Opening File: The Twelve Knights of Gilead
In the times of Gilead the King was hailed to be greatest warrior, skilled and powerful enough to kill even Majesty Class Fallen but he was not the only warrior. The line of Arthur Eld was said to have gained great powers through deals and bonding with their chief deity Gan who is represented as a dark tower. Gan is said to speak directly to the kings of Gilead at times, even manifesting an avatar in times with his preferred form being that of a writer. While the king is said to gain great power from a deal with Gan his personal body guards, the knights of Gilead gain power from the twelve Guardians of the Beam:
Babar the Elephant.
Chuchundra the Rat.
Camazotz the Bat.
Garuda the Eagle.
Garm the Dog.
Maturin the Turtle.
Navius the Wolf.
Jasconius the Fish.
Owsla the Rabbit.
Aslan the Lion.
Rocinante the Horse.
And Shardik the Bear.
Each heir was given a choice by Gan to be given a fragment of his power but at the cost of their Semblance. The animal guardians deal with the knights was basically the same and they gladly took it in service to their king. When empowered by the guardians they would turn into humanoid animals wearing knight armor, resembling Mobians. These knights were called the Twelve Knights of Gilead and hailed as the strongest warriors next to the king himself.
Despite their power the knights were betrayed from within their king's ranks and were among the first to fall to the Fallen the night Gilead was destroyed. Since then with the kingdom destroyed it was believed the Knights of Gilead were forever gone…
Until now.
.
.
.
Opening File: Black Velvet
Black Velvet is a Noble-Class Fallen with the ability to control and manipulate darkness at will. She was revealed to be an agent that served Sammael to explore and learn about the dimensions with their new found capability to travel between realities. Much of her history is unknown but it is assumed that she was a natural reincarnation of one of the thirteen original Fallen originally created during the time of King Ozric. While attempting to find information has been difficult it has been suggested that one of her previous incarnations was Crimson, the mother of the Fallen named Los who was better known for his title: the Crimson King.
Crimson died when her own son changed into a giant spider and devoured her but like all Fallen except for Sammael she would be reincarnated as a new Fallen with a new identity and mindset. Of the twelve Fallen that survive the great calamity they integrated with the surviving population and lived long enough to produce descendants. Sammael cursed these twelve so that they would reincarnate in new bodies and forms through the ages whenever the seal around the Pool of Darkness was broken and the Grimm were reawakened. Black Velvet is believed to have been young when her Fallen heritage awakened in her, forcing her spend her days struggling with her Grimm instincts to kill while at the same time experimenting with her powers.
Eventually the reincarnation process was complete and Black Velvet evolved into a Noble Class Fallen, mastering her instincts and honing her powers and skills before setting out to unite with her Fallen brethren. She has shown a close connection with the Fallen Moloch, hinting at some form of relationship with him while displaying a rivalry with General Skarr whom she detests and shows complete respect to Sammael. Black Velvet has spent much of her time traveling to other universes and dimensions and is believed to have gained frightening new abilities to further the Fallen's goals.
Close File
Xxx
"In the world we live in we rarely get a second chance to stop a catastrophe from occurring. Sometimes we can have a million chances and still fail each time. Does that mean we should give up and throw in the towel? What is the point of getting up if we just fall down again?" TOM asked, watching as the files closed on the main screen. "Is it better to have tried and failed then to have not tried to avoid failing at all? Or maybe the point of falling down is simply so we can pick ourselves back up again and try as long as we want to."
Xxx
"Step aside, boys."
Both Jujunga and Boris spotted a familiar woman in a dark cloak emerge from the forest, brandishing a blade of red light.
"I think I'll have the pleasure of handling this one." Black Velvet said with a grin.
She held out a small metallic tube like device and pressed down on a switch. From the tip of the device came a beam of red light measuring two and a half feet that let out a humming noise. Rather than waste anymore words Roland Deshain aimed his pistols and fired. Curiously instead of bullets, from those pistols came bolts of blinding light. Twirling her saber in her hand Black Velvet quickly and from the looks of it easily blocked each attack.
