All in all, the trip to the village goes smoothly enough. None of them get attacked, or taken, and they're greeted by a perfectly kind group of curious digimon, the leader (or perhaps just the most brave) seemingly an Elecmon who stands before his fellows and meets Shinsuke head on.
"Hello," he says as soon as they walk up close enough to communicate.
"Hello," Shinsuke responds after glancing back at the other digidestined. "We are digidestined." Buoyed by the subtle acknowledgment of this by the digimon before him, he continues. "One of our fellow humans has been taken. His digivice was found in what looked like a trap set not far from here, and we are wondering if anyone here may have some information."
A dark glance crosses Elecmon's face and he exhales slowly. "I can think of one thing, perhaps. It is something of a long story, we can offer you food or drink as we discuss it?"
Shinsuke casts one more glance over his shoulders at the others, and finding no one jumping at the chance, shakes his head. "No, thank you, we're all fine. But please, if you may tell us about this..."
"Of course," Elecmon sighs. "Well, it is the one dark spot in our village, you see. Once, a long time ago, our village was much larger, had a great many more digimon within its walls. We were all happy, at peace. Feared nothing as long as we stayed within our walls. Then one day our most innocent, loving digimon digivolved. And something twisted within its data core, and... Docmon was born."
"Docmon," Shinsuke echoes quietly and Elecmon makes a jerking, little nodding motion.
"Yes. He... he did horrible things. Villagers were disappearing and we couldn't understand it. Then one day he slipped up, other villagers witnessed his heinous actions and we were forced to excommunicate him from within our walls. He's lived nearby ever since, waiting for the opportunity to make his way back inside of our village ever since." Elecmon pauses, closes his eyes, and exhales slowly. "We have been watchful since, tried to warn anyone who wanders too near, but I suppose we didn't realize digidestined were about or we would have made more attempts to forewarn. I am sorry about your friend."
Shinsuke wants to protest- perhaps claiming Seth as a friend, perhaps the thought of this sounding like an apology for his death, a number of things are rattling around in his mind, but he bites them all down, stares down at Elecmon. "How do we find him?"
Elecmon looks shocked, then his face falls. "You don't," he says quietly. "Not unless you want to join your friend in his torment."
Shinsuke stands for a long, tense moment, still annoyed by Seth constantly labeled as friend but equally as frustrated by the thoughts of giving up on someone as dead just because. "There are six of us," he says confidently. "I believe we can handle it. Please. We need to help find our fellow digidestined. I know we can still save him, the foolish man is still out there, and he needs our help."
Elecmon stares at him incredulously, then exhales slowly. "Alright," he says reluctantly. "I will help you."
Some of the tension leaves Shinsuke's shoulders as he kneels down to talk strategy with the digimon easier. Hold on, Rollins, he thinks with grim determination. We're coming.
