A day after their encounter with their old foes, the heroes, heroines and Novicmon soon arrived at the border to the Earth Tribe's territory, and it was quite easy for the group to see that they were in the right place.
"Wow..." Marcus could only say as he looked up and expressed the surprise everyone felt.
Before the humans, Digimon and Appmon was a massive stone wall, as tall as any skyscraper, which extended for miles in every direction, separating the Earth Tribe's lands from the rest of Witchelny.
"This is starting to remind me of..." Mikey started to say, where Haru picked up his train of thought as the lead Appli Driver finished. "The Great Wall of China."
Looking back upon the massive structure, those more familiar with the history of the Real World did indeed see the similarity between the structure before them and the historic landmark back on their Earths, though this wall was at least two to three times the size.
"If this is like the Great Wall, then..." Davis started to think aloud, before the Digidestined of Courage and Friendship acted.
Placing his fingers in his mouth and giving a loud whistle, startling his friends slightly, the maroon haired Digidestined then yelled up towards the top of the wall. "Hey, anyone up there?!"
A moment later, three heads looked down from the ledge of the wall, blinking their eyes as they looked at the newcomers at the bottom of the wall.
Upon closer look at the Digimon, the heroes, heroines and Novicmon saw that they also resembled Kotemon, only they had on dark green robes, stone-like armour and straw hats.
"RockKotemon, Rookie Level Digimon." Rika said as she read the information on her D-Bracer, where Renamon theorized. "They must be the Earth Tribe's basic soldiers, like the FlareKotemon of the Fire Tribe."
The group then saw the three RockKotemon seemingly talking amongst themselves, before disappearing from sight and back on the wall, thus leaving the heroes and heroines hoping that the Earth Tribe Digimon would let them into their territory.
However, that hope quickly turned into panic as the group saw the three RockKotemon, along with nearly a hundred others, now looking over the wall with bows and arrows drawn and aimed down at the heroes and heroines, ready to fire at any moment.
"Wait, Wait! We're not enemies!" Veemon quickly yelled, a feeling shared by everyone in the group as they feared being skewered by a barrage of arrows.
"Novicmon, the seal!" Renamon then quickly snapped to the mystic Digimon, who quickly acted as he reached into his hat and pulled out Infernomon's seal and pointed it upwards to allow the RocKotemon to see and examine it as best they could.
Seeing the seal of the Fire Tribe's leader, and knowing what it meant, the RockKotemon lowered their bows and arrows, before once again disappearing from the ledge of the wall, where the heroes and heroines once again heard the sounds of conversation and chatter, which now seemed to be moving down the wall in the process.
Sighing in relief, the heroes, heroines and their guide, now thankful that they were not target practice for the Earth Tribe Digimon, waited patiently, before seeing parts of the wall morph and reshape themselves, forming a pair of large doors within the stone face of the wall.
"Ok, so their Digi-magic lets them control rocks and probably the stone ground around them." Astora commented as he and the others then saw the newly formed doors slowly open, allowing the heroes and heroines to look inside, where a small group of three types of Earth Tribe Digimon marched out towards them, each looking ready for battle if necessary.
The first, and most numerous of the Digimon, resembled humanoid beings made of pure rocks, having no facial features, save for a pair of dark green eyes, covered in stone armour from head to toe, wielding spears, swords and shield, which bore a symbol of a triangle rock upon them, the crest of the Earth Tribe.
The second type, of which there were about six of, were much larger than their companions, having a humanoid shape, only their arms were much larger, resembling massive stone fists, their entire rock-like bodies covered in stone armour as their eyes looked down at the group with cautious glances.
The last type, of which there was one, and seemed to be the leader of the group, was another humanoid Digimon made of pure stone, covered in dark green robes and a cloak, covered with rock-like designs, while an iron circlet was around the Digimon's head, one covered in various gemstones.
"Terracottamon, Mineramon and Geomon, all Champion Level Digimon, with Geomon being a magic type." Nene informed her friends and allies as she read off the information on her D-Bracer, looking to see the Terracottamon and Mineramon surround the heroes and heroines, while the Geomon first looked at the seal within Novicmon's hand, before looking at the D-Bracers upon the humans' wrists.
"You are the heroes who seek to unite the Tribes against the Dark Lady?" The rock mystic Digimon asked, receiving a nod from the group.
"Yes, we are here to speak with Titanusmon on behalf of Lord Infernomon and the other Tribal leaders within the alliance." Novicmon explained to the Geomon, the heroes and heroines all waiting for the rock mystic's reply.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, the Geomon then looked to Novicmon as he answered the small mystic Digimon. "Very well, we shall bring you to our capital. Now come inside, we have to seal the wall before they realize there is an opening."
