Chapter 6: Distorted Spirit of Light

Zelda

Caladium Village

 

Sadly, I looked down at the rock I held in my hand; I gently ran my thumb over the red design on it, in the shape of a knight Digimon. This one has never once listened to me…and he probably never will…But this isn’t the time to worry about that! If that Minotarumon isn’t stopped right now, more innocent people will get hurt! I gripped the stone, and held it up above my head, the Digimon’s design pointed at the heavens. “Come forth…Gallantmon! Cross over from the other realm, and aid my friends in this fight!” The stone emitted a bright light, and before me stood the astral form of the deadliest Digimon I had ever laid my eyes upon.

“Is it fighting time?!” the Exalted Knight Digimon asked excitedly, his bright yellow eyes glimmering with the thought of fighting someone. However, his excitement was short lived; when he noticed the Minotarumon, his eyes returned to their usual bored, somewhat annoyed glare. Minotarumon noticed the arrival of the Mega level Digimon, and he stood staring with a blank, slack-jawed expression, as if his tiny brain was trying to think about how Gallantmon arrived in the first place.

“This is what I was called for? Fighting this worthless nobody?!” Gallantmon glared down at me, and for a moment, I thought now would be the time that he would finally strike me down in rage.

“…I…I’m sorry…” I said. Maybe I shouldn’t have summoned him…Knowing him, he’ll end up doing more harm than good…

“Well, as long as I’m here, I might as well work on my aim,” Gallantmon said, running up to and thrusting his lance into the Minotarumon’s left arm, destroying the weapon integrated onto it. Minotarumon howled in pain as he attempted to flee, but Gallantmon relentlessly and ruthlessly struck and bashed the Ultimate in the face and head with his shield. As Minotarumon’s wailing grew more and more hysterical, Gallantmon’s laughter grew louder, and he sounded as though he had gone insane from the pleasure attacking Minotarumon brought him. Minotarumon was on his knees, and he looked like he was begging for mercy, but the only sound he could make was an unintelligible grunting noise. Gallantmon raised his lance and pointed it between Minotarumon’s eyes. My body began to act on its own, and before I knew it, I had run up behind Gallantmon.

“Gallantmon! Please, stop!” I shouted. “Please, stop hurting him! He’s had enough!” To my surprise, Gallantmon brought his lance down.

“I am getting bored,” Gallantmon said thoughtfully. “All right, fine, I’ll end this; Royal Saber!” Gallantmon unleashed a blast of lightning from his lance at Minotarumon, but the Ultimate jumped out of the way at the last second, causing Gallantmon’s attack to strike and destroy an outdoor food stand. The Digitamamon waiter ran from the destruction, unharmed.

“Well…I guess we won’t have to be paying him after all!” Statuedramon laughed nervously, sounding somewhat relieved.

“You STILL haven’t paid that waiter?!” Thomas yelled. 

“I still don’t have any Florin!” Statch yelled back, though I doubt Thomas heard him over the noise of Gallantmon’s next Royal Saber, which struck Minotarumon’s right arm, incinerating it as soon as the attack hit. At that point, Minotarumon fell on his back, clutching his heavily bleeding arm while thrashing around in pain, though less vigorously than he had been before.

“Look at you, down on the ground, screaming in pain as if someone is going to pity you…As if you matter,” Gallantmon said. The Exalted Knight kicked Minotarumon across the face before raising his shield. “Final Elysion!” Gallantmon unleashed a beam of light from his shield; Minotarumon screamed in pain one final time, and when Gallantmon’s attack was finished, the Ultimate was nowhere to be seen, having been completely disintegrated from the attack. Minotarumon had been killed.

Oh, god, what have I done?! I stared blankly at the spot Minotarumon had been. I just wanted to stop Minotarumon; I didn’t want him to… Though I had been surrounded by death my entire life, even before I found Gallantmon, and even though I had become quite used to seeing it, I always felt the same dread and nausea whenever I saw it. My stomach was in knots, and my heart felt torn.

“Mission accomplished,” Gallantmon said smugly, before turning around to face me. “The next time you summon me to fight, don’t tell me how to do it; is that clear?!”

“I…I’m sorry…I just don’t like seeing others in pain,” I said meekly, attempting to avoid looking Gallantmon in the eyes. I always felt that if I did, he really would attack me.

“Pity; a worthless emotion, like all the others. Anger and hatred are all you need in life…” Gallantmon grumbled something else quietly to himself as he faded away; enveloped in the same light as Renamon had been when she vanished.

“Gallantmon…you may never once listen to anything I have to say. You may even, one day, end my life. Even so, I shall continue to place my trust in you, and I will always pray for your safety and happiness.” I smiled sadly at the stone in my hand. “…Perhaps you’re right; maybe I am too soft-hearted for my own good…”

“Well, it’s because of that soft-heartedness that I’m alive,” Thomas said. “I am forever indebted to you for saving my life, and for lending us your strength in this fight.”

“That was amazing…whatever it was that you did!” Statuedramon exclaimed. “What did you do, exactly?”

“These stones that I summoned Renamon and Gallantmon from,” I held them in my hand, allowing Thomas and Statuedramon to get a good look at the markings on the front of them, resembling the Digimon I summoned from them. “They’re called Digimon Talismans, and they hold the spirits of legendary Digimon slain in battle ages past. However, due to these Digimon having particularly strong wills and a love of fighting, their souls were intertwined permanently within these talismans, and they loyally serve those who hold their talismans. Not many people can summon Digimon, but those who are able to call out to these Digimon and bring them forth onto this plane of existence are called Digimon Summoners.”

“Wow, that’s incredible,” Thomas said breathlessly. “I’ve never heard of such a power!”

“How many are there? Are you going to try to find them all?” Statch asked excitedly. “I wonder if I’ll become a rock when I die! Ooh, I can’t wait to find out!”

“There are hundreds of Digimon Talismans, maybe even thousands; trying to find all of them would be nearly impossible,” I said, placing my two talismans back into the satchel that hung from my waist. I took a deep breath and sighed.

“That special ability of yours really saved our lives,” Thomas said. “I’d hate to think of what would’ve happened to us if you hadn’t saved us.”

This is it; this is my chance to ask them. “…Thomas…Statuedramon…do you two…get around much?” I asked.

“Yeah, we travel a lot for our job, if that’s what you mean,” Thomas said. “We go pretty much everywhere on Arcadia, no matter how far away from our base it is.”

They’re going to say no for sure…I mean, it wouldn’t really surprise me if they did; who’d want someone like me around? I can’t let that worry me; I’ve got to ask! “…I’ve got a favor to ask of the two of you.”

“Sure, what is it?” Statuedramon asked.

“You’ve saved our lives…many times over,” Thomas said. “Whatever I could do to repay the debt, I would be honored to do so.”

