Holy War

by Griff4823

The sequel to "A Dragon in Shining Armour". The Royal Knights secured victory and peace set over the continent, but it isn't to last. The autocratic Metal Empire, a team of amoral mercenaries, and a mysterious Digimon in the shadows; it's up to the Order of the Royal Knights to intervene. Can they stop things from spiraling out of control, all while dealing with their own issues?

39. Chapter 28: Prisoner of the Black Mist

(Author's Notes: Here it is, finally! Let me know what you think. Read, review, and enjoy!)

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Chapter 28: The Prisoner of the Black Mist

Rain continued to pour down across the Royal Knights' territory of Splendour's Reach. The water ran down the walls of the stone buildings, giving them a wet, slippery sheen. Rivulets of the cloudy, mineral-rich liquid drifted between the gaps in the stone streets. The accumulating rainwater drained out of the castle courtyard through small gutters that led through the base of the wall and into the castle's moat. The rain poured for the past day or so, causing the nearby river to rise slightly and the surrounding grasslands to temporarily grow wet and muddy.

In the headquarters itself, there was a meeting going on in the war room. The twelve Royal Knights, four captains, and Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode were gathered around inside the room. They stood in a loose circle, staring at the 3D map table near the far wall. The table showed a three dimensional map of grid lines with rudimentary textures that revealed the entire continent. Notably, there were seven glowing points at various, random places on the map.

Behind the table were holograms that projected the appearances and details of each of the Seven Great Demon Lords onto the wall.

The seventeen elites of the Order stood around the table, looking down at the seven points on the continent. There were three in the north of the continent, two around the middle, and two in the south.

"So, these are the spikes of data that Metallife picked up on the DADAR, huh?" Gankoomon deliberated, looking through his visor at the seven points on the map. "These are the rifts where the Demon Lords escaped from?"

"Due to the massive amounts of data shown on the DADAR readings, these aberrations could only be explained by the release of the Seven Great Demon Lords," Duftmon explained methodically. "All evidence suggests that they realised in these locations."

Alphamon nodded. "The time stamps on the data scan match up with the time that they were each released from the Dark Area, as well," he noted, remembering the days and nights that Imperialdramon spent sealing the barrier and updating them on the prisoners that escaped.

"We should be able to tell which Demon Lord emerged where, if we assume that they were released in order, from the first level to the seventh level," Omegamon stated, folding his arms and thumbing the back of his thin bicep.

Alphamon stepped towards the map and placed his hand on the edge of the table. "Duftmon, switch to chronological sequence mode," he told the tactician as he gazed down at the topographical display.

The blond haired Royal Knight nodded and delicately pressed a few buttons on the control panel of the table. The seven different three dimensional flags on the map disappeared. The points then began to slowly appear on the map, one after another, with an exponentially increasing between each one.

The first point appeared in the northern part of the Autonomous Expanse. The second point that emerged was several kilometers off of the eastern coast of the giant continent, in the Net Ocean.

"That one must be Leviamon," UlforceVeedramon deduced, placing his hands on his hips as he stared at the second point that appeared on the map. "He's the only one who could have come up through a rift at the bottom of the Net Ocean."

Magnamon nodded with agreement. "They must have been released in order."

"They were," Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode confirmed from beside Alphamon. "As I was reconfiguring the barrier, I could sense the unknown Digimon reaching deeper into the Dark Area each time. The penetration of each level set off an alert. …I still don't know how they were able to do that, not only practically, but physically…"

"More importantly, we need to stop them to make sure they can't do it again," Craniamon determined, his tough voice firm and succinct.

Dukemon eyed the map table with a steady, pensive gaze. He pointed to the pin in the Autonomous Expanse – the first one that had appeared. "Then this must be where Lucemon realised," he suggested.

"I have sent out my scouts to these coordinates," Grani explained, his sapphire eyes scanning the map studiously. "Given that the Seven Demon Lords are of the highest threat level, the scout teams have been ordered to survey at the longest possible distances with strict instructions not to engage."

Karatenmon nodded. "And I have my web of spies across the Digital World keeping their eyes and ears open in those areas," he added.

"Good," Alphamon answered before he turned and looked at Grani. "Grani, can you have a messenger contact the Deep Savers? If Leviamon is in the Net Ocean, then they may be in danger. We would also benefit from them keeping vigilant patrol of the waters."

"Affirmative, Alphamon," Grani obeyed.

"I can fly over there and check it out," UlforceVeedramon suggested eagerly. "The place where Leviamon realised is the closest one to the castle."

"That happened a few days ago, Ulforce," Examon pointed out. "It's unlikely that he's still there."

"We shouldn't be engaging the Demon Lords one-on-one either," Alphamon stated, looking at UlforceVeedramon emphatically. "Not if we can help it, at least."

"Where's the fun in that?" Craniamon said, folding his arms indignantly. He didn't make much of an effort to keep it a secret that he would love to duel one of the Demon Lords.

UlforceVeedramon looked back at Alphamon with insistent, ember-red eyes. "I think I could take him. He's probably weak, coming out of the Dark Area," he responded confidently.

"We don't know that, Ulforce," Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode answered seriously. There was clear warning and uneasiness in his strong voice. "There's a chance that they could be even stronger than when you last fought them. There was an unintended consequence when we created the prison levels within the Dark Area. The prisoners started fighting with each other with their own armies of followers, gathered from inside the Dark Area. The Demon Lords were separated, but due to the degradation of the Dark Area's internal barriers, there was some bleeding over into different levels. There was factional warfare as the prisoners vied for control of the Dark Area, and this might be the reason why DarkKnightmon was so strong when he escaped. The Demon Lords might be stronger too."

"Hmm, you have a point…" Dukemon admitted, his face growing sour at the thought that they might be even stronger.

"Still, we've gotten stronger from when we last fought the Demon Lords too," UlforceVeedramon pointed out optimistically.

"First, let's just find out what we're dealing with," Magnamon suggested even-headedly. "That's what the scouts and spies are for."

"I agree. We shouldn't be reckless," Sleipmon agreed.

"The longer we wait, the more chance we give them to cause trouble, though," Gankoomon impatiently pointed out.

"We won't be sitting on our hands, Gankoomon," Alphamon assured him.

Gankoomon released an irate grunt, folded his arms, and leaned back against the wall. "We better not," he indignantly mentioned. "Because if those Seven Demon-whatever's start wreaking havoc, I'm not waiting around and playing politics. That's a promise."

"I can agree with that," Craniamon stated straightforwardly, making his own feelings clear as well.

"We won't be playing politics," Alphamon responded, raising a hand to dissuade them. "To be honest, I don't think there will be much of that in the near future. When threats like these emerge, politics and bureaucracy start to go out the window."

Gankoomon grinned a bit and placed his hands behind his flame-haired head. "That suits me just fine. I hate politics," he stated proudly. "It's all just talking endlessly over little trivial details instead of taking action."

Duftmon shot him a sharp, disdainful look that only Duftmon was capable of. "Politics are important. Order is necessary, especially in times of crisis," he contended, obviously disapproving of Gankoomon's cavalier stance.

"Not when it gets in the way of doing the right thing," Gankoomon argued.

"Your view is simple-minded, ignorant and prejudicial, masked in a fallacious veil of being 'down-to-earth'," Duftmon contended argumentatively. "In fact—"

"Either way," Alphamon interrupted, not wanting the two to start another debate and get off topic. "We all know what to do." He looked around at all of the Royal Knights and captains. "Data on the Seven Great Demon Lords has been sent to your personal computers. Familiarise yourselves with them, and keep up your training while we wait for the recon reports."

"Obviously," Craniamon answered, cracking his knuckles. "I'll be in top shape for them."

Alphamon smiled a bit. "Let's call this meeting adjourned," he suggested.

Dukemon nodded. "Sounds good to me," he said, turning around and beginning to head out of the war room. He looked at Grani with traces of concern. He tried not to show it outwardly, but he couldn't help but worry with such dangerous enemies around. "If you go out scouting, be careful."

"I always am," Grani replied, with a faint touch of levity to his calm voice. "I've learned from you exactly how not to act."

Magnamon chuckled and walked up alongside Dukemon. "He's got you there, Dukemon," he teased the crimson Royal Knight.

"Maybe you should take a page out of Grani's book more often," Examon added with a playful smile, walking behind the two dragon men.

Dukemon smiled a bit in response to their words. "Yeah, yeah… I'll keep that in mind, guys," he chuckled a bit.

The Royal Knights all walked out of war room and went their own ways. They all had different tasks that they needed to complete. As the group split apart, Dukemon, Magnamon, and Examon continued heading in the same direction.

Examon poised his wings backwards as he followed the two down the left corridor. Due to his height and his giant wingspan, he didn't want to block anybody who wanted to pass him. The large dragon looked down at the pair of the Royal Knights in front of him. "So… You both fought the Seven Demon Lords, right?" he asked them quizzically. "How was it?"

"Yeah, we did. It was pretty tough, to be honest," Dukemon admitted, frowning as he remembered their clash. "They were powerful, even by our standards…"

Magnamon nodded, folding his arms and frowning as he walked. "I hate to say it, but it wasn't a sure thing that we could beat them. I nearly lost my arm… Luckily, they were relatively weakened by that point and the tide was moving against them. They were at a disadvantage."

Examon looked at the two with concern. "So… We have our work cut out for us," he said, his emerald eyes narrowing into a squinty frown at the thought.

"Yeah, we will," Dukemon answered definitely. His voice was terse and his movements were rigid as he thought about their new enemies.

Quietly, Magnamon noticed the anxiety of the two Royal Knights. He preferred not to be negative and he didn't want to see his friends worry. "We've beaten them before. We can do it again," Magnamon added with a smile behind his golden helmet.

Examon couldn't help but grin at Magnamon. "You're as optimistic as ever," he noted.

"Am I?" Magnamon asked, looking over his shoulder. "I don't think that's a bad thing. How can we expect to defeat them unless we believe that we can defeat them?" he reasoned.

"…Yeah. You have a point, Magnamon," Dukemon agreed, pondering his words. "There's no sense in doubting ourselves and assuming the worst."

"I'm glad you think so, Dukemon," Examon said to him with a soft, meaningful smile. "I don't think you would have said that a few weeks ago."

Feeling sheepish, Dukemon chuckled a bit and rubbed the back of his head in response to Examon's comment. "Yeah, well… I like to think the best in Digimon too," he insisted.

Examon nodded. "I guess there's no point in being pessimistic," he agreed. "Although, we should still be prepared. I don't want to underestimate the Demon Lords if they're as powerful as you say."

"That's true too," Magnamon conceded. "It's important to be prepared as well."

"So, why don't we go spar in the training grounds?" Dukemon suggested. "All three of us. Training programs and all."

"Okay," Magnamon agreed readily. "Maybe we can invite Craniamon and have a two-on-two fight."

"He'd probably insist on taking on all three of us single-handedly," Examon pointed out with a chuckle.

Dukemon laughed. "Probably," he couldn't help but concur.

As the three Royal Knights turned a corner, they saw Dorbickmon standing further down the corridor. The crimson mercenary leaned against a wall, tapping his foot impatiently. The dragon man perked up when he saw the three Royal Knights walking towards him. He stood up straight and turned to face them.

