Chapter 31: The Rapist

Thomas Kasuto

Outside Braig’s Lab

 

“The man named Clive…he was the man who raped me almost nineteen years ago.” The news came as quite a shock to me, but at the same time, it made perfect sense; after all, Victoria had never once mentioned being married, and the one time she told me and Statuedramon about the loss of her child, she never mentioned who the father was, other than the fact that he was a knight.

“Well then, it seems I’ve made quite an impression,” Clive said. His grin was absolutely sickening. Victoria’s face was completely colorless as the man began walking toward us, and she didn’t respond to his words as she fell to her knees. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but apparently, that’s not my job!” Clive looked spitefully over his shoulder at Magnus.

“If you want the money I promised you, then you will do what I asked of you,” Magnus said. “But know this; I did not ask for your help because I sympathized with you, nor did I do it because I approve of what you’ve done in the past, you worm. I asked for your help because I needed it from somebody, so if you don’t do what I tell you to, you can be easily replaced.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Clive said, rolling his eyes. “Sorry, kid, but you’re going to have to come with us.” Clive grabbed Michalis’s arm and twisted it behind the kid’s back. Michalis’s face became contorted with agony as Clive pulled him away. “Maybe, when I have a day off, Victoria, you and I can—”

“That’s ENOUGH!” I drew my sword and thrust it into the lower part of Clive’s back. His grip on Michalis’s arm immediately loosened as he fell to the ground, screaming in pain as he clutched the bleeding wound my sword made.

“It pains me to have to dirty my blade with the blood of someone like you,” I said. “But if that’s what must be done, then I’ll do so without a second thought.” I began to remove my weapon from Clive’s back, and as I did so, the entire blade became encased in ice, as did the wound it made. “What…the hell?! What did you do?!” When Clive opened his mouth to speak, his voice sounded much darker, not at all like the relatively quiet voice he normally spoke with; this one sounded much more menacing, and was much deeper than before.

“My vessel’s  life was being endangered; I simply did what I had to so that the two of us could continue living. Oh, here’s your toy, by the way.” Clive stood back up and pulled my sword out of his back and dropped it on the ground in front of me, causing the ice covering the blade to shatter. My sword managed to escape unscratched, and I could see the wound on Clive’s back close up with ice. “Now, which of you wish to be the first to be forever subjected to my frozen hell?!”

“Clive,” Magnus placed his hand over Clive’s shoulder. “Or, whoever the hell you are; we retreat.”

“Retreat?! Why the hell should we retreat?! There’s no way they can defeat us!”

“Perhaps, but I have my reasons,” Magnus said. To my surprise, his eyes were fixated on Zelda, and he looked both concerned and intrigued. “Come on; let’s go.”

“But…what about the kid?” Clive asked, his voice returning to its original, more calm and quiet tone.

“Forget him; we can always get him later. Now, let’s go!” Magnus grabbed the back of Clive’s shirt and dragged him away.

“Should we go after him?” Zelda asked.

“…No. They’d probably just lead us into a trap; they could do so very easily if they wanted to,” I said. “We’ll run into them again eventually. For now, let’s just go back to Apollomon.” I turned to look at Victoria. “Are you alright? Can you stand?” When she didn’t respond, I knelt down next to her and gently placed my hand over her shoulder. “He’s gone now; I promise he’s not going to hurt you now, or ever again,” I whispered into her ear.

“...Thank you…Tommy…” I helped her stand up, and then turned to Michalis.

“You should come with us,” I said.

“No, I…I don’t need any help,” Michalis said. He looked very nervous, as if he was afraid I would strike him. “You shouldn’t get yourselves involved with someone like me…”

“We’re already involved,” I said. “Those two that were after you work with a few people that tried to kill my friends and me. I don’t know what they wanted with you, but I can say that whatever it was would not have been a very pleasant experience for you.”

“Please,” Victoria said. “Please, allow us to help you!”

“…Fine. I will go with you for now, but I will leave if it benefits me,” Michalis said. “Where will you be taking me?”

“We’re taking you to our boss, Apollomon,” I said.

“Wait! What about Irene and SlashAngemon?” Statuedramon asked.

“I don’t think they were here,” I said. “That note the knights left for us…did anything about it strike you as a little odd?”

“No, why?”

“We were able to read it,” I replied. “No knight I’ve ever seen has had legible handwriting.”

“What are you saying?” Zelda asked.

“I don’t think it was a knight who left us that note. Whoever did, I’m sure, is trying to provoke us into fighting the Valencian knights…someone like Abigail.”

