Book III: The Legacy of Simon and The Plague

[Captain Tammo]

Note: This fanfiction is continuously updated to adjust for grammatical errors. No changes in plot are made during these corrections.

Hey everyone! The moment is finally here: this is the final installment in the 'Simon' series (and my personal favorite). If you have not yet read Part I and Part II  of the series, don't worry! This installment can be read as a stand-alone! Once we get to the parts where you'll need to know a teeny bit of backstory, I'll include it at the end of that chapter as a "spoiler" tag for you. Until then, you don't need to know a thing, so enjoy

Take a trip with me to the faraway land of Agrinaut. It is a plentiful land set on a great plain near the east coast. Its immense landscape is filled with farms of various yield, and is dominated by the behemoth that is Agrinaut Cathedral. All was well in this arcadian land until the arrival of The Plague, a horde of several hundred wicked vermin, lead by the horrifying Rat King, Damien the Damned!

Now the humble creatures of Agrinaut huddle together for survival as the unforgiving winter approaches. Their only hope: an old wanderer from an unknown land. This is The Legacy of Simon...

(Cover-art courtesy of the amazing Leatho Shellhound. More art by the wonderful Skarzs coming soon!)

Part III:
The Legacy of Simon
And
The Plague.

Prologue:

The old mouse and his daughter lived on a farm on the Far East coast. It was too far east to be considered Mossflower country by any means. No, this was the arcadian society of Agrinaut: a massive prairie near the Eastern Sea that was covered with farmlands and dominated by Agrinaut cathedral's towering spire. They sat outside of their sod house at an old picnic table and watched the sun set over the rolling plains. The mousemaid perked up at the sight of a shadow approaching from the west.

"Papa, look a traveller!"

The old mouse shifted his attention to where his daughter's paw pointed and tried to squint over his thick glasses.

"My dear, we see travelers all the time coming in and out of Agrinaut."

She smiled at him "But this one is coming from the West. That means they could be from Mossflower!" She chuckled before going on, "Don't ye remember teaching me these things?"

The old mouse thought hard for a moment, "Ah, yes, yes you're right! Hehehe, well I bet they're tired after trekkin' 'cross the prairie. Let's go welcome them." His daughter helped him up and they made their way over to the far away figure.

An old hare made his way through the fields. He had a worn tricorne hat on his head and a navy coatee that had faded to a gentle sky-blue. A neatly placed group of medals cloaked his chest and clanged together in time with his steps. His long ears did not stand upright as if they had been pinned, but wearily drooped behind his head. His steps were heavy and slow; his weight supported mainly by a knotted walking stick that seemed to be too heavy for his feeble muscles. He didn't even notice the two mice approach him.

"Hello there, traveller, are you from Mossflower?" The mousemaid's enthusiasm was audible.

"Hello," he said after catching his breath, "Yes, I am. Though it seems so long ago I lived there..." He drifted off.

"You must be tired, do you need a place to stay? It's not often we get travelers from so far west."
The hare mumbled to himself before nodding, "Yes. That would be nice."

As the trio made their way back to the house, which was not far, but the old hare walked so slowly that the mousemaid started to think that she wasn't ever going to get a story about Mossflower from him. His speech was as slow as sap and he seemed to forget what he was talking about halfway through a sentence.

"What is your name?" The old mouse said loudly. He was about the same age as the hare, but in a condition that appeared significantly better.

The traveller paused a bit before answering proudly. "My name is Dassiter De Fformelo Tussock, Admiral of the Mossflower Navy and Long Patrol hare of the great mountain fortress, Salamandastron."

The old mouse nearly jumped out of his skin at this remark. He looked at the hare with absolute astonishment. His daughter kept her composure, though he could tell that she was bursting with questions.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance Admiral Tussock. Call me Em, an' this is my Pa—"

The old mouse grabbed his daughter's arm and squeezed tightly to cut her off, "Call me Alphonse." He said, giving a very serious look at Em. Dassiter didn't seem to notice.

The sun was still visible when they arrived at the sod house. They welcomed Dassiter inside and brought him some dinner. "Please forgive the lack of variety. Most of what we grow here is wheat so breads are what we live on. But it's what we're known for and we're proud of it." Said Em.

Dassiter accepted the bread happily and began gnawing on it with his fragile teeth. Alphonse filled the silence with a question, "What brings you so far from your home, admiral? I cannot even recall the last creature we had from Mossflower, let alone Salamandastron."

Dassiter's answer was slow and weary, "Please, call me Dassiter." He said without looking up from his bread. "I am here looking for my friend. His name is Leonardo Velox Williams, do you know anything about him?"

Em's eyes went wide with alarm and she looked at her father, who pinched her arm underneath the table and kept her quiet. "You've come to the right place Dassiter. Leonardo came here long ago when this land was under the control of The Plague."

The old hare nearly choked on his food upon hearing this answer. He jumped out of his chair with surprising energy, "W...w...what? You mean you actually knew Leo?! Is he alive, w-w-where is he?!" He said frantically.

"Please Dassiter, sit down!" Said Alphonse. "We don't know where he is—"

"But pa!"

"Not another word, Em!" He said sharply. "We do not know where Leonardo is, but we do have a book of his actions during the rule of The Plague. We have it here with us. It was a gift to him, but I don't know where he is anymore... Would you like to hear it, admiral?"

"Y-yes of course! I've hardly heard anything of him in nearly a season. This is wonderful news!"

Alphonse got up and walked to a chest in a corner of the room. "Em, get more bread from the kitchen for our guest, please." He said. After rummaging about for a moment, Alphonse produced a thin book and returned to the table. "This is it. The legacy of Leonardo, written by the townsfolk. We're no Teller of Tales, but we pieced as much of the story together as we could." He lit a couple of candles as Dassiter thumped his footpaw anxiously. Em returned with some steaming bread and set it on the table. "Now that we are all set, let us begin our tale." Alphonse opened the book and began to read.

Chapter 1 (or 33)

One thousand starved creatures pounded on the oak doors of the once proud Agrinaut cathedral. Inside, Damien the Damned, the Red King of Rats, and his horde of vermin called 'The Plague' feasted on the reaping from the year's harvest. Rats stood perched on the windows, stoats guarded the doors, ferrets crawled on the buttresses and ravens circled the towers like living gargoyles. Mazzie Mosey the mousemaid and her elder brother, Sam, were among the crowd outside. Though they were both fairly young creatures (Sam being of nineteen seasons and little Mazzie being of just fifteen), these two orphans were the ringleaders who had set the crowd on the cathedral in a grand attempt at a coup d'état, Sam playing the larger role in the operation. However, not much was being done other than knocking and angry shouts.

"Mazzie, help me up onto this cart, I need to get the crowd's attention!" Called Sam above the noise.

Mazzie looked up from under her hooded head and helped Sam onto the cart. From the moment she was born, it was clear to everyone that Mazzie would be destined for greatness. With her pretty young eyes of an enchanting violet and soft features for one who was acting so boldly, Mazzie mirrored the image of her parents; a sight that only Sam could recall seeing. Agrinaut was a hospitable place, however, and she and her brother lived on their family's farm to the North of the cathedral for most of their lives. That was until the vermin razed half of the countryside. Now there was a divide split almost perfectly through the last fraction of the town and Mazzie and Sam were forced to relocate, paying to live at an old inn. All the while, Mazzie and Sam managed to keep their chins up and take life a day at a time...while planning a revolution on the side.

Sam waved his paws, stamped his feet and yelled to the mob, but his efforts were fruitless.

"We need a better plan, none of them want to disrespect the cathedral!" Said Mazzie.

Sam shook his head, "No, none of them want to be the first to disrespect the cathedral. They think it's still a symbol of Agrinaut, even with The Plague poisonin' the inside of it!"

"Then what do we do?"

Sam thought for a quick moment before replying, "Sometimes to clean a wound, you need to use a hot iron... Gimme me that stone an' find me a lantern!"

+++++

Inside the cathedral, the rat king Damien the Damned was a terrifying sight. He was a rat of an enormous size and build. They said his eyes held neither a pigment nor transparency, but were like the color one saw when they closed their eyes, an eigengrau, as some would call it. His horde would never look him in the eyes lest they burst into flames like they had seen happen to one on such an occasion. He had unnaturally pointed teeth, black fur that creatures could've sworn was red in certain light, and a forked tongue. His left arm hung limply at his side, an injury he said he got whilst slaying a dragon. To substitute he used his very long, worm-like tail. He wrapped it around his limp arm such that it looked like a giant tentacle protruding from himself. He used this just like he would any good arm, but with greater dexterity and flexibility. Damien wore a tunic made of slaves' chains that was rumored to be miles long if stretched apart. His cloak was as dark as the depths of hell and swept behind him wherever he walked as if it were the black gates following his steps. Underneath it, he hid a red tinted flamberge sword that was rumored to leave wounds that were cursed to never heal. He was the spitting image of the devil himself, lounging on a golden throne in the cathedral of Agrinaut and getting drunk off of its wine.

Damien watched his horde of vermin tear away at the harvest the land of Agrinaut had provided. There was an immense amount of variety at The Plague's disposal. There were breads of every shape and size, barley, wheat, oats, potatoes, peas, beans, beets, carrots, lentils, canola, mustard, raspberries, blueberries, corn, strawberries, cherries, cranberries, rye, and triticale just to top the list. However, despite all of this, Damien was not satisfied.

"Wayz, get over here!" He roared. His voice was very loud and frighteningly deep like a toad's. A red fox emerged from the feasting crowd and bowed before the rat. This was Wayz, one of Damien's advisors. He was of average build and height, nothing but his long time of service to the Rat King was what set him apart.

"How may I be of a service, my king?" He said with his soft voice.

"I will not eat this trash grown from the dirt. Bring me some meat!"

"But my king, we have none with us." Said Wayz, "To gather some meat, we would have to go through the mob outside."

Damien jumped from his seat and hurled his goblet at Wayz's head. "What, you mean those prairie worms? I should have you killed on the spot for making such a cowardly remark! Just plow through the fools, they couldn't hurt you; they haven't the strength to kill a fly—oof!"

A rock had been thrown through a stained glass window and found its mark on Damien's face. He screeched and clutched his jaw with his good hand. "Eyaagh! What wa' that?! I'll skin 'im alive fer striking me!" Only an instant later, another window shattered and a flurry of missiles poured into the cathedral from the outside, then another and another. Vermin scrambled and threw themselves to the portals in an attempt to hold back the mob outside, but the doors swelled and pushed inward nonetheless. Damien stormed into the center of the transept with Wayz at his side. There were crashing sounds heard from the outside and around the edge of the royal portal, the largest, center door at the front of the cathedral, orange flames licked the ancient timbers.

"Archers, fire at the first prairie creature to pop their head into my fortress. I want 'em t' know what they're gettin' into." The rat king said. No sooner had the archers prepared themselves did the portal give way. Prairie creatures threw open the doors on the North portal and were met by a flurry of arrows coming out. The South portal's door on the opposite side of the cathedral swung open and the archers once again released their arrows into the starving creatures. Vermin charged the mob of farmers to keep up their counterattack.

"C'mon Mazzie, now's our chance to take back Agrinaut!" Called Sam. Mazzie jumped through the Southern portal with her brother and they met the horde head-on. Sam wrestled a spear from a ferret and pressed forward into the cathedral's transept. Mazzie armed herself with an iron hoe and tried to make her way into the cathedral with the other farmers to meet her brother, but the portal was like a bottleneck that choked the flow of creatures and she lost sight of Sam. A weasel pole vaulted over the front line and landed right in front of Mazzie. He snarled and battered away at nearby attackers with a large club. Mazzie charged forward with her hoe and made a swipe at the weasel but it was instantly deflected and he hit her in the head. Mazzie fell silently onto the steps of the cathedral; it wasn't clear if she was alive or dead.

Though the brave prairie creatures had a strong will to take back their beloved Agrinaut, they were untrained in the ways of combat and greatly intimidated by The Plague. Most everybeast was simple farmers or shipless sailors. They were no match for the battle-hardened vermin horde, and it was becoming tragically clear. The mob of revolutionaries were pushed back out of the cathedral with the aid of The Plague's archers and from then on the fate of the battle was immutable.

Within minutes, the fight was over and the coup d'état was extinguished. The disarmed prairie creatures were forced to line the front of cathedral Agrinaut on their knees and wait to receive their punishment. The giant oak doors of the Western portal, now blackened by the fire, creaked open and Damien stepped out into the open air. Some creatures smiled inwardly seeing the damage on his face, others found that the new image only reinforced their fear of him. He looked about himself and over the prairie; the day was coming to an end. Damien cracked his neck and then stood silent for a moment.

"Tell me, who threw the first stone?" The rat looked around at the crowd before him. Every time his gaze landed on a creature, they would turn their head and wince with fright. "Nobody? Very well... You, stand up!" He pointed to a field mouse in the center of the group of creatures. This was Lyle, a merchant from across the Eastern Sea. He had arrived at Arginaut in hopes of selling his exotic plant, cocoa, that he had brought from faraway lands. Instead, he had been met with a party of rats on the docks, who then promptly stole his goods and sunk his ship.

Lyle stood up slowly. Without warning, Damien raised his paw and dropped it. Three arrows struck him in the chest and the mouse fell down slain. Amidst the gasps and cries that followed, the rat king asked again, "Who threw the first stone?" Again nobeast stepped up. "Have it your way... You, stand up!" This time it was a hedgehog by the name of Ander, a longtime farmer and resident of the prairie. Ander stood up and Damien raised his paw high.

"Stop! I threw the first stone!" Heads turned to see Sam Mosey stand up. Damien smiled wickedly at him. "Go on, do it. Do it ye half-faced, worm infested flea-bag! Ye can shoot me down and hope that this'll all end with me." He pointed at the sinking sun on the horizon behind them. "But no matter what you do, that sun will rise again and with it, these creatures' spirits. Your day o' reckoning is coming fast, rat, an' there'll be an entire dark forest full o' creatures who'll wait with me for your arrival."

The rat king laughed menacingly and stepped towards Sam, "Those are big words for such a small mouse. But yer mistaken, it will not be you who'll suffer. No, it's they who will suffer, and for your actions. Your family, your friends and loved ones." Sam stood in place as Damien circled him, his worm-like tail moved like it had its own mind. "Take a good look at them, mouse, it'll be the last time they'll ever see the sun rise over the plains of my kingdom... and they've you to thank for it!" Sam moved like lightning. He grabbed a tiny wood carving knife from his belt and took a stab at Damien. But the rat king had anticipated the move and caught Sam's arm with his good paw. His worm-like tail constricted around Sam's neck, getting tighter and tighter. Sam kicked out with his legs as hard as he could, but Damien was not a natural rat. He was bigger and stronger than all of the others, he never batted an eyelash as Sam frantically kicked with his legs at the chain tunic.

