-Robin's Tent-
"Count Robin Obsidian."
"Gah!" Robin jumped and spun around. "Who in the devil's name – oh. Hello, Excellus. Here for the report?"
"Indeed." The Valm viceroy nodded. "Yen'fay told me that you were put in charge of writing the battle summary. Do you have it ready?"
"Yes, it's behind you." Robin gestured to box of loose papers and scrapbooks, then turned back to his desk, focusing on reading a manuscript. "I put it there for safekeeping. The notebook with blue on it should be the one you want. I would get it and hand it to you, but you're in the way. Something that wouldn't happen if you came into my tent normally."
"Heh heh." Excellus chuckled. "Poor Robin. Do you want to know the secret to my teleportation?"
"Not particularly, nor why you think that you were only given your legs to stand on. It's not like you can tower over other people, so they clearly have another purpose. No, I'm more concerned with what happened over the course of the battle." Robin said. "See, it looks like a lot of papers were misplaced during this mission. I was supposed to be guarding the section to the right from Yen'fay's main group, whereas the more experienced units were going to be in our place on the left and serve as the anvil instead."
"Ah, I see." Excellus said. "Well, you know, miscommunication happens…"
"Yes, of course. We're quite lucky Yen'fay showed up when he did." Robin said. "Also, it seems like one of your clerks was going to be responsible for this report, but the paperwork was burnt in a freak fire, so I got reassigned instead."
"Nrrgh." Excellus exhaled. "That's why."
"What was that? I mean, I'm quite aggravated about it as well. Lot of extra work for me now that it happen." Robin asked, writing smoothly on his desk. "You're going to have to speak up if you want me to understand you, though. Did you find the notebook yet?"
"I coughed." Excellus said. "Well, it seems you were lucky, doesn't it?"
"Yes, quite." Robin didn't bother turning around. "We might even get a commendation for my 'superior tactical sense'."
"And does that translate into throwing a confidential notebook into a pile of junk?"
"Of course. The best place to hide a tree is in a forest." Robin said. "Besides, after-action reports aren't that big a deal, for the most part, though I did take the precaution of having one of my scribes makes additional copies. They're en route to Walhart 's troop as we speak, so don't worry about losing that copy. See if you can get it to him before they do."
Behind Robin's back, Excellus's eyes narrowed. Robin didn't notice, but he did see the viceroy's hand inch inside of his robes with the mirror he'd set up on his desk. Robin spun around, casually spinning a knife in his fingers. "Hey, Excellus. How do you use that teleportation of yours? I'm curious after all."
"Like this!" Excellus hissed and vanished.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Two-bit villain can't resist a good exit line." Robin's eyes narrowed. "Zulas, you can come out now."
"Risky."
"Well, I had to meet with him anyway." Robin said. "It was better to be alone so that he thinks he has the advantage."
"He might've fireballed you, you know." Zulas emerged from a thick roll of canvas set against one of the tent's corners. He was holding a pair of short blades.
"I have pure water. I would've been fine." Robin waved his hand.
"Putting the fire out after he burns your face isn't that impressive." Zulas said. "You want a nice, thin scar across the side of your face. That's what gets the girls."
"No, pure water." Robin frowned. Coincidentally, Zulas also had the thin scar he was mentioning. Not that Robin intended to get scarred. Tacticians didn't belong to the front lines. "I – you're doing this deliberately, aren't you?"
Zulas hid the grin and changed the subject. "You confirmed your suspicions. He tried to get us killed?"
"No." Robin rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. He'd never do something like that. He was trying to embarrass me by having my squad fail at my first assignment. If I was dead, how could he do that? See, I need to be alive to be embarrassed. The rest of you, on the other hand…"
"So, he was just trying to kill me." Zulas said. "I see."
"You catch on fast." Robin said. "Yes, but I wouldn't get a swelled head over it. I don't think it was anything personal. I've read a few of his more notable 'victories'."
"You say that like they ain't a thing."
