Ch 1: For Venhea
"You've come a long way, Asuka. Defeat Image and you will no longer be recognized as a mere Fledgling but as a true Knight of Venhea." Visler de Starmon looked down at his pupil, his green eyes filled with pride at seeing how much the yellow and white fox Digimon before him had grown.
Asuka looked up and smiled at the big silver star with limbs she called her teacher. Of all the Knights in Venhea, she had never expected Visler to accept her as his pupil but, having made it to the Combat Skill Graduation Exam after three years of hard work under Visler, and many more years without him before that, she was more than ready to display the fruits of her labor in her upcoming battle.
"Thank you for all your teachings, Knight de Starmon," Asuka said with a deep bow of respect to the Digimon before her.
Visler put his large hand on the yellow fox's head and said, "after today, it'll just be Knight Visler. I believe in you. Make me proud, girl."
The Renamon kept her head bowed for a moment more. Releasing a deep breath, Asuka straightened her back and turned to face the plain white doors that had been behind her.
"May Venhea's glory shine on me today."
Without turning to face her teacher, Asuka repeated the prayer and walked towards the doors now before her. They split open as she approached them and as she walked out of the plain waiting room and into the coliseum's arena, the massive dome building packed with cheering fans, Asuka felt confident in herself.
Having relaxed, Asuka took in as many details as possible about the battlefield. The random field generator had created an arena with Earth, Wood, and Water elements in mind; which she felt would be to her own advantage. A grassy field made up the terrain beneath her feet; the short blades of grass were covered in a slight blanket of dew from the relatively small waterfall and pond combination to her left. There was platform-like-stones jutting out the side of the unnatural mountain from which the water fell, some smaller but still manageable stones in the falling water's way. To her right, Asuka saw thick brush, the canopy of which was about forty feet off the ground, and the bulk of which had more than enough room for her slender figure to escape into. Content with what she'd observed, Asuka made her way to her starting position, fifteen feet forward, seventy feet away from where Image would start.
As she settled into the circle that was her designated starting point, the doors opposite the ones she exited opened and out walked the shorter, bipedal wolf that was her opponent. His blue and white fur was relaxed, his red boxing gloves and matching headband shined defiantly. For all her confidence and effort, Image had dedicated just as much of his life to this moment. He nodded at Asuka, grim determination on his face as he settled into position.
From a door that cut the field in half came a small chill as the overseer of the battle made his way into the arena. The Digimon was humanoid in body type and wore a skin-tight, white and light blue bodysuit with blue chest armor and matching gauntlets and helmet. He had striking yellow streaks on the forehead of his helm and similarly colored blades on his forearms. The Rinkmon strode in on the ice skates of his species, elegantly dancing atop the thin sheets of ice he created midstride, finally stopping in a twirl in the center of the field.
"I am Grace de Rinkmon, Knight of Venhea and proctor for this battle," announced the Armor-Level Digimon to the crowd and Fledglings before him, throwing his flared white muffler to the side for dramatic effect. He stretched his arm out to point at Asuka. "Asuka la Renamon, apprentice to Visler de Starmon, you are here in hopes of becoming a Knight." Grace used his other arm to put people's attention on Asuka's opponent. "Image le Gaomon, apprentice to Tempest de Aquilamon, you share these same aspirations. Despite all your training, your opponent today has endured and sacrificed just as much. Fight honorably, fight courageously, and fight to prove that you deserve to become a Knight. May Venhea's glory shine on this battlefield. Ready?"
"Ready," confirmed the two combatants in unison.
"Very well. Asuka la Renamon, Image le Gaomon, begin!"
Without hesitation, Asuka dropped to all fours and began sprinting in a zigzag towards Image. Despite his much shorter legs, Image was also able to get a strong start as he ran towards Asuka, red gloves up and close to his chest. Knowing that the Gaomon would easily overpower her in a fair fist fight, Asuka jumped into the air and made a diamond with her fingers.
"Yellow Diamond Flash," she said as she willed her strength down her arms and into her hands. Bright light burst out from the small diamond she had formed and illuminated the field with a piercing yellow light. A small yelp of pain from her opponent informed Asuka her attack had worked.
Landing softly on the grass, she closed in on Image who had one glove over his pained eyes and the other glove thrashing uselessly at the air. Not five feet away, Asuka did a spinning leap toward Image with the intent of using her momentum to land a heavy kick into Image's chest.
