In The Dark
Part Two: Invisible Evil
***
Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Digimon is not mine, the characters are not mine, the digimon are not mine. I am borrowing them for this story. The plot is mine. I will not give back the characters. I stole them. They're mine now, so deal with it!
***
The sun rose early over the Primary Village, and Yamato awoke with a stiff pain in his back from laying on the ground. He'd had a most un-refreshing sleep, and felt exhausted. Groaning, he sat up, stretched, and observed the landscape. Hundreds of digimon around him were sleeping on the ground, spaced out enough to not intrude on personal space. A few fires had been burning, lit by the fire-breathing types, but they'd all gone out during the night. Only the guardian Elecmon was awake, tending to the babies, who paid no attention to the visitor's need to sleep.
Not long after breakfast, which was meager because his rations had been lost in the carriage beyond the border, Yamato was eager to get started back to the palace. He wasn't eager to walk the whole way, but there didn't seem to be an available place to rent a carriage. He took as much supplies as he could manage to get from the digimon in the area, and set off with Gabumon towards the palace.
They arrived mid-afternoon, exhausted, and reported to Iori that they'd arrived. Then, both were eager to take a long bath before explaining the details of their mission. After the soak and some dinner, they made their way to a spacious parlor and told their story to the remaining seven Chosen.
"So the stories are true, then," Taichi frowned when they were finished. "The Kaiser does enslave innocent digimon."
"I can't understand why there is no mention of him in the books," Koushiro frowned, slamming his latest shut with a bang.
"Maybe he wasn't supposed to happen?" Sora suggested.
"No, nothing happens without a reason," Koushiro shook his head. He sighed. "I'll just have to keep looking."
"What does this Kaiser look like?" Hikari questioned.
"About my height, I think," Yamato replied. "A lot of dark-colored hair, going in all directions. He wore very fancy clothes and a cape that I'd bet had some sort of magic in it. And tinted glasses. He rode the top of an Airdramon."
"Airdramon?" Sora repeated.
"Could he have been the one behind those other Airdramon attacks a few months ago?" Piyomon wondered.
Jyou was frowning. He shook his head. "I doubt it. This Kaiser seems to dislike humans. He'd hardly send out others to do the work for him."
"Besides, those Airdramon were tamed, not controlled," Hikari added. "There's a difference."
Yamato nodded. "The Kaiser doesn't seem to be interested in taming. He just wants control."
"You said you think there was magic on his cape?" Miyako recalled. "What made you think that?" Koushiro appeared interested in his response as well.
"I'm not sure," he admitted, frowning in thought. "There was just something strange about the way the sun reflected off of it. There wasn't much light, so maybe that was why…" He trailed off, shrugging.
"I think it's safe to assume he's some sort of wizard, right?" Hawkmon questioned. "After all, there must be some magic involved in controlling the digimon."
"I'd agree," Miyako nodded. "If the Kaiser himself doesn't possess magic, then someone working for him probably does." Koushiro nodded in agreement.
"The main question is, how do we defeat him if we cannot evolve?" Iori spoke up, steering the conversation in a more practical route.
There was a moment of long silence then, and no one replied. "I'm not even sure how he managed to do that," Yamato sighed.
"Maybe it had something to do with those dark towers we saw?" Gabumon proposed.
"What dark towers?" Taichi asked, interested.
"When we were about to cross the border, Gabumon and I climbed a hill to see what we could see up ahead. There wasn't much except trees, and every so often there was a tall, dark, tower poking up over the trees," Yamato explained. "We thought they might have some religious purpose, but I suppose they could be holding the magic preventing us from evolving."
"Is there such magic?" Agumon questioned. All eyes turned to Koushiro for his answer.
The wizard frowned. "Most likely. If there's no specific spell, I'm sure it could be easily written. I'm guessing it would be difficult, however, especially without the knowledge of de-evolution spells."
"The ones which were discovered in the hidden vault beneath the palace," Tentomon agreed.
