In the deep, deep blackness, the blackness of the void, 'neath the parched, thirsting lands where no thing remains free. The Dark Lord was, for the first time in a long while, in a good mood. He was in his favourite chamber again, looking at the beast that would win him his worlds - along with the Digidestined he was bound to catch eventually. Though he would never have admitted it, those kids in this world had been beginning to worry him. But the last he had seen of them, they had been dead at sea. Ha, there were none left to oppose him now, and even if there were, his army was stronger than ever.

Chapter 10 - The Beast

It was not completely dark. The light of one Gloflymon, dangling from the ceiling in a crystal prison, faintly illuminated the room. It was small - a few square metres at most - and was rocky and uneven. On one wall was a heavy, barred door; on the other various sets of chains and manacles hung from the wall. It was, in every way, clearly a dungeon of the Dark Lord.
Tai opened one eye. It didn't hurt much, so he opened the other. Hmm. A lot of rock. He blinked. The skin on his chest hurt tremendously. Somehow he felt slightly. different. Oh, but maybe that was it - he was lying on his back. Slowly, for he was stiff and bruised, he eased himself into a sitting position. Something clinked behind him; he felt around his neck and there, sure enough, was a metal loop fixed - on quite a short chain too, he noted indignantly - to the wall. His fingers felt big and clumsy, but then he supposed he had been through the wars of late. Then he happened to glance down at his hand.
It was orange. It was huge. Three enormous claws protruded from his fingers - the skin was tough and slightly scaly. He knew that hand well enough, but certainly wasn't used to it belonging to him. Memories came rushing back, so thick and fast that he could not concentrate on any particular one. Pinned. bruised.angry, let me fight! Monsters all around. a reptilian roar. and then all he knew was the shining gemstone. "A pathetic result," a voice growled. He wanted to scream, so terrible was the sound of that voice. Sibilant, gruff, soft but menacing; and right above him. "All you idiots have achieved is to switch the minds and bodies around. Do they look like one being?" A thud, and whine of pain. "Do they look more powerful in any way than before? The Crimson, you fools, the Crimson! A waste of a good Gem." A warm, almost hot bolt of energy as something was held over his chest. "However, I will keep it for record. and for entertainment. Take it below. Report to me immediately afterwards." At last, the deep, threatening voice was gone. a grunt of acknowledgement from something beside him, and he was back into oblivion.
Tai looked sadly at himself now. Yes, he remembered. They had voluntarily entered the Digital World, leaving no backup behind them. They were the test subjects the Dark Lord wanted. It had not worked out quite as the formula predicted - at least, he supposed, he was not a slave to the Dark Lord - but instead, he was in Agumon's digimon body, and Agumon... He peered into the gloom opposite him, and saw a boy with wild brown hair and a thoroughly tattered school uniform, barely recognisable as such. Himself. Or rather. "Agumon?" He said. His voice was young and high compared to what he had grown used to. Tentatively, he reached out and prodded the human with a long claw. Suddenly, Agumon was awake, yelling as he was woken up unexpectedly. Tai watched him look around nervously, calming down in the silence - until he caught sight of the digimon. "Agumon!" He cried. Then his brow creased. "But I'm Agumon." He clapped a hand to his mouth, only to remove it and stare at it. Pale-skinned, delicate fingers; no claws. Realisation - and probably memory - slowly dawned on his face. He looked at Tai. "So you're. Tai, right? In my body," he said. Tai nodded, an easy movement for such a large head on such a small neck. It was strange - it seemed like he was talking to himself. "At least you two get your own body, even if it's not the one you're used to," said a voice from the darkness. It was the strangest noise - like two people speaking in perfect unison, people Tai thought he knew. There was a soft clink of chain links, and a digimon stepped into the light.
It was vaguely dog-like, with a few major differences. Its back legs, though white as the rest of it, were feathered, ending in scaly bird- talons. It had huge, feathery ears and a tail like a rooster's. A few broad, purple stripes decorated its forelegs and back; one crossed its left eye roguishly. Four miniature wings sprouted from its shoulderblades - Tai doubted it could actually fly. "It's me," it said in its dual voice. Tai stared at it - or rather, him. "Matt?" He asked. "And me", the digimon said. Somehow, Matt and Gabumon were in the same body. And Tai had a feeling he was catching on to this. "Nabu? Thir? C'mon out, we're all freaks here." "Speak for yourself," Nabu's frank voice emerged a second before Caprimon did. "Caprimon, it's you!" Agumon said in delight. "But then, where's Nabu?" Caprimon raised a critical eyebrow. In answer to his query, she asked one of her own. "So, do you, like, have a name? Other than Gabumattmon, which I know is just too original." Tai gaped, a highly expressive gesture for such a big jaw. She spoke with Nabu's voice, making it quite clear what had happened. The Dark Gem's theory had worked. sort of. Megmon had digevolved, and Nabu had joined her.
