(Author's Notes: Here's the second part of Chapter 35. Let me know what you think. I'll happily accept all comments!
The next chapter is probably going to be divided into two halves too, due to length. But we'll get to that eventually. For now, just enjoy Chapter 35.)
Chapter 35: A Disillusioned Heart (Part II)
When the evening finally arrived, the Strike Force recruits were released from their training and allowed to relax for the remainder of the night. It came as a relief to them; their muscles ached and their minds were taxed from all the difficult training that the leftenants had in store for them. Many of the recruits returned to the barracks for rest, while others decided to make the most of their free time while they could.
SaviorHackmon took the opportunity to follow through on his plan.
The steel dragon made his way down a long, torch-lit hallway towards the castle dungeons. The corridor opened up into a wider room as he reached the secured entrance. Standing outside the thick, chrome digizoid, dungeon door was a Mystimon. The Mystimon stood on guard, sitting on a wooden chair and reading a book that he borrowed from the castle library.
The Mystimon looked up as SaviorHackmon emerged from the corridor and approached him. "Ah, you're the one who VictoryGreymon said wanted to visit the prisoner," he greeted, standing up and lowering the book in his hand. "SaviorHackmon, right? I guess you're a glutton for punishment."
SaviorHackmon stopped in front of him and nodded. "Yeah… Can I go in? I have Sir Gankoomon's permission," he added.
"Yeah. Ten minutes maximum. It's almost time for my dinner break," Mystimon explained, placing his book down and turning around to face the door.
He unlocked the magnetic locks on the door's exterior with a sharp cacophony of moving metal. The castle guard opened up the barricade, having to put his muscles into it to open the heavy door. Once it swung open, he walked into the empty space between the dungeon's exterior and interior doors. Once there, the Mystimon knocked on the inner door loudly. "Door one is open. Door two?" he called to VictoryGreymon, who was on guard inside of the dungeons.
The deep, metallic clamoring of several bolts and locks being unlocked resounded from the other side of the door. The inner door swung inwards to reveal VictoryGreymon on the other side, his hand on the handle of the door. "Hey, is he here?" he asked, looking around.
"Yeah. Just don't take too long, okay? My stomach's growling almost as much as the bug is," Mystimon mentioned. The wizard guard looked over his shoulder to SaviorHackmon, who waited patiently. "Go on in. Just don't expect to be greeted with a smile."
"Thank you," SaviorHackmon responded, walking inside the dungeon. He was faced with a long corridor with several empty, barred cells along each side. He assumed that GrandisKuwagamon was in the same one as before. He smiled a bit as he looked at VictoryGreymon. "Hey, VictoryGreymon-kun. Thanks for setting this up."
VictoryGreymon offered a friendly smile of his own. "No problem. I hope it goes well," he encouraged him. "I'll just be near the door, so let me know when you need me." VictoryGreymon turned, but paused mid-action and glanced back at SaviorHackmon uneasily. "Uh, by the way… GrandisKuwagamon is pretty upset about his sentence, so don't be too offended if he's a bit… you know… grumpy. He doesn't mean it."
SaviorHackmon nodded in response and walked past VictoryGreymon, heading down the dungeon corridor. As he began traversing the hallway, he heard Mystimon walk out and close the exterior door, locking it behind him. He saw the one occupied cell ahead of him, on the left-side of the corridor, positioned opposite to a stone wall with a torch fixed to it.
The dragon man calmly approached the cell. This time, he wasn't afraid or nervous. His determination overrode his uneasiness. This time, he wasn't facing his captor – a daunting mercenary who was this figure of fear and adversity. He felt like he was facing just another Digimon this time. He wanted to understand GrandisKuwagamon.
He stepped up to the cell and halted before it. He gazed through the digizoid bars, past the transparent barrier. Inside the cell, GrandisKuwagamon sat on the edge of the bed. He was hunched forward, his body drooping, and his arms resting on his bent knees. His crimson eye stared pensively at the floor in front of his feet – it was almost wistful. He looked beaten down and defeated.
It shocked SaviorHackmon to see him like that. SaviorHackmon was used to GrandisKuwagamon being cocky, self-assured, and constantly in control, even when he wasn't. Seeing GrandisKuwagamon in such a deflated state was so different from how SaviorHackmon usually saw him. It was almost shocking to the dragon.
GrandisKuwagamon turned his head slightly, noticing him out of the corner of his eye. "…Yo," he greeted, although the spunkiness that was usual for his voice was absent. His voice was listless and conquered.
SaviorHackmon walked up until he was centimeters away from the force field. He stared through the bars with a soft frown. "Hey… I heard you were back," he said, observing the charcoal-hued beetle.
"You heard right," GrandisKuwagamon responded plainly. "And here I thought you were one of the guards delivering my food."
"Sorry. It's just me again," SaviorHackmon apologised with a small grin.
The scarab mercenary stood to his feet and turned towards the caped dragon man. "…What do you want, SaviorHackmon?" he asked him directly.
"Just to talk…" SaviorHackmon calmly replied. "If you don't mind."
GrandisKuwagamon shrugged tepidly. "You're free to do what you want," he told him. He turned his winged back to the dragon. "Must be nice…" he muttered.
SaviorHackmon frowned at his words and demeanour. He definitely wasn't the usual GrandisKuwagamon... He wondered if something happened on the mission. "Uh… Are you okay, GrandisKuwagamon?" he asked him with concern.
"Just peachy," GrandisKuwagamon sarcastically responded.
"What's wrong?" he wondered.
GrandisKuwagamon turned his head and looked over his shoulder, leering at SaviorHackmon. "I thought I made a deal with the Royal Knights. If I helped them out, they'd release me. But after working my ass off, I just found out that even though I helped them find out some important information, I still have to spend two years in Havelock Prison. So excuse me if I'm in a shitty mood," he bluntly responded.
A slight wince formed on SaviorHackmon's draconic face as he realised the reason for GrandisKuwagamon's solemn attitude. "Oh… I'm sorry," he responded sheepishly, unsure what else to say.
"I'm not looking for sympathy…" GrandisKuwagamon informed him with a bit of an edge to his voice. "…What are you looking for?" he questioned his visitor, turning around.
"What happened on the mission?" SaviorHackmon asked.
"The Royal Knights needed me to find out some information for them that only I had access to," GrandisKuwagamon explained. "We went to Dark Point and found out the identity of the client that was hiring me, Blitzmon, and Bolgmon."
SaviorHackmon nodded gently, his lemon-hued eyes still staring at the imprisoned mercenary. "…Is it true that you saved VictoryGreymon?" he inquired, his gaze not leaving GrandisKuwagamon's face. "He told me you helped him when he was getting attacked by demon Digimon."
GrandisKuwagamon wordlessly stared at SaviorHackmon. The look in his eye was intense. "So?"
"…Why?"
GrandisKuwagamon scoffed. "You think that I saved him out of the goodness of my heart, huh? …Maybe I only saved him because I thought I'd be electrocuted if I left him behind," he contended.
SaviorHackmon frowned knowingly. "…But you didn't, did you?" he deduced. "You helped him because you wanted to…"
"…Look, I don't know what you think you know about me, kid, but I'm not who you like to think I am," he informed him candidly. "I'm not some sort of hero. Never was, never will be."
"You saved VictoryGreymon; you wouldn't have bothered to do that if you were all bad," SaviorHackmon insisted.
GrandisKuwagamon walked up to the bars. "Then why am I stuck in here?" he bluntly put forward.
SaviorHackmon squinted his eyes as he attempted to come up with an answer. He wasn't able to.
"…You don't understand. You've got this black and white view of the world. Either I'm a villain or I'm actually a good guy," he accused.
"No…" SaviorHackmon argued. "I realise that it's not that simple, GrandisKuwagamon. I know you've committed crimes. I know you're a jerk. I probably don't know the extent of some of the awful things that you've done… But you're the one who's been painting yourself as a pure, unrepentant criminal. I think you try to be worse than you really are. I think that there's good in you."
"Really…" GrandisKuwagamon smirked slightly as he looked at the idealistic dragon man. "Guess there's no changing your mind." He raised his hand and scratched the back of his neck with his black fingers, idly fingering at the itchy hole from the removed restraint system. "…You know… I give you shit for being a Royal Knight fanboy, but… you were lucky to have ended up with Gankoomon," he informed him matter-of-factly. "Me, Blitzmon, Bolgmon? …We weren't so lucky."
