Kamotz
God of Monsters
< Samael Cain (Beelzemon) >
Bullet Club, Axis Mundi
"And where would you go to find them?" Serra asked. She took a swig of her morning beer. "Any idea where they might be?"
Samael smirked -- she was just as pragmatic as ever; she remembered everything he'd ever taught her. He could see that now. He kicked himself for letting her get away. But...that wasn't quite the truth, was it? No. It was a fun experiment for a few decades, put together his own band of outlaws, Digimon just like -- or enough like -- him, who discarded the false veneer of the world and let their inner monsters out freely. He'd found them, and he helped twist them further into his little shadows. His Gunslingers.
But damn, did they get dull. He supposed mortal Digimon found some sort of comfort in routine and habit. But he hated all of that sh*t. After five years of it he started getting restless. After ten he was downright bored. He'd taught them enough, spread some chaos in the world. It was time to move on. And so he did.
He should have stuck around a little longer, made sure all of his lessons had stuck with Serra. But she had moved on just the same. Now she was busy owning a bar, pretending to be respectable and a contributing member of society. Trying to hide that little monster inside her.
"Doesn't matter." Henry said. "Let the other Peacemakers worry about their own crew. If they're to be any help against the Knights, we have to assume they know how to handle themselves."
He tapped a knuckle on the old map that lay on his table. "Most of you seem convinced that we should head to Greystone. But let me ask you this, what exactly do we have to bargain with? If Greystone respects strength and action, then why shouldn't they side with the Knights? Kaladesh and Glen Elendra are still smoldering and we're 0 for 2. If we want to convince Greystone, or the Chess Kingdoms, or anyone else that they should fly our flag, we have to have a point on our board."
"Ixalan." he said after a short pause. "That's the only course that might give us an edge."
“The Riverlands are nothing,” Svarog said. Firefarts -- Samael hated agreeing with him. Hated agreeing with anyone. But if there was one thing he could almost respect about the Apollomon, it was his want for a fight. Their reasons were different, but Samael could at least agree it was time to sink his teeth into something.
“Never have been. All we know is that there are ‘disturbances’...somewhere. How is that any sort of edge? You want to keep this world from spiraling into all-out war? Show the Greymon strength.”
And blood, Samael added silently.
“They’ve seen the Council falter against the Knights. But we’ve already fought them twice to —arguably— a stalemate,” Thor added. “Show them who we are. Let our presence speak for us. Let them understand our convictions for themselves.
Samael made a display of rolling his eyes. He smirked as a few of the others glanced quickly in his direction and then looked away. Serra's glare held.
He grinned wildly.
“More importantly Greysvald needs to see them,” Thor motioned to James, Hoshiko, and Andrea. “He needs to see convictions equal to those of the Royal Knights. From those that are most directly impacted by their crusade.”
"A stalemate?" Henry said. "Tell that to Kaladesh. And what do we do if we go to Greystone and find the Knights there, waiting for us, because they knew the two of you would jump at the first sign of a mutiny."
Damn. Who cares? Samael had thought Henry was more fun than this. But here he was, playing hero. Lying to himself just like everyone else.
"And I thought we had something together," Samael sighed to himself sarcastically.
"A lead's a lead. And they don't always look like much. Whatever's happening in the Riverlands was big enough to catch the Council's eye. Might be more than it seems."
Oh, Henry, running after approval, playing the Captain again? He was letting his old life get the better of him -- run after secrets and treasure, and booty. The mystery and possibility was always better than the sure, boring, certain thing. Samael knew that. But the mystery was so often disappointing.
"But I concede that I don't know this Greysvald. If he's publicly declared for the Knights, then he's already taken a stand. How sure are you that his mind can be so easily swayed?"
And there it was. Uncertainty. Trying to play the leader when you didn't believe it yourself. He should learn to have convictions in his lies.
"By many accounts those were stalemates," Michael said. "Not tactically, of course. But by combat -- we are all alive, several Royal Knights were cleanly defeated, others retreated. Their objectives were just as muddled as ours."
“Greysvald declared for the Council two damn days ago. Now he’s declared for the Knights. How easily swayed do you think he is?” Svarog snapped, before muttering sourly, "putting stock in the Council's whims."
