Two weeks later, the kingdom was buzzing with excitement for the anniversary that day. Already, performers were wondering the streets. Fire eaters, magicians, musicians, jugglers, clowns and buffoons, knife-throwers, acrobats, and many more went throughout Odaiba entertaining the people. Good food was to be had by all, people were excused from their jobs that day to drink and make merry with friends and family. There was even talk of a fireworks display to be held that night.
At the royal castle, everyone was celebrating, watching the entertainment, and some people were spending time alone with their sweethearts. Matt was helping Mimi with her already exquisite singing voice, backing up her singing with his mandolin, as the two sang Greensleeves in the atrium. TK and Kari were in the grand ballroom helping hte servants set the place for the masquerade that night, while Davis wondered aimlessly trying to find where Kari was. Izzy and Yolei were chatting in the library, not really very concerned with many of the other festivities going on. Naturally, Tai and Sora were out in the courtyard sparring. She was an excellent sharpshooter, but the amazon needed to learn to fight melee eventually. Tai was going easier on her since she had less experience in hand-to-hand combat, but she was learning fast.
Finally, it was time for the masquerade to begin. The ballroom doors opened and dozens of guests, both noblemen and peasants, arrived in costume. The upper class members had very well-tailored expensive disguises, while the peasants wore home-made costumes that, while not of the same quality, were still well done. More guests showed up quickly. Soon, many people were either talking or dancing under the emmense brass chandaliers.
One girl, with shoulder-length red hair was dressed up in leather breeches, a white shirt with puffy sleeves, boots with a wide cuff, and a three-cornered hat. She had an unloaded pistol and a cutlass at her hip. A pirate. The black mask with storm clouds etched into the surface completed the look, and though she was definately very tough, it wasn't very hard to tell she was a woman. She looked around for one man in particular though she couldn't find him.
Suddenly, one of the servants blew a horn and shouted. "Announcing the arrival of two new guests. Very distinguished gentlemen who have come to honor Odaiba." The servant stepped aside and in marched two men. The first was very tall with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. He wore completely black, with armor that seemed to be made of the scales of a black dragon. His metal gauntlets ended in taloned fingers and on his boots he wore spurs. A large hand-and-a-half sword was at his hip with a dragon's head pommel and a hilt forged to resemble one of the dragon's wings and one of its talons. To enhance his dramatic apppearance, he also wore a flowing red cape with several scorched holes and tattered edges. Finally, he wore a mask of obsidian that left only his lips and lower jaw exposed, his eyes hidden in the shadows of the mask. Next to him was a shorter man also dressed in black, a black doublet, breeches, boots, gloves, a velvet black cape with a silk mask with the white sillouette of a serpent, its mouth open and fangs unsheathed, emblazened on front that covered his whole head and left his eyes in shadow. The two looked very impressive and many people applauded the sheer drama of their entrance.
The first man spoke in a deep, commanding voice. "I am Rei, demon slayer."
Rei's friend then spoke, but in a ghostly whispering voice. "And I am Wraith, bard of the shadows."
The sounds of the masquerade soon resumed. Rei proceeded toward the pirate girl, his spurs jingling as he walked. "May I have this dance," he asked. He still spoke in his deep rumbling voice, but the commanding tone was gone, instead replaced by a warmness that his dark appearance would not suggest.
Too stunned to reply, the pirate girl simply nodded. She distantly heard Rei ask her name as he took her hand. "My name is Storm." She tried to look through the shadows of his obsidian mask to his eyes, but in vain.
Rei guided his new partner to the dance floor. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and they started slowly rotating on the spot to the slow, pleasant music. He danced surprisingly well, considering his armor and the spurs on his boots.
Several men briefly considered cutting in for the next dance with Storm, but when Rei cast his dark visage at them, they quickly backed away.
Meanwhile, Wraith took to a dark corner. He stood in the shadows with his arms folded over his chest. Several young girls asked him to dance, but he turned them down with a wave of his gloved hand. It wasn't until a new woman entered that the young man became spellbound.
The new arrival wore a dress of purest velvet red like the petals of a rose. Her long brown hair was tied in a high ponytail and swung gracefully across her back. She wore several bejewled rings and bracelets on her slender fingers and wrists and had a beautiful cut ruby on a gold chain around her neck. She wore a soft pink mask over her face decorated with a border of tiny emeralds and diamonds. She looked around and soon spotted Wraith. The two stared at each other for a moment before she walked towards him slowly.
