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Tense Negotiations - Demon Lords 1B (Toki, Katsura, Adrian)
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Post by Bonetrousled? on Apr 10, 2019 1:44:07 GMT
Please post within 3 days of the last post in this thread, although faster is always preferred. Ideally, I want to be able to have at least one posting cycle finished per week.Many were surely curious about the identity of the mysterious Rasielmon that had called out to the Digital World for help. Few, however, would get as intimate of a chance to know her as Adrian, Toki, and Katsura. After responding to their D-Terminals a shimmering keyhole would open up before them, and one step through would be all it would take to reach the Sanctum On High.
Angels scattered through the gilded halls in all directions, fetching chairs to convert the Sanctum's central room from a throne room to a diplomatic hall. Golden thrones were pushed aside to be replaced with more egalitarian-looking chairs, each arranged around an ornate looking oaken table. Overseeing this process was a Bagramon, motioning with a splintered, busted-up hand as he tried to guide the angels towards the most suitable spots. Stained glass windows and ornate chandeliers left the room quite well lit, to the point where the marble floors almost seemed to shimmer. The keyholes through which Toki, Katsura, and Adrian would emerge hung right over a red carpet; a little nod of appreciation towards those willing to risk their lives for the Digital World.
Rasielmon would be right there for each member of the trio's emergence, a soft smile on her face as she stood to great them. "See, Bagramon? I told you they'd come," Rasielmon said, a hint of pride to her voice. The other angel didn't seem to acknowledge her, but she didn't let it get to her. She had a few new heroes to greet, after all. "Thank you all for coming today. I know, it's probably a bit disorienting being warped thousands of feet into the air. But I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to get your bearings before our guest for today comes."
Of course, if one was to look through the stained glass, they would notice that some of the clouds outside were a lot darker than others. Rasielmon's timing may have been a little bit too optimistic.
" 'Guest' gives him way too much credit," Bagramon grumbled. He turned to face the group, giving them a weary smile in return. "I can't say I'm much in favor of extending an olive branch to an envoy of the Seven. But if they are willing to send one of their own up here, they're either very confident or very different from how we've known them in the past."
"My name is Rasielmon, and he is Bagramon. Think of us as your guides in this fight against the Demon Lords. Although, Homeostasis willing, there hopefully won't be any fighting up here today." She paused for a second, her breathing going still, then sighed in frustration shortly thereafter. "Not that I can tell much from what little information we have. We may be going into this one blind."
"I'm still betting this is a trap," Bagramon said. "We're counting on you to keep a sharp eye out. And maybe bring a new angle to these talks, too. Yggdrasil knows we need one." At the backhanded call-out Rasielmon let out a slight huff. It seemed Bagramon had a lot less faith in how things worked in the Skies than anyone else up there did.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable. And if there's anything you want to ask me, I'll be happy to help answer."
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 10, 2019 2:55:12 GMT
Toki immediately answered this call to action, especially in regards to a mission with such a heavy diplomatic angle. The chance to end a fight before it even began...that was the dream situation. He worried about the nature of these Seven Demon Lords. Why wouldn't he? That name just sounds like extremely bad news. Toki, however, was up to the challenge.
Once he stepped through the keyhole, he took a moment to orient himself with the change in scenery and the fact they were so high in the air. After a couple of moments, he stood steady and exhaled calmly. "Phew, that took a second. The red carpet treatment is a bit much, if you ask me, but I appreciate it nonetheless." he bowed to those gathered respectfully before listening to Rasielmon and Bagramon speak. As they did, he marveled at the beauty of this place. He hadn't been here before, and it was a pleasant surprise to be in such a serene locale. On the other hand, it matched descriptions of Luminas, which...bothered him slightly, but he wouldn't let that dissuade him.
"It seems like our guest isn't the most popular among some of you, which I can understand considering who they represent. We should still treat them with respect, regardless. We can assume it's a trap and antagonize him all we want, but will that get us anywhere? No. Even if it is, if we take the time to listen and avoid angering them, then maybe we can come to some kind of agreement. Of course, if they themselves are uncompromising and intend to bring people harm, that is where I will take issue." he stated calmly.
He found a place to take a seat and relaxed before taking Rasielmon on her offer "I have no knowledge of the Demon Lords. Who are they, why are they returning, and what was their goal last time? Knowing what they did before could give us some weapons to use against their representative should they choose to lie about past events." he said, wanting to be as prepared as possible for what was to come. He would wait for the others to arrive and give their own opinions on the matter. He had to adjust and prepare for how the others would approach the situation. Only then could they work together on a solution that makes all of them happy.
