Chapter 50
AN: Hey guys XD. I almost didn't think I'd be able to get a chapter out this week. And yet somehow I did, with plenty of time to spare. Gosh I love this new schedule. Hope you guys like the chapter. Almost done with the story too XD
You might have wondered what the heck happened to Alexander during all of the mess, considering he had just been with Edan and Stella right before they charged in to save the two Digidestined. The answer is...complicated.
" ##$$%%^^&&& IT!" Alexander roars, slamming his hand against what appears to be air but bounces back, completely preventing him from coming to the aid of his friends.
He snarls, baring fangs in frustration. This really, really couldn't be happening, he'd been RIGHT behind them for Yggdrasil's sake!
But it was clear that someone didn't want the power of a Demon Lord coming to the children's aid, and that scared him more than anything.
He tries to remind himself that they're not children, that they'll be okay, that they know what they're doing, but honestly….
He growls to himself again, seriously contemplating just sending a Corana Destroyer right at the barrier before sternly reminding himself how stupid of an idea that was.
If he let out an attack of that power, there was a very good chance all he would achieve would be blasting himself in the face.
Alexander growls menacingly, his wings beating steadily as he silently wondered what the heck he would supposed to do now.
Then he smells it. His three eyes widen as he recognizes a scent he hasn't smelled for days. If his expression was murderous before, it now looked serial killer murderous.
There are few things more dangerous than a Demon Lord with an axe to grind. He hesitates for just a moment more before reluctantly realizing there was nothing he could do to help the other children.
But what he could do was hunt the little creep down. He slowly flew away, glancing once more back over his shoulder and sighing with frustration. "You had all better be okay. And I'll come back for you….but…." He clenches his teeth. "You're not getting away this time." He growls savagely, before becoming nothing more than a black blur on the horizon.
…
"So what exactly is the plan?" I question, still holding Monodramon close to my chest as we leap out of the castle and hit the ground running, Gatomon scaling down the walls like the little ninja cat she is.
Gatomon grimaces, making a face. "I don't know." Her eyes drift back up towards Monodramon and she flinches. "It's a miracle he's still alive, but I don't know how we're going to cure a wound of that size."
Grimacing I demand, "Where the heck is Sorcerymon? Isn't it his JOB to heal us when we get like this?"
"He's gone. He left with Ryo and the others."
"Left WHERE?!"
"Left to go get her Digiegg so we can possibly stop this war." Gatomon responds, glancing pointedly back at me.
Clenching my teeth, I manage to bite out, "Well her Digimon is currently having trouble BREATHING, much less digivolving, so I doubt even a Golden Digiegg will help."
"What about Lucemon?" Renamon questions. "He's almost as good at healing as Sorcerymon is….and if you remember, he took the Dark Spore out of Ken."
My eyes widen as I subconsciously feel for the back of my neck. "...You think he would actually…."
Gatomon rolls her eyes. "You actually have to wonder if Lucemon would help of all people? Can I slap you with a nice dose of "WELL DUH? IF he can….he will."
There's a hesitancy in her voice that makes me tense. "...Gatomon what happened?"
"...I don't….know all the details but…."
"GATOMON."
"Er….he sort of went….a little bit insane and nearly got everyone including GranDracmon killed?" At my shocked expression she quickly adds, "But he's better now, last I heard."
Shaking my head I say in exasperation, "Exactly how much have I been missing?"
"Uh, not too much. Unless you count the charming news that while we've been busting our butts trying to save the Destiny Stones, we're actually supposed to destroy them."
"Oh I knew that already."
"Of course you….wait WHAT?!" Gatomon's head whips around and she gives me a disbelieving stare. "How the heck did you figure it out?!"
"I um…." My voice trails off as I hesitate, not sure how mentioning this is going to affect her. "I...had some help."
Unfortunately for me, Renamon can read my mind at this point, and she practically screams the words, "WIZARDMON?!"
