Those that had went off to either the bathroom or refill on snacks had returned to the theater room.
As much as they wanted to know more about Keenan's story, they came to realize that it would be told sooner or later, so they put it off to the side.
As it is, there were still 7 of them flying in the air on their beds to other parts of File Island to worry about.
The Guardian, Centarumon!
Some eyed Blake's Digiegg, but no visible cracks were noticed.
Blake: "Trust me, I would definitely feel it shake or hear a small crack on it if that was the case."
So not focused on her and Patamon.
Weiss grit her teeth as she and Tentomon hung on for dear life on the bed they'd been sent flying in soared through the night sky. As it was all they could see was water with a number of fragments of land that had once been File Island, the heiress clinging onto the flying piece of wood and praying to whatever deity was listening that they NOT fall into the water. Fortunately, it seemed they were in a good mood, as it wasn't long before the bed started to lose altitude...headed for one of the larger island fragments...albeit at an angle that would be...bad if they landed directly. "Hang on!" she told her partner, as timing it right, she created a glyph to slow down the bed a little, and eventually one that managed to stop the bed before it hit the ground, allowing both of them to get off, before she let the bed drop to the ground.
Winter let out a breath of relief that her sister hadn't became a smear on the ground. "Excellent use of your semblance, Weiss."
Weiss: "Thank you, Winter," but also silently beaming with praise.
"It's a good thing your powers are so versatile. I don't want to think what would have happened if we had hit the ground without some way to slow down," Tentomon breathed a small sigh of relief. He always did find the abilities that the humans called 'semblance' to be rather interesting, even if he focused mainly on how they could help everyone get out of danger alive.
Ozpin: "You never know what to expect with just one person when it comes to their semblance."
Jaune meanwhile just grumbled as his was still unknown to this day.
Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find out what yours is soon," she said comfortably.
Jaune: "I hope so," but he smiled nonetheless.
"Indeed, though I still have some amount of training needed with them at the moment, there's a few aspects of it I haven't mastered yet." Weiss sighed as she looked around for any signs of life in the forest they had landed on.
Weiss frowned at that. She and Winter knew exactly what she meant by that.
The strange thing about the forest was that it seemed somewhat prehistoric, like what scientists assumed the world was like before humans came into the picture.
"I wonder where we landed?" Weiss mused as she kept an eye out for anything out of place in the area.
"I'm not quite sure, but I do believe this is the Ancient Dino Region, lots of ruins around here, and a few dinosaur Digimon." Tentomon said as he buzzed around.
Hedge: "That's not far off of a description, to be honest. Dinosaurs used to walk the earth in the far off past, but it was said that a meteor had crashed on the planet and it killed them off."
Ironwood: "So, the Digital World is using that knowledge, which I'm assuming is documented in your internet, to create areas like that there?"
Hedge: "Pretty much, yeah."
Glynda: "Where's Bart when you need him?" she asked jokingly.
"Ruins, huh?" Weiss frowned a little. "You know, ever since Andromon's Factory, I've been wondering a lot about where things in this world came from. I know they're supposed to be made from data, but some of these things...they're too precise. This isn't some random occurrence…" she mused.
"Do you think the ruins might hold some answers?" Tentomon asked. He knew her well enough to have an idea of what she was thinking.
Yang snorted. "Even Tentomon thinks you're somewhat of a nerd."
Weiss: "At least he doesn't voice it," she retorted.
"Perhaps. At any rate, we shouldn't stay out here in the open like this. The last thing we want is to run into either a hostile, or black gear infected Digimon while we're separated from the others," Weiss said.
"Good idea, and while we're at it, let's find something to eat too. I still can't believe all that food we had was an illusion…" Tentomon said.
"Yeah…" Weiss nodded slowly, idly holding her own stomach. The feeling of it suddenly going empty...it wasn't pleasant at all. "It certainly doesn't help that Gyro and Pierce were the ones holding onto all the food."
Nora: "Maybe see if you can't get the twins to make more of the pouches when we return back?"
Though Ren knew hers would be used for nothing else but pancakes.
"Maybe when you get back home, you can ask their brother about making pouches for the rest of you." Tentomon suggested.
"I think I will, it would certainly help in case we get separated again." she agreed to the idea with a nod.
Winter: "Those pouches would be a phenomenal invention back on Remnant." She and Ironwood shared a look then both looked back towards Hedge. "Mr. Badnic...?"
Hedge chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."
Meanwhile, on another nearby island fragment, another bed was about to crash land, though the passengers had jumped off before it hit the ground.
"Poison Ivy!" Palmon called out as she used her vines to grapple onto a nearby tree and pull her and Ruby towards it, allowing both of them to land on some branches, while the bed crashed into the ground.
"That was a close one. Thanks, Palmon," Ruby said breathing a sigh of relief.
