Strabimon felt his heart skipped a beat, following the light explosion he was now witnessing which came from afar. He could not comprehend it, nor did he understand it. What had happened? Why were the hairs on his body stood, and why was he feeling a deep sense of loss? Then it occurred to him, wide and clear, of what had actually happened. It should have been obvious, but he had never thought of it as being remotely possible. The Wolfsbanes had been known for being a ferocious trio, being near-unbeatable.
Three centuries ago, they had beaten three Darkshadow Brethren Generals – the Shaman, the Kappa and the Majin, and stood on equal grounds with the Virago General, before the Hellion General trounced them, using their own techniques against them. Lucemon then had offered them an alliance, under SkullSatamon's evil regime, to work with them against Grademon and his band of do-gooders. The Wolfsbanes recognized power when they saw it, and they were not inclined to good anyway, so they might as well join the most evil Digimon in existence to secure their own gains. SkullSatamon had been in sympathy with them, and had offered them a valley whose occupants he had eliminated. The Wolfsbanes had accepted the gift, and as a token of gratitude, had vowed their allegiances to him. They then had used the valley as their base, calling it the Macabre Glade for it had witnessed much digital blood spilt on its ground. Their influences had rise immediately, equivalent to the Generals, until one day Grademon, Wizardmon, and the angelic duo known to the world as the Saintly Siblings, infiltrated their valley in order to bring them down. Even so, the Wolfsbanes had easily dispatched off the angels, and Wizardmon's attempt had been laughable, but Grademon was a formidable duo when he unexpectedly ascended to his Mega stage. One by one, Grademon had beaten them.
But it struck to him as strange when Grademon did not delete them. While the angels immobilized them, he and Wizardmon had summoned a spell, which had turned them into stone statues. They were left acutely aware of their surroundings, but doomed into an eternal imprisonment inside a valley where nobody dared to enter. It was a fate worse than deletion, and for three hundred long years they had tried, and failed, to escape. It was only until early this year, and five hundred years in the future, that Lucemon and two Digimon who called themselves the Master's harbingers, arrived at the Macabre Glade and set them free. Eager for vengeance, the Wolfsbanes wanted revenge, only to be told that Grademon no longer lives and his will was carried by his heirs – five humans and five Digimon. Lucemon offered them a chance for them to exact revenge on Grademon by destroying his heirs, and the Wolfsbanes had all agreed readily.
Lucemon's ridiculous plan aside, it did not matter for the Wolfsbanes when Lucemon told them that the battlefield should be taking place in a setting five hundred years in the real world's past. It also had not occurred to them to ask; the question only rose when the Wolfsbanes, due to their long entombment which had left their powers deteriorating, especially after having battled the Wira Digital previously, had devolved all the way into their Rookie forms. They had been assured that the Wira Digital too had been stripped off their powers to digivolve, so the Wolfsbanes should not have anything to worry about. Oh, how wrong they were. They should not have had underestimated those children and their partners.
He still could not comprehend how the young boy, Adam, and his two friends, were able to beat him. Adam's companions were exceptionally skilled in the arts of fighting, something even he had not seen in the most powerful of Digimon, who usually relied on their powers rather than battle prowess. Yet those boys, without special powers, had been able to trounce him. And then there was Adam, who was not as highly skilled, but clearly resourceful enough to manipulate his teleportation power to his advantage, being the one who had delivered the final blow which had forced him to retreat. A Wolfsbane, retreating from battle! Such was unheard of before, but in the heart of his heart, he thought that he was very lucky to have able to escape his foes.
Clearly, his fellow Wolfsbanes were not so lucky.
The pang in his heart, he realized now, was the result of their rapport being destroyed. The three Wolfsbanes were – had been – bonded by a psychic rapport which enabled them to read each other. Mind, movements, desires, anything. He knew for sure that WereGarurumon and WereGururumon were now dead, for he had felt the rapport beginning to wane when he saw the explosion of light in the sky.
There was no chance for them to be reborn, for they were not in the Digital World. He would have to do it. He did not like it – it did not matter if it was done to other Digimon who was not his kin, but his fellow Wolfsbanes were different. Yet, it would be the only way for him to ensure that their data would not recline to waste in this alien world. He would have to do it now, before the rapport he shared with the others was severed permanently.
Closing his eyes, he summoned their data. He felt warmth all over his body, which was glowing with dark purple and black aura, and felt a familiar sensation. He opened his eyes and there it was – the data particles of his fellow Wolfsbanes, gray and blue, hovering before him. Raising his hand towards them, he willed for their data to enter him, flowing all over the insides of him, before feeling his powers slowly being added, skills enhanced, his senses becoming sharper.
Lucemon's power had healed him, and in time, would restore him to his Ultimate level.
Now with the addition of the other two Wolfsbanes' data inside of him, he would surpass the Ultimate level.
