Author rant: Thank you for all your reviews and please continue to give me inputs in regards to my story. All your help has helped me to improve my story and I hope with that I could present you a better work to read. Once again special thanks to Silveran for proof reading and K'Arthur for the insights.

"Oh boy, we are screwed..." Ace remarked grimly, glancing down at the enemies skulking in the shadows.

"What are we going to do, Captain?" Aila asked, her face tight with worry.

"Hmm. It's pointless to stand and fight. Let's get down into the streets so we don't get boxed in," Geddoe replied calmly to his team.

"Alright then, let's move," Queen declared, moving out of the room and taking the lead as the rest of the team followed in suit. She quickly ran down the hall and then descended down the wooden stairway. As she reached the bottom of the stairs into the common room of the inn, both the front and back door of the inn burst open and two groups of black clad swordsmen swarmed in. The common room erupted in chaos as the swordsmen rushed toward the mercenary group while the other patrons tried to flee.

Queen brought up her blade to knock aside the overhead slash of the nearest swordsman. Then she brought her own blade around in a horizontal slash at the man's chest that was blocked by the swordsman. She then pushed forward with her blade, closing the distance between them and followed up with a kick to the shin, which the man leapt back to avoid. He stepped back warily and she saw from the corner of her eye the rest of her team engaged in combat.

Joker leapt back from the slashes of the man in front of him and then leapt up onto a nearby table to deliver a kick, which narrowly missed the enemy's head. Ace blocked another man's cleave with both of his sais and pushed the blade away, forcing the man to step back. He then followed it up with a flurry of stabs and slashes, which the man barely blocked. Geddoe knocked away yet another man's slash with his own sword and then moved forward to smash his fist into the man's nose, bloodying it and sending the man stumbling back. A second man joined the first opponent facing Queen and she had to leap back to avoid the double horizontal slash made by the two.

'We need to get out here,' Queen thought desperately as more and more armed men rushed into the inn. An idea struck her then and she leapt back behind the table and pushed it against the two swordsmen facing her, which forced them to stumble back.

"The windows!" she shouted and dashed to the nearest window. The swordsmen that were engaged in battle with her moved to follow, trying to go around the table but crumbled in a heap as two arrows pierced through their legs. With a great leap Queen crashed through the wooden frame, sending glass and wood splinters flying everywhere. She turned around to see that the rest of the team had followed suit.

"Come on!" she shouted and dashed down one of the alleyways. She almost stopped her running when she saw who was waiting for them around the corner of the alleyway. There, standing in the middle of the alley, was the cloaked man that they saw at Damian's house earlier. She gritted her teeth knowing that they could not stop if they wish to escape so she charged the man at full speed, her blade at the ready.

The man held out his hand and Queen could hear the sound of his chanting. All of a sudden, thick vines burst out of the ground all around her, entangling her in its grasp, freezing her in place. She could see that Ace, Joker, Aila and Jacques all met the same fate, caught in the grasps of the vines. She struggled against her bonds, but she just seemed to be more tangled up by it. Suddenly, a bright blue beam of electricity zoomed passed her, making her hair stand on end as it continued towards the cloaked figure. It struck some sort of invisible shield and discharged all around the figure, creating a large crater on the ground. Though the attack did not harm the cloaked figure, it seemed to serve in disrupting his concentration as the vines vanished without a trace, and even the ground returned to the smooth stone pavements. Though she already knew who it was that cast the spell, she nevertheless turned around and saw Geddoe with his right hand still stretched out toward the cloaked one, his true lightning rune shining brightly on his hand.

"Geddoe, bearer of the true lightning rune," the cloaked one said. "Do you intend to initiate a battle between two true runes here in Vinay? Or do you not care about the innocents that will die from the powers of true runes clashing?"

"What are you suggesting?" Geddoe asked quietly, walking forward to face the cloaked figure. From behind them, their pursuers had arrived, the large group of swordsmen spreading out in a line to prevent the mercenary from escaping.

"A duel," the cloaked one replied, lifting up its gloved hand for emphasis. "You would certainly be a worthy opponent. If you win, I'll let you and your men go free and if you lose, well lets just say that you shall not lack for company in the afterworld."

