I don't own digimon.

Chapter 60

On the edge

Of course, it's one thing to have a destination in mind. Another entirely to actually make your way to said destination. Not that I really have that problem now. Since you know, my home has been razed by way of feuding deit- Uh… a deity is a being that at one time, was the subject of worship. Nowadays, they are more in the business of beating the shit out of each other. No one really knows why they are fighting or what they are fighting over. Outside of territory and I guess control of the known universe. The energy of those that worship them is absorbed by those beings. Yeah. A very much lose-lose situation for all parties involved. But that should be the least of our worries. We have food, water and a roof over our heads.

"Yvie!" Bubbles announced, catching glances from the people going about their days. Uh… sorry about that. He's just looking for someone, that's all. Bubbles, would you like some help?

Bubbles shook his head. To be fair, you just did a complete lap around the outside of the fountain without even knowing. I get that it's pretty and all, I highly doubt Yvonne will be around here. Not at this hour. Though, your dress should be dry after all this motion.

"Left." Phusitmon announced, his partner complying for the moment. Heading out of the shopping district, we pass right by Madame's old hideout. Maybe once this situation gets all figured out, Madame can do something with the place. Would make for a good starter.

"For Mellie?" Bubbles chimed in and gazed up towards the sky. I guess? Madame would need to run it by the mystic first. Then you would need to move all of their valuables out. Said valuables would then need to be examined and possibly returned if they had been stolen in the first place. After, what remains will have to be moved to the manor. All that and you still need to get the whole place furnished for whatever tenants move in. That's a long way off. Right now, we need to focus on getting to Yvonne. Thankfully, the rest of the way has enough landmarks to guide us towards our destination. "Got it."

Passing right by the ruins of the Black Cat Inn, things look to be in the same state they were the last time we passed it by - empty and awaiting someone to rebuild it. Just one more thing on our list of things to get too la-

"There he is!" a voice announced, arrows coming quite close to our little dragon. Turning around, Bubbles found himself staring down a group of what I'm going to assume to be archers. A mix of orcs and succubi, this perhaps a touch overkill. He's a kid for fuck's sake. You could easily run up to him and grab him. Not fire arrows his way and freak him out.

"Okay." Bubbles muttered, giving his best attempt at a thumb's up. While a touch freaked out, Blaze's house was finally in view. Just a little bit further and he would be at his destination. Not if these archers had anything to do with it. Wait. Do you still have your infusion power?

Looking down to his hand, Bubbles punched the air. Nothing happened. So he gave it another shot. Still nothing. Darn it. Guess it wore off sometime during the walk past the Black Cat Inn?

"Sounds about right." Phusitmon answered as he shifted his body to face out towards the archers.

Bubble!

Mouth opening up, bubbles shot out in the direction of the arrows. As in little spheres, Salamon. Yeah. I'm aware it's a silly name for the attack. Speaking of which, do you have any? Oh. Just howling. Eh. It's better than nothing.

As for Phusitmon's projectiles, those collided with the arrows and brought them to the ground. Of course, that wasn't going to stop any of them from continuing to fire their way. To be fair, bubbles aren't the most threatening thing in the world. Neither is howling. Even if they do cause damage, it's still not something to be relying on in battle. Infusion does make it a step closer to being usable. Not by much though. Sure, you can heal people from a distance. Melody's motes could probably do something similar. Unless that's the result that appears when she uses Bubbles's infusion power. Beyond the point.

"Bubbles?" a voice called out, Yvonne of all people running up to our pair. Carefully picking the dragon up, her attention turns to Phusitmon. "I'm guessing something is happening?"

Phusitmon nodded, taking the time to get his thoughts in order. Especially with the archers still firing at our trio. Have to run out of arrows eventually.

"A muscular succubus showed up at the clothing store wanting Madame's hide." the plush rabbit digimon explained, the archer's attention shifting away from them and up towards the sky. There, Munbimon was currently trying her hardest to dodge and weave out of the way of the arrows for the moment. Did manage to give a couple of the projectiles a kiss before diving down to Yvonne's shoulder. "By any chance do you know this woman?"

