Episode Thirteen: Last Laugh

OOC: Thinly veiled list of plot holes, ahoy!

E"Don't tell me you actually believe his stupid tricks. The idiot even tried showing me my own "corpse." Why should this time be any different? And the fact that you couldn't heal him proves it, doesn't it? If Dorumon were dead, he'd have disappeared already. And it makes no sense that they would be defeated without Biomerging."

Cameron:<Has Roatha gained the ability to biomerge though? Biyomon, can you cut down the vines?>

*Biyomon digivolves to Karatenmon and starts cutting down Roatha and Dorumon. Eve looks at Euryale, eyes wide*

<You're right! Do-Dorumon would have reverted back into a digi egg!>

OOC: Oh no he wouldn't have.

Roatha or what's left of him falls to the ground in a disgusting heap followed by Dorugamon's data like millions of fireflies, the ivy literally being the only thing that was keeping them in one piece.

Taiyo steps back, looking squeamish as one would after seeing someone with a gaping hole in their midsection would. The others also look quite grossed out by the sight.

=================================

Half a world away at Anubimon's pyramid, data drifts in from the unknown, gathering at the scale, taking on Dorumon's form.

Anubimon watches, saddened as the Dorumon figure rises on the scale while the feather drops down.

Anubimon: "Innocent."

The figure disappears, the data left to drift in Digipurgatory until The Village of Beginnings is restored.

*Euryale grimaces, but then shakes it off & looks Pissman right in the eye.*

E"How long did it take you to rig that one up?"

*Eve falls to her knees beside Roatha*

<Please...MagnaAngemon...someone...you've got to try something!>

Terriermon:<Eve, it's an illusion! It's got to be...right?>

*He looks back at the others for some reassurance. Kylie and Cameron are frozen in horror*

MagnaAngemon tries to heal him, but he's an archangel, not a necromancer, so it just amounts to lighting up a right mess of a corpse.

No one answers Euryale, because there's no one to address beyond those around her.

G<Like Yuri said, he's the boy who cried doggie.>

E"Wolf."

G<Where?>

*Guilmon looks around, as does Euryale, but for a different reason.*

E"So, now what? You think he's through playing tricks yet?"

*Eve slowly reaches out a hand towards Roatha and searches for his digivice/d-terminal to see if they still function*

Cameron:<So...what now? Rescue the real Roatha? Fight Piedmon and kick his ass?>

They're there and they don't function.

Azuma: "In the end, there was a wolf and at that point no one listened."

*Euryale waved him off.*

E"Bah, he's not clever enough for that. Besides, Roatha's probably still back at the beginning of the maze, refusing to move because that's what Piedmon wants him to do."

Cameron:<Azuma, why are you so sure this is real?>

*Eve lays the digivice and d-terminal next to Roatha. She does not look at the others when she speaks*

Eve:<If...if he is...we can't just leave him here like this...>

Azuma: "You want MagnaAngemon to stop into the body and see what happens? If something hadn't happened to him why would we have been told he was waiting for us? You think he wouldn't be tied to a railroad track or dangling over a vat of acid or shark tank if he were still alive?"

I don't know how they propose on carrying that mess unless they want to build a funeral pyre with all the dead branches and broken portraits lying around. And then succumb to smoke inhalation.

E"Again, he already tried 'showing' me a bunch of 'corpses,' including my own. But go on, keep mansplaining to me."

*Guilmon just tilts his head, looking at Eve curiously. Lalamon continues to fan Aroma, who is still passed out.*

Cameron:<Yeah, and I got attacked by crazed, half naked version of my little sister. We know Piedmon's a liar. This could kinda be the same thing, right? If it's some illusion of Piedmon's, it makes sense MagnaAngemon couldn't do anything.>

*Kylie glares at him as she splashes some water on Aroma's face. Meanwhile, Eve starts trying to take off Roatha's cloak without getting blood and stuff all over*

Terriermon:<Uh...Eve?>

Eve:<In case this is...I want to bring something back to his family...we'll tell them how bravely he fought...>

Terriermon:<There's a good chance this isn't real. Why not defeat Piedmon first so we'll know the truth?>

Eve:<What if...we can't come back?>

There's no point in attempting to convince them that someone whose actions change more frequently than the seasons as stated by another party that encountered Piedmon would full blown murder someone after multiple variations of screwing around.

Azuma: "Then we go forward and find out what's true or not."

Lunamon:<That doesn't answer the question, you know.>

Kylie:<I think Azuma's right about moving on though...once Aroma wakes up.>

*Eve wraps the cloak around Roatha's digivce and d-terminal, then rises to her feet*

*Euryale stares at Aroma for a few seconds.*

E"That might be a while."

Then they should at least goddamn carry her as I'm sure no one wants to take in the sights of Roatha's decaying body, no matter how close to beautiful decay may be.

Taiyo: "We could carry her?"

"I'll do it, just put her on my back."

Kylie:<But what if we run into Piedmon before she wakes up?>

Taiyo and Renamon help hoist Aroma on Euryale's back, Renamon likely being able to do it herself.

Azuma: "Then we fight it."

*Aroma is now in a rather undignified fireman's carry. Lalamon hops up on her back to keep her bow or whatever from falling off.*

E"Not like we're likely to find him without him popping out of somewhere & shouting 'a boogly-woogly woo.'"

*Eve walks over to the others while putting Roatha's stuff in her backpack*

Cameron:<Well, let's go then.>

*Presumbly, they do*

At the end of the hall is another door that opens up to greet them. Inside they see Myotismon and Witchmon dancing in the center of a ballroom, several Devidramon watching from their roosts. The image is kind of hazy like watching an old film reel and doesn't last long before the view returns to the present and they see Piedmon in the center of the ballroom, dancing with a dirty set of coveralls.

Piedmon eventually tosses the coveralls to the side and turns to greet them with a bow.

Piedmon: "Welcome, ladies and gentleman, one and all. Please step inside and the final act of this Comedy of Errors can begin."

*They step inside, I guess*

Cameron:<Can you just cut to the chase and try to murder us already? We have better things to do.>