"Strabimon, Warp Digivolve to…."
xxx
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WIRA DIGITAL: The Movie – Part IV
Chapter 48 – The Wira Encounter
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Hours passed and it was almost midnight, but Teja, Kasturi, Lekiu and Lekir still could not take their eyes off the sylphlike woman fluttering above Liu Ying and Gayathri, all the time wondering what had actually happened earlier. Out of all of them, only Lekiu and Lekir were conscious when everything took place; they had seen how the DigiWira girls glimmered with bright aura of yellow and pink, how their partners seemed to absorb their lights, how they turned into motes of light before merging into the woman, whom according to the DigiWira, was called Lilymon. In a split second, Lilymon had blasted the two werewolves with a single energy sphere coming out from the cannon formed from her hands, and they had seen, to their horror and amazement both, how the evil werewolves' bodies were ripped apart before exploding into sparkling dusts which then evaporated. It was like nothing they had ever seen before, and they were shocked at first of how powerful this Lilymon was, but that soon turned to relief when they realized that to them, the flower woman was completely benign. This was proven when Lilymon showered them with flowers, which seemed to rejuvenate their energies. Teja and Kasturi, poisoned by one of the wolf's mists, had woken up completely before Lilymon tended to Lekiu's injuries. She had then adeptly healed Lekiu by just placing her hand on his body.
They soon realized that their friends from the future actually were in a war, sort of, with forces of evil in their own time that they could not ever imagine. They easily had seen how Liu Ying and Gayathri handled themselves during the fight with the werewolves – these girls, though they did not look like it, were actually very adept and experienced. The only disadvantage they seemed to have against those beast men was that somehow, their prowess seemed to be compromised and what they were left with were not enough to stop those beasts. But their courage and determination persevered and a miracle happened in return.
"We are almost there," Kasturi announced, as they crossed a barren ground with large standing stones scattered all around the area. It was like a forest of stones, all of varying lengths and sizes. Vegetations were scarce, and it was an open area, illuminated by the moonlight. Not too far before them they saw a jungle, leading to higher grounds which were covered by lush and tall trees of various shapes and sizes which were not discernable as they were shrouded by the shadow cast by adjacent hills around them. "See that jungle?" he said while walking past everyone so that he would be in the frontline. "That's the forest which lined the base of Mount Ledang," he informed, to everyone's elatedness. "I suppose we can take another break before we trek up there."
"That's a relief," Gayathri said, quickly choosing a stone to sit down on. She shared it with Teja. "We've been walking for almost three hours after our last stop."
"Let's hope we don't encounter any more otherworldly creatures here," Teja said, as she looked around the standing stones with mild nervousness. "I think I have enough of this…what you call it…Digimon battles, in one day," she murmured and cast a look of wonder on Lilymon, who was silently floating above the stone formation. "Will she become Labramon and Floramon again?" she inquired to Gayathri and Liu Ying.
Gayathri shrugged. "Usually, after a battle, she would revert to her composite forms almost immediately. I'm not sure why they remained in their fused form," she admitted.
"It's quite a comfort though," Liu Ying added, her face etched with mild worry. "There are supposed to be three werewolves, and we've taken cared of two. One of them is bound to show up…"
"Don't say that," Lekiu grunted, rubbing the place on his torso where he had been injured. Lilymon however had healed him, and Lekiu was left with only a lingering phantom pain – a pain that was not there, but he was feeling it because it had been there. "You might jinx us." He said that with a teasing manner.
"I thought you don't believe that kind of thing?" Liu Ying countered back, having warmed up gradually to the warrior boy. After all, he had jumped in harm's way to save her, and had gotten hurt by doing so. Liu Ying supposed that it would not hurt for her to at least be friendly with the boy, where before she ignored him. But she kept her guard up; it was not wise for her to be giving Lekiu some false hope.
"I don't. I'm just saying, that's all," Lekiu said. "It has been a weird day." He sat on the barren, pebbled ground, and leaned easily on his cousin's back. Lekir looked mildly dismayed at this, but he did not say anything – his attention seemed to be fixed solely on Lilymon who remained hovering over them.
Kasturi used their torches to ignite a fire on some woods he had managed to gather, seeing that they would be resting there for a while. He figured that they would be safe there, with Lilymon around. The standing stones provided quite a good cover if they were attacked again, they could seek refuge behind of them. The girls then used the big stone where Gayathri and Teja formerly sat on as a place to lean their backs at, before settling in for the night. The cousins leaned on each other's back, wanting to be close to the fire; the stones farther than the fire were somewhat cold. Seeing as they were all going to be sleeping, Kasturi decided that he now had, without saying, the first guard duty. Not that he minded.
All of sudden, amidst the darkness that blanketed the area around the standing stones, Kasturi could detect a faint source of light. Alarmed, he looked at Lilymon, but the flower woman did not seem to react much, although she too was looking at the direction where the faint light was coming from. Somehow, Kasturi thought that she looked somewhat delighted.
"Do not worry," Lilymon said. "It is not a threat at all. Rather…Ying, Gayathri, wake up. Look who's here."
