Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Morphs: A Digimorphs Tale ❯ With Broken Wings ( Chapter 33 )

Digimon / Digital Monsters and all related trademarks belong to Bandai. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission.

 

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With Broken Wings

By nightdragon0

 

 

 

“Ugh...” Aero awoke to the sound of running water.

As his foggy vision cleared, the blue dragon realized he was lying on a soft patch of grass beside a stream. Parts of his body were wrapped in makeshift bandages of large palm leaves and some blue cloth. Those were all courtesy of the figure sitting nearby.

“You're awake.” Zelia the Raptordramon walked over. “I'm glad.”

“What happened?” Aero asked. “The base and all....”

“I trashed it.” Zelia simply replied.

“But I see you got me out before you did.”

“I owed you the favor.” The raptor nodded. “I've been looking after you for the past 2 days.”

“Wow, I was out that long?” Aero wondered. “That must've been a harder hit than I thought.”

Aero shifted and realized there was a sour, acidic odor about his body. His bandages also carried traces of a strange green liquid.

“That's the same substance which was used on me.” Zelia remarked. “It also seems to have some rejuvenation properties.”

“I can certainly feel that.” Aero moved his arms about and flexed his wings. “All the injuries I got in the battle seem to have been reduced to a bunch of minor bruises now.

“Hmmm...”

“What's wrong?”

“I've made enemies of my former masters.” Zelia said softly. “But I do not entirely regret my decision.”

“What will you do now?” Aero looked up.

“Don't exactly know. This is a new world to me and I come into it with nothing other than a bunch of foggy memories. I just know that those are real now.”

“Why not seek them out? Sounds like a good quest to start on.”

“Is adventure all you think about?”

“Hey, I'm that kinda dragon.” Aero cocked his head and laughed. “Come on and hang around with us. Considering how often we bump into your old gang, some answers are going to pop up eventually.”

“You do realize that I'm....different.” Zelia gave him a curious glance. “And yet you offer your help so willingly?”

“The other dragons I deal with are kinda different too.” Aero winked.

“So be it then.” Zelia started to move, but suddenly dropped down to the ground.

“Zelia?” Aero touched the exposed scales on her neck and realized that her body felt rather hot. “Oh on!”

This is what Mihiramon said about her body not being able to sufficiently cool itself. He thought.

“Hang on, I'll get you some help.” Aero glanced around the place.

If I can figure out where you've dragged me to Zelia.

 

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For 2 days he'd waited, lying there in the room. Unable to move….a prisoner in his own body.

None of them had contacted him and not once had he heard his Digivice beep. There could've been a thousand and one explanations, he'd kept telling himself. But it just stuck in his mind that perhaps his friends had really left him for good.

Steve had never imagined that they would abandon him and the mere thought of it left his mind numb for hours.

Perhaps it had been through the manipulation of that voice from behind the curtain. Though Steve never saw him, they spoke a little. However, the voice was mostly bitter and full of anger.

The Swanmon nurse was around too, helping him with the basic things he could no longer do for himself. From changing his bandages to feeding his pathetic crippled dragon form.

She's taught him how to use a touch screen, which had him utilizing the only parts of his body he could still move. With his neck supported in a brace and a small rod held between his front teeth, he was able to navigate the computer and browse through the internet.

This was to be his miserable life from then on. However in the morning of the second day, Steve had stumbled upon a tidbit of information regarding a new treatment procedure which required testing. It was within his medical center and had a request going out for volunteers.

Hoping against hope, Steve had gone for it. The registration had involved a short survey and Steve actually found it a bit relieving to spill out his feelings onto the survey.

One question however, stood out. It had asked `How much would you give up for a cure to your condition?'

Steve hadn't thought much before typing out `everything' as his response.

By evening, the young dragon had learnt that he'd been selected. But from then on, things had gotten really out of hand. He was given an exceedingly large dose of analgesic drugs, sending his world into a blurry state.

He couldn't figure out right from left, but he did realize eventually that he'd been brought out, loaded into a van, and driven off to some unknown destination.

