The Crystal Gate

Part Eleven: Harmony Pursued

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: Digimon is not mine, which includes characters, monsters, money, etc. Plot is mine. Don't steal, don't sue, don't forget to moo.

Moo.

"Are you all right?" Shijo ventured to ask, noticing that XV-mon was now V-mon and Daisuke was looking a bit tired. He had a strange look in his eyes, sort of angry, and the boy hoped this was not directed towards him.

Daisuke paid little attention to the question, though he was holding his right arm with his left hand. "She left too quickly," he said, wiping the sweat and sand that had combined to form a thick paste on his forehead. "She must have gone to help Mummymon."

"Probably," V-mon mumbled, obviously in bad spirits. "She's too strong for me to take by myself, you know."

"Yeah," he muttered, and sighed. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Shijo wondered. Daisuke was already a few steps away, heading slightly north. A cool breeze came from the snow-covered area, offering welcome relief from the heat, but it was only temporary.

Before anything else could be said, they heard the sound of a loud crash not too far away in that direction, and the sound of a stone wall collapsing.

"I'd guess that way," Agumon noted, but Daisuke had already taken off at a run.

The battle between the two tribes had waged on for what felt like hours, so that before long Takeru was aware of the sun high in the sky and recalled that when he'd awakened, it was still night.

Some progress had been made. Two of the Tyrannomon had abandoned interest in the battle almost the moment it had begun, and their tamers had been unable to rouse them to fight once more. Another had sank down in the grass and refused to get up, for it was either too tired or had no further desire to fight. None of the Tyrannomon were under anything resembling human control, and most of the rival tribe had abandoned the battle, recognizing that it was futile. A few tamers had remained, however, some of them (either stupidly or bravely, depending on the point of view) continuing to attempt control, whipping the dinosaur digimon violently. The Tyrannomon, obviously enraged, were attempting to step on the humans of both tribes, and trying to roast the Airdramon that flew past them regardless of who was riding on the back of the flying serpents.

Iori and Takeru had tended to the wounded with the others, occasionally glancing up to watch the battle and see that their partners were all right. Iori still had a dark look of suppressed anger in his eyes that Takeru had never before seen with such intensity in his usually calm face. After some time, however, the younger Chosen abandoned his attempts at nursing and got to his feet.

"Someone's got to talk sense into them," he said, beginning to walk into the midst of battle. Takeru finished tying the bandage he'd been wrapping around a young woman's wrist.

"Do you suppose they'll listen to you?" he questioned, stepping away from his completed task. "We're outsiders here, Iori. It's not likely they'll pay any attention."

"Then they're idiots," Iori answered sharply, and then shook his head, taking a deep breath. "You're right...," he conceded, and turned his head to face the battle.

Ankylomon swung his heavy tail into the legs of a Tyrannomon, who roared out his rage and breathed fire. It didn't do much damage to the armored digimon, but it did cause a few humans on the ground to go quickly running for cover. Even distantly, across the battlefield, they could hear the shouts of those who had been badly burned, and a few Airdramon flyers abandoned their fighting to help the wounded retreat.

Meanwhile, from the air, Angemon was fighting the same Tyrannomon face to face, repeatedly whacking its nose with a long pole or firing blasts of powerful light that momentarily blinded the dinosaur. The attacks served only to enrage the digimon rather than tire him, and the ferocity of his attacks had not lessened in the slightest. A few of those in the air were not so lucky as to be spared from the fiery breath of the Tyrannomon's attack, and a few of the tribesmen fell to the ground from a rather great height.

Takeru expected to hear the commander of the opposing tribe call out a retreat, but instead he could hear a voice shout out a completely opposite order. With a rather crazy sounding laugh, he heard one of the Airdramon's riders shout, "We've almost got them beat! Don't give in now! Attack!"

"Idiots," Iori muttered, his frown growing deeper. "Don't they understand they've taken as much damage as they've given? The Tyrannomon don't care who they hurt."

