--o--o--o--
Chapter 4
Bargaining
--o--o--o--
Snuggled beneath Kyuubimon's mass of tails, Rika slept just as warmly and comfortably as she would have next to the campfire. Her two digimon lay with their heads together and talked in nearly inaudible voices.
"We shouldn't have left," Kyuubimon said. "Ryo said he knew where the exit from this place was and splitting up isn't a good idea anyway."
"I don't think we had a choice," Kaliskamon said. "We had to follow Rika."
Kyuubimon bumped her nose gently against his. "Since when has my Wild One gone all spit-and-polish obedient? You argue with Rika every chance you get."
"Since we needed to not embarrass her in front of Wonder Boy."
Kyuubimon grinned. "That was sweet of you. I thought we were going to have to tackle Cyberdramon for a moment there."
"Pointless," Kaliskamon snorted, "and-- I dunno-- it would feel weird to kill a digimon who had a tamer."
"You're assuming we would have won."
"You think there's a chance we wouldn't have?" Kaliskamon snorted again, "Lover, the data we've loaded from the devas we've taken down has made us more powerful than any other digimon of our level. We've practiced and trained and developed all sorts of techniques and strategies to deal with more powerful opponents and we work together like we're two hands of the same creature. Sure, that Desolation Claw attack of his was pretty damned powerful but we knew what to expect and Cyberdramon is the scream-and-leap type-- couldn't think his way out of a shallow hole in the ground. He wouldn't have lasted a minute against us.'
Kyuubimon wasn't as sure as her mate but didn't feel the point was worth arguing so she just nodded. "But shouldn't we try to convince Rika to return to the group in the morning? She'll have calmed down by then."
"And the Noise Boys will un-calm her the first time they open their mouths. Sorry lover," Kaliskamon shrugged, "but I have to agree with Rika on this. We are going to have enough to deal with without being distracted and annoyed all the time."
"But Ryo knows the Digital World well-- at least this part of it. Having a guide would be immensely helpful, don't you think?"
"I think we'll do okay on our own-- and I wonder how helpful Ryo would feel like being-- after watching me savagely beat the Noise Boys with their own legs."
"Kaliskamon!"
"Oh come on," he huffed, "they're digital now-- they could probably take an enormous amount of damage without dying."
"Please don't joke about something like that," Kyuubimon said seriously.
Kaliskamon sighed. "Alright Kyuubichan-- but I'm only half-joking. Anyway, we'll cover more ground by ourselves and we'll have more freedom to search for our egg, too. Even if Ryo might know something about it, do you want to explain everything to him and Rika in front of Kazu and Kenta? I swear by Tesla's eye teeth, if one of them suggested being tamer to our child, I'd--"
"Shhh," Kyuubimon said, "you'll wake Rika."
Kaliskamon composed himself. "Sorry. But you can see the problem. I'll tell you what-- you suggest returning to Rika in the morning. I'll abide by whatever she decides."
"Thank you, lover." Kyuubimon smiled at him.
Kaliskamon stood and kissed her on the muzzle. "Get a bit of sleep. I'll keep watch."
--o--o--o--
"Ryo?" Rika scoffed. "Oh please, that hack couldn't tame his way out of a wet paper bag!"
"It was just a suggestion," Renamon sighed and gave Coyomon a brief glance that he correctly interpreted as "Don't you dare say 'I told you so.'"
The trio continued walking through the gear-studded landscape for several hours, one or the other of the digimon occasionally racing off in a side direction to scout for any change in the terrain that might indicate a way out of the clockwork country.
On one of those scouting trips in the later half of the day, Coyomon came across a formation of four small pyramids. In the square area between the pyramids was an oasis-like garden that had a tall sandstone arch at its center. Approaching the arch and looking through it, Coyomon could see a forest on the other side. He circled the arch and found that it opened to the forest from the other side too.
"Neat trick," he said to himself. "I have no idea where that is-- but at least it's--" he stopped talking suddenly. There had been a noise behind him. He spun, but couldn't see anything unexpected.
Then the noise came again.
Coyomon turned again, certain now of the direction and realizing that the noise was familiar. He couldn't sense anything obvious and was about to phase out when Kunomon saved him the trouble.
She grinned nastily as she let the shadow cloaking her slip away and spun the gray metal bo staff she carried in her right hand to make it buzz through the air a third time. "Hi, handsome," she sneered at Coyomon, "Did you miss me?"
--o--o--o--
"Coyomon's been gone a long time," Renamon said as she paced along behind Rika.
Rika grunted noncommittally.
Renamon looked to the distant horizon in the direction her mate had gone. "I hope nothing's happened to him."
Rika sighed but didn't stop walking. "Maybe he's found something-- or maybe he's off chasing clockwork butterflies. Who knows? Don't you think he's smart enough to take care of himself?"
Renamon stopped walking and Rika turned to face her, their eyes meeting in understanding. They turned and began to trot, side by side, the way Coyomon had gone.
--o--o--o--
Nearly an hour later Renamon's ears swiveled forward and her body tensed. "There's something coming."
Rika squinted at the horizon but without a digimon's acute senses, she couldn't detect anything. "Is it Coyomon?"
"No--" Renamon growled, "--too big."