Wraith was captivated by the woman's beauty and slowly walked toward her. They stopped not more than three feet apart and the shadowy young man bowed deeply. "May I ask your name, milady," he inquired in his ghostly voice.
The young lady blushed under her mask. The voice sent shivers up her spine. Not cold chills, but shivers of excitement. For some reason, she felt drawn to the supernatural charm the man before her possessed. "I'm the Princess Scarlet. And you?"
"Call me Wraith. Would you honor me with a dance?" He extended his gloved hand to her and tilted his head slightly to one side.
Scarlet accepted his hand and smiled. "Certainly." Soon, she and Wraith were dancing together beside Rei and Storm. The two couples danced contentedly as the other guests cleared into a circle around them, watching with great interest the dark men and their beautiful ladies.
Meanwhile, two young people, in similar angel costumes danced together, staring into each other's eyes. Another young man in shining plate armor with a giant zweihander over his back watched them with mixed emotions of anger, sadness, and envy. He had tried to cut in with the girl several times but she only wanted to dance with the other angel. The three young people knew each other's identities, though they could recognize no one else.
Suddenly, the curtains on the giant stained-glass windows were drawn shut and Biyomon and Tentomon drew a velvet cover under the chandaliers, plunging the room into darkness. It was time for the unmasking.
Storm slowly reached up to Rei's mask as he placed a gloved hand on hers. Simultaneously, they drew back the masks and opened their eyes as the curtains and the veil were drawn away and light came flooding back into the room.
"Tai?"
"Sora?"
They both stared into each other's eyes, unmoving.
"Well," Tai said first. "This is interesting, though not completely unexpected. I should have known."
"Mm-hmm," Sora nodded. She smiled. "That's a really nice outfit. I was a little worried about those gauntlets though. What's to stop you from forcing me to dance with you? That sword doesn't help either," she teased him.
Tai chuckled. "Don't give me any ideas. The prospect of dancing with you all night sounds very appealling," he said.
Sora wasn't expecting that. She turned a light pink and playfully slapped his shoulder. "Do you want to go to the gardens to talk?"
The young knight offered his arm to the amazon. "Absolutely." With that, the two walked from the ballroom arm-in-arm.
While this was going on, two more people were pleasantly surprised.
"Matt?"
"Mimi? Wow, you really had me fooled. I've never seen you look better." Matt looked her up and down. It was true. He had never before met a girl this beautiful.
"I'm going to assume that was a compliment," Mimi said as she giggled. She brushed Yamato's hair from his dark blue eyes. "Really, you shouldn't try to cover up such handsome features. That mask didn't do you any kind of justice."
The young lord smiled and said in his whispery voice with a charismatic tone "I have this effect on women. It's not easy being popular."
Mimi giggled again. "Oh, shut up."
Th two younger dancers didn't need to remove the masks to know who the other was. Takeru and Hikari looked into each other's eyes smiling.
Davis sighed in defeat and walked out of the ballroom to go watch the fireworks that would be starting soon.
Takeru leaned down and kissed his betrothed on her cheek. "I love you," he whispered sweetly.
Kari gasped and her heart skipped a beat. She kissed him passionately and looked into his dark blue eyes. "I love you too." She kissed him again and this time he kissed her back. They stood in each other's arms for several minutes, oblivious to all the people around them.
**************************
Tai and Sora sat at the statue of Jubei Yagami, the founder of Odaiba and Taichi's ancestor. Tai had taken off his gauntlets and the armor over his torso. The two held hands and looked into each other's eyes. "Sora," Tai said at last.
"Yes Tai," she said, a dreamy expression on her face.
"I've become rather...fond of you," the brown-haired lord said, trying to find the right words. "You are like no other girl I've ever met. You're perfect in every way." Slowly, their faces drew closer and closer until they were centimeters apart. As Tai spoke, he and Sora started to slowly close their eyes. "What I'm saying is, Sora, I...think...I...lo-"
"Lord Kamiya! Lord Kamiya!" The shouts echoed throughout the courtyard. Tai and Sora jumped apart in surprise and scowled. The mood was ruined.
Cray came running into the courtyard, gasping for air and his face pale. "Lord Kamiya! Terrible news!"
Tai sprang to his feet. "What?! What happened, Cray?"
Cray struggled to regain his breath. "Dark digimon and enemy soldiers. They're attacking the kingdom and have razed several farms, killed several families. They're coming this way!"
