A/N: Hasril, Hardin the Taggerung and Damascus Flame are copyrighted to TDC/Quinlanofredwall and his stories and used with permission.

W-what's happening? Am I…dead?

The sun shone clearly across the cloudless sky, shining down on the figures standing on the flat plains, booted paws crunching the grass beneath them. The dreamer could see two figures, facing one another, eyes locked as surely as any sword.

"Will you throw your life away for this, Aleran?!" The speaker was a clearly youthful looking ferret, younger than Eroket himself. He couldn't have been above sixteen, if he was even that. But Eroket recognized him instantly; there was no mistaking that silver-streaked ebony fur, those emerald colored eyes and the sword that then looked too large for such a youth.

"We have no choice, Jald! We've come all this way…we escaped the Academy together. War is coming, Jald, you know that…" The second speaker was more elegantly dressed, but just as young. His tunic was a rich cream color and his cloak was deep blue, contrasting with his shocking white fur and deep golden amber eyes.

Father…?

"Will you fight, Aleran? Will you risk your life for a cause not your own?"

"I'll fight to protect a land I've come to love!" The ermine shot back at the ferret, eyes narrowing.

"You'll die, Aleran…just another lowly, noname soldier who nobeast will ever remember! You want your little brother to remember you like that? You think it'll help Kalis and Visla if you fall?"

Aleran stared at his comrade for a long moment. How different those two seemed, Eroket's mind wondered; the famed comrades, Jald Nightson and Aleran Nightblade, heroes of the Unification Wars…and now he saw them together.

"We're mercenaries, Jald, and it's not our place to question, it's our place to get the job done!"
"That's all well to you?!" Jald screamed suddenly, fury etched in his green eyes, fury so intense that even Aleran looked taken aback, "I don't…I don't want to die, Aleran!"

"So fight and don't die." Aleran answered simply, paw resting on his sword hilt. "You've been my friend and comrade for years now, since we ran from the Academy four years ago. I promise I'd never let you die…"

"Stop talking to me like I need protection," Jald yelled angrily, folding his arms across his broad chest, breathing heavily and slowly. "Don't treat me like some stupid kid. The Academy took care of any part of that a long time ago, Aler."

Aleran Nightblade sighed and replied, "The Calpathions are on the side of the Imperialists in this, Jald. Those who want to establish the kingdoms out of the warlord controlled lands. I'm going to fight, you know that. I don't plan to get killed either!"

Jald and Aleran glared at one another for what seemed like ages before Jald replied calmly. "Why do you need me?"
Aleran's response was almost automatic. "You and I are the best, even if we're young. We're symbols; we're hope itself to our comrades. We give them reasons to fight. I could charge an army and I know they'd be racing alongside me. I can't abandon them, Jald Nightson. And neither can you."

Jald's only response was sullen silence. "You're right as always, damn you."

Aleran offered him a small smile and closed the gap between them with a few steps, placing a paw to Jald's shoulder. "Comrades?"
"Comrades." The ferret's paw clapped the ermine's as the ermine drew him into a tight embrace. Aleran smiled. "I've never been averse to doing things by force."

"Neither have I…" Jald suddenly stepped back, drawing his sword from its place on his back with a quick motion. "Draw your sword."

"Jald, what're you-?"

"The best. It's time to decide which one of us that is. This will be the fight between us for the title of The Greatest."

Aleran sighed lightly. "First blood? I don't want to end up killing you."

"Whatever." Jald growled, lowering himself into a stance Eroket knew all too well.

"Ah, very well, Jald," Aleran did not lower himself. He did nothing beyond draw his sword, resting the other paw on his hip. "Like I said, I quite like getting things accomplished by force!"

As the two closed in on one another, the scene seemed to shift, to blur, before it took focus again.

Father….Jald….

They were older and more weathered, scarred, paws calloused from the many years of holding their swords, the faces of those who had seen many battles.

Aleran's handsome, youthful features were almost identical to his younger self, but there was a maturity to him, a wisdom that seemed unsuited to one still so young.

Jald stood by him, largely unchanged as well. Taller and broader, as well as showing some of the signs of bloodlust that would consume him for a time in his older days, "So, the last stand of the Kurios clan came to nothing."

Aleran nodded, a light smile crossing his lips, "Kirathal did his job well…Drekrin Kurios was slain when he tried to get to his ship."

"And we led the Calpathions and cut off Traith before he reached the mountains." Jald finished, a satisfied grin crossing his lips. "The Unification Wars are over. We won."

"Yeah, I know…how does it feel, Jald? That by our blades, we brought about the birth of kingdoms?"

"Hungry actually, you wanna get back to camp and grab dinner?"

"I'm trying to be poetic…"

"And failing, let's eat."

The two glared at one another for a moment before they both began to laughs lightly, bursting into loud, affectionate laughter, clapping one another on the shoulder before walking downhill to what Eroket could see was a camp with a familiar symbol…and two figures at the head.

Kalis and Visla Deiran. Kalis was younger and less stiff and commanding as he had been later in life and Visla…Visla was smiling, laughing and joking, handsome face unscarred and free of burns.

And then his world became darkness...

Darkness…

"Eroket!"
Eroket's world focused, becoming blurry and then focusing on the face of Jald Nightson. "Dammit, Ero, speak to me!"

His throat was dry and parched, it was pain to speak. "W-water…" He managed to croak.

Jald moved swiftly, grabbing a glass of water and with surprising tenderness, lifted the ermine's head up slightly, holding the water to his lips. "Sip slowly, Ero…"

Ero drank the entire glass in a matter of minutes, "Where are we?" He asked when his throat felt better.

