Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of the main characters in this fic except for Rime and Phloem. I also came up with the idea of 'weremon.' Most Digimon that appear in this fic I looked up at Sora's Digimon Palace Digidex.
Note: This is now rated PG-13 for some mild language and violence. (Basically, next chapter this will be quite a bit more bloody.)
Chapter 12: Dark Destroyers (Part 2)
The whole town of Haven was visible, but that should've been impossible. Unless he was flying…
Feeling light-headed, Phloem tried to move around or change his view, even just slightly. Nothing happened. The world looked exactly same. He gradually realized that he did not feel light-headed – rather, he felt completely light, or made of light, like he did not exist at all.
I'm data, came the sudden realization. I am…deleted? He remembered falling into the corrupted data. It could have killed him, but he had a strange feeling that he wasn't dead yet. He knew that his friends had to be fighting down there somewhere, but if he couldn't focus his vision, he couldn't make sure that it was all going fine. A thought slapped him then. It was so obvious; he would have smacked himself…if he had hands. Data can't see. Therefore, I don't focus my vision; I focus my data. He concentrated on bringing himself together.
Slowly, his form materialized, but it was not solid. He looked like a ghost; pale and translucent, he could look through his own hand. At least the 'body' was something that he could use slightly normally.
He looked around himself and wondered where Tapirmon was. //Don't worry; I'm here,// said a voice in the back of his head. Beside him, Tapirmon materialized slowly. He looked just as ghostly as Phloem. //We're still alive. I can feel our main bodies somewhere around here, but I don't know exactly where they are. /I don't think we can go back into them yet. I feel like I'm blocked from my body.//
//We'll look around. I still have my empathy, and I can sense Vahn,// he sent back to Tapirmon. //The others are a different story. I think that they're shielded.//
Tapirmon rolled his eyes. //I bet you just want to check on Vahn more than the others. You're probably blocking yourself from sensing them.//
Phloem blushed and looked abashed. //What's that supposed to mean?//
//Nothing,// thought the Digimon with a mental laugh. //Come on; let's go find your…friend.// He began to float downwards. His human partner followed while half-heartedly protesting what Tapirmon had implied. Floating took enough of an effort that he soon grew quiet. It was hard work to be half-dead.
********
It was lightless wherever Rime was. It seemed to stretch into eternity, with no way in or out. "What the…?" he trailed off.
"We fell into a pool of corrupted data," said Sorcerymon from his side. "The Tapirmon and his partner are…somewhere else, but here, too. It's only their spirits that aren't here." He gestured with his staff into the distance where two bodies were barely visible.
Rime frowned. "Am I so unclean that the dark data hasn't affected me?" He'd thought he had been over that bit of self-doubt.
"It's not that. It's your power. You can directly change almost all data into practically anything in you touch it, but you can't change the bodies of living things. All Digimon know the power of their partner," he added at Rime's skeptical look. "We just don't tell, usually. Humans get jealous about who has what."
He rolled his eyes. "I can believe that. Almost everyone is small-minded now and then." He looked up at the 'ceiling' of the data-room. "In that case… Can we get out of here if I change the data?" Sorcerymon shook his head.
"No. There's a binding quality to this data."
Rime threw an uncomfortable look at the distant bodies of his friends. "It wouldn't be right to leave them here anyway. But," he said as he put his hand in front of him, "I think I can at least see what's going on." His hand glowed, and a mirror formed at his fingertips. The reflection of Rime slowly changed to show what was happening in the outside world.
********
"Big Bang Boom!" Giromon threw a ball of red energy towards Garurumon. He jumped out of the way just before the attack exploded where he had been standing and counterattacked with blue lightening from his Howling Blaster. Though the attack had been a powerful one, Giromon was unfazed by it. A psychotic look came into it's eyes, and it rushed in wielding the chainsaw. "Chain Saw!" it yelled and continuously swiped with the weapon. As fast as he was, Garurumon was hard put to dodge all of them. And by the look of it, Giromon was holding back.
