"We make war that we may live in peace."
~Aristotle~

Rustling leaves overhead was the only sound to be heard beneath the canopy of the thick trees that night. It made the near pitch black forest floor all the more eerie than usual, which didn't help her nerves in the least. Already tonight was going to be dangerous, and there was an almost certain chance someone was going to die, but she kept her expression calm and her grip on her sword tight.

She wanted to say she had the advantage; her eyes were well adapted to the Jungle Zone's darkness and she had lived in the Zone her whole life, so she knew its every trick. But then she remembered it was no ordinary enemy she was trying to intercept.

Shaking her head, Mervamon returned her attention to the surrounding trees, resisting the urge to hunt down the enemy that was no doubt hiding somewhere in the Zone at that moment and stay at her post. She was a warrior by nature, not a sentry, and standing in one place all night awaiting someone to attack her was not her style.

Normally no one needed to guard the Hidden Sanctuary; it had its own natural barrier that kept out anyone unworthy. But tonight they were dealing with the Bagra Army, and every precaution needed to be made. It was imperative that the Code Crown not fall under enemy control.

Stingmon had offered to guard the Sanctuary instead, but he had been injured in the last fight when some Troopmon wandered too close to a village while scouting for the best route to the Hidden Sanctuary. Mervamon had immediately volunteered to take his place, knowing the Bagra servant would make a beeline for her post, and she was itching for a fight. She wanted to show Bagra that the Jungle Zone wasn't a place he wanted to mess with, even if she had to fight the Generals themselves.

A faint stirring in the undergrowth ahead of her caught her attention, and she suddenly froze, straining to hear and see what had caused the disturbance. Hesitantly she took a few steps forward, squinting to see into the dense foliage, though she detected no movement.

Mervamon's blood ran cold when she felt a sudden presence behind her, and a soft voice said in a morbid sense of greeting, "Boo.."

She whirled around instantly, swinging her sword in a wide arc at the sound from behind her, though was shocked when the figure appeared to flicker and the blade traveled right through its target.

Recovering, she raised her other arm to strike the cloaked Digimon, only for him to jump backwards. It was then she realized that he was between her and the Sanctuary when it should be the other way around.

It's okay.. Only those with pure hearts are allowed in Sanctuary... He'll never get through..

Now that he was standing closer to the door, Mervamon was able to make out what he looked like from the light that emitted from it. He was tall, with a long white cloak, a blue cloth wrapped around his head, and a short crimson sword in his right hand. His entire left arm was hidden with an over-sized sleeve with several crossed buckles, as well as a few that crossed his torso. He had a short leather vest and two long tow chains that wrapped around his body, though they were entirely silent as he moved.

So this is Bagra's elite assassin..

"Leave!" She demanded, hoping her voice didn't waver at all. He was dangerous; she knew that much. She was more than willing to fight him if necessary, but she knew she had low odds of beating him.

I couldn't bear it if the Bagra Army took over the Jungle Zone.. Ignitemon would be killed, or enslaved..

Mervamon shook her head. She didn't have time for these thoughts.

He didn't respond to her, only tilting his head slightly to one side to show he'd even heard her.

Snarling, she lunged at him with her sword once again. This time instead of turning intangible, he blocked with his own sword, forcing her back fairly easily. Mervamon grimaced and jumped back, trying to think of a new approach since he had countered her so effortlessly.

"Get out.." She hissed. "Or I swear I'll kill you.."

The assassin simply looked amused at that. "Is that so?"

Mervamon nodded. "Yeah, it is..."

"That doesn't seem very likely, in my opinion."

"I didn't ask for your opinion! Who the hell are you anyways, and what are you here for?!"

"My name's Reapmon. As for what I'm here for.. That should be obvious enough."

Mervamon clenched her fists. "The Code Crown, right?"

"Of course. And I'm guessing it's right through this door, hm?"

"I'll never let you get to the Hidden Sanctuary... And even if you do beat me, the barrier will keep you out. Only the pure of heart can enter!"

"I'm aware of that. But I have a habit of getting into places I'm not welcome."

