You are Marnie, an unwilling resident of City 87-O. After years of putting up with a stifling existence, you've finally managed to carve out a potential path to freedom. Thanks to the actions of you, your Digimon, and your allies, a way out of this digital ark is finally coming into sight. After training hard, carrying out arduous missions, and defeating several powerful foes, your partner, Phascomon, has unlocked his Ultimate-stage Digivolution: Astamon. Only a few steps remain before you can ascend The Tower, enter the portal at its pinnacle, and make your way into the real world, where you can finally see the sights that have eluded you all your life.Since your last excursion into the depths of a data center, you’ve been taking it easy at home, watching the news near-constantly while waiting for bots to bust down your door. Fortunately, no such thing seems to be incoming. The raid on the scanning facility has gone unreported, thanks to the lack of public-facing damage, and the city-sanctioned media has no reason to broadcast their own attempt to take you and your allies down. ==Thread 1:https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6216903/Thread 2:https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2025/6254189
However, in the criminal underbelly of the city, frequented by cynical youths by yourself, video footage has been circulating for the past three weeks. Censored clips of bots and City Digimon firing on humans have been uploaded onto the network, courtesy of your Code Cracker friend. A sentiment of discontent is spreading among those in the know, and mistrust is turning into outright anger among the most disenfranchised delinquents. Using this propaganda, the underground terrorist cell you’ve allied with—the Dogs of War— have been amping up their recruitment efforts and making up for the numbers they lost during the deadly raid on their base. You’ve seen hidden codes on the walls of subway stations and alleyways, and you’ve spotted more than a few encrypted ads online. Communication has been sparse, so you’re unsure how well this initiative is going. Either way, you’ll need to contact them again soon and push for further contact. You’ve spent the last three weeks relaxing, since your partner’s power-up negated the need for harsh training, but you’re both eager to move forward with your bid for freedom. On a dreary Wednesday afternoon, you watch numerous Digimon circle around The Tower, before making their way Southward- Brigadramon chief among them. You finally decide to get up and stretch your legs, after spending the last two days sedentary. "Where are you going?" Phascomon asks, from his brand new plush armchair. He's become fond of it ever since he Digivolved. "I need to take a walk. You coming?" He flicks the remote with his claw and turns off the television. "You bet, I'm getting bored too.""Hololize." He transforms into a trail of data and returns to your wrist-bound Digivice.
You step out onto the street, wary of the patrolling bots. Just like last time, they've been doing street surveys to collect metadata from human citizens, in order to identify their locations at the time of Operation Augur. Thanks to the trusty encryption suite that you received from Doc Cracker, you've managed to spoof your location and feed false info to the bots. You're not out of the woods yet, though. Despite passing yet another inspection, if you ever do anything suspicious, they might be inclined to review your very first metadata submission, and discover that it was flagged incorrectly. As such, you've made sure to stay cooped up at home, only leaving for small errands or when boredom hit the very limit. Today, you're feeling more dull than ever. "Anywhere in mind?" Phascomon asks. There are some spots you could visit. Your next goal is to visit the hospital, preferably with the help of an ally or two, and see if you can find a Cutemon. Obtaining the little Digimon will help cure your friend, Bella, of the damage done to her model and data during the last mission. You're not quite ready for action, but you could visit just to scout it out.Doc Cracker has also been asking for you. You'll want to head over to his apartment eventually, but today might be a good day for it. He's very interested in hearing about Phascomon's transformation into Astamon, and you feel like you owe him enough to oblige. Or you could push both of these tasks aside and just try to enjoy your day. You and Phascomon have been growing closer over time, it might be nice to go enjoy some of the City's activities with him. He'll have to watch from inside the Linker, but you can still spend a fun day together. You could do with some more active relaxation after the long string of high-intensity action you've dealt with recently.>Scout out the hospital. You'll be going there sometime, and you want to keep an eye out for security measures, Digimon traces, and network access points.>Head to your usual Code Cracker, Doc. He's interested in doing some research on your partner, and it'll be nice to catch up with him again. You also need to send him the data from the last tool of his that you used.>Spend the day relaxing with Phascomon and finding something to do outdoors. You haven't done stuff like this in a long while, but as you found out last time, it's far more fun when with a friend.
Busy busy weekend, and took a few days off, but back with thread three! Short timeskip into the future.Big thanks to kind drawanon for the thread image, it's badass
>>6297144>>Head to your usual Code Cracker, Doc. He's interested in doing some research on your partner, and it'll be nice to catch up with him again. You also need to send him the data from the last tool of his that you used.the cutemon's more important, but if we're not ready for a fight then it can wait.
>>6297157+1Take it easy with prep
>>6297144>Head to your usual Code Cracker, Doc. He's interested in doing some research on your partner, and it'll be nice to catch up with him again. You also need to send him the data from the last tool of his that you used.And tell him about the podding.>>6297146You're welcome, OP. The least I can do.
>>6297144>Scout out the hospital. You'll be going there sometime, and you want to keep an eye out for security measures, Digimon traces, and network access points.I feel bad for her.
>>6297144Visit the Doc. He might be crackerd but he is the best guy we know
>>6297144>Spend the day relaxing with Phascomon and finding something to do outdoors. You haven't done stuff like this in a long while, but as you found out last time, it's far more fun when with a friend.
>>6297157>>6297187>>6297297>>6297481>>6297389>>6297522Writing!
>Head to your usual Code Cracker, Doc. He's interested in doing some research on your partner, and it'll be nice to catch up with him again. You also need to send him the data from the last tool of his that you used."Maybe we could just see how Doc is doing." "Good idea. I hope he's alright in his new house.""Just don't make any more comments about the place, alright...?""No promises- Hey! Okay! I was kidding!" He says, as you start rattling the Digivice.You pack your things up, make sure your smuggling partition is loaded up with your remaining tools, then head downstairs and back to Doc's place. You're in need of a refill anyway. Your supplies have been low, and you've been eyeing your empty coffers during your three week break. As you exit your apartment through the front door, you see several bots on the other side of the street, scanning people for their metadata. Even though you've passed the check already, you stay far away from them. You'd rather not chance any interaction.As you walk, you keep up a stream of conversation with Phascomon. "It's nice to be out again." "Yeah. I know we don't need to train much anymore, but I'd even take the sewers over doing nothing for so long.""Napping all day not your thing anymore?" "Don't get me wrong- nothing beats a twenty-four hour snoozefest. But ever since Digivolving, yeah, I've felt like I've needed less of it. Like I've got more power stored up.""That's good. There must have been a lot of data packed in there." "Oh yeah, tons. Hey, remind me to ask Doc what an OOPART even is. I've been wondering!" You take note of that. After a bit more walking, you reach the seedier part of town, where the bots rarely approach.
It’s a bit more chaotic than usual. You spy a few older teens leaping across a rooftop, moving in lazy arcs thanks to their f1oat activations. On the ground, several of them are spraying graffiti onto a wall. The shortest one is varnishing it with persistence code, ensuring that automatic resets can’t wipe the artwork out. They ignore you, until you come across a street brawl. Several different punks are punching each other sloppily. You’ve been in some scraps before. It’s easy to get carried away when there are guardrails in place. With just bare hands, or even improvised weapons, there’s only so much pain someone can feel in the simulation. Only damage to one’s data can breach that threshold, and Digimon are the most common culprits with their deadly attacks. After being on the receiving end several times, you’ve come to appreciate the City’s decision on this front. Pain sucks.Just as you think that, one of the teens flings a trash can lid at another’s head, intent on getting him in the teeth. He ducks, causing the disc to fly right at your face. Phascomon acts before you even parse the danger. Data begins streaming from your Digivice as he attempts to materialize and destroy the threat. Fortunately for you both, your reaction is almost as fast. You clasp your hand over your wrist, disrupting the process and stopping him from hololizing in front of countless spectators. Only then do you glance up to see what he was riled up over. The whole sequence of events only takes three seconds or so, but it’s enough for the lid to get close and smack you in the bridge of the nose. You flinch, feeling your face go numb. Your head is rocked backwards, but it’s nothing compared to a bullet. You're left unfazed.The brawlers start yelling out in indignation and pushing the blame to one another. The guy who dodged the lid walks over, looking you up and down. “Sorry! You okay? Didn’t mean to drag you into-“ “I’m fine.” You say, brushing it off as you look towards Doc’s building in the distance. You feel your Digivice vibrate, and you can tell that Phascomon is livid at them. “Huh. That looked like a big hit. You really okay? Nothing at all?” He asks, his eyes going wide. “What? I said I was fine, go back to your slapping.” You retort, already beginning to walk off. The sound of their fighting dies down, and when you glance back, you see that many of them are staring at you in wonder. Maybe to them, these hits actually mean something. But you’ve had worse. Dangerous beasts have tried to destroy you with all manner of attacks. A stray shot from a metal lid is nothing. Even though these guys are sick of the city's artificial confines, they're still engaging in it with their acts of rebellion. A while ago, you were just like this. But now that you have a Digimon, you're making a real difference, you're pursuing your dreams with actual power. You no longer need to walk on the ground like them.
By the time you enter the apartment, you've forgotten about the sensation on your face. Phascomon isn't so eager to let it go, though. "Those little rats! Dragging others into their stupid little scrap!""You know I can't let you out just to deal with them... Too much heat." "I know, I know..." "And they were just playing around anyway.""Just gets me mad, is all. I'm supposed to be strong enough to-" "You are. It's not the same, okay? That wasn't a real danger. It's not going to be the same anymore. Just watch." He nods uneasily on the screen. =="Marnie! There you are. Been too long." Doc cries, as soon as you enter. Unlike last time, he's waiting at the door for you, instead of having one of his Kokuwamon usher you in. "Hey, Doc." "You seem like you're in a good mood. Any space for me?" Phascomon asks.You feel the air. It's much colder than before, he must have some sort of new coolant system in place. "Yes, lots! Come on out, my good chum, and let's get a look at you." "Hololize." As you place your partner on the carpet, you examine Doc's overjoyed expression, and break into a smile of your own. He must be excited to examine a Digimon with Ultimate-level potential. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him, and you've delivered it. He's eager to get going, and his fingers are veritably twitching. "Doc, the heat sinks are all activated." Solarmon says, floating around a corner. The Digimon gives the two of you a friendly wave, and you return the gesture. "Thank you kindly. I've prepared for this, Phascomon. Sinks are on, coolant is running, storage racks are setup, my little apartment is now ready for your biggest form. Make yourself at home." "If it bricks, just turn back." You say. Reassured, Phascomon clambers onto the sofa and Digivolves. "Phascomon, Digivolve to..." You feel energy pass between you both, but summoned solely by your partner. It's another sign of your massive progress. You feel the partition grow many fathoms hotter, and for a moment, you fear that Doc has underestimated his capacity. Fortunately, before it becomes too hot to tolerate, Phascomon transforms into a bipedal figure, clad in a pinstriped suit, a luscious coat, and a massive gun slung over his shoulder. |"ASTAMON!"He clasps an already lit cigar between two fingers, blowing simulated smoke into the sweltering air. "Buon giorno, Doc."
"MARVELOUS!" He yells, clapping his hands and standing up to examine him from every angle. His enthusiasm reminds you of Squid,and it makes you laugh a little. Doc rarely loses control in front of you, but this is revolutionary for him. Fortunately, he regains his decorum soon enough. He coughs and settles down into a stool, looking at the both of you. "Ah- I've forgotten my manners. Kokuwamon!" Kokuwamon 1 walks into the room with a platter of snacks and several cups of tea. The little Digimon waves to you happily, then returns to the back. "There we go. Now, I believe you have a lot to begin sharing?">Start talking about the raid before anything else. That was the most important event that happened recently. Explain Operation Augur, Sealsdramon's attack, and everything that led up to Astamon's digivolution.>Allow him to examine Astamon first. He's clearly excited about this, get it out of the way and let him sate your curiosity before you move on to different subjects.>Return the fiber optic cable that you used on Bella. The Lifel1ne.app should have data insights in it, which he can use to improve it in the future and make network travel safer.
>>6297724>Start talking about the raid before anything else. That was the most important event that happened recently. Explain Operation Augur, Sealsdramon's attack, and everything that led up to Astamon's digivolution.Set the stage first and foremost. We haven't seen Doc in a month and he needs to know
>>6297724>Start talking about the raid before anything else. That was the most important event that happened recently. Explain Operation Augur, Sealsdramon's attack, and everything that led up to Astamon's digivolution.
>>6297724>Allow him to examine Astamon first. He's clearly excited about this, get it out of the way and let him sate your curiosity before you move on to different subjects.I wouldn't force the cooling system too much.
>>6297724Changing vote from >>6297727 to backing >>6297743I don't wanna tax Doc's systems needlessly lest the system detect anything if anything goes wrong. We revert Astamon back to Phascomon after Doc's done, THEN we give him the full rundown
>>6297724>Allow him to examine Astamon first. He's clearly excited about this, get it out of the way and let him sate your curiosity before you move on to different subjects.Bah, fine. We shouldn't let the cooling run too long. He should be aware of the propaganda vids
>>6297785Good thinking.>>6297724>Allow him to examine Astamon first. He's clearly excited about this, get it out of the way and let him sate your curiosity before you move on to different subjects.
>>6297724>Allow him to examine Astamon first. He's clearly excited about this, get it out of the way and let him sate your curiosity before you move on to different subjects.
Locking!
>Allow him to examine Astamon first. He's clearly excited about this, get it out of the way and let him sate your curiosity before you move on to different subjects.You can tell that Astamon wants a chance to move around in this form and enjoy that sense of power. However, the partition just isn’t built for this. You nearly bricked your own home trying it, and this one is barely hanging on with all of Doc’s upgrades. No, you’ll need to revert him to his Rookie form as soon as possible. Better to get this out of the way.“It can wait. I think you’re raring to go. Why don’t you do your research first?” “Wise choice, I think I’d be too distracted to listen well. Astamon, how exactly did you hit this stage?” ”Didn’t need to beat an Ultimate like you suggested, Doc. But we did find a massive cache of data that must have been from one.” He begins to explain your adventure in the partition, keeping it light and steering away from the more exciting points. You chime in intermittently to steer the conversation back to the archives, and the mysterious package you found in the radar room. “Astamon was wondering what an OOPART is. We only got the name of it.”"Oro Salmón. Which I now know is my gun.""I'm no expert, but I've heard of these packets before. OOPART stands for 'Out of Place Artifact'. It means that the item itself is an anachronism." "A what?""It means they're out of place relative to their time periods. These are ancient packets of data that widely encompass old concepts from... who knows how many years ago?" "You mean like, back when humans were on Earth?" You ask, sitting up with sudden interest. "Probably. After all, our growth and progress as a species has been stalled ever since we entered the Digital World. There's not much history to speak of, so every bit of data that represents history has to come from before. Does this make sense?" "It does." Says Astamon, looking at his trusty gun with newfound awe. "It's kinda like my book, then.""So this weapon is ancient? It's a part of me now. But I can't quite unravel every aspect of it.""Don't beat yourself up now. Can you read and write from your own Digicore?" "No, not really. It just happens. Apart from the skills that I-""There you have it. It's a part of you, that doesn't mean you can pry it apart down to its ones and zeros. So don't fret about it." He nods, then spreads his arms out for Doc's scanner.
"Marvelous, marvelous... This form is many times denser than Porcupamon! Oh, I'd love to get a sample of a Cargodramon so I could compare it... But no, I don't dare make you do such a thing. Bringing one down is heat you cannot afford." "Yeah, we don't plan on it. Not unless it's unavoidable. But we should be fine inside a partition, right? Or the Network. We could try and get you an Ultimate sample now that we can actually fight them." "What are you checking for?" "There are types of data that I can identify. Insect data, beast data, sea beast, dark beast, reptile... I'm scanning you to see if you've swapped direction from your previous forms.""Oh. Well, I can tell you that. I went from Puppet to Demon Man.""Man sounds about right. You're substantially more humanoid. May I?" He asks, holding a hand out towards his face.Astamon shuffles, but nods."Just for you, Doc." Even when seated, he's quite a bit taller than you both. Doc needs to stand on a chair to start touching the humanoid lower half of your partner's face. He stops just shy of pulling at his lips, when Astamon growls in displeasure. "That's all for the face. Your suit- May I have a sample?" "I don't want to let you rip it up. This is a nice suit.""Sorry Doc, nothing that he's not willing to do. It's all part of his body." "I know, I know. Forgive me, you two, I'm barely holding it in." Giddy with the excitement of scanning an Ultimate, Doc continues to whip out all manner of tools. He takes readings for a whole hour, leaving the two of you getting rather bored. You ask a few more questions and share some details about how he loaded the OOPART up, but most of the questions are business related. Finally, he notices how exhausted the two of you are getting. "I think that's enough. Go ahead and turn back then." "Phew!" Astamon releases the energy and shrinks back into his Rookie form.
"How do you feel? You took that form for quite a while." "It tires me out more than Porcupamon, actually. But since we weren't doing anything, it wasn't too bad." "What about going between forms? We should try that out while we have the chance." "Good call." Doc raises an eyebrow, but is eager to test it out once you start explaining the concept to him. "Back when we made use of it, Phascomon got exhausted when repeatedly swapping between levels. It was really useful to access all of our abilities, but he said it was tiring because he had to exert his Digicore each and every time." "I see, I see... It does stand to reason that jumping straight upwards might be particularly taxing. How about you Digivolve in stages?"You keep up the testing for a bit more, going between Phascomon, Porcupamon, and Astamon. You manage to gain some new insights. Doc's hypothesis is correct. He gets less tired when going from Champion to Ultimate, or Rookie to Champion. "Some sort of term differentiation might come in handy. How about we refer to it as 'Warp Digivolution' when you jump straight to Astamon?" He suggests."Sounds good to me.""Yeah, fits. Something natural about it." You agree. With that, Doc's tests are finally done. "What did you learn from all that?" "Astamon is a truly marvelous specimen." He says, as Astamon shrinks back down for the umpteenth time. "I've learnt a lot about the structure of an Ultimate-Level, the materials that make up their body, and key identifiers that separate them from Champions. On a personal level, he's strong. Ranged capability, dense limbs that are capable of dishing out damage, I only wish I could have him shoot in here so I could examine the firepower." "Yeah. Get a holodeck next time, maybe." "I'm still making improvements. This is no good for a long-term base, so I'm pacing myself." "What else about him? Is this form strong enough to fight Brigadramon?" You ask. "Theoretically, he could put up a fight. But... I'm sorry to say, a Mega Level Digimon is truly formiddable. The gulf between stages shrinks as they rise up the ranks, but it's not only natural filesize. He's had decades to be pumped full of data, and has all of the city's support. It won't be a clean sweep, ever." "Okay. Then-" "Then how do we bridge that gap?" "I don't know."
"You don't?" "Helping the two of you reach Ultimate was the absolute extent of my abilities. My own partners here have only reached Champion, you know. Your growth has already been meteoric. I had the right idea about you both." You feel your chest swell with pride, but it's not enough. "Surely there's a way to get to Mega too..." "Marnie. Your growth has been nothing short of historic. If your exploits could be published, you'd quickly be legendary in this city. What's the rush?" "The rush is that one day, that blue bastard could swoop down and take us out. Then our whole journey would be for nothing.""Even so, don't you think you could benefit from taking it easy for just a little bit? You don't have to jump straight for the top after climbing another step. Maybe enjoy your new power, your new freedom, try to see some more of this city. You're still young. Your dreams aren't going anywhere.""Aren't you listening, Doc? They are! We could still be defeated, all our time and effort could be wasted. That's why I want us to climb out of here before it has a chance to go wrong." "It won't be for nothing, either way." Phascomon quips. "What do you mean? If we can't leave-" His ears flick, and he shuffles about in his seat with an inscrutable expression. "Uh huh. Hey. It's near noon. We've got more fish to fry. Give him the rest of the rundown.""Oh, right." You haven't seen him get moody like this in a few weeks. Things have been going great at home. You shrug and move on to the next topic.>Show him the lifel1ne data and talk about the damage it did to Bella. If he can improve it, you might have a safer piece of tech to use for the next time. He could also give you some insights on the Hospital trip, since you're forgoing your scouting mission today in order to speak to him. >Prioritise telling him about Sealsdramon and the Dogs of War, including their current state. He might have some idea of the chaos going on, since he lives in a seedy district. You also want to get his thoughts on everything that's happened regarding the City Digimon.>Write-in: Ask him a specific question about Astamon, to see if he has an answer after scanning. This can be chosen with the other votes.
>>6298282>Prioritise telling him about Sealsdramon and the Dogs of War, including their current state. He might have some idea of the chaos going on, since he lives in a seedy district. You also want to get his thoughts on everything that's happened regarding the City Digimon.>Write-in:How did the City got the OOPART in first place.
>>6298340+1
>>6298282>Prioritise telling him about Sealsdramon and the Dogs of War, including their current state. He might have some idea of the chaos going on, since he lives in a seedy district. You also want to get his thoughts on everything that's happened regarding the City Digimon.>Discuss the system that City Digimon seem to have that preserves them even after death.How insane would it be to ride that line the same way we did the infiltration? We'd be heading directly to where explicitly defeated digimon are processed. If it's near where the portal is, it's worth a one-way trip.But it's also important incase Wind ever gets the idea.
>>6298282>Show him the lifel1ne data and talk about the damage it did to Bella. If he can improve it, you might have a safer piece of tech to use for the next time. He could also give you some insights on the Hospital trip, since you're forgoing your scouting mission today in order to speak to him. >Write-in:How did the City got the OOPART in first place.
>>6298282>Prioritise telling him about Sealsdramon and the Dogs of War, including their current state. He might have some idea of the chaos going on, since he lives in a seedy district. You also want to get his thoughts on everything that's happened regarding the City Digimon.
>>6298282>Show him the lifel1ne data and talk about the damage it did to Bella. If he can improve it, you might have a safer piece of tech to use for the next time. He could also give you some insights on the Hospital trip, since you're forgoing your scouting mission today in order to speak to him.More and safer tools are required for future exploits. Captcha Password: W0MNA
>>6298340>>6298367>>6298569>>6298411>>6298444>>6298598Sealsdramon and OOPART. Writing! Also in a week from now I’ll be going on vacation for a few days, so posting will pause for about 4/5 days starting from next Saturday.
>>6298612Thanks for the heads up!
>Prioritise telling him about Sealsdramon and the Dogs of War, including their current state. He might have some idea of the chaos going on, since he lives in a seedy district. You also want to get his thoughts on everything that's happened regarding the City Digimon.“One more question. How would they have obtained an OOPART in the first place?” “I’d wager they always had it. You said you found it in an archival room, right? It must be some sort of truly ancient record.” ”And the rest were eaten. That’s… bad. You think DarkTyrannomon managed to decrypt them all?”“Oh no. Maybe.” You say, your face going pale at the thought of him powering up even further.“No, unlikely. He may be able to consume the data volume, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s using all of it or gaining the information within. You said you needed to run a tool to unpack it all, he most likely just used it as fuel.”Doc slowly sips on his cup of tea. “What a massive waste.” “Courtesy of a massive bastard. Why are you so interested in the OOPART anyway?” “It’s something from humanity’s golden age, isn’t that enough of a reason?” You fiddle with your inventory, looking at the book.app longingly. Ever since Squid decrypted it, the title has been different. “I want to know how they dredge these things up. Maybe if it’s not that hard… I could get something else to learn about, y’know?” ”It was a lot of material. I wish I could describe it, but it’s hard to put it into words. It taught me how to shoot, how to lead better, even how to cross my legs just the right way.” Phascomon tries to place one stubby limb over the other, but he can’t lounge in the same intimidating fashion as his Ultimate form.“Like I said, I’m no expert. I assume these archives are just handed down and refreshed every so often. Maybe if they have enough info on a topic, they could compile a new one. But I don’t know what the process is.” You shrug. You suppose it’s another mystery that only the system will know of. And you can’t exactly ask a bot about it either, since there’s no reason for a human to encounter something like it. The answer is unsatisfying, but it’s as good as you’re going to get. “Anyway, the partition mission wasn’t the worst part of that day…” ==
The two of you begin telling him about the attack, starting with Liza’s lapse in judgement. He seems particularly annoyed when he hears about Lenny walking into the base with a target on his head. “How careless. They should have stayed out.” ”Could have gone better. We heard an explosion right after, like a whole bunch of breaching bombs going off at the same time. But we were occupied deeper in.” Bit by bit, you tell your tale. You go over the eerily silent Espimon, Leomon’s last stand, and finally, the actual fight with Sealsdramon. He seems concerned when you bring up the casualties. “A rogue agent. That’s a higher level of freedom than I’m used to. I knew that footage was real the moment I saw it, Squid did a good job stripping everything identifiable from it." He pauses. "What was it Hi-Commandramon said again? About how he got away with it.” ”That Sealsdramon was finding workarounds for the mission rules.” “I’ve only heard of City Digimon deserting once in my life. And it was nothing major. Just one fugitive who got hunted down. Disobeying to this degree is new to me. I’m sorry to say, there’s nothing that can be done for those folks. At least they’re not DMIA, so the suffering was finite.” “What about the podded? When I was inside…” “Nothing to be done for them either. They’re essentially static objects. If I was Wind, I’d smuggle them to the surface. Then the bots can bring the pods to The Tower. Their odds will be better then.” He doesn’t push you for more info about what it’s like inside. You described it as best as you can, and he picked up on your discomfort.”There’s really nothing? I haven’t even tried breaking them yet.” “No, I doubt you could, even with the power of Astamon. MAYBE, just maybe Brigadramon could, but that’s out of the question, obviously.” “Then they’re as good as dead.” “Which is why I suggest bringing them to the surface. Non-zero chances then.”
You eventually move on to Sealsdramon’s defeat. “You sent his data somewhere?” “And he left the rest for Kaus Gammamon.” “But where?” ”I’ve been thinking of it, but I don’t really have an answer. The most I’m getting is an instinct. In my Ultimate form, I have some kind of link to a different server. And I just knew that if I deleted him in that way, he’d go there. Nothing else, just that phantom affinity.” “I see… I’ll look through the data I got from you and see if I can learn anything else from your connection ports.” “Do you think they have other Sealsdramon?”“Most definitely. They’ll have more than one of everything. It’s a good thing you established a rapport with that Hi-Commandramon, maybe it’ll come in handy during your future projects.” ”He’s not the handiest ally, but right now, the Dogs of War are unstable too. Not that I ever liked them.”“They seem to be struggling now, but the whole point of the scanner was to increase their arsenal and power recruitment. Have you heard about them lately?” “I have. Some of the punks I sell tech to wanted to splurge, so they could pass their initiation tests. There are a lot of them now. They took a heavy blow, but I think they’re shaping up for a big change soon.”You think back to the fight downstairs, wondering if they had something to prove after all.== A while later, you get a notification. You quickly stare at the text box, reading the occupant’s name. R: Hi M. Sorry, been very busy here. Let me know what you need 4 it, I can come soon. “It’s Ryan. Finally, they’ve been way too quiet.” “Quiet about what?” You explain the long streak of silence to Doc, and reiterate your plan to visit the hospital and look for Cutemon. “They must be busy with cleanup. Oh! Did you message Squid about the radar tracker yet?”“No, she hasn’t asked me anything about setting it up.”You message Ryan using your usual system of burners. 9$:(-;1: ask for a scan first. 3/4 days? Meet there.
“This week should be fine. The heat from our last adventure isn’t crazy high, and I don’t think we’re going to cause a mess big enough to attract more eyes.” "I don't need to advise you further, I think. You're well-versed enough in how this all works by now. Ah- The girl is in that sorry state because of the lifel1ne, right?"You hand it over to him. You've been talking for quite a while, so you don't want to speak in great detail anymore. You just nod and motion to the cord. "Our data got disrupted by a big train Digimon beforehand. Might be related to the damage, might not be." "I'll look into it, and I'll send you a delivery if I can iterate on a new version with confidence." You're not excited about using it, but if there's no choice, it's better than nothing.== After making a little bit more small talk, you decide to start heading back. You've handled pretty much everything you came here to do. If there's anything else you might be forgetting, now might be the time. Or you could just go home and plan out your hospital mission.>Write in: At most two questions/Lines of questioning that you want to check in on with Doc.>Go home, that's all you need to know.
>>6299416>Write in: At most two questions/Lines of questioning that you want to check in on with Doc.What does he know about other servers? And if we get back to the real world, is i possible to bring a Digimon with us, or no?
>>6299416>Write inAbout the Leomon data Liza got after her Digimon died and if relationships between humans and Digimon without Digivices could result on trouble.
>>6299457>+1 supporting
>>6299436>>6299457>>6299778Writing!
>Write in: "Oh, I thought of a few more questions. Remember how I mentioned Liza and Seadramon?" "Mhm." He says, while tinkering with the optic cable. "Do you know what to do with his data? I managed to get it to her for safekeeping, but I don't know how she can actually make use of it. I was thinking of consulting you, but I forgot until now." "Ah... Salvaging his data was the right choice. She can use that as a Digi-DNA sample. Leomon is quite a good pull." "That's it?""Yes. Was there something else?" "No... I was just wondering if there was a way to bring him back." "Not as far as I know." He says, shaking his head sadly. "If I knew how, I would bring Kokuwamon back. But I didn't get his data either." Solarmon rotates quietly from the far end of the room. "Do you think she'll be okay? When partnering up with a Digimon, a Digivice ain't a MUST, right?" "It certainly isn't. I've met a few people who didn't keep one with them. It's inconvenient, that's all. You don't have an easily-accessible partition to feed them and run essential code, you can't pull them out of the public eye, so on and so forth." "And you can't Digivolve." "Not in the way you two do. Now, I don't speak about my other clients often... But there are a few people who live out legal, average lives with their Digivices. The only difference between them and another puzzle-solver is that they have a Digimon to go home to. A little secret that keeps them from going mad with boredom. So maybe she could just find comfort in having a friend, even without a Digivice" "Really? And their Digimon don't want to go out and fight? Or get stronger?" "I suppose not. I don't pry, like I said. Or perhaps they have an alternate arrangement that helps them gain strength." "Going back to Liza... There's the inherent danger of Seadramon being impossible to hide, right?" "Yes, that's the only real thing she has to worry about." That puts you at ease, just a little. Ironically, since Seadramon is so big, you assume that any risks are going to be immediately obvious to them. It'll be harder to do something stupid when she can't actually get her acquaintance anywhere.
"Hey, I've got one too. You know how you said you'd examine my outbound signals, or something?" Doc puts his tools down to give Phascomon his full attention."How does that work? Have you had success with it before?" "Yeah, I'd like to know too. I'm a bit curious about the other server he mentioned." Doc seems excited at the prospect of giving a lecture."We know, of course, that City 87-O is not the only server in the Digital World. There must be other ones with humans, and there's the true Digital World I told you about. There may be servers that carry out certain functions, and there are ones with strong markers. Certain Digimon have traces in their code that could point to an origin point within these. For example... There's something called an 'Eastern server' I've gleamed from specific Digi-DNA samples. I don't know what East this is relative to, but Digimon with that trace data tend to look similar. Or have overlapping aesthetic features." He slides a display upwards, revealing a yellow Digimon with a bone in its hand. You feel the smallest hints of familiarity, but you know you've never met this thing. "This is a rare one. Apemon. And look here-"
Doc swipes to the right. A tiny Rookie Digimon appears, looking like it's made of clay and rope. "I found similar markers in this Digimon's code. Hanimon. See the string around it? These knotted coils have some kind of symbolism that is present among other Digimon. While Apemon is a bad example of a physical resemblance, the data is unmistakable." He pulls up a series of graphs. They're completely indecipherable to you. Phascomon looks stunned as well, as he beholds the sheer volume of data. Pie charts, fluctuating line graphs, and pulsating bars flash at the speed of light. He highlights them in purple, flashbanging the two of you with an overwhelming amount of visual stimulus. "And these are completely absent in something like Solarmon, who-" "Okay! I get it!""You can put the graphs away now!" Doc, luckily, catches on and closes the display window. You blink harshly. "What does that have to do with the server again?" "Simply put, Digimon may have affinities with particular places. I could find some other Digimon species that have an equal affinity with your trace markers. But at the end of the day, all of us are here in 87O. So this information is purely hypothetical. I will never be able to understand what these servers are like without a point of comparison." "Damn..." "Oh well."
"One more thing. These servers- If there are Digimon in them, I'd say they're on the same level, right? Level, like the network and all, remember the last exposition sesh?" "Yes, that's a fair assumption. Or at least within tolerable parameters for the majority of Digimon, so long as the average cyberbiodiversity is the same.""What about the real world? Can Digimon go there?" You look at Phascomon, biting your lip. This is something you've been wondering too. You've tried very, very hard not to actually think about it, because the closer you two have gotten, the more that this concept has stung. That's why you haven't asked Doc this question in any of your previous trips. But your partner has been having the same thoughts, evidently. You look at Doc hopefully, and he meets your eye with a scrunched-up, uneasy expression.Then he dashes your hopes."I doubt it. Heavily. I cannot predict how the physicality of a Digimon would express itself in a world that isn't comprised of code." Phascomon's shoulders slump. "Oh." That's it then. Once you find your way through the portal, you're going to have to part. He'll go to the Digital World with the power of Astamon, to carve out his own niche as the strong leader he wants to be. And you'll be exploring the real world. Without one another.No, you really don't want to consider it. Maybe if you push this away and keep trucking forward, you'll forget all about this until you're about to step through the portal. That way, you can follow your lifelong dreams without hesitation. And you're sure he needs the same. You get to your feet. "I think we should go back." "Ah, wait-" He holds a hand out, looking bashful at ruining both your moods at the very end of your visit. "Your .apps. I've gotten you a refill. Even whipped up some new ones for you to play with.""Thanks, Doc." You flash him a weak smile and hold out your wrist for Phascomon. He hololizes himself without another word, and the two of you begin making your way downstairs. == "Hey-" "Sorry, it's naptime." He says, as the two of you exit the apartment lobby. You're not in the mood for talking either, but you force yourself to stay alert. "I don't think so. Look over there."
Phascomon watches through your goggles as you snap them on. You run your finger over the green laurels on either side of your eyegear. It feels like they've grown longer somehow. The two of you stare blankly at the ring of shouting punks, cheering one another on as a fight breaks out in the middle.But it's not another fistfight. Two Digimon are going at it, right there in public. "GOBURIMON! GET HIM!" A green, child-sized creature slams a club down onto empty air, narrowly missing its target. GOBURIMON- ROOKIE- ONI- VIRUSPULSEMON- ROOKIE- BEAST MAN- VACCINEIts opponent is green as well, and is zipping around while clutching its chest. It's wounded and gritting its teeth in pain. Prickly hairs stick up in anger, as it faces down the Digimon and its tamer. It looks around for an escape route, but the path is closed by the dozens of spectators. "What are they doing...? Ain't they scared of being spotted?" "A whole load of Tower Digimon flew away earlier. Maybe surveillance is light today. That guy- I don't see a Digivice on him." "Then where are the bots? Aren't they drawn to this stuff?""They should be coming any... Oh. The scanner. It's down." You look up at the skyline, but find yourself unable to see the giant dishes from here. They've stopped spinning ever since DarkTyrannomon wrecked the inside. You're sure there's a backup, and it won't be down forever, but maybe their response time has been affected by this. They can't look for every single rogue Rookie or Baby anymore. "Why's he doing that?" "Posturing. Impressing all those chumps. I don't know. But this doesn't look like a fair fight. These people, they're-""They're making a sport of it." You agree.Maybe it's hypocritical. You've hunted down Digimon to fight before, for the sake of getting stronger. Phascomon needed fuel, so someone had to go. But this is just a bit different. They're treating this Pulsemon like it's a new toy, to be smashed for entertainment.