"Dorbickmon?" Examon asked curiously as they approached. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you guys to finish another one of your many endless meetings," Dorbickmon answered sardonically, his arms remaining folded across his burly chest.

Dukemon walked up to him with Magnamon and Examon. "Any particular reason?" he wondered.

Dorbickmon nodded sharply, glaring at them with purpose. "You got the bug locked in your dungeon, right?" he asked them in a blunt, no-nonsense voice.

Dukemon tilted his head quizzically. "GrandisKuwagamon?" he asked. The crimson knight then levelled a sceptical gaze at Dorbickmon. "Yeah... Why?"

"I just want to see him, but the damn guards won't let me in without permission," Dorbickmon complained with an irate growl rolling off his words.

"Looking for a little payback?" Dukemon inquired, his flat voice and arched eyebrow making his scepticism clear.

Examon shot a disapproving look at Dorbickmon. "Dorbickmon… Revenge doesn't solve anything," he reminded him.

At this, Dorbickmon rolled his eyes. "I just want to talk with the pest," the muscular dragon Digimon insisted as diplomatically as he could. "I need to find out some things. Besides, it's not like I could touch him in a prison cell."

"Not for a lack of trying," Dukemon pointed out. He could sense Dorbickmon's thinly veiled aggression in his rough movements and acidic words. "You'd wring his neck if you could."

"Besides, it goes against security protocol," Magnamon added. "The others would kill us, especially if something happened."

"Ugh. Seriously? All these rules and crap are really getting up my ass," Dorbickmon complained.

Examon sighed and rubbed his temples with his claws. "What if I went with him?" he suggested, hoping to compromise the two sides. "I'll be with him the whole time and I'll make sure that he doesn't step out of line. If anything goes wrong, I'll accept full responsibility."

Dorbickmon turned his head slowly and delivered a flat, exasperated stare to Examon. "How come I'm the one who sounds like the prisoner here?" he asked with annoyance.

"I've been on the receiving end of that temper," Examon pointed out with a grin. "I wouldn't wish it on anybody."

"Hell. Thanks for the vote of confidence," Dorbickmon muttered acrimoniously. He turned around and began heading down the corridor. "Come on, move your thirty-foot ass, Examon," he said with recalcitrance, not turning around to address the dragon.

Clouded with exasperation, Examon sighed and straightened out his long tail in question. "I'll catch up with you two in a bit," he told Dukemon and Magnamon before following after Dorbickmon. "We can have that spar afterwards."

As the two red dragons walked off down the corridor, Magnamon smiled and looked up at Dukemon. "They're really getting along now," he noted. "I'm impressed at how well they've been able to put the bad blood behind them."

Dukemon smiled. "I'm glad they have. It's good to have friends you can trust with your life…" he stated thoughtfully.

"That's for sure," Magnamon agreed, eyeing Dukemon with his warm, red eyes. "…I'm glad you can trust us, Dukemon."

Dukemon turned to look at the shorter golden knight. He knew he was referring to Dukemon telling them about the Digital Hazard. After a moment, he flashed Magnamon a grin. "Yeah… Me too," he answered sincerely. "Now don't get all soppy, Magnamon. It's not good for our image."

Magnamon chuckled. "I guess you're right," he agreed, walking along beside Dukemon.

The two Royal Knights continued chatting as they made their way down the stone corridor. The pair went to look for MetallifeKuwagamon, intent on getting fitted with the training program so that they could begin their spar.

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The Royal Knights' dungeons were located deep underground, in the furthest part of the subterranean basement of the headquarters. They were at the end of a long, well-lit hallway. The entrance was very secure; there was a pair of chrome digizoid doors with electronic, magnetized, and manual locks for maximum security. They were modelled after the ones that were used in Havelock Prison. Castle Guards were constantly on duty whenever the dungeon was occupied. There were guards on lookout both inside and outside of the dungeon. However, most prisoners were transferred to Havelock Prison after temporarily residing in the castle dungeons, so they were typically empty.

That was not the case right now.

The dungeons were dark and lit mainly with torches at the ends of the hallways, although each cell had its own personal, little light. There were about thirty cells in total. The prison cells had differing sizes, large and small, in order accommodate different sizes of Digimon. Each secure unit was complete with vertical, fortified chrome digizoid-alloy bars, which had no more than a few inches between each bar. The bars also seemed to emit a faint, transparent barrier that prevented penetration, even from ghost and incorporeal Digimon.

Currently, there was only one cell that was occupied. It was outfitted with a bed, a toilet, and a night stand with a few books on it.

GrandisKuwagamon, the sole prisoner, sat cross-legged in the center of the cell. His red, compound eye was narrowed as it stared emptily beyond the chrome digizoid bars. The black, humanoid insect breathed softly and his long pincers were at ease. He was in a state of meditation. His mind was empty and his body was relaxed and controlled. He was almost in a deep state of passive concentration and tranquility.

As all of the Royal Knights' prisoners did, GrandisKuwagamon had a power-inhibiting virus implanted into his body. This virus kept him from evolving or devolving. Additionally, it kept him from using his abilities. His Gran Killer gauntlets had been confiscated, and the muscles of his long, scissor-like pincers were numb, preventing him from moving them with any effectiveness. He had been rendered subdued.

GrandisKuwagamon released a breath as he tried to focus on his inner strength.

Emphasis on "tried".

He was doing his best to concentrate, but there was an annoying bug that kept buzzing incessantly and breaking his focus. That bug came in the form of the guard standing outside of his cell. The guard had been trying to make pleasant conversation with him for the past ten minutes. GrandisKuwagamon had tried ignoring him, but he didn't seem to be taking the hint.

The guard in question was a large, muscular, dragon man Digimon. His light orange scales matched the glow of the flames that cast across his body. Resting over his buff, brawny chest was well-polished, gold and silver plate armour that went all the way up to his thick neck. The armour plates over his neck and chin were black in colour, matching the thick, black band around his hips that held his long loin guard in place and connected to his breast plate. Also connected to the dragon man's chest armour were the spiked, golden spaulders that covered his shoulders.

The Greymon-type Digimon also wore a pair of silver and red greaves over his shins. They were strapped to the backs of his calves with red cords, and over the tops of his large, clawed, draconic feet, further fastened by a black, rubber strap that went around the soles of his feet. In addition to this, around the dragon's forearms were thick wrists guards. These wrist guards each had a slot for a long object to attach into. Just above these vambraces were black belts that were wrapped around his thick, well-developed forearms.

He wore a helmet and face mask over his head. At the tip of his draconic snout was a nose horn that had the shape of a crimson blade. Further decorating his helmet was a gold, V-shape crest that went from the top of his mouth and over his eyes before protruding out from the back of his helmet. The VictoryGreymon had striking emerald eyes, which conveyed a sense of warmth, excitement, and optimism. His neck-length red hair contrasted with the green of his eyes. Finally, protruding from the armour of his back were two thick slabs of triangular metal that gave off the appearance of wings. These pieces of metal could be detached from his back and connected together to form a shield.

The VictoryGreymon held a massive broadsword with a single arm, letting it rest against his shoulder. The sword was taller than he was, and the blade was actually made up of three individual blades to form one single one. The width of the sword was as thick as the dragon man's torso. The giant sword, called the Dramon Breaker, had a V-shaped crossguard that was big and heavy enough to warrant handles on the two sides. The Dramon Breaker had a long hilt for both of his large hands. The fact that he could wield such a heavy sword with relative ease was a testament to the Greymon's impressive muscles. His armour only covered parts of his body, so his thick biceps and his tree trunk-like thighs were fully visible.

VictoryGreymon's muscular tail swayed back and forth as he talked animatedly to GrandisKuwagamon. Aside from his sculpted muscles was his bright, approachable expression. His excitement caused the pitch of his deep, gentle voice to rise slightly as he talked about his favourite subject: the Royal Knights.

"-and they actually spoke to us new recruits in person!" VictoryGreymon exclaimed enthusiastically. "Dukemon actually said to me, 'Nice to meet you. We're happy to have you on board, VictoryGreymon. You look like you can handle yourself.' The dragon man's eyes were bright as he spoke about him, and he was smiling from ear to ear. "Can you believe that?! He actually said my name! It was so amazing! I nearly melted right then and there. Gee, I wish I coulda got a recording of that."

GrandisKuwagamon hunched forward, his four wings twitching agitatedly. He tried his best to ignore the irritating Greymon, but he began to get the feeling that this was a topic that he could go on for hours about.

"It was so amazing seeing them all up close. I mean, I know I've seen them a few times before, but that was only for a few seconds," the VictoryGreymon continued on animatedly. "Their armour is so cool, and they look so heroic in their capes and helmets. All twelve of them are so awesome, and I actually get to be a part of the Order! This is everything I could have imagined! It's a dream come true!"

Finally, GrandisKuwagamon had enough. He looked up at VictoryGreymon with a withering gaze. "Cripes…" he said aloud in an obviously annoyed voice. "I know you've got a raging stiffy for the Royal Knights and everything, but would you shut up about them for one fucking second? It feels like it's been an hour…"

VictoryGreymon blinked and looked at GrandisKuwagamon. He immediately quieted down and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Oh… Sorry…" he said in a deflated voice. "I guess I got carried away talking about them… They're kinda my heroes, so I'm one of their biggest fans. I could talk about them for days," he explained, brightening up with a goofy grin.

"Really. I wouldn't have guessed," GrandisKuwagamon sarcastically muttered, sighing tiredly.

VictoryGreymon's smile faded and he suddenly frowned. "Sorry! How rude of me! I didn't introduce myself!" he suddenly stated with guilt lacing his words. "My name's VictoryGreymon. I'm from New Terminal. Well, actually, me and my friends were from a smaller town in the Republic of Node, but then we moved there. But anyways. What about you…?"

GrandisKuwagamon looked at VictoryGreymon with an expression that asked if he was serious. "…You know who I am; you're on guard duty," he stated emphatically.

"Yeah, but…" VictoryGreymon meekly responded.

GrandisKuwagamon rolled his eye and stood to his feet inside his cell. "Name's GrandisKuwagamon. I'm from some place you've never heard of," he answered offhandedly.

VictoryGreymon smiled and placed the Dramon Breaker sword down against the wall on the opposite side of the dungeon corridor. He then offered his hand towards the cell. "It's a pleasure to meet you," VictoryGreymon stated, looking at the ebony bug expectantly.

GrandisKuwagamon glanced down at VictoryGreymon's hand and then back up at his smiling face. "…You know, the bars—" He suddenly caught himself and a mischievous smirk formed on his lips. "Actually, you know what? Sure. Slide me some scales," he said, offering his black hand towards the bars.

VictoryGreymon reached his hand forwards to try and put them through the bars. As soon as his clawed fingers began to go between the chrome digizoid slabs, and impenetrable barrier suddenly materialized, physically blocking him from going any further. Then the barrier sparked with electricity, sending a weak but surprising jolt through VictoryGreymon's hand.

He let out a sharp yelp of surprise and retracted his hand, shaking it rapidly. "Ow, ow, ow!" he exclaimed, dancing in place as he tried to get rid of the numb sensation in his hand.

GrandisKuwagamon snickered. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," he remarked innocently.

