The Digital Paladin

by Manegie

Three years have passed since the digidestined saved the Digital World from ruin, leaving a reborn world bereft of the scars of before in their wake. But an unblemished world, like an unblemished heart cannot avoid strife, and when a new enemy arises, intent to shape the world into a distorted state, it will fall to a new set of digidestined to come to its aid once more. 02 AU

11. Chapter 11: The Spy: Part Two

Chapter Eleven

The Spy (Part Two)

"Jeez, just look at this place…" Tai stared across the barren, muddy crater that was once Divermon's lake. Strewn all across the great expanse beneath them, bits of the old bridge laid about, sticking out of the mud in a myriad of jagged angles. In the shallow pools that remained, helpless digi-fish splashed about, gasping for air in a futile attempt to cling to life.

Suddenly Tai was rethinking getting sushi on the way back home.

"Yeah," Agumon said in a solemn whimper. "Apparently after what happened with Davis and Veemon, the Paladin's forces came back and bombed this place out to nothing."

"General Rapidmon was the one that did the most damage," Gabumon said. "In his rage for losing the fleeing Digimon we took in, he completely decimated this entire are nearly by himself."

Matt stepped towards the edge of the mud-caked grass they stood upon, "Then we'll be sure to get him back extra then."

"Truth be told though, I haven't heard much about Rapidmon lately," Agumon said. He placed a claw over his stomach. "From what I've heard, the Paladin wasn't very happy about him not catching those escapees." He placed the claws over his lips, his gaze drooping a little, "I'm almost worried for him."

Matt clicked his tongue, "Whatever." He turned back the others. "The end goal of this whole thing is the Paladin. And the faster we get to him, the faster we can boot him out of here." He swiped his hand into his jacket pocket and brandished his digivice. "Ready to go, Gabumon?"

Gabumon's eyes gleamed in sudden excitement and he ran towards the lake edge. "I'm ready, Matt!" He exclaimed, leaping off the bank.

A screeching noise came from Matt's digivice, and on the screen, a series of white lines began to creep upwards as a myriad of blue light particles overtook Gabumon.

"GABUMON, DIGIVOLVE TO—" The particles converged until they were a single blinding sapphire star, and in a burst of thunderous sound, a great wolf-creature adorned in shimmering white fur and sparkling blue stripes appeared.

"GARURUMON!" The creature howled.

Agumon was awash with envy when Garurumon appeared, "No fair!" He said, throwing his hands into the air. "I wanna digivolve, too! It's been so long!" He looked up at Tai, bouncing on his feet, "Tai, let me become Greymon! Please!"

"You might wanna put a pin in that for right now," Matt interjected while going up to Garurumon with a faint smile. "We need to lay low, and no offense, but Greymon isn't exactly hard to spot."

"Aww…" Agumon groaned.

"Now though," Matt said, hoisting himself up onto Garurumon's back. "Let's get going." He held out a hand to Tai. "Are you ready?"

Tai, for the many times he had faced danger in the Digital world with boundless determination, could not help but feel like something bad lay ahead of them. Perhaps it was the strange topsy-turvy nature of Matt being so gung-ho about charging into enemy territory, but something deep inside of him told him that they should avoid crossing the remains of Divermon's lake.

However, he knew Matt would go either way, and the thought of letting his friend go alone into whatever danger lay ahead, well that felt like a much greater stone in his stomach.

So, he nodded, and took Matt's hand.

…

"Did you not hear me!?" The vulpine barked at Yolei and Hawkmon, the gleam of her canines shining bright within the mists that swirled around them. She pressed the glowing blade clenched between her fingers against Ken's cheek and squeezed Wormmon tighter against his neck. "Answer me or there will be consequences!"

Yolei could only croak, a prisoner of the dryness of her throat in that moment. What should she do? What could she do? She had resolved herself into standing by Ken in any and all hardships that could've risen, yet there she was, completely rooted to the spot where she stood in the face of the very first digimon that came along.

And try as she might, she just couldn't get herself to budge.

"Feather strike!"

The zipping whip of something whizzing through the air, followed by a grunt and a solid thunk served as the catalyst to snapping Yolei out of her stupor.

She first swerved to look at her partner.

Hawkmon had stepped forward, his left wing held out with his black talons gleaming in the low light of the forest glade. His bright blue eyes were creased with focus, and his beak was drawn back in a challenging grimace.

"Hawkmon…" Yolei whispered.

"Urgh! You little pest!" The fox digimon's angry rebuttal drew Yolei's attention back to her.

A thin cut now marred the lustrous golden fur of the digimon's face, bringing along with it a thin rivulet of blood that eked downward. Behind the digimon, Yolei saw what was unmistakably one of Hawkmon's feathers supplanted in the bark of a tree a ways behind her.

"Do you not understand the situation you find yourselves in here!?" The Digimon barked, now brandishing the glowing white blade towards Hawkmon.

"Oh I very much understand," Hawkmon said. His talons twitched and a few feathers stood a little straighter. "That is why I levied out that warning shot."

The fox digimon bared her teeth out at Hawkmon in reply, a low guttural growl rising from her throat as her fur bristled.

"Alright!" Ken bared his teeth as well, and with hard jut of his elbow into the fox digimon's ribs, he span away, cradling Wormmon close while he leapt back. "That is enough, Renamon!"

The digimon named Renamon held a hand to the spot Ken had struck, looking more miffed than genuinely wounded. "Do not tell me what to do in this situation, Ken!" She hissed. "You promised me that there would no interlopers!"

"These two are not interlopers!" Ken shot back.

"Then who are they?!"

"They're Digidestined! Like me!"

Silence fell across the glade with Ken's news, and Renamon's bristled fur relaxed somewhat.

"Digidestined…" She said, glancing over at Yolei and Hawkmon. "Do tell…"

…

Urgh, this headache is really starting to get annoying! The Paladin squeezed his fingers beneath the sides of his helmet, pressing his fingertips against his pulsing temples. He hissed at the twinge it sent shooting down his body, and he had to keep his knees from buckling in the severity of it.

