I don't own digimon.

Chapter 2

Ghost Cherries

Yvonne's eyes slowly opened up.

The scent of cherries hung tightly in the abode, taunting the orc barbarian in every waking moment . She wasn't sure where her elven partner even got that scent - her time split mostly surveying the fortress and working on the forge. How she could even get over to the orchards was a mystery. The answer of which eluded her. Instead, Yvonne focused on her surroundings.

The cyan paint on the stone walls felt almost out of place, but did complement the spruce floors surprisingly well. An empty bed sat against the opposite wall of hers, mocking the barbarian with the way the sheets have been perfectly made and how comfortable it must probably be cuddling together with your significant other. She was lucky just to get a chance at even making things 'presentable'. Maybe today would somehow be different. A change of pace (even miniscule) could do a world of good. But were the odds of that happening?

"Clan Daughter! Clan Daughter! Clan Daughter!"

But certain people had other ideas for the start of her day. Taking the form of three little girls, full of energy and ready to play. Quite built for their age, leathery wings flapping in the non-existent breeze and long heart-tipped tails twitched about. The tallest of the three had gone for leather armor and a matching set of boots. Whether or not they were wearing something under all of that was not Yvonne's concern. The barbarian had the decency to wear undergarments. When you're spending every day in a set of heavy orcish armor, the idea of clothes became a top that wouldn't be ruined by sweat and a pair of 'shorts' that could protect the waist. Underwear in other words. A bit risque for the audience, but she's most definitely taken.

As for the girl before her at the moment, a pair of hazel eyes stare back. A head free of hair, much like the barbarian. Yvonne had done that by choice, the result of far too many times of her helmet getting caught within even short orcish locks. This little girl had it done by her mothers. Must be quite a woman to put up with such a creature. I've had friends end up as their slaves or even just statues because they got complacent. Which absolutely sucks. Conjurers get a lot of bad press. Between the handful of incidents involving demons and other 'difficult' creatures called from their homes on top of their willingness to be in relationships with said creatures, it paints a picture of people gone mad with power. The former, understandable. The latter, I'm perfectly fine with. To an extent. You're pulling a creature from another realm to help you with the day-to-day stuff. Love and affection is the least they deserve. Don't steal them from their significant other. They don't like that and it's a good way to end up doing something awful to the people you care about. I digress, of course.

As for the girl's companions, they had green eyes and bright yellow hair. Their apparel was sundresses - possible hand-me-downs from older siblings or recently bought from a seamstress. Shoes covered their feet, even if the regular orcish shoes weren't an exact fit for the feet of a succubi. Close enough to fit, but not enough to be completely comfortable.

"What do you need?" Yvonne mumbled as she sat herself up. In the process, that brought her attention to the rock. The barbarian had hoped that it was just a weird dream brought upon by the late hours of the job. She might have been asking for too much in that regard. Closer inspection showed it to be an egg of some kind. When no answer came to her very simple question, Yvonne took a deep breath. "If you're just here to greet me, could you at least tell me if you've seen Marulyn by any chance?"

The girls looked among each other, only to shrug.

"I think she's on the walls of the fortress taking watch." the tallest of the three announced as she headed over to the wall. They phased through, one of their companions following right behind with a similar technique. As for the third, they had gotten caught in the gap between the interior wall and that of the exterior. Not ideal if you want to keep playing with everyone else. "A little help here?"

Yvonne sighed and got up from her bed. She made her way towards the wall and took the time to look over to her warhammer. On paper, that sounded like a surefire solution. But one wrong move could bring the death of this young girl. The barbarian pulled her fist back.

Her fist met the wall, a couple inches to the right of where the succubus had gotten herself stuck. A hole created, she began to rip away the wall itself. The damage done could be repaired later. Right now, getting the girl out was her number one priority.

"Hold still." she whispered and began feeling the wall. If she was lucky, just one more punch and the girl would be out. Hopefully.

Yvonne punched the wall one more time, going for the left side rather than the right. A successful blow, she grabbed hold of the walls in between and ripped that part away. While the actual repair would be far more complicated than just putting the pieces of the wall back in, she could just leave gold for Marulyn to have someone repair it.

Right now, her focus needed to be on the little girl. While unharmed, it definitely hadn't been her intention to get stuck in between the walls. Just following her friends and failing. Happens to the best of us. Even if we don't want it to happen.

