MPC 75C: DRAMON, GRANT ME IMMORTALITY (SOLO) [COMPLETE]

He said while flashing the “EmpressFlymon his usual smug smirk as he took this calculated risk which was really a test to determine the presence of any past history that the denizens of “Kune Nest” may have had with this “Dark Lord” entity mentioned in every one of the 600 documents he had gone through earlier in the Library. Sure enough, as he expected, the “EmpressFlymon” started quivering in what could only be described as abject terror.

So, the legends about this “Dark Lord” were true after all, eh? This is starting to pique my curiosity now.

Faustein mused silently as he studied the “EmpressFlymon” and her reactions as well as those of her underlings and nest mates, with his strikingly bright crimson red eyes hidden behind the polarized lenses of the Google Glasses resting on his face, of course. Every one of them was now displaying the same reaction of sheer terror which he could see in their leader. After letting said fear percolate a little deeper into their hive mind collective psyche, he resumed speaking in a rather dramatic tone and with all of his usual theatrical gestures

“What would you ask of me in exchange for the “Queen’s Stinger? I would feel just TERRIBLE if you and your kind received naught but the promise of continued survival from this situation.”

To that, the “EmpressFlymon” which had recovered somewhat by now replied in a shaky tone, punctuated by buzzing noises

“Y-You would compensate us for the loss of the “Queen’s Stinger? W-Well then, if we must set a price upon it, let this price be some of the l-legendary, raw, and unadulterated honey that is r-rumored to be manufactured aboard the aerial covert base of the “Beemon” and their superiors.”

Faustein was expecting to be charged something more substantial for the “Queen’s Stinger”, but he was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, he agreed and handed over two of the three vials of Royal Hive made honey to the “EmpressFlymon” which then gave him 1x “Queen’s Stinger which he sought in exchange as per the agreement. This brought their interaction to an end, so he assured them of his inevitable success in the appeasement of the so called “Dark Lord” and then headed off once more. The next item on his list was a special stone known as “Moonlit Obsidian”. After asking around some more, Faustein found out that this item could only be found in a certain secret mine which was guarded by a rather cynical “DemiDevidramon” which was rumored to have served this “Dark Lord” entity in the past. It took a while to track it down, but finally Faustein’s search led him to a local tavern which he had heard to be the watering hole of the “DemiDevidramon” in question. Upon entering, he immediately spotted it due to the navy blue with gold and crimson red highlights of its body which made him wonder silently for a few moments

That is quite the unique coloration, indeed. Oh well, this is inconsequential at the moment.”

He headed up to the bar counter and after ordering the drink that was said to be the favorite of the “DemiDevidramon”. Then, he sat a few seats away from it and waited for the opportune moment to engage it in conversation. Such a moment arrived sooner than he had expected and so he watched as the “DemiDevidramon” spoke in a drunken slur and a woozy demeanor to the barkeep which was a Myotismon

“Hic…Ah, those were the good ole’ days…my master and I…hic…used to have our run of this entire…hic region…but those dang…hic self-righteous angels just had to…hic ruin it all by sealing away my master…hic…with the “Millennium Seal". If…hic only there was some way to break…hic it.”

The Myotismon was listening patiently to the drunken “DemiDevidramon” in silence while cleaning the glasses in order to get them ready for the next round of patrons. It was when the barkeep Myotismon went away that Faustein approached the now completely drunken “DemiDevidramon” with his proposal, speaking in a conspiratorial tone so none would overhear

“Well, hello there, my inebriated friend. What if there WAS indeed a way to achieve your Digi-Core’s desire?”

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the “DemiDevidramon” flew wide open and it stared at Faustein

Good, the target’s attention has been procured successfully.

Faustein mused silently and then pressed his advantage by goading the unsuspecting “DemiDevidramon” further into becoming his accomplice and pawn

“Furthermore, what if I told you that I knew that procedure which can completely break the shackles that currently bind your dear master in its 1000-year prison?”

At this, the “DemiDevidramon” became slack-jawed, but managed to whisper back

“A-Are you s-serious? You actually know a way to break the Millennium Seal?”

Faustein smirked and said as he offered the “DemiDevidramon” more of its favorite alcoholic beverage from the bottle before him

“Indeed, I do, but your assistance is imperative for the success of this plan. I presume that what you desire most is to once again roam these lands beside your dear master and terrorize all the plebeian digimon therein?”

