Ancient Instinct [Mission] [Hunt]

    “Why wouldn’t I, my stocky friend? It’s a hero’s duty to protect anyone in need, such as the weak and destitute, so you shouldn’t worry about it in the slightest! We’ll do our best to accomplish our mission with utmost efficiency, you can count on it!”

    And, ultimately, if they weren’t able to complete that task for one reason or another, it wasn’t like the losses were too big. After all, if the goal was to return the island to its previous, non-unaba-supremacy state, chances were the ClearAgumon could do the task himself. Not like Mana thought they’d fail or anything of the sort, anyway. That, however, was a worry for later.

    On the other side of the sisters, Nami seemed to have been somewhat successful at contacting Kenna and procuring some much-needed information about the flower they were supposed to search for. Two things were fairly certain; one was that Kenna could be useful at times! The other was that, not knowing this piece of information was certainly… pretty unexpected. Yeah, that was the word! Unexpected. And maybe, disappointing.

    Oh well. At least some knowledge was acquired, and that also meant it could be safely transmitted to everyone else in the party. “Acknowledgment. Thanks for the information provided.” And just like that, she was gone. It didn’t take long for Nami to try and contact everyone else, except Mana, that is. Whether they picked up or not, this would be the message she’d send. “Briefing. If anyone finds a lone plant growing in an acidic environment, please do collect it.” In all honesty, Nami doubted anyone would, but there was no harm in trying, especially with such a minimal time expenditure.

    In the meantime, though? It seemed like the oldest sibling was dealing with a pretty loud, and rather confusing situation. Mana tried approaching in order to see what the ruckus was about, and why the Guilmon seemed so angry with the Vorvomon. Unluckily—or luckily, maybe? She wasn’t able to witness a lot of it before people began dispersing! However, that could be pretty lucky as well; considering this seemed to be the first champion level they had seen in the Ozith, it might be a lead towards something greater! As the MailBirdramon landed, Mana was joined by Nami.

    A silent greeting was exchanged as the situation unfolded and a question lingered in the air; what next? They had quite a bit of possible routes, but most depended on what would be of this development. Finally, things were finally moving along.

Even as the migraines continued to linger, keeping one palm to his head to try and keep them at bay for the time being, even the still-shaken Kenny couldn't help but crack a smile at Bruga's sheer relief and Bon's apparent excitement as they talked to one another. And for good reason too, according to Qhawe; Unaba hijacking the non-inventory lines made it a massive logistical nightmare for any of them to communicate normally.

That... that explained a lot. Even if Bon couldn't see it right now, he'd simply nod in confirmation to Scarab's words. Not to say he wasn't too surprised on that front; whatever Unaba held up their sleeve, he had to admit they were at least doing their damndest to cover every single track they could think of.

As for Skadi and Bruga? The SilverGrademon already knew that, by promising something big like a flat-out physical reunion with a long lost friend, she and Gyo were adding even more massive stakes to already a high-stake situation. No matter, Gyo was right. "Like I said, we'll do everything we can to ensure that you will be reunited with them as soon as possible. We won't let you down on that." If there was any doubt to be found in Skadi's own words or confident glint, it'd be nigh impossible for Bruga to spot.

But Bon's... surprisingly not-frightening response to the boys' admission of guilt had practically lifted a massive metaphorical weight off Kenny's shoulders, the young man mouthing a barely audible "Oh thank God." to himself as the Agumon explained himself, "Yeah, as soon as we're all done with everything, we'll get you guys some chocolate cake afterwards as soon as we can. Promise."

That didn't stop the feeling of what felt like all his bones shaking like jelly, however.

But back on topic.

Was that Ultimate Brachimon just merely a (coincidentally way-too-powerful-for-it's-own-good) wild animal?

Wait, was it starting to wake up now? The real Skadi could feel an odd shiver down her spine as the clones spotted the massive figure raising it's neck over the horizon. The target was literally starting to rear it's ugly head towards them soon enough. That was more than enough to tell the group they had to get a move on, "...I can see why. I just spotted a massive figure raising it's head back there. Emphasis on 'massive'. We better get going."

As soon as Qhawe had dashed off, Skadi would scoop Kenny into her arm before following the Fladramon, alongside the titular 'Bad Company' from behind, the tamer practically grasping onto her arm like a steel beam for dear life as they made their way to their destination.

And yet, they'd still keep one eye on the massive metallic beast.

Although Daichi’s trip through the slimy slide that brought him there was over, the danger was still very much present. It was very likely that, slowly, he could feel as if the air around him had turn heavier, like… something, some type of energy he couldn’t quite perceive with his human senses was pulling him down, making him slower.

This heavy, palpable tension had nothing to envy in terms of the intensity product of the pressure exerted by this menacing creature sharing the room with him. Although it did seem to wait for him to answer, the sight of those shiny white dots moving towards him in the dark would tell Daichi this thing was charging his way! This probably meant his name was not telling this creature anything at all. The main issue being, again, how he was not aware of anything surrounding him at the moment. It was too dark!