"Bastards," Tai cursed. "Cray, have the alarm sent throughout the castle. I want every soldier and militia man ready in ten minutes outside the gates. Have the cannons readied. I'm going to the armory." At this point, Taichi turned to Sora. "Sora, will you please help us? Yours will be the best bow out there."
Sora stood up and looked to Tai and Cray. "Of course. Anyone who tries to hurt my friends shall have to answer to me."
Tai smiled and nodded. He dashed off back into the palace to get to the armory.
*************************
Ten minutes later, most of the army and militia stood waiting outside the palace along with Matt, Sora, Mimi, TK, Kari, and Davis. Towering above them all stood Greymon, Garurumon, Togemon, Birdramon, Angemon, Angewomon, and X-Veemon. Izzy, Yolei, Joe, Tentomon, Hawkmon, and Gomamon stayed in the palace to protect it in case the invaders got inside. The tension in the air was thick as everyone anticipated the arrival of Lord Kamiya and his son. They didn't have to wait long though, as Tai soon stepped out beside his father who was riding a great white steed. Lord Kamiya was wearing chain armor and was carrying a broadsword. Tai had a longsword at his hip with a pommel like Greymon's head and a black leather vest with extended shoulders that had a chain shirt fastened to the outside.
Everyone watched the top of the grassy hill, waiting for the incoming attack. "Are you ready Taichi," Lord Kamiya asked his son.
Tai smirked. "Always. I've seen battle plenty of times." The brown-haired lord drew his sword to emphasize his point. "Let the dogs come. We'll stop them."
"Hey," Garurumon snorted indignantly.
Tai chuckled. "Sorry."
Garurumon opened his mouth to speak, but shut it when the yelling of hundreds of voices came from past the hill. Soon, hundreds of soldiers and dark digimon no one had ever seen before charged forward, coming in throngs. The soldiers carried swords, maces, flails, and axes and wore studded leather armor and some of them had chain shirts. The digimon were black bipedal creatures with triple-jointed legs and long scrawny arms ending in talons. They had bulbous white eyes a large mouths with long sharp teeth. Only a few of these strange creatures had weapons, preferring to use whatever their natural attacks were. "This is it," the wolf digimon said grimly. "We fight to the death."
It only took a few seconds for chaos to erupt. The champion digimon struck first, decimating dozens of attackers. Lord Kamiya led his men into battle, his sword gleaming the in the light of fires sparked by nova blasts and the moon. He cut off limbs and heads that got too close to him and fought fearlessly in the midst of his enemies.
Sora fired arrow after arrow, never once missing her mark. She shouted orders to the other archers, strategically sending clouds of arrows to locations on the fields where the enemies were in large groups and easier to hit.
Matt and TK were rallying the militia men. They knew how to inspire courage and faith in the greatest coward, and went into battle with high hearts and spirits.
Tai and Davis rushed into battle fearlessly. Davis had some difficulty, but he had improved vastly since he started training and was able to hold his own. Tai on the other hand was effortlessly dispatching his opponents, fighting several at a time. He even stole a shortsword from one opponent he felled and began fighting like Takeru only with more grim determination behind his blows.
Kari stood in the ramparts, preparing a chain of spells. She hated having to kill, but these raiders left her with little choice. The sorceress sent forth a massive fireball of blue flame. It struck a group of dark digimon who were trying to flank Angemon and Angewomon. The evil digimon were consumed in the flames, screaming wildly before they died and disintegrated as all digimon do at death.
Mimi began chanting and soon her staff transformed itself into a boken, a wooden sword as sharp and deadly as any blade of steel. She wasn't much of a warrior, but she held her ground, determined to fight to defend the palace along with the royal guards.
Tai swept the legs out from under his opponent and skewered him, causing a small spray of blood. He turned one hundred and eighty degrees with a rising slash as he stood up, cutting open the belly of a dark digimon who disintegrated before anything other than his intestines touched the ground. Taichi was covered in blood now, though he did not pay attention to it, focused only on winning this battle. The young knight parried the two broadswords a soldier came at him with in such a way that he crossed both his arms and his opponent's. Before the evil soldier could react, Tai slashed out with both of his blades and nearly tore the man in two at the waist. The soldier fell to the ground in a puddle of gore, his intestines cut and his two halves linked by his badly damaged spine.
