Chapter Eight

Divermon's Lake (Part One)

The white walls of the Digital Paladin's castle shone harshly white to all those that walked its passages, illuminated by piercingly bright white flames that hovered within the sconces lining the walls every few feet. To make the glare even more unbearable, the floors were cast with highly polished white marble, making any who ventured through the castle all but necessitating the need to keep a hand over their eyes.

Fortunately for Takeru "TK" Takaishi: The Digital Paladin, his eyes were guarded by the helmet that adorned his face; a special accoutrement that allowed the concealment of his face whilst allowing him full sight thanks to the Digicode emblazoned within it.

The only downside to the muted vision the helmet instilled was the acid-washed mess it left the world around him in. Everything around him was either horribly whitewashed or dark gray in color, leaving the Digital world he longed to protect as a muddy gray-scaled vision of what it really was.

A nuisance for sure, but one that the Paladin deemed necessary thanks to the helmet's primary function; hiding his identity from those that dared to push against the world he wished to create.

"My lord!" One of the many Solarmon under his employ greeted him when he stepped into his computer room. "It's good to see you! How are you today?"

The Paladin didn't answer the Solarmon's question. He just walked up to the giant monitor at the front of the room.

"Bring up the Steeple Project," He ordered.

The monitor flickered, and upon it came the image of a towering structure with a narrowed top at the point that spiraled downward into an octagonal base. In the middle of the structure was a small slot, clearly waiting for something to be inserted into it.

"Progress is coming along swimmingly, my Lord!" The Solarmon reported chipperly. "We've almost acquired all the materials we require to begin production!"

The Paladin nodded curtly in response, "And just how long until we are ready to begin production exactly?"

"Our mining team at Chronos Mountain says they should have the necessary ore within the next two weeks!"

The Paladin frowned and turned towards the various Solarmon, making every single one of them jolt despite their inability to see the harshness of his glare.

"That is far too long!" The Paladin barked. "Are you unaware of the situation we are facing!? Those accursed rebellion forces have grown in numbers! We need to start production on the steeples as soon as possible, am I clear!?"

"Y-Yes, my lord!" The Solarmon quailed.

The Paladin clenched his teeth and turned back towards the screen. "Then inform the mining team they have until the end of the week to get back here with the ore."

"B-But my Lord!" The Solarmon protested. "They're already working around the clock! There's no way they can possibly push themselves harder!"

The Paladin clicked his tongue and reached down towards his hip plate, "A simple matter to attend to." He retrieved his D3 and held it up. "The mining team is still working only for themselves." On the screen of the D3, a little golden ring appeared. "But with some assistance from us, they'll be able to look beyond such base weakness…"

"CRAP!" Davis yelped when his foot caught on one of the criss-crossed ropes he had been trying to traverse, leaving him falling face first into the ropes and then ending with him in a tangled mess of scratchy fibers and awkwardly twisted limbs.

"Davis!" Veemon leapt to his partner's aid. "Don't worry, I'll help you!"

"Please hurry!" Davis yelped. "I'm pretty sure my big toe isn't supposed to be touching the back of my ear like this!"

Veemon grabbed one end of the rope, and with a great chomp from his teeth, Davis came disentangled in a flat heap on the ground.

"You okay?" Veemon asked, kneeling down besides Davis.

"I never knew my arms and legs could bend that way," Davis groaned, bringing his hand over his face to glare at the red lines that now marred it thanks to the ropes. He let out a huff and flopped his arm back onto the ground. "This training session bites. How 'bout we go get a bite to eat, Veemon?"

Veemon's crimson eyes gleamed at the mention of food, "I'm game!"

"Cool, then help me up," Davis said, holding his hand out to his little blue compatriot.

It had been a week since the Digidestined's encounter with the Paladin in the Protocol Forest, and since then the four new recruits and their Digimon had been hard at work in their efforts to prepare for the oncoming battles that Ken warned them was coming, with said regimens consisting of tests of agility, strength, tactics, general learning of Digimon and the Digital world itself, and perhaps most pressingly—

The summoning of their crest weapons.

Ken had made it abundantly clear that the materialization of the crest weapons was a matter of utmost importance amongst their fledgling group, a means to further empower both Digimon and partner so that they could get a much-needed leg up against their various adversaries.

So far, the efforts of Davis, Yolei, and Cody had proven fruitless, a fact that honestly proved quite understandable considering the esoteric qualifications that came with summoning a crest weapon, but still weighed heavy on the hearts of the three.

