Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Morphs: A Digimorphs Tale ❯ The Digimetal Knights ( Chapter 4 )

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"Get down!" Steve yelled, tackling Zoe.

The maneuver took them both to the ground, fortunately out of harm's way as the blue burst of energy exploded.

"He SHOT me!" Zoe staggered in disbelief. "He ACTUALLY SHOT ME!!!!"

"It's not his fault." Janet assured, "He doesn't realize what he's doing!"

"Excuse me, but I'd worry about us and not him right now!" Steve yelled as he and Zoe dodged another attack. "That guy's a whole level above us! Which equals 'we're all gonna die'!"

"Shut up!" The girls shouted at him.

"But we have to try and knock him out, without hurting him too badly." Zoe decided, facing the berserked Cyberdramon. "I'm sorry Sekata, but this is for your own good as much as ours. X-laser!"

"I'll help out." Jan nodded, "Exhaust Flame!"

Sekata dodged both attacks and came right at Zoe.

"Rrraarrgghhh!" She met him head on, grasping each other's claws and engaging a fierce wrestling match. Janet came from behind and grabbed onto his shoulders, attempting to restrain him. Sekata, however, kept on struggling, making it difficult for the girls to hold him down.

Seeing Digimon with superior size and strength being worn down, Steve got out a card.

"Card Slash! Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, Omega Sword!"

The gigantic white sword materialized in Steve's claws just as Sekata succeeded in breaking free and throwing Zoe into Janet, knocking both down. He turned to face the fallen morphs, exposing his back to Steve.

The perfect opportunity.

"This has gone far enough!" Steve roared, charging and leaping into the air, sword aimed for a downward thrust.

"Steve?!" Jan gasped.

"NO! Don't do it Steve!" Zoe begged.

"GGGGrrrrrraarrgghhhh!" Steve brought the sword down.

Zoe covered her eyes.

However, Steve changed the angle at the last possible instant and instead, smacked the back of Sekata's head with the flat end of the sword.

WHAM!

The startled Cyberdramon staggered forward several steps before his knees buckled over and he hit the ground face-first with a loud thud.

"Ow!" Steve muttered, dropping the sword. "Damn! That guy has a bloody thick helmet!"

"Steve!" Zoe yelled furiously, grabbing his shoulders and lifting him up, "You could've told me that first! Dammit! You really scared me!"

"That served well enough to distract him." Steve grinned, "See, not so stupid after all, am I? Now, would you kindly put me down so I can give him some medical attention?"

In no mood to argue, Zoe complied.

"As long as Steve didn't break his neck, he should be all right." Janet was reaching down to examine the unconscious Sekata when his body suddenly begun to glow.

Everyone gasped as Sekata changed into another Digimon in front of their eyes.

This Digimon had a similar body structure to Cyberdramon, minus the wings. He was slightly shorter than before and mostly purple in color except for his white chest scales. He had a helmet similar to Cyberdramon's, only with reddish hair coming out that went down past his shoulder level. Metals armor plates adorned his shoulders, ankles, tip of his tail and claws. While his feet remained the same, his hands had changed to become similar to Flamedramon's three-clawed structure. Sekata wore a pair of green Bermudas on with leather straps tied at random places, including the waist and upper leg. Finally, he wore a choker around his neck and had some patterns tattooed onto his bare chest.

"Cool, he looks a lot like a street gangster from the movies." Janet commented.

"Let's see." Zoe activated her Digivice. "He's now a Champion level Digimon, Strikedramon. Attacks: Strike Fang and Strike Claw."

"If everyone's done, I suggest we look for a more secure location." Janet suggested, "We don't want any more Digimon creeping up on us while he recovers."

Her companions nodded in approval.

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Sekata woke up staring at something gray. As his vision cleared, he realized it was the ceiling of a cave. He caught a flash of blue at the corner of his eye and turned his head to see Zoe kneeling over him.

"Sekata? How are you feeling?" The XV-mon asked.

"The back of my head hurts like hell." He moaned, "So, did we get him?"

"Yeah, we kicked his ass. But you..." Zoe begun.

Out of Sekata's point of view, Steve frantically waved a claw and put a finger on his jaws. He was indicating for her not to say anything about the incident from earlier.

