The Digimon King and The King of Gondor
Chapter 5 Gandalf The White
XXX
Shoutmon was unconscious as he was starting to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes and he cloud see he is on the ground. He sees that he is in a yellow grassy field and was a very dried field. When he got up from the ground. He groans as he put his hand on his head that is throbbing.
"Agh... My head hurts." Shoutmon grunts as he looks around. "Lunamon was right, I really have a hard head." As Shoutmon said it he looks around and he saw no one around him. "Lunamon, guys?" Shoutmon called for them and no one called back.
He remembers about what happened to the Code Crown and what happen to everyone. He may not know if he is in the Human world or somewhere else, But he knows he is not in the Digital World.
Shoutmon was pulled out of the Digital World.
He took several looks around him, but he could not see very much. He landed in a rough ground, with grass field with a few rocks.
Shoutmon took several steps forward, but he paused wavering as he try to find his balance after his legs were having a hard footing on the ground. After all he kind of fell out of the sky. Shoutmon had no idea where the other Digimon had landed in as well of himself.
Shoutmon lift his arm and he used his other hand to push his wrist forwards from behind so that he could stand up straight, his body clicking in protest as it did so. A small light appeared in the air above him and expanded outwards to form his microphone, which was still with him, before it dropped down into his hand. Using it as a staff to support himself on, Shoutmon moved over towards the nearest rocky wall.
When he reached it he looked up and noted that it was not that high, only about three times taller than himself. Still, he knew that climbing it was going to be a drag. Digimon healed quickly and Shoutmon could already feel the aches in his body beginning to lessen, but it would still be a pain. He had face a lot worse in his time fighting alongside Mikey against the Bagra Army and so he narrowed his eyes and without thinking he jump straight up.
Shoutmon then slam down his microphone into the wall, it plunged into the wall as he removed it. It clasped and fell to pieces as Shoutmon slams down his staff on the ground.
As Shoutmon look at his surroundings, all he sees was barren and yellow grass. He sees no village or any civilization anywhere. He was not shore if the others were here to. But he will find someone who can help him.
"Well what have I got myself into now." Shoutmon muter as he was frustrated as he rise his staff and he slam into a boulder as it was shattered into pieces. The boulder would have hurt a normal person by slamming it. But Shoutmon did not feel any pain and he smash the remains of the boulder into gravel.
After a couple of seconds he fell into one knee and his grip onto is staff to stand on his feet.
What is he doing getting all mad and frustrated that he should find his friends in this new world they are in. He should also wonder why the Code Crown sent them here if he and his friends were being tested.
After sitting their for a few moments on the ground, he gather all of his thoughts. "Alright then, Sountmon." Shoutmon murmured to himself, not having anyone near by to help him. "Now what can do you do? Must I find all my friends in this world were in and what reason we were sent here."
Shoutmon stepped closer to the edge, peering at the steep drop down on the plains on the other side.
"I guess that means there's only one option." Shoutmon sign. "Start walking and hope that I go in the right direction."
Shoutmon stood tall as he could for a moment, putting his microphone on the ground and his scarf billowing out behind him as he took in one deep breath as he allowed the moment to sink in. He was going off on a brand new world as of this moment and he had no idea where it might lead him. It might do him good. It might make him fall.
But, whatever the case, it was a new chance for adventure and he was going to attempt to grab it with both of his hands, whether or not he did deserve to be the King of his Digital World. He'd try his best to make Mikey and the others proud of him, no matter where this led him.
And then, with no destination in mind, Shoutmon bounded off the top of the rocks and dropped down a distance to a ledge below, landing smoothly as the last of the arches and pains in his body from his landing began to fade away. Springing off the rock and bounding down to another ledge. Shoutmon descended downwards towards the rolling, dry, desolate plains below.
He got about halfway down before he dashed across the ledge that he had now land on, over the large boulder that was extending outwards from the outcropping to another ledge on the same level, before he sprang off and sailed out into space, plunging down towards a thin crevice he had spotted that ran between two outcroppings close to the ground and swing his microphone above his head in both hands as he did so. He plummeted straight through the gap, but the edges of his microphone slammed into the boulders to create a crossbar, then he swung up and pulled off after, allowing him to flip the rest of the way to the ground with ease.
He had no idea where he was meant to go, and he found himself wishing that the Code Crown had given him a little more to go on than this instead of dropping him in the center of a random plain in the middle of nowhere. He looked up towards the sun that was rising into the sky above him.