The ice digimon stirred and provided an answer to her question. "Yes, I have a name. It's Feninermon. I made it up while I was waiting for someone to do something. Do you. what was that?" They all stared in silence with pricked ears. Just as Tai impatiently opened his mouth to speak again, they all heard a smooth hrrrissst as of metal sliding on smooth metal. It was coming from the only remaining dark corner. The gang exchanged glances - though it was probably Thir, Lyomon or both in some form or other, there was no telling what the Dark Lord might have created through them. For the first time so far, Tai felt more secure in his new body - now, although he was admittedly smaller, he had long claws, big teeth and a Pepperbreath attack. He stepped forward aggressively, looking much braver than he felt. A low growl issued from the gloom, and the dim light glittered over golden blades and white teeth. A pair of wild orange eyes lit up. and the creature sprang straight over Tai's head, landing squarely in the centre of the room, a chain at full stretch behind it. They had just enough time to see that it stood on its hind legs and came almost up to Agumon's human shoulder, before a solid beam of green leather came flying out of no-where and hit it full in the chest. Nabucaprimon had swung her tail; the new digimon went sailing back where it had come from. There was a thump, followed by another and a rattle of chains. They all stared. At length, it emitted a resentful noise between a growl and a whine. "Nabucaprimon, did you have to? You could at least have given me time to howl." It was a "she", with a growly voice at a high pitch, a voice highly reminiscent of Lyomon's. "Thir? Lyomon? Is that you?" Feninermon asked warily. The strange digimon was still muttering, though, and paid him no attention. "Give me bruises for weeks, that will. and there was I, tryin' to give 'em a nice surprise. calls herself me friend, hah! Worst enemy, more like. oh wait, that is what she calls herself." "Hey you, whoever you are! Come on out so we can see you!" Tai called, tired of all this. Nabucaprimon was sniggering quietly. There was a shuffling and a clinking, and the digimon finally stepped out.
Her hind legs (on which she stood) were large, with huge claws, and something like knee-pads designed for dogs with spikes at the back. A huge, fluffy brush of a tail swished behind her. Her face was like no animal Tai knew, but possibly similar to a panther cub's or ferret's, with fairly short ears trailing behind her. Grey fur covered most of her body, except for a creamy belly, nose, ear- and tail-tips; dark red stripes streaked across her face, back, forearms and legs, including three across her right eye. "The name's Slashmon," she said, holding up one hand. In it, and the other, she grasped sets of thin, golden blades which protruded between her fingers like metal claws. These, it seemed, were her namesake.
The impressive silence was broken by Nabucaprimon snorting with laughter. "Oh, and that's just so original, that is!" she giggled. Slashmon glared at her - she was ruining all the best bits. Hastily, Tai interjected. "So, if you're Slashmon. where are Thir and Lyomon? And where did you come from?" Slashmon gazed thoughtfully at her claws before answering. "I bin thinking about that. I kinda remember some bits, and I reckon I am what Lyomon and Thir became, like. I guess it's the closest the Dark Lord's come t' the effect he wanted - out of us four, anyways." She shivered at the memory of what had been said. "He was there," she said. "He was quite pleased with the result of the Gem. but he said I wuz too weak, and besides he wanted us under close observation, without Dark Gems - just t' see how powerful we was, an' how loyal, in our nat'ral state." Tai nodded - he remembered the voice saying something similar. But then there had been an interruption, and they were put down here temporarily. he frowned. They would have to move fast, if they were going to, before the Dark Lord moved them to keep a closer eye on them. "But what can we do?" He exclaimed out loud in frustration. "I don't even know if we can digevolve, and even if we could it's unlikely to work without our digivices and tags. I suppose I would need the crest of Courage to digevolve normally, but I don't know about you guys." "What is your Crest?" Feninermon asked Slashmon. "Freedom. Freedom an' Love," she said. She nodded pointedly at Nabucaprimon, who growled simply, "Independence, Sincerity." Tai wondered at this use of the Crest of Sincerity, for he had never seen or heard Nabu be remotely sincere; but he kept quiet. He and Feninermon felt left out, and not for the first time, with only one Crest apiece. There was a long, brooding silence as each individual became lost in their thoughts. At length, a determined scowl settled over Tai's dinosaur face. "This can't be the end. This isn't where our story trails off. We didn't even finish what we came to do." "All very well saying brave words, but do you actually have any bright ideas for getting us out?" Nabucaprimon, of course. They lapsed into another silence, this one shorter. It was broken by a soft clinking and clicking. Tai looked at Slashmon. She was using one of her long, thin metal claws to pick the lock on the chain around her neck. She winked at Feninermon as she did so, who scowled in reply. Matt had never been known for his sociability. Tai watched him carefully, and saw a slight smile spread across his face when Slashmon turned away again. Before long, the chain fell from her neck and clattered to the floor. "I've 'ad plenty o' practice wiv me spikes," she said, moving on to Feninermon. She meant her collars and wristbands, which often had complicated buckles and latches to undo without being able to see. "Just because you've got thin claws, doesn't mean you get to be smug about it," Feninermon said. She made a mock swipe at him, which he ducked to smartly bite her tail.
