Round 2: (The Time Has Come)

[BrookSkimmer]

Timballisto touched the sword hilt at this side. It would soon be drawn to taste vermin blood. He and his fellow Swords would defend this coast to their deaths. It was their calling as protectors of what they each held dear. The mouse turned to Vannøyne, noting the color of his eyes.

"We will protect our home my brother." He reached out to place his paw on the other mouses' shoulder. "I am glad to fight by your side."

Nevfae and Sora stood with him as well. Soon the rest of the Swords would join him. The reserve forces of the cave dwellers would only be used is necessary. For now, the Swords of Freedom would stand against the incoming vermin.

He could see the ship drawing nearer and watched as Xbalantie sent another volley of fire stones out towards it. They splashed just to the sides of the ship, one denting the hull on its way to the sea.

Now vermin were boarding the small boats to escape the flaming vessel that remained of their ship. They were coming closer, Tim could see a large fox with a crown affixed between his ears in the prow of the lead ship. It had to be the captain. Timballisto singled him out.

"Kill the head and the body will die." He muttered as another round of stones hissed into the sea. One took a boat through the hull, sending its vermin into a panicked swimming frenzy. Some would go down, but some would make it to the shore. They would never make it to the cave dwellings. Tim drew his sword and kissed the blade.

"FREEDOM!"
--------------------

Visefang was coming! He could see a small resistance force standing on the shoreline. Fire stones still rained down around his boats but they would not all make their mark. He would make it to shore. He would make these beasts pay dearly for what they had done! They would pay with their lives.

The fox captain turned to Gasher who was rowing his boat. "Move yerself! Haul those oars! Get me to shore!"

The captain's eyes narrowed and fixed on the mouse that stood at the front of the defiant group. He must be the leader, he must die!

[BloodGullet]

*Golfar had been busy keeping a steady line into what looked like a deep and calm spot in the cove when the first fiery blast hit. zzzzzzzip BANG! The burning projectiles whizzed in and exploded in shards of rock, burning material and splinters, sending beasts running in all direction. Soon, another round of several more followed.  She had instinctively steered the rocking ship starboard away from the direction of the onslaught, and hearing the captain yell about the mast, released her grip on the helm in time to dive out of the way of the massive falling and burning wood. As she ran she felt the rush of heat from the flames around her as the acrid smoke stung her nostrils and watered her eyes.  Finally, leaning on the rail, she was able to get a breath of fresh air, gulping it down like cool water.

Looking forward, she realized if they didn't cut their speed they would plow into the coast destroy any chance of escape.  They just needed a few more yards to be out of range so she yelled at two of the crew to pull the release on the extra sails in the jib, one of the few still standing or not burning. "wait for it, wait for it..." she said aloud to herself, timing it for the very last moment when they might run out of depth, Then, with a yell to the beasts stationed at the ropes to cut all the sail lines, she ran to the anchor and threw the release, bringing them to a rough stop.

Over her shoulder, she could hear the captain yelling at the crew to lower the boats and get revenge for this attack. Yes, she thought, revenge is exactly what it is time for! She couldn't help but smile as she jumped into one of the last boats making for the coast.

[Ceteruler]

*The job of loading the ballistas was quickly finished with Vannoyne helping him. Marcus let out one quick breath and stood straight, fists clenched as the last rock was loaded. The young mouse stared out toward the sea, with the ship and its cursed vermin crew. Soon that ship will be nothing but smoldering ashes and the vermin will be ours to pick off. It was all Marcus could do to keep himself from letting out a yell, but he managed to contain himself. Barely hearing Vannoyne's comment, Marcus quickly strode off back to the caves.

No sooner had he reached the place where the Swords had gathered than the fire stones began their work. Standing not too far off from the creator of the contraption, the crunch and crack of rock and fire against the tender timbers of the ship gave Marcus a sense of satisfaction. Soon the ship would fall, but he wouldn't be around to witness it. Timballisto had given him orders.

Marcus, you and Frost go tell Spera and Liv to be ready with our back up forces. We will not allow those who are not a part of the Swords of Freedom to fight unless necessary. Understood?" He gave a nod, not even waiting for Frost. With a spin and a start, he fairly scampered back to the caves, much too eager to begin the fighting. It wasn't long until he was able to find Liv, but as he approached her, his head swiveling swiftly about, he found that Spera was nowhere to be found. No matter, Liv was enough. Coming up to the smaller mouse, he tapped her shoulder and began speaking without waiting for her to respond to him.

