Desperate Flight
Kingdom of Chronus, Eastern Province, West of Arcwater
"Why aren't we sticking to the road?" Kyoko complained, rubbing where a branch had cut her cheek. The Shima Unimon were leading the way, Hang now following behind them as she wasn't familiar with the territory. The trees raced by them in the darkness, the three running Digimon pounding through the forest as they fled the ongoing battle at Arcwater.
It seemed the dark army knew of the tamers defending the fort, and sought to capture them during the midst of the battle. Add to that the juggernaut leading the charge, a massive armored leonine that seemed to have emerged from nowhere to join the battle for the dark side, and it was no surprise that Valdor had ordered them out.
"Apologies for the rough ride," said the British-accented ShimaUnimon that Kyoko rode, while Bolter flopped from her neck like a living scarf. "But we need to stay out of sight, otherwise we'll be even worse off than before."
"He's right," said Cyrus, hunkering down and holding on tight to protect himself against the onrushing foliage as Hang pushed onward as Leppamon. "I think there's a small village about twenty miles northwest of here, if we can make it there while the Excalibur finish driving off the assault." The other tamers were aware of his optimistic phrasing, but none of them commented on it.
"Hey now, those claws hurt!" protested the ShimaUnimon on which Artemis and Jeanette sat, for while Jeanette sat behind the Strabimon with her arms wrapped around her partner's waist, Artemis's claws were digging into the beast's striped neck.
"My apologies," said Artemis, loosening her grip while her green eyes glinted in the darkness. The way ahead was clear, yet the Strabimon's fur bristled as though she sensed a foe approaching.
"What is wrong?" asked Jeanette, leaning closer and peering around through her glasses. She didn't see anything, but of course, she was no predatory Digimon. All she could hear was the sounds of the forest rushing past, with snapping branches, rustled leaves, and howling air.
"I sense it too!" said Hang, sweeping her blade back and forth as best she could to clear the foliage from around her as she ran with the others. "Dead ahead!"
A shriek like metal grating against metal sounded through the trees, and a massive shadow appeared before the group. It was almost hard to see, so massive and blending into the darkness of the night. Not so hard to miss however, was the shriek and ensuing collapse of several trees.
"Guilty Claw!"
"Scatter!" yelled the female Shima Unimon as three trees were sliced open across their bases. The two Shima Unimon broke to their respective sides, hooves pounding the ground as they moved. The trees creaked and broke against one another, crashing to the ground.
Hang leapt over the fallen trunks, and Cyrus's jaw went slack as his eyes fell upon their assailant. A massive form stood as tall as many of the trees, a snakelike body just as thick was covered in sickly purple scales. The upper body looked reptilian, though it had the muscular arms and chest of a human. The forearms of the creature were encased in metal, the tips splitting into separated claws. Large metallic wings sprouted from the creature's back, and its lizardlike head was also covered in a metallic plate decorated with teeth and backswept horns. Blue scales ran down along its abdomen, trailing down onto the tail upon which it perched snakelike.
"Gigadramon!" yelled Kyoko. The trees settled to the ground, and for a moment it seemed there might be a moment of peace. But it wasn't meant to be. There was just enough time to see her companions emerge from the dust and try to continue onward when the Gigadramon opened fire.
A pair of rockets screamed from launchers concealed in its wrists, the fiery explosions ripping outward. Leaves were set ablaze, trees and branches snapped and pummeled by the detonation shockwaves.
"Bloody hell! What are you playing at, tosser?" protested 'Kyoko's' ShimaUnimon, his legs flailing under him as he sought to regain his balance.
"Keep going!" yelled Cyrus. He was hanging onto Hang for dear life at this point, when suddenly the Leppamon ran forward. In a gut-wrenching start they were vertical, Hang raced up the tree, then pushed off and launched herself off the tree at the Gigadramon. "Haaaaaang!" He ducked his head and braced himself against his partner.
There was the sound of a blade cleaving through scale and flesh, and upon hearing Gigadramon's roar of agony, Cyrus reopened his eyes as the world righted and Hang landed lightly. A chunk had been carved out of the beast's scaly neck by Hang's tail blade, but they all knew the beast was far from down yet.
"Does anyone 'ave a driver?" Jeanette called out, gripping Artemis with strength she didn't have even as the girl gave a shiver nothing to do with the nighttime cold. She was the first to pull out her D-vector, followed suit by the others.
"Guilty Claw!" roared the Gigadramon. Its claws flipped shut, forming a driving point as it descended down upon the English ShimaUnimon.