Especially so for Davis, whose previous encounter with the Paladin still irked him just as much as the yellowing bruise still present on his ribs did. He'd already spent hours trying to get something to appear from his D3, either by pressing a fist to the screen, swinging it around, and even holding it skyward in the vain hope that maybe a bolt of lightning would come down and make some uber awesome weapon appear.

Unfortunately for him, none of those methods worked, and Davis had spent each night after returning to his world staring at his bedroom ceiling, silently bemoaning not only his failure as a Digidestined—

But his failure to be helpful to Kari.

"Davis?" Thankfully for Davis, he had Veemon to snap him out of his sad reveries whenever they came.

"Huh?" Davis balked, looking from his D3 to his partner instead.

"The Mess Hall's this way," Veemon explained, pointing down the opposite fork in the tunnel, a small frown of concern etching his white and blue face.

"Oh! Right!" Davis tilted his legs towards the direction Veemon was headed. "Sorry, Veemon."

Veemon's pout persisted as he walked besides Davis. "You feelin' okay? You're not feeling too tired yet, are you?"

Davis smiled and reached down to scratch Veemon between his ears, "Nah, I'm still plenty frosty, no worries."

That had been another new facet of their lives they had found themselves needing time to adjust to; the taxing responsibilities that came with being a Digidestined.

When Ken had warned them about the stress and pains that were coming their way, Davis had scoffed and proclaimed that, "Hey, I'm already on the Soccer team at school, what's one more extracurricular?"

Tending to the troubles of the Digital world proved far more complex apparently, a fact that had all but slapped Davis across the face when Ken had him and the others start learning how to read Digicode.

So far, all Davis had learned to do was write his name and read the glyphs on his various armors. Turns out, they all just read the words, "Deflect, protect, and reflect" over and over.

So yeah, being a "Chosen" as Davis had heard several Digimon refer to him and the others as wasn't as much fun as many fictional depictions of being a hero made it out to be.

KLANG! BZZT!

"Still not good enough! Move faster!"

The sudden sound of metal clashing against plasma jolted Davis and Veemon's attention towards one of the rooms they passed on their way to the Mess Hall.

Looking in, they saw Kari just barely withstanding a brutal strike from Ken, actually buckling down on one knee in response to the overwhelming force of his attack. Between their interlocked blades, the gentle pink aura of Kari's rapier was completely overshadowed by the vile violet hue of Ken's glowing beam of a blade.

Kari! Davis' stomach flipped.

"And your grip is weak!" Ken barked, swiping the rapier from Kari's hand with a swish. He hovered the fuller of his blade over Kari's cheek, not even bothering to look over to where the rapier had stuck itself in the ground several feet away. "How do you intend to fight the Paladin if you can't even keep your weapon on hand?"

"Hey!" Davis stomped into the combat room, snatching up the rapier by the grip as he made his way towards the center. "Why don't you lay off, Ichijouji!?"

Ken sighed and sheathed his weapon into his D3. "Hello to you as well, Daisuke," He said coolly. "Have you finished your rounds?"

"Forget the rounds!" Davis said hotly. "Why are you being such a jerk to Kari?"

"Davis…" The fury that burned within Davis dulled significantly when he heard Kari's disapproving tone call out to him. His glare fell away when he saw Kari stand up, one hand on her hip, the other held out expectantly to have her sword returned to her.

"Ken's just helping me get used to handling my crest weapon," She explained, sheathing her own weapon into her D3 after Davis handed it back to her.

Davis curled a fist at his side and scowled at Ken again. "Well he doesn't haveta be—"

"And I also told him not to hold back," Kari interjected before Davis could call him a potentially more offensive name. "That way I can get good at fighting more quickly."

The last of Davis' bravado wilted away. Yet again, he had made a fool out of himself, made so much worse thanks to him doing it in front of Kari. "But…Still…"

"Davis, I appreciate the concern," Kari put on a soft smile in an attempt to alleviate the embarrassment she could sense from Davis, "but I've got things covered on my end, you don't have to worry about me, 'kay?"

Davis huffed slightly and looked away from the two other Digidestined. "Yeah, yeah…" He mumbled.

"My question still stands," Ken spoke up tersely. "Have you finished your rounds?"

"He sure has!" Veemon replied on his behalf. "And you sure should've seen him, Ken! He was moving like lightning across those ropes! And when he punched the punching bag, it flew straight through a wall!"

Ken sized up Veemon for a moment before glancing at Davis again, "Did he now?"

Davis frowned, "That so hard to believe?"

