Keyo: I swear the calendars are wrong, they keep telling me it's Sunday, not Saturday. I'm also telling you that I don't own digimon.
Also, there's a MESSAGE at the end. Please read.
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Chapter 36: My what big eyes you have! Pt 1
Bad Eggs.
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"Ah, thank you very much me beauty." A Gazimon grinned, tipping his Stetson hat, as he was served his bowel of what Totemmon called 'Giga Gumbo Stew'. Tanya, following the protocol lined out, gave a small courtesy in thanks, shaking a little from her general nerves when having to deal with people, before scurrying back to the bar to collect the next order.
About a week had gone by since she and the others had started their work at Totemmon's Inn. Liz complained less about the uniform after the second day, and they had already managed to integrate themselves well enough into the small community to be greeted cheerily by the clientele. They had also managed to learn a little of the town's way of running, with the Gazimon running the farms and the Betamon fishing in the river. Trade would be made in the large market that lay in the city down the rail road, with Totemmon being the main source of fiscal trade between times. Wild Digimon tended not to bother the village, but they had a sheriff on hand just in case anyway.
"Here you go Tanny, for table 6." Totemmon's lower most head placed a collection of bottles onto Tanya's tray, pulling them from below the bar. Tanya nodded and adjusted to the weight, Totemmon's wooden hand lifting flat a moment too tell her to pause before reaching over and pushing the slipping glasses up her nose, while the head made a note to get them adjusted.
The glasses, a nice horn rimmed affair, were also added to the outstanding bill of the party. There was no good in having a waitress who couldn't see even a single foot in front of her nose, and so, knowing a good chap with nimble claws, Totemmon had the pair commissioned, though they apparently required some modifications before they would fit quite right. Giving her thanks, the girl proceeded to scurry off with the tray, passing her partner as she scribbled down notes upon her notepad.
"Comin' right up!" The young rookie cheered, before scampering off to the counter, leaping up to land perfectly on one of the bar stools, leaning it forward to rest upon the front legs as she thrust the bit of paper towards her employer. "Here ya' goes!"
The wooden hand reached out, pulling the sheet closer to the appropriate head as Totemmon inspected the order, before giving Lupmon a critical glare, the wolf simply gave her doggy smile back.
"Lupmon…how are your writing lessons coming?" The chef asked.
"I can spell my name now." The waitress beamed.
Sighing, Totemmon was forced to draw a verbal recitation from the young digimon to get the order, something that was simple enough given the friendly digimon's memory for meals.
"Peaceful night Totemmon?" A loud brass voice boomed as it's owner strode in through the door.
"Evenin' Sheriff!" The Hawk head waved as the official entered in.
Sheriff Fugamon was a large red digimon who bore a great physical resemblance to Ogremon, though his skin was a deep coppery red rather than green, and the loins and arm wraps he wore bore a tiger print to them, and his hair was a shocking white, the skull and crossbones that should have resided upon his left arm was replaced instead with a star insignia, marking his position within the town. Taking a seat at the bar, he dropped down some coins just as Totemmon dropped the large tankard of ale before him, a well rehearsed practice between the two, as they fell into talk about trade and when the next train would come, Fugamon asking if Totemmon was finally going to take time off to visit the city himself, and receiving the usual declination from the cheery chef and manager.
Totemmon
Level: Champion
Type: Data
Attacks: Grand Gourmet
Fugamon
Level: Champion
Type: Virus
Attacks: Evil hurricane, Heavy Stick.
Slumped at the small window that looked out on the inn, Liz listlessly held her Digivice in one hand, scanning her temporary employer and the town sheriff. Fugamon was a bit of an oddity to the girl, she couldn't help but think it odd to have a virus type as a figure of law and order, but here he was.
Totemmon was also an oddity. He had explained one night, how he came to evolve into his current form. Explaining his determination to become the greatest chef possible, and with all the training he put into his culinary skills, he was able to evolve into a being capable of great multi-tasking. They had to admit that Totemmon was had a great physical set up for cooking, that went perfectly with his high level of skill.
Drooping back to face into the small, cosy lounge, Liz stared hard at her digivice, thinking of D-Greymon. Like Totemmon, it was a Digimon she'd never heard of before, and she wondered if the holy beast's coming was similar in origin to Totemmon, born from hedr and Agumon's combined will and desires.
"Are you okay Lizmon?"
Floramon
Level: Rookie
Type: Data
Attacks: Allergy Shower, Stamen Rope.