"Stop him, he's gonna kill Sam!" Shouted Ander. Before anybeast could react to what he had said, an arrow flew through the air and put an end to the revolt before it could start again.
Not another creature stirred.

With one final twist from Damien's tail, Sam went limp and collapsed to the ground slain. Making his way back up to the cathedral's steps, Damien addressed everybeast present. "The winter is coming on fast, fronted by The Plague. Both will kill those who do not learn to adapt to my laws. Learn your place, fools, you'll live longer."

As the rat king Damien the Damned stepped back into his fortress, the once proud Agrinaut cathedral, the prairie creatures silently shuffled back to their homes.

"Take the bodies inside and dispose of them when they've all gone. I don't want any corpse leaving this place with their family to be martyred." He ordered.

Few creatures lingered around the cathedral for much longer before the dreaded plague doctors came out to collect the bodies. They were terrifying creatures of an unknown species, as they hid behind heavy black overcoats that stretched to the ground and wore bird-like masks with red glass over the eyeholes. Black wide-brimmed hats, made with the unbeastly material of leather, covered their heads and shielded them from evil; a cruel irony. They came out without saying a word, as they didn't have to. Everybeast in Agrinaut knew that the sight of a plague doctor meant that evil followed closely behind if none had already arrived. So the remainder of the survivors limped back to their homes in the distance. Meanwhile, the cathedral of Agrinaut continued to tower over the landscape as it had done for so long. It was a structure that had stood for freedom and celebration for nearly a thousand seasons, now the bell towers were like the hollow eye sockets of a plagued corpse.

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There you go, the Prologue and First Chapter are released! I hope that you enjoyed the read. I actually wrote the first few chapters of this part before I had even thought about the plot-line of what is now Part II. I ended up leaving this story-line for several months while I worked on Part II, then came back to it with some new ideas. You may be able to see where i left off and picked back up again by the general writing style. I left this difference in there so that I could see my growth as a writer over time and am satisfied with the results

Anyway, please feel free to leave any comments or questions below and I will answer them. Everything in this story has a thought-out purpose and was included for a reason, so don't be afraid to ask! I can talk about this stuff for hours .

I'll be posting chapters regularly. Since I posted a chapter every day for part I and every other day for part II (sort of), I suppose that I'll keep the pattern going and post every third day for this one! Stay tuned for the next installment!

Updated 7/6/15: I am currently doing another read-through of this story to correct some SPAG mistakes. If you find any mistakes that you'd like to bring to my attention, feel free to send me a PM! Additionally, a character chart has been added at the bottom of page 2 of this topic. If you find yourself forgetting who a certain character is, feel free to consult it

~C.T.

[Captain Tammo]

Chapter 2 (or 34)

Mazzie shuddered and sat up, it was freezing! She sniffled and looked about clueless as to where she was.

Drip!

It was dark, too dark to see.

Drip!

And dank, too.

Drip!

She felt a creature next to her– actually it was several creatures.

Drip!

"Hey, wake up!" She whispered and put her paw on one of them; they were like ice!

Drip!

She recoiled and pulled her knees up to her chin. "Hello?" She called out, louder this time.

Drip!

Nobody answered. Something's not right. She thought to herself and she pulled her knees in closer.

Drip!

The drips echoed throughout her surroundings and seemed to come from everywhere at once.

There was a large creaking sound and a shaft of light entered the room from Mazzie's left. She watched quietly from the shadows as two creatures entered the chamber carrying something between them.

"Gah, this uns heavy. How many more o' these brats are left?"

"I think this 's the last of 'em. Grik's crew jus' finished their lot. One, two, three!" They threw the thing into the chamber and began to walk back to the doorway

"Ugh, this is ridiculous! Even the dead get to be carried around, what does that make us, eh?"

"Shut yer gab! Damien would give us hell if he heard you talkin' like dat."

The dead? Mazzie thought to herself. Suddenly it all snapped into place and she panicked. The cold bodies, the silence, the— she looked at the creatures lying in the light from the doorway. Oh my— they're all dead! She covered her eyes and a shrieked in terror.

"Son of a Wearet, what is that?!"

"It's the hell-ghosts! Damien heard what you said, run!"

Mazzie ran for the door in the panic, she had to get out of the chamber and into the light where it was safe. She fumbled around over the once living creatures, falling flat in the light of the chamber. Looking back at what was tripped on, she was met with the glazed eyes of her brother, Sam. Never had terror filled a beast as it did then to Mazzie. She kicked away at the thing, trying to pull the image back out of her head, but it was too late. Like a branding, Mazzie was stuck with the mark forever. Through the doorway and into a much larger, but brighter, passage, Mazzie collapsed in a heap and hugged an arching pillar, letting out a series of sobs that would keep the vermin terrified of returning to the area. For nearly an hour, Mazzie did not move, but after a while, her tears dried up and she was left with her surroundings. The ceiling was high and pointed, and there were titanic stone pillars holding it up. Torches hung off of them and cast moving shadows along the cool stone floor. She took a quick minute to examine herself, for she wasn't entirely sure of whether she actually was alive or dead, too. But she was alive, horribly dirty, but alive. She wandered down the hall with caution. It became apparent to Mazzie that this was the cathedral's crypt, and the room she had escaped from was an old chamber, most likely a room that housed the tomb of the cathedral's architect

Why did I wake up with the dead? She thought to herself. She remembered the coup d'état and realized that it must have been a failure and she was mistaken for being a casualty. Or was it a failure? Despite having overheard the conversation between the two vermin at the entrance to the tomb, Mazzie still had a sliver of hope that this was all just a misunderstanding and Agrinaut was once more in the paws of its rightful creatures. She listened closely for any noises from above... Silence. She wandered down the long gallery, keeping close to the walls in the dim light. The stone floor under her footpaws sucked the heat right out of her and she shivered. Mazzie pulled her cloak closer to herself and tried to stay calm. Please, just let this all be a nightmare. Just let me wake up already! Nobeast should have to live like this, where is the Agrinaut's savior?

Upon reaching the far end of the gallery, Mazzie discovered an empty set of stairs that led up to the surface. Who knew what sorts of new terrors waited for her up there? Mazzie drew her hood up and began creeping up the stairs as softly as her numbed paws would let her. Upon arriving at the top, she was met with a large oaken door painted red. She cupped her ear to the door to try to listen for movement on the other side but only heard her own breathing and the familiar sound one heard when putting a shell next to their ear.

The door's creaking pierced her ears by the time she had hardly moved it an inch. She peered through the tiny crack she had made and looked into the inside of the main chamber. Vermin everywhere! Mazzie cursed under her breath and did her best to stay brave. Fear was bouncing around in her heart at the speed of sound. Tears threatened to make her sob, but she kept it inside and moved on. How could it have all been a failure? Am I the only one left?! Summoning all of her courage, Mazzie pulled her dirty hood up tighter and pushed the door open with a creaking noise that echoed throughout the nave. Maybe if she kept her head down, she could slip out unnoticed?

Mazzie the mouse was brave indeed. She entered from just north of the apse and immediately was immersed in a sea of sleeping vermin. Though she had made glimpses before, Mazzie had never truly seen the inside of Agrinaut cathedral since The Plague took over nearly four seasons prior. The floors were no longer smooth and clean stone, but chipped and layered in grime. Most of the ancient wooden pews were gone. All that remained of them was a towering pile of glowing ashes near the West portal. They had been used up as fuel to their fires in the winter and for cooking. The vermin needed not worry about smoke because it billowed up high into the ceiling and never harmed their lungs. Now the shadowy ceilings were poisoned with black soot. The silver and gold items that were crafted with care were all gone from their tables. Half-filled chalices were in the paws of every sleeping stoat, rat, fox and ferret, it didn't take a genius to figure out where the wine was going. The low stained glass windows were all broken and shattered into thousands of rainbow crystals. The delicate pipes to the grand organ behind the choir were all bent and scattered around the floor like chaff in the wind. The high chandeliers were now the nests to ravens and their devilish offspring. Their droppings made large circles beneath them. All of the statues and statuettes that were carved from the ivory of faraway lands were now worn down to dull surfaces. The tall candlesticks that Mazzie would always light with Sam were smashed together into an arsenal of wax balls and were plastered on the stone pillars, portals, bookcases, and floor. No longer did the homely smell of incense fill the air, but a putrid odor that clouded her eyes. Mazzie choked back her tears of distraught. Could this truly be the same cathedral that she had known her whole life, or was it all a nightmare? Never could she have ever imagined that this twisted reality would have come to pass. She whispered to herself, "What has happened to you, Agrinaut, where did you go?"

Mazzie waited for a moment, half expecting something to answer her, but no reply came. With this, she made her way to the South portal, treading around the sleeping vermin like they were lions in their den. Further up the nave, Mazzie could make out a throne on the high altar but could not determine if there was a creature sitting in it. The thought of meeting Damien face to face was enough to tear her breath away. She'd seen him once in the past up close, and was determined not to see him again. She crept closer ever so softly as not to wake anybeast. All it would take is one pin drop to echo throughout the chamber and wake the animals. Mazzie tried focusing on something to calm herself down. Anything that would keep her from hiccupping back her tears or letting out a shriek. Finally deciding on an old song that she used to sing during the harvest, she began singing it in her head. Finally, Mazzie passed the high altar but kept her eyes on it despite the fact that the great golden throne was empty. The throne was gorgeously crafted from seasons long before any living creature could remember. It served as the proper seat for special guests at feasts, or more commonly for the priest, an elected creature whose job was of charity and giving. If Agrinaut ever had an official ruler, it would be the priest, but that title was not a written one. In truth, Agrinaut belonged to nobeast and everybeast, as was the tradition in the land. What a shame that The Plague had to come and destroy their little arcadian world. It had been almost four seasons to the day.

Mazzie slipped by the throne and continued on to the nearest portal, which laid to the South. She crept along, trembling all the way. They were all murderers responsible for the death of so many of her loved ones. How she wished that she had a way to be rid of them, but how would she accomplish this? Ridding the cathedral of so many vermin was not a job to be done by a single lone mouse. What Agrinaut needed was a savior to come and do the dirty work for them. There had been more than one creature to leave the area in search of help. Once there was a creature who returned, but with a force that had been entirely lost in an ambush by nomads. All of the others simply took the supplies everybeast threw together for their journey and left, never to return. What made them disappear, nobeast knew for sure. Whether it was the environment or thieves that killed them or they were simply using the creatures as an escape was always to remain an enigma. But the hope of one day waking up to see an army marching on their side was what got them through the days. The creatures of Agrinaut were living for the soul purpose of witnessing Damien's death and the restoration of their land. But you can only live on hope so long before you begin to lose it.

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I like this chapter because it gives us a feel for how the cathedral is laid out. It shows us a bit of the transformation that this symbol of peace for the prairie creatures has gone under. Initially, Agrinaut had a castle that The Plague took over and ruled from. But after an exchange trip to France, I changed it to a cathedral and modeled it after the one in Chartres, where I stayed.

[Feles]

This is going very well so far, i cant wait to see who this hero is, though i have my suspicions 











I think its Leonardo

[Captain Tammo]

You're on the right trail, but it may not be exactly who you expect it to be!

Chapter 3 (or 35)

Many days passed and winter's first snow would be arriving at any moment. Most everybeast was still in mourning for the loved ones they had lost on the day of the failed revolt. There were no bells that chimed for them, no caskets that were carried in processions, no grave to even look upon. So they all gathered in the town's cobblestone square, as they had always done in the past. However, an overwhelming feeling of gloom still hung in the air like a foul smell. Mazzie had discovered the fate of her brother and was taking it especially hard. Sam had been her only family left. Now she lived with Ander, the hedgehog who had been shot trying to save Sam. He was alive, though still bed ridden, and Mazzie performed all of the tasks he normally would in thanks for letting her stay.

The town of Agrinaut was much different than how it had been in the past. Before The Plague arrived, Agrinaut was a thriving community of a grand scale. Ships would arrive daily at its harbor to exchange metals, wood, and stone for the many foods that Agrinaut produced. Now the only ships in the harbor were rotting away and half sunk. To the North of the town was the cathedral, which stood tall on its own and served as a landmark. There had once been homes that hugged the cathedral from all sides but in his initial plunder, Damien brought hell's fire and burned them all to the ground. Now there were no traces that they had ever been there. The only thing that had not changed was the land. Mazzie remembered her elder brother Sam would always say "You can tear down a house, pillage the ships and loot our possessions, but you can never do that to the land because it always has been there and always will be." and he was right. The farmlands that surrounded Agrinaut in a semicircle were everlasting and even while The Plague infected the town, the unrazed land stayed true with its continuous output.

Mazzie wandered aimlessly through the crowd looking for somebeast to talk and laugh with. Nobody had been happy lately and it bogged everything down. Mazzie felt like either the colors and creatures around her had washed-out appearances, or it was just the tears in her eyes that were playing tricks on her. She found her friend, Lakkle the squirrel, talking with a couple of moles. Lakkle was a good creature; older than Mazzie, but younger than Sam. He always had a pipe in his mouth (though it was never lit) and the same pair of flour sack trousers on. A straw hat sat atop of his thick-jawed head and only just kept his eyes in the shade. If there was anything new going on in town, he was the creature to talk to.

"Hey Lakkle, how's yer family doing?"

"Hey Mazz," he replied, "we're hangin' in there an' getting by. How's Ander?"

"He's getting better. Dr. Mole stopped by and looked at him, he'll be back to his old self again soon. Got any news?"

"Yeah, I was jus' talking with Nubby an' Carl the mole twins about a new fella we spotted today. He's jus' an oldie, but I talked with a few beasts who tried approaching 'im and they all said they couldn't get much more than a hello outta him. Rumor has it he's from out West though, so he could be interestin'. Poor creature must have no idea what kind o' town he's jus' wandered into.

"What a shame. Just when I was hoping we'd get a traveler who could be o' some use to us and get rid of 'Mr. High an' mighty' in the cathedral."

Lakkle shook his head and bit his cheek, "Yer still set on getting rid o' them? Even after what happened last month?

"Of course I am! Sam wouldn't have given up an' I won't either." She replied with a bit of sting.

