Chapter 7: Godsends of the Wastelands

"Hey guys, let me ask you something."

"We don't want to hear it, Ry," came Andreo's exhausted response.

"Why is it that nobody mentioned that we had to travel through this God-forsaken desert to get to Gravestone City?"

Everybody, including the Digimon, let out an agitated sigh. With the sun blazing high overhead, the temperature had swelled well into the triple digits. At least that's what it felt like to the now melting band of travelers. Having lived in the southern United States, most of them were used to sweltering summer heat waves, but this was beyond anything they had ever encountered before. Giving way to a barren expanse of emptiness that stretched beyond the horizon, the terrain offered no safe haven for as far as the eye could see. With the exception of the occasional thorn bush, there wasn't a single living thing to be found. Even worse now, there was no source of water. Forced to eat their midday rations in the middle of the raging inferno, the Digi-Destined were down to their last few cans of food and what little water they had left, due in part to three extremely worn out Digimon.

"He said he doesn't want to hear it," Trio commented wearily.

"Complaining about it isn't going to help us right now," Erri stated. "We just have to keep going until we get to the city."

"Or until we burst into flames," Cubmon joked forcibly.

Wiping a sticky trail of sweat from his brow, Andreo couldn't stand the heat anymore. Peeling off his navy sweatshirt to reveal his white undershirt, he wrapped the suffocating garment around his waist, allowing a temporary cooling sensation to wash over him.

"Ah…much better," he hummed in relief.

Taking notice, Trio followed suit and removed his black shirt. Although it only alleviated the heat for a few seconds, any means of cooling off was better than being baked alive.

"You two better be careful," a sweat-drenched Kiela warned. "You could get burned really easily like that."

Andreo only chuckled at the caution.

"No offense, but I think getting a sunburn is the least of our worries right now," he replied, shaking his canteen. He could hear only a small amount of the precious liquid slosh around inside.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Trudging along one miserable step at a time, the Digi-Destined carried on towards their destination. Perhaps it was the heat playing with their minds or the absence of a visible goal, but time itself seemed to slow down significantly. None of them had an accurate assessment of what time of day it really was as seconds became minutes and minutes became hours. Their only real indicator was the length of their shadows as the sun slowly began to drop.

"Lona…," an exhausted Lutramon mumbled. "May I have some water?"

Reaching for her canteen, the blonde already knew full well that there wasn't enough to sustain both of them for much longer. She estimated there was maybe a few small sips left and that was it. However, Lutramon didn't seem to be doing very well. She seemed sluggish and sleepy; indicators of early stages of sun poisoning. Granted, everyone was thirsty, dirty, tired, and uncomfortable, but it appeared the lack of a way to cool off was taking its toll especially hard on the aquatic Digimon. Untwisting the cap, Lona slowly tilted the last of the water towards Lutramon's parched mouth.

"Here you go," she offered gently, letting Lutramon lap at what remained. If they didn't make it to Gravestone City soon, their situation could easily turn fatal.

"Thank you…" Lutramon said, finishing off the last few drops. Shutting her eyes, she drifted off to sleep as Lona picked her off her shoulder and began to carry her in her arms.

Everyone seemed to do what little they could to try to help their desperate position. As the only one with a hat, Croix had been gracious enough to share it with the other Digi-Destined, much to his own discomfort. Caught in a zombie-like state, his eyes were fixed on the horizon, neither moving nor blinking. He hadn't said a word since lunch.

"Croix? You doing alright, man?" Erri asked, waving his hand in front of the hypnotized face. For a second, there seemed to be no response from the cowboy. Then at last, he opened his mouth and spoke.

"Do you see it?" he mumbled, raising his finger and pointing into the distance. "Water…"

Following the direction of the gesture, Erri's heart skipped a beat in excitement as he tried to make out where Croix had spied the precious liquid. But much to his disappointment, he saw nothing but dry flatlands as far as he could see.

"I think you're seeing things, man," he stated dejectedly.

Oblivious to reality, Croix didn't seem to heed his friend's advice. Mumbling something incoherent over and over again, he lengthened his steps, pulling ahead of the group. Then, much to everyone's shock, he broke out into a full sprint in an attempt to chase down the mirage.

