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"Do not begin to play at war, boy. When you play at war, the ending is just as loathsome and cruel as war itself."

- Cidolfus Orlandeau to Wiegraf Folles, upon the denial of pay to the Corpse Brigade.

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Chapter 6: A City of Rats

"Degurechaff," Algus said as we walked, glancing at me with curiosity, "What house do you descend from?"

"Obviously, the house of Degurechaff, Thadalfus," I replied with a roll of my eyes. "It is, after all, my name."

"Aye, that much is obvious, but from where does that house hail?"

"I'm not particularly versed in the genealogy of family trees, Thadalfus. You'd have to ask someone who gives a damn."

He gave me a peculiar look, and I arched an eyebrow in return. Neither of us spoke for a moment, before his head turned forward once more. In the distance, I could see the dim torchlight that marked the entrance to Dorter - we were closing in.

"Do you know the story of my family, Degurechaff?"

"I do not."

"During the Fifty Year War, my grandfather he…" Algus' face curled into some mixture of anger and disgust as he spoke, the words tearing themselves from his mouth. "Once, we were held as highly as House Beoulve."

I stayed quiet as the boy spoke, his frustration clear in his face.

"But my grandfather, when he was captured - he sold out his comrades, simply to live. All of his talk of honor, and for what? His honor was traded for scraps of food, and he was repaid with the blade of his squire through his belly when they were released. When word reached our house, my father was the only one who could not believe in it. Everyone else… they descended on us like hounds."

I approved of this storied figure of history immensely. Naturally, one's life is worth far more than one's honor - honor can be traded for coin, but life is irreplaceable. Even if I had been given this loathsome second chance, what good would it do if I were to be bled out in some ditch in the middle of nowhere? This 'second chance' is merely a petty power play on the part of Being X, who was so frustrated with the society that he created. If I died to show how honorable I was, wouldn't I just be wasting my time?

"I will restore my family name," Algus said with a fire in his eyes. "I will raise the house Thadalfus so high that even the Beoulves will be forced to bend their knees when they look upon us."

"High orders," I muttered. "At least our current ones are much simpler, no?"

"How will we rescue the Marquis?" He said, quietly as he looked ahead. "I do not wish for us to go so far only for him to die."

"If need be, I'll raze the city to ashes and pick him from the cinders," I assured him with a smile. He looked at me in wonder, and I was pleased to know that he found it so easy to trust us, even though we had just met. Algus was a fellow coworker in the Northern Sky, after all; it would not do for him to find us to be untrustworthy. "Alas, Ramza has some… apprehensions, about such an idea."

"I can't imagine why," Algus muttered, giving me a look out of the corner of his eye. "It seems utterly sane."

"Doesn't it?" I said with a sigh. "Most likely, we will treat with the Corpse Brigade, and see what they desire. If such a thing is possible, Ramza will presumably grant it."

"And if what they ask is impossible, Degurechaff?"

"Why Thadalfus..." I grinned at him, nudging his shoulder. "That's when we're forced to earn that graduation of ours."

He grimaced, looking away from me. I frowned, before turning away from him as well. We walked in silence, before Ramza held up a hand.

"Hold," he whispered. The shadows of Dorter cast themselves long and far, the torches at the entrance glimmering bright in the darkness of the night. "Villipede, Willows, scout ahead. Voll, with them - and stay quiet."

The two saluted, before creeping ahead of the rest. I crept forward, tapping Delita on the arm. He turned, arching an eyebrow.

"What are the odds it ends in a fight?"

"With Ramza involved?" He looked at me incredulously. "And you as well?"

"I'm not sure what you meant by that," I said, frowning. "Is there some sort of implication of guilt there?"

"Are you making a joke, Degurechaff?"

"Heiral, I never joke."

"Wait…" he gave me a queer look, brow furrowed. "Was that a jest as well?"

"Do you have ears on the side of your skull, or are they just for decoration?"

"This is why I let Ramza deal with you…" he groaned softly, scratching the side of his head.

I glared at him, before leaving him to whatever he pretended was his pre-battle preparations. Honestly, for an adjutant to such a high ranking noble, Delita was rather terrible at his job. He seemed more concerned about preparing himself then informing Ramza of the feelings of the men, let alone offering any real advice to his superior. Honestly, if it wasn't for his people skills, I wouldn't have been able to fathom how he'd held the position for so long; but Delita's charisma could certainly carry him a long way, far further than myself, if I was being perfectly honest. I had to cheat through nepotism to raise myself in rank - the only nepotism involved in Delita's position was that he'd known Ramza most of his life. Wait a minute, technically, wasn't I the highest ranked person on this mission?! I was supposed to be Dycedarg's voice in the future, right!? I bit my lip, nervously fingering my staff as I did so, thinking over my suddenly insecure future.

