Digimon: Digital Monsters

The Clockwork Alchemist

Chapter Six: Digimon Don't Bleed

Rosemerry had never been a very religious person. Being an alchemist, she put her faith into science rather than any sort of philosophy, and tended to perceive the world and everything in it as a scientist would. However, that was not to say that she didn't believe there to be a higher being than herself. She knew for a fact that there was, but she also knew that it would do her no good to pray to it. That thing wouldn't have listened.

"Sorry, but I can't die yet," she told KnightChessmon the centaur. "There's something important I have to do. I can't go yet. Besides…I think God hates me, so I'd probably just get sent back."

"All the more reason you will burn in the fires of hell, then," he replied coldly and hurled the lance into her chest. She didn't even have time to move away, if she could have. Abruptly her feet left the ground and she was slammed back into the tree, her vision bursting with light as she cracked her head.

It felt like her ribcage had collapsed.

No…

It was impossible to breathe.

I don't want to die…

Every heartbeat hurt.

There's something…I have to do…

"…May you rest in peace, child," she heard the centaur murmur, but already everything was out of focus and disconnected, as if it no longer had anything to do with her. A blackness was filling her up, creeping at the edges of her vision and slowly moving inwards. Suddenly, her body felt numb and heavy, and it was hard to keep her head up. Then as all the world became fog Romy closed her eyes and died.

"THUNDER BLASTER!"

There was a crack and the centaur roared as lightning struck him from out of nowhere, launching him backwards into his companion. And there Wizardmon stood, his staff held out before him like a sword, breathing hard. For a moment a small eternity, all he could do was stare in horror at Romy's body, unable to think or move or believe what he was seeing.

"Romy…?" he called, hoping she would look up. But she was so terribly motionless…

Oh god…

"Romy…!" he cried, his voice breaking as he broke into a stumbling run, but he couldn't get any closer than a few feet. Suddenly, nothing else in the world mattered now. A child had died, and he couldn't do anything but call her name over and over, as if somehow she would wake up and be okay. Reaching out, he found he couldn't even touch her. It felt so wrong to touch her.

I'm sorry.

Instead he laid his hand on the tree, but flinched away when he felt something warm. Blankly, he glanced down at the red stain on his glove and then up at the stream of blood on the bark. There was more at the corner of her mouth, and the sight of it made his skin crawl. Dully, he realized he had never seen blood before. Digimon didn't bleed.

I'm sorry… he wanted to say as he sank to his knees. I'm so sorry. This shouldn't have happened…wouldn't have happened if I had been here to protect you.

When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he hardly noticed. In a daze he glanced back at the two Digimon standing behind him, and for a moment he just stared.

"...Why?"

"I am sorry," the Knight said quietly. "It is for the best."

Before he knew what he was he doing, Wizardmon whirled and struck out hard with every ounce of magic he had, hurling the two Digimon back at least ten feet before they hit the ground—hard—and skidded to a bone-crunching stop.

"SHE WAS A CHILD!" he roared, voice hoarse with unfamiliar emotion as an unseen power swirled around him, pounding in his ears and turning his vision red. "She was a child, what had she ever done to deserve death?!"

"We—" KnightChessmon began, but he was cut off as another soundless blast rocked the earth, and something dark engulfed the wizard and the word began to howl.

"Vision of Terror," he snarled, his eyes growing cold and hard with savagery, and the mists rolled in. The White Knight pulled away, his heart seizing at the awful look in Wizardmon's eyes, not noticing as his companion slowly raised his lance.

"What…?" White began, and bellowed as something smashed into the back of his head. Pain exploded behind his eyes and he fell briefly to his knees. Staggering up he turned to face whatever had hit him, and found no one but the Black Knight.

"What are you doing?!" The White Knight cried, but Black ignored him and charged. White barely had time to dodge out of the way, Black's lance ripping into his side and he passed. "Black, stop it!"

But Black didn't stop and continued to push forward, driving White into a corner. It was all he could do to keep the Black Knight away, parrying blow for blow. Then suddenly his foot caught something and he stumbled, loosing his balance for a split-second. It was all the time Black needed and he thrust his lance through White's stomach. White gaped at Black in shock before he slowly toppled to the ground, his body hazing as it teetered between this world and the next. Black stood above him for a moment, his eyes glazed and empty and staring at nothing. Then, abruptly he shook himself and looked around, confused.

"Wh-what…?"

Then he spotted White and froze in horror, his lance still protruding from the Knight's torso. He staggered back, mouth opening and closing soundlessly, breathing faster and faster as something cold gripped his heart and wouldn't let go.