"He's lost his mind!" Erri said, taking off after the hallucinating cowboy.

"You mean he had a brain in there to begin with?" Cubmon asked jokingly following suit. "I just thought it was hot air."

"For a guy in boots, he sure can run fast," Ry said, leading the remaining Digi-Destined close behind.

For a good hundred yards, the Digi-Destined chased after their wayward friend, screaming for him to stop his fruitless pursuit. The only thing he was doing was pushing the already exhausted group beyond the brink.

"Croix, I swear when I catch you…" Andreo mumbled aloud as he ran.

Luckily for the sprinting desperado, he wouldn't have to make good on his threat. Finding out the hard way that boots were no appropriate running attire, the cowboy stumbled over his own feet. Landing face first into the dry, cracked earth below, he spat up a mouthful of dust as he was jarred back into reality.

"Dude, are you okay?" a concerned Andreo asked, catching up to the fallen Digi-Destined.

Picking himself up off the ground, Croix hacked mouthful of saliva out before wiping himself off, clearly ashamed of his random outburst. His hands and face were scraped and sunburnt while his clothes were covered in earth and dust.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he responded. "I'm sorry, I dunno what came over me. It's hotter than the devil's nutsack out here and I just saw somethin' shinin' and thought it was water and lost it. I probably would have run myself to death if I didn't trip on that root."

Peering at the ground, the Digi-Destined wondered for a moment what Croix was talking about. There was no vegetation anywhere to be found, so how could there be any root systems? There did in fact seem to be an area in the ground that was raised up a few inches, but no roots to speak of. But something about the raised earth did strike them as peculiar. It seemed out of place where everything else was perfectly flat.

Walking over to the odd bump in the dirt, Croix curiously began to toe the protrusion with his boot. A soft thud indicated that there definitely was something solid beneath the surface. Reaching down, he began to brush off the thin layer of earth to get a better idea of what the strange object was, seeing hints of orange and gold appear on the surface of whatever it was he was looking at. An initial thought crossed his mind that it very well could have been a root or a strange vine or some kind. It may even have been some sort of cable or wire buried beneath the ground. Wrapping his fingers around it, Croix gave the object a forceful pull to see if he could uncover it more.

"Woah!"

"What is that?!"

"Whatever it is, it sure doesn't look too good."

"Poor thing!"

In his arms, Croix now held a beaten, battered, and bruised snake-like Digimon. Around two and a half feet in length, it had a wide spade-shaped head covered in metallic orange and gold scales that ran the length of its body. Two long distinctive fangs protruded upwards from the creature's lower jaw, giving it an almost bulldog-like under bite. Midway along its body were two small reptilian wings that didn't seem useful for flight and at the tip of its tail were two silver rings that seemed to float without touching the body. They contained the same kind of symbols that were inscribed on the Digivices.

"Is he dead?" a concerned Trio asked.

"No, if he was dead, he would have been deleted," Cubmon explained. "He's just unconscious and in really rough shape."

The same familiar green flash of light erupted from Croix's Digivice as he held the unconscious Digimon.

"Coppermon," he read aloud. "Small Dragon Type Digimon; Rookie Level; Special Attack: Copper Constrictor."

"What do you think we should do with it?" Ry asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Lona protested with a smack to the back of the Digi-Destined's head. "We can't just leave it out here to die."

"I didn't mean it that way," Ry countered, rubbing the stinging sunburn on his head that the blonde had struck. "I meant do we try to help it now or keep going and hope it doesn't get worse?"

Looking down at the injured Coppermon cradled in his arms, Croix knew that there was nothing they could do for it right there in the middle of nowhere. They had to keep pressing on.

"We keep moving," he declared. "We can't stay here or we'll all die. I'll look after Coppermon in the meantime and see if I can help any."

Pulling up the holographic map on his Digivice, the Digi-Destined gained a visual of their current predicament. A blinking red dot indicated that they weren't too far from the end of the desert, relatively speaking. They still had yet to come up with an accurate assessment of the distances on the map, but the fact they were close to the end of the wasteland gave them a glimmer of hope.

