Long Road to Demeter: The Battle Amongst Towers
"So there we were surrounded at all sides by the D-Reaper's agents. All together they were at least 100000000 trillion strong." The caravan of the Daughters of Yggdrasil had stopped for the night after a day of travel and the various Tamers had spread out amongst the camp. They were set up in between the walls of a "canyon" or at least what seemed more like a large furrow that had been cut into the ground. Currently Kazu and Kenta were holding court over the in training and fresh Digimon that were a part of the caravan. Kazu was currently telling his version of the Tamer's adventures with Kenta pantomiming too many of the things he was saying for emphasis.
"Yet were we scared? Not a chance so we got ready and prepared to order the final attack the…" The two suddenly stopped when looking at the group Digimon it seems apparently at some point all of them had fallen asleep in a large pile. Kazu just hanged his head and Kenta came up and gave his friend a side hug.
"Hey I thought it was great. I'm sure we can get someone to listen to the whole thing someday." Kazu sighed and continued to mope.
Elsewhere Takato was currently sitting in front of the large statue of Yggdrasil a sketchbook sitting on his knees as he worked on drawing a portrait of it. He concentrated hard to get down all the details of the statue in front of him. Partially out of appreciation for it from an artist's perspective and because he prided himself on the increase in skill he has had over the past few years. He chewed on his lip slightly making sure he got things right and somewhat enjoying the blessing that in the Digital world night and day are like a switch and he didn't have to go fast in order to maintain a certain level of light in what he was observing.
"Hey gogglehead what are you doing?" His hand jerked the pencil going off to the side and creating a long line on the paper. He looked over to see Rika sitting on his left. He tried to look annoyed with her but in comparison to the rare instances of dark digivolution causing rage "angry" Takato just looked somewhat silly with his cheeks slightly puffed. Rika just rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face.
"I was trying to get my drawing right. Anyways what's up?" His annoyance quickly evaporated and turned to a conversational tone. Rika just looked away for a bit and seemed to chew her lip a bit.
"Just do you think Guilmon will be the same when you see him again? I mean it has been years and even Impmon isn't the same anymore it seems." Takato just laughed a little.
"No I totally called that he would become a wasteland wandering hero that stayed in mega form didn't you?" She punched him in the arm lightly. Things were then silent for a moment as Takato tried to come up with an answer. Partially because he wasn't always the best speaker but also that he was able to see through the question. While it was true it is entirely likely that Guilmon might be different now that he has almost three times the life experience he did when they were separated. At the same time he figured it was also a roundabout way for Rika to speak about worries about Renamon. Finally he thought he had something and leaned back a bit with a smile.
"Well even if he is different we'll still be friends. I mean we're partners aren't we? We've even literally shared a body and I doubt even a few years are going to break that kind of bond. That and just seeing him again is going to be great for me." Rika was now smiling with him and stood up.
"Well good had to make sure you weren't going to be a sad sack during this trip."
"Sure thing Rika will do. Have a good night." He smiled at her and she simply rolled her eyes and walked away giving a slightly dismissive hand motion in his direction. The young man just chuckled and went back to his drawing.
Elsewhere Beelzemon was currently leaning against one of the canyon walls his left foot on the wall, while the right was on the ground, and his tail slowly ticking back and forth in the sand. Next to him, on his left, Henry leaned against it with both feet on the ground, the so dubbed "super shocker" strapped now to his hip, and writing something into his D.D.R device while listening to something the Digimon was saying. On Henry's left Suzie was sitting against the wall half listening to what was being said and half yawning and trying to fight of sleep.
"So ya anyways currently the best idea about canyons like this is that they were made by attacks on the D-Reaper. Happened to a lot of other things during the first few battles apparently as a lot of the newly digivolved mega levels didn't know crap about how to control their attacks." Beelzemon watched out of the corner of his left eye as Henry nodded and wrote a version of what he was being told down. The right was more looking at the rest of the camp while his third eye seemed to be moving around scanning everything around him. Honestly this had been going on for a couple of hours now with the Tamer basically trying to squeeze many factoids and anecdotes out of the Digimon he could. He'd already done so with Angewomon but many of hers looped back into the two categories of how Yggdrasil tied into it or , as Kazu dubbed it when he briefly listened in, the 'Beelzemon is so cool and dreamy' one. While the other Digimon wasn't the greatest source of information either, not that he was going to blame Beelzemon for focusing more on getting back to the human world over playing scientist, but it is entirely likely that they will meet someone along the way that could have more answers. He simply shook his head and went back to his notes.
