ELP: I am finally continuing this! I do not own Digimon.
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Ken awoke in the morning, and yawned, smiling at the light coming through his bedroom window. He got out of bed, and got dressed quickly. He wore some dark grey jeans and a white T-shirt, with a brown belt and gold buckle. He walked out of the room, smiling wide. When he got to the kitchen, pancakes were on the table. Ken smiled really wide, and leapt into his seat, gobbling down about 5 pancakes. He wiped his mouth, and looked around. When he thought no one was around, he let out a massive belch. Robert came around the corner, laughing.
" Good one. Here, I packed some camping gear and a few extras. You know, ropes, some darts, a sledge hammer, latches......" Ken's ears perked up.
" Sledge hammer? " He repeated, smiling wider. Robert nodded.
" I also made a grip for it, like a sword, so that it doesn't go flying off of your hand. You'll get what I mean. Now, we're just waiting for your mom. First, you better pass a brush through that mat of hair." Ken ran to the bathroom, and brushed out his hair, putting it into a ponytail. He ran back out, and put some shoes on, ready to dash out. Marie smiled, and they loaded their car, and drove off to Odaiba. Ken leapt out of the car, and ran up the stairs of the apartment building, and knocked on the Yagami door. Kari answered. Thank Kami. Kari blinked.
" Hey, Ken. The new look is pretty neat. Anyway, I'm almost ready. Give me about 5 minutes. Come on in." Ken walked in, and stood near the doorway, looking around as Kari gathered her things. When Tai and Kari came, Ken stepped out of the way, holding the door for them. Kari and Ken sat in the backseat with Tai, and were quickly driven to Miyako's house.
Miyako came rushing out, leaping over the 1st floor guardrail, landing on 2 feet, taking off to her van. Takeru, Davis and Cody had already loaded their stuff. Ken was letting his mom drive his stuff and the Yagami's things to the camp, as well as Tai. Ken sat on the left outside seat, beside Miyako. Davis sat on the right side of the van. Cody, Kari and Takeru were in the back seat, in that order from left to right. It was a while to the camp, so Miyako had started to nod off, ending up falling asleep on Ken's shoulder. He smiled a little bit, and stared out the window, watching the scenery go bye.
" Ken, you're okay with her sleeping on your shoulder?" Kari asked from behind him, peering over the seat. Ken smiled.
" I'm okay with it. No reason why she can't. It's not like anything is happening, so yeah, I'm fine with it. " Kari giggled a little bit, and sat back, smiling to herself. When the reached the campsite, Ken lightly shook Miyako's shoulder, calling her name a few times until she woke up. She groaned a bit, and sat up straight, yawning.
Ken opened the door, and helped everyone unload their things. His parents car drove up soon, and Tai was already unloading the stuff while Marie and Robert talked with Mrs. Inoue. When Mrs. Inoue drove off, they all carried their stuff to the clearing. Ken was carrying his stuff, and the some of Kari and Miyako's things. Just to be courteous. The older kids arrived soon, a little bit wary of Ken.
" Okay, us older kids and the Ichijouji's will watch the camp and make sure that the other parents don't get too suspicious. Let's all set up." Ken quickly set up his tent and his parents tent, making sure all of his stuff was ready. The sledge hammer was laying on his sleeping bag. He got out, and noticed that Kari and Miyako were having trouble with their tent. He walked over to them, not realizing everyone's eyes on him.
" Do you need some help?" He asked, still obeying his manners. They both nodded. Ken started the mess of a tent over again, and in no time at all, it was pitched and ready.
" There you go. Does anyone else need a hand?" Everyone shook their heads. Ken smiled. " Okay then." Ken looked around in his tent, and grabbed a few things. Rope, the sledge hammer, and a thick knife for slashing. He placed the knife in his belt, and the rope around his waist. The sledge hammer was in the belt, the head on top, and the rest hanging down beside his leg like a sword. He came out of the tent, and sat down on a log, waiting for everyone to be ready, making sure his darts were tipped properly.
" Ken, why did you bring a sledge hammer?" Matt asked suspiciously. Ken laughed.
" It was my parent's idea. I'm going after him. Right, dad?" Robert nodded, while Marie pulled out a shot gun, cocking it, making sure it was all loaded up.
" Darn straight. Whoever has been living with us for 3 years is in for a good old fashion beating. I would've brought my shovel, but I couldn't find it......" Sora raised an eyebrow.
" Ken, you have cool parents." Ken nodded.
" Yup. Is everyone ready?" Ken asked, still smiling for some reason. Everyone nodded, except for Miyako, who ran over to Marie.
" Could I use the shot gun?" Marie laughed and handed Miyako the shot gun and some extra ammo.
" Sure, dear, give that bad guy a few slugs for me." Miyako nodded, and ran over to the group.
" Let's go." When they all landed in the Digital World, they were in the baron desert, close to the base. Ken growled deeply in his throat.
" Kaiser will pay for what he has done......." He murmered, staring up at the massive base, then at all the security. It looked impassable. Kari blinked.
" How are we supposed to get into that?" She asked, still staring up at the base. Ken laughed a little bit, looking up at the base with his hands on his hips.
" I don't think we can. I figure, that he's got to come out eventually, to check if things are okay. He could do that with computers, but if he just sits there and commands everything from there, he can't strike fear into the hearts of Digimon when his name is mentioned. If he did everything from computers, if someone mentioned his name, Digimon would ask, Who's that? I figure, wait 'till nightfall. Then, he'll appear. Anyway, until then, I suggest we find somewhere to camp out without being seen. Maybe behind a dune or something. We have to get in the shade, it's too hot to be out in the sun all day." Everyone nodded, and they all looked around. When they spotted a dune, they all went in the shade behind it, already wiping sweat off of their foreheads.
" It is hot. Reminds me of when we were 8, when you got sick, Kari." Takeru stated, remembering when they were trekking through the desert, and how he took his socks off, and Kari getting sick.
" Yeah, I remember. I had a fever, and I was really hot. Sun stroke, something like that. Tai was all upset and mad at himself. Then he made sure that a hat was shoved on my head any time we were outside, which was all the time after the Digiworld visit. Oye....." Ken sighed, and looked around.
" Hmm, this place seems familiar for some reason......" Ken looked down, and watched as the sand shifted under him, Miyako and Kari.