“There’s…I’ve been looking for someone for a while now. It’s my older sister, Hannah; over five years ago, we went our separate ways in this village after promising to meet up again here after a month. When I returned, I waited and waited for days, but she…she never returned. I…don’t have any idea of where she could be right now, even though I’ve traveled almost all over Arcadia. So… I was wondering…if I could…Could I maybe…Could I go with you?”

“Of course you may. I haven’t any problems with you coming with us.”

“We’d love to have you come with us,” Statuedramon said.

“…You…You would?”

“I could never say no to a girl with a bare midriff,” Thomas said.

“Yeah, that’s, like, his only weakness,” Statuedramon added with a laugh. I felt my face heat up, but I smiled happily at Thomas.

“Thomas…Statuedramon…Thank—”

“But…just to be clear; you do realize who we are…right?” Statuedramon asked.

“The two of us…are assassins,” Thomas said. My heart sank, but my decision did not change. “We live in the shadows, and we earn our pay by taking the lives of others.”

“Don’t get us wrong; we really appreciate you saving our asses back there, and we have no problem with you coming with us,” Statuedramon said. “But you get nervous at the sight of blood, and you don’t like seeing others in pain. We want you to make damn sure you’re prepared to travel with people whose entire lives revolve around death.”

“…I understand,” I whispered. “I’ve been all by myself for over five years, searching aimlessly for my sister, while seeing blood…and pain…and death…nearly every day of my life…So I guess you could say…that I’ve gotten used to the sight of it. If you truly have no objections with me traveling alongside you two, and helping me look for my sister…then I would be more than happy to join the two of you, and help you with your job in any way I can.”

“…If that is the way you feel…Then you should join our guild,” Thomas said.

“Me? …Join an assassin’s guild?”

“Not assassins, Milady; we are a mercenary guild,” Statuedramon said.

“The two of us just happen to be assassins, as killing is what we do best. But, as members of a mercenary guild, our only desire is keeping innocent Humans and Digimon safe from bandit attacks like the one that happened here. Not everyone in our group is an assassin; there are several among us who have never even touched a weapon before in their lives, and I assure you; it will never be required of you to hurt another living being against your will.”

“They’re all good people; I’m sure they’d accept you immediately,” Statuedramon said. “So, how ‘bout it? Would you like to join our guild?”

“It’s…really all right if I join your guild?” I asked. They both nodded.

I smiled. Maybe, just maybe, for once in my life, I would have a place I could call home…The thought made me happier than I had been for the longest time. “I…I would be honored to join your guild, Thomas!”

“The feeling is mutual, but first, we need to finish our job,” Thomas said. “We need to hurry to Linnea Village and eliminate a bandit leader. It would be best if we left now, during the night; traveling Cyprus Desert in the day is rough, as I’m certain you are aware.”

“Are you feeling up to it, Thomas?” Statuedramon asked.

“Yeah, my arm feels fine,” Thomas said.

“And your leg?”

“…Fine as well.” Thomas turned to face me. “Are you ready to depart? There isn’t anything from your home you need to get, is there?”

“Oh, no, that wasn’t actually my home,” I said. “I travel around a lot, and the people of this village are gracious enough to allow me to stay in that house whenever I’m here.”

“All right, then; let’s go!” The three of us headed off into the outskirts of the village, and to the desert village of Linnea.

I wonder…As we began our trek through the desert, I carefully observed Statuedramon. Does he really…not notice? Every Digimon I’ve ever met has noticed, but he doesn’t seem to…

Thomas Kasuto

Linnea Village

4 Hours Passed

 

As we finally stepped foot in Linnea Village, the moon had inched its way to the middle of the sky; in spite of this, however, there were many Humans and Digimon up and about, conversing, constructing, and playing amongst one another as if it were daytime. Architecturally, it was identical to Caladium Village, and I had a feeling that every desert village would be the same.

“I’ve come to this village before,” Zelda said. “It was one of the first places I came across after leaving my home village, Adonis…Everyone here welcomed me with open arms, and treated me kindly. I was a little surprised at first; I was not used to being treated that way…”

“What do you mean?” Statuedramon asked.

“It’s…nothing, really,” Zelda smiled sadly. “All the Digimon here…they just said there was something different that they noticed about me. It made them feel uneasy to the point where they almost attacked me, and I was more or less kicked out of the village. I haven’t been back here since. It’s been almost the same for almost every other city or village I’ve been to, even Caladium; that’s part of the reason why I have to travel around a lot.”

“Zelda…why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell me that the Digimon here tried to hurt you? We didn’t have to come here!”

“I’m sorry; I just didn’t want to slow you two down…”

“Why the hell would anyone be trying to hurt you of all people?! You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met!” Statuedramon shouted. “Well, you and Thomas’s surrogate mother, that is.”

“There was nothing ‘surrogate’ about her,” I corrected. “As far as I’m concerned, Victoria Kasuto is my real mother; she loves me like her own child, and she was the first person who ever gave a crap about me. I can’t even remember the last name my birth parents gave me, so I gave myself hers.”

“…Yeah. She was the same with me, you know…” Statuedramon sighed. “So…who are we supposed to kill this time?”

“We weren’t told,” I said. “Rather, our Boss doesn’t seem to know. It seems that we’re supposed to find out on our own.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound too hard,” Statch said. “Bandits are total idiots; I’m sure at least you can trick ‘em into revealing themselves, Tom.”

“Of course, our target could easily be anyone in this crowd, so it would be best to keep our guard up,” I said.

“Do you think we could find somewhere to eat? I’m getting hungry,” Statuedramon said.

“You’re always hungry,” I retorted. “Besides, you never did pay that Digitamamon back in Caladium because we didn’t have any Florin, and in case you haven’t noticed, we still don’t.”

“But I wanna eat!” Statuedramon whined.

“Well, if I’m remembering correctly…there should be a really great restaurant around here somewhere,” Zelda said. “The food was amazing, and the owner was really nice; he let me eat for free because I didn’t have any money back then.”

“Do you think you can get another free meal out of him?” Statuedramon asked.

“I’d rather pay him; I wouldn’t want to take advantage of his kindness,” Zelda said. “I have enough Florin with me to cover us for a few days.”

“All right! So, where’s that restaurant?!” Statuedramon greedily rubbed his hands together, anxiously looking at each house and building we passed by.

“…That building, over there,” Zelda pointed to a building quite larger than the others, resembling a saloon, with the words Meramon’s Diner painted in big red letters near the top for everyone to see.

“Are you sure this is it?” Statch asked.

“Of course; I ate here for every meal for all four days I was here. There’s no way I’d forget what it looks like.”

“Then let’s go!” Statuedramon eagerly ran into the diner, madly shoving the batwing doors open as he tripped and fell, facedown onto the floor.

That idiot never looks where he’s going… I sighed, my head hung low as I walked into the restaurant after my Digimon with a smiling Zelda.

