"Then I help you."
"What?"
"Then I help you to get out of here!!"
The girl looked at him speechless. "You want to help me to get out of here??" "Yes." "But..I will come out here nevertheless, I just don't know when this will be the case..." Isabella broke off in the middle of the sentence because this possibility that Candlemon just offered her sounded more than enticing. Because instead of waiting that she was finally left out here she just as well could also try to free herself and to shorten her waiting time on liberty very much. And in addition she had a Digimon on her side now which meant to be a proof that she isn't shifted and that there really do exist monsters like that. But still she mistrusted the whole thing a little. A Monster which offered her his help...nobody would do that if he has planned something else beforehand, would they?
"You certainly don't want to help me out of here without a service in return, right Candlemon? What do you want of me for helping me out?" The monster looked depressed upon hearing this and noticing that she still seemed to be so mistrustful, but then it really thought of something. "I am doing this just because I see that you need help, but if you really want to do something for me in return, then.."and Candlemon looked at her in a serious way, "help me to find someone very important to me." "And who shall that be?" "I am looking for a Digimon called Arukenimon. She is a spider Digimon, red, with violet stripes and lightblue hair." Isabella noticed that Candlemon blushed during the description and she had to giggle softly when she saw this. "She must mean very much to you, Candlemon. You are totally red in your face!"
And without furthermore hesitating, she nodded: "Okay then, I will also help you to find this Arukenimon." "Wha-what?? Thanks, thank you so much!" Immediately the fair haired girl was jumped at by the candle-like Digimon and hugged so hard that it almost cut her off the air in her lungs. "Hey Candlemon, not so intesne!" "Uuuups, I am sorry Isabella..." "I-it's okay. And, have you already thought about how exactly to get me out of here if the door to here is locked?" "Well, let that be my concern. eh..w-wax attack!!", it shouted and Candlemon already formed a key consisting of wax out of one of his hands, which finally hardened after being fluent. Carefully he slid this new key into the lock at the door, shifted and tried until finally both heard a clicking sound showing them that they vboth manages to open the door. The fair haired girl couldn't believe it whne Candlemon kicked the door open and she was able to actually take one step into the hallway. She almostgot tears in the eyes in front of loud luck about that she finally got another insight than only the sight of her otherwise plain room. Over months she had got nothing else to face and so she almost forgot how the world "outside" actually looked like. She couldn't feel different than happy although she knew exactly that she wasn't really outside yet. She ran past Candlemon to one of the windows which was at the end of the walk. In it a grate was put for obvious reasons but it nevertheless still granted an insight into the world outside.
And what she saw there let her breath break off.
She could see the area of the lunatic asylum, the gardens, the free country outside, but the sky looked strangely distorted. It wasn't ice blue as she would have expected it but actually deep black. Lightning flashed across it and some funny clouds seemed to move in the sky. The girl was horrified by the sight. She didn't know that she had already been so long in the lunatic asylum that all her sense of time has got lost: she could have sworn that it should be bright outside and not as dark and above that even as dark as this and the further she tried out to look, the safer she got that could at the horizon something really big see flying. No, it was more than only a great something. It had to be rather well big birds in her assessment.
The horrified voice Candlemon's woke her from her thoughts. "Isabella!" it called and hurried here to pack her at the arm, " you cannot simply run away so and leave me!" "oh yes, I know, I'm sorry ... I haven't meant this!", Candlemon interrupted her, "don't you notice that something strange is going?" "Yes", she responded and pointed at the window which had a grate from the outside, " the sky ... it looks strange. I would have sworn that it is still day outside." "It is", Candlemon confirmed with a thoughtful tone, "I don't understand quite what is going on here... but.. I can feel the presence of other Digimon within this building..." "WHAT??! There are other ones like you here?? But... I wonder what has happened to the nursing staff. Usually they are mostly nearby to ensure that no one of the "crazy ones" happens to go out of their room and walk around like I just do right now." When Isabella looked up she noticed how Candlemon started to tremble uncontrollably. "Candlemon, what's going on with you?" "I-I cannot make this!", it whispered in a paniked tone of voice, "I-I don't know what to do... Oh, I wish Arukeni would be here and would tell me what to do... just like she always used to.." "Candlemon, calm down! I have promised you that I will help you to find her. But until then you need to be strong!" The Digimon looked up and put his red eyes on the greenish blue from Isabella. She gave him a friendly smile and held his waxen hands in hers tightly. With a blow it felt relived because it knew that it really wasn't alone as it had felt just a second ago. It didn't have the Digimon at his side which he wanted to find so badly, but at least Isabella was here... it reduced his fear, even if just a little bit, because for that he felt the powers of darkness far too strong.
