Digimon: Civil War

[Kamotz]

"Is that your answer then, Goliath?" shouted a voice. Ajax emerged from the smoke. He shook his crimson mantle of the ash that had accumulated on it during the battle. He glared down at Goliath from behind the ornate metal of his faceplate. "A war against the foundation of our world?"

"Isn't that what you asked of me?" Goliath challenged, bristling. "To decide my convictions? To declare my intent?"

"And you'd ask them all to die for this intent?" Ajax demanded, motioning to the Ronin. "For you?"

"I only ask that they choose," Goliath answered. The wind churned around him, whipping up the edges of his coat. "And if they choose to fight, fight with me; stand with me. Is that -"

"THAT'S NOT ENOUGH!" Ajax bellowed. He whirled the Dunas lance around and sprung forward. Goliath met his charge and their weapons clashed. "You can't ask them to fight a war and expect them all to survive. Naïve idealism accomplishes nothing."

Ajax surged, overcoming Goliath with a swell of draconic strength. It sent the beast-man tumbling back, but he caught himself quickly and righted his fall.

"Stop this!" Emmara called out. She moved to stand in Ajax's path, Ulysses followed behind her, facing down Goliath. Jaeger swooped down from above. "Both of you. It's enough. Whatever is between you needs to end!"

"No!" shouted a voice. Surrak staggered forward, coughing and bleeding, his armor bent and half-melted. "Let them fight." Emmara gapped at him. On either side of the trio of Ronin, Ajax and Goliath paced, neither breaking their line of sight with the other; never blinking, weapons at the ready.

"That's insane," Ulysses said.

Jaeger stepped towards Surrak. "It's -"

"The Beast and the Dragon," Surrak said, so suddenly that Jaeger's jaw snapped shut. "Always in conflict. Always opposed and yet always beside. They are rivals and allies." He looked from Goliath to Ajax, and back. "And it has always been this way." He glanced to Jaeger. "So they fight. And we let them." Surrak raised his claws, mangled and twisted as they were from Bolas's attack.

"ANKAM!" he roared, his voice bellowing over the forest clearing. "Ankam! Ankam! ANKAM!" Over and over he chanted that one word, beating his fists against his chest in time with the pulse of the call to combat.

Across from Goliath, Ajax joined in - not with words, but with the spinning of his lance; which seemed to let out a low whirling growl. Even Titus seemed to join in the ritual chant of his homeland, though Surrak didn't know whether that was truth or his imagination.

Then Goliath let out a roar and bared his fangs. At once - as if choreographed - he and Ajax charged one another, sending Emmara, Ulysses, and Jaeger diving out of the way. The combatants struck, colliding like a pair of bulls. Their weapons sang through the air, clashing in a shower of sparks. Their battle rang out, a chorus of metallic clangs and crashes; each blow struck and subsequently countered with the deft precision expected of two warriors who knew each other's fighting style inside and out. It might have been years since their last spar - and this was by no means a spar - but there was an undeniable familiarity in their duel.

Even as their pace picked up; even as their blades became little more than flashes of shimmering steel, and their movements became blurs of force - their precision never changed. Neither was able to land a blow on the other. Neither failed to dodge or parry a strike from the other.

With a resounding crash and a spray of metal shards, the two broke apart and leaped back. They paused, breathing heavily.

"You'll never beat them, not like this," Ajax said, his voice harsh. "You'll just lead them to die, like the others." He twisted the proverbial knife.

"Not while I stand," Goliath snarled back.

"And when you fall?" Ajax challenged, panting. "What happens then? Every great 'hero' believes they'll be the first to die. That others will see their sacrifice and be inspired."

"So?"

"So no one was ever inspired by death!" Ajax roared. "And sometimes heroes die last, or not at all! Do you have the force of will to watch them die?"

"I will give everything I have to make sure they don't," Goliath growled.

"And when you must?" Ajax asked, raising the Dunas again. "When you must decide between your soldiers and the mission. Do you have the strength to choose?"

"Yes." Goliath sent his power billowing around him, swathing himself in an aura of fire.

"Then show me!" Ajax cried out. The Dunas crackled with power, whirling over Ajax's head. "Rage of Wyvern!" Power exploded, a dragon-shaped inferno erupted from the path of Ajax's weapon. It let out an earth-shaking roar and tore over the ground towards Goliath.

Goliath moved quickly; in a single motion he tossed his blade into his other hand and drew back his fist. He poured his power into it, until the air around him crackled with power.

"Fist of the Beast King!" he snarled, and drove his fist forward. A fiery lion erupted from his fist, carried by his will from the very core of his being, howling as it charged Ajax's dragon.

The two energies collided; they consumed each other and exploded, washing the clearing in heat and light. But neither warrior waited for the light and remnants of the attack to fade away. They charged through the conflagration, weapons drawn. Ajax struck, swinging the Dunas in a wide, sweeping arc. Goliath answered in kind, slicing diagonally with his blade.

Neither struck their mark. The edges of their blades hovered not even an inch from their opponent. They stood there - waiting - unmoving, eyes locked as the fires around them faded. And still neither moved.

"Do you doubt my conviction now, Ajax?" Goliath was the one who challenged this time.

"I'm still standing," Ajax bit back, his blade poised in perfect serenity.

"Because you're not my enemy," Goliath said, his blade still. "You're my brother. But if we're delving into specifics, I'm still standing, too. Should I doubt your conviction?"

"No," Ajax answered simply. He pulled the Dunas back, dropped it low, and bowed his head. "If you're willing to lead, then I'm willing to follow." Goliath nodded and broke his stance, withdrawing and sheathing his blade. He turned to the rest of the Ronin.

"Emmara said, not long ago, that to be Ronin was to be wandering. Aimless. Lost. And she was right," he said, glancing to the other Bancho. "After the Ronin died, after we lost everything, we were lost. I was lost. But we do not honor their lives by being lost - by wandering." He raised his voice. "We honor them by living - by fighting. We are no longer Ronin. We are not lost. We have chosen our fight. We have chosen our path, our journey.

"We are Realmless," he declared, his voice a roar echoing through the forest. "We are everything that word means. We are free; not of purpose or direction or responsibility - but free of shackles and destiny and anything else the world might bind us with. Our lives and futures are our own." He glanced out over the warriors. "Will you join me? Will you end your wandering and join the mission?"

 

[Solsabre]

Titus the SaviorHuckmon

Despite the chaos following the battle with Bolas, Titus was quickly successful in locating a healer for the injured Kabuterimon he assisted. Relieved of his burden, the Saviorhuckmon made his way through the cinders and smoke of the once green and vibrant woodland. He hadn’t been gone long, before returning to the gathering of Digimon surrounding the Ronin Leader.

In fact, he peered over the heads of the lingering Setassans, as the heated argument between Goliath and the crimson knight began escalating again. When the other Bancho and Jaeger moved intervened, Titus almost stepped forward out of habit to help diffuse the situation. He was momentarily taken, and yet relieved, as Surrak emerged alive from the cratered he’d disappeared into.

Surrak’s initial call for Ankam caused Titus to tense up with dread. The only Ankam he was witness to had claimed the life of of his mentor.

"Ankam! Ankam! ANKAM!" Surrak’s words boomed across the clearing, building an intensity in the air that made Titus’s blood pulse in sync with the movements of the combatants and chant.

The Saviorhuckmon didn’t understand why he was moved by this apparently pointless fight between comrades, not at first. Rheagos, Horde Chief of the Imperia, rarely encouraged duels of strength solely for the sake of fighting, nor did their horde always compete in the ritual combat with other hordes. It was the reason for Imperia’s lowly status and reputation among the hordes. But this, this felt right. This was duel of conviction, not death. Honor.

The delicate balance he’d always maintained between his Code and his dragon nature no longer seemed at such odds. They could direct and strengthen each other. Titus joined in the heart-pounding chant with his own fierce draconic roar at the end, extending a blade into the air for emphasis. Perhaps, in time, Surrak or the Crimson Dramon might be willing to honor him with an Ankam to help with his own limited strength.

Sawyer suddenly appeared at Titus’s side, while the two combatants faced off. He hid behind the silver knight’s legs, poking his head around from the security of his concealment. Tearing his golden eyes reluctantly away from the fight and calming his frenzied senses, the silver knight glanced down at his friend knowingly. “Sawyer, if you wish, there’s still time to leave,” Titus spoke quietly and without judgement. “There are bound to be safe havens away from the fighting.”

The garbagemon shook his head, speaking frankly only to Titus, “No. I...I got something I need to do. I’ll tough it out.”

Turning back to the Ankam, Titus saw the two combatants standing frozen in mid-motion, speaking. Goliath broke away from his friend and address the audience, “We are Realmless. We are everything that word means. We are free; not of purpose or direction or responsibility - but free of shackles and destiny and anything else the world might bind us with. Our lives and futures are our own. Will you join me? Will you end your wandering and join the mission?"

Titus bellowed a roaring cheer in commanderie, slamming a resonating fist upon his armor. The crystal on his chest glowing brilliantly with his dragon spirit and knight’s honor.

Sawyer the Garbagemon

Sawyer fiddled quietly with his pendent, while standing behind Titus.

Hang in there Pops, I’ll find ya.

 

[TheCharredDragon]

Suranuras Suga
Current Form: Shoutmon DX
Setessa

Sura was about to walk off with her brother when the voice of the crimson knight boomed through the forest.