"Thank you, Clan Daughter!" the little girl announced and made a beeline for the front door. "If I see Marulyn, I'll tell her you're looking for her!"

Opening the door up, the young succubus headed on through. By the time that the door had swung shut, Yvonne had already started getting her armor on. The set she wore was as heavy as it gets, the metal shining a yellowish shade of silver. The chestplate hung a tiny bit loose, which was for the best on the days that the heat was on full blast with little remorse. Plate leggings and heavy metal boots rounded out the lower half of the body, with Yvonne diligently strapping on her vambraces at the moment. The gauntlets followed. All of that just to get the crown jewel of the armor - the helmet. Unlike the rest of the armor set, this particular piece had seen the most work on it. A set of curved horns hung to the side, meant to those that their ancestors sported. A feminine face with defined features stared out at all who saw her. Occasionally, she would get compliments on the helmet - about how beautiful it was, how hard she was working to protect these people, stuff like that. Was that all she was to those people? Some expendable body to protect them until it gave out and her legacy snuffed out.

Maybe that's why she wanted to give Marulyn her teddy bear back. Or at least attempt that gesture for the last twelve months or so. Try as the barbarian might, the conversation steered elsewhere. She had known this woman for most of her life, for fuck's sake.

"It's alright." Yvonne whispered to herself, trying her hardest to break free from these negative thoughts clouding her mind. Slipping her helmet on and picking the warhammer up, the barbarian's gaze focused on the nearby nightstand. There a little teddy bear sat. She took the time to slip it into her chestplate's storage compartment. Which was more on the side of the plate armor than the obvious place you would expect it to be. Points to the smith who forged it and/or helped keep it in good condition.

With that out of the way, Yvonne gave the egg one teensy little glance. From the look of things, it had smashed through the roof. A few more coins on the pile should do it.

Right now though, she needed to get her shift started. Which meant such distractions were unneeded at the moment. But when the orc went to twist the doorknob open, the knob refused to budge.

"Ugh…" she muttered and let go of the knob. "Hey. I thought I unlocked this…"

Grabbing hold of the doorknob once more, the barbarian attempted to twist it. Still nothing. Quite an impressive lock spell or someone really wants you to talk to this egg. Maybe both.

'Miss Yvonne, we have some unfinished business to take care of.'

Yvonne focused on the egg. That had to be the source of the voice. There was the chance of some unknown force eavesdropping on her in order to gauge her abilities, but they would have made themselves known when the barbarian punched two holes in the wall to rescue that girl.

Slowly, Yvonne approached. She had elected to drop her warhammer and instead keep a fist clenched. Lot safer in regards to property damage on top of more control on her end.

"What sort of business do you 'have' with me?" she inquired, making a quick glance behind her. Then it was back to the egg. On closer inspection, the object had an ethereal quality to it. Coated in gray, muted hearts and batlike wings patterned their way around the surface. Almost like some kind of creature related to seduction or perhaps enslavement. Could not be, though.

'What is that you wish for in this life?' the egg countered and Yvonne stopped. Every word she knew and probably used in casual conversation at some point in the past couple days. Put together in this particular sequence though, she found herself to be an absolute wreck. The orc had her fair share of dreams. Maybe a little bit of candy, a bigger home with an extra room to use for storage. Material stuff like that. Dig a little deeper into what's going on in that head of her's, what could there be to want? Well, outside of going to the next level of her relationship with Marulyn. Perhaps even get the story on why she was so elusive as of late. 'Do you wish to find out?'

Yvonne's gaze snapped right back to the egg. Fist unclenched, she reached out for it. Gray fog engulfed the one room home, but still somehow allowing for one to see cracks forming on the egg's shell.

"I am Munbimon, your eternally grateful digimon partner." the egg announced and the fog disappeared, revealing a ghost monkey creature. Much like the little girls who had entered her abode earlier, they too had leathery wings and a heart-tipped tail. Unlike them, they didn't look too solid. Though, what's a digimon. Outside of some kind of subspecies of creature unlike anything I've ever heard of before. Perhaps a summon. No. That would mean they would have to disappear at some point. "While I understand that you really want to get that bear back to this 'Marulyn' woman, we have other issues at the moment."

Munbimon made her way to the barbarian and floated up to her back. Really. You couldn't think of a better place? In other words, Yvonne has a monkey on her back. Har har har. Not funny.

