LEGACY OF DIGITA
Author's Notes: I would like to apologize to all my readers for that huge plot hole in chapter 5 where I forgot to put Izzy nad Yolei in the introductions to the king. Also, several people are begging me to change the Mimi pairing but I've already got the general outline for the rest of the story planned out and changing that now is probably going to end up being more trouble than it's worth in the long run. For those of you aren't overly fond of the pairing but still like the story, thank you. I've read good stories with couplings I didn't like too much before, but I went through them anyway because I liked the story. Thank you and let's continue with this fic.
Chapter 6- First Crests Discovered
Everyone was seated in the beatiful roofless dining hall with hundreds of plates of expertly prepared food before them and dozens of smiling elven servants who were very eager to please. Biyomon had her wing treated by Jyou and several elves and already she was feeling much better. Luusulis insisted that Taichi and Yamato sit with him at the end of the table so they could tell him all about what had been happening in Odaiba since he last visited. The elf king was saddened to hear of the death of Lord Kamiya but nodded his approval that Hessianmon paid for his sins.
Miyako was sitting between Hikari and Amrufel and when not conversing with the lady of the house of Kamiya, she was talking with the elf scout.
Amrufel simply laughed as the conversation took an interesting turn when she asked what he liked in women. "I think I'm a little old for you," he said, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Elves, for all their aloofness and arrogance, did possess a sense of empathy. "You see, I'm two hundred and forty-seven years old according to human calendars. That's about twenty-four in human years."
Miyako just blinked rapidly several times and turned to face Koushiro who was sitting beside Amrufel and trying hard to laugh, though unsuccessfully. "That isn't funny, Izzy." She was beginning to turn pink, realizing she forgot just how long elves live.
Luusulis then cleared his throat and stood. "Guests, friends, and family," he shouted, and the hall fell silent. "The time of Gennai's final prophecy has arrived! The Bearers of Courage and Friendship have arrived to claim their crests!"
The room erupted in cheers that shook the boughs of the trees high above them. They fell silent again as the king raised his hand.
"As we all know, the crests of Friendship and Courage are hidden deep within Dulhai's woods and only the digi-destined can find them. Unfortunately, the gods may have given us the bounties of our mithril and gold forest, but they also gave the land its dangers which we must overcome." He paused for a moment nad looked aorund. "It is for this reason, that I will assign Taichi Kamiya, Yamato Ishida, and Daisuke Motomiya a guide to take them to the heart of our grand forest to find their destiny without being waylaid." Again, Luusulis paused and looked around the hall. "The guide will be one of my royal scouts for they know Dulhai's land like the backs of their blades."
Several elves smirked haughtily, obviously scouts thinking they would be chosen. Two of them even adjusted their doublets and made ready stand.
"The elf I have chosen," Luusulis said, "is young Amrufel of the house of Crystalwind." He smiled over at Amrufel who sat dumbfounded.
"But your majesty," the silver-haired elf started, "surely there is someone better for this job." Many elves, now scowling nodded in agreement though not out of sympathy.
The king shook his head, still smiling. "Amrufel, you have only served me for a century, but in that time you have never failed your people. The time has come for you to prove yourself as the heir to the Crystalwind house. Your father was my bodyguard when I was a boy and the finest I ever had." Luusulis walked over to the still-stunned scout, put his hands on his shoulders, and lifted him to his feet. "Now is your chance to show the strength in your bloodline."
Amrufel nodded. Family honor was extremely important to the high elves, and once they were challenged to prove the worth of their family's blood, they would never back down even from certain death. "As you command, your majesty. As Amrufel, son of Xirofel, heir to the bloodline of Crystalwind, accept this as my duty to my people and the world we love."
The hall exploded with applause and cheers. Two particularly old elves, presumably Amrufel's parents, made their applause and shouts heard above all others as the sun began to set and the night sky slowly stretched across the open hall.
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The morning was cold and foggy. The rain had fallen last night and left behind a heavy layer of mist. Amrufel stood at the lift with Tai and Matt, waiting for Davis to arrive. This was something the humans had to do themselves. The digimon would fulfill their parts when the time came, but for now the crests had to be found. They had to wait over half of an hour before Davis came dashing up, still trying get his bandolier and sword over his back.
"You're late," Amrufel, slightly annoyed. "We should have set out a while ago."
"I'm sorry," Daisuke panted. "I couldn't find my sword."
Yamato lifted a single eyebrow. "How can you miss it," he asked. "It's about five feet long."
Taichi just chuckled and said "You obviously don't know Davis as well as I do. He can lose anything, anywhere, any time."
Davis turned a little pink in emberassment, knowing his master was right. "Can we just get going?"
Amrufel nodded and the four of them descended on the lift. The journey passed for two hours uneventfully deeper and deeper into Dulhai. Amrufel guided them unfailingly through thick underbrush, rocky slopes, and rolling hills. The group came to a river, which the elf said was only waist-deep at its lowest point. Taichi, Yamato, and Daisuke stripped down to their drawers and started to cross the river carrying their clothes and gear over their heads.
"Amrufel," Yamato said to their guide, who still hadn't made any attempt to cross the river, "why aren't you crossing?"
The elf smiled. "Merely waiting for you three, sir." With that, he threw open his cloak and began running over the surface of the water with long strides. His soft mocassins didn't make a single ripple on the water and in seconds, Amrufel was on the opposite bank smiling. "Just something we elves are born with," he said, almost haughtily.