"Then I will just have to stop you.." Mervamon growled, trying to strike him with the large snake head on her right arm. Reapmon evaded it just in time, much to her frustration, and she lashed out even more furiously with her sword. The exchange went on for a little while, Mervamon never able to land a blow and the Bagra assassin never even trying to attack.

Once they separated long enough, Mervamon turned on him and yelled, "Why won't you fight back, you coward?!"

Reapmon blinked and tilted his head. "It's rude to hit a lady.."

His response only made her faintly flustered and even more enraged. "You've killed hundreds if not thousands of people in the name of that cold hearted bastard, and you're worried about hitting a girl..?!"

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess that is pretty silly.."

"Why don't you just kill me already and finish your mission? What's holding you back?" Mervamon demanded, still trying to catch her breath from the earlier attempts at attacking him.

"Honestly? This little sparring match is much more entertaining than collecting some old Code Crown. Conquering Zones isn't part of my job; that's for the Generals. Really, I'm only supposed to take down Deckerdramon so he's out of the way for when Tactimon is ready to take this place."

"Entertaining..?" She echoed. "You've just been toying with me? This is all a game to you?!" Mervamon spat, her voice escalating as her anger built. "Is that all this war is to you?!"

Reapmon hesitated a moment, then shook his head. "No, not the war. War is hell for everyone except for the ones who control the pawns. I only meant you going on about killing me. And actually trying it too. Though I must commend you, not many are willing to fight back against me. Kudos to you."

"I don't need your mocking.. Now I'll say this one more time; leave!"

The reaper seemed to consider her demand for a moment this time, then shrugged and nodded. "Alright."

Mervamon blanched. "What..?!"

"Why not? I have better things to do with my time anyways. Besides, I know you'll keep trying to get in my way, and really, that's too much of a bother for me. I doubt I'd really be able to get passed the barrier anyways." Reapmon explained as if it were obvious.

"B-But," She spluttered. "Won't you get in trouble?" She didn't mean to push her luck, but she truly was in too much shock and confusion to realize she could accidentally make him change his mind.

"I'm well aware. I get in trouble for insubordination all the time. Bagra and the Generals know I'm not reliable to getting something crucial done, which is why Tactimon will be storming this place anyways. They only keep me around because most Digimon fear me and I'm strong enough to be worth while when I do decide to complete my assignments. They've just accepted I'm not very obedient."

Before she could think of a response to him, he gave her a cheery wave, said a quick "See ya~", and opened a Zone Transfer portal, disappearing within.

Mervamon could only stare after him in a stupor, trying to register what had just happened. That was the elite assassin of Bagra..? She wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't that. He hadn't been as cruel or murderous as she'd expected, and the fact that he'd admitted to not holding much loyalty in following Bagra's orders to the point he didn't even finish most of his assignments made her wonder if he even had killed as many as she'd assumed.

Still, to get his reputation, he most have killed enough...

She shook her head to clear it. He was just another twisted oddity of the Digital World and nothing more. He was gone now, and was no longer any of her concern. Instead she turned her attention to the sky which was showing signs of sunlight. It would be day very soon and her shift would end.

But now we have the threat of Tactimon's army to deal with.. And who knows when he will attack..

Mervamon shuddered at the thought of being up against the Bagra General and his forces, but pushed it aside. "I can't dwell on it too much.. I can only hope for the best and fight as hard as I can.. I need to for Ignitemon's sake.."

I couldn't even manage a scratch on the assassin, and he's below the Generals in rank.. How will we manage..? We'll need Deckdramon's help for sure if we want any chance of survival..

She hoped the Code Crown's guardian would be able to fight alongside them, and that Stingmon would know what to do. She wasn't even sure if she fit the requirements of being pure enough to enter the barrier; she'd never tried. She had always stayed outside the Sanctuary with her brother since she wasn't a fan of crowds. But Mervamon was a close enough friend of Stingmon to be trusted with guarding the doorway to the Code Crown, so she was sure he would be willing to tell her the way to Deckerdramon if he thought she was good enough to see him.

I pray we'll be able to fend them off.. And to whatever god may be out there, please... Let Ignitemon stay safe...