And that place, in which he now lay, was the inside of a warehouse.

I should've suspected something from the way they drugged me, but….not like I could've resisted either way… Steve thought grimly.

As more of his senses cleared out, Steve found himself lying stomach down on top of a hard wooden table. Some cables had been tired round his arms, legs and tail as well, all joining up to a large set of machinery nearby.

Things were going from bad to worse as the helpless Flamedramon cried out in panic.

 

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“2 days?!” Sekata frowned. “Were we really trapped in that virtual reality world for that long?”

“Hard to say myself.” Zoe muttered.

“No…Steve!!” Janet shook her head and took off running.

“Hey wait up!!” Sekata and Zoe sprinted after the Cyberdramon.

“Steve…he's in bad shape and now he's been alone for 2 days.” Janet panted. “Damn, I already let him down once! I can't mess up again!”

“Calm down and try to control your emotions!” Sekata grabbed her should and pulled Janet to a halt.

“He's right, get a hold of yourself first.” Zoe added in. “We're all worried about Steve, but it won't do him any good if you just go berserk.”

“Yeah, you're right.” Janet nodded, taking a deep breath.

“Aero's Digivice is with me. We found him missing too.” Sekata explained. “But Steve's D-Dragon is with him right? Try contacting him.”

“Uh, good idea.” Janet raised her wrist-mounted D-Dragon. However, a sudden glimmer caught her eye. “Watch out!!”

In a flash, Sekata's Ryuukonken sword was out. The red dragon deflected a missile with a well-timed stroke, sending the explosive into a nearby tree. The resulting blast sent a shower of leaves down onto the forest floor.

“Grrrr…now I've finally found you!” A Metalgarurumon X, otherwise known as Metallix, dragged himself onto the scene.

His armor was dirty and muddy, with bits of leaves and twigs sticking out from the joints.

“Not you again!” Janet moaned. “Steve already blew your butt all the way to Timbuktu!!”

“Uh?!” Sekata and Zoe stared, sweatdropping.

“I'll explain later.” Janet waved. “But this doggie isn't a friend.”

“And I'm back girl! I'm here for that little Flamedramon friend of yours!!” Metallix hissed.

“Know what? I'll be happy your kick your tail on his behalf!!” Janet charged the armored figure just as he was about to fire a missile.

A swift roundhouse kick sent the missile from Metallix's gun arm flying harmlessly into the sky. Metallix let out a yell of pain and Janet followed up with a series of punches.

Metallix staggered back from the blows, but turned and landed an elbow strike, which sent Janet flying back with a sore chin.

Sekata moved in and attacked with his sword, forcing Metallix to break off his assault and block. Zoe drove a kick into their opponent's exposed left side and Sekata finished with a shoulder blow that had the wolf on his back.

“Give it up! You're outmatched!” Sekata declared, pointing his sword.

“Cocytus Breath!” The wolf fired off a breath of intense ice from his jaws, partially freezing a tree behind Sekata as the red dragon rolled away.

Sekata lashed out, though his strike was clumsy and easily countered. Metallix knocked the weapon out of his claws. The Ryuukonken spun through the air and impaled itself in the wood of the partially frozen tree.

The Vritramon flipped backwards and readied his arm blasters, but Zoe and Janet got into his line of fire when they moved in to engage. Sekata was forced to hold back his attack, but went for the tree and tried to pry his weapon loose.

However, he felt an odd energy burst building up with the sword and released his hold in surprise. Then came a howl of pain as Zoe was thrown against the tree, shattering the frozen parts of the trunk.

Hidden within the tree was an old stone monument….with a series of strange characters carved on its surface.

Waypoint! Sekata thought, making another grab for the sword.

“Erase Claw!!”

“Cocytus Breath!”

“Sekata! Watch it!!” Zoe yelled as Janet's and Metallix's energy attacks collided.

Sekata was thrown roughly against the ground as the explosion blinded his surroundings. However, he briefly remembered the Ryuukonken glowing brightly amidst the chaos….

 

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“Hey what's going on here?!” Steve called. “Garghhh!!!”

