FSE

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Cheisu and the others have just arrived on Server, but things are not as quiet as they first appear, and the Digidestined find themselves up against an opponent even their combined powers may not be enough to overcome.

Rivalry's Failure

Thankfully, from that point on, the rest of the voyage was fairly uneventful. The Bukamon and remaining Dolphmon were grateful to Riina and me for saving them, but I think they also began to sense just how important Riina truly was to the Digital World's future. They seemed even more eager than before to escort us as far as they could and, though there were fewer, we reached our destination twice as fast as we would have before.

We beached the raft and, after bidding a fond farewell to our escorts, we turned our eyes toward the stretching landscape ahead. To say that I was astounded by the change in scenery between File Island and this place was an understatement. Whereas File Island was marked by its quiet beaches, thick jungles, and the Primary Village itself, Server was barren, a cluttered mish-mash of sand and sharp, rocky plateaus. Behind us lay quenching blue waters; ahead dry sand dunes and dangerous-looking boulders. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire," I muttered.

"It was not always this way," Riina remarked sadly, "Once everything was lush and beautiful like on File Island, but the more darkness spreads across our world, the worse the devastation gets."

Shori shivered. "Are you sure this is the desert?" she asked, wrapping her arms tightly about herself, "It feels... cold."

"Oh, it's plenty hot," I assured her, "but you're right. There is something wrong here... We'd better be careful."

Okami took the lead as we started farther inland. He held his fists upward, ready in case some fiend should take the opportunity to ambush us from the shadows or from behind the rock faces. His brassy eyes narrowed as if to dare anyone to make an attempt against us.

But nothing happened. We walked for what seemed like kilometers, passing by caverns and clefts, always eyeing them, perhaps becoming paranoid as we went, but the hills leading inland from Server's beach were eerily silent. Riina's body stiffened. She moved to the back of the group, bright blue eyes always looking back, as if expecting something or someone to fall upon us behind.

The sun moved higher into the sky, casting its harsh, fiery rays down on us, threatening to beat us down itself if our as-yet unseen foes didn't get to us first. Nevertheless, Shori continued shivering, so much that Riina even saw fit to pick the girl up in her arms for the sake of keeping her warm. "Cheisu, we should get Shori out of the sun," she said, "Even if she is freezing, to be exposed to this kind of heat is as unhealthy for her as it is for us."

I nodded, though looking around I wasn't quite sure as to where we might take shelter. There were plenty of rock bluffs around, but most were too short, and their gaps too narrow to be of any help. What caves there were seemed too shallow to keep out the heat. So for what must have been hours we continued on in that miserable state, now less concerned about where our journey ended, and more about surviving it. The only relief came when the sun at last began to sink toward the plain ahead of us, but even then, it cast its glare into our eyes.

Just when it looked as if we would be sleeping atop a sand hill, we finally spotted something: a kilometers-long rock wall set at the base of a range of black mountains. Okami shuddered at the sight of them, and Riina looked faint. "I've heard of this place," Okami murmured, "The Warui Yokan Mountains. They say the spirits of evil digimon wander among those peaks, trapped there after the great battle that began this war."

"The sun doesn't seem to reach the ground on our side," I said, "It might provide Shori with some relief."

"I am not certain that is the wisest choice," Riina answered, but looking at Shori she added, "However, it would seem that we have little choice in the matter. If we do not get her sheltered soon, the little one may not make it."

Without another word we made our way toward the black peaks. The air grew colder as the sun vanished behind the mountains... much colder than it should have. As we crossed into the shadow of the first mountain, I realized Okami was right. This was a place of wickedness. But it was too late to turn back now.

The deeper we moved, the darker it became, and now every stone felt slimy to the touch. I wondered what kind of foul things could inhabit a place like this, what insects slithered amongst these foul crags. Looking up, I realized the sun had darkened, leaving the sky black. Whether we had been wandering these rocks all day or simply were cut off from the sun by the ominous atmosphere of this place, I could not truly tell you.

Shori's condition grew worse as we traveled. She began to shudder, almost violently. Riina looked back at me. "Cheisu, we must let her rest, now!" she urged. We found a relatively dry plot of smooth, if sandy ground and laid Shori there. I knelt down beside her and placed my hand upon her forehead.

Her eyes, which had been previously closed, flashed open. "S... So cold," she stammered.

"Shhh..." I soothed, "It's okay. Just rest." Okay?! Here we were, worlds away from our home, wandering through bleak, evil mountains with no protection but our digivices and the assistance of our partners; and to make matters worse, we were being followed by something... we knew not what, and the closer it got, the worse Shori seemed to feel. And all I could do was tell the girl that everything was going to be "Okay?!" That sounded so ridiculous, even I wanted to bash my head against a rock just for saying it!

