FicWad

Episode Four: Laike

The half hour spent walking to the Weird Woods was different from last night, and not just because of the fact the girls were with them. There were no hidden plots, no attempts to talk anyone out of it. There was laughter, as Izzy and Ramus once again went at it like the Ali and Frazier of business disputes. There was casual conversation, as they actually had a great deal to talk about. All in all, it was agood mood.

When they reached the Weird Woods though, the mood of the group did adownhill spiral. And thickened. To fog-like proportions.

“It’s worse than yesterday guys,” Ramus groaned, defeat plain in his tone. Not even an hour into their journey, and already they had an obstacle that they couldn't pass. The same obstacle as last night, in fact. “There’s no way we can get through this stuff.”

“We can’t keep giving up and going home Ramus!” Nall shouted, his voice sharper than he had intended. It wasn't Ramus's fault.

Matt was trying to see, but wasn’t having any success. “Well what would you have us do, Nall? Ramus is right. We can’t stumble through this fog. But you’re right too. We can’t just keep giving up.”

“We have to try! I mean, maybe the fog will disappear…”

Agumon shook his head. “It didn’t clear last night, and from what I remember, it’s been like this for a couple of years. Idon’t think it’s going to disappear just because we want it too.”

Luna was looking around, as if she was trying to find something like aspirit, or the proverbial OFF switch. Finding nothing of the sort, she began to think. A plan was slowly beginning to form in her mind, and it felt like it was a good one. She turned to look at Alex.“There’s something I’d like to try, if you don’t mind.”

Everyone turned to look at her with a group of looks that spoke of their curiosity. Nall asked on behalf of them all, “What do you mean, Luna?”

For that, Luna did not answer, at least in words. How did one explain that your plan was absolutely crazy, and depended a lot on faith? So she decided to show them. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.

Then she started to sing.

Kari was about to ask she was doing, but the music stopped her. It was beautiful and tranquil, soothing the confusion in her mind. It also sounded familiar, but she was used to the sensation now that she simply ignored it.

T.K., Gatomon and Patamon were also in a state of tranquility. Gatomon felt the music caress her ears, soothing the turmoil in her soul. She felt… lighter. She wondered how that was possible. But that was nothing compared to what was happening at that moment.

The fog, which was as thick as pea soup a moment ago and visibly impenetrable, was beginning to dissipate. Visibility was improving at a slow, but rapidly increasing rate. They could now see the trees for the first time. The sky became visible over the canopy.

In less time than it took to get on a horse, the Weird Woods saw day light for the first time in thirteen years. The Digi-Destined and their adventuring friends were understandably shocked.

“W…O…W!” Nall breathed, being to first to break the silence. “The fog just faded away!” He looked around, his eyes as big as dinner plates, figuratively speaking.

Izzy looked around, his entire belief system now in shambles. “Not… bad,” he managed to get out.

“Not bad? That was better than Mimi. Uh…no offense,” Gatomon added hastily, looking at Mimi.

Mimi looked extremely put off by the situation, and thus decided not to take any action against the aquatic Digimon. “None taken." She looked at Luna. “How did you do that?” she asked.

Luna was silent, her own face a giant question mark. She had been asking herself the same question.

Alex was starting to get worried. “Luna…?”

It seemed to snap Luna out of her trance, and she turned in Alex’s direction, realizing that she had been asked a question. “I don’t know how I did that, Alex. I don’t even understand how I knew I could. I just… felt it in my heart, and then my voice took over. But… how… I…” she started to stammer.

Alex had never seen Luna in that sort of emotional state before in his life. Even last night paled in comparison. “Luna…? Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer, but the look on her face said it all. She was far from okay, but she would be sooner or later.

Ramus, as always, was completely ignorant of what was going on. In his world, so long as something was no longer an obstacle, everything else became of minor importance. “C’mon guys! Now that the fog’s lifted, we can get to Saith in no time!” He started to walk, humming a little tune as he did so.

Reluctantly, Alex and Luna tore their gazes from each other to look around the now clear forest. “Yeah, let’s get going,” he muttered silently to himself, resolving to stay near Luna as much as possible for the foreseeable future.