His curiosity gave way to screams of pain as a sharp metal piece was jabbed into his back.

“Damn, he's awake already? Just hold his head down and keep him from screaming too much. He can't move the rest of his body anyway.

A furry paw slammed his jaws shut, leaving Steve to wince in silent agony while rows of metal pegs were stabbed into the flesh of his upturned back.

Each piece was in the shape of a `T', with a single sharp downwards point and 2 flat ends. The sharp parts pierced through flesh and scale, right to the bones.

Multiple pieces were slowly and agonizingly placed into his elbows, shoulders, spine and legs.

The pain was extreme and his blood flowed freely, dripping off the table he lay on. However, Steve's muffled cries would be heard by no one other than his aggressors.

Finally, his head was released as the other Digimon moved to connect the metal spikes together using a series of wires. Steve instinctively wiggled his head about in vain.

“Just bear with the pain for a while.” Mihiramon growled, moving into view. “It'll all be over soon.”

“Grrr…whoever you are…if you want to kill me, you might as well get it over and done with!” Steve managed.

“Kill you? Us Devas will be giving you exactly what you desire kid.” Makuramon bent over, staring Steve in the eye.

“You….” Steve gasped, recognizing the monkey Deva's voice as the one from behind the curtain.

“You want to be able to walk again. I definitely heard it from you.” Makuramon continued. “We can restore that much desired trait. And the only thing we ask is that you do a little favor for us.”

“What?! After your goons tried to trick me before?!” Steve snarled. “I'll never help you in your dirty schemes for anything!!!”

“You say that with so much vigor.” Makuramon casually juggled a syringe of green liquid. “You're the weakest link in your own party, and the others have always treated you as such. Even you have had to have seen that.”

“Gargh! Shut up!!”

“But we can change all of that for you…”

“Shut up!!!!” Steve yelled again, wanting desperately to run. But he was quickly hit by the painful realization that his injury would not allow him to do so….never to run again for that matter.

“If he doesn't agree with it willingly, the process could fry his mind.” Mihiramon cut in. “You remember there are complex ways about how brain waves work. He'll be no good to us without access to everything in his memories.”

“Oh, but he already has agreed to it.” Makuramon laughed.

“Huh?!” Steve staggered.

“Remember that little question you answered back in the hospital? How much would you give up for a cure to your condition?”

Everything… The thought crossed Steve's mind. That's why I….

Makuramon must've taken his cue from Steve's sudden change in expression. For the next instant, the Deva flipped a nearby lever, sending an electrical current flowing through the Flamedramon's body.

As Steve howled in agony, he felt a slight prick, barely comparable to the electric shock. It was Makuramon, emptying the contents on the syringe into his back.

“That's is the last of the rejuvenation fluid.” Mihiramon the tiger remarked. “This had better be worth it.”

“Oh it will my friend.” His fellow Deva replied. “It will.”

“RRRRAAAARRGGGHHHH!!!!” Steve's screams echoed, reverberating off the four closed walls.

 

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“Ughh….” Sekata moaned, opening his eyes. “Zoe?! Are you all right?”

“Yeah….I'm fine.” Zoe rolled up from a supine position and allowed Sekata to help her to her feet.

Another groan told them that Janet was rising nearby, without more than a few scratches. They were still in the forest, it seemed, though it appeared much darker than before. And there was no sign of Metallix anywhere around.

“The map….” Sekata blinked, bringing up an area map onto his Digivice's screen.

“What about it?” Zoe queried.

“We are far off from our former position.” Sekata pointed. “Very far off…”

The main continent the group had spent their days on was visible, however the current landmass on which they were located was an island near the edge of the world map.

“W…what the heck did you do with that sword of yours?” Janet muttered as she pulled herself to her feet.

“I have no idea.” Sekata shook his head, lifting the weapon off the log it had fallen onto. “It probably had something to do with the Waypoint, but the sword just acted up on its own.”

No not entirely on its own. Could AncientGreymon have something to do with this?

“How can you not know?!” Janet lunged forward and grabbed Sekata around the neck.

