Story Notes: For those of you who read my livejournal, I said you'd see some familiar faces in this episode. Well... I was wrong. This episode just turned out to be too damn long for me to get to that part. You'll be seeing some familiar faces in the next episode though.
Author Notes: If you're at all feint hearted, this episode is not for you. The violence will become quite vivid in this one, and most of it will be rather disturbing.
The eyes of BloodGazimon were dried and reddened with veins. Dark rings surrounded them and the skin beneath the lids showed bulged and discolored into a dark purple. Tears streamed from these eyes trying in vain to moisten them. BloodGazimon took no notice of them. The Digimon gurgled from down its throat as if it were choking on water. Only a moment ago it shrieked and struggled wildly to escape from its chains. Now it was absolutely calm. BloodGazimon's only movement was a slight wriggling of its fingers, which were now twice as long and had claws not of nail, but of bone jutting out from the flesh itself. The smell of burning tar wafted out from its fur, filling the room and making everyone within it tear up and choke. Even in this darkness, one could almost see the dark blue oil that had seeped out of the creature's skin and slicked down its fur. That was where the smell came from. That's where the eyes came from. BloodGazimon's skin burn from the touch of the oil that pumped out of its own pores. It was like mace to its eyes, and to the eyes of its onlookers. But it paid no attention to the pain. Odds are it didn't even notice the pain.
Parsley shivered at the sight of such a creature. Why would such a smell come from any Digimon? They all had their smells, some not quite as pleasant as others. Even the Formimon she was so fond of, the giant ant, smelled of simple glass cleaner and citric acid. Not the most pleasant of odors but something you could easily get used to. But no Digimon smelled downright sickening, no Digimon except for this BloodGazimon.
It noticed Parsley's shivering. It seemed drawn to movement. It's eyes shifted and stared straight into hers. She bounded behind Terrance, wrapped her arms around his legs and buried her head in his back. Chiroptermon turned his head to look down at her, and laid the end of his tail on her head trying to comfort her even though he knew it wouldn't work. She didn't notice anyway. Nor did Terrance notice Parsley using him as a shield of sorts.
BloodGazimon jumped forward and screeched like the squealing tire of a semi in response to Parsley's sudden movement. The chains caught it and pulled it back. Everyone in the room jumped a little at the suddenness of it all, even Vulpamon.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything so ugly." Chiroptermon whispered.
"I know what'cha mean little mate." Terrance whispered back.
Peamon stood at the end of the room with her eyes closed only whispering to herself. "Please don't move. Please don't make a sound. Please don't move. Please don't make a sound."
Eric swallowed his spit. That is, he would've swallowed his spit if he had any. This was his chance and if he didn't take it he might not get another one. He took one step closer. BloodGazimon's eyes immediately shifted to his own, stopping him in mid step. It made another choking gurgle from deep within its throat. Eric took one step closer. BloodGazimon's finger's twiddled some more in anticipation. One more step. The smell became worse. It burned Eric's eyes. He closed them and rubbed his fingers against them as tears flowed like hoses. This close to BloodGazimon, the more Eric breathed, the less he could breath. It was as if liquid were pouring into his lungs.
"I warn you against doing that." Vulpamon spoke up, attracting another stare and gurgle from BloodGazimon.
Eric didn't listen. He reached up and pulled his old goggles over his eyes. That and a thorough coating of tears should keep the rest of the fumes at bay. Although seeing through so much saltwater his world was now a blur of light and shadow.
"Can you understand me?" Eric barely managed to choke out through the fumes.
The noise triggered it. BloodGazimon lunged forward again, claws outstretched. The chains held it back once more, but it was close enough now to reach its target. Eric saw nothing through the blur, but felt knifelike edges raking across his cheek, and warm fluid dripping down his neck.
Everyone screamed. BloodGazimon riled and shrieked and clawed and spat at the noises. Something grabbed Eric's jacket collar and pulled him back. Before he knew what was happening, he was being forced against the wall with a huge paw pressing firmly against his bleeding cheek. He struggled, but the force only restrained him.
"Hold still!"
The voice brought common sense back to him as he recognized that it belonged to Vulpamon. In a panic she pulled him away from BloodGazimon and was putting the pressure of her own paw against his cuts. He stopped struggling. His eyes began to feel better so far away from the fumes of BloodGazimon, who was still writhing and growling, trying to escape its bindings.