As it moved, Daichi would be able to tell this digimon was around 3 feet tall. The sounds of its steps as it jolted over the somewhat metallic floor were telling him it was considerably heavy for its size. Then, besides its aggressor’s fangs, he would be able to spot two sets of silver claws with an edgy, pointy shape. It would eventually become painfully obvious this was some type of reptile, more or less like the rest of digimon in this island, although how helpful that piece of information could come was hard to tell.

What did Daichi have at his disposal and how could he use it to somehow manage to stay alive while sharing a room with this thing? What was his biggest problem now (besides the monstrosity going for him) and how could he deal with it? He had gone through some reasoning recently, but this was more about winging it, trying stuff, and thinking on his feet.

In any case, the monster was coming his way, and he better start thinking in plan B or C.

Plan D was probably his digimon partners. After all, Han and Jin had also jumped into the waterfall hoping for the best, even if there was a small gap of time between when Daichi jumped and when his digimon realized he had made it through. Just like Daichi, the monkey and the ninja would found themselves in this murky cave-like place, falling down to the slimy not-waterslide that would take them down to their destiny. Did they have any way to go through this faster or change their course? Even if they traveled as fast as they could, Daichi would probably need to find a way to deal with her foe’s initial attack by himself.

---

If this gigantic, metallic reptile bird showing up so suddenly meant something, it certainly was that, yes, things were indeed moving along. While the monster descended, both Mana and Nami would be able to notice some gist of concern on the face of Ulak, the Guilmon that had previously gotten the Vorvomon quite scared. The way the other dinosaurs and dragons acted around these two particular Guilmons went to show they had some form of authority here.

Raising the dust and dirt around the landing area, the Mailbirdramon finally settled. Although some of the passersby around Ozith did stop for a second to look at the vehicle suddenly landing in front of the most popular bar of the city, the vast majority kept moving along rather unconcerned.

Just as if it were a regular ship, the Mailbirdramon released pressure from its central area and deployed a ramp down and into the ground. From the insides of the machine-digimon, another digimon appeared. Although this also had a reptile-like body shape, there were flames surrounding the entirety of its figure. He went down the ramp and approached the two Guilmons with a serious expression, while they also walked forward.

Before speaking to these two, the Flare Lizamon saluted them respectfully bowing with his head.

It was a good thing Kenna called now as, since everyone had lowered their tone of voice, the twins wouldn’t be able to listen to their conversation anyways.

“Mana, Nami. How’s everything going? I really can’t see anything happening inside Ozith, so make sure to keep me posted.” She noted right after greeting the pair. “I think now I know why that Mailbirdramon started moving.” Still sounding quite busy over there, the scientist proceeded with her explanation. “Bon has just informed me the earthquake caused by the Ultimate Brachimon group has actually woken up Ultimate Brachimon. That giant thing is about to move to the source of the earthquake, and… according to my registries, Mailbirdramon had been lingering around the area where Ultimate Brachimon was asleep for the past few days. If I had to make some simple conjectures, I’m guessing Unaba was waiting for him to wake up and, now that he has, they’re getting reinforcements.”

Kenna, who seemed a bit agitated by this uncertainty, paused for a moment to think. “I still cannot figure out why they want Ultimate Brachimon awake and moving, and what are they planning to do with him now that he is… but I don’t like this. I’m feeling the Ultimate Brachimon group is going to have a lot of trouble.” She followed this up with a question. “What have you seen? Have you encountered any Unaba higher-ups? Please tell me any relevant information about what's unfolding there.”

As Kenna spoke, the twins would finally be able to spot, among the dinosaurs who had made way, a small, round, fluffy digimon. Its pelt had a blue color and, among all of the creatures in the group (the rest being dinosaurs and dragons), it was the only one to be smiling nonchalantly. Wanyamon. Again, they were able to catch a tiny bit of an exchange, thanks to the Black Guilmon shouting loudly from in front of the ship and addressing the blue in-trainning digimon.

“Listen I have to go now! But I’m not done with you! I’ll show you how much of a smart Guilmon I am next time, dumb scientist!”

“Yes. I’ll take care of it!” The Flare Lizamon bowed again and agreed to some order issued by the Guilmon, right before they parted ways. The two Guilmons walked up the ramp and into the ship, the Flare Lizamon started making his way towards the streets, apparently heading somewhere else, and the small group of digimons who previously accompanied the Guilmon’s dissipated. Slowly, the Mailbirdramon’s ramp started making sounds, ready to be lifted and locked again. At this moment, there didn’t seem to be anyone watching the Mailbirdramon take off or guarding the ramp against someone sneaking into the ship.

Meanwhile, the Wanyamon happily made its way back to the bar, bouncing with a smile.

There were plenty of possible routes, approaches, opportunities, and digimon to follow or interact with now. This was a determining moment for the non-stealth portion of the Ozith Village Squad.



The momentary instants of peace the Ultimate Brachimon group had managed to obtain after the fall of Gumo, would start fading away as, just as Qhawe noted, their target had started moving. The recently assembled full squad (with their two temporal allies on their side) had also started making their way somewhere, everyone following suit to Bon’s orders and going behind the Fladramon.