"Huh?" Not only the DigiWira girls, but everyone responded to Lilymon. They stood up, waiting in anticipation as the figures became clearer. The faint lights washed over the stones, and shadows of at least three people could be seen. They also thought that they could hear an excited yelp coming from the light, before somebody sprinted out from the darkness towards them. Whoever that was running, they were not aided by light so it was difficult to make out their profile. Their shadow – the one who was running – danced on all the stones, and they could hear that person calling out something. Liu Ying and Gayathri gasped when they heard their names being called.
"Liu Ying! Gayathri! Lilymon!!"
"ADAM!" Both DigiWira girls said, their faces broke into grins as they were about to run towards the approaching voice, but Adam was quicker. Before long, his body was washed aglow with the lights and the DigiWira girls ran towards him. Hands joined, the three DigiWira were reunited. From above Adam, Patamon soared towards Lilymon.
"Thank God! I've found you!" Adam's voice was that of joy and relief at the same time. "I was worried that I couldn't find you two, when we got separated in that time tunnel thingy…"
"Time tunnel thingy?" The DigiWira girls asked, confused. "Oh…" they both said, remembering that ever since Adam received the ability to summon things, he would usually call things he did not know as it is, and most of the time he would add 'thingy' behind it. "We're glad to see you, too! What happened?" They saw that Adam had evidently been roughened up.
"I could say the same thing about you girls," Adam said, noting that both Liu Ying and Gayathri looked as if they had just been fighting. "No, let me guess. You met the other two werewolves? I met with ExWereGarurumon…or rather…his rookie form." He grimaced. "Somehow we couldn't digivolve, but luckily, thank God, we managed to drive him away…" His eyes caught Lilymon, who smiled back at him. "Oh, wow! You managed to make Labramon and Floramon digivolve! I couldn't do so with Patamon, he can only digivolve naturally…"
"Adam….who's your friends?" Gayathri interrupted, when two young men – teens, judging from their faces – stepped into the light, both carrying torches. They looked older and were taller than Adam, both dressed almost similarly to Kasturi, Lekiu and Lekir; the only difference being that the colors of their outfits. They too were carrying keris daggers with them.
"Yes, Adam…care to introduce us to your friends?" the guy dressed in navy blue shirt and black pants said easily. His dark eyes darted between the two DigiWira girls, and the ones behind them…and they saw his expression froze and his brows furrowed tight. He looked somewhat tensed, and apparently he recognized them. "Oh…"
"Look who's here," the other guy, in burgundy shirt and black pants, sneered. "Long time, no see, kiddies," he called out to the boys.
"You know each other?" Adam, Liu Ying and Gayathri asked simultaneously, surprised of seeing hostile looks crossed the faces of Kasturi and Lekiu, while Lekir did not seem to be annoyed much, although he did look a bit disturbed.
"Out of all people we have to cross path, it just has to be you two!" Lekiu said loudly, and somewhat angrily. He looked like he was ready to charge towards them, but was strained by Lekir.
"Easy, Lekiu," Lekir said softly, before turning his attentions towards the two elder figures. "Elder brothers Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat, what brings you two here?" he asked with carefully-laced politeness, although it was somewhat apparent that he disliked them as much as his hot-tempered cousin, he just hid it better.
"Don't call them elder brothers, Lekir!" Lekiu snorted, and shoved Lekir's arm, which was interlinked with his own, away.
'Lekiu? Lekir? And this must be Kasturi…' Adam thought as his eyes trailed the three boys who looked to be around his age. 'Oh my God…it's them! The other three Hang brothers…but why are they so angry with Tuah and Jebat?'
Hang Tuah shook his head at Lekiu's temper, pretty much ignored Kasturi, but offered a small bit of a smile to Lekir and the DigiWira girls. "We're here escorting our friend Adam, who's looking for his friends and a way home to the…future," he said the last bit slowly, as if anticipating shocked reactions from his addressees. "And it looks like he's found them," he added, before his eyes fell on Teja. He frowned, apparently not recognizing the princess, but did not feel like asking.
"So Adam has found his friends, which means that we're not needed anymore, right?" Jebat asked Adam. He patted the boy from the future on a shoulder. "We'll take our leave…"
"Wait, don't go!" Adam said quickly. He was curious of why the two groups of boys seemed so hostile with each other. This was not how he had imagined the five Hang brothers. "You promised that you're going to help me find my way home! You're not backing up now!"
"Well, you're now with your friends," Tuah reasoned.
"Each extra head means one extra mind, which can contribute into something as we figure out how to help our friends from the future," Teja intoned, looking directly at Tuah as she said so. "I certainly do not expect you two, disciples of Adiputra, to go back on your words or to do things half-way," she said with mild sarcasm. "If you have promised the boy that you would help him search for his way home, then stay. We don't mind."
"Humph. Says you," Lekiu snorted. Both Kasturi and Lekir elbowed him, apparently for his lack of courteousness to the princess. Teja however did not seem to mind.
Tuah and Jebat considered Teja's words. "Who might you be?" Tuah asked.
"She's princess Tun Teja from Pahang," Kasturi said with a very formal tone. "Daughter of his majesty Sultan Muhammad, cousin of his royal highness the Sultan of Malacca, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah," he said, and Teja glared at him. Hearing the introduction, both Tuah and Jebat's faces faltered and they were about to bow to her, before Teja stopped them.
