Chapter Eleven: Voyage toward Destiny
The boat swayed and rocked in the turbulent waters. The blue Digital Ocean stretched out before them in all directions. Sea and sky consumed the horizon as far as the eye could see. The boat was making good time, the breeze pushing against the sails keeping them full for the last two days. The Captain, a weathered old Digimon named Hookmon, had assured the group that they'd be putting into port before another two days had fully passed. Severa, according to the map Sorcerymon had given to them, was quite far South of Fortes Island in a part of the Digital World where the wrath of winter would be far less noticeable. Even now, only half way to their destination, the biting chill that had dominated the sea air on their first night was replaced by a warmer wind.
There was a disadvantage to being stuck on the ship, everyone felt trapped. There wasn't as much to do on board as back on the island and with no enemies to fight or long hikes ahead everyone was forced to find something else to do. Anselm and Patamon assisted the ships cook, a Starmon with an eye-patch and peg-leg. Vera and Haomon practiced their fighting and a few of the crew even placed bets on which of them would win, most siding understandably with the Digimon. John and Dyrasmon were up in the crows nest relieving the look out unsure what sort of danger they were looking for. Surely the Digital World didn't have pirates… did it? The only one who hadn't found something to do was Xander who spent the afternoon napping and encouraging Bogmon to do the same and rest up.
"I'm not sure the sea is for me," Adlimon growled holding down his lunch.
"You do look rather green, for someone who is usually icy blue," Thompson noted handing his friend a special bottle of tonic, "Take a sip of this, I got it from the Captain. It's a sea-sickness remedy."
"Thanks," Adlimon said slurping down some of the serum, "I hope its fast acting… I really don't feel so well."
"Why don't you go lay down below decks?" Thompson suggested.
"I'll try but if Xander is still snoring down there-" Adlimon said with a laugh heading down below.
"He's wonderful," Solara said when the icy lizard had gone.
"Yeah, he's a feisty little guy but he's used to the cold snows of the village not the constantly swaying seas."
"It's amazing how quickly we all became friends," Solara mused, turning to face him, her hazel eyes had such fire beneath them.
"We didn't have much choice," Thompson laughed, "we were taken prisoner in a world where we were the only humans."
"Yes but, we became friends with the Digimon quickly too," Solara said.
"You think it's more than coincidence?" Thompson asked.
"It has to be more, doesn't it?" Solara asked.
"You look really beautiful," Thompson said before he even knew what had left his lips.
"Thanks Tom," she said with a smile. Thompson blushed and looked away toward the southern horizon. He felt so odd at that moment. Back in the real world he was anything but assertive but here he felt able to be brave. Here in the Digital World he had a chance to be a hero, a chance to find something greater than himself, Destiny. He looked back towards Solara as she walked across the deck. Destiny and maybe love too. He shrugged the notion from his mind when he saw what was in the sky ahead. Gray clouds were beginning to form, swarming to devour the sky. Distant thunder clapped rumbling across their eardrums.
"Storms a-brewin," one of the crew, an elderly Agumon, said.
"Storms a-brewin, storms a-brewin," a nearby Toucanmon repeated.
"Guys, we got something up here," John called down from the crows nest, "looks like a Digimon of some sort, in the water up ahead.
The rain began now, coming down slow and easy in bit fat drops. Lightning split the sky and thunder answered only seconds behind it. The wind picked up blowing the ship this way and that forcing the crew to work double time furling the sails. Now the rain came fast and there was a mad dash toward to get below decks. The Digimon showed itself then, as a flash of thunder illuminated the sea in front of the wayward ship. It was a great serpent, a sea orm with a horrible sickly green skin and a maw filled with razor teeth.
"Seadramon!" one of the crew yelled, his voice almost drown out completely by the storm.
"What's going on?" Xander yelled emerging on deck sleepy-eyed and stretching.
"The Serpent will smash us to bits for sure," Dyrasmon yelled, leading John toward the hold so they could get below deck.