He wonder how long had it been since the Code Crown had transported him away. It has been around midnight if he remember correctly it was about several hours ago. Who can say how long has it been in the Digital World. Shoutmon realizes that time in the Digital World runs faster than the Human World. But does time in this world runs faster?
How long would the Digimon wait for their King to return? How loyal where his subjects? And how he the King deserve for them to wait for his return.
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind, and he look up to the sun. If it was the same as the Digital World and the Human World then the sun rise in the East and set in the West. So he decides to head North.
With his microphone in his hand, Shoutmon walk out across the plains and did not look back.
XXX
Shoutmon did not know how long time has pass as he walk across the plains. He did not found any intelligent life in any distances as he continued moving forward.
Shoutmon than try calling out for any of his friends were nearby. "Guys!" He yelled. "It's me! Shoutmon! It's anyone there? Ballistamon? Dorulumon? Lunamon? Agumon?Beelzemon? Anyone there at all?" Shoutmon yelled."Greymon you big lizard you better show yourself! Sparrowmon you better come down here from the sky! Sorcermon where are you at and tell me where you are!" Shoutmon yelled for an hour and their was no response.
"Great, just great, where is everyone at and the question is where am I at?" Shoutmon murmured as he look around.
When he walk though the grass field he saw movement and when it came out of the open it was just a regular bunny. The bunny was startled as it saw Shoutmon it fled.
Shoutmon was frustrated that none of his friends were nearby so he search at his surroundings and he saw more hills, plains, and lots of grass.
After half hour he can feel the heat of the sun. It was not blazing in the plains, but the temperature was still high. He was beginning to feel thirsty for water, but there's no water in the area. It was not long as he begin to get hungry. Shoutmon remembers that Coronamon was his master chief and he made a large cake for everyone. To bad he did not take a bite for the celebration of the last remnants of the Bagra Army. When the Code Crown transported him and everyone from the castle, all but Cutemon's Parents. He wonder if they called for Omnimon and the others to search for their King and the others. The castle was disorganized without someone in charge to look after the castle. Sorcermon, Beelzemon, and Agumon were three good leaders, but they were somewhere in this world too.
But now they have no knowing that Shoutmon and the others were transported in another dimension.
Shoutmon look up to the sky. "How do we get back home from knowing so little of this world?" Shoutmon said as he wonders how can they return to their world.
Shoutmon sign as he press on as he was determined to try and find some civilization with food and water. He had more endurance as he can go on for two more days long.
He was now out on more open plains with less rocks and hills as they just seemed to stretch on. Shoutmon was convinced that his friends were not near by as he ran into the fields.
XXX
But as time has pass since Shoutmon had started walking which he had lost track of time, Shoutmon stop walking as he had senses something or someone near by. His eyes turned across the landscape and his instincts tell him that he was being watch.
Shoutmon did not move around for a minute. There was no telling what might be watching him and in a completely different dimension like this, but the sensation did not go away, and Shoutmon was not going to ignore it. He slowly turn his head to search at his surroundings as he saw nothing.
After more then five minutes of standing there, Shoutmon decided it was enough. He brought out his microphone and raising his other hand to draw out his Fiery Fastball in his hand, he was standing on his ground as he was ready to face anything in combat and he cried out. "Alright then! I know that there's somebody there! Get out here and face me like a Digimon instead of hiding! But I warn you, if you're looking for a fight then you picked the wrong guy to face me!"
The only noise he heard besides the wind and the flame in his hand. He heard a whinny sound was a animal. Shoutmon blinked.
He turn to the source of the sound behind a hill to his right. Shoutmon ready himself as he jump around the hill and he saw something that he did not expect to bring him harm. It was tall, taller than him as it trotted towards him on four hoofed legs, its pure white like the sun and has a white mane with a tail. It was calm and peaceful with its gaze. It was a white horse.
Shoutmon relax as the horse approach him, it has no attention to do him any harm. Shoutmon lower his microphone and expelled his Fiery Fastball, a smile appeared on his face as the horse came closer to him, slowing down as it approached until it stop a few feet away from him, it was looking down at him curiously.
"Hello there." Shoutmon grinned. "Sorry if I scared you before, but I was expecting an attack. What is your name?... Uh, can you talk? No other lifeforms I met can't talk, so can you tell me?" Shoutmon asked.
The horse stared at him giving no reaction or moving. Shoutmon sign. "Just what I thought." He murmured. "But hey, its nice for something that didn't run away from me."