"You think you could deal with it on your own?" "That Goburimon? Easily. But look at them. They're hungry. If they think I'm just another Wild Digimon, they might do something stupid. And I'm sure you don't want me cutting all their ankles apart. That'll bring the fuzz down like a hammer.">Leave it be. You're not meant to be raising heat today, and interfering might leave traces, or attract the wrong kind of attention. Just take it as an unfortunate result of the status quo changing just a little, and return home. >Try to interfere without being caught. Tip it in Pulsemon's favour with some .app usage from afar. If servitors eventually show up here, they'll pick up on these traces of illegal program usage, and there's a chance it could lead back to you if they choose to heavily investigate. However, this will mean that you escape notice from the punks. >Show these guys a real fight, and crash their party with Phascomon. You'll disguise yourself from identification, of course, but you can't put together a foolproof appearance so quickly. Your face will be hidden with a static veil, your metadata will be obscured, but you'll make a huge impression by showing up with a Digimon of your own. That might be what it takes to dispel these jerks, but it might stick with you.
>>6300003>Show these guys a real fight, and crash their party with Phascomon. You'll disguise yourself from identification, of course, but you can't put together a foolproof appearance so quickly. Your face will be hidden with a static veil, your metadata will be obscured, but you'll make a huge impression by showing up with a Digimon of your own. That might be what it takes to dispel these jerks, but it might stick with you.I feel the spite flowing through me...
>>6300003>Try to interfere without being caught. Tip it in Pulsemon's favour with some .app usage from afar. If servitors eventually show up here, they'll pick up on these traces of illegal program usage, and there's a chance it could lead back to you if they choose to heavily investigate. However, this will mean that you escape notice from the punks.This is just cruel. Cruelty serves a purpise. Senseless cruelty just for cruelties sake is wasted effort.
>>6300003>Show these guys a real fight, and crash their party with Phascomon. You'll disguise yourself from identification, of course, but you can't put together a foolproof appearance so quickly. Your face will be hidden with a static veil, your metadata will be obscured, but you'll make a huge impression by showing up with a Digimon of your own. That might be what it takes to dispel these jerks, but it might stick with you.
>>6300006+1>"Marnie. Your growth has been nothing short of historic. If your exploits could be published, you'd quickly be legendary in this city."Become LEGEND
>>6300003>Leave it be. You're not meant to be raising heat today, and interfering might leave traces, or attract the wrong kind of attention. Just take it as an unfortunate result of the status quo changing just a little, and return home. Not my pidgeon.
>>6300003>Show these guys a real fight, and crash their party with Phascomon. You'll disguise yourself from identification, of course, but you can't put together a foolproof appearance so quickly. Your face will be hidden with a static veil, your metadata will be obscured, but you'll make a huge impression by showing up with a Digimon of your own. That might be what it takes to dispel these jerks, but it might stick with you.Establishing character moment v2: with extra COOL farming
>>6300048If artanon is here and so inclined, a "I am Legend" movie poster riff with Marnie and Phasco would be pretty baller IMO.
>>6300006>>6300029>>6300048>>6300185>>6300009>>6300057Fighting!
>Show these guys a real fight, and crash their party with Phascomon. You'll disguise yourself from identification, of course, but you can't put together a foolproof appearance so quickly. Your face will be hidden with a static veil, your metadata will be obscured, but you'll make a huge impression by showing up with a Digimon of your own. That might be what it takes to dispel these jerks, but it might stick with you. "Let's go get them." "Cover your face first.""Already on it." You say, as you open up the encryption suite. The tools within have come in handy over and over. You're glad you picked this one, out of the three programs Doc offered you a while back. "Hololize." Once you're done, you send Phascomon out without further hesitation. You've veiled your face with static, and you've put on a different jacket. It's a loose coat that's fastened around your collar with a silver clasp. Loose sleeves flutter in the breeze as you activate f1oat. The outfit is just a random one from your wardrobe, picked to make you slightly more inconspicuous as you leap off the ledge with your partner on your head. "Copying my style, huh?" Now that you think about it, it kinda resembles Astamon's garb. You don't have time to respond, for you're rapidly approaching the crowd from above. A few watchful eyes take notice, yelling out in surprise at your sudden appearance. You swoop down on them like a bat, landing lightly on one foot in the middle of the circle. All eyes are on you in an instant. "What do you think you're-" The Tamer starts, before taking notice of the Digimon standing tall atop your jet black hair. "Pick on someone your own filesize." Phascomon snarls, as the Goburimon peels away from the wounded Pulsemon. His confused grimace turns into a cocky smirk. "Oh, you looking to get in too? Well too bad, this is my catch. In fact-" Goburimon slaps his club into his palm menacingly. "Hey, Goburimon. How about we do a three-for one?"
"Heh! Sounds perfect. Liking the cut of your jib already, pinkskin! Let's go!" His ugly visage scrunches up further as he examines the two of you."Hey, runt! How about I-"Phascomon doesn't give him a chance to grandstand. He lunges forward, and you call out his attack, cool as ice. "Eucalyptus Claw."Crimson edges tear through the night, flashing before Goburimon's face and cleaving his club into several pieces. He backs away, gigantic sweat particles forming on his forehead. The crowd goes wild. "What the- That's cheating! Come on, grab him!" "I ain't getting close! Those claws are wicked! Oi, you little-"Instead of using a special attack, Phascomon cuts him off again by drop kicking him straight in the jaw. A pained 'Oooooh...' echoes through the crowd as Goburimon falls onto his rear. The boy yells in surprise, running forward to pull his partner back to his feet. "How's that thing so strong?!" He demands. Your eye twitches underneath the disguise, and your posture visibly stiffens. "That's not a thing. That's my partner. Phascomon, he's charging." Sure enough, Goburimon is puffing out his cheeks. "Goburi Bomb!" He spits out a fireball, trying to catch his enemy by surprise. Phascomon looks like he's about to dodge, but he abruptly glances at the crowd behind him. The punks pick up on the warning, and the fastest ones start scrambling away immediately. Others yell in surprise as the ball of light heads their way. Boom! It detonates against your partner instead of blowing up a spectator."Yes!"
You feel a pang of concern, but you can sense his heartbeat pulsating strongly through the Digivice on your wrist. There's minimal distress emanating from him. When the smoke clears, he's standing there with singed fur, but looking no worse off. "Impossible! Nobody can survive a Goburi Bomb!" The Rookie cries. The circle of spectators starts to reform, but they're quickly repelled as Goburimon screams:"GOBURI STRIKE!"Like a Sportsball pitcher, he flings sphere after sphere of dazzling fire at Phascomon. They move impressively fast, and you doubt he can dodge all of them. The crowd is at no risk of getting hit anymore, since that direction has been cleared out. The cheers turn to jeers, now that they're being put at risk."Hololize!" You suck Phascomon into your Digivice, evading the stream of attacks. You aim your Linker at a spot behind Goburimon and repeat the phrase, sending out a packet of blue light that quickly coalesces back into the shape of a little koala. Phascomon swipes at Goburimon's back, ripping through the brown jacket and sending him to the ground with ease."ACK! I YIELD!" Once again, the audience erupts into shouts of glee. A good show has been put on, and the tables have been turned. The boy places his hands on his mostly-bald head, and his sandy mohawk droops pathetically. "You- WHAT THE HELL! Why are you getting in my way?!"
You stare at him blankly, before taking a step towards him. He's way bigger than you, but the way you've just demolished his Digimon has clearly intimidated him. He backs away apprehensively. "You think this is some kind of game? Torturing some-" When you turn to look at Pulsemon, you notice that it's nowhere to be found. It must have fled when the crowd parted. Good for the little guy, you suppose. "-Digimon so these dumbasses can gawk and laugh?" You throw a thumb over your shoulder. The crowd quietens down a little when you start insulting them too. "It's not like it's all for fun! I'm just trying to pass initiation! Why are you messing with me if you already have a Digimon of your own?!""What initiation?" You demand. But you already have a good idea of what's going on."Ugh... You know. The ads! The Dogs of War! I worked hard to convince him to pick me, and now look at him!" Goburimon is lying flat on his stomach beneath Phascomon's foot, not daring to make a peep. "You'd better make sense, fast. And you- You try to nibble my toes, I'll sink these claws into your head. Capisce?!" The Rookie nods pathetically.Instead of getting an answer from him, a member of the crowd speaks up. You turn to look, and notice that it's the same guy who spoke to you earlier. He's the one the trash can lid was meant to hit. "They put out a notice a few hours ago that there was a Digimon signal. To get in, we need to bring that Digimon to them.""Okay. So you convinced him to partner up with you. What about the second one? Why hunt it down like that?" This time, the mohawk-sporting Tamer finds his tongue. You hold on tight to your anger, giving him the opportunity to defend himself fairly. Maybe, just maybe, he'll say something sensible."It didn't want to go with anybody! So I just needed to beat him up... And then a buddy of mine gets a ticket in." Phascomon raises his claw, and you wonder if he's about to execute Goburimon in anger. You recall how he met his first Tamer. It was exactly like this: Pressed into horrible servitude through violence, and linked to the old Digivice. "Another sad little Garden King." He mumbles. Fortunately, he just steps off his defeated foe's head, keeping his claws poised to defend himself.
"Why'd you have to go spoil everything? What business is it of yours anyway?" "Digimon aren't just TICKETS, you trashy little poser. That Pulsemon had a whole life of its own you were trying to rip away. And you all-" You turn to glare at the audience. "None of you think this is wrong? You're so bored that you'll laugh and cheer while a living thing gets ripped apart in front of you?" Some of them look away in shame, while others glare back in stubborn defiance. The trash can boy mumbles halfheartedly:"I did offer... To partner up with him. But he said no, so..." "I think the Dogs of War will be disappointed to know what kind of recruits they're getting. Maybe I call ahead, huh? Let them know to watch out for a little hooligan and his Goburimon."[/red]"You know them?" Mohawk guy asks, staring blankly at your partner. You don't want to expose more of your personal information than you need to. You've already made a huge impression and disrupted the crowd. Letting slip that you work with them will increase the risk of being identified, so you step in and shush Phascomon. "Just get the hell out of here already. You have your Digimon- That is, if he still wants to partner up with you after how badly you commanded him." "And if you want your little friend to live, you'd better stop taking fights you can't win." Your partner says, rubbing his nose dismissively. "You're going to mess with a wild Digimon who doesn't think twice eventually.The Goburimon stares up at him, doubt evident on his ugly face, but the teen crouches to whisper something in his ear. He seems happy with what he hears. They both stare at you conspirationally, but you turn away and ignore it. The crowd parts as you start walking away. A few cheers ring out, despite your lecturing, and eventually, they're whooping and clapping again. You feel that sense of irritation building. >Ignore them. Let that attention build in a positive direction. You've pulled off a massive power move, and it's sure to get people talking. You could use that in the future if you show up around here with Phascomon. You don't need to antagonize them further, when you can make use of this reputation to strengthen your own street cred. >Turn around and give them a piece of your mind again. You were like them once. You know exactly what to say, how to attack their insecurities, how to taunt a crowd of posers who are acting out just to feel special. You don't need them to be impressed, you'd rather burn that bridge than let them feel an inkling of satisfaction.
>>6300615>Ignore them. Let that attention build in a positive direction. You've pulled off a massive power move, and it's sure to get people talking. You could use that in the future if you show up around here with Phascomon. You don't need to antagonize them further, when you can make use of this reputation to strengthen your own street cred.We won't be here because our goal is the outside world. But even so, what Doc said holds true: people still live and exist in here and will continue to live and exist in here after we are gone. Better give people hope where they had none, in our eventual absence
>>6300615>Ignore them. Let that attention build in a positive direction. You've pulled off a massive power move, and it's sure to get people talking. You could use that in the future if you show up around here with Phascomon. You don't need to antagonize them further, when you can make use of this reputation to strengthen your own street cred. Dragging this argument would be childish.>>6300191It would be a good practice but I've got things to do.
>>6300615>Ignore them. Let that attention build in a positive direction. You've pulled off a massive power move, and it's sure to get people talking. You could use that in the future if you show up around here with Phascomon. You don't need to antagonize them further, when you can make use of this reputation to strengthen your own street cred. These guys are trouble, though. Keep an eye out on our way home. Don't want any stalkers following us.
>>6300615>>Ignore them. Let that attention build in a positive direction. You've pulled off a massive power move, and it's sure to get people talking. You could use that in the future if you show up around here with Phascomon. You don't need to antagonize them further, when you can make use of this reputation to strengthen your own street cred.We should be more concerned about being tailed later. Wherever we change clothes, it should be somewhere discrete or crowded. An ambush we can deal with, but a dox is the only threat they've got with any weight.
>>6300615>Turn around and give them a piece of your mind again. You were like them once. You know exactly what to say, how to attack their insecurities, how to taunt a crowd of posers who are acting out just to feel special. You don't need them to be impressed, you'd rather burn that bridge than let them feel an inkling of satisfaction.
>>6300615>Ignore them. Let that attention build in a positive direction. You've pulled off a massive power move, and it's sure to get people talking. You could use that in the future if you show up around here with Phascomon. You don't need to antagonize them further, when you can make use of this reputation to strengthen your own street cred.We dont crush those beneath us that cant do us harm. And that means we also dont obliterate their spirit or destroy their egos. That is how problems are created
>>6300622>>6300636>>6300773>>6300841>>6301007>>6300968Moving on! Writing
>Ignore them. Let that attention build in a positive direction. You've pulled off a massive power move, and it's sure to get people talking. You could use that in the future if you show up around here with Phascomon. You don't need to antagonize them further, when you can make use of this reputation to strengthen your own street cred.You take a deep breath, then let it go. The guy sidles off with his Goburimon, tails between their legs, now that all the attention is on you. The trash can guy is staring really hard now, and you try not to look back at him. He's the only one who saw you up close earlier, and you know that it'll be bad to linger around him. The crowd doesn't chase you down, as you make your way out of the delinquent district. Phascomon returns to your Digivice as well, as you clamber up onto the rooftops and start heading home.Along the way, you're more vigilant than usual. You go in a completely different direction to throw any pursuers off your trail, then quickly descend to street level. You swap to your usual outfit, making sure the diagonal zip of your jacket is drawn tight, then start walking towards a park. You blend in with a group of picnicgoers, sitting there on the ground for a bit so you can keep an eye out for anybody suspicious.Finally, when you're convinced that it's safe, you get up and start walking home. "Well, we sure made a splash." "Yeah... I don't think I scared them very much, though." "Mhm. Not enough to make them think twice about doing the same to other Digimon. But it's a good first step, you showed up, after all." "Let's just go back." "Hang on, can we buy some snacks first? Since we're out here anyway." "Okay." You get home a bit later than usual that night, your inventory laden with goodies. As soon as you settle down, you check your message history with Squid.
Her replies have been sporadic. She hasn't answered any questions you've had, and whenever you've expressed concern, she's only given you short, insincere-sounding assurances. It's been three weeks already, and you now know that they're too busy with recruits to entertain you. You wonder if showing up at their base would be welcome at this time. 9$:(-;1: Hey. Wondering if you've got a moment.CalamariCracker: Caught me at a good time. Hi.9$:(-;1: Did R ask you for the scan yet?CalamariCracker: Yes. I'll get it done before you head out. B is doing well- health wise, she's still really upset. 9$:(-;1: Thanks.9$:(-;1: I met a prospective recruit today.9$:(-;1: You guys have been swamped huh?CalamariCracker: We've been using it nonstop to make these little tests yeah. W's idea for getting new friends.9$:(-;1: Any luck?CalamariCracker: A few new ones. Looking good.9$:(-;1: Is that why you can spare R?CalamariCracker: YeaCalamariCracker: Ok smth came up gtg! CalamariCracker: Come by after the task With that, she goes offline. You send her a token to authenticate your next burner account. You'll be swapping to a new IP address soon, to keep things fresh. There's not much left to do except set things up for your visit to the Hospital. You watch the Tower while you go over the tools that Doc left you. The fighting force of Digimon have returned, and Brigadramon's familiar form is circling the pinnacle once again. You wonder what they were attending to. "Hey, Phascomon." Your partner looks up from his bowl of ice cream. "Yeah?" "I think we need to brush up on a bit of training. In case the hospital trip goes badly." "Not keen on blowing past 'em with firepower?" "No, I'm not. Remember what Hi-Commandramon said? They probably know that we have an Ultimate-stage Digivolution by now. If we use it too blatantly, it might prompt a faster response. Brigadramon left the Tower just this morning. He's actively flying off on patrols more often nowadays, I don't want to take the risk of getting on his radar." "Yeah, I get what you're putting down.""Let's just practice until Squid gets back to us. I'm hoping we can settle this without having to fight." You hope she can confirm Cutemon's presence. That'll be a massive time-saver. ==
The next morning, you turn on the news like you always do. Phascomon is still hanging from a branch in his Digivice, sleeping off a large dinner, so you're left to flick through the channels by yourself. Your eyes quickly widen in surprise as you look over the footage. The side of an office building has been blown out, and numerous cars have been damaged by the debris. You watch the live feed as servitors stride into the danger zone and suck vehicles into their inventories with specialized tools, slowly removing them from the scene. There's a large cordon visible at the edges of the block. The footage soon segues into a studio, where a reporter-bot with a suit and tie looks straight into the camera."Yesterday morning, a City 87-O Digimon suffered a catastrophic crash, damaging a business partition and resulting in multiple injuries. Early reports have allowed us to determine that this incident was the result of an altercation between a hostile Digimon, and our sanctioned security forces. Citizens are reminded that engaging in unsupervised activity involving Digital Lifeforms is a violation of the Digital Lifeform Conservation Act. For their own safety, and the safety of these creatures, Citizens are encouraged to come forward with any information regarding-"You pull up several displays to get a better look at the damage. Surprisingly, it's not a massive scene. It looks like a Cargodramon went down against a building. There must have been a fight, like they said, but you don't actually see any evidence of it. Since it took place in a work district, nobody has firsthand recordings either. Puzzle-solvers wouldn't start capturing footage, nor upload it onto underground sites. By now, Phascomon has woken up, and is looking over the scene with fresh eyes. "What do you think?""I think the Dogs of War are up to something again." You nod in agreement. They're the only ones you know of who have the potential to do something like this. They've been secretive lately, and you're left to wonder what this is all about. "Oh well. We'll ask Ryan about it once we meet up."
You'll be spending the day practicing at home. You don't have a Holodeck, so you have to run the numerous training programs within your Digivice, in order to make sure Phascomon is in tip-top shape. In terms of combat potential, you feel confident he has enough tricks up his sleeve—but this training will reflect your ideal approach for the Cutemon search in the Hospital, rather than being a straight upgrade to his abilities. >Offense training: Prepare for a fight. The response time from the City Digimon has been improved recently, thanks to all the chaos, and you might run into enemies more often. A good offense will be key, so you can blast through obstacles and get to your objective as quickly as possible. >Agility training: Utilize a stealthier approach. You're willing to take it slow and avoid notice completely. The City is already going through a few different crises at once, you don't want to attract any kind of attention to a side-mission that's inconsequential to your long-term goals. >Defense training: Phascomon is already quite good on this front, thanks to his huge filesize compared to regular Rookies. He has a whole form dedicated to it. But while you can easily tank shots with Astamon or Porcupamon, your ideal route is to stay as a Rookie for the whole mission, in order to keep the heat low. Keeping up his stamina and staying on the defensive will be key for that. It's a more balanced approach, if stealth fails and you're unwilling to Digivolve.
>>6301453>Agility training: Utilize a stealthier approach. You're willing to take it slow and avoid notice completely. The City is already going through a few different crises at once, you don't want to attract any kind of attention to a side-mission that's inconsequential to your long-term goals.the City has been largely clued in to loud approaches, so a purely stealthy approach might be the way to go.That is, assuming we have any means at all with dealing with invisible Espimon watching corridors.
>>6301453>Offense training: Prepare for a fight. The response time from the City Digimon has been improved recently, thanks to all the chaos, and you might run into enemies more often. A good offense will be key, so you can blast through obstacles and get to your objective as quickly as possible. Snore em all.
After the next update, I'll be gone for a bit! Flying off on Saturday and won't have time to write before heading to the airport.
>>6301582>Flying off on SaturdayWow! Me too!>>6301453backing >>6301455this is a sneaking mission so Evil Snore abuse is our key to victory
>>6301453>Defense training: Phascomon is already quite good on this front, thanks to his huge filesize compared to regular Rookies. He has a whole form dedicated to it. But while you can easily tank shots with Astamon or Porcupamon, your ideal route is to stay as a Rookie for the whole mission, in order to keep the heat low. Keeping up his stamina and staying on the defensive will be key for that. It's a more balanced approach, if stealth fails and you're unwilling to Digivolve.Don't expect shit to hit the fan but be prepared for when it does.
>>6301453>Agility training: Utilize a stealthier approach. You're willing to take it slow and avoid notice completely. The City is already going through a few different crises at once, you don't want to attract any kind of attention to a side-mission that's inconsequential to your long-term goals.A pacifist approach to not angry Dinofren that much.Offensive sounds better against Espimon though.
>>6301453>Offense trainingWe can't count on escaping detection, and we already have defensive forms. Plus, this will pay more dividends next time we DO have to fight.
>>6301453>Agility training: Utilize a stealthier approach. You're willing to take it slow and avoid notice completely. The City is already going through a few different crises at once, you don't want to attract any kind of attention to a side-mission that's inconsequential to your long-term goals.
>>6301455>>6301599>>6301819>>6301583>>6301552>>6301801>>6301594Locking!
>Agility training: Utilize a stealthier approach. You're willing to take it slow and avoid notice. The City is already going through a few different crises at once, you don't want to attract any kind of attention to a side-mission that's inconsequential to your long-term goals. You decide to use a stealthier approach. The largest threat isn't an individual encounter: It's your own freedom. If you get caught, things get a thousand times harder. You want to focus on stealth, so Phascomon will need to be sneaky. You'd rather not fight at all, whether it's in Rookie form or a stronger one. If things take a turn for the worse, you know he can bust out heavy firepower, so the last resort is still there. The next morning, you begin training anew. Your Digivice still has the same few categories of training programs, but you've managed to upload location data into it, based off the partitions that you've charted. You focus on indoor hallways and tight corners. You doubt you'll find the Digimon just walking around the rooms. No, it only makes sense for them to be within the Hospital's partition, in a ghost environment much like the shopping mall. You prepare him to navigate such a place, while simulating several patrolling Commandramon. The Digivice simulations aren't as good as a Holodeck's, but you make up for it by running the training session with an iron fist. The moment he's spotted by the enemy, he only has moments to take them out before they can sound any alarms. The two of you keep up with your drills, with minimal slacking from him.
"Hey. Did you get any more Optical Camouflage from Doc? I can't be the one doing all the training, you need to sneak in too!""I did, don't worry. I've been working on intel and charting out the blueprints. Lots of footage to go through, since we're not scouting it out manually." You're worried that if you visit, they'll latch on to your damaged leg. Scouting is too risky. Your part of the mission is to identify escape routes and danger zones using online resources and emergency navigation maps. You've also put together VPNs for yourself and Ryan, to make sure they don't tag you when you enter. Finally, the day before you're scheduled to go, Squid gets back to you with the Radar Scan. There's a triangulated green zone around the building where a Cutemon signal was located. The old scan was dated about 20 years back, and you're left wondering if it could be the same Digimon. "Hey, look at this." "Oh? That's a surprisingly big area, I thought it'd narrow it down a bit more.""Must be because of the interior. There's so much room to hide." "I don't think they'd have Digimon just walking around inside. My guess is that it slips in and out of the partition to get around." "Do you think it works for the City?" "No way to tell. Hey, how did she get the scan done anyway? They didn't get their hands on a radar dish."You shrug. Yet another thing to ask them later down the line. ==
The day of the operation finally arrives. Unlike Wind, you're not one for vacuous codenames. This is 'Operation fix Bella's face and your leg'. To succeed, you'll need to liaise with a Cutemon and convince it to accompany you to the base. It's a difficult task, thanks to all the security, but you've committed to it by now. Ryan is meant to meet you a distance away from the Hospital. You want to take some time to grill him on what the Dogs of War have been doing. He was in a bad way by the end of the last mission, and you hope he's gotten his act together. "You got everything packed?" "Yeah. One moment, I'm just going over the .apps again..." There are three new programs that Doc has gifted you. Unlike last time, you actually have multiple copies of all of them! However, you've only been able to master one. You'll have increased effectiveness with this tool, and you'll be able to trivialize specific scenarios with it.>Fr1tz.app. This tool sabotages physical electronics in a specific radius. In a Hospital, this is an extremely big issue for the bots. If you use this in the right place, you'll be able to divert all their resources and attention to resolving the breakage. Perfect if you're close to being discovered, or need to cover your tracks in order to move into a sensitive area. Of course, if you're not experienced with this, you'll likely damage something vital.>Sp00f.app. Instead of breaking electronics, this program is able to falsify the information displayed by machinery. This is a less destructive way of shifting attention around while within the Hospital, and also has a lower chance of causing collateral damage. If you're not experienced with this, you'll flounder a bit when deciding what kind of information to make up, in order to get the desired reaction.>W1pe.app. By flashing heavily corrupted metadata at a servitor, this .app forces them to rollback to a previous save state in order to avoid catastrophic damage. In essence, it wipes its memory of an extremely recent event, giving you the chance to slip out of sight or escape questioning. Using this without proper practice or experience could brick the whole bot, which would raise warning bells.
See you guys in a couple days! Sorry for the relatively short one, once I get back, we'll move on to the hospital.
>>6302066>Sp00f.app. Instead of breaking electronics, this program is able to falsify the information displayed by machinery. This is a less destructive way of shifting attention around while within the Hospital, and also has a lower chance of causing collateral damage. If you're not experienced with this, you'll flounder a bit when deciding what kind of information to make up, in order to get the desired reaction.I think this will be the most effective on Espimon. Wipe is bot focused when we can sleep them, while Fritz alerts the whole building. Spoof is something to investigate without calling for backup, and interesting enough to get the less disciplined Espimon to slack off.
>>6302066>>Sp00f.app. Instead of breaking electronics, this program is able to falsify the information displayed by machinery. This is a less destructive way of shifting attention around while within the Hospital, and also has a lower chance of causing collateral damage. If you're not experienced with this, you'll flounder a bit when deciding what kind of information to make up, in order to get the desired reaction.
>>6302066Sp00f
>>6302069>>6302111>However, you've only been able to master one. You'll have increased effectiveness with this tool, and you'll be able to trivialize specific scenarios with it.We still have Fr1tz to damage vital things and W1pe to brick a bot or two if need be, preferably not in the hospital
>>6302066>Sp00f.app
>>6302067See you soon, QM! Have a good weekend.
>>6302069>>6302111>>6302154>>6302176>>6302197I’m back! Will rest for today and then write it up tomorrow. Onwards to the hospital!
>>6303984Great, waiting hyped.
>Sp00f.app. Instead of breaking electronics, this program is able to falsify the information displayed by machinery. This is a less destructive way of shifting attention around while within the Hospital, and also has a lower chance of causing collateral damage. If you're not experienced with this, you'll flounder a bit when deciding what kind of information to make up, in order to get the desired reaction.You’ve learnt how to spoof information on screens and diagnostics displays. This will come in handy when trying to draw attention away from yourself in a non-intrusive manner. The other two .app files are also ideal for infiltration, but you’ve chosen to prioritize this one first and foremost. “Everything is ready.” You set up your proxy program, so that you can submit metadata from it when you're questioned in the future. Your alibi is simple: you were just relaxing at home during the mission timeframe. Metadata is enough to prevent further investigation, even if nobody vouches for you. They don't expect that it can be spoofed, and they're not actually looking that hard, since they're surveying hundreds and thousands of people in order to brute-force their suspects. ”Let’s get a move on. I hope that chump has managed to get a grip.” “Yeah. He's not the strongest, but I guess he's the only one they can actually spare for now."Ryan and Gizamon were among the least impressive of the Dogs of War, but they did survive, so maybe they've gotten stronger. You'd rather have Liza or Bella along, but alas, neither is an option anymore. ==You reach the Hospital grounds bright and early. Ryan is waiting by a small park, his Digivice hidden in his pocket. He waves to you as you approach, and the two of you quickly open up a private comms channel so that your Digimon can speak. "Good morning." "Hey.""Morning. How've you and Phascomon been?" "We've been doing good. Mostly practicing our approach." "Brushing up on stealth tactics."
"Tell us a bit more. We're not caught up on the plan here." Gizamon asks. You see his little pixel depiction jumping in the corner of your goggles HUD. "We're gonna go in there and look for a Cutemon. Squid said that there's one somewhere in the area. It's attracted to uh... However healthcare works for you humans," replies Phascomon, pacing back and forth in the other corner. "So we need the two of you to go in and scout first. Would've preferred you do it earlier, but you were almost uncontactable..." He complains."Yeah, sorry about that. Things have been busy at the base since the last mission." Ryan gulps. "I'll fill you guys in later. Let's go inside, then?" "No, I can't loiter inside for long. Look." You pull your pants leg up just a little, revealing the mild damage. Ryan stares at the raised geometry for a bit, then looks back at you with a blank expression. Luckily, Gizamon picks up on it a bit faster."Oh. She can't stand around too long, because a bot is going to scan her and try to admit her for treatment.""Exactly. And I can't go around with a face disguise either, it's too suspicious. So we need you to walk around inside, take a look, and then find some kind of partition entrance." "Why a partition entrance?"To your relief, it's Ryan who answers this time, proving that he's not solely a burden. "The Cutemon probably isn't running around on the surface. You said it heals people? Like, for fun?" "You could say that. It's part of its data to help people and Digimon out, as far as I know. But even if it's helpful, and the bots appreciate it, they can't have it running amok. They'll be trying to leash it.""It'll be a problem if they've already done that. It's harder to get the help of a City Digimon. So our best case scenario is that it's a wild Digimon that just lurks the servers and heals people when it feels like it." "Okay. I don't think there'll be much trouble when I'm scouting. What about you two? What're you doing in the meantime?"
You've been considering it on the way here. While he handles the scouting phase, what'll you and Phascomon be taking care of? >Search the outskirts of the Hospital. The Cutemon, or Wild Digimon for that matter, could be hiding OUTSIDE the actual place, rather than within the Network or Partitions. Even if you're wrong, it'll be helpful to examine the surrounding layout and compare it to your map scans, so you can chart out an escape route and share it with Ryan. >Observe him directly. Have him share a video feed so you can backseat his exploration of the Hospital. This will prevent you from doing anything while out here, but it could ensure that he doesn't miss some vital detail. If you don't have that much faith in him to report on his findings properly, this is a good contingency. >Locate the Network Access points in surrounding infrastructure. Instead of examining the physical space, you'll be searching for a way to enter the Network, then slide straight into the Hospital's partition without entering the actual building. However, taking this path will bring with it the usual risks of Network travel. The only solace is that it'll be over a very short distance, so it couldn't be as bad as the last route you took to the scanning facility.
>>6304338>Observe him directly. Have him share a video feed so you can backseat his exploration of the Hospital. This will prevent you from doing anything while out here, but it could ensure that he doesn't miss some vital detail. If you don't have that much faith in him to report on his findings properly, this is a good contingency.
>>6304338>Observe him directly. Have him share a video feed so you can backseat his exploration of the Hospital. This will prevent you from doing anything while out here, but it could ensure that he doesn't miss some vital detail. If you don't have that much faith in him to report on his findings properly, this is a good contingency. Is a medical scan different from the scan for metadata?
>>6304338>Search the outskirts of the Hospital. The Cutemon, or Wild Digimon for that matter, could be hiding OUTSIDE the actual place, rather than within the Network or Partitions. Even if you're wrong, it'll be helpful to examine the surrounding layout and compare it to your map scans, so you can chart out an escape route and share it with Ryan. I want a way to escape this time.
>>6304349+1 for escape plan
>>6304338>Search the outskirts of the Hospital. The Cutemon, or Wild Digimon for that matter, could be hiding OUTSIDE the actual place, rather than within the Network or Partitions. Even if you're wrong, it'll be helpful to examine the surrounding layout and compare it to your map scans, so you can chart out an escape route and share it with Ryan. A smart play... Mostly for a clean getaway, or else I would have voted for network infiltration.
>>6304346Yeah. The typical metadata scan has the bots requesting a specific segment and then identifying what a person was doing during that timeframe. A medical one would be different, where it looks into a person's code, data/avatar expression, etc to see what's deviating from baseline human programming and causing issues.
>>6304441This is me, btw, if it matters.
>>6304338>Search the outskirts of the Hospital. The Cutemon, or Wild Digimon for that matter, could be hiding OUTSIDE the actual place, rather than within the Network or Partitions. Even if you're wrong, it'll be helpful to examine the surrounding layout and compare it to your map scans, so you can chart out an escape route and share it with Ryan.
>>6304339>>6304346>>6304349>>6304397>>6304441>>6304770Outskirt searching!
>Search the outskirts of the Hospital. The Cutemon, or Wild Digimon for that matter, could be hiding OUTSIDE the actual place, rather than within the Network or Partitions. Even if you're wrong, it'll be helpful to examine the surrounding layout and compare it to your map scans, so you can chart out an escape route and share it with Ryan. "We're gonna check out the exterior building. Y'know, confirm that our escape routes work, look for points of interest, whatever I couldn't scout out online." "Got it. We're heading in then." Ryan waves goodbye. He hangs up the call, taking Gizamon along, and heads through the large entrance. The Hospital isn't particularly crowded. It never is, since most people don't get injured if they stay on the rails. Only rogue elements like Digimon or Malware from Code Crackers are able to cause damage to a person. You hazard a guess that most of the patients are only here because they're paranoid about their symptoms. There's just not that much room to receive wounds in 87O. Considering that, if you show up with your leg like this, you're going to need to explain why. And then they'll likely request Metadata in order to diagnose the cause and treat the injury. It'll be nothing but trouble. You don't want to go in until you absolutely need to. Instead, you walk around the outskirts, taking in the various sights. You've just left the small park in the adjacent lot. The surrounding buildings are all hab-units or small stores. You take a look at one that sells fancy mirrors, stifling a laugh. "What?""Nothing, it's just really funny that they're trying to cash in on it next to a hospital.""Nah, I still don't get it. What do you mean?"You realise that you've never chatted with Phascomon about redesigning.
When somebody wants their body parts, height, or major aesthetic features modified, they visit the Hospital. The bots are a little cagey about it, and you assume it's to prevent somebody from transforming themselves beyond recognition after committing crimes. Most of these edits leave people looking just a bit different, to get rid of little flaws that they dislike about their own avatars. You've never undergone the process, thanks to your mistrust for the place. It's not like there's much you'd look to change anyway. Maybe height, if anything, but it's not worth placing yourself at the mercy of these robotsPhascomon looks surprised as you explain all of this to him."That's nuts!" "Well, we're all just avatars in a simulation anyway. It's not that difficult to wrap my head around." "What about haircuts and outfits? You've done those at home, right?" "Oh, those are fine. We can handle those by ourselves." "So people can just... make themselves green?""Huh? No. What kind of question is that?" You ask, pausing your walk to stare at your Digivice screen. "You'd think people would make bigger changes instead of just buying a new nose. What about giving themselves horns or something! Y'know, like a Digimon. If I could modify my forms without Digivolution, I'd just keep making myself stronger.""It's not a miracle tool. They stick to changes that are within the realm of human possibility." "Hmph. Doesn't sound like they're leveraging that tool well enough." "I'm sure there are bio-Crackers who do exactly what you're talking about, but I haven't seen anyone with an actual wacky appearance before.""So, the Mirror store— you mentioned a while ago that they're expensive? Like they're screens or something.""Yeah, it's trying to cash in on people who are fresh from the procedure. I think plenty of the patients here are actually coming to get their changes approved, instead of being treated for an injury."You sense that Phascomon wants to ask more questions, but you've gotten distracted for long enough. You move away from the mirror store and continue searching.
