In the darkness of night {Open}

[Prankster101]

(( To Eli: A while ago unfortuneatly.... ...and it's your turn to post here.. ..I just double posted to help introduce Merce..
To "Merce, Legendary Mercenary" Just to warn you.....Travi doesn't like vermin.. ))

Travi was feeling around in the hole when he heard a beast behind him. He immediately whipped his paw out of the hole with his dagger in paw. There was a white weasel standing in the candle light. Travi's first instinct was sudden. He leaped forward whipping around Nassu and Brightly til his dagger was three inches away from the weasel's heart, and his rudder looped in the weasel's belt so his "adversary" would not get away. His voice was sharp in cold as he spoke..."Dere better be a darn gad reason dat ye be in Redwall mate...." His cold green eyes piercing the weasel's red ones.

[Nassu]

As soon as nassu leaned over to watch what Travi was doing Travi whirled around and had his dagger pointed at a white weasel. Nassu instictively put the book in his nightshirt's wide front pocket. He was usually a trusting beast, but this one was a vermin and had snuck up on them. He stared at the confrontation, not sure what to say.

[Elicia]

Brightly was sitting on the floor, still clutching the pebble and recovering from his lack of coordination. When the weasel came into the room, the little mouse squeaked in terror. He covered her head with her paws, trying to forget that the vermin was there. "AAH!" He squeaked, and backed up against the wall. He shook his head, trying to get away from the weasel as hard as he could. "Help..." Brightly's fear of the vermin came from when they had murdered his family. He still carried that fear with him today, many years later.

[Vikenti Whitedeath]

"Come now, don't be hasty!" said Merce with a smile. "I am a traveler, Jiles Oakpaw by name," he lied, "I am on my way east and have stopped to rest." After this he preformed a spectacular back-flip, bringing his belt up off of the otter's tail. He landed on his feet about five feet away from Travi. "Now then," said Merce, "you seem to have found a hidden room! I would love to join in the discovery!" Here he broke into a high pitched laugh, such as a dibbin's. It was creepy to hear it come from the mouth of a beast much older. Merce then strode towards the hole in the wall, pushing past the others. "Come on mousy," he said to Brightly with a cruel smile, "want to see whats inside? Or are you to scared?" He spoke in mocking tone, and broke into another one of his laughs when he was done.

(Yes lads and lassys! Merce is a jerk!)

[Prankster101]

(Wow! Your right Merce!..However..Travi doesn't appreciate jerks......)

"Come now, don't be hasty! I am a traveler, Jiles Oakpaw by name,I am on my way east and have stopped to rest."

Travi didn't like this new comer for two reasons. One he was vermin and vermin didn't last long around Travi. Two, he just couldn't believe that the weasel was telling the truth. Travi snarled at the weasel, "If ye be a traveler..den 'ow did ye get in da gate wit' nobeast dere? An' ah bee a real s'ure yer name ain't Jiles Oakpaw..."


"Now then,you seem to have found a hidden room! I would love to join in the discovery!Come on mousy,want to see whats inside? Or are you to scared?"

Travi had taken enough of this weasel's incompetence. Noticing the discovery was one thing but nobeast picks on Brightly! Sure the mouse gets on Travi's nerves by being polite all the time and Travi messes with Brightly a lot, but no vermin is going to come in and petrify his friends like that! " That's Enough!" Travi roared. "Ah may 'ave let ye stay befur, but naw yer past da limit!" As Travi snarled at the weasel as he walked closer to him, each step emphasizing his words and he dagger held tight at shoulder hight, ready to either throw if the weasel tried to run and stab if he didn't. "Ye NE'ER talk ta me mates like dat ever! Ye weasel be a scummy-stinkin'-scrap-o' skunkin'-sharkbait! Ye ain't gonna see w'at be in dat dere 'ole or anyt'ing else!" Travi grabbed the weasel by his coat collar, knife clipping his whiskers. "Ye'll be lucky if ye even get out o' dis room alive....." Travi hissed. Then he began talking to Nassu, His grip not loosing and his eyes lock in the weasel's. " Ga get some un 'elpful mate, an' take Brigt'ly out o 'ere. Dis Won't turn good....Right Jiles mate?...."