"S.... something... Something's... c... coming."

I immediately wished she hadn't said that. An inhuman yowl echoed through the peaks, sending a chill through my very bones. I leapt to my feet, eyes darting to and fro as I searched the mountains above for the source of the sound which seemed to come from everywhere at once. Okami had his nose in the air, sniffing, whilst Riina's ears swiveled from side to side. "Musyamon," Okami growled.

Musyamon. That name was enough to send any digimon below the ultimate level scrambling for cover. A demon-man digimon, Musyamon was said to dwell in places with a strong evil presence. Therein, he used his shape-shifting abilities to stalk his foes until they were at their weakest, intending to do battle with them then. According to some, he was born from a video game; nothing more than winning mattered to him, even his own life. Only the thought of destroying and absorbing the digital information of more foes kept him going... And now, we were his latest prey.

Without once looking down, I reached in to my pocket. "Riina, you'd better digivolve... now," I whispered. The golden digimon said nothing, a nod her only response. Carefully I slipped the card I'd grabbed from my pocket and got ready to swipe it through my digivice.

From out of the darkness a shadow winged its way toward the fallen Shori, slicing through the air so silently that had I not seen it for myself, I never would have known it was there. I started to cry out, but Okami apparently sensed it the moment I did, because he threw himself into the shadow's path, only to be knocked off his feet, releasing a howl as he fell. Weak as she was, Shori bolted upright, eyes wide in horror. "Okami!" she cried. She struggled to her hands and knees and crawled over to her partner's side, entire body shaking.

The stealthy attacker came again, this time winding its way like a black snake toward Riina. Scowling, she crossed her arms across her chest, slipping almost effortlessly aside. The shadow passed harmlessly by, but apparently sensed it had not caught its intended victim because it doubled back. Again, Riina barely managed a dodge, leaping into the air. This time, her foe was ready. Without missing a beat he sailed into the air after. "Cheisu, now!" Riina screamed.

Recovering my senses I managed to quickly slash the card through the reader. "Digimodify: Digivolution activate!" As before, a shining sphere of light surrounded Riina, fading an instant later.

It was a fraction of a second too late. The black shadow struck Riina, sending her toward the ground. As she impacted, a shower of sand erupted, turning the air around us black. "Riina!" I coughed, trying to find my way toward her.

Okami struggled to get up. "That was a cheap shot," he groaned. He bit his lip, hissing as finally he got to his feet. Shori looked up at him, "Okami... can you fight? You can stop Musyamon, can't you?"

For a mere instant, I thought I saw a pale hint of red visible on the wolf puppy digimon's cheeks, but that faded quickly. "Sure kid. I've got him." In spite of the pain shooting through his body, Okami raised his fists and charged forward, howling a battle cry. "Let's go you freak!"

Shori managed to get to her knees. "You can do it, Okami," she whispered. As she clutched her digivice close to her heart, neither girl nor digimon noticed the pale white glow surrounding the digimon and her partner. That glow turned into a brilliant light which surrounded the two, and when at last it was gone, Okami had transformed into his champion form of Gaogamon. The wolf digimon howled as he charged toward the shadow, rearing up onto his hind legs. "DASH, DOUBLE CLAW!"

The shadow slid silently under Okami's attack, and the wolf digimon let out a howl as his legs were pulled from beneath him, sending him to the ground as well. He quickly got to his paws, lunging yet again, but again he missed. He grunted as he plunged head-first into one of the cliff faces and fell to the ground... He didn't rise again.

Sure of itself now, the shadow came to a halt, and for the first time I was able to see Musyamon's face. He offered a wide, yellow-toothed grin, and somehow, I found myself more afraid of the demon-man digimon than I had even of Seadramon. Standing at just over two meters tall, it was an intimidating sight. Light plates of blood red armor protected his arms and his thighs, while the rest of his body was covered by pale brown leather. In his arms, he wielded a dangerous-looking scimitar. Even in the shadows, the sunlight somehow managed to glint off its wickedly sharp edge.

Musyamon glanced from one fallen foe to another, taking its sweet, torturous time in deciding which one to delete first. Finally, he settled on advancing toward Shori and Okami. The little girl cringed, her eyes widening as she shook Okami's furry body. "Okami, wake up!" she yelled, "You've got to wake up!" This time, however, the wolf digimon didn't respond. Muysamon towered over the two, his lips curling further back as he leered. Tears formed in Shori's eyes as she realized what was going to happen to her partner.

