Episode Five: The Call

<That's. Not. True!>

*Eve screams this at Dark!Eve*

<I try and try and try to work for answers by myself. I HATE needing to ask for help, but I've come to except the fact that sometimes you don't have a choice.>

*Eve takes a step forward*

<And I DO deserve this crest. I'm envious of knowledge other people have, but I do try and find it out for myself.>
---
*Saberdramon soars out of the way, while Lekismon continues firing*

E"Growlmon!"

*Growlmon tries to run away from the ground that's breaking apart. Dorugamon rushes at Devidramon, hissing.*

A pillar of purple fire erupts from where Growlmon was as the gorge and wall of fire seperate Euryale, Taiyo and their partners from the others.

Devidramon hisses on back and swipes at Dorugamon.

The remaining three continue harrassing Saberdramon, evading Lekismon's attacks. One breaks off from the group and circles around to Lekismon's rear and swipes at her back with its claws.

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Dark!Eve: "Why are you here? You have no place in the Priest's generic plans. Why were you chosen? You've made no signifigant contribution in the journey to defeat the Thousand Year Monster."

Dark!Eve returns to its former position, the smell of sea water lingering in Eve's nostrils.

Dark!Eve: "It's easy to make claims and acknowledge your sins, but backing them up and repenting is not. That is what feeds on the darkness in your heart. That is the source of my existance. And eventually the source of your corruption and my birth."

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Shademon materializes from Azuma's shadow and looks at the scattered Chosen.

Azuma!Shademon: "This is your shortcomings. Your primary weakness."

Azuma: "Primary weakness?"

Azuma!Shademon: "As individuals you all have your strengths and weaknesses. You do not wish to burden the others with knowledge of yours and the Child of Light's plight. That is a weakness. You acknowledge that you do not operate as a whole. That is a strength. Neither are your primary strengths or weaknesses, but they are the most prominent at this point. As a group, your weakness is you do not know your respective roles nor do you operate as a whole."

Azuma: "So if we learn our roles and operate as a group we will find our strength?"

Azuma!Shademon: "That is correct. United you will stand strong and defeat the evil that threatens both worlds. Divided you will fall and your objective will fail."

Azuma: "What are our roles?"

Azuma!Shademon: "You each bear the mark that signifies your respective roles. All roles must be fulfilled at once in order to succeed."

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Hitomi stands on the beach staring out at the Dark Ocean. The sea is calm and shows no signs of life, the footprints of the Failures being washed away with the tide.

She prods at the mark on the back of her neck.

This is why he's here. If not for Light, there would be no Hope. And if not for Hope, there would be no Light.

*Dorugamon shoots a cannonball at it.*

<I'm here because something brought me here. It wasn't my choice.>
---
*Saberdramon uses Night Roar on the incoming Devidramon*

Kyubimon backs up as cracks appear beneath her feet, smoke rising.

Kyubimon: "We have to go."

Devidramon dodges and closes in on Dorugamon, grabbing him by the neck and getting up close and personal with him, its eyes beginning to glow.

The two harassing Saberdramon continue their stratagy, one closes in and grabs hold of Kylie.

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Dark!Eve: "Does that bother you? Being left in the dark while others know what goes on around you?"

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Azuma: "Our Crests are our roles?"

Azuma!Shademon: "Yes. In order to achieve peace in the Digital World for even a short period of time, several things are needed. Courage, Friendship, Hope, Kindness, Knowledge, Light, Love, Purity, and Reliability. When these traits are combined as one, a Miracle can take place. But in order to do that, you must all work as one."

E"Go where?"

D<Alright, no more Mr. Nice Guy!>

*Dorugamon is thoroughly sick of this thing's bullshit, & bites & claws at it.*

*Kylie screams and struggles, while Lekismon fires at the Devidramon's face. Saberdramon uses Night Roar on it*
---
<Yes. That bothers me more than just about anything.>

Kyubimon steps back as a pillar of fire erupts in front of her.

Kyubimon: "Away from here. We can stay in contact with them."

And Kyubimon takes off through the wasteland, Taiyo looks over her shoulder at a wall of purple.

Devidramon's grip on Dorugamon's neck tightens as the glow in its eyes intensifies. Dorugamon hears an almost serpentine voice in the back of his mind.

Submit.

The Devidramon that explicitly went after Lekismon continues hounding her while the other rips Kylie off of Saberdramon. The one going after Lekismon latches on to her, biting her neck.

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Dark!Eve: "It thrives on your fears. It wishes to harnass them for its own desire for power."

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Azuma: "This sounds easy to say, but what about acting on it?"

Azuma!Shademon: "You will never achieve your goal with ease. There will be pain. There will be blood. There will be death. If you can overcome all of this, you will be stronger as a whole."

The apparitions of the group all move closer together, drawn to one another. The ground they're on rises becoming more level as they all begin to stand.

Azuma: "Gunfire builds close relations."

Azuma!Shademon: "Correct."

The scene transitions back to the spiral staircase, the blue-green light fading as he continues to climb until there is only the color of death. White.