[Abbot Vivian]

Candlelight cast a soft glow against the passing red stones of the abbey’s interior and illuminated the green fabric of the candle carrier’s clothing. Whoever was approaching the open doorway of the library, he was definitely a resident of Redwall. Considering he was not wearing sleeping attire, it was also safe to assume that he had stayed up well past bedtime hours. The condition of his habit, well worn and patched and torn in multiple areas in the back, may have made identifying him effortless for those who had met him before.

Those who knew him usually called him by his formal title, Brother Iven. He was a scholar and served as an invaluable source of knowledge to both young and old. However, for every piece of information that the hedgehog freely shared with others, there was at least another he kept to himself. He was especially dedicated to his duties or at least that was the impression he made. Late night visits to the library were not uncommon for him. He was even known to cancel lessons occasionally whenever the sleepless nights of studying and jotting down notes caught up to him and he needed a day of rest. At least that was the excuse he imparted.

Presently, he stopped at the end of the corridor that led directly to the library. He sniffed a few times to confirm what he was smelling in the air around him and on the floor stones before him. The fresh scents of four individuals informed him that he was not the first to have journeyed to the library at that hour. Apart from being well educated and informed, Iven had perhaps the strongest nose of any abbey dweller.

Iven frowned to himself, he enjoyed studying alone in the peace and quiet of the library. Who were the bothersome beasts to have broken curfew aside from himself? He intended to find out as he resumed walked to the open doorway. He imagined that they were probably young beasts out to make mischief, but he would not tolerate such behavior in his library. Even though he was not the recorder nor the librarian, he still believed the library and its contents rightfully belonged to him. His reasoning was that he appreciated them more than any other beast in the abbey or so his assumption went.

He entered the library and seemed utterly appalled at the scene before him. He raised his candle to assure himself that he was seeing what he was seeing. An enraged young otter was attacking an older weasel. Neither of them had very nice things to say about the other from what Iven managed to overhear before stepping inside.

Two others, mice by the looks of them, were apparently involved. One of the two was far younger than any of the other three beasts. All four of them, however, were many seasons younger than the hedgehog. As a brother of Redwall’s order, it was his duty to settle such disputes. It was also his obligation as a lover of knowledge to prevent damage from being inflicted upon the library and its contents.

“Stop this nonsense at once!” He shouted with a tone of authority. “You, otter! What’s your name and what’s going on in here?” He demanded from Travioso while eyeing the weasel warily.

He didn’t like having vermin about in Mossflower let alone in Redwall. Most of them brought nothing but trouble. He didn’t consider taking a chance on the few who were surprisingly good natured worthwhile. Despite his ill feelings toward the weasel, he wouldn’t tolerate a brawl in Redwall even against the likes of vermin lest it was absolutely necessary.

[Vikenti Whitedeath]

(Sorry I am stepping out of line. But this is to introduce Iven and further show Merce's twisted nature.)

Merce took advantage of the pause that followed the Iven's entrance to rush over to the brother, looking for all the world like he was scared out of his wits. "Brother!" he squeaked, "I was just walking around the liberary looking for something to read, I couldn't get to sleep, when these beasts surrounded me and the otter tried to kill me!" He pointed an accusing paw at Travi. His other paw was reaching into his coat. Though Merce had been disarmed at the gate of Redwall, he was a twisted resourceful beast. He had several days earlier raided the kitchen, not for food, but for large knives. He had also gotten into the infirmary, and taken several herbs, which when mixed, made a deadly poison. This coated all the knives he now had in his coat. At this second, he reach for the largest of them, intending to kill as many of the beasts that stood before him as he could.

[Nassu]

Nassu reached down to help Brightly up as fast as he could. He knew time was of the essence and he wanted to get to someone who could help, like skipper or mister Tireal as soon as possible.

He had just pulled brightly up when Brother Iven came into the large room. He was going to say something, but the weasel rushed over and began lyeing about the entire situation. Nassu was shocked that any creature could run up to a brother of redwall and tell such a bold faced lie. Did this weasel really think he could get away with it? He must be daft.

As the weasel was running Nassu saw a glint coming off the metal of a knife in the light of the candles. He watched as the vermin reached for a knife. Nassu let go of Brightly's paw and ran pell mell at the weasel. He jumped on his back and began trying to pummel him and tried to sink his teeth onto the weasel's ear. He would be devastated if the old hedgehog died. He looked up to him as a scholar and a friend.