As she made her fourth rotation almost directly in front of her opponent, Asuka thought that she saw a smile cross Image's face. Her fear came true; as soon as her back was to the blue wolf, she heard Image whisper "Scent on the Breeze." Asuka braced herself as she recognized the name of the technique and its uses as she herself had used in the past. She sensed Image's body heat at her back before she felt the rush of pain that followed. "Rolling Upper!" shouted Image as his gloved fist connected with the small of Asuka's back sending her into the air.
Asuka crashed onto the grass a few feet away from Image, writhing in pain as she pawed at her back, hoping to massage the pain away. Image rubbed at his eyes once more before lightly punching himself to refocus. He turned his head to look directly at the writhing Asuka still on the ground, his bloodshot eyes told a simple story, Image was concentrated on finishing things quickly.
Image straightened his right arm and began to spin it, a small ring of gray wind forming around his wrist. "Vortex Uppercut."
Ignoring the pain, Asuka rolled onto her stomach and forced herself up and away from where she was, a small rising twister tearing up the ground and grass as Image's attack tore through the space she had occupied a split second earlier.
Wanting to create separation, Asuka rolled for few feet before giving a powerful push off of one arm and landing several yards away from Image. "One Thousand Reflections," Asuka yelled as she made an X with her arms in front of her and then clawed at the air as she brought her arms behind her in a swift motion. Two orbs of light that formed in her palms became beams of light that fell onto the dew-covered grass beneath her feet. The water droplets on the grass blades acted as prism's and reflected rainbow colored beams at Image.
Image's eyes went wide, "Gao Rush!" he yelled frantically as he began throwing a flurry of punches at the oncoming laser beams. Though a single beam wouldn't hurt too badly the number of beams made the technique dangerous. His gloves created a red blur in front Image as he punched the oncoming lasers, dispersing them into multicolored sparks but despite his best efforts, the blue wolf was beginning to feel the sting of pain caused by lasers that made it past his offensive defense.
"Double Backhand." Image cursed at himself as a wall of wind formed all around him as he began his speedy revolution. He'd have to be ready; though he would survive the onslaught of lasers, Double Backhand would leave him exposed as he regained his balance.
Image slowed and as he composed himself he saw a yellow streak jump over him, felt as clawed hands gripped around his jaw, and sensed as the body attached to the arms rotated in midair. Though he experienced everything in slow motion, Image had no time to react as he was lifted off the ground, feet forced off the earth, and thrown toward pond.
Despite using all her strength, Asuka didn't quite get Image into the water but he did land hard on the ground in front of it. As Image wearily got to his feet, Asuka had already closed the distance she had created with her throw and as she had meant to earlier, spun through air and delivered a powerful kick to the upper body of Image. The blue Digimon flew backwards and crashed into the waterfall, destroying the already perilous footholds, before being peeled off the hard mountain by the falling stream and landing into the body of water below.
"I will be Asuka da Renamon," announced the yellow fox. "You are a stepping stone."
Beneath the water, Image heard Asuka's words, muffled as they were, and he was grateful to her for firing him up to continue the fight as well as giving him a shock to wake him out of his fatigue. Image brought his gloves together and began to concentrate
Above the water, Asuka felt the tingle of a cold breeze roll through her fur. "Image, stay down," she whispered. Opening her right palm, she created a yellow orb of dim light. As she continued to concentrate the pale yellow grew darker and then it became shinier until it was a golden orb of energy. "Golden Bullet," she yelled as she threw the orb at Image. The energy projectile broke the water's surface easily and surged toward Image at incredible speed. Asuka felt confident that the attack could win her the fight but she didn't believe the attack would hit.
"Cyclone Circus," said Image as he dodged the oncoming projectile. His lower body was surrounded by a gray twister that began to lift him higher while a dozen more vortexes formed in the air above him. The gold orb that had flown by him exploded against the stones behind him throwing water and rocks in the air, both of which disrupted his cyclones. Image jumped from one wind platform to the next but his footing wasn't as solid due to the added water and earth.
Asuka could see Image struggle but felt it was another feint due to how openly distraught he seemed. "More projectiles," she thought. Bringing her arms in front of her, she snapped them outward and then forward, razor sharp leaves digitizing around her as she did, "Leaf Blades" she yelled as the natural blades sliced through the air.