“Abigail? You mean the lady who turned into BioLadyDevimon? Why do you think it was her?” Statch asked.

“She’s always had a bit of a manipulative streak,” I recalled.

“That’s a pretty big assumption to think someone would do that,” Victoria said. “What makes you so sure? Surely, there are a large number of knights with legible handwriting.”

“Perhaps, but one thing is for certain; we won’t be finding anyone in this place,” I looked up at Braig’s laboratory, which was still completely covered in ice. “At least, we won’t be finding anybody alive, and if we go in, we’re likely to freeze to death before we find anything. Also, if Irene and SlashAngemon really were taken by Valencian knights, they wouldn’t be kept here, where someone could easily walk in and find them, even before it became frozen over; those knights would’ve taken them back to their headquarters toward the center of Yew rather than a scientist’s laboratory such as this one.”

“So, that’s it? We’re just going back to Apollomon without them?” Statuedramon asked.

“You heard what Michalis said; anyone who touches that ice instantly dies,” I replied. “We can’t just wander in there without knowing what will happen to us. We have to go back.”

Magnus

Magnus’s Hideout (Unknown Location)

20 Minutes

 

“Why didn’t we do it?” Clive asked. He sat atop one of the many piles of empty crates scattered throughout my hideout. There wasn’t really any other way to describe the interior of the hideout; boring gray walls, gray floor, and piles upon piles of empty, wooden crates. There were two doors on opposite walls leading outside. “You spent most of the day bitching me out about how important it was that we get that kid, and then we just go and leave him behind?!”

“That’s enough, Clive!” I snapped. I stood with my back leaned against one of the hideout’s walls.

“You’ve never even told me why the kid was so important!” Clive continued rambling, ignoring me.

“Well…to tell you the truth, I was never told why, either,” I said. “All I was told was that I needed to find the kid and bring him back with me; I wasn’t given any explanation of why he’s so damn important or anything.”

“Okay, I can understand that part,” Clive said. “So, why, then, did we leave if we needed to bring him back with us?”

“It doesn’t matter why, okay?! We’ll get him eventually,” I said.

“…I noticed you were staring at that blonde girl practically the entire time,” Clive said. “Were you—?”

“I am NOT you!” I picked up my poleax and struck the pervert across the back of his head with the flat side of the axe’s blade, making him fall off the crates he sat on. “Look; I just got this really strange vibe off that girl. That’s all. I don’t know how to explain it; she just didn’t seem…normal.” I reached down and grabbed Clive’s hand and helped him stand up. “We’ll get the kid; don’t worry. We’ll try again tomorrow, okay?”

Chapter 30: One Survives

Victoria Kasuto

Saias’s Villa

 

‘SlashAngemon is dead. The insect has been felled by our hands. We will all take our time enjoying that cute girl that was with him before we gut her like the mercenary pig she is. The blonde girl gets it next.

The Honest, Hardworking Knights of Valencia’    

“Apollomon…what does this mean? What’s going on?!” Thomas asked.

“SlashAngemon and Irene…they’ve been captured by the knights of Valencia?!” Statuedramon yelled. “We have to go back to Braig’s lab! They might need our help!” 

“Please, Mr. Apollomon,” Zelda said.

“…Fine. I give you three permission to go to that damn place…just make sure you find out what happened,” Apollomon said after a moment’s thought. “But do not dawdle while you are there; find Irene and…and SlashAngemon if you can, and come back immediately.”

“Understood, sir!” Thomas said.

“Victoria,” Apollomon said to me. “You ought to go with them. I’m certain they could use the assistance of a swordswoman of your skill.”

“Of course, sir,” I bowed.

“Come on, we have to go now!” Statuedramon urged. The Rookie led us out of the basement and the villa, and began running as we got outside.

Abigail

 

“Well, this ought to keep them busy for a while,” I said. I sat atop the roof of Saias’s Villa, watching Thomas and his friends run to Braig’s lab in Yew. Sitting next to me was Irene. “See? I told you I’d take care of everything.”

 “…Yes…” Irene sadly watched as her friends grew smaller and smaller as they ran off into the distance.

“You don’t need to worry about them, dear; nothing is going to happen to them…” I placed my arm around Irene’s shoulders and pulled her into a hug. “Braig’s lab has been mysteriously frozen over. There isn’t anybody there who can hurt them, and the letter I placed on the door of this villa will lead them to believe that it was the knights who took you instead of us.”