As they began walking, they kept their eyes and ears open. They tried to remain vigilant, but at the same time, they wanted to stay as relaxed as humanly, or digitally possible. Tai and the other Digi-Destined were familiar with this approach, as it allowed them to sleep at night when they were in the Digital World.

Even Kari and T.K., who were, for lack of a better term, kids, got the feeling that every sense of theirs was expanding. Every smell was stronger. Every sound was more pronounced. Everything they saw was in sharper focus. But at the same time, they were calm. It was a state of being that they had managed to perfect through many adventures.

Ramus was watching them, amazed at how they were acting. He couldn’t believe it. They were two years younger than him and Alex, but they acted like they were going on a stroll through the town square. At the same time, they looked like they were expecting trouble to come right at them. /‘Must have taken time to develop,’ /he thought.

Then the trouble they were waiting for struck.

After they had opened a chest they had found, revealing an antidote, they ran into their first opponents. They all came to a singular conclusion; the creatures were extremely ugly! And in need for a weed whacking.

Fly Trapper: Ashrubbery type monster that inhabits the Weird Woods. It attacks with its vines and teeth. If the flowers on its head start to bob up and down, it is getting ready to poison its foe.

Izzy looked up. “Careful, guys!” he shouted. "These things are stronger than the creatures in the Dragon Cave!"

“PEPPER BREATH! Take that!” Agumon shouted, opening the first shot, obliterating a Trapper in one shot. “They’re weak against fire guys! Give me some space!” He slashed at another with his claws, slicing it in half. "No problem! We're better prepared than in the Dragon Cave!"

Ramus and Alex were already choosing their targets carefully, working as atag team would in the ring. Luna was throwing her poison darts around, hitting whatever she could.

Tai managed to get out of the way of one of them as it tried to poison him. His blade was still entangled in one of the vines of another one, so he swung his fist. It connected with a surprisingly solid head. It also connected with a tad bit more force than he had originally assumed, as the creature sank to the ground, unconscious.“Well, that’s something new,” he muttered to himself.

Sora and Mimi were throwing their own supplies of darts around, flicking them with unerring accuracy. They never ran out, making them wonder how magic made that possible, and put it in as a question for their resident experts for later.

Biyomon and Tentomon had developed a bit of a hit and run tactic; flying close enough to attack with their claws or talons, then flying away before the trapper could retaliate. This tactic also allowed Agumon to mow down the enemy with extreme prejudice. Pepper Breaths flew out in a steady stream, frying every Fly Trapper they struck. At the same time, he was careful as to when he attacked. Striking a tree for any reason would also spark a forest fire, and they didn’t need that on top of everything else.

Matt took a glancing blow to his shoulder, just enough to make him grunt in pain. It also served to piss him off, as he whirled around, his foot catching the one who struck him in a roundhouse kick. It slammed into a nearby tree, knocking it out. “The Weird Woods,” he spoke to the sky, “is getting very tiresome.”

Finally though, after what seemed to be an hour of fighting, even though it was only five minutes, the surviving weeds decided to run for it. In a matter of seconds, the forest looked like it had never been disturbed. The only way they could tell there had ever been a battle was because of the bodies of dead or unconscious Fly Trappers on the ground, and some crushed foliage. All in all, it was peaceful at that moment.

“Well, that was fun,” Gomamon stated, brushing some grime off his head. “When’s lunch?”

Joe looked at him incredulously. “How can you think of food at atime like this?” Gomamon just shrugged, deciding to not reply. Joe grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “Asshole,” under his breath.

“Joe…” Sora began warningly.

“Oh give it a rest, Sora,” Tai put in quickly. “Joe probably would call the queen of England that if she pissed him off enough.”

“I would not! I don’t want to be thrown into the dungeon because of that!”

“Relax, Joe!” Everybody shouted at once.

The group gathered, assessing their injuries, seeing if they needed anything healed. Matt’s was the worst so far, but it wasn’t serious. So they continued on, with Joe muttering under his breath of how this was a bad idea, and Gomamon asking him to be a tad louder. In short, they had gotten very lucky.

They walked a bit longer, fighting a few more Fly Trappers as they encountered them, as well as collecting some more antidotes. Izzy was about to explode with keeping the question to himself. Mimi noticed this, and whispered, “Give it time, Izzy. We’ll get the answer to it sooner or later.”

