How Myotismon Saved Christmas (Digimon/PMMM)

[Talos]

You cast your mind back across what you had discovered so far. They contained the answer, you knew that all you had to do was to fit them together in the right way.

The first clue was the layers themselves. The were divided into three sections, and the deeper ones seemed to be able to hold much more power. This was why you could not simply drain a Grief Seed of energy, for the deeper the layer the harder it would be.

In the most outward layer, you had discovered your second clue. A faint but present secondary emotional residue. Probably a leftover from when the Grief Seed had been a Soul Gem. These emotions were positive in nature, and as such had been nearly swamped by the despair of the Witch within. Initially, you had suspected that these might be present on all layers but your probes revealed it only in the first one.

Within the deepest layer, you had found the mind of the Witch. It was young and still not fully developed. You might have pushed harder but at this stage you were not sure how it would react. A Witch was volatile in the Grief Seed and you didn't know if your presence would cause it it to grow or even to die.

Finally, you located a filter of some kind installed in the first layer which limited the Witch's ability to draw on its power. This meant that it would take minutes when it should take seconds for a Witch to awaken or hatch, and it would make it much harder summon its power. However, this was not its purpose. Its true reason for being you did not know, but you didn't doubt it had one. What you did remember was that upon use, a Soul Gem would shatter. You had believed it was because it was drained of power, but maybe you had been wrong?

As an addendum, you were sure that this filter was a part of the process CurseDevimon had used to siphon energy from the Soul Gems, but you were not yet sure how it worked.

[] Let Myotismon try to figure it out himself (diceroll)

[] Call in outside help (Anubismon)

[] The purpose of the filter is to... (write in)

Remember guys, Myotismon is pretty smart on his own. The Diceroll option is perfectly viable. If you want the best results, a write in will probably deliver higher returns, but unless you roll really badly you won't be going away with nothing.

 

[Vanathor]

[X] Let Myotismon try to figure it out himself (diceroll)

 

[Deadly Snark]

Okay yeah, the answer is pretty clear and should be evident to a digimon as old as Myotismon.

The Grief Seeds acts like the reverse of a digivice to a degree. When a human partner reaches an emotional peak, their emotions are transferred to the digivice which purifies the emotion into a pure form of energy which allows the Digimon Partner to reach their normal limits.

Grief Seeds also act like a reverse version of the Crest. I'm assuming that the reason why the crests exists is because of some sort of inefficiency inside the digivices. If I had to guess, I would say that trying to transform all the myriad of emotions into energy, while it gives a lot of power, is simply not efficient and too demanding, meaning that a lot of potential energy is lost in the process. Crest functions as filters and energy storage, since each crests only function for one type of emotion/mental state they can filter out the redundant emotions, while still keeping the intensity of the energy. Thus Crests which produce more power to the digivce and to digimon allows digimons to surpass their limits, because the energy purer.

The filter of the Grief Seed should function the same way, gathering the energy inherent in human emotions, filtering out all the unneeded and useless myriad of emotions into the Purest form of emotion, the purest form of power possible.

Thus while it takes longer to gather energy and to form a witch, the resulting energy and witch are both far more powerful and valuable.

 

[Talos]

Okay yeah, the answer is pretty clear and should be evident to a digimon as old as Myotismon.

The Grief Seeds acts like the reverse of a digivice to a degree. When a human partner reaches an emotional peak, their emotions are transferred to the digivice which purifies the emotion into a pure form of energy which allows the Digimon Partner to reach their normal limits.

Grief Seeds also act like a reverse version of the Crest. I'm assuming that the reason why the crests exists is because of some sort of inefficiency inside the digivices. If I had to guess, I would say that trying to transform all the myriad of emotions into energy, while it gives a lot of power, is simply not efficient and too demanding, meaning that a lot of potential energy is lost in the process. Crest functions as filters and energy storage, since each crests only function for one type of emotion/mental state they can filter out the redundant emotions, while still keeping the intensity of the energy. Thus Crests which produce more power to the digivce and to digimon allows digimons to surpass their limits, because the energy purer.

The filter of the Grief Seed should function the same way, gathering the energy inherent in human emotions, filtering out all the unneeded and useless myriad of emotions into the Purest form of emotion, the purest form of power possible.

Thus while it takes longer to gather energy and to form a witch, the resulting energy and witch are both far more powerful and valuable.

Click to shrink...

Eh, close enough. I feel like writing and you got the function of the filter right (though, not the why) I don't suppose anyone has anything else to add?

 

[Deadly Snark]

Eh, close enough. I feel like writing and you got the function of the filter right (though, not the why) I don't suppose anyone has anything else to add?

Click to shrink...

The why is also easy. When we consider what I wrote in my post and from what Myotismon has seen of how they hunt, inducing despair and other negative emotions on normal humans, it's easy to see that they were doing what we did as a Devimon. Harvesting energy from their victim, afterall these creatures don't need to eat food and actually sustain themselves through energy, as we saw with the Witch Seadramon.

Thus if I am correct, when we add the fact that they are gathering energy and the filter purifies energy and the filters make it hard for energy to be extracted, then we can come to the conclusion that the purpose of the filter is too make sure that the Witches, animals that they are, don't waste away all the energy that took so long to be filtered into it's purified state.

 

[Talos]

The why is also easy. When we consider what I wrote in my post and from what Myotismon has seen of how they hunt, inducing despair and other negative emotions on normal humans, it's easy to see that they were doing what we did as a Devimon. Harvesting energy from their victim, afterall these creatures don't need to eat food and actually sustain themselves through energy, as we saw with the Witch Seadramon.