"There's no need with all the formalities," she said, although her voice still carried the tone of superiority when she addressed Tuah and Jebat – a tone that was notably absent when she talked with her personal guards or her DigiWira friends.
"Pardon me for asking, honorable princess, but what would a princess be doing with a group of boys in the middle of nowhere?" Tuah asked curiously.
Lekiu snorted again. "For your information, elder brother Hang Tuah, we are her personal guards, appointed by her honorable father!" Tuah clearly was surprised of this revelation – so surprised, actually, that he was left speechless.
Jebat snickered. "With your mediocre skills? I wonder, what does the Sultan of Pahang see in you to make you the princess's guards? Is he not afraid that someone might overpower you three and abduct the princess?" Lekiu snarled at the comment, and Kasturi's brows etched together. Lekir quickly grabbed hold on their shirts to stop them from charging at Jebat, but a signal from Teja told him that she would take care of this, and he relaxed.
"Are you questioning my father's decision, Hang Jebat?" Teja snapped coldly, her voice suddenly carried the tone of highest authority that it even surprised the DigiWira. The way she carried herself was similar to that time when she spoke to the royal guards, earlier this day. There was no doubt that she was a princess although she was dressed like a commoner. "You are clearly forgetting your place – I may have told you that you may skip the formalities, but that does not mean I will allow you to be rude."
Jebat's cocky look faltered; clearly he was suddenly made aware of Teja being a royal. As a royal, though not a Sultan, it was believed that the royals still carried divine mandate, and disobeying them would be treason of the highest degree. He was at a fix here, while Lekiu shot him a triumphant look. "My apologies, princess. I did not mean for it to sound that way," he said with a low voice, while his eyes shot daggers towards Lekiu.
"Good," Teja said, her voice softened. "Then, Hang Jebat, Hang Tuah…do stay with us so that we can figure out how to help our friends from the future. I'm sure that you must want to see your friend Adam here safely returned to his own time along with his friends? Besides," she smiled a little, "we might need your superior Silat skills." This caused unsatisfied murmurs coming from Kasturi and Lekiu, while both Tuah and Jebat looked somewhat stunned before that turned to flattery. Teja smiled, knowing that she was able to get through these two boys. 'Really. Boys and their competitive nature…it's a good thing father has taught me the art of diplomacy!' she thought silently. 'And being a princess definitely has its advantage too, in times like this.'
"Yeah…come on, guys," Adam said, and took Tuah and Jebat's hands. "I really want you two to be here. Please?"
"Well," Tuah began, looking at Jebat, who raised his eyebrows and shrugged. He turned to Adam and smiled. "Promise's a promise. We'll stick around. And…" He turned to look at Teja, and everyone saw how his gaze lingered at the princess's face for a while before he said with a courteous bow, "it will be our pleasure to serve you, princess." Out of Teja's sight, as she was distracted with Tuah, Jebat turned around and made a gagging face, which caused Adam to giggle.
"Then it's settled," Teja decided, blushing a bit before turning away to address her childhood friends. Lekiu gave her a protesting look, Kasturi looked like he was inclined to disagree with her decision but kept his mouth shut, while Lekir seemed to think that Lilymon and Patamon were more worthy of his attention now that the dispute between the two groups had ended.
All of them then decided that it was better for them to spend the night there. They need not climb Mount Ledang anymore, for the DigiWira had been reunited. Later on, the DigiWira noticed that their friends could not seem to get along, but they grudgingly tolerated each other. The only exception in this cold war was Lekir, who was quizzing Patamon and Lilymon animatedly.
"What seems to be their problem?" Adam wondered, as he watched how Lekiu and Jebat practically shot daggers each other, with the way they looked at each other. Kasturi sat by the fire, isolating himself, while Tuah practiced some of his Silat moves a distance away from the fire, within a small clearing. Occasionally Adam caught Tuah looking at them, or more specifically, at the Princess Tun Teja, but turned his gaze away whenever one of the DigiWira caught him staring. Teja did not seem to notice, as she had her back facing Tuah.
"The previous year, their Silat masters pit them against each other, and they lost," Gayathri supplied. "That's pretty much what it's all about, right Teja?"
"As far as I know," Teja nodded. "Adam, why don't you go and ask Tuah or Jebat for their side of the story?"
"Okay." Adam walked past Lekir, Patamon and Lilymon, and sweatdropped upon hearing Patamon explaining to Lekir about television and his favorite soap operas before passing on to Kasturi. He tried catching the boy's attention, but failed, so he entered the area surrounded by the standing stones. Lekiu was standing at one stone, and across of it was Jebat, leaning against another stone. Their eye contacts broke when Adam passed before them, Jebat giving him a curt nod while Lekiu looked indifferent. Feeling nervous, Adam exited the stony area and reached Tuah, who stopped practicing when he saw Adam. "Hi. Umm…" He wondered of what to say, thinking that he could not just blatantly ask Tuah to tell him about it. The conversation had to come with a flow.