"Well, I may not understand you all that much, but there's one thing fer certain, you're a brave mouse, Mazzie. We could use more creatures like you."

There was a brief pause until Mazzie's curiosity took over, "Where is the old mouse, maybe we can go try to talk to him? Who knows, maybe he'll even be able to cheer us up a bit."

"Huh, or creep us out... Last Nubby n' Carl saw him he was sittin' 'n front o' the bakery, c'mon."

The pair made their way through the thick crowd and across the square. Lakkle stopped Mazzie halfway and pointed at her level so that she could follow his paw. "There he is, see the one in the tattered red military jacket and the funny hat?"

"Yeah, he looks really old!"

"I think wanderin' does that to creatures... Let's go."

They arrived at the front of the bakery and stood over him, "Hey." Said Lakkle, "You new to these parts?" The mouse just sat there and did not look up. Lakkle tried again, "Er... Do you have a name?" The mouse looked up at him from under the brim of his tricorne hat and Lakkle saw his face. The mouse had a long beard, evenly cut whiskers that drooped down to his chin, and ugly scars by his ears, presumably from some battle long ago. His fur was gray, but held a few threads of a brown-colored fur that still clung on—the last of their kind. His eyes had a gray-blue color like they were the dark, deep waters of the ocean on a stormy day and they had heavy bags hanging under them. He appeared healthy, though quite visibly worn.

"Hello there." Was all he said.

Lakkle tried again, "Hi, I'm Lakkle, an' this is my friend, Mazzie... Folks here say yer from out West, 's it true?"

A few seconds passed before the strange mouse answered "Yes, I am from quite a ways away, farther than I am sure you have been."

"What brings you here, then?"

"I am not even certain of that one. Could be the wind, could be something greater, could just be my own two legs, but we never know for sure, do we?"

Lakkle slid his pipe from one corner of his mouth to the other with a roll of his tongue. "Huh, well I hate t' break it to ya, stranger, but I think you've come to the wrong place. This town's under the control o' the Rat King, Damien the Damned. An' creatures don't last as long as they used to anymore. You could try leavin', but there's only two ways outta here: Joinin' them as a collaborator or dyin'. There's no in-between. We decent folk who've tried pushin' away Damien 'ave chosen the latter. 'last attempt at a coup d'état lost us a pretty hefty number o' beasts an' I bet you more an' more creatures 'll be turnin' on each other as each day goes on."

The strange mouse remained seated and let his head roll to the side and take in the sun. "Hmm. Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you, then. Perhaps I could help you lot out? Every warlord will last only as long as their subjects 'll let 'em."

Lakkle and Mazzie were stunned to hear this creature say such words. New in the town just that same day and he was already talking of revolution? How bizarre! But Lakkle kept his cool and exchanged with Mazzie a sideways glance. "Alright, stranger, what words o' wisdom do you got for us, then?"

"Come find me tomorrow and I'll tell you."

"Why's that?" Said Lakkle, but the mouse was finished talking and the two eventually left the odd creature to be with himself.

+++++

Shortly thereafter their conversation with the wandering mouse, Mazzie and Lakkle found themselves in a rather frustrating situation. A band of roughly twenty tax collectors showed up in town with empty sacks slung over their shoulders. All creatures were ordered to stay in their homes until the taxpayers came along to collect the dues of Damien's new kingdom, marking the second collection just that week. The coming winter would undoubtedly be much worse on the creatures of Agrinaut. The tax collectors split up and marched down the cobble streets, swinging their knives and clubs around like drunken drum majors. Mazzie heard the pounding on the door and called up to Ander in a hushed whisper, "Ander, where's the money, they're already here!"

The hedgehog replied from the confines of his bed, "Bah, another bloody tax?! There's none left, I've spent everything I've got... Just pretend that we're not home."

"But they'll torch the place!"

Thud, thud, thud, "Open up or we'll do it for ye, you greedy hogs!"

Mazzie swallowed her fear hard and opened the door just enough to peek her head around. "Can I help you?" her voice squeaked at the sight of the gruesome collector. He was a tall and fat rat that held a long club over one shoulder, and a clinging bag of meager change at his side.

"C'mon you hog, open up an' pay yer dues t' the King. Last house di'n't have 'nough, so they're waitin' fer a trial by Damien an' prolly the gallows soon after. Unless that's somethin' ye wanna do also, I'd find yer coin, quick."

Mazzie tried to keep her fear hidden. "Alright, I... I'll find some. Jus' stay there a little bit longer." She didn't wait for a reply, only shut the door and slid the thin, iron bar into place. Such a lock would do next to nothing against an intruder, but even if it did nothing, it still offered at least the illusion of safety. She ran up to where Ander lay in his bed, tears streaming down her face. "Ander, Ander they're gonna hang us both if we don't come up with some money quick! Are you sure there isn't anything that we couldn't use t' pay them off just this once? I promise I'll get us some money for next time—please Ander, they mean to kill us!"

The gruff hedgehog was visibly worried upon hearing this and he hugged Mazzie tightly. "Well, I bet you we could send them off with a few items that could suffice... Let's see what we have, eh? C'mon, Mazzie, now, now, they won't hurt you..." however Ander wasn't convincing anybeast. He grabbed a crutch and began searching around the house. But no sooner had he gotten up had the collectors lost their patience.

It just so happened, by coincidence or by fate we will never know, that the wandering mouse from the square happened across the scene. He was following the cobble path to no place in particular and it seemed that no creatures had bothered approaching him yet, as he did not appear to fully understand why the streets were so empty in the middle of the day. Perhaps they've all got the plague, he thought, unaware of the irony in his own thinking. But it became horribly clear as to what was really going on when he saw the little mouse he met in the square being pulled by the hair on her head amongst the most terrifying of shouts out of her house. This little one was not like other creatures that he had met. There was a certain familiarity about her that he was not willing to let go of, but he could not put his paw on it. Until he figured it out, he was not about to allow a filthy rat drag her away for heaven knows what kind of cruel punishments. A horrible rage filled the chest of the wanderer in those moments that followed. He quivered at the injustice that he was witnessing before him. Flashes of faraway memories bounded across his vision and revived an old fire that he had thought was long burnt out. No, he would not let these vermin hurt her!

The wanderer did not say a word in the beginning, but only acted. And drawing from his belt, he produced a sword and charged at the unsuspecting rat with speed unnatural for a creature so old. "Let her go, coward, Eulaliaaaa!"

The rat fell slain and the wanderer looked at the little mouse lying on the cobbled street. He had hardly enough time to even speak a word when the sounds of more creatures neared from both up and down the narrow street. The wanderer helped her up and wiped the dirt off of her shoulders. "Get out of here. Quickly now, there's no telling what's about to happen. It doesn't matter where it is, just so long as you're not found until they're all gone, understood?"

Mazzie nodded her tear stained face at the wanderer and began making her way back into the house. "Aren't you coming, too?" she asked him, nearly begging, but the old mouse simply shook his head and gave a feeble smile.

"Somebeast has got to take responsibility, else the whole town 'll feel it. You've plenty o' years left in front o' ye. I've done quite enough already an' they won't be able t' break me. Jus' stay in there and don't come out, ye hear?"

Mazzie shut the door and slid the same, thin iron bar into place and sat on the floor with her back to the wall, watching the door. She listened closely, and tried painting a moving image of what was happening outside. She heard the pounding footsteps of multiple beasts running down the street. Their boots on the cobble made a certain clacking noise as they approached. One must have turned the bend and seen the dead rat being hauled away by the old wanderer. One of them, presumably a rat, shouted and the footsteps of the others grew louder and quicker.

"What the devil is goin' on here—Yagh, he killed Raggle, get 'im!"

There came a series of scuffling noises as they closed in on the wanderer. He must have resisted, but couldn't do too much against such numbers, especially in his age. He was quickly overwhelmed and brought to his knees. Mazzie could feel the large blade being held against his neck as the rat spoke to him.

"Yer gonna pay fer doin' this to a member o' The Plague. You know what the consequences are fer killin' one of us is? Death!" The blade drew back and Mazzie waited to hear it fall onto the poor wanderer's head, but it never sounded. "We're gonna let Damien settle this one with a trial. Heh, death's the easy way out. You'll be half rotted away by the time he gets to you! Take 'im to the jail to await his trial."

A miracle! He'd be safe there for the time being, surprisingly. Mazzie breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to know more about this creature. Why did he bother saving her? That's not how things worked anymore. She had only just met this creature and he was already prepared to lay his life down for her. Some could argue that it was madness.

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Chapter 3 is done and out! We got to meet a couple of new characters that will be playing some larger roles in the story, probably the most interesting so far being the old wanderer. What do you think is going to happen to him?

Also, I decided to make a map to help illustrate the layout of the land of Agrinaut more clearly. This should help when trying to follow along with the story.

[Captain Tammo]

Here's the next chapter! There's a little "spoiler" box at the very end of the post for people to read after this chapter if they haven't yet read Part one and two of the 'Simon' series. It'll just highlight a little bit of back-story for you so the story is easier to understand

Chapter 4 (or 36)

Mazzie and Lakkle approached the entrance to Agrinaut's ancient jail. It was an old building long neglected from the peaceful lives of the creatures of Agrinaut, now nearly falling apart at the seams. There were only a few actual cells that were still of use, so The Plague took surprisingly good care to move creatures out just as quickly as they came in. The floor was of a slimy stone brick that was always cold to touch. Only decomposing straw covered the ground in the cells, accompanied with a thick blanket of dust to keep warm. The only things that did not seem to crumble at the touch were the iron bars that kept the prisoners at bay and the locks keeping the doors shut. Some cells that had their fronts damaged had the bars replaced with long pipes from the organ in the cathedral.

Two weasels were guarding the entrance. The first of the two asked, "Wot's yer business 'ere, runts?"

Mazzie raised her chin to the two figures that towered above her. "We're here to visit somebeast before their trial."

The second weasel spit and leaned on his spear. "Heh, 'nother family member?"

"That's right. My, er, uncle."

"Then what's a squirrel doin' here with ye?" he said pointing his chin at Lakkle.
Mazzie thought quickly, "Family friend."

The first weasel squinted at the pair suspiciously and exchanged a glance with his partner. "Tell ye what, since I'm feelin' nice t'day, I'll let one of you's in. The other can stay here under our watch 'til ye get back. You'll get ten minutes, an' if I say it's time t' leave, it's time t' leave. Got it?"

"I'll stay." Said Lakkle reassuringly, "Jus' tell 'im I said hey." Mazzie nodded and the door opened with a screech that made her wince. She could feel the dark, dank air sucking what little warmth that remained outside down into its depths. She took a deep breath and stepped inside where a third guard would escort her down to the cells.

Before she was allowed to descend, Mazzie had to be patted down for anything that could be used as a weapon. The she-rat did not find anything of the sort, but stopped when she found a pretty necklace around Mazzie's neck. Without saying a word, the rat pocketed it and then ushered her along.

"Who're ye here t' see?"

"The old mouse that was brought here just yesterday." Mazzie said nervously.

Nothing was said by the rat guard for a brief period of time as if she was confirming the existence of this creature. "Oh, that so-called 'revolutionary'? Brought him in for killin' a taxer. I think it's good that Raggle's dead; had that one comin' a long time in advanced. Dirty, cheatin' coward... Down the hall, last cell on your right. Make it quick."

Shivering in the cold, Mazzie brought her cloak closer to herself and carried on past each cell. But keeping her eyes off of the creatures that dwelled inside was something that she could not bring herself to do. Each cell contained in it another starving beast that Mazzie had known for her entire life. In one cell she saw the former town baker, now without an ounce of meat on his once plump figure. He would always give Mazzie and Sam free loaves of bread for sweeping off his porch on the weekends. The little mouse slowed in front of his cage and looked at him hunched over facing the corner, nibbling on what appeared to be a stone. He turned over his shoulder and saw Mazzie walking by. With a great yell, he stood up and threw the rock at Mazzie, "You did this to us! You and your stinkin' brother! Look at me... Look what you've done to yer ole friend, Himelick!"

Mazzie hurried along and said nothing in reply slowing down to a stop about halfway down the hall to think about what had just happened. Then she heard a soft whimper coming from a cell to her right. It was a kind family of field mice that had lived next door to Ander. "Mrs. Knox, Mrs. Knox is that you?" she said and put her paws on the bars in front of her.

Mrs. Knox turned around and saw Mazzie's sad expression, "Oh, dear, Mazzie Mosey?"

"Yes Mrs. Knox, it's me, what happened?"

The now prisoner sniffled deeply, "They threw us in here when we couldn't pay our tax. They've already taken Peter away to trial and... and they're going to ha-a-ang..." Mrs. Knox's dialogue was cut off by her whimpering. Now Mazzie's eyes were also tearing up at poor Mrs. Knox's plight.

"Momma, I'm hungry." Said her little dibbun, Cory.

"Cory's in there, too?!" Said Mazzie with much surprise in her voice.

"They took us all, Mazzie. Please, you wouldn't happen to have any food on you, would you?" The two jailed creatures looked at Mazzie like she was a beacon.

"I... I'm so sorry, Mrs. Knox but I don't have any. But I'll find a way to get you out of here, I promise!" The voice of Mrs. Knox echoed in Mazzie's ears as she continued down the hallway.

"Thank you, Mazzie. But please hurry! And if you ever see my husband, tell him we love him very much!"

Incidents similar to the past two seemed to continue on for a while with various friends and acquaintances from around the town all crying out to her, just a little mouse, in all kinds of tragic and desperate ways. Finally, after what seemed like a mile of nothing but horror, Mazzie arrived at the last cell on the left. Inside the wanderer sat cross-legged and with his eyes shut. Though the strange beast appeared to carry bruises here and there, he seemed to be okay and quite at peace from what Mazzie could tell. She cleared her throat politely and the mouse looked up at her with a smile.

"Oh, it's you!"

"Hello, sir. I wanted to come see you and thank you for saving me yesterday. Nobody's ever done that for me before an... and well I really appreciate it. You never had to do that for me."

"Oh, it's quite alright, my dear. I've been in much stickier situations before if you can believe it." He said with a smile in his gray-blue eyes.

Mazzie didn't say much at first, but she couldn't just leave at that. There were far too many unanswered questions that she needed answers to. "Why did you do it?"

He cocked his head to the side slightly "Help you?"

"Save me."

He nodded, "You remind me of a creature that I once knew."

Mazzie smiled shyly and sat down on the other side of the iron bars. "Oh, who was she?"

The wanderer smiled, "She was my wife and I thought you looked a lot like her. When I saw those vermin hurting you it was like seeing that happen to my own daughter, so I decided that I wanted to do something about it."