The human partners were also immersed in their own fight. "Bring it on, little girl!" Marcus said with a sneer as he brought his scythe down in a sweeping moment. With a clang, Relaina's sword blocked the sweep that would have chopped her in two. She dodged back before he could pull another dangerous twist of his weapon.
If she had time to step back and get a good sword stance, she may have been able to win. However, his attack was relentless. Sweeping, slicing, and spinning, his scythe was relentless in its attack. She did not even have time to concentrate on telekinesis. Her fight seemed to mirror her Digimon's.
"CHAIN SAW!" the Giromon shouted and sliced again with its weapon. This time, it struck, and Garurumon was sent across the ground from the powerful blow.
In the split second that Relaina was distracted by her Digimon's cry of pained surprise, the scythe came sweeping down on her. She was able to dodge it, but barely.
ExVeemon rashly tried to rush Panjyamon with a Vee Kick. The lion Digimon dodged and punched ExVeemon it the back to help him crash into the ground. "You'll never win that way," growled the lion as it focused its energy. "Ice Beast Fist!" With the shout, he released a powerful punch in the direction of the grounded Digimon. A cold, white energy in the shape of a roaring lion's head streamed towards ExVeemon. He rolled out of the way a second before it hit the ground where he had been. It froze dirt and grass into ice as hard as rock.
Alan was not faring well, either. He was a mediocre fighter at best. Killey, a cold smile on his pale face, had rushed him with the spear. He was toying with Alan, too, going just slow enough that the boy could dodge his attacks. Alan gave a yelp of pain as his opponent rapped him on the head with the back end of the spear. He almost dropped his spear from the sharp pain, but he kept hold of it. He did lose his balance temporarily, and his out-of-control spear sliced down at Killey.
"Argh!" The spear had left a bleeding, red slash down one side of Killey's face. He glared with hatred at the boy in front of him, finally breaking his cold visage. Slowly, he wiped away some of the blood dripping down his chin. "For that, boy, I will kill you painfully." He rushed again with the spear, but Alan faded and disappeared. Killey's pause had given him enough time to set up an illusion.
Several images of Alan appeared around the spearman. "You'll have to find me first," said the boy's voice from all directions. Killey let out a string of curses and began to spear the images through one-by-one. "Why are you fighting for Haven?" Alan asked from nowhere and everywhere as Killey continued his useless attacks.
Killey smiled uncaringly. "He lets me fight any way I please, and kill however I want," was his unfeeling reply. His eyes were searching the remaining images of Alan as he tried to figure out which one was real.
ExVeemon went down when an Ice Beast Fist from Panjyamon finally struck him. All of the Alan-images eyes' moved, but only one's eyes looked in the direction of ExVeemon.
"Now I've got you!" shouted Killey, and he rushed that one, ready to kill.
"This…isn't…good!" BlackGatomon complained loudly as she ran away from the vampire cat after her. The cat gave a fanged grin under her veil as she slowly caught up.
"Helter Skelter!" With a burst of speed, Bastemon was in front of Kurai's partner and blocking her. BlackGatomon backed up, hissing and ears flattened. Bastemon only smirked and began to dance. "Vampire Dance." The hypnotic dance began to make BlackGatomon want to lay down and take a nap.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and opened, and began to close again. "Can't…fall…asleep," muttered the black cat. She fought bravely against the urge that the hazy shadowed dancing gave her, but her opponent just continued swaying slowly to her own rhythm, coming closer with every step.
Kurai and Sierra were standing still. Both were sizing up their opponent with no visible emotion. "If you give up now, I won't have to kill you."
"I was about to say the same to you," retorted Kurai. She drew one of the daggers that were now strapped around her waist. "I guess I don't have a choice," she said, and then she teleported to get behind the older girl. But then she felt a push, and she fell out of the teleport in the same place she had begun.
Sierra had her own daggers in her hands now. They were of the small Japanese type known as kunai. "I warned you," she said sadly. "I can control teleportation. And now, you die." She flung two kunai at Kurai.
She rapidly sidestepped and ducked, but one still grazed her shoulder. "I don't think I'm dead yet," she retorted.