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Post by Katsura Ise on Apr 10, 2019 8:16:52 GMT
Toki wasn't the only one who had answered the call in the hopes of ending a war without any blood, when Katsura listened in, she was scared at first. Katsura couldn't recall a time she had intervened without causing massive destruction and... The death of one of her best friends. Ironically it was those same things that had convinced Nyao that Katsura was perfect for the job, a petite girl with darkness in her heart with a darkness wielding partner and yet still very kind. She was the perfect example of how a dark being could coexist, at least that's what Nyao thought. Katsura was far more tense, she didn't want to return to Empyrean Skies, she didn't want the responsibility of deciding others life but again what she wanted less of all was to fight. With a heavy heart, Katsura accepted the job and a keyhole opened. Even Katsura knew the importance of a good first impression for a diplomatic mission such as this, to help her stand out positively she had put on her homemade Kimono from the time where she helped out Yuu, the one full of secret pockets. And so Katsura arrived in her arms she was carrying Nyao the blackgatomon. Katsura stopped up, surprised that there was a red carpet, and even more surprised to find out her colleagues were someone she already knew. For now, she just followed Toki's lead and bowed in sync, so did Nyao by nodding her head.
"It's okay, I'm used to portals by now." Katsura said to Rasielmon. While Toki was speaking Katsura sent him a glare that said "are you kidding me?" How could Toki assume dark digimon would automatically be harming others? He hadn't even met them yet. Sure the angel digimon was just as judgemental but at least they had war and the age-old demon versus angel viewpoint, Toki had no such excuse. It wasn't until she had found a seat and had placed Nyao on her lap like a common house cat she actually spoke her mind to Rasielmon since he was fishing for questions anyway.
"What did you do to them? I have been to the dark area plenty of times and no one threats me without reason. With all due respect, dark digimon can't be pure evil. Did any of you hurt their family or something?"
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Apr 12, 2019 16:42:04 GMT
This now experienced Tamer and Digimon pair had indeed gotten the call for help. It seemed as if the world was just giving them the giant middle finger at this point. The two of them had just gotten done with defeating RedMagnamon, and then they just started having DATS to deal with, and now these Demon Lords were appearing and spelling doom for the Digital World.
"...what do you think, Adrian?" Shoutmon asked while the two of them sat on Adrian's bed. "Should we accept? I know DATS is still around, but these Demon Lords sound serious."
Adrian pondered it for a little bit before sighing. "Why the hell not?" Adrian then pressed a button on his D-Terminal, and before he knew it a giant glowing keyhole-shaped portal appeared in front of him. The partners gave one last look at each other before walking into the portal, with it disappearing behind them.
Before they knew it, Adrian and Shoutmon found themselves in what could only be described as a fancy royal castle, fit for a king and queen, and Adrian also noticed that they were standing on a red carpet as well. Adrian wasn't exactly sure where they were, but Shoutmon definitely knew.
"Adrian... this is Luminas!" he whispered to Adrian.
"The city in the clouds? I thought they didn't really care for humans here."
"I guess they changed their policies or something." Upon looking around, they also noticed a couple of familiar faces that answered the call as well: Toki, Katsura and Nyao. The latter two of which Adrian and Shoutmon hadn't seen since... well, since Adrian first became a Digimon Tamer! But now wasn't exactly the time for greetings.
The 'guides' as they referred to themselves as were Rasielmon and Bagramon, two holy-looking angel Digimon who seemed to just fit in far too well with the area. The group listened to them as they explained their story. One of the seven Demon Lords was apparently coming to Luminas, and they were worried that it was a trap. Adrian understood fairly well, as he's been in that situation before. Toki began to speak up, explaining that the group needed to take the time and listen to this guest without angering them.
"I agree, Toki. If there's no reason for violence, then we can't risk angering this 'guest'. Although we should stay on guard in case it is a trap. I have something that might help in case it is, if you are willing to hear me out."
Upon being asked to relax, Adrian just stood standing, a grim expression on his face, which might've been a shock to Katsura and Toki as this wasn't usually how the Tamer acted. Shoutmon made himself comfortable and sat right into a nice chair, putting his hands behind his head and kicking back.
Katsura asked what Rasielmon and Bagramon did to this guest, saying that dark Digimon can't be purely evil. "Don't be too sure of that. Shoutmon and I have faced many of Digimon that just wanted others to suffer. Unless I'm mistaken, these Demon Lords don't seem too much different, although knowing more about them would help."
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Post by Bonetrousled? on Apr 13, 2019 17:32:59 GMT
Bagramon tried not to roll his eyes at the mention of Luminas. "As if that sanctimonious hole would let an Impmon set foot in there, let alone anything associated with the Seven," he said. "That said, you're dead on about the architecture. We're in the Empyrean skies. Or, rather, above the Skies."
"Trust me, having to deal with city life on top of everything else would make keeping tabs on the Demon Lords even harder than usual," Rasielmon added. Just in time, too.
Why was this so hard? Well, Rasielmon was all too happy to explain in the face of Toki's question. "I'll be honest, there's a lot we don't know about the Demon Lords, either. But I'll try and answer best I can," she said. "Namely, if you want to know 'who' a Demon Lord is, I'm afraid the answer isn't very simple. They don't incarnate the same way most Digimon do. If, say, a meteor came crashing down from the skies to flatten me . . . oh no, the vision was true!"