"He was great!" Veemon proclaimed, throwing his hands up. "And now that he's done, we're gonna go to the Mess Hall to get a well-deserved snack!"

Ken's lips quirked, still clearly doubting Veemon's tale, but relented with another sigh when he caught Kari glaring at him from out of the corner of his eye. "Very well," He mumbled. "Go have your snack. But would you mind asking Impmon if Divermon's meal is ready for delivery while you're there?"

"Sure thing!" Veemon chirped. He grabbed Davis' hand and began pulling him out of the of the combat room. "Come on, Davis!"

"I'm comin', I'm comin'," Davis muttered.

"See you later, Davis." Kari saw him off with a cheery wave and a kind smile.

Davis craned his head out to catch a final glimpse of Kari before he and Veemon disappeared around the corner. "See ya, Kari," He called back with a wave of his own.

Kari kept her smile for a millisecond longer after Davis and Veemon disappeared. Then, when she was sure he was gone, she dropped her hand and looked over at Ken in a glower. "Didn't I tell you to stop being so crabby with Davis?" She growled.

"I'd like to point out that he started it," Ken muttered. "And that I held back some very choice words I felt appropriate to give him considering the way he interrupted us."

"He's only trying to look out for me," Kari hissed through gritted teeth. "He's a good friend that way."

Ken rolled his eyes and put his fist to his D3. "Well he should start focusing on himself," He said, summoning his plasma blade once more. "That way he can have a chance of actually summoning his crest weapon."

Kari's eyes narrowed and she copied Ken's action, summoning her rapier as well. "Trust me, Ken," She said, hunkering down with her blade held out. "When Davis does summon his crest weapon, you'll be blown away, I just know it."

Following that declaration, any and all who walked the passageways would suddenly see a bright flash of pink and violet illuminate the cavern walls.

The Mess Hall was, all things considered, pretty tiny and pretty shabby. Only about four tables lined the cracked, earthen floors of it, and along the walls, tan-colored roots and pock-marked holes criss-crossed all throughout their surfaces. At the very back of the Mess Hall was a single punched in hole with food-scented steam billowing out from it and several planks of tied together wood functioning as a door beside it.

"Hey, Impmon! Guilmon!" Veemon called out once he and Davis walked in.

As cheery as Veemon's greeting was, the response he got was far from friendly.

"I've already told you! The delivery will be ready when it's ready!" The little shabby door flew back with a mighty kick from Impmon, scowling at whoever dared to intrude upon his domain.

Thankfully, he recognized that Davis and Veemon were not the appropriate targets for his aggression, and thus mellowed out when he saw them.

"Oh, it's yous guys," He muttered, a small tinge of pink coloring the whites of his cheeks. "Sorry about that. You wanna bite?"

"Yes, please!" Veemon chimed. "You got any meat berries? I could really go for a roast beef one!"

"Yeah, sure," Impmon replied. He turned back to the kitchen. "Hey, Red! You mind bringing out today's stock of meat berries!"

"Coming, Impmon!" Guilmon emerged from the kitchen, a trolley full of steaming berries in various shades of red, orange, and brown with him. "Hi Davismon and Veemon! Help yourselves! We've got lemon pepper chicken, roast beef, and pork cutlet flavors today!"

"Ooh, don't mind if I do!" Veemon said, grabbing a red berry.

"Thanks a bunch, Guilmon." Davis said, grabbing an orange pork cutlet berry. He promptly took a bite, relishing the crunchy exterior and the juicy interior, perfectly mimicking the tonkatsu bowls of back home.

"We've got dumbapple juice too if you want it," Guilmon said, standing taller on his haunches.

"Mmm, yeth pleaathe!" Veemon said through a mouthful of food.

A few moments later, Davis and Veemon were seated at a table with a few more meat berries in front of them and two metal flagons filled with frothy amber colored liquid.

"So what's got ya so riled up, Impmon?" Veemon asked.

Impmon slammed his flagon down, grimacing at Davis and Veemon with a frothy dumbapple juice mustache. "It's this stupid delivery order we've gotta make to Divermon!" He explained. "Every few days we gotta deliver a meal to the guy in exchange for him providing safe passage to any Digimon who want to seek shelter with us, and ever since we started doing that, his demands have just gotten more and more over the top fancy-schmancy! I mean look at this!"

Impmon reached into his bandana, yanking out a piece of paper with an irritated flourish. "Fresh crayfish roasted over chives, a basket of spectral blackberries dusted with sugar, blackened frog-legs over wild lettuce, and a bottle of Geckomon water!"

Davis swallowed his current bite, "Wow, sounds ritzy."

