Kyra walked silently on the path, not knowing where she was going nor why. But that's nothing new, is it? she thought bitterly, glancing down slightly at the Renamon in step beside her. Bishop didn't seem to be in much of a mood to talk, his blue eyes sliding slowly over the bleak landscape.

"Why'd we come to this dump?" he wondered, seeing the bleak tombstones scattered about, the craggy dead trees looming over the darkened landscape. A veil of mist also hung in the air. He was distracted though by another question. "Is it my imagination or did it just kinda become night the minute we stepped into the Graveyard?"

Kyra's brow wrinkled, she had enough questions of her own without her newest partner adding to them. "Look, Bishop," she used his name only reluctantly, were she speaking to Vanguard she'd call her fuzzball at times like this, but the Renamon had no such nickname at this point. "The Digital World is a screwed up place," she said calmly, her shoes churning over the cobblestone path. She adjusted the straps on the black and red backpack that held the Digitama of her first partner, badly injured in a recent battle.

The horrid feeling gnawed at Kyra's gut, it was like hunger but it didn't care how much she ate. It was always there, never far from mind, the desire for something. The same feeling she felt had drawn her here. Joining it was the awful anticipation surrounding the Digitama. Would it really be Vanguard? What would she think of Kyra after sacrificing herself to protect her? Burning questions with no answers. She couldn't take it any more!

A scream of raging despair and confusion ripped the cool, silent air. Her fist pounded the ground, an eerie echo of Kyra's demeanor at Vanguard's death. But this time there were no tears. It felt a bit better. She stood, walking on as if nothing had ever happened, but as her dark eyebrows nearly met, it was clear anything that crossed her risked death or serious injury.

Bishop regarded Kyra solemnly, curious as much as anything else about his tamer's behavior. While she was strong, he couldn't help but worry about her volatility. But was she always this unstable? There was still much the young Renamon had to learn about his tamer.

Bishop frowned slightly after several minutes of silence, his tail stiff as a board out behind him. He was normally laid back, but hanging around Kyra while she was all gloom and doom was making him depressed, too. He also couldn't help but feel edgy as they walked through the dank, cool air of the graveyard. The tight curtain of fog in addition to the feel of the air gave the feeling of being underground in some forgotten crypt, not meandering around on the surface.

Kyra's mind wandered, thinking of everything and yet nothing. We're on a path, so it must lead somewhere. Unless it's like my life, could explain why that rock looks familiar. Out of necessity, Kyra forced the concerns about Vanguard kicking and screaming from her mind. She felt another flare of anger, a longing to lash out, to attack. To kill as she had those Goblimon. She exhaled sharpy, realizing she'd forgotten about that until this very moment. The fresh misery must have left her as some near zombie-like homicidal peson when she returned to the city. She realized didn't feel very guilty about it.

Something impacted her chest, jarring Kyra back to reality. One of Bishop's gauntleted arms barred her path. He'd stopped as well, ears twitching and eyes surveying the landscape. "We have guests," he said calmly, though still scanning the area and unsure exactly what it was he'd detected.

Kyra's eyes surveyed the surroundings, but the thick veil of fog still hovering over the area made it almost impossible to see more than about twelve meters in any direction. The little section of path seemed clear, but there was definitely something moving beyond the vision of the dark duo.

"Eye of Nightmare," hissed a voice from the shadow, having found suitable quarry at last. The demon's eyes glowed red, sending out a potent effect.

Kyra spotted a crimson gleam just ahead in the mist, her hand instinctively dropped to her knife. "Ready?" asked Bishop, raising his arms and crossing them across his torso, preparing to attack.
"Ready..." muttered Kyra, feeling suddenly weak. Her eyelids, her arms, her legs, all becoming tremendously heavy as the dark-haired tamer sank to the ground.
"What the?" gasped Bishop, falling prey to the same weakness induced by the hypnotic lullaby. "Damn..." he knew no more.



Icy blue eyes fluttered open, slowly, slowly. The sensation of weakness and sloth remained as Kyra meandered towards consciousness. A sharp draft finally roused the tamer. Her eyes snapped open, the cold irises exposed to the world again. She was sprawled on her back, on an angled slab of stone. Her wrists were bound in shackles to the rock face, and the soft chuckle of her captor echoed in her ear.

"Master's servant found you in the graveyard," came a high-pitched grating voice. She squinted, seeing the form standing next to her as a childlike form with pale skin, mistmatched eyes, and sharp red claws. Dracmon.
"Yes, indeed," said another voice, a second Dracmon nearby. It was more nasally then the first. "Girl will be safe here."
"Yes, safe!" the first parroted, giving a hisslike laugh.