Rasielmon flinched away as the sanctum darkened. Then, just as the darkness passed, she started laughing. "I'm sorry, the timing was just too good to pass up," she said, smiling sheepishly. "Anyway, if I was to die, I would still be Rasielmon. Perhaps if my data was heavily damaged in the fight, my form and even attitude would differ. But fundamentally, I'd still be me, right?
That does not apply to the Demon Lords. Back when the Sanctum was first founded, Seraphimon, Ophanimon, and Cherubimon personally went out of their way to track down the data of the Demon Lord they defeated. Much to their surprise, not only did it have little to no recollection of its prior life, but its data read like that of a freshly-developed Rookie. It was as if their tenure as a Demon Lord had never happened."
"We think there's a worthiness component to it, for lack of a better term," Bagramon added. If a Demon Lord is slain, well, obviously they're not worthy. And there are a few instances of a Demon Lord either turning their back on their own sin or being proven less sinful than another Digimon. In these cases, too, the Demon Lord loses their title and their power, often surrendering it to the Digimon whose sinfulness proved superior.
In essence, 'who' they are is the worst seven of a bad, bad bunch. To be a Dark Digimon is birth. To be a Sin? Feeding that beast comes down to choice."
"The only true commonality is their form. For whatever reason, each Demon Lord title seems to have its own preferred form. Daemon, Lucemon, Lilithmon, Beelzemon, Belphemon, Leviamon, and Barbamon. These will always be the incarnations that the Seven seem to take. While their pure power is a threat in its own right, they also pull from the prior knowledge of their countless incarnations, giving them a breadth of perspectives most other Digimon will never experience. That, in many ways, is the true threat that they pose."
"So that covers the who. And trust me, if we knew the why we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place," Bagramon said. "As for their goal last time? Well, that's the rub. The only thing each Demon Lord has in common is that they're full of sinful impulse, more than willing to use it, and don't care who or what needs to get hurt to make that happen. Each incarnation of a Demon Lord has its own goals, and they rarely line up. Some just want to indulge. Some seek use the power they have for their own personal gain. And some set themselves to higher-minded goals, like conquest.
Usually, they're far from patient, often taking advantage of their power as soon as they're done growing into it. And more often than not, their different priorities set them against each other. To have at least four of them working in sync like this makes me think they've got one hell of a scheme cooked up this time.
That answer your questions?"
"I have one. Can we start this meeting already? I'm overdue for my nap." Rasielmon and Bagramon looked around for the source of the noise, only for a noxious purple fog to start rolling in through the cracks of the windows. As the thick, clammy vapor congealed into the room it started to take form, a tremendous GranDracmon rising out of it. As opposed to Rasielmon and Bagramon, who stood at heights only slightly above human peak, GranDracmon's head was pretty much brushing against the inner sanctum's ceiling.
He looked around for a chair, face wrinkling in displeasure as he noticed the angels' humble offerings. "Oh, this will never do. Excuse me." He picked up the chair with surprising daintiness, then crushed it in the palm of his hands. He then clapped twice, a swarm of bats crashing through the Sanctum's stained glass windows. They clustered into the shape of a giant throne, which GranDracmon promptly sat down atop of. "Much better~.
Hm? Oh, my, it seems we have more guests!" GranDracmon looked all too delighted to see the assembled humans gathered, the shark-like faces on his hips forming predatory grins. "Have outworld mortals come to debate the divine and the demonic? Now this shall be interesting.
You simply must tell me who you are."
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 13, 2019 20:49:23 GMT
Toki mulled over these answers and did his best to make sense of it all. The others soon arrived to aid in the negotiations, though he felt something uncomfortable with the way Katsura glared at him, like he had done something wrong. He wouldn't let that bother him though. Katsura proceeded to throw accusatory questions at the Digimon gathered here, something he didn't much appreciate. Still, he waited for the answers in their entirety before he would give his own thoughts on that matter. Adrian appeared and it was nice to see a familiar face. He offered his own views on the matter and Toki nodded "I appreciate the idea, Adrian, but we should be careful not to prepare something that could prove detrimental to the talks. We want to keep as much goodwill as possible. Still, let's hear what you have in mind before our guest gets here."
As soon as the answers were given, he would speak "So we're talking about a group of Digimon who willing give in to the impulses of these sins and embrace them. Why would they, though...? If they're the result of that embrace, that particular Digimon would need a reason to do so. Maybe they just enjoyed the thrill these sins gave them, or maybe they were pushed to them out of desperation...desperation?" he looked up and there seemed to be a look of understanding in his eyes "The attacks on the Sovereigns...! That could have led some poor Digimon to turn to these ideas and become the Demon Lords as a result. This is big...this is a situation where pointing fingers and blaming either side will just make things worse. No one's totally at fault, but no one's totally innocent, either. A combination of both side's actions led to this. The Digimon that attacked the forest wanted the Sovereigns statues for their own gains, and the forces Luminas sent wanted to either protect or covet those themselves. This led to an enormous war...something I'd like to avoid with this."