"It's a very tempting proposal." Geddoe continued to walk forward, sparing a quick glance her way, before turning his attention back to the cloaked figure in front of them. In that glance, Queen realized what Geddoe was planning and she quickly reached inside one of her pockets for the items that they would need.

"Unfortunately, since my purpose here is not to fight, I will have to decline," Geddoe said, stopping suddenly and spinning around, shouting: "Queen!"

In one smooth motion Queen pulled out the stick of specially made packet from her pocket and lit it expertly with matches, throwing the burning object into the air as hard as she could. All of a sudden, there was a loud bang and an intense flash of light. When the light faded, Geddoe and his team were nowhere to be found.

"Should we gave pursue, Milord?" one of the black clad swordsmen asked. "They could not have gone far. We can still cut them off at the gate."

"Do not bother." The cloaked one waved a hand in dismissal. "Though it is unfortunate that I could not assess his strength right now, there will be other opportunities. Besides, we still have more important things to concern ourselves with."

*************************************************************************** ****

Suikoden 3 Fanfic Conflict from within ch8:
Drums of War

**************************************************************************** ***

Borus ran quickly through the forest near Brass Castle. He could see the stonewalls of the famous Zexen fortress loom ahead like some giant beast towering and snarling under the burning torches. He had tied his horse somewhere off the road and then had proceeded on foot to the current location, walking deeper into the forest. He thanked the Goddess for the clear night; the moon adding its own silvery radiance with the torches on the castle, providing him enough illumination for what he was searching for. When Chris told them of the secret entrances to the Brass castle and told them to fill the tunnels up a few years ago, Salome had insisted that they leave one entrance in working order. He argued that it would give them a strategic advantage in case of siege and Chris had agreed. Thus, one entrance was left alone as an emergency 'bolt hole' as Borus always thought of it. He was thankful for Salome's brilliance as it gave him the means to avoid having to sneak in through the front, a task that he was certain that he would not be able to accomplish given his lack of stealth skills.

With some difficulty Borus found the place he was looking for and with a sweep of his hand cleared away the grass that was covering the cellar door that would lead him down into the underground tunnel of the castle. He pulled the wooden doors up from the ground to reveal a large metal door, then, he reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small iron key and unlocked the metal door beneath the wooden cellar door. The lock had been a protective measure against intrusion and he had obtained the key from Salome when he left with Chris several days ago as a secure way of sneaking back in.

He lit a torch as he descended the stairs into the underground tunnel. Monsters no longer wandered around here and for that he was grateful, as he did not want to waste time by fighting meaningless battles. He traveled alone in the damp stale air for a short while until he came upon a spiraling staircase that would lead him up into the heart of Brass Castle. He climbed upward until it reached a dead end, the way blocked by a layered stonewall. Anxiety filled him as he stood in front of it, the last obstacle to his goal. Twelve by four was the combination he remembered, so after putting his ear to the wall and making sure there are no suspicious people on the other side of the wall, he counted the stone blocks twelve across and four down and then pressed on the block. There was a tiny clicking sound indicating that the wall was now unlocked and slowly he applied pressure on the left side, rotating the wall by its center to reveal an entrance to a large room.

The room was almost completely covered in darkness with exception to the moonlight shining through the window. A quick glance told Borus that Salome was not here, to his great disappointment. He had hoped that Salome would be in his room so that they may talk right away. He looked around the darkened room and decided to wait for the blond strategist to return. He sat down in one of the guest chairs in the room and began recollecting his thoughts for how to tell Salome about everything when he returned. For a long time he waited in the quietness of the dark room, yet Salome did not return. Just as he was about to give up and risk the chance of discovery by searching the castle for the strategist, the clinking sound of armor and the sound of footsteps in the hallway told him that someone was coming. Not knowing who it was, Borus decided to hide under the bed until he was certain of the newcomer's identity.

The door creaked open slowly, flooding the room with lights from the hallway as a familiar voice rang out.

"I bet you never expected them to pull that on you, Salome. I just hope that all the trouble is worth it, that Lady Chris is still alive."

"Percival!" Borus shouted from under the bed.

"What? Borus? Where are you?" Percival exclaimed, walking in the room and shutting the door behind him.

"Right here!" Borus said as he climbed out from under the bed.