"Timballisto has orders for those here, excuse me-" He lifted his head, cupping his paws over his mouth and shouting in a voice that demanded attention and quiet. "Attention!" Quickly acquiring the quiet he desired, Marcus continued in a quieter but still authoritative tone, "Timballisto has commanded this; Those who are not a part of the Swords of Freedom will not be allowed to fight unless absolutely necessary." Immediately, as Marcus had predicted, there were shouts of indignation and irritation as several untrained beasts brandished weapons they had probably never met until that very day.

"Quiet!!" he yelled, restoring peace once more. "We do not want more beasts fighting and more bloodshed than needed, so please trust us and cooperate so that our victory may be assured!" There was no more waiting around for the mouse as he spoke quietly to Liv. "Please take care of them. I must-" Without another word he turned and walked out the door, fury shining hot in his eyes.

"Aye, the time is soon, soon, soon..." Revenge was near. So near, so close he could taste it. It didn't matter why the vermin were here, who they were, or even what they were. Nothing would stop Marcus's rage against the foebeast, be it one wilted whining weasel, five fetid ferocious foxes, or six hundred sour, salivating stoats he must face. Marcus could feel power flooding through his veins like a river after the spring melt at the mere thought of repaying the killers of his family and the kidnappers of his friend for their deeds. His feet pounded, grounded, sounded with an earthy thud against the muddied ground as he quickened his pace. Though he was not even past the cliffs, the vermin were in sight, the enemy within his vision, so close were his adversaries he broke into a run, unstoppable! Nothing would, nay, nothingcould stop him now! Mighty Marcus the mouse was out for blood and vengeance!

[Icefire]

Liv was shocked when she first heard Marcus yelling the orders from Timballisto. Why would Tim be turning down the volunteers? As she thought this, she noticed the young hedgehog was once more brandishing about a decorative dagger. She saw the inexperienced mole, now armed with a more suitable weapon, but still with no idea of how to use it. She saw the slightly relieved looked in a few faces at the thought that they would not truly be headed into battle. She knew they were not ready and she thought angrily to herself that she really should have seen to their training before today!

However, as Marcus quickly strode out amidst the angry shouts of the volunteers, Liv also saw the frustration on several faces. All they wanted to do was protect their home! Liv understood this. After all, she had been trained from a young age for the purpose of defense! As she thought of this, she came up with an idea to at once appease them and provide an extra layer of protection to the tribe.

"ATTENTION!" She yelled over the crowd, "YOU MAY NOT BE GOING TO BATTLE, BUT YOU CAN STILL HELP!"

Interested, the volunteers began to quiet down and listen to her words.

"I know you want to protect your homes, but your place is not on the field of battle! Timballisto understands your desire - it is his desire, too! - and this is why the Swords have been trained! We are the first line of defense against the enemy. We will do all in our power to win this battle and keep the Sea Scum away from our home...but there is always the chance that we will fail. Small chance though it may be, we cannot afford to leave the caves unprotected. This is where you come in.

"If (seasons forbid) the vermin defeat us and make it to the caves, you will be there to meet them. Keep your arms and go to the Hall of Dawnlight. Arrange yourselves at the entrance and keep alert. If any of the vermin get past us and make it to the caves, kill them. Whatever you do, do not leave the cave. Remember you are there to protect your families, not to attack needlessly."

Liv looked about as the volunteers processed her words. Some still seemed disappointed not to be going to battle, but most seemed resigned to the idea.

Liv was relieved when Derik spoke up yet again, "Very well, Miss Liv! You can count on us!"

Shouts of approval rang out in the armory at his words.

Liv stepped out of the cave followed by the volunteers. She stood aside and watched as they filed into the Hall of Dawnlight while she attached her spike to the center of her shield. She looked down to where the other Swords were gathering and noticed a few missing. She stopped Derik before he entered the Hall.

"If you happen to see any Swords still in the Hall, please inform them of what's going on and send them down to us."

She looked back at the volunteers and then added softly, "Also, please make sure no one does anything rash. I don't want any more bloodshed than necessary."

He nodded as he said somberly, "Yes, Miss Liv....and, Miss Liv? Make them pay."

She flashed him a grin before turning and sprinting down the shores to meet with her fellow Swords. These vermin had made the mistake of threatening her home. Yes, they would pay. She would make sure of that.

[Redwaller]

* OOC: Thanks for putting something so I could post, Brook!

BIC:

Gasher nodded to the Captain. "Aye-aye sir!" He went to rowing doubly as fast as he had done before.

It was not long before they hit the shoreline. "Here we are Captain!" Taking his crossbow, he fired at the small group, but missed. "'ellgates! I'll make 'em pay!" He dropped his crossbow and grabbed his war hammer; he yelled out his warcry, "Death to Goodbeeeeeeeaaaaaaaasts!!!" He then charged at the nearest ennemy. Beckoning to some corsairs cowering next to their boat, he yelled. "Get yerselves in that fight now or I'll deal with ya all!" And went back to the carnage.