"Dang it Renamon." I mutter through clenched teeth as Gatomon skids to a halt and freezing, the way you would if a car was coming right at you 80 miles an hour down the highway.
"...What do you mean….Wizardmon?"
I let out a faint sigh. "...I found his journal….."
"You went back to the CASTLE?! Do you even realize how dangerous that could have been?"
"Believe me I know." I mutter under my breath, thinking of my own near escape and then cringing as Gatomon glowers at me. Darn. Cat ears.
"Anyway the point is he had information about the Destiny Stones. He knew Myotismon was working for Millenniummon, and he knew what they were planning to do."
Gatomon's face is hard for me to read, but finally she says quietly, "...He did say that he'd always watch over us."
"Myotismon never had a clue how much Wizardmon was spying on him." I say, trying hard to push down on my emotions. "Otherwise he would never have….GAH!"
"LILY!" Renamon's own voice is filled with pain as well, and Gatomon's head whips around as though she's expecting an attack.
"What happened?! What's going on?"
Her blue eyes widen as I sink to my knees, cringing in pain and biting down so hard I fear my teeth might crack under the pressure.
Gatomon springs up onto my shoulder and pushes my hair back, gasping as she looks down at my neck.
"What is it?" I rasp, clenching my teeth.
Gatomon doesn't answer. She thinks she might be sick. On Lily's neck there seemed to be some kind of PLANT growing underneath the skin, wriggling and writhing as though it were alive. She watches in horrible fascination, as what appears to be black leaf buds slowly unfurl and Lily HOWLS.
The sound is filled with so much anguish it sends prickles up Gatomon's spine, and she carefully unsheaths her claws, swallowing hard.
She's desperate to get this thing out of Lily, desperate enough to consider pulling it out through sheer force.
But the moment she touches it Lily lets out a stifled sob of pain, and she grimaces, pulling back. It was a really, really bad idea. If something went wrong, if Lily kept thrashing around because it hurt so bad, Gatomon could end up cutting something vital.
So many things she could accidentally puncture in the neck. The jugular vein for one, or major nerves.
No….cutting this thing out wasn't an option.
"Lily, what IS this thing?" She demands, though she already half knows. It would explain so much, like why Lily was so afraid of being controlled by like Ken had been controlled...
"It's the….Dark Spore…" I manage to whimper, closing my eyes and trying so hard not to cry. "It's been in there for YEARS….Myotismon….he…."
Gatomon's eyes widen slightly as a memory comes rushing back to her. One she had long since pushed out of her mind.
…
Gatomon knocked curtly on the door, pinning her ears back when silence was the answer. She hissed in annoyance. Just because this recruit was new, didn't mean that she would show any hesitance in beating him to a pulp for disrespecting her so.
Finally, the door does open, to reveal a ragged looking Digimon, patched cloak, felt hat, wizard's staff.
She didn't know why Myotismon had bothered acquiring this new one. He didn't look like anything special.
In fact, right now he looked even more of a ragged mess than he had before. His eyes narrow as he looks at her and she draws herself up, hating how she's always shorter than every single person here.
Well...except Demidevimon. "My lord Myotismon wants to know when the girl will be fully healed from her punishment." She says icily.
Whatever response she had been expecting, it certainly hadn't been for the wizard to let out a sarcastic laugh. "Are you kidding me?After what he did, he expects her to be back on her feet? He's lucky she's even still ALIVE."
Gatomon lashes her tail and scoffs. "Don't be so overdramatic."
"OVERDR…" He lowers his voice."You were THERE Gatomon. You saw exactly what he did to her."
Gatomon scoffs once more. "She's just a stupid, rebellious girl who has to learn the hard way. She's been defying the master and irritating the crap out of us since day one. If she has to have some common sense beaten into her, than so be it."
Wizardmon was staring in such a way at her that it made her uncomfortrable. She snaps out a terse, "WHAT?"
"...By Yggdrasil has he messed with your mind as well?" His voice is hollow, as though it's been drained of all spirit.