"Is that your answer then, Goliath?" he said. "A war against the foundation of the world?"

"Isn't that what you asked of me? To decide ny convinctions? To declare my intent?" Goliath said.

"And you'd ask them all to die for this intent? For you?"

"I only ask that they choose. And if they chose to fight, fight with me; stand with me. Is that-"

"THAT'S NOT ENOUGH!" Ajax then attacked Goliath with his weapon, but Goliath blocked it with his own.

She felt Homer step forward, and glanced at him to see he was ready to intervene. But she increased her grip on his shoulder, making him stop and look at her.

"Wha... Sis? What was that for?" he said with a confused expression.

She gave him an understanding smile and shook her head. She lessened her grip, but her answer wasn't enough for him. He was still staring at her confused. Mentally, she sighed, then turned back to the battling duo.

"Just listen," she told him.

Homer Suga the Dynasmon

And listened he did, as confused as he was. He listened to the MedievalDukemon and Goliath as they spoke and circled each other. The other Bancho and Jaeger were going to intervene, much like he did, but the voice of Surrak came out. He said that "The Dragon" and "The Beast", always fighting but always allies;that it has always been this way, and that they should let them fight.

Homer tensed at the thought, remembering their argument mere minutes ago, or was it an hour now that he thought about it... It almost felt like days since that dispute, and now here they were again, except this time it had combat. If Ajax went all out against the injured lion... He didn't like the thought. But he trusted his sister. He shouldn't interfere, and...

He then heard Surrak shout "Ankam!" and start chanting it. In the corner of his eye, he saw his sister's smile turn more solemn and her eyes more focused. She let go of his shoulder and placed her hand against her chest. Then she beat it against her chest, in time to Surrak's chanting, and she whispered ankam as well, in synch with her tapping.

...the fight reminded him of something. The way their blows always met, neither gaining ground nor losing it. Both giving everything they had into their strikes despite being friends. With each passing moment, and each unsuccessful attack, it made him remember of times when their lives weren't in danger, when they had smiles on their faces...and when all their friends were alive.

Homer standing by the sidelines, talking with Kris and Driffun about various things at random, Agura commenting on their conversation, and Sura and Fridge sparring their hearts out. He knew that was Sura's favorite time. She alwaysed seemed alive whenever she and Fridge fought, Sura with a big toothy grin, and her husband having a sly subdued one. Now he knew why his sister held him back. It reminded her of her and her late husband. No matter how much the two friends fought, their bond will persevere, it was just how they worked.

He was snapped back to reality as Goliath and Ajax used their strongest attacks, kicking up dust when the two struck. The dust then cleared, showing the same results once again: the two combatants standing within arms reach of each other and neither have backed down. It was at this point he noticed that his sister stopped her chanting while the two friends spoke to each other again. Homer couldn't quite catch it this time; they were too far and quiet to hear most of the conversation. But it was clear they settled the argument as Ajax planted his weapon into the ground and gave a small bow.

The lion then looked away from his friend and to his fellow Ronin. He spoke for a while then said, "Will you join me? Will you end your wandering and join the mission?"

Homer had already decided.

"I will," he said as loud as he could.

--

Suranuras Suga
Current Form: Shoutmon DX

Sura smiled.

"Course I will. That's why we're here, isn't it?"

This was grand. Their leader's mission was set, and what was better was that her brother's resolve was finalized as well. That couldn't have made her more happy.

 

[Kamotz]

Verdant Conclave
Ruins of Setessa

Goliath felt a swell of pride as his Ronin - no, his Realmless - raised their voices up in cheer. One by one they pledged their hearts to the mission, to his struggle against Rhuell and the Metal Empire. Even Ajax - stubborn, insufferable Ajax - stood beside him, declaring his intent. Even among the Setessans, there were murmurs and rumblings of approval. How could there not be, after everything they’d seen? But they so rigidly believed in structure and order and harmony...Goliath could almost see the conflict waring through them.

"I will take this to Trostani," Isabella said, rising from crowd to speak with Goliath. The acidity in her voice, the anger she might have justifiably held towards him over their shared past was...tempered. She was hesitant, her voice almost wavering. It was a far cry from her usual poise and composure. "We cannot just abandon the Realmpact. It's...life itself."

"I know," Goliath rumbled. "Just make sure Trostani understands that the world will not wait for harmony to reassert itself. Today was proof enough of that."

"What's next?" Emmara asked. She, Ulysses, Jasper, and Demo were the first to approach Goliath. "We gonna take the fight to them now? Maybe lay siege to Argentum?"

"Not with what we have now," Goliath scoffed; he couldn't tell if Emmara was joking. "We can barely withstand a single Commander. We wouldn't stand a chance against all of them...nevermind the entire military might of the Empire."

"So...?" Ulysses posed impatiently. He was eager to hear the plan, Goliath realized. Good. He wanted his Realmless to be eager.

"We need allies," Goliath said, addressing the Realmless in their entirety. "We need more willing to fight against Rhuell and his tyranny. More than just a band of rebels, we need an army."

"And where do we find one of those?" Ajax asked.

Goliath smirked. "Everywhere," he said. "We go to the entire world. We tell them about what happened here today. We show them that the Metal Empire is corrupt to the core. That it's wrong. We find anyone and everyone who would fight beside us against its injustice."

"Sounds like you have something specific in mind," said Ajax.

Goliath dropped down to one knee and ran his claws through the dirt. He drew a crude map. "Between here and the lands of the Dragon Hordes is a thin strip of land. It's contested territory; fought over. Different hordes lay claim to it. The Empire wants it," Goliath said. "It's a good place to start. Easily defended. If we can get the Dragons to at least not fight us..."

"Easier said than done," Ajax muttered. "The Hordes respond only to strength. And we have neither the raw power nor sheer numbers to earn their respect."

"Then let's make sure that changes," Goliath said with a smirk. He pointed to another spot on his impromptu scribble. "This is Ironclad. An Empire gulag where they send political prisoners and dissenters; enemy combatants. There are...many there who would happily join up with us." He looked to the Realmless.

"Ready for a prison break?"

 

[Solsabre]

Titus peered over the shoulders of kneeling compatriots, arms crossed in throught. The Hordes. His claws curled in a tight fist, his lack of progress at achieving his natural Mega form was a source of frustration for sometime. He’d eventually sought alternatives. Speaking of which...

“We’ll need a concentration of firepower in order to breach their defenses.” he commented outloud. He’d passed near the garrison years ago, when he’d first left the hordes. The place was highly fortified with thick impenetrable walls and a wide perimimenter, likely the reason for the name ‘Ironclad’.

“I can help take out the primary defenses,” Titus volunteered, likely drawing several looks of bemusement his way as his form obviously specialized in close-combat, not long-range engagements.

Sawyer caught on to his friend’s thinking, snickering to himself at first at the other’s confusion before losing himself to a gleeful and irritating belly laugh. The Garbagemon fell back on his keister, doubling over in pain from crackling so hard. Unable to speak coherently, he mimicked a large explosion with his hands with a muddled “Ka-boom!”

Shaking his head at the Garbagemon’s antics, Titus continued, “My mega form has long range capabilities and highly powerful cannons. With it, we could have a point of entry to enter the prison or simply a distraction to cover for a stealth team already inside.”

 

[PeeGee]

As quickly as the fight began, it ended, Goliath defeating Bolas. Gabrielle wasn’t dumb, she knew that they would see him again, but it was nice to have a victory of sorts. Though she didn’t know how long the feeling was going to last, considering that Goliath and Ajax had clashed yet again. It was still a new dynamic to her, Gabrielle couldn’t recall ever seeing anyone in the Eternal Legion going at it like they did.

“They sure are an… interesting pair,” she murmured to herself, her eyes locked onto the two of them.

One moment they were foes, then friends again.

And they were planning a prison break.

Gabrielle wanted to speak up, she had heard of Ironclad back in the Eternal Legion. Not much, just murmurs here and there, but nothing good. However, how did she know they were telling the truth? For all she knew, the murmurs were naught more than vicious rumours meant to make the prison seem justified.

“I can help take out any guards,” she said, stepping forwards. “My blades can cut them down in the blink of an eye. Or if you are looking for something a little less… lethal, I might be able to help infiltrate it, at least initially. I’m sure a mega level angel should hold some form of authority, assuming that they don’t already know who I am aligned with.”

“And I’m sure old grumps here can give a helping hand,” piped up Namine, back in her MarineAngemon form. “You got two good options with him! You can either gas them with his old man smell or you can bore them to death with him recounting any of his ‘life’s journeys’.” She made sure to make the air quotes, dodging Gaius’ staff. “Or he could just bop them unconscious!”

 

[TheCharredDragon]

Homer Suga the Dynasmon
Setessa

He sighed and tucked in his wings. He stood nearby the gathering of Ronin that were planning a prison break. More specifically, a prison break from contested Dragon Horde territory: Ironclad. He had heard some mentions of it from co-workers when he was still with the Metal Empire. He didn't know much of it, as most of the mentions his former colleagues made were in passing, and he didn't exactly needed to know about it at the time. Only his sister knew more than just the name, just in case they encountered resistance and was ordered to send them to prison. Speaking of his sister... Homer glanced behind him at his sister, a few feet away from him and the group. She had reverted back to an OmniShoutmon when she was sure that there weren't any straglers of the Crack Team. Right now, she had her back against them, and was quietly talking to herself.

