-Barracks, Magic Training Center-

"All right, Vermil." Robin faced the red mage in a large, empty room within the training center of the barracks. "I haven't had a good opponent for spell casting sparring. Normally, I have the mages train here but, ah, I suspected room would be good for you."

"Gotcha." Vermil's red robes flared around him. He reached for a tome from his satchel, then Robin stopped him.

"Ah ah." Robin said. "Nope. We're both using our baseline spells for the first round. Thunder for me, fire for you. I've had the fire tome enchanted, so it's of equal strength. Expensive, sure but it's worth it to compare your baseline abilities to mine."

"I … see." Vermil said. "Ummmm…"

"Something wrong?" Robin asked. He withdrew two tomes, one red and one yellow. He handed it to Vermil and began walking away. "Don't nail me in the back now."

"Robin…"

"Yeah?" Robin turned around, preparing for his first spell. "We cast in three, got it?"

"I think so," Vermil sighed. "I just – never mind. You'll see in a second."

Robin focused his power through his hands, focusing the power with them. Vermil waved his hand over the tome, enchanting the cover and pulling a fire ball from within it, holding it over his hand. Lightning crackled. Robin chose to use one hand, forming arcs of electricity around it. Vermil mirrored his position, preparing to launch his fireball.

Vermil is, without question, the most powerful mage we have. Robin thought. I haven't even scratched B-class yet, and he's tearing up the field with A-class spells. I can't underestimate his strength. I'll have to put everything I have into this shot.

Vermil was focused even harder than usual, visibly chanting formulas to conjure his fireball. Wisps of flame licked and swarmed it. Robin swallowed. Jeez. If he's actually putting effort into this – well it might hurt. Robin had decided to forego taking pure water so he could accurately use the pain to judge Vermil's power. Also to avoid Zulas finding some way to make a joke off it. Now he was coming to regret that decision. I pray he doesn't kill me.

"Crimson flames, aid my call." Vermil said. Flames engulfed the fireball, doubling its size as Vermil's raw magic overpowered the spell. "Vermillion Rojo Rubrum, channeling his most powerful attack! Fires of hell to my aid. Volcanic maw!"

When in Rosanne, do as the Rosannes do. Robin thrust his hand. He felt the power surge at his fingertips, multiplying itself. Robin decided to try something that was briefly mentioned in his textbooks. He took his second and, and conjured a purple arc between them. "Cage of lightning – Jacob's Ladder!"

Robin's vortex shot forward, becoming a thin beam of crackling lightning, shooting across the distance. Vermil's fireball lit up, flaring orange, then shot forth, becoming a meteor-like streak against Robin's lightning. For one brief moment, they met head-on.

Robin lightning cut through Vermil's fireball, dissipated it, continued and struck Vermil head on. The red mage took the full brunt of the blow, flying backwards. Robin watched in horror as Vermil was thrown airborne, landing twenty-five feet backwards, his robes cushioning his fall.

"Vermillion!"

"I'm – okay." A bolt of electricity crackled over the prone body. "Never mind. Ow. Jeez, you hit hard."

"Stay down." Robin dropped his tome and sprinted, making it over the prone fire mage. Robin reached into belt, pulling out a blue-tinted glass vial, and poured into Vermil's mouth. "Drink this."

Robin stepped back, and watched with satisfaction as the elixir did its job. Vermil didn't get up, but he looked better. "Vermil, what happened?"

"I threw a fireball. You threw lightning. You won." Vermil said. "What did you think?"

"It just, you know. You're supposed to be the hard-hitting mage of our party." Robin said. Then a possibility crossed his mind. "Oh. Oh. Don't tell me-!"

"Figured out why I use A-rank tomes, huh?" Vermil sighed and sat up. "It's my fault, I should have told you sooner, though you know…"

"I'm so sorry, Vermil." Robin said.

"It's kind of a joke, isn't it?" Vermil looked down. "I'm one of the most talented spellcaster in this generation, and I've got the magic power of a brain-dead barbarian. Yen'fay knew within moments of meeting me."

"That's what you meant my battlefield awareness."

"Yeah." Vermil fell silent for few seconds. "He promoted me to his personal squad once that happened. I guess he was just happy for an expendable spell slinger, 'cause he got rid of me at the first opportunity."

