Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Digiquest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero ❯ Getting the Lay of the Land ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3

By Time Lady

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Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or Quest for Glory.

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"Shema, that was great!" said Daisuke as he finished shoveling his curried eggs into his mouth. "I am so ready to begin!"

"And where do you propose we begin?" asked Takeru.

"Well, um. . ." stammered Daisuke.

"How about we start checking out the area outside of town," suggested Yamato as he took a bite of a fruit.

"Sounds good," said Ken.

The four adventurers paid for their meals, then shouldered their packs and left the Hero's Tale Inn. Starmon and Deputymon were sitting on their porch of their office and keeping an eye on the town gates. They waved to the adventurers as they headed out.

"Now which way?" said Ken.

"There's a cottage that way," said Takeru, pointing north. "And beyond that I can see a castle."

"That seems to be as good a direction as any," said Yamato.

The cottage appeared bright and cheery. Outside, a small, birdlike creature sat in a nest. As Yamato knocked on the cottage door, Takeru's eyes were drawn to a glint in the nest. A bolt was drawn back and the door opened. They could smell the pungent herbs used by the healer in potions.

A small, plantlike digimon bustled about, a lavender flower atop its head. "Adventurers? You must certainly be new to town, as I haven't seen you before. I'm Aluramon, the healer."

"What do you have available?" asked Yamato.

"Let's see. . . right now I have Vitality Potions, Mana Potions, Healing Potions, and Undead Unguent. I'm rather low on some ingredients," said Aluramon. "I'm low on magic mushrooms and flowers from Hikari's Peace, and I'm completely out of Cheetauromon claws and Shamamon beard. With so few adventurers around lately, some spell components are difficult to come by. If you bring me what I need, I pay well."

"That's good to know," said Takeru. He noticed another of the same, birdlike creature from outside. "What is that?"

"That's my pet Poromon Porry," she returned. "His girlfriend Romi has a nest outside."

"I see," said Takeru.

Daisuke and Yamato began questioning Aluramon about the brigands. Takeru watched Porry as Aluramon told about how she treated a local farmer after a brigand attack. Something clicked in his mind. The young spellcaster slipped outside and looked up at the nest. Something again glinted in the sunlight.

"I hope she's not sitting on any eggs," he thought as he concentrated on his fetch spell. A glowing sphere arose from his hands, towards the nest. It engulfed the nest, startling the Poromon, who flew up to a higher branch. The nest flew back to Takeru's hands. "Phew," he sighed as he realized the drain this small spell caused. "I'm going to really have to work on my spellcasting." His hunch proved right, however, as he pulled a large ring out of the nest. The Poromon made an annoyed sound as he put the nest down on the ground. "Sorry, but fetch only works one way," he said. Quietly he slipped back inside where Aluramon had just finished telling her tale.

"Ma'am," said Takeru, "did you have a notice posted about a missing ring?"

"Yes I did," returned Aluramon. "It was a gift from the Healer's Academy when I graduated. It has vines entwined with herbs engraved on it."

"Is this it?" Takeru held out the ring.

"Where did you ever find it?!" asked Aluramon in astonishment.

"In the nest outside."

"Porry!" scolded Aluramon. The Poromon looked rather abashed. "Thank you so much for finding this." She reached into a pouch on her belt, then took two bottles off a shelf. "As a reward, here are 5 gold pieces and two healing potions. She wrapped her vines around Takeru, pulled him close, and gave him a huge kiss.

Daisuke snickered as Takeru bowed. "You are only too welcome." He then whispered to his friends "Let's get out of here before she kisses me again. . . ."

Outside, Takeru breathed a sigh of relief. "Good going little brother," said Yamato.

"Thanks," replied Takeru as he tried to wipe off the remains of Aluramon's kiss. "A few more silvers and I'll be able to get that flame dart spell."

"I think she likes you," snickered Daisuke.

"Just wait till I find a spell that changes people into frogs," muttered Takeru.

"He's just jealous," said Ken, patting Takeru on the back. "You're the one who earned the reward for that."

"Let's go guys. We're not getting anywhere by talking," said Daisuke.

They set out along the dirt path, passing a small farm. A Kentauromon waved to them from the distance then resumed raking the ground. The farther they moved from the town, the denser the forest became.

Suddenly, something came crashing through the forest. "What is that!" shouted Daisuke.

"A Saurusmon!" returned Yamato as he drew his sword. Daisuke did likewise, while Takeru and Ken withdrew their daggers. The dinosaur-like creature bore down on the party, hoping to down one of the members for breakfast. It didn't count on two of them being armed with swords and one with a magically charged dagger. The Saurusmon wasn't as stupid a creature as people believed. It targeted Ken as being the weakest of the group. Lashing out, it knocked Ken to the ground.