The great sea serpent reared its head letting out a wave of water from its mouth. The blast splintered wood and threatened to tear the ship apart but it managed to hold. A second blast came this one causing the mast to bend and almost snap. Those still on deck were washed to in fro in the water that now covered the deck, slipping as they tried to make it below. Xander felt like a metal sphere in a pinball machine as he tried to regain his bearings and get away from the horrible serpent. Seadramon was throwing its body against the boat but despite the serpents length it still weighed far less than the ship and the damage was minimal.
Bogmon slipped onto the deck searching for Xander, finding his friend floundering around trying to get up. The amphibious Digimon found it much easier than Xander to get around in the wet conditions. Seadramon slammed against the deck hard causing Xander to once again lose his balance and fall.
"Damn that serpent," Bogmon grumbled trying his best to get Xander to his feet.
The serpent brought in a breath and an eerie blue light came from within its mouth. Seadramon launched his attack then, a powerful blast of ice aimed right for the deck of the ship. Bogmon saw the attack thinking it too late to act. Xander got hit by a chunk of ice and went sliding across the ship.
"That's my friend you stupid snake!" Bogmon yelled a little too loudly. Seadramon saw him now and a wicked smile creased the serpent's lips as it came in for the kill. A light blinded the snake and Seadramon's head cracked into the side of the ship as Bogmon rose from the deck surrounded in an array of light.
"Bogmon Digivolve to Salbogmon!"
He was bigger now, much bigger, at least twenty feet long. The ship's deck creaked beneath him so he launched from the deck and into the water. He was longer now, more like a salamander than a toad with a thick yellow frill covered in black markings that looked like skulls, a warning to any who dared mess with him. His maw was filled with long needle-like fangs and his skin was covered in armored scales. Salbogmon cut through the turbulent water like a knife biting into the serpent's underbelly. It didn't do much real damage but it caused the serpent's attention to turn away from the ship and toward its strange new enemy. Seadramon ducked his head underwater now launching a beam of ice energy toward Salbogmon but the amphibious enemy was too fast for the serpent's beam. Seadramon readied a second strike but before he could attack Salbogmon's tail came in knocking against the serpents head.
Seadramon was dizzy and furious biting this way and that with strikes of its long body and razor sharp fangs trying to catch the creature it wrestled against. Salbogmon felt those jaws breathing down his neck but he managed to stay ahead of them and launch a second attack with his tail. Finally the great serpent began spitting ice in every direction, a frozen fountain firing from his mouth with abandon some chunks of ice even hitting the serpent's own coils. Salbogmon knew that this maniacal fit could destroy the ship if it went on long enough.
"Onyx Fang!" Salbogmon unleashed a powerful blast, a set of ethereal fangs reaching from his mouth to strike at Seadramon. The serpent howled in anger and pain, a blast of ice striking Salbogmon and nearly freezing him, the amphibian managed to move fast enough to avoid becoming an icicle. Now he was behind the sea monster smacking against its body with his tail, biting with his jaws, trying desperately to defeat the beast once and for all. Seadramon writhed in the waves as fangs punctured into it blood rising to the surface of the water. The serpent knew it could not hold out against its foe, with shame in its heart it darted away, straight down into the abyss, from its opponent. Salbogmon started to pursue but turned instead toward the boat he'd left behind. After checking the hull for damage he climbed aboard reverting into Bogmon as he hopped onto the deck.
"Remind me again why we couldn't fly to Severa," Bogmon croaked, hopping over to where Xander stood.
"You're safe, thank God, in the storm I could barely see what was going out there," Xander grabbed Bogmon hugging him but rethought the hug when he came in contact with Bogmon's slime covered skin.
"It's a natural secretion," Bogmon replied with an embarrassed expression.
"So how was Digivolution?" Xander asked as they made their way below deck together.
"Wet."
