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[DP 2] The Goonberg Files
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Post by Erika on Nov 12, 2019 23:21:31 GMT
Well, no doubt was to be held about something: Phase two was certainly more interesting than phase one.
Alan had managed to jump out of the way of the incoming light, remaining in the shadows to keep himself unseen. Levi, on the other side of the deck, would have to do the same, once the light continued its path towards him. Apparently, the club moved in a static pattern, the spotlight it issued basically moving in a circle around the surface of their training ground. At some point of its track, it illuminated Bruyne too, who just remained sitting with his arms folded and his eyes closed. If, by any reason, any sound was produced across any point of the deck (whether it was illuminated in the original pattern or not), the light would travel immediately towards that point in a matter of seconds, to then start moving around that specific area, looking for whatever had caused it.
If the light didn’t detect anything by going through its initial pattern three times in a row, it would eventually trail off in a different pattern, moving around the sails and the upper sides of the Tomb, to then return to its original track.
The thickness of this dark smog didn’t let Alan and Levi see much of their surroundings, besides the times the beacon illuminated those areas directly. The sails seemed to still be there, and nothing around the ship seemed to have changed positions. This left the duo with the possibility to climb up the main mast of the ship. Maybe from the crow nest they could see the beacon-club from high above, although how they could use in their favor was still not clear. The masts that held the sails were also climbable, although the possibility of any of these actions generating noise was a clear issue too.
Beyond the different options they had and the recurring threat the beacon represented, Levi would probably start feeling something changing inside of him. Just like before, but maybe with a bit more of… intensity? Slowly, the Flamedramon could start sensing the… energy stored in the objects that belonged to his surroundings. He couldn’t see them, and he couldn’t quite picture them, but if he focused enough, he could actually feel the data existing within the objects and living beings around him. The warmth of the light, yes, but also the presence of every object in the environment, even of those he could not see by the indirect light of the beacon. What was going on? What did this change mean, and how could it be exploited?
If Alan looked at his partner, he would notice the purple in Levi’s eyes had turned a lot clearer, leaving almost no trace of the previous color in his irises. It was slowly happening.
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Post by Alan Pantell on Nov 22, 2019 14:23:36 GMT
Levi would nimbly dance to a better vantage point, landing where the light had just passed out of its usual path. He- he needed to focus; he needed some time. Attempting to map out every set piece on the deck with his drastically limited vision was frustrating with his vision stifled by the thick fog. It did not strike him as strange at first, but he swore he could feel his surroundings. Though he would later notice it was a new ability for him, at present it seemed a sixth sense as natural as any of his others, and far more reliable than his eyes. Think, Levi. Are the obvious options the only options? Can anything here provide suitable cover while we get to a point where we can get at that club? He doubted the sails would be unfurled while the ship was docked, but was any part of the mast wide enough to provide cover? Or was the light able to view them from multiple angles and see around the mast? Movement such as this would be part of what he would check for in his surroundings, though this would be one thing that was somewhat easy to see with his own eyes.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the deck, Alan would notice Levi disappear to a higher position, most likely because he had come up with a plan of his own. With the beacon patrolling the deck, and not being allowed to make a sound, he would have to do the same on his side while keeping watch for the light. The human would be looking out for any objects he could use as tools in his surrounding area, though all he would need to do would be to get to a high place. Using his grappling hook to climb would certainly generate too much noise, but somehow, some way... if he could only reach the crow's nest, the hook would be able to grab the club safely from above, he posited.
If climbing the masts would generate noise in the slightest, then there was at least one aspect of the beacon's behavior the pair of recruits might be able to use. One of them would have to buy time by generating a slightly higher amount of noise in parts of the ship in which neither of them were standing. To this end, what Alan would be searching for in his limited field of view would be semi-light, throwable objects. After all, the boy only had one baseball cap.
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Post by Erika on Nov 25, 2019 16:43:00 GMT
The test posited by Bruyne, that one developing at the deck of the Tomb, continued.
Giving the ship’s current situation, it didn’t seem like hiding behind any of the sails was an option. They were pretty much furled, and the mast might be just a bit too thin. It was true climbing it would not produce any loud noise (hopefully not loud enough to call for the beacon’s attention), but could Alan really climb through it? It seem like both Levi and his newfound sixth sense were going to be the key here.
