Author's Note:
"Warriors, Ten" is basically an introductory one-shot to the Warrior Ten, giving insight into the setting and giving a glimpse at the Warrior Ten's personalities before I start writing one-shots and stories about them. I basically just wanted to introduce the reader to them, their forms, and the setting of their base so that I don't have to go through the same thing over and over again with every new story or one-shot that I make.
Also, yes, this is the same KaiserGreymon from "The Battle I Staked My Life On" and "A Dragon in Shining Armour" (both stories I plan on updating once I find the time to write them). However, this takes place awhile after "The Battle I Staked My Life On", because the Warrior Ten weren't together at that point. This also takes place before "A Dragon in Shining Armour" does.
The following stories that I write may either take place before or after the Warrior Ten was formed, depending on the story.
Also, please understand that these are not the characters from Digimon Frontier. They are original characters. I've had people confuse KaiserGreymon for Takuya before; don't let the goggles fool you. xD
Warriors, Ten
The blazing sun shone down from the sky, its light pouring through the open windows of the once-abandoned stone keep. Directly behind the keep was a mountain range, looming down like imposing stone sentinels, faithfully guarding the base from the rear. The keep itself was physically attached to the ore-filled mountains, which seemed to stretch in both directions as far as the eye could see. They were as tall as they were wide, the cliff faces reaching up towards the clouds, though the snow-capped peaks and ridges fell short long before they could reach them.
The dark clouds brewed in the distance, threatening rain and lightning, but they were a long ways off yet. A cool breeze blew down the side of the mountain and swept past the keep, into and through the emerald leaves of the forest that stood opposite to the cliffs. The branches swayed and bustled rhythmically, coming to life as the crisp wind touched them. Every so often, a leaf fell to the earth below.
Nearby, the constant sound of splashing water could be heard. From the cliffs, a moderately-sized waterfall sent a sparkling cascade plummeting down into a river. The river ran into the forest, disappearing from view behind the many deciduous trees. It was impossible to see behind the waterfall into its undercutting due to all the falling water and the mist that sprayed up when it impacted the river's origin.
The natural elements coming together as they did made for a picturesque scene. It was as if many different parts of nature congregated in that one point in the Digital World. It was a sharp contrast to the Digimon-built keep that stood in the grassy clearing between the forest and the cliffs. However, even it began to be overtaken by its surroundings. Moss and vines clung to its stone walls, and its masonry sunk slightly into the rich soil below.
Despite this, the keep was sturdy and had been restored. The outside was constructed of sturdy, high-grade rock, fused together with firm, adhesive mortar. It looked like it could hold steadfast against most attacks, if it needed to. The keep wasn't close to the size of a castle. It was much smaller, though it was large enough to have the essentials for a former-military outpost. It stood at about forty feet high, not counting the single watch tower protruding high into the air. There were three angular bastions fixed to the main building, one at the front and one of the left and right side. With these bastions came ramparts leading around the keep, strategically watching over all of the approaches.
Beneath the keep, a single figure walked down a lightly-treaded dirt path towards the building. A tall, muscular dragon man Digimon walked up to the front entrance of the keep. It was a surprisingly modern entrance, made of steel doors which were tightly locked. Beside the doors was a keypad, intended for inputting a password to unlock the doors.
The digimon of the Greymon line – a KaiserGreymon - walked up to the keypad and started inputting the code.
As he worked, his red, gold-trimmed plate armour, which covered his upper body, hips, and femurs, rattled softly against his body. The rest of his armour was similarly coloured and had an ornamental, dragon motif. Covering his broad shoulders were metal plates, each designed like a red, gold-frilled dragon head, complete with a nose horn and teeth. Protecting his arms were long arm bracers that ended with more beaked dragon heads that extended over the Digimon's hands. Behind each of those heads was a striking cobalt plate; it was the only blue on the Digimon's body apart from his similarly piercing blue eyes, which stood out against all of the red. His knee guards and boots also bore draconic designs. The symbol of Flame was proudly emblazoned on KaiserGreymon's chest armour as well.
The dragon's head was covered in an orange helmet. He had a large nose horn and two bull-like horns sticking out of the side of his head, giving him intimidating disposition. Resting on his forehead, above his icy blue eyes, were blue rimmed, rectangular goggles with a black, rubber strap that reached behind his helmeted head. They stood out especially because they weren't part of the Digimon species' usual attire. Behind his head, a massive broadsword, called the Ryūgonken, rested on small, stylized rack that protruded from the back of his chest armour. The gold-rimmed sword was as nearly as tall as he was. It trembled slightly as he stood up straight, when the doors opened successfully.
KaiserGreymon was a member of the Warrior Ten. The Warrior Ten were a group of ten warriors and companions who happened across - or were chosen to receive – amazing elemental power from the Spirits, relics from times long passed. These powers governed the Ten elements: Flame, Light, Steel, Earth, Wood, Thunder, Water, Ice, Wind, and Darkness. Each member of the Warrior Ten possessed one of these elements. Each member also possessed an Ancient form that they and they alone had access to. KaiserGreymon was the Warrior of Flame. He also had the Ancient form of AncientGreymon, however, being a giant dragon, that form was quite big, so he typically used his smaller KaiserGreymon form for convenience.
The Warrior Ten were a team of adventuring heroes. And this keep was their base. It served as a central headquarters and meeting place, as well as a place to sleep, among other things. The Ten didn't always inhabit it, since they often travelled the world, doing missions and jobs helping others or the Digital World as a whole. Sometimes, they even just did things of their own interests. This base resided in the center of the northern half of the gigantic continent that they lived on.
He walked into the keep and closed the doors behind him. Upon hearing the clicking sound of the doors relocking, he walked down a short, stone corridor to a wider room.
The room was a simple, medium-sized foyer. There was a wool rug laid out across the floor and, for furniture, there were only a few items, namely places to sit. There were a few chairs and a large couch against the walls. Opposite to the door KaiserGreymon that entered through was another door leading to another room, as did the door on the left hand wall.
"Hullo?!" he called out in an accented voice. "I'm back! Is anybody here?!"
KaiserGreymon didn't get a reply, prompting him to fold his arms and frown. He walked through the foyer and straight into the room in front of him– the dining room. In the center of the room was a large, rectangular, wooden table with many seats around it, and little else aside from two cabinets.
