Part 1: A Prelude To War
It was just about noon, and the sun was slowly reaching its zenith. Wispy clouds hung in the sky, being moved ever so slightly by the gentle breeze. Gatomon stood atop the ramparts of the outer wall. She scanned the horizon, always watching for anything suspicious. In the short time that she had served, the wall guard had come to appreciate her sharp eyes. This, combined with her other strong senses, made her the perfect look out.
"Hey, Gatomon!"
The feline was snapped from her concentration and looked to the source of the of voice. Down below her, stood a PawnChessmon. Strapped to his back, was a heavy spiked mace. A piece of his chest armor was covered by a riveted plate, almost like a cloth patch. It was a repair done by the knight himself after he received an injury in battle. After that, the other soldiers had come to call him 'Patch'
Behind him stood a humanoid, dinosaur digimon, named Dinohyumon. She was tall, her body well defined, and muscular. She had smooth, scaled skin, colored light green. While her chest, abs, and face were a shade of off white. She wore light purple pants, with a yellow sash, marked with a pair of symbols. Strapped to her arms were a pair of fur bracers, each one attached with sharp blades. A large, cleaver-like blade was sheathed at her side. While a giant knife, as large as herself, was slung across her back.
Gatomon had met the pair not long after the chosen twelve had left for the abyssal gates. She initially met Patch completely by happenstance. When the little knight fell from a rampart, into a bail of hay. Right next to where Gatomon was standing. Gatomon would soon discover that this was an ordinary occurrence for him, as he was quite accident prone.
After the two became friends, Patch introduced her to Dinohyumon. She was a royal knight, serving on the wall just like her. The two found camaraderie, in that they were both wanderers, until coming to Nexus. Though she still had not known them for very long, she considered them good friends.
"Why don't you come join us for lunch!?" Patch asked with a wave.
Gatomon considered if for a moment, tempted by the offer. She had skipped breakfast that morning, but she didn't want to leave her post. Another of the lookouts on the wall could see her indecision and urged her to go.
"We can handle things while you're gone." he said. "We've survived quite some time without you, and twenty minutes or so won't make much difference."
Gatomon offered him a nod of thanks and leapt down from the rampart. She landed with a graceful flip just a few feet before Patch, and Dinohyumon.
"Hmph, show off." Dinohyumon smirked, crossing her arms.
"Have to keep up appearances don't you know." the cat purred jokingly.
Dinohyumon gave a nod. "That's a good point; can't disappoint your adoring fans."
"Alright, enough joking around you two." said Patch. "I'm starving."
The two champions shared a chuckle, before giving him a nod.
The three then headed down the nearest set of stairs, and to the ground floor. They didn't have to walk long, before coming to a gathering of soldiers. All lined up before a set of serving tables, laden with the day's meal. The trio quickly took their place in line, chatting idly while they waited.
"What's on the menu today?" Patch asked excitedly, as he grabbed his tray.
"Salisbury steak, with gravy, and potatoes." the Gladimon behind the counter answered. He quickly served the little knight and moved on to his friends.
As Patch began to walk to an open spot to sit, his foot caught on a loose stone. He screamed and went falling face forward, his tray flying into the air. Behind him, Gatomon reacted and grabbed him by the collar of his armor. Before gently catching his tray with her other paw. Patch breathed a sigh of relief, as Gatomon pulled him up.
"Thanks a bunch." he said with a little chuckle.
"Don't mention it." Gatomon replied, handing his tray back to him. "Try and be more careful won't you?"
"I think that's asking a bit too much." Dinohyumon joked, coming up behind her. Both, hers, and Gatomon's trays were held in her grip.
Patch, harrumphed, sticking his tongue out from beneath his helmet. His two friends rolled their eyes and headed off to sit on a nearby bench. The rookie wasted no time and quickly dug into his meal.
"It's sure been quiet around here lately." Dinohyumon commented, mouth half full. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Me neither." Gatomon agreed. "I just hope that things are okay in the human world. I'm worried about Ryudamon, and the others."
Patch wiped a bit of gravy from the lip of his helm. "Hey, they're the chosen twelve I'm sure they can handle anything!"
Dinohyumon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, even with just the stuff you've told us about them, they sound incredibly strong."
"I suppose you're right. I just can't help but worry." After a brief lull in the conversation, Gatomon quickly changed the subject to a more light-hearted matter.
