Digimon: Civil War (RPG Thread)

[Food Guy]

"Amethyst Mandala!" roared Kairi.

She swung her staff around and shot out a green beam of the head of it. The beam slammed into one of the Darkdramon and finally managed to delete it. That left one Darkdramon, and Kairi was extremely exhausted.

"Please wake up!" cried out Kairi to the unconscious form of Karmas as she used a combination of 'Spirit Strike' and 'Amethyst Mandala' against the remaining Darkdramon.

"What happened," Karmas moaned, slowly getting up.

What he saw was a Sakuyamon being attacked by a Darkdramon, and that he was a Zudomon again.

"Vulcan's Hammer!" shouted out Karmas.

He swung his giant hammer and sent out a large electrical shock wave, which promptly destroyed the Darkdramon.

"Thanks, I'm Kairi by the way," muttered Kairi as the toll of the amount of attacks she used kicked in.

"I'm Karmas," said the Zudomon as Kairi fell into his arms, unconscious.

[Kamotz]

Imego's Omni Sword ripped through the forces of the Royal Hive. Terminus Kruun sent wave after wave of soldiers at the great paladin, but he cut them all down. He simply strode across the battlefield towards the Hive Tree and cut down anything that got in his way. It didn't matter what digivolution level the soldiers were at, Imego destroyed them all. He raised the Omni Sword, powering it to full, and prepared to bring the entire Hive Tree down. But a wave of green energy smashed into Imego and knocked him through the air. Arahon dropped from the sky, the Grade-Alpha sword in hand. He slashed with the blade, but Imego easily danced out of its reach.

"So, Arahon," Imego sneered. "You're back for another beating."

"Not this time," Arahon said. He dissipated the Grade-Alpha sword before summoning a sphere of glowing golden light. "I summon the power of Fanglongmon," Arahon called out. "I summon the power of the Vanguard. I summon the Ultimate Warblade, King Dragon Sword!" The sword of Ouryuken suddenly flashed into existence and Arahon wrapped his hands around the weapon's hilt. Two golden, feathery wings emerged from his back, and he raised the weapon, spinning it expertly through the air.

"Well this is an interesting development," Imego mused. "Let's see what you can do..."

=====

Hyperion charged the Examon with tremendous force. The amalgamated dragon brought his lance to bear, but Hyperion parried the thrust and drove his Supreme Cannon into the dragon's face, throwing it through the air. But the Examon recovered and struck back. Hyperion discharged his cannon, and the blast of power slammed into the Examon's armored wings as they closed to defend him. But the sheer power of Hyperion fractured the wings, and a second blast ripped them apart.

The Examon let out a terrible roar and rushed forward, surrounding itself in blazing dragonic energies. Hyperion stood his ground, even as the raging dragon slammed into him. He was carried through the air, smashed through a dozen buildings and driven into the earth. But when the Examon's attack ended, it was Hyperion that remained; the dragon--in its haste--had driven itself onto his blade.

It had died before its attack had even ended.

Hyperion heard Ajax call for the retreat and grudgingly followed. He didn't like it, but he understood; they had a job to do, and they couldn't risk losing the Celestial prisoners while they cut down the dragons.

A Darkdramon made the stupid mistake of trying to chase after Hyperion. It was their leader, Gorgos Sigma. He knocked Hyperion off his feet and brought his lance to strike, but Hyperion spun around and impaled him through the chest before kicking him off his sword and through the air.

Hyperion made his way through the Chess Kingdom to the rest of the Avengers as Strom covered their retreat. Hyperion admired the Spinomon's tenacity, and hung back to provide him some support. He fired the Supreme Cannon at the dragons, forcing them to take defensive positions. Hyperion remained halfway between Strom and the rest of the Avengers, moving forward only when Strom did so himself...

=====

With the few remaining Celestial Sphere prisoners safely guarded, Ajax led the Avengers back to the heavily wooded mountains and away from the attacking Dramon, though he doubted that they would follow anyway. During the attack, Hyperion had critically wounded the battalion's leader, a Darkdramon named Gorgos Sigma, and without his leadership, the dragons were falling into disorder.

They wouldn't be much of a threat any longer.

"We'll have to bring you back to our headquarters," Ajax told the Celestial Digimon. "You'll have asylum there while we try to contact your leaders. Hopefully they'll return for you and reconsider joining us against the Dramon Empire."

"Whom among you is leader?" asked Valkur.