"Yes, and if they did exist, spells blocking evolution would have been sealed with the knowledge of the first Chosen as well," his partner stated.
"So if he has managed to do that, then we can assume he's a pretty decent wizard," Miyako mused.
"Oh, beyond decent," Koushiro replied. "He'd have to have an incredible amount of magic power – not to mention intelligence – to figure out a spell that complicated on his own." He shook his head slightly. "My question is, why? If no one besides the Chosen can evolve their partners, why would the Kaiser need such a spell."
"He must know we exist then," Hikari said. "If he's working in connection with Demon, then he would know."
Jyou agreed. "I'd say that most likely everything with bad intentions knows by now what we're capable of."
"Not even the ones with bad intentions," Iori noted. "The people of the Kingdom know that we've defeated Devimon. And they know that it was possible through evolution. Naturally, they'll spread that word even outside the kingdom."
Taichi nodded. "We're not a secret anymore. He must know that he's going to fight us," he noted. There was a moment of silence then. "How do we deal with him?"
"Might I propose a theory?" Armadimon stepped up in the silence afterwards. "The digimentals."
"That's right!" Miyako recalled. "The armor evolutions with the digimentals are supposed to protect the digimon."
"Maybe it protects from the magic as well," Iori agreed, nodding.
"The only way we can be sure is to test it," Hawkmon noted.
"There are only three of you with armor evolutions, though," Taichi pointed out. "How are three of you going to manage to defeat him?"
"We've got to at least try," Miyako said.
"In that case, someone's got to retrieve Daisuke," Yamato observed.
Taichi nodded. "We'll send a message first thing in the morning. Have those doctors you sent left for the village yet, Jyou?"
"Yes, they left first thing this morning," the doctor replied. "Fifteen doctors, twenty nurses, and another dozen or so medics and students."
"Perfect. First thing in the morning, you're heading out to join them."
"Yeah! Field work!" Gomamon cheered, eager to be free of the stuffy castle.
"What for?" Jyou wondered.
"I have a feeling you'll be needed," Taichi replied vaguely. "Miyako, Iori, you'll need to be ready to leave, too. You're the best hope if something's going to be done against this guy." Miyako and Iori nodded in agreement. "The rest of us will help Koushiro." He grinned at the wizard. "Since he's always in need of assistance."
"Terrific," Koushiro nodded. "I could use the help."
"When are the others set to return?" Hikari questioned.
"Takeru should be back in the next few days," Yamato stated. "Mother said she had some sort of function to attend next week, and he'll want to be long gone by then."
"I think Mimi said that she'd be back soon, too," Jyou recalled. "But I'm not sure when. We should try sending her a message to tell her what's going on."
"And no one has any idea what's happened to Ken," Miyako sighed forlornly.
Taichi nodded. "Send out that message to Mimi," he agreed. "One to Daisuke, too. We can wait for Takeru, I think."
"I'll deliver the message to Daisuke," Yamato volunteered, eager to get out of the castle again. "I want to get as far away from that Kaiser as possible." He shuddered at the thought.
There were a few chuckles in response to that, but no one could disagree with him.
***
There was a small brook that flowed through the countryside, and the carriage Yamato rode followed the road beside it. From inside the boxy cart, the blond young man watched as the water rambled over the rocks in the stream and then through the wheel of a mill with a water wheel in the stream.
The small waterway that Yamato and Gabumon followed was a tributary that had broken off from a larger river. The river flowed into the village, and this stream traveled on to the large manor that overlooked the tiny village below.
A messenger had been sent ahead to announce their arrival, but Yamato was still slightly surprised to find that Jun, her partner, Alraumon, and Lord Motomiya himself were waiting at the gate.
***
The carriage stopped in the Primary Village, and Miyako saw that the brightly colored area was just as filled with refugee digimon as it had been the last time she'd visited. "They should rename this place 'Primary Hospital' ," she remarked to Iori, who climbed out behind her.