"Well, sure they happened." Robin's eyes narrowed. "But from the reports, it was Walhart's presence that did it. There are at least two separate instances of front lines collapsing from just Walhart's own personal charge. Exaggeration, surely, but not by that much if the ranks broke. From what I can tell, Excellus isn't that competent of a tactician. He just got his job through seniority and people making mistakes."
"Like, for instance, you 'misreading the orders for this battle'." Zulas said. "I take it that was the mistake."
"Yes." Robin pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "If I have that clown in authority, it's going to be hard bringing everyone home alive. Zulas, we'll need to get rid of him."
"Aye, sir." Zulas said. "We're a pair of soldiers, recently promoted, but we'll take on one of the top-ranked officials in the Conqueror's army, no problem."
"That's what I like about you, Zulas." Robin said. "Always the optimist."
"I am being serious." Zulas said. "My first loyalty is to the Conqueror, and my second is to you. If that toad-hole is as bad as you say it is, we ought to teach him a lesson. What's your plan?"
"Recognize this?" Robin held up an annotated manuscript. "It's the Conqueror's treatise on power. 'When two forces collide, it is inevitable that one wins. If they are of different natures, then it is the stronger of the natures that wins. If they are of equal natures-"
"-the stronger within the two natures wins." Zulas said. "Thus, an enemy whose numbers exceed our own can be defeated because our own warrior nature is superior to theirs. And even the handful that do have a nature of ours must fall too, for I am the Conqueror, and no one shall oppose me.' Yes, I'm familiar. So, what shall we engage him in."
"Tactics." The tactician smiled and tapped his head. "My tactics are better than his, which means that I can't lose, so long as I use them. Like I told him early, he's caused me a lot of extra work."
-Forest, en route to Robin's Barracks-
"So, Vermil." Robin started the conversation as the three of them sat in the lead wagon on his convoy. They were heading back to his mansion / barracks combination, and Robin insisted that the two lieutenants sit with him. "Let's play a game, shall we?"
"A game? I like games." The fire mage replied. "But what kind of game?"
"This is the kind of game where we get to know each other." Robin said. "As one of my trusted lieutenants, I need you and Zulas to get along, which means you need to know each other. So, I ask you a question, and you each give me an answer."
"This doesn't sound like a game to me." Zulas protested. "Are you sure you remember what a game is? How about we play something else, like-"
"Zulas, you're up first." Robin ignored his protests. "Question: What is power?"
"Fine, I'll answer that." The soldier in blue was silent for a moment. "Ah, there's no point in thinking about it, I know what I'm going to say. It's undying loyalty to a cause."
"How's that?" Vermil asked. "I mean, isn't that kind of the opposite of power? You work for the cause, after all. And undying loyalty? I mean, that's basically voluntary enslavement."
"I guess that's one way to look at it, sure." Zulas said. "The other way is my way. Because I've sworn in with Walhart's ideals and dreams, alongside hundreds of thousands of others just like me, our strength is all of ours, collectively. Even if I fall, my dreams will still be realized through the hands of my comrades. My dream continues on through my death. That? That's real power. And my hold on it is only as strong as my loyalty to the cause. And when it comes to loyalty, few can top mine."
"I see." Robin nodded. "So that's the reason for your loyalty. But what if you swear with a bad cause?"
"What if?" Zulas raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't be an if there, but I'll see if I'm the first in the family to break that bloodline curse. My family apparently has a habit for fighting for the wrong side, you see. And, yeah, that's a downside, but you're deluding yourself if you think there's any cause which is 'purely righteous'. Well, any cause with power behind it. A cause with one person ain't a cause so much as a fool's crusade. The trick is picking well. And I've picked fine with Walhart."
"Fascinating." Robin said. Though his tone belied it, Zulas's word had given him cause for thought. "Vermil, your turn. What's power?"
"Power is weapons and weapons are power. It's the Pyromancer's Code." Vermil said, eyes bright. "Complacency is a lie, there is only change. To enact change, I need fire. To enact fire, I need weapons. To use weapons, I need power. Nothing shall stand unmarred in my way. I walk through the valley of flames, and I burn everything in my path."
"Is he for real?" Robin asked Zulas.