Chapter 5: Blood Runs Red

Zelda

Caladium Village

 

Fire . There was nothing around me but fire when I stepped outside. It consumed everything around it like a sponge, leaving behind nothing but death and ruin in its wake. A thick, black smoke filled the air. It was accompanied by the cacophonous roar of the fire, though this was diminished by the helpless wailing and dreadful cries of the defenseless villagers, in addition to the maniacal laughter of the bandits as they slayed Human and Digimon alike without hesitation. I stood frozen, paralyzed momentarily by the fear that ate at my heart. Tears blurred my vision as it did, but whether the tears were from the smoke or from my own sense of helplessness and despair was a mystery to me.

“Shit, these guys really did a number on this place,” Statuedramon said, joining me on the front steps of my house, one of the few left untouched by the raging inferno. Limping up behind him was Thomas, who didn’t seem disoriented in the slightest, in spite of the practically suffocating amount of toxic smoke in the air. Statch looked at him and said, “You’re walkin’ funny…”

“No I’m not. You’re…delirious from hunger,” Thomas said.

“Well, yeah, I am, but you’re still limping,” Statch said. “…It’s that old wound again, isn’t it.” Thomas looked down and away from the short Digimon.

“…It’s not going to hinder me like it’s done in the past,” he said. “The pain…I’m getting used to it. It is not nearly as bad as when I got it nine years ago.”

“…I’m going to trust you when you say that,” Statuedramon said gravely. “That means I’m not going to watch your back while we’re out there; this is too big for us to stay together in one group, so we’ll need to split up.”

“Making sure that no more villagers get hurt should be our number one priority,” Thomas said. “We can fight the bandits after that.”

This fire…it’s a little strange…It almost seems like the way it’s moving around the different buildings is…almost like it’s a living being…

“My lady? Your orders?” Renamon’s question interrupted my thoughts.

“Oh…yes…We cannot allow a single bandit to roam freely in this village,” I said in a shaky voice, knowing what would come from all of this. Blood. Violence. Suffering. It always seemed to follow me. “Renamon…do whatever…do whatever you must to stop them.”

“I understand,” Renamon said in a calm voice. “Those who choose to defy the sacred principles of life…they shall pay with blood.” Renamon clenched her paw, and her entire arm became enveloped in misty blue flames. As an Ogremon ran past her, she reached out and grabbed him by the neck, her sharp claws penetrating the skin of his neck. The Digimon howled in pain, both from Renamon’s flames and her claws, and the tall Rookie lifted him up and hurled him into a blazing house. This put an end to his screaming when it collapsed on top of him before he was able to get out. “I shall do everything in my power to ensure the remainders of these vile criminals suffer the same fate.” Renamon stormed off, looking as calm and composed as ever, and was followed reluctantly by Statuedramon.

I prepared to follow after them as well when a dreadful sight caught my eye; the lifeless body of a small child, covered in blood, his head turned at an unnatural angle. I looked around, and saw many more corpses lining the street, both bandits and villagers. In all my life, I’ve not once seen anything as terrible as this, and yet…the very sight of it reminded me of my home town…Adonis…the first of a nearly endless line of settlements to cast me away for something about myself I am unable to change.

“Are you ok?” Thomas suddenly asked. Without noticing, I had slumped to the ground next to the lifeless child. I reached up and felt my face; it was wet with tears. “You…may blame me if you’d like,” Thomas said. “If Statuedramon and I hadn’t come here…none of this would have happened…”

“None of this was your fault, Thomas, and I never had any intention of blaming you.” I picked myself up off the paved street of the village and brushed the dust off my skirt, which was stained with the still-warm blood of the child. Thomas still looked concerned, so I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

“But…if Statuedramon and I had never come here…” Thomas looked around the village, at all the burning houses and buildings of the village.

“Anyone can get blamed for anything; people can be — and often are — made to feel especially responsible for those events which they have no control over, even when they know they aren’t at fault for what happened, and when that happens, they may even begin to blame themselves…I…know all too well the anguish of being blamed for something I had no control over…and I don’t want you to feel that pain, nor would I wish it on anyone else…” I glanced over at him once again, and saw that he looked somewhat surprised by what I had said. “Well, enough about me; how are you feeling? Your arm doesn’t hurt, does it? And your leg; is it feeling better?”

“…No. I am fine,” Thomas said. “Stay close. You saved my life, so now I will protect yours.”

“…Thank you.” I attempted to smile at him, but he had turned away before I could muster up the courage to do so which, for some reason, left me feeling slightly disappointment. I began following after him, my thoughts drowning out the savage roar of the surrounding flames. Ever since he had first woken up, and started talking to me — very shortly after I had accidentally addressed him as a knight — I’d had this…unfamiliar feeling in my chest. He had spoken very kindly to me…which was something that I was not used to. We hadn’t spoken for very long, but I could already feel like this was someone I could trust. This thought brought a wave of emotions into my heart. Not wishing to bother Thomas with my foolishness, I kept them all to myself, as I always did. Then came the previous, unfamiliar one…the one that left me feeling flustered. He came to a stop, and turned to face me. I could feel the blood rush to my face, and my heart began to race. His eyes were dark and piercing, and I found myself lost in their deep, chocolaty gaze. Mmm…Chocolate…

“Zelda.” The sound of his voice brought me back to my senses. I had been grinning ever since my thoughts turned to chocolate, and I was looking him dead in the eye as I was.

Oh, no; I’ve just been standing here, standing and smiling at him this entire time?! He probably thinks I’m the weirdest person in all of Arcadia! Oh, stupid, stupid, stupid Zelda! Why do I always have to—?

“We aren’t alone.” Thomas drew his blade from its scabbard and began staring intently at the roaring flames of surrounding buildings.

“…Huh?”

“Get down!” Thomas pushed me out of the way of a stream of flames that came bursting from a burning house. The attack hit another house, and the sound of a malicious laugh filled the air. “Are you okay?”

“Y—Yes…” The two of us had landed on the ground, At first glance, Thomas looked quite slender and small, and his arms were no bigger around than my own, but as he shielded me with his body from the attack, they felt very strong, and his body felt very warm…I did my best to avoid looking him directly in the eyes, though I don’t think it would have mattered, for as soon as the attack ended, he quickly got back up. At least he didn’t notice me blushing when we fell…I think. Oh, god, I hope…

“The enemy…it’s hiding in the fire,” Thomas said. The same laughter from before filled the air once again, and it sounded as if it came from every direction.

“Very impressive! Not! Well, whatever. How were you able to find me?” An unknown voice asked. The form of a lizard-like Digimon stepped out of the flames, wearing an amused smirk on his fiery face.

“You can thank my master for that,” Thomas said. “She trained me to attune my senses to the world around me. Sound, hearing, even pure instinct…I’ve even got a nose that would put a Garurumon to shame. And I could hear…without any problem…your very quiet breathing, even through the thick roar of the flames you made.”

“Thomas…who is that Digimon?” I asked.