He sighed. He was glad that she didn't get any serious injuries. At least, serious enough that it needed a healer. She didn't come out of the battle unscathed, but it was certainly an improvement from the last fight. Homer's wings sagged down a little. The sight of his sister so badly injured made him cringe so much. A part of him hoped he wouldn't have to see her in such a state again, but he knew that would be near impossible. They had just started a war, and they were going to go through with it.

All the way to the bitter end.

He returned his attention back to the rest when Titus spoke. He offered to provide long range support while, perhaps, a team sneaked inside. Apparently, the Garbagemon beside Titus--who he assumed to be his friend--thought something was funny about Titus's offer as his laughing was reduced speechless, and did a "ka boom" sound after his fit. Homer didn't understand the sudden fit until Titus explained he had an alternate form more suited for the task. That was why, his main form was more equiped for close combat and now that he thought about it, it was, and it would've gained some confused stares from some of the Ronin.

Titus's idea wasn't a bad one but... He took a brief glance at Jaeger. The metal hound was Goliath's main tactical mind, and he felt he might come off as presumptious. But he wanted to help, so he will.

He faced Titus and said, "That sounds feasible. Perhaps we could send some close combat members to have them believe we're doing an assault, and be less suspicious of a small team sneaking in." He scanned the available members. "But who would we send?"

The SlashAngelmon volunteered for infiltration. Her idea wasn't a bad one, but... "True, but Angel Digimon aren't common in positions of high authority, at least within the Empire." He added a bit quietly, mostly to himself, in a disapointed manner, "I should know..."

The MarineAngemon suggested the Jijimon, but then turns out it was a joke, saying his stench, long speech of his life, or "bopping" them with his cane could kill them. Homer thankfully held his chuckle. As amusing as the joke was, because he understood that elders sometimes give too long speeches sometimes, elders shouldn't be made fun of. They've lived for a long while, who knows what hardships they've went through. But he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't offend either Digimon. So he scanned their group again.

"But maybe..." His sight landed on the Garbagemon. He knew the kind wasn't exactly sneaky, but he was smaller than most of them and probably has more in that can that he'd let on. "...what was your name?"

 

[Solsabre]

The Garbagemon slowly collected himself, but couldn't help a few lingering snickers. A part of him was actually looking forward to seeing Titus bring out the big guns. Sawyer rubbed his hands together in anticipation for stuff to blow up. The Saviorhuckmon's first attempt with his new form thoroughly rearranged the landscape less than a year ago. His friend's cannons put Sawyer's own precious bazooka to shame by far, but then again, Sawyer cobbled his weapon and garbage cart from spare parts at a scrap yard.

He wasn't jealous. Okay, maybe a little bit.

Sawyer only paid half an ear to the discussion among the Realmless, when he realized the last question was directed at him after a second of silence.

"...what was your name?" Aw, sh*t. The Dynasmon was talking to him. Sawyer froze with a classic deer-in-the-headlights expression. He'd been avoiding the Empire Siblings since most first class citizens looked down with predejuice on the Filth System inhabitants of the Empire's glorious Capital.

"eh..uhm..Sawyer," he quickly sputtered, puffing up his chest with false bravo. "What's it matter to you, Drago?"

Sawyer cringed inward. Drago? Frag, he was getting rusty if that was the best nickname he could come up spur of the moment.


_________________

Massive wings of red, brown, and golden gleamed high in the brilliant blue sky. They carried an equally large figure upon the unusually strong thermals rising from the west where lingering columns of smoke rose from the ground. The bird-man altered his flight path for a clearing, a familiar clearing, he’d once seen just days past in his dreams.

As he approached, the Garudamon maneuvered his wings in a backstroke, while still fairly high in the air to avoid stirring the embers, and killed his air speed. Folding his wings, the bird-man dropped gracefully to the ground with only a slight rumble from the impact. He gazed upon his surroundings, various Conclave citizens eyed the newcomer warily. Understandable, he was not a digimon of this Realm and his sash gave away his prior occupation.

Ayas was accustom to digimon treading softly around him so as to not invoke premature judgement. Completely unnecessary, he was typically fair in his decisions, when digimon came to him with issues or complaints, listening to both sides and spending time in careful deliberations. Though one would be hard press to read the impassive features of the former Judge, he didn’t correct such thinking either as it sometimes kept the more disruptive digimon subdued.

He passed among groups of Insect and Plant digimon, none of whom he was seeking. The Realmless, he figured, would stand out as if they didn’t belonged in Realm where they gathered. Finally, his keen eyes spotted a motley group of nearly two dozen individuals in large huddle. Ayas approached the group in a slow manner, wings tucking further in his back, so as to grant them time to notice his presence. At the appropriate distance, he spoke.

“I am Aayaash Animikii of the Aquila Tribe and Judge from the Astral Order,” the Garudamon announced formally in accordance to affiliation and rank protocols with a respectful bow of greeting. His low voice rumbled like distant thunder. “I do not mean to intrude on your discussion, however, I would speak to the one that leads you.” Ayas presented his statement to the group as a whole, even as his old experienced eyes zeroed in on the Bancholeomon among them.

“The Metal Empire acts beyond the bounds granted to them by the Realmpact, a pact blessed by Yggsdrasil. I, myself, have witnessed this when my tribe was forced from our homes and I was powerless to stop it, despite the authority granted to me, as a Judge, by the Astral Order, as ordained by the Realmpact." A soft sorrowful keen echoed his words, when he mentioned his people, his first visible show of emotion. "A trait you, Realmless, also share it seems."

"My life was dedicated to upholding the laws of Eons, but what purpose is there in serving a Law that is broken." His arms and talons moved in sync with his words from long years of public speaking. Ayas ended with a small sad shake of his head and beak, speaking a quiet phrase, "Perhaps, Yggsdrasil has turned Her Grace away from the Realmpact."

The former Judge drew himself up tall, his wings flaring out in emphasize, “I would know and fly the Path you now tread.”

 

[Kamotz]

Metal Empire
The Capital City of Argentum
The Imperial Palace

High Chancellor Palladia Mors watched with stoic elation as the Emperor verbally tore into Nicol Bolas. The red dragon should have known better. It was stupid, to just attack Setessa. Regardless of the Emperor's orders, they needed the Conclave on their side, they couldn't just alienate everyone that didn't fall immediately in line. But Bolas had no understanding of tact.

He watched Bolas slink out of the throne room; his tail might as well have been tucked between his legs. It was a small win, but any failure of the other Commanders would only raise his own stock in the Emperor's eye. Palladia Mors had never failed.

"His blunders will cost me one day," the Emperor mumbled. "He's a gifted fighter. Maybe the best. Maybe the most powerful soldier in my army. And yet simple tasks are beyond him."

"Bolas's report is troubling," Palladia Mors dared to say, hoping his read on the Emperor was correct, that he was open to dialogue. "That Bolas could be simply turned away by that Realmless lion. We're dealing with a powerful foe."

"A single powerful foe and a smattering of nuisances, but yes. You're correct," said the Emperor. With a wave of his hand, the hexagonal plates of the throne room rearranged and projected a timeline of the battle compiled from images taken by each of the Empire's soldiers during the fighting. "I'll leave these to you." He motioned to the images, and Palladia Mors nodded. He'd...adjust the images and videos to suit the Empire's narrative and purposes.

"And these Realmless?" Palladia asked. "Sabboth. Bolas. Both failed. Would you like me to handle this, too?"

"Not yet," the Emperor said, a smirk forming. He led Palladia Mors through the imperial palace. "Do you know why I chose you all as my Commanders?" the Emperor asked.

"Because I am your truest and oldest friend?" Palladia Mors dared to joke. Emperor Rhuell chuckled. "Though I dare not guess for the others."

"You each bring different talents to my service," the Emperor explained. "You are each a different weapon in my arsenal. Arcades Sabboth: the assassin's knife, a poison for when I need my enemies dealt with quickly and efficiently. Nicol Bolas: the artillery, a bullet that I point at my enemies and kill them with. Vaevectis Asmadi: the bomb, a plague that I unleash upon my enemies when I no longer care about collateral damage and civilian casualties. You, Palladia Mors: my voice, my representative to the people of my Empire and the world. I turn to you when I want opinions swayed and my enemies discredited."

"I assume it is not yet my turn," Palladia Mors said.

"You have your assignment," Rhuel said offhandedly. "Show the world that the Realmless were responsible for the attacks on Setessa." They stopped finally at the entrance to an underground hangar. "Ral Zarek will handle the rest."

"My lord?"

"A knife, a bullet, a bomb, and a voice," the Emperor began. "Like those, Ral Zarek also has a role. He is the sword, the scales of justice. After the world knows the evil of our enemies, those enemies must be brought to justice." The hangar door slid open to reveal Ral Zarek standing in a darkened room, illuminated by a single beam of light. "And who better to deliver that justice than the Justice Corps."

"None, your eminence," Ral Zarek bowed, his fist over his chest. "We are the Emperor's Fist. Justice will be done."

All at once, the hangar lights flipped on, revealing an entire army of Justimon. Dozens upon dozens of them.

