Old Ones Return (VI)

*Ancient Mermaimon nods & the Mermaimon allows the data orb out. It hangs in the air for a minute before shooting like a comet into Renamon's stomach. It seems like it should probably hurt, but it just phases into her, at which point Taiyo's D-Power starts beeping & flashing.*
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<Some of the children are on a boat with a group of Digimon! Taiyo is with them, & we are attempting to make contact!>

Rakshashis<What about Euryale?>

Psyches<And Thiera?>

Aquas<Tsuney?>

<I'm afraid we don't know that yet--keeping track of 3 groups at once is difficult!>

*Ice Leomon stands up & starts walking forward.*

IL<You should come down here!>
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*As they fly out, Ancient Greymon & Ancient Garurumon are flying up towards them.*

<"Hey! Back down or I'm blowin' all of you to pieces!>

AGrey<Unacceptable.>

AGaru<Are you not aware that the lords of the Dark Area have already attacked your friends multiple times? And now they're within Mervamon's clutches.>

AGrey<Not even Jupitermon knows what Mervamon is doing to them.>
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Impmon<We wanna unify as much of the army as possible, so we should prob'ly find out.>

T"But is it really safe enough to go there ourselves?"

Impmon<Do you have another suggestion?>

T"As a matter of fact, I do: What if we make Mervamon prove her loyalty to us by giving us access to her spies?"

Renamon isn't keen on things passing through her and grabs at her midsection. Taiyo pushes buttons.

*They head down there*
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*Cameron continues to freak out and point at Betsumon*
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Dianamon:<That doesn't mean that she's doing anything bad to them!>
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Lyra:<Might be worth a shot.>

*Betsumon continues to stare at Cameron. He licks his lips. Meanwhile, Taiyo's D-Power projects the image of some Hypnos agents in a dark room.*

Male Agent<We have video!>

Female Agent<Test for audio, I'll see if we can project the signal to a portable device!>

Ts"How do we know if they're on our side or Kurata's?"

Male Agent<One-way audio confirmed, but we still aren't sure if they can hear us!>

Female Agent<Ask them if they wish to speak to their families, see if they respond!>

*The male agent begins repeating that back.*
==============================
Impmon<Alright, guess we got a plan, then.>

D<I have the light, so I'll lead the way out.>

*Assuming that everyone follows Wizardmon, they eventually meet Devimon at an intersection.*

Devimon<What have you decided?>

T"We have an offer for Mervamon. Can you take us to her?"

Devimon<Of course. She should still be waiting in the audience chamber.>

*If no one has any input, don't just put "following," assume that they jump ahead to encountering Mervamon.*
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*The Hypnos Agents eventually throw a rope ladder down, & one starts climbing into the Whamon's mouth. At the bottom, he pulls out some kind of portable digital device. Anyone who looks at the screen will see that it's blue with white text reading "Searching for signal...."*

Agent<If we can make contact with the children, we'll try to submit the signal through this device.>
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AGrey<How naive. Inside her castle, they're completely at her mercy. Why would she allow them to live?>

AGaru<Keep in mind that she learned at the feet of Lilithmon. Frankly, if they're still alive, they might be wishing they weren't.>

<"I'm through listening to your fear-mongering! After we're done here, we'll find the rest of our friends & see for ourselves if they're okay! We can rescue them ourselves, we don't need YOU!">

AGrey<What do you mean by "after you're done here"?>

<"I MEAN that if Jupitermon doesn't back down, we'll take his ass out!">

AGaru<I see. Destroy the traitors!>

*He points a sword at WarGreymon, firing an ice ray at her, which freezes the Blimpmon solid when she strafes to the side. As it begins falling, Lopmon jumps away from whoever is carrying her & lands on it, Digivolving to Antylamon. Ancient Greymon opens its mouth, generating a ball of fire, & the Thunderbirdmon flap their wings, firing lightning at the Tamers (& Antylamon) closest to them.*

*Cameron freaks out but is pulled back into the swing if things by Biyomon*

Cameron:<We do want to talk to them!>
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Lyra:<So, we were thinking that if you're really on your side you're let have access to your spy network.>
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*Dianamon flys towards AG, firing ice arrows at him*

Azuma: "The hell kind of question is that? Of course we do."

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Because those people are awful, it's probably time for Hitomi and Salamon to jump ship. Salamon Digivolves to Angewomon and fires arrows at the windows to break them as they're apparently frozen.

OOC: Why was she still in there? Is she stupid?