Ruby: "Yay! This chapter is focused on my BFF and I!"
Weiss: "No."
Ruby: "Yes," she whispered.
"No problem, Ruby," Palmon smiled as she lowered them to the ground.
"Still though…" Ruby frowned, looking at Infinity Mountain that was steadily getting farther away. "We've really gotten into a bad position now, huh?"
"Yeah, the island is in pieces, and everyone went flying." Palmon frowned as she crossed her arms.
"I hope they're all ok." Ruby said with a sigh.
Pyrrha: "We'll be fine, Ruby."
Jaune: "Yeah, we can handle ourselves."
Ruby: "Believe me, I know that. But my other, despite being with your others for quite some time in the Digital World, doesn't fully know that."
Ironwood: "Miss Rose is right. You kids have known each other for almost a full year, while they have only known each other for a month, two at best."
"I'm sure they will be, don't worry Ruby." Palmon reassured her partner with a smile.
Ruby nodded with her own smile after a moment, before looking around "It's pretty late, we won't be able to do much until morning."
"What can we do though? It's not like we can just fall asleep unguarded." Palmon asked her with a tilt of her head.
Ruby hummed in thought, looking towards the bed that had crashed, and then at the surrounding trees, smiling after a minute. "I think I have an idea."
Yang snickered. "Uh oh. Careful, Palmon. Ruby always has crazy ideas."
Ruby: "I do not!"
What that idea was actually impressed Palmon once Ruby was done setting it up.
She'd broken the bed into smaller pieces, and with the blankets, had set it up at the base of tree, while covering the outer blanket with mud and leaves to make it look more natural, and thus, they had a small hiding hole at the base of the tree to sleep through the rest of the night.
Glynda: "A well crafted shelter, Miss Rose. Do you happen to have at least some survival training?" Keeping in mind they all did state they needed to work on it.
Ruby: "Well, Yang and I were trained by our dad after he got out of his funk after dealing with...mom, but he did take us out to the forests of Patch to instill that training on us."
Weiss: "At least that shelter is better crafted than your bunk bed," she muttered.
"I heard that."
Although they were both hungry, the two of them managed to sleep through the rest of the night without interruptions. The next day couldn't have come fast enough as far as they were concerned, but eventually light began to peek through their hiding spot, letting them know it was time to wake up.
"Its morning," Ruby yawned.
"So hungry, at least we managed to sleep." Palmon muttered as they crawled out of their hiding spot.
"Let's start by trying to find breakfast." Ruby said as she stretched out her body, having slept in a bit of an awkward position.
Ozpin: "I can imagine. Any bigger of a shelter and it would be less inconspicuous."
The two went through the forest in search for food, before finally… "Over there!" Ruby said, pointing at a tree. "Those bananas right there!"
"Bananas?" Palmon blinked...in a way that made it clear she had no idea what her partner was talking about.
Nora: "Wait, she's never seen a banana before?"
Blake chuckled. "If Sun was around, he'd no doubt be screaming at that," deciding to make a jab at their monkey faunus friend.
Ruby turned to her with a raised eyebrow "You don't know what a banana is?"
Palmon shook her head "I've never seen one."
"Yet you knew what meat apples and diginoir was?" Ruby couldn't help but ask.
Qrow shrugged. "She's got her there."
Palmon simply shrugged, not having a viable answer to that.
Ruby shrugged as well after a moment, before Palmon grabbed the bunch of bananas hanging from the tree and handed them to Ruby, who quickly grabbed one and peeled it open, being somewhat confused as she kept peeling and peeling… and then the banana ended up being empty. "Huh?" she blinked.
Winter: "Uh...where's the 'banana?'"
Everyone was confused on not seeing the edible part.
"These are pretty good," Palmon said, to which Ruby looked at her partner...and realized she was literally eating it peel and all.
Everyone: "Huh?!"
"...normally I wouldn't do this but…" Ruby sighed resignedly, not really liking this, but the hunger pangs were more important to her at this moment, and started eating one of the 'bananas' peel included. "Huh...you're right, they're not bad," she blinked as she ate. After the two ate the entire bunch, they continued on their way.
Yang: "Ok, what gives? Are banana peels actually nutrious or something?"
Hedge: "I'll be honest with you, but neither Swift nor I know if it truly is."
Glynda: "Let me guess, this is just Digital World nonsense, isn't it?" She said dryly, slowly coming to terms.
Hedge: "...yeah."
"Do you think any of the others landed around here?" Palmon asked.
"I hope so…" Ruby sighed, worried for her friends. However, her musings were cut short, as an explosion happened not far away.
Jaune: "Ok, now what?"
Ren: "Another Black Gear Digimon perhaps?"
It spoke wonders that they were starting to get used to seeing the gears just like their alternate selfs.
