The Legion

[Feles]

So, remember when I said i'd rewrite The Executioner, well this is about it, there are a few recycled characters, whether by name or by personality, but the story is different in just about every way.

Prologue

     The large ships had been spotted all around the island and the crew of the Sea Wolf had yet to return. The Ripfang was the only ship that was left, still moored on the island. The pirate lord, Gorn, considered leaving for the coast of the mainland.  "No, not yet." he said to himself, "They haven't attacked the island, maybe they won't-"
      "Lord Gorn!" Gorn turned, a stoat, the lookout.
      "What is it." Gorn said dully, suspecting the worst.
      "There are sails headed straight for us!"
      "What?" Gorn was suddenly alert. "Sails?" he thought. "Show me."
      The stoat nodded and raced back up the stairs, Gorn following at a more steady pace. Reaching the top of the steps Gorn stood in the top room of the tower and looked out across the sea. Sure enough, not one, but three billowing red sails were headed straight for the island of Terramort.
      Gorn however, had a change of heart, he was never one to back down from a challenge before, why now.. "Prepare the crews, were gonna have a good ol' fashioned bloodbath." the wearat said calmly.
      The stoat nodded fearfully and hurried down the steps as Gorn returned his gaze to the rapidly approaching sails. The ships were now also visible against the waves, getting closer by the second. Gorn grimaced, the ships were huge, there was easily over two thousand beasts in each. The coming battle was not going to be easy...
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      Charon made his way to the front of the Tessarakonteres, known as the Ferryboat. The jackal looked out upon the island he was headed for. If the pirates from the ship they captured had told the truth, then this island, Terramort, had a force nearly triple the size of the crew of the ship; roughly 450 pirates. Charon glanced back at the two Tessarakonteres, containing the Twelfth legion; 5000 soldiers.
      Charon, however, was not interested in guiding several pirates to hellgates. A small auxiliary force of locals might be worth something. Charon had taken a part in enough strikes against bandits that the easiest way to make them surrender was to kill their leader.
      Charon looked down at the comparatively small pine marten next to him, and spoke "Caius, tell the other ship to make landing before us, and act as a fixing force for the pirates, my cohorts will storm the keep." Caius nodded and proceeded to jog to the side of the ship to shout the message to the other Tessarakonteres. Charon frowned, he needed to stop acting so impulsively, one communication error would be the death of him.
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      Gorn had sent the majority of the forces with the captain of the Ripfang, Jirral, to the cove. He and the remaining third of the pirates would remain at Fort Bladegirt. Gorn had sent the stoat back the tower to report on the advance of the ships, now the stoat returned, "Lord, one of the ships made landfall!"
      Gorn nodded and said "Go back and report on anything you deem important," then quietly to himself "the battle begins."
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      Charon watched as the forces of the other Tessarakonteres engaged the pirates in the cove, by the time time his ship would land, their battle would be in full swing. A fox by the name of Lucin approached him, "You called for me?"
      "Yes, I want you to lead the forces to take the keep, be sure to execute the leader, you may capture the rest if you wish.
      "Yes, sir." Lucin replied, saluting and hurrying off to gather the 5 cohorts on the ship. Charon returned his gaze to the island, the forces of the other ship and the pirates of the island were locked in battle. The 5 cohorts on the other ship were clearly winning the battle and had already almost surrounded the pirates. Charon smiled, all according to plan.
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      Gorn stared at the door to the keep, the banging had started a few moments before, yet he the hole in the door was easily noticeable. Another bang and the door flew open, revealing many of the soldiers behind it. The soldiers charged into the pirates, massacring them.
      Gorn slammed his warhammer into one of their skulls before being confronted with a fox with a rapier. Gorn attempted to knock the small weapon out of the hands of the fox but the fox let his weapon drop for a second before raising it again and stabbing Gorn's exposed arm. The wearat frowned and decided to charge the fox, he could survive being impaled by the small blade. The fox neatly sidestepped him and stabbed the blade directly into Gorn's back. Gorn wheezed but spun quickly, swinging the warhammer in a wide arc that the fox easily ducked under. Suddenly there was a dagger in the fox's paw, and then everything was black.
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A Tessarakonteres is a huge Greek styled ship capable of holding over a two thousand marines

[Captain Tammo]

*googles Tessarakonteres* two thousand creatures per vessel?! these guys don't mess around!

[Nadaz, voice of the host]

That's insane how in the world did they make that? Also I love the idea of a jackal in redwall, but would they be able to survive a mossflower winter?