*Ancient Garurumon looks confused by this, blocking with his crossed swords until Dianamon gets close, at which point he swings one at her. WarGreymon charges a Terra Force to throw at Ancient Greymon, but the orb in its mouth blasts out as an immense ray of fire that swallows WarGreymon's attack & WarGreymon itself. The sky burns as the blimp crashes to the ground.*

<Bunny Blades!>

*Antylamon spins about, slashing at a platoon of Raidramon, who leap to the side & fire lightning at it.*
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Male Agent<Okay, they can hear us!>

Female Agent<I'm still trying to patch the signal through--there we go!>

*The screen abruptly splits, the other half showing the inside of Whamon's mouth & Ice Leomon's giant face looming before them, teeth spread wide.*
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*Ice Leomon leans over to peer at the device. He yawns, not noticing that the screen has flicked on to show the scene on board the pirate ship.*
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*Mervamon steeples her hands.*

Merv<Intriguing proposal. You're asking for a lot. What do you plan to use them for?>

T"We want to know what is motivating MaloMyotismon & Bagramon. But we'll of course be looking through all of your files."

Merv<Have I told you that you're much too paranoid, little girl?>

D<Look, are you gonna do it or not?>

Merv<I may as well. Because of his ruby eye, it is impossible to keep secrets from Bagramon anyway. If not for that, it would be like fighting a child.>

*She claps twice & a Hi-Vision Monitamon appears before them in a puff of smoke.*

Merv<Hi-Vision Monitamon directs the scouts remotely, based on the orders that he is given. Do try not to get them all deleted, please.>

OOC: Because smart people go and get into conflicts they can't win. Euryale really did get brain damage.

Azuma: "Hey Kimba, can you back off a step or two?"

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Angewomon flies about, carrying Hitomi as this would not be a good death.

*Cameron and Biyomon wave*
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Lyra:<We'll try not to.>
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*Dianamon blocks with her scythe then slashes at him*

*Ice Leomon backs off, & at this point, they can see that everyone is mostly unharmed, except that Taiyo has some pretty bad sunburn & for some reason has had her normal clothes swapped out for a blue toga, sans collar. Her whipping marks cannot be seen under the toga. Also, the Aquas dash forward & grab the device, prompting Tsune to cross her arms, turn away, & blush. From their end, Ice Leomon's face is quickly replaced by that of 2 aryans.*

Mrs. Aqua<Tsune, sweetie, are you alright?!>

"I'm FINE, Mom, you're embarrassing me!"

Mr. Aqua<Well, EXCUSE us for being WORRIED about you!>
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*He blocks with his other sword & kicks her in the stomach. War Greymon Burst Mode emerges from the blaze. She spins, sending a wave of fire that knocks the Thunderbirdmon out of the sky. Ancient Greymon flaps its wings again, sending a torrent of fire at her. Down below, Antylamon is forced to Digivolve so that she can channel the Raidramon's lightning into her own blast, knocking them unconscious. A Kongoumon then approaches, hurling its Vajra at her, at which point she cartwheels to get away from. The Kongoumon keeps charging her ass, a group of Shurimon sprouting out of the ground around them to form a perimeter.*
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D<Wait, if Bagramon can see everything, then how has he not found them yet?>

Mervamon<They can disguise themselves as trees or water.

T"We could have them sneak into the castle as a torrent of leaves, then? Would that work?"

Mervamon<Possible. They could easily create a small storm. But what will they do once they're inside of Bagramon's castle? And what if he already knows that they're coming?>

*The Sorensons and Kornels crowd in*

Mr Sorenson:<Cameron, is that you?>
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*Cameron awkwardly waves*

<Hey dad...mom.>
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*Dianamon flies back, and is surrounded by a sparkling white aura, which reveals Dianamon burst mode. She fires a blast of ice at AG, then flies around him to slash across his back with her scythe*
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Lyra:<So, basically, he could be watching us plan right now? How the hell can we fight someone like that?>

Azuma: "Can no one take turns?"

*Ancient Greymon blocks with his own ice wave & turns to block the other, but he's clearly slower, & was able to block both attacks primarily because Dianamon had much farther to move. WarGreymon drops lower in the sky & Great Tornadoes at Ancient Greymon. When he starts to charge up his attack, he is surprised to see WarGreymon slip out of the tornado while it keeps charging towards Ancient Greymon & swipe her claws, sending waves of fire bigger than WarGreymon herself at each of Ancient Greymon's wings. Cherubimon is then tackled, at which point a group of Rhinomon charge in. The Shurimon leap, throwing their large shuriken at Angewomon.*
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Ryota<Apparently not. Look, we all want news about our kids, but we need to be organized about this.>

Mr. Psyche<I suggest that the families whose children aren't present should speak with the children last.>

Ryota<Agreed.>
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Mervamon<It has been challenging. That is why I wish to destroy him as quickly as possible.>

T"Can he hear us?"

Mervamon<I do not know the specifics of how his powers work.>

*Wizardmon cracks her knuckles, causing a haze to extend from her hands, which ends with a dome of binary surrounding them.*

D<You're welcome.>

T"What is this supposed to do?"