Sekata's hand instinctively came up and caught Janet beneath the jaws. However, she neither flinched nor released her grasp, and turned back to face Sekata with an angry growl.

“Stop it you two! This isn't a time to be at each other's throats!” Zoe, the shortest of the three, had to reach up and pull the two apart.

“She's right. You're extremely agitated right now.” Sekata backed away. “Are you losing control over your Cyberdramon form?”

“No…I…ggarrghh!!!” Janet clenched her fists.

“It's about Steve, isn't it?” Sekata said softly.

“Look, it just sticks in my mind about what the nurse told me about his condition.” Janet threw her claws up.

“Is it very bad?” Zoe stepped forward. “All of us have been through a lot of rough times.”

“No, for Steve….it's….that…he's….”

“Quiet!” Sekata snapped, making a hand gesture. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Zoe whispered.

“Listen…”

At that point, Zoe realized that there were absolutely no other sounds around. No cricking of insects, chirping of birds or croaking of frogs anywhere. Actually, there was a soft rustling of leaves, but it faded as abruptly as it had come.

Sekata had his arm-blasters ready while Janet glanced around, squinting in the dimly lit forest. Zoe was moving towards the pair and suddenly found herself leaping up with a cry of alarm.

A couple of vines running along the forest floor had come to life, slithering in a snake-like manner. Sekata sliced both apart as the vines lunged towards Zoe.

“What the…?!” Janet reached down and poked at the chopped vines with a claw.

The remains then moved again, swiftly wrapping themselves around her wrists.

“Urgghh! Garghh!”

“Hiah!” Sekata's claws tore the vines off in a swift stroke. The red dragon wasted no time in grabbing Janet's arm and dragging her away.

Frantically, the trio took off in the opposite direction, only to find more vines coming to life and blocking their path. The dragons made several lashes before deciding that their best course of action was to take another path.

“Here! This way!” Janet took the lead.

Vines were coming to life all around as they ran, shoving and cutting their way through the trees and undergrowth.

“Where are they coming from?!” Sekata wondered.

“Practically everywhere!” Zoe stared.

Indeed, more vines emerged from seemingly everywhere: the ground, the trees, plants….though it was difficult to tell their exact origin amongst the chaos of the forest. And the party was left wildly running, jumping and dodging to keep from being caught.

A quick glance towards the canopy ruled flight out as a path of escape due to all the moving vines above their heads.

Sekata was running in the middle of the group when an aggressive vine shot across the path and wrapped itself around his neck. Janet whirled around at his cry and used an Erase Claw to sever the lower part of the vine. Zoe quickly caught up and helped to pull the coiled vine off Sekata's neck.

Two vines went for Janet's feet and the black dragon somersaulted, blasting them apart in midair. Unfortunately, she landed in the wrong spot, and immediately had about 6 vines coiling themselves around her body.

“Help…mmhhhh….!!!”

“Jan!” Zoe fired her X-laser to take some vines out of the way, but many more appeared to take their place.

“Move it now!!” Sekata grabbed Zoe and pulled her away from the scene, thrashing about in protest.

“JJJJaaaannnn!!!”

“We won't be able to help her if we can't save ourselves first!” Sekata shouted, dragging the struggling XV-mon down another path.

He realized that the vines were thinning out and much to his relief, halted their assault once Zoe and himself had emerged into a clearing. There was a small bluff overlooking a narrow stream, where the pair dropped down, panting. Sekata estimated the size of the clearing was about half that of a soccer field, and it seemed that the vines couldn't reach far into it.

They were safe for a while, though the moving vines still lingered at the edges.

“You hurt?” Sekata asked.

“A few scratches. No big deal.” Zoe managed. “But Janet….”

“I know.” Sekata muttered grimly.

The tropical afternoon sun shone down onto their spot, revealing a clear way up into the sky. But Janet was still trapped in the forest….and there was no way either one would flee the area without her.

 

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Zelia's weight didn't do much to help as the blue dragon trudged through the forest, his aching wings already too strained to continue flying with.

He somehow had the feeling that he'd been going round in circles and finally had to stop on the bank of a stream.