You identify several rooftop routes that you previously charted. Thanks to your scouting, you realize that some of them are no-go zones. There are a few with balconies overlooking them, meaning that witnesses could be standing on them at unpredictable intervals. Snitching is common among people who play by the rules, so you don't want to chance it. On the other hand, some ground routes that you once discounted prove to be better than expected. One of them has security cameras lining it, but with Fr1tz.app, you could blast them for long enough to dive into the long maintenance tunnel beyond it, and emerge far beyond the Hospital. You take note of all of these potential spots, eventually coming up with a plan. While you search, you keep your eyes out for any Digimon. You spot a few traces passing across the outskirts, with a handful even going into the building. One set of tracks seems to get stronger, marking out the creature's presence as being recent. "Something's been here.""And it's not far." "Doesn't strike me as a Cutemon. It's too bestial." "It's going kinda close to the building, though. Do we have time for it? I don't want to get caught by a bot while wandering too close." "Hmm..."The two of you ruminate on it while waiting for Ryan's update. You sent him a request for info earlier, but he replied that he was busy, much to your chagrin.>Follow the Digimon traces. If there are multiple groups of them living in the Hospital's vicinity, they might know each other. Digimon packs often have social dynamics localized around their feeding grounds. You could get a clue about Cutemon's whereabouts from them. >Don't get sidetracked by a different Digimon. You still have time for a limited search of the Network Access points. You probably won't find anything perfect, but there's gotta be some sort of entrance in a surrounding building.
>>6305138>Follow the Digimon traces. If there are multiple groups of them living in the Hospital's vicinity, they might know each other. Digimon packs often have social dynamics localized around their feeding grounds. You could get a clue about Cutemon's whereabouts from them.
>>6305151+1
>>6305138>Follow the Digimon traces. If there are multiple groups of them living in the Hospital's vicinity, they might know each other. Digimon packs often have social dynamics localized around their feeding grounds. You could get a clue about Cutemon's whereabouts from them. This is the kind of option you expect by searching the hospital. Plus I don't want anything half assed related to the network.
>>6305151>>6305243>>6305366Writing!
>>6305138>Follow the Digimon traces.
>Follow the Digimon traces. If there are multiple groups of them living in the Hospital's vicinity, they might know each other. Digimon packs often have social dynamics localized around their feeding grounds. You could get a clue about Cutemon's whereabouts from them."I think we've got a little bit. It won't be anything I can't handle." The two of you start following the tracks. They take you a bit closer to the building, and you pass through a small garden with blocky hedges and low-definition shrubs. The greenery here is particularly saturated in color, like they're trying to breathe extra life into it. It's much brighter around the Hospital, making it difficult to avoid looking suspicious. You do your best to avoid the windows, but luckily, no bots seem to be patrolling inside or outside. "Hey, they're getting more distinct." "I'm starting to make out footprints." You pause beneath a coolant unit, examining how it's fastened to the wall. The Hospital itself has numerous rooms that are sequestered away from the outside world, and they require numerous external blocks to provide them with storage space and temperature reduction. You assume there's some kind of resource allocation protocol accessible from within. It could serve as an entry point for later. "Marnie, move!"You step backwards immediately, dodging the flowerpot coming from above. It slams heavily into the ground and bounces wildly, rolling off into the bushes. While you look around for your attacker, you hold your Digivice up and prepare to send Phascomon out. He's wary of an ambush coming from the ground level, and is raring to go, but you don't want to hololize him until absolutely necessary. "Damn, that's gotta be a Digimon." Or some jerk throwing furniture out of their room, but that seems unlikely. You stare at the edge of the building and try to make out any further motion.
"Seems like it doesn't want us getting close." "Also not very in-character for a Cutemon to be dropping things on my head.""Maybe it thinks it can just heal you after." You zoom in on the roof, trying to figure out where exactly the Digimon is hiding. It's difficult to get a good glimpse of it, until it pokes its whole head out to stare at you. "Hey, you're..."You send Phascomon out on instinct, expecting some kind of projectile attack from the creature. Fortunately, it's too busy staring at you to throw any more flowerpots, and its hostility evaporates when it sees your partner. You didn't get a good look at it the last time, but its general shape is familiar. PULSEMON- ROOKIE- BEAST MAN- VACCINE"You're the chump who was getting trounced!""I wouldn't put it that way." Pulsemon sniffles, slowly emerging from the edge of the coolant block. He looks like he's in better shape today. There are no more visible injuries, and apart from a slight limp as he shifts around, he's in good health. "You recognized me even before my buddy here came out?""I've got a good eye for these things." He says.Pulsemon looks around shiftily, making sure no other humans are lying in wait. Once he's satisfied, he descends from his spot to join you on the ground, stopping a safe distance away. The surprise reunion fills you with optimism for today's search. You have a lead already."I'm Marnie. And this is Phascomon over here." "The name's Pulsemon. And thanks for the other day. I had to book it before I could give a word of thanks, but you two saved my rear! Now- What're you doing skulking around?"He sounds suspicious, despite your aid the previous day. You look to Phascomon, gently prodding him with your foot. He takes the hint and steps up to handle negotiations.
"Don't get your laces in a twist, we're not here to mess with you. We're just looking for a particular Digimon. Just our luck that you showed up, huh? Now, we didn't come to collect any debt, but what say you scratch our backs and answer a couple questions?""I guess it's the least I could do. Let's get somewhere quieter, then you can ask away."He starts zipping off. You watch him run from cover to cover, leaving trails of static electricity as he moves. This DIgimon runs remarkably fast, leaving you to wonder how he got caught in the first place. He must have slipped up somewhere. Just to be safe, you return Phascomon to your Digivice and follow on foot. If you get spotted, you can just say you were just watching this rare Digimon out of curiosity. Pulsemon takes you through the hedge, until you find a spot where the green walls are particularly high. He settles beneath a block of leaves and signals for you to sit down as well. A small assortment of snacks are scattered about, with numerous wrappers littering the area. "Do people vandalize this place?" You ask, staring at the trash distastefully."No, this is just my emergency hangout spot. Why?"Ah. The trash must not be teleporting itself to the sewers, since Pulsemon was the one consuming the food. There was never any automatic registration of it as litter, after being emptied out by a human. You push an empty can away and sit cross-legged on the fake grass. "Where'd your partner go? Left him in the dust?""Hololize." Pulsemon watches in amazement as Phascomon's data pushes its way back into existence. He yawns and stretches as he looks around the hedge alcove. "Nice spot to hang out in... But not if you want to stay hidden. Why are you hanging around a Hospital instead of taking your chances out in the city? Can't be much food in here.""There is for me! This place is like a buffet. Human data aplenty!"You exchange a look with your partner, immediately getting ready to fight. If this Digimon is hunting down people and eating them, you need to delete it at once. "Uh... Like, patients?""Of course!"You shift your stance into a half-squat, preparing to spring away."The bots don't notice them going missing?""What? Why would they go missing? I just take their data from the machines. Always a treat when Sportsball players get scanned!""What data, exactly?" "Y'know, biometrics, metadata copies, heart rate signals, they all go straight into me!" He declares, his tail twitching happily. You breathe a sigh of relief. "That's a real misleading way to put it, Pulsemon... But anyway, that's not what I meant to ask-"
"We're looking for a particular Digimon. We heard that they've been sighted around the Hospital. Do you know a Cutemon?" Pulsemon's expression changes immediately. He sits up straight and tosses a bag of chips aside. "What business do you have with the boss?""Boss?" Phascomon asks, raising an eyebrow in amusement. You share his reaction. You can't imagine a fluffy pink bunny leading this guy around. Pulsemon looks like a fairly strong Digimon, his mishap with Goburimon aside. "Yeah. But the boss is... indisposed at the moment. I've been trying to get to him too, but there's been a bit of trouble."Pulsemon starts pacing back and forth. "You're not making much sense, bud. Come on, work with us here." "The boss and I both hang around the Hospital. But recently, some punks came by, and have been stirring up trouble. They scooped the boss right up. I got hurt trying to get him outta there. It's been a few days, I've been monitoring the situation, and I'm afraid they're gonna move him soon...""Move him into the Network?" Pulsemon nods. Looks like you came here just in time, then. If you had been a few days later, the Digimon might have ended up somewhere else. "How do we get into the Hospital Partition?" "You have to do it from inside. There are some access terminals I use.""We have to pick one that doesn't set off any alarms then. Or doesn't log us.""VPNs will do the trick.""Have you two done this before? You don't sound weirded out at all. Not very often I meet humans who are experienced with this kind of thing.""We've been around." Pulsemon looks towards the building wistfully, and you think about how best to integrate him into your plans.Of course, all of these approaches are dependent on what info you get from Ryan when he comes back. You'll adapt them to fit the results of his scouting.>Have him lead you and Ryan through the Hospital. You're more likely to get where you need to be even faster, with a guide who frequents this area. However, moving in a group like this might get you caught easier. You have zero experience working with this Digimon, you don't know if you can function as a unit. >Get instructions from Pulsemon, then rendezvous with him inside. You'll need to follow his tips, as well as Ryan's info, and find a way to enter the partition by yourself. You can leave him to his own devices with confidence, since he's not likely to be caught. Worry about you and Ryan first and foremost.>Write-in: Some other specific way to use him.
>>6305833>Get instructions from Pulsemon, then rendezvous with him inside. You'll need to follow his tips, as well as Ryan's info, and find a way to enter the partition by yourself. You can leave him to his own devices with confidence, since he's not likely to be caught. Worry about you and Ryan first and foremost.
>>6305833>Have him lead you and Ryan through the Hospital. You're more likely to get where you need to be even faster, with a guide who frequents this area. However, moving in a group like this might get you caught easier. You have zero experience working with this Digimon, you don't know if you can function as a unit. This plus>Write-inGet instructions from him instead of following him blindly, like danger zones or places to hide, etc. Make a plan, know him better, give him some advice to work better together.Maybe you could use him to bait the bots if needed, as a complement to Marnie's apps.
>>6305851+1 time is of the essence and we know the escape routes well enough
>>6305833>Get instructions from Pulsemon, then rendezvous with him inside. You'll need to follow his tips, as well as Ryan's info, and find a way to enter the partition by yourself. You can leave him to his own devices with confidence, since he's not likely to be caught. Worry about you and Ryan first and foremost.Can we spoof stuff to look like a digimon ate the data?
>>6305851+1>>6305833I don't want to jump to using him as bait, but a local guide is a huge boon, and he can vouch for us with his boss.
>>6305851>>6305920>>6306076>>6305836>>6305994Writing!
>Have him lead you and Ryan through the Hospital. You're more likely to get where you need to be even faster, with a guide who frequents this area. However, moving in a group like this might get you caught easier. You have zero experience working with this Digimon, you don't know if you can function as a unit.>+Write-inYou need his direct guidance, but you don't expect him to know how to handle two humans while sneaking around. You'll have to make sure you're on the same page before anything else. "I have an associate who's scouting out the inside. Can you stick around here? It'll go better if all of us make a plan together." "Alright... Not like I can rush into it anyway."You wait around in the hedge for a few more minutes, until Ryan finally replies to your messages.==After the two of you get back in contact, you explain the situation to him, and catch him up on your brief meeting with Pulsemon and the aspiring recruit. He's a bit antsy about working with wild Digimon after his last run-in with them in the partition."So, you just found him here again?" Ryan asks, looking at Pulsemon with distinct suspicion. "Yup. He has a good reason to be around the Hospital." "And I'll be leading you two right to the entry point. As long as you help me get the boss away from those weirdo Digimon.""Hey, so about your first meeting with Marnie here. You're saying it was-" You hold your hands out to stop him, quickly signaling for a time-out. He trails off and looks at you in confusion, while you type up a text message. His eyes widen in understanding once he reads it. It's a bad idea to tell Pulsemon that Ryan's organization was responsible for his pursuit. You want to grill him about the Goburimon guy, as well as everything the Dogs of War have been up to, but now is a bad time. This ally is too important to upset. "Just brief us on everything you discovered while inside."==
Ryan has visited every floor to examine the layout and compare them to your maps. There are several private areas and wards that he was unable to access, but for the most part, the blueprints have been verified. There are no human staff at all, but he hasn't spotted any Digimon either. He's only seen traces inside the hallways that match the tracks of common City-employed Rookies. Pulsemon struggles to read the map, citing that he just uses instinct and memory to navigate. After a frustratingly long time, you settle on a route. You'll both need to change clothes and climb through a window with your identities hidden, then make your way up to the third floor using the staircase. The biggest danger zones are the elevators and the hallways outside the wards. Ryan also marks out all the cameras that he spotted. You'll need to hide in a blind spot and use Sp00f.app on them. Thanks to your training, remote surveillance is dealt with. You won't leave much evidence of your passage. Once you're on the third floor, you'll need to spend some time cracking through a partition that holds the Hospital resource allocation system. This is another risky point, as someone will have to actively work on the door while another person distracts any nearby bots. And after you get inside and load yourself into the partition, you'll likely have to deal with patrolling Digimon instead of servitors. "Do you go in there often?" "All the time! I can bust into any old device. You humans can't do that, right? Which is why we're going to the big office." "Do you mess with anything else apart from eating patient data?""I don't want to break anything or stir up trouble. If I do, they might start taking my presence seriously!" "If we pull this off perfectly, any damage to systems is going to look like it was done by a Digimon, you know." Pulsemon squirms uncomfortably as he thinks about that, but ultimately shrugs and continues pointing to the map. "If it gets the boss out of here, it's worth it." "Alright. Maybe they'll assume any damage was done by the kidnappers. What do you know about them?" "They're real strong! There's two of them. I think they came from the Network." "You got names for us?" "I don't. They're both kinda small, but I think they're stronger than Champions." "Huh. Aren't there city Digimon patrolling the inside of the partition? They don't care?" "There's an... unspoken thing going on in places like these. Digimon like us wander in from the Network all the time. They don't shoot every single one of us, unless we make massive trouble or actively cause damage." "Still, from what we've seen, they don't just let Champion-level Digimon walk around freely. Even more so if they're Ultimate-level." Pulsemon shrugs once again. "I dunno. I'm just sharing what I have."
"Maybe they're just not strong enough to repel them?" Ryan suggests.He might have a point. They could be ignoring these invaders out of necessity."Good thing we definitely are. But while we're inside, it'll probably send up alarm bells if I have Phascomon Digivolve. We'll be better off retrieving Cutemon without getting noticed, just like we planned." "I didn't plan for a fight with an Ultimate... I thought you said this would be a quick job." He whines, already losing his nerve. You roll your eyes. "If anything goes wrong, Astamon will be strong enough to blow it away. Just keep it together, will you?" Ryan sighs deeply, then finishes sharing the last few bits of crucial information. Now that you have the full picture, you're able to create a plan, that involves Pulsemon leading the two of you directly. All that's left is to execute it, and see what the inside of the Hospital is like.== The very beginning of your sneaking mission goes well. The two of you leave the vicinity of the Hospital, change clothes, then come back with your faces obscured by veils of static. You meet up with Pulsemon, as planned, but he just looks you up and down with a disappointed expression. "Is that really your disguise?""What?""We're wearing completely different outfits, aren't we?" Ryan asks, confused. You share his stance. You've specifically picked varied styles and colors, and even put your hair up. Pulsemon shakes his head in disbelief and crawls through the window, signaling for you to follow. As the three of you begin slipping through the hallways, you use your .app files on the cameras in your path. You use Sp00f to loop the footage for a short period of time, making sure that you're not caught on tape. If they monitor it in real-time, they'll find the gaps in surveillance, but it'll hold up to a cursory look.However, the first problem rapidly approaches. You hear multiple sets of incoming human footsteps as you walk down a particularly long stretch of hallway. Pulsemon immediately prepares to scurry beneath a vending machine, but you can do no such thing. Ryan tries a nearby door at random, but finds that it's locked. You're in a ward hallway."Damn!" You stare at the upcoming three-way intersection. The sound is coming from the right, where you're meant to go. If they make a left turn from their angle, they'll run right into the two of you, with your static veils blatantly visible. If they go straight, you can just wait for them to pass. Hiding is a poor choice with so little cover in this hall.
>Temporarily turn off your c1oak veil. If they come your way, they'll just see two regular people passing by. Nothing to worry about. However, on the off chance that they're accompanied by any bots, they'll catch sight of you immediately, and you don't want your faces to be logged by them. It'll create a direct discrepancy if you want an alibi for today's events. >Turn around and walk in the opposite direction, so they can't see that you're using a contraband .app. You'll bank on luck. If they go the other way, they'll be out of your hair in a mere moment. However, if they're going the same way as you, you can't awkwardly stop or turn back towards them without looking suspicious, or revealing your blurred faces. You'll need to waste time on going backwards, until these pesky patients are gone, and risk running into people from the other direction.>Send Pulsemon out to get their attention. No need to rely on luck, when he's an excellent distraction on his own. He'll surely pull their focus towards him, allowing you to slip by without notice. However, he'll need time to rendezvous with you after he leads them away. You'll have to keep walking without his guidance for a little while, leaving you shorthanded when dealing with Hospital hazards.
>>6306333>Send Pulsemon out to get their attention. No need to rely on luck, when he's an excellent distraction on his own. He'll surely pull their focus towards him, allowing you to slip by without notice. However, he'll need time to rendezvous with you after he leads them away. You'll have to keep walking without his guidance for a little while, leaving you shorthanded when dealing with Hospital hazards.Divide, conquer, regroup.
>>6306333>Send Pulsemon out to get their attention. No need to rely on luck, when he's an excellent distraction on his own. He'll surely pull their focus towards him, allowing you to slip by without notice. However, he'll need time to rendezvous with you after he leads them away. You'll have to keep walking without his guidance for a little while, leaving you shorthanded when dealing with Hospital hazards.Good thing we came together.
>>6306333>Send Pulsemon out to get their attention. No need to rely on luck, when he's an excellent distraction on his own. He'll surely pull their focus towards him, allowing you to slip by without notice. However, he'll need time to rendezvous with you after he leads them away. You'll have to keep walking without his guidance for a little while, leaving you shorthanded when dealing with Hospital hazards.
>>6306333>>Send Pulsemon out to get their attention. No need to rely on luck, when he's an excellent distraction on his own. He'll surely pull their focus towards him, allowing you to slip by without notice. However, he'll need time to rendezvous with you after he leads them away. You'll have to keep walking without his guidance for a little while, leaving you shorthanded when dealing with Hospital hazards.
>>6306385>>6306387>>6306536>>6306591>>6306612Writing! Might be unable to update today, busy day.
>Send Pulsemon out to get their attention. No need to rely on luck, when he's an excellent distraction on his own. He'll surely pull their focus towards him, allowing you to slip by without notice. However, he'll need time to rendezvous with you after he leads them away. You'll have to keep walking without his guidance for a little while.You crouch by the vending machine to whisper into his hiding place. “We need you to distract them.” ”Huh? But-“ “They’re turning!” Ryan hisses. Left with no choice, Pulsemon scurries out from under the machine. He crouches into a runner’s stance and takes a single second to check his shoelaces, before taking off in a burst of lightning. You feel the air crackling, and your static cloak fizzles in response. He’s gone in a flash, darting past the patients right as they emerge. One of them yelps in surprise. He slows down, becoming visible to them for a brief moment, then continues along his way. The three of them are left marveling at the sight. The middle-aged woman in their group slowly follows along, holding up a camera, and her two friends accompany her. There are no bots escorting them, fortunately. “You think he’ll get caught on camera?” Ryan asks. “Nah, he lives here, he probably knows how to avoid them.” The situation is handled, you quickly reach the intersection and turn right, moving away from the patients. Sp00f is one of those .apps that work off activation time, rather than being single-use, so you don’t burn too many copies while disabling the various cameras in your path. You eventually make it to the stairwell, which is buried annoyingly deep in the building. “You sure this is the right one?” “Positive, it has the same green door and everything.” You push the door open and start climbing the steps. There were other staircase landings that could have taken you up to the third floor, but you decided to pick one that was inconvenient to reach. The vast majority of users would just take the stairs by the entrance, making this one less likely to be inhabited. Your bet pays off, and you run into nobody while ascending.
The two of you skip the second floor entirely, ending up on the third. Out of curiosity, you peek into an open ward as you pass by. "What're you doing?" "Just taking a second. I haven't been in here before." Sitting in a bed is a young man in hospital attire. He's fast asleep, and doesn't notice either of you two. His arm is held up in a cast, and you can see fizzling artifacts rising from it. His hair is cropped short, apart from the gaudy frosted tips stabbing out from his scalp. He looks like just another street punk. You quickly retreat from the entryway, not wanting to linger and waste time. It looks like his arm got exposed to malware. The bots usually treat these injuries quickly, so he can't have been here long. The Hospital definitely sees less action than the medical institutions of old, since the sources of danger for a human are far fewer. Only people who mess with malicious code or interact with Digimon are likely to be injured, and this guy is probably the former. You move onwards, heading towards the partition office. The packet of breaching code is stashed securely in your smuggling partition, and you intend on having Ryan watch over it while you stand vigil. Pulsemon being absent wasn't part of the plan, but you'll have to make do without him. Finally, you reach the room that you need to break into, just barely avoiding a squad of three bots. The servitors are making a constant sweep of the hallway, and soon enough, they'll loop back around and run into you. There's nowhere to really hide once you've started hacking the door, so your only real option is to delay the patrol long enough to finish the job and enter the office. "Damn, the little guy could have been useful.""Yeah. Too late for that now. I'll think of something." "I timed it earlier. They take about ten minutes to finish a sweep. If they get delayed by something, they don't call in extra bodies to finish the route. They just deal with it first."You blink in surprise, rather pleased that he remembered such a thing. He's not the most reliable, but at least he's shown moments of competence. "That's why you took so long to report back, huh?" He nods, swiftly moving towards the door and holding his hand out for the code.
You look at the surrounding wards. The easiest way to cause a crisis is to use Fr1tz.app on the equipment. You're certain that messing with it won't have any consequences on the patients, it'll just send the AI scurrying in to fawn over them. You can mess with their treatment without too much guilt. However, any breakage will cause them to investigate after. You feel like you've covered your tracks well thus far, and you might not want to ruin that.You could also make use of Sp00f.app to create a less destructive distraction. However, the .app is only a visual display. You can't trigger an alarm with it unless a bot reads the data and responds. In order to utilize it fully, you'll have to wander the halls and find a situation where you can actually use it. It's a bigger short term risk, and will leave Ryan unsupervised, but could lead to a cleaner run.>Find a ward that's far from your location, then mess with the equipment by using Fr1tz. The bots will leave their patrol route to investigate the sabotaged electronics and ensure that the medical equipment is functional. However, as you didn't practice enough with the app, you could cause an unresolvable breakage that will prompt investigation. The upside is that this distraction will be extremely effective in the short term.>Investigate the rooms and try to find some kind of treatment schedule. Earlier, you saw a sign on the punk's bed that displayed his next checkup session. If you can find a chamber that they're scheduled to check on within the next ten minutes or so, you could use Sp00f to create something that they'll have to spend time verifying. You're confident you can do this correctly thanks to your training. However, you'll need to walk into rooms to check on the timetables, potentially being spotted by patients in the process. >Create a distraction with Pulsemon: UNAVAILABLE
>>6306947>Find a ward that's far from your location, then mess with the equipment by using Fr1tz. The bots will leave their patrol route to investigate the sabotaged electronics and ensure that the medical equipment is functional. However, as you didn't practice enough with the app, you could cause an unresolvable breakage that will prompt investigation. The upside is that this distraction will be extremely effective in the short term.
>>6306947>Find a ward that's far from your location, then mess with the equipment by using Fr1tz. The bots will leave their patrol route to investigate the sabotaged electronics and ensure that the medical equipment is functional. However, as you didn't practice enough with the app, you could cause an unresolvable breakage that will prompt investigation. The upside is that this distraction will be extremely effective in the short term.I'm guessing sending Phascomon out is too risky for the relative value of evil snore.
>>6306947Use the Fr1tz
>>6306947>Investigate the rooms and try to find some kind of treatment schedule. Earlier, you saw a sign on the punk's bed that displayed his next checkup session. If you can find a chamber that they're scheduled to check on within the next ten minutes or so, you could use Sp00f to create something that they'll have to spend time verifying. You're confident you can do this correctly thanks to your training. However, you'll need to walk into rooms to check on the timetables, potentially being spotted by patients in the process.
>>6306951>>6306986>>6307009>>6307013>>6307091Fr1tz usage, writing!
>Find a ward that's far from your location, then mess with the equipment by using Fr1tz. The bots will leave their patrol route to investigate the sabotaged electronics and ensure that the medical equipment is functional. However, as you didn't practice enough with the app, you could cause an unresolvable breakage that will prompt investigation. The upside is that this distraction will be extremely effective in the short term."I'll be right back." "You gonna be gone long?" "Hopefully not." You look at your map. There's a rough loop that the bots will be making, so your best bet is to get as close to them as possible, then break the machinery in that area. They'll spend time diagnosing it and performing repairs, while being far away from Ryan's position. That should buy him enough time to break into the office. "Be careful, make sure you get all the cameras." Phascomon urges.You take it slow. You don't know where exactly the bots are going to be, so you pick a corner that seems far enough away from the office. Along the way, you make sure to Sp00f every camera, carrying out the same looping as before. Once you reach your target ward, you peek inside to see if it's occupied by anyone. Fortunately for you, it is. And unfortunately for them, you're about to mess with their equipment. The patient looks like an office worker, surprisingly. "Wonder how he got injured." "It looks a bit like your leg, doesn't it?" You squint at the man. He's currently conscious and facing the ceiling. The entire front of his body looks fuzzy and indistinct, with raised vertexes and polygons. It's a sight to behold, filling you with a sense of prickling discomfort. You can't tell where he's looking, but he hasn't noticed you. "Could be an explosion...? He doesn't look like a danger-seeker." Something nags at the back of your mind, but you can't quite pin it down. You shrug and pull out the .app file without further hesitation.
"Sucks to be him. But he'll be fine.""Yeah. Look, there's no active treatment going on. It's all just monitoring equipment." You point into the room. When Doc was fixing your leg, and when Squid was trying to help Bella, you remember them pulling out electromagnetic field generators to resculpt vertex points. No such tools are present by his bedside. You can break them without actually injuring him or interfering with his recovery. You still feel quite bad for bombing a hospital, but this route has the least amount of risk for you."Activating." Fr1tz.app detonates. The effect is immediate, causing all his electronics to fritz out, as per the name. Screens projecting his avatar go dark. His heartrate monitors spike rapidly, their screens filling with monochromatic static. His bed suddenly flattens, dropping him straight onto his back from his slightly inclined position. The motion wakes him up, and he immediately begins breathing heavily. You duck out of the doorway before the man can notice you."Hey- Help! HEEELP!" He cries for the incoming bots as you slip back into the halls and return to Ryan's position. The patrol is still several minutes away, so you hope he doesn't clamber out of bed or do anything rash."Hi. Whatcha doin?""Figlio di puttana!"You flinch, whipping your head around to stare at the speaker. Your pulse spikes, matching the erratic whirling of your victim's heart monitor. For a second, you think you've been caught. "Don't- Don't scare me like that! What the hell, Pulsemon?!""Dude!"Your little green ally rubs the back of his head sheepishly."Sorry. I was just wondering what you were doing all alone.""Causing a distraction. Come on, let's go back to the meetup point." He totters along behind you, as you leave the screaming patient behind. ==
“It’s open!” Ryan calls. You flash Pulsemon a signal with a laser pointer, and he quickly returns from his sentry post by the corner of the hallway. For a little while, you thought that you might need a second distraction after all— the cracking code took longer than expected to break through. Fortunately, it managed to finish a new cycle and open up the lock before the patrol returned to your position. ”Everyone in!” Phascomon chirps from within your Digivice. You need no further prompting, filing into the office first with your W1pe.app pre-loaded. It proves to be unnecessary. There’s no servitor waiting in the office. There’s just a large terminal, a holographic projection of the hospital, and a series of thick cables extending from the terminal and running into the walls. You see a dashboard with numerous temperature controls and orders for storage space allocation. Notably, there’s no way to control any of this from the outside. One needs to log into the partition itself, and access the sub-level of the Hospital building. “Get everything ready.” You order Ryan. “Usual procedure for entering partitions, VPNs and all.”By now, you’re familiar with the process. Ryan accepts your order without a hitch, refreshing his time-sensitive .apps and tools so that he can enter the network with a fresh timer. He’s particularly cautious after what happened to Lenny. ”Oi. Sparky. Where’d you say your boss was again?” Gizamon asks roughly. ”Last I checked, they were doing some creepy experiments using the Hospital software. I think it was a surgery room?” ”Huh? They were cutting up the Cutemon?! Isn’t that something you should have told us before?” Phascomon asks, pacing wildly in the corner of your HUD. ”No! They were just trying to copy something in his code. Weird little experiments, and they were using the equipment here.""What do you mean 'using the equipment'?" Ryan asks. You think back to the mall, and the customer redirection protocols within. Apart from being abandoned, the mall was a carbon copy of the real one, down to each store. "There's a copy of every facility in the backend. They must be using that." You answer. "Bingo. So now we waltz in, you delete those two creeps, and we get the boss back! Then he'll hear out whatever request you had." Ryan holds a hand out, preparing to jump inside.
"Wait, wait- There could be a bot handling the controls." You signal for him to stop, while you think through your options. If something is manning the controls for this room, you could raise the alarm awfully fast just by entering. Since Digimon go in and out of the Hospital backend, you assume security isn't as draconian as the data center. They might not even scan you when you enter. As long as you aren't hasty, you could get past this without putting the guards on alert.If it notices you guys, you'll be forced to use W1pe.app. That's your one backup option, but if it bricks the bot, you'll attract attention to your position.>Enter one by one and try to sneak past the guard bot independently. This option has the most points of failure, but if all three of you can go through consecutively, you could make it closer to you goal without tipping anyone off at. However, you can't observe each other's progress, you might just pop in during someone else's failure, or it could be looking right at the entrance when you enter. >Send Pulsemon in first. He's used to navigating the inside, trust him to distract and lead it away before you enter. However, he's never shown humans around before. He might not pull this off correctly, or could underestimate something.>Send Phascomon in first to use Evil Snore on the bot. Thanks to your Agility Training, you feel like you can put your faith in him to disable the bot before it can trip an alarm.
>>6307544>Send Phascomon in first to use Evil Snore on the bot. Thanks to your Agility Training, you feel like you can put your faith in him to disable the bot before it can trip an alarm.Remember the basics of CQC-don't pull out a cardboard box
>>6307551+1Also OP take this pic and imagine a crossover with Fork & Spoon
>>6307544>Send Phascomon in first to use Evil Snore on the bot. Thanks to your Agility Training, you feel like you can put your faith in him to disable the bot before it can trip an alarm.
>>6307544>Send Phascomon in first to use Evil Snore on the bot. Thanks to your Agility Training, you feel like you can put your faith in him to disable the bot before it can trip an alarm.Good ol' Evil Snore.
>>6307544>Send Phascomon in first to use Evil Snore on the bot. Thanks to your Agility Training, you feel like you can put your faith in him to disable the bot before it can trip an alarm.Nap time.
>>6307544>Send Phascomon in first to use Evil Snore on the bot. Thanks to your Agility Training, you feel like you can put your faith in him to disable the bot before it can trip an alarm.This is what we trained for!
>>6307551>>6307553>>6307561>>6307564>>6307644>>6307693Nap time!>>6307553Fuck, that’s a good one.
>Send Phascomon in first to use Evil Snore on the bot. Thanks to your Agility Training, you feel like you can put your faith in him to disable the bot before it can trip an alarm."Hololize." You send Phascomon out. He heads for the partition and prepares to load himself in, slipping into his role without skipping a beat."You sure he's got this?" Pulsemon asks. "We've been practicing his sneaking. Plus, you've seen him fight. Don't underestimate us." Ryan nods solemnly in the back. "Okay, he's been in there a couple moments. Think we can go in?" "Let's go." You confirm.== Once you load yourself into the Hospital Resource Allocation System, you take a moment to find your bearings. Instead of an office, you're in an expanse of EM wave flooring. Hundreds of panels and charts cover all four walls, many even floating in mid air. This area is the nerve center of the Hospital. You take care not to step on anything or trigger any buttons, as you make your way to Phascomon. As you'd hoped, the robot is already handled. It's leaning back in its seat with an hourglass depicted on its face. "Woah-" Ryan enters next, and is immediately silenced by your hand closing around his mouth. You glare at him in annoyance, quickly motioning to the sleeping servitor. Pulsemon, wisely, does not make any sound. He just enters and heads straight for the wall with an exit. One by one, the four of you tiptoe past the bot and move into the hallway. When you're out of danger, you grin at Phascomon. "Good work. No alarms?" "It didn't even get to reach for anything." "Wow, you sure handled it fast!""Like I said, he had it under control."
Pulsemon begins leading the way once more. Ryan sends Gizamon out as well, and he takes the vanguard along with the little beast-man. "Huh, haven't taken a good look at you just yet! You smell all wet!" He says.Gizamon wrinkles his nose, trying to get a whiff of himself, then rolls his blue eyes and follows close behind. "Threats to look out for, Pulsemon?" You ask. "Patrols! They know my face, and know that I'm not up to anything huge. Plus, I've beaten up enough of those Espimon to send a message! But they'll probably try and stop you if they see you.""Espimon and Commandramon?" "Bingpot, or whatever they say.""We planned for a subtle approach, so don't go aggravating them." You order. He nods hesitantly. "Okay. Onwards to the surgery room." Pulsemon starts leading you through the labyrinthine corridors. It's a lot less stressful now that there aren't cameras to jam every few feet. The prospect of a Digimon battle is less scary than being permanently tagged by a bot. You run into a patrol at one point, but quickly duck around a corner and wait for them to pass by. They keep marching without issue. "They look stressed out." Ryan says. "On edge." "Must be because of the guests." Gizamon adds. "That's right. They get like this whenever weird Digimon start lingering within the partition. If they start wrecking equipment or actively deleting the guards, then they call in bigger guns.""But they normally just wait for them to leave, like you said.""Mhm."
You look around the hallways. Apart from the extra-large control center, the network version of the Hospital is a replica. You can use the same map and make your way to the surgery room. However, you'll likely run into plenty of Digimon as a group, and have to evade or defeat them in turn. Maybe you can find some kind of alternate approach that's less risky. You've already done a good job of mitigating said risks, might as well keep it up.>Don't try anything new. Sneak straight for the operating theatre that Pulsemon last saw Cutemon and the kidnappers in. You have a set goal in mind, just go straight for it and endure the patrols as you intended. You've trained Phascomon to do exactly this, so the main risk is Ryan, Pulsemon, and Gizamon bumbling along.>Send Pulsemon all the way to the surgery room to scout first. Find a safe corner to camp out. In the meantime, you can do some passive exploration of your surrounding area or chat with Ryan. Once he's back with confirmation that it's the right place, then you can move out.>Instead of going there, head out of the window and wander the outer grounds. Pulsemon said he was worried they'd move Cutemon soon. They have nowhere to go but out into the Network if so. You can just camp out by the exit point and wait, eliminating the drawback of your companions being less stealthy than you. It's a practical move, but you won't know what's happening elsewhere while you do it, and Pulsemon will probably be too antsy to sit still while you bide your time.
>>6308014>Send Pulsemon all the way to the surgery room to scout first. Find a safe corner to camp out. In the meantime, you can do some passive exploration of your surrounding area or chat with Ryan. Once he's back with confirmation that it's the right place, then you can move out.The chat with Ryan is tempting and some prep wouldn't be bad.
