Old Ones Return (II)

*They head down the right of the path, Lunamon marking their path with the sickles*

Azuma: "For a...pixie? Forest sprite? Something I wouldn't expect to be so hostile, you certainly are hostile."

With that he sets off down a path as there are apparently multiple paths, marking trees with his knife. Hitomi and Salamon follow.

Taiyo follows Euryale although she keeps her distance rather than follow on her heels as she had done previously.

*Azuma & Hitomi eventually come upon a grove of banana trees.*
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*Agumon blasts a tree that roars with pain & rage & turns to face them. Turns out it's a Togamon.*

<Whoops, my bad. Sorry.>

*Togamon punches him so that he goes flying into a tree nonetheless. Euryale swipes Warg Greymon's Brave Shield. The Togemon then turns & blasts needles at Euryale & Taiyo, so Agumon throws the shield to Euryale, & she gets in front of Taiyo with it.*
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*The others arrive at a leafy patch where a couple of trees have fallen down, creating a clearing. Also in the clearing is a giant red gourd. Lunamon bumps into a smaller red gourd hidden in the leaves. It has several vines coming off of it.*

Kylie:<Is it safe?>

*Lunamon tugs lightly on the gourd, then leaps back*

Salamon sniffs along the ground, for anything that could be edibile or something that seems out of place. Like a trap or something.

Azuma: "I expected this place to be a little more exotic. Like spotted apple or something. Anyways, how 'bout I climb up and rustle some free and drop them down to you?"

Hitomi: "Okay."

With that, Azuma sets to climbing up the tree. Patamon flying up after him.

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Taiyo hides behind Euryale while Renamon runs around them, putting herself so she's not directly in front of Togemon and attacks with Diamond Storm.

*Togemon now has a bunch of diamond shards sticking out of it. It is justifiably angry. It pummels Renamon with a series of punches. As it does so, Agumon runs around to blast ice, freezing its left foot.*
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*Salamon smells a wolf. A second later, she sees it as a Fangmon bursts from the bushes & opens its obscenely large jaws to clamp down on her.*
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*The gourd falls over.*

Patamon flies down, and rams Fangmon. Hitomi swipes the Cocytus Breath card which Salamon exhales in Fangmon's face.

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Taiyo swipes the Digivolution card and Kyubimon attacks with Dragon Wheel.

*Fangmon stands up weakly, but the tables turn when it reaches out & rips the Garuru Cannon right off of Salamon, attaching it to its own back. It then fires a pulse of black energy from its mouth & a Cocytus Breath right at her.*
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*Its foot breaks off. On the other hand, the vines that Kyubimon charges through smoke ominously.*

"Careful!"

<Why are the places we fight always too cramped for me to Digivolve?>

Hitomi swipes a Hi-Speed Plug-In S. Salamon attempts to dodge.

Patamon Digivolves and Angemon strikes Fangmon in the back with his staff.

Azuma: "Angemon, put it down."

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Kyubimon roars at Togemon and tackles it, resolving to finish it with her teeth and claws.

*Kyubimon is getting stabbed full of needles.*

<I can't attack with Kyubimon in the way!>
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*Salamon is grievously injured by the explosion that she just barely dodged. Almost half of her is gridlines. The wolf struggles, twists around, & blasts at Angemon.*

Angemon attacks up close with Heaven's Knuckle while Salamon falls back to where Hiyomi stands a ways back.

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Taiyo: "Kyubimon, move!"

Kyubimon scratches Togemon and backs off.

*Agumon tries to freeze Togemon, but it easily breaks free.*

"Digivolve, you'll have a wider spray on your ice breath!"

<But if I do that, I might drop the trees on top of you!>

*While they're arguing, Togemon spins, blasting needles everywhere.*
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*As the Fangmon dissolves, the Garuru Cannon falls & dents the ground.*

Salamon absorbs the Fangmon's data then Hitomi begins healing Salamon. Azuma begins climbing down the tree.

Salamon: "Start gathering!"

Azuma: "Angemon, keep watch."

Azuma begins rustling bunches off the tree, passing them down to Angemon.

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Taiyo: "Let me use it!"

*Lunamon grabs the gourd and they continue on their way*

*Euryale hands Taiyo the card. Agumon is hit with enough needles to force him to revert to Koromon, & Kyubimon is sporting several gashes.*
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*Between the data & the healing, Salamon is mostly restored, but with a light limp in a matter of minutes. They soon reach the limit of what Angemon can carry, without exhausting even half of the banana trees.*
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*As she's waddling around, trying to carry a gourd almost as large as she is, she runs into another such gourd, & falls over.*

*Cameron picks up the new gourd, and Lunamon digivolves to Lekismon before they continue on*

Azuma: "Looks like we're done here."

Azuma climbs down.

Azuma: "Fairing well, Puppykins?"

Salamon responds with a growl and Hitomi picks her up. They set off down back the way they came, Azuma taking some of the bananas from Angemon.

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Taiyo swipes the card and Kyubimon exhales a gust of frozen wind.

*Togemon is frozen in short order.*
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*As they approach the giant gourd, they notice several smaller gourds around it.*
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*Lillymon looks at what the bananas when they step back onto the path.*

<It's a start.>

Azuma: "Looks like we're the first to return."

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Kyubimon finishes it off, by ramming it.

*Kylie and Cameron pick up all the small gourds, while Lekismon takes the giant one*

*It snorts, & howls. She wakes up a very cranky Red Vegimon, who turns around, swinging its cudgel fists into her face & back.*
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*Togemon shatters into chunks of ice, which leak data as they melt.*
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Lilymon<Just hope you aren't the last.>

*Lekismon jumps back*

<Very sorry, sir. We thought you were a gourd.>

Azuma: "Yes, perhaps we should go support the others. Which ways did they go?"

Azuma and Angemon put down what they collected, Angemon reverting back to Patamon.

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Kyubimon reverts back to Renamon and Taiyo returns Euryale's card.

Taiyo: "Thanks. Also thanks for protecting me."

*Euryale takes it.*

"Of course. And thank you for defeating the Togemon. Hey, look!"

*She points to the hole in the trees that Togemon left behind when it was spinning around, knocking shit over, & generally making a mess. There are pineapple trees up ahead, fed by a small stream.*
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*It spits some sickly green goop at Lekismon's face.*
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<I don't think that will be necessary.>

*A man in black kevlar armor, & a black cloak over it to protect from the elements walks up the path. His hair is silver, down to his shoulders, & his irises red.*

Senthose<Did you really think that those traps would protect you from us? It just made time for me to convert some of the local Digimon.>

*Behind him, a pair of Woodmon emerge from the trees. They look mindless, & have red blobs sticking out of them in odd places.*

Azuma: "I take it he's related to the ones who attacked the village."

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Taiyo heads over to a pineapple tree. Renamon hangs back to ensure the rear is safe.