D<It scrambles the data of the entire scene. Even if Bagramon can see anywhere in the Digital World, good luck figuring out where to look when that keeps changing.>

*Now within attacking rage, Dianamon losses no time in kicking him in the face, then brings around her scythe for another blow in the same location*
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Lyra:<What would we do without you?>
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Mr Sorenson:<And our son is there!>
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Cameron:<So, how are you guys?>

Angewomon flies to avoid the shuriken. Getting the hell out of dodge is probably a good idea.

*She dodges a shuriken & promptly gets hit by 5 more. The Shurimon extend their limbs, aiming to wrap them around her wings & shred them. Meanwhile, Cherubimon continues to wrestle against Kongoumon & blast Rhinomon away from her whenever she gets the chance, but the Raidramon are reawakening. Up above, ice begins spreading throughout the cracks in Ancient Garurumon's head, & he explodes into data. Ancient Greymon's attack wildly misses & it begins to fall from the sky, due to its severed wings.*

Ancient Greymon<My friend...let us join together, so that none may ever tear us apart....>

*Ancient Garurumon's data flies into Ancient Greymon, who stops in the air, surrounded by a golden Digivolution Egg. It breaks open with a hail of lightning that Susanoomon conducts at the 2 Burst Mode Digimon with a sword of light.*

Ancient Garurumon<<We will destroy you together!>>Ancient Greymon

*Also at this time, an air force of Halsemon, Blimpmon, Pegasusmon, & Nefertimon fly in from all directions.*
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D<Be killed by Bagramon, probably.>

T"What do you know about Bagramon's castle?"

*After some brief static, the Hi-Vision Monitamon's screen depicts a tower deep in the forest carved from a massive, still-living white tree.*

Mervamon<It is an enormous structure, just climbing the roots would probably take you several minutes, & that's if they're unguarded. However, we believe that there are plant Digimon nearby, hidden for a surprise attack. We don't know where Bagramon resides within the castle, but we presume it's near the top.>

*After some more static, the scene shifts to stillshots of Barbamon & Zanbamon.*

Mervamon<These are Bagramon's greatest warriors. Furthermore, we believe that Barbamon has his own agenda, because he was witnessed meeting with one of the human mercenaries quite recently.>

*The scene shifts to a snapshot of Yesod, which Thiera points out.*

D<I thought he was finished after we killed Leviamon, what's he doing in the Dark Area?>

Mervamon<We don't know. We weren't able to record any audio or video of their actual meeting. After this shot, Barbamon detected our spy & burned him to death.>
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*Tsune looks back.*

Ts"No offense, but maybe we should give the floor to someone who will actually give us updates."

IL<There isn't much to report, I'm afraid. We've been inside of Whamon for some time, & are just now approaching land.>

Agent<We've scouted ahead to make sure that Kurata isn't waiting for us, but we haven't heard back yet.>

IL<What about you? It looks as though you're on board a Mermaimon pirate ship.>

Angewomon flies higher to avoid them with all the good that'll do given the homing shuriken while Hitomi deploys the D-Powers shield around them.

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Azuma: "Instead of ruining the party for everyone, why not let Taiyo speak to her parents?"

Taiyo: "Hi, mom. I've been better."

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Loren pushes past those other clods because fuck them, their kids are still in one piece.

Loren: "Taiyo, are you all right?"

*Dianamon surrounds herself in an ice shield, then once the lightning passes she fires a few arrows at his face*

<WarGreymon, are you with me?>
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Lyra:<He was probably there to make some sort of alliance. God, that'd be the last thing we needed.>

T"I wonder if he's still involved with Kurata. Does he know that Yesod tried to betray him?"

*Wizardmon shrugs.*
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*Susanoomon strafes, like a boss. WarGreymon blocks with fire.*

<"Yes, I--">

*WarGreymon stops when Susanoomon blasts her in the chest with Ancient Garurumon's Absolute Zero & her armor begins to freeze. She does her best to hack it off while avoiding more Absolute Zeroes. However, even if she succeeds in dodging those, she's pelted from above by stars from the Pegasusmon. The Halsemon approach Dianamon, spinning to form tornadoes, attempting to push her towards the Nefertimon. The Blimpmon just kind of fly around in a ring until they spot Angewomon below & start shooting at her.*
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*The attacks fail & the Shurimon vanish in tornadoes of leaves. Reawakened, the Raidramon shoot lightning bolts at their shield while backing up. Cherubimon & Kongoumon are still rolling around, with the Rhinomon looking for openings. They are also being shot at with bullets from the sky.*
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Ts"Yeah, what exactly did you do to her?"

