The End
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The Worldwatcher smiled softly as she felt the presence of the Ring of Fire on the hand of her chosen. One down, three to go, and each was harder than the one before it. Yet the plans of the Emperor worried her. He seeks to take what he has neither the right nor the need to. But I cannot stop him.
She sighed momentarily. He would learn what was to come on his own, that was the way of things. For now, all she could do was watch and wait. And those were things she was very used to doing. After all, it was what she did.
"Any sign of it ending yet?" Carlos Valerte asked. Adam looked ahead of them, and shook his head.
"Nothing." The sparkling road wound far ahead of them without so much as a turning, much less an ending. "Wherever the next ring is, we apparently still have a long way to go."
Ken Ichijouji rolled his amethyst eyes. "I don't find myself surprised. This quest could take forever."
"Hey, we already got one part done!" Daisuke Motomiya waved the hand on which the Ring of Fire glittered. The Salamander peeked from under his jacket.
"You'll do it, I know you will, you'll do it!" The chatterbox declared. "The road always leads you where it must to take you where you must be. You never know when it'll end and you'll be where you're going!"
Adam chuckled softly; the Salamandar had attached itself to Daisuke since they had left the village what felt like days earlier, and seemed very disinclined to leave. I wonder if we'll all get something like that.
"Let's see, we're on a road that's coming from nowhere and leading to nowhere." Carlos grinned mischievously. "I know some people who would love that kind of setup."
The Digimon Emperor snorted. "I know a few people who that analogy fits." He pointedly did not look at Daisuke.
"Would it be possible to hold the backbiting comments until later?" Adam suggested. He knew he'd be ignored; Daisuke and Ken's relationship, whatever it was, seemed to be based on those exchanges. And as much as they deny it, I think there's something more between them than just enemies.
There was no use in trying to make any plans or anything of that nature as they walked; all they could do was just what they were doing: waiting for the road to lead them to where they had to go. None of them really expected any lasting bonds to come out of this, but they knew they were going to have to depend on each other until it was over with. As they chatted and murmured amongst themselves, Adam began to notice a minor change in Daisuke. It wasn't something most people would have noticed, but Adam had taught himself to notice even minor variations in the behavior of those around him. It came in very handy when you lived in a world where your companions or acquaintances could be turned evil at a moment's notice.
They insult each other as much as they did before Daisuke got the ring, but there's something...hollow about the way Daisuke says what he does. Like he's only doing it because someone expects him to. But who...and why?
In between one step and the next, the starfield around them dissolved, and was replaced by a road of packed earth and lined with round white stones on both sides. The small group paused a moment, looking around to take things in. They'd learned from their claiming of the Ring of Fire that the surrounding territory could give them some clue as to which ring they were about to be near.
"Jungle," Ken noted analytically. "And I believe this road leads to that town up there."
A short distance away, probably no more than a few minutes walking, was a town that appeared to be composed of no more than a few hundred sturdy, well-built homes. This was a far cry from the village that had been under the thrall of the element of fire. Adam frowned as he inspected everything in sight.
"I think this one's going to be mine," he said, thinking. "Everything here is related to the earth, there's not that much water visible, and the air isn't doing anything that would mean the Ring of Air's around."
Daisuke nodded. "I guess we head there, then."
"Where else could we go?" Ken snorted. Adam noted that the two of them hadn't left each other's side since they had left the last village. It might be because they were each the other's only familiar face, but it just wasn't ringing right in the ex-Ranger's mind.
As they got closer to the town, the first thing everyone noticed was the way vines seemed to be almost clinging to everything and everyone they saw. The villagers going by were obviously used to it, by the way they nimbly jumped out of the way of the vines, some even hacking at them with daggers and machetes they carried.
"This is definitely the work of the Ring of Earth," Adam declared as he squirmed away from a particularly insistent vine that wanted to curl around his arm. "Plants and such things belong to the earth, so..."
"I see what you mean." Carlos said a trifle dryly, skipping out of the grip of a vine. "The problem is, where is the Ring?"
Ken ripped a vine away from Daisuke's face roughly and muttered, "I wish I had my whip with me, that would teach these things some manners!"
"The ring's probably wherever all this stuff is coming from." Adam motioned to the far side of town. A row of hills rose up behind the streets, and the jungle was at it's extreme thickest around a certain point up there. "I think that is where we need to go."
"That wouldn't be a very good idea, sir," a soft, feminine voice spoke from nearby, and all four of them stiffened in reaction. Adam, Carlos, and Ken automatically went to fighting stances, while Daisuke tried to look dangerous. Out of an alley came a young black-haired woman dressed in an elegant white gown and golden leather sandals. "No one who goes to the Temple ever comes back."
Adam looked at her carefully. "What Temple?"
