Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Not too long of a wait this time! There will be one more chapter and then we'll be off to meet Seta!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 246: Slumbering Rage
DarkAngelicmon
Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World
DarkAngelicmon was suspicious.
Extremely suspicious.
Now that in itself wasn't in any way unusual or out of the ordinary, as he was always suspicious of others and their motives, but this was an exceptional case. He had expected, with good reason, to suffer at the hands of his master, but instead he and is fellow dark digimon had walked away from their meeting with The Ruler of Darkness completely unscathed.
Very suspicious indeed.
Something is amiss. Even I can feel it in the very depths of my black heart. There must be something our master is withholding from us, and thus the real question remains. What is it he is hiding, and why has whatever it is spared our lives?
"Careful, angel boy! You keep pacing like that and you're going to leave a trench in the ground," Jestermon smirked, his sudden words shattering the tense silence hanging over the castle's courtyard.
At the fool's words DarkAngelicmon came to an abrupt stop, and turning to face the three mega digimon sitting by the fountain, he said with certainty, "Our master was too lenient on us. I do not like this. I do not like this at all."
Vampiramon was perched on the edge of the stone fountain next to Spritemon, and smoothing out her skirts, she said calmly, "He was indeed a lot more...calm than I had anticipated."
"We should have been reduced to data by now," Spritemon agreed, swinging her dainty legs. "And yet somehow we didn't receive so much as a slap on the wrist. It's unnerving to say the least."
"The fool agrees," Jestermon murmured from where he sat cross-legged at Spritemon's feet. "Something doesn't feel right."
That is putting it mildly. The air is full of secrets. What could our master be planning?
DarkAngelicmon could feel Vampiramon's crimson eyes on him, and gazing back at her he chose to remain silent. After all of them had made it back to the castle, Vampiramon and the others had demanded to know where he had gone, but he had refused to tell them his whereabouts and what he had been doing. They had been forced into silence thanks to a summons from The Ruler of Darkness, but thankfully after leaving their master's chamber their minds had been too preoccupied to bother with pestering him again. He had not even told The Ruler of Darkness about his little side trip, and surprisingly none of the others had bothered to mention it. Not even Vampiramon.
Even now, DarkAngelicmon could not explain why he had felt such an urgent need to follow the Digidestined, and there was a part of him that did not want to think too deeply on the subject. Why he had told them about the prophecy, he did not know, but after the events that had occurred with Lucemon and the Emperor's son in the World of Darkness, there had been a faint stirring in his heart that even now he was unable to grasp, though the feeling was still there. It was a strange sensation deep inside of him that had compelled him to give the Digidestined a farewell and a warning of what was to come, and though maybe he could not explain why he had gone after them he did not regret his actions.
And yet even I do not know what the future holds. We are walking a tight rope between the forces of light and darkness. It remains to be seen which way the pendulum will swing...
"You must have your suspicions," Vampiramon said bluntly, watching him closely. "What are you thinking?"
DarkAngelicmon was sure they would once again attempt to figure out his earlier whereabouts, but in the meantime he would do what he could to distract them, allowing himself some time to come up with a convincing story. "I do not know yet, but rest assured I will think on the matter."
"And in the meantime we will track Gennai's movements and keep an eye out for Lucemon?" Vampiramon said coldly, her lips turning up in a triumphant smile.
DarkAngelicmon felt his emerald eyes narrow into angry slits, and thrusting his spear at her, he said harshly, "Do not forget out master's words. If you harm him, your life is mine."
"But of course," Vampiramon mocked, bowing her head in subservience.
Their goals from The Ruler of Darkness had not changed. They were to follow Gennai's movements and find out where the next Spirit Chip was, and once they had done that the plan remained the same. Steal the D-Coders, but only after they had merged with a Spirit Chip. Two of the six Spirit Chips now met the requirements, and they were available for the taking at any given time and place. A third one would soon be up for grabs as well, and if they could get all three in one go, Daichi's team of Digidestined would only be at half strength, making them extremely vulnerable. If all went according to plan, the remaining three Spirit Chips would be easy pickings.
