The desert was an inhospitable hole, as always, the freezing night lit
brilliantly by lightning crashing across the sky. The clouds cover made it
impossible to see the stars, leaving the desert looking like nothing so much as
a vast, barren chest freezer.
Far below the murky sky, four solitary figures huddled close together around
a small campfire. Two of them, a small dragon and an equally small morphic bird,
were asleep underneath the canopy of a folding hanglider, while the other two,
the Digimons' masters, were rather fully awake, and engaging in heat-producing
activities underneath Inoue's reflective cloak.
***
DIGIMASTER - CHAPTER TWO
A STUDY IN CATHARSIS
BY HIS IMPERIAL HIGHNESS EXDEATH THE DESTROYER - exdeath@shokushu.com
***
"Well, DemiDevimon? Is there any news from Inoue yet?" The vampire Digimon
Myotismon glared down at DemiDevimon with a steely glare, as he sipped at a glass
of red wine.
DemiDevimon gulped and began hopping from one foot to the other, uncomfortably
aware of how utterly alone he would be if Myotismon decided to take out his
wrath on the Rookie, especially inside the vampire's opulent, but still small,
tent.
"There's been... complications, Lord Myotismon," choked the little Digimon,
covering his "face" with his wings in a futile attempt at contrition. "The
Meramon and Monochromon were all deleted."
"Yes, yes, I expected as much," stated the fiendish demon, dismissively. "But
did Inoue manage to join up with Motomiya?"
DemiDevimon uncovered his eyes, and slumped down, relieved. "Yes, my Lord. She
has radioed back that they're heading for the Koromon village."
Myotismon set his fluted glass down roughly and picked up DemiDevimon in one
hand. "WHAT Koromon village?!" he demanded.
"I don't know!" cried DemiDevimon as he twisted in Myotismon's strong grip.
"It's not on any maps, but Motomiya has assured Inoue that it's there!"
Myotismon studied the captive Rookie carefully for a moment, then
unceremoniously cast him to the ground. "Right," he growled. "There are three
possibilities here, then. One: Motomiya is telling the truth and he knows of a
secret Koromon village in the deep desert. Two: He's on to Inoue and he's
deliberately mislead her, and intends to drag her into the desert to die. Three:
Inoue has betrayed us, and is deliberately feeding us false information."
DemiDevimon hopped to his feet, and flapped expansively. "Oh, no, Lord
Myotismon, no one would ever betray you, your majesty!"
Myotismon glared down at the sycophantic ball, and kicked him out of the tent,
into the dirt, where he leapt up and flapped off rapidly, before Myotismon
could take out any more wrath on his tiny frame. The vampire turned and sat back
down, activating a communicator as he leisurely sipped at his wine.
The communicator crackled to life, a pale, human face, with large, gold-
rimmed glasses and extravagantly spiked hair appearing. "Oh, hello," the figure
said, a note of snideness in his otherwise even voice. "To what do I owe the
pleasure, milord?"
Myotismon glared into the screen, and snarled. "Enough of your false
pleasantries, Ichijouji! I've called because I want you to make sure security is
tight at the castle."
"Oh?" asked the boy, smoothly. "Are we expecting company?"
"Possibly," Myotismon deadpanned. "Bad company. Inoue and Motomiya."
The human's face lit up, and he grinned, nastily. "Oh, I'll be sure to have a
special welcome ready for them!"
"You'll do no such thing!" Myotismon snapped. "I don't even know if they're
travelling in your direction or not. Keep your guards on double alert, keep your
senses about you, and remember that I'm *not* paying you to wage this vendetta
of yours!"
"Of course not, Lord Myotismon," Ichijouji said, his voice dripping sarcasm.
"I'll do as you command. Ichijouji out."
"Wait-" began Myotismon, as the screen blinked out.
"Damn humans," growled Myotismon. "They all need to die, every last one."
***
Guttural moans and cries wafted through the night air, filling the desert with
the sounds of passion. Motomiya gritted his teeth as Inoue's fingernails dragged
down his back, leaving painful welts, and listened in satisfaction as she
moaned his name, though it was the first name that he had effectively disposed
of long ago; only Veemon called him "Davis", now. Still, such transgressions
could easily be made and forgiven in the throes of lust.
He was impressed with Inoue's stamina; the pair had been going for nearly four
hours, and she was only now wearing out, having climaxed numerous times. She was
rough and concerned mainly with her own pleasure, and by the end the pair had
been reduced to rutting against each other like animals, fairly competing as to
who could be roughest. As Inoue screamed one last time, and they fell away from
each other, Motomiya reflected that Inoue had probably won that contest, as
evinced by the stinging welts on his back.