Understanding who the "They" Geomon was referring to, knowing that the Dark Tribe's forces were no doubt trying to find a way into the Earth Tribe's territory, the group and their new escorts entered the gateway and entered the lands of the Earth Digimon.
Upon entering the other size of the doors, the heroes, heroines and Novicmon then watched as Geomon then faced the opening, before it began moving his hands in a fluid motion and stomped his foot on the ground as the rock doors them slammed shut, before reverting back into the place rock face of the wall, as though never having existed in the first place.
"That's impressive." Shoutmon said with a clear impressment and respect, getting Geomon's attention as the Digimon King pointed out. "The wall not only changes to how your tribe wants it, but I am guessing you can repair it quickly in the event of a major attack."
Nodding in affirmation to Shoutmon's words, as well as some respect for his ability to see their tactics, Geomon then moved ahead of the group as they began to make their way through the rocky terrain of the Earth Tribe's lands, seemingly heading towards a massive mountain off in the distance, where the heroes and heroines believed the capital of the Earth Tribe was situated, and where their next negotiations would take place.
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After several hours of walking, with the Earth Tribe Digimon remaining silent, much to the displeasure of the heroes, heroines and Novicmon, the group soon came within sight of the large city at the base of the mountain, one also protected by a massive wall that circled the city's perimeter.
From what they could tell, looking over the wall, the city's architecture seemed to resemble that of Ming Dynasty China, though unlike the capitals of the other tribes, every building seemed to be made entirely out of stone.
As they approached the gate to the city, however, the group's attention was then turned to a lone figure waiting at the entrance, one who glared at the heroes and heroines as they came closer and closer.
Like the other Earth Tribe Digimon, the being was a humanoid Digimon made completely out of stone, covered not only in stone-like armour with dragon shoulder pads, but also drapes and a dark green cloak, one baring the rock symbol of the earth tribe, while all but his eyes were concealed in a full helmet shaped like a dragon's head, where the warrior Digimon held a twin bladed spear in his right hand, ready for battle if necessary.
"That's TerraKhanmon, a Mega Level Digimon and Titanusmon's right hand." Novicmon whispered to his friends, who nodded in reply, seeing the equivalent to BlazeShogunmon and LordPaladinmon continue to glare at them as the Geomon and his group stopped before the rock warrior.
"Who are these intruders and why have you brought them here?" TerraKhanmon questioned cautiously as he looked between the Geomon and the group, understandable not liking the idea of outsiders within his tribe's lands.
"These are the heroes and heroines we have heard about, they seek an audience with Lord Titanusmon." The Geomon replied, where the humans held up their wrists to show their D-Bracers, while Novicmon held up Infernomon's seal, causing TerraKhanmon to growl lightly, before he looked back at Geomon.
"Return to your posts. I will escort them to the palace." The Mega rock warrior Digimon ordered, receiving a bow from the group of Champion Digimon, who left the group of heroes and heroines with their commander as they returned to the outer wall, before TerraKhanmon looked back at the group of humans, Digimon and Appmon before him.
"Follow me, I will lead you to Lord Titanusmon, but do not expect him to be receptive to your offer." TerraKhanmon then said with a continued distance as he turned and began walking into the city, the group following closely behind as they took in the sprawling metropolis around them.
As they followed TerraKhanmon down the streets, the heroes and heroines looked to see numerous rock and mineral type Digimon going about their lives, some having shops opened serving food, while others had stands showing off fine jewelry and gems, harvested from the mountain ranges that covered the Earth Tribe's domain.
Continuing along the street, the group of heroes, heroines and their guide saw upgraded versions of the Terracottamon, with more stone armour on their beings, as well as capes similar to the Geomon they met earlier as they held their shields and spears tightly, as though daring the heroes and heroines to step out of line, while even larger mineral Digimon stood behind them.
"So these big bruisers are GraniteTerracatamon, Ultimate Level Digimon." Eri informed the others as she read the information on her D-Bracer, before Shoutmon added and informed his friends. "And those Digimon behind them are Gogmamon, also Ultimate Level Digimon. We actually have a few of those Digimon back in our Digital World."
Nodding in thanks for the information, the rest of the heroes and heroines then took notice of colossal statues standing between some of the buildings, some even taller than SacredPhoenixmon, resembling stone warriors with twin bladed staves at their sides.
However, as they continued walking, a sense of uneasiness filled the group, before Davis noticed that the heads of the giant statues were moving and following them as they walked, this causing him to look at his D-Bracer as he realized that they were not statues, but Digimon themselves.