Shoutmon stepped closer to the horse as it made no intention in running or moving. Shoutmon can tell the animal was a brave one. Shoutmon slowly reach out his one hand, he wonder if the horse well react and it did, the horse stepped closer and lower its head as it's nose touch Shoutmon's palm of his hand. Shoutmon know that this horse is friendly and gentle as he rub it's nose with his hands.
"Well you're certainly a fearless one." Shoutmon said. "I wonder where you live. I wonder where can you tell me the nearest water and civilization is if you actually tell me. I wonder if you even had a name whatever it is."
"His name is Shadowfax." Said a voice from behind Shoutmon.
The Digimon King acted on instinct alone, immediately leaping backwards from the horse and spinning around, his hand was forming a Fiery Fastball attack and he yelled as he throw it at a figure which was standing behind him. The Fiery Fastball shot through the air as it expanded as it was heading to the figure.
The figure seemed to know something like this would happened, the moment Shoutmon turned around it was a shining bright light that it made Shoutmon flinch as his hand covered his eyes. It threw his aim off and the figure only side step slightly for the fire ball to go pass it as it hit into a rocky wall as it exploded causing a massive explosion that destroyed the wall.
The horse neighed and tossed its head as Shoutmon growled and readied his microphone. He hates it when people sneak behind him just to ambush him.
"Relax Shoutmon." said the figure calmly as Shoutmon could not make out who it is from a bright light. "I am not here to fight you."
Shoutmon growled. "Is that so? Forgive me if I don't believe you, because in my experience people who don't want to fight do not sneak up behind someone." He lifted his microphone behind him and he dashed then jumps into the air and prepared to bring the microphone to slam down into the light figure with a powerful Soul Crusher.
But, without warning, the figure thrust out one of his own hands which was holding some kind of staff in Shoutmon's direction. Shoutmon was a few feet away until the tip of the staff slammed into him and sent him flying backwards. He tumbled as he flip over in the air and came crashing down to the ground on his feet. "Why you...!" He growled, bringing his microphone before him and ready to charge at the figure again.
"Peace, Shoutmon." The figure cried and his voice seemed to wash over Shoutmon, making him stop in his tracks. "Do not mistake me for an enemy. I was telling the truth. I do not wish to fight you. I rather wish to help you, for you are now lost in a strange world that is not your own. I believe that you could do with some guidance at this world."
Shoutmon blinked. "How do you know that?" He asked. "And how do you know my name?"
"I came here to see you Shoutmon King of the Digimon." The figure said
Shoutmon was shock to learn that the figure know his title and he watched as the light around the figure fade away. Shoutmon was amazed at what he sees. The figure was a man and is human. He never seen a human quite like him. He was very old than any humans that he work with or spoken to before.
The human had long white hair that fell pass his shoulders and a short white beard that extended down on his face. He wore in a long white robes hanging over the rest of his clothing and boots that were also white. He had a long staff in his hand is also white.
The man smiled, and Shoutmon could not deny that the smile was friendly. "I been sent here to find you." He explained. "And to help you on your course to proving yourself as a King and, if you are willing to assist us in the fight against Sauron."
"Who are you?" Shoutmon asked him. He noticed that the man also had a belt and the folds of his robe has a large sword.
The man chuckled. "I have been given many names over the course of my travels through the land. Some called me the Wanderer. Some called me the Wizard. The Elves who live in the North have named me Mithrandir. But the number of people that I meet call me by my name. I am Gandalf. Gandalf the White."
"White is right." murmured Shoutmon. "What's with the robes and staff and the whiteness?" Shoutmon blinked. "You remind me of Sorcermon who is a White Wizard and my adviser."
Gandalf chuckled. "I suppose I am somewhat similar to Sorcermon and you could say it is my rank. You see, Shoutmon. I am a member of a group known as the Istari what Men refer to as Wizards."
"Wizards?" Shoutmon said. "As in, the kind of people who can use magic? Well, I guess it does make sense. It explains how you were able to knock me backwards just by waving your staff... but I thought that humans didn't have the ability to use magic?"
"Most humans do not." Gandalf nod. "But we do not call them Humans in this world. We simply call them Men. And I am certainly not a Man. I have lived far longer than any Man is capable of living with or without magic. I am a Maiar."
"A what...?" Shoutmon frowned. "And why am I having this conversation? How do I know that I can trust you at all?"