SaviorHackmon couldn't help but blink with surprise at this turn in the conversation. He didn't quite know what he meant, but he was curious. "Huh…?"
GrandisKuwagamon sighed and took a couple steps back from the bars. He folded his black arms and kept his gaze fixed on SaviorHackmon. "…You know how you told me that you lost your village? It was in the Night of Falling Stars, right? …Well, about a few dozen years earlier, we lost our village too," he informed him, his eye darkening into a deep crimson shade.
SaviorHackmon's stared at GrandisKuwagamon, shocked by the admission. He vaguely remembered GrandisKuwagamon offhandedly mentioning something about losing things, but he didn't exactly know what he meant. "I… I'm sorry…" he responded, wincing empathetically.
SaviorHackmon knew the pain of losing his home, losing everything that he cared about. He was young at the time, but he was old enough for it to strike him hard. He could vividly remember the feeling of crying into Gankoomon's chest on the first day after he had recovered from his exhaustion and dehydration. That pain would always remain in his heart, as would the comfort that Gankoomon provided for him.
"…What happened?" SaviorHackmon couldn't help but ask him.
GrandisKuwagamon shrugged. "…Doesn't matter," he curtly dodged the question. "That's how us three ended up on our own. That's how we ended up on the streets…"
The dragon warrior raised his claws and fidgeted with the collar of his red cape. "It must have been tough…" he contemplated empathetically.
"You have no idea…" GrandisKuwagamon answered bleakly. For a moment, there was a look of empty nostalgia in his eye.
The mercenary backed up and sat back down on the edge of his bed. "We had no home… We slept in the forest at first, but then we had to move to New Terminal, just so that we didn't starve to death. …We lived rough; we slept on the ground, in alleys, in abandoned buildings, under bridges… We had to steal food to survive. Then we had to steal other stuff and fence it just for a few measly bits – however much money we could get. Of course, doin' that, we brushed up against some rough Digimon – got beaten senseless a few times, threatened at knifepoint, kicked around, robbed… I think you get the picture. It wasn't easy living. We even had to work with organised crime gangs a few times. They used kids like us because we were small and we could get into places easy. Plus the law enforcement wouldn't suspect us so much. We got chump change, but it was enough to get by. We scrounged to survive…"
The dragon man was quiet. He tried to picture what that was like for him, but found that he probably couldn't even remotely grasp the struggle that GrandisKuwagamon went through. It sounded terrible. If Gankoomon hadn't found him… "I… can't imagine what that must have been like…" SaviorHackmon admitted, staring at GrandisKuwagamon with a grimace.
"Nope… You can't imagine what it's like to be treated the way we were treated, either…" GrandisKuwagamon explained, looking over at SaviorHackmon. "The way people looked at us… we were less than Digimon to them. Grimy, little, orphaned, bug thieves… To them, we weren't even good enough to live in the sewers with the Numemon." He looked into SaviorHackmon's saddened eyes. "I have the triple whammy of being a bug, a virus type, and an X-antibody, so I've been called loads of things. Not just in New Terminal, but wherever we went. Things like 'street rat', 'software bug', 'pest', 'virus scum', 'mutant', 'glitch core', 'dung beetle', 'gutter trash', 'junk data', 'X rot', 'side jaw'. I can keep going if you want - teach you all the fun ones." He grinned and shrugged. "Some guy even told me that he'd rip my shell off piece by piece, roast my exposed flesh and throw me in the river for the fish to tear apart… when he was done with me, that is. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. We were nobodies. Digimon like us could disappear in the night and nobody would notice or give a damn... Not the law, not the politicians, not the Royal Knights..."
"That's horrible…" whispered the younger Digimon.
GrandisKuwagamon grunted and looked away from his sad, pitying eyes. "Look, I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm just trying to make you understand," he told him. "Growing up like that… I had to harden my heart in order to survive. I had to learn to shut things off. When you do the things that I've done and been through the things that I've been through, it starts to become permanent…" GrandisKuwagamon sighed. "And the more that Digimon treat you like you're shit, the more you start to prove them right. If that's what it takes to survive, then that's what I had to do. That's what I always told myself, at least." He stared at SaviorHackmon. "That's why you're lucky to have ended up with Gankoomon."
"But you're not like that… You got stuck in a bad situation, just like I did. You just didn't have a way out," SaviorHackmon insisted.
GrandisKuwagamon chuckled emptily. "I sure don't have a way out now…" He nodded towards the cell's bars. "Now I'm just a prisoner with a leash…"
SaviorHackmon grimaced, the guilt plain on his face. "I'm sorry… I wish there was something I could do…"
"I don't expect you to do anything," GrandisKuwagamon responded with cynical resignation. He leaned forwards so that his arms rested on his knees. He ventured a glance over to SaviorHackmon. "There's nothing you can do about the situation I'm in. I know I got myself in this position and I accept that… But…" As he hesitated, his crimson eye met SaviorHackmon's. "Could I ask you a favour, kid? It's a big one…"
SaviorHackmon lifted his bowed head and frowned. "Sure. What is it, GrandisKuwagamon?" he asked him.
GrandisKuwagamon raised his hand and pointed to his neck. "This virus… They removed the restraint system, but they kept this damn inhibitor virus inside me. I can't change forms, I can't use my abilities, I can't even move my pincers. I can still feel it containing me…" he explained bleakly. "I know it's a lot to ask, but… can you get this thing removed?"
The dragon man winced and hesitated. That definitely was a big favour. It was Order protocol that all prisoners be outfitted with an inhibitor virus for safety reasons. Removing one would be against protocol. "I… I don't know if I can do that," SaviorHackmon apologetically stated. "I'm sorry, but it's protocol."
GrandisKuwagamon stood up from the bed so that he was at the same level as SaviorHackmon. He looked at him with a beseeching gaze. "I know, but… Damn it…" GrandisKuwagamon looked away dourly. "This damn thing… it's like a slave collar. Having it installed in me, messing with my body's natural systems…"
"But…"
He stared at SaviorHackmon with a look that was almost begging. "Look… I'm headed for Havelock Prison no matter what. Nothing's gonna change that. I accept that… I'm too tired to kick up a fuss anymore. But… the virus… It makes me feel like I'm a slave on a leash. …It's just like how I used to feel when I was growing up… I feel like less than a Digimon. I feel worthless…" He gazed at the dragon man intensely. "…Please, SaviorHackmon… You told me that you saw some good in me. If you really meant that… give me a chance to prove it. Trust me…"
A guilty grimace formed on SaviorHackmon's draconic face, his golden eyes tightening as he stared at GrandisKuwagamon. He did have a point. Having a virus like that implanted in him must have been psychologically damaging. The feeling of the loss of control must have been terrible, especially for somebody like GrandisKuwagamon.
A soft growl formed in SaviorHackmon's throat. As he stared at GrandisKuwagamon, he could see a glimmer of vulnerability in his eye. A flash of something that GrandisKuwagamon never allowed himself to show. "I…" He stalled. He knew that he shouldn't but… He couldn't ignore GrandisKuwagamon's plight.
"I can't promise anything… But I'll see what I can do…" he murmured uncertainly. "How would I even do that…?"
"The physician keeps the anti-viruses and vaccines in the medicine cabinet in the medical bay," GrandisKuwagamon informed him, remembering from earlier. "There should be a blue, pneumatic injector. That's what they used before. Doctor Eyeball seems pretty strict, so I doubt he'd just let you have it..."
"I got it…" SaviorHackmon responded, ruminating on his request. "It won't be easy, but I can try."
GrandisKuwagamon nodded gently. He gazed at SaviorHackmon with a rare look of gratitude. "…Thank you…" he said appreciatively. "I know it's asking a lot. You won't get in trouble; I won't let anybody know it's even gone."
"Alright…" SaviorHackmon replied, frowning as he thought about how he was going to do this. Getting the anti-virus was one thing, but actually injecting it into GrandisKuwagamon was another. There was no way he would be able to do that with the dungeon guards on duty. However…
His eyes trailed over to VictoryGreymon who stood beside the door, watching SaviorHackmon curiously. The friendly VictoryGreymon smiled and waved at him.