"So," Inoue panted, pushing her sweat-soaked hair back and resting her head on
Motomiya's chest. "How much further *is* the Koromon village?"
"Not far," he replied, similarly out of breath, as he began absently stroking
his fingers through Inoue's hair. "Another day's journey on foot, maybe two if
we hit another sandstorm."
"Why can't we take Halsemon?" she asked, wrapping her legs around her partner.
"Because, I don't trust you," came the deadpan reply.
"Even after that?" Inoue asked, grinding herself against Motomiya as emphasis.
"Especially after that," Motomiya said, pointedly.
Inoue giggled and lay her head back down again, allowing Motomiya to resume
playing with her hair. Motomiya pulled her closely to him, wrapping an arm around
the girl's slender waist.
"We should get some sleep," he said, flatly.
Inoue nodded, and closed her eyes, soon drifting off. Motomiya held her,
silently, but continued staring into the sky.
***
With the daylight came the storms. The sandstorms in the deep desert were no
mere blusters, but nothing less than the wrath of nature. Doggedly pushing
against the sandblasting wind, Motomiya, Inoue, and their Digimon pressed on as
long as they could. As the storm increased its power, though, they came to
realise that to push on meant certain death, and they huddled beneath the
hanglider to allow the storm to pass.
Hours passed, but the storm's intensity only worsened as the four lay and
contemplated the sheer power raging above their heads. One by one, they drifted
off to sleep, the air beneath the sand too thin to allow consciousness.
***
"Humans! And Digimon!"
"What are they doing here?"
"Leave them buried, this can only be trouble!"
Motomiya's head swam as he slowly adjusted to the light and sound intruding
into his blissful slumber. He weakly raised an arm to shield his eyes from the
blazing sun, and looked out.
Before the glider, which had been partially unearthed, there were ten small
Koromon, talking amongst themselves. They were odd little Digimon, clad in grey
suits that clung to them, with meshes covering their eyes and mouths. Motomiya
groaned, and the group of Koromon turned to him.
"You're awake, now," one of the Koromon stated, evidently the leader, as he
bounced forward in front of Motomiya's windburnt face. "What are you doing this
deep in the desert?"
Motomiya weakly dragged himself out of the pile of sand, slumping against the
dune. "We came looking for you," he said, weakly, his head lolling forward.
"Why?" asked the strangely-dressed Koromon suspiciously, bouncing up and down.
"How did you even know we were here?"
Motomiya winced again, and dragged his head forcibly upright. "Kamiya. He told
me."
The Koromon gasped and bounced back, all but the leader. "Kamiya? Taichi
Kamiya? Why should I believe you? He would only tell his most trusted allies
about us."
"I am one of his most trusted allies," Motomiya replied. "I only came for
supplies and water, so we can continue on and finish what's begun."
The Koromon narrowed his eyes at Motomiya, then bounced. "Alright," stated the
little monster. "It wouldn't do to leave a friend of Kamiya's to die in the
desert, but we'll have to bring you all to the village, blindfolded. You've come
this far but I'd rather you not have exact directions to give to anyone."
Motomiya mumbled his thanks as the remaining Koromon set to their work, digging
Inoue and the Digimon out from the sand completely, and blindfolding the group.
The leader bounced around, examining the four after the blindfolds had been
adequately fastened. He stopped and looked at Inoue's horribly twisted wrist
more closely.
"Your friend's wrist is broken and dislocated," he said to the blinded
Motomiya. "Were you all in a fight?"
Motomiya gritted his teeth. "You might say that."
***
Motomiya and Inoue walked quietly through the desert, following the sounds of
the Koromon. Veemon and Hawkmon had been similarly blindfolded, and were
walking behind their respective humans. The march took what seemed to be hours,
and Motomiya was beginning to question whether it was wise to trust these
Koromon, when the leader bounced up and bit his blindfold off.
As the others had their blindfolds removed, Motomiya gazed up at the Koromon
"village" in awe. Really more of a fortress, the place was built on plateaus
carved from the living stone of the rock outcropping. Small mudbrick domiciles
climbed the step-like ledges up either side of a great square, where many
Koromon, most not wearing the desert gear of the scout group that had found
the humans, worked and played. In the center of the square there was a great
wide pit that was filled to the brim with more clean, fresh water than Motomiya
had ever seen in one place since the war, and was overlooked by a tremendous
statue of a figure Motomiya recognized very well: RexAgumon, the noble
reptilian Digivolution of his mentor, Taichi Kamiya, and his Digimon partner,
Agumon. Apparently functional as well as decorative, condensation dripped
slowly from the statue's right claw, down into the water pit.
