Till The End Of All
By CyberDracomon
Chapter 15 - Obstacles
TK was becoming used to the odd feelings he received when he entered new zones of the Digital World. This was the final one, the southern area that Duchoumon protected. It felt the strangest of all, it was a bit harder to breathe and it felt like there was some kind of pressure on him. He looked around, discovering part of the reason. The entire terrain was covered in mountains and rocky valleys and the monitor they entered on seemed to be at the beginning of a path that winded around the largest mountain in the area. Luckily it looked like they were halfway up already, starting at the base would have taken longer than the highroad.
"Remind me why we needed a map for a one way path?" Veemon said, looking up at the cliffs over their heads that the path eventually went through. "I doubt we could take a wrong turn." TK looked over to Kari, who was also looking up the mountain, most likely preparing herself for another long walk.
"We can't see the temple without it, it's a security measure." Kari explained. "Besides, there may be tunnels farther up that do require a map." Davis seemed almost eager about the situation, as did Veemon, both looking up with a grin.
"How about we just climb up the side?" Davis suggested. "Should be faster than running around." TK and Kari both shook their head at the same time, both against that idea. On his second thought, TK realized that might throw off Ragnadramon... But what was done was done, avoiding it might be even worse for them.
"Let's just take the path, we might miss the temple going any other way." Gatomon said. From the sound of her voice it was as if she was in a hurry to get this over with now, like she knew it would have to happen and just wanted it to come sooner than later.
"Right, there might be a tunnel or an obstacle we don't know about." Kari pointed out. She turned to TK, who was still looking out into the distance. "TK, let's check the map while we're here." Kari waited a moment for a reaction, only to get none, TK still lost in his own thoughts. "TK!" The sudden shout broke TK from his trance, turning to look at Kari finally.
"Oh, sorry... Guess I dazed off for a second." TK said. He brought a hand up to his head, rubbing his head as if to get some of his daze out of it. Now that Kari had his attention, she noticed something odd about him... His eyes looked worried, almost nervous... It wasn't like him to be like this, even with the stakes so high.
"TK, if something's wrong we can wait a while for you." Kari offered. TK should have known better than to try and hide anything from her, Kari knew him far too well not to notice when something was bothering him. The problem probably wasn't better to wait on, though, it might end up being worse for them if they did wait, angering Ragnadramon wouldn't be the best of ideas.
"No, it's nothing." TK said, trying to be convincing. "Let's just get this done, I can take care of it then." Kari looked on, obviously worried about TK, but she didn't make an attempt to continue the point, knowing it wouldn't be successful.
"If you say so..." Kari said reluctantly. "Let's see the map, TK, we need to know what's ahead of us." TK nodded, pulling out his Digivice and hitting the button that projected the map. He held it forward once it was displayed so everyone could see it.
"Looks like Kari was right." Patamon said from TK's shoulder. The orange Digimon was quick to notice the path not only wound around the mountain, but also went through it a few times, meaning their were tunnels, but thankfully they looked short.
"I wasn't up for climbing today, anyway." Gatomon said. "Though I wasn't ready for spelunking, either." TK put the D-3 away once everyone got a good look, knowing a one way path didn't need a map.
"Hardly spelunking, they looked pretty short." Kari said. "It's still a long walk to the top, we should get going." The others agreed, including the reluctant TK, who hesitated before following after his friends up the path that lead them around the mountain.
**********
An hour passed and the group was getting tired already. Of course the length was nothing compared to the highroad to Azulongmon, but being uphill the entire way made it a lot harder on the group. Gatomon was already accepting a free ride from Kari, her small legs already worn out. Patamon seemed content to stay on TK's shoulder, but was now flying just ahead of him instead, staying out of the way of TK who seemed to be looking around constantly for some reason.
"It's weird, I don't think I've seen a single normal Digimon the entire time I've been with you guys." Davis suddenly said. They had been in silence for a while now and the break was appreciated by most in their small band.
"I think most of them stay away from the areas that the Guardians are in." Kari said. "As it is we feel strange just being close to them, imagine how other Digimon must feel." That for the most part was true, all three Digimon among them knowing how strange it felt to them just being so close, like the air around them was filled with the energy of the Guardians, constantly sending a strange charge through them.
"That's one reason." Gatomon said from Kari's arms. "Azulongmon also said that most Digimon know how important this mission is and are keeping out of our way, even the normally evil ones wouldn't come close to us." Kari had almost forgotten that part. It had been a while since her original dream that started this quest and some of the details of it were lost when compared to the others.
"Still it would be nice to see others, like a Drimogemon that could drill us up to the top faster." Veemon said. His own pace had slowed significantly and his usually powerful steps were getting sluggish. Davis would offer to carry him for a while but Veemon weighed too much to carry for long.
"It's not as long as we think." Patamon said. "Every time we circle around the path ahead is shorter, it shouldn't be much farther." Kari knew this fact already. She was walking ahead right now, as tired as the rest but more driven to arrive at the temple. After another minute she saw the path suddenly end ahead, but there was also a large hole in the side of the wall.
"Looks like we made it to the first tunnel." Kari said, coming to a stop in front of it. The rest soon joined her, looking into it. Indeed it was short, from here you could see the light at the other end easily. TK looked up, now able to see the peak high above. It wouldn't be much farther now, but he still wondered where Ragnadramon was. He looked back down, seeing Kari enter the tunnel, still carrying Gatomon, with Davis, Veemon, and Patamon now following. He took one last look above, then at the path behind him before entering.
