(Author's Note: Sorry this was a bit late. Real life stuff. Hopefully my writing will normalize in the next few days though. Enjoy the chapter!)
Chapter 6: Cloak and Dagger
Dorbickmon looked out of the window of his room. Even in the dark night, he could see Shroud's data storm swirling overhead. It was particularly bad that night as he could see tendrils of bright, violet-tinted electricity flashing behind the thick, funneling veil of clouds.
The inn bedroom was dim except for the light of a lamp on a nearby table. His bag was sprawled out across the bed. He tapped his foot, waiting for BlackWarGreymon to show up. Several hours had passed since he witnessed Black Pincer Company down in the bar.
After that evening, his belly was full and his mind was working. He tried to piece together what Black Pincer Company was up to. He was certain that he saw the Wizardmon hand the blueprints back to Blitzmon, but he still gave them their reward. That didn't make sense to him. Dorbickmon considered going down the hall to Black Pincer Company's rooms to talk to them, but he figured that would be risky, given the circumstances. He knew that they had their guards up and that they were extremely dangerous. He didn't want to end up in a life-threatening fight that could destroy the entire inn.
A loud knocking rang out from the door to his room. Dorbickmon reflexively looked over. As soon as he did, a shadow passed by the window behind him.
The dragon mercenary walked over and stood behind the door. "Who is it?" Dorbickmon questioned, narrowing his eyes.
"It's me. BlackWarGreymon," BlackWarGreymon responded.
Dorbickmon opened the door a crack, but kept a tight hold on it as he peered out into the third floor hallway. He saw that it was only BlackWarGreymon out there and opened the door fully. "Come in," he told him.
BlackWarGreymon walked in as Dorbickmon closed the door behind them. Dorbickmon then leaned back against the door and folded his arms.
The member of the Cimmerian Adventurers turned around and looked at Dorbickmon with a raised eyebrow. "Blocking the exit?" he asked him suspiciously.
Dorbickmon pointed with his claws behind the ebony dragon man. "There's a window right there," he joked.
BlackWarGreymon rolled his eyes and adjusted the long, jagged, Dramon Killer gauntlets over his wrists. "I did what you wanted."
"Good. What'd you hear?" Dorbickmon questioned. "Who was that Wizardmon?"
"It wasn't their client," BlackWarGreymon informed him. "He said he was just an intermediary. He was hired by somebody to give the Black Pincer Company their reward, as well as their next orders. Apparently, they don't even know who the client is," he added with a shrug.
Dorbickmon let out a grunt from the nostrils on his snout. "Whoever hired them is smart," he mused. "Even if Black Pincer Company gets caught or overheard, nobody can trace it back to him or her, since not even the bugs know who hired them. Hell…"
"Hey, it's not all bad news. I did overhear something that might interest you," the blond-haired dragon man noted.
"What?"
BlackWarGreymon folded his arms. "The Wizardmon said their client wanted them to do something else with the blueprints - said they'd get paid double if they brought them to PrinceMamemon in the Mamemon Kingdom," he explained.
Dorbickmon arched an eyebrow, stood up straight, and unfolded his arms. "The hell? Why?" he asked him, perplexed by the statement.
"Beats me. All I know is that they're heading out and meeting back here in a week for their reward," BlackWarGreymon explained.
Dorbickmon frowned. "The Mamemon Kingdom… Why them?" he wondered aloud.
"That's all I know, Dorbickmon," BlackWarGreymon insisted. He took off one of his Dramon Killer gauntlets and extended his black fist. "Are we good now?"
Dorbickmon extended his own fist, covered by his gauntlets, and pressed it against BlackWarGreymon's. "Yeah. Just don't leave me in deep shit again and we'll get along fine."
BlackWarGreymon grinned a bit. "I won't," he replied. He was about to open his mouth again, but a muffled crash rang out nearby.
"Hold that thought," Dorbickmon said, glowering hard. They both went silent and listened intently.
They heard another crash. It sounded like it was coming from down the hallway. Dorbickmon turned around and opened the door, looking down the dimly lit hallway of the inn.
The noises grew even louder. It wasn't just intermittent crashes anymore, but the sound of frantic scuffling and sharp swearing.
Dorbickmon gritted his teeth and walked out into the hallway, followed by BlackWarGreymon. The sounds were coming from the rooms that he knew Black Pincer Company were staying in. One of the closed doors was rattling as if something was being pressed up against it.
"The hell is that?" BlackWarGreymon asked.
"Shut up," Dorbickmon said, reaching behind him and muffling the ebony dragon man with his hand.
The crimson dragon let go and began to cautiously approach the trembling door. It continued to thump and quiver, as if something was trying to burst out of it. Dorbickmon frowned and stopped in front of the door.
"I wouldn't open that if I were you," BlackWarGreymon whispered. "It's probably—"
Before he could finish, a giant, blue horn burst through the wood of the door, nearly stabbing into Dorbickmon. "Shit!" Dorbickmon exclaimed, staggering back. He reflexively summoned his Tyrant Collbrande in a flash of flames, lighting up the hallway clearly.
Dorbickmon took a step back and to the side, taking on a defensive stance. Suddenly, a voice rang out and the door broke open. The body of a Sealsdramon, enveloped in tendrils of electricity, took the door down as it flew through the air. The Digimon slammed into the opposite wall with enough force to make a small crater in it. The Sealsdramon then fell to the floor and burst into data.
Dorbickmon growled. "The D-Brigade. This isn't good," he rumbled. The dragon man hurried forwards and looked into the room.
Inside, he saw Blitzmon grappling with another Sealsdramon. The Sealsdramon was clinging onto the larger Digimon's back with one arm around his neck. His other hand gripped a combat knife which he was trying to edge towards Blitzmon's neck, but was prevented by the insect man's hand around his wrist, pushing the knife back.
With his other hand, Blitzmon reached over his shoulder and grabbed the Sealsdramon's face. With a tight yank, he ripped the Scouter Monoeye visor off while staggering backwards and slamming his assailant's back against one of the walls. He impact was strong enough that the Sealsdramon released the dagger, which fell to the floor with a clang. Blitzmon then elbowed the cyber dragon hard in the gut, throwing him off.
The Sealsdramon panted and reached down. He drew a small, metal sphere from his belt and pressed a button on it before releasing a pin. "DCD Bomb!" he shouted, throwing a grenade that Commandramon often used.
Blitzmon ducked, allowing the bomb to roll out into the hallway. He took the opportunity to rush forwards to grab the Sealsdramon and hoist him up. "Thor's Hammer!" he shouted, releasing a torrent of electricity from his hands into the Sealsdramon's body. The Sealsdramon yelled and writhed for a few moments before bursting into data.
Meanwhile, Dorbickmon watched as the grenade rolled in front of himself. He grunted and punted it down to the end of the hallway. The grenade exploded, tearing up the floor and blowing open the door at the end of the hallway. A cloud of smoke from the detonation filled the upper half of the corridor.
In tandem with this, two figures burst through the wall of the room adjacent to Blitzmon's. GrandisKuwagamon and the Darkdramon stormed through the collapsing wall and slammed into the adjacent wall, right in front of Dorbickmon and GrandisKuwagamon. GrandisKuwagamon's Gran Killer gauntlets were locked in a bitter melee against the Darkdramon's Gigastick Lance. Both refused to let the other one get free; if they did, they would likely be stabbed.