Panting, Aero lay Zelia down and checked over her. She seemed fine according to her system's analysis, though her body still felt rather warm.

Aero himself was covered in sweat and plunged his face into the stream. Letting off a short scream, Aero sprang up, realizing the water was almost ice cold.

“Arrgghh!! I…huh?!” Aero blinked. “Zelia! Get into the water!”

The blue dragon helped his companion move into the cold stream. Zelia barely had any reaction as she sat down on the shallow riverbed, with Aero reaching out from shore to hold her head above the water.

“This should help to cool you down.” Aero explained.

Zelia remained silent for several minutes after, but she soon groaned and opened her eyes. She shifted her sitting position, with her head and neck above water, and watched curiously as some fish swam around her.

“How is it?” Aero asked, taking a seat on a large rock by the stream.

“It helps.” Zelia nodded, eyeing the fish in the water. “Hmmm….I wonder how these taste?”

“I assume pretty good if you can catch…”

SNAP!! Zelia's head went underwater and came up with a fish in her jaws, which she promptly swallowed.

“Well, that works too.” Aero laughed.

Zelia seemed fine for the moment and Aero's thoughts turned back to the navigational problems. He'd conveniently lost his Digivice after having transferred all of his original PDA's (Personal Digital Assistant) data to it. This basically meant that all his maps were on the Digivice and he didn't have much to work with.

But he hadn't really been thinking right either. Zelia had had him far too distracted for the past few days. Since they could stay at this position for a while, Aero decided that he could go airborne and scout out the area.

Zelia's startled scream however, served as an abrupt interruption to those thoughts. The raptor had taken a step too far into the deeper part of the lake. Its current was a lot stronger than she'd realized and Zelia had been swept off her feet.

“Zelia!” Resisting the urge to dive in after her, Aero took to the sky instead and followed as fast as he could.

Beating his wings wildly, he desperately glanced around for anything that might be of some help. The first few fallen branches looked too flimsy to be of any good, but Aero discovered a strong-looking one hidden in the bush. He wasted no time in ripping it out.

 

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Struggle as she might, Janet could hardly move a muscle. The vines had coiled themselves all round her body, heavily restricting her movements. Her arms had been caught and pressed down by her sides, and her legs held firmly together.

Even with scales, the vines were horribly itchy too, causing even more discomfort to Janet. She couldn't even turn her head, although a small gap had been left around her right eye's area which allowed her to see a little of her surroundings.

The vines had dragged her body some distance and left her view facing the largest tree she had ever seen. No…it wasn't any normal tree, but the source of all the vines. Dozens of vines protruded from parts of the trunk, some lying on the surface while others dug beneath ground.

This thing….it must be the one that's controlling the vines! I see how the vines seemingly came out of nowhere…but is this an animal or some highly advanced plant?

The stone monument which marked the Waypoint was barely visible, lying at the base of the Ancient `Tree', probably explaining why it had attacked them.

Janet suddenly felt that she was in a fully upright position. She felt cold water around her ankles and realized the vines wrapping around her body were pulling her feet under the soil….rooting her to the ground.

The dragon cried out in panic, desperately trying to free herself. All she got out of that however was a muffled cry and a little wiggle, which only caused the vines to tighten.

She then saw that she wasn't alone, for another figure was similarly entangled in vines and `rooted' next to her.

Metallix?!

 

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“Ow…damn that smarts…” Zoe winced as she washed a long cut on her arm with water from the stream.

“You can get it cleaned up later.” Sekata added in. “But for those killer plants….”

“Sekata, don't say that.”

“Sorry…that was a bad phrase to use.” Sekata shook his head. “We'll get Janet back, after we….”

Just then his stomach let off a low rumble. The dragons they were now definitely needed a lot more food than an average human being, and considering neither had eaten anything in two days, the feeling was upsetting.

“Yeah, my stomach's protesting too.” Zoe glanced around.

“I'd burn this whole damn place down if I had the strength.”

“Not while Janet's still trapped in there.”

“Grrr….I haven't got any other ideas.”