Perhaps I should take some time out of the sun, He considered, hobbling his way forward. He went up to the base of great construct that now stood in the middlemost point of Seiryu city.

The steeple was a standout amongst the rest of the vibrant red architecture, a bone white blemish that speared the sky, surpassing everything else in domineering height. Not only did it exude a sinister aura in the occasional sparks that came off the thin needling spire at the top, but it seemed to suck in and stagnate every bit of space around it. The air was stale, the light that bounced off its ashen surface seemed to ripple ethereally, even the colors of the brick that made up the plaza seemed to grow grayer the closer the Paladin got closer to it.

But he paid no attention to those odd details, he just staggered over to the side where the steeple casted some shade.

He groaned as he fell into a seated position, grateful for the small modicum of relief he got in the dimmed light. He took a moment shut his eyes, taking several deep, laborious breath.

Why was his whole body suddenly so cold? So clammy? His stomach was rolling, sending ripples of nausea through him.

It took several minutes of just deep breathing to quell that sudden spike of illness, several minutes to bring the dull throbbing in his head to a manageable level.

I should really consider bringing some aspirin with me from here on in… The Paladin told himself, opening his eyes once more.

The muted colors imparted by the Digital world through his helmet made him wince once more, but he powered through it to lift his D3 up.

General Crowmon is late, He internally groused when he saw the time. That pompous bird must be taking his sweet time preening his feathers. He let out a huff through his nostrils and tilted his head back. Typi—

BZZT!

"AUGH!" A guttural cry tore itself out of the Paladin's throat when the back of his head made contact with the steeple. Pain like that of a scorched needle tearing through his cerebellum made him recoil away. His hands went to the midpoints of his jaw, clenched tight as stone, and he fell on his side, curling tightly into a ball outside of his own volition as he rocked back and forth. When he opened his eyes, his vision was not just blurry, but grainy, like that of a TV on the fritz. He blinked several times, supplanting the water that cropped in the corners of his eyes away before they could fall.

What was that!? He twisted his body around to look at where he had been sitting.

The walls of the steeple were still as blank as before. Smooth as marble and lacking any sort of nick or scuff that could have irritated him upon making contact.

What—How did— The Paladin brought a hand to the back of his helmet, the very thing that was meant to protect him. What was…

He gulped and found himself scooting from the wall.

I must be dehydrated, He told himself, a shudder coming over him. I really must get some water and some aspirin soon, that's it.

He took a sharp breath through his nose and forced himself onto his feet, his legs shaky and his armor feeling heavier than before.

General Crowmon needs to hurry up and get over here, He thought with a grimace. I don't have all day.

"My Lord!" He was provided a respite from his thoughts by the voice of another, who when he turned around found to be haloed Kotemon.

The Paladin turned to the Kotemon, straightening his posture and folding his hands behind his back. "Soldier," He said plainly. "What seems to be the issue?"

The Kotemon stopped, "We have intruders, my Lord!"

"Intruders!?" The Paladin replied sharply. "Who is it?! Is it those rebels?"

The Kotemon shook his head, "Not any that we recognize! It's a Greymon and a Garurumon! A terribly powerful Greymon and Garurumon!"

A great chill swept through the Paladin. A Greymon and a Garurumon? Attacking together?

No… He thought. It can't be…

His lips quirked and he stepped past the Kotemon, "Show me to them. I need to see this myself!"

The Kotemon jolted and trotted in front of the Paladin, "Y-Yes, My Lord! They're in the northwestern part of the city, just where the forest begins."

The Paladin barely registered the words, simply following the Kotemon with a scowl.

It can't be, He thought, resisting the urge to bring a hand to his stomach, rolling irately once more. Surely it is not time for me to face them already…

…

"I see…" Renamon's gaze steered towards Yolei and Hawkmon, "So in the midst of my absence, you've finally succeeded in contacting the Digidestined, as well as discovered some new ones…"

Yolei gulped in lieu of the icicles creeping down her back. Those startlingly blue eyes of Renamon's were downright otherworldly. It wouldn't surprise her if she could actually, literally see through her with the straight ethereal nature of her gaze.

"Yolei…" The chill was lessened when she felt Hawkmon's warm feathery grasp wrap around her fingers. When she looked down at him, she saw that he was glaring right back at Renamon, his own bright blue gaze unyielding in this apparent challenge.

"Do not be afraid," He said in a gentle whisper.

Renamon eventually broke the stare down in favor of returning her attention to Ken, "Am I right in my understanding?"

"That's about the gist of it," Wormmon replied in Ken's stead.

"And they've been of great help to us since then," Ken said, stepping between Renamon and Yolei before Renamon could glare at Yolei some more. "Now, if you do not mind, can we focus on the main reason we are here? Mainly your report?"

Renamon's tail swished and she nodded curtly. "Of course." She turned her head to stare off into the canopy of the trees. "The Paladin is in the midst of building something," She said.

"So I've heard," Ken replied. "Our latest refugees have informed us it's some sort of tower?"

Renamon shook her head, "Not a tower. According to what little I could glean from the databases, the Paladin is referring to them as 'Steeples', more accurately, 'Holy Steeples'."

Ken brought his hand beneath his chin in thought. "Holy Steeples…?"

"Ken, what's a steeple?" Wormmon asked.

Ken lowered his hand and tilted his head to look at his partner on his shoulder, "Well, historically speaking, steeples were structures that adorned the tops of churches. They were mostly used as waypoints so that those searching for a church could find one." He faced Renamon again, "All in all though, they are still towers when you get down to it. Is the Paladin using them as a means of marking his territory? Perhaps also to safeguard against invaders?"

"Normally I'd theorize that as well," Renamon stated. "But the steeples are made of a curious material. Material that the Paladin went out of his way to acquire. Ore and stone from Chronos Mountain."

"Ghk!" Though Ken visibly jolted, the choked gasp of surprise came from Hawkmon, and Yolei felt his talons tighten in her palm.

"Hawkmon, are you okay?" She asked, kneeling down to him.