Nabucaprimon had found escaping pretty simple - she was enjoying being a powerful dinosaur. To remove her chains she smashed then against the stone wall, using her body as leverage, neck first. After three tries they shattered, and she shook herself like a dog before advancing on Tai, a much smaller, orange version of herself. He stepped aside and gestured to the middle of his chain - she took the hint, and left him trailing a piece from his neck rather than smash him against the wall. Agumon used his clever human fingers, though he took a while to get used to them. "Now the door," said Feninermon when they were all free. Tai studied the solid object carefully - yes! A grille, roughly three square feet. He blasted it with a powerful Pepperbreath attack, glad to be of some use at last; the blackened remains teetered a moment longer before crashing to the ground. Slashmon winced at the noise they made - she was warier than the others, going more by instinct than courage. "Wait, wait." she stopped them on their way out of the hole - "what are we actually doing?" "Escaping, duh," said Nabucaprimon. Tai pondered, but it did not take him long to figure out an answer. "That creature, the thing that made the water quake. When we set the water digimon free", he explained to Feninermon and Slashmon. They had already discussed what each pair had been up to on their way round the Fortress, as the Evil Emperor rounded up his forces and reviewed the damage done (they had been satisfied to note that he had done so cringing and wailing at the thought of his Master's displeasure). "It was kept separately, but obviously was not happy about being there. I got a feeling, looking at the gates it was kept behind, that it was fairly valued. We'll set it free, and then." he shrugged. "We'll just have to see what happens."

Tai's bright, large green eyes were the first things visible to any onlooker (though fortunately there were none), as he rounded the corner. It was almost completely dark - a single burning brand lit a long, gloomy corridor of stone. "It's all clear," he said to the darkness behind him, ambling out into the light. Agumon came to carry the torch, since it was designed for humanoid hands. Nabucaprimon followed him, and Slashmon and Feninermon prowled after, keeping uneasily to the shadows. The walls and floor were all of stone; but they were dry at least, an unusual luxury in fortress dungeons.
It was not long before they came to the portcullis at the entrance - or from their situation, the exit - of the tunnel. Tai held up a claw, signalling them to stop still. They watched Slashmon, as she had the best sight and hearing of them. For nearly a minute, they waited in almost complete silence, listening until they felt like their beating hearts were the only noise in the world, and that it was not them standing still but everything else. When at last Tai moved, clinking his dangling chain, they all jumped a foot in the air. The force of their landing sent tremors through the floor.
In a subdued silence they padded along, Tai leading them. He imagined he must look quite ridiculous - he was by far the smallest of them all, even Feninermon was taller than him, and he walked on four legs. For a long time, they saw no other digimon. Even once they had stumbled upon their first guard, a Vegiemon, Slashmon swiped him at lightening speed with each paw, and Feninermon took him by the throat. He was easily knocked out from there by a blow from Nabucaprimon's tail; Tai shot a Pepperbreath to keep him down. Vegiemon were tough, but the gang had had experience in this field. Still, from then on they proceeded more cautiously, anxious not to alert anyone of their presence and for that person to escape with the information.
