Dark Rising
Darren woke to find himself tied by chains around his wrists to a thick tree trunk, the leaves overhead shading the clearing ahead of him. In the clearing stood what appeared to be a large yellow ape, sitting cross-legged on the ground, two smaller monkeys beside it.
"Well, this is new…" he mused, tugging at the chains that held him. The ape creature turned and bared its teeth in a sadistic smile, before opening its hand to reveal a black and crimson phone-like device. The two monkeys screeched incoherently, clearly excited about the device, whatever it was.
The ape stood to face Darren, flexing its muscles. "So, you are the human that's meant to stop us." It spoke in a cultured accent, which sounded slightly ridiculous considering the source. "To be honest, I can't see why everyone's so bothered about you. Look at you. Any Child level could take you on, no problem."
"Honestly, I couldn't care less if you lived or not, but orders are orders. We're to give all humans up to our Lord for the sake of the digital world." The ape declared, a look of disdain on his face. "That is the sole reason you still exist."
"So who is your "Lord", anyway? Some kind of all-powerful digimon?" enquired Darren, feeling incredibly stupid for actually using the word "digimon". It wasn't real, it was some stupid show for kids. Regardless, it never hurt to prepare for every conceivable possibility. Niall said he was just being paranoid.
The ape turned away and stared into the forest. "Our Lord is the guardian and protector of the entire Digital World. It is because of him that we have managed to survive the relentless hunts of humans who trespass into our world, using innocent digimon as slaves, turning them against their own kind. However, the tide of this battle is turning- our Lord has managed to turn humans to our cause. Soon, we will march on your world. We may find peace at last."
Darren only heard the first half of the monster's speech, having been focused on escaping his confines. Digital apes, he had discovered, did not use particularly effective means of holding prisoners. He'd easily managed to squeeze his hands through the chains and escape while the monster was distracted, hiding in the undergrowth. "If nothing else, the villain's monologue is handy for a getaway" he thought, smirking.
A loud beeping caught his attention. Despite himself, he glanced back the way he had come. The device the ape had held was hurtling through the air towards him, glowing red and firing sparks of electricity. As it came closer, he instinctively opened his hand. As soon as the device made contact with his skin, the glow grew blindingly bright for an instant, then faded. The shadows around him curled inwards, being drawn into the device, which erupted in a final flash of red light.
The glow vanished, leaving behind an egg, dark as night, with two red stripes around the base, which cracked open to reveal a small digimon, a formless blob of black with two red eyes. "This is… I don't even know what this is. What is going on?"
"How did you create a digimon?" roared the ape. "Mega Bone Stick!" Darren jumped away as a javelin of bone embedded itself in the ground at his feet. The creature in Darren's arms shook with fear. Darren paused to consider the situation, before grabbing the javelin and launching it at his opponent. The ape screeched as the bony spear was lodged in its thigh.
"Look, I don't know what's going on, but you better back off before I get really pissed." snarled Darren as darkness began to circle him and the small digimon behind him.
"I guess I'd better teach you a lesson." he hissed as the darkness enveloped the digimon behind him, forming a cocoon-like structure, which faded to reveal a figure the size of a child, concealed in red cloth. It had skin as dark as coal, with thin, almost skeletal limbs, and eyes of solid blue.
"I am Espimon," it whispered in a breathy, almost ethereal voice, blue eyes glowing beneath a scarlet hood. "Darkest Night!" it called, darkness curling around it and launching a solid mass at the ape, who shrugged it off with a grunt.
"Foolish child." hissed the ape. "You stand no chance against Apemon, guardian and protector of the Monmon clan. I will defend this forest with my life. And to that end, I must follow the commands of our lord and master. I will not fail the clan. Mega Bone Stick!"
Darren flinched as a second bone javelin flew towards him, opening his eyes to see Espimon standing in front of him, holding back the javelin with spindly arms, straining against some unseen force, the tip of the javelin inches from Darren's chest. Darren slid to one side, the spear embedding itself into the ground seconds later.
Darren stared as blood began to leak from Espimon's hands. "You saved me. Why?" he asked, surprised by his own genuine concern. He wasn't one to trust or care easily.
"I don't know, really." came the response. "I just couldn't let you die, could I? What do you think I am, a sadist?"
"Mega Bone Stick!" The pair jumped back to avoid a volley of javelins. Darren turned to Espimon, his eyes focused. "Let's make the introductions later, we've still got that guy to deal with. Let's take him down."