Gallantmon and the remaining three generals sat in the hall of thrones. Alphamon had been put into intensive care since the digidestined had gone to the human world. He had drained much if his energy, and it would take some time for him to recover. Gallantmon was given command in his stead, much to her surprise, and Omnimon's displeasure.
The four were having a brief discussion, when the holo-projector beeped, indicating an incoming call. With a wave of Gallantmon's hand, a large display screen appeared above the projector. It flickered for a moment, before displaying the full body image of a digimon.
She had a lithe, but powerful frame, with long legs. Light and dark pink armor covered her entire body. Golden, blade-like ribbons, flowed from her shoulders, and waist. More gold decorated her chest plate. Her helm was falcon-like, with two sweeping wings on the side. The only weapon she carried, was a heavy golden shield. That was attached to her right arm and decorated with a shimmering blue gem.
"Crusadermon, reporting in." she said, giving a bow of greeting.
The other knights returned her greeting with bows of their own.
"What do you have to report?" Gallantmon asked. "Something good for a change, I hope."
"I can't tell if it's good, or bad." Crusadermon answered. "You see, just yesterday the enemy suddenly pulled back. A shameful display, really. At first, I simply thought the cowards were retreating in defeat." She paused, shaking her head. "But, it was far too sudden for that. I fear that they may be regrouping with reinforcements."
"Have you done any scouting since they retreated?"
Crusader gave a single nod. "Of course, but we haven't seen hide, nor hair of them."
Gallantmon leaned on the arm of her throne, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "That's more than a little concerning. You're not the first general to report that."
"What do you suppose it means?" Leopardmon asked.
"Whatever it means, it can't be good." Gankoomon stated, crossing his arms.
Gallantmon gave a nod of agreement. She then turned her attention back to the screen. "Thank you, Crusadermon. Be sure to let us know if there is any change."
"Of course." Crusadermon gave another bow, and her image disappeared. The holo-screen was then quickly dismissed.
There was a long silence, as the four generals considered Crusadermon's words. All of them began to feel as if they were standing on an ocean shore, watching, as a maelstrom gathered in the distance. When would the storm make landfall? Only time would tell.
After finishing their meal, Gatomon, and her two companions returned to their duties. Gatomon quickly leapt back up onto the high rampart. As she looked out across the land beyond once more, she spotted something strange in the sky. She focused in on it, pupils narrowing to slits. At first, she didn't see anything. However, as she focused, she began to perceive a subtle distortion in the sky. Almost like a shimmering mirage.
"What is that?" she asked aloud, pointing a claw to the sky.
A few of the other lookouts followed her paw and scanned above.
After searching a few moments, one of them turned to her curiously. "I don't see anything."
"It's there!" she insisted. "Just keep watching, you'll see it, trust me."
Though the lookouts were doubtful of her claim, they followed her request all the same. They continued to watch the spot in the sky, still seeing nothing. Just when they were about to turn back to the feline, a cloud moved out of the sun's path. The light of orange orb made one spot in sky shimmer mysteriously. If one squinted, they could even make out some kind of shape. Wings? A beak?
One of the Gladimon quickly shouted down to Grademon below. "Sir, we've spotted something suspicious!"
Grademon looked up to the scout. "Where?"
"In the air, off to the northwest!"
The captain quickly snapped his head toward the northeastern skies. His sharp, trained senses quickly spotted the shimmering shape. His eyes narrowed as he considered this. He then turned to one of his Knightmon lieutenants. Who carried a heavy greatbow, along with the sword on his back.
"Do you see it?" the captain asked.
"Aye, sir."
"Good. Fire a volley, and let's see what happens." Grademon then turned his attentions back the object in the sky.
The Knightmon gave a quick nod and unshouldered his bow. He pulled back on the string, summoning forth a trio of energy arrows. After taking steady aim, he let the arrows fly. Like bolts of lightning, they crackled through the sky, burning away the surrounding air. Two of the projectiles just barely missed, the third finding its mark. With a crackling spark, the object shimmered erratically, before slowly drifting down to earth.
"Good work." Grademon said, giving the archer a nod of recognition. "Now, let's go find out what we're dealing with."
The soldiers on the wall watched anxiously, as Grademon, and his soldiers marched toward the fallen object. When they returned, they carried the bound form of a digimon between them. They brought it into the inner walls, everyone gathering around to see. The captured digimon was dropped unceremoniously on the ground, finally allowing everyone a good look at it.