One of the Angemon motioned to a Sakuyamon. "Kairi is the highest level among us," he said. "She is the most powerful of us here."

"You fought well," said Onaga. "Your actions do your people proud."

=====

Arahon and Imego clashed across the sky; neither had been able to gain the upper hand. Arahon's new power made him able to match Imego's every move. The sheer magnitude of their battle had reduced much of the jungle surrounding the Hive Tree to ash.

"Surrender," Imego roared. "You have no chance." The two mighty swords crashed against one another. "I am the true power, the true might of the Dramon Empire. You cannot win!"

"Is that so?" Arahon asked with a smirk. "From where I'm standing, you look tired. Maybe you should surrender."

The two mighty blades struck each other once more, sending power out in all directions. Arahon leveled his sword at Imego and let loose with a brilliant salvo of glowing green energies. Imego raised the Omni Sword and defended himself, but that left him open for Arahon, and the black knight slashed his mighty sword across Imego's back. He let out a roar of pain as he plummeted to the ground.

"You wish to defeat me?" Imego snarled. "You're no different than the rest of your little band of Rebels. You will all die! You will all BURN!" Fire suddenly erupted from around Imego. It swirled around his body, gathering at the tip of the Omni Sword. "Blazing Helix!" he called out. Fire ripped from the Omni Sword and burned a path towards Arahon.

"Yellow Circle!" Arahon shouted. He swung his sword in a great circle, creating a circular path of light. Imego's attack struck the circle, but the circle absorbed the attack and turned it back on Imego.

But Imego simply raised his Omni Sword and forced the attack to dissipate before it could cause him damage.

"He's strong," thought Arahon. "This won't be easy, even with Fanglongmon's power..."

[Griff4815]

Strom was bushed. He lay against a large tree and watched as Ajax conversed with the Celestial Sphere prisoners. Strom didn't care too much for the politics of the situation, so he just hung back and waited for Ajax to be finished.

Strom turned his head to see Hyperion glancing at him. The Spinomon remembered that Hyperion helped to support him in covering the retreat, thus preventing him from becoming overwhelmed. Strom gave a half-nod of recognition before uncomfortably turning his head away. To be perfectly honest with himself, Strom missed Jager and Tharor- he had taken a liking to their respective personalities, despite the fact that he was still slightly wary of them.

He remembered that there was still a traitor among them, and it burned his heart to think about who it may be. To think that one among them was ultimately the one responsible for Goliath and Oberon's deaths and Tharor and Jager's mortal wounds. He subconsciously let out a loud snarl thinking about it.

Gapsar prodded a minor gash mark on his stomach that he sustained during the last battle. He glanced over at Strom, who gave him a look. Knowing the Spinomon, he was positive that Strom thought he was a prime suspect for being the traitor... he did have familial ties to Dramon afterall. He knew that Strom was also a MasterTyrannomon in his ultimate stage. You'd think that this would give them common grounds to build a friendship on... obviously that wasn't the case. He knew that because he was a MasterTyrannomon, that that would only give Strom more misgivings about him, knowing the various evolution lines and track records of the species in the sovereignty.

Strom grunted from looking at Gapsar and looked back to Ajax, who appeared to be done. Strom's eyes widened at his previous comment about returning to HQ.

"Ajax! We can't return to our headquarters!" Strom protested, standing upright and stepping forwards. "What about Arahon and the Royal Hive!? What happens if Arahon can't take Imego down and the Dramon scum goes on to rip apart the whole hive?! I'd like to volunteer to head a party... or even go alone... to patrol down to the hive and give support if it's needed. Returning these prisoners to HQ is a waste of time. ...Or did you have another plan in mind?" Strom asked.

[storymasterb]

"Waste of time?" Osiris growled "so you're saying that after we spent all that time kicking Dramon *** and nearly getting killed, we just leave the prisoners? That's just a waste of resources!"

"Strom has a point," Ragna pointed out "we don't all need to support Arahon. Just send a few of us, and hopefully our support can tip the battle in Arahon's favor. I want to show Imego a few things about pain."

"And the Royal Hive is my home," Valra added quietly "I will do whatever I must to protect it, as I am sure you all would for your homelands." She threw a filthy look at Strom, remembering his intial wishes of leaving the Paleozoic Sovereignty to burn under the Dramon assault.

"Ajax," Ragna said "this could be our chance to permanently end Imego's involvement. Hell, Karasu came close in the Paleozoic Sovereignty. You came close too. Onaga and Valkur, when you DNA Digivolved before, you were beating him down. This could be it, if the power Arahon recieved from Ouroboros is strong enough, our support could be enough to kill Imego. I... we won't leave without your permission. But this has to end sooner or later, and I'd rather not give that maniac anymore time to wreak havoc."