"Thank the Goddess you're back," Percival said, his voice trembling with fear as he asked the important question. "Where is Lady Chris? Is she.?"

"She's fine," Borus replied, a mixture of pride and joy mixed in his voice at telling his friend the good news. "Alive and well. She's back in the Grasslands because we're not sure if it's safe for her to return yet."

"She's alone in the Grasslands? By the Goddess, Borus, what are you thinking?!" Percival shouted at the blond man.

"She made me came back. She practically ordered me to. Even then I wouldn't have left if I thought she was in danger, Percival. You should know that." Borus sighed. "The Flame Champion Hugo swore on his honor that he would protect her. The last I saw, they were heading to Duck Village so she shouldn't be in any danger."

"He did huh? Well that is surprising. Considering what lies between them," Percival commented, rubbing his forehead with his right hand. "I'm sorry, Borus. It's just that things have been on edge lately."

"Why? What happened?" Borus inquired curiously.

"Disaster, that's what," Percival answered, shaking his head. "Salome was arrested for treason. The Council believed that he was involved in Lady Chris' assassination."

"What?! He would never do that!" Borus exclaimed angrily.

"We both know that," Percival agreed resignedly. "But most people don't know that, I heard the council got strong evidence against him, plus we lost a lot of our credibility when it was found out that we lied to the public about the circumstance of Lady Chris' assassination."

"How could this happen?" Borus growled. "The Council must have framed him, those bast-"

"Calm down, Borus, we don't know if that is true or not." Percival interrupted, shaking his head. "I know what needs to be done though. I know you have just returned, but I must ask you to return to the Grasslands immediately and I mean as soon as possible. Each second counts in this matter."

"Why? What is so important?" Borus asked, his face taught with worry at Percival's tone.

"I have just being appointed to the Captain of the knights and the Council has ordered me to move my troops toward Karaya in demand of an 'explanation' from the Karayans for the assassination of Lady Chris. A representative, one Sir Damian if I remember his name correctly, has been sent from the Council to 'supervise' the proceedings," Percival explained, gritting his teeth in anger. "In short, the Council intended to invade Karaya and this Damian person is the leash to ensure that I do as they wish.

"As of now we are making preparations to march in the morning, Borus," he continued, locking gaze with his friend. "We need Lady Chris back. The Council is using her death as an excuse to attack Karaya. If people know that she is still alive, then we can avoid this meaningless conflict."

"If she comes back then she might be in danger again, you know that right?" Borus asked his friend intently.

"Yes, I do. However, we have no choice. It is our duty," Percival returned gravely.

"Duty. I am beginning to hate that word," Borus sighed. "Very well, I will leave immediately."

"It can't be helped." Percival shrugged. "Borus, please tell Lady Chris how glad we are that she is alright. Take care of her for us and you be careful too."

"I know, I will," Borus replied over his shoulder as he opened the secret passage and disappeared into the darkness.

**************************************************************************** *******

"It's good to see you again, Sergeant!" Hugo greeted.

"Yes, it has been almost a year since we last saw each other, Hugo," Sergeant Joe agreed, nodding to himself. "How have you been doing lately? I heard that Lucia went on a trip."

"As well as can be expected under the circumstances I suppose," Hugo replied. "I take it that you are aware of why I am here."

"Yes, the mayor told me. The other chiefs have already arrived," Joe nodded. "They are all waiting at the mayor's house."

"Very well then. We'll head over there immediately," Hugo answered.

"Beecham, it is good to see you again as well," Joe greeted.

"Likewise, Sergeant," Beecham nodded.

"Lady Chris, welcome to Duck Village." Sergeant Joe looked behind Hugo at the Zexen knight. "Though I have to admit I didn't expect you to be here."

"Thank you, Sergeant Joe," Chris replied politely. "The recent event has surprised me as well."

"I see." The duck warrior replied, glancing at Hugo briefly. Then he turned around and began walking toward one of the larger buildings in the village. "We shouldn't keep the others waiting. Follow me."

They walked down the wooden plank that served as Duck Village's main walkway and arrived at the mayor's house. Joe opened the door and led them.

"Ah, there he is!" the mayor exclaimed from where he and the other chiefs were sitting as Hugo and the others walked into the house. "We have been waiting for you, Hugo."