“Good… Alex! Giant Mushrooms approaching at twelve o’clock!” Izzy’s computer was open and scanning the second after he had yelled out that warning.

The giant mushrooms were green with purplish tops. They stood about as tall as Alex did, and looked more like small trees than they did mushrooms. They were also moving like zombies, slow and uncoordinated. However, as Izzy discovered, they was because of the fact that they didn’t have anything remotely approaching legs. Instead, the monster was scrabbling along on four vines. It also appeared hungry.

“Scythe Spore: A mushroom type. Its mushroom top is actually a mouth that it uses to eat or attack. It possesses the ability to poison its enemies. It’s also considerably tougher than the Fly Trappers, so be careful.”

“You got it, Izzy.” Mimi released a storm of darts at the incoming swarm. She managed to hit all of them, which surprised her to no end.

Tai swung his blade at one of them, aiming for its head. It reared back though, avoiding the weak attack, then started leaping up and down. Tai didn’t understand why, though he knew it was probably not agood thing. He prepared himself.

Someone did know what was going to happen, though.

Izzy, acting on instinct alone, threw his computer over to Joe, who had backed off almost immediately, and charged forward. He slammed into Tai, knocking him out of the way as the Spore unleashed a cloud of greenish mist into Izzy’s face.

In that moment, as the Scythe Spore lashed out with a vine, Koushiro Izumi felt Lunarian poison for the first time. It would be an unpleasant sensation that he would remember for the rest of his days.

The pain was excruciating! It felt like his insides were on fire and about to explode. Noah had not told him that the poison of Lunar would have an effect like this. It did nothing to solve his immediate problem, which was that he was getting weaker. As such, he was caught unaware when the vine slammed into him, sending him crashing to the ground. He couldn’t get back up. All he could do was watch as the monster brought one of his roots up, and slammed it into his abdominal wall.

“/Izzy/!” Mimi, Tai, and Tentomon shouted at the same time, all three of them moving in his particular direction.

Izzy was at that point beyond caring, as he was now curled up in a ball, trying not to puke. The Spore, now standing over him, opened its mouth and prepared to finish the job.

“No!” Mimi roared, charging at it like a bull. She caught it in a very effective spear, snapping it in half. Palmon had begun using one of them as a club, smashing its now mutilated body into the other monsters. The others began to fight their way to where Izzy was laying.

Mimi turned back to him, and with no thought at all about her looks or her clothes, kicked another one that had approached. The creature stumbled back before righting himself and snapping at Mimi. Or tried to, but she had released several darts, shredding its head mozzarella style. It dropped, spraying Tai with its plant juices. “Ewww. Gross,” he said, mimicking Mimi.

Mimi ignored Tai, but it wasn’t to annoy him. She was more concerned about Izzy. Checking to see if there were any other injuries, she roared, “Nall! I need an antidote and an herb now! He’s dying!”

Nall flew over to where she was. The way she spoke told him that if he didn’t appear in due haste, she was going to go nuclear.

Despite her dislike of almost anything but shopping and her friends, and her apparent flakiness, Mimi actually did know her herbs, and also knew old home remedies for colds and headaches. And even if she didn’t act like it, she was extremely intelligent. In fact, she was just about as intelligent as Izzy. It also helped that she had aphotographic memory, as she remembered what each was for.

When she got what she had asked for, she first helped Izzy eat the antidote, feeling relieved when he finally stopped twitching in pain. Then she gave him the herb, which he was able to administer to himself. She noted that most of the color returned to his face almost immediately, and breathed out in relief. “Are you all right?” she asked.

Izzy looked at her. “I’m doing much better now, thanks to your timely assistance,” he replied. “Thank you.”

“That’s good,” Tai said, swinging his short sword at one, slicing it in half. “I hope I don’t ever see you like that again!”

“I don’t want to feel it, period.” Tentomon released a Super Shocker at another one, electrocuting it. “I think that’s the last one.” He looked around as he said this, and asked, “If it’s a plant type monster, how come Icould electrocute it?”

“No clue. Ask Althena when we see her,” was all Matt would say as he walked over to where Izzy was now sitting. You okay man?”

“I’m feeling extraordinarily better, thank you.” Izzy looked at Tai.“You okay, Tai?”