As a superior, if this mission were to fail, the blame would naturally fall on me, wouldn't it? It would end up being completely my fault! Damn you, Being X! This is your fault, isn't it?! You knew that this mission would be a total disaster, so you baited that idiot Ramza into being a part of it so I'd end up with my head being removed from my body as punishment! Well not this time, do you hear me!?

I had to think fast. How could we get out of this predicament? It all depended on the scouting party, but they worried me too! Remia just couldn't help herself, she was a total kleptomaniac. That girl had never seen a pocket she didn't want to pick, and I'm supposed to just sit here quietly and wait for her return? Ramza, your choice of subordinates for scouting so far… It's really been subpar. I'd be embarrassed if it wasn't working.

"Dirk," I whispered, nudging the summoner's shoulder as he slowly turned to look at me with horror. "Prepare a barrage."

"Our scouts haven't even returned yet, Tanya," he said back in a quiet voice, giving me a stern look. "At least pretend to give a damn about some of the people you've trained."

"Remia and Vinya will be fine," I said dismissively. My eyes narrowed as I looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "Now prepare some damn spells. When they return, would it not be preferable for our spells to fly faster than the enemies?"

He spat a curse under his breath, before his eyes began to glow with mana. I smiled, nodding at him before turning away, moving towards Ramza. The idiot had no idea what we were getting into, even with all of my amazing preparations.

"Where are they?" I asked him in a low tone, watching as his eyes flicked to me. "It's not that large a city."

"I would hope they can develop a better report then 'there are guards inside of it', Degurechaff," he said in reply. "Or would you rather we lose the Marquis during our rescue mission?"

Losing the Marquis was basically inevitable at this point, you idiot! I don't want us to lose our lives, isn't that more important than some damn noble?!

"I don't like it," I hissed. "All this waiting around… What if they can see us, Beoulve?"

"In the dead of night? Do they perhaps have the eyes of an owl as well as the Marquis?"

I glared at him, and he rolled his eyes as a form of reply. This bastard, was he really looking down on me?

"Is it a difference of birth that makes you so sure of yourself?"

"Don't start now Degurechaff," he muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Are there not more important things than your crusade against genealogy at the moment?"

"Is it this mudlike blood that runs through my veins that makes us so different?"

"Are you really doing this right now?"

"Ahh, to be born so high and lordly that you can look down from the heavens and send decrees like God himself~"

"By God, Degurechaff, will you cease speaking for two seconds?"

I crossed my arms, frowning at him before I jerked a thumb towards the city where the torches flickered.

"This is dangerous and you're treating it like an exercise, Beoulve. If I can't trust you to lead, how can you trust me to follow?"

He bit his lip, before his shoulders sagged and he let out a long sigh.

"...Fine. Do as you please. But let us at least attempt a negotiation first, yes?"

I smiled, patting him on the shoulder. As a coworker, it was important to maintain a certain level of honesty with your fellow employees - especially those of equal or higher rank. Ramza Beoulve, while higher by station of birth, was apparently a fan of meritocracy like myself. Without him, I would be trapped as another lowly serf, following orders, but now I was in the chain of command, officially.

...But seriously. Negotiations? With the enemy? They've already kidnapped one noble, Ramza! Are you seriously so naive that you believe in the innate goodness of humanity!? Look around, idiot! This is why I have to go with him. There's no way that anyone born with such a silver spoon could possibly understand the desperation of a normal person.

"We're back," a high pitched voice whispered, and I could see a mane of blonde hair and a pair of red eyes appear from the shadows, as Remia walked forward. "Twenty, maybe twenty-five men. No indication where the Marquis is. We'll have to draw him out somehow before we can attempt any sort of rescue."

"Haaaah…" Delita let out a sigh, rubbing his neck. "It'll have to be Ramza, then."

"Yeah, Ramza's the best option here."

"Definitely Ramza. Anyone else would mess it up, right?"

"Could you imagine if Caim did it? Or, God forbid, Amelie? Ramza's the safest."

"Alright then, Ramza," Finn smiled as he slapped the blonde on the back, making the boy stumble forward, "Do your best!"

