xxx
"Elmdor has grown foolish and lazy after the war. He wishes to play at insurrection? Then show him the price of his arrogance."
-Unknown man to Gustav Margriff, overheard by Milleuda Folles.
xxx
Chapter 5: Honor among Thieves
Eagrose Castle was brilliant. Every day, we woke as the sun made its slow climb towards its apex in the sky, and broke bread with one another in a hall so opulent that I was left dazed. Lush carpets of red, trimmed with gold, lined the floors, and smooth stone bricks crafted fine walls that were lined with blades and banners. I spent much of my time with various books from the library, reading in the gardens or by the lake, exploring the deeper intricacies of magic that I wouldn't be able to peruse at the Academy.
Ramza was different here. He drank. He swore. He laughed openly and loudly. He started small arguments with his friends, stole food from the kitchens, and egged Delita on as his friend flirted shamelessly with the maids. He teased his sister, wandered the halls, and looked happier than I'd seen him in all our time at the academy.
I, on the other hand, lazed in the sun and read books on arcane arts. The sky was crystal clear, fluffy white clouds floating overhead as I rested on a marble bench by a tree and let out a contented sigh. This was the life. These halcyon days had passed by so comfortably I could scarcely believe it. We were still awaiting to see what information the prisoner could give, as he had taken a remarkably long time with getting it out. Please, prisoner, resist as long as you need. The longer you endure what is inflicted upon you, the longer my wondrous vacation lasts.
Leaning against an oak tree, I watched with a slight smile as Delita's sister - Teta? Tietra? I hadn't had a conversation with her longer than five minutes - looked at her brother training with wide shining eyes as he moved his body slightly out of the way to avoid Amelie's barrage of ice. His body was covered in sweat, but he was still light on his feet, slipping through the spell like it wasn't even there at all.
"Doing some reading, Tanya?"
Vinya approached me with a cup of coffee, which I took gratefully before flipping a page in my book.
"Yes," I said as I took a sip, my eyes scanning the page. "The library here is much better than Gariland's. Did you know their collection includes a treatise on the evolution of holy magic? It's quite a…"
I turned another page. The book itself was an easy read, but the contents were remarkable. In spite of white magic's known nature as a holy art, it seemed to have evolved from a method of pure deviance. From breaking bones to learn how they worked, to an in-depth examination of anatomy, this book was really opening my eyes to the respectability of white magic. Whoever wrote it was a person to be respected, but the name was so faded I could scarcely read it. Pene-something? Was that a lo or a ro?
"Fascinating read. And you, Vinya?"
"I've been training with that new squire - you know, the one that's been begging to see Lord Dycedarg? Blonde, angry, bit too big for his boots? I'm sure he's tracked you and Ramza down - the two of you spend more time with Lord Dycedarg then the rest of us."
I grimaced. The 'lessons' I'd been receiving from Lord Dycedarg were most assuredly different from Ramza's. I'd asked Dycedarg about it once, and he'd just smiled - a thin, vicious line that made his face concort into something unpleasant - and said that Ramza was exactly like his father.
"Ah. Him. He does seem a bit…"
"Annoying? Rude? Cruel?"
"A bit forward, Vinya," I admonished the girl with a frown. "It is not our place to question what the nobility desire. It is our place to follow through with the orders we have been given."
"Haaa," she let out a sigh as she flopped down to the ground, watching Delita's sword as he stood still and allowed Amelie's summon of fire to engulf him, before letting out a curse and shouting at the girl to stop, smacking his arm to rid it of a few sparks of flame. "I wonder how much longer these days will last. There's a grim feeling in the castle."
I hadn't noticed it. But, this sort of thing reminded me of the days directly before my former company had embarked on a massive merger; every employee could feel the tension in the air, the worry that their jobs would be at risk, the fear that our company would be devoured whole - it was an eerie thing, how employees could sense the changing winds in the air. It certainly wouldn't do to ignore the fears of my subordinates because I could not sense it.
"We'll be setting out soon, then," I said, closing my book as I stood. "Lord Dycedarg likely has another task for us while the interrogation continues, if progress has been so slow."
"Truly?"
"Can you imagine that he would allow cadets to laze about his castle for another reason?"
Vinya paused, blinking as she took a bite of toast, the butter sticking to her lip.
"I can't say I do," she eventually said with a sigh before standing and arching her back like a cat. "Mmmm! Perhaps Caim or Finn managed to needle more information out of the guards about it. I'll go and ask them. Will we be seeing you at dinner?"
"Unless Lord Dycedarg has something else for me, I'll see you then."