Thus if I am correct, when we add the fact that they are gathering energy and the filter purifies energy and the filters make it hard for energy to be extracted, then we can come to the conclusion that the purpose of the filter is too make sure that the Witches, animals that they are, don't waste away all the energy that took so long to be filtered into it's purified state.

Click to shrink...

Smart, but the majority of energy is harvested when a Magical Girl first becomes a Witch; the transformation itself is the source of the energy Kyubey harvests. Afterwards, Witches do not give off that much power at all until they are harvested into Grief Seeds.

The filter's purpose, I can now tell you, is actually to keep the Witch's power uncontaminated by the remnants of her previous personality -- the colours you found which represented emotions are found only in the top layer where the filter keeps them far away from the Witch's developing mind. The filter it isn't the thing which keeps you from extracting the energy, indeed it can be overpowered by an outside force fairly trivially.

For a Witch, you see, emotion and magical power are much the same thing. They are born of despair, and their power actually is emotion in its most raw form, their hatred and rage given shape. Their Barriers are the twisted realms of their mind, their bodies generated by their warped sense of self. Therefore, as emotion is malleable the Witch is also very easy to influence in the early stages of its development. If a remnant of the previous personality such as, say, hope, was able to reach the developing mind then it would probably not form correctly. The Witch would be useless from Kyubey's point of view.

The Soul Gem has a similar, but reversed, mechanism.

 

[Talos]

What if it functions like a Digivice? You mused aloud. You felt a faint prickling of surprise from Loweemon, who had been watching over your shoulder so to speak.

You know how one of those works?

I used to own one. You remembered the battered old thing you had recovered from the site of some ancient battle or other. It had been broken beyond use, and really of little more than intellectual interest but it had given you a chance to study their inner workings.

The Digivices act like a filter to their partner's emotional empathy. When the human feels an emotion of powerful strength, the device is able to filter it and to turn it into energy for the Digimon to use. This is why each Digivice reacts only to a single emotion, though to a lesser extent than the Crests.

All right, so how does that factor into this? This filter doesn't seem to have that purpose, since it actually slows the accumulation of power.

Only from a certain point of view. You answered. By filtering which emotions are able to reach into the centre, it will take longer but an overall more powerful Witch will be born. In addition, their birth may generate more power which is exactly what Kyubey wants.

Maybe... Loweemon was unsure, and you didn't really blame him. Your theory seemed to fit the facts, but you felt you were missing something. The filter could certainly be used to purify emotion into power, but how does that explain the secondary set of colours? A leftover only?

Doesn't matter. You said. If the principle is similar to a Digivice, then if I do this...

You sent a probing finger of thought into the darkest layer; you encountered some resistance as the infant mind began to notice the intrusion, but it was too weak to do more than the mental equivalent of complain so you ignored it. Inside, you felt the little power that the Seed had been able to gather. It was being stored and added to for the day in which the Witch was to be born. Even though this Seed was mostly empty, it contained a fair amount of power.

It must take a lot to birth a Witch. You thought. Because I doubt a full grown one would have half the strength that this seed will require to hatch. Or, the thought occurred, it could be somehow reduced when harvested by the Incubators. Kyubey did one say that the moment of most power was when a transformation was taking place. Perhaps the hatching of a new Witch counted?

At any rate, you had a job to do. Assuming your theory held some water, then the filter should be right about here...

Hmmm, yes, that was it. It wasn't quite as you had expected it to be, but a similar principle was clearly in play so you carried on. You nudged gently into it, sending but a single tendril of your powerful will. The Witch was young, and had no defence as you wrested control from her for the briefest second.

Success! With a small amount of effort, you realised that you would be able to throw the filter into reverse; this would dredge up the thickest, darkest power to the top layer where you would easily be able to claim it.

Clever. Loweemon said. Once you do that, you can drain the Seed dry pretty quickly but it depends on the strength of the Witch. You need to fight her for the power.

True, but a Witch in the form of a Grief Seed isn't very strong mentally. I doubt I'll have much trouble with them.

What about a Magical Girl?

You paused; thunderstruck by the comment. Of course, it was obvious that this was probably what CurseDevinmon had done with the Soul Gems, but in that case those Gems had been filled with a sentient mind. Unlike the half-born Witch you were dealing, the Puella would have known exactly what was happening as their very power was torn away. Unable to help or fight back, frozen in terror and pain as they became less and less...

And CurseDevimon would have loved every moment of it. He was a sadistic creature, the worst of the worst. He had lived for pain in a way that even most Devimon didn't. For you, pain was a simple aspect of the job, if you had to inflict it it should be done as quickly and as efficiently as possible. It wasn't nice, but then nether were you. You were a Myotismon after all and the goal came above else. But to CurseDevimon, pain was the goal. How much torture could you inflict on another being? How much could you make them scream? The thought was like icy finger over your spine. Yes, you were dark but never that. Never pain for the sake of pain.

A dark thought in the back of your mind. Even at the end, CurseDevimon had escaped true judgment. Locked in a tree of crystal; a result of the backfiring of his own spell. Ironic, perhaps but you doubted that it was a true end for such a vile creature and it always left the disturbing possibility of his escape at some point.

At any rate, you now knew how to tap into a Grief Seed for power, what did you want to do now?

[] You decided to test your theory with the Grief Seed you had now; it was not very powerful but you could use a bit of a boost and besides, it would be the proof of your success.

[] You didn't know exactly how this would effect the Grief Seed – you decided to wait until you could set up a proper experiment.