The young man grinned. “Yeah. Thanks for the save, Izzy. You know, I think Tentomon was right. I don’t see any other monsters in our vicinity.”

Ramus agreed with him. “Neither do I. If there are any others, they’re probably high-tailing it out of here.”

“Which we better do that as well,” Alex added sensibly. He walked over to Izzy. “Can you stand?”

Izzy checked his legs, moving them experimentally. He found they could withstand his weight when he walked, but he wouldn’t be able to stand. “I’ll need some help getting up,” he replied, “but after words, I’ll be able to walk on my own.” He shifted hid gaze. “Mimi, could you help me?”

Mimi blushed, not enough to be seen though, and wrapped her hands around Izzy’s outstretched arm. She helped him up to a standing position, where he was a little wobbling, but was able to walk. He stared at Mimi. “Looks like we’re even.”

“And I owe you Izzy,” Tai threw in. He patted the keeper of Knowledge on the shoulder.

Tentomon flew up. “Nice save Izzy,” he stated appreciatively. “I give it a ten plus for effort, but five plus for style.” He looked at Izzy with suspicion. “I didn’t think you could do that.”

Izzy shrugged modestly, not wanting to think about it. “Neither did I. It just goes to prove what a person can do if their friends are in danger.” He finally stopped wobbling. “Though next time, I’m going to carry an antidote with me. Just in case this happens again.”

“Well, we all learn something every day,” Nall threw in, earning him aglare from Alex. “Like Mimi for starters. She went and risked her own life. Just to save poor defenseless Izzy.”

At this, Mimi blushed crimson and stepped away from Izzy. The boy in question also blushed, but had turned away to pick up his backpack. When he felt his face cool, he turned around to give Nall a glare that spoke of death and daggers.

“What?”

Alex intervened before the stare could become an all out war. The last thing he needed was two of his friends going for each other’s throats... or rather, going for Nall's throat. “We’ll make their lives miserable later. Right now, we might as well keep moving.” He put his sword back in its scabbard, and started walking.

Nall flew ahead, scouting the situation. He did this for two reasons; number one, so they weren’t surprised like the last time, and number two, so he wasn’t in range of Izzy and Mimi. Those two probably would have taken him apart! Grant you, he was smaller and faster than them, but they had Tentomon and Palmon…

As he was worrying what those two were going to do to him, he spotted something about five feet in front of him. Flying a little faster to investigate, he flew directly into a clearing. “Hey guys!” he shouted behind him almost immediately. “I’m in aclearing! There are no monsters present whatsoever!”

“Could you make sense?” Alex asked exasperatedly. He turned to T.K., who was walking beside him. “He always gets like that when he’s scared that someone's going to hurt him.” T.K. laughed.

“Let’s get there, then!” Joe suggested. “I’m starting to sneeze from all of this pollen.” As if to punctuate that statement, he let out a particularly strong sneeze, almost knocking his glasses off of his face.

Gomamon simply looked at him, not surprised. The fact that Joe was allergic to everything wasn’t news to them “When is the pollen not making you sneeze?”

“I’ll ignore that.”

Sora simply sighed, shaking her head in resignation. “They’ll never change.”

Tai agreed with her there.

----

After several minutes of walking, they entered the clearing. Nall flew up to them, smirking. “Took you long enough,” he greeted them sarcastically. “I was about to go to sleep waiting for you!”

“And nice to see you too, Nall,” Palmon retorted.

Gatomon shifted her gaze to their surround again, taking note of the lengthening shadows. “We’ve been in here for a while,” she commented. “It’s almost dark.”

“I guess you’re right. No use stumbling around in the dark.” Tai began relaxing a little bit. “Let’s set up camp, and try to relax. Matt, Gabumon, I want you two to have a look around. Make sure that we’re alone here.”

They started to look around, trying to find the ideal place to set up camp for the night. “What about over there?” Gabumon finally suggested, pointing to an area with a single tree.

“Good eyes, Gabumon. Let’s go set up near there.” Alex shifted the backpack on his shoulder. “At the very least, we’ll be able to watch each other’s backs.”

They started to move forward, all of them with one thought on their minds. Despite the healing properties of the herbs, nothing could replace the wonders of a good night's sleep. And they were safe… or so they thought.