Dorbickmon watched with surprised as they struggled, the sound of their metal weapons screeching against one another assaulting his ears. The D-Brigade Darkdramon had his free hand against GrandisKuwagamon's chin, forcing his head upwards so that he wouldn't be able to use his forceps to decapitate him.
GrandisKuwagamon briefly glanced over at the two on-looking mercenaries, briefly concerned that they were also with his attackers.
"What the hell is going on?!" Dorbickmon demanded, signalling that they were just bystanders.
GrandisKuwagamon didn't respond. He merely hissed and drove his spiked knee into his attacker's groin. Darkdramon let out a roar of agony and staggered backwards. As soon as there was distance between them, GrandisKuwagamon raised his leg and drove his insectoid boot into the Darkdramon's gut, sending him stumbling into the hole in the wall that led to GrandisKuwagamon's rented room.
The black insect man readied his Gran Killer claws and prepared to charge in for the kill, but thought better of it when he saw the hunched over Darkdramon build up dark energy in his mouth.
"Dark Roar!" the Darkdramon shouted, releasing a blast of darkness towards him. GrandisKuwagamon dove to the side and BlackWarGreymon rushed forwards with his black Brave Shield to protect himself and Dorbickmon from the resulting explosion that swept down the hallway.
As the wall and parts of the ceiling crumbled, GrandisKuwagamon let out a swear as he was blown down the hallway. He skidded along the floor, his spiked appendages leaving scratch marks along the floor as he slid. As soon as he came to a stop, he stood to his feet.
"Bolgmon! Blitzmon!" he shouted out.
"We're under attack!" Blitzmon shouted from somewhere down the smoke-filled hallway. Judging by his grunts of effort and the flashes of electricity lighting up the smoke like a strobe light, he was likely still under attack by more Sealsdramon.
"No shit!" GrandisKuwagamon retorted. He turned and looked into the room at the end of the hallway that had its door blown open by the grenade. "Bolgmon!" he shouted inside.
"Kinda… busy!" Bolgmon yelled back from inside between grunts. GrandisKuwagamon couldn't see him, but it sounded like he was in the middle of a fight as well.
GrandisKuwagamon hissed and rushed down the hallway. Darkdramon flew through the smoke to meet him, plunging his Gigastick Lance towards his face. The insect ducked under the stab and plunged his claw gauntlets towards the gap in the armour at around Darkdramon's midriff.
However, the Darkdramon swerved out of the way just in time, with the two just nicking each other as they passed by. After reversing positions in the hallway, both Darkdramon and GrandisKuwagamon spun around and glared at one another.
"What should we do?" BlackWarGreymon whispered to Dorbickmon.
Dorbickmon frowned and thought about it.
These thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind them. Dorbickmon was about to turn around, but a pair of hands suddenly gripped his and BlackWarGreymon's shoulders, and forced them apart. They were roughly shoved into the remainder of the two opposite walls.
Dorbickmon grunted and looked up to see that a MagnaGarurumon was the perpetrator. It looked like he wanted them out of his way. The wolfman passed by them with a long, slim sword in his hand. He poised it and prepared to stab it into GrandisKuwagamon.
The red dragon snarled. "Look out!" he shouted on impulse.
GrandisKuwagamon glanced over his shoulder and saw the MagnaGarurumon preparing to attack him. There was a shimmer in his crimson eye before he spun around to hook the plunging sword inside the claws of his Gran Killers.
The MagnaGarurumon snarled with frustration at Dorbickmon alerting his target. He tried to wrestle his sword back from GrandisKuwagamon. "Darkdramon!" he called out with measured urgency.
The Darkdramon charged forth towards GrandisKuwagamon's exposed back. He levelled his lance with the insect Digimon's right shoulder. If possible, he wanted to simply incapacitate him and take him off for interrogation. Darkdramon thrust the Gigastick Lance towards GrandisKuwagamon.
The mercenary in question sensed the D-Brigade team leader closing in on him. He didn't want to move his feet or else he risked giving up his traction. At the last minute, he ducked down and caused the spear to pass over his shoulder and wing. With impressive instincts, he turned his head to the side and clamped his pincers down around the Gigastick Lance, holding it in place, much like the MagnaGarurumon's sword that he grappled with in his Gran Killers.
"Thor's Hammer!" Blitzmon suddenly called, racing up to MagnaGarurumon and burying an electrically charged fist into his back.
The MagnaGarurumon let out a shout as electricity shook his form and the punch sent him tripping over GrandisKuwagamon's crouched form.
"Impossible! You should be dead!" the Darkdramon exclaimed, snarling as he tried to wrestle his lance away from the vice-like pincers. He knew he sent two pairs of Sealsdramon to deal with Blitzmon. "You're just a Blitzmon."
"That's what I expect you to think," Blitzmon said with a cold voice. He jumped over and drove his boot painfully into MagnaGarurumon's back, using him as a springboard to lunge at Darkdramon and plow him into what was left of the wall.
GrandisKuwagamon released the lance from his forceps and jumped to his feet. He saw the MagnaGarurumon reaching for the sword that he dropped, and proceeded to drive his foot across the cyborg wolf's face. The MagnaGarurumon flipped onto his chest from the impact, but rolled back onto his stomach to push himself up. He stood to his feet and turned to face GrandisKuwagamon. "Starlight Ve—"
Before he could initiate his attack, GrandisKuwagamon plunged his Gran Killers through his chest. The MagnaGarurumon froze as the metal tore through his digicore, and his body burst into data.
GrandisKuwagamon scoffed and turned around to see how Blitzmon was faring. He saw that Blitzmon was dodging lance strikes, throwing punches, and grappling with his Darkdramon opponent.
The Darkdramon kicked Blitzmon into the wall and stepped back, aiming his lance at him. Energy began to build up inside the Gigastick Lance and the interior glowed with yellow power.
GrandisKuwagamon hissed and rushed over before he could fire it. He threw his right hand forwards and pierced the long claws of his gauntlet through the Darkdramon's midsection. The Darkdramon's body arched backwards with shock and pain, and he ended up firing the blast blankly down the hallway into one of the destroyed rooms, causing an explosion out of the inn's exterior wall.
Darkdramon weakly raised a hand to the earpiece in his ear. "Gigadramon," he hissed, even as his body began to fade into data. "Mission failure… Retreat… to…" Before he could finish, his form vanished into data particles.
BlackWarGreymon and Dorbickmon exchanged glances behind the former's shield as they cautiously watched the fight come to an end.
As the cloud of data dispersed into the smoke that cloaked the entire level of the inn, Blitzmon stood to his feet. He dusted himself off and turned towards Dorbickmon and BlackWarGreymon with cold, suspicious eyes. "What about them?" he asked GrandisKuwagamon.
"They're not with them," GrandisKuwagamon responded, remembering that Dorbickmon had helped him. "Bolgmon!"
Suddenly, Bolgmon's room at the end of the hall exploded in a massive blast of electricity, with debris and power coming out of not only the ravaged interior walls, but also the exterior ones too. The dark hallway flickered with lightning.
"Yeah!?" Bolgmon's haggard-yet-adrenaline-filled voice yelled from inside what was left of the room.
"You alive?" GrandisKuwagamon called over.
"Yeah!" the mechanized cyborg Digimon shouted back before releasing a nasty swear. He rolled out through one of the holes in the wall, driving over to the hallway. There were scuffs on his armour and tears in the fabric of his jumpsuit. "No thanks to you two. There were a bunch of Sealsdramon all over me. Hell!"