The auburn haired girl waved brightly at me as I marched off, searching for this ridiculous squire she had brought to my attention. It wouldn't do to have someone causing worry to Ramza or my subordinates. They already had plenty to worry over; his additions would only bring frustration.
I walked into the entrance hall, passing by the swords and coats of arms that decorated it, before pressing my face to the training area. The clash of swords and sounds of a curse brought a smug smile to my face, and I opened the door, standing politely at it as I observed.
A boy with short cropped blonde hair stood at the doorway with me, his foot agitatedly tapping as he watched Ramza and Dycedarg duel with an agitated look on his face, his lips curled in a frown. He nodded curtly at me, before turning his attention back to the duel between brothers.
"Focus on your mana, Ramza," Dycedarg said as he rested the tip of his sword on the ground. "The magic flows through your heart, down your arm, into your weapon - it is not just an explosion of energy that you can manipulate to your whims. This is not black magic, nor is it white; it is something altogether different, a mixture of bladework and sorcery entwined in one."
"And yet, all I can do is make it explode!" Ramza said with a wry grin on his face. "If you want to tell someone how to manipulate mana, you should be talking to Degurechaff, not me."
"Is Degurechaff a Beoulve? Does Degurechaff have the blood of Balbanes the Siegebreaker running through her veins?"
Dycedarg's sword moved like a snake, a crackling of energy covering it as Ramza's body twisted to avoid it - almost like Delita's had, but the movements were tighter, faster - and his sword hand swirled upwards, a flash of flame burning across the blade before the two blades clashed -
And, like I had seen so many times before…
Ramza's shattered.
"How many weapons do you plan to carry onto the battlefield, Ramza? Ten? Twenty? Thirty? You cannot destroy every weapon you touch, and expect to wield the magic of a holy knight."
The boy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before he smiled at his brother.
"Ah, but Lord Brother, you seem to have missed something."
A glint, by Dycedarg's ribs. As Dycedarg's sword brushed Ramza's neck, so too did Ramza's dagger brush his brother's ribs. Dycedarg looked down, before his eyes grew wide and he barked out a laugh, dropping his sword as he observed his brother with approval.
"Gariland has changed you, Ramza. Before you were sent off, I had fears that you would die ignobly on a battlefield somewhere."
"And now?"
"Now," he clapped his hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "I fear that you will die doing something foolishly noble and dangerous instead. Practice with your mana, we have guests."
Ramza's eyes flicked towards mine, and he sent me a wink, which I ignored and responded by raising an eyebrow. Stop destroying weapons, Ramza. That's my thing! You can't just steal my gimmick and pretend like I'm not going to notice! I saw how that mana flowed, you idiot! Don't try doing iado techniques like that'll help you learn the ways of the holy sword, they're just going to confuse you!
"I tell you that the Marquis has been kidnapped, and you stand around practicing techniques with your brother," the blonde said, frustration in his eyes. His tone was cordial, but the way he held himself was far too impolite for the man he was speaking with. "Is this not something of far more import than-"
"Hold your tongue Algus," Dycedarg said with narrowed eyes, sheathing his sword once more. "You forget yourself in your love for your liege lord."
"I- yes, Lord Dycedarg," the boy - Algus said, kneeling. I could tell that as a subordinate, he was a bit of a handful. It was fortunate that a competent superior such as Dycedarg was so forgiving; many others would not be. "Forgive me for my frustration."
"The Marquis has been kidnapped? Truly?" Ramza asked as mana flowed through his body. I glared at him, and he rolled his eyes, redirecting the flow from an all around circuit towards the sword in his hand. "Is there not aught we can do, Lord Brother?"
"Looking for another assignment Ramza?"
He flushed, properly chastised as he turned his attention back to his sword, but Dycedarg let out a low chuckle.
"Aye, Marquis Elmdor has been kidnapped. 'Tis fortunate that your prisoner, while not the most… forthcoming, about the location of the leadership, sang like a bird when it came to what Gustav Margriff has been up to. I have the Marquis' location in hand, if you desire to save him."
Ramza's eyes lit up, and Algus' mouth dropped open.
"T-truly? You know where the Marquis is located?"
"Indeed. But there is no time to form a large force to free him," Dycedarg replied, glancing at the blond squire. "However, a small team…"
Ahhh. I see where this is going. Damn you Ramza! My vacation is being cut short because of your idiotic desire to help others! Seriously, aren't we supposed to be cadets!? Stop volunteering us for such dangerous positions! You're a noble, aren't you supposed to be self-serving, you bastard?!
