasts," admitted Alan, "at least, I myself didn't, but as far as I'm concerned, that means ser leader is doing his job, no?"
Levi decided to take this opportunity to turn around and motion to the new arrivals for their discreet attention. "Hey," he said, semi-quietly, "where ya from?"
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Post by John Jourdain on Jan 29, 2020 5:35:11 GMT
John and Runa where on edge for the time that they where being stared at, breathing a sigh of relief when they moved on. John soon then realized that he was suddenly slipping on what he was sure to be non icy ground, He struggled to not fall down and/or drop the one he’s carrying, and makes it to the building.
He catches the side of the building with his free hand, stopping himself, and he turns to the Tapirmon who asked about the beasts outside, he’s a bit hesitate to talk about what happened outside, not wanting another stare down. He looks to Runa for a moment, wondering if she had any input, she guesses what he’s wanting to ask, and nods after thinking about it.
John turns back to the digimon, trying to think about what he saw. “Well, I don’t know, my memory’s a bit foggy.” Runa slaps him across the back of his head with her tail for that joke, John chuckles as she does. “Ah but seriously, didn’t get a good look at the things, the fog covered them up, all I could see was that they had fangs, and red glowing eyes.” He turns to Runa, “You see anything I couldn’t?” She shakes her head, turning to her surroundings to make sure none of the residents had a problem with that statement.
John quickly jumped at someone grabbing his hand, he quickly turned around to see it was just some guy, and when John saw this guy didn’t seem to be dangerous, he calmed down but was still on guard. He glanced at Runa, who was already back in the backpack because of the sudden approach of a stranger, she looked at the man for a moment, thinking. “We need to group up with someone, and I don’t think he’s one of the ones who did whatever that was a moment ago, I think we should take that offer.” She argued.
John thought for a moment, then turned and nodded to the man. “Alright, we’ll take that offer, shall we head inside?” He suggested, making his way in. Turning to the next ones who spoke up, John saw that it was the two who tried to help calm down the other people, these where those who he had a little trust in this place. When the digimon asked about how they got there, he shrugged. “Don't know, we woke up on the ground in the forest, some stuff happened, this guy saved us, and that’s it.” John said, being vague so that he wouldn’t say some taboo phrase.
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Post by Bonetrousled? on Feb 4, 2020 4:00:07 GMT
Tapirmon sat down, listening in silence as Kenny, Alan, and John each presented their own sides of the story. John claimed to have only seen glimpses of the beasts. Alan claimed to have not seen any in the first place. And Kenny? He said he didn't even know of any! Tapirmon's eyes darted back and forth between the trio, even as his head remained stock still. The only thing moving on his person was his trunk, which swayed with mechanical precision for such an organic creature.
It was John he turned to first, tilting his head curiously as he listened to the human's description. Was there a creaking noise as he turned, or was that just the active imagination of a tired group? "Really? That's not right," Tapirmon said. "But I guess you weren't supposed to know that yet. It's okay. I'm not, either.
What were we talking about again?"
With that distinct lack of an explanation, he turned to Alan next. He hummed slightly, a dreamlike cloud drifting forth from his snout. "A leader? Do we have one of those here?" he asked. "It's every man for himself here, for as long as those men remain themselves. And after that? Well, I'm sure you know the rest. The main in the high tower doesn't agree. But she thinks too much about how this world is supposed to be. It's his first mistake, if you ask me, but I admire her spirit."
Finally came Kenny. In the blink of an eye, Tapirmon would be right in front of the human's face, forehead practically pressed against his. He looked deeply into Kenny's eyes, and silence fell over the duo. It was only after staring not at him but through him that he finally spoke again. "The beasts are here," Tapirmon said. "And yet, they are also there. An enemy within, and an enemy without. Why, I would not be surprised if they were closer than you'd think, yet so, so far away.
Are they even an enemy at all?
. . . Who are you, again?"
With that last question, Tapirmon began to drift away. It seemed the strange, strange dream being was floating away on a cloud, but upon closer look its lower body was simply made of wispy vapors. The next time the group blinked, the Tapirmon would be gone. However, in more troubling news, the blink would seem to take longer than before. Was it getting harder to keep their eyes open?
"I . . . I mean, I thought I was okay," Mojyamon said, clutching his head as he stood up. "But then that Digimon started saying . . . well, nothing. Like, there was just static coming out of his mouth, like 'Preowwwwwwwwwwwwww' I wasn't the only one hearing that, right? Cause, uh. Let me tell you. Nothing tells you you're not okay like hearing mouths make really not-mouth noises. Kinda makes me wonder if I banged up my noggin before falling asleep, you know? Ahaha . . . ha . . ." It sounded like Mojyamon was trying to play it off as a joke, but sure not one he was laughing at.
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Post by Kenny O'Hara and Skadi on Feb 4, 2020 8:16:02 GMT
Even if Tapirmon seemingly lacked hypnotic powers proper, there was something oddly thematically hypnotic about the way his nose swayed like a pendulum. But still, they listened intently to what everybody had to say. John mentioned the beast had fangs. And red glowing eyes. the duo's mind quickly recalled to an image of Belphmon. Was he the beast in question? It seemed to match the criteria well.
But Tapirmon's cryptic words to the stranger raised plenty of fresh questions; did Belphmon somehow manage to barge his way into the dream world willy nilly? If anything, Kenny already had a boatload of questions for the stranger already in the backburner, and the fact he somehow knew of the beasts upon his appearance just added a little bit more to the pile. His attention drew his eyes to Tapirmon's weird snout cloud as he addressed Alan next, all the while gesturing to him to get away by flapping his hand silently.
