I don't own digimon.

Chapter 3

Piecing this mess together

Memories of last night hung tightly in Blaze's head, refusing to give any semblance of sleep to the weary fighter. By no means bad by any stretch of the imagination, he did find himself facing down a whole bunch of questions with no easy answers. At least, answers that could be easily summed up by yours truly.

What even was Balamon exactly? They looked very much like a snake with some kind of rudimentary makeup around their eyes. But what if they somehow weren't? They could've easily come from a realm beyond this isolated city. Countless worlds, all of which were their own story to tell. Some of my 'students' (I'm a teaching assistant) were given similar assignments, among other things. I can only wish that the war occurring right outside these walls does not reach them. Oh? Sorry. Got stuck in my head for a second there. Sorry about that, dear viewer. Back to these burning questions of our fighter here.

Why had he been chosen for this momentous task? There might be other people in Aldia and this currently unnamed world that could easily fit the bill better than he could. What special 'spark' did he possess that they somehow didn't? Personally, I have no clue either. I had a list of names, people to watch for pretty much. Outside of that, blind I went into this. You're all quite surprising. I can't wait to see where you and your possible companions take me.

Right now though, it was time to get going with his day and figure out what he was going to be doing. Getting up from the bed, Blaze threw his usual outfit on. No leotard. That can be for later when he found wherever he had set down his bag. Even though I have no recollection of one being here the last time I looked. Hopefully not a sign for things to come.

"Wakey wakey, Balamon." he whispered and carefully pulled his blanket away. The snake stirred slightly. Eventually, it sat part of their body up and focused on Blaze. I think at least. From this perspective, it's kind of hard to tell. Or he's plotting "What do you think?"

Balamon slowly gazed around the tiny abode that Blaze called home. While he hadn't gotten anything in the way of guidance on any of this before getting sent down via this 'meteorite' (I think that's what one is supposed to call it), Blaze's home was an alright start for his search. Having the proper facilities in regards to the bathroom and kitchen would upgrade this from just bog standard living quarters, he could see that their partner was making do with what they have. Or something along those lines.

"It's alright." the snake explained and looked towards a faded poster hanging on the wall. A dancer of some kind is performing. The lettering on the bottom end proudly announces this as the 'Kirsa Ballet Troupe'. Quite remarkable condition for a piece of paper. All the posters I have in my room are battered and beaten - the results of the people selling them literally ripping them off the boards they were placed on when a major event comes to the academy. "Are those the people who you wish to dance with?"

Blaze nodded, doing his best to split his gaze between his partner and the poster itself. Easier said than done when those two things are at very much different levels. But he managed to the best of his abilities.

"Yeah." the fighter answered and sat down beside his partner. "The first time I saw them, something about them captivated me. I just knew that I wanted to join them and see the world. So I walked up to the leader..."

Turning back the clock for just a moment, we find ourselves looking upon a younger Blaze on the streets of Aldia. Not a single sign of his parents though. Better not be a future sign of trouble. Just because someone looks like they're more than capable of taking care of themself, doesn't quite mean they can.

"Uh… Mister, I would like to join your troupe." Blaze announced, a meager bag of coins in hand jiggling about his pockets. The troupe leader, a tall and slender man looked his way. Then it's back to Blaze. Towering over him in just a leotard and tutu, they're quite a sight to behold. Their hair has been tied into a bun, leading right into a set of weary green eyes. Mostly so that didn't get in the way when performing a variety of complex moves associated with this style of dance. A pair of pointe shoes hang snugly to their feet. They look well worn. Are we really certain they'll really last that long. I don't think I see a tailor of any kind to really repair them.

"Kid, you have parents, right?" they ask and get a nod from the child in front of them. A deep breath followed. "Go back to them. Live your life and dance, then maybe come find us. Maybe then we'll let you take a shot."

A confused glance was not what the troupe leader was expecting to get, judging by them now kneeling down and putting a hand on the young fighter's shoulder. Eyes met, an unspoken agreement made. Whether or not it will actually stand the test of time remained to be seen. Or even actually meet again. A promise is good and all, but without any way of actually knowing that you can get behind it, why even bother? Not that I know anything about this.

"I can understand you wanting to run off and see the world. Believe me, that was the same thing that I wanted when I was your age." they continued, letting a smile form on their face. "But something tells me that you have a bright and joyous future ahead for you. Your dream will come. I just know it."

Blaze gave one more nod and watched the troupe leader make the slow walk back to his group. A part of him had wanted to follow the man, but he let the words spoken play through his mind one more time. Then he walked back to his parents. While they definitely hadn't seen the stunt he had pulled, he made sure to give them a hug and tell them that he loved both of them.

Back in the present, the fighter continued to stare towards the poster. Deep in thought, any small amount of movement would force his attention back over to Balamon. So the snake digimon did just that. The result was more of a tail slap.

"Is there anything that you would like to ask me?" the snake digimon inquired and watched Blaze look towards him for a second. Silence followed, time being taken to form the proper sentence. I hope at least. Don't want to waste it on something miniscule.