The others were similarly entranced and began walking about, taking it all in,
as Motomiya stared up at the great statue of his hero. He was startled when a
small weight suddenly found itself on his shoulder. Motomiya glanced over, and
saw the leader of the Koromon scout group sitting on his shoulder, looking up
at the statue as well.
"Impressive, isn't it?" the little Digimon asked. "Now you see why we took
it so seriously when you said Kamiya had told you where we were. You see, he
helped us create this stronghold, years ago. He showed us how to collect
condensation for water, and how to survive in the desert. Many of us believe
he was the avatar of Azulongmon."
Motomiya nodded, and bowed his head, as a scant few teardrops fell and
stained the rock. "He was a good friend," he said, thickly. "I owe him my life."
The Koromon nodded silently, then hopped down off of Motomiya's shoulder.
"Come," stated the little monster, quietly. "You're dehydrated. Let's get you
something to drink."
***
"Sir! Lord Myotismon!" cried DemiDevimon, flapping into the vampire lord's
tent. "We've received the homing signal from Inoue!"
"What?!" shouted the vampire, leaping to his feet, his wineglass shattering
on the ground. "Where is she?!"
DemiDevimon flapped spastically, trying to catch his breath. "The signal...
is coming from... the Koromon village! Right where... she said it would be!"
Myotismon's face curled into a wicked smile as he scooped the Rookie into
one hand. "Excellent," he sneered. "DemiDevimon, Digivolve and lead a detachment
out there. I want Motomiya dead, and the Koromon village razed."
Panting, DemiDevimon nodded his acknowledgement. "And Inoue?" the demonic
bowling ball queried.
"Bring her back here. She's as good as her word, and in any event she makes
a fine sleeping companion."
DemiDevimon leapt into the air and flew for the exit to the tent, shouting
orders and causing the Digimon outside to begin running to and fro, preparing
for their attack. Inside, Myotismon laughed as he poured himself a new glass
of wine.
"Ah, Motomiya," the vampire said, dipping a claw briefly into the deep
red wine and watching it drip slowly back into the glass. "Finally, our little
rivalry is at an end."
brilliantly by lightning crashing across the sky. The clouds cover made it
impossible to see the stars, leaving the desert looking like nothing so much as
a vast, barren chest freezer.
Far below the murky sky, four solitary figures huddled close together around
a small campfire. Two of them, a small dragon and an equally small morphic bird,
were asleep underneath the canopy of a folding hanglider, while the other two,
the Digimons' masters, were rather fully awake, and engaging in heat-producing
activities underneath Inoue's reflective cloak.
***
DIGIMASTER - CHAPTER TWO
A STUDY IN CATHARSIS
BY HIS IMPERIAL HIGHNESS EXDEATH THE DESTROYER - exdeath@shokushu.com
***
"Well, DemiDevimon? Is there any news from Inoue yet?" The vampire Digimon
Myotismon glared down at DemiDevimon with a steely glare, as he sipped at a glass
of red wine.
DemiDevimon gulped and began hopping from one foot to the other, uncomfortably
aware of how utterly alone he would be if Myotismon decided to take out his
wrath on the Rookie, especially inside the vampire's opulent, but still small,
tent.
"There's been... complications, Lord Myotismon," choked the little Digimon,
covering his "face" with his wings in a futile attempt at contrition. "The
Meramon and Monochromon were all deleted."
"Yes, yes, I expected as much," stated the fiendish demon, dismissively. "But
did Inoue manage to join up with Motomiya?"
DemiDevimon uncovered his eyes, and slumped down, relieved. "Yes, my Lord. She
has radioed back that they're heading for the Koromon village."
Myotismon set his fluted glass down roughly and picked up DemiDevimon in one
hand. "WHAT Koromon village?!" he demanded.
"I don't know!" cried DemiDevimon as he twisted in Myotismon's strong grip.
"It's not on any maps, but Motomiya has assured Inoue that it's there!"
Myotismon studied the captive Rookie carefully for a moment, then
unceremoniously cast him to the ground. "Right," he growled. "There are three
possibilities here, then. One: Motomiya is telling the truth and he knows of a
secret Koromon village in the deep desert. Two: He's on to Inoue and he's
deliberately mislead her, and intends to drag her into the desert to die. Three:
Inoue has betrayed us, and is deliberately feeding us false information."