“…I know…”

I don’t understand, though…who or what made Braig’s lab freeze over? Hopefully, that creepy old man died in there… Irene slowly placed an arm around my waist and returned my hug. Poor thing…she just hasn’t been the same since she killed SlashAngemon…Not that she really smiled much before…Irene began sobbing quietly once again. I pulled her in closer and kissed the top of her head.

Victoria Kasuto

Yew

45 Minutes

 

“I think we’re almost there, Victoria,” Thomas said to me.

“I never knew knights would do anything like this,” I said. “Do they seriously hate you guys so much that they’d go so far as to harm an innocent little girl?”

“The thought never actually crossed my mind, but I’m not surprised by the fact at all,” Statuedramon said. “I swear, if they’ve hurt one hair on Irene’s little head, I’ll…I’ll…” Statuedramon came to a sudden stop, and began looking around. “Does it…suddenly feel colder to you guys?”

“Not especially; why?” I asked.

“I don’t know…it just suddenly feels like I just suddenly walked into Nymphaea…”

“It can’t be that cold, or else we’d be feeling it, too,” Thomas said.

“Remember, Statuedramon is a Digimon, and a reptilian one at that,” I said. “He’s more sensitive to atmospheric changes than we Humans are.”

“Please don’t use my name and ‘sensitive’ in the same sentence,” Statuedramon grimaced. “But seriously, why do I feel so cold all of a sudden?”

“I’m no expert, but I have feeling that this might be why you’re feeling cold, Statch,” Thomas said. “Look over there.” Thomas pointed at what appeared to be a large building completely encased in ice.

“Wait a minute…isn’t that Braig’s lab?!” Zelda asked.

“What the hell happened here?!” Statch asked. “Come on, let’s go in; Irene might be—”

“No, don’t…you can’t…go in there…” a young man near Thomas’s age and height was limping weakly over to us.

“Hey, are you okay?!” I ran up to the young man and helped him stand up, placing his arm around my shoulders.

“You mustn’t go to that place…those who touch the ice are killed instantly…I just barely made it out in time…”

“What were you doing in that place? Did you work there?” Thomas asked. “Or were you—”

“Yes…I was one of the scientist’s test subjects. My name is Michalis…” As I got a brief glimpse of the back of the boy’s right hand, my heart immediately skipped a beat; on the back of his hand was an x-shaped birthmark.

Just like the one my baby had!

“I can’t remember how I found my way to this place; I’ve been here for as long as I can remember,” Michalis said. “I can’t remember very much of my life, though; it’s all the same…just one big blur…”

“Was there anyone else in the building when it froze over?!” Statuedramon asked. “A Digimon called SlashAngemon? A small girl with black hair, maybe? Perhaps a few Valencian Knights?”

“…As far as I know, I was the only test subject…a few scientists may have been there,” Michalis said. “But I was definitely the last remaining subject of theirs…if there were any knights, they would’ve been with the scientists that were about to preform another test on me just before the entire place froze over. The ice…it came so fast…”

“Where do you live, Michalis? Your parents must be worried about you,” I said.

“I…I don’t know…I’m not sure if I even have any parents…”

“Do you know your last name?” I asked.

“I don’t know anything about myself…other than my first name…”

“Is there anything we can to do help you?” Statuedramon asked.

“No, I…I don’t need any help.” Michalis removed his arm from my shoulders, and began staggering away. “I only came to warn you about this place…Please…just get away from this place!” Michalis slumped against a brick wall, nearly falling over, but still he continued to walk away from us.

“Michalis, wait!” I began running after him as a large poleaxe was flung, lodging itself into the wall in front of Michalis.

“Who’s there?!” Thomas shouted, drawing his sword quicker than I had ever seen him.

The time he’s spent with that mercenary guild has done wonders for his skills and reflexes, I see…

“No need to shout; we were going to show ourselves eventually,” a large, well-built man, followed by a smaller, scrawny, pale-skinned man, walked out of an alleyway. “We got business with the kid; we aren’t here for you.” The larger man removed his poleax from the wall -- a feat that would have proved difficult for anyone else, and yet one he pulled off with remarkable ease -- and pointed it at Michalis. “I’d come with me if I were you, kid; you don’t want to see my boss get pissed.”

“Boss?” Thomas walked over to the two men. “Do you two work with Abigail and Adrian?”

“Oh, so you’ve met those clowns, have you? Well, allow me to introduce myself; my name is Magnus, and this little guy behind me is called Clive,” Magnus said. My heart froze as the man called Clive stared directly at me, grinning.