"I need to find the main courtyard," muttered Tai. "From there I should be able to work out where to go." It was a dreadful plan, and he knew it (the courtyard would be busy, so would the passages leading there, and as for the guarding on the cave of the beast.); but it could be improved as they went. Feninermon sniffed the air expertly. "That way," he said, gesturing to a small, dark doorway. It was barely noticeable - clearly, no-one had been that way in a long time. Slashmon looked dubiously up and down the passage; there were three other entrances, all much more frequented. She sniffed the air suspiciously. "No!" She barked triumphantly, "the courtyard's that way!" And she pointed with a golden blade. to a blank wall. Feninermon grinned, showing pearly white teeth. "You have a good nose. But you can only smell the direction things lie in. You can't sniff out the best way to get to them." He stalked off, showing for the first time a trace of smugness; leaving the others to follow, shaking their heads and smiling. Slashmon scowled after him, baring her long canines in a ferocious snarl. But at that moment a grunt echoed down the tunnel, and the faint clank of metal on stone. She swished her tail uneasily, and loped quickly to catch up with the others, who were already shrouded in darkness.
Luckily, all of them except Agumon (to whom it came as a surprise, and yet another disadvantage of the human body) could see in the dark. Nabucaprimon had put the torch out, since it would not make for a very subtle entry.
As usual, Tai was the leader, and as such the first to reach the other end. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was barred by an old, rusty portcullis. The Dark Lord had no use for the passage, so had blocked it off and forgotten about it.
Tai turned around. Slashmon's orange eyes glared out at him from above and to one side of Feninermon's piercing blue ones. Nabucaprimon's green, narrowed eyes glowed high up in the darkness. Agumon was only a silhouette. Though he would never have admitted it, not even to himself, Tai felt slightly intimidated. Again, he felt conspicuously small. If this was how Agumon felt all the time, he was even braver than he had previously thought. However, he set his jaw grimly and addressed them. "Any bright ideas now?" There was a silence. Feninermon put his nose to the ground, his sensitive nostrils picking up all kinds of evil, old, musty smells. Slashmon came forward and peered through the gaps, the light shining through giving her striped fur a striking effect. Tai followed her gaze. He could see no actual guards, as such; but this was the main courtyard, the central place of all activity, and it was crowded with digimon of all shapes and sizes. Some were marching, some were ambling. Most wore Dark Rings, many were evil by nature; here and there, he thought he thought he glimpsed a few with Dark Gems - and he was certain he saw a Gemmed human striding past once. He supposed there must be some who came here accidentally, and found they could not leave. "Well, there's a hole down there we could squeeze through," Agumon pointed to the base of the wall, almost startled by his own fingers again. "But I don't know what we'd do after that." "Keep walking," Nabucaprimon grunted, as if no more suggestions were needed. They all waited for her to continue. When it became clear he had to prompt her, Tai said: "And you might elaborate on that how.?" The elegant dinosaur sighed. "Look, the Dark Lord didn't build this himself. He's too lazy. So he used someone else's. He's got all these unused passages everywhere. I mean, oh right, this is the only one." They all stared at her. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, but it was so layered they couldn't tell exactly what she meant by it all. Tai wondered what in the Digital World had possessed. the Digital World to give her the Crest of Sincerity. "So how does that help us?" Slashmon growled uncertainly. Nabucaprimon looked close to roaring in frustration at their stupidity. "I was being sarcastic!" she said. Tai finally understood what she was telling them. "Once you figure it out, I suppose that makes sense," he said. "There must be other passages around. As long as we know which ones to take, it should be simple to find this precious monster." "And my nose can find the right path, I guess," said Feninermon. So it was agreed, and within the next couple of minutes, they had formulated a Plan.