"... just took a knock on your head." Zoe finished, "Nothing to worry about with that thick helmet."

"Oh, OK. Knew there was a reason that it's stuck to my head." Sekata sat up and got a look at his body. "Huh? What's happened to me?!"

"You just reverted to your Champion form, Strikedramon."

"I know. I've got the card. I was just a little surprised, that's all." Sekata examined himself, "Hmmm ... this is a pretty nice outfit through."

Zoe then helped him to his feet. Sekata gasped, as she was now a head taller than him. Or more specifically, he'd shrunk a little in size.

"I was getting used to looking you in the eye." Zoe laughed. "Anyway, these are my friends. This is Steve over here."

Glancing around, he saw Steve the Flamedramon sitting cross-legged beside a fire. Rain was also pouring down outside, viewable through the cave entrance.

"And there's Janet. Unfortunately, she couldn't fit in here."

"Yeah, a crying shame too." Steve laughed, "And Dino-zilla was the one who suggested we come this way."

"Steve, that's not funny!" The Growlmon's head appeared at the cave entrance. "You people are all warm and dry in there while I'm soaking wet and miserable out here."

"Jan, you haven't succeeded in devolving, have you?" Zoe asked.

"Why do you think I'm standing out here?" Jan growled.

"Hey, you know if Sekata was able to devolve, then the rest of us should be able too, right?" Steve suddenly asked, looking up.

"Sounds sensible." Sekata nodded.

"And if we can devolve, then we should also be able to evolve, just like any other Digimon!" Steve concluded.

"That might be true." Janet said from the entrance, "But what ... "

Before she could even finish her sentence, Steve was grasping onto his Digivice and begun shaking it wildly, jabbing all the buttons.

"Come on! Make me Digivolve!" He yelled, "Come on stupid thing! What do I have to say?! Shinka? Shinka! Shinka! SHinka! SHINKA!"

Everyone else stared mouth opened at him, (sweatdropping too) and shrugged their shoulders.

Shaking it at its wild pace, Steve accidentally dropped his Digivice. As it landed, a holographic projection was activated, showing the image of a rotating Digivice.

"Oops!" Steve muttered.

"Hey, look! There's a message!" Zoe pointed, bending down to read it.

"What does it say?" Jan asked, trying to peer in as far as possible.

"Your journey has begun travelers." Zoe read the flashing holographic words, "A journey that will fulfill your destinies. Whatever you may see this as, Sekata, Zoe, Steve, Janet, you choose to come here on your own. You will have to see this through to the end."

"Who is this?!" Sekata growled aloud, "How does he know our names?"

In response, a new message appeared.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." Sekata read, "I am Omegamon. Our time grows short. Trust in yourselves and in each other. I am praying for your success."

The screen went blank.

"Wait!" Sekata yelled, grabbing the Digivice, "Success for what? Why did you bring us here?! What do you want us to do?!"

He received no answer. However, the Digivice beeped and a compass arrow appeared, only it was three-dimensional. The arrow pointed northeast, up the mountain whose foot the cavern was at.

Everybody was silent for a while.

"I guess we have to follow it." Zoe sighed.

"Yeah, not like we have many options anyway." Janet agreed.

"Unless we want to live out the rest of our lives here as common Digimon." Steve nodded.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Sekata said softly.

Everyone stared at him.

"Relax, that was just a thought. I'll still be coming along with you people, of course."

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The next day, the group began their trek up the mountainside. It seemed that others had passed by before, as there was a crude winding pathway that had been cut through it.

"This place almost looks like the Rocky Mountains." Zoe commented, admiring the scenery. "My dad took us there once and we walked along a trail that was something like this."

"That must've been very nice." Sekata nodded, walking beside her.

"Do you hear that?" Jan asked. "I think it's a waterfall."

"Over here!" Shouted Steve, who was ahead of the party, "You've got to see this!"

Rounding the bend, they were treated to the magnificent sight of the waterfall. Water roared down from what seemed like the top of the mountain down to the plunge pool in front of them. From that, a wide stream cut across the pathway and ran off the edge of the mountain, down to the streams and forests below.

