Chapter 102: Lucemon's Decision

Thomas Kasuto

Saias’s Villa

 

The windows shattered, sending shards of broken glass flying everywhere as we hit the floor. I quickly grabbed Zelda and lay over her to shield her from the attack with my body, and Luna did the same for Chrysania. I lifted my head just high enough to get a look around, my ears ringing. The entire room was filled with smoke from the explosion, but luckily, there didn’t seem to be any flames. Statuedramon stood in front of all of us, holding up his shield to protect us from any additional oncoming attacks as Pheragas placed himself between Luna and the new hole in the wall to protect them.

“Is everybody okay?!” Statuedramon asked.

“Damn it! They just keep coming, one after another,” I muttered. “Who is it this time?!”

“I can’t tell; I’m going out!” Statch nervously walked up to the smoldering hole. Zelda and I both carefully sat up; we were surrounded by shards of broken glass, and we were both covered in small cuts that stang when we moved.

“I’m okay,” she whispered, anticipating what I would say. There was a particularly large cut on the side of her left arm. Blood welled forth from it, staining her sleeve. I clenched my fist, looking down at the floor.

I am so fucking sick of seeing her get hurt! She’s been through so much in her life, but all of our enemies find it necessary to do things like this to her! I unclenched my fist when I realized I had torn open the skin of my knuckles in doing so. I’m going to kill that bastard in the most painful way I know how for doing this to her! I placed a quick kiss on Zelda’s forehead, then ran through the smoke and outside after Statuedramon. “Who is it? Who’s the bastard who hurt her?!”

“Is she okay?!” Statch asked.

“She’s fine,” I replied.

Shaking his head, he looked around. “I can’t see anyone through all this smoke!”

“Two voices…familiar to me, they are.” A form finally began to materialize in the smoke. The voice of the person who had spoken was familiar. “Oh, dear…a terrible mistake, I have made…”

“…Andromon? Andromon, is that you?!” I asked. The prototype Bio Hybrid walked through the smoke. “Andromon, what the hell are you doing here?!”

“This place…is where you live,” Andromon said to himself. “I had not been made aware of such fact.”

“What are you talking about?” Statuedramon asked.

“Asked to come here, I was. Ordered to eliminate this building and all its residents, was I.”

“…Someone made you come here?” Statch asked. “Your speech pattern’s kind of confusing me…”

“…He was right, though,” Andromon said. “Told me I would feel emotions for the first time when I came here, did he. And emotions, I do feel…not the ones he promised me, but emotions nonetheless.”

“And who is he?” I asked, suddenly feeling less angry. I guess I can’t really be mad at Andromon if he wasn’t told we were here…

“Machinedramon is his name. Ally of Myotismon, he is.”

“Machinedramon…he’s one of Lilithmon’s allies,” Statuedramon said.

“Andromon, do you know where he is?” I asked. The anger that had vanished was suddenly renewed. Andromon looked down at me.

“…You would…trust me?” he asked. “After I…attacked you?”

“C’mon; it’s obvious you didn’t know this was where we all lived. You haven’t attacked since you realized that.” In spite of the circumstances, I did my best to smile at Andromon. “Also…you said you felt emotions for the first time…what do you feel, seeing what you’ve done?”

“…I feel…what you would call…despair,” Andromon said. “Guilt.”

“Then, that’s all the more reason we have to trust you, Andromon. You obviously didn’t want to hurt me or my friends,” I said. “Please…take us to where Machinedramon is.” Andromon stared at me for the longest time.

“…Very well. Wish to make up for what I have done, I do. Take you to him, I shall.”

Yew

20 Minutes

 

“Almost there, we are,” Andromon said. Statuedramon and I were the only ones who had gone with him. Luna was with the others, treating their cuts and wounds from the broken glass with her potions and spells.

“You shouldn’t have come with me,” Statuedramon said. “I’m okay because of my shield, but you’re pretty badly cut up from protecting Zelda.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “It’s only on my back. If you’re worried, I’ll have Luna take a look at it after we’ve killed Machinedramon.”