Robin was silent for a few seconds, taking the information in.

"You can leave me behind, I guess." Vermil said. "I mean, do you have use for a lieutenant who's constantly compensating?"

Robin found himself laughing. Vermil turned to find him doubled over. "Hey!"

"Vermillion Rojo Rubrum. There's a reason why I'm the tactician." Robin straightened up, looking him in the eye. "Yen'fay didn't swap you to get rid of me. You see, we both share a common enemy. Him assigning you to my squad was a subtle gesture of his support. And while he certainly wouldn't send his strongest, sending his weakest would serve no point."

"I am the weakest, though." Vermil protested.

"Currently." Robin said. "We've got a month until our attack on Beskagar. And that's the second reason Yen'fay assigned you to us. His army is composed of veterans, but we got greenhorns. I'll put you through the ringer, kid."

"Wait." Vermil looked up. "Am I still a lieutenant?"

"You are until I get promoted, then I'm taking you with me." Robin offered his hand to Vermil. "Now, get up! We've got exercises to run through!"

-Barracks, War Room-

"Beskagar is nearly impregnable." Zulas gestured to the model in the center of the war room. "See? It's got thick walls, at least six feet, of stone. Built on bedrock too. Sappers are right out. The walls have several hundred Chon'sin who are skilled at archery, in addition to ballistae. Climbing the wall is a fool's errand."

"Right." Robin studied the model. "So, what if we besieged them? Where does their food come from?"

"The water is from an underground spring." Zulas said. "It's supplied by the river. As for physical food, I'm really not sure, though the storehouses are extensive. That being the case, several nearby villages have been raided by 'bandits' recently, so the storehouse are full."

"That's going to be at least a year, then. Maybe more." Robin scowled. "The river. What can you tell me about it?"

Zulas shrugged, so Vermil took over. "It's a deep river that runs past the fortress, but within ballistae range. And they're specially equipped with fire ballistae to counteract ships." Vermil explained. "The river supplies the spring for the fortress, but it's probably inaccessible."

Robin withheld a choice curse. "And even if we take the walls, we have the keep to worry about."

"Yup." Zulas agreed. "It's higher than the walls, and well-fortified. The full complement is 2,000 Chon'sin troops. Well, Robin?"

"Hmmm." Robin studied the map. "Undoubtedly, a frontal assault will fail. I can't tell for certain, but I'd like at least 8,000 men. I have one-eighth that."

"The wheels are turning." Zulas observed.

"Got something?" Vermil asked.

"Yes." Robin said. "With one thousand men, any attack on a defensible position will result in a loss. So, we must begin our attack from a place which cannot be defended from. And, fortunately, our enemies have provided such a place for us."

"So you have an idea?" Zulas said.

"Talk to me in two weeks." Robin replied. "And train our soldiers in indoor, castle fighting."

-Two Weeks Later-

"This plan relies on three actors." Robin ticked his fingers. "The inside man. That's me. The con man. That's Zulas. The lookout. Vermil, that's you."

"Me?" Vermil asked. "What's the lookout do?"

He's not going to take well. Robin internally sighed. "I need you to wait on a distant hill and watch for my lightning. I'll go over the different patterns with you once I've figured out all the possibilities."

"Why me?" Vermil asked. "Is this because I can't fight?"

"No."

"It is!" Vermil looked away. "You don't want me on the frontlines!"

"Vermillion," Robin sighed. "It's not because I don't trust you on the frontlines. Hell, you're a better mage than I am. It's because, during the operation, Yen'fay's forces are going to be five klicks to the east, marching onto his old province, to reclaim it."

"How do you know that?" Zulas asked.

"Never mind how I know!" Robin snapped. "That's not important right now. Anyway, if the operation goes south, you're the only backup we have, and you have the best chance to get Yen'fay's aid. Though I promise you'll see action by the end of the night."

"Well, that's good enough for me." Vermil said. "What's Zulas do?"

"That's on a need-to-know basis." Zulas said. "The fewer people that know the better."

"Jeez," Robin rolled his eyes. "This unit functions on trust, Zulas. Anyway, Vermil, Zulas is going to get our men inside the fortress. We'll be posing as mercenaries, and offer our services to the fortress. Zulas is in charge of making that happen."