"Hello, Mayor," Hugo greeted the older duck. He then turned to the others there. "Greetings, Chief Dupa and Kamia."

"Ha! Hugo you're late!" the Lizard Chief roared in amusement. "It seems that you're losing your touch as the fastest rider in the Grasslands!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Hugo grinned and turned to the elder woman, Kamia. "Where is Chief Sana?"

"Unfortunately, she doesn't feel well enough to travel. I came in her stead," Kamia, a woman seeming to be in her late fifties with short graying brown hair, kind features and wearing the traditional woolen cloth of the Chisha tribe, replied. "Do not worry though. It is nothing serious and she should be fine in a few days."

"That is good to hear," Hugo nodded visibly relieved.

"Anyway, I think it's tim-" Dupa stopped suddenly and glared behind Hugo. "What is that Zexen woman doing in here?!"

"I invited her, Dupa," Hugo spared a quick glance behind him at Chris before continuing. "She is here to help."

"Really? According to your message, Hugo, we are here to discuss about the Zexen threat," Dupa growled, narrowing his eyes at the silver-haired woman. "And she is the biggest threat of them all."

"I am not a threat unless you make me one, Chief Dupa," Chris stated calmly as she stepped forward and locked gaze with the Lizard Chief. "I desire peace between Grasslands and Zexen Federation as much as any."

For a moment the two leaders just stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Suddenly Dupa let out a loud laugh. "Well said Silver Maiden! Let's hear what you have to say."

"Well, now that the introductions are over, we can finally start," the mayor announced in relief.

Hugo and the others sat down on the chairs that were prepared for them, facing the other chiefs.

"Five days ago," Hugo began, sweeping his gaze across all those present, "under a very unique circumstance, Lady Chris came to our village and from her we were able to learn the intentions of the Zexen Council."

Chris shot Hugo a surprised glance as the Karayan went on. "It appears that the Zexen Council is unhappy with how the treaty worked out and intends to rework it, under the threat of force."

"A treaty was signed with terms that both agreed to," the Lizard chief growled and shifted his focus from Hugo to Chris. "I don't see why we are under any obligation to renegotiate it. If they desire a fight, just let them try."

"In part, I agree with you Dupa," Hugo replied. "We should not have to back down from this just because they threatened us. However, we should certainly hear them out before doing anything rash."

"I agree with Hugo," Kamia said, her voice strong and motherly. "Although we of the Chisha clan do not have much to offer in terms of an army, it is a decision that will affect the entire Grasslands. I feel that we should do everything in our power to avoid conflict."

"I agree with the Madame," the mayor nodded. "We should not do things so rashly after all."

Slowly the Lizard Chief nodded his head in agreement. "Fine. How will we approach this then?"

Hugo turned to Chris, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "Chris, out of all of us, you probably had the most experience dealing with the Zexen Council. What do you suggest?"

"I would probably suggest a firm response." Chris looked thoughtful. "In a way, that shows them that you are not to be bullied, but at the same time approach them with eloquence and respect that they don't feel that they are being bullied into complying."

"Interesting suggestion, Chris," Hugo said. "In that case, I have an idea about it but I am not sure if it will work."

"What is it, Hugo?" the mayor asked.

"Up till now we have only considered reacting to the actions of Zexens. Rather than waiting for them, I say we step up and take control of this situation." Hugo swept his gaze at the entire group. "I suggest we send an invitation to the Zexen Council and invite them to discuss the treaty at Budehuc Castle.

"Budehuc is a neutral territory so it would be the ideal place of discussion. Furthermore, because of its neutrality, we can use it to prevent the army from being involved in the discussion. That will at least give us a fair chance to work things out without the possibility of a war hanging over our shoulders."

"That sounds good, Hugo. Quite ingenious, I might add," the mayor commented.

"I, too, think it's a good idea," Kamia nodded sagely in agreement.

"It could work," Chris agreed. "The Council certainly could not refuse such an invitation. It would be against.etiquette to do otherwise."

"Quite brilliant, Hugo," Dupa nodded. "Yet, we should also discuss the possibility that in case a break down of negotiations occur and war do come to Grassland. What we should do to defend ourselves."

"That is true. We should be prepared for all possibilities," Hugo agreed. "I suppose we should discuss how we will deploy the troops against a possible Zexen invasion. We."