Their area of safety was a circular plain surrounded by trees. In the very center was the raised section the pair sat on, with the stream flowing beneath their feet. Several small shrubs grew close by, though Sekata and Zoe sat an uneasy distance away.

In addition, the previously clear sky was getting dark, with thunder rumbling in the distance.

“Perhaps Aero had some data on this place. You have his Digivice right?” Zoe suggested.

“Here, take a look.” Sekata handed the device to the female dragon.

“Let's see….” Zoe flipped scrolled through the screens. “I think I found it. It's known as the `Dark Continent' and mentions about highly advanced plant life, but not too many details. This is a forbidden place apparently….no one dares to come here much.”

“I can see why.” Sekata knelt down beside a bush, which was covered with large, icy blue fruits. “Hmm…I recognize these. We had to deliver a shipment of them some time back.”

Sekata ripped one off and raised it to his mouth.

“Wait! Those weren't for eating!!” Zoe protested.

“Gggarghh!! Rrarrgghh!!!” Sekata howled.

The moment he bit into the fruit, the fire dragon felt chills shooting throughout his entire body. Frantically, he spat out the thick, viscous fruit juice, some of which hardened into ice crystals on his fangs and jaws.

“The Ice Fruits remember?” Zoe giggled. “Their juice is something like a miniature freeze bomb.”

“Ugh…doww zzowld aa forrgettt?” Sekata moaned, kneeling over with his numb tongue hanging out of his mouth.

“Hey, a freeze bomb!” Zoe snapped her fingers. “That gives me an idea.”

 

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“Grab onto this!” The blue dragon yelled, holding the branch out to her.

Zelia made a couple of swipes, both of which missed. Aero then moved in, hovering just above the water's surface, and tried again.

This time, Zelia got a claw around the branch. However, she suddenly turned her head up and shouted a warning.

Aero couldn't hear her, but the cause of her concern soon became apparent…..when his head smacked right into a fallen tree stretching across the river.

BAM! SPLOOSH!!

With a gurgled scream, Aero ended up in the freezing waters alongside the Digimon he'd been trying to save. His feet hit the rocky bottom and Aero kicked up, fighting hard to the surface for air.

Damn! That was so stupid!! He cursed silently.

He didn't have much time to lament about it however, as a thunderous roar soon drowned out all his thoughts. As the blue dragon's head blobbed to the surface, the dreaded sight of a waterfall loomed into view. Aero's mind raced as he struggled to find Zelia amidst the rapids.

He then felt a tight grip at the back of his neck as Zelia's jaws latched on to the skin there. With a metallic click, Zelia's wings spread out like a jet plane's. Aero was unsure of the slight humming until the pair abruptly shot forward.

Zelia had jets hidden beneath her wings, which she seemed to have activated, either in panic or desperation. However, she was also facing the wrong direction and propelled them towards the edge instead of safety.

There was no time for Aero to protest and the pair shot off the edge like a speed boat. The moment they were airborne, Aero's instincts kicked in.

He flipped his body around so that he was positioned above Zelia instead. While this allowed him to spread his dripping wet wings to break their fall, Zelia's fangs were still clamped onto the back of his neck.

The sudden movement resulted in a stabbing pain to Aero's mind, but he gritted his teeth as the two drifted slowly down to the plunge pool below.

Aero realized he now held Zelia in his arms. Zelia, in turn, sheepishly released her jaw's hold and stared into his eyes.

 

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“Ready?” Zoe looked up.

“As I'll ever be.” Sekata nodded. “I do think it's a little crazy.”

“Well, you know what they say: sometimes crazy just works.”

The pair carefully edged closer to the trees and away from their `safe' area. Sekata held a leather pouch firmly under his arm, with a pile of Ice Fruits inside.

“Let's go then.” Sekata growled, reaching for the fruit on the top.

Coincidently, Zoe reached for the same piece and their hands met on top of the fruit. For a moment, both glanced into each other's eyes, unsure of what to do.

“Uh…you go ahead.” Sekata pulled his hand back.

“No, you take it.” Zoe responded.