"Oh, impressive." Black Velvet remarked. "Not bullets but something else. Could this be the great and legendary Power of the King? The Light of All given to the Kings of Gilead?"
Roland said nothing, halting his attack and watching as Black Velvet shot forward and swung her blade at his head. The strength of the strike and the heat would have been enough to cut a tree in half but to the Fallen's surprise Roland deflected it by crossing his guns and using them to block the saber. They should have been cut and burned away but Velvet saw a strange light coating the guns, protecting them from her lightsaber.
"So this is it." Black Velvet grinned in excitement. "Show me, Gunslinger. I want to see more. I want to see all of it."
Roland silenced her by smashing his head into her nose. Her Aura protected her but she fell back and leapt away as Roland shot at her again. Velvet spun her saber, blocking his attack until he stopped.
"He was impressed when he felt this power. The same power that drew him to Gilead in the first place. The Light of All given to the kings by Gan." Velvet remarked. "My previous incarnation, Crimson was actually Arthur Eld's concubine and she gave birth to the man who destroyed Eld's legacy and burned his kingdom to the ground. How glad I am to be here and to see you, the last Arthur Eld's bloodline."
Roland remained silent, simply keeping his guns pointed at her.
"It's funny. Your father killed the son of my previous self who was then reincarnated as your son whom you killed." Black Velvet snickered, bringing a hand to her chin. "And now here we are, doing battle with you wielding the power of your ancestor. I heard that Arthur Eld's son refused that deal. Perhaps if he did then destroying Gilead would have been much harder. Of course even if you now have that power perhaps I should show you a power I picked up on my-"
She was cut off when Roland unleashed a barrage against her, forcing her to parry and dodge as he strafed past her.
"Well I see that manners are one thing that didn't survive to this generation!" Black Velvet scoffed in indignation. "And I thought you Gunslingers are supposed to be-" This time it was the sound of splintering that made her pause as a shadow fell over her.
Looking back, she realized that there was on detail she'd missed in Roland's surprise attack: he'd missed, or rather he hadn't been aiming all of his shots at her so much as at the trees surrounding them.
"You talk too much." Roland said dryly before four large trees slammed down onto Black Velvet.
A dark substance seemed to leak out from under the black trees and reformed into Black Velvet, looking displeased but with only some minor scratches to show for Roland's trap. "Fine. No more words."
"Wish you'd start." Roland stared at her with the dull gaze of someone who was excessively bored.
Her hand tightened around her lightsaber before Black Velvet ignited it and launched herself towards the Gunslinger. Roland quickly backed up and leaned just out of reach of her first swing before using one of his guns to block a second from above while angling the other towards Velvet's torso, emptying two shots into her before she forced him back. The Fallen hissed as she stared at the wounds in her midsection which appeared to leak light, burning the surrounding areas before fading out of view.
She'd felt pain before, in more varieties than most could attest to, yet being shot with the Light of Gan left her paralyzed with agony just for a moment, feeling the energy eat through her before expending itself. The wounds themselves had not been permanent or even long lasting, but if he managed to land too many she could imagine this effect building up to the point where even her Fallen physiology would not be able to adapt to the damage.
As she considered this she deflected no less than ten more shots from Roland, who was insistent on not leaving her with any time to recover. The Gunslinger was constantly on the move now, his hands blurring in her vision as he repositioned and fired from any and every angle that he could realistically occupy. She was able to prevent any more shots from getting through, but only while remaining on the defensive and at a distance where getting in close two more times only robbed her of the precious split seconds needed to protect herself while not even yielding a hit on her foe. Either he would dodge out of the way or he would block with one or both guns and position at least one in a way that gave him an open shot on her at almost point-blank range.
After taking an eighth shot to the chest she staggered back with a gasp of pain, her hand pressing down over the wound as she felt it persist where the others had faded after a few brief moments.