"They're aren't going to fall for that." Vermil said. "Come on, do you think they're stupid?"

"If they aren't, we're in for a rude awakening."

-Fort Beskagar, Commander's Office-

"And who is it you serve again?" The Chon'sin commander looked up at Robin and Zulas. They had changed clothing to look more mercenary. Robin opted for a cut-off jacket as opposed to his cloak, having fake dye applied to his arms for lightning tattoos. He had twin tomes hanging from his belt, in custom holsters, along with a pair of magical letters earrings. Completely useless, but Robin was acting as the dumb magic muscle. Dumb magic muscle. Ha.

Zulas, in contrast was wearing a utilitarian grey cloth uniform, with indents indicating the armor he normally wore over it. The armor, Zulas' spear, and Robin's tomes were lying by the entrance. Zulas folded his hands on the desk. "We're the Nevermore mercenaries. A new outfit. We were hired by rebels in the north a few months ago, and the contract ran dry about two weeks ago. Since we've got the ire of the Conqueror, we figured it was the best to look for work elsewhere. We heard a rumor of a Valmese expedition running south towards this fortress, so we figure it's a good place for coin and blooding the Valmese."

"You're competent?"

"Eh." Zulas shrugged. "We've got a few good eggs, but a good deal of 'em are little more than arrow bait or meat shields for the competent ones. Still, we pay 'em less."

"Very well." The Chon'sin commander considered. "Now, can you prove that you're an ally?"

"Yeah." Zulas nodded. He jerked his head back. "I can't do it in front of him, though. Either we move, or he leaves for a few minutes."

"Hey!" Robin protested. "I-"

"Zip it, Shock." Zulas said. "The information we got can't be told to you. You know that."

"Don't like it." Robin muttered, trying to sound thick.

"You don't get paid to like it." Zulas gestured. Robin found himself being shoved out of the room, leaving him in a stone corridor. Zulas voice drafted out. "Hey, could we get a guard to make sure he doesn't overhear?"

"I'll do it." A guard volunteered, stepping forward.

Robin growled as a guard stepped out, giving him a pointed look. Robin walked back, leaned against the far wall and attempted to give a sneer mixed with contempt. It didn't work, and Robin just looked like an idiot. He slid down and idly spun a gold coin around his fingers. Cool. Didn't know I could do this.

"Nice trick. What's that on your face?" The guard asked.

"What's on yours?" Robin countered. Zing! That was my intelligence dropping.

"Good question." The guard looked at him and removed her helmet. Robin looked back and blinked in surprise. The guard was a woman, with raven-black hair and a profound lack of Chon'sin features on her face. She had red eyes and was looking at him unnervingly. "What's your name?"

"My name is Shock." Robin shrugged. "I'm a muscle man."

"No, you aren't." The guard corrected him. "The caliber you use is 'Arc', or C-tier spells. You aren't dumb muscle, like you're pretending to be. Intelligence is required for those kinds of spells. At the very least, you're feigning idiocy."

"And you're too smart for your own good." Robin said. "I noticed you managed to make your way into the meeting as a guard by replacing one of the regulars. I don't know how you managed to blackmail him, I'm curious, but that can wait. What do you want from me?"

The guard checked both sides of the hallway. "I'm looking for something."

"And you think I can help you?"

"I think we can help each other." The guard smiled. She slammed Robin against the wall and whispered in his ear. "There's a supply tunnel we built alongside the river to our spring. Follow the river, find a patch of rocks arraigned in a spiral. It's twenty-three paces north of that, you'll have to dig two or three feet to find it."

"Dant!" A voice snapped. Robin looked path her shoulder to see the Chon'sin commander standing there, scowling at her. "What's going on?"

"Sorry, sir." Dant let go, stepped back and turned around, saluting. "He wouldn't stop flirting with me, so I had to get the message across."

"Come on, love." Robin slurred, falling into character. "Your good looks will go to waste if you don't use them."

"Shock!" Zulas slapped him across the face, hard. "Behave yourself."

"Sorry commander." Robin said.

"You're dismissed." Zulas said. "Anyway, we need to get the rest of my boys. We've got near a thousand men to get in here before dusk."

