Unfortunately, no one guessed where I got the idea for the number at the beginning of the last chapter. The song is actually a parody of 'The Lumberjack Song' done by Monty Python. It's a classic, I tell ya. Oh well, guess I don't have to do that artwork, right now.
Get ready, folks, for coming soon will be a new website, designed and created by none other than…me! That's right, it'll be a fansite dedicated to this story. You'll be able to find the chapters, character bios, and illustrations (once I get those done, at least). It probably won't be ready for quite a while, but I'll let you guys know when it's up.
Before we begin, onto the reviews!
Dark Qivuit: I'm glad you got a kick out of the routine in the beginning. I was practically falling out of my seat laughing while I was writing it. Plenty of good guesses, but unfortunately no cigar. Oh, the "Nudge Nudge" comment is from another Monty Python skit of that name. Thanks for the late comments, as well.
Digi fan: Have patience. The second set of Spirits will be unveiled later on.
Gemmanigirl: Looks like I have myself a crowd-pleaser for a character. That woodchips-for-brains will now most likely be the comedy relief for the Dark Knights. Hope that's alright.
Cyrus Arcanum: Your long wait is finally over. Consider this an early birthday gift!
Kara: Good question about the Knight of Darkness. The thing is, he hasn't been created, yet. Don't worry, though. He'll most certainly appear later on, once I come up with a good scenario for him…
drak672: Thanks, man.
Requiemkei: Lenadoramon rocks, alright. He's just going to get funnier and funnier as he makes more appearances, trust me.
coughkouichicough: Yeah, he was a jerk last chapter, but hey, he's back to normal, now. As for the Knight of Earth, you'll just have to see…
Flame Extinguisher: Ooookaaaaay…
Night Light: Ok, now I see what was going on. It's alright if this Flame Extinguisher reviews once in a while. Someone just has to control the amounts of sugar he's been consuming. sigh
FireBoy987: Thanks for the comments. Hope you're satisfied with this chapter.
gamekingman: Good God, I thought we were through with all of this. How many times do I have to tell you to stop asking that question? I have enough on my plate right now as it is!
Alright, before I totally lose it, here's the next chapter!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Digimon: Frontier Legacy
Chapter IX: Ground-Shattering Force! The Earth Trembles under Thesiamon!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Flashes illuminated the dark halls of the palace, while screams broke their silence. In a bottom level, Lenadoramon lay on a slab of rock, his torso and limbs strapped down, while a small purple Digimon was hitting him with shots of electricity. The Knight of Wood's body may have been immune to electrical attacks, but these shocks were meant to cause excruciating pain rather than paralysis. Lenadoramon screamed out every time the Thundermon hit him with a blast of electric power. All the while, he never called out for help or mercy, for he knew he wouldn't get it. He would only receive and feel mercy when his punishment finally ended.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
In the main throne room, the Dark Force was viewing the torture through his mirror. Aceromon and Empressmon were at the foot of the stairs, watching their fellow knight succumb to shock after shock. Aceromon watched without emotion, knowing full well that his comrade deserved this treatment for failing to kill the Chosen. Empressmon just watched with disgust, clearly seen with the frown she had on her face.
"Consider yourselves fortunate," the Dark Force said to the two Knights in the room. "You two are my finest, and I don't punish my finest. Lenadoramon is absolutely pathetic, the lowest of the low. He may be the weakest Knight in my possession, but I still need him if I want my plans to succeed." He touched his mirror and opened a channel to the torture room. "Enough!" He ordered. The Thundermon immediately stopped his attacks. The Knight of Wood weakly turned his head to see the image of his master in the room. "I hope you are grateful for me ending your torture early, Lenadoramon. Next time you will not feel any mercy from me. Now report back to your sector, immediately." He ended the communication and turned to his other Knights.
"Pardon me for asking," Empressmon said, "but why show mercy to that bark-covered buffoon?"
"I already said," the Dark Force replied, "I want him to be able to continue serving me. I couldn't exactly leave him for dead - otherwise he'd be completely useless."
"He's completely useless, already," Aceromon sighed. "I truly pity him. If his Spirit wasn't so weak he would make an exceptional warrior."
"Perhaps, but let's not dwell on 'what ifs' and focus on 'what is.' Currently you have all been defeated by those humans. One Knight remains to test her power against them."
"You mean Thesiamon," Aceromon said.
"That foolish Digimon," Empressmon chuckled, putting her arms behind her head. "She's the rookie out of the four of us, and she's still trying to compete with us. She should know that she'll never reach my level of power or beauty."
"Don't be too quick to judge. She may actually be stronger than you," Aceromon said to himself.
"What did you say?" Empressmon asked angrily.