"We're almost out of the worst of it," he continued. "But we still got a ways to go if we want to make it to Gravestone City by nightfall. I suggest whatever water you have left, use it sparingly."

With one Digimon unconscious, another sleeping, and the remaining two exhausted, the group forged onwards with hopes they could make it out without any more injuries or surprises. However, the sun seemed to take on a life of its own in a desperate attempt to make the remainder of the journey as excruciating for the Digi-Destined as possible. Now shining directly into their eyes as it began to fall from the sky, a new wave of heat and light erupted from the blazing orb more intense than before as though it were targeting them specifically.

"This desert is ridiculous," Kiela whined. "I think it's trying to kill us on purpose."

"Out of the frying pan and into the fryer," Cubmon half-heartedly joked, trying to lighten the situation.

Moving forward step by miserable step, the group did what they could to better the situation. Instead of drinking the now scalding hot water from their canteens, they gargled a little bit and spat it back in. Though not entirely hygienic, it helped conserve what little liquid they had left while wetting their pallets enough to alleviate their chapped lips and mouths.

All except Croix, who refused to touch his canteen. He seemed too caught up in tending to the injured Digimon to notice anything.

"I wonder what happened to him…," Croix mumbled to himself.

Cradling the still blacked-out Coppermon in his muscular arms, Croix appeared almost caring and paternal, which was very out of character for him. He never was one to show compassion in the typical sense of the word. His standard way of displaying affection for something was typically to either act macho in front of it, or beat it up. Showing his softer side was a very rare occurrence, and for him to do it in front of others made it even more so.

"Who knows?" Trio commented, placing a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "Once we get him fixed up, maybe we can get him to tell us."

"How do you know for certain it's a boy Digimon?" Lona asked, Lutramon still asleep in her arms.

A glare spread over the cowboy's face that seemed to ask if that was a serious question or not.

"C'mon," he declared, panting from the heat. "Just look at it. That ain't the face of a female Digimon… There ain't a snowball's chance in Hell a girl Digimon… would look like this. This here's a boy."

"Actually…Digimon don't have genders," Cubmon explained, overhearing the conversation. "So calling us 'he' and 'she' isn't really necessary… Males and females are a concept from your world… but whatever floats your boat is fine by me."

"Well, what do ya know?" Ry commented, surprised by the information. "I learned something new today."

Too tired to laugh, the group could only chuckle at the comment.


Had at that moment even one of the Digi-Destined looked upwards, they would have noticed they were no longer alone in the harsh wasteland. Circling far out of visible range, three rather awkward appearing vulture-like Digimon kept tabs on their potential victims, waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Seeming to defy the laws of flight, the creatures each had a large protruding belly covered in brown feathers and dexterous black wings that seemed incapable of sustaining lift for the heavyset Digimon. A set of large red eyes matched the red dinner bib wrapped around each of their necks.

"Can we eat them now, Boss?" one of them asked, a half-baked grin spread across its face.

"Yeah, Boss, I'm getting hungry," the second one added.

"Can it, you idiots," the remaining Digimon warned, deciding for himself which of the prey he would collect for himself. "We'll attack when I'm good and ready… okay, let's go!"

Letting out a screaming caw, the three creatures one by one broke into a steep nosedive, intent on ambushing their oblivious prey.

"Hey, did you guys hear that?" Andreo asked curiously.

"Yeah, I heard it too," Erri stated.

Craning their necks, the Digi-Destined put their hands over their eyes to shield the sunlight as they scanned the sky for the source of the noise. It didn't take but a split second for them to notice the three attackers closing in fast on them.

"Hit the deck!" Andreo barked.

Not needing to be told twice, everyone quickly got as low to the ground as they could to avoid the ambush. Standing their ground, Jurassimon and Cubmon prepared to fight with what little energy they had left.

Above them, the three glutinous creatures gained speed as they tucked their wings in close, allowing gravity to do its work. Going into perpetual freefall, they hurtled towards the ground nearing terminal velocity. Opening their beaks, they unleashed a barrage of slime green balls upon the Digi-Destined.

"VILE BOMBS!" they shouted in unison.

Landing all around the huddling Digi-Destined, the bomblets crashed into the ground, releasing a nauseous sulfur odor and dissolving the earth in a puddle of steam.

