Hope you enjoy this chapter :D thank you for reading it this far!
Viruses Ch. 4
Wisp's mind went blank in that very moment. With four bandits staring at her, while she was only wearing a towel had actually filled her with more embarrassment then fear. Although as the bandage Bakemon stared at her more and more intensely the fear slowly overtook her embarrassment.
One of the Bakemon coughed (If ghosts can cough) and the girl suddenly realized that they had been standing there for about five minutes in dead silence. She cleared her throat and prepared her-self for a very miserable conversation.
"W-well," Wisp started out slowly, "That is a very generous offer, but I don't feel comfortable staying with strange man over-night."
Phantomon answered, surprisingly cheerful , "Don't worry, we'll keep strange men away from you!"
The girl stared at him, and after a few seconds she once again attempted to wriggle away from the bandits with words, "I-I have to get a few things in town...it'll take a REALLY long time and I don't want you guys to have to wait for me while I shop."
"We'll carry your bags for you 3"
"Actually I just realized the tavern I was at had said something about an open room and I don't want to bother you...so I'll just stay there."
"Oh, your not a bother, besides the tavern bartender is really creepy, he looks like an egg...I can never bring my-self to order an omelet."
"No, I insist that I..."
"No, I insist that you shut up and stay with us." One of the Bakemon interrupted
"...oh..."
Wisp sighed, this digimon wouldn't give in! She thought of one final excuse and hoped for the best, "You know actually I was thinking about having a camp-out with my little Spi-mon here."
"Spi-mon!" The Bandaged Bakemon shouted out the name and suddenly rushed foreword pointing at Wisp, "Their the ones! The ones who couldn't pay and attacked me ruthlessly!"
Wisp screamed and instantly started to flee clutching her towel. The Bakemon started to pursue followed by their leader, who really wasn't tying that hard to catch them. Anyone watching their silhouettes would be reminded of a really bad scifi/horror movie from the 80s.
"Let me fight them!" Spi-mon peaked over Wisp's shoulder. She could only huff in response since she needed all of her breath to keep running. She didn't think he would really jump off of her to try to fight...but still it didn't help her stress.
"Okay that's enough." Phantomon was suddenly in front of the girl, swinging his ball and chain, not even bothering with his scythe.
Wisp darted to the side but found it was to no avail as she found a very long chain wrapping around her. The ball on the end was (Thankfully) caught by the bandit leader before it swung into the girl and the small digimon.
"Now," Phantomon loomed over them his eyes flashing and his fingers wiggling ominously, "You will stay with us for the night!"
Wisp dropped her head in defeat. Even Spi-mon had emitted defeat, he was after all chained imbetween Wisp's stomach and arms. A few Bakemon replaced Phantmon's chain with rope, and two carried her through the air using the ropes.
Wisp tried to memorize the landscape around them, but it was difficult memorizing unfamiliar rocks and trees, that seemed to simply blur together in her mind. Phantomon had taken to humming an odd ominous tune as he led his little group to his supposed mansion. Wisp noticed that the forest around them was getting thicker, and they were heading in the opposite direction of the tavern. This made her feel resentment toward the bartender that had sent them to the river in the forest, but she tried to quickly discount it as she realized that he knew nothing of what she and Spi-mon had done or the Bakemon's resentment.
Soon they did reach a mansion, it's looks were right out of a scooby-doo ghost episode. In the oncoming night the walls appeared to be an eery dark blue and there were few windows, but the visible ones were tinted so you couldn't see inside. In front there was a fenced in yard, with a giant stone gateway. In the yard there were plenty of trees and a surprising amount of stone gargoyles. There was a winding pathway that went from the gateway to the door. At least Wisp guessed it did since some of the trees hid most of the front of the house. Altogether the sight sent anxiety and fear into the girl being carried by ghosts.
Spi-mon however didn't seem to be showing that much fear. He glared at the ghosts around them, occasionally wriggling in his ropes until Wisp squeezed him into stillness. His agitations seemed to increase as they reached the mansion. He didn't speak to the ghosts, sensing that Wisp wouldn't have liked that, but he did pull faces at them every chance he got.
The odd group entered the mansion, after going down the winding brick road (No it wasn't yellow) that led to the houses entrance. Inside the decor didn't surprise Wisp in the least. The room was massive with a spiraling staircase in the corner and to the side was a giant fireplace surrounded by furniture that were covered in white sheets. On each wall there was a single door, the girl guessed that these must lead to never ending halls.
"Now!" Phantomon drew everyone's attention to him, he dramatically lifted both of his arms to the ceiling and called out in a wavering voice, "Come, all of my little Bakemon!"
Almost instantly giggling filled the room, but no one seemed to be laughing. The Bakemon set Wisp and Spi-mon onto the floor. Then each door flew open with a bang and three Bakemon entered the room, a fourth one came sliding down the staircases railing.