The humans sighed and finished crossing the river. "Elves," Matt mused, "the only living beings on this world with more tricks up their sleeves than me."
It wasn't much longer than another two hours before the group reached a great cave within a rising plateau. There was nothing malevolent about the appearance of the cave, but it was still unsettling.
"This is it," Amrufel said. "You three must enter, for this is where Gennai told King Luusulis the crests were hidden in." The elf drew a longsword which hand been hidden by his cloak through the whole journey. The blade seemed to glow of its own pale light like the moon and many elven runes were etched into the hilt and the flat of the blade. "I will keep watch out here."
Taichi nodded and descended into the caves with Yamato and Daisuke. It was not pitch dark as they had expected, for the walls of the cave glowed of their own light. As water dripped into small frigid pools and streams, the ripples glowed in a multitude of colors. Several stalagtites and stalagmites gave off faint glows of blue, white, and orange. Time within seemed to move at a snail's pace, and the three young men began to wonder if they were getting anywhere by going through here.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from the depths of the caverns. "You are the bearers of Courage and Friendship," the voice echoed. It was monotone and genderless. "You may have the prizes you seek, but how to unlock the powers within is a question you must answer on your own." Soon, four shapes came flying out from the depths of the cavern. Two of the objects were small pendants bearing the runes of Courage and Friendship. These crests placed themselves upon the necks of Taichi and Yamato respectively. The other two objects were bizarre spiked eggs bearing Tai and Matt's crests, which guided themselves into Daisuke's hands. The three young men looked at their new treasures for a moment in wonder before saying a few words of thank you, though to what they were not sure, before departing.
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They travelled back in silence. They had reached the stream from before when Amrufel stopped abruptly and darted his amber eyes from side to side, frowning. "There's something out there," he whispered. There was a collective ring as the group drew their swords. Seconds became hours as they waited with their breath held in their throats. Background noises such as the bubbling of the stream became deafening noise as they all strained their ears, but it seemed only the elven guide had any idea what they were against.
It happened so abruptly, you could have missed it by blinking. Eight men came from seemingly nowhere, wearing body suits of silver to hide among the trees with masks that hid even their eyes behind yellow lenses. They all wore gauntlets with taloned figertips and carried serrated shortswords or knives. "We have come for Lord Taichi's life," one of them rasped. "You three were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." The assassins began advancing, waving their talons and blades menacingly.
Taichi blocked an incoming downward slash to the head and made a thrust kick at the attacker's chest only to have his kick parried away by a punch from another assassin. Tai's balance was off-set but he responded by using his momentum from the parry to deliver a spin kick with the other foot to both assassins' heads, causing them to stagger backward.
Amrufel began leaping in between the two assassins attacking him. The elf held a loose yet stable grip on his sword, twrling the weapon in deadly, yet graceful maneuvers. He spun the blade like a wheel and batted aside a thrust from an enemy sword. The elf then spun around and stabbed forward, impaling the attacker's right thigh. He pulled his sword back and spun three hundred and sixty degrees with his blade out at shoulder-length, blocking a stab from an assassin's talons and slitting the htroat of the one he had just wounded, causing a quick but powerful spray of blood from the man's jugular.
Yamato gracefully dodged each trhust and slash made at him. His rapier wasn't designed to stand up to attacks such as these, so he instead relied on finesse. A quick swipe at one enemy's retreating arm, and he placed a large gash in the upper arm. Unfortunately, he was attacked from behind and dodged only just in time. What would have been a fatal injury was merely a shallow cut across the ribs.
Daisuke was having some trouble. The assassins were just too fast for him and were quickly putting him on the defensive. Davis soon found an opening however, and stomped his foot down hard on one of his attacker's bent knees, causing him to howl in pain as the kneecap was practically crushed with a sickening pop. Daisuke lifted his greatsword and brought it down, striking the man's skull. The assassin hit the ground with his head cloven.
Meanwhile, Tai leaned backward to avoid a stab to the chest. He flipped backward, kicking his attacker's jaw as his feet came up and quickly came back with a hard upward sweep. The attack found its mark and eviscerated the assassin, but his partner slashed at Taichi with his talons and managed to cut a deep wound in the knight's shoulder. Tai cried out in pain, but turned to face his attacker. He tossed his longsword to his good arm and swung it in a circular strike, which missed, followed by a swipe at the knees which succeeded in cutting one of the assassin's kneecaps with a small squirt of blood and clear fluid. The man fell to the ground, unable to stand and Taichi quickly took this chance to skewer him through the neck, causing a short but intense spray of gore.
Yamato dropped into a split beneath simultaneous attacks from both assassins. He punched one as hard as he possibly could in the groin, and impaled the other through the stomach on his sowrd. Yamato rose quickly and slit the throat of the second attacker who was putting his hands gingerly to his abused groin.
Amrufel easily side-stepped a thrust from the assassin's talons. He grabbed the man's extended arm by the wrist and quickly turned it to impale the assailant on his own talons. The attacker fell to the ground dead in a fetal position as blood quickly pooled around him.
Daisuke twirled his greatsword in a massive figure-eight, keeping the final assassin back, and let the sword rest at the ground at his side and feigned fatigue. As the man came in for an attack, Davis retaliated by sweeping the sword low and cutting off the attacker's feet at the ankles. He fell to the ground screaming in pain before the young squire swung his blade down and decaptitated the assassin, spraying hte trees with a torrent blood for several seconds.