"If you will allow me to explain then perhaps you will understand. We are in the world of Middle Earth home of many races."
"Is that where we are now then?" Shoutmon asked.
"Yes." Gandalf nods. "This world is in trouble. But allow me to explain. One thousand years into the Third Age of the Sun, and Eru himself decided to select five Maiar spirits across the sea from Valinor to Middle Earth to help guide its people against evil. I am one of those five and we are the Wizards of Middle Earth. It is our sacred task to help all its people against evil, and I have done my best from the beginning of my mission here to do that."
"That sounds very complicated to me." Shoutmon murmured, still suspicious of this man that had appeared before him.
"It gets more complicated." Gandalf chuckled. "The color of our robes represents our position in the Order of Five. The White Robes indicate that I am the Head of the Order. Until very recently, I wore Grey, which said I am the second rank. But the original head of our Order has betrayed us all and joined forces with our enemy, now I wear the White Robes as his replacement. I only wish for the safety of all the free peoples of Middle Earth, regardless of where they come from or how long they live here. And that includes you Shoutmon. So, while you may still be confused and angry by being landed here, may I be the first to formally welcome you to Middle Earth."
"I wish I could say that it was a pleasure to be here." Shoutmon replied, lowering his microphone as he decided to take this man at his word. "But I have to say I did not appreciate by being thrown in here without being asked." He signed and add. "Nevertheless I have little to complain about since this same thing happened to a friend of mine when he came to help me and my world."
"Quite." Gandalf nodded with a smile on his face.
"But, anyway." Shoutmon forced a smile on his face. "I guess I can say that it is a pleasure to meet you Gandalf. I've been wondering around these plains with no sign of anyone who can help me for who knows how long."
"Indeed." Gandalf laughed. "I am not surprised. Were I in your place then I would no doubt feel the same."
"Well it's not just me in this position." Shoutmon grunted. "So many of my friends were also warped here by my Code Crown. All the members of my team expect for the humans... Men... whatever. I need to find them all as quickly as I can before any of them get hurt thanks to the Code Crown acting on my own self doubts. I never thought that this would be one of the consequences of a King who doubted himself."
Gandalf smiled slowly and said. "I'm afraid that I must apologize slightly, for I believe I may have been involved in your transportation here from your own world."
"You?" Shoutmon asked. "Why you?"
"Because, not long ago, I faced a powerful adversary. A fellow Maiar spirit like myself, but not a member of the Istari. Another one, steeped in darkness and flames and taking on the shape of an evil Demon known as a Balrog. It was a long and gruesome battle, during which I fell down into the deepest of the mountain to its very summit. The Balrog was a powerful creature until eventually, I was able to cast him down and slay him. But, in the process, I was claimed by darkness and my spirit taken to Eru Illuvatar."
"You died?" Shoutmon gasped. "But how can you have died? You're standing here right now."
"Indeed." nodded Gandalf. "Eru had been watching my progress. It was greatly saddened by the betrayal of Saruman, the former head of my Order, and he knows that Middle Earth is in need of guidance more now than ever. Middle Earth is in its final hour of need, so Eru send my spirit back into my body until as time as I fulfill the task I was sent to Middle Earth to do, giving me new power in the process to allow me to take Saruman's place as Gandalf the White."
"Perhaps it was the fact that Eru chose to revive me that also made him attempt to seek out another method of sending aid to the Free Peoples, which is how he came by you and your own allies."
Shoutmon sighed. "Nah, it's not your fault. And I guess I can't blame this Eru too much. After all he want what's best for this world, just as the Code Crown and Omnimon did before him. Still." Shoutmon added with a chuckle. "I can't believe that I'm standing here and talking to an actual Wizard. A Wizard who died and came back to life through divine intervention. I guess in the why that makes us the same."
"Indeed?" Gandalf asked with a raised brow.
"You don't know?" Shoutmon asked. "You seemed to know a lot of other things."
"I only know what I been told." Gandalf chuckled. "Which is who and what you are, how you have been summoned to Middle Earth and why. I know not what you are capable of doing, how you and your friends might be able to help you or indeed what any of your friends look like, let alone your past adventures. I was sent here by the Lady Galadriel of the Golden Wood and by the will of the Valar to introduce you to our world, but that is the extent of what I know."
"Fair enough." Shoutmon nod. "Well, I'll tell you then. There was a time when I was fighting against an enemy called DarknessBagramon, who was also large Demon but who was also very powerful than I was. I lost my own life in the fight against him in an attempt to take back the Code Crown, which he had in his possession."
