Digimon Empire

Chapter 4

AxeBattlemon twirled his mighty axe in a deadly display as he quickly advanced on Michael and Cairomon. The narrow alley way offered no shelter but as Cairomon turned to run out the other side Michael stopped him.

"We need to stay here, he's too big and limited in how he can attack us in here," As he said this AxeBattlemon narrowed his eyes and began hacking giant chunks out of the buildings of the alley, "Uh nevermind lets run." The duo ran out the back side of the alley and saw both gold and silver Guardmon fighting in various pockets along the street, the large AxeBattlemon trying to work his way through the narrow streets in pursuit but could do little more than shout for his soldiers to pursue.

Michael and Cairomon met with little resistance as they worked their way around the small city. They found the northern part of the city to be mostly deserted and they'd lost the AxeBattlemon along the way. They were pushing towards the western wall, to escape the city walls and the battle ensuing. They had come across a couple scared silver Guardmon whom they dispatched quickly between the two of them but they saw very few inhabitants of the city. Smoke was growing thicker and the city was thick with the sounds of battle. As they reached the western wall Michael understood why he hadn't seen the inhabitants. A small Gazimon was ushering some Moonmon into the ditch beside the wall. Gazimon are feline rabbit hybrids, predatory by nature with unusually long sharp foreclaws. They digivolve from Moonmon which would explain why it was ushering the little In-Training level Digimon under the wall. As he saw the duo approaching Gazimon ran in after them. Michael could see AxeBattlemon smashing through buildings heading further east into the city. Cairomon slipped into the small ditch and crawled through on his belly. Michael followed close behind, leaving the city behind.

When they emerged they found they found the fields surrounding the city scarred with fire, dead Digimon, and destruction in general. Any Digimon Michael crossed that were still alive but critically injured he dispatched and moved on. Nearing the edge of the imminent destruction area Michael came across a Guardmon that had lost a hand and an entire leg. It lay there in mud slowly dying. Michael sighed heavily as he started to unsheath his sword but Cairomon stopped him.

"I will send this one off. I've thought of why you're doing this. I realized now that if I were in their position I would be grateful for the quick end." Michael stepped back as Cairomon walked to the suffering Digimon. He spoke quietly with the Guardmon a moment before dispatching it. Cairomon walked over to Michael, the look in his eye was of understanding. They walked on together in silence from there on. After a short time they reached the Talthos Forest to the west of the city. Cairomon's eyes glowed softly as he led the way, maneuvering them around obstacles seemingly only seen by him. Michael's mind wandered while they worked their way into the woods. He absently wondered where the Gazimon and Moonmon had disappeared to so quickly as they were not far behind them. He decided they must have hid among the destruction nearby the exit. He wondered about what had become of the MetalBattlemon. He never saw a carcass but he doubted that the AxeBattlemon would have let him live. His mind wandered to thoughts of the City, the name of which he didn't know and the inhabitants which lived in fear.

"What was the name of that city?" Michael asked, breaking the hour long silence.

"Talthos, hence the name of the forest." Cairomon retorted. They continued on in silence for some time further until at last Cairomon stopped and smelled strongly, listened carefully, and looked around a small clearing. Similar to the clearing Michael had started from.

"We'll stay here for now," Cairomon declared, "We need to gather what we need to make a temporary shelter and then get some rest." They spent the better part of the next couple hours gathering sticks, bark, vines, and large soft leaves similar to those Michael was wearing. In a short amount of time from there they had crafted a small shack with two elevated sleeping bunks. Within no time at all they had both fallen asleep, it was just before dawn. When he awoke Cairomon had already gotten up. It was in the late afternoon but he felt like he could still sleep more. When he emerged from their small shack he was surprised to see that the clearing had a firepit, and there was a string of fish roasting. His stomach growled and he checked to see if the fish were ready to eat.

"Those are for you, I've already ate." Cairomon's growling voice came from the edge of the clearing as he walked in carrying a bundle of sticks. He placed these in a pile next to the firepit with other wood he'd already gathered. Michael ate from the fish until he couldn't eat any more.

"These fish are amazing, how did you find them?" Cairomon straightened his back as he stood looking proud,

"There is a Seadramon in a nearby pond. We traded for fruit that he wanted which I gathered while you were sleeping. They aren't very bright so it was an easy trade." Michael now understood that they weren't just in a clearing similar to the one that he'd arrived in but they were actually in that clearing.

"This is where I arrived."