No…no, it can’t be him…

“So, what were you promised for joining the cult of the deaf, dumb, and blind?” Statuedramon asked.

“I suppose I could tell you…” Magnus traced his fingers over the two gold bands around his left arm. “I love money, and I want money; lots of it. The lady boss promised me all the money I could ever want!” As Magnus continued to ramble about money, Clive’s eyes were fixated, staring unblinkingly at me.

“Well, hello there; we’ve met somewhere before, haven’t we?” Clive asked me. He stared straight into my eyes.

“No…you were taken in…they locked you away forever…” Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. “What are you doing here?! Why have you been released?!”

“I hardly think that’s any of your business, my dear,” Clive laughed.

“Victoria, who is that man?” Thomas asked.

“…The man named Clive…” I began to grow dizzy just thinking of the man…and what he did. “He was the man who raped me almost nineteen years ago.”

Chapter 29: Victoria

A/N: So, for those of you who are reading this, I would like to apologize for not generally posting on time. College is very, very evil to me :(
Now, with that said, enjoy this chapter! ^_^

Zelda

Saias’s Villa

 

Apollomon sat across from us on a couch in the living room of the villa. He looked neither angry nor confused at what we had told him; rather, his face went completely expressionless as we told him about Flamedramon, about Adrian, and about the Bio Hybrids.

“And SlashAngemon and Irene are still over there?” Apollomon asked.

“Yes, sir,” I said. “They said they’d be back by now…”

“Geez…I’m going to run out of people to send to that damn place,” Apollomon muttered. “Well…I’m glad you three are all safe. Don’t you go there again, though, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Thomas said.

“That’s what you said last time; how do I know I can trust you when you say that?” Apollomon asked.

“If you didn’t still trust us, you wouldn’t be talking to us,” Statuedramon said. “Believe me; after what we saw back there, I know I don’t have any plans of going to that place any time soon.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Apollomon said. “Zelda, you told me Irene and SlashAngemon should be back by now, did you not?” I nodded. Apollomon sighed and nervously glanced out a window. “Very well…if they do not return within an hour, I shall send Dianamon to find them; she’s outside standing guard at the moment. Now, Thomas…”

“What is it, sir?” Thomas asked.

“There’s a woman down in the basement; she claims to know you,” Apollomon said.

“…Why did you put her in the basement?” Statuedramon asked.

“It’s not like that, damn it! Pheragas and BlackGaomon are still injured from their fight against Flamedramon. Luna and Chrysania are in town shopping for food and supplies, and with Dianamon standing guard outside, there wasn’t anyone left to treat their wounds. This woman offered to do so while I spoke with you about last night.” Apollomon began leading us to a stairway that led down to a door.

“Did she give you her name?” Thomas asked.

“No, but she had long brown hair and green eyes, and she wore a long black coat...kind of like yours, actually, Thomas. She was very beautiful,” Apollomon said, stopping in front of the basement door. “Does she sound like someone you know?” Without answering, Thomas opened the basement door and walked in.

“So, this is the guild you told me about,” a woman sitting next to a sleeping Pheragas and BlackGaomon said.

“…Victoria…” Thomas smiled wide as he walked over to the woman, and the two embraced. I had never seen him look so happy before; he’s always been so serious, so…solemn. It made me feel relieved to know that he was capable of experiencing such an emotion.

“That’s the woman he spoke about last night?” I asked Statch.

“Yeah…that’s her…” I looked over at Statuedramon, and noticed his eyes were filled with tears. “Even though we weren’t hers, she still acted like a mother to the both of us…And even though I didn’t need one…” Statch shook his head and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Damn it…I’m over 500 years old…I thought all my tears had dried up…”

“I’m glad to see you’re doing well,” Victoria said. She had let go of Thomas and walked over to Statuedramon and hugged him too. “I’ve read all the letters you and Statch sent me, but…reading them is nothing compared to actually being here with you two…”

“Victoria…You look great,” Statuedramon smirked.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve gained like, thirty pounds since I’ve last seen you two,” Victoria laughed.

“Well, considering you were severely underweight then, that could only be an improvement,” Statuedramon said. “How were you able to find us?”

“I was at an outdoor Bazaar in Yew when I saw Apollomon, and I recognized him from your description of him, and I thought he might have been the same Apollomon you spoke of,” Victoria said. “I haven’t received a letter from you in so long; I was beginning to get worried…”

“I’m sorry; we’ve both been very busy,” Statch said.