Kyra cast her eyes around, realizing where "here" was. It was best described as a dungeon, a cramped, dank prison of bricks lit only by flickering torches. Her d-ban was still in place, but her knife, cards, and both her partners were missing.

"Ugh," grumbled a voice to the side. Wait. Bishop was here, also chained to the wall. "Wha? What's- Hey!" he heaved forward, but wasn't able to break free of his bonds. But there was no sign of Vanguard in the cramped room.
"What do you want with us?" Kyra said, her voice a withering hiss as she stared at the Dracmon beside her. Oh, if only she could reach out and pulverize the little imp on sheer principle. A little bloodshed always seemed to make her feel better.
"Keep you safe here, the master says!" said the second.
"Yes," said the other, nodding his head energetically "Safe until the feast!"
"Where's my Digitama," she spat, hands clenching into fists as she picked her head up and glared between the two Dracmon.
"You'll be with it soon enough, after the feast," said the second Dracmon.
"Uh-huh," Bishop said slowly, his tone radiating sarcasm. "Sorry, guys, but I think we'll have to pass on that offer, right Kyra?"
Kyra glanced at the Renamon, nodding, but there was clear confusion in her eyes. They were both chained to the wall. What could they do?
"Fox Change Void!" yelled the Renamon, vanishing in the blink of an eye. In his place appeared the second Dracmon, although his stocky frame did not extend as far as the restraints so he collapsed to the ground.

Bishop crouched where the Dracmon had stood, a smirk on his face, his eyebrow raised, intensity in his eyes. "Amateurs," he chuckled briefly "Never tried capturing a Renamon, have you?"

The other Dracmon backed up in alarm, its eyes blinking in shock. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to be just sit there, taunt the prisoners, listen to them scream and beg, then, to the master's feast with them. "Not supposed to happen!" he hissed, backing away from the fox before him. And right into Kyra's reach. She snapped her legs upward, seizing his neck between her heels in an instant. Before the imp had a chance to register his predicament, she torqued her feet, snapping the Dracmon's neck. His body shattered apart into data particles, leaving Bishop to deal with the other.

"Undead Fang!" the little demon cried, dashing forward and attempting to sink his teeth into the fox's soft fur. But the quick-witted Digimon extended his arm, planting it on the demon's forehead and holding him back with one hand. The demon's arms windmilled and it struggled to press forward, but then Bishop released it and stepped to the side. Its momentum caused the demon to go hurtling across the room, tripping over its own feet and faceplanting in the stone floor.

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" barked Bishop, trying to get the mouthful of an attack name out as quickly as possible. A flurry of diamond-like shards appeared around him before launching at Dracmon. The little demon stumbled as it tried to stand upright, but was cut down again by the energy barrage.

"You alright?" asked Bishop, picking up a key the Dracmon had dropped. He strode over, quickly unlocking Kyra's cuffs. She nodded, indicating she was unharmed. "I'll be better when we've got my stuff back and this master is choking on his own blood."
"But first we gotta find Vanguard's Digitama, right?"
Kyra nodded, and the two quickly strode across the dungeon side by side. Fortunately, Kyra's weapons and cards had been left on a wooden table near the stairs that must have been the dungeon's entrance. As they reached a rickety set of wooden stairs, the Renamon took the lead, his agile body reaching the top in a single graceful leap. Though a yellow and purple furry fox wasn't quite what she had in mind as far as partners were concerned, Kyra felt a slight poke of envy at his natural agility.

He slammed the door open, emerging into a brightly lit chamber. Pupils contracted, shutting out the glare and allowing him to see more clearly. Cupboards, sinks, stoves, and the like all line the room, clearly a large kitchen. At the far end was a large fireplace with a sinisterly large cauldron filled with boiling water nestled in the flames. Other assorted pots and pans were scattered throughout the kitchen, it seemed someone had been busy preparing the aforementioned feast.

"The hell is this place?" Kyra wondered, though she already had a pretty good idea. She glanced around the room, seeing several doorways that led off into other portions of the dwelling. "It seems big, like some kind of mansion, maybe. But how do we find Vanguard?"

"Well, she's not here in the kitchen," Bishop remarked, turning his eyes to each exit in turn, wondering where to proceed. "Let's go," he said suddenly, his feet hardly seeming to touch the ground as he proceeded toward one of the doors.
Kyra ran after him "Why this door? Do you smell something?"
Bishop huffed, a smile appearing on his features again. "Can't smell a thing over the food here. I just picked this door at random."
"Reassuring," Kyra said, half growling. She didn't want to leave the fate of her first partner to the random decisions of her second.

