The Battle of Arcwater


Kingdom of Chronus, Eastern Province, Fort of Arcwater

The battle had started. In an offhand kind of way, it reminded Jeanette of a fireworks display. It had all the flashing lights of different colors, flashes, noise and explosions, too. But in a fireworks display, Digimon weren't dying. The dark forces relentlessly hammered the Excalibur's defenses, breaking around the fort's walls like water on rocks. Yet where they met resistance, they attempted to slide around, probing for that weakness to worm into and exploit, again like water.

Yet unlike that rock, this malevolent force would not be content to wait centuries to wear itself an opening. The first waves of Dracmon to try and scramble the walls were beat back by the stalwart forces of the Chronian military, and the tamers watched anxiously. Jeanette's hands clenched around her D-vector, eying the short list of Drivers as she tried to divine how best to put them to use as the battle raged on before them.

"Let's get out there," Hang said, voice ringing with impatience. She had paced back and forth as the battle began, paying only vague attention to where her tail swung and forcing Kyoko to duck several times. She craned her neck over her shoulder and looked at Cyrus. "I can handle it on the front lines."

"That's not the plan," Cyrus murmured into the Leppamon's ear. "We need to keep the girls safe for Valdor. Save your energy in case any of them try to make a run at us."

Bolter scrabbled up onto Artemis's shoulder. "I'd say you look stiffer," the Lopmon said teasingly. "But I don't know that that would be possible." He wrapped his ears around her neck like an awkward scarf to brace himself.

"Watch yourselves!" Valdor called out, a sweeping wind buffeting the tamers as the Captain took to the skies. His wings beat a strong rhythm, the sword on his wrist igniting as he soared in to join several other angelic warriors in battling the Devidramon descending toward the fort. More flashes of light erupted across the night sky as the air battle was joined.

"It's okay," Kyoko said, laying a hand across one of Jeanette's as the two stood side by side on the tower. The others were keeping alert for anyone making a run on the central tower, leaving the two girls to watch the battle. "Breathe, Net-chan." She gave a nervous smile to her blond-haired friend.

"I appreciate it," Jeanette murmured, trying to follow the advice. "But… a battle like zis, it is nuzzing to take easy, is it?"

"I'm just saying," Kyoko gripped Jeanette's hand with her own. "Getting too worked up isn't good for you… Just stay focused and stay alive, ne?" As she spoke, something odd seemed to glint in Kyoko's mismatched eyes.

"Oui," Jeanette acknowledged with a nod. "Look out!" she yelled suddenly, pointing to a Devidramon that had squeaked through the aerial defensive line even as several of its kin were felled. The massive dark dragon folded its wings and dropped like a bomb straight at the central tower.

"Blazing Ice!"
"Razor Wind!"

The twin air attacks were joined by a few streams of azure fire coming from the tops of some of the inner buildings. The Devidramon shuddered and shrieked as the attacks tore at its leathery hide, but its four crimson eyes seemed fixed the observation level of the tower. It hurtled onward, and it seemed it would strike until a shining golden rod plunged through its back. The angelic Pidmon was surrounded in a halo of dark data particles before it returned to the battle above, no doubt with the hope to prevent any other Digimon from making a similar attempt.

Kyoko waved thanks to the angel, then looked over to Jeanette. "You okay?"

The younger tamer nodded. Inside, she was less confident. It had been her idea to stick around and help even though they'd initially been coerced into coming, but now she wasn't so sure. All these Digimon, even with the Excalibur protecting them on all sides, seemed just beyond their league. Maybe Cyrus was okay, but Jeanette and Kyoko had only been here for a few days. What was I thinking?

"I think," she heard Cyrus murmur. "I think we might be okay." Jeanette and Kyoko looked up to see what he did. While they saw a few Excalibur fall in battle, the overwhelming majority of the data clouds starting to shroud the already dark night before they dispersed, were coming from the dark enemies.

"Hey, wait," said Kyoko, squinting into the distance and pointing. "What's that?"

Jeanette and Cyrus followed her gaze, and their partners save Artemis followed suit. But before any could figure out just what they'd seen standing amid the ranks of Digimon advancing along the plains, a flash of light erupted from it and whatever it was had become something else altogether.

It stood above any of the dark army warriors, equaled in size perhaps by only the Devidramon above. Glossy black armor encased a stout, quadruped form, decorated in golden highlights to create a distinctly leonine Digimon. Rubies were set into its forehead and in both its rear hips, while small guns protruded from its shoulders.