" What the-" Miyako couldn't finish her sentence, because Ken, Kari and herself were pulled under into caverns by some sort of bug leg, more likely a spider's legs. They all screamed the whole way down, and when they landed, they all shut right up, staring at all the wrapped up and drained bodies of Digimon of all sizes. Then, they stared at the culprit: A half beautiful woman with pale white skin in a black strapless top of a dress, and half a giant spiders body. Ken's jaw dropped.
" Oh my god...... The Spider Queen is real?" The Spider Queen smiled deviously.
" Oh, of course, my sweet, I have existed for years upon years, taking what I please from the desert. And I want you 3, Kindness, Love, and Light, but mostly Light. Which one of you is Light?" Miyako stepped forward, signaling for Kari and Ken to run.
" I am." Kari's face was in complete shock. Miyako might end up getting herself killed! The Spider Queen glanced a few times between them all.
" Prove it. The child of Light absorbs from the Holy Fire. Hold your hand on the Holy fire, and prove you are light. Or, I kill you all. If you are light, you shall not scream." The Spider Queen pointed at a large flame, and Miyako was stunned. Light and Holy energy was radiating off of it, but also she could hear screams of agony echoing through the cave. The cave had closed up, sand filling it all in. Miyako closed her eyes for a moment, breathed deeply, and walked over to the fire, staring at the flame.
I'll have to bite my tongue for this one........ Man, why did I have to do that? Miyako thought. With some determination, she placed her hand on the fire, gripping the stone it was resting on so not to scream and let go. The Spider Queen smiled.
" So, you are Light. All the bearers of Light screamed and died in agony before you. You will meet the same fate...." Miyako gripped the rock tight, and slammed it hard at the Spider Queen, still keeping a blood curdling scream in her gut. The Spider Queen stabbed a fang like thing through Miyako's leg, injecting some sort of venom.
" You were wrong! I'm not Light! I'm Love! Your an idiot!" The Spider Queen screamed as Miyako held the flaming rock to her face, burning her up fast. The Spider Queen was ashes in seconds, and Miyako could finally run to the entrance, not being able to let go of the flaming rock, something being burned into her palm. Ken and Kari were digging furiously, just barely making room to get through. Miyako slammed into the sand, making it all tumble down, the flame still burning in her hand. They scaled up, and when Miyako burst out onto the surface, everyone was in a panic.
" What happened!?!?! And Miyako, why are you holding that flaming rock?!?!?!" Cody shouted, completely shocked at the burning of his mentors hand. Miyako blinked, and stared at the rock.
" Didn't I drop it? Wait........ YEOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OUCH!!! OUCH!!!! IT BURNS!!!" Miyako threw the rock down, and grabbed her hand, leaping around and swearing like a drunken sailor. Cody looked down and shook his head. Miyako stopped moving, and tried to calm down, looking at her palm. There was some sort of symbol burned into her palm. Miyako then looked down at her leg, and screamed in agony, slumping down and holding her leg, the whole big enough to fit an arm through.
" Ow, Ow, Ow........ Kari, the next time I save you, make sure it has nothing to do with spiders, fire, or getting stabbed through the leg by a leg....." Miyako mumbled, feeling the venom starting to work.
" Miyako, you shouldn't have done that. You don't look so good, are you feeling okay?" Kari asked, kneeling down beside Miyako. Miyako shook her head.
" I don't know...... I feel really sick, and I'm going numb. I don't really know what's happening to me......." Miyako murmered, slowly going numb, her hand the only thing she could feel. Ken kneeled down, and picked Miyako up.
" We've got to get her in the shade, and fast. She's too hot to be in this climate, and I think some sort of toxin is getting at her. Move quickly, now!" Ken commanded, starting to run off to the small forest and water cache, hidden by the shade. The others followed, all worried about Miyako. Only 2 older kids had come to observe and make sure everything went right. Tai and Matt.
Everyone would know that, didn't cha? Ken leapt into the trees, and rested Miyako near the lake, checking her leg. It was practically destroyed. Kari was holding the Holy fire in her hand, not feeling anything, no burn appearing. Ken thought nothing when he tore some of his white shirt at the bottom all the way around to help stop the bleeding. He dipped it in the water, and then wrapped Miyako's wound, letting it soak in the water, then pulling it out. For some reason, it was healing like magic. A soft voice emitted from the trees, which seemed to be glowing.
" She has been injured by the Spider Queen's venom. She may not survive, and it will painful. This water may not be blessed yet, but take this small amount of healing from the Elves, as a token of peace. Remember, we are on your side...." The voice faded away, and a small container of sparkling water appeared beside Ken and Miyako. He slowly poured the water down her throat, and sat back, waiting for anything to happen.
The voice came again, and a woman appeared, standing above them all. She had short blonde hair with a small emblem used as a hairpin. Her eyes were a deep brown, her skin lightly tanned, with pointed ears. She was wearing a long green cape, with the same emblem on it. She had silver chest armor, and a large sword, with gloves with no fingers. She had a green skirt that was under some armor, and high boots with flat bottoms for walking and everything. She looked like a rogue or something. She had a mystical feeling around her.
" She is in pain, terrible pain. The water will work very soon, it was blessed by our High Priest himself. My name is Julia, Queen of the Elven Court. Please accept my apology for the pain she is going through. We owe you something for taking out the Spider Queen." Ken thought for a moment.
" Do you have anything to get up high? I mean, transportation and fighting wise." Julia nodded.
" We can call upon the Red Dragons from Tempest, The Ice Drakes from The Frost Queen, and our own Golden dragons. They shall be hear by nightfall. I would also like to assist you in fighting your enemy, if it's alright with you." Kari nodded.
" Sure. We need the help. She'll be okay, right?" Kari asked, watching her friends hand clench into a fist, nails digging into her skin. Julia nodded and smiled.
" Of course she will. She's in a sanctuary, which speeds up healing, she drank the blessed water, and she only got injected with venom once. The Spider Queen, believe it or not, needs to inject venom six or seven times to kill the person. It's just the hit that truely hurts." Julia stated, sitting down like the others. Tai smiled.
" Well, that's good. I'm sure we were all worried. Kari, why are you holding a flame?" Tai asked, staring at his little sister.