*Lekismon kicks at it with MoonNight Kick. Saberdramon soars after the Devidramon with Kylie*

Cameron:<Give my sister back you dumb fuck!>
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*Eve crosses her arms*

<And that would be who?>

*Cannonball.*

L<Let's get out of here!>

*Sunflowmon tries to fly above the firewall.*

Taiyo clings to Euryale as it begins to get noticibly colder, the black snow falling more and more.

As they pass on through the wasteland, both Euryale and Taiyo's Digivice vibrate. Upon checking them the 3D map appears showing a.symbol of a sun on Euryale's and a symbol of a storm on Taiyo's both in the same area.

Taiyo: "That's your Crest."

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Devidramon drops, still holding on to Dorugamon's neck as it plummets into the black pit below.

The higher Sunflowmon goes she begins to feel cold. She can also see the enormous hole in the ground at its finest as well as the occasional geyser of fire.

The Devidramon continues biting Lekismon, digging its claws into her. The one carrying Kylie holds her by her arms, so she is dangling above the pit.

The third Devidramon grabs Cameron, ripping him off of Saberdramon and follows the one carrying Kylie.

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Dark!Eve: "Do you fear the reaper?"

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Atop the stairs, Azuma encounters his own dark rendition in an all white environment. Unlike the other dark beings, Azuma's wears white and yellow, a blurry yellow mark is on its left forearm and a Devimon stands behind it.

Azuma: "This is me at my darkest?"

Dark!Azuma: "Correct. And this is Patamon at its darkest."

It gestures a gnarled, bony finger at Devimon which remains motionless quite possibly not even real.

Azuma: "Do you wish to speak of my being here or my role in this or the Digital World?"

Dark!Azuma: "No. Neither of those mean anything in the end. Even if the Chosen Children create a Miracle, it will not last forever. Peace will only last when ENIAC ceases to be. I wish to speak of you. Of us. We are one."

OOC: ALL THE WISDOM TO LEAD ALL THE COURAGE THAT YOU NEED YOU WILL FIND WHEN YOU SEE WE ARE ONE.

*Dorugamon rips its hand off, then goes to get Roatha.*

*And so Lekismon continues kicking DeviDramon in the head. Saberdramon uses Night Roar on the one that has Cameron*
---
<I don't know.>

Euryale has apparently died, so Taiyo is clinging to a corpse for warmth as Kyubimon heads in the direction the symbols appeared on the map.

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Devidramon uses Cameron as a shield and he is killed instantly. Devidramon evades, the attack narrowly missing Cameron.

Lekismon feels her body go cold as Devidramon's teeth chew up her neck and its claws rip into her flesh, the data floating before her eyes either being her own or the Devidramon she should not be able to kick in the head on account of its head being buried in her neck.

The Devidramon carrying the humans fly away from the battle site where Dorugamon is doing whatever and Sunflowmon is freezing above the clouds.

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Dark!Eve: "In time you will know."

Eve and Terriermon find themselves lying on the grey beach, teary eyed from the sand. Hitomi and Nefertimon are staring at Azuma who appears to be asleep.

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Azuma: "What is there to discuss about 'us'?"

Dark!Azuma: "Your potential future. A harbinger of destruction. A battery for the Great Demon."

Azuma: "Battery for the Great Demon? Nothing coming up matches that."

Dark!Azuma: "It will not be in the near future, but it will happen."

Azuma: "How long do I have?"

Dark!Azuma: "Long enough."

*Eve grabs Terriermon and stumbles up*

<Know what...? Oh, we're back.>

*She turns to Hitomi*

<What'd we miss?>
---
*Saberdramon starts clawing the Devidramon holding Lekismon*

<We have to rescue them.>

OOC: This is stupid, I explicitly said that Sunflowmon was flying over the fire, as in, to the other side. If you don't start taking this seriously, I'm not going to bother. And am I supposed to rescue Leafy's characters, or is this a scripted thing? How am I supposed to do that if Sunflowmon & Dorugamon can't put their partners down because the fucking ground keeps breaking apart? No one can seem to get away from these mooks, let alone defeat them. I had to blatantly godmod to get out of this bullshit. As for Euryale, I forgot about her, because I was too busy trying to come up with something, ANYTHING that the others could do.

The ground eventually transitions to a battle scarred field, Kyubimon slows down and begins walking, the smell of smoke still fairly fresh.

A battleworn [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] stands before them, sword drawn. Sanzomon comes up behind it.

Mistymon: "Halt!"

Sanzomon: "Let them pass, Mistymon. They are your allies."

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Lekismon succumbs to her wounds and reverts back to Lunamon whom Devidramon promptly fixes its hold on and buggers off following the other two, all three picking up speed.

Down below all is quiet. The ground ceases breaking apart and the flames die down leaving everyone to witness the Devidramon fuck off with Cameron, Kylie, and Lunamon.

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Hitomi shrugs.

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Azuma: "What is the cause of this?"

The dark rendition grins, its whisper sounding from all around Azuma.

Dark!Azuma: "Rage."