Occupying one of these seats was a lean, athletic, white wolf man. The digimon sat at the table, ignoring KaiserGreymon's presence as he buried his snout further into the book he was reading.
The canine digimon was clad in splendid white plate armour in the form of leggings, loin guard, breastplate, and bracers. They had a gold lining and a pale violet colour scheme to go along with the white. His shoulder armour was particularly complex, with a paw-like design on both sides and a small wheel protruding from under each one. To this day, KaiserGreymon didn't know what purpose the wheels had. Under his armour, the wolf digimon wore a white suit underneath his armour
KaiserGreymon, however, noticed that he wasn't wearing the helmet that went along with the armour set. Instead, he could see his canine-head, complete with his white fur that had a pale bluish tint that was typical of the Garurumon species. AncientGarururmon's back was facing KaiserGreymon, giving the dragon a view of the blonde hair that hung down from the back of his head. AncientGarurumon's red eyes didn't even look over, they just went back and forth as they read the digiletters inscribed on the book in his black-gloved hands.
This was AncientGarurumon, the Warrior of Light. He typically used his AncientGarurumon form as his primary form, as it was small and not nearly as large and cumbersome as KaiserGreymon's AncientGreymon form.
KaiserGreymon sneered and folded his arms, walking into the dining room and up to AncientGarurumon's side with an air of irritation.
"What's the blazing hell's the big idea, mutt?!" KaiserGreymon demanded.
AncientGarurumon took on an exasperated face and glanced over his shoulder, out of the corners of his red eyes. "You tell me."
The dragon let out an indignant 'hmph'. "For one thing, I called out and you were only in the other room; the least you could have done was replied. I know you're anti-social, but we've known each other for years now!" he explained.
"I was trying to read," AncientGarurumon replied flatly. "Is that all, KaiserGreymon?"
"No, actually," the Digimon in question responded. "I- ...Why are you in your armour if all you're doing is reading?" he asked, raising his eyebrow curiously.
AncientGarurumon rolled his eyes. "It's laundry day..." He turned to look at the dragon more fully. "And yourself?"
"I came from the town," KaiserGreymon replied, grunting. "Checking around for the latest gossip."
"That sounds like you," AncientGarurumon quipped, turning back to his book.
"For jobs!" the Warrior of Flame replied defensively. "I was trying to see if I could find out if anybody needed anything doing or if there were any rumour of bandits somewhere. We haven't received any requests in the mail lately, but you probably haven't noticed, have you? Am I the only one who cares about making an income here? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one of the Ten who isn't a complete layabout."
AncientGarurumon glanced at him. "You just care about the action and satisfying your own incorrigible compulsion of acting the hero," he muttered.
"What was that?" KaiserGreymon asked with a glare.
The white wolf Digimon closed his eyes and sighed with irritation. "What do you want, KaiserGreymon? Get to the point."
"Fine. Alright, then. I will," the dragon knight replied curtly. "I was going to ask you to help me with something, but now I'm not sure that I want to."
"Very well," the Warrior of Light nonchalantly replied, turning back to his book.
This made KaiserGreymon even more annoyed, evidenced by his look that suggested that he wanted to pull his blonde hair out. "Damn it, wolf! Do you want to help me with my problem or not?!" he asked impatiently.
"No."
"Grah! You're bloody impossible!" the dragon spouted, throwing his hands up in the air in resignation. "I'll ask somebody with a little more energy. Where's old man Wisemon?"
"Underground level. His lab," AncientGarurumon responded tersely, flipping the page of his book.
"Fine. Great. I'll go ask him then," the Warrior of Fire said, turning around and walking back out to the foyer.
Once in the foyer, he took a right and walked through the other doorway, into a room much larger than the foyer and a bit larger than the dining room. While the foyer had some places to sit, this was the proper living room. It contained several couches and chairs, a desk, a bookshelf, and a coffee table between a couch and some of the seats. The center of the room was open and spacious, and off to the side was a fireplace.
KaiserGreymon walked through the open part of the living room to two set of stairs on the opposite side of the room. One set of stairs, the one along the side of the far wall, went up to the ramparts of the bastion, while the other, the enclosed set of stairs leading away from the living room, went down to the underground level. He walked over and went down the set that led underground.
He emerged in a torch-lit hallway, and his scales tingled slightly at the cooler air. It smelled slightly dank and musty down in the underground level, but KaiserGreymon didn't really mind. He passed a torch, raising his hand as he did so. The fire dancing around the torch suddenly leapt off of it, following KaiserGreymon's palm onto the next torch, which wasn't lit. All ten of the Legendary Warrior Ten had control over their respective elements; as a result, KaiserGreymon had control over fire and heat. In his AncientGreymon form, he also had a basic control of earth, stemming from his abilities, in the same way that AncientGarurumon had a basic control of ice.
He stopped in front of the second door on the right and knocked forcefully.
"Wisemon? You in here?" he called out in his deep, resounding voice.
"I am quite predisposed at the moment!" a stuffy, articulate voice called back.
"I'm coming in," KaiserGreymon warned him, turning the knob and pushing the door open.
He stepped into the room warily; bad things had a habit of happening to him in here. Scattered around the room were tables loaded with scientific equipment. It was a total mess. Everywhere, there were vials, flasks and bottles, some empty, some filled with liquids, gases, or data. On the tables were metals, rocks, ores, calipers, papers, journals, quills, glass cases and many scientific devices of different sorts that look like they were pieced together by scratch. Several peaches – some fresh, some devoured except for the pits – littered the tables as well. On the other side of the lab, there was a big chalk board overloaded with formulas and equations that looked basically like a foreign language to KaiserGreymon. As this was a lab, KaiserGreymon had decreed that the room had to be ventilated so that the smell of Wisemon's experiments or noxious fumes didn't fill the entire keep
On the only clear table was a massive tome of a book, half the height of KaiserGreymon when it was standing upright. KaiserGreymon saw a familiar figure bent over it, scribbling in it at an uncanny speed for someone who KaiserGreymon referred to as an 'old man'. The humanoid figure was cloaked from head to toe. From his shoulders to his feet, he wore a dark red, worn down, baggy robe, tied around his waist by a single belt. Over his head and shoulders was a light beige hood that completely concealed his appearance. Out of his back were two, small, wing-like features which seemed a bit scruffy. In his black, demonic hand, the Wisemon jotted down notes with a feather quill like it was going out of style. Wisemon – the Warrior of Steel – used that form instead of his AncientWisemon form. KaiserGreymon supposed he liked having legs and not having a mirror for a body all the time.