SaviorHackmon considered his options carefully. He would need VictoryGreymon's help. That would be the only way he'd be able to administer the anti-virus and get into GrandisKuwagamon's cell. He thought it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. VictoryGreymon was a kind Digimon who seemed to like GrandisKuwagamon, and he said that GrandisKuwagamon had just saved him. He had to try.
"Hey, VictoryGreymon-kun?" SaviorHackmon asked, walking away from the cell and back down the corridor, towards him.
"Yeah, SaviorHackmon? Are you done now?" VictoryGreymon counter-questioned with a smile.
"Well, sort of…" SaviorHackmon sheepishly replied, uneasily fidgeting with his cape collar. "The thing is… I could really use your help… I don't know if you'll say yes, but I hope you'll at least consider it."
"Of course I'll help! What is it?" VictoryGreymon asked him encouragingly.
SaviorHackmon frowned and glanced away uncomfortably. "Uh… Well… GrandisKuwagamon asked if we could remove the inhibiting virus from his body…" he admitted.
VictoryGreymon blinked with shock. His friendly grin faded on his snout and it was replaced by a hesitant, lop-sided frown. "…Oh… but…" he hesitantly said.
"I know it's against protocol, VictoryGreymon, but… he's not being sneaky. He told me about all the terrible things that he had to go through when he was growing up on the streets. He said that Digimon treated him like dirt because he was a street orphan and a bug Digimon. He said that this virus makes him feel like he did back then… powerless and sub-Digimon, like a caged slave," SaviorHackmon implored his friend. "He's not a bad Digimon."
VictoryGreymon grimaced. His heart stung with sympathy, but his mind told him not to consider it. He felt torn between his emotions and his duty to the Royal Knights. "I know he's not, but… We… we can't…" he replied, his words soaked with guilt. "It's against protocol. We'd be letting the Royal Knights down."
"The Royal Knights are kind and just though. I know they'd agree with us deep down, but they can't appear to be soft, so they wouldn't allow it," SaviorHackmon insisted. "I know they'd want to. Gankoomon-sensei would."
"Y-Yeah, but… I don't know…" VictoryGreymon meekly debated. His opinion kept oscillating. He knew that there were very real reasons to keep the system in place, but he also felt that the Royal Knights would be sympathetic to GrandisKuwagamon's plight.
"Please, Victory?" SaviorHackmon beseeched him. "You just spent all those days with GrandisKuwagamon, and you said that he saved you. What do you think of him?"
VictoryGreymon frowned and twiddled his large, orange fingers. "Well… I think he's a good guy deep down, even if he is kinda mean on the outside. I think he really does care about people, but he's afraid to let others get close to him. I'm guessing he uses his prickly exterior as a defence mechanism…" he admitted optimistically. "He did go out of his way to save me, after all…"
SaviorHackmon smiled supportively. "Yeah…" he agreed. "So…?"
VictoryGreymon gave SaviorHackmon a small, insecure smile. "Well… Grandis is my friend… and the Royal Knights' code does say that you should help friends in need…" he suggested, still a bit uncertain but slowly convincing himself of his decision. "I… guess it couldn't hurt…"
A broad, gracious smile grew on SaviorHackmon's face. "Thank you, VictoryGreymon-kun. This means a lot to both of us…" he softly told him.
VictoryGreymon chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "You're welcome. Just don't tell anybody, okay?" he asked him. After a few moments, however, VictoryGreymon lowered his hand and frowned. "But… How exactly do you want to do this?"
A knocking on the exterior dungeon door startled them both. "Hey, VictoryGreymon!" Mystimon's voice called out. "Can you get him to finish up in there? It's been ten minutes and I'm taking my break now. Can you go and get Guardromon?"
"Okay! Just give me ten seconds!" VictoryGreymon called back nervously.
SaviorHackmon leaned in to VictoryGreymon's face and whispered conspiratorially. "I'll go to the medical ward and get the anti-virus. Can you make sure that the guard taking over Mystimon's shift doesn't come on duty immediately so that I have a chance to come back in? It'll be easier if it's just us here," he suggested.
"Yeah, okay…' VictoryGreymon agreed, scratching his cheek. "You better go now so that we can get this over with fast."
"Okay, thanks again, Victory," SaviorHackmon responded to him with a thankful smile.
He turned and walked alongside VictoryGreymon down the hallway. As they reached the door, VictoryGreymon reached down to a pouch that hung from his armoured waist and pulled out a key card. He swiped it through an electronic lock beside the door and caused the magnetised locks to unbolt from the wall. He then unlatched the manual locks, opening the door to the already-opened exterior door.
Mystimon waited in the entrance. "Got what you wanted from the bug?" he asked SaviorHackmon as the dragon man stepped out.
"I think so…" SaviorHackmon responded sheepishly, walking up beside him. "Thanks."
"That's a first, then," Mystimon answered. He turned to VictoryGreymon and handed him his key card. "Here. Lock door one when you go to find Guardromon."
"A-Alright," VictoryGreymon agreed, smiling nervously as he took the key card.
SaviorHackmon nodded at VictoryGreymon and began walking off down the hall alongside Mystimon. Although he felt a bit guilty for sneaking around and breaking protocol, he knew, in his heart, that this was the right thing to do.
As they reached the stairs leading up to the first level of the castle, SaviorHackmon walked down an adjacent corridor rather than following Mystimon up the stairs. He made his way towards the medical ward.
After a few minutes, SaviorHackmon emerged at the entrance of the medical ward. The large area was fairly empty in terms of Digimon. All but one of the beds was empty. The one bed that wasn't empty contained a Flaremon who was nursing a twisted ankle. The only other Digimon who were present in the medical bay were a few members of the medical staff. This included High Physician Duskmon, who stood in the center of the room, speaking to one of his assistants, a Pidmon. There were two others in the sizeable ward, but they were mainly making the beds or mopping the floor.
He spotted the sizeable medicine cabinet on the opposite side of the room, on the other side of Duskmon and Pidmon.
As SaviorHackmon walked inside, the large eye on Duskmon's right shoulder caught notice of him and turned to stare at the dragon. SaviorHackmon felt beads of sweat beginning to form underneath the red fabric around his neck. This wouldn't be easy with Duskmon's many eyes staring almost omni-directionally throughout the medical bay.
"SaviorHackmon," Duskmon greeted, turning away from his assistant so that he could look at SaviorHackmon directly. "What can I do for you?"
"Uh…" SaviorHackmon paused, quickly conjuring up a reason to be there. He walked over and rubbed the back of his head. "I have a headache."
"I see…" Duskmon responded, stepping up to SaviorHackmon and staring at him carefully. "When did it start?"
"About an hour ago," SaviorHackmon lied. "I don't know how I got it."
"Hmm… You have been training all day correct? It could be brought on by mild dehydration. Have you been drinking water regularly today?" Duskmon inquired.
"Not really… I guess I do feel pretty thirsty," SaviorHackmon agreed. "My mouth is a bit parched."
Duskmon nodded. "Take a seat on one of the beds and close your eyes. I will get you some water to help you rehydrate," he informed him. He turned back to his assistant. "Pidmon, go and see if Flaremon needs anything."
SaviorHackmon tentatively walked over to one of the beds that was near the medicine cabinet. As he made his way across the room, he kept his eyes on the other Digimon in the room. The Pidmon had his winged back to SaviorHackmon as he walked over and began talking with the Flaremon patient. Meanwhile, Duskmon walked to the far end of the room and entered another room to get a glass, some water, and a warm towel for SaviorHackmon.
The dragon man Digimon watched as Duskmon disappeared inside the room. He sighed with relief at the sudden absence of numerous, watchful eyes. This was his chance. SaviorHackmon glanced over at the nearby medicine cabinet and stood to his feet. The cabinet began to instill fear in him as he considered opening it. He wondered if he would be able to find the right anti-virus. He worried that he would be seen or wouldn't be able to find it in time. Would he get kicked out of the Order if he got caught? The sense of apprehension grew inside him, and his adrenaline began pumping through his body.
However, SaviorHackmon knew he didn't have much time. He steeled his heart and walked from the bed, moving over to the cabinet. As he approached the storage unit, his senses became alert and heightened as the adrenaline swelled inside of him. He looked all around him to make sure that nobody was watching.
Once there, SaviorHackmon quietly opened the large drawers of the cabinet to reveal shelves of medical items and supplies. There were jars of herbs, powders, potions, vials of medicines, creams, and various small piece of equipment like tweezers, scalpels, and pneumatic syringes.