All the fire god wanted was to fight. Samael couldn't blame him after getting his @ss kicked last time. He wondered just how far the god could be pushed before he burned an entire city to the ground in his anger. That'd be a hell of a sight.
"If his allegiances are so fickle that he flips sides at every display of might, then any defeat we deal the Knights should be enough to flip him back." Henry said. "If that's all it takes, we'd be better served going to Valyria and hoping for a chance to do just that. At least then we'd be helping some tamers while we're at it."
Ol' flip-flop fishboy.
"Objectives aren't the only thing that matters." Henry added. "Public opinion will gut you just as fast as a dagger. If each of our 'stalemates' levels a city and causes a wave of evacuations, how much longer will anyone put up with us? We'll send cities rallying behind the Royal Knights just to keep their homes intact."
"I'm with Henry. Why do we need to showboat for some old greymon in person, when it's our actions in the field that will have the greater impact?" Andrea jumped in. "Besides, how do we know that there aren't any Royal Knights currently waiting at Greystone?" Andrea pointed out. "Seems like a bad recipe for another wrecked city."
"We need to get Greystone back in line because they have hundreds of soldiers ready to deploy at a moment's notice," Thor said, and Samael caught the scent of ozone in the air. Thor was holding himself in check, but he was just as likely to explode as Svarog was; except he had no idea how to reign himself in once he did.
"And if the Royal Knights are there, all the better!" Svarog snapped. "That's our entire point of being here. But of course let's run off on wild goose chases and babysitting missions,"
"Let the Council deal with public opinion," Serra said. "Let's get to kicking ass."
That's my girl, Samael sneered.
"Then go, " Andrea said stubbornly, "Go to Greystone and do what you do best, flex some muscle to impress Greyvald for us or go looking for a fight against the Knights if you want."
"I'd rather do something I'm good at. Saving lives." Andrea said, "Even if that means going into the line of fire between two cities, escorting tamers to a safe place, or fighting against the Knights if I have too. My actions out there should speak plenty of my convictions. I'm going to Valyria."
==\=/==
< Michael Ha'Yisrael (MagnaAngemon) >
Bullet Club, Axis Mundi
"I agree with Andrea," Michael said. He stepped forward to stand beside Henry, slightly perturbed that he wasn't doing more to align the group. "We need to think strategically here. The Tamers in Valeron might be safe, but that region has always been volatile. We can't let the humans get caught up in a war between the Three Warring Kingdoms. Especially if they are gathering in mass."
"Lotta 'ifs' here, Mikey," Samael sneered. Of course Samael disagreed. "'If' the soft-skins are gathering in Valyria; 'if' the Chess Kingdom follows suit; 'if' these disturbances in the Riverlands amount to anything; 'if' those Peace-bums are really in trouble. Lot of uncertainty. Way I see it the only thing certain is that those horn-heads were on our side, and now they're not. That's about as straightforward as it gets."
Samael leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on a table. "Oh, and that means all the humans there are in trouble, I guess. But that's none'a my business."
"This is all actionable intelligence, Samael. Not guesswork," Michael said. And you would rather fight someone than help another, he added silently. He turned towards the others again.
"Greystone's Tamer population is small, mostly Tamers with Greymon-subspecies partners. A few dozen at most. Valeron has always had a larger human population. Same with Halcyon. Regardless of their requests or not, that should be where we focus our efforts to make sure the humans are safe."
"The Greystone tamers would be able to seek shelter in the outlying villages, at least temporarily." Theo commented. "I know of one village that would take them in." Michael nodded. He was thankful for his support.
"Oh yeah?" Samael laughed. "Proud, war-hungry Greystone idiots would disobey the decree of their king-chief? They'd actively disobey? And work against the Royal Knights? C'mon son."
It would have made a decent point, if it weren't made with the subtlety of a thrown brick.
"How would they even know where to go?" Thor asked. "What chance would they have had to leave? Do you think they'd even get the chance?"
Michael was almost beside himself, though he dared not show it. He never would have imagined the day that Thor, son of Odin and Crowned Prince of Asgard, and Samael Cain, the literal God-damned Fallen One, agreed on something.