" Since I'm light, I can hold it without pain or anything. In the cave, instead of letting me go, Miyako pretended to be the bearer of Light, and not scream when she touched the flame. She's a good actor, really. Then, she slammed the rock into the Spider Queen's face, got stabbed, and helped us get out. That's when she finally noticed she was in a lot of pain......" Tai nodded. Julia was looking at the symbol on Miyako's palm, the one that had been burned in.
" The symbol........ I believe it's written in the old language....... It's the symbol of Cosmos!!!!" Julia cried, staring at the symbol. Ken blinked.
" What's the symbol of Cosmos?" He asked, staring at Miyako's hand.
" The symbol of Cosmos means that she can control Cosmos energy. She's the only other person I know other then Gabriel that can control Cosmos energy!" Julia explained, looking absolutely stunned. Ken blinked.
" Okay then....." Julia stood up, and made sure that Miyako's palm couldn't be seen.
" Make sure no one can see her hand until I come back. I'll bring the Dragons, I have to contact Gabriel. Oh, and Kurai, make sure she alright. Guard her." Julia leapt into the air, and disappeared. Ken's jaw hung open.
" How did she know my real name?" He murmered, staring at the air. Kari blinked.
" Your name is Kurai?" She asked, still beside Miyako. Ken nodded.
" Yes. I was wondering why everyone was calling me Ken. Oh well, continue calling me that if it's a habit." He said, smiling a little bit. Miyako suddenly cried out in pain, her hand tightening, taking grass and ground with them. Her teeth were clenched, screaming through them. Ken leapt to her side, placing his hand on her shoulder.
" Miyako, we know it hurts, just bare with it, the medicine is starting to work! Scream as much as you want." Miyako screamed again, the veins on her hand appearing like something would burst out. Suddenly, it all stopped. Miyako dropped back down, her veins returning to normal. But, Ken could see something bluish inside of her forearms.
" So, the child truely is a Cosmos." Came a deep voice from behind them all. Ken turned around, and stared. A dark skinned man in a white robe was floating behind them all, holding a staff that had a large crystal on it. He had a short, dark beard and brown eyes. Ken was in awe. A yellowish aura was surrounding him.
" My name is Anon. I control life alongside Julia and Serena. I am the healer. She has been hit by the venom of the Spider Queen. I shall heal her on one condition: You defeat the Kaiser without killing young Arctica, his sister. She is basically a hostage. She controls Ice, but the Kaiser is going to take her magic power away and turn it into death magic. Make sure she is not killed, or the battle will change infinitely." Everyone nodded, thinking of what would happen if they failed Miyako. Anon kneeled beside Miyako, and hovered his hand over her. She started to glow with bright light, and in about a minute, her eyes fluttered open, and she was able to look around. Anon stood up again, and Miyako was able to sit up.
" What happened?" She asked, standing up. " All I remember was passing out." Anon smiled.
" I healed you. Without the healing, you would have died of pain and suffering. You are a Cosmos, able to master what any other magic cannot. What Life, Death, Fire, Water, Air and Earth do not cover, Cosmos embraces and glorifies. We must train you to fight Kaiser with Life magic, and defend with Death magic, so at least one of you is immortal to him." Anon explained, placing a hand on Miyako's shoulder. She nodded.
" Okay, I think I can understand that......" She replied, still thinking of, How am I supposed to do that? Ken stood beside Miyako, and watched as Anon disappeared.
" Gabriel and Julia will explain, but remember: Do not harm Arctica!" He called as he disappeared. Miyako blinked.
" Okay........... I'm a little freaked out here. What's it got to do with this Cosmos thing? Okay, I know it's something about magic, but who's this Arctica, and what did I hear about Kaiser and Death?" Miyako asked, trying to puzzle it all out, sitting down, staring at her palm.
" Dear child, you are so impatient, you must learn to wait for answers before trying to figure them out yourself, or you might get it wrong." Came a voice that seemed to be beaming with knowledge. Julia appeared with another guy, who was much older. He had a long white beard, and was going bald at the top of his head, which had no hair on it. He had big blue eyes and small lips. He was wearing a long purple robe with stars on it, along with some tiny little shoes. He had a wooden staff with a blue crystal on top of it. He smiled.
" Who are you?" Kari asked, sitting down beside Miyako.
" My name is Gabriel, dear Light, and I'm hear to teach you all to harness your magic spheres. There's only 6 people here who are magically inclined. Sorry, you 2 older fellows, but don't worry, you can stay as long as you'd like. We shall need all the help we can get." Agumon's lifted his head a bit.
" What about us Digimon?" He asked. Gabriel chuckled a little bit.
" Of course! You Digimon are all gifted with special abilities. Digimon are the living magic of this world. Without you Digimon, there would be no magic in this world, and it wouldn't be called the Digital World. Anyhow, Julia, could you help me locate what kind of magic they have?" Julia pulled out a huge book, about Tai's hair in thickness. She sat down with it in her lap.
" Maybe we should start organizing and categorizing the information in this book. It's too heavy to lug around, Gabriel." Gabriel laughed.
" Maybe you are right. But first, we must find the magic. We can already understand that Miyako happens to be a Cosmos. Check Light." Julia opened the book.
" Okay, Light, I supposing you are Life, am I correct?" Kari shrugged.
" Probably. I mean, I can hold this fire without burning." Julia smiled.
" Yes, she's Life. I'll train her personally. Now, let's check on........ Iori?" Cody nodded.
" Yes?" Julia smiled.
" Okay. When you get really angry, does the ground always seem to kind of, well, grow on you?" Cody nodded.
" Yes, then it's hard to move after that." Julia flipped the page.
" You are Earth. Now, how about Davis?" Davis smirked.
" That's me." Julia flipped a couple of pages.
" When you get really sad or depressed, does it always seem to rain, or become damp?" Davis nodded.
" Yup. And that's not very often." Julia laughed.
" No wonder we haven't been getting as much rain...... Okay, Takeru?" Takeru raised his hand, and sat down with everyone else. Everyone was sitting cross-legged.
" When you are forced into a cold climate, is it easier to move, and do you seem to find it a good temperature?" Takeru blinked.
" How'd you know?" Julia rolled her eyes.
" He's air. And that leaves Kurai....... He's either Fire or Death. When you are extremely infuriated, when you touch something flammable, does it ignite?" Ken nodded.