"What happened to your wife?"

"She was killed a long time ago by vermin."

Mazzie looked down in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."

The wanderer smiled, "It's okay, she's in a better place now."

"How do you know that?"

"I don't, I like to think it."

"Why? If you don't know for sure, how can that provide any sort of comfort?"

"When things are not certain, choosing to believe that something is good feels much better than thinking that it's not. We never know for sure if our loved ones are in a better place until we're gone ourselves, so why not believe for the better?"

They sat in silence for a minute and Mazzie thought about it. "What's your name?"

"They call me Leonardo."

"You said that you could help us." Mazzie lowered her voice and leaned in closer. "Help us get rid of Damien the Damned. Well... Can you?"

Leonardo glanced down and gave half a smile, "Aye. I suppose I could do that for you. But first I need to know more about these vermin and what has happened since they've arrived and such. I'll make a plan for you based off of that and you can begin taking down the horde."

Mazzie was taken aback. "What do you mean I take down the horde? Can't you do anything?"

The old mouse gave a chuckle, "Of course I can help, but not until I learn a few things about what's going on. Judging by how antsy these guards get, I doubt you have much more time in here so I'd be quick on getting me up to speed. My trial will be soon and, from what I hear, they tend to run more like a sentencing. I strongly believe that killing a member of their clan won't be an action looked lightly upon by them, either."

"Very well, here's more or less what's happened in a nutshell... Agrinaut, this land you're in now, was once a very peaceful and tranquil place to live. We mostly farm and live relatively humble lives. The town is not far from the Eastern Sea, only a few miles if you take the road, and we always got a lot of trade coming in and out of there.

"But then everything changed when The Plague arrived late last harvest. They came in enormous numbers. A pawful of these terrifying creatures called 'Plague Doctors' marked the arrival of The Plague by showing up in town about a day before. They didn't seem to do anything—didn't even seem to be real living creatures! They only walked around town and made us all feel uneasy. Creatures who tried talking to them were greeted with no response, they were not even acknowledged. To this day we don't know what purpose the Plague Doctors serve other than to bring fear of unknown horrors.

"The next day, The Plague came into town and began demanding places to stay on the consequence of enslavement. We somehow found a way to chase them out of town and thought that that was the end of it. However come that night, half of the town went up in smoke. The Plague Doctors walked down the streets starting from the northernmost part of town and making a sweep south past the cathedral. All the while they threw torches into the windows of houses and lead the main horde behind them. So many good beasts died that night. We were saved not by our own defenders but by a storm that swept through and doused the fires before they could spread further. We were all so terrified that Damien was able to establish a ruling over us from the cathedral and has been acting as a cruel monarch since then.

"We thought that when spring came he'd move on to pillage and raze other areas, but we were wrong. 'Turns out that he happened to like the cathedral, his new dark fortress, and it's been nearly a full year now since his arrival. My brother, Sam, got a group of his friends together and started a resistance. You met one of them just yesterday, the squirrel Lakkle. Initially, they just did hit and runs. Soon I got involved in it, too, as well as many others from the town. We all formed a sort of militia and started pushing back a little bit. I helped fight The Plague and even took one or two down with my sling! Not too long ago we decided that the time had come for a grand coup d'état, but it failed and nearly all of us were killed off. Even Sam...

"Since then, Damien's been cracking down on the whole community by setting impossible standards then punishing us for not fulfilling them. At the rate he's got us all scrambling around at, there's not a chance that we'll all make it through the winter. And that's about when you showed up."

Leonardo said nothing for a moment while he thought. "How many creatures are there in Agrinaut and how many creatures are in The Plague?"

"Um... Agrinaut had nearly fifteen hundred beasts before the vermin showed up. I'm not sure how many are left, but probably only half. And from what I've seen in the cathedral, The Plague numbers at least five hundred."

The wanderer's ears perked up, "You've been inside the cathedral since the arrival of the horde?"

"Yes. They locked away all of the dead down in the cathedral's crypt. They mistook me for dead and I woke up down there, but managed to get out." She shivered in fear at just the thought of the horrors that she saw down there. "It was horrible, it's enough to drive a creature mad—"

"No!" Leonardo barked. The little mouse jumped and flinched. He watched as Mazzie looked at him confused. "No, it's not. Come back tomorrow, I need some time to think up a plan. But please, don't get into any trouble until then, alright? I can only do so much from behind a set of iron bars. Oh, but this may help you get back in." Leonardo removed a few coins from his pocket and deposited them into Mazzie's paw. "Have this on you next time you come in and they'll only take that when they pat you down, rather than anything personal."

"Where'd you get this from?" She said curiously.

"It's from that bag o' tax money that beast dropped when I slew him. Grabbed a few knowing they'd come in handy one way or another."

"Alright, I'll come back about the same time tomorrow. When's your trial?"

"Dunno. They don't tell us these things until we're leaving for it. Here's to believing that I'll still be here tomorrow, eh?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I particularly enjoy this chapter. We get to find out who this old wanderer is, as well as get some backstory on The Plague. Some peer reviewers asked me why these vicious vermin would waste time with a jail system if they're only going to kill them off in the end. The reason The Plague does this is to provide the cruel illusion that there is hope for those who are in the jail. It doesn't sound like Damien has ever actually pardoned any "crime".

I also included the jail because I wanted The Plague to run a rather twisted society where it has a government, judicial system and all that, but at the same time is so cruel and merciless. You'll see more of this in chapters to come.

Backstory (1/2)

Super-Abridged Version of Part I

In Part I, The Origins of Simon, we meet a tall mouse named Leonardo, who is sailing the great Western Sea in search of the elusive villain, Deamal the Menace. Leo was brought to Salamandastron when he was a babe and was raised as the badger lord's son. Leonardo and his friend Dassiter, who was introduced at the beginning of this story, served as scouts in the Long Patrol during their younger years and did many missions. On a routine mission, the two discovered a razed coastal village and learned that a creature called "The Menace" was responsible. Leo began having night terrors that the Salamandastron would be taken by Deamal and one night Leo killed a Long Patrol hare thinking that it was "The Menace". As a result, Leonardo was exiled from Salamandastron by the badger lord. Dassiter asked to join him and together the two set out aboard the Seaspark, a ship that would take them on a search at sea for some nineteen seasons to hunt down Deamal The Menace.

Eventually, the crew, including Dassiter, get fed up with the search and ask Captain Leonardo to discontinue the hunt. However Leonardo was not about to let go and he pressed them all onward. Eventually the crew plans for a mutiny and Leonardo overhears them. Rather than acting, Leonardo slowly gets driven insane. He navigates the ship into the waters of "The Monsters of the Abyss" in a last-ditch effort to locate Deamal the Menace. Unfortunately, the Seaspark gets caught in a battle with the Saberfin, a great swordfish. Leonardo's insanity becomes apparent to the crew and he is stripped of his rank as captain by Dassiter. Leonardo attempts to fight back but in his madness he accidentally kills one of his crewbeasts, Runty Simon Lamour. Horribly ashamed, Leonardo escapes on a lifeboat and both the ship and the sea-monster go down defeated. While the remaining crew row to the nearest island, Leonardo rows out to sea full of regret.

Leonardo finds himself on a tropical isle, Amijowi, and there his insanity reaches it's full power. He begins to hear a voice in his head named Simon, who Leonardo quickly becomes victim to.

After some time, Deamal the Menace and his crew arrive on Amijowi, their ship nearly in pieces. Leonardo begins picking off the crew one by one but is ultimately caught and left horribly wounded on the beach not far from Deamal's camp.

Leonardo's former crew (who had thought Leonardo was killed when the Seaspark went down) mourn for him, knowing that it was not truly Leonardo who killed Runty, but rather his madness. After making an escape from the island in the waters of "The Monsters of the Abyss", Leonardo's former crew find their way to Amijowi and find Leonardo by chance.

A great fight ensues and Leonardo kills Deamal, but not without great consequence. Many of Leonardo's former crew are now dead, one of whom being Bellus, a beautiful mousemaid who Leonardo was going to marry after Deamal and his crew were killed (Mazzie reminds Leonardo of a young Bellus). Additionally, Leo now has Simon (his insanity) to deal with.

Part I then ends with Leonardo and the remaining crew (who are all on good terms again) journeying to Redwall to spend the rest of their days in peace. Leonardo plans to see if the healers there can help him get rid of Simon before he and Dassiter make a return to Salamandastron as the heroes they hope to be.

[close]

[Captain Tammo]

This is another chapter with a "spoiler" tag at the end of it. This one will highlight a bit of the story in part II that you need to know. It will be the last tag that you'll have to read to be up to speed with those who've read parts I and II

Chapter 5 (or 37)

That same night that Mazzie left, Leonardo sat in his cell and pondered his options. He sat towards the corner of the room with his back to the wall and his side to the smooth iron bars. Out of boredom, he began striking a rock against the bars and listening to the different clangs that they made. The rat guard soon appeared just opposite the bars.

"Hey, cut that racket off or you'll get the whip!"

Leonardo continued striking the bars. "It makes a sweet noise, no? They're like my own set of bells." He struck again and a chip of the rock broke off and nicked his ear. The rat guard gave a snort and walked back to her station.

Leonardo raised his paw to his ears and brought it away with a little dabble of fresh blood. Rolling his eyes, he placed his paw back on his ear to stem the bleeding. His rough pads rolled over a series of deep scars and he was met with a flood of memories. It had been many seasons since he had gotten those scars. They served both as a painful reminder of what he had become, as well as what he had overcome... or at least suppressed.

It used to always come and go several times throughout the day and night with no pattern. After he left home and became a wanderer, he always lived in fear that one day it would all return to him again, maybe worse than before? He made it a few seasons down the road since his cleansing until Leonardo began to feel it bump again. Nothing extreme by the least bit, but a little bump that reassured him that his enemy had not died; he was alive...

+++++

Leonardo wandered into the new camp cautiously. His worn military coatee and boots still traveled with him just like they always had. There was, naturally, a great shuffle among the inhabitants of the encampment upon his arrival. They were a nomadic band of foxes, living in tents and various wagons that were pulled by themselves. They had few weapons, but were said to be a mystical group by the tavern keep, so he hoped that they would be able to help him.

"I am looking for the one you call Lira." He told them. Suddenly he had multiple knives at his neck. Taking a few backward steps, Leonardo turned to run, but found that he was surrounded.

"What do ye want with Lira, eh, punk?"

"Ye know what she could do to a creature like ye?"

"If ye think that killin' the witch 'll get ye some kind o' bounty then yer dead wrong. Nobeast with a brain sends a bounty hunter after her. She'll put a spell on ye!"

Leonardo raised his brow and reached into his pocket. "I'm not trying to kill the witch." He said and produced an oddly shaped coin, "I'm here as a customer..."

The inside of Lira's wagon was like sitting on the inside of a kaleidoscope. There were shelves full of thick tomes, voodoos, jars of whiskers, snake skin, shredded bones, seeds, even a couple of dried out eyeballs! Long purple strands of silk swooped in low from the ceiling and were covered in a series of squiggles—or some unreadable text used for witchery. He sat at an empty wooden table and patiently watched the beaded curtain, which served as a divider from the forward and back end of the wagon.

The curtain opened and closed with a clacking noise and Lira the fox-witch emerged in a shrouded black cloak. "What is it you search for, weary traveler, a potion of love? No, you are a handsome mouse, most likely with more than one lover I imagine. Perhaps one of strength? No, your military garb shows me that strength is not something that you seek... Ah, of youth perhaps! Though you may not yet be old, age is a force that none of us can best... That is, without the right mixture." She said with a smile and held up a bubbling concoction in a rounded beaker.

Leonardo placed a small leather bag on the table. "In that bag is enough money to get me what I seek. I need you to do something for me."

Lira inspected the bag and spilled its contents onto the table. Her eyes went wide with shock and she looked at him suspiciously. "What is it that you need?"

"A cure."

"Ah, a simple cure remedy. For what, a cracked rib, plagued loved one?" Lira held up another beaker of steaming potions in each paw.

"For madness." He said

Lira's smile dropped from her face and she put her potions away. The old fox leaned in closely and revealed to Leonardo a heavily tattooed face with burgundy fur and amber eyes. "There is no potion for such things. Are you the patient I heard would be coming?"

"I am."

"Well then, I won't waste any time in beginning. You say that you are mad, eh? It is because you have evil spirits in your head. If we want to get them out, the simplest and most effective way is through trepanning."

Leonardo was immediately set aback. "Trepanning? That is not what I was told you would do."

Lira gave a smile that, though suspicious, told him that this creature knew what she was doing. "It is the only way. Do you want to get better or not?"

Leonardo weighed his options carefully, for this was not a safe and simple procedure like the witch said it was, but what could he do? Leonardo was desperate for a way out. Lira held out a sappy green vial, "Drink it." She said, "Drink it and you won't remember a thing about it. But don't worry, I'll make sure nothing bad befalls you, not for a creature who can pay as much as you can..."

Leonardo took the vial and drank it with a wince.

Now, many seasons later, he sat in his cell and touched the old copper coin hidden beneath his fur that covered the small hole towards the top of his head. "Huh, cure for madness? I was mad to accept!"

+++++

The next day, Mazzie went back to the jail to see Leonardo. Just as planned, when she was being searched by the guard at the entrance, she was relieved of a few of the coins that she had been given from Leonardo. The rest were hidden away back with Ander in case she visited again. She made an effort to keep her head down the whole way to Leonardo's cell, but could not help but glance up at each cell that she passed to see who was still there and who had been replaced by a different creature. She found Leonardo waiting for her in his cell, standing tall as if waiting for guests at a table to be seated.

"Hello, Mr. Leonardo."

"Please, Mazzie, call me Leo."

"Did you think of anything?" the little mouse said, clearly not willing to waste any time with chit chat.

Leonardo lifted his chin with a considerable amount of pride for one in a prison. "Of course I did... Please, sit down and we'll talk, but not too loud. I don't want any of the loons to hear us."

"The guards? No, they can't hear us."

"Excellent! I've hatched an idea that will knock this so called 'red rat' off of his pedestal."

Mazzie's face brightened up at this remark and she sat down with Leonardo. "How, what is it?"

With a face that quickly transformed from rather arrogant to very grave, the old mouse looked down the hall to make sure nobeast was eavesdropping. "The plan that I am about to propose to you, Mazzie, requires us to do a horrible thing that I wouldn't wish upon anybeast unless it would save more lives than it'd cost. There will be blood shed over the course of its execution, and I want you to know that, but there would only be more violence if we didn't do anything. Do you see what I'm saying, here?"