Liz clicked the scanner off on her digivice, before slipping it into the pouch on her uniform's frilly white apron.
"I'm fine Floramon." She sighed. "Just feeling a bit restless."
The Floramon giggled and dropped down next to the human girl. The employees of the inn had been able to grasp the concept that Liz and Tanya were not digimon, and therefore didn't have 'mon' in their names, but it seemed to have become an amusing routine for the Floramon to consistently tag it on regardless.
"You really want to get going, don't you?" Floramon asked, her stem like legs dangling off the edge of the couch, swinging in a childish fashion.
Liz gave a stiff nod in return, planting her elbows upon her legs and bringing her arms up and clasping her hands together, resting her chin on outstretched thumbs with her nose pressed against her raised index fingers, gazing out towards the back wall, her sight turned inward.
"My comrades are out there, and they could be in danger. It's not in my nature to sit back when there's a fight." A small grin grew on her face. "Besides, I know one guy out there who'll run himself ragged until he knows that everyone's safe, and someone's gotta keep an eye on him."
"Awww…You sure you don't want to stay here? You guys are good company." Floramon giggled.
"And keep wearing this thing!" Liz exclaimed, indicating the cutesy pink affair with its white lace and frills.
As Floramon exploded into another fit of giggles, another popped her head through the small window.
"Lizmon! Break's over!"
"Alright, alright…" Liz sighed, standing and straightening her skirt out, before snatching up her tray and giving her conversation partner a small wave before heading back out onto the inn floor.
---
"Theese must bee thee place."
A large white egg stomped to a halt, looking down upon the small town with it' houses and fields. A pair of luminous yellow eyes looked out from within a pitch-black darkness, the only thing to be seen through the cracked gap in his shell.
"He was ve-ry insistent about them…to keel them.."
Withdrawing his thick, dinosaur like legs into his shell, the hard boiled digimon let himself roll down the steep hillside, and towards the town.
---
"Thank you, come again!" Koromon chirped, a frilly main tiara upon the small digimon's head in lieu of the full dress. It wasn't exactly something that would help a lifetime of work trying to convince certain colleagues of being masculine in nature.
The issue of effective gender was always somewhat strange to Komodomon, it had never seemed at all relevant. Fighting was the purpose of its creation, and since Digimon didn't have genders, and didn't reproduce, being 'masculine' or 'feminine' didn't seem at all important, it certainly had no impact on the battles they fought. Choosing to be dubbed masculine had, reflection suggested, been simply a reaction against Komodomon and Eight, who proposed femininity, as Liz was a girl. It made some sort of sense, given all the other digimon seemed to support a gender perspective that matched their partners, but agreeing with that pair was just too much to go with. Frankly, Komodomon was happy being an 'it'.
Though, not this 'it'. To be stuck in in-training form was proving too much to put up with. They had been sure that rest and a good meal or two would have given Komodomon the power to digivolve back to Agumon, but so far this hadn't been the case, and so the little data type was stuck limbless and working the most boring, and frustrating job the inn had, being forced to sit and smile and play nice was a torture of the young warrior, and Liz hadn't exactly made leaps in trying to use the Digivice to force evolution.
'When I met you, you were a rookie, I guess I just don't know how to digivolve you that way.' Had been the summery given one night.
'At least while I'm like this I don't have to wear a skirt…' The blob sighed internally, before swapping back into the chirpy smile as another customer approached to settle their bill.
Before being flattened as a large egg exploded through the wall and ran them over before scattering tables like ten-pins as it crashed straight on through the next wall and out onto the street.
"Wh…wha?" Koromon blinked with wide eyes and gaping jaw at the trail of destruction, taking a look back to see a similar line of devastation through the buildings behind the inn, as the egg suddenly spun upright and sprouted a pair of legs to stand.
"Ah-cha-cha-cha…" The egg murmured as it wobbled upon its legs, rather dizzy after its free spin down the hillside and through several houses, its yellow eyes blinking as they regained their focuses and began to scan the area in search of the prey.
"GRAND GOURMET!!!"
The egg was then sent flying by a barrage of blade strokes, hammer cracks, and a massive burst of flame that left his underside scorched. Once more spinning upright, he glared across at Totemmon's narrow figure, the tall wooden digimon had all of his faces glaring in the eggs direction, with each arm wielding a rather vicious looking cooking implement, while smoke filtered from the lizard head that formed his lowest face, a crowd was also forming behind the furious chef.
