Remaining before Odinmon, the heroes and heroines listened intently as the leader of the Frost Tribe explained the situation, explaining why his tribe had remained isolated for the past thousand years as the Dark Tribe's invasion continued throughout the lands.
"Over a thousand years ago, before the rise of the Dark Lady, the Frost Tribe was quite different from what you see today." Odinmon began to tell the humans, Digimon and Appmon, his stern gaze looking amongst the heroes and heroines as he continued his tale. "Back then, I ruled my tribe alongside by brothers and sisters, fellow God type Digimon who were also children of Glaciesmon, the Primordial of Frost."
Nodding their heads in understanding, it was Marcus, much to the surprise of the others, who spoke up as he said. "Yeah, we have a group similar to that in our Digital World, the Olympos Twelve."
"And we have a member of that group from my Digital World." Shoutmon then added as he pointed to Mervamon, who blinked in surprise at the recognition.
The others then nodded in understanding, before Odinmon continued in his tale.
"However, upon the rise of the Dark Lady and the beginning of the war, a member of our group, Helamon, saw in the enemy power, power that needed to be followed and obeyed. In response, she allied with the Dark Tribe and was given the rank of Dark General, before convincing nearly half our tribe to join her, promising them ultimate power, while promising the Dark Lady not only the Sacred Frost, but our entire tribe in servitude for even more power." The leader of the Frost Tribe then said, his words causing the heroes and heroines' eyes to widen in shock.
"Blessed by the Dark Lady herself, Helamon became DarkHelamon, her followers fell into darkness and changed into corrupted version of themselves, and have waged war with us with the Dark Tribe's aid for the past thousand years, the traitor having killed all our brothers and sisters, leaving only me between her and the throne to the Frost Tribe." Odinmon then finished, adding as he sat back on his throne. "Until she is stopped, I cannot commit any forces to aid the alliance."
Nodding in understanding, the heroes and heroines now had a better grip on the situation, there was no invasion of the Dark Tribe upon the Frost Tribe's territory, but a civil war, with one side backed by the enemy.
"We will do what we can to help you and your tribe, Odinmon." Kari then said with confidence and kindness in her voice as she spoke, not only for herself and for Gatomon, but for her friends.
"But with us here, there is a chance the Dark Lady herself might get involved. She already took part in attacks on the Nature and Earth Tribes' capitals." Kari went on to say, expressing a concern for the ice Digimon.
"If the enemy does come to DarkHelamon's aid, then we shall make a battle worth remembering." FrostJarlmon replied with a great confidence, though he could see that it was a feeling not shared by others as IceTactimon and ArcaneSeermon both glared at him.
"We will discuss this more tomorrow." Odinmon merely said as he brought the focus back upon himself.
As he looked to the heroes and heroines, the leader of the Frost Tribe offered with a shared kindness expressed through Kari. "For now, we shall provide you with a room to house you all while you stay with us. Rest, for tomorrow, we shall see what must be done to finally remove this thorn from our side."
Nodding in response, the heroes, heroines and Novicmon followed a pair of IceEinherjarmon out of the great hall, leading them towards the room Odinmon had provided them, leaving the group in thought as to their next move.
.
.
.
Back at the dark, icy fortress, a lone figure, one covered from head to toe in dark blue robes stood upon a balcony, who looked down at her forces as they prepared for battle.
The only features that could be seen of the being was their face, with the upper half of her head covered by a death mask, leaving only a wicked smile expressing itself on her lips.
Twin spikes of dark ice came out of her shoulders, while a series of such ice came out of her back, growing as they went up her back, where the dark being clenched her dark ice staff in hand.
Looking down, DarkHelamon's smile grew as she took in her loyal forces, all twisted and empowered by the dark ice magics the Dark Lady had provided her with, all ready to aid her in taking the throne of the Frost Tribe and lead them to glory alongside the Dark Tribe.
Looking amongst her servants, the ice witch Digimon first looked at her most numerous of her servants, which resembled the FrostVikemon in appearance.
However, unlike their counterparts, these Digimon had tattered armour, rusty weapons and held a lack of life in appearance, with bone and rotten flesh present to those who looked upon them.
Although these creatures weren't as skilled fighters as the FrostVikemon, the Draugrmon more than made up for it in numbers, and near mindless desires to kill and maim, furthered DarkHelamon's sinister delight.
The former Joutunmon, meanwhile, had been reformed into a gathering of savage beasts.