"Justice Corps, your enemy are the Digimon who call themselves Realmless, who march under the banner of conflict and disorder!" the Emperor declared. "It is the will of this Empire that they be stopped. I call you to this task. Do you accept?"

And at once, the chorus of roars erupted from the Justice Corps.

"Hail!"


==\==/==

The Realmless left Setessa in the dead of night, vanishing silently into the dark forest to avoid making a scene. There was no guarantee that every one of the Setessans would still support their cause. Loyalties to the Realmpact ran deep, and for all the Empire's atrocities it still represented the Realmpact in the eyes of the world. There was also no guarantee that the Empire wouldn't send a second force as soon as word reached them of Bolas's failure. So despite the fact that so many of them were still reeling and injured from the battle, Goliath urged them onward. Waiting meant failure. Failure meant death.

The forest was dark, lit only by moonlight filtering through the dense treetops. Goliath, Jaeger, and other beast-types did fairly well in the near-total darkness. Their eyes were naturally (and unnaturally) adapted to piercing through the gloom. Others were less adept; after the fourth time tripping over a gnarled root, Surrak very nearly burned down the entire forest. Both Ajax and Jasper became tangled in the bramble and vines hanging low over the narrow forest pathways.

Goliath finally allowed Surrak to ignite a small fireball in his hands to light the way for the rest of the group, figuring that the low flame would give them away less than an endless string of draconic curses.

They marched through the night and into the early morning, stopping only just before dawn for a few moments to reassess their situation. They'd been joined by a Garudamon, a former judge from the Order. That was...new. And Goliath wasn't sure exactly how comfortable he was with a bureaucrat under his command. They hadn't had much time to vet their new arrival, so Goliath had spent the last several hours trying to make up his mind.

On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to grow his army; that was the entire point of attacking Ironclad after all. On the other hand, he had no way of knowing just how truthful the Garudamon, Ayas, was being. He wanted to retain some manner of control over who joined up with his Realmless, but at the same time they needed to represent the freedom of no one controlling them. He was only just realizing how difficult a line that was to walk.

So he'd allowed Ayas to follow along, arguing that it was better to have some more air support than nothing at all.

"Have you given any further thought to our next task?" Goliath asked Jaeger and Ulysses. Both were his trusted tacticians; Jaeger for his analytical mind and insight into the workings of the Empire, and Ulysses for his experience and knowledge of Goliath's style of fighting.

"Infiltration is a bad idea," Ulysses muttered, casting a narrow glance at Jaeger, as if he was expecting the wolf to disagree. Goliath almost rolled his eyes. They needed to get over it.

"He's right," Jaeger said, nodding. And Ulysses visibly flinched. "Empire prisons run like clockwork. Endless checkpoints, numerous scans. We won't make it past the main gate without being detected."

"Then we forget the subtle and go with a direct approach," Goliath said, smirking. He punched his fist into his hand. "We stroll right up to them and hit them in the mouth. We let them know exactly what we're doing. We show them that we don't even recognize their authority to hold people prisoner."

 

[TheCharredDragon]

Homer Suga the Dynasmon
Setessa

He patiently waited for the Garbagemon to answer. He didn't show how concerned, and confused, he was to see his expression. It looked like a burglar caught in the act, or someone sentenced to death. Was it something he said? He just asked for his name. It was a respectful thing to do, rather than calling him by something else he may not like or take offense to. He was sure calling him Garbagemon would make him come off as stuck up. Maybe the Digimon didn't want anyone but close friends to know his name? Was that the reason for his expression? Either way, Homer didn't let his face show his thoughts.

After what felt like forever, the Digimon sputtered, "eh...uhm...Sawyer." Then he straightened his back and said with a determined face, "What's it matter to you, Drago?"

Homer blinked. Now he let his face show his slight surprise. His earlier thoughts were still there, but what the now introduced Sawyer said distracted him from them.

"Drago?" he said. He didn't exactly mind it, but...it reminded him so much of Sura and Fridge. Fridge wasn't his real name, but Sura kept calling him that. He had the feeling that he was going to do the same with his name. But back to the present...Sawyer's question... He answered, "I just thought you'd rather be called by your name than your species."

Yes, he knew it was mostly rhetorical... ... Apparently Sura's humor rubbed off of him more than he thought...

His thoughts were interupted by the sudden of another Digimon. A Garudamon, to be precuse. He introduced himself as Ayas, a former Judge of sorts from the Astral Order...and wished to join the Realmless.

For the second time, Homer blinked. Did that really just happen?

--

(Sura's part will come up soon in this post, if no one else posts)

 

[Solsabre]

Sawyer the Garbagemon

Sawyer crossed his arms, trying to ignore the nervous sweat creeping down the back of his neck. His green eyes flickered quickly toward Titus's direction with a Help Me! expression, but the Saviorhuckmon was preoccupied with the ongoing discussion.

"I just thought you'd rather be called by your name than your species," The Dynasmon answered matter-of-factly.

Oh. Crap. Maybe he misunderstood wrong where this guy was from. The Dynasmon and his sister were both dragons, so maybe the Hordes? Nah. They didn't quite like act like those testosterone-brains, well except maybe for the OmniShoutmon. Oh, mud pit, he was overthinking this.

"Everyone else does." Sawyer said deadpanned, testing the waters for his response. "Sometimes, filth, scum, reject, scavenger, freeloader are used quite frequently, too."

"What do they call you, Drago?" he asked, scratching his armpit in the process.


_____________________________________________________________________________
Titus the Saviorhuckmon

Titus had been harboring unusual hesitation regarding making known his available mega form. Simply put, he hadn't had many occasions to use it yet. During the Realmless's first engagement, it was easily a poor choice to use against the mercenary group of WarGreymon and their Dramon Killers, for it was slow and an easy target. The battle in the forest had simply occurred too fast for him to prepare properly.

He did not wish for anyone to think he was withholding any advantage that might help the Realmless.

The interruption of Garudamon appeared to have halted any further discussion regarding the assualt on Ironclad prison. The shock of a Judge of all digimon siding with them was shared by many in the group. Titus greeted Ayas with a friendly nod and was glad for the extra help.

Shortly after that point, Goliath hustled the Realmless away from the site of the conflict into the deeper part of the forest. The Saviorhuckmon had his own share of stumbles for his bladed feet did not assist in the task, but he was very much accustom to compensating.

After Goliath gave approval for the use of light to see their path, Titus concentrated inward. The prominent crystal on his chest hummed with energy, glowing gently from within. The soft light wrapped his silver body in an unearthly radiance.

The early dawn began to rise, when they halted to rest. Titus flapped the folds of his cape to dislodge loose leaves and twigs which had accumulated during their trek. He checked on Sawyer briefly to ensure he was alright. The Garbagemon gave him a cheeky grin, pointing to a pair of makeshift night vision goggles perched on his head, before hiding away in his garbage can. Probably to catch a nap. Titus never understood where Sawyer stored all the junk and gadgets in there, but he'd ceased to be surprised over the years.

Glancing around the group, Titus spotted the crimson knight that Goliath appeared to know. He'd hoped for the chance to speak with him, but couldn't till now.

"Titus," he offered his name immediately, hand extended out in greeting. He made sure to keep the blade on the arm retracted. "You'll have to forgive me, I didn't catch your name the other day in Setessa." He said lightly, "I was in pretty bad shape at the time."

"I felt the ignition of your fire, just before the Crack Team's arrival. Thank you." Titus said solemnly. "Things could have been much different if you hadn't joined us."


________________________________________
Ayas the Garudamon


Ayas staggered through the dark woods, his normal sharp eyes were poorly adapted for the night. Nonetheless, he kept his wings tucked closed to his body and focused his hearing on the steps of those ahead of him. The Garudamon brought the fore part of his talon foot down first to feel the uneven terrain and slowly place the rest of his foot down. His pace was slower, but surer. The caution he exercise aided in keeping him from being thrown off balanced.

The initial reception to his arrival seem...mixed. The Bancholeomon had remained silent for time after Ayas introduced himself before finally permitting the Garudamon to join their ranks. Ayas couldn't say he didn't understand, he was a stranger among those bonded through hardship that the bird man could only speculate on.

His own decision to leave the Order and Realm was likely to cause a commotion among the Judges. What could drive one of the Astral Order's dedicated and impartial Judges to defect? Well, Ayas could not remain unbiased in light of his People's predicament. What had been their home for centuries should've been protected by the Realmpact.

Among other factors, Ayas's cautious nature helped save many lives of the Aquila clan the day the Metal Empire invaded the shoreline, rather than the clan be slaughter by the merciless Empire. The Garudamon's decision to join the Realmless was a risk he was willing to take on himself, before endangering theirs.

Perhaps if Aayaash was convinced that breaking covenant with the Realmpact was indeed the will of Yggsdrasil, the highest authority of Eon, then the former Judge could provide another ally to Goliath's cause.

The call to rest in the dawning light was a welcome respite for the older Garudamon. His form was fit enough that the steady paced walk through the woods, on top of a many days long flight, did not pain him, but left him with a heavy feeling in his legs. Ayas perched on a large fallen log in a crouched position to get more comfortable for the time being. He closed his eyes in morning meditation for it had been many days since he'd done so.