It suddenly heard a fast movement which came onto her. "Watch out, Isabella", it yelled and pushed the girl aside when it was thrown back itself. "CANDLEMON !!"
She rattled herself again immediately, around to rush at Candlemon which lay on the ground, injured. She looked up horrifiedly, as she noticed like from the end of the walk more strange and innumerable monsters rushed at her.
It were orange yellowly colored monsters with dark sharp points on the back;
Isabella turned rigid with fright and already saw one of those monsters jump at her.
"Hot wax !!!"
The candle-similar Digimon rattled himself, and caught one of these monsters with a fireball, that it had spat on it. The strange creature was flung back to the wall and Candlemon seized Isabella's hand. "We must flee fast, the next are coming down on us already!!" They took the legs into the hands as fast as they could but their opponents were also fast and could not easily be taken off. At least to ...
When they turned around the corner, they found an open side door by which they could escape into a room. Isabella immediately closed the door and Candlemon sealed it with a little wax in the quiet hope that it then wouldn't open so easily but he knew deeply inside that it was a too weak measure around such opponents to be able to hold back.
As soon as they were in the room, they behaved quietly and hear how their opponents ran further past their room, down the walk, apparently ignorant that they have hidden in here.
When she was sure that no-one could eavesdrop on her nearby, Isabella asked her Digimon quietly: "What creatures were those?" "These have been Gizamon. Digimon on the Rookie-Level. Like I am", Candlemon explained in short. The blonde girl looked up when she noticed the nervousness of Candlemon again. First he nearly broke down because he doesn't seem to know what to do without that Arukenimon and now their situation wasn't probably going to get better. "Candlemon.. I don't understand that. What the hell is going on here??" "If I just knew this", it replied anxiously, "nromally Gizamon do not attack like that, especially not in such a huge crowd as that one. But that would mean that they serve someone.. which means that dark powers might be behind this all." "Dark Powers? Which bad powers?" Suddenly Candlemon really could not speak any more but only trembled like aspen leaves. Isabella understood nothing at all. Neither why all this happened nor why Candlemon was so horrified. Okay, if she thought more about it she could understand it a little bit, because this dark power was anything but calming. It was especially worrying because Candlemon who has promised to help her out of here had already so much fear that he was not able to think clear enough now.
"Okay, now we have dark powers on the work here", Isabella admitted after thinking it over briefly, "but what could we do against it? We have to find out what really happened and try... when we don't want to be involved in a fight, we have to avoid all the monsters here and to ask the nursing staff what it going here exactly."
"B-but...!" "No Candlemon, listen to me. I know that you are afraid, because I also am, because... Shit!! Shit, I wish I would understand what is going on here! This is a lunatic asylum, damn! I... I am the crazy one here.. not.. the world around me!" The blonde girl put her face into her hands because of her fear and uneasiness when Candlemon looked up himself. He realized that he needed to be far stronger than her. He couldn't expect from that girl that she would take everything into her hands just because he could not handle her fear, especially if Isabella already have been in this lunatic asylum for so long that she still had to suffer under all these impressions.
"Isabella ... I am so sorry, that I cannot be a greater help for you ... I am so ashamed..." She looked up. "he? Why?" "That...", and Candlemon avoided her look, "that I cannot fight when I actually have to, because Digimon usually fight against each other when they are forced to do so, and especially when they have to defend themselves in case they are attacked. Don't understand me wrong, but.. It is not exactly the fight that I fear but.. but.. well, actually, I do fear it, because if the powers of darkness are really behind this then.. then.." Confused Isabella stared at the Digimon and waited for it to end his sentence. Candlemon looked at her with his ruby red eyes, full of despair. "I just don't want to die once again!", it completed the sentence.
She didn't know at first what she should say to this. She decided not to go further into this topic and how it could be that Candlemon obviously had died once befire and had been reborn afterwards, but in this case she understood his fear.
"This shall be said, you have died before?" "Yes ... and these impressions still follow me. This means... they follow me since I have been reborn. That is not too long ago actually and I will explain to you another time how the rebirth thing exatly works, but... oh, you..." "I understand that.", the girl assured him, "if I had died before and then had been reborn again just to find myself in that situation... if I would know that probably the same powers are behind this that have killed me before... then I probably would feel the same." Candlemon looked at her touchedly but then his face faded and got sad again. "Yes, but added to that the fact comes that this is not the form that I am usually used to. In reality, I am called Mummymon but I am that only at a higher level. And with these many enemies lurking out there if would be better if I was on a higher level." "Hm.. well, so it is like in these videogames in which your character gains experience to level up, right?" "e-eh, y-yes." "Hm..however, if you say that your level is far too low... then we have to help ourselves otherwise! In this case it brings nothing to fight them direclty. You know yourself just as much as I do that we cannot go on a search for Arukenimon if we just stay here. If you have too much fear you will not be able to find her." "Y-yes, you are right." "I can say that to you again, I am with you, and together, nothing will happen to us. I promise you that I won't let anyone harm you or even kill you!" "Isabella.." Candlemon was speechless in view of the reliability which radiated of the girl in front of him. Even thought he knew that she maybe should be the one who should be more afraid; still it was her who reassured him, not the other way around, just as it should be - because he was the Digimon here, not she. No, that wasn't true either. Wasn't he still half human? What was he really??