"Ritzy doesn't even come close to describin' it!" Impmon groused, stuffing the paper back into the folds of his bandana. "Do you know how much cash it takes to get these things? Getting your hands on actual meat is hard during the best of times around here, never mind trying to get it with the Paladin traipsing around!"

Davis stopped before he took his next bite of meat berry, "What do you mean 'actual meat'?"

"Gee, that really stinks, Impmon," Veemon said, chomping down on his own berry with no trouble.

"You're telling me…" Impmon sighed, taking another swig of his juice.

"Impmooooon!" The cheery vibrato of Guilmon rang through the Mess Hall shortly before he rolled out to the trio once again. On top of the trolley this time was a picnic basket covered with the stereotypical red and white checkered picnic cloth. "The food's ready! Should we go now?"

Impmon groaned and let his head fall onto the table, "Why do we haveta deliver it?"

"You don't remember?" Guilmon asked, tilting his head, "Musyamon's out collecting smithing materials, so Kenmon asked us—"

"I know why we have to deliver it; I was being rhetorical, Red!" Impmon snarled at Guilmon. He ran his hands along his head, bringing his little jester ears down upon the sides of his head for a moment before letting them bounce back up. Ugh, what I'd give to pawn this off on someone else.

"It sounds like you're having a pretty rough day, Impmon," Veemon said after another lengthy drink. "I wish we could help you out."

A lightbulb came over Impmon's head when he heard Veemon say that. "Saaay…" He hummed, placing an elbow on the table and giving Davis and Veemon an undeniably devilish smirk. "Maybe you can. Why don't you two make the delivery? It'll give you two a chance to get some fresh air."

Veemon shook his head, "We can't. Ken doesn't want us to leave the base until everyone has their crest weapons."

Davis scowled, Yeah, and who knows how long that'll be…

"Aw c'mon!" Impmon insisted. "What makes you think hanging around here is gonna make those sparkly things appear! Ken and Kari's didn't appear that way. Aren't Digidestined and their partners supposed to be all gung-ho about finding trouble?"

Davis blinked, a fledgling spark of agreement lighting up within him. Impmon was right. He didn't know how Ken got his crest weapon, but according to Gatomon, Kari's had appeared during her fight with the Paladin. He didn't know anything specific about that, but maybe action was the key! Perhaps the catalyst to summoning his own crest weapon laid outside of the system of caverns they had confined themselves to in the past week.

Davis had to admit, he liked the idea, but there was still one thing he had to worry about. Ken didn't want them to leave the base, but Davis personally didn't care; he could shove his orders right where the sun didn't shine for all he cared.

No, what Davis was concerned with was worrying Kari. The promise he'd made to her outside his door a week prior was still fresh on his mind, and even though he could literally feel his skin buzzing for a chance to get out into the outside Digital world, he really didn't want to worry her any more than he'd apparently done when they'd met the Paladin.

"Whaddya think, Davey-boy?" Impmon turned to Davis instead. "You look like you're getting a pretty nasty case of cabin fever there."

Davis quirked a lip, "Ya got that right, but…"

"Impmon, stop trying to pass off our chores," Guilmon chided. "Divermon's lake isn't that far from here."

Veemon's eyes lit up like a pair of firework sparklers had gone off in them. "Wait, Divermon lives at the lake? The same lake I heard about from Wormmon?"

Impmon smirked like a cat that had just cornered their mouse. "Well duh, it's called Divermon's lake. Where else would he live, up in the clouds?"

"Hey, go easy on him," Davis said. "This place is weird; I wouldn't be surprised if some dude was living up in the clouds around here."

"Davis, can we go!?" Veemon asked, suddenly sounding like a child who'd heard a carnival was in town. "You know how much I've been wanting to see that lake! It might be the lake from my memories!"

Davis' heart panged for Veemon. True to what the little Digimon said, the two of them had spoken extensively on the phantom lake from Veemon's hazy recollections, with Veemon extolling the imaginary conclusion of what it would be like when they finally got to said lake, where Veemon would finally see where he came from and his memories would miraculously return.

"Please Davis! Can we go! Can we, can we, can we!" Veemon grabbed his partner by the chainmail, pulling him close so Davis had no choice but to look into his big red eyes.

"Veemon, I wanna go too…" Davis gently unfurled Veemon's hands from his front, "but what if Ken and Kari find out? Plus…" His eyes fell down to his knee, where his D3 faintly sparkled beneath the flickering lightbulbs that hung over them. "What if we—"

"If anything happens, I'll just armor digivolve!" Veemon cried, throwing his fist into the air. He gave Davis a gleeful grin, "That is if your crest weapon doesn't show up first."