"You should never judge a person by reputation, alone. She's been out on the field for months mastering her abilities. I wouldn't be surprised if now she's the most powerful of us Knights."
"How dare you! I'll show you power, you freaking pile of rust!" Empressmon brought out her sword, preparing to attack. Aceromon was quick to take a defensive stance.
"STOP IT! THAT'S ENOUGH!" The Knight of Water instinctively stopped her attack and looked over to her master. "I will NOT allow these meaningless squabbles!"
Empressmon stored her weapon with a dejected look on her face. "Forgive me, master. You know how impulsive I am when it comes to rude comments."
The Dark Force sighed and mumbled to himself. "That's what you get for being a descendent of Ranamon." He then spoke up. "However, I partially agree with you. Thesiamon may have been in training, but it still fails to show if she has the power necessary to bring the Chosen down." He turned to the Knight of Steel. "Aceromon, I want you to find Thesiamon and give her support."
"Consider it done," the Steel Spaniard replied, bowing. As he turned and exited the throne room, he grinned underneath his helmet. At last, he thought to himself, an opportunity for a rematch…
The Dark Force turned his chair to face his mirror once more. "Pay attention," he said to Empressmon. "You just might learn something from this upcoming battle."
The Knight of Water silently huffed and crossed her arms. "We'll just see," she said to herself.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Night was running its course as the Chosen slept in the peaceful valley. A rocky hill lined one side, while a small brook flowed on the other. By now they were accustomed to sleeping anyplace that was comfortable enough, as seen by their resting in the sand next to the brook. A small fire was burning brightly, providing light and heat. To prevent a surprise attack, the group had adapted a watch post, where one of them would be awake for a period of time, then switch off with another. It was Snow's turn, currently, as she leaned against the rocks looking into the sky. The stars were shining brightly, as if an omen for good things to come. The sky was starting to gain new colors, signifying that morning was fast approaching.
Snow sighed as she tossed a set of twigs into the fire. Despite the fire's warmth, she still felt cold inside. Recently she had been going through a series of memory lapses. The times of her youth were being recalled without warning at random times. During these periods, time seemed to stop, and by the time they ended she would be back to normal, as if they never occurred at all. She did not know why this was happening, but it was driving her insane. She wanted to forget it all and move on with her life, but something was holding her back. She didn't know what to do; she was confused as to how she would be able to go on.
She suddenly tensed up as a flashback triggered.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
An eight-year-old Natayla Sphaera was sleeping comfortably tonight. Sleep was one of the few comforts she had. It was the only time she didn't have to listen to the constant arguments between her mother and her boyfriend. In the beginning it seemed like they were in love, but these sweet notions soon turned sour when he began demanding outrageous things. The spats began only a week ago, and they were starting to get even more heated. If something wasn't done soon, then things may turn for the worse.
Natayla was abruptly awoken by a gunshot. "Mommy!" She cried, leaping out of bed and running out of her room. She heard the shot coming from her mother's bedroom, so she quickly headed there. She heard screaming and angry grunts coming from inside. She opened the door and saw that her mother was locked in a struggle with her boyfriend. A gun was in her hand, and it appeared that she intended to use it. She kicked him in the chest, sending him to the floor against the wall. Natayla watched in horror as her mother aimed the gun at his head and fired every round still in it. "Mommy!" Natayla screamed, roughly opening the door the rest of the way.
Her mother stared back at her daughter in both disbelief and terror. "Natayla…" she began to say. "I'm…I'm so sorry." She dropped the gun and silently walked out of the room. Natayla dropped to the floor and began crying hysterically. This was the last time she ever saw her mother…
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Aaron was drifting in and out of sleep at this time. He had watch duty just an hour before, and he was trying his best to get back the sleep he had lost. But a sudden whimpering got him awake. "Damn it, what the hell's going on?" He mumbled, yawning.
He looked around to find Snow lying down, her hands gripping her head. She was talking to herself, saying "Mommy. Why did you do it? Why did you leave me alone? Why? Why?" She was also crying all the while.
"Snow? What's wrong?" Aaron moved himself over to where his friend lay, only to find that he wasn't getting a response. He put a hand on her shoulder and softly shook it. "Come on, you're having a bad dream." He flinched when the hand was swatted away. His blood began to boil a bit; he did not like being ignored like this. Normally he would start shouting to get her attention, but that would just wake everyone else up. Instead, he began shaking Snow's shoulder again, but with a little more force.
Thanks to this shaking, Snow was finally awake. She groaned as she held the back of her head, as if it ached. "What's…happening?" She asked in a weary voice.
"You ok?" Aaron asked. "You fell asleep, and it looked like you were having a nightmare."