Looking over everyone else a ways off was Angewomon was speaking with two other Digimon. They both from their appearance be mistaken for human girls each wearing an outfit that has some similarity to that of a nun. One white with a rabbit like hat and another black with a cat like hat.
"Sistermon Noir, Sistermon Blanc don't you want to go try to speak to the humans yourself?" The Sistermon in white just shrugs looking somewhat down while the black chuckles and looks at her.
"Why just the humans want time with Beelzemon just for you?" Angewomon just huffed.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Blanc just giggles softly and Noir waves her off.
"Nah we're fine just observing for now. Have a goodnight Lady Angewomon." She just sighs but then smiles and pats them both on the head before flying off. The sisters just stood there and went back to staring out at the group paying specific attention to the Tamers.
The next morning they got up and went back to walking the path again going through the entire day just walking amongst the desert sands. At night when they made camp again they could see where they would be on the next leg of their journey. Angewomon and Beelzemon both said it was called Tower Valley. An apt name seeing as what was before them looked like a collection of every tall thing the universe could think of and some that it probably didn't need to. From simple skyscrapers, what seemed to be a T shaped tower that looked like it was made of coral plus other parts of a seabed, giant palm trees, a redwood tree, giant telephone poles with wires hanging down like ropes, recreations of Tokyo/Effiel Towers but with the tops bent towards one another clashing like swords, and probably the weirdest thing they noticed was a giant grey statue that looked like the upper half of a woman rising from a flower. The next morning as they got closer to entering the valley Takato noticed Angewomon motioning the caravan to bunch together more.
Once amongst the all the structures he couldn't help but look up somewhat amazed by the chaos of it all. That is until he felt hands on his back pushing him forward and looking back he saw Henry pushing him. At the same time he could see the whole caravan moving quick towards what was probably the largest tree he had ever seen.
"Wait hey what's going on?!" The other boy simply looked back. Following his friends gaze Takato could see Beelzemon standing tense behind them hands twitching at his guns.
"The best I can get is that something is coming and he wants us to hide."
"Hide how is running towards a tree going to…" Just then Takato could see the first of the group get to the tree and seem to walk through the outside.
"Oh." Looking back one last time at Beelzemon he ran forward with Henry to the tree.
Ok you bastard where are you? Beelzemon really wished that now of all the times wasn't when he'd get the feeling something was about to attack them. Looking around trying to keep all three eyes trained in slightly different directions he could see so many structures that a threat could hide around on inside of. Eventually he caught site of movement all three eyes looking inside the window of a skyscraper next to him and giving him just enough time to jump to the side as a large insectoid figure burst outside of it at him a three clawed gauntlet outstretched to skewer him. Not that he had time to rest as he quickly had to start dodging backwards as the figure turned and started trying to hit him with a rapid series of strikes.
"Darkness Claw!"
He saw an opening and after another dodge downwards was able to catch his opponent with an upward swipe of his own on the chest knocking them back. He quickly went and grabbed his shotguns and brought them up pointing them up at the hovering figure he could finally get a good look at his foe. It was a large black insect man Digimon with one red glowing eye and four orange lined wings. Its entire body was covered in cracks, not from Beelzemon's own attack clearly, wireframe visible in the gaps. It raised one of its three clawed arms up and pointed at him.
"I AM GRANDISKUWAGAMON AND I WILL BE YOUR EXECUTIONER DEMON!" He just rolled his eyes.
"Heh you aren't even the close to have that delusion and you aren't going to be the last so try this on for side DOUBLE IMPACT!" He pulled the triggers firing on the other Digimon who dodged by taking to the air Beelzemon having to now running back down the way to try and get a hit in and not let himself be directly below his opponent. Grandis eventually tried to divebomb him claws outstretched ignoring the shots hitting him and slightly chipping off parts of exoskeleton around the cracks at his shoulders before Beelzemon had to dodge to side again in order to not be run through. The next time he tried it instead of firing at him the demon man instead gathered energy around his hand and punched the ground kicking up a massive screen of dust from the desert floor. He quickly sped back up out of the cloud looking down trying to see his prey and ignoring the sting of the dust inside the cracks on him. Yet as it cleared he couldn't see a sign of him.