Covered in white fur with dark ice spikes coming out of their backs and claws, while a pair of dark ice horns stuck out of their heads left them as dark and twisted creatures.
Replacing the almost featureless nature of the Joutunmon, the new Digimon had gaping mouths with razor sharp teeth, along with a single eye, which glowed with a dark, eerie blue.
No longer the noble Joutunmon, the ShadowTrollmon were fierce, bloodthirsty beasts, bound to DarkHelamon's will and ready to kill in her name.
Likewise, amongst the Dark Frost Tribe's army were Seermon, IceEinherjarmon, IceSeermon and FrostValkyrmon, but unlike their counterparts, the Digimon's armours were all black, while the ice that made their bodies were a dark ice, recreating them as DarkSeermon, NightmareEinherjarmon, DarkIceSeermon and ShadowValkyrmon, evil servants of the ice witch and her Mistress, the Dark Lady.
Looking to her side, DarkHelamon took note of a pair of large, dark ice wolf Digimon that awaited her command, two of many in her forces, their razor-sharp teeth ready to strike when necessary.
Personal creations of the ice witch, the BlackGarmmon, Ultimate Level Digimon, were powerful enforcers of DarkHelamon's army, while behind the Dark Digimon, the more dangerous of the ice witch's servants waited, eager for battle, and DarkHelamon was more than willing to oblige.
"Prepare yourselves, my faithful servants!" The ice witch bellowed, her words causing her soldiers to cheer below, while her beasts let out fierce roars as she continued. "Tomorrow, we will march upon the capital! We shall remove that weakling Odinmon from the throne, and usher in a new era for the Frost Tribe, one alongside the Dark Lady!"
Letting out more cheers and roars, the Dark Frost Digimon prepared for war, their Mistress smiling wickedly, knowing a secret that even her own servants did not know.
'Tomorrow, the Dark Lady will have what she desires… and so shall I!' DarkHelamon thought to herself, looking forward to her destiny.
.
.
.
As the sun finally set, the heroes and heroines found themselves in a large room prepared for them, where Shoutmon, Guilmon and the two Agumon worked together and made a small fire, warming up the group and allowing most to fall asleep, resting for whatever the next day would bring them.
However, sitting around the fire and keeping their conversation to a whisper, Davis and Novicmon decided to inform a small number within the group what the small mystic Digimon had learned of the Dark Lady's so-called chosen, and thus sat with Veemon, Mikey and Shoutmon, with the Red General and the Digimon King both in thought as they digested the information.
"And you didn't hear them mention anything else, like who was chosen or what for?" Shoutmon questioned as he looked to Novicmon, who shook his head, letting him know that he didn't have the answers.
"I think it's safe to say that none of us are working for the Dark Lady, so that explanation can be ruled out." Davis replied, his words getting a nod from Mikey as he looked over to the sleeping forms of their friends, agreeing with the maroon haired Digidestined.
"Which means then that she has chosen one of us for something, possibly for whatever it is she has been working towards." The Red General then theorized, his eyes widening as he then stated. "That explains our encounters with her."
"What do you mean?" Veemon questioned in confusion by the statement.
"Our first encounter with the Dark Lady, she wiped the floor with us." Mikey explained, looking at Davis as he continued. "Even you guys said it, with the power of four fragments within you, she was holding back, she could have finished us off instantly, instead, she let us go. Why would you let those who have been the biggest thorn in your plans just leave with a warning?"
"She let us go to keep her 'Chosen' safe." Shoutmon answered with a light growl, not liking where the direction the conversation was heading, where he then added as he continued his train of thought. "Meaning each of our encounters with her, or ones related to her, like the battle with AxeKnightmon and the other reanimated villains were all tests of some sort, tests for her Chosen."
"If you are right about that, Shoutmon." Davis cut in, getting Mikey and the three Digimon's attention, where the Digidestined of Miracles continued and spoke. "Then it means that she anticipated our arrival on Witchelny, no, counted on it."
As the words left his mouth, Mikey, Shoutmon, Veemon and Novicmon's eyes widened as they took in the hidden meaning of Davis' words, with Veemon questioning as best he could without panicking. "You… you don't really believe that She brought us here, to Witchelny, right?"
That thought alone sent chills down the five's spines, that Davis, Mikey, their partners and friends were not brought to Witchelny to save it, but as part of the Dark Lady's designs.
"I don't know what to think." Davis replied with a low but frustrated sigh, looking over at the sleeping forms of their friends as he then questioned. "Besides, if that were true, why summon all of us if she only wants one person?"