Snow swore to herself as she got to her feet. "How could I have been so stupid? I'm supposed to be on watch, but I fall asleep on the job. What if something came to attack us right now?"
"Hey, come on," Aaron replied, rising to his feet as well. "Things like this happen-"
"But not to me!" Snow retorted. "I've always been alert, always ready to act when need be! There's just been so much going on with my life that it's hard to live up to my expectations. She sat back down and leaned against the rocks, slouching. "What's going on? I shouldn't be acting like this…"
"I actually find it refreshing," Aaron replied, sitting next to her. "This proves once and for all that you're actually human." He grinned, but it changed to a frown with the death glare he received from his friend.
"You know, I'd say something to you right now," Snow said, "but there's a little kid nearby." She motioned to Ryan, who was sleeping on his back, saliva coming out of his open mouth.
"Hey, you know I'm kidding, right?" Aaron said. "Uh, about your problems…what kind of problems are we talking about?"
"Talking is not my strong suit," Snow replied.
"Then what are we doing right now?"
Snow sighed. "Do you always act this annoying?"
"Only when I'm with my friends," Aaron replied.
Snow turned her head at this comment. "You're not joking, are you?"
"I don't know, does it sound like I am?"
Though it was uncharacteristic for her, Snow gave a small smile. "Thanks, preacher. I really appreciate that."
Aaron smiled back. "No problem. Now were you going to answer that other question of mine?"
"I'd rather not talk about it, right now," she replied.
"Fair enough," Aaron said. "Perhaps when you're more ready."
"Let's cross that bridge if we get to it." Snow started falling back asleep.
Aaron could only grin. "You owe me big time for this," Aaron whispered to himself. "You'll be getting double shift tomorrow night." He chuckled as he watched the clouds turn color with the approach of the dawn.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
In another part of the valley, at about this time, a Digimon was working on her technique. She resembled an Amazon warrior clad in fur, with dark skin and highly-developed muscles. She wore a bronze helmet with the horns of a bull sticking out of its sides. Hey eyes were shut at the moment, but they quickly opened, revealing a pair of ice-blue orbs. She raised her arms as the ground began to shake softly. The earth and sand rose, surrounding the Digimon in wave-like patterns. The mixture began to compact itself, forming into a pair of falchions. She grabbed one in each of her hands and began swinging them in professional fashion. The blades of earth cut the air with skill and grace. She then threw the falchions into the air and commanded them to break apart. The earth reformed itself into an axe with a long handle and a large double-blade, which the Digimon caught. Despite its seemingly great weight, she had no trouble spinning it around. With incredible speed, she brought the axe over her head and swung downward, letting the weapon cut through the earth and rejoin it. The Digimon then leaped into the air and came down, fists first. The impact made the ground buckle, and a shockwave was sent in the direction she was facing. The earth split apart as trapped gases escaped into the air. The Digimon rose back to her feet and sighed, wiping her brow.
"Impressive performance, Thesiamon," a voice said from behind.
The Digimon turned to see the Knight of Steel, arms crossed. "Aceromon," Thesiamon said, "what are you doing here? I'm busy right now."
"I can easily see that," Aceromon replied. "Are you ready to test your might against that of the Chosen's?"
"Almost. I want to be sure that my powers are at their best before I face them."
"Excellent mindset," Aceromon commented. "It is not wise for a warrior to charge into battle without preparing his body and mind for it."
Thesiamon huffed. "As if you would know anything about that."
"I do, actually. Our master has sent me here to give you backup."
"In other words, he still doesn't think that I can handle this on my own," the Knight of Earth growled. "I may have been the last Spirit brought to life, but that doesn't mean I need babysitting. I can work alone, and I don't need help of any kind."
"You mean like the time you were sent to take over that colony of Tortomon? You should be thankful Empressmon knows Healing Waters, or you probably wouldn't be here right now."
"Shut up!" Thesiamon yelled, her eyes turning crimson in color. The earth shook from this outburst.
"And with that temper of yours, it's a wonder that the master doesn't deal with you and then start over from scratch."
"I SAID SHUT UP!" The ground shook even more. Thesiamon shut her eyes and counted in her mind, taking deep breaths all the while. "Sorry about that. You know what happens when I get mad."
Aceromon chuckled. "Do I ever. Now have you calmed down?"
"A little bit. Like I said before, I don't need help. If I do need it, I'll ask for it."
"Fine. I'll stay out of your way until you feel you can't win on your own."
"Thanks. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some Chosen to bury." Thesiamon turned to earth and vanished into the coarse sand. Aceromon could see a long mound of earth sticking up from the ground, moving at a high speed towards the Chosen's camp.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
"Did you guys feel that?" Ryan asked. Morning had come in full glory, and the group was stretching, preparing for the day's long journey.