The mansion seemed eerily quiet as the two hurried through its corridors, though it soon became apparent that although it was quite lavish in design, the mansion was not of terrific size. Still, it must have been a cozy home to whomever owned it. Not that they'd be able to enjoy it for much longer, if Kyra had her way.

"I smell something," Bishop said, slowing to a stop, his tail flicking back and forth as he sniffed the air. "Food. The dining hall must be close by."
"Sure it's not just us running in circles and getting back to the kitchen?"
Bishop ignored the tamer's dry reply, darting through a doorway and up a flight of stairs, Kyra close on his heels.

The doors crashed open, and Kyra knew at once her partner's hunch had been right. If they were lucky, this was where they'd taken Vanguard to be eaten by the master. If they weren't lucky, this was still the right place, they were just too late. Kyra's hand brushed aside the lower edge of her shirt, gripping the handle of her knife tightly.

"Eh?" said a voice from the far end of the hall, a being seated at the head of a long table topped with a lavish tablecloth and an astonishing quantity of food. Its black wings unfurled, its horned head and red eyes facing the duo, a spindly body rising from its seat. Surprise registered on the Devimon's face. "Ahhh," the Devimon said, smirking "Dinner has arrived." his voice was smooth, a Transylvanian accent at its finest.

"Tch," said Kyra, glaring at the demon "I hope you're hungry for pain, 'cause that's all your getting."
"You expect to fight me, child? Make it easier on yourself, just give up and let me eat you. It'll be quick," he sneered unpleasantly "and painless."
"Um, hello, idiot?" Bishop said dryly "I'm the one fighting you, not her!" and with that, the Renamon bolted into motion, jumping into the air. "Wisteria Punch!" he shouted, his fist erupting in blue fire as he descended.

But the Devimon quickly evaded the blow, backing away from his table. He seemed none to please at the interruption in his meal, acting for all the world as though it was highly inconsiderate for a future meal to be this feisty. Kyra's glanced at the table, and relief washed over her. The pearly white egg that Vanguard had withdrawn into was on the table, intact. She'd want to retrieve the egg as soon as possible, and yet it would be foolish to tip her hand and reveal to Devimon how valuable it was to her.

Her eyes glanced back at the battle, in time to see Bishop get slammed backward by one of the Devimon's extremely long arms. The Renamon flipped over, landed on his hands then vaulted into the air. "Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" he called, firing another barrage of energy shards at his demonic foe. A tiny explosion rang out for each shard that impacted. The Devimon pressed onward through the surge, raising his arms and preparing to strike again.

"Hold it right there," Kyra said with a sneer, still standing near the entrance of the dining hall.

Name: Digi-Beetles
Number: U08
Type: Single Target
Duration: 1 Turn
Effect: Miniature insects come about to sting and bite the affected opponent, occupying their time and leaving an opening, guaranteeing one hit.

Name: Offensive X
Number: C26
Type: Single Target
Duration: Remainder of the battle
Effect: The next attack used by the affected Digimon doubles in power.

A tried and true combination, there was hardly a battle yet where Kyra hadn't used this. But, it wasn't every day there was a combo so powerful and yet so simple.

The devil's charge was interrupted suddenly. "Get off me, pests!" he snarled, frantically scratching all over to try and relieve the burning sensation. But whilst his long arms and fingers afforded him tremendous reach, it was futile against the tiny insects.

Bishop's fingers flexed as power flooded into him, he knew exactly what he had to do, and made a note to compliment Kyra on such a simple, yet effective combo. "Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" he yelled, blasting another wave of blades at their foe. The insects vanished, but it was too late to afford the demon a chance to avoid the attack. His eyes widened in shock as the storm hit him, causing him to stagger backwards.

As the demon tried to recover, he looked up and saw he faced not one, but three Renamon. "What trickery is this?" he grumbled, his claws raising and glowing with dark power but the Digimon behind them unable to make sense of it.

"Which of us is real?" asked one Bishop.
"And which of us is fake?" another.
"Why don't you come at us and find out?"
"Or are you,"
"A big, demonic,"
"chicken?"
"Bawk bawk bawk!" all three Bishops flapped their arms and made mocking poultry noises in unison.

"Three or three hundred, it doesn't matter! Lord Keris will destroy you ALL," bellowed the demon, spreading his wings. "Razor Wing!" a wing-shaped beam of energy shot out, directed at the three Renamon. One jumped to each side, the other into the air. The one to the left wasn't quite fast enough, melting away into dust as the attack hit him. One of the shadow clones.

