I don't own digimon.

Chapter 53

Burn Notice

As it turns out, halfway up a flight of stairs is just enough space to put one at ease from a dragon. Kind of expected it to be further. A welcome surprise.

"Bubbles, could you do something for me?" Blaze whispered, taking a seat on one of the steps. There, he pulled off his bunny ear headband and slipped it into his purse. Which provided more than enough time for our little dragon to make his way back down to Blaze.

"Yes?" bubbles remarked as Blaze showed him the palms of his hands. Uh… I'm not a doctor, but I don't think the palms of your hands are supposed to be looking like that - all black and 'ghosty'. "Uh…"

Those are fourth degree burns, you buffoon! What the hell were you thinking, swinging about the pole and burning yourself?

Blaze looked away, muttering something to himself. So it wasn't a case of you controlling your infusion element but more you dancing through the pain?

"Pretty much." he remarked, Bubbles carefully setting his claws on the dancer's left hand. Healing energy coursed through, Blaze trying his hardest to not pull away, the realization of the damage done finally hitting him. I'm going to assume that these 'third-degree' burns are really, really bad?

Yeah. He'll need to refrain from using his hands for a while. At least till you're all certain that his hands are actually usable. Which means no using that scimitar of yours and try to refrain from grabbing anything. Also, you're going to need someone else to help you undress.

Uh… One small problem. Bubbles is the only other male in the party. Outside of myself and some of the digimon.

Oh. Wait. How the hell are there only two men on this party of six? That's absolutely absurd! There's no way you're really telling the truth.

"Hey. I'm here as well." Rantha muttered, making his way over to Blaze. "Where are your clothes?"

Blaze pointed to his purse, watching Rantha pull it off. All while Bubbles continues to heal the dancer's hands. Wait. Does this technically count as a threesome?

"No." Madame muttered and took a deep breath. For the moment, Kollmon had chosen to head up ahead a couple steps with Yvonne and Ella. Maybe the mole digimon had something she wanted to ask either Cinemon or Kollmon. Not that Madame had any real issue. No, they were using this time to switch over, at least for a floor or two. "And before you ask, it's still no."

I wasn't even going to ask that. Not worth the trouble. Especially since you would probably be in agreement with your other part. How are you feeling at least?

"Alright." Madame continued, not even taking the time to look back towards Blaze and the mess he accidentally created. "His dancing was good at least. Not sure if Dave would really let him go as far as outer space. "Doubt it. This is pretty far for most people."

Blaze's gaze shot over.

"You do have a point." the dancer remarked, heels finally off and regular shoes slipped back on. I can only imagine those heels were hell "Though, what's this about me going to outer space?"

Madame's gaze shot over to Melody. Currently, the mystic was waiting patiently further up the steps. Not quite as far up as say, Yvonne, but more of a middle ground.

"Back with my fleet, we have something called 'tea ships'." Melody explained, making her way back down the stairs. "The drow who live there have amazing hairdos, sing and serve tea to patrons to visit. You seem like a shoe-in, it would just mean you be in space for at least a couple years. Once you're certified by the leader, then you could come back to Aldia and set up a tea ship of your own. Or would that be a tea house?"

Blaze looked away. After his endeavor with pole dancing, what had seemed like two equally valid futures had changed into something else. A bunch of possibilities, all of which having their own merits and drawbacks. Makes it hard to decide, doesn't it? But you don't need too for the moment. You'll know the time to choose when it inevitably comes.

"Understood." Blaze remarked, lifting his arms up and Rantha slipping a regular shirt on. Which meant throwing that part of the bunny girl outfit in the purse. "How are you holding up, Rantha?"

The artisan looked away, closing his eyes for the briefest of moments. The stairway disappears and he's right back in his shop. There, he's standing behind the counter. The junk is gone… but everything is quiet. It's as if life has faded from this town. When was the last time that a group of adventurers actually stopped on by to get supplies or even flirt with him. Sure, the latter was less than ideal. But there was something nice about having someone interact with and show a romantic interest in you.