"What do you mean?" Leo asked.
"I felt a sudden shaking. Two, actually." "Don't worry yourself," Archivamon replied.
"This area is always being hit by small and random tremors now and then."
"Then why didn't we feel any of these tremors during the night?" Asuka asked.
"These tremors can happen at anytime, and the intervals are spread out over different lengths of time. Two may occur within a few minutes, a few days, or even a few years. You can never really tell here. But luckily, no tremor has ever hit past 3.0 on the Richter Scale since the beginning of the First Digital War." As Archivamon finished saying this, the ground began to shake violently.
"You just had to jinx it, didn't you?" Aaron asked angrily.
"Oh dear! This tremor is 5.0! We've got to take cover!"
"And where exactly are we going to take it?" Snow asked. "We're stuck in the middle of two hills, for crying out loud!"
"And that's exactly where I intend to keep you!" A voice said. The group looked around to find the source of the noise, then jumped when a column of sand and dirt exploded out of the ground. A section of it took shape, changing into that of Thesiamon.
"Let me guess," Leo said, "you're with this Dark Force, as well."
"Give the little pest a prize!" Thesiamon laughed. "I am Thesiamon, the Knight of Earth! My brothers and sister in arms may have failed to bring you down, but I certainly will not. My powers come in quite handy, especially when I can effortlessly dig your graves once I've killed you all!"
"We'll see who'll get buried!" Aaron shouted back.
"You've got spunk, you brat," Thesiamon said. "I hate spunk! Now DIE!" She waved her arms and sent a wave of sand in the Chosen's direction. The group reacted instantly.
"EXECUTE! KNIGHT SPIRIT EVOLUTION!"
The Knights jumped high and avoided the onslaught. Archivamon, however, wasn't so fortunate. In an instant he was buried under at least a five feet of sand.
"Thunder Cannon!" Wufeimon shouted, firing electricity from his swallow. Thesiamon conjured up a wall of earth in front of her, and it deflected the blow no problem. She formed a Bo-staff in her hands and leaped into the air, bringing the staff down on her target. Wufeimon counted with his swallow, blocking the attack. Unfortunately, Thesiamon had the advantage when it came to strength. She forced the Knight of Thunder down to one knee, and she kicked him down. She turned her staff into a double-bladed axe and swung down hard. Wufeimon, thankfully, had the advantage when it came to speed. He spun to the side, narrowly avoiding getting sliced in half. He rolled back, brought his legs back and kicked Thesiamon in the stomach, forcing her to stumble backwards while he leapt to safety.
Samuraimon was quick to capitalize on the stumble. He swung his sword diagonally, attempting to inflict a fatal cut. Thesiamon, however, felt the attack. The axe instantly turned into a falchion, and she used it to counter the slash. Metal struggled against compacted earth for a moment before the Knight of Fire changed tactics. He began attacking with quick slashes in every direction possible. The Knight of Earth blocked each and every blow, then began her own assault. While Samuraimon blocked the attacks, he didn't notice that Thesiamon was creating another falchion in her other hand. Therefore, he didn't anticipate getting cut by said blade. Though he wasn't expecting the slash, he was far enough away so that the attack only grazed his chest. Samuraimon jumped back, gripping the minor cut on his chest with his free hand. He countered by firing off a set of Incendial Streams. Thesiamon brought up her wall of earth, and the fire instantly changed it to glass. She changed her blades into a pair of boxing gloves with spiked knuckles and punched the wall of glass. Jagged fragments shot towards the Knight of Fire, but thankfully he was able to avoid getting cut to ribbons.
Devonmon was next, firing off a volley of her Ice Blades. Thesiamon saw the attack coming and forced a set of boulders into the air to deflect the blades. With her gloves still on, the Knight of Earth charged the Knight of Ice. As if she had taken expert boxing lessons, Devonmon held up her arms to defend against the frontal assault, then moved her arms to block the blows coming from other directions. She ducked her head to avoid having it knocked off of its shoulders, then kicked out Thesiamon's legs. The Knight of Earth hung in the air for a split second, which gave plenty of time for Devonmon to side-kick her into the hill. The Knight of Ice then shot a blast of blue energy from her hand at the Dark Knight while she was trying to recover. The blast hit her, and she was encased in ice. Devonmon sighed, figuring that the battle was over, then gasped as the ground began to shake again. The ice surrounding Thesiamon began to crack as she forced her way out of her frozen prison. Devonmon brought up a Frozen Forcefield just in time to protect herself from the resulting explosion of earth and ice. Thesiamon then charged the shield at high speed, shattering it and slamming into Devonmon. The Knight of Ice was thrown back a good forty feet before landing in the sand.