Yvonne nodded and shot a gaze out towards her home. I can just make out Marulyn from here. What looked to be a wave follows. After, her attention turns back to Bubbles and Phusitmon.

"She's my mom. Even if I would kind of prefer anyone other than her." Yvonne muttered and got a pat from Bubbles. "Thanks, Bubbles. Though, I might need more than that to get through this."

That bad, huh? Considering that this is the first time we're really hearing abo- Wait. Didn't you threaten to take Madame to your mom a while back?

Yvonne nodded, khakkhara already jingling about in her hands. Oh. I'm guessing that this wasn't the case and something else?

"It was more of an idle threat than something that I would actually go through with." the knight remarked as she made a beeline for her attackers, a gray outline forming around her body. "Infuse, spirit!"

Khakkhara pulled back, the swing that followed reached the first two archers. More specifically, the banging of the rings that did most of the work for the rest.

"It took a couple years just for her to even acknowledge my 'relationship' with Marulyn." Yvonne continued and took the time to make sure that her infusion abilities had done its job properly. It had, but still a good thing to do just in case. "Don't get me wrong. We didn't really start 'dating' till… yesterday. But there was always a sense of… I don't know, disapproval. I've been living with Marulyn for a couple of years. If she didn't want me living, then she should've told me that before."

Uh… does she hold the same sentiment for similar same-sex couples in Aldia? I would imagine that this wasn't something that the town had before the orcs brought the succubi with them to conquer the place.

Yvonne shook her head and let out a deep breath. Oh. This is something else entirely. Something that might have to do with the fact that your mother wasn't originally a succubus?

"That's part of it." the knight continued and let her gaze return to the path ahead. "After my dad died, she decided to get turned."

Oh. I'm guessing she was probably nearing the end of her lifespan?

Another nod. Oh. While I'm definitely not an expert when it comes to people transforming, it's possible that extending one's life beyond the normal bounds has its consequences. Most of which are bordering on godhood or something similar. Upon hearing that from me, Bubbles gave Yvonne a hug. The knight accepted the gesture and continued forth down the path.

"Thanks." she whispered and looked ahead. While the trio were making good time, we didn't have a real clue of what might be going down at the clothing store. Outside of Madame, Ella and their digimon partners are trapped in a stand-off with Yvonne's mom. The sooner you three can get there, the sooner we can get this situation defused. Or something along those lines "Hold on tight!"

The Black Cat Inn now in view, Yvonne veered off the path and headed towards the ruins. I'm going to trust your judgement here. Even if I'm not completely sure how much of a time save this actually is.

Passing right through what remained of the entrance area, it's kind of surprising just how much is intact. At the same time, the amount that's been completely destroyed is absolutely staggering to behold. Even if something of Ella or any one of the people who were staying here had survived, it's unlikely you'll actually be able to grab out from all the charred wood, stone and other materials. But that's beyond the point. Carefully, Yvonne took care to not disrupt the rubble with her staff. That's the last thing we need right. Especially as we head through what looks to be the window of Ella's office. Back outside and on the path, it's a straight shot right to the clo-

Which exactly the moment that the archers decide to show back up. Thanks. That was totally what we needed. Said no one ever.

"We're just doing our job." one of the archers announced, arrows already flying out of their bows. For what I assume to be a recreational duty, they're quite fast on the draw. Nothing quite to the speeds of that trained all their life with a bow could reach. "With the recent attacks, we need to be at the ready."

Yet why are you trying to kill the ones who have the best chance at stopping those attacks? Better yet, why are you following the orders of someone who only just came back? Were they at least informed of all the shit that had gone down?

Silence. Guess that answers my question well enough. Thankfully, our heroes are nearing our destination. No sign of any additional orcs or other troops under Yvonne's mother control. Wait. Does she have an actual name?

"Yvette." Yvonne explained and pulled her khakkhara back one more time. Though, this looks to be the spiked end. Uh… you're not about to do what I think you're about to do? "No."