"I heard some fire mages get pumped up about their magic, but this takes the cake." Zulas shrugged. "Probably burnt it too. I hear some of 'em subsist entirely on charcoal."
"Hey!" Vermil scowled. "You just don't appreciate the philosophy! We don't just burn everything to a charred, smoldering crisp, you know!"
"Sure about that? I've seen what happens when you lot go crazy and it generally involves obscene amounts of ash." Zulas said. "How are 'weapons' power, anyway?"
"It's not weapon themselves." Vermil sighed. "It's – look, soldier boy. You stab things with the lance, right? Pointy-pointy. I burn things. Crispy-crispy. If I didn't have my tome, and you didn't have your lance, we couldn't do either, which means our power must be tied to our weapons. Now, if you take the view that the only weapon I have is my tome, it doesn't make much sense."
"Ah." Robin said. "But there is a great deal more than just the tome in your arsenal, is there not?"
"Yup." Vermil smiled. "I graduated first in my class in the academy. I'm cleared all the way to A-rank tomes. And that's a weapon just as valid as the actual tome itself! Robin's knowledge of tactics is a weapon too. Master Yen'fay has battlefield awareness, which he got from fighting for the better part of two decades! Also a weapon. True power," Vermil's eyes glinted red, "is all the means and abilities you have access to and at your disposal."
"But aren't you nothing without your tome?" Zulas rolled his eyes. "Whereas I could just whack you with my fists."
"Good question!" Vermil said. "That is a point which hasn't ever been made to me before. And, yes. So what? You're nothing without your arms, friend. Or your muscles. Face it – every source of power can be stripped, so it matters how strong you are when you have it, not how strong you are when you don't. But, um, yes I would like to be able to fight with weapons. Too much effort though."
"Nice, kid. Good line of thought." Zulas sat back. "You've impressed me. Not bad for such a lame name."
"Take that back!"
"Hah ha." Robin chuckled. "Vermil, you've got to admit the name 'Vermillion' is a bit coincidental for a fire mage to have, right?"
"I like it." The red mage sulked. "Besides, you're named after a bird."
"Actually, I can't remember my name, and this is the first thing that popped into my head." Robin explained. "So there's that. It's fine, I'm just going to call you Vermil from now on. I'm not quite certain I can bear the thought of having a color in our squad."
"Cough Count Obsidian cough." Zulas verbally spoke the word 'cough'.
"Quite, you!" Robin spun around to Zulas. "I will have that changed one I think of something better. And now I can't do 'Alabaster' without looking like a hypocrite about the whole color thing. So thank you for ruining that."
"Onyx?" Zulas suggested. "Moonstone? Opal? How about just going with Noir?"
"Oh, that is it." Robin said. "You are going to want to stop now, or there will be consequences."
"See this, kid?" Zulas winked at Vermil. "In gambling, this is known as 'calling the bluff'. Raven. Robin Raven. That's a good last name."
"Hey, Vermil." Robin turned to him and jerked a thumb at Zulas. "His last name is Albert. Not joking." Vermil burst into laughter. Robin turned to Zulas and smirked. "First rule of gambling, Zulas. Don't raise the stakes unless you're willing to pay them. I read the registry."
"Son of a-" Zulas had an angry look on his face. Then it changed it a split-second. "LOOK OUT!"
Robin felt an impact as Zulas dove into him and knocked him off the wagon, thudding into the earth. A volley of arrows soared past his vison, thudding into the wagon. He had a sudden flash of panic for Vermil, then a jet of flame roared back, and a red blur dashed off the wagon.
"You know, there are easier ways of getting back at me for that." Robin groaned.
"Because I planned a freakin' ambush to get back at you." Zulas got up and howled. "Ambush!"
The cry was raised. All the wagon stopped as soldiers leapt off them, forming shield-walls. A quick ring was constructed around the fallen soldiers. Robin got to his feet behind a pair of knights and winced as an arrow ricocheted near him. Robin snapped a lightning bolt back, feeling a sense of satisfaction as a howl indicated success.