Instead of rushing into conclusions, the dragon had decided to slowly study the situation and maybe… just maybe, letting his ability develop. Very slowly, Levi could start feeling the presence of Alan, Bruyne, and the distribution of many objects around him. While there were still some objects that could be on deck that he was not detecting, at least he could now tell what the items in his proximities were. He would have to focus a bit harder in order to find a small object, one that he could throw to make the necessary noise for the beacon to change its course. He would sooner or later find out that, for some reason, his ability worked way better when he had his eyes closed.
And, once he closed his eyes to broaden his power… a very warm, savage energy would get to him. It was not in this ship, he could feel this presence was not even near him, but…it was there. It existed. His insides had the inherent need to scream at him this creature existed, that it was living. Was that… Virkka? He could actually feel this digimon, regardless of where he was, huh? Not very surprising, considering he had drank a part of her soul. And yet still… quite surprising at the same time.
Once he was able to bypass the evident distraction that the vamp represented, he would finally be able to detect the little things around him, or even the ones that were further away. The beacon, Kuda, some barrels by the end of the deck and… another club floating. Just like the one patrolling the area. Oh! There was something else. If he dashed towards his right, he would find a small metal ball (probably an item to make a certain something heavier) behind some barrels. That could create a good amount of noise! But… how was he going to use it? And what was he going to do after he did?
Suddenly, he could feel how the beacon had started moving aggressively around the deck, looking to broaden the area it brought to light.
Time for planning was over for now. If he wanted some more time to look further into anything he had detected, he would at least need to create that distraction first, or the beacon would definitely find them!
The last sprint of this test had begun!
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Post by Alan Pantell on Dec 4, 2019 0:29:52 GMT
Alan was getting flustered, having to deal with the constant stress of remaining silent and unseen, whilst carrying on a search that was, rather surprisingly, turning up nothing. He stared up at the masts once again. He was no gymnast, but he could probably climb it. However, he would need to do so quickly, and, need he remind you, without falling. There was the rub. He would only trust Levi's Flamedramon form with such a task, but... how could he find him, let alone reach him and communicate? As it would turn out, he didn't need to. The Veemon came skittering his way to his position, just as the beacon began its mad dance 'round the deck. Levi stared him in the face with a determined, violet-eyed gaze, followed by a reassuring smile, so the human would know nothing bad happened to his partner. The Veemon placed the small metal ball in Alan's hand and went off to search where he thought he had detected a second club.
Though this was different from the plan Alan thought was obvious, he trusted his partner's confident gaze. He seemed to know what he was doing, and for lack of a better means of communication amidst chaotic silence, the tamer had to trust in Levi. Alan watched where the little dragon was searching, and when he saw the direction he was heading, threw the ball so that it would hit the deck farthest from where Levi was doing his search. Additionally, he would try not to throw it anywhere where it might ricochet back and make another noise on this side of the deck. Levi would greatly appreciate however much time this would buy him. Alan's next actions would depend largely on the results of this, but in preparation for the worst case scenario, he would start by moving to the closest far edge of the ship, seeing if he could conceivably hang off the edge by his fingers if the beacon decided to return with a vengeance.
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Post by Erika on Dec 6, 2019 19:05:12 GMT
The events that led to the termination of this test happened rather quickly and to decipher them would take some time. Levi would manage to move towards Alan and give him reassurance before delivering the metal ball. However, it was clear the beacon club patrolling the area had turned a lot more sensitive, as it moved towards the dragon and the human as soon as Levi walked. The Fladramon would move towards the hidden club now, while the beacon club moved towards Alan, who threw the ball in an opposite direction, generating the much needed noise to distract the guardian weapon.
However, things would turn out to be a lot harder than expected. By the time the metal ball struck the wood, the beacon had turned too sensitive to every noise happening around it. The source of light traveled to the other side of the deck and across the whole surface of the Tomb to reach the decoy, leaving the road completely cleared for the Fladramon to look for the hidden club!
By using his sixth sense, which was developing quicker with every second, the dragon was able to find the weapon behind some barrels in a matter of seconds. But… the club was moving. More like… trembling. What was wrong? Should Levi catch him immediately or…?
No time to make a decision. It was at that time when Bruyne’s voice, who seemed to be a lot closer than expected, reached the dragon’s ears. Instead of giving an earful or saying anything else, the ogre just dedicated to repeating a part of his initial statement, the one he had issued when everything started.