"Wow." Zoe gasped in awe.

"And we get a free drink too." Janet grinned, "My throat is so dry."

"But we've got nothing to collect the water with." Zoe said.

"Who cares?!" Everyone else cried, plunging their snouts into the stream and drinking greedily.

"Oh well." Zoe sighed, following suit. "My mom would kill me if she found out."

"I think that that's the least of our worries right now." Sekata said between slurps.

Suddenly, he snapped up and glanced around.

"Did you see it?" He asked hastily.

"See what?" Steve asked.

"That shape." Sekata growled, "It moved. Something's here. I can feel it."

Zoe and Jan also stood up, in anticipation that something was going to happen.

Suddenly, a pair of cables shot up from the water and wrapped themselves around Janet. The Growlmon cried out in surprise as she was dragging into the water.

"Jan!" Steve cried.

"Behind you!" Janet yelled, while struggling with the thrower of the cables.

A glowing white arrow exploded between the remaining three Digimorphs, sending them in different directions.

"I'll take care of him!" Zoe yelled, flying upwards to the sniper perched on a rocky outcropping.

Steve was trying to get to his feet when Sekata was thrown back into him.

"Argh!"

Steve stumbled backwards and slipped off the cliff edge. Desperately, he dug his claws into the rocky surface. Fortunately, they held.

"Strike Claw!" Sekata roared.

Steve managed to pull himself up enough to see the Strikedramon fighting with two roughly humanoid figures. Before he could identify them, the battle stirred up a cloud of dirt, which got into right his eyes. Screaming, Steve accidentally withdrew his claws.

Almost instantly, he was hit by an electric burst from somewhere, preventing him form regaining any hold on the rocky surface. Then, he was falling ... falling ... and falling. It seemed endless.

He could briefly make out the screaming, yelling, sounds of the battle and some black shape jumping down after him. Even with his vision severely blurred, he could see that the shape would not reach him in time.

That was Steve's last thought before his mind blacked out.

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Steve moaned. Someone/something was licking his face.

"Please be all right." A voice said, "Please! I'm really sorry about that! I didn't know it was you!"

"Ugh ... " Steve managed. "Huh ... "

"You're OK!" The voice cried happily, "Thank god you're all right. After a fall like that, we were sure you wouldn't make it!"

Steve was aware that he was lying down on his back, on something soft. There was numbness throughout his whole body, but he could feel a piece of cloth over his eyes. He tried to sit up, however the pain that coursed through his body forced him to lie down again.

"Argh!" He moaned.

"Don't try to move." The voice continued in a soft tone. "You're badly injured and all bandaged up. What was that they said? Oh yeah, you left shoulder was dislocated, you cracked a bunch of ribs, you broke a bunch of teeth and were bleeding in too many places to count. "

No wonder I feel like hell.

"Who ... are you?" Steve asked.

He reached up with his right hand, the only part of his body that didn't seem to have any bandages on it. He noticed it felt slightly different, still with three 'fingers', but without his gauntlets on.

Steve felt the snout of his unseen companion. It was covered by an armored helmet that felt of a similar shape to his own, only with jagged teeth-like projections where it ended, above its wear's jaws. Behind his head were his 'ears', it seemed.

His companion never moved a bit and allowed him to run his claw along the single horn that protruded from his nose. It was shaped like a lightning bolt.

"Raindramon?!" Steve gasped.

"You DO remember me bro!" Raindramon cried happily.

"Why ... are you calling me bro?" Steve asked, very confused.

"Bro ... it's me, Raindramon! Your brother! Don't you remember me?!" The armored Digimon's tone had abruptly changed to a sad one.

"Raindramon." A female voice said, accompanied by the sound of an opening door. "I'm sorry, but I told you it wasn't him."

"Yeah ... " Then to Steve, he put his paw into Steve's right hand, "Sorry about that. I have to go now."

Steve heard the Raindramon sniffing as his footsteps died away.

"Please forgive us." The female voice said, "We attacked thinking you were enemies. We didn't mean to hurt you like this." She stepped closer and knelt down beside the bed. "Fear not, you're among friends now."

"She's got a way with words, but she's really a nice Digimon." Sekata's voice came from the doorway.