"But thanks to the actions of my friend Mikey, the Code Crown was able to break free of DarknessBagramon's control and revive me and some of my friends to fight against him again and gave us extra power enough to defeat him once and for all."
"I see." Gandalf smiled. "Well, if that is indeed the case, then you and I really are the same in many aspects, Shoutmon. It is a privilege to meet a kindred spirit such as yourself."
"Just wait until you meet Beelzemon then." Shoutmon laughed. "He's even more like you. He actually managed to take out the Demon he was trying to kill. And he's been reborn twice since he was beaten by the same Demon in their first round."
Gandalf laughed as well. "Interesting. You would think that dying in the destruction of a mighty Demon and being reborn would not be a common occurrence. But apparently it happens more often than you might think."
"Yeah." Shoutmon nodded. "I guess it does."
The two of them chucked together for a moment before Shoutmon eventually wiped his eyes and said. "Alright then. Since it looks like I'm going to be stuck in this Middle Earth for the foreseeable future, I guess I should know what sort of situation me and my friends have managed to wind up in this time. Do you have any of those details that you could fill me in."
"Indeed I do." Gandalf's face turned grim. "It is sad to say that Middle Earth now stands on the brink of destruction. If the balance of power shifts any more in the favor of the Enemy then it's very likely that hope will be lost forever and evil will spread across this land in an unstoppable tide."
"I wouldn't say that." Shoutmon growled. "No matter how much of an advantage the enemy seems to have there is always hope on the horizon. I learned that one in my own fight. The enemy that I fought did manage to take over the world, but through the power of our teamwork, we managed to push back and take back our world from him all the same."
Gandalf's eyebrows had both raised upwards. "Is that so?" He asked. "Then I greatly admire you, Shoutmon, for having stepped up to such task and saving your world. And I count it a great honor to have fighters such as you and your warriors in our world now. Perhaps there is more hope than there seems."
"There better be." Shoutmon nod darkly. "So who is this great enemy that I'm supposed to be helping you guys to battle against? If he's anything like Bagramon then we might still be in trouble, for we had access to powers against our very own evil threat that we will not have in this world."
"We can only hope that we will prevail then." Gandalf replied. "For our enemy is indeed great. His name is Sauron. He is a Maiar spirit like myself, but one of far greater power than I. He was once the lieutenant of an even more powerful evil, but when that being was subdued in ages past. Sauron took over to try and take his turn at reclaiming Middle Earth."
"Sauron." Shoutmon murmured. "Hmm. I know that it might sound like some kind of lame pun, but that name does leave a fierce name, I have to admit. It definitely sounds like a name for a great evil.
"Befitting indeed," Gandalf nod. "This is not the first time that Sauron has attempted to take over the lands of Middle Earth and waged war against it, but as things stand now he might have a better chance of succeeding than he did last time. The peoples of Middle Earth were united back in the first attempt, and Sauron and his armies of dark creatures found themselves up against heavy defenses everywhere they went, and eventually the forces of good were able to push him back and destroy his armies and even his body. Many believe the threat to be vanquished completely, but Sauron's spirit managed to survive and has been long trying to gain enough strength to start again."
"It is sad to say that during his absence, the races of Middle Earth have grown separate and apart, the old alliances between them dying out as many believed they were no longer needed. But now Sauron has returned, filled with rage and determined to succeed once again. His armies are now of immense size and his terrible servants who went into hiding after his body was destroyed have no returned to spread their evil on all the lands once again."
"But how could his spirit survived if his body was destroyed?" Shoutmon frowned. "I mean, the soul of the Digimon is immortal even if our bodies are destroyed our souls remains alive, but still have no sense of themselves until we're reborn. Is that the same thing with Sauron?"
"Not quite." Gandalf shook his head. "Sauron's spirit should have been destroyed along with his body, but there was something which kept him alive." Gandalf hesitated. "What I am about to revel to you has become common knowledge, but there is a section to this story that is known to few, and must not be learned by the Enemy at any cost. Right now I must ask you, whether you help us not to give this information to anyone that you meet except your fellow Digimon once you find them."
Shoutmon frowned and stared into Gandalf's eyes for any hint of lies, but Shoutmon has already begin to trust this man. He felt that before when he meet Lucemon had been friendly and later reveled to be evil. He decided to listen to Gandalf what he had to say and he nodded. "Alright. I swear it."