"We don't even know who that person is, or what the Dark Lady even wants with them." Shoutmon then added with a small growl, causing Davis to sigh as he looked at the Digimon King.
"This is part of the reason I was afraid of sharing any of this, I didn't want to cause suspicion and paranoia like this with the others." The maroon haired Digidestined commented, causing Mikey to smile back at him.
"It's alright, this isn't a burden you and Novicmon should carry alone." Mikey said in reply with a considerate tone, adding as he then looked to the others. "But I do agree, let's keep this all between us. We need to keep an eye on the others and find out what it is the Dark Lady wants, especially since she needs the Sacred Frost's power still, along with power from the other three remaining primordial fragments for whatever she is planning."
"I agree with Mikey. At the moment let's just focus on the battles we know we can fight." Shoutmon added, before letting out a small yawn, looking to the rest with him as he then said. "For now, let's get some rest. Tomorrow, we can figure out how to help Odinmon and the Frost Tribe deal with DarkHelamon's forces."
Nodding in reply, the group dispersed and went to their sleeping bags, where Davis gently set himself on his sleeping bag, resting beside the sleeping form of Kari.
As though sensing his presence as he got comfortable, the sleeping brunette then shifted a little, moving so that her head was resting against her beloved's chest, the action causing Davis to blush a little, before smiling as he wrapped his arm around Kari and pulled his beloved closer to him.
As he allowed sleep to overtake him, the Digidestined of Miracles silently vowed to protect Kari from any dangers the Dark Lady would throw at him and his friends, no matter what it took.
He had no idea of what the future had in store for him.
.
.
.
With a light sigh, Davis slowly opened his eyes, squinting as sunlight came through the window, before feeling a light weight still resting on his chest, looking down to see Kari still sleeping comfortably in his embrace.
Smiling as he took in Kari's content and peaceful expression, Davis then looked around to find that he and his girlfriend were the only ones still in the room, the others having gotten up and allowing the pair to rest a little bit longer.
Stroking Kari's hair softly, Davis smiled as he said to his beloved with a warm tone. "It's time to get up, Kari, the others are probably waiting for us."
"Five more minutes…" Kari mumbled in her sleep as she pressed herself closer to Davis, before the brunette added in her dreamy state. "I'm too comfortable…"
Despite the bright blush on his face, the maroon haired Digidestined could not help but smile as he took in Kari's adorable smile, for he had dreamt of moments such as this with Kari since the day he met her.
Slowly opening her eyes, the Digidestined of Light's smile grew as she looked upon her beloved's face, who then leaned upward and lightly kissed him on the lips.
Kissing Davis, Kari felt delighted as she felt him kiss her back, almost feeling as though she was having another amazing dream.
Breaking the kiss for air, Davis and Kari continued to rest in silence, the pair just enjoying the peace and quiet between them, before Kari spoke the question that was on the forefront of her mind. "Is everything alright, Davis?"
Knowing that he was having some trouble sleeping, especially with the hidden knowledge of the Dark Lady's Chosen on his mind, Davis knew that Kari was picking up on his worry.
"Everything's fine, Kari, I've just been worried about everyone's safety, that's all." Davis replied with a half-lie.
While he hated to deceive Kari, Davis knew it would be better for his girlfriend if she didn't know right now about his real worries, especially since there was a part of him, after their first and more recent encounters with the Dark Lady, that believed that the Digidestined of Light herself might be the target of the dark being's desire.
'I won't let her near you again, Kari, I promise.' Davis thought to himself as he continued to smile at the brunette, doing his best to hide any worries from her.
Despite smiling herself, Kari could not help but mentally frown.
While she knew he was most likely doing it to protect her, the Digidestined of Light did not like the fact that her boyfriend was keeping something from her.
However, trusting her beloved, Kari decided to let the issue slip, knowing that when he was ready, Davis would tell her what was really bothering him.
"Ok." Kari then said, acting as though she accepted his answer as she leaned in and gave his cheek a kiss, before telling Davis. "Let's get going before the others wonder where we are."
Getting up and putting on their winter clothing, Davis and Kari then walked out of the room, hand in hand, as they made their way out of the palace and into the streets of the Frost Tribe's capital, hoping to run into their friends and see what was going on.
Upon reaching the outside, however, the pair were greeted by the sight of several large Digimon gathered with the Frost Tribe warriors, joining the arctic Digimon as they seemed to be preparing for battle.