"The Temple of Hidden Wisdom," the woman replied, gesturing up to where the lush growth seemed to start. "We don't know what happened, but one day a few months ago, the plant life around the Temple just seemed to go mad with growth. Nothing anyone tried to do could stop it; it just grew. If we cut it, it grows back in seconds. We'd like to leave, but where can you go to get away from plants!?"
The four questers exchanged subdued glances, and Adam spoke up. "I think we can help. We're on a quest for certain magical rings, and we think one of them could be what's causing this. If we can get it away from here, then your problems should be over with."
The dark-haired woman considered for a moment. "Well, I can't really do that much to help you. I just know what's been happening around here. If you really want to go there, the road through town leads up to it. Before all this happened, we used to go to the temple to worship on the holy days." She sighed deeply. "If you can help us, I'd like that. We all would."
"Then we'll do what we can." Adam declared with a smile. "Helping people is what we do." He ignored the faint mutter from Ken's general direction. "How long will it take to get to the temple?"
"In the old days, it only took a few minutes of walking, even in the Grand Processional," her eyes were distant. "But now, I can't say. No one has even tried to get into the jungle for many weeks now. We're not even sure if it can be done. The last to go there...we never found them again."
Adam shivered slightly at the implications, then looked up to the thick jungle. "We have to do it anyway. If we succeed, we'll try and come back, if we can. We might have to leave right away, though."
The girl shrugged. "You don't come back, you'll probably be dead." She glanced up at the sky, then back at them. "As foolish as it is to enter the jungle, it's twice as foolish to do so under cover of night. The sun is going down, and no matter what magic you have with you, you will need rest and food before you can go there. I am Ala," she bent her head briefly, her words taking on a strange, studious formality, "I offer to you the hospitality of my house and home this night, with dinner, a place to rest until tomorrow, and breakfast. After that, you may go on whatever way you choose, be it the jungle or elsewhere."
Adam glanced at the others, then at the sky himself. It hadn't been evident at first, but now it was coming clear that darkness was quickly falling. "Thank you." He took the lead for now. "We could use some rest and something to eat."
"Definitely the somethign to eat part!" Daisuke piped up, the Salamandar peeking out of his jacket and looking rather hungry. "Thanks!"
One of Ala's finely arched eyebrows went up at the sight of the Salamandar, but she said nothing else as she motioned to them to follow her. It was a short trip through a few winding streets, but at last they arrived in what had to be the largest house in the entire town. Everything there was of the very finest craftsmanship available to them, and a pair of servants presented themselves as soon as Ala appeared.
"Are these guests of yours, m'lady?" One of them spoke, bowing briefly.
"Yes, Eire," Ala spoke with the casual indifference of one used to being served for all of her life. "Take them to the bathing chambers and see that they're properly taken care of and dressed for dinner. They'll be dining with me, and staying here overnight."
Both servants bowed and stepped towards the four young men. "If you would come with us, sirs," Eire, a small, stocky man in a blue tunic, spoke. "We will see to your comfort."
Adam noticed Ken's eyes flick for a moment over to Daisuke and somewhere in the back of his mind he felt a faint tickle, something he'd always associated with magic. Odd. Before he could say anything, Ken started towards the servants. With an arrogant air, the Emperor declared, "Then let's get to it. We've all been too long without a proper bath and meal."
"I could say something really rude about that, but I won't," Carlos muttered as he and Adam followed after Ken and Daisuke, who had started after his enemy without so much as a word. Ken gave the Black Ranger a backwards glance, his placid violet-eyed gaze completely unreadable.
Adam touched his friend's arm gently. When Carlos looked at him, the ex-Ranger murmured, "There's something going on between those two. I'm not sure just what it is, but I think it could be...well..like Kim and Kat."
Carlos nodded slightly as he glanced over at them. "They have that same kind of...well, I don't know what it is, but you know what I mean. They have the same feel." There weren't words to describe just what he meant, but Adam knew. It was the feel of two of the same gender who cared for each other, no matter what.
"Think we should tell them about Kim and Kat? That we don't care what their relationship is like?" Adam wondered. Carlos shrugged after a moment's thought.
"Maybe. But not right now. Maybe after we get this ring. Right now, we've got a few more things to think about."
The first place they were taken was a communal bath. Ken and Daisuke took part in this without so much as an eyeblink; this sort of thing was something they were used to. Adam and Carlos glanced at each other, then both started to get ready for the bath.
"Mmmm...." Daisuke leaned back and let the water gently wash all over him. "This is a bath!"
"No, really," Ken said dryly. "What was your first clue?"
Adam and Carlos slipped into the vast tub and leaned back against the edge. "This is good." Adam murmured, feeling the hot water all around him. It had been way too long since he'd indulged himself in anything this purely delightful. "I think I'm actually relaxing!"