"Sekata! Am I glad to hear your voice!" Steve smiled. "Now, would someone answer me and tell me who these people are?"

"Oh, how impolite of me." The female voice said, "I am Magnamon, leader of the Digimetal Knights."

"Just think 'Jedi Knights' crossed with 'King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table', and you'll get the idea." Sekata laughed. "Don't worry through, they're the good guys."

"That's great." Steve said, "But where are we?"

"You're at our home base, Aragonite Castle." Magnamon replied. "High up in the mountains."

"And she literally means 'castle'." Sekata added in.

"As in medieval England?"

"If you put it that way, yes." Sekata nodded. "The girls are talking to the others knights now about this whole mess that we're in."

"Jan and Zoe. Are they all right?"

"Yes, just a few cuts and bruises here and there. You were the worst off, after taking that plunge off that cliff."

"Jeez, I must've been a total mess." Steve laughed softly.

"You have no idea." Magnamon sighed.

"That pool of blood around you was so large that Zoe fainted when she saw it." Sekata informed him. "Still, I could've easily have ended up like you. Magnamon here had me pinned down and was about to blow my head to kingdom come when you went over and Raindramon yelled for everyone to stop."

"That stopped the entire fight." Magnamon agreed. "At least your suffering was not in vain. You essentially averted your friends of the same fate."

"Raindramon ... " Steve muttered, "What was with ... ugh!"

Pain shot up his shoulder.

"Perhaps we should let you rest." Sekata touched Steve's claw. "By the way, they had to remove your armor to treat you. It's over in the closet here, just to let you know."

"Hey ... so I'm ... naked?" Steve asked.

"That's an interesting way of putting it." Sekata whispered to him. "Naked Digimon. That's a laugh!"

Magnamon just giggled a little.

"Anyway, leave the rest to me. You just heal fast." Sekata assured him.

Then two then left Steve alone in the room.

Raindramon.Steve's thoughts lingered. What was with him? Why did he sound, so sad?

Eventually, exhaustion pulled him back into the world of unconsciousness.

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"Wow ... "

Zoe was simply awed. She'd never seen a dining hall this big before, let alone been in a castle.

"It does look pretty grand, doesn't it?" Gold V-Dramon asked her. "It was a lot better when there were more of us."

She was the armored evolution of Veemon with the Digimetal of Fate. Gold V-Dramon was exactly like a normal V-Dramon with the exception of her golden coloring.

"There were more?"

"That was before. Now it's down to a small fraction of our pervious strength."

Just then, a humanoid figure stepped into the room. He was dressed somewhat like a Japanese Samurai in light armor with a two-horned mask on. By his side hung two wooden swords, also known as the 'ken' in Japanese.

"Yasyamon," Gold V-Dramon addressed him, "what's up?"

Yasyamon gestured towards the two of them, then pointed down the hallway.

"They're calling a meeting?"

The silent Digimon nodded and left just as quickly, his tail swinging behind him.

"That was Yasyamon." Gold V-Dramon said, "He's sort of weird sometimes and a loner. He doesn't talk very much, but he really is a nice fellow under that mask."

"I see." Zoe replied. He'd been one of the other Digimon that Sekata had fought with earlier on, together with Magnamon. "For someone who uses the Digimetal of Purity, you'd expect him to be more ... "

"More open? He generally is, just that he's got strange ways of expressing that." Gold V-Dramon laughed, "But come on, let's go meet the others."

Zoe was led down a series of winding hallways into an even large chamber. It was clearly a meeting room, with a long table and chairs set up for everyone. At the end of it were a large screen and a computer on a pedestal, clearly for the speaker's use.

There were already several Digimon in the room, amongst them Sekata and Janet. Sekata waved to her and she took a seat beside him. Janet sat on the floor behind them.

Magnamon stepped up to the pedestal and clapped her hands together to quiet everyone down.

"Greetings everyone." The golden armored knight spoke, "You all know that I'm not one for long speeches, so I'll get right to the point."

She glanced over to Sekata, Zoe and Jan.