As they reached their destination, Patamon and Gabumon suddenly stopped and began to look around. Agumon also heard something, and it gave him an uneasy feeling in his gut. It was starting to look more and more like a trap. “Ummm… guys? I think we’re being watched.”

“Huh?” Tai looked around as well. “Actually, I got that same feeling right now too,” he muttered. He pulled his dagger out, holding it ready.

“And there they are!” Ramus pointed in the exact direction he was talking about. Everyone followed his finger and saw it.

Coming out from behind the trees and bushes were two types of monsters. One of them looked like a combination bowling ball and Medusa. Instead of snakes though, it had tentacles writhing on its head. Its mouth, Izzy realized, was in fact the largest orifice on it. Truly an ingenious method of evolution, if not one that was helpful to them right now.

The other creature on the other hand, stood on two muscular legs. It was slightly stooped as well, carrying a big stick, and wearing only ragged loincloths. Its face resembled that of a bulldog.

Izzy, already realizing what these two monsters could be, pointed his computer at them. “It’s a Goblin,” he spoke up, “A ghoul type monster who carries a big stick around with him at all times.” His blood ran cold. “It also possesses the ability to poison its victims with little difficulty due to the club like branch it carries. They always attack in large groups, and beat their opponents to death with sheer fury. The other is the Gorgon we were warned about. Its mouth is actually its entire face. It has an attack where it actually regurgitates its stomach acids to try and poison its enemies. Disgusting.” He snapped the computer shut. “They also attack in groups, so we better make astatement-.”

“Too late,” Gabumon interrupted him, as the Goblin and Gorgon were joined by more.

And more.

Until there were about three dozen Goblins and two dozen Gorgons near them, advancing towards them with obvious malice. It was obvious what their intent was. Everyone started to back up.

“What…what are you doing?” Nall asked frantically, though he already knew the answer. “Stay back! Don’t come any closer!” Sadly, but not surprisingly, they didn’t obey him.

Agumon shot a look to the other Digimon. All of them were exhausted. They had never had to fight continuously before. So far, their most titanic battles probably lasted an hour at most. ‘This is not good.’ He thought dismally.

“They’re too many of them!” Ramus shouted, looking at the Digimon and coming to the same conclusion that Agumon did. “And the Digimon are too tired to fight this many at once! Let’s run for it!”

“Good idea. Okay everyone, back the way we came!” Alex ordered, already turning around.

Of course, if they had read enough books, then they would’ve known that trying to run back the way they came rarely worked.

They tried to run, but another batch of Gorgons emerged from the forest, effectively blocking their escape route. “We’re surrounded!” Nall exclaimed needlessly. No one told him to shut it.

“Alex!I’m too young and promising to die!” Ramus wailed in despair, nevertheless getting into a defensive stance, weapon ready.

Alex nodded. “Then we have no choice but to fight!” He got into a fighting stance, ignoring his tired, bruised muscles. Tentomon he noted flew and began hovering next to Izzy. Gatomon and Patamon looked ready to rumble.

Exhausted, many of them barely able to stand, the group got ready to battle once again, with even Kari holding her scepter like a club, ready to use it. ‘But how?’ she asked herself.

The lead Goblin barked a command, and they surged forward like a tide, ready to beat the prey they had found to death. The Digi-Destined braced themselves for an impact that would surely destroy them… if it had hit.

The reason for that was that they never reached them.

As the first one reached them, bringing its stick down for a possibly debilitating blow, it suddenly stopped and keeled over, blood oozing from a cut in its chest.

The rest of them stopped as a hearty laugh, and a voice saying, “Looks like we have a bit of trouble here!”

Confused, the group started looking around, trying to find the owner of the mysterious voice. “Who’s there?” Agumon called out. Then his question was answered, and in the most direct way possible.

In a far corner of the forest, a movement caught Tai’s eye. He turned to see a man step out from behind that single tree into the clearing. He was a large man, with muscles that were defined beneath his clothing. He had a scruffy beard, and a lean, hardened face that spoke of years of hard traveling. A wicked looking blade hung around his waist, and a smile graced his face as if it were permanently etched there.