Looking upon the new Digimon, Davis and Kari saw that they were divided between two types of creatures, both resembling dragons made of ice.
The first type of draconic Digimon appeared to be the more feral of the pair, standing on four legs, with icicles coming out of their heads and running down their backs like spines, where the feral, but majestic looking creatures let out loud roars as some looked to the sky, as though anticipating a fight.
The second type of ice dragon Digimon, meanwhile, stood on two legs, and were covered in Viking-styled armour, each wielding a pair of large, ice axes in their hands as their helmets covered all but their eyes, lower jaws and horns, which protruded from the top of their headgear, giving them a strong and noble look in the process.
Impressed by the sight, Davis brought up his D-Bracer, where the information on the pair of ice dragon Digimon appeared, allowing him to read off what it said to Kari as he spoke. "IceDracomon and BlizzardDracomon, both are Mega Level Digimon."
"I think at this point it's safe to say that we'll encounter at least one dragon type Digimon with each of the Tribes." The Digidestined of Light then remarked in reply, remembering the various draconic Digimon they had fought alongside and against since arriving in Witchelny, and was certain that even the Wind, Metal and Thunder Tribes would also have similar Digimon among their forces.
"Davis/Kari!" Two familiar voices then called out, causing the two Digidestined to turn and see Veemon and Gatomon rushing towards them, both with a look of concern on their faces, which concerned their partners.
"What's wrong?" Kari asked as Gatomon and Veemon stopped in front of them, both doing their best to catch their breaths and calm down.
"Apparently the Seermon line of Digimon can see things through the ice…" The Digimon of Miracles informed through his panting, before telling Davis and Kari. "DarkHelamon's army is already on its way here!"
Hearing this caused both Davis and Kari to look shocked, where Gatomon then informed them. "The others are with Odinmon and his inner court, they are waiting for us."
Nodding in response, the two Digidestined followed their partners back into the palace, rushing to the war room as they prepared for the battle ahead.
.
.
.
Standing around a large table with a map of the Capital displayed on it, the heroes and heroines all watched as IceTactimon explained the situation to them, Odinmon, FrostJarlmon and ArcaneSeermon.
"From the Seermon's visions, it appears that the witch is bringing her entire army to bare, they will be here within the hour." IceTactimon explained, pointing to the western side of the city as he then explained. "We should bring all our forces to this side of the city and meet her forces head on."
"I would not recommend that." Mikey cut in, the Red General adding with a serious tone. "We don't know if the Dark Tribe is helping them, they might send forces to attack from the other sides."
"We shall keep the Seermon and IceSeermon on watch in the event the Dark Lady attempts to strike at us." Odinmon replied, looking to the heroes and heroines, where the leader of the Frost Tribe then asked. "You came to our lands seeking our aid against the Dark Tribe, I ask you, will you aid us in our time of need?"
"Of course we will!" Tai's Agumon replied with a determined look, getting a cheer from the other Digimon and Appmon in agreement, while the humans looked to one another and nodded, ready for another battle, one that would determine the fate of the Frost Tribe.
.
.
.
Now transformed into their Digimon, Appmon and Digi-armoured forms, the heroes and heroines stood with the bulk of the Frost Tribe's forces outside the western gates as the Dark Frost Tribe's forces marched upon them, where upon the walls, Jeri and Novicmon took in the horrid forms of the Draugrmon, ShadowTrollmon and BlackGarmmon, while also seeing the dark ice forms of the DarkSeermon, the NightmareEinherjarmon, the DarkIceSeermon and the ShadowValkyrmon as the dark forces continued to march towards the city.
A moment later, the heroes and heroines widened their eyes to see darker versions of the IceDracomon and BlizzardDracomon moving alongside the Dark Frost Digimon, with the corrupted Digimon looking more feral and monstrous then their counterparts, with wicked IceDracomon having razor sharp ice teeth and skeletal ice wings, while the evil BlizzardDracomon's armour was ruined and darker in colour.
"BlackIceDracomon and DarkBlizzardDracomon, both are Mega Level Digimon, corrupted by the Dark Ice." Jeri informed her friends as she read off the information on her D-Bracer, who nodded their heads in reply, before seeing a single figure move in front of the Dark Frost Digimon, a female Digimon they were certain was DarkHelamon.
"That is far enough, traitor!" Odinmon bellowed as he drew his spear towards DarkHelamon, telling the ice witch with anger in his tone. "You shall not defile this city or the Sacred Frost with your presence."