"Good job." Robin made quick hand gestures, diverting his forces. "Cavalry, dismount. Mobile units, move and sweep. Encircle 'em back. Use trees for cover when possible. Knights stay here to protect the wagons, archers, take out any of the mages threatening them. Mages ONLY, leave the enemy archers to the javelin corp. Uses the longbows if you have to, but ONLY if you have to. Vermil, where are you?"
"Right here." Vermil popped up behind him. "You want me to toast 'em?"
"Vermil." Robin sighed. "We're in a forest! NO FIRE MAGIC! Jeez, please tell me you don't need as much babysitting as the archer corp."
"I'm eighteen, you know."
"Really?" Robin spared him a quick glance. "You don't look it."
"Fine, I was lying. Anyway, if I can't use my beloved flames." Vermil swapped the bright red tome in his hand for a green one. "Arcwind it is then!"
"There we go. That's using your head for something other than inane B-class casting formulas." Robin said. Which I still haven't mastered. "Go drop some trees on them." He looked around again. His forces were doing a split job of safeguarding the wagons and sweeping the forests. Robin was a man of many talents, and one of them was paranoia. He'd predicted this scenario happening, so he gave orders in the event of them getting ambushed. That was on point in his favor.
He hadn't expected the arrows to almost hit him. If they had, he'd have all the points in him. He'd have to do better next time.
"Zulas, I want you to take a squad and sweep our rear." Robin said, turning his attention to Zulas, who was busing dropping rebels with javelins. "We might have a few tails, so make sure we're clean. Take a squad of ten."
"What about you, captain?"
"Me? Oh, I'll be fine. I've got a plan." Robin drew his spear, watching Zulas leave. "Vermil, drop the trees on our eleven. See if you can line 'em up."
"Ay, commander." Vermil raised his green book. "Silver sword of the skies, become my blade and banish these banal bark barriers from my path!"
Blades of wind shot forth, slicing through the tree trunks. With a yawning thunder, they dropped, forming a barrier. "I see." Vermil nodded. "Now that can't get us."
"Not exactly." Robin ran forward, gauging the distance. When he judged the distance to be right, he stabbed his spear into the ground, using it as a pole vault, sending him up. He landed on the top of the wood jumble, grabbing on to stabilize himself. He looked outwards.
Around a dozen ambushers were getting ready to move around the woods. Robin figured he had a few seconds before they noticed him. He drew his Elthunder tome. "Hey! You know what the number one cause of forest fires are? Me neither, but it probably sounds like this!"
With a magnificent crack, Robin cast his spell, channeling all his energy into it, sending a gigantic lightning bolt with a thunderous crack into a tree, instantly igniting it. Robin grinned, saluted, and backflipped off. "Vermil!"
"Yeah."
"How good are you at putting out fires?" Robin asked.
Vermil looked at the blaze Robin had started. "Aw, you did it first…" He glanced back and Robin was gone.
-Forest-
They would have had a spotter to warn them of our approach. Robin thought. He picked the one area he didn't see fighting occurring, and ran into it. Probably went this way.
He was rewarded with a fresh set of prints for his trouble. Robin grinned, and redoubled his pace. He suddenly heard voices, so he stopped, hiding behind a tree.
"We didn't get him, sir." The voice said. "His lieutenant pushed him out of the way, then a kid barbecued half the archers we had. After that, well, all hell broke loose, and I lost track of him." Ordinarily, Robin would continue eavesdropping, but he couldn't resist a line like that, and it made no difference to his plans at any rate.
"You lost track of him." Robin announced, walking into the clearing. "But did he lose track of you?" There were three of them. One was a thin, smaller one, probably the scout. The second was man in thick armor, with a sword sheathed across his back, an angry look on his face. The third was a quite-looking woman in black armor with bright pink hair. Robin blinked. Pink hair? What?
Then he snapped back into focus and electrocuted the scout in the back. The scout dropped, unconscious. "Sorry, but this isn't for his ears." Robin said. "Let's stick to the two of us."