"Fiend! Villain! Braggart! How dare you attack my inn thus!" The furious chef bellowed.
Unaffected by the yells of the maddened manager, the egg set its round eyes on upon him, bending them slightly in a smiling gesture.
"You're not my target…but I'd be happy to keel you too." The egg spoke in a cheery manner, as if discussing the menu with the chef.
"Totemmon, stand down." Fugamon ordered, stepping forward, placing an arm before the inn owner as he stood to face the vicious egg invader. "Sir, who are you and what do you want?" The wild looking virus asked, keeping his eyes fixed upon the threatening intruder.
"I'm looking for some travellers…I've been told to keel them."
It didn't take any kind of powerful intuition to know that this digimon was dangerous, and so Fugamon opted to play a gambit.
"We have had no travellers pass through here." He lied.
"Don't worry…I can just keel you all for my boss anyway." The egg's eyes arched more in indication of a greater smile, causing Fugamon's eyes to narrow as he adjusted his grip upon his club, entering a full combat stance. It was clear that the egg had no care for authority or justification in his threats, and it seemed likely it was just through lack of care. In a moment, they both moved.
"Nightmare Syndrome!"
"Heavy Stick!"
---
Digitamamon
Level: Ultimate
Type: Data
Attacks: Enigma, Nightmare Syndrome, Swing Egg.
Tanya withdrew her eyes from the scanner. She hadn't needed it to know what the digimon before them was, she just wanted to confirm it. Crouched by the window, she wanted to cry out to Fugamon that he was dangerous, that he was stronger, but her voice knotted in her throat. The numbing fear that had struck in the Dokugumon's caves and back in the game world was gripping her again, and she found herself trembling, looking on helplessly as the black mass from within Digitamamon's shell surged forth, crushing the copper ogre into the ground, causing a wail of pain from the virus as his body began to turn ashen grey and inky black as the darkness weighed upon him.
"F…F…" Tanya rasped, trying to call out.
"Koromon!"
"Right!"
Rushing out from the inn, Liz still managed to look very aggressive and fearsome despite the pink skirts and white lace she currently wore, her serving tray being thrown to one side as her partner bounded over the counter and to her side, the humans fist suddenly becoming engulfed in a bright orange energy.
"I ffound you…" Digitamamon turned his eyes upon the charging pair, a sick glee entering his voice.
"And here's your prize!" Liz cried, ripping her digivice from within the pocket of her small apron, sending the orange light surging through.
"Koromon digivolve to…GEOGREYMON!"
With a roar of 'Horn Impulse' the great dinosaur rammed its horned head into the side of the egg, and with a great cry of effort heaved Digitamamon up into the air, freeing the pinned sheriff before throwing the data type away towards the river.
"Hard boiled time." Liz grinned, as the stripes on GeoGreymon's body flashed in sequence towards its horned head before unleashing a torrent of destructive, burning energy.
"Mega Burst!"
The orange stream slammed into the data type, tearing up earth and causing water from the river to boil and froth, or otherwise be cast up upon the shore as a shallow trench began to emerge from the force of the attack, a roar similar to that of a jet engine filled the air before slowly petering out as the attack lost force and GeoGreymon was forced to stop for breath, taking a deep inhale and a sighing exhale as the smoke and dust cleared.
"Yup…there he is." Liz spoke with a sardonic grin as Digitamamon was revealed, a little scorched, but mostly unharmed.
"Baaaaad luck." The egg sang in it's croaky voice.
"Hardly…You've got a level and type advantage over us." A sadistic grin spread over the girl's face. "Of course, we have the advantage in numbers."
Looking beyond the rather noticeable giant orange dinosaur, Digitamamon noticed that not only had the entire contents of the inn filed out onto the street, but even more members of the town had gathered around and were lining up, crackling with the energy that signalled the Gazimon and Betamon charging their attacks. Despite only being rookies, the fact that they numbered at least in the twenties and were all virus attribute certainly meant that when they unleashed their barrage, it would sting something awful.
"Electric Stun Blast!"
"Electric Shock!"
Of course, the pain would only come if they did, in fact, manage to hit.
"Swing Egg!" Digitamamon's legs shot back into his body and the open slots sealed up as he began to spin, twisting his body around to force the narrow point towards the ground as he began to burrow down. True, several attacks managed to strike at his hardened shell, but he was into the ground before any severe damage could be done.
"Where'd he go?" One of the Gazimon growled, flexing his claws as Totemmon helped Fugamon back up.