Hawkmon sucked in a breath and brought his other claw to rest on his cheek. "Apologies," He said. "I just…That name seems to have stirred something in me." He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a slower, more self-soothing breath before opening them again. "Ken, I assume you are familiar with this place? Would you kindly enlighten me on why it elicits such shock in me."

Ken gulped, "Not much is known about Chronos Mountain as a whole, Hawkmon; just that it's a place one should best avoid." His fists clenched and he gazed at Renamon imploringly. "It's a place where the Digital World is unstable, shifting constantly. One second you could be standing at the bottom of a canyon, the next, you're at the top of a mountain. Why would he be gathering materials from there?! And what of the Digimon he's surely sent there? How many has he lost to the mountain already?!"

Ken… Yolei felt tempted to reach out and take his fist in her free hand. He was shaking, either in rage, fear, or maybe both.

Renamon closed her eyes, head bowing slightly in solemnity. "The last I heard, no less than sixty Digimon have been reported missing since our last correspondence with them."

"Damn it!" Ken's fist went to slam against the tree they all stood beneath, causing the branches above to shudder. "That horrible, crazy, son of a b—"

"Ken!" Yolei gave into the temptation and took his fist off the ashen bark of the tree, folding it instead in the warm grip of her fingers.

Ken's rage was greatly quelled when his hand was enclosed between Yolei's fingers and palm. In place of that burning anger, a smoldering sense of shame cropped up.

"Sorry…" He muttered.

"It's okay," Yolei replied softly.

"No judgment here, Ken," Wormmon added.

Still, Ken felt ashamed, but in lieu of getting angry again, he took a sharp breath through his nose and looked back to Renamon.

"Do we have any theories on to why the steeples were designed to be made out of materials from the mountain?" He asked.

Renamon shook her head, "As of now, no. I was unable to gather any more info than what I've brought to you. Other than the steeple's construction being nearly complete that is."

Ken bit his lip, "Then we'll have to keep an eye on the situation then." He fixed his gaze on Renamon, giving her a curt nod, "Your information is appreciated, Renamon. You're free to take your leave now. Be careful."

With that, Ken turned from his vulpine ally, leading Yolei with him back into the forest.

"Just a moment, Ken."

That was, until Renamon spoke again.

When the two Digidestined and their partners turned back towards the clearing, they found Renamaon still gazing upon them, her iridescent blue eyes gleaming eerily in the low light of the area.

"Is there something else you wish to say, Renamon?" Ken asked.

Renamon took a single step forward, "The two newest members of the resistance. I wish to test them."

Yolei's eyes widened. What did she just say?

"I beg your pardon," Ken said.

"Those two recruits," Renamon repeated. "I wish to face them in combat as a means of measuring their worthiness."

Oh crap… Yolei couldn't keep her grip from tightening in Ken's hand.

"That won't be necessary, Renamon," Ken interjected. "They more than have my approval in being a part of the resistance."

Renamon continued in her stride. "I insist," Was all she said, implacable in tone and her eyes glowing electric blue.

Ken took half a step in front of Yolei. "Renamon…" He warned, his free hand inching towards his D3.

"I'd be willing to oblige." Before Ken could brandish his weapon though, Hawkmon went out towards Renamon, drawing a gasp out of Yolei when she felt his feathery grip leave hers. "I've certainly been looking for an opportunity to stretch these stiff wings of mine."

"Hawkmon…" Yolei's voice was small, obvious in its concern for her partner.

"Hawkmon, you don't have to entertain her on this," Ken said. "We should really get going anyway."

Hawkmon tilted his head, appraising his three compatriots with a bemused glint in his eye, "Now, now, Ken. A gentleman never flees a challenge." He turned back to Renamon, "Especially since it was such a brazen advance made by this vixen."

Renamon's tail swished and her ears flattened against her skull. "Name calling. Charming," She said, getting into a crouching stance and brandishing a set of obsidian-colored claws. "I'll be looking forward to this. If anything, I'll at least be able to make you pay for that cheap sneak attack you struck me with."

A wry smirk paired with a wagging talon was her reply. "Surely a warrior such as yourself knows to always be wary," He chided teasingly. His smirk widened into an impish grin and he hunched himself low as well, his winged arms spreading out and his feathers beginning to puff up. "Perhaps it is you who requires appraising."

"Urgh!" Renamon bared her teeth, fur bristling and a few faint white particles glimmering into existence around her.

"Hawkmon!" A bolt of something prompted Yolei into breaking away from Ken and taking a step towards Hawkmon.

She wanted to be by his side, but the sheer tension of the upcoming fight stopped her at the edge of the soon-to-be battlefield.

"Don't worry, Yolei," Hawkmon though, assured her that he held no disdain for her fear. He raised his arms up higher, and a soft, but undeniable breeze circulated through the clearing. "I will protect you. You have my word."

If Yolei didn't love her partner before, she certainly came to love him in that moment.

"Now!" Hawkmon brought his arms down, and with a great burst of wind, leapt to the air towards Renamon. "En garde!"

…

"Nova Blast!" A great fireball burst from Greymon's open maw, sending the multitude of Digimon before the gargantuan reptile rolling back, if not outright scaring them into running away.

"Yeah!" Tai threw his fist skyward from his spot besides Greymon. He turned towards his partner. "Great job, Greymon! You haven't missed a beat!"

"Totally stylin', dude!" Greymon crowed.

"Howling Blaster!" Garurumon, with Matt on his back, let loose a mighty torrent of azure flames from his jaws, layering the street behind them with a fine layer of embers.

"That should keep anyone from following us," Matt said. He gestured Tai and Greymon forward, "Come on, let's keep moving." He looked upward, past the eaves of the surrounding buildings to the marble-esque obelisk in the center of the city. "The Paladin has to be there; I just know it."

Don't worry, TK, He added as an afterthought. I'll find out where Patamon is for you.

"Augh!"

"Urf"

Suddenly, Greymon and Garurumon let out a pair of simultaneous groans, and Matt felt Garurumon buckle beneath him.