“Flarerizamon,” Thomas said. “A Digimon made almost entirely of flames, he has the ability to expand and spread out his flame body over a wide area and engulf nearly anything in it.”

“Well, aren’t you a smart one?” Flarerizamon asked. “I guess that’s why we’ve been ordered to take you down specifically. We didn’t even get any info on the midget Digimon or the cute girl!”

“…And you were the one behind setting every house in this village on fire,” Thomas said.

“Well, duh; only someone as powerful as me could produce all of these flames!” Flarerizamon said.

“And all of those flames are still a part of your main body,” Thomas said. “Meaning, once I defeat you, these flames will disappear.”

Both Flarerizamon and I stared at him in shock. No way; he was able to figure that out just by looking at the fire?!

“But…that’s only if you defeat me!” Flarerizamon said nervously. “If I defeat you first, I…I’ve got nothing to worry about!”

“Well, why don’t you fight me and see for yourself?” Thomas asked. Flarerizamon lunged forth, flames trailing behind him and claws extended, and it was all over in an instant. Without even turning his body, Thomas held up his sword. Flarerizamon surrounded him with flames, from which the Digimon leaped out of. I barely even saw Thomas move…but Flarerizamon lay motionless on the ground in the blink of an eye.

“Now are you impressed?” Thomas looked down into the dying Digimon’s eyes. “In that one swing of my blade, I was able to cut through and sever every last one of your nerves without cutting your skin or spilling your blood. Any second now, you will—” Flarerizamon’s body dissolved into small fragments of data, and soon disappeared “—die…a very painless death.” He smoothly and quietly slid his blade back into its scabbard, and as he began walking back towards me, his face a mix of light and shadows from the slowly receding fire, I became increasingly aware of how truly dashing he looked; his long, dark coat, trailing behind him, was flowing up and down in the wind; a pair of blue eyeglasses seemed to further bring out the rich darkness of his deep, dark eyes; a small, but dark and noticeable beard covered the lower half of his face, adding an air of ruggedness to his undeniably handsome face.

And…he’s nice to me, of all people…I doubt that would last if he ever found out what I was…

“Are you unharmed? That Digimon didn’t hurt you, did he?” Thomas asked. I looked up at him, and slowly shook my head. “…I made sure to kill him in a way that wouldn’t be bloody. You don’t look like you’d be comfortable with the sight blood. It’s gotten easy for me to tell if people are or aren’t.”

“…You’re right. I’m not,” I said. “To be perfectly honest…I felt incredibly sick, looking at all of yours. But even though I can’t stand the sight of it, I couldn’t just leave you alone to die. I had to help you…”

“And for that, I am eternally grateful to you. Had you and Renamon not arrived when you did…We definitely would have died right there…”

“…Earlier…when Flarerizamon attacked…” Thomas looked up at me. “…You saved my life. I…I don’t know what to say…Thank—”

“No thanks are necessary; I already promised you I would protect you while I’m here in return for saving my life.” Those words left me feeling a familiar loneliness.

While he’s…here? It was hard for me to understand, but…I didn’t want him to leave. Rather, I didn’t want to be left behind. It had been so long since anyone was as kind to me as he was. At that instant, I made up my mind. I wanted to go with him and Statuedramon. Besides…maybe they can help me…find her…

“Are you ready?”

“Oh, yes…”

“It seems that I was right; all of that fire was part of Flarerizamon’s body, and killing him seems to have put an end to it,” Thomas said. “With that problem out of the way, we can start dealing with the bandits.”

“…Yeah. I’ll do whatever I can to help you, Thomas.” I just hope I don’t get in your way…

Statuedramon

10 Minutes Passed

 

“Ok, that should be the last of ‘em,” I said as I swung my sword, killing a Gizamon in the process.

“Not yet, Statuedramon; there’s still one more,” Renamon said, her icy-blue eyes glaring coldly at the rampaging Minotarumon.

“Oh, yeah; forgot about that dumbass…Geez, this is going to be a real pain in the ass…” The towering Ultimate level Digimon smashed his left arm through a building, and began laughing as it crumbled to the ground in a pile of rubble. “Where are Thomas and Zelda? And why did all that damn fire suddenly disappear?!”

“Statuedramon!” The voice of my friend suddenly rang through the air, and when I turned around, I saw him and Zelda running toward us.

“Thomas! Where the hell have you two been?!” I hollered back.

“Sorry we’re late,” Thomas said. “I got kind of hung up fighting a Flarerizamon earlier. It took me longer to find you, though.”

“Flarerizamon, huh? That explains why the fire vanished,” I said to myself. “Well, now that you’re here, we can deal with the big guy!” I pointed at Minotarumon.

“Please, allow me,” Renamon said, leaping into the air as she prepared to attack.

“Wait, Renamon! You don’t know what you’re doing! He’s too—”

“Diamond Storm!”

“Earthquake Drill!” Before Renamon could attack, Minotarumon swung his arm and struck her, sending her flying through the air until she crashed into a house behind me.

“Renamon, are you ok?!” Zelda shouted as she ran over to her Digimon. As Zelda approached her, Renamon began to turn transparent.

“Zelda, I’m only a Spirit; I’ll be fine,” Renamon said with a small smile, and without a hint of worry in her voice.

“Wait, what’s going on?!” I shouted. “What do you mean?!”

“I will have to take my leave for a while; I need to rest…” Renamon gently shut her eyes as she completely faded away.

“What happened?! Where did she go?!” I yelled. “She’s not…She didn’t die, did she?!”

“She’s fine,” Zelda said calmly. “Rather, she will be fine.”

“What do you mean? She just vanished into thin air!” Thomas said.

“Renamon…is not like any other Digimon,” Zelda said. “She’s a Spirit, called forth by me to aid you.” Zelda reached down to a leather satchel, small and brown, that I just noticed was around her slim waist, and from it, she pulled out what appeared to be a grey rock, small and octagonal in shape. “And…there is one other Digimon that I am able to summon.” Zelda held the rock up above her head, a strange light emitting from it as she did.

Chapter 4: Respite in Battle

Point of View: Thomas

6 Hours Elapsed

 

I awoke slowly, noticing I lay in a soft, comfortable bed, and almost fell back into unconsciousness. My head was sore and throbbing, and I could hear my blood pulsing loudly in my ears. My right arm felt slightly stiff, and there was a stinging, shooting pain in my back, far worse than the pain in my head. I attempted to open my eyes, but there was a dampened washcloth covering my face, preventing me from doing so. With my uninjured left arm, I reached up to remove it, which was when I felt a hand, soft and delicate, gently close around mine.

“Are you awake?” a small voice asked.