"We had our own problems to deal with," Blitzmon answered him.
"We gotta get outta here before they send in a team of reinforcements," GrandisKuwagamon told them.
"As much as I'd love to blast 'em as they come, I gotta agree with you, Grandis," Bolgmon stated.
Blitzmon nodded. "Where to?"
"The Mamemon Kingdom," GrandisKuwagamon responded. "The sooner we get these off our hands, the better."
"Good point. We should move before they realize we took down their assassins," Blitzmon agreed.
GrandisKuwagamon looked over his shoulder, through the smoky, dusty corridor, at Dorbickmon and BlackWarGreymon. "Hey!" he called over. "You're Dorbickmon, right?"
Dorbickmon stepped forwards. "Yeah, I am!" he responded confidently. "Were those friends of yours?"
"Yeah, all my friends try to kill me," GrandisKuwagamon replied sarcastically. "Thanks for the heads up, by the way. Maybe next time you could actually punch one or two of them while I'm fighting for my life. Or something."
Dorbickmon grinned. "No problem. And I've been around enough to know not to mess with the Metal Empire."
"Who says they're from the Metal Empire?" GrandisKuwagamon countered.
"I'm not stupid," Dorbickmon responded. "That was a D-Brigade black ops team. Recon, from what I saw. I could tell from the species, tactics, and gear. What'd you guys do to piss them off?"
"I'll tell you after a drink, sometime," GrandisKuwagamon told him dismissively. He glanced at BlackWarGreymon who was standing beside Dorbickmon with a smoking shield. "Hello again, Blondie."
"Hey…" BlackWarGreymon answered with a bit of uncertainty in his voice. Thinking fast on his feet to throw off suspicion, he looked at Dorbickmon. "Who are these guys, Dorbickmon?"
"You're Black Pincer Company, right?" Dorbickmon asked, deflecting the potential suspicion that BlackWarGreymon projected onto him.
GrandisKuwagamon turned his head forwards again. "No idea what you're talking about. Come on, guys. We're getting outta here before the place collapses and the law shows up."
"What should I tell the innkeeper?" Dorbickmon questioned.
GrandisKuwagamon walked to one of the holes in the walls leading to the outside. "Tell 'im to send the bill to the Metal Empire."
With that, he jumped out and beat his four, X-shaped wings, flying into the night air. Blitzmon jumped out next and flew alongside him. Bolgmon drove out the hole and used the vents beneath his body to release pressurized air and steam to allow his body to hover gently to the ground a few floors below.
The three made a beeline for the northern gate of Shroud.
BlackWarGreymon turned and looked at Dorbickmon. "We should get outta here too."
Dorbickmon nodded and went to fetch his bag from his room. He came out and went down the stairs with BlackWarGreymon.
"Did you get what you wanted outta all of this?" BlackWarGreymon asked him, following as they headed to the bottom floor of the inn.
"Yup," Dorbickmon responded, pushing his way past nervous Digimon who were cautiously gathering to see what was going on the upper floor. "My client will want to know about this."
Morning dawned over the Metal Empire. The rays of sun gleamed off the edges of the metal buildings that decorated the capital of Facture. There were clouds in the sky, drifting in from the ocean, but they weren't yet far enough to block out the rising sun.
Machine Digimon, almost always punctual and efficient, were already up and working this early in the morning. Included among these were the three Storm Commanders.
Raijinmon walked out of the doors of a massive building located in a vast, high-security premises on the outskirts of Facture. It was the D-Brigade Headquarters and Military Base, colloquially known as D-Central. It was the only place with tighter security than the Metal Empire's core factories. Surrounding the perimeter were two rows of tall, electrified fences, topped with fixed lasers to prevent them from being scaled. There were also watchtowers covering every angle, and highly secure gates at the entrances to ensure that only those with clearance could enter.
D-Central was a giant, fortified, metal structure which acted as the official headquarters for the military. In addition to housing the command center of the D-Brigade, it also contained their intelligence division. Regarding the military, everything came from or passed through D-Central. Also within the fenced area were countless barracks and depots for the various military personnel. On the side facing away from Facture was a vast yard that could hold brigades of soldiers for drills and military review. D-Central was essentially a fortress.
Raijinmon stepped into the morning sun, which washed over his body and lit up his bright, gold form. He squinted his yellow eyes as they adjusted to the light, but continued walking down the path towards the exit.
The lean, green form of Fujinmon walked out after him and immediately took to the air once in the open space. He flew beside Raijinmon and looked down at him, his long, green braid of hair flowing gently as he travelled.
Behind them plodded the great, red, metal body of Suijinmon, who followed them on his four legs and two, long Accel Arms. He tried to catch up with them, his footsteps heavy under the weight of his body.
"Wait for me, guys," Suijinmon rumbled deeply, his bulky tail swaying as he hastened his steps ever-so-slightly.
"You should learn to walk faster," Fujinmon replied simply, barely glancing over his shoulder at the Waterfall Commander. "You're always slowing us down."
"He can't help it, Fujinmon. He's heavier than us," Raijinmon reminded his green comrade, beginning to slow his strides.
"I suppose so," Fujinmon conceded, touching his feet down on the ground and walking at a leisurely pace with Raijinmon, allowing Suijinmon to catch up with them.
"Thank you," Suijinmon said, trudging up beside the Thunderclap and Hurricane Commanders.
Fujinmon closed his eyes."I'm in no hurry to put Chaosdramon in the picture anyways."
"'Emperor' Chaosdramon," Suijinmon corrected him succinctly, lifting one of his heavy Accel Arms and raising a metal finger. "And we have to. He's our direct superior, after all."
Fujinmon rolled his eyes. "Then you do it," he told him, although with a soft voice. "He already hates me."
"He doesn't hate you," Suijinmon assured the green D-Brigade Commander.
"He doesn't particularly like you, however," Raijinmon added with a glint in his eye as he looked at Fujinmon. "You did initially side with JumboGamemon way back then, I remember."
"Exactly. Even though I switched loyalties to Chaosdramon's side, he doesn't trust me," Fujinmon responded.
"So, give him reason to," the bulky, red Waterfall Commander advised as he plodded next to Raijinmon.
"Alright, and telling him that Special Recon Task Force 11 has been mostly wiped out isn't the way to do it," Fujinmon reasoned. "So, one of you tell him."
"We all need to talk to Emperor Chaosdramon about what's going on in the Mamemon Kingdom anyways. Suijinmon can tell him about the failure of SRTF 11 and we will be there for support," Raijinmon concluded.
"That's fine by me," Fujinmon agreed.
Suijinmon walked quietly. "…Affirmative," he conceded.
The three Storm Commanders walked through the front gate of D-Central unopposed after being saluted by the guards. Suijinmon was the first to salute back, followed by his smaller comrades. They left the D-Brigade headquarters and began to head towards the nearest bridge that spanned the Rust River. By the time they crossed the bridge, the sun had risen up and slipped behind the cloudy veil. This gave the area a grey atmosphere that matched the metallic city of Facture.
There was a professional silence between the three top D-Brigade officials. The exception was their metal feet clanging as they hit the sturdy walkway of the steel bridge. The dark, uninviting water of the river flowed beneath them, and a duo of Mechanorimon piloted by Commandramon moved a large load of materials as they passed by them on the bridge.
