Disclaimer: I don't own this.

"They've got Kuskus, all right." Jowy's voice was flat, betraying little of the tension he had to be feeling. Kuskus was home to Tessai, one of the greatest blacksmiths in the world. I'd been hoping for some time to persuade him to join our ranks, but he'd been away for months. Highland could have captured him before we got within striking distance.

"They may have Kuskus, but they won't have left many troops there." Tir McDohl had quickly accustomed himself to life with the Dragon Army. I had naturally given him his own command, with Gremio and Sheena along for the ride.

"Lord McDohl is right," Shu said. "Radat will have a higher priority than Kuskus, thus their main force will be in Radat."

"Even so, we should liberate Kuskus first, to protect our flanks," Kiba said. "Klaus?"

Klaus traced a line on the map. "I propose that we send Ayda's and Ridley's units from the south, with Futch's Dragon Knights as support. Lord Julian's unit will attack from the west, backed up by Lord Jowy and Flik. At the same time, Kasumi, Mondo, and Sasuke will infiltrate Kuskus and wreak havoc from within."

I nodded. "I agree. In addition, Luc will cover McDohl in a raid on the Highland supply line. That should give us an edge. Any other ideas?"

Teresa raised a hand. "I suggest forming the rest of the army with your personal unit. That should be more than enough to defeat any Highland force in Kuskus."

"Very well. Let's get going."

It was the first time I'd come to Kuskus with more than six people. It was also the first time I'd seen it just crawling with Highland soldiers. Kasumi, Mondo, and Sasuke had already gone in, preparing the city for our arrival.

"Lord Julian." An aid came up. "Ayda and General Ridley's units are in position."

"Very well. Attack."

The Highlanders were caught completely by surprise. Watching from Thunderbolt, (the horse Han had given me), I saw very clearly the confusion in the enemy camp. It was obvious that our attack was out of the blue; they had evidently assumed that McDohl's raid on their supply line was all we had coming. Now they found out how wrong they were; in addition to the land units, Futch's Dragon Knights rained death from above.

I smiled grimly. The Highlanders were learning the price of complacency the hard way. Unfortunately for them, the lesson came far too late. With Ridley and Ayda attacking from the south and the main force of the army hammering them from the west, our victory was assured.

"Lord Julian, Lord McDohl has succeeded in cutting the Highland supply line," Shu said.

"Excellent!" I grinned fiercely. Now we deliver the coup de grace. "Have McDohl make contact with Ridley and advance to the north. Viktor, Flik, Jowy, form with my unit. We'll take them head on." I decided to indulge in a little formality. "The army will advance."

McDohl had been right about the number of enemy troops stationed in Kuskus. With their supply line cut, a huge army hitting them from two sides, and a trio of ninja causing chaos within the city, they surrendered as soon as I got within shouting distance.

"Congratulations, Lord Julian," Kiba said. "You truly are the son of Genkaku."

I blushed. "Thanks. Now that Kuskus is safe, we can concentrate on freeing Radat." I glanced over my shoulder. "Kasumi, Mondo, Sasuke, think you can manage a repeat performance?"

Kasumi grinned. "No problem. By the way, Tessai's finally showed up. He's agreed to join us."

"That's great!" It was more than great. Tessai could probably improve even the Star Dragon Sword. As for my Twin Heaven Fang, all it needed was a little repair and maybe a rune embedded. "Have Gilbert's unit escort Tessai to Dragon Castle." I turned to Viktor, or rather, to his sword. "Think Tessai is a good find?"

"Absolutely. No one else is worthy to sharpen me." As usual, the Star Dragon Sword sounded annoyingly arrogant.

"Whatever. Shu, Jowy, Kiba, Klaus, Teresa, Ridley, McDohl, come with me. We need to plan the next strike."

"Okay," I said, gazing at the map, "aside from Radat, the closest Highland forces should be across the lake in Coronet, now that Kuskus is safe."

"Agreed." Kiba nodded. "Now that our flanks are protected, we can concentrate on Radat. There are some Highland troops in the Mercenary Fortress, but not enough to matter, even if they could get here in time, which they can't."

"What's the plan, Shu?" Jowy asked.

Shu smiled. "Having lived in Radat for some time, I know exactly which weaknesses to exploit." He gestured to the map. "Lord Julian will advance from the west, taking the bulk of the Dragon Army. General Kiba will attack from the southwest, and General Ridley from the south. Meanwhile," here Shu's smile turned ferocious, "Lord McDohl will take a contingent from the Toran Army by boat, and hit Radat from the east."

"And that," I added, "is where the Dragoons come into play. Once we have Radat surrounded, twenty-four Dragoons will assault the Highland position. The shock value alone should give us an easy victory; combine that with our immense magical power, and we'll be well nigh unstoppable. Unfortunately, this tactic will only work once, so we have to make the most of it."

"At the same time," Ridley put in, "the Wingers and Futch's people will cover the land units' advance."

I nodded. "Make no mistake. This won't be as easy as the battle for Kuskus. A lot of people are going to die, regardless of how well we fight. We just have to make sure that the majority of the dead are Highland soldiers. And keep a careful watch on your troops. If I hear about looting or the murder of civilians, heads will roll."

"Of course, Lord Julian," Shu said.

"Good. Let's go."

"McDohl's team is in position," Apple said.

"Very well." I focused on my Dragoon Spirit, drawing forth its power. I felt the familiar painless lightning strikes playing across my body, leaving behind the winged armor of the Thunder Dragoon.

It had been agreed that the newest Dragoons would begin the engagement. Even as I transformed, I was watching my friends do the same. Flik, engulfed in flames; Viktor, covered in the very bones of the earth; Eilie, at the center of a black sphere; Rina, suspended in a pillar of white light; Luc, glowing with incredible power; Nanami, my sister, surrounded by ice; Jowy, my dearest friend, in the eye of a storm.