So Pajiramon (or whoever) was the only one who didn't believe in this whole 'survival of the fittest' mentality supposedly in play? Just why? At least according to Tapirmon, she supposedly overthought how this dream world worked, somehow. Did something happen to Pajiramon or whoever; was she forced into this role? Did she make a deal with Belphmon in exchange for her own survival? The words of the fortuneteller still echoed in his mind as Tapirmon spoke.
At least, until the meek-looking mammal suddenly popped up in front of his face, making the young man utter a quiet "...Jesus.", as Skadi could only watch in confusion. No matter how much Kenny tried to back away or lean back to avoid Tapirmon's gaze, it felt like the Digimon just managed to stick to him. Other than that, he didn't dare try to swat or shoo him away, or even budge for that matter.
The beasts are here, but also there? Was the beast in question actually Belphmon? Both his Rage Mode form and his Sleep Mode form looked bestial in nature. Wait... did that mean that his focus was directly locked on the dream world itself? That could explain the whole fuckery as they tried to reach the spire directly earlier. But what did the stranger do to incur the beast's wrath, anyways, considering he found him lying on the ground?
Kenny remained in stunned silence, not knowing what to say to Tapirmon as he started to depart. He felt his eyes flitter a few times, only to see the mysterious mammal disappear before their very eyes, as did Skadi, letting out a little yawn. Until something started to hit them.
Oh no.
Was the influence starting to catch up with them? They had to get directly to the bottom of this. And fast. Before they fully succumbed to the nightmare plague.
But how?
"Actually, we're not going anywhere, man. Not just yet, we kinda need to recuperate and figure out our next course of action. And get to know you a little bit in the process. Besides, we kinda do need to take it nice and slowly, just so we can get to where we want safely, if you know what I mean." Kenny addressed the stranger, before he and Skadi turned to the bemoaning Mojyamon, and listened to what he had to say on the matter, all the while the tamer patting him on the back to help calm him.
Wait, how was Mojyamon still hearing static? From Tapirmon, of all Digimon? Despite Mojyamon just trying to play it off as a joke, concerned looks still crossed the duo's faces. Leaving him alone was no longer an option. They had to help him, for his own sake. Kenny's gaze stayed locked on Mojyamon as he threw an arm around his shoulder to hammer in the reassurance.
"Calm down, Mojyamon." Kenny said in a gentle tone, "I know you're still a little scared and confused, but don't worry. I think you should just stick with us for a little while, OK? We'll get to the bottom of this, get you some much-needed help, and you can grab some proper rest and relaxation when we're all done with this. You can trust us, man. We're your friends here." He winked to him.
Just as Kenny finished speaking, Skadi had walked up and had now thrown her arms around Mojyamon, giving him a nice, soft hug, "And friends don't leave friends behind to suffer, no matter what!" She lightly bleated, nuzzling the yeti's fur with her snout.
Kenny lightly chuckled at his partner's antics once more, before standing up and addressing the rest of the group, Mojyamon included, "Well, we can't dawdle around for much longer than we have to. We have to get to the spire, so we can talk to the warden, and just find out exactly what's going on in this place, and get Mojyamon some help too, while we're at it." He gave a knowing glance to one of his now-trusted teammates, "You good with that, Alan, Levi?"
Then he turned to the stranger and his Digimon, "By the way, I forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Kenny, and that little Valaismon down there is my friend, Skadi."
The Valaismon gave her one of her signature happy waves, "Nice to meet you two!"
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Post by Alan Pantell on Feb 4, 2020 20:45:11 GMT
Through Alan's patient smile, his suspicions of the dreamy tapir never ceased. It was a wonder he was even able to pay attention to his words while trying his damnedest to make sure Tapirmon wasn't up to any funny business. He took extra caution that he didn't stare at his trunk, nor breathe any of his snout-vapor. The pair of adventurers had had run-ins with cryptic riddles before, but these likely weren't "riddles" with definite answers. The best way to deal with this, in the human's mind, was to manage his assumptions. If he cannot avoid making assumptions, he might as well keep track of the assumptions he makes, so that they may be revoked at a moment's notice. Tapirmon's response to him seemed rather straightforward, apart from the pronoun-switching. If one assumed that both pronouns were used to refer to the same person, assumedly "the man in the high tower," who was assumedly Pajiramon, then they were becoming a more interesting character by the second. The most notable question that arose was thus: "How is this world supposed to be?" Alan seemed content to wait for his answer until he could ask "the man" herself, again, assuming this man was Pajiramon, and assuming Pajiramon was even truly inside the looming spire, and that they would accomplish anything by reaching them. Without assumptions, nothing gets done. That is the unfortunate truth, as hard as the party might try to pretend they weren't getting anything done while simultaneously getting things done.
Alan frowned as he got that tired pang in his stomach. The best he could do about tiredness was not think about it. He's never once fallen asleep while standing anyway, and like hell was he about to fall asleep while asleep. Feeling sorry for Mojyamon, who the boy assumed was an ally, or at least neutral, he offered a hand to him as well, deciding to be a bit more frank than Kenny was. "Don't worry, big guy. I think you were the only one who heard him spout static, but if I had to take a guess, it's more like a* perception filter than insanity. We can't understand things we're not supposed to hear. Remember when you were speaking with the guards at the gate? I don't know about my friends here, but I couldn't catch a word of it. All sounded like static, even what you were saying. You get it? So you're no crazier than we are. That said, I'm assuming that what I'm saying right now isn't static to you... but it'd be pretty obvious if it was. I don't think I'd be saying most of what I was saying right now, and would catch wind of your reaction a lot earlier. There'd probably be an asterisk to mark that point, if it was written down on something."*
"Anyway," Alan turned back to the newcomers. "Welcome to our little expedition. I'm Alan, and my partner here is Levi."
Levi made a finger guns gesture at the other pair. "Yo!"
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