It was a machine type digimon to be sure. A strange fusion of jet, and pterodactyl. Sleek, blue armor, covered much its body. Its wings were like those of a plane and tipped with red. One of them had a large hole straight through it. No doubt inflicted by the arrow that had taken it down. The top of its mouth was a long metal beak. The bottom was almost shark-like, and filled dagger-like teeth. Its long legs, ended in three toes, each tipped with a red talon. Heavy chains, bound the digimon, his beak clamped shut.
"An enemy scout!" Grademon announced, gesturing to captured machine. "No doubt using some kind of cloaking device to spy on us." He glanced at the prisoner. "Though it would seem that wasn't quite good enough." The machine growled at him, but Grademon took heed of it and turned back to the crowd.
"Who was the scout that first spotted him?"
Gatomon wormed her way through the crowd and stepped forward. "That would be me." She locked eyes with the captain, giving him a scornful glare. Not one to easily forget the mistreatment she, and the others had suffered by the hand of Grademon.
Grademon eyes widened in surprise. "You…"
There was a tense silence that followed, Gatomon's stare never wavering.
The captain quickly cleared his throat. "Yes...well, excellent job. Keep up the good work." He gave a nod farewell and headed out with his soldiers, off toward Yggdrasil tower, with the prisoner in tow.
Gatomon kept her angry eyes pinned on the retreating form of Grademon for a few moments, before turning about, and walking back toward the high wall. The crowd began to disperse not long after, everyone returning to their duties.
Several miles away from Nexus, at the foot of a large mountain, a pair of MetalGolemon stood at the entrance of a large cave. Inside, many machine digimon moved about, working at various tasks. Moving crates of ammo, and supplies. As well as doing repairs and calculating away at computer terminals. Squadrons of fully armed machines stood on standby deeper in the cave, ready to march out at a moment's notice.
A single Commandramon made her way through the bustle, coming to a stop at a set of iron double doors. On a nearby wall, a panel opened up at her arrival. A long tendril-like wire, ending in red lensed camera, slithered from within. It scanned the Commandramon for a brief moment, addressing her in a robotic voice.
"State your business and designation."
She quickly saluted. "Private 323G! Reporting in with urgent news for the generals!"
There was a brief pause, as the other machine processed the information. "Private, 323G, code verified. Access granted. Please proceed inside."
The tendril slid back into place, and the panel closed as the door opened. The Commandramon quickly stepped inside to see one of the generals with their backs turned to her.
"General Raijinmon, Fujinmon, I have an urgent report!"
The first general, Raijinmon, slowly spun about to face her. She was a tall humanoid digimon, with tannish yellow armor, covering most of her form. Her hands, and forearms were large, silver gauntlets, made of chrome digizoid. A metal crest, almost shaped like lightning bolt, jutted from the top her helm. Her shoulders were cylindrical electric generators. One was marked with a plus the while other, was a minus. Two smaller generators sat above them, all them connected by a metal ring. A tail of sorts, made of several yellow wires, grew from her lower back, and was tipped with an electrical plug.
The other general, Fujinmon, turned to the Commandramon as well. He stood a head taller than his companion, his form lithe and aerodynamic. His body was almost completely made up of green, angular armor, trimmed with gold. A ring of green metal, connected to his turbine like shoulders. Flowing from the back of his head, was a trio of light green wires, tied back into a ponytail that just barely touched the ground. His arms were large gun metal grey beam emitters, ready to unleash a blade of energy from their ends at a moments notice.
"Go ahead trooper." commanded Raijinmon.
"Ma'am, we have just received word that the scout we sent to Nexus was shot down, and captured."
She put a hand to her chin. "I see. That was unexpected."
"Indeed." agreed Fujinmon. He then turned back to the rookie. "Do we know when the other two generals will be arriving?"
"Within the week sir!"
He gave a single nod and turned back to his work. "Excellent. That will be all, you're dismissed."
The Commandramon saluted, and quickly exited, leaving the generals to ponder over their plans once more.
Grademon and his company set down their cargo at foot of Yggdrasil's steps. They had garnered much attention as they made their way through Nexus's streets. All of the citizens made sure to keep a safe distance, however, despite their overwhelming curiosity. After receiving word of the spy from the captain himself, Gallantmon, and Gankoomon stepped out to investigate personally.
"So, this is one?" Gallantmon asked, circling the bound machine.