Only one part of the original plan no longer applied. With BlackWidowmon reduced to data, only four of them remained. As a result The Ruler of Darkness had taken it upon himself to inform Vampiramon of the plan to capture Lucemon. Now all of them were responsible for both stealing the Spirit Chips and D-Coders, and finding Lucemon. There were no more secrets between them now. At least in that regard.
Needless to say DarkAngelicmon was not at all happy with this newest development. Upon informing Vampiramon of the plan, The Ruler of Darkness warned her to be on her best behaviour, and thus DarkAngelicmon was given clearance to dispose of her if she attempted to harm the rookie angel, but even so he was still uneasy about the whole affair.
Normally Vampiramon would have been enraged over the fact that he, DarkAngelicmon, had some control over her very existence, but despite her harsh tongue she hadn't been stupid enough to voice her displeasure in front of The Ruler of Darkness, especially since their master had made it clear to both her and everyone else that her life was at stake if she disobeyed him.
Since then their relationship had been even more tense than usual, and though Vampiramon had been differing to him meekly enough since then, there was a dangerous sparkle in her eyes that he didn't trust.
Technically both of them were supposed to be in charge of the next operation, but he knew the power he had over the vampire digimon did not sit well with her, and he knew she was capable of stabbing him in the back at the first opportune moment.
She cannot be trusted. None of them can.
He was going to have to watch his back around her even more closely from now on, and more importantly he was going to have to watch Lucemon even more closely.
She'll be data before she ever even has a chance to come close to Lucemon.
After giving out their next instructions The Ruler of Darkness had dismissed them without so much as a backward glance, and so now here they were, sitting in the castle courtyard and wondering just exactly what was going on with their master.
"Did you see those other two laughing behind our backs?" Spritemon said indignantly, wrinkling her nose. "Who do they think they are insulting us like that? The nerve of them!"
"You mean Persiamon and Phelesmon?" Jestermon asked curiously, his sharp gaze trained on the black spheres whirling in his hands.
"Of course I'm talking about them! They have some nerve to act like they think they're better than us when we're the ones doing all the work around here!"
"Their egos are even larger than angel boy's," Jestermon smirked, nodding enthusiastically in agreement.
DarkAngelicmon chose to ignore the jibe, and turning his back on them he glanced up at the castle parapets, his gaze coming to rest on a small feline digimon, who was watching him in the distance. The two studied each other for a moment, and then the feline digimon turned her back on him and scampered away, her tiny black form disappearing from view.
DarkAngelicmon had always known The Ruler of Darkness was secretive, but only now was he beginning to realize that his master's plans might rest on a scale far grander than anything he had first anticipated.
It does not matter as long as he fulfills his promises to me. I need to become stronger. Only then can I protect Lucemon...
"Where are you going now?" Vampiramon snapped, her crimson eyes narrowing in suspicion.
DarkAngelicmon did not even bother to stop as he made his way towards the doors leading back inside the castle. Instead he merely called over his shoulder, "I need some time to think, and I do not wish to be disturbed. Be ready for tomorrow. We do not want Gennai to get ahead of us."
Without waiting for an answer, he slipped through the doors and disappeared into the darkness of the castle.
The Ruler of Darkness
Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World
Deep within the lowest levels of the castle The Ruler of Darkness stood before a large circular tank, his face hidden within the confines of his dark hood. The room was eerily quiet, but he relished the silence after spending an hour listening to the groveling voices of his pitiful servants earlier. The room where he stood now was hidden deep beneath the dungeons of the castle, and it was a well kept secret to those who roamed the corridors of the structure he used as his central base of operations. The existence of the room itself and the winding walkways beneath the earth were known only to himself and his two bodyguards, Persiamon and Phelesmon, and it was a place he often visited when he needed time to think.