>>6308052+1
>>6308014>Send Pulsemon all the way to the surgery room to scout first. Find a safe corner to camp out. In the meantime, you can do some passive exploration of your surrounding area or chat with Ryan. Once he's back with confirmation that it's the right place, then you can move out.I guess the main concern is if Cutemon's already been moved.
>>6308014>Send Pulsemon all the way to the surgery room to scout first. Find a safe corner to camp out. In the meantime, you can do some passive exploration of your surrounding area or chat with Ryan. Once he's back with confirmation that it's the right place, then you can move out.
>>6308052>>6308088>>6308096>>6308224Writing!
>>6308257Sorry for the slow replies recently, been having pretty packed weeks o7 still working on update
>Send Pulsemon all the way to the surgery room to scout first. Find a safe corner to camp out. In the meantime, you can do some passive exploration of your surrounding area or chat with Ryan. Once he's back with confirmation that it's the right place, then you can move out."Pulsemon, can you go ahead of us and check on our destination? If we start moving, we might raise alarms. Get there, then come back and report.""Leave it to me!" He zips off before you can provide any further details. You almost raise your voice to try and urge him back, but manage to stop yourself. "Let's find a spot to wait." The four of you head through the halls, with Phascomon taking the lead this time. He peeks around corners and clambers above the ground where possible. At one point, he crosses a corner, then rapidly scurries back across the light fixture to urge you, Ryan, and Gizamon backwards. You all retreat before the squad of Commandramon arrive. Once they're gone, he jumps down from his vantage point and signals for you to move again.Eventually, you find an unlocked ward that doesn't have any resources being allocated to it. The empty room is a good enough spot to sit and wait. You stay out of sight of the doorway and perch by the windows. You've left small marks on the ceiling for Pulsemon to follow, so he can find you once he returns from his scouting expedition. "Phew. This is stressful. I'm not used to moving without backup..." Ryan says."Ha. We were used to it from the start." You think back to Operation Havoc, and nod in annoyance."Right from the start, yeah. Even when working with you lot." He shuffles his feet awkwardly. "I'm here now, though. I managed to convince Wind to let me come help." "Better than nothing. Why'd he need convincing? You all been that busy?" "Swamped." He mumbles, settling onto the edge of a bed. "We've been receiving new recruits and trying to tighten our protocols in light of the last incident. It's scary going from just kinda... being there to being touted as a senior member."
"If you're not hungering for prestige, why are you even running with them?""It gives me a place to be. I met Gizamon before I even got my Digivice. Most of the others didn't have their partners until they went looking. Thanks to it, we can at least take care of each other properly." That makes a lot more sense than you gave him credit for. It also explains why he seemed so incompetent compared to someone like Liza. You're not sure how long you'd have stuck with Phascomon if you had to hide him from bots and sneak around everywhere without a Digivice. "Have you kept in touch with her?" "Too busy to. I've been wondering if she was alright, but..." "Lemme guess. Wind would be mad."He nods. The mood turns cold after that, leaving the four of you to sit and twiddle your thumbs while waiting for Pulsemon to get back. After a little while more, you decide to stand and examine the room, still cautiously avoiding the entrance. When no patients are assigned to the beds, they lack any specialized equipment. There's just a panel where patient info is supposed to go, and a console with countless buttons that can be toggled remotely. While you're skulking around in this version of the Hospital, you can access the buttons directly. You see wires extending out from the panel and running across the ceiling, likely leading back to the control room."You ever been wounded?" You ask Ryan."Nope.""Only a matter of time if you're going to be a Dog of War forever." "Maybe Cutemon will-" "Stop." "What? He didn't even say anything yet." Gizamon huffs."No, I know where this is going. He sounds like a useful Digimon to get on your side. I don't suppose Wind is gonna let him go, if you're saying that he's been cracking the whip recently."You hadn't considered that before. You frown as you listen out for the sound of Commandramon footsteps."We'll bring him there to help Bella, then see him back to the Hospital. That's all we should be doing.""Yeah, yeah..." This is a sore point for Phascomon, and you don't want to linger on it too long, so you go quiet again. You can't fully control what the Dogs of War do in the future. All you can do is act in a manner you can live with.==
You eventually return from your observation of the surrounding rooms. You're starting to get worried— Pulsemon hasn't come back. Your VPN timing is ticking down, and while no alarm has gone off from your mere presence, you don't want to be logged. Over the last twenty minutes, you've been examining the hallways to look for possible threats, or simple points of interest. You've found a strange, high-density server room full of wires and outbound connections. It looks like a hub for the whole wing you're in. You've also come across an active bed, and witnessed the difference in observation equipment. Unfortunately, said bed was crawling with bots. Seven of them were repairing the numerous bits of broken equipment, and more were on the way. While you glance outside and check your watch, you realize that the room was the one you used Fr1tz in."Any sign of him yet?" Phascomon asks."No, he's not back yet. It can't have taken THAT long, could it?" "He may have run into trouble." You look out into the hallway. Perhaps sending Pulsemon out alone was a mistake. He may be well-versed in navigating the Hospital, but he's not strong enough to face an Ultimate."What do we do now?" "Shh, lemme think." You weigh your options. If you move out, and Pulsemon is just running late, you'll be risking an encounter with the bots that you've attracted. But if he's in trouble, you'll need to go there as soon as possible. All your prospective plans revolve around your little green ally, what he might be doing at the moment, and whether he's even alive anymore. You can theoretically finish the mission without him, but having him around will make it easier.>Stay and wait. He may just be delayed by something, you'll risk it and wait out the bots. They should finish repairing the damaged room soon. In the meantime, you can leave your subtle trails for him and move even further way from the current area, so that the threat passes before you do anything else. >Go find Pulsemon. He's been gone for too long, if there's an emergency, you want to be there for support. You'll need to get past the bots as you head to the Operating Theatre, and it'll pose a new problem. >Instead of finding Pulsemon, go with your earlier consideration of camping by the Network Exit. If he's run into trouble, he might already be deleted by now. The callous but practical choice is to go to an easily-accessible location that the enemy might soon be using.
>>6308709>Go find Pulsemon. He's been gone for too long, if there's an emergency, you want to be there for support. You'll need to get past the bots as you head to the Operating Theatre, and it'll pose a new problem. Shid, I forgot about the VPN
>>6308709>Go find Pulsemon. He's been gone for too long, if there's an emergency, you want to be there for support. You'll need to get past the bots as you head to the Operating Theatre, and it'll pose a new problem.
>>6308709>Go find Pulsemon. He's been gone for too long, if there's an emergency, you want to be there for support. You'll need to get past the bots as you head to the Operating Theatre, and it'll pose a new problem. VPN timer is going, let's hurry gentlemen!Also OP take this gif
>>6308709>Stay and wait. He may just be delayed by something, you'll risk it and wait out the bots. They should finish repairing the damaged room soon. In the meantime, you can leave your subtle trails for him and move even further way from the current area, so that the threat passes before you do anything else.Maybe Pulsemon got caught by invisible Espimon, but it's hard to imagine that happening without any alert
>>6308711>>6308714>>6308717>>6308718Going for Pulsemon! >>6307553Not quite fork and spoon, but this post triggered the thought of a crossover, and I had a strange dream where I ran an entire parallel quest with a new protag who had a Wargreymon, really really hated Appmon, and had to fight Marnie at the end. Odd thing to wake up from.
>>6308990Would Astamon beat Wargreymon?
>>6308990Appmon quest where you're a pimp dispatch officer who allocates appmon to support various digimon tamer teams.Maybe you operate the digibeetle tank too, launching support items and directing commands. You keep the team focused and motivated. You're a.....driver.
>Go find Pulsemon. He's been gone for too long, if there's an emergency, you want to be there for support. You'll need to get past the bots as you head to the Operating Theatre, and it'll pose a new problem. You don't need to consider it for long. He's missing on your orders. You have to go find him. When you say as such, your three companions immediately prepare to move off. You take a look at the map to locate the room that he was sent to. "It's on the second floor. Just one flight of stairs away, but a lot of horizontal distance." "Are the bots still flooding in?" Ryan asks. "They are." "Damn it. Maybe we shouldn't have-""No point second-guessing everything, we have to figure out a way past now." You say, cutting him off."Can't we wait for them to leave?" "We've spent too much time here. I've been rationing our minutes in my head. We have to get going right now, or we won't make it. Plus, he could be in trouble." You peek outside. There are several ways you could go now, and each has its own threats. You go over your current list of issues. Firstly, the shortest route to the staircase is blocked. Next, Ryan and Gizamon aren't as sneaky as the two of you. And lastly, your resources are starting to look sparse. At the very least, you have a few copies of expensive and rare Optical Camouflage apps. It may be time to use it."Do you two think you can get past the bots?" "Uh... We'll try." "I'm not confident. I can't scurry as fast as Phascomon without making a ton of noise." Gizamon says. You appreciate the straight answer a lot more."We might have to give them camo, then." Phascomon says, reading your mind.
While you converse, you hear the sound of stomping feet coming down the hall. It doesn't come in your direction, fortunately— but it's going the same way you plan to move. Bypassing the bots is out of the question if you need to bring Ryan and his Digimon, so your only options will all require a bit of sacrifice. Either way, you're set on moving straight towards the Operating Theatre with no further distractions. This will be the final portion of sneaking you have to do.>Have everybody use Optical Camo and move past the bots. You had four to begin with, so this will consume all of it. It's a hefty cost, but it'll get you all past the patrolling servitors without spending any more time or taking major risks. >Give Ryan and Gizamon Optical Camo, then take the long way around. You can evade the Digimon patrols, but you don't want to risk the bots noticing and scanning your area. There are too many of them moving back and forth with their tools. >Go the long way with the whole group. Save the Camo for any future cases where you might need them, it's too valuable to spend here. This will consume time, but you'll arrive at your destination with a good stock of resources.
Last bit of the stealth segment! I've misjudged the pacing and had it go on for too long, but you guys picked most of the good options. >>6308991Right now? Probably not. He's a powerful Ultimate but in terms of physical capability, I think Wargreymon would shut him down quickly.>>6308992Kek that's good. I've only played the DS games, so I've never gotten to experience the beetle, but this little guy looks awesome. I'd be very happy if someone did a Digimon quest in the future that I could vote on and read.
>>6309133>Have everybody use Optical Camo and move past the bots. You had four to begin with, so this will consume all of it. It's a hefty cost, but it'll get you all past the patrolling servitors without spending any more time or taking major risks.
>>6309194+1let's go fast and get out
>>6309133>Have everybody use Optical Camo and move past the bots. You had four to begin with, so this will consume all of it. It's a hefty cost, but it'll get you all past the patrolling servitors without spending any more time or taking major risks. I don't understand why the Digimon can't get in the digivice to not waste uses. At least Gizamon.
>>6308992Cool concept. The digibeetle is a blast from the past, too.>>6309133>Give Ryan and Gizamon Optical Camo, then take the long way around. You can evade the Digimon patrols, but you don't want to risk the bots noticing and scanning your area. There are too many of them moving back and forth with their tools. We have more experience.
>>6309133>Give Ryan and Gizamon Optical Camo, then take the long way around. You can evade the Digimon patrols, but you don't want to risk the bots noticing and scanning your area. There are too many of them moving back and forth with their tools.
>>6309133okay, changing my mind>>6309194switch to>Have Ryan and Gizamon camp out the network exit. You and Phascomon will use optical camo to get in.Not sure if Phascomon still needs it, but 2 uses will be enough for the way out if Ryan's not there.
>>6309301No you’re right, I actually didn’t think of that LOL. Fuck. Okay yeah, worst case is using 2, leaving more for later. I’ll scale the cost down across the various options to make sense when writing later.
>>6309194>>6309212>>6309301>>6309327>>6309398Writing!
>Have everybody use Optical Camo and move past the bots. You had four to begin with, so this will consume all of it. It's a hefty cost, but it'll get you all past the patrolling servitors without spending any more time or taking major risks.You realize before it's too late that you don't actually need to consume all four. Phascomon and Gizamon can hide in their Digivices. Normally, you'd want them out and active, so they could use their special moves— but Optical Camouflage is so effective that you can completely evade detection, so there's no point. "I really wanted to save this, but..." "Now's the time."You nod in agreement and hand Ryan the file. He looks at it in surprise. "You got this from uh, your other Cracker friend? The one Squid was talking to a bunch?" "Yeah. It's expensive." "I can't afford to-" "Just use it. I'm the one who asked you on this mission, I've got to fork out supplies too." He nods gratefully and prepares to deploy it, waiting for confirmation from you first. "Hang on, wait till that next batch is in..." The bots file into the room with several replacement parts. The both of you withdraw your Digimon, safely storing them in your Digivices as you activate the camo. You both become invisible immediately, and rush down the hall as quietly as you can. Once you get far enough away, you completely bypass the movement route of the bots who are doing repairs.To make sure you don't collide while invisible, you hang on to his sleeve as you move down the hall. He stops right before a corner and clasps your wrist, stopping you from walking right into the path of several patrolling Commandramon. One briefly looks in your direction, but his yellow eyes pass straight through the two of you. Then he moves on.Half your stock of camo is gone, but you've managed to clear the last bit of crucial distance. You can reach the Operating Theatre now. You're faced with a small issue when you come across the correct hallway: There are several theatres active at once. You see a few red lights above their doors, denoting that procedures are currently happening in the external version of the Hospital. Entering those will definitely send up warnings, as well as interfere with real patients, so that's a no go."There's so many of them. How do we know which is the right one?" You ask, as you flip through the map. "Pulsemon should have a clearer trail, right? It ought to be fresh."You nod at Ryan's Digivice gratefully, then slide your goggles on. Pulsemon's trail is evident: The air is buzing with light static and tiny tufts of neon fur. His tracks lead to the door at the far end of the hall, with no exit route. He might still be in there. "Hololize." "Hololize."The two of you send out your partners, then slowly move towards the door. You check your surroundings for threats, then load yourselves into the partition. ==
As soon as you enter, you're struck by the size and temperature of the Operating Theatre. It's a massive amphitheater, with the edges shrouded in darkness. It's cold enough that you could fit a huge amount of machinery in here without bricking the unit. Several beds have been set up in the middle, with a few of them occupied by struggling Digimon. You see several purple shapes milling about, checking on stolen screens and attaching wires and tubing to the beds."Backup is on the way! Let us go, and-" You watch as a kidnapped Commandramon tries to intimidate one of them. It responds by silently clasping one clawed hand over his snout, then it rips off a chunk of his face with the other limb. The Digimon's eyes bulge, but he manages to not scream in pain as static flows from the injury. Another one of them has a remote in hand, and is adjusting a strange diode-like device that's hanging from the ceiling. Once the calibrations are done, it pulls the lever and floods the object with power. An electronic hum fills the room, and neon pink light coalesces at the tip of the machine. After charging up for several tense moments, it fires a beam of energy straight into Commandramon's face, breaking his brief silence. "AAAAH!" You wince as it rips through his face and into the bench beneath, swiftly deleting the Digimon."What the hell are they doing?!" Ryan whispers. "... I don't know. I've never seen anything like this. We gotta get them out- this is definitely the room. Right?" "His tracks led right in here." You try to zoom in on the far end of the room and perform a scan, but you find that static clings to the lenses of your goggles and blurs your vision when you attempt it. There's some kind of interference field affecting the operating theatre. You can't scan more than a few feet in front of you, and you don't have access to external comms. "He should be with all the beds. But I can't make him out. Can't see Cutemon either." "Those purple guys look like they're just Rookies. We can take them." Gizamon snarls.
"I think we could. But that Commandramon said there were guards on the way, we should hurry." Ryan urges."He sounded like he was bluffing, actually." "Yeah," you agree. "But we can't risk it. We'll treat it as though he's telling the truth. Whatever we do, it has to be fast.">Sneak towards the beds and try to locate Pulsemon and Cutemon. While these horrific little guys are carrying out their experiments, you could try to get your targets out of here without much fanfare. Even if you're unsuccessful in extracting them, knowing where they are is crucial. >Send Phascomon forward to eliminate them by stealth. You can't move freely if there are enemies in the room. Have him start taking them out, so that you can find Pulsemon and Cutemon unimpeded. You don't know their capabilities just yet, so using his Rookie form is risky.>Digivolve and try to wipe the enemy out directly. You've managed to sneak this far without raising alarms, but this decisive moment is a good time to go loud. If they have some kind of jamming field set up, it could even work to your advantage and prevent external parties from detecting Porcupamon or Astamon's signature.
>>6309611>Digivolve and try to wipe the enemy out directly. You've managed to sneak this far without raising alarms, but this decisive moment is a good time to go loud. If they have some kind of jamming field set up, it could even work to your advantage and prevent external parties from detecting Porcupamon or Astamon's signature.This power move will also make the captive digimon remember their savior after all this is over.
>>6309611>Send Phascomon forward to eliminate them by stealth. You can't move freely if there are enemies in the room. Have him start taking them out, so that you can find Pulsemon and Cutemon unimpeded. You don't know their capabilities just yet, so using his Rookie form is risky.Maybe the Commandramon was right plus making a fuss could make getting the hostages harder. I assume that if things go south, Phascomon can Digievolve.These guys can turn into the Digimon they consume.
>>6309611>Digivolve and try to wipe the enemy out directly. You've managed to sneak this far without raising alarms, but this decisive moment is a good time to go loud. If they have some kind of jamming field set up, it could even work to your advantage and prevent external parties from detecting Porcupamon or Astamon's signature.gotta convert more commandramon to sympathize with us
>>6309611>Sneak towards the beds and try to locate Pulsemon and Cutemon. While these horrific little guys are carrying out their experiments, you could try to get your targets out of here without much fanfare. Even if you're unsuccessful in extracting them, knowing where they are is crucial. Save our trump card for when/if things go to shit.
>>6309611>Digivolve and try to wipe the enemy out directly. You've managed to sneak this far without raising alarms, but this decisive moment is a good time to go loud. If they have some kind of jamming field set up, it could even work to your advantage and prevent external parties from detecting Porcupamon or Astamon's signature.
>>6309611>Sneak towards the beds and try to locate Pulsemon and Cutemon. While these horrific little guys are carrying out their experiments, you could try to get your targets out of here without much fanfare. Even if you're unsuccessful in extracting them, knowing where they are is crucial. Sucks but... us first.
>>6309639>>6309723>>6309888>>6309710>>6309735>>6310263Writing!
>Digivolve and try to wipe the enemy out directly. You've managed to sneak this far without raising alarms, but this decisive moment is a good time to go loud. If they have some kind of jamming field set up, it could even work to your advantage and prevent external parties from detecting Porcupamon or Astamon's signature.”What’s faster than wiping them out?” “Fair enough. Let loose.” Phascomon and Gizamon both move forward, splitting up to lunge at the nearest enemies from out of the darkness. As your partner gets close, you feel the familiar power flowing between the two of you again. It’s become stronger ever since he unlocked Astamon. However, you don’t think it’s necessary to go that far just yet. “Phascomon, Digivolve!” "Phascomon, Digivolve to..."The first of the mysterious purple Digimon is caught off guard by the sneak attack. Phascomon transforms into a hulking brute mid-leap, swinging a lethal foot outwards to slay his target. To its credit, the Digimon isn’t deleted immediately. It goes flying, several massive gouges torn into its chest. "PORCUPAMON!"Every enemy Digimon stops at once, focusing their glowing green eyes on Porcupamon. It’s not a simple distraction, it’s as though they’re all synchronized. They start rushing towards him, claws outstretched. A sneak attack would have been the wrong call, you think. They’re linked together, they would have all collapsed on your partner the moment the first one was eliminated. But with all their attention on Porcupamon, they’re not ready for Gizamon’s attack. “SPIRAL EDGE!””SPIRAL EDGE!”Ryan holds a hand out to command his Digimon, who tears through several of them as a spinning ball of death. They scatter like pins, their injuries severe, but not quite fatal. Instead of counterattacking him, however, the Digimon leap at the most severely wounded of their kin. They tear it to shreds with ease, each absorbing a portion of its data. Their own injuries begin healing, and they stand just a little bit taller. You clasp a hand over your mouth in shock.“…What are they doing?” You ask. “Holy- These guys give me the creeps. They’re not even talking.”
Multiple run at Porcupamon at once, leaping onto him and blindly impaling themselves on his spikes. You suddenly become aware that there's a terrifying number of them occupying this space. Countless were lying in wait within the dark corners of the room, occupied with other menial tasks. "There's too many!" Ryan cries."Let our Digimon handle it. Over there- the beds!"While your partners fight, you make a beeline for the beds where the remaining Digimon were restrained. One of the purple Digimon stands in your path, a thick tail lashing about behind it. You take a good look at it. The creature has a teardrop-shaped head, with a glassy visor that houses a single green optic. Its mouth is a single seam, and a chain hands from its collared neck. You push another copy of Optical Camo into Ryan's hands, then activate it for yourself. Its gaze flickers from your spot to Ryan, then straight back to Porcupamon once he too turns invisible. It sprints off without a care once the both of you are out of the way. If you had no remaining copies, you would have been in trouble here. Luckily, there were two more to spare, since you placed your Digimon back in their Digivices. "Keep going!" You and Ryan run for the beds, and eventually spy a familiar green form. You start undoing Pulsemon's restraints before your camo even runs out, causing him to look around weakly for the source of the commotion."Huh... Who-""We're here to get you out. Where's Cutemon?" You say, as your invisibility cloak drops. Pulsemon's eyes go wide, and he tries to sit up weakly. He struggles to get his words out.Ryan takes the initiative to grab him in his arms, keeping him cradled and whisking him away from his bed. The other Digimon notice you, and multiple start screaming for help as well."HEY!"OVER HERE!"Don't leave me! Me too!"You see a few brand new specimens. One of them looks like an orange version of the Tsukaimon who you fought in the mall. It's on its back, and is whipping its wing-ears around in desperation. The second table has an Espimon, who you immediately identify as one of the city's many minions. The last is a bipedal turtle with a yellow sphere on its belly. All three are writhing around, begging for their freedom.
"They're just kidnapping Digimon indiscriminately." Ryan remarks."And putting lasers through their heads." "Pulsemon, you need to wake up. Where's your boss?" He says, trying to shake the Rookie as gently as he can."Here... but... they took him." He coughs. "Wheeled him away for... I don't know. Tried to stop them."That explains why he was beaten up so badly."Where's their leader?" "With Cutemon- other room."He points to an adjoining door. It's quite a distance away, and you'll need to regroup with your partner before going through. He's still ripping through the mysterious army of Digimon, smashing their heads in and flinging them far away. Whenever he fails to finish one off, they repeatedly go for their wounded comrades and cannibalize them on the spot. It's a bizarre spectacle. He's thinning the crowd, but not as fast as you expected. "PLEAAASE!" The Espimon screams, pulling your attention back to it.
Releasing these three would distract the enemy. You don't expect them to fight alongside you loyally, but they'll probably want to make for the exit, and will battle along the way. You also need to clear out the crowd before they whittle down Porcupamon or score a lethal hit on Gizamon. "You. What's going on here?" You demand of the turtle, who's stopped screaming and is now just staring at you with hopeful, dopey eyes."They- They're running experiments. Using the pink Digimon's code. Trying to modify some... Some gun?" It's not much to go off, but you can't stand here and interrogate them for much longer. You can either let them go and rush things, or keep them around while you let the fight play out.>Digivolve to Astamon. If his Champion-level attacks can't wipe them out in one hit, his Ultimate stage surely will. This will save a huge amount of time, but you'll start eating into his stamina by accessing this form. If there are any alerts in the area that are triggered by detection of Ultimate Digimon, they might also go off. >Let Porcupamon fight. He's not going to lose, that's absolutely certain. It's just a drain of time if you keep letting them get back up. You haven't encountered the leader of this bunch yet, so you want him to preserve his energy. While he's doing this, you can ask them a few more questions and try to get some information.Additional:>Release the Digimon. They'll book it to the exit, most likely, and will distract the purple mob as they move. Saving Pulsemon was a good deed that you felt was right. This will be the same, even if they cause issues later.>Release only the two wild-looking ones. You don't trust this brand-new Espimon.>Walk away from them. Callous, but they might be rogue elements you can't afford. If one of them flees and cries to the guards, you could get heat descending on you fast. You also don't have the time to threaten or convince them to not seek help, you simply can't control their actions once they've fled.
Spending time interrogating the captured Digimon is exclusive to the option to let Porcupamon take it slow and fight, but either way, releasing them (or not) will be in addition to the vote.Originally, the point of using up the Camo was to cause an issue with the Bemmon, but anon >>6309301 saved the resources and made it an automatic success.
>>6310489>Let Porcupamon fight. He's not going to lose, that's absolutely certain. It's just a drain of time if you keep letting them get back up. You haven't encountered the leader of this bunch yet, so you want him to preserve his energy. While he's doing this, you can ask them a few more questions and try to get some information.>Release the Digimon. They'll book it to the exit, most likely, and will distract the purple mob as they move. Saving Pulsemon was a good deed that you felt was right. This will be the same, even if they cause issues later.Are the beds on wheels? Can we use the Espimon as a meatshield to the next room?what kind of wild stuff is going on in this city
>>6310493+1 but what if we bargain with Espimon to help out WITHOUT BETRAYING US and get credit for this and maybe get promoted? Maybe he wants revenge on the Bemmon for abducting him? Surely he saw that fellow Commandramon get deleted by them. The other neutral Digimon will either decide to support us or will run. I doubt the City digimon would harm them since they're escaping former captives and noncombatants here.
>>6310489>Digivolve to Astamon. If his Champion-level attacks can't wipe them out in one hit, his Ultimate stage surely will. This will save a huge amount of time, but you'll start eating into his stamina by accessing this form. If there are any alerts in the area that are triggered by detection of Ultimate Digimon, they might also go off. If they keep cannibalizing each other, they'll evolve, better to just power up, clean and just look for Cutemon.>Release the Digimon. They'll book it to the exit, most likely, and will distract the purple mob as they move. Saving Pulsemon was a good deed that you felt was right. This will be the same, even if they cause issues later.I'm curious about the possibility of this Espimon not being a pest that dies horribly like the rest of his kind.Also+1 >>6310501
>>6310489So it seems immediately going loud was a wrong option.>Let Porcupamon fight. He's not going to lose, that's absolutely certain. It's just a drain of time if you keep letting them get back up. You haven't encountered the leader of this bunch yet, so you want him to preserve his energy. While he's doing this, you can ask them a few more questions and try to get some information.These don't seem sentient, more like Mekanorimom. They can't be doing this on their own.>Release the Digimon. They'll book it to the exits, most likely, and will distract the purple mob as they move. Saving Pulsemon was a good deed that you felt was right. This will be the same, even if they cause issues later.At, worst the Espimon will snitch about a couple of kids with a Champ Digimon.>>6309710>>6310543Hey, quit metagaming.
>>6310580>seems immediately going loud was a wrong option.Eh?>A sneak attack would have been the wrong call, you think. They’re linked together, they would have all collapsed on your partner the moment the first one was eliminated.>You suddenly become aware that there's a terrifying number of them occupying this space. Countless were lying in wait within the dark corners of the room, occupied with other menial tasks.This sounds like the opposite to me. Instantly going loud on infiltrating the operating theatre and not stopping going loud is the right playPersonally I refuse to shift to Astamon here. That's a trap this early on and filesizes matter in being a large and visible target. We still need to escape alive>They can't be doing this on their own.And also exactly why I refuse to tip our hand until we're sure. You bet your ass these enemy mon are transmitting info on us to their leader with how in perfect sync they are.
>>6310589I'll be honest, I glossed over that part for doing something else but am glad to be wrong.
>>6310489>Let Porcupamon fight. He's not going to lose, that's absolutely certain. It's just a drain of time if you keep letting them get back up. You haven't encountered the leader of this bunch yet, so you want him to preserve his energy. While he's doing this, you can ask them a few more questions and try to get some information.>Release the Digimon. They'll book it to the exit, most likely, and will distract the purple mob as they move. Saving Pulsemon was a good deed that you felt was right. This will be the same, even if they cause issues later.
>>6310580>Hey, quit metagaming.The only important rule on a quest for a player is to show interest to the QM and to vote after paying attention to the story.Everything else is fair game.
>>6310489tweaking >>6310493 a bit>>6310543We can store at least 2 digimon in the backup storage of our digivices(might even be faster than removing the bindings), and Espimon seems both energetic and invisible enough that it won't be a complete disaster if he tries to run.That should restrict the amount of chaos releasing them would cause, while grinding down these smallfry in their least favorable method.
>>6310689Don't we want to benefit from them creating a distraction, though...?
>>6310698we gotta rack up good girl pointsAnd letting them impale themselves on porcupamon is more dps than not.
>>6310501Unfortunately there's no time to negotiate with it or get a strong enough assurance of its behavior that Marnie can trust it. But if the option to not release it is chosen, I'll add options to keep Espimon for later since some of you guys are interested in using him >>6310493.>>6310686Yeah, don't worry about it, I'm alright with light levels of metagaming since a lot of votes are based off risk assessment and analysis of people's personalities/capabilitiesWill count votes in a couple hours!
Porcupamon will stay in his current form and fight! Releasing all three of them!Cannot reply to each vote since I’m hitting the spam filter. Locking and writing!
>Let Porcupamon fight. He's not going to lose, that's absolutely certain. It's just a drain of time if you keep letting them get back up. You haven't encountered the leader of this bunch yet, so you want him to preserve his energy and bide his time. While he's doing this, you can ask them a few more questions and try to get some information.>Release the Digimon. They'll book it to the exit, most likely, and will distract the purple mob along the way. Saving Pulsemon was a good deed that you felt was right. This will be the same, even if they cause issues later.“Screw it, get them all loose.” “Okay.” Ryan doesn’t question it or waste time with any counterargument. You’re both on the same page. It’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth to keep them tied up. Whatever cruel experiments these freaks are doing to their own kind, it’s a fate they don’t deserve. Or at least, not one they’ve proven to deserve. You’d let them carve up DarkTyrannomon or Garden-king Gazimon. Once they’re all free, you help to flip the orange Tsukaimon over. He flaps his wings uselessly, not having the energy to fly, so you just lift him off the bed and set him on the ground. “You want to get out of here, right? Stick with us. Just till the door.” They want to get to the exit, and you want to get to the mysterious door. You can follow them to their destination and benefit from their protection, then hug the wall of the operating theatre and head towards your own goal without being hassled by minions. ”Thank you, oh, thank you!! I’m too young to be lasered!” Espimon squeaks. You all start running, trying to stay away from the bulk of the crowd. By now, Porcupamon and Gizamon have partnered up. They’ve fallen into a natural, comfortable rhythm. Instead of attacking indiscriminate, your friend has started batting Digimon in Gizamon’s direction. He then jumps on them and deletes them before any scavengers can upgrade themselves with the traces. “Look out!””Air shot!”An enemy sprints straight at you with claws outstretched while you watch your partner. You’re swiftly rescued by the Digimon that you helped, who puffs out his cheeks and blasts it aside. The turtle makes eye contact with Pulsemon and a nod passes between them. It then drops to the ground and curls into its shell. With renewed vigor, he jumps out of Ryan’s arms and kicks the turtle, sending it ricocheting into the Digimon as it tries to get back up.” ’met tackle!””GOAAAAL!”
That’s enough to trigger the damage threshold. The Digimon's allies turn away from you momentarily, prioritizing killing and eating their own friend once again. It's unexplainable behavior to you.Not wanting to be outdone, the Espimon flashes a cheeky grin and flings an object at them. ”MOT BOMB!”It's nice to not be on the receiving end for once. You're left to appreciate the efficiency of that move when it blows up right in the middle of the dense crowd, denying them their kill and wounding enough of them that they start fighting anew. Espimon snickers in satisfaction and shoots you a wink. Despite your distasteful experiences with them, you find a small smile tugging at your lips. He doesn't see it behind the veil of static. "Get- OFF!" Porcupamon, meanwhile, is dealing with a particularly large one. This one ate multiple others and is now nearly twice as large. However, its wasted its growth by impaling itself on his spikes, dooming it to a gradual death. With its remaining energy, it's jabbing at him repeatedly and trying to tear the stitching of his puppet body apart. Your partner manages to stake him with his claws and pull him off the spikes, breaking them away from his body in the process. "Madness Broach!" The spikes are yanked out of his body and flung at that singular Digimon, deleting it once and for all. He pauses to catch his breath. Once you, Ryan, and your newfound allies reach the door, they make straight for it. Espimon charges through without looking back, and you get a sinking feeling that this incident won't go unreported for long. If they're kidnapping Commandramon and Espimon, a response is imminent. The brightly-colored turtle stands at the door to wait, while the not-Tsukaimon huffs with exertion as he casts one more look at you."T-thank you! I won't forget this! Ever!" You nod at the Digimon as they load themselves out of the partition and vanish into the Hospital.
"They're almost done." You remark, watching Porcupamon's progress."Gizamon! You okay?!""Urk... Fine! Nothing I can't shake off!" He replies. He's sustained several bad scratches and cuts, but he's still in the running. "We're thinning them out! Ugh, they have no morale to break!" Porcupamon complains. You turn your eyes towards the door. All of you need to go through as soon as he's done. You've spent quite a while escorting the Digimon while he's been fighting, and your allocated time is coming up short. You have to find Cutemon and exit soon. But before you can say anything, the door is flooded with light. A shape slinks out, immediately quelling the mysterious Digimon. They stop fighting, scurrying backwards in various stances. Lizard-like tails whip across the ground as they retreat from your two partners, and all eyes turn towards the new arrival."WHAAAAAAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"
The Digimon looks as creepy as it sounds. It shouts in a grating voice, wiggling its tendrils about as it ululates. "Your incessant alerts are INTERRUPTING MY WORK! You BEMmon better have a gOOOOD reason to-"It pauses and stares at your party, shock evident in its yellow eyes. A disgusting purple vein throbs on its brainy head, and you see its expression contorting in anger. "Who ARE YOUUUUUUU?!" It screeches hellishly, pointing a sticky finger in your direction. "DON'T YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO DISTURB THE BUSINESS OF THE GREAT-"The BEMmon minions all turn towards it. They raise their claws, bathing the Ultimate Digimon in brilliant beams of yellow lights from emitters on their palms. Its scrawny figure is cast into a shadowy behemoth on the wall behind it. "VAAAAAAAAAAAAADEMOOOOOOOON!"
The two of you are left staring in shock. None of your opponents have tried putting on a spectacle like this before. You almost miss the smaller Digimon that's standing beside it, staring up at its boss with a blank expression. "Um... That's what I was trying to tell you, boss... They've been reporting an intruder-""SILENCE!" It screams, causing you to cover your ears in pain. Its voice crackles and cuts out like a peaking microphone whenever it yells full force. "YOU CRETIN! I CAN RECOGNIZE THAT— WITH THE TELEKINETIC POWERS OF MY MIIIIND!"It waggles its long finger again, then snaps it briskly. The BEMmon begin winding a few devices, lowering the laser back towards the alien and its bulbous head.
"... I want to beat this guy till he's quiet." Porcupamon mumbles. Even without eyes in this form, you can see the bewilderment in his stance. "That's not even telekinesis!">Try to engage in dialogue with this creature. You know you're probably not going to convince it to let you go without a fight, or to release Cutemon. However, it has a strong enough presence that you want to know what it's doing here. If you kill it without finding out more about this absolute freak, you'll have unanswered questions forever. >You have no interest in chatting further with this weirdo. It's time to Digivolve into Astamon and fight it immediately. The sooner you delete this guy, the sooner you pick up Cutemon and leave. Taking a while to fight the BEMmon has allowed him to join the fray, and you want to claim a decisive blow first.
>>6310911>>You have no interest in chatting further with this weirdo. It's time to Digivolve into Astamon and fight it immediately. The sooner you delete this guy, the sooner you pick up Cutemon and leave. Taking a while to fight the BEMmon has allowed him to join the fray, and you want to claim a decisive blow first.We already spent the optical camo, so talking won't be good enough to distract.Still, Astamon can go blow for blow while Ryan extracts cutemon.If they've already killed cutemon or transformed it into some experiment, I doubt we can convince these Vademon to provide the same services. Maybe Ryan will pick something up either way?
