Chapter 11: Of Eggs and Empires
"Is this what Baronmon meant when he told us to "go south"?" Kit asked, gazing down at the serene village that Hippogryphomon was quickly approaching. It was a collection of small wooden houses with thatched roofs sitting beside a large lake. A river flowed into the lake from the north-west, and another river drained out of it, moving slowly towards the south-east.
"Maybe…it certainly looks peaceful from up here." ToyAgumon replied, his green eyes also fixed on the village.
"I know this place! It's Dash Village, and the lake next to it is Dash Lake. One of the rivers that drains from Lotus Lake leads here." Otamamon explained from behind the teen. Nodding, Kit examined the collection of buildings as Hippogryphomon dropped lower and finally landed with a gentle thump. The DigiDestined climbed down from the mythical Digimon, thanked her for all her help, then waved goodbye as she flew northwards.
"Ok…so now what?" Amanda asked, turning to face the rest of the group.
"How about we go introduce ourselves?" ToyAgumon suggested, gesturing towards the nearby village. "If we're not needed anywhere, this would be a good opportunity to rest."
"That sounds good." his human partner agreed, adding, "Besides, Sam promised to tell us what happened while he was gone." The male DigiDestined gave a tired smile and nodded, then followed the rest of the group as they walked towards Dash Village.
- - -
"Whoah…" Kit murmured, shocked by what Sam had just related. Stunned by the horrible experience her friend had been though, the teen dropped her gaze to the floor and fell silent. She had never imagined that Digimon could be so cruel, even one that was supposed to be evil. Shifting uneasily, the girl looked up after a minute and gave Sam an encouraging smile. "I promise you that I won't let Piedmon get away with what he did. Next time we face his minions, I'll show them that us DigiDestined really shouldn't be messed with."
"And I'll be right there with you, Kit. Someone who is as twisted as that deserves to be taught a lesson." Amanda added, giving the two DigiDestined a confident smile.
"You guys would really do that for me?" Sam asked, looking surprised at their passionate responses.
"Of course! Not only are you a fellow DigiDestined, but your also our friend!" Kit replied, reaching over to pat him on the shoulder. "I'd be a bad friend if I didn't try to help your out, no matter what you went though."
"Thanks, you guys." the male DigiDestined said, giving both Kit and Amanda grateful smiles. "Even though we're stuck here in the Digital World, I'm glad that you two are with me."
"Right back at ya, buddy." Kit answered, grinned broadly and giving her friend a thumbs up, and the other two DigiDestined quickly smiled and returned the gesture.
- - -
Amanda was pleased to see that Sam now looked a little happier, but she sensed that it would take a while for him to get over the damage Piedmon had inflicted on him. She watched as the teen rose and walked out of the cabin they were sharing, presumably to wander around Dash Village and think. Kit left soon after, saying that she was going to go relax in her room. Their Digimon were outside, and the girl could hear the laughter as they played a game of tag with some of the village's In-Training Digimon.
Settling back on the cushion she was sitting on, the DigiDestined wondered what was next for them. Baronmon had hinted that something big would take place soon, and the teen knew that they humans and their partners would have to deal with it. Sighing, Amanda decided that a little fresh air might help to dispel the gloomy thoughts about the future, so rose and headed out to explore Dash Village.
She walked slowly through the small village, smiling and waving whenever one of the local Digimon greeted her. Reaching the last of the wooden cabins, she turned to head back when her Digivice let out a loud beep.
"Huh? What's going on?" Amanda asked in surprise, removing the small blue-and-white device from the pocket of her jogging pants and peering at the screen. It was on Area Scanner mode, and showed a white flashing dot not too far from her current location. Confused, the girl looked around, but saw nothing suspicious.
"Strange…" she muttered, dark brown eyes returning to stare at the flashing icon. "I wonder what that dot is?"
"Amanda! Come play!" Looking up, the teen quickly spotted her partner waving to her, surrounded by a group of Bukamon. Smiling at the sight of the brown seal-like In-Training Digimon, Amanda quickly joined her partner next to the lake.
"I'd love to…but I'm trying to figure something out." she replied slowly.
"What's the problem?" Otamamon asked, hopping closer as the human knelt down to show her the image on the Digivice's screen.