"At least the ground is level now, it's not so hard to walk anymore." Veemon said. Indeed it was easy to notice the difference, the ground was even flat, as if the hole was cut into the rock and flattened out on the bottom afterwards.
"Enjoy it while it lasts, Veemon." Kari said. "The path gets just as hard as it was on the other side of this cave." Veemon had seemed to forget that part and was now frowning a bit. The group made it to the middle of the tunnel, now able to see both ends clearly. TK looked ahead at the other end of the tunnel, but what he saw caught him off guard. A blast came from the other end of the cave, hitting the ground in front of the group, sending dirt and bits of rock everywhere, forcing them to stop.
"You are wrong, Child of Light..." A familiar, echoed voice said. At the other end of the tunnel, just outside of the exit, was Ragnadramon. The opening and path were too small for the large dragon, and as a result he was flying in the open air just to the side of the pathway. "The path ends here!" With that the dragon Digimon fired another blast, this one aimed at the roof above the opening. All at once the face of the mountain above the exit crumbled at the dragon Digimon unleashed his intense beam into it, causing massive rocks to fall into the tunnel, blocking it off, making him vanish from view. Ragnadramon wasn't done, closing his jaws that fired the beam, now breathing a blast of white hot flame at the rocks, melting them together into a solid wall.
"There's no way up now..." Kari said, still stunned. TK knew it would probably be coming soon, he was just amazed the villain Digimon kept his end of the bargain. He turned to look at the entrance, but again met with a surprise. The rest turned to see SkullSatamon standing there, grinning, his sickle held at the ready. The devilish Digimon swung it upward, then hard into the areas above the entrance, again making rocks tumble down into the cave, blocking it off. It ended there, however, leaving them enough room between those rocks for air and light to get in, but enough to trap them there, as well.
**********
"Vee Laser!" ExVeemon fired the blast from the cross on his chest, blazing into the solid wall Ragnadramon formed. The dinosaur Digimon kept this up until he couldn't sustain the beam any longer, but to his dismay he had only made a slight x-shaped burn in the wall, nowhere near enough to destroy it. The cave was barely big enough to fit him, but he was the only Digimon among them with the brute force to possibly break the rock.
"Nice try, ExVeemon, but it looks like it's not going to give out anytime soon." Davis said. ExVeemon didn't seem to agree, however, now walking up to the wall and physically trying to push it back and out of their way. Again it was too solid, not only being melted together but also to the rock under it.
On the other side of the tunnel TK stood in front of the pile of rocks that kept them from even turning around, trying his best to find any loose rocks or openings big enough to get through. Unfortunately he found none, despite how it looked SkullSatamon must have made sure to pack the rocks together so not even Patamon could leave. This wasn't the agreement he made, they were supposed to be unharmed and at this rate they would starve to death. Meanwhile Kari was sitting down close to the entrance, with Gatomon on one side and Patamon on the other.
"Well at least we get to rest..." Gatomon said, trying to lighten the mood. Kari had a serious look on her face that didn't seem to waiver, though, ending Gatomon's attempt. The group remained silent, no sound coming from the cave except for the sounds of ExVeemon now trying to cut through the rock with the blade on his head.
"It could always be worse." Patamon said, trying to save a level of moral among the group. "At least they left the other side open enough to let air in." TK continued to look at the other side of the cave, the entrance where they entered. He wasn't sure what Ragnadramon was going to do, but now that it had happened he had to give the villain credit, the only direction they could go in now was back. Though he still had a bit of uncertainty, Ragnadramon said his plan would stop Kari even if they reached the temple. How could this have been Ragnadramon's plan if they were still on the way there?
"…So let's use that!" Davis said suddenly. "Why not bust through the other side? There's no chance of getting through this end, anyway." ExVeemon agreed simply by falling backwards onto his back, head throbbing from so many failed attempts. The wall of melted rock barely had a few scratches in it from his blade, otherwise it was undamaged.
"Because it only leads back down the mountain." TK said, now turning toward the others. "This was the only path to the top and now it's a dead end." Kari now turned to look at the other end, for the first time considering giving up. It would be so much simpler and her friends and family would be happy… But it wasn't in her nature to turn her back on so many, what she wanted didn't matter if so many could live on. She stood up, taking a few steps away from the pile of rubble that blocked the entrance to the cave.
"ExVeemon, blast the entrance open…" Kari said, her voice in almost a commanding tone that seemed to take everyone by surprise. ExVeemon picked himself off the ground, turning around to face her.
"You can't tell me you're giving up!" ExVeemon said. "Go home if you want, I'm going to the temple!" The dinosaur Digimon turned to the sealed exit and readied himself to fire again.
"So am I." Kari said, her voice more firm than before, making ExVeemon stop and look back at her again. "Blast the entrance open." TK looked on at Kari, seeing her determination in her eyes again. ExVeemon didn't respond this time, stepping forward passed Davis and then the others until he was the one closest to the pile of debris.
"Vee Laser!" ExVeemon unleashed his attack again. Unlike the rock that sealed the exit closed, these rocks weren't melted together and were easily blasted free by the burst of energy, light entering the cave as the rocks blew into the distance and off the mountain.
"Now what?" Davis asked, walking up to the front to join the others. "We go home and come up with a new plan, right?" Kari shook her head, stepping out of the cave. She turned around and looked up toward the summit, gauging the distance.