"TerraColossaimon, Mega Level Digimon." Davis told the others as he read the information before him, where TerraKhanmon looked over his shoulder and commented. "They are among our tribe's greatest warriors, pray you do not find yourself on the wrong end of their blades."
Nodding in reply, while sighing lightly to the rock warrior Digimon's hostile tone, letting the heroes and heroines know just how well their talks might go with the leader of the Earth Tribe, the group then saw another small gathering of rock type Digimon before them, the first of which caused Takuya and Zoe to sweatdrop slightly.
"Well, there's a somewhat familiar sight." The Warrior of Flame commented as they saw several Digimon that resembled Gigasmon, though unlike the Beast Warrior of Earth they remembered, these Digimon were covered from head to toe in rock-like armour, each having runes engraved upon them as the Digimon let out fierce roars, while Zoe looked at her D-Bracer to learn about this newer version of the familiar Digimon.
"BattleGigasmon, Ultimate Level Digimon." The Warrior of Wind said as she read the information provided to her, before she and the others then saw a small group of Geomon, only these mystic Digimon had two stone spikes coming out of their backs, forming an arch behind them, while wielding staves made of stone with a green gem on top.
"GrandGeomon, Ultimate Level magic type Digimon." Yoshi informed as she read her D-Bracer's info, while also remembering seeing a few of these Digimon at Mt. Brocken as teachers, before the auburn haired DATS member and the other heroes looked at the leader of the group.
Slightly taller than the other GrandGeomon, the mystic Digimon before them was covered from head to toe in dark green robes and a cloak, his hands placed together as dragon heads rested on his shoulder pads and on an ornate helmet he wore, while the stone arch on his back was completely encircled, spinning lightly upon his back as his dark green eyes looked upon the heroes and heroines with intrigue.
"MasterGeomon, Mega Level mystic-type Digimon." Kari said as she looked upon her D-Bracer and read the information, where the group then saw the chief mystic Digimon of the Earth Tribe approach the group, looking at them with intrigue, before looking to TerraKhanmon.
"These are the heroes and heroines of which we have heard of?" MasterGeomon questioned as he looked at TerraKhanmon, who seemed to glare at his ally in response.
"Yes, they are here to speak with Lord Titanusmon, and it is his word that will be final." The stone warrior said in reply as he walked past MasterGeomon, where the group saw the tension between the pair, before the rock mystic Digimon turned to the group and bowed slightly.
"My apologies for him, there has been a… division, you could say, between many amongst the Earth Tribe on where we stand with the idea of your alliance, but TerraKhanmon is right, Lord Titanusmon's words will be final, please follow us." MasterGeomon informed the heroes and heroines, before stepping aside to allow them to continue to follow behind TerraKhanmon.
As the group followed their escort, with MasterGeomon and his group behind them, the heroes and heroines looked to see a massive palace built into the mountain before them, were each member of the group hoped that they could convince Titanusmon to join the alliance, less all that they had worked for would fall apart.
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Beyond the other end of the outer walls, meanwhile, not too far off for the Earth Tribe guards present to see, a massive camp was set up, the bulk of the invading Dark Tribe forces using their location as a means to try and find a way to breach their enemy's defences.
Legions of DarkWolfmon, BlackGargoylemon, DarkThrallmon, Wargmon, DarkMothmon, ShadowKnightmon, FellKnightmon, AbyssalKnightmon and Umbramon worked about the camp as they readied for their next attempt of battle, keeping the SkullDracomon, DeathWendigomon, BloodDracomon and DarkHydramon in line.
Upon a hill behind the camp, meanwhile, a coven of Necromon, with their Lichmon leader, floated before a pair of DeathKnightmon and the Dark General of their army, who held a feral look in her eyes as she looked upon a familiar black mirror.
Resembling a female human, the Dark General had pale skin and short, white hair, clad from the neck down in dark armour that showed off her feminine features, while a pair of dark metal bat wings came out from her back.
Within her right hand was a large, silver trident, which she gripped tightly as she looked upon the image of Charonmon within the mirror, her red eyes glaring as she looked upon the Dark Lady's chief advisor.
"It seems with all your boasting, you have made less progress than your counterparts, Lamashtumon." Charonmon commented, his words causing a beastial growl from the Dark General, causing most of the Dark Digimon around her to back up, less they found themselves on the wrong end of her wrath.
"Rest assured, Charonmon, I will break through their pathetic wall and claim the Divine Stone for the Dark Lady, mark my words!" Lamashtumon replied, her voice cruel and vicious, before growling again as Charonmon chuckled in reply.
