Too Rare To Die [Iscariot]

[Katsuro Hachi]

MOUTH WAS A CRIB

It was rare that his vigil would encompass here.

The Waterways were a hub of unlawful activity and anarchy, as far as he could tell. Out there, on the surface, he could look where he wished and hunt as he wanted to. There were pockets of ferals, of criminals, of those who shirked their responsibilities as citizens of the Digital World, but it was never more than a pocket. With fire and blood he would cleanse it above. But below? It would take considerably more.

Down here it was a plague. The Waterways were rife with sin, with disgust, with hatred and fear. And within hatred and fear anger begun to gestate and its ugly spawn would soon rear its head. The stench of it all, conglomerated together, hung thick in the air like sulphur. No wonder this place had been abandoned decades ago.

Katsuro had been down here a while, now. He had assumed the form of Shadramon, as he oft did on these forays into darkness. He felt like all the collected pockets of stink down here would go up in a great, tunnel-wide inferno if he so much as lit a match, let alone readied his own offensive flames, as much as he knew the moisture in the air would hinder that.

So he kept his hackles high, stood atop the platform that flanked the networked rivers of filth, and continued to walk, step by step, brick by vile brick.

ATTACKS USED: N/A
HIVEMIND STACKS: 1

deltra of gangnam style

[Iscariot]

The waterways remained abandoned for good reason, but perhaps a lot of what made up that reason came after the area was deserted, or at least that's what most thought. It could have been that the unsavoury Digimon and filth that colonized this place came first, perhaps they were always there. Maybe the waterways were never abandoned but other choose to see them as such. It didn't matter to Iscariot. What mattered was the water here made an excellent buffer solution for his concoctions. If you could call that water that was.

The Yersiniamon waddled over the few areas that weren't wet, dipping empty vials into the stale, disease ridden water before sealing them and stashing them away. The scent didn't seem to bother him, in fact he could argue that it paled in comparing when compared with the scent of rotting scent, a scent that was so common on him it might as well had been his own. His immunity to disease left him indifferent to the plagues that riddles those walls, after all an affliction was pleasant for him, he welcomed it.

"..."

Iscariot shot a dirty look at the twisting corridor ahead, taking note of someone approaching. Something other than the synthetic filth that was usually found here. The avian like digimon brought a talon to his 'beak' as he would ponder for a moment, rising up from his crouched position to stand awkwardly in the middle of the narrow pathway, eyes staring blankly ahead as the Shadramon came in sight, lacking any facial expressions whatsoever. His arms would cross behind his back with his head slightly lifting.He would be effectively blocking the path, despite his small, sickly looking frame.

"..."

The Digimon hummed a soft tune to himself, remaining motionless with the unblinking, soulless eyes of the 'mask' staring dead ahead as the stranger approached. He could tell that was no ordinary dweller of this place, perhaps an explorer? There was no need to dwell on it, anything to break the monotony of the sewers was welcome.

"...An explorer or perhaps a seeker of something? Why should a hunger for adventure ever be sated?

Iscariot would mumble, his voice lacking any emotion as he would raise his head to meet the gaze of the Champion, maintaining his position as he would softly resume his humming while he waited for a response.

eris of gs

[Katsuro Hachi]

IT WAS GROWING LIES

It was down one of these twisting, labyrinthine paths, that it appeared. It seemed to materialise out of almost... nowhere, appearing perhaps from the very shadows at a moment's notice. No sound had preceded it, no breathing; it was a Digimon, he assumed, but unlike any he had ever seen before. It stood there, shrunk and sunken beneath him, arms idly crossed behind its back, head rolling around on its shoulders, silently blocking the path as it wound tighter and tighter, deeper and deeper, into this virulent shithole.

"...an explorer or perhaps a seeker of something? Why should a hunger for adventure ever be sated?

Katsuro was rash and impulsive at the best of times, especially with the Hive at his back, but he was sure there was more than met the eye to this little Digimon, even as lesser in power he seemed. It radiated, somehow, of importance; not necessarily of outward strength or brute, sheer power, but there was something in the way it moved which meant he refused to simply dismiss it as an insane vagrant dweller of the sewers.

"I am not an adventurer," The Shadramon spoke decisively, scanning it up and down once more. Its clothes almost looked tattered, as if it had found them here in the sewers. The smell in the air had almost grown thicker, and... darker, somehow, like a rotten carcass on a sunny day. He would hold himself back until absolutely necessary -- he was no idiot, scanning from left to right and double taking the snaking passages behind him to ensure this was no simple trap. "I seek only to complete the tasks given to me."