"My thanks." Gandalf nod as he begin. "You see, Sauron's master plan is to take over the Lands of Middle Earth was to trick the smiths that were Elves, who are a powerful race of beings that lived in forest of this land, to forge special Rings of Power to distribute to all Kingdoms while Sauron forge another Ring one that was designed to bring the wielders of other Rings of Power under his control therefore all of the Kingdoms of Middle Earth."
"Why that is one of the lowest things I ever heard in my life!" Shoutmon growled. "Even Bagramon was not as bad as that! Though AxeKnightmon probably would have been."
Gandalf cough. "I have to agreed with you. And it worked, to a degree. Many Kingdoms did fall to ruin underneath the rule of Sauron's Master Ring. But, during the final battle when Sauron stepped onto the battlefield, the Ring was cut from his finger by a Man called Isildur. And the Ring is tied to Sauron in so many ways he put a large portion of his power and even a part of his soul and blood into the Ring which meant that moment it was separated from him, Sauron's body was destroyed."
Shoutmon blinked and Gandalf stop for Shoutmon to take in all the information. Then Shoutmon suddenly yelled. "Say what! What a complete idiot! That has to be one of the stupidest things that anyone has ever done in existence! Why in the world would he put so much power into the Ring?"
"Unfortunately if you knew the answer to that question, you would realize why is not the case." Gandalf sighed. "Placing a portion of his soul into the Ruling Ring gave it a will of its own. It is now a part of him, and even though it might seem to be an inanimate object, it can carry out its own goals in the right conditions and can corrupt the hearts of anyone who gets close to it. That meant that Sauron could easily manipulate the wielders of the other Rings of Power to come into his service and do his bidding."
"Well... I guess." Shoutmon murmured. "But it still sounds like a stupid thing to do if you ask me."
"There is more." Gandalf went on. "The Ring still exists today. It was able to corrupt Isildur into keeping it and then managed to lure in evil to kill Isildur and went into hiding as Sauron's spirit gained strength once again. And now, both have resurfaced. Sauron is still a mere spirit, but he was able to take physical form and he is still able to command the forces of evil against us even if he cannot fight us himself. The only thing he needs now to regain his body completely is the Ring itself. His power in the Ring might have been what destroyed him, but it is also what saved him."
"Ah..." Shoutmon murmured. "All of this is really doing a number on my head. I can tell you that this is quite a lot to process. And you're saying the Ring still exists? Why don't you destroy it?"
"That is much more difficult a task than it might sound." Gandalf said gravely. "It cannot be destroyed by many things like weapons, nor can be destroyed by magic. It is too powerful an artifact for that since it contains part of Sauron. There is only one way to destroy it. It must be taken to the place where it was forged in the depths of Mount Doom and thrown into the fires. Its magic prevents it from being destroyed in any other things."
"Then why not do that?" Shoutmon asked.
"This is the part that few people know about." Gandalf grimly said. "We are in the middle of attempting to try. A group of adventurers are on their way into Mount Doom as we speak. But they have many problems set before them. For one thing, the exposure to the presence of the Ring is sure to affect them in many ways and the Ring will grow stronger the closer it gets to Mount Doom. Because Mount Doom is in the country of Mordor and Mordor is the stronghold of Sauron himself. Sauron's main fortress lies but a few miles away from the mountain itself. It is a very dangerous journey indeed."
"Er..." Shoutmon blinked several times, as the situation sank in. "Well... that's pretty... inconvenient. And very much a problem."
"Exactly." nod Gandalf.
"There must be an alternative, surely." Shoutmon murmured thoughtfully. "What if you were able to just toss it to the bottom of the ocean or into a tar pit or something?"
"That might prevent Sauron from gaining the Ring again for a long time, if at all." Gandalf nod. "But it would not be a permanent solution, nor would it help the free people right now. Sauron may not have the One Ring, but he has massive armies at his disposal along with numerous dark creatures and other forms of evil that are already threatening this world. Merely ensuring the Ring stays lost would not solve that problem."
"No. The only way that we can win this war is to destroy Sauron entirely. And the only way to destroy Sauron's spirit is to destroy the Ring. Without the Ring as his vessel, Sauron's spirit will vanish, his armies will be leaderless and everything his evil created will be destroyed. But until that time, everything is under threat."
