I don't own Legend of Dragoon or Suikoden 2.
Think you're busy? Try leading an explosively growing revolutionary movement. In the week since my return from Matilda, I had been busier than ever. Conferring with Shu, helping Apple integrate Camus and Miklotov into our ranks, sparring with Jowy, keeping Zamza in his place, all of these and more took up so much time that I barely had a chance to eat. It got so I hoped for a battle just to break the monotony. Little did I know how soon I would get my wish.
"Okay," I said, rubbing my eyes wearily, "the Blue and Red knights who joined us in Matilda bring us up to, what, twenty thousand soldiers?"
"About right," Shu agreed. "What disturbs me is the news you brought from Greenhill. Leon Silverburg was one of the top strategists in the Toran Army."
"And rightly so," Apple added. "I saw him in action during the war with the Scarlet Moon Empire. He's one of the best."
"Does he know anything about the Dragon Campaign?" I asked.
Apple thought for a moment. "He's read about it, but I don't think he actually believes that it happened."
I smiled slowly. "That's not very surprising, considering that it was almost twelve thousand years ago. The Dragoons should come as a very unpleasant surprise for poor Leon. When the time is right, wham!"
"I quite agree," Shu replied. "I believe that is all for the moment. Why don't you go and relax?"
I gratefully agreed, seeing as I hadn't had much rest in a week. Having little else to do, I wandered into the library to catch up on my reading. There was a surprisingly large group there; I guess we were an army of bookworms. I chose a table near the west wall, close to where Albert was leafing through a record of the Dunan Unification War. Does he ever get tired of studying?
"Lord Julian."
I glanced up. "What is it?"
The soldier seemed agitated. "Lord Shu has called a meeting. You are needed in the war room right away."
I stood. "Lead the way."
"Yes, sir."
Shu was waiting, looking like he'd just bitten something sour. "Lord Julian, thank you for coming."
"What is it? Your messenger sounded pretty frantic."
The strategist grimaced. "The Highland Army has appeared in Radat."
"Appeared? Have they occupied the place?" Flik asked.
"I don't know, but it is a very large force." Shu sighed. "If they have Radat, then they can attack us directly."
I was silent for a moment. "I'll take Jowy and Nanami and go check things out," I said at last. "I know," I held up one hand to forestall a protest, "it'll be dangerous. Remember, Jowy and I are holders of True Runes, and all three of us are Dragoons. We'll be all right."
Shu nodded reluctantly. "Be careful."
Knowing that we had little time, we decided to cut the journey in half by having Viki teleport us directly to Radat. "Make sure you get it right, Viki," I cautioned. "We can't afford to be sent to the wrong place. We don't have time."
"I understand."
A flash of light, and the three of us found ourselves just inside the north gate of Radat. Unlike the last time I'd been here, there were few people in the streets. Most were crowded in the town square, listening to the Highland commander.
"Looks like Shu was right," Jowy murmured. "That's Kiba and Klaus addressing the crowd."
"This place is now under Highland rule," Klaus was saying. "Any disturbance will be punished under Highland law."
"But, the people of Muse were all fed to a monster," someone protested.
Kiba snorted. "Nonsense! King Agares would never do such a thing. I give you my word on that." His statement appeared to reassure the populace.
"But it did happen," Nanami whispered. "We were there."
I shook my head. "I doubt Kiba knows about it. His loyalty is to Agares Blight, not Prince Luca. It was probably Silverburg."
"Let's get out of here," Jowy said. "We have what we came for."
"Lord Julian."
I froze. We've been spotted. Just what we do not need. The soldiers made no move to attack, however. Instead, Klaus approached me alone, intending simply to converse. I relaxed, just barely.
He stopped a couple of feet away. "You have assembled a remarkable force. I congratulate you. You defeated me at Two River, but next time I'll be ready."
"Don't be so sure," I replied. "Solon Jhee was overconfident, that's why I beat him so easily. You and your father look like more of a challenge. I look forward to it."