"Greymon!" Tai went over to his partner, now down on his haunches with a pained look on his face. "Greymon, what's wrong?"

Matt slid off Garurumon, going over to his front and putting a hand on his muzzle. Garurumon, are you alright?"

"Something—Something's sapping my power!" Garurumon's form flickered and shrank and Matt thought he saw Gabumon for a split second.

"Tai, it's getting hard to hold this form," Greymon flickered for a second as well.

Tai looked over at Matt, "Matt, what's going on? They can't be running low on energy already!"

"I don't know!" Matt said. He pulled his digivice up. Up on the tiny screen, the white bars that signified digivolution were disappearing and reappearing erratically. "Maybe it's just been so long since they digivolved that they're out of practice."

"C'mon Greymon! You can do this!" Tai urged. "It's just like riding a bike! Remember!?"

FWOOSH!

The flames that had been left by Garurumon were swept away in a sharp, sudden gust of wind, revealing a figure standing at the edge of the street. His arm was outstretched, showcasing the blade that had conjured the wind. In the residual flames left behind, the metal of his blade gleamed malevolently and at his side, a strong gold and white light shined outward.

"The fault of their diminished strength does not fall on them…" The figure strode forward, revealing his features when the glare of the light dimmed somewhat.

"Matt, that's the—Ugh!" Garurumon grunted and shrank down substantially, going from slightly bigger than a truck to just about the size of a sedan.

"The Paladin…" Matt growled.

"Yamato Ishida." The Paladin continued his trek through the flames, snuffing them out as he passed through them. "The Digidestined of Friendship, slayer of Puppetmon and Piedmon." He looked beyond Matt towards Tai and Agumon, "And Taichi Kamiya, Digidestined of Courage and slayer of Etemon, Metalseadramon, Machinedramon, and Piedmon." He stopped a good five feet from Matt, "May I ask what you are doing here?"

"I feel that should be pretty obvious considering what we've heard about you," Matt retorted with bared teeth.

The Paladin's lips shifted into a scowl, "I see. So you've partaken in the slander towards me as well. That's unfortunate."

"Hard to call it slander when we've seen the truth firsthand," Matt said, taking a step forward. "Those haloes certainly looked real."

"The haloes are only a temporary measure!" The Paladin snarled. "A means to achieve the peace the Digital World needs."

"Peace?" This time it was Tai who interjected, placing himself besides Matt with his fists at his sides. "You've brainwashed just about everyone here! This isn't peace, it's practically a graveyard!"

The Paladin's scowl remained, but unbeknownst to Tai and Matt, his shoulders sank. "Then…I take it you're here to stop me?"

"We ain't here for a soccer match!" Tai replied.

The Paladin lowered his gaze, So it is as I thought. And as I feared.

"That is most unfortunate," The Paladin said in a croak. He brought his hand towards the light on his hip and pulled it up. He held the light in the direction of Matt and Tai, revealing his D3. "Because I cannot allow any form of resistance towards my mission. Apologies in advance."

And with that, he pressed the top button on the D3.

SKREEEE! SKREEEE!

Tai and Matt had to cover their ears in the blast of the sound that came over them. It was like the normal wail their own digivices made, but so much worse, like shrieks of pain, distorted and demonic in the way it caused Tai and Matt's eardrums to shudder. As the sound deafened them, several rings of garish white light passed over them and their Digimon.

After a dozen agonizing seconds, the sound and lights faded, and Tai and Matt were able to open their eyes once more.

"What was th—"

"Taiiii!" Greymon's shout pulled the attention of the two Digidestined back towards their partners.

The flickerings the two Digimon had been experiencing were worse than ever, and during Greymon's call to Tai, the same harsh light that had come from the Paladin's D3 had come to outline them.

"Greymon!" Tai cried.

"Matt, I'm sorry! We can't—" The light constricted around them, overtaking their forms. In that light, the two Champions shrank and shifted and brought them flat onto the ground.

"Garurumon!" Matt yelled.

The light faded, revealing Agumon and Gabumon lying prostrate on the ground, their backs rising and falling in shallow, pained breaths.

"Again, I'm sorry for having to do that," The Paladin said in a near whisper. "But I cannot have your digimon causing chaos in this city." He folded his hands behind his back. "Now, unless you are actually open to conversing, I must ask you to leave."

His response was a pair of guttural growls, followed by Matt and Tai turning towards him. Their teeth were bared and within their gazes, tumultuous clouds of rage, like rolling thunderstorms had appeared.

"You!"

"What did you do to them!?"

The Paladin's head twanged with a shot of pain and irritation when they charged for him, lancing through his temples like needles being shoved straight through his capillaries. Idiots! His legs sprung him forward, jettisoning him towards meeting them between the aisle of smoldering blue cinders.

I expected this from you, Tai! His fist bashed into the side of Tai's jaw, sending him flipping back into a dusty roll back to where he'd come from. But you, Matt?! He ducked a left hook from Matt and slammed his elbow into his gut, drawing a sickened gasp from the elder boy. I expected you to be open to at least talking! He drew back and thrust his palm forward, sending him flying back with a burst of energy from it.

Matt lost another breath when his back hit the bricks, hacking and sputtering as his lungs tried to draw in the oxygen they had lost.

"I am only warning you once…"

Matt's eyes opened blearily when he heard the Paladin's cold voice. His blurred vision only managed to make out his silhouette walking away from them.

"Leave the Digital World and do not come back. Your digimon are unable to digivolve in my presence and you lack the strength to do anything yourselves. You have my eternal respect for what you've done for the Digital World in the past, but blinded as you are, I will have no chance but to stand against you should you cause any more trouble. So leave, or suffer my wrath."

Matt had to admit, he felt weak in that moment, wholly out of his league against the might of this insurmountable opponent. Without the ability to digivolve, what could he do?

He would have turned tail and run, had his little brother's voice in his mind not pushed him to speak.

"PALADIN!" Matt hacked up a spittle of blood and forced himself to sit up, his arm going to wrap around his stomach. "My brother's partner! Patamon! Have you done anything to him?!"