"I have a feeling we're in for an aneurysm." Palmon said dryly as the two walked towards the explosion. True enough, they found...okay, the best way they could describe it was a Digimon shaped like a yellow turd with arms, with a small pink mouse hanging on to its head, and in its hand was a familiar looking rapier.
Weiss: "Hey! Hands off Myrtenaster!"
Qrow: "And who are these two?"
"Yeah...I think you may be right…" was all Ruby could say at the sight of a pair of Digimon...who honestly looked dumb as bricks, playing around with Myrtenaster.
Hedge: "Everyone, meet Sukamon and Chuumon, aka, and I kid you not, the yellow shit and the pink rat."
Their Digivices beeped as they got a notification for the two's profiles.
Blake: "Sukamon: A repulsive, poop-shaped Digimon that shines golden. It was born from the accumulation and mutation of scrap data thrown into the recycle bin of a computer desktop. It likes dark places, and being a pile of scrap data, it is similar to Numemon in that it is often hated by other Digimon. Its intelligence and offensive ability are nonexistent. Its partner, Chuumon, is a small rat-like Digimon who does not fight, but is unparalleled when it comes to cunning and is always coaxing Sukamon into performing bad deeds."
Pyrrha: "Great, another poop throwing Digimon," reading its special moves.
Ruby: "And Chuumon: A rat-like Digimon that is always feeding Sukamon with unscrupulous thoughts. It has forged a strong friendship with Sukamon (that said, it might be only Chuumon that thinks this?), after a past incident where Chuumon was caught in a Carnivore system trap placed on the Network, and was saved by Sukamon who just happened to be passing by. While it is generally cowardly, its cunning is unparalleled and it will dash away to safety at the first sign of danger. Its Special Move is throwing a cheese-shaped bomb (Cheese Bomb). Mistakenly eating it will result in the unthinkable." A pause. "Considering his partner, I wouldn't even think to eat any cheese from him."
Weiss: "Whatever the case, just save Myrtenaster from those two."
"Should I…?" Palmon trailed off, raising her claws a bit.
"Yeah, best to get it back before they end up breaking it even more." Ruby said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "On my signal, you grab Weiss's weapon, and then we run," Ruby said.
"Wait, that belongs to Weiss?" Palmon blinked. "Right, all the more reason to get it then."
Winter: "Wait, how would she not...oh right, you all didn't have your weapons when you first met."
"On three. One...two...three!" Ruby shouted, and Palmon lashed out with Poison Ivy, wrapping around Myrtenaster, pulling it out of the yellow Digimon's grasp much to their surprise. Ruby didn't waste time, wrapping her arms around Palmon, and using her semblance to zip away from the scene before the two Digimon could even register what happened.
When Ruby stopped, she did so suddenly as she reached the edge of the island, peering down into the water, before looking across and seeing a whole other island there.
Ruby: "Uh...whoops?"
Qrow: "Still haven't worked out all the kinks of your semblance, huh squirt?" he chuckled.
"Whoa! That was close," Palmon gulped, the weapon firmly in her grasp.
"Yeah, good thing they didn't even see us move." Ruby said with a sigh as she let Palmon back down on the ground, before accepting Myrtenaster from her and looking it over, wincing a bit. "Oh yeah, this is bad, looks like those two ended up melting one or two of the chambers when they were messing around with it, doesn't help that the mechanism to open it seems rusted in place. Weiss is NOT going to like this."
Weiss was seething. "No, I'm not." She spent good lien on crafting it!
"But what do we do now?" Palmon asked.
Ruby looked around...and saw something in the forest on the other island. "There! I see something on the other island. Maybe the others might be there."
Ironwood: "The ruins, I'm assuming?"
Ozpin: "It's the only landmark that makes sense."
"Are you sure?" Palmon blinked at that.
"No, but it's our best shot," Ruby said.
"Alright, let's try it," Palmon nodded, before using Poison Ivy to pull them both across.
Meanwhile, Weiss and Tentomon had entered the ruins.
Before reaching it though, Weiss had been surprised to find two weapons outside, Ruby's Crescent Rose, with the barrel of the gun melted shut and the blade of the scythe dulled, though thankfully it could still be put in it's compact mode, and Blake's Gambol Shroud, the blade of the katana being destroyed for the most part with only the cleaver still being usable, while the gun was now empty of all bullets, the ribbon was intact though, so she was carrying the weapon with it attached around her torso.
Blake didn't know how to feel about seeing her weapon ruined. Sure, she could still use the cleaver, and her other may have some ammo still on her, but it was more so of how long she had her weapon. She crafted it back when she was in the White Fang, with help from...Adam.
In a way, it broke a part of her from her past and him. She could always repair it when they got back to Remnant, sure, but it would have a new history, one forged with her new friends.
Ruby on the other hand...
"AGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" As a red blur sped in front of everyone to the weapon cases, and sped back towards their seat, revealing Ruby caressing Crescent Rose, muttering "No one's going to hurt you" multiple times.