But all that would swiftly change with the opening of the door. Not by a person, mind you. No, a large wing was the source of this strange occurrence. Though, it's really not clear how exactly such a creature got it open. Not that it matters for the artisan. This was a chance to strike up a conversation. A chance of a story or even small talk. It's at least something to pass the time in what feels like a miserable existence. Or perhaps this was something else entirely, a reversal of fortunes perhaps. Some good luck after this endless string of bad.

"Why hello there, Rantha." the bird announced, poking his head into the store. While care was taken not to destroy anything of value, there were a couple moments that were too close for comfort in regards to the shelves of potions and sharp, pointy weapons. It's all well and good to have someone to talk about, but it's another for that person (well, bird in this case) to die because they got too close to your wares. "I'm here to cure you."

The words roll out, Rantha unable to believe what he had just heard. There was no way that he was sick. The last time the local clerics had rolled into town they had given him a clean bill of health. There was no way that this bird could be correct. But what if he somehow was sick? This kind, friendly bird was offering to cure him. For free no less. What a steal.

"Uh large bird… what have I come down with?" Rantha inquired, getting what sounds like a chuckle from the bird. That's rarely good. I'm very much aware you can't hear me at the moment. But don't take it. This isn't worth it!

My words fall on deaf ears. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting here. Him to actually respond? No, just wishful thinking on my part in the hopes of something changing.

"Why, your memories of course." the bird explained and watched Rantha step towards him. "You can call me Adarnamon. I'm your partner. We'll create a future without e-"

That last word doesn't get a chance to finish, reality flushing our artisan back to the stairs. Blaze was mostly dressed by this point. Though that might just be the result of him going on with this task without realizing he was still going through with it.

"Great, up until a minute ago." the artisan muttered and took a deep breath. It was only a matter of time before Adarnamon showed up once more. He was going to need to take on this problem. But after that, then what? Just go back to Polias and tell him that he messed this up? No, that was a good way to get yourself killed. Hiding out in Aldia wasn't that good of an idea either. That would just make him a massive target for the townsfolk and his employers. Not even a plea for sympathy would help here. "Once we find that stupid bird, I'm going to pay him a piece of my mind."

Don't blame you for wanting to do that. Even if I do hope you meant that in the figurative and not in the… literal sense.

Rantha looked at the ceiling, a chuckle following. Returning back to Blaze, he shoved the last of the clothes back into the dancer's purse.

"You're all good now." the artisan muttered, focus turning to Bubbles. At the moment, the little dragon was trying his hardest to fix Blaze's hands. But this was something that was well outside of his expertises. Sure, some of the damage had been repaired. But not enough to allow for the dancer to actually use his hands like he could before all of this. "Hey. He should be good for the moment. Maybe take a break."

Healing glow fading, Bubbles let his focus hang to Rantha. While the temptation was there to just continue, some strength needed to be kept on hand for coming battles. At least till they knew for certain what awaits them on this current floor.

"Okay." the little dragon remarked, making his way over to his mommies. Which was where Phusitmon was currently waiting. Carefully picking the plush rabbit digimon up, he set him on his back. After, it's a matter of making sure his partner was hanging on tight. Just in case they needed to head off in a hurry due that dragon.

"Good job." Madame remarked, giving Bubbles a slight head pat. Which made the hug from Ella a nice extra gift. "How are you holding up?"

The artificer shrugged, muttering something about getting left out. To be fair, we probably would still be on the first floor if not for you giving Madame a pep talk - slaying bats with no real way of knowing where we went wrong in that strange endless loop.

"Yes…" Ella muttered, looking away for a brief moment. Sure, she had gotten a chance to shine on the initial floor. But that was more of her just giving Madame a pep talk and listening to them describe a torture scene. But it was Madame that dealt with those bats, not her. After that, it seemed that the rest of the crew had gotten their chance to shine. Which just left her and Melody. This floor was probably for the mys-

Or would've been, if not for the 'lodging' sign hanging casually at the top of the landing. Made from red tubing with a strange flicker effect, what looks to be a second sign hung under it. No vacancy. Wait. That would make this an Inn. Ella, you got your wish. Though, I'm not sure what exactly awaits on this floor. Outside of the whole 'place you stay in while traveling'. This is probably where all the monsters of this dungeon sleep or perhaps this is their living qua-

At least wait till I'm done thinking over the possibilities of this floor's use. Maybe play along, suggesting some other option for this place. If at all.