"Kaiser Leomon," Jeanette murmured, reading from her d-ban's display. Somehow, the image on the screen seemed a whole lot less frightening than the one that was now lumbering slowly toward the eastern wall of the fort.

Down on the outer rampart, the large and silver-armored form of Commander Rathar was visible, gesturing at the advancing Kaiser Leomon. The other dark army forces gave it a wide berth, and Jeanette couldn't help a slightly ominous feeling as she watched the Digimon approach.

Several Digimon opened fire, yet the fireballs they launched skated right off the obsidian armor. The attacks only seemed to incense it, and with a loud roar increased from a lumbering trot to an all-out charge.

"Ohh, crap," muttered Bolter.

"BLACK!"

"THUNDER!"

There was a flash of dark energy from the beast's maw as it opened wide, and a shockwave rippled outward from the force of the fire alone. The Kaiser Leomon was rocked back on its heels, but that was nothing compared to the force that was unleashed as the destructive bolt hit its target.

A blinding flash erupted, and the entire fort shook as the thunderous explosion ripped outward. The intense light and sound dazed the defenders, buying an opening as the attackers pressed on with gruesome diligence despite the distraction. Even just as the embers of flame died down, they were already pressing into the clear ten-foot gap in the wall the attack had blasted.

An Angemon swooped down on the mobile battering ram from above, driving its holy rod straight between the Kaiser Leomon's eyes. For a moment the white-clad Adult smiled in victory, but then his expression changed to one of horror as the Kaiser Leomon's head jerked up and snatched his staff. It bit the rod clean in two, and then the armored beast leapt up and tackled the low-flying angel to the ground.

The angel cried out, but even as several Fladramon knights rushed to assist him, launching fiery rockets all the way, he was silenced as the black lion plunged its head down and sunk its massive fangs into his neck.

The Angemon exploded in a shower of data particles, a shower that was quickly soaked up by the Kaiser Leomon. It was as it if it has absorbed its foe's data, denying the natural cycle of the Digital World. The lion then threw back its head, giving a self-satisfied roar as it then prepared to face down the Fladramon still advancing on it.

"He didn't!" gasped Cyrus, nearly falling off Hang's back from shock.

"Easy, partner!" the Leppamon said, stepping sideways to help keep her partner in place. She too seemed upset, an emotion mimicked by Bolter and, to what little extent it was visible, Artemis.

"Uh, excuse me," Kyoko said as though realizing she was about to ask a very dumb question. "What's the big deal with that?"

Cyrus looked to her, then paused and took a deep breath, obviously rattled. "Absorbing an opponent's data, instead of allowing it to return to Primary Village to reformat for its next life… it's like the Digital equivalent of cannibalism." The boy shuddered with disgust.

"Zat's 'orrible!" Jeanette's hands covered her mouth in shock and revulsion.

"Goes to show you the types we're up against," Bolter said, scowling angrily as though he very much wanted to go destroy the Kaiser Leomon, level difference or not, for what it had just done.

As the Excalibur recovered, the fighting only intensified. The dark army pressed on the breach opened in the wall, concentrating their greatest force there. The defenders scrambled to reinforce it, while the three Fladramon dueled desperately against the Kaiser Leomon to prevent it from attacking the walls again.

The great lion seized one of the armored bipedal dragons in its jaws and sent it careening into the second. The third it attempted to swat with a paw, but the warrior nimbly dodged and leapt onto the Kaiser Leomon's shoulder. He fired a rapid volley of fireballs into the beast's head, causing it to bellow in agony before it tried to shake him off. The Fladramon leapt instead onto his foe's armored back, driving three claws of one gauntlet against the Kaiser Leomon's back. The lion shook this way and that, head jerking this way and that, jaws snapping as it tried to dislodge the Fladramon.

Valdor swooped down to help, but the heavenly warrior was intercepted by a trio of Devidramon before he could lend aid. His sword and shield flashed in rapid succession against their claws, holding off his three attackers, but the dark army's goal was served.

The Kaiser Leomon finally snagged the persistent Fladramon by the foot with its jaws, and tossed it into his two recovering companions. The guns its shoulders flared to life, peppering the three armor-level warriors with bolts of purple energy until they were no more.

Jeanette's hands tightened more and more on the railing as the white-knuckle battle progressed, and she couldn't help the feeling that it wasn't going well at all. The dark army pressed and pressed, and for every one that fell, another seemed eager to step up and continue the fight in his place. She edged closer and closer to Kyoko as Devidramon started wheeling over the base, like vultures waiting to strike as they evaded sporadic attacks aimed to scatter them.