"Yes, ma'm!" Grademon replied with a salute. "He had some kind of cloaking device, but one of our scouts was able to spot him."
Gankoomon was a bit surprised by that. "Really? That must be quite the scout. I might have to give them a commendation."
Gallantmon continued to look over the captive. "It's also worrying. If the enemy has the capability to create such a cloaking field, who knows what else they're capable of." She turned to one of the nearby Knightmon. "Ungag him, and get him up.'
The ultimate quickly followed her order untying the chain around the prisoner's beak and propped him up straight. Gallantmon gave him a nod, and took a knee, her golden eyes meeting the machines.
"We have a few questions for you." she stated an edge to her voice.
"You will get nothing from me!" the pterosaur cawed, spitting upon Gallantmon's armor.
In a flash, Grademon drew one of his blades, bringing it up the prisoner's throat. "I should gut you where you stand for such disrespect!"
"Stand down captain." Gallantmon commanded, wiping the oily spit from her breastplate.
After a moment's hesitation, Grademon followed her command, sheathing his blade. Gallantmon then turned attentions back to the task hand.
"You will give us answers, one way or another." she threatened, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Your idle threats to not scare me." the machine replied with a laugh. "I have already resigned myself to death! This city will soon fall, and you and everyone in it will die! Long live the machine empire!"
A loud click suddenly emanated inside his chest, followed by an erratic beeping.
Gallantmon jumped back to her feet. "Everyone, get back!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.
Everyone nearby scattered, running as far as possible. As they ran, Gallantmon grabbed onto the prisoner and with all her strength hurled him high into the sky. Before summoning forth a giant shield, almost as large as herself. It was marked with golden digicode around its edge, and eight arrows. The biohazard sign that was upon her chest, resting in its center. The machine's body flew higher, and the beeping grew more erratic. Then with finally cry, his body exploded in a giant ball of flame, sending a powerful shockwave rippling through the air.
Once the explosion passed, Gallantmon dropped her shield and looked about. "Is anyone hurt!?"
"Everyone seems to be fine, ma'm." Grademon answered, walking back toward her.
Gallantmon gave a sigh of relief at his answer. "That could have been bad." she half whispered.
"But it wasn't." said Gankoomon coming up beside her. "Just be thankful."
She quickly relented with a nod.
Gankoomon then looked to the now clearing smoke, seeing a cloud of data particles, and a digicore floating forth from within.
"Well, there goes our intel."
"We did get something out him." Gallantmon pointed out, dismissing her shield. "That was not an empty threat. The machine empire and their allies are surely coming. We have to be ready for them."
Gankoomon looked to her, grim-faced, and gave a single nod of agreement.
A large army of machines and virus digimon marched across an open plain. Tank treads, wheels, and heavy feet pounded the earth, uprooting flowers, bushes, and grass alike. The clanking of gears and whirring of servos filled the air. At the head of the column, leading the charge, were a pair of machine digimon.
One had a heavy, centaur-like body. Red armor, trimmed with gold, covered most of her form. Her four lower limbs were almost elephant like, and she had a long robotic tail. Two large cannons were attached to each of her rounded shoulders. Her arms were long and hefty, almost gorilla like. They each ended in a three fingered, mechanical hand.
The other had a body more akin to a tank, or land ship. Two giant sets of treads kept him rolling along. His metal armor was colored with a camo green, with bits of off-white. He had a long segmented tail, tipped with a pair of energy cannons. One of his thick, heavy arms ended in a three prong claw. While the other was a giant machine gun. A tank-like turret sat above his face, as well as a cyclopean eye. Two large, turbine-like generators, rested atop his back.
The red armored machine turned to her companion. "How much longer until we reach the rendezvous point Raidenmon?"
"Calculating." the other machine replied, voice monotone, and robotic. "If my estimates are correct, we will arrive in one hour, 27 minutes, and 3.4 seconds, Suijinmon."
Suijinmon curled her fist in anticipation. "Good, I can't wait to finally start our attack."
The army continued to march on, never slowing, or tiring. Finally they came to a stop when they reached a large field, not far away from the general's meeting place. Suijinmon and Raidenmon commanded their forces to standby, and they headed through the forest. They soon came upon the base set into the mountain side. As they approached, Raijinmon and Fujinmon came out to meet them.
"Suijinmon, Raidenmon." Raijinmon said, gesturing her head in greeting.
"Is everything ready?" Suijinmon asked, getting right to the point.