Tai put a hand to his shoulder and kneeled down, gritting his teeth against the pain. "Marvelous," he said sarcastically. "We better get back soon. Jyou can patch this up in minutes but I don't want to lose more blood or let this get infected." The young lord quickly rubbed a couple fistfulls of dirt on his wound. He then stood up and was immediately assisted by his best friend Yamato.
"Come one Tai," Matt said. "Just pull yourself together and trust Amrufel to get us back. We should consider ourselves lucky we got as few injuries as we did."
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The group finally made it back to Florissen'Dulhai where everyone was treated for their injuries. Taichi was wounded the worst of all, but would make a quick recovery. The young knight decided to call a council with the other digi-destined and soon they were all seated in a large room around a circular table with no windows in the wall and only a chandalier for light.
"I know now," Tai began, "that these attackers are professional assassins beyond the shadow of a doubt. They want me dead, but they have no qualms about killing whoever sides with me."
"The attempts on your life began after your father gave you his amulet. Do you think the prophecy has something to do with it," Izzy asked.
"Absolutely," Taichi responded. "Someone knows we are the digi-destined and they want to stop us. They're going after me because I was prophecized to be the leader."
Jyou raised his hand. "Lord Taichi, Gomamon and I have seen wounds such as yours before. We know of the assassins you speak of."
The room took on an eerie silence as all eyes were turned to Jyou and Gomamon. "Who are they," Sora asked after a long silence.
"They call themselves the Ebon Brotherhood," Gomamon said. "They are a powerful guild of thieves, assassins, and mercenaries. They are one of the only two guilds that uses the Creeping Death poison that was used on Lord Taichi. However, they are the only ones who use gauntlets of the kind you spoke of."
"Ive heard of them," Armadillomon said. "Once they take a job, they finish it. They aren't afraid of death and their elite members take powerful drugs to keep them from feeling pain."
Cody nodded. "It's rumored that the mercenary known as The Raptor is one of their best."
"Then we'll just have to be on our guard," Palmon said. "If these people aren't going to give up, then we just have to be ready to beat them."
Mimi nodded. "Palmon's right. The only real way to stop the Ebon Brotherhood is to keep on fighting them whenever they come."
"Now that we have our crests," Yamato said, gesturing ot himself, Taichi, and Daisuke, "it's guaranteed that they're going to pick up their efforts and try just as hard to kill me and Davis as they are Tai." The blond bard sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.
"That's certainly a grim assesment," Izzy added.
"To Hell with them all," Takeru said, surprising everyone. "If they won't give up, then its their funeral. I will not allow my friends or family to come to harm as long as I am capable of fighting back." There was a dark tone to the young warrior's voice, something not often heard. Everyone in the room knew that instant that the assassins had made a powerful enemy.
Gatomon hopped up on the table. "I think right now, we should be worrying less about the Brotherhood and more about what these crests and eggs do. We should also concentrate on finding the next ones."
"You're right Gatomon," Hikari said. "The prophecy said though, that to unlock the powers of the crests and the eggs, you would have to pass some kind of test. But those assassins were hardly a test."
"Speak for yourself," Davis muttered under his breath.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Tai said. "For now, let's focus on getting the other crests and eggs. Then we'll find the missing digi-destined and get him his crest. Now," he said putting hind down on the table to signify that those words were final, "the prophecy said that the crests of Love and Sincerity are in the mountains just a day east of here. It seems that all we have to do is show up and whatever force is behind this will recognize us as digi-destined."
"Otherwise we wouldn't have these crests now," Matt said.
"Right, so let's plan our trip to the mountains and get Sora nad Mimi their crests."
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Tai was in the bedroom the elves had prepared for him, pacing back and forth as he was unable to sleep. He was desperately trying to sort things out and the whole thing was beginning to work his nerves. He stared at the oil lamp on the end table beside his bed and thought about the prophecy. Specifically, he was wondering what it meant by "lord of flames" when it described him. Tai stared at the small flickering light for what seemed like hours, but he just could not will it to change. The young lord sighed in defeat and sat down on his bed. "I guess I haven't gotten any kind of power through this crest. Yet. I wonder what the test is supposed to be? Obviously something demonstrating courage." Taichi raked a hand through his thick brown hair and lay back on his bed staring at the ceiling. "Father," he said at last. "I wish you could see us now. But I hope that wherever you are, you're able to rest in peace." The memory of losing his father was still fresh in the young knight's mind and it was with great difficulty that he finally managed to go to sleep.
Sora knocked on the door and peaked in, seeing Tai fast asleep, but wearing a troubled expression on his face as he rested. She silently came in and looked over him. "Taichi," she said in a whisper, "you mean so much to me. You always treat me so well, you defend my honor and my well-being, you do so much to make me happy and ask for nothing in return." At this point the amazon's ruby eyes began welling with tears. "I don't know what's down the road, but I want to always be with you no matter what happens." Sora placed two fingers to her lips then moved them to Taichi's lips. She let her fingers stay on him longer than was necessary, but she didn't care. The amazon walked out of the room as quietly as she came, not noticing the faint traces of a smile forming on the young knight's lips.
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Morning found the digi-destined and digimon outside the elven palace with Luusulis and Amrufel. The group was set for travel to find the crests of Love and Sincerity and were syaing their thank yous and goodbyes. "We truly appreciate your hospitality King Luusulis. May the years of Dulhai be everlasting," Tai said.