Thesiamon was about to finish off the Knight of Ice, but she changed her mind after getting hit in the back by a blast of energy. She turned around just in time to get hit by another energy dragon. She brought out another set of boulders and hurled them in the direction of her attacker, but Dragoonmon destroyed them with another set of Dragon Fists. The Knight of Wind then went into his Spiral Shaver attack, bouncing off the hills, headed straight for his target. Thesiamon simply grinned, forming a pair of long-bladed Sais in her hands. Despite Dragoonmon's incredible speed, the Knight of Earth was able to anticipate his movements. When the Knight of Wind got into striking distance, he was abruptly stopped by Thesiamon's Sais. He hung in the air in surprise, confused as to how anyone could block his ultimate technique. This cost him dearly, for the Knight of Earth had immediately changed her Sais into Nunchaku and began pummeling him into submission. A powerful kick to the chest sent him crashing to the ground.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
All the while, Halomon was doing her best to try and locate Archivamon. She was using her newly-acquired telekinetic powers to shift the sand to the sides. She noticed the Machine Digimon's body within the shifted sand, and she flew down to finish digging him out. "Are you alright?" The Knight of Light asked.
"Except for the sand in my joints, I'll be fine," Archivamon replied. "Thankfully I don't require oxygen to function properly, or I'd be done for."
"No kidding!" Dataratomon called, poking his head out of the rear compartment. "We're connected, remember? If you die while I'm in here, I die, too! And do you know how long it's going to take to get dis goddamn sand out of here! I swear if I get buried in sand one more time, I'm gonna-" He was cut off by Archivamon shutting the compartment door.
"Not the time for improper language," Archivamon said to himself.
"Asuka!" Samuraimon called. The Knight of Fire had run over to where Halomon and Archivamon were. "We could really use your help right about now."
"I'm coming," Halomon replied. She then noticed the cut in his gi. "Oh no, you're hurt!"
"It's okay, just a scratch," Samuraimon replied in a hurried tone. "We need to figure out how to bring down that powerhouse before she brings us down. Come on!" He headed back towards the battle, Halomon and Archivamon close behind.
None of them noticed the figure hiding out behind the rocks nearby. Aceromon was watching his prey carefully, paying close attention to the interaction. It appears that these two are closely bonded, he thought to himself. Perhaps I can use this bond to my advantage. I must wait for the right moment to act. He waited until his enemies were far enough away before stealthily following them.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Meanwhile, the other Knights were having their hands full attempting to bring down the evil earth mover. No matter what kind of attack they used, nothing slowed Thesiamon down a bit. With her wide repertoire of weapon-handling, it seemed like she was close to being invincible.
"Any bright ideas?" Dragoonmon asked, blowing away incoming boulders.
"Not in the slightest," Devonmon replied. "She's not giving us a lot of options." "Where are the others?" Wufeimon asked.
"Right here!" Samuraimon called. He and Halomon were finally back on the scene. "What's the situation?"
"What situation?" Dragoonmon jokingly asked. "There's no way we can stop her individually. Sounds like we need to combine our powers to bring her down."
"Excellent idea," Archivamon said, "and you and Snow seem to be best-suited for the job."
"What are you talking about?" Devonmon asked. "You mean like combining our attacks?"
"Precisely. The earth freezes when coming into contact with extreme cold and wind. Mixing your elemental powers should be more than enough to stop this Knight of Earth cold."
"Alright, now that we have the bring-down method, how do we actually do it?" Wufeimon asked.
"Simple," Samuraimon replied, "we draw her fire and distract her while Aaron and Snow prepare. Once they're ready, we get out of the way and watch as the world's largest ice sculpture is made before our eyes."
"That's a nice way of putting it," Halomon commented, "but don't you think that this is a little dangerous?"
"What idea I've come up with is safe?" The Knight of Fire joked. The Knight of Light sighed.
"Just be careful, you two," Archivamon warned. "We don't want to see either of you get killed out there."
"Hey, we're professionals. Don't worry so much." Samuraimon turned to Wufeimon. "Ready to go, kid?"
"You bet I am," the Knight of Thunder replied.
"Hey, what the hell are you discussing down there?" Thesiamon asked out loud on top of her pillar of earth. "Mind if I cut in?" The used her powers to raise another boulder, then shattered it into thousands of pieces, which were then fired like bullets at the Chosen.
"SCATTER!" Samuraimon yelled. The Knights darted in different directions to avoid getting filled with holes, except for Halomon, who brought up her barrier to protect herself and Archivamon.