"We could use the down-time," Carlos agreed, reaching behind himself to massage at his tense neck muscles. He glanced around, noticing something. "The vines aren't inside the buildings. They were growing just about everywhere else, though."
Ken shrugged. "I saw some people through one of those windows there," he flicked a look towards a row of windows on one wall. "They were hacking at the vines. I presume that's why they're not in here."
"So what do we do tomorrow?" Carlos asked, directing the question to Adam. "This is your Ring, your call to make."
The ex-Ranger squirmed himself a little farther down in the tub and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift before answering. "We can't really make a lot of plans right now, we don't know what to expect out there. It could be anything. All we really know is that it's got something to do with vines, plants, the growth of things in the Earth. And that sort of things can be very dangerous." He shivered a little in memory of some of the things that he had faced as a Ranger.
"Danger is something I'm used to." Daisuke's voice was strangely quiet and firm. "We'll do what we have to do."
"Of course you will, of course you will!" From the pile of Daisuke's clothes there came a chittering that was the Salamandar. The creature popped out and dived into the water as quick as a thought, splashing and playing. "The way will show itself to you, you will find it, you're one, you and the way, the way and you, the Worldwatcher doesn't make mistakes, she picked you, and that means you'll find the Rings, nothing can stop you but yourselves, yourselves, yourselves!"
A soft step alerted them all to the return of the servants, with large dry towels and clean clothing for them in the local style. Their own garments would be cleaned and ready for them in the morning, they had been told. Eire, at the head of the servants, spoke quietly. "You are expected to dine with m'lady Ala whenever you are finished dressing."
The servants drew back unobtrusively out of the way as the four of them started out of the tub and headed towards the towels and clothes. "I could get very used to being served like this," Carlos joked as he dried himself off.
"I am used to it," Ken smiled thinly. "Though my servants are Digimon."
"Slaves, you mean," Daisuke murmured. Ken chuckled quietly and said nothing more on the matter, the look in his eyes superior and faintly amused.
Putting on the new clothes wasn't anywhere near the chore Adam had somewhat feared it would be; given all he'd heard about how uncomfortable medieval type garments could be. Whatever the level of civilization this place had, it definitely wasn't as backward as it seemed at first sight. Once everything was on neatly, he glanced down at himself.
Boots that laced up neatly to just over the ankles, leggings that fit snugly and weren't too tight, a tunic that went from neck to knee, and left his arms bare, and a belt that kept the tunic from billowing everywhere, that was what the outfit consisted of. He had no names for the material, it wasn't anything he'd ever encountered, but it was soft and comfortable and cool.
A quick glance at the rest of the group showed him that they were dressed in the same style, each in a different shade. His clothes were pale green, Carlos was in black, Ken was in blue, and Daisuke in red. Even without knowing how or why, they dressed us in our most appropriate colors. The last Ranger color I had was green, Carlos is black, the way Ken described his usual outfit in their 'Digiworld', it was mainly blue, and Daisuke is red. Strange.
With a mental shrug, he asked, "Everyone ready?"
"Let's eat, let's eat, let's eat!" The Salamandar, whose natural body heat dried him in the heartbeat it took for him to flap from the pool to Daisuke's shoulder, chattered. "Food, food to feed the body and the mind so we can quest!"
In a short line, the small group headed after the servants. They were led to a columned dining chamber, with a wide table that was set for six. Ala was already there, gowned in a white version of the clothing they wore, and inclined her head towards them gently as they entered. "Welcome to my table, my guests. I have been remiss in my duties, for we have not been properly introduced. I am Ala, Lady of this town, ruler and mistress of it."
"Adam Park, Carlos Valerte, Ken Ichijouji, and Daisuke Motomiya," Adam quickly introduced each of them. "We're questing for certain magical rings, as we said."
Ala waved a hand casually, also indicating for them to sit down. "Whatever your quest is, it affects my land very little, and I have no need of learning more." She told them. "If you can free my town from the grip of those plants I will be satisfied."
"We'll be doing our best," Adam stated firmly. "It's our job to fix the things that these rings have spawned that's wrong, and these plants are spawned by the Ring of Earth."
The lady merely nodded and began to eat. The small group, Salamandar included, did the same, finding the meal unfamiliar, but delicious all the same. There was very little dinner conversation, mostly requests for various condiments, but the questers were really too busy stuffing their faces to notice in the first place.
Once it was over with, Ala clapped her hands smartly. Servants appeared to clear the table off and Eire stood by his lady quickly. "Escort them to the rooms prepared," she ordered, then looked at them. "I presume you'll want to get an early start in the morning for this quest of yours, so I will have the servants have breakfast ready for you when you awaken."