A chill ran down his spine as the guest of honor finally arrived and made himself at home in the most destructive way he could. Mirror shards scattered about and fragments of the chair were strewn about. Still, he stood steadfast and sat across the enormous Digimon, expression calm "Welcome, GranDracmon. My name is Toki Akiyama. The pleasure is mine." he bowed his head respectfully. If it's true that the Demon Lords gave in completely to a sin, then it does seem odd that they would get together and organize such a big plan. What was the emissary's purpose? And with the Demon Lords technically being different Digimon from last time, past events are difficult to bring up without immediately being shot down. Still, it was negotiation they wanted, and negotiation they would get "If we're all settled, then please feel free to begin. I will listen to the best of my abilities." he said politely to the imposing Digimon across from him.
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Post by Katsura Ise on Apr 13, 2019 22:41:40 GMT
Katsura was peeved by what she perceived as utter acceptance of the narrative that dark means evil which means fighting. But at least Adrian ensured the concensus that at the very least they should hear the demon lord out and not deliberately give them a reason to be violent, Katsura could always fix them later if it turned out to be a trap, the others just don't understand. The face Adrian made caused Katsura to look in curiosity, understanding others emotions was still a difficult task for Katsura especially without Nyao to tell her what they meant. Katsura looked around and deducted that since Adrian was the only one giving that look it probably wasn't important. To keep her opinion subtle and to avoid steering the conversation off-topic, she answered Toki by looking at him as if he was stupid, clearly Katsura knew more about dark digimon than everyone else in the room.
This caused Nyao to peak at Katsura.
"Katsura? Can I talk with you for a second?"
"Sigh, can't it wait? We're in the middle of something." "Yeah about that, I saw the way you're looking. We're on the same side. Nobody is threatening anyone." "I know that it's just." "Be nice to Toki, you all want the same. Did he ever say he would hurt dark digimon?" "No... Sorry."
The more Katsura was thinking the more she realized how little Toki actually had said. And so she resigned to just wait for the answers from Rasielmon. Nyao had a response to the group after hearing the discussion.
"Not all sins are bad, humans need them to survive." Katsura gently pushed Nyao's head down to end her response.
"Nyao that's not the point, you don't want too much of a thing. It's bad"
Nyao sighed this treatment was annoying but at the same time she respected Katsura's wishes too much to make a fuss about it. For Katsura who had experience in manipulation and playing others around her the speech was rather enlightening.
"If they love their sin so much then anything about their thing can be used against them. They just need a way that doesn't harm others. What does laziness do? Sleep all day long?" Katsura couldn't picture the embodiment of slouch to be much of a threat since everything aggressive goes against that sin. Though she had to admit wrath would be a bigger problem, at least pride only required some half-hearted compliments. Katsura spaced out for a moment thinking up multiple scenarios involving using sins against the demons. She was quickly brought out of the trance by the arrival of the demon. Specifically the sound of a broken window made her snap out and look focused on the meeting.
"Huh, they're here." Toki was shocked at the entrance of GranDracmon, Katsura by contrast was acting completely casual. She was used to the dark area and her own digimon was dark and used gas-like attacks, she even used dark cards so using dark fog had little to no chance of making any impression on the girl. What did make an impression was the implied disrespect of GranDracmon, seriously? They knew an important diplomat of the demon lords would arrive and they couldn't be bothered to ensure appropriate seating? They could at least figure out how large the diplomat would be. She covered her face with her hand in shame over the holy but apparently impolite digimon. Once GranDracmon finally had found a seat, Katsura resumed to sit normally and removed the hand from her face.
Following GranDracmon's request the meeting should start by introducing yourself. Now Katsura had to come up with an introduction that could impress GranDracmon while still being honest. Katsura bowed her head deeply.
"It's an honor to meet you Mr. GranDracmon. I'm Ise Katsura close friend of lord Piedmon of the fortress in dark area, oh how I miss him. I'm a digi-destinated and this is my partner, Nyao the blackgatomon." Katsura indicated Nyao who nodded to GranDracmon as response.
An: To anyone unaware, Katsura is referring to events that happened in past threads with Dante. Specifically I need a villain and Wine tasting
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Apr 14, 2019 4:20:19 GMT
Adrian began to listen intently as Rasielmon tried to explain more about the Demon Lords, but then the sanctum began to grow darker, and the angelic Digimon began to say something about how her vision came true, right as she was mentioning being flattened by a meteor. Adrian held out his left Digivice hand to attempt and Digivolve Shoutmon, but the darkness went away seconds later, with Rasielmon claiming that it was just a joke. Adrian was not amused.
"With all due respect, Rasielmon, this is not a time to joke, or at least it isn't for me. I am willing to help you, but you can't go joking about something like that. Not after the hell my friends and I went through."