"So did I…" VictoryGreymon said with an embarrassed smile. He didn't seem to notice that the mercenary set him up for that to happen. The dragon guard looked at the bug Digimon with a friendly smile. "So, um, GrandisKuwagamon. …Can I call you Grandis?"

"No," GrandisKuwagamon said swiftly and succinctly.

"But 'GrandisKuwagamon' is long and hard to remember…" VictoryGreymon mumbled, twiddling his fingers.

"Fine, whatever," GrandisKuwagamon answered, just trying to get him off of his back.

"Great!" VictoryGreymon stated enthusiastically. "So, what do you think of the Royal Knights? Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, amazing," the black insect sarcastically answered, rolling his eye. "I'm a real fanboy. And their dungeon sure is comfy. I feel right at home here."

"Oh, uh, yeah… Maybe that was a dumb question…" VictoryGreymon sheepishly suggested, realising that maybe GrandisKuwagamon didn't exactly have the best predisposition towards his heroes.

An uncomfortable silence began to overtake the dungeon. VictoryGreymon shuffled in place, scuffing at the floor with his toe claws as the tension began to make him feel awkward.

"So…" he began, looking over at GrandisKuwagamon again, wanting to make conversation. "Hey, did I tell you? I'm part of the Greymon Five. Ever heard of us?" he stated proudly.

"Nope," GrandisKuwagamon answered, not even bothering to hide his apathy.

"Yeah!" VictoryGreymon exclaimed, not picking up on the prisoner's annoyance or disinterest at all. "We were part of the Republic of Node military until a few days ago. We even fought in that battle against the Metal Empire! After our higher ups found out what was going on, they made an agreement with the Royal Knights to get us transferred here to the Order. It's great! We're all big fans of the Royal Knights. I can't tell you how amazing it is to be part of the Order. We're part of the Strike Forces now. Oh! But you're probably wondering why I'm guarding the dungeon."

"Not really."

"Well, I volunteered to help out since everybody's really busy right now," VictoryGreymon explained. "After that battle, there's a lot of stuff going on."

GrandisKuwagamon gave VictoryGreymon a sideways look. "You're not very good at this guarding thing, are you?" he asked him pointedly. "You know, you're making nice with the prisoners and everything..."

"Huh? There's nothing wrong with being friendly," VictoryGreymon responded, shrugging his broad shoulders.

GrandisKuwagamon grinned and shook his head. "Shit… I was kidding when I said that all of the Order Digimon are wide-eyed dumbasses like you, but I'm really startin' to think that I was right all along," he said cynically. "Then again, the Royal Knights probably have that as their job description."

"Hey, the Royal Knights and the others aren't dumb…" VictoryGreymon responded, more offended for the Royal Knights than for himself. "I know you must be upset, being in prison and all, but—"

"Don't patronize me, lizard," GrandisKuwagamon sharply told him. "You don't know anything about me."

VictoryGreymon frowned and folded his arms, thinking about the insect Digimon's words. "Well… I guess I don't…" he admitted, supposing that the mercenary had a point. He then smiled at him brightly. "I'd like to, though."

GrandisKuwagamon stared at the bulky Greymon. "…Are you serious?" he asked him incredulously. "I don't know how a naïve, empty-headed lug like you survived this long."

"I'm just trying to be friendly…" the humanoid Greymon mumbled, looking down dejectedly.

"There's your main problem," GrandisKuwagamon muttered. "You're soft-hearted and soft-headed."

VictoryGreymon opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by the sound of the metal door getting knocked on and a voice sounding out.

"We have authorised guests. Door one is open. Door two?" the voice asked.

The Mystimon guard who was standing by the inner door of the dungeon began unlocking the door. VictoryGreymon glanced at GrandisKuwagamon before walking over to help his fellow guard and return to his duties.

The pair unlocked the door and opened it to see Examon standing there with Dorbickmon.

"Thank you," Examon said to them politely. "My friend and I wanted to speak with GrandisKuwagamon."

"Right this way, Sir Examon, sir!" VictoryGreymon stammered excitedly, obviously awestruck at seeing the tall dragon Royal Knight up close. "Let me show you—" As VictoryGreymon hurriedly spun around, his legs moved faster than his tail. He ended up stepping on the tip of his tail and then getting his other ankle tangled up in the long, flexible appendage. VictoryGreymon let out a sharp holler as he tripped over himself and crashed to the floor of the dungeon.

A bead of sweat dripped down Examon's head as he stared at the fallen VictoryGreymon with surprise and concern. Meanwhile, Dorbickmon started laughing.

"Are you okay?" Examon asked him, bending down to help the dragon man stand up.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry," VictoryGreymon apologised, blushing sheepishly as he stood up again. "I've got two left feet." He straightened himself up and rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. "He's in the fifth cell down, sir!"

"Thanks," Examon responded before looking at Dorbickmon. "Well, come on."

Dorbickmon smirked and strode forward down the dungeon hall. Examon walked after him to keep a close eye on him. The pair of red dragons passed by the empty cells until they reached the one occupied one. There was an initial twinge of anger upon seeing the black form of the insect mercenary, but he stifled the gut emotion. Dorbickmon stepped up to the bars and folded his arms, looking in at GrandisKuwagamon with a victorious grin.

GrandisKuwagamon turned to look at the visitors. Upon seeing Dorbickmon on the other side of the bars, an irritated scowl formed on his face. "Oh, great…" he muttered, realising how much Dorbickmon would enjoy seeing him in this position.

"Remember me?" Dorbickmon asked, smirking as he stared at the imprisoned mercenary.

"Hard to forget a face as ugly as yours," GrandisKuwagamon deadpanned in response. "So, I guess you survived that little brawl in Shroud."

"I always survive," Dorbickmon countered, shooting an intense leer at the black insect.

"What a shame," GrandisKuwagamon snarked in return. He cast a fearless grin at Dorbickmon. "But, it's nice to know my instincts weren't wrong. I was almost worried I dropped an innocent Digimon into deep shit, but here you are, hanging off the arm of a Royal Knight. I always knew you were working for them."

Dorbickmon glanced at Examon and took a step away from him self-consciously. Despite their reconciliation, Dorbickmon didn't want to be lumped in with the Royal Knights. "A job's a job," he told the mercenary defensively. "I only worked with them to take down you and your friends. It's not like I work for the Order."

Examon watched Dorbickmon quietly. He wanted to comment, but he let Dorbickmon have his say. He couldn't help but be a little offended that Dorbickmon had to go out of his way to distance himself from them. Despite this, he understood that Dorbickmon was in a precarious situation at the moment, so he tried to let it slide.

"I dunno if everybody will see it that way," GrandisKuwagamon responded, idly examining his black fingers. "Once you've been outed as working with the Royal Knights, you'll be hard to trust again. Once a snake, always a snake…"

Despite bristling underneath, Dorbickmon smiled a dangerous, tooth-laden smile. "Yeah, well, you're in there and I'm out here. I'm pretty sure I got the last laugh," he pointed out to him.

"Whatever. Keep telling yourself that," GrandisKuwagamon answered nonchalantly, not wanting to give Dorbickmon the satisfaction.

"I also heard that you got betrayed by your own teammates. You must really be unpopular," Dorbickmon continued with a dark smirk. "Sucks to be you."

GrandisKuwagamon folded his arms. "Not quite as unpopular as a Royal Knight informant in the world of mercenaries. I sure hope these tin cans pay well, because I doubt you'll ever get a job again," the insect Digimon countered calmly. "I'd stay away from Shroud and Dark Point if I were you. Unless you want to end up with something sharp between your ribs."

A low growl rolled in Dorbickmon's throat. "At least I'm not stuck in some dungeon, bound for a lengthy stay in Havelock, while my friends who betrayed me are walking free." Dorbickmon laughed. "It must eat you up inside, bug."

Examon glanced at Dorbickmon, unable to help but feel uncomfortable. He knew that Dorbickmon still had a darker side, but it made him uneasy to see it after they were getting along so well. He also knew that it wasn't long ago that Dorbickmon blamed him for betraying him and he carried a grudge that festered for years. He began to think that he and GrandisKuwagamon had more in common than they thought.

GrandisKuwagamon's eye narrowed slightly, but he caught himself before he rose to the bait. "You done, lizard? I've got a book I want to finish."

Dorbickmon grunted and angled his head away, leering at him out of the corner of his gold and violet eye. "Yeah, whatever. Enjoy the prison cell, bug," Dorbickmon taunted.

"Enjoy the Royal Knight cock, lizard," GrandisKuwagamon snappily retorted.

"Why you-!" Dorbickmon snarled, stepping towards the bars, but he was stopped by Examon.

"Are you done here, Dorbickmon?" Examon calmly asked, keeping a tight hold on his arm to keep him from going any further.

"Not yet!" Dorbickmon protested, glaring at GrandisKuwagamon. "I heard your two so-called friends are laughing it up in Shroud by now. It must be shitty to be the sucker left carrying the can, isn't it, Scissor-face?"

GrandisKuwagamon grunted and looked away. "This is getting pretty boring, lizard. Like I said, I've got books to read," he pointed out with indifference. "So, why don't you take your spikes and your nipple lasers somewhere else?"

"I'm not done with you yet," Dorbickmon threatened, scowling intimidatingly.

"Dorbickmon, I think you've made your point," Examon protested, grabbing his arm and pulling him.

"Fine. I'll just go enjoy my freedom," Dorbickmon said with an edge to his growling voice. "More than I can say for you, huh, Grandis?"

Examon sighed. "Okay, you got the last word now. Can we go?" he asked tiredly.

"Tch," Dorbickmon grunted, conceding to Examon. He turned and started walking down the dungeon corridor towards the exit, not giving GrandisKuwagamon another look.

Examon eyed GrandisKuwagamon for a moment before following the dragon mercenary.

GrandisKuwagamon rolled his eye and went to sit down on his bed. He grabbed a book from the nearby table and opened it to where he left off.

While walking down the dungeon corridor, Examon looked ahead at Dorbickmon. "You couldn't just take the high road, could you?" he asked him with subtle irritation.

"He had it coming and I had a score to settle with him," Dorbickmon answered with an aloof shrug.

"You didn't have to be so immature and petty," Examon muttered.

"Petty!?" Dorbickmon sputtered, wheeling around to glare at Examon. "That guy outed me as working for you and sent an entire mob of mercs on me! They were ready to beat me to a pulp! They probably would have interrogated me and pulled my teeth out one by one! You tell me again that that's petty!" he growled with an intense, draconic glare.

Examon stopped in front of him and stared at him coolly. "I know. He wronged you… So rise above it and be the better Digimon, if you're capable," he icily responded. "You're not going to do yourself any good by dwelling on grudges and revenge."

Dorbickmon stopped and blinked at his words incredulously. After a moment, Dorbickmon sharply exhaled in an offended scoff. "Oh, so that's what this is about! I get it now…" he exclaimed with a sharp edge to his voice.

Examon frowned softly and looked away. "I don't know what you mean…" he calmly answered.

Before either of them could continue, the muscular Greymon walked over to them. "Sir, the doors are ready," VictoryGreymon explained, thumbing over to the pair of opened security doors.

"Thank you, VictoryGreymon," Examon told him, walking past the volunteer guard and heading through the doors.