Yang and Weiss did their best to comfort their sister/leader.
"You know, I'm not surprised by this point." Weiss said with a sigh as she saw the large Black Gear spinning in a corner of the first room of the ruins.
"Well, why don't we focus on something else instead." Tentomon suggested, Weiss nodding in agreement as she started looking around the room, not even uttering a word when she saw a power outlet in a tree root.
Neither did any of them regarding that, but...
Glynda: "How come Tentomon didn't try to damage the Black Gear?"
Nora: "No offense to Tentomon, but I think it needs more than just him to take it down."
Ren: "Or something completely different."
Eventually, she got to the walls, humming in thought as she looked at the same symbols that had been in the factory "I wonder if I'd be able to figure these out if I study them enough?" she mused.
"Should we be looking for the others though?" Tentomon said in a bit of worry.
"I'm not worried, we're all strong in our own rights, and we all know when it's best to run, besides, if anything truly dangerous happens, I'm sure their partners will evolve to protect them." Weiss explained as she pulled out her scroll and started up her recently finished analysis program, putting it together with the data she had accumulated in the factory, though it did take a few days.
The others smiled at Weiss having confidence of them. Seems she was more mellowed out than how she was when they all first met. Maybe being brought to the Digital World was a good thing.
Weiss: "Ugh, I can only imagine my other working her brain to overdrive just to figure it out."
"That so?" Tentomon said plainly. He knew his partner could get very into it when she found something that interested her.
"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about them. But these characters may just be hiding a secret that may help us. There's just so much we don't actually know about this world, the Digivices, and possibly why we were brought here," Weiss explained. "It may be a long shot, but it is one I'd like to try."
"I suppose when you put it like that, it does make sense." Tentomon said as he crossed his claws together.
Weiss nodded lightly before she went to work, compiling the characters and data on the walls. It wasn't long before she became fully focused in what she was doing, so much so she barely noticed the two new figures walking into the ruins and were soon in the room she was in.
Winter: "It's Miss Rose and Palmon, isn't it?"
And then she was startled out of her concentration when she heard a quick but sharp whistle blow, whirling around to see Ruby pulling her whistle out of her mouth with a mildly annoyed look "Well that took a while."
"Wait, what? When you did you get here?" Weiss asked, the whistle forgotten due to reuniting with a member of their group.
"About half an hour or so, give or take a few minutes." Ruby said with a shrug "I tried a lot of things to get your attention but you were REALLY focused on that thing."
Weiss blushed heavily while Yang bursted out into laughter. "Am I really like that with our homework?"
Blake: "You kind of are."
Weiss sighed. "I would've been fine if you had lied to me, but I get your point."
Weiss had the decency to blush at that. "Ah...right...I apologize," she said.
"No problem. Though...what WERE you doing?" Ruby asked.
"See the characters on these walls? They're the same type as the ones I found inside Andromon's Factory," Weiss explained. "I think if I decipher this code then maybe, just maybe, we might uncover some kind of secret. Something that might even be useful to defeat Devimon," Weiss said.
Jaune: "All the help we can get is great."
Pyrrha: "Though we still need to fully regroup. Devimon could just descend from Infinity Mountain and take one of us out if he wanted to."
Ozpin: "I think we all know who that might be if he did," his gaze fixated on Blake.
"Huh… that's pretty cool. Got anything good so far?" Ruby asked, feeling a bit curious.
"Nothing yet, but I think I may be close to cracking it." Weiss told her, looking back down on her screen for a moment.
"Well… I'm gonna play on my scroll while you do that I guess." Ruby said with a shrug, before sitting down next to a wall that didn't have any writing on it and pulling out her own scroll, lowering the volume, and starting up a random game, Palmon and Tentomon leaning over to watch.
Weiss shook her head. "Of course you would do that, you dolt."
Nora: "How are you even able to play on your scroll? I know we got full access to everything on it awhile ago, but we have no CCT access."
Ruby paused in her caressing of her baby briefly. "I do have some games downloaded that don't need CCT connection to play."
Hedge: "If only all developers took that into consideration...but that's what unlimited data is for," he thought.
Weiss shook her head with an amused smile before she returned to her analysis. The process took a while, something that thankfully the others didn't bother her about, and eventually she finished compiling the data however... "The data's incomplete…" she said, catching their attention.
Ironwood: "Well that's a bit of a drag."
Qrow: "Somehow I don't see that being a deterrent."
"Incomplete how?" Ruby asked as she went over to Weiss.
"As in because some of the characters on the wall are missing I don't have all the information needed." Weiss said with a sigh.
"Well… maybe I could head deeper in and take pictures? I mean, there's probably more of this stuff deeper in the ruins right?" Ruby suggested.