"Primary Village is the only place where digimon can be safe," Iori noted.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Elecmon is equipped to deal with so many new digimon," Hawkmon observed, noting the red electrical digimon running around and trying to keep the newcomers from stepping on numerous digitama.
The doctors, medics, nurses, and students that had arrived the previous morning were hard at work trying to make sense of the injured, and Jyou immediately dove into the fray, attempting to sort out what was going on and help the more serious patients. He had brought with him a large collection of various herbs, bandages, medicines, and various other sorts of medical equipment, and he immediately directed two students to unload the trunk containing them from the top of the carriage he'd ridden in.
"It's so crazy here," Armadimon said with some nervousness. "What do we do?"
"I'd suggest that we help out where we can with the injured and try to get some information out of them," Iori suggested. "We can't fight our enemy until we've discovered who he is."
***
Yamato located Daisuke near the stream that flowed behind the manor. He dangled his feet in the chilled water, appearing deep in thought.
"It's kind of cold for that, isn't it?" Yamato wondered as he sat on the ground beside him.
The younger boy shrugged slightly. "I suppose," he replied, non-committally.
"Winter's coming, you know," he added casually. "Pretty soon this river will be ice, I expect."
"Probably." Daisuke lifted one foot from the water, peered at it for a moment, and then dunked it under again before turning to face his visitor. "What are you doing here?"
"Actually, we need your help," he began.
"Yes, I figured you didn't come all the way here to comment on the weather," Daisuke noted dryly. "What now?"
"I guess you haven't heard the news from the Primary Village," Gabumon noted.
He shook his head. "What news?"
"There are some new wild digimon in the Primary Village. They're all coming from the east," Yamato informed him. "Mostly they're running from someone calling themselves the Kaiser, who is interested in enslaving and controlling digimon. Most of the refugees are badly injured. Jyou sent a regiment of doctors there yesterday, and went himself today."
"Sounds serious," Daisuke commented, frowning slightly and thinking of something entirely different.
"I was in his territory only two days ago. I've seen it for myself," Yamato continued. "You're needed – you, Miyako, and Iori – because you can evolve. He's got some sort of magic that prevents evolution. We think that the digimentals will shield you from that magic, and you'll be able to armor evolve."
There was a moment of silence as the red-headed boy appeared to be absorbing the information. "A Kaiser…" he murmured softly. "I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" Gabumon asked.
Daisuke shook his head. "It's nothing," he dismissed, waving his hand and standing up. "Give me a few hours to pack."
Yamato nodded. "We can leave first thing in the morning," he said. "I'm not looking forward to that long ride at night."
***
Miyako stretched, removing the kinks from her back after spending the night on a cot. She and Iori had spent the previous day helping the medical staff in any way they could. Now, the sun was just barely up, but she couldn't sleep any longer, so she exited the tent and walked around.
She, Iori, Jyou, and the contingency of doctors and nurses that had come the day before all had tents set up on the outskirts of the Primary Village. Early as it was, Miyako found that she was the only one awake. 'I guess I could try to help out a bit,' she thought, and decided to search for firewood.
Nearly an hour later, her arms full of sticks and twigs from the surrounding forest, Miyako made her way back towards the Village. The sun was rising beyond the camp, over the distant hills, and she could see that it was bright in the east. Momentarily, she thought about what was going on beyond those hills.
'Those poor digimon,' Miyako sighed. 'I wonder if they even can see the sun.' She continued walking, imagining what sort of awful conditions the digimon might be forced to endure. 'I hope we can help them. I hope Daisuke gets here soon.' She turned in the opposite direction, in hopes of seeing some sign of his approach, but everything was still and quiet. All the digimon were asleep, and there was no noise at all.
Suddenly, she was alerted by the sound of large footsteps behind her. Turning sharply, she saw that it was a carriage, pulled by two humongous Monochromon, as was customary. Curious, Miyako watched as the vehicle moved its way up the road, over the rolling hills that filled the area. It paused in the road beside her.
"Pardon me, Miss," the driver excused himself politely. "Can you tell me the way to Primary Village?"