"I was at Greyhaven just days prior to arriving at Axis Mundi. A handful of tamers were already there seeking shelter and spoke of bringing others." Theo said to Thor, ignoring Samael completely. "So there is a chance that some tamers were able to withdraw from Greystone in time."
"A 'chance'," Serra sighed. Michael saw that she was tense and angry, too. She glanced repeatedly towards Samael each time she thought to speak. Not in the way that so many of others did -- out of fear or concern -- but in a manner that seemed to be weighing whether or not she wanted to be in agreement with the fallen angel.
Samael had spent decades wandering the roads of Saga. Was she someone he had crossed paths with before?
"So you're basically guessing. Three days ago Greystone was allied with the Council," Serra continued. "There wouldn't have been any danger or reason to seek shelter there. What's to say the people of Grayhaven wouldn't have turned on them as soon as head honcho Greymon told them to?"
"If we're less certain of their safety than we are the safety of the Tamers in Valyria, our choice should be obvious," Thor said, his teeth almost-grinding. "They are in a hostile kingdom, the loss of that kingdom's allegiance represents a significant threat to our ability to succeed in the future, but there is still a chance to regain that kingdom's allegiance. None of the other crises represent anything as pressing."
"Except the greatest need for us is in Valyria," Michael said. He kept his voice voice implacably calm, completely unaffected by Thor's royal opinion. "A mass gathering of Tamers counts for more than a few dozen; it attracts more attention from the Royal Knights. It causes more concern among the general Digimon populace. Maintaining a strong relationship with the many kingdoms of Valyria is a more feasible task than rebuilding a relationship with a single kingdom that has defected."
Tessa snapped her book shut with an audible thud. She had been scribbling furiously in her books, likely keeping an accurate record of events per a Wisemon's usual...compulsion. “Then it seems I must impart my sacred Wisemon wisdom.” She held up two fingers, “Two birds,” then held up one finger. “One stone.”
“One group heads to Valyria to assess the situation and act accordingly.” Tessa nodded to Henry, Michael, and Andrea. Then the mage gestured to Thor, Svarog, Serra, and Samael, “The second group goes to Greystone."
“Splitting up would resolve the argument, but would reduce our combined strength.” Theo muttered softly. He crossed his arms pondering. “Maybe either choice is too obvious. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sir Gawain had this same intel and took advantage of us being distracted with either.”'
In all honesty, Michael was tempted to yield to Tessa's "sacred Wisemon wisdom" -- if only to end the back-and-forth arguing. But then what? Would they split the group each time there was a disagreement on where to go next? How would they ever stand a chance if they did that?
"Ixalan is a gamble, yes. It could be nothing, or it could be the only lead we get that Camelot is landing forces." Henry shrugged. "But I can see you lot aren't the gambling type. In which case, I'm with Michael. Valyria is a powderkeg. All its needs is the right spark, and there will be a tempest in the north. A tempest with a whole lot of civilians and tamers caught up in it."
Henry considered Tessa's words. "Splitting up is also a gamble, but if Greystone's problems boil down to convincing a singular leader to reconsider backing us, it may not be a bad idea."
"Besides," Aria cut in, still nursing her hangover, "I don't recall seeing any of Greystone's forces backing us up lately. They have numbers on paper, but moving armies takes a lot of prep. And how many of us could it take to wrestle with the big cheese and give him a rousing speech? I certainly won't be much help there. So I'll vote for Valryia too."
“We’ve been fighting for two days,” Svarog said to Aria. "We've barely even begun to fight a war."
“And the entire point was to avoid bringing entire armies into this conflict and dragging the world into all-out war,” Thor said, glancing pointedly at Svarog. "This is why we need a show of strength to bring Greystone back into the fold. All of us. Together. Going before their king-chief and convincing him to renounce the decision to declare for Galahad. You don't insult him by sending some of us."
"I agree," Michael said, his gaze holding steady with Thor's. "We don't succeed in anything if we split our forces. It's foolish. But none of you -- none of us -- have stepped up to lead. We've asked Henry to do so. As long as that's the case, then we'll follow his lead.
"Unless anyone else wishes to volunteer?" Michael turned to them for a few moments. When no one spoke up, he turned back to Henry expectantly.