"Hey. Wisemon," KaiserGreymon called out as he walked inside further.
Wisemon turned around, revealing to the dragon not a face, but two bright yellow eyes under the dark shroud of the hood. "Ah, CyberGreymon!" he announced, blissfully unaware that he got KaiserGreymon's name wrong again – though KaiserGreymon still thought that he might just be doing it on purpose and using his lack of memory as an excuse.
Wisemon dropped the quill, grabbed something, and ran over to KaiserGreymon with the speed of an energetic teenager. "Be a dear and hold this flagon for me!" he said, whimsically shoving a vial into KaiserGreymon's hands before he could reject.
KaiserGreymon's eye twitched with annoyance. "For the last time, it's 'KaiserGreymon', crazy, old geezer..." he spoke lowly.
Wisemon folded his arms and closed his eyes huffily. "Why, that's what I said! 'KaiserRollmon'!" he replied, speaking as though he completely in the right.
"I AM NOT A BREAD ROLL!" KaiserGreymon shouted indignantly.
"Settle down, you'll spill my experiment!" Wisemon replied flippantly as he went over to one of the tables and started slowly extracting some blue liquid into a flask of red liquid, turning the solution a dark green colour. "Now, what is it that you want? Is it time for Koricuckoomon's scrumptious vittles already?"
"No," KaiserGreymon responded, looking blandly at the scientist. "I need your help with something."
"As you can see, I'm rather engrossed. I refuse to be pulled away for trivial matters while I'm on the verge of a world-changing, scientific breakthrough!" Wisemon announced dramatically.
"You consider everything but eating trivial?" the Warrior of Flame asked, folding his arms.
"Food is sustenance for the mind," the old digimon replied, placing a hand on his hip as he summoned an orb in his other hand and placed the vial of green liquid inside of it. "However, by that logic, you should be a genius as well. I suppose it can't work miracles."
KaiserGreymon growled, sneering at him. "...A world-changing breakthrough. Are you sure that it's not a refined recipe for a peach cobbler or something?" he asked sarcastically.
Wisemon looked at him and blinked. "You knew? Perhaps you're not as stupid as you appear."
KaiserGreymon stared at him incredulously.
He turned and placed the vial he was meant to hold on the table next to him. "You know what? Never mind. I don't know why I bothered," he muttered, turning and walking out of the laboratory.
"Alert me posthaste when the victuals are prepared!" Wisemon called out as KaiserGreymon closed the door behind him.
"Blazing hell..." the dragon man muttered, rubbing his goggled forehead and sighing. "Maybe I'll try PileVolcamon next. He's way more willing to help than those two..."
As if on cue, he perked up at a familiar sound coming from further down the hall. It was the sound of metal hitting metal. KaiserGreymon always did find that sound satisfying.
He walked down the hall and made a left turn down a corridor. He stopped in front of a doorway and knocked hard, making sure they weren't in sync with the striking sounds, to announce his presence. KaiserGreymon walked in and felt a wave of heat against his body.
The room had been built into a forge. Fire and sparks illuminated the dimly lit area and the whole place had an uncanny atmosphere that blended earthy with industrial. All the necessities for a good blacksmith were there for the smith's disposal. There was a giant hearth connected to a chimney, which sent plumes of ash and fire upwards. There were also things like anvils, metal desks, tongs, fullers, a slack tub, and other such materials needed for smithing. On some tables in the room were weapons and armour, divided based on type and whether or not they were finished. There were several finished weapons and armour hanging from the wall for display.
A humanoid figure clad in black armour was bent over an anvil, a hammer in one hand and a red hot blade in the other. He was a muscular fellow, as muscular as KaiserGreymon was. He had to be to be a good blacksmith. Against the glow of the hearth, the drill-like spikes on his shoulders gleamed, as did the red lining of the black armour over his body. There was a white scarf wrapped around his neck which draped behind him, resting between the two miniature volcanoes on his back. Around his waist was a large, gold wrestling belt, which seemed to suit his build. The part of clothing that wasn't part of his form was the long, thick, heat-resistant leather apron that he wore over his front to protect him from burns.
He hammered the sword rhythmically and methodically, beating it with the utmost precision. After a few seconds, he stopped and wiped the sweat off of his masked forehead, just below the single horn on his head. His yellow eyes looked over, noticing KaiserGreymon, and the PileVolcamon turned to him with a warm smile. It was a rare smile – one that always seemed to give off a sense of reassurance and empathy. "KaiserGreymon," he greeted.
"Hullo, PileVolcamon," KaiserGreymon responded, walking into the forge, curious to see what he was working on today.
PileVolcamon was the Warrior of Earth. Like several others of the Warrior Ten, he used a lower form in casual times. In his case, he used his PileVolcamon form instead of his large, lumbering AncientVolcamon form. As a PileVolcamon, he also retained his good looks, which might not necessarily be the case for when he was AncientVolcamon. He was also a former blacksmith, and he still serviced the Warrior Ten's weapons and armour for them, along with creating new ones, from time to time. Most of the new equipment he made he put up for sale in the town on the other side of the forest.
"How are you?" PileVolcamon asked curiously, with a calm, deep voice.
"Oh, you know me. I'm fine," KaiserGreymon replied. "I've actually come because I could use your help with something."
"My help?" the humanoid digimon asked, temporarily turning back to his sword and hammering it again. "What do you need help with? It's unlike you to ask anybody."
"Yeah, well, it's no big deal, really. I just-"
"Sorry to interrupt, but do you think you can ignite the hearth a bit more?" PileVolcamon asked, looking between him and the flames. "I'm in the middle of forging this sword and the flames are starting to go out."
"Oh, right. Sure," KaiserGreymon said, walking to the hearth and raising his hand, using his flame manipulation abilities to intensify the embers once again. The fire blazed and sparked with glowing traces of ash.