Shoutmon shook his head. "This sounds both familiar and the exact opposite to what happened back in my Digital World. You're fighting against a Dark Lord who wants to use an object of great power to take over the world, just like we did. But this time, you want to destroy the object instead of getting it back from him and using it yourself. I don't suppose there's is any chance of using the Ring against him?"
"The Ring would grant anyone who used its power of some description." Gandalf nod. "And the more powerful the being in question the greater that power will be. But the Ring would easily corrupt anyone who tried to use it in that way and eventually their will would be turned towards evil as well. The Ring has only one true Master that it will obey and acknowledge. And I think you know who that is."
"Yeah, I think I get it now." Shoutmon nod, as he thinks what Gandalf said. "Dark Lord. Using powerful artifact. Nobody else can use it against him. Only way to defeat him is to destroy it. Got it. I have to say I feel sorry for you guys now. I think that the problem you guys have managed to land yourselves in is almost as bad, if not just as bad as ours was."
"It certainly is dire." Gandalf agreed.
"Dire might be an understatement." Shoutmon snorted. "What's going to happen to this group you spoke of that are heading towards this Mount Doom place? Sounds like some kind of suicide mission to me."
Gandalf actually winced and Shoutmon was surprised to see intense pain filling his eyes.
When Shoutmon looked deeper into those eyes, he was shocked to discover just how old they seemed. Shoutmon had found some of the things Gandalf had been saying about living for so long. Now he could honestly say he believed every word.
"It may well come to being a suicide mission, as you put it." He signed heavily. "The Ring is now being carried by a Hobbit, a small but resilient creature about half the height of a Man straight towards Mordor, as we speak."
"Small means nothing." Shoutmon chuckled. "Sometimes it's the small ones that can really surprise you."
"Indeed." Gandalf agreed. "But I fear that I played a part in giving the Ring Bearer his terrible burden and it pains me to think of him going into such a dangerous quest has now begun, and I cannot carry the Ring in his place, for through my power it would gain hold over me far more quickly than it would a small powerless creature as he. What has begun must now be finished, and Frodo, for that is his name, must see it through to the end."
Shoutmon paused for a moment, taking in the pain look on Gandalf's face again and after a quiet thinking, he muttered. "You care for him, do you?"
"Yes." Gandalf nod. "I have known him for many years, and I count him among my dearest friends. I was once the leader of the group who now escort Frodo to Mordor, but my encounter with the Balrog separated me from them and I know not where they even are now, though I do have a friend who is helping me to search for them as we speak and discover what has happened to them. But whatever the case, I can no longer take over the Quest and stop Frodo from carrying out this task to let someone else take his place. He must carry it out now."
Shoutmon nod, turning around to glance out the horizon once again. The white horse was still there, tossing its head and whining was it watched the exchange between the two. That place around them seemed so peaceful to Shoutmon, but so had many parts of the Digital World way back when. Looks of peace could be deceiving.
Shoutmon knew then that he believed everything Gandalf said. He now trusted this Wizard to the extreme. The world suddenly seemed a darker place now that he knew of the evil that was lurking within it at some kind of deep seated and all devouring evil that the Bagra Army had once before.
Shoutmon wanted to find his friends and get the Fusion Fighters United Army back together. Both so that he knew that everybody was safe, but also because he had a feeling that they were all going to be needed to fight this evil.
"So." Shoutmon turned back to Gandalf after several moments. "What exactly is it that you want from me and my friends to do? Do you want us to band together and go with you to help in this quest to destroy the Ring. Because if you do then I need to find my comrades first."
"No." Gandalf shook his head. "That task is now Frodo's. He will have a far better chance of completing it if the band involved in the Quest is kept small. That way, they should be able to slip past Sauron and his armies without attracting their attention."
"We are quite powerful." Shoutmon pointed out. "Many of us are extremely strong on our own. I would like to see how this Sauron's armies respond when Deckerdramon charges at them, and I know that he's here in Middle Earth somewhere along with Lilamon and Stingmon."
"We cannot achieve victory with strength alone." Gandalf replied. "We must deceive Sauron even as he tries to deceive us. Even without the Ring, Sauron's forces are ready to move and already have done in many instances. He has manipulated the former White Wizard Saruman, into betraying us and building an army of his own to attack the Free Peoples, and their strikes against Middle Earth will begin long before the Ring reaches its final destination in the Fires of Mount Doom."
"Ah, I see." Shoutmon nod. "And you want me and the others to help and ensure that all the Kingdoms of Middle Earth are still standing by the time that the Ring does get destroyed."