Dorbickmon stared after Examon with bitter, narrowed eyes. After a moment, he grunted and followed after the Royal Knight. As Examon and Dorbickmon headed towards the exit, they noticed a pair of Digimon on the opposite side of the threshold. Standing on the other side were SaviorHackmon and Gankoomon, who were talking to the exterior guards.

Examon raised an eyebrow upon seeing them there. "Gankoomon? Were you looking for me?" he asked him curiously.

"Nah," Gankoomon responded with a shrug as the pair stopped in front of them. He nodded over SaviorHackmon. "He wanted to visit GrandisKuwagamon."

SaviorHackmon bowed politely before Examon. "Hello, Examon-shishou," he greeted formally, making his reverence clear.

"Hello, SaviorHackmon," Examon said in response, offering a tiny smile to the younger dragon Digimon.

"Good luck," Dorbickmon muttered to SaviorHackmon. "He may be locked up, but his sharp tongue can cut even that thick armour of yours. Don't take him lightly."

"Yeah, I know," SaviorHackmon responded reminiscently. He could clearly remember how rough, brutally honest, and sarcastic GrandisKuwagamon was when Black Pincer Company was holding SaviorHackmon hostage. As much as he hated being in that situation and as terrifying as it was, he remembered part of it fondly. He liked getting to know this strange, enigmatic, cynical Digimon who seemed like he had more to him than he let on.

SaviorHackmon gazed down the hall towards the cells, as if hoping to be able to spot him from there. He looked at Examon and the guards. "May I see him?

"As long as you have Royal Knight permission," Mystimon said, looking at both Examon and Gankoomon for their approval.

"If Gankoomon says it's alright," Examon agreed, turning to the humanoid Royal Knight.

"Yeah. He just needs to talk with him and get a few things off of his chest," Gankoomon answered. The fire-haired Royal Knight folded his arms and looked at SaviorHackmon. "You can talk to him alone, right?"

"Of course, Sensei. I want to speak with him alone," SaviorHackmon responded, nodding his white, horned head. Feeling a bit nervous, he fiddled with the goggle-clad collar that connected his long, red cape to his neck. "May I go in now?"

"Go ahead," the Mystimon stated, stepping aside. "The cell is right down there."

SaviorHackmon nodded, took in a light breath of the musty dungeon air, and walked through the threshold.

Gankoomon watched as his apprentice walked down the hall, away from him. He smiled slightly and folded his arms across his chest. He could sense the maturity in SaviorHackmon's words and actions. His growth over these past couple months had been clear to Gankoomon. No longer was he the young, dreamy Hackmon who saw everything in shades of black and white. SaviorHackmon was beginning to understand the shades of grey and the complex realities of the Digital World – and yet, his heart was strong enough that he held true to his passion and ideals despite it all. It was enough that Gankoomon trusted him alone with the mercenary. He was certain that witnessing that battle had something to do with his growth.

The Royal Knight turned and walked out of the dungeon, into the underground corridor along with Examon and Dorbickmon. As he did, he glanced at his fellow Royal Knight. "Hey, Examon," he spoke, glancing up at the dragon curiously. "D'you think SaviorHackmon has matured over the last few months?"

Examon frowned and folded his arms with thought, as the dungeon doors were closed behind them. "Well… you would know better than I would…" he pointed out to his comrade. "But… yes, I do. He seems like he has a better understanding of what the Royal Knights are now. Ever since he became SaviorHackmon, he's been more deliberate in his actions, and he doesn't only talk about fighting. He's curious about other aspects of the Order, like its organization, its history, the political and administrative sides…"

Gankoomon leaned against the stone wall behind him and nodded. "Yeah, I've thought so too. He's definitely changing… even more over the past week," he mused. "I wonder if that battle changed him so deeply…"

"His first battle… Something of that scale would have an effect on any Digimon," Examon pointed out. "I still remember mine."

"I even remember my first fight," Dorbickmon added, his sour mood fading as he fondly remembered his first scrap. "I knocked the guy flat on his ass. Good times."

Gankoomon sighed and scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess it would have something to do with that, wouldn't it? Especially for someone with a heart like SaviorHackmon's…"

"His heart?" Examon asked, looking at Gankoomon curiously.

The Royal Knight readjusted the white coat on his shoulders and nodded. "Yeah… He likes to put on an image of being tough, especially in front of you guys, but, deep down, he's actually got a sensitive heart that cares a lot for other Digimon… That's why he's in there now, talking with GrandisKuwagamon."

"Hmm…" Examon thought to himself. He glanced at Gankoomon with a knowing grin. "So, a bit like his Sensei, I guess."

Gankoomon's beige cheeks tinted and a toothy scowl formed on his lips. He looked away to hide his embarrassment. "Tch. Don't test me, Examon. I've punched out bigger dragons than you," he warned him.

Examon chuckled and sheepishly scratched his cheek. "It was a compliment…"

Dorbickmon quietly leered at Examon with hard eyes, but he remained silent and docile. He grunted softly and folded his arms, leaning against the wall as the two Royal Knights talked.

---

Meanwhile, SaviorHackmon tentatively walked up to GrandisKuwagamon's cell.

The dragon stopped just short of the cell, standing out of view. For a moment, he doubted himself. The last time he had seen GrandisKuwagamon, he had been his prisoner. He was still a big, dominant, fearsome Ultimate-level Digimon in his mind. Despite the chrome digizoid bars and the fact that they were nearly the same size, SaviorHackmon felt a bit of fear at the idea of standing face to face with him again.

SaviorHackmon exhaled and closed his eyes meditatively. He reminded himself that he wanted to talk to GrandisKuwagamon. There was something about the cynical mercenary that spoke to him. He felt as though he wasn't as bad as his first impression of the criminal made him seem.

SaviorHackmon steeled himself and summoned his courage. He pulled his crimson hood up over his horned head so that his face was shaded over. He let his goggles rest against the fabric over his forehead, weighing the hood down against his head. Finally, he looked in to see the bug Digimon standing behind the bars. It was strange seeing him in such a vulnerable position.

GrandisKuwagamon eyed SaviorHackmon with a sideways leer. After a brief moment of surprised recognition, an irritated expression formed on his black, hardened face upon seeing the dragon man come into view. "Oh, great…" he muttered.

"…Hello," SaviorHackmon spoke. It was clear from the uncertainty in his voice and his tense posture that he was feeling awkward. After a moment of tense silence, he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the soft fabric of his mantle. "…It's funny… Our roles are reversed. Now you're the one who's captured."

GrandisKuwagamon levelled the flattest, driest, most acidic stare that he could muster at SaviorHackmon. "…Ahaha. Yeah. Side-splittingly hilarious," he responded, his annoyed voice dripping with sarcasm. "If you could spare me the gloating, that'd be peachy. I got enough of it from the asshole that came before you."

SaviorHackmon winced guiltily at how his words came out, realising how smug they must have sounded. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant—"

"I don't care what you meant, kid," the beetle mercenary responded dismissively, wishing to get this over with. "What do you want?"

"…I'm not a kid," SaviorHackmon calmly responded, his voice deeper than before and mature enough to back up that claim. "I just came here to talk to you."

"About what?" GrandisKuwagamon brusquely asked.

"I don't know… I wanted to see how you were," SaviorHackmon responded sheepishly.

"'To see how I am'?" GrandisKuwagamon rubbed the ridge above his eye with irritation. "You know what? I'd actually prefer the boasting to pity. Seriously, BaoHackmon – or whatever you're callin' yourself now – I can do without your smug sense of self-satisfaction."

SaviorHackmon narrowed his golden eyes at this. He shot a familiar, defiant leer at GrandisKuwagamon. "Believe it or not, but I was actually worried about you, GrandisKuwagamon," he told him firmly, refusing to let himself be scared off by his harsh words. "I didn't come here to rub it in or pity you."

"That's very touching," GrandisKuwagamon deadpanned. "It's also incredibly stupid, worrying about the enemy." He turned to face SaviorHackmon directly, gazing at him. "You may look older and talk different, but you're still the same naïve dumbass."

"I'm not naïve," SaviorHackmon insisted emphatically as his heartfelt passion shone through his voice. "Is it naïve to care about people, GrandisKuwagamon? Is it naïve to trust people? Is it naïve to want to see the best in things? Is it naïve to have dreams?"

GrandisKuwagamon stared at him blankly. His single, compound eye revealed a cold, harsh, and disillusioned leer. "Yeah… It is…" the mercenary bluntly responded.

SaviorHackmon grimaced sadly. "What made you so cynical…?" he asked him.

GrandisKuwagamon stared at SaviorHackmon darkly. "Living…" he answered.

"Yeah… well, I'm not like you," SaviorHackmon insisted, staring back at GrandisKuwagamon with an intense gaze. "I don't have to be like you. I don't want to be bitter and cynical. When you're surrounded by darkness, you can still choose to find the light! That's what the Royal Knights are!"

The imprisoned mercenary released a condescending, empty laugh. "The Royal Knights… That's what you cling onto for hope, huh? The hope that, one day, you'll get to be just like them…" he pondered perceptively. "If that's what you wanna do, I won't stop you… I really don't care. Just don't expect to live very long. That's how the world works."

"I'll take that chance, even if you think I'm stupid for doing so," SaviorHackmon stated with firm resolution. "You must have ambitions too, GrandisKuwagamon. Otherwise, you wouldn't have started a mercenary company! You wouldn't have gone through all this!"

"Yeah, I did have ambitions," GrandisKuwagamon admitted. "I had a lot of ambitions." He gestured around at his cell. "They're not much good to me now."

SaviorHackmon winced and sighed regretfully at how the situation ended up for the mercenary. "…What kind of ambitions?" he tentatively asked.

"Number one was pretty basic. It was to get myself out of the gutter that I was forced to grow up in. It was just me, Blitzmon, and Bolgmon, and all we had was each other and the determination not to die. When we started Black Pincer Company, we wanted to be something. We wanted to take the skills that we learned growing up and turn it into something that would make us a lot of money," GrandisKuwagamon explained. "It wasn't easy, but it worked. At least, it did…"

"Until all this happened and Blitzmon and Bolgmon turned on you…" SaviorHackmon mentioned sympathetically. He couldn't help but feel guilty for the situation that GrandisKuwagamon ended up in.

GrandisKuwagamon turned his head and looked at SaviorHackmon. He looked under the shadow of SaviorHackmon's hood and saw his concerned, yellow eyes. GrandisKuwagamon glared at him with bristling disdain. "Cripes… Don't look at me with those big, sad eyes," he growled. "You can't help yourself, can you? I don't want your pity. I fully expected something like that to happen eventually. In this business, you have to stab each other in the back to get ahead."

"Even your friends?" SaviorHackmon pressed, frowning resistantly.

GrandisKuwagamon pivoted in his cell to face the visitor directly. "Even them," he coldly answered. "No mercy."

SaviorHackmon folded his arms and levelled an unconvinced expression at him. "I don't buy it… You seem like a loyal guy to me."

"'Seem loyal'? Assuming makes an ass of you and me… Particularly you," GrandisKuwagamon chastised him. "Talk about naïve…"

"I'm not assuming. I just have a gut feeling," SaviorHackmon insisted.

GrandisKuwagamon rolled his eye. "Tch. You mean, you're assuming," he corrected emphatically.