"Come on, Adrian, it's just a joke," Shoutmon said in Rasielmon's defense, "where's your sense of humor?"
Where's your genocidal tenancies? Adrian bitterly thought as he rolled his eyes.
The two Digimon began explaining what little they knew about the Demon Lords so far. From what Adrian and Shoutmon could go off of, the titles of Demon Lords is passed on from Digimon to Digimon, with the holder's defeat claiming them as unworthy. Their motivations were entirely unknown, only that they were driven by their sins.
"So it's like they're the incarnations of the Seven Sins," Adrian said. "Pride. Greed. Gluttony. Lust. Envy. Sloth. Wrath. Each Demon Lord should have qualities of their Sin, and as you said, embracing that sin." He listened to Katsura about her inquiry about the Sloth Sin. "Or they could have an ability to make OTHERS lazy, Katsura. You can't underestimate these Demon Lords if they're that much of a threat."
Before long, the supposed guest of honor had arrived. Adrian and Shoutmon both had chills run down their backs as the thick purple fog entered the room. The size of this Digimon was also something as well, significantly taller than anyone else in the room at that moment. They watched as the Digimon, which was a GranDracmon, entered and turned a chair into his own personal throne, before asking the guests what their names were.
Adrian had dealt with the likes of evil Digimon like this guy before, so he wasn't nearly as scared or reactionary as anyone else in the room. However, that didn't mean he was stoic. He put on a genuine looking smile and bowed towards the Digimon. "I am Adrian Boriker, a Digi-Destined human. And this is my partner Shoutmon. It... it is an honor to meet you." Oh god, that last part surprisingly hurt to say. Hopefully it sounded genuine enough; the last thing Adrian wanted was to piss off this guy.
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Post by Bonetrousled? on Apr 15, 2019 22:32:23 GMT
Rasielmon blushed a little in embarrassment at Adrian's unamused reaction. The first rule of comedy was to read the room, which frankly a being with future sight should've had every opportunity to. "You're right. Not my greatest idea," she said. For the most part, her cat's eye mask obscured her facial expressions. But even it couldn't hide that she seemed to be nervously chewing the inside of her cheek. "Guess I was just hoping to break some of the tension."
And tension there was, especially with the differing opinions that each of these humans had on display. Adrian was ready to prepare a preemptive strike if need be, while still willing to hear the Demon Lords' perspective out. Toki was trying to get to the root of why they acted the way they were, and while no friend to evil was not prepared to dismiss the Demon Lords as nothing but that. And Katsura? She, on a fundamental level, seemed opposed to the idea that the Demon Lords were even capable of evil.
Bagramon scoffed a little at her naivete. "If you think the pure incarnations of sin are going to stick to naptimes and boxercise, you're barking up the wrong tree," he warned. "Their sins aren't just wants. They're pretty much the fabrics of their being. To Wrath, wreaking havoc is as natural as breathing. Deprive him what he wants, and he'll only lash out harder. Give him what he wants, and he'll just run with it further than you could ever imagine."
Rasielmon, on the other hand, was more interested in Toki's suggestion. "You know, I think you have a really good point there," she said. "This cycle of incarnations has gone on for so long that I can't say for certain when or why this particular set arose. But there's gotta be something to the timing of it all. Maybe they're choosing this moment to rise up and unify out of desperation."
"Or maybe they just wanted to wait until the world was vulnerable," Bagramon pointed out.
"If that was the case, don't you think they'd attack at the same time as the Reaper's agents?"
"Not if they wanted to stop and prey on the loser."
As they whispered among themselves, GranDracmon listened to the humans with interest. His interest started to wane shortly after their introductions. "Hm. No titles? No accolades? Goodness, Razzle Dazzle, you sure know how to pick them," GranDracmon said. "But consider the honor returned."
"Oh, you know humans. They're a pretty humble bunch," Rasielmon said, trying not to retch at his words. "I assure you, the three we've brought here have accomplished than you'd expect."
"Mm. Perhaps," GranDracmon said. "Now, if you'll allow me:
Clearly, the Digital World is in a state of anarchy. We've seen how the rule of the angels has gone, with Luminas crawling up its own-"
"Easy, there. There's kids here."
"Well, you know. And the isolated enclaves like this haven't fared much better. I mean, I'd love to know where you were during the Reaper incident. The Sovereigns have been little more than statues for generations. And come on, don't make me say it: does anyone even know who presides over Terminus City? Far as I can tell, the future of the Digital World is in the hands of a bunch of isolated strongmen, most of which aren't even from this world. Does this seem like any way to live?