Aw Veemon… Davis thought.

"Besides," Impmon snarked, "Red's telling the truth about it not being very far. It's only about fifteen minutes north of the entrance into this place." He folded his gloved hands beneath his chin, "So, you in?"

Between Veemon's pleading gaze, Impmon's surreptitious smirk, Guilmon's sort of just sniffing the picnic basket, and the supposed potential of finally getting his crest weapon, Davis really had no argument against not going at this point.

Especially so when they all felt a slight rumble reverberate beneath them, along with a faint flash of violet and pink light that could be seen in the distance beyond the Mess Hall entrance.

Davis' brow furrowed after they passed, and he leapt to his feet.

"We're in! Let's roll!" He exclaimed, curling his D3 against his chest.

Unaware of the faint orange gleam that came over the screen.

"Okay seriously…" Davis groaned as he and Veemon traversed the earthen spiral staircase that led them upward. "I can wrap my head around Ken making all these caves with the Digimon helping him, but whose idea was it to make getting out of here such a drag!?"

To get back to the outside world from the underground base, one would have to traverse a series of ladders beneath a series of hanging roots, crawl along a zigzagged passage that went on several meters (an action made so much harder thanks the picnic basket they were lugging with them), and perhaps most egregiously, ascend a spiraling staircase that Davis felt went higher than some of the buildings back in Tokyo.

"Eh, at least the wall sconces are nice," Veemon said, gesturing to one of many that lined the walls, complete with little pots of lavender flowers in each of them. "Say what you want, Ken really goes above and beyond."

"Emphasis on the above part!" Davis groaned. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the faint gleam of the exit; a circular construct that waved and rippled like what one would see beneath the surface of water. "Finally!"

The two of them passed through the veil and emerged into a brightly lit area surrounded by what appeared to be the bark of a tree.

A hiding tree, a staple resource for many a Digital being that wished to come and go in safe travel.

"I'll check outside," Veemon said, bouncing over to the edge of the tree. He stuck his head through the illusionary bark, peering outward for a moment before pulling back.

"All clear!"

With the confirmation of minimal danger before them, Davis and Veemon stepped through the hiding tree.

Both of their moods immediately brightened when they stepped out into the sunlight.

The Wire Forest's namesake, the many collections of thick and colorful cords that weaved across the dusty leaf-laden grounds were speckled with the iridescent gleams of light that peeked through the trees above them.

"Ahhhh!" Davis took a deep appreciative breath of the sweet-scented air. "Sweet fresh air!" He gently bopped a fist to his chest. "Does the body good, don't it, Veemon?"

"Sure does!" Veemon agreed, mimicking his partner whilst standing on his toes.

The two stood from where they emerged for a long moment, just appreciating the beauty, splendor, and revitalizing energy that the Digital world imparted on them.

They probably would've stayed there for a fair bit longer, had they not an errand to run.

"Come on!" That, and Veemon's insistence for them to get going helped as well.

So they went, trekking through the forest, Veemon swinging his arms in a cheerful little march, Davis carrying the picnic basket in one hand while fiddling with his D3 in the other.

Damn it, what am I supposed to do with this stupid thing? He thought after hammering on the buttons for the umpteenth time. He grimaced and tried raising it towards the sky again, Just appear already! I need to be able to fight too!

All his D3 did in response was glimmer faintly in the sunlight, its jagged crystalline brilliance bright with sapphire hues.

Lousy thing… Davis lowered the D3, his fingers clenching around its edges.

"I don't see why you're so worried about that thing, Davis." Veemon reclaimed his attention from his place a few paces ahead. He hopped onto a log and proceeded to walk along it like a balance beam. "I'm sure your crest weapon will appear when the time is right, just be patient."

Davis sighed and walked alongside Veemon as he did his little gymnastic routine. "I can't afford to be patient, Veemon," He told the Digimon. "Ka—I mean, the team needs me to be ready now." He felt his hair stand up when his next thought popped unbidden into his mind and he couldn't help but look at the blank, unfeeling screen of his D3 once again.

"I have to—I have to prove that I'm worth this whole Digidestined thing…"

Before he could get lost in the screen, his hand was pulled down by Veemon's, covering it from his view.

"Hey now…" Veemon said, leaning over the D3 so Davis could only look at him. "Not just anyone could have freed me from the Digimental, y'know." He smiled his strange little crooked smile. "It had to be you, Davis. Only you."