"Move aside, you old fool." DarkHelamon replied with a wicked smile, unphased by Odinmon's threat as she then declared. "You and those insects that still follow you cannot stand against my power, let alone my forces!"
"You will find our resolve to be a match to your own, traitor." Odinmon remarked, looking to the heroes and heroines as he added with pride. "And this time, we do not stand alone, the heroes of Witchelny fight alongside us this day."
"They can do nothing, not without breaking the rules…" DarkHelamon replied, the growing wicked smile on her face causing concern for many, before the ice witch then bellowed loudly. "By right, I challenge you, Odinmon, for the throne of the Frost Tribe!"
Hearing this not only caused Odinmon's lone eye to widen in shock, but for the Frost Tribe warriors to all let out shocked gasps, while the heroes and heroines looked on in confusion.
"What does that mean?" ShogunOujamon questioned, not sure what was going on.
"It means that both Odinmon and DarkHelamon must face one another in combat, until either one yields or is defeated, where the winner takes over as ruler of the Tribe." ArcaneSeermon informed in reply, her words causing the group to look shocked, where Novicmon added with some concern in his voice. "This is how the Dark Lady took over the Dark Tribe."
"How can we help?" MedievalGallantmon then asked, where the chief mystic of the Frost Tribe shook her head and replied. "You cannot, any interference in their fight on Odinmon's behalf would count as a forfeit, and DarkHelamon would be crowned our tribe's new ruler."
Gripping his spear, and knowing he could not refuse the challenge, Odinmon looked to the heroes and his forces, before looking back at DarkHelamon as he then replied. "So be it, but once you are defeated, your forces will either return to us and be cleansed, or face exile."
"And when you are dead, the Frost Tribe will take its rightful place alongside the Dark Tribe, and these so-called heroes will be given to the Dark Lady as tributes!" DarkHelamon replied with a dark glee, already believing she had won the battle, while the heroes and heroines all felt a sense of dread fill them.
If Odinmon lost this fight, not only would the Frost Tribe's might be added to the Dark Lady's arsenal, probably tipping the scales of the war back in the Dark Tribe's favor, but they themselves would have to battle against the combined armies around them.
And unbeknownst to all present, things were only going to get worse.
.
.
.
On the edge of the Frost Tribe's border, a massive army of the Dark Tribe marched into the snowy terrain, legions of ShadowKnightmon, BloodKnightmon, DeathKnightmon and MarrowKnightmon moving forward as DarkThrallmon, Umbramon, SkullDracomon and BloodDracomon took to the skies as the dark army made its way towards the Frost Tribe's capital.
Looking upon the dark forces from a hill was a massive draconic abomination, twice the size of the SkullDracomon and BloodDracomon, one with a serpentine body that had three tails, two massive wings, and sharp fangs, its body made almost entirely of darkness, with veins of glowing dark purple energy flowing through it as it rested next to its Mistress.
Moving up the hill, DeathTactimon approached the Dark Lady, who stood next to her pet as the dark tactic Digimon bowed and informed his Mistress. "My Lady, our forces should reach the Frost Tribe's capital within the hour. My scouts have informed me that DarkHelamon's army is already there, and that she has challenged Odinmon to the Rite of Combat."
"If I may, my Lady, would it not be best to see if she is successful?" DeathTactimon then questioned with care, not wanting to upset his Mistress and end up on her bad side.
"I have waited too long, allowing DarkHelamon to play her games and not fulfill her duties to me." The Dark Lady replied, looking down at her forces as she then said with a cold tone. "No, regardless of if she can take the throne or not, I will not be denied the Sacred Frost any longer, she will have her throne, even if it is built on the ruins of the Frost Tribe."
It was then that another fierce, ear-shattering roar was heard, where the Dark Lady and her advisor looked to see a massive abomination marching behind her army, another of Mortismon's Ancient Horrors, fully at the command of the leader of the Dark Tribe herself.
'Now then, let's see how you will react to this, Davis.' The Dark Lady thought with intrigue as she placed a hand on her draconic pet, which let out a loud roar of its own, causing the dark being to smile behind her mask, for the battle for the Frost Tribe has just begun.
.
.
.
Author's Note: Deep thoughts and discussions now weigh on Davis' mind, while DarkHelamon has challenged Odinmon for the right of leadership, preventing the heroes from aiding the Frost Tribe's leader in his battle as the Dark Lady pushes towards the capital with a new abomination and a new Horror. How will this battle turn out? Stay tuned as the adventure continues.