"I'm trying to find out what that white dot is. From right here, it seems to be just off to my left." Amanda replied, chuckling as the Bukamon stared in awe at the device she held.
"Hm…whatever it is, it seems to be in the middle of Dash Lake." the Rookie Digimon replied, waving a clawed hand towards the calm waters beside them.
"But how am I supposed to get it if it's underwater?!" the DigiDestined responded, slightly irritated at the difficult task she suddenly faced. "The water looks deep, and I don't know if I can hold my breath that long."
"We can find it!"
"Yeah, let us help!"
"We're good swimmers, let us get whatever's down there!" A chorus of offers rose up from the Bukamon around her, and Amanda quickly nodded in agreement.
"That would be wonderful! But don't push yourselves if it's too deep." Amanda warned, then looked at her partner. "Go with them, Otamamon. I'm sure you can help out."
"Sure thing!" Otamamon hopped towards the water and dove in, followed eagerly by the group of In-Training Digimon. Amanda watched their shadows slip down though the water before vanishing from sight. Smiling at how thoughtful the Bukamon were, the teen sat down on the warm grass and waited for the Digimon to return, her gaze switching between the map shown on her Digivice and the waters of Dash Lake.
Fortunately, she didn't have long to wait. A little over ten minutes later, Amanda noticed that the flashing dot was moving rapidly towards her, so she watched impatiently as Otamamon and the other Digimon rose out of the depths of the lake, her partner finally surfacing a few feet away from shore.
Otamamon climbed up onto the bank, blue skin damp from the water, and gestured towards the band of approaching Bukamon. "You'll never believe what we found!" she exclaimed, voice filled with excitement. Curious, the DigiDestined waited until the Bukamon surfaced, then gasped at what they carried.
Four of the aquatic Digimon were supporting a strange object. It was egg-shaped, with a bland green shell that had a light green teardrop crest on the front. The lower part of the teardrop had a thin circle in the middle of it that matched the colour of the egg, with a small dot in the centre of the circle the same colour as the outer teardrop. The entire thing was resting on what seemed to be a large, four-pointed ninja star.
Wondering what in the world it was, Amanda reached out and took the item from the Bukamon, finding that it rested easily in the palm of her hand. As if by instinct, she pointed her Digivice towards the object, then watched in amazement as it was sucked into the small device in a glow of pale blue light.
"That was cool." Otamamon commented, pulling the girl away from her semi-trance.
"Yeah…but what was the item you guys found?" the teen asked dazedly.
"It was the DigiEgg of Sincerity."
Amanda turned to see a Gabumon standing behind her. Vaguely resembling a bear, he stood on two legs and wore a white animal skin that was covered in blue stripes. A sharp horn jutted from the middle of his forehead, but the teen knew that most Gabumon were kind Digimon.
"A DigiEgg? You mean a Digimon will hatch from it?" she asked, confused.
"No. Legend has it that there are special DigiEggs that will help a Digimon to Digivolve to a more powerful form." The Rookie Digimon patiently explained.
"Ok…but what does the Sincerity part of the description stand for?"
"I have no idea. Perhaps it means that only someone who exhibits that trait can use the DigiEgg effectively?" Gabumon replied, shrugging.
"Maybe…" the DigiDestined whispered, gazing down at the icon of the DigiEgg that was shown on the screen of her Digivice. "Oh, thanks for getting this everyone." she said, turning and smiling at the assembled Bukamon.
They assured her that it was no problem, then floated away, chattering among themselves. Gabumon quickly followed, saying that he would watch over them. Amanda watched him go, then looked down at her partner.
"Let's go tell the others." the girl suggested, and Otamamon eagerly bounded ahead of her, leading the way back to their cabin.
- - -
"Ending Snipe!" The ground around Lotus Lake shook violently as a number of energy beams slammed into it, creating large craters in their wake and sending up clouds of soil and dust. Piedmon lowered the swords he held in each hand, satisfied that he had caused enough of a panic for now. As he had been ordered to, the clown Digimon hadn't touched the Lotus Temple or the water surrounding it, although he would have liked to have done more damage that a few craters.