"Thank you..." the Warrior of Earth said with a soft nod. "Pardon me. What were you saying?"
"Well, there was this guy in town who needed some help," the dragon explained. "I offered to help, but he needs two pairs of hands, he says. So, I volunteered myself and one other person."
"You mean one of us," PileVolcamon replied, glancing over from his work.
"More or less, yeah," KaiserGreymon confirmed sheepishly. "So, can you help?"
"Sorry, KaiserGreymon," PileVolcamon responded apologetically. "I would, but I just started forging this sword. Smithing is a meticulous process that needs continuous attention, so I can't stop now. The metal is still hot, and you know the saying."
"Damn..." KaiserGreymon muttered. "Alright. I understand."
"Why not ask Shurimon or AtlurKabuterimon?" the blacksmith suggested.
"Yeah. I might just try that. Do you know where they are?"
"I don't know. Somewhere in the keep, at least. Maybe try communications room or their bedrooms."
KaiserGreymon nodded. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Have fun with the forging."
"Sorry I couldn't be of more help," PileVolcamon told him, turning back to the sword and placing it back into the hearth for further heating.
The Warrior of Flames walked out of the forge and went back to the point where the four corridors intersected. He turned left and walked down the hallway that led away from the stairs. He walked down the long, torch-lit corridor, passing three sets of doors until he stopped in front of an open one. Upon stopping, he could see that an unnatural light shone out from inside the room. The dragon man placed his hands on both sides of the stone door frame and peered in.
The thing that produced the light was a huge, mostly flat screen fixed to the right side wall. Below it was a long desk with a keyboard, which was loaded with numbers and the letters of the Digimon alphabet on its keys. On the far side of the desk was a huge, unsightly machine with many wires and buttons all over it. The computer was opened up, revealing the circuits and parts within.
Green hands daintily navigated their way through the wires. They belonged to a lean, lanky humanoid Digimon, who stood with his back to KaiserGreymon. His arms and legs were that of coiled, green vines, spiralling like helices. At the ends of the limbs were flexible, three-pronged digits, which were the same between his hands and feet. The light from the computer monitor was reflected off of the large leaves covering the Shurimon's shoulders. He was otherwise covered in white fabric – that of ninja clothes – from head to knees. The ninja's other unique accessories were the two belts around his skinny waist, the cloth mask over his shadowy face, and the red plume protruding from the back of his ninja headband.
Shurimon was the Warrior of Wood – the wielder of the giant, horse-like form of AncientTroiamon. While Wisemon was a scientist and PileVolcamon a blacksmith, Shurimon was the resident strategist and technician, both skills that he picked up from his previous ninja training.
Nearby was a much larger figure, sitting on the floor cross-legged. This digimon was a large, sapphire blue insect – more specifically, a beetle. He was covered in a sturdy, blue exoskeleton, and on his back was a huge shell of the same colour. At the center of the top of the shell, right behind his head, was a large, jewel-like orb that shimmered against the monitor's light. His whole appearance was fearsome and uncomely, with his four, clawed arms, his eyeless face, his gaping mouth, and his axe-like nose horn. Yet, at the same time, something about his manner was disarming.
This blue AtlurKabuterimon was the Warrior of Thunder, and, again, he opted not to use his much more bulky AncientBeetlemon form.
KaiserGreymon eyed AtlurKabuterimon curiously. He noticed that there was a slim, metal wire tied around his nose horn, connecting him to the computer that Shurimon was working on. The dragon also noted that the insect digimon wasn't in his usual Blitzmon form; he usually only used his AtlurKabuterimon form when he was travelling, exploring or needing to fly long distances or something, tending to prefer his Blitzmon form in more relaxed settings.
At the same time, AtlurKabuterimon had a paper pad on his lap and a quill in his hand, which he used to draw on when not looking over at Shurimon every so often.
"Shurimon?" KaiserGreymon asked, walking into the room. "Atlur?"
Shurimon stood up straight with surprise and spun around quickly. "K-K-KaiserGreymon!" he exclaimed.
"Hey, Kaiser," AtlurKabuterimon said with a wide grin. He turned to Shurimon and chuckled good-humouredly. "I don't think it's great that the ninja's the one getting surprised here, Shurimon."
Shurimon blushed and scratched his cheek sheepishly. "S-Sorry," he murmured meekly, in an embarrassed tone. "I was concentrating..."
AtlurKabuterimon laughed. "Relax. I'm just kidding."
KaiserGreymon grinned and folded his arms. "As usual," he said. "What are you two doing? It's a bit dark to be drawing one of your comic books, isn't it, Atlur?"
"I don't have eyes, remember?" AtlurKabuterimon replied, grinning. "It doesn't matter how dark it is when I have my electroreception! How else do ya think I can see? And I'm not drawing one of my comic books."
"AtlurKabuterimon is helping me map out the c-c-computer using his electroreception and photographic memory while I reconfigure it," Shurimon spoke up, a little louder than his timid voice before. "I'm also using him as a power source so I can test these connections and make sure that there aren't any changes to our connections with the Digital World's data streams, which let us transmit information."
"Err... Sure. Alright then," he said dismissively. "Electroreception... photographic memory... I always said you were weird, Atlur," KaiserGreymon teased.
AtlurKabuterimon folded his four arms. "Hey, I'm just quirky," he said huffily. He then remembered he still had a quill in one of his four hands and looked down. "Aww! I got ink all over myself!"
KaiserGreymon laughed and walked in, heading towards the computer. "Reconfiguring it? Want any more help?" he offered.
Shurimon's eyes widened and he suddenly spun around to face KaiserGreymon again, backing up towards the computer as if to protect it. "U-U-U-Um!" he stammered, grimacing with a torn expression on his face. He didn't want to be rude, but he also didn't need a photographic memory to remember all the times that KaiserGreymon has screwed up the computer either in a moment of frustration, while trying to help, or simply by doing something like spilling tea on it. The Warrior of Wood looked at AtlurKabuterimon for help.
AtlurKabuterimon stood up as well. "Heh. Hey, Kaiser," he said in a carefree, joking voice. "We're trying to reconfigure it, not completely demolish it, get electrocuted, and then set the remains on fire," he explained, sticking his tongue out.