"Veemon…" Davis felt a hefty dollop of warmth drop into his heart.

"Don't worry about it," Veemon said, releasing Davis' hand. "I've already said your crest weapon will appear when its needed, just give it the time you need, okay?"

Davis couldn't help but smile back at Veemon. "Okay," He agreed, stashing his D3 back in the slot on one of his hip plates.

"Good," Veemon said with a happy nod. He released Davis' hand and twirled around to continue his cheery little march. "Now let's hurry up! I get the feeling my old home is nearby!"

Davis laughed and sped up his pace after Veemon, "Really? Well I gotta see that! Think we'll find a cheesy little portrait of you in a suit or something?"

"Maybe!" Veemon gleefully laughed back.

"Whoa-oaah!"

When the speckled light of the forest gave away to the bright and full light of the lake landscape, Davis and Veemon couldn't help but dash out onto the verdant grass, only stopping when they came to the lake's edge.

Davis had never seen water so blue before. Back in Tokyo, the waters of the bay that he often saw from his window in the mornings were usually more gray than blue, with nightfall shifting it towards black most days. Here, this water was somehow both radiantly blue and marvelously clear at the same time, allowing him to see every little pebble that lined the shallows, they themselves glimmering iridescently in their own multitudinous shades of green, blue, and purple.

"How pretty!" Veemon exclaimed.

"You're telling me!" Davis agreed. He looked over at Veemon, "So is this place stirring up any memories?"

Veemon continued to stare out over the lake, his bright grin rivaling the shine of the lake itself.

Then, it began to fade, never quite disappearing outright, but definitely growing weaker as Veemon came to his conclusion.

"This isn't the place," Veemon said, shaking his head with the shadow of his previous exuberance clinging to his expression. The lake still was a splendor to behold, after all.

Davis' shoulders fell, "Aww. I'm sorry, Veemon."

"It's okay," Veemon said. He beamed at Davis, clearly trying to hide his disappointment. "This just means we get to go to more lakes together, right?"

Davis knew Veemon was just putting up a front, but he nodded in agreement all the same. "Yeah! Absolutely!" He looked back to the lake, folding his arms behind his head. "And maybe next time we can bring Kari and Gatomon with us!"

"That'd be fun!" Veemon chimed, bringing his fists up. "And we can bring food! And have a picnic!"

"Heck yeah!" Davis agreed, punching a fist up into the sky. In doing so, he recalled the picnic basket held tight in his other hand. "But we should probably focus on getting Divermon's grub to him first, shouldn't we?"

"Probably," Veemon agreed with a nod. He stepped past Davis and stood on his toes, peering far to the right of where they stood to where a small structure could be seen in the distance. "And if I were betting Digimon, I'd bet that little house is where he's waiting for us."

Davis held a hand over his eyes so he could look past the glare of the sun. "I think you're right," He said. "I see a bridge connected to that house."

"Then let's get going!" Veemon cried, whilst breaking into a run. "Last one there's a rotten Digi-egg!"

Davis jolted and immediately burst into a sprint after his partner, "Hey, no fair! You didn't say you wanted a race!"

"I always wanna race!" Veemon laughed. "You just should've paid attention, Davis!"

Davis smirked, "Oh you are gonna regret that, Veemon!"

The two of them raced along the lake's grassy shore. As they went, the long blades of grass they passed by seemed to dip towards them when they passed, as if they too were invested in who would triumph.

"AAAAANNDD I WIN!" Davis came to a sliding stop just below the cabin's front porch, kicking up a small dust cloud in front of him before he turned back to face Veemon arriving two seconds later. "Looks like that cheap little head start of yours wasn't enough to beat the awesomeness that was Davis Motomiya, Veemon old buddy!"

Veemon smirked right back up at Davis, "Uh-huh, I'd just love to see you beat Flamedramon in a race, Davis."

Davis brought his free hand to his chest, "Well if that's a second challenge you're issuin', then bring it on!"

Veemon hunched up his shoulders, his crimson eyes glimmering with excitement, "Oh it's on!"

"It's on?"

"IT'S ON!"

"WHO IN TARNATION IS DOIN' ALL THAT YELLING!?"

Following the indignant shout that came from beyond the porch was a violent kicking open of the front door, and from its threshold came a Digimon, armed with a spear.

Divermon: a Digimon that many in our world would consider a sea monster was around four feet tall; garbed in a blue and white wetsuit with wing like appendages on his wrists and strange little spiked growths upon his head. In the rays of the sun, his silver spear gleamed as he brandished it towards Davis and Veemon.

