(A/N: Aaaaand we're in full quarantine again. How frustrating. Likely due to the holidays because friends and family are getting together to celebrate. I at least hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Here's something to be thankful for. A new chapter!)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 153: The Abandoned Fortress
The pain was intense, but AncientWisemon knew that the worst was yet to come. That was the burden of knowing every outcome of absolutely everything. It was a great benefit, but also a terrible curse, especially when you knew a horrible unavoidable fate was coming your way.
Taking a deep breath, the mutant Digimon braced himself for what he knew was coming. He'd foreseen all possible outcomes of all possible futures. Now he just needed the resolve to let the future he hoped for to come to pass. And while he knew what would most likely happen, until the event itself actually occurred, there was really no way of knowing how he would actually handle himself in the situation.
The door to his prison opened, and AncientWisemon looked up at his jailer, already knowing who it was. Barbamon strolled into the cell, and a chill of fear ran through the mutant Digimon as he braced himself for what would soon happen.
"Your days of being in power are dwindling," he told the Demon Lord. "Soon your reign of terror will be at an end."
A sinister chuckle escaped Barbamon, unfazed by his words. "I'm sure that's one possible future you've foreseen, but how many others have you seen where we win and the Demon Lords continue to rule?"
AncientWisemon didn't reply, there was no need to. He knew each and every way this conversation could go, and it always ended the same.
"Ah, to know that mind of yours," the Demon Lord replied. "It must truly be overwhelming to have all the knowledge of all things. How do you even process all that information?"
"By focusing on the best path and living your life as if that is the only option."
The Demon Lord snickered again. "How very cute, but it was a rhetorical question. There's only one question I truly want an answer to from you. So, are you going to tell me, or are you going to suffer some more first?"
AncientWisemon stubbornly lifted his chin. "Save your threats and attempts to intimidate me. There is nothing you can do or say that will surprise me."
Barbamon sped forward, stopping an inch from the mutant Digimon and grabbing his robes, lifting him into the air. "And what of yourself? You may know all futures, and you know that there will be pain in them, but do you truly know which future will come to pass before the pain actually begins?"
AncientWisemon's eyes narrowed. "That is the true question. One's free will is what makes the difference that determines which future will occur."
"Is that so?" He dropped the mutant Digimon. "Then let's see how long your willpower can last. I've decided to see to your interrogation personally from here on out. You may know that pain is coming, and you may know that it's bad, but to experience it is something different, isn't it? I don't know what future you're hoping for, but if it relies on your resistance to me, then let's see what will last longer; your resistance, or my patience."
This was it, the moment that AncientWisemon had been dreading the most. It would now be up to him to endure what was to come. He hoped he could last long enough to allow the future he hoped for to come to pass.
With a cruel grin on his face, Barbamon pointed his staff at the mutant Digimon. "Last chance. Tell me what I want to know, or suffer."
AncientWisemon locked eyes with him. "Pain is nothing new. I've know nothing but pain since you captured me."
The Demon Lord's grin widened. "Not like this. Death Lure!"
Unimaginable agony filled AncientWisemon, so intense that he couldn't even bring himself to scream. He couldn't move, he couldn't think, all he could do was feel. Time meant nothing. It could have been seconds, or hours, or even days, it didn't matter, there was only pain, and nothing else.
It suddenly stopped, and AncientWisemon went limp. He couldn't even react, his body going into shock from the sudden difference of indescribable pain to none.
"Unbearable, isn't it?" Barbamon mocked. "Of course, I've never felt it myself, but I've inflicted it on others enough times to know what to expect. Tell me, how long do you think I used that attack on you for? You have no idea, do you? All you knew was pain, and then no pain, time meant nothing at all."
AncientWisemon couldn't have responded if he wanted to. His body and mind were still trying to reboot to no longer being surrounded by pure agony.