The room itself would have been pitch black if it wasn't for the luminescent glow coming from the tank, and gazing at the contents of the tank, his head lowered as if in prayer, The Ruler of Darkness smiled to himself. There were other rooms like it in the secret confines of the lower corridors, but as of now this one in particular held his interest.
Through failure I will achieve success. This is only the beginning. The humans and their world will submit to me, and soon both humans and digimon alike will recognize me as their true master...
"You were too lenient on them," Phelesmon said harshly, his lean form melting out of the darkness as he stepped into the light of the tank. "They should have been punished."
The Ruler of Darkness didn't even look at his servant. Instead, he let out a soft laugh and said coldly, "You dare to question my actions?"
"It isn't that, my lord," Phelesmon said hastily, bowing in subservience. "I'm simply appalled by their behaviour. I do not think they even deserve to be in your presence with their constant failures. Their recent actions are an insult to you. They do not deserve the honour of being your servants."
"And what do you think, Persiamon?"
The feline digimon stepped into the light of the tank, as well, and crossing her arms over her chest, she said, "Whatever you feel is best, my lord. Naturally I trust your judgement."
The Ruler of Darkness nodded, and turning to face his two servants, he said quietly, "Even failures have their uses. Do not concern yourselves with my decisions. The end result is what matters, and I am confident my plans will succeed."
"Even with those fools by your side?" Phelesmon snorted, and then quickly bowed his head in apology.
"If nothing else they will act as a useful distraction. Their fate is of no concern to me. They are expendable."
"All except DarkAngelicmon," Persiamon corrected, watching him closely.
The Ruler of Darkness turned to the feline digimon, and shifting in his dark robe, he said, "Though he works with them, I am not concerned. The others may fall, but he will survive. Because of his nature, the Digidestined seem to hold a special fondness for him. It's in their foolish human hearts to do so. They will not harm him, thus he may prove to be our greatest asset."
"He is pathetic," Phelesmon snarled, his tone dripping with venom. "He is a stain on the reputation of all fallen angel digimon."
"Perhaps you feel that way, but your petty squabbles are of no importance to me. If they get lucky and manage to steal even one D-Coder and Spirit Chip, it will help out, but if they cannot it will not be a setback to my plans. As long as they keep the Digidestined occupied I am free to continue with more pressing matters. The rest of my plans are coming along nicely, and as long as the Digidestined have their eyes turned somewhere else, I can continue to set things in motion in peace. When the time comes, everything will be ready. The darkness will unleash itself upon the two worlds, and I will be the victor in the grand finale."
"Of course, my lord," Persiamon said mildly, her tone pleasant. "In that regard there will be no failures."
"But until then what would you have us do?" Phelesmon asked stiffly, standing erect.
The Ruler of Darkness waved a hand at them, and speaking softly, he said, "Follow my failed servants and watch them closely, especially DarkAngelicmon. He must remain loyal to me and in my service until I am ready to mold him into the digimon I need him to be in order to fulfill my plans for Lucemon. If his condition becomes...worrisome, I will keep him here with me until the time comes when the Spirit Chips will be needed."
"The Spirit Chips of Faith and Innocence will tell the tale, I assume?" Persiamon asked.
"Indeed. Leave him be until those two Spirit Chips have been found. Once that happens I will let you know what I intend to do with him. Until then, watch him and report back to me if you witness anything unusual in his behaviour. Is that understood?"
"Yes, my lord, we are here to serve you," Phelesmon replied, losing some of the venom in his voice.
"We will not fail you, your evilness," Persiamon agreed, inclining her head.
"See that you do not. Now come, my servants. Let us head back to the upper levels of the castle. My work here is done for the day."
Phelesmon was quick to lead the way, and The Ruler of Darkness was pleased to see Persiamon fall in easily behind himself as they made their way towards the doors of the huge underground chamber. It was the natural order of things. Phelesmon to protect his front and Persiamon to watch his back.
As they left the room the tank behind them continued to pulse with a luminescent glow, and within the tank the sleeping form of Belphemon continued to snooze uninterrupted.