Chapter Fourteen

Scarecrowmon, Protective Spirit

It was dark. Dark and foreboding. Swirls of red and black clouds filled the sky. Dead stalks of corn and dead trees littered the ground. Compass stood amidst it all, confused and surprised.

 "What… what's going on?" she asked.

I'll tell you what's going on, a demonic voice replied.

 "Wha!? Who's there?" Compass demanded. Suddenly, the world around her became black. Nothing could be seen in the darkness. "What have you done with my friends!? Where am I!?"

The voice chuckled. I have done nothing to those 'friends' of yours. As for your second question…

A volcano suddenly appeared in Compass' line of vision. It was dormant for a moment, but erupted a second later, sending gas, lava, and rock spewing in all directions. Compass stepped back from the vision, frightened.

And as for who I am… Two red eyes, glowing fiercely, replaced the fiery volcano. You'll have to figure that out for yourself…

And the being laughed, its voice reverberating through the darkness. Compass turned and ran. She ran and ran in the darkness until her legs gave way and she fell. The glowing red eyes were forever above her, laughing at her, mocking her.

Compass? Compass, are you okay?

And the laughing eyes kept glaring at her. The girl clutched the sides of her head and screamed.

Compass! Compass, wake up! Compass!!!

————

Compass screamed, sitting bolt upright. Lina and Jessie sat next to her, trying to calm her down. Morglormon, Sytamon, and Terriermon stood nearby.

 "Compass, calm down!" Lina pleaded. "Please! It's just us!"

 "Compass…" Morglormon whined. "Please, we're trying to help…"

Finally calming down, Compass sat back and sighed. "What a nightmare…" she breathed.

 "What happened?" Terriermon wanted to know.

Jessie glared at her Digimon. "Terriermon, it might be personal!"

Compass shook her head. "No, no… I'll tell you. I was in a field, sort of. There were these dead corn stalks and dead trees, and it was very dark. The clouds were… ugh… what's the word? You know, sorta evil?"

 "Ominous?" Lina suggested.

 "Yeah, that's it. Um… I can't remember what happened next… but I was soon looking at a volcano erupting. And this voice was talking to me. It kinda sounded like LadyDevimon's voice—"

Jessie and Terriermon winced.

 "Sorry, but well, it sounded like her voice, only masculine. What Digimon sounds like that?"

Terriermon looked at the sky. "Hm… Only Devimon, I think."

 "You think, Terriermon? Exactly how long have you been here?" Morglormon demanded.

 "All my life, but I've only encountered a Devimon once, and they're really scary…"

 "Please," Sytamon interrupted. "Let Compass tell us about her nightmare."

They were silent, letting the quaking girl recount the rest of her tale. "Well… there were these glowing red eyes… and they started chasing me. Well, I can't really remember what they did, but I ran… I ran…" Compass closed her eyes, then opened them again. "And I was so scared… Then I woke up, screaming…"

Lina frowned. "Poor you…" She hugged Compass for a second before letting go. "But it was only a dream. It won't—"

 "Don't say it won't come true," Jessie intervened. She had a dark look in her eyes. "Because we're in the Digital World; anything can come true."

Compass looked to the ground. "She's right…"

Lina glared at Jessie. "Don't say stuff like that, Jess!"

The black-haired girl shrugged. "Just keeping you on your toes, that's all…"

Compass intervened. "We won't know until we find out. Thanks, guys, for snapping me out of my nightmare. I think I'll go back to sleep."

Sytamon smiled. "All right."

————

It was early morning, and everyone but Compass was awake. Riki and Lina sat at the fire with their Digimon nearby. Daiki and Tetramon were yawning and stretching, trying to shake free from sleep. Riku sat alone against a small boulder while Petalmon gathered roots and tubers for food. Morglormon sat next to Compass, waiting for her to awaken. Jessie and Terriermon walked into the campsite with the girl holding a rather small fish.

 "Is that all you could catch?" Lina asked Jessie.

 "Yes…" was the reluctant reply. Jessie tossed the fish to Riki, who skewered it with a stick.

 "Well, we might as well eat it," Vipomon grumbled, eyeing the fish suspiciously.

Riki shrugged, holding the fish-on-a-stick above the fire. "Oh well."

 "I get first dibs!" Sytamon exclaimed.

Lina laughed. "If you ate first, Sytamon, you'd eat the whole thing!"

The two laughed for a while before it was silent again.

 "So Compass is still asleep?" Terriermon wondered, looking over at the unconscious girl.

Lina nodded. "Mm-hm. She'll wake up when she's ready."