Takeru began a defensive spin to parry his attacker's mace. The defensive spin involved spinning two weapons in figure-eights so as to form a wheel that could be used offensively or defensively. The technique wasn't easy to do right, but it suited TK's fluid style of fighting. He broke the spin and thrust his longsword down into the soldier's foot, pinning him to the spot. The man only had a second to scream in pain before the young lord impaled his chest on his shortsword. TK turned his grip so he held his longsword point-down and pulled the blade from his opponent's foot while striking the now dead soldier in the face with the sword's pommel and knocking the corpse backward. Takeru quickly raised his shortsword to block an incoming blade from a soldier trying to flank him. The blonde boy swung his longsword, still held point-down, inwards and slashed the man's chest. He quickly slashed out again, cutting his legs this time. The body fell lifeless as TK quickly started twirling his longsword in a figure-eight, cleaving open the skull of a dark digimon that started to advance on him.
Daisuke made a wide upward sweep with his greatsword, knocking the soldier's flail from his grip. The brash squire then used the blades momentum to swing it completely around, switching hands as it passed behind his back, and brought up another upward cut into the man's torso. Unfortunately, the blade got stuck in the evil soldier's spine. Davis gave the sword a hard tug to release his weapon from the felled enemy and was met with a spray of blood and bodily fluids in his face that temporarily blinded him. The brown-haired boy managed to get his greatsword loose when he recoiled instinctively, and as luck would have it, the blade swung back and lopped off the head of a dark digimon that tried to pounce on him. Daisuke felt the warm spray of blood on his back and when he cleaned his face to get a look at what happened, he thanked the gods for that stroke of luck.
Yamato made a quick duck under the dark digimon's swinging talons and stabbed it through the heart. The digimon gave a brief death rattle and disintigrated. The blond lord stood up. He saw a man charging for him with a giant two-handed axe. Matt, thinking fast, picked up a rock he found at his feet, and threw it hard. The stone hit the soldier in the stomach, causing him to double over, his body parallel with the ground as he dropped his weapon and continued to blunder onward, unable to stop himself. Matt dropped into a split and stuck his rapier out. Just as the blonde bard had predicted, the soldier didn't stop himself in time. The sword went into his gasping mouth and straight down his throat, puncturing several organs. Yamato withdrew his sword, causing even more damage to the man's innards and let him drop dead on the ground.
Mimi began chanting. Two digimon were advancing on her and the guards. Her eyes glowed of their own brilliant green light and vine-like tendrils shot up from the ground around the digimon's feet, pinning them to the spot. They gaped in horror, helpless as Mimi brought her boken down and eviscerated one, while the guard beside her brought his halberd down in a devastating slash, splitting the other dark digimon's head like a watermelon.
Sora saw Taichi out on the fields. He was trying to confuse his opponent by leading him around a tree, using cover and evasion to his advantage. The amazon knocked an arrow, drew her bowstring and released. The arrow flew foreward and struck the mercenary in the back of the head. The metal tip came out his mouth and embedded itself in the tree. Tai looked to where the arrow came from and Sora smiled at him. He nodded his thanks and returned to the fight as the red-haired archer began firing arrow after arrow at her enemies.
Greymon lowered his head and scooped up half-a-dozen dark digimon in his massive jaws. Before they could fight back, the great dinosaur-like digimon brought his teeth down, and a torrent of blood sprayed from his mouth, showering the battlefield around him. Greymon spit out the disintegrating remains of the unfortunate dark digimon and brought his massive foot down on two soldiers, squashing them flat as insects.
Angemon and Angewoman launched their attacks simultaneously, causing a small crater where the blasts struck and the smell of scorched flesh filled the air as the corpses of the evil digimon they had just attacked dissipated into nothing.
Garurumon grabbed a soldier, a giant of a man standing seven feet tall, in his jaws and began violently shaking him from side to side. The wolf digimon then ran up to a tree and began slamming the screaming soldier repeatedly against the trunk. In moments, the mercenary was dead. Garurumon threw the body into a pair of dark digimon and blasted them away with his attack.
Then, in the midst of the bedlam and chaos, a dark figure strode to the top of the hill. He was seven feet and six inches tall with an enormous bastard sword (AN: Same thing as a hand-and-a-half sword.) with a hilt like two legs from a large spider and several barbs and hooks in the blade in his hand and a black helm over his head. He had long rippling black hair and seemed to radiate blood lust. Lord Kamiya spotted the figure instantly. He knew this warrior well. It was Hessianmon, (AN: Crappy name, I know. I promise you better next time.) a ruthless digimon warrior who never took prisoners. It was said that Hessianmon once served a master, but tried to betray him and failed. Instead of killing him, Hessianmon's master stripped him of his special attacks, leaving the evil digimon with only his sword as a means of destruction. Hessianmon surveyed the battlefield with an evil smile, a smile that widened when he saw Lord Kamiya riding forward. "Looks like we're going to have a rematch." His voice carried a tone of malevolent amusement and his breath smelt foul like rotting flesh. Hessianmon raised his sword and charged to meet Lord Kamiya for another battle.