However, he stopped after a few moments with a resigned sigh. Meditation required quiet and solitude for proper introspection and the lingering conversation of those around him were quite distracting. Instead, he chose to learn more of the other Realmless and their reasons for joining the battle against the Empire. Plus, he may come closer to understanding how individuals were able to divorce themselves from the influence of the Realmpact. The digimon nearest to him appeared to be a warrior from the Eternal Legion.

"Holy One," Aayaash greeted cordially to the female SlashAngemon, "What brings your divine blade to the conflict?"

 

[TheCharredDragon]

Homer Suga the Dynasmon
Setessa Ruins

Seeing Goliath was handling the Astral Judge, he turned his attention back to Sawyer.

"Everyone else does," Sawyer said. Then he listed some of the more common names used for him. Freeloader...scum...reject...

Homer had to use all of willpower to not flinch and retort. He had heard those insults all too plenty from the early days of his former work...directed at his sister, for being such a softie for someone hailing from the Hordes, the only family he has left. He had to remind himself that those weren't directed anyone, or his sister. Sawyer was just recollecting them. He sighed after a moment, now sure he wouldn't say anything angrily.

With his intial reaction calmed, he now realized the Garbagemon had his fair share of hardships. He didn't let it show, but he was saddened at this thought. He had met a few like him--keyword, like him, as he hadn't met any Garbagemon before now--during his work. Big, small, smelly, sometimes cringe worthy looking, who'd been treated like dirt. He always felt sorry for those and would often tell those subjects that as long as they did their best in the Empire, their species didn't matter.

In hindsight, if anyone who knew him then saw him now would've probably thought he was a hypocrite.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Saywer said, "What do they call you, Drago?"...while scratching his armpit.

He was sure his sister would laugh at that action.

"Homer. Homer Suga," he said, saying his last name out of reflex. He thought for a moment. He glanced at those around him.

It would probably idiotic on his part, but they do have Jaeger on the team, and Pelly seemed fine with his origins. If he didn't face his fear, he was sure his sister would make him for his own good.

Then he added, "Former Empire psychologist."

He truly hoped he wouldn't regret this. He didn't want to cause unrest in the Ronin.

--

Suranuras Suga the OmniShoutmon
En Route to Ironclad

Sura went over another root, holding back her chuckle when she heard Surrak let out another draconic curse. It was amusing to hear the great warrior fall flat on his face by the power...of roots. The thought made her smile wider throughout the trip. Sure, she had her fair share of falls from these roots, but getting hit on the legs was something that Fridge did a lot in their spars, so she had gotten used to falling on her face and quickly getting back up, without wasting her time on a curse.

Which made Surrak's falls all the more amusing.

She heard the flapping of wings to her right. That was the seventh time she heard her brother do that, preventing a faceplant on the forest floor. Lucky him. Unlike him, her rocket pack would probably attract attention from just a little burst, with the light and the noise. It wasn't worth it to just avoid dirt on her face. Not that Surrak's swears weren't any better. She wondered how was Nika faring though.

After a few more angry shouts, Goliath let Surrak and anyone else produce a some light, if they could. The Wargreymon X quickly produced a small fireball in his hand, while Titus lit a part of his body. She wasn't sure which part was it, though. Sura followed, focusing some of her passion and energy into her left hand. Soon her hand was engulfed in a flames, but not as much as when she was attacking.

Some time after that, they were allowed to rest. She saw her brother place himself within the treetops. She let out a little chuckle at that. It seemed he was getting as paranoid as she was. Why else would he be up there, a perfect vantage point and ambush area? Sura sat on a root under the tree her brother was on, careful to not set it on fire.

She scanned the area. Nothing out of place here. She scanned the group. She still found it funny that she was working with the very group she used to fight against. Most would think she would try to get revenge on them for killing her husband and friends, and nearly killing her. But after what her brother told her what happened to Boron, a new friend of theirs...

She knew that they were beingbeing deceived. Her, her brother, every citizen in the Empire... They were all being told that they were doing nothing wrong, that they were, in fact, helping the world. She thought the same, especially at seeing those happy subjects after they spent time with her brother. She knew he wasn't using deception to convince them. He was being honest in whatever he said. He was only telling lies because the Empire told them to him.

She wondered why would the Empire want control over the world. She never understood those kinds of Digimon. Perhaps it was just their greed taking over their minds.

She went back to the present when her eyes landed on their latest member, Ayas the Garudamon. It was certainly a surprise to see a politician from Astral Order. She wasn't so sure what a Judge was, but she was pretty sure it was some sort of politiciam from the name. She wondered if Nika knew him. Maybe she could ask her what was a Judge later.

 

[Solsabre]

Just a short reply to CharredDragon.

****************************************************

Sawyer the Garbagemon
Setessa Ruins

"Homer. Homer Suga," Oh, okay, seems like a normal enough chap.

A moment later the Dynasmon added, "Former Empire psychologist."

Sawyer's nearly bugged out. Hot Tamales! When was he going to learn just to keep his big trap of a mouth shut! Okay, maybe the Dynasmon wasn't really all that bad if he'd join up with the Realmless.

"A psychologist, eh," Sawyer questioned, scrutinizing the Dynasmon up and down. "I can't say you look the part."

"Me? I'm just a sewer rat from good old Argentum, not some long-lost heir to the Empire's Golden Throne or anything like that, yeah." Sawyer yammered, gesturing animately with one hand while fiddling with a peel of the banana on his head. "Serious, I'm just kidding about that last part. Nope, I just play and tinker with the scrap everyone else throws away."

Actually, there was a hint of truth in his previous statement, but Sawyer had long since made it a habit of obscuring the truth by using bit it.

"So, how'd you end up in this revolution mess?" Sawyer asked, particularly curious himself why an upper class citizen of the Empire left it behind. "I got dragged along for the ride with Finn." The Garbagemon jerked a thumb behind him indicating the Saviorhuckmon.

 

[Kamotz]

The Realmless marched throughout the night and into the early morning. Ironclad was still a far way off, but they were making good progress. They'd marched hard and fast after leaving the outskirts of the various Havens, when they didn't have to worry about further Empire patrols. But they were reaching the edge of Conclave territory, where it bordered recently-claimed Empire domain. It meant they would be treading more carefully; the Empire had increased patrols at all border crossings and would be on the lookout for them...and they had some large fighters in their ranks. Jasper, Pelagius, and Tor weren't exactly nimble. They'd dodged two such patrols, barely - and only thanks to Valerius's thorough scouting.

But there was no way around the veritable blockade in front of them now.

"Fight our way through," Surrak insisted, crouched low in the underbrush. Of course Surrak would say that.

"We do that and we lose our element of surprise," Ulysses said. "Then the Empire knows we're here and they can track us down."

"Not if no one survives," Surrak said grimly.

"We're not fast enough," Ulysses snarled. "Someone will send out a message."

"And we're not monsters," Emmara said pointedly. She glanced to Goliath and he gave her the slightest of nods. "If we go out and slaughter everyone then we're no better than the Empire. And they'll use it to their advantage. They'll tell the world that we're killers and murderers."

He words silenced the conversation, and Surrak looked away in something akin to shame. But they got Goliath thinking. They couldn't just sneak past the patrol, and If the Empire would just spin the events to better suit their narrative, then...

"What if we don't kill anyone?" Goliath posed the question.

"What does that -"

"We defeat them. All of them," Goliath explained. "But we don't kill. We keep as many conscious as possible and then we make our way past."

"That doesn't rid us of the trouble," Ulysses grunted. "The Empire still knows we're going this way."

"They'll know regardless," Surrak grumbled.

"But this way, they will have doubts," Jaeger mused.

"What? They'll know exactly which way we're going," Ajax muttered from the sidelines. He'd remained silent the entire time. "We might as well draw them a map."

"Not the Empire. Their soldiers," Jaeger explained. "When the Emperor explains that we're monsters and murderers, they'll do something no one in the Empire does: doubt."

"Exactly," Goliath said, smirking. "And they'll talk. And as time goes by, they'll begin to wonder just how much truth the Emperor feeds them. So from now on we limit casualties as much as possible."

"Gah!" Surrak sputtered.

"If you're as strong as you say you are, that shouldn't be a problem," Goliath challenged the Dragonclaw. He turned to the Imperial patrol. "Now then, take 'em down!"

 

[Solsabre]

Titus the Saviorhuckmon & Sawyer the Garbagemon
Enroute to Ironclad Prison

The Garbagemon yawned audibly, stretching his short arms in the air. The morning daylight making him squint and rub the troublesome sleepers from his eyes.

“Are we there, yet?” Sawyer grouched, eternally bored with the silent and never ending march. Titus looked to his smaller friend with sympathy. He’d been given a stern gag order earlier in the night when his jabbering might have given them away. Sawyer always filled the silence, when it was just the two of them traveling together and Titus was fine with it.

The Saviorhuckmon noticed the Gargabemon rummaging around in his can. “What do you have there?” the silver knight asked.

“Eh, just a couple of two-way communicators,” Sawyer muttered, concentrating on the device in his hands, “it’s pretty low tech, not sure it’ll be of much use against the Empire’s superior technology.”

“Perhaps, Jaeger could help you determine that,” Titus commented.

Sawyer gave Titus a look, “yea right, I’m not even sure he’d give me the time of day, even if I asked.” He gestured to the core members of the Realmless gathered in a huddle discussing the next move. “It’s like an exclusive club; to get in you need to know someone on the inside and the rest of us are just the lackeys doing what we’re told to do. At least you have a chance, since you look the part of a freedom fighter, not to mention the Code you stand by.”