[Elicia]

Brightly squeaked miserably as Nassu tried to get him back up off of the floor. He did not want to move, he did not want to breathe, he did not want to think, he did not want to let even a breeze ruffle his fur. The poor Friar sank down further (if that was possible for him to accomplish) and tried to stay perfectly still so that the weasel wouldn't notice him. He was so terrified that all he could manage was to squeak rather loudly and rubbing his little stone frantically in an effort to calm himself down. However, that stone had come from his family, and it was his family that had been slaughtered by vermin and his family's death that had driven the irrational fear of vermin into him at such a young age, so it only made him shake and shiver worse than usual.

[Prankster101]

“Stop this nonsense at once!”

Travi, still holding a tight grip on the weasel , flinched at the new sound. His bloodshot-blood-lusting eyes hovered on Brother Ivan, who was standing at the door with a lantern at paw. Sure, he had asked Nassu to go get help, but this was not the sort of help he wanted. Although Brother Ivan was a figure of a authority , he had no physical strength, which was what Travi really would have liked, but he would do it on he own, he kind of liked it that way anyway...

“You, otter! What’s your name and what’s going on in here?”

Travi didn't want to talk and explain all of what had happened to the Brother, he really wanted to give the weasel a good pounding, but it slipped from his grasp and ran over to the Brother whining pathetically.

"Brother! I was just walking around the liberary looking for something to read, I couldn't get to sleep, when these beasts surrounded me and the otter tried to kill me!"

Travi was about to shout out at the weasel's atrocious lie, when he noticed the glint of silver that the weasel had started to pull out of his coat. Travi ran forward, but Nassu saw the knife before he did and tried to jump the weasel. Travi rushed into help. Travi leaped in front Brother Ivan and tried to swing his rudder at the weasel's knees to try and topple him over. And while he did that he tried to swing his knife hilt at the weasel's shoulder to stun the arm's nerves and disarm the weasel so he would not hurt anyone. While all this happened Friar Brightly whimpered in the corner, unable to respond and petrified out of his wits.

[Abbot Vivian]

Iven first listened to the weasel and, for the first time since entering the library, his sensitive nose caught the scent of poison about the vermin. He didn’t need to read the weasel’s facial expression, voice tone, or movement to know that the fiend’s intentions were not as innocent as Merce failed to make him believe. Additionally, he was able to identify the poison, the weasel had concocted sometime in the recent past and wore about his person, to its humble herbal origins.

How easy he thought it would have been to make a volatile mixture from the medicinal plants found in the abbey infirmary. Still, that was a mere assumption and, at best, an educated one. Merce could have also transported herbs from outside the abbey under the false pretence of wishing to trade them only to later give them their present deadly and fully functional form. Whatever the case may have been, Iven knew that he and the others were all in danger because an assassin had infiltrated Redwall!

One of the two mice managed to sense the danger; Iven contained his appreciation for the young one’s intervention. That single action may have possibly saved his life, but Nassu wasn’t the only one to make a preemptive strike against the dangerous intruder. The otter also attacked while Iven stepped back to avoid conflict.

He couldn’t even afford being nicked by whatever weapon the weasel intended to use to sink his poisons into him. He knew it’d be something small and easily concealable, but he could not quite figure out how the weasel managed to smuggle in weapons of his own. Vermin had quite the notorious reputation and any wishing to defile the sacred abbey were supposed to be searched thoroughly for dangerous items before admitted entry within the walls.

“Careful! He wishes to poison us! Try to take him alive if you can!” Iven ordered, addressing the otter combatant. “We need to know why he’s here and who sent him if anyone!”

[Vikenti Whitedeath]

Merce watched as the situation got much worse for him. He let out a sigh of exasperation as Nassu charged at him and leaped. Merce would never be able to come back to Redwall after this. If he ever got out.

Merce jumped to the side, avoiding Nassu's attack, then swung his fist at the back of Nassu's head with terrable force. Not waiting to see the results he turned to Travi drawing out a medium sized carving knife. He vaguely heard Ivan saying something about taking Merce alive and backing off.

Merce turned on Ivan and said in a whisper, "You'll never take me alive old fool. Instead, you will lose your life." The sadistic smile never left his face as he spoke. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he let the knife fly at Ivan.

Merce barely had time to turn before Travi attacked. Merce jumped over his tail, but couldn't avoid the knife. His jump made it so the hit did not disable his shoulder as intended, but it did put a nasty gash on his arm. Merce quickly reached into his coat with both arms, drawing out two more kitchen knifes. He swung one at Travi's head and stabbed at his chest with the other.