Tai felt horribly conspicuous as he marched across the courtyard. He wore a shard of glass stuck to his chest with mould, and a fixed, vacant stare. He hoped his eyes didn't have to be red. Spaced around the courtyard, with chains around their necks or glass on their bodies, the others were all heading for the same destination as he was. It had been decided that it was impossible to sneak around the edges of such a busy, open place; so they were merely trying to blend in. Tai spotted the entrance they were making for - an old metal portcullis covered it. It was beginning to seem fairly standard in this place. He dodged around the stick- like legs of a strange digimon he had not seen before, and at last found himself in front of the doorway. Gently, he pushed on it. It was padlocked shut, so he began visually searching it for convenient gaps. Nabucaprimon bounded up to help him, testing it for weaknesses. Beads of sweat began trickling down his forehead as Agumon joined them, acutely aware that they were somewhat noticeable, especially with Agumon and himself, famous in many parts of the Digital World. Just as he was thinking of retreating and trying again, the other two came galloping through the crowd as if all subtly was forgotten - not a good sign. "We've got company," Slashmon muttered as she seized the padlock in one paw, inserting a blade into it with the other. Tai glanced behind him - the crowd was thick, but from the back a loud roar bellowed. It would not screen them for long. He turned back to Slashmon, her sharp eyes narrowed in concentration, her fangs jutting below her jaw. There was a click, and the padlock fell away. The gang slipped through and, as an afterthought, Agumon closed the door behind them.

They continued in this way for a long time, sneaking down dark corridors, breaking into passages long ago fallen into disuse. The Ringed digimon sightings grew more and more frequent, corresponding with Feninermon's route predictions. Several times they were forced to fight, in silence as far as possible - however, they were all skilled at this, and defeated the various Rookie and Champion-level digimon they encountered. Nabucaprimon became agitated as they got nearer to their goal, and Fenienermon no longer even needed to sniff the ground. Tai started getting uneasy, his fiery body sensing the water ahead. They were close.
And then they reached it - a metal, blank door, with no doorknob or bar. It was covered with malevolent designs, reminiscent of things Tai was sure he'd only ever seen in his sleep. Slashmon crept forward, looking around for any danger, padding with the silence of a wildcat despite her large claws. She turned back and hissed: "It's all clear for now, but I hear footsteps round the corner. We have roughly a minute before whatever it is sees us, and from the sound of it I don't think we want that to happen." "Why do you say that?" Agumon asked. Slashmon grinned, deliberately showing her fangs. "Because I feel the tremors through the floor before I hear the sound." The gang exchanged glances, then made a frantic scrabble for the door, searching it and all the area around it. Nabucaprimon sniffed the surface, reeling in disgust. Tai felt for flaws in the rock surrounding it; Agumon looked for hidden panels or switches. Feninermon and Slashmon disappeared around the bend, Feninermon with his nose to the ground. Before long, Tai could feel the mini-earthquakes in his feet. It made sense that the Dark Lord would protect this place the best.
"INTRUDEEERRRS!"
The roar was so loud and so deep that it vibrated the very rock, so that it visibly moved. Tai leaped in the air and glanced around. The metal door was slowly lifting straight upwards, but so slowly. Regular bursts of thunder sent yet more shudders through the ground. Tai felt sure it would crack open soon. He realised that these were in fact footfalls. they were accompanied by a light skittering, which turned out to be Slashmon, riding Feninermon, galloping at such a speed they almost seemed to fly. They skidded around the corner, and Slashmon practically fell off the large canine. "Get through that door!" Feninermon snarled in terror, crawling towards it as he spoke. Tai looked at it, and realised it was nearly big enough for him to squeeze through. He turned anxiously back to the passage - the roars and stomping were so loud now that his feet left the floor every time the monster's feet hit it. Just then, Agumon grabbed him from behind, and clutching him tightly rolled under the door. The metal scraped the boy's shoulder, but nothing worse. Slashmon wriggled under, groaning about how she needed to lose weight. "That's nothing compared to me!" Cried Nabucaprimon, pawing the ground in near panic. Feninermon looked at her critically, then, as if an inspiration had suddenly come, barked at her: "Lie down and use your tail to get through! You're thin enough, but you'll need to pretend you're swimming!" Nabucaprimon almost set upon him at the suggestion of this indignity, but then another roar echoed down the passage. With much baring of teeth, she did as he had suggested, and was through with surprising ease. Feninermon was having trouble, though - he was squarely built, and worming through tight spaces did not come naturally to him. On an impulse, Tai grabbed him with a claw, pulling with all his might. Still the monster came nearer. Slashmon darted back out beneath the gap and shoved Feninermon in, pushing down his shoulders and giving him a hefty kick in the rear. Not a moment too soon, she rolled back in, and Nabucaprimon gladly smashed the control panel on the inside of the door. The foot-thick metal slid down with a crash, and all they got was a glimpse of teeth the size of Tai before the monster was blocked from view.