Both partner and Digimon immediately held their hands up when they saw the weapon.

"WHOA-WHOA-WHOA!" Veemon took a protective stance in front of Davis. "I'm guessing you're Divermon, right!? We ain't here to cause any trouble! We're just here to drop off the food you're expecting!" He tilted his head up towards, Davis. "Right, Davis?" He probed with a sense of urgency in his voice.

Davis raised the picnic basket to show Divermon. "Y-Yeah, that's right! We got the grub Ken promised you! Fresh made, too!"

The suspicious glare in Divermon's eyes shrank when he saw the basket, and both Davis and Veemon swore they saw his mouth began to water.

"WELL, SWEET HORNY TOADS OF SWAMPLAND! WAS THAT BLACKENED FROG LEGS I WAS SMELLIN'!?" He spun his spear above him and slammed it down on the wood of the porch. "WOO-HOOO! GOOD EATS IS COMIN' MY WAY! BRING IT ON UP HERE, BOY!"

Davis sweatdropped, but he stepped out from behind Veemon, climbing up the steps of the porch to hand Divermon the basket.

"Mmhmm!" Divermon hummed in appreciation. He reached into the basket and pulled out a glass bottle emblazoned with the image of a tipsy red-cheeked Digimon. "Mmm, Geckomon water! Tonight's gonna be a good night!"

"Yeah…" Davis murmured, nose wriggling when the unmistakable scent of alcohol assailed his senses following Divermon's uncorking of the bottle. Jeez, that stuff smells like it could knock over an elephant!

"Would you boys care for a drink with me?" Divermon offered.

"I'm good thanks," Davis replied. He had a feeling his parents wouldn't buy the old arcade excuse he'd been using if he returned home with that stuff on his breath. He angled his sights into the basket, "You—You got some pretty ritzy grub in there, don't ya?"

"Yup!" Divermon exclaimed gleefully, "Makes all the danger worth it!"

"What kind of danger?" Veemon asked, eking his way towards the basket. Maybe he would partake in a Geckomon water or two since the offer was on the table.

"You kiddin'!?" Divermon set the basket down and pointed past Davis and Veemon with his spear.

The bridge leading across the lake couldn't have been longer than about two-thousand feet, a stable structure of connected red wood that stretched across the narrowest part of the lake, rising only about twelve feet above the water give or take. On the other side was a sort of makeshift pathway leading into a bough of trees.

"That bridge is the only thing connecting this part of the sector to Seiryu city, the second biggest city in the sector!" He frowned and set his spear down, "Well, it's the first biggest now, thanks to the Paladin and his Generals torching the original biggest city some time back." He shook his head, "Lot of good Digimon were sent to Primary village that day…"

"Oh man…" Davis murmured.

"Yer tellin' me," Divermon agreed. "And the Paladin's influence is only growin' more and more over in Seiryu. That's why Ken and I reached this little agreement. I help guide and protect Digimon seeking refuge from over there to over here, and in exchange, I get this little basket of goodies every now and again." He chuckled, "Would you believe it if I told you I was totally fine with just bread and meat at first? I'm only getting these things because Ken insisted on it. Says I'm of 'vital importance' to the movement or something like that. Ain't that a gas? I'm just a Digimon trying to make sure others get where they need to go safely."

Veemon shook his head, "I don't think so! I think you're being mighty brave, Divermon."

Davis nodded in agreement, "Yeah…" He found himself looking down at his D3. "Brave…"

Just like the digimental he had been bestowed with.

GRR-RMMBLE!

The sound of Divermon's stomach grumbling roused Davis' attention back to the current moment.

Divermon let out a hearty guffaw, "Looks like my stomach is growing mighty impatient!" He turned his sights to a clock on the wall behind him. "Mighty shame about that," He said with a slight frown. "I got an appointment to shepherd some Digimon across the bridge. Guess my meal will have to wait."

Davis snapped to full attention at that, "What? And let your food get cold? No way!" He raised his hands up along his chest. "Why don't Veemon and I go for you?"

Veemon's eyes snapped away from the bottle of Geckomon water, "Wait? Us go?"

"Yeah!" Davis turned towards the bridge, "It's no hassle. And since we're heading back to base, we could just hit two birds with one stone and lead them there ourselves!" He faced Veemon again, his shoulders bunched up with excitement, "We could handle that, right, Veemon?"

"Uh…Yeah!" Veemon quickly matched his partner's energy, bringing his fists up alongside him. "We could do that! Easy-peasy!"