'I'm…getting weaker already?!' She realized.
If it only took a few shots to begin wearing her down, perhaps just as many would be the end of her. And as if to add insult to injury: not one of her attacks came close to hitting the Gunslinger! It infuriated her, humiliated her…
And in that instant, she remembered the teachings of the being she had met in the universe her weapon had come from. Deep within her was a wellspring of hatred, a conduit widened by her anger which granted the Fallen greater power. By willing it she forced the wound to dissipate and then held up a hand as Roland lined up another shot.
The clearing lit up as arcs of red lightning sprang from her hand and slammed into Roland, lifting him from the ground to slam him into a nearby tree. The Gunslinger slumped to the ground but quickly recovered, shaking his head as he climbed to his feet.
"Your toys and tricks are nothing before me, Gunslinger!" Black Velvet hissed, more crimson sparks dancing around her free hand as she stormed towards him. "Before the might of Sammael. You. Are. Nothing!"
When she attacked, it was with even greater speed than before. Roland barely managed to bring one hand up to defend himself, but this time his other wrist was trapped in an iron grip which forced his arm out to one side. The Fallen's lightsaber was raised high overhead and swung down towards his outstretched limb, but Roland reacted quickly and kicked her away before it could land. As she recovered he spat out four more shots which landed successfully, but each one only seemed to make the Fallen angrier as she climbed to her feet.
With a shriek she unleashed another stream of lightning, which Roland blocked by crossing both of his guns in an X and generating a barrier which held back the onslaught. Through this he could see the Fallen growing closer, her face twisted into a wicked, toothy grin like some animal closing in upon its prey.
"You've failed once again, Gunslinger." She hissed, "Just like you failed your father, your mother, your people and your precious tower."
Clenching his jaw in strain, Roland tried to reorient one of his revolvers without dropping the barrier. As his arms began to quiver from the effort, he squeezed off one shot which went high.
"Hah!" Black Velvet cackled. "What was that supposed to do-"
Thunk!
A large, thick branch landed on the Fallen's head, disorienting her and bringing an end to the flow of lightning. In this instant Roland dropped his barrier and fired both revolvers, emptying a full dozen shots into Black Velvet and driving her back. The Fallen woman snarled, spinning saber fast enough to block the incoming shots. The angrier she grew the easier it was to ignore the pain and the more her hate grew the more powerful she felt.
In the meantime Monty Uno, the Lion Knight faced down Boris and Jujunga of the Invisible Hand, standing between them and the down Omnimon.
"Why little man change?" Boris questioned. "He look like a lion now."
"This is no natural transformation." Jujunga narrowed his eyes. "He's changed and not just physically."
Everything about Monty Uno was different.
His appearance.
His smell.
His posture.
His very presence.
All of it was changed and was now something the Aboriginal rogue Hunter could not even recognize.
And he could see it was something dangerous.
"Boris not afraid." Boris brought his fists together. "Little man might look strong but Boris is stronger. Boris will break him!"
"Careful, Boris." Jujunga cautioned as he pulled out a Dust shard. "We don't know what kind of powers he has now."
"But if you try and attack me you will see." Monty spoke, his voice mostly the same but deeper with an added growl.
Omnimon looked at Monty, wondering what had happened to his friend. The former Human's presence had changed to such a degree that the Royal Knight had trouble recognizing him and if that was not enough he could sense a surge of power from Monty unlike anything he had sensed before.
His lion like appearance.
His knight based armor.
Honestly if he didn't know better he'd have thought Monty had somehow transformed into a Digimon but he knew that wasn't the case.
"Monty?" Omnimon asked, managing to sit up.
"Don't strain yourself, chap. We'll be out of here in a few minute." Monty said calmly.
"Little man talk tough. Has little man forgotten what happened when facing Boris just a few seconds ago?" Boris questioned, a little angered by Monty's now dismissive attitude.