"As in what?" Yvonne remarked, taking the time to pick up her warhammer and head for the door once more. Thoughts began swirling within her head. How was she going to explain this? 'Yeah, some weirdly-colored rock egg thing began to talk to me and now I have a ghost succubi monkey thing for some reason'. While her story had 'credibility', that was pushing it to an extent.

Nonetheless, the barbarian picked up her warhammer and slowly approached the door. Grabbing hold of the doorknob, she twisted the handle to the left and pulled. Door now open, the fortress of Aldia now on full display. Succubi, Orcs and their beloveds ( female and male) have their own routines, paying little mind to the orc or the strange thing hanging onto her back. A lot of them could easily pass as orcs.

"Hello."

Yvonne spun around. A figure sat patiently on the roof, clad in robes. Elven build, maybe something similar. Hard to tell from this camera angle. Look to be as muscular as Yvonne. Maybe a bit less, but not enough really make a world of difference.

"Really? Was there not a better way that our schedules could meet up?" the barbarian whispered, a sigh being the default answer at the moment. Which combined with the ghost monkey digimon casually clinging to her back at the moment, looked to be defining her day at the moment.

"Not really. But I wouldn't mind setting up a future meeting." the figure whispered, graceful and familiar in tone. All of which made Yvonne just a touch frustrated. The last thing she needed to be dealing with was someone pretending to be part of some conspiracy just to get her away for some intimate time. That was how these things usually worked out.

"I have an offer for you. Come find me in a couple days. The password is 'In a field of lilies, with a bowlful of cherries'."

Yvonne looked away, debating a possible response. This could be very easily a trap to off her for the sake of relinquishing her title of Clan Daughter. But, they didn't even try to come with

"Okay." she whispered and found the gaze of her partner burning into her skull. The barbarian sighed and waved her goodbye.

"Best of luck, Yvonne." the figure remarked as the orc turned around. Out in the distance, a scream echoed across the walls of the fort. From the sound of it (gosh darn it), they appear to be at the entrance to the fortress.

"So you just accepted that this random stranger is totally your friend because?" Munbimon muttered and got a deep breath in return. Maybe if she dug a little bit into this woman's past, a clearer picture would emerge from the depths. Or just get even more confused. For the succubus ghost monkey, both outcomes were equally useful. "So, who are you really?"

Yvonne looked away, choosing instead to hum a foreign tune. While she heard what her partner had said quite clearly, why did she want to know? Was her story really that one would

"I have nothing to lose and I have a pretty good idea who that was, for better or worse." she remarked, carefully grabbing at her back. "I'm just the appointed guardian of these people. As the daughter of the chieftain, it falls to me to show those outside of this fortress that we can coexist with everyone else. Even decades after this war."

Munbimon nodded. In between the scream piercing through all other sounds except Yvonne's voice and their current situation, this all didn't sound so bad. For now at least.

"So you're a parent then?"

Yvonne shot her partner a glare. Such a question sat squarely in 'date' territory. Even if I would say that this isn't anywhere close to an outing like that. Not that I can really say that I've ever been on a date.

"Hey. That wasn't my intention. Especially with that lady from earlier really wanting a piece of you." the ghost monkey digimon continued and watched her partner come to a stop. So she put a hand on her back and made an attempt at grabbing Munbimon.

"And what if she somehow does?" Yvonne countered, her hands slipping through the monkey digimon. "What my future holds in the next couple years could make or break this fortress and the surrounding area. What I want might not even matter. Let alone something like love."

Ghostly paws swipe across the orc's vision. A part of her wanted to just jump off, run off to some part of this place where she could never be found. But unlike that stupid snake and their strange fascination with dance and rhythm, Munbimon was going to be an active part in their partner's life. Just they watch.

"Prove me wrong then."

Yvonne took a deep breath, not even attempting to grab the monkey. Instead, she focused on the path ahead.

"With pleasure." the barbarian whispered and picked up her pace. The scream continued on, the intensity growing with each step the orc took. Just part of the job - for good or ill.

"Bre-"

Yvonne doesn't even finish her sentence, appalled by what she was witnessing. Five grunts had gathered in a circle, going about kicking what looked to be one of the young succubi who had visited her earlier. While harmed, they had gotten there in the nick of time.