"Does Silat exist in your time?" Tuah asked as he wiped the sweat on his face with the sleeves of his shirt.
"Huh?" Adam thanked his luck, for Tuah had provided a perfect opening. "Yes, it does. In fact, my late brother has taught me a few moves."
"Really?" Tuah crossed his arms over his chest, looking genuinely interested. "So you're saying that you have practiced Silat?"
"Not officially," Adam said. "Abang Zad taught me a few moves so that I can defend myself when someone wants to bully me. He was the one who had formal training."
"Alright. How about you show me what you know?" Tuah said, genuinely interested. "It'll be nice to see whether the moves have changed five centuries in the future, or still remain as it is now."
Adam fidgeted with his hands. "Umm…mine's nowhere as good as yours, really. Laughable, even…since you and Jebat are so…well…good."
Tuah looked amused. "If you're interested, maybe I can show you some other moves, to improve your skill."
"That'll be great!" Adam had forgotten his former agenda completely as he took a stance, and began demonstrating what he knew, careful not to mix it with the Ninjutsu moves from Manny and Capoiera from JD. Another hour passed, and all the time Tuah had either stopped him to show him the correct nature of a move Adam had clumsily performed, or to teach him a perfectly new move. They were so engrossed with their training that they neither noticed that it was midnight nor that they had attracted quite a crowd. Jebat and Lekiu had momentarily forgotten their cold war, Kasturi had abandoned the comfort of his fire, the girls had stopped exchanging stories and even Lekir seemed to have deemed the Silat training between Adam and Tuah to be more interesting than talking about stuffs in the future. Patamon was applauding Adam while Lilymon watched over them in silence.
"Looks like we have another 'Hang' in the making," Jebat chuckled as he approached his disciple brother and Adam. "Hang Adam, perhaps?"
Adam made a face and blushed at the same time. "That sounds strange…I mean, it doesn't sound half as good as how it is in your names," he added quickly, not wanting to offend his friends. "But thanks for the offer anyway. And Tuah…thank you for sharing and teaching me those moves. I'll be sure to remember them when I get back in my time." Inward, Adam could not help but to squeal gleefully – in his mind, of course. Imagine having a legendary hero teaching you Silat? This certainly was one of the things that would not make it in history books. 'Well, this will definitely be in my history book!'
With Jebat now standing before him, and Tuah at his side, Adam was reminded of his former intention. He could feel the burning gazes from Liu Ying, Gayathri and the princess, and squirmed uncomfortably. "Hey…I've got one question which I've been wondering about," he said to his friends. "Why are you seemed to be enemies with them?"
Tuah was about to answer, but was interrupted by Jebat's chortles. "Don't worry about it. They're just sore losers, we've beaten them fair and square when our teachers told us to pit our skills last year," he said. "It's not our fault we're more skilled than them."
"Actually," Tuah said, casting Kasturi, Lekir and Lekiu a long drawn look before sighing at Jebat. "That's exactly what this is all about," he continued, gazing directly into Jebat's eyes. "Didn't you remember? You belittled them after the competition, brother, and I think that's what making them so angry at us. They might be resenting what you have said to them."
"What did I say?" Jebat said, scrunching his face as he searched his memory for it.
"You told them... 'Your skills are pathetic. Why don't you just give it up and go back and stay under your mothers' armpits…' I think that was what you had said," Tuah said.
"So?" Jebat said, shrugging. "I wasn't being serious. They're guys – they should not be offended because of that!"
"Normally, they wouldn't." Tuah, Jebat and Adam turned sideways to see Teja, Liu Ying and Gayathri approaching them. The others, now that the Silat show was over between Adam and Tuah, had returned to the things they had been doing previously, with the exception of Lekiu who was heard complaining at Lekir about something, and the latter was comforting him. Teja saw the bewildered looks on Tuah and Jebat, and shook her head, somewhat melancholically. "Obviously you don't know their history," Teja deduced, and sighed. "Your comment have struck a nerve because not only that you have insulted their Silat master, who was suffering a fatal ailment at the time of meeting your Silat master, you have also made fun of their tragic history, whether you knew about it or not."
Tuah and Jebat were evidently taken aback at what Teja had said. Even Adam, Liu Ying and Gayathri gasped in surprise. Teja sighed sadly. "Two years ago, there was a mad man running amok at the village where Kasturi, Lekiu and Lekir came from," she began. "That man was an extremely skilled Silat practitioner, but was not a good man. He had been known for having committed grave crimes that he was very much wanted by the authorities. He and his son were quite an unbeatable team and together they had killed many good men. Many men tried to stop them, but two men eventually succeeded in putting a temporary stop in the criminals' villainous activities. One of them was Kasturi's father, the other was grandfather to Lekir and Lekiu – they teamed up and were successful in killing the son of that criminal. The criminal escaped, but it was said that due to his grief of losing his son he had lost his mind…
"One night, he returned to the village, overwhelmed with insanity. With a parang he had brutally slain everyone who had crossed his paths – men, women, and children. Kasturi's father and the cousins' grandfather once more teamed up to stop him, but the criminal had somehow gained an edge when he lost his mind. Perhaps it was the notion of him not having anything to lose that caused him to fight to the fullest, and as the result they too had fallen to his parang. Recognizing them as the one who had killed his son, the mad man had…" Teja hiccupped, and her face looked somewhat horrified, "butchered their bodies before proceeding to slay their families, and then the other villagers. No one from the village was spared…except for them…" The princess cast her fellow friends a long, sorrowful look, and feeling her knees buckling she sat down quickly. The DigiWira joined her, but Tuah and Jebat remained standing, mostly because of their respect to the princess.