Fujinmon glanced at one of the passing Mechanorimon, who moved the cargo as directed by the Commandramon in its cockpit. "Do either of you ever feel like that?" he asked his gold and red counterparts, gesturing to the Mechanorimon, who needed pilots to operate. "Like you're a Digimon, but you're really just being controlled and told what to do from day to day?"
"What are you talking about?" Suijinmon asked, glancing at the skinny, emerald cyborg with a mixture of curiosity and misgiving. He followed behind the two with heavy footsteps. "Not at all. I'm perfectly content with the way things are."
"We're Commanders of the D-Brigade," Raijinmon reminded him. "What do you have to complain about? You're not sitting in those sweaty, oily cockpits doing mechanical labour like those Commandramon. We have things fairly good, in my opinion."
"Sorry. Ignore me," Fujinmon responded, closing his eyes. "I'm just being philosophical."
"I don't see the point in philosophy, myself," Suijinmon stated in his deep, mechanical voice. "Facts are what are important."
"That's so close-minded, Suijinmon," Raijinmon calmly disagreed. "A good commander needs to be creative and visionary."
"I disagree," Suijinmon rumbled. "A good commander needs to be level-headed, logical, and adaptable."
"Then that's a philosophy," Raijinmon pointed out to him with a faint hint of levity in his voice.
Suijinmon thought about it for a few moments. "…Affirmative," he grumbled.
Fujinmon rolled his eyes. "So, you don't have any dreams, Suijinmon? You're perfectly happy with the status quo?" he asked him.
"That's a dangerous way to talk, Fujinmon," Raijinmon warned his green companion. "Especially in public."
"I'm a commander of the D-Brigade and the three of us have been comrades and coworkers for a decade. If somebody doesn't like it, they can jam a plug in their socket," Fujinmon muttered with a trace of scorn in his words. After a few moments of silence, he could see that his comrades weren't satisfied. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm just speaking hypothetically, for the sake of idle conversation. That won't threaten anything, will it?"
"I suppose not," Raijinmon admitted. "I just prefer to put my personal thoughts into private writing so they can't be misconstrued."
"For the sake of conversation, then…" Suijinmon stated steadily, looking at Fujinmon. "I am happy with the way things are. I simply want to be the best commander that I can be."
"What a good boy," Fujinmon muttered under his breath with a wisp of sarcasm. He glanced over at the medium-sized, gold commander "Very well… What about you, Raijinmon?"
Raijinmon shrugged his load-bearing shoulders. "I suppose I want to be well-known," he responded, somewhat non-committal. "However, I'd say that I'm doing a fairly good job at it, being the titular 'Thunderclap Commander', so I have no complaints."
"Titular?" Fujinmon inquired, looking at him curiously. "Did you write a book about yourself with that name or something?"
"We're almost at the palace," Raijinmon said lamely, changing topics quickly. "Have you thought about what you're going to tell the Emperor, Suijinmon?"
"The truth," Suijinmon responded plainly. "He hates preamble and equivocation. What he expects from us is simply honesty and a plan of action."
"You're right," Raijinmon agreed. "His temperament is more that of cold steel than that of a blast furnace, despite what Fujinmon says."
Fujinmon gave him a sideways look. "But do we need to bother hunting down Bug Delta Black after what's been going on in the Mamemon Kingdom?" he asked them.
"You mean how PrinceMamemon announced that they were the ones who hired Bug Delta Black to steal the blueprints?"' Suijinmon questioned. His mind worked quickly. "You think that, because PrinceMamemon made that announcement, they already passed off the blueprints off to him, and that's why they were in Shroud?"
"Yes," the Hurricane Commander responded. "Otherwise, the logistics don't make sense. Why would they be in Shroud if they still needed to give the blueprints to PrinceMamemon? It's too far south and they could have arrived in the Haganemame City within one or two days from leaving here."
"You could be right, but what if PrinceMamemon was lying?" Suijinmon countered. "Why did he issue that retraction of his announcement yesterday?"
"Perhaps somebody told him how foolish he was being in admitting it publically. Either way, it doesn't matter," Raijinmon insisted. "Bug Delta Black need to be made examples of, as does the Mamemon Kingdom. It's as simple as that."
"Affirmative," Suijinmon concurred.
"I suppose you're right," Fujinmon agreed. "Bug Delta Black are simple, but the Mamemon Kingdom is more complicated. How should we deal with them?"
"That's up to Emperor Chaosdramon. All we need to do is carry out his orders," Raijinmon responded as the three turned down the street leading to the entrance of Chaosdramon's giant palace.
Upon seeing the three Storm Commanders approach, the guards immediately unlocked the sturdy front gates. As they passed through to enter the palace grounds, Suijinmon saluted and clomped after the other two. They walked up to the giant front doors and Raijinmon stepped forwards to push them open.
The three D-Brigade commanders headed across the vast lobby and through the set of double doors on the other side that lead to a long, wide hallway. They walked down the length of the hallway and stopped in front of a pair of imposing doors that towered at the very end. Inside was the throne room. Raijinmon knocked firmly.
The next few seconds were deathly silent as they awaited a response. Finally, Chaosdramon's deep, hollow, breathy voice reverberated behind the thick door. "Enter," he spoke.
Raijinmon opened the door and was greeted by a pair of big, glowing, red eyes peering at him from the other side of the room.
The giant, cyborg dragon sat in his sturdy, metal throne. His body was highlighted by the crimson vectors on his scales, giving him a frightening appearance to those unacquainted with him.
Raijinmon was the first to walk forwards, followed by Suijinmon, who lumbered behind him. Fujinmon gracefully strode behind the bulky, red Suijinmon, somewhat using him as a barrier between himself and Chaosdramon. When they stopped at the foot of the throne, the three commanders bowed in chorus.
"Emperor Chaosdramon," Raijinmon greeted with a bowed head. "We have news regarding the three mercenaries codenamed Bug Delta Black – officially known as Black Pincer Company."
"Yes? Have they been captured?" Emperor Chaosdramon questioned.
Raijinmon and Fujinmon both turned to Suijinmon, who walked forwards on his four legs and bowed deeper. "Unfortunately not, Your Majesty," Suijinmon responded regretfully. "I sent a team – Special Reconnaissance Task Force 11 – to track down and capture them. However, all but two soldiers of the unit were wiped out by Bug Delta Black; this was during their attempt to apprehend the mercenaries in an inn in Shroud. The survivors, BlackRapidmon and Gigadramon, returned to tell me the news."
Chaosdramon tightened the vice of his right claw. "I see…" he responded, his voice as steady as before.
"However," Fujinmon spoke up in Suijinmon's support. "We believe that they already handed the blueprints off to their client, so catching them is a secondary priority at this point."
The large, scrutinising, blood-hued eyes of Chaosdramon shifted from Suijinmon to Fujinmon. "Their client? Who do you mean? The Mamemon Kingdom?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing.
"Given our spies' reports, we believe that they are the most likely perpetrators," Fujinmon calmly replied.
"Although we don't have any solid proof yet," Raijinmon added. "It is strange that PrinceMamemon publically boasted that he hired the mercenaries to steal the blueprints and then, a day later, sheepishly retracted the statement."
Chaosdramon hissed as if expelling steam. "That sorry excuse for a king is a deluded imbecile. He actually thinks that the Royal Knights are his subordinates. Somebody with more intellect than he obviously told him to retract the statement."