“When turbulence strikes and the Dusk needs the pirate’s aid, that is when the pirate and the Dusk shall separate.”
What did that mean? Where was he hiding?
Regardless if Levi decided to take the club or not, the events that would occur next were invariable. He was trapped. The Fladramon would find himself unable to move a single muscle, just petrified in the same spot where he was when he heard the ogre’s voice.
“You knew I was still in the dark. I never said I wouldn’t move during the whole test did I? Why didn’t you think about me as a threat to your plans?” Bruyne’s voice asked out loud. “Why didn’t any of you separate from the Dusk to work as the final distraction? You became one with the Dusk, but you became too attached to it!” Right behind the final club, between the darkness, two orange irises shone. He was right there.
It was at this time of high adrenaline that Levi felt the possibility of maybe, just maybe, using a new skill. He felt he had an instinctive reaction inside of him, something that he could do as a counterattack to Bruyne’s final ambush. He didn’t know what it was, he just knew he had to concentrate he had to focus each and every one of the bits of data in his body into that power he had just discovered and wait for the best.
If he closed his eyes to do so, he would see a familiar figure.
Virkka.
The vamp was sitting in a throne, right in the middle of pitch darkness, holding a crystal cup in her hand.
“You’re still far from your perfect form, aren’t you?” She asked, staring at the item in her hand before glancing at Levi. “You know? now that I've been living inside of you, I can understand you a lot better now. I can understand your desires... your fears... and your limits." To punctuate the last word of that sentence, Virkka stared at the cup in her hand again, her eyes widening for a second. "You want to be stronger. You don’t want to lose again. You don't want what happened in the inn to repeat. You want to…” She giggled, bestowing her characteristic sultry attitude. “... Oh my. Your true motivation… is that really it? That’s adorable.” That same predatory grin from before appeared on her face.
“Come back again when you’re ready to evolve.” She declared, looking at Levi once again. “But… for the time being…” The captain made a pause, before throwing the crystal cup to the dragon at mighty speed. The item was flying towards Levi. In this scenery he was envisioning inside of himself, he could move. No, he had to move. He had to break that cup going his way, just like he wanted to break all of his limits.
“WIN!”
It was now or never. Could he grasp the level of concentration needed to unlock that technique lying inside of him? Could he break all of his limits and defeat Bruyne?
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Post by Alan Pantell on Dec 7, 2019 17:45:36 GMT
The human trainee would be startled at first, thinking his decoy might not end up working, but the beacon was indeed briefly drawn to the other side of the deck, leaving the boy to remain cautious while he kept watch for the results of whatever Levi had planned. The next thing he heard... was Bruyne chastising them for not taking him into account. Alan clenched his teeth in anger, still making no sound. Levi's in trouble, he thought, he better not be letting that smug bastard declare his own victory! He had to move. He had to find the others and help Levi. Even if they were supposed to separate from the Dusk here... Alan was all too aware of his own humanity. If he was going to help out, it would have to first approach undetected, beginning with hanging over the edge of the ship by his hands and sidling over to where he thought the voice was coming from. Completely unaware of what was going on inside Levi's head, all the boy could do is try to find a position from which he had a clear shot of approaching from behind and putting Bruyne in some kind of incredibly-distracting amateur chokehold. Would he be able to get such an ideal vantage point by scanning from the edges of the deck?
No movement.
Not one muscle to move for his own.
Not a single corrugator supercilii to be used to narrow an eye in distaste at Levi's assailant. Clearly, the Shamanmon had the power to swab the deck with the both of them, and held back for the sake of the test. All they had to go on was Bruyne's apparent unwillingness to move from his spot, so they could only trust that he wouldn't. Naturally, Levi had no way to communicate all this, but had the self-restraint to continue to remain silent regardless. Petrification is a low blow, thought the Flamedramon, an arbitrary failure. A "because I said so." He had to do something to poke a hole in that sort of flawed reasoning. Even if Alan came to his aid, it wasn't likely to be fast enough. Levi strained his mind to tap into sheer willpower, desperately attempting to remember what it felt like to move one of his muscles.
Aha!
The dragon found his control! He could move once more! But when he opened his eyes to greet those of his opponent, something was off. Virkka was in front of him. For a moment of brief horror, his mind drifted to the worst possibility he could imagine: that he had been knocked out cold and was know waking up the next morning, after the heist had been completed without them. Something was off in that case. The two of them were standing in pitch darkness. If he had been knocked out, he most certainly had not woken up already. Levi fought off his nerves as he listened to the vampiric demoness speak. Where was she going with this? His digicore began to sink right around the words "come back," until... until...