"Thank you." Adam nodded quietly. "We really appreciate this, Lady Ala."
"I will appreciate it once you've rid my town of those vines. Farewell." She quickly vanished down a corridor and was gone from their sight. Eire turned to the guests of the house.
"If you would be pleased to follow me, sirs, I've arranged for rooms for you." He led the way down several twisting hallways until they were before a door. "This is for you, sir," he motioned briefly to Adam. The ex-Ranger went in to find a beautifully appointed room spread out before him. The only thing he really saw, however, was the bed in all it's glory. The last thing on his mind before falling into it and a deep, dreamless, full-fed sleep, was that he hoped everything went well the next day.
"This does not look good." Carlos winced as they finally reached the far side of town and could get a good look at the rising hills in which the temple they hoped the Ring of Earth was in was situated.
Just a few inches from the final house in the town, the vines and grass grew so thick and tangled the ground itself couldn't be seen. There was a sort of deathly silence over everything; even the noise from the town was muted. The nearer to the actual jungle things grew, the thicker and stronger all the plants grew. Inside the actual jungle, it was quite literally too dark to see where to go in there.
"And just how are we supposed to get through that?" Ken growled. "I don't suppose any of you can sprout wings?"
Adam stepped a little closer to the jungle, peering inside. "No, but we're going through anyway. At least I am, if you want to stay here, you're perfectly welcome to. This is my part of the quest." He glanced back at the others, and somehow wasn't surprised that they were all coming right behind him.
It was every bit as dark inside the jungle as it had looked to be outside of it. The shadows were thicker than the trees that cast them. They found themselves having to walk on the tree roots and branches, which intertwined each other, rather than on the nearly invisible ground. "If we can't see where we're going, how are we going to get there?" Carlos wondered.
"That's easy, that's easy, that's easy!" The Salamandar's voice chittered up from Daisuke. "You can't get lost if you just go straight ahead! The Ring calls to it's guardian, the ring calls to you, you're the guardian, you're the guardian!" It appeared to be addressing Adam, though with the depth of shadow they were in, it was extremely hard to tell.
The ex-Ranger rolled his eyes mentally as he slowly reached forward to find another tree branch. "I'd like something a little more solid than that to go on, if that were possible."
"Well, then, well, then, let the fire guide the way!" the creature gibbered. "Fire brings light, light brings what you want, it'll show the way, it'll show the way, just trust the elements, they serve you as you serve the Worldwatcher! The Worldwatcher wants you to succeed, she does, she does, she does!"
Ken muttered half to himself, half to anyone able to listen, "Am I the only one about to be driven out of their skull by this creature?"
"Fire..." Daisuke glanced down at the ring, then up at the darkness ahead of them. She said not to use their power unless we were in danger of losing the rings themselves. But if we can't see what we're doing, we can't even find the rings.
Not even all that certain just what he was doing, he lifted up his ringed hand, holding it just ahead of them. As he did so, a faint glow began to emanate from the ring, just enough to light the path in front of them. Daisuke's eyes widened briefly, then he glanced at the others with a grin. "Come on, what are you waiting for? Personalized invitations?"
With Daisuke and Adam in the lead, the four of them started through the winding trees. The light from the Ring of Fire gave them just enough illumination so they could see where they were going, but no more. Five paces in every direction around them, everything else was in pure darkness.
They weren't quiet able to judge time that well, but all of them were dripping with sweat and heartily sick of this jungle travel within a very short period of time. Adam paused for a moment to stretch and try to figure out which way they went from there.
"I hope this place is in some kind of clearing," Carlos moaned. "If I don't see some sun and fresh air soon, I think I'm going to be sick."
Daisuke glanced around a little. "I feel kinda choked myself. Not good."
Ken said nothing at all, simply leaning against a tree to catch his breath. His eyes never left Daisuke for a moment, caressing the boy over and over again. Adam noticed, but once again said nothing. Daisuke wouldn't be my type even if he were a few years older and my tastes ran that way, but that could be what Ken needs.
"I don't see any end to all of this," The ex-Ranger sighed deeply. "There has to be one, but I can't see it."
"Well, whether there is one or not, if we can't find it, then it might as well not even be there." Ken declared. "And it isn't as if we can give up: even if it were in my nature to give up."
"Well, it's not in mine, either," Adam snapped back. "I just don't know where to go!" He threw himself a little away from the others, feeling uncharacteristically peeved, and started to take a step away. As he put his foot down, however, he realized that he'd just stepped into a puddle of some form of slime: very slippery slime. Slime that sent his legs soaring out from under him and his entire body careening down to the floor of the jungle.
Carlos stared for several moments. "Adam!" He shouted when he was actually able to talk. "Adam, can you hear me!?"