"He does have a point, Ella." Madame added, Cinemon running after his partner. Even as Ella stopped at the landing.

"It's definitely an Inn or something similar." the artificer explained, putting a hand on the sign. Cool to a touch, it's not like anything I've ever seen. Do they have stuff like this back where your folks live?

Ella shook her head, carefully pulling her hand back. No burn or anything - so definitely not something fire-related or based in magic.

Uh… Those are LEDs. They are meant to mimic lights without using as much energy with electricity. It's nothing compared to stuff like holographic doors.

"Holographic doors?" Ella remarked, gaze turning to the ceiling for the moment. While she followed that explanation (outside of not really knowing what 'holographic' meant), the artificer wasn't entirely sure how helpful that was. Surely regular doors worked in most situations. Especially when it came to privacy, right?

Yes, think of it as a solid, customizable 'illusion' that's shaped like a rectangle or other compatible shape through the bending of light.

"That's quite impressive." the artificer continued, gaze shifting to the rest of the party at the moment. Everyone was now gathered here. I don't think you really need to ask the question. The answer is pretty obvious here.

Heading through, we find ourselves in this 'lodging'. Well, that's probably stretching the term for the moment. The whole 'floor' looked to consist of just three rooms (not counting the landing of course). The first room looked to be the main reception area. Decorated with a paper covering that I doubt actually fits with the odd carpet on the floor. I can't really describe the color, but it looks like something designed to hide dirt but was failing miserably at that job. If anything, it was making the dirt even more apparent for everyone in the room. Towards the far right side of the room was what I assume is the check-in desk. But no one is currently sitting there to run said position. So no one can actually get a room?

"Yes." Ella answered and made a beeline for the desk. Pulling herself over the top of the desk, her trenchcoat got stuck on the corner. For the moment, our artificer let it just hang there. Instead, she just focused on the contents of this desk. A perfect opportunity for Madame to walk over and pick said trenchcoat up.

"Personally, I think you look better without this." Madame explained and got a look from their girlfriend. "That, and it makes you look like a kid."

Ella shot the thief a look. While sure, they did have a point. That trenchcoat doesn't quite send the right message to the people coming to stay at your inn. Travelers want to feel welcomed, not threatened when they head inside. But this was a big part of her identity. Much like that stupid wig Madame forced upon themself. Kind of the pot calling the kettle black.

That thing also makes you look like some edgelord dwarven grandma. And no one wants an edgelord dwarven grandma.

Uh… What DM said. Even if I wouldn't go personally as far to describe you as that. I would go with… a skilled innkeeper with a penchant for tinkering.

"Fine…" Ella muttered, watching her girlfriend throw the trenchcoat off into a corner. After, Kollmon made her way over to the garment and tore it up. Something kind of satisfying watching her do that. Maybe it's all the pent-up aggression from the flashbacks and everything else going on currently. Don't blame her for feeling that way. "I did find something though."

Raising her hand up, what looks to be a set of keys hangs there. Doubt there's one for whatever is preventing us from moving onto the next floor. It's never that easy. Anything else of note?

Ella shook her head, taking the time to pull herself up onto the desk. Then it's just a matter of jumping back down. Minus her cloak this time. A worthy sacrifice for the gaining of this valuable piece of equipment. Wait. This is the perfect opportunity to actually look at Ella's proper appearance. You would think I would've done this back at the Black Cat Inn, but that was just the trenchcoat. Oops?

For this excursion, Ella had chosen to dress in just a plain t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Or would those be considered pants by dwarvish standards? Eh… Doesn't matter. Pretty simple look. Especially with that suitcase/briefcase sitting on the floor for the moment. Don't forget about that. Don't want a repeat of what happened with Yvonne's warhammer.

"I believe you're getting a suit the moment we get back." Ella added, gaze already on Madame. Even if that did get our artificer a look in return. A promise is a promise, you two.