Nall looked at him in amazement. “Who are you?” he asked.“Where did you come from? What the heck is goin’ /on/?”

The man was going to answer, chuckling as he did so, but he took one look around. “Hmm… perhaps this isn’t the time for an introduction!”

“Yeah, you’re probably right!” Joe retorted, keeping his eyes on the Goblins.

“Do you kids want some help?” the mystery warrior asked, his hand caressing the handle of his sword like it was a part of him. “Or do can you handle these critters by yourselves?”

Alex stole a glance at everyone else. With the exceptions of T.K. and Kari, everyone was exhausted. They probably wouldn’t even last the first few minutes of battle. He made his decision in an instant.“We’d really appreciate your help, sir!” he replied.

Almost immediately, the sword was in the warrior’s hand again, and he gave out another boisterous laugh. “Let’s have a crack at these things then,” he exclaimed in joy, “Supper’s a comin’ and I need to work up an appetite!”

“Good for you, sir.” Palmon decided that the guy was crazy as hell./‘But hey, crazy works,’/ she thought to herself.

Tai finally found a little kernel of energy to use. “Okay then. Let’s do this…again,” he muttered. “Agumon, Pest control!”

“You got it, Tai,” Agumon replied, feeling a surge of adrenaline go through his system. ‘Ah, the joys of the fight or flight response.’

The group all agreed silently to get the hell out of that circle as soon as an opening presented itself. Until then, they still had enough energy to dodge and weave through the masses of creatures trying to turn them into rugs. They also did a great deal of pain to the monsters in the process, distracting them from another person. The majority of the creatures though, were trying to gang up on the newcomer, indicating that he was a common, and unwelcome, presence in the Woods. It allowed Mimi and Sora to use their darts, hitting them in the legs and arms, for all the good that did them.

Kari on the other hand, was having infinitely better success, as she was using the scepter of Light like a baseball bat, hitting them left and right. She was over the shock of her superhuman strength, and was putting it to good use.

The stranger was no pushover in battle, either. Wielding his sword like it was an extension of his arm, he wadded into the thick of them, slicing them left and right. It was amazing to watch. And T.K. noted that they were leaving him and the rest of his friends alone. ‘Must be a common sight around here,’ he thought. Turning his attention back to his opponent, he ducked a tentacle, and jumped up to avoid the goo that came out the Gorgons mouth, using his momentary height advantage to do a double kick.

The Gorgon turned into a discus for a moment as it sailed through the air, then slammed into a tree, revealing another aspect of the creature to them all; that they had no real skeletal structure to speak of. T.K. was not surprised as it slumped to the ground like adeflated balloon, very dead. ‘Looks like I have that strength too. And I thought that it was just a fluke,’ he thought sadly.

Finally, after only five minutes of fighting, the surviving Goblins and Gorgons began backing into the forest at less than half of their original number. They did it very quickly, again implying that it was a common occurrence for this man to beat the stuffing out of them. T.K. was not comforted by that revelation. He wasn’t complaining though, as within a few minutes, the clearing was…clear again.

Except for the intrepid band and the stranger.

“We did it!” Nall exulted, and without waiting for anyone else to cheer or sigh in relief, turned around and shot out, “Who are you?” at the stranger, lightening fast. “Or should I ask,/what/ are you?”

With the creatures now gone, the Digi-Destined and their adventuring friends got a better look at the savior. He was definitely muscular as they had all thought. He also stood two feet taller then Ramus, though his stiff back made him seem taller. He wore a military style cap on his head, and a yellow cape around his shoulders. The sword, they now noticed, was hanging in its scabbard once again, and his stance was relaxed, if not a little stern. ‘All in all, aperson looking for a good time,’ Patamon thought. ‘But fighting Goblins?’

With a flourish of his cape, the stranger stared at them. “What ahapless bunch you are,” he said. “You’re lucky Icame along when I did.” He crossed his arms at over his chest.“Didn’t you know that these woods were ridiculously dangerous for ordinary travelers? Are you lost, or out for a picnic?”

Gatomon bristled in indignation at the implied insult. “No sir, we are not on a picnic, and we are not lost. If you really want to know, we are on an adventure.”