"It was our pleasure," Luusulis insisted with a laugh, shaking his head slightly to emphasize his point, his long braid sweeping the ground form side to side.
"If I may ask, where are you travelling to next? Perhaps I could guide you with hte King's permission," Amrufel offered. He had become rather fond of the group, having wanted to see the prophecy come true since he first heard it as a child from his parents.
"To the Iron Mountains east of here," Takeru said.
At this, Amrufel frowned. "I'm afraid I have no desire to go there. Thirty years ago, a colony of dwarves began settling those mountains." Elves and dwarves had a rivalry between them that dated back further than either of the races remembered. In all honesty, neither of them could remember what they were arguing about in the first place, but were too stubborn to let it go.
Yamato sighed in exasperation. "If that's the way you feel," he said tonelessly. He found the racial argument to be rather pointless if they couldn't even remember what started the whole thing. It annoyed him to lose a guide and an ally over a ridiculous dispute that began millennia ago and had wound down to petty squabbling.
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Amrufel stayed behind while the others traveled to the Iron Pass. They reached it by nightfall the next day. Off in the mountains ahead, everyone saw a bright ornage glow. "That must be the dwarf colony," Davis said. Unfortunately, the young squire was half right. That was indeed the location of the dwarf colony the elves had spoken of, but the sight that greeted them when they reached the place at noon was hardly welcome.
The houses, shops, and the forge were destroyed, smashed and ruined. Blood and arrows littered the ground with dozens of corpses of the unfortunate dwarves that had inhabited this settlement. It was a grim reminder of the ghoul attack from the other day. Izzy lowered his head in silent respect and many of the others followed his example.
Takeru didn't lower his head, though. He instead walked into the ruined settlement and surveyed the damage. He inspected every broken weapon, bootprint, and piece of rubble with incredible scrutiny. Finally, he walked to one of the dwarven corpses. He traced a finger along a gash in the dwarf's back and found the blood was still fresh. Tentatively, he drew his finger up to his mouth and flicked his tongue over the blood coating his skin. Takeru immediately spit it back out and his face paled. He hung his head and put his hands in a prayer position.
"TK," Kari asked. "What's wrong? What happened here?"
The blonde lord stood up at last, though the color still hadn't returned to his face. "I'm afraid this is worse than ghouls. Only one race uses this kind of poison on their blades. This attack was made by," at this time, Takeru swallowed as if choking on the words that would finish his sentence. "The attack was made by dark elves."
A heavy silence came upon those two words. Everyone knew of the drow people. A wicked subrace of elves who lived in the underground network of tunnels and caverns people had come to call the Underworld. Dark elves rarely sent troops to the surface, but when they did, it was the stuff nightmares were made of. Whoever the drow didn't kill, they took for slaves. Only one person ever escaped the Underworld with his life, but the horrors he had seen he spoke of only in his raving fits and nightmares, for the poor man was driven insane by his experiences.
"Perhaps it was better that Amrufel didn't come after all," Biyomon said. "Seeing the aftermath of a drow attack would really hurt him."
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was a known fact that the surface elves hated hteir subterranean cousins with a passion unlike any other, and vice versa.
"The least we can do," Tai asid at last, "is give these poor dwarves a decent funeral. Let's start gathering wood for the pyre." It was dwarven custom to send souls to the afterlife by burning the body on a pyre to return it to the earth.
Matt shook his head slowly. "Look at this massacre. This is just wrong."
Gabumon began gathering the bodies into one area and looked at Yamato. "I know, but right now all we can do is send their spirits to the next life."
Everyone nodded and set to work. It was very unpleasant and grizzly, but it had to be done. Everyone felt deeply disturbed by the way some of the poor dwarves had died exceptionally violent and cruel deaths. One had his feet and hands amputated at ankles and wrists then had his ribs crushed, presumably one at a time. Another was completely skinned. Yet another had his face and scalp torn off. Drow enjoyed keeping macabre trophies, so there was not much speculation about what happened to the missing flesh and pieces.
By nightfall the pyre was set. Augumon puffed a small fireball into the base, and soon the stack of wood and bodies became a giant bonfire. Everyone kneeled and lowered their heads in respect and prayer. Cody and Armadillomon wiped several tears from their eyes, trying to stay silent.
Tai, who was next to Cody, saw the young boy's upset face and put a comforting arm around his shoulders. Iori had never seen a massacre before, and the disturbing encounter here had probably scarred the boy. "It's alright," Taichi said in a whisper. "It's over now. Once we find the crests, we can leave this behind as nothing more than a memory."
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What the young knight couldn't have known, was that it was not over. A shadowy figure with blue-black skin, long ghostly white hair, and smoldering red eyes like two dying coals watched them in secrecy, shielding his eyes from the light of the pyre. He retreated from the ruins without a sound, smiling evilly as he knew there would be more kills that night.
End of Chapter 6
The suspense is killing me. In Legacy of Digita Chapter 7- City of Nightmares, the digi-destined are kidnapped by dark elves and taken as prisoners to their subterranean city. What will happen when Taichi, Daisuke, and Takeru are forced to compete in the dark elves' gladiatorial games? What will become of Angemon when he attempts to rescue his friends? And is it possible that from the horrifying experience, the digi-destined find two crests that they weren't expecting? Find out.