Titus looked doubtful. He’d tried speaking with the crimson knight the other night with little success.

“You never really wanted to be here, did you Sawyer,” Titus spoke softly, a statement, not a question.

“Like hell, I don’t! Why do we keep coming back to this topic anyway, Titus?” Sawyer agrued, stress evident in his use of the Saviorhuckmon’s real name. “I may not like it, but I’ve got a personal stake in this, too.” Sawyer tightened a fist as if reaffirming that for himself. “And don’t think for a second about blaming yourself, Finn, for dragging me into this. I may pretend to be the village idiot, but I knew what I was getting into the day I left that village with you. I’m not abandoning ship now.”

Titus was taken slight back by the Garbagemon’s outburst, usually he hid his true feelings with crude remarks or potty humor. Still...Titus shook off the remaining guilt he carried. He stood up, more confident of the struggle ahead, especially with knowing Sawyer was there to pull him back if he got too absorbed in the conflict…

"Now then, take 'em down!" The two friends snapped to attention, joining the rest of Realmless in attacking the Imperial Patrol with the repeated reminder of ‘Defeat them, not delete them” reinforced in their charge through the underbrush. Sawyer clambered up a tall tree with a good vantage point and positioned his poop bazooka firmly on his shoulder. With careful aiming and timing, he let loose a barrage of excrement just ahead of Titus’s entry into the patrol, obscuring eyes and optical sensors.

Taking advantage of Sawyer’s distraction, Titus dove among several Sealsdramon. As the enemy fumbled around blindly, the Saviorhuckmon danced around them with a whirl of his blades. However, he utilized the broad flat portion to strike and down his opponent by striking their backside, far less elegant than his usually approach but still effective.

One Sealsdramon managed to swipe the filth from his ocular lenses and lunged at Titus’s backside with its own innate speed and knife. The silver knight whirled around at the last moment to parry the sneak attack. With a orangish glow, the Saviorhuckmon released a weakened version of his Meteor Flame into the Sealsdramon’s face and forcing it back in a frenzy as it’s garments caught on fire.

Sawyer continued his onslaught of brown and mushy projectiles in critical spots, while starting to provide cover (not literally) to the other Realmless with his stink bombs. Was that the back of Surrak’s head he just hit? Oops...maybe he’s too busy to notice. Either way the Garbagemon started mentally writing his eulogy...

_____________________________________


Aayaash the Garudamon
Enroute to Ironclad Prison

Ayas followed the rest of Realmless in silence for the rest of the march, until they made for a break again to monitor the Imperial Patrol ahead of them. He knew he wasn’t quite trusted or accepted, but was fine. Beneficial relationships were built with sincere effort and time, Ayas was patient.

The older Garudamon listened intently to discussion between Goliath and his closest compatriots. In a way, he was pleased to hear the discussion among them and the wisdom exhibited in refraining from killing. Ayas witnessed similar tactics used on a smaller scale to ruin the reputation of a fellow judge. He’d scoffed in disdain at such disgraceful tactics.

At Goliath’s call to action, Ayas remained at his position. Once he was sure of the other Realmless’s direction and charge, the Garudamon flapped his great wings rising in the air. He circled wide to the right flank keeping to the outer fringes of the conflict. When it was apparent a member of the patrol began to flee, Ayas stooped into a deep dive. He grabbed the fleeing trooper in his sharp talons and tossed the digimon back into the middle of the conflict. Ayas kept up his dive and snag pattern to ensure none would physically get away to snitched their position.

 

[TheCharredDragon]

Homer Suga the Dynasmon
Setessa

"A psychologist, eh," Sawyer said, as he looked at him up and down. "I can't say you look the part."

"I agree with that," Homer said. "I certainly didn't expect to gain the power of the dragons in my next form."

He thought about that for a moment. Now that he actually dwelled upon it, his form made some sense. He was around his sister often, and then there were her squad mates who were also dragons. His body likely assimilated some of their data, and only had enough to influence his evolution by the time he evolved into this.

"Me? I'm just a sewer rat from good old Argentum, not some long-lost heir to the Empire's Golden Throne or anything like that, yeah." Sawyer continued, gesturing rather wildly with one hand while the other fiddle with a peel of the banana on his head. "Serious, I'm just kidding about that last part. Nope, I just play and tinker with the scrap everyone else throws away."

"I see." He observed his can and only now realized it was on some makeshift trolly. Efficient, Homer thought.

Then Sawyer said, "So, how'd you end up in this revolution mess? I got dragged along for the ride with Finn."

The moment Sawyer asked that question, he flinched, bad memories bubbling up once again. But he quickly shook his head before they could do more, but it was still clear his composure was broken. He took a deep breath in, then out.

"I uh...had a friend, he...he saw through the Empire's lies...and one of...my colleagues killed him before my eyes." He sighed. "I attacked my colleague in rage but I couldn't defeat her, so then I left to say my farewells to my sister when I nearly saw her killed by Arcades." At this point, his composure was finally returning, and he looked more like himself, if not a little saddened. "We barely escaped with out lives. We decided to join the Realmless,*and the rest, as they say, is history."

He let out another sigh. "Excuse my attitude, but the memories are still fresh in my mind..."

(OOC: I'll end the conversation after one more response from Sawyer so this doesn't drag out)

--

Suranuras Suga the OmniShoutmon
En Route to Ironclad

They soon moved on after a few minutes. The patrols were starting to become more frequent as they went, and their less graceful Ronin were making the chances of being caught higher. They were almost spotted twice because of them. If it weren't for the Crowmon, well, she was sure there would be some scrambling. She was just close enough to Goliath's group to pick up some of their conversation. The main thing she could understand was that Surrak suggested on outright fighting them, getting rid of them all.

Sura barely restrained her scoff.

Even she, someone who liked a good fight herself, knew that was a risky idea at best, at worst, stupid one. From what she could see, there were plenty of Sealsdramon in many of the patrol troops. Sure, they could defeat them all, but there were many, and they weren't stupid. They knew it would be better to retreat and warn others about an incoming threat than stay and fight a group consisting mostly of Mega-leveled Digimon. And the Sealsdramon were some of the best Champions in getting around without being noticed. She knew that. She was friends with one. Besides, did they really need to kill them all? Wasn't that what they were fighting against? Senseless slaughter?

It seemed Jaeger shared her sentiments of the stupidity of the idea, while Emmara shared hers of the morality of it. She could faintly see Surrak hang his head down in what she assumed to be shame. She couldn't help herself from smiling softly. That was a good sign. He didn't let his love for battle completely override the value of life. But then she frowned. She thought of all the Digimon--okay, most of the Digimon she had fought as a D-Brigade member over the course of her job. The lives she took...they were probably just like these Realmless. They saw through the Empire's deception, and she had slain them. She felt bad about that, but she thought the best way to repay them would be to see through their goal: bring the Empire down.

With her resolve renewed once again, she heard ofGoliath's plan. She smiled. She was glad she was convinced by her brother to join, Goliath was certainly someone she wouldn't mind serving.

"Take 'em down!"

She sprung into action. She dashed towards a seemingly empty patch of greenery before elbowing into it, earning her a grunt. Before the Sealsdramon could do anything, she followed it up with a punch to the back of its head. The Digimon's head collided with a tree, promptly knocking it out. Another was speeding off. She was about to attack it as well, until something hit it.

She blinked. It was Homer. He had swooped onto the target before throwing it against a tree. Then he knocked it out with his own punch. Her smile got brighter. Homer was getting better at fighting. But...that didn't mean she'll let him out-compete her.

 

[Kamotz]

The fighting was chaos; uncoordinated, flailing. It was fierce. It was brutal. But most importantly, it was nonlethal. Goliath could tell the others were sorely unaccustomed to fighting in such a way. They were pulling their punches - sometimes too much, other times not enough. They were stumbling over one another, unsure of where and when each opponent fell. It was likely the first time most of them had even tried fighting this way.

Goliath grabbed two Commandramon and slammed their heads together. He spun and hurled them each into a pair of incoming Starmon before knocking all four clean across the clearing with a spinning roundhouse kick. The others might have had some trouble, but Goliath was an old hand at these "mock" battles. Sparring with his siblings, and then with Ajax and Ugin, for years on end gave him a strong sense of his limits and the limits of his opponents.

He ducked a salvo of strafing lasers from a pair of Mekanorimon, knocked the mechanical digimon over, and then hurled their pilots from them and into the trunks of nearby trees. Beside him, Ajax casually sidestepped wild and desperate swings from a trio of Sealsdramon before dispatching them with a few stiff blows.

Jaeger was quick to put the Empire soldiers down for the count; heavy metal fists dented armor and bruised flesh, low-impact laser blasts stunned them without causing lasting damage. But it was Surrak that Goliath worried most about. He'd - thankfully - opted to leave his Dramon Destroyer gauntlets secured at his waist, but even without them he was a dangerous opponent for weaker digimon to face. And Goliath seriously doubted Surrak's ability to hold back.

Surrak grabbed a Beetlemon by its face and ignited his boosters. He flew forward, driving the Empire soldier through the forest, powering through the underbrush, crashing him through huge trees, leaving them splintered in his wake. He stopped suddenly and hurled the Beetlemon to the ground. And then, as if on instinct, the dragon called a condensed sphere of fire to his hands.