"What the heck are you talking about?" She spat, her fur standing on end as she began to wonder if Lord Myotismon's new recruit was completely off his head.
"Gatomon, don't you remember anything?" His voice is pleading as he took a step forwards. "...Don't you remember me?"
Gatomon felt an odd tickling at the back of her brain and her eyes narrowed dangerously. Wizardmon had to move very quickly to avoid getting scratched across the face by those long talons.
"Listen closely." She hisses dangerously. "I don't know who you think you are, but learn this now. My mind is my own and if I catch you playing any of those...wizarding tricks so help me, I'll claw those eyes of yours out."
Those green eyes locked on hers and she felt a strange stirring in her chest- a sense of...loneliness….but she managed to ignore it as she demanded curtly, "Understood?"
"...Understood my lady." was the flat response.
"Good." She said curtly before storming off back down the hallway, her tail lashing behind and feeling totally unsettled despite her best attempts to hide it.
Wizardmon closed his eyes and sighed before stiffening at the sound of more whimpering coming from inside the chambers.
"I'm coming little one." Gatomon could hear him call, his tone about ten times more gentle than when he had talked to her.
She scoffed, digging her claws into the stone floor to try and banish all of her misgivings.
…
Back in the present, Gatomon has to shake herself to get back to normal. She feels a shiver running down her spine. It was clear to her now what Wizardmon had been so furious with Myotismon about and honestly, she doesn't blame him in the slightest.
She knew Myotismon was SICK but she...she could never have predicted something like this. And even more chilling is what she last remembers Wizardmon saying.
"By Yggdrasil has he messed with your mind as well?"
Her skin prickles underneath her fur as she fearfully wonders what exactly Wizardmon meant by that. Did he mean that there was some alien object inside of her as well, wrapping around her brain and controlling her? And she just had never realized it?
She manages to push those worries to the back of her mind, because she doubt she'd have been completely oblivious of something like that, right?
And what mattered right now was not that she might hae something wrong with her, but that Lily was obviously in very deep trouble.
Her breathing was shallow and weak, as though she was completely and utterly exhausted, and just moving her limbs seemed to be costing her energy that she didn't have.
"Got to….find the others…." She murmured weakly, pushing herself and then stumbling back over.
Gatomon nudges her leg firmly to get her out of her single minded state. "And how are you going to do that when you can barely walk?"
Kuzuhaumon's eyes were both brown, which let Gatomon know who was in dominant control of the time. Otherwise one would be brown and the other would be blue, like Renamon's.
Lily says urgently, "Renamon doesn't want me to say this...but I have to….if I endanger the others….Tai, Kari, ANY of them….like I did with Monodramon...if I look like I'm going to turn on you all again…."
Gatomon's stomach turns to ice as she realizes what Lily is about to ask.
"...Then you do whatever you have to do." Lily says, her tone fierce. "WHATEVER it takes. "
"I...Lily I…."
"PROMISE me, Gatomon. I can't hurt them again, I can't. And I'd rather die than...than lie as someone's puppet."
"Gatomon! Lily!"
TK and Kari's voices echo as they run towards the two girls, and Lily's eyes lock on Gatomon's again. Gatomon squeezes Lily's hand.
"...I promise."
…
Edan's blade shines through the darkness as he slashes downwards, cutting off yet another one of the monster's dark shadowy appendages.
It shrieks, pulling back, eyes narrowing down to slits as it seems to size Edan up. "...We would not have expeted a mere omega tamer to be so powerful." The man who was not a man said with its quintet of voices.
"The last one who fought against us was not….he fell rather quickly."
Edan's eyes widen before his face contorts into a furious snarl, an expression that looks completely out of place on his soft, more delicate features.
"...You….you're the ones who killed Dilbert….." He says through teeth gritted so tightly he thinks that they might snap.
"He was not a fitting sacrifice."