KaiserGreymon stopped and leered at him out of the corners of his eyes. "I never did anything that bad," he said defensively.
"Heh, nevertheless!"
"Alwaystheless!" KaiserGreymon countered, frowning.
"I d-d-don't think that's a word, KaiserGreymon..." Shurimon meekly suggested, though he didn't want to incur the dragon's ire so he slinked closer to AtlurKabuterimon, who just laughed.
KaiserGreymon grunted and folded his arms. "Right. Sure. Anyways..." he muttered quickly. "I did come to ask if you two could help me out with something, but I guess you're both busy as well, are you?"
Shurimon looked down at the floor guiltily. "Um... W-Well..." he mumbled.
"That's Shurimon for 'Sorry, but, yeah, we're busy'," the big, blue beetle digimon said with a smirk.
"Rgh. Everybody keeps blowing me off," KaiserGreymon said with a frustrated frown.
"I would be happy to help afterwards," Shurimon offered, not wanting to seem like he wasn't willing to help."
"No, it's alright, Shurimon," KaiserGreymon responded reassuringly. "I'm sure one of the other four are free."
"If you're sure..."
"The problem is he's always sure," AtlurKabuterimon added, as he tried to wipe the ink off his shell.
"And you've always got a wisecrack, you," KaiserGreymon told him. "Anyways, maybe I'll try AncientIrismon next."
At the mention of her name, AtlurKabuterimon suddenly perked up and got to his feet. "Can I come?!" he asked hopefully.
"A-AtlurKabuterimon..." Shurimon spoke, trying to remind him that he said he would help.
"I thought you were supposed to be busy," the Warrior of Fire said, placing his hands on his hips and looking at the insect digimon with a scrutinizing look.
The Warrior of Thunder laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, uh... but... um... I need a lunch break!"
"I was under the impression you already ate lunch..." the ninja digimon said uncertainly.
KaiserGreymon looked at AtlurKabuterimon accusingly. "Besides, you're supposed to be eating healthier and exercising. You know you're out of shape, and it shows in your Blitzmon form."
"H-Hey! I'm not fat!" AtlurKabuterimon replied defensively.
"No, but you're not fit either."
"I'm adorably squishy," AtlurKabuerimon countered, huffing a bit.
The dragon man smirked. "Right. Sure. Just keep in mind, women prefer athletic men," he said knowingly.
The Warrior of Thunder folded his arms and blushed a little. "Shouldn't you be finding the others now?"
KaiserGreymon chuckled a bit and nodded. "Later then. Good luck with whatever you're doing," he told them.
"Thank you. You too," Shurimon told KaiserGreymon as he turned around.
"Women prefer athletic men," AtlurKabuterimon mumbled. "I don't see him with a girlfriend."
"What was that?" KaiserGreymon asked calmly, glancing behind him at the bug digimon.
"Your goggles look nice!" AtlurKabuterimon quickly sputtered, smiling nervously.
KaiserGreymon glanced up and shook his head. He walked out of the room and took a hard left. To the right, down at the end of the corridor and down a left corridor, were the dungeons that had been there since before the Warrior Ten moved in and renovated the old keep. They were currently empty, but they remained there just in case. On the opposite end of the corridor were the stairs that led back up to the main level. That was where KaiserGreymon walked.
Upon reaching the end of the corridor, he turned left and trekked up the stone stairway, remerging in the living room. The dragon stopped dead in his tracks. He turned his head to the side and sniffed. The delicious aroma of food wafted into his adept nostrils. His stomach growled and he could feel his mouth beginning to water. He was drawn towards the scent.
He walked from the living room into the recreation room through the second door on the left wall. The room was about half the size of the living room, and had things like couches, a table, a foosball table, a chess board, a majong board, and darts, among other things. Though it wasn't exactly extravagant, looking at the room could make one forget that the place used to be a military keep.
KaiserGreymon however walked straight through into the dining room, where AncientGarurumon was still reading his book. The dragon man ignored him and walked into the kitchen, where the scent was strongest. The sounds of sizzling and the sight of steam greeted KaiserGreymon as he entered the kitchen.
In the kitchen, a marble counter stretched across most of the far and right walls, leaving only gaps for the oven and the door that led out into the hallway. Standing in front of the oven and the fiery stove top was a large, hulking figure. Between him and KaiserGreymon was a large island in the center of the kitchen, also topped with marble.
KaiserGreymon looked at the muscle-bound mountain of the digimon, who stood over a frying pan. He stood with his white, furry back facing the dragon. This snow-white fur covered the bipedal polar bear's whole body. He had strong, muscular hands and equally large feet. He raised one hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, which had two bull-like horns sticking out from it. The horns were the same colour as the tough plating over his chest and shoulders. He also had long, white, braided hair hanging down his back. Each individual braid was bound with red tape and ended with a sharp arrowhead. Discarded on the counter were his red and green arm bracers, which had the symbol of Ice on the green parts.
Korikakumon was the Warrior of Ice, after all. His higher form was the huge AncientMegatheriumon. He was also the resident chef, obvious from the chef's apron over his front, and he was a very good one at that.
"What's for lunch today, polar bear?" KaiserGreymon asked, walking into the kitchen and placing his hands on the island with a grin.
"Huh?" Korikakumon said aloud, turning and looking over his shoulder. "Oh, hey, dragon!" he said with a broad grin growing on his face.
"It smells amazing," KaiserGreymon said, walking to the taller, more muscular Digimon and peering over his shoulder to see what it is.
"Hey, back off. Knowing you, you'll try to eat it before it's ready," the Warrior of Ice said, nudging KaiserGreymon back with his elbow and smirking.
"It looks like a sauce," KaiserGreymon remarked, eyeing the frying pan.
"It is. It's for the fish I'm cooking. It's got shallots, tarragon, and chervil in it," Korikakumon explained.
"I don't know what those are, but I don't care," the dragon man replied, practically drooling.
Korikakumon laughed heartily and slapped KaiserGreymon's shoulder. "Don't worry. I made enough for your Greymon-sized appetite," he said. "By the way, did you come in just to gawk at the food here?"