"Do you think they are responsible for this affront, Your Majesty?" Suijinmon inquired.
"I've been thinking about it since yesterday," Chaosdramon's throaty voice rumbled. "The Mamemon Kingdom clearly has the ambition to catch up with us in terms of technology. They have the motivation, but I don't believe that PrinceMamemon is capable of devising a plan half that clever. He must have had assistance."
"An advisor, perhaps?" Raijinmon suggested.
"…Or the Royal Knights," Suijinmon put forth.
"What?" Raijinmon asked, glancing over at him.
"Don't you remember that intelligence report?" the red machine Digimon queried. "The morning that PrinceMamemon announced that he stole the blueprints, one of our spies spotted him and a cadre of bodyguards boarding the Locomon Rail. Locomon makes a stop in the Free Area – not far from the Royal Knights' castle."
"That's jumping to conclusions, Suijinmon," Raijinmon countered. "He could have stopped anywhere on that rail line."
"Perhaps, but the very next day, he was home and he retracted the claim he made the prior day. I hypothesize that he was conspiring with the Royal Knights, and they convinced him to retract the statement," Suijinmon stated.
"That idea makes more sense than PrinceMamemon being the mastermind," Chaosdramon agreed. "The Royal Knights are clever and they have been looking for a chance to undermine us."
"They were awfully quick to act on the night of the party," Fujinmon remembered. "Gankoomon was skulking around outside the palace, and UlforceVeedramon was quick across the river, perhaps to make sure that everything was going to plan…"
Raijinmon frowned quietly.
"Do you doubt our logic?" Suijinmon asked the gold commander, noticing the look in his eyes.
"No… The logic is sound," Raijinmon responded, although there was disappointment in his voice. "However, this is still just speculation."
"You're not incorrect, Commander," Chaosdramon told him. "For now, we will play along. We can leave the Royal Knights out of the matter for now, and focus solely on the Mamemon Kingdom."
"What are your orders, Emperor?" Raijinmon questioned.
"Keep in close contact with our spies in Haganemame City. Also, send an envoy to demand that PrinceMamemon return those blueprints to us at once," Chaosdramon ordered.
"And if he doesn't?" Fujinmon asked.
Chaosdramon's vice clenched and unclenched. "Make it clear to him that refusing would be a disastrous thing to do…" he answered calmly. "If he still resists, then we will have to proceed with aggressive coercion."
"You mean a military response," the slender, emerald commander stated.
"If the Royal Knights are implicit in this, what will they do?" Raijinmon asked. "If they conspired with PrinceMamemon, it's impossible to believe that they didn't think this far ahead. They must know that we would react strongly; Duftmon is a genius strategist, after all. Perhaps this is a provocation."
"If it is, then we still have to take the bait," Chaosdramon told him with a glint in his crimson eye. "If we let ourselves get pushed around by the Mamemon Kingdom and its jumped-up, air-headed farce of a ruler, then we will be the laughing stock of the entire Digital World. We must respond and put them in their place."
"What if the Royal Knights and their army intervene?" Raijinmon asked.
"If they are looking for a pretext to go to war with us, then they are severely underestimating both the Metal Empire and the D-Brigade," Chaosdramon spoke. There was a red glow in his eyes as he strengthened the grip of his vice-like claws. "If they intervene, we will be waiting."
Raijinmon glanced aside. "Without a doubt, Emperor. We are more than a match for them…"
"In retrospect, perhaps we should have aided DarkKnightmon during his attempted coup of the Royal Knights," Fujinmon suggested.
"Even with what he did to the World Tree?" Raijinmon questioned.
Chaosdramon nodded. "Perhaps we should have. I don't give a bolt about Yggdrasil or Huanglongmon. However, thinking about the past is useless. We need to move on with our course of action."
"What about the mercenaries?" Suijinmon asked.
"Send another team after them, but they aren't our main priority now," the Emperor insisted. "The Mamemon Kingdom is."
The three Storm Commanders nodded.
"If there is nothing else, you're dismissed."
Raijinmon, Fujinmon, and Suijinmon bowed and turned around, heading out.
Chaosdramon lifted himself from his throne and stood to his feet. He looked down at the giant, three-pronged vice that made up his right hand. "All who stand against me…" He closed his hand emphatic force. "…will be crushed."
Later that day, in the afternoon, the Order of the Royal Knights was doing routine work. There were no Free Area inspections or interventions in the continent that needed to be done. Out in the large training grounds, the Ground Strike Forces were doing drills. They were previously overseen by Sleipmon, Examon, and Gankoomon, who were doing their leadership training. Once the three Royal Knights had finished, Leftenant Grademon took over in training the ground forces.
Currently, they walked away from the training grounds and towards the main road that passed in front of the main building and led to the front gate. Alphamon, who was overseeing the training, walked alongside the three.
"I'm impressed with the way you three have been progressing," he told them. "Sleipmon, you've gotten a lot more confident and assertive. Examon has gotten less shy, and Gankoomon has gotten more patient and a better idea of tactics."
Sleipmon smiled. "Thanks, Alphamon. The advice of you and the others has been the main reason," he humbly answered.
"Commanding brigades of troops was definitely the hardest thing for me to get used to," Examon admitted as he flew behind them, hovering only about two meters off of the ground. "Back before I joined the Order, I really only had to worry about myself in combat. That and the towns and Digimon that I was protecting."
"You've adapted nicely, Examon," Alphamon assured him, looking over his shoulder at him with a smile. "You're much more of a team player now too." He lightly nudged Gankoomon, who was striding beside him in a relaxed gait. "Something that Gankoomon still needs to work on."
"Hey, I let Dynasmon go ahead to trash those bandits last week before I got to them," Gankoomon responded with an offhanded wave. "It's not every day I let Bullface hog all the action."
Sleipmon chuckled lightly. "Very generous of you, Gankoomon."
"Dynasmon said it was because you hurt your ankle," Examon pointed out.
"It was not!" Gankoomon declared, swiping his arm out and causing his jacket to blow back dramatically. "What kind of a man gets slowed down by such a petty injury?"
Alphamon rolled his eyes. "You don't half make me feel sorry for BaoHackmon, Gankoomon," he told him good-naturedly.
"Nah. The kid can handle my training no problem," Gankoomon asserted. "He'll have to, if he wants to become a Royal Knight."
"He wants to become a Royal Knight?" Examon asked him.
Sleipmon nodded and scratched his chin. "He is quite the fan. I've autographed about fifteen things of his since he moved here."
Gankoomon placed his hands behind his head and walked leisurely. "Yup. He's a huge fan. You guys are his inspiration in life, apparently," he explained. "If I declined your invitation to join the Royal Knights, I'd have never heard the end of it."
Alphamon couldn't help but smile. "Really…"
Gankoomon nodded. "Hackmon's not just talk, though. He's serious about joining the Order. The kid impresses me with the lengths he'll go sometimes. All I have to do is namedrop you guys and he'll train three times as hard as he normally would." The sunlight reflected in his visor as he turned his head to glance at Alphamon. "But I know becoming one of the Royal Knights is a pretty ambitious dream. Is he wasting his time, Alphamon? If he is, I'd rather tell him now before he builds up his hopes too much."
"You care about him more than you let on," Sleipmon observed with a gentle smile.
Gankoomon didn't respond. He lowered his hands and readjusted the jacket on his back.