The storm soon cleared from the sky but when it finally did the Captain had some rather disappointing news. The turbulent winds of the storm had driven them off course by quite a bit and it would take at least half a day of sailing to correct their course. Still, with the rain gone, everyone alive and the sails full everyone was soon in good spirits again, though their clothes would need quite a while to dry completely. Night was upon them soon enough and the stars came out to dance upon the waters of the deep. Despite their fatigued everyone was ought beneath the stars and the digital moons. They ate above deck that night recounting stories of adventure. The crew of the ship was a seasoned lot and every Digimon among them had a tale to spin or a legend to relate. Stories of Digital Treasure and pirates that pillaged on the high seas.
"I'm not afraid of no pirates," Xander boasted after one of the crew told a grizzly story of a ruthless pirate lord.
"No but I'm sure you'd find a way to complain about them," Solara joked and even Xander had to laugh at that.
"Hey Thompson, come on over and tell us a story," Anselm called. Thompson had moved away from the group after dinner and was staring out to sea.
"What is the deal with that kid?" Xander asked taking a bite of the Digital World equivalent of an apple.
"He's something of a mystery," Solara agreed looking over to him.
"I'll go find out," Vera hopped up and walked over to him, "Thompson the others want to know why you won't join us."
"I will," Thompson said, "I've just been thinking."
"About home?" Vera asked but she noted Thompson's gaze had wandered over to the group, to where Solara was sitting.
"I don't know how to talk to girls," he sighed, "especially ones as beautiful and full of fire as Solara."
"Why don't you just tell her you like her for starters," Vera advised, "and if there's a spark just follow the smoke to find the fire."
"Thanks, that makes sense, at least I think it did," Thompson chuckled.
"Now come on, let's hear your best pirate story."
The next day seemed to race past them. Everyone had found a niche on board the boat, an activity or odd job that helped them kill boredom and pass the time. It wouldn't be long now, they knew, until the coast came into view. Captain Hookmon had managed to make up the time they'd lost and now they were back on schedule to reach the port city. The map named the city as Harborhail City located on the Western Coast of Severa. As predicted the temperatures continued to climb and by mid-day it must have been eighty degrees. As the sun slipped below the endless horizon of ocean the group said goodbye to another day.
Thompson found himself staring up at those stars as they beamed down through the sparse cloud cover. He'd never really been in love and lately the feelings that stirred within him seemed more and more powerful. Solara was beautiful and more than that she was smart and passionate, so much more than the average shallow self-absorbed teenage girl. Still he couldn't ask her out in his present state, he was too nervous around her now something that hadn't been the case when they first met. He cursed his own introverted nature suddenly seeing a way around it. In the bravery of battle. Perhaps he could impress Solara, even steal a quick kiss in the adrenaline of battle or the revelry of victory. A sigh left his lips and vanished into the ocean breeze. He didn't have to be nervous; he wasn't the same nerdy kid he'd been back in the real world… now he was one called by destiny.
The shore of Severa came into view barely eight hours after the sun had risen. They'd been nearly four full days at sea and everyone on board, crew and passengers alike, was anxious to set their legs on dry land and perhaps even have a bath. Most of the Digital World didn't have running water but for big cities like Harborhail it was a must. The howling wind was fairly warm this far south despite the fact that winter would be upon them within a week's time. By mid-afternoon the ship was docked. The port city was all hustle and bustle. Even out at sea, as they docked the ship, dozens of vessels of a hundred different mismatched varieties dotted the horizon. There were even more boats docked then the ones out on open water, a myriad of colorful craft greeted the eyes of the ship's occupants as they took their first steps back on terra firma… or Digi-Firma rather.
The group made their way through the busy streets of the city just happy to be out and about. Everywhere were colorful booths and stalls selling fish mainly but also other odds and ends. Thompson found it weird that there were fish in the Digital World that were not Digimon especially considering that he had not seen any birds or other animals that were not Digimon. They made their way toward an area the city the map had marked hoping that Sorcerymon had not sent them to Severa looking for a Celestial Castle they would never find. Luckily the mark on the map did lead somewhere useful, a map store.