[Tam and Martin]

* Sculrig was in the boat behind Gasher's and he, along with thirteen other crewbeasts started chanting,
"Visefang, Visefang, Kkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllll!
Ballista stones firing all around them, the whole crew jumped off the boat and ran onto shore. They met up with the crew Gasher was with and Sculrig lept behind a rock, drawing his bow and notching a shaft to it he fired on a squirrel and missed. Sculrig commented to Gasher as he fired another arrow.
"Ugh, these beasts are 'arder to shoot than I thought."
The arrow missed the mark again and the arrow bounced off a rock. He drew his scimitar and ran forward to the enemy with the crew running behind.

[Dannflower Reguba]

*
    Xbalantie signaled for one of the final showers of flames to be fired.
ssssssssSSSSSSShhhHH!
The squirrel was becoming increasingly disappointed, the projectiles weren't hitting nearly as much, "I guess hitting a hulking ship in the bay is easier than smashing little targets near the shoreline." After adding a sigh and turning to those helping with the loading and aiming she finished, "Let's give 'em a final burst before dropping in and joining in the party. Make it count!"

    As if by mere willpower of the Swords on the ridge, the final shot went over well, dropping a straggling boat and grazing the masses gathered for the assault, "Time to quit the cliffs and add ourselves to this bloody equation!" Xbalantie almost ran down with the others, but a thought hit her, "There's still a little bit more concoction! I wondeeeer....." The bolas is an incredibly frightful weapon to behold, so are flames. The squirrel had just enough to cover a single bola.

    The fight was just on the verge of eruption and total ensuing chaos. The burning bola in her paws was snapped quickly into a blur of spinning, now ready to be fired. Xbalantie focused on her target, the vermin singly in front of all the others. "Just imagine," she thought "What would it be like having one of your allies literally wrapped up in blazes before your own very eyes! Hope it hurts!" She launched the weapon; years of practice had made her accurate. Dead accurate, but with the difference made from the flame, the height, and the very long distance, the weapon missed its' original target. Instead, it tied up the now hell gate bound vermin that was unfortunately to the target's left. The squirrel grunted, and dashed down the cliff side fast as she dared, prepping for the worst.

[WarriorOfMossflower]

*
Sora Shirosaki slid her footpaws into the correct fighting stance that she had been taught by the old squirrel Bristle. Grimly, she reached behind her head and pulled Kaiho, her ever-faithful katana, from the sheathe across her back. With a brief murmur of good luck to the other Swords of Freedom, she whirled to the side to avoid an arrow, conscious that this action could separate her from her companions if she was cut off by a vermin. Mainly, she was simply trying to stay active and work off some of the pent up energy and anger at the vermin.
Sora's pink-red eyes glittered. The vermin must die. There is no other way. We are ready, and we will fight.
The white squirrel recalled an old song that she and the other slaves had sung as they sailed from the southeastern island. It was a ballad about pirates and corsairs, and the goodbeasts that fought against them. One slave had brought along a rusted flute that added a haunting tune to the song. It was entitled 'Heroes and Pirates'.  

Across the seas, on the tide,
Sailing o'er the ocean wide.
Goodbeasts? No, not they, not they,
Those who murder by night, and plunder by day.
Villains, corsairs, pirates, the lot,
In the fires of Hellgates, eternally rot.

But somebeasts are bold, and some are brave,
Some swim the depths; others, to the land, are a slave,
And still others ride on serene golden wings.
To make a hero, it takes a few things:
A heart of courage, a mind pure as snow,
A worn, rusty blade to slay the foe.

Above all these, one thing is required:
The honour within, kindled and fired.
A hero must have morals, most important of all,
The internal honour, which will not let him fall.
Heroes must have wisdom, they must have strength,
The ability to wield a blade by its full length.

There are different beasts out there, good and bad.
One who lives his life heroically, never grumpy or sad.
And the other, whose eyes are filled with greed and lust,
Can never begin to, in his heart, put trust.
Heroes and pirates, warring on the sand.
Waters run red, as each makes his final stand.


Sora shook off the chills that began to creep down her spine as soon as she recalled the eerie music. She raised her katana readily, waiting for a signal from Timballisto. If there wasn't going to be one, she was prepared to fight anyways.  
Softly, the albino began to sing 'Heroes and Pirates', stepping back a few paces to rejoin the main cluster of the Swords of Freedom.