"Lycanmon, Draculmon, DarkPosidemon, SkullBarbatosmon and DarkTaurosmon said the same thing, and they are gone now." The Dark Mystic Digimon remarked, before adding as he looked upon the Dark General. "And now, the heroes are within the Earth Tribe's territory, no doubt working to add them to the alliance against us."
"They will not succeed! The fools of the Earth Tribe are too prideful and arrogant to accept their proposal, they will think it will make them weak! I will crush them, and the heroes, and bring the one our Lady desires to her!" Lamashtumon than declared, eager to prove herself over her fallen rivals in the eyes of the Dark Lady.
"No, you will not." Charonmon merely said in reply, his words causing Lamashtumon's eyes to widen, before the Dark Mystic continued as he stated. "Your only focus will be the Divine Stone, nothing more."
"You dare?!" Lamashtumon questioned in anger, pointing her trident at the mirror as she continued her rage-filled rant. "Do you think I am weak?! Incapable of taking the humans and their pets down?!"
Instead of replying, however, the image of Charonmon disappeared from the mirror, furthering the rage residing within Lamashtumon felt.
However, that rage soon turned to shock as the image of the Dark Lady herself appeared within the mirror, the sight causing Lamashtumon to immediately fall to her knees, along with the other Dark Digimon around her.
"I will deal with the humans, Lamashtumon." The leader of the Dark Tribe informed her servant, before commanding in her usual cold voice. "You will claim the power of the Divine Stone for me, and I will not tolerate delays any longer."
"We shall attack at dusk tomorrow, and to make sure we succeed, I will gift you with my latest creations." The Dark Lady then said as her eyes began to glow a sinister dark purple.
It was then that Lamashtumon and her entourage heard commotion from the camp, moving to see a series of massive dark portals open on the ground near the camp as massive limbs emerged and grabbed hold, pulling larger forms from the vortexes as loud, ear piercing roars filled the area, causing the Dark General to smile wickedly, looking forward to unleashing the Dark Lady's new pets upon the Earth Tribe and watch them crumble to ash.
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To say that the heroes, heroines and Novicmon were intimidated was an understatement as they stood within the throne room of Titanusmon.
Looking upon the leader of the Earth Tribe as he looked down upon them, the humans, Digimon and the Appmon felt a shared nervousness to the impressive size of the Earth Tribe's ruler.
Towering over all present, and larger than any of the previous tribal leaders the heroes had met, Titanusmon resembled a robed version of a TerraColossaimon, with stone dragons as shoulder pads and a large stone sword at his side, holding a regal look to him as the large stone leader looked upon his guest.
Behind the stone throne, meanwhile, was a large pillar of rock, glowing with a dark green hue, giving off a familiar energy to the heroes and heroines, letting them know that this was the primordial fragment of the Earth Tribe, the Divine Stone.
Being the first to shake off his initial fears, Novicmon stepped forward and took a knee as he said politely and with absolute respect. "Lord Titanusmon, on behalf of Lord Infernomon, we are here to ask that the Earth Tribe join in alliance with the rest of Witchelny against the Dark Tribe and their leader's aggression. As it stands, the Light, Water and Nature Tribes stand with the Fire Tribe in this endeavour, and we give invitations to your lordship and your tribe as well."
"You would ask us to trust our enemies?" Titanusmon questioned in reply, his voice deep and strong, causing the heroes and heroines to flinch slightly, before the massive stone leader added. "You ask us to open our walls to those who once sought our lands for their own?"
"We are asking that you take a stand against the real threat to Witchelny." Davis replied as he too stepped forward, seeing TerraKhanmon grip his weapon in his hand out of the corner of his eye, before the Digidestined of Miracles continued , expressing his seriousness and concerns. "The armies of the Dark Tribe have grown too powerful for one tribe to stand alone against them, it will take the other nine tribes working together to end their tyranny."
"Our walls have stood against the Dark Tribe's rabble for a thousand years." TerraKhanmon then stated, adding as he looked at Davis and said. "We have the patience of stone, we can wait the Dark Tribe out."
"The Light Tribe thought the same thing." Shoutmon told TerraKhanmon as he moved next to Davis, where the Digimon King informed Titanusmon and his servants. "And that pride nearly ended them, had we not been there to aid in their troubles."
"It is true, my lord." MasterGeomon then spoke up, facing Titanusmon as he informed his ruler. "My informants told me about how the Dark Tribe pierced the Light Tribe's barrier and nearly destroyed their capital had these heroes not been there, we cannot allow the same fate to befall us.