"Wait, I don't think she should be part of all this," Dupa interrupted looking directly at Chris, "even if she is helping us right now. If a war does occur, she would be the enemy. Therefore, we should not include her in this discussion."

"But." Hugo trailed off, biting his lower lip.

"It is alright Hugo, I'll leave," Chris said, standing up. "It is, after all, a private matter in the Grasslands. As a Zexen, I should not be part of this."

"Alright, I'll escort you out then," Hugo said moving forward to stand up, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"This concerns Karaya as well. As the acting Chief you should stay," Beecham uttered to Hugo in a low tone.

"I'll guide her to where she can stay," Sergeant Joe offered, standing up.

Chris nodded. "Thank you Sergeant Joe."

In silence they walked out of the mayor's house towards the inn. As they entered the reception area of the inn, Sergeant Joe gave the innkeeper a brief nod of acknowledgement before continuing on toward the back. They stopped at the very room that Chris had stayed in when she journeyed to the Grasslands in search of her father all those years ago.

"This is your room; the mayor has made arrangements for you and the others to stay here," Joe informed her, opening the door and handing her the key.

"Thank you again for your hospitality," Chris replied.

"I have to thank you as well," Joe returned a bit hesitantly.

"Why?" Chris asked, puzzled.

"I have known Hugo since he was a little child, and I know him like the back of my wing feather. What you did at Karaya Village five years ago left a deep scar," he explained, closing his eyes in reminiscence. "He hated you for taking away his best friend, and more importantly, he hated himself for not being able to protect Lulu.

"Though he tried to hide that as the years went on, I can see that he never did get over Lulu's death and I was afraid that it might remain a dark spot within his heart forever. Yet, today when I met him, I can sense that there was a change as if the scar finally begun to heal. I think I have you to thank for that."

"If so, you should not have to thank me," Chris replied in low voice. "After all it was I who caused the scar in the first place."

"Perhaps so, but still." Sergeant Joe turned around and walked off toward the front. "Please continue to help him."

"If I can, I don't even know what to do," she replied, shaking her head.

**************************************************************************** *******

She must have dozed off because when she came to it was morning already. The sound of knocking at the door interrupted her musing and she took a minute to check if she was decent before opening it.

"Good morning, Chris."

"Good morning, Hugo," she replied. For a minute there was an awkward silence as neither knew what to say to the other.

"I-" Hugo began, hesitant at approaching the subject.

"Would you like to come in?" Chris interrupted, stepping away from the door.

"Yeah," Hugo said, stepping into the room. "Look, I have to apologize for what happened yesterday. I didn't mean for that to happen at the meeting."

"It is alright, Hugo. Under the circumstance, there was nothing you could do. Besides, I didn't mind it," Chris replied. "That reminds me, I still have to thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For being considerate by not telling the others exactly why I was in Karaya," she replied, locking gaze with the young Karayan.

"Well, I remember you were so angry about it," he said softly, finding himself lost in the stormy gray of her eyes. "It must be uncomfortable for you to talk about it."

For a moment they just stood there staring at each other, searching. Right and then Chris realized what Sergeant Joe meant, within those deep emerald green eyes she sense a deep pain and strong conflict. After their talk in Karaya, she knew in a sense that those emotions existed within the young man. Yet she never understood how deep the cut was. Desperately she tried to think of a way to heal the wounds she had inflicted upon him, yet nothing seemed to come to mind. The moment passed and She suddenly became aware of the intensity of his gaze. Flustered she spun around quickly, breaking eye contact. She could feel her face burning with embarrassment but managed to finish the sentence in an even tone. "Thank you for remembering then."

"You're welcome," Hugo replied, flustered at what happened.

The room fell into another awkward silence, both too embarrassed to say a word more. Finally, Hugo let out a sigh and turned to leave. Just then the door banged open and a man rushed in. At the sudden intrusion, Hugo and Chris both reached for their blades, expecting the worst, but stopped when they saw who it was.

"Borus?!" Chris exclaimed, surprised at his sudden appearance. "What happened?"

"War, milady," he replied gravely.

Up next: Hugo and Chris rush to stop this meaningless war, but Damian still got several cards up his sleeve. Will they be successful? Or will they fall prey to Damian's schemes?