"Hmm." Sierra regarded the edge of one of her kunai. "No, I suppose not. However, either you die, or your Digimon dies. There's no two ways about it." Under her breath, she added, "It's not like I want to kill you. I'm sorry." Charging the younger girl, she prepared to release her weapons once more.
Strikedramon and GrappLeomon faced off, silently judging the strengths and weaknesses of each other. The Ultimate attacked first. "Lion King Beast Killing Wave!" he shouted as he launched himself towards the Champion. Strikedramon only just dodged the attack of GrappLeomon and tried to retaliate with a Strike Claw. GrappLeomon's armor easily withstood it, and he kicked Strikedramon in the gut. Strikedramon jumped back, breathing hard, as he desperately tried to regain his breath and ignore the pain in his stomach.
At the same time, Shiro smiled energetically as he and Tatsu began to fight. He kept on smiling even as Tatsu's quarterstaff blocked each of his punches. "Don't you just love fighting?" the older man asked as he punched at Tatsu's head. It stopped his punch, but only because Shiro was not punching at his full strength.
"Do I?" Tatsu returned quietly. He didn't mind the break that his opponent was giving him. His connection with Strikedramon was making him feel every bit of pain that the Digimon was.
Shiro bounced on the heels of his feet like a boxer just getting warmed up. "How should I know? But I do!" He did a couple of weak punches to keep the teen busy. They were blocked, as he had planned them to be. Getting the fight over with while it was still interesting was not his objective. "You sure are one weird kid, though. You act like you can see everything, and you have bandages over your eyes."
"So, you fight for Haven because you have fun fighting?" mused Tatsu as he blocked another strike. He was carefully not showing any pain that he felt because of Strikedramon's own battle.
That made Shiro laugh. "Of course not!" he declared. "I'm part of the Dark Destroyers! It's our job to root out opposition to the Emperor!"
"If you'd done your job right, Haven would not be alive right now!" Tatsu retorted as he swung his quarterstaff towards Shiro's head.
A fierce, defensive punch broke his staff in two. "What the hell do you mean?" A fiercely serious look had replaced Shiro's energetic one.
Grimly, Tatsu clutched the two staff pieces in his hand. He would have to fight or explain, or possibly both. It all depended on Shiro.
Flapping his black wings, Karatenmon carefully stayed a safe distance away from Veedramon. "Hey, come down here and fight like a Digimon, you coward!" the former Otamamon shouted at the out-of-reach Ultimate.
"No," he replied simply. He kept one eye on his partner and one eye on Veedramon.
Veedramon fumed. "I thought that you wanted to fight!"
Karatenmon flicked a wingtip at him in an insulting manner. "Not unless Luc does." That left Veedramon on the ground, grumbling.
Pixie and Luc both had their bows drawn and aimed at each other, yet neither was shooting. "This is useless," Luc said to her even as he kept on aiming. "Bows aren't good to duel with."
She would have rolled her eyes, but she knew that she needed to keep her aim steady. "You just don't want to fight, do you? Why?"
His eyes glowed with a strange knowledge. "If I don't kill you, there is, at least, some hope in the future for this world."
"What? Don't you serve the Havens?"
He frowned. "I am like a black crow, an omen of bad news. I am gifted with a curse, the curse to see the future. I am only seventeen, and yet I am part of the Dark Destroyers because of the usefulness of my curse. It is my duty to work, not only for the Emperor, but for the people that need protection from beings of the night." His voice took on a strange tone. "Remember this, Pixie Sugienna, Bearer of Light: The darkness can be stronger than it seems, and darkness grows blacker when it is concealed from the light. However, light of any color can banish the darkness. If the light is always shining, the dark can never return."
She narrowed her eyes. That was the strangest thing that had happened to her since getting her D-Seed. "What do you mean?"
Luc blinked sleepily and said, "I don't know." He continued in his normal voice, "It's just my power. I don't have much control over it. Regretfully, I know that we have to fight now. I won't use the bow, I promise. This fight will be mental." He used his second power to enter her mind.
She dropped the bow and arrow with a clatter as her fingers went slack. Karatenmon took that as the signal to draw his daggers and dive-bomb Veedramon.