I emitted a single flash of light from the Bright Shield Rune. "All units, attack!!!"

Thus began the first genuine Dragoon battle since the defeat of Melbu Frahma and the destruction of the Moon That Never Sets. Twenty-four Dragoons charged the Highland lines from above, accompanied by Futch's Dragon Knights and Chaco's Winger forces. Even from high altitude, I could see the confusion in the Highland ranks. According to Princess Jillia, Leon Silverburg had scoffed at the possibility of an assault by Dragoons, and that complacency had spread to the men. Now they saw just how wrong they were, but it was far too late. By the time the local CO had realized what was happening, Kiba had entered the city.

"Lord Julian!" Haschel yelled. "If all the Dragoons of a given element combine their power, the spells can be effective over a wider area!"

I grinned. "Good idea. Tri-Thunder!"

The combined effects of three Thunder God spells hammered an entire company into oblivion. Other Dragoon teams followed our example, with spectacular results.

"Divine Bombardment!" That would be Luc and Lloyd, delivering a savage blow to a cavalry unit.

"Firestorm!" Zieg, Dart, and Flik torching the area at large.

"Earthquake!" Belzac, Kongol, and Viktor bouncing the enemy like rubber balls.

"Nether Gate!" Rose and Eilie, using a massive Demon's Gate spell.

"Tsunami!" Damia, Meru, and Nanami using the river to their advantage.

"Starlight!" Four at once, Shirley, Shana, Miranda, and Rina simultaneously blinding the Highlanders and healing our own troops.

"Hurricane!" Another quad attack, Syuveil, Lavitz, Albert, and Jowy outdoing every wind attack save Luc's True Wind Rune.

The enemy having been driven back some, I landed and resumed my normal form, quickly joined by Nanami and Jowy. "Anyone who gets away from this will have some interesting news for Silverburg."

Jowy snorted. "That's if Luca doesn't kill them for losing the way he did Solon Jhee."

"Point." I paused long enough to smack an enemy soldier in the face. "Still, we've gained a major edge here, and I for one intend to make use of it."

"Julian's right." Tir McDohl ran up, sending a Deadly Fingertips spell toward a Highland officer. "This is an even bigger victory than when you beat General Kiba. This isn't just a defeat for Highland, it's a route, a slaughter. Luca probably won't execute any survivors; he'll need every soldier he can get."

"I agree." To my surprise, Shu was walking toward us. "Lord Julian, Radat is safe. We have also gained the allegiance of another resident." The strategist grimaced.

I sighed. "Alright, Shu, what is it about this guy that annoys you?"

Shu shook his head ruefully. "The new recruit is Hoi, an imposter. Specifically, an imposter of you."

Nanami gaped. "What!? Someone was impersonating Julian!? Why would he do that!?"

"He's after fame. It is, of course, your decision as to whether he is permitted to join, Lord Julian."

I shrugged. "Why not. Hoi can't be any worse than Zamza."

Back at the castle that night, I struggled to make sense of the events of the past few months. I had gone from a Highland soldier, to a prisoner, to a recruiter, to a company commander, to the leader of an entire army. That was a lot to absorb for a teenager. I was thankful for Jowy and Nanami; without them, I'd likely have gone insane within a week.

I sighed. Six more people had joined us since the liberation of Radat. Three were from South Window: Annalee the singer, Max the knight, and Killey, a man who seemed to have a major problem with Alex. From Two River came Bob the werewolf, startling me quite thoroughly. Karen the dancer showed up from Kuskus, and Tsai almost had a heart attack when his daughter Tomo arrived.

Jowy came in. "Hi Julian." He caught sight of my face. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "I don't really know. Everything's happening so quickly." I covered my face in my hands. "I've gone from being a member of Highland's Unicorn Brigade to the leader of a huge army fighting for its life against Highland. So many people are depending on me, and I keep dreaming about what would happen if I let them down. It scares me."

Jowy laid a hand on my shoulder. "Julian, I know you better than anyone else. You wouldn't be you if you stopped doubting yourself like this. Just remember, you're not alone. I'm here, so's Nanami. Viktor and Flik, too, they were with us almost since the beginning. You've got friends here."

I smiled. "Thanks, Jowy. By the way, do you have any plans for when the war ends?"

He shrugged. "All I know for sure is I'm sticking with you and Nanami. Remember, I've got nowhere to go home to."

"Right, sorry."

Jowy smiled. "Don't worry about it. I think we should stay here even after the war. I'll bet that'll make everyone happy."

I chuckled. "You got that right. We're probably the most popular teens within a hundred miles." I suddenly yawned. "We'd better get some sleep."

"Goodnight, Julian."

Author's note: I apologize for the confusion. I explained this in "Twin Dragoons", but I forgot that that story has been virtually ignored. (Rightly, now that I think about it; it isn't that good.) Not all of the stories posted by Solid Shark are written by him; he's allowing me to post stories in this manner since I don't have a separate internet account at the moment, and have no way of knowing when that will change. If you're wondering why he'd do that, it's because he's my brother. D.S. stands for Dragoon Swordsman, the penname I intend to use if I get the chance. I use those initials to show which stories I wrote but he posted; I'm rather compulsive about honesty. You will find that our writing styles are similar, though I think he's watched Highlander too much; he seems very fond of beheadings. (Read "The Story of the Diamond Dragoon, you'll see what I mean.) Once again, I apologize for any confusion. Sorry if this chapter seems a little tortured; I've reached the limit of my detailed knowledge of the game, so I'm winging it from here on. Thanks for all the reviews. D.S.