Edan's brain seems to be whirling about a million miles per hour, the way it always does in combat, but that one sentence gave him pause.
"...Sacrifice?"
"You will make a much more fitting sacrifice."
Edan is so distracted by the thing's creepy voice and even more disturbing words that he almost misses the tendrils creeping up towards him.
He yells as they lunge upwards, trying to ensanre his neck and arms, slicing downwards and then doing the only thing he could in this situation.
Running like heck.
Scrambling up the side of the rocky cliff in front of him, he can feel the exhaustion filling his body. He knows that he can't keep this up for much longer. He's used tons of energy trying to kill that thing and yet nothing he does to it causes any permanent damage.
He glances down and his eyes widen as the man seems to scramble vertically up the hill after him, the shadowy appendages forming spider like legs that propel it upwards.
"No-FANGLONGMON-GET BACK!"
He slices at the sword wildly, managing to nick the creature's ear, and it recoils back with an earsplitting shriek of pain.
What actually seems to be like a trickle of blood forms from the massive cut where Edan had sliced the thing's ear open.
He doubts its actually blood, it doesn't smell or look like blood for one thing, but he can tell it's more than the shadowy vapor stuff that was let off everytime he cut through those tendrils.
Enraged now, the monster grabs him by the ankle and drags him, yelling down the cliff face. Edan yells in pain as he feels the rocks slicing his back open, but he manages to twist and position himself just right to stab upwards.
The demon-human thing lets out a scream of pain as he manages to stab it through the roof of its mouth as hard as he possibly can, that same strange liquid splattering down and coating his face.
The two of them both hit the ground hard and Edan lies there, gasping, stunned and completely winded.
The monster is clearly on its last legs, staggering back to its full height but stumbling like a drunken person as it makes its way over to Edan.
Edan is just struggling not to lose consciousness, groaning as he rolls over and tries to wipe the disgusting substance off of his face.
The monster grabs him by the front of the shirt, hoisting him up in the air, and he frantically feels for his sword, only to realize with horror that he doesn't have it in his hand. It must have been knocked away right after he stabbed the creature.
He feels its cold, icy hand pressing against the front of his shirt, seeping into his skin, and then it feels like, beyond his skin.
It feels as though the coldness is entering into his very heart, and his chest constricts painfully in a way that makes him feel for sure as though he's having a heart attack.
"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Edan's eyes roll back in his head and he's no longer aware of anything around him, except for the extreme pain radiating from his chest all throughout his body.
He doesn't care about anything at this point, except to make it stop, please please, make it stop,
Even Death would be preferable to this kind of torture.
The demon was too busy focusing on its prey, focusing on the dark light that surrounded its hand and penetrated Edan's body.
A slight, almost imperceitble smirk appears on its face, before the sound of movement from behind registers a second too late.
A furious yell of pure rage echoes, and the monster's eyes widen, glancing down at its chest to see the sword point sticking out of it.
The shock disappears and is replaced with an expression of almost….amusement...before it seems to dissolve right before Edan's eyes, feet first, then slowly up the rest of its body.
Focusing on the barely conscious boy, Edan could have sworn he heard it say, "We shall meet again…." but this time, from inside his head.
He can hear someone drop beside him, frantically shaking his shoulder. "Edan...Edan!"
"...D'Arcmon?" He groans, slowly opening his eyes.
Stella is leaning over him, her expression frantic. "I thought you were dead…." She punches him in the shoulder, and he yelps. "What the heck was that for?"
"That's for SCARING me." She says tightly, her eyes flashing with an emotion he can't quite read.
"Oh come on, is that really how you're going to be? Because you know full well that I was just trying to protect all of…." His voice is suddenly cut off.
Because Stella had implanted her lips onto his and the two of them were suddenly kissing, and in his already weakened state, it took all he had to not pass out from the shock.
"...And that's for everything else."
"...Um…..wow...I….I…."
She snorts, grabbing him by the arm and hoisting him back to his feet. "You sure you're okay?"