The Paladin stopped, remaining completely still for several long moments. Unseen from Matt's perspective, his head had lowered, with his lips nothing more than a straight unreadable line.

"Patamon…" He turned just a fraction of an inch. "All I know about the Digimon of Hope…Is that he is in a safe place." He turned back away from Matt, "Now leave, before I have you forcibly removed."

His final word on the matter spoken, he continued on and disappeared around the corner, leaving the two veteran Digidestined, the leaders of the old guard, defeated.

…

"I have to say," Wormmon's pupils shifted back and forth, watching the blur of red and white battle it out against the blur of yellow and purple. "Hawkmon is really holding his own out there, isn't he?"

"I'll say," Ken agreed, his own sights jerking around erratically to try and keep up. "I guess Hawkmon was perfectly right to step up to Renamon's challenge."

"GO GET HER HAWKMON!" Ken and Wormmon jolted from Yolei's shout, the at least sixth one she had let out since the fight had begun. Besides them, she was pumping her fists through the air, cheering on her partner.

THOOOM! Hawkmon and Renamon clashed, their forearms shuddering against each other before they leapt away to land upon opposite sides of the glade, each sending a few blades of grass fluttering into the air.

The two combatants stared across the grass, panting from the exertion, but unyielding in keeping their arms raised readily.

"Hawkmon, are you holding up okay?" Yolei called out to him.

Hawkmon glanced back at her, offering a wry smirk along his beak before facing Renamon again. "I'm doing just fine, Yolei," He assured. His eyes sparkled when they met with Renamon's, "In fact, if I'm to be completely truthful, I'm actually feeling quite enthralled."

The scowl he got back from Renamon only made his brow wriggle impishly. "Trust me, my dear." His legs bent, preparing for another lunge. "I'm doing quite well out here."

"Says you!" Renamon leapt for Hawkmon, an advance to which Hawkmon met in kind. The two of them swiped and slashed at one another, actual sparks flying into the air whenever their claws clashed.

"'Fraid not, my dear!" Hawkmon tutted while sidestepping another swipe. "Goodness me, has anyone ever told you that are much too aggressive?" He leapt up and dealt out a kick—

Only for Renamon to catch his skinny talon in her arms. "And has anyone ever told you that you run your mouth too much!" She yanked him back, turning his momentum against and spinning him around. "Feel free to take this time to learn that lesson!" She roared, letting him loose towards where Yolei was standing.

"Hawkmon!" Something primal overtook Yolei, spiriting her into running forward, her arms outstretched to catch her partner.

However, as noble as the action was, Hawkmon knew how just fast he was going, and rather than let Yolei bear the brunt of his form sailing through the air like a cannonball, he spread out his feathered arms, catching the air beneath him and lifting above Yolei at an upward curve.

Unfortunately for him, this led him right into the branches of the great tree that guarded the entrance to the misty glade.

Suddenly the soft twinkling lights surrounding the leaves seemed like the warnings of a stop light rather than a collection of calming gleams.

Oh dear… Hawkmon thought with a grimace.

What followed was a cacophony of crunching branches, falling leaves, and language from Hawkmon that actually made Wormmon place his claws over Ken's ears.

"Oof!" The profanity came to an end when Hawkmon fell back to the digital earth, slamming back first into the dirt.

"Ooh…" The avian Digimon opened his eyes. The muted blues and misty grays of the glade were a kaleidoscope of shifting colors in his sights, and he winced when he felt a twinge of a stinging sensation go down his wing.

Well, I am definitely going to feel this as Poromon later… He thought with a grimace.

Krick! The sound of something splintering reached his ears just as his vision focused, and high above him in the many limbs of the tree, he saw something.

A great hunk of a branch, startlingly white in color and big enough to break a chip off a boulder was coming loose from the tree's trunk.

SNAP! The branch snapped away, effortlessly crushing the much smaller twigs and careening downwards.

Oh dear… Hawkmon thought, closing his eyes again. Better to not see himself get flattened to a pancake, he supposed.

"HAWKMON!" Fate seemed to hold some leniency over the Digimon though, as just before the branch smushed him into the dirt with a resounding boom, he found himself whisked away in a safe pair of arms.

KROOM! Behind them, the massive branch slammed into the ground with a cacophonous boom, sending out little bits of splintered wood flying through the air.

"Hawkmon, are you okay?"

Hawkmon's eyes popped open, revealing his savior to him.

He was cradled in Yolei's arms, mystified as she inspected him for any injuries, her expression marring with further worry each time she saw a different scuff on him.

"Oh, look what she did to you…" She whispered. She pulled him up so she could embrace him. "Hawkmon, I'm so sorry."

Hawkmon blinked, suddenly feeling a significant drop of warmth sprout within him. Yolei…

He couldn't explain it, but there in her arms, he felt something—something almost familiar—something that compelled him to wrap his feathery arms around her in return.

Thwip! "Ah!" Thunk!

The moment was short lived though, as an abrupt sound of rushing air followed by a yelp from Yolei and the impact of something thudding into something else broke the two apart.

Hawkmon and Yolei looked back, following where the sound had come and gone.

"I do not believe we are done yet," Renamon said in a low growl, her extended claw still held out towards them.

Hawkmon turned away from Renamon, facing Yolei and then the spot where he felt the air rush past them.

Within the trunk of the great tree was single glimmering shard of white glowing crystal.

She tried to hurt Yolei with that. Hawkmon's brow hardened. She tried to hurt Yolei! The easygoing mischievousness crumbled away, replaced instead by a flicker of anger that was rapidly expanding within his chest. How dare she!

He leapt away from Yolei, bashing his talons into the dirt and lunging forward.

Renamon matched him in kind, sprinting forward with her claws poised.

"That's enough!" Before they could meet though, the luminous purple blade of Ken's crest weapon appeared between them. When they looked away from one another to the wielder instead, they were met with Ken's chagrined expression.

"You are both done!" He said assertedly, flicking his weapon back. "There is no point to this any longer."