"It's acid!" Andreo warned. "Don't let it touch you!"

"What are these things?!" Lona shouted, covering her head. "And why are they attacking us?!"

"They're called Gourmandmon and they'll eat anything they can find," Cubmon replied. "And If I'm not mistaken, I think we're supposed to be their next meal. The good news is they're only Rookies and they're normally not the sharpest tools in the shed."

"Lutramon, wake up! This is no time to be taking a nap!" Lona screamed, shaking the Digimon to no avail. She merely stayed curled in her ball.

Still caught in a dive, the Gourmandmon continued to gain speed as they closed in on the Digi-Destined below.

"Jurassimon, shoot back!" Ry commanded desperately.

"You got it," Jurassimon replied.

Taking aim, the dinosaur let loose with multiple bursts of fireballs upwards, much like an anti-aircraft gun. Watching as the first few shots whizzed over the closing enemies' heads, Jurassimon made a quick trajectory adjustment and fired another Meteor Breath. Clipping the lead Gourmandmon's wing, the fireball sent the Digimon spiraling out of control.

"I'm hit! Mayday, mayday!" the Gourmandmon cried as it lost its ability to stop from hurdling into the earth. With a bone-jarring thud, the Digimon slammed at top speed around twenty yards away from the Digi-Destined, leaving a small crater as he did so.

Only the twitching of the potbellied bird indicated it was still conscious after the thunderous crash. Having watched one of their own go down in flames, the remaining Gourmandmons' anger began to swell.

"Okay, that does it! No more Mister Nice Bird! It's chow time!" the leader of the group shouted.

Pulling out of their dive, the two remaining Gourmandmon skimmed just feet above the ground, putting the Digi-Destined in their sights. Buzzing by the group with incredible speed for their size, the pair strafed the ground just inches in front of where the group had huddled for protection, eating away at the dirt in front of them. As they passed by, they were able to create a shockwave powerful enough to knock both Jurassimon and Cubmon off their feet.

"Jurassimon, I can't get at them unless they get in really close," Cubmon said, pulling himself up. "Unless we can lure them in close, it's all up to you."

Swinging around in a wide circle, the two attackers prepared for another strafe on the nearly defenseless Digi-Destined. They knew now that as long as they could dodge Jurassimon's Meteor Breath, they would be safe.

"VILE BOMBS!"

"METEOR BREATH!"

The two attacks collided midway, cancelling each other out. But Jurassimon could only keep the gluttonous flying Digimon at bay for so long, and with two of them, they could easily overpower the human's last line of defense. Exhausted from the desert heat, Jurassimon was already on his last leg, even though he had just begun to fight. His last few bursts didn't seem to have as much force as they normally did.

Watching from the sideline, Croix tried to maintain a cool head throughout the chaos and find a solution.

'There has to be something I can do to help', he thought.

Feeling movement in his arms, he looked down to see that Coppermon's eyes were now open and alert. Miraculously, some of his injuries even seemed to have had disappeared in the time they had traveled. His rust-colored eyes flashed around curiously, trying to gain comprehension of where he was and what was going on. From the few seconds it took him to take everything in, he deducted that his current situation was the epitome of S.N.A.F.U.

"Pardon my French, but what the hell is going on around here!" he shouted to the human in the cowboy hat that was laying flat on the ground next to him.

"Long story short, found you buried in the ground, took care of you, and now we're being attacked by Gourmandmon," Croix replied as casually as he could despite the situation they were in.

"Gourmandmon, huh?" the metallic serpent said quizzically. "Let me go, I know how to handle these guys."

"You're still too messed up to fight, though," the cowboy protested.

"I wasn't asking your permission," Coppermon said defiantly.

Although he knew Coppermon was still weakened from whatever it was that injured him in the first place, Croix felt a deep sense of trust for the Digimon as well. It was as though he understood that there were some things that just needed to be done regardless of the consequences. Coppermon seemed to air the same type of arrogant confidence that Croix displayed himself.

Releasing his hold on the Digimon, Croix allowed Coppermon to slither out into the open. Stretching his small scaly wings, the snake-like creature began to hover above the ground as though suspended by invisible wires.