"Dejisooru Chaaji!" Kyoko cried. The corona of pink light flared brilliantly through the night as her power activated, and she thumbed the main button her D-Vector. "Reflector!" There was a flash of light, and suddenly the massive claw bearing down on them stopped and suddenly rebounded on itself.
Gigadramon was thrown backward by the force of its own rebounded attack, throwing it against a tree which promptly splintered. But it didn't stop there, continuing onward to where the southern ShimaUnimon and its passengers had attempted to take modest cover.
"Hold tight, kids!" The ShimaUnimon warned. Artemis tensed, and Jeanette's couldn't-be-helped scream cut the night air. The sound was blood-chilling, and Kyoko flinched, but that ShimaUnimon knew what she was doing.
The Gigadramon tumbled toward her until it filled the beast's field of vision, and as it hit the top of one of its bounces, ShimaUnimon made her move. She put on an extra bit of speed to close that infinitesimal gap, and dove under the cyborg serpent. She dropped to her knees to fit, and even then, Jeanette could have reached up to brush her fingers across its scaly side. The Gigadramon's momentum carried it onward, and it crashed headlong into another tree where it then slumped to the ground.
"Are you okay?" Kyoko called as the brazen ShimaUnimon climbed back to her feet.
"We are well," Artemis said, with the merest green-eyed glance back at her tamer. "Attack now! Aim for its wings. Then we may flee!"
"Sure thing, boss," Hang said with biting sarcasm, but they all saw the wisdom in her words.
"Wild Thunder!
"Blazing Ice!"
"Razor Wind!"
The four attacks pummeled the dazed serpent, metal shrieking as it was rent. Red-hot flakes broke off into the night, and some were vaporized outright by the heat of the attacks.
"Come on!" said Cyrus, tapping his hand against the back of Hang's neck. But none of them needed to be told twice, and the three were galloping onward once again. They could only hope the Gigadramon was sufficiently crippled to prevent it from coming after them again.
"W-why?" Jeanette murmured. "Are zhey after us like zis?"
"No doubt they desire the power of tamers' Digisouls," Artemis said, as unflappable and stoic as ever. "Please hold on tightly."
The sounds of the battle at Arcwater had faded almost completely now as the two ShimaUnimon along with Hang ran in silence through the night.
"Doin' okay, Net-chan?" Kyoko called out, fiddling nervously with her D-vector as she leaned close and squinted through the wind at the other ShimaUnimon's passengers.
"F-fine," was Jeanette's faint reply. Inside, Jeanette was quite glad that she was riding on ShimaUnimon. It was vaguely like the horses she'd been on at a few points in the past, but this one required no guidance. As it was, her knees and lower legs felt like jelly even as she sought to remain in control of her condition. She couldn't let it interfere, she just couldn't. Not if it meant trouble for her, or worse, for Cyrus, Kyoko, or any of their partners.
They made their way onto a road heading west, though the path was still framed by the darkened woods. The trees soon however thinned, and a wood and rope bridge was visible in the distance across a small chasm.
"Incoming!" yelled Bolter, watching their backs as the group ran onward. His warning was followed several seconds later by a grating shriek and a massive shadow visible in the night sky above them. Gigadramon was back, though his flight was slower than usual and seemed almost drunken as he wavered back and forth with his damaged wings.
"Genocide Gear!" A pair of missiles screamed toward them, and the three had to increase their pace even further. The explosions rang out behind them, two explosions ripping smoking craters into the landscape behind the group.
"Make for the bridge!" yelled the male ShimaUnimon, his hooves pounding a frantic rhythm against the ground. His partner nodded and seemed to understand, but the others didn't realize the plan.
Branches were torn apart as Gigadramon accidentally collided with them, giving a roar of frustration at the damage that was preventing it from completing its mission. "Guilty Claw!" it yelled, cutting through a thick branch that blocked its path as it hovered lower and lower above the tamers, drawing closer.
"Blazing Ice!" yelled Bolter, firing several energy projectiles at the aggressive cyborg. The small explosions flashed against its scaly hide, but seemed to have little stopping power. He fired another short volley, with more explosions ringing out, but again the real damage seemed minimal.
"Hey," said Hang, turning her head to look at the ShimaUnimon running beside her, only to see it wasn't there as she reached the bridge. "What gives?" she asked, turning sideways and skidding to a stop.
Both ShimaUnimon had stopped several yards behind her, also turning sideways and glaring toward the oncoming Gigadramon. "Go," said the Male ShimaUnimon, bending down and looking at Kyoko. "We'll hold it off. Get across the bridge. The town isn't much further now. Go!"