"Will you move away so I can do this?"

ATTACKS USED: N/A
HIVEMIND STACKS: 2

deltra of gangnam style

[Iscariot]

Didn't react to the rejection of his guess initially, but would eventually bring a talon to the tip of his 'beak', his humming growing louder for a few moments. So this one had a purpose, a purposeless one from the sounds of it. The avian like creature was certainly curious, but at the same time knew the most probable outcome.

"...Oh."

Acknowledging he was wrong was one thing, but granting a response was another. There was no need to trouble himself with words when the answer would likely never find him. After all, the insect seemed to be in a hurry. The only thing that was down there was plague and despair, and Iscariot knew that an appointment with death could not be hindered by any means.

"Everyone ends in the down here... eventually."

Finally, he was starting to speak, moving his other hand to the side of his body as he would lower the one against his face finally. He would still be blocking the path, but at least now he seemed to be making some sort of motion. The Digimon remained silent for a few moments, the sudden absence of his humming leaving the air filled with nothing but the sound produced by the murky stream and the sound of dripping filth.

"I would never stand between a man and his destiny." The Yersiniamon declared, though he wouldn't move, his unblinking eyes still staring dead on, fixed on the insect. "But, brother, your destiny does not lay ahead. I see a desire within you. Whatever it is you think lays ahead; it is but an entree for the hunger you feel inside of you, serving to distract you for a moment... but your hunger will return... and it will be painful, much more painful than it ever was."

The bird would finally move away, his back against the wall for now, though his eyes would never leave the insect. He would take a soft bow, pointing a talon into the murky darkness ahead, almost as if encouraging passage for the other.

"Every heart has its own hunger. Tell me yours."

eris of gs

[Katsuro Hachi]

DIDN'T KNOW WHAT LOVE WAS

"...Oh." It was... airy, somehow. Aloof and complacent, with an almost overpowering stink of neutrality, but there was something so much more underneath. The Shadramon was, for the first time in a long, long while, considerably more apprehensive than he was used to. "Everyone ends in the down here... eventually." Katsuro took a look from side to side. He had seen nobody in hours. Was that a thre-- no, surely not. Just lamentations.

"I would never stand between a man and his destiny." Katsuro had remained silent; but it had been a while, now, since he had asked the creature to move, and its continued ramblings struck him more and more as a refusal with every passing moment; he stemmed the tide of the Hive's frustration in the back of his mind, trying to remain respectful and silent, concerned most with what it was saying. "But, brother, your destiny does not lay ahead. I see a desire within you. Whatever it is you think lays ahead; it is but an entree for the hunger you feel inside of you, serving to distract you for a moment... but your hunger will return... and it will be painful, much more painful than it ever was. Every heart has its own hunger. Tell me yours."

It had finally moved away. Katsuro tutted, shook his head, ultimately frustrated with the thing now, and stepped past, but it had not earned his ire. To hell with it. He had moved about six feet away from it, before he realised the question was still echoing, resonating in his mind. He ground to a halt, pivoted, and stared back at it, stinking of filth and decay, standing idly in the sewers. Why did he feel such an urgency, a need to answer?

"Then surely, if what lays ahead is the beginning to the remainder of my destiny, the path I walk is in fact the correct one?" It was not often he engaged in a battle of wits, he thought, stepping forwards. "I do not think it will serve as a distraction. It is a part, an admittedly small part, of my purpose here in this world, with what lies at my back and gives me this power leading me ever further along the correct road. So surely this is correct?" He spoke of hunger, however, before finally demanding that the insect tell him his hunger.

His hunger? It was a good question. What did he want? His automated response was simple: to serve the Hive and to follow the Code. But there was an incohesion starting to appear, a schism in the back of his mind, sticky and jagged as free, radical trains of thought occasionally emerged and resurfaced before being pressed back down into nothingness. He thought about what he wanted for a moment, and the crag opened; the dams buckled. He remembered being sixteen, having hands, under his foster parents' roof, washing dishes, eating meals, curt conversation, smiling pleasantly -- he was not their child, they were not his parents and he did not belong but it had sufficed for that one stage in his life and--

"What does any protector hunger for?" The Shadramon yanked himself back over the edge. It would appear to the creature no more than a few moments' hesitation before he answered; his body swayed, oh-so-gently, feet grounded upon the floor, and he stopped it quickly. "I want to serve, I want to keep my quarry safe, and I want to become more experienced, more powerful, so I can better achieve those goals." He looked the thing up and down once more, its minuscule yet clearly deceptive shape there, its head still rolling gently upon shoulders he could not really see.

