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Post by Nobuhiko Yomi on Oct 12, 2019 22:49:48 GMT
Whoo~ Whoo~
Crick-crick, crick-crick... The distant howling mixed with the sounds of crickets... Or things that sounded like such. This was a new world, one where neither owls nor bugs existed in a way familiar to a human, who had seen both only on the pages of the book. And yet the sounds were there, so very much like home. Adding to it was the crackling of firewood, and the rustling in the bushes. This forest, whatever its name was... felt so ... alive.
And that is a good thing... Beats the silence and the howling winds of the Dark Area, for sure...
Next to the fire, there was a fox-like digimon, its black fur seeming to consume a bit of light emanating from the fire. She was tossing more twigs she found to feed the flames. Since departing from the Deeplane Encampment, Yomi was getting used to the reality of her new body. And while the tail seemed to have a life of its own, the limbs obeyed much more readily. After a long march that would have left her human self collapsing on the ground, the renamon did not feel too ... tired. Her blue eyes could see things in the dark, easily. And her body was strong. Not soft and fragile like she used to be. It was the body of a fighter. A fighter whose presence lurked in the back of her mind. That one too, was getting used to the person he bonded with. Yomi soon heard the voice, scraping against the back of her head.
Get up... It's time.
Ugh... must we?
Yes. Do as you were taught.
Yomi sighed, before getting up from the stump she was sitting on. Closing her eyes, the renamon concentrated. A dark flame was summoned from the palm, as the girl fed her grievances and fears into it. Soon, it took form, and fell into her hands. A sword. Simple straight blade, straight crossbar and a hilt. A pummel in shape of a skull. So corny. Finding a dead tree next to her, the fox took a stance, and started swinging at the wood. Thuck. Thuck. Thuck. Strong blows. But clumsy still. She was no swordsman. Yet the spirit was adamant. This would go on for a while, until one of the blows would sink the blade too deep into the wood, making it hard to pull out. It was just as then, the bushes behind started to rustle.
"Huh? Who's there?"
Yomi called out, instinctively clenching her hands into fists, putting one foot forward, and the other - a bit back, parallel to it. The chore was rubbing onto her.
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Post by Syre the BlackGatomon on Oct 12, 2019 23:17:40 GMT
It looks like I'll be handling the forest from now on...
Syre gave a sigh, shaking her head as she pressed her way deeper into the Eastern Timberlands. Ever since the fiasco of her last visit - finding that the plague of black mushrooms had spread far more than they originally thought they could - the BlackGatomon found herself trudging through the forest more often than not, just to keep her eyes on the infestation. It had gotten to the point where her instincts were almost second hat, her ear flicking at the more notable noises while filtering out the rest.
All she had to do was wrap up her patrol - another hour or so, before she could take a portal back to base, then swing around back home. At least, that's what Syre thought, until she heard a methodical 'thud' somewhere in the distance.
Thud. Thud.
"An axe?" The cat silently mused, hearing the sound repeat over and over. It didn't sound like anything familiar to the wild - but what could it be? She carefully stepped closer, using her claws to climb up into a tree, getting a good vantage point at the situation below. Interesting... a black furred Renamon, with a sword? It briefly reminded her of the Xros General's partner...
... But, unlike Angel, she seemed less practiced. Less polished - as if uncertain of her own sword's strength. That didn't add up - why was she this far out into the wilderness? Then again, she didn't seem to be hurting anything. Maybe she could just leave it alone -
"Huh? Who's there?"
"Tch..." Perceptive, wasn't she? Actually, no - Syre heard a rustle below herself - and just as the Renamon spoke up, the rustling in the bush perked up, an unseen 'something' spooked about being discovered, running right off into the distance. Maybe it was something like a rat?
Either way, Syre kept still for the moment, eyes focused on the fox for a minute longer...
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Post by Nobuhiko Yomi on Oct 12, 2019 23:51:43 GMT
"Probably nothing..."
The best ears in the world could not replace experience. Shrugging, upon hearing something scamper off, the renamon assumed it was a critter. Turning around, she grasped the hilt of the blade stuck in the tree, and pulled on it hard. Shhhhhhank! - went the sword, as it was pulled back, and once it escaped, the force of the pull brought Yomi to flop back on her rear. Eyes widened, as she felt her tush land on a rock or something.
"Ow! Tch..."
Khe-khe. Posture and grace of an Elephantmon.