"On the contrary, I remember completely." Monty replied, remaining calm. "It's just we both have to rescue my children."
"Enough talk!" Boris barked and lunged at his now feline opponent.
Boris went on the full assault, attacking relentlessly with his giant fists but Monty was too fast now, having gained a surprise increase in speed as he dodged and an even greater increase in strength as he the pressure points of Boris' Aura made muscular body. Whether he knew if they had any effect on the giant or not Monty didn't seem to care and ended his attack with an open palm hit to the chest. Boris was knocked back but still standing and glaring angrily at the lion knight.
"Boris…" Jujunga mumbled, watching the fight for the moment.
Boris let out a growl as the Aura made muscles covering his waist moved aside for him to pull something out.
Jujunga's eyes widened when he saw what they were. 'So he's pushed that far already?'
Monty narrowed his eyes as he saw Boris holding several Lightning and Fire Dust crystals in his hands. He easily crushed them and spread them across his body. The muscles created from his Aura started to glowed yellow and red with a fiery burn, giving Boris the appearance of a glowing electrical and fiery giant. His body was so hot now that the ground itself started to smoke and melt under his feet.
Omnimon's eyes widened as he witnessed this spectacle. "He crushed the Dust and sprinkled them across his armor…And they're powering him up."
"When Dust makes contact with Aura they instantly react." Monty remarked. "His body must be protected while his armor takes in all that power."
Boris let out a roar and he charged again at Monty. The lion knight realized he was in trouble as Boris was suddenly much faster now, his body blazing with electricity and fire. The giant thrust his hands forward, firing balls of electricity and fire. They landed only a few feet away from Monty but exploded and grew larger with each hit.
Monty rushed out, dashing at Boris while his hands were blazing with white fire. He blasted Boris several times but the giant shrugged off each hit like they were nothing. Monty's Semblance had been enhanced by Aslan and yet Boris was still able to keep up. He got in close and was able to start siphoning the heat from Boris to enhance his Semblance.
Boris slammed a fist into the ground, releasing a shockwave of fire and electricity that knocked Monty back. Monty managed to land on his feet and launched a blast of white fire at the giant. Boris blocked and fired back with massive amounts of fire and electricity.
'This is crazy.' Omnimon looked between the fight. 'Monty's stronger but that Boris is keeping up. That Dust enhanced him enough he can go toe to toe with Monty.'
Things were looking bad.
Boris had control of fire and electricity in addition to his already considerable strength and he wasn't even slowing down. White fire grew around Monty as he dashed forward, attacking and dodging his enemy's attacks. A bright light appeared around him, increasing his fire as he fought and he dashed at Boris with blinding speed. He slammed a foot into Boris' face, knocking him to the ground and pinned him to the ground with his greatly enhanced strength.
Monty intended to knock Boris out but the giant managed to release a surge of fire and electricity that made Monty stumble back. Boris then jumped back up and released a fire and lightning combo blast at Monty who conjured a shield of fire and light that blocked the attack. Boris charged forward, grabbing Monty and slammed him into the ground.
"Boris break you now!" Boris shouted, both fists together and brought them down on Monty.
"Monty!" Omnimon shouted, struggling to his feet.
Monty's hands shot up and grabbed Boris' hands before they hit him. Both struggled now in a contest in strength. Only Monty was let out a roar as something happened. The heat produced by Boris' armor flowed into him, causing ice to slowly form.
"Wh-What is happening?!" Boris cried out, trying to pull away but Monty kept his grip.
"You should have been paying attention, chap. My Semblance siphons heat from everything around me, even the heat produced by Fire Dust." Monty said, his Aura flaring and protecting him from the electricity.
As the ice grew and spread the flames and electricity started to die down.
'Impossible.' Jujunga's eyes widened. 'He's turned Boris' own power against him!'