"Adam?" Daisuke called out, feeling a little sick inside. He hadn't known the other young man long, but it felt just as horrible to lose him as it would to have lost any of his teammates back in the Digiworld.
A voice floated back up to them. "I'm all right. Just a little winded. But you guys might want to get down here: fast."
"Oh?" Ken sounded as unconcerned as he always he did. "What's down there?"
Adam chuckled. "The temple." Two minutes later, once they were all together at the bottom, he pointed up to a small rise ahead of them. "We were closer than we knew, and if we'd kept going up there," he motioned to the high tangle of branches and roots they'd been on, "we would have missed it altogether."
"Well, now that we know where it is, I see no reason to hang around here," Ken stared rather pointedly at the ex-Ranger, who stared right back for a moment.
This boy has a very bad way of getting on my nerves. Adam thought, then whirled to face the vine-covered temple. "He's right. The faster the better...but not too fast. Look."
He gestured briefly ahead of them, to where rows and rows of bushes and trees were spread out before them, along with vines intertwining everything. It seemed as if all the plant life was growing literally before their eyes, and some of it was of types that none of them had ever seen before. "I don't know what any of that is, but I really don't want to find out the hard way that it's carnivorous."
"Good point." Daisuke shivered as he moved up to light the way ahead of them. They were within sight of the temple; it perched on that rise Adam had pointed out to them, and was just barely visible underneath the vines as the work of human hands.
The deadly silence they had noticed when they first entered had only been broken by their voices since their arrival in this place. Even their footfalls were muffled as they carefully crept through. It was almost too quiet, if that weren't so cliche as to be annoying.
"If they're carnivorous," Carlos murmured, for some reason not wanting to lift his voice too much, "then they haven't noticed us." The vines and other plant life squirmed in random patterns, no hint of actually trying to get at them.
"I don't mind," Ken's voice was just as soft; even he was affected by the preternatural quiet of this place. "If I must die at any point in time, I don't want it to be in the mouth of some plant in a universe that isn't mine!"
Daisuke half-chuckled. "Did you have a preferred way to do?"
"Extreme old age comes to mind, and not even by that if I can avoid it," was the return taunt of the Emperor. Adam grunted quietly.
"We'll worry about dying some other time, right now, I think it's a little more important that we find the way inside the temple."
Ken said nothing at all to the ex-Ranger, but simply kept on walking. Adam would have given a great deal to find out what was going on behind those cold amethyst eyes of his, however.
Some time later, they were standing just outside of the temple. From what they could see of it, which wasn't too much of it because of the way the vines, bushes, and trees covered everything, it had been made of beautiful white marble, chased in gold, with statues in niches outside. It reminded them all of various pictures they'd seen of Greek and Roman temples, but was somehow different in a way they couldn't define.
"I think it would look a lot better if it didn't have all this stuff on it," Adam was reminded vaguely of things he'd seen on Phaedos, only this place was in one piece. I wonder if there's someone like Dulcea around here. The Salamandar was with the Ring of Fire, so what kind of elemental would go for the Ring of Earth?
He glanced over to the lizard-creature as it peeked out of Daisuke's jacket. "Salamandar, you said elementals were always near the Rings of the Four Winds. What kind of elementals are about the Ring of Earth?"
"Gnomes, gnomes, gnomes, they come from the earth and are of the earth, made from it, live in it, go back to it!" the creature babbled, raising it's head to look at him with bright eyes. "What else would be near the Ring of Earth? What else, what else, what else would be where the Ring of the Earth is?"
Adam winced briefly. I'm sorry I asked. He glanced behind him at the others, then turned to face the temple. "Let's do it."
It was a long corridor to begin with, stretching out into the darkness ahead of them. On the walls they could faintly see frescoes, drawings, and carvings, along with smaller statues in small niches with candles under them. As with things outside, there were vines and indications of plant growth of all kind everywhere. This was very definitely the work of the Ring of Earth.
"All right, you and I in the front again, Daisuke," Adam said, stepping forward. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Carlos was falling in behind him, and Ken was right behind Daisuke. I am not going to think what I almost thought.
The four of them carefully moved down the corridor, with the ring's light showing them the way to go. The temple was a very confusing place, especially since they had no more idea of just where they were going than they had of how to fly to the moon.
"We follow the vines," Adam shrugged when Carlos brought that up. "Since the Ring's what's causing this, they'll all be spilling out from wherever it is."
"Of course that brings up a problem in and of itself," Ken pointed out calmly. "The closer we get to it, the thicker these things are going to get. We might not be able to reach the ring once we get to where it is."
Adam shivered at that thought. "We'll do what we have to do, though," he reminded them. "Since there's supposed to be an elemental near, maybe he, she, or it can help us get to it."