Oy. Wait a minute, you guys. What is this, exactly? Are you sacrificing our leader to the enemy for a distraction? This isn't what you're supposed to do! Whatever happened to respect for the higher-ups, you know?! You can't just go around giving them up for a little bit of an advantage! If only because then I'd have to worry you'd do it to me!

"I'll go with him," I said, and ignored Finn's look of utter horror as I spoke. "Beoulve can't be trusted in enemy territory."

"Tanya, I ah… I don't think-"

"What, exactly, don't you think Barrel?"

"Well, I mean... " Locke struggled to figure out the right words, pausing and running a hand through his black hair. "It's just that I've accepted negotiation requests from you before, and-"

"And what, Barrel? What exactly is wrong with the way I negotiate?"

The boy paled, clamming shut in an instance. I hadn't the faintest what he was talking about, anyways. Was it the time I stabbed him after accepting his white flag? You're a chemist, idiot! You think I want to get blown up by a bomb after you surrender?! I saw that scheming look in your eyes when you offered it to me! You're totally untrustworthy, you take six sausages for breakfast when they're offered! And you never save any of the coffee!

"Alright then," Ramza said as he stood, "With me, Degurechaff."

He walked towards the gates, and I scrambled after to follow him, our feet moving over the dying grass at a moderate pace. Ramza walked as if there was no need to fear what was before us, his head held high and his back as straight as a sword. He was too stupid to understand that he was being sacrificed, so it was up to me to make sure he didn't die.

"Margriff!" He yelled as we came up to the closed gate. There was a sudden rustle of movement from above, as archers moved to point arrows at our position but he stood as if they weren't there. "I've come to bargain!"

"So-" a voice called out from above us, a mocking and cruel edge to it's tone, "The Order has come out to play, have they?"

"Not the Order, Margriff," Ramza said as he peered upwards, searching for the voice. "A representative. It would not be a bargain if we were the Order, would it?"

A bark of laughter burst from above, and I could hear more shuffling around.

"Beoulve," I hissed, "I don't like it."

"And who might you be?" It asked.

"Ramza Beoulve and…" he looked at me briefly. "Associate."

There was whispering from above, before the gate slowly creaked open. In front of us was a brown haired man wearing a green cloak, holding a man with long white hair and a red cloak - who I vaguely recognized as the Marquis - in a tight grip, a dagger at his neck. The man's eyes were filled with a dark rage, and his face was curled into a grimace of a smile.

"Lord Beoulve deems the Brigade worthy of his time, does he? He sees the value in listening to what we desire?"

"Aye," Ramza said, inclining his head. "If what you ask is reasonable-"

"-And what, exactly, does Lord Beoulve deem reasonable, brat? We wish to be paid, in full. We wish to eat till our bellies are full. We wish to be granted the respect that we are owed for our efforts in the war. Is that reasonable?"

Ramza hesitated. Damn it. He couldn't hesitate here.

"Is it reasonable to partake in loathsome acts such as kidnapping, then?" I said, crossing my arms. "To murder? To steal?"

"Taking what we are owed is unreasonable, then?" Gustav Margriff laughed, a long hollow sound as his face contorted into an eerie smile, more like he was a reaper of death than a human being. Being X, damn you! How dare you involve yourself by fooling around with a man at the end of his rope! His knife pricked the Marquis' neck, and Elmdor looked at us with pleading eyes. "Then his death will not be so unreasonable, would it?"

"If you move your knife an inch-"

"-Then I'll order you two filled with arrows before you can blink," he answered Ramza's unfinished threat, his sunken eyes glittering in the firelight. "Do not test me, Beoulve. We will take what we are owed, one way or the other."

"And is the blood of innocents worth the price of your sins?" I asked, staring upwards at him. "I can taste it from here."

"Taste what?"

"Nothing of import," I said, smiling up at him as the fire flickered in my eyes. "Just that arrogance that only nobility holds."

"You-!"

"Tell me, what is it like to only pretend to roll in the mud with the common man?" I continued, opening my arms wide as I took a step forward. "For from where I stand, I can only see that dreadful rot you call honor taking hold of your soul."

"What honor is there in nobility, Beoulve?! What honor is there in this rotted society at all!?"

"Release the Marquis," Ramza said. "I swear to fulfill your demands to the best of my abilities."

"Hah! Your abilities?! Who are you, but a pair of brats playing at leadership?! I'll show you what leading means, you noble scum!"