"While affective," Barbamon explained as he casually paced back and forth, "I don't use this method of interrogation that often. The continuous sudden shock of going from pain to no pain can cause one's body to shut down and kill them. And the level of pain experienced for too long can break the mind and drive the victim insane. I can't get any information from someone if they die or end up with a broken mind. Although, the breaking of the mind under continuous exposure can also convert the victim to wickedness. I even broke one of the Olympos Twelve, Bacchusmon, and used him in the attack on ElDradimon when we captured you."
Breathing heavily, AncientWisemon was finally able to find his voice again. "I know… all about… your wicked deeds…"
Barbamon laughed. "Of course you do. You know everything. Including what I want to know. You should also know that you will break eventually and tell me what I want, so you might as well spare yourself further pain."
He pointed his staff at the mutant Digimon again. AncientWisemon remained silent, letting that be his answer. Barbamon cocked his head to the side before shrugging. "Very well, just know that the level of pain my attack causes renders the victim unable to speak while I'm using it. So if the pain becomes too much to bear and you decide to tell me, you'll just have to bear with it until I stop. Not that you'll be able to think at all to even make that decision while under such pain. But of course," he chuckled, "you knew all that already. Death Lure!"
There was no preparation for it. Even knowing it was coming, even having felt it before, there was no way to be ready for such a level of torture. It was an inescapable hell beyond the ability to comprehend, so great that the intensity would have caused the victim to pass out if the level weren't also so high that it also brought them back to consciousness the moment the brain shut down.
Barbamon ceased his attack, and AncientWisemon's body relaxed, the aftershocks of the pain still echoing through him. Reaching out with his staff, Barbamon placed it under the mutant Digimon's chin and lifted his head. "There's no escaping this. I'm going to make sure you survive, and that your mind remains intact. You will tell me what I want to know. How much you suffer before you do depends entirely on you."
Struggling to find his voice, AncientWisemon spoke. "You've been… content to… let your servants… handle my interrogation… until now… Something must… be making you feel… pressured…" He somehow managed to chuckle. "I would know…"
Barbamon was silent for several moments before speaking again. "I would say that you will suffer for that remark, but you were going to anyway. Death Lure!"
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"You know," said Takuya, "after the way we inspired all those Digimon in the city to fight back, I was kind of hoping that more of you would join us."
The teens were currently riding on the back of a bird Digimon called Eaglemon. Out of all the Digimon in the city, he was the only one willing to bring them to the fortress that Blastmon had claimed AncientWisemon was being held at. At the Mega level, and with a body made of gold armor, the bird Digimon looked like he would be a powerful ally.
"You can't really blame them," said Takato. "Rising up against the Demon Lords' forces is one thing, but for them to face off against an actual Demon Lord is another. And there's a good chance we'll run into Barbamon on this rescue mission."
"Neptunemon's men did it," Takuya pointed out.
"They were an army obeying their king," Davis reminded him. "Everyone in the city were just civilians." He patted Eaglemon. "But at least we got this guy to help us."
The bird Digimon started. "Whoa, hold up there, little human. If you think I'm going to fight against a Demon Lord, the you're crazy."
Davis blinked. "But you volunteered to help us."
"Yeah, get to your destination, not fight a Demon Lord. I'll drop you off, but then I'm out of there."
"Seriously?" Takato asked. "Because I thought you were going to help us fight too."
"Yeah, I thought you had faith in us," Takuya added.
"I do, but if I fought, I would end up dead for sure, even if the battle ended in victory. I do have faith in you though, enough that I'm going against my own nature when I should kill you."
Tai tensed up. "Kill us? Why?"
"It's in Eaglemon's nature to destroy any invaders to the Digital World," Shoutmon replied. "It's a real testament that he's going against his instincts to help us instead of kill you."
"How comforting," Davis muttered. "Still, thanks for the ride."
"Would you be willing to stick around if there are no Demon Lords there?" Takuya asked the bird Digimon.
"I'm not even sticking around long enough to find out," Eaglemon replied. "I'm dropping you off, and then I'm out of there. Sorry."
"It's fine," TK replied, glad to even have a ride at all. "We're just grateful that you're able to help us out this much. I thought we'd end up having to walk all the way there. This'll save us days of travel."
Kari frowned as she thought about AncientWisemon. "What do you think Barbamon wants to find out from AncientWisemon?"