Eric pressed his head into Vulpamon's paw. She turned her head around to look at BloodGazimon. The creature could just manage to place the tips of its claws in its mouth and suck off the skin scraped from Eric's face. It purred contently. Vulpamon felt queasy from the site.
Parsley started crying and pressed her face harder into Terrance's back. Terrance still could only stare, shaking his head slowly while Chiroptermon did the same from over his shoulder.
A few minutes of silence passed. No one moved or made a sound apart from what they already were doing.
Footsteps were heard from outside. Footsteps came from just outside the door and provoked BloodGazimon into a fit of snarling. Chiroptermon cringed at the sound and Vulpamon's fur stood on end. It sounded like a drowning baby sheep.
"What was that?" Peamon at last asked out loud.
"The monks and nuns, they all took off." Chiroptermon answered. "They don't want to be in the middle of what's going to happen."
"And what's going to happen?" Parsley asked still crying.
"A fight." Terrance answered. "A nasty one too."
"Do you think we could capture it alive?" Eric spoke out.
Terrance and Chiroptermon turned around to see Eric. Though Vulpamon still held him, he now had his own hand on his cheek.
"I dunno'." Terrance answered.
"We won't be able to." Peamon interrupted.
"Why not?" Chiroptermon asked.
"Do you remember what Gazimon told us? A disfigured Neemon attacked him. Neemon are supposed to be incapable of fighting, and yet Gazimon said it was stronger than him. Gazimon are supposed to be some of the greatest fighters among the rookie class. If this… condition could make a Neemon hopelessly outclass a Gazimon, imagine how powerful Gazimon would have become."
"What about Chiroptermon?" Terrance pleaded, putting his hand on Chiroptermon's muzzle. "What'll happen to him if he gets hit?"
"I don't know." Peamon answered. "The rumors are that only ancestral Digimon can become afflicted. Are you a new or ancestral Digimon Chiroptermon?"
"Uhh, new." Chiroptermon responded, turning his head to the side. "I was born live from two parents just like a human. What about you?"
"I also am a new Digimon."
"What about you sheilamon?" Terrance spoke aloud, turning his head toward Vulapamon.
Vulpamon only held Eric tighter and narrowed her eyes.
"Alright, you and the bloke. No need to ask."
"All Digimon here are new." Peamon said. "Theoretically that would protect us from turning into… that thing."
Parsley finally let go of Terrance and peaked out from behind him. BloodGazimon stared her in the eyes and bared its fangs. It started giggling. A wave of cold was sent up and down Parsley's body causing her to jitter. This only made BloodGazimon giggle even more.
"Why does it do that?" Parsley asked no one in particular.
"I dunno'." Terrance answered.
"I think it's like a psychopath." Eric interrupted. "Gaining pleasure from what would normally cause guilt."
"A bloodthirsty psychopath." Vulpamon added in.
"I wonder what it must be like." Eric whispered. "To be like that."
BloodGazimon purred and twiddled its fingers as it eyed every last inch of Parsley's body in a way that could be sworn as sexual if you didn't know better. Parsley started crying again.
"From my previous readings," Chiroptermon replied. "I believe I can extrapolate something."
"Please do." Eric pushed.
"Consciousness is reduced to its most primitive level. BloodGazimon is no more sentient than a lizard. Without higher thought there can be no conscience. All that's left is animalistic desires, which have been twisted from their normal selves. The only thing BloodGazimon wants is to kill and cause pain. It would be like a drug to the Digimon. A neverending quest for the next high."
Parsley began crying a bit harder.
"But you said that code was like-" Terrance almost asked.
"the D-Reaper." Chiroptermon finished. "I did say that."
"But D-Reaper only wanted to destroy." Eric whispered. "It didn't want to cause pain it didn't even understand the concept."
"But what it could do was control other humans and Digimon" Peamon added in. "by integrating its own code into theirs and thus turning them into remote controlled machines."
"Than why doesn't it affect humans?" Eric asked.
"Simple." Chiroptermon answered. "D-Reaper could control Digimon by remote, but humans are purely physical beings, so they needed a physical connection to the D-Reaper in order to be controlled. Does anyone remember Juri Kato from history class? She had to be sucked inside the thing before it could have any influence on her."