Skadi, in particular, would quickly notice something odd about the direction they were following. They were actually moving north, where she and her clones had spotted the giant creature from before. Why was that? Qhawe’s answer to Hisato’s question would bring some clarity into the matter.

As they rapidly moved between the thicket, Qhawe would glance at Hisato (being carried by Scarab behind him) once the human addressed him. “I’m not sure…” He admitted. “I can’t imagine what can be hiding inside that abandoned factory, but Ultimate Brachimon is just always lingering around that area. It’s like its favorite spot, for some reason.” The humanoid dinosaur explained with his characteristic relaxed intonation. “Unaba has been monitoring everything Ultimate Brachimon does. They have sent their troops a couple of times to try to defeat it or… subdue it, maybe? But that thing is just... too strong.”

“I’ve noticed that. Do you think Ultimate Brachimon is trying to get in the factory and Unaba wants to stop him from getting in? Or the factory has nothing to do with Unaba’s intentions?” Bruga asked. Her way of following the Fladramon consisted of jumping limb by limb over the trees.

As they moved there, it was worth noticing that the extremely loud noise of something massive crashing into the ground would reach their ears around every half a minute or so. They wouldn’t need a lot of clues to know these were the steps of the massive creature they were actually approaching now. Each of these deafening sounds came accompanied by a considerable tremor. Although having experienced the massiveness of the earthquake produces by Gumo’s fall, it was likely these seemed a lot less terrifying to the group, not to say they were less annoying.

“I have no clue, Bruga. I haven’t been able to decipher the situation at all.” Qhawe shook his head while his eyes went to the Kotemon. “I left my Tracking Fire spread around the factory to keep an eye on whatever Ultimate Brachimon did or Unaba’s movements towards it without actually having to be there.”

“Are you sure you’re just not lazy?” Bruga muttered while squinting.

“I can tell you this is the first time Ultimate Brachimon seems to be moving considerably away from the factory since it appeared.” The Fladramon went on with its explanation, seemingly not hearing the Kotemon’s input. “So whatever it happens next… we’re about to get some answers. I just know, just as well as Kenna does, that keeping this situation under control is key to regain the control of Idayi.”

"Tsk. Show off..."

Qhawe added as he started to slow his pace. In the near distance, they could see a grey, rusty building. It looked like a giant warehouse, wider than it was taller. The surface it occupied was quite considerable.

Mainly due to it being taller than this structure (much, much taller) what would probably raise the squad’s attention a lot quicker was the giant monster walking away from it. Or… at least what they could see of the creature, considering that, looking above, would only get you to spot a part of its thorax area, its long neck raising over to the clouds and not even being visible from ground level. Although it had already taken several steps into the forest (heading towards the place where Gumo fell, where the group had come from) it still looked dangerously close, something unavoidable due to its impressive size.

“T-There it is…” Bruga sounded quite terrified by the sheer monstrosity of this thing. How could it be SO big?

Qhawe made sure to look for a spot among the thicket, crouching, hiding, and making a gesture for the rest of the group to do the same. “We should just wait for it to walk away… then, we’ll be able to explore the factory and see what happens.”

“W-Wait! Bush-league Hero… Shouldn’t at least one of us follow Ultimate Brachimon to make sure Unaba doesn’t subdue it?” Bruga asked.

“If they haven’t succeeded in subduing it earlier, I’m quite sure they won’t be able to do it now. So that part doesn’t worry me.” The Fladramon shook his head, turning back to keep an eye on the gigantic creature walking away.

“Hey, hey!” Bruga protested as she scoot closer to the flame dinosaur, who remained hidden in the thicket. “I still wouldn’t let it wander around unguarded! We don’t know what Unaba could—“

A ringing sound would interrupt Bruga.

It was coming from... the inventories! They were beeping yellow!!!

If someone in the group was brave enough to pick up…

Kenna let out a long sigh that didn’t repair into thinking if her interlocutors had picked up already or not.

“Hello. I’m glad you’re all doing well.” She noted in a cold, yet concerned tone of voice. “You’re finally out of the perimeter covered by the receptors that were damaged due to Gumo’s fall, so we should be able to communicate as long as you don’t go back there.” It was not like she was mad… she was just trying to evade the topic regarding the evident disaster the group had caused earlier and focus on their current situation. “Bon filled me in on everything. You’re now at the factory, right?”

“Kenna!?” Bruga whispered intensively, sounding rather excited. Qhawe’s eyes widened.

Although at the moment, their purple-haired leader seemed entirely focused on continuing with this mission, she did make a pause to address their companions with a much sweeter voice. “I’m so glad you’re safe, Bruga, Qhawe. Please stay with our allies as much as you can. I’m sure you can achieve amazing things together.”

Bruga and even Qhawe’s eyes seemed to acquire a special glow just from hearing Kenna’s voice. The little they could see of Bruga’s expression had turned into a calm, joyful one, while Qhawe even smirked a little bit.

How big was the devotion these dinosaurs had for the purple-haired scientist? What was the reason behind such sheer love, and... was it shared across all of the dinosaurs on the island? Well, all dinosaurs except for, you know, Unaba members.