Glynda: "While thoughtful, Miss Rose, I don't think that is a wise decision. You both are in ruins. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a maze."
Hedge: "It actually is."
"That… could certainly help." Weiss mulled over the thought, eventually nodding "Alright, but before you go, here, I'm pretty sure this belongs to you." she said as she pulled the folded up Crescent Rose into Ruby's view, and a second later Ruby was clutching it to herself as she looked it over frantically.
"It was damaged when I found it," Weiss sighed, but Ruby didn't hear her, clearly fussing too much over 'her baby'.
Audience Ruby's reaction was a bit tame at seeing Crescent Rose banged up. They could only imagine how that Ruby would react.
The other three sweat dropped at the weapon loving girl, before Palmon took Myrtenaster off of Ruby's belt and gave it to Weiss. "We found this earlier too, but it was like this when we found it."
Weiss accepted her weapon, before inspecting it, scowling when she saw the state of the barrel "This is recent."
"Yeah, a pair of idiots got their hands on it and started playing around with it." Palmon told her dryly.
"I see…" Weiss frowned. "At any rate, thank you for returning this," she said with a slight nod as she hooked her weapon on her belt again.
Winter: "I expected your other to be angered at seeing Myrtenaster like that, Weiss."
Weiss was a bit surprised. "So did I."
"Do you think Ruby is gonna be okay?" Tentomon asked, looking at the frantic girl. He got his answer when Ruby suddenly stopped, before walking towards them.
Yang: "Oh I know that look." It was not going to be pretty.
"Uh...Ruby? Are you okay?" Palmon asked, a little worried at the expression on her face.
"I'm gonna kick that devil bastard's ass." Ruby said coldly as she glared at the Black Gear in the corner.
No one expected the young and kind girl known as Ruby Rose to swear like that, not even Ruby herself.
Even if Devimon was going to get what he deserved.
Qrow: "Normally either myself or even Yang would scold you for swearing, but I feel like it is kind of warranted given the circumstances."
Yang: "Weirdly, I feel the same way."
Everyone stared at her silently for several moments, before Weiss finally spoke "Did you just swear?"
"Nobody touches my baby! NOBODY!" Ruby shouted as she pointed towards the ceiling.
"You tell them, other me!"
The three of them were inching away a little from the silver eyed girl at that statement, before nodding a little. Either way, they could all agree that that monster had to be stopped. "So uh...what do we do about the data?" Palmon asked, changing the subject.
"Uh… right." Weiss said as she shook her head and turned her head back to her scroll "Ruby, if you can actually find more characters like these and send me pictures of them, I think I should be able to decode the information here."
"If it makes us get to that devil bastard faster, then you got it!" Ruby shouted, before she was gone deeper into the ruins with a flash, kicking up a dust cloud as she heard a surprised noise, figuring it was from Palmon being dragged off, she turned back to her scroll, only to stop as she heard the voice that was next to her.
Blake: "She grabbed Tentomon in her haste, didn't she?" she said dryly.
"Well… this is a problem." Palmon said as the dust cloud finally fell down while Weiss turned to her, before she groaned into her hands.
Ruby didn't even realize her mistake till she was well into the ruins, having used her Semblance to zip through, and finding a few small sections with more characters, taking a picture. "Think this should be enough, Palmon?" she asked.
"I think so, but I'm not Palmon," came a notable male voice.
She blinked, before slowly turning...to see Tentomon looking dizzy, not being used to her fast speed. That's when it hit her what she'd done. "Uhh...oops?" she said awkwardly.
Facepalms sounded out from everyone, but some did chuckle at the hilarity of the event.
"Please send the pictures to Weiss while I try to remember which way is up." Tentomon said as he clutched his head to try and stop the spinning.
"R-right." Ruby said, a bit of an embarrassed blush on her cheeks at her mistake before sending the pictures to her white haired friend.
Ruby: "Sorry Tentomon."
Several moments later, and Ruby jumped a bit when she heard Weiss's voice almost reverberate through the walls. "Oh thank Oum I finished it, now I just need to call her."
Nora: "Yeah...about that..."
"Uh… you mean you aren't talking to me on my scroll?" Ruby said towards the walls, as she swore she could almost hear the pause from Weiss.
"... You heard that?" Weiss said in surprise.
"Yeah, I'm kind of as surprised as you are though." Ruby said as she scratched her cheek awkwardly.
None thought to even question it.
"Well...at any rate, that data you sent me allowed me to synthesize a map of the ruins. You're in the middle of a labyrinth, but don't worry. I'll guide you," Weiss said.
"Right. Lead the way," Ruby nodded. The next minutes had Ruby following Weiss's directions as they navigated through the ruins.
"The next areas seem to have traps. Be careful. I'll inform you what traps are coming," Weiss said.
"Right," Ruby nodded...before chuckling. "You know...this honestly feels almost like one of those adventure movies."
