Redwall Isn't Safe Anymore! (Is Redwall as Safe as they Say it is? Part Two)

[Groddil]

OOC: Don't worry, Sage. All part of the plan.

BIC:

Celio was halfway through the tunnel to Moledeep, when a creature passed him. Strangely, the torches had gone out, and he didn't recognise who the beast was.
"Ey, mousemate, why the 'urry?"
"Vermin near the walls. Preparing to attack the Abbey."
"Ahh, alrighty then."
The figure withdrew a club and clonked Celio heavily over the head, knocking him unconscious in an infant. Another beast approached, carrying a burlap sack.
"We takin' 'im Ta th' same place as usual? Fer transport?"
"Aye."
Lugging the sack between them, the two creatures disappeared into a recently excavated side tunnel...

*****

Above ground, Mortembell had left the Abbey building proper in search of Aver. She passed the large wooden stockade that marked the entrance to Moledeep, and noticed several otters by the Abbey pond.
"Hey, you. Where's the Skipper?"
A young, plump otter replied, before diving into the water.
"Kitchen."
Nodding, the vixen re-entered the Abbey and walked towards the kitchen. She noticed Drubble hauling a keg of cordial up from the cellars, Stumbly hot on his heels.
"Stumbly."
The mousebabe looked at her former 'mother' in confusion, then trotted off after Drubble.
"Stumbly. It's me, Mortembell."
Stumbly bit her claw nervously.
"Dubble said you wasn't comin' back, Bell. He said you was very bad, an' Ya went ta da Dark Forest."
The vixen stepped back from the mousebabe, shot an evil glare at the Cellarmole, and walked into the kitchen, where Aver and Frisr Rusk where both doing... Not much at all, really.
"Aver, I need to speak with you."

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: Rip Crysanthe.

IC:

Setting aside a bowl of half finished hotroot soup the otter chieftain embraced Mortembell in a bear hug laughing cheerily.
"Harr, Mortybell matey, I heard ye was dead, n' then I heard ye wasn't." Aver released the vixen and retrieved his soup, slurping it down hungrily. "So wot c'n I do for ye marm?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Having successfully flanked the shrew slingers Vaskor leapt out of hiding his stone knife held high. The first was slain before he knew what had hit him, the other two sprang away reaching for their rapiers.

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: Oops.

[Groddil]

OOC: wrong thread. :p Also, that's only for one particular branch of Guosim. In Doomwyte, Tala never dies, but Dubble is still made Log-a-log.

[Ashleg]

"Your leader has been slain!" Rapshade called, slinking back up to Alfhild.
"Give up the fight or we'll have t' send you all with her."

[Hickory]

OOC: PREZZERS: Time for a shrew rescue by Gruddil?

BIC: Glancing at Bracklew, Asher looked around. "Dunno. Probably just nerves. Let's keep going," he said, jogging into the woodland.

[Ashleg]

OOC-
Depends what you mean. The shrews were supposed to lose, after all.

[Hickory]

OOC: I mean get them or for the situation. Not to fight the vermin.

[Ashleg]

OOC-
I see, go ahead.

[Groddil]

Mortembell's expression changed, to cold and commanding.
"We need to stop relying on the Vigil for protection. I've seen this firsthand, and read about what's happened in the past. This place has too many easy ways in. We should organize our own militia to guard the walls, and fortify the gates, particularly the small wicker ones. There's too many reports of hordes getting in through them."

[LT Sandpaw]

"Mmhmmerm," Aver said in a thoughtful manner, in truth he had just burned his tongue, but he didn't admit to that. Instead he set aside his soup, considering Mortembell and her concerns. "I dunno wot more we could do marm," He said cajolingly, tapping his claws as he listed off different items. "We've got volunteers n' ottercrew watchin' th' gates, n' wall tops, an' other beasts trainin' fer a fight. Gillpaw n' Brack themselves checked th' gates, found em secure. I've 'ad some hedge'og craftsbeasts add extra bolts to th' gates, plus they're guarded at all times. Nobeast, vermin or otherwise be gettin' in that a'ways. At least not wit'out us knowin' 'bout it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The second shrew fell with Vaskor's dagger in its neck as the final turned and fled towards the river, abandoning the fight altogether. Not bothering to give chase the ermine wiped crimson blood from his white fur listening in as Rapshade yelled out his terms of surrender to the remaining shrews. Obviously the ferret hadn't done anything reportable yet, and perhapse he had even helped the horde achieve victory. Collecting his knife Vaskor wandered over to Rapshade, occasionally slaying a shrew that still deemed resistance better then surrender.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Following behind Bracklew sheathed his sword moving at a light jog to keep up with the seasoned warriors. He kept his feelings to himself, even though a slight twinge of discomfort flickered in the back of his mind. He chalked it up to frayed nerves, and marched in silence. Bracklew hardly moved his eyes off the ground, focusing on where to put his paws next rather than his surroundings.

OOC:

Grodds I'm going to send you a PM here in a bit whenever I find time later.

[Hickory]

An arrow zipped by Vaskor as three shrew logboat drifted into position. Gruddil lowered his bow for a split second, yelling at the shrews in land. "'Urry up, mates! Get on here, we'll get ye out o' this!"

[Ashleg]

"I'm saying this against better judgement, Rappy, but you certainly dealt that one what she deserved." Alfhild observed, catching one of the fleeing shrews by the arm and knocking him unconscious.
The rest of the vermin began surrounding the surviving shrews.

"Round up th' ones y' can't catch and leave the cowards t' their due," Rapshade barked out, mercilessly stepping on the paw of a wounded shrew as he passed.
"And, Auntie, your compliment is great but it isn't what I want."

"Silly thing. What more could somebeast like you ever want?"

Rapshade's eyes blazed as he suddenly skidded around and went flying back up to her, knocking her back flat against a tree.
"Alfhild, you've pushed me far too long!" He snapped, poising the sword at her chest.
"I am Captain Rapshade the Swift, murderer, pirate, slavedriver! Hear it, get it through your skull, and for th' sake of you don't put up a fight! There will be three, Alfhild, you, me, and Fardan, or I'll cut you down and then there'll be two ag'in and then I'll do away with Fardan and I'll be back on my own as th' most powerful one in th' forest!"

One of Alfhild's loyalists, a rat, crept up behind him with a sword in paw.
Rapshade spun around and shot him through the chest with Alfhild's bow.
"Anybeast else with complaints should get in line now, because oh, am I ready..."

[Hickory]

OOC: Fardan will see to that. I doubt Rapshade's that good at fencing.

[Groddil]

"Bolts won't do. Have Drubble make some proper locks, like what was on Rapshade's cell. Give one set to the Vigil and have the Abbot keep the other at all times. Lock and chain the side wallgates, make it so that they aren't to be used. Ever. Unless the main gate and what I'm about to say are both unsafe. We'll have some moles set up elevators, like the one that leads to Moledeep, on the walls, so that if need be, we can lift or lower creatures over the wall. That way, no vermin that climb the walls can open the gates, it'd take them longer to get everybeast over on the small lifts, and we could just cut the ropes to stop anybeast from getting up. Overkill maybe, but those wallgates have been used to get in here far too many times in the past, guarded or no."