"Ajax," Valra said softly "please... let us help Arahon. I'm begging you, I want to protect my home. We all want to finish Imego. This group was formed becuase of what he did to Goliath, Oberon, Jager and Tharor. I might be the only person here who didn't stand in that throne room, but I know what drives you. I feel it too, becuase all of us want vengeance for those the Dramon Empire has slaughtered in their lust for power."

"In the future, who will the Digimon look back to? They'll look back to us, for being the ones to end this conflict. If we end Imego, the Dramon Empire will be shattered. He is their champion, their strength made flesh. Killing him would be saying "Your strength is nothing to us." Ajax, you must understand. This war has gone on long enough, and it is time to deal the Dramon Empire a blow they will never recover from."

"Ajax," Ragna said, looking the warrior in the eye "she's telling the truth." He wrapped his arm around Valra's shoulders. "We can finish Imego. All he has is a fancy sword and some stolen thunder. Those don't scare me. Nothing can scare me, except for one thing that will never happen. So long as I live, I will finish Imego, if I have to kill myself to do it."

[Griff4815]

Strom snarled, attempting to brush off the look directed at him. He folded his arms and grunted through his nostrils. "The warrior poet has a point..." the Spinomon declared, glancing at Ragna. "However... if you do allow this patrol... I wish to go alone. If the patrol is too late and, Sovereigns forbid, Arahon is dead... then we'd be facing Imego alone and chances are, without all the Avengers assembled, we wouldn't stand much of a chance. IF that happens, I believe it would be better if only one was lost... especially if that 'one' would not be missed in any shape or form. That way we wouldn't be wasting any... 'resources'..." Strom declared, giving a glance to Osiris. "Hence, I volunteer if you agree to this."

Gapsar was stunned. It sounded to him like Strom wanted to go on a suicide mission. It was either that or Strom was very brave. The MasterTyrannomon felt like he should volunteer too, but Strom made it very clear that he wanted to go solo. He wasn't sure how Ajax would respond.

[Kamotz]

Ajax nodded. Strom and the others were right. Arahon was as capable a fighter as there ever was, but they had long since learned to never take anything for granted when dealing with Imego. They'd had several chances when victory was just snatched from them. Now, with a power that could match Imego's, they stood a chance.

"Okay," said Ajax. "But a few of us need to escort the Celestials back to headquarters. The rest of us will hurry to the Royal Hive. I don't know if we'll make it in time, but we need to try."

"I can escort them," Valkur offered.

"No," Ajax decided. "We need Genesis...and Hyperion, too. The three of us came closest. With Arahon and the others, we should be able to pull this off." Ajax was getting excited. This really might work. "Rai, Gapsar, could you two escort the others back? The rest of us need to move quickly-" Strom suddenly expressed his desire to go into battle alone, and Ajax stared at him in shock.

"That's insane," said Onaga. "Just one of us won't tip the odds enough. In fact, you'll probably just get Arahon killed trying to protect you. As a group we can look out for one another while providing Arahon with the support he needs."

"Onaga's right," said Ajax. "I can't let you go on your own, it's suicide, and I won't send anyone else to their deaths..."

=====

Power ripped through the air, setting the winds ablaze and turning the jungles into a volcanic wasteland. Imego seemed quite partial to the Blazing Helix attack he gained from Zhuqiaomon, and the mighty attack had kept Arahon on his toes. Nevertheless, Arahon hadn't yet been struck by Imego's Sovereign-level attacks.

"Lightning Whip!" Imego called out. Several electric chains appeared and struck at Arahon, but the knight summoned his Digitalize of Soul, and countered the attack. Imego snarled; he was fast becoming annoyed with this routine. "Sonic Zephyr!" he shouted, racing past Arahon and slashing with the Omni Sword.

"Yellow Circle!" Arahon countered. He surrounded himself with a energy sphere, and stopped Imego dead in his tracks. All the force Imego mustered against Arahon was then hurled back at Imego, and the paladin went flying.

With a roar, Imego unleashed Baihumon's Kongou attack: a wave of energy that raced towards Arahon. The black knight raised the Ouryuken sword in an attempt to block the attack, but the wave engulfed him. Rust began to creep across Arahon's form, and within moments, his entire body was rust and metal.