"No, we start climbing." Kari said. "The plan was to get to the top, right? Why go back to rethink something so simple?" TK now joined Kari in looking up at the side of the mountain. It was still a long way up, but probably still climbable. TK looked back down at the others, who were all obviously a lot more skeptical.
"...you can't be serious." Davis said, a flat tone of disbelief in his voice. Kari glanced at him, the same determined look in her eyes. Davis had wanted to comment further but Kari's stare had silenced him.
"I'm serious, Davis." She said. "There's no other way and no time to think of something else." Kari turned her glance toward Patamon, Gatomon, and the now reverted Veemon. "We'll carry you three up, we can't afford you getting tired by climbing or by staying digivolved too long. Ragnadramon and his doppelgangers might still be around." All three Digimon stood stunned for a moment before nodding, the three moving to their respective Digidestined partners and climbing onto their backs. TK couldn't help but be impressed, Kari usually never took charge like this but she was handling it like it was second nature.
"Kari, you start first." TK said. "If you lose your grip me or Davis will be able to catch you." Kari turned her head toward TK, giving him a slight smile as she stepped over to the rock face beside the cave entrance, taking a moment to find a good hand hold. Once she did she pulled herself up, planting her foot into the rough rock surface, pushing herself up to the next hand hold. Once high enough, TK and Davis started up, climbing almost side by side with Patamon and Veemon clinging onto their backs.
**********
A half hour later the small band was starting to feel the exhaustion of the climb set in. For TK it wasn't so bad, playing so much basketball kept everything needed for climbing in shape. Davis had a worse time, his soccer playing rarely had a use for hands and his fingers were now burning from gripping the rock surface. Kari had it worse, however, and had already slowed her pace several times to compensate, stopping completely from time to time. Her arms were sore from bicep to fingers and the strain on her knees was setting in, making the climb torturous.
"Guys, I'm sorry I ever wanted to do this all the way up the mountain..." Davis said, remembering his earlier idea to shortcut the path by climbing.
"Forget it, just keep going." TK said, glancing over at him. "We can't be that much further from the top." He looked up to check this statement, only to find it was said too quickly. The summit still wasn't in view and now their starting point wasn't, either. Looking up brought his eyes to Kari, who had stopped again to rest.
"Kari, how are you doing?" TK asked to the girl above him. In the silence TK could hear Kari's deep breathes as she caught her breath, but no answer came. "Kari! Are you okay up there?" Kari snapped back to attention, turning her head as best she could, though not enough to see TK under her.
"Yeah, just letting my fingers rest." She said. "I'm fine, let's keep going." With that Kari continued up, taking her next hand hold. Gatomon looked down at TK and Davis continuing the climb up, then back toward Kari. Hanging onto Kari's back she could feel her still breathing deeper, still trying to catch her breath even as she kept climbing.
"You never could lie..." Gatomon whispered. "It's not too late to go back down, we can just find an easier way." Kari shook her head in response, continuing her ascent.
"This is the only way, it doesn't matter how hard it is." Kari replied in whispers. "We'll get there, just..." Kari stopped when her ears caught something behind her, getting louder. She tightened her grip to look back, just in time to see a red beam heading toward her. Kari ducked down just enough to avoid the attack, letting it blast the rock just above her head, throwing dust and pebbles out of the rock face. This caught TK and Davis's attentions, as well, making them look back to see their attacker, LadyDevimon. She was quickly joined by SkullSatamon, who had an annoyed look on his face.
"Miserable humans can't take a hint!" SkullSatamon snarled. "Couldn't you have stayed in your cave and died like good little fleshlings?!" He was about to approach when LadyDevimon raised a claw, stopping his advance.
"Now now, why so upset?" She said, a sinister tone in her voice. "It's so much better to watch them die instead!" With that she lashed out with her attack again, the red whip of energy shooting forth. The others could only watch on, unable to react on such short notice. The rock Kari held was torn away from the mountain, falling away and causing Kari to fall as well. TK watched in horror as she fell, reaching out of her out of instinct. The blast had thrown her too far away, however, his hand missing it's mark. TK could only watch on as her hand missed his, her fall continuing, but suddenly stopping. He looked up to see Davis gripping onto Kari's wrist. Kari's fall suddenly stopped, jerking her, Gatomon, and Davis hard. Davis struggled to hold on to both the rock and Kari, but Gatomon's grip had failed, throwing her away from Kari.
"Gatomon!!" Patamon said, leaping off of TK, an instinctive reaction. Gatomon was falling fast and it was all Patamon could do to keep the same speed, not gaining any room but not losing any, either. "Patamon digivolve to..." Patamon began his digivolution out of instinct, the transformation barely lasting a moment. "Angemon!" Now in Champion form, Angemon put all six of his wings flat against his back, diving down rapidly, his heavier weight letting him fall faster. He reached out with both arms, still a few feet from Gatomon, who was still tumbling from her fall, too disoriented to digivolve herself. It was another moment before Angemon had caught up to her, grabbing her with both arms. He opened all six wings again, slowing his descent until he was floating under his own power, holding Gatomon in his arms. The feline Digimon looked up at him, just now opening her eyes, still a little dazed.
"...I would have landed on my feet." Gatomon said. Angemon couldn't help but smirk, even in danger Gatomon didn't change.