The “DemiDevidramon” nodded fervently, indicating to Faustein that it was indeed as he had suspected and so, he moved ahead with his plan to recruit it to his aid

“Well then, since we have an accord, you will have to provide me with some of the “Moonlit Obsidian” from that mine which is under your care. However, in the interest of safety, I shall contact you once I have successfully broken the seal as it is quite powerful indeed.”

It was apparent from the wide-eyed expression that the “DemiDevidramon” had on its face that he had succeeded in co-opting it for his purposes. After this, it led Faustein to the mine and in short order, Faustein was able to procure the requisite 3x “Moonlit Obsidian”, though just to be on the safe side, he made sure to obtain 10x “Moonlit Obsidian” instead. Once that was done, he took his leave and then headed off to track down the source of the next material. Eventually, he found out that the “Malicious Powder” which was this next ingredient could only be found among the wares of a certain “Viledramon” which was said to be based in a much less frequently area of the Digital World known as “TENEBROUS”. The rumors he had heard about this area was that it was a den of sin, rot, and decadence where the dregs of the Digital World were said to make their home. So, he wasted no time in heading for it and ultimately tracked down the requisite “Viledramon”. When he did, he was met with a counter request from it

“If ya want this “Malicious Powder”, I got here…well then, I will need you to bring me 5x of that rare Moonlit Obsidian.”

Faustein chuckled at the impressive coincidence of events, but then refocused his attention on the matter at hand

“Ah, this is a most fortuitous coincidence indeed. You see, there just happens to be some of this Moonlit Obsidian in my possession right now.”

With that, he fell silent and then handed over the 5x of the “Moonlit Obsidian” and in return, he procured 10x of the “Malicious Powder”. After that, he checked the items he had obtained so far off the quick list he made in his D-Terminal and then went off in search of the next items, which were the “Shadow Scale” and “Poison Spores”. The 4x “Shadow Scale” was obtained from a “WaruMegaSeadramon” in exchange for 4x of the “Poison Spores” which were in turn bestowed in 10x quantity on Faustein by a colony of “MegaMushroommon” in exchange for 3x of the “Malicious Powder”. Then, he tracked down the “AncientSkullGreymon” which was said to be the possessor of the “Biomaterial” which was one of the last two items necessary for the “Dramon Ritual” which would awaken and unleash the “Dark Lord” entity from its slumber. However, as before, the “AncientSkullGreymon” demanded that he provide 1x of the “Shadow Scale” from the “WaruMegaSeadramon” and 3x of the “Poison Spores” from the “MegaMushroommon” in order for it to relinquish the requisite 3x of the “Biomaterial” in its cache.

So, Faustein did just that and successfully obtained 3x of the “Biomaterial” from the “AncientSkullGreymon”. Now, all that was left is to go back to the “Secret Mine” and upon doing that, Faustein was able to unearth the most important element of the list of 7 offerings, namely the “Void Stone”. After assembling all of these in their respective spherical containers, Faustein went to the designated locale near “OLD TERMINUS” and performed the ritual to summon forth the “Dark Lord” entity as per the information he could gather from the tales he had read in the “Great Moving Library”. After a great deal of dramatic theatrics, the “Dark Lord” finally manifested itself before him

“Are you the one who freed me from my shackles and awoke me from my slumber?”

It asked Faustein in a thunderous voice after becoming fully manifested before him. Faustein nodded, replying simply while wearing his usual impassive and inscrutable face

“Indeed.”

To that, the imposing looking digimon responded, with yet another query

“How did you make this come to pass? I, EmperorDarkdramon, am one whose revival is not possible without…”

It trailed off there, apparently having realized what Faustein had done to complete the reawakening ritual successfully. Faustein smirked and completed the thought for it

“Loyalty can be a powerful weapon, or a glaring vulnerability, wouldn’t you say?”

The “EmperorDarkdramon” broke out into a short spell of maniacal, rather deafening laughter after which it remarked

“Well, you intrigue me, human. For what purpose have you awoken me?”

Faustein merely remarked with a shrug while holding up two fingers

“Purpose 1: To see whether there was any truth behind the 600 or so legends written about you. Purpose 2: Because I seek to gain immortality in all its forms, both for myself and for my two digimon.”

The “EmperorDarkdramon” once again broke out into a short spell of maniacal, rather deafening laughter after which it remarked

“You truly are a queer human. Very well then, wish granted. I shall be observing you from my castle henceforth.”