[]An excellent success, you decided to keep the Seed with you for a while and see if it started to mutate the same way as the last one.

[] Write In

 

[Robotninja]

[] You didn't know exactly how this would effect the Grief Seed – you decided to wait until you could set up a proper experiment.
Proper experimental controls. Plus Jade may want to be on hand to see if she senses anything different about it.

 

[croaker]

[] You didn't know exactly how this would effect the Grief Seed – you decided to wait until you could set up a proper experiment.

Let's marry safe science. We aren't exactly Wizardmon.

 

[Talos]

That is enough for now, I think. You said as you carefully withdrew your mind from the depths of the Grief Seed. You turned it over in your hand for a moment, before stashing it with the three others you had gotten before.

What, you're not going to pull out its power? Loweemon asked, and though his voice was confused you got the sense that he was playing you. It was easy to forget that he was the Human Spirit of Darkness, and he lived for trickery and manipulation as much as you did. With so much power within your grasp I would have thought that you would be eager to drink it all.

I am not so eager to die. You said, and waited a moment for the double meaning to sink in. Loweemon was testing you even now, and you knew that he would not hesitate to report your fall to Ophanimon if he felt it was called for. The basic idea has now been proven, but I am not willing to go further alone and with no protections in place. Please if you are going to try to goad me into revealing some darker nature, make it a bit less obvious.

Across the link you shared with the spirit, you felt a sort of amusement. Like a grandfather who was pleased at some trick of his grandson. And do you think that my true purpose would be so clear to you?

It was an obvious goad. You replied with a mental shrug. You are capable of better, so I can only assume that either you have gone senile with age or that you were having some fun at my expense. If I had fallen to such a weak tempting, my will would be pathetic indeed.

This time the humour was stronger, and you felt the approval in his thoughts as well.

Ah well, you know how it is. I am a primal spirit of shadows, tempting comes naturally to one such as me. But you are correct, I was not expecting you to fall to such an easy lure.

You were prepared to retort, but before you could a second shockwave reverberated through you. This time it was tinged with a power so dark that for a second, you thought CurseDevimon had returned.

You barged to the main hall of the church and threw open the door, only to meet Jade who had just alighted on the ground before you.

"Myotismon!" She said, you took the chance to get a reading on her. Your apprentice was ruffled; the dark aura about her seemed to shift like a restless cat, and you saw that one hand was going almost without thought to the mutated Soul Gem she wore. A pitch dark well of power from which she drew her strength, you knew that it was the seat of her existence as it was any Magical Girl.

Despite this, she was not harmed that you could see. Her clothes were unstained and she wasn't hurt and showed no signs of a battle. Lastly, you looked at her eyes which were not wide with fear, you noted with approval, but rather wary and excited.

"What is it?" You asked, though you were sure that you already had an inkling. "Is it to do with the Digimon that emerged recently?"

She didn't waste time wondering how you knew this, but simply nodded. "I think so. I wasn't there when it emerged but headed to the site as soon as I could. You knew we usually don't find anything, but this time..."

She paused, and you saw a grimace of anger work its way onto her pale face. Her eyes flashed.

"The whole part of the city was melted, I mean it was literally just burned away. There were traces of power everywhere, and I don't know what could have caused it. It easily felt like a mega level."

A mega? You wondered if your musings on CurseDevimon had been true after all. Fear gripped you for what he could unleash, but there was a streak of vindictive fury too. Last time you'd been a mere Myotismon, but now you had access to Loweemon and through him, the Spirit form DuskMyotismon who had power equal to a mega. If CurseDevimon truly were back, then at last you could hunt him down like the dog he was.

Belatedly, you remembered the look on Jade's face. "Were there witnesses?"

Her lips pursed together in quiet fury.

"Not by the time I got there." She snapped out of her daze and looked you in the eyes. "Do you think its him?"

"Possibly." No need to wonder who ''him'' was. "But let's not make assumptions. We need to head to the scene of the crime and see what happened for ourselves. Is there anything that you need to tell me?"

"Yes actually." She said. "When I got there, someone beat me to it. A Puella by the looks of it, she was the one who was dispatching Digimon. This time she ran into one much stronger than she expected. It cost her. Her body was beaten but... her Soul Gem was gone."

What did you decide to do now?

[]Approach the scene of the crime as quickly as possible.

[] Grab Anubismon before you head there, it will take more time but he will surely be able to tell more than you alone.

[] Gather more of your allies before you go (Phantomon, ChaosGallantmon, etc. Note, the more you gather the more time will pass before you arrive.)

[] Other

 

[Talos]

As a sidenote, I have been working on an interesting snippet which will be posted when this thread is done, but I am not entirely sure what it is yet.

Does anyone have anything they'd like to see which is (at least vaguely) connected to the situation at hand?

 

[Redon]

[X] Grab Anubismon before you head there, it will take more time but he will surely be able to tell more than you alone.

Well, hrmm, what ... damnit I forgot what the mispronounced name we used for Sayaka... and SB is down... duo is up to? Saylaka?

 

[Talos]

[X] Grab Anubismon before you head there, it will take more time but he will surely be able to tell more than you alone.

Well, hrmm, what ... damnit I forgot what the mispronounced name we used for Sayaka... and SB is down... duo is up to? Saylaka?

Click to shrink...

Sayala, I believe.

 

[Robotninja]

[X] Grab Anubismon before you head there, it will take more time but he will surely be able to tell more than you alone.

 

[Deadly Snark]

As a sidenote, I have been working on an interesting snippet which will be posted when this thread is done, but I am not entirely sure what it is yet.