The Knight of Fire counterattacked with a volley of Incendial Streams, attempting to keep Thesiamon off-balance. Wufeimon sped in, swinging his swallow. The Knight of Earth once again formed a Bo-staff and countered the strikes. Wufeimon's speed proved to be an important factor, for he found a way to continue speeding up his attacks. Thanks to his nearly lightning-fast moves, he was able to get a few physical hits in while also using his staff. Thesiamon's anger began to rise when her seemingly rock-hard defenses were being breached. And the hot-foot wasn't helping much, either. Thanks to her increasing level of temper, the ground started to shake violently. Having enough of the thunder-wielding pest, she quickly turned her staff into her set of gloves and gave Wufeimon a powerful uppercut.
As Wufeimon was sent sailing, Samuraimon went in again, this time quicker than last time. Instead of using a weapon to block the several slashes the Knight of Fire used, Thesiamon simply twisted or turned her body to dodge getting even a scratch. She didn't notice that the temperature around them was rising drastically. Samuraimon suddenly leaped into the air and was seemingly attempting a vertical slash. Thesiamon crossed her arms above her to block this strike, but lowered them when she noticed that the Knight of Fire had disappeared. She gasped in surprise when her arms were grabbed from behind. Samuraimon had somehow gotten behind her and got her into a lock. Despite her efforts, she wasn't able to break it. It was at this time that the temperature really skyrocketed.
"BURNING BIG BANG!"
Thesiamon was caught up in the massive explosion of power and heat, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Samuraimon immediately jumped out of the way before Thesiamon could recover. "NOW! DO IT NOW!" He called out.
This was the signal Dragoonmon and Devonmon were waiting for. Dragoonmon focused the winds within him and sent them out with hurricane-like power. The winds fashioned themselves into a miniature cyclone, sent straight towards the Knight of Earth. Thesiamon, covered in scratches and burns, was just getting up when she was enveloped in the intense winds. She shouted out in surprise and terror as she was lifted into the air.
At the same time, Devonmon was focusing the coldness that resided within her Knight form. As she was about to unleash her ice attack, she froze up.
"What are you waiting for?" Dragoonmon shouted. "I can't keep this up!"
Devonmon heard none of this, as she was caught up in another flashback…
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
A few years had passed since Natayla had witnessed her mother murdering in cold blood. She was arrested by authorities a few days after and was put on trial. It didn't take long before she was sentenced to life in prison. Without a legal guardian, Natayla was forced to go through a series of foster homes. It seemed like there was no way for her to live a normal life, anymore. Nobody seemed to want her, at least not in a caring way. One foster home, it seemed, proved to be the worst of all.
In this particular family, the father was constantly drinking. He would come home late at night in a drunken stupor, lashing out at anything that got in his way. Unfortunately, this particular night had Natayla staying up late doing a homework assignment. The moment he had laid eyes on her he was sent into a rage. The alcohol in his blood took over, and he went berserk. Natayla did her best to try and escape, but that wasn't possible. Her life was currently in the hands of her drunken foster parent…
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
"Come on, Snow!" Dragoonmon yelled over the winds he was making. "Do it before I lose my control over this!"
It was too late, though, for Thesiamon had just taken over the situation. She turned the cyclone into a sand twister thanks to her earth manipulation. The energy was forced outward in an explosion of power, which sent Dragoonmon to the ground. Devonmon was still standing, her eyes glassy slits as the repressed memory continued. Thesiamon took the advantage and attacked the defenseless Knight of Ice. Devonmon was in no position to retaliate as she was assaulted with a mixture of punches and kicks. Her mind was taking these blows and using them to support the memory she was right in the middle of. So to her, she wasn't getting hit by the Knight of Earth, but the drunken foster parent who never cared for her at all. When she was grabbed and hurled into the side of the hill, she saw it as the parent doing it to her.
"Snow!" Dragoonmon yelled as he charged towards Thesiamon. The Knight of Earth just raised her left hand. A column of earth shot up and hit the Knight of Wind square in the chest. He collapsed, gasping to get back the air he had just lost.
The distraction out of the way, she turned back to her current easy target. "Well, well, well," she said in a mocking tone. "What ever happened to the supposedly fierce assassin that brought down the mighty Ice Devimon? You don't seem all that fierce to me." She brought up the earth around her and formed her double-bladed axe. "Looks like you'll be the first to fall at my hands. DIE!" She brought the axe down.
The axe was blocked mid-way by a pair of weapons. Samuraimon and Wufeimon had recovered, and they used their respected weapons to prevent the death of their friend.
"You leave her alone, bitch!" Samuraimon growled.
"What kind of Digimon attacks another who doesn't fight back?" Wufeimon asked angrily.
"I DO!" Thesiamon roared in reply as the earth began to shake again. A sudden blast of energy hit her in the back, and she lost her grip and concentration. She turned to see Halomon in the air, eyes still glowing with the white energy. The Knight of Light fired again, only to have the attack blocked by a boulder mentally pulled out of the ground. This was enough of a distraction for Samuraimon and Wufeimon to get Devonmon safely-enough away. Dragoonmon rushed over to where they were.
