Chapter 5 - Blistering Night

Night had engulfed the town of Blisterstone, albeit for a few un-shattered streetlamps which dared to resist the darkness. However, as Aster slowly walked through town, her previous excitement gradually transformed into boredom as the night was much quieter than she had expected. Letting out a long sigh, Aster climbed to the top of an abandoned building’s roof. After giving a short survey and finding nothing, Aster grunted and decided to lie down. Gazing upwards, Aster smiled as the stars twinkled up above her, their pale light reflecting off her visor.

With nothing else to occupy her mind, Aster’s thoughts began to reflect upon recent events, especially her unexpected Digivolution with her motorcycle while fighting Hail. “Perhaps, it’s a gift from…Silas?” she contemplated before shaking the thought from her head, along with all the bittersweet memories it brought.

But as Aster attempted to distract herself with other trains of thought, a faint sound caused her sensitive ears to twitch. Rising to her feet on the roof, Aster began to utilize her visor’s enhanced vision to scan around. As she looked, she noticed a decent-sized group of Digimon was clustered together in one part of the partially abandoned town. A few of them were holding rusty lanterns or carrying torches that cast them in a pale orange glow amidst the darkness. Intrigued, Aster darted silently across the nearby rooftops for a better vantage point, hoping to see what they were up to.

However, as she peeked around the sandblasted bricks of a chimney for a better look, her eyebrows shot upwards when she noticed what they were transporting. An unconscious human and Digimon dangled limply in their arms as the thugs whispered and snickered amongst themselves. Leaning forward, Aster attempted to pick up their hushed words but was only able to make out short fragments.

“Boss will…these ones fight...Cerberus army…” was all Aster was able to make out before the words “Pepper Breath!” were shouted from a newcomer as a fireball hurtled down the alleyway before slamming into one of the Rookie Digimon goons, fragmenting him into data.

Turning her head towards the newcomers, Aster groaned inwardly when she recognized the mischievous Roy and Terra the Agumon standing defiantly in the roadway.

“Hey! Leave our town alone!” shouted Roy with an accusing figure towards the would-be kidnappers. However, instead of the lot turning over their captives and surrendering as Roy was hoping for, the gang began to crack up with laughter.

“Real cute kid,” scoffed a champion level Boogiemon as he stepped forwards from the group, raising his pitchfork and pointing it forward. “But not only are you outnumbered, but you’re also laughably lacking in power as well.”

“Shit, they won’t last long unless I intervene,” thought Aster to herself, instinctively making a mad dash back to her motorcycle. “I just hope that Boogiemon toys with them for a bit, otherwise I won’t make it in time!” panicked Aster as she made it to her bike, ramming the key into the ignition before revving the engine and peeling forwards towards the alley.

As the Boogiemon and his companions began to close, the two boys shivered in terror, their legs frozen in fear. Their minds screamed at them to flee but their bodies refused to take action, utterly immobilized. But before the Boogiemon pierced his pitchfork into their flesh, Aster’s motorcycle skidded into view, plowing over an Impmon who failed to react fast enough.

“Are you so pathetic that you’re picking on children?” taunted Aster with a smirk, her sudden appearance startling the Boogiemon as well as the boys, but for extremely different reasons.

“H-hey! You’re t-that Renamon we…um…saw earlier!” piped up Roy with a nervous grin as Aster shot them both a dirty look.

Regaining his arrogant composure, the let out a mocking cat-call whistle as Aster dismounted from her motorcycle, his eyes lustfully looking her over with satisfaction. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are snookums, but you’ll fetch an even better price than the losers we bagged earlier. You Renamon make the perfect companion Digimon after all!” bellowed the Boogiemon in laughter which was quickly repeated by his sniveling lackeys.

The fur on the back of Aster’s neck began to stand on end as her pupils narrowed into angry slits. Pulling out her Digivice with a paw and raising it forward, Aster snarled out the word “Digivolve!” as her body and motorcycle became enveloped by swirling bright blue energized data.

“What the hell are you!?” shouted the Boogiemon in surprise as he took a step back, shielding his eyes from the sudden intense light.

The data from Aster’s motorcycle joined with her body once more as she began to Digivolve. Aster’s data began to rearrange itself, adapting and changing to the sudden influx of energy as she felt herself growing stronger. With her Digivolution finished and her body encased in armor, Aster’s vision returned as a confident smirk crossed her muzzle. “I’m the Renamon that’s going to save these kids and kick your ass,” replied the armored vixen with a threatening crack of her knuckles.

“We will see,” grunted the Boogiemon before lurching forward and engaging Aster directly as his companions joined in, attempting to mob the yellow vixen.

Forming a crystal dagger in each of her paws, Aster charged forward and began to fight. Although it somewhat slowed her down, Aster was immensely thankful for her armor as claws and melee weapons slashed at her from seemingly all directions. But despite the number of the Boogiemon’s companions, they began to fall one by one.

As his goons were reduced to data, the Boogiemon grew more and more nervous and pulled back from the fight, preparing to retreat. But as he started to scurry away, he noticed Roy standing unguarded, his partner Terra having joined the fight from Aster’s side. “That damned Renamon may have won this fight, but I’m going to have the last laugh here,” cursed the Boogiemon beneath his breath. Sprinting forward through the chaos, the crimson demon-like Digimon snatched up the young boy in his arms.