[Nassu]

Nassu's eyes widened as he realized that he missed his jump. He only had a a second to reoriente himself before he felt a sharp blow to the back of his skull. He saw the floor coming up fast and collided with a thud. He could feel himself sliding along the floor and hit one of the stacks. Several books fell down on him.

He stayed down on the floor for a minute. His every body part hurt. He brought a paw up to his nose and felt the warm flow of blood. "uggghh." He realized in his mind that the fight was still going on. He struggled upright, shedding books off himself. Brother Iven would kill him later about that. He was slightly out of focus. He could see Travi and the strange vermin were battling. He ran lopsidely over to the vermin and swung both of his paws at the vermin's exposed neck.

[Prankster101]

“Careful! He wishes to poison us! Try to take him alive if you can! We need to know why he’s here and who sent him if anyone!”

Travi rolled his eyes as he continued to charge. Really! He thought to himself. It would take a lot out of him to hold back and keep this insolent weasel alive....

"You'll never take me alive old fool. Instead, you will lose your life."

Travi watched as the weasel threw his poisoned knife. There was nothing he could do to stop the knife, because he was already in battle with the weasel. He hoped that Brother Iven had enough sense to dodge the knife flying at him...

Travi's knife grazed the weasels arm, giving it a nice gash. But then the weasel pulled out two knifes and swung one at Travi's head, and the other at his middle. Out of the corner of his eye, Travi saw the dazed Nassu come for an attack from the behind, so Travi kicked his feet out in front of him, causing this torso to fall back wards, barely missing the range of the knife aimed at his middle, but the knife aimed at his head lightly grazed his nose. He used his arms to catch his falling torso, and his rudder bending like a spring launching his feet, that were shooting out wards, up wards to kick the weasel's stomach.

[Abbot Vivian]

The threat on his life served the hedgehog well as a warning to move elsewhere. By the time the intruder readied a knife for tossing, Iven extinguished his candle and veered to the right. He vanished within the lightless corners of the library. Having spent many hours within its walls, he practically had every turn, every corner, every shelf and every wall memorized. Additionally, Iven had spent his own fair share of time studying the schematics of the abbey itself and, as a result, he possessed an in depth knowledge of its twists, turns and hidden passages. Just as Iven evaded the approaching projectile, the poisoned kitchen knife struck the surface of the door and embedded itself inches deep within the wood.

Iven used the remaining light in the library to approach the enemy by taking a route that kept him veiled in shadow. He stopped in between two shelves of books, one of them rested directly in between the scholar and the weasel. Iven stepped back a few paces until his quills protruding from his habit began scraping along the shelf behind him. He then rushed forward and tackled the tall shelf before him. He regretted having to endanger the information recorded on the shelved books that began to shower the floor. He also hoped to trap the weasel beneath the heavy wood long enough to detain him properly.

Unfortunately, his actions also meant endangering his courageous comrades currently battling the vermin. Iven coped with that fact by thinking that they were already in danger. If he had issued a warning to the other Redwallers, he would have surrendered his location to the enemy and ruined his own plan to capture him.

[Vikenti Whitedeath]

Merce saw that he was fighting a losing battle. He was outnumbered 2 to 1, and that wasn't counting Brightly and Iven, who were not threats at the time. Also, Travi was much stronger then Merce.

Merce rolled to the side as Nassu swung and Travi kicked, narrowly avoided both. He turned both knives held at the ready. But, Merce was distracted by creaking from one of the bookshelves. He soon found out he was wrong about Iven as the it came crashing down in a flutter of papers, scrolls, and books. It just missed crushing Merce's foot-paw.

Merce decided that a "tactical retreat" would be in order. He fled towards the back of the library, (the side farthest away from the door and I'm guessing where the windows out of the Abbey would be) grabbing Travi's forgotten candle as he went. He stopped at another shelf, choosing a large, heavy tome which he also ran with. Upon reaching the wall he turned, an evil smile on his face.

"Let the library burn!" he shouted, throwing the candle to the ground. Nearby drapes and papers caught fire, and smoke wreathed Merce's face, giving the weasel a demonic look. The bookshelf that Iven had pushed had apparently started a chain reaction as falling shelves were everywhere, adding to the chaos. Merce then took the book he carried and smashed the window nearest to him, indending to jump. Merce could never come back to Redwall.