"You can fly?" Lona asked, surprised at the floating Digimon.

"Well, these wings do more than just make me look good, Blondie," Coppermon replied bluntly, joining Jurassimon and Cubmon in the fight.

"Blondie?!" Lona hissed.

While the Digi-Destined were preoccupied with the awakening of Coppermon, Jurassimon and Cubmon were still standing their ground against the persistent attacks. The Gourmandmon had now split up and were closing in from opposite flanks.

"Oh look, Sleeping Beauty is finally awake," Cubmon cracked, keeping his attention focused on the incoming enemies.

Unfazed by the comment, Coppermon readied himself.

"Watch and learn, Princess," the serpent replied confidently. "Watch…and…learn."

Quickly studying the two Gourmandmon, Coppermon noticed that they were both flying at around the same height off the ground and would more than likely pass only a few feet apart from each other.

'Perfect.'

"When I say 'now', you both duck as low as you can. Got it?" Coppermon instructed.

"Got it," Jurassimon replied.

"Roger," Cubmon confirmed, curious to see what the new arrival had up his sleeve.

Closing within striking range, the two Gourmandmon took aim and fired. Shots of acidic slime splashed all around the three Digimon as they rapidly shortened the gap between them.

"Wait for it…" Coppermon stated.

"VILE BOMBS!"

"Wait for it…"

Now less than ten yards away the Gourmandmon were preparing another volley.

"Wait… now!"

Upon the signal, Jurassimon and Cubmon both landed flat on the dirt as the Gourmandmon grazed only inches from where they had just been standing. Whizzing by in opposing directions, the vulture Digimons' backs were now exposed. The trap was set.

"COPPER CONSTRICTOR!"

Slinging his tail forward, the two floating rings at the tip of Coppermon's tail began to glow a brilliant gold. Launching one ring at each of the two Gourmandmon, the circles of energy began to expand to several feet in diameter, surrounding the heavy Digimon. Snapping shut, the rings pinned the wings to their bodies, causing the Gourmandmon to plummet into the cracked desert floor.

"Boss, I can't move!" the subordinate cried out helplessly.

"He's got us tied up, you nitwit!"

Struggling to break free of Coppermon's hold, the bumbling Digimon wiggled and strained against their bonds.

"Unhand me this instant, you overgrown garden snake!" the leader of the group demanded.

The Digi-Destined looked on at the now-captured Gourmandmon, amazed that Coppermon had been able to bring them down with two well-placed shots.

"I've got a better idea," Coppermon said, floating over to the bumbling duo. "Cubmon, go get their little friend over there."

Much to the resistance of the Gourmandmon, Cubmon dragged the three together while Coppermon placed one large bind around all of them for good measure.

"You'll regret the day you thought you could get away with humiliating us like …!" the leader seethed before a smaller gold ring muffled him and his accomplices.

"I'm shaking in my boots," Cubmon quipped, standing over the captured Digimon. "So what should we do with them now?"

"I say just leave them," Coppermon stated without remorse, turning and making his way back beside the man in the black felt hat.

"Are you sure we should just leave them out here?" the blonde woman questioned remorsefully.

"Sure, why wouldn't I? In case you didn't notice, they just tried to have you for a light snack," Coppermon replied. "Don't worry though. If they're lucky my rings will wear off in a few days. They'll probably be fried chicken by then, but what do I care."

"That's pretty cold blooded of you," the cowboy replied with a wry smile.

"It's part of my nature," the serpent responded. "By the way, I guess I owe you my gratitude for finding me and taking care of my sorry hide. What's your momma call you, friend?"

"Croix," the black haired man replied, crossing his muscular arms across his chest. "Croix Chasseur. And it looks like we're gonna be partners from here on out."

"How do you figure that one?" Coppermon questioned curiously.

"Because I'm hot, hungry, tired, and overall not in a good mood right now," Croix explained. "But I'll drag your scaly hide back here with my bare hands if you try to go anywhere else, cause it'll be a cold day in Hell if I let a Digimon like you get away."

It took a moment for Coppermon to register the initial implications of the message, but he eyed the human for a few seconds before breaking into a under-bite smile.

"You're one cocky son of a gun, aren't you?"