Posted on November 8, 2009
Fc: LOOK AN UPDATE! IN LESS THAN A MONTH!!! A LITTLE OVER A WEEK ACTUALLY!
Fern: Based on your last update, That's a great improvement.
Fc: No respect I tell ya
Chapter 12
Merukimon, the Messenger
Not long after gaining the Human Spirit of Light, the Chosen set off towards the North, following Peckmon's instructions. A few uneventful days had passed, making the grand total of the journey close to sixteen digital days. Not that anyone was actually keeping track though…
"The Temple of the Messenger and the Temple of the Sun... I wonder how far they are." JP wondered aloud.
No one responded, not knowing an answer themselves. Just keep heading North… that's all they had to go on. Well, North and the Celestial Arc. If they left the arc, they went too far.
"We'll just follow Peckmon's instructions and hope we don't pass it. Easy enough." Kouichi replied.
Kouji nodded, "and ask someone if we happen to run into a Digimon NOT intent on killing us," he added.
"Always the ray of sunshine aren't you?" Takuya teased, earning himself a sharp jab in the side with Kouji's elbow.
The Warrior of Light snorted, "careful Kanbara, you're not armed yet." He teased back lightly, twirling his D-Tector in his hand, "Don't provoke me." Takuya stuck his tongue out at him.
Zoe and Sam rolled their eyes, BOYS…
"Do you think it'll be my spirit?" Tommy asked suddenly.
Of the Spirits left to retrieve, it was clear that Takuya's was at the Temple of the Sun and Tommy's at the Temple of the Messengers. Danny's was Seraphimon knows where. They got lucky and stumbled onto Sam's just about literally.
"More than likely Tommy," Zoe answered with a smile, "We won't know for sure until we hear that riddle."
Sam groaned, "If I never hear another riddle again, it'll be too soon."
Zoe laughed, "There's a few more left Sam, You'll have to tough it out!" the Goth girl groaned more, making the rest of the team smile.
Finding the temple wasn't as hard as the group thought- Just one little problem. The temple was perched high up on the face of a cliff, much like the Temple of the Seas had been. Unlike that one, however, the Temple of the Messengers was carved into the face of the cliff, like an elegant sculpture of nature, not hidden within the cliff itself.
"We have to climb up there?" JP asked, grimacing. Everyone stared up at the temple with similar expressions of discontent. That and the face of the cliff looked like polished black granite, slick and smooth.
"There has got to be another way up…" Kouji moaned quietly, looking up at the temple in annoyance.
Danny crossed his arms, thinking. An idea suddenly crossed his mind. He turned to Zoe and JP, "Could you two carry us up?"
At first, they had no idea what Danny was talking about. Then something occurred to Zoe, Kazemon and Beetlemon could fly.
"I don't see why not, what do you think JP?" Zoe asked, turning to the eldest Digidestined.
He nodded, "It seems like a good plan actually." He and Zoe proceeded to take out their D-Tectors and spirit evolve.
Data swarmed their bodies, transforming the pair into their warrior forms.
Kazemon sprung a few feet into the air, "Let's go!"
"Ladies first," Beetlemon said as Kazemon lifted Sam into her arms, as he picked up Kouichi. They flew up quickly, minding their passengers with care.
Once at the top of the cliff they set both Sam and Kouichi on the ground, "Race you back Beetlemon!" Kazemon teased, diving over the edge. Beetlemon scrambled after her, making Sam and Kouichi laugh.
A few moments later, they Warriors of Wind and Thunder returned to the top of the cliff with Kouji and Danny, and dropped them off. They made their final trip bringing Tommy and Takuya up to the top of the cliff. Zoe and JP landed gracefully, well, Zoe did at least, and changed back to their human selves.
"Thank you for flying Air-Beetlemon and Air-Kazemon." JP said with a smile.
Zoe played along, "We hope that your trip was satisfactory, or else we'll push you off the cliff." She added, grinning. Everyone laughed, enjoying the lighthearted humor.
"Now, to the Temple!" Takuya declared, spinning on his heel. He froze, almost literally, coming face-to-face with a Digimon.
It was large and covered in crystals, making it look like a porcupine. Part of its face and paws were very dark teal, and the rest was a yellowy-cream color. His stormy gray eyes locked with the brunette, who scrambled backwards, away from the Digimon.
"I am Togemogumon, keeper of the Temple of the Messenger." He said gruffly. "I suppose one of ye are here to retrieve the Spirit sleeping within the temple."
JP opened his mouth, "Um… yeah, we're here for the Spirit."
Togemogumon snorted, "I hope you know the drill, You answer the riddle-"
"One can go in. We know." Takuya finished, having seen almost everyone else do so several times over.
The guardian eyed the brunette carefully, "Very well; lighter than what I am made of, more of me is hidden than is seen."
Everyone paused, not sure what that meant. This riddle wasn't as easy as some of the others had been. It easily was as challenging as the first riddle, about Wind.
"Well we know what it's not." Kouichi said after a few moments.
Kouji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's not Wind, Life, Thunder, Darkness, or Light-" he began.