>>6310913+1Let's kill this Megamind pretender
>>6310911>Try to engage in dialogue with this creature. You know you're probably not going to convince it to let you go without a fight, or to release Cutemon. However, it has a strong enough presence that you want to know what it's doing here. If you kill it without finding out more about this absolute freak, you'll have unanswered questions forever. I suppose this is the option we get for not looking like a threat for them. I want to kill him but I want to know what they are up to.
>>6310922This predates Megamind though.
>>6310935You get what I mean, c'mon man...
>>6310939Oh, I see.
>>6310911>You have no interest in chatting further with this weirdo. It's time to Digivolve into Astamon and fight it immediately. The sooner you delete this guy, the sooner you pick up Cutemon and leave. Taking a while to fight the BEMmon has allowed him to join the fray, and you want to claim a decisive blow first.On the one hand, I want him to monilogue. On the other hand, Espimon's going to call for backup.
>>6310911>You have no interest in chatting further with this weirdo. It's time to Digivolve into Astamon and fight it immediately. The sooner you delete this guy, the sooner you pick up Cutemon and leave. Taking a while to fight the BEMmon has allowed him to join the fray, and you want to claim a decisive blow first.He likes flashy? We'll give him a show.
>>6310911>You have no interest in chatting further with this weirdo. It's time to Digivolve into Astamon and fight it immediately. The sooner you delete this guy, the sooner you pick up Cutemon and leave. Taking a while to fight the BEMmon has allowed him to join the fray, and you want to claim a decisive blow first.Stay on mission.
>>6310911>Try to engage in dialogue with this creature. You know you're probably not going to convince it to let you go without a fight, or to release Cutemon. However, it has a strong enough presence that you want to know what it's doing here. If you kill it without finding out more about this absolute freak, you'll have unanswered questions forever.
>>6310913>>6310922>>6310959>>6310994>>6311075>>6310934>>6311109Attacking! Will only be able to update tomorrow, running off 3 hours of sleep
>>6311247Rest well, QM!
>You have no interest in chatting further with this weirdo. It's time to Digivolve into Astamon and fight it immediately. The sooner you delete this guy, the sooner you pick up Cutemon and leave. Taking a while to fight the BEMmon has allowed him to join the fray, and you want to claim a decisive blow first.You nod to Porcupamon. He'll get that fight."PORCUPAMON, DIGIVOLVE!" <D I G I V O L U T I O N><進化>The sudden burst of light causes Vademon to gasp. It nearly drops the gun that it was detaching from the big laser, but a BEMmon catches it. It receives a kick to the head for its loyalty, with the disgusting alien quickly pulling out a rag to wipe its weapon down. The whole motion is done idly, like it's well-used to it, while it watches your partner's transformation."Finally!" Astamon yells, raising his hands over his head and stretching. You hear several snaps and pops from his back as he starts strolling towards the leader. "It was starting to get cramped in there.""... MARVELOUS!" It screams "I simply MUST dissect you to find out what that is... Find out with the BRILLIANT POWER OF MY MIIIIIIIIND" Vademon places two fingers on its temples and begins shaking. Immediately, the rounded walls of the operating theatre fall away. And so does the floor. You're left scrabbling in empty air as the entirety of the room turns into an expanse of nebulous purple, with brilliant points of light shining in all directions. Ryan screams in terror, but you're left completely mute.
Astamon floats gently in the void, his mop of silver hair trailing in zero-gravity. It feels like f1oat, leaving all of you suspended in the crimson void. "Interesting trick. Not that it'll save you." Astamon taunts. "Marnie, what now?"You don't respond."Marnie? Hey!"Rather than being terrified into submission like Ryan, you're made useless by sheer awe. The others don't realize what exactly you're looking at. Or at least, what this is a recreation of. It's like you've been transplanted into the night sky. Not the datastream-scarred expanse above the City. This is space. This is what lies far above the sky of Earth, and what you've only stared at pictures of. This is one of the marvels you thought would be out of your reach, even if you did make it to the real world one day.And now here it is, in far higher definition than any of the environments this accursed simulation tries to recreate."You piece of— What did you do to her?!" He yells, raising Oro Salmón and pointing it in Vademon's direction. The remaining BEMmon float through the empty void and position themselves to shield their boss."I'm fine! I'm fine, just... Just surprised.""Hmph! Welcome... TO MY UNIVERSE! You've already fallen into my trap, fool! The moment you entered this room, you've been an intruder in my domain! Now, witness the marvel of outer space!" Great rocky masses fly through the void, heading towards Astamon. He begins shooting, tearing them into rubble with his hail of bullets. The temperature in this room barely changes with his presence. It has enough storage space to hold him, Vademon, and the third creature who you assume is an Ultimate-level as well. "Gizamon, get out of there!" Ryan yells. His partner swims through space by kicking his legs like a frog, quickly reuniting with the three of you. Astamon fights alone, shooting asteroids out of the sky before they can crush him. By the time he's done eliminating the threat, Vademon has gone missing. Rather than looking around blindly, he fires a storm of bullets in the direction of the BEMmon. They try to dodge, but his projectiles track them with ease. Now that he's in his strongest form, you have no shortage of firepower. Every bullet finds its mark and fully deletes an enemy. With zero compromise, the entire mob of Rookies are wiped out, leaving your foes without minions. "Yes!"Well, almost. There's still the mystery Digimon.
"Now for the big one. Spot him for me!"You look around with your goggles. Now that the hazy mass of data has expanded into this otherworldly realm, your vision is no longer obscured. Amidst the countless pinpricks of starlight, you see the vague shape of your foe.Vademon has entered some kind of saucer-shaped device. You can't identify the flying object, as it weaves through constantly forming rocks that attempt to pummel Astamon. None make contact. For a moment, you think that one is about to sneak up on him, but he performs a glowing roundhouse kick that sends it flying through space, right at the small Digimon that followed the alien through the door."Nano Crash!"It creates a purple wall of energy that the rock shatters against. As you suspected, it's no dead weight. The two of them look far weaker than Astamon, but in this sort of environment, they're no pushovers. "YOU! HOW DARE YOU! THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO SMACK MY MINION—"Vademon appears above Astamon, brandishing his laser and spitting in rage."Above you!" You shout."IS ME! ABDUCTION RAY!"
Your partner tries to dodge, but even your warning isn't enough. The beam of light cuts through the darkness instantaneously, searing a hole in his jacket. He hisses in pain, his shoulder jerking backwards from the force. In response, he lets out a curtain of bullets that chase down his foe, tracking the saucer as it escapes. "HELLFIRE!" You don't see how many bullets make contact. You just keep looking for more threats. If any of them turn their full attention to you, Ryan, Pulsemon, or Gizamon, they could likely delete any of you without much issue. You need to stay vigilant and trust Astamon to handle it. Vademon finally reappears by its assistant. It mumbles something to it, receiving a nod in response. The rage is still evident on its brow as it speeds away, leaving the minion to hover there in wait. The smaller Digimon starts releasing objects from its fingers, filling the space around its little grey body.You need a solid plan. These two Digimon are unknown factors, and you know too little about what they're doing here, or trying to accomplish. With the room transformed into this strange, outer-space like simulacrum, you can't even see the door that Cutemon is supposed to be behind. >Get Astamon to focus only on fighting Vademon. He's slippery, but you feel like a good strike will be enough to disable him. The biggest risk is getting outmaneuvered and having your time wasted, or being hit by some weird, unpredictable attack. >Have Astamon go for the little guy. Whatever support it's providing, you want that dealt with first. Vademon also seems to get angry when its minion is targeted. If you successfully hurt it, maybe you could even lure it in and handle them both at the same time.>Expend all your efforts searching for the door instead of giving Astamon orders or spotting for him. He'll also have to focus his energy on keeping them off you, while you try to find a way out of this strange dimension and settle the mission.
>>6311526>Have Astamon go for the little guy. Whatever support it's providing, you want that dealt with first. Vademon also seems to get angry when its minion is targeted. If you successfully hurt it, maybe you could even lure it in and handle them both at the same time.It's easy enough for the homing bullets to harass, and if Astamon is willing to take a hit Vademon should take a kick for his trouble.If we pull out assets, do they float too? Can we use them to get distance or something? At least cover for any fire Datamon might send our way.
>>6311527Ooh yeah, they'd float. Will integrate that into the update.
>>6311526>Have Astamon go for the little guy. Whatever support it's providing, you want that dealt with first. Vademon also seems to get angry when its minion is targeted. If you successfully hurt it, maybe you could even lure it in and handle them both at the same time.Vademon is too tricky, this one seems like an easier target.
>>6311523>You can't identify the flying objectkek>>6311526>Expend all your efforts searching for the door instead of giving Astamon orders or spotting for him. He'll also have to focus his energy on keeping them off you, while you try to find a way out of this strange dimension and settle the mission.>Use assets to cover ourselves a bitWe need to eliminate their home-field advantage.
>>6311520>The sudden burst of light causes Vademon to gasp. It nearly drops the gun that it was detaching from the big laser, but a BEMmon catches it. It receives a kick to the head for its loyalty, with the disgusting alien quickly pulling out a rag to wipe its weapon down. The whole motion is done idly, like it's well-used to it, while it watches your partner's transformation.I can just picture this in my head like an early 2000s cartoon, incredible work>>6311526backing >>6311568We get Cutemon and get out before the VPN expires. Let Vademon get caught up in theatrics until he doesn't see the entire mob of City digimon at his door after we're long gone
>>6311526>Get Astamon to focus only on fighting Vademon. He's slippery, but you feel like a good strike will be enough to disable him. The biggest risk is getting outmaneuvered and having your time wasted, or being hit by some weird, unpredictable attack.
>>6311526>Have Astamon go for the little guy. Whatever support it's providing, you want that dealt with first. Vademon also seems to get angry when its minion is targeted. If you successfully hurt it, maybe you could even lure it in and handle them both at the same time.
>>6311527>>6311547>>6311952>>6311568>>6311571>>6311715Writing!
>Have Astamon go for the little guy. Whatever support it's providing, you want that dealt with first. Vademon also seems to get angry when its minion is targeted. If you successfully hurt it, maybe you could even lure it in and handle them both at the same time."Astamon, take his support out!" You command. In this situation, you need to handle your enemies one at a time. The BEMmon have been completely wiped, but you're still outnumbered. Vademon is moving too fast to pin down, so you need your partner to take down the little guy first. He doesn't look like he's actively about to attack, but whatever he's doing can't be good.Astamon begins floating towards him. He ends up moving too slow for his liking, so he rests his gun on his shoulder and fires another volley of bullets. The force blasts him forward, sending him closer to the pill-shaped Digimon. Instead of fighting back, the little creature flinches and tries to get away. You feel a twinge of doubt as you watch it retreat. "Get over here!" Astamon snarls. "Leave me alone! Boss! Boss!" It cries out. Sparks jettison from its limbs, sending it further away from your partner, but he's catching up fast. As he gets too close, numerous little explosions detonate against his pinstriped suit. He must have been deploying those around him. "Argh!" After watching that, you begin shedding assets from your inventory. Ryan and Gizamon watch as you deploy a makeshift shield using the various physics items you've acquired. For the first time, the gigantic teddy bear you bought at the mall sees use. "What are you doing?" "It's spraying bombs into the air. We need some kind of shielding, or stray ones could blow us up." "And what about Astamon? Why doesn't he just shoot the guy?""We need to watch out for Vademon too. Look—" You see a flash of motion from the flying saucer as Astamon gets nearer. "DODGE!" Astamon rolls through the air, his coattails twirling wildly. A moment later, a beam of light cuts through the space he was occupying. There was enough warning this time. He returns fire, sending a volley of bullets in the direction of the attack. Vademon goes on the run again, and you briefly glance at Gizamon. "He needs to feel threatened, or he's going to shoot us instead of Astamon. None of us can take hits. Plus, it might bait him closer."
Once the attack has been evaded, he continues swimming through space and attempting to reach Datamon. The closer he gets, the more often Vademon shows up for potshots, attempting to take his attention off his minion. "What are you DOING?! Come and face ME! The grrrrrrrrreat VAAAADEEEEEMON!" "Then stop running around, you big-headed freak! Yeah, that's what I thought, you know you can't take a real hit from me!"After a minute, he ends up close enough to the smaller Digimon, who's still not even trying to attack. He just keeps shooting little bombs into the space around him to protect himself. Astamon raises his gun and sprays wildly at the shield, detonating the tiny explosives so he can clear a space. "Gotcha!" He lunges forward with the knife, intent on sinking it into the glass casing of his enemy's head. The foe's yellow eyes dim, and it holds its arms out."Counter Trap!"The knife jabs into another force field, struggling to pierce through. Before it can reach its target, a larger explosion rings out from it, sending Astamon flying off into the distance. Bands of purple electricity coil around his limbs, electrocuting him and temporarily disabling his movements. You watch in horror as the damage surges through his body. Even then, the Digimon doesn't try to capitalize on it. It just starts swimming further away, setting up more of the bombs solely for self-defense. "ASTAMON!" This was a big mistake. Getting caught off-guard by some unknown ability was exactly what you feared."DAMN IT! Stupid little-"The saucer with Vademon in it returns. While Astamon is wounded, it leaps out of the saucer and begins wiggling wildly, floating above him and focusing all his energy into his hands.
"MUTILATE!"Flashing lights block your vision, forcing you to turn away from the battle. When they fade, you see that Astamon's clothing has been ripped to shreds, and static blood is leaking from each wound. However, he's not helpless anymore. He slashes outwards with his knife as soon as the attack is over, severing one of Vademon's foot tendrils. It screams in agony and hops back into the vehicle, zipping away before he can take another limb."Astamon! You okay?!" "Still in it! That succhiacazzi di merda! Coward!"You sense palpable rage emanating from his partner. It's a heavy hit, but he's not out of it yet. Battles between Ultimate-level Digimon are quite a bit more intense than you expected. The upside is that Vademon has to be less durable than your partner, even if he has this seemingly infinite bag of tricks to draw from."We need a different plan." "Yeah. Going for that tiny guy- not good.""Sorry... I didn't expect it to have such strong defenses." "It's fine." He grumbles. "At least I chopped that off." He motions to the tentacle with his gun. For good measure, he blasts it with a hail of bullets, completely destroying its data so your foe can never reattach it. Vademon screeches in indignation from somewhere above you.
"Only a flesh wound! You cannot outsmart me in my own domain! You will-" No longer interested in hearing it, Astamon holds down the trigger, drowning out his voice with his automatic weapon. Casings fly free from the drum-shaped magazine, spinning through the air with various trajectories. They continue chasing him down, and this time, you hear a few clinking against the vehicle and denting it. "That didn't work out." Ryan remarks. You glare at him as you think up a new plan. >Direct your partner in battle to make sure he doesn't fall for any more tricks, and stall Vademon. You no longer think you have time to fight and defeat him with how slippery he is, but there should be city Digimon on the way. If Commandramon wasn't bluffing, Espimon has surely reported on the situation. Maybe if you establish yourself as being non-hostile to them, you might be able to bypass their attention while they enter and deal with this. The downside is that escape will be more complicated after.>Go back to looking for the door while Astamon fights. However, this is now more dangerous than before. He went for Vademon's ally, and got a bad reaction. You suspect he might try attacking you directly. This enemy does seem like the type to prioritize revenge. >Search for the exit. Right now, Ryan, Gizamon, and Pulsemon are liabilities. If the battle comes your way, any one of you could be deleted instantly. Try to secure an escape route while trusting your partner to continue battling. You have to stay behind to support him, but getting them out could prove to be a wise move. They could support your mission objectives from the outside while you wrap up here.
>>6312092>Go back to looking for the door while Astamon fights. However, this is now more dangerous than before. He went for Vademon's ally, and got a bad reaction. You suspect he might try attacking you directly. This enemy does seem like the type to prioritize revenge.Datamon's been pumping out a bunch of bombs huh. Might be good to set them off early every now and again and throw out lamp shadows for visual cover.But that has its own risk of running into bombs hidden by shadow.
>>6312092>Go back to looking for the door while Astamon fights. However, this is now more dangerous than before. He went for Vademon's ally, and got a bad reaction. You suspect he might try attacking you directly. This enemy does seem like the type to prioritize revenge. Fuck it, I'm angry. Exploit Vademon's nature to create an opening.
>>6312092>Search for the exit. Right now, Ryan, Gizamon, and Pulsemon are liabilities. If the battle comes your way, any one of you could be deleted instantly. Try to secure an escape route while trusting your partner to continue battling. You have to stay behind to support him, but getting them out could prove to be a wise move. They could support your mission objectives from the outside while you wrap up here.
>>6312092>Go back to looking for the door while Astamon fights. However, this is now more dangerous than before. He went for Vademon's ally, and got a bad reaction. You suspect he might try attacking you directly. This enemy does seem like the type to prioritize revenge.
>>6312100>>6312136>>6312411>>6312297Searching for an exit to evac the Rookies! Writing!
>>6312525Misread whoops, writing the door.
>Go back to looking for the door while Astamon fights. However, this is now more dangerous than before. He went for Vademon's ally, and got a bad reaction. You suspect he might try attacking you directly. This enemy does seem like the type to prioritize revenge.Your mission isn't done. You can't go anywhere else until you've obtained Cutemon. The door is the only real option for you. "Ryan, you got anything like this?" You ask, motioning to the scrap assets that you're shielding yourself with. "No, nothing. Normal people don't just carry this stuff around!" "Then just stay behind them. We need to look for the door. It must still be in here, he can't have teleported us anywhere." "Got it. I'll keep him busy then." Astamon replies from a distance."If he attacks us, we're screwed. This shield is barely anything. We need to be fast, keep an eye out for the entrance Vademon came in through.""There." Pulsemon says, pointing a claw diagonally upwards. You take a moment to examine him. He looks better than before, but is still spent. All of his energy went into kicking the turtle and bowling over that BEMmon, he's going to be useless in a fight. But right now, his eyes are alert and wide. You feel like you can trust his judgement. "You remember?" "Yeah. I've been keeping track, even with all the tossing and turning. Plus-" He points to the pill-shaped Digimon. "He hasn't moved much. Not till your buddy chased him. So we can use him as a marker." That's all the confirmation you need. You can trust his judgement. "Okay, get moving!" Ryan withdraws Gizamon into his Digivice, leaving you to handle Pulsemon. You hold your wrist-bound linker out to him. "I have a way to store you safely and keep my hands free. Do you trust me to?" He nods. "Yeah. You guys came back for me... And you're fighting so hard for the boss! I believe it.""Good. Hold still then." You absorb his data into your backup slot, making sure he's not crashing Phascomon's room. You take a moment to administer some medical code as well. You don't expect it to have an effect this fast, but any little bit helps.
As you start floating through space, Astamon tries his best to occupy Vademon's attention. He stops checking his back, baiting the alien into sneaking up from behind. The lasers are too fast to dodge, and he's getting worn down, but they seem to mostly be regular attacks instead of specialized techniques, so he survives numerous hits. One of his volleys manages to get the alien directly, and you see a cloud of free-floating static where the saucer once was. You cling on to the large bear and kick off the assets that you've left behind. Ryan does the same, gripping a flat sheet of metal to use as a shield. However, as you make your way towards the direction that Pulsemon pointed out, you hear Astamon's cry of alarm."MARNIE!"You duck behind the bear, just in time for a beam of energy to tear through its head. You peek through the sizzling hole left in its wake, and spy Vademon pointing its ray gun your way. It snarls and vanishes in another blur of movement, leaving you shivering in fright. The shield is worthless, all it did was hide your shape. If he shot any lower, it would have killed you immediately. Hopefully it does better against the stray bombs that the little guy is flinging around.
"Let's see how YOU like it, when I tear your little minions to shreds!""Okay! Hey! Let's call it a truce, you gangly freak. You leave my gal alone, and I don't go pump your little guy with lead. Capisce?""Hmph! Let it not be said that the great Vademon is beyond mercy! Now, hold still so I may defeat you! I have much to learn from your corpse!"Vademon reappears high above Astamon."Unidentified Flying Kiss" It starts twitching and spasming while blowing a kiss his way. The environment responds by spitting out numerous massive balls of rock, as well as rounded planetoids of every hue. Astamon watches in alarm as they fly his way, then puts his gun and knife away. He raises his white gloves and yells in fury, aiming a punch directly into the center of the first one. Asteroids and planets shatter against his body, as he lets out a furious storm of blows that tear the weaponized assets apart."MAVERICK!" Once again, dark energy swirls around his leg, shielding him as he kicks a projectile straight upwards. It collides with a newly-summoned one, forming a massive shock wave that blows both him and Vademon off-course. You're forced to turn away from the escalating battle as the door comes into view. Now that you're this close, you can see the high data-density of a partition entrance through your goggles. "There!" Vademon's minion watches in alarm as you move towards the door's outline."Boss! Boss!" But Vademon is too occupied to respond. The last thing you see before you load yourself in is the Digimon looking around wildly, unsure of what to do.==
You stumble once you're back on solid ground, quickly catching yourself against the edge of a drawer. Ryan loads in slightly behind you, bumping you forward into the very same drawer. As the two of you struggle to regain your bearings, you spy a surgical table in the middle of the room, exactly like the kind you saw outside. And strapped to it is your target.CUTEMON- ROOKIE- FAIRY- VACCINE"Look, there it is!"The pink Digimon is unconscious, with numerous wires and readings attached to its torso. You see a projection of its wireframe on one screen, with a blazing ball in the middle that could only be the Digicore. Whatever Vademon was doing, it was heavily invasive. Some of these plugs are tearing directly into its body. "Poor thing." Ryan mumbles, immediately searching for a switch. You do the same, eager to get this Digimon out of here. Time is ticking down fast. You're way behind schedule thanks to a few factors."That's the boss! Boss, can you hear me?!" Pulsemon yells, seeing the world through your goggles. You set your hand on one of Vademon's mysterious devices.>Take extra caution to disconnect everything and figure out which parts of the wires are integral to this setup. If you don't remove Cutemon carefully, you could do permanent damage to its core, affecting its abilities and putting its life at risk. You have to deem this a necessary expenditure.>Pull out and cut wires until you can extract Cutemon, then head outside immediately and search for the exit. You can't spare the minutes anymore. If you take too long cutting the wires, AND fail to wrap things up outside, you could run out of VPN time.
>>6312818>Take extra caution to disconnect everything and figure out which parts of the wires are integral to this setup. If you don't remove Cutemon carefully, you could do permanent damage to its core, affecting its abilities and putting its life at risk. You have to deem this a necessary expenditure.
>>6312823+1At this rate we might have to bust out of a window after we leave the network to escape before VPN times out
>>6312818>Take extra caution to disconnect everything and figure out which parts of the wires are integral to this setup. If you don't remove Cutemon carefully, you could do permanent damage to its core, affecting its abilities and putting its life at risk. You have to deem this a necessary expenditure.If we wreck his ability to heal, this was all for nothing.
>>6312818>Take extra caution to disconnect everything and figure out which parts of the wires are integral to this setup. If you don't remove Cutemon carefully, you could do permanent damage to its core, affecting its abilities and putting its life at risk. You have to deem this a necessary expenditure.Maybe we can give Potential Demon Man a second wind if Cutemon wakes up.I'm worried about Datamon entering though.
>>6312823>>6312856>>6312905>>6312956>>6312968Writing!
>Take extra caution to disconnect everything and figure out which parts of the wires are integral to this setup. If you don't remove Cutemon carefully, you could do permanent damage to its core, affecting its abilities and putting its life at risk. You have to deem this a necessary expenditure.It's integral that you do this the right way. It looks like something is interfacing straight with his Digicore. Vademon is trying to manipulate his source code, apparently. If you aren't careful here, you could harm this Digimon beyond repair. You recall the state Raremon was in, with its mangled, dying core. You can’t have the same happen here."Don't touch anything. I've got this." You say. Ryan nods and sends out Gizamon to guard the door. Realisticslly, he can’t do anything if any enemies come in, but it makes you feel safer. Cutemon twitches as you remove several clips from his ear. You start with all the peripherals first, pulling away anything that isn’t going inside his body. As you work, you feel a sudden surge of energy passing between you and your Digivice. You glance at your wrist for a second, then feel the power leave you. “What’s wrong?” Ryan asks, noticing your reaction. “Astamon just swapped between his current form and Porcupamon. Felt the feedback- he’s back up to Ultimate now.” “It still baffles me how you guys can do that.” He says. Oddly, he clasps a hand over his mouth after speaking, like he’s uttered something he’s not supposed to. You find it a baffling reaction, but turn away from him to continue working on Cutemon. It’s not like he doesn’t know what you and your partner can do, he’s been fighting alongside you long enough. “Hand me that tool.” You say, motioning to a scalpel blade. He obeys instantly, grasping it by the middle and placing the handle between your outstretched fingers. You turn the blade upon a series of strange tubes, who don’t seem to be active. They’re latched tightly to Cutemon’s side, but there’s no data exchange, so you regard it as safe enough to sever. Luckily, you’re right. Nothing happens once you cut the wires. However, you almost jab your rescuee in shock when something loads itself into the room.
"Stop... Stop that..." The creature is way shorter than you, but you feel the waves of menace radiating off it. Just having it in the same little room as you is like having a weapon to your head. You scan it with your goggles, gently placing a hand on the laurels.DATAMON- ULTIMATE- MACHINE- VIRUS "Okay, let's not do anything rash-" You cajole, stepping away from the bench. Datamon wiggles about, looking like it's in great pain. "The boss... He doesn't want this touched. Go away!" Its speech is slurred and slow, like it has issues processing information. Ryan and Gizamon have gone dead silent. They're slowly shifting about, trying to get behind the Digimon. You don't know what they can do even if they sneak up on it, but you keep trying to hold its attention. "Why are you two doing this?" You ask. Surprisingly, Datamon responds."Boss wants the healing. Healing powers. But- Not strong." It mumbles, sparking wildly mid-sentence. Its glass dome is broken, revealing the machinery within. "Not strong?" You prompt. "That's why we need bunny. Making... Making it stronger. And putting it into the gun! The boss' gun!" "That's why I want the Cutemon too. To fix up an injury. What are you going to do with it after?"
The Digimon shrugs. "We going back home. Bringing bunny with us." You move your hands about nervously, and accidentally bring them too close to a bundle of wires."GET AWAY!" The Datamon roars, raising its hands abruptly. You slide backwards, immediately trying to obey. "Don't wanna... Kill you. Go away! Go out!" It's surprisingly merciful, even when it's freaking out like this. You take a deep breath. You might be left with no choice after all."Okay. I'm going. Let's just-" Ryan seizes the bundle of cables you severed earlier and flicks a switch. Before the Datamon can respond, he shoves the entire mass of tubing right into the shattered glass portion of its head."AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Power surges through its delicate components, electrifying the creature in a matter of seconds. Despite being a powerful Ultimate-level Digimon, it has some kind of distinct flaw. Exactly like Raremon. It was severely damaged from the moment you first saw it. You scream in surprise as the rest of the glass shatters and the Digimon collapses in front of you. Then you look towards Ryan, who's panting heavily."You okay?" "... Yeah. Thanks to you." Turns out he has it in him after all. The two of you shove the unconscious Digimon into a corner and finish detaching Cutemon. With one last look at the knocked-out Datamon, you exit into the operating theatre.==
In the time you've spent inside, Astamon has been fighting with all his might. He's filled the air with too many floating bullets to count. Vademon is hovering in front of him, the UFO forgotten, with numerous injuries over its thin form. "You RUFFIAN! You PHILISTINE! I was on the verge of a great discovery... You've ruined everything!" "I'm about to ruin that ugly mug of yours too. Turn this room back to normal, or else-"He spots you coming out of the partition and flashes you a devilish grin. "Hey, partner! Just about to wrap up here."Vademon, however, stares at you with burning intensity. "You... You dirty Humoid! Where's Datamon?!" He demands, wiggling towards you. Astamon fires a bullet into his leg, halting his movement and eliciting a scream of pain. "WHERE IS HE?! YOU BARBARIAN!""He's fine! Just taking a nap!" You offer."ARGH! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU! PERISH AT ONCE, YOU-"He focuses fully on you, attempting to use his ray gun once again. Before it can even rise in your direction, Astamon fills him full of bullets. Vademon topples backwards, his mouth agape in agony. It's sudden, violent, and unceremonious. Your partner's strength vastly outstrips his durability, now that he's up close."Phooey, looks like we came in at a good time!"Before you can process your victory, another voice chimes in from the entrance.
A large Digimon floats by the door, its arms crossed over its chest. You groan when you recognize what exactly it is. It's in a brand-new shell, but it has the same face as the little fellas you know and loathe. Its lower half is a sleek blue craft, strikingly similar to the one Vademon was riding around in. "Crap. We don't have time for another enemy.""I'm thinking Champion-level, can you-" "If it's as fast as him, no, not instantly. But I can shield you two on the way to the door." Astamon says. His plan falls apart within moments, when several more Digimon enter the operating room. You see several Commandramon, who immediately start floating and yelping. The Espimon turn on their jetpacks and are fine. One in particular has its gaze fixed on your group, and is looking nervous. It keeps twiddling its thumbs. That little rat! "Hey, woah, woah, settle down there, tiger! I know we can't take you!" It says, holding its hands out. "You gonna surrender, then?" "Depends on how this goes. I'm thinking there's room to chat." The leader replies."And you are?" "Hoverespimon, reporting to the scene! I don't think you'll be giving out names in return." It says cheerily.
You glance at your partner. Rarely do you get a chance to parley with City Digimon. However, your time is already running short, and this is a creature whose lesser counterparts you've come to mistrust. Even the one who you saved ran right over to get him! "... Your call." He says, slapping another drum of ammunition into Oro Salmón.>Hear out Hoverespimon. You're extremely short on time due to the multiple delays. If this is a trap meant to buy time while they wait for reinforcements, you might be screwed. However, if you can negotiate with it fast enough, or hear out what it wants, you might be able to get out of here in record time.>You don't trust this new Digimon. Make your way out violently. You don't have to destroy every target, you just need to bust a path open and make for the door with your unconscious prize, then leap out a window and run for the Network exit. By now, there's zero chance of using your planned exfiltration route, you'll have to wing it either way.
>>6313337>Write-In>Time is short. Start making the demands preemptively. We leave in peace right now taking Cutemon with us for healing something, but we fully intend on letting them back here after unlike whatever Vademon and Datamon were planning. The City Digimon benefit by not only having this area safer and under control again and avoiding having to fight us to death, but Cutemon's presence here continues to help everybody else. Hoverespimon and company can take all the credit for clearing Vademon and Datamon out which also means PROMOTIONS for them. Of course they'll owe us afterward and they better not forget our efforts if we meet again, but that's it.Basically gain them as a sort-of ally favor like we did with Hi-Commandramon. Our time is running out very dangerously, and I refuse to get bogged down in reinforcements and be timed out on the VPN. If we do, we're doomed just like Larry or whatever that poor fucker's name was.
>>6313337>This is the time for ultimatums, not negotiations.>We're leaving. You can take the troublemakers over there and clean up, but we're taking a couple of these victims with us. Not like you guys can keep them safe.>Order your bots outside to leave if you care whether we trash them or not.>Don't wait for an answer.
>>6313340Sounds good yeah. Write-ins seem appropriate this update, go ahead with em freely o7
>>6313344Technically my write-in is kinda like this guy's >>6313342 so we have the same gist of our course of action here
>>6313345>>6313340I'm not too keen on broadcasting that we need healing. That's my main sticking point.Otherwise, I feel like aurafarming will go over better if we're trying to advertise ourselves as someone powerful but not innately hostile.
>>6313347Then we can drop all that and avoid needlessly tipping our hand, good call
>>6313337>You don't trust this new Digimon. Make your way out violently. You don't have to destroy every target, you just need to bust a path open and make for the door with your unconscious prize, then leap out a window and run for the Network exit. By now, there's zero chance of using your planned exfiltration route, you'll have to wing it either way.They're glowies. Simple as.
>>6313337Basically this >>6313342Man, I feel like shit, we killed mirror characters. They were like Marnie and Phascomon, two bros trying to get out of a lifeless artificial purgatory. Datamon was a good guy and Vademon was a literal retard with too much fire power.>>6313334I always had faith in my man Ryan.
>>6313427Eh, they were trigger-happy kidnappers with a horde of cannibals, who were performing awful experiments on sapient beings. I don't feel bad at all.
>>6313427They’re still alive! Both of them just flopped over unconscious after taking critical damage, rather than exploding into data.
>>6313517Personally, I'm down to finish them and load their data. Maybe not Datamon, but Vademon for sure.
>>6313527I say we also finish them. We need more power for Astamon to hit Mega. Will it be Magna Kidmon? Beelzebumon? Plutomon? Something else entirely?
>>6313535>>6313527we're also running out of time, and in the middle of a negotiation that could lead to another fight.
>>6313537Damn, you're right, We may have to leave them.
>>6313517Good, if Datamon showed them mercy, he should be rewarded.>>6313485Vademon got trigger happy after Astamon attacked his friend. The experiments were questionable, yes.
>>6313537>>6313539Yeah fuck it let's just go
>>6313340>>6313342>>6313427>>6313358Writing! May have to split this one across two updates, not much time to post today and it's gonna be long
>Write-In"We're leaving." You declare. "Don't try to stop us." "Wouldn't dream of it. I believe you've made your point. And the mess?""Not interested. Do whatever you want with it.""Perfect! Boys, spread out. And give these fine folk some space."Once he gives the order, the Espimon start flowing into the room to examine its newly morphed shape. They don't get far before the infinite expanse of stars snap inwards, compressing the chamber back to its original size. Objects are sent flying all over the place, and you stumble forward as the dozens of meters between you and Hoverespimon gets compressed into mere feet. Astamon lands heavily, planting one knee firmly on the ground and throwing his arm out to catch you. Ryan isn't so lucky, he gets tripped by the rubberbanding effect. Fortunately, none of these City Digimon try to capitalize on it. The Commandramon are too busy getting back to their feet, and the Espimon are sweeping the room for evidence. You see them shooting out lattices of light for scanning, but none dare to point them your way. It's kinda nice to be feared like this. "Door is that way. Let's go, shall we?""Get your bots out of the way first." Ryan interjects. You nod in agreement. "No bots. I commandeered this operation. Figured it was the cleanest way to handle this."Your conversation is put on pause as the whole lot of you load yourselves back out into the hallway.
Astamon is still wary. He keeps his weapon pointed straight ahead, making sure there aren't any lurking enemies. Instead of tipping them off to how you entered, he just heads for the nearest window. The upside of escaping through the Network is that you can't get lost on the way there. You just need to head to where the main road would be on the surface world, and the Network access point will be there to replace it."I don't think I need to remind you that you're violating the conservation act, blah blah blah. But seeing how strong your partner is, I think that ship ahs sailed. Planning on adding more to it?" Hoverespimon asks, motioning to Cutemon in Ryan's arms. "You could say that. But we're letting him go after. Need a favor from him, you'll see him again after." "Mhm. Small potatoes, you've already dealt with a much bigger issue in there. I do have to thank you, though. I suspected those two were snatching up my boys, but we didn't have the firepower to confront them.""What's going to happen to them, now that we're leaving them in your care?""Can't say. No, really-" Hoverespimon is interupted when you all come across the window. Astamon scoops you and Ryan up in one smooth motion, causing him to grunt in surprise. He then leaps out of the open entrance and lands on the grass outside the simulated Hospital. Hoverespimon smashes straight through the wall to follow after, slowly lowering himself to maintain the conversation. "Might not be much kinder to what they were doing to those Digimon.""Not going to put them to work?" "If it were up to me? Would love to. But the Tower will judge them.""You seem a lot more nonchalant than I expected, regarding this whole thing." Astamon remarks as he sets you both down. "Of course. I said I just wanted to talk, didn't I? I know there's no point getting my boys deleted for absolutely nothing. Plus..."He raises a mechanical finger and sweeps it between you and your partner."You're exactly like what I've heard about in the first place."