Wait a minute... hell no!
Even before Virkka gave her final word of encouragement, Levi found his fire in the darkness. Even having no idea what was happening, the dragon refused to let it continue to do so.
"GRAAAAAAH!" he cried out, bowing his head into a forward bash, forcing the blade on top of his helmet first, followed by everything that came with it, into the glass soaring towards him. "Winning" had a nice ring to it.
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Post by Erika on Dec 9, 2019 16:30:57 GMT
“Guys, the food’s been ready for a while now. Are you coming or…?” When coming out to the deck to call out her crewmates, Kuda found herself a bit shocked at the sight. Bruyne’s test had reached its final moments and she had arrived just in time to watch the climax. “Interesting…” She muttered, her eyes studying the whole scenario.
So… what did she find?
In order to answer that question, it was adequate to study what Levi had experienced first.
As soon as the dragon thrust forward, he destroyed the cup flying his way. He could only see the object shattering into a million pieces before the scenery in front of him changed completely again. For all means and purposes, he was back at the Tomb.
Virkka was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the club that he was about to grab before he froze by whatever Bruyne had casted on him was still floating right there. However, a bolt of flame (seemingly created by Bruyne) had issued a huge trail of light towards the dragon now. The beam was so enormous it covered half of the Tomb’s surface, making everything around Levi visible. The one thing that the light of the fire was, surprisingly, not making visible? Levi himself.
How did he know that?
Well, one proof was Bruyne’s completely perplexed expression. The ogre had never looked so confused since they had met. He kept looking around, trying to find the dragon, who was actually standing in front of him, to the other side of his club. The other proof? If the Fladramon looked down below, he would find… nothing. His body was not visible anymore. He could feel his claws, his legs, his torso, it just… wasn’t there.
Levi was invisible.
“W-Where did you go!?” Bruyne asked, looking completely stunned. Of course. Bruyne was ready to catch Levi. He had him paralyzed right in front of the dragon's objective and had cast a massive light on him. So the fact he couldn't find him now was absolutely shocking for the pirate.
“You got so obsessed with showing them you were in control… that you actually believed it yourself.” Kuda quietly muttered from the door that led downstairs.
Bruyne's amazement brought his loss of focus. His loss of focus brought the end of his paralyzing technique. Levi could move again! The club; his maximum goal, kept floating in front of the dragon. However… if he grabbed it right in front of Bruyne, the ogre would know where he was, right? He needed a final distraction. He needed the Shammamon to take his eyes away from the club for him to actually grab the weapon while undetected and put an end to this test.
Some meters right behind Bruyne, peeking from the edge of the ship, Alan seemed ready to attack.
This was it!
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Post by Alan Pantell on Dec 14, 2019 7:17:33 GMT
He had to break his limits.
He had to break free.
He had to break... to break... something...
So he did.
Every possible scenario formed within Levi's mind. Virkka had said it herself: a Limit Break! Was it a powerful shot? A die roll? Good ol' Braver? As far as the Flamedramon knew, nothing had changed. He couldn't move his body... could he? Looking over to check for his limbs, he couldn't find them anywhere. Not only had he completely faded from sight, Bruyne's confusion could only mean he had hidden his presence entirely, even from any sixth sense! With that, he felt movement of his limbs return to him. Luckily, he had been paralyzed ever since he knew where he was standing, so he could easily use muscle memory and the feeling of the deck under his paws to determine how to move. It was clear even to him, however, that if he grabbed the club now, his advantage wouldn't last for too long.
In an excellent display of timing, something rolled swiftly onto the deck behind Bruyne. In the ironic cover of the firelight, Alan drew the hardlight baton from his digivice and brought it to the front of Bruyne's neck, holding both ends of the baton with his palms facing towards him.