"Oh. Does the little succubus think she's a big girl walking around all alone?" one of the grunts announced as they pulled their foot back. Within her helmet, every part of Yvonne was screaming with an internal rage unlike anything felt in some time. These were her people, how dare they treat them like they were nothing more than pieces of dirt. That was her job. To be the dirt that the bullies could walk on so that everyone else could grow.

"I can grant you that wish, to an extent of course." Munbimon whispered, putting a hand on the barbarian's shoulder. "Just look down at your left arm."

Yvonne's gaze shifted to her arm. There, a metal circle had been hammered into her gauntlet. Far finer than any mortal blacksmith, perhaps even some that dedicate millenia to their craft.

"Infuse!" the orc announced and found herself engulfed in a gray outline. Munbimon jumped from partner's back, catching some sick air as she glided down. Though now, she seemed to be sporting a reddish brown outline. "Spirit!"

The magic word spoken, Yvonne's warhammer went ethereal. Grip remaining tight on the weapon, it almost… floated in place. No fancy tricks or illusions, just hanging without a care in the world. Though, that would imply the warhammer is sentient. Doubt it is.

"Dust!" Munbimon added as she cracked a flirty smile. None of the grunts paid her much mind. Which in turn, made the monkey mime a throw at them. Definitely don't understand the meaning of that gesture. Maybe it's something her kind does back in whatever world she comes from? So many questions, no real answers.

"You have till the count of three." Yvonne announced and pulled her warhammer back. One of the grunts made a beeline further into the fortress. They didn't make it too far, getting mobbed by a bunch of young succubi and other little kids. "Three."

She slammed the warhammer down and watched her opponents be pulled together. Following this, was her partner puckering up.

Dust Kiss!

Blowing a kiss, the projectile reaches a nearby grunt. They stagger in place, hearts erupting around their chest. More than enough to get them to begin swinging not at the girl on the ground but instead - one of their cohorts. The attempted kiss isn't helping either.

"You dumb fuck!" the grunt announced and smashed their own rod into their affected teammate. Quite a mark they now have. Might even be enough to get a free drink from the local establishment. If they're of age, of course. But that's beyond my expertise at the moment. I'm a narrator, not a bar hopper. Did have a few of my colleagues attempt that on a research trip. As it turns out, outdrinking a satyr is a nightmare and not a recommended activity. At all.

Back with our orc and her strange monkey hybrid thing, they were doing surprisingly well against the group of four before them. Well more like three, but the point still stands. Warhammers are quite a potent weapon, especially in the hands of a barbarian such as Yvonne.

"Don't you dare to show yourselves back here again. Ever." she snarled and took one more swing. While she didn't kill any of them, it was enough to freak her opponents out.

Dust Drain!

Brownish green energy began to siphon out from the grunt's bodies. This, not Yvonne's final swing was their breaking point. Oh well. They're definitely not the sharpest knives in the knife block.

"Good work." Munbimon muttered, gliding back to her partner's back. Taking a seat, she made sure to focus on the barbarian. "Now, we need to find the ot-"

Before she could finish their sentence, Yvonne knelt down by the young succubus. Nothing in the way of healing magic, more a case of her examining the wounds on the child's body. Doesn't look to be anything major. Just give your body time to rest.

"Are you alright?" she whispered and watched the child nod. Wrapping her arms around them, a loose hug followed. "Do make sure to get back to your mommies."

The child flashed a thumbs up and made a beeline for the deeper part of the fortress. Yvonne watched for a bit, eventually letting her focus return to her partner.

"What do you need?" she whispered and Munbimon floated around. It felt kind of odd to be talking to a ghost. But the barbarian could get used to it.

"We need to find someone." the ghost monkey digimon explained. "But, they're outside of the fortress. It's yo-"

Yvonne made one more glance towards the fortress. While she was supposed to be doing her rounds around this place, this situation demanded her attention in Aldia proper.

"I would be fine with that." Yvonne remarked and began the trek across the divide from the fortress to the city itself. But had the barbarian been paying more attention, she would've noticed the figure from earlier sitting on top of the entrance. Still dressed in those robes, what looks like a smile hangs over her face.

"You got this, Yvonne~" they whisper, cherry lips debating the blowing of a kiss. She does the deed, watching the little heart make the journey to her target. While Yvonne had definitely felt it, her focus was on other things.

Notes:

Yes, we're changing things up with a mixed team. This is going to be fun. ;)

Edit: A lot of world-building and other consistency fixes.

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Next Time: Come together, right now.