"Welcome, welcome," the little Digimon inside the tent said.
"Demi-Devimon," Haomon noted thinking it weird to see a generally evil Digimon in such a profession, "I was unaware that cartography was a hobby of your kind."
"Don't judge a book, or an atlas, by its cover my friend," the little bat-winged creature replied sweeping one of his wings under his round body as though bowing graciously, "Now what can I do for you fine travelers?"
"We're looking for a map of Severa, one that shows a Celestial Castle," Xander replied cutting right to the chase.
"That will be hard to find," Demi-Devimon admitted, "The castles whereabouts are not publicly available you see… they are secret."
"Why would the good guys have a secret castle?" Xander griped.
"Let me go through my scrolls and see if I have one," Demi-Devimon offered the impatient Alexander. The little demon darted to and fro going over scroll after scroll and map after map before finally returning to where the group stood with a parchment clutched in his talons, "I have found what you are looking for."
"Good," Xander growled grabbing at the scroll. Demi-Devimon yanked it out of reach.
"Not until we settle on a price," Demi-Devimon said with a sly smile, "Selling this illegal map could get me into trouble so I demand a high price."
"Would you rather sell it," Haomon asked, "or get caught by the authorities having it?"
"You wouldn't!"
"I would," Haomon corrected, "and I'd also be willing to beat you senseless for it."
"Bullies!" Demi-Devimon spat and even Vera shot Haomon a disappointed look that seemed to take all the fluff out of the feline's fur.
"We will pay," Solara said, "but not an inflated price."
"Fifteen cold coins then," Demi-Devimon sighed, "but don't tell anyone where you got the map."
"Fair enough," Solara said exchanging the coins for the map and opening it to make sure it was indeed a map of Severa.
They group stepped outside the tent and made their way to a nearby Inn. It took them some time to navigate the winding streets and densely packed crowds of Digimon but eventually they made it to a suitable place to stay. They allowed the Digimon to make the purchase so as not to attract too much attention. Luckily Harborhail was a refuge for the strange and out-of-place, a rogue's gallery of characters. Digimon from every stretch of the Digital World who could not fit in anywhere else could find a way to blend into the crowded menagerie that was Harborhail. Xander lay the map out on the rooms one bed and stared at it for a good while studying the landmarks and trying to remember them in his mind.
"Looks like it's quite a ways away from here," he said with a resigned sigh, "For once I'd like to find adventure just outside the door."
"We practically did," Thompson reminded him, "We found this entire world beneath our own familiar city."
"Its dangerous business walking out your front door," John agreed, "at least tell me the Castle is on the map."
"Yeah, it is," Solara said pointing it out, "but there are two other castles on this map marked as the Celestial Castle."
"Damn that Demi-Devimon," Haomon growled, "I knew we shouldn't have trusted him."
"Relax, we should be able to figure it out," Vera comforted her feline friend by running her hands through his fur something which tended to give her little jolts of static.
"Well, we better get some rest," Solara said changing the subject, "it's already dark. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We have a long journey ahead of us."
"How are we all going to sleep in one bed?" Xander whined.
"We're not," Bogmon croaked, "do you honestly think we would expect that of you?"
"We booked the whole floor worth of rooms," Haomon explained with a smirk, "Our share of DarkLizardmon's treasure is really coming in handy."
They separated them; each room was to house a Digimon and their human partner though John protested that he and Vera should have a room together. Solara sat by herself in her room wondering if the morning would bring with it a sign of her ultimate Destiny here in the Digital World. Perhaps amidst the diversity of Harborhail she would at last find a friend to share the rest of the adventure with. Perhaps the Celestial Palace housed an angelic Prince. With that thought she let out a yawn and lay her head down to rest.