Goliath was about to intervene, but Surrak spun around with a roar and unleashed his fire on the rest of the Empire forces. Combined with the rest of the Realmless' efforts, it was the finishing blow. Once the Empire soldiers were incapacitated, Goliath and Emmara set about tying them up.

"You won't get away with this," one of the Sealsdramon snarled. "We know you, 'Codename: Bancho'. The Empire will find you and you'll pay for your crimes."

"Let them," Goliath said, his voice calm. He stared off into the sunrise, hoping to burn that image into the soldier's mind. "We could have killed the lot of you today. But we don't. Because we're not fighting against you. We're fighting against corruption and tyranny."

"Big talk from a terrorist," the Sealsdramon snapped.

"When you understand, come find us," Goliath offered, before motioning for the Realmless to continue on. "And we'll show you the way."

==\=/==

Their strategy worked. Leaving the soldiers incapacitated and tied up bought them time. More time than Ajax would have actually thought. And with battle boiling their blood, the Realmless made quick time through the increasingly mountainous terrain towards Ironclad. The Empire patrols were far and few between, and they were able to avoid them rather easily. Nearly an hour had passed since they'd seen the last patrol.

"Too easy," Ajax grunted as they sprinted through the underbrush. Next to him Goliath laughed. They, along with some of the lighter-footed Realmless were ahead of the rest, while the larger, slower *cough* Tor *cough* Jasper *cough* brought up the rear.

"You worry too much, Ajax," Goliath scolded. They skid to a stop and allowed the rest of the group to catch up. "We're headed to Ironclad. It's probably the last place they'd expect us to go. What kind of madmen must we be to purposefully go there?"

"Yeah, 'what kind' indeed," Ajax muttered under his breath. It was in his nature to distrust when things went too smoothly. But Goliath made sense; Ironclad was remote and dangerous, and crawling with Imperials.

"It's just beyond that ridge," Goliath said. Though how he knew this, Ajax had no idea. Goliath had clearly been planning this war for a long time. They waited, crouched behind the tree line, until the rest of the group arrived.

"What's the plan?" Ajax asked, turning to Goliath.

"We storm it," the lion said, smirking with teeth bared.

"Just like that?" Ajax asked.

"Just like that," Goliath confirmed.

"Not much of a plan."

"I like it!" Surrak declared.

"What about casualties?" Emmara chimed in. "What about killing?"

"We stick to our plan," Goliath declared, ignoring Surrak's unhappy scoff. "We keep casualties to a minimum."

"They won't go down like the last group," Jaeger said, eyeing the prison critically. "These digimon...they're strong. They're well trained. Their job is to kill and prevent exactly what we're trying. If we handicap ourselves..."

"Do what you can," Goliath insisted, his voice dropping grimly. "Your safety and the safety of the prisoners come first. But we're trying a new way, and I'm not looking to abandon that way so soon. We need-"

"Problem," Ajax interrupted. He pulled their attention to the gates of Ironclad, where a small group of prisoners were being paraded out to the front. "This is new."

"You have been as Realmless. As treasonous. As traitors," spoke an Andromon. His metallic voice amplified and echoed through the mountains. "The punishment for such crimes is nothing less than death. Have you any last words?" he asked the kneeling digimon: a Darcmon, a Saggitarimon, an Aegiomon, and a golden Rapidmon.

They glanced up, in what Ajax could only assume was defiance.

"Freedom to all Digimon," said the Darcmon. "Long live the Republic."

"So be it," said the android. "Death."

==\=/==

Miles Away

The first of the Realmless' "non-victim" combatants finally shrugged off their bonds and climbed to their feet. They acknowledged the D-Brigade agents that had freed them with grateful nods, and bowed deeply in reverence of Arcades Sabboth.

"Commander Sabboth," said the Sealsdramon. "The Realmless passed through here scant hours ago. We can mount an expedition -"

"Why are you still alive?" Sabboth hissed, his voice quick and rasping. "Why did they not kill you?"

"Some nonsense about justice and tyranny," the Sealsdramon answered. "What does it matter? We can -"

"What did they say?" Sabboth insisted angrily. The Sealsdramon snapped to attention.

"That they weren't fighting us, but corruption," he answered. "That when we understood that we should find them and join them. That they'd 'show us the way'."

"And your thoughts?"

"I don't know," the Sealsdramon said. "Why let us live? What could they possibly gain?"

"What indeed," Sabboth hissed. He nodded to his soldiers, before impaling the Sealsdramon on his lance. "Dissension will not be tolerated, Captain. Hail to the Emperor." Around him, his soldiers made short and brutal work of the Imperial patrol, slicing through them with terrifying efficiency.

"No survivors," he ordered with a sneer. "What brutes these Realmless are. Slaughtering this poor patrol when they had them at their mercy."

 

[Solsabre]

Sawyer
Garbagemon
Setessa

"Excuse my attitude, but the memories are still fresh in my mind..."

“Eh, no worries,” Sawyer said, scratching the back of his head, mildly embarrassed. He really wasn’t used to other digimon taking what he said seriously with an honest reply.

“I can kinda understand...though it was years ago, when I finally left Argentum. The Empire doesn’t give a two cents about the filth system digimon living in the sewers or the families they draft select members from for their Imperial Army.”

The Garbagemon remained tightlipped on the exact details. He maybe a blabber mouth sometimes...okay most of the time...but he wasn’t ready to share those details with anyone, except maybe Titus. However, the Saviorhuckmon had never pushed the subject.

Sawyer glanced to the main group of the Realmless as they began moving about. “Looks like the Boss Cat is having us move out of here, now.” Sawyer commented.

___________________________________________________

Titus Cloudraker
Saviorhuckmon
Ironclad Prison

Titus kept paced with the faster Realmless. The previous battle with the Imperial patrol proved to be an easy exercise of control technique for the Saviorhuckmon. Long hours of training through the night, while Sawyer slept, were spent refining the skills of his Saviorhuckmon form to perfection, though most of time he stopped from exhaustion rather than satisfaction.

The closer they got to Ironclad, the more his restlessness grew. As a result, he’d left Sawyer behind towards the rear as he sprinted head with the leading group.

They paused at the edge of the forest undercover. Kneeling a slight distance away from the Bancho leader and his comrades, Titus surveyed the sight of the formidable fortress of Ironclad. Guards lined the walls and checkpoints and patrols littered throughout the valley between them and the prison wall.

His eyes widen as Ajax brought the group’s attention to the guards escorting a group of prisoners into a line out front. The Andromon’s voice carried to within his hearing range.

"So be it," said the android. "Death."

“We won’t make it to the gates in time.” Titus said tersely. He rapidly considered his options, but found he had few. Except that form. He cursed inwardly. The Saviorhuckmon hated rushing himself in using it, especially since the form was so new to him.

Perhaps, Titus should have waited on Goliath’s orders first, but years of acting on his own instinct were a difficult habit to kick after joining a team out of the blue.

Titus rose and stepped back from the group. “Give me space,” were his only words of warning as closed his eyes in concentration. The crystal on his chest glowed with a blue radiance. The blue light engulf him, obscuring his silver armored form. The light rapidly expanded, pushing and toppling over trees, before solidifying into a mammoth reptilian form.

“CANNONDRAMON!” He called out in a low gruff voice. The massive cannons resting on his back glowed, making the air around them hazy, with building power. Even before the three turrets reached their maximum output, Titus released their energies in hurry to act before the prisoners were executed.

“DYNAMO CANNON!” The triple cannon assault surged forth, sailing over the heads of the other Realmless and the prisoners below.

However, he wasn’t prepared for the recoil of his cannons, causing him to stagger backwards. The motion altered the trajectory of his laser blasts. Instead of targeting the open ground between the prisoners and their guards to throw the area into disarray, the triple beam assault impacted with the ground directly where the guards and the Andromon stood….

 

[TheCharredDragon]

Homer Suga the Dynasmon
Setessa

Homer listened to the Garbagemon intently. He didn't comment on what he said though. There wasn't anything he could say, but he was glad that the Garbagemon took it well though he didn't seem to at first. But one of the things he said, something about the Empire not caring about the families of those they recruit, made him wonder...how many Digimon in the army actually volunteered? His sister and her friends did, and so did many of the subjects he worked with when he was instructing for the obedience program, but he never met anyone from the armed forces outside of those. He was wonder what other atrocities has the Empire comitted.

It made him sick to his stomach.

He was snapped back to the present when Sawyer commented that the "Boss Cat" was getting them to move out. Homer turned and indeed saw that Goliath and the others were ready to leave, including his sister, who had a suspiciously wide smile on her face. He rolled his eyes. She had "forgotten" to tell him and she nearly "left him behind"...not.

He stood up. "Yes, indeed," he said. He turned to the Garbagemon and gave a slight bow. "It was a pleasure talking with you, Sawyer." He was being honest about just talking with the Digimon, even if it did bring not-so-pleasant memories. "Perhaps we should talk again sometime."

He spread his wings and took off after them, or rather, his sister, who he could see had started chuckling.