Tai shrugged. "It could literally be anything. The guy knows everything, so he's a never-ending fountain of information."
"Well, I still don't understand his actions," said Takuya. "If he knows everything, then he should have been able to avoid being captured."
"You can ask him when you see him again," Eaglemon replied, "because we're coming up on your destination."
The teens shifted around on Eaglemon's back as the bird Digimon swooped down. Far below, an ancient fortress was present, standing alone with no other structures in sight. The place didn't look to be in the best condition, and there were no other Digimon in sight. Shoutmon had claimed that it had been abandoned since the Second Catastrophe, and it made the teens wonder if Blastmon had indeed been truthful with them.
"Anyone see anything?" Tai called.
Kari shook her head. "No sign of anyone, but they could all be inside."
Takuya raised an eyebrow. "The place looks abandoned, and on the verge of falling apart. Are we sure this wasn't just some wild goose chase Blastmon sent us on?"
"No way," Davis replied. "The guy was obsessed with Laylamon. He would have told us anything to save her."
"Including a lie," Takato pointed out.
Davis shook his head. "No, he would have made sure it was something believable. Something we wouldn't think would be a lie, because it was the truth."
"Either way, we still need to look around," TK replied. "Maybe looking abandoned is the point, if they're trying to remain hidden."
"You humans talk too much," Eaglemon grumbled. "Where do you want me to drop you off?"
Before any of them could answer, something came speeding up towards them. Eaglemon pulled back, just narrowly missing being hit as the figure shot past them.
"What was that?" Kari cried.
Tai pointed above them. "Look, up there!"
They looked up at what had nearly hit them. Floating in the sky, clad in purple armor, was a fierce-looking knight Digimon wielding a lethal looking double-ended spear.
"So who's this guy now?" Davis wondered.
Shoutmon's eyes narrowed. "Craniamon."
"Who?" Kari asked.
Takuya checked his Digivice. "A powerful Mega level Digimon who holds the title of Royal Knight. He lives to fight, and his Power of Breath allows him to negate any attack for three seconds."
"Royal Knight," Takato repeated. "That means he should be on par with me and Tai. Great."
Eaglemon stopped flying and simply hovered on mid-air. "All passengers, please exit your ride now."
Tai detected the worry in the bird Digimon's voice and decided that he had done more than enough for them. "Thanks for all your help. We've got it from here. Execute! Spirit Evolution… Omnimon!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Gallantmon Crimson Mode!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… EmperorGreymon!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Seraphimon!"
"Execute! Spirit Evolution… Ophanimon C!"
"Shoutmon Digivolve to… OmniShoutmon!"
The DigiDestined flew up towards Craniamon, leaving Eaglemon behind, and the bird Digimon saluted them. "Good luck, humans."
As he flew back the way he came, Craniamon pointed his spear at the DigiDestined threateningly. Gallantmon took the lead as they flew up towards the knight Digimon. "I'm going to shove that thing right down your throat. Final Justice!"
"Power of Breath!"
Craniamon kept firing, counting down from three. He saw Craniamon's shield's power die down and watched as the knight Digimon pull back and throw his spear. It tore through Gallantmon's attack, and he swerved to the side to avoid it. With Craniamon's weapon gone, Omnimon flew up to attack the knight Digimon.
Craniamon held out his hand, and his spear flew back into it. Omnimon swung his sword, and Craniamon blocked with his spear. EmperorGreymon appeared beside him and used his Dragon Soul Sword, but Craniamon blocked with his spear.
Twisting his weapon, he knocked both blades away. He then began spinning his spear and used his Shock Ringer, sending out a sonic wave that pushed both Omnimon and EmperorGreymon back.
"Imperial Claw!" Imperialdramon cried, slashing at Craniamon. The knight Digimon blocked with his spear again, but Imperialdramon had anticipated this and fired his Positron Laser from the arm attached to the very hand Craniamon blocked.