The stranger suddenly stared wide-eyed at them. “What?! An adventure?!” He was silent for a moment, processing this little tidbit of information, before he began to chuckle. The chuckle soon escalated into a laugh, then ended with the man clutching his sides in hilarity, tears streaming down his eyes in mirth.

Nall and the others were not so amused. “What’s so funny?” Nall asked irritated.

The stranger finally managed to get enough breath to answer. “The lot of you are on an adventure?! That’s the best line I’ve heard in a long time!” He doubled over, laughing uncontrollably.

“I don’t see what’s so funny about that,” Mimi growled, taking a step forward.

The stranger finally stopped laughing. “I wasn’t laughing at you!” he exclaimed, holding his hands up in surrender. “I was laughing at what you kids are doing. It’s been a long time since anyone has told me that they were on an adventure.” He finally managed to straighten up, that same smile on his face. “Tell ya what! I’ll whip up a nice fire and some grub, and you can tell me all about it!”

T.K. grinned. “Now that,” he said, his stomach grumbling, “is something none of us will refuse!”

----

The fire crackled soothingly, casting the clearing into flickering shadows. It provided illumination for the group now huddled around it. They continued to glance around them, as if waiting for the Goblins to attack. The stranger noticed this, and chuckled. “Don’t worry kids. The smoke from the herbs I’m burning will keep the monsters away.”

Everyone relaxed after hearing the reassurance. Nall even stated, “You’re smarter than you look mister. I’m impressed!”

The man laughed. “Thanks… I think!” he replied, looking in Nall’s direction. “But I’m not smart. When you travel as much as I do, you just learn things along the way.” He suddenly noticed Mimi shivering. “Come on kids, it’s getting chilly. Let’s get closer to the fire.”

Everybody moved a little closer, grateful for the warmth the fire provided. Kari however, slid the scepter behind her backpack for some reason. She didn’t want the man to know that she had it. She didn’t know why though.

They were silent for a few moments more when the stranger smacked his head, making them all jump. “I just realized,” he remarked, “I haven’t even asked for your name yet. My name is Laike.”

“I’m Alex,” Alex replied, shaking Laike’s hand, “and this is Ramus.” He pointed at big and fat.

“Hello,” Ramus said, mumbling over a mouthful of food. Sora looked disgusted at this.

The Digi-Destined introduced themselves, all of them exhibiting better manners then Ramus, though many of the sounded tired. The only ones with any real energy in them were T.K., Kari, and their Digimon partners.

“I’m Nall,” the little flying fur ball called out.

“And I am Luna,” Luna supplied, shaking Laike’s hand. “We’re traveling from the village of Burg.” She gazed around her for amoment. “Thank you for helping us defeat the monsters Laike. You’re quite kind.”

“Hmm…” Laike muttered thoughtfully, “Luna…”

“Is something wrong Laike?” Luna asked, somewhat surprised by his somewhat distant response.

The question snapped Laike out of his thought. “Oh…nothing,” he replied, staring at the fire. “That’s just a name I’ve not heard in a long time.” He looked up in the general direction of Burg. “Your village is the birthplace of Dragonmaster Dyne, right?” he suddenly asked.

The question brought all talk to a standstill. Caught off guard, Alex replied after a minute, “Yes. Dragonmaster Dyne is our hero!Well…he’s my hero.” He lowered his head in embarrassment.

T.K.’s head turned to stare at Alex’s direction, something nagging in the back of his head. He just couldn’t figure out what it was though. He decided to talk to the others later about it, when he wasn’t so tired.

Laike looked at Alex with a strange glint in his eyes. “So, you’re going to be the next Dragonmaster.” He stated in an inquisitive tone.

Alex innate modesty kicked in. “I…uh…I…I’d like to,” he managed to stutter. His face was now red as an apple.

Laike gave him a reassuring stare. “No dream is out of reach Alex,” he said wisely, “no matter how impossible it might seem.” He suddenly obtained a twinkle in his eye. “And in order to accomplish your dreams, you are going to need plenty of food and rest.”

Nall perked up. “So you’re saying that I can accomplish anything?” he asked excitedly.

Laike gave out a very large laugh, one that seemed to lighten their moods considerably. “Indeed you can Nall!” he replied. “All right kids. Lets have some food and get some sleep. We have to get up early, while the monsters are still groggy!”