"You fall off a mountain and you joke?" Angemon asked. "You scared me to death, what if you kept falling?" Gatomon shrugged slightly, smiling back at him.
"I knew you were there, I wasn't worried." She replied. Angemon smiled again before looking up, returning attention to the two Digimon that attacked. They were farther down that he had expected, passed the cave this whole thing started at, but even once they got back to the others he wasn't sure what he would do...
**********
TK was now beside Davis, holding on to Kari's other hand while Davis clung to her right hand he originally grabbed. Veemon still hung from his back, watching helplessly at the scene around him. LadyDevimon and SkullSatamon were now hovering very close, almost in a mocking manner.
"Veemon, I thought you had wings when you Digivovled!" Davis said, trying to think of any options they still had available. "Get off my back and get in the air!" Veemon shook his head, though Davis couldn't see it from his perspective.
"They're not much good, I can't fly with them!" Veemon answered. The blue Digimon turned his head to look at the two Ultimate Digimon behind them, still hovering around menacingly. SkullSatamon then started to fly in slowly, almost methodically. He twirled his sickle around as he did, grinning.
"Well it's been fun, but I'm sick of waiting." The Digimon said. He turned his sickle around, aiming the butt of it at the hand Davis held Kari's wrist. He stabbed forward, hitting Davis's hand hard. Davis shouted in pain as his grip buckled, letting go of Kari's hand. He quickly tried to regain it only to miss slightly. TK grunted as all of Kari's weight was shifted onto him, her exhausted form swinging slightly.
"Kari, you have to grab the rock!" TK said, an obvious strain to his voice. His hand holding the rock face wasn't going to last long, it was too much weight by himself.
"...I can't..." Kari said weakly. "Too tired..." TK took note of Kari as she said this, she wasn't moving under her own power at all, she must have been more exhausted from the climb than she let on.
"Well now that's too bad, isn't it?" SkullSatamon said. "Then this should be all the more painful to watch..." He reaimed the end of his sickle's handle toward the hand TK held Kari with and struck forward, hitting it hard. TK winced in pain, but refused to let go, holding onto Kari tighter. SkullSatamon glared at the boy's hand and struck again, only to receive similar results.
"Stubborn human brat..." LadyDevimon said. She smirked and floated upwards, toward the hand TK held the mountain side with. "But if the hands won't give way, the rock will." With that LadyDevimon floated over and placed a foot on TK's fingers, pressing down. The human boy couldn't help but yell in pain, but still refused to let go and allow Kari to drop. It was only a moment of this before the choice was taken from him as the rock ledge he held began cracking until the point where it broke away, both TK and Kari beginning to fall from the mountain. TK closed his eyes as the fall began, mentally cursing himself for failing to protect Kari, but as soon as he did he felt a sudden hard jerk and a change of direction, from down to up. He couldn't feel Kari's hand anymore, making him panic. TK opened his eyes and looked around, seeing Kari to his side and Angewomon between them, holding them in her arms. Looking passed Kari, TK could see Davis and Veemon being carried upward by Angemon, both looking panicked from the sudden occurrence.
"Wasn't that just a little dramatic?" TK said, just now taking in everything. "Not that I'm complaining..." Angewomon didn't answer, she seemed to be focused on going as fast as she could. TK looked down, seeing SkullSatamon and LadyDevimon giving chase. He then looked up, watching the mountain's remaining length blur by as they picked up speed. The two angel Digimon were fast in the air and soon had much more distance between themselves and the two devil Digimon. It was a few more minutes before their neared the top, immediately turning into the mountain once they were. TK looked down at it, seeing about what he expected. A vine-covered temple on one edge of the plateau with a symbol of a bird carved in over the entrance and a path leading from the mountain side opposite of the building. The angel Digimon dive toward the temple, landing beside it and turning around, waiting for their pursuers to catch up. TK watched as LadyDevimon and SkullSatamon appeared over the edge of the plateau, looking around as they did. After a few moments of sitting quietly the two stopped looking, turning and heading back down the mountain and away from them. A moment after they left Angemon and Angewomon put the group down, dedigivolving back to normal once their job was done.
"That was too close..." Patamon said, falling down on his rear end to rest. He looked over at Gatomon, smiling at her. "That was a good idea, using the temple's protective cloak to hide us." Gatomon smiled back, then looked over at Kari, now resting in TK's arms.
"Is she alright?" Gatomon asked, worried about her human partner. TK nodded, holding her a bit tighter. His hands still stung from being hit and stepped on so much, but it was easy enough to ignore with Kari safe.
"Yeah, just tired." He replied. "She should have told us the climb was that hard on her..." Even as TK spoke, something in the back of his mind wouldn't leave him alone. He couldn't help but wonder what really just happened. BlackGatomon and Tsukaimon saw the map, as well, that was the only requirement for seeing passed the temple's illusionary disguise. So how did they not see them? They were in plain view, but it seemed like the cloak hid them. Maybe TK didn't understand all the forces behind this, but he couldn't help but worry that something had gone wrong...
End Chapter 15
Coming Next: Chapter 16 - Peril
Special Note: I'm baaaaaack! I hope nobody forgot me, but even if you did, I promise you will remember soon! This saga is back on track and the writing juices flow like a river now! I've learned a lot in this hiatus of mine and in addition to the next 11 chapters of this saga, expect another multi-chapter story to make any Takari follower proud to keep the faith.