Does anyone have anything they'd like to see which is (at least vaguely) connected to the situation at hand?

Click to shrink...

Hmm, maybe something from the unfortunate Magical girl's PoV?

[X] Grab Anubismon before you head there, it will take more time but he will surely be able to tell more than you alone.

 

[Talos]

"Whatever happened here, it certainly left its mark." Anubismon said as the three of you surveyed the wreckage of the city. A dozen retorts sprang to mind, though you voiced none of them. Jade had described the scene of the battle as ''melted'' but that wasn't quite the case. The street was cracked and depressed as though it had borne a great weight, cars had been roughly shoved aside and then twisted in some kind of fire. Their sides ran molten, and they still glowed faintly orange in the thick shroud of mist which you had summoned. The heart of the metal hissed and spat as the water in the fog covered it; the ground too was molten and fiery.

"Look at the building." Anubismon said, his voice strangely unconcerned. You turned your head and saw that every building on both sides of the street had been effected in the same way; the front had been crushed as though by some great force applied slowly. Clash had shattered, and metal was not bent at odd angles, the odd molten rivulet running down to the cracked street below. Below your feet, the tarmac too had been melted by a great heat of some kind, and then frozen again in the moleten state. You could see now how it had cracked and bubbled, running together with the metal of the street lights and cars.

There had been people here too. Or at least, the charred bones probably meant that. There wasn't any flesh or clothes left to be sure, and most of the bones had been burned away as well but you felt sure that there probably weren't that many dogs or cats in the street at that time.

"Some dark force was unleashed here." You said without preamble. "I can feel it in the air. Like smoke after a fire."

"An apt simile." Anubismon commented, and despite the soft tone of his voice you were not sure whether he was mocking you or not. "We should see if we can detect just who did this." He said.

You nodded, though privately you had your doubts. Trying to sense any subtle cue with an angelic Digimon like Anubismon nearby would be like trying to scent food through thick cloying smog. He chocked you up merely by standing next to you, and your every instinct was to attack or to run. He was a mega Digimon and servant of the very light that you had once cast aside.

He was not like the angels which you had grown up around. In angel circles, the number of wings was a rough guide to rank within a structure. Angemon had three pairs, marking him as fairly low ranked within the heavenly order. At four pairs, MagnaAngemon was higher ranked and with five Seraphimon was known to be one of the mightiest angels around. Anubismon bore only two wings – one pair, and they were not the soft light of purity and hope, but rather golden in colour, with gentle feathers that seemed to reach further and further the more you looked. His upper body was that of a jackel, but the proportions were off. A slim chest, two long arms, and a tapered face that was far more gentle than that of the predatory animal from which it took its form. His eyes were old, as were those of most high ranked angels and he had that aura of wisdom that most took once they reached a certain age. You'd always despised that. It felt too much like taking on airs to which you had no entitlement. Only one Digimon had ever worn that well, and she was the one who had handed you Loweemon.

As well as wisdom, there was a sense of purpose to Anubismon which you had not expected at first. It wasn't power, but rather that he seemed to know things beyond most others and that these guided his actions. Worse, he was frustrating about it. One of those ones who could never provide a simple answer.

Despite his gentle appearance and soft spoken demeanour, it was impossible to forget that he was also the lord of the dead, and that in his realm no one held more power than he. His duty was to select those who would reincarnate, and to lock away evil souls so that they could do no more harm.

"All right, Jade where did you say the Magical Girl was?" You asked, mostly to get your mind off the jackal angel. He was almost elematic of the things that you hated about the angels. That aura of effortless grace, and the claim to be doing some greater good while leaving others to suffer. Let him sniff at the air like a dog, you would examine the only confirmed clue that you had so far.

"Right over here." Jade lead you across from the angel, and to a spot behind the calcified husk of a wall. She'd clearly tried to take cover here, but it probably hadn't worked.

"Some fight." Jade said.

"Oh?" You said. "Tell me what you think happened."

She looked at you, but shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but I think she probably intercepted whatever Digimon it was that bio-emerged. It turned out to be stronger than she expected and a proper fight broke out. It must have been over quickly..."

"No." You said. " It was a longer battle. If you'll look, the buildings were crushed by an aura of effect attack, but the force was directed outwards not downwards. The street is damaged too, and quite heavily so we can infer that several powerful attacks were being thrown around. If more than one was employed, then the girl was probably able to return in kind. We can therefore assume that the fight was more than one way."

"You can tell all that in a single look?"

"I had more than one." You said. "But I was subtle about. Learn that, its a good trick to have and it can save your life to know more than people expect you to."

"Hmmp." Jade sounded less than pleased. "If it had been over quickly, less people would have been drawn. She should not have fought it if she wasn't sure she could win."

"Perhaps she was." You replied absently, bending down to examine the body of the girl. "She obviously dealt with the first ones easily enough. To us Digimon, the power between a champion and a mega is obvious, but to a human? Perhaps not so much."

Her smile quirked up.

"I am not sure that I count as a Digimon."

You shrugged, and examined then girl before you. She had the nondescript and ageless look of all Puella past a certain point. Her hair was dark, and long. It lay in a pool below her head. She was wearing what seemed to be a school uniform of white, with black leggings and a skirt. Her eyes were tightly closed, and her fists clenched in a last defiance. Her whole body was dirty and bloody, but there were no serious injuries that ought to have brought her down. Rather, the lack of a Soul Gem which told you why she was laid low.

"I am surprised that the body lasted so long out here." Jade said. "With the state of the rest of the street, I'd expect it to be roasted by now."