Another moment of awkward silence followed before Sekata found his voice. The thunder was louder now and the rains were beginning to fall, pouring in from the stormy clouds.

“Erm…about the thing that….I've been intending to say.” Sekata began. “I….”

“You what…?” Zoe asked softly.

“It's just that…I…erm…really…” Sekata placed his claw over Zoe's. “Really…like…”

“Err…yes?”

“To say…” Sekata leaned closer.

The abrupt rustling of leaves caused both to spring up and grab a couple of fruits each. Alerted to their presence, the vines had started moving and attacking again.

“Take that!” Zoe hurled a fruit into the nearest vine.

The Ice Fruit splattered, splashing its juice on all the other vines close by. The result was that any of the vines touched by the juice begun to freeze and turn to ice, allowing Sekata and Zoe to shatter them easily.

“Hell! It's really working!” Sekata grinned, tossing more fruits about.

In the midst of leaping and ducking about, the two kept throwing the Ice Fruits and were able to make progress, moving back to the previous position Janet had been at.

“Jan! Where are you?!!” Zoe yelled.

Soft muffled cries emerged from further in, barely audible amongst the chaos the pair was causing.

“This way!” Sekata jumped into the lead, both chewing and slashing vines apart.

A part of the trail was clear of trees, and that was where they found Janet, completely wrapped up and rooted down like a plant. She could apparently see them, for the moment Sekata and Zoe moved into view, Janet's struggling became more vigorous.

“Hold on Jan!” Sekata took up a fruit and moved forward.

A vine close to the ground moved and tripped Sekata up, sending the Vritramon spinning to the ground, spilling the fruits everywhere. Instantly, the vines converged on the fallen dragon, wrapping themselves around his body.

As much as Zoe wanted to help him, she couldn't….because more vines were coiling onto her too.

 

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Lightning forked down and struck a tree in the distance. Thunder boomed and rumbled in the skies above. However, a lone figure stood out in the forest below.

He was moving….running. The rain poured down, forming puddles in the muddy floor. Rainwater flowed down into his eyes, down his neck and chest.

I never wanted something like this… Steve said to himself. But why…?!

Hours ago, he'd been critically wounded, doomed to be a cripple for the rest of his life. And yet he was here running….though not entirely on his own will.

I wasn't thinking straight. I should've suspected something. But now it's too late to turn back…

He didn't even know how he'd gotten here, but briefly remembered moving through some dizzying vortex.

Trees and other plants gave way to his slashing claws. His taloned feet made loud thumps as they moved.

He felt his tail swinging behind him, along with the heavy armor weighing him down and the wings folded behind his back, but tense and ready.

Wait a minute? Wings?! Steve realized. But this form feels different…it's not anything I've had before.

Then, the last of the trees fell before him as he emerged into a clearing. The sounds of battle came from close by, and his body dashed towards it with more vigor than ever before.

 

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The more he squirmed, the tighter the vines seemed to become. Sekata was already exhausted, wet from the pouring rain, weak from hunger and now barely able to breathe. He could barely make out the screams of his friends, and was about to black out when his bonds were suddenly released.

Gasping for breath, Sekata dropped out of his `wrappings' and rolled away to find himself face-to-face with a tall draconic knight.

The figure was clad in white armor with golden markings and a horned helmet to match the shape of his head. The knight also sprouted a pair of leathery blue wings and a large thick tail behind him.

Dynasmon… The name of the Digimon clicked into his mind. But why? And friend or foe?

As if to answer that question, the dragon knight picked up some of the dropped fruit, executed a fancy flip and tossed the Ice Fruits in midair. The still active vines were hit and frozen, including those that held Zoe and Janet captive.

Sekata was about to utter a word of thanks to their savior when Dynasmon abruptly shoulder rammed him, knocking the red dragon down.

“Hey! Wha…?!” Sekata snarled. “What's with you?!”

Dynasmon then raised his arms and fired two laser streams from the jewels within his palms. Sekata whipped up the Ryuukonken to block the attack.

The maneuver succeeded, but the attack's tremendous energy built up around the blade. Even shoving with all the strength he had left, Sekata just couldn't hold on.