Your actions have generated some attention, it seems. Unavoidable after this long, but you're left wondering what exactly he knows. Ryan opens his mouth before you do. "What you've heard?" "A good pal of mine told me to watch out for a Human girl and her Astamon. A pretty apt descriptor, don't you think? Nobody else like that in the city. So when I get the news that one of my subordinates just got rescued by her, of course I'd take steps to keep things from getting any messier.""... I appreciate that." You say. "Your friend say anything else?" "All off the record of course. That he has an agreement with you?""Hi-Commandramon. Yeah. Lil pipsqueak!""He also said he was looking for a way to get in touch with you. So, reason number two for me to take command before I get issued orders that just get me killed.""Something urgent?" "Time-sensitive, but not quite urgent. Here."Hoverespimon spits a file out of a compartment on his flying saucer. You hold a hand out to grab it, but Astamon intercepts you. He seizes it first, investigating the exterior. If it's something malicious, it's better that he handles it, so that he can use his Ultimate-level firewall."Encrypted folder." He remarks."To show that it's just a brick until you open it up. You can do that in whatever cozy little dens you Code Crackers feel safe unpacking them in. There, message delivered.""I hope he hasn't been blabbing about that agreement. Isn't that worse for him than me?" "Well, I did say he was a good pal! And I meant it. Me and him go way, way back."You finally come across the exit. The solid brick of grass turns into an EM bridge, leading the way into the net. You'll have to turn yourself into data in order to travel, and Cutemon will need to go into Ryan's Digivice. "You do have a backup slot, right?" "Yeah." You sigh in relief. If the prototype ones didn't, you'd have to waste even more time working out logistics or asking Pulsemon to stay behind. As your escape comes into view, Hoverespimon points to the pink bunny again.
"Just making sure. You said you'd give that one back?"You nod. "Good, good.""Y'know, it's real nice to meet an Espimon who's not a total scumbag. We've met like... One... Four...""Six? No, you killed four, so that's already eight-" "Point is, they were all little devils.""Ha. Well, it's not like my little siblings can get promoted if they don't lose the attitude. I mean, look at me! You think if I was idiotic enough to go: 'ROOKIES! ARREST THIS DEMON MAN,' I'd have ever made Champion?""Guess not. Instead, you're here making deals under the table." He grins with pride. You suppose he's shady in a different way. "Flexibility is my strong suit." You're glad that you didn't try shooting a Digimon who was already about to let you go peacefully. Your reputation has turned into a powerful weapon, and it's a stroke of luck that this particular one was in command. You still don't trust him, though. As soon as you can, you're going to sweep yourself and Ryan for bugs, to make sure he didn't plant anything while following along. Luckily, you have time to spare. He seems set on watching you leave the scene, so maybe you have time for one brief question. Like before, it's rare to have such a peaceful interaction with an 87-O Digimon, so if you ask him something that's reasonable to share, you might get an answer.>Write-In
>>6313649NVM found a good spot to split it. Hospital arc has lasted longer than I intended since I missed quite a few days, but yippee! Smooth sailing, was very close to running out of time. Like one wrong decision away.
>>6313676>I figured more would be scared, after what happened to Sealsdramon
>>6313676>Write-In- Ask about the podded. About processing specially.- If the city is sending strong Digimon for Marnie or if they'll let her be for now.- Why is he following Marnie? Just to talk or does he want something?- About the bots on the campsite. If they have different priorities compared to the city bots.This guy is one hundred percent plotting something. He's indeed too flexible.
>>6313718+1 if possible
>>6313676>Ask about the podded
>>6313718Just one question for the final vote
>>6313907Ok>Ask about the podded
>>6313676Changing my vote from >>6313835 to>Ask about the podded
>>6313677>Ask about the podded. About processing specially.
>>6313913>>6313959>>6313989Writing!
>Ask about the podded"Hey. What can you tell me about the pods?" "Pardon?""Podding. Come on, don't play dumb." "Not a lot I can share. Not that any of us know THAT much in the first place. Is this about your casualties?""In general-" "How do you know that?" Astamon asks suspiciously, his finger twitching against the trigger weapon. "Now who's playing dumb? It was all in the report. That was a big day, there's scarcely a commander who hasn't caught up on the incident. So, your pods..."Ryan and Gizamon pause before stepping across the bridge. He checks his timer, then shows it to Gizamon."Psst. Six minutes." The Digimon interrupts, his orange fur bristling with suspicion as he watches Hoverespimon. You nod at him, then send Pulsemon out of your Digivice. He quickly hurries over to Cutemon's side while you continue the conversation. You’ll need all of them available when you traverse the Network. "They all go into the Tower. And then they're never seen again. But-"He pauses and looks around. For the first time, that easy, cool demeanor slips away. The rockets on his shoulders twitch and move, pointing over his shoulder. Once he's satisfied that nobody is listening, he continues. "They're opened up before that.""So there IS a way to open them?" "Yeah, no dip. Inside the Tower. You didn't think they just stuck a thousand pods in there forever, surely.""No, I did. Wall to wall, lined up in neat little rows. Would never put it past you lot.""You sound like you've got a vendetta. But none of us have anything to do with your Pod problem. That's between you humans and the bots. All that code regarding disciplinary measures was stapled onto this city. Just like everything else you use." He retorts, his left eye twitching in annoyance. "Anyway, I've been as accommodating as possible. Take it as thanks for the present you've left us upstairs. Now, run along before your-" "Hey!" Astamon abruptly grabs the back of your jacket and yanks you away from him.
"What?!" He tugs at your wrist with uncharacteristic roughness, staring at the timer. You look too. One minute and six seconds. Your eyes go wide as you register how close you were to being tagged."Ryan, go!" You activate the file and jump through the portal. Your various Digimon companions leap inside one after another, with Astamon taking up the rear. You don't even have time to turn around before you're converted into information. The textures around your body are peeled away, revealing a brilliant blue wireframe, and you’re spiraling through cyberspace in mere moments. Astamon opens and closes his fist, staring at your arm in concern."Sorry. Really. It was urgent." "It's fine.” You say, more concerned with the timer than being manhandled.”Gizamon, you said six minutes!" "It said that a moment ago!""It's true, I checked! You guys said like, three sentences, then when I looked again...""It was that sleazeball! It's gotta be! He was doing something. I just don’t know what!""We don't know that for sure… Argh, who am I kidding?! Damn Espimon!" You yell. While you glance back at the now distant Hospital, seething with rage at whatever mystery plot you almost fell for, Astamon and Pulsemon chart out your path. You didn't manage to send out a ping to carve a tunnel, so you'll need to wander until you find a platform you can load yourself through. Since you spent your prep time searching in the physical world instead of finding Network Access Points, you're flying blind. "How long more can you stay in this form?" You ask your partner. "I'm reaching the end of my endurance. But I'll see it through till we're out of the Network." "Got it. Ryan, any chance we can go back to the base’s terminal from here?" "No, Squid hasn't set anything back up. She had to close everything after the incident, to not risk Hi-Commandramon crawling back in. We only have the new teleportation beacon. But we have to travel over land.""Great..." As rough a spot as you're in now, you've managed to complete your mission with minimal complications. You have Cutemon, you didn't trip any alarms, and Astamon's fight is being mopped up by a shady Digimon who has his own agenda to prioritize. Even though your escape was frantic, you've fulfilled all key objectives without any losses. It's enough to consider today’s operation a success—even without tacky codenames. "Pulsemon. How's your boss doing?" "Not waking up, but stable! He's okay!"That's all the confirmation you need, then. You focus on the long trek ahead.==
The journey through the Network is arduous, leaving you constantly wondering if you’re about to go DMIA. A handful of curious Digimon show up, but anything that wanders too close is shot to pieces by Astamon, who isn't taking any chances. At one point, you come across some kind of filtration field that attempts to tear your bodies apart and sort it into aggregate data, but Astamon uses his software-breaking abilities to tear a gap in the algorithm and allow passage. You're exhausted by the time you find a tiny beacon of light that leads into a far-too-small space, filled to the brim with an asset library of cans and bricks. "What kind of place is this?" Pulsemon asks. During your journey, he's formed a daisy chain with Gizamon and Cutemon. His vivid green paw grips on to one of Gizamon's back spines, and his other one is gripping his boss tight. He’s had to blast several Rookies with bolts of lightning from his head. "Vending machine. Good eye, Astamon.""Why's it connected to the Network like this?" Ryan inquires, just as confused as your newfound ally. "Payment system, was it?" Astamon offers."Exactly. They have to be synced to the Network to update the costs for all the items inside. So we- PULSEMON! Don't touch that." He stops just shy of gripping a nutri-brick. "Jeez! What's the big deal?"
"This is the asset library. The machine copies all of these items to send out copies when people place an order. If you break a can open, it's going to dispense half-eaten food, and they’ll know we’ve been here.." "You two must have been up to some real crazy stuff to know all this. Where'd you even figure this out?" Ryan mumbles in wonder. "We found a room like this in the sewers. But we dealt with a vending machine during our first meeting, actually. We fought a Digimon that abducted one of our friends into a space just like this. But we didn't actually see what it looked like from this end until now.BlackAgumon must have been lurking in a space just like this when he ambushed Kokuwamon.You take a deep breath, hoping that this device is the right one. You've tried a few other exits by now, but they've all been in places where emerging unseen was impossible. They were either in crowded spaces, or deep indoors, where hiding was impossible. "Pulsemon, one more check." He loads himself through the entrance. The rest of you watch impatiently, feeling the tension build in the air. He's gone for ten seconds. Then thirty. Then a minute... A spark of light reappears, bringing Pulsemon with it. "Alleyway! Empty!" You and Ryan whoop with joy, eager to finally get your bodies back. He swings a hand through the air for a high-five, and you meet it with a resounding smack. Once you pull your hand away, though, you notice the wireframe growing fuzzy and wobbly. Even your subsequent grimace is stolen away by the lack of skin. Your data has been degrading steadily, and if you failed to make it out of this exit, you may have hit the danger zone. "Let's get outta here." ==
Once you have a proper texture again, you begin making your way to the sewer base. Ryan leads you across the city, while you watch out for pursuers and examine all of your data for spyware. After the mystery with your desynchronized watches, you heavily suspect that something is clinging on to you. You don’t manage to find anything, leaving the encrypted file as the most suspicious item. However, it has no signs of external tampering, and you know for a fact that it can’t execute any programs while packed like this. Neither is it a disguised object. You have no choice but to hold on to it, in case it really is a way to contact Hi-Commandramon. If he wants to talk to you, it must be something important. Phascomon is back in your Digivice, and is sharing his room with Cutemon. While you’ve gained a great deal of faith in Ryan today, you’re still wary of letting the Dogs of War cling on to such an important Digimon. Instead, his Digivice is being used to store Pulsemon, who complains constantly about the inferior accommodations. ”There isn’t any meat in here! Come on, don’t be stingy, Marnie spawned some for me!”“I already said that I didn’t have that function!” ”Shhh! Stop whining, Pulsemon, I’m trying to nap. It’s been a long day.” Gizamon hisses. Ryan informs you that you’re not authorized to know where the new teleportation beacon is, so the both of you need to take the long way through the sewers. It’s a different route from the one you wandered with Liza, but you can’t help but keep your eyes open for signs of her and Seadramon. You find nothing of the sort along the way. However, you do see plenty of Champion-level Digimon traces. Like you’ve seen before, Digimon are growing and developing into new forms now that the oppressive presence of Raremon is gone, turning the Sewer back into a natural ecosystem. “Do the bots ever patrol these areas and bother you?” “No, not really. Squid said that our location was specifically picked because it was a defunct recycling center.” “So how do new recruits get in?” “Teleporter.” “Wind will trust them with the locations, but not me?” You ask, rather annoyed by the revelation. “… Yeah. I mean, we all know you’re strong. But he’s set on, uh…” He slows down a bit as he thinks about his next words carefully.
“He doesn’t want you to overstep again. You kept pushing at his boundaries, and he didn’t like it.” ”Meh, we can’t claim otherwise. Still, what a petty little jackass. After all we’ve done? After what we’re doing right now?” “Oh, we’re here!” He declares, glad to escape the conversation. You recognize the long, winding passages that lead up to the base. You traverse them in reverse and finally reach the blank wall at the end. Ryan sends out a ping and orders the gate open, revealing numerous new faces on the other side; many of whom are standing guard with Digimon next to them.“Ryan! It’s you!” A newbie cries out. He has some kind of squat little bird Digimon with him. You recognize it as one of the species that was present in the Radar room when you raided it. His expression turns to one of shock as he sees you following close behind.“Is this…” “That’s her. Don’t stare, we’re going straight to Bella.” You briskly pass through the sentry gate before they have time to speak to you. “They know me?” “Well, yeah. We had to catch them up to speed. And some of them know you because of the little scene you made.” You spy the same wicked little punk that was attacking Pulsemon the other day. Looks like they accepted him after all. He tries not to meet your eye, but his Digimon is glaring blatantly. This time, your face is uncovered, and he can get a good look at you. Pulsemon bristles from within Ryan’s Digivice. ”What’s HE doing here?! You work with him?” “Just one of their fresh recruits. Don’t make a scene, Pulsemon, we’re almost done.” You urge. He falls silent, but his unhappiness is made clear when he forces himself out of Ryan’s Digivice to walk with his own two feet.As you make your way to the workshop, you examine the repairs that the new Dogs of War have been carrying out. Some of it is very rudimentary, with raw polygons filling up the missing chunks of the wall. Other areas look good as new, while several spots have mismatched assets holding them together. “How’s Bella? She knew we were trying to help, right?” “Yeah. And I texted her as soon as you cleared me to open up comms.” You’re soon struck by a wave of heat, signaling your proximity to Squid and ToyAgumon’s lab. The little guy is tapping away at his Rookie-sized console when you enter. “Marnie! Hello! How’ve you been?”“I’m good. We need Squid to take a look at the Cutemon for us. We secured him, but I don’t know how ready he might be to help Bella.” ”Right, and your leg too! I’ll go fetch her!”==
You don’t actually see Squid. Once Cutemon is placed on a gurney and ferried inside, with Pulsemon helping ToyAgumon to push it, Ryan gets a text from her. “Oh. She said she needs a little bit of time to diagnose Cutemon and disconnect everything. We didn’t get all the wires out, after all.”You nod. After a certain point, you opted to just unplug him instead of diligently separating every bit of invasive metal from his pink flesh. There’s nobody better than Squid for the cleanup job. “I guess we can just wait out here till she’s done. I need a break…” Ryan settles into a chair, the day’s stress catching up to him. You sit down too, but you both realize that you’re never going to relax in the sweltering heat of the sub-partition. He stands up and moves towards the exit.“I’m going to get something cold to drink. Coming?” You look around the room. You could go along with him and just take it easy, or you could go look around and see how things have changed in the last couple of weeks. You probably have time to do a single thing of your choosing before Squid is done with the repairs. >Write-in
>>6314515>Go get a drink, compliment Ryan on his performance, and prod him for more information on what the DoW are up to and how things have changed
>>6314515>Write inGo for a drink and ask for a tour from Ryan. If I can't choose that, I want to pester Wind about the reward of our last mission, we never got to beat an ultimate so they are not even.I knew from the beginning that it wasn't a good reward, I want something else.
>>6314581+1Having to deal with Wind sucks, but in the end we leave to the real world and Wind gets to rule without being pridefully paranoid that Marnie will overthrow him
>>6314515I don't think now's the time to get seen by new recruits. Phascomon's too tired.For the timer to run like that, what could it be? A visual hallucination, or a subtle acceleration of time? Might also be an analysis program that chips away at how long the VPN can function. We already checked for any invisible Espimon following right?>Change clothes first, incase the culprit is the textures>Watch over Cutemon's treatment and chat with toyagumon
>>6314581>>6314585>>6314526>>6314581Writing! Gonna be late with it
>Write-in"Yeah. I saw something I liked while we were in the machine. Let's go." While you have a disdain for most of the city's workings, one little thing does manage to sink its claws into you: New flavor releases of sodas. Squid has long since settled the food issue for the Dogs of War, and there are plenty of hacked devices in the cafeteria that can spit out whatever you want. Of course, Wind then set limits of his own, making sure his underlings didn't just order luxurious feasts daily without occasion. You vaguely see the sense in that ruling. The two of you settle down with a couple of ice-cold drinks. Ryan has some kind of sweet tea, and you have 'Wintermelon Wonder'. Your shoulders sag with exhaustion, and the both of you sit in silence for a couple of minutes, finally given a chance to unwind. He starts up the conversation first. "... Feels kinda tense without a debriefing.""Right?" You agree. "Like there's no closure." "Well, get on with it then." "Me?" "Yeah. We followed your lead all mission, you're the one with the most things to say." Phascomon stirs in your Digivice. You can tell he's listening, despite how tired he is. "Okay. Give me a moment..." When the Dogs of War did these briefings, they always had visuals showcasing the impact of their actions, to help all of you feel like you accomplished something great. You don't really have slides, but you quickly figure out what to pull up on a handful of display windows. "Alright. I hereby declare our mission to acquire Cutemon a resounding success."
Ryan lightly taps his palms together, miming applause without drawing too much attention. Most of the other recruits and noncombatants in the cafeteria are already staring at you. "Squid should be treating him now, and once he's awake, we can have him carry out our number one objective: Healing Bella and restoring her avatar back to a usable state. And if possible, my leg too.""And then that'll get the bots off your back. No more nagging at you to get a checkup."You nod. "Ryan, Gizamon, we couldn't have done this without the two of you. Without Gizamon to draw the attention of those BEMmon, we would have been overwhelmed. Phascomon might have had to burn his energy earlier." "Cutting it close as it is. So good work." "Thanks." Gizamon mumbles from within the Digivice. You detect a hint of satisfaction in his voice."And Ryan, you really clutched it when we had to deal with Datamon. How'd you figure out what to do?" He rubs the back of his head sheepishly, but you can tell he's happy to have helped. Phascomon's pixel sprite leans towards the screen as well, curious to hear what he did. "Well, I recognized the type of wiring that was in Cutemon's side. It was the kind that Squid was using to electronically manipulate Bella's skin surface. So it had to have a charge." "And I severed it with the scalpel..." You muse. "Yep. It was a bit of a long shot, I didn't know if the voltage would do the trick. But the filtration is usually in the endpoint, right? Like the plug head, or maybe there's a control panel to reduce it. Without one, it's just a cable full of power."
"...Huh. How exactly did you pick this up? Squid training you or something?" "Nah. It's just, uh- when you told me that you needed my help, and that I could really do something about Bella's injuries, I started paying a lot of attention. Y'know, bugging Squid about that radar scan for you, watching how her treatment took place, whatever I could. I guess I just picked up on it over time." You feel the corners of your lips turning upwards. Honestly, you took him for a total jobber when you first met him. Hard not to when your first impression was him screaming in terror and running around. Even your bid for aid was mostly to calm him down, and you weren't fully certain he'd be an asset. But over the course of this mission, he's proven to be observant and competent enough to make a difference. Even though Gizamon doesn't have the highest combat power, the two of them get a passing grade if they're able to take it slow and think things through. "Hey. Earlier, you said you weren't used to being a senior, right? That there were all these new recruits, and you were lost." He nods slowly. "Don't sell yourself short. You did a good job today. I think that when the time comes, you'll find that you know what to do after all. Have some confidence, don't let them push you around. There are some real bad eggs among them to crack." "You'll make a good sottocapo yet.He leans back in his chair and stirs his sweet tea anxiously. When he manages to find his words, his voice is a little shaky. "Thanks. It means a lot to... to hear that from you two. Things are changing so fast, we lost so many people, I've been so worried about it all. But today? Today was good." The two of you finish your drinks and enjoy the cool air of the cafeteria. You've both long since changed back to your usual outfits, discarding the sloppy disguises in favor of more comfortable attire. On a hunch, you forced him to do a hard reset, in case Hoverespimon did anything to your textures. There's been no noticeable change. "Squid still hasn't sent us any message, huh?" He comments. "I guess not. Hey, we have some time. Can you show me around? I wanna see how things have changed. And if not- I can just go bother Wind." "He's not in right now. He's actually been doing a LOT of solo missions. The other day, he and Kaus Gammamon took down a Cargodramon." "What?!""You're kidding. Like, just by themselves?" "It was all over the news. It was in an office block. He was doing something unrelated, and it tried to intercept him." While he has respectable power, Kaus Gammamon is NOT strong enough to defeat that Digimon by himself. Something is up. You wonder if they had some kind of bomb or gadget that didthe trick. "It's fine, I don't need to see him today then. Maybe just show me the place. I've been thinking about the base a lot, it was in such a bad state when we left." He slowly pushes himself out of his seat. "Sure thing. Let's go." ==
The training room is in use today. Several recruits are jumping over rooftops and learning how to navigate the urban sprawl of the city. Plenty of them are already used to it, but more than a few are struggling hard. They keep tumbling into the gaps between the simulated blocks of the holodeck. You recognize the one who's leading the exercises and barking out commands."Is that Hannah?" "Yeah. There were a handful of promotions. Existing members got priority over the new guys, when it came to Digimon allocation." The last time you saw her, she was sprinting towards the hallway and nearly leading her fellow noncombatants to a grisly death. It's a little concerning that she's now a Digimon Tamer. But then again, Ryan proved himself under pressure. Maybe people like her would find themselves growing and changing too. "That her Digimon?"PALMON- ROOKIE- PLANT- DATAShe's cradling a green Digimon with a flower on its head. At first, you wonder how she's going to make the jump while holding a Digimon. However, she exceeds your expectations when the Palmon launches its vine-like fingers and wraps them against a railing. It winds itself in, allowing her to clear the gap that stumps the other recruits. She stands on the edge of the roof and calls out to them. Some send out their own Digimon, and others try to find alternate paths to catch up. "Bet you wish your wings worked, huh, Phascomon?" "Bah, I don't need wings!"
You turn away from their training and change the subject."So- Ryan, what's the system for getting new recruits? Do you just send out those missions and take in whoever can obtain their targets?""That's one way. We've also been recruiting Digimon directly." "Really?" You ask, rather intrigued in that idea. "Squid and Wind were both in agreement that strength wasn't the only trait we needed. We need Digimon who have an actual connection with their humans. Y'know, like me and Gizamon. Like you and Phascomon. So we've started getting Digimon first, and inviting them to the base with the promise of a human partner. We let them choose from our members. Plenty of them are happy just serving as support, like the jamming team. But anyone with aspirations is looking to get picked up by a Digimon. And Hannah over there was chosen." "Surprising amount of foresight then. None for the recruits, though? They're left to beat up and drag their own partners in?" "That doesn't happen all the time, come on. Would Marnie over here have been able to defeat you all by herself?" "Guess not. Not even as a Rookie." You nod in agreement. "Yeah. So, most of the time, the test is to determine whether they can convince the Digimon to actually come on board. We give them their locations and offer entry to whoever can come by with the bounty, but there are no rules on the actual means of procurement. I don't really know what Wind is going for with that one." "Maybe he wants a bigger variety in personalities, or something.""You got a real rotten one, then. That Goburimon guy. I don't like the way he treats Digimon." "But it's your problem to deal with. You're a senior now, yeah? Word of advice for me, keep an eye on that guy. Don't let his attitude infect the rest of these guys." Ryan nods solemnly, and you move on to the next area. ==
"Someone took the room we usually sleep in?"Ryan nods. "We got a big influx of people. No more guest rooms. Sorry." "Don't be, I get it." Even though you never wanted to join up with the Dogs of War, you really did appreciate that there was always a chamber set aside for you, as a guest. You have no idea whether it was a practical concern, or if it's another spiteful act from Wind to distance himself further from you and your influence. "I'm sure that if you stay over again, we can find a solo one to set aside for you." "Mhm." You don't bother loading yourself into every partition, there's no need to see the insides of the rooms. You're more concerned with the structural damage. Fortunately, it's all minor, and most of it has been paved over. You come across a group of recruits helping to seal a crack in the floor. "Hey, this is where we fought those Espimon. The real quiet ones." Ryan turns around abruptly. "That reminds me... Did you two see anything weird after beating them?""I was podded, remember? Or, uh, suspended. Porcupamon took them all out." "Nothing weird, no. I think I zoned out a little. Why?" "Just one of the reasons why Wind was so upset. After you left, an Espimon tried to sneak out." "No way. There was one lurking?" "And he suspects that Hi-Commandramon left that one behind as a spy. I don't know. Do you think he would?" You shake your head. "I can't discount anything, but no, it seems out of character. Maybe it was just hiding? Never mind that, what happened to it? It didn't get away, did it?" "It didn't, F- Kaus Gammamon managed to kill it. But it was a whole big thing. Wind was already livid that day, but it got even worse once he realized we almost lost everything AGAIN. And it was the fact that you let those guys back into the Network that opened up this opportunity." You tap your foot on the ground uneasily. "... I really should talk to him, huh?" "I'll message you when he's back."And speaking of messages, Squid finally gives the two of you the go-ahead. You both check your notifications at the same time, then cut your conversation short and return to the workshop.==
By the time you get there, Cutemon is already awake. "Oi, oi... Pulsemon... You tell that little punk that if she does that again, I'll be cutting off fingers." "Boss says-" "I'm sorry!" ToyAgumon squeaks. "She is too, isn't she? Squid?"Squid is currently being held back by her partner. She's holding a hand out towards the bunny, who looks good as new. The Cutemon is perched on a cushion, with one hand clutching a drink. He takes a long sip, then sticks a cigar in his mouth and leans towards Pulsemon. Pulsemon lets out a spark that ignites it, all the while staring down the Code Cracker and her Digimon. "What's going on here?" Ryan asks. "Ain't it obvious? She touched someone she shouldn't have, again!" Phascomon complains."He's just so cute! Aren't you, little guy? Oh, I should have felt up those ears while he was unconscious..." Cutemon begins to stand up, and you feel palpable menace oozing off the tiny pink bunny. Pulsemon meets your gaze and breathes a sigh of relief, quickly trying to pacify his boss. "Sir! That's her! The two of them who rescued you!" The Digimon turns to face you, his comfy-looking muffler trailing behind him, as though rustled by a phantom breeze. "So, you're the one who pulled me out of that hellhole... You have my gratitude, human. I won't soon forget what you've done." "You're welcome. We actually sought you out because we were looking for a favor. Maybe let's... sit down and discuss it?" You offer. Cutemon takes a deep drag of his cigar, then blows the smoke in Squid's direction. She seems to be immune to piercing gazes when they're coming from Digimon, and she still looks set on touching those long, adorable ears."Mmm... I owe you. Yes, let's hear this out. Then you can tell me where exactly I am. And why she's itching to fondle me so bad.""I like this guy."==
You soon find out why Pulsemon kept referring to this Digimon as 'Boss'. His cutesy appearance belies his sharp tongue and calculating wit. The Digimon is well aware of the value of its own power. Squid soon manages to settle down and sit on the floor alongside you, still drooling at the idea of getting to touch this guy. But you know it's not in the cards. He points straight at her."I will forgive your transgressions, in light of your aid. Do not think to lay a hand on me again, if you wish to keep it." "He's so cute when he's mad!" She whispers to you. "And you two. Marnie and Phascomon." "Yes?" Phascomon is having the time of his life. He's mirroring this Digimon's posture and trying to speak in the same way. Despite being a tiny little bunny, he has that dignified, forceful swagger that your partner tries to channel when he Digivolves into Astamon. You sense that he's learning how to act directly from Cutemon. "You have protected my honor by slaying the two culprits. Or, at least, putting them into a spot they will not soon escape from. I see no further need to ask for a price. Come. Stick your leg out, as you've requested." "Oh. That's okay, Bella is the one who-" "Marnie..." Pulsemon warns. "The boss doesn't take criticism when it comes to healing."Cutemon's gaze is steely and firm. You look into his red-tinged eyes, and you can sense that this offer is not open forever. You adjust your posture so your leg is sticking out before you. He gets up from his cushion and steps towards your limb, raising his little fingers over his head and cracking them. "This will only take a moment. Then we will discuss the matter of your other friend in need."His muffler shoots outwards and wraps around your leg, enveloping it from ankle to thigh.
You yelp in surprise from how incredibly soft and comfortable it is.A material like this could sell for an exorbitant amount of credits, if it ever showed up in one of the City's rotating wardrobe options. Squid yelps jealously as she watches your skin vanish between the plush texture. It's warm, too, somehow providing a comforting heat in the burning hot workshop partition. "Kizunaol." He pronounces his words with a strong growl at the end. Light shoots through the scarf and passes into your leg. You instantly feel a trillion little tingles, all interacting with your vertexes and restoring them to their intended state. The motion only lasts several seconds, but once he's done, the damage is fully healed. Those rough, lower-poly textures have been completely restored. Your leg is back to normal, like it's always been. You stare at your smoothed-out skin, slowly reaching down to feel it. The ugly geometric scar that you've picked at countless times is gone forever. You choke back a pit of emotion in your throat, and Phascomon gently pats you on the side. Although you managed to come to terms with the scar, there's been a little part of you that's resented its presence, even if it caused you little practical trouble. That same part worried that it would follow you around forever, even into the real world. You never understood how the damage would have reflected into the physical realm once you escaped. But now, it'll never trouble you again. "Is it satisfactory, girl?" "It- It is. Thank you, Cutemon." "Thank you, for what you've done for her." Phascomon bows sharply. "You have done me a greater service. Let us not consider our debt settled yet. But I tire of this. Leave me to my accommodations now, we will discuss the matter of your wounded friend once I have rested."
You glance over to Squid, who's pouting in sheer envy. "How did it feel?" She asks. "Really good, actually." You say, unable to bring yourself to lie. "Super soft." She groans and gets to her feet. "Do you think you can convince him to let me feel it? Please? Please?" "I don't think he'll be up for that. Where are you going?" "To let Wind know that he's awake. I called you guys first, after all. He's prety interested in what this Cutemon has to offer." She steps away with ToyAgumon, who still looks paranoid that she's going to try and lunge for those long ears. You glance back to Cutemon, who's being helped to his feet by his own subordinate. Phascomon whispers softly to you."He can help Bella out, for sure. But remember what we talked about. You think he's going to let him go so easily?" You're not sure.>Try and convince Cutemon to fix up Bella now, so you can get him out of here and back to the Hospital. You'll have to annoy him a bit, but you feel like you've got enough goodwill to be a little demanding. You'll have to clash with him directly with the force of your personality. Or, at least, get Phascomon to do it.>Go for a more detached route. Explain to Cutemon that these guys may want to keep him here, and that it's in his best interest to help Bella out right now. If you can give him this clear reason, he might be more likely to do it. However, this could backfire. Reputation and respect seems extremely important to this guy. If he knows that they might seek to exploit him, he may object to treating Bella in protest. >Let it be. Allow Cutemon to get his rest, and then see how things shape up when Wind is back. You don't distrust them to the point where you're going to sabotage relations between them and Cutemon. Maybe they'll be reasonable about it after all.
>>6315165>Let it be. Allow Cutemon to get his rest, and then see how things shape up when Wind is back. You don't distrust them to the point where you're going to sabotage relations between them and Cutemon. Maybe they'll be reasonable about it after all.But let's warn Pulsemon about the newbies. They haven't been disciplined yet, so they might be ruder than the ones in charge.That's the most I'd support Wind
>>6315211+1Let's hope Wind doesn't double-cross us, he still owes us
>>6315165>Go for a more detached route. Explain to Cutemon that these guys may want to keep him here, and that it's in his best interest to help Bella out right now. If you can give him this clear reason, he might be more likely to do it. However, this could backfire. Reputation and respect seems extremely important to this guy. If he knows that they might seek to exploit him, he may object to treating Bella in protest. Don't keep the risk a secret. He may see it as a betrayal.
>>6315211+1, but let's also not leave until Cutemon and Pulsempn are free and clear, too.>>6315165
>>6315165Btw, OP. How does our man Ryan look? He seems important enough to need a design.
>>6315333I imagined him with a side shave and spiky hair. Not quite a Mohawk, but a couple of spurs like Gizamon. Except kinda floppy and falling over his forehead, like his hairstyle can’t hold up any weight. Update might be late again, no access to a computer all day. Been going out plenty of days these last weeks, and pc time has been cut in half :(
>>6315464Fine, now if you can tell me a character or celebrity to base him on.
>>6315538I was kinda imagining the blue inkling’s hairstyle, but sorta shifted forward and multiplied to match Gizamon’s.
>>6315575Damn, it's squid central down here.
>>6315742Where the fuck is Gesomon?
>>6315750well, it can evolve from Gizamon...
>>6315754But does that fit the direction Ryan and Gizamon are developing into?>"I timed it earlier. They take about ten minutes to finish a sweep. If they get delayed by something, they don't call in extra bodies to finish the route. They just deal with it first.">You blink in surprise, rather pleased that he remembered such a thing. He's not the most reliable, but at least he's shown moments of competence.>"I met Gizamon before I even got my Digivice. Most of the others didn't have their partners until they went looking. Thanks to it, we can at least take care of each other properly.">Ryan and Gizamon pause before stepping across the bridge. He checks his timer, then shows it to Gizamon.>"Psst. Six minutes." The Digimon interrupts, his orange fur bristling with suspicion as he watches Hoverespimon.>"Nah. It's just, uh- when you told me that you needed my help, and that I could really do something about Bella's injuries, I started paying a lot of attention. Y'know, bugging Squid about that radar scan for you, watching how her treatment took place, whatever I could. I guess I just picked up on it over time."Also as I was reading back through the thread, he brought up Warp Digivolution in a weird way>>6313330>“Astamon just swapped between his current form and Porcupamon. Felt the feedback- he’s back up to Ultimate now.”>“It still baffles me how you guys can do that.” He says.>Oddly, he clasps a hand over his mouth after speaking, like he’s uttered something he’s not supposed to. You find it a baffling reaction, but turn away from him to continue working on Cutemon. It’s not like he doesn’t know what you and your partner can do, he’s been fighting alongside you long enough.There's also bits he slipped regarding Wind and Fugamon, plus his own new role as a senior member
>>6315773Hm, so he has a Champion form that he's hiding for some reason? Why?
>>6315211>>6315222>>6315331>>6315330Writing! >>6315773Yep that line was him referring to both Marnie and Wind as ‘you guys’, then panicking all by himself over possibly leaking Fumamon, even though it sounded perfectly normal to Marnie. Easily spooked fella.
>>6315824WHERE IS HE QMWHERE THE FUCK IS HE
Now that the battle is over, I want to know what would've been the immediate consequences of letting Vademon monologue.
>>6315937Other than our VPN timing out and us being permanently fucked later during Hoverespimon's gambit?
>>6315937The immediate impact would be getting a major clue that attacking Datamon was a wrong choice, and NOT doing it would have balanced out the time expenditure. Astamon blowing up against the shield took up one ‘block’ of allocated time that essentially wasted what the dialogue skip earned. As for the rest, I won’t elaborate on, since the cost of that option was: >If you kill it without finding out more about this absolute freak, you'll have unanswered questions forever.So I’ll leave the motives up to speculation. >>6315840No room for mysterious evil old men I’m afraid!