"No point?" Renamon drew back. "Did you not hear what I told you in my report?" She lifted a claw and pointed it into the fog, in the direction where she had come from Seiryu City. "Ken, we may not know just what the Paladin is planning with these so called Holy Steeples, but you and I both know it cannot be good. We are losing more and more territory each day, and yet you wish not to test the mettle of your new recruits? What will they do when they see actual battle?"

Ken refused to break their shared glare. "We are currently in the middle of training," He explained cooly. "You have my promise that they will be more than acclimated when the time comes."

Renamon scoffed and looked to Yolei.

Yolei felt as if her entire spinal column had been encased in ice when she found herself caught in the vulpine Digimon's icy blue gaze.

"Well if you ask me…" She said, her tone just as icy as her eyes. "I am far from impressed. Especially considering the fact this human won't even fight alongside her partner."

Yolei seized up, not just in response to the ice spreading to the entirety of her body, but also in response to something else, something that spawned along with a thought that popped up in her mind.

What was that? She thought, her fists clenching at her side.

"How dare you!" Hawkmon crowed, his feathers bristling. "Are you insinuating Yolei is lackluster partner to me. I assure you, madam, that nothing can be further from the truth!" He brandished his black talons. "Now have at you!"

"No, Hawkmon…" Before Hawkmon could leap at Renamon, Yolei spoke, her voice low and monotone. In its chilling staccato, the attention of everyone standing off from her was directed right to her.

Yolei had turned and was walking back towards the tree, specifically to the spot where Hawkmon had nearly been squashed below the mighty tree branch that had fell beneath the glowing tree.

"Renamon, right?" Yolei reached down and grabbed the hulking branch with a single hand. Then, with a grunt of exertion, she lifted the branch up, bringing it high over the air before settling it on her shoulder.

"You wanted to test me." She turned on her heel, facing Renamon with a determined stoniness in her eyes. "Fine then." She bared her teeth and crouched into her best impression of a battle stance. "Bring it on."

…

The Paladin's throat was bone dry, each breath rattling his throat and itching his windpipe with each inhalation.

Where is that damn Crowmon! He internally roared. Between his worsening physical state and the stress that had come about from fighting Tai and Matt, his patience was near to zero, grinding ever closer to total depletion with every second that passed.

His answer came a second later in the form of a massive avian shadow appearing over him.

"Lord Paladin!" A foppish call of his title irked him further, followed quickly after by a shudder from the ground when his 2nd General landed behind him in several gusts generated by his flapping wings.

The Paladin silently gnashed his teeth behind his lips before turning to face the new arrival.

Crowmon, a hulking behemoth of a bird Digimon towered over the Paladin, his ebony feathers positively gleaming in the sun's refractory rays, like gleaming shards of finely wrought obsidian crystal with only the gold bits of ornamentation that adorned him over his beak and three mauve colored legs giving them any sort of competition.

"Greetings, my lord!" He said, bowing his gold adorned head down towards the Paladin. "You are looking in top form as always!"

That stupid mask of his clearly doesn't do his eyesight any favors, The Paladin thought in a grumble. He tilted his sights further up, "General Crowmon." He straightened his stance. "May I ask what delayed your arrival to such an extraneous degree?"

Crowmon spread out a single wing, "My apologies, my lord! But as you know, my appearance is of the utmost importance to me! I simply couldn't leave the castle without making sure my beautiful plumage was up to my regal and exemplary status. Surely you understand, am I right?"

FWIP!

Crowmon let out a dramatic shriek in response to the thin beam of slashing light that ran across his form, backing away on several clumsy, ground shaking hops while his feathers swayed about in the air.

"Does that answer your question?" The Paladin hissed, lowering his blade. "Or will Rapidmon have a rehabilitation partner joining him?"

Crowmon stamped one of his talons down, regaining his balance, albeit a still shaky balance. "No, no my lord! That will not be necessary, I assure you!" He pulled his wings back, wincing from the new wound that stung them. "Now, what is it that you wish of me? You said you had a task for me, correct?"

The Paladin brought his blade back to his D3, sinking it into the glowing device before folding his hands behind his back. "Patrol the city's skies," He said plainly. "Keep an eye out for intruders. We've already had a few try to eke their way in."

"You have? Well what of Renamon and her troop?" Crowmon asked.

The Paladin felt a flare of anger lance through him. "That is none of your concern!" He barked. "Now do you intend to do as I've ordered? Or do I need to swipe off a few more feathers!?"

Crowmon yelped, "Yes, my lord! Right away, my lord!" He quickly began flapping his rings, rising up several feet. "Do call me if you need me for anything further!"

The Paladin said nothing more as Crowmon rose to the sky. Even when he was nothing more than a dot in the clouds, his rage continued to simmer.

He hadn't thought about it back when Tai and Matt were there, but where had Renamon been? Hadn't he ordered her to be back by then? Where could she possibly be?

I'll need to have a word with her when she gets back, He thought. His anger dissipated when his thoughts shifted elsewhere, transforming more into anxiety as his body turned towards the tower.

His eyes fell on the cartridge slot in the base of the steeple.

The time had come.

He gulped and stepped towards the steeple, up to the slot. Alright, TK, He thought, his hand lowering and grasping his D3 with clammy fingers. He lifted the device from his hip and brought it towards the prongs of the slot.

His hand briefly recoiled when a line of static leapt from one of the prongs. He shook his head. No, He thought. I have to do this. I have to!

He gulped again, but managed to insert his D3 betwixt the prongs, wriggling it in with a rough shove.

Fweee…

The D3 began to emit a small squeal as the tiny screen lit up with white light and more lines of white static danced around it in a cloak of sparking aura.

Just as predicted, The Paladin thought. A chill traveled up his spine. Which means it's time for me to take my position.

He turned from the steeple and trudged several feet in front of it, each footstep feeling ten times heavier than the one before it.

"It's for the sake of the Digital world," He told himself as he came to a stop. He turned to face the spire again. "Just remember that."

Fweeeeee!

His words of self-assurance were barely heard by himself, drowned further by the heightening shriek of the D3 as it was completely over taken by white, glaring light.