Damn you, Being X! I knew that these negotiations wouldn't work out, but to fail this spectacularly, there's no way it's anyone's fault but yours! How dare you subvert the natural order of diplomacy in your desperation for bloodshed. This is why I didn't want Ramza - and by extension, me - to be anywhere near these lunatics! Well, cheer up Tanya, I thought, giving myself a mental pat on the back. Maybe Ramza will praise me for being so forward thinking. It's a good thing I had told Dirk what to do ahead of time. After all, it's all Ramza's fault we're in this mess in the first place.

The knife glinted in the light as he raised it. I could see a flicker of horror run through the Marquis eyes before it vanished, a mask of stoicism replacing it. What a strong soul - even in the face of death he maintained that veneer of respectability that in this era is called 'nobility.' But, it would look terrible on my record were he to die.

"Negotiations have broken down," I said, raising my arm with a brilliant smile. "Fire at will."

The winds howled as the fiery fist of Ifrit burst above my head, and I began to weave together my mana, pouring more and more into what would ordinarily be a simple spell of Haste. But all magic can be cast onto spaces, and I had never cared for something as simple as 'enhancing others'. What's the point of enhancing my subordinates, when I can allow them to move faster on the way to our destination? I crafted another carpet made of time, layering it with that wonderful magic that enhanced reactions, and set it down behind Ramza and myself, muttering words of power to enhance his physical capabilities as I did so.

"Next time, Degurechaff," Ramza muttered as he drew a spear, his legs tensing with energy, "Try not to speak during negotiations, will you?"

He jumped, vanishing high into the sky as Margriff's knife dropped from his hand, looking in horrified awe at the array of elements behind me. Ifrit and Shiva danced in the sky, Tenevere and Dirk in fine form tonight with their summons. I drew a katana from a sheath, turning back and holding it high above my head.

"Innocent sword," I intoned, the blade shaking in my hand as I twirled it in a circle, sidestepping an arrow that one of the archers managed to fire off before Ramza's spear pierced through his side, "Slash evils and protect - Kiyomori."

A shield of protection began to flow around my body, the holy magic that I was so fond of echoing through the blade as I sheathed it once more, before holding out my hand as I walked forward, Margriff's eyes going wide as he fumbled for his sword.

"None of that," I muttered. "Stop."

His hand froze while his sword was half out of the sheathe, and I flickered in space before grabbing the Marquis hand elegantly, smiling brightly at him.

"Lord Dycedarg sends his regards," I whispered in the man's ear, and he froze in place. I hadn't the faintest idea why; shouldn't he be ecstatic that such a wonderful superior cared so deeply for him that he would send his own brother to save the man? Besides, we're still in combat! Start moving already! "Please await us outside, my lord. We have some… trash to dispose of."

He broke into a staggered run, and I saw out of the corner of my eye as Algus grabbed the man by the arm, placing him behind himself. He looked at me with shining eyes, and I smiled back at him, placing two fingers on my forehead as I saluted. One of Tenevere's spells crashed into a building behind me as I did so, the light of the flames flickering brightly in this dead and empty night.

"You're cheery, Degurechaff," Voll said with a lazy smile when he arrived by my side, his hand ripping an arrow out of the air, spinning it idly in his hand before launching it back. In the distance I heard a muffled sound of pain, and I nudged his shoulder with my own. "Save some for the rest of us, would you?"

"Perhaps you should be a little faster then, Voll," I replied, twisting my hand to send a quick restoration spell towards Finn as he joined Ramza at the top of the battlements, his spear piercing through the head of an archer. "But fear not - I'll try to make sure that Ramza doesn't have all the fun."

Ramza was already moving on, pulling his arm back as lightning crackled along his spear, before he once more jumped high into the sky, vanishing momentarily from my sight. I could see Delita dueling a swordsman in the distance, and I embraced the mana in my soul once more, sending a spell of speed into his arms. The boy blurred for a moment, his sword twisting in a peculiar way before he disarmed his opponent, sending the man scrambling away. He raised his sword over his head, but didn't have time to bring it down as two men burst from the doors carrying knives. Ah well, he can take care of himself.

Ramza crashed down on top of a building, his spear piercing through an archer's arm before it sent a jolt of electricity sparking down it, and he released the shaft, kicking the man to the ground. His sword whirled in his hand as he turned around, engaging another swordsman that had crawled up to aid his comrade. Idiot. There's no stopping someone like Ramza - he's more machine than man as is when it comes to combat.

"Tenevere!" I barked, and I could see her eyes faintly glowing behind our frontline as she and Dirk approached, hanging a bit further back then de Floure in order to maintain a sense of safety. "Dirk! Raze them to the ground!"

