THREE

The next day started like every other that had passed, except Myotismon wasn't in his usual seat when Salamon awoke. She contemplated trying to find him, but didn't fancy wandering the castle by herself, not until she'd done a few training sessions with Phantomon.

She wondered what he'd teach her, and if she'd be any good. Her determination to one day be training new recruits and to become a general was rising quickly, even in one night. Myotismon wouldn't have to carry her round and she wouldn't be afraid to walk alone.

By the time Myotismon returned, the sun was already dipping in the sky, and Salamon's apprehension that she would miss her first training session was apparent when Myotismon entered the room to find her pacing backwards and forwards across the room.

'I would prefer it if you didn't burn a hole in my floor,' Myotismon teased as he sat down, a new book in his arms.

'Sorry,' Salamon squeaked, stopping in her tracks and turning to stare at the Digimon.

'That was a joke, Salamon.'

'Oh,' she bowed her head, cheeks flaring red.

'Phantomon will be ready for you in about an hour when he's sent his company away. You'd better not be late.'

Excitement returned and she smiled.

'I won't be!' She insisted. 'Thank you.'

He frowned at her.

'What for?'

'For arranging these sessions.'

The frown deepened and a sigh escaped his dark lips.

'You're of no use to me currently. You're a burden and you get in the way. If you learn basic preservation skills, you can continue to exist in my domain. If not, you will have to leave.'

Salamon gulped.

'You said the only way anyway leaves is if they're dead?'

'Then you'd better learn quickly.'

'I will, I promise… Master.'

She saw him roll his eyes and frown. What was she doing wrong? She was desperately trying to follow everything he told her, remembering every order he gave.

With another sigh, Myotismon got to his feet and opened the door, staring down at Salamon.

'Get going down to the training ground.'

'Yes master,' Salamon said, remembering how Phantomon had bowed, copying before padding out, shuddering when she heard the door close behind her.

The corridor looked so much bigger and longer without Myotismon's figure filling it. Slowly, she began to step in the direction she was sure they'd gone yesterday.

In truth, she hadn't been watching which way they had gone, but she wasn't in a rush to go back and tell Myotismon that.

She fought her way through the castle nonetheless and arrived at the training ground to find Phantomon ordering the same hoard of troops as yesterday to do laps of the ground.

Salamon hopped up into a stack of bricks and watched the Digimon, hearing them complain and puff and pant as they ran, or more fittingly, crawled their way round. More than once Phantomon had to poke the blunt handle of his scythe into the behind of stragglers, threatening them with the other end next time.

After another half hour, Phantomon dismissed the group and Salamon watched them leave.

'What're you lookin' at?' A Gazimon growled as it walked past her.

She frowned, pushing her nose in the air and ignoring his question.

'Canon fodder,' another Gazimon said to its friend, glaring at Salamon.

'What?' She asked, stepping forward on the brick pile to confront them.

She wasn't sure where this brashness had come from, but it felt right. Unfortunately, the bricks beneath her said otherwise as they slid out from under her paws, sending her tumbling to the ground, the Gazimon roaring with laughter.

'You ain't gonna last a week, runt!' One chortled.

'You two!' The wavering tone of Phantomon came, cutting through the laughs.

Salamon righted herself to find him next to her, scythe pointed towards the Gazimon pair.

'Since you're not in a rush to get to the mess hall, you can make yourselves useful and take yourselves to the north-east guard room. They're short staffed after Devimon's goons attempted a raid last night.'

Muttering to themselves, the Gazimon reluctantly turned and headed off, leaving Salamon and Phantomon alone on the training ground.

Apparently ignoring her for now, Phantomon drifted to the middle of the ground, turning back to Salamon, eyes narrowing.

He watched her for a moment and she stared back, timid, unmoving, and not sure what he expected of her.

'Diabolical Star!'

Salamon cried out as the ball and chain at the end of Phantomon's scythe began to glow, taking on a life of their own and hurtling towards her. Instinct took over and she threw herself ungracefully out of its way, instead letting it collide with the brick stack behind her she had previously been perched atop.

Panting, shaking, she righted herself and stared at Phantomon.

'Very good,' he stated simply, recoiling the chain.

'What did you do that for?' Salamon half shouted at him, her struggle for breath muting her a little.

'You're more intelligent than half my current troop load already,' he replied, ignoring her question. 'Maybe you won't die as quickly as I first thought.'

'I'm not going to die at all,' she barked, glaring defiantly.

Phantomon chuckled at this.

'So you keep saying. But you have a long way to go.'

'Then teach me!' Salamon begged, ears pinned back and face set in determination.

'Since I'm being ordered to train you, I have no choice. But trust me, if it were my decision, I wouldn't be wasting my time on you. You may have determination and heart, but that alone will not get you to your goal. There are far too many better than you and above you who can fight.'

'So everyone keeps saying! Why doesn't anyone believe me?' Salamon asked, the fur on her back beginning to bristle as she got more and more frustrated with the spectre.

Phantomon chuckled again, advancing towards the little Digimon.

She saw him move his hands at the base of the scythe and instinctively jumped to the side as he swung it down at her, sending a rupture line through the ground.

'What you'll come to realise, and it would do you well to learn it quickly, is that round here, there is no hope, or belief, or dreams,' Phantomon told her, wrenching the blade from the ground.

Salamon almost faltered, panting heavily for breath as she glared him down.

'Just you watch me!' she growled, trying her best to mimic the tone she had heard Myotismon put on so often in the past weeks.

This time, Phantomon didn't call an attack, just butted her across the side of her head with the blunt end of his scythe, knocking her to the ground and making her vision fade to grey for a few long seconds.

'You'd do better not to answer back either,' she heard Phantomon hiss before she gave into the fuzziness in her head.