"Maybe the Soul Gem protected her while it was nearby." You said. "I do not think I have seen this girl before. I'd say that she was new, but she has obviously been hunting Digimon for some time. She muist have been powerful."

"Her magic was unique." Said Anubismon as he came up behind you. " This whole street reverberates with a clash of power that echoes even now. The effects linger between shadows, and in the space between time."

"I have no idea what you just said." Jade said. "Except that she was probably strong."

Anubismon bent down by the body, one hand gently going to her neck as though he was checking for a pulse. You felt a surge of power, and a complicated little number that sent your head for a spin. Then...

"Her Soul Gem is still active, though quite far away. The connection is weak, but I should be able to track whoever did this so long as he holds the Gem."

"We should go after him." Jade said. She looked at you. "Powerful enough to melt a street, powerful enough to be a threat."

True. You thought. Especially if its CurseDevimon, however he has to have some plan. Attacking a random Magical Girl doesn't make sense, with the kind of power he threw around he has to know that we would notice. Is it a trap? A means of revenge? If so, walking into it would be bad. He's powerful enough that he could do serious damage before we knew he was ambushing us. Easily enough to destroy some of us...

You remembered Jade bloody and bowed, falling to the ground as the data of her body lost cohesion. It was not an imagined image, but a memory of how close he had come. And he has been toying with her then, what if he actually went for the kill this time?

"Have there been any other attacks?" Anubismon asked, interrupting your morbid thoughts.

"No." Jade said. "There are only a few Puella left in the city, and apart from her, we'd been keeping tabs on every one."

"So, this battle was for a reason. We know that he could probably escape easily." Anubismon mused aloud. "A not insignificant amount of power was also used, wasted if not for a purpose... why this girl alone? If he seeks to drain power from a Soul Gem why not others? Why not weaker prey? Enough time has passed since the fight that he probably could. The abilities of each Puella are unique, perhaps he could not escape...or perhaps the abilities were what he was after?" He shook his head. "No, impossible. Even with the Soul Gem he could not force the use of her abilities. Not unless he had some form of mental control, and even then why so much effort for a single girl?"

You left him to his thoughts, and found a quiet corner of the melted street. Sitting down, you drew your cloak about you and closed your eyes. Let your mind sink into your well of strength and reached out with your probes. In a strange way, you ''tasted'' the air around you. Much like you had the Grief Seed earlier. It tasted of despair, and anger, a flinty determination yes. The rush of combat, fear, excitement, though not as much of the latter as might be expected. There was no undirected anger, so Anubismon was right on that score. This had been a battle with a purpose on both sides...

The air was filled with power. Like how after an eruption, particles took some time to settle. If you were careful, you could get a read on the attacker. What you noticed at first was the sheer darkness of the trace. Not power, but simply shadow. The taint of the Dark Area worn like a cloak. It gave you the impression of a sea of shadows bound only by a flimsy dam, and the knowledge that it could be broken at any times. That the whole world could be buried in the roaring surge of a dark ocean that consumed all enemies.

Not the Dark Ocean thankfully. Merely a dark ocean. It reminded you of the aura that Seraphimon or Ophanimon had worn, only then it had been light. It was like a presence beyond themselves which spread out the longer they were present in a single location. It had brought hope and faith to those in need, but this one would have the opposite effect. Despair and terror.

The Witches that could be spawned from this...

You opened your eyes; a cold shiver making its way down your spine.

"We must find whoever did this." You said. "Their power is quite high. It is certainly a threat. Worse, the longer they remain the more Witches will be born."

I think I know what did this. Loweemon said slowly. But you're not going to like it. It was a very powerful dark Digimon of the Nightmare Soldier class. Easily a mega. And there is something else too, but it doesn't make sense... I'll tell you once I have had a chance to look into it.

Agreed. You said. The Nightmare Soldiers were the elite warriors of the shadow, they claimed such noble lines as your own as well as the Beelzamon, SkullGreymon, LadyDevimon and Piedmon lines. Whenever a mega showed up, it was always trouble.

What did you plan to do about it?

[]"Anubismon, open the portal and find the Gem. We must locate this monster before it spreads its power. It will form a castle first, a stronghold... we should strike before it builds itself up."

[] "This creature is a Nightmare Soldier, we may be wary." Tell of the legend of the Nightmare Soldiers, and their leaders the Demon Lords.

[]"We should gather our forces before departing. Anubismon, summon aid from your allies. I shall do the same."

[] Write In.

 

[Deadly Snark]

Hmm, shit I think this was Homura. Which is kind of bad in all sorts of ways.

[X] "This creature is a Nightmare Soldier, we may be wary." Tell of the legend of the Nightmare Soldiers, and their leaders the Demon Lords.
[X]"Anubismon, open the portal and find the Gem. We must locate this monster before it spreads its power. It will form a castle first, a stronghold... we should strike before it builds itself up."

 

[Vanathor]

[X] "This creature is a Nightmare Soldier, we may be wary." Tell of the legend of the Nightmare Soldiers, and their leaders the Demon Lords.
[X]"Anubismon, open the portal and find the Gem. We must locate this monster before it spreads its power. It will form a castle first, a stronghold... we should strike before it builds itself up."

 

[Talos]

All right, who do you want to bring? I'd incorporate it into the update but since you want to tell the tale too this will save time. Your current allies are as follows:

ChaosGallantmon (Probably comes with Sayaka, still a bit winded from his battle with CurseDevimon but mostly recovered now.)

Phantomon (Less powerful than most of your allies here, a master sorcerer but his defensive abilities are very limited.)