-River-

The pretext was built on the setup from earlier. Robin had merely needed to 'pick a fight' with one of the fortresses officers and take a blow. The initial plan was to have him thrown in the prison for the evening, but Zulas had modified so that he was thrown out of the fortress instead. Robin had found the area without much trouble, and had taken an hour to dig through the dirt. Now he was walking through a dark passageway, lit only by fire. "Great. I hate the dark."

His footsteps echoed. He wouldn't have the element of surprise. He doubted they could hear him, but they'd at least have some sort of warning. Hopefully, Dant was her own agent, and not working for the Chon'sin. That would be bad. Not unsurvivably bad, at least not to the plan.

Robin was lost in thoughts, all alone in the tunnels. That being the case, he almost didn't notice reaching the door. He tested it cautiously, after letting the fireball die out. The door was locked. Robin sighed. This is a Chon'sin door, which means that the door is probably bolted shut from the inside. This is a great thing for the op to fail on. I'm going to go down in history as Valm's worse tactician and-

The door swung open. "Sorry about that. I couldn't leave it unlocked and risk them finding out."

"Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" Robin stepped into the light and let his eyes adjust. The same guard from earlier was standing across from him, except now she was wearing a loose tan cloak over burnished light breast armor. She had a green band tied around her upper left arm, and a dark purple one tied around her right, her arms bare aside from that and a pair of fingerless gloves. Twin daggers were strapped to her belt, modified for easy drawing. An assassin!?

The woman grinned. "Are you ready to help me?"

"Who are you?" Robin asked. "You're no guard, that's for sure."

"Suffice for now, my name is Dant." Dant said. "I was pressed into the Chon'sin army when the Conqueror came, and they were looking for strays to throw into the frontlines. I survived and wound up here, waiting for a chance to get back. I, of course, have no need to ask for your name. Your real name is actually Count Obsidian, and you're a Valmese captain trying to take this fortress by guile."

"Actually, yes." Robin blinked. "How'd you know that?"

"Your buddy ratted you out." Dant said. "The one who you came with? Yeah, maybe recruiting mercenaries isn't the best of ideas. His half is going to betray yours."

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about." Robin said. "What's going on?"

"Albert." Dant said. "The mercenary you recruited to boost your army? He sold you out. The Valmese know that you're planning to open the gates at midnight for your main host. But Albert's forces are going to betray you, and close the gate at the last second. You'll be trapped in here, outnumbered, and ambushed, while Chon'sin cuts your main army to ribbons. If we work fast, we might be able to threaten him into helping us-"

"Correction." Robin grinned. "His name isn't Albert, it's Zulas. And he's not a mercenary commander, he's my second-in-command."

"What." Dant blinked. She blinked again. "Oh. This is a trap, isn't it? Your objective isn't to take the gates. It's to take the fortress with a mere thousand men."

Robin nodded. "Yup. It's easy to trick someone if they think they're the ones in full control. The bait is an army of five thousand Valmese soldiers, and the poison in that is a double-agent. You know what I love about mercenaries?"

"I doubt I'll like the answer."

"No one has any standards for them." Robin said. He drew this spear, spinning it. "We strike half an hour from midnight. What's your skill set?"

"You know I'm a mercenary, right?" Dant raised an eyebrow.

"That can be remedied quite easily if you're amendable to a job offer." Robin said. "Or, if you aren't, I do carry the universal form of persuasion in the form of yellow…"

"We have ten minutes on the half hour." Dant narrowed her eyes. "I'm interested. What's the job?"

"I was supposed to disrupt their means of communication." Robin said. "One problem we always had in the plan was the commander. He's a skilled swordsman, if rumors are to be believed. Our current plan was to have him retreat after we take most of the fort."

"Commander Mitsuhide. He's prideful. Don't count on him surrendering." Dant said. "That said, I still think I can take him. He and I have some unfinished business."

"Can you take him?" Robin asked.

"Yes." Dant smiled and drew her knives. "Trust me. Now, let's discuss payment."

-Fort Beskagar, Courtyard-

"Captain Albert!" One of guards monitoring Robin's troops saluted him. The extra thousand troops had been given the stables and the practice yard for sleep that night. Albert's 'double-crossing mercenaries' were given the yard to set up tents, the rest were locked in the stables and told to go to sleep. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you familiar with tonight's plan?" Zulas asked. "You're a captain, right? You were informed."