Takeru shook his head, once more thinking of Chimeramon and the Kaiser as he watched the commander battle with a long, heavy spear. "Even Ken realized eventually that Chimeramon couldn't be controlled," he remembered, watching as the two flying fighters parted, then came around for another attack. The commander's opponent pulled a sword from his belt and released his reins to attack with both hands, his spear in one and his sword in the other.

Iori turned toward him, considering. "Even then, it was only when he himself was nearly destroyed, when his castle fell down around him," he reminded Takeru. "Perhaps when every one of them is dead?"

"When every one of them is dead, it may be that the Tyrannomon will give up," Takeru replied. He shook his head, not taking his eyes away from the battle above. "They should try to drive the Tyrannomon away…."

"They can't, not with only Airdramon," Iori reminded him. "Not with the Tamers in the way." One of the Tyrannomon fired a blast of hot breath into the sky, and it missed the battling commander and his opponent by a very short distance.

One of the Tyrannomon roared loudly and belched out a great flame, nearly destroying all those who were on the ground beside it, sending the would-be tamers running quickly. It took a few steps away from the others and roared once more. When the tamers tried again to whip it into submission, it breathed fire on them, badly wounding some of them and sending the rest scattering again. It took a few more steps, further injuring a few of those already on the ground.

"Takeru," Iori said suddenly, touching his arm, for the older Chosen was still watching the battles in the sky. Reluctantly, he turned his eyes away and looked in the direction Iori was indicating. The Tyrannomon had managed to break free of anyone trying to stop it and was heading directly toward where they were standing, the wounded behind them.

Takeru turned immediately to the wounded behind him, planning to shout out advice that all get away as soon as possible, but such words would have been unnecessary. Those who could walk were hurrying away, helping those who could not walk quite as well, but at such a slow speed it was not likely that they'd be able to escape the dinosaur if it chose to chase after them.

"We have to do something," he said, and almost at the same time he thought he heard Iori mutter the same words.

The crystal that Miyako had felt with such certainty was but a short distance from where she was. Trying to ignore the unsteady dizziness she felt (the result of having been very near death only a few short moments before), she climbed over a few low, half-demolished walls, gripping the stone longer than usual to aid in balance. Behind her, she could hear Mummymon shouting in anger, but Stingmon and Ken were keeping him busy enough that he wasn't coming after her. She didn't dare look back, but kept on steadily.

At one end of the now destroyed fortress had been a tall tower, now only a circle of burned bricks. Only a few steps beyond was snow, and indeed when she approached it Miyako thought that the temperature had dropped a bit. She paused briefly to catch her breath and steady her nerves for a moment, and recalled that the last time she'd seen this tower, it had been on the verge of collapse, and she and Holsmon had flown by at precisely the right moment to catch Daisuke as he leapt from the crumbling steps. At the time, the sound of Chimeramon and Magnamon fighting behind her had been in loud in her ears.

She shook her head; it was no time to be reminiscing; and began to walk on. Her head felt a bit clearer, and her feet a bit more steady. Again she could feel a pressure in her chest – the feel of the crystal – and she wondered why it was so strong here as it had not been in Motomiya.

Without difficulty Miyako climbed over the low outer wall of the tower and saw that within the collapsed walls was a pile of bricks and wood and dried plaster, the ruins of the tall building. She knew with certainty that the crystal was within the pile, and she immediately began to search for it, getting down on her knees and rummaging with both hands amongst the stones.

"Has to be here someplace," she mumbled absently, and Hawkmon also began searching amidst the bricks. They had not searched for very long, however, before a series of explosions sounded around the outer shell of the tower, sending bricks and plaster and wood into a whirlwind.

Instantly, Miyako threw up a protective shield – surprising herself with how easy these things were becoming nowadays – and turned to see what had caused the explosions. She was expecting to see Mummymon, but the explosions had been too large, and there was no triumphant, mad laughter in the midst of it. Instead, the sorceress – Arachnemon, Ken had called her – was standing on a low wall, idly twisting a few strands of silvery hair in her fingers.

As innocuous as this action seemed to be, Miyako was not fooled, for she could sense a great amount of magic building around her opponent and was certain that it would not be long before she launched another attack. She took a few steps back, lowering her shield but preparing to raise it again at a moment's notice, conserving her magical energy.