"Be careful." The Sheriff warned, the grey swathes on his body slowly fading back to copper.
"Nightmare Syndrome!" The egg like digimon burst up through the ground, his eye slot once again open and spewing out the dark substance from within the shell, which swept across a row of the gathered rookies in a deliberate fashion, curving and pursuing some, the yellow eyes still at the front, vicious and glowing. Those who were struck seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness, their bodies going grey as they were pulled in.
"You're mine!" Liz cried, fury in her face as she was thrown forward courtesy of a boost from GeoGreymon's tail, her fist swinging forward as she prepared to deliver a hard blow to the scorched shell, only for pitch black sweep down upon her as the Nightmare Syndrome curved around to strike at the fiery human, causing her to disappear.
"LIZ!" GeoGreymon roared.
"Keep firing!" Fugamon cried, pushing off of Totemmon, his club swinging as the assembled rookies once more opened fire with their attacks, the black wave of Nightmare Syndrome continuing to sweep through their ranks, decimating their numbers.
---
"No…no…nononononononononononono…"
Crouched behind the broken remains of the window, Tanya had pulled her knees to her chest, tears streaming down her face as she shook. I was all going so wrong…they were supposed to have found a bit of peace, they were supposed to simple serve soup and one day soon get on a train and head to the city to find the others…together…
"HOWL BUSTER!"
"Lupmon!" Tanya called, scrambling up to peer through the window again to see her beloved partner out in the fray, still clad in pink skirt and lace, weaving amongst the panicking digimon, staying just ahead of the waves of black as the vicious egg continued to lash out with it's Nightmare Syndrome attack.
"YOU BASTAAARD!" GeoGreymon roared, charging straight for Digitamamon, before being pushed back as the Nightmare Syndrome curved around to slam straight into the large dinosaur, the great beast roaring as dirt was scraped up by its large claws as it was forced back, body turning grey as the attack took effect, talon like hands gripped at the black mass, the claws sinking into the dark and causing a burning cold to run through GeoGreymon's limbs as the grey tone spread.
"Mega…Mega…" GeoGreymon tried to charge, but the crackling lines of electric blue couldn't charge beyond the tail.
"Primal Claw!" Lupmon launched herself onto Digitamamon's back, sitting atop her opponent and continually slamming her claws upon the shell as hard as she could, light clunks rang out, as if the shell was hollow, her claws practically bounced off the hardened shell as the rookie's attacks proved ineffective.
"Swing Egg!" Digitamamon burst into another high speed spin, throwing Lupmon threw the air, and causing the Nightmare Syndrome to swing around, knocking GeoGreymon to the ground and causing it to tear through the surrounding buildings, crashing into some of the handful of remaining digimon before the egg stuck his legs back out, digging into the dirt and directing the black stream straight at the wolf, swallowing her in one shot.
"LUPMON!!!" Tanya's scream pierced the air.
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Raven:The one problem with this chapter is that it was our least prepared Ultimate scenario. We knew what we were doing with Panzermon, we know what we're gonna do with our last two Ults, and D.Greymon, we had a good idea but it got edited (in a good way) before we got to it. But this one, we just last week settled on who was gonna be our enemy, and we had a problem figuring out his motive (which, of course, you don't get to know about for a while :P )
And that's all I have to say on the matter. I promise, the next chapter will be worth having to wait in this one. We'll even have a special offer for those of you who think you can understand our thought processes
Keyo: Sorry once again for being late…again.
I'm not incredibly happy with this chapter. It just doesn't seem to be written as well as it could be, which seems to be a problem recently. Still, I really enjoyed doing the start, but then again, I got to put my girls in cute waitress uniforms, so that's kind of a given.
I like Digitamamon, I think they are very friendly looking digimon and would love to use them in that context. Here, however, I found that he worked much better to fulfil a certain villainous role.
For Fugamon's role, I wanted a sheriff in the town, but didn't want to use something like Leomon. Given the tiger print, I figured Fugamon fit the area. I also like Ogremon's design and Fugamon also reminds me of Victor from the excellent series Buso Renkin. Check it out!
SmallWARNING by the way. I may be forced to take a hiatus for the next few weeks in order to catch up on all the work I've been neglecting. I apologise, but I've not done any yet and I really shouldn't be writing this instead. As it is, I've been feeling really stressed working on chapters recently, so taking a small break might help me get my charge back.
See you all next update!
Keyo & Raven