Kenna cleared her throat and went on with her discourse. “I swear this is so weird… That factory should be empty. What could Ultimate Brachimon want that’s in there?”

“So you also noticed its interest in this spot, Kenna.”

Kenna assented. “Definitely. But… I still don’t get why. Exploring the factory could definitely help us understand where did Ultimate Brachimon come from and what does it want. So please do so. If you have any further questions you think I could provide answers on or g—“

“Oi! Oooooiiii! Come back here, big guy!”

More interruptions.

This time, it was a loud, child-like voice, shouting. Even if this infantile voice seemed to be completely eclipsed by the relatively intermittent, loud earthquakes caused by the steps Ultimate Brachimon took, it would be easy enough for them to spot where it was coming from.

Mainly because it was literally bouncing next to them and towards the monster.

“What?”

“Huh?”

“W-Who’s that?” Kenna asked, remotely activating the camera on the inventory to see it with her own eyes. “Impossible. I didn’t detect any dinosaur coming your way…” She muttered as she controlled the inventory to get a better angle.

For the ones in the battleground, it would be a lot easier to see what this was, though. A claim-like digimon jolted forward, bouncing by putting strength on the base of her shell and then releasing it, being pushed ahead. She was trying to chase Ultimate Brachimon and yelling behind him.

“Hey! Are you listening to me!? Come back!!”

“What is… this?”

Of course, Kenna didn’t know. This was not a dino.

It was unlikely this little thing could actually make the Ultimate Brachimon turn back right? Right?

Someone better stopped her soon.

Things were about to get a little weirder, though...




Sasha was, indeed, having her own haunted mansion tour on her side of things. Although being a much different situation the rest of the groups have found themselves in, it was not by any means less interesting.

As she moved through those hallways, she would unavoidably feel like the darkness around her had some type of weight. The environment turned progressively colder and, for moments, it felt like, instead of a lack of light, the darkness was some type of heavy, mushy substance she was moving through in her tour. The Russian girl had absolutely succeeded in the route taken to get to the altar, though, so those were good news.

When stopping by the altar to get a look at it, she would find just what Kenna had described. It was a quite sizeable structure that stood until the upper rim of the roof. It seemed made of some type of grey, antique stone, kind of like one of those relics you would see in movies and that someone obviously took from one of these ancient lost paradises and put it here. Just from standing in front of it, Sasha could appreciate the gist of a light green aura swirling around the object. Engraved on the stone, it had a cryptic inscription written in very strange symbols, that did not resemble either digimoji, kanjis, or any other language Sasha had seen. Just below that, six holes like the ones Kenna had described forming a circle. Each of the holes had a particular color: Red, orange, cobalt, pink, green, and black.

In what could only be described as a very strange turn of events, right below the holes for the medallions, another sentence was engraved. However, for some reason, Sasha could perfectly understand what was written here, unlike what was written right above.

"What do you yearn for?"

What was she supposed to do with that?

Sasha would go down the stairs located next to the altar with relative easiness. Although they were murky, it wasn’t dark enough for her to go down without falling. The issue was, however, that the storage down below was engulfed in pitch-black darkness. The Russian woman would find herself unable to discern even a single thing down here. Both the extension of the room and the objects located in it would be a complete mystery for her unless she managed to bring some light into this place. Had she reached a dead end? Was it time to go back? Or could she think of anything that would help her illuminate this murky place?

Something was certain: She better memorized or wrote down the routes to move around the ship quickly, because this seemed to be a game set to last and she would need to maximize her stealth, puzzling solving, and exploring skills to get answers out of this place. They were just not going to be thrown at her. Luckily, for now, she didn’t seem to anything exerting pressure on her (other than the thick darkness engulfing the air), so the clock ticking was not an issue. But… for how long would that be the case?

It certainly felt like she had a limited set of unfruitful movements to burn before things got more complicated.

---

It's 8:43 am! The skies are clear over Idayi Island.

Achievements:
-Split and conquer! (You split to take both different approaches in Ozith)
-... And in the light will guide them. (You found the Mysterious Medallion in Binagi Shore)
-Shattered memories. (You found the graves of Unaba heroes)
-Thank you. (Bruga can sleep at nights again)
-Mental health is important. (ClearAgumon liked you enough to tell you about his little problem)
-Slimy victory. (You solved the puzzle and found the secret entrance to Ozith Village on the first try).

Post order for Ultimate Brachimon:
-Hisato Aizawa
-Kenny O'Hara

Well show no fear was a terrible idea as the Tamer heard some heavy footsteps coming his way, this gave Daichi more information first that whatever this dark place was it was not a cave due to the metallic floor and secondly that this digimon was heavy which on it's own it might not sound helpful but putting them together it meant that Daichi would be able to know how far or close this thing would be of him due to the sound of his steps on the floor.

Of course for that he had to get away of that thing which was easier said than done, at this point he regrets not getting the light screen or light baton to defend himself, he got an idea tho pulling out his digivice he push a button to make the screen turn on and hopefully with that little light not only he would be able to see his attacker but maybe its eyes would be more sensitive to the light and blind him or at least make it flinch for a second  so he could roll to a side.