Wisp could feel her heart stop and then beat in her ear. She was helpless, she couldn't even protect Spi-mon from these bandits. Looking at them each she realized that non of them were laughing either. Then looking everywhere else the girl's blood froze. The paintings on the wall were giggling and pointing at her. She stared at them, all were of digimon dressed in very fancy clothing. They giggled for a few more seconds, then Phantomon drew down his arms and hushed them like they were children. Instantly the room went dead silent and the digimon portraits became stiff.
"Everyone is here then." Phantmon's chilling voice asked, "Yes? Then very well we shall begin the judgment!"
Wisp would have asked what he meant by 'judgment', but she her tongue suddenly decided not to work for her. Two Bakemon grabbed her ropes again and carried her to a couch in front of the fireplace and plopped her onto it. Phantomon took a seat what seemed like a large chair. The Bakemon piled on a couch that was perpendicular to Wisp's couch.
"Number eight!" Phantomon's voice suddenly boomed in unnecessary loudness. The bandaged ghost floated in front of the fireplace. "Tell what this female and the little male did!"
The bandaged Bakemon told a lengthy story where he had 'pleasantly' asked for the 'toll' and this girl had bluntly refused, thrown insults in his face, how her little friend had jumped him, then how she had stomped him onto the ground without warning, and then how they had ran away from him as fast as they could, disappearing into the shadows like a bat.
The Bakemon all hmm'ed at the story nodding their heads. Wisp stared at number eight, appalled at the story.
"Female and young male!" Phantomon boomed again, "How do you plead?"
"Not guilty!" Wisp shouted instantly...wait a minute, "Umm, your...honor? What charges am I pleading against."
"Refusing to pay the government's tolls, being rude, and disgracing the Phantomon's league of extraordinary Poll Collectors...or Ploepc (P-l-ope-ck) for short."
"O-okay then." Given a fair chance Wisp might be able to talk her way out of the situation. Her mind began to awake and turn, thinking of several arguments to make. Her father had been a lawyer after all and had constantly forced her to defend any decision she had made. "My first argument is my own story."
She knew it wasn't really an argument, but letting the real story be known was the best way to start, for her. She told them every detail of when she had run into number eight. They didn't seem surprised about number eight's attitued or the story its-self, until they heard the part of Aboo-mon's change. That caused some whispering and unreadable emotions among the jury.
"Now jury." Wisp had finished her story, "You have known number eight the longest, does any of his actions in my story truly surprise you as much as his actions in his story?"
The jury looked at each other still unreadable.
"Okay time to make a decision." Phantomon chimed.
"But," Both the bandaged Bakemon and the girl objected, neither of them satisfied with their arguments yet.
"Silence." Phantomon didn't shout, but he said it in such a low deadly voice, that the entire room fell silent, "Now jury come up with your sentience!"
They huddled into a white tattered bundle, then they turned, one floated in front. He had perfect posture, seemingly acting very important. Wisp nervously bit her lip, it would all depend on how fair the jury was...which probably meant that she was doomed.
"We," This Bakemon started, talking very slowly and swayed back and forth with each word, "Have decided that this female and yoooung male, are guilty of refusing to pay the government's toll, but they are nooot guilty of being rude due to self-defense issues inclined by a Bakemon not being able to contain him-self. For the same reason she has nooot disgraced Ploepc, rather we find number eight guilty ooof disgracing Ploepc by failing to keep the girl from passing and frooom loosing his temper after trying to sexually harass a female."
"No way!" number eight shouted in defiance.
"Number three! Sentence!" Phantomon ignored him and shouted with all the paintings in the room shouting after him.
Number three held up his 'hand' and silenced the portraits, "The female is to work oooff the debt of the poll in any way deemed necessary. The male is tooo take number eight's place in collecting tolls, until he is ooonce again able to."
Wisp felt shivers go down her spine, how long would she be here? What would she have to do, well actually what could she do? Wispmon started to wriggle again unhappily.
"What about me?" The bandaged Bakemon cried out in dismay.
"Number eight, shall spend a week taking care ooof the injured master." Number three announced much to the horror of number eight.
"What! That's not fair!" He swung his arms about, "He'll kill me!"
"Only if you're not careful!" One of the Bakemon in the jury cackled.
"Court adjourned!" Phantomon seemed happy with the punishment dispensed to both parties. He pointed at one of the Bakemon in the jury, "Give the female a room on the first floor. We don't want her running into master one her first day, plus then four, five, and seven can keep an eye on her."
Wisp's head spun. For one thing she would never be able to tell each Bakemon apart enough to call them by their number, and second she wasn't sure that Spi-mon was strong or mature enough to be on his own yet.
One of the Bakemon tugged on her ropes and led her into one of the door's. Behind her she heard the continuous panicked noise of number eight's objections to his punishment of taking care of 'the master'.
See, I have a cunning plot on it's way :) Hope you liked it. Please review! I like favorites and everything, but a review tells me that you are interested enough to take thirty seconds to tell me your thoughts, or just to say 'Hey I liked it' :) Constructive critisism welcome.