"Oh... right." He cleared his throat sheepishly. "Well. I was going to ask you to help me with something, but it looks like you're busy too, aren't you?"
"Looks like it. Sorry, man," Korikakumon answered with a grin. "You know how Wisemon gets when he's hungry."
"Yeah... I know, alright," he said with an exasperated sigh. "This is getting frustrating though. You're the sixth one of the ten that I've asked who's blown me off!"
"Blown you off?" Korikakumon asked, grinning immaturely and wriggling his eyebrows.
"...I expected to hear that kind of joke from Atlur," KaiserGreymon said, half-annoyed and half-grinning.
Korikakumon laughed. "Well, who haven't you asked?"
"AncientIrismon, AncientMermaimon, and Anubismon," KaiserGreymon replied.
The polar bear digimon scratched his chin. "I'm pretty sure that Anubismon is in the caves, and AncientMermai—"
"Did I hear my name?" an upbeat, female voice chimed from behind them.
They both turned towards the door that KaiserGreymon had walked through.
Standing there, in the doorway, was a beautiful young woman. Although she was supposed to be a mermaid Digimon, on land, instead of using a fish-like lower body, she had slender, human-like legs. She reserved her fish-like lower body for when she was in the water, allowing for more efficient swimming.
Over her humanoid body, she wore a tight, light blue suit which reached down her arms and legs, and up to her collar. She wore beautiful, multi-coloured scale armour over her hips, waist, shoulders, wrists, and hands, which sparkled and glistened. She also wore a blue helmet that covered the top half of her face and head. The armour had several fin-like protrusions at the waist and wrists, but the most noticeable ones were the fins that came out of her back, looking almost big enough to be wings. Also against her back was her long, silvery-white hair that flowed down like waves. AncientMermaidmon was a well-endowed young woman, and she was confident enough to flaunt that fact, as evidenced by the fact that her suit didn't completely cover her upper chest or her midriff; it just covered enough to be sexy but not indecent.
AncientMermaidmon was the Warrior of Water, and, like AncientGarurumon, she was able to use her Ancient form without worrying about size or anything.
"Weell?" she asked in a coy tone. She folded her arms across her chest and looked at Korikakumon. "Spill, Kori. And remember, I've known how to get things outta you ever since we were kids."
"Funny, I only remember you getting me into things... namely trouble," he responded, although still smiling.
"I was looking for you," KaiserGreymon told her.
"You were?" AncientMermaidmon asked. She then beamed. "Oh, cool. You can help me out with something!"
"What?!" KaiserGreymon retorted. "I need your help with something!"
"Too bad. I asked you first," the mermaid Digimon responded, sticking her tongue out at him.
"I made a commitment already!" KaiserGreymon explained, folding his arms.
"Damn. Too bad," AncientMermaidmon said with a frown. A smile then grew on her face. "Oh well! I guess I'll have to do it by myself. I'll be back around sunset, Kori, so save some food for me and make sure the dragon here doesn't eat it all."
"Uh, okay, Mer," Korikakumon said hesitantly. He turned to KaiserGreymon to see what he would do.
KaiserGreymon was about to open his mouth, but before he could spread his lips, AncientMermaidmon swung around.
"Okay! See ya later, guys!" she chirped, dashing out of the room and through the dining room.
KaiserGreymon started after her. "Hey! Wait! I need your help with—" Before he could finish his sentence, the Warrior of Water was already out of sight. "...something," he murmured, sighing with frustration.
"Well... there's always AncientIrismon and Anubismon," Korikakumon said with a bellowing laugh.
"I think I'll start with AncientIrismon," the Warrior of Flame said. "Do you know where she is?"
"Uh, not too sure, actually," the polar bear Digimon admitted. "Maybe try her room? I mean, it's nearly around Kite's feeding time, right?"
"That's true," KaiserGreymon said. "Right, I'll check there, then." He made to leave. "Put aside some of that fish for me in case I actually end up finding somebody who will help me, won't you, mate?"
"Sure thing, Kaiser. Good luck," he added in a teasing voice.
KaiserGreymon grunted and walked back into the dining room. AncientGarurumon was still sitting there, in the middle of turning one of the pages of his book. From this angle, he could see the cover of the worn-out book, which was titled, 'The Song of Paladin Mode".
"Still no luck?" AncientGarurumon asked in a way that suggested he already knew the answer. Despite the question, he hadn't once looked up from his book.
"What do you care, mutt?" KaiserGreymon retorted, annoyed at the question and the fact that he knew that – despite not outwardly showing it – AncientGarurumon was getting satisfaction from his troubles.
"I don't," AncientGarurumon responded simply, his red eyes still scanning the page in front of him.
"Good. Keep that wet nose of yours buried in that book," KaiserGreymon told him, sneering with frustration.
"I plan to, lizard."
"Good!"
With that utterance, KaiserGreymon quickly made his way out of the dining room before he could find himself getting into another argument with AncientGarurumon. He walked straight across the recreation room towards the left side of the keep. He walked through a doorway and found himself in a reverse-L-shaped hallway. The doorway to his left led back into the living room, and the doorway located across from the one he stood in led into the war room, which remained from before they refurbished the keep.
Instead, KaiserGreymon turned right, walking to the corner of the 'L', where it became a right angle. To his left, the hallway extended down to two sets of stairs, which led up to the keep's ramparts. However, the stairs he wanted were located to the right of him, right beside the somewhat out-of-place looking wall. They were built into the wall and went straight, leading upwards to the second floor, where the bedrooms were located.
He walked up the stone steps, the rattling of his armour echoing up the thin corridor with every new stair that the climbed. He reached the top of the stairs and stepped into the main hallway. In total, there were ten bedrooms plus about five guest rooms. It was rare that they needed more than that, as they didn't house an army. At the most, there were several friends or visitors staying at them, so it wasn't often that fifteen bedrooms wasn't enough. In addition, there were also two bathrooms on the second level.
KaiserGreymon walked past his room along with several other bedrooms before stopping in front of AncientIrismon's. He reached for the door, but then stopped, remembering some of the more unfortunate times that he walked into a woman's room unannounced. Thinking better of it, KaiserGreymon knocked on the wooden door to be on the safe side.
"Come in," a female voice replied softly yet firmly.
KaiserGreymon opened the door and stepped inside.