Not…Statuedramon…Who is…that? Too exhausted to speak, I said nothing. The washcloth was carefully lifted from my face, and in a moment, I could hear footsteps on a wood plank floor. Slowly, I opened my eyes, and saw a young woman, small and petite, wringing the water from the cloth into a metal pail. With an effort, I forced myself to sit up, and though my vision was still a bit hazy, I looked around the room. There wasn’t much room to see; to my left was a vacant wooden chair next to the bed, where I assumed the young woman had been sitting; the walls appeared to be made of stone or brick, and there was a small, square hole that served as a window to my right, and when I looked out, I could see that it had gotten quite late, with the sky being a deep shade of orange with a slight purple tinge to it, indicating the sun had nearly set; it was unbearably warm in the room in spite of the cool breeze that flowed from the window. Directly across from the bed I was in was a closed door. Lining the walls were a small number of bookcases with even fewer books. All of this I saw in the smallest fraction of a second. The bed creaked beneath me as I moved, catching the woman’s attention. She instantly ran back to me from the bookshelf and stood before, leaving the moist cloth and pail behind on an otherwise vacant shelf.

“Are you alright? You aren’t still hurt, are you?” she asked. Once more, I found myself unable to speak. Never in all my life had I seen a woman as beautiful as her; hair as golden as the sun falling to her slender waist, where a simple, undecorated satchel was fastened. One of her eyes was covered by a tuft of hair; the one that was visible was a deep ocean of purest sapphire. Her clothing was typical of Humans who live in the desert; light, and ever-so-slightly transparent. Her skirt was knee-length, and her shirt a blue crop top, loose-fitting, sleeveless, and flowy, that left her belly completely exposed. She was a small woman, slender but curvaceous, and well-endowed, and she looked abnormally skinny, almost as though she were malnourished and looking like the slightest breeze would’ve knocked her to the ground. Her beauty…it had an air of mysteriousness to it. It was otherworldly…almost not even Human. And her voice…it was small and gentle, and she spoke slowly with shyness. “Um…Thomas? Can you…hear me? You aren’t hurt, are you?” I blinked. I had been gazing breathlessly at her for nearly a minute. “…Sir Thomas?” That comment brought me out of my trance. I could feel my blood begin to boil, and in an attempt to control myself, I clenched my fist, ignoring the shooting pain that ran up my right arm.

“…I’m fine,” I said. “And you don’t need to ‘Sir’ me; I’m not a bloody knight.”

“Ah! I—I’m sorry! I didn’t mean…I—I just saw you had a sword, and I thought…I just thought…” She begun to slowly back away from me, and raised her arms to cover her face. “Please…please d—don’t…hurt me…”

“…Hurt you? Why the hell would I do that?” I asked. “You saved my life, so now, I owe it to you.” She lowered her arms slightly and cast me a mildly scared glance. Hmm…seems like she’s been through quite a lot in her life for her to react like that to what I said…

“I—I’m terribly sorry; I…I didn’t mean to imply…I…”

“I apologize for snapping at you like that; it was not my intention to frighten you, and I am not mad at you in any way,” I said calmly. “I just…do not like knights.” The woman had slowly inched her way back to the bedside. I smiled at her as she did, not wanting to scare her again. Something must’ve happened to her…What should I do? The Boss wouldn’t like it if I left someone all alone without helping them, but I have that job in Linnea…

“I’m sorry…usually, I don’t scare quite that easily…usually…Um…I’m…Zelda…”

“I’m Thomas; but, I guess you already knew that, huh?” Zelda nodded.

“Yes, Statuedramon told me a little bit about you; Thomas Kasuto, age nineteen, and a professional swordsman,” Zelda said. “Oh, and he told me that he never lost a fight against you, even though he was always holding back.”

“…He told you that? And...where…exactly…is he at this moment?”

“Was he…incorrect about what he told me?”

“It’s the other way around, Milady.” The door across from me opened without warning, and Statuedramon walked into the room, shoving the latter half of a sandwich into his big mouth.

“Hey, I’m back! How’s he—”

“Statuedramon, why did you tell this young lady I haven’t once defeated you?” I asked.

“…Aaaaand I’m gone again…”

“Statuedramon!”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry…” He muttered something else under his breath, and while I missed most of it, I heard something that sounded like ‘cute girl.’

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Are you ready to go?”

“…So soon? You haven’t fully recovered,” Zelda said.

“We need to leave this village,” I said, looking directly into Statuedramon’s eyes. The Rookie Digimon sighed.

“Look…I know what you’re going to say, Thomas,” Statuedramon said. “You want to leave so you don’t put this young lady — not to mention the rest of the people living in this village — in danger because of the men following us and the men we’re going after. Sound about right?”

“Yeah, something like that,” I said. Subconsciously, I brought my hand to my right shoulder, which had been throbbing with pain. The pain in my head was agonizing, and I wanted nothing more than to lie back down; resisting temptation, I began to climb out of bed.

“Thomas. I understand; truly, I do.” Statuedramon placed a sharp-clawed hand over my chest, stopping me from leaving. “It’ll be okay; nothing bad is going to happen if we stay here for just a little while longer than we intended.”

“Nothing bad?! What if those men come back?!”

“It’ll be okay; nobody in this village is going to get hurt while I’m still around!” Statuedramon placed his hands around my arms and helped me lay down once more. “In any case, we’re not leaving until you’re better!”

“I feel fine!” I lied. In truth, I didn’t really feel quite so bad, but the pain was still noticeable.

“Oh, really? Glad to hear it!” Statch playfully clasped his hands around the top of my shoulders. I winced as the pain surged throughout my right arm. “…We’re staying,” he said after a moment. “At least until this,” the Rookie patted my shoulders once again, “doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“…Fine…” Somehow, unless it was over something frivolous, it was always impossible for me to win an argument with that Digimon.

“Um…Excuse me…” Zelda spoke up, her voice docile and small, and glanced nervously back and forth between the two of us. “Is it…alright… if I ask who’s following you?”

“They’re bandits.”

“…Bandits?”

“Oh, they’re not a big deal; at least, not for me and Tom. Just a bunch of cutthroats—part of an organization called the Thanatos Bandits,” Statuedramon said.

“Thanatos…I’ve…heard of them…They’ve been…killing innocent Humans and Digimon all over Arcadia, destroying towns and cities…” Zelda said. “But…why would they be following you two?”

“We’ve been ordered to assassinate one of their leaders,” I said. “A few rumors brought us to the border town of Paeonia. We found one of their hideouts there and, thinking that their leader was among them, we forced our way in and attacked them. As it turns out, he wasn’t actually there, but we forced his location out of one of the cutthroat maggots there.”

“Needless to say, those bandits didn’t exactly take kindly to us barging into one of their hideouts and kicking their asses quite thoroughly, so after we left Paeonia, they began following us with the hopes of killing us,” Statuedramon said. “It wasn’t very polite of them, I must say…”

“That’s why the two of us need to leave as soon as possible,” I said. “If we stay too long, and those bandits keep coming and coming, more innocent people are going to get hurt.” I looked over at Zelda, who had been watching me intently as I spoke. “You know…you don’t have to keep us here if you don’t want to. Keeping us here will only put you in danger, and I wouldn’t want you to get—”

“No!” Zelda interrupted. It was the loudest I had heard her speak. “You don’t need to worry about that. I would never turn my back on someone who needed help…And I’m not going to kick you out of this house just because you being here might put me in danger.”