Even if he pulled all that off when he take the evasive roll Daichi would feel some kind of pressure weighing him down, so the dodge roll went a lot more clumsier than expected and even took a couple of seconds to stand up again, he kept his digivice light on the digimon to keep an eye on it before trying to talk

"Hold on! I'm not here to fight, my intentions are good I swear"

While Daichi was stalling for as much time as he had his twins were currently going through the slippery murky slide, they didn't know how much would it take for them to reach the end of it but both heard the voice of their Tamer echoing in the background they needed to get to him fast! Fortunately Jin had an idea, making quick hand signs the ninja summon two clones of himself and each clone pick one of the siblings while sliding and then throw them even further below, for the well being of Daichi this plan better work and reach him before that thing decide to throw another attack instead of talk

    Both Mana and Nami observed attentively as the MailBirdramon landed. It seemed like the digimon itself was a transport, and its passenger was nothing more and nothing less than a reptilian Meramon with a weird helmet. Their conversation couldn’t be heard, but that didn’t mean that Nami couldn’t attempt approaching as Mana picked up.

    “Ah, our daring poster girl!” The cat greeted from her spot, her voice a few tones lower than usual. At the same time, she opened the channel in case anyone else wanted to hear the information. “Some events are just beginning to unfold over here! MailBirdramon just landed, and inside it there was a FlareLizamon! Chances are that it’s relaying the message that you just spoke about!”

    All in all, it made sense. The duo found itself in the face of a crossroads regarding the decisions to take. However, Mana would finish relaying the message first. “We might’ve encountered some higher ups. There’s this Lord Ulak guy, and a Black Guilmon that hangs out with him. Possibly female. Mighty bland people, but they look like they carry some authority with themselves. There’s also this so-called ‘Science Wanyamon’ hanging around them. I don’t know much about it, except that it’s a foreigner to this place as well. As far as I can see, it seems they’re about to mobilize themselves. This is beginning to look pretty grim, don’t ya think?”

    Jeez, talk about going from zero to one hundred a in a couple seconds. Right now, the sisters had a plethora of opportunities in front of them, and squadendering them could prove to be disastrous in the long run. So, what would be the options taken, then? They had to act fast, and given their collective position, the answer seemed to be fairly obvious. The only thing left was that this wasn’t some sort of huge mistake.

    A brief glance was exchanged, and nothing else needed to be known. Sneakily, both sisters began to make their way towards their intended targets; while Nami pretended to infiltrate the MailBirdramon—a fairly dumb idea, but the sense of urgency the situation had didn’t give her a lot of wiggle room, Mana began to tail the FlareLizamon.

    They didn’t precisely have a good feeling about this, but there wasn’t a lot else they could’ve done differently. The Science Wanyamon was definitely a lead, just as biding their time, but some opportunities wouldn’t repeat themselves, and and were probably best seized when they could be.

“It’s… actually a human…”


One of the advantages (if it had any to list) of being in a place where the tension could be cut with a knife and silence engulfed the environment was that it would allow Daichi to listen to basically everything, including a soft voice whispering in the distance. It was quite difficult to know where it was coming from, but due to the evident space that separated the source of it from the tamer, it was clear it was someone different from his attacker.

However, it was evident Daichi’s focus would have to remain on the thing trying to kill him for the time being. The human managed just that and, although the light coming from the screen of his digivice wouldn’t manage to blind the attacker, it would help him gain better control of the situation, basically because it would give him the knowledge he desperately needed. First, he was able to get a glimpse of the creature. It was, effectively, around a meter tall. Its skin seemed constituted by a purple, scaly surface, with pointy scales around its head, decorated by small golden plates.

These golden plates were key to reflect the light coming from the digivice and spread it around the room, helping Daichi gain even further information. It was key for him to discover there was a quite sizeable crate to his left, less than a meter away from him. Furthermore, there seemed to be another one behind him, not too far away from the mushy cushion he fell on either. Knowing this, it was unnecessary to ask him in what direction was he going to roll away from danger.

“A human?” The attacking digimon asked aloud.

Once Daichi dashed to his right to roll, he would feel his body slightly easier to move around, so that, and the last-second distraction that questiong coming from the whispering voice had created, certainly helped him get away (by only inches) from the upcoming claw. This revelation, however, did not seem to have calmed tensions between the aggressor and Dachi, and the stress these moments represented only increased more and more.

“Lower your voice.” The digimon demanded intensively towards Daichi. “What the hell is a human doing here?” Their tone sounded angry, but also trying to keep its levels under control. They had not folded or put away their claws at any moment, so the danger was still imminent

Luckily, Jin’s tactic seemed to have worked. Daichi’s partners had been jutted forward and now went through the last portion of the slide, flying into the air. They were able to hear their tamer’s voice from there and spot the light of the digivice from above. They could now deploy a defensive execution.