"You've done the work for me, I see," Arachnemon said, her voice sweet and syrupy. Had Miyako not possessed magical senses, had she not seen her previously, had she not awareness of her true nature, the voice might have been enough to put her at ease, for it was calm and non-threatening. The half-digimon sorceress peered over her dark-tinted spectacles and smiled with bland eyes. "You would have been far more useful on our side."

Miyako took another few steps back, frowning, gathering her magic around her as she walked, not daring to waste her energy by speaking. She didn't take her eyes from the sorceress.

"You've a far greater practical magical power than any of the others," the sorceress continued, stepping down from the wall. "I daresay you haven't been able to delve into the true depths of the power you hold. Would you not like to learn more, to use more?" She twisted the hair between her fingers and waved one arm behind her.

She could feel the disruption before she saw it, a shimmer in the air as she had felt before when the sorceress called one of what seemed to be an infinite supply of digimon from nowhere to do her bidding. Three tall Mammothmon appeared behind her now, massive beasts that astonished Miyako with their size.

Arachnemon took another step forward away from the wall, twisting another few strands of hair between her fingers, gathering more magic. "You could learn so much, do so much more than you have been allowed to do. I know you are curious. It's why you came here – seeking knowledge. I could teach you. You'd be a valuable help – far more so than Mummymon." Her smile was mocking now, indicating that she obviously thought the other half-digimon was far less powerful than she was. Miyako took this in the subtext of this statement – if she had barely managed to escape Mummymon, she'd certainly not outsmart Arachnemon.

"I don't - ," Miyako said, because it seemed the sorceress was waiting for her answer.

"Don't you?" she asked, raising one eyebrow. She shifted her weight so that she was standing on her right leg, her free hand on her hip. As the fabric of her dress shifted, a bit of skin became visible above her ankle. It looked like human skin. She looked like a human woman, and yet….

"No," Miyako answered, taking another step back. "I'm not interested in learning your sort of magic. I'm not interested in working with you if you're willing to destroy an entire village for one crystal."

"Think of your potential," the sorceress said, her voice taking on only the barest hint of sternness, of anger, of something other than the bland sweetness she'd previously been using. "Think of your magic, of the power you could have. Think…of your life."

For a long moment, Miyako stared at her, thinking, despite her attempts not to, of precisely those things. "I have," she answered finally, taking a step forward. "I'd rather not."

There was a long moment of silence. Miyako watched as Arachnemon plucked the strands from her hair and waved her free hand. The Mammothmon trumpeted their anger and their intent, stomping their powerful feet and shaking the ground with their power. With the other hand she twisted the hairs into silvery spikes and hurled them into the center of the now-demolished tower.

Having been prepared, Miyako raised a shield, taking Hawkmon in her arms to protect him, but even so, the resulting explosions were powerful enough so that she felt the blasts through the magical walls. The Mammothmon she had summoned trumpeted their triumphant calls and in the midst of the flying dust, Arachnemon crossed the crowded space.

Miyako looked up, having ducked her head instinctively in the midst of the explosions, in time to see the sorceress hold out one hand, palm up, as though expecting someone to place an offering within it. Her long, slender fingers were clad in smooth red gloves. With the other hand, she was twisting a strand of hair, and her lips were moving, silently forming magical words. Despite her shield, Miyako could feel the power, could feel cold air coming from her. The pressure in her chest grew suddenly stronger, and there was a heat, like a burning.

"No," she muttered, lowering the shield and stepping forward. Instantly, Arachnemon took her hand from the strands of hair and pointed it toward Miyako.

The ground seemed to disappear beneath her, the air to rush past her at an unequaled speed. It was not the air that was moving, however, but she herself, and when she stopped, it was only because she had slammed into something solid. Her back crashed into it first, cushioning the blow, and then her head jolted back suddenly, colliding with the low stone wall that had stopped her short flight and causing her to see stars for a moment. At the same time, the pain in her chest had progressed to a painful burning, and she wondered again why the crystal was calling out to her so strongly and what would happen if Arachnemon took it – would the pain be unbearable? Would it cease? Would she die?

