A/N: Chapter 4. Some pace has returned with this. I'm not running yet, more like jogging... Running comes later...

Digimon Tamers: Digital Flux

Chapter 4

I arrived in Secondus much in the same way as I used to before heading to the main building again. I walked in, sighting a digimon that resembled a small yellow dinosaur.

"Shard! This is a pleasure! You changed your outfit?"

I shrugged. "I've been getting that a lot today. You got anything?"

"Actually I do. It's not much, but there's a delivery destined for Primum that's due to arrive within a few days. I'm sure they won't mind it early."

"I'm sure they wouldn't." The digimon handed me a small parcel. "I'll be on my way then."

The dinosaur had a concerned look, one I had seen countless times before. "Be careful Shard. We've had rumours today of something on the south road. It's a wonder you didn't encounter it on your way."

"I'll be fine. I've never had issues yet." The digimon didn't seem convinced by my statement but I left before anything else was said.

I began my trip back, feeling very detached from everything as I realised I could be doing this for the rest of my life. While I spent a lot of my time on what was this simulation, I didn't foresee myself running back and forth in this world for my life span.

But then again, would it be so bad if I did?

I mean sure, there was a life back in the real world. Not a very exciting one but it was a life nonetheless. But it was lacking in so much that I began to spend more and more time in VR. And this particular place gave me a sense of purpose and meaning. Here people, or digimon, knew me. Here I was respected, and apparently worshipped. That had to stop as well.

So maybe things weren't so bad after all. I was doing the same thing that I would have almost certainly kept doing if I wasn't dragged here, so why not do it for real?

I found that reason out when I was snapped out of my musings by a creature looming over me.

It resembled a pegasus with armour. It even had the overwhelming sense of grace and beauty that I found in every mythological creature. Pegasi, unicorns, griffons that sort of thing. Only this one looked quite threatening since I was really standing before its powerful form.

Inside a video game or in pictures creatures don't seem too threatening, but to actually be face to face with one was a whole different story.

I swallowed some of my rising fear and, knowing that digimon seemed to be able to speak, attempted to engage it in conversation seeing as it was looking right at me.

"Hi there." Possibly the worst opening line ever, but what else could I have said to an armoured winged horse?

It simply carried on staring at me, seeming to evaluate every detail it could. Eventually it spoke.

"You are Shard. Human. Correct?" It had a masculine voice that just oozed wisdom.

"I am. May I help you?" I kept pleasant and formal to better match the being before me.

"You are Shard. You are known across the region."

I sighed, instantly dropping my formality through irritation. "Yeah, I know. Apparently I'm some big deal now."

"You are Shard."

Now I was getting annoyed again. "Look, can you stop saying that? I know my own name!"

He ignored my reaction. "You will be my tamer."

"A what now?" Tamer? What the hell was that?

"You are Shard-"

"I know!"

"-you will be my tamer."

I was fast loosing my patience. This being, one that oozed wisdom, was as thick as shit!

"Look buddy, I know who I am. I've always known who I am. I am not your tamer, whatever one of those is, so kindly fuck off!"

Bad move.

The pegasus thing reared up and smashed a hoof into my chest, throwing me back hard. I landed with a grunt as I felt hot liquid seep from my torso, I didn't need to check to know what it was. I coughed slightly, struggling to my feet.

First a dinosaur that shot fireballs. Then the fox who stalked me like some secret admirer, and now this. Fucking brilliant!

I tried to maintain my balance as the digimon stalked towards me. Unlike the encounter with the dinosaur, I had no intention of dying here. Yet for all my determination I couldn't simply will this threat away.

So I stood, facing the inevitable once again as the pegasus closed the distance with practised scrutiny.

"You are Shard. You will die."

I kinda already knew that. Being kicked in the chest like I was hurt enough to prove that.

"You are Shard." I was about to die in what was possibly the worst state of blind rage I had every experienced. "You will die. I am Pegasusmon. I am your end."

Names were trivial at this point, so what if I didn't know the name of my killer? I still die either way. Pegasusmon seemed to think differently, actually it didn't seem to think at all. It was an insult to mythology itself by the way he acted.

"You are Shard." I actually growled at that. "You will die!"