The soft grin on Alphamon's face didn't fade. "I'll tell you this, Gankoomon…" he began, turning to look at his fellow Royal Knight. "It's true that there are only twelve Royal Knights and that it's a huge feat to even be considered for selection to join the Order. To become a Royal Knight, you need to be a Digimon with a certain kind of qualities, morals, and characteristics, and you generally need to have an impressive resume of feats behind your name. However, I am open to new Royal Knights if the right kind of candidate comes along."
The four Royal Knights walked down the main road, passing by the merchant and craftsman shops.
"As for BaoHackmon…" Alphamon looked at Gankoomon. "Right now, he's too inexperienced. However, I see a lot of potential in him, and I think you do too. He's relatively young, but he's quite skilled for a teenager. He's determined and he has a big heart. Correct me if I'm wrong."
Gankoomon shook his head. "You're right. The kid's got heart and spirit. I could tell from the day I met 'im," he responded. He looked at Alphamon. "So… what're you saying? He's got a chance?"
"I'm not ruling out the possibility," Alphamon answered. "In the end, it's up to him whether he has the skills, patience, and willpower to do it. However, I'll be keeping an eye on him and his progression. I think he might have what it takes."
Gankoomon managed a grin. "Yeah… Thanks, Alphamon," he told him. "I won't tell him you said that or else it'll just go to his big, metal head."
Examon smiled a bit and flapped his broad wings gently to keep himself aloft. However, his keen eyes picked up something up ahead of them, at the gate of the castle walls. He blinked when he saw a familiar maroon Digimon walking through the gate with a Strikedramon escort. The Strikedramon was a slender dragon man with pale violet and white scales He was clad in green cargo pants and metal plates on various points on his body.
The draconic Royal Knight recognized the Digimon who walked with Strikedramon as Dorbickmon. He couldn't help but feel like he was looking at two versions of Dorbickmon, as his friend has Strikedramon as his lower form. "Dorbickmon?" he said, blinking.
The three Royal Knights looked up at Examon momentarily before looking down the road and seeing Dorbickmon as well.
"Forget it. I see them," Dorbickmon said to the Strikedramon escort, walking ahead of him. "Examon!" he called out with a wave.
Examon flapped his wings and flew ahead of the others. He landed in front of Dorbickmon. "Dorbickmon?" he asked. "You're back already?"
"Thought you'd be glad to see me," Dorbickmon responded with a playful smirk. He stood on his toe claws to look over Examon, noticing the three other Royal Knights approaching.
"I am, it's just…" He trailed off and glanced over his shoulder. Examon poised his wings back so that Alphamon, Sleipmon, and Gankoomon could pass him and approach Dorbickmon.
"You're back early," Alphamon pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"
"You didn't get found out, did you?" Gankoomon asked him.
"Give me a break," Dorbickmon responded confidently. "It didn't take as long as I expected."
"You're finished already?" Sleipmon asked him.
"I did everything I could besides chasing after 'em. And that would've been a horrible idea under the circumstances," the mercenary replied with a shrug. "I got a lot of information though."
Alphamon nodded. "Good. We should summon the other Royal Knights and have a meeting," he stated.
Dorbickmon's face dropped; he was less than excited at the idea. "Uhh, how'bout I just tell you here? I hate going to those meetings unless hotshot here is going to punch someone out," he responded, gesturing to Gankoomon.
"Don't tempt me," Gankoomon warned him, folding his arms.
"It's a bit public out here to be discussing sensitive information," Alphamon responded.
"Let's go inside, then," Sleipmon suggested, turning and gesturing to the main building.
"Maybe we can go by the treasury for my financial considerations too," Dorbickmon mentioned with a grin.
Examon's brows furrowed. "Dorbickmon," he chastised.
"What?" Dorbickmon asked his friend. "If you don't ask, you don't get."
"The Royal Knights aren't about to swindle you," Examon responded with a disapproving look.
Alphamon smiled. "We'll head that way," he assured him.
He began heading inside with the other three Royal Knights plus Dorbickmon. They walked past the guards standing sentry at the front doors, and walked into the long entrance hall. Upon entering the building, they were greeted by the cool air of the building.
Dorbickmon followed the Royal Knights a bit uneasily. He still felt somewhat uncomfortable being in the castle. Despite being reformed, he still felt like he was venturing into the dragon's lair and that somebody was still going to jump out and try to arrest him. His mind knew better, but his instincts were still reluctant.
"So, what happened?" Gankoomon asked, looking over at him.
"Went to Shroud to look for Black Pincer Company, like I said," Dorbickmon answered. "I checked out their regular, the Severed Arms, and found out they checked into a inn a few blocks away."
Examon eyed him. "What did you do?"
"I convinced a buddy of mine to eavesdrop on them. I watched the whole thing," the mercenary explained. "We lucked out since their client – well, not exactly their client – showed up that night."
"What do you mean, 'not exactly their client'?" Alphamon inquired.
"It was a Wizardmon. He told them that he was just an intermediary. He just gave them their reward money. Apparently the Black Pincers don't even know who their client is," Dorbickmon informed them.
"I thought you said you got information," Gankoomon contended.
Dorbickmon rolled his golden-violet eyes. "It didn't stop there. The Wizardmon didn't take the blueprints. He told them his client would double their pay if they did something else with the blueprints."
Sleipmon's brows furrowed and he scratched his cheek. "That's weird…"
"Yeah, then things got crazy," Dorbickmon added with a smirk. "When me and my buddy finished talking in my room , we heard sounds from down the hall. We went to check it out and saw Black Pincer Company in a brawl with a D-Brigade squad."
"What?" Examon questioned. "The D-Brigade attacked them? You didn't get involved, did you?"
"What happened?" Alphamon asked as the five of them began heading down the stairs to the lowest level of the castle.
"I mostly stayed out of it. And Black Pincer Company wiped 'em out. They pretty much destroyed the entire level while they were at it," Dorbickmon answered casually. "They didn't absorb their data, so maybe the rumours about them are garbage."
Sleipmon frowned at this. "What?"
"Forget it, horsie," Dorbickmon answered with a half-shrug. "Not important."
"What happened next?" Alphamon pressed.
"Not much. They took off with the blueprints and got the hell out of Shroud," Dorbickmon responded.
Examon looked at him as they turned a corner and began heading towards the treasury vault. "Do you know where? What their new job is."
"Yeah. It doesn't make sense, though," the mercenary explained. "The Wizardmon told them to travel to the Mamemon Kingdom and give the blueprints to PrinceMamemon. Weird, huh? Do any of you understand that crazy logic?"
All four of the Royal Knights stopped in their tracks as Dorbickmon kept walking. Dorbickmon continued for a few paces before turning around with a raised eyebrow. He wondered why they all suddenly stopped.
"…What?"
Alphamon rubbed his brow with his fingers. "Dorbickmon… please tell me you're joking…"
"I'm not…" he said blandly. "Why? What's the deal?"
"When did Black Pincer Company leave?" Alphamon asked him with a new hint of urgency behind his deep voice.
Dorbickmon frowned. "Last night, a few hours after the evening. Close to midnight, I guess," he responded. "If they're goin' straight to Haganemame City, they're prob'ly there by now. At least, there's no chance of catching them even if UlforceVeedramon went."
"That's what I was afraid of…" Alphamon said with a grimace. "I hope PrinceMamemon isn't foolish enough to take those blueprints…"
"…Did PrinceMamemon hire them all along?" Examon asked.