"I win!" Imego laughed. "Victory is mine!" He paced around Arahon's petrified form. "I think I'll put you in the courtyard of my Keep, as a reminder to all who--"

Arahon suddenly moved, bursting out of the confines of the rust and metal. He drove his fist into Imego's face and swung his mighty sword. Imego just barely managed to block the slash from decapitating him. The two great swords locked together, and power bled from in between them, melting the ground and burning the air.

"You won't beat me!" Imego roared. "Black Hail!" He thrust the Omni Sword towards the sky and a bright green beam shot into the heavens. The sky then opened up and giant, crystalline blocks of black ice rained down to crush Arahon. But Arahon swung his mighty blade and smashed the great shards as they fell towards him.

Imego let out a roar of frustration and powered the Omni Sword to full. He dropped from the sky like a meteor, glowing white-hot.

"Omni Sword!" Imego howled.

"Ultimate War Blade!" Arahon answered.

The two great warriors clashed swords, and the resulting shockwave ripped open a massive crater in the ground. Molten rock flew up, and the air became choked with thick black smoke.

Arahon found himself surrounded by a thick black fog, and he raised the Ouryuken, searching warily for Imego. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned just as a stream of fire erupted in front of him. Before him, stood an AncientGreymon, liquid fire dripped from his mouth.

"Tharor?" Arahon asked in awe.

The dragon didn't answer and once again let loose with a blast of flame. Arahon dodged it, but it singed his armor nonetheless. Something else moved, and an AncientGarurumon suddenly burst from within the fog and slashed his swords, cutting deep into Arahon. He cried out in pain.

"Jager?"

The two ancient warriors watched Arahon with cold eyes. The black knight felt something behind him and spun around just in time to block the slashing claws of a BlackWarGreymon X. In his shock, Arahon couldn't stop the dragon soldier from landing a powerful kick to his stomach and sending him skidding across the ground.

"Oberon, but how-?" Arahon was suddenly hauled to his feet and came face-to-face with a BanchoLeomon in Burst Mode.

"Goliath, I-" But Arahon didn't get to finish, for "Goliath" leveled him with a powerful burning punch and sent him flying.

"Aurora Force!" something suddenly shouted from within the fog. A great and powerful blast of lightning exploded from the darkness and struck Arahon. The lightning seared into his very core, and ripped a scream from his throat.

He landed on the ground with a crash, and struggled to rise to his feet. The four ghosts made a circle around Arahon, and he looked to each of them with wild eyes.

"How?" he demanded. "How are you here?" The entities attacked. The burned, slashed, and kicked at Arahon, but he refused to fight back. He couldn't fight against those who he had failed and let die.

"Wait," Arahon realized. "I had forgotten. You're all dead. You can't be real." Realization suddenly dawned on him. This black fog wasn't the result of the explosion, it was Imego's Phantom Mist, an attack stolen from Ebonwumon, that created the illusions.

"Imego," Arahon snarled. "You've gone too far. Tai Chi!" Arahon swung his mighty sword, and the sheer power of the blade dispelled Imego's illusions and revealed Imego himself. Energy bled from the Ouryuken sword as Arahon twirled it. He made one final motion and launched his attack.

The great cascade of awesome power thundered towards Imego. It tore up trees and dirt and flame and vaporized everything in its path.

"Blazing Helix!" Imego shouted, launching a stream of flame in a pathetic attempt to counter Arahon's mighty attack. But the flames dissipated as soon as they struck the Tai Chi attack. "Aurora Force!" Imego tried again. But that too was unable to disrupt Arahon's attack.

Imego was struck, harder than he had ever been before in his life. The scream of agony that ripped from his lips was louder than the crash of the attack that caused it. Imego was thrown across the ground. He lay a smoking, smoldering heap. Much of his armor was cracked and broken.

"It's over, Imego," said Arahon as he made his way to his fallen adversary. "Your death will bring an end to the war."

"My death?" Imego coughed as he struggled to his feet. "I will not die, not today. You can't beat me, Arahon!" He raised the Omni Sword once more and poured his energies into it. The sword glowed violently.

"So be it," said Arahon. "Tai Chi!" The mighty "beyond-Sovereign level" attack streaked towards Imego once again. The universe flashed before Imego's eyes; every deed of every single creature played out before him, his own included. The universe welcomes Imego with open arms.

But he refuses.