Author's Notes: I would like to apologize to all my readers for that huge plot hole in chapter 5 where I forgot to put Izzy nad Yolei in the introductions to the king. Also, several people are begging me to change the Mimi pairing but I've already got the general outline for the rest of the story planned out and changing that now is probably going to end up being more trouble than it's worth in the long run. For those of you aren't overly fond of the pairing but still like the story, thank you. I've read good stories with couplings I didn't like too much before, but I went through them anyway because I liked the story. Thank you and let's continue with this fic.
Chapter 6- First Crests Discovered
Everyone was seated in the beatiful roofless dining hall with hundreds of plates of expertly prepared food before them and dozens of smiling elven servants who were very eager to please. Biyomon had her wing treated by Jyou and several elves and already she was feeling much better. Luusulis insisted that Taichi and Yamato sit with him at the end of the table so they could tell him all about what had been happening in Odaiba since he last visited. The elf king was saddened to hear of the death of Lord Kamiya but nodded his approval that Hessianmon paid for his sins.
Miyako was sitting between Hikari and Amrufel and when not conversing with the lady of the house of Kamiya, she was talking with the elf scout.
Amrufel simply laughed as the conversation took an interesting turn when she asked what he liked in women. "I think I'm a little old for you," he said, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Elves, for all their aloofness and arrogance, did possess a sense of empathy. "You see, I'm two hundred and forty-seven years old according to human calendars. That's about twenty-four in human years."
Miyako just blinked rapidly several times and turned to face Koushiro who was sitting beside Amrufel and trying hard to laugh, though unsuccessfully. "That isn't funny, Izzy." She was beginning to turn pink, realizing she forgot just how long elves live.
Luusulis then cleared his throat and stood. "Guests, friends, and family," he shouted, and the hall fell silent. "The time of Gennai's final prophecy has arrived! The Bearers of Courage and Friendship have arrived to claim their crests!"
The room erupted in cheers that shook the boughs of the trees high above them. They fell silent again as the king raised his hand.
"As we all know, the crests of Friendship and Courage are hidden deep within Dulhai's woods and only the digi-destined can find them. Unfortunately, the gods may have given us the bounties of our mithril and gold forest, but they also gave the land its dangers which we must overcome." He paused for a moment nad looked aorund. "It is for this reason, that I will assign Taichi Kamiya, Yamato Ishida, and Daisuke Motomiya a guide to take them to the heart of our grand forest to find their destiny without being waylaid." Again, Luusulis paused and looked around the hall. "The guide will be one of my royal scouts for they know Dulhai's land like the backs of their blades."
Several elves smirked haughtily, obviously scouts thinking they would be chosen. Two of them even adjusted their doublets and made ready stand.
"The elf I have chosen," Luusulis said, "is young Amrufel of the house of Crystalwind." He smiled over at Amrufel who sat dumbfounded.
"But your majesty," the silver-haired elf started, "surely there is someone better for this job." Many elves, now scowling nodded in agreement though not out of sympathy.
The king shook his head, still smiling. "Amrufel, you have only served me for a century, but in that time you have never failed your people. The time has come for you to prove yourself as the heir to the Crystalwind house. Your father was my bodyguard when I was a boy and the finest I ever had." Luusulis walked over to the still-stunned scout, put his hands on his shoulders, and lifted him to his feet. "Now is your chance to show the strength in your bloodline."
Amrufel nodded. Family honor was extremely important to the high elves, and once they were challenged to prove the worth of their family's blood, they would never back down even from certain death. "As you command, your majesty. As Amrufel, son of Xirofel, heir to the bloodline of Crystalwind, accept this as my duty to my people and the world we love."
The hall exploded with applause and cheers. Two particularly old elves, presumably Amrufel's parents, made their applause and shouts heard above all others as the sun began to set and the night sky slowly stretched across the open hall.
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The morning was cold and foggy. The rain had fallen last night and left behind a heavy layer of mist. Amrufel stood at the lift with Tai and Matt, waiting for Davis to arrive. This was something the humans had to do themselves. The digimon would fulfill their parts when the time came, but for now the crests had to be found. They had to wait over half of an hour before Davis came dashing up, still trying get his bandolier and sword over his back.
"You're late," Amrufel, slightly annoyed. "We should have set out a while ago."
"I'm sorry," Daisuke panted. "I couldn't find my sword."
Yamato lifted a single eyebrow. "How can you miss it," he asked. "It's about five feet long."
Taichi just chuckled and said "You obviously don't know Davis as well as I do. He can lose anything, anywhere, any time."
Davis turned a little pink in emberassment, knowing his master was right. "Can we just get going?"
Amrufel nodded and the four of them descended on the lift. The journey passed for two hours uneventfully deeper and deeper into Dulhai. Amrufel guided them unfailingly through thick underbrush, rocky slopes, and rolling hills. The group came to a river, which the elf said was only waist-deep at its lowest point. Taichi, Yamato, and Daisuke stripped down to their drawers and started to cross the river carrying their clothes and gear over their heads.
"Amrufel," Yamato said to their guide, who still hadn't made any attempt to cross the river, "why aren't you crossing?"
The elf smiled. "Merely waiting for you three, sir." With that, he threw open his cloak and began running over the surface of the water with long strides. His soft mocassins didn't make a single ripple on the water and in seconds, Amrufel was on the opposite bank smiling. "Just something we elves are born with," he said, almost haughtily.