But for now, our attention returned to the rest of this strange room. No attempt had been made to actually furnish this particular part of the floor, just a single wooden chair to wait in. Looks ready to splinter apart if you actually put weight on it. So maybe… don't. Though, there is a doorway at the far side of the room. Making our way over, we find a door. Not sure what you were expecting. Even went through the trouble of finding the biggest lock in this entire dungeon and bolting it onto the doorknob, which was actually pretty small now that I look at it.

"Here we go." Ella remarked, slipping a key in and giving it a slight twist. The lock fell to the ground, the door opening up right after. Uh… that's not normal. Unless they planned for someone to actually find the keys and unlock this very lock to get into this room. Which at this point, wouldn't surprise me.

Inside, the whole place looked like a pig sty. Bed sheets have been thrown all about, with the pillows all shoved in the strangest of places. Like seriously, how the heck did someone get one all the way on the ceiling. Let alone make it stick up there.

"Probably stuck it there on purpose." Cinemon remarked, watching Ella bring her turret in and jump on it. Taking the time to leap up, her hands grab hold of the pillow with ease. Bravo. Now, it's quite a trick to get back on down. Probably should've thought that thro-

Before I could finish speaking, Madame used their whip to get the artificer down. And by whip, I mean going with a swing of said weapon to bring their girlfriend back on down. You could at least help catch her. That's the romantic thing to do at this moment. But no, you let her fall harmlessly to the ground.

"At least help me with making the beds." Ella countered, dusting herself off. Nothing looks to be broken. Just don't try that again, at least without a safety net of some kind. "Understood."

In regards to the rest of the room, there were just… beds. No signs of any places to store stuff. Because you know, that makes total sense for some lodging. Unless they expect people to just put their belongings under the bed.

"Maybe no one who stays here actually has belongings?" Yvonne suggested, Munbimon taking the time to jump from her partner's shoulder to glide under the beds. That didn't last long, the ghost monkey digimon already making a beeline for the knight right after.

"Nothing." Munbimon announced, scurrying her way back up to her partner's shoulder. So much for that option. Especially with those bare walls. I would think you would get something hung up there. Break up all the gray with a splash of some color. Anything would've worked here, but no. That's just too hard of a concept for the denizens of this dungeon to understand. Doesn't stop Ella from gathering up the pillows and putting the sheets back onto the beds. Not the most interesting thing in the world, it does bring the whole room together. Always a plus. Though, that does mean we-

"There's still the bathroom." the artificer continued, heading towards the southern end of the room. There we find a door. This one has also been left plain,with only 'bathroom facilities' to distinguish itself from all the other doors on this floor. Kind of unnecessary with the extreme lack of doors in this place. This time, the lock was in the doorknob itself. You know what, it doesn't really matter why it's the case. Or why the other door has an entirely different locking mechanism. "You alright?"

Yeah. Just confused by what the point of this floor. If such a point actually exists. Probably just the place that peo-

Ella opened the door up, revealing the outside of the tower. Okay… That's definitely not up to code. Thankfully, Cinemon was there to make sure the artificer doesn't fall to her death. Definitely don't want that to happen.

"I would definitely sue the owner for that." Cinemon muttered as Ella closed the door. After, she pushed one of the beds over. Good thinking? Still not sure if that would actually stop someone from heading through and falling too their death. Gives a chance for their friends to pull them back in. "Is that the last thing you need to do?"
Ella nodded, already making her way towards the door out. Once through, it was just a matter of jumping back onto the desk and putting the keys away. Doesn't explain the staircase getting revealed.

"Huh…" Bubbles whispered, watching his mother scramble back over the desk. I would say this isn't fair, but I get the feeling there was meant to be more here. Like the person in charge here was caught up in the mess at the club and was now too occupied to do anything about it. Oh well. Let's get going.

With that, we head for the next floor.

[Tower at the edge of the world F6]

Notes:

And so I've returned after what I had been working on falling apart for a not very eventful chapter. Oh well. Sometimes this is how stuff works out. Outside of that, next chapter will probably be a bit shorter and I'm heading back to work at the time this comes out. So chapters might take a bit longer to come out.

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Next Time: As it turns out, puzzles are sometimes hard.