---

With all of their cards over the tablet (some flipped, some face-down) Mana and Nami had made their decision and were ready to face the consequences it would have. While Mana had opened the channel to relay the information to everyone, Kenna would make sure to repeat the gist of it to some of the members soon, in case they were too busy to listen at the moment. This was especially important for the Ultimate Brachimon group, as the movements being made by Unaba over here would affect them directly.

Even if the decision had been made and there was obvious only two cats couldn’t cover all of the possibilities that were branching from this crossroad, the lingering thought that they had let go a very important part of their mission would probably not escape the Meicoomon’s head with ease. That being said, there was also the lingering thought that this was set to happen whatever two paths they took, as the three of them seemed to lead to big things separately.

Kenna let out a little gasp when told who was moving to the factory. “Okay. Listen, girls, these two are very dangerous. I need to talk to the Ultimate Brachimon group as soon as possible. If you decide to stay around them for longer, do be very careful. I’ll be right back.”

These big, important events that were about to unfold would become obvious more quickly for Nami than for Mana. As of now, the livelier of the two sisters would find herself following a pretty bland route. The Flarerizamon was moving through the streets of Ozith, his attention drifting away completely from the Mailbirdramon taking off some meters behind him. He kept making his way across the dinosaurs, heading somewhere. Eventually, the helmeted lizard-Meramon would take a turn to reach a boulevard, one where plenty of simplistic, wooden stands tended by different types of reptiles and dinos filled a long road to the end. This section of the village was significantly more crowded. Not only the stores occupied a good portion of the boulevard, but the different digimon going up and down the streets made it a very difficult task to follow someone from ground level, especially considering they all (the Flarerizamon included) surpassed the Meicoomon significantly in terms of size. Hopefully, Mana would have a plan to follow her target in such a crowded place.

Despite the ramp being completely unguarded and the process of going inside the Mailbirdramon being relatively easy, it was likely Nami could still feel some tension in the environment. After all, she was the first in this leg doing something that, if they found out, could easily get her in trouble. However, she would quickly find herself hopping over the ramp and inside the cargo compartment of the metallic reptile bird. As the side that had been deployed was slowly lifted, the light of Ozith that reached this compartment disappeared progressively, until pitch darkness invaded the room. Luckily, Nami’s cat eyes would probably let her see some stuff in this rather empty storage.

“So ya' sneaked inside too, huh?”

Was that the case or not, she would eventually be reached by a voice. It was a sharp, carefree type of voice, similar to the one of a teenage girl. The interlocutor was whispering, mainly because, from there, they could hear the voices of the two Guilmons echoing inside the ship, which could be accessed through a door by the far end of this cargo compartment.

“I don’t blame ya'. 'Kind of wanna' see what’s all the fuss's about.”

If Nami tried to follow the source of the voice, even in this pitch-black darkness, she would find a dark figure sitting on the floor and laying her back on the wall, by the eastern side of the room. “So… huh. Can ya' see anything? Cause I’m blind as a mole right now. It’s too hekkin' dark.” Now, if the Meicoomon tried hard enough, she would actually decry the figure of a black, soldier-like digimon wearing what seemed to be a gas mask (a Troopmon) outlined in the darkness. She seemed casually sitting there, just waiting for their vessel (which had now taken off from Idayi and was starting to gain height) to take her somewhere.

“I can hear their voices coming from… somewhere 'bove.” She noted, clearly speaking to the void, as she was seemingly unable to see Nami. If the Meicoomon looked a couple of meters above the Troopmon, she would find a vent behind a grating. “We can’t just go in through the main door but… I really would like to know what they' saying.” She admitted in a whining tone. “Maybe ya' can get in there? Only if you wanna’, of course.”



There were certainly an increasing group of oddities lingering about the whole Ultimate Brachimon’s mission. To sum up: they had to, somehow, control an earthquake-causing giant dino whose origin was unknown to everyone and that preferred staying around a factory. Said dino had been awoken by the fall of something no one thought could ever exist: A creature heavier than it. Basically, Gumo’s fall had been the gigantic alarm clock for Ultimate Brachimon, who had now decided to start moving to the crash site where the Triceramon fell to the ground and the epicenter of the biggest earthquake Idayi had ever experienced. In return and by Qhawe’s suggestion, the group had moved from the crash site to the Factory, kind of taking the route Ultimate Brachimon would take but inversed. The reason? Exploring the factory and knowing what was inside was probably the closest thing they could have to a lead to discover Ultimate Brachimon’s motives and how to lay it under control.

Skadi had been quick to understand the danger this sheer monstrosity represented. Everyone’s focus had been drifted to the giant monster, as it should. For the time being, at least Qhawe and Bruga felt the entirety of the group understood the rules of the game and how to play it. Not to say that was enough to win it.

So… their main obstacle now? A one-foot-tall pink clam, who was trying to make the Ultimate Brachimon go back to guard the factory.

Initially, Caine did manage to get the Shakomon’s attention. The clam blinked as her eyes trailed towards the Impmon. “Boo. I know! But I need him to come ba—“ It was then when she tilted the entirety of her clam-frame in wonder.

“Who the hell are you?"