"Final preparations are under way as we speak." Fujinmon replied.
"Tomorrow, we begin our march on Nexus." Raidenmon added, raising up her hand, and curling it into a fist.
Gallantmon stood in a large training hall. She summoned forth her shield and a long silver lance. After taking up her stance, she gave a nod to a PawnChessmon standing off to the side. He nodded and pulled on a large lever on the wall. With a loud clink, a dozen fully armored drones rose up from several holes in the floor. They all drew their weapons, a single blue eye glowing beneath their helms. They then charged Gallantmon all at once.
With practiced ease, she blocked some of the incoming weapons with her shield, using her lance to parry the rest. She pushed forward with her shield, sending several drones flying. Three of them moved in on her, swinging with their greatswords. She easily dodged, and countered, skewering them upon her lance, before tossing their bodies at some of the other drones. She quickly took up her stance once more and charged. Her lance and shield smashed and pierced the remaining drones with the barest of ease.
As the last one fell, she dismissed her weapons, and let out a sigh. From behind her, she heard the sound of clapping hands. She spun about, spotting Gankoomon standing by the door. He gave a few more claps of his hands before approaching.
"Doing a bit of training I see." he stated, looking about at the carnage.
"Just relieving some stress." she answered, and headed toward the exit, Gankoomon walking alongside her. "Ever since that incident with the spy, I've been on edge."
"I don't blame you." Gankoomon replied as they walked. "But you have to remember to keep your cool. Alphamon put you in charge after all."
"I'm starting to wonder if that was even a good decision." she commented under her breath.
Gankoomon quirked a brow. "Hmm?"
Gallantmon quickly shook her head. "It's nothing. Just thinking out loud to myself."
The two went on through the halls of the tower. The early afternoon sun filtered in from several lines of stained glass windows that occasionally dotted the tower. Motes of dust floated through the shafts of light, moving aside like fog when the knights passed through them. As the two headed toward the nearest elevator, a lone Knightmon ran toward them, stopping just short of the pair.
"M'lady, m'lord, you are needed immediately in the hall of thrones." she said with a salute. "There is an urgent message that requires your attention."
The two generals looked to each other and shared a nod, quickening their pace, as they moved toward the elevator. They continued to march at a fast pace as they exited. Only slowing when they finally reached the doors to the hall of thrones. They both stepped inside, finding Omnimon, and Leopardmon already waiting for them.
"We heard there was an urgent message." Gallantmon stated, walking to her seat.
Gankoomon did the same.
Leopardmon gave a nod. "Indeed. It arrived just minutes ago. I believe it deserves to be seen for yourself."
He quickly brought up a large holo-screen, for all to see. A Knightmon soon appeared onscreen. His armor was dented and cracked, and his arm hung limply at his side. The video itself was erratic and staticy. The knight's voice was warped, and almost incomprehensible.
"This outpost A4 to Nexus! We are under attack! It's the machine empire. There are thousands of them! I barely escaped. The rest of my team is dead. They are coming! I repeat, they…" The sound of explosion cut off the last words, and the video became nothing but static.
"Outpost A4...that's only a few hours from here!" Gankoomon exclaimed.
"Exactly." Omnimon stated. "The enemy will be here before the day is out."
"Then we don't have much time." said Gallantmon placing both her hands on the table. "Get the word out! I want everyone on full alert! We can't take any chances! I want this city prepared for an all-out war!"
The other three generals all nodded at her command. All four then quickly got work, sending out messages, and preparing for the battle to come.
Gatomon, Patch, and Dinohyumon were all about to head to lunch. When word reached them from Yggdrasil tower. The news of the oncoming army quickly spread to the soldiers along the wall. Lunch was soon forgotten, everyone snacking on the go, or forgoing the meals altogether. They quickly got to work shoring up their defenses. With Grademon supervising the affair, everyone worked with military proficiency.
Bows were restrung, while weapons were sharpened, and polished. Armor and fortifications were inspected and strengthened. All of the citizens in the city cleared the streets and began preparing their homes. Atop the tower, the generals worked frantically to coordinate their efforts. An almost constant slew of messages, and reports flooded in. All of them dealt with as fast as possible. Soon, preparations were complete, and Nexus waited with bated breath for the oncoming battle.