"Now?" Hang asked impatiently, bladed tail still swishing back and forth.

Cyrus bit his lip, clearly conflicted. But then his face set, and he tugged his goggles out and slipped them over his face. D-Vector in one hand, he hunched down and wrapped the other arm around Hang's neck. "Let's go. Stay mobile and keep an eye on any Digimon nearing the tower!" The youth's voice trailed off, for no sooner than the first two words had left his mouth than did the Leppamon leap down from the tower.

With powerful legs she bounded across the low rooftops of the building, dancing amid the reserves and those who focused on trying to scatter the Devidramon and heading for the breach in the wall.


"This is more like it!" Hang cried, using her tail to swat aside a Pico Devimon that had been trying to sneak up on them. She landed quite deliberately atop another one of the scruffy winged bats, crushing it with the blunter claws of her forelegs.

With a final leap she crested the tattered edge of the eastern wall. Cyrus had hung on for dear life as his partner plunged headlong into battle, adding one more to the good fight. There was barely time to survey the battle firsthand, as the chaos swirled all around them. To the boy, it was almost surreal. There were no bodies, no blood either, yet that somehow made it all the more disturbing to him.

"There it is!" Hang found the Kaiser Leomon again. Rathar had engaged it alone, shield and sword in hand. The Knightmon's tree-sized sword missed and cleaved through an errant Sangloupmon by fortuitous mistake, and his shield rose as the lion's guns blazed away.

"For the Kingdom!" Rathar roared, his massive armored form pressing forward. He kept his shield between himself and his foe, his sword ready to strike the moment he got in range. Yet the instant he swung, the Kaiser Leomon nimbly leapt back.

With the Knightmon's attention so focused on his single adversary, a Sangloupmon crept up behind him and prepared a sneak attack.

"No you don't, doggy!" yelled Hang, leaping into battle and tackling aside the wolfish enemy. Saliva flew from its jaws as they snarled and snapped at the Leppamon, but she bashed his head with the blunt side of her blade.

It squealed with discomfort, but then the fur around its neck suddenly became rigid. "Sticker Blade!" the Sangloupmon hissed, a barrage of slender, dart-like hairs lancing at the Leppamon.

Hang cursed and jumped away, keeping her bulk between Cyrus and the oncoming darts. Nonetheless, the stickers digging into her hurt. "Got anything to help?" Hang asked, hunkering in a ready position and staring down their adversary.

"Hold on," said Cyrus, trying to follow his own advice more literally while scanning his short list of drivers. "Got it," he said, taking a deep breath. He pushed the button with his thumb, and saw that reassuring flare of bright blue light coming from his palm. A streamer of that little energy cloud broke away, twining itself around Hang's form.

In the light's wake was plate of glittering gold, with armor appearing around Hang's chest, head, and lower legs. It shone brightly even in the dead of night, a holy defense against the pressing evil darkness. "Now we're talking! Hold tight!" Cyrus had a fraction of a second to oblige before Hang launched herself at the Sangloupmon. The beast's massive foreclaws rose to meet her, but even as they painfully dug into her fur, she tackled the purple wolf to the ground.

As they slid together through the dirt, the wolf's jaws snapped again and again. As Hang heard a startled yelp from her tamer, she decided enough was enough. Wielding it like a massive sword, the Leppamon struck Sangloupmon again and again with her tail until its body broke and she was left crouching in the grassy dirt.

"You okay?" she asked, straightening up and looking over her shoulder at Cyrus.

"It's just a scratch," the young man said, rubbing part of his leg against Hang's side. A small gash was visible in the fabric of his pants, and a matching one visible in his calf.

"Good," said Hang, setting her sights back on Rathar and his battle against the Kaiser Leomon. "Hey –" There was that word again.

"Hang!" Cyrus hissed in reprimand.

"We'll watch your back!" Hang finished, striding near the Knightmon. Either Rathar had no objections, or was too preoccupied to voice them.

"Have at you, Anathema!" The Knightmon roared, suddenly charging with his massive sword leveled like a lance. The Kaiser Leomon tried to leap aside again, but it wasn't fast enough and the blade's massive tip cut deep into its shoulder. A massive paw was swung in retaliation, but it was blocked upon Rathar's shield.

"Maybe we can win this after all," murmured Cyrus, swinging his gaze this way and that while Hang remained crouched and doing likewise, seeking to make sure Rathar remained undisturbed. "If we can just –"

"Heads down!" yelled Hang, and Cyrus avoided catching a needle in the neck by millimeters. He could have sworn he saw a couple strands of black hair shorn away by the projectile before it vanished into the blackness.