"How did they manage to survive the massacre?" Liu Ying asked slowly, after recovering from the horror of Teja's tale about the ill-fates of Kasturi, Lekiu and Lekir.
Teja sighed. "They were not there when it happened. They were with me," she said softly. "It was one of those days when we would meet up in a nearby jungle and spend the day having fun together, as best friends and foster siblings. It was one of those days when I escaped my teachers, and they knew exactly where to meet me. And when it was night, I wanted to follow them back for their houses were nearer and I would get a severe telling-off from my father if I return to the palace during the night. It wouldn't be the first time I have done so, so I followed them home…only to find a bloodbath greeting us. It…it was horrible. The boys saw their families butchered beyond recognition. And…and…he was there, the mad man, waiting for us."
The DigiWira paled. Tuah and Jebat squirmed uncomfortably, Jebat now realizing his grave folly. Teja took no notice of that, and continued, "The mad man knew that the killers of his son had son and grandsons…so he waited. He saw us…" Teja's voice was losing its calmness and edge. "He advanced towards us… we pleaded for him to have mercy, but he wouldn't have any of it. He said that he wanted to avenge his son…" Teja stopped for a moment in order to gather herself. Liu Ying and Gayathri comforted her, and she gave them a smile of appreciation. "It was then that another Silat master appeared to our rescue. He was Adiwira…the younger brother of your Silat master," she said to Tuah and Jebat grimly, "and a close friend of my father. Worried of my safety, my father had sent him to look for me, and it was very lucky that he had managed to find us. He instantly dueled with the mad man, and after a long drawn fight, he managed to kill the mad man…but not after sustaining a blow from the mad man. It had seemed to be not serious, and he assured us that he would be fine. He took me back to my father…and pitying the fate of Kasturi, Lekiu and Lekir, he took them in as his disciples, offering to teach them whatever he knew, for they had no one else to go to. I wanted to offer them a place in my palace, but they decided that it was better for them to learn ways of defending themselves, so that they would not have to run away when danger comes their way. I respected their decision and that night, we separated….for one long year."
Overwhelming silence prevailed after Teja had recounted her best friends' gory history. Adam was tongue-tied, not knowing how to respond – this was even worse than the fate that had befallen his own parents and brother. Liu Ying's heart went towards the boys – after all, her father too had been murdered. Gayathri looked so sick that she could not speak. They felt sorry for their friends, who were now lurking around the standing stones, staring at them curiously. Tuah and Jebat especially, had sat down, shocked.
"That's not all," Teja mumbled after a drawn-out silence. When she managed to regain everyone's attentions, she exhaled slowly, and this time her attention was on Tuah and Jebat. "A year after our separation, I went out to look for them. It was not hard to find them, as when words got around that I was looking for them, the boys came to fetch me as they usually did, only for me to be told of yet another disturbing news." The princess gulped, and a look of profound sadness graced her face, although she did not cry. "Apparently…when their Silat master dueled with the mad man who had butchered their family, the mad man had managed to leave his mark on Adiwira. Somehow, the blow he had given Adiwira was poisonous, and it was a kind of poison that would not take immediate effect on the one it had poisoned. When Adiwira realized about it, it was already too late. He realized that he was dying just when he was beginning to impart the combative arts of the Silat to the boys. When your Silat master met him last year, he was dying, but he did not tell your Silat master about it, did he?" Teja said, and Tuah and Jebat, profoundly shocked at this revelation, shook their heads. "Only the boys, my father, and I, knew about it. The boys hadn't been able to complete their training, for not long after he had met his brother, Adiwira passed away and once again the boys lost their guardian. It was then that my father decided that since I know them very well, and that we have been friends, and also because their skills have surpassed that of the normal guards, he appointed them as my personal guards so that the four of us could be together, and for the boys to have a home again."
The DigiWira shared one look amongst each other, all three agreeing that this had never been stated in history books. And they probably were the only Malaysians of their time to know about it. If it weren't for the fact that it was too terrible a story, they would have felt honored to bear this knowledge.
"No wonder…" Jebat whispered. "I have no idea…what a jerk I've been…"
"Now you know," Teja said, and got up on her feet. "I think you know what to do."
"An apology is due," Tuah said, clapping Jebat on the back as the latter sighed. "Come, we'll do it together."
"You did not insult them," Jebat pointed out. "I did."
