A true product of vanity and an attempt to supersede the gods that first created Humanity and all life found within the world, Zero was a constant decaying reminder for all of Talaz Lagaar about the dangers of attempting to make life in their image and giving it a “soul.” Machia owed much in the way of technological advancement thanks to the fragments uncovered from the graveyard that was their deactivated body. Even drawing close to the skeletal frame, Kon could resemble enlarged variants of components found in his own body albeit refined to being only related in foundation than design. He had always intended to visit the historical place for all mechanical beings both originally human and the now thriving robots that were exploring Ishgar.

Touring the great sites of the metal island was not the true reason for his presence despite what his itinerary might otherwise imply, his movements and whereabouts were still being traced albeit not with the same level of care that he might otherwise come to expect. Footsteps of his actions and those who supported Kon were already raising the eyebrows of the Magic Council. These were individuals who garnered his attention but never his respect, that was something that was earned not given freely at least not by him. Vanity, resentment, and vengeance weren’t feelings or even words typically associated with mechanical life yet here he was formulating plans with those who would be considered his bitter rivals and enemies to take down the organization he helped prop up.

These emotions that were driving so many of his actions brought him to one of his most long-lasting enemies, Erebus to offer a partnership, just as he would be extending the offer to another today. The distinction between their relationship was a complete contrast as he had never met them nor knew anything about them only an alias and their vague affiliation, Phantom Lord. A peculiar guild that seemed to remain in the shadows, they resembled Sentinel Syndicate in philosophies and yet he held his ground in supporting their own rise to power, an absence of words even in the background only meant one thing for a group its slow and anti-climatic death. Kon merely sought to be the mercy to those who would have otherwise been left behind or nabbed by the law in their efforts to make a name for themselves.

Knowing whose they were aligned was one thing, but their name held greater significance, revealing in part their upbringing, how they behaved, and what they were thinking. Kon was never found to conceal his identity or his failures, even now his mechanical body was on display only covered by his cloak lashed around his neck. These seemed to be the extent of the parallels between him and his honoured guest, Zariya with the differences quickly weighing up against him from the cosmetic to the numerical, where blackened metal replaced his skin and hair long since devoid of colour, they were bronze tone with almost violet hair, resembling those of Stellan or Desiertian descendent. His greatest concern was perhaps the ensemble that they had brought with him, all of which blinked incessantly upon his forearm. There were so many that he almost mistook them for wildlife, an amusing assumption though swiftly corrected as their magical abilities came into the forefront.

Lacking the ability to speak in fluent Stellan, Kon not seeking conflict spoke a language that felt harsh, and brutalistic upon his native Boscoi tongue. “So many people to help you, are you sure that will be enough? I certainly didn’t mean to fight you, instead, I come with a proposition, of course, that’s if you want to talk or not and instead take down a prestigious Colonel of the Rune Knights to claim my head to place upon your mantlepiece.”

Questions grew within his head both from Miharu and Hirota as they pried into his rationale for even bothering to meet Zariya, a known criminal who was wanted by the Rune Knights. Unlike Erebus who Kon held in high regard with memories aplenty for the two spirits to learn about them, this vampire before them was a complete quagmire. The presence of the ensemble around them was a curiosity that he hadn’t seen amongst many villains of his time with them commonly preferring to act alone but if he were to achieve his goals, he might need to adopt some of these unorthodox acts, Kon wasn’t exactly now for being a social butterfly but he could never hope to take down the Rune Knights by himself. And yet he was given a pause with the idea as he scanned the group from left to right calculating the most brutal way to eviscerate every single one of them, speed and range were his greatest strengths if he needed to use them today then so be it. But he was not there to fight but instead make questionable allies whose affiliations and goals were their own. Mixing truth and fiction while coercing people to support his efforts was becoming an increasing habit of his, originally leaving a bitter taste in his mouth merely becoming a moral hurdle after each lie piled upon one another.

Despite being on an island that manufactured Machia, his unique appearance was unmistakable with Zariya recognizing him almost immediately, referring to him as a cop, an amusing claim that he hoped to discredit in due time. Perhaps more alarming was their willingness to kill him with reckless regard, useful in war, but not so much during diplomacy. Hoping to defuse the situation, Kon came to a stop and brought forth his dominator from a pocket dimension, one of the first to ever be made within the construct, before throwing it to the ground towards her. “I’m not here as a cop, but a private citizen, as for the growing number around you, that might be my fault, the Rune Knights are becoming increasingly suspicious of my actions and they might have caught onto the fact that you were amongst my next candidates.” Things were moving at a faster pace then he had originally expected perhaps his actions in the Hellsea Bastille had garnered more attention than he calculated for.

Looking at his hands shifting between them glancing at his artificial nails in an almost apathy towards the situation and threats posed by Zariya despite the numbers advantage, Kon continued. “More than happy to talk to you about the proposal, get rid of your lackeys first though, have them take a walk around the docks, this is a private conversation, do it or I will.” Not known for making hollow threats, Kon shifted his attention to his blinking forearm, hovering a single finger at a dot associated with one of the many henchmen around them, staring with a fearsome intensity that could be best described as a wolf cornering a rabbit, one which had countless around them sure, but a wolf regardless. “Well I’m waiting…”

Standing nearly motionless in front of the arguing crowd of lesser daemons and vampires, Kon resembled a statue of old with his construction matching that of the island itself and mirroring Zero’s own almost identically. To many of Zariya’s collective, a difference in attitude was immediately apparent with some questioning his request with one in particular suggesting to attack the former general. A fool’s errand to be sure, their strength, experience and abilities were sharply in Kon’s favour. Even the numbers that Zariya came with served little to halt his efforts to decimate them all if it were to come to that. A challenge that would never come to pass as Zariya took matters into her own hands, cutting down the loudest of them all, removing their lifeblood in the process. Perhaps she had recognized he was more than just an enforcer of the law and had something to contribute to their unknowingly shared cause.

With Zariya’s lot swiftly falling into line with them leaving the general area, Kon could finally talk with her in peace. Knowing the risk associated with revealing the full details of his plan for now, Kon remained somewhat tightlipped instead choosing to reflect upon known associates of Zariya, acquaintances or otherwise. “Several weeks ago at this point now, I spoke with one of your guild mates, you are in the Phantom Lord Guild are you not? A man who I’ve had dealing several times now, Erebus…” Shifting his attention away from Zariya instead looking with the attention of an eagle eying its prey at the decaying ruins before him, he continued. “You came highly regarded for your lethality and brutality as rightly demonstrated, but there’s one thing that’s lacking for your ambitions, unity, a true group of individuals capable of doing some real change to the world.”

While Zariya’s crew did have potential, they still needed time to grow and reach their full strength, and time was not on his side, especially with what he was planning. “Take this not as an insult to the group you have assembled nor Phantom Lord, though I have rumours that the latter has fallen on hard times, your Guild Master is missing it seems?” Finally relaxing his hand from the mechanics upon his forearm, he shifted his gaze pointing to the vague location of Era, his target, hopefully their shared target. “When I spoke of a candidate, perhaps I misspoke, I want you to join me in bringing anarchy whether there is a stagnation of progress, for too long I’ve served at the whims of officials who do not wish to seek the betterment of society but rather the normalization of what exists in the now.”