Kyoko quickly dismounted, but Jeanette was less willing to part with her steed. "B-but! Don't we 'ave a better chance together?"
"Now, Jeanette!" Artemis said impatiently, elbowing her tamer quite forcefully in the stomach. The French youth protested, but her balance was already gone. With a yelp she pitched off to the side, but a pair of strong hands was there to catch her and gently lower her to the ground.
"Merci," Jeanette said, straightening as her sneakers met the ground.
"No problem," Kyoko grinned. "Now come on!" she said, breaking into a run. Bolter still clung to her neck, and Artemis leapt down to the ground. The two ShimaUnimon stood fast against the relentless Gigadramon, their red visors now glowing brilliant green.
The sneakers of the two girls pounded the bridge as they ran across its wooden planks. Artemis's boots joined them, the Child Digimon following up the rear with Kyoko in the lead and Jeanette between them.
"Raster Shot!" Lances of green light leapt from the ShimaUnimons' visors, blasting fiercely at the Gigadramon. Yet even as the attacks pummeled it, the massive serpent twisted as it flew through the air and simply flew right over them. It shuddered with repeated shots and bellowed with agony, but would not, or could not, deviate from its mission.
The wooden bridge swayed, but with the greater fear of the dark Digimon pursuing them, they ran for where Cyrus and Hang had already taken up position on the far end of the bridge after the Leppamon had crossed the bridge in just a few light leaps.
Air curled and twisted around Hang's bladed tale as her fierce eyes fixed on the Gigadramon. "Razor!" she drew it back. "Wind!" she cried, swinging her tail like a homerun swing of a baseball bat. The blade of wind lashed out through the air, and hit its mark.
Unfortunately, they didn't foresee the consequences of the attack. After all it had weathered, the attack was finally too much for the Gigadramon's failing body. It gave a bellowing gasp as it swings shuddered, and the beast succumbed to gravity. The creature had passed over the two girls and their partners, but as the Gigadramon plunged downward, it tore through the planks and rope of the bridge like a hot knife through butter.
"Kuso!" yelled Kyoko, as both she and Artemis closed ranks around Jeanette even as the bridge collapsed around them. It almost seemed to happen in slow motion, with planks breaking or tumbling away, rope snapping and twisting through the air as the bridge disintegrated.
"Hang on!" yelled Bolter, as the four formed into an interwoven tangle of limbs, all clinging to one another as the bridge gave way and gravity took its hold and drew them downward. The sloped rock walls raced past them, and the gurgling water below was waiting to meet them.
"Kyoko! Bolter! Artemis!" Cyrus yelled frantically, his blue eyes wide, numbly gripping Hang. "Go!" He urged her. The Leppamon was off, racing downstream as four splashes were heard. Her eyes frantically roved the landscape, looking for a path down, a long branch, anything to either get her down to the yelling, splashing, thrashing mass of tangled limbs below, or get them up and out. But the current was fast, and there was little purchase on the rock riverbanks.
The twin ShimaUnimon had disappeared, lost in the chaos, destroyed by the Gigadramon's last breath, or summoned back to the battle.
Out of one peril, and into another. Emboldened by the desperate cries of those below, Hang increased her already frantic pace in a search for some way to get aid to the four in the river.
"Mmmnn," Kyoko moaned, her heterochromatic eyes slowly flickering open. The light of the dawn filtered in through the branches and leaves of the canopy above her, dancing in a soothing pattern across her.
Beyond the gentle heat of the sun, she could feel that her clothes were soaking wet. Blinking, she could feel her head resting against something wet. Her head tipped back, and she saw a reassuring sight: The glint of glasses, blond and pink, and a relieved smile.
"Net-chan?" Kyoko asked, trying to sit up. But above and beyond the moisture sill soaking her, her body felt like lead.
"I'm 'ere," Jeanette said, kneeling fully beside a tree with Kyoko's head in her lap. "I-I'm glad you're awake."
"What happened?"
"After we fell in the river, you and Artemis kept me afloat… but by the time the current died down, you were exhausted… we were able to pull you on shore."
Kyoko gave an easy sigh and exhaled. Under any other circumstances she could have just fallen asleep for a little nap right now, still tired and so comfortable with the gentle warmth of the sun but the reassuring chill of the water soaking her.
But things weren't that simple, and some of her adrenaline remained. "Bolter? Artemis? Cyrus? Hang?" She groaned, trying to push herself upright but failing.
"I'm here, sleepyhead," said Bolter, giving Kyoko a hard pinch in the side before he clambered up on her belly. "I might make a good parachute, but I'm not much of a floatation device. You okay?"