*A Mermaimon turns towards Tsune & folds her arms behind her back.*

Mermaimon 3<We found her floating in the sea, so we lowered the sails, hid below deck & in the ocean, & waited for her to stow away. Once she was aboard, we attempted to seduce her with Charm Plunder, and then order her not to struggle, but both failed, so we had to subdue her by force. Once we had her bound, we took her back to the castle. As Lady Ancient Mermaimon already told you, we planned to harness her device to enable us to Digivolve. Our late Captain, may she rest in peace, determined that there was minimal risk of escape or violence, so she allowed Cabin Girl Taiyo, at the time ranked slave, to stay within one of the cells typically reserved for royalty. She was to be treated for wounds sustained during her capture, but then the humans attacked us.>

G<Was that ALL that happened? And what happened to Renamon?>

Mermaimon 3<Those were the major events. Renamon had been severely poisoned by Pugumon. We stabilized her & reduced her to Viximon, but left the paralytics in place. She was then taken to Vademon, who probed her in an attempt to determine how she was linked to the device. At your request, one of the deckhands was ordered to retrieve & inoculate her, & again, this is when we were attacked.>
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*Assuming Renamon is following that conversation, the scene keeps jumping to different people.*

Lyra:<With the kind of people he pals around, Kurata should also expect betrayal.>
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*Dianamon flies around him and strikes him with her scythe, then fires an ice blast at Susanoomon*

Hoping for the shield to hold up as Angewomon tries to not get them shot.

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Taiyo: "It could have been worse."

Azuma: "I....I don't know, sir."

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Loren: "They did what to her?"

Mr. Alla: "And where is Hitomi presently?"

*Mermaimon 3 puts a hand on Taiyo's shoulder & smiles proudly at her.*

Mermaimon 3<That's the spirit. I think you'll make a fine addition to this crew.>

*Tsune turns around.*

Ts"She went with Euryale."

*Mrs. Rakshashi stands on her tiptoes to peer over the Shikasus.*

Ceto<Why isn't she with you?>

Ts"Some asshole named Jupitermon is trying to start a civil war way back in the east. There are like a bunch of these jerks that we had to split up & stop...."

*Tsune frowns, realizing how rude she sounds.*

Ts"...Mrs....Euryale's mom...Ma'am...."

AM<I trust that I was not included among your "bunch of jerks.">

G<I'm going to say, "No," because you control the boat.>
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*The shield glows red hot & begins to waver. It's unlikely that it will last forever. Some of the Halsemon fall to the ground, their masks broken or wings slashed, but others swerve away. The Nefertimon shoot lasers at her while her back is turned, though Susanoomon is struck on the shoulder by a blast of ice. Once she has her armor off, WarGreymon raises her arms charging a Terra Force that resembles the sun. The Pegasusmon & Blimpmon wisely fly the fuck away.*
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T"Perhaps, but we're digressing. Okay, so once the Monitamon are inside, how do we keep them hidden until we can find out what Bagramon is up to?"

Lyra:<Could Wizardmon turn them into something to disguise them?>
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*Dianamon moves to avoid the lasers, then begins charging an giant ice blast, which she releases when WarGreymon throws the Terra Force*
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Mrs Sorenson:<Is Kylie safe?>

Cameron:<Well, she's with Lunamon and Euryale, so I think so.>

Gettin' the hell out of dodge. Angewomon likely could have partook in the fight as God knows the mooks in this RP aren't Genre Savvy enough to target the humans, but we'ver.

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Azuma: "Speaking of this boat, where is it headed?"

AM<We are attempting to meet up with Baihumon in the hopes that the humans will be hesitant to make a second attack.>

Ts"That's a good point. If you can find us, can Kurata?"

Agent<I don't know. It's possible. We tried to contact you with a satellite, but we mysteriously lost contact with it.>

Ts"Uh, this is awkward...I don't know who that is, but Azulongmon & Zhuquaiomon broke a lot of satellites to keep Kurata from spying on us."
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D<Not that far away, no.>

Merv<Can you transmit your spells through the Hi-Vision Monitamon?>

D<Maybe. I could, like, turn them invisible, or something. I only have so much energy, though.>

Merv<I an hold a banquet to help replenish you.>
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*Susanoomon is consumed by a fireball & some ice, which slams him to the ground. The explosion propels big fucking rocks all over the place, some of which bury Angewomon & Hitomi because they're pissing me off. Mostly because I want to use all of his abilities, Susanoomon survives, with most of his armor broken. He points the Zero Arms Orochi to the sky, firing a beam of light that produces a storm. Additionally, the earth around him glows as massive fire whirls burst out all over the area. The air force is forced to retreat from this clusterfuck, with the Blimpmon firing missiles at them from afar. Nearby, Cherubimon manages to blast away the Rhinomon & Kongoumon. She holds lightning in her hand like a spear & lobs it at Kongoumon, piercing it & destroying it in an electrified explosion, only for the fucking Raidramon to dogpile her with electric bites, forcing her to regress to Antylamon.*