The room was like the rest of the bedrooms in terms of furnishings, although they differed in the actual arrangement and the personal touches. There was a large bed, a wooden dresser by the wall, a desk with a chair in front of it, and a closet. Sun flowed into the room through the open window, as did the soft mountain breeze.
Sitting on the bed was a slender, humanoid woman. Her fair skin was clad in a white, tight, aerodynamic suit that covered her chest, torso, and arms, although it left gaps here and there for her skin. Around her waist hung a white cloth with green lining, looking as pristinely clean as the rest of her outfit. Much like the suit, she wore tall, white boots which doubled as stockings. The boots had the same golden wing ornamentation as her broad, multi-coloured shoulder armour. Her masked face looked over at KaiserGreymon, the wind blowing into the room breezing through her hair, which was like a subtle rainbow, starting with red at the base and going through the spectrum until it ended at the violet tips. As her blue eyes observed KaiserGreymon, she stood up from her bed, holding herself with dignity.
This was AncientIrismon, the Warrior of Wind.
Nearby, a gold hawk flew over and landed on AncientIrismon's hand, cocking his head and eyeing KaiserGreymon guardedly. Kite was the hawk's name, and he remained with AncientIrismon from her previous Valkyrimon form.
"It's just me," KaiserGreymon spoke, stopping after a few steps into the room.
"Ah. KaiserGreymon," AncientIrismon replied succinctly, annunciating every word with careful, elegant precision. "What is it?"
"Oh, you know me; not very much," KaiserGreymon replied evasively.
"Yes, I do know you, and it is almost always 'very much'," AncientIrismon spoke, raising her hand so that Kite could transfer himself onto her shoulder.
"Shall I get to the point then?" he proposed.
"Please. If you would."
"Right. Well. I need help with something," KaiserGreymon implored.
"Oh..." she replied. "Is it important?"
"Well, not really, but-"
"Then I'm sorry, KaiserGreymon. I can't help you," she responded, although she didn't sound overly apologetic in her composed tone of voice.
"What?! Why not?!" KaiserGreymon protested, unable to believe that eight out of the nine others were unable to help him. "Don't tell me it's going to take you an hour to feed Kite there."
The red-eyed hawk looked over at the mention of his name and screeched at KaiserGreymon in response.
"No, he's finished eating. However, I have made a prior engagement," she explained.
"What? With who?" KaiserGreymon asked, frowning.
"AncientGarurumon," AncientIrismon told him. "He asked me about ten minutes ago to help him with something.
KaiserGreymon fumed with smoke and he looked like he was ready to explode. "That... That... mutt! He did that on purpose! I know he did!" he shouted.
"Settle down, KaiserGreymon," the Warrior of Wind ordered him firmly.
The dragon sneered and folded his arms. "Can't you ditch him and help me instead?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, but I can't break my word," she replied, sitting back down.
"You and your word," KaiserGreymon scoffed. With a slight growl, he turned around. "Alright. Fine. Maybe I'll have better luck with Anubismon, though I certainly doubt it!"
"I believe he's in the cave network," AncientIrismon informed him.
"Yeah," the Warrior of Flame spoke as he walked down the hallway.
Back the way he came, he turned down the set of stairs and emerged back into the first floor hallway. However, instead of turning left or going straight, which would have taken him down one of the corridors, he turned left, towards the corner. He shifted and faced the stone wall right beside the stairs. At first glance, one would have raised an eyebrow at the action. However, KaiserGreymon raised his hand and placed it on one of the torch sconces. He then started turning the torch and several clicking sounds echoed from in front of him. With a forceful push, KaiserGreymon slowly pushed the stone wall forwards, like opening the door. In fact, it was a secret passage that they had discovered by accident when they moved into the keep. It seemed it had been made as an escape route that led to a cave network – both naturally and Digimon-made – in the mountains behind the keep, if ever the keep was overrun by enemies.
The corridor was totally dark. Normally, one would take the torch they had used to open the passage way, but KaiserGreymon just ignited a fireball in his hand and walked forwards after closing the secret door behind him. He turned left upon reaching a corner and walked down a set of stairs, and then turned and walked down some more stairs. He knew he was now on the basement level, as he could see where a separate corridor leading from the basement met with the one he was in and converged into a single passage. He turned right and walked down it, passing under what he knew was the wall. Finally, the confined space became a little more open, and the echo of his footsteps reverberated more. He could hear a trickle nearby and he smelled the undeniable smell of caves.
He was now in the cave network. KaiserGreymon was very familiar with these caves, as he was the first member of the Ten to explore them. He also often came in here. While he preferred caves high in mountains, he didn't mind these ones. There was the fact that one particular branch of the caves led down, deep into the earth where there was a magma chamber. In fact, it was the deep, subterranean magma chambers that provided geothermal heating for the keep. It took a team effort of PileVolcamon and KaiserGreymon to construct the passages for the heat to flow, but it was Shurimon's technological ingenuity that let them harness it as a way to heat their water supply.
KaiserGreymon often went to one of the magma chambers to meditate and hone his skills as the Warrior of Flame. Likewise, that's what he assumed Anubismon was doing in these dark caves: honing his darkness abilities.
"Hey, Anubismon!" KaiserGreymon called out, his voice echoing intrusively.
"Yes?" a low, somewhat gravelly voice suddenly said from behind KaiserGreymon.
KaiserGreymon jerked around suddenly, startled, and grabbed the dark figure by the neck on instinct, pulling his other fist back as he made ready to punch him. Luckily, he knew better and stopped before he could swing his arm, seeing a pale violet-furred, canine face looking at him unflinchingly.
He let go and sighed. "Bloody hell, Anubismon! I told you not to do that! I could have knocked your head clean off your shoulders!" he chastised him.
"Okay...?" Anubismon spoke calmly, although blinking once, looking slightly confused at what KaiserGreymon was angry at him for.
KaiserGreymon reignited the flame in his palm, casting light over the Digimon. Anubismon was a dark, lanky, humanoid jackal Digimon. Two beige-feathered wings sprouted out of his back and long, black hair fell from his canine head, tied together by red bands at certain points. He had very thick forearms which were much thicker than his biceps, and he had markings and bracelets accessorizing his arms. They seemed like ceremonial dress, much like the ornamentation over his collar and the light beige robes he wore for pants from the waist down.