"Oh everyone's a critic. I'm not a fighter to wield your sword. I bet you can't solve square equations yourself, huh?"
Equations won't help you survive here. Stand up and fight.
The Renamon grumbled as she stood up and started wailing her sword at the tree again. It was not as random as initially thought. There was some crude system in place. Diagonal from above right, diagonal from above left, upwards diagonal cut from the right, same from the left. The gashes in the tree were deep. The sword, even if clumsily handled, was sharp. The exercise was getting to the fox, who breathed in more of the air, chest rising and heaving. And in doing so, the renamon's sensitive nose caught... a scent. A scent that was not hers.
"GAH!"
Yomi gasped, as she felt her body forcefully turned around, the tip of the blade pointing at the bush. It was not a motion she had commanded, no - the order came from the inside. One of her eyes blinked red, while the other one remained blue. The fox knew what it was.
"What, what? What is wrong?"
You're not alone after all.
Her eyes focused on the bushes, as if trying to guess the outline in the leaves. The feline may have been hidden from the renamon, but how could one hide the scent. The tip of the blade pointed down, both hands resting on the hilt.
"Show yourself."
A command came. Even the voice sounded different. Somehow.
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Post by Syre the BlackGatomon on Oct 13, 2019 0:15:41 GMT
'Probably nothing'.
Honestly, that was the best that Syre could have hoped for. If she just left things well enough alone, she could just watch for a minute or two longer, hopefully learn that this was just some innocent fox practicing in the forest, and be on her merry way with the rest of the patrol. Still, the cat couldn't help but smile at the Renamon's apparent clumsiness. And... huh.
Who is she talking to?
That question was held in the cat's head for a moment. If anything, it was more of an indication that maybe the cat shouldn't get involved in this. Skilled or not, she did seem to at least know how to use that sword. Alright, all she had to do was -
Oh Sovereign damn it.
Seeing that sword pointed right at her, the BlackGatomon grit her teeth. The fox herself seemed only half certain about what was going on, but Syre didn't take any chances: with a flick of her tail, a black ring silently appeared at the tip - before the cat simply stepped off of the branch, and landed on her feet.
"No need for that." Syre kept her arms off to her side. "I was just keeping an eye on you. Its rare to see a 'talker' this deep out in the forest - I thought it was strange."
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Post by Nobuhiko Yomi on Oct 13, 2019 0:27:53 GMT
Yomi blinked, as the dark shadows cast by the fire burning next to her revealed who it was. A black cat. Wearing oversized gloves. And a ring thing. Being called a 'talker' confused the Renamon for a few moments, before she realized that she was indeed talking out loud. The realization making a shade of purple appear next to her cheeks, as she put the sword away.
"Oh... Was I doing it out loud? Sorry... uhh... this is awkward." - she scratched the back of her head. The warrior-like posture vanishing, shoulders slouching, and the red light in one of her eyes blinking and fading, both of them now blue in the darkness of the night. The fox smiled, looking at the Gatomon, first time seeing such a digimon.
She's cute.
She is stronger than you are.
Hearing that inside her head, Yomi looked to the side, as if someone was standing right next to her.
But she's third my height!
Don't be fooled by appearances. You are a rookie, she's a champion. Look, black fur. Like yours. A virus.
The internal monologue lasted a little bit, during which the Renamon just stared, as though drawing blanks. When she stopped, Yomi backpedaled a little, mostly due to her balance being off, again. She managed to land her tush on the trunk she sat at, one hand still clasped around the hilt of the blade. She looked back at the Gatomon, who seemed to stare back at her, no doubt waiting for explanations.
"Sorry, sorry... I'm not looking for trouble. Just on my way to the North... I think."
Another pause of awkwardness, which the Renamon felt she needed to fill with something. Anything. Pulling a weary smile, the girl added:
"Uhm... I'm Yomi. That's my name. What's yours? Do you have one?"
Both her hands were around the hilt of the blade now. Though it looked like they were there not to lose it, rather than use it. Such a strange thing.
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Post by Syre the BlackGatomon on Oct 13, 2019 0:55:57 GMT
Syre might have been 'cute', but she also had a good head on her shoulders. Rather than panic, she simply met the situation head-on, explained herself, and presented herself in the most non-threatening manner possible. It seemed to work, Yomi simply giving an awkward apology as she sheathed her blade.