" Yes. Also, if I think about it too much, things set on fire, and people start warring and fighting over nothing." He answered, remembering all the people fighting. Julia nodded.
" I think he's more of a Fire and Chaos mix, but no one can really be sure. Okay, I'll call on the Wizards to train them. Hikari, I'm training you personally, while Gabriel will teach Miyako. I'll call on Tempest to train Takeru, and Fangir to train Iori. I'll get Marinus the Jolly to train Daisuke. He's a pretty easy going guy, don't worry. Now, I'm not sure who should train Kurai: Yaka, the Orc Fire God, or Karrisa, the Tigran Fire Kaiserin. Gabriel?" Gabriel sighed.
" This is a tough one. Both Fire protectors are hostile, but I believe that Karrisa seems to have more intellect and less barbarianism when it comes to the Fire sphere. We'll also tell her to come in full armor, not just what she wears." Julia laughed.
" Yup. Now, I believe that Kaiser is somehow training from Meandor, or Nekron, because Arachna is hostile to everyone. Kurai, I must warn you of one thing: Karrisa is an extremely powerful Fire Wizard. Yaka the Fire God has nothing on her. Be careful: Everything will be observed, but her training methods are tough. The First day, people usually have to be able to set a building on fire with no highly flammable material. And For Takeru: The Tempest is very tough on humans. Do not insult the Draconians, but praise them and watch in awe as they fight. If you insult them some how, your going to be mincemeat." Takeru and Ken gulped, standing up with everyone else.
" Oh, and remember: Embrace your power like a loved one, and use it as a weapon and a healer. Miyako, come with me, and I shall show you a Cosmos Node. If you own it, then you draw from it's mana power......." Gabriel and Miyako walked off into the bright woods, Gabriel explaining the power of Nodes and Mana, while Julia had disappeared. Ken sighed.
" Man, I guess we're in for it." Takeru nodded.
" Those Draconians sound really cool. I hope I don't insult them. This is a little freaky, actually. I never knew any of us were magical, except for Kari, but that's it!" He exclaimed, gulping at what would happen to him if he insulted the Draconians. A great laugh came from no where at all, and a tall figure in a light blue robe appeared. He had long white hair, a long white beard, and a crown, with a staff that had a great white sphere on top of it.
" Do not worry: The Draconians do not mind humans as much as I do. They seem to like them, as long as you don't bad mouth them or their homes. I am Tempest. I control the sphere of Air, and I shall teach you to master your powers to their maximum ability. Come with me." Takeru followed the Tempest, waving to the others. They then disappeared. The ground shook a little bit, and it opened up a little bit, a small dwarven sized man with no hair and a big beard popped out, the ground closing up. He was about Cody's size.
" Well, good day to you all. I am Fangir, Wizard of Earth. Now, I'm here to teach Iori about his abilities?" Cody nodded, and stepped forward. They lowered into the Earth, right into a huge tunnel system. Out of the Water, a little guy appeared. He had a big smile, a hat, a some really fancy clothes for a guy his size. After all, he was a Halfling. He smiled brightly.
" Jolly good day to you all! I'm here to pick up Daisuke?" Davis walked forward, looking down at his knew mentor.
" Hi." He said simply, smiling a little. Marinus started walking into the woods.
" Hurry up, lad, we don't have to long. First, let's see how well you do." He said as he hopped along. Davis followed, enjoying the talkative nature of this little creature. That left Kari, and Ken. Julia returned, smiling, the book gone.
" I just had to return the book. Okay, everyone is going to meet at the Circle of Evermore to train. Karrisa should show up soon....." A large column of flame appeared in the air, and when it disappeared, a woman was floating there, staring down at them all. She landed on 2 feet, the grass around her seeming to wilt in the intense heat.
" Hello, Julia, nice to see you again. " The woman said, turning to Julia. She had large shoulder pads with a long red cape drooping down from it. She had chest armor that was golden, along with an armored skirt and a red skirt underneath. Her face was quite beautiful, and she had long, flaming red hair, with knee high boots and flat bottoms to the boots. She had gloved hands, and a large broadsword on her hip. Her eyes were a deep, dark red. Julia smiled.
" You too, Karrisa. I hear from my Elves that you've increased your population and crops." Karrisa nodded.
" Yes. The Tigrans are quite happy. We're also doing trade business with the Elves. Anyhow, I'm supposed to train Kurai, correct?" Julia pointed to Ken.
" Yup. He's a Fire, and we're going to wage a massive war on the Kaiser of Death. We need to stop him from killing young Arctica. Poor girl. Anyway, just, try not to hurt him to badly. We'll all meet at the Circle of Evermore in exactly 1 moon. Bye." Julia and Kari walked off, Ken giving Kari a glance that said: See you there, if I'm in one piece. Kari nodded, and smiled a little bit, walking off with Julia into the woods. Ken and Karrisa were quickly surrounded by a flame, and they disappeared, Ken in shock.
When Ken and Karrisa landed, they were in a beautifully decorated hall room, many carvings and statues of great cats and cat people. They walked down the marble hall, their footsteps echoing the the long hall.
" It's really nicely decorated......" Ken mused, looking around. Karrisa laughed.
" The Tigrans love art. All are welcome to main hall to view the art, but art is all around our cities. I keep a close eye on everything by walking the streets and talking to the Tigrans. Our production rate is good because mostly everyone loves our city. And the ones who don't are the frosty and bitter ones that can't even look at someone without scowling." Karrisa explained as she pushed open a large marble door somehow. They walked in the room, and the first thing Ken noticed was the many Tigrans of different ages reading books and scrolls, sharing and talking quietly.
Just for the reader's information, a Tigran was a half human half tiger creature who lives in the desert. They have the head of a Tiger, the paws, and the ferocity in battle. They live much like the Egyptians, only much more civilized and intelligent. Karrisa smiled.
" This is our library of the main building. There's another one downtown, but people just rent books from there. This is like a study hall. Now, let's see if I can find my old Fire book...... I'll ask Jasfar." Karrisa led Ken to the front desk, where a Tigran was sitting. He looked a little old, with a headset like an Egyptian on. He looked up from reading a book on Spiders.
" Ah, Karrisa, it is nice to see you again. And who might this be?" He asked in a soft and intriguing voice, leaning over the desk a little to peer closer at Ken. Karrisa pushed Ken a little further to Jasfar, so he could see.