"Iron Fist," said the Gaomon as a gleam of light turned his red gloves silver. His right fist connected with the Leaf Blades and the leaves crumbled before the strength of Image's gloves. Asuka allowed her opponent to return to field, Image's gloves returning to red as he jumped off the final cyclone and onto the grassy field once more.
"You're better than I expected," admitted Asuka.
Image gave her a confused look. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"
"I thought very highly of you so yes," she confirmed. Asuka regarded Image for a moment. The frontal assault wasn't working in her favor but that was alright as she had one more plan to fall back on. Turning around, Asuka dashed for the thick brush. "Image is a close combat warrior and that will be his downfall," she thought.
"Vacuum Fist," was all Asuka heard as the small of her back was caved in by a painful ball of wind that pulled a surprised yell from her mouth and sent her tumbling to the ground.
"I may only know one or two long range techniques but I am very good with them," said Image as he calmly walked toward his downed opponent, spinning his right arm as he did so. "Vortex Uppercut." Gray wind rose up beneath Asuka and tore at her body as she was forcefully lifted into the air and allowed to crash down a few feet away from Image but also, as she noted, a bit closer to the brush.
Standing, she made a diamond with her fingers once more but before she could say the name of her technique a second "Vacuum Fist" collided into her stomach, stealing her breath, and flinging her backwards and into the borderline of the brush.
"Not the way I had hoped but at least I made it," she thought as she coughed, trying to recapture her breath. Reaching down, Asuka placed her open palm on the thick root of the tree closest to her and willed her power into it. "Wild Vine," she spoke as branches and vines from tree's top burst forward at Image.
Realizing the strength of the oncoming limbs, Image became a blue blur once more as he unleashed a second "Double Backhand". He successfully fended off Asuka's attack but in doing so had allowed her to escape into the thick brush that would suit her more than him, something the Gaomon had begrudgingly accepted when he launched his countermeasure. Image cautiously walked into the small clearing within the brush, the thick canopy creating shade that was several degrees cooler than the rest of the arena.
"Leaf Blades!" The two words reverberated loudly.
Defiantly, Image put both fists up and spoke his challenge, "Iron Fist". A brilliant luster overtook the red gloves once more and made them shine with metallic flair. Image thought he was ready. He was mistaken.
The thickets of the forested area made for a dark corner in the arena and the faint beams of artificial light that shined through the canopy suddenly grew dark.
In her hiding place, Asuka smiled to herself. Much like with the root, she had used the available resources to empower her attack and what was once a flurry of ten or so leaves was now a rainstorm of finely honed, green blades. She watched on as her weapons of war flew through air.
The leaves fell on Image like a torrent. He had taken too long to realize the blossoming darkness was due to Asuka's attack and in a desperate defensive measure, Image brought his gloves close to his body, made himself small and hoped that he wouldn't be cut to pieces. What Asuka recognized as five seconds felt like five hours of excruciatingly painful rain to Image as he stood there, stuck in place, protecting his face with gloves that were becoming tattered and cut.
Asuka recognized her opening and as the last of her leaves fell she was already running towards her opponent's exposed back. Asuka jumped over Image, spinning her body in midair and stomped her feet into his stomach, her hands clawed into his shoulders. Then using the momentum she had already created, Asuka let herself fall backwards and used that force to toss Image over herself and into the air.
"Wild Vine," she said triumphantly as she touched another root. More wooden and grassy arms lashed out and wrapped themselves around Image's limbs. His arms and legs were forced open to leave his chest and abdomen exposed, his head was pulled back simultaneously exposing his neck and choking the air out of him, and his body was wrapped over multiple times by thorn covered vines that stabbed into the skin beneath his fur.
Image gasped for air as the silver coloring of his gloves died and returned to a red matching his still bloodshot eyes.