The army of machines and virus type digimon marched ceaselessly, with the four generals in the lead. With the destroyed outpost far behind them, they spotted Yggdrasil tower off in the distance. They picked up speed, as their goal came into view. Raijinmon gave the command to stop as they neared the edge of the plains between Nexus, and the other generals moved in on their own, looking out across the open field to see the shining city of Nexus.
Raijinmon eyes locked onto the walled city. "There it is."
"Finally!" Suijinmon exclaimed.
"It is as beautiful as they say." said Fujinmon with an almost satisfied hum.
"My initial scans show no obvious weaknesses." Raidenmon stated, in his monotone fashion. "But our forces should be more than sufficient to penetrate its defenses."
Raijinmon turned to her fellow generals. "Well now that we're here. Why don't we go say hello?"
Gatomon and the other lookouts were the first to spot the four machine generals. Though they made no attempt to hide their presence. They boldly marched toward the main gates, not a single one of their soldiers escorting them. The soldiers on the wall readied themselves as they neared, Grademon commanding them to hold until he gave the word. Gatomon watched them closely, not letting their slightest move escape her notice. All the while her long claws tapped against the stonework anxiously.
Grademon and his knights moved in to intercept them. The two groups met a few hundred feet away from the main gates. They looked each other over for a brief moment, gauging the others strength, and intent. Grademon was the first make a move, stepping forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his right sword.
"I am Grademon, a captain of the royal knights! State your business."
"My, straight to the point isn't he?" Fuujinmon chuckled.
Raijinmon gave a subtle nod at that, before turning back to the captain. "I am Raijinmon. My companions and I are the four generals of the machine empire."
Grademon and his soldiers drew their blades at that proclamation. The archers on the wall taking aim at the four machines.
Raijinmon held up her hands disarmingly. "We did not come here to fight, not just yet. We would like to meet with your generals."
"You dare make such a request!?" Grademon growled, his grip tightening on his blades.
"It is a simple request." Raijinmon replied. "At least send a message. Let them decide whether they want to meet." She made motioned her companions to fall back. "You have three hours."
The four generals then turned about and headed back toward the treeline.
Grademon kept his blades drawn, only sheathing them when the generals were out of sight. With an annoyed growl, he pulled out his holographic communicator, sending out a message directly to the top of Yggdrasil tower.
"This is Grademon, I have an urgent report."
The blue screen flickered for a brief moment, before displaying an image of the four knight generals.
"The machines have arrived, haven't they?" Gallantmon asked bluntly.
Grademon nodded in reply. "Yes, ma'am. Though we have yet to see their full force. Their generals saw fit to come out alone. They want to meet with you, personally. They want an answer within three hours."
Gallantmon shared a look with her fellow generals and turned back to the golden knight.
"Thank you, Grademon. Keep everyone on high alert. While the other generals and I discuss this."
Grademon gave a quick bow of his head. "Yes, ma'am." With that, the call was cut.
As the holo-screen disappeared from the table. Gallantmon leaned back in her throne with a sigh.
"They arrived sooner than I thought." she said, mostly to herself.
"I think we should meet with them." Leopardmon stated.
Omnimon turned to him in surprise. "Are you serious? It's obviously some kind of trap. We would be playing right into their hands!"
"I don't think the machine empire would make such an obvious ploy." Leopardmon replied.
"Perhaps that's what they want us to think." Gankoomon argued.
"It is a trap, but not in the traditional sense." said Gallantmon, earning her curious glances from the other three. "They want to gauge our strength. See up close, and personal what they're dealing with." She continued, looking to each of them. "They may even suspect that Alphamon is incapacitated, and want to confirm."
"The problem is that if we meet them without Alphamon they will have their answer." She glanced over at Alphamon's throne. "But, if we refuse they will know we have something to hide, and will have gotten their confirmation anyway."
Gankoomon nodded in understanding. "So it's a catch twenty-two."
Gallantmon turned to him. "That's right. However, there is an advantage for us if we meet them."
"And what would that be?" Omnimon asked.
"We will be able to gauge their strength as well." she replied. "In fact, if we get them talking enough they may let something slip that could give us an edge."
Raijinmon sat on a large boulder, arms crossed. Raidenmon stood completely still, almost like a statue. A few birds had even come to rest atop him. Fujinmon stood across from Suijinmon, watching as the other machine tapped the ground impatiently with her fingers. As a stiff breeze blew past the four, Raijinmon glanced back at Raidenmon.
"How much longer do they have?"