Hang wheeled around, but as she faced the Pico Devimon, an odd glow resonated from its eyes. The Leppamon stumbled sideways, and Cyrus himself was also starting to feel curiously dazed. But he blinked, and the feeling ebbed. "Don't look at it, Hang!" he warned, shielding his eyes.

"That's easy for you to say," Hang grunted, doing so but then quickly opening them again. "I have to stay alert. Got any ideas with your Digisoul?"

"Not many," said Cyrus, shielding his eyes and peering at the screen of his D-Vector. "I used most of my power giving you this armor."

There was a flash of multicolored light, and as Cyrus dared to look up again, he saw the Pico Devimon assailing them washed away in a flash of multicolored sparks.

The Psychemon that saved them was entirely too busy to chat, however, immediately re-engaged elsewhere in the battle as the fight for Arcwater raged on.


"I hope Cy-kun will be okay," Kyoko said, still watching the battle at Jeanette's side on the tower above.

"'Ang seems strong," said Jeanette. "Zey will be okay."

"That's the spirit," Kyoko said, managing to give her companion a nervous smile. "Hey, I don't suppose you've got any drivers that work on a large scale, do you?"

Jeanette shook her head, then distractedly blushed her pink bangs out of her eyes. She cast a look at Artemis, the Strabimon looked as unfazed as ever, considering that as wound up as Bolter was becoming, he ought to have been choking her by now.

The Japanese youth bounced from foot to foot. "I don't like this," she said. "I'd rather be down there rather than just watching, this is the worst…"

"Incoming!" barked Artemis, breaking from her calm ready stance at long last as another Devidramon broke away from the battle and swooped toward them. Bolter immediately fired at it with a short salvo of air bullets, but the attacker seemed undaunted. A particularly hard beat of its wings blasted the four, sending the two tamers tumbling across the deck. Artemis stood strong against the gale, and Bolter clung to her neck for dear life.

The Devidramon dropped lower and lower, and it seemed most of the fort's defenders were too preoccupied to help them out this time. "Care to give us a hand, you two?" Bolter said, looking over his shoulder as Jeanette and Kyoko picked themselves back up.

The Devidramon roared, revealing rows of needle-like teeth as it hovered just out of reach off the tower. Its four crimson glinted evily as it seemed to wait for something.

"K-kyoko," gasped Jeanette, feeling her muscles grow unresponsive as she straightened up. "'elp me –" As far as she realized, it was just her Narcolepsy picking a bad time to act up.

"It's not," Kyoko said stiffly, also apparently frozen. "Just you, Net-chan." Her body shuddered as though she was giving great effort, but she was also immobilized by the Devidramon's red eye attack. "Any… time, guys!" she managed.

"Hey!" yelled Bolter. "Knock that off! Petit Twister!" The Lopmon blurred brown as he spun up into the air, shooting at the Devidramon like a miniaturized tornado. The dragon hissed as he collided with its jaw, yet its spell over the tamers remained.

As his attack slowed, Bolter latched onto the sides of Devidramon's face with his ears, grinning widely. He planted a kiss on the dragon's scaly snout, then let go as he saw one of its spindly arms swing around. He extended his ears to slow his descent and glide, but was still treated to the sight of the Devidramon hitting itself in the face.

Artemis cast a wary glance over her shoulder, eying the two paralyzed tamers and then sweeping over the rest of the area. She seemed satisfied, and then leapt headlong at the Devidramon, still howling from its self-inflicted injury.

"Light Leg!" She yelled, silvery light flickering around her boot as it slammed hard into the side of Devidramon's head. The Strabimon then pushed off, launching herself up into the air and slicing into one of the demon's leathery wings on the way down.

She landed atop a building near the main tower, in time to see Bolter glide down next to her upon his oversized ears. The Devidramon shuddered in the air, apparently no longer capable of proper flight with part of one of its wings lacerated, surged forward and grabbed onto the tower with its long forearms. It caught itself before it fell from the sky, tucking its wings and heaving itself up onto the tower.

"Uh-oh," muttered the Lopmon.

"Bolter-no-baka!" came the shriek of a familiar voice.

"C'mon!" said Bolter to Artemis. "Toss me!" he said, offering one of his ears to the Strabimon. The silver-furred warrior stopped briefly to consider it, then obliged. "Hey, gentle!" he said as her claws dug into his ear.

"You asked for it," she said plainly, winding up, spinning around, and letting fly with the Lopmon turned projectile.

"Petit Twister!" Bolter's form again become a brownish blur as it spun around and around, shooting up the height of the tower.