Though she was afraid of what was about to be said, the little mouse shook her head yes.

"Good. What did you notice different about the hog just a few cells down from here?"

"Who, Mr. Musk, the baker?"

"His name isn't important now. Huh, I doubt he'd even identify by Musk after all the changes he's gone through. I heard him say something to you as you passed by his cell, do you remember what it was?"

"How could I not? He was such a nice creature before all of this. I believe his words were 'insanity took us, Mazzie, and it'll come for you too!'" the hair on the back of her neck began to stand up when she recited it. That poor creature, hurtling his broken body against the cage like a tiger pouncing on its prey.

"Madness. We are going to do the same thing to Damien to what he did to that hedgehog; we're gonna make the greatrat lose his head."

Mazzie was not convinced. "That's a horrible idea, he'll just become even crueler than he already is! Nobeast is brave enough to stand up to him, sane or insane. And even if it was a good idea, how could you make a murderer into something even crazier than a murderer?"

Leonardo shook his head, "Oh, Mazzie, if only you could know what I know. Madness won't make Damien crueler, it'll make him irrational. He'll lose his leading ability; I've witnessed madness do the same to... a creature that I know very well, hm... uh, it's going to serve as a key step in this whole operation. Just leave that part up to me for when I go to trial. But you are going to be running everything else."

Mazzie was taken aback, "What, me? Mr. Leonardo—"

"Leo."

"er, Leo, I don't think that I can do that."

"Sure you can. I've known you long enough to know that this is not something out of your league. And I can assure you that if my life was on the line and I didn't think that you were ready, I'd have picked somebeast else."

"I'm going to be responsible for your life?!"

"You're going to be accountable for more than just my life, Mazzie. T'wont be easy but are you willing to lead a revolution in order to save your home?"

A few water droplets dripped into the cell from the ground above them and landed on a torch. The flame sizzled and wavered a bit before settling down and getting hit by another drop. The clanging of chain mail armor at the opposite end of the corridor was loud as the guard shifted around in her seat and makeshift desk. Inaudible mumbles protruded from behind various sets of bars, some of which were rusted away and replaced by heavy planks that blocked out what little light there was to go around. A minute ticked away by the time that Mazzie was ready to answer.

"I'll do it."

The wanderer smiled and lowered his head, "Excellent, now let's begin. My current situation works out for the best right now. Since I'll be taken to trial, I don't need to worry about infiltrating the cathedral since they're going to escort me in there right to the creature I want to talk to. Once there, I'm going to take on the role of a seer."

"Why a seer?"

"All warlords are superstitious. I just need to plant the right seed in his head and not only will he begin believing the things that I say, but he'll become dependent upon them. All I need to do is prove my worth a couple of times, essentially set up a trap without his knowledge, then I'll lure him in with something big and he'll do all the work from there."

"How are you going to do that?"

Leonardo gave a half of a smile that chilled Mazzie's bones a little bit. She was beginning to think that this was not the wanderer's first time manipulating a creature of power. "You just let me take care of it, okay?"

She nodded.

"What I need you to do is rebuild the morale of Agrinaut however you can. Make your creatures remember the pride that they have for this place, their kingdom. Hang propaganda, spread word of a new movement through the underground, create a flag to unite behind, you'll soon find that just the two of us reversed the balance of power in this land and given it back to the townsfolk."

Mazzie pursed her lips in thought, "That seems like an easy thing to say, but doing is a whole 'nother thing! All of us are scared out of our wits to wind up killed. You realize that this is just going to make things harder for us, right?"

Leonardo already had an answer prepared. He dragged a pawclaw along the ground and peeled back a layer of black grime and rubbed it between his fingers. "There are going to be increased patrols, increased tax, an increase of everything except provisions to go 'round. In order to combat this, Agrinaut is going to have to stick together. Organize a group of those who are willing to fight. It won't be the entire community, ho, not at all. You'll wind up with maybe fifteen percent of the population that's willing to do more than silently approve a revolution. It's shocking, though, how easy it is for a small ring of creatures to run an entire operation. Just look at how Damien does it! Get that small group together and start doing isolated hit-and-runs on tax collectors and such, little things that will spread through whispers on the wind. Make a symbol for yourselves, a moto or image that can be spread across a banner. You'll soon find that when the time is right for a full-scale strike, you will be leading a force much greater than you ever expected."

"But you don't understand! Damien will still have hundreds of vermin on his side that will fight for him. Even if we bring him down with madness and revolution, he'll still be too big to hit!"

Leonardo reached through the bars and gently placed his paws on Mazzie's small shoulders. She was just like what he thought a daughter would look like and reminded him of that creature he had known and loved so long ago. What would a father say to his daughter in a situation like this? The old mouse gave a reassuring smile and lightly squeezed her shoulders. "No, Mazzie. He'll be too big to miss."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! The next chapter will be posted in 3 days. Until then, comments, questions, and constructive criticism are all welcome

Backstory (2/2)

Super-abridged version of Part II

Part II picks up where part I left off (see the tag in the previous chapter if you have not yet read the Part I summary). Leonardo is admitted into Redwall's infirmary and has stayed there for a full season now. Despite being at Redwall for so long, Leonardo still does not really know much about Martin the Warrior other than that he's the mouse on Redwall's tapestry and his spirit supposedly acts as protector and savior of the abbey. Simon, Leonardo's voice that he hears in his head, convinces Leonardo to "test" the abbeydweller's word about Martin the Warrior. Leonardo attempts to kill one of the abbeydwellers in Great Hall, but is stopped by Dassiter, who jumps in at the last moment.

The infirmary keeper, a pretty mousemaid named Jul, is Leo's primary care unit. Despite Jul claiming that Leo is making progress, the near-killing that occurred in Great Hall shows Abbess Hannah and the rest of the abbey that none has actually been made. Dassiter, Leonardo, and the rest of the crew were supposed to leave on a trip to the high North Coast to visit the holt of an otter that survived one of Deamal's raids. They believe that the holt may have survivors, but have no more time to sit around and wait for Leonardo to get better. Dassiter forces Leonardo to stay at the abbey and get more help while the others leave for the North.

Not long after Dassiter and the crew leave, a horde of vermin turn up outside of Redwall's gate. Leonardo is the only one at the abbey who has experience with vermin and is put in charge of dealing with them. It turns out that Leonardo is acquainted with this vermin captain, as they were partners in hunting Deamal the Menace. This puts off any attacks for the time-being but creates a very big dilemma for the creatures at Redwall: the only creature able to repel these vermin is also insane and almost killed a redwaller just a few days prior. In addition, he is acquainted with the vermin standing at their gates! Can they trust him, or should they just take their chances with the vermin?

Many of the abbeydwellers clearly want Leonardo gone for the safety of the Redwall, including the abbess. However, Jul wants him to stay so she can continue to work on him with the goal of curing Leonardo and earning notoriety for healing a madmouse.

Leonardo continues to suffer from his mental illness and has a dream that he is trying to hold back Simon by putting up walls in his mind. Then Simon suddenly goes quiet and a bright light appears. The light speaks to him and Leonardo struggles to see who it is that is talking, but cannot figure it out. The light tells Leonardo that he must defend Redwall and that "what you intend for bad, I will use for good." then it disappears and Leonardo wakes up.

Leo runs down to Great Hall and finds Abbess Hannah and Jul, Leo's caretaker, having a conversation in front of Martin's tapestry. Leo eavesdrops and hears that the abbey has decided that they need to get rid of Leonardo. Feeling angry that he is not wanted despite holding off the vermin, Leonardo leaves the abbey that night, silently bidding them all good riddance from beyond the wall.

The vermin attack Redwall several days later and it becomes painfully evident that Redwall will fall eventually. Leonardo soon returns to the abbey, but is now commanding the vermin horde alongside their leader. Leo puts on an act such that he appears insane to the abbeybeasts on the wall, and is confident with a plan of attack on the side of the vermin. However, Leonardo has a much larger plan in mind that will take out the vermin horde.

Leo then launches an attack that destroys most of the vermin horde while he breaks into Redwall, alone and unnoticed. Once inside, Leonardo grabs Martin the Warrior's sword and opens the front gate. This allows the remaining horde, a mere 7 or so vermin to enter. Leonardo kills the majority of the vermin by surprise before they make it to the abbey's lawn and he takes the remaining few down, nearly dying in the process.

While on the verge of death, Leonardo has a vision that he is walking towards dark forest's open gate. However Martin stops him from entering and places a paw on Leonardo's head. He then tells Leonardo not to suffer anymore and that the world still is in need of his help.

The story ends one season later with a conversation between Leonardo's former caretaker, Jul, and Abbess Hannah. It is revealed that Leonardo was cured of Simon, but not by Jul. Rather, it was Martin the Warrior who ultimately destroyed Simon. Leonardo had since returned to Salamandastron with Dassiter as a hero and the two were serving in Salamandastron's navy patrol. But recently, Leo had disappeared without a word, leaving his former crew concerned about his health. What could have made Leo leave so suddenly?

[close]

[Captain Tammo]

Chapter 6 (or 38)

Lakkle was waiting outside of Mazzie's house when she returned to town. He sat atop of an empty barrel with his long pipe protruding from under his straw hat. He was talking to, or more likely coaching, two younger moles on how to scam a couple of hedgehog brothers that kept picking on them. When he saw Mazzie coming around the bend, he finished the session and ushered the two little ones away until next time. The agile Lakkle leaped from the barrel and landed in front of Mazzie, giving her a big hug. "Well," he said, "what did the ole geezer have to say?"

"Oh, jus' some o' this an' that. C'mon, I'll tell you inside!" She said with a smile.
The two hurried into Ander's house and sat on the lower level around a wooden table. Ander also wanted to hear what had been said by this supposed savior and he hobbled to the table with a cane in paw. Mazzie retold of the conversations that had occurred that day and Lakkle and Ander became giddy with excitement.

"Yeah, this is just what we needed! Ye got my support in any way that's needed, Mazz, an' I'm sure Ander can say the same, right?"

"Aye, I'm in. So, he wants us to form an underground resistance, eh? I suppose we could gather creatures here for any meetings, but we'll have to be careful unless we all want the chopping block."

"Trusting creatures is definitely going to be something that we'll need to be cautious with. That's why we should start small and try to stay anonymous. We're the symbol of Agrinaut, not a group of creature's names." Said Mazzie.

"Sounds like a good plan to me. Did Leonardo say how long it would take for Damien to go coo-coo?"

"No, but he seemed to really know what he was doing when he said he'd do it. I don't know how he'll do it, but that's not what we need to be worrying about right now. Let's start by spreading the word to just a few creatures that we can trust and we'll grow from there. We'll start making a few posters to put up around town once we get a few creatures on our side, then when we feel confident we'll start doing hit-and-runs."

"T'wont be easy gettin' creatures back onboard for a full-scale revolution. 'specially after seein' what they did to... er... who died last time."

"You can say it, Lakkle, I know what they did to Sam now. I saw them throw him into a chapel in the cathedral's crypt along with everybeast else."

"They're keeping them in the crypt?" Said Ander. "I knew they took them away, but I had no idea why, nor what they did with 'em all."

Mazzie shrugged her shoulders and rested her head in her paws on the table. "I guess they didn't want any of the families to take the bodies back home and memorialize anybeast as a martyr. Dunno why they'd keep 'em all in the crypt though, jus' makes the cathedral more sacred to have all of 'em buried in there."

None of them said anything for a few moments, only sat in thought and pondered their options. Then Ander spoke up. "Well, sittin' around a table, as nice as it is, won't get any work done if we want to get rid of Damien. I'm not fit for walking much more than up or down those stairs right now, so why don't you two split up and head around town recruiting creatures while I start gathering what supplies I can find around here. And be careful who you tell this to. The last thing we want is a collaborator among us."

+++++

Leonardo was marched from the crumbling prison to the cathedral with paws bound in front of him and a guard on all four sides of him. It was a somewhat pleasant walk, with the exception of the overpowering stench of those that surrounded him. Very few birds passed by overhead in the southerly direction, probably because the birds around the cathedral always took after them or different hordesbeasts would turn their bows to the skies when they saw a migrating flock. There was still no snow to have fallen, but the air did have a very crisp feel to it. It was the wind from the sea that actually kept the weather a little bit warmer than the flatlands farther inland. No clouds populated the sky and the sun did little to heat the air. The sky itself had a bright, almost white color towards the horizon and seemed to grow darker as one began following the sky up until they arrived at vertical and saw that it was of a navy hue. They walked on along two parallel dirt strips left behind by the many thousands of carts that passed over the same ground going to and from the sea, cathedral, and town loaded up with goods and charity. The grass was very green and reached up to Leonardo's mid-shin, and could be seen moving around in various patterns on nearby rolling hills and plains as the wind brushed through it. What a shame that such a beautiful day had to be wasted in the way that it did.

The cathedral loomed forward out of the horizon and gave a warm feeling from afar, but a much darker and sinister one upon closer inspection. The caws of the ravens perched above the gargoyles were the only noises that came from the bell towers. The stone foundations of some once standing homes dotted the surrounding area and were already beginning to sink back into the ground. The very land itself around the cathedral seemed foreboding and decrepit. Back in the main square of the town, Leonardo could recall seeing trees planted between houses and overhanging the road in some areas, but here the trees had been burnt and were now only blackened shells that disintegrated at the touch. Poor things... Who forces beasts to live this kind of life? It was a question that Leonardo was all too familiar with, and was not entirely innocent of doing, himself. He recalled back to the time when he deserted Redwall Abbey to be taken over by a crew of vermin. Though that wasn't entirely his fault... What was the name of that other creature who was with him, again? Sam? He hadn't felt him move in a long time.

He waited until they were just in front of the cathedral's Southern portal before he went into character. He was about to be the star in his most grand production yet: making a warlord mad! The Southern portal opened and Leonardo was met with his jury: a motley mob of rats, stoats, ferrets, weasels, birds and other hideous bodies of meat. The aisle towards the transept was perfectly cleared and surprisingly orderly despite the vicious crowd on either side of the way. Leonardo marched towards the center with his escort on either side of him. More towards the Eastern portion of the cathedral lay the high altar in which he could see 'the red rat' Damien the Damned lounging sideways on his golden throne with an enormous gavel in his paw, a rather unsettling irony.