Asuka stomped at the ground and the black claws of her feet were surrounded by an aura that grew larger with golden light. She cracked her knuckles by making a fist and then opening her hands strongly, fingers outstretched and outlined with the same concentrated energy. The yellow of her fur sharpened and became glossy as it too took on a gold tint. She had made herself a living weapon. Asuka, determined to finish the match, jumped high into the air and while touching the claws of her hands and feet together, she stabbed into Image's prone body and then she remorselessly formed a giant X of light as she stretched her limbs out and away from each other ripping a terrible, shining scar onto the Gaomon's body. As she tore into Image, Asuka whispered the name of her technique: "Midday Assassination", and she felt the life within Image waver on the verge of death. The vines and branches that had trapped Image erupted into a green and brown cloud of debris. Asuka landed on the grass below, gold energy evaporating off her. She turned to see Image held in place by her golden X, a sad cloud of dust around him and for a moment more he was helplessly held there, but then the X burst and in a bright flash allowed the defenseless Gaomon to fall limply to the ground.
Image landed with an audible thud on a pile of roots.
A few moments passed but the Fledgling Knight didn't so much as twitch which prompted Grace de Rinkmon to make his way into the forest. "Image le Gaomon, if you can continue, please respond," commanded Grace, a concerned expression on the Knight's face. When the blue wolf failed to stir, Grace made his decision. "Image le Gaomon is unable to continue. As proctor of this graduation exam, I, Grace de Rinkmon, Knight of Venhea, declare this to be Asuka la Renamon's victory. Glory to Asuka da Renamon!"
The crowd erupted into loud cheers and for the first time Asuka heard them. She realized that she had been so concentrated that she hadn't noticed the excitement in the stands during the fight. She heard the jubilation now and it felt wonderful despite adrenaline wearing off and soreness settling in.
Turning back to her opponent, Asuka saw a few paramedics making their way onto the field to grab Image. Quickly placing him on a stretcher, they took the unconscious Beast Digimon away. Asuka looked up into the stands and saw the white faced, russet colored bird, Tempest de Aquilamon, Image's teacher. He had a stern look on his face that didn't exactly communicate disappointment but rather contemplation. Despite making eye contact with the Digimon who had defeated his pupil, Tempest simply nodded at her and walked away.
Feeling a familiar hand clasp tightly around her shoulder, Asuka's attention returned to reality and she found her own teacher there, his eyes smiling. "I knew you would do it."
Asuka nodded. "I really did it."
"Asuka la Renamon was a Fledgling Knight of Venhea. She had sacrificed much just to be given an opportunity but now all those sacrifices have honored her with a dream realized. Asuka la Renamon is no more, in her place is Asuka da Renamon, Knight of Venhea under his Majesty, Nelgod Zil Lucemon." Visler's voice boomed as he announced Asuka's promotion to Knighthood. "As with all Knights, Asuka da Renamon will now share personal words with our Sovereign. All rise and bow your heads for the arrival of our King, Nelgod Zil Lucemon!"
The enormous, gold-encrusted wooden doors of the beautiful cathedral they were in opened. All Digimon in attendance were standing, heads bowed and eyes closed as they had been commanded. A Digimon that looked like a fair-skinned child dressed in the finest of white cloth walked in through the open doors, his many pure-colored wings folded closely against his back. Nelgod, the King of Venhea, strode in with natural dignity as he slowly made his way to the raised platform within the cathedral. He smiled and where he recognized Digimon, he would stop, tap their shoulder and share a moment with those he particularly cared for.
After a few minutes, the King of Venhea finally arrived to stand next to Asuka and Visler. His voice shook the cathedral as he spoke, "All Digimon, open your eyes and be graced with the image of potential within a promising youth being realized." The Digimon within the large cathedral opened their eyes, their attention firmly focused on Nelgod, ears eagerly awaiting to hear more. "Today, one Digimon who had dedicated much of her life to training has finally achieved her dream. Though she had to best other Digimon, today shall not be a day of mourning for their failures but rather a night of celebration for the success of one of our own."
Cheers mixed in with clapping and whistling resounded throughout the cathedral. Asuka found herself drawn into Nelgod just as much as anyone. She was surprised to notice that Visler seemed stiff near Nelgod even after all his years as a Knight. The King might be of slight build, Asuka's lean forming standing at least a foot taller than him, but Nelgod's presence, if Visler's reaction was anything to go off of, clearly made him a giant that commanded attention.
"Asuka da Renamon, today Venhea shined her Glory down upon you," began Nelgod. "Now, I, Nelgod Zil Lucemon, King of Venhea and Master of Battle, bless you with all my love and welcome you into the Venhean Knighthood. What say you? Speak!"