"'m okay," muttered Kyoko, petting the Lopmon's horned head and smiling. "And I bet the Queen of Cheer is here to?" Her eyes flickered to the sides, but saw nothing.
"She's looking for Cyrus and 'ang," Jeanette said. "We got separated…"
Kyoko nodded lightly, and it was only with great reluctance that she sat up and ruffled her auburn hair. She pushed herself upright, her muscles slow and uncooperative as she moved. Now she imagined she knew what Jeanette felt like when her cataplexy flared up.
Mustav Village, Northern Province, Kingdom of Chronus
Coniferous trees sprawled in a wide blanket across the rolling plains of the Northern Province. Through the evening gloom a small cluster of buildings sat near the river, bright light shining from the windows of the dwellings.
One such building stood as the largest, the local inn and tavern, at the center of the village. It was the usual sort of gathering place, yet the crowd seemed swollen above normal. Some whispered quietly, some only watched in silence.
"Why are they starin' at us?" wondered Colin, a brown-haired human boy. His skin was naturally fair but tanned by the sun, just as his short and unstyled, messy hair had been bleached lighter. His clothes were simple and utilitarian, a t-shirt, blue jeans, jacket, and workboots. Coupled with his lean and strong build, it was clear that he spent many a day working under the sun. Clipped to his belt was a white, red-marked D-Vector.
"I guess they haven't seen humans around here before…" said Zander, another, slightly older boy was seated across from the first in a table nestled in the corner. This one was leaner than the first and notably more pale, his hair shorter, spiky, and silver, his eyes the same color and home to a cool intensity. He was dressed largely in black and gray, a t-shirt and pants covered by a dark trench coat. He fiddled with a black, silver-marked D-Vector in one hand.
"Yeah, humans are pretty rare," said the gearlike Koro sitting, or rather hovering, beside the silver-haired boy. His main body was a black metal disc ringed in a golden, toothed pattern like the rim of a gear, a theme that was echoed in the two small silver discs that served him as hands.
"About what I figured," Zander said, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back. "What intrigues me Colin is the fact you don't have a partner…"
Colin frowned a bit, nervously fiddling with his fork. "Koro was an egg when you arrived, right?" he said, picking up a glass of water and drinking from it. "Well, I didn't have an egg. It was just me, and this," he tapped his D-Vector.
"Maybe that's all you need?" Koro wondered, drinking from a bottle of 5W-30 motor oil. It should help keep his systems lubricated, with all the parts moving smoothly even in the heat of battle or the bitter cold further north.
"So," said the fiery red, Penguin-like creature that marched up to the table, server's notepad protruding from his apron pocket. "How'll you human-types be payin' today?"
"Uh…" The sound of uncertainty was echoed across the booth. Colin spoke up first, reaching for his wallet. "I don't suppose United States Dollars are valid currency here?"
"You-a-whooza-whatsa?" the Muchomon said, then shook his head. "We take bits, bits, bits, and uh, bits."
Zander and Koro exchanged shady glances. There were always ways besides paying up when one didn't remain confined to the straight and narrow of morality.
"I think that's gonna be a problem," said Colin. He'd grown up on a farm after all, there was always something to be said for hard work and a respectful tongue.
"You're joking, right?" said a sharp, sardonic female voice. Swift footsteps approached from the side, coming up behind Zander and a female human stepped up beside him. One of rather eccentric appearance at that, she would have stood out from a crowd even on Earth.
She was slightly above average in height, nearly as tall as the boys, with notably pale skin. Almost almond-shaped eyes were framed by heavy makeup, and the eyes themselves did not match. The left was a steely blue, the right was dark brown. Her hair's base color was a light brown, but on top of being gelled straight and out in a shape vaguely reminiscent of a umbrella, was riddled with a variety of gold, blue, pink, and purple streaks.
Her form seemed quite defined for her early teen age, though at a healthy rather than Hollywood weight besides. Her top was covered by a lavender hooded sweatshirt no doubt intended to ward off the northern cold, her bottom and feet by a pair of blue jeans and pink sneakers respectively. A blue and purple D-Vector dangled from under a long sleeve on a wrist strap.
"Give me that." She snapped. Visible clinging to the girl's shoulder was a slender, insectoid Digimon. Its bulbous head and posterior where connected by a more slender section, both pale green with violet legs and a stinger. Scraggly feelers trailed from the Wormmon's head, its eyes were heterochromatic, the same blue and brown as the tamer, but reversed.