The humans sighed and finished crossing the river. "Elves," Matt mused, "the only living beings on this world with more tricks up their sleeves than me."
It wasn't much longer than another two hours before the group reached a great cave within a rising plateau. There was nothing malevolent about the appearance of the cave, but it was still unsettling.
"This is it," Amrufel said. "You three must enter, for this is where Gennai told King Luusulis the crests were hidden in." The elf drew a longsword which hand been hidden by his cloak through the whole journey. The blade seemed to glow of its own pale light like the moon and many elven runes were etched into the hilt and the flat of the blade. "I will keep watch out here."
Taichi nodded and descended into the caves with Yamato and Daisuke. It was not pitch dark as they had expected, for the walls of the cave glowed of their own light. As water dripped into small frigid pools and streams, the ripples glowed in a multitude of colors. Several stalagtites and stalagmites gave off faint glows of blue, white, and orange. Time within seemed to move at a snail's pace, and the three young men began to wonder if they were getting anywhere by going through here.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from the depths of the caverns. "You are the bearers of Courage and Friendship," the voice echoed. It was monotone and genderless. "You may have the prizes you seek, but how to unlock the powers within is a question you must answer on your own." Soon, four shapes came flying out from the depths of the cavern. Two of the objects were small pendants bearing the runes of Courage and Friendship. These crests placed themselves upon the necks of Taichi and Yamato respectively. The other two objects were bizarre spiked eggs bearing Tai and Matt's crests, which guided themselves into Daisuke's hands. The three young men looked at their new treasures for a moment in wonder before saying a few words of thank you, though to what they were not sure, before departing.
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They travelled back in silence. They had reached the stream from before when Amrufel stopped abruptly and darted his amber eyes from side to side, frowning. "There's something out there," he whispered. There was a collective ring as the group drew their swords. Seconds became hours as they waited with their breath held in their throats. Background noises such as the bubbling of the stream became deafening noise as they all strained their ears, but it seemed only the elven guide had any idea what they were against.
It happened so abruptly, you could have missed it by blinking. Eight men came from seemingly nowhere, wearing body suits of silver to hide among the trees with masks that hid even their eyes behind yellow lenses. They all wore gauntlets with taloned figertips and carried serrated shortswords or knives. "We have come for Lord Taichi's life," one of them rasped. "You three were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." The assassins began advancing, waving their talons and blades menacingly.
Taichi blocked an incoming downward slash to the head and made a thrust kick at the attacker's chest only to have his kick parried away by a punch from another assassin. Tai's balance was off-set but he responded by using his momentum from the parry to deliver a spin kick with the other foot to both assassins' heads, causing them to stagger backward.
Amrufel began leaping in between the two assassins attacking him. The elf held a loose yet stable grip on his sword, twrling the weapon in deadly, yet graceful maneuvers. He spun the blade like a wheel and batted aside a thrust from an enemy sword. The elf then spun around and stabbed forward, impaling the attacker's right thigh. He pulled his sword back and spun three hundred and sixty degrees with his blade out at shoulder-length, blocking a stab from an assassin's talons and slitting the htroat of the one he had just wounded, causing a quick but powerful spray of blood from the man's jugular.
Yamato gracefully dodged each trhust and slash made at him. His rapier wasn't designed to stand up to attacks such as these, so he instead relied on finesse. A quick swipe at one enemy's retreating arm, and he placed a large gash in the upper arm. Unfortunately, he was attacked from behind and dodged only just in time. What would have been a fatal injury was merely a shallow cut across the ribs.
Daisuke was having some trouble. The assassins were just too fast for him and were quickly putting him on the defensive. Davis soon found an opening however, and stomped his foot down hard on one of his attacker's bent knees, causing him to howl in pain as the kneecap was practically crushed with a sickening pop. Daisuke lifted his greatsword and brought it down, striking the man's skull. The assassin hit the ground with his head cloven.
Meanwhile, Tai leaned backward to avoid a stab to the chest. He flipped backward, kicking his attacker's jaw as his feet came up and quickly came back with a hard upward sweep. The attack found its mark and eviscerated the assassin, but his partner slashed at Taichi with his talons and managed to cut a deep wound in the knight's shoulder. Tai cried out in pain, but turned to face his attacker. He tossed his longsword to his good arm and swung it in a circular strike, which missed, followed by a swipe at the knees which succeeded in cutting one of the assassin's kneecaps with a small squirt of blood and clear fluid. The man fell to the ground, unable to stand and Taichi quickly took this chance to skewer him through the neck, causing a short but intense spray of gore.
Yamato dropped into a split beneath simultaneous attacks from both assassins. He punched one as hard as he possibly could in the groin, and impaled the other through the stomach on his sowrd. Yamato rose quickly and slit the throat of the second attacker who was putting his hands gingerly to his abused groin.
Amrufel easily side-stepped a thrust from the assassin's talons. He grabbed the man's extended arm by the wrist and quickly turned it to impale the assailant on his own talons. The attacker fell to the ground dead in a fetal position as blood quickly pooled around him.
Daisuke twirled his greatsword in a massive figure-eight, keeping the final assassin back, and let the sword rest at the ground at his side and feigned fatigue. As the man came in for an attack, Davis retaliated by sweeping the sword low and cutting off the attacker's feet at the ankles. He fell to the ground screaming in pain before the young squire swung his blade down and decaptitated the assassin, spraying hte trees with a torrent blood for several seconds.