Asuka fell to one knee, head bowed, eyes closed, and took a deep breath before announcing, "I accept your blessing. I embrace your love. I shall spread Venhea's glory. I will dedicate my life. I live to serve."
Asuka just barely managed to finish before the cathedral had erupted once more in sounds of merriment and celebration.
Visler and Asuka made it to Barracks the next morning, tired yet cheery from the festival like graduation party the night prior. Teacher and student walked side by side, one proud of the other, the other proud of herself. They looked at each other and chuckled as a wave of memories flooded their thoughts, happy times that had arisen from bad decisions. Even the generally serious Visler had been swept up in the fun chaos. That combined with a few too many drinks led to him kissing Hope da Gatomon, who she herself was known for a stern attitude as well. Best of all for him, earlier that morning, Visler had gotten her contact information and they had a date planned for the following weekend. All in all, it had been a fun night but now it was all business for Asuka, something she realized as she saw the regality of the Venhean Knight Barracks before her.
She'd walked by them many times but had never been allowed inside even with Visler present. After so long, it seemed surreal that she was finally going to be allowed access into the grand building. The Barracks could tower over almost all other buildings within the Venhean Kingdom and certainly dwarfed the buildings surrounding it. Twenty-One stories, each story standing twenty-one feet tall to compensate for the larger Knights, the Knight Barracks were massive. On either side of the front entrance doors was a Fledgling Knight; that made Asuka smile as she remembered she had stood guard many times in her sixth and seventh year of training, a year prior to becoming Visler's pupil. Two large towers framed the front entrance, with two more towers completing the square defense of the Barracks. On each tower stood a certified Knight watching over the younger Digimon while also keeping guard themselves.
The sheer size made the building imposing but it was the colors that truly added a royal air to the Barracks. Pearl white walls with glittering gold borders gave off a divine gleam. A golden V with a deep black left wing and pure white right wing atop a lavender triangle, the symbol of the Venhea Kingdom, sat across crimson banners that were proudly hung above the entrances in each of the four cardinal directions around the Barracks. Flags bearing the same symbol also stood gallantly atop each tower.
As Asuka and Visler approached the Barracks the two Fledglings, both Shamamon, on the ground opened the twin doors for them and bowed as they backed out of the Knights' way. Looking inside, Asuka's jaw dropped as she saw Nelgod zil Lucemon smiling back at her.
"Welcome. We need to talk."
Asuka sat awkwardly on the lavish couch next to her teacher. Having known Visler for such a long time, she could tell the star shaped Digimon wasn't expecting the visit either and was feeling rather uncomfortable. Nelgod on the other hand was casually preparing himself a drink, the very idea of which made Asuka's stomach turn as she had had more than enough alcohol for the rest of the year. After a few minutes of relentlessly suffocating silence, King Nelgod spoke.
"It's nice to see the two of you again so soon," the blonde-haired Digimon said as he took a seat opposite the teacher and student duo, crossing his legs and taking a sip of his drink as he did so. "Despite my somewhat lax attitude, I'm here with a rather important request for Venhea's newest Knight. Asuka, will you hear me out?"
Although she was stunned silent due to being given a choice, Asuka nodded her head a few times before finally managing to say, "y-yes, of course I will, Your Majesty."
While small and quick, Asuka noticed the slightest bit of a flinch from Nelgod when she used the honorific. She had heard that the King was humble to the core, something that seemed true, and Asuka approved fondly.
"Nel would work but I know you wouldn't dare, no one ever does so I hope you can at least settle for just calling me King, others are named King so I'll use it too," replied Nelgod, proving Asuka's earlier observation true. "Anyways, this deals with Visler as well. You see, Asuka, your teacher and the teacher of your opponent today were both selected for a mission of the highest importance, a mission that I want you to join."
Visler tensed visibly at Nelgod's words, catching the King's attention.
"I know she is young and still a relative novice but you two could use the extra power," said the Lucemon, blue eyes coolly observing Visler's body language.
Trying not to fidget, Visler struggled to find his words."T-that is true but we're going to be in the most dangerous place. Ironically, wouldn't it be safer if she were on the frontlines while Tempest and I were backed up by a more experienced Knight?"