Then, it pointed what looked like a giant lance at him and then skewered him straight through the precordial and cardiac region of his thorax with it. Faustein did not show any real reaction to the giant lance which was currently impaling him except for the abrupt, but brief widening of his normally bored looking eyes to something like a “deer caught in headlights” gaze at the moment of impact between his thorax and the aforementioned giant lance. Then, his face went back to its normal impassive expression and his eyes to their normal, bored expression. As he stared at it while blinking slowly, the “EmperorDarkdramon” retracted the giant lance from Faustein’s thorax, leaving what seemed like a void there where his heart was initially. In other words, if one were to look at it, they would be able to see straight through to whatever was behind him at any given moment. Once that was done, it did the same to Faustein’s two digimon as well after which it remarked

“There, human, now go and do what you will with this new immortal body of yours and those of your partners as well.”

Afterwards, it disappeared, leaving Faustein to his own devices. So, he went off as well, musing silently about what to do with his newfound immortality and of course, that of “Taser” and “Lego”, his two digimon as well.

Strange, now there is a feeling of true heartlessness in me. However, neither my body nor my mind indicate any manner of altered state beyond that. Perhaps the nature of the alterations if any will reveal itself through experimentation involving a battery of tests.

He chuckled at his corny pun and with this plan in mind, he then headed to the first location he could think of where it would be possible to begin his investigation of the true extent of his current immortality and that of his partners too. It took him a few days but with the help of both of his partners, “Taser” and “Lego”, he was able to make it there with his energy levels still intact. This was a small digimon village on the outskirts of the “Eastern Timberlands” area of the Digital World. On some of his earlier sojourns into the Digital World, namely when he was coming back from his expedition into the aerial covert base of the “Beemon” and their superiors which was called the “Royal Hive”, he had come across this quaint little village, and had been asked to retrieve a certain medicinal herb. This herb could only be retrieved from the “Tyrant’s Labyrinth” part of this area, but back then, he had been uncertain of his chances of success due to the ominous data he had come across about this mysterious subsection. However, now that he and his two partners were all immortal, he felt that their chances of success would be significantly higher. Thus, he entered the village and asked to meet with the village chieftain. In response, the guards led him to the village chieftain’s house after which he entered it and was met by said chieftain, this one being a “Jijimon”.

“Ah, good to see you again, Faust. You look like you’ve matured even further since last we met. So, what can this old mon do for you, eh?”

To that, Faustein responded calmly with his usual impassive expression on his face while nodding

“Indeed, and as to what you can do for me, there is that matter of the special medicinal herb which you had initially contracted me to search for and retrieve for you. Now would be the perfect time to do that, especially since it is a full moon tonight and so, its light will be streaming onto the “Underworld Lake” and irradiate the herb which has its roots firmly implanted into the lakebed. Normally, it would be nigh impossible to retrieve it, but this is a truly opportune time to attempt this, that is, if you still require this herb for your purposes, of course.”

Needless to say, the “Jijimon” was surprised to hear a positive response to his request, but nevertheless, he cautioned Faustein

“That is quite a reassuring response to hear from you. I had thought you maybe gave up on us. Well then, be careful out there, Faust…and thank you for your assistance with searching for the cure to the malady that is afflicting my people.”

Faustein merely nodded in response to this and then headed off into the “Tyrant’s Labyrinth”, his destination being the “Underworld Lake” in the center of this maze-like territory. Upon reaching there, he could see the lake of deadly poison being illuminated by the soft light of the full moon above in the night sky. So, as he did not want to waste time, he dove right in to the area where he knew he could reach the herb at the bottom in the most direct manner. It cost him some effort due to the pressure of the toxic lake water bearing down on him, but thanks to the combination of his activated EV suit and his new immortal body, he was able to successfully make it all the way to the bottom. Normally, anything and anyone foolish enough to jump into these waters would meet with instant death, so any investigation of this lake would usually be tantamount to a suicide due to the perilous nature of the environment. However, currently, Faustein was freed from the limitation of his human mortality, and so, had no qualms or hesitation about doing so. In due course, he retrieved the herb and then swam back up and then over to the shore where his digimon were waiting for his return as per his instructions. Then, he dried himself off as much as he could, and headed back to the digimon village.

“Ah, very good, I am glad to see you have returned to us, safe and sound. We cannot thank you enough for this favor, Faust.”

Faustein shrugged as he heard the “Jijimon” remark as they met at the village gates and replied while walking to the house in which all those with the ailment had been isolated for a while now

“Perhaps it would be prudent to save your gratitude till AFTER we have administered the extract from this herb to my patients.”


The “Jijimon” sighed while remarking and shaking his head with a sad look on his face

“I see you’re still as obtuse as ever, Faust. That bluntness of speech and inability to gracefully accept gratitude will lead you into trouble someday.”