"You try and get Snow back to her senses," Samuraimon said to Dragoonmon. "We'll keep Thesiamon busy." He and Wufeimon went back into battle.
Dragoonmon looked on, then turned to Devonmon, who was still caught in her mental trance. "Come on, Snow, snap out of it!" He said, gripping her by the shoulders and shaking her. "We need you right now! Don't give up on us!"
Devonmon wasn't giving any kind of response, until her eyes opened up all the way. There was no life in them. "I…I can't," she said softly. "I can't do this. No one is around to help me. I'm all alone."
"Fight it!" Dragoonmon said. "You're not alone! Your friends are here to give you support!"
"Friends? But I…I can't have any friends…I never get the chance to make friends."
The Knight of Wind growled to himself. "You've got to let it all go," he said. "You can't live by the past alone. You have to live for the future. You're the master of your own fate - don't let past events force you to live a way you don't want to live!"
Though it didn't look it, Snow was taking all of this in. As if by some miracle, the horrendous memory she was currently in shifted to a different, more peaceful one…
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Eleven-year-old Natayla was at an airport, waiting for the plane to arrive to take her and her new foster parents back to where they lived. She didn't want to leave, yet. She was hoping to meet with her friend before leaving. She smiled when she saw a girl her age running towards her. She had short brown hair, bright chocolate-brown eyes, and a smile that would make anyone change their attitude.
"Cathy, you made it," Natayla said. "I'd never leave a friend hanging, you know," the girl replied. "Any idea if you'll be coming back?"
Natayla looked at the floor and sighed. "I don't think so," she said.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Cathy held out a small box wrapped in silk.
Natayla took the gift and opened it. Inside was a silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of a clear snowflake. "Wow, it's beautiful," she said in amazement. She took it out of its box and put it around her neck. "Thank you. You're the best friend I've ever had." The two girls hugged each other as Natayla's foster parents arrived.
"Are you ready to go?" The woman asked.
The two girls broke their hug. "Don't forget about me, alright Snow?" Cathy asked.
Natayla smiled when she was called by her nickname. "Believe me," she replied, "I won't." Cathy looked on as Natayla followed her foster parents to their new home and another temporary lifestyle…
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Devonmon broke out of her trance, her eyes once again filled with life. She turned to face Dragoonmon, who still had a look of fear in his eyes. "You ok?" He asked.
Devonmon smiled underneath her facemask. "I am now. Thanks, for everything."
"No problem," the Knight of Wind replied, returning her smile with a grin. "Now let's end this, shall we?"
"Let's."
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Samuraimon, Wufeimon and Halomon were now on the ground, completely exhausted from the battle. Thesiamon stood over them with a look of disappointment. "And here I was thinking that I was going to get a challenge from you Chosen. Oh well, looks like I have to end our little party, now."
"We're the ones who are going to end this!" She heard a voice say. She turned around, just in time to see the gust of wind. Once again she was caught up in a cyclone.
"Oh, not this trick, again!" She called. "I broke out of this once before, and I can do it again!"
"One big difference this time around," Devonmon called back as she focused energy in her body. "I'm fighting back." She screamed as the energy began to build up immensely, focusing into her outstretched hand. "BLIZZARD OF DEMISE!" She yelled out, firing the blast of snow and ice. The ultimate attack combined with the cyclone immediately, and it began to freeze everything within. Thesiamon screamed as she was caught up in the sudden blizzard, but it was cut off. By the time the attack ended, a pillar of ice remained, the Knight of Earth caught in suspended animation, a look of horror on her face frozen in time.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
It was sunset once again, and the Knights had long since made their way out of the valley. They all had a look of pride in their eyes, for they felt that they had won a very difficult battle.
"So how long do you think that Thesiamon will stay as an ice sculpture?" Ryan asked.
"Who knows?" Archivamon replied. "Could be days, could be months, could be years."
"Well, by the time she breaks out of there," Leo said, "we'll be long gone."
"Let's just hope that we don't come across any more trouble today," Asuka sighed.
Aaron and Snow were taking up the rear of the group, caught in deep thought. Aaron was the first to break the silence between them. "So what made you snap out of it?" He asked.
"I guess it was partly a memory of my childhood friend, and partly your preaching," Snow replied quietly. "I don't know why all of that was happening. Why was I experiencing memories of my past?"
"Maybe it was a test," Aaron said. "A way to see if you could put your past behind you. And by the look of things, you most certainly passed it."
Snow turned to her friend. "You really think so?" She asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Aaron grinned.