Bullet Club, Axis Mundi
"And where would you go to find them?" Serra asked. She took a swig of her morning beer. "Any idea where they might be?"
Samael smirked -- she was just as pragmatic as ever; she remembered everything he'd ever taught her. He could see that now. He kicked himself for letting her get away. But...that wasn't quite the truth, was it? No. It was a fun experiment for a few decades, put together his own band of outlaws, Digimon just like -- or enough like -- him, who discarded the false veneer of the world and let their inner monsters out freely. He'd found them, and he helped twist them further into his little shadows. His Gunslingers.
But damn, did they get dull. He supposed mortal Digimon found some sort of comfort in routine and habit. But he hated all of that sh*t. After five years of it he started getting restless. After ten he was downright bored. He'd taught them enough, spread some chaos in the world. It was time to move on. And so he did.
He should have stuck around a little longer, made sure all of his lessons had stuck with Serra. But she had moved on just the same. Now she was busy owning a bar, pretending to be respectable and a contributing member of society. Trying to hide that little monster inside her.
"Doesn't matter." Henry said. "Let the other Peacemakers worry about their own crew. If they're to be any help against the Knights, we have to assume they know how to handle themselves."
He tapped a knuckle on the old map that lay on his table. "Most of you seem convinced that we should head to Greystone. But let me ask you this, what exactly do we have to bargain with? If Greystone respects strength and action, then why shouldn't they side with the Knights? Kaladesh and Glen Elendra are still smoldering and we're 0 for 2. If we want to convince Greystone, or the Chess Kingdoms, or anyone else that they should fly our flag, we have to have a point on our board."
"Ixalan." he said after a short pause. "That's the only course that might give us an edge."
“The Riverlands are nothing,” Svarog said. Firefarts -- Samael hated agreeing with him. Hated agreeing with anyone. But if there was one thing he could almost respect about the Apollomon, it was his want for a fight. Their reasons were different, but Samael could at least agree it was time to sink his teeth into something.
“Never have been. All we know is that there are ‘disturbances’...somewhere. How is that any sort of edge? You want to keep this world from spiraling into all-out war? Show the Greymon strength.”
And blood, Samael added silently.
“They’ve seen the Council falter against the Knights. But we’ve already fought them twice to —arguably— a stalemate,” Thor added. “Show them who we are. Let our presence speak for us. Let them understand our convictions for themselves.
Samael made a display of rolling his eyes. He smirked as a few of the others glanced quickly in his direction and then looked away. Serra's glare held.
He grinned wildly.
“More importantly Greysvald needs to see them,” Thor motioned to James, Hoshiko, and Andrea. “He needs to see convictions equal to those of the Royal Knights. From those that are most directly impacted by their crusade.”
"A stalemate?" Henry said. "Tell that to Kaladesh. And what do we do if we go to Greystone and find the Knights there, waiting for us, because they knew the two of you would jump at the first sign of a mutiny."
Damn. Who cares? Samael had thought Henry was more fun than this. But here he was, playing hero. Lying to himself just like everyone else.
"And I thought we had something together," Samael sighed to himself sarcastically.
"A lead's a lead. And they don't always look like much. Whatever's happening in the Riverlands was big enough to catch the Council's eye. Might be more than it seems."
Oh, Henry, running after approval, playing the Captain again? He was letting his old life get the better of him -- run after secrets and treasure, and booty. The mystery and possibility was always better than the sure, boring, certain thing. Samael knew that. But the mystery was so often disappointing.
"But I concede that I don't know this Greysvald. If he's publicly declared for the Knights, then he's already taken a stand. How sure are you that his mind can be so easily swayed?"
And there it was. Uncertainty. Trying to play the leader when you didn't believe it yourself. He should learn to have convictions in his lies.
"By many accounts those were stalemates," Michael said. "Not tactically, of course. But by combat -- we are all alive, several Royal Knights were cleanly defeated, others retreated. Their objectives were just as muddled as ours."
“Greysvald declared for the Council two damn days ago. Now he’s declared for the Knights. How easily swayed do you think he is?” Svarog snapped, before muttering sourly, "putting stock in the Council's whims."