Anxiously Ken threw his dagger, hitting the creature in the shoulder. It roared in anger then charged at Ken. Daisuke and Yamato simultaneously swung their swords at the creature while Takeru sliced at it with his dagger. Between the three of them, they made short work of the Saurusmon.

"Th-thanks. . ." said Ken breathlessly as Takeru helped him up.

"I wouldn't throw your dagger unless you had some backups," advised Takeru.

"Point taken," said Ken. He walked over and retrieved his dagger from the corpse, then followed the others' lead by wiping the blade clean in the grass.

"Too bad it didn't have any treasure," said Daisuke.

"Let's get out of here," said Yamato.

They continued along the same path to a rather strange clearing. "This looks like a place to practice combat," said Ken.

"Did that bush just move?" said Daisuke, whipping his head around.

"You're imagining things," returned Takeru.

They barely left the area when they realized they were being followed. "Goblimon," hissed Yamato.

"I thought something was up back there," said Daisuke as he drew his sword.

The others also drew their weapons. Four Goblimon charged at them, clubs held high. The group split up and attacked. The Goblimon were well trained. Takeru found himself dodging club strike, charging his dagger, then slicing at his opponent. Daisuke and Yamato seemed to be holding their own. Ken didn't have as easy a time. His Goblimon fell only when Daisuke's sword came into play.

Exhausted, Ken leaned against a tree panting from his exertion. "These Goblimon were worse than anything we faced on the way here. I have to rest."

"Not here," said Takeru. "It's not safe. We're too close to the Goblimon training ground." While Ken remained where he was, the others scavenged what they could from the dead Goblimon.

"Not bad. 20 silvers," said Daisuke, his hands full of coins. The four divided them up before they continued on their way.

When they felt they were a safe distance away from the Goblimon training grounds, they all collapsed to the ground exhausted. "What a way to make a living," said Daisuke as he lay back on the ground.

"Hey, don't forget whose idea it was to become an adventurer," returned Takeru.

"We need to build our strength," said Yamato. "Remember, there's something major going on around here and we need to figure it out."

Ken shook his head. "I don't know if I'll be able to manage it."

"You did a lot better than you would have when we first left home," said Yamato. "And if we had stayed back there, you'd probably have been caught stealing something from the baker or the butcher." He noticed Takeru was counting his coins. "Got enough yet?"

"Not yet. I'm a little short on the flame dart scroll. Maybe if we take down a few more Goblimon. . ." The others groaned. Looking around, they realized they were in a small grotto surrounded by rocks.

"This looks like a safe place to rest for a while," suggested Daisuke. "Anyone ready for lunch?"

"Face it Daisuke. You're an appetite on 2 legs," said Ken.

"Swinging a sword takes energy. Not like those flimsy daggers," returned Daisuke. Each one dug in their packs for rations. The jerky and dried fruit was nothing compared to the hot meals at the inn, but it satisfied growling bellies.

"Anyone get the feeling that we're not alone?" asked Takeru. He noticed several flat rocks that seemed to pop up a few inches, then drop down again. Watching carefully, he thought he saw eyes surrounded by gray fur under the rocks. "Hello?"

The rocks stopped moving for a few moments. They heard what sounded like a muffled discussion. Suddenly one of the rocks flew off a hole. A green ball of long fur with two small black eyes and antenna-like protuberances popped out. Cautiously Daisuke and Yamato put their hands on the hilts of their swords.

"Hiya! Please to meetcha!" said the green ball of fluff.

"What are you?" asked Takeru as he knelt next to it.

"We're Yuramon! This is our home!" it exclaimed happily. Seeing the Yuramon apparently meant no harm, the two fighters eased their grasp on their swords.

"So the rocks are like doors, huh?" said Takeru as he examined one of the flat stones.

"They keep our tunnels dry and keep out the Saurusmon and Goblimon," said the Yuramon. Takeru noticed that from the way the stones were shaped, they could only be lifted from the inside. The ground was too hard to dig around, at least at the surface.

"What about Brigands? Do they ever come here?" asked Yamato.

"Sorry. They don't come here too much," replied the Yuramon. "But one of us heard you guys talking about scrolls. A man dropped one here a few weeks ago. You want it? It's just taking up room in the tunnels."

"Yeah, sure!" said Takeru excitedly. The Yuramon hopped back into the hole. A scroll flipped out of the hole into Takeru's hands. He opened it and eagerly began studying the words.

"Can you tell us anything about the forest?" asked Daisuke.

"We don't get out of our grotto much. It's not safe. Lillymon makes sure the nasties stay away."

"Who's Lillymon?" asked Ken.

"She's the protector of the forest!" exclaimed the Yuramon. "One of our elders said that before the monsters started roaming the forest, he visited Lillymon's corner of the forest. She lives south of here." Down below, th ey heard a commotion. "All right, all right," the Yuramon said. "Well, it's time for me to go," he told the adventurers.

