Rapshade vs. EVERYONE! Part 1

[Hickory]

Yet ANOTHER duel from Is Redwall As Safe As They Say It Is? RP created by Ashleg.

The end of the RP culminates in the battle between the Redwallers and Rapshade's pirate horde. This duel is Log-a-Log Chrysanthe vs. Rapshade himself. The first part of the duel is almost entirely Ashleg vs. himself, but you can hardly tell. (hopefully)

So much for the title. Hope you enjoy.

Spoiler

Rapshade drew his sabre and darted to the stairs that led down to the slave quarters, yelling down to his crew, "Stop rowin' and draw yer weapons! We're under attack!"

Chrysanthe noticed Rapshade starting to back off and tugged on Duncan's sleeve, but the hare shook his head and grimaced.

"I'll go after him, don't you worry. But I have to make sure Bracklew gets up here first."

"Fine, Duncan. I'll try to wear him out." Log-a-Log saluted and then took off after the ferret.

Rapshade turned from observing the battle to find Chrysanthe right behind him. Startled, the ferret leapt away.

"Nice try, shrew."

Chrysanthe landed where he'd previously been standing, digging her claws into the ground to stop from flying off the edge and into the sea. She straightened up and glanced around. The ferret had ran off and disappeared into the throng, and when she scanned the group of woodlanders and vermin alike she could not see him. Log-a-Log wiped at her brow.

"So they call you Swift for a reason," she huffed. "This will be harder than I thought."

Rapshade quickly located the nervous-looking Fang, whose yellow fur struck out like a star in the night sky. The rat had his back against the wall, not sure what to do or who to fight. After running a shrew through with his rapier, the ferret finally made it over there and grabbed the rat by the scruff, shaking him harshly.
"Are you behind this?!" He snarled.
"N-no, I mean yes Cap'n! I.."

Rapshade's eyes glinted as he forcefully walked Fang around his cabin, away from the fight.

"Why're ye even out here? You shouldn't be here!" he snapped, glaring at the scar on the young rat's face. "I won't let y' go back out there, idjit."

Fangfang tore his arm out of the captain's grasp, curling his lip.

"Why don't ye e'er let me do anything?! An' well...I'm not fightin' fer yer, anyway," he hissed and brushed past Rapshade, turning around just when he noticed the ferret following him.

"Don't hang around me, Cap'n! I'd go an' fight if'n I were you. Yer crew's losin' badly!"

With that, Fang bounded back into the battle, snaking his way up to Duncan to help with Jetfur.

Mortembell loaded another bolt to the crossbow and fired at Rapshade. The bolt landed just next to his head, embedding deep into the ship. Smearing some leftover poison on her blade, the vixen threw aside the crossbow and approached the ferret.
"Rapshade! Swifty! Care for a second round?"
Mortembell cackled as she swung her sword heavily towards Rapshade's neck.

Rapshade blocked the sword with his sabre, pushing Mortembell back a few steps.

"I'm not th' one who killed yer precious husband, so why're you the one who's always after me?" he sneered, feinting a blow at her leg.

"Because you're involved. And you tried to, back at Salamandastron, when he deserted. Now, I've come to finish you off!"

She jumped backwards and swept Rapshade's sabre aside, then thrust forwards with her blade.

Rapshade easily dropped to the ground and then sprang back up, sabre in paw. The ferret laughed mockingly at Mortembell.
"If I'm gonna get finished off, it certainly won't be at th' paws of a grizzled old vixen like yerself!" He shoved her aside, noticing Fang with Duncan and Bracklew crying about something.
"Typical..." He muttered. Chrysanthe rolled by, tussling with a searat.
Grinning, Rapshade pounced on her and knocked her off the rat.

"Look who decided to come back!" Log-a-Log gasped, yowling as they tussled on the floor.
"You're sick, Rapshade...You better not get me sick..."

She sunk her teeth into his wrist and managed to get on top. Pushing off the shrew, Rapshade leveled his sabre at her. "You picked the wrong ferret, shrew. Die!"

Parrying blow after blow, the two battled across the ship's deck. As Rapshade started to gain the upper hand, Chrysanthe realized she needed to surprise the ferret if she wanted to win this fight. Taking a full two steps backwards, Rapshade's sabre cut empty air. "Try again, Rap-"

The next swing nicked her ear.

Chrysanthe pulled out her cutlass and grinned at him, the light of battle shining in her eyes.
The pirate ferret started backing up.
Log-a-Log chuckled. "You look a bit nervous, Rapshade..."
"I'm not nervous!" Rapshade hissed, bumping into Duncan from behind.
Fang stepped in beside Log-a-Log.
"Why're ye always lyin' t' yerself, Cap'n?"
"I'm not! Fangfang, you need t'..."
"There you are, ferret!" Duncan exclaimed, turning away from Bracklew. For some reason he felt that the young squirrel would be alright. "Let's get him, Log-a-Log..."