"Together?" replied Espimon, an expression of confusion on his face. "…together…" muttered Darren. The two moved in sync, ducking and diving to avoid projectiles before launching two punches into Apemon's sides, winding the larger digimon.
Apemon gasped as he fell to his knees. Darren stood beside him, fists clenched. "I didn't start this fight, so surrender, and I won't have to end it." he hissed.
With a demonic roar, Apemon tackled Darren to the ground and pressed a heavy foot on his stomach. "If killing you is what it takes to protect my home and my family, then kill you I shall." hissed Apemon, a determined look in his eyes. The pressure on Darren's stomach increased and his ribcage began to strain under the weight. He gasped as all the breath flew from his lungs and the world began to grow darker, particularly around Espimon as he ran towards them, his outline blurring and distorting…
With a flash of scarlet and a fierce cry, a large humanoid figure collided with Apemon, knocking him off of Darren and pulling the boy to his feet. "Who the hell are you?" panted Darren, his chest aching.
"I… am Arcanamon." hissed the figure. He stood six foot tall easily, a vermillion hooded cape blowing in the breeze behind him. His body was entirely encased in black, form-fitting armour, a mask of the same hue hiding his face, only his dark blue eyes showing through.
Arcanamon tapped a pair of matching symbols on his gauntlets, which began to pulse with red energy. "Arcane Pulse!" he called, a red shockwave sending Apemon careering backwards into a tree, blood staining his golden fur. Arcanamon held out his hands wide, shadows congealing in his palms and shaping themselves into swords, marked with runes and edged with a glistening blue metal.
"You threatened my partner. I cannot allow this to go unpunished." he hissed. Despite his voice being little more than a whisper, every syllable was as clear as day. He pointed his blades at Apemon.
"Iaido." he whispered. His blades took on a violet sheen as he swung them in wide arcs, each swipe tearing into Apemon's flesh. The beast digimon fell to the forest floor, Arcanamon's blades fading into darkness once more.
Darren stepped forward. Apemon's limbs began to fade, data streaming from his hands and feet. "…human…" he whispered. "…I am truly sorry… I only meant… to protect… my clan…"
Apemon coughed as his arms and legs disintegrated. "…please… help… them… They… need… to… be… pro… tect… ed…" Darren closed his eyes. Apemon screeched as the last of his data evaporated away.
Arcanamon was wrapped in a red cocoon of energy, re-emerging as Espimon seconds later. "Darren?" he whispered, reaching for the boy's hand. Darren flinched and shook his head. "Never mind. Let's go find the others."
"You called?" came a voice. Darren turned to see Niall and Eoghan emerging from the trees, digimon at their sides. Niall had his trademark grin spread across his face and a green device in his hands.
"Nice one. You got yourself a partner." laughed Niall. "Looks like the three of us are gonna save the world. I always wanted to be an anime hero." Niall pulled his hair straight up and took a pair of goggles out of his bag, snapping them onto his forehead. "Gotta look the part."
Darren shook his head. "Can't he take anything seriously?" Eoghan shrugged. "If he did, he'd get straight A's. Guy's a genius when he pays attention."
Niall raised his arm and pointed at the setting sun. "Let's get out of here before sunset and set up camp in the open." A blue reptilian digimon behind him nodded. "We can keep watch for anyone coming, get out of their way."
"Hell, no." retorted Niall. "Anyone messes with us, we'll kick their asses three times before they hit the ground." he smiled, dragging his two friends behind him. "Let's do it!"
Digidex;
DemiEspimon/ Attribute: ?/ Level: Baby/ Type: Lesser/ Attacks: Shadow Surprise
A small but agile digimon, he prefers to hide from enemies than fight. His Shadow Surprise is often used to scare away enemies.
Espimon/ Attribute: Virus/ Level: Child/ Type: Demon/ Attacks: Darkest Night, Lasting Shade, Tangled Cloth/ Finisher: Darkness Lashing
Stealthy and quiet, Espimon's red cape is unusually durable and can be used as both a shield and a weapon.
Arcanamon/ Attribute: Virus/ Level: Adult/ Type: Demon Warrior/ Attacks: Arcane Pulse, Arcane Barrier, Arcane Lash, Arcane Fist, Arcane Light, Arcane Sense/ Finisher: Iaido
A stoic warrior with an unerring sense of duty, he will follow the orders of those he respects to the end. He has a wide variety of techniques to cover a wide variety of situations.
So, another chapter up. The next will focus on Endumon and his role in the story. On another note, I am currently accepting requests for enemies in this story. Preferably canon digimon, though I will accept original digimon, provided a detailed description is given.
As always, R&R.