Faustein shrugged and said as he entered the house with the sick digimon in it

“That bridge will be crossed as and when it is reached, so for now there is nothing to worry about.”

Then, he handed the herb to the “Jijimon” which led him in turn to each of the many malady afflicted digimon patients and then together they began the curative process. He put the herb upon the deep purple areas on each of the patients’ bodies and at the same time, he held out his staff for Faustein to hold as per the rules of the ritual. Faustein took it without hesitation as the entire reason why he was here assisting the old digimon in his attempts to cure its fellow villagers was to test the limits of his immortality against that of the virulence of the toxins within the bodies of the sick digimon. After grasping the staff, the purple color began to travel into the herb, through the “Jijimon”, to his staff, and then finally settled into Faustein’s body. This same process was repeated for each of the remaining 200 patients as well, and by the end, Faustein’s entire body had turned a deep, toxic looking shade of purple due to the extremely high concentration of toxins in it. After the ritual was over at last, the “Jijimon” watched with a clearly concerned look on his face which promptly turned to outright alarm as Faustein first swayed in place for several moments due to the blurring of vision caused by the effects of the poison coursing through his body and then fell over unconscious and seemingly dead. After several hours, however, Faustein managed to rise from his apparently eternal slumber, though he had a severe migraine upon waking up completely.

Holy Heisenberg, my cerebrum and cerebellum feel as though they have had 10,000 white-hot needles inserted into them. However, it seems that my immortality holds fast when faced with liquid-form lethal agents.

He mused silently as he held his head in his hands while trying to massage it slowly in an attempt to make the pain recede completely. Naturally, the “Jijimon” and his fellow villagers which had formally been the sick patients that Faustein had cured and which were now standing around the large coffin in he was lying had stepped back in sheer fright and shock written clearly on their faces at seeing him rise up so unexpectedly

Did these digimon think that death had claimed me? How quaint a sight and notion indeed.

Faustein thought silently with a half smug and half amused smirk on his thin, firm lips as he surveyed the reactions of his audience and then asked

“Where are we currently? This is not the same sick house we were in before.”

He asked while allowing his strikingly bright, hauntingly unnerving crimson red eyes roam about his new surroundings in an attempt to create a mental map. One of the villagers spoke up with her voice quivering due to hesitation

“W-We are i-in the Mausoleum r-right now. A-Are you o-okay, mister?”

Upon hearing a reply to his query, Faustein turned to the digimon in question which was a “Floramon” and replied while nodding

“Ah, so that explains the presence of coffins and also why a coffin surrounds me now. However, you will find that I am very much alive and well.”

At this point, the “Jijimon” interrupted them and asked with that same surprised tone

“But how?! How did…why did….”

Apparently, he could not find the words with which to accurately vocalize his surprise, and so Faustein cut him off with a “tsk, tsk” sound and a finger wagging gesture while remarking mysteriously

“A good magician never reveals his secret, or were you not aware of that fact?”

In response, the “Jijimon” shook his head while chuckling slightly

“You truly are a strange and mysterious human, Faust. Once again, from all the villagers in this village as well as myself, its leader, thank you again.”

Faustein smirked and nodded while responding with that same impassive expression

“There is no need for thanks whatsoever. All that is required here is the payment as designated by the contract between us.”

The “Jijimon” shook his head while sighing again, but nevertheless acquiesced to Faustein’s suggestion. Then, Faustein was led to the chieftain’s tent where he was then handed over the 1500 BITS for his work as per their agreement. After that, Faustein exited the village and headed off to undertake the next experiment in his overall design, namely that of his immortality and that of his partners against the sheer force of the natural elements of the Digital World as well as solid and powder-form noxious agents. For the first test, his destination was the “Southern Tropics” area and specifically, the “Macro Ocean” section of that area. As with the digimon village in the “Eastern Timberlands”, he had come here before and had been requested to take on a venture sometime in one of his past sojourns in the Digital World. This time, however, it was a hunt for the legendary “Coelamon” which had been terrorizing the denizens of the area, apparently since ancient times. Unfortunately, this deep sea digimon made its home on the “Macro Ocean” floor.