"Its quite alright." Syre gave a smile, relaxing her stance, giving a nod to the fox. "Though I'll say, its a bit risky to be this far out in the woods like this - especially with your attention soaked up on a tree like that. I've been watching you for a good minute or two now."
Yup, the cat wasn't weak or helpless, despite her height! But... it seemed that Yomi found herself 'bickering' again, a faint red glow in her eyes betraying the presence of something else. To that, Syre just gave a sigh: "Got a Digimon's voice stuck in your head, or something like that?" It wasn't the most unheard of thing in the world. As Yomi sat, the cat herself leaned back against a tree, crossing her arms, ear flicking at her story.
"... Making your way north? You're sure as heck making it hard on yourself, you know." The BlackGatomon looked around. "There's definitely far safer ways north than these woods. And... hm?"
Oh, her name? "Syre. Nice to meet you... and, um, I don't think you have to clutch your blade like that? You'll cross your wrists up just trying to stand..."
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Post by Nobuhiko Yomi on Oct 13, 2019 1:10:32 GMT
"Yeah..."
Yomi was not going to deny it. Especially after making it so blatantly obvious with how bipolar her words and reactions must have seen to the outside observer. "Does it happen often? Any chance you know how to silence it?" - the renamon asked. A tall order, she knew it. And the snrk she heard at the back of her head just confirmed it. She rolled her eyes, and removed one of her hands from the hilt. Resting the sheathed blade against her lap, with the other hand around the pummel still. The words of warning were met with a tired smile.
"It's not so bad... Feels much safer than the Land of Darkness I've been hiking through all this time. No crimson storms and pools of blood here... Why, s-should I be wary of something?"
She shivered a little, shifting her shoulders uncomfortably, ears folding against her head.
"But I must go North. The voice tells me so. I cannot go home until I find... something."
What? Yomi had no idea. Whenever she asked, the voice went quiet, cryptic. Preferring to send visions than telling things outright. It was so annoying. And the hike by foot felt so long. Briefly, the Renamon's gaze became distant, as the images of her friends went before her eyes. Walking to school, laughing, chuckling. Without her. I wonder if they even noticed I'm missing...
"Nice to meet you, Syre..." - Yomi looked down and reached into the backpack, pulling out a fruit. "Apple?" - she'd ask and toss it over to the black Gatomon.
Squandering resources.
The voice did not approve.
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Post by Syre the BlackGatomon on Oct 13, 2019 2:17:46 GMT
"Sorry, no idea. It can very from case to case, but if I have to guess in yours... there's literally another Digimon in there telling you what to do?"
Syre was definitely guessing, but judging from how unsure Yomi seemed about herself - and the relative strange behavior she seemed to exhibit with that sword at least made her guess that the fox didn't really know what she was doing. As the fox relaxed her stance, albeit slightly, the feline tilted her head. "Well, sure - its not really safe to just wander around the wilderness by yourself. There's a lot stronger Digimon around here than me, and if you don't know your surroundings?"
Then things could get even worse. To her next point, though, Syre gave a counter: "Why do you have to listen to the voice at all? How can you be sure its telling you the best thing that you need to do for yourself?" Sure, the cat didn't understand the entire situation, but doing something because 'a magic voice in my head told me to do it' generally didn't work out well in the long run.
Maybe her dad could help her expunge that voice... regardless, she gave a nod to Yomi's greeting. "Same! And..." Oh, an apple? Syre gave a blink, catching it right in her hands, giving a blink back towards the fox... before she gave a smile, and a hearty bite out of the side. Nice and juicy!
"Mm! Alright, thanks for that..." Syre gave a nod, standing up as she brushed off her legs. "But, really, you shouldn't be this far out into the woods. How about you come with me and we make our way over to Rosewood? It'll be nice to have someone else along for the rest of my patrol."
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Post by Nobuhiko Yomi on Oct 13, 2019 12:36:32 GMT
Yomi kept quiet.
The cat girl assumed she was just another digimon with a strange 'problem'. Should she tell her that she used to be a human, before? Suddenly, Renamon did not feel so sure. The reactions to her being one so far were ... vastly different from one creature to another. Those at the Deepvalley camp treated her well. People at the Fragment Village ... not so much. Gatomon seemed nice, but... maybe there was no point to tell her the full story.
"I don't have much of a choice. If I don't find the thing, I won't be able to get home."