“Good idea.” Tai turned to around to tell the others to go and get some shuteye, only to find all of them getting ready. Agumon and the others were already out like lights. “So much for saying good night,” he muttered before helping Ramus get out the blankets and passing them around. In a few moments, after Joe threatened Tai with a certain someone, everyone went to sleep…except for two. Laike…and T.K.

T.K. was still staring at the fire, his thought now a jumble of confusion about the past several days. Now that they were not in the thick of battle, he could now wonder. “Are you all right young man?” Laike asked, noticing that T.K. was still awake. He saw the look on the kids face, and was concerned.

For a moment, T.K. was silent. “I was just…wondering,” he finally said, “about why we are here. What purpose do we serve here right now? And can we go on before we start to lose people?”

Laike looked at T.K. in a new light. There was definitely a level of maturity to this young boy that most didn’t possess. “Those are pretty deep thoughts for a small kid,” he noted. After what you guys told me about your world, this should be relatively minor league. It’s also not worth worrying about just yet.” He gave T.K.’s head a good rub. “So my advice for you is to get some sleep. You’re going to need it.”

T.K. smiled a bit. “All right. Thanks for the advice, and good night.” With that, he went over to where his and Kari’s blankets were set up, and slowly drifted to sleep.

Laike watched T.K. long after he had fallen asleep, his gaze fixated on the Crest of Hope that had appeared briefly on T.K.’s chest. ‘I think I found a few of them,’ he thought. ‘And Althena thought that no one would notice.’ He smiled faintly. ‘Pretty obvious if you ask me.’

Reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the children, he shifted his gaze to Alex. The young man was filled with curiosity and determination to become aDragonmaster. He reminded Laike of another young man who wanted to have adventures. /‘He has the green eyes. I wonder…’/He halted that thought immediately, not wanting to dwell on it. He knew some of the choices he had made when he was young, and he didn’t think Alex was going to have any more luck than he did.

A yawn came out of nowhere, taking him by surprise. Deciding that it was time to follow his own advice, he settled down on his bed roll, and closed his eyes. His dreams, well… we won’t get into them.

----

The sun was shining as the group woke up the next day, all feeling more refreshed then last night. T.K. was even feeling more at peace with himself. Then they all looked around, feeling that something was amiss.

“What the…?” Nall muttered, trying to find out what was different. Then it clicked. “Laike’s gone!” He shouted, looking slightly annoyed. Then he smiled. “That was kinda rude for him to leave without saying good-bye…but anyone who laughs at my jokes is a good man.” He flapped his wings, working the kinks out of them. “I hope we meet him again.”

“I guess when Laike left, he didn’t want to push his luck with Nall,” Agumon pointed out quietly to Tai. “I mean, we’ve only known the man for a few hours, but he seems to be a good guy. Iagree with Nall.”

“So do I,” Tai returned. “Anyone remember where to go?” he asked.

Ramus looked around. “Laike said we’re close to the exit, right?”

“Yep, that’s what he said.” Gabumon began looking through the foliage. “There’s a path right through here,” he finally added, pointing in the desired direction.

Nall flew to check it out. “Not bad…I guess you can see the forest through the trees,” he quipped.

“/Nall!/” Everyone groaned at once.

Ramus chuckled humorlessly. “After we get out of here, we head south…to the port of Saith,” he recited, beginning to tremble with excitement, “where we can set sail for Meribia and take our first step onto the shiny path of glory!”

“Deep breaths Ramus,” Nall advised. “Don’t hyperventilate on us!”

Sora watching Ramus warily, stated, “I don’t think any of us could carry you.” She paused. “If we wanted to,” she added.

“Har, Har, Har. You are soooooo funny,” Ramus retorted sarcastically.“Let’s get out of here before I die of laughter!”

They took the path that Gabumon pointed out to them, ready for anything when they left the forest…except for what hit them the second they were out.

“Rain?We’re being hit by rain?” Tai asked, looking every bit like the drowned rat.

“Hey, they say a little rain can’t hurt you,” Sora noted, though her tone suggested otherwise.

“Yeah, but a lot can kill you!” Mimi wailed, her hat now drooping under the rain.

Kari sighed, her shoulders slumping. “So much for going anywhere today,” she groaned.