This was at a depth where, even with his EV suit and mini diving kit, he would have ultimate either drowned or been crushed by the suffocating pressures of the massive quantity of ocean water bearing down on him. That said, this time would be different since he and his partners had immortality on their side. So, he took on the request from the village chieftain which was a “Ranamon”. Then, he and a squad of the best aquatic hunter digimon from the village went out into the “Macro Ocean” and after disturbing the ocean waters to a significant degree, drew the ire of the “Coelamon upon them. The battle was long and quite difficult given the sheer power of the beast and at one point, Faustein was caught in its massive and powerful razor teeth equipped jaws after which he was swiftly dragged down into the depths of the “Macro Ocean” which was its territory. Clearly, it had wished to not only drown him, but also rip him limb from limb while also crushing him to death with the mighty weight of the ocean waters. There was only one little flaw in its rather simplistic plan, and that was of course, Faustein’s immortality. Thanks to it, he somehow managed to survive its attempt at destroying him and then, summoned his two digimon, “Taser” and “Lego” to fight back against it. Unlike the limitation and Achilles’ Heel of mortality that he and his digimon had when they had partnered up with Stacy during her spirit hunt, this time, they could freely attack it without restraint.

“Taser, deploy the Lightning Arrow and Lego, go on the offensive with your Block Rockets.”

He had instructed and so, his two digimon, “Taser” the “Kokuwamon” and “Lego” the “ShadowToyAgumon” went on full alert in response and attacked the “Coelamon” with their lightning and explosive attacks whilst Faustein was still caught in its massive jaws. Naturally, due to the ocean water greatly amplifying their attack force, they were able to inflict considerable barotrauma and electrical damage on it and with the help of the rest of the hunter squad members, ultimate knock it out cold and drag it back to the village. Upon their return, Faustein presented the “Coelamon” to the “Ranamon” chieftain of the village which was greatly surprised that Faustein, a mere human could survive at those extreme depths and also being caught in the beast’s razor-sharp teeth.

“How in the world did you even survive, Faust? You’re no normal human, are you?”

In response, Faustein repeated the same thing he did with the “Jijimon” from the digimon village in the “Eastern Timberlands”. That is to say, he cut her off with a “tsk, tsk” sound and a finger wagging gesture while remarking mysteriously

“A good magician never reveals his secret, or were you not aware of that fact?”

In response, the “Ranamon” shook her head while chuckling slightly and responded afterwards

“Whatever you say, Faust. In the interest of respect for our contract, I will not pry into your secret.”

Faustein nodded while remarking with a slight tilt of his head

“Indeed, so then, shall we move on to the payment for my services, perchance?”

The chieftain “Ranamon” sighed and chided him just as the “Jijimon” did before her, but nonetheless, went ahead according to his suggestion and clapped her hands to summon her attendants. Then, she took the stack of 1500 BITS that she owed him and then handed them over. Faustein stored them in his digivice and then bade her farewell after which he exited the village. Once outside, he and his two digimon partners then headed to the “Folder Desert” subsection of the “Western Flatlands” in order to test themselves against extreme heat and dryness of the harsh desert. There, he was recruited by a roving band of nomadic digimon to help them hunt down a “Scorpiomon” which had been preying upon them for a long time. Needless to say, in this battle as well, Faustein and his partners were all buried in the harsh desert sands, but even this was not enough to take them down. As a result, in the end, they were able to lead the hunters from the nomadic band to success in hunting down said “Scorpiomon” and defeating it. During the post-victory celebration, Faustein and his digimon collected another 1500 BITS and then proceeded to move on to other such rigorous tests of their immortality in various other parts of the Digital World during which they earned a more meager sum of 500 BITS. However, along the way, they began to slowly lose interest due to the thrill of danger having worn off over the course of these events.

Curses, this is not as amusing or enlightening as it first appeared to be, so perhaps this immortality should be returned to its giver, the “EmperorDarkdramon.”

With that thought in mind, Faustein led his two digimon back to that secret locale near the “OLD TERMINUS” area and had a meeting with the “EmperorDarkdramon”. Naturally, it was surprised when it saw how pockmarked Faustein and his two digimon were with all the various battle wounds they had received over the course of their recent adventures in which they tested their immortality

“Just what in the world have you three been doing lately? You all look truly haggard and worn down!!”

It exclaimed, but Faustein simply responded with a shrug and an evasive remark

“Oh, this and that, but now we wish to have our mortality returned to us.”

The “EmperorDarkdramon” chuckled at this reaction from them, but still acquiesced to their suggestion and gave Faustein and his two digimon their mortal bodies back by once again impaling them with its giant lance briefly. As they had before, Faustein and his two digimon showed very little if any reaction at all to the impalement which caused their djinn, the “EmperorDarkdramon” to be even more amused in response. After that, Faustein and his two digimon excused themselves and headed off once more, intending to let the wind take them where it may and looking forward to all the various adventures they would have as a result.

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OOC:

WC: 3663