"Who ya talkin' to?" said Alan's playful voice as he put all of his body's might into rotating one hundred and eighty degrees, in a frantic sort of tango. "You said something about turbulence? I don't see anything, so it should be okay... I just came down here, seein' as our shift's almost over. Wouldn't want the next guy to catch you dozin' off, ya know? Not that I think you ever would, but hey, 'snot a crime to look after a friend, eh?" The human boy kept on going the extra mile with an impression of a hypothetical guard, though he might have been more confused than Levi, yet he trusted that Levi had some sort of plan, and Alan's interruption had given the dragon an excellent one. The Flamedramon would grab for the club to swipe it and attempt a retreat, not knowing how long the invisibility would last. He would hold his breath and dive off of the ship in the opposite direction of the ship's exit, putting his body in a form to break the water's surface as smoothly and cleanly as possible, then swim entirely underwater in the other direction. With no idea just how far he had to take the club to pass the test, or even have any way of knowing whether he passed, he could only keep going until he reached some kind of open area.
This is all, of course, how the events would ideally play out as the partners planned on their own and would try their best to ensure came to fruition. How would it all play out? Would Alan's gambit even successfully buy the time and attention needed? All they could do was hope, and do their best.
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Post by Erika on Dec 19, 2019 21:50:34 GMT
The surprise.
The distraction.
The taking.
Even if they had to recur to the last-minute awakening of a skill they didn’t even know they had, it seemed like Alan and Levi had obtained a well-deserved victory. The end of the test had resulted in Levi stealing the club, one that had no light coming out of it or hadn’t exploded into a million pieces. The actual real club! He didn’t have to swim too far away to notice the weapon had disappeared from his gauntlets and gone back to the Shammamon’s hand.
“Y-you actually did it…” Bruyne muttered, a smirk slowly appearing on his face while he glanced at Kuda, who was now just another spectator.
“I never thought you would develop a skill like that so quickly. That was quite damn impressive!” With a pretty sizeable jar of beer in one hand and a piece of steak in the other, Bruyne praised the duo’s teamwork while he, Kuda, Alan, and Levi sat around a wooden table in the kitchen of the Tomb, which was located below deck.
Although murky and not very well illuminated (like the rest of the ship’s insides, in all honesty) the kitchen of the Tomb seemed like a comfy place with even more than the necessary supplies to prepare a great meal. It also seemed like this roomy chamber was where the crew usually reunited while they were inside the ship. The food? It was quite delicious! Although a simple dish of wined meat and fruits, Kuda was definitely skillful!
“When I went up there and couldn’t feel his presence… I knew you had screwed up.” The chef noted, holding up a jar with her tail and looking at Bruyne.
The conversation they were entertaining was suddenly interrupted. Both Kuda and Bruyne quirked an eyebrow and turned towards the door. Almost as if they had felt someone was coming. Alan and Levi would feel exactly the same.
Less than two minutes after that, Virkka entered the kitchen, accompanied by Hagurumon. “The sweet scent of victory.” She remarked after taking a deep breath. Then, one of her classical smirks appeared in her lips again. “That was a delightful way of breaking limits.” The vamp remarked, staring at the Flamedramon. “That means you’re more than ready to go~"
The LadyDevimon moved one of the stools back to take a seat around the table, her legs crossed. Meanwhile, the gear that accompanied her opened his mouth and started sweeping giants chunks of food (from the delicious banquet Kuda had prepared) inside of him. Hagurumon wasn't eating, he was storing that!
Their captain took a cup, filled it with wine and started drinking. “I’m glad you honor us with your presence, captain.” The chef giggled after that statement, obviously being a bit ironic. The vamp extended a hand to pat the Kudamon’s head, a gesture she seemed to enjoy. “Hagurumon is taking some of your food back to the base at the Lost Droplet for the rest of the crew. So I figured I could eat here and congratulate our new recruits for passing their test… and also congratulate their teacher, for a great exam.” With a smirk, Virkka looked at Bruyne while finishing that sentence.
The evening went by rather calmly. Before they noticed, the Dusk Pirates were more than ready to go and finish their most important heist so far. Hagurumon was back from the base (bringing Pillomon this time) and the whole team had been assembled.
Standing in front of the wheel, the captain declared that start of their mission. Having overcome Bruyne's challenge and with a new power growing within them, Alan and Levi needed to be ready for whatever Goonberg could throw at them!
“Let’s go, Dusk Pirates!”
Congratulations, Dusk Pirates! You have completed the second chapter of the Astrivia Plot for your route: The Goonberg Files.
Here are your rewards! -9,000 Bits / 15 posts
Both your inventory and the decisions you made during this chapter will carry out to the next one! Thanks for playing! See you at the next chapter!
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