"As you wish." The Emperor shrugged casually. "I, for one, wouldn't want to trust the safety of a few dozen or more universes to something like him, though." His eyes flicked ahead to where the Salamandar on Daisuke's shoulder was eagerly peering around. Adam couldn't really deny what he said, either. If the Salamandar was an example of what elementals were like, he didn't really find himself to be all that impressed.
Within the temple, things were even quieter than they'd been outside, if that were possible. The darkness seemed to press around them, and the light given off by the Ring of Fire seemed paler and waner for some reason. The Salamandar crouched closer to Daisuke. "The power of fire is weak in this place, weak here, it's dominated by the power of the Earth and plants and things that grow, grow, grow," the creature whispered, just barely loudly enough for them all to hear him. He twisted his head around to look at Adam. "When we get to where only one can go, you must go alone. As the Ring of Fire was his to gain alone, so is the Ring of Earth yours to gain alone, alone, alone. Such is the way of the cosmos, of the quests, and all that is in the universes!"
Where only one can go. Adam had very little time to wonder about just what the Salamandar meant by that, because a very few seconds afterwards, they all had to stop. They had come to a doorway of some kind, so choked with plantlife it didn't look as if anyone could get through: plantlife that was moving, waving, and growing into a tighter weave before the door even as they stared at it.
"Something tells me this is where I have to leave you guys," Adam gulped slightly, staring at the doorway. "Though how I'm going to get through that, I have no idea."
"By courage, by the earth, by that which you are, state who you are, and what you are," the Salamandar piped up. "You are the guardian of the Ring of the Earth, by it's power you have authority over them all, before you bear it, after you bear it, and while you bear it! Speak who you are, the plants will know, this close to the Ring, their minds are as its! But only you can go, only you can claim that which is yours til you give it to the Worldwatcher, the Worldwatcher, only you can do this!"
Adam glanced from the Salamandar to the doorway, then stepped forward. I hope I don't look as silly as I feel. He cleared his throat and looked at the twining vines. "I am Adam Park, Guardian of the Ring of the Earth. Let me pass, so I can claim what is mine, for the Worldwatcher and every universe she watches."
For a moment there was no response, but then the vines parted, leaving just enough of a gap for him to squeeze through. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He grinned for a moment at them all, then squirmed through the opening. Here I go.
"Halt." The voice was thick and gravelly and seemed to come from the very bowels of the Earth itself. "Who are you that enters the Temple where the Ring of the Earth rests?"
"Adam Park, and I was sent by the Worldwatcher to claim the Ring of the Earth, to guard it until the other Rings of the Four Winds are discovered and brought back to her." Adam felt his fear and worry falling from him as he spoke.
The voice hmphed. "So anyone could say, though I'll admit there's not that many who know who the Worldwatcher is. Still and all, there are those of dark evil who would know her name just to use the power of the elements against all that she stands for. Speaking that is no guarantee, even though the plants did let you by. Still and all, they are plants, and only the Ring itself knows who it's true guardian is."
"The Ring knows?" Adam blinked, not quite certain who he was talking to. "How can a Ring know?"
"How do you know how to breathe?" the voice retorted. "You just do. And that's how the Rings know. Only they know who is supposed to guard them in the name of the Worldwatcher. But I won't let you near the ring til I'm satisfied that Her Ladyship did send you."
Adam frowned. "And just who are you? How do I know that you're the one supposed to be guarding this ring? For all I know you're someone trying to steal the ring."
There was a deep laugh, and he could see a small shadow moving just out of range of the strange light. "You'll see me when the test is over, Adam Park, Black Morphin Ranger, Black Ninja Ranger, guarded by the Frog, Green Zeo Ranger, Green Turbo Ranger. But for now, you've got two trials to pass, one of the mind and one of the body. Pass them both and you get the ring. Fail even one, and you'll never be seen or heard from again. Are you ready?"
"I've never been more unready in my life." Adam was startled into utter truthfulness. "But it doesn't matter. I'll do what I came to do, and whether I pass your tests or not, I'm not leaving this place without the ring. I was given the job of guarding it, and no matter what, that's what I'm going to do."
There was a definite sound of approval in the voice's tone when it spoke again. "Then answer me this riddle, and the trial of the mind is over. But should you fail, your body will be scattered to the four winds and those who wait outside for you will be destroyed as well." The voice paused, then continued. "From dawn to dusk the world does turn, and all things on it live and learn, from dusk to dawn the world is night, and all things wait for dawn's first light. But one thing remains the same, unchanging and changing through the year. What is this thing, what is it's name?"