"I know," Replied Cairomon, "and that is why we're here. You need to be here for the miracle to take place."

"Miracle?"

"Legend has it that when the human would walk among Digimon a tool of destruction would appear if they stayed where they arrived." Cairomon explained, "I followed your scent to this place." Michael understood now why Cairomon had been so invested in smelling every corner of the clearing.

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"Has any miracle tool arrived?" Michael inquired. Cairomon shook his head. While they waited for the miracle tool they continued to add improvements to their clearing home. They talked while they were working and Michael asked about politics, time, and history. He was trying to gather as much information as he could about the localized conflicts. Cairomon had only recently been imprisoned he came to find out, over not paying his taxes after it was discovered he was living on a small island in isolation for several years without paying the local tariffs. Being unable to pay he had been arrested and so far he knew a little of the tensions between the Empire and the rebel forces. There had been a couple rebels in the jail with him but they were quickly executed. Cairomon seemed to hold the opinion that neither side of the fight were good, bad, or all that intelligent as neither side had clear goals as to what they were fighting for or towards. The rebels in jail would ramble on about how it was unjust and the Empire must fall. The Empire would tax their subjects to the point of starvation and death which resulted in no subjects. Michael could understand the reasons for the rebellion given the state of political unrest but it made him uneasy at how feral Cairomon's resolution regarding the situation. It was as though Cairomon felt the entire situation mundane, the rebels shouldn't fight the Empire and the Empire shouldn't tax harshly. Michael caught himself smiling at Cairomon's simplistic understanding of the situation, like a child explaining the concept of war. Cairomon had no sense of time and could not answer questions regarding what year or day it was so Michael resolved to find out that information at a later date from a different Digimon.

"Why do you not care about the war Cairomon?"

"Because a long time ago I was once the leader of a small village of Gonamon, my pre-digivolved form. The Empire suspected that we would ultimately turn against them in favor of supporting either the Divine or the legendary arrival of humans. When I found out the Empire was mounting an attack I reached out to the rebellion to help support our village. They refused, said there were too few of us and too few of them to move against the Empire for us. We had no aid when the Empire struck."

"Well did you move the Gonamon out of the village before the attack?" To which Cairomon was already shaking his head and Michael could see the frustration in his eyes.

"Gonamon must stay in hot coals or they die, it takes quite a bit of work to raise one into a Cairomon," Cairomon sighed deeply as though resignation over the loss was some annoying inconvenience, "That's why I don't care about the war Michael, neither side is good and my species is now on the verge of extinction. I'll fight both sides with no discretion because I detest both." Michael understood now why Cairomon was as detached from the conflicts as emotionally possible. He could tell the Digimon bore the weight of the loss personally and he couldn't blame him since he'd very realistically do the same if it were him that had lost so much. They would have to prepare hard to help other Digimon not experience those same losses. They needed to train and despite his reservations regarding it Cairomon eagerly helped teach Michael how to fish, how to hunt small game, how to survive.

The two also spent some time sparing. At first Cairomon easily dominated Michael but within a couple hours Michael's determination drove him to keep toe to toe with the Digimon but only through use of the sword and sheath in both an offensive and defensive tool set. Michael liked the feel of both aspects. The two sparred each other off and on to keep their apprehension subdued though neither voiced this to other. This level of reservation was comfortable to both of them and they could each sense what the other felt without having to say it out loud.

Two days passed and still nothing had happened when Michael suggested they venture further out and see if they could gather news of happenings in the area and determine what they would do after they left their secluded shelter. They gathered some supplies and left. They were only gone for a day but they found out very little. They saw small camps spread over several miles that consisted of gold or silver Guardmon respectively but no other Digimon or signs of them were to be found. They made their way back to the clearing and as they neared it they saw bright glowing coming from it. Cairomon growled low,

"We put the fire out there should be no light, move with caution." Michael drew his sword as they advanced. As they peered into the clearing the entire place was ablaze. Flames rapidly eating away at their shack and food supplies. Everything they'd gathered was being destroyed and the flame looked as though it was living, moving from place to place in the clearing as though it was being controlled. Then he was finally able to make out a face, eyes, and shape among the flames. Coronamon, a small rookie level Digimon. It's is a living flame that carries the body shape of a small feline monkey hybrid. They tend to digivolve from Sunmon and they generate additional heat and power from the sun to be stored at night. It stopped spreading flames and stood there happily surveying its destruction.

"Thank you for joining me finally. My master began to worry you wouldn't arrive."