"No…no…I didn't mean …"

"Bla…ck…" White gasped, reaching out for his companion. Black moved quickly to take his brother's hand, but the centaur fell back with a sigh, the light fading from his eyes as he died.

"NO…!" Black cried, frantically trying to keep White with him even as his brother's body slowly blew away with the wind. Even when there was nothing left Black still called his name, his hands pressed to the spot where White had lain, rocking back and forth and sobbing into the dirt. His lance was still standing upright, its point buried in the ground and Black stared at it for a long time before he slowly grasped its hilt and held it aloft.

"Brother…I'm coming," he murmured. It was as if a thick fog had settled over his mind, and he moved almost in a daze as he set the lance in the ground, point up. "I'm coming…"

Then he reared up and fell forward, feeling the weapon punch through his ribcage and snap his spine—

"That's enough, Wizardmon!"

White's eyes snapped open and he jerked upright, breathing hard and looking around in disoriented confusion. Next to him, Black was doing the same, and they locked eyes. Both were shaking uncontrollably, even as they realized it had all been a dream…yet they could almost feel the holes in their bodies and the grip of death on their hearts…

Wizardmon paid them no heed. In fact, it seemed he had forgotten all about them. At the sound of his name his concentration broke, and he turned, unable to believe his own eyes. Now he stood rigid, holding his breath, and fearing that somehow he was trapped in a dream of his own.

Incredibly, Romy's eyes were open, and for the first time he noticed they were golden. There was a still a haze about them, but she was awake now and definitely—miraculously—alive, blinking and shaking her head in an attempt to clear the last of the murk from her vision. Wizardmon's knees suddenly wanted to buckle on him, and he swayed on his feet as a wave of shock and relief hit his heart.

"Romy…?" he asked, taking a hesitant step forward, not quite sure if it was really her.

"Yeah…" she replied, grimacing. "That was close."

No. It was impossible.

"H-How…?" He stared at the lance in her chest, still pinning her to the tree, and a cold feeling settled in his stomach. Abruptly, his head felt light and he stepped away, unable to tear his eyes away. "You…you shouldn't…"

This was impossible. She shouldn't be alive.

"Hey," she said, a note of alarm in her voice as he sank to the ground. "Wizardmon—hey!" Then she wrenched the lance out and hurried to his side. "Wizardmon—look at me—I'm fine. I'm fine, see? I think I just passed out…"

"No," he said, sharply. "No. You died. I saw it. The lance—"

"The lance barely touched me," Romy said, cutting him off. "I transmuted it at the last second—it went around me, not through. I just blacked out for a little bit, that's all. Are you okay?"

Wizardmon blinked at her in uncomprehending amazement before he numbly stared past her. KnightChessmon's lance had split at the end, and now resembled something like a pitchfork, having punctured the tree on either side of her. "But…but the blood…" he protested, looking back at her.

"Well, I did say it was close," she grimaced, and he saw her side was bleeding. "He got me a little earlier, but I don't think it's serious…"

A new wave of relief washed over the wizard, and he thought he might collapse if he wasn't already sitting down.

"Are you okay now?" she asked softly, putting a concerned hand on his shoulder and smiling reassuringly.

"Yes. Yes, I'm alright," he replied, nodding as he regained his composure, and tried to return the smile from behind his cloak, albeit a little shakily. She gave his shoulder a squeeze and stood, reaching out to help him up.

"So, what shall we do with these two?" she asked, pulling him to his feet as she eyed the KnightChessmon.

"I should like to know who sent them," Wizardmon said.

"We…we're not telling you anything!" Black snapped, struggling to get up, but Romy suddenly clapped and laid both hands on the ground. Abruptly, two giant hands reached up and pinned the Digimon down.

"You're going to tell me everything I want to know," she said, bringing herself up to her full height and folded her arms, her cold eyes leveled and dangerous. "Or you will die."

To be continued…

Disclaimer: Dammit, I want a Digimon!

Finally, chapter six is finished! It took me a while to finish it cause of my other two stories…andasmallbitofwriter'sblock…but here it is! Hooray! throws streamers and runs around gaily Poor Wizardmon, he has to go through so much…especially in this story. Hehehe. haha. Mwahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!

Sorry. Evil Overlord moment. Honestly, though, I've been really mean to him. But hey, he's a good person, and as a rule all good people must suffer. It's in the Author's Book of Rules. I swear! Go look it up if you don't believe me.

ANYWAY. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, and I hope you enjoyed the chappie!

Until I want to write again,

Calfuray

But he had already caught it, that awful feeling he'd somehow missed earlier. He realized her heart had been broken and clumsily put back together more than once. There was a mess of guilt, and regret, and fury…and a sadness that ran too deep for words.

"Alright," he murmured gently. "It's okay, you don't have to say."