Adam closed his eyes, trying to think. He ran the riddle through his mind over and over. It didn't sound like anything he'd ever heard before, but he had the nagging notion he should know the answer. What changes but doesn't change, no matter what? Time passes, but it changes, but doesn't change.... He opened his eyes, shifting his feet a little, and hearing the earth roll slightly under them as he did so.
Then he knew. "The earth. The earth itself is the answer. It changes with the seasons, but it doesn't change, it's still there, changing but unchanging all at the same time."
"Very good." The voice seemed quite pleased, and the light got just a little stronger. Adam gasped briefly to see that he stood just before a wide chasm: literally just before it, his toes almost went into it! "Here is your second trial. Leap forward, as far as you can, and if you make it to the other side, then you will have the Ring of the Earth and two parts of your Quest will be done."
Adam stared down into the chasm, unable to determine just yet if the darkness hid the bottom: or there was no bottom to be seen in the first place. Oh, great. At least Daisuke knew if he fell he'd be hitting a floor!
However, just like his questmate, he had no choice on what he had to do. This was just like a battle back when he'd been a Ranger. Whether or not he liked to fight wasn't the point. He had a job to do, and he was going to do it. He backed up just a little, just to give himself more room, and leaped forward, thankful that he'd kept himself in shape even more since leaving the Rangers.
He could feel himself flying through the air, soaring over the chasm, and the bottom looked awfully close. The other side looked so near....and then it was under his feet. He threw himself forward in that same moment, not wanting to risk falling backwards, and clutched at a step that he could see.
"Welcome, and well done." The same voice spoke to him, only now he could see where it came from, as a small gnome stepped from the vines to look at him. He could literally hold the small one in the palm of his hand, but it was a perfect miniature figure of a humanoid. "You are the one chosen by the Worldwatcher. Only one bound by fate to the Ring of Earth could have both cleared the chasm and answered the Riddle of Earth."
"Thanks." Adam slowly balanced himself and looked behind. His eyes widened when he saw that the chasm he'd jumped wasn't there anymore: it was solid ground, covered with vines as was usual. "So, where's the Ring?"
The gnome pointed up, and Adam tilted his head back. The step he'd steadied himself on was one of three that led to a small altar. Seated on the altar was a ring that glowed a brilliant and deep black. Adam stared at it for a moment, then slowly took those three steps until he stood by the ring. The gnome watched as he bent and picked it up, his fingers clasping around it with the surety of destiny.
Adam felt as if lightning had struck him, but it felt so much better than lightning, he couldn't even care. It felt like destiny. It felt like he had been missing part of himself until this moment, and now it was with him. He slipped the onyx ring onto the first finger of his right hand and looked down at the gnome.
"It is yours until you give it to the Worldwatcher." The gnome said quietly. "As I am your companion until then."
Before the ring-guardian could say anything, there was a sudden flash of light that temporarily blinded him. When he could see again, all the vines and extra growth that had been all around had vanished. The temple was clean and full of sudden sunlight that poured from an overhead skylight. He blinked at the unexpected brilliance, then turned to see Daisuke, Carlos, and Ken coming towards him. Adam smiled, feeling his heart lighten.
"Two done, two to go." He declared.
Ken's lips thinned thoughtfully. "Fire and Earth accounted for." His eyes flicked to Carlos. "Water and air yet to go."
"Let's get back to town," Adam sighed as he went to join them, the gnome hard on his heels. "I think we can afford to take one more night before we have to go on again. Oh, everyone, this is the Gnome. Um, do you have another name?"
The Gnome shook his head. "Just call me Gnome. Hello, Salamandar."
"Hello, Gnome, Gnome, Gnome!" The fire-elemental babbled. "Fire and Earth meet again!"
The Gnome looked at the humans, a long-suffering expression in his eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not like him. I know when to shut up."
"Thank goodness." That, naturally, came from Ken.
When the questers returned, there was a full scale party going on, as everyone in town went out and celebrated to the best of their ability the fact the plants had finally left them be. Ala herself met them at the edge of town, and her eyes held a light that they had not seen in the short time they'd known her.
"You succeeded where I thought you could not." She spoke simply and plainly. "I apologize for my behavior before, but I have seen many people say they would go to the temple and find the problem and fix it, and each and all died. I had no reason to think that you were any different."
Adam bowed briefly and courteously before her. "Lady Ala, you were quite right that you had no reason to suspect we were just as we said, and we are not offended." He heard a faint sniff from Ken, but ignored it as he did so much from the haughty gray-clad boy. "We beg the hospitality of your town one more night before we must be on our way again. Our quest has two parts yet to go, and we have no idea where we'll be going after here."
"You are thrice and thrice times thrice welcome here," she told them. "We are holding a huge feast tonight to celebrate the return of our temple and the vanishing of those plants. Though we respect and love the earth, we do not enjoy having to fight it for breathing space."