Artemis wasn't far behind, leaping, clawing, and climbing her way up the tower at an all out run. Her boots found purchase on support beams and outcroppings, while her claws pulled her along where there was no other purchase to be found. In seconds the Strabimon had scaled the tower.

"Crimson Nail!" roared the Devidramon, slashing its claws at Bolter as though it sought to swat an irksome fly. The Lopmon danced aside, then breathed deep before pelting the demon with a sharp salvo of air bullets.

The demon shuddered with each impact, but still pressed on. It seemed to forget the two still in the grip of its spell, instead rounding on the active and incessant Lopmon.

"Dash Twister!" yelled Bolter, spinning and shooting between Devidramon's legs even as it tail bashed down on the spot of floor he'd just vacated. He slowed to a stop, firing another air bullet into Devidramon's back. It exploded painfully, and the Devidramon rounded on him again.

Artemis's green eyes passed from Jeanette's frozen form, to the back of Devidramon as it tried repeatedly to gouge the nimble Bolter. The Strabimon's face set into a look even more masklike than usual, and she sprinted in.

She ducked an incidental swing of the Devidramon's tail, and then leapt up onto its back. Before the demon could work out what had happened or turn its attention away from Bolter, Artemis dashed the rest of the way up its back. "Light!" she yelled, leaping straight up as she reached its shoulders.

"NAIL!" Her claws flared silver as they drove deep into Devidramon's neck. Its scaly flesh and hard interior suddenly wavered and softened, and Artemis dropped to the ground amid its black data particles.

Simultaneously gasps of relief came from Jeanette and Kyoko, and it seemed the demon's spell had passed with it. "You okay, Net-chan?" Kyoko asked, helping her junior stand upright as the two breathed heavily despite having been capable of little exertion.

"Y-yes," said Jeanette, grateful for the support. "T-thank you, Artemis."

The Strabimon gave only a stoic nod as Bolter scrambled back up her neck. The Lopmon was breathing heavily from the exertions of keeping his little body moving against such a large opponent. "I think I like this better," he said breathless, but never witless.

"Lady Kyoko! Lady Jeanette!" Captain Valdor descended from above, hovering over the lookout tower. "I must insist your group retreat immediately. Head west."

"But," Jeanette protested. "Why now? We're 'olding on…"

"I can't risk it," Valdor spun in place, waved his sword, and caused the Devidramon trying to attack him from behind to simply vanish into a gate that swiftly closed. He turned back. "It's clear they know you're here, and seek to capture you along with this fort. I cannot let that happen."

"We'd never turn!" Kyoko insisted stubbornly, drawing her D-vector to show her willingness to fight.

Valdor shook his helmeted head. "They have… ways," he said. "You mustgo. My men cannot fight when they must always keep one eye on you. There will be a day for you to join our struggle, but that day is not today."

There was a flash of motion to their side, causing Kyoko to jump and Artemis to wheel around, claws raised. But it was just Hang, Cyrus clinging to her back as ever. "He told us." Cyrus explained. "He's sending his two fastest ShimaUnimon for you," he looked at Jeanette and Kyoko.

"Even you?" Kyoko asked, surprised. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Valdor depart and rejoin the ongoing, frantic battle. "I thought you worked for him?"

Cyrus shrugged a bit, looking uncomfortable. "The ShimaUnimon are more scouts than fighters, he wants me to cover you." He reflexively ducked as an explosion rang out particularly close to the tower. "C'mon!" he yelled.


Eight hooves and four paws frantically pounded the ground along the road to the west. Cyrus rode upon Hang's back, his partner still holding her Leppamon form. Jeanette with Artemis, and Kyoko with Bolter, rode on the backs of two of Valdor's scouts.

The ShimaUnimon were beautiful, looking very much like large and powerful Zebras of Earth, only their heads were encased in black helmets. Red visors glinted in the darkness, and a single horn protruded from it.

"Just hang tight, deary," Jeanette's 'steed' said with a slight, soft southern drawl. She pounded along the road and leapt around obstacles, all with the goal of putting as much distance between them and the fort as possible.

At this distance, the shouts and sounds of battle died down, but the flashes of light and fire still showed as brightly as ever. "Indeed," said the ShimaUnimon Kyoko rode, with the impeccable air of a British gentleman. "We'll have you out of here in no time!"

"Oh, just shut up and keep up!" Hang said impatiently, the Leppamon growing cross as her bounding stride started pulling her ahead of the other two runners.


Credit for Cyrus Black and Hang goes to Otterly Lost