"Exactly one hour, thirty-seven minutes, and 15 seconds."
Fujinmon glanced over at the lead general. "Do you really think they'll come?"
"There is not a doubt in my mind." she replied, eyes closing.
Only minutes later, Raijinmons prediction came true. As the forms of the four royal knights appeared in the distance. Raijinmon leapt from her seat and took several steps forward, her companions soon coming to stand by her side.
"There they are, just like I said." Raijinmon stated.
"And it looks like Alphamon isn't with them." Fuujinmon commented. "I guess that means the reports were correct."
A couple more minutes ticked by, before the knights finally reached the four. There was a brief standoff, each of the two sides sizing each other up. Then Raijinmon took a step forward and extended a hand.
"Glad you could come." she greeted. "I am Raijinmon. It's an honor to meet four of the famous Royal knight generals."
Gallantmon looked down at the offered hand for a brief moment, before taking it in her own iron grip and shaking it firmly. "I am Gallantmon."
There was a quick round of tense introductions. Then Gallantmon regarded the four machines.
"I was under the impression that machine army was under the command of digimon called Darkdramon."
"It takes more than one digimon to lead an army." Raijinmon responded cooly. "You should know that, being generals yourselves."
"True enough." Gallantmon conceded. "Though I would still expect him to make an appearance. After all, shouldn't the supreme commander of the machine forces be the one the meeting us."
"I could say the same of Alphamon." Fuujinmon interjected.
Omnimon glared at him. "Master Alphamon would not set foot in the presence of curs such as yourselves."
"Is that so?" Suujinmon questioned. "Cause I think it was just the old man's nap time, and you didn't want to disturb him."
Omnimon took a step forward. "How dare you speak of Alphamon in such a manner!"
Gallantmon held him back with an outstretched arm. "Control yourself Omnimon."
He regarded her for a moment and stepped back. After taking in a calming breath, he gave her a single nod.
She mirrored the gesture and turned back to Raijinmon, deciding it time to get down to business. "So, why exactly did you wish to meet us?"
Raijinmon sighed and crossed her arms. "I'm going to be blunt. We have a force nearly ten thousand strong, waiting just beyond the treeline." She gestured her head behind her. "That force intends to take Nexus through any means of force necessary."
Gallantmon narrowed her eyes. "I gathered that much." she replied, with a dangerous edge to her voice.
"But I would rather not have to use force if necessary."
"Speak for yourself." Suujinmon mumbled under her breath.
Raijinmon gave her a stern glance and continued. "So we have to come ask for your unconditional surrender."
A silence soon filled the air. An overbearing tense silence, that made the air thick, and heavy.
Gallantmon's hands curled into tight fists. "You can't be serious."
"Oh but I am." Raijinmon replied. "Your city will fall, and that's a fact. The question is how many will die before that happens. If you surrender that number will be zero. If you don't…" she let the statement hang in the air.
"You are right." said Gallantmon, making her companions turn to her in surprise. "If we surrender, very few lives will be lost. If any at all. However, I have seen what you do to prisoners. I have seen what happens to the lands you conquer. The people are thrown into slavery and forced to work in factories. While the lands are pillaged for their resources with no regard for nature. All of that destruction and pain simply to serve Daemon's twisted ambitions."
She glared at each of the machine generals. "I would rather die than see this beautiful city, and its people reduced to pawns in your master's plans. And I know all those under my command share the same sentiment."
Raijinmon met her eyes for a brief moment, a tense silence following. "Very well." she finally said with a sigh. "Just know, that before this is over you will wish you had taken my offer."
Gallantmon stared right back. "I look forward to finding you on the battlefield."
Without another word, she spun about cape billowing in the wind. Her fellow knights soon followed after, their forms slowly disappearing in the distance.
"I told you they wouldn't take the offer." Fuujinmon commented.
"Oh well, the result is still the same." Raijinmon replied.
"Yeah, but this way we get to have more fun." Suujinmon interjected.
"We should head back, and prepare for our first assault." Raidenmon suggested in usual monotone manner.
Raijinmon gave a nod at that. "Agreed."
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes:
Yo, thanks to all of you who came to check this out. Note it is not entirely required for you to read this story so that you can read the main story. It is however, recommended. I mainly decided to write this side story because there was some stuff I wanted to tell that I felt would bog down the main story. Be warned this story will not be updating with the same frequency as the main one, so please keep that in mind.
Again, thanks for reading!