"Rozatta's," Jald replied with a wry smile, "I found you with your skull cracked against the wall. Thankfully, I remembered you had friends here-where, incidentally, Boneflower and Morik are staying- and hauled you over here….got a free room instantly. You've been out for days. How the hell did Geras Iridanis do this to you, Eroket?"
"Wasn't Geras…" Eroket muttered, letting his head slip back on the pillow, memories of that dream-if it even was a dream- rushing back to his mind, "Had a new bodyguard. His name was Kirathal…"

Jald seemed to freeze suddenly, mouth dropping open and shutting quickly. "Was he a fox?"

Eroket nodded and Jald continued, almost frantically, "And his fur was white? His eyes blue? He used a single blade, one pawed?"

Eroket nodded again and Jald whispered, "Oh no…"

Eroket looked up, a sudden terror creeping through him. What could frighten Jald Nightson so? "Who is he?"

"Kirathal, back when I was in the Unification wars, was a free striking assassin for our side. He was good too, the best assassin I've ever seen. I heard he died after me and Aleran left though. He shouldn't be alive, Eroket…it's, it's…"

"He said he knew you."

"He wasn't lying. Kirathal was another student of Serion Redfletch and like me and your father, Serion made him a sword. Kirathal was…he hated how the armies worked; said he couldn't stand us soldiers dying for causes not our own when our leaders reaped the glory. He was-is- a very, very dangerous fox."

"Yeah, no kidding," Eroket touched his head tenderly. "He let me live."

"You're lucky," Jald muttered, frowning. "Geras knows we tried to kill him and he's got Kirath working for him. Dammit, we have to get out of here!"

Eroket nodded, silent for a moment before he whispered, "Jald…what are we fighting for? We live, we fight but nobeast does recognize us. We murder the corrupt for the corrupt but nothing ever changes. You'll never find the name Eroket Nightblade or the name Jald Nightson in a history book. What…what are we, Jald? We fight the wars, it's us who wins them, but…will anybeast ever know we lived in a century, like Martin the Warrior of Redwall? Hardin the Taggerung, he'll be remembered I'm sure, but us?"

Jald sighed, "I can't give you that answer. I never intended to leave my name in any history and I still have no intention of doing so. But if it's fame you want, then you're in the wrong line of work. Sometimes it's enough just to fight for yourself."

For a long time, Eroket Nightblade said nothing and when he finally spoke, his words were hard and cold. "We go south. When Geras sends his beasts after us, we're going to bury them."

Jald smiled lightly, feeling a sudden ache of an old scar-the wound on his chest he had been given many years back, the deciding blow in the duel between him and this ermine's father. "That's what I wanted to hear you say, Eroket."

Eroket nodded and replied with the same steel in his voice, "Train me more. If you can't, get me to somebeast who can. I'm going to get better and when the time comes, Kirathal Frostclaw and Geras Iridanis are going to have their histories ended by me."

"We have it…" Geras Iridanis whispered breathlessly, looking at the large cask two muscular rats held between them, a grin spreading over his face. "All that gold, all those years…but finally, we've found it all!"

The crime lord rose and walked to the cask, opening it gingerly and slowly, afraid to damage a single one of its precious contents.

Kirathal Frostclaw stood close by with Hallic Thargo, smirking slightly. "And what did you spend so much on to obtain, Geras?"

Sithrin the ferret, intelligence coordinator and strategist for Crimson Tears was the one to answer, eager to prove himself once more to the fox he was devoted to: "You know of the Labhras Pirates, Lord Kirathal?"

"Of course, go on."

"Then you know of their secret weapon?"

Again Kirath nodded, now very interested. Sithrin continued, clearing his throat. "Well, when Hasril purchased the…recipe from the stoat Damascus, Damascus feared a possible betrayal. He hid a cache of the weapon away as well as the formula itself. Hasril never discovered Damascus's Legacy, and it eventually circulated, piece by piece in the black market, but was too valuable to ever be used.

Kirath's eyes gleamed, "You don't mean…"

Geras laughed and his paw came up, holding a vial of fluid. "We have right here, gentlebeasts, the last bit of Damascus Flame in the entire world…I'll have it transferred to my stronghold in the east immediately!" He grinned widely, forgetting about the agony in the army Arredon Toroth had twisted and looked to Kirath, "Dispatch some of your soldiers to Targas, Kirathal. I don't want to let Jald Nightson live longer'n I have to."

Kirath bowed lightly, "As you request, sire. I have anticipated this request and I recommend Harkon, Curian, your own Kardran and Hallic and Jirik for the job."

Geras blinked, "Jirik Varkril? Are you certain, Kirathal?"

Kirath smirked lightly. "Jirik is-let's not mince words-insane to the extreme. He lives and loves to kill and that makes him a controllable Ice Wolf. I won't send Tethik or Kallia unless things get too dangerous. Hallic, our supreme warrior and Harkon, a healer, brilliant planner and with the strength of a badger when enraged, Curian who has desired the blade of Jald Nightson and Kardran who will lead the group as he has experience."

Geras nodded, considering the fox's decision. "You show excellent judgment as always, my able bodyguard…how go your soldiers' little…activities?"

"Another three villages submit to your rule, milord."

Geras grinned, "Excellent. I have the remnants of the Five. The Ice Wolves and their army, and with this…" He gave the vial of Damascus Flame an almost loving stroke, "There is nothing that stands in our way. Nothing."

Kirath was glad Geras didn't burst into insane laughter. He'd heard that from many an employer and frankly, even for such a skilled fighter and killer, it got old very quickly.