The fox looked away a bit. She could almost feel the thing inside her grinning. A wiry smile appeared on her face as well, but it was more like a scowl. Suddenly the green and lush forest around her started to look very bleak, as if the colors were drained from it. This was not her home, and these creatures were not her family and friends. Yomi closed her eyes, feeling her teeth gnash against one another. Another sigh, a tired one. It looked like she lost herself, just for a moment. Before looking at the Gatomon again.
"Rosewood sounds like a nice place. Is it far? I'd rather spend the night somewhere safe... I'm not very good at fighting, and I uh..."
Yomi bit her tongue, not wanting to add much to what she said already, instead choosing to change the subject.
"You said you were on patrol. Are you a police... cat?" - the Renamon asked curiously, as she stood up. Syre didn't seem to have any uniform or badges, so... why would someone be on a regular patrol, in the middle of the night.
Ambush.
Yomi closed her eyes and shook her head to make it go away. It was much better when 'it' was silent.
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Post by Syre the BlackGatomon on Oct 13, 2019 16:09:34 GMT
"Go home, huh..."
Hearing Yomi's rather simple reasoning, Syre felt her ear flick. Yomi seemed almost depressed, defeated at the thought, as if blankly following what was less than a last hope. Her mood even seemed to worsen over the next few seconds, enough to where Syre broke her pessimistic analysis. "Hey, I'm sure it will be fine!" The cat beamed, putting a smile on her face. "Things might not make sense now, but maybe it'll make sense going forward."
And at the very least, she agreed to head out to Rosewood! "Yeah, they'll have places to sleep. Right now it's just a simple rural place, but its growing - hm?"
Police cat? Syre gave a chuckle. "Not quite, no. I work with the 'Knights of the Rose' - basically, a group trying to make sure we're ready for anything crazy that happens in the Digital World." She took a bite of the apple. "Right now, I'm just keeping an eye on this side of the woods. There's an invasive mushroom spreading like wildfire... but I haven't seen any on this end, thankfully..."
She scratched the back of her head. "Anyway, we should get walking if we want to get there before midnight!"
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Post by Nobuhiko Yomi on Oct 13, 2019 19:27:35 GMT
"Invasive mushrooms? Why does there need to be a patrol for them? Unless... they're the walking talking kind."
The renamon shuddered at the thought. This world was so strange and foreign to her. And it was not beyond unreasonable doubt that there was an army of evil mushrooms besieging the forest! Yes, going somewhere safe to spend the night in was the best solution. Better than surrounded by mushrooms and forced to inhale spores or something, until you become one yourself... Brrr... - the thought was horrifying. And Yomi was good at thinking up how things could possibly go worse.
Hearing the call to move, Yomi stood up, and flung the sword over her shoulder. She could have made it vanish, but there was no need, now. And with the Gatomon's warning that there were mean creatures in the area, all the more reason to keep it around! The renamon looked at the fire, and then at the greenery around her, before kneeling down and sinking her hands into the ground. Digging out quite a bit of sand and earth to cover the fire and its coals, and tapping it with a foot, before nodding to Syre.
"Lets head out then... You can tell me more about Rosewood on the way." - she straightened out.
They'd start walking, down the trail Renamon had been following earlier, and Gatomon had been patrolling. A beam of moonlight broke through the leaves of the wood, as if to light the way. The fox turned away a bit, as it happened, briefly.
"Tell me about your knights." - a sudden inquiry came. Her voice was a bit lowered, and lacked the indecisiveness from earlier. One eye was red again. "Someone wants to know."
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Post by Syre the BlackGatomon on Oct 13, 2019 20:14:21 GMT
"Oh, no, not the talking kind. If it were, maybe this would be a little easier."
Syre shook her head. She didn't mean to put Yomi more on edge than she already was - but, at this point, the cat just excepted that the black Renamon was the nervous sort. It was fine, of course, good to have another set of eyes around. And it didn't take long for the two to head out, Syre helping to put out the fire, the cat leading the way through the thick of the woods. After a few yards, the cat raised a hand, a faint blue light emanating from her left paw. Ice magic danced from her hand, illuminating the area in front of them.
"A bit about Rosewood? Hm... well, there was a much smaller town here at one point, but it got quite run down over the years. Right now, its actually a bit of a construction project, a pretty easy-if-hard-working way to get a few bits while helping to bring the place up to speed. Other than that, its a nice, cozy little forest village..."