Edan's body still seems to be feeling too heavy for him, but he manages to shake it off with a firm, "I'm fine."
"Sure you don't want me to carry you?"
"..." She snorts at his blanched face. "I'm just kidding, so hang onto your male pride. But if you end up fainting on me again, don't think I won't."
"...Yeah uh….I'll try not too." He stammers awkwardly.
"Edan!"
"Stella!"
The sound of voices echoes over to them, and Stella glances around. "The fog is fading….thank Yggdrasil, killing that thing seems to have destroyed whatever was keeping us in there."
Edan's hand travels upwards towards his chest, running his fingers over the mark where the creature had struck him.
He couldn't explain it, but he had the sinking feeling that whatever that thing had been, it was far far from dead.
"...Stella I…." His voice trails off as she looks over her shoulder at him.
"What's the matter?"
"...You did great." He says softly, and she glances away quickly.
"What are you talking about? You're the one who was really fighting that thing, I just swung a freaking sword."
"That reminds me….how did you…." Edan frowns. "A regular mortal can't hold a nephilim blade without…." His voice trails off and he suddenly reaches down for Stella's hand, noticing her sudden gasp of pain.
Her hands were covered with red burn marks and blisters, and the sight makes Edan's stomach churn just a bit.
"...You SHOULDN'T have…." He says softly.
"...What else was I supposed to do?" She questions pointedly. Her cheeks flush when Edan turns her hand over and drops a quick kiss to the back of her hand.
"...Thank you."
"Uh….n-no problem." She stammers, her cheeks flushing once again. "We should...probably get back to the others, I think we've managed to freak them all out."
….
Willis cradles his two little Digimon in his arms, relief and joy obvious on her face. Yolei can't help but smiling at the image. The little blonde boy was so serious previously, it makes a nice change to see a look of total delight on his face.
"Well….we survived that challenge." She sighs. "Cherubimon is healed, that's always a good thing."
"Good thing though it may be." Aquilamon rumbles. "But it is a truth that as of now we only have one Digimon at the Champion level among us. If we are attacked, than I doubt my strength alone will be sufficent."
"And we will be attacked again." Davis says grimly, his marron eyes looking around warily. "It's inevitable."
"You know, the odds of us getting attacked again might be really good, but you're really not helping Davis." Yolei says, exasperation obvious in her voice.
Davis glances over at her, biting his lower lip. A part of him wants to tell Yolei to take Aquilamon and get herself the heck out of here.
She could get away much faster than if Aquilamon was forced to try and carry all of their weight. But he knows she won't listen. Because if the situations were reversed, he sure as heck wouldn't leave her.
And besides, he's not even sure that she can get the heck out of here. After all they used a portal to get into this place the first time around. And the idea of her wandering around this hellfield with only her partner for backup is not something he's okay with.
The sound of flapping wings echoes above him and he stiffens immediately, eyes flicking upwards to the skies.
But a feeling of relief fills him as he recognizes those flaming orange feathers. "Birdramon and Sora!"
"Well who else would it be?" Sora asks, amused as she and Birdramon land on the dark sand. "You know any other red-heads who ride giant phoenixs?"
"Unless you count that clone Datamon made of you." Yolei giggles.
Sora makes a face, sticking her tongue out at Yolei. "Don't even GO there. Where's Matt and the others?"
"Um…." They all exchange awkward glances with each other, because they know full well that Sora is not going to like what they have to say.
Sora's eye twitches. "He didn't do something stupid like go running of somewhere without me did he?"
Davis remembers Tai telling him at one point that in some ways, Sora could be even scarier than Sira. While he still doubted that, Sora did sort of give off this vibe of volcano about to erupt, or something equally hazardous that you did not want to be around.
"He um….."
"...Sort of…?"
"He didn't really have a choice Sora." Yolei offers up, thankfully less afraid of the redhead than the boys are. "They left with Ryo and Ken and Cody."