The knight Digimon was pushed back by the attack, but recovered quickly. Then Seraphimon came speeding in. He used his Hallowed Knuckle, punching balls of light at Craniamon. The knight Digimon defended with his Breath of Power, but the moment the three seconds were up, Seraphimon moved aside to make way for Ophanimon C.
"Holy Destroy!" she cried, firing a blast of holy light.
The attack carried Craniamon to the ground, but he managed to land on his feet. He looked up and acted just in time to block OmniShoutmon's Doom Drillpress.
Omnimon came rushing up behind him while Craniamon was holding back OmniShoutmon's attack and stabbed him through the back. Craniamon cried out, but it was cut off as EmperorGreymon zoomed in with his Storming Flame, stabbing the knight Digimon through the torso.
Ophanimon C then used her Volcano Napalm, and OmniShoutmon, Omnimon, and EmperorGreymon leapt away as a pillar of fire erupted beneath Craniamon, setting the knight Digimon ablaze. Finally, Gallantmon rushed in with his Invincible Sword, slicing clean through Craniamon, and the knight Digimon's flaming upper body went flying from his lower half.
"Strike of the Seven Stars!"
"Ionic Blaster!"
Seraphimon's attack struck Craniamon's upper half while Imperialdramon's hit his lower half, and both halves burst into data. The DigiDestined remained where they were, astounded, as they stared at the spot where their enemy had been.
"Did… Did we just take out the main guard?" Gallantmon asked. "So fast?"
"I think so," said Imperialdramon. "I'm surprised how relatively easy that was. And Craniamon is pretty powerful, right?"
He looked at EmperorGreymon, who had looked up Craniamon's information, and the dragon Digimon nodded. "Very powerful. As I said, Royal Knight status."
"Our team is very powerful as well," OmniShoutmon told them. "And we worked together while Craniamon stood alone."
"That's how we win," said Ophanimon C. "It's always how we win. And we'll keep winning as long as we stick together."
"Then let's make sure we stick together inside there as well," Omnimon told them. "Come on, let's find AncientWisemon."
They approached the entrance, and Imperialdramon kicked the doors open; there was no point in keeping quiet, as their battle with Craniamon would have alerted the entire fortress. Strangely though, there was no one else present. Still, they remained on their guard as they crept inside and made their way through the fortress.
"Creepy place," Gallantmon muttered. "Definitely has that old, abandoned feel to it."
"It was built as a place to combat the Second Catastrophe," OmniShoutmon replied.
"That was Quartzmon, right?" Seraphimon asked.
The dragon Digimon nodded. "Yes, but after that was taken care of, this place just held bad memories, so no one ever comes here."
"Making it the perfect hiding place to hide," Imperialdramon finished. "And keeping a small staff will keep up the abandoned look."
OmniShoutmon nodded again. "The fact that Craniamon was guarding it is proof that someone is here."
"Then shouldn't he have not attacked us?" EmperorGreymon asked. "You know, keep up the illusion that the place was still abandoned."
"Not if we were expected," Ophanimon C told him. "Meaning there could be a trap laid out."
"I agree," said Omnimon. "Keep your eyes peeled."
They continued making their way through the fortress, keeping a careful lookout for traps or an ambush. Yet they found nothing and no one. With the exception of Craniamon, and themselves, the place truly seemed to be abandoned.
"Hold it," Seraphimon said, suddenly as they made their way up a spiral staircase.
The others paused and looked back at him. The angel Digimon was silent for several long moments, holding up a finger to tell the to do the same. Then he glanced at the wall, and suddenly punched a hole through it. When he pulled his hand back. He was gripping a snake Digimon.
"I thought I heard something slithering around," Seraphimon commented.
The others gathered around. "Who's this guy?" Gallantmon asked. "And is there a flash drive at the end of his tail and tongue?"
"Hubmon," OmniShoutmon stated. "A Digimon who spends most of his time gathering information."
Seraphimon brought Hubmon up to his face, keeping a firm grip in case he struck. "Meaning he's probably a spy."
The snake Digimon cringed. "It's just a job. I'm meant to keep an eye on everything in the castle and report to…"
He cut himself off, as if realizing that he had said too much. The DigiDestined had picked up on it though, and Gallantmon pointed his spear at the snake Digimon. "Report to who? Who are you working for?"