At first, SaviorHackmon was daunted by all the different items inside, and he momentarily panicked. He stared blankly and felt his heart beating in his chest. However, he focused on looking through all of the items and began to realise that they were well-organized. Over on the right hand drawer was a shelf containing several vials that contained vaccines and viruses. He inwardly sighed with relief when he saw the blue, pneumatic injector that GrandisKuwagamon mentioned. He took the device and looked at the vial that was loaded inside of it. The vial itself glowed with a pure, white gleam that came from the gaseous vaccine inside of it. The label on the vial read 'Inhibition Vaccine 4'. He sighed with relief.
Acting quickly, SaviorHackmon tucked the injector and the vaccine vial under his red cape and quickly but carefully closed the cabinet, leaving it just how he found out. After casting a tertiary glance around to make sure that nobody saw him, SaviorHackmon began walking to the exit of the medical bay.
Making sure that the injector was concealed behind his cape, SaviorHackmon looked over his shoulder towards the room that Duskmon had stepped inside. "Never mind, Duskmon-sensei; I'm feeling much better!" he called over as he swiftly strode to the door. "Thank you anyways."
As Duskmon stepped out of the room in response to the voice, the only thing that he saw was SaviorHackmon's crimson cape, fluttering as it disappeared out the door. Duskmon frowned, his eyes all glancing down at the glass of water in his hands before turning back towards the door. "Hm…"
SaviorHackmon made his swift escape. He tried to move as quickly as he could without looking too suspicious or making too much noise. He turned a corner and made his way down one of the dark, cool, basement halls. The dragon was conscious of the metal clanging that his bladed feet made upon striking the ground with every step. He felt that he could be caught at any minute. He told himself that he shouldn't feel guilty for doing the right thing, but he knew that he was breaking the rules by trying to help GrandisKuwagamon.
After two minutes of walking, SaviorHackmon arrived back at the dungeon entrance. There was no guard outside, and the exterior door was left open. On the handle was a sign which, in Digimoji, read 'Do not close without authorized permission.' SaviorHackmon took this to mean that VictoryGreymon had prepared everything.
He walked up to the interior door and knocked firmly, his claws resounding against the thick chrome digizoid. "VictoryGreymon? It's SaviorHackmon!" he called out.
"Okay!" VictoryGreymon hollered back, unlocking the door from the inside. As the manual and electronic locks opened, VictoryGreymon pulled the door open and looked around nervously. "Did you…?"
"Yeah, I have it," SaviorHackmon responded, walking inside the dungeons. As he walked in, VictoryGreymon closed the inner door behind him, leaving the outer one open. "You're not closing the outer door? Won't it look suspicious?" he asked the Ultimate level dragon Digimon.
"No. Door one can only be locked from the outside and I didn't go to get Guardromon yet. If somebody happened to close it and walked away, we'd be locked in," VictoryGreymon explained. "Come on, let's hurry."
SaviorHackmon nodded and walked alongside VictoryGreymon, proceeding down the dark, torch-lit corridor past the several vacant cells. With only the sounds of the licking flames and their heavy footsteps accompanying them, the pair approached the sixth cell on the left.
When they walked up to the bars, they could see GrandisKuwagamon on the other side. He was sitting on his bed and staring over at them with an expectant eye. He looked first at VictoryGreymon and then back at SaviorHackmon. "Have you changed your mind?" he asked him.
"No… He agreed to help," SaviorHackmon replied. He raised the jet injector with the attached vaccine vial. "This is it, right?"
"That's the one," GrandisKuwagamon replied, standing to his feet and walking over to the bars to get a good look. He definitely remembered seeing it when the inhibitor virus was first installed into his body. "Thanks, kid." He glanced at VictoryGreymon. "And you too, I guess."
"SaviorHackmon told me what you said. This is the least I can do for you saving me," VictoryGreymon smiled at the mercenary.
SaviorHackmon frowned as a realisation dawned on him. "So… How do we do this?" the dragon man asked, glancing at the cell bars emphatically. They couldn't just pass the injector through the bars due to the barrier.
VictoryGreymon tilted his head. "Oh, uh… I didn't think about that."
GrandisKuwagamon folded his arms and gazed at SaviorHackmon flatly. "How do you think?" he sarcastically responded.
SaviorHackmon blinked. "We're going to need to open the cell to administer the anti-virus…" he realised, turning to look at VictoryGreymon.
VictoryGreymon grimaced. "Open the cell…? That's definitely against protocol…" he murmured hesitatingly. "I… I don't know, SaviorHackmon…"
"How else were you planning on using that injector?" GrandisKuwagamon asked them rhetorically. "It kinda needs contact with my body to, you know, work. I assumed you realised that already."
SaviorHackmon looked at VictoryGreymon with imploring eyes. "Please, VictoryGreymon? What's the point of us getting the vaccine if we can't use it on him?" he beseeched.
"Yeah, I know, but…" VictoryGreymon sighed.
"I won't try anything," GrandisKuwagamon assured him. "I'm not stupid enough to try and fight my way outta this fortress like without any weapons." His crimson eye landed on VictoryGreymon. "…You can trust me, you know. Please, V. I helped you because you're my friend…"
VictoryGreymon winced. He was still uneasy about it, and it was against his better judgment, but they did already set out to do this. He believed in GrandisKuwagamon. "I know I can… Okay…" He looked at GrandisKuwagamon with begging eyes. "I'm trusting you…"
GrandisKuwagamon nodded compliantly.
VictoryGreymon nervously glanced down the dungeon corridor towards the locked door. He drew a key card from the pouch on his waist and slid it through the electronic lock system right beside the barred door. The magnetized, chrome digizoid locks opened with a metallic clunk. VictoryGreymon then pressed a few numbers on the lock's keypad, putting in the password to drop the cell's impenetrable barrier. The barrier flickered for a moment before disappearing, allowing matter to pass through the bars. He then took out a physical key and unlocked the manual lock. He looked at GrandisKuwagamon through the bars. "Can you stand back, please?"
GrandisKuwagamon took a few steps back as the cell door slid open with a metallic 'shink'.
"Okay, can you come over here and put your hands against the wall?" VictoryGreymon asked him, gesturing over to the corridor wall where there was more light from torch so that they could see what they were doing.
"Yeah, fine," GrandisKuwagamon complied, slowly walking towards the pair of dragon Digimon. He walked past them and did what he was told, approaching the stone wall that was opposite to his cell. He slowly raised his black hands and placed them against the wall.
"Okay, good," VictoryGreymon said, standing beside GrandisKuwagamon. He looked over at SaviorHackmon. "Can you apply the vaccine?" he asked SaviorHackmon. VictoryGreymon was clumsy so he worried about doing it wrong.
SaviorHackmon walked up behind GrandisKuwagamon, holding the pneumatic injector in his claws. "Sure. So, how do I do this?" he asked GrandisKuwagamon.
GrandisKuwagamon rolled his eye. "That's exactly what I want to hear before a medical procedure," he sarcastically muttered. "You see that bandage on the back of my neck? Take that off."
SaviorHackmon moved GrandisKuwagamon's rusty orange hair aside to locate a white bandage that was stuck to his black neck. A wall-mounted torch to the right of GrandisKuwagamon provided ample light for SaviorHackmon to be able to see clearly in the dim dungeon. He slowly peeled off the small, adhesive bandage from GrandisKuwagamon's carapace, revealing a small hole in the hard, black surface with a bit of dried blood encrusted around it. "Alright."
"You see that hole?" GrandisKuwagamon asked as he talked him through it. "That's where they inserted the two viruses. That's also where they removed the restraint virus. Put the center of the injector's muzzle against it. The needle needs to be against the hole."
Nodding, SaviorHackmon slowly raised the pistol-shaped injector up to the back of the mercenary's neck. He carefully placed the circular muzzle around the hole so that the needle in the center lightly pressed against the entry point. He readjusted the injector's position by a few millimeters, wanting to make sure that it was in precisely the right place. "Okay."
"When you're ready, pull the trigger," GrandisKuwagamon told him, not moving an inch.