Perhaps my reason for being here today is to propose an alternative." The shark-like faces on GranDacmon's waist leered down at the assembled angels and humans below, all while he took a drink of probably-wine from a jeweled chalice that his bats provided him.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 15, 2019 23:34:19 GMT
Toki tilted his head slightly at what Katsura's Digimon had said. Humans need sins to survive...? That wasn't entirely the case. Humans sinned, as people are flawed by nature. They're a part of an identity, but to excess extremes of anything are rarely if ever good "I wouldn't say we need sins to survive. Everyone's simply flawed in their own ways. No one's perfect, and we all give in to something at one point in time or another. But in excess is when things become a problem." he said. He agreed with Adrian and Bagramon's assessment on the matter. "There's probably a lot more to them than being an embodiment of one of the sins. They probably have more power than we can possibly imagine. Either way, let's drop that topic for the time being, as it seems other matters are at hand."
It seemed Rasielmon noticed something from Toki's theory and he sighed a bit in relief that he was probably on to something there. "Let's listen to what our guest has to say before we make any solid judgments on the matter. You were saying, GranDracmon?" he offered him the floor.
Toki listened to GranDracmon as he discussed the state of the world. He didn't really care that he was a bit snobbish about the whole 'no accolades or titles' thing. Toki nodded "You know...I don't disagree. While I do find it a bit unfair to judge those present over the chaos that was the Reaper incident, there's something to be said about transparency. We need those who are in charge to step out and show themselves. We should never allow ourselves to have leaders who stay in the shadows. Power like that should never belong to one person, Digimon or otherwise, especially if they do so in secret. So please, I'm curious as to what your alternative is. Let's see if we can come to some kind of agreement."
Though there was one thing Toki took issue with "You're wrong about the Sovereigns, however." he stated before he stood up from his chair. "They're with us. They will rise up if times are desperate enough. Not just for their own self-interest, either." he said as he pulled his Digivice from his jacket. "Let me show you something." he said as a massive bundle of code swirled about his free hand. He brought it to the scanner and the area pulsed with the energy of this spirit evolution "Fusion Evolution!" he cried out as the data engulfed his body in a brilliant display of light.
Data swirled behind him as it became the shape of a full moon. Several orbs materialized as Toki's form emerged as his fused spirit, a tranquil looking Digimon that stood straight up, but hovered slightly above the ground. He then floated up to a meditative position, arms out with his index fingers and thumbs pressed together "ZenCherubimon."
The data dispersed as his new form floated slightly above the table. He looked around slightly before he saw an empty space he could demonstrate "Worry not." he said softly as a faint energy emanated from his hands. The blue glow intensified as he aimed his palms out towards the empty spot "Souryuha." Suddenly, a transparent wave of energy shot from his palms and harmlessly faded as it reached the walls nearby. He floated down onto his seat and looked up towards GranDracmon "Ebonwumon listens. And they protected the forest from imminent destruction. I asked for their help when all hope seemed lost for the forest and they arrived to prevent a wave of corruption from destroying everything. I suppose in thanks, they granted me one of their own abilities. So blame not the Sovereigns. At least, not in their entirety. Perhaps their power makes existing at all times near impossible, so they have the painful task of choosing when they should appear."
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Toki demonstrates Souryuha to those present.
Souryūha [Plot]: Zencherubimon centers himself, and draws forth the power of Ebonwumon to his palms, before directing them towards a single target, sending forth a near-transparent beam of azure energy from both hands. This technique entirely ignores those viewed as allies, piercing straight through them as if they didn't exist, to strike powerfully at a target. Deals high arcane damage. (3 Turn Cooldown)
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Post by Katsura Ise on Apr 16, 2019 7:54:58 GMT
On an evolutionary level Nyao may have had a point about sin but as both Katsura and Toki said that argument was besides the point about moderation or lack thereof. Upon hearing Toki backing her up in arguing with Nyao, she nodded to Toki. Katsura was far less lucky in getting support for her beliefs about the demon lords could be played by exploiting their sin, especially her comment about slouch got flak. Despite this the topic shifted too fast for Katsura to musture an argument, leading her to just sigh and pet Nyao. But Katsura took the lesson that those demon lords were likely to be some of the hardest opponents she had ever faced if she was to meet on the battlefield another concern Katsura had was how the mantle was passed. Could one of her friends become the next demon lord? Or just someone more competent and less peaceful? Those thoughts scared Katsura and yet they also made it so much more important that these negotiations would be successful. When Rasielmon mentioned the Reaper incident, a chill went through her spine and she shock a little.
"Please... Don't talk about the Reaper, I still have nightmares from that time." Katsura hugged Nyao for comfort, clearly the Reaper incident was not a topic Katsura was comfortable with.
The introduction was... A complete failure, GranDracmon didn't seem the slightest impressed and although Katsura and Nyao technically had accumulated some accolades "Friend of a dead lord" was about the only title Katsura dared to mention to a demon; Nyao being the slayer of a God of darkness sounded more like a threat than a merit and "keeper of heavens nectar" would only work on the glutton demon lord. So it was probably for the best to pretend to not having any accolades like the rest of the group.
"Thank you" Katsura said and nodded to GranDracmon. Now it was time to listen to what GranDracmon had on his mind. Katsura had to admit that GranDracmon had a point, who was the mayor of Terminus City again? Why had she never heard about them before? And she had to admit that as of now the strong digimon did sorta rule the digital world, but was that a good thing?