All the fire god wanted was to fight. Samael couldn't blame him after getting his @ss kicked last time. He wondered just how far the god could be pushed before he burned an entire city to the ground in his anger. That'd be a hell of a sight.
"If his allegiances are so fickle that he flips sides at every display of might, then any defeat we deal the Knights should be enough to flip him back." Henry said. "If that's all it takes, we'd be better served going to Valyria and hoping for a chance to do just that. At least then we'd be helping some tamers while we're at it."
Ol' flip-flop fishboy.
"Objectives aren't the only thing that matters." Henry added. "Public opinion will gut you just as fast as a dagger. If each of our 'stalemates' levels a city and causes a wave of evacuations, how much longer will anyone put up with us? We'll send cities rallying behind the Royal Knights just to keep their homes intact."
"I'm with Henry. Why do we need to showboat for some old greymon in person, when it's our actions in the field that will have the greater impact?" Andrea jumped in. "Besides, how do we know that there aren't any Royal Knights currently waiting at Greystone?" Andrea pointed out. "Seems like a bad recipe for another wrecked city."
"We need to get Greystone back in line because they have hundreds of soldiers ready to deploy at a moment's notice," Thor said, and Samael caught the scent of ozone in the air. Thor was holding himself in check, but he was just as likely to explode as Svarog was; except he had no idea how to reign himself in once he did.
"And if the Royal Knights are there, all the better!" Svarog snapped. "That's our entire point of being here. But of course let's run off on wild goose chases and babysitting missions,"
"Let the Council deal with public opinion," Serra said. "Let's get to kicking ass."
That's my girl, Samael sneered.
"Then go, " Andrea said stubbornly, "Go to Greystone and do what you do best, flex some muscle to impress Greyvald for us or go looking for a fight against the Knights if you want."
"I'd rather do something I'm good at. Saving lives." Andrea said, "Even if that means going into the line of fire between two cities, escorting tamers to a safe place, or fighting against the Knights if I have too. My actions out there should speak plenty of my convictions. I'm going to Valyria."
==\=/==
< Michael Ha'Yisrael (MagnaAngemon) >
Bullet Club, Axis Mundi
"I agree with Andrea," Michael said. He stepped forward to stand beside Henry, slightly perturbed that he wasn't doing more to align the group. "We need to think strategically here. The Tamers in Valeron might be safe, but that region has always been volatile. We can't let the humans get caught up in a war between the Three Warring Kingdoms. Especially if they are gathering in mass."
"Lotta 'ifs' here, Mikey," Samael sneered. Of course Samael disagreed. "'If' the soft-skins are gathering in Valyria; 'if' the Chess Kingdom follows suit; 'if' these disturbances in the Riverlands amount to anything; 'if' those Peace-bums are really in trouble. Lot of uncertainty. Way I see it the only thing certain is that those horn-heads were on our side, and now they're not. That's about as straightforward as it gets."
Samael leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on a table. "Oh, and that means all the humans there are in trouble, I guess. But that's none'a my business."
"This is all actionable intelligence, Samael. Not guesswork," Michael said. And you would rather fight someone than help another, he added silently. He turned towards the others again.
"Greystone's Tamer population is small, mostly Tamers with Greymon-subspecies partners. A few dozen at most. Valeron has always had a larger human population. Same with Halcyon. Regardless of their requests or not, that should be where we focus our efforts to make sure the humans are safe."
"The Greystone tamers would be able to seek shelter in the outlying villages, at least temporarily." Theo commented. "I know of one village that would take them in." Michael nodded. He was thankful for his support.
"Oh yeah?" Samael laughed. "Proud, war-hungry Greystone idiots would disobey the decree of their king-chief? They'd actively disobey? And work against the Royal Knights? C'mon son."
It would have made a decent point, if it weren't made with the subtlety of a thrown brick.
"How would they even know where to go?" Thor asked. "What chance would they have had to leave? Do you think they'd even get the chance?"
Michael was almost beside himself, though he dared not show it. He never would have imagined the day that Thor, son of Odin and Crowned Prince of Asgard, and Samael Cain, the literal God-damned Fallen One, agreed on something.