“I appreciate that, but…”

“There’s also the matter of us needing to leave to do our job,” Statuedramon continued.

“Your job?”

“Yeah, remember what we said? Tom and I were given orders to eliminate a bandit leader. Our boss doesn’t like for any of us to take too long to complete a mission like this one.”

“Are all of your jobs this…dangerous?”

“All of them are, but this is our first time trying something like this,” I said. “We usually stick to fighting regular, nameless goons, but never before one of their leaders.”

“Where did they say their leader was?” Zelda asked.

“We were told the leader has taken refuge in the neighboring village of Linnea,” Statch said. “Though, to be fair, it was a bandit who gave us this information, so he could be anywhere in Arcadia.”

“He’s in Linnea,” I insisted. “I’ve been around long enough to know when someone’s lying.”

“Yeah, I guess we both have…Hey, Zelda, when do you think that stab wound of his will heal?” The shy young woman looked at me as I forced myself to sit up; my teeth were clenched tightly together to help me endure the pain.

“Does it…still hurt?”

“No.”

“You lie!” Statuedramon exclaimed.

Damn it…

“And after we both just said we can tell when someone’s lying, too…”

“Sorry, I thought you’d fall for it! You usually do.”

“Hey!” As Statuedramon glared at me, I heard Zelda laugh a little, though she immediately tried to cover it up.

“…So you can smile,” I said. “Good. I was getting worried.”

“…I’m sorry…”

Maybe I should ask; I know the Boss would want me to, and I do owe her a lot. “Zelda,” I began, trying to speak as gently and nonthreateningly as I knew how, “I’ve been meaning to ask—”

I was cut off by a rather mystical voice that spoke the words none of us wanted to hear: “They’re back.” The three of us turned our heads to the room’s only window, where a tall Digimon sat staring at us with icy blue eyes.

“Renamon…what do you mean? Who’s back?” Statch asked.

“The bandits. They’ve returned,” Renamon said.

I sighed, closing my eyes and shaking my head. I was honestly surprised it took them as long as it had to come back. If only they could have waited a bit longer…Or, at least until I can use my arm again! I began slowly inching my way out of bed, not wanting to worsen the pain or attract Statuedramon’s attention.

“Milady? What will you have me do?”

“What…are they doing? Are they just…waiting for Thomas and Statuedramon to show up…or are they—”

“No, they’re killing everyone in sight. Just the usual banditry,” Renamon said in a remarkably calm voice. “A few homes have been set ablaze, and many Humans and Digimon have been ruthlessly murdered in the streets. Also, the Minotarumon I knocked out has regained consciousness, and is also killing people. What will you have me do?”

“Damn it, we’ve got to stop them!” Statuedramon said.

“Renamon…we can’t allow any more innocent people to die,” Zelda said. “Please, wait for me outside; we’ll join you shortly.”

“As you wish.” Without another word, the foxlike Digimon leapt out through the window. Statch and Zelda hurried to the bedroom door to leave, and as I finally climbed out of bed, my Digimon turned to face me.

“Thomas, you wait here!” Statuedramon ordered.

“Forget it, Statuedramon,” I said. “I’m not the kind of guy who makes his Digimon fight without fighting alongside him.” Next to the bed, I found and picked up my sword. Statuedramon let out a weary and irritated sigh.

“All right, fine, you can come with me!” Statuedramon said. “Just stay close so I can keep an eye on you, understand?!”

“Yeah, I got it,” I replied. I followed Statch out the door and into the dark of night.

Statuedramon

 level: rookie
 type: ancient dragon soldier
 attribute: vaccine
 family: dragon's roar, virus busters
 attacks: Sword of Dragon's Soul: Statuedramon's sword fires a transparent projectile at the enemy. However, if he has absorbed an enemy's attack with his Dimensional Shield attack, the attack will take on the elemental properties of that attack. For example, absorbing an Agumon's Pepper Breath would cause the attack to take on a reddish hue and become a fire element attack.

Dimensional Shield:  Nearly every Digimon attack can be absorbed into the mouth design on his shield. Within the shield lies a separate dimension where Statch can also store anything from maps and food to swords, and anything else in between.

 eye color: red
 age: over 500
 height: 3'00"
 weight: 143
 likes: eating
 dislikes: having no food, having no money to pay for food
 element: wind
 theme: Proud Fight
 bio
 Statuedramon is an Ancient Dragon Soldier Digimon whose name and design are derived from "statue" and "dragon." He resembles an ancient bronze statue, and it is able to pass itself off as one. He is an ancient species of Digimon that seems to have been around since the beginning of the world's creation, but not much is known about him this at this time.

character info:
Statuedramon is a rather clumsy Digimon who seems to be constantly craving food. In spite of this, he is good at heart, and exceedingly loyal.

Zelda

hair color: blonde
 eye color: blue
 age: 18
 height: 5'02"
 weight: 109
 likes: talismans
 dislikes: cruelty
 theme: Treasured Memories
bio
 A kind and caring young woman with a rough history. In spite of the illogical hatred she received in her younger days, she retains a gentle optimism and cares deeply about all those she meets, even complete strangers. She is modest, polite, and shy, blushing at just the slightest praise, feeling she does not deserve it. Perhaps because of her currently unexplained past, she hates to see anyone injured, even those who have previously hurt her.

Coming from the desert, her clothes are thin, light, and revealing, the same as everyone else from the desert, to avoid becoming overheated. As modest and shy  as she is, it has been questioned why she continues to wears such clothes when not in the desert...Oddly enough, she seems to have no problem with them.

Thomas Kasuto

 

 

hair color: dark brown
 eye color: dark brown
 age: 18
 height: 5'06"
 weight: 146
 likes: swords (and knives. knives are nice, too.)
 dislikes: anyone insulting his friends
 theme: Fontaine
 bio
 A constant traveler, Thomas is part of a group whose main objective is fighting bandits. Thomas's particular style of fighting has earned him the title of "The Assassin." He is quiet and keeps to himself, but will not forgive anyone who so much as looks at his friends the wrong way.

 

His sword is called Aquroya.

Chapter 3: Fateful Encounter

Thomas Kasuto

Arcadia: Year 798

Cyprus Desert

 

Cyprus Desert…Nothing about this place ever changed; an unbearably warm, barren locale with enough sand to cover all the contents and fill the oceans. And yet, to my dismay, there was no other option; bandits were following us. Angry bandits. Bandits whom we had attacked. Of course, if I had known better, and had the sense to look before attacking, I wouldn’t need to be trying to hide. My target was one of several leaders of a large bandit group, and information I had received led me to a town bordering the huge desert and Celosia Province known as Paeonia. The leader, naturally, was nowhere to be seen, and information I had gotten from the bandits who I didn’t kill told me he was in a desert village called Linnea.