" This is Kurai, or Ken. He's a Fire Sphere, and I'm looking for an old Fire spell book." Jasfar smiled wide.
" Well, that's easy. I'll get young Tanaris to get it for you. Tanaris!" He called. A young Tigran walked over to them, holding the book of wise tales.
" Yes, Jasfar?" He asked. He looked about Ken's age, for some reason. Jasfar smiled.
" Fetch the Book of Fire for Karrisa and Kurai, please. Then, you can go play." Tanaris smiled wide, but kept his excitement of fetching something for the main master to himself. He grabbed the book off the top shelf, and then handed it to Karrisa.
" Here you go, Miss." Karrisa smiled.
" Thank you. Okay, how about you do me a favor? Show Kurai the city, give him a tour of sorts. I'll be needing your assistance for his training. Meanwhile, I'm going to look up some level one spells. Jasfar, would you be so kind as to help me?" Jasfar nodded, and Karrisa sat down beside him, and they started to look through the book. Tanaris and Ken left the library into the main hall.
" My name is Tanaris. What's yours, I didn't really catch it...." Ken chuckled a little.
" My name's Kurai, or for short, Ken. Either one, I'll listen to." Tanaris nodded.
" Okay, that makes it easier. Now, I'm supposed to give you a tour. I think Lord Karrisa told you all about this area, huh." Ken nodded.
" It's the main hall, right?" Tanaris nodded.
" You can get to any area of the palace from this hall. Everyone is free to use the palace for shelter, or protection from raiders, but that doesn't happen very often, so usually people use the library or the gallery areas. Here, I'll show you the gallery room, it's really neat!" Ken followed the energetic Tanaris into a huge room, full of carvings, paintings, and sculptures. Ken was in awe.
" Wow. This is amazing...." Tanaris nodded.
" We love art, so we place it in galleries around the whole city! We're really proud of it all." Ken nodded.
" It's truely amazing....." Tanaris then led Ken outside, into the hot desert climate. It was a bustling city, everyone was moving, chatting, and most people were smiling, other then the ones who were miserable all the time. Ken awed, but still wiped sweat off of his forehead.
" It's hot outside, but it's better then being cold! Sometimes Karzen let's me take care of the Tigers and stuff! Here, I'll show you!" Tanaris pulled Ken to the stable. Not an ordinary stable, but a Tiger stable. There were about 10 Tigers, and they all had names. They were: Comet, Nikki, Anna, Donna, Karthon, Al, John, Don, Dale and Roar. Ken felt a little nervous, because all the Tigers were staring at him.
" Karzen! It's me, Tanaris!" A big Tigran came from around the stable, and walked over to them. He had a satchel of water on his belt, and come head armor.
" Hiya, Kiddo! So, you brought a friend?" He asked, eyeing Ken, and not being prejudice because he was human. Ken smiled a little bit, still nervous. Tanaris nodded.
" This is Kurai! I'm giving him a tour of the city! Lord Karrisa told me too. I figured, maybe we could give the Tigers some exercise, and have a tour on Tigerback!" Karzen laughed.
" Okay, sure. Let Kurai take Nikki. She's the nicest one. You should take Anna." Tanaris nodded, and dragged Ken to the stalls.
" Now, all you have to do, is get on the saddle. Nikki follows Anna where ever she goes, because she's her bigger sister. I'll just bring us around Town. Is that okay?" Ken nodded.
" Okay, so all I do is hold on......" Ken froze as Tanaris let Nikki and Anna out of their stalls. Tanaris quickly got the saddle ready on both Tigers, and showed Ken how to mount. When Ken was up, he mounted his, and took off, Anna and Ken following beside. Ken was a little nervous about riding a Tiger, but soon fell completely into what Tanaris was saying about the city. Once they had toured the whole city{ Which took a while...} They brought the 2 Tigers back to the stable. Karzen helped them fix the Tigers, and the 2 kids walked back to the Palace. Karrisa was waiting, yawning a bit.
" So, did you cover the whole city?" She asked, walking with the 2 boys.
" Yes, we did. We covered most of it on Tigerback." Karrisa laughed.
" Good job, Tanaris. I'm sure you 2 will become great friends. Now, Kurai, I need to teach you how to set things on fire. Tanaris, I may need your help. Okay, follow me to the proofed room." Ken and Tanaris followed Karrisa into a medium sized room, with a jackal statue in the middle.
" Okay, Ken, this is focus training. I want you to light the candle in the jackal's head. Think about it, and then use your powers to make it ignite." Ken nodded, and then focused on the small candle wick. He cleared his mind: All that was there was the black wick. He narrowed his eyes, and clenched his left hand, moving his right hand to eye level. He clenched his hand into a fist and moved it so that the wrist was facing up to the roof. The candle was ignited, and 2 more jackals appeared, on either side of the lit one.
" Good work, Kurai!" Tanaris praised, staring at the lit jackal. Ken wiped some sweat of his forehead.
" Remind me to find some way to cool down." Karrisa laughed, and then with the snap of her fingers, the fire was gone.
" Your right, it is hot, but this is the desert land. Anyway, here's the next test: There is a heat source in this room that we are drawing from. Now, it's in one of these jackals. Locate it, and tell me which one it is." Ken nodded, and focused on all three jackals. But, he wasn't seeing right. Ken thought for a moment, and rolled his eyes back into his head, only focusing on the energy. He saw a flash of cold blue, a yellow, and a burning red. It was the last jackal to the left.
" The last Jackal to the left is burning hot, while the middle is cold. The one to the right is warm." Karrisa nodded.
" You are correct. The Left one has the Fire node inside of it's head. We draw from the Fire node. Believe me, it's pretty amazing how much power we get from the Nodes. It's really complicated, so I'll cut it short: When you own a Fire node, for you, you take in double the magic ability. For anyone else, they just take normal, and for some person with the sphere of water, the node would be practically useless. Okay, I'm going to teach you both how to scale with no troubles. Part of being a Fire lord, or just plain a Tigran, is to be able to scale or leap clear over walls. Okay, we'll start with leaping....."
After about 4 hours of scaling, leaping, and running laps, Karrisa sent Tanaris and Ken to the tower to look out over the land. That's also were they would sleep, because 2 beds were already in the tower, and the moon shone brightly into the tower. Ken and Tanaris were exhausted. Karrisa was a tough trainer.