Urocoymon (a rookie, and with almost no offensive abilities. Honestly, you can't think of a single reason to bring him. His signature ability doesn't even work that well in the Real World.)

You can bring all or none of the above, but remember that your choice will have consequences before too long.

 

[Deadly Snark]

Before we decide, I have to ask, will the choices that we won't bring be protecting Madoka?

 

[Talos]

Not unless you tell them too. I mean, Madoka is probably not a target that you can tell. She has not contracted so even if this Nightmare Soldier is hunting Magical Girls she will not be threatened. Phantomon will pretty much protect her automatically, but he will follow you if you ask him to. Then again, Sayaka is Madoka's friend and will probably hang out with her and protect her for a while if you convince ChaosGallantmon that she should.

 

[Talos]

"This creature is a Nightmare Soldier." You said, opening your eyes and standing. You ran a hand carefully over your velvet cloak, to brush away the dust and glass. "Caution will have to be foremost."

"A Nightmare Soldier?" Jade asked. "That's one of the classifications Digimon fall into, right? Like Virus Buster or Nature Spirit."

"The answer is both yes and no." Anubismon said with his usual annoying refusal to stick to a position. "Myotismon will happily explain, I am sure."

Thanks. You thought with a grimace, but Jade was looking to you now and you could not refuse. Well, you could but you felt you owed it to the girl and besides, you remembered Ophanimon had taken the time to explain things to you when you were young and look at how that had turned out!

...ok bad example.

"A Digimon can be one of several classes." You began in the voice of a lecturer. "It can even belong to multiple classes. The classes usually are related to what it is or how it lives. Forest creatures are often in the class of Nature Spirits, and warriors are often Virus Busters. Nightmare Soldier is the term for a type of Digimon native to the Dark Area, however, there's more to it than that."

You sat back again, this was going to be a long one. You remembered all the way back to when Ophanimon had given you much the same speech. Everyone had been much simpler then, and you remembered how easily it had seemed to slot into place. Nightmare Soldiers were creatures unworthy of mercy and incapable of redemption, they ought to be hunted down and destroyed. Yet now here you stood as a very member of that class yourself. Strange the twists fate throws at one.

"Before I describe what a Nightmare Soldier, you should know of the Dark Area and the creatures that once ruled there. Back when the Digital World was first formed, there were basically three forces that vied for power. The first was Yggdrasial, the World Computer. This was before his knights, so his reach was not yet too great. The second was the forerunner to the Dominion of Light. Back then, a Lucemon was in charge. I'll get to him in a bit. The last one was the one and only GranDracmon. A monster with amazing power over darkness and shadow. Every Myotismon or LadyDevimon can trace their lineage back to him, as can many others. It is said that he was powerful enough to contend with Yggdrasial himself.

Now at the time, the Dominion (Let's just call it that even though it had a different name then) acted much as the Royal Knights do now. They policed the Digital World in search of evil or injustice. There was not much evil then, other than GranDracmon and it is said that the chaos of the digital world was not yet set in motion. It was a time of great peace, but of course it could not last.

The Lucemon who was in charge of the Dominion grew prideful and arrogant, like most angels, he came to believe that he was the sole arbitrator of right and wrong, but unlike others, he acted freely upon it. His power was so great that none could oppose him save for his three students who he had been grooming as his elite servants. An Ophanimon, A Cherubimon and a Seraphimon. They rose against him, but were defeated. Even together, the three of them were no match for the combined might of darkness and light.

The Three Celestial Digimon were aided then by ten mighty warriors. Like Lucemon or GranDracmon, they were something else. No one is quite sure what. Remnants of the force of creation itself, perhaps. With ten of them, and the Celestial Digimon, they were able to seal Lucemon but in the end he had already done his damage. The world was forever scarred and altered. Chaos, war, bloodshed, all on the hands of Lucemon."

Your shook your head, throwing off the images that the story had conjured. Though Jade did not have an appreciation for what you were saying, you knew yourself that last battle must have been nightmarish. The full power of the Ten who would go on to become the Spirits as well as the first three Celestial Digimon all arrayed against a single angel, and yet, it was Lucemon who had killed again and again. Breaking the mightiest warriors of the Digital World until only two stood remaining, not counting the angels.

" Lucemon's touch was corruptive, and lingered for many years. In fact, it would eventually lead to the organisation known as the Demon Lords. Despite this, it was his pupil, Seraphimon who would actually found the group. As the years passed, he grew resentful of Yggdrasil, who claimed to be the God of the Digital World. I don't know what set it off, but in the end, he raised an army and attacked the crystal fortress of the World Computer. The other two would horrified at the ends to which he would go, but could not stand against him. He led the forces loyal to him personally into the very maw of hell, and battled Yggdrasial himself. There, it is said that he defeated the World Computer and for a moment, wrested his power from him."

You let it sink in, and wondered what it must have felt like for Seraphimon, to hold for even one moment all the power in the world. The ability to erase or create as he saw fit. Yet, you did not know how he could accomplish such a goal, for even the strongest Seraphimon was no match for Yggdrasial.

You looked to Jade, who was caught up in the tale and then to Anubismon who was watching with a certain amount of detached interest. Wait, how old was he? Could he have actually been there?

"What he saw horrified him. It was the first time that any Digimon had looked out upon what we know now to be the Real World. Seraphimon learned that our creators were not beings of perfection and order, but rather, that they were flawed and weak. That he himself was superior to them in power and in morality. He felt betrayed; that he should serve such beings and that all he had taught and been taught was a lie."