SaviorHackmon sighed. He could see that he wasn't getting anywhere. "Fine…" he capitulated. However, as the topic ended, a tense silence began to fill the dungeon. "…Have you been convicted and sentenced yet?" he wondered.

"Not yet," GrandisKuwagamon said with a shrug. "They want something out of me first. I can tell."

"Like what?" the blade-adorned dragon man wondered.

"They probably want info on my client or Blitzmon and Bolgmon," GrandisKuwagamon responded dismissively. "You can tell them that information doesn't come free."

SaviorHackmon nodded thoughtfully. He closed his pure, golden eyes and thought to himself for a few moments before looking back at GrandisKuwagamon. "Maybe if you tell them about your life, they'll go easier on you," he suggested.

GrandisKuwagamon smirked at this. "The sad thing is that you actually believe that…" he said flippantly. The smiled faded and he gazed at SaviorHackmon with his piercing, red eye. "What about my life, exactly? Some sob story? Which one, if you're such an expert? What exactly do you know about my life, huh, SaviorHackmon?"

SaviorHackmon shifted in place, shame-facedly. He admitted that he didn't actually know anything about GrandisKuwagamon. He just assumed based on some of the things that he said and what he could piece together. "I don't know... I just thought, well… I have a gut feeling about you, so..."

"You don't know me half as well as you think you do," GrandisKuwagamon told him harshly. "Don't act like you do."

"Sorry…" SaviorHackmon bashfully responded. "I didn't mean to assume anything." However, after a moment, his eyes hardened defiantly and he leered back at the prisoner. "Even though you assume things about me… Like me being naïve and dumb."

"Prove me wrong," GrandisKuwagamon answered coolly.

"I will. You can't just brand the whole Order as being full of idiots because they believe in Yggdrasil and actually want to help other Digimon," SaviorHackmon argued. "Not everybody is self-interested, and being altruistic doesn't make somebody stupid or naïve."

GrandisKuwagamon rolled his eye. "Look, kid, I'm having a bad enough time as it is without your constant sympathy and idealism driving me up the wall. I'm getting tired of dropping hints that I'm not interested in what you're selling." He picked up his book from the bedside table and leaned his winged back against the wall. "Are we done? I want to finish these books in case I get hauled off to Havelock."

"I guess so…" SaviorHackmon reluctantly confirmed. He began to walk away, but suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at the imprisoned insect Digimon. "Just one more thing..."

"Shoot," the ebony mercenary replied, not looking up from his book.

"I still believe that you're not such a bad guy," SaviorHackmon said to him, looking at him meaningfully.

"Shows what you know," GrandisKuwagamon answered dismissively.

SaviorHackmon sighed. He expected such a response. "Try to have a bit of hope, GrandisKuwagamon…"

With those words, SaviorHackmon continued walking down the dungeon hall, flanked by cells on both sides. As he made his way towards the exit, there was a deep frown on his draconic face.

VictoryGreymon turned towards SaviorHackmon as he approached. "Are you done, SaviorHackmon?" he asked his fellow bipedal dragon.

"Yeah. Thanks," SaviorHackmon answered, his words a bit heavy and pensive. He found it hard trying to debate GrandisKuwagamon. The mercenary always had a comeback and he knew just what to say to needle Digimon.

"He wasn't too hard on you, was he?" VictoryGreymon wondered, leaning forwards on his massive broadsword. "I know he's a bit rough, but he's probably just frustrated about the situation he's in. Don't let it get to you."

"That, or he's a total dick," the Mystimon guard muttered under his breath.

Not hearing the Mystimon's remark, SaviorHackmon smiled and nodded at the muscular Greymon. "Yeah, I know."

VictoryGreymon smiled broadly. "By the way, I hear you're a huge Royal Knight fan too, huh?" he asked SaviorHackmon with interest. "I am too! Me and my friends from the Greymon Five are having a Royal Knight trivia session later on when we're off-duty. Want to come?"

SaviorHackmon brightened up at the idea. "That sounds great. I'd love to come. Thanks!" he confirmed excitedly.

VictoryGreymon chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "No problem. Here, I'll let you out," he said, going to unlock the various different kinds of locks.

As the two guards prepared to let him out of the dungeon, SaviorHackmon couldn't help but worry about GrandisKuwagamon. He knew he shouldn't feel bad for him since he brought it upon himself, but he felt like there was more to the mercenary than just being a shady, underhanded criminal. He wanted to believe that he was right about GrandisKuwagamon.

---

"Good," a contralto female voice said evenly. "Watch your angles of attack after you pull up from the dive."

Over-sergeant Paildramon watched from the ground as the Aerial Strike Forces drilled in the training grounds. The multitude of aerial Digimon were organized into single rows in the air. One after another, they were diving towards the ground at a steep angle before pitching upwards a few meters before they could hit the grass. The winged Digimon pulled up at a sharp angle and glided over the grass before finally circling around and returning to their positions in a carefully choreographed training exercise.

The draconic over-sergeant gazed at the winged soldiers, watching as the last one finished his manoeuvres. "Alright. That's enough for now," she stated. "Group's A and B, I want you to start working on evasive manoeuvres. Group C? Prepare the practice rounds and set up a fifty meter firing range. We'll start with static evasion and then move onto tailed and frontal evasions. Clear?"

"Yes, over-sergeant!" the Aerial Strike Forces Digimon obeyed.

Paildramon nodded and pointed over to an open part of the training grounds that faced north, away from the castle. "Set up over there," she said to them.

The humanoid dragon placed her gauntlet-covered hands on her hips as he watched several dozen aerial Digimon fly off. She flapped her two pairs of wings and was about to join them when she heard a pair of footsteps behind her. Paildramon looked over her shoulder to see UlforceVeedramon walking over.

"Sir UlforceVeedramon," she greeted, turning around and saluting him formally.

"Don't call me 'Sir' or else I'll start calling you 'Ma'am', Paildramon," he teased, walking up to her.

Paildramon grinned playfully and lowered her hand. "Duly noted," she responded, her posture relaxing somewhat.

"How are the new recruits from New Terminal doing?" he asked, looking over at the Aerial Strike Forces Digimon under her command.

"Not bad," she responded. "They're professional, but they're not quite up to the Order's level of standards right now. That will change soon enough. I'll give it three weeks."

UlforceVeedramon smiled. "Good to hear it. Are you going to whip them into shape?" he asked her coyly.

"I'll just be aiding Leftenant HippoGriffomon as he trains them," she explained to the Royal Knight. "Since there are a lot of new recruits, I'm training groups A, B, and C today."

"Got it," UlforceVeedramon answered with a nod. "You seem to be doing a good job."

"I'm trying. I know I've only been here for less than a year, but I hope to stay up to the Order's standards as well," she explained. She looked at him curiously. "Did you want me for something in particular, UlforceVeedramon?" Paildramon asked the muscular dragon knight.

"Not really. It's just been awhile since we've last spoken, with the battle and everything that's been going on" UlforceVeedramon responded with a smile. "How's your brother doing?"

Paildramon smiled. "He's good - driving my father mad," she explained fondly.

UlforceVeedramon chuckled. "I was the same way," he admitted good-naturedly. He looked at the dragon curiously. "Have you spoken with your father?" he wondered.

"Yes, but only after messengers from the Order went to New Terminal to tell the Council of Seven about the current situation," she assured him, wanting the Royal Knight to know that her familial ties wouldn't get in the way of her professional responsibility. After a moment, her expression grew serious. "So, it's true about the Seven Great Demon Lords…"

"I'm afraid so," the cobalt dragon responded, his own smile disappearing as well. "This is even more serious than the war with the Metal Empire. So much for catching a break, huh?" UlforceVeedramon sighed heavily and folded his arms. He then gazed at Paildramon with pensive, red eyes. "How much faith do you think we can put in the Council of Seven's support?"

"Despite the fact that there has been tension between the Council and your Order in the past, I think that they respect the power and capabilities of the Royal Knights enough to support us on this," Paildramon explained. "They know the dangers of the Seven Great Demon Lords. It's possible that they're hoping that the demons will target the Heavenly Choir and leave everything else, but I doubt that they would want to take that chance."

"There's also the fact that Councillor Angewomon has ties to the Heavenly Choir, so she'll take a hard line," UlforceVeedramon mused.

"I think that she is probably to thank for all the support the Order has been getting. She can be quite stubborn," Paildramon explained with a knowing smile.

"You sound like you know her well," UlforceVeedramon stated, looking at Paildramon with interest. "I guess it makes sense that you would, since Councillor Imperialdramon's your father."

Paildramon nodded. "I have known her since I was young, due to her connection with my father," she confirmed.

"Did you look up to her? I imagine she was quite the role model," UlforceVeedramon suggested with a smile.

Paildramon frowned. "Well… In a way, I suppose. To be honest, I admired her strength when I was younger. She was never afraid to stand up for her beliefs and what she thought was right. …However, I don't really consider myself as having a role model. I never wanted to get into politics. I was more enamored with the military life. If anything, I looked up to courageous generals more than anything else," she admitted, sounding a little sheepish about it. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away from UlforceVeedramon with traces of shame behind her crimson helmet. "…I don't make a habit of idolizing people or anything. I just respected that about her."

UlforceVeedramon couldn't help but chuckle. "You don't need to be embarrassed. I'm a Royal Knight and I had people I looked up to when I was young," he explained.

"Sorry. I know," Paildramon responded. "It's just that…" She frowned and glanced down at her draconic feet, thinking about what she wanted to say. "I'm my own Digimon. I didn't go out of my way to model myself after the Digimon that I admire. I want to stand on my own accomplishments."

UlforceVeedramon smiled a bit. "I wasn't going to compare you," he assured her. "I don't like being compared to the others either, so I kind of know how you feel. We each have our own skills and flaws. It's what makes us 'us'."

"That's a good way to put it," Paildramon answered with a relieved smile.

"It is? Oh, that's a relief," UlforceVeedramon laughed. "I was worried I just said something embarrassingly obvious."

Paildramon grinned playfully. "On the contrary, it seems you're more than just jokes after all. You can be quite complex and philosophical when you want. I'm impressed," she stated good-humouredly.

The winged dragon knight chuckled with embarrassment and rubbed the back of his blue, helmeted head. "Hey, I guess I can… That's not a side that often comes out," he sheepishly responded. He decided to change the subject away from himself. "Ahem… So… Are you nervous about fighting the Seven Great Demon Lords?"

"Cautious? Yes. Nervous? No. Don't worry; my resolve is unwavering," Paildramon assured him, becoming serious again. "I know that that goes for the others as well. We can't let those seven demons any more destruction after the Night of Falling Stars. We'll fight them with everything we have."

"Yeah, you're right," UlforceVeedramon agreed, encouraged by her tenacity. "Anyways, I should let you get back to your recruits. Maybe we can have a beer later?"

"Maybe, if we both have time," she agreed calmly. She saluted UlforceVeedramon and turned away, beginning to head across the training grounds towards the Aerial Strike recruits. Paildramon stopped and glanced over her shoulder at her fellow Veemon-species Digimon. "So… who did you look up to when you were young?"

UlforceVeedramon blushed a bit and looked around their immediate vicinity to make sure nobody was nearby. He walked up to her conspiratorially. "Promise not to tell anybody? Especially not a certain gold-armoured Royal Knight about yay-high?" he asked, levelling his hand with his waist.