Then, a smile took over her expression when she saw Skadi approach. “Weeeow! That’s a cool suit!” After a short pause, and seemingly not paying a lot of attention to her interlocutor’s query, she pointed out something that seemed to have clearly startled her from the moment she had seen them. “Y-You’re not dinos…”

That was certainly an oddity in this island, yes, but…

“You’re not a dino either!” Bruga, still standing by the thicket, seemed to lose her nerves a bit more quickly, pointing out something that was also very much true. "And you better stay right where you are!"

“Oh. You are dino!” She smiled nonchalantly again.

Qhawe, on his side, shrugged when being met by Gyo’s look. “Trust me, there’s not a digimon we know that Kenna doesn’t. So, obviously, I had never seen that thing in my whole life.” Yep. They had no answers.

“It needs to go back to protect the factory!” Oh. The clam had kind of answered one of Skadi’s questions.

“Hey. Clam.” The Fladramon called the small pink digimon from the thicket. “What’s in the factory?”

The Shakomon blinked a couple of times, staring at the fire humanoid digimon. “Oh! You’re dino too.” She noted with a smile. “I can’t tell you that, though…’”

“Hey, hey. What are you doing? Weren’t you going to get it to come back in a pinch?”

Oh gosh. Another voice? Where was this one coming from? Bruga moved her head quickly to try and find it, while Qhawe seemed to immediately know its origin. He pointed one of his fire gauntlets at the factory next to them. On the upper area, standing on the railing of an old, rusty balcony, a demon-like, red creature stood, clinging to the railing like a gargoyle.



The clam looked above and frowned immediately. “I’ll get it in a second!” She showed her tongue in mockery at the red devil.

Kenna, who had been quiet so far and had apparently left the line temporarily, came back.

“Everyone! I…” She seemed to stop for a second, not knowing if this creature could still hear her. Eventually, she just went on. “Ugh. I just have to say it. This just came in: Nami just told me two of the strongest higher-ups of Unaba are going your way. They found out Ultimate Brachimon started moving and they’re on the way to that area. I’m still not sure if they’re going for Ultimate Brachimon or heading to the factory itself, but they’ll be there quite soon.” The purple-haired scientist’s tone sounded extremely serious. She was dead worried. “They're two Guilmons, their names are Ulak and Aleh. Two of the strongest warriors Unaba has bred. Everyone, I cannot stress this enough: Avoid fighting them as much as you can. Get out of there and into the factory as soon as possible!”

Whether Gyo relayed the information to Qhawe or he had let that on speaker for the Fladramon to listen, his reaction would show how dangerous these two were. With his arms still folded, his eyes widened. “We need to move.” He muttered, holding his characteristic lazy tone, but still sounding dead serious.

“Eeeeeee!! Korka!” The clam yelled at the Boogiemon above. “Some strong guys from Unaba are coming! Just as we imagined.” She definitely still had access to their line, somehow.

“Then what are you waiting for!?” The gargoyle-like creature yelled back. “Stop that thing NOW!”

“Aye, aye!” The Shakomon nodded with a whimsical smile and started bouncing towards the Ultimate Brachimon again. The dinosaur had already taken several steps away from the factory.

“We can’t let her make it go back!”
Fire started surrounding Qhawe's feet and arms. He was ready to jump at the clam.
“Enough. I’ll take care of it.”

Bruga just jolted by Qhawe, moving at mighty speed towards the Shakomon. “I told you to stay put!” She jumped into the air and propelled herself against the clam, attempting to strike a mighty blow on her.

Although launched with ferocious strength, the blow would not land on target. Right when the sword made contact with the Shakomon’s body, this exploded into a splash of water, dissolving right in front of everyone’s eyes. Then, a few feet away from the Kotemon, water rose from the ground and formed a new Shakomon, who acquired its characteristic color.

“Hehehehe. I forget none of the dinos on this island know who they’re dealing with. Have you lived under a rock all of this time?” She wondered out loud. “Well… I guess I can introduce myself ONE more time…”

“Oh no…”

“They say I’m one of the eleven strongest pirates in the world, wandering the sea, in the search for a good time! But… to be honest? I’m way stronger than any of those noobs!” The claim winked playfully as she started bouncing on the same spot, from left to right. “Are you going to let me go get my dino or do I have to show you why they call me…

… Treasure Hunter Amelie!”

Trying to put into words the enormous crossroad of alternatives, possible choices and consequences the Ultimate Brachimon group had at their disposal at the moment would be honestly difficult. So let’s just leave the post here and let all of this sink in.



If Sasha had played those old adventure games, she would be aware that, in some scenarios, you had the choice to explore the entirety of an environment and face the puzzles it could throw at you to get further information and pavement your way into the end. However, in some other scenarios, you could also decide to simply go through the first road you found, the road that seemed more obvious and straight to the point, whether that made the future developments more complicated or not. Less gathering information, more acting.

Maybe this was just the way the blonde knight played, or maybe she had felt overwhelmed by the darkness looming around her (something she could not be blamed for, either). Whatever was the reason, this straight-to-the-point route was the one she had taken.