They reached the center of the transept and then were directed up a perpendicular aisle towards the high altar. Damien appeared to hardly even notice his next victim as he was guzzling a goblet of wine and talking to one of his commanding officers. A guard pushed down on Leonardo's shoulders in an effort to make him kneel, but he remained standing until another kicked the back of his legs behind the knee and he was finally set down. He kept his head high however and looked directly at the rat king for some time before he was finally noticed. Damien dismissed his officer and remained in his throne.

"Well then, who do we have here? Hehe, why the bold look there, don't ye know who yer looking upon?" He said in his deep and booming voice.

Leonardo motioned with his head to the escorts on either side of him. "I would consider training your guards here a bit more. They seem to not know how to respect a beast, especially one who is able to contact the spirit world."

Damien swung his legs from over the arm rests such that he was now sitting properly and he leaned forward to inspect the mouse before him. "Oh, so ye claim that yer a seer, eh? Alright mouse, you have my attention. What are you here for?"

"For doing what I was ordered to do." He said in a soft, almost snake-like voice and was quickly given a whack to the back of his head.

"He's here fer murderin' Captain Raggle, your highness. I wouldn't listen t' anythin' he says."

"Oh, on the contrary, I'd like to hear what this un has to say, first. It gets so boring giving prairie scum the gallows all the time." He leaned farther forward in his seat, "I want to do something more interesting. Go ahead, mouse, if you really can conjure a spirit for us, then do it!"

Now the creatures surrounding the aisles began abandoning what they were currently engaged in and looked at the odd figure in the upper transept. Leonardo kept calm and closed his eyes. "I will, but not in these conditions. I must be in perfect silence and a conversation between myself and the spirits is only to stay between myself and the spirits... and whoever's fortune that I'm telling." He smiled inwardly when he saw Damien's reaction.

"Ye can tell fortunes? If you can prove to me right now that you can speak to spirits, then I'll let you live long enough to tell me my fortune."

Leonardo bowed his head slightly, "Thank you, Damien, son of the unspoken. As the bridge between this world and the next, I can read thoughts. For example, right now I can see that you are unsure whether you believe me or not, but I am informed that you want to."

"True... But that's something that anybeast can think up. I'm no fool." Damien gave a taunting smile, this mouse was no seer, only a fraud trying to get out of an execution! "Tell me, mouse. What do you see in your future?"

Leonardo hinted at a smile, "I see you getting very angry at me upon realizing that my powers are no lie, your highness... Your majesty's arm is rather unusual looking. Would you like me to tell everybeast present what happened to it?"

"If you wish, though I can't think of a creature who hasn't heard the legend."

"Your arm is damaged and limp. Your thoughts tell me that you claim it was lost in a fight with a dragon, however I can see in your mind that it was lost to something much less notable..."
Damien's taunting smile faded away into a scowl and he took a swig from his goblet. "Choose your words carefully, mouse. Slander of the high king is punishable by death."

"A disease! One that comes at a young age and leaves behind a crippled body. There is no remedy for it other than amputations and astringents."

"I've heard enough of this! Guards, take him away!"

Multiple vermin made a motion at Leonardo, but he stopped them in their tracks with a quick response. "Laying hands on a seer brings forth the worst of omens, just ask the walking corpses that brought me here in a few days! If you don't believe me, you've nothing to lose then, do you?" He refocused his attention on Damien, who appeared to be in a blaze of anger. "It causes limbs to crumble up like a grape in the sun."

"I gave you an order!"

"This is why you created a name for your horde that even you would fear, 'The Plague'. Something that nobeast can best, even you!" Muffled whispers began twisting their ways through the crowd surrounding the transept and high altar and more vermin came forth to listen. Just as Leonardo could feel the red rat about to pounce on him, he held up his bound paws to silence everything, "But wait! What better weapon is there than fear, my king? Even with that arm at your side, you could still best any other champion in this entire cathedral. You're still a king who tore down an entire civilization in one night... like a plague."

There followed a long pause of silence in the surrounding area and Damien sat back in his throne and took a good look at this peculiar mouse. Finally, he opened his mouth, "I think I'll hear what this seer has to say in the privacy of the crypt. But first, bring me a chopping block and the two guards that disobeyed my orders. I don't care what kind of beast stands in your way, you answer to only one beast and that's me!"

Damien himself led the escort to the crypt and ordered the few guards present upon their arrival not to move unless he instructed them to. They left them at the top of the stairway and descended into the chambers of Agrinaut cathedral. Leonardo tried not to gag when he reached the bottom of the stairway. An unbearable odor hung in the air and poisoned Leonardo's lungs, making it much more difficult to stay in character. Damien, on the other paw, seemed to be entirely unaffected.

"Do you know what that smell is, mouse?"

Leonardo had no trouble keeping his body hunched over and using a raspy hiss of a voice. The smell seemed to only make it genuine. "Yes, your highness. They are the corpses of your enemies, rotting away in the vault."

"Aye, they are, and if I find out that you're a fraud, you'll be joining them without seeing the light of day again."

Leonardo bowed low, "I have nothing to hide, my lord." He was lead down the dimly lit corridor. Eerie statues that once stood for freedom and told the stories of peace were now decrepit and blackened, tragic representations of what they once were. As they passed by one of the multiple chapels, Leonardo thought that he could hear unnaturally heavy breathing from the other side of the door. He contemplated what it could be. Was it a survivor from the revolt? It would have to wait for now.

Damien led him into an unused room with a stone floor and low ceiling, most likely a store-room for the wine that they've all been drinking. A single candle was brought in and placed on the floor. Damien sat on the side closest to the exit and Leonardo on the other.

"Alright, mouse, you have my full attention, now you may tell me my fortune."

From within his long sleeve, Leonardo produced an old copper coin with four very small holes cut out towards the edges in a cross shape. On one side of the coin, there was a very rough depiction of the lunar cycle in a clockwise circle. On the other there was a sun, snowflake, leaf, and flower that overlapped the four holes. He chanted softly and placed the coin gently on the ground.

He then produced a pawful of sticks and rocks and took care to lay each one down on the ground as if they were eggs that would break. He mumbled a few words to himself and then picked them all up and shook them violently. "Oh spirits, I, the bridge between this world and yours, ask you for your guidance. Tell us what the future holds in store for he who is Damien, the rat king. Mokka halla Nok sui-noma nananu grikk odranoel xolev smailliw et mi shamm nomis... Yah... Hello, spirit. Have you come here to tell us this creature's future?... He is not a seer, spirit. Make yourself visible to both of us so that he too may see his future. Yah!"

Damien's eyes opened wide and he breathed deeply. Leonardo studied his sticks and coin and then translated to Damien. "These two sticks that landed in this cross, that represents where we are now, since it is the same symbol above your door. The rocks that surround it are the creatures native to this land–"

"And the coin?"

"My king, do not interrupt the spirit as they speak through me, you'll bring a bad omen on us all!"
Damien snorted, "I have never seen nor heard a spirit do anything in all of my days. They always elude me and are wrong far too much of the time for other seers that I've encountered. I am starting to question their very existence–"

"Be wary of your tongue, my lord, for the spirits have the power to use your future against you! You do not want to anger them—"

"Shut up! I ain't talkin' to you no more. Spirit, show yourself! Prove that you are who you are—"

"Damien—"

"You address me as king! Agh!" Damien's eyes went wide with horror. There he was in front of him, a twisted look on Leonardo's face and his paws raised high. The gold coin floated up into the air and spun rapidly. "How... How is this possible?!" Said Damien with a gasp.

"You have angered us, rat. Now your time has been cut short. Behold, the date of your demise lies on this coin!" The words that came from Leonardo's were not his usual character voice, but a high wail. The coin slowed its rotations and came to a stop and began spinning the other way. Again, it slowed and spun the other way, and again until it finally came to a stop.

The mouse's face relaxed and the coin dropped to the ground. He shook his head and looked about confused. "My king, what happened– gah, the coin! My lord, you have angered the spirits quite a bit. Behold, it is the date of your demise!" Leonardo picked up the coin and dropped it again. Two black spots were now present, one on each side. "Look, the snowflake is black. This mean that your death will be in the winter. And here, the full moon is blotted out. That means that your death will fall on the night of a full moon. My lord, I know not whether your death will be soon or twenty seasons from now, but these conditions will be present when it occurs. You must have angered the spirits quite a bit to have been given this information."

Damien looked at the coin in stunned silence. "How do I change it back?"

Leonardo stroked his beard in thought, "I cannot see anything. For once fate is sealed, there is no going back—"

"You lie!" Damien threw himself upon the mouse and pinned him against the ground. "If the spirits can rewrite my fate once, they can do it again! Now I'd get to work on fixin' this, mouse, for I have until this winter at the least to skin you alive if you don't think o' something!"

Leonardo winced and turned his face away. "Your majesty, harming a seer brings the worst of omens. Since we are the bridge between this world and the next, we are necessary to keep the balance and protect the spirits. If you harm me, the spirits will come after you a lot sooner than this winter. If you want to buy yourself some time, I suggest that you start treating us bridges with a little more respect."

There was a short pause that followed and Damien released Leonardo. "Forgive me... my friend. I need some time to think about what's happened." With this Damien bolted out of the room.

As soon as he was gone, Leonardo let out a chuckle and gave a smile. He wiped the grime from one of his blackened paws and untied a thin line from the other. Picking up the end of the line and watched as the coin appeared to levitate once more. "And just like that our little seed has been planted." He said with a glint in his eye and placed the coin back on his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was a longer chapter, but thanks for sticking with it! I hope that you found it interesting. So it looks like Leonardo is going to use the thought of an oncoming death to make Damien go paranoid. When I was first writing this story, I had Wayz, Damien's captain from the beginning of this part, set as the seer with his own revolution in mind. However, I ended up switching this around a bit to give Leonardo a part with more to it than beating up bad guys (but that will also show up ) and Wayz ultimately faded into the background.

Anyway, the next chapter will be up in three days. Until then, any questions and comments that you have are welcomed!

[Captain Tammo]

Chapter 7 (or 39)

The following night brought with it the first snow of winter and a waning gibbous for a moon— four more weeks until the next full moon. The creatures of Agrinaut all huddled together in their homes with tattered blankets next to their fireplaces. Stomachs growled and the prairie creatures were growing thinner by the day. There would be more than a few instances of starvation to come, and with that many a hard moral choice.

Down at Ander's house, a tall and beefy hedgehog named Henry Felix gave a patterned knock at the door. A young otter named Ollen answered the door, "C'mon in, Henry, we're just about to git started."

The young otter led Henry inside and locked the door behind them. There were only a few beasts present; eight if you included Mazzie, Ander, and Lakkle. They all gathered around the wooden table on the lower floor in candlelight.

Mazzie stood atop of her stool and placed her paws on the table, "Thanks for comin' everyone. This is the first ever meeting of the C.O.R.I.A.— Community Of Revolutionaries In Agrinaut. We've asked you few creatures to come here because we know you as beasts who both can be trusted and want to take action against The Plague. We're starting out small, but I have a strong feeling that soon we'll have a lot of numbers for our cause. Since we're all acquainted with one another already, we'll leave out any unnecessary introductions so we can hop right into why we're all here.

"You've all been given a brief summary on what we ultimately want to do. Now it is time to plan out how we will get there. To start, I think that we should do something that will get our ball rolling, then we'll start spreading our name. With this in mind, what do you think we could start out with?"

They all sat there in silence for a few minutes and listened to the howling wind outside sweep through the bends in the street. Several times over the course of many minutes, a creature would try to say an idea, but would withdraw it just before it left their lips. A middle aged squirrel named Fee fidgeted with her paws and hummed a soft tune to herself. It was only a matter of time before the eager Lakkle lost his patience. With a sudden thrust from his wooden stool, Lakkle pushed his straw hat back and pulled his pipe out of his mouth. He jumped up onto the table, staying mindful of the candles, and addressed the beasts around him with an approach less formal than Mazzie's.

"C'mon, you lot, we're clever beasts. We jus' gotta think o' something an' I'm not gonna leave 'til we've all got a plan in place." He extended his paw and pointed at Henry the hedgehog, "Henry, when I tell you that we're gonna do something t' fight The Plague, what's the first thing that pops inta yer mind?"

Henry cast his eyes down in thought for only a second before slamming his paw on the table to reassure himself. "I think we should git them rotten taxers with an ambush, that's what!"

Mazzie intervened, "No, we're still too small to do anything of that scale! We need to start smaller. The last thing we want is to lose the wind before it even has a chance to fill our sails."

"Aye, I'm with Mazzie. There's no need t' be reckless so quickly on." Added Fee.

"I'm with Henry on this one." said Ander, "Though stayin' conservative with our actions is a good idea for the long run, we jus' don't have that much time if we all want to survive the winter. The best course is to take action now and fill our sails with twice as much wind!"

"Yeah, what Ander said!"

"I vote for Mazzie's plan."

"I vote Mazzie, too."

"T' hell with sittin' around. I vote we take action quicker!"

Mazzie pulled Lakkle off of the table none too gently and waved her arms about to restore some order and get everybeasts' attention. "Hold it! We need to watch our volume in case somebeast hears us on patrol. Before we all decide to do the first thing that pops into our heads, let's look at some other options first. Agreed?"

They answered in unison, though not all happily. "Agreed."

"Right then, I think that we should start smaller. Tax collectors may appear spread out, but will always travel in groups and from personal experience, I've seen how quickly they can react. It'd be too hard to hit something of that size when they're all around us. However, patrollers are only a couple beasts at most in a given area and would be easier to ambush in the middle of the night. I vote that we attack a patrol o' just one or two beasts and loot 'em nice and good before we sling them in the gutter."

"We're gonna kill them? I dunno, doesn't that seem a bit, er, rash?" Said Ollen the otter.

"I suppose it could be viewed as so." Said Fee. "But seeing as how many more of us will die before they get their fill, which very well could be down to the last of Agrinaut's creatures, I think we can all agree that we're morally excused."

"What does everyone else think?" Said Lakkle.

Ollen appeared anxious. "Sounds a bit extreme for my taste, y'know? But I guess extreme times call for extreme measures... I'm in— but I ain't doing no killing myself. I'll help out another way."

"That's fine, Ollen. Who else is in?"

"Hold on a minute, what other options do we have aside from killing beasts? I'm no warrior, I jus' want my old farm back. Can't we try something a little more civil, like protesting? If we got a bunch of other beasts in with us, say a few hundred, we could put Damien in a bit of a pinch. He can't kill us all and still get enough food and tax for his next season's harvest." Said Marco, a mouse who ran a colza farm north of the cathedral. His home and fields were razed by The Plague and he was forced to move into town with his brother, Lopo, who was not present at the meeting.