"Initialize!" he shouted. The digi-code on the Omni Sword glowed brightly just as Arahon's attack struck, and the attack was channeled into the blade of the Omni Sword. Imego swung the sword around him as energy bled from it and pointed the blade back to Arahon. He released the energy, turning Arahon's attack back on him. But as the attack thundered back to Arahon, Imego fell to his knees.

Arahon understood; in redirecting the Tai Chi attack, Imego had used up a huge amount of energy, emptying all his reserves. It was a last-ditch effort to stop Arahon...But it would fail.

"Yellow Circle!" Arahon called out. He would answer Imego's attack and turn the Tai Chi against Imego once more. He prepared his attack, swinging the Ouryuken sword in a circular arc.

But before he could complete the circle, a figure exploded from somewhere within the smoke and dust. The figure smashed his fist into Arahon's face, interrupting his attack and preventing him from completing it. Then the figure leapt away just as the Tai Chi attack ripped into Arahon. The mighty black knight let out a tremendous cry of pain. He fell to the ground, a charred and broken heap.

"You?" he gasped as he caught sight of the figure that had cost him so. "You're the traitor!?"

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment, Arahon," the traitor sneered. He kicked away the Ouryuken and smashed his fist into Arahon's face. "Ever since you were given command of the rebel forces the rest of us were always second; we always counted less."

The traitor struck again but Arahon--fueled by rage--blocked the blow and punched his attacker in the stomach. Arahon rained blows down on the traitor, not letting up for even a moment.

"Omni Sword," Imego snarled.

Arahon was suddenly aware of a great, burning pain as Imego slashed across his back. Arahon fell to his knees and stared up at his two enemies. The traitor then leveled him with a vicious haymaker and Arahon slipped into unconsciousness.

[Griff4815]

Strom growled. "... So be it... but just one would still be faster. Let's hurry it up before we're too late!"

He was given a few looks at the last comment, since it came off like he thought Arahon would fail.

"... Hypothetically," he corrected with a snarl under his breath. "We should have made Imego the first priority over the prisoners," he 'muttered' to himself.

[Kamotz]

"Perhaps one who could fly, like Rai or Karasu," Valkur retorted, not liking Strom's tone. "But you're stuck walking, and there is a lot of ground to cover between here and the Royal Hive...hundreds of miles. We'd have to pull out all the stops to make it there within the hour, and that's if we flew. I'm not sure how you'd plan on making it there quicker."

"Everyone calm down," said Ajax. "We don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves, too. Strom, listen, these Celestials are our priority. They're our only chance of convincing Valdor to come to our aid. We need the Celestial Sphere's power and numbers if we want to stop the Dramon Empire."

[Food Guy]

Kairi and Karmas had been talking ever since the Sakuyamon had woken up.

"So you're part of a rebellion that wants to defeat the Dramon Empire?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, I am," replied Karmas, his voice slightly warbling.

Ever since he had been rescued by Kairi, Karmas had begun to feel something more than thanks for the Sakuyamon, the same for Kairi.

"Well, I'm joining you," suddenly said Kairi.

"Why, you know that this is dangerous," said Karmas.

"I do know. My husband was killed in the attack against the Celestial Sphere and I was captured, so I do know what is at stake," retorted Kairi.

"Well, then go ask Ajax," said Karmas, pointing out Ajax.

[Griff4815]

Strom folded his arms and haughtily replied. "I've made it through hundreds of miles in the desert in the matter of hours when first seeking out you rebels... what's a bit of forest to m-"

He was cut off by Ajax speaking, hoping to quell the argument.

Strom grunted and nodded. "I suppose I see your point... But my point still stands; you're right, Valkur, it will take hours to reach the hive... all the more reason why we should have left already!" Strom said, impatiently tapping his foot.

Meanwhile, Gapsar was getting ready to depart with Rai and the prisoners... he knew that, with the Rapidmon, it would be a very long trip.

[Kamotz]

Ajax overheard Karmas and Kairi. "You want to join us?" he asked Kairi. "I normally wouldn't allow it, but you're a Mystic; you've probably got some skills that could come in handy..." He was suddenly struck by a flash of inspiration. "You can teleport us!" he exclaimed. "You can teleport us to the Royal Hive. We can get there in seconds, not hours!"

"That might just work," said Valkur. "Perhaps she could even send the Celestials to our headquarters alone and we could all head to the Royal Hive. Our strength would be brought in full."

"Can you do that, Kairi?" Ajax asked. "Can you send your fellows to our headquarters and take us to the Royal Hive?"