" Man, that was tough. At least we did what she said, or we would've been barbequed!" Tanaris exclaimed, looking over the City of Tigris. Ken nodded.
" Yeah. Oh well, I'm ready to get some shut eye. Tomorrow, would you come with me and Karrisa to the Circle of Evermore?" He asked, sitting on his bed. Tanaris smiled a fanged smile.
" Sure, I'd love to! I want to see the world other then Tigris, you know? All I know is desert. What I really want to do is go to a forest or a tropical place, were the Tigers are a little more adapted to water, and it's easier to live. We love the desert, don't get me wrong, but I'm an explorer, mostly. How 'bout you?" Ken sighed, laying down on his bed.
" I'm not sure. I guess I'm a adventurous. I can't really be sure, but I do want to stop Kaiser, and get my little Digimon back. His name is Wormmon, and he's trapped with Kaiser, along with some girl named Arctica. Also, by the time the training is done, Miyako will be the only one fighting who is immune to Kaiser's death attacks. She's a Cosmos. Kari is Life, Davis is Water, and Takeru is air. Cody, the one who's always got this thing for me, I dunno, he's really mean to me all the time, no matter what I do. Anyway, he's Earth, and I'm the Fire. Well, see you in the morning, Tanaris." Tanaris laid down in bed, and fell asleep.
" Same to you, my new friend, same to you......"
In the morning, Ken was awoken by Tanaris shaking him.
" Kurai! Wake up, it's time to go to then Circle! Karrisa is letting me go! Wake up, buddy, wake up!" Ken groaned, and sat up, looking like a drone. Tanaris laughed, and practically dragged Ken to the main hall. Tanaris took a satchel of water, and splashed some on Ken's face, waking Ken up fully. Karrisa laughed, appearing in a puff of smoke.
" You boys.......... Anyway, we're leaving now. Ready, set....." POOF! And they were gone. They reappeared in a huge, beautiful room. Miyako and Gabriel were sitting there, Miyako watching a little blue person fly around.
" Hey, Ken!" She waved, and ran over to Ken, smiling. She looked like she was feeling a lot better.
" Hi, Miyako. Are you feeling any better?" He asked, waving Tanaris a little closer. Miyako nodded.
" Yup. I don't feel sick, my leg doesn't hurt too badly, and the burn on my hand only left something like a tattoo. The black stuff kinda, well, just fell off for some reason, I don't really know what happened..... Who's that?" Miyako asked, smiling at Tanaris. Tanaris blushed a Tiger blush.
" That's Tanaris. I met him in Tigris, and we became friends. I wanted to bring him here." Tanaris stepped forward.
" Hi! I'm Tanaris, what's your name?" He asked. Miyako giggled a little.
" My name's Miyako. So, what'd you guys have to do? Like, training, I mean." Tanaris and Ken laughed.
" I had to light a candle in a Jackal statue head, and find which Jackal statue had a Fire node in it. Then, Tanaris and I spent 4 ours leaping over high walls, climbing walls quickly, and leaping down from things. My ankles are a little sore from that, and my wrists. Then, we slept on straw mattresses in the Wizard's Tower. And you?" Miyako opened her palm, and the little blue spirit popped into her hand, looking like a Thumbelina male, but with little pointy ears, and there was practically no face. It was all a teal blue, with little indentations for facial expressions.
" Summoning. I summoned this little Magic Servant, and I learned about all the Nodes I can draw from. Also, I had to learn a little bit a archery. My fingers are hurting now." Ken smiled.
" Cool. I wonder when the others will get here?" POP! In an instant, Marinus and Davis literally popped out of the air, laughing in glee. Davis practically danced over to the little group.
" Jolly good day, chaps! So, what did you have to do? I had to learn how to dance, sing, and learn about nodes, along with making liquid into toxins!" He exclaimed, still dancing around. They all explained what they had to do in turn. Davis laughed, still dancing.
" Wow, that must be a little difficult! Oh well! Let us all be merry in this little world of ours, Hm Hm?" Ken blinked, and they watched as Davis danced around with Veemon, laughing in utter glee.
" I have never seen someone that happy in my life......" He murmered, laughing a bit to himself. Slowly, as a cloud of air froze, Takeru and Tempest slowly appeared, and Takeru literally ran over to the group, some ice hanging off of his hair.
" I'm so glad to see you guys! I learned about the nodes, and how to control air temperatures, along with how to dodge a Draconian lunging at you with an AXE!" He exclaimed, shivering. Then, his face turned to surprise as Davis and Veemon danced by, singing la, la, la.
" Don't even ask. I think he went nuts." Ken stated, crossing his arms in front of him. Takeru nodded.
" Ah, I see. Well, I don't know about you guys, but it feels really hot in here..... Well, compared to where I was...." Tanaris laughed.
" Actually, I find it refreshing. At least it's not 60 degrees in here, plus humidity, plus the sun, and hot sand. Eh, Ken?" Ken nodded immediately.
" Yeah, it was pretty hot in the desert....." He chuckled, remembering the thousands of times in one day that he was forced to wipe sweat of his forehead because it was leaking into his eyes. With a burst of Light, Julia and Kari materialized, more pretty and glorious then ever before. Kari was looking like Julia, only with bright gold armor instead of silver. She smiled.
" Hi, everyone!" She said, bounding over to them. She stopped and stared as Davis danced around, still singing the la song.
" Don't ask...." Everyone said. Kari sweat dropped.
" I don't think I will......" Fangir and Cody rose from the ground, and walked in, looking as serious as ever. What's new? I mean, REALLY? WHEN DO THEY EVER SMILE!?!!?!? Ehem, sorry........ Gabriel smiled.
" Now that we are all present, we must discuss a matter. Arctica must be saved, or she will be the scapegoat for the Kaiser once we go to raid him. The only way to do that, is to defeat Kaiser himself. We must start training, and in one month, we shall meet back in this place, so that their spheres can be initiated. Remember, we only have one month, so train hard." Gabriel was cut off by a loud shout by a small Magic Servant.
" It's Kaiser!!!!" He shouted, leaping into Miyako's vest pocket, peeking it's little head out. Everyone looked out. In a black blur, the Kaiser entered the Circle of Evermore.
