Chapter 4: The Dragomon Cult
T.K., Patamon, and Gatomon wandered through the abandoned village of the Dark Ocean looking for Kari for what seemed like hours. There didn't seem to be a single sign of life in the town. As the trio walked, they came across what looked like a church. Over the door of the church was a sign written in digicode, which Gatomon read out loud for T.K..
"The Esoteric Order of Dragomon."
The door to the church was open, so T.K. and his two Digimon companions went inside, hoping to find Kari. The inside of the church, aside from looking like it hadn't been used in years, looked normal, except for one thing. At the back of the church behind the podium was a giant statue made out of some kind of weird looking black stone. The statue depicted a creature with an octopus head, a semi-humanoid body, and wings that one might find on a dragon. The general shape of the creature was rather frightening, and T.K. thought that the real creature, if it did exist, would look even more terrifying. Then T.K. remembered what Kari said about the end of her last nightmare. Kari said that she had seen the thing that the Divermon referred to as their god. From the way that Kari almost broke into tears when she said that she had seen the creature in her nightmare, T.K. imagined that this "god" must have looked very frightening in person. T.K. than began to wonder what this Dragomon wanted with Kari.
It was clear to the trio that Kari wasn't in the church, so they went back outside. T.K. was just about to armor digivolve Patamon in his armored form, Pegasusmon, so that the three could search for Kari from the air, when Gatomon suddenly heard something. Down the ally in front of the trio, Gatomon heard some kind of shuffling noise. Thinking that the noise might lead them to Kari, the trio decided to investigate. What they found at the end of the ally surprised them. It was a Divermon, but not one of the shadowy creatures that they expected to see. This creature looked like a normal Divermon that one would expect to see in a regular part of the digital world. That is if the Dark Ocean was even part of the digital world at all. The creature before them was short and squat. Its arms were slightly longer than its body. Its fingers and toes were webbed, and it had a tale with a flipper on the end of it. On each forearm was a long but unpronounced fin, and there were two more fins on the sides of its face that were more pronounced. The creature was navy blue with a white belly, and had a small patch of white on its face, which also had a pair of red fish-like lips. The only things about this Divermon that were different were the two long wiskers growing from the sides of its face like a mustache, and the tattered brown cape that it wore. The ally was a dead end, so the trio had the Divermon cornered.
"Who be ye?" the Divermon asked in a raspy, terrified voice. T.K. thought that perhaps this Divermon wasn't working with other more shadowy variety, so T.K. decided to answer. "My name is T.K., and these are my friends, Patamon and Gatomon. We don't want to hurt you. We're just looking for a friend of ours."
The Divermon than looked at the trio quizzically.
"You be talkin' of the human girl who came here?" the Divermon asked. "Yes," T.K. replied, "Do you know where she is?"
"Aye," the Divermon replied. "The others came and took 'er. Took 'er to be a sacrifice to the dark god. Took 'er to Dragomon, did they."
"Where is this Dragomon?" T.K. asked. "Ye do not want to be messin' with Dragomon," the Divermon replied. "Dark, his power be. Dark and terrible. Evil he is."
"If Dragomon is so evil, why do you serve him?" Gatomon asked. "I not be a worshipper of Dragomon," the Divermon replied. "The other Divermon though, they be worshippers. Though I can barley remember a time when they weren't be.
"Many, many years ago, we Divermon lived in the normal waters of the digital world. A wee nipper back than, was I. One day, many Divermon been haven' dreams. Dreams that been telln' them of a place whare there be a paradise under the sea. Callin' them to this place, the dream was. Not all Divermon have the dream, but most did, and most went to the place the dream be callin' them to. The Divermon that had not been haven' the dream followed the ones that been haven' it, fer dangerous to be in small groups in the ocean, be it. We swam fer days, till we came upon a darkness under the ocean. The few Divermon that not been haven' the dream didn't want to go in, but we went in because the ones that been haven' the dream swam in.
"The water dark, it was. We could not see, but somethin' guided us. Even the ones like I who had not been haven't the dream. Soon we came ashore. Build this village, did we. Than the ones that been haven' the dream than built the church. Tell the others that not been haven' the dream to worship Dragomon. At first, only the ones that been haven' the dream worshipped. Told the others of how powerful Dragomon was, did they. Soon others started to worship, till I be the only one who did not.
"Soon the others started changin'. Turnin' into those things ye see here now. Now I be the only true Divermon left. Never worship Dragomon will I. For Dragomon be the Sinful Priest of the Ocean Floor, a herald for seven other gods more evil and more powerful than he. Gods who's names I will never speak for they be so evil that it be sinful to say. Soon the stars will be right, and Dragomon will be goin' to the human world to bring death. Prepare it for the comin' of the seven other gods, will he."
T.K. was starting to become frustrated. He pitied the old Divermon, but every second he wasted listening to this story was another second that Kari was in danger.
"Look!" T.K. said to the old Divermon with a tone of frustration, "I don't care about how powerful Dragomon is or about these seven other gods. I came here to rescue Kari, and I won't let anything stand in my way! Now tell me where she is!"
The old Divermon looked into T.K.'s eyes.
"Ye be a fool for goin' up against Dragomon," the old Divermon said, "but I shall tell ye where the girl is. It be pointless to stop a fool, fer the Divermon who followed that dark dream to this accursed place were fools, and they could not be stopped. The girl be at the cliff overlookin' the ocean. The ceremony be held there soon."
Suddenly everyone in the ally could hear the sound of flopping footsteps.
"They be comin'!" the old Divermon said in a panicked voice, "They'll kill me for talkin' to ye! They left me 'lone before 'cause I did not threaten their ways! Now they kill me fer talkin' to outsiders! Kill ye too, will they, fer you be outsiders. Run! It be too late fer me! RUN!"
With the footsteps getting closer, T.K. and his two companions decided to do as the old Divermon said. Once out of the ally, T.K. reached into his pocket and got out his old D-3, the device that allowed him to help Patamon digivolve.
"Patamon, it's time we got out of here!" T.K. said to his Digimon partner. Patamon looked up at him, and realizing what T.K. was thinking, said, "I'm ready!"
A green light enveloped Patamon as he began to transform.
"Patamon armor digivlve to... Pegasusmon!"
The light vanished, and Patamon had transformed into an orange horse with two magnificent golden wings and a blond main. Pegasusmon's face and torso were covered in golden armor. T.K. and Gatomon jumped on Pegasusmon's back and took off. As they were flying away, T.K. and the others could hear the screams of the old Divermon. T.K. regretted not being able to help the old Digimon, but there was nothing he could do for him. The only that mattered at that moment was rescuing Kari before Dragomon would rise.