"Are you calling our armies, our soldiers weak?!" TerraKhanmon questioned in anger, feeling insulted by the chief mystic Digimon's words, where MasterGeomon glared back at his comrade.
"I am saying that we cannot stick to our old ways, less the Dark Tribe finally breaks through our defences. The Wall may be powerful, but even you have seen the reports, the enemy is gaining strength, and it won't be long before they find a way through, we cannot fight them alone!" MasterGeomon replied back with more emotion in his voice, the two glaring at one another, before stopping as Titanusmon brought his hand up.
"There is something else you need to be aware of." Davis then said, getting the attention of the Earth Tribe's leaders, where the maroon haired Digidestined turned to his friends, seeing them all nod in reply to his unasked question, before Davis turned back and stated. "The Dark Lady herself is becoming more active, she attacked the Nature Tribe's capital a few days ago and took some energy from their primordial fragment."
"Likewise, her servants have been able to steal energy from the other fragments as well, I suggest you place more guards around the Divine Stone." Novicmon added, his words, along with Davis', caused even TerraKhanmon to flinch, shocked at the idea that their enemy's leader was now taking part in the fighting after a thousand years.
"I will... consider your words, but I still do not see much reason for us to join in this alliance." Titanusmon then said, causing the heroes and heroines to sigh in frustration, before the leader of the Earth Tribe stated. "You may remain within our capital until I have come to my decision, so long as you stay out of trouble."
"Very well, but please, not just for your Tribe's sake, but for all of Witchelny's, consider our offer." Davis said in reply, expressing his continued concerns for the Earth Tribe Digimon, just before a pair of GraniteTerracatamon led the group of heroes and heroines out, the group barely able to hear both MasterGeomon and TerraKhanmon arguing once again, leaving the heroes and heroines uncertain to the future.
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Sometime later and as the sun began to set, the Earth Tribe warriors on the section of the wall facing the Dark Tribe's camp were frantic as they took battle positions, having heard the massive shrieks not too long ago, and knew their enemy was preparing for another attack.
Looking over the wall, the lead GrandGeomon in charge of the defence of that section of the wall saw the massive legions of Lamashtumon standing ready to attack, seeing the Dark General standing on a hilltop as a pair of Necromon held a dark mirror next to her.
"Prepare the defences!" The GrandGeomon bellowed, his troops following orders as they prepared stone catapults, the RockKotemon preparing their arrows and a pair of Geomon joining their leader as they prepared to use the wall itself to fight their enemy.
"Shall I give the word and let your pets have their fun, my Lady?" Lamashtumon asked as she looked to the mirror, seeing the Dark Lady's reflection residing within.
"No. I want this quick." The leader of the Dark Tribe replied as her eyes began to glow once again.
It was then that the mirror itself began to glow a dark purple, causing the Necromon to move behind it, before a powerful blast of dark energy surged out of it, heading straight for the Wall.
Fear and panic filled the Earth Tribe Digimon to see the powerful blast of energy heading for them, causing the GrandGeomon to call out in panic. "Get out of the way!"
Unfortunately, as he finished his cry, the GrandGeomon saw the blast strike the wall, causing a massive explosion that sent many of the rock warriors flying off the wall as it crumbled around them, many breaking apart into data particles as the smoke and dust cleared, revealing a massive, gaping hole within the wall, brimming with dark purple flames.
Smiling viciously, Lamashtumon let out an ear piercing shriek as she pointed her trident at the opening, where her legions took off, marching and rushing towards the ruined wall, eager to begin their invasion after so long.
Groaning in pain as he got up, the GrandGeomon's eyes widened as he saw the opening, as well as the legions of the Dark Tribe rushing towards it, where he brought his hand up and concentrated, trying to use his Earth Digi-magic to quickly repair the damaged wall.
However, much to his shock and horror, the earth mystic Digimon found his magic unable to restructure the damaged section of the wall, seeing that the dark purple flames were somehow preventing his magic from affecting the damaged areas, where he turned to a GraniteTerracottamon and some RockKotemon nearby.
"Get to the capital! Inform them of what has happened!" GrandGeomon yelled, his words causing the group to nod as they quickly took off.
Letting out a sigh of relief, the rock mystic's eyes then widened as he heard a familiar roar, the same from earlier, where he turned to see massive beings matching behind the legions of Dark Digimon, letting out fierce and terrible roars.
The invasion of the Earth Tribe had begun.
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Author's note: A new Tribe and a new battle awaits, but what plans does the Dark Lady have for dealing with the heroes this time? Stay tuned to find out as the adventure continues.