[Food Guy]

Kairi thought about what Ajax asked of her. She was pretty confident that she could do it, but if she messed up then who knows what could happen. But she had to try!

"Well I can certainly try," replied the Sakuyamon. "It'll just take a couple of moments for me to warm up."

Kairi walked in front of the Celestials and swept her staff in front of her. The Celestial Digimon quickly vanished. Next she walked into the middle of the rebels.

"Let's do this!" she yelled as she lifted her staff into the sky.

[Griff4815]

Strom let out a triumphant chuckle. "Now we're talking! I guess rescuing these guys came in handy afterall!" he remarked with a large grin plastered on his face.

The Sakuyamon lifted her staff and Strom felt a strange feeling come over him.

[Kamotz]

"That felt so good," said the traitor as he cracked his knuckles. "What do we do with him, Imego? Do we kill him?"

"No," said Imego. "Killing him will make him a martyr for the Rebellion. We need to threaten to crush their spirits, to force them into making a huge, fatal miscalculation."

"So what do we do?" asked the traitor.

"We'll take Arahon with us," answered Imego. "We'll parade him through the capital for all to see. We'll make his execution a public one. Then, when the rebels try to free him, they'll walk right into our trap."

With that, the traitor lifted Arahon and threw him over his shoulder. Then, he and Imego made their way deep into the black and burning sky towards the Dramon Empire's capital.

=====

Ajax was momentarily proud of his quick thinking--having Kairi teleport him and the rest of the Avengers to the Royal Hive to help Arahon confront Imego. He was proud, but was then overcome with a sudden feeling of intense nausea. But he fought through the discomfort of teleportation and held himself up as they reappeared by the base of the Royal Hive.

They were shocked by the level of destruction and the widespread devastation. The land for miles around lay in ruins. The once-great and luscious jungle was now no more than a charred, blackened, burning, molten, and smoldering husk. The sky was choked with thick smoke; the sun cast an eerie orange glow over the land.

"By the Sovereign," Onaga gasped.

"I've never seen anything like this," Valkur whispered.

"Everyone fan out, but don't go too far," Ajax ordered. "We need to figure out what happened here; we need to find survivors...if there are any."

There was a sudden rustling of dirt, and a form exploded from beneath the blackened ground. Ajax shouted in surprise and spun around, expecting an attack. He was somewhat disturbed, however, by the speed with which Hyperion reacted. In a split second, the white knight had drawn his sword and had it pressed against the throat of the creature that had emerged from the ground.

It was the King of the Royal Hive, the TyrantKabuterimon, Terminus Kruun.

"Wait," he pleaded. "I mean you no harm."

It didn't look like he'd be able to harm them if he wanted, however. His chrome digizoid armor was cracked in several places. His claws were broken and he was missing an eye. He slumped forward, but Hyperion caught him before he hit the ground and held him up with one arm. Ajax eyed the white knight warily; this wasn't the first time he was unnerved by Hyperion's strength. Sure, Ragna was stronger, and Strom's greater size gave him superior leverage, but Hyperion moved and breathed with a constant intensity, as if he was always on edge; always ready to draw his sword and cut down something that lay just out of sight. Power like that--intensity like that--was absolutely terrifying.

"Where's Arahon?" Ajax asked, eager to put his mind to something other than Hyperion. "What happened?"

"There was a battle the likes of which I have never seen before," Terminus coughed. Strange, thick, yellow blood flowed from his lips. "The two of them fought with such power and such skill...I had already been wounded by Imego, so I could only watch in awe."

"What happened?" Hyperion reiterated. There was a quiet intensity in his request, a sort of "speak if you know what's good for you" type of tone.

Luckily, Terminus was either too tired to notice, or simply didn't care. "There were times when it seemed that Imego had the upper hand," he continued, "he had even once turned Arahon into a petrified statue. But...but Arahon always had an answer; he always pulled through."

"Then...what happened?" Ajax demanded.

"Arahon unleashed some sort of ultimate attack," Terminus answered. "He struck Imego with a power I've never seen before...It was as if the five Sovereign descended upon the Hive and did battle at our door."

"Focus," Hyperion ordered.

"I didn't think Imego would be able to withstand that attack," said Terminus. "But he did, forcing Arahon to attempt to unleash it yet again. Then Imego turned the attack back on Arahon! I thought this was surely the end, but Arahon was preparing to redirect the attack back at Imego. However..."

"What?" Onaga demanded angrily. Ajax placed a calming hand on his shoulder. They were all to tense to be dealing with a long story, but they needed to know, and they couldn't pressure Terminus too much.