"Thanks for talking to us," said Yamato.

"Thanks for the scroll," added Takeru as Yuramon hopped into his hole.

"So, is the scroll useful?" asked Ken.

"Yeah," said Takeru. The scroll then crumbled in his hands. "That was the detect magic spell."

"That doesn't sound very useful," said Daisuke.

"It is," returned Takeru. "It means I can detect magical objects. . . or magical traps."

"Too bad the scroll disintegrated," said Ken. "I wouldn't mind learning that."

"Like Sorceryomon mentioned, you have to have the ability. And these types of spell scrolls are single use only," explained Takeru. "After I studied it, the spell sort of burns itself in my memory. Then the parchment disappears."

"That is so cheap," returned Daisuke. "You can't sell the scroll to someone else."

"Magical copy protection," added Ken.

"Let's go," said Yamato. "Until we get the hang of things, we should try to make sure we're back in town before sundown. They picked up their packs from the ground and began hiking through the forest again.

"Did the Yuramon say north or south?" asked Yamato.

"I wasn't really paying attention," said Takeru.

"I think it said north," said Daisuke.

"No, it was south," returned Ken.

"It said north," stated Daisuke firmly.

"Definitely south," affirmed Ken.

"Great. . ." said Takeru. "Okay, flip a coin."

Yamato pulled a coin out of his moneypouch. "Okay. Call it."

"Heads," said Ken. Yamato flipped the coin. It came up tails.

"YES!" exclaimed Daisuke. He began marching northward.

"I still say south," said Ken as the others followed.

They traveled on for about 15 minutes. The forest seemed quiet - too quiet. Warily the adventurers kept their weapons close at hand. Suddenly a bird shot out from one of the bushes as if alarmed by something. Next thing they knew they were face to face with a scruffy looking man holding a shield and a spear. Another appeared behind them.

"Okay," snarled another man as he came from behind a tree. "Hand over your money!"

"Four against three," said Yamato as he drew his sword. "I'd say the odds are against you. Surrender. . ."

"GAAARRRRGGGGG!!!!!" shouted one of the brigands. Daisuke's sword was in his hand in an instant.

"They always seem to want to do this the hard way," said Ken as he and Takeru drew their daggers.

Ten minutes later, three brigands lay dead on the ground. Yamato tried to bind a gash on Ken's shoulder. "I think we need to get you to the healer," said Yamato.

"Hold on. . .I have one of those healing potions," said Takeru as he rummaged in his pack. He pulled out a flask and gave it to Ken. The adventurer drank it down, grimacing at the taste. "How do you feel?" asked Takeru.

"Sore. . ," returned Ken. Daisuke scavenged the bodies of the brigands.

"We made about 80 silver," he announced.

"I would have rather not killed them," said Yamato. "We could have brought them in for questioning."

"They didn't seem to want to come along willingly," returned Daisuke. "It was kill or be killed." He wiped his sword on the grass.

"It looks like the healing potion is working, but we should have Aluramon look at it," said Takeru to Ken.

They weren't far from the healer's cottage. The Poromon in the tree was working on rebuilding her nest. She chirped in irritation at Takeru. "Do you guys mind if I meet you in the town? I have enough money for those scrolls, and I want to get flame dart before the shop closes," said Takeru.

"All right," said Yamato. "We'll meet you either outside the magic shop, or in the inn." He knocked on the door while Takeru headed back to town. The bolt slid open.

"What can I do for you now?" asked Aluramon as the group entered.

"Could you take a look at him?" said Yamato.

"It really doesn't hurt now," protested Ken as he moved his arm.

"Let me take a look at that." Aluramon unwrapped the makeshift bandage from Ken's arm. "Did you give him a healing potion?"

"Yes," returned Yamato.

"Good. It's almost healed through," said Aluramon. "I recommend you rest up before you try anything else."

"I agree with that," said Ken.

"If you're going to keep up this activity, you really should buy some more healing potions," suggested Aluramon.

"Not a bad idea," said Daisuke. They each bought healing potions. Then, with a goodbye, walked back outside.

"We had good timing," said Ken as he noticed the sun was setting.

The gate was still open, but Starmon and Deputymon were gone. Yamato checked inside the inn. Shameen told him Takeru hadn't come yet. They found the young spellcaster walking out of the magic shop. "I had enough for both the flame dart and the open spells," announced Takeru.

"Let's head back to the inn and call it a day," said Daisuke with a yawn.

"I'm not going to argue that tonight," said Ken.

<to be continued>

Author's notes: Finally, another chapter out! I finished updating my homepage. It's mostly related to GRIT (the Global Ranma Insanity thread), an online RPG I'm in, but it has some writing I've done in the fics section. Check it out and sign the guestbook.