"Here," she said forcefully, picking up Zander's D-Vector and ignoring his protest. It extended at her touch, and then her thumbs quickly worked the buttons, naturally navigating the screens and menus until she found the one she was after. "There's the money feature," she placed the D-Vector down on the table. "So you can pay for your meal," her mismatched eyes flickered over the cleaned plates, and her tone suggested she had just explained to them how to tie their shoes.
Colin leaned over the D-Vector, looking over the screen the stranger had activated. "Uh, thanks, Miss…?"
The girl glanced at him but did not even give a reply, speaking instead to her partner. "C'mon, Arcsinh." she said, slowly stroking the head of the Wormmon perched on her shoulder before striding onward. The girl in her dark clothing melted into the crowd, and it wasn't long before she had vanished altogether.
"Wow," muttered Colin, sullen. "What did I say?"
"Nothing," muttered Zander. "She's probably like that anyways." With the payment rendered, Muchomon skipped off on his way. "Why did I get stuck with the bill…?"
"Should we follow her?" Koro suggested, floating a little higher and using his cogs to set the empty carton of oil down on the table.
"Maybe we should?" said Colin, raising an eyebrow at Zander. "I mean, she seems to know a lot… maybe she can help us?"
"Well said," stated Koro.
"Then let's follow her," Zander tucked his D-Vector into an inside pocket in his long coat, perhaps wary of others snatching it up. As he started to rise, someone else jostled past him. "Oh, come on!" he said in frustration.
The figure stopped, turning to glance back at him over her shoulder. The girl was small and slender, barely five feet tall and perhaps 115 pounds soaking wet. Her hair was long and brown, parted in a silky curtain along her ears, and her eyes were a striking shade of purple. Her features were certainly what many would call pretty, suggesting a mixed Asian heritage, and her skin was rather fair.
A polearm tipped in a single-edged, slightly curved blade was strapped to her back. Its shaft was burnished blue, the head a curiously vivid orange. Most of her form was covered in a mixture of black leather and what appeared to be chainmail armor. An underlayer of leather was covered by a full suit of chain mail from ankles to wrists to neck. On top of that were leather boots, gloves, a belt, and torso armor made of leather. A black and orange D-Vector appeared to be strapped sideways to her wrist with a velcro band like a watch.
"Hey," she said in a friendly, yet cool tone as though she knew something they didn't. Her eyes glinted as they passed over Zander, Colin, and finally the single Digimon between them. A smile curled her full lips, and then turned decidedly smirklike before she marched onward.
"The girls around here sure are weird," Colin said once the girl was out of earshot, thoroughly bemused.
Zander however, seemed more intrigued than anything else, with the girl's confidence and indefinable air of power.
Lexi Tashimi swept out of the tavern. Fair-skinned fingers that broke free of their leather sheathes brushed across the chainmail wreathing her abdomen. The cold evening air settled around her, but it didn't seem to daunt her. After all, the icy bite of the rural air was nothing compared to the power lurking inside her.
It came at a high price, and the days were many that she wished she could just break down and cry. But such displays of weakness were not tolerated, and she was never alone. Purple eyes gleamed red, and she reached for the D-Vector at her wrist.
Her thumb clicked across the controls, and after a hiss of static, the device chimed. "Report" a voice, so hisslike itself, was nearly lost in the underlying static. Lexi held the device near her mouth and spoke.
"It's more of the same," the girl said quietly, walking briskly beyond the edge of the village and keeping her eyes alert for any signs of pursuit or even overly curious locals she'd have to do in. "More tamers arrive every day, but none of them have the power," she hesitated "His Highness needs. Even I don't have a fraction of what's necessary."
There was a pause as the being on the other end seemed to digest her words. "Continue working on your own strength, and be fortunate that another tamer has been located, one that may have what is necessary."
"Another tamer?" Lexi's face registered obvious surprise, and she stopped in place. "One tamer could be enough?"
"Yes." Another pause. "Continue working on your own strength. There may come a time when quantity is our only option."
"I will," Lexi replied, arm shivering slightly. She was curious and perhaps even a little afraid of a tamer that powerful, but she knew better than to push for details that weren't given.
"See that you do. You know the consequences of failure. You don't want to get punished again, do you?" The voice faded in a wash of static.
Lexi gave a nervous shudder, the night feeling colder than it had before. The D-Vector fell back to her side, the crimson gleam passing from her eyes.
Credit for Cyrus Black and Hang goes to Otterly Lost
Credit for Zander Steele and Koro goes to Neocorruption
Credit for Alexis Tashimi goes to Aqua-chan