“H-hey! Let me go! Terra, hel-mlph!” screamed Roy before the Boogiemon clamped a tattooed hand over the young boy’s mouth.

His prize secured, the Boogiemon retreated towards a large armored truck parked at the end of the alleyway where the other captives were quickly being loaded.

“In ya go kid!” laughed the Boogiemon as he hurled Roy onto the pile of knocked out victims. Slamming the heavy door shut, the Boogiemon scuttled towards the passenger seat before jumping inside. “Get me out of here!” shouted the Boogiemon to the Dracumon driver who immediately slammed on the gas at his master’s orders.

“Pretty lady, they’ve got Roy!” called out Terra to Aster, pointing towards the speeding vehicle with a claw.

“Oh shit,” swore Aster as she looked up, her chest heaving heavily as fragments of data dripped from her fur and armor. Luckily, the few surviving goons had begun to scatter leaving Aster a straight path to the vehicle. However, as Aster began to chase after the Boogiemon and Roy, her body felt as if it as on fire. Each breath she drew into her lungs burned as her legs threatened to fail on her with every step forward. But despite the pain and weariness of her body, Aster pushed herself forwards. Just like the exhaust pipes on the vehicle, the exhaust pipes on Aster’s back belched out black smoke they rushed through the desert town.

“She’s gaining on us!” growled the Boogiemon to his Dracumon chauffer, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead as he watched Aster’s figure gradually get closer in the side window.

“The gas pedal won’t go any lower sir!” chattered the Dracumon, his knuckles clenched on the steering wheel. “What should we do?”

“Buy us some time damn you! I’ll call for help!” shouted the Boogiemon as he fumbled with something beneath his seat before pulling out a flare gun. Rolling down the window, the Boogiemon pointed the barrel upwards and pulled the trigger, sending a ball of fire streaking into the sky.

Keeping one eye on the approaching Vixen and one eye on the road, the Dracumon began to plow into mailboxes, street signs, and anything else he thought might slow down or hopefully crash the cursed furry female.

Despite Aster’s incredible driving skills, the added debris and obstacles worked as the Dracumon had hopped, slowing down her pursuit. Exhausted but determined, Aster continued to chase the captors as the edge of the desert town came into view. But as Aster pushed herself even further, an ear-splitting roar screeched from behind her as a shadow from above coated her body in an ever-growing shadow. Casting a quick glance behind her, Aster barely managed to avoid the razor claws which swooped down at her from above. Her focus lost, the machined vixen lost her footing and painfully tumbled headlong into a pile of full and slightly rusted trashcans. Shaking off the rotten banana peel from her vision and raising her head, Aster’s heart sank as the Boogiemon’s vehicle peeled out of town and into the vast desert beyond.

Picking herself up from the trash, Aster turned her attention to the hulking Devidramon which had caused her to fumble. But upon one look at the Digimon, Aster knew the beast was feral, its ability to reason like other Digimon and humans long since eroded into something much more savage and violent.

The Devidramon was covered in leathery black skin with tempered crimson claws and torn yet functional wings that adorned its back. When it snarled, numerous jagged teeth made themselves known as the beast advanced.

“I don’t suppose we could talk civilly about this over a drink,” sighed Aster as she raised her sore paws for another bout with a dangerous Digimon. Her energy depleted and her body threatening to de-Digivolve any second, Aster sluggishly dodged the Devidramon’s talons. But when Aster attempted to retaliate with an attack of her own, the Devidramon interrupted her with a heavy backhand. The yellow vixen was sent hurtling through the air and smashed through an old wooden door of an adobe hut.

“Ouch,” muttered the fluffy female as she laid face-first on the floor, an intense migraine assaulting her senses as her Armor Digivolution ended. Her vision momentarily filled will light as the data of her motorcycle exited from her body before reforming into a familiar shape not far away on the dusty floor.

But while Aster regained some strength on the floor, the Devidramon began to claw at the stone hut, grasping and groping in an attempt to finish off his prey.

“Five more minutes mom,” snickered Aster with a groan as she rose to wobbly paws and found her balance. Taking a short look around the small hovel, Aster realized she was trapped inside the adobe hut. However, despite its frustrated roaring, the Devidramon was unable to break the thick stone and reach her, granted Aster a much-needed break.

After heading over and taking a seat on her bike, Aster pondered her options as the Devidramon began to pace around the hovel and occasionally scratched against it, reminding her it was there.

Leaning against her bike in thought, Aster figured it best to wait until the beast lost interest with her and wandered off or she regained enough strength to Digivolve once more. But as Aster exchanged stares with the multiple eyes of the Devidramon, the feral Digimon suddenly let out a roar of pain and pulled back, shifting its attention from the trapped vixen. Cautiously popping her head out from the damaged doorway, Aster blinked for a few seconds in disbelief when she saw the Agumon Terra engaging the much stronger dragon in combat.

---

Been awhile, hasn't it? I looked at my desktop and noticed that the latest chapter hadn't been posted yet. So, this needed to be rectified.

Character design and story outline by  AtticusKotch
Story written by ThornWolf33 on DA