His eyes jumped to the side, tracking one of the Renamon as it circled to his flank and tried to attack him from there. "Got you," he snarled, his claws slashing into... nothing. The golden fox melted away the moment he made contact.

"Yoo-hoo! Bat-Guano for brains!" called Bishop, charging Devimon from straight ahead. "Fox Flash-Agh!" he was cut off as the demon's claws raked into him and sent him crashing backwards. The Renamon gave a growl of resentment, he'd thought the Fox Change Void would have worked better than that.

Keris bore down on Renamon, his claws glimmering with an evil energy as he prepared to strike. His spindly arm lashed out, catching the child Digimon before he could rise. Bishop gave an annoyed grunt, trying to pick himself up off the ground before the Devimon could strike again. "Hurts more than I thought," he muttered.

The Devimon suddenly bellowed in agony, feeling red hot pain stab into his side. He looked down to find Kyra smirking up at him, a gleaming longsword half-buried in his black leathery hide.

Name: Platinum Sword
Number: U56
Type: Weapon
Duration: Duration of the battle
Effect: Summons a sword that can be wielded by either the user or their Digimon. This sword is capable of causing thirty points of damage, and can also be used to block physical attacks.

She twisted and rocked the blade as she drew it out, a sadistic smile blooming on her face as the Devimon cringed in agony. Pulling it clear, she backed away from the demon before he could strike. She circled him, blade raised, as he stood and held one clawed hand over the gaping wound in his side.

"Not bad, eh?" she remarked, raising the sword a hair. "Bigger and slower than I'm used to, but it has its uses."

"Impudent whelp!" Keris snarled, his other arm lancing out and lifting the girl up by her throat. "I was going to make it quick and painless, but now, now, you've got to suffer!" he hissed, his eyes glinting maniacally as he stared up at Kyra.

The tamer couldn't breath, her vision started blurring, her head felt like it was about to float away. She focused through the haze, slashing the sword upward and cutting into her captor's arm. The demon's face contorted, but through the pain he only tightened his grip.

"A pity you're so feisty. You could have been more than just a meal, you could have been my partner," the words rang hollow, echoing as though from far away as the young tamer struggled for breath and slashed again with the sword.

Vicious, burning pain slashed at the Devimon's back. He staggered forward, his hold on Kyra failing as he rounded on his attacker. He'd been the victim of a Fox Flash Attack from Bishop, the Renamon easily taking advantage of the Devimon's distracted state.

"Hey, stupid," he said, staring up at the Devimon and showing now fear against an opponent almost twice his size and a level higher. "She's already got a partner. Two of 'em actually. And you can't be her partner if you're dead."

"Touching," snarled the Devimon, raking his claws toward his foxlike foe but missing as the Renamon dodged. "Kyra!" he called. "Let's finish this!" Kyra coughed once, clearing her airways before smiling. Seemed she managed to find a like-minded partner. Reaching for her d-ban, she activated the power of the Digimental of Desire stored within.

Violet light errupted from the screen of the digivice, and a matching radiance from around Bishop himself. "Renamon armor evolve!" The glow brightened, eclipsing him completely. The Devimon took several steps backwards, the blinding light painful to it. "Shurimon, Hunter's blades!" The light faded away.

Bishop's form remained tall and slender, but his body was now covered in a khaki robe, yellow eyes staring out from behind his mask. His limbs were even narrower, coiled like springs with massive three-pointed blades in place of hands and feet. The Digimon inspected his new form, letting out a low whistle of approval. "Nice," he said confidentally, turning his eyes back to his opponent.

In a flash one of his arms stretched out, impossibly long, closing the seven meter distance between the Shurimom and his foe in an instant. The spinning shuriken blade slashed into the demon, and it was clear his injuries were starting to take their toll. The demon's wings unfurled in a blink, the black-clad foe shooting toward Shurimon like a bullet. But the warrior's springlike legs extended, he vaulted clear up to the ceiling, out of reach.

"Too slow," taunted Bishop. Had his face not been masked, he would have been smirking rather broadly. Wrapping his arms around two of the chandaliers high in the room, he shot his legs back down at the Devimon. The razor-edged blades cut into the demon, causing him to bellow in agony. It was quite clear now it was only a matter of time. His eyes narrowed, desperation rising in his chest. There had to be a way out of this. Some weakness of his poweful, agile foe he could exploit. His red eyes passed over Shurimon's form as he hung on the ceiling, but he could think of nothing. Then, a flash of inspiration. Of course, his foe wasn't just the Renamon turned Shurimon, that dark-haired girl was part of it as well. She was the weak link. She was his target.