Want to know when a new chapter is posted? Use this link to sign up for my mailing list to know when new chapters and stories are up!
http://cyberdraco.notifylist.com/cdm_alert.html
By CyberDracomon
Chapter 15 - Obstacles
TK was becoming used to the odd feelings he received when he entered new zones of the Digital World. This was the final one, the southern area that Duchoumon protected. It felt the strangest of all, it was a bit harder to breathe and it felt like there was some kind of pressure on him. He looked around, discovering part of the reason. The entire terrain was covered in mountains and rocky valleys and the monitor they entered on seemed to be at the beginning of a path that winded around the largest mountain in the area. Luckily it looked like they were halfway up already, starting at the base would have taken longer than the highroad.
"Remind me why we needed a map for a one way path?" Veemon said, looking up at the cliffs over their heads that the path eventually went through. "I doubt we could take a wrong turn." TK looked over to Kari, who was also looking up the mountain, most likely preparing herself for another long walk.
"We can't see the temple without it, it's a security measure." Kari explained. "Besides, there may be tunnels farther up that do require a map." Davis seemed almost eager about the situation, as did Veemon, both looking up with a grin.
"How about we just climb up the side?" Davis suggested. "Should be faster than running around." TK and Kari both shook their head at the same time, both against that idea. On his second thought, TK realized that might throw off Ragnadramon... But what was done was done, avoiding it might be even worse for them.
"Let's just take the path, we might miss the temple going any other way." Gatomon said. From the sound of her voice it was as if she was in a hurry to get this over with now, like she knew it would have to happen and just wanted it to come sooner than later.
"Right, there might be a tunnel or an obstacle we don't know about." Kari pointed out. She turned to TK, who was still looking out into the distance. "TK, let's check the map while we're here." Kari waited a moment for a reaction, only to get none, TK still lost in his own thoughts. "TK!" The sudden shout broke TK from his trance, turning to look at Kari finally.
"Oh, sorry... Guess I dazed off for a second." TK said. He brought a hand up to his head, rubbing his head as if to get some of his daze out of it. Now that Kari had his attention, she noticed something odd about him... His eyes looked worried, almost nervous... It wasn't like him to be like this, even with the stakes so high.
"TK, if something's wrong we can wait a while for you." Kari offered. TK should have known better than to try and hide anything from her, Kari knew him far too well not to notice when something was bothering him. The problem probably wasn't better to wait on, though, it might end up being worse for them if they did wait, angering Ragnadramon wouldn't be the best of ideas.
"No, it's nothing." TK said, trying to be convincing. "Let's just get this done, I can take care of it then." Kari looked on, obviously worried about TK, but she didn't make an attempt to continue the point, knowing it wouldn't be successful.
"If you say so..." Kari said reluctantly. "Let's see the map, TK, we need to know what's ahead of us." TK nodded, pulling out his Digivice and hitting the button that projected the map. He held it forward once it was displayed so everyone could see it.
"Looks like Kari was right." Patamon said from TK's shoulder. The orange Digimon was quick to notice the path not only wound around the mountain, but also went through it a few times, meaning their were tunnels, but thankfully they looked short.
"I wasn't up for climbing today, anyway." Gatomon said. "Though I wasn't ready for spelunking, either." TK put the D-3 away once everyone got a good look, knowing a one way path didn't need a map.
"Hardly spelunking, they looked pretty short." Kari said. "It's still a long walk to the top, we should get going." The others agreed, including the reluctant TK, who hesitated before following after his friends up the path that lead them around the mountain.
**********
An hour passed and the group was getting tired already. Of course the length was nothing compared to the highroad to Azulongmon, but being uphill the entire way made it a lot harder on the group. Gatomon was already accepting a free ride from Kari, her small legs already worn out. Patamon seemed content to stay on TK's shoulder, but was now flying just ahead of him instead, staying out of the way of TK who seemed to be looking around constantly for some reason.
"It's weird, I don't think I've seen a single normal Digimon the entire time I've been with you guys." Davis suddenly said. They had been in silence for a while now and the break was appreciated by most in their small band.
"I think most of them stay away from the areas that the Guardians are in." Kari said. "As it is we feel strange just being close to them, imagine how other Digimon must feel." That for the most part was true, all three Digimon among them knowing how strange it felt to them just being so close, like the air around them was filled with the energy of the Guardians, constantly sending a strange charge through them.
"That's one reason." Gatomon said from Kari's arms. "Azulongmon also said that most Digimon know how important this mission is and are keeping out of our way, even the normally evil ones wouldn't come close to us." Kari had almost forgotten that part. It had been a while since her original dream that started this quest and some of the details of it were lost when compared to the others.
"Still it would be nice to see others, like a Drimogemon that could drill us up to the top faster." Veemon said. His own pace had slowed significantly and his usually powerful steps were getting sluggish. Davis would offer to carry him for a while but Veemon weighed too much to carry for long.
"It's not as long as we think." Patamon said. "Every time we circle around the path ahead is shorter, it shouldn't be much farther." Kari knew this fact already. She was walking ahead right now, as tired as the rest but more driven to arrive at the temple. After another minute she saw the path suddenly end ahead, but there was also a large hole in the side of the wall.
"Looks like we made it to the first tunnel." Kari said, coming to a stop in front of it. The rest soon joined her, looking into it. Indeed it was short, from here you could see the light at the other end easily. TK looked up, now able to see the peak high above. It wouldn't be much farther now, but he still wondered where Ragnadramon was. He looked back down, seeing Kari enter the tunnel, still carrying Gatomon, with Davis, Veemon, and Patamon now following. He took one last look above, then at the path behind him before entering.