Musyamon raised his blade to strike. "SHOGUN-"

"DRAGON WHEEL!" Brilliant orange-red flames sliced through the cloud of dust surrounding the battle field. Musyamon was forced to abort his attack and leap out of the way as the flames struck the ground, leaving a large black scorch mark where they hit. Riina followed through the path her attack cut, and I followed her. Kyubimon growled as she positioned herself between Okami and Musyamon. "If you are done playing with puppies, " she sneered, "perhaps you would not mind if this lady asks you to...dance!"

Musyamon snarled, angry at being cheated of his prey. "I'll cut those pretty tails of yours off and wear them as trophies!" he swore, "C'mon!" The demon-man digimon screamed as he charged forward, his sword slicing through the air. Riina dodged just in time. A trace of her silvery fur sat pinned to the ground beneath Musyamon's blade.

"My turn!" Riina yowled, turning back around to face her attack, "DRAGON WHEEL!" Again, Riina's attack stretched outward. Instead of moving to avoid it, however, Musyamon raised his weapon, easily carving through the flame burst, deflecting the attack. Riina quickly followed up with her second attack. "FOX-TAIL INFERNO!" Ghostly balls of fire flew in Musyamon's direction.

With a twisted smile, Musyamon leapt up into the air easily avoiding the attack, which was now headed directly for Shori! Both Riina and I realized it, but it was too late. Shori screamed. Hearing her cry, Okami's eyes flashed open. He leaped into the path of the blast, taking it full-on in the flank. He fell over again, grunting as he devolved into Gaomon.

Distracted for a moment, Riina couldn't evade Musyamon's next attack. "SHOGUN SWORD!" The great blue flame dragon leaped from the edge of his blade, striking Riina. She let out a cry as she fell back, only to devolve into Renamon as she landed.

"Riina!" I rushed to her side and knelt down. My fingers rubbed over her soft torso, checking for any sign of life. She was breathing... but barely.

Musyamon advanced forward, his gaze switching back and forth between Riina and Okami, between Shori and me, as if trying to decide which one of us to destroy first. For the first time since coming to the Digital World, I felt true hopelessness. With Riina and Okami down for the count and Shori barely awake, I was the only one left to protect us, and I knew I was no match for Musyamon. But I had to do something.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up and moved forward, placing myself between Musaymon and the others. I was afraid, and I shook so much that even my unconscious companions must have felt it.

Musyamon sneered. "Brave, but foolish," he gloated, "Don't worry, human. I will make this as... painful as I possibly can!" Cackling, he raised his blade over his head. "NINJA-"

"FIST OF THE BEAST KING!" Musyamon quickly stopped his attack and turned, raising his blade in defense. A lion's head-shaped ball of flame impacted against the side, forcing him back. His feet left skid marks in the ground. He growled as he managed to lift his weapon, shifting the attack skyward.

"Who dares?!" Musyamon challenged, "I demand you show yourself!"

"It was never my intention to hide from the likes of you, Musyamon!" a deep-throated voice returned. It was then that I saw him, standing atop one of the peaks, his yellow form nearly hidden against the blinding rays of the sun. "He" was, of course, Leomon. Even from this distance, he presented a majestic figure, standing on his two massive paws, his muscular arms crossed at his chest. A tawny mane ringed his head, swaying like savannah grasses amid an unfelt breeze.

He was not alone. A second figure joined him atop the peak. I squinted my eyes trying to get a better look but I thought... yes... She was human! Her form was obscured as his, but from what I could tell, she was nineteen years old and had raven-colored hair that flowed back behind her like a natural cape. She said not a word, instead turning and nodding to her partner.

Leomon leaped into the air, roaring out his challenge as he descended into the valley in which we now found ourselves. He landed with feline grace, barely stirring up the dust around his feet. "Musyamon, you're a disgrace as a warrior!" Leomon declared, "You target children and newly-evolved digimon for the sole purpose of winning. When they fall, rather than giving them a quick death, you gloat. You enjoy their pain. You have no honor!"

"I don't have to explain myself to someone so weak that he needs to ally himself with a human!" Musyamon argued, "My strength is my measure of righteousness, and once I've finished off these digidestined, my name will be known through the Digital World. No one will dare oppose me!"

Leomon reached back to grab the hilt of the sword he wore at his back. "If you are so confident in your strength, Musyamon," he said, "then you will not mind if I put you to the test!"

Musyamon chortled. "Hmph! Gladly!"

Coming Soon: "More than Energy..."