Pyrrha giggled. "It actually does."
Hedge put his finger up to his chin. "Let's see: Indiana Jones, The Mummy come to mind with movies. You got Tomb Raider as a game. The list goes on."
"Perhaps," Weiss admitted with a light chuckle. "But keep in mind, there's no script here."
"Well, that's what improv is for." Ruby said with a shrug as she grinned a bit.
Ironwood: "Only you don't have multiple takes to get things right in this situation. One wrong move, and it's curtains."
"Now then, you're about to enter a small room, the floor of most of the room is fake, so make sure to stay on the edges." Weiss told her, and Ruby made a small sound of confirmation that she heard her as she stepped into the room Weiss mentioned, tapping her foot on the floor curiously only to pale a bit as it crumbled away, leaving just the edges intact.
Jaune: "Can't have a maze without at least one pitfall," he chuckled.
Ruby swallowed nervously before pressing herself flush against the wall while Tentomon hovered behind her as he followed.
Ruby: "Gee, way to rub it in, Tentomon," she muttered.
Weiss: "Couldn't you just use your semblance to get over the gap?"
Ruby: "I could, but I'm probably saving it to not run out of aura in case we run into trouble." Weiss nodded at that, as that was a good reason.
After getting past that room, the two continued on until they reached a cross intersection, looking around "So, where to next?" Tentomon called out, waiting for his partner to answer.
There was silence for a few moments "I think someone's following the two of you, there's another dot on the map right now and it's almost at the room you just left."
"Actually...I think they're already here," Ruby said a little nervously, as whoever was following them soon came into view. The Digimon was a large centaur-like creature, with a metal helmet that seemed to have a cycloptic eye, though it was hard to tell from the red dot. His body was predominantly brown, though there were these bizarre purple...bulbs...growing on his body, with some mechanical parts especially on his arms, making him seem like some kind of cyborg.
Ozpin: "Centarumon, I presume?"
They had briefly forgot about the title of this chapter.
"Isn't that Centarumon?" Tentomon said in surprise.
Digimon Analyzer: Centarumon
Centarumon. Data Type. An Adult Level Beast Man Digimon. A stoic guardian, Centarumon is not the kind to let others get past him easily. With the exhaust pipes on his back, he can easily overtake most landbound Digimon, though this does have the disadvantage of making it nearly impossible for him to turn, especially in tight spaces. His special attack is Hunting Cannon, firing a yellow beam of energy from the cannon in his right hand.
"And he doesn't look friendly," Ruby gulped, taking out her Digivice, and true enough, a black dot appeared on the radar. "Yep, he's infected!" she confirmed.
Ren: "Wouldn't the Digivice track the other Black Gear that's nearby, too?"
Hedge: "It would, but it mostly depends on distance. If it only shows one and is really close by, then Centarumon is infected."
"Of course he is," Weiss sighed. "Ruby, I need you to listen to my instructions carefully. I'll try to lead you to a spot that has some open space. When you get there, hold him off till we can reach you and Tentomon!" she ordered.
"Got it! Just tell me where to go," Ruby nodded as she and Tentomon did an about face and ran away, Centarumon easily getting through the gap thanks to the vents on his back.
The twists and turns that Weiss sent them on were at least good enough to stop Centarumon from reaching his full speed, and the traps they avoided were also good to make him slow down a bit, giving them a better chance to run away. Following Weiss's directions, they soon found themselves in a large empty room. "We're in position, Weiss!" Ruby reported.
"Good. Hold him off until we get there!" was the reply she got, before the line went dead.
Ruby: "And how do you expect us to do that, Weiss? Crescent Rose is messed up, and I don't think Tentomon can evolve from my Digivice."
Weiss: "While you're not wrong, you can still use Crescent Rose to strike at Centarumon, and Tentomon can use his Petit Thunder attacks to keep his attention off you."
"So...how do we do that?" Tentomon asked the rather obvious question.
Ruby paused for a moment, before realising the problem. "Oh yeah, you probably can't evolve with my Digivice huh?"
"I don't believe I can, I would need Weiss to be close by." Tentomon answered, just as they heard Centarumon's hooves sounding off in the tunnel, getting steadily louder.
They chuckled at the echo.
"Right, and Crescent Rose's nozzle was busted up enough I can't shoot at him, though if I could just get a whetstone I could work on the blade." Ruby started and slowly mumbled off as she thought about how to fix back up her weapon.
"Ruby…. RUBY!" Tentomon shouted, getting back her attention. "We need to keep him occupied, remember?"
Ruby blushed at her other's weapon geek talk, while Yang ruffled her hair.
"Right, sorry." she said sheepishly, before grabbing Crescent Rose and activating it with a flourish. "You distract him with some lightning, I'll keep him off balance," she said. "That should hold him off long enough."