"At least the ground is level now, it's not so hard to walk anymore." Veemon said. Indeed it was easy to notice the difference, the ground was even flat, as if the hole was cut into the rock and flattened out on the bottom afterwards.
"Enjoy it while it lasts, Veemon." Kari said. "The path gets just as hard as it was on the other side of this cave." Veemon had seemed to forget that part and was now frowning a bit. The group made it to the middle of the tunnel, now able to see both ends clearly. TK looked ahead at the other end of the tunnel, but what he saw caught him off guard. A blast came from the other end of the cave, hitting the ground in front of the group, sending dirt and bits of rock everywhere, forcing them to stop.
"You are wrong, Child of Light..." A familiar, echoed voice said. At the other end of the tunnel, just outside of the exit, was Ragnadramon. The opening and path were too small for the large dragon, and as a result he was flying in the open air just to the side of the pathway. "The path ends here!" With that the dragon Digimon fired another blast, this one aimed at the roof above the opening. All at once the face of the mountain above the exit crumbled at the dragon Digimon unleashed his intense beam into it, causing massive rocks to fall into the tunnel, blocking it off, making him vanish from view. Ragnadramon wasn't done, closing his jaws that fired the beam, now breathing a blast of white hot flame at the rocks, melting them together into a solid wall.
"There's no way up now..." Kari said, still stunned. TK knew it would probably be coming soon, he was just amazed the villain Digimon kept his end of the bargain. He turned to look at the entrance, but again met with a surprise. The rest turned to see SkullSatamon standing there, grinning, his sickle held at the ready. The devilish Digimon swung it upward, then hard into the areas above the entrance, again making rocks tumble down into the cave, blocking it off. It ended there, however, leaving them enough room between those rocks for air and light to get in, but enough to trap them there, as well.
**********
"Vee Laser!" ExVeemon fired the blast from the cross on his chest, blazing into the solid wall Ragnadramon formed. The dinosaur Digimon kept this up until he couldn't sustain the beam any longer, but to his dismay he had only made a slight x-shaped burn in the wall, nowhere near enough to destroy it. The cave was barely big enough to fit him, but he was the only Digimon among them with the brute force to possibly break the rock.
"Nice try, ExVeemon, but it looks like it's not going to give out anytime soon." Davis said. ExVeemon didn't seem to agree, however, now walking up to the wall and physically trying to push it back and out of their way. Again it was too solid, not only being melted together but also to the rock under it.
On the other side of the tunnel TK stood in front of the pile of rocks that kept them from even turning around, trying his best to find any loose rocks or openings big enough to get through. Unfortunately he found none, despite how it looked SkullSatamon must have made sure to pack the rocks together so not even Patamon could leave. This wasn't the agreement he made, they were supposed to be unharmed and at this rate they would starve to death. Meanwhile Kari was sitting down close to the entrance, with Gatomon on one side and Patamon on the other.
"Well at least we get to rest..." Gatomon said, trying to lighten the mood. Kari had a serious look on her face that didn't seem to waiver, though, ending Gatomon's attempt. The group remained silent, no sound coming from the cave except for the sounds of ExVeemon now trying to cut through the rock with the blade on his head.
"It could always be worse." Patamon said, trying to save a level of moral among the group. "At least they left the other side open enough to let air in." TK continued to look at the other side of the cave, the entrance where they entered. He wasn't sure what Ragnadramon was going to do, but now that it had happened he had to give the villain credit, the only direction they could go in now was back. Though he still had a bit of uncertainty, Ragnadramon said his plan would stop Kari even if they reached the temple. How could this have been Ragnadramon's plan if they were still on the way there?
"…So let's use that!" Davis said suddenly. "Why not bust through the other side? There's no chance of getting through this end, anyway." ExVeemon agreed simply by falling backwards onto his back, head throbbing from so many failed attempts. The wall of melted rock barely had a few scratches in it from his blade, otherwise it was undamaged.
"Because it only leads back down the mountain." TK said, now turning toward the others. "This was the only path to the top and now it's a dead end." Kari now turned to look at the other end, for the first time considering giving up. It would be so much simpler and her friends and family would be happy… But it wasn't in her nature to turn her back on so many, what she wanted didn't matter if so many could live on. She stood up, taking a few steps away from the pile of rubble that blocked the entrance to the cave.
"ExVeemon, blast the entrance open…" Kari said, her voice in almost a commanding tone that seemed to take everyone by surprise. ExVeemon picked himself off the ground, turning around to face her.
"You can't tell me you're giving up!" ExVeemon said. "Go home if you want, I'm going to the temple!" The dinosaur Digimon turned to the sealed exit and readied himself to fire again.
"So am I." Kari said, her voice more firm than before, making ExVeemon stop and look back at her again. "Blast the entrance open." TK looked on at Kari, seeing her determination in her eyes again. ExVeemon didn't respond this time, stepping forward passed Davis and then the others until he was the one closest to the pile of debris.
"Vee Laser!" ExVeemon unleashed his attack again. Unlike the rock that sealed the exit closed, these rocks weren't melted together and were easily blasted free by the burst of energy, light entering the cave as the rocks blew into the distance and off the mountain.