"Which leaves Flame, Ice, or Death," JP finished, "but none of them make any sense!"
Sam thought this over, "Well what's Fire made of? Something to burn, a spark and oxygen."
"Has anyone tried to weigh fire?" JP asked.
Everyone stared at him, their expressions displaying pure confusion.
Tommy knew the answer wasn't Death, and based on all the other guardians, it wasn't Flame either. The previous guardians in most cases had something to do with the Spirit they guarded. That and the riddle seemed to only made sense with Ice. Ice floats in water, which is what it's made of, and a good part of it sinks beneath the surface.
"It's Ice!" he said to Togemogumon.
The icy armor Digimon nodded. "T'ain't hard to figure out. Ever float ice in water?" he asked, directing his comment at the other Digidestined. "Ye can go in kid. Good job."
Tommy carefully ran up the steps to the temple's entrance. At first, he didn't expect it to open as it looked like one continuous carving. Then the doors slowly swung open revealing a dark tunnel. Tommy didn't hesitate to race forward into the depths of the building.
"At least he's not afraid of the dark anymore." Takuya commented as the doors shut.
Zoe punched him lightly in the arm. "Takuya…" she sighed, there not much she could do with him.
Tommy heard the doors shut behind him as two torches flared into life. The flames were blue and cold, casting the entrance hall in an eerie blue glow. He cautiously took a few steps forward, not sure what to expect.
He had gone maybe halfway into the entrance hall when a broad, translucent figure appeared before him. The figure was tall, dressed like an ancient Mayan warrior. He had long green hair that reminded Tommy of Agunimon's hair. He wore a mask the looked like a blue Garurumon's face, that hid most of his own save for his mouth.
"Young Warrior of Ice. I am Merukimon."
Tommy gaped as the Olympian Digimon steeped forward.
Merukimon continued, "Come, let us walk to the Spirit's resting place." He placed his hand on the wall, and a door opened to the left. He motioned for Tommy to follow him down the long hallway. The youngest Digidestined made no hesitation in following the old spirit.
"It has been many years I have waited. I kept watch over him as if he were my own brother, as you must do for your friends. I fear that your journey ahead is a dark one." Merukimon said somberly, turning a corner. Another doorway opened revealing a room icy white in color, sharply contrasting with the rest of the temple.
In the middle of the room, the spirit of Kumamon rested on a silver metal pedestal. "Kumamon," Tommy breathed.
"It's been long overdue; reunite yourself with your chosen."Merukimon stated, almost as if he were talking to the spirit itself. Tommy raised his D-Tector, aiming it at the Spirit of Ice. The spirit flew towards him, entering the device and lighting up the screen.
Merukimon smiled, "It will be a long journey, but you have your friends with you." He faded from sight as the temple fell into shadows again.
Tommy held up his D-Tector, letting the single band of data appear around his hand. "Execute! Spirit Evolution!"
Blue data streamed from the scanner as the band hit it, and wrapped around Tommy. His body changed into that of a small, white, bipedal bear. A green head band formed around his forehead, a matching green vest and snow boots formed as well.
"Kumamon!" he shouted, as the data vanished. Tommy quickly returned down the hall the way he came in, back to the entrance. The great black doors swung open a second time, letting Tommy out. Dusk had fallen by now as he emerged from the temple.
The rest of the team was grinning as he approached. Togemogumon smiled, "Kumamon eh? Not bad kid."
Their happiness had to be put on hold. A fierce shriek like a bird sounded over the area. They heard the beating of wings and instinctively looked to the sky. Two large bird Digimon were flying towards the group. Somehow, the Digidestined knew the bird Digimon weren't good news.
Togemogumon took charge, "Quick, the rest of ye get to the trees over there. Kid, yer with me."
The two figures swooped down from the sky, dive bombing the Digidestined. Everyone dived to the sides as the bird Digimon's claws caught nothing but air. They returned to the sky, wheeling around for a second go. Kumamon and Togemogumon immediately returned fire on the attackers.
"Hail Machine Gun!" Togemogumon bristled and fired the ice shards from his back into the sky.
"Blizzard Blaster!" Kumamon pulled out his blaster gun and fused his attack with Togemogumon's hail storm. The twin bird Digimon shrieked in pain as the icy attacks hit their marks.
"Let's go!" Kouji called to the others, holding up his D-Tector. Everyone with spirits available to them nodded and followed suit.
"Execute! Spirit Evolution!" they shouted in unison, as data streamed around four bodies simultaneously. The data vanished after a few moments.
"Kazemon!"
"Lobomon!"
"Beetlemon!"
"Löwemon!"
They nodded to each other briefly and joined Tommy and Togemogumon. The Warriors of Wind, Light, Thunder, and Darkness had entered the fray.
One of the dark bird Digimon dove again, striking Beetlemon and Löwemon from behind with his claws. Löwemon hit the ground hard, sending Lobomon into a fury. He raised his Light Kendo high over his head and slashed the second bird's red talons. The first bird Digimon, Yatagaramon, turned on a dime and went after Lobomon.
Kazemon and Kumamon rushed the demon bird.