“Your hand’s bleeding, too.”

“That was from clenching my fist too hard.” Statuedramon grimaced, taking a few steps away from me.

“I apologize,” Andromon said. “If I…if I hadn’t—”

“Andromon, I told you; you have nothing to apologize for,” I said, giving him what I hoped was a friendly smile. Andromon nodded understandingly, but the look in his eyes made it seem like he wasn’t fully convinced yet. “…Tell you what; if you still feel bad about it, then you can help us fix up the villa. Deal?”

“…Yes, of course,” Andromon said. “Thomas…the first person to not treat me any differently after I turned into this form, you were. Do anything to help you and your friends, I would.”

“Glad to hear it, buddy.”

“We’ve reached Braig’s lab,” Statuedramon said. “This is where he’s at, right?”

“Told me he would be waiting here, he did,” Andromon said. “But see him, I do not…”

“This was where he was freed from the Dark Area by Sephyrus, wasn’t it?” I asked.

“So he has told me.” The ground trembled. Somebody was slowly approaching us. Somebody big.

“Think that’s him?” Statch whispered. I nodded. The three of us turned around as the giant, mechanical Digimon came into view. In spite of his large size and the length of each of his strides, it seemed to take him ages to finally walk over to the frozen lab.

“Andromon…back so soon?” he asked. “Good job! How did it go? Did you find the emotions you sought?”

“…Not exactly,” Andromon said, giving Statuedramon and me a rather confused look.

…Doesn’t Machinedramon see us?

“I discovered the way emotions feel…for the first time,” Andromon said. “Machinedramon…you promised me joy…I felt sorrow…guilt…”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Machinedramon said, sounding truly remorseful. “Were you successful in killing them?”

“…No. I found that I could not do it.”

“I understand; if it is the first time, it is always a little overwhelming,” Machinedramon said sympathetically. “Now…who are these two?”

“You don’t remember us?!” Statuedramon exclaimed. “I killed you, like, two or three weeks ago!”

“…I do not remember,” Machinedramon said. “Wait…are you from that Lachesis group?”

“YES!!!”

“Oh, now I see. Andromon, why did you bring them with you?”

“We are here to kill you, Machinedramon,” Andromon replied.

“…Kill me? After everything I’ve done to try to help you, Andromon, you’d do that to me?”

“Tell me my friends lived in that house, you did not! Kill you, we will!”

“…I see.” Machinedramon lowered his large head to face Andromon specifically. “I, Machinedramon, will not yield to the frail heart of an infantile coward! Don’t resist; it’ll make your deaths faster and more painless!”

“I’d like to say the same to you!” Statuedramon said. “Seeing as how I killed you last time and all…”

“My power has no limits!” Machinedramon roared. “I will crush you! Giga Cannon!” Statch held up his shield as Machinedramon fired off his attacks. Not aimed at him, Machinedramon’s attacks soared over Statch’s head and blew up Braig’s old laboratory. After over a month of being frozen in place, the ice finally shattered as the building collapsed in place. Statuedramon was left transfixed, staring, at the now burning building, as Machinedramon struck him from behind with his right arm’s Dragon Fire attack, sending the Rookie hurtling through the air and into the rubble of a demolished house.

“Lighting Blade!” Andromon joined in the fight, firing off several energy blades at the titanic Machinedramon, though all of his attacks bounced and broke apart as they hit his steel body. “Speak to Wisemon, did you not? How was Machinedramon defeated ages past, I wonder?”

“He was killed by a Digimon called EmperorGreymon,” I said. “Like most of the others from the Celestial Vanguard, nobody seems to know where he went, so we’re going to have to try to defeat Machinedramon by ourselves!”

“Giga Cannon!”

“Watch out!” Andromon pulled me to the ground just as Machinedramon attacked again. The attack passed harmlessly over our heads, eventually vanishing from sight.

“Just give up!” Machinedramon said. “You can’t run; I’ll just chase you down until I catch you!”