Okay… I guess I'll wait and see what y-

As it would turn out, 'what Yvonne had in mind' was slamming the spike of the staff into her mother's armor, flinging her off to the side and then freezing her in place. Then it's just a matter of heading over to Madame and Ella. No worse for the wear, even if the turret looked ready to disappear. Judging by the handful of scorch marks on the floor, there looked to have been a couple warning shots. Just in case.

"Here I am." Yvonne remarked and knelt down, watching both Bubbles and Phusitmon jump off. The little dragon made a beeline for Madame, a hug following. The thief was more than happy to reciprocate the gesture. "Sorry about Yvette. If I had known she was going to show up."

Madame looked away. Mutterings of something exited their lips. A sigh followed.

and let go of Bubbles, their gaze shifting to Yvette. Still frozen in place, what looked to be a glare had formed on her face. Which looks incredibly funny in her frozen state. Then it's back over to Yvonne.

"I'm guessing she's your mom?" the thief whispered and got a nod from our knight. Which made it the perfect time to get their whip out. "Any reason why she's so insistent that I killed someone in the past?"

Madame's words rolled out, Yvonne's gaze split between her mother and the shopkeeper. A deep breath followed.

"Care to explain yourself?" Yvonne remarked and shifted her focus fully over to the shopkeeper. The knife is still out. I don't really think it's actually going to be effective here. At all. Unless it's one of those special ones that can work through armor. Not that likely.

"Ms Strauss decided that today was the day that she was going to get a suit. But she isn't welcome" the shopkeeper explained and set her knife down… only to keep a hand there for good measure. Personally, I would think a better option would be to transform into something small and just book it out of there. Though, you would look guilty. Even as Ella shoots daggers your way. "Was right before the completed integration of Aldia, when you stupid people really thought you could actually ho-"

She doesn't finish her sentence, Yvette shooting her a glare and following it up with a sigh. To be fair, it's rarely a good idea to let bias get in the way of telling your side of this story. Especially if it makes the people investigating have to go down long rabbit holes to find the truth. I don't think any of us want that.

"As I was saying…" the shopkeeper remarked. "This whole mess went down late at night…"

.

A long time ago in Aldia...

It's night when this all went down. My husband, bless his heart, was hard at work emptying the gold made from that day's sales. I was back at home, waiting for him to return. But as the night dragged on, I got anxious and went to go and check on him. So making my way down to the shopping district with my lantern, I noticed a figure sneaking about. But they left before I could really get a good look. Didn't even leave anything to really figure out their identity. So I headed onwards to my store, taking care of any people who might have… nefarious intentions for me.

But as I unlocked the door to the shop, I was treated to something that didn't seem possible. My husband dead, a knife through the stomach. Multiple times. After checking to see if there was life in him, I went to check the till. The money was gone and someone had gone through the trouble of leaving a calling card - a card with a red flower on it. Flipping it over, my heart sank. Part of me didn't want to believe it to be the protector of this town had done such a thing. That somehow…. Somehow, this was just a nightmare that I was trapped in. Sadly, it was very much real.

Just taking out the trash and moving it around. I hope you don't mind.

That whore… Madame von Strauss had killed my husband and then got away with it. Until now at least. Now… she's going to pay.

.

Back in reality, Ella took a deep breath. A million different surged throughout the artificer's head, refusing to give her peace. Yes, it was impossible that the person before her had committed such a crime. What about the previous Madame then? Ignoring the maids (they were probably the result of something fucked up, much like everything related to the thief), there would be a huge number of people still living here. No orcs, but you have a good chance that someone knows something. Whether or not it would actually amount to anything remains to be seen. Could the shopkeeper have gotten there in a reasonable time? Beats me.

"That's not helpful." Ella muttered and walked over to the shopkeeper. Picking up that stupid knife of hers, she smashed it into the ground. "Also, Madame is a 'they', not a 'she'!"

A punch followed, Ella scrambling up the counter and letting her hand connect with the shopkeeper's chest. Not very effective, on top of pissing the woman off even more.