"So? We're brothers, we'll stick with each other," Tuah said loyally. "Besides, we were the ones who had beaten them. Not just you. In fact," he smiled, "I think it will easier if we do this together. We both know how stubborn you are. Should that Lekiu kid refuse your apology, who's to say that you won't end up shouting insults at him again?"
Jebat looked like he was about to protest, before he gritted his teeth. "You know me well, brother."
As Tuah and Jebat turned to head back towards the standing stones, the DigiWira shared knowing looks. Could this be the beginning of a strong friendship between the five of them? However, after witnessing the strong bond Tuah and Jebat had, it pained them into thinking that one day, when they were adults, one would end up killing the other. Adam in particular had a very forlorn look on his face, as he had spent time with the two boys and had gotten to know them. It only made it more difficult for Adam to accept the two disciple-brothers' doomed destinies.
A thunderous bang broke the serene silence of the night before a deep blue energy orb as big as a lorry appeared from a distance, and zoomed rapidly towards the standing stones. Horrified, Adam in reflex summoned his teleportation power and recalled the five boys as Lilymon flew away and Patamon digivolved into Centarumon. An explosion ensued just as the five boys reappearing by their sides, and even so the shock of the collision between the energy orb and the standing stones had sent them all flying for quite a distance. To make things worse, some of the stones had exploded into rubbles, most of them blasted upon the DigiWira and their friends before they collided with the remaining stones. Shrieks and roars were heard from them as they all plopped onto the ground, injured. Liu Ying, Adam and Tuah had blood trickling the sides of their mouths. Teja and Lekir were unconscious, both wounded on the heads. Kasturi was groaning painfully and they soon saw what had happened – his right arm had been dislocated due to the fall. Gayathri, Jebat and Lekiu seemed to be the luckiest; they only suffer scratches on their faces and arms, the gash on Lekiu's forehead was the worst out of the three but they were better off compared to their friends.
Over the sky, Lilymon was seen blasting barrages of Flower Cannons while Centarumon hopped on one of the taller stones and fired his Hunting Cannon. Their target, which lumbered heavily several yards away, was a quadrupled mechanical beast with a massive black cannon perched on its back. It was a blue metallic wolf the size of a battle tank, with green claws, shining scarlet eyes and a robotic snarl. It did not even attempt to evade the attacks from Lilymon and Centarumon, rather it just let the energy spheres slammed upon it and chuckled darkly when it was apparent that the only thing those attacks could achieve was to slightly discolor its armors.
"Nothing you do will be able to lay a dent on me!" the cyborg wolf snorted, when Lilymon and Centarumon attempted to attack again. Its voice was familiar, and Centarumon recognized it instantly.
"ExWereGarurumon?"
"Quite right! But I am called Z'dGarurumon now!" the wolf announced. His eyes glinted menacingly as he took in the sights of his fallen foes, noting that the only obstacles he was facing now were these two Digimon. The DigiWira were injured and their friends even more so. "You have killed my fellow Wolfsbanes, so have a taste of my Zeed Cannon!!" Z'dGarurumon locked on his targets and blasted another massive energy sphere out of his cannon with a deafening bang, watching with glee as the cannonball blasted upon Centarumon and Lilymon, forcing them into devolving as they plopped onto the grounds, now in their Rookie forms once again. "Looks like I have been merciful, something you all don't deserve for deleting my fellow Wolfsbanes! But no matter, no matter…you're as good as gone now…"
"Patamon…" Adam tried summoning his partner back, but with him injured his special power was deeply compromised. He could not believe that in a short span of time, the Strabimon he and his friends had beaten just several hours ago had returned, stronger than ever and from the looks of it, in his Mega form. Patamon, who was laying unconscious on his back, was not moving. The only comfort Adam had in knowing that his partner was still alive was the fact that Patamon did not combust into data. "Patamon…hang on…"
"Labramon…" Liu Ying attempted to use her telekinesis to pull Labramon towards her, but her power had done nothing but to flick Labramon's droopy ears. The Rookie let out a groan; she too was nearly unconscious, and was too weak to stand back on her feet. Shivering, she let out a soft grunt before she too became unconscious.
Gayathri sped towards Floramon and helped her up, and to the other DigiWira's relief Jebat and Lekiu both approached Patamon and Labramon, picking them up. However this seemed to have made Z'dGarurumon very annoyed, for he now pointed his black cannon towards the three uninjured people. "Looks like I have missed you three. But no matter, no matter….I can always do it again…. ZeedACKK!!"
Before Z'dGarurumon could fully call out his attack, thick thorny vines sprouted from the earth and bound his legs and bodies tight. Shocked of this sudden intrusion, Z'dGarurumon struggled to break free, but the more he moved the tighter the vines wrapped around him. The vines were like snakes, coiling around him tight, even making a faint hissing sound when Z'dGarurumon tried to move. Everyone then heard a seductive snicker close by, before at the edge of the forest leading to Mount Ledang, a woman in red leather outfit stepped out from the shadows. The DigiWira gasped in surprise, for she was very familiar.
"Surprise," Rosemon said with a grin. "The cavalries have arrived."