"Someone else was here," Terminus answered. "Someone who stopped Arahon before he could redirect the attack. It was too much for Arahon. He--he...he was overwhelmed. He fell to the ground and couldn't rise."

"Did you see who it was?" Ajax asked softly. "Did you see who attacked Arahon?"

"No," said Terminus. "The battle had kicked up so much dust and smoke that we couldn't see a thing. I ordered my people to retreat away from the Hive Tree for fear of them being destroyed, so we were too far to see exactly who it was. But I heard something. Arahon called this mystery figure...a traitor."

"Damn," Ajax snarled. "Whoever this traitor is, he's cost us far too much. We need to figure out who it is and stop him."

Terminus managed to hold himself up without Hyperion's assistance. "I must return to my people," he said. "They will be worried. I came when I saw Arahon strike Imego with his attack; I thought the battle was done for, but in the following attack, I was struck by the backlash of energies and buried."

"Will your people recover?" Ajax asked.

"We'll manage somehow," said Terminus as he looked to the burning Hive Tree. "I will contact your leaders after I assess just how serious our losses have been. Until then I pray for you all. Valra...it was good to see you. I'm glad you're still alive."

With that, Terminus Kruun lifted into the air and flew off into the smoke.

"Kairi," said Ajax. "We need to get back to our headquarters, now."

[Griff4815]

Strom's insides burned- burned with an uncontrollable anger. This traitor has been a needle in the Avenger's back, but has been more like a flaming spike in Strom's spine. The Spinomon breathed heavily, teeth clenched with an undeniable fire in his eyes.

Strom let out a primal roar and swung around to Ajax pinning him up against a nearby tree. "DAMNIT, AJAX! I KNEW WE SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH ARAHON INSTEAD OF PLAYING WHITE KNIGHT WITH THOSE CELESTIALS! NOW THAT DISCIPABLE TRAITOR HAS HIM! WE COULD HAVE DEFEATED IMEGO AND BROUGHT THAT TRAITOR TO JUSTICE!" he bellowed, accidentally spitting in Ajax's face a couple of times.

Strom was aware that others were quickly approaching on him, but he didn't care; he wanted Ajax to realize his mistake.

His tone becoming softer, but equally as stern, he continued. "I swear to the Sovereigns, if something happens to Arahon, there are three to blame- Imego, the traitor, and you, Ajax..."

[Kamotz]

"Unhand me, you buffoon!" Ajax roared. He hit Strom with an uppercut then he swung the Dunas lance and struck Strom's head with the flat side of the blade. "Arahon knew the risks, he knew that he could lose, but he still went alone...as were his orders."

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut. Ajax looked warily to Hyperion, but was surprised to find him looking quite relaxed. Was he that unconcerned with their little bickering?

"Our mission was to rescue the prisoners of the Chess Kingdom," Ajax reiterated. "My mission was to see the mission through, to lead you all until our goal was accomplished. My mission was not to question the orders of Arahon, nor was it to disobey and jeopardize the safety of potential allies...allies that we so desperately need right now. I did what I had to do, Strom. I will not feel shame or blame for that."

Hyperion chuckled.

"Find something funny?" Onaga growled.

"Just that you all seem so fascinated with fighting each other and finding someone to blame," Hyperion laughed. "This is war. There is no 'blame' or 'fault', there is only action; only the paths we take." He turned to Strom. "You, Strom, you are so quick to judge, to place blame; and you, Ajax, are so quick to justify, that you both fail to see what's right in front of you. All of your leaders--Arahon, Apollo, Artemis, and Braon included--failed to weed out this traitor. They didn't make it their number one priority, and it has cost us dearly. That must be our mission now: to find and punish this traitor. Only once this is done can we move with any real certainty."

There was a terrible finality, an unyielding harshness in Hyperion's voice, and Ajax understood he was right. Of them all, Hyperion had suffered the most from the actions of this traitor, and Ajax couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for what would happen to the poor b*stard if Hyperion ever got his hands on him...

[Food Guy]

No, it can't be thought Karmas as he heard the news about Arahon.

He was gone, taken by Imego and a traitor. He just couldn't believe that Arahon was beaten.

"Are you alright?" asked Kairi, noticing that Karmas was upset about something.

"Yeah, it's just that Arahon is gone," replied the Zudomon.

"Yeah, but as far as anyone knows, he's still alive," said Kairi, "But I gotta send us to your headquarters so see ya in a bit."