"Hurricane Wave!" Kazemon hurled the light pink twister at the demonic bird.
"Blizzard Blaster!" Kumamon fired the snowballs into the twister, creating an effective twin attack. The snow infused tornado slammed into Yatagaramon sending the over sized monster bird reeling.
Beetlemon jumped up and rushed to strike while the beast was down. "Proton Slam!" The beetle horn on his helmet charged up with electrical energy. He rammed into the bird's side with as much force as ten American Football linebackers.
"Guys run!" Kouichi shouted over the commotion. He struck at one of the demon bird Digimon's claws, counterattacking the beast.
"Take Danny and Sam and Go!" Lobomon added, directing his words at Takuya. "We'll catch up later!" He leapt back, aiding Kouichi to the best of his abilities.
Löwemon and Lobomon continued to grapple with the second large bird Digimon, Crowmon. "Shadow Meteor!" The Warrior of Darkness summoned dark energy to the lion on his chest plate and launched it at the beastly bird Digimon.
Lobomon took the opportunity and aided his brother. "Howling Laser!" Lobomon quickly charged the laser on his left wrist and fired it into Kouichi's Shadow Meteor attack. The Light based attack mixed with the Dark attack, spawning a vicious combination attack.
Crowmon was caught off guard went down hard, not defeated, just stunned. Yatagaramon shrieked angrily, rising back into the air. Takuya, Danny and Sam meanwhile had backed themselves up against the trees, which proved to be little shelter. Crowmon scrambled to his feet, beating his wings furiously, creating strong violent winds.
Takuya hesitated, but he understood the severity of the situation. Right now, he, Danny and Sam were major liabilities to the rest of the team. They couldn't evolve and protect themselves. They had to make a break for it and get out of everyone's way.
"Come on!" He grabbed a hold of Sam's and Danny's wrists, and began to drag them away from the fighting. The newcomers to the team weren't sure about this plan at all as the brunette pulled them along, deeper into the forest.
Takuya let go of them after awhile once they were a good distance from the fighting. Danny and Sam followed along behind him as they began to slow down. They broke clear of the trees onto the edge of a sheer cliff that over looked a low valley.
Danny walked up to Takuya, his stance setting off another confrontation. Sam sighed, waiting for the impending match to play out. "What the heck was that? Why did we run!?"
"What do you mean? We were a liability to the others!" Takuya countered.
The dark haired boy rounded on the brunette, "We're at more risk out here by ourselves!" Takuya flinched, he hadn't even thought of that, nor did anyone else besides Danny for that matter.
"Well thank you for pointing that out now!" he shouted back.
Sam opened her mouth to intervene, "Guys-"
"Like you would have listened-" Danny responded coldly, earning a glare from Takuya.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Takuya shot back, thoroughly agitated at this point.
Danny narrowed his eyes, "You think you're such a great leader. Well here's a news flash, you're nothing more than a coward!"
Sam tried to step between the boys, before one of them did something stupid. Too late; Danny shoved Takuya, who shoved back and they began to fight like cats and dogs- or really immature teenage boys. "Darn it you two! Knock it off or I'll-" she threatened.
Both looked up momentarily to glare at her. She glowered back at them, thinking they were being juvenile idiots. "You want to fight, Go ahead and fight!"
Sam stomped away from them to the edge of the cliff, with the intent to sit on the edge until the hotheads cooled off. That wasn't to be the case. The rock at the very edge of the cliff was unstable and gave way as soon as Sam set her foot down. There was a shriek. The ledge crumbled away, taking Sam with it.
"Sam!" both boys shouted, forgetting their argument.
Danny went to run to the edge, but Takuya grabbed his shirt and held him back. "Danny Stop! You could fall too!"
"Don't care." Danny grunted trying to pull away.
"If you fall then what? Both of you get hurt?" Takuya shot back darkly, his tone very serious.
Danny stopped struggling after a few moments of futile escape, accepting Takuya's reasoning. Takuya let him go. "Let's look for a safe way down," the brunette suggested. Danny grumbled reluctantly but agreed.
They carefully walked alongside the edge a few feet in, as a safety precaution. They were looking for any kind of incline, or slope to get down to Sam.
"There!" Danny pointed ahead of them, a slight incline that could get them to the next level down to Sam. Takuya nodded to him and they carefully climbed down the incline. Before Takuya could stop him Danny was racing back to where Sam had fallen.
Takuya ran after the boy, slowing to a stop. Danny and Sam were standing side by side, staring ahead of them. He stood next to Danny, gaping. How far did we go? Before them lay the remains of spires and walls long since over run with vegetation. Somehow, they felt as if they had been there before.
"What is this place?" Sam asked quietly.
Takuya shook his head, "I'm- not sure…"
"It's the castle… It's the ruins of their castle…" Danny whispered.
"Come again?" Takuya asked
Danny turned to them, "This was their castle. This is where AncientSeishinmon and AncientGaiamon lived…"
And where they were murdered…
Fc: Ta-da, latest installment. With oodles of love. Enjoy processing what's to come. Ciao!