He shook the head to throw these thoughts off the boat. The time to ask himself existential questions wasn't just as good now because they could do this if they were in liberty again.
"You have an idea?" " ahem. .",Isabella thought something over," we simply must have a try, to avoid the monsters ... we should try and mix under them to find out what is the matter here ... ahem ... AH! I've got it!"
********
The gray rabbit- similar Digimon approached the Gizamon slowly, with a question on his lips. "Is everything alright there? Have no unwanted subjects gone through?" "No, Sir Gazimon!" The gray Digimon put itself up contentedly, glanced at the orange yellow colored one and trotted along further until it noticed a Digimon in the hallway which came towards them. It was a Candlemon, and it dragged a girl which was tied up at her hands, behind him. Because this sight seemed a little bit suspicious to him, Gazimon stopped them with a movement of his hand which showed the Candlemon to not move now. "Excuse that I hold you back here, Candlemon, but I need to know what you are doing here", the Gazimon said to the candle-like Digimon and his human company. The Candlemon immediately bowed to the Digimon before it answered: "I have caught this girl in one of the walks when she was walking around just now and have taken it captive." "ahem very good work Candlemon!", he only said appreciating and he glanced at the looking run-down girl with her ailing facial expression when Candlemon asked her: "I just have a question, Sir." "Yes?" "Do you know where I could bring the girl to? Unfortunately, one hasn't told me yet where the other prisoners are or what shall happen with them." "Hm, well, for now it is good if you could bring the girl into the big room where we have the other other human beings locked. What is about to happen to these human beings is not yet decided, that is something that master Nanimon still has to decide." "And where do I find this room?" The rabbit creature raised its hand and showed him the way - down the hallway. "Go down there, then left, further down, then to the right. In front of the room a Demidevimon is the guardian. Tell him that I have sent you." "Good, thanks alot!" Immediately the Candlemon took the way that was showed to him and let Gazimon and Gizamon just standing there. The orange Digimon just looked at the grey one when it asked: "I just wonder where the Candlemon comes from... do we have Candlemon in our team?" "Hm, maybe not in the one group that is supposed to be working here, but we have several in our army of darkness, yes." "Okay, I just was wondering.."
Candlemon couldn't believe that his hide-and-seek game has really worked, even better than he himself has expected. When they were apart from the hearing range, he breathed a sigh of relief, but still hadn't untie the binds of the hands of the fair-haired girl just in case that somebody still could meet them on their way who would then suspect them all the more if he or she caught Candlemon while untieing the girl. Isabella whispered at Candlemon: "You have really done it well! I almost haven't expected you to be this good, considering how you have shaken before we started..." The creature blushed red in the face because of the compliment. "But now anyway.. you are right... that I must do a little bit if I really want to go on a search for Arukeni.. but what do we do now? We have come past the first guards and we now know where the nursing staff is supposedly held captive but... shall we go to them or what shall we do?" "This is a good could try... no, we have to play our hide-game a little bit longer, at least for now until we know what we can do to free the humans here and to make the Digimon here flee." "B-but, didn't you just want to flee from here?" "I don't know if I can do that while knowing that there are people here held captive by monsters... I mean... in addition.. the staff has not seen that the monsters which I have always seen are real. They now really don't have a reason any longer to doubt me and my sanity or they must accuse themselves to be the crazy ones here." "so, we shall just go to Demidevimon?" "Yes. It must certainly know where the other people are. You have to keep up your role for now, okay Candlemon? No matter what happens, you just have to!" "Y-yea. b-but..", it wante to contradict but noticed then that it was important that also he took a share. Isabella relied on him and he would do the last and take her to difficulties that he permitted himself to be unreliable out of fear. He nodded encouraged with an almost furious look on his face. "You can rely on me, Isabella! No matter what happens, I will take you out here!" The fair-haired girl giggled quietly and hardly audibly promised. "Yes, I know. And do now what you must do!"