"But doesn't answer the question that is on all our minds." Peamon spoke out. "There is code taken directly from D-Reaper inside BloodGazimon. What is it doing there?"
"I think that's how it's able to alter the Digimon." Eric responded. He pushed his way out from Vulpamon's arms and took a couple steps toward BloodGazimon, their eyes following each other's the whole way. "D-Reaper was able to infect other Digimon to control them. The same code it used to do that must have been used to create the infection. But without a master controlling it, the best the infection could do is rewrite the Digimon's own code with a few simple instructions… kill and torture all humans."
"Why would anyone do that?" Parsley cried out.
"There are people in this world Mistress Parsley, who hate Digimon." Peamon answered. "Even unlike your parents, these people believe all Digimon and all things that come from the Digital World are evil incarnate, and must be destroyed at any cost. Even if it means killing many human beings in the process."
"Religious zealots." Vulpamon whispered. "That's the official stance of many a church."
"We're going to have to kill BloodGazimon." Eric spoke aloud.
Kill BloodGazimon. Those words may have been recognized instinctively. They elicited an instant response. BloodGazimon's pupils narrowed into slits. It clenched its teeth and clenched its fists. It screamed loud enough to rattle the ears of all in the room, and began to struggle again. It pulled at its chains and snarled and foamed while dark purple blood began to drip from its eyes.
Everyone panicked and pressed themselves against the back wall of the room. BloodGazimon's voice sounded like that of a lamb being tortured. The smell became even more intense. It struggled more. Cracks appeared in the ceramic walls. The cracks gave way and the walls shattered, leaving a giggling and foaming BloodGazimon free and staring down its audience with the face of a man overdosed on crack.
Everyone was too stunned to move or talk. BloodGazimon stared, but didn't make a sound.
At last Peamon got up the nerve to speak. "Mistress Parsley… open the door… very slowly… don't make a sound… and sneak out."
For once Parsley didn't argue. She nodded her head. The doorknob turned. The door began to open, but it creaked loudly. Something inside BloodGazimon snapped at the sound.
BloodGazimon lunged forward with claws reaching out toward its prey. Vulpamon and Chiroptermon both leapt out from behind their masters and lunged back. The three crashed into each other and a flurry of claws, fur, and hideous screams flew through the air.
Terrance and Eric were both knocked down by the shock of it all. The both immediately turned around and tired desperately to craw back out of the door, away from the hideous sounds in behind them.
Peamon 's feathers ruffled and stood on end. She grabbed Parsley by the collar of her coat and dress and dragged her kicking and screaming out of the room, following Eric and Terrence wherever they went.
Outside in the hall, Eric and Terrance could finally stand up and started running. Eric paused only for a moment to grab Parsley from Peamon and carry her still kicking and screaming over his shoulder through the hall. Peamon followed close behind.
They reached the intersection at the end of the hall. A split second pause to decide which way to go was enough. A blurred blue image flew across the room. Vulpamon crashed back first into the wall. She fell down on top of Eric and Terrance, pinning them and Parsley all to the floor. Soon after that, Chiroptermon flew the same course, slamming his head into the wall and falling onto Vulpamon.
Peamon was panic-stricken. She looked the other way.
BloodGazimon stood at the end of the hall with the widest of smiles and eyes that seemed to bulge out of its head. Its teeth and claws dripped with dark purple blood that evaporated into its countless black light specs as soon as it settled on the ground.
BloodGazimon slowly and casually walked forward, chuckling under its breath the entire time. It whipped its arms out to its sides, piercing the ceramic walls and tearing out lines of chunks and dust as it walked forward.
Peamon took a step back. Hear heart felt like it was going to burst. All the muscles in her body tensed hard enough to hurt. The familiar smell of burning tar flowed down the hall from BloodGazimon. The rest of them were still trying to untangle themselves from each other. It would up to her to hold it off long enough for them to escape.
She lifted her wings to the sides. No use, the hallway was too narrow. Her wings hit the walls. She lifted them straight up into the air, and flung them down.