"I was at Greyhaven just days prior to arriving at Axis Mundi. A handful of tamers were already there seeking shelter and spoke of bringing others." Theo said to Thor, ignoring Samael completely. "So there is a chance that some tamers were able to withdraw from Greystone in time."
"A 'chance'," Serra sighed. Michael saw that she was tense and angry, too. She glanced repeatedly towards Samael each time she thought to speak. Not in the way that so many of others did -- out of fear or concern -- but in a manner that seemed to be weighing whether or not she wanted to be in agreement with the fallen angel.
Samael had spent decades wandering the roads of Saga. Was she someone he had crossed paths with before?
"So you're basically guessing. Three days ago Greystone was allied with the Council," Serra continued. "There wouldn't have been any danger or reason to seek shelter there. What's to say the people of Grayhaven wouldn't have turned on them as soon as head honcho Greymon told them to?"
"If we're less certain of their safety than we are the safety of the Tamers in Valyria, our choice should be obvious," Thor said, his teeth almost-grinding. "They are in a hostile kingdom, the loss of that kingdom's allegiance represents a significant threat to our ability to succeed in the future, but there is still a chance to regain that kingdom's allegiance. None of the other crises represent anything as pressing."
"Except the greatest need for us is in Valyria," Michael said. He kept his voice voice implacably calm, completely unaffected by Thor's royal opinion. "A mass gathering of Tamers counts for more than a few dozen; it attracts more attention from the Royal Knights. It causes more concern among the general Digimon populace. Maintaining a strong relationship with the many kingdoms of Valyria is a more feasible task than rebuilding a relationship with a single kingdom that has defected."
Tessa snapped her book shut with an audible thud. She had been scribbling furiously in her books, likely keeping an accurate record of events per a Wisemon's usual...compulsion. “Then it seems I must impart my sacred Wisemon wisdom.” She held up two fingers, “Two birds,” then held up one finger. “One stone.”
“One group heads to Valyria to assess the situation and act accordingly.” Tessa nodded to Henry, Michael, and Andrea. Then the mage gestured to Thor, Svarog, Serra, and Samael, “The second group goes to Greystone."
“Splitting up would resolve the argument, but would reduce our combined strength.” Theo muttered softly. He crossed his arms pondering. “Maybe either choice is too obvious. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sir Gawain had this same intel and took advantage of us being distracted with either.”'
In all honesty, Michael was tempted to yield to Tessa's "sacred Wisemon wisdom" -- if only to end the back-and-forth arguing. But then what? Would they split the group each time there was a disagreement on where to go next? How would they ever stand a chance if they did that?
"Ixalan is a gamble, yes. It could be nothing, or it could be the only lead we get that Camelot is landing forces." Henry shrugged. "But I can see you lot aren't the gambling type. In which case, I'm with Michael. Valyria is a powderkeg. All its needs is the right spark, and there will be a tempest in the north. A tempest with a whole lot of civilians and tamers caught up in it."
Henry considered Tessa's words. "Splitting up is also a gamble, but if Greystone's problems boil down to convincing a singular leader to reconsider backing us, it may not be a bad idea."
"Besides," Aria cut in, still nursing her hangover, "I don't recall seeing any of Greystone's forces backing us up lately. They have numbers on paper, but moving armies takes a lot of prep. And how many of us could it take to wrestle with the big cheese and give him a rousing speech? I certainly won't be much help there. So I'll vote for Valryia too."
“We’ve been fighting for two days,” Svarog said to Aria. "We've barely even begun to fight a war."
“And the entire point was to avoid bringing entire armies into this conflict and dragging the world into all-out war,” Thor said, glancing pointedly at Svarog. "This is why we need a show of strength to bring Greystone back into the fold. All of us. Together. Going before their king-chief and convincing him to renounce the decision to declare for Galahad. You don't insult him by sending some of us."
"I agree," Michael said, his gaze holding steady with Thor's. "We don't succeed in anything if we split our forces. It's foolish. But none of you -- none of us -- have stepped up to lead. We've asked Henry to do so. As long as that's the case, then we'll follow his lead.
"Unless anyone else wishes to volunteer?" Michael turned to them for a few moments. When no one spoke up, he turned back to Henry expectantly.