“We didn’t mean to make you worried,” Thomas said. “Oh, and before I forget, I’d like to introduce you to our new friend; this is Zelda. She’s helped us so much ever since we’ve met her. Without her, I…I don’t think I could’ve done half of what I did during my missions in the short time she’s been with us.” At Thomas’s words, I lowered my head, hoping nobody noticed that I was blushing.

“Oh, so this cute little thing is also a mercenary?” Victoria asked, looking over at me.

“Yes, ma’am; I try to help out as much as I can. I just hope it’s enough…”

“Nonsense; we are very fortunate to have such a gentle and compassionate young woman among us,” Apollomon said.

“And she’s a Summoner, too!” Statuedramon blurted out. “Oh, sorry, was I not supposed to say that?”

“No, it’s okay,” I said. “Everyone I’ve told so far was really impressed with me, and they’ve respected me; I’m just not used to being treated that way…”

“Well, now…It’s been a very long time since I’ve met anybody with that rare of an ability,” Victoria said. “It is said that Summoning is a divine, sacred ability, one bestowed upon the purest of souls, those that have been subjected to terrible hardships in life and yet do not hold any grudges towards those that have inflicted suffering upon them.” My heart sank.

Is that…really why I’m able to Summon? Because of what I am?

“But, Victoria,” Statuedramon interjected. “We ran into a bandit that was a Summoner; a bandit of all people! How was somebody like him able to summon?”

“Well, who said that old legends and prophecies like that always had to be accurate?” Victoria asked. “Do you remember that prophecy about a Digimon called Myotismon?”

“You mean, ‘The sky will be darkened by the wings of many bats?’” Statuedramon asked.

“That’s the one; about two years ago, I saw a bunch of bats flying around while a bunch of dead people started shouting the name of an undead Digimon king at the hour of the beast, and I sure didn’t see any so-called king show up and try to kill everyone!” Victoria said.

…Wasn’t she…fazed in the slightest when the deceased began talking?

“I have no idea what you just said, but I’m just going to smile and nod,” Statuedramon said.

“Well, anyway, I found this a while back, and I wasn’t sure what I should do with it…” Victoria reached into her coat pocket and pulled something out. “I’m glad I met you, Zelda. I’d like you to have this.” Victoria handed me the Talisman; the design on the front was that of the Digimon Leomon.

“Thank you, Victoria; I promise I’ll take really good care of him,” I placed the Talisman into my satchel with my other three.

“So, anyway, I’ve been thinking about joining your little group, Tommy,” Victoria said. “You haven’t got any objections, have you?”

“You know I could never say no to you, Victoria,” Thomas said softly. Victoria giggled.

“Ah, yes…how could I have possibly forgotten about your little…‘weakness,’” she said.

“I prefer to think of it as a ‘perpetual enamorment,’ rather than a weakness,” Thomas said. Victoria laughed once more.

“No wonder you were so keen on getting this young lady to join your guild,” she said.

“What…do you mean?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing…You know, you really are adorable, just like he said.” I felt my face began to heat up when Apollomon interrupted.

“Miss Victoria, you are more than welcome to stay with us for as long as you desire,” he said. “You are also welcome to join us, if you wish.”

“Well, thank you, sir,” Victoria said. “I just might take you up on that offer…”

“Excellent; now, is there anything that you’d—” Apollomon was interrupted when someone began knocking on the basement door.

“Apollomon! Apollomon…you need to see this!” A pale-faced woman stood in the doorway, gasping for breath, and her face was covered in sweat…or tears.

“Dianamon, what’s wrong? What happened?!” Apollomon opened the door, and Dianamon fell into his arms, sobbing. “What happened? Are you okay?!”

“R—read this…” Dianamon handed a piece of paper to Apollomon. After reading it, Apollomon dropped the paper.

“…What…the hell? Where the hell did you find this, Dianamon?!” Apollomon asked. I picked up the paper Apollomon had dropped and read it.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Thomas asked, reading the paper over my shoulder. My face had gone completely pale as I reread what the paper had said.

“What’s it say?” Statuedramon asked, trying to jump up so he could read it as well. I handed him the note, and as I did, I sank to the floor. I knew what all the words meant, but I just couldn’t understand…

‘SlashAngemon is dead. The insect has been felled by our hands. We will all take our time enjoying that cute girl that was with him before we gut her like the mercenary pig she is. The blonde girl gets it next.

The Honest, Hardworking Knights of Valencia’