There were some Digimon that were just strange and frightening to see. One of those was Bulbmon. Still, IceDevimon faced it without too much worry. Something as bulky as it was would have difficult maneuvering very quickly. It was just his bad luck that Bulbmon did not need to move quickly to attack quickly. "Mad Pump!" One of Bulbmon's arms rocketed towards IceDevimon. He flew out of its path, and it drew back to reattach to its silent owner.
IceDevimon countered with his own attack. "Zero Freeze!" Spreading from his wings, the icy chill froze everything that it touched. Even Bulbmon's arms began to freeze over, and for a moment, IceDevimon hoped that it had worked. One sweep of Bulbmon's arms cleared away both his hopes and all of the ice. It launched another attack on IceDevimon, and he plummeted when it clipped his right wing.
A clang rang out as Gen's ax blade met Sho's sword. The ax was stronger, and it screeched along the sword's edge and chipped it. A dark humor glinted in Gen's eyes. "You're all just a bunch of traitors, aren't you?" he taunted.
As usual, Sho did not reply. It'd only be a waste of breath.
"You're probably the reason that Prince Rime died!" Gen accused as he swung his ax again.
Sho slipped out of the way and slashed at Gen's arm, but he, too, dodged. "He's not dead, you fool." The Havens were manipulating the 'great' Dark Destroyers so easily and obviously.
Gen roared, "You're lying!" as he took another heavy swipe at Sho. He blocked it again with his sword, but another dent was created in the blade. A crack began to form near the hilt.
It was then that Sho realized that Gen's strength was not natural. It was his ability, just like Sho's was healing.
WaruSeadramon was snapping at Gatomon like a shark going for a fish. He had gone in the coliseum's only lake, and to attack him, she had to approach the water. Attack after attack exploded right behind her as she ran. She had not been able to attack him yet, but she hadn't been hit, either. Unless she tired, Gatomon's fight would remain at a stalemate.
Tir was also attacking angrily and continuously. He was forcing Sakura to lose ground as she backed up to parry the strikes of his glaive. "I know all about what you people are trying to do," he said with a maniacal grin as he thrust the blade towards her. "And I couldn't care less! If all of humanity was destroyed, everyone would be better off!" He punctuated that with a strike towards her neck. She had to duck to dodge it.
"You're crazy," she said flatly.
He smiled dangerously. "Yes, I know. And I'm getting bored, too. Let's end this more quickly, okay?" Then he was covered with fire. It burned from his skin and weapon. The fire, though it was bright and hot, did not burn him. "Did you know that being burned hurts?" he said conversationally as he launched at her. She tried to block him with the sword, but it was hard to get too close to him because of the intense heat. Strangely, Sakura began to grin.
Then Sakura was a Meramon. "Two can play at this game," she said as she prepared to fight fire with fire.
Growlmon was obviously not a match for the smaller JewelBeemon. The insectoid Digimon was much stronger than he was, yet it was curiously not doing much in the way of harming Growlmon. It was just holding him off; it darted around the dinosaur Digimon's bulky body and effectively kept him in one area by using its spear to prod him. To Growlmon, it felt like he was in his Guilmon form while being stung by a wasp. He glared at the annoying pest bothering him and tried to chomp it, but he never even came close. Annoyed, he swung his tail around in a futile effort to catch it.
Magnus had to make himself not pay attention to his Digimon and instead focus on his opponent, Cleo. Both of them had their guns out. Guns do not go off with a pop or a soft bang. They make a sound more like thunder that follows a particularly close strike of lightening. That was the sound that was being made repeatedly as the two of them fired at each other. He had had to drop the shield he'd picked up, but he'd purposely made it look like an accident. In reality, he knew that he might have to use his knife to attack her, and the shield might become useful then.
He was behind a tree; Cleo was behind a boulder. Both of them had slightly hit each other a single time. His right arm and the side of her head had been grazed by the opposite's bullets. He had shot to kill, but he had been trained to do that. Magnus was worried about the others, but right now he had something else to worry about. Cleo's shots were getting quicker and closer; the side of the tree was being reduced to splinters. On top of that, he had only one shot left. I might as well make it count, he thought, and he pocketed the gun. It could be used later.