DemiDevimon hopped to his feet, and flapped expansively. "Oh, no, Lord
Myotismon, no one would ever betray you, your majesty!"
Myotismon glared down at the sycophantic ball, and kicked him out of the tent,
into the dirt, where he leapt up and flapped off rapidly, before Myotismon
could take out any more wrath on his tiny frame. The vampire turned and sat back
down, activating a communicator as he leisurely sipped at his wine.
The communicator crackled to life, a pale, human face, with large, gold-
rimmed glasses and extravagantly spiked hair appearing. "Oh, hello," the figure
said, a note of snideness in his otherwise even voice. "To what do I owe the
pleasure, milord?"
Myotismon glared into the screen, and snarled. "Enough of your false
pleasantries, Ichijouji! I've called because I want you to make sure security is
tight at the castle."
"Oh?" asked the boy, smoothly. "Are we expecting company?"
"Possibly," Myotismon deadpanned. "Bad company. Inoue and Motomiya."
The human's face lit up, and he grinned, nastily. "Oh, I'll be sure to have a
special welcome ready for them!"
"You'll do no such thing!" Myotismon snapped. "I don't even know if they're
travelling in your direction or not. Keep your guards on double alert, keep your
senses about you, and remember that I'm *not* paying you to wage this vendetta
of yours!"
"Of course not, Lord Myotismon," Ichijouji said, his voice dripping sarcasm.
"I'll do as you command. Ichijouji out."
"Wait-" began Myotismon, as the screen blinked out.
"Damn humans," growled Myotismon. "They all need to die, every last one."
***
Guttural moans and cries wafted through the night air, filling the desert with
the sounds of passion. Motomiya gritted his teeth as Inoue's fingernails dragged
down his back, leaving painful welts, and listened in satisfaction as she
moaned his name, though it was the first name that he had effectively disposed
of long ago; only Veemon called him "Davis", now. Still, such transgressions
could easily be made and forgiven in the throes of lust.
He was impressed with Inoue's stamina; the pair had been going for nearly four
hours, and she was only now wearing out, having climaxed numerous times. She was
rough and concerned mainly with her own pleasure, and by the end the pair had
been reduced to rutting against each other like animals, fairly competing as to
who could be roughest. As Inoue screamed one last time, and they fell away from
each other, Motomiya reflected that Inoue had probably won that contest, as
evinced by the stinging welts on his back.
"So," Inoue panted, pushing her sweat-soaked hair back and resting her head on
Motomiya's chest. "How much further *is* the Koromon village?"
"Not far," he replied, similarly out of breath, as he began absently stroking
his fingers through Inoue's hair. "Another day's journey on foot, maybe two if
we hit another sandstorm."
"Why can't we take Halsemon?" she asked, wrapping her legs around her partner.
"Because, I don't trust you," came the deadpan reply.
"Even after that?" Inoue asked, grinding herself against Motomiya as emphasis.
"Especially after that," Motomiya said, pointedly.
Inoue giggled and lay her head back down again, allowing Motomiya to resume
playing with her hair. Motomiya pulled her closely to him, wrapping an arm around
the girl's slender waist.
"We should get some sleep," he said, flatly.
Inoue nodded, and closed her eyes, soon drifting off. Motomiya held her,
silently, but continued staring into the sky.
***
With the daylight came the storms. The sandstorms in the deep desert were no
mere blusters, but nothing less than the wrath of nature. Doggedly pushing
against the sandblasting wind, Motomiya, Inoue, and their Digimon pressed on as
long as they could. As the storm increased its power, though, they came to
realise that to push on meant certain death, and they huddled beneath the
hanglider to allow the storm to pass.
Hours passed, but the storm's intensity only worsened as the four lay and
contemplated the sheer power raging above their heads. One by one, they drifted
off to sleep, the air beneath the sand too thin to allow consciousness.
***
"Humans! And Digimon!"
"What are they doing here?"
"Leave them buried, this can only be trouble!"
Motomiya's head swam as he slowly adjusted to the light and sound intruding
into his blissful slumber. He weakly raised an arm to shield his eyes from the
blazing sun, and looked out.
Before the glider, which had been partially unearthed, there were ten small
Koromon, talking amongst themselves. They were odd little Digimon, clad in grey
suits that clung to them, with meshes covering their eyes and mouths. Motomiya
groaned, and the group of Koromon turned to him.
"You're awake, now," one of the Koromon stated, evidently the leader, as he
bounced forward in front of Motomiya's windburnt face. "What are you doing this
deep in the desert?"