As for the Knights? Syre's ear flicked, looking over her shoulder towards that red light. "You know, you could just ask me instead of her." Syre sighed, but answered regardless. "As I've said, its a group situated just outside of Luminas, though we aren't tied to any city. Our founder saw a lot of 'bad things' happening in the world, and thought that if the 'Knights' weren't going to come and try to fix everything, that she should just make them herself. So she went out and recruited a bunch of strong-and-moral Digimon to basically be on call whenever something really bad happens."
Simple enough, really! "And when that's not happening, we like to keep our presence up around the place. Better than just being these... large, imposing, 'righteous' 'Royal Knights' that don't seem to end up doing much."
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Post by Nobuhiko Yomi on Oct 13, 2019 20:33:03 GMT
The Renamon remained quiet as Syre told her about the events happening in this world.
This was interesting for both of them, the girl and the spirit. She had never heard of Luminas, but could guess what it was, based on the name. The city of light, or... something. Though Yomi could also feel something. It was ... anger. Building up in her chest. Fingers squeezing against the hilt of the blade so tight her knuckles went white. But these weren't her own emotions, no. The renamon's grin went wider, as its head and eyes were turned away, in the single direction. Towards where the city she had never been to, was.
"Bad things huh? Hmpf..."
It was not a bad "hmpf," but rather an approving one. The Renamon nodded, and turned away, eyes forward. The looks on her face a bit wistful.
"You got the right idea. Strong survive, and the weak die. If the strong will not stand up for you - be strong yourself." - the digimon spoke, its voice lower than before. "But if you get too strong, or too righteous, the Royal Knights will come to fix you."
With that the red light vanished from the Renamon's left eye, and the expression changed back to what it was - a mixture of confusion, fright, and cautiousness. Yomi let out a deep breath, as she had to listen through the conversation from her own mind's eye. She shook her head to stave off the dizziness.
"I liked you more when you only spoke in visions. And like... once a week." - the Renamon muttered to herself. But the seething anger she could feel inside told the girl that ... this topic came close to home. Wherever that was.
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Post by Syre the BlackGatomon on Oct 13, 2019 21:32:37 GMT
"There you are."
Syre didn't have a moment of confusion once the spirit started speaking up. It was exactly what she asked for, after all, and a definitively different voice coming from the black-furred Renamon. However, she didn't comment to the spirit negatively, or even try and give it any sort of demands to 'leave the girl alone' or anything like that.
All the cat did was listen, and take a small note about what he meant to say. 'The Knights might come after us'? Curious wording... and as Yomi once more took 'hold', the cat rolled her eyes.
"He sounds fun." Syre's voice was slightly sarcastic, the feline fully aware that the other voice could listen. "Don't give him too much stock, Yomi. He has his own ideas, you have yours - and you'll have to either figure out how to deal with him or try and reach a compromise. After all, if he's making you do all this, then he must need you to do it."
Did Yomi have that leverage? Time would tell.
"Anyway, why don't you tell me about yourself?"
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Post by Nobuhiko Yomi on Oct 13, 2019 21:46:32 GMT
He needs me too...
That was true, as far as she could tell. There was no way the spirit would not have chosen a different host, she thought. There were better individuals, more capable. More ambitious. Someone who'd actually enjoy swinging that sharp metal stick she carried on her shoulder. Not her. Which made Yomi wonder why it was her who was chosen. She asked that question inside of her head, but the voice chose to remain silent. Not giving much stock was difficult. In some situations, they literally had to fight for control. For now, she was winning with relative ease, but...
What if I start losing...
The renamon's eyes widened a bit at that thought, as she swallowed her own saliva. Nearly missing the question about herself. When she did acknowledge it, she'd look at the smaller feline, blinking a few times.
"Me? I uhh... well, there's not a lot to tell about me. I lived in a normal home and had a perfectly average life..."
Yomi used to hate her life, back home. With how droll and boring it was. She looked away, feeling guilty for having felt like that. Not knowing how good she had it, before.
"I was never bad at anything... But not good either. And so days went by. Lowkey I wanted something new and exciting to happen in my life." - Yomi said, before snarling to herself.
"I guess life decided to take things a little too literally. Dropped me in the middle of a blasted wasteland. And if that not enough, it made me look like... this." - with that, the Renamon stopped and looked at herself as though she was wearing something really awkward and unusual. The tail swooshed uncontrollably for a few moments, whacking against the smaller cat once and making the fox catch it with both hands and hold it.
"S-sorry... I'm still getting used to the ... tail."
There was no hiding it, was there?
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