As soon as Sasha placed the medallion in the altar, right in the hole that matched its color, something just clicked inside. The antique object was engulfed by a mystic, green aura. Likely, she would be startled by a rasping, female voice coming from her very insides, kind of like it was trapped in her head. The voice was deep, imposing, dominating. It felt like someone had gained power over her, and they were enjoying it.

“You’re not… Kuda.”


It sounded like an adult woman and, somehow, it felt like she was watching Sasha from somewhere. That she had been able to identify who she was… or at least, who she wasn’t. This voice let out an audible burst of laughter. Her laugh would echo inside the blonde’s head for a couple of seconds until it slowly settled down.

“You have no idea of what you have done, have you?” She wondered amused. “I honestly should be angry about Kuda losing her medallion, but…” Her tone slowed down, kind of turning into a soft whisper. “… I’m honestly eager to see how your little human body will react to… everything you’re about to experience, sweetie. Are you strong enough… no… is your mind strong enough to resist even a fraction of the energy living inside of you now? Can you even partially understand how your life is about to change?” As this woman spoke on her head, Sasha could see the altar in front of her growing in size. Actually, everything around her was growing! The dimly illuminated walls of the ship, the scarce torches, the doors… it was all bigger now!

“Assuming you are able to exploit even a small part of this power, I can’t wait to see what you can make of it.” As the darkness around Sasha was seemingly starting to dissipate, the discourse of the woman speaking inside her head seemed to be coming to an end. “If you manage to survive this. If you can avoid the madness and withstand the sheer darkness embracing you from now on… come find me. I’ll be thrilled to meet you.”

And then? Just as it started, it was over.

The panorama had changed drastically, though. Her surroundings were remarkably bigger now, the hallways were not engulfed by darkness, and… no. Wait. That was not it.

“… Sha…!”

“… Sasha!!”

Suddenly, the voice of Kenna became audible for Sasha. She was slowly regaining senses she didn’t know she had lost.

“A-Are you there? You were breathing heavily into the line… what’s going on?” The purple-haired scientist asked. “Wait…” Sasha could listen to her peer typing into her keyboard and, just like that, her pink inventory popped out of her pocket, floating to a side of her. Eager for a response, Kenna had remotely controlled the inventory again to see what was going on. She turned on the flashlight and the camera.

"..."

Silence.

"Eh?"

It was clear Kenna was blinking astonished from the other side.

“…”

Yep. She was completely shocked.

“You are… flying?”

Kenna’s tone of voice clearly showed a figurative tilt of her head.

“Waaaaah!!! Everything got bi----“ Nah. That wasn’t it. Kenna immediately interrupted herself, avoiding that clearly mistaken conclusion. “N-N-No! YOU TURNED SMALL!?”

“S-S-Sasha… w-w-what is going on!?” Trying to get back from her stunning, Kenna typed in two commands more and the inventory deployed a holographic screen that showed what it was recording, right in front of Sasha. It worked like a mirror.

Boy. How to describe what it showed?

Starting by the fact that Sasha was flying, probably. How? She had wings. Two sets of long wings attached to the back of her thorax. The fore wings being much larger than the hind wings, reaching to her feet. These were flapping very rapidly to keep her afloat. She also had some fuzzy, fur-like white mops around her wrists and neck. In reality, it all seemed like she was wearing some simple bee costume, were it not for the fact that those wings were perfectly functional and... well, she, her inventory and her clothes had… become very small. Other than these wardrobe add-ons and her wings, her face, her factions, hair, and shape of her body remained the same, luckily.

Sasha would also note her senses had sharpened, she could hear Kenna’s voice a lot clearer and cleaner now, and even the sounds of the crashing waves outside, the vibration they caused on the wood. She had now become aware of the sounds made by the Shammamon in the kitchen right now, and she could now see her surroundings a lot more clearly too. The fact Kenna had to turn on the flashlight to see her showed the ship had not lightened up. Actually, the ship had not changed at all!

"Sasha..." Kenna began, kind of exhausted at how chaotic this whole mission had turned in such a short span of time. “... H-How is it that we spoke 5 minutes ago and now you’re a bee?”

This was one of those times where, although there was no scientific explanation to be had, the evidence was right in front of her. Kenna was seeing it with her own eyes! Sasha was now... Bee Sasha!

---

It's 9:00 am! The skies are clear over Idayi Island.

Inventory Updates
Sasha Robinson: You used Mysterious Medallion x 1!

Achievements:
-Split and conquer! (You split to take both different approaches in Ozith)
-... And in the light will guide them. (You found the Mysterious Medallion in Binagi Shore)
-Shattered memories. (You found the graves of Unaba heroes)
-Thank you. (Bruga can sleep at nights again)
-Mental health is important. (ClearAgumon liked you enough to tell you about his little problem)
-Slimy victory. (You solved the puzzle and found the secret entrance to Ozith Village on the first try).
-My sister would be proud! (You found one of the strangest guests Idayi has had)
-Bee life! (You... turned into a bee. Huh)

Post order for Ultimate Brachimon:
-Hisato Aizawa
-Kenny O'Hara