"Protesting would be a good idea, except Damien's a killer and wouldn't give a second thought on slaying off a few creatures to dissolve any protests." Said Henry.

"What if we didn't kill anybeast unless it was absolutely necessary? That is, we only rob the patrols and let them deliver a message for us?" Said Fee.

"That sounds too risky." Added Ander. "We're trying to weaken the force that The Plague has on us. By letting them walk away from this, they'll only crack down harder on us and it'll give 'em a way to find us a lot quicker. But if we slay 'em all out when we raid 'em, then we get the loot and considering how many beasts there are in that horde, they'll hardly notice a couple o' beasts' absent. When they finally do figure out that somethin's gone wrong, all the evidence will be gone and we'll already be on the next batch."

"Huh, killin' beasts and taking their loot. Now we're starting to think like them, too." Said Ollen. His words seemed to hit the group rather hard. He did have a point. Was it really justifiable to do the same thing back to these creatures, no matter how cruel they were, after what they had done to them?

Mazzie attempted to give a different point of view to the same situation. "There shouldn't have to be any killing, but that's just what these conditions are calling for, Ollen. And we won't be taking anything that was theirs, we'll only be stealing our own stuff back! These damn pests are what killed our friends and family and they'll continue to do so unless we act appropriately. It doesn't have to be anything too overwhelming at first, but I think we can compromise to satisfy everybeast and still get our message across to The Plague and here's how..." She dived into her plan and the others looked on, nodding in approval.

+++++

The following night, Mazzie walked through the street towards the direction of the cathedral, the remainder of the coins that Leonardo gave her jingled softly and she stuffed her paw in her pocket to silence them. It was late, nearly midnight, and Mazzie was on a mission in which a few coins could go a long way. The streets were all dark, but she could still make her way about with ease and familiarity of the streets that she had walked on all her life. Despite the vacant area and open air, Mazzie kept her mind from wandering too far off of her task in front of her. With a slow pace, she treaded carefully around the bends in the street, making her way to the cathedral towards the North.

Just then, she heard voices drifting through an alleyway from the next street over. Perfect, she thought to herself and crept into the tight opening between homes. Just as the squeezed through on the opposite end, she turned and nearly walked right into the face of a snarling rat lit by torchlight. Mazzie let out a squeak of alarm that was only half an act.

"Wot are you doin' here this late, little pig?"

Mazzie's face was of real alarm as the rat stared her down with a large eye. "I, er, was jus' goin' fer a walk, y' see, a-a-an' I was jus, erm..." She held her paws up and took a few paces backward, bumping into another vermin behind her. Mazzie leaped forward in surprise.

The vermin that was behind her, a short stoat, gave a wicked smile, "Aye, there. Wot's that jinglin' sound comin' from yer pocket? A little coin, maybe?"

"N-n-no, just some dull rocks clackin' t'gether. They're good fer—uh, therapy an', uh, stuff!"

The rat took a step towards Mazzie, "You're actin' miiighty odd fer bein' on jus' a walk, ye runt. Hand over whatever you've got in that pocket o' yours."

Mazzie backed away from the two slowly.

The stoat yelled at her, "Hey, do as th' cap'n says or I'll gut ye!"

Mazzie wasted not a second more; she had their attention and that was enough. With a swift kick to the stoat's groin, she darted past him and down the cobbled road. The rat hurried after her, quickly followed by the stoat. "Git back here, you pig! I'll chop off yer tail an' feed it to ye!"

Mazzie kept running all the way back down the cobbled street in the direction from which she came and could feel the vermin closing in behind her. Seeing an opening in a narrow alleyway leading back to her original street, Mazzie cut through it. The Stoat arrived closely behind her, but could only fit his arm in after her.

"Gah, she's gone in there. C'mon, we'll flank this piece o' trash!"

Mazzie hurried out on to the other side of the way and back down the street. There was no way the tense horror on her face could be made up. Mazzie knew that if she did not make it to the rendezvous point on time then she'd be in serious trouble. With the thrilling air stuck tightly in her chest, the little mouse ran forward with as much strength as her paws could allow her.
Meanwhile, Lakkle ran across the rooftops just beside Mazzie, keeping an eye out in case anything went awry. When they started nearing the target site, Lakkle ran ahead to alert the others. "Here she comes, lads, git ready!" He quietly called to the creatures waiting on a sharp bend in the road, which connected the street which Mazzie was on to the one with the vermin chasing her.

"Which way are they comin' from?" Asked Marco.

"Looks like she'll come in from the lef' an' the two villains 're comin' in from the right t' cut 'er off. Hold fast now, they'll be here any second!" Lakkle then turned to the large hedgehog, Henry, who was also sitting on the rooftop with a large barrel full of dirt next to him. "Ye ready, Hen? When our lot down there picks up their spears it'll stop the baddies fer jus' a moment afore they start runnin' back 'way."

The hedgehog cracked his paws and got into a ready position, "Aye, I'll show them blighters jus' who they're messin' with. They won't see a thing comin'."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There you have it! A new movement in the town has been born and they're already taking action against The Plague. What do you think of what Ollen, the young otter at the meeting, said about killing and looting the bad-guys. Is it really justifiable? When I was writing that bit, I was drawing parallels in my head to conflicts in the middle east with terror organizations. You hear a lot of people saying "just blow 'em all up" (or at least I hear that a lot). Is it justifiable, or is it simply doing exactly what you're trying to prevent? I'm curious to hear what you guys think about it.

As always, the next chapter will be out in three days, so stay tuned!

[Feles]

Maybe Daimon has a pet wolverine
heavy breathing ya know

probably not

[Captain Tammo]

You should find out what all that noise from behind the vault door was soon enough! But until then, here's the next chapter

Chapter 8 (or 40)

Over the next several days, Leonardo's reputation as the all-seeing seer among The Plague seemed to explode. He was treated both as royalty and a foul omen wherever he walked. Taking his new-found abilities as an advantage, he began to explore and learn more about this new cathedral while overseeing the crumbling of Damien's mind, the effects of which were already beginning to have subtle effects. Leonardo could say to himself with certainty that once the ball began rolling, it would quickly gain momentum and become impossible to stop.

Though this begged the question, was it possible to stop his own madness? Even then, Leonardo was not quite sure if Simon was still there. For many seasons following his leave from Salamandastron, he lived in the fear of Simon's return. He was not sure what it was exactly, but Leonardo knew that something was not right and he began to believe that maybe Martin did not heal him, or maybe he couldn't! The thought itself seemed to make Leonardo's stomach want to twist with nausea.

Leonardo wandered around Agrinaut cathedral, mostly out of boredom, but partially to spark a hint of fear into the common hordesbeast's heart (during this time, Leonardo had managed to sneak his way back down to the crypt to see if he could find the chapel with the audible breathing behind the door. Even after finding the closed entry he was looking for and rapping quietly on the frame, no sounds replied. If it had been a survivor of the revolt, he could not help them now). He avoided conversing with any of the hoardesbeasts unless they were of considerable power, but would on occasion tell a runt's fortune and watch it come true by pulling a few strings from behind the curtain. The four guards who had escorted him into the cathedral from the jail were all dead now. Not by Leonardo's doing, but mostly out of their own stupidity and fear of a coming end. Word of these happenings tended to spread like fire through the ranks and he would shortly after foresee misfortunes connected to various, somewhat rare, events such as a red sun in the morning, the sound of a bell or chime, or whatever else may have popped into Leonardo's mind. In a matter of days, Leonardo had nearly the entire horde under his thumb to an extent. He was still a way off from having complete command since Damien was still being rational, or at least as rational as a warlord can be.

Having so much time to himself, Leonardo ventured into town on occasion, though not without a burdensome escort of vermin. He needed a way to let his friends know that he was alive. Nobeast on the streets bothered picking a fight with Leonardo and his guards, but many turned their disappointed faces towards him, thinking he was a collaborator.

Through a stroke of luck, Leonardo found Lakkle near the square and managed to slip a piece of paper to him without the guard's notice. It was a note for Mazzie that simply read,

I'm alive and the plan has taken root wonderfully!
~Leo

The cathedral was also becoming familiar to Leonardo, as a lot downtime allowed him to study the remaining texts of the cathedral and its structure to the point where he could recite the statistics by heart:

Length: 172 paces from West to East.
Width: just over 60 paces from North to South.
Nave height: about 50 paces.
South belfry height: 138 paces.
North belfry height: 149 paces.
Total area: 18,700 square paces.
200 statues set in 41 scenes in the choir enclosure alone.
176 stained glass windows.

It was ancient; most texts placed its age at around a thousand seasons, but different legends placed its age from seven-hundred to sometimes over fifteen-hundred seasons old. It was of enormous size and complexion, a great feat of architecture in every form. Great gothic symbols were strewn across the walls as beautiful carvings, many of which were now blackened and chipped or dull due to age and the presence of The Plague. The stained glass windows towards the East side were all that remained intact due to the foiled coup d'état some time ago. Leonardo studied them and managed to piece together a bit of a story that depicted Agrinaut's history. Though there was certainly more to be learned from it.

He learned that the bells in the Northern and Southern belfries had been chopped down and smelted into crude bronze weapons and armor. Now they served as the nests of vicious crows and ravens. Contrary to common belief, it didn't appear that there were as many of these 'countless savages' as thought. Though, this did not dismiss the birds as no threat. Rumor had it that beasts who went up there to search for more loot were pecked to death and left to rot. However, there was one creature who claimed to have been to the top of the belfry, a red fox named Kovur. Out of pure curiosity to hear Kovur's story, Leonardo told him his fortune. Kovur claimed to have once been a trusted captain in The Plague during its formation. Though he was of a lower rank, he believed that his leading ability was greater than that of Damien's. After many seasons of serving him, Kovur said that he was cheated out of his share of some loot and was never given the promotion that he deserved. Out of anger, he organized a group of his own followers and waited for his time to strike Damien down. However, a traitor among his own ranks ratted him out and Kovur's followers abandoned him. Damien, wishing to be cruel rather than swift, ordered that Kovur be locked in the Northern belfry and eaten by the crows and ravens.

"What happened up there?" Leonardo asked.

"The first day they nearly kill't me. I din't have anywhere's t' hide from 'em an' they kept pickin' away at me." He said, sliding a dirty sleeve up his long arm to reveal an ugly set of scars. "But I was smarter than them dumb birds an' I somehow managed t' fend 'em off with me own paws. Thank the seasons that we didn't bother bringin' down the ropes for the bells. I managed t' tie 'em together an' repel down to that walkway between the two towers. Kept my head low ever since, an' imma gonna find a way t' get back at that devil's child one day. Been waitin' fer my chance since then. He still thinks my bones are rotting up in the tower, too. Heh, I can't wait t' see the look on that ant's face when he finally sees me."

"How has the word not spread to Damien of your return? Other beasts seem to know about it."

Kovur gave a squinted look at Leonardo. "Huh, you seem t' ask a lot o' questions fer a seer who should be knowin' ev'rything. Wot'd ye say yer name was agin?"

"Lee."

"Huh... I'd keep yer head low, too, Lee. You've got more n' a couple beasts who 're on to ye."

Leonardo was also given his own quarters to stay in that was away from the main horde, which was located by the Northern portal in the sacristy. It was surprisingly comfortable for being an area torn apart by vermin, a beast could get used to it. That night he thought carefully to himself.

"I'm gonna need to watch what I say to keep up this whole 'mysterious character' charade." He whispered aloud to himself in the privacy of the sacristy. He was beginning to note the not-so-subtle sets of eyes that would stare him down as he walked by certain creatures after what Kovur had told him. So Leonardo began to devise a plan that would show them all the power of his words in The Plague. It couldn't be something that could kill Kovur, but Leonardo did not want the fox dead. He would be useful for creating unrest and removing Damien from power. What Leonardo needed was something that could show Kovur that Leonardo was above both Damien and him. Something that would show him that with but a word, Leonardo could have the entire horde turn on him. Clearly he was not convincing everyone, but at least he kept them all curious.

In fact, Leonardo was keeping the horde very curious about him. He received many questions each day, one of which indicating the thin line that was strung around his neck like a necklace. Leonardo produced the object for the vermin to see it and explained, "This, young fool, is the bark of the spirit tree. A sacred object that connects directly to the spirit world through a hole at the base of its trunk. It is what allows me to keep in touch with spirits of the past and present, as well as look into the future."

If you twisted the words around a bit, one could argue that it really did keep Leonardo in touch with the past, but not in the way he portrayed...

+++++

Leonardo leaned far over the side of the small sailboat's rail and caught the water's spray on his whiskers. He'd spent many days out at sea with Dassiter aboard the Seaflame and he had been perfectly at ease with all of it. That is until he got another visit from Martin the Warrior. Now he'd been gone from Salamandastron for two full seasons in the midst of a deep search. This was nothing but a detour.

The day reminded him of the old days of yore with his friends at sea. The island loomed forward, still just as frightening as before, but not quite as surprising now. Wanting to find an old friend was what spurred Leonardo to fund the expedition, and greed drove the rats he had hired to take him out there as an unarmed payer of business. He knew that they would not try to kill him, not if they wanted to get paid. And he knew that only a pack of rats would be willing to risk these waters. It may have been risky, but to Leonardo, it was the only way that he could get what he wanted: liberation. After several minutes of positioning and Leonardo's direction, the captain of the boat, a rat named Sgin asked,

"This the spot, Lee?"

"Aye, way enough and throw the anchor down here."

Another rat approached him, "You promised us some treasure, ye best not be lying, now!"

Leonardo smirked and put his paws on the young creature's shoulders. "Course not, Binc. It's all down there in the captain's quarters. Should be more n' enough t' pay fer this expedition. I'm more worried that you'll run out of air, first."

A third rat named Rokkdrop chimed in from the bow when he was throwing the anchor, a simple rock and rope, overboard to keep the ship in place. "Heh, we deal with this crud all the time, Lee. Why else would ye come to a bunch o' pearl divers t' loot a shipwreck, eh?"

"So what's the deal, ye jus' want a piece o' the teak deck er somethin'?" Said Binc.

Leonardo leaned over the edge of the ship and pointed into the dark blue waters. "Down there is a ship I served on. I want you to bring me back a piece of it, any part will do as long as it's still in somewhat of a good shape. The rest is all yours."

Binc and Rokkdrop donned a couple of baskets around the front of their necks. "Let's git our treasure an' get out o' these waters, mates. Y' know what they say 'bout Hsif-Drows." Said Sgin.