Gandalf grin. "Yes, That is the plan. Sauron has enormous numbers of Orcs and evil Men at his command, as well as large numbers of Trolls and other giant monsters and creatures, not to mention his personal servants, the Nine Nazgul. He will pit all of them against the Free Peoples of Middle Earth."
"I don't know what most of those things are, but I got the main guess of that." Shoutmon supplied.
"But that is only part of the idea." Gandalf added with a chuckle. "We need to try and keep Sauron's gaze occupied on his main war effort and attempt to keep his mind occupied and away from the events that are closer to him, so that is less likely to notice the Ring Bearer transporting his most precious and evil treasure right into his threshold to destroy it and finally defeat him. If we can keep Sauron focused on us and more specifically you... then we can also increase Frodo's chances of success."
"Sounds like the strategy we used in a place called Hell's Field." Shoutmon nod.
"Our enemy's leader was just a kid who was being tricked into attacking us so we attacked him head on with several of our forces to distract his attention and his army while Mikey, Greymon and MailBirdramon went round the side and took him off guard in his own fortress so that he could try and convince him to stop."
"Yes, it does sound similar to that." Gandalf agreed. "It seems there are many parallels between events in your world and ours, Shoutmon."
"So many that it's almost scary." Shoutmon agreed with a chuckle.
"Indeed. But now is the time for the important question." Gandalf passed his staff across himself so that he was holding it in both hands. "The one that you have not yet answered throughout this whole conversation. Will you help us?"
Shoutmon said nothing for a moment, and when he started speaking again, what he was saying did not seem relevant to Gandalf's question.
"There's a phrase that we have back in our world, Gandalf." He began. "A simple phrase that started out as something our lead General, Mikey Kudo, would always say when he saw someone suffering. That phrase has been converted into my main motto, and the motto of my court, my kingdom and the entire Digital World. I don't know if I have the right to be King, but that phrase certainly applies in this situation even so. Our magic number is seven, and this phrase is composed of seven simple words, and since each is only one syllable, it is composed of seven of them as well."
"It is the perfect answer to your question. Do you want to know what it is?"
"I would." Gandalf nodded.
Shoutmon hefted his microphone and thrust it into the air, filling his lungs with air and yelled out the phrase into the sky. "I CAN'T TURN MY BACK ON YOU!"
Gandalf blinked, but then after a couple of moments he laughed. It was clear laugh that rang through the hills as the echoes of Shoutmon's answer died away. "A worthy phrase indeed." He smiled. "And one that the Kingdoms of this land might do well to adopt. I take it that means you are saying yes?"
"Course it does." Shoutmon smirked. "I know that Mikey would never turn his back on you were he was called here and I cannot call myself his friend if I did otherwise. But even without Mikey's influence, I would still say yes, and not just because I am stuck here. I too cannot turn my back on those who are in need of my help. I will help fight against Sauron, and when we find the rest of my friends who are here I know that they will do the same."
"It seems Eru chose well when he summoned you here." Gandalf chuckled. "We are indebted to you already and the fighting has not even begun. Now, if you are willing, I have a friend that I must speak with and I wish for you to come along, for I will guide you to the war faster than you could get if you continue walking north. We can keep an eye out for your friends on the way."
"I do have to find them." Shoutmon nodded. "But yeah, of course I'll come along. I had a feeling I was hopelessly lost anyway."
"You are far from anywhere civilized out here on the Wold of Northern Rohan." Gandalf nodded, as he strode over to the horse Shadowfax. The horse was bare backed, but it allowed Gandalf to haul himself up onto his back. The white robes seemed to blend Gandalf in with the white horse. "Come on board." He nodded down to Shoutmon. "We have a long way to travel and Shadowfax is among the fastest of horses in existence."
"Gotcha." Nodded Shoutmon and he sprang upwards, clearing Shadowfax's back with a single bound and settling in front of Gandalf and right behind the horse's head, gripping its thick neck. Shadowfax didn't seem to need any command from his rider, the moment Shoutmon had a good grip, he tossed his head and turned to the west and threw himself into a gallop, running across the plains faster.
" Oh, and one more thing." Shoutmon added as he looked over his shoulder. "You wouldn't happen to have any water on you, would you?"
XXX
Now Shoutmon met Gandalf the White Wizard. Now is back to the other Digimon in the North and South in Middle Earth.
Next time on Chapter 6: The South