Of course, knowing that wasn’t as helpful as it should have been. At the heart of the desert, where I was, there were no landmarks, no buildings, not even any Digimon, in sight, to help us find our way. Just sand. And the desert. The winds seemed to be constantly blowing and there was always sand in the air. How other Humans like me managed to live here was beyond me. Digimon, I could understand, but Humans? No clue. The wind hurled an unnecessarily large clump of sand into my face. No clue at all. Wiping the sand from my eyes and glasses, which sadly did nothing to help, I looked down at my traveling companion.

“Statuedramon… you’ve gotten us lost again, haven’t you?” I asked. The Digimon, short and covered in bronze armor, glared up at me. His body was covered in scars big and small from the countless battles he had been in, and his face was no exception. His right eye was completely obscured by a thin and rather long scar that ran from his forehead to the middle of his cheek. This only served to further increase his look of intimidation, a fact that filled him with pride.

“No, Thomas, I have NOT gotten us lost again!” My Digimon friend spoke to me in an irritated voice as he used his shield to protect his face and eyes from the sand. “I mean — I didn’t get us lost all those other times!”

“Riiiiight…you mean like the time we were lost in the forest, and we had to ask that Mojyamon for directions?” I looked down and grinned at the annoyed Rookie level Digimon. “And we all know how bad THEY are with directions…You know, the funny thing is that Mojyamon was able to get us out of the forest without any problem at all in just a matter of minutes…”

“Ok, ok, maybe we should have taken a left turn at the tree covered in poison ivy…that I accidentally walked into…”

“Which one? You walked into a total of thirteen trees covered in poison ivy.”

“The third one! But, anyway, I wasn’t as smart back then as I am now; it was a long time ago—”   

“It’s been ten days, Statch,” I interrupted.

“A LONG TIME AGO, and now I know what I’m doing!” Statuedramon said indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Trust me; in no time at all, we’ll be in Caladium Village.”

“Statuedramon, I’m impressed; you actually know where you’re going for once,” I said after we had just passed a sign half-buried in the sand. “Though, I would be more impressed if you hadn’t just read that sign saying we were five minutes away from Caladium, or if the village wasn’t in plain sight.”

“Oh, shut up!”

“Anyway, that’s beside the point; we’re supposed to be going to Linnea Village to the west of where we are, not Caladium to the south. We don’t have time to stop here, nor can we allow the people here to be endangered by our presence. Have you completely forgotten we’re being followed? We can’t just endanger innocent lives simply because we need to rest!”

“But Thomas, I’m hungry!” Statuedramon whined.

“You’re always hungry.”

“We Digimon can’t fight as well when we’re hungry!”

“Then it’s a wonder that you can fight at all.” That remark seemed to shut him up for a few moments, until he tugged on the sleeve of my coat.

“Thomas…that village is clearly in sight, correct?”

“…What’s your point?”

“They are following us, and they aren’t too far behind, from what I can smell,” Statuedramon said. Over the years, I had learned to trust the Ancient Dragon’s senses of hearing and smell as much as I learned to distrust his sense of direction. “That village is as clear as day.” I stopped walking, and Statuedramon bumped into me. “…You know what would happen, right? They’d ignore us completely, and head straight for Caladium. And I know you know what would happen from there.” I sighed, and looked down at him again. He gave me a fangy grin. I shook my head, and returned the grin.

I don’t know how he does it, I thought. I was constantly reminding myself not to underestimate the Digimon’s intelligence, in spite of his clumsiness, gluttony, and forgetfulness, because every time I did, he always managed to prove me extremely wrong. And yet, he never once rubbed my face in the fact…

“So, what say we go over to that village and take a little break?” he asked. “And when they do show up…we’ll be there to stop ’em!” I grabbed his small wrist and began sprinting toward the village, practically dragging the short Rookie behind me in the sand.

Caladium Village

 

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” I said. Yes, we were finally out of the sand; yes, we were taking a rest in the cool shade, saving our strength for when our pursuers found us, and yes; we were finally out of the horrible sunlight. But did Statuedramon act like he was concerned for the well-being of the villagers? Nope. Instead, he sat on his ass, eating plate after plate of food — I don’t even know what kind of food, though, by the looks of it and the green mold covering it, I could tell it was quite old —at the bar of an outdoor food stand. The passing-by Humans and Digimon didn’t seem to be paying us outsiders any notice. The Digimon were typical desert dwellers; Reptile and Insect Digimon like Guilmon and SandYanmamon. The Humans seem to have adapted fairly well; their clothing was thin, revealing, and light, and many stayed in the shade as often as possible. Caladium itself was nothing special. It was no different from any other desert settlement; buildings made of stone, with cloth awnings offering cooling shade everywhere I looked. Though sand covered nearly everything, nothing looked particularly old. “You could at least act like you’re concerned about the people here, you know!”

“But I was hungry!” Statuedramon whined, shoving yet another plate of indistinguishable food — including the plate — into his mouth. “And you know I can’t fight alongside you if I’m hungry! In a place like this, you need all the help you can get if you get into a fight!” I grimaced, and Statuedramon went back to eating.

…Why did I even take this job in the first place? I should’ve known I wouldn’t be able to handle the heat of this damn desert…But I didn’t think I would have to go all the way into the desert; just a border town…

“Well, Thomas?”

“Huh?”

“I thought of your well-being before mine while I was hungry. Wasn’t that nice of me? How are you going to thank me?”

“…I’ll just accept that as the best gesture of kindness you can manage, Statch.”

“Well, same to you, jackass!” Statuedramon laughed. “‘ey, waiter, bring over some more of that mystery meat!”

“Of course, sir!” The waiter, a Digitamamon, happily gave Statuedramon more plates covered in food, all of which also looked spoiled.

“…Statuedramon, the only mystery about that meat is why you’re still eating it!”

“Nu-uh! There are two mysteries!” Statch protested. “What kind of meat is this, ya’ wiseass?!”

“Can’t you tell from the scent? It’s Ikkakumon. Now, can we leave soon? They might get here at any time now.”

“No way! We were damned lucky to find this outdoor restaurant, and I’m not leaving until I stop feeling hungry!”

This could take a few years…

“It’s my pleasure to be of service,” Digitamamon said happily. “From what I understand, operating restaurants is somewhat of a family tradition, so I’ll make sure to have all my sons and daughters, and each and every one of my descendants working in restaurants like this one!”

“That seems rather…forceful,” I noted.

“Yes, apparently, that’s also a family tradition,” Digitamamon admitted. “That too will be passed down to my descendants!”

“More food, please!” Statuedramon demanded.

“…You two are able to pay for all this food, aren’t you?” Digitamamon asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at all the food Statch had eaten.