“I can't lose….grrrrr….” Sekata whispered. “You….you won't beat me! Hyper Spirit Evolution..... Kaiser Greymon!”

In a flash of light, Sekata emerged in his own armored dragon knight form. A furious slash dispersed the remains of Dynasmon's attack as Sekata straightened up.

“Not bad….but I'm better!” Sekata roared, changing.

Dynasmon simply started backing up and dodging his swings. In addition, the vines were still around and Sekata was forced to attack them as well.

Frustrated, Sekata jumped back and plunged his weapon into the ground.

“Kuzuryuujin!” (Nine-Headed Dragon Ranks)

At his command, a nine-headed fiery serpent arose from the ground beneath him, taking Sekata up into its body. Columns of fire shot out from everywhere, torching and burning the surrounding forest. The rain had begun dying down by this time, so stream hissed and revealed blackened ground where fire and ice had met.

However, Sekata was too weak to complete the entire `spell' and dropped to the ground, panting. Dynasmon had seemingly disappeared and the vines wrapped around Sekata's comrades were burning away. Fortunately, the ice already on the vines prevented Zoe and Janet from being too badly burnt, though the same couldn't be said of Metallix.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Hot! Hot! Hot!” The wolf wailed.

“Zoe! Jan!” Sekata sprinted over and pulled the pair to their feet.

“The Waypoint's that way!” Janet gestured weakly. “Think you can activate it?”

“I pray that I can.” Sekata whispered as they ran.

“Hey! Wait! Don't leave me here!!” Metallix yelled after them. “Please!!”

A sudden hissing sound then reminded Metallix that he had a couple of sticks of dynamite in his `pockets'. And all the fire around had easily ignited the sticks.

“Oh crap! Argh!!” Metallix fumbled around his storage compartments. “Where was i….”

BOOOMM!!!! With a long scream, Metallix was sent flying off into the sky, disappearing with a little twinkle in the sky.

His plight was completely ignored by Sekata's troop, who made their way to the stone monument.

“Come on! Please work!” Sekata held out his sword.

A glow from both the weapon and the stone gave the confirmation that something was in play. The trio kept up their pace of fleeing from the approaching vines and were drawn into a bright door of light.

 

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“Garghh!!” Janet stumbled forward in the darkness of the night sky and right into someone's arms.

They had been transported back to the other end of the Waypoint, back on the main continent. This forest which they stood in now was far safer and quieter, but Janet took note of none of that.

Her entire focus was on the figure she'd stumbled into.

“STEVE?!”

“Hey, no need to shout. I'm not deaf you know.” Steve waved his arms.

“But you were….you were….” Janet staggered.

“Sure I was injured. But I'm a lot tougher than that.” Steve raised his shirt, showing off the scars on his Flamedramon chest. “Think something like this could keep me down for long?”

The three scars were there and Janet touched them to make sure.

“Good to see you're up Steve.” Sekata cut in.

“Yeah, after you guys didn't show up for the last two days, I went out looking.” Steve explained. “Luckily our D-Dragons all have trackers. Where have you all been?”

“Through hell.” Zoe gasped. “Sort of, but it's a long story.”

“Steve…” Janet knelt down. “I thought the nurse told me that you were…”

“I was what?” Steve asked curiously.

“No, forget it. Must be my imagination running wild.” Janet clutched her head. “Too much messing with my mind is not good.”

“Believe me, I know how that feels.” Sekata said softly.

“Hm?” Zoe turned her head.

“Oh, it's nothing.” Sekata replied, reverting back to his Vritramon form. “At least we all made it out alive again.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Zoe whistled.

“Let's head back and get some rest.” Sekata decided. “And some food too. I'm hungry enough to eat a dragon.”

“And turn cannibal?” Steve nudged his ribs.

“Oh shut up.”

As the group move off however, everyone failed to notice Steve's eyes. For a split second, his eyes showed signs of utter panic. It was as if he were a completely different person for that moment.

The next however, he was back to his regular self, listening intently to his friend's most recent adventures.