DOWN SABER
Feathers flew in perfect straightness from the tips of her wings. The feathers that hit the walls stuck inside like knives jammed into flesh. But those that hit BloodGazimon had little effect. They made only the equivalent of papercuts and needle pricks. BloodGazimon still walked forward with feathers jutting from its flesh, still tearing the walls open with its claws.
Peamon looked back. They were untangled and more or less standing. But Chiroptermon was unconscious in Terrance's arms, and Vulpamon was delirious and had to be helped to stand by Eric.
"Run!" Peamon screamed.
They didn't hesitate. They darted down the left hall, or hobbled, whatever you want to call it.
Peamon unbound the plumage on her tail. The walls blocked it. She stepped back to the intersection for enough room to unbind it all the way. The feathers reached eight feet in the air. They were bright emerald with silver tips. The tips shined bright enough to blind the unwary.
MIRROR PLUMAGE
It worked. BloodGazimon screamed in pain and covered his eyes, slashing violently at the air, sometimes taking a chunk of the wall with it. Peamon saw her chance, and she took it. She refolded her tail plumage and charged straight at BloodGazimon.
Peamon leapt into the air. Syringe like streams of clear green fluid flew from the tips of her claws splattering on the walls next to her.
POISON NAIL
Peamon brought down her claws right into BloodGazimon's face.
BloodGazimon screamed as purple blood flew from its mouth. Peamon clamped down on BloodGazimon's throat with her beak. The taste was even worse than the smell. But even that was nothing compared to the feeling of the grease soaking BloodGazimon's fur burning away at her tongue like acid. She held her beak firmly on BloodGazimon's Throat as it grabbed her by the wings and thrust her into the walls, cracking them.
BloodGazimon reached an arm into the air, and brought it straight down. The claws skewered her right wing. They were as hot as glowing iron. Smoke poured out of Peamon's wing as the scent of burning feathers and flesh filled the air to mix with BloodGazimon's own smell.
The pain was excruciating. It was too much for her. Peamon let go and screamed in agony as tears dropped from her face to the ground. BloodGazimon saw the opportunity and didn't hesitate to take it.
BloodGazimon wrapped its claws around Peamon's throat and bit down on her beak.
FIRE KISS
White hot flames spewed from BloodGazimon's mouth down the nostrils and down the throat of Peamon. The pain was even worse than from the claws, but all of Peamon's insides went numb after a split second.
BloodGazimon let go and backed up, breathing heavily after his last exhausting attack. None of this crossed the mind of Peamon in too much pain. Only the survival instinct was working now, and it told her to run.
She ran.
She ran down the hall the same direction the others went. She ran until she hit her head against the other wall. She looked up. She was in another storage room identical to the last. Everyone was there. Vulpamon sat on the floor rubbing her head while Eric pushed against her shoulders keeping her sitting. Chiroptermon was awake in Terrance's arms but squinting badly despite the dark. Parsley was curled into a ball in the corner, crying into her arms.
"By crikey what happened to ya?" Terrance yelled.
Peamon couldn't say wheeze out coherent over her shallow breathing, and wouldn't have been able to wheeze out anything coherent even without it.
"Burning!… Acid!… Claws!… Fire!… Gazimon!… pain!…"
"Forget it she's too far gone!" Eric yelled back.
Peamon stumbled around before collapsing to the floor.
"The halls are too narrow." Vulpamon whispered to Eric. "We can only take on BloodGazimon one at a time. If we could attack all together maybe we could stand a chance but at this rate…"
"What in bloody hell's 'e doin'?" Terrance shouted, pointing down the hall.
BloodGazimon walked in the other direction slowly. It sniffed the air intently as it did.
"That way goes to the monastery." Eric replied.
"We can't let him reach the monastery." Vulpamon added. "We have to distract him."
"Do you think you can do any of your special moves?"
Vulpamon nodded her head.
Eric lifted Vulpamon to her feet. Clinging to Eric's arm and shoulder, Vulpamon walked up to the entrance of the storage room. Vulpamon saw double. Aiming for the spot between the two BloodGazimons should be too hard. At the doorway, Vulpamon let go of Eric and lifted her hands into the air. She spun around on one foot like a top and finally kicked her other foot down to stop herself as she flung her arms forward.
GALE CUT.