"So what "alternative" do you suggest Mr GranDracmon?" Katsura got the feeling that the alternative would be pretty much the same just with a new name but she had to demonstrate interest in the offering nonetheless. When Toki made a rousing speech all Katsura could think of was worring about how GranDracmon would react to a digivolution.
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Apr 17, 2019 23:55:22 GMT
"Sometimes tension can't be broken, and even if you try it'll most likely end up breaking the tool instead," Adrian simply responded. If the situation was different, Adrian probably wouldn't have acted as cold as he was. But he was dealing with two potential threats at once, it takes a massive toll on a person.
"Hey Adrian, is everything okay?" Shoutmon asked his partner, getting up from his seat. "Why are you acting as cold as a bowl of ice cream?"
"Do you want the short version or the long version? Because either one will just end up in the same place eventually." Adrian listened more as Bagramon explained more about how the Lords and their Sins work. "So that means using their Sin against them is not going to work out for us then, right?"
Their guest, GranDracmon, had finally arrived. After all of the humans had introduced themselves, he seemed unimpressed about the fact that none of them had any titles. "Do we need titles to prove ourselves or something?" Adrian asked, "because they're not exactly my thing."
The group listened to GranDracmon and what he had to say, bringing up some fairly good points. Who was the mayor of Terminus? And a lot of things had been going down and endangering lives in the Digital World as of late. Adrian raised an eyebrow when the Digimon proposed an 'alternative'. "An alternative? Do explain."
Before more could be said Toki had something to say about GranDracmon's jab at the 'Sovereigns,' whoever they were, for not helping out. And in response he turned into ZenCherubimon, using some form of blast at an empty corner of the room, fading away and not damaging anything. At first Adrian and Shoutmon were confused, but then he explained that it was a gift from these Sovereigns.
There was definitely much more for Adrian to learn about the Digital World.
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Post by Bonetrousled? on Apr 19, 2019 0:19:39 GMT
Not wanting to tip GranDracmon off to their planning, Bagramon just gave Adrian a slight wave of his hand. It was an iffy proposition, one that could see success or could just lead to even more trouble. It couldn't be cleanly summed up as a good idea or a bad idea, so the shaky hand of so-so would have to be Adrian's answer today.
When Adrian asked about titles, GranDracmon shrugged his mountainous shoulders. "How else am I supposed to tell you apart? You're all so . . . small. And fleshy." he said. GranDracmon sounded a mix of puzzled and almost grossed out by his own assessment. Come to think of it, the mix of similarity and distinction that humans possessed surely must've been confusing to Digimon not used to them. "Besides, there's something so delightfully honest about them, don't you think? Good, bad, loved, hated, feared, everything you do is just put right out there for the world to see. No lies, no deceit, simply your own word and deed for others to judge.
What I'm saying is, when you meet GranDracmon, Devourer of the Unworthy, you know what to expect, mm?"
For the most part, the crowd seemed to heed GranDracmon's words. He smirked confidently, all too prepared to continue his proposal. Toki wasn't so content to just sit by and listen, however. At first he seemed even more willing to hear GranDracmon out than the others, agreeing that the secretive and often-absent forces in charge of the Digital World were lacking in some capacity. Yet rather than just end things there, Toki had one last secret to show.
In a way, GranDracmon was wrong. Titles were indications, true, but they were indications that existed only in reputation. What Toki brought to bear was something far more honest, far more tangible, and what many would argue was far, far more influential.
Toki brought power.
Rasielmon, her jaw dropped in shock and skin paling, was easy to read. So, too, was Bagramon, who bit down on his cheek in concern. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all," he muttered, the first to break the silence after Toki's demonstration.
But GranDracmon? With his eyes covered and mouth stuffed with fangs, he was a touch harder to read. Nevertheless, he kept respectfully quiet the whole time, even as Toki's demonstration got him shifting to the edge of his seat. "So you speak the truth," he finally said. His face was still unreadable as he leaned to look down at Toki, pretty much eclipsing the Spirit User with his sheer bulk. "It seems the reports of the Sovereigns walking the world anew were not so exaggerated. Indeed, I will heed your wisdom. It seems the world has not had a blind eye turned to it just yet.
Yet, can the world depend on protectors who can barely exist in their own domain?" The time for the alternative had come, GranDracmon straightening and turning to face the assembled party. "I can tell you aren't much for theatrics, so I'll keep this short and simple. The Demon Lords wish to reign over this world, and give it the order and protection it so desperately needs. With seven voices, there are to be no stalemates. With seven eyes, each of this world's provinces can be given the close attention they need. And with seven bodies, if one tries to rebel or take advantage of this agreement, the other six can have them safely beaten down. Bar a bit of tribute every now and then, you will be able to lead your lives as you see fit. And with your willing agreement, we won't even have to bother with any of that pesky, messy conquest business.