Miyako frowned and squinted at him through the dim early-morning light. "Why are you going there?"
"It's not me, Miss, it's my passenger. Urgent business. Mustn't say a thing about it to anyone," the driver replied.
"Well, they're very packed at the Primary Village," Miyako told him. "They're not in the mood for tourists at this moment. Tell your passenger to find somewhere else to take vacation unless he's a doctor willing to help."
"I'd love to, madam, but I'm afraid she won't stand for it," he apologized. "Please, make me life easier and tell me the way?"
"What's going on?" a voice questioned from the carriage. The shade covering the window rose. "It's early morning, who could possibly be awake – Miyako!"
"Hikari? What - ?"
"I had this feeling I should be at the Primary Village very soon. I think I may be needed there," Hikari explained. "Don't tell my brother, please. He wanted me to stay home, but I just had to come."
"You should have picked another driver," Miyako said, half-joking. "He doesn't have a clue about where to go."
"Sorry, Ma'am," the driver apologized again.
"It's all right," Miyako assured him. "It's just up ahead. I was getting some wood for the fire. Everyone's probably just waking up. I'll show you where to go." Quickly, she climbed into the carriage, taking the twigs and sticks with her.
***
Near that evening, Daisuke and Yamato finally arrived, and Miyako and Iori were eager to go into the forest on their first mission. They knew, however, that some amount of planning needed to be done first.
"I'd advise that you stay hidden as long as possible. Don't attract attention to yourselves if you can help it," Yamato advised. "We're not even certain these digimentals will be of use against the dark towers, so don't stay long in there."
Daisuke frowned slightly. "We're not going to help anything by running away," he reminded Yamato. "We're here to fight, remember?"
"You are, but you're of no help if you get hurt," he replied.
"I think we should try to knock down one of those towers," Iori spoke up before an argument could commence. "If we can accomplish that, then maybe some of the digimon will be freed."
"And then the rest of us might be able to evolve," Gabumon nodded in agreement. "Good plan."
"So how close is the nearest tower?" Miyako wondered. She peered in the direction of the forest.
"There's no way to tell, is there?" Hikari noted with a frown. "Until you're in front of one, that is."
"Well, we're not doing anything standing around," Daisuke decided, a cheerful, eager sound in his voice despite the seriousness. "Let's go."
***
"Well, so far it looks like an ordinary forest," Iori noted as the three stood on the edge of the border of the kingdom.
"Probably looks different from inside," Daisuke decided with a shrug. "C'mon, V-mon. Let's see what we can find." He stepped forward and disappeared into the forest.
"Daisuke! Wait!" Miyako called. "Are you crazy?" She followed him into the trees, Hawkmon dashing after her.
"We really shouldn't split up – ," Iori sighed, following them. "I think I'm going to have to be the sensible one in this group," he commented to Armadimon.
"Someone has to," his partner agreed with a shrug.
"Oh relax," Daisuke half-scolded Miyako. "It's fine, see? We've been here for two whole minutes, and we're still alive."
"We won't be much longer if you keep attracting attention to us," she reminded him. "Hey – "
"What?" Hawkmon questioned, turning the direction she had turned. "I don't see anything."
"I think we should try to stay together," Iori was saying as he emerged into the clearing where they had stopped. "We've got strength in numbers, you know, and it won't help us to separate."
"I think there's a tower right over there," Miyako interrupted, pointing. "I see a dark light."
"How can a light be dark?" V-mon wanted to know.
"I don't know, it just is," Miyako said. "It's dark magic, I think. All magic has this glowing aura. Dark magic is the same, just – dark." She shrugged, uncertain of how to explain it. "If I look hard enough, you can see that magic emanating from a point over there. It spreads out all the way over here."
"That must be the magic that prevents the others from evolving," Hawkmon theorized.
"Well, then that's what we have to destroy," Daisuke decided. He was off, running in the direction Miyako pointed before anyone could stop him.
"Daisuke – wait!" Miyako called, but he'd already disappeared.