Paildramon nodded.

"…Magnamon's dad," UlforceVeedramon admitted, scratching his cheek with a finger. "You know, the warrior from Brighthelm who stopped all those Diablomon during the Armagemon Crisis?"

"And I guess Magna's pretty cool too, once I met him…" the blue Royal Knight added with even more reluctance, his face flushing further at the admission. "…And, again, he can never find out that I said that. Ever."

Paildramon laughed softly but smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't worry, Your secret's safe with me," she told him. She nodded and turned back to the Aerial Strike Forces, who were prepared and ready to go now.

UlforceVeedramon smiled and watched as Paildramon walked off. "…I guess I should get training too. Can't afford to get lazy at this point," he thought to himself.

He flapped his broad, blue and pink wings, lifting himself into the air. "Maybe I'll see if I can beat my record around Splendor's Reach," he mused with an energized grin.

With that, the speedy knight took off in an azure blur.

---

"Hurry it up, SaviorHackmon," a rough voice ordered. "The longer you take, the less time we have to train."

SaviorHackmon sighed and nodded. "Yes, Gankoomon-sensei…"

He walked down the main road of the castle, passing by the shops and the barracks buildings as he made his way towards the training grounds. His bladed feet clinked against the stone street as he followed behind Gankoomon, who strode ahead of him with his usual determined gait. Flanking SaviorHackmon on both sides were the Sistermons, with Noir on his right and Blanc on his left. Sistermon Noir idly spun her gun around her index finger, while Sistermon Black timidly held her trident while walking close to SaviorHackmon.

"S-So, um… How did your talk with GrandisKuwagamon go…?" Sistermon Blanc asked, looking up at the tall dragon man inquisitively.

"As well as I expected it to go," SaviorHackmon admitted, reaching his hand up and readjusting the red collar of his cape. "He has a rough edge to him. He wasn't exactly happy to see me."

Sistermon Noir looked disinterestedly over her shoulder at him. "Then why bother?" she asked blandly.

SaviorHackmon's golden eyes softened into a frown. "I needed to…" he responded. "I wanted to speak with him."

"Seems pointless to me," the darker of the two sisters said with a shrug.

"Sometimes there are things that a man's gotta do," Gankoomon stated firmly. He looked over his shoulder at the three. "I could tell from the way that SaviorHackmon asked that this was one of them."

SaviorHackmon lifted his metallic, draconic head up and looked towards the sunny sky. "…Before I met him, I thought Black Pincer Company was just this evil group of criminals. I had this idea that there were good guys, like the Royal Knights, and bad guys, like Black Pincer Company and the Metal Empire. But, after talking with GrandisKuwagamon, I'm not sure that it's that simple…" he explained. "It's so easy to just categorise Digimon into 'good' and 'evil' because it's convenient, but it's not that black and white, is it? Even the soldiers from the Metal Empire weren't evil, I don't think. They were just following orders, even if those orders were wrong. …GrandisKuwagamon was right. I was naïve…"

"We all were at one point," Gankoomon told him, looking forward as he walked. "What's important is that you don't close your eyes to the realities of the world. You face them head on, with your eyes wide open!" the Royal Knight declared passionately. "That's what men do!"

SaviorHackmon smiled and nodded. "You're right, Gankoomon-sensei!" he agreed. "That's why… That's why I don't want to pre-judge Digimon before getting to know them. There's more to Digimon than just categories and what's on the outside. I know there's more to GrandisKuwagamon than just how he acts…"

SaviorHackmon bowed his head, his honest, gold eyes gazing down on the stone cobbles before him. "Hell… If it weren't for you, Sensei, maybe I would have turned out just like him…" he contemplated. He looked up at Gankoomon's back. "After that night, I mean…"

Gankoomon silently continued walking, listening to his words. He stepped onto the grass of the training grounds and pressed onwards toward their destination.

The dragon man Digimon gazed at the back of Gankoomon's head, his eyes fixated on his fiery red hair. "Sensei…" he said, his tenor voice heavy and serious. "The Seven Great Demon Lords were the ones that dropped the Sky Colony and destroyed my town, right? …Is it true that they're free?"

"SaviorHackmon…" Sistermon Blanc said sadly, looking at him with sympathetic grey eyes.

Gankoomon stopped walking, prompting SaviorHackmon and the Sistermons to suddenly stop as well. Despite the fact that he stopped, Gankoomon didn't turn around. He stood there, quiet for a few moments.

"…Yeah," he responded bluntly.

SaviorHackmon frowned and looked down. He stared at his palm, deep in thought. He tentatively curled his claws to make a tight fist, but then relaxed them. "I see…"

Gankoomon finally turned around and looked at the tall dragon man directly through his visor. "…Do you want revenge?" he asked him.

"No… I don't," SaviorHackmon responded thoughtfully. "I don't think revenge would make me feel better about anything. I want the Demon Lords defeated, but not because of what they did to my village. I just don't want them to hurt any more Digimon."

Gankoomon smiled at this. "Glad to hear it," he said, folding his arms across his broad chest and grinning approvingly. "Revenge isn't all it's cut out to be."

SaviorHackmon nodded quietly. "…What are we going to do about it, Sensei?" he asked him.

"Do what Royal Knights do best: kick their asses!" Gankoomon declared with a confident smirk.

SaviorHackmon couldn't help but chuckle at his teacher's words. He smiled wider, emboldened by Gankoomon's straightforward confidence, and nodded. "Okay…!"

"Can we help?" Sistermon Noir asked Gankoomon. "I'm still pissed that we missed that big battle at Saversburg."

"M-Maybe we should just focus on training SaviorHackmon and helping out around the castle…" Sistermon Blanc suggested, far less eager than her older sister.

"Wuss," Sistermon Noir chastised.

"I-I'm not!" the white and pink Digimon protested poutily.

"You don't want to fight, you don't want to confess your feelings for Magnamon – you're a total wuss!" Sistermon Noir taunted with a grin.

SaviorHackmon blinked and looked down at Sistermon Blanc with shock. "Y-You like Magnamon-shishou, Blanc-chan?!" he stammered, his eyes widening.

"Are you jealous, Hackie?" the black-garbed Sistermon teased him as well.

"I-It's not like that!" SaviorHackmon protested ardently. "Magnamon-shishou is my hero!"

"Are you suuuure? I know how passionate you get over the Royal Knights. There's no shame in—"

"Noir-chan!" SaviorHackmon protested, blushing heavily in his metallic cheeks. "Cut it out!"

"Noir, you're so mean sometimes!" Sistermon Blanc huffed with angry embarrassment as well.

Gankoomon shook his head and rolled his eyes behind his helmet. "That's enough, you three," he told them, although grinning a bit. "We've got work to do!"

For emphasis, Gankoomon continued walking across the training grounds towards a wide open spot that wasn't in use. "You can start with stretches, SaviorHackmon. Then you're going to do three sets of fifty push ups."

SaviorHackmon smiled and followed after him, along with the two Sistermons. "Yes, Sensei…"

---

As early evening set in, GrandisKuwagamon continued to sit in his relatively comfy, yet hopelessly confining cell. It was all he could do, as a prisoner of the Royal Knights.

He sat cross-legged on his bed with a tray of food on his lap. On his plate were a fresh variety of vegetables and a large slab of succulent, medium-rare steak, plucked from some of the finest meat trees in the Free Area. It was drizzled in an apple-red wine reduction, creating a deliciously sweet and savoury aroma that filled the cell.

GrandisKuwagamon couldn't deny that the food looked and tasted delicious. It was far better than the food that he usually ate. He certainly didn't expect prisoners to be served food of this calibre. He wasn't aware that RhodoKnightmon insisted that prisoners be served the same food as Order members, since the culinary Royal Knight didn't prisoners saying that they were served sub-standard food.

Despite the ignition of his taste buds when he placed a piece of meat in his mouth, GrandisKuwagamon didn't have much of an appetite. As calm and nonchalant as an appearance that he put on, he hated the situation that he got himself in.

It stuck in his ego that he lost to the Royal Knights. He prided himself in his fighting capabilities. He knew that the Royal Knights were supposed to be some of the top warriors in the Digital World, but he still hated that he lost to one. More than that, he was furious about the position he was in. He hated how helpless he was right now. He was at the mercy of the Royal Knights.

He wasn't in control of his fate.

And it was all because of them.

GrandisKuwagamon lowered his head far enough for the light to cast a shadow over his face. He still remembered Blitzmon and Bolgmon's exact words to him when they used him as a scapegoat in Saversburg.

"Hahaha!" Bolgmon cackled, turning and giving GrandisKuwagamon a large smirk. "Good luck, Grandis!"

Blitzmon shrugged at GrandisKuwagamon as he zipped through the air. "It's nothing personal!" he called out."

They didn't have any problem with betraying him at all. A scowl formed on the insect man's face as he thought about it harder. He began to grip the plastic fork in his hand tightly. No, they didn't just use him as a scapegoat when the Royal Knights spotted them. It was a set up.

GrandisKuwagamon clearly remembered Bolgmon attacking the Royal Knights when they were supposed to be sneaking by them. He remembered the look on Bolgmon's face. Bolgmon was never that good at hiding his emotions. Rather than fear or anger, he looked triumphant, like everything was going to plan. He even laughed about it.

"I think they saw us! Haha, oops!"

That was all the evidence that GrandisKuwagamon needed. He wasn't just scapegoated by his two comrades; he had been set up from the start.

The ebony mercenary scowled bitterly. He stung him that two Digimon who he considered his friends would do this to him. He wasn't unfamiliar with betrayal, so he constantly had his guard up. However, he let his guard down around Blitzmon and Bolgmon. Given everything that they had gone through together - given their relationship and their history all the way back to childhood – he never thought that there would be any reason for them to betray him. It wouldn't have surprised him if they just ran off to save their own exoskeletons, but this was different. This was planned.

"Tch," GrandisKuwagamon scoffed, angry at himself almost as much as he was at them. "I should have seen the signs… Their cozy little chats together while I was busy. When Bolgmon said he was going to edge me out of the company, I thought he was just spouting hot air like he usually does. But he's been cagey around me for a few weeks now. Damn it! I'm such a dumbass. I should have picked up on all this!"

GrandisKuwagamon scowled and stabbed the steak with his fork, causing juice to ooze out onto the plate. "I was naïve. Never let your guard down. Everybody's going to look out for themselves, so-called friendship or not. It all comes down to whether somebody benefits you or not. I guess Bolgmon saw me as a threat to his relationship with Blitzmon, or maybe they just wanted a larger share in the company, or maybe it was just petty payback for me nagging him. Who the fuck knows?" He sighed and composed himself, starting to cut into the steak with his plastic knife with precision cuts. "I wonder how much Blitzmon was involved in it. He at least seemed to know what was going on when they turned on me. I was an idiot for fooling myself into thinking that all those years together meant anything when the chips were down."

The insect mercenary wiped the meat along the dabs of delectable sauce and placed it in his mouth. Although it should have tasted delicious, his mood made the food seem bitter and empty. As he chewed, he made a decision. "Okay, Grandis. Enough feeling sorry for yourself. You're not finished yet… You've still got options. And if Blitzmon and Bolgmon are only looking out for themselves, so can you…"

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hushed chatter among the dungeon guards.