Divermon regarded the two with a thoughtful quirk to his lip. "You sure? It's been easygoings thus far, but ya never know when danger could hop outta somewhere."

"Then I'll just armor digivolve!" Veemon proclaimed, pounding a fist to his chest. "And if that isn't enough, I'll have Davis by my side to help me!"

Davis felt his heart grow warm at Veemon's declaration. "Yeah," He agreed. "We'll handle it, Divermon. We promise."

"Besides," Veemon added with a chuckle. "Cold frog legs just sound gross if you ask me."

Divermon's frown deepened and he looked to the picnic basket. "Well, you're right about that…" He paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, you've twisted my arm!" He spun his spear and pointed off in the direction of the bridge, "You boys have my blessin'! Go ahead and traverse my bridge and do so bravely, boyos!" He clapped the base of his spear back down. "Oh, and try to be quick if you don't mind, would you? The Digimon who need escortin' should be on the other side in about twenty minutes or so."

Davis raised a thumbs up towards Divermon, "You got it!" Then without another word, he span on his heel and burst into a dash down the first planks of the bridge, "C'mon, Veemon!"

Veemon followed, but not before turning to Divermon and asking for one thing.

"You mind saving me about half a glass of that Geckomon water for when I get back?"

Davis and Veemon managed to run about halfway across the bridge before they decided to slow their pace, going from a full sprint to a more leisurely stroll so they could enjoy the water-scented winds of the lake.

"Wooo!" Davis stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Real scorcher out here today, ain't it, Veemon."

"I'm doing okay," Veemon replied. "Then again, I'm not wearing all that stuff you're wearing."

Davis smirked and continued walking on, "Yeah, this armor and whatnot is kinda clunky. What I'd give to just be walking around here in a T-shirt and shorts. Maybe a cool jacket just for style, y'know?"

"I feel like that would just make you hot again," Veemon pointed out.

"Eh, I suppose you're right," Davis agreed, folding his arms behind his head again. The two of them continued on their way for another while or so, simply letting the cool and misty air brush over them as they quietly enjoyed one another's company.

"Hey, Veemon?" Davis broke said silence as they neared the end of the bridge.

"What's up?"

Davis bit his cheek thoughtfully. "Divermon's a pretty brave guy, isn't he? Helping all those Digimon get away from that Paladin creep." He plucked his D3 from his hip and held it up for him to gaze at yet again, "I hope I can help like that myself, once I get my crest weapon, that is."

"Again with the crest weapon?" Veemon sighed and jogged up in front of Davis. "Didn't I already tell you not to doubt yourself like an hour ago?"

Davis suddenly felt a prickle of embarrassment tingle in his senses. "I wouldn't say I was doubting my—"

"Davis, look at what you're doing right now," Veemon interjected. "You're doing the thing that Divermon's been doing! Not to mention the fact that you volunteered to do it yourself!" He stood on his tiptoes, "How much difference d'ya think a crest weapon would make when you're already doing this kind of stuff without it! Sure it'd be helpful, but it's not what you need to be great. You're already great, Davis!"

Davis had to stop. "Veemon…"

"Again," Veemon went on, "Not just anyone could have freed me. It had to be you, Davis." He set his hands on his hips, "So seriously, quit worryin' so much over your crest weapon. It's gonna be awesome when you get it, but you're already awesome without it, got it?"

Davis could only smile and bring his hand to rub at his tingling nose, blinking hard to force the mistiness in his eyes down. "G-Got it," He stammered.

Veemon nodded, "Good. Now try not to make me say it a third time today, okay?"

Davis sniffled and brought his hand down again, "Sure. But only on one condition."

"What's that?" Veemon asked, tilting his head.

Davis then sprinted past Veemon, "You'll have to beat me in a race!"

Veemon jolted and span around to chase after Davis, "HEY! NOW YOU'RE CHEATING!"

"Should've been paying attention, Veemon!" Davis crowed wickedly.

And thus, the two comrades in arms, partner and Digimon ran the rest of the bridge's way, unaware of not only the great development that was to come Davis' way…

But also unaware of the great shadow that loomed within the waters beneath them.

AN: The first chapter of this next arc has begun, and it looks like quite a bit is getting ready to unfold. What is the Steeple project? How does TK intend to get the upper hand with it? Will Davis get his crest weapon soon? Better yet, what will it be? Stay tuned to find out, dear readers, because who knows what may happen on the next chapter of The Digital Paladin!

And as always, reviews and feedback are always greatly appreciated! Doubly so for the more in-depth ones!

Manegie, Staying Digital!