Adam smiled faintly. "We know just how you feel. We need the earth, but it needs us too."
"Some of us need it less than others," Ken muttered. It was obvious he was feeling rather peeved that he hadn't yet had the chance to get the ring that he was sent for, and Adam hoped it would be the next one. He was rather curious to see just what the trial for the Ring of Blue Water would be.
Ala clapped her hands sharply together, getting the attention of all the town. "We celebrate this day, and these, our heroes, celebrate with us! Strike up the music! Let the feast be prepared! We have much to do, now that our land is ours again!"
As the echoes of her command died away, music began to echo around, played by musicians who were seated on a small stage. Couples began to form around them, some of male and female, some of male and male, others of female and female. All the four noted there seemed to be no prejudice here against same-gender pairings, a fact which urged Ken to do what he did next.
"Daisuke." He asked in a voice none of them, even his enemy, had heard before. As the redhead turned to look at him, Ken held out his hand. "Would you do me the honor of a dance or three today?"
Adam and Carlos watched with slightly wide eyes, both half-expecting Daisuke to either turn him down with a crude remark, or just walk away. What they were not expecting was for Daisuke to take Ken's hand and spin him away into the crowd of people. The two of them moved together perfectly, a fact not unnoticed by anyone watching them, and Adam noticed that for the first time, Ken's eyes weren't being possessive when he looked at Daisuke: they were being loving.
"I didn't think I'd say this when I first met them, but I think they actually look cute together." Carlos chuckled. "What do you think, Adam?"
"I think they've got a long way to go together yet," his friend replied as he watched the dancers. "And I don't just mean this quest. Or their war back in their world. But this, and that, are where they're going to begin." He watched for a few more moments, then nodded to himself. A long way together, indeed.
Daisuke was, as he had been told, waiting up for him. He turned his chocolate eyes towards his master and bent his head. "You came, master." His voice was now subdued and quiet, much more respectful than it was when they were with any one else. Ken wanted no chances that anyone discovered his little secret, especially not once they returned to their own universe.
"Of course." Ken strode over to the bed where Daisuke waited and wrapped his redheaded pet in his arms. Some believed that those who served evil were incapable of love, but Ken knew that was wrong: knew it from personal experience. It was more more unexpected, and far more difficult to deal with, than those who were good, but it could still happen.
And it's even harder when the one you love is good. Of course, there are ways around that. Ken slipped under the blankets and pulled his love closer to him. Daisuke felt so very good and warm in his arms, it was hard to believe he was going to have to leave in the pre-dawn hours, before the servants came, so no one caught them. Though given the fact they had danced together in plain view of all, he might stay after all.
"Pet?" He murmured the endearment into Daisuke's ear, and was rewarded by a slight tilt of the head. "I want to stay here with you all night. To start an open relationship with you, open not just here and now on this quest, but when we get back to our world too."
He could tell Daisuke's eyes were widening in shock, but he didn't speak. The spiral he wore forbade him to say very much unless he was directly addressed by his master, or certain other circumstances prevailed. "What is your opinion on that?" Ken asked, then paused. "Your honest opinion, regardless of the spiral."
Only Ken could order his spiraled or ringed slaves to speak their truth thoughts; if anyone else told them to, they repeated only their loyalty to him. But since he had crafted both spirals and rings, he could override them.
"I...I think I'd like that." Daisuke's response was quiet, but firm. Ken could feel the honesty in it, and it shook him to his core. He glanced to where the spiral rested. He had rendered it invisible when he'd learned they'd be bathing and changing clothes here; even though these people had no idea what one of his dark spirals was, he didn't want to take any chances.
He said he would like it. He couldn't have lied, not with it on him, but.... Ken hadn't ordered Daisuke to care for him, only to obey. If Daisuke had spoken the truth...there was only one thing to do. A line from something he'd read once floated through his mind and he gritted his teeth. Love must live free. He closed his eyes for a moment then made his decision.
He touched the dark spiral with one finger and first deactivated it, then slid it off Daisuke's arm. With a snap it had vanished, heading back to his storage room in his fortress. He still held Daisuke in his arms, knowing it would take a minute or so for the effect of it to wear off the other boy. What would he do...Ken had never felt so nervous in all of his life, and all of his energy was currently going towards keeping anyone from knowing that.
Daisuke finally turned his head to look at him. In his eyes there raged a torrent of emotion, from anger to hate to rage to fear to confusion to things Ken had no names for. But they finally settled one he knew, for he had seen it in his own eyes a thousand times as he thought about Daisuke.
The redhead said nothing at all. He simply moved closer towards Ken, and captured the Digimon Emperor's lips in a deep and loving kiss. They both knew they would talk of this when they had time. But for now, just being with each other was all they had time for, and all that they wanted.
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