"Now what?" Davis asked, walking up to the front to join the others. "We go home and come up with a new plan, right?" Kari shook her head, stepping out of the cave. She turned around and looked up toward the summit, gauging the distance.
"No, we start climbing." Kari said. "The plan was to get to the top, right? Why go back to rethink something so simple?" TK now joined Kari in looking up at the side of the mountain. It was still a long way up, but probably still climbable. TK looked back down at the others, who were all obviously a lot more skeptical.
"...you can't be serious." Davis said, a flat tone of disbelief in his voice. Kari glanced at him, the same determined look in her eyes. Davis had wanted to comment further but Kari's stare had silenced him.
"I'm serious, Davis." She said. "There's no other way and no time to think of something else." Kari turned her glance toward Patamon, Gatomon, and the now reverted Veemon. "We'll carry you three up, we can't afford you getting tired by climbing or by staying digivolved too long. Ragnadramon and his doppelgangers might still be around." All three Digimon stood stunned for a moment before nodding, the three moving to their respective Digidestined partners and climbing onto their backs. TK couldn't help but be impressed, Kari usually never took charge like this but she was handling it like it was second nature.
"Kari, you start first." TK said. "If you lose your grip me or Davis will be able to catch you." Kari turned her head toward TK, giving him a slight smile as she stepped over to the rock face beside the cave entrance, taking a moment to find a good hand hold. Once she did she pulled herself up, planting her foot into the rough rock surface, pushing herself up to the next hand hold. Once high enough, TK and Davis started up, climbing almost side by side with Patamon and Veemon clinging onto their backs.
**********
A half hour later the small band was starting to feel the exhaustion of the climb set in. For TK it wasn't so bad, playing so much basketball kept everything needed for climbing in shape. Davis had a worse time, his soccer playing rarely had a use for hands and his fingers were now burning from gripping the rock surface. Kari had it worse, however, and had already slowed her pace several times to compensate, stopping completely from time to time. Her arms were sore from bicep to fingers and the strain on her knees was setting in, making the climb torturous.
"Guys, I'm sorry I ever wanted to do this all the way up the mountain..." Davis said, remembering his earlier idea to shortcut the path by climbing.
"Forget it, just keep going." TK said, glancing over at him. "We can't be that much further from the top." He looked up to check this statement, only to find it was said too quickly. The summit still wasn't in view and now their starting point wasn't, either. Looking up brought his eyes to Kari, who had stopped again to rest.
"Kari, how are you doing?" TK asked to the girl above him. In the silence TK could hear Kari's deep breathes as she caught her breath, but no answer came. "Kari! Are you okay up there?" Kari snapped back to attention, turning her head as best she could, though not enough to see TK under her.
"Yeah, just letting my fingers rest." She said. "I'm fine, let's keep going." With that Kari continued up, taking her next hand hold. Gatomon looked down at TK and Davis continuing the climb up, then back toward Kari. Hanging onto Kari's back she could feel her still breathing deeper, still trying to catch her breath even as she kept climbing.
"You never could lie..." Gatomon whispered. "It's not too late to go back down, we can just find an easier way." Kari shook her head in response, continuing her ascent.
"This is the only way, it doesn't matter how hard it is." Kari replied in whispers. "We'll get there, just..." Kari stopped when her ears caught something behind her, getting louder. She tightened her grip to look back, just in time to see a red beam heading toward her. Kari ducked down just enough to avoid the attack, letting it blast the rock just above her head, throwing dust and pebbles out of the rock face. This caught TK and Davis's attentions, as well, making them look back to see their attacker, LadyDevimon. She was quickly joined by SkullSatamon, who had an annoyed look on his face.
"Miserable humans can't take a hint!" SkullSatamon snarled. "Couldn't you have stayed in your cave and died like good little fleshlings?!" He was about to approach when LadyDevimon raised a claw, stopping his advance.
"Now now, why so upset?" She said, a sinister tone in her voice. "It's so much better to watch them die instead!" With that she lashed out with her attack again, the red whip of energy shooting forth. The others could only watch on, unable to react on such short notice. The rock Kari held was torn away from the mountain, falling away and causing Kari to fall as well. TK watched in horror as she fell, reaching out of her out of instinct. The blast had thrown her too far away, however, his hand missing it's mark. TK could only watch on as her hand missed his, her fall continuing, but suddenly stopping. He looked up to see Davis gripping onto Kari's wrist. Kari's fall suddenly stopped, jerking her, Gatomon, and Davis hard. Davis struggled to hold on to both the rock and Kari, but Gatomon's grip had failed, throwing her away from Kari.
"Gatomon!!" Patamon said, leaping off of TK, an instinctive reaction. Gatomon was falling fast and it was all Patamon could do to keep the same speed, not gaining any room but not losing any, either. "Patamon digivolve to..." Patamon began his digivolution out of instinct, the transformation barely lasting a moment. "Angemon!" Now in Champion form, Angemon put all six of his wings flat against his back, diving down rapidly, his heavier weight letting him fall faster. He reached out with both arms, still a few feet from Gatomon, who was still tumbling from her fall, too disoriented to digivolve herself. It was another moment before Angemon had caught up to her, grabbing her with both arms. He opened all six wings again, slowing his descent until he was floating under his own power, holding Gatomon in his arms. The feline Digimon looked up at him, just now opening her eyes, still a little dazed.
"...I would have landed on my feet." Gatomon said. Angemon couldn't help but smirk, even in danger Gatomon didn't change.