" It's so nice that I'm welcome here, eh? Nice to see you all again, but I am only here to deliver a message, and maybe a death." Kaiser eyed Ken, who was staring dangerously. Hands behind her back, Karrisa was charging a small, powerful, yet unnoticeable and impossible to sense fireball. Julia growled.
" You are not welcome in the Circle, you foul creature. Leave now, or we shall use you to feed the trees of Holiness....." Kaiser laughed.
" You think you can stop me? Hah! Remember, you are not immune to my attacks, and as long as I have the Golden Ring, I am immune to you." Ken looked down at his finger. The Jade ring. Gold ring. Jade Ring. Holy Immunity. Death Immunity. Ken let out a long laugh, making them all a little nervous.
" And as long as I own the Jade Ring, I am Immune to you...." He laughed again, placing his hand in front of him, showing of the ring. Kaiser laughed.
" Let's just check on that...." Kaiser threw a death ray at Ken's ring. It bounced back and slammed Kaiser straight in the chin. He gasped.
" You little rat! I'll get you for that...." Kaiser lunged at Julia, ready to strike out with Death energy. Karrisa let her fireball rip, plowing Kaiser in the side of the head, all the way out of the Circle's platform high above the clouds, making the Kaiser plummet down. He regained his powers about 5 seconds to the ground, and was able to fly away, shouting at them.
" I'LL GET YOU!!!!!!!" He shouted at Ken, disappearing. Karrisa smiled.
" Not as long as we're around. Is everyone alright?" Julia nodded, blinking.
" That was a close call. Thanks." Karrisa nodded.
" No problem. Now, one month, here. Everyone be able to summon something, fire beams and stuff, and find someway to be physically capable of fighting with melee and long ranged. Dismissed." She said briskly. Even Davis was aware this time. They all disappeared, except for Miyako, Ken, Tanaris, Karrisa and Gabriel.
" Gabriel, I wish to speak to you about their training." She asked, walking down a hall with Gabriel. They started to speak, but the 3 people had no idea what they were saying. The Magic Servant popped out of his hiding place in Miyako's pocket, and rested on her shoulder.
" He's gone, wight?" He asked in a cute little voice. Hawkmon nodded.
" Yes, he's gone. Do not worry, little one, as long as we are around, you shall not be harmed." Tanaris sighed.
" Wow. That was freaky. I can't believe you shot his attack back at him! The bemused look on his face will amuse me for years and years to come." He stated, nodding to his point. Ken laughed.
" Yup. In knew when I swiped this ring, it would be useful!" Ken exclaimed, staring at the ring. Tanaris nodded.
" I'm not really a thief, so I don't think I can help. But, maybe we should bring it up to Lord Karrisa! More training and stuff, you know?" Ken smiled and nodded.
" That is a good idea. I hope everything goes right, I'm not really in the mood for the end of the world or anything...." Miyako laughed, sitting down on a chair.
" I'll say. You know what's funny? When I was training on summoning, the room we were in had all these different Nodes in them, one for each element, plus Cosmos. But, there was also another one: It looked like air and Water put together. I wasn't too sure if I should have asked..." She said, thinking back. Ken nodded.
" Maybe you should have. Who knows?" A loud bang went off in the hall where Karrisa and Gabriel were walking. The 3 people took off for the hall, and slammed through the doors, running as fast as they could. Smoke was coming from a room. Karrisa and Gabriel stumbled out of the room, coughing and gagging, covered in smog. Karrisa looked mad.
" Gabriel, next time you think you have a new potion for figuring out my mom's cookie recipe, you tell me first! Then, you can blow stuff up all you want!" Karrisa was wiping smog and black stuff off her face. Gabriel laughed.
" Okay. I just really want to know how to make those cookies!" He exclaimed, pointing a finger in the air. " And I shall not stop until I do!" Karrisa rolled her eyes.
" Why don't you just ask her?" Gabriel froze.
" That too." Karrisa started to laugh a little bit, but then stopped and coughed up some smog.
" Yick. Anyway, I am not cleaning that up. You made the potion, you clean it up!" Gabriel snapped his fingers, and the room was clean.
" Sure, okay." Karrisa shook her head, sighing.
" You know, eventually our magic supply will run short, you know that, eh?" Gabriel nodded.
" Yes, but that will not happen for thousands of years. Oh, hello children. I was just showing Karrisa the potion for cookies."
" And failing miserably." She stated, crossing her arms in front of her. Ken blinked.
" We thought something was attacking." Gabriel laughed.
" Nothing other then Wizards and magic people can survive the pressure of the air up here. Anyone else other then certain races, such as the Tigrans, cannot enter the Circle of Evermore. Anyway, you should all get back to training. Come, Miyako, let's see how well you do with individual spells." Miyako waved goodbye to the 2 boys, and walked off with Gabriel, the little Magic Servant sitting on her shoulder, waving bye to them. Ken smiled, walking off with Tanaris and Karrisa.
When they landed in Tigris, the city was under siege.
" Now you can see how a real wizard fights, kiddo." Karrisa launched herself into the air, high above everyone else. It was the Raiders, born of Goblin decent. She roared a petrifying roar, and all the Raiders looked up, fear in their eyes. Underneath them, the ground shook like a rock, lava bursting out, scorching the Raiders. The few that survived cried out in pain as the Tigers attacked them, tearing them to pieces. Tanaris and Ken watched it all from the tower, stunned at how vicious she was. Karrisa landed, and any signs of fighting disappeared. Karrisa let out a bellowing command.
" Everyone helps! We need a wall of Sandstone up as quickly as possible! Fast, move, move, move!" She commanded, pointing to everyone. The city swarmed, everyone starting to build the sandstone. Tanaris and Ken ran down from the tower, and asked Karzen what to do.
" I want you to help that group of Tigrans over there lift and secure that sandstone wall over there." They nodded, and took off to the small group who was struggling with the heavy sandstone. Tanaris and Ken heaved and pushed as hard as they could, and soon, the wall was secure in the dug out hole for it. Ken scaled it quickly, he and Tanaris securing the wall and attaching it to other pieces. Once the last piece was done and ready, the gates were installed, and it was ready to defend.
Everyone whooped and cheered, the wall finally up. After that, everyone drank water to cool down, and returned to their regular work. Tanaris and Ken, however, had more training to do. They had to install a Tower Guard, along with another Tigran that they really didn't like.