Chrysanthe's eyes narrowed as she approached Rapshade. He took a step back for every one she took forward, until he was pressed up against Duncan.
The shrew swung her sword. "Yes. Let's--"
As Duncan poised his dagger, Rapshade dealt him a hard smack with the flat of his blade, and the hare's weapon went flying through the air until it landed with a splash in the sea.
The ferret grinned wildly. "Oh, clumsy you."

Admits the chaos the weasel pirate Sandpaw stormed out of the crew quarters. He had vanished inside when the attack began, and now, armed with a trident he had found, the pirate was ready to face any attackers.

Not bothering to check the slave deck, he saw the unprotected back of a shrew. Lowering the three-pronged head of the heavy weapon, Sandpaw charged Chrysanthe, yelling out wildly. "Meet yer death, shrew!"

Chrysanthe let out a shriek when suddenly Sandpaw came charging at her. She swung her sword at his trident, gasping when Rapshade shoved her into the weasel and fled again.
Dirty coward! She thought. "Duncan, go find a weapon and help me!"

Overestimating his ability with the trident, the clunky weapon was twisted to one side as Chrysanthe blocked his blow. Changed strategy, the weasel packed up and switched his grip on the trident, holding it as a quarterstaff.

"Duncan, you'd better hurry!" Log-a-Log called, kicking out at Sandpaw's legs.

Duncan had pelted away from Chrysanthe and was trying to find a weapon as fast as he could so he could help her. Nothing...Nothing good! The hare vaulted over the bodies of a fallen rat and otter and headed towards the slightly ajar door of the slavedeck and raced down there. There had to be something lying around in there...
He raced down the stairs and was slightly taken aback by Jetfur's body, and Bracklew laying unconscious next to him.
"Brack..."
Duncan's attention was torn away from the squirrel when he heard Chrysanthe's yell above the chaos of the battle. He snatched a whip from the wall and stormed up the stairs, launching himself at Sandpaw.
"You take care of this weasel! I'll go find Rapshade!" Chrysanthe said, rushing off into the crowd of now mostly woodlanders, but also the grisly remains of slain pirates...

The weasel turned to face the hare, the whip catching a blow on his shoulder. Yelling in pain, Sandpaw swung out heavily with the trident, having absolutely no idea where it would hit.

A glancing hit from the trident caused Duncan to back away, a pain in his side. That's it, he thought, and decided that he had no reason to spare the weasel. Leaping forward, he engaged in vicious combat, whip vs. trident.

In a different area of the ship, Chrysanthe had caught up with Rapshade. Cutlass at the ready, she approached the captain, who was well aware of the shrew's presence. "Found me," shrugged Rapshade. "The only thing you've achieved is getting closer to your death."

The duel began.

Chrysanthe and Rapshade parryed in an area where there was less of a fight going on.
That, and one where there were less bodies. So, all in all, more room.
Rapshade struck out with his sabre, cutting the whiskers clean off one side of Log-a-Log's face. It took some of her fur with it, leaving a small line of blood on her muzzle. The shrew growled and countered his attack with one of her own; a jab to the ferret's side.
Rapshade spun around on his paws and spat at her. "Agh! Oh, really? Take this!" Shoving Chrysanthe back, he snatched the dagger out of her paws and advanced on her. The shrew looked stunned.
"Oh, boo hoo," Rapshade sneered, twirling both blades.

Chrysanthe gathered her courage and lunged at him, but the ferret leapt aside and dealt her a powerful smack to the face, sending her careening over the railing before she could get her balance, before bursting out in laughter.

He watched as, screaming, Chrysanthe disappeared below the water.
"Hahaaha! Idiot shrew, hope y' can swim!" The ferret teased, taking one of the daggers from his sash and tossing it down at her sinking form before Mortembell had gotten to her. He grinned and shouted a wild "GOTCHA!" but it was cut off by the crash of the mast falling.
Rapshade's jaw dropped in horror while he scrambled to get as far away from the falling structure as he could.
He was doing so well that he nearly made it.

[close]

CLIFFHANGER! Part two shall be out soon.

Questions and comments are, as always, greatly appreciated.

[Groddil]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice, yet again.

I guess this is technically part 2, but Rapshade vs Mortembell (the first one anyway) is on the old forum.

[LT Sandpaw]

Oh yeah, the random weasel character Ashleg made named Sandpaw. He was the best.

Anyway; nicely done Sagetip.

[Ashleg]

Yes yes amazing!
Rapshade vs. EVERYONE!... Including himself!

Oh yeah, the random weasel character Ashleg made named Sandpaw. He was the best.

Anyway; nicely done Sagetip.

Wink wonk!