***
Again, Wormmon made his way across the polished floor, nearly sliding several times against the smooth surface. His legs wobbled slightly, but it was more from nervousness than the lack of footing. He took a deep breath before he spoke.
"Master?"
There was no reply. The Kaiser was again immersed in a book of dark magic, and didn't look up.
"I hate to interrupt, Master, but there are more humans in the forest."
His master lifted one head but didn't turn to face him. "Humans?"
"Yes, Master. Three humans."
"I do enjoy a challenge. What shall I employ this time?" The Kaiser's voice was light, his tone nearly pleasant. He rose from his chair and took a few steps towards the window. "The Tyrannomon were useless the last time," – here there was a bit of anger – "Monochromon are just too slow…I'll have to use some thing large. But I haven't anything else large. Perhaps a lot of small things will work. What do I have a lot of?" He paused for a moment, scratching his chin as he thought.
"Well, there's that swarm of Flymon, Master," Wormmon recalled with a nervous voice. The entire swarm – nearly twenty digimon – had been captured only the day before.
"Flymon. Yes, perfect. The poison in a single Flymon stinger is enough to kill a human within two days. Yes, Flymon will be perfect." Rather pleased, he left the room, strolling down the hall to assemble his troops, leaving Wormmon to sigh in relief.
***
"That's the tower?" Daisuke wondered, pausing a short distance from the object. He looked up at the tall, black obelisk. It didn't appear to be glowing, but even without magic he was able to sense the darkness behind it, and shivered slightly.
"Looks like it," V-mon agreed. "So now what? Destroy it?"
"Actually, I believe you're the one who shall be destroyed," a voice behind them commented.
Daisuke noticed then that there was a rather angry-looking Flymon positioned only a short distance from his face. He turned, stepping backwards, and saw there was another behind him. "No where to run, is there?" the voice mocked.
Daisuke looked up then past the Flymon blocking him and saw that the person he would soon come to consider his enemy was positioned on the head of an Airdramon, hovering just above him. "I'm not giving up," he muttered under his breath. In his pocket, he felt the white box that was the digimental container. In his other hand, he gripped his digivice tightly. "V-mon! Digimental up!"
The bright light filled the area. "V-mon armor evolve! Fladramon!" Several Flymon were forced to back off from the new intruder.
"All right! I knew it would work!" Daisuke cheered, allowing himself a small victory dance now that the Flymon had retreated slightly and he could move without fear of being stung.
The Kaiser was astonished. "What? How? How is it possible? That dark magic is supposed to be impenetrable!"
"Well, you were wrong, then," Daisuke said, half-mocking. "Didn't think about the digimentals!" He was too cheerful to notice the shocked expression on his enemy's face turn to extreme anger.
"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon blasted a few of the Flymon easily. Some of them deleted instantly, on others, the dark rings fell off, leaving them dazed. But there were many Flymon, and they weren't eager to give up that easily.
"Brown Stinger!" several Flymon shouted in unison, shooting their large stingers. Fladramon was easily able to dodge. Daisuke, too, dived quickly out of the way.
"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon fired his attack back at the same time he dodged.
Daisuke was absorbed in watching the fight between his partner and the numerous Flymon, and didn't notice when another one appeared behind him.
***
Yes, yes, I do like cliffhangers. I do like torturing readers and characters! I do!
Surprisingly there was no foreshadowing here – at least none that I know of. Lots of questions, but you knew that. How long until everyone finds out just who they're up against? And how will they react? Will Miyako and Iori ever catch up with Daisuke? Will they manage to convince him that he needs to slow down? Will they be able to help him or is he doomed? Augh! The questions are unlimited! I love it! ::insert evil laugh here::
Fear not, all answers will be given – eventually – I think. Stay tuned, readers, stay tuned.
Also – the attack used by Flymon (Brown Stinger) is the American(English) attack. I have no idea what the original Japanese name for it is. If it's different, please let me know, I like to have these things correct. Thanks.