Azuma: "Rage will be the cause of-"

Dark!Azuma: "Your darkness will manifest when your sin becomes apparent. You cannot stop it. So it is written, so it shall be."

OOC: Because rage doesn't correspond to courage, or anything.

*Euryale was in the middle of complaining about how the Digivice readouts were telling her nothing when she was so rudely interrupted.*

"Ah, thanks. You wouldn't happen to know what's up here that our Digivices are so excited about, would you?"
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*Even though this is clearly scripted, they still try to go after the Devidramon.*

<Seriously?>

*Eve goes over and starts shaking Azuma*
---
*And so Saberdramon follows*

OOC: You're right, it doesn't.

Taiyo: "They're showing the Crests of Courage and...the blue one."

Mistymon: "Friendship."

Sanzomon: "Yes, a pair of Digimentals rest at the monument up ahead."

Kyubimon follows Sanzomon and Mistymon over a short hill leading a large stone tablet featuring an enormous broadsword much larger than the humans and present Digimon, an odd [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] engraved on the pommel.

On each side of the tablet is a Digimental, one bearing the mark of a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and the other the mark of a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

The Digimentals glow and the Digimental of Courage disappears into Euryale's D-Terminal while the Digimental of Friendship disappears and reappears in Taiyo's D-Terminal.

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The Devidramon and Saberdramon having gotten a head start begin to see a large structure appear over the horizon while down below a pair of DarkTyrannomon spew fire at Dorugamon and Sunflowmon.

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Hitomi pulls Eve away from him.

Hitomi: "He will wake up on his own."

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Azuma: "How will I know when my sin becomes apparent?"

Dark!Azuma: "From beyond the Gate, the Demon Lord will speak to you and you will be marked like the Child of Knowledge and soon the Child of Courage until seven of you are marked."

Azuma: "What happens then?"

Dark!Azuma: "In time you will all know."

OOC: Except the part where it does. And that looks nothing like a fucking storm, so it's a good thing that I forgot to have Euryale respond.

*They fly higher to avoid it, likely humming "trololol."*
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E"Well, that was weird. Nonetheless, thank you for leading us to these."

*Eve wiggled away*

<I'm not playing by someone's bullshit rules.>

*Terriermon starts jumping up and down on Azuma*

<Wake up!>
---
*Continues to follow*

OOC: SkullGreymon, Megidramon, ShineGreymon Ruin Mode. Courage where? Courage isn't about being angry and reckless, that's just born brainless. Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyways.

Sanzomon: "You're welcome."

Taiyo: "What is this place?"

Sanzomon: "This is the memorial of Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, the founder of the Royal Knights."

She points to the swords pommel, a symbol resembling a combination of the two Crests on it.

Sanzomon: As I'm sure you know, the sun represents Courage and the storm Friendship. Imperialdramon believed that with the binding of these two traits, a fraternity could be formed. While revered as the founder, Imperialdramon fell in battle at this spot, leaving behind only a dream that would be passed on to the leader of the Order, Alphamon and its second in-command, Omnimon, the Knight who represents both of these traits."

Mistymon appears to be both happy and saddened by Sanzomon's tale.

Mistymon: "Grademon would have loved to hear that story once more."

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They pursue, spitting more fire. The Devidramon fly over the castle's walls and enter the castle through an open door on a balcony overlooking the courtyard. Saberdramon manages to safely pass over the walls while Sunflowmon and Dorugamon crash into a barrier around the castle.

In the courtyard is another pair of DarkTyrannomon and the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

DarkKnightmon: "Those two have tried to push time forward with their own hand. For that they shall bear witness to your destruction."

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In the castle, the Devidramon land in the center of a large hall, three Gazimon, one smaller than usual, a normal sized one, and a much larger one run in with a pair of Dobermon.

The large Gazimon takes Lunamon in its mouth and buggers off down the hall, a door being slammed signalling its exit.

The Dobermon surround Cameron as the Devidramon lets go of him, the small Gazimon looks to the Devidramon still holding Kylie.

S Gazimon: "Take her to the Reaper. The Mistress wants her in one piece."

The Devidramon takes flight and leaves out the way it came.

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Hitomi slaps Eve.

Hitomi: "You woke up on your own. As did I. He will do the same."

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Dark!Azuma: "Do you feel that? I believe that Child of Knowledge is trying to interfere. You know, the last Child of Knowledge would have never done anything of the sort. Always the analytical one, tended to take things slowly."

Azuma: "Did the previous group go through this ordeal?"

Dark!Azuma: "Not in the slightest. They had their own dilemmas to sort out. And such a thing as this would've been barely a speed bump for them. They understood concepts of teamwork and took to their roles right away. They were a blessing to the Digital World. This generation is...a curse."

OOC: What the fuck is that even supposed to mean? You just proved that I was right. All of those were Digimon associated with courage who Dark Digivolved when their partner was being wrathful. Wrath is associated with courage. Why do you insist on being so aggressively stupid?

*Euryale stares at her blankly. Her gaze shifts down slightly.*
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*They attack the rambling knight.*