Her vision was blurry, but she could see some sort of white light rising from the ruins of the tower and she could hear Arachnemon laughing – shortly after joined by the maniacal giggles of Mummymon. She could hear the trumpeting of the Mammothmon and felt the ground shaking around her. The wall behind her was dangerously unstable. Miyako thought dimly that it might be best to move, but her body disagreed with her. Her head was throbbing, her chest was burning, and the rest of her felt as heavy and aching as though she were buried with bricks and stones. She watched as Arachnemon and Mummymon disappeared into nothingness, leaving behind the Mammothmon, who were slowly making their way towards her.

"Damn," she heard a voice say that might have been nearby or might have been three days' journey away. She squinted and saw a blurry face, but couldn't see beyond that and it only made her head hurt more so she shut her eyes. "I'll have to…," the same voice said, but the end of the sentence was muddled by the sound of falling rocks and trumpeting Mammothmon.

"Do it," said a different voice, with some urgency. "Get her as far from here as you can. I'll…."

Again, the battle paused and the Airdramon halted in midair. For a moment, even the Tyrannomon paused in their mad rampages as a bright white light filled the sky. Over the sound of a continuous high-pitched noise, two voices could be heard shouting.

"Angemon evolve!"

The crowd of wounded behind the two Chosen was slowly making its way to safety and did not pause, knowing that they'd have little time to escape if the Tyrannomon heading their way was not stopped.

"Ankylomon evolve!"

Li Tan was holding the reins of his Airdramon in his left hand and his spear in his right. When the light glowed and the high-pitched noise hit his ears, he thought immediately of when Patamon had become Angemon a short while before. He was interested, but would not have halted had his mount not chosen to do so. Never before had his Airdramon disobeyed his wishes without good reason, and so he turned in the direction of the light to watch. Somewhere in the midst of the light, he thought he could see a large creature taking shape.

"Shakkoumon!"

The new digimon was a strange sight, unlike anything that any of those present had ever seen before. It seemed to be made almost entirely of a strong metal, a sturdy armor that clanked when it moved, a shiny white color that glinted in the sunlight even when the light had faded. Two solid white wings jutted out from his back (obviously not for flying, but decoration. A few jewels decorated his body, most notably the front of his chest and the op of his shoulders, and the white armor was highlighted with gold accents, including one sun-shaped decoration on the front. The hands were not hands by human definition but strange mechanical mechanisms that spun in sockets.

Immediately, Shakkoumon stepped forward and raised both arms. The nearest Tyrannomon, not one to back down from a fight, stepped forward, roaring his anger, and breathed a storm of fire. The flames surrounded Shakkoumon with such a intense heat and power that all those nearby had to shield their faces for fear of being burned.

When the fire had dissipated, however, Shakkoumon was undamaged, his armor untarnished in the least. With a soft squeak of metal joints, it stepped forward quickly, waving one arm that connected solidly with the chin of the fire-breathing dinosaur digimon. It fell backward, roaring in pain and anger, and then breathed fire again. Once more, Shakkoumon was unaffected, and he swung the other arm, this time landing a punch on the right side of the dinosaur's head. Half-screaming in pain, the Tyrannomon was completely unprepared for a second smack on the other side of its head. It backed off, heading for the forest on the edge of the plains, recognizing its defeat.

A second Tyrannomon, eager to face a new and challenging opponent, rushed forward at full speed, planning to butt the new digimon with its head. Shakkoumon swung his arms forward and caught the dinosaur before it could dent its head on his sturdy body. The Tyrannomon roared in anger, not as willing as its predecessor to give in to defeat. Breaking free of Shakkoumon, it swung its powerful front claws. They clanked loudly against the armored chest of Shakkoumon but made no damage. Again, the Tyrannomon roared in anger, breathing fire, but the armor was again undamaged. The dinosaur then opened its mouth, revealing powerful sharp teeth, which it used to try to snap at its opponent's arms.