A white disk of pure wind flew from Vulpamon's fingertips. It flew through the air and rotated many times before landing squarely vertical between BloodGazimon's shoulder blades. BloodGazimon was knocked off his feet. It worked. Blood Gazimon got back up and turned around to look at whoever had the audacity to fire a blade of wind at itself. BloodGazimon bared its teeth and snarled, digging its claws inches deep into the concrete floor.
"I don't suppose any of you have a way out of here." Vulpamon asked.
It took a second of looking for Terrance to find it. "The window!"
Vulpamon turned around. The window was just large enough for each of them to fit through if they went one at a time. It was covered in iron bars bolted to the ceramic walls. BloodGazimon was now walking toward them. Vulpamon made her way with a little effort to the window and pulled on the bars. They didn't budge. She jumped up and pressed both her feet against the wall, pulling so hard she felt like her wrists were going to come off. BloodGazimon was almost at the doorway. Terrance jumped up and down trying to relieve some of his panic. That was when he notice Chiroptermon rustling against his motions.
Chiroptermon held a claw against his temple and shook his head. He looked in front of him and saw a claw in the air ready to be brought down onto him and his tamer. He reacted instantly.
SONIC MINE.
The deafening roar of a sonic boom echoed through the halls as BloodGazimon was thrown back against the floor. But the Digimon just stood up again, body and jaw clenched in anger, and slashed at the walls, tearing them as if they were Styrofoam.
Vulpamon continued to pull at the Iron bars. Gazimon charged. Eric slammed the door to the storage room shut. BloodGazimon rammed head first into the door, bending it almost thirty degrees and breaking off the bottom hinge. Eric jumped back and yelped. BloodGazimon was on his back once again, but once again it got back up. A bit Dizzy, BloodGazimon stumbled about, slowly coming back to its senses. Vulpamon continued to pull on the iron grate. The ceramic began to crack. BloodGazimon looked straight through the grating of the bent door and walked forward, almost falling over several times. The ceramic cracked some more, and finally the entire grate gave way leaving Vulpamon to land on the concrete floor.
"Parsley! You go first!" Eric shouted.
Parsley lifted her head up and looked around. Eric grabbed her by the arm but she struggled, scratching him with her nails until he was forced to let go.
"Dammit!" He shouted again.
Eric ran over and jumped up into the hole in the wall, quickly climbing out onto the dirt outside.
Eric turned back toward the hole and yelled to the others.
"We've have to get out of here before that thing comes to!"
Vulpamon rolled back and swung herself to her feet. She lifted herself to the hole and crawled through.
Terrance was soon to follow, holding Chiroptermon in one arm.
BloodGazimon at last came to his senses. The creature took one more step forward and wrapped its claws around the grate of the door. With a pull, the top hinge was broke. BloodGazimon threw the door over his shoulders and walked inside. It sniffed the air and its irises narrowed. It looked down at Parsley huddled into the corner, staring back at it. Her eyes were in too much shock to be in any kind of fear. Parsley couldn't move or breath as this hideous thing with its even more hideous smell stepped closer to her.
Peamon suddenly jumped out in front. Her wings were outstretched. She shivered, she could barely stand, but she stood in BloodGazimon's way nonetheless.
"If you want my tamer you'll have to go through me."
A single backhand from BloodGazimon and Peamon was thrown against the wall unconscious.
BloodGazimon turned its attentions back to Parsley, still too much in shock to say or do anything, until…
"Parsley! Get up here!"
Eric's voice snapped he back to reality. Parsley shook her head and made a jump toward the window just as BloodGazimon brought its claw down onto the floor, shattering it.
Parsley jumped up toward the hole in the wall. Her arms were caught by Eric's hand's who pulled her up, but she was stuck. BloodGazimon had hold of her shoe. The sole caught fire at BloodGazimon's touch. Eric was being pulled back into the storage room until Vulpamon wrapped her arms around his waste and pulled herself. Even then BloodGazimon was stronger and all three were being pulled inside.
Parsley wriggled her ankle until her shoe came off and she was pulled the rest of the way out of the window.
As soon as they were all to their feet they backed away in a kind of half circle around the broken window, waiting for what they knew would happen.
Two huge bone claws lifted themselves up and grasped the edges of the windowsill, sizzling and smoking the ceramic dust gathered across it.
"We're outside now." Eric said. "That means we can fight him."