"What even are you?" the fighter inquired and watched his partner look away. In retrospect, he probably should've phrased the question heck of a lot better. How does one going about asking such a thing in the first place? Is it a matter of starting with 'You look like a snake. But are you only part snake?' or do you need to lead into such inquiry with something else. Sure, I may be a lore mage, but that doesn't mean I have the answers to all the questions in this very moment.

"I'm a construct of a digital 'data' in the general shape of a snake, partnered to you for the sake of repelling an incoming threat. Or in other words, a digimon." Balamon explained, catching just a tiny bit of steam coming from his partner's ears. "Uh… are you alright?"

I'm not particularly sure what to even call that. Maybe you just need to give him a mom-

"A what now?"

Or not, judging by our fighter here getting back up. Dusting himself off, he let his gaze return to Balamon for the moment.

"I got the construct part. I think." he explained and petted his partner. Uh good. Because I sure as hell didn't. Though, that could be applied to a lot of stuff. "What does 'digital' and 'data' mean?"

Balamon let out a sigh and muttered something under his breath. This definitely was not in the equation. Perhaps his expectations in regards to this world's education system might've been a bit too high. I thought the same upon my initial entry in wizard school. For all the geniuses and gifted people you may find there, you have just as many party animals and other questionable characters to deal with.

"Digital means the format that I am stored, while data is the type of energy." he continued, waiting for the inevitable puff of steam to come out of Blaze's ears. None came, so the snake digimon got ready to continue. "From one form to another, it's neither removed or added too. Just exchanged between sources perfectly."

Blaze nodded, memories of last night's fight seeping back into his head. While the feeling within brought up a mix of strange feelings (not at all helped by Dave's compliment), this was something that would need to be mastered in conjunction with his dance moves. But that still didn't explain what had happened in that moment. The heat of his blade. The fiery impact of which could easily set fires if not handled correctly. With a name like Blaze, you're kind of expected to cause some level of property damage

"So you temporarily gave me part of you in exchange for part of me?" he inquired, hoping that he hadn't made himself look like an idiot twice in the last couple of minutes. Judging by the nod from this fire snake 'digimon', that doesn't look to be the case.

"That is the whole idea of infusion." Balamon continued, the words just casually rolling off his forked tongue with little build-up or anticipation. You could've left me hanging. Actually, this is probably for the best at the moment. "It's a win-win. You get the ability to elemental power, we get a friend of sorts."

That makes sense, but doesn't answer the questions I have. I'm more than willing to wait. Eventually, the answer will become clear and everything will click into place. Or at least, I hope it will.

"Is there anyone in there?" a voice announced, the pair's attention swiveling to the door. If that's who I think it is, you might want to open it up. I doubt you really want to

"Coming!" Blaze announced and skipped his way over to the door. Pulling it open, he found himself face-to-face with Yvonne of all people. "Hello. Is there something that I can, uh, help you with?"

Yvonne let out a deep breath, only for Munbimon to jump from her back and float over to Balamon.

"There you are, you stupid snake!" the ghost monkey digimon announced as Yvonne followed right behind. "You promised me that you would give a signal for where to land. What's the big idea in splitting off without a word?!"

Balamon rolled his eyes. Rattling followed. All that did was get a pretend throw from the ghost monkey digimon. It wasn't that he forgot the plan. This was more the result of five digimon not being able to decide upon a proper signal. Especially when some of them didn't have hands to signal within the first place. By the time they were beginning to make progress towards their presumed goal, there wasn't any time left.

"Uh… is the guy loitering around the back, yours by any chance?" the orc inquired, watching her audience slowly take a step back. Blaze's gaze shifted towards the window and looked on through. There he found Dave, loitering about. While the fighter wasn't entirely sure of what sort of answer this strange woman was looking for, the fault was technically his at the moment. So he would've needed to resolve that once he had least heard what his guest had to say at the moment.

"Yes." the fighter answered, focusing back on Yvonne for the moment. Part of him wanted to book it out the door, maybe even join his strange admirer. Something in his head told him that was a bad idea. "Uh… I'm Blaze."

He held his hand out and watched Yvonne grab hold. Rough handshakes are one way to start a possible friendship.

"Yvonne." she explained and broke away, finally removing her helmet. Sorry. That was kind of bothering me at the moment. Gazes met, only to shift away to other things. Yvonne going to that of her partner. Blaze to the window where Dave was patiently waiting. "I'll give you a minute to figure out your friend here."

Blaze nodded and made his way out of the house and around to the sole. The former grunt still stood there, no longer armed. At least for the moment. He had weathered through what I can only assume to be the cold of the previous night surprisingly well. Whoever was employing him at the moment had at least supplied a set of clothes to wear under the overcoat. Shirt and pants, though they don't appear to be the best pair to wear for sleeping outside. The labcoat had served as a makeshift pillow. Definitely didn't look comfortable to sleep on. Let alone wear for that matter. Hopefully, he can find something that works better than that stuff.

"Uh… sorry about what happened last night." Dave explained, trying his best to look away from Blaze. But his gaze always had a way of returning right to the fighter. "If they weren't threatening us all with the possibility of far worse things happening to us if we didn't kill you, I probably wouldn't have said those things. Though, thanks for not ending me."