"Okay, let's do that," Tentomon nodded as he flew up. "Petit Thunder!" he called out as he fired his attack at Centarumon, though it didn't cause any notable damage, it did do its intended goal, which was to draw his attention.
Ruby however, dashed forward using her semblance, and started peppering the Digimon's legs with strikes from the dulled Crescent Rose, forcing Centarumon to divide his attention between dealing with the insect shooting lightning in his face, and the blur taking pot shots at his legs.
Centarumon growled, even firing his special move a few times, but despite that, he failed to hit either of them, while they were keeping him somewhat off balance.
Glynda: "Excellent attack combo, Miss Rose. Centarumon can't seem to do much against you two."
Ruby looked like a light bulb went up over her head. Combo attacks! A notepad and pen appeared in her lap, and she started to think up possible combo attacks with them and their Digimon, assuming they evolve to their partners on screen.
And on the outside of the wall, Weiss and Palmon were certainly thankful that most of Centarumon's shots were breaking up the wall, making their own job easier.
And mere moments later, the wall collapsed, Ruby not even being need to be told as she sped outside, grabbing Tentomon on the way as the four regrouped while Centarumon followed them.
Ruby: "You thinking what I'm thinking, Weiss?"
Weiss smiled. "Of course."
Ruby/Weiss: "Evolution time!"
"Good to have you back Palmon." Ruby said as she glanced at her partner with a smile.
"It'll be a good moment once we get that gear out of him." Palmon said with a slight grin.
"Well then everyone, I think its about time we put an end to this farce," Weiss said.
"Right!" everyone nodded, as Weiss and Ruby's Digivices began to glow.
(Play Brave Heart)
"Palmon, Evolution! Togemon!"
"Tentomon, Evolution! Kabuterimon!"
With the burst of light, the two Digimon evolved, standing tall before Centarumon. The controlled Digimon however didn't seem phased, as he turned his arm into its cannon mode and aimed.
Qrow: "That may be, but he'll thank them once they get the Black Gear out of him."
None of them could forget how the Black Gear took over a Digimon when it happened to Unimon.
"Not this time," Kabuterimon said as he charged up. "Mega Blaster!" he fired his attack, meeting Centarumon's attack, causing an explosion, though he timed it so it was nearer to Centarumon, causing him to stumble back...and leaving him open to Togemon who landed a haymaker to his head, before following up with a rapid series of punches to his torso, ending it with a strong punch that pushed him back into the ruins.
"Nowhere to run or hide. Let's end this now," Togemon said.
"Agreed," Kabuterimon said, before they both charged up their attacks.
Ruby/Weiss: "Take him down!"
"Needles Spray!"
"Mega Blaster!"
The two attacks were launched at the still dazed Centarumon, and as such, he couldn't evade as both attacks hit him dead on, the Digimon shouting in pain, before the Black Gear in his back was violently launched out, causing it to shatter against the wall, leaving Centarumon to slump to the ground, defeated.
"Okay, the Black Gear is gone. He should be back to his senses now," Weiss confirmed, checking her Digivice, as Kabuterimon and Togemon reverted to their child forms.
(Song end)
Centarumon groaned, slowly getting back to his feet "What was I…?" he muttered, before his eye fell on the two humans, specifically, the Digivices in their hands, as he gasped "You… you're the Chosen Children."
"Ok, how many Digimon know about that?" Ruby muttered in confusion.
Blake: "Let's see: Devimon, Leomon, Ogremon, and now Centarumon," she counted on her fingers. "And that's assuming Frigimon doesn't know either."
Weiss shrugged at her, before turning her attention to Centarumon. "You were under the control of a Black Gear, it made you attack us."
Centarumon nodded. "I see, I'm ashamed that Devimon was able to get to me."
"Devimon… that's the guy with horns and wings in black, right?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow.
"A simplified description, but yes, that's him." Centarumon nodded. "Most likely he placed me under his control in the event you came here, to prevent me from revealing information about the Digivices to you."
Yang: "More info on them will certainly be helpful in our fight."
"More information on them would certainly come in handy." Tentomon said.
Getting back on his feet, Centarumon nodded. "Follow me," he said simply before leading them to another section of the ruins. There, on the wall, was a picture that was the spitting image of the Digivices.
Ironwood: "It's almost like a shrine to them."
Glynda: "But how could there be a shrine for something that most likely wasn't created before the children even arrived there?"
"Long ago, the great Server that watches over the Digital World informed the Digimon of the past, telling them that one day, champions would arrive from another world, carrying with them objects known as Digivices, holy devices capable of inducing a sudden evolution in a Digimon, and, capable of evolving themselves, into forms more suited to channel their holy powers." Centarumon explained as the two humans looked at their Digivices.
Ren: "Evolving themselves? Like how they changed from the regular Digivice to the D-Spirits?"
Hedge: "Exactly like that."