Tai put a hand to his shoulder and kneeled down, gritting his teeth against the pain. "Marvelous," he said sarcastically. "We better get back soon. Jyou can patch this up in minutes but I don't want to lose more blood or let this get infected." The young lord quickly rubbed a couple fistfulls of dirt on his wound. He then stood up and was immediately assisted by his best friend Yamato.
"Come one Tai," Matt said. "Just pull yourself together and trust Amrufel to get us back. We should consider ourselves lucky we got as few injuries as we did."
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The group finally made it back to Florissen'Dulhai where everyone was treated for their injuries. Taichi was wounded the worst of all, but would make a quick recovery. The young knight decided to call a council with the other digi-destined and soon they were all seated in a large room around a circular table with no windows in the wall and only a chandalier for light.
"I know now," Tai began, "that these attackers are professional assassins beyond the shadow of a doubt. They want me dead, but they have no qualms about killing whoever sides with me."
"The attempts on your life began after your father gave you his amulet. Do you think the prophecy has something to do with it," Izzy asked.
"Absolutely," Taichi responded. "Someone knows we are the digi-destined and they want to stop us. They're going after me because I was prophecized to be the leader."
Jyou raised his hand. "Lord Taichi, Gomamon and I have seen wounds such as yours before. We know of the assassins you speak of."
The room took on an eerie silence as all eyes were turned to Jyou and Gomamon. "Who are they," Sora asked after a long silence.
"They call themselves the Ebon Brotherhood," Gomamon said. "They are a powerful guild of thieves, assassins, and mercenaries. They are one of the only two guilds that uses the Creeping Death poison that was used on Lord Taichi. However, they are the only ones who use gauntlets of the kind you spoke of."
"Ive heard of them," Armadillomon said. "Once they take a job, they finish it. They aren't afraid of death and their elite members take powerful drugs to keep them from feeling pain."
Cody nodded. "It's rumored that the mercenary known as The Raptor is one of their best."
"Then we'll just have to be on our guard," Palmon said. "If these people aren't going to give up, then we just have to be ready to beat them."
Mimi nodded. "Palmon's right. The only real way to stop the Ebon Brotherhood is to keep on fighting them whenever they come."
"Now that we have our crests," Yamato said, gesturing ot himself, Taichi, and Daisuke, "it's guaranteed that they're going to pick up their efforts and try just as hard to kill me and Davis as they are Tai." The blond bard sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.
"That's certainly a grim assesment," Izzy added.
"To Hell with them all," Takeru said, surprising everyone. "If they won't give up, then its their funeral. I will not allow my friends or family to come to harm as long as I am capable of fighting back." There was a dark tone to the young warrior's voice, something not often heard. Everyone in the room knew that instant that the assassins had made a powerful enemy.
Gatomon hopped up on the table. "I think right now, we should be worrying less about the Brotherhood and more about what these crests and eggs do. We should also concentrate on finding the next ones."
"You're right Gatomon," Hikari said. "The prophecy said though, that to unlock the powers of the crests and the eggs, you would have to pass some kind of test. But those assassins were hardly a test."
"Speak for yourself," Davis muttered under his breath.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Tai said. "For now, let's focus on getting the other crests and eggs. Then we'll find the missing digi-destined and get him his crest. Now," he said putting hind down on the table to signify that those words were final, "the prophecy said that the crests of Love and Sincerity are in the mountains just a day east of here. It seems that all we have to do is show up and whatever force is behind this will recognize us as digi-destined."
"Otherwise we wouldn't have these crests now," Matt said.
"Right, so let's plan our trip to the mountains and get Sora nad Mimi their crests."
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Tai was in the bedroom the elves had prepared for him, pacing back and forth as he was unable to sleep. He was desperately trying to sort things out and the whole thing was beginning to work his nerves. He stared at the oil lamp on the end table beside his bed and thought about the prophecy. Specifically, he was wondering what it meant by "lord of flames" when it described him. Tai stared at the small flickering light for what seemed like hours, but he just could not will it to change. The young lord sighed in defeat and sat down on his bed. "I guess I haven't gotten any kind of power through this crest. Yet. I wonder what the test is supposed to be? Obviously something demonstrating courage." Taichi raked a hand through his thick brown hair and lay back on his bed staring at the ceiling. "Father," he said at last. "I wish you could see us now. But I hope that wherever you are, you're able to rest in peace." The memory of losing his father was still fresh in the young knight's mind and it was with great difficulty that he finally managed to go to sleep.
Sora knocked on the door and peaked in, seeing Tai fast asleep, but wearing a troubled expression on his face as he rested. She silently came in and looked over him. "Taichi," she said in a whisper, "you mean so much to me. You always treat me so well, you defend my honor and my well-being, you do so much to make me happy and ask for nothing in return." At this point the amazon's ruby eyes began welling with tears. "I don't know what's down the road, but I want to always be with you no matter what happens." Sora placed two fingers to her lips then moved them to Taichi's lips. She let her fingers stay on him longer than was necessary, but she didn't care. The amazon walked out of the room as quietly as she came, not noticing the faint traces of a smile forming on the young knight's lips.
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Morning found the digi-destined and digimon outside the elven palace with Luusulis and Amrufel. The group was set for travel to find the crests of Love and Sincerity and were syaing their thank yous and goodbyes. "We truly appreciate your hospitality King Luusulis. May the years of Dulhai be everlasting," Tai said.