Rika unclipped Renamon's digivice from her belt and popped the flap on her card pouch. The info disk blossomed into being above the digivice and Rika studied it. "I get a blip but no stats. It's too far away." She looked up to see her partner trembling with eagerness to be away. "Renamon," she said sharply and fox digimon's head snapped around to look at her. Rika made a short gesture with her head in the direction of the unknown digimon. "Be careful!" she yelled after the golden blur and she began to follow at a run.
Moments later Renamon skidded to a stop as she recognized the approaching digimon. "Kaliskamon?" she gasped in surprise. "What happened to you?"
The colorful Champion shook his head and spat out the staff he had been holding in his jaws so that he could answer her. "You're never going to believe this." He chuckled.
--o--o--o--
"So it's a straight trade you want? I get the shackle off of you and you give me the staff?" Coyomon said to Kunomon. "What's to prevent me from just killing you and taking it?"
Kunomon smiled sweetly, (which disturbed Coyomon more than he'd be willing to admit) raised her head to bare her throat, and closed her eyes. "Go ahead, handsome-- kill me."
"Shit." Coyomon said disgustedly. "You know I wouldn't do that."
Kunomon's smile seemed to be one of genuine pleasure. "Yes, I do-- so let's stop playing around and get down to business, hmn?"
Coyomon looked at the shackle that tied Kunomon to her deva master. He hooked his claws under the ring and pulled with all his strength. There was no sign that the metal ring had flexed at all. He took Kunomon's massive hand in his and squeezed her fingers together estimating how much bigger her fist was than the ring. Then he let go of her and began to walk up and down beside the oasis pool.
"What are you doing?" Kunomon asked.
"Thinking. Shhh."
"What do you need to think for? Digivolve! As Kaliskamon, you could bite this damn thing off of me. Don't forget, I saw what you did to Pajiramon!"
"Good idea-- except for a couple of major flaws," Coyomon told her. "First, I don't know that, even at full strength, my Fire Bite attack would be enough to cut through chrome digizoid. Second, I need Rika to digivolve. Third, if we go find her we also find Renamon and, believe me, you don't want to get anywhere near Renamon-- unless you're feeling suicidal."
Kunomon went stiff and quiet. "What?"
"Listen," Coyomon said, letting exasperation creep into his voice, "I managed to talk her into not hunting you down but if you walk right up to her there's no way in hell I could keep her from tearing into you."
"No, that's not--" Kunomon closed her eyes and was silent for a long moment. "What do you mean you need that human brat to digivolve? You did it by yourself when--"
"Yeah, and I never managed to do it by myself again," Coyomon interrupted her. "Calumon's got something to do with it. Without him, Wild Ones can't digivolve. He was there on the day I fought Pajiramon. But--" Coyomon paused and he looked questioningly at Kunomon who was now staring at him, eyes wide, "you've got to know about this. It was one of your devas who kidnapped him."
"Get this thing off of me," Kunomon said with desperation in her voice, as she shook her wrist at him, "get it off and you can have the staff and anything else you want!"
"Okay, okay," Coyomon said holding up both hands to calm her, "I think I know a way to do it. But--"
"But what?" Kunomon snarled.
"It isn't going to be easy," he told her, "and I want something more than just the stick. I want information."
"Anything." Kunomon hissed.
Coyomon sighed. "Okay. I want the information now. You know you can trust me to stick to my end of the deal-- I'm kinda stupid that way." He grinned at Kunomon.
She glared back but didn't disagree. She only asked, "Why now?"
"Because," Coyomon said as he pried up one of the heavy paving stones that ringed the pool, "afterwards, I don't think you're going to be in a chatty mood."
--o--o--o--
"You smashed her hand with the stone?" Renamon asked, aghast.
"Yup," Kaliskamon nodded, "mashed it to a pulp and the shackle just slid off."
Rika went a bit pale and put one hand over her mouth.
"And-- and she just sat there-- and let you do that to her?" Renamon gasped.
"Oh, hell no!" Kaliskamon laughed. "She did her best to eviscerate me! She may not be anywhere as near as strong as you, lover, but her Power Paw attack still packs one heck of a wallop! That's why I'm in my Champion form now. I could only half concentrate on the fight so she came damn near to clobbering me. I was thinking I'd have to run off before I finished the job when--" he spun around in a circle and the colored shapes in his fur did a fair imitation of the whirling helical bars of a digivolution vortex, "zoom, bang-- there I was! I had more than enough strength to hold her down while I finished the job-- and I even healed her up when I was done." He cocked his head to one side, considering. "Not that she was very thankful. It was a good thing I insisted on the information up front."
Both Rika and Renamon tried to talk at once. Rika silenced her partner with an impatient gesture. "If you digivolved, that's got to mean that Calumon's nearby!" she said, excitedly.
"Yeah," Kaliskamon nodded, "I thought of that and had a look around after Kunomon took off but I didn't see any trace of him. I didn't go through the gate to the forest country, though."
"Then that's where we need to go next." Rika said.
"Right-O, boss!" Kaliskamon yipped cheerfully.
"And the information?" Renamon asked quietly.
Kaliskamon knew exactly what she was hoping for. "Oh, a few tidbits about ways between the various areas of the Digital Dimension, some skinny on the devas and the Sovereigns-- yeah, that's plural-- and--" he winked at Renamon, "some other stuff."
He met Renamon's grateful smile with one of his own.
--o--o--o--