"Great." Sora mutters. "That's only half of our numbers th…." Her voice trails off, and she holds up a hand for the others to be quiet. Birdramon and Sora take the same stance, their eyes wary, Birdramon subconciously stretching out her wings in front of her partner and hissing low in her throat.
Turns out they had good reason to be wary.
The water explodes next to them, and Yolei yells, wincing as she gets absolutely soaked through to the skin. "Oh great…." Her eyes narrow down to slits as she notices Davis staring, open mouthed at her now see through shirt.
"And what exactly do you think you're looking at?"
"NOTHING! I mean...I don't…..ehehhehehehe….umm…...help?"
"Uh guys,!" Willis yells, his voice frantic. "I think we might just have bigger problems!"
"No kidding you little shrimps." A voice cackles from high above, and the Digidestined have to look up and up, at the giant monster sea serpent.
"MetalSeadramon?!" Sora gasps, her stomach churning in horror. No way, no way,...she'd seen WarGreymon kill him…
"Oy! ChaosMetalSeadramon to you little shrimps! Don't go comparing me with that idiot who ran with the freaky clown!"
"Don't waste your breath on these pathetic humans." Another voice, more elegant sounding snaps.
The kids whirl around to see a dark knight, clad in blue armour standing above them, his eyes cold and calculating. "This is why I truly believe those who partner with humans are weak. Dependent on those little devices, which is hardly comparable to the strength gained when loading another's data."
"...You have noticed us wiping out most of your army right?" Davis questions. "While you two have been doing Yggdrasil knows what right? Hiding?" He jeers.
ChaosMetalSeadramon growls menacingly, bearing massive teeth, but ChaosGallantmon gestures at him. "Do not simply blast the little brat to oblivion. I want to make them all suffer for what happened to Ophanimon. Their deaths will be long and painful."
Davis feels Demiveemon wriggling in his arms, and before he can stop him, he hops down in front of his partner, baring tiny fangs. "The only way you're getting through Davis is over my dead body!"
"And mine." Gummymon agrees, standing...well not really standing as he has no legs, but you get the idea.
"And mine." Kokomon agrees as well, the three In-Training Digimon standing protectively in front of the humans.
ChaosMetalSeadramon actually laughs out loud. "Oh THAT'S a good one. Like you little runts could honestly make a difference. You wouldn't even make a good appeitzer."
Yolei can hear Aquilamon growling beside her….until she realizes that the even louder growling isn't coming from her partner.
"...What is…?"
The giant sea serpent lunges downwards, massive maw opening to swallow the In-Training Digimon whole. That was right before the motorbike slams into his jaw with full force, slamming it shut and causing him to let out a scream of pain.
The motorbike slams into the ground and screeches to a halt in front of them, rumbling loudly. For a minute the Digidestined were too stunned to think, until a shout of "CORONA DESTROYER!"
The blasts of green energy shatter the cliff where ChaosGallantmon had been standing, him only managing to leap out of the way just in time.
"Alexander!"
Alexander smirks as he lands on the ground, Daemon beside him. "Sorry we're late." His three eyes narrow as he glances over his shoulder. "...Got...sidetracked."
ChaosGallantmon snarls as he pushes himself upright. "You really think two Demon Lords will make a difference?
Daemon chuckles darkly, the flames appearing in the palm of his hand. "Let's face facts here. You would have been doomed had there only been one of us."
….
Myotismon's blue eyes opened again as he glanced down at the battle occuring not far from him. He was hidden well enough and they were too focused on tearing each other apart to really pay attention to him.
There was the Digidestined brats, those idiots who worked for Millenniummon and….ah. Crud.
He should have known that Alexander would be here. He'd been aching to sink his claws into Myotismon for ages now and the feeling was definitely mutual.
But this….the cruel smile appears on his face again. This could work out very nicely indeed. If Alexander and Daemon took out the only two threats he had in Millenniumon's forces….
"Thanks for doing the work for me...little brother…