Of course, if you have any better ideas?" GranDracmon looked around, so large that his head almost scraped against the sanctum's roof. It was almost as if he was looking for a challenge.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 19, 2019 0:59:12 GMT
Toki turned his gentle gaze over to Adrian and Katsura. The two of them were uneasy. Katsura fearful of the Reapers, understandably so, while Adrian and Shoutmon seemed to be going through some kind of argument with one another. This worried him due to the nature of what was going on here today. Thankfully the two of them were also on board with listening to GranDracmon's alternative.
Howver, Toki's response to GranDracmon was short and simple "I refuse." before he stood up from his chair. Even when standing up his feet hovered slightly above the ground as he 'paced' about the table "You're asking us to put our blind faith into beings we do not know. You're asking us to have the entire digital world just...accept the rule of seven. No votes, no conscious desire. And you ask for tribute, do you? Let me tell you the issues this could bring up."
His eyes opened slightly, the piercing gaze intimidating and radiating a sort of power that would be unleashed if he were to fully open them "The individuality of digimon will make it impossible to simply tell them that they're under the rule of a group without a real reason. The benefits you ask of us require us to put a lot of faith in the demon lords and their sins not conflicting with each other. Will Greed not covet Pride or Wrath's status and power? Will Sloth be angered by having to rule over a people? Will Gluttony want more territory to expand their pallet?"
He looked up at GranDracmon, the sheer size of the Digimon doing nothing to intimidate him "Your solution lacks clarity. It lacks balance. Most of all, it disrespects the people's right to choose!" he said. There was a fury to his voice, but it was controlled. Reasonable. Tranquil. "You wish for another idea? The Digimon should choose their leaders. Digimon who want to lead will have their ideas made clear and concise. No ulterior motives, no power plays. That way Digimon know who leads them, and they choose for the Digimon that they feel is worthy to do so. Your masters may have 'lords' in the name, but that does not automatically make them fit to rule. From the sounds of it, they intend to be rulers, not leaders. You didn't even specify the tribute required. I do not respect one who calls themselves a leader if they care more about their own power than they do about the people they look after. It is the duty of the strong to protect and nurture. It is their duty to act as beacons and provide a framework of a healthy life, not control every small detail. The strong must allow for those who have yet to find their strength reach it in their own ways."
Though despite his impassioned speech, he smiled at the end of it "I believe in the power of unity. The power of balance. Yes, we need someone to lead. But we do not need a ruler. We need someone to enforce law, not twist it. We need someone to fight for our interests, not expect reverence. Respect is not a right. It's earned."
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Post by Katsura Ise on Apr 19, 2019 15:25:55 GMT
Katsura hadn't given up completely on the strategy, in fact she was in her head expanding the plan. Since a demon lord could be unworthy maybe if she forced a demon lord into a situation where they had to violate the sin? And once again Katsura could see how much titles meant to GranDracmon and apparently he can't even tell humans apart without.
"You can use our names you know. How else would you address one Guilmon in a group of, I don't know 100? You can't just yell "hey Guilmon!"" As Katsura was saying the example, she made a snide look down at Nyao.
"It was one time and it was funny. Besides it was a pipmon." "Sigh, I know. Stil, Mr. GranDracmon? How would I know the next dracmon I meet isn't you in children state?"
"Rookie, Katsura." "You know what I mean." With her counterpoint made, Katsura had no shame in staring at GranDracmon's smirk waiting for him to answer.
Later on it was finally time to hear what alternative the demon lords had to offer, and now she was the unimpressed one. Katsura's instincts were right, GranDracmon was suggesting the exact same thing he just said was a problem. What GranDracmon was asking was to replace the "isolated otherworldly strongman" with a group of 7 demonic digimon. Once the similarities was sinking in Katsura feigned confusion and looked puzzled, she needed to make her point without angering GranDracmon and what better way to do that than pretending to be oblivious to the situation?
"So... Uhmm instead of strongman we get demons? I'm confused." Again, no. She wasn't confused at all, Katsura just wanted to see how GranDracmon would help her out with this confusion. Will he brush off Katsura, proving himself to be a warmonger? Will he make a long speech about the difference and motivations of the demon lords? Or even, run out of things to say? It annoyed Katsura a bit that GranDracmon was obscuring his face now that she was testing him though. Toki was making a speech to GranDracmon about faith in the rule of demon lords and generally political topics like transparency and others right to choose their leaders. Katsura didn't want to interrupt Toki so she allowed him to finish before she raised her finger. This is what she was waiting to say: "I believe Toki is right. I don't want someone who's greed to decide what the tribute should be. What happens when Wrath gets angry if he rules our all? Would Envy take over the world out of jealousy? And if I got it right you can only be a demon lord as long as you're quote-unquote worthy, how would that work? Can Pride even share the spotlight with 6 other demons? Why do the demon lords want to rule the digital world, don't you have your own place to tend?
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