Ozpin started to think of another possibility to beat Salem. If the Digivices had these holy powers, could they be used to remove Salem's Grimm side?
"And those champions are us?" Ruby asked, earning a nod from Centarumon. "That...that's so...COOL!"
The students didn't know how to react.
Jaune: "So we're prophecized to, what, bring light to the Digital World through evolution?"
Pyrrha: "That's kind of what it seems like."
"Well...I'm glad you're...enthusiastic…" Centarumon said with a sweat drop.
"I don't know what to think about this honestly." Weiss said with a bemused look on her face.
"It certainly is a lot to take in." Tentomon commented.
"Ruby's taking it pretty well though." Palmon muttered to him, causing the two to look at the girl who was still wearing a big smile.
The same could be said for the Ruby in the audience and Nora too.
Centarumon looked at them for a moment, before his attention went to behind them as he saw someone step into the room "Ah, Leomon! I wasn't expecting you."
Nora: "Hey Leomon's still alive!"
The two humans and two child level Digimon whirled around, seeing the same Digimon that, judging by his eyes, was still under the control of Devimon.
Qrow: "But back under control of Devimon."
"Watch out! Devimon's still controlling him!" Ruby warned. Too late.
"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon called out, firing his attack, and hitting Centarumon in the chest, sending him skidding back.
Centarumon shook his head as he looked at Leomon "I see, then, I apologise in advance my friend. Hunting Cannon!" he said as he fired right at Leomon's face, disorienting the lion headed Digimon.
Ruby looked at Leomon, wondering if there was any way to stop him, before thinking back on Centarumon's explanation about the Digivices, looking down at the one in her hand.
Weiss: "We have to use the holy powers of the Digivices to save Leomon."
"I think we have the same idea." Weiss said, with Ruby nodding in agreement.
With that, the two girls ran up to Leomon and aimed their Digivices right at his face, a light spilling forth from the devices as Leomon recoiled, growling in pain, before quickly turning tail and fleeing.
The sudden retreat had surprised the girls enough though that they didn't give chase, having expected him to stand his ground.
Winter: "Hmm, did he leave of his own fruition, or because Devimon pulled him back to keep him under his control?"
Ironwood: "Knowing Devimon and him wanting to take out the children, I'd say he pulled him back."
"It seems Devimon's hold on him is stronger than expected," Centarumon sighed, and they were sure if he didn't have his helmet, he'd have looked sad. "However, that indeed is proof that you both are the legendary champions. Only in the hands of their champions can the Digivice shine so bright. Had he not retreated, I am certain the holy power would have driven out Devimon's evil influence."
"Still though...sorry we couldn't free Leomon," Ruby apologized, though Centarumon shook his head. "It is alright. In time I am certain you will free him."
"But before that, we should find a way to get back to Infinity Mountain," Palmon said, reminding them of their current predicament.
Yang: "Let me guess, using them on the big Black Gear?"
"If the Digivice can do this, I think I know just what we can do," Weiss said. Before long they were in the room with the large Black Gear.
Blake: "Survey says: yes."
"Yes, this evil power is indeed Devimon's. However, it is beyond my power to remove it," Centarumon nodded.
"Oh, I get it," Ruby nodded, realizing what Weiss had planned as they pulled out there Digivices.
"This could work. Its definitely worth a shot!" Tentomon agreed, as the two pointed their Digivices at the gear. The holy power shot out of the devices, and hit the gear, causing it to be covered in sparks, before it eventually shattered. As if on cue, the earth started to shake.
"Did that do it?" Palmon asked.
"Only one way to find out," Ruby and Weiss said at the same time. Quickly getting out of the ruins, they soon saw that indeed, the island fragment they were on was moving back towards Infinity Mountain.
Ruby: "Alright, we're on our way back to everyone and to take down Devimon!" She might not be the one to do it, but as long as her other and Palmon could it as revenge for him damaging Crescent Rose, nothing else mattered!
"We'll have to get the info on the Digivices to the others." Weiss said, looking down at the one in her hands.
"Let's just hope their safe for now." Ruby added with a nod.
And with that, the TV shut down.
Ironwood and Winter heard their scrolls ping, and when they opened them, they were met with a new file.
Ironwood: "Are these...?"
Hedge: "Yup, I had asked Swift if it was alright to give them to you guys, and he agreed that it was fine."
Winter: "Well, thank you. I think these will help Huntsmen and Huntresses out in the field to carry more supplies on them than normal."
Hedge: "Yes, we got one more chapter to look at before we call it for the day, so if no one has any other questions?"
Shakes of multiple heads was the response.
Hedge: "Then let us continue."
AN: Chapter done!
3 chapters left of the Devimon arc, then we'll be having an intermission.
A bit of a surprise will happen then.
Until next time, this is Shadow Drivver, signing out. Peace.