15
The Next Phase
"Here cosmic sin had entered, and festered by unhallowed rites had commenced the grinning march of death that was to rot us all to fungous abnormalities too hideous for the grave's holding. Satan here held his Babylonish court, and in the blood of stainless childhood the leprous limbs of phosphorescent Lilith were laved." – H. P. Lovecraft, "The Horror at Red Hook"
The sun was just beginning to set when the last of Arkham's Witchmon arrived back at that town. After overcoming the effects of Holsmon's Udjat Gaze, she had noticed that her comrades had been defeated. She had also noticed that even Bastemon had not managed to dispose of the intruders yet. Thus she came to the conclusion that she was no longer needed, and had crept out the back door of the church only to find BlackTailmon waiting for her.
BlackTailmon knew how things stood, and was planning to hitch a ride back to somewhere safer. The two of them had managed to find their way out of the town before Holsmon began to level it and the Dark Towers it hid. At that point, the Witchmon had summoned her broomstick and flown south at top speed.
Witchmon had hoped that the other half of the Arkham coven (at least part of it) and the coven's mistress would have come back from Kingsport with news of success. No one was there, of course. The town was as silent as it had been since the coming of the Dark Tower, and the meeting place in the woods showed no sign of life.
BlackTailmon seemed not to be much concerned, but groomed herself by the fire as she waited for Witchmon to fetch a sacrifice. Potential sacrifices were drawn from one of the cages kept in a natural cave not far from the meeting place. In them were kept the baby Digimon of Arkham. They huddled quivering at the back of each cage when Witchmon approached, drawing a smile from her.
"You should be glad at least one of us made it back," she told them, reaching in and grasping the first that came to hand (a Poyomon, it turned out). "At least this way you won't starve to death." She held onto the squirming, slippery body with both hands as she moved back towards the fire. "Hold on to this one," she said, holding the Poyomon out towards BlackTailmon.
The Poyomon tried its best to hop to safety, but BlackTailmon was faster and caught it between her paws. Witchmon began to go through the motions she had seen her leader perform so often before. BlackTailmon waited, every now and then letting go of the Poyomon so as to pounce on it once it had gotten a few feet. "Now," Witchmon said, at which BlackTailmon's claws at last put an end to the baby Digimon.
They waited, BlackTailmon standing on all fours like a true cat. The air seemed to grow cooler. The Dark One was not visiting this time. Tonight, a gate was opening in response to the sacrifice. Darkness gathered on the opposite side of the fire. An aperture began to appear in the fabric of space, as it had at the coming of the Dark Tower. The image of what lay beyond rippled and swirled, but they could see that there was a human standing beyond the threshold.
"Come through, both of you," Sato said. "We're done in Arkham."
"The sacrifices—" Witchmon began.
"Will be collected later," he interrupted frostily. "Come through."
Witchmon stepped forward hesitantly, and BlackTailmon followed. This particular Witchmon had never been through a portal to wherever it was the human's organization had its base of operations. Of all the members of the now defunct coven, only the leader in black had ever been there, and she had not spoken about what lay within when questioned.
The pair stepped through the portal, BlackTailmon sniffing the air warily as she came near to it. A strange tingling sensation passed through them, and then they were inside, standing before Sato Katsu. Witchmon looked over her shoulder, and watched as the vision of Arkham's woods slowly vanished. The dimensional gate had closed. There remained only the large metallic ring which had bounded it.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, Witchmon returned her attention to what lay before her. The place was lit by no apparent light source. The walls and floors were of blue stone in some places, Chrome Digizoid in others. A pair of apelike Hanumon had entered the room. Having come up to Sato, they stopped, as if waiting for something. One of them looked over at Witchmon, but said nothing.
"You are all that remains of the Arkham coven," Sato informed her. "The Kingsport group was wiped out entirely."
Witchmon nodded; she had expected as much. But Sato continued. "You've failed," he said.
She opened her mouth to protest, but Sato raised his hand in a gesture for silence.