Taichi spotted his father dismounting and clashing swords with the evil digimon up on the hill. "Father," he shouted, and rushed to meet the two, desperate to help. Alas, the young knight was too late. Hessianmon kicked him hard in the chest and used Lord Kamiya's temporary distraction from seeing his son knocked back, swinging his bastard sword right into the ruler's ribs. "No!" Tai was devastated seeing his father murdered before him. Deep inside, the flames that always burned in his heart and gave him his courage and spirit became a roaring bonfire.
Hessianmon laughed evilly at Lord Kamiya's dying body. "Now for the coup de gras," he taunted. As he was about to deliver the final blow, Tai slashed his side, causing the evil digimon to howl in pain and turn to face the brown-haired knight. "So you wish to join your father," he sneered. "Fine with me."
Tai was seeing blood. His soul was burning with hatred, remorse, and vengeance. He began furiously attacking Hessianmon, going toe to toe with the evil warrior and holding his own.
Hessianmon couldn't believe the boy's skill and blind determination. This only angered him more and he increased his efforts.
Tai searched for a weak spot and finally kicked Hessianmon hard in the groin, hoping he was humanoid in more than just his standing upright. Indeed, the evil digimon was, and he dropped to his knees in pain. Tai hooked his longsword in one of the barbs in Hessianmon's sword and wrenched the blade from the dark warrior's hand. Tai grabbed the bastard sword and sent several inches of it into his opponent's chest.
Hessianmon fell backward, his eyes wide in shock. He was having trouble breathing and Tai kept his own sword in his flesh.
"Your sins are like your sword," Taichi growled in a voice that sounded as if it was not his own. "They come back on you to make you pay. Now you'll burn in Hell. This is for my father!" Tai was about to drive the sword through Hessianmon's body and kill him, but the dark warrior interrupted him.
"Wait! Please... mercy..."
"Mercy," Tai said, highly enraged. "You murdered my father nad so many poeple in cold blood. You gave them no mercy, yet plead for it from those you've hurt?" The young knight spit in the digimon's face. "Don't sicken me."
"P...Pleasssse...," Hessianmon continued. "I'll give you anything..."
Taichi narrowed his eyes. "Offer me everything that I ask for," he said in a low voice.
"...Anything... you want..."
Tai twisted the sowrd three hudred and sixty degrees inside Hessianmon's chest, tearing the flesh and causing the dark digimon to scream in pain. "I want my father back, you son of a bitch." With that, the young knight thrust the sword down through Hessianmon's chest. The blade came out of its owner's back and sank into the ground, pinning the evil warrior.
At the death of their leader, the soldiers and dark digimon panicked and fled into the woods. The champion digimon gave chase. The invaders wouldn't get very far.
Kari came rushing out from the castle and saw her father's dying body, cradled in the arms of her older brother who was sobbing uncontrollably. "Father," she whispered and collapsed on her parent and brother's bodies.
Slowly, Yamato, Sora, Daisuke, Takeru, and Mimi walked up to the scene, their eyes clouded with tears. The sight before them was heart-breaking.
Lord Kamiya suddenly spoke, though his voice was hoarse and strangled. "Taichi... Hikari..." As he spoke, a trickle of blood came from his mouth. "Please... take my amulet. The heavens have given me enough time to... say only this much... Take the amulet... Your mother will explain from there..." Lord Kamiya's eyes began to roll up in his head.
"Father," Tai cried urgently. "Don't die! We'll get you to a healer. Just hang on," he said, choking on his sobs.
"Please Father," Kari weeped. "Please don't leave!" The young sorceress was beside herself with grief.
"Goodbye... my children... I'm proud of you two... I'll be watching you... from Heaven..." With that, Lord Kamiya expelled his final breath. He was dead.
*sniff* That's so sad. How will Lord Kamiya's death affect everyone? What is the significance of his amulet? In Chapter 4: Race Against Death, an assassin poisons Tai. Can the others find the plants Joe needs to make the antidote in time? Find out.
Back to the First Part of Chapter 3