"That doesn't make sense," Sleipmon answered. "Not with the way PrinceMamemon was acting yesterday."
Gankoomon nodded. "Doesn't seem like he'd care about keeping his identity a secret from the mercenaries or anybody else, for that matter," he added, raising his hand to knead his red mustache.
"Then… what?" Examon mused. "He's being set up?"
"That's what all signs point to…" Alphamon explained, his voice heavy. "But by who?"
"The Metal Empire?" Gankoomon suggested with a shrug.
"You think that Chaosdramon staged that attack on his own factory in front of all of us?" Sleipmon asked. "Just so that he could have an excuse to attack the Mamemon Kingdom?"
"That seems pretty elaborate for the minimal gains they would get," Examon agreed with his beast knight comrade.
"I'm just throwing it out there," Gankoomon responded.
"You two have a point, but I'm not sure who else it could be," Alphamon said. "Who else would benefit from doing that?"
"Not everybody acts in their own best interests," Gankoomon pointed out.
Alphamon sighed. "We'll get your payment later, Dorbickmon. We need to call a meeting with the other Royal Knights to discuss this."
Dorbickmon's brows sank. "Are you serious?" he blandly asked.
Alphamon already turned around and began striding back the way they came. Examon, Gankoomon, and Sleipmon followed him.
"…But we're almost at the treasury!" Dorbickmon complained. After a few seconds of seeing that they weren't going to stop, the mercenary let out a swear and followed after them. "This is going to be fun," he muttered with a snarl.
By the time the sun began to set, Black Pincer Company had arrived safely in the capital of the Mamemon Kingdom, Haganemame City. The city was a series of stone or metal dome complexes. Despite the relatively small size of the city in comparison to cities with similar-sized populations, the city was active and vibrant – much more than Facture.
Black Pincer Company travelled down a large, main road. Bolgmon was as big as some of the city's smaller buildings. However, there were a handful of buildings that were ten or fifteen times their size. Despite the fact that it was called the Mamemon Kingdom, and that a majority of the population were of the Mamemon species, there were a lot of Digimon living in the kingdom who weren't Mamemons. There were lots of other Machine, Puppet, and Mutant Digimon, and even some Digimon of other species. This is reflected in the size and style of some of the buildings.
However, the building that the team of three mercenaries were interested in was located at the end of the road that they were on. The giant, shimmering dome palace of PrinceMamemon was their destination.
GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon led the way with Bolgmon following behind them. They were careful not to step on anybody, though most of the civilians avoided them anyways due to their frightening appearance and demeanour.
GrandisKuwagamon's red eye glistened in the orange light of the setting sun as he looked around the area cautiously.
"Do you think the Metal Empire will track us here?" Blitzmon asked him.
"If we take too long, yeah," GrandisKuwagamon answered. "This better be the last thing we have to do with these damn blueprints. Fighting the D-Brigade is more trouble than it's worth."
"We're might have to find some new digs in Shroud after last night," Bolgmon agreed, rolling along after them.
"Really? You don't think that the inn will let us stay there after we levelled half the place?" GrandisKuwagamon sarcastically asked, looking over his shoulder at Bolgmon.
"It's getting pretty hard to stay unnoticed with these Metal Empire-related jobs," Blitzmon observed. "First the bungle in Facture and now wrecking the inn in Shroud. The D-Brigade will come after us hard if we don't finish things up. The Royal Knights might even get involved."
"We're not leaving this city until that PrinceMamemon guy gets these," GrandisKuwagamon said, glancing at the bag under his arm.
"Why wouldn't he want them?" Bolgmon asked.
"Because he might know they're stolen," GrandisKuwagamon told him. "Don't you remember anything from our days selling stolen stuff?"
"Don't steal more than you can hide, don't get caught, don't sell local…" the insectoid tank began enumerating.
"Okay, smartass," the black bug Digimon replied.
"Let's just force him to take them," Bolgmon suggested, rolling his eyes. "I doubt his bodyguards are any good."
"That's the last resort," GrandisKuwagamon replied. "Blitzmon and I will sweet-talk him. You just be quiet and look pretty."
Bolgmon shot him a glare. "Not much chance of you doing that," he fired back.
"This is it," Blitzmon announced, stopping in front of one of the largest dome buildings in the city.
The shimmering, silver-coloured palace before them had an intricate, geometric exterior that set it apart from the rest of the buildings in the city. Above the large entrance that allowed even large-sized Digimon through was an ornate, white archway, giving the palace that regal feeling.
Flanking that entrance were two heavily armed guards. They were hovering, dark blue, metal balls, similar to that of the Mamemon species. However, their faces were fearsome and their heads (which made up their main bodies) contained sharp horns. They had long, slender arms sprouting from their bodies. In their right hands, they contained vicious-looking chainsaws that felt very much at odds with the laidback, jovial atmosphere around Haganemame City. However, the Giromon made for fearsome bodyguards that made many think twice about trying anything in the palace.
However, the three mercenaries were unfazed by these guards. Black Pincer Company strode up to the entrance of the palace with the intent of walking in.
The two Giromon hovered closer together, blocking the entrance to the doors and forcing the three insect Digimon to stop. "Can we help you three?" the Giromon on the right asked them.
"This is the palace of PrinceMamemon. The official building for royal and governmental matters in the Mamemon Kingdom. See?" the Giromon on the left added, using his left hand to point upwards.
Black Pincer Company looked up and saw 'The Royal Palace of PrinceMamemon' in Digimoji, chiselled into the marble arch that rimmed the doorway.
Bolgmon squinted at them and tilted his head with an expression that asked, 'are you serious?'. "Why don't you two-"
Blitzmon raised his hand to shut Bolgmon up. "We're here to see PrinceMamemon," he calmly interrupted.
"Is he expecting you?" the Giromon on the right questioned them.
"Nope," GrandisKuwagamon answered. "We're diplomats here on a surprise visit."
The Giromon narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Diplomats representing who?" he probed.
"We're not at liberty to say," Blitzmon answered with a sly-yet-confident voice. "But we have something that your king will be extremely interested in."
"And what is that?" the Giromon on the left asked.
"Something that'll make PrinceMamemon be remembered as the guy who put the Mamemon Kingdom on the map," GrandisKuwagamon reassured him.
"…What are you guys selling?" the Giromon guard grilled sceptically.
"We're not selling anything," Blitzmon assured them. "Our client is extremely interested in the wellbeing of the Mamemon Kingdom. We're here on a mission of peace."
"You guys aren't some religious freaks, are you?" the other Giromon questioned.
GrandisKuwagamon let out a sharp laugh at the idea. "Hahah! Hell no. We're just here doing a job for our client. We get paid, you guys benefit, and our client is happy. It's that easy."
The two Giromon exchanged glances and then huddled up, whispering to one another. After some deliberation, they broke off and turned back to Black Pincer Company.
"Fine," one of the Giromon said. "We'll get someone to bring you to PrinceMamemon's chief advisor, Mercuremon. You can talk with him."
"He represents PrinceMamemon?" GrandisKuwagamon asked them, folding his arms.
"Yeah," the other guard responded. "He takes care of most of PrinceMamemon's affairs." The Giromon opened the doors of the palace and slipped inside.
The other Giromon guard remained outside to guard the entrance, looking the three insect Digimon over. "The big guy needs to wait outside," he said, pointing at Bolgmon.