"As do I." Klaus returned to his men, and we headed home to prepare for the coming battle.
"It's the Third Army, and part of the Fourth Army, with Kiba and Klaus in command," I said. "There's no sign of Silverburg, but that doesn't mean much."
"Well done, Lord Julian," Shu said.
"What do we do now?" Jowy asked.
Shu shrugged. "If they come out head on, we'll meet them."
"So, you don't have a strategy this time?" Viktor commented.
"We don't need a strategy for this battle. We are finally strong enough to meet the Highland Army on even terms. Lord Julian, please give the word."
I nodded. "Let's go."
We deployed within sight of Radat. General Kiba's force faced us from the east, while the Fourth Army contingent, led by that perennial thorn in my side, Captain Rowd, held position to the south. Our force dispositions placed my personal unit in the center, Luc in the rear, Gilbert to the south, Viktor, Flik, and Teresa to the north, and Ridley's Kobolds in front. Jowy's force watched Rowd's.
"Should we use the Dragoons yet, Lord Julian?" Shu asked.
I shook my head. "Not quite yet. Call it a hunch, but I don't think we're ready. When we use them, it has to be decisive."
Shu started to reply, but Ridley interrupted. "Lord Shu, may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"Why are only the Kobold units being placed in front?"
Shu frowned. "Decisions about troop deployments are mine to make, General, and I expect you to follow them."
I chopped with one hand. "Enough. Everyone but Jowy's unit, ignore Rowd for the time being, he's just sitting there. Our primary objective is Kiba's force. Viktor, Teresa, Flik, hit their right flank. Ridley, go for a frontal assault, I'll be right behind you. Luc, try to hit their screening units with magic; don't get up close if you can avoid it. Gilbert, guard the rear in case of some surprise. Jowy, keep an eye on Rowd, just in case." The commanders acknowledged. "Attack!!"
Flik's cavalry swooped in from the north, hammering the Highlanders with Tsai's Fire Spears. Teresa followed through with a bombardment of arrows, softening them up for Viktor's infantry. My part of the assault didn't go so well. Luc's magic attack worked like a charm, but the Kobolds took a pounding.
"I knew we shouldn't have allied ourselves with these humans," Ridley growled. "All units, retreat!"
"Arf? Yes, lord." The Kobolds pulled out, abruptly exposing my own unit.
"Pull back! Pull back! Ridley, you idiot!" I just barely kept from going berserk. When Ridley pulled out, Rowd had taken advantage of the distraction and hammered Jowy's unit, forcing him into a defensive formation. Luc was less fortunate; Rowd's attack annihilated Luc's force, and Nanami was badly wounded.
"Lord Julian, we have no choice. We must withdraw," Shu urged.
"You're right." With Ridley, we could have won; without Ridley, there was no chance. If Nanami dies, I will personally skin that Kobold alive.
Fortunately, Nanami survived, thanks to Huan's expertise and Shana's healing magic. Few had gotten out unscathed; Luc was limping, Flik was nursing a gash in his left arm, and I'd had my neck creased by a stray arrow, just missing an artery.
"So, what happened with Lord Ridley!?" Miklotov demanded.
"The State Army's bad habit has showed itself," Camus grumbled.
Chaco disagreed. "Ha! You humans are so arrogant!"
"Stop it! All of you!" I barked, startling just about everyone. "Whatever Ridley's motives may be, we've been hurt. Despite that, we have no choice but to take the field again, otherwise Kiba will roll right over us. Shu, what do we do now?"
"For starters, we should get some rest," Shu replied. "I will come up with a plan."
"Alright." I turned to the others. "You heard him. Everyone, get some rest."
"Lord Julian, Lord Jowy, please get up." It was Lavitz, giving us a wake-up call.
I sat up on my bed. "I'm awake, I'm awake. Jowy?"
He got to his feet. "Let's go. This'll be a big one."