I get that you're mad and all. Every right to feel that way. Lashing out against the shopkeeper is not going to help the situation. If anything, you're going to make this situation even worse.

So the artificer took a deep breath and stepped back a couple feet. Just enough to give space to the shopkeeper, but not enough that she couldn't make her way back over and quell anything stupid that they thought about doing. Fair enough. The last thing we need is another fight in this place after what happened with Rantha.

"Are you going to be alright, Maddie?" Ella remarked, watching Madame turn to Yvette at the moment. What appears to be a deep breath followed. Her whip was still up, but hadn't been launched out to her. Then it's right back to their girlfriend. Tears rolled down their face, the shopkeeper laughing. For fuck sake. Can't you see that Madame is hurting at the moment?

"How the hell am I supposed to argue that?!" they announced and felt Kollmon reach out. Grabbing hold, the gale mole digimon used her other hand to hug the thief. "Thank you."

Bubbles was next in line for the hugging, Ella not that far behind. Though, she gave the biggest hug of all of them. Especially when it turned into a full-on carry over to Yvonne. Did accidentally drop Bubbles and Kollmon when she did that. Even if that got them a chuckle from Cinemon. You know what? That's funny. Not whatever our shopkeeper is thinking at the moment.

"Aww…" the knight remarked, our group now the focus of Yvette. About time. For being the last bit of Yvonne's infusion, that spike packed quite a punch. Good to keep in mind for future encounters.

"So this is how you welcome me, dear daughter?" Yvette muttered and held her axe up. Pointing it towards Yvonne, all she received is an eye roll. I haven't heard the nicest things about you. I get that you two do-

Yvette flung her axe up at the ceiling, the weapon sticking quite well. You're not going to kill me that way. At all. Lashing out at me isn't going to solve your problems. Nor is killing Madame for that matter. Right now, our focus needs to be on Distant Harmony and what-

"If you wish to get back into my good graces… You'll do something about those grunts and those leading them. Maybe also introduce me to that elvish girlfriend of yours." Yvette announced, our heroes gazes facing her down for the moment. You do realize that would go against everything we've done as of late? If you want someone's respect, you don't kill those they send after you. You treat their troops with respect. That way, you can turn them to your side and make things

"We will have none of that behavior from you." Cinemon barked, putting himself in between both parties at the moment. "An investigation needs to be done into this crime and then, we get to the bottom of this. Is that clear?"

Yvette rolled her eyes, floating up to grab her axe. Pulling it out of the ceiling, we have two more visitors to the clothing shop - Blaze and Dave. Nice as it is to see you guys, we're kind of in the middle of a moment. Though, I'm guessing you're finally going after the job offer or something. How are your hands?

Blaze raised his palms up. Still look quite burnt. A long way to recovery. Not at all ready for use. Oh well. One day they'll be healed.

"Sorry about intruding." Blaze remarked, Dave carefully grabbing his wrist. After, the pair make their way over to Yvonne. Welcome to the party. Not much of one, though this was not what we had in mind for today. At all. Kind of would've preferred that day over this. But that's just me.

"Oh my." Yvette remarked and focused on Bubbles. A smile formed on her face. Fuck. Where's a fireball when you need one? "To think that the villagers really thought I wouldn't notice. But I did. While I would love to give you my affection, you're going to soon be joining her."

Bubbles's gaze swiveled over to this vile, awful woman. There isn't anything that I can say here that will soothe that wound. Just stand strong. Eventually, a moment will come that will let you shine and prove her wrong. But until that moment, you'll just need to bide your time and wait.

"You will not." Yvonne countered, khakkhara already pointed towards her mother. Not that this was really necessary, since Yvette decided to make her exit. Time to investigate then.

Notes:

That next chapter teaser wasn't lying. Even if I did rewrite a good chunk of this chapter after posting the previous to work a lot better. I do think it's well worth it for future chapters. Outside of that, we are coming up on Digital Dungeons one year anniversary.

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Next Chapter: There's a fine balance to this job.