SaviorHackmon nodded and squeezed the trigger gently. There was a sharp hissing sound and a powerful propulsion of air from the injector's needle. The glowing, white vaccine discharged from the pneumatic needle and pierced through the hole in GrandisKuwagamon's neck. The shimmer from the vial waned slightly as half of the vaccine propelled itself into GrandisKuwagamon's body.
GrandisKuwagamon hissed in response to the sharp pain. His back arched and his body tensed up in response to the foreign body entering his system. "Fuck…!" he growled, wincing.
The vaccine began to take effect immediately. A flood of uncomfortable warmth surged though GrandisKuwagamon's form. The tingling heat consumed the digicore in the center of his chest before shooting outwards to his extremities. Pins and needles - like the sensation of a nerve regaining its function after one's foot had fallen asleep - was the feeling that swept through him. It crept down his legs and arms, to his hands and feet. The prickling warmth also crawled up his face and down his pincers. The numb sensation swelled in his form.
It was as if a great pressure had been released from his body. He could feel the inhibiting virus inside of him disappearing as the vaccine started to destroy it. The virus had caused an oppressive feeling inside of him. It stopped him from doing the things that he was normally able to do. Now, with the vaccine setting it, it was like he had been restrained for weeks and was finally having the bindings removed from his body. The painful, uncomfortable prickling sensations continued to send jolts through his form, but they were beginning to fade.
GrandisKuwagamon's fingers dragged against the wall and he gasped as he began to regain control of himself. His legs and arms trembled as his power was released from its cage and proceeded to course back into his form.
SaviorHackmon retracted the injector and narrowed his eyes with concern. "GrandisKuwagamon, are you okay?" he asked with worry, wondering if he used too much.
"I'm fine…!" GrandisKuwagamon insisted, breathing heavily. As the feeling returned to his mandibles, he spread his pincers out tentatively. He was able to successfully move the pincers on his face. He could feel his body returning to its normal functions. He grinned. "It's… working…"
"Good," SaviorHackmon sighed with relief, lowering the injector. "Everything feels right?"
"Y-Yeah…" GrandisKuwagamon answered with long, centering breaths. "I feel like myself again…"
VictoryGreymon smiled at him warmly. "I'm glad to hear that…" he responded. He began to walk over to him, approaching from GrandisKuwagamon's right while SaviorHackmon stood at the mercenary's left.
GrandisKuwagamon raised his head slowly, a ghost of a smirk on his black lips. He watched VictoryGreymon approach out of the corner of his eye. His pincers twitched and he slowly curled his fingers against the wall.
VictoryGreymon stepped up to him, reaching his hand over. "Let's get you back in your cell…" he said, nearing the abyssal insect.
While VictoryGreymon's hand neared him, GrandisKuwagamon's face darkened. He slowly angled his head towards VictoryGreymon, enough so that the torchlight glimmered in his blood red, honeycomb eye. As he leered out of the corner of his eye at VictoryGreymon, the torch's flames could be seen reflected in his crimson lens.
As soon as VictoryGreymon's fingers touched GrandisKuwagamon's armoured shoulder, the previously docile bug suddenly exploded into action. He lashed out with astonishing vigour and speed, like a spring, compressed to its limits, finally being released in a breakneck surge of kinetic energy.
GrandisKuwagamon pivoted on a pinpoint, swinging towards VictoryGreymon and bashing the dinosaur man's extended arm outwards. Taking advantage of his initiative, GrandisKuwagamon wrenched his arm forwards and drove his black fist into the shocked VictoryGreymon's snout.
Stunned and still processing what was going on, VictoryGreymon let out a cry of pain as his nose went numb. He stumbled backwards and flailed his arms and tail out to try and keep himself from falling.
Too astonished to react, SaviorHackmon's golden eyes widened with shock and horror as he took in GrandisKuwagamon's violent change in demeanour. "What—"
Before he could even finish his kneejerk response, GrandisKuwagamon turned to him and attacked the bewildered Perfect level to stop him from reacting. GrandisKuwagamon drilled his fist into SaviorHackmon's gut, taking the wind out of his words.
As SaviorHackmon lurched forwards onto the fist that pressed against his pliable, metal body, GrandisKuwagamon reached behind his head and grabbed the hem of the dragon's cape-hood. The mercenary pulled the hood up and over SaviorHackmon's head before yanking it downwards over the dragon's horned face, obscuring his eyes. With SaviorHackmon unable to see what was happening, GrandisKuwagamon drove his fist into the end of SaviorHackmon's hood-covered snout. He punched SaviorHackmon three times in short succession before spinning around clockwise and delivering an agile back kick that sent SaviorHackmon crashing into the stone wall. Upon meeting the painful surface, he crumpled to the floor.
With SaviorHackmon stunned and in pain, the black mercenary turned his attention back to VictoryGreymon. The dragon man managed to remain standing, but he was clutching his snout. Blood leaked out of his nostrils and trickled down between the gaps of his large fingers. Despite his large, hurt eyes, which watered from his numb, stinging nose, VictoryGreymon was getting his bearings and realising what the situation was. "Guh…!" he grunted, desperately scrambling over towards his Dramon Breaker, which he left propped up against the nearby wall.
Seeing that VictoryGreymon was going for his massive broadsword, GrandisKuwagamon steamed forwards. He used his superior speed to close the distance with VictoryGreymon before he could make it to the giant blade. As VictoryGreymon reached for the sword, GrandisKuwagamon closed the distance and grabbed his wrist roughly.
VictoryGreymon stared at GrandisKuwagamon, his gaze wide and bewildered. "GrandisKuwagamon, sto-OOOOOOP!" Before he could finish his plea, his deep voice suddenly raised an octave and into a pained holler. GrandisKuwagamon had driven his foot up along the thigh of VictoryGreymon's back leg, bringing it right up behind the dragon's loin guard and into the black fabric that protected the tender region that was underneath. With considerable pain shooting through his groin, VictoryGreymon's legs nearly buckled. He wasn't able to mount a counterattack as GrandisKuwagamon brought his open palm up into VictoryGreymon's chin, causing his snout to jerk upwards.
As VictoryGreymon was stunned, GrandisKuwagamon took the opportunity to swipe the pouch that hung from the side of VictoryGreymon's hip.
"GrandisKuwagamon! Stop!" SaviorHackmon shouted haggardly, his claws dragging against the stone wall as he scrambled to his feet.
With adrenaline pumping through his body and his combat senses in complete control, GrandisKuwagamon didn't respond. He left VictoryGreymon staggering in place and dashed back towards SaviorHackmon, a crimson glow in his eye as he closed in on his prey.
SaviorHackmon snarled and raised his hood back up above his eyes so that he could see. He prepared to raise his bladed wrists to defend himself, but his previous actions used up enough time to allow the speedy GrandisKuwagamon to close in on him. As he raised his right arm and began to stab his crimson wrist blade forwards, GrandisKuwagamon was already past the blade and in the dragon's face.
GrandisKuwagamon leaned his head back and then brought it forwards, slamming his hard, black, forehead ridge into SaviorHackmon's mouth in a painful head butt. As SaviorHackmon stumbled backwards, GrandisKuwagamon followed up with a sharp crack across SaviorHackmon's face, causing him to stagger. The mercenary continued his brutal assault by giving the dragon a one-two punch that sent SaviorHackmon crashing to the ground.
"Stop it!" VictoryGreymon shouted from behind the mercenary.
GrandisKuwagamon spun around to see VictoryGreymon, charging towards him. The dragon knight grimaced with physical and emotional pain, but he coiled his mighty arm back and prepared to punch GrandisKuwagamon.
As VictoryGreymon closed in on him and prepared to drive his fist forwards, GrandisKuwagamon was ready to counter him. VictoryGreymon threw his mighty punch, but the agile insect man crouched his legs and ducked under his arm. As soon as GrandisKuwagamon was at waist-length, he bent his body forward and closed his pincers tightly around VictoryGreymon's armoured hips. GrandisKuwagamon pivoted and used VictoryGreymon's own strength and momentum against him; he pulled back, using VictoryGreymon's forward force and used his tight grip around VictoryGreymon to lift him off of his feet. GrandisKuwagamon then arched his back and leaned in reverse as far as he could go. When he was at his limit and the transfer of force went from his pincers and into his attacker, he released VictoryGreymon from his clutches.