"Master IceDevimon better have a good reason for sending me on such a lowly errand…" Piedmon muttered angrily as he kicked the Saberdramon he was riding on to descend. Once the bird had landed, he hopped lightly off and returned his swords to their sheaths, deeming it would be unwise to present an aggressive image to the guardian of Lotus Temple.
The forest around him was now deathly silent as he strode to the edge of the lake, skirting one of the recently formed craters along the way. Turning his golden eyes downward, the Mega gazed intently into Lotus Lake, easily spotting the shadow that was rapidly ascending towards the surface.
Moments later, the Digimon surfaced, towering high above Piedmon and looking ready to fight until deletion.
"What do you want?" Seadramon hissed in fury, blue eyes fixed on the brightly clothed figure standing on the shore.
"I don't want to fight you, Seadramon. I came here for only one thing." the Mega replied, calmly regarding the serpent Digimon before him.
"And what might that be?"
"The White DigiEgg that you are currently keeping here."
"The DigiDestined left that in my care, and I'm not going to give it to the likes of you!" The Champion cried, rearing back and glaring in anger at the other Digimon.
"No? As I see it, you have two options. First, you could continue to refuse to give me that DigiEgg, leaving me no choice but to delete you and then take it; or you could just give it to me and I'll leave peacefully." Piedmon replied, confident that Seadramon would cave in to his highly reasonable demands.
Seadramon considered his words for a few moments, then hissed angrily. "Fine…I'll give you the DigiEgg if you promise to leave immediately."
"I promise." the Mega replied, placing a gloved hand on his chest and bowing slightly.
"Then wait here." Turning, the serpent Digimon dove back into the water, returning a few minutes later with the requested item held firmly by his tail. Piedmon reached out and accepted the Digiegg from Seadramon, then walked back to the waiting Saberdramon. Mounting the large black bird, he gave the Digimon a hard kick, and the Champion quickly took off and started to fly back towards Root Jungle.
"Hey! Wait!" Hearing a faint cry from below, Piedmon glanced down and spotted a figure waving to him from the upper branches of a tree.
"Turn around and hover above that tree." the clown Digimon ordered, intrigued by this unexpected event. The Saberdramon quickly complied, and Piedmon found himself staring down at a badly beaten Gazimon.
"Please take me with you, Lord Piedmon!" the Rookie Digimon begged, red eyes fixed on his golden ones. The Mega realized that the Gazimon must have served under Musyamon, then ran away after he was defeated and turned back into a DigiEgg. The same DigiEgg that he now held. Perhaps this Digimon could provide him with some useful information…
"You may come. Hold onto Saberdramon's foot." Piedmon said briskly, eager to return to his base and report back to Mast IceDevimon.
"Thank you, Lord Piedmon! I promise you won't regret it!" the Gazimon gushed, scrambling onto the bird Digimon's waiting talons. At another kick from him, the Saberdramon once more turned to the north-east and started to fly.
- - -
"I obtained the DigiEgg from Lotus Temple, Master." Piedmon said, bowing low. IceDevimon nodded, pleased that his loyal servant had done well yet again. The Digimon was standing on the surface of the frozen lake with an ice sheet hovering before him. A similar one was set up on Piedmon's end, allowing the two to easily converse despite being separated by the firewall that surrounded the Dark Area.
"Excellent work once again, Piedmon. Is the egg undamaged?"
"Yes, Master. Shall I send it though?" the other Digimon replied, reaching off to the side and holding the DigiEgg up for the Champion to see.
"Yes, I want to examine it for myself." Piedmon nodded and moved out of view. IceDevimon also stepped away from the ice sheet, walking towards a shadowed corner were a small device sat. The object was made out of polished white stone and composed of a square base with a round column rising out of it. On top of the column was a rounded disk, flat in the centre but rising slightly upwards along the rim. The object was an ancient teleportation device that IceDevimon had found scattered in pieces around the Dark Area and repaired over the centuries. Once he had started his communication with Piedmon, he had ordered the other Mega to find a matching device and set it up on his side, something that the clown Digimon had eventually managed to do after much searching.
His crimson eyes fixed upon it, he watched as a mote of light appeared in the centre of the disk and expanded to become the White DigiEgg. The Champion smirked, thinking that Piedmon must have been furious to have to go chasing after such a common thing. But this DigiEgg was important to him, and was part of the first step in his plan to gain control of the Digital World.