At last, Tai turned around to see the place they had trapped themselves inside. It was a vast cavern, with a roof barely high enough for Tai to walk under - Nabucaprimon slunk along in a velociraptor stance. However, he could not even guess at how deep it went. It was almost entirely filled with one deep, dark pool. Gloflymon lanterns lit the place rather spectacularly, sending shimmers across the gentle ripples floating over the surface. The ripples were caused by two gigantic flukes, taking up more than a quarter of the entire pool. Tai gazed at them in wonder, and tried to imagine what beast owned those. Then the inspiration came - a digimon he had only seen once before, who did not seem to have any levels lower or higher than his Ultimate. Whamon, ruler of the seas, guardian of the waves, majestic emperor of the boundless ocean. So what was he doing here?
Nabucaprimon gave a growl of rage behind him. He looked back, and saw Slashmon snarling, sharp teeth bared. "He shouldn't be here," Nabucaprimon said. "He can barely move. This is wrong. He should be roaming the high seas. Why is he here?" She stamped her powerful hind leg in anger. Feninermon added thoughtfully, "Why hasn't the Dark Lord put a Dark Gem or Ring on him, at least? I wonder what the plans are here. it makes no sense, to keep a digimon this powerful locked up without a chance to fight on either side." Agumon nodded and frowned.
Before they could ponder further, however, there came a drumming from behind the door. It sounded distant, but unmistakable - a pounding and skittering, an army approaching. It grew louder and louder as they stood, rigid with fear. Then, just as they were shifting nervously and about to dive into the pool, it stopped. There was silence. "I know you are in there. and I know who you are," a low, rumbling yet hissing voice called from behind the door. It was The voice, the one they all remembered with a grimace. It was the Dark Lord. They glanced at one another, the Agumon bravely stepped forward. "Maybe so, but you can't get us!" he shouted. Tai was very relieved he had done so - his adolescent human voice sounded much more impressive than Tai's Rookie squeaky one would. "Nabucaprimon, is there anything on the control panel to open the underwater portcullis?" Nabucaprimon looked guiltily at the smouldering, sparking wreckage that had been the control panel. "Umm. I suppose there might have been." she said. Slashmon scowled at her. "Well it's not much use to us now, is it?" She snapped. Nabucaprimon roared at her in return. Tai could see things were going to get messy. The atmosphere was tense and highly-strung. "Hold it, girls!" Feninermon barked, bounding in between them. "Slashmon, this is not the time." He rubbed his face against her shoulder in a gesture of friendliness. Tai nodded at Nabucaprimon, and she winked at him. At that moment, there was a juddering thud on the door, and a concave dent appeared on their side. There was a squeal of pain, then another thud. Nabucaprimon swished her tail; Slashmon crouched low nervously. "Quickly! There must be a manual emergency switch of some sort! Nabucaprimon, Agumon, Feninermon, swim down there and get to it!" Tai yelled. Just as Nabucaprimon stomped past, he stopped her and whispered almost inaudibly, "And be careful, won't you?" She snorted in disgust, but whether or not she was being sincere was another matter. Then she thundered on, to dive gracefully underwater with barely a ripple. Agumon was already treading water, looking around for any obvious buttons or levers; Tai saw Slashmon give her farewell to Feninermon as he splashed down and disappeared in the murky blue. Tai and Slashmon moved unconsciously closer together as the door bent inwards almost to the point of breaking. He glimpsed teeth, claws, muscle and saliva through the gap it created, and Slashmon whined, in an almost four-legged postion, edging ever backwards. Tai set his jaw grimly - they would not go down without a fight.
And then, with one last crash, all hell broke loose. Digimon of all shapes, colours and sizes burst in through the door, some as short as Tai, some scraping their lowered heads on the roof. Tai recognised the beast that had chased him even before it entered - Triceramon, standing on two legs, far too big to fit through the entrance. Still, he tried, and with yet more chaos smashed through wall and roof. This, as Tai now saw, was quite a feat - the roof was at least two feet thick. Daylight shone through the opening, filling him with new hope.
Amid the heaps of stone rubble, Triceramon was attempting to stand. Three rodent-like digimon launched themselves at Tai, but he quickly knocked them out with a Pepperbreath. Suddenly, something smashed into him from behind - Tai never saw what it was, for it flung him far out into the pool. He went under, water filling his ears, nose, mouth. and then something rocketed up from beneath him, sending him flying back out again, into the head of another large digimon. He was back in the fray.