Nelgod pondered that idea before shaking his head no. "Your student is promising and I'd like her to receive the experience of this mission but I suppose I can leave the decision up to her." Nelgod moved his crystal eyes to Asuka and asked once more, "are you still willing to hear me out, Knight Asuka?"
Admittedly a little concerned by Visler's reaction, Asuka hesitated for a moment before the pride of being called a "Knight" overpowered her worries. She was being given a decision so the least she could do was hear the whole story. "Yes, my King, I'd very much like to hear your request."
Nelgod raised two fingers on his right hand as he began to speak. "Two artifacts as old as the Digital World; one representing the Life-Giving ability of Yggdrasil, the other representing the Destructive ability of Yggdrasil, and both of them in my control." Nelgod lifted his glass to his mouth and downed the strong drink held within. "The Zero Unit is what allows me to control Digivolution and to an extent, the life of Digimon. Everything is well within the Zero Unit. Things are not so well with the opposite of the Zero Unit however. The Digital Hazard is a malicious program that I nearly died trying to contain. I succeeded in shutting down the Digital Hazard but something so powerful would not remain dormant forever and it is starting to become active once again."
Asuka felt a small bead of sweat on her brow. She had read about the Digital Hazard as part of her training. If any part of the stories and past research were true, she should distance herself as much as possible from the Digital Hazard.
"With the Digital Hazard coming back online, it can be weaponized into the ultimate source of destructive but that is a reality that I simply cannot allow to be realized." Nelgod crushed the glass in his left hand. "I've been hiding this from the citizens of Venhea but I share it with you now, Asuka da Renamon. Venhea is on the cusp of war with the Enlightened Islands over the possession of the Digital Hazard."
Asuka eyes hurt from wide they grew. She looked from Visler and back to the King hoping either would say that was a joke. "But the Drasil Accords clearly and sternly states that peace talks must be made first and any proclamations of war must wait until after the Drasil Summit."
"The Drasil Accords are ancient, outdated, and have overstayed their welcome . . . at least that's what many of its opponents state," offered Visler.
"The Enlightened Islands would still suffer for this. Surely, we would receive aid from some of other nations, wouldn't we?" asked Asuka, her voice alluding to only some of the frenzied chaos going on within her head.
Nelgod rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm himself. The King of Venhea had gone over the logic and every scenario possible multiple times, Asuka on the other hand was caught unprepared and slapped with the idea of war so he could not expect her to know any better.
"Mordecai Zil Vamdemon of the Blood Empire is too caught up in the power plays of his underlings. Even if the war was raging outside his own castle walls, he would never notice. Nirvana Zi Sanzomon is too smart to interfere in a pointless war so Haven, despite being the most powerful nation, is a nonfactor. None of the other Drasil Accord nations had any significant power. That leaves Venhea and the Enlightened Islands with just enough time to waste innocent lives." Nelgod stood up and furiously started pacing the room. "As Knight Visler said, there are some in power who do not agree with the Drasil Accords any longer and a war between two of the Four Great Nations with opposing views of the Accords would go a long way in gaining or losing favor for those very Accords. Knight Asuka, I've considered everything and I have decided on this one plan. Two specially created Digimon will go to where the Digital Hazard is currently locked away. One of those Digimon will have the Zero Unit fused with his Digicore and that additional power will give him the boost needed to fuse the Digital Hazard with the Digicore of the second Digimon. The bearer of the Digital Hazard will suffer for the entire Digital World and it will be his honor. Will you help me destroy one Digimon's life for the sake of every other Digimon?" Nelgod whispered the last of his words with such intensity he might as well have been screaming. By this point; the stress of a potential war was clearly weighing on the normally calm leader of Venhea.
Asuka tried to gain a handle on everything she had just been told. So many consequences, helping to essentially end a life she had sworn to protect. There was one important thing to consider however and that was that her teacher, Visler, had agreed. If he felt this was the best course of action, she would believe in him and his opinion. "I'll do it. I'll help seal the Digital Hazard. I'll do it even if means sacrificing an innocent life."
The love that Nelgod felt towards all Venhean's betrayed him as he became emotional. Knowing that he was throwing a life away, he choked on his words. His sadness deprived him of the ability verbally express his gratitude towards Asuka and her promise to ruin a life for the sake of all and so the troubled King simply mouthed the words, "thank you" as he bowed his head and allowed tears to fall from his eyes.