Magnus drew his knife and went for his shield. His power manifested as he began to move faster and more surely. The bullets fired by Cleo seemed to move in slow motion in his state, and he easily dodged three on his way. Then the firing stopped, and he noted that Cleo had put her gun away and drew a short sword. In less time then he had to react, she was rushing towards him, the sword being held steadily at her side. What's this? he thought with alarm. He blocked her first swing, but a quick second slashed across his left arm. It became much harder to hold the shield as the pain and blood almost made him drop it.
It was obvious that she also had her own powers. "Sorry about that," Cleo told him sincerely, "but I need to do my duty."
"Even if it's wrong?" he asked with a wince. It hadn't been a deep cut, but it hurt.
She stared at him with unreadable eyes. "I know it's wrong, but I took an oath that I would fight for my Emperor…no matter what!" And she attacked again.
A hard-eyed Piximon swung his through the air. "PSI BOMB!" The golden energy fired towards Angemon, and he was too slow to do anything about it. However, he was able to keep flying, even if he was clutching his side in pain.
Desperately, he counter-attacked. "Hand of Fate!" It hit the smaller Digimon, but Piximon did not even flinch.
"You're too weak, Angemon. I will help my partner do whatever he wants to!" The raging pink angel continued his attack relentlessly.
Lord Haven waited as Brian attacked and let his shield take the blow. "You're too weak," he said as he threw Brian back with a push of his sword. "It is an emperor's duty to rule, but it is the generals' duties to be the emperor's strength. I am stronger than all of the generals, and that is why I deserve to rule."
Brian got up and again rushed forward. "Liar!" he accused as the shield once again blocked his sword. This time, he jumped back before he could be thrown. "You're just doing it because it's what the false Lady Haven wants! She's not even a true human!"
"She's my wife!" Haven roared. His sword made a graceful, powerful arc through the air, but Brian blocked. Their swords were locked together.
A revelation occurred to Brian. He knows she's fake, but he doesn't care. Crap! "You're destroyed the lives of the people!" he accused instead of trying to persuade Haven. "They don't need a ruler like you." The swords clanged together and pulled apart. Metal flashed dangerously through the air.
"They don't need a ruler like Rime, either! Why do you stand up for him?"
"I don't stand up for him. He's changed, but that's not it!" he protested vehemently. He went for another attack, but suddenly, Haven was gone.
He heard a chuckle behind him. "You'll never win," Haven said. "I can teleport, just like your friend, the thief." Brian could practically feel the sword going for his neck. Then, he realized that it hadn't happened yet. He ducked and rolled just as the sword flashed over him. Let's see how his teleportation stands up against clairvoyance! He might win after all. He hoped that they were all having success in their battles, but a nagging worry told him that he needed to take care of his Digimon. But how was he supposed to do that when he was fighting himself? He dodged again as Haven teleported and attacked.
********
There was banging on the door. "Let us in!" Vahn was in the main room of the inn alone. The Greenhills were all downstairs, where he had told them to stay for their own safety. I hope that Phloem's all right, he thought as he calmly opened the door.
"Can I help you?" he said tranquilly. They stared at him, unnerved to see him so calm in front of them. They certainly looked angry and rugged, so they were most likely used to people being scared of them.
When they had regained their poise, one growled, "Where's the Greenhill family? They're under arrest." Vahn hardly paid them attention. Instead, he was detachedly noting that each of the four guards had a Minotarumon. Whether they were at the Champion level or the Ultimate level did not matter to him.
He smiled. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you pass."
"Kid, you'd better get out of our way!" One tried to shove past him. It was a big mistake on the guard's part. He casually used the human part of his powers to shoot a lightening bolt at the guard. It was easily powerful enough to stun him and knock him unconscious.
Now Vahn showed some anger. "You're all fools," he said to the other guards with an angry set to his mouth. "By the looks of you, you enjoy intimidating people, but you can't even handle your own emotions." They looked at him with shock, anger, and fear mixing in their eyes just before he swiftly knocked them out with three more thunderbolts. Now he only had the four Digimon to contend with.