Nabucaprimon, having made sure Tai was still fighting, swam energetically just under the surface of the water, ignoring missiles, attacks and rocks launched her way. She had found the emergency control panel, on a shelf of dry land the other side of the underground lake. But she had yet to figure out how to work it. She saw Agumon floundering in the water nearby, and swept him over her back - his human fingers would be useful on the panel.
Slashmon was not especially speedy or strong, but her agility lent her the edge as she fought, weaving, ducking and dodging, adding her own occasional swipe of her bladed claws, or a bite to the neck, or a kick with the powerful hind legs. She blasted a group of Bakemon with flames, leaping in the air as a Boarmon charged beneath her. Triceramon was suddenly looming above her, a black ring around his neck. She made an instant, rather rash decision, infused by the heat of battle, and sprang for his throat. Halfway through the air, however, she was intercepted by a winged digimon, who winded her and left her to fall back down.
Feninermon was out of breath, kept busy defending the waterfront from sea digimon. Glancing out across the pool, he saw Agumon and Nabucaprimon working frantically to unlock the code which restricted the portcullis from opening. Nabucaprimon was constantly having to lash out and keep the Scubamon from attacking Agumon as he typed. Feninermon turned back to the main battlescene, looking for Slashmon. He saw her go hurtling through the air, and at that point his concentration was broken. A howl escaped his mouth as he leaped back into the water, but too late - Metalseadramon was already worming his snakelike way in a wobbly beeline to the ledge and the control panel. Feninermon growled, but stood his ground. Something was warning him to leave this to the water, an instinct he hadn't known he owned. So he returned to the defensive, galloping straight into a tightly knit group of enemies and scattering them like autumn leaves.
And then, there was a moment of utter silence. A slight sound, piercingly beautiful, yet sad, forceful, furious.
The song of the waves burst forth. The pool exploded in a million brilliant crystal droplets, shimmering and sparkling in the morning sunlight. A sound like the singing of a god echoed around each of them, filling the room, high and smooth yet deep and growling, both at the same time. It was the roar of a beast; it was the song of a mermaid.
And at the same time, an island rose from the waves. It was long, blue and wrinkled, stretching from the battle side to the little control panel. Metalseadramon emerged briefly, jumping over the causeway like a Dolphmon, free of the black ring that had been affixed to his neck. He was not likely to help the post-humans, in fact was still probably going to try and kill them; but now he had a score to settle with the Dark Lord, too, and was determined his forces would pay for his imprisonment.
Like a tsunami flowing over land, the entire army surged over the new pathway. Tai saw them coming from the beginning, and called to Feninermon. The canine digimon recognised the situation, and realised what Tai wanted. With the speed of his kind, he raced over to the small dinosaur, picking up Slashmon on the way, and with both of them clinging grimly onto him dived once more into the water. He used his wide paws and sleek, water-adapted body to propel him at a great speed toward Agumon and Nabucaprimon, quickly overtaking the advancing hordes. Luckily, there had not been time to summon speciality digimon such as the newly-discovered Cheetamon, duo-digevolved for speed and ferocity. As it was, Feninermon flew from the water, landing ashore to see the enslaved digimon within a stone's throw (if thrown by a strong and skilful hand). Slashmon fell from his back, tumbling over and over before staggering upright at the base of the wall. She shook herself and returned to Feninermon's side, pulling him upright as he struggled to stand through his exhaustion after such a race. A determined glare came into his eyes, mirrored by the vicious look in Slashmon's. The two stood, poised, waiting for the storm to descend. Tai had leaped to his reptilian feet even as Feninermon crash-landed, skidding to a halt beside Agumon, in front of Nabucaprimon, who was still industriously working, facing the other way. "I'm almost through," she growled in concentration. "I need to hack through this system, then I can simply use brute force on that lever." Her eyes gleamed eagerly. "Of course, if there's gonna be a fight, I'm in!" "No, Nabucaprimon!" Tai snapped. "You just stay right there. But be quick - I'm not sure just how long I can hold this lot off for!" Nabucaprimon glanced back fleetingly at the stampeding enemies, now so close she could see the glowing red triumph in their possessed eyes. "You can't possibly hope to defend against them!" She snarled furiously. "Get outta here!" Tai looked steadily into her challenging gaze, and more passed between them in that brief moment than could ever be realised, perhaps even by themselves. But Nabucaprimon's expression softened visibly, and she opened her mouth to say one word. "Thanks."