" Okay, you all work together, and secure the Tower Guard. Don't get him mad." They nodded, and walked up the Wizards tower, to the very top, and started to work on the massive Guard. The other Tigran seemed to be pushing Ken around a lot, but he wasn't going to retaliate in any way. When it was done, they started to walk back down, and just in the view of Karrisa { Not to the Tigran's observation} The Tigran shoved Ken hard into the sandstone wall. Flames picked up the Tigran, and he was shocked at Karrisa's frown.
" Picking on the human, eh? Bad Idea. I had no idea that you were prejudice, young Dalem. I think you should be the one to scrub the Wizard Tower's floors with a tooth brush..... Hey, that is a good idea...... Nah, then I would look bad. Get out of my site before I change my mind...." The Tigran dashed out of sight, taking head to her demonic words. Ken blinked.
" Geez, that was weird. I guess all Tigrans aren't as friendly as Tanaris, are they?" Karrisa shook her head.
" No, unfortunately not. Oh, there is one more thing I want you 2 boys to do for me: Go to the palace, and go down the forbidden stairs. Show this Fire Sphere to the guard, and tell him the password....." Karrisa whispered a password into their ears, and then back up.
" When you get into the room, go to the middle pedestal. Place the Sphere in the middle, and then wait for me. Now go." They nodded, and took off to the palace, The fire sphere safely tucked in Ken's shirt. When they made it to the palace, the forbidden stairway was open. They walked down it, and the door closed behind them. Ken took the Fire sphere out of his shirt. It was the only light source available. The walked quietly, pretty spooked out by the stunning quietness. They got to a set of doors, and a spirit dropped down, scaring the living hell out of both boys. They slapped their hands on each others mouths, trying not to scream.
" Password." It said simply, in a haunting voice. Ken showed the Fire Sphere.
" Kurai and Tanaris, Password: Great Tigran Lord." The Doors swung open, and the Spirit was gone. They went through, and the doors slammed behind them, making them both jump a little. It was dark, and it would be hard to find the pedestal. They stuck close together, the darkness a little much. Too bad Ken looked up. He shook a little, staring up wards. Tanaris looked up, and they both hit the floor and screamed. Spirits, ghosts, whatever you want to call them were floating in a large circle above. Ken found the pedestal quick and placed the Fire Sphere on it. The room lit up, and the Spirits were gone. They got up from the ground, eyes wide.
" What was that?" Tanaris asked, freaked out. Ken shook his head.
" I don't know...... Well, let's wait for Karrisa....... Geez, I didn't know how freaky it was in here when it's dark....." Tanaris nodded.
" Yeah. But, how come they were all floating above the pedestal? Maybe they were somehow linked to the sphere of Fire!" He guessed, pointing to the glowing sphere. Ken nodded.
" Maybe." Out of nowhere, a small Phoenix rose from the Fire Sphere, and stared down at Ken and Tanaris, who were both too stunned to move.
" Where did it come from?" Ken asked. Tanaris gulped.
" From the Fire Sphere. I was right....." He murmered, watching the Phoenix perch on the Fire Sphere.
" I see you have found young Spark......" Karrisa stated, appearing behind them. Ken and Tanaris whirled around, looking up at Karrisa.
" How? What? Huh?" They tried, not being able to get any coherent words out. Karrisa laughed.
" Don't worry. He's yours. Spark will listen to you as long as you treat him nicely. His tears are a healing item. Phoenixes are immortal, like an Elf. They live forever, and are reborn out of the ashes. You two share him. The Spirits were all the race's leaders that have fallen victim to the blood and gore of the Death Node. They are in here because they cannot go anywhere else, and will not cooperate with Nekron, Meandor, or Kaiser. It's actually pretty sad if you think about it...." Ken nodded.
" Yeah, it really is......" Karrisa let Spark land on her arm, and then lowered her arm to Ken's shoulder. It hopped on to his shoulder. Ken blinked.
" Kurai, that's pretty cool. But, what do we feed him?" Karrisa laughed.
" Spark seems to like peas. I don't know why, but he likes peas, corn, and ashes. Try to balance it all out. Well, I'm going to take the Fire Sphere back to the main Wizard Tower. You guys are going to spend the night with the Spirits. See you in the morning." Tanaris and Ken looked completely shocked, which they were. Even Spark seemed a little afraid. Karrisa took the sphere off the pedestal, and walked out the door. The Spirits returned, moaning, still circling. Ken and Tanaris gulped, and hide near the pedestal, freaked out.
Karrisa walked up the stairs, snickering to herself.
" Those guys, they need some toughening up anyhow. I wonder how long they'll make it before Sir Gilliganal starts talking to them....." She laughed out loud to herself, placing the Fire Sphere in the tower, and going to sleep, the whole city falling into silence.
Meanwhile, Ken and Tanaris couldn't sleep at all, because the Spirits moaning was just to much, so to ease the tension, Tanaris started to talk.
" What's it like in that other world?" He asked, trying not to look up at the ceiling. The Spirits seemed to be listening.
" Well, there are cars. They move around and work on gas, but it pollutes the air. We have street lights that go on at night, um, big houses of brick and stone that go really high. Um, everyone is human in that world, so the whole planet is with us and animals. We have rain forests, oceans, lakes, rivers, all kinds of things! But, I've technically been missing for 3 years because of Kaiser, since I was 8. That's when my brother Sam died, and when I got to the Digiworld, I got captured. When I broke out, I stole this Jade Ring from him, and I fought him. I was sent flying into the air, and my friends helped me get back on my feet. Now I want to end Kaiser's reign, then destroy him." Ken said bitterly, remembering all the pain that was caused. Tanaris nodded.
" It sounds weird. I think I'll stick with my world...." Ken laughed with Tanaris, but stopped as they heard a large amount of group laughing. The Spirits were laughing, smiling and everything. Ken blinked.
" Hey, I think they won't hurt us! Say something funny!" Ken stated, smiling. Tanaris started dancing around.
" La, La, La, La, Dum de dum de dum, do de do de do...." The room cracked up, watching Tanaris dancing. Ken joined in, and soon the Spirits were dancing around, singing the same song. They were all laughing. Finally, Ken and Tanaris were able to fall asleep, the Spirits falling asleep happily.
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ELP: That was long. I had a lot of time to write while my internet was busted.
Sammy: R&R!