The Sakuyamon walked into the middle of the rebels.

"Okay everyone!" she shouted out. "Get ready to teleport again."

[Griff4815]

By that time Strom had cooled down and he now rubbed the aching bruises on his face. He had listened carefully to what Hyperion had said.

There was silence with an overwhelming aura of discomfort. Strom stepped forwards towards Ajax, however, this time he had no attentions on attacking him. His head was hanging rather lowly this time.

"Uhh... Ajax..." He took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sorry... I apologize. It's just that they have Arahon... and that damned traitor has done so much to us... I realize you're trying your best. Hyperion's correct; I shouldn't blame you and we should be out searching for that traitor. What do you say?" Strom outstretched his claw towards Ajax in good will. "Shall we go get Arahon and slay the pieces of filth that did this to him?"

[Kamotz]

"Don't dwell on it any further, Strom," said Ajax with a wave. "We're all...stressed."

Kairi stepped forward and worked her magics once again, and the Avengers were encompassed with a great glowing light. Ajax once again found himself nauseated by the experience. He looked around and saw that many of the others seemed to be suffering the same way. Even Hyperion, normally hard and stoic, looked rather queasy.

They arrived at the island base of the rebellion, and were at once immediately set upon by several guards. The mostly-Ultimate level Digimon were surprised by their sudden appearance, and rushed them.

"Stand down!" Ajax ordered. The soldiers immediately did as they were told, and Ajax couldn't help but be impressed that he had such an effect on them. It was a proud new development. "Where are Apollo and Artemis?"

"I am here," said Artemis. She stood with the other Celestials that Kairi had teleported earlier. "I do not know of Apollo, however. He has not been seen for some time; he left shortly after Arahon left to find you all."

Ajax narrowed his eyes suspiciously: it wasn't like Apollo to go missing for long periods of time. And it seemed like Artemis was the only high-ranking rebel leader around at the moment. Why would Apollo simply up and leave at such a critical time?

"Interesting," Hyperion muttered. "I wonder what could draw away Apollo's attention at such a crucial moment such as this."

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Artemis asked. "Where is Arahon?"

"Taken by Imego," Ajax answered. "They fought by the Royal Hive and the traitor interfered, allowing Imego to claim the victory. Arahon has been taken as a prisoner."

"That is not good," said a voice. Everyone turned as Apollo floated down from the sky and landed beside them. "Arahon's defeat at Imego's hands will only embolden the Dramon Empire. Their pursuit of us and our allies will be relentless."

"Where were you?" Ajax wondered, regarding him suspiciously. "It's not like you to just leave."

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Apollo snapped back. "I had pressing business to attend to elsewhere."

"Right," said Ajax. But he wasn't convinced. "Wait a minute, where's Braon?"

Artemis looked around; Braon's absence hadn't even registered. Apollo shrugged as well.

"Braon left even before Arahon," Apollo answered. "We were meeting with Boagrius of the Leomon Tribe to solidify our alliance when he got a strange look on his face and quickly left."

"This is very disturbing," said Hyperion quietly. "Two high-ranking Rebellion leaders were missing during the time an unidentified traitor was attacking Arahon."

"We've got a dramon incoming!" yelled one of the guards.

A Cyberdramon flew in, racing over the ground towards the Avengers and the two rebel Leaders. The two Shurimon guards moved to intercept him, but he dodged their attacks and flew over them. The Cyberdramon was suddenly surrounded in a white light, and a Justimon emerged. It was Braon.

"You're all back," he said, nodding to the Avengers. Then he noticed the suspicious and accusing looks everyone was giving him. "What? What's going on?"

[Griff4815]

The silence that ensued after Braon's question was broken by Strom's feet as he walked forwards. His eyes were wide as he stared at the Justimon, virtually the only person who he trusted.

"Br-Braon... Where... were you?" Strom asked with overwhelming nervousness in his voice.

The dinosaur could feel his legs trembling, creating some minor tremors across his immediate vacinity. The thought that Braon could be the traitor has never entered Strom's mind. He refused to believe it to be true. He clenched his fists waiting desperately for Braon's denial of being the traitor.

Strom was now shivering uncontrollably with fear. He had forgotten that his friend's ultimate form was a Dramon.

He stared at Braon, awaiting an answer. He needed to know that he was innocent.

Braon glanced into Strom's wide eyes and saw fear. He began to know why.

Strom pressed further, anxious to disprove the seemingly inane theory. "W-well, Braon?!"