"Kyra! Look out!" Bishop yelled, sensing Devimon's intentions. But he was too late. The desperate demon leapt across the room, intent on attacking Kyra. The young tamer hadn't taken her eyes off Devimon in some time. The attack came, time slowing to a crawl as Kyra prepared to react. Her hand snapped up, swiping a card through the d-ban.

Name: Fly-Trap
Number: C13
Type: Single Target
Duration: Remainder of the battle
Effect: Renders one opponent Digimon incapable of flight (whether the flight ability is natural or through the effects of a card).

A subtle shimmer permeated the Devimon's wings, and suddenly he plunged to the ground like a bag of hammers. "Wh-what sort of?" he stammered, pushing himself to his feet with his arms. He was clearly dumbstruck over the sudden loss of his power of flight. "You!" he snarled, an expression of terrible fury etched into every line of his pale face. On foot now, he charged her again. But Kyra had never been terrifically impressed by large opponents. Sure they were strong, but the were slow and ponderous. His arms extending, his hope to seize the tamer and use her as a shield against the Shurimon. But the loss of his flight cost him precious time. Kyra leapt to the side, the spindly hand clenching upon empty air. She blinked momentarily, stinging pain in her side. The claws had nicked her, slashing the side of her shirt and cutting her skin, but just barely. The other arm raised for another shot, but the limb was suddenly gone, severed.

Shurimon's bladed arm retracted as its owner dropped to the floor. Bishop steadily walked towards the Devimon, who was virtually paralyzed by the mental shock of his injury. "How'd an idiot like you end up in a nice house like this? Maybe we should take it over, eh, Kyra?" her partner spoke lightly, he clearly believed the battle won. He was right. Keris dropped to his knees, begging before Kyra. "Please, spare my life! Leave me and my home in peace! That's all I ask!"

Kyra smirked, staring pitilessly at the defeated demon. She started circling the demon as he kneeled, defeated. "Spare you?" she smirked "Spare you?" she said again, dripping sarcasm. "You've caused me a lot of trouble. You see, I don't take kindly to demons who knock me out, take me prisoner, then try to eat me. I'll take this mansion," she waved her arm at their surroundings, knowing that if the lord fell, whatever minions he had would surely flee or fall. "As payment." Her eyes met Keris's "And your life, too." Her tone was cold as ice and utterly merciless, she had every intention of making good on that threat.

"No!!!" screamed the Devimon, staying down but his eyes widening. "You're a tamer! One of the good guys! You can't do this to me!"
Bishop strode over at last, saying exactly what was on Kyra's mind. "You must have us confused with someone else." The Shurimon sounded as merciless as his tamer. Kyra nodded her approval, feeling a mixture of pride and happiness that she finally had a like-minded partner. Both Bishop's arms shot forward, driving their spinning saw-like blades into the Devimon. Keris screamed, and then a heartbeat later, his body exploded into nothingness.



"You hate your apartment that much?" Bishop asked, Renamon once more, after the two had searched the rest of the mansion and found no sign of any further Digimon. Some Lord he was with only two minions... Kyra had thought.
"Nothing against the apartment itself," Kyra said, arms folded, standing on the front balcony of the mansion. The grim curtain of fog had dissipated, but the starry night sky still blanketed the graveyard. "On its own its fine, but it's a pain in the arse to travel through the city to get to it. I don't fit in there. Plus, this mansion, or should I say my mansion, is bigger."

Whilst it was not especially large, not like it had hundreds of rooms, the mansion had everything the apartment did and more, particularly in terms of space. While it was more than one budding dark tamer and her two partners needed, Kyra wasn't about to let that stop her. She found it poetic justice that Keris's next meal/prisoners had been his downfall and now owned his mansion.

The teen's palm rested on the shallow wounds across her ribs left by Devimon. The cuts itched and stung, but all it took was the recollection of far worse injuries at the hands of Garurumon to dull the pain. Maybe I'm improving she thought vaguely.

Her mind drifted to her earlier elation of at Bishop's like-mindedness. She was also impressed with his ability to fight so well against a more evolve Digimon. But the tamer knew that nothing could ever replace Vanguard. Only that meek little Dokunemon coming back could fill that awful void inside of her. But the egg was intact, and Kyra felt the day of her rebirth was approaching. Her other arm clutched the egg, and the tamer stared at it much as one would at a roaring fire, mesmerized.

((Solo adventures, what can I say, they're a habit of mine, for better or worse. This mansion is Kyra's new residence, in the far reaches of the graveyard, replacing her home in Apartment Unit A.))

((Superb as always, sir. For once again showing your mastery of the solo adventure, Bishop gets .2 DEP.))