Still, he said it again, over and over. "For the Digital World." His mantra, uninterrupted until it finally happened.

FWEEEEE!

The D3 bellowed with the beam of blinding white light it released, spearing through the air and slamming into the Paladin's chest.

"AUGH!" He cried out in pain as searing hot fingers spread out from his chest in an agonizing fan of electric current. Every muscle in his body turned to stone, and his vision suddenly flickered, like a television set losing its signal as his body begged him to give out and fall away from the beam.

Still, he resisted the urge to buckle and actually took a step towards the beam.

"For…The…" He hunkered down and spread his arms out, watching as a golden-yellow symbol appeared in front of him.

His crest of Hope.

"For…The…Digital…World!" He roared as a single crack ran down the symbol.

…

Yolei really had to learn how to keep a lid on her bravado.

"Renamon! Stop!"

Ken's cries reverberated through the trees as Yolei ran through the mist. Her head swiveled atop her neck as she kept a panicked eye out for the yellow blur that had been chasing her about.

"Gotcha!" Said blur lunged out from the mist, her glistening black claws glinting in the light.

Yolei yelped and swung the branch she had been running with. In doing so, the heel of her left foot slid out from under her, causing her to slip onto the dewy grass she stood on.

"Clumsy girl!" Renamon said, swinging her claw downward.

Yolei gasped and brought her hands over her face.

"Yolei!" The faint click of talon against claw told her that she wasn't on a one way trip to her maker. When she brought her arms down, she saw Hawkmon standing above her, swiping and blocking the flurry of Renamon's attacks.

"Away with you!" Hawkmon grunted, swiping his claws in a diagonal slash, sending Renamon jumping back into the fog. Once she had disappeared, he turned back to Yolei. "Are you all right, my dear?" He asked.

Yolei nodded and took Hawkmon's extended hand. "Uh huh," She replied.

Once she was back on her feet, Hawkmon set his hands on his hips. "Then goodness me, what on either world were you thinking challenging that vixen?!" He squawked.

A brief drop of embarrassment crept into Yolei's chest, supplanted just as quickly as it came with indignation instead. "What was I thinking? You heard what she said! She totally called me out for not helping you in this fight!"

"That is not a reason for you to throw yourself into danger!" Hawkmon rebuked.

"What better reason is there to fight if not to help my partner!" Yolei retorted.

A sudden chill went up Yolei's spine, and in her irritation, she whirled around.

"Do you mind!" She yelled, swinging the tree branch at Renamon again, successfully fending her off with a blow to the ribs this time. "My partner and I are having a conversation here!"

Renamon vanished into the mist again, "Could have fooled me."

"Rrrrgh!" Yolei growled with bared teeth. "I swear when I get my hands on her—"

"Yolei…" Hawkmon stepped up by her side, "Whatever misgivings you may have about your efficacy on being—"

"In Japanese please, Hawkmon," Yolei interjected tersely.

Hawkmon let out a sigh. Goodness his partner was a hothead. "You don't have to worry about pulling your weight in battle with me." He hunkered down alongside her. "Amnesiac I may be, I do remember that I am still a warrior, and a warrior always protects his charge."

Yolei scoffed, "Jeez, Hawkmon, are you going to ask me to let down my long hair next?"

Hawkmon blinked and looked up at Yolei, "Is that a human thing I'm supposed to understand?"

Fwoosh!

Before the conversation could proceed further, a rush of wind put a stop to their conversation, parting the mist and revealing Renamon leaping high into the air.

"Enough of this inane chatter!" She called, spreading her arms wide. "This fight ends now!"

Around Renamon, several pinpricks of white light materialized, growing brighter and more defined as they took on a razor sharp shape.

"DIAMOND STORM!" She cried, swinging her arms down.

"YOLEI!" Hawkmon shoved Yolei behind him, raising his wings up towards the assailing shards gunning towards them. "FEATHER STRIKE!"

A swath of bladed feathers leapt from Hawkmon's arms, meeting the shards levied by Renamon betwixt the two combatants.

A sound like hail falling on a tin roof enveloped the area, and Yolei had to look down to shield her eyes in the flashing lights that came from the conjoined attacks.

"Urf!" A groan from Hawkmon coerced Yolei into peering past her hand.

Hawkmon winced with the strike of a shard lancing across his beak, followed by another slashing across his shoulder.

"Hawkmon!" Yolei gasped.

Hawkmon kept his sights skyward, "Don't worry about me, Yolei. I—I'm more than capable of—Augh!" His reassurance was cut off by another shard going across his leg, causing him to buckle.

Instinct took over reason, prompting Yolei to take Hawkmon into her arm and pull him against herself. "I got you!" She cried, curling up into a ball beneath the assault.

She was fortunate that the attack was already petering out, only forcing a few hissed gasps out of her with the last few frigid shards that pelted her armored self.

Soon, it stopped completely, and Yolei was prompted to look up after she heard the sound of a soft landing upon the grass in front of her.

Renamon stood, shoulders slumped and a vicious grimace marring her countenance. Upon several spots of her body, several feathers stuck out of her fur like pincushion needles.

"I must admit…" She wheezed. "That counterattack was impressive. Nobody has ever been able to mitigate my diamond storm to such a degree." She took a single step forward, eking forward into the light just enough to catch a glint off one of her claws.

"Yolei…" Hawkmon tried to squirm back onto his feet. "Run…"

Yolei didn't answer. She just gripped the tree branch tighter, ignoring the cries in her mind urging her to listen to Hawkmon…

And instead listened to her heart to stay by him.

"Impressive as it was though…" Renamon began trotting forward, gaining nimble speed. "This fight is over!"

Yolei grit her teeth, and just as Renamon sailed through the air, claws bared, Yolei swung the tree branch.

FWOOOSH!

A flare of rushing wind encircled the combatants, followed by a surge of bright red light.

"Augh!" Renamon yelped, jumping back when she felt something much harder than just a simple tree branch bat her claw away.

Yolei's arms fell slightly, her grip readjusting to the sudden weight in her arms. Huh? She thought as the wind dissipated.