“We’re not running away,” I said. “My job is to kill people like you on a daily basis. I couldn’t look at myself in the fucking mirror if I turned away now!” Statuedramon finally climbed out of the rubble, and ran over to us.

“Yeah, you’d better believe we’d die before surrendering!” he yelled.

“Permission granted. Giga Cannon!”

“Gatling Attack!” Andromon’s chest plate opened up and fired two missiles into Machinedramon’s cannons before he could attack. The cannons exploded, consuming Machinedramon in a ball of flames.

“Holy shit!” Statch exclaimed.

“Andromon…”

“Stop him, that will not,” Andromon said. “Prepared for him, you must be.” As if on cue, Machinedramon stomped through the flames, heavily burnt with several wires drooping all over him. Bits and pieces of his steel armor had melted away, and as he walked, he left behind puddles of molten iron. The cannons on his back had simply vanished.

“I misjudged you,” Machinedramon said. “But you will not be so lucky again; Dragon Fire!” Machinedramon brought his claw down on us as Andromon shoved Statch and me out of the way, grabbing Machinedramon’s arm midair before it hit the ground. Andromon hit the ground in a matter of seconds, becoming trapped under Machinedramon’s claw. “You were too much trouble.”

“Lightning Blade!” With his free arm, Andromon fired another energy blade, this one piercing clear through Machinedramon’s arm. After a loud, metallic creak broke the silence that followed, Machinedramon’s arm fell off, freeing Andromon. Machinedramon took another step forward as Andromon attacked him once again, sending a Lightning Blade through the larger Digimon’s chest. Machinedramon came to a sudden stop; various mechanical bits and screws fell through the hole in his chest, followed by some melted iron and torn wires.

“Well…it seems…you have beaten me,” Machinedramon said, his voice and his body creaking loudly. “But the Order of the Enchantress shall triumph! I may perish…but sooner or later…the Darkness of the Dark Area…it will billow forth and devour this continent!” With a final creak, Machinedramon’s head fell off and hit the ground with a resonating thud, sending small scraps of iron flying into the air as his body disappeared, leaving nothing behind. Andromon sighed with relief, falling back down to the ground.

“Andromon, are you okay?” I asked.

“Be fine…I will,” Andromon said, breathing heavily. “That…wore me out…”

“When we get back home, we’ll have our witch brew you up a potion; they snatch the exhaustion right out of you,” Statuedramon said enthusiastically. “You are…coming with us, aren’t you?”

“Still…owe you a debt, I do,” Andromon said. “Fix your house, I shall.” I smiled.

Horusmon

 

“…And so…the fifth flame dies out…” I sighed. Machinedramon…you were so powerful, too; how could they be this strong?! Or…is it that we’re getting weaker? I looked down at the city of Yew from the sky. Thomas, Statuedramon, and Andromon were leaving. I could…attack them right now…but…that would not be an honorable victory. I wish to fight them at their strongest.

“Horusmon!” I turned around. Flying up to me was Lucemon.

Oh, great; him. Even DeathPhantomon would be better than him…

“Lucemon wishes to know what you are doing,” Lucemon said, his monotoned voice as dull and creepy as ever.

“Just observing the battlefield from afar.”

“Like a vulture, waiting to pick clean the bones of the fallen.”

I looked at Lucemon. “Is there a point to your visit?” I asked.

“Lilithmon told Lucemon that you were the last to see Apollomon and Seraphimon alive,” Lucemon said. “Was her statement a truth, or was it a falsity?”

“No. She speaks the truth. For once.” I looked to the north. “I buried them in a landslide in the Black Rose Mountains a while ago. I have no doubt that they are still alive, but they will all die at some point.”

“LUCEMON WANTS TO BE THE ONE TO KILL THEM!”

“…You really are an oddity, Lucemon,” I said. “I’ll take you to where they were buried. How’s that?”

“Lucemon wants to kill the other members, too,” Lucemon said. “You will take Lucemon to where they were buried, then Lucemon will find the other members and kill them all at once.”

“Got it.” Freak.