"My name is Magnamon. I'm the leader of the Digimetal Knights, as I told some of you. Once again, I wish to apologize for that unpleasant welcome we gave your party. We acted out of precaution, for the dark forces in this world have been on a rise lately. Our brotherhood is one dedicated to combating these dark forces and protecting the Digital World from their evil. We do realize you have a wounded comrade, so you are welcomed to stay here as long as you so desire."

Sekata nodded to the girls then spoke.

"You have our gratitude for this honor." He said, trying to sound very formal.

"These are my fellow knights: Sagittarimon of Hope, Depthmon of Faith, Gold V-Dramon of Fate, Yasyamon of Purity."

Sagittarimon was a centaur clad in fiery red armor of a similar pattern to Flamedramon's. He too had a single horn that protruded from his helmet. Like any archer, he was never without bow and quiver of arrows at his side. The sniper from earlier on stood with his arms folded, giving a slight nod to acknowledge his presence.

Depthmon was a cross between a diver and a merman. Covered in blue, gray and white armor, dolphin-like tail replaced the lower half of his body. He too wore a helmet that covered his face completely, however orange hair could still be seen coming out from beneath it. He looked a little odd, sitting on the ground out of water, but didn't seem to mind. The cables that had entangled Jan earlier on were one of his attacks.

"The kid's not here." Depthmon noted. He was referring to Raindramon, the youngest of the group.

"He needs a while to cool down." Magnamon told him. "Anyway, Sekata has told my your story and I believe that you may be the chosen ones from the legends."

"Chosen ones?" Janet asked.

"They're just some old stories, but they spoke of four warriors coming from a faraway land. I sent another of our knights, Gargoylemon of Light, to check up on this at a nearby town's library. He should be back ... "

Just then, the double doors flew open and the Digimon she'd been speaking about stumbled in. He certainly did reassemble a Gargoyle, except colored white with a blue tail and claws. His 'armor' comprised of what seemed like leather straps around various parts. A pair of those straps wrapped around his eyes, forming a protective mask over it.

"I've just witnessed an abomination in the monastery graveyard!" He panted, "Theevildigimonisusingavirustoresurrectthedataofourfallenashisundeadwarrior s.Evennowheliespoisedtoattack!"

Everyone stared, unable to keep up with the panicked soldier.

"Calm down and say that again." Magnamon ordered.

"Myotismon's back." He said, taking a deep breath.

"And up to his old tricks again." Sagittarimon growled, putting a hand on his bow. "This time, I'll make sure to finish him for good."

"What was that about the data part?" Zoe asked the knights.

"When Digimon die, their bodies break up back into data, which returns to the flow of the Digital World." Depthmon explained. "However, if there are too many deaths at once, some of the data may get lost. It lingers around, like a ghost. Especially around the monastery site, on which ancients battles were fought between good and evil."

"This is what Myotismon uses to create his armies, which is why he must be stopped." Magnamon added in.

"I also heard him taking about seeking the 'chosen'." Gargoylemon said.

"Because of us?!" Sekata asked, shocked. Were they the targets of the whole attack?

"Don't feel that it's your fault." Gold V-Dramon assured them, "This is the way of the dark ones."

"Whatever it is, we're going with you then." Jan decided.

"Yeah," Zoe growled, cracking her knuckles, "whoever he thinks he is, I'm gonna give him a good lesson in pain!"

"Right, let's go!" Sekata declared.

The three Digimorphs barged through the doors.

"Wait!" Gargoylemon called.

"What?!" All three simultaneously yelled back.

"Do you even know where it is?" Gold V-Dramon asked.

(The three Digimorphs sweatdropped.)

"Oh, erm ... forgot that minor fact." Sekata laughed sheepishly.

"Are all humans this weird?" Depthmon wondered.

Yasyamon, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, remained silent and shook his head.

"Haha, I used to be young like that." Sagittarimon laughed.

"Now, if everybody's done joking around." Magnamon cut in. "Gold, I need you to stay here and watch Raindramon and the wounded morph. You are the medic, after all."

Gold V-Dramon was visibly annoyed at being left out of the battle, but she still nodded and gave a salute.

"As for the rest of you: Digimetal Knights, move out!"

"Sir! Yes sir!" All the knights saluted.