You let a smirk cover your face as you gort to your favourite part of the tale.

"And so, Seraphimon, greatest of the Celestial Trio learned to hate. He retired to himself for many years, and in isolation, he decided that Lucemon had been right to rebel. The truth was that humans were pathetic beings, undeserving of having created Digimon, and because of this, the Digital World was flawed and could not be allowed to continue. He gave into his anger, and travelled to the Dark Area which was where GranDracmom had ruled alone. No one knows what he said when he met the other, but we do know that when he returned, he was changed.

What emerged was Daemon; his wrath would become legend, but it burned cold and not hot. Schemes and plans were his bread and butter, and he sought to bring the Digital World crashing down. His original goals were lost, and now he existed but to bring suffering in the name of ''justice,'' directed against humans in particular. In the years to come, he would clash again and again with the other, but he could never overcome them nor they him.

Soon, followers began to flock to his cause. Those of a similar mindset embraced his power, and so, the first Devimon were born. Ever since that day, the darkness has remained in every angel. They fall because of that act of anger." A pause. "So it is said." You added a bit lamely.

As the years went by, more powerful beings were born from the shadow until there were seven in total. Daemon was their leader, but their power was no less than his. Indeed, Lucemon had even joined his former student, though his true power was still sealed away. Those soldiers that joined him were known as the Nightmare Soldiers, and the battle between them and the Dominion of Light was the first true war that the Digital World had ever seen.

In the end, Yggdrasial created the Royal Knights, and the Seer Council rose from their own mysterious founding, together with the Dominion they battled the Demon Lords one last time, and sealed them away forever in the Dark Area they once ruled.

The term ''Nightmare Soldier'' became a generic one for any Dark Digimon of a certain line, but those that bear the title are still marked with the power of Daemon in some ways. As such, a mega level of that line is extremely dangerous. Monsters like Piedmon, who was a Dark Master, or Beelzamon who rose to become a Demon Lord in his own right. Even after their death, their names and legends carry on."

"Mostly accurate." Anubismon said. "And I will not trouble you with the details, but suffice it to say that if the Digimon which attacked here was powerful enough to invoke such darkness, it is a very dangerous being indeed. We must be careful. Myotismon, gather your allies and I shall do the same. We meet back here in one hour."

You nodded, mind already working on who to bring. Your first thought was Phantomon, as he was the one you were sure you could trust to watch your back but at the same time, you doubted he would like leaving his pet human for too long. ChaosGallantmon was extremely powerful as a mega, but you were not sure just how well he had recovered from his near fatal wounding at the hand of CurseDevimon.


So, I decided to split the updates into two parts, the next one will be the one where you go through the portal after you decide who you want to bring, to, to reiterate:

[] ChaosGallantmon (Probably comes with Sayaka, still a bit winded from his battle with CurseDevimon but mostly recovered now.)

[] Phantomon (Less powerful than most of your allies here, a master sorcerer but his defensive abilities are very limited.)

] Urocoymon (a rookie, and with almost no offensive abilities. Honestly, you can't think of a single reason to bring him. His signature ability doesn't even work that well in the Real World.)

You can bring all or none of the above, but remember that your choice will have consequences before too long.

 

[Talos]

So. anyone up for a vote?

 

[Robotninja]

[] ChaosGallantmon (Probably comes with Sayaka, still a bit winded from his battle with CurseDevimon but mostly recovered now.)

 

[Deadly Snark]

[X] Phantomon (Less powerful than most of your allies here, a master sorcerer but his defensive abilities are very limited.)

I just want to get the gang back together, plus his magical abilities should work well with our increased defensive abilities in our Spirit from.

[X] Urocoymon (a rookie, and with almost no offensive abilities. Honestly, you can't think of a single reason to bring him. His signature ability doesn't even work that well in the Real World.)

He'll stay on the sideline to watch and if anything goes wrong/FUBAR, since he's the one most capable of getting help in the most timely manner.

 

[Talos]

Imma go with Snark's choice purely because it allows Robotninja to also have his choice. I have the update mostly done now, should be ready to post soon.

 

[Talos]

When you gathered again at the spot on the street, you were surprised to see that Anubismon had not been kidding when he said he was calling for reinforcements. Two beings stood at his side, and though they were not fellow council-members, you didn't doubt their power.

One of them was a canine-Digimon, his haunches muscles and covered in dark fur. Black armour covered its upper body, and one metal head sprouted above each soulders. All four of its feet were wickedly clawed, and three long sabres sprouted from the leg above them as though it was not enough on its own.

Its eyes were cold, and drool fell from its open mouth in great loops. Despite its bestial appearance, you had the sense of power and danger from it, and a slight ethereal quality that told you that like Anubismon himself, it was not entirely of the world of the living.

Despite its haunched look, it was taller than the average man if it could stand up right, and its back legs looked powerful and ready to spring.

Beside it, you spotted another figure. This one more humanoid. A lanky figure with skeletal proportions. His flesh was grey and rotting, though you could see very little of it through the age-worn bandages which covered his body. Sharp talons emerged from each hand, and his teeth were filed to a point. He was carrying a gun as big as he was, which rather went against the whole ancient warrior thing you felt, but eh, you didn't care much.

"Myotismon." Anubismon said, seeing you. "At last you are here, my forces are prepared. My two lieutenants stand before you. Cerberumon, who guards the gate to the afterlife and Mummymon who is my hand in the worlds of the living. Both of them have served me for centuries, and both have power enough for any task. Their loyalty is above question."