"Do you really think the Seven Great Demon Lords were freed?" VictoryGreymon asked his Mystimon companion. "WarGreymon told me the rumour. I dunno what to think."

"The forces have been training awfully hard after just coming out of a war. They wouldn't be doing that if there wasn't something going on," Mystimon answered.

"Gee. I guess you're right…" VictoryGreymon agreed, frowning as he thought about it.

"I heard it has something to do with those dark rifts that popped up all over the battlefield when Chaosdramon went nuts," Mystimon suggested.

"Oh, yeah. Those weird things… I felt sick just being near one. It was kinda scary," VictoryGreymon mused as he remembered the battle against the Metal Empire and the dark rifts that started popping up. "What do they have to do with the Demon Lords?"

"Those things are how DarkKnightmon escaped the Dark Area to begin with. The Demon Lords must have escaped through them too."

GrandisKuwagamon stared out of the bars of his cell as he listened in on their conversation. He grunted upon hearing the news. "The Seven Great Demon Lords, huh?" he thought to himself.

Before he could think about it much more, he was distracted by the sound of the dungeon's doors opening. There was some hushed chatter between the guards and the visitors.

Then, three sets of footsteps began echoing up the dungeon corridor. One gait was loud, metallic, confident, and dominant. The second pair was metallic as well, but the footsteps were soft and calculated, as if the Digimon was stalking after prey. Finally, the third set was light and barely audible, with the only sound being made was the soft tapping of talons or claws. If GrandisKuwagamon had been less perceptive, he wouldn't have noticed the third pair at all.

GrandisKuwagamon placed his plate to the side and stood up. As the footsteps neared, he could see Alphamon, Reapermon, and Karatenmon, the latter of whom he didn't recognise, walk into view. The three stopped in front of his cell and looked at him through the bars.

"GrandisKuwagamon?" Reapermon asked, his fearsome face glaring at the mercenary with empty, glowing eyes.

GrandisKuwagamon turned to face them fully. "Wow, I sure am popular today, aren't I?" he sarcastically stated upon seeing his visitors.

"Hello, GrandisKuwagamon," Alphamon greeted. "I apologise for not visiting until now, but I have been busy."

GrandisKuwagamon folded his arms standoffishly. "I wasn't exactly expecting a red carpet welcome," he responded. "What do you want?"

"Simply to talk," Alphamon responded, his gold eyes gazing at GrandisKuwagamon steadily.

"Oh, is the interrogation beginning already?" GrandisKuwagamon nonchalantly inquired. "I'm pretty stubborn, so you've got your work cut out for you. I don't break easily."

"We don't use torture, if that's what you are implying," Alphamon responded reasonably.

"Even if the Digital World was on the line?" GrandisKuwagamon challenged. "You saying you wouldn't do it then?"

Alphamon stared at GrandisKuwagamon calmly. "You seem to like challenging authority and attempting to point out the flaws and hypocrisies of others," he noted, not rising to the bait. "However, I believe that you have the wrong idea about what the Royal Knights are and what we stand for."

"I do, huh?" GrandisKuwagamon asked with an amused yet hollow chuckle. "If you say so, Sir Gallant. I think you're the ones who're deluding yourselves."

Alphamon placed a hand on his hip and gazed through the bars at GrandisKuwagamon. "How so?" he curiously inquired.

GrandisKuwagamon walked right up to the bars of the cell and stared across into Alphamon's eyes. "Where to start? You and your Royal Knights and your bunch of idiotic followers… You think you're big heroes of the Digital World. You're the champions of Yggdrasil, the guardians of Network Security, famous heroes and all that nice-sounding stuff. You go around fighting big, calamitous assholes every once in awhile, and you play politics and sit around the rest of the time. You're so up your own asses that you don't know what's going on around you," GrandisKuwagamon bluntly accused, unafraid to speak his mind even in the position that he's in.

Alphamon brought his black and gold hand up to his chin, stroking it with the back side of his index finger as he deliberated on the prisoner's words. "I beg to differ, GrandisKuwagamon. We aren't living in some ivory tower here. Our Order is doing our best to protect the whole of the Digital World, as well as Network Security. We don't just fight existential threats. As you well know, we also bring criminals to justice and we prevent crime, brigandage, and violence. We also provide disaster aid and relief to Digimon in need. We are trying to make the Digital World a peaceful place. That is why we must bring Digimon like yourself to justice," Alphamon retorted in a measured, collected voice.

GrandisKuwagamon couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "'Digimon like me'… What you really mean is 'virus attributes'," the black insect Digimon responded with a standoffish half-grin.

Alphamon frowned at his accusation. "No… I meant mercenaries who break the law," he answered.

"Come on, Alphamon. Are you really that delusional?" GrandisKuwagamon needled, shrugging his shoulders. "You know how many Digimon you arrest. Most of them are virus Digimon like me. Your Order is loaded with vaccine Digimon. Don't try to deny it."

"Even if it's true that we have many vaccine Digimon in our Order, and we do apprehend a large amount of virus Digimon, we do not specifically target virus Digimon," Alphamon defended. "Two of my closest friends – Dukemon and RhodoKnightmon – are virus Digimon. We have four data attributes among the twelve Royal Knights as well."

"Really? 'I have a virus attribute friend'?" GrandisKuwagamon deadpanned. "I'm sure you've got a few token virus Digimon on your team for the PR, but that doesn't change anything."

Alphamon closed his eyes at this. "GrandisKuwagamon, I do not appreciate you making baseless assumptions about me and my friends. Dukemon and RhodoKnightmon are extremely important friends of mine. Furthermore, not all of the criminals that we apprehend are virus attributes. I firmly believe that 'vaccine', 'data', and 'virus' are empty labels. They do not necessarily determine the morality of Digimon. We do not discriminate based on such petty things, and we accept all into our Order," he calmly explained to the mercenary.

Reapermon stepped forwards and pointed his sickle at GrandisKuwagamon. "Stop playing the victim, bug," Reapermon said with a scowl. "I'm a virus attribute too. Not only that, but I used to be a criminal like you – a bounty hunter. Alphamon and I fought on several occasions, but when he finally defeated me, he offered me a second chance. You shouldn't talk about things you don't know anything about."

"Tch," GrandisKuwagamon scoffed, leering at Reapermon. "I've heard all about you, Reapermon. Anyway, those aren't my words. A lot of the virus Digimon I know feel that way about the Royal Knights."

"Criminals, you mean," Reapermon fired back.

"You saying we're wrong?" GrandisKuwagamon asked him. "I mean, we virus attributes get a shitty rep. Most of the Digimon who do things like trying to destroy the Digital World are virus types. There's a lot of Digimon who think that it's in our programming to be evil. Those same Digimon think that vaccine attributes are programmed to be good. I'm not denying that a shit load of virus Digimon are criminals. In fact, we probably account for the majority of criminals… I've seen virus Digimon swindle buyers, steal, rough up civilians… even raze villages…" GrandisKuwagamon spoke, his eye darkening as he stared at one of the torches on the opposite side of the dungeon hall. He grunted and looked away, folding his arms. "Hell, I've gone my whole life receiving shitty looks. Maybe it's because I'm a virus attribute, maybe because I'm an insect Digimon. Probably both. …Still, not all of us are like that. I've seen vaccine Digimon do despicable things too. Same goes for data Digimon."

"So have I…" Alphamon responded, opening his gold eyes and staring at the imprisoned mercenary. "That's why I know not to judge based on something like attribute. We only arrest criminals, GrandisKuwagamon." The black Royal Knight folded his thick arms across his chest and he stared at GrandisKuwagamon with a mixture of firmness and empathy. "…To be perfectly honest, I hate labels. And I wish you wouldn't label me and my friends with broad strokes," the Aloof Hermit rebuked. "You accuse us of being deluded, idealistic, and discriminatory, but you know nothing about us. You are taking the moral high ground against us, and yet you are the one with the long list of crimes to your name. You are merely deflecting responsibility."

At this, GrandisKuwagamon couldn't help but smirk. He was quietly impressed by Alphamon's charisma and his willingness to call him out. "Okay… You got me…" he replied nonchalantly.

Karatenmon raised his eyebrow. "What? So, you just made up all of that indignation?" he asked him quizzically.

"Nah… I didn't say anything that wasn't true," GrandisKuwagamon responded, folding his arms. He grinned at Alphamon. "But I'm not playing the victim… In fact, I'm proud of being a virus attribute. I don't give a shit if some vaccine Digimon looks at me like something he scraped off his boot. Like I said, I'm used to that. I just wanted to see if Alphamon here was all talk and no substance. Part of me thought that he'd just be a big, empty suit of armour."

"And am I?" Alphamon questioned.

"…That's still to be determined," GrandisKuwagamon responded coyly. "Not a bad start though."

Alphamon's golden eyes furrowed behind his black helmet. "…I don't know why I have to explain myself to you, GrandisKuwagamon. You are the one who has to answer for his crimes."

"You came here for something; I just like to know what kind of Digimon that I'm working with before I deal with them," GrandisKuwagamon replied. "If I were just a random criminal, you'd have shipped me off to Havelock Prison by now. You wouldn't be coming down to meet somebody like me in person. Especially not with an entourage. So, that means you want something from me…"

"I like to think that I would have come here anyways," Alphamon replied, although he was impressed by GrandisKuwagamon's perceptiveness.

"The leader of the holy Order of the Royal Knights? Coming down to visit a roguish, dishonorable, admittedly attractive mercenary? Don't kid yourself."

Alphamon closed his eyes and shook his head. "I may be a Royal Knight, but I don't look down on you or Digimon like you," he explained diplomatically.

"No, you just arrest or delete Digimon like us," the bug quipped, unconvinced. He placed a hand of his hip and gazed at Alphamon with standoffish defiance. "I have a hard time believing that you're really that noble. I've been working against you from the start; I'm an amoral mercenary who takes any job as long as he gets paid, and I'm a virus insect to boot. Not to mention…" GrandisKuwagamon's compound eye darkened. "I'm an X-Antibody Digimon…"

Stifling a slight wince, the heavily armoured and caped paladin frowned in response. "An X-Antibody Digimon…" he mused, thinking deeply and rubbing his chin pensively.

GrandisKuwagamon smirked bitterly and nodded. "Yeah. You know, that mutant vaccine that alters Digimons' digicores? Makes them resistant to some viruses, makes them stronger and faster, and makes them look different in some cases."

"That's right… GrandisKuwagamon are quite rare, but they do have X-Antibodies. Blitzmon and Bolgmon don't typically have X-Antibodies, but your friends seemed to for some reason," the Royal Knight deliberated.

"Yup. Oh, and also, us X-Antibody Digimon - you know - apparently caused that Death-X Invasion way back when. A lot of Digimon are distrustful of X-Antibody Digimon because of that," GrandisKuwagamon pointed out. "A bunch of them were even hunted down after, if I remember my history right."

At this mention, Alphamon winced and looked away. "That… The Death-X Invasion wasn't because of X-Antibody Digimon," he insisted, a hint of emotion lingering on his words. He turned back to GrandisKuwagamon and stared him straight in the eye. "…To be honest, I am also an X-Antibody Digimon."