"Since I have no more use for you, it is only fitting that you share the fate of all Arkham's other inhabitants."
Both Hanumon stepped forward and locked their hairless hands around Witchmon's arms.
"Wait!" she cried out, "What do you mean? What happened to them? Isn't there—"
"There isn't," Sato said flatly. "Take her to Row Five."
The Hanumon tugged Witchmon insistently forward. She struggled, but in her current position could not use any techniques to her advantage, and the ape men were her superiors physically.
"Wait!" she wailed. "What is – wait!" Her further protests were cut off as the three Digimon passed through a nearby doorway and the arched doors swung closed behind them. By this time BlackTailmon had dropped her pretense of disinterest and was standing on her hind legs, looking up at the human.
"What about me?" she asked.
"You may still prove useful," Sato said. "I need something small, something that can blend in well and not excite too much curiosity."
"Blend in?" the cat Digimon asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed.
"It has been a busy day," he said by way of answer. "While the Chosen Children have been racing around the Digital World risking their lives to destroy a handful of Dark Towers, we have been building steadily. The barrier between worlds grows ever thinner. We now set our sights on the human world."
"The human world!" BlackTailmon's eyes widened at the thought. "You want me to go there?"
"Rest assured you will not be alone. For now…" He clapped his hands. A door opened in one wall, and another Hanumon stepped out. "You will follow him to the barracks. Go."
BlackTailmon was wary after the scene with Witchmon, but followed the ape Digimon out of the room. Once again, the door shut behind them.
Sato Katsu stood still a moment, looking at the door, then turned around and addressed a darkened archway. "Who's there?"
Anubimon stepped into view, trailing his feathered wings behind him.
"Eavesdropping? Doesn't the Dark Man have any work for you?"
"I am sorry, Sato-san. I heard that the Witchmon failed. Is Bastemon—"
"Bastemon is deleted, yes. Anything else?"
The jackal-headed Digimon stood a while before replying. Sato could tell that Anubimon's energy was nearly depleted by how slowly he talked and moved. At last the Digimon spoke.
"You really had no further use for the last Witchmon?"
"There are other covens," Sato said. "One useless Digimon will not make a difference. Besides, the Witchmon do not know the true gods. They follow the Dark Man, but without knowing why. The future will not be theirs." He gave Anubimon one of his rare, malicious smiles. "Are you jealous, Anubimon? Of my inventions?"
The divine Digimon solemnly shook his canine head.
"Of course not, Sato-san. I deal with deletion, not with… that."
Sato smirked again and withdrew through another of the room's many doors. Anubimon stood alone. He had opened so many temporary gates today that by this time he didn't feel much like moving without good reason. A fifth row? he wondered dully. Why would they ever need so much? Maybe they don't, he thought, with an uncharacteristic shiver.
"Astamon, dead?" Lilithmon asked. "It's really too bad. He was my kind of monster."
The Dark Man nodded, his smile broadening.
"How would you feel about avenging him?" he asked in return. "We will be opening a gate to the human world before long. You and your friends might have all sorts of fun."
A smile crept slowly over Lilithmon's face.
"Very interesting. Please keep me up to date."
The Dark Man chuckled. He knew that however much Lilithmon may have admired Astamon's strength and cruelty, she had no emotional attachment to anyone apart from herself. The opportunity for causing chaos, not a chance of revenge, would ensure that she took him up on it. He could have ordered her to go; she had the same reverence and (though she would never admit it) fear of him that the Witchmon had had. But it would be better this way.
After leaving the demoness behind, the Dark Man sought out Sato Katsu.
"She'll do it," he informed Sato, who nodded and thanked him for his help. "You're welcome, Sato-kun." His brightly black eyes lit up as if in sudden inspiration. "It's a beautiful night," he said, though there were no windows in the structure. "I think I'll take a little walk."
Sato did not question him. He had learned to accept the Dark Man's eccentricities.
Besides, Sato had his own plans for the coming night.