Chapter 2

Mattimeo and Matthias ran up the stairs, the two were greeted to an unpleasant surprise. The entire Abbey was surrounded by foebeasts, rats, weasels, ferrets, stoats, and foxes, ranging in the hundreds completely circled Redwall. Stand at the Main Gates was Nikos. He had the Mossflower Patrol lined up, kneeling down. The ones's he stood next to were Sam and Elmtail. Mattimeo was about to retrieve the Sword of Martin, but was quickly stopped by Nikos.

"Halt!"

He shouted. Mattimeo saw Illyn holding Sam hostage, while Janos held Elmtail hostage. Tight nooses were wrapped around the duos necks. Sam looked up at Mattimeo and Matthias, they were saddened and disgusted at what had happened to the Mossflower Patrol. Nikos cupped his paws around his mouth and shouted.

"I want to speak to you, Mattimeo, son of Matthias the Warrior!"

Mattimeo shouted back at the evil creature.

"I'm Mattimeo the Warrior, and you must leave, now! You're all nothing more than evil, cowardly, stinking, lying, cheaters!"

"Wow, so bold of you to tell off an army that has your Abbey completely surrounded. If I can't get a word in edgewise, then I'm just going to have to execute these poor woodlanders, one by one."

Hearing Nikos' threat really riled the mouse warrior up. He grinded his teeth and his face became red. He then sighed in disgust and looked down upon Nikos.

"If we are going to talk, I'll be asking the questions. 1. How do you know me and how did you find this place? 2. What is your agenda?"

Nikos lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"My name is Nikos, Nikos the Bludgeoner, I found it by these two lovely little bushytails. I want revenge on what you did to my family. You killed my mother the Healer and my older brother the Slaver."

Mattimeo tapped his chin, the Healer? The Slaver?

"Do you mean Sela and Slagar?"

"I will avenge them by taking over Redwall Abbey. You will all be the Deathbringers' slaves and I want your sword."

Mattimeo leaned over the battlements and yelled back.

"You're a fool for coming here and seeking revenge. Both your mother and brother got themselves killed."

Nikos' fangs were beginning to show.

"Liar! It was you who sent them to their deaths! Your precious and peaceful Abbey thought that it wasn't right for vermin to live here. So you tossed both my mother and brother out, and you let them get taken by Cluny, while you watched. Eight seasons later, you hunt down Slagar and push him into a well!"

"That was all wrong, Sela was playing us to our advantage, and Slagar took my friends and I against out will. We weren't the ones who pushed Slagar into the well, he fell in himself. So begone, or we will turn you all into pincushions and mincemeat."

Nikos chuckled under his breath which turned into full blown laughter.

"You think your tiny little army scares us? You idiot! No, you should be afraid of us."

Nikos looked over to over his left and right.

"First order of business, give me your sword."

"Never!"

Mattimeo shouted back. Nikos shook head in disappointment.

"Fine, time for all of your friends to die. Starting with the ones at the very end."

Mattimeo and Matthias saw a fat rat place a dirty looking dagger on the throat of a vole.

"I'm gonna count to three, if by threes those gates aren't open for me and my armies, this one gets his throat carved out. 1! 2!"

"Wait! We're opening the gates."

Nikos smiled happily at the mouse atop the wall.

"Good, mouse. Good. Now bring me the sword."

Mattimeo hesitated but ran down the flight of wooden stairs to retrieve Martin's Sword from Great Hall. He then ran outside where Nikos and his Deathbringers awaited him. Mattimeo presented the beautiful sword, it's beauty glistened, the sword was symmetrical in every way. Mattimeo even brought it's fine leather scabbard, when Nikos drew the sword, the words, "I am that is," were etched into the blade. Nikos wrapped the broadsword around his waist and casually walked up to Mattimeo. He kneeled down and placed a paw on the early adult mouse. The fox began to smile at his enemy. Without warning, Nikos stood up and kicked Mattimeo hard in the chest! Mattimeo fell right onto his bottom, he wheezed for breath and began coughing. At least ten archers atop of the walls aimed their arrows at the fox, but Nikos had other plans.

"While I was talking, my loyal assassins scaled your walls and and snuck in."

Rats and weasels clad in hooded cloaks placed curved daggers onto the throats of the woodlanders on top of the wall. Nikos looked down upon the injured Mattimeo and smiled evilly.

"I'm gonna kill five of the Mossflower Patrol and five of those archers."

Nikos raised his right paw high above him and swiftly threw it down. The first to die was the watervole. The rat quickly slashed the poor creature's throat. Blood bubbled and poured from the watervole's neck. Then the next creature, which was a squirrel suffered the same fate. The last three to get their throats slit were a dormouse and two mice. Now it was the wall guards and archers turn, the cloaked vermin swiftly dragged their blades across the throats of the Abbey creatures, and threw their lifeless corpses off of the wall. Nikos kneeled down and whispered to Mattimeo.

"That was just a taste of how powerful I am, you can't do anything about it."

Mattimeo stared at Nikos with hateful eyes, Illyn then propped Mattimeo on his footpaws, and bounded the wounded warrior's paw behind his back. Nikos took in a deep breath of fresh air, dusted his jerkin, and turned to his hordebeasts.

"Let's take a tour of our new home!"

Everybeast that was affiliated with the Deathbringers whooped and hollered.