 "She might not wake up for a while," Daiki commented. "When I had nightmares like that, I slept for half the day."

 "How'd—" Terriermon began.

 "We told the others what happened last night," Jessie told her partner. She smiled. "You were still asleep, I guess."

A sudden shriek from Compass halted all conversation. Everyone jumped up and crowded around her. It was apparent that she was still asleep, but…

Morglormon gasped. "The nightmare!"

————

Meanwhile…

Compass once again stood in the fields of dead corn and wheat. She stared at her surroundings and cringed. She could feel an evil presence stalking her…

She had to move. And fast.

Compass ran through the cornfield, but a shadow restlessly pursued her. The girl turned her head and screamed with terror as the shadow of evil lunged at her, eyes glowing. Compass fell to the ground and the shadow passed over her. She jumped to her feet and ran in the opposite direction until she reached a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a stone tablet about six feet tall. Curious, Compass walked towards it and hesitantly reached out. Voices filled her head, whispering, chanting, taunting.

 "No!" Compass screamed. She fell to her knees, clutching the sides of her head. "Leave me alone! No…! Morglormon! I need you… Morglormon! Digi Armor energize, please! Morglormon!!!"

In the dream world, Compass' D-Force glowed a bright white light. The stone tablet glowed in response to the light, but it glowed a sinister red and black. Two fiendish eyes appeared from the light, and a black-and-red shadow lunged from the tablet and struck Compass' D-Force.

————

Compass' D-Force glowed, and so did Morglormon. The Tamers and their Digimon watched in awe as Morglormon changed.

 "Morglormon Armor digivolve to… Scarecrowmon, Protective spirit!"

Scarecrowmon was, well, a scarecrow. His hands were gloved, and straw poked out from his clothes. But, being an Armor, he sported a golden chest plate underneath his jacket, the Crest of Protection imprinted on it. A small purple crow rested on his shoulder.

And, suddenly, Scarecrowmon was turned into data and absorbed in Compass' D-Force.

 "Scarecrowmon!" everyone gasped.

————

Scarecrowmon looked around at the dead corn. "Where… am I?" he wondered, looking around. The crow on his shoulder cawed loudly.

A scream emanated from the horizon. Scarecrowmon seemed to fly as he ran in the direction of the scream. He burst out from the corn into a field, and in the center of the field was an ancient stone tablet, six feet high. Compass cowered at its base, and towering above her was a Devimon.

 "Compass!" Scarecrowmon called out. He held forth his hands. "Crop Growth!"

The dead corn stalks became alive. They grew from the earth and shot at the Devimon. The Evil-type Digimon was pulled back, surprised. Corn tangled around his arms, legs, and wings, and soon, small stalks of wheat erupted from the ground and encased the evil Digimon in long ropes.

 "Scare… crow… mon…?" Compass whispered, startled.

The Armor-level Digimon took his pet crow and tossed it into the air. "Fields of Crow!"

A single caw caused dozens upon dozens, maybe even hundreds, of crows to erupt from the fields. They harassed the Devimon, swarming around him, furiously tearing at his wings and skin.

 "Why did you attack Compass?" Scarecrowmon roared.

The Devimon glared at his opponent, and evil grin on his devilish face. "You weakling would never understand… My mission is complete. Go ahead, destroy me! No matter what, the Evil Ones will certainly know of this ability!"

Before Scarecrowmon could reply, a rather vicious tear from his pet crow destroyed Devimon. The Evil Digimon disappeared, and so did the corn and wheat. Another caw issued from Scarecrowmon's pet bird, and the other crows started to fly away.

Compass stared, half-afraid, at her Digimon. On his semi-goofy face, a slightly devilish smirk appeared. And, in a flash of feathers, Scarecrowmon dedigivolved back to Morglormon.

 "Compass, are you all right?" Morglormon asked his Tamer.

The girl nodded dumbly. "Y-yeah…"

Morglormon smiled. "Let's get out of this mess."

Compass took her D-Force. I wish we could get out of here.

And, in a flash of light, they were gone.

————

 "Compass! Morglormon!"

The two blinked, and they were back in the Digital World. Lina hugged her friend, and Riku gave Compass a pat on the shoulder.

 "We're glad you're okay, Compass," Daiki chirped.

 "What happened, anyway?" Tetramon wondered.

 "Devimon was 'on a mission'. It seems that he knows Compass can call someone in the dream world," Morglormon responded.

 "I never knew I had that ability, either…" said Compass.

Riki smiled. "We're just glad you're back."

The girl smiled as well. "I'm glad, too."