"Huh, look at us," GrandisKuwagamon said with an ironic smirk. "We're at opposite ends of the spectrum. A paragon of virtue and a ruthless criminal."

Alphamon frowned in response to the comment. "I don't see it that way… And anyways, I am not defined by the X-Antibody. I used to think that I was… I used to think that that whole invasion was because…" Alphamon closed his eyes and shook his head. "I learned a lot about myself from that disaster. I learned that I am in no position to pass judgments on others. That includes you."

"Well, isn't that magnanimous of you…?" the insect mercenary sarcastically replied.

The Royal Knight opened an eye to look at him again. "…I get the feeling that you have a grudge against us and our Order," Alphamon suggested. "I remember that you disparaged us for serving Yggdrasil."

GrandisKuwagamon shot Alphamon a sharp leer for a brief moment before shrugging informally. "Tch… No grudge. I just can't stand idiocy – serving a made up deity – and hypocrisy – claiming you're serving the common Digimon when you're really not…"

Alphamon sighed. "Yggdrasil is real, GrandisKuwagamon, although you don't have to believe me," he explained to him. "As for hypocrisy, we do our best to serve the Digimon of the Digital World. We aren't always successful, but we do try our best… However, I think that to continue this debate would be pointless right now. We would just be talking in circles. Should we just get to the point?"

"Sounds good. All I'm saying is that there's a lot of hypocrites out there. Like criminals who hunt criminals," the black insect stated, looking intentionally at Reapermon.

Reapermon narrowed his glowing eyes at the mercenary. "Reformed criminal, but I can always make an exception," he threatened with his cool, raspy voice.

Karatenmon grinned and placed his talon-clad hands on his hips. "Anyway, I'm impressed. You've done your homework," he said, looking at GrandisKuwagamon. "Especially about Reapermon."

"You need to know who's who in my line of work," GrandisKuwagamon responded dismissively.

"I'm sure you do. Knowledge is a valuable thing," Alphamon mused, rubbing his chin with a finger.

Karatenmon nodded. "In fact, that's why we want to talk to you. You might know something that could help us," the raven man pointed out.

"And why would I help the Royal Knights?" GrandisKuwagamon asked.

"Consider the position you're in, bug," Reapermon scathingly spoke. "It would be in your best interests."

"How? It's not like I have to worry about you guys torturing me," GrandisKuwagamon responded. He levelled a meaningful gaze at Alphamon. "Information doesn't come cheap."

"I am aware of that," Alphamon calmly answered. "However, I don't barter until I know what I'm buying. You may not even have any information that is valuable to us. After all, you know that we have Dorbickmon with us, and he has a good amount of information on the criminal underworld."

"Maybe, but if he had the information you wanted, you wouldn't be down here fishing for information," GrandisKuwagamon argued. "So, let's stop dancing around. What do you want? Information on Blitzmon and Bolgmon?"

"Is that an offer?" Alphamon asked him.

GrandisKuwagamon grunted. At the moment, he felt absolutely no loyalty towards Blitzmon and Bolgmon after what they did to him. However, his captors didn't need to know that. He needed every bargaining chip that he could get, given his situation. "…I'm not about to grass up my two partners," he responded stubbornly.

"Honour among thieves, huh?" Reapermon asked with an edge to his voice that showed his distaste.

As they spoke, Karatenmon was particularly quiet. He brought his hands together, creating a hand seal. The avian ninja stared directly at GrandisKuwagamon, studying him carefully.

"You could say that," GrandisKuwagamon answered, not noticing the raven man's movements.

Karatenmon's eyes glowed dimly as he stared at GrandisKuwagamon. "That's not entirely true. You are willing to sell them out for a price," he noted perceptively.

GrandisKuwagamon leered at Karatenmon with defensive irritation. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.

Karatenmon smiled calmly. "My Satori ability allows me to read your spirit and predict your intentions. You're holding out your information until we offer you a favourable deal. In actuality, you are angry with your comrades and you would sell them out in a heartbeat, but you don't want to lose your leverage in this discussion. In particular, you want us to drop your charges," he explained.

GrandisKuwagamon scowled. Much of his control over the bargaining had just been flattened by this. He had considerably less to work with now. "Yeah, okay… You can read my spirit, but you can't read my mind, can you?" he countered.

Karatenmon grinned, unable to refute that statement. "No, I can't. I can only read the emotions of your heart and make short-term predictions based on that," he explained. "The knowledge within your mind is something entirely different."

"So, you still need me to give up what I know voluntarily," GrandisKuwagamon pointed out, trying to salvage his position.

"That's correct," Alphamon replied. "And we are willing to make a deal with you, provided that you have information that can help us."

"What do you want to know, exactly?" GrandisKuwagamon inquired. "You already trashed our headquarters."

"You have another," Karatenmon stated, although not needing to use his Satori to deduce that. "That cave was a hideout, not a fixed address where clients can contact you. My guess is that you have a hole-in-the-wall apartment in either Shroud or Dark Point."

GrandisKuwagamon didn't respond one way or another. He eyed Karatenmon, quietly impressed by his deductive abilities.

Alphamon stared at GrandisKuwagamon. "You currently have a long-running contract with a client, do you not?" he analyzed. "All of the strings of jobs you have taken recently have been related. From the theft of those blueprints in Facture to the attack on our castle and the attack on our patrol... They have all been cunning deceptions aimed at creating a war between us and the Metal Empire. All by a single client. You admitted it yourself in Saversburg, remember."

"Yeah, well, it worked apparently," GrandisKuwagamon mused with a smug grin. "We got you good."

"You also dug a big hole for yourself when you admitted to all that," Reapermon pointed out, tapping the floor with his scythe arm. "There's no wiggling out of it with a confession like that."

GrandisKuwagamon internally swore. He did remember admitting all of that stuff out of sheer anger when he was fighting the Royal Knights. "…And if I gave you the information you wanted?" he asked.

"If the information proves to be accurate and reliable, then we will reduce your prison sentence," Alphamon stated.

"I want freedom," GrandisKuwagamon countered.

"You have committed crimes that we cannot overlook. You have murdered several Digimon of the Order, not to mention a swath of other crimes," Alphamon said firmly. "You haven't shown any remorse for your actions, either. Freedom without punishment is out of the question."

"I'm sure you could overlook them if you want my information badly enough," GrandisKuwagamon responded, trying to maintain his cool. Upon seeing Alphamon's unwavering, golden eyes, GrandisKuwagamon saw that he wasn't getting anywhere. "What about a suspended sentence?" he offered, although reluctant to concede ground.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, GrandisKuwagamon," Reapermon warned him. "This is only if you have vital information that's worth something. If you lie to us, the deal's off."

The black Royal Knight nodded. "We aren't bargaining on equal footing, GrandisKuwagamon," Alphamon explained, folding his arms. "I assure you that we will be lenient towards you if you help us, but I suggest you take what you can get. Right now, you are looking at a very long stay in Havelock Prison. We will hash out the details only if and when you provide us with useful information."

GrandisKuwagamon gritted his teeth. Part of him knew that this was the best that he could hope for. "…Fine," he spat.

"We want to know who your client is," Karatenmon spoke, folding his skinny, red arms. "Do you know who it is?"

"Yeah…" GrandisKuwagamon lied.

"Then who is it?" Alphamon followed up. "We want to know who is behind all of this."

After a few moments of stalling. GrandisKuwagamon hissed through his teeth and looked away. "I don't know…" he admitted bitterly.

The three Digimon on the other side of the bars sighed with disappointment.

GrandisKuwagamon frowned. "But, I was about to find out…" he added, realising that he still had a chance. This prompted Alphamon, Karatenmon, and Reapermon's interest again. GrandisKuwagamon thought about it deeply. "Me, Blitzmon, and Bolgmon were going to meet him. As soon as we picked up our payment from the intermediary in Saversburg, he was going to take us to meet our client."

Alphamon's eyes furrowed behind his helmet. "Your intermediary… Wizardmon, correct?" he asked.

"Yeah, him. The client wanted to keep his identity a secret, so he used Wizardmon as a middle mon," GrandisKuwagamon explained. "Anyways, that was the day that you showed up. Plans changed when you Royal Knights got to Saversburg. It wasn't safe, so Wizardmon sent us a message telling us to meet him in our usual bar in Shroud in a couple of days. From there, he was going to take us to meet our client up close. Obviously, I never got the chance, but Bolgmon and Blitzmon escaped, yeah?"

"Correct. They escaped our grasp," Alphamon confirmed.

"Then I'd bet my ass that they went to Shroud to meet Wizardmon," GrandisKuwagamon explained. "I could find out where, no problem."

"Hold on, beetle," Reapermon spoke, walking towards the bars. "It's awfully convenient, you saying this after being caught out not knowing who the client actually is."

Karatenmon stared at GrandisKuwagamon with shimmering, tranquil eyes. He stared into GrandisKuwagamon's heart, using a deep meditative state to harness his genriki and read his spirit. After a few moments, he relaxed. "Don't be hasty, Reapermon," the crow Digimon spoke. "He's telling the truth."

"What? Maybe he's just tricking you, now that he knows what you can do," Reapermon sceptically argued.

"He isn't. There is no doubt, malevolence, or apprehension in his words," Karatenmon explained.

"See? Even the crow thinks so," GrandisKuwagamon responded. "If you let me, I can find out who's hiring them. I still have ties to Black Pincer Company. I know how they work. I'll find out whatever you guys need. Covert ops is what I'm best at, after all," he insisted.

"You must be joking," Reapermon spoke, glaring at GrandisKuwagamon. "You really think we'd just let you go wandering around the Digital World, hoping that you'd be a good bug and come back to us?"

Alphamon nodded in agreement. "I know you think we're naïve, GrandisKuwagamon, but you're the one who's naïve if you think that you could do that unfettered," he explained. "I'd prefer to leave this to somebody more trustworthy." He glanced emphatically at Karatenmon.

"Hmm…" Karatenmon mused, looking back at the Royal Knight. He nodded his head to the side. "Alphamon, can we talk for a moment?" he asked.

Alphamon raised an eyebrow and nodded, walking down the dungeon corridor out of earshot.

Reapermon didn't like the sound of it. "Mind if I join?" he asked sceptically.

"By all means," Karatenmon agreed, walking as well.

GrandisKuwagamon watched as the three Digimon strode away from him and huddled up. He could hear Karatenmon whispering to them, but he couldn't hear what. After a minute, Alphamon calmly whispered back, followed by Reapermon whispering fiercely. This continued for a couple minutes.

At that time, the three came back, with Reapermon looking miffed and doubtful. This gave GrandisKuwagamon a bit of hope, but he couldn't help but still be cynical.

Karatenmon smiled out of the corner of his mouth as he looked at GrandisKuwagamon. "GrandisKuwagamon, we spoke about what you said," he explained. "We think that your personal skills would be best suited to this task."

Alphamon stepped forward and gazed firmly at GrandisKuwagamon through the bars. "However, you will be doing things our way," he clarified in a way that left no room for argument.

GrandisKuwagamon locked eyes with Alphamon. He felt like he was a Digimon who would be true to his word. He was a bit apprehensive at the meaning behind his words, but he knew that this was his best chance. He knew he had to take what he could get, no matter the conditions.

"…I'm listening."