She no longer held the tree branch. Instead, she held an axe, an axe with a blade forged in a half-heart shape, the metal bright red and gleaming in the low light of the clearing, complete with a wooden grip perfectly shaped to her hand.

Is this…? Yolei held the axe up, inspecting it closer. Beneath her fingers, she saw the Crest of Love.

"Yolei…" Hawkmon stepped in front of her. "Is that—It is! Your crest weapon!"

"My crest weapon?" Yolei tilted the axe in several angles. "For real? This is my crest weapon?"

"That's what it would appear to be," A groan from Renamon reclaimed their attention, prompting Digimon and partner to turn towards her.

Renamon stood a few feet away from them, holding her wounded paw against herself.

"Oh, am I to assume you approve?" Yolei asked smarmily.

"It doesn't matter what she thinks," From out of the mists came Ken and Wormmon. "You've done it Yolei!" He said. "You've acquired your crest weapon!"

Yolei blushed, "Yeah…" She presented the axe to Ken. "I really did."

Ken looked to Renamon hardly, "Is that proof enough of her worthiness, Renamon?"

Renamon opened her mouth to speak.

That's when the shockwave hit.

…

The ears of the Paladin whistled and screeched when he came to, finding himself lying flat on the tiled ground of the pavilion.

What…happened? He gulped down a dry heave, successfully keeping the bile within him from surfacing. Shakily, he pushed himself up, each breath he took while doing so sending a harsh chill into his now aching chest.

His vision was still dark around the corners, but he saw the result of his endeavors, clear as day.

The steeple was now awash in blinding white light, making it even more harsh to gaze upon than before. From the top of its spire, a beam of that selfsame light leapt into the sky, bending outward at its apex and encapsulating the city in a shimmering dome.

It was a success? The Paladin thought. He blinked and stared past the light, finding the proof of said success.

Floating in a small orb within the spire was a golden triangle, spinning and fluttering in time with the pulsing light.

It was… He thought, grabbing his D3 from the slot and inspecting it closer.

The crest of hope appeared on the D3, noticeably missing one of its triangles.

"We've succeeded," He wheezed with another laborious breath. He regarded the triangle, followed by gazing skyward at the newly erected barrier. "With the power of my crest, I've protected this area…"

He allowed himself to fall onto one knee, another ragged breath escaping him.

Now… He said, looking off into the horizon. For the rest of the digital world.

His hand went to his chest.

He just hoped he'd be able to survive the trials ahead.

…

"What was that?" Ken asked after the shockwave had passed, his arm held protectively over Yolei from their place on the ground.

Renamon's icy blue eyes were wide. "The steeple…"

The rest of the group followed her gaze.

"What is that?" Yolei asked when they saw it.

Even beneath the canopy, they could see it. Over on the nearby horizon, a giant dome of ethereal white light shimmered, obscuring the tall buildings of Seiryuu city.

"Renamon, what is that?" Ken asked.

"I—I don't know," Renamon replied. Her fur bristled as she gazed upon it, "But I think I need to get back, right now."

"But you're injured," Wormmon said.

"I'll be fine," Renamon assured. "I just need to get back. I'll send whatever information I can acquire as it comes." She turned to face Yolei and Hawkmon, "In the meantime, train up, I fear this conflict is only going to escalate?"

"Oh, so that means you see us as allies then?"

Renamon nodded, "I do."

And Yolei suddenly felt a small surge of pride run through her.

"Be careful, Renamon," Ken said, offering her a small bow, "And remember, if they start to suspect anything, you always have permanent sanctuary with us."

Renamon nodded again, "Understood."

Then, like a flicker in the eyes, she disappeared.

"Come on, Yolei," Ken said, turning back towards the forest.

But Yolei didn't follow right away, and when Ken faced her again, he found her admiring her newly summoned weapon.

Yolei regarded herself in the shimmering red metal of the axe's blade.

"Yolei…" Her attention was brought to Hawkmon, beaming up at her. "Do you know how you earned that weapon?"

Yolei shook her head, "How?"

Hawkmon's eyes shimmered, "By staying by my side. Despite my requests to leave me, you stayed so we could fight together." He extended a feathered arm out to her. "It appears I was mistaken in asking you to do that, so as means of comeuppance, allow me to apologize, and to offer my gratitude…partner."

Yolei looked at Hawkmon's taloned digits. Then, she smiled, dropped her weapon, and took Hawkmon into her arms.

"Anytime, partner!" She crowed.

And besides her, the crest of love glowed bright on her weapon.

…

Renamon had seen the Paladin in many a way, mostly angry or pensive, but upon returning, she saw him in a brand-new manner.

Sickly.

The Paladin's shoulders heaved as he took several ragged breaths in his address to her. What little could be seen of his face beneath his helmet was paper-white, with his dried lips looking ready to rip as it were beneath his flushed cheeks.

"I…" He wheezed. "Asked…You…A question…" He had to take a particularly deep breath to force the last word out, "Renamon."

Renamon bowed low, "My lord, I apologize for my late return. It was simply a matter of time getting away from me. You have my word that it will not happen again."

The Paladin clicked his tongue and turned away, "Be sure it doesn't."

"If I may ask, my lord," Renamon continued, "Are you alright? You seem unwell."

The Paladin turned back with bared teeth, "That is none of your concern. I simply need my rest!" He turned again. "As such, I will be leaving for the day. Do not test me further and stay within the barrier."

"Yes, my lord." Renamon agreed. Then against her better judgment, she spoke on, "But I'd be remiss to ask, what is the purpose of the barrier in regards to the steeple at the center of the city?"

The Paladin took another wheeze of a breath before responding.

"They…are…my…protection."

AN: And so it seems the Paladin moves into the next phase of his secretive plans! Thank you for reading, dear readers (you especially keyseeker XD) and I do apologize for the long, long gap between chapters. Sometimes inspiration can be hard to find in the daily minutia of life. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to get another update to you sooner rather than later. Who knows, maybe another crest weapon will appear. Wanna see what it'll be, then stay tuned for the next installment 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!