Thinking quickly, I knew the optimal course of action. Ramza was inevitably going to be involved, and if he was involved, he'd get himself killed doing something completely idiotic. Dycedarg wouldn't be pleased if his brother died, so the only solution was to watch him myself. This was just paying back a favor, after all; without Ramza, I would have never been given such an opportunity as to work under Dycedarg in the first place. As a coworker, I couldn't allow such a promising candidate for leadership to die.
"My men serve at your pleasure, Lord Dycedarg," I said, bowing before Dycedarg. Ramza's face lit up, and Algus turned towards me with confusion. "That is, if Ramza is willing to have them."
"Degurechaff…" Ramza smiled brilliantly at me, and it made me feel a bit bad that I was only volunteering to save him from himself. "I'd be more than happy to have you at my side."
"Hm…" Dycedarg's frow burrowed as he looked at me, stroking his beard. "Thadalfus, it appears you have your team for a rescue mission. Depart for the City of Dorter at once. Ramza, get your men together. Miss Degurechaff, a moment if you don't mind."
Algus saluted, whirling on his feet as he raced out of the room. Ramza followed him, clapping me on the shoulder with a smile as he did so, while I was left in the room alone with Dycedarg once more. He looked at me, walking forward slowly, as his cane tapped the stone floor.
"The Marquis…" he began, eying me as he spoke, "It would please me if you reminded him who saved him."
"You say that as if we'll find him unharmed, Lord Dycedarg."
"The Corpse Brigade is an organization of individuals, Miss Degurechaff. Individuals can be tamed and controlled. It is only when they work as a unit that they are truly dangerous, you see?"
He walked towards the center of the arena, glancing at the blackened stone where his and Ramza's swords had clashed, before picking up a shattered piece of metal that was once a blade.
"As long as the Brigade is divided, their goals are meaningless to me. Their accomplishments… holding a single city? Kidnapping a single noble? Such things do not endear them to the populace. You have heard of their desires, yes?"
I nodded. The Corpse Brigade was known to me, after all - we'd been gifted a truly luxurious way to increase our own rankings in the Order before graduation. With the kidnapping of the Marquise, the Corpse Brigade was no longer a simple annoyance to the people of Gallione; they were now a plague. When it was a simple question of harming commoners, who cares? But the nobility…
Now, they were a bit too dangerous to be left alone any longer. And so, the hammer known as the Order would come down on them with all the force it had.
"Free the Marquis. Remind him of his place. And then we shall carve out this pestilence that plagues Gallione with the fires of retribution."
"Are you planning to tell the people of the kidnapping?"
"Planning to tell them? Miss Degurechaff, don't be foolish."
He smiled, a cold thing that made his eyes glint in the light.
"I have already told people of the Marquis' kidnapping. Zalbaag is on his way back as we speak. No longer shall Gallione suffer this blight of banditry that forces our people inside."
I shivered. Dycedarg was really forward thinking, wasn't he? Already using the Marquis' kidnapping to disseminate more propaganda… I was grateful I was working under such a competent superior.
"Collect your men. When the Marquis is free, see to his return to Eagrose. I will have more orders for you when you arrive."
"Of course, my lord," I said with a bow, turning to exit the room. Dycedarg stood still as I opened the door, still holding the blade.
"It is funny, though…" he murmured, and I glanced back to see him holding that thin shard of a sword up to the light. "To think that it would not be Zalbaag who is the closest to recreating our lord father's technique, but the youngest of us."
"My lord?"
"Do try to make sure Ramza doesn't do anything needlessly foolish, Miss Degurechaff," he said, lost in thought as he stared at the fragment of Ramza's sword. "This sort of technique… It will be more useful than either of us can imagine when war comes once more."
War? What the devil was Dycedarg talking about? Being X, you bastard! I knew that this country was on the verge of some kind of conflict, but this soon already!? At least let me acquire a safe position before it breaks out! I don't want to be anywhere near the front, do you hear me!
"War, my lord?"
"Aye, Miss Degurechaff," he said with a look of sorrow on his face. "It is a regrettable thing, is it not?"
War was the thing that could elevate those of no status through achievements. In the end, it was the purest form of meritocracy imaginable - even a commoner could become a noble, through war. If I wanted to secure my future, then even such a regrettable conflict…
I shivered. If Dycedarg still kept me at his side, the thriving power of meritocracy would see me to success in war.
"A necessary form of regret."
He looked at me with a strange sort of smile, before inclining his head.
"Go to Dorter. Show the Corpse Brigade that this play they claim as a righteous war is something far more simple."
He threw the piece of Ramza's sword in the air, before his blade moved so fast I could barely see it, a shining slice of silver that carved through the air.