"Yes, but – don't we have half an hour?" The captain asked, confused. "I mean, half my troops are still resting in preparation."

"Yeah, just checking." Zulas pulled a thin tube out of his pocket and lit it, inhaling from the other end. "Ah, that's good. Nothing like a smoke before the fight. Want one?" The captain shook his head, but Zulas flicked out a cigarette and held it to him. "You'll insult me. Take one."

The captain sighed and lit it up.

"Excellent." Zulas said. "I've taken the liberty of having my soldiers spread out among the guard. Reinforcements, you know." Zulas tapped his cigarette. Ash fell. "Your orders, of course."

"Wait, what!?" The captain turned to him. "That wasn't in the plan!"

"Change of plans." Zulas stared at him. "Ah, heck with it. Poison takes too long."

"Urk!"

"And that's why I'll never be an assassin." Zulas withdrew the spear he had drawn and spat out the cigarette. "At least I get to avoid the dumb 'smoking kills you' statement." Zulas lifted the bar for the stables. "Let's go!"

Men poured out of it, in dark clothing. There were sentries posted to ensure there wasn't a situation like this, but they had been killed by Zulas's men as well. Zulas watched as they went. The more ruthless one were directed to the barracks, the more honorable ones to the wall. A mage paused by Zulas. Zulas nodded.

The mage raised his hand and shot two rapid fireballs up in the air, lighting up the night sky.

-Fort Beskagar, Outer Fields-

On a faraway hilltop, Vermil saw a fireball emerge over the fortress. Two was the signal for normal plan operations. Everything was going smoothly. Vermil nodded to himself. Just because he was far away didn't mean that he couldn't help. Robin's plan would work even better if they had a dummy force acting outside, but Robin couldn't spare enough troops for it to be plausible, and still have the necessary forces to take the fort.

Besides, it would almost certainly mean the death of all those involved. Robin hated losing men, especially borrowed men. Vermil reached into his satchel. One of the tomes was a recreation of something he had read in ancient history scrolls. The theory was mostly sound.

"O molten rock within the skies." Vermil raised the book. Rings appeared around him, several of them, mimicking the spread of the planets within the system. Vermil chanted, maneuvering the rings so they lined up in proper order and drew a line through them. "Strike from the starry skies and slay the scoundrels who stand in my sight."

A fiery red ball appeared in the sky over the fortress. Vermil smiled and channeled every bit of magical power he had in his body. "M-E-T-E-O-R!"

-Fort Beskagar, Commander's Office-

A massive blast shook the room he was in. "What is happening now!" Mitsuhide demanded. "For the love of all that is-"

"Sir!" One of his lieutenants poked his head in. "We've been attacked! There are mages shelling our fortress from the outside."

"So send cavalry to-" Mitsuhide grit his teeth. "We don't have cavalry left, do we?" The lieutenant shook his head. "Fine. Escort a team of snipers to the wall and see what you can do."

"Yes, sir."

Mitsuhide grumbled. "I have do everything myself." He walked towards the back of the room where he kept his beloved no-dachi. "I suppose its time to show these traitors why I'm known as the Butcher of the Cherry Plains."

"You aren't called that."

"You!" Mitsuhide cried, then spun around.

"Hello, Mitsuhide." Dant was in the doorway of Mitsuhide's room. "Nice to meet you. Remember me?"

"No. Wait. Who are you?" Mitsuhide leveled his blade at her. "I expected Albert. Or the one called Shock."

"That's a no. I do suppose it'd be a bit more exciting if it was, but we all have to put up with disappointments." Dant smirked. "My name is Dant. I suppose I'm what you might call an assassin for hire."

"Dant. I need your help." Mitsuhide scowled. "The ambush failed, I don't know why. We've got to evacuate. Help cut me a path."

"That's not going to happen. See, I may be for hire, but I've been hired already. The one that's done it has also been the one to play you like a fiddle." Knives appeared in Dant's hand. She pointed one at the commander. "I only joined you because I'm not really a fan of killing people for not reason, and I kind of sympathize with your cause enough to not kill for annoying me. But I'm done with you now because I've got an offer you could never match. You've got two options. Either you commit seppuku or I make you."

It was then that the commander noticed the corpses lying outside the door and the blood on Dant's knives. "What have you done?"