The usual crowd was waiting for us in the meeting room, along with some additions: Every Dragoon was in attendance. Quite a lot of talent. Maybe we're not dead yet, after all.
I got right to the point. "Okay, Shu, what's the plan?"
Shu gestured to a map of the area surrounding Dragon Castle. "Kiba and Klaus are moving for a direct attack on the castle, just as Solon Jhee did."
"He's a one-trick pony," Flik commented.
"Even so, there's no way we can repeat the deployments we used against Solon," Jowy pointed out. "Kiba will be ready for it."
Shu smiled. "Kiba and Klaus won't be able to defeat my plan. What we'll do is use Lord Julian's personal unit as bait for a trap. Kiba knows that Lord Julian has to be defeated for Highland to triumph. With Lord Julian in the center, the remaining units will be hidden on either side of Kiba's line of approach. When the signal is given, they will attack."
"A pincer," I said.
"Exactly. The Dragoons will be participating, but in human form only." Shu nodded to Zieg and friends. "This is not the time to reveal what they can do. Do you agree, Lord Julian?"
I nodded. "I do wish to make one slight modification to the overall plan." I traced one finger on the map. "Jowy's unit will swing around and attack this mage company, with Seed using his magic blocker if possible." Seed nodded. "As for why, well, I may be a Dragoon, but getting struck by lightning can wreck your day."
"Very true," Shu agreed. "Are you ready?"
"Definitely," I responded. "Let's go."
Kiba evidently was confident that he'd dealt us a severe blow at Radat. He wasn't even trying to conceal his forces' movement. Granted, that would have been difficult, but Kiba had struck me as the sort who preferred the indirect approach. He'll pretend not to have noticed our ambush, and drive straight for me.
The Highland forces marched for about half an hour, while I held my position. Come on, come on.
"They're close enough. Give the signal," Shu said.
I nodded to a messenger. "You heard him. Give the signal."
Suddenly, Kiba's force was surrounded. My unit directly in front of the castle, Gilbert a bit behind me, Luc and Flik to the southwest, Viktor and Teresa in the northeast, Han Cunningham due south, and Jowy to the southeast, dealing with Kiba's magic unit. To my surprise, Rowd's force, due east, was just sitting there. What is he up to?
I nudged Shu. "Shu, look to the east. What on earth is Rowd up to? He's just sitting there."
Shu frowned. "I don't know, but his force is to small and too far away to have any real impact on this battle. Keep an eye on him, but don't be overly concerned."
"Right." I soon had other things to be concerned about. Despite losing three cavalry units in rapid succession, Kiba kept coming. No matter what we did, he refused to be shaken. This is bad. This is very bad. If he gets my unit, we're toast.
"They're not panicking! We can't shake them!" Miklotov yelled.
"Scatter! Protect Julian!" Flik shouted.
About the only thing that had gone right thus far was Jowy's attack on Kiba's magic unit. They didn't stand a chance against the holder of the Black Sword Rune. Han's unit was in shambles; he'd apparently run into some sort of spike trap, costing him half his force.
Relief came when I least expected it. "Lord Julian! Lord Shu! It's the Two River Army!"
I spun around. There was the famed General Ridley, lending a hand to Han's beleaguered force. That done, he linked up with Jowy's unit and proceeded to smash everything in his path. I found myself cheering along with my men.
"Great! Great!" I shouted. I grabbed a messenger. "Message to all units in the northeast: Ignore Rowd, he clearly has no intention of intervening. Focus on Kiba!" I grabbed another. "Find Luc. Tell him to hammer that archery unit on his flank!"
"Yes, Lord Julian!"
I turned to Shu, grinning. "I think we're going to win after all."
He grinned back. "You know, I think you're right."
Kiba fought valiantly, but it was clearly over. His remaining units scattered, helped along by the unmistakable brilliance of Luc's Empty World spell. I took a personal hand in the battle for once, sending a Shining Light spell towards Kiba.