[Glavon]

Griffin Slatetail had been walking through the grounds.

This was normal for him; he did this every single night and no abbeybeast ever questioned why. The silence of the night helped him relax and think, but this silence was shattered abruptly by a crackling that almost sounded like...flame...from the library.

The ex-corsair mouse turned around, puzzled, and saw one of the windows explode, showering glass everywhere. On the windowsill crouched a black form; the background was flickering flame.

Let the library burn!

Griffin looked up. The window wasn't that high up. At a run, the mouse charged in the general direction of the window and leapt for the sill. His claws just barely grasped the edge, and after a moment of struggling, he pulled himself up and glared at the enemy, who he now saw was a pure white weasel.

"You aren't going anywhere!" he shouted, and drew his serrated kitchen knife from his belt. With one move, he attempted to stab the weasel.

[Prankster101]

(Warning!Spaz Attack! If anyone is curious about Travi's sudden mood change, my signature has a link to his bio where you can find some information.)

Travi grunted with anger as the weasel dodged his kick, but he had little time to react. The towering shelf above him began falling toward him. He rolled over on his side just in time to barely miss the falling shelf.

The shelf caused a domino effect and hit two other shelfs before the last one was propped up by the wall. With books scattered everywhere Travi jumped to his feet to see the weasel run with his candle and a large book toward the window.

"Let the library burn!"

The weasel had thrown the candle on the drapes and papers, immediately catching them on fire, and broke the window with the book.

Travi brought his arm up to throw his knife when he saw the demonic look on the weasel's face. He froze in fear, his eyes widening his breathing becoming staggered and heavy. The fire and smoke increased, but Travi was scared stiff.

His limbs began to quiver and shake as he gasped out incomprehensible words. His arm lashed out, flinging the knife toward the weasel on an impulse, totally oblivious to the mouse who just appeared at the window.

Then he spun around on a book and fell flat on his chest. Being so scared, Travi's great agility and strength he was fighting with before fled him. He scrambled on all fours, limbs flailing, but not really going anywhere, looking the perfect picture of petrified.

[Vikenti Whitedeath]

Merce was surprised to see a mouse leap on the window without any kind of warning.

"You aren't going anywhere!"

Merce quickly ducked under the blow he knew was coming. A kitchen knife. Someone else thought similar to him. Merce saw Travi under-going some strange changes. The powerful otter was reduced to writhing on the floor in seconds. Merce saw a glint of steel as Travi threw the knife. He tried to push Griffin into in its path, hoping to finish him quickly. Then he jumped out the window.

As Merce hit the ground he broke into a roll, effectively absorbing the shock of the fall. Then he sprang up like a spring and ran towards the gatehouse. Merce knew that was where his weapons were placed when he had entered Redwall. He opened the door and bolted in, searching every-where for his weaponry. He found the pile in corner, the white blades were hard to miss. He place the six knives in his inside coat, the sword and dirk in his belt. The to longer knives in sheaths under his tunic sleeves, two other went in his boots, and finally his bow and quiver over his shoulder.

(Apologies to the current gatekeeper if there is one.) By now the gatekeeper had woken and got up. "Whats going on?" he asked sleepily. Merce smiled and knocked him out with the butt off his sword. He spun it in speedy circles in his right paw. However, the gash in his arm caught him and he dropped the blade cursing. He bent down and picked it up with his left paw. He could fight left pawed as well as right pawed. He stalked out into the night again and headed for the gate. He almost hoped some-beast had followed him. Killing them would be so much fun.

[shade]

[[ Hope you dont mind me joining, but i really want to jump into Rping =] ]]

" Need help, daring one? "

Brown eyes glinting with mischevious, Shadowsleek found herself beside her old albino weasel compainion once more. Now, she had seen Merce slip in threw open gate adn decided a quick trip to Redwall would be fun, so she had followed him, quiet and like the shadow she was. Shadowsleek did not reveal herself to him after she watched him go inside, nerves had gotten to her and she rather wait until he return, truley hidden form direct eyes were ever she could. Now, when she saw Merce leap from a window, she decided ot follow him to the gatehouse to help, becuase he was obviously being followed by many angry abbey citizens.

She dew her curved sword and prepared to grab the daggers hidden on her belt, she would help him, but if things turned against them, she was not afraid to flee.