"COME OUT COWARD AND FACE FATE!" He kept turning trying to find him flying between buildings, stone slabs, and telephone poles until.
"Hey bugboy!" He turned seeing Beelzemon swinging at him from the a giant telephone pole's rope like wires and the all he saw was the bottom of Beelzemon's boots as both his feet collided with GrandisKuwagamon's face the kick sending him flying through another row of objects before colliding with a stone slab. He disengages himself ignoring the further widening cracks of his exoskeleton shrieks and rage and swipes at hit lines of energy coming from his claws and slicing through the slab. He turns again seeing the other bouncing of the side surfaces of the other structures towards him and then sends out another swipe of energy catching him and knocking him back inside of another skyscraper, one that looked like it shouldn't even be logically standing, near the top floor. Flying through the same broken window and came into a dark room once filled with a random collection of furniture pieces again unable to see his prey. He simple started swiping around cutting through everything around him hoping to get a hit. Then he heard a rumbling and looking up got to briefly see the celling crack before it all collapsed on top of him.
Takato stood with the other Tamers inside the tree. Most of the caravan Digimon were huddled together while Angewomon stood between the groups arm drawn back prepping an arrow towards the wall looking back at the groups and then wall as if trying to look outside it. Kazu lightly kicked the floor.
"This sucks we shouldn't just be sitting around here doing nothing. Why we should go out there and help him show whatever it is who's boss!" This attempt at perhaps a rallying cry was cut short by a swift smack to the back of the head from Rika.
"Sure and get killed a few seconds later after showing it who's 'boss'. It's not that I don't hate this but what do you honestly think you are going to do out there?" Kazu whipped around ready to start arguing with her but everyone had their attention drawn away when they noticed the distortion in the wall signaling someone entering the tree. Eventually someone stepped through and shocked colored the faces of the Tamers.
"But how are you…"
Beelzemon nearby laid back against the trunk of a palm tree panting heavily as he watched the buildings to five floor collapse down into a heap of rubble balanced on top of the others. He shook his left hand ignoring the pain he felt and thanking the Digital World's continued ignorance towards proper physics.
Ok now just to make my way back to the others. His eyes widened as he heard a shaking sound. Oh you've got to be kidding. The pile of rubble exploded revealing GrandisKuwagamon hovering and shaking with rage. His wings appeared tattered now and Beelzemon could see that his entire right arm appeared as just wireframe. The insectoid Digimon shrieked and charged straight for him as he readied to have to fight again.
"THUNDER KICK!"
A familiar voice called out and a yellow foot smashed into the bugs face from the side sending him careening off away from him and revealing the attacker to be Sakuyamon. She pointed her staff forward as Grandiskuwagamon stood up and charged forward again screeching.
"Begone. FOX DRIVE!" A stream of blue fire exploded out of the end of her staff enveloping the enemy Digimon his sound of rage fading as his body cracks and falls apart before bursting into data. Beelzemon stands up and smirks.
"I had him you know fox-face." She just smiles the dual voice of Rika and Renamon coming out.
"Sure you did let's just go back to the others."
As they walk back towards the place the caravan hid, Rika and Renamon having separated, they could now see that everyone is outside the Tamers and Angewomon talking to another Digimon. It was a four legged white dragon with a single horn and a red mantle with goggles. He looks up hearing them walk up and shouts excitedly.
"Miss Renamon you're back!" She nods at him and Beelzemon crosses his arms.
"So someone we should know?"
"This is Hackmon he has been helping me to look for you." Renamon looks over at Rika with a small smile.
"Though seeing that you had already found out Tamers was certainly a nice surprise." Rika just smiles back at her partner. After this there was a bit of noise with most everyone talking at once but the most important question was eventually asked.
"Wait why'd you need to find Beelzemon anyways?" She sighs and her tail swishes along the ground.
"To be blunt I need his help back in Demeter. Everyone else has been thrown in a cell."
Hello again great to be back. Sorry for such a long wait on this one real life got in the way but hopefully what should be the longest chapter in the stories history. Hopefully the next one should come out quicker and as always read and please review.