Z'dGarurumon howled and summoned his lasers to tear the vines away from his body. But before the lasers managed to completely singe the vines, the sky thundered and a blue streak of lightning shot down from the heavens. It struck Z'dGarurumon, resulting in a faint, but audible, sound akin to a malfunctioning computer.
"Not a chance." Samudramon, holding his trident close, stepped out from the forests opposite Mount Ledang. Seeing that his Cosmic Thunderstrike seemed to be effective, Samudramon pointed his trident towards Z'dGarurumon, and roared, "Double-Edged Thunderblades, Powered Up Mode!!" An electric-blue dragon of lightning erupted from the weapon, electrocuting Z'dGarurumon again. But then, somehow the second shocking attack seemed to have restored his system, and Z'dGarurumon managed to summon laser beams to destroy the vines that were immobilizing him.
"More pests!" Z'dGarurumon snarled. "Zeed…"
"Not so fast!" A streak of gold sailed beside him and a loud clang was heard, followed by a buzzing sound. Airborne, D'Arcmon smiled in satisfaction as she struck a pose with her twin swords, ready for battle.
Z'dGarurumon grunted in annoyance and was about to attack his new foes when a fiery comet plummeted from the sky and slammed on his back, before streaking away and grazed his sides. Somebody had grabbed hold on his cannon and was lifting him up. He yelped, but whoever that was holding him was also quick to release him, causing him to crash onto the ground. The fire comet zoomed towards the ground and the fires subsided, revealing Satriamon, smirking. "Let the games begin," he said coolly and let out a roar as flames erupted around him, spiraling around him before soaring towards the sky as he raised his golden gauntlet. "Dragonforce Striker, Powered Up Mode!!" A fire dragon was formed and when Satriamon made a punching gesture with his gauntlet, the dragon sped towards Z'dGarurumon, roaring thunderously. Upon the collision, Z'dGarurumon was sent rolling onto the ground before a fiery explosion resulted.
"Who are they?" Jebat said with astounded wonder.
"I don't know…but they are amazing!" Lekiu said, before realizing to whom he was speaking to, and grunted in annoyance. Jebat had not had the chance to apologize yet.
"They're our friends…from the future!" Gayathri said excitedly, as she drew the unconscious Floramon, Labramon and Patamon to her. "Just in time!" Her eyes then caught a movement; someone relatively the size of a normal adult human was seen running towards them from the forests. She braced herself, but relaxed when she noticed that this was a friend, dressed in a monk's robe over a black skintight suit. "Jackie! You're here too?" she said, astounded, and her eyes flickered towards the reinforcements from the future – Satriamon and Samudramon, and Rosemon and D'Arcmon.
'Lucemon didn't tell me that the others are here too!' Z'dGarurumon thought furiously as he got back up to his feet. He eyed Satriamon and Samudramon, and the two women, one he knew was a Mega, but he did not know what level the angel woman was. 'If her friend is a Mega, chances are she is one too. And then there are these two Wira Digital. I must not be rash. The day will come when I can avenge my fellow Wolfsbanes, but for now this is not the day.' Two jet propellers emerged on the sides of his body, and when they were activated Z'dGarurumon was propelled up towards the sky. He made a turn, let out a howl before blasted off towards the darkness far away from the area.
"Damnit! He got away!" Satriamon groaned.
"We'll get him next time," Samudramon said and beckoned towards their friends. "Let's power down and tend to our friends. They seem to have gone through some pretty rough time."
xxx
xxx
Z'dGarurumon streaked over the forests; his mechanical nose had detected a familiar scent heading towards a direction from where he had come from. Strangely, this scent was also accompanied by almost fifty other scents, all unfamiliar ones. Thinking that it was strange, and intrigued, Z'dGarurumon decided to head there. He increased power from his jet propellers and blasted off, until he saw flickers of lights coming from one part of the forest; those lights formed one quite long line.
He descended to the ground and shifted into his smaller Ultimate form, ExWereGarurumon, for it was easier for him to walk in that form. Landing on his feet, he smirked upon noticing the shocked reactions of a group of men there. His nose sniffed once more and his eyes fell on a tall nobleman, who was frowning at him.
"A monster!" cried one man in horror; ExWereGarurumon certainly cut an imposing figure.
"A demon!" another man decried. "A wolf demon!"
"Could this be sent by those witches to stop us?" another man implored the nobleman who was leading the crowd.
"Oh, no," Baron Lucifer said with a silky tone, turning around to address the crowd. He was smiling, but it was not a pleasant smile; an evil smile. "Actually, he works for me." Following the revelation, Baron Lucifer glowed with black and white aura and became a foot taller, and his aristocratic outfit transformed into a skintight white suit with black trousers and overcoat. White feathery wings sprouted from the right-side of his back and black leathery wings followed to form the left flank of his wings. Similarly the wings grew out from his head as his burnish blonde hair was untied, framing his pale face. A wild contemptuous look graced his face, milking in the horrified reactions of the Malaccan men who had unsuspectingly followed his command. It was time for him to use them against the Wira Digital; the images he had picked out from ExWereGarurumon's mind had told him enough.