Lifting the DigiEgg off of the disk, he ran a claw over its smooth surface, marvelling at how white the shell was. Spreading his wings, IceDevimon soared upwards towards the tunnel leading to the warmer part of his lair, anxious to get the egg somewhere safe. He quickly ascended to the top of the tunnel and flew down a twisting side passage before emerging in another large room.
Six stone circles were set into the floor along the edges of the circular cave, with a matching stone pedestal set up beside each. Striding over to the closest one, The Champion bend down and placed the DigiEgg in the middle of the stone circle, then stepped back. After a second, a pillar of white light shot upwards from the circle, and the DigiEgg floated up to hover in the centre of the light pillar, just a little bit higher than the edge of the pedestal beside it.
IceDevimon now moved to stand in front of the pedestal, closing his eyes and raising his hands so that the palms were half a foot apart. Breathing in deeply, he concentrated hard, accessing the data Piedmon had send him a few days prior. A collection of tiny data fragments materialized between his hands, and began to swirl around, gradually growing bigger and coalescing into two objects after a few minutes. Finished, the Digimon grabbed the two items out of mid-air and assessed his work.
"Perfect…they're perfect…" he breathed, a smile stretching across his pale face as he gazed down at the Dark Digivices he held. They were similar in design to the ones the DigiDestined carried, except they were both jet black and the five-pointed star was crimson instead on each instead of being a different colour like the Chosen Ones had.
Reaching out, the Digimon placed the one with the back-and-grey colour scheme on the pedestal, where a black cable snaked out of the antenna and connected with the shell of the DigiEgg floating inside the light pillar. Nodding in satisfaction, IceDevimon turned and strode out of the cave. He had other things to do right now.
- - -
"Nicole. I have something important to say to you." Curious, the teen quickly sat down across from her partner, wondering what he was about to tell her. "Before I say anything, I want to give you this. Hold out your hand." Nicole obeyed, then gasped in surprise when she saw what the Digimon had handed to her.
"It's…a Digivice!" she exclaimed, examining the oval device with interest. It was almost completely black, with a crimson five-pointed star branching off from the screen. Beneath the screen were a row of buttons, and a small antenna poked out of the top of the Digivice. Nicole smirked slightly, admiring the gold highlights that completed the colour scheme of the small object.
"That Digivice is now yours, so be careful to never loose it. Now, to what I must tell you. I have done the most I can possibly do under the circumstances to lead the revolt currently underway in the Digital World. But I must devote my undivided attention and powers to finding a way to completely breach the protective firewall and return to the Digital World. Because of this, I will no longer be able to provide adequate command for my followers who wait for us there. You, Nicole, will take over my post and become the true leader of those who want a ruler for the Digital World."
The teen stared at her partner, shocked by this sudden turn of fortunes. "Me…lead?" she asked haltingly, and received a encouraging nod from her Digimon. Dropping her brown eyes to the stone floor, she took a moment to absorb the news, then grinned. "I'll be in complete control…no one would dare to question my orders. I'd be all-powerful, a ruler in my own right." Her grin grew wider as she considered the endless possibilities that now lay before her.
"I could be a Digimon Empress!"
The girl paused, then decided she liked the title. "Yes. The Digimon Empress. Ruler of the entire Digital World…ruler of my own Digital Empire. Along with you, IceDevimon." she added, realizing that she couldn't leave her partner out of the picture.
"Then it's official. You are now the Digimon Empress." IceDevimon replied, standing up and gesturing towards her room. "I modified the ice sheet in there so you can communicate freely with the leader of the Digimon on the other side. If you wish, you may go and give him new orders."
"Thank you, IceDevimon." Nicole responded, also rising and moving towards the exit. "I'll go do that right now."
- - -
Author's Notes: Several of the concepts in this chapter were borrowed from Season Two, and the Spirit Digivolution in the previous chapter was from Season Four for those of you who aren't familiar with it.
In other news, I altered some of the chapter names slightly, but I did not make any changes to the content in them. I also want to thank everyone who has read or reviewed this story up to this point, and I hope you continue to read and enjoy my spin on the Digital World.