Silence is all Blaze has in this moment. Just from the sound of this alone, he wasn't entirely sure how to feel. While the apology helped. Would it be wise to really push for a better explanation? What if that pushed Dave away? For now, he would leave that to the back burner. When Dave wanted to tell him, he would.

Of course, Dave wasn't done with his speech. No, that would be asking too much in this situation.

"Do you think we can uh… maybe… possibly…"

Blaze stared towards the man, unsure of whether to interrupt him or not. He could see where this was going, but a part of him wanted to see if Dave was going to really ask what he thought he was going too or miss the mark entirely.

"A daaate?" Dave finally spitted out and Blaze let a deep breath. Dating had never been something the fighter had really put much thought into before this. When was the last time that he had been in anything resembling a relationship? He made an effort to practice in the town square. But no one really paid much mind to the fighter. the few people that did offered money he almost always passed off.

"Maybe in a couple days?" Blaze added, cheeks now fiery red as his name. While he wished it wasn't so obvious at the moment, that was what he got. "You can feel free to stay in my house. Just understand that it might not be up to your standards."

Dave perked up when the words hit him. If I had to take a cast in the dark, he was supposed to be paid by his employers. But the rumors of a lack of funds and having nothing in the way of actual information on where he even was at the moment. This town most definitely had a name. But he hadn't seen any form of signage to tell him what it was. Heck, he would kill for a map at this very moment.

"You would?" the former grunt asked and got a nod in return. "I'll just wait out here till you and your orc friend finish whatever business you have."

With that, Blaze gave a wave and made the short walk back around. While that wasn't his initial plan for handling such a strange situation, it would do for the moment at least. Nothing else, Dave could at least be someone who had some general idea of who they might be up against. Maybe.

Nonetheless, the fighter headed through the open door and closed it behind him.

"I'm back." Blaze announced as he took a seat beside Balamon. His gaze shifted over to Yvonne and Munbimon. "So what exactly do you need from me?"

Mumbimon cleared her throat.

"You and Yvonne have been chosen." the monkey digimon explained and made her way over to Balamon. Which involved pulling the snake digimon over for some reason. Whatever works for you here? Something like that. "Right now, we need to focus on finding the other three pieces of the 'meteorite' and figuring out who we're working with."

The 'pair' looked down at their D-Ventures. While the design of the devices varies vastly between the pair, the same core idea was in play. Put your hand on the metal circle (maybe?), shout the magic word and let the energy course through your body. Simple as that. Has to be a catch within all of this.

"So as long as we have 'these'," Yvonne inquired and held up her D-Venture. "We're able to infuse you guys?"

Munbimon nodded. Straightforward enough to understand. Still probably exists a way to fuck this up.

"Yes. If you practice, you can exchange that energy in between each other on top of your partner." the monkey digimon explained, her tail twitching about for the moment. Gaze on the door, she let out a sigh. "But right now, we have a bigger issue at the moment."

Balamon's gaze swung over. Muttered something to himself, making a quick look to his partner. But when the fighter stayed silent, he took a deep breath.

"Our other companions, correct?" the snake digimon remarked and got a nod from Munbimon in return. After, he slithered over to Blaze and grabbed hold. Then it was a matter of just climbing up the fighter's body. Munbimon did something similar. Except with Yvonne instead of Blaze. "No time like the present."

Blaze nodded and went to grab his scimitar. Which had been left by his bed . I do hope that he doesn't step on it during the middle of the night. So he carefully attached the weapon to his left side.

While the fighter did that, Yvonne stood up and let her warhammer hang within both of her hands. I guess some people don't quite trust those kinds of attachment points.

"Let's go then." the barbarian remarked and the pair headed for the door. Making their way out, Dave chose this moment to approach. As good of a time as any in this situation.

"You don't mind?" the former grunt remarked, finding himself treated to a nod in return. As weird things go, this was perhaps the least weird of all. But I might chalk that up to this being morning still.

"Not at all." Blaze answered and bidded his newfound friend in. "Just don't break anything."

Dave nodded and watched the duo head towards town proper. For now at least, a quick nap of sorts was in order. Then he could get to tidying the place up. Better to have this place in order before whenever his host comes back.

.

Below our heroes feet in a set of underground tunnels, fate is already hard at work. Taking the form of a rock casually floating down a stream, one can wonder where and/or when it'll arrive at its destination. Bobbing up and down, I'm surprised that it hasn't been caught on any rocks or other large objects that have flowed in. If that is a common occurrence in Aldia.

The creature within these tunnels has no clue what destiny awaits him today. From their little cone of vision, all that's illuminated is a shrine of sorts. Wonderful. Guess that's something else I'll be needing to talk about here. Can absolutely wait - a blessing in this strange mess I find myself needing to deal with.

As for the rock, the stream decided that it was going to drift this object right into the shrine. You're not making this easy for me. I can handle it, of course. Just not the kind of thing I thought I would have to be going into further detail.

Notes:

After writing Yvonne's introduction chapter, I realized that Blaze needed a bit of love. So I gave some to him.

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Next Time: Little little dragon, what will you do?