Motomiya weakly dragged himself out of the pile of sand, slumping against the
dune. "We came looking for you," he said, weakly, his head lolling forward.
"Why?" asked the strangely-dressed Koromon suspiciously, bouncing up and down.
"How did you even know we were here?"
Motomiya winced again, and dragged his head forcibly upright. "Kamiya. He told
me."
The Koromon gasped and bounced back, all but the leader. "Kamiya? Taichi
Kamiya? Why should I believe you? He would only tell his most trusted allies
about us."
"I am one of his most trusted allies," Motomiya replied. "I only came for
supplies and water, so we can continue on and finish what's begun."
The Koromon narrowed his eyes at Motomiya, then bounced. "Alright," stated the
little monster. "It wouldn't do to leave a friend of Kamiya's to die in the
desert, but we'll have to bring you all to the village, blindfolded. You've come
this far but I'd rather you not have exact directions to give to anyone."
Motomiya mumbled his thanks as the remaining Koromon set to their work, digging
Inoue and the Digimon out from the sand completely, and blindfolding the group.
The leader bounced around, examining the four after the blindfolds had been
adequately fastened. He stopped and looked at Inoue's horribly twisted wrist
more closely.
"Your friend's wrist is broken and dislocated," he said to the blinded
Motomiya. "Were you all in a fight?"
Motomiya gritted his teeth. "You might say that."
***
Motomiya and Inoue walked quietly through the desert, following the sounds of
the Koromon. Veemon and Hawkmon had been similarly blindfolded, and were
walking behind their respective humans. The march took what seemed to be hours,
and Motomiya was beginning to question whether it was wise to trust these
Koromon, when the leader bounced up and bit his blindfold off.
As the others had their blindfolds removed, Motomiya gazed up at the Koromon
"village" in awe. Really more of a fortress, the place was built on plateaus
carved from the living stone of the rock outcropping. Small mudbrick domiciles
climbed the step-like ledges up either side of a great square, where many
Koromon, most not wearing the desert gear of the scout group that had found
the humans, worked and played. In the center of the square there was a great
wide pit that was filled to the brim with more clean, fresh water than Motomiya
had ever seen in one place since the war, and was overlooked by a tremendous
statue of a figure Motomiya recognized very well: RexAgumon, the noble
reptilian Digivolution of his mentor, Taichi Kamiya, and his Digimon partner,
Agumon. Apparently functional as well as decorative, condensation dripped
slowly from the statue's right claw, down into the water pit.
The others were similarly entranced and began walking about, taking it all in,
as Motomiya stared up at the great statue of his hero. He was startled when a
small weight suddenly found itself on his shoulder. Motomiya glanced over, and
saw the leader of the Koromon scout group sitting on his shoulder, looking up
at the statue as well.
"Impressive, isn't it?" the little Digimon asked. "Now you see why we took
it so seriously when you said Kamiya had told you where we were. You see, he
helped us create this stronghold, years ago. He showed us how to collect
condensation for water, and how to survive in the desert. Many of us believe
he was the avatar of Azulongmon."
Motomiya nodded, and bowed his head, as a scant few teardrops fell and
stained the rock. "He was a good friend," he said, thickly. "I owe him my life."
The Koromon nodded silently, then hopped down off of Motomiya's shoulder.
"Come," stated the little monster, quietly. "You're dehydrated. Let's get you
something to drink."
***
"Sir! Lord Myotismon!" cried DemiDevimon, flapping into the vampire lord's
tent. "We've received the homing signal from Inoue!"
"What?!" shouted the vampire, leaping to his feet, his wineglass shattering
on the ground. "Where is she?!"
DemiDevimon flapped spastically, trying to catch his breath. "The signal...
is coming from... the Koromon village! Right where... she said it would be!"
Myotismon's face curled into a wicked smile as he scooped the Rookie into
one hand. "Excellent," he sneered. "DemiDevimon, Digivolve and lead a detachment
out there. I want Motomiya dead, and the Koromon village razed."
Panting, DemiDevimon nodded his acknowledgement. "And Inoue?" the demonic
bowling ball queried.
"Bring her back here. She's as good as her word, and in any event she makes
a fine sleeping companion."
DemiDevimon leapt into the air and flew for the exit to the tent, shouting
orders and causing the Digimon outside to begin running to and fro, preparing
for their attack. Inside, Myotismon laughed as he poured himself a new glass
of wine.
"Ah, Motomiya," the vampire said, dipping a claw briefly into the deep
red wine and watching it drip slowly back into the glass. "Finally, our little
rivalry is at an end."