The duo's mana shifted as it flowed faster and faster, their mouths moving faster than I could see as they manipulated the espers flying high above the city of Dorter - Ifrit and Shiva were in fine form tonight, and I hummed a quiet tune before shifting the swords I was carrying once more.

"Don't worry," a hand clapped my shoulder, and I turned to see Remia's face next to mine as she winked, tensing her legs while energy flowed through her body. "I'll take that set, Tanya. Take a break, why don't you?"

Well, I can't say I minded having such lovely subordinates. Remia's body burst forward, a hurricane of limbs that danced as she approached Delita, one of the thieves caught totally off guard before her fist slammed into his face with ridiculous speed. I let out a burst of laughter where I was standing, before turning away from the two of them. They could take care of themselves, right? Ramza seemed in a good position as well, which meant…

There's nothing for me to do again! What a wonderful feeling it is, to be free of the need to earn your place! I can now just watch as the rest of our troop weaves this symphony of violence, like the cello player when their piece has already been played! Time and white magic are the strongest, as I had expected. What an incredible set of magics for not doing anything!

Oh, wait. It looks like Vinya was stabbed a little. But that's fine, she's standing near de Floure, who I can already see weaving her spell. I laughed again, as Algus approached me with shining eyes.

"You really meant it," he said in disbelief, looking at the carnage our troop was wreaking around him. "I thought that it was a jest, but…"

"I never joke, Thadalfus," I said smiling at him. "If these bandits desire to hold this city, and keep the people hostage, then let us gut them where they stand."

"But will not the people curse your name? You've destroyed their homes, have you not?"

"This city was already dying, Thadalfus. In its ashes, let Dorter be reborn anew - now that we have gutted those rats known as the Corpse Brigade from it, will it not shine brighter?"

He grinned at me, a wide bright thing as he drew his sword.

"Aye, Degurechaff. Now, if you'll give me the leave, I see there are a few animals that have been left for me. If you wouldn't mind?"

I inclined my head, and off he went to cull the remaining stragglers. The battle was simple, easy, and much faster than letting Ramza negotiate. He couldn't even complain how I handled it, Margriff was clearly mad. Speaking of…

I looked at the man, still frozen in time with a smile as I approached him, picking up his dagger that had fallen to the floor. He looked at me, his eyes moving rapidly while his body was trapped in stasis, and I twirled the dagger in my hand.

"Go, Margriff," I said, releasing the spell and tossing the dagger to him. "Tell your precious Brigade that the Order will no longer suffer their presence. This darkness you've cast over Gallione - we'll stamp it out before the next year crests. Tell your leadership, the Beoulves have a new prodigy in their midst."

I smiled, a thing with too many teeth as my eyes shone in the light of the fire.

"And that prodigy will not suffer this stain on their country any longer."

Margriff gripped the dagger close to his chest, his knees shaking as he held it at me.

"Devil… The both of you! Devils! No ordinary man could move like him! No ordinary mage could cast like that!"

"Is it devilry at play, or is it a simple question of genetics?" I asked, tapping my cheek. "It seems to me, Margriff, that your precious ideals have looked upon you with disdain - and found you wanting."

His sunken eyes shook with rage as he gripped his knife. Seriously, go already. I can't threaten your leadership if at least some of you don't live, you know? I need you to take my message to the top! You're clearly connected to them, get out of here already!

"I… I…"

"Will leave with my words, correct? Although, I suppose…"

My hand dropped to my side, and I began to slowly draw one of my blades.

"I could take your life instead…"

His shaking hands dropped the knife with a clattering sound, and he scrambled away, looking at me with horror before his legs began to move faster and faster, I watched until he was out of sight, turning to look at the scene around me. The flickers of flames were beginning to die, Vinya and Voll having already culled the enemy mages, and all around me the sounds of battle were slowly fading into that peaceful silence known as victory.

Ramza pulled his spear out of the body that had fallen below him, and began to walk towards me. I bowed before him, stretching out an arm.

"My liege," I said, the cries of the wounded and dying encircling us. "Dorter is yours."

"Aye," he said as he placed the spear on his back. "And the Marquis safe. I suppose, Degurechaff…"

He let out a long sigh.

"You were right. As usual."

"Indeed, Beoulve," I said, my eyes glinting in the firelight. "That is why you should listen to me, after all."

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As always, I'd like to thank my two (2!) betas, Halt and Lunatic Blue for their grand work in crafting Tanya's funtime adventures in being a normal girl in Ivalice.