"It is pest control."
Where there was once one piece, there were now two.
I saluted, and left.
Collecting the men was easy enough, Ramza and Algus had done ninety percent of the work by the time my conversation with Dycedarg had finished. I stood next to Ramza, looking out at our troop of 9, staring at them blankly for a moment.
"You want to speak to the men, Degurechaff?"
"Not particularly, no."
"Is it my job to rally our troops, then?"
"Well," I said with a smile as I looked at him, "You are the noble, are you not?"
He sighed, stepping in front of me with his hands behind his back.
"As Algus may have informed you," he began, walking towards our cadre of troops, "Marquis Elmdor has been kidnapped, and is being held in the city of Dorter by the Corpse Brigade. They were already brigands and thieves, but to descend to kidnapping…"
A mournful sigh left his lips, and he ran a hand through his hair.
"I had hoped they would be better than this. But, we cannot allow them to commit heinous acts simply out of hope. We go to Dorter, to save a man and a city from the banditry that holds them in its clutches."
He drew his sword, the blade glinting in the light as he looked over our men with a bright smile.
"Let us earn our graduation, shall we?"
A wave of cheers rolled out that shocked me to my core. Are you really this excited, subordinates!? We've just cut your vacation short by months for a rescue mission that almost assuredly will result in the deaths of at least a few of you! Please, don't appreciate his speech this much - it'll only result in misery!
"How was that Degurechaff?" Ramza asked me with a bright smile. I patted his shoulder, giving him a smile of my own.
"Well," I said, looking out at our band, "I can't say it was terrible."
xxx
"Gustav," the blonde said as she looked at the unconscious body of a white haired man, "Why, in the name of God did you kidnap the Marquis?"
"Honest work for honest pay? Don't tell me you believe that rot, Milleuda," the man replied, kicking the body. It let out a muffled groan, and he looked around in distaste at the rundown shack the three were inside of. The walls were covered in grime, bricks that had once had a shine to them mired by dust and age. "Wiegraf's delusions of grandeur have no place in reality."
"They're not delusions! If the nobles would listen-"
"Listen? Hah! Did they listen to Wiegraf when he warned that Ordallian mages were superior to Ivalician? Did they listen after we aided the Siegebreaker and the Thunder God in the sacking of Nelvaska? Did they open those damn ears of theirs when Riovanes was at risk of falling?"
The man turned to look at Milleuda, his eyes weary, the sockets surrounded by the darkness caused by lack of sleep.
"The nobility doesn't give a damn about us, Milleuda. If we live, if we die - it's meaningless to them. They refuse to pay attention to our pleas. Look at this festering city, do you truly believe they care about the people?"
The woman flinched, looking away. Dorter had been in an economic spiral downwards for a year, if not more. The Corpse Brigade had tried - heavens knew they had - to bring it up to a more reasonable standard, but the spiral continued, a swirling downturn of economics that couldn't be halted by a band of broke ex-soldiers.
"Wiegraf has the ear of the nobility-"
"Nobility, which would raise funds, but not a sword, have no right to look down on those who bled for God and country. How long has this campaign raged? How long must we play at being bandits until they pay attention? This, though…"
He sneered at the body of Marquis Elmdor.
"This will make them listen. Let them come to Dorter. Let them hear our demands. And if they refuse them, I'll gut the Marquis where we stand, and this farce will end."
She looked at him with a frown.
"You are listening to liars, Gustav. Wiegraf will have no part in this mummers' farce."
"If it is a farce that will bring us justice, then a mummer I shall be, Milleuda. Go to Wiegraf, if you desire. Tell him where I am. Tell him that I - not he - have the ear of the nobility. His Corpse Brigade will mean naught before the year's end. It will be my Corpse Brigade that claims our earnings. My Corpse Brigade that demands justice. And if justice will not be delivered…"
An ugly sneer formed on Gustav's face as he gave a pointed look to the body of the Marquis.
"Then I will send not peace, but a sword."
The woman looked at him with horror, before whirling around and exiting the shack. Outside, the city was decrepit - moans of hunger echoing in her ears as she untied her chocobo, getting onto its back. She looked at it once, before clutching her hand to the rosary around her neck.
"Oh Lord," she whispered, eyes closed in prayer as she bucked the reins of her mount, "Please help us sinful children of Ivalice."
When she left, she did not look back.
xxx
I hope everyone's holidays were fun, I had a pretty great time! More words soon! I do not write terribly fast, just in general, so I take a while. You are all truly wonderful, please continue reading my words, and yell at me if they are bad. I have no problems with rewrites.