"Cherche, leave him to me." The swordsman drew his blade a charged him. Robin swirled his spear, drawing it with his right hand and stowing the tome with his left. Robin grinned and replied. "Come get some."
"Hah!" The swordsman sliced down. A heavy sword can do as much damage as an axe of similar size, with even more control. Robin didn't bother meeting the blade, and jumped backwards. He set his feet. The main advantage a spear has over a sword is reach. Zulas's training echoed in his mind. If you aren't using it, ask yourself why.
Robin lunged, thrusting the spear. The mercenary stopped short and snapped his sword up to deflect it. Robin used the momentum to spin the spear above his head and stabbed low, aiming for the man's foot. He hit it, partially, scoring a deep cut on his opponent's right thigh.
The swordsman swung his sword down, now that Robin had been overextended. The textbook move would have been to lose the spear to the slice, and capitalize on the wound. But Robin was a spellcaster, and that gave him more options. Robin summoned electricity in his left hand, and blocked it.
"What!?"
"Welcome to Magnetics 101." Robin grinned, a matrix of electricity lighting up his face as the sword was stopped within it. "By creating a magnetic field and adjusting the orientation of it, I can apply force to your sword, stopping you from impaling me. I can't fight up close, like I could with a sword, so this is how I compensate!" Robin released the flow, grabbed his spear, and rolled out of the way so he was back out. The trick could only be used defensively, but it was still a good one. Now to capitalize on his limited movement.
The mercenary tried, but Robin was fast in his own right, and his foot couldn't bear his weight properly. Robin moved around him like a blue, systematically hitting him with non-lethal cuts until he could knock the sword from his hands. Curiously, Cherche hadn't moved the entire time.
"There." Robin panted. "Now we can talk."
-Forest-
"Robin probably wants me to use wind." Vermil said. He threw aside the green book and took up a red one. "But the best way to fight fire is with more fire." The small red mage clapped once, summoning two giant balls of flames off of each palm. Rebels charged the convoy's position from either side of the wood barricade, so Vermil chucked them to either side, forcing a retreat.
He focused, taking a step backwards and bringing his hands together, firing a jet of flame into the barricade. It resisted for a few seconds, then ignited. Vermil kicked up the green book and snatched it from the air. He fired a blast, scattering the flames.
By now, the entire section was burning. Vermil smiled. "Every mage, join me. We need to form a vortex around it. Use wind magic!"
-Forest-
Zulas stabbed one rebel in the throat, swirling the spear around him to deflect another thrust. One of his subordinates leapt forward, striking the man down. Zulas nodded and hurled his spear, impaling another man in the chest. "Not too bad."
"Die, Valmese dog!"
"Now there's a creative insult." Zulas ducked out of the way as an axe slid over his head. He waved off the helpers. The rebel scowled at him, swiping again, to which Zulas sidestepped. "That's kind of the problem with axes. You can't commit to strikes without telegraphing them ahead of them. Not a problem when I have a spear's long attack katas, but…"
The rebel kept swinging, with Zulas dodging the blows. Zulas waited for the right moment, then stepped forward. The blue lancer stepped forward and cracked his fist against the rebel's jaw, sending him stumbling. Zulas took the axe handle with two hands and threw it aside. The man opened his mouth to speak, but Zulas kicked it. He gestured with his hand, and one of his men tossed a spear into it.
Zulas survived the battlefield, noting the large amount of corpses from the rebels, and a handful from the Valmese. "Tip of advice," Zulas said. "Try to have more than the element of surprise on your side the next time."
A wave of heat washed over him. Zulas impaled the rebel and turned to it. A pillar of fire had risen up above the forest, swirling as it washed into the sky. Zulas had seen the technique before, once when he had seen Valkyrie Pheros take the battlefield. It was an extraordinary complicated technique. Zulas whistled. "So the new one isn't entirely useless. But if he's doing that, I wonder where Robin is that he didn't keep an eye on him."
-Forest-
"Talk?"
"Yes." Robin said, flinching from the heat. Mental note: Define 'putting out a fire' for Vermil. "Talk. As in, the thing you do to resolve conflict without burying a length of steel through the other guy's throat. I had to whip up some tasks to distract my lieutenants so they wouldn't notice. We aren't enemies, so I want to talk."