Hubmon looked nervous, but then seemed to work up his nerve and hissed at him. "You're all going to die here."
Seraphimon tightened his grip on the snake Digimon threateningly. "You'll be dying first if you don't start talking."
Hubmon hissed again, but appeared to take the threat to heart. "Lord Barbamon. He ordered me to report to him everything that goes on here."
Omnimon sighed. "Makes sense. Barbamon's the one who wants to know whatever AncientWisemon knows."
"Perfect," said Imperialdramon, looking down at Hubmon. "Then you should know where AncientWisemon is."
The snake Digimon's eyes narrowed. "You don't know what you're getting into."
"We'll learn along the way," Ophanimon C replied. "Now tell us."
"And no tricks," Seraphimon warned, once again tightening his hold.
Hubmon gave another annoyed hiss, but reluctantly began to direct them through the fortress. The DigiDestined followed his directions, but did not trust the snake Digimon, so Seraphimon kept a firm grip on him.
Several minutes later, they came to a large door. It was here that Hubmon told them to stop. "This is it. AncientWisemon is being held behind this door. So if you'll be so kind as to let me go-"
"Not so fast," Imperialdramon interrupted. "I think we'll wait and see what's in there first."
Much to their surprise, Hubmon chuckled. "There's no reason for me to lie. You fools are walking into your doom."
"We'll see about that," said EmperorGreymon.
He reached for the door, but the moment he touched it, the door was blown off its hinges by a powerful force. The DigiDestined were knocked off their feet and fell to the floor. Seraphimon accidentally released Hubmon, and the snake Digimon slithered away.
"Serves you right," he called back to them. "I did warn you."
Omnimon sat up. "Little creep. We'll deal with you later."
A sinister laughter drew their attention, and the DigiDestined looked to see none other than Barbamon standing in the doorway. He wasn't alone, as Gallantmon recognized Parallelmon standing next to him. And behind the two of them, chained to the wall and looking thoroughly tortured, was AncientWisemon.
Barbamon grinned at the DigiDestined, exposing his shark-like teeth. "Hello again, humans. Welcome to my little hideaway."
Omnimon looked at AncientWisemon's condition in horror. "What did you do to him?"
Barbamon glanced back at the mutant Digimon. "Nothing he didn't ask for. And he was most definitely asking for it by refusing to cooperate. I'm actually impressed at how long he lasted, especially after I took over his interrogation." He looked back at them. "I'm also impressed you were able to figure out that I was hiding him here."
"Are you also impressed that we destroyed two more of your fellow Demon Lords since we last met?" Imperialdramon snapped.
But Barbamon just laughed. "Is that some sad attempt to intimidate me? All your victories have done is inconvenience us a little. You're still a far cry from being able to defeat us." He stroked his long beard. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to play with you right now. I actually have some pretty big plans, and I think you'll enjoy them, I finally have the information I was looking for. Now is the time to claim my prize. But don't worry, little humans, I'll be seeing you soon."
Parallelmon suddenly opened up a portal. Barbamon uncaringly turned his back on the DigiDestined and stepped towards it.
"Hey, wait!" EmperorGreymon called after him. "You're running away?"
Barbamon chuckled, but didn't bother to look back. "Not at all. Rather, I'm running towards my destiny."
He stepped into the portal, and Parallelmon went in after him. The portal closed, leaving the DigiDestined and the gravely wounded AncientWisemon behind.
(A/N: Well, I guess you could say that the rescue mission is going well. If it seemed like they defeated Craniamon a little too easily, that's just meant to be a testament as to how strong they are, especially when fighting as a group. Unfortunately they didn't make it in time to prevent AncientWisemon from giving Barbamon the information he wanted to know. Things are about to come full circle, so I hope your ready next time. See you in two weeks.)
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New Digimon that appear. Replace the DOT in the link(s) with actual periods.
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Eaglemon
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Craniamon
digimonDOTwikiaDOTcom/wiki/Hubmon