“O—oh, yes…yes, of course!” Statuedramon said nervously. “What, you think we’d leave without paying or something?” Digitamamon continued to glare at Statuedramon, but he finally turned away to look for more food as Statch asked, and when his back was to us, Statch leaned over and whispered in my ear, “You have some Florin, right?”

“Statch, you are in charge of the money, remember?” I asked stiffly.

“What?! Who’s the idiot that decided that?!” Statuedramon asked loudly, attracting Digitamamon’s attention.

“It was your decision.”

“Oh…so it was…” 

“You two don’t have any money, do you?!” Digitamamon shouted at Statch, jumping up onto the counter. “How do you expect me to replace all that food you ate?! I’ll have you two working here for me until you’ve repaid me for all that you’ve eaten! I’ll have you scrubbing floors for a thousand—” As Digitamamon continued to shout at the cowering Rookie, a small Digimon spun and crashed into Digitamamon, knocking him off the counter. The Digimon uncurled itself and turned around to look at me and Statch.

“Gizamon!” Statuedramon gasped.

“Damn it, they’ve found us!” I reached down and removed my sword from its scabbard.

“Thomas, Sealsdramon at 6 o’clock!” Statuedramon shouted, pointing behind me.

“Death Behind!” As I turned to face the Sealsdramon behind me, the Digimon pulled out a knife and stabbed me in the back, near my right shoulder blade. The pain was intense, and I nearly dropped my sword, but I gripped its hilt tighter as I turned around and struck the Sealsdramon, splitting it right down the middle and instantly killing it. The Gizamon prepared to attack again, but Statuedramon pulled the knife out of my back and hurled it at the smaller Rookie, killing it.

“What the hell is going on?!” Digitamamon asked.

“Bandits, sir; you should go hide!” Statch exclaimed, and then turned to me as Digitamamon ran off. “You ok, buddy?”

“Yeah…let’s just make this quick.” I raised my sword up, pointing it at two approaching Human men, both of whom were carrying large axes. The two were incredibly muscular, and they had a savage look in their eyes. The one on my left was bald and, though muscular, was incredibly fat, while the one on my right had combed-back dark hair and wore dark shades, and was much smaller than the other. The one with hair smirked and snapped his fingers, and instantly, an enormous Digimon walked up behind the two of us.

“Minotarumon, smash ‘em to bits,” the man on my right said.

“Minotarumon smash!” The colossal Animal Digimon swung the weapon on his left hand, just barely missing the top of my head as I leaped out of the way. “Earthquake Drill!” The speed at which Minotarumon moved had taken me by surprise, and I had become quite unsteady from the blood I had lost when Sealsdramon stabbed me. My vision grew hazy, and I found myself unable to stand any longer. I fell to the ground, which was when Minotarumon slammed the weapon on his left arm against the back of my head.

“Thomas!” Statuedramon ran to my side as I collapsed to the ground; the sound of his voice was the last thing I heard before everything went dark around me.

Statuedramon

 

“Thomas! Thomas, wake up, damn it!” I vigorously shook the unconscious body of my best friend. The two men controlling the savage Minotarumon exchanged amused glances. Behind them, I could see countless other bandits ravaging the village and murdering its inhabitants.

“Face it, buddy, your friend’s down for the count,” the smaller of the two men said. Behind him, a group of axe-wielding bandits and Gazimon surrounded a lone man. Ignoring the two in front of me, I ran for the bandit, but was knocked to the ground by the fat man, who slugged me in the face with his big, stubby hand.

Damn it; all of this is my fault…If I didn’t waste so much time eating…I’d have noticed them earlier…

“There ain’t no one around who can survive an attack like that,” the fat man said. I glared at the two men, one eye squinted and probably black, and blood slowly pouring from my cut lip, which made the two men laugh even harder. “Minotarumon, go ahead an’ smash ‘dis puny little guy to bits!”

“Minotarumon smash!” Minotarumon joyfully began running towards me, and though I menacingly brandished my sword, this did not deter the beast. He raised his left arm, ready to strike me, and I, immobile with fear, dropped my blade and fell to the ground. I closed my eyes and prepared for the impact of the Ultimate Digimon’s attack. When I did not feel his attack hit me, I opened my eyes, and standing before me was a beautiful, golden, foxlike Digimon holding back Minotarumon’s arm with a single hand — or rather, paw.

“Are you unharmed?” the Digimon asked. She spoke in a gentle, serene, almost heavenly voice. She was so beautiful, and yet something about her made me feel uneasy.

“Are you…Renamon?” I asked. Something about her…was different. She almost seemed to be glowing with light.

“That is correct,” the Digimon said. “My master believes you are having trouble, and wishes to assist you.”

“Your master?”

“Renamon, please stop calling me that.” A young woman looking to be the same age as Thomas knelt down beside me and gently placed her hand around my arm and helped me stand up. “I’m not your master, and you aren’t a weapon, or a shield. We’re friends, Renamon, and nothing will ever change that.”

“As you desire, Milady,” Renamon said.

“Minotarumon, what the hell is takin’ so long?!” the fat man asked. “Smash ‘em all to bits!”  

“Earthquake Drill!”

“Power Paw!” Renamon’s feet became engulfed in blue flames as she leapt up into the air, making Minotarumon’s attack miss and strike the ground where she had been moments before. Renamon then forcefully kicked the huge Ultimate Digimon across the face. Minotarumon toppled over onto the ground, howling in pain as his right hand clutched the side of his face that Renamon kicked. The two men commanding Minotarumon looked shocked as their Digimon began crying from the pain. Her icy blue gaze brought a look of fear to their faces. Other, nearby bandits saw what had happened, and they looked on as Renamon gracefully landed on the ground in front of them.

“…How? How could anyone…defeat Minotarumon?!” the fat man asked. “Just who the hell are you?!”

“Damn it, we’re going to have to retreat,” the smaller man said. At first, his companion grimaced at the thought, though he eventually conceded, and the two men ran off, joined by any nearby bandits.

“We’ll be back!” the fat man said as he and his companion vanished into the distance.

“Is your friend okay?” The young woman was kneeling beside Thomas. “This wound on his back looks terrible; what happened?!” 

“He was stabbed earlier by a Sealsdramon,” I said. I lifted his right arm, drenched in blood. “Yeah, I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have pulled out the knife…That was probably dumb of me. My bad, buddy…”

“Can you help me carry him to my house? We need to stop the bleeding.” I walked over to my best friend’s side and helped the young woman pick him up.

“I shall remain out here,” Renamon said. “I will let you know if those men return.”

“Thank you, Renamon.”

“…Who are you?” I asked the woman as we carried Thomas into a house not ten feet from Digitamamon’s restaurant. The house was only a single story, so getting Thomas into the house’s sole bedroom wasn’t too difficult.

“You may call me Zelda,” the woman replied. “Would you please help me with him? I know how to fix his wound, and I have everything I need to do it…but seeing all of this blood makes me…kind of nervous…” I blinked, and then smiled at her.

“No problem. I’ll help you with anything you need.”