They sank again into the role which they have accepted to come further and they actually finally saw a Demidevimon at the end of the way which waited in front of a locked door by which one could hear quiet calls for help. Candlemon swallowed briefly, tried to get himself and his emotions under control before it got too close to Demidevimon so that his disguise wouldn't immediately be exposed by his heart tapping loudly but he also would have been able to save himself the effort how he noticed, when the bat-like creature turned around towards the door and kicked a foot against it, shouting with rage: "BE QUIET INSIDE THERE! Damn, why can't these damn humans be quiet just once... if they just knew what we..." The last part of the sentence was only mumbled before his look fell on Candlemon which has watched him. Demidevimon just looked at him astonishedly with his big yellow eyes- he didn't know that someone has sent down Candlemon to him, but maybe it was already time for changing shifts? He hoped so at least.
"Hey!", it called Candlemon to himself, "hey you!" "Hm?" "Yes! Yes you, I have meant you! Come here now!" Astonished by the impudent behaviour of the Digimon and because the disguise was so very important, the candle-like Digimon did what he was told and came closer to Demidevimon. "What is it?" Demidevimon fluttered with a thoughtful face around Candlemon and the girl before he landed again and gave him a suspicious look. "I have never seen you here before!", the bat noticed and Candlemon tried to keep the setting by answering: "I am new here. I was sent here by Gazimon to bring this girl down here." "Hm-hm.. understood! Good, you can bring the girl inside, even if I am not too fond of the idea to keep even more of these pains in the neck all inside there. Honetsly, I don't understand why we have to hold them captive. I have told Master Nanimon that it would bring only problems but... ah, I know he is right and that it isn't good if these humans are running around here freely, but... They are so getting on my fucking nerves!" "Eh..y-yes, they do", Candlemon agreed to this with a nodding in the hope that he hadn't insulted Isabella with what he just had said. Demidevimon on the other hand was more than happy that finally someone was of his opinion and he used the opportunity to run it down furthermore how the behavior of the prisoners displeased him very much actually.
"I mean, how can one whine on all day long that they are locked in? They can be happy that Master Nanimon hasn't done far worse things to them by now!" "Yes, that's too true!", Candlemon nodded, until Demidevimon beat himself with one of his feelers to the forehead. "oh, I have forgotten completely, I only hold you back. Forgive me! However, finally bring the girl inside there, but pronto, so that I can seal the door quickly!" "eh, yes, okay."
The bat rummaged unite keys out from a loose wall stone, and then attached the wall stone again there where he had removed it. Candlemon watched his activities as exactly as only possible in case he would need this key again. He already felt bad now if he thought that he apparently had to leave Isabella alone now for some time and he had nothing else left anymore now. He remembered the exact position of the key and hoped that he would find enough courage and strength to fetch this key later on occasion.
As soon as Demidevimon had the key, it opened the door to the room and shoved Isabella in roughly before anyone of the people inside would be able to esacpe from in there who of course immediately tried to overwhelm Demidevimon when they had the chance. He quickly locked the door again and exhaled a sigh of relief as it noticed that he had managed it. "Bah, I already thought these humans will come out!" But he had hardly brought the sentence over the lips when he already heard a beating muffledly against the door together with the cries and reputations and requests of the people to open it. Candlemon became now definitely sick with the thought of leaving Isabella inside there, and he knew nothing about how to be manipulative but still it all depended on it to gain the confidence of Demidevimon. But how does one do that? He has seen it so often with his partner Arukenimon, seen how it works - manipulation. To creep in by pretending sympathy. He himself hasn't done that in an eternity, at least since after they had adcuted children with the seed of darkness under the controll of Yukio Oikawa. But to talk with children is something else, because they trusted starangers more likely, especially when you are nice and this just was the way Candlemon was. Yes, maybe the same could work on Demidevimon as well!
Candlemon looked a little flabbergasted as Demidevimon, glided down on the ground, and breathed out exhausted. The bat then looked at the candle before he asked irritated: "And what do you still want here? You have already handed in the girl here therefore you can disappear!" "eh, well.. Gazimon hasn't given me any new orders yet", Candlemon began, "and because... well because I see how exhausted you seem to be I thought that maybe we could.. ehm.. change the shifts?" The Digimon gave a kind and naive smile to the bat which suddenly was lost in thought, but not too long as the opportunity for a short break was far too delicious to be overseen. "Does that mean, you really want to stand guard here for a while?" "Yes", Candlemon nodded, and Demidevimon and a grateful smile spread on the face from Demidevimon and it rattled on immediately, stretching his wings in the height and rose already into the air. "Well, I agree to it. But you must stay and move in no case, is this clear? If I come back and the humans aren't in their room any more then.." "AiAi!!", Candlemon said and saluted before Demidevimon, "I will stay here until your return!" "Very good. We'll see each other later on!"
As soon as the bat had disappeared, Candlemon looked round, whether still somebody was in the way and already began to feel for the key on the wall which Demidevimon has hidden before. He found the loose stone behind which the key was quite fast thanks to his good memory and then he opened the door to the room.