Chapter 4

Danger and delight grow on one stalk. -English Proverb

Savannah jogged down the hill, trying to act inconspicuous. Loricamon was grinning at Spikemon, who was attacking him with multiple Spark Blasts, which glanced off Loricamon's armored hide without leaving a scratch. Savannah watched as Loricamon swiped one clawed forepaw and knocked Spikemon fifteen feet. "Zach, do something," she muttered.

As puny as Spikemon's attack was, he had attracted Loricamon's complete attention. Savannah slipped past the monstrous stegosaur unnoticed and arrived at the town's gates, which were locked and barred. She knocked and called, "Can someone let me in? Please?"

A round eye peered through a gap. "Who are you?"

"I'm Savannah," she said. "I'm a Digidestined, and I think my partner is in there."

The eye looked her up and down skeptically. "Where's your digivice?"

Savannah held it up.

The eye gazed at it. "Is it real?"

There was a scuffling of feet, and a new eye peered through above the original eye. "Of course it's real!" sputtered the newcomer. "Let her in, hurry up!"

There was a rattling of locks and chains, and the gate swung open just wide enough for Savannah to slip through. She entered and found herself surrounded by frightened, knee-high digimon. The two at the gate were a green gecko with a trumpet wound around its neck, and a squat, purple tadpole. They locked the gate, then looked up at her. "Are you really human?" asked the purple tadpole.

"Yes," said Savannah, looking at her digivice. "Does anybody know a Ropemon?"

A murmur ran through the little crowd as each creature asked the question of its neighbor. "Well, we have a nursery full of in-training digimon," said the gecko, knotting his skinny fingers together. "Come with me, I'll show you."

A roar from Loricamon outside sent all the digimon scurrying for cover, and a trembling Geckomon led Savannah inside a nearby log building. The ceiling was low, and she had to stoop as she entered.

Inside were several dozen tiny puffballs of various colors, some with ears, others with horns, and all with large, liquid eyes. They looked up at Savannah with awe, mouths falling open. She held up her digivice. "Which one of you is Ropemon?"

"Me! Me!" one of them squeaked, inching forward. Savannah frowned in a mixture of alarm and disappointment. A foot-long Twinkie with eyes was crawling toward her, its green eyes shining in delight. She consulted her digivice and saw that this was indeed Ropemon, in-training level, and all of his stats were at 1.

He was at her feet now, and smiled up at her. "I've been waiting for you," he said.

She stooped and picked up the long, soft body. "My friend's digimon is out fighting Loricamon. Do you think you could help?"

"Sure!" said Ropemon, lifting his upper body in a cobra-like attitude. "As long as you come with me."

Savannah carried her new partner outside, fighting overwhelming disappointment. She had wanted something fierce, like Spikemon, not a plush fat snake-thing. She doubted that Ropemon could help drive off Loricamon, but she was determined to try. If Zach hadn't come down to help his digimon, then Spikemon was probably dead.

The gates were shut, and all the digimon who had been there before were now in hiding. "Hello?" she called. "Can someone open the gate for me?" Nothing happened. They had been eager to protect her from harm, but no one wanted to let her out again.

Nearby a ladder leaned against the stockade wall. Savannah looped Ropemon around her neck and climbed it. "How are we going to get out?" he asked as she arrived at the top of the wall. It was fifteen feet high.

"I don't know," said Savannah. "Look, Spikemon's okay!"

The little green dinosaur was a short distance away, making lunges at the giant stegosaur's face, then dodging out of reach. He was leading Loricamon away from the fort. Loricamon was foaming at the mouth and snarling, but his main ability was strength, not speed. Spikemon was nimble enough to avoid his attacks. Zach had descended halfway down the hill and was shouting encouragement.

"Oh good, maybe we don't have to fight," said Ropemon. "I don't like fighting."

"We're going down there anyway," said Savannah. "Look, if I hang over like this and drop, it won't be so far."

It was further than it looked. Savannah winded herself upon landing and had to sit still until her lungs started working again. Ropemon dropped to the ground and slithered off a few feet, lifting his head to peer above the grass for Loricamon. "Savannah," he hissed, "he's coming back!"

Tired of his elusive quarry, Loricamon abandoned Spikemon and prowled back toward Digiforum, tiny eyes red with fury and deadly tail lashing from side to side. "Savannah, get out of there!" Zach yelled.

Panting and holding her side, Savannah stood up. Her motion attracted Loricamon's attention, and he smiled and turned in her direction. "Shoot," said Savannah.