"Well, thanks for helping me through it all." To Aaron, Snow was unpredictable when it came to action, which was why he never expected her to plant a small kiss on his cheek. As Snow walked on, he held his cheek, softly blushing all the while. He snapped back to reality when the ground began to shake again.
"Ah man, not her again!" Leo said.
"This certainly isn't Thesiamon's energy signature," Archivamon said. "Someone else is causing this ruckus." The ground in front of them exploded, and someone jumped out of the sand.
"This is where I stop you," a Spanish-accented voice said through the cloud of smoke and sand.
"Aceromon!" Ryan cried.
"I thought Thesiamon was alone," Snow said.
"That is where you are wrong. I was sent to help her out, but she refused it. I didn't participate in your battle out of respect for her. But now that that battle is over, I can take the helm and bring you down in my own way." As Aceromon said this, the iron ball on his right arm detached from its chain and hit the ground.
"Taking advantage of our exhaustion?" Leo asked. "Where's the honor in that?"
"Actually," the Knight of Steel replied, "I am not here to fight all of you. I only have one of you in mind." With incredible reflexes, he fired his chain. The Chosen had no time to react to this. The chain was aimed at Asuka, wrapping around her like an anaconda, covering her from her mouth down. She couldn't move her body as the chain squeezed tight. She was then pulled back towards Aceromon.
"Asuka!" Leo yelled. "Let her go!"
"You're in no position to make demands, samurai," Aceromon shot back. "If you don't want me to squeeze the life out of your friend, you will abide by my instructions." The group looked ready to pounce, but there was nothing they could do.
Leo growled. "What do you want?"
Aceromon chuckled. "You will surrender to me, now." He directed this statement at the Knight of Fire.
"Wait…wait a minute…this is all about that match at the colosseum, isn't it?"
"You catch on pretty quick, samurai. Now throw me your device." Leo stared back in anger, then reached into his pocket. He took out his device and threw it towards the Knight of Steel, who caught it with his free hand.
"What the hell are you doing?" Aaron asked. "You're just going to let him win?"
"We don't have much of a choice, right now," Leo replied. He looked at the ground. "You're in charge until I get back."
"What? That's crazy talk!"
"Silence, human!" Aceromon yelled. "Now come here, samurai!" Leo did what he was told, slowly walking towards the Steel Spaniard. Aceromon let out a sharp whistle, and a new Digimon flew down towards them. It was some kind of robot, with a square body and a single eye on the right side. Its arms were flat, serving as wings. It had a cockpit on top, which opened up when it landed. "Get inside, now." Aceromon ordered. Leo did what he was told, climbing into the cockpit of the kneeling machine Digimon. When he was inside, the cockpit shut, and the Digimon took off again.
"Where are you taking him?" Archivamon asked.
"That is none of your concern," the Knight of Steel replied. "Now then, a deal is a deal." The chain unwound itself, and Asuka dropped to the ground, gripping her throat. "It was an honor doing business with you. Till we meet again." He pressed a hidden button on his chest, and in a flash of light he was gone.
"This can't be happening!" Ryan said. "Why was he taken?"
"Revenge is always a criminal thing," Snow replied. "That guy is out for his blood. If we don't do something, we may never see Leo again."
Through all of this, Asuka lay on the ground, saying nothing. She had a look of bewilderment and sadness in her eyes. Aaron knelt down beside her. "Come on," he said to her, "we'll get him back. Don't worry." It was at this time that Asuka began to silently cry.
"Well, what do we do, now?" Ryan asked.
"We may have lost sight of him," Archivamon said, "but that doesn't mean that we've lost him permanently." He brought up a map on his screen as it scanned the surrounding landscapes. A red dot appeared on the screen, and by the look of things it was moving fast.
"Is that Leo?" Aaron asked.
"His energy signature, at least," Archivamon replied. "When you arrived here each of your unique energy signatures were scanned into my database. With my tracking system we should be able to find him and rescue him."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Snow said. "Let's go after him!" The group helped Asuka to her feet, and they all rushed off in the direction that Leo was taken.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Miles away, at the site of the recent battle, the pillar of ice that had Thesiamon imprisoned stood. Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently. The ice began to crack in multiple areas. Just then, the pillar shattered, and Thesiamon landed hard on the ground. She raised her head, her eyes blood-red with rage, as she growled deeply. "That ice-bitch is going to pay for this!" She roared. "YOU HEAR ME? YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!"
To be continued…
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
The rivalry between Samuraimon and Aceromon heats up as they engage in a fight to the finish. Their reasons for fighting a mystery, neither will back down until they walk away victorious, or die trying. Will the others be able to reach their friend in time?
Next time: Mortal Combat! Aceromon's Battle of Revenge!