As he had with the last opponent, Shakkoumon swung first one arm, then another, connecting punches solidly with the Tyrannomon. The dinosaur backed off but did not retreat as the other had. Instead it roared again in anger and swung out with his sharp claws. This time, a small scratch appeared in the armor of its opponent.

Whilst the battle was going on, two of the Tyrannomon had been sitting on the sidelines, uninterested in fighting. One of them had fallen to sleep and not awakened despite the noise and commotion around it. The other, however, was watching the battle with some interest, as though waiting for an opportune time to enter. Several of the would-be tamers had tried to urge both dinosaurs into battle, but their whips did not seem to affect the sleeper. The other had swung its tormentors off with a few swipes of its claws, tails, and the occasional belch of fire. Upon the appearance of Shakkoumon, however, it got to its feet and, after the first Tyrannomon had retreated, it plunged into battle.

Now, it attacked Shakkoumon from behind, leaping with powerful legs to land on the back of the new digimon. Shakkoumon stumbled forward under the weight of the Tyrannomon, which was holding on to its back with both its front claws. It opened its mouth and let loose a roar of triumph, and then a blast of fire, which was as ineffective as the previous attempts.

The other Tyrannomon continued its assault from the front, taking advantage of its opponent's preoccupation. Shakkoumon straightened up despite the Tyrannomon on his back. His mechanical hands spun in circles and began to glow with a pale white light, unnoticed by either of the dinosaurs.

"Harmonious Spirit," Shakkoumon said, his voice seeming to be a blend of two, a certainty of power and justice. The light burst forth from his mechanical hands and connected solidly with the Tyrannomon in front of him. The dinosaur roared in pain for a moment and then deleted in burst of energy that faded to the winds.

Apparently alarmed by its ally's defeat, the second Tyrannomon paused in its attacks to stare blankly at the space where the first had previously stood. Its hesitation cost it. Shakkoumon spun the top half of his body around at such a speed that the dinosaur was thrown off. It landed with a crash on the ground a short distance away and roared in pain. For a moment, it seemed as though it was about to attack yet again. It stared at Shakkoumon, trying to decided, and then roared once more and hurried off towards the woods the same way as the first dinosaur had done.

Shakkoumon turned to face the final Tyrannomon, which was curled in a ball some distance away. It opened one eye and peered at the new digimon, then yawned widely, showing all its teeth, and fell back to sleep.

The tamers had stopped their fighting on the ground. Those who had been attempting to control the Tyrannomon were only staring, paralyzed with fear. None of them bothered to try to goad the other into attacking, for they were still stunned by the deletion.

In the sky above, Li Tan flew above the battle and raised his arm, signaling to his comrades that they should cease fighting. "You've been defeated, Mai Wu," he said, addressing the leader of the opposing tribe. "You cannot control Tyrannomon, and we will not allow you to harm any more people trying to do so. Accept your defeat and offer surrender!"

"Never!" came the commander's response. He, too, was mounted on an Airdramon. He flew up above the battle and waved his arms. "All those who will come, join me. We do not admit defeat, and we will come back stronger and more powerful. Tell your tribe to fear us, Li Tan!"

With that, Mai Wu turned his Airdramon around and flew away. Li Tan sighed, but did not order any of his fighters to follow, nor did he himself go after the retreating tribe. They had suffered enough casualties for one day.

Shakkoumon was glowing as he had not done before, and after a moment he had disappeared. In the space where he had been reappeared two tiny digimon – Upamon and Tokomon.

I'd like to apologize to anyone who's overly fond of Miyako. I seriously beat her up the last two chapters. It doesn't mean I don't like her.

I couldn't remember what Shakkoumon's attacks look like, so I took a few artistic liberties. It's been far too long since I watched that section of the series, and I have to admit I probably didn't pay close attention to him at all. I know I totally altered Arachnemon's abilities (as well as the spelling of her name, but that's translation and all), but I call that artistic license, so…. :shrug: I'm very pleased with myself that he (and Iori and Takeru) got this much face time.

Next chapter, we'll get back to the rest of the Chosen and hopefully move the plot forward. Hopefully.

Thanks for reading.