>Let it be. Allow Cutemon to get his rest, and then see how things shape up when Wind is back. You don't distrust them to the point where you're going to sabotage relations between them and Cutemon. Maybe they'll be reasonable about it after all.You consider it for a moment, but eventually decide to leave the situation alone. Maybe they’ll do something shady, maybe not. No sense speaking up and tearing a rift before anything even happens. “Where will they stay?” You ask. “I’ve got just the place! Come on little guy, with me, I-“ Squid starts reaching out towards the Digimon again, either unaware or completely uncaring of the death glare it’s shooting her. You can’t imagine it making good on its threats, but you decide not to risk it. “Actually,“ you interrupt, “I need to talk to you for a bit. Can’t ToyAgumon show them to their room instead?” He looks at you when he’s mentioned, and you see hope in his big sticker eyes. He wants to get Squid away from these guys as soon as he can, so she doesn’t do something you’ll all regret. And yet, he looks terrified of the Cutemon. ”I could! It would be for the best, lemme handle it! But I need Phascomon to come with me. Y’know, to help with-“ ”Say no more, I hear you. Marnie, be back in a jiffy.” Phascomon catches on immediately, and trots over to ToyAgumon to help him guide the guests to their chambers. With your partner there to assist, hopefully nobody’s fingers will get chopped off. "Do I need to be here for this?" Ryan asks. You shake your head, prompting him to head towards the door. Soon enough, you and Squid are left all by yourselves. With the excitement of a brand new Digimon gone, her enthusiasm fades just a smidgen, and she collapses onto a chair. She spins around in a circle, beginning to chatter without making eye contact, as usual. "Been a while, Marnie. Did everything go okay?" "Yeah, pretty smoothly. Listen, I've got a file that I need help cracking. I'm paranoid that it's bugged, can you use the Virtual Machine?"You hand her Hoverespimon's present. She rolls her chair across the floor, nearly toppling over a taped-down cable when the wheels hitch, and inserts it into the remote chamber, which is now devoid of any active projects. "It'll take a bit to load! You can tell me all about your little mission in the meantime." ==
As you explain the day's events, Squid begins taking notes with distinct interest. She asks for plenty of details about the inside of the Hospital, or the arrangement of their wires, all of which you're unable to answer. She perks up once you start describing the encounter in the operating theatre. "Did you get any scans of those minion Digimon you mentioned?" "No. Vademon put up some kind of interference veil, I couldn't tag them with my goggles before Astamon deleted them all. Here-" You offer up Datamon and Pulsemon's scan, for her to build up her Digimon repository with. Then you move on to the part where you freed Cutemon from their grasp. "Oh! I was wondering why all those wires were hanging out of him. You said they were harvesting his healing powers?" "Yeah. All I've put together is that they were trying to add its functions to Vademon's gun, by draining the data straight from his Digicore. Is that something you can do-?" "I would never do that." She says, suddenly going stiff. Her gaze flickers past your face, lingering on your eyes for just a couple of seconds. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that as an accusation. I just meant, y'know, in general. Is that something doable at all?" She calms down a bit once you reassure her, but still doesn't sound too happy to be discussing the topic. "It is. But no Cracker I know of is good enough to do it without hurting Digimon. I've read some past records- you know how there are plenty of Cyborg Digimon?" You nod, unsure of where she's going. "People can make them that way. There have been cases where a Digimon gets modified directly into its next stage due to data that forms implants and weapons. And a lot of the time, it hurts them, because their cores are being messed with. It's short-lived. They're powerful, but end up collapsing into an unstable mess. Like Raremon.""That's bad." You agree. "And Cutemon was in danger of that?" "Yeah, he was. Those two Digimon were digging really deep into his Digicore. I looked at the apparatus hooked up to his insides. Best guess from the wires you left in him? They were trying to just copy it at first, but gave up on that. I saw preparations to slice out the exact portions responsible for expressing that code." "Which would be lethal." "Without a doubt. Maybe they'd try putting it into the gun after."That Vademon was a narcissistic, power-hungry psycho. You're glad that he's being left to the mercy of the City Digimon. You would have liked to absorb his data for Astamon, but with his strength, you're sure you'll find another Digimon to defeat in the future.
Once your briefing is done, she settles back into a chair to watch the virtual machine decrypt the file. You take your spot next to her."This file came from Hi-Commandramon, you said?" "Yeah. Ryan told me about the doubts you two were having." "Wind really wasn't happy..." "He told me that too." "I can see a possibility that it wasn't intentional. But it lines up too well. Our guard was down, and it would have been a way to destroy us all with no risk." "... I'll ask him about it when I meet him. I assume there's gonna be-" Ding! The machine finishes its decryption and spits out the file. "No bug! It's really low-volume information too." Squid exclaims.She taps on a remote, printing out the contents of the partition without interfacing with it directly. Then she hands it to you, making sure not to open it before you can get a good look. Once you unfurl the notepad file, you see a time and address. He wants a meeting, apparently. "Anything special?" "Just a location. Thanks, Squid." "No problem. I'll wipe the machine now, if there's no protests?" You shake your head. It was a simpler task than you expected. Doc would probably have been able to decode it just as easily, but Squid is the only Code Cracker you know of with a virtual machine that can handle it with this level of absolute safety. There's no way for malware or a tracking bug to crawl out of the simulated confines before she pulls the plug and deletes the entire setup. Once the original file has been utterly incinerated, you get to your feet and begin stretching. "I should probably go check on Phascomon." "Yeah. If you go, let me know if ToyAgumon is on the way back! I'd get up, but I have some tasks to finish up."You feel a burst of gratitude that she stopped in the middle of her tasks to not only help you with the Cutemon situation, but to hear out your whole story and decrypt a file for you afterwards. Even if things between you and the Dogs of War are tense, she's still treating you with the same warmth as always. Apart from that short moment where you upset her with the Digicore thing, of course.
It's been a good three weeks since you got to see her. Longer since you've had a chance to talk, considering the hubub around Operation Augur. It might be an appropriate time to sit and chat while waiting for Wind to come back and liase with Cutemon. >Head out and check on the four Rookies. Hopefully they're settled in by now, and none of the recruits are bothering them. Having Phascomon along for the ride should guarantee that nothing bad happens, he's responsible enough to manage it, but you still want to make sure, and then send ToyAgumon back Squid's way.>Stay in the workshop and talk to Squid. You'd like to know how she's been coping with everything, and how the Dogs of War have been changing. She'll probably have more vital insights than Ryan. But apart from that, you just want to take some time to get closer as friends, and talk to her personally instead of only discussing business. (Write-in)>Go explore the base solo, and see what the new folks are up to. There's a lot to catch up on, and seeing it with your own eyes ought to be different from just hearing about it from your friends. You also have to check on Bella at some point, so you'll stop by her room then. You found out from Squid earlier that she's been discharged, but she's just been moping.
>>6316150>Stay in the workshop and talk to Squid. You'd like to know how she's been coping with everything, and how the Dogs of War have been changing. She'll probably have more vital insights than Ryan. But apart from that, you just want to take some time to get closer as friends, and talk to her personally instead of only discussing business. (Write-in)About how she joined the DOW. I'd like to ask her about the VPN trouble. I wonder if it was really HoverEspimon or how did he do that.
>>6316267+1
>>6316267+1>>6316150
>>6316267>>6316274>>6316277Writing! Gonna be trying hard to get back on schedule.
>Stay in the workshop and talk to Squid. You'd like to know how she's been coping with everything, and how the Dogs of War have been changing. She'll probably have more vital insights than Ryan. But apart from that, you just want to take some time to get closer as friends, and talk to her personally instead of only discussing business. (Write-in)You pause by the door. Maybe you don't have to go check after all. Your partner can handle it, and even in a worst-case scenario where things turn violent, he can channel his Digivolution by himself. Unless there's a range limit between the two of you, of course. But it's not like he'll have to use a stronger form to fend off the other Rookies if violence arises. "Actually- are you gonna be real busy with those tasks?" "Hm? Not really, I can multitask." She says, already burying her nose in a device. "Mind if I stick around then? We haven't gotten any time to catch up." "I'd like that! Sure! I didn't get a chance to research Astamon either... I really wanted to, but things have been so busy over the past- has it been a month?" "Almost, yeah. If he's not too tired, I can let you do some basic scans later.""Yes! Thank you!" She beams, glancing back for a brief moment. Lumps of her orange hair bob happily as she fiddles with some kind of .app. "It's the least we can do, you've already helped us out so much." You acquiesce."It's a welcome change from all the work. Wind needs a TON done for our next op. And I've had to create so many Digivices. I've got no time to upgrade any of them because of that!" You glance at your Digimon Linker. It was a real stroke of good luck that you managed to trade it in with Doc. The prototype Digivices wouldn't have been as good for Phascomon's training, and the slightly better, but still blocky ones didn't have as many features. "What are you guys doing next anyway?" She inhales through her teeth. "Mmm... I can't tell you that. Sorry. Ask him when he's back later.""Yeah, no worries. Have you been holding up okay though? I don't know how close you were to the guys we lost..." Squid puts her wrench down. "I don't know."
"What do you mean?" "I don't know how close we even were. I like helping people, I like making all this stuff, but I don't know how much they even like me back." "Oh come on, what are you talking about? Everyone here would be screwed without your help." "Yeah, but the only people I really talk with are you and Wind. Oh, and Doc! But he's not a Dog of War. And Bella more often, nowadays, but nobody really stays to chat. I know I'm bad with people, I can't even... Y'know. Look anyone in the face properly. And nobody really cares to learn how I do all my Code Cracking."You roll your chair a little bit closer to her. "What about ToyAgumon?" "Of course! I love him, he's my partner, after all. I'm just talking about the other members here. And with so many new recruits, I'm starting to lose track of all their faces." Truth to be told, you had her pegged as an antisocial hermit. She seemed pretty satisfied to be cooped up with gadgets and gizmos, only showing her face through video calls in the meeting room. But every time you've spoken to her, she's seemed plenty warm and welcoming. You didn't expect her to have a hang-up over her position here, especially since she's THE most important member. "Maybe you could talk to Ryan more." "Why him?" She asks curiously. "I kinda skipped over this part when explaining our mission earlier, but-" You fill her in on how quickly he identified the wire and disabled Datamon. Earlier, you glossed over that for brevity, but now that she's raising this topic, you feel like it's something she might want to know. "And he said he'd been spending a lot of time observing your Workshop. Even if he didn't speak up, he's been paying attention, y'know. And I'm sure some of the others do too." "Huh. That's... good news! Maybe I can start teaching him some basics." She beams."Why'd you start thinking about all of this anyway?""Well..." Her face falls again. Despite her claim of being able to multitask, she's long since put her work aside just to talk to you. "I keep going back to Lenny." Ah.
"If I just drilled all of our protocols into his head... Would he have done something different? Would Liza? And even if not, I'm the Code Cracker here! If I had some device in place to hide their location, or had better masking, or..."Sealsdramon's attack was powered by the City's technological superiority. As the one in charge of all their tech, her failure to defeat the enemy's tracking protocols must have been eating away at her for a bit. You're not really sure what to say, or how to even console somebody. While Squid is surrounded by people, yet unable to close the distance, you've been a loner for almost all of your life. Your friends have all been cursory, and the only person you've been able to rely on intermittently has been Doc. And even that was a purely business relationship till recently. There are no magic words you can think up to tell her it wasn't her fault. The most you've been able to do is instill hope that Ryan could learn from her, and help her feel a little bit closer to another human. "You'll beat them." You say confidently. "Beat them...?" While you don't have words of comfort, you have spite and anger in spades, ready to be unearthed. And that's the only direction you know how to go in, when it comes to matters of 87-O's management. "You're a genius Code Cracker. I've never seen anybody work the magic you can do, not even Doc. If you're agonizing over failing to do something, you just need to keep pushing until you DO accomplish it. Right? If anyone can code some device or tool to do all that, it's you. You guys want to take over the City, you'll have plenty of time to invent things that'll help." She glances at the object she's been working on, chewing on your words carefully. "Yeah. I guess I have to try, don't I?" She mumbles, sounding unsure. "It's why I joined up in the first place." A thought crosses your mind. You've asked a few of the others, including Wind, but you've never asked her why she joined. And when. "How'd you come across the Dogs of War anyway? Was it before, or after finding Toy Agumon?"
You briefly recall the story he told you about the Agumon Flood."After. We were already a team back then, and I was teaching him all kinds of things related to hacking. He was my first friend, y'know. I don't think I'd even spoken another person for a couple years before meeting him.""What were you doing back then?" "Learning from my book. I picked it up early, and everything just kinda... clicked. I spent ages learning the ins and outs of software and hardware. I guess I was hungry for it, because I ignored everything else. The moment I learnt it was an option, I dismissed my nanny servitor." Right. Her 'Fruit of Knowledge'. You did that too, but you're guessing she cast off her chains even earlier than you did. "Sorry. I don't wanna change the subject. But did they show you the-" "They did! Now that I'm older, it's pretty funny how they did that, actually..." Children are able to send their bots away and end the parenting protocols that ferry them around into playgroups. However, there's a soft limitation on doing such a thing. In order to prevent wayward or rowdy kids from disabling their entire nanny program after a tantrum, the bots have an inelegant, yet shockingly effective contingency. Before going through with the severance of the program, children have to watch a terrifying video depicting life without a bot nanny. You can still recall key frames from it. Stray kids wandering the streets, with fog streaking in, howling Digimon in the background, crying youths lost in the middle of urban sprawls, all kinds of imagery that would terrify a child unexposed to any kind of horror media. When you cast your bot aside, you were determined enough to sit through it, but it still messed with you for months after, until you got used to being by yourself. Plenty of other kids must have been traumatized into keeping theirs.
"Anyway, ToyAgumon and I nearly got caught when we were messing with a pretty big part of the system." "Messing how?" "I was trying to turn off an entire road's autopiloting system. I just wanted to see how vehicles were meant to move without it, and then take the code apart." "Oh, that's big. That's a podding violation, right?" She nods. "ToyAgumon fought a few of them off. But we couldn't run far before they started deploying Digimon in response." "I'm guessing someone from the Dogs of War helped you." "Wind himself did. Him and Gammamon. Still a Rookie back then. Hurting the Commandramon was enough to make them back off, and I managed to put together something on the spot that let us hide." "He took a big risk. He could've been arrested along with you, if you weren't a Code Cracker." That sort of risk-taking behavior doesn't line up with the Wind that you know. It makes you think of what Liza tried to do for Lenny. "Was it already a big organization back then? I was assuming they didn't get the base until you came on board." "Small. It was like, a handful of people. Super early stages. Some of the noncombatants and the jamming team leader were here before me. I was the first other member with a Digimon." She elaborates just a little more on the chain of events that led to them getting the base. From their little shack in a delinquent district, they discovered the sewers, then managed to chart out the facility by sheer luck. That was the point where they started recruiting, and managed to get people like Liza and the dead Otamamon kid on board. Ryan was a newer acquisition. Takuda was an outside contractor who was completely separate from the Dogs of War. And past that point, you're familiar."How many years has it been?" "I kinda lost track. Plenty. I don't really know anymore, I just keep on working on stuff day by day. As long as it helps Wind accomplish his goal, I'll keep inventing." "So, you don't want to take over or lead?" "Me? Leading? Nah, no way! But you know what I'll get, if we succeed?" You shake your head, wondering what mystery prize she's after. "The City's source code. If we can take full control and oust the bots, and disable all their systems, imagine how deeply I can look into it all! I can understand how the Digital World itself works! Or at the very least, this server that the city is on." To a genius like her, that must be a worthwhile venture indeed. ==
"Oh, by the way. You know how I mentioned almost getting caught without my VPN? I was wondering if you knew what kind of trick Hoverespimon used on me." "I scanned you earlier. It wasn't anything that actually clung to you. You said he decreased your timer?" "Yeah." "I don't think he did, actually. If there weren't any bugs or programs, my best guess is that he messed with the time settings in the area." "... Digimon can do that?" "I don't think most can. He was a Champion, right? Some kind of commander? I guess he had tools, and had some jurisdiction over the Hospital grounds while on the mission?" You glance at your Digivice. It's a closer guess than anything you could come up with. Your only solace is that he didn't actually breach any of your files, fortunately. "I'll watch out for that in the future, then. Won't let him get me with such a... a cheap trick." It's offensive to you that after surviving so much, your second closest call was from something as inelegant as broken clock settings.==
Finally, after your long chat, Phascomon and ToyAgumon both return from their trip. "I keep forgetting how hot it is in here..." "Doesn't bother me much! Not until it hits a certain point, though... Then I feel my bricks softening. Anyway, what've you two been up to?" "Just talking." Squid beams. Despite the subject matter, she seems much happier than before. The tools have been completely put aside, and she looks truly relaxed in her comfy chair. "Well, you've got a bit more time to. Cutemon is all settled, Wind isn't back yet. But- He did send a message to the Dogs of War in the comms room.""He's on the way home! Phascomon and I are gonna go on a walk. You don't need us for anything, right?" "Not right now, no." You say. "Squid?" She shakes her head. "Heading off, then! Come along, brick boy, I'll make a man out of you yet!" The two of them trot back off to whatever little errand they're going on."Maybe I should go check on them. Or say hi to Bella, maybe she hasn't gotten the good news yet." "Oh, you're going already?" Squid asks, looking a little disappointed. The time has flown away while you've been talking, but she still seems eager for more. "I wanted to ask you something, actually. But it can wait." >Go watch Phascomon and ToyAgumon. You're kinda curious what the two Digimon will get up to when unattended. >Visit Bella. You want to see how she's dealing with her injuries, and if her condition has gotten any better. You also want to bring the good news to her, since you were the one who inadvertently caused this damage by saving her. >Stay with Squid. She seems like she wants to say something, and you don't know how much time you'll have to discuss it with her. She's in a good mood after your conversation, to the point where she didn't even get distracted by Phascomon entering.
Was imagining those really unnecessarily creepy PSAs for keeping kids in line, while not fully infringing on their freedom to choose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb00H6mCTM8Also, has update length been an issue lately? I've been writing more since there's a lot of scene-setting to cover in the base, but I'm worried about it being too much. Or if there's too much space between voteable actions.
>>6316585>Stay with Squid. She seems like she wants to say something, and you don't know how much time you'll have to discuss it with her. She's in a good mood after your conversation, to the point where she didn't even get distracted by Phascomon entering.Spying on Phascomon is tempting but this might be really important.>>6316586I think the length is good, specially after late updates (there weren't many but it's nice)
>>6316585>Visit Bella. You want to see how she's dealing with her injuries, and if her condition has gotten any better. You also want to bring the good news to her, since you were the one who inadvertently caused this damage by saving her. Squid can come too, if she wants. She won't, but it's polite to offer.
>>6316586I find your prose and dialogue flow nicely enough that long updates feel punchy and not like an expository slog, so I genuinely do not mind or notice if they're a little long. This isn't the case for every quest. Good work!
>>6316585>Stay with Squid. She seems like she wants to say something, and you don't know how much time you'll have to discuss it with her. She's in a good mood after your conversation, to the point where she didn't even get distracted by Phascomon entering.I'm curious>>6316586I think you're doing just fine. Back in Fork and Spoon it was about the same maybe? I don't mind at all
>>6316585>Stay with Squid. She seems like she wants to say something, and you don't know how much time you'll have to discuss it with her. She's in a good mood after your conversation, to the point where she didn't even get distracted by Phascomon entering.Toyagu warp shinka
>>6316655>>6316714>>6316947>>6316712Writing! Gotcha, will keep it at a necessary length then! Today’s may be delayed, working a weekend shift all the way till midnight.
>>6316950Needs more work, but this is more or less how our man Ryan looks. Maybe once he gets his champion, I can finish him.
>>6317080Nice work!
>>6317080Yooo looking good! Exactly what I imagined. Thanks a ton!
>>6317171Uh. Really? I'm glad you like it.>>6317082Thank you very much.
>>6317253I like the facial expression in particular. That sorta natural nervousness that really fits how he's been acting since his first appearance.
>Stay with Squid. She seems like she wants to say something, and you don't know how much time you'll have to discuss it with her. She's in a good mood after your conversation, to the point where she didn't even get distracted by Phascomon entering.“Sure, go ahead.” You say, fidgeting in your chair. “What’s up?” She seems satisfied that you’re staying. “I wanted to know more about what you’re chasing! I’ve just gone on and on about myself, but I don’t know that much about your goal yet. You want to get out of here, right?” You nod. You recall mentioning this to both her and Wind before, but you’ve never gotten to share. She didn’t dig through the book.app either, back when she was decrypting its name. You’ve been staring at it more often lately. Whenever Phascomon is asleep, you’ve spent late nights peering at the pages that are just out of reach, pining for the day where you climb through the portal and leave it all behind. You open it up and present it to her, allowing her to get a good look. “Oh, wow! This is far better than what the simulation comes up with.” “That’s always something I’ve been thinking about, right? They have the resources to make buildings and everything. Why are all the graphics so… Terrible?” “They are? I didn’t know things could look that nice. I mean, there are some higher resolution assets lying around in certain places, but things always just look the way they do.” Even Squid seems unsurprised by the ugly, low-poly masses that attempt to emulate real grass. It finally hits you that to most of the people living in the City, this is normal. There’s nothing to compare it to when they’ve never seen anything better. You’re left all alone to bemoan the soulless expanse of the city, and to plant that longing in others by sharing the sights that you’ve seen are possible. “Hmm…” Squid muses. “I’ve looked into parks and stuff before. They do have a lot of processing power left over sometimes. So I don’t think it’s for any kind of scarcity reason.” “Then what?” “I think they just don’t care to make it all beautiful. What’s the difference anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it. Grass is grass, y’know?”“It’s not just the grass. It’s pretty much everything. And that’s why I want to get out. There’s a whole world out there that we’ve left behind, full of the most beautiful sights I’ve laid my eyes on. It’s more real than this… Playground.” She nods slowly. “I wish I could lend you the holodeck, but it’s in use all the time nowadays… I do have some nice simulations in there you might enjoy!” “It’s okay. I saw how busy the trainees were. I wouldn’t want to hijack it just to smell the flowers.”
You think back to what Doc explained to you and Phascomon, regarding server markers and unifying traits between Digimon. Squid is an enthusiast, but her expertise centers around the City’s mechanisms, not its wildlife.“You know about the Digital World theory, right?” “Yeah! I’ve been talking to Doc Cracker a lot. Is that where you want to go?” “It’s where Phascomon wants to be. His goal is to become some kind of leader. He wants to carve out some kind of spot in there where he’s in charge, and rule it right.” “Sounds like what Wind wants.” You know she doesn’t mean anything by it, but you feel an instinctive spark of anger. “It’s not like that. He’ll be different.”“Different how?” “He knows not to discard people along the way, for one.” Her face falls, and you realize that you’re the one who misspoke this time.“Sorry. Let’s talk about something else.” “Yeah.” The two of you kick your feet idly for a few moments, before she starts talking again. “I guess that’s why the two of you are such strong partners? You’ve both got your own dreams to fulfill.”“Yeah. Exactly.” “But what’re you going to do when you reach the top? Isn’t that where you both have to part ways?” You clutch the hem of your dress, bunching up the fabric. She keeps talking, unaware. “He wants to see the real Digital World, and you want to see the Real World. So you’ll need to say goodbye. Isn’t that sad? I wouldn’t be able to part with ToyAgumon like that. He’s been with me for years!” You don’t want to think about this. You really don’t. Every time the topic has come up, you’ve felt the need to push it aside and deal with it later. You hate being confronted with this reality. “I…” Your mind races to come up with something. Anything to rationalize that problem away. You’ve only been with him for a few months, right? Maybe you could stand to say goodbye. It would hurt, but you’ll live on. Especially when you have your reward ahead of you. You’re sure he’s going to be happy too. You’ve already helped him reach heights of strength he could never even imagine. But even as you mull over these feelings, you feel a sense of shame at the way you're coping. Ultimately, you return to your tried and true method of not thinking about it. Once again, you push the whole train of thought out of your head.
“Hey. Do you know anything about the real world? Any clues you’ve dug up during your research?” “No. Nothing, really. There’s no reason to integrate it into the systems or draw reference to it when coding. It was all so long ago anyway. More than anyone can imagine.” “I just wonder how it’ll work when I show up in it. I know I can get hurt, and that it’ll feel different, but there’s just so much to look forward to.” That’s how you’re going to have to march. Straight forward, with your eyes on the prize, without looking at anything else, or thinking about it too deeply. That’s the only way you’re going to be able to achieve your dream.“That’s beyond anyone’s guess. But I’m sure you’re not the very first person to go through the portal. Maybe in this City. But there have to be other populations out there.” “City 87-O.” You spit. “Yeah. There’s gotta be 86, 85, and whatnot. I wonder if they’re as dull.”By now, the conversation has gone stale. Her sincere effort to connect with you has left the both of you feeling just a bit worse off. It’s a little hypocritical to do this after trying to encourage her to get closer to people, but you need to go. You stand up, and she doesn’t stop you this time. “I’m gonna go check on Phascomon.” You want to see him. Maybe it’ll clear your head. You just can’t stand talking about this issue.“Okay. I’ll get back to it, then. Help me tell ToyAgumon that his runtimes were still out of order!” You nod, finally relinquishing your hold on your outfit. It’s crumpled beyond belief, so you do a quick reset and slip out of the workshop.==You know that the two of them are in the training room. However, before you can make it there to start checking in, a large group of recruits and noncombatant staff surge past you. Plenty of them greet you as they slide by. "What's up?" You ask, suddenly alert. "Wind is almost back," one of them replies. "We're just cleaning up the foyer." "By teleporter?" "Yup." He confirms.You decide to go see him instead of checking on the two Digimon. You want to set up a meeting and hear what he has to say regarding the Cutemon situation.
By the time he arrives, the recruits have managed to clear up a whole bunch of trash and scrap from near the entrance. The pile of junk assets left for Squid has been neatly stacked and reorganized, and any garbage has been removed from the sofas and bagged up. Three recruits have left the base to hike towards the nearest junk stream, so they can fling all their rubbish straight into it. You take a good look at him once the blue glow of the teleporter fades away. He looks different. More tired, with a perpetually furrowed brow and attire that's noticeably scuffed up. Kaus Gammamon isn't with him, and could only be resting within his blue and white Digivice. You slowly raise a hand to wave at him, catching his attention immediately. "Marnie. Welcome back." He sounds tired, but you can catch a note of annoyance in his voice. You have some idea what it's about. "Hey. Have you been filled in on the situation?" "A little, but I'd like to hear it from you." He heads over to the couches and plops down, clearly weary from whatever solo mission he's been on. "Hololize." Kaus Gammamon emerges in a surge of data, assembling his usual form and kneeling next to the comfy seats. You glance over your shoulder, wondering if you have time to fetch Phascomon, but think better of it. You join him by the sofas and settle into an adjacent one. "Good evening, Marnie. We have heard that your own project was a success?" His Digimon prompts. "Yeah. We have the Cutemon. He and his friend are resting in a room somewhere. They want a break before healing Bella up." "That's a relief." He says, sounding fully sincere. A bit of that exhaustion leaves his face upon hearing the good news. "And your leg?" "Healed. He insisted on doing it first. Smaller job, but we confirmed it works." "Good. Fill me in, then let's go set up that meeting with him. I need to talk to you afterwards." "Yeah. Me too." He's angry about the Espimon situation, you're sure. And you don't think that's very fair to you. How were you supposed to know there was one lurking in there? Even if they had deleted all the Digimon, they might not have caught it. But you can't defend yourself until you have a chance to rendezvous with Hi-Commandramon and interrogate him yourself. You won't let Wind get involved in that meeting, that's for sure.But for now, you start explaining the events of your Hospital mission.
The two of them are particularly interested in what Ryan got up to, especially since they had to relinquish his manpower to you for the day. Both he and Kaus Gammamon are pleasantly surprised to hear about his competence. "Huh. Good showing. I'll trust you on that." "If only he had a Champion-stage Digivolution unlocked. It is a shame that all of our acquisitions were lost in one way or another." Kaus Gammamon muses. "Yeah... Gizamon did defeat a ton of those aliens, so maybe he's close." "I hope. Anyway, let's go fetch Cutemon." He stands up. Before he can get going, you have the opportunity to interrupt and ask a few things of your own. >Grill him about his plans for Cutemon. You want to push the point of releasing the little guy afterwards, so you want to hear his intent before you even come face to face with the bunny again. He's just too valuable to pass up, and you feel like they'd want to capitalize on that. >Ask him about his recent string of solo missions. The fact that he took down a Cargodramon is quite insane, you'd like to know more about what he's been doing over the last three weeks. He looks exhausted, so it must have been something big.>Bring up the Espimon incident right now. You don't want to wait till this is all over and you can sit down. He's mad at you over something that you're not willing to take the blame for, and that irritates you enough to call him out right here and now.
>>6317524>Bring up the Espimon incident right now. You don't want to wait till this is all over and you can sit down. He's mad at you over something that you're not willing to take the blame for, and that irritates you enough to call him out right here and now.Nip any possible pride-related grudge in the bud right now. We did nothing wrong and he knows it. Our goals differ but interests align. Marnie has zero intention of messing with Wind's grand ideal of taking over the City. Better him than the stupid bots, right? Marnie's going to leave to the real world and Phascomon is going to be his own sort of leader elsewhere in the Digital World, leaving City 87-O to Wind. Surely he's thought of this on his own at least once beforehand, worried that Marnie might turn on him or step in his way.
>>6317525Any besides, he saw those Espimon didn't he? If not, then at least other Dogs of War members did? They were dead silent pure commando stealth soldier types, had that hardened air about them even though they were still rookies. Completely unlike any of the other usual Espimon in their behavior and actions. It's no surprise one of them managed to hold out the way they did with the surprising competence they've shown. Not fair of Wind to blame Marnie when the City actually sent in an elite team
>>6317524>Bring up the Espimon incident right now. You don't want to wait till this is all over and you can sit down. He's mad at you over something that you're not willing to take the blame for, and that irritates you enough to call him out right here and now.It's not like he's going to tell Marnie about his solo missions or his plans for Cutemon.
>>6317524>Bring up the Espimon incident right now. You don't want to wait till this is all over and you can sit down. He's mad at you over something that you're not willing to take the blame for, and that irritates you enough to call him out right here and now.
>>6317524>Ask him about his recent string of solo missions. The fact that he took down a Cargodramon is quite insane, you'd like to know more about what he's been doing over the last three weeks. He looks exhausted, so it must have been something big.They're still potential allies of convenience in taking down Brigadramon.
>>6317525>>6317546>>6317639>>6317861Writing!
>Bring up the Espimon incident right now. You don't want to wait till this is all over and you can sit down. He's mad at you over something that you're not willing to take the blame for, and that irritates you enough to call him out right here and now."Hang on. Before we go-" He's walking a little fast, so you try to grab his shoulder. However, you find your hand being parried by Kaus Gammamon. He nudges your palm away with a sudden burst of speed, and you quickly tuck your whole hand back towards your chest. It stings a little. "What?" Wind asks, glancing over his shoulder. You glance at his partner nervously. They're both on edge today."I heard that you're unhappy with me. I don't want to go into a meeting before we clear that up." "Gee, what could I possibly be annoyed over?"He turns around with his arms crossed. You stare up at him defiantly, daring to face him even with your partner absent. You don't expect Kaus Gammamon to get involved again unless you reach towards him, so you keep your distance. "Ryan and Squid both told me about the Espimon." "Yeah. The Espimon. It was good fortune that Kaus Gammamon deleted it before it crossed the jamming threshold. But we were this close to losing our whole base." He pinches his fingers together in anger. "So how could I not be mad?" "And how was I supposed to know there was an Espimon lurking down there?" You retort. "Sweeping the hallways isn't one of my responsibilities. You were so eager to expel Liza that you opened the gate before getting the all-clear, am I supposed to be sorry that I didn't volunteer to clean up?" You see a flicker of something other than frustration in his eyes. Your words ring true, but that doesn't mean you'll automatically get a reasonable reaction. "It's not just that. It's the fact that if we wiped out all of those Digimon, they wouldn't have had the chance to plot against us." "Plot against us? Firstly, you're talking about killing thirty living, thinking Digimon who've already surrendered. And next, how do you know it was him?!" "Wh- Are you joking?! Look around you, Marnie, we're still cleaning up after they tried to kill ALL of us! How can you trust a random City slave like that?!" Your raised voices are starting to attract attention now. A few of the new folk are watching. However, Kaus Gammamon does yet another thing that you don't expect. "Get back to work." He curtly commands, sending them all back to their duties in an instant. They scurry out of the room, and those who remain busy themselves with miscellaneous tasks. You don't recall him having this kind of presence before. It's a little intimidating, coming from a Digimon who was always content to stand silently behind Wind.
You push the uneasy feeling aside and try to continue."You didn't see those Espimon in action! They were some kind of... I dunno, super elite stealth squad under Sealsdramon. I've spoken to Hi-Commandramon a couple of times before. I've cut deals with him. He's capable of reason. He had nothing to gain from..." You trail off. No, that's not right. You still trust him, but he DOES have something to gain. It's just not a valid point, and Wind picks up on that."Yeah? Gonna finish that sentence?" "Point is, you're pinning this on me unfairly. I didn't neglect the Espimon, I didn't open the gate, all I did was-" "Fine," he cuts in. "Let's say all that is true. But do you know what you DID do?" He leans towards you, raising a finger uncomfortably close to your face. Your own partner isn't around to stop this like Kaus Gammamon did. "You subverted my authority in front of all of my members, in a time where we were already in crisis and they were lost. I know you're not a member, you don't have to follow my chain of command. But considering everything we're offering you, the most important of which is Squid's continued services— whenever you please, no less, I thought you'd at least accept that I'm in charge within these walls." You take a step back. He tries to follow, but this time, his own partner gently stops him, doing his best to keep him calm. He grits his teeth and continues. "I can't work with somebody who undermines me. We needed your strength to delete those Digimon and protect us. You refused, and insisted on showing off your own way. In front of everyone. It's not about one single Espimon, it's about your behavior leading to this chain of events." You bite your lip as you mull over his words. If you could make that choice all over again, you'd still do the same thing. You can see things from his point of view, you just can't ever bring yourself to agree. And that friction between your beliefs is what he's angry about, in the end. That's unresolvable. The most you can do is try to placate him without having to suck up your own pride. "Okay. I can't take that back, but I'm sorry." "You don't need to be. It won't happen again." You pause, waiting for him to elaborate. "If there's a situation in the future where we need that kind of power... we don't have to rely on you anymore. In fact, we don't have to rely on you for anything. I'm not unwilling to keep working with you. But if you're still interested, this has to be a strictly professional relationship. You don't get a special pass for being outside help anymore. That's over with."
"You still owe me." "And I have something big in mind to offer. Hopefully final too. So that's how it has to be from now on. You stick to the rules when working with us, or don't contact any of my crew at all." He jerks his finger over his shoulder. "That includes all the advice Squid has been giving you, and all the gadgets and .apps she's given out. The book scan, everything. It's all contributed to clearing what I owe you, and if I order her to, she won't be handing it out anymore." You have Doc as a backup, but their lines of work are different. She's still the expert at everything to do with the City, even if his Digimon knowledge is superior. You don't have much of a choice other than promising to be good. Maybe Phascomon would have told him to screw off, and been fine with leaving, but you can't cut out your most efficient human allies so easily. You've grown past that point, after all your experiences. Just enough to recognize that it would hurt you more than them."The Sealsdramon incident- that wasn't a mission. That was an emergency situation. I don't have to follow your lead in those." "Fine." He agrees. "The rest of the time?" "If I agree to go do something with you, then sure. I'll listen. Or not go at all." "One or the other. I just need you to never subvert my orders in front of my team again." You say nothing else. The confrontation is ending, you have no need to make it worse. "It seems that we have reached an understanding. Wind, shall we proceed with our meeting with Cutemon?""Let's do it." ==About thirty minutes later, you're sitting around the meeting table. Squid is projected on the screen behind Wind, and is gawking at the bunny on the other end of the table. You and Phascomon are by the middle, serving as neutral parties, while Pulsemon positions himself by the boss. "You are the leader of this organization?" "Yeah. Welcome to the Dogs of War headquarters. Cutemon, right?""I am. Accompanying me is my lieutenant. Pulsemon." "Yo!" "My name is Wind. With me here is Kaus Gammamon, my partner, and Squid, our code cracker. Though, I think you're familiar.""And we thank you for diverting your soldiers to my rescue. I have been told that you want something from me." Phascomon looks like he's about to speak up.