Bolgmon glared at him. "What?! Why?!" he protested indignantly.
"You heard 'im, Bolg," GrandisKuwagamon told him with a grin, relieved that he and Blitzmon wouldn't have to deal with Bolgmon's big mouth.
"Don't cause any trouble," Blitzmon added.
"Your treads will track dirt over the floor," the Giromon explained, pointing to Bolgmon's tank treads. In actuality, he didn't want someone with as much firepower as Bolgmon inside the palace.
"That's discrimination," Bolgmon said angrily, folding his four arms.
"Sorry. The floors were just waxed this morning," the guard insisted.
"Just stay outside, Bolgmon," Blitzmon told him. "Grandis and I can handle it."
"Whatever," Bolgmon muttered huffily.
The palace doors suddenly swung open and the other Giromon appeared from inside. Behind him were a cadre of MetalMamemon. There were five of them, and they were all armed with claws and cannons.
"What's this?" GrandisKuwagamon asked, looking at the five MetalMamemon.
"They'll guide you to Mercuremon," the Giromon responded. "So you don't get lost."
GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon exchanged glances. "Fine."
The two insects began to walk inside the palace. As they did, GrandisKuwagamon felt a faint gust of air against his wings, prompting him to look over his shoulder. Seeing nothing, he continued walking and allowed himself and Blitzmon to be surrounded by the comparatively tiny escorts.
The palace was very grand and ornate. The floors were smooth, sparkling, grey marble, and the geometric wall and ceiling designs were intricate and impressively built. However, their primary purpose seemed to be for building stability.
The squad of MetalMamemon led GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon through a door and towards a pair of moving walkways that led down a hall of the palace. The group got onto the conveyor belt-like machine and waited for it to take them down the hallway. Once there, the MetalMamemon escort hopped off and took the two supposed diplomats down a shorter hallway to a room at the very end of the metal corridor. They reached the large door and one of the MetalMamemon knocked.
"Enter," a voice said.
The MetalMamemon opened the door and walked in, taking another guard with him as the others waited in the hallway. GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon followed them into the throne room. It was large and vacant except for the ornate throne and the figure who walked towards them from the back of the room.
Mercuremon approached, observing the two humanoid insect Digimon. "Greetings," he spoke politely.
"Hey," GrandisKuwagamon responded.
"I don't believe we've met," the mirror Digimon stated with a smile. "I am Mercuremon, PrinceMamemon's royal advisor."
"Name's GrandisKuwagamon and this is Blitzmon, but who we are doesn't matter," the black insectoid replied.
"Doesn't it?" Mercuremon asked them. "I was under the impression that you two were diplomats."
"Sorta," GrandisKuwagamon explained. "We're more couriers, really. What's more important is that we've got something for you."
"And what might that be?" Mercuremon questioned in an intrigued voice.
GrandisKuwagamon reached into his bag and pulled out a few big sheets of paper. He then offered them to Mercuremon.
Mercuremon unfurled the sheets and examined their contents. For a few moments, his smile disappeared, but it wasn't long until the smirk crawled back onto his mirror face.
"I get the feeling you know what these are," Blitzmon observed, examining the expression on his face.
"You're the mercenaries who caused that clamour in Facture, aren't you?" Mercuremon deduced, looking up from the blueprints.
"We're just couriers," Blitzmon insisted.
"If that's so, then who sent you?" the steel Digimon inquired.
"We don't know," the blue insect answered. "We haven't met him personally, but whoever it is seems to want what's best for your king. A friend, maybe?"
"By giving us blueprints stolen from the Metal Empire?" Mercuremon asked with a smile. "That's a dangerous game for us to play."
"Or it's a good opportunity," GrandisKuwagamon responded. "I'm not engineer, but if the Metal Empire's so keen to protect their technology, then it's gotta be pretty useful. Or you could always use those blueprints in other ways. Leverage, extortion, getting in someone's good books – up to you, really."
"Very shrewd," Mercuremon responded. "And what are you asking for it?"
"From you? Nothing," Blitzmon assured him. "We get paid by our client if we give these to you. If he wanted anything from you, his intermediary would have told us. I think he just has PrinceMamemon's best interests in mind."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" a voice blurted out from behind the two mercenaries.
PrinceMamemon burst through the doors of the throne room and flounced in.
"Your Majesty," Mercuremon greeted with his lips in a neutral position.
"PrinceMamemon?" Blitzmon asked with mild surprise.
"I know who you are. I know what's going on!" PrinceMamemon stated, placing his hands on his hips and tilting his head up proudly. "…You're representatives of the Royal Knights, aren't you? That's why Alphamon was upset when I announced that I had the blueprints; it's because he hadn't given them to me yet! He didn't want me tipping off his plans to the Metal Empire! Oh, yes! It all makes perfect sense now!"
GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon exchanged looks. "…We could very well be," Blitzmon responded, giving PrinceMamemon a knowing wink. "We aren't at liberty to say."
PrinceMamemon returned the wink and raised a finger to place it on his lips. "Oh, yes. I understand perfectly. You're just simple couriers. Wonderful!"
"And this is an opportunity that's too good to pass up," GrandisKuwagamon said with a grin, glancing over at Mercuremon as well.
Mercuremon thought for a few moments. "…I suppose it could be," he responded, a sly smirk forming on his face. "It could open many doors for us, indeed. Don't you think, your majesty?"
PrinceMamemon tilted his head up and beamed broadly, his teeth sparkling. "Indeed! We hold all the cards now. No matter what the Metal Empire and their silly Emperor do, we will come out on top! Yes! And this proves that we have the Royal Knights to back us up, as well! It is the beginning of the golden age of the Mamemon Kingdom! I can see it now; our names will go down in the history books!"
"So, you'll take 'em?" GrandisKuwagamon asked him, grinning.
"But of course!" PrinceMamemon exclaimed, collecting all of the blueprints in his arms. "And to celebrate this generous gift, I invite you both to come join us in our royal dining hall to celebrate with wine and delicious foodstuffs! Come, come! It will be a royal feast!"
GrandisKuwagamon grinned at Blitzmon. "Yeah, sure. We'd be honoured," he responded. "Can our friend join us too? Otherwise he'll blow a gasket."
"Oh, of course! The more the merrier!" PrinceMamemon exclaimed jovially. He lead them out of the room, flanked by the squad of MetalMamemon.
Mercuremon walked after him, followed by GrandisKuwagamon and Blitzmon. Before exiting the room, the black insect glanced around the room before shrugging and walking out.
The last MetalMamemon guard closed the door to the throne room, leaving it empty.
However, the room only looked empty…
After a few minutes, there was a visual fragmentation in the data around the side wall. Stone seemed to bulge out from the wall. The bulging portion of the stone wall suddenly pixilated and became a dark blue and black colour. A short, bipedal dragon with camouflaged blue scales and body armour took form, seemingly out of thin air. However, in reality it was his active camouflage concealing him.
The Commandramon narrowed his eyes and looked around cautiously. Upon triple checking that he was safe, he tipped his metal helmet.
"So they have the blueprints and the Royal Knights are involved…" the Commandramon spy muttered. "I need to report this to D-Brigade Intelligence. I might become a candidate for Selection-D for this… They'll be really happy to hear this information."
With that, he reactivated the camouflage on his armour and body, and melded in with the external environment, completely disappearing from view. Within moments, he slipped out of the room and went to make his report.