"Hah, if yer gon' let a couple o' sea monsters git in the way o' yourself an' some good loot, then yer no friend o' mine!" Replied Rokkdrop

Leonardo leaned his back against the rail and crossed his arms. "Why do ye think the ship sank in the first place? Managed t' take down the sucker in the process, though. Bet you'll find the beast's bones under the ship if ye look good an' hard. Might as well take a souvenir while yer at it. I hear monster bones fetch a good price these days, hehehe."

"Hahahahaha, I like ye, Lee. You'd o' made a good captain of a crew." Said Rokkdrop.

Leonardo simply nodded his head and allowed his smile to fade away. Binc and Rokkdrop then dropped over the edge.

+++++

The day after the first ambush on the patrol by the C.O.R.I.A was met by word spreading very quickly through Agrinaut of the two dead vermin that were found at the edge of town. This was done all among a whisper by the townsfolk and all among many shouts by The Plague. Yet still it remained a big mystery to everyone: what exactly caused this gruesome event? The corpses had been stripped of their gear and apparently crushed beneath a great pile of topsoil and splinters of wood. Nobeast claimed to know what had happened except a few beasts living at the edge of town who heard a large bang. The only real information that was known to all was that foul play was involved and that it happened around midnight.

None of the officers in the town that morning wanted to be the one to go back to the cathedral to tell Damien. To be the one to report it was often times to be the one who let it happen, and that was never a good title to have. The rat with a short straw in his paw didn't approach the high altar until it was nearly noon. Damien was on his throne in deep thought and appeared to be having a whispered conversation with Leonardo (or 'Lee' as he was called). The rat bowed low and waited for the rat king to call on him. His back was hurting from bending over by the time that Damien finally dismissed his seer and acknowledged the rat.

"What is it?"

The rat stood upright but did not look at the king's eyes. Lee was still stood beside him. "Your majesty, Lord Damien, there has been a murder of two officers in the town that occurred at this past midnight, sir. I am the first to have the news."

"What?!" the rat hardly had a moment to duck from the near-empty chalice that was flung overhead.

"M-m-my king, we are investigatin' it as I speak. Please, 'twasn't my fault! Yowch! 'twas an ambush by rebels, my k-king!"

Damien grabbed a third chalice with his worm-like tail and threw it at the rat in front of him. "How is this possible?" Without warning, he turned and grabbed Leonardo, "You, seer, how come you did not foresee this happening?"

Now more pairs of eyes were set on what was unfolding on the high altar. Leonardo thought quickly as the rat's rotten breath filled his nose and his claws gripped his skin. "Lord Damien, I cannot keep track of more than five hundred fates at once unless the spirits show them to me. Only the date of your death is known to me as it was the only one revealed by the spirits!" Just like that, a key piece of information was now public information. Leonardo knew that the upcoming night was most likely going to see himself waking up at the knife point of a beast who wanted to know some specific information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I threw in a few dimensions of the cathedral to help get a feel for the size of the whole thing. I used paces so that the ratio between humans and a mouse would remain about the same whereas if I used feet or meters, it would bring some confusion as to whether those are "human meters" or "mouse meters" or "hedgehog feet". To a human, a pace is about 30 inches, so you could think of those measurements as in yards if you wanted to get a full scale of things.

Also, I want to give a map to show the layout of the cathedral, since not everyone is familiar with ancient gothic architecture terminology (heck, I'm not even that great with it).

The next chapter will be out in three days! As always, feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you think of the story so far! I'd love to hear what you guys have to say!

[Feles]

This is my newest favorite in the series

[Captain Tammo]

This is my newest favorite in the series

Thanks Rake!! I'm glad to see that you're liking it so far!

[Feles]

Just wondering, is this the place Leo wrote his "I'm happy, Hope your happy too" note, it would make sense i suppose

[Captain Tammo]

Well, considering that the beasts at Redwall got that note only a few seasons after Leo up and left and Leo is almost elderly by the time that we get to this part of the story, I would assume not.

However this leaves what sort of circumstances he was in when he did write it up for debate. We see that he was living in a pretty good amount of fear during his travels since he thought that Simon still may be alive. Was he being honest when he wrote the note, or was he only trying to provide some comfort to his friends after leaving them so unexpectedly? It's really up to you to decide which you want to believe. That's why I put that part in there

Thanks for the comment!

[Captain Tammo]

Chapter 9 (or 41)

It was late afternoon when Leonardo left the cathedral and traveled to the town square to meet Mazzie. It appeared that she had been quite busy with organizing the C.O.R.I.A. Leonardo was curious on getting an update on how things were moving along from the general herself, as well as inform Mazzie about the effects the plan on Damien and his horde have had. When he finally found her there, he couldn't help but be amazed at the effect of all of this had on her appearance. The first things he noticed were the bags under her eyes and visible slouch in her posture. Her face seemed to brighten up upon seeing him however and she greeted him warmly.

"Good to see you're doin' alright."

"Where's your coat? It's freezing out here!"

Mazzie raised her eyebrows at him, "I'm fine, the cold 'll keep me awake, but thanks for your concern."

Leonardo removed his cloak and placed it around her like an oversized blanket. "I heard that you've been workin' yourself to the bone with this thing. Thought that maybe you'd wanna to talk about it an' get some air. A good walk can do wonders." He said with a smile. The two of them walked down the frosted cobble street side by side. He told her the effect that the seer act had been having on Damien and what The Plague thought of the C.O.R.I.A. "The name alone seems to make them groan with frustration and anger and you seem to have taken a chip out of their forces, but there's still many left."

"What else can you tell me?"

"It's making them uneasy. Right now the C.O.R.I.A is like a pest and you're growing into something much bigger. You're doing some great work here. But how are you keeping up with it?"

Mazzie shrugged, "I'm hardly at all keeping up with it. As soon as I finish taking care of one issue, two more beasts are behind me waiting with three more each. Lakkle and Ander are helping as much as they can, but we're all losing our energy pretty quickly."

"What do other creatures think about the organization? How many beasts are you up to now?"

"A score and we have more recruits coming in later today that Ander is going to screen with Marco."

"You're screening them?"

"Yeah, we want to make sure that we're getting the right creatures onboard and no collaborators that could overturn our entire thing. We're still too small to do much more than paint our name on a wall and rob some patrols."

"Exactly how many creatures do you need to send The Plague away?"

"A lot more than a score, that's for sure."

Leonardo gave a weary sigh but kept his smile. "Mazzie, have I ever told you about the legend of Dividad and the Golithar?"

"No, what's that about?"

"It's a story of how a brave mouse, armed with nothing but a broken spear, made a giant monster stop dead in its tracks and high-tail it in the other direction."

"Okay, I'm listening."

Leonardo shivered in the cold air and recited the epic tale, "It's a very, very old tale and is rather simple in its telling. I stumbled upon it when I was wandering around a few seasons ago. It all happened a very long time ago and on one of the four corners of the world..."

Dividad was a simple farmer with a family and a humble home built in the ground. They lived together among other farmers and their families in the land of Plinia. Dividad was a natural leader from birth, but never did a beast waste their time by asking him a question because he was just a scrawny little mouse. They all asked another farmer for advice who had broad shoulders and towered over all of the others. This creature's name was Gilo and was often called 'Gilo the Great'. Even though Gilo was stronger than all of the rest and bigger than any two put together, he was no great thinker. He was often wrong with his predictions and gave lousy advice most of the time. But the Plinians (with the exception of Dividad that is) always took his word to be the truth regardless.

One day there was a large dust cloud that appeared on the horizon. As it drew nearer to the farmland, it became apparent that this was a legion of mice, all armed with pikes and spears at least two or three times the length of a normal sized mouse. The spear shafts flexed back and forth with each step of the militiabeasts as they passed through Plinian farmland.

'Who are you creatures?' The Plinians asked them.

'We are the chosen heroes of the kingdom of Fricafa, the mightiest of domains that lay beyond the great Mokaba desert. We are here to stop the great behemoth that threatens to destroy the world.' Replied their commander. Of course, this seemed to raise more questions than it answered. Everybeast on the farms wanted to know about this horrible giant that would be coming and so they kept asking.

'What is this giant beast?'

'Is it coming here?'

'Why does it want to destory everything that we've worked so hard to build?'

The commander raised his paws in the air to silence them, 'This titan, the colossus named Golithar, is no beast. He is the great eradicator sent by Vulpuz, the lord of hellgates, himself! It was written in our prophecies that this thing would come, then a lone bird informed us that they had seen a grey mountain moving from high up and we knew that it was Golithar. We've come to slay it before it has a chance to get any farther, and could use all of the help that we can get.'

And so the Plinians gave the legion most of their crops to fill their bellies and Gilo and Dividad decided to march on with the Fricafans to slay the great behemoth.

They marched on for days across the savannah plains with no sign of the Golithar. That is until one early morning, while everybeast was still asleep and the sun had just yet to rise above the horizon, the legion awoke to the shaking of the earth. It came with a great pulsing force, moving the entire ground with a rumble each second. Then there came a sound of that of a thundercloud in a gale storm. The Frcafans and Plinians ran about in terror, trying to figure out exactly what was going on in the still morning darkness.

Then, just as the sun broke over the horizon, a voice rose above the others,

'It's the Golithaaaaaar!'

The ear-splitting thunder sounded again and it was apparent that it was Golithar who was making the noise and shaking the earth. It came in from the South, a great creature that towered over all like a colossus. It was like nothing that had ever lived before: Four legs that were larger than tree trunks; a hulking figure that would have put even the largest of structures in the shade; Two wings on either side of its head that swept up a storm when they were flapped; a head so high off of the ground that it would have been able to see over the horizon like a bird; two horns longer than a ship's spar that protruded from either side of its mouth, which each came to perfectly tipped points; and a heavy whip protruding from right above its mouth all the way down until it skimmed the ground. It cracked this whip with great strength and could produce the same sustained, ear-splitting crack that had been heard earlier from it. Never had there been a creature of such proportions to walk on the land. Its eyes alone were larger than most mice!

"So what happened, then?" Said Mazzie.

"Patience, I'll tell you what happened..."

When the militia saw this great figure, they could hardly stand. Who would ever be able to fight a creature of such terrifying size and strength? Even their spears that were three times the height of the average mouse would not be able to reach a quarter of the way to the Golithar's knee. So they tried to run away, stumbling over one another as the earth shook beneath them and leaving their broken spears and weapons on the ground.

However, Dividad would have nothing of it. For in those moments he felt more courageous than any creature before him and he stood his ground. Now deserted by the entire militia, he stood alone in the path of the Golithar. The militia stopped far away on a wide rock to see the spectacle from safety. They could hardly believe their eyes: a lone mouse standing up to the Golithar? Surely Dividad had some form of death wish. As the Golithar neared closer, Gilo the Great ran to Dividad to try to coax him to run and hide with the others.

'Dividad,' he said, 'come and hide with us where it is safe and out of the monster's view. Don't forget that you have a family back home that is waiting for your return. You have already shown that you are brave by staying. Nobeast needs to know that you ran with all of us!'

But Dividad would not hear of it and he stayed and as the Golithar came closer, Gilo the Great cowered away in fear, leaving only the littlest of the mice to face the beast.

And so the mighty titan loomed forward and raised its whip to give off that thunderous trumpeting sound again. Dividad decided to hide in the grass and wait for the right moment to strike. He waited until the monster was nearly on top of him, then he let out a roar himself. He roared as loud as he could and jumped out of his hiding spot with his spear and waved his paws about to try to look terrifying. The eyes of the giant turned downwards and saw the little mouse, who could only muster a small squeak compared to what the Golithar could produce. The monster saw the size of Dividad's courageous heart, rather than his physical size, and with another thundering sound, the Golithar reared its front legs up and its eyes went wide with pure terror. It stretched fully upright and stuck its whip into the air. Such a height would have knocked the birds out of the sky and brought the stars into reach!

Dividad continued to yell with all his might and advanced several steps towards the Golithar, who nearly toppled over with alarm, and with one last trumpet of fright, the great monster turned around and darted back to from whence it came, never to be seen again.

The militia could hardly believe their own eyes. They let out a wild cheer and encircled Dividad, raising him up on their shoulders. They carried their hero the entire way home.

Leonardo gave another smile and shrugged his shoulders "And that's it." They walked in silence for several minutes while Mazzie thought about what she had heard.

"So you're saying that it's not about how tall we are or how big of a spear we can pick up, but how strong our heart is?"

"Exactly! Now you're thinking in terms that will take down the colossus."

"But that's just a story! How do I know that it's actually true or not?" They arrived at Ander's house and Mazzie opened up the door. "Do you want to come in?"

Leonardo shook his head no, "Thanks, but I need to get back to the cathedral and stir up some more trouble. I'm able to wander about as I please, but that doesn't mean that I can be gone for too long without somethin' goin' against the plan. Keep up the work, everythin's moving along smoothly an' we have time on our side. Oh, if it's at all possible, try to build up towards the next full moon. Damien believes that he'll be dying on a full moon during winter for angering the spirits, so I'd suggest you get your lot to play along. Don't worry too much about overthrowin' anybeast within this moon, though. We've still got at least two more after this to work with." Mazzie nodded her head and gave Leonardo back his cloak.

"Thanks for the talk." She said, "It helps."

"You're welcome, Mazzie." Before she had a chance to shut the door, he called out again, "Oh, and Mazzie, don't forget this: They may be stories, but that doesn't mean that they're not true. Heh, I may even know a couple things about this 'Dividad' that I didn't say, but I'll tell you about that next time. Keep your chin up, things are getting' better because of you." With this Mazzie shut the door and Leondardo walked away. He never actually knew any more about Dividad than Mazzie did at this point, but that was something that she did not need to know right now. "Just like Bellus, I swear she'd o' been my daughter." He laughed.

Dividad waits for the Golithar

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was a fun chapter to mess around with. I didn't know how I wanted to depict the Golithar, but I knew that I wanted it to be extreme. However, just plopping an elephant into the world of Redwall doesnt really fit. I was reading an old Babylonian creation myth for a history class I was taking when I found a loophole. These old legends have dragons, wars with gods and goddesses, and all kinds of wacky things going on. By making the tale of Dividad and the Golithar an ancient legend like the ones I was reading, I could get as extreme as I wanted without necessarily hurting the Redwall atmosphere of the story. I hope you liked it!

The next chapter will be out in three days, so stay tuned. Feel free to leave a post below on what you thought of this chapter. Comments/questions/constructive criticism are always welcome!