"You fall off a mountain and you joke?" Angemon asked. "You scared me to death, what if you kept falling?" Gatomon shrugged slightly, smiling back at him.
"I knew you were there, I wasn't worried." She replied. Angemon smiled again before looking up, returning attention to the two Digimon that attacked. They were farther down that he had expected, passed the cave this whole thing started at, but even once they got back to the others he wasn't sure what he would do...
**********
TK was now beside Davis, holding on to Kari's other hand while Davis clung to her right hand he originally grabbed. Veemon still hung from his back, watching helplessly at the scene around him. LadyDevimon and SkullSatamon were now hovering very close, almost in a mocking manner.
"Veemon, I thought you had wings when you Digivovled!" Davis said, trying to think of any options they still had available. "Get off my back and get in the air!" Veemon shook his head, though Davis couldn't see it from his perspective.
"They're not much good, I can't fly with them!" Veemon answered. The blue Digimon turned his head to look at the two Ultimate Digimon behind them, still hovering around menacingly. SkullSatamon then started to fly in slowly, almost methodically. He twirled his sickle around as he did, grinning.
"Well it's been fun, but I'm sick of waiting." The Digimon said. He turned his sickle around, aiming the butt of it at the hand Davis held Kari's wrist. He stabbed forward, hitting Davis's hand hard. Davis shouted in pain as his grip buckled, letting go of Kari's hand. He quickly tried to regain it only to miss slightly. TK grunted as all of Kari's weight was shifted onto him, her exhausted form swinging slightly.
"Kari, you have to grab the rock!" TK said, an obvious strain to his voice. His hand holding the rock face wasn't going to last long, it was too much weight by himself.
"...I can't..." Kari said weakly. "Too tired..." TK took note of Kari as she said this, she wasn't moving under her own power at all, she must have been more exhausted from the climb than she let on.
"Well now that's too bad, isn't it?" SkullSatamon said. "Then this should be all the more painful to watch..." He reaimed the end of his sickle's handle toward the hand TK held Kari with and struck forward, hitting it hard. TK winced in pain, but refused to let go, holding onto Kari tighter. SkullSatamon glared at the boy's hand and struck again, only to receive similar results.
"Stubborn human brat..." LadyDevimon said. She smirked and floated upwards, toward the hand TK held the mountain side with. "But if the hands won't give way, the rock will." With that LadyDevimon floated over and placed a foot on TK's fingers, pressing down. The human boy couldn't help but yell in pain, but still refused to let go and allow Kari to drop. It was only a moment of this before the choice was taken from him as the rock ledge he held began cracking until the point where it broke away, both TK and Kari beginning to fall from the mountain. TK closed his eyes as the fall began, mentally cursing himself for failing to protect Kari, but as soon as he did he felt a sudden hard jerk and a change of direction, from down to up. He couldn't feel Kari's hand anymore, making him panic. TK opened his eyes and looked around, seeing Kari to his side and Angewomon between them, holding them in her arms. Looking passed Kari, TK could see Davis and Veemon being carried upward by Angemon, both looking panicked from the sudden occurrence.
"Wasn't that just a little dramatic?" TK said, just now taking in everything. "Not that I'm complaining..." Angewomon didn't answer, she seemed to be focused on going as fast as she could. TK looked down, seeing SkullSatamon and LadyDevimon giving chase. He then looked up, watching the mountain's remaining length blur by as they picked up speed. The two angel Digimon were fast in the air and soon had much more distance between themselves and the two devil Digimon. It was a few more minutes before their neared the top, immediately turning into the mountain once they were. TK looked down at it, seeing about what he expected. A vine-covered temple on one edge of the plateau with a symbol of a bird carved in over the entrance and a path leading from the mountain side opposite of the building. The angel Digimon dive toward the temple, landing beside it and turning around, waiting for their pursuers to catch up. TK watched as LadyDevimon and SkullSatamon appeared over the edge of the plateau, looking around as they did. After a few moments of sitting quietly the two stopped looking, turning and heading back down the mountain and away from them. A moment after they left Angemon and Angewomon put the group down, dedigivolving back to normal once their job was done.
"That was too close..." Patamon said, falling down on his rear end to rest. He looked over at Gatomon, smiling at her. "That was a good idea, using the temple's protective cloak to hide us." Gatomon smiled back, then looked over at Kari, now resting in TK's arms.
"Is she alright?" Gatomon asked, worried about her human partner. TK nodded, holding her a bit tighter. His hands still stung from being hit and stepped on so much, but it was easy enough to ignore with Kari safe.
"Yeah, just tired." He replied. "She should have told us the climb was that hard on her..." Even as TK spoke, something in the back of his mind wouldn't leave him alone. He couldn't help but wonder what really just happened. BlackGatomon and Tsukaimon saw the map, as well, that was the only requirement for seeing passed the temple's illusionary disguise. So how did they not see them? They were in plain view, but it seemed like the cloak hid them. Maybe TK didn't understand all the forces behind this, but he couldn't help but worry that something had gone wrong...
End Chapter 15
Coming Next: Chapter 16 - Peril
Special Note: I'm baaaaaack! I hope nobody forgot me, but even if you did, I promise you will remember soon! This saga is back on track and the writing juices flow like a river now! I've learned a lot in this hiatus of mine and in addition to the next 11 chapters of this saga, expect another multi-chapter story to make any Takari follower proud to keep the faith.
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