"Lord Julian!" A messenger rode up. "Message from Lord Jowy, Captain Rowd's unit is pulling back. It appears that Leon Silverburg arrived with new orders."
"Why am I not surprised. Send an acknowledgement." I glanced at Shu. "So much for them. It looks like Kiba's finished."
"It does indeed. Orders?"
"Offer them terms of surrender. Take Kiba and his son alive. Don't hurt them." I smiled. "Sound good to you two?"
They nodded, and Apple passed along the order.
I returned to Dragon Castle amid the cheers of my men. We'd just racked up our first victory in something more than a mere skirmish, to the immense improvement of morale. We actually did it. I looked around at the various fighters. Dart stood by the gate with one arm tucked around Shana (no surprise there). Viktor and Flik were exchanging bad jokes, (I think), while Nina tried to get Flik's attention. Ridley was talking with Gengen and Gabocha, his teeth bared in a Kobold grin.
A company of guards came up, escorting Kiba and Klaus. "General Kiba. General Klaus. You fought well."
Kiba snorted. "You haven't earned the right to call me by name, boy. Kill me and be done with it."
I glanced at Shu. "What do you think?"
Shu gazed thoughtfully at the prisoners. "General Kiba is a great warrior. His son, Klaus, is also a military genius. I think we should free them and accept them as allies."
"I agree." I turned back to the Highlanders. "General Kiba, join your forces with ours. We need your strength."
Kiba glared. "I refuse. I owe allegiance to Agares Blight, King of Highland. To join you would be to tarnish my good name."
"General Kiba, join your forces with ours. We need your strength," I repeated.
"I agree with my father," Klaus said. "I could never raise my sword against my homeland of Highland."
Before I could try a third time, a messenger arrived. "Lord Julian, we received a letter from the Highland Army."
"Well? Read it," I prompted.
"It says, 'King Luca sends you this present for your valor. We look forward to meeting you in battle. Signed Leon Silverburg.'"
I glanced at the prisoners. "What do you make of that, Klaus?"
Klaus grimaced. "Ugh. King Agares has been…murdered by…Prince Luca."
Kiba's jaw dropped. "What!? Klaus, don't be so hasty!"
"The changes in the Fourth Army, the events at Muse…Luca must have been planning this for a long time."
"He's right," I put in. "Luca was responsible for the Unicorn Brigade massacre. That's why Jowy and I are here. Oh, and there really was a silver monster at Muse."
Kiba was silent for a long moment. "Lord Julian, to change masters is a warrior's shame. But with what Luca has done, I will take that shame. Please, let me fight alongside you."
Klaus nodded agreement. "Lord Julian, your warriors are impressive. It seems that my genius was no match for you. But from this day forward, I am yours to command. Please use my humble skills as you see best."
I grinned. "Welcome to the Dragon Army, both of you." The guards withdrew at my signal, almost running into an old acquaintance.
The mage said, "Lord Julian. I was hoping I would find you here."
I raised my eyebrows. "Khan. What brings you here? And with Princess Jillia, no less."
It was the Princess who answered. "Lord Julian, Khan and I are here because we have a common enemy. My brother murdered my father, and has joined forces with the vampire Neclord."
Viktor swore violently. "As if things couldn't get any worse, that had to happen! I'll bet that's how Agares died."
"You're probably right." I turned back to the newcomers. "Khan, Princess Jillia, you are both welcome to remain here. Ironically," I added for Jillia's benefit, "this used to be Neclord's castle." I led them into the main area, Jowy close behind.
Author's note: I told you Neclord would be back. I haven't yet decided who will replace Culgan and Seed, but it won't matter for a while yet anyway. Next chapter will be the last one to follow the original plot in detail, since, as I said, the farthest I've gotten is Ridley's capture. I've also decided to bring in McDohl; I apologize if he's out of character, but I've never played the first Suikoden, so what I know of it comes from two sources: dialogue in Suikoden 2, and an online strategy guide. Thanks again for the reviews. D.S.