"It was our pleasure," Luusulis insisted with a laugh, shaking his head slightly to emphasize his point, his long braid sweeping the ground form side to side.
"If I may ask, where are you travelling to next? Perhaps I could guide you with hte King's permission," Amrufel offered. He had become rather fond of the group, having wanted to see the prophecy come true since he first heard it as a child from his parents.
"To the Iron Mountains east of here," Takeru said.
At this, Amrufel frowned. "I'm afraid I have no desire to go there. Thirty years ago, a colony of dwarves began settling those mountains." Elves and dwarves had a rivalry between them that dated back further than either of the races remembered. In all honesty, neither of them could remember what they were arguing about in the first place, but were too stubborn to let it go.
Yamato sighed in exasperation. "If that's the way you feel," he said tonelessly. He found the racial argument to be rather pointless if they couldn't even remember what started the whole thing. It annoyed him to lose a guide and an ally over a ridiculous dispute that began millennia ago and had wound down to petty squabbling.
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Amrufel stayed behind while the others traveled to the Iron Pass. They reached it by nightfall the next day. Off in the mountains ahead, everyone saw a bright ornage glow. "That must be the dwarf colony," Davis said. Unfortunately, the young squire was half right. That was indeed the location of the dwarf colony the elves had spoken of, but the sight that greeted them when they reached the place at noon was hardly welcome.
The houses, shops, and the forge were destroyed, smashed and ruined. Blood and arrows littered the ground with dozens of corpses of the unfortunate dwarves that had inhabited this settlement. It was a grim reminder of the ghoul attack from the other day. Izzy lowered his head in silent respect and many of the others followed his example.
Takeru didn't lower his head, though. He instead walked into the ruined settlement and surveyed the damage. He inspected every broken weapon, bootprint, and piece of rubble with incredible scrutiny. Finally, he walked to one of the dwarven corpses. He traced a finger along a gash in the dwarf's back and found the blood was still fresh. Tentatively, he drew his finger up to his mouth and flicked his tongue over the blood coating his skin. Takeru immediately spit it back out and his face paled. He hung his head and put his hands in a prayer position.
"TK," Kari asked. "What's wrong? What happened here?"
The blonde lord stood up at last, though the color still hadn't returned to his face. "I'm afraid this is worse than ghouls. Only one race uses this kind of poison on their blades. This attack was made by," at this time, Takeru swallowed as if choking on the words that would finish his sentence. "The attack was made by dark elves."
A heavy silence came upon those two words. Everyone knew of the drow people. A wicked subrace of elves who lived in the underground network of tunnels and caverns people had come to call the Underworld. Dark elves rarely sent troops to the surface, but when they did, it was the stuff nightmares were made of. Whoever the drow didn't kill, they took for slaves. Only one person ever escaped the Underworld with his life, but the horrors he had seen he spoke of only in his raving fits and nightmares, for the poor man was driven insane by his experiences.
"Perhaps it was better that Amrufel didn't come after all," Biyomon said. "Seeing the aftermath of a drow attack would really hurt him."
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was a known fact that the surface elves hated hteir subterranean cousins with a passion unlike any other, and vice versa.
"The least we can do," Tai asid at last, "is give these poor dwarves a decent funeral. Let's start gathering wood for the pyre." It was dwarven custom to send souls to the afterlife by burning the body on a pyre to return it to the earth.
Matt shook his head slowly. "Look at this massacre. This is just wrong."
Gabumon began gathering the bodies into one area and looked at Yamato. "I know, but right now all we can do is send their spirits to the next life."
Everyone nodded and set to work. It was very unpleasant and grizzly, but it had to be done. Everyone felt deeply disturbed by the way some of the poor dwarves had died exceptionally violent and cruel deaths. One had his feet and hands amputated at ankles and wrists then had his ribs crushed, presumably one at a time. Another was completely skinned. Yet another had his face and scalp torn off. Drow enjoyed keeping macabre trophies, so there was not much speculation about what happened to the missing flesh and pieces.
By nightfall the pyre was set. Augumon puffed a small fireball into the base, and soon the stack of wood and bodies became a giant bonfire. Everyone kneeled and lowered their heads in respect and prayer. Cody and Armadillomon wiped several tears from their eyes, trying to stay silent.
Tai, who was next to Cody, saw the young boy's upset face and put a comforting arm around his shoulders. Iori had never seen a massacre before, and the disturbing encounter here had probably scarred the boy. "It's alright," Taichi said in a whisper. "It's over now. Once we find the crests, we can leave this behind as nothing more than a memory."
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What the young knight couldn't have known, was that it was not over. A shadowy figure with blue-black skin, long ghostly white hair, and smoldering red eyes like two dying coals watched them in secrecy, shielding his eyes from the light of the pyre. He retreated from the ruins without a sound, smiling evilly as he knew there would be more kills that night.
End of Chapter 6
The suspense is killing me. In Legacy of Digita Chapter 7- City of Nightmares, the digi-destined are kidnapped by dark elves and taken as prisoners to their subterranean city. What will happen when Taichi, Daisuke, and Takeru are forced to compete in the dark elves' gladiatorial games? What will become of Angemon when he attempts to rescue his friends? And is it possible that from the horrifying experience, the digi-destined find two crests that they weren't expecting? Find out.