The three angry bulls rushed him at once, expecting to easily crush the young 'human.' Vahn transformed, and the very aura of his Lucemon body made them stop in their places. The light he gave off was comparable to that of the moon and stars combined. He called out his attack, "Grand Cross!" The shining cross hit them, and they were immediately deleted.
He sighed. He didn't like deleting Digimon, though he knew that they'd come back while their partners were still alive. However, he'd had to so that Phloem's family would be all right.
Suddenly, he found himself being hugged by both of Phloem's little sisters. "Wow!" said one. He thought it might be Style. "That was so cool!"
"It was," agreed Stigma. "And Vahn's so cute-"
"Whether he's human or not. No wonder Phloem likes him!"
Vahn blushed. "He does?" he asked hopefully.
Stigma and Style rolled their eyes. "It's so obvious," they said as one.
The first one said, "Now go and find him! We can protect ourselves while you're gone."
"It's more important that you find Phloem right now and help out him and his friends," said Stigma.
"Because they might need your help!" finished Style. Both twins stepped back, and a Kiwimon was behind them. He recognized it as their Floramon.
He nodded. "I understand. Take care of yourselves!" He spread his twelve wings and lifted from the ground. Soon, he was no longer visible from the inn.
To the side, Stigma told Style, "We have it easy, compared to them. At least Kiwimon can Digivolve to Ultimate. Do you think they'll make it?" Like they usually were, they were completely serious with each other. The happiness they showed around others was sometimes just an act to cheer everyone up.
"I think so, but it won't be too easy," Style agreed dubiously. "They're having a hard time against the Havens; can't you feel it?" Kiwimon and Stigma nodded. The twin's empathy was informing them of just how the fighters were doing. What worried them the most was the black aura that covered the entire background of the city. It seemed to be connected to, but not stemming from, the weremon who had replaced Lady Haven.
~To Be Continued…~
Chibigreen's Notes: Oops… This was out days after my two-week standard for updating. Why? It involves a small surgery and the fact that stitches in an elbow joint can hurt… And homework. Lots of homework. _ Anyway, besides that, I'm happy! Personally, I think that this story is getting cliché-ish, but if it works… *shrugs* I'll be happy enough to get past the fighting scene. (Only one more chapter of that! Yay!) This is all getting a bit confusing for me, so I put up charts here. It links out to the Digidestined from this story and the Dark Destroyers, too. Basically, the information listed is their name, their Digimon, their ability (if they have one), and their weapon. For the Digidestined, it also lists the D-Seed color. This is for anyone that feels like the characters are confusing. Though, I have to warn you – I wrote the whole web site in third person. So instead of "I," I say "Chibigreen." Just call me insane.
Rime: Talking about insane, about all the weapons in this chapter: Do you know how many possibly sexual references you missed?
Chibigreen: *stares, wide-eyed* I only do fluff!!! And WAFF.
Rime: Too bad.
Chibigreen: Hentai angst muse…
Rime: I'm a muse. You can't stop me. Speaking of that, I have another idea…
Chibigreen: AH! NO! NO MORE IDEAS!!! (Too many stories to finish!!!) Er… I'll just reply to some reviews now… It's just a quick one 'cause I need to get working on the next chapter in my Fushigi Yuugi/Harry Potter crossover.
Thanks for reviewing: Merodi no Megami, Steel Knight (It was corny, I know.), Tatsu-no-Houou (Sure, I'll include it!), PrincessKitty-Chan (Foreshadowing? I did foreshadowing? *looks the chapter over* Oh, I did!), ChibiSora (I tried to update sooner. School can be a problem, though.), Takeru and Hikari (Sorry for that cliffhanger bit! They're just fun to write!), and Red Wolf (It's nice to hear from you again!).
Rime: You'll like this idea… *smirks*
Chibigreen: Gah! Haven't you heard of 'no free time'?! (Too much homework!!!)
Rime: Heh. No me importa.
Chibigreen: …Rime just spoke Spanish…Gah! Spanish homework! ¡No la recuerdo!
Feed my muses! REVIEW!