"Those shards of Dust you've sprinkled all over your armor. They can make you strong enough that if I didn't have my Semblance with me I am sure I would dead." Monty continued. "However as the more heat I absorb, the more ice I make and soon enough…"
Soon enough the ice covered and froze the Dusts shards in Boris' muscular armor, cold enough that their energy eventually died down.
"No…This…Not…Possible." Boris stuttered, the ice freezing up to his head now. "Boris is strong…Boris cannot be brought down."
"And yet you have." Monty said, managing to stand up. "It's over."
The ice shattered and broke as Boris' Semblance was cancelled out, leaving Boris himself to fall to his knees.
"Cannot…be…" Boris muttered as he collapsed face first to the ground.
"We all face defeat sooner or later." Monty said, turning away.
Jujunga watched as the lion humanoid walked over to Omnimon, placing one arm over his shoulder.
He didn't bother to attack.
With how much power Monty had siphoned off of Boris at the end if he tried to attack now he would die. His fighting style relied on close range combat and it's likely his new appearance granted him enhanced senses. He'd hear Jujunga try to attack before he could even get close with either a blow dart, a poison enhanced gust or simply try to attack in close range combat.
Jujunga had his pride but he was also a survivor.
He knew this was not a fight he could win.
Not anymore.
So accepting this loss with dignity he turned to the down Boris and started applying medical aid to his teammate.
"Dart man not attack?" Boris questioned.
"There is no point. We cannot win as we are now. At best I would only slow him down for a few minutes and then I would be on the ground with you." Jujunga admitted. "His flames make it impossible for me to touch him and use my Semblance and at the same time my stealth attacks are worthless considering he likely has senses as good as a Faunus or Mobian. We have lost this battle today."
"Lost…" Boris looked up the dark sky. "Boris not lost since…"
"Yes." Jujunga nodded. "We must return and report our failure."
"Da…True strong must be broken first…And then become pure…" Boris muttered, remembering those words said to him by Sammael when they first met.
In the meantime Monty was helping Omnimon as they walked away from the battle ground.
"You still with me, chap?" Monty asked, managing a smile to his old friend.
Omnimon nodded. "Always, my friend."
"Good because still have to save the children." Monty looked ahead, taking a sniff. "We better move. Can you still fight?"
"I can and as long as I need to. But you mind telling me what…" He trailed off.
"It's a strange story, old chap. It starts with a lion calling itself Aslan appearing before me in a vision." Monty chuckled as he explained.
"A lion named Aslan…" Omnimon mused. "Things never grow dull with you do they?"
"I though the same of you many times."
"What about that man?" Omnimon looked back, seeing Roland still engaged in battle with Black Velvet.
"I have a feeling he'll be all right." Monty answered. "In fact I think he's the reason why I am like this now. Without a doubt he just saved our lives. I am sure he'll be fine and he'll live long enough for us to thank him but for now the children take priority."
Omnimon nodded in agreement. "Yes…"
The two hurried off back into the woods, following Cree's trail.
Xxx
"The first of the Twelve…Or should I say the Eleven? After all, one of them perished choking on a galaxy..."
Sammael had sensed one of the twelve animal guardians of Gan giving their power and blessing to a human nearby.
As much as he had confidence in the members of the Invisible Hand, the group he had formed and had overseen the training of its members he knew that it would be hard, even for them to win against a Knight of Gilead.
Boris had put up a good fight and if he had applied the correct types of Dust he could have won.
Still, it was better for Jujunga to get him out of there.
Losing members of the Invisible Hand at this stage would have deal a serious blow to his future plans.
And then there was the Gunslinger himself…
"Black Velvet will have to keep him occupied just a little longer." Sammael said as he stood up. "Moloch can only keep the major distracted for so long…Perhaps if the two of them work together they might have a chance."
This entire ambush was meant to remove obstacles to his plans such as the Grimm Slayer but that proved to be much more difficult now. Perhaps it was better now to hurry and salvage what he could before it turned into a complete failure.
"Perhaps history will repeat itself again…Gunslinger."