As one, Tai, Agumon, Feninermon, Slashmon and Nabucaprimon (who had decided that the situation was hopeless and she might as well die in battle) sprang at the throats of the digimon towering above them. As many, the forces of the Dark Lord charged into them, sending out attacks in perfect unison. But the two sides never collided.

Tai saw human legs in front of him. He looked up and saw Agumon's face gazing about in wonder. Tai heard the familiar ear-splitting whistle, saw the flashing lights spinning around the pair of them, recognised the inside of a spectacular computer matrix. "Tai." "Agumon." Their two voices cried at exactly the same time, ".digevolved to." And Tai recognised this change, though not from this point of view. He merged, somehow, with Agumon - or rather Agumon merged with him - as he grew metal armour, ragged spikes on his back, stripes and an entire metal-encased, clawed arm. ".Metalgreymon!" He roared.

Feninermon felt enormously relieved as he began the changes, Gabumon within recognising early on the transformations, even though they were from a different body. "Feninermon digevolved to." Half of him - presumably the Matt half - felt power and happiness surge through him as he stood on two legs once more and thick, leather armour strapped itself onto parts of him. A ball of white light rose above his head, a piece of moon. ".Weregarurumon!" He howled to the lunar illusion.

Simultaneously, Slashmon found herself growing, her own body diminishing until it was merely a skin draped over her back. "Slashmon digevolved to." A thick, heavy tail hung from the back of it. Its grey feline head hung over her own new dark red-tawny one. The front legs and huge claws of the pelt fell around hers, and on instinct she grasped the bars inside. Those claws were her weapons. However, the sheer weight of them dragged her body into a crouching pose. As if to balance this, giant, dragonlike wings shot from her shoulderblades. A glint came into her slitted eyes, and she gushed a burst of bright flame from her jaws. ".Dracodichamon!"

And for the first time since becoming a digimon, perhaps since Tai had met her, Nabucaprimon had been sincere. "Nabucaprimon digevolved to." She too whirled in colour, bursting in showers of multicoloured sparks, feeling new energy surge through her. She grew even larger, dropped down on four sturdy legs, watched as armour covered in symbols and designs rose up her limbs, became one with her tail, forming a gold helmet more for looks than for defence. Her claws were huge, her ears long and trailing, her shape streamlined but powerful. ".Griforacaprimon!"

The foursome stood, each huge, menacing, confident. And the wave of digimon skidded in their furious charge, huge claws and tiny paws, all scraping up the dust in their effort to stop. For a moment, the two sides stared at each other, both surprised, both terrified. Then Metalgreymon took a deep breath. Garurumon crouched back, Dracodichamon filled her lungs, Griforacaprimon set her legs low and wide and opened her jaws in anticipation.
They struck at the same time, as one enormous blast that shook the roof and caused small trickles of dust to fall. The noise was almost enough to deafen an onlooker, and the flash of lights glowed through the hole in the rock.
Even before the dust settled, Weregarurumon had punched in the final letters of the code, and was leaning heavily on the lever. It had been designed for a digimon with great muscle power - even he strained and sweated as he pushed with all his might. Then, finally, it swung down.
There was a grinding, and the entire cave shook this time. Metalgreymon looked dubiously at the shaking roof. But from far down beneath the water, a ray of faint blue light shone through.
The enemy digimon who had survived the attack were suddenly falling about all over the place, slipping and sliding in their effort to stay upright. Peering closer, Metalgreymon saw that the island - Whamon - was moving. Some of the digimon further behind attempted to run back to shore; but they never made it. With a new, joyous song bursting from the water's depths, the entire causeway sank beneath the surface, leaving the hordes floundering in the vast pool. Metalgreymon pitied them, even after what they had attempted to do to him - they were only slaves, and it was really the Dark Lord controlling them. They had done nothing to deserve this.
Meanwhile, the ray of light was expanding, lighting up the cavern with shimmering turquoise patterns. It was awe-inspiringly beautiful, and heart-achingly relieving after so long in the gloom. A huge, dark shape was now visible, larger at one end by far then the other, facing the opening gap. From across the water, though Tai could not see it's owner, he heard the hissing roar: "No! You cannot leave, not yet! I forbid you to go through that entrance!" It was immensely satisfying, and he watched with a new joy in his heart the dark shape diminish with a flick of its tail, getting shorter and shorter, blocking out the new-found light. until the cavern was floodlit once more, and it was gone.