What have you told him so far?>Nothing. He dislikes Wind much more than you. Your relationship with Wind is only beginning to fall apart, but he's disliked the guy since before you met him. You're afraid that telling him anything will make him act up during the meeting and violate what you've already talked to Wind about. You have to trust that he'll keep quiet and follow your prompting.>Bits and pieces. You want him to know that something is going on, and that you both have to exercise restraint, but you didn't want to stop and share the full details with him. You'll do that as soon as this meeting ends. That way, he might not step on anyone's toes, since he'll be on edge due to having incomplete information. It's not solely to influence him either. You're genuinely just too tired to explain it all, and decided you could do without sharing. >Everything. You stopped and spoke to him privately before collecting Cutemon for the meeting. You're sure he's going to be mad to hear about this, and his temper could flare up. But apart from the risk of him saying something inappropriate in a rage, he'd be acting with full knowledge of what you talked to Wind about.
>>6318116>Everything. You stopped and spoke to him privately before collecting Cutemon for the meeting. You're sure he's going to be mad to hear about this, and his temper could flare up. But apart from the risk of him saying something inappropriate in a rage, he'd be acting with full knowledge of what you talked to Wind about.Phascomon is Marnie's partner and damnit he needs to know the full details. Remember how we called him out on hiding stuff earlier in the quest and got over that together? We need to maintain that same trust. Even so, Phascomon KNOWS we need to maintain Squid as a contact due to her extreme value as a Code Cracker, and if we breach Wind's desire for security and assurance in his orders being followed then we're fucked when it comes to potential allies like Ryan.What do you guys think?
>>6318118>If you could make that choice all over again, you'd still do the same thing. You can see things from his point of view, you just can't ever bring yourself to agree. And that friction between your beliefs is what he's angry about, in the end. That's unresolvable.>The most you can do is try to placate him without having to suck up your own pride.Can we strike that balance without causing Wind to cut Marnie off?>Maybe Phascomon would have told him to screw off, and been fine with leaving, but you can't cut out your most efficient human allies so easily. You've grown past that point, after all your experiences. Just enough to recognize that it would hurt you more than them.And I bet Phascomon can recognize that too. It's part and parcel of being a leader. On the other hand, despite Wind's obsession with orders and professionalism and not undermining authority stemming from pride and whatever he's got going on, it's hard to deny that those aren't important things to consider as a leader of any kind especially if Phascomon truly wants to be one himself in the Digital World. But Phascomon and Wind are two different people with two different styles of leadership desire and they won't uphold certain things as important as the other one does, as we can clearly see here over and over again with Wind as an individual at the head of a resistance group like the Dogs. That's how interpersonal interactions work. Man this quest is good for having this moral dilemma and forcing us to confront how to solve it or at least deal with it until it shatters completely.
I'll change to this>>6318116>Bits and pieces. You want him to know that something is going on, and that you both have to exercise restraint, but you didn't want to stop and share the full details with him. You'll do that as soon as this meeting ends. That way, he might not step on anyone's toes, since he'll be on edge due to having incomplete information. It's not solely to influence him either. You're genuinely just too tired to explain it all, and decided you could do without sharing.
>>6318118>You're genuinely just too tired to explain it all, and decided you could do without sharing.I'm assuming that we're saving energy for the negotiation if Marnie doesn't explain everything. I might be reaching though.Probably telling him everything will prevent bad deals.
>>6318116>Everything. You stopped and spoke to him privately before collecting Cutemon for the meeting. You're sure he's going to be mad to hear about this, and his temper could flare up. But apart from the risk of him saying something inappropriate in a rage, he'd be acting with full knowledge of what you talked to Wind about.Just also make it clear to Phasco that we have an agreement, and that it's important, and that we're trusting him to keep a lid on his temper.
>>6318116>Bits and pieces. You want him to know that something is going on, and that you both have to exercise restraint, but you didn't want to stop and share the full details with him. You'll do that as soon as this meeting ends. That way, he might not step on anyone's toes, since he'll be on edge due to having incomplete information. It's not solely to influence him either. You're genuinely just too tired to explain it all, and decided you could do without sharing.
>>6318116>Everything. You stopped and spoke to him privately before collecting Cutemon for the meeting. You're sure he's going to be mad to hear about this, and his temper could flare up. But apart from the risk of him saying something inappropriate in a rage, he'd be acting with full knowledge of what you talked to Wind about.Phascomon is more important than our relationship with Wind.
>>6318118>>6318196>>6318329>>6318284>>6318131Writing!>>6318119Thank you o7 it's something I've tried hard to do
>Everything. You stopped and spoke to him privately before collecting Cutemon for the meeting. You're sure he's going to be mad to hear about this, and his temper could flare up. But apart from the risk of him saying something inappropriate in a rage, he'd be acting with full knowledge of what you talked to Wind about.You've filled your partner in on everything, and almost ran late as a result. He knows that Wind is unhappy about the way you handled things, and that you've come to an agreement. He looks mighty pissed too, so you're a little nervous about what he's going to say.Fortunately, he whispers to you instead of speaking to Cutemon."He's going to steal our credit! He wasn't the one leading this whole quest!" He hisses. "I know... But let's not get him mad right now. He'll ask for the same thing as us anyway." You say. You chose not to sneak any information to Cutemon, or warn him about potential scheming. Right now, you have to commit to that earlier choice. "We do. You've healed Marnie over there, as thanks for rescuing you. We have one more person that could use your touch. Take it as a show of gratitude to Ryan." Phascomon's eyes light up. "So that's how he wants to play it... Fine. Not bad.""Ryan. That would be the boy and his Gizamon." "Correct." Kaus Gammamon says. "Marnie over there represents her own interests. Your rescue was carried out in collaboration between her and our organization. If you have seen fit to reward her, then I believe it is fair for us to ask the same." "That is reasonable. I will promise this. And that is where our association shall end." "About that— I wanted to ask if you were open to working with us in the long-term. Here it comes, the part you were stressing about. "The long term?" "Would you have any interest in partnering up with a human to-""I refuse."
Wind nods, immediately changing tact. "Then joining our organization as members of your own, rather than being tied to any one human. We're a growing group. Injuries are going to be common. We could use a healer, and you seem to be an excellent one." "Pulsemon, light this for me."His subordinate leans over to ignite another cigarette, and he fills the room with its scent. It's a lot sharper and more pungent than the sticks you've seen people smoke. The usual fruity aroma is absent. Even Wind wrinkles his nose. What kind of weird flavor is this Digimon using? "Back at the Hospital, they know I'm in charge. If they need wounds healed, they come to me. If there's somebody causing trouble, they come to me. And I divert my resources to settle it. What can you offer me here that I can't get there?" "For one, we can protect you. If you had enough security, those Digimon wouldn't have been able to defeat and kidnap you like that. Where were your guards then?" Cutemon bristles upon hearing that. "It was an ambush. They deleted the Champion guards before we could..." Pulsemon mumbles."It will not happen again." The bunny declares."But what if it does? You're missing the strength to keep yourself safe. If you come to us-" "And be under your thumb, scurrying to answer your every whim? I think not. I will not serve."It's a matter of pride, then. Phascomon nods empathetically. This Digimon would rather be the boss and risk another encounter with Digimon far above his level, than serve in someone else's organization. You don't see any way to bypass this. And neither does Wind. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, then turns to Kaus Gammamon and nods. You tense up, expecting some kind of confrontation. Luckily, all he does is speak. "Very well. In that case- What is your price, should we require your services?"That gets Cutemon thinking. Pulsemon leans over to whisper something to him, and he nods. "Teach me your methods. I wish to understand how you are able to Digivolve so readily."He points to Phascomon. Wind's head snaps towards the two of you, and he scowls yet again at the ball being thrown into your court. Phascomon really looks like he wants to gloat, and his claws curl inwards maliciously. He wants so badly to say something smug and put Wind in his place. He meets your eye, and you shake your head slowly. "Ha. Not like they-" He scoffs, ignoring your warning."We have the means to now. And when we do, you'll accept our requests in the future?" Wind interrupts. "Permanent knowledge for permanent access to my much needed service. Yes.""Done."
You look at him in surprise. It's a big thing to promise, and he's offering it so readily. You raise your hand slightly, asking to speak and he nods at you. "The data that Squid has been decrypting. There was useful info in there?" "Yeah. Enough of it. There are Digi-DNA samples to give out. Rookie to Champion is no problem." "Ooh. I'd like to see what these two turn into."Both Wind and Cutemon are too far away to shake hands, so the latter sends Pulsemon across the table to shake with Kaus Gammamon. You stare at your partner in disappointment as the meeting concludes. He was angry enough to speak up where he shouldn't have. He's been having bad moods more often lately, and this is yet another sign of it. == Cutemon returns to his room soon after. Bella's treatment will resume first thing in the morning, when he's fully rested. You have to talk to Wind too, but he and Kaus Gammamon decide to see Cutemon back to his chambers personally. That leaves you and Phascomon alone in the meeting room for a little while. Squid hangs up too, leaving the projector blank, and leaving you to admonish your Digimon friend."... Come on! I told you he was already mad. Why'd you try to make fun of him?" "He had it coming! Why'd you let him corner you like that anyway, without calling for me? You just gonna suck it up? The way he talked to you-""It doesn't matter! We're on thin ice with them, I told you because I thought you'd want to be kept in the loop, and you still tried to bait him. We're lucky he didn't take it any worse." "It could have gone way worse when he was yelling at you. Why do we need him in the first place? We can make do with just us! We're a team, he's not part of this! None of these chumps are." "... I know you have a long history with them. But-" "But nothing. It was already hard enough to put all that behind me and work with them. But if they're threatening you, what's the point? And again, you should have called me!""I already told you everything, it's not like I'm hiding any of it." "No, it's about keeping you safe! He wouldn't dare do any of that if I was ready to claw his pretty face apart." Phascomon scratches at the table idly, leaving deep gouges in the material. "I have enough strength now to make sure nothing gets through to you. But we talked about this long ago. You can't keep running off into danger. You just got fixed up. Now, with the way he's acting? He's the danger."
You pause to think about what he's saying. If you had picked another topic, maybe he wouldn't have gotten this angry. You could have saved the confrontation for when you had Phascomon for backup. But if you went into this meeting without that warning, you BOTH might have said something worse. And you doubt he would actually have done anything dangerous to you. "... Okay. I get it, you're worried he's going to do something. But think about it practically. He can't lay a finger on me in front of all his guys. And he knows that you'll be right there to take revenge. He's a jerk, but not THAT short sighted." "He's acting like a cornered animal. He could do anything." He argues stubbornly. "What do you want us to do, then?" He shifts about uncomfortably, then shrugs. "I don't know. I don't want him to think he can get away with acting like that just because I'm not around. But if you think we NEED to keep up this connection...""We do. If not for him, or his resources, then for Squid. I know you don't like her much either-" "She's too touchy. I don't dislike her though, she helps us a ton. Ugh, fine. I'll keep it together from now.""That's all I'm asking for. We can rant all we want about him in private, okay?" He nods. The two of you sit in silence for a bit, before you materialize some food from your Digivice. You both enjoy a much needed dinner, and you feel the tension evaporating.== Wind finally comes back. Phascomon tries not to glare at him when he enters. Fortunately, he doesn't bring up your partner's attempted outburst. Instead, he goes straight to the projector and clicks on it, pulling up a powerful looking Digimon. "What's that?" "It's my offer. Marnie brought up earlier that we still owe you two a favor. Operation Augur, which led to you unlocking your Ultimate form, was mostly a success. But you were along as a helper, so it's not like you got a free ride. You worked too, and got your reward out of it. The way I see it, all of Squid's random aid has bridged the gap between everything else. I just have one thing to pitch." He reveals several new slides, detailing a plan to infiltrate a building. There's a radar scan with a positive reading for Deckerdramon, the Digimon he told you about quite a while ago. "What's this, then? Another mission to invite us on?" You're a little sick of being given work in the guise of a reward. But luckily, he shakes his head. "No. I don't need you two on board. Instead, I'm offering you the chance to set the date for it."
"... Okay? Why would we want that?" Phascomon asks, not quite getting it. You don't understand either."The two of you are familiar with the meticulous planning of our missions, down to the dates, decided by Squid's algorithms for Digimon deployment and security presence. We are offering to tailor this mission to your convenience.""If we're not going on it-" "This mission will be big enough to attract the bulk of The City's attention." He cuts in. "It's major enough that I'm confident Brigadramon itself will respond." "Ah..." "You want us to climb the tower while you do it." You conclude. It's always been your dream, but the prospect is suddenly harrowing. "Yeah. Even with Astamon, you're not confident you can fight the big boss. Right?" "Right.""So this is it. The best guaranteed chance you can get, to ascend towards the portal while he's absent. I'm offering to distract a Mega-level Digimon at your convenience." Both you and your partner are stunned into silence. You stay like that for uncomfortably long, until even Kaus Gammamon gets impatient."What do you say?""... And we can pick the date?" "We have a list of suggested dates. I'm sure you'll see the sense in them, because they're days where presence is predicted to be lower. And I'd be a bit annoyed if you randomly picked one that would cause us to run into extra trouble. But... Yeah. I'm offering you the final decision. Operation Javelin will be your distraction." "Real excited to get us out of your hair, huh?" "You could say that. So? Marnie?" You take a deep breath. "Okay." "Okay?""Yeah. I accept. Phascomon?" "Fine. Not like we can get much else if you're pinching pennies over what else you can offer us."This is big. If they're specifically going to attract Brigadramon's attention, the biggest problem is solved. You might be able to escape without killing him after all, and your chances of success will skyrocket. It may be a petty, cheap little thing to offer, from certain perspectives, but it's something you could benefit from heavily. The opportunity cost makes it worth it immediately.If you succeed, it's not like you can even argue for any further boons. And if you fail... Likewise.This time, he's sitting close enough to offer you a handshake, finalizing the deal.==
"Ugh, this room sucks! It's messier than the last one!" Phascomon complains."It used to be Liza's." You mumble. The room you'll be sleeping in has been ransacked for goods in her absence. It's like a little tornado has swept through it. Nobody has been assigned to it due to the reputation attached to its owner, but when Kaus Gammamon listed it as a potential private dorm for you, you accepted in a heartbeat."I wonder how she's been." "A lot on her mind. But Seadramon's gotta have kept her safe." "Not like she can follow her to the surface." You try to reset the room on instinct, but are faced with an error message. You recall what Squid told you about reset requests, and how they've been disabled to avert suspicion. You sigh and begin cleaning it up manually. There are few valuables left, but you decide to keep any to return to her when you next meet. "Hey. Any dates in mind? For that mission they want to do." "It'll have to be after Hi-Commandramon's meeting. And if he has something for us, maybe even later than that." "Okay. He did say to give him at least ten days of warning." "No, he said he wanted that. But he made a big point that we had the final say." If there's an emergency, you might have to demand it even sooner than that. "Yeah. I guess we have time to practice, then. I can't believe it's almost here." "Me neither."
You settle onto the bed after changing the sheets, staring up at a brand new unfamiliar ceiling. You want to go home and settle the issue of your still-running proxy program, and claim the faked metadata before you run into any bots. But you have to wait till morning so you can watch over Bella's healing, then see to Cutemon's safe return. Those things are set in stone. But you have a few other options for what you'll want to do next. You have the next day free, before having to meet Hi Commandramon tomorrow night.>Go search for Liza and Seadramon. You want to at least find some sign of her in the sewers. You have zero idea how she's been, and since you were the one who helped her find a fill-in for her partner in the first place, you feel like it's your responsibility to check on them.>Visit Doc. There's a lot you'll want to share with him now: The events in the Hospital, your impending escape, and your upcoming meeting with Hi-Commandramon. He'll have a lot to say, and you could consult him on the Hoverespimon issue. >Stick around the base for the day. You want to take a better look at the new members and properly understand the direction the Dogs of War will be going in. Wind has made it clear he doesn't want you to waltz around like you're part of the team, but he'll tolerate a day of bumming around after Bella's treatment, you're sure. Then you'll need to escort Cutemon back in the afternoon instead, before making your evening rendezvous.
>>6318410>Visit Doc. There's a lot you'll want to share with him now: The events in the Hospital, your impending escape, and your upcoming meeting with Hi-Commandramon. He'll have a lot to say, and you could consult him on the Hoverespimon issue.The end is nearing. Doc is our first contact after all, and he needs to know the news
>>6318410>Go search for Liza and Seadramon. You want to at least find some sign of her in the sewers. You have zero idea how she's been, and since you were the one who helped her find a fill-in for her partner in the first place, you feel like it's your responsibility to check on them.Visiting Doc seems smarter but I'm curious about how she's doing.
>>6318410>Go search for Liza and Seadramon. You want to at least find some sign of her in the sewers. You have zero idea how she's been, and since you were the one who helped her find a fill-in for her partner in the first place, you feel like it's your responsibility to check on them.
>>6318410>Visit Doc. There's a lot you'll want to share with him now: The events in the Hospital, your impending escape, and your upcoming meeting with Hi-Commandramon. He'll have a lot to say, and you could consult him on the Hoverespimon issue.
>>6318410>Visit Doc. There's a lot you'll want to share with him now: The events in the Hospital, your impending escape, and your upcoming meeting with Hi-Commandramon. He'll have a lot to say, and you could consult him on the Hoverespimon issue.Start the world.
Man, I wonder how well will Wind do against Brigadramon. That dude was kneeling against a single overpowered champion weeks ago and now he wants to take down the strongest city Digimon.
>>6318410>Visit Doc. There's a lot you'll want to share with him now: The events in the Hospital, your impending escape, and your upcoming meeting with Hi-Commandramon. He'll have a lot to say, and you could consult him on the Hoverespimon issue.We owe him more. The worlds about to change a lot very soon, and he can use the advance notice.
Won’t be able to update today, exhausted
>>6318790Go rest at your DigiFarm, QM
>>6318790Rest well, OP.
>>6318790See you tomorrow, OP. Thanks for running! Loving the quest so far.
>>6318791>>6318865>>6318897Thank you fellas! Had a nice sleep, getting to writing in a little bit. >>6318426>>6318647>>6318650>>6318707>>6318445>>6318536Going for Doc
>Visit Doc. There's a lot you'll want to share with him now: The events in the Hospital, your impending escape, and your upcoming meeting with Hi-Commandramon. He'll have a lot to say, and you could consult him on the Hoverespimon issue.“Hey. Let’s go visit Doc tomorrow.” ”Yeah, he’ll want an update. We’ve seen him pretty recently, you think he’s got a new workshop lined up yet?”“Probably not, he would’ve told us about a change in location.” ”Hope it’s soon, I can’t stand seeing the geezer cramped in there. Like he’s…”“Out of his element, yeah. At least he has his Digimon.” ”Mhm. Let’s head to sleep, I don’t wanna be woozy when we have to escort those two all the way back to the Hospital.” You settle into bed and start to drift off. Phascomon, meanwhile, returns to the forest in his Digivice and clambers onto a tree. It takes a while to fall asleep in this new environment, but you eventually manage to get some rest. ==The usual morning alarm blares through the room, startling the both of you awake. You’d almost forgotten about it. A quick reset freshens you up for the day, and you put on the right attire for urban traversal. You’ve already charted out a route, and you’ll be leaping across a lot of rooftops later on. You’re concerned about your metadata spoofer running for too long at home, the fact that it’s been watching television for this long is going to be strange if you’re questioned. Maybe it won’t raise any immediate red flags, but they might tag it as suspicious activity if it's reviewed. And a review is going to bring up the very first piece of blank data you snuck past them. But there’s no point worrying about that now. You didn’t expect to spend so long here, but Cutemon’s insistence on resting for the day has slowed you down. You exit Liza’s dorm and head down the long hallway, finding Cutemon’s door all the way at the end. Before you can hit the buzzer and try to summon him, both he and Pulsemon emerge from the partition. ”Good morning!” The latter chirps. His boss gives you a deep nod. ”Morning. That’s the alarm I warned you about. Did it get you?” Your partner teases, directing the question to the yellow Rookie. ”Ah… yeah, it did. Actually, I was awake before it even rang! I was tightening my shoes and getting ready for a jog when it happened.” ”Wind has a short leash on his men. At least, that is what it seems like to me. Is this correct?” Cutemon asks you. “Yeah. Tighter as of late. Let’s get you out of here as soon as we can. But first… They should be waiting for you in Bella’s room.”
A few minutes later, you're standing against a wall, watching as Cutemon clambers up onto Bella's bed. Pulsemon scurries over to boost his little red boots up, allowing him to stand over his patient. "And- we don't need any tools? Nothing?" She asks. Bella looks as bad as you remember. Her skin is still fuzzy and warped, and the colors are splitting at odd points, creating flickering shadows of red and green above where the surface should be. Even the clothes that she wears turn out corrupted, with random triangular vertexes forming when she moves. Gazimon is standing next to her head, upright and alert. "No," you reassure. "Cutemon here just needs time. I told you, didn't I? I'd find someone to fix you." "If- if this doesn't work-" "It will." Wind declares, his tone soft but firm. "Marnie, show him your leg please." You roll up your pants leg to reveal the restored geometry. That's enough to strengthen her confidence. "Okay... I'm ready." "This will take a while. It is a larger project than your friend. I will require silence."All of you try your best to keep quiet while Cutemon works. Everybody fidgets a little bit, except for Kaus Gammamon. He's standing perfectly still. "Yokunaol!" A burst of pink light emerges from Cutemon's hands. It begins spreading over Bella's head, and she scrunches her eyes tight. She squirms just a little, but Pulsemon immediately pounces on her wrist, holding it down. She gets the message and keeps still. "How did you say she obtained this injury again?" He asks. Bella tries to answer, but he places a hand over her lips. Lips! You can see her features already. The process is working fast, her head and hair are immediately visible. "Not you. Don't strain yourself. Somebody else." "We were in the network," you explain, "and she... Got caught in an attack. Her data got damaged directly. Full-body.""Strange. Humans do not have a Digicore. I did not think your kind were capable of taking damage of that level across your bodies.""It was because we had to be converted into data to navigate the tunnels. But after that... I had to send her through a cable to rescue her, because she was about to break apart. And that, combined with the damage, shredded her outsides.""A dangerous tool. Fortunately, this is not above my capabilities. It will be done."
Gazimon nods gratefully. "You hear that, Bella? No need to mope anymore... It's almost over. I told you someone would be able to do something about it!"You see tears welling up in her eyes, and her fists clenching. You add on to the encouragement."It's already working, we can see your face. Right, guys?" Wind and your partner Digimon all nod. Squid bobs her head feverishly on the screen that Kaus Gammamon is holding up. He moves downwards, using the muffler to sweep artifacts away and smooth out the skin. It's a long process, and he takes it part by part. Next is the chest, then both arms, then lastly the legs. By the time he finishes, it's late in the morning. Cutemon collapses backwards, sighing in exhaustion. He wipes some sweat away and holds out his hands. Pulsemon puts a cigarette in one and a drink in the other. He takes a deep chug and a deeper whiff, then waves his hand about, getting ash all over Bella's bed. "Take a look at yourself."Gazimon scurries over to a mirror and flips it around. The lower half of the glass is shattered, but there's enough of it left to depict a proper reflection. Bella raises her hands to her face, quivering with emotion as she beholds her repaired form. Her disfigurement has been completely reversed. You walk over to her and gently put an arm around her shoulder. Gazimon does the same to her leg, making sure that she's not alone while she lets out her sobs. "Th-thank you... Thanks... All of you..."You nod. "We promised." ==Your departure is with little fanfare. After Bella makes her gratitude known, you all head to the teleporter booth and make your way to the surface. Wind is unhappy to see Cutemon leaving so easily, but it's for the best. At the very least, you've been entrusted with the newly repaired beacon. You and your three Digimon friends arrive in a back alley, with numerous electronic wire boxes lining it. They each lead into the internal partitions of the surrounding stores and buildings. You're at the Southernmost tip of a lesser shopping district, with quite a distance to travel before you can reach home. Fortunately, the Hospital isn't too far. You need to go in a rough triangle, making your way there, then to Doc's, then back to your own place. "What a morning." You mumble.
"It was an exhausting one." Cutemon agrees. "She was real sad about it, so I'm happy she's all better. Good thing your own injury was minor, right?" Pulsemon quips.You nod. If you had been hurt as badly as Bella, there would have been no way out of it. Doc wouldn't have been able to help you, and you feel like your adventure with Phascomon would have ended right there. Your partnership wouldn't have been strong enough to survive that. You might not even have made it to the point where you could meet the Dogs of War. With all that in mind, you resolve to be more careful. Injuries are hard to heal when you're on this side of the law, and Cutemon isn't always going to be your solution. He made it clear that deeper corruption is beyond his ability, and that you were both lucky to have received topical damage that only harmed your raw data through backlash. "It's gonna be even more tiring. We're going over the rooftops. I can't keep everybody in my Digivice, so... Cutemon, what about you? I think it's best if you and Phascomon rest inside, then I jump with Pulsemon." "Yeah! Sit down, boss. I'll take the long way.""Very well. Thank you, Marnie, Pulsemon. And as for you-" He points to Phascomon. "I will enjoy another opportunity to chat.""What are you two talking about?" You ask curiously. "Out of all the gang leaders we've met, he's obviously the best one! So I'm just talking shop with him a lot. Let's go! Off to my place! Hololize!He breaks down into data and enters your Digivice. You use it to capture Cutemon in the same way. Normally, it takes either a willing entrant, or for a Digimon to be weakened in some way before you can absorb their data like that. He stands there and accepts it, leaving you to spend the morning doing parkour with Pulsemon. Squid was helpful enough to give you some more tools to tide you over before you refill them at Docs. You have quite a few new Digimon scans for him, including Hoverespimon, so you can pay off your purchases properly. As you climb up onto a building and begin loading up f1oat, you think about how much the two Code Crackers have given you. Wind was right, Squid has been quite generous on account of friendship.
"I should do routes like this more often." Pulsemon says. "I'd be careful, there are going to be a lot more people looking to bring Digimon to the Dogs of War. Like what happened the other day." "Hmm... Maybe just around the Hospital then. Hup!" Pulsemon jumps across a gap, somersaulting rapidly and turning into a green ball of fuzz. You leap after him and slowly fall through the air. You're going to be traveling for a while. While your partner has fun with his boss, you decide to chat with the little green guy for a bit.>Ask him what it's like to work with Cutemon around the Hospital. It sounds like they get up to a lot. More than you knew when you first allied with him. Find out what this gang does most of the time.>Ask him about his combat experience. He seems to have a skillset based around high-speed blows and electricity, but he was too injured to help out for most of your quest. Cutemon fixed him up at some point, and he's a lot more chupper now.>Ask him about their plans for the future. Everyone around you has some overarching goal, and you have some idea of what Cutemon's is: Re-establishing his powerbase. You do want to know more about Pulsemon himself, though.
>>6319121>Ask him about their plans for the future. Everyone around you has some overarching goal, and you have some idea of what Cutemon's is: Re-establishing his powerbase. You do want to know more about Pulsemon himself, though.The end is nearing and the future is on a lot of peoples' minds...
>>6319121>Ask him what it's like to work with Cutemon around the Hospital. It sounds like they get up to a lot. More than you knew when you first allied with him. Find out what this gang does most of the time.
>>6319121>Ask him about their plans for the future. Everyone around you has some overarching goal, and you have some idea of what Cutemon's is: Re-establishing his powerbase. You do want to know more about Pulsemon himself, though.Not everyone can be a mob boss or petty dictator, or obsess over code. He seems like the kind of guy we could relate to.Also, might I just say how amusing it is that Cutemon is a mob boss? I hear the voice of Mister Big from Zootopia when I read his lines: a squeaky little Marlon Brando.
>>6319121>Ask him about their plans for the future. Everyone around you has some overarching goal, and you have some idea of what Cutemon's is: Re-establishing his powerbase. You do want to know more about Pulsemon himself, though.
>>6319129>>6319272>>6319209Writing! >>6319272Yeah I thought it’d be pretty funny to make him act like that despite being a healer. Zootopia mole voice in the dub, Yakuza in the sub.
>Ask him about their plans for the future. Everyone around you has some overarching goal, and you have some idea of what Cutemon's is: Re-establishing his powerbase. You do want to know more about Pulsemon, though."What are you gonna be doing once we get back?" You ask while clambering up a pipe. Pulsemon zips to the top in a heartbeat, then holds out a hand to help you up. You grab it gratefully, even though his pulling strength isn't that great. "Well, we're gonna let folks know we're back! And start recruiting again! We did lose our strongest guards... I guess I'm up for a promotion.""Did you know that turtle Digimon before you got captured?""No, just seen him around. But we worked well together! Good idea, I'm gonna recruit that guy!""What about you personally?" This time, it's your turn to offer a hand and pull him up a ledge. You both plant your feet on the roof, then quickly run behind the stairwell partition entrance, hiding from a Pteramon that's suddenly passing overhead. "Me? Hmm... I guess I want to get stronger! Boss told me that he wanted to get some more Digivolved folk helping us out. If I can, I want to hit my next stage! I wonder what I'll turn into. Something fast, I hope!""I've known a few wild Digimon who wanted the same thing. It takes a long while. A sorta-friend of mine made it recently, from a Gomamon to a Seadramon." "Wow! No idea what Digimon those are, but it sounds super cool!"He jogs on the spot, eager to book it as soon as the patrol passes. You give him the all clear, and he leaps across several buildings in quick succession. You follow after him, and you don't get to reply until you've fully caught up. "Yeah. With the Dogs of War giving you data, hopefully you can reach your next form. But is that it? You just want to get stronger while staying with Cutemon?"Pulsemon looks up at you, puzzled."Why would I want anything else? I care about the boss. He can't Digivolve or he'll lose those vital healing abilities. Being by him and being a good friend is enough! Plus, I can keep getting stronger like that. I just want a simple, happy life."
You wish you could see the world in the same way he does. As a Digimon, he has a different set of worries from you. You can't live the way that he does, as a human. You're bound to the rules of the city, and your deviation is already unsustainable. You consider the prospect of carrying this on forever, just hanging out with Phascomon, having countless adventures, and digging into this place's secrets together. You think you could be happy. But it would be short-lived. There's no reality where you don't get caught eventually, and then it's all over. You'll be torn away from each other, and you'll vanish into the Tower. No, his way of life isn't for you. You do envy how peacefully he'll get to live, as long as no more Digimon show up to fight for his territory, but you have your own aspirations to look forward to. They're what drives you onwards into the future."You okay? You look really, uh... What's the word? like you're thinking hard.""Huh? No, I'm fine. Let's just keep going. We have a lot more ground to cover.""I can't wait to get home.""Yeah."Neither can you.=="Well, here we are!"You've decided to drop Pulsemon and Cutemon off in the hedge maze that the former once took shelter in. Cutemon looks around at all the litter distastefully. "You've made a mess. Is this where you run off to when I can't find you?""Yeah... I need some alone time too, y'know, boss?""Very well. Clean up, then we'll head back into the Hospital. There will be many who will be glad to see us return.""And there's recruiting to do!"You wave as the two of them wander back towards the building. Cutemon gives you a sincere nod of gratitude, and Pulsemon waves back with electric enthusiasm, until they climb through a window and are gone. You had a few close calls with patrols on your way here, but luckily, nothing bad happened. You watch for several more seconds after they disappear. "They're gone. It's finally done." "Felt like a real long time. I hope we don't have to come here again. High risk.""Let's move out before we get spotted by anyone. There's still Doc's place to visit." You and Phascomon leave the Hospital behind. Your partner seems to have faith in Cutemon as a boss, so with him restored to the seat of power, it should hopefully turn back into a friendly place for Digimon.==
Next up on your list of errands is to stop by Doc's place. You want to fill him in on the mission and thank him for giving you his new .apps. You've prepared some info on them and separated out their usage logs, to pay him back for the test run. When you reach the district, however, you see plenty of bots moving around. A couple of punks are being interrogated by them, and they begrudgingly pause to converse."Damn!""What are they doing...? They don't usually come here." "It must have been that battle from the other day. Three Digimon signals, plus however many more these chumps have been generating while running around."This district, once meant for delinquents to faff about without falling foul of the law, is experiencing an unprecedented crackdown.Messing with Digimon crosses too many lines for them to let go. Even though you weren't the one who started it, you certainly contributed by sending Phascomon in."Stay put in there." You say, glancing at your Digivice. You see several bots stationed across the rooftops, so you're forced to walk on the ground level. You consider just doing this another day, but decide to observe. In the meantime, you send Doc a message. The last time there was a security incident around his workshop, he got kidnapped by DarkTyrannomon, and you worry this might be a repeat. Fortunately, he gets back to you fast. He confirms that the fight was what attracted them, and that they're searching the inventories of folks on the ground. You observe their patrol routes as you text him, slowly charting out a path to his home. >Try the rooftops while in disguise. You have to dodge a lot more bots, and if you get caught, you'll need to run fast. There's no risk of an unmasked interaction with them, but if they discover a runner, they're going to crack down harder on these people.>Walk on the street and try to avoid bots. Doc said they were searching people, not scanning metadata. You have a smuggling partition, so you should be completely fine. But if he's wrong, or they ask for it on a whim, you're in huge trouble. >Ask Doc to help you in some way. Maybe with a distraction or diversion using his handful of Digimon partners. If he says yes, it might be a risk to him since he's the one living here, but you can probably get off with the lowest level of risk.
>>6319530>Walk on the street and try to avoid bots. Doc said they were searching people, not scanning metadata. You have a smuggling partition, so you should be completely fine. But if he's wrong, or they ask for it on a whim, you're in huge trouble.No way they'd check or know that Marnie is noted to be at home and her being here right now is a huge discrepancy. The bots do not know, and I will continue believing that they do not know. Hoverespimon could not have sold Marnie out either because he didn't see her unmasked. I think this is ultimately the safest and least overreacting option. The other two both put needless risk and pressure on Doc when he just moved here recently after DarkTyrannomon fucked up his hideout, or put risk on us when we aren't ready to hit the Tower yet. None of the punks saw Marnie's real appearance unmasked, though Marnie could do with an outfit change briefly to avoid the punks from that day matching her by her clothing choice... as well as lessening the chance of that punk with the Goburimon outing her to the bots on a shitty whim if he's also hanging around here and he sees her. Remember that faggot saw her unmasked back at the Dogs' base so he knows, and I wouldn't put it past a bastard like that to probably be holding some form of dumb grudge.
>>6319530>Try the rooftops while in disguise. You have to dodge a lot more bots, and if you get caught, you'll need to run fast. There's no risk of an unmasked interaction with them, but if they discover a runner, they're going to crack down harder on these people.Sad as it is to say, these people aren't pur problem. Nor are we the one causing their problem: it's the city and the bots. Maybe this will wake the electric sheeple up to the reality of their oppression.
>>6319530>Walk on the street and try to avoid bots. Doc said they were searching people, not scanning metadata. You have a smuggling partition, so you should be completely fine. But if he's wrong, or they ask for it on a whim, you're in huge trouble.If we have to bitch out, at least we won't look like that cool stranger with the phascomon, just a hysterical delinquent.I hope there's no lingering trauma from podding or something like that though.
>>6319530>Walk on the street and try to avoid bots. Doc said they were searching people, not scanning metadata. You have a smuggling partition, so you should be completely fine. But if he's wrong, or they ask for it on a whim, you're in huge trouble.
>>6319558>>6319657>>6319677>>6319769>>6319625Writing!