VictoryGreymon's eyes widened and he went soaring over GrandisKuwagamon. He crashed onto the stone floor across the hallway and tumbled unceremoniously into GrandisKuwagamon's vacant cell. VictoryGreymon rolled to a stop inside the cell and groaned with pain. His muscles ached and he was dazed from the painful throw. He opened his wincing eyes but there were flickers of white stars that obscured his vision.
GrandisKuwagamon stood up and took the chance to walk up to the cell. He grabbed hold of the cell's barred door and slid it shut with a strong, metallic clash. As soon as that was done, he reached into the pouch that he had swiped off of VictoryGreymon and pulled out the keys. He stuck the key into the chrome digizoid door and secured the cell's manual locks from the outside. GrandisKuwagamon then took out the dungeon's key card and swiped it through the electronic lock system, magnetizing the locks to make sure that VictoryGreymon was trapped inside.
VictoryGreymon regained his bearings and got to his hands and knees as he heard the resounding clank of the locks closing. He looked up to see that GrandisKuwagamon had locked him in. "H-Hey! Grandis! What are you doing?!" he asked him desperately.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" GrandisKuwagamon coldly answered, not even looking at him as he removed the key card from the lock.
"Don't do this!" VictoryGreymon pleaded, standing up and going over to hold the bars.
The aloof mercenary ignored him and walked over to SaviorHackmon. The duped dragon was on his knees, his nose and lip dripping blood, but he was attempting to stand to his feet. GrandisKuwagamon methodically walked around behind the kneeling dragon to get to him before he could. Although he couldn't stand up in time, SaviorHackmon glowered with rage and lashed out at GrandisKuwagamon with his bladed tail.
Before it could hit his face, GrandisKuwagamon nonchalantly caught SaviorHackmon's tail just below the long, crimson blade. He squeezed the end of the tail and bent it sideways, not breaking any bones but neutralizing it and twisting it enough to cause SaviorHackmon to hiss with pain.
The night-black insect stalked up to the kneeling dragon and grabbed the nape of his cape with his free hand. He roughly jerked him upwards by the collar, the choking SaviorHackmon momentarily as the gravity forced him forwards onto the muffler's belt and buttons that fastened the cape completely around his neck. GrandisKuwagamon hoisted SaviorHackmon to his bladed feet and then slammed him up against the stone wall. SaviorHackmon's cheek and body crashed against the rocky surface hard enough to create a spark against his chest.
GrandisKuwagamon pressed against SaviorHackmon's back, shoving him hard up against the wall. He proceeded to close his pincers tightly around SaviorHackmon's neck, firm enough to hold him in place. With one hand, GrandisKuwagamon roughly pulled SaviorHackmon's arms behind his back, and with his other hand, he lifted SaviorHackmon's tail up; as he did this, he used his pincers and shoulder to make sure that he couldn't wiggle free.
"You naïve idiot," GrandisKuwagamon told him, pushing his chest forward to pin SaviorHackmon's arms and tail to his back in order to free up his left hand. With his free hand, he grabbed hold of SaviorHackmon's long, red cape and proceeded to wrap its length around SaviorHackmon's wrists and tail like a makeshift rope, bundling them together behind his back with a tight knot. This freed up both of GrandisKuwagamon's hands so that he didn't have to worry as much about SaviorHackmon's blades.
"Let me go…!" SaviorHackmon snarled bitterly, his lips curling back to reveal his jagged teeth. He grimaced over his shoulder at GrandisKuwagamon with a mixture of rage and hurt.
"No can do, kid," GrandisKuwagamon matter-of-factly told him. "I need you to be my hostage again."
"What…? I'll never let you use me against the Royal Knights," SaviorHackmon growled.
"You don't have a choice." GrandisKuwagamon's pincers tightly held SaviorHackmon's neck in their vice-like grip. As he stepped away from the wall, he used them to move SaviorHackmon where he wanted. He used his hands to keep hold of SaviorHackmon's arms and pulled the dragon man away from the wall. He started pushing him down the dungeon corridor towards the exit.
"GrandisKuwagamon, stop this! Please!" VictoryGreymon begged him, sticking his snout as far as he could through the bars to watch GrandisKuwagamon lead SaviorHackmon away.
SaviorHackmon grunted and struggled against his captor, but the tightening of the scarab's forceps around his neck helped to cease his resistance. "Grgh… GrandisKuwagamon…!" he choked out, grimacing tightly. "Why?!"
"Did you really think I'd be happy to rot away in Havelock Prison?" GrandisKuwagamon growled harshly. "'Only two years', my ass. Yeah, until they found another excuse to keep me locked up. The Royal Knights just used me while they could; they were planning to lock me away permanently from the beginning. They just lied to get something outta me. That's just how this world works."
"That's not true…!" SaviorHackmon insisted, gasping as the pincer squeezed his neck tighter for a moment. "The Royal Knights are good to their word! You don't have to do this, GrandisKuwagamon!"
"You idealistic moron…" GrandisKuwagamon whispered in his ear as he pushed him down the corridor. "You really believe that, don't you?"
"Ye—es!" the dragon choked out.
GrandisKuwagamon glared at the back of his horned head. "…I can't believe how stupid you are, you naïve dumbass. You and VictoryGreymon…" As he reached the end of the corridor, he pushed SaviorHackmon up against the cold, chrome digizoid door that sealed them in. He spoke in a low, intense voice, still dripping with adrenaline. "You two idiots didn't see it coming… All it took was a little sob story and I had you right where I wanted you… I wrapped you around my little finger, just like I said I would!"
Each word was like a stab through SaviorHackmon's heart. He grimaced tightly – more than the physical pain, it was because of the betrayal, the shame, and the guilt… He wanted to believe the best in GrandisKuwagamon, so much that he recklessly did this act of kindness for him. GrandisKuwagamon manipulated his feelings, his idealism, and used it against him. He felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach. "I…"
"Grandis! Stop!" VictoryGreymon desperately shouted down the hallway at him, futilely pulling at the digizoid bars. The wounded sorrow in VictoryGreymon's raised voice was clear. "We trusted you! You said-… I… I thought we were friends!"
GrandisKuwagamon's face darkened as he bowed his head. "Tch…" he grunted, not looking at either of the Digimon. "Shows what you know…" He raised the key card in his hand and swiped it through the electronic lock of door two.
The interior door's lock snapped open and the door gave way slightly. GrandisKuwagamon wrenched SaviorHackmon aside and pulled the handle of the door, causing it to swing open. To his relief, the outer door had been left open. That made things easier for him. The stealthy mercenary inched towards the doorframe and cautiously glanced out to survey the area.
The corner that the dungeon was located at was empty. There was no guard outside that he could see. Using his pincers as a lever, he pulled SaviorHackmon out in front of him and forced the dragon to walk out of the dungeon first. His senses were on high alert. He couldn't see any Digimon down either of the long hallways. He supposed it was late and many of them were having dinner. He knew he had to be careful.
SaviorHackmon growled and glanced over his shoulder. "Grandis, don't—"
"Shut up before I make you," GrandisKuwagamon coolly threatened, pushing SaviorHackmon forwards. "Call for help and I'll kill whoever comes over."
SaviorHackmon grimaced and clenched his teeth bitterly. There was so much he wanted to say - so much he needed to know. He wanted to stop GrandisKuwagamon from doing this before it got out of control. However, the reality of his mistake was clear to him. He didn't want anybody getting hurt because of his naivety. For that reason, he obeyed GrandisKuwagamon's threat. "Ngh…"
GrandisKuwagamon began retracing his steps. He had been brought to and from the dungeon a couple of times, so he at least knew how to get up to the ground level. He ushered SaviorHackmon down the length of the corridor and used the broad axis of vision that his compound eye provided to his advantage. He listened for any sound apart from the scuffling of their feet and bodies. He was vigilant.
They reached the end of the hallway without incident, which ended in a 'T' corner. The right-hand corridor led down towards the treasury vault and a branching hallway, while the left-hand corridor led further into the castle basement. However, GrandisKuwagamon spotted a set of stairs down the left path. He led SaviorHackmon down the corridor towards the ascending stairs. Once they reached the stone staircase that was built into the wall, GrandisKuwagamon stopped at its based and lightly ushered SaviorHackmon forwards. "Start climbing," GrandisKuwagamon told SaviorHackmon, his pincers keeping a tight grip on his hostage's neck.