"I am not sure you could help me with that. Perhaps I should be on my way."

ATTACKS USED: NONE
HIVEMIND STACKS: 3

deltra of gangnam style

[Iscariot]

Iscariot shook his head as the humanoid insect would attempt to bypass him, though, he wouldn't break his stoic composure, knowing full well he would get the reaction he so sought. True enough, the wanderer stopped once more to speak to him, his words clearly granting him the effect he wanted. Of course, as he expected, some sort of counter argument was instantly thrown at him, causing the strange avian to lift a single talon in front of the end of his beak, seemingly silencing the other as he spoke.

The insectoid certainly seemed to have his own reasoning to counter his, but it was nothing more than a fine way to rationalize one's menial pacing. Life wasn't exactly long, not for creatures of his kin, so naturally the plague bringer couldn't help but look down at the other for now. Though, he certainly didn't feel superior, but rather more privileged having seen the true meaning of existence. Ignorance was, after all, bliss.

"I appreciate that your mind is unsoiled by the complications of reason. Though, as you said your self; you're a protector. So your hunger? Why, it is fulling your duty without fail. An easy riddle to answer indeed, though I'd say you're blind to your own duties if you'd be willing to turn a away from a chance to fulfill that very destiny."

Iscariot suddenly spoke more. This time his words echoing through the emptiness of the sewers as he would clutch his leather pouch tightly, the vials he had collected so farm clattering together. The creature soon returned to his silence, edging a bit closer to the other Digimon as he would motion a wing dismissively, urging the insect to move along.

"In time... you will see that rather than being a defender, sometimes it is better to eliminate your threat before hand. Please - you must allow me to observe your task ahead. In return, I'll provide you with freedom from any malady that might come your way."

eris of gs

[Katsuro Hachi]

[nospaces]

YOU ARE NO

0464 WORDS ■ Iscariot ■ IT BEGINS

EXCEPTION

"I appreciate that your mind is unsoiled by the complications of reason. Though, as you said your self; you're a protector. So your hunger? Why, it is fulling your duty without fail. An easy riddle to answer indeed, though I'd say you're blind to your own duties if you'd be willing to turn a away from a chance to fulfill that very destiny." Katsuro tilted his head ever so slightly. He was trying to measure his words, but this thing was starting to annoy him.[break][break]

"I don't see what part of my so-called 'destiny' you can help me fulfil," The Shadramon attempted to speak with out-and-out authority. "Unless you can tell the future, how can you forsee what might come my way, or how I can succeed without fail?" These musings on destiny seemed to him to be, more than likely, complete bullshit. "And I'd be careful if I were you, to regard my foresight with such derision. Duty and honour are bound together, after all." The last part echoed with a low growl. It felt like the Hive speaking through him.[break][break]

"In time... you will see that rather than being a defender, sometimes it is better to eliminate your threat before hand." The sewer creature lifted its wing, indicating that he could pass. Haughty, the Shadramon stepped forwards. Offense was the best defense? He knew that better than any. "Please - you must allow me to observe your task ahead. In return, I'll provide you with freedom from any malady that might come your way." Katsuro glared for a few moments at it, before beginning to stroll forwards. This thing seemed to have some kind of eerie plan or foresight surrounding it -- or perhaps it was just attempting to dissuade him somehow. Katsuro made a note to keep an open mind about it. The Shadramon's wings twitched, and its black-sheen beady eyes glistened under the dim light of the Waterways. Why did it even want to follow him?[break][break]

"I suppose no harm can come from having an observer," The Shadramon spoke, beginning to pace forward down the abandoned, winding lesser annals of the old sewer system. He had no doubt there were maladies and infectious diseases in great number festering down in these fetid bowels of the city. "I will warn you once and only once, however. I will not take interference or deliberate impediment of my tasks lightly." It was a thinly-veiled and hopefully-ominous threat. It would likely not do anything to unsettle the creature; he would try anyway. "Keep up." Worst case scenario, it was one more to spread the word of the Osuzumebachi, anyway.[break][break]

"What name do you go by, creature?" Katsuro spoke idly, stepping over a patch of rotten, slimy moss congealed with the black putrescence of this vile underbelly.[break]

deltra of gangnam style

[googlefont=Raleway][break][break]

stingmon - h-hybrid

[break]
condition: good! [break]
status: normal [break]
attack: normal [break]
defense: moderately high! [break]
speed: moderately high! [break][break]

+ passive the hivemind: +10% spd/def per stack, 1 stack gained per turn, max 15 stacks [break]
+ hivemind stacks: 4 [break][break]

+ active n/a: n/a