--

Suranuras Suga the OmniShoutmon
Ironclad

They had travelled far after they had tied up and incapacitated that last patrol. Though she wondered where they got the ropes, she was happy at their success. But she was also suspicious at the same time. Ever since that patrol, they hadn't really seen that many on their way to the maximum secuirty gulag. The last one they passed was hours ago, how many, she didn't know. She was never good in keeping track of the exact time. She could guess, yes, but it certainly wasn't with the "Metal Empire precision" one would expect. Either way, very little patrols were a little troubling, even when she heard a reasonable explanation from the Bancho.

Sura knelt down not too far from said Bancho, so she could hear anything else they might be planning. Apparently, she didn't really need to as the plan was simple, storm the prison. Ajax thought it was too simple, but Surrak liked it. She was also glad for the simplicity, which meant the only thing she had to worry about was accidently hitting prisoners and teammates. Goliath reminded the team that they were still going to do things non-lethaly. She chuckled at Surrak's scoff.

Then Ajax said, "Problem."

Sura, too, looked to where Ajax was talking about and saw what it was, an execution. She gritted her teeth. Dang it! Of course this happens, they were having it easy so they could handle this wrench in their plans a little better. A little. Fate had an odd sense of humor. Titus was quick to act and warned of his transformation...and in his place was a hulking lizard with two equally large cannons. He fired and was pushed back from the recoil, hitting some of the guards.

Then someone rushed out that hit another one of the guards--specifically, the ones who were about to execute the prisoners--as they scrambled to get a handle on the situation. She flinched as she saw the Digimon slam his target's head into the ground before throwing it against another guard. She knew who it was, and, though she knew why he had reacted that way and so quickly, she still couldn't help but be surprised.

It was Homer.

--

Homer Suga the Dynasmon
Ironclad

The events over the past few hours seemed to mesh and blur. He didn't get any chance for sleep--though he did manage to take at least one cat nap--and it was making it hard to keep track of what happened. Though he did used to stay awake throughout the night and sometimes all the way to the next morning, that was usually from reading, not from physical exertion. He did remember that they had managed to defeat--but not kill--a few patrols of sorts. He did help after all.

He managed to keep pace with the front group, but mostly because he was flying low and near them. When they stopped, he landed, tuck his wings and taken the oppurtunity to doze off and rest. He would be of little use if he didn't. But then he heard Ajax say there was a problem. Worried, he opened his eyes and looked, and then he froze. There were several guards, their weapons at the ready, on the yard near the prison...and there were ready to kill four prisoners. It wasn't the act itself that froze him, it was what was exactly happening.

Just like when Azareal killed Boron.

He reacted as soon as Titus fired. He opened his wings and dashed straight towards them. The blast surprised the guards and made the rest--the ones inside Ironclad--try to control the situation. He set his sights on one of the guards near the blast. His fist grabbed its face then slammed it into the ground. He saw another come after him and he threw the one held at the oncoming Digimon. The thrown Digimon was dazed and Homer could tell it was close to passing out, but the hit Digimon pushed the other off.

Homer huffed and readied to attack. He won't let what happened to Boron happen again on his watch.

Protect.

He crossed his arms as the guard attempted to shoot him.

Spare.

He sped forward and hit his enemy's weapon before throwing the Digimon over his head and on the ground. It was going to shoot him but he punched its gut, knocking the wind out of it.

It was going to be hard to beat them without killing them...

He felt the hands of another 'mon grab his shoulders. His new opponent was close to smashing him against the dirt, if Homer hadn't spread his wings, pushing away the arms holding him.

..but it was glad that they were ordered to. He'd rather not kill his former kin.

 

[Kamotz]

Ironclad Prison

Goliath led the Realmless charging towards the prison. He smirked to himself, thinking how Ajax's comment of "a problem" had actually benefited them. With the prison's attention focused solely on the execution, they were woefully unprepared for Titus's--and later Sura and Homer's--sudden onslaught. They weren't even able to get the gates closed before Homer led the charge through. Goliath, Sura, Gabrielle, Jasper, Sawyer, and Ajax were right behind him.

The rest of the Realmless fought on the outside, gathering up the to-be-executed and ushering them to safety.

Ironclad was a massive structure. Its walls were thicker than Bolas was tall, and made of an alloy Goliath had to assume was a type of raw chrome digizoid alloy. The walls were high, manned by dozens of guards. Automated turrets stood along each of the four corners of the prisons walls, with several massive guard towers spaced between them. At the center of the prison was the control tower, a huge structure of burnished metal with an observatory at the very top.

Goliath was cautious to avoid ending up in the prison's courtyard, surrounded on all sides by armed sentries. They wouldn't last long separated from the rest of the Realmless outside the prison. He leaped up the inner walls dashed along the walkways, barreling through the prison's guards and keeping their focus off the fighters below. From the corner of his eye he saw Ajax mirror his actions on the other side. The automated turrets on the towers above them suddenly exploded: Jaeger swooped by, picking off the prison's weaponry while Ayas and Valerious dealt with the scrambling air support.

The heavy iron gates of the prison blew open, and flew off their hinges as Surrak used a huge WarGrowlmon as a battering ram, driving it through and into the far wall of the prison. The rest of the Realmless flooded in, and charged towards the control tower.

"Capture the warden!" Goliath ordered. He nodded to Jaeger and Surrak, and the two took off. They crashed through the tower windows and smashed back out the other side with a WaruMonzeamon tumbling in front of them. The warden landed with a heavy thud, and the two Realmless threw him over to the center of the courtyard, and at Goliath's feet.

Goliath smirked, drawing his blade as he stepped forward. Around them the prison guards halted their fighting for fear of the warden's safety. Goliath hauled the bear up by the scruff of his neck and pressed his sword against the warden's throat.

"My name is Goliath," he said, his voice snarling low. "I'm sure you know all about me, don't you?"

"Yes!" the WaruMonzeamon yelped. He squirmed in Goliath's grip. "Oh, please don't kill me!"

"I'm gonna ask you a question, and I expect an answer," Goliath said, ignoring the weepy digimon's cries. "How do I remove the inhibitor collars from your prisoners?"

"What? Are you crazy!?" the WaruMonzeamon shouted, suddenly forgetting he was neck-to-blade with an enemy combatant. "These guys are worse than you! I've been tasked with keeping these psychos and animals contained! Are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Goliath growled low, pressing his blade closer for emphasis.

"I've never even met you before, how would I know what you look like when you're kidding?" the warden shouted.

"Infer by his tone of voice," Ajax deadpanned, glaring at the prison guards. "And tell your people to stand down and surrender. Or we'll see just how much stuffing we can pull out of you before you cooperate."

"Gah!" the warden flailed his arms shouted panicked orders to his men. Then they, too, raised their hands in surrender.

"Now. How do I remove the collars?" Goliath reiterated.

"Y--you c-can't," the warden squeaked.

"I don't have patience for your excuses!" Goliath roared, drawing the warden closer to his snarling fangs.

"O-only the w-w-warden c-ca--"

"Stop right there!" shouted a voice.

Anything the warden might have said was suddenly cut off as a salvo of energy bolts knocked Ayas, Sura, and Valerius from the sky. More blasts strafed through the courtyard, forcing the Realmless to backpedal. Goliath kept his hold on the warden, but was separated from the rest.

Goliath glanced up as numberous digimon dropped down from the sky and landed along the walls of the prison. Justimon. Dozens of them. They stood on all sides, surrounding the Realmless. It was exactly what Goliath had been hoping to avoid. One Justimon stepped forward.

"In the name of the Metal Empire and the Realmpact. You are under arrest," he declared.

Goliath studied his body language; perfect stance, poised, ready to move and counterattack if necessary. He saw how all the others differed to him and seemed to wait on his command. He was their leader, if appearances were to be believed.

"Arrest? What a laughable concept for your Imperial lot," Goliath mocked, baring his fangs. He made sure his hold on the warden was secure, and brought his blade up between himself and the Justimon commander.

"Imperial law decrees that you be punished," the Justimon avowed. He stood tall, and Goliath forced down the bile in his throat at hearing someone believe so foolishly in something as corrupt as 'Imperial law'.

"I am not subservient to the laws of your empire," Goliath snapped angrily.

"The law of the Realmpact--"

"I am not beholden to that either," Golaith roared, he felt his battle aura flare around him, and took note of the Justimon contingent shift into a fighting stance.

They moved as one, with perfect coordination. They were trained. These weren't simple reinforcements. There was no way, no time, for the warden's distress call to have reached a base and organized this group of fighters in the minutes it had taken him and the Realmless to breach the walls. That meant these Justimon were already out looking for them.

"I have been tasked with apprehending you and bringing you to stand trial for your crimes." the leader declared confidently.

"'Trial'? What a farce!" Goliath sneered. He raised his weapon. "The only trial you'll have from me is one of combat!"

The contingent of Justimon stepped forward, moving in unison, ready to attack. Goliath reacted quickly, hurling the warden behind him to the rest of the Realmless and dropping into his own low stance. But the Justimon leader stopped them with a raised hand. And as one, they stepped back into position; a perfect formation again.

"So be it," their leader said. He stepped forward. "I, Ral Zarek, commander of the Imperial Justice Corps, hereby authorize this trial by combat." He leaped from the high walls and dropped down into the courtyard, he made his way slowly towards Goliath. "I volunteer myself to serve as prosecution in this trial." He settled into his stance. "And as always, let Justice be the judge."