[BloodGullet]

*Golfar could see the first boats had already landed and the captain and first mate were already shouting orders and organizing the landing party into a fighting force.  The sad, leaky boat she was unlucky enough to be in was being rowed by two old sea rat pirates while a third sat at the front of the boat, urging his comrades on, "C'mon then, put yer backs into it!  All the fun'll be over a'fore we gets there!"  The old rats did their best, but their small boat was dangerously overloaded and an occasional wave sloshed over the almost submerged gunwale.

"We're doing the best we can, lard bucket, perhaps you could give it a try!" complained the smaller of the two rat rowers. The larger rat in the front turned and drew his cutlas, rocking the already unstable craft, causing yet more water to splash in. "I might just do that!" he said with murderous intent, meaning to dispatch his comrade rather than help.  Golfar knew that these rats didn't care who they killed when they got their bloodlust up.

She was also aware the the target of the flaming artillery had shifted from the ship and was now raining destruction on the small gathering on the beach and the other boats.  She was just about to draw her short sword and end the argument one way or another and had just started to say, "SIT DOWN! before ....", when it seemed the whole world at once exploded and plunged under the sea. Swirling and turning and fighting to free herself of ropes and debris, she was panicked because she knew she was under water, but couldn't at first tell which way was up. She had to force herself to calm down and think. Aha! The bubbles! she thought to herself.  She could feel a steady steam of bubbles rising from what she guessed was the burning projectile that took out the small boat she was in and started heading in the same direction.

"Gasp!" Ah! fresh air never tasted so sweet! Now that she was on the surface, she had to get her bearings.  A burning pile of debris on the beach made a great marker to head for, and so she slowly set out for it. urg, this is not my battle, and by the time I get there it may be over, not for the better for Visefang!  I think I will head a bit to the side and keep a look from a distance in case I need to head south for better weather.  But, I still have a final score to settle, so I need to see where Skral is, ... and see if he needs my .... help .  She smiled at her own attempt at humor as she made her way slowly to an isolated area of the beach behind some large reef rocks where she collapsed with exhaustion for a moment, needing the rest.  She looked for a moment out to where her boat used to be and did not see any of her ship mates.  She knew they had suffered the worst of the blast and were no more. She sat with her back to the rock, catching her breath for a moment more, trying to come up with the next plan.

[Leatho Shellhound]

*Vannøyne seeing his work was done at loading the ballista began his descent down the cliff. He used his sword as a walking stick so as not to slip in the mud. As he reached the beach he moved over to the caves, on entering the main one he pushed his way through the gathering crowd.
     "Sorry mama, excuse me sah." The mouse said as he worked his way to his private quarters.
     When he got there he pulled out from under his bed a set of long metal claws. They attached to his left arm guard and went over his paw. It was a dangerous and leathal weapon. He kept it hidden most of the time b/c it had a frightening look to it.
     As he got to the shore once more his eyes turned green as he saw the on coming vermin.
     "How dare they come into are waters and set foot on are land." He said to no one in particular. "I'll kill them for it. For every good beast that falls today by their paw, I will kill a score of them."
     He walked up next to Tim.


Timballisto touched the sword hilt at this side. It would soon be drawn to taste vermin blood. He and his fellow Swords would defend this coast to their deaths. It was their calling as protectors of what they each held dear. The mouse turned to Vannøyne, noting the colour of his eyes.
"We will protect our home my brother." He reached out to place his paw on the other mouses' shoulder. "I am glad to fight by your side."

     "I will fight with you to the end; it has been an honor serving with you. Now lead us into battle!" Vannøyne replied, drawing his sword and pointing it at the vermin he yelled "Swords of Freedommm!!!!"

[Romsca]

*Navarre and Farril had been searching the coast for something they could tell the captain about. Unfortunately, they found out pretty quickly that Farril had not packed enough food for both of them. Because of that, they had had to forage for something to eat in the nearby woods.

Several hours passed, and they still hadn't found anything to eat. Discouraged, they decided to return to the captain and tell him they hadn't seen anything. However, once they got out of the woods and were heading towards the shore, Navarre saw movement on the shore. She drew her scimitar.

"Hey, Farril," she said, and motioned for him to stop. "They looks like the kind of beasts wot Cap'n don't like. Kinda like the otters I guess. I think that's wot 'e was talkin' about when 'e told us to find somethin' on the shore. They're between us an' 'im, so maybe we should fight 'em! Sound like a good idea to you?"