Dant remained silent.

"Traitor!" The commander vaulted over his desk, drawing his sword as he did so, slashing at Dant. Dant spun the knife in a reverse grip, holding in so the blow deflected just past her. It didn't even nick her cheek.

"I was never one of you." Dant dropped low and spun, knocking the commander's legs from under him. She got up and backflipped, landing with her knives at the ready. "Hard to betray a worthless cause. The only thing you could use to convince me is something you don't have. Die."

The commander grit his teeth and charged, slashing wildly. Dant danced and weaved to avoid the blows, letting the sword miss her by inches every time. One reckless charge brought him too close. Dant flipped the daggers, blocking the sweep using the both of them in an X, bringing them face to face with each other. Then she kicked his kneecap, sending him stumbling.

She spun as he back-upped, slicing him with her daggers. Red blood dripped from them. Dant pointed one at him. "Come at me."

"If you insist." The Chon'sin commander sheathed his blade and set his stance, preparing to draw. "Die, traitor. Of the Chon'sin, I am one of only seven that can perform this using a no-dachi."

"Iaijitsu? Good try." Dant lunged forward. As she predicted, the commander began the lightning fast draw technique unique to Chon'sin. But Dant was faster. He first slashed severed the nerves in his wrist, sending the blade flying from his hands as he drew it. The second slash met her target.

The Chon'sin commander looked to see a dagger in his chest. "No…"

"Unfortunately for you, I was trained by one of those seven as well." Dant withdrew the blade. "Die."

-Several hours later, Fort Beskagar-

"Well, isn't this grand." Robin stood atop the walls of Beskagar. Zulas, Vermil, and Dant all stood before him. The Chon'sin had been routed. They wouldn't stop fighting once they learned that the commander had died. Robin was forced to incur heavier losses to take them. Of his five hundred, he had lost around sixty men, and the soldiers on loan had lost close to one hundred. "Lieutenants – make no mistake. This is war."

"Grand, you call it?" Dant asked. "An assassin like me is treachery. But trickery and stealth to win a fortress is grand?"

"You misunderstand me." Robin said. "When I say grand, all I refer to is scale. But now Beskagar is in our hands. Yen'fay should be reinforcing us soon."

"Ah, question." Vermil gestured. "Who is she?"

"Dant." Robin said. "I purchased her service with a position in my army. She seems to be an assassin of some skill."

"I see." Zulas said. "Well, I haven't worked beside one of those since that fireman a few years ago. Do you charge per lock?"

"Thank you." Robin cut them off. "You all performed admirably today. Zulas, excellent sticking to the plan. Vermil, you took initiative and it paid off. Good for you, next time check with me first. Dant – are you the strongest lieutenant we have? Nice job with Mitsuhide."

"Thank you." Dant bowed. "I would clarify that I'm not just the strongest lieutenant in the army."

"Don't get a swelled head." Robin said. "Good. We're now up to three. Well, maybe I'll get a fourth at our next engagement. That's the only silver lining I can think of."

"Oh?" Zulas grinned. "That's what I think it is, isn't it?"

"Yes." Robin groaned. "Zulas, you have escort. Vermil, you have one week to research. I need every possible speck of information you can glean. Dant-"

The woman looked at him expectantly.

I have captured this fortress for purely logistical reasons, and to further my own aims. I didn't think to include the schemes of others in my plans, or at least, the others in this case. Yet, if I ignore them, I doom myself to oblivion. The law of unintended consequences strikes again. Robin sighed. "You know, I really have no idea what an assassin would do at an Imperial Ball."

"Hmm." Dant smiled. "Well, at the very least, I can teach you to dance."

-Report to REDACTED from REDACTED, XX/X/XX-

Ylisse has invaded Plegia! Apparently, they decided to attack first, to try to get the first blow in, as well as the edge in the war. Unfortunately, it failed horribly. It seems like the entire troop was vanquished, because the only person I could confirm was captured by Plegia was the Duchess Maribelle. I suspect it was just a failed reckless charge on her part, but now Plegia has an excuse for declaring war on Ylisse. Also, could you supply more funds? I can only afford low quality informants. The price goes up as information gets more valuable. Some of it may be, heh, slightly incorrect. Just saying.

A/N: Dant is this story's Jeigan unit.