You nodded, taking the comment at face value. Both of them were also of the Nightmare Soldier class, but to bring that up would be a contradiction of his prior statement, besides, so were you when it came right down to it.

[Scene of group meeting chosen allies]

"In that case, allow me to introduce my own motley group of forces." You said, nodding to the group who had followed you to the street. "Phantomon, you probably know by now. He is my own lieutenant, and serves just as faithfully."

Phantomon looked up from the desolated city street in time to nod towards Anubismon before his attention drifted back to the scene. He was doing what you had done before; reaching out with his mind. You made a mental note to talk to him later, but you doubted you'd get different answers.

"As for the rest, ChaosGallantmon whom you undoubtedly already know well, and Urocyomon who may be able to boast the same."

ChaosGallantmon was standing tall at the back of the group, though he had not denied your request you got the feeling he wasn't too happy to be separated from Sayaka who he had been working with. His blue cloak shifted slightly as the wind caught it; his shining silver armour gleamed. If you looked closely, you could still see the cracks; scars of his battle with a Dark General, but other than that he was recovered. Rearing even to go out and fight.

He inclined his head to Anubismon, a gesture of familiarity that was quickly returned. The two had worked together often it seemed, for they were soon talking in hushed tones.

Urocyomon was less thrilled. He was a rookie, and one that did not boast of any offensive abilities of note. You were only taking him for his special power, his matter transportation ability was practically unique, but you did not know how well it would work in the Real World.

The group which had been gathered was stronger than you could have hoped. Mummymon, Cerberumon and Phantomon were ultimates, but powerful ones. Anubismon was a mega, and you yourself could fight on the mega tier. Add into that Jade and ChaosGallantmon..

"Now." Anubismon said. "We are ready to begin."

You were silent as the lord of the dead paced towards the body of the girl. As before, he kneeled down by its side, and almost gently placed a hand on its neck. Again, you felt that surge of power, that complicated little twist which was not quite a spell, but rather something all together more ancient.

"The bond is intact". He intoned. "The Soul Gem is still active, and there is a chance to save her. Now, watch as I invoke the power of my station."

The world around you began to grow grey, and you realised that Anubismon was pulling you all towards the world of the dead. Not entirely, but rather more like a half-measure,. A place between places. As he did so, you saw that his true form was becoming more and more clear. His wings glowed until they were like suns, and his body began to loose its shape, his outline blurred and you felt rather than saw the power he wielded.

Then he held up a hand, and the world snapped back into place, but the place it was now was not the place it had been. Gone was the street and the sounds of cars and people. Gone were the buildings which rose up around you in mimicry of the place you had been born. Gone too was the scent of pollution which filled the air, the stink of mankind or the feeling of thousands of souls all pressed together.

The cold hit you like a wave; a blistering wave of ice and snow which literally smacked you in the face. You felt the kiss of the snowflakes as they fell, and the crunch of the stuff beneath your feet. You cast about yourself for an anchor, but found little of familiarity. There were no buildings, no human souls for miles in every direction. The horizon was free of buildings, save for one.

"Where...are we?" Jade asked.

"The North Pole, I believe you call it." Anubismon answered. "The connection was very weak so I was not able to bring us out next to it, but I believe our next target is obvious."

Indeed, it was. Before you there rose a great castle of ice and stone which towered into the sky. Towers jabbed up through the ground, and spiky walls ringed the keep which glowed to your eyes with a dark strength all of its own.

"Well." You said, speaking for the group. "A castle of ice. How original."

"Maybe he has a thing for snow?" Jade said.

"We shall see." Anubismon answered. "His base is within this castle, I can feel the Soul Gem, but also something else..." His voice wavered. "Something that I have not felt in some time... there may be more danger than we thought. We must move quickly."

"Something is hunting us..." Cerberumon growled suddenly, his voice rough and the words almost lost to the growling bark. "Something makes us prey!"

"Hmm." Mummymon spun his rifle up and caught it easily, he put his eye to the sight, and seemed to trace across the castle walls. "I am detecting no signs of life save for in the keep." He intoned. "Are you sure old friend?"

"I am never wrong!" Cerberumon growled. "A beast stalks these lands, it wishes to feed!"

"Melodramatic as that is." ChaosGallantmon was looking around, his head rotating from one tower to the next. "I concur. There is a sense of danger here, of darkness. I do not believe that we arrived unnoticed."

Anubismon wasn't happy, his movements had become more harried, and he seemed anxious.

"The longer we stay here, the more time the darkness will have to grow and consume. We should not be distracted."

"I swear to you!" Cerberumon snarled. "There is something that watches us from the darkness!"

Your eyes went from shadow to shadow, and there were a lot of them. Cast by the walls, under the towers, the joining between vast risings of ice. What could be hiding in there?
What did you do?

[] If your arrival had been noted, there was no point to stealth. Just blow in the wall.

[] You decided to announce yourself. "I am Myotismon, this world is mine! Who challenges me for that right?"

[]Split the group, have one track down those that hunt you and the other proceed to the keep. [Write in who you want to go where]

[]Turn the matter over to Anubismon

[] Write In.

 

[Robotninja]

[] You decided to announce yourself. "I am Myotismon, this world is mine! Who challenges me for that right?"
There are times when open confrontation can be an advantage. Not confronting us can give us a claim or edge on the castle if we do this.

 

[Deadly Snark]

[X] If your arrival had been noted, there was no point to stealth. Just blow in the wall.

Ah fuck it. Guns blazing!!

 

[Redon]

[X] If your arrival had been noted, there was no point to stealth. Just blow in the wall.

It's technically a rescue mission after all.