She snatched up Ropemon and tried to run, but Loricamon had anticipated this. He reared up on his hind legs, thirty feet tall, and roared, "Plate Barrage!" He fell forward on all fours, and the fins on his back blasted forward and sliced into the ground around Savannah, their data converting from leathery hide to steel blades. One of them bounced sideways and knocked her flat, flinging Ropemon from her arms.

Smarting from her fall, Savannah struggled to her feet, looking around for Loricamon. He was twenty feet away and coming fast, stubby teeth bared. "Zach!" she shrieked, darting sideways, Ropemon forgotten in her panic. The ground was littered with fallen plates, some sticking in the ground, and she had to weave around them, slowing down as she went. Loricamon walked right through them, their data dissolving and reappearing atop his back.

Zach and Spikemon were running toward her, but they were too far away. Loricamon would reach her first. She looked back at the charging dinosaur and saw Ropemon curled on the ground between her and her enemy, soft pudgy head raised in defiance. "Ropemon, get away!" she screamed.

In her hand, her digivice's screen flashed white. On the ground, Ropemon's body dissolved into a white blur. Savannah stopped and stared, and so did Loricamon, snorting. Bits of data were being sucked into Ropemon's body, and it was growing bigger. A second later Ropemon's body solidified into five feet of orange and red snake, looped with shining steel bands. He lifted his head to a more impressive height and hissed.

"You're only a rookie!" rumbled Loricamon scornfully. "I'll take you down first!" The stegosaur charged, teeth bared, clawed feet ready to pound and slash. The snake waited, motionless, then hissed shrilly, "Snakebite!" His entire length lashed forward like a cracking whip and his venomous fangs buried themselves in Loricamon's cheek.

The stegosaur howled in pain and shook his head, flinging off the former Ropemon and pawing at the side of his face. Then he wheeled and lumbered off at a great pace, bellowing and moaning as he went.

Savannah stood still, mouth open, clutching her digivice. Her reptilian partner lifted his head and looked around, dazed. "Did I win?" he asked, flicking out a forked tongue.

"Ropemon!" shrieked Savannah, running to him and lifting up his glistening coils.

"Hissmon, now," said the digimon. "I digivolved to Rookie level."

Before his partner could grasp this, Zach and Spikemon arrived, gasping for breath. "Whoa--that was--awesome," said Zach, holding his side. "Is he--your partner?"

"Another Digidestined?" said Hissmon, as calm as if he had not just driven off a killer digimon. "Pleased to meet you, and your partner, too."

"Hi," replied Spikemon. "It's cool you digivolved. I'm Spikemon." The little green dinosaur stretched up to sniff at Hissmon's dangling tail, then bared his teeth and backed away. "You're a virus-type!"

"A benign virus," said Hissmon, tossing an anxious glance at Savannah. "There are benign viruses here, just as there are rogue vaccine types." He cast a dark look at Spikemon.

Spikemon growled. "I'm not a rogue, and I'm no virus, either." He snapped at Hissmon, but Zach pulled him back by the tail.

"Hey! That's her partner!"

"He's a virus, and I hate viruses!" snarled Spikemon, struggling. He snapped at Hissmon again, who whipped his long body out of reach, around Savannah's shoulders. At the same time, Savannah kicked Spikemon in the ribs. He stumbled, then glared at her. "Why'd you kick me?"

"I'll kick you if you do that again," said Zach, folding his arms. "Leave him alone!"

Spikemon snorted and lowered his head, and Hissmon looked smug.

There was an awkward silence, broken as Zach walked toward Digiforum's log walls. "Can we get in now?" Spikemon followed him, head and tail drooping. Savannah trailed after, stroking Hissmon's sleek scales.

* * *

Two creatures watched the results of the battle on a wide screen in a darkened room. They watched in silence as Zach, Savannah and their digimon entered Digiforum, and were greeted with cheers from the inhabitants.

"There are only two," said one, his mandibles clicking.

"Yes," hissed the other, heads weaving. "But more will come. A new hour has dawned in the Digital World." He spoke with all five heads, which gave his words a resonating hum. One of his heads lashed at the screen, teeth bared. "They will upset the balance of light and darkness. Who is nearest Digiforum?"

"Loricamon," replied the other, his voice an insectoid hiss. "But he is injured."

"Send him extra data," said three of the brooding heads. "I want Digiforum leveled."

"But sir, it contains a regeneration node."

There was silence a moment. Two of the heads looked thoughtful, while the others snarled. "Destroy everything except the node."