Before Farril could reply, she saw something that she thought she would never see. "Farril! Our ship's on fire! An' I think it's their fault!" she shouted, pointing at both the Bloodspine and the beasts that they could see on the shore. "Hellgates! Why hadn't I seen wot they done to our ship before? They done ruined it! The mast's gone too; it looks like it's been burning for a while now! Well, there's only one thing I can do about that. It sure won't help nothin', but I don't care. REVENGE!!!!" And with that, she ran towards the shore with her scimitar drawn. No one dared to try to destroy Visefang's ship, the Bloodspine.

Even in her anger, Navarre smiled. It had been too long since she had killed anybeast. Far too long.

[Rainshadow]

  *

  Spera wandered the shore, trying to find little Joey.  Why had he wandered off now, of all times?  She dared not call out his name, for fear of attracting unwanted attention to herself.  She knew that the vermin were on the shore already, and she was currently hiding behind a rock, scanning the soggy shore for the mousebabe.

  Suddenly, there was a flicker of movement near a rock not too far away.  Spera saw a patch of fur and a small bit of cloth, but she didn't know if the beast behind the rock was bad or good.  Steeling herself, the young squirrelmaid pulled out her dagger, her paw shaking as she slowly crept up to the rock.  Holding the blood-red blade out in front of her, she peeked around the corner, holding her breath.

  "BOO!"  A small mouse, obviously Joey, threw himself at Spera.  She screamed, dropping her dagger in fright.  Then, realizing that she'd been scared by a babe, she proceeded to pick him up and swat him on his hind side.

  "Ouch!" the mouse cried, struggling to get free of his captor's strong grasp.  "Lemme go!  Lemme go!"

  Spera glared at him and picked up her dagger, marching to the path that led back up to the caves.  She then gave the young one a quiet lecture, whispering harshly, "Joey, you are in a boatload of trouble!  You shouldn't have run off like that.  And don't scare me when there are nasty vermin around!  You could've gotten both of us killed!"

  Immediately, Joey's face turned into a mixture of pure innocence and unhappiness that he'd been caught.  "I sowwy, Miz Spewa, I won't do it 'gain."  His lower lip stuck out, and tears started flowing down his cheeks.

  Spera rolled her eyes, sighing.  "Alright, alright, just don't let it happen again."  She desperately hoped that no beast had heard her.  They were only halfway up the cliff, and the squirrelmaid was already panting.  Oh, how she hoped they would be alright!

  (OOC)

[Kitsune]

*Farril followed Navarre to the beach again, having given up foraging for food in the woods. They noticed some beasts on the shore, waving swords and other weapons around.

"Hey, Farril, they looks like the kind of beasts wot Cap'n don't like. Kinda like the otters I guess. I think that's wot 'e was talkin' about when 'e told us to find somethin' on the shore. They're between us an' 'im, so maybe we should fight 'em! Sound like a good idea to you?"

Farril opened his mouth to reply that it probably be a bad idea because they were badly outnumbered, being that there were only two of them.
But Navarre shouted before he could voice his idea.

"Farril! Our ship's on fire! An' I think it's their fault! Hellgates! Why hadn't I seen wot they done to our ship before? They done ruined it! The mast's gone too; it looks like it's been burning for a while now! Well, there's only one thing I can do about that. It sure won't help nothin', but I don't care. REVENGE!!!!"

Navarre ran down the beach. Farril sighed at how quickly Navarre lost any sense of odds. He started to walk after her when he saw a squirrelmaid pick up a little mouse and run back in the direction of the caves. She obviously hadn't seen him, and he was closer to the entrance then she was. He silently but quickly approached the entrance. She kept running. He unsheathed his sword and jumped out in front of her, a good ten yards from the entrance to the caves. He brandished his sword menacingly. "And where are you going?" he asked with a cruel smirk.

[Rainshadow]

  I'm so close to the caves, Spera thought as she ran.  So close, just a bit further!  Suddenly, a large weasel jumped out in front of her.  Spera screamed, quite loudly, and dropped Joey, who raced up the path.  "Go get help, Joey!" she shouted, her eyes wide as she stared at the vermin.

  Spera pulled out her dagger, holding it in one shaky paw.  She pointed it at the vermin, standing stock still as to not have him jump at her.  "Y-you'd b-better get out o-of the way, v-vermin!  T-Timballisto's c-coming to kill y-you!"

[Dannflower Reguba]

     Xbalantie was now facing a dilemma, there was the mass out by the beach, which seemed to be where she should be going, but Spera was alone by the caves with at least one vermin she could see, and they hardly ever traveled or fought singly. The squirrel looked between the two for just a moment before carving a path to Spera's assistance. She was behind the vermin, but now clearly in Spera's peripheral vision. She signaled to the Squirrelmaid on the beach just before drawing her dagger and readying for a sudden drop.