SaviorHackmon winced but complied, starting to walk up the stairs in tandem with the ebony mercenary behind him. It was hard to walk with his wrists tied and a pair of pincers around his neck, but he successfully mounted the stairs. They reached the top of the staircase and SaviorHackmon was pushed out into the hallway.
GrandisKuwagamon found themselves at a corner, with a hallway ahead of them and a hallway to the left. He looked down both corridors to check for Order soldiers and Royal Knights. The path looked clear, and he remembered that the route that he needed to take was the one ahead of him. The mercenary forced the dragon forwards and they cautiously traversed down the long, stone hall.
The insect mercenary stopped at every corner, glancing down the perpendicular halls before proceeding. He placed his hand over SaviorHackmon's draconic muzzle to shut him up as they passed by the communications room where MetallifeKuwagamon was busily working away. They managed to go unnoticed and the pair soon found themselves at the opposite end of the castle. The corner they were at had a spiral staircase that led up to one of the three towers which triangulated the castle.
GrandisKuwagamon knew that if they went down the left hallway, they would reach the foyer and, thus, the exit. He figured that would be the best route to take. To that end, he started pushing SaviorHackmon down the length of the corridor.
SaviorHackmon couldn't do anything but be pushed along by his captor. He didn't want to endanger anybody by calling out for help, and even if he tried to escape on his own and fight back, he knew that he probably couldn't match GrandisKuwagamon in a one-on-one fight. Frustration, guilt, and remorse swelled through his heart. He cursed himself for being so naïve as to believe GrandisKuwagamon. The dragon squire could only watch as he was ushered down the long, torch-lit corridor.
After a minute, the pair neared the small archway that led inside the marble foyer. Just before the ornamental stone arch, was a long, perpendicular hallway that ran parallel to the left-hand side of the great hall. It led down towards the castle cafeteria.
GrandisKuwagamon looked down the left hallway and scowled; he could see a large group of Order soldiers walking up the hallway towards them, coming right from their dinner break. They hadn't yet seen him and SaviorHackmon, but GrandisKuwagamon knew they would soon. He had to hurry.
He roughly pushed SaviorHackmon through the archway and into the octagonal foyer. It appeared empty at first, but as soon as GrandisKuwagamon passed by the first of the marble pillars, the insect froze.
Craniamon walked right out of the entrance hall leading outside, and into the foyer. He strode into the middle of the spacious room and stopped when he noticed the two Digimon emerge simultaneously. He turned his head and his glowing, crimson eyes landed on SaviorHackmon and GrandisKuwagamon. They slowly widened upon seeing GrandisKuwagamon free and the situation that SaviorHackmon was in.
"What the…" he murmured in a low, incredulous voice.
GrandisKuwagamon scowled. He could hear the numerous footsteps of the several Order soldiers walking down the branching hallway behind him. He knew that if he didn't do anything, he'd be surrounded.
SaviorHackmon's golden eyes enlarged when he saw Craniamon before them. "Crania-Grah!" SaviorHackmon grunted out in pain.
GrandisKuwagamon released SaviorHackmon from the hold of his pincers and drove his black foot into SaviorHackmon's back. The kick was hard enough to send SaviorHackmon staggering forwards and with his arms and tail bound, he couldn't stop himself from falling. SaviorHackmon was sent crashing into Craniamon, though Craniamon was sturdy enough to catch him and still remain standing.
The cunning mercenary used the distraction to make a run for it. He bolted off, back the way he came.
"Damn it… SaviorHackmon!" Craniamon exclaimed to the dragon man in his hands. He made sure that SaviorHackmon was standing on his own two feet before letting him go and freeing his wrists and tail from his knotted cape. "What the hell is going on?!"
SaviorHackmon grimaced with unadulterated shame. "I'm… I'm sorry, Craniamon-shishou…" he answered softly.
Craniamon grunted and placed his hand on his dark violet breastplate. He accessed the compressed data of his black digizoid armour and pulled out the Claiohm Solais. Without another word, he took off through the left archway, chasing after GrandisKuwagamon. As soon as he was through, he noticed the group of Order soldiers approaching the cross section of the hallway. They stopped and stared in confusion when they had seen GrandisKuwagamon dashing down the perpendicular hallway in front of them.
"The prisoner has escaped! With me! Hurry!" Craniamon commanded the group, already continuing his dash after the fleeing mercenary. The group of six soldiers all immediately obeyed and started running after Craniamon, turning the corner to the right and running after the fugitive insect.
GrandisKuwagamon sprinted as fast as he could back down the long hallway. He briefly glanced over his shoulder and saw the group of Order soldiers chasing him, with Craniamon at the fore of the pursuing group. He scowled and looked forwards, focusing on the path ahead of him.
"I don't think so…" he whispered.
His crimson eye glowed and he began beating his four, glowing, x-shaped wings. Suddenly, a greyish-black mist started to form around his body, wreathing his black carapace in the vapour. The dim grey mist began to spread outwards around GrandisKuwagamon, wafting across the floor before swelling upwards. The gaseous gloom began to fill up the castle corridor and breeze in from one of the adjacent hallways. GrandisKuwagamon's body became completely obscured by the dark miasma. He had summoned the haze to obscure his body from his pursuers.
"Where did that mist come from?!" one of the soldiers, a Maildramon, questioned as he galloped after GrandisKuwagamon.
"He must have created it. Be on your guard!" Craniamon told them, running forwards, straight into the thick, grey brume.
GrandisKuwagamon continued summoning the dark fog data around him. He was used to travelling through mist with ease. It was a major element of his stealth. The confined area of the castle corridors helped to trap the mist, allowing it to waft upwards and fill the hallways. This caused the tenebrous vapour to thicken, completely obscuring GrandisKuwagamon from his pursuers.
He sprinted forwards, using his beating wings to increase his running speed. He tore down the length of the hallway towards the spiral staircase at the corner. The tower was his only other escape route unless he wanted to try fighting his way through Craniamon. He couldn't afford to take a risk.
The Royal Knight in question glowered as he and the soldiers were enveloped by the veil of dark grey mist. "Stop and get behind me!" he ordered the others, dashing forwards before coming to a stop. Upon hearing the soldiers stop behind him, Craniamon held the Claiohm Solais out horizontally in front of him. He began spinning the double-ended spear over and over in his hands with his dextrous fingers. The pole-arm began rotating around like a propeller, whipping up a strong gale that blew the dark mist away.
Just as the umbrageous vapour dispersed, GrandisKuwagamon ducked into the tower staircase, disappearing from view. Craniamon glowered and ran down the corridor. "After him! Split up into two teams! Maildramon, sound an alert!"
GrandisKuwagamon heard his pursuers nearing the corner of the hallway. He began climbing the staircase as fast as possible. As he ascended to the second landing, he could still feel the lingering effects of the virus; he knew that his abilities weren't at their maximum efficiency, so he had to be smart.
As he reached the second landing, he found himself at a doorway. Behind him was an opening that led to the hallway of the second floor of the castle, and to his left was a continuation of the spiral staircase, leading up to the third floor. There was another door opposite to the interior one. It seemed as though it would lead outside. He quickly opened the closed door in front of him and found that it opened up to a stone balcony outside of the castle. The spacious balcony was clear of any guards, and on the opposite side of the protruding platform was a stone bridge that reached across to a free-standing guard tower.
GrandisKuwagamon released a breath of relief upon feeling the fresh air against his carapace, but he couldn't get complacent. He took the opportunity to quickly look around and observe his surroundings. The sun had set across the horizon, and it was a dark, starry night. The sky was black and the moons were obscured by small, intermittent clouds. This caused the landscape to be quite dark. The castle courtyard was illuminated by the lights of buildings and a couple lamps. It was darkest over at the training grounds and shooting range. He internally noted that that would be his safest escape route.
However, there was still one thing that he had to do before he escaped: grab his Gran Killers from the armoury. He quickly glanced over at the several, tall barracks buildings over at the end of the main road and in front of the training grounds. Directly to the left of the foremost dormitory was a smaller stone building that was just one storey tall. That was the armoury, and he knew that that was where they were storing his Gran Killers after they had been confiscated.
Unable to afford any more time, GrandisKuwagamon beat his wings rapidly, creating a deep droning sound. Not waiting around, his feet left the ground and he took off. He swiftly flew off the balcony and zipped towards the guard tower, needing to get by it in order to reach the armoury. As he flew, he concentrated. Once again, umbrous mist began to gather in the night and form across the street below.