This was Anubismon, the Warrior of Darkness. This was the final member of the Warrior Ten and he held the form of AncientSphinxmon.
"What is it?" he asked KaiserGreymon, eyeing him studiously with his green eyes.
"Well, first of all, you shouldn't hole yourself up in these caves so much. It's bad for you and you're being as anti-social as AncientGarurumon," KaiserGreymon told him, folding his arms.
"I'm honing my powers," Anubismon explained, almost robotically.
"I think your powers must be pretty honed by now," the dragon answered.
"There's room for improvement," Anubismon quietly countered.
"Yeah, sure, but you need to do other things as well," KaiserGreymon explained.
"Like...?"
"Helping me, for instance!"
Anubismon looked at him for a few quiet moments, raising his eyebrow. "...Helping you? With?"
"Well, there's this guy in town who needs help moving this instrument he calls a harpsichord to the second floor of his house. I offered to help, but he needs a third person to help as well. Now, the weight isn't a problem, but it's big, awkward, delicate, and really expensive, so he won't let me touch it until there's a Digimon on each corner of the thing," KaiserGreymon explained. "I've asked the rest of the Ten, but they either wouldn't or couldn't. It would be a big favour to me."
"Why?" Anubismon asked simply. "It isn't your problem."
KaiserGreymon frowned and folded his arms. "I know it's not my problem, but I want to help. Simple as that. You don't have to have self-interest in order to help somebody else," he told him.
"You are not getting anything out of it?" Anubismon questioned methodically.
"Nope. Nothing but the satisfaction of knowing I did a good deed."
"So you are getting something out of it," the winged jackal Digimon concluded.
"No! I..." KaiserGreymon growled with exasperation. "That's not why I'm doing it. I just want to help the damn guy because he needed it! And I wish that somebody else around here did as well!"
"I see..." he spoke, although he seemed to be going through what KaiserGreymon said in his mind. "You are upset. That's why you want to help him," he suggested.
"What? No!" KaiserGreymon replied. "I was in a good mood when I offered to help him. I'm upset because nobody will help me."
Anubismon nodded tentatively, pensively and quietly looking at KaiserGreymon. "...You are a confusing Digimon, KaiserGreymon," he responded.
"You're the confusing one, Anubismon," KaiserGreymon said with a slight smirk. "So...? How about it, Anubismon? Will you help me out?"
Anubismon closed his eyes with thought. "...Very well..." he finally said.
KaiserGreymon smiled broadly and laughed, putting his arm around Anubismon's neck. "Hah hah! Brilliant! Great!" he proclaimed.
The Warrior of Darkness tensed up and grabbed KaiserGreymon's arm, trying to squirm out of his excited hold. "Re...lease me at once," he coughed, although his voice didn't reveal any irritation.
KaiserGreymon did so and he started walking through the caves. Anubismon followed him. The canine Digimon was quiet pretty much the entire time, except for when KaiserGreymon asked him direct questions, and even then, he didn't always respond.
KaiserGreymon walked up an inclined cavern, where a bit of light reflected off the cave walls. Soon, they found a set of stone stairs that had been carved into the cavern floor. They climbed up the stairs, towards the sound of rushing water. The sloshing of water became more turbulent the higher they climbed. As more and more light greeted them, their eyes slowly adjusted and they found themselves emerge from a cave hole hidden by the mountain's waterfall. The water poured down and mist sprayed everywhere, wetting the rocks of the cave entrance.
It was a useful place for a cave entrance, right behind the mighty waterfall. One would have to get right behind the waterfall in order to see that there was a cave there, which made it a useful, secret extension of the keep.
KaiserGreymon walked along a slim path that went along the cliff face and led them out from behind the waterfall. They stepped off the path and walked along the river to a small, arching bridge created by thick tree roots, which spanned the width of the river to connect the two sides. They crossed the thick river as the water below rushed from the waterfall. Once across, they walked over to a somewhat beaten path that led into the forest.
KaiserGreymon looked over his shoulder at Anubismon, who followed quietly. He grinned and the sun reflected off of the lens on his goggles. "You can handle a bit of heavy lifting, right?" he asked in jest.
Anubismon shrugged and quietly followed.
The dragon rolled his eyes. "This is going to be a long walk, isn't it?" he mumbled.
An hour later, KaiserGreymon and Anubismon returned home from their journey to the village.
KaiserGreymon had a severe expression on his face as he stormed out of the forest and towards the front entrance of the keep. Anubismon eyed him curiously, following the dragon silently nonetheless. In the last five minutes of their walk home, the rain had started to lightly fall from the dark clouds overhead. The droplets fell on Anubismon, but they evaporated into steam before they could get close to KaiserGreymon, who was releasing a strong aura of heat as he walked.
The Warrior of Flame blazed his way across the clearing and marched up to the front entrance, hammering the wet, numbered keys of the front door with his finger as he input his password. The door opened and he walked down the corridor to the foyer.
Once in the foyer, he looked through the doorway to the dining room in front of him. He could still see AncientGarurumon at the table. He was on the very last page of his book.
After several seconds, the Warrior of Light closed the book and stood up, turning around to see KaiserGreymon glaring at him. He also noted Anubismon's contour behind the enraged dragon.
"KaiserGreymon," AncientGarurumon said curtly. "Did you finish whatever you were going to do?"
KaiserGreymon let out a cry of frustration, his whole body flaring up with flames and smoke. With that, he turned and stormed into the living room to his left.
AncientGarurumon arched his eyebrow and walked into the foyer, turning to Anubismon. "What's wrong with him now?" he asked him.
Anubismon shrugged in puzzlement. "When we went to the town, apparently the Digimon that he wanted to help had already found two other Digimon to help him move the harpsichord since KaiserGreymon had taken so long to return," he explained. "I don't understand why he's like that; the person was helped in the end. That's what KaiserGreymon said he was concerned about earlier."
"Don't bother," AncientGarurumon responded flatly.
They looked into the living room, where they could see KaiserGreymon impatiently taking off his armour and heading upstairs to his room.
"It takes too much energy trying to understand what goes through that dragon's head..."