"Funny way of showing it."
"Yes." Robin rolled his eyes. "Okay, let me spell this out for you, because you seem to be the 'thick' type. I needed to prove I could beat you in a fight, so that when I tell you I don't want to fight, you'd believe me. The only way to prove that was to beat you in a fight. Understand?"
"So, you want to join us?"
"Do I want to join you? No." Robin sighed. "This conversation is going nowhere. Cherche, right? Please tell me you're smarter than him."
"She's only here to observe." The swordsman snapped. "I'm in charge!"
"Ah. So you're probably from Rosanne, then." Robin said, still addressing Cherche. "I would guess that you're watching this ragtag group of fools to see whether you want to support them. That explains why you didn't attack me during the fight. Rosanne just became a vassal state, which means that directly attacking a Valmese officer would result in severe repercussions."
"That's right." The swordsman gasped. "How did you-"
"I didn't, that was a guess, you just confirmed it." Robin said. "You moron. Cherche, would you mind being a diplomatic envoy for me? Tell the leader of whatever rag-tag group of scoundrels he works for that I'd like a meeting. And I'll even forgive their assassination attempt ahead of time. And I won't tell my own men about you."
"Hmm." The woman considered, then nodded. "Why would you help us?"
"The Conqueror is wrong!" The swordsman spat at him. "Our cause is just!"
"No, shush!" Robin said. "Shush! I said, I'd like a meeting. Nothing more. For now."
"And how would like this meeting, nameless sir?" Cherche asked. "Would you tell us your name?"
"No." Robin shook his head. "Though my identity should be obvious to you. If you must speak of me, I suppose Quartz will do."
-Barracks-
"So, Captain, where were you?" Zulas asked as Robin was directing a new series of drills.
"Hmm?" Robin said. "When?"
"I don't think you would have let Vermil get away with his 'pillar of fire' if you were there. You weren't. Where did you run off to?"
"I don't have to defend myself from you." Robin said. "But if you must know, I wanted to meet the leader of the group that attacked us."
"Ah. Had a nice conversation, did you?"
"Well, in a manner of speaking. Or rather, no manner of speaking." Robin said. "Lance work, mostly. He wasn't such a good fighter. Though I wouldn't expect much."
"I see." Zulas was silent. "You remember our conversation about loyalty early?"
"It was about power, not loyalty." Robin's brow furrowed. "Yes."
"Good. Just curious." Zulas said. "So, what are you up to now? These are siege drills."
"Ah, yes." Robin tapped the side of his head. "I was meaning to ask you. Would you have any contacts that would loan me a hundred men or so? Preferably without asking questions, so we can get multiple units. I need four of them."
"That puts our strength at roughly five hundred."
"Actually, I'm scheduled to get reinforced from the losses I took at the battle." Robin ticked his fingers. "So I asked them to send me recruits. I've got an additional 100 men, as well as 100 more for training purposes. Plus, I've sent a requisition form. Might get as many as three hundred men after that."
"Congratulations." Zulas said. "You've increased your army tenfold. What's the purpose?"
"Currency, Zulas." Robin flashed a smile. "And victory is the best that there is. We're taking the Beskagar Fortress."
"The impenetrable one? The one that's cost Walhart ten thousand men?" Zulas asked. "The one with no strategic value whatsoever."
"Not precisely." Robin said. "It has no value for the Chon'sin campaign, but it does for Rosanne. The river it guards is essential for shipping goods deep into the continent." Robin smiled. "I have a feeling control of that fortress is going to be essential."
-Report to REDACTED from REDACTED, XX/X/XX-
I've got those results you wanted from the Feroxi tournament. East Khan won, but iIt's weird. Very weird. Apparently both sides had the same champion? I heard from a guy who talked to a man there, and the description was 'like watching mirrors fight. 'Cept one was wearing a mask'. So, uh, make of that as you will. Does this mean we can recruit the West Khan to help us?