As he made his way across the gap, Craniamon emerged out of the castle and onto the second floor balcony. "The prisoner escaped! Stop him!" he yelled to anybody within earshot.
GrandisKuwagamon scoffed and briefly leered over his shoulder. He watched as Craniamon jumped off the balcony and landed gracefully on the stone street below. He just focused on making his escape. He kept flying towards the guard tower, though he knew that Craniamon's warning alerted the guards manning it.
As soon as he rounded the tower, he had the armoury in his sight. As the mist spread across the street, GrandisKuwagamon had a clear path to the building.
Until…
A figure suddenly shot up from the mist, strands of the dark vapour clinging to its form as it ascended into the night air. The draconic humanoid flapped her wings and stopped adroitly, directly in GrandisKuwagamon's path.
It was Paildramon.
She stopped into the air, leering at him calmly. Her hip cannons were trained on his body, and she aimed her claws at him in a fighting stance.
GrandisKuwagamon stopped several meters in front of her and scowled. "…Paildramon…"
"GrandisKuwagamon… Surrender," Paildramon told him with a steely, contralto voice. "Before this gets out of hand."
"I don't think so, P…" GrandisKuwagamon answered, flying towards her defiantly.
"Freeze!" she ordered, raising her hip guns to aim at his body. She narrowed her scarlet eyes threateningly. "I'll shoot if I have to."
"Tch…" GrandisKuwagamon scoffed and reluctantly stopped in his place, three meters away from her. He couldn't afford to wait around. He knew that her stalling him would be just as bad as her fighting him. As soon as the word spread that he was escaping, the whole Order would be after him. "So shoot me! It's better than being locked away in a prison."
Paildramon glared at him. "You don't mean that," she said. "It's only two years but if you do this, it will be even longer. Think about it, GrandisKuwagamon. Do the logical thing."
"You don't understand, Paildramon… You couldn't…" GrandisKuwagamon hissed, leering at her bitterly. He continued to beat his wings, slowly hovering towards her. "To not be in control…"
Paildramon grit her teeth and hardened her fighting stance. "Don't move. I'm not bluffing," she warned him icily. Her hip cannons started to brim with glowing, yellow energy. She glanced around the area. She could see soldiers beginning to run up the road towards them. "…Why are you doing this, GrandisKuwagamon?"
GrandisKuwagamon was aware of his limited time. Despite that, he stared at Paildramon. Rather than anger or contempt, his gaze appeared to soften. "…You have a brother, right, Paildramon?" he asked her.
"Yes… I do…" Paildramon responded, playing along as she wanted to stall him further. "ExVeemon…"
GrandisKuwagamon nodded softly. As he stared at her, his eye was dark. "I had a brother…" he informed her. His voice was melancholy yet matter-of-fact. The gaze he gave her was sincere and a small crack in his features allowed her to see beneath his hard surface.
"…He died right in front of me," GrandisKuwagamon explained to her.
The confession struck her like a knife to her stomach. Paildramon's eyes widened slightly and she stared at him with bewilderment. Losing a sibling… Given how much she cared about her brother, the prospect of GrandisKuwagamon losing his brother sent the sharp pain of sympathy through her heart. She couldn't think of anything worse.
"I…" was all she could manage to say. She stared at him with shock. The guns on her hips drifted slightly, and she unconsciously lowered her claws. She started to lower her guard. "GrandisKuwagamon, I'm—"
The mercenary's eye hardened. He took the opportunity and closed the distance between them. Paildramon tensed up and refocused; she began to fire, but GrandisKuwagamon was already too close. As the muzzles flashed, he closed in and drove his black fist into her exposed abdomen.
Paildramon's eyes widened and she doubled over with pain as his knuckles embedded in her scales. She began to reach towards him with her claws, preparing to fire her cables, but GrandisKuwagamon pulled away and spun around too quickly. He delivered a spinning kick to the side of Paildramon's face, sending her slamming into the stone side of the tower.
GrandisKuwagamon didn't waste any more time. He zoomed past the over sergeant as she was stunned and swooped down into the gathering mist. He landed in front of the armoury and raced over to the door, forcing it open.
"He's over there!" one of the castle guards shouted through the mist.
GrandisKuwagamon hissed and ran inside the vacant armoury, closing the door behind him.
The interior of the building was loaded with rows of weapon and armour racks. The walls and shelves were filled with an assortment of different weapons, all organised in a logical and tidy way. There were racks loaded with swords, axes, pole arms, bows and arrows… Further back, there were even guns and heavier weapons. There were also rows of specialized Digimon armour and shields. Most were custom gear belonging to particular Order Digimon, but there were a few non-Digimon-specific items as well.
The fugitive mercenary didn't care about those, however. He jogged down the aisles of the armoury, looking around fervently for his Gran Killers. He searched for the impounded weapons that the Royal Knights took off of him when he had been captured. Since they had his data signature, if he didn't find them, it would take awhile for him to be able to form new ones.
To his relief, he located his Gran Killers on the opposite side of the armoury, behind a locked, metal fence where the confiscated weapons were placed. He stopped in front of the door and spread his pincers wide. "Grandis Scissors!" he spoke, snapping his crushing forces shut. They closed with such force that they tore through both the lock and the metal fence itself, hacking through the metal with ease. He withdrew his pincers and tore the metal door off with his hand, discarding it before stepping inside.
He grabbed his pair of Gran Killers from the rack and placed the long, jagged, claw gauntlets over his forearms. "Much better…" he muttered, readjusting his favourite weapons on his arms. He stepped out of the fenced section a few moments before the armoury door swung open.
Craniamon, Paildramon, and a few other soldiers ran into the armoury with their weapons drawn. They emerged just in time to see GrandisKuwagamon hovering in the air in the center of the armoury, his form glowing white.
"Slide evolution… GranKuwagamon!" he called out, his form growing in size to the much larger, bulkier, beast-like beetle Digimon that could barely fit in the single story building. As he grew in size, he knocked down a pair of shelves around him, causing the weapons to come crashing down in a cacophony of metal.
"GrandisKuwagamon!" Paildramon called out to him. "Stop!"
"Not a chance," he answered, opening up his long, black forceps. "Zone Black Hole!"
He snapped them shut, the dimension-cutting scissors tearing into the spatial fabric before him. A large, black gash appeared in front of him, widening to his entire, insect form.
"Stop him!" Craniamon ordered, dashing towards him.
"Wire Punch!" Paildramon shouted, ejecting five of her wire-guided claws towards him, hoping to ensnare him before he could escape.
However, she was too late. GranKuwagamon zoomed forwards and penetrated the spatial rift, right as the cords were about to hit him. He disappeared within the abyss and the rend sealed itself up and disappeared as if it had never been there. Paildramon's claws passed through the empty space, right where GranKuwagamon had been.
She winced and retracted her corded claws back to her gauntlet. They were too late.
He was gone.
GranKuwagamon emerged from the tear in space only half a kilometer north from Castle Albion.
"What…?" he whispered, looking over his shoulder. He could still see the castle in the starry night sky, the moonlight illuminating the imposing fortress. This wasn't as far away as he planned when he used Zone Black Hole to escape. He was sure that the eagle-eyed castle guards would still be able to see him from this distance, unless he was too well-camouflaged against the darkness of the night. "Is this as far as I can go?"
He supposed that he couldn't teleport as far because his abilities were still weak. He noticed that his mist concealment had been weaker than usual too. It must have been because of the inhibition virus' lingering effects. He would have to regain his strength before he could use his abilities at full capacity again.
His crimson eyes grimaced and he looked over his shoulder at the Royal Knights' castle. The pang in his heart was tempered as he reminded himself of the cold reality of the situation.
"No sense hanging around…" the giant scarab mercenary murmured. "Zone Black Hole…"
He sliced through the fabric of space again and travelled through it, emerging another half a kilometer northwards. He continued this process of short-burst teleportations; each one got exponentially shorter in distance, until he was forced to travel by wing alone.
Exhausted, GranKuwagamon continued flying north, hoping to get out of Splendor's Reach and further into the Free Area.
At the very least, he told himself, he had a head start on them…
All the other feelings he pushed to the back of his mind. The only thing he cared about right now was one simple thing: being in control of his fate.