I originally planned for Eragon to meet Matthias earlier in his travels, but realized that it would provide too many tempting opportunities to make him OP. So instead, "the powers that be" sent Eragon to the Redwall Universe for a specific purpose. You may already know :)
Your reviews are appreciated! I am relatively new to FanFiction, so I always like feedback which I can use to further refine my style. Comments about how you liked the story, any plot holes, story inaccuracies, awkward phrases, etc.
Clearing his throat, Matthias stood before the group on a rocky outcropping. All eyes were on him. The sun had barely begun to rise, but its first rays on the horizon were enough to cast Matthias in the light, enveloping him in a nearly divine aura. Eragon noted his angelic appearance and laughed at the absurdity of it. Matthias was never one for flair and grandeur, preferring modesty and meekness. Unknowingly, the young mouse had captured the attention of all present.
"My friends," Matthias began, taking time to look each individual in the eye as he spoke. "I grieve the loss of our companion Mingo as much as you do. None of us expected Asmodeus to strike so early. Cunning beast that he was, his attack took us all by surprise. To this moment, I wish I had been the one taken instead of Mingo. It was I who asked you to join me on this quest, and I accept full responsibility for this."
As Matthias' eyes passed over Eragon, the latter could not help but to avert his gaze. The guilt of never having reconciled with the shrew after the riverside brawl still pained him. As a Rider, he felt it his duty to protect others, no matter where he was. Matthias did not know it, but in his heart, Eragon felt equally responsible for the tragedy. Whatever afterlife poor Mingo's soul is in right now, I hope he's forgiven me.
"Today I give you a choice, before more lives are lost. Those who would rather return home are free to do so. I can no longer ask you to endanger your lives on my behalf. This is my quest, and my burden, alone."
No one spoke for the longest time. Eragon scanned the faces in the crowd, observing the mixed reactions that took place. Some looked searchingly at Matthias, as if guessing at some hidden motive or surprised by his forthrightness. Guosim and several others raised their eyebrows, not expecting this sudden change of plans. The Guosim, after all, had agreed to accompany Matthias. Mingo notwithstanding, they were aware of the risks involved in such a venture. A shrew's word was his honor and to take it back, even with the consent of the other party, was downright taboo. Many of the tradition-minded older veterans felt this way, but Eragon felt differing sentiments from amongst the younger shrews. A boyish-looking individual appeared to struggle with himself internally. Reading his quivering lip and unwillingness to look at Matthias, Eragon sensed that the urge to go home pulse strongly in his heart. Unweathered by battle and hardships, this one was.
Much like me before the battle of Farthen Dur.
Finally, some whispers ran through the crowd. From the chatter arose a rather interesting conversation that seemed to be taking place near the back. Perking his ears, Eragon strained to listen to the two participants.
"Well, what do you make of this?"
"Dunno, Karven, but I'm sorely tempted to take him up on it!"
"Blast you, we gave him our word!"
"He's revoked it! 'Sides, do you want to go on risking your skin in this mad quest? Look what happened to poor Mingo! Next, it could be you! Or little Karven! Or Tomriel! Even old Fangur!"
"What's gotten into you, Rotham? When we left Mossflower you were the one dragging me on this adventure!"
"Times have changed. Look, our best fighters are all here. If we perish against the snake, there'll be none left to lead the Guosim! Have you heard news of the hordes now occupying Mossflower? Who will stand against them?"
"The Abbey folk are resisting them to this moment!"
"Heh, they won't last long. Without the Guosim, Mossflower is doomed!"
Sighing, Eragon turned his ears back to the front. Fear, he thought. This place is ripe with it. Before the hubbub grew too disruptive, Log-a-Log raised a hand to silence it. Walking to the outcropping beside Matthias, he too addressed the group.
"Your gesture is kind, Matthias-and I believe I speak for more than myself when I say that the thought of returning home is sorely tempting." Many shrews nodded in agreement. Log-a-Log continued.
"For a while now, I have thought about the fate of my people, of shrew hegemony in Mossflower. From the day you chanced upon Guosim on your lonely sojourn, I knew that our destiny, somehow, would be tied with yours. True, we are proud of our independence, and for years we have claimed sole authority over the forest. But recent events have called that claim into question. I now realize that the Guosim cannot stand alone. Your home, Redwall Abbey, wields as much influence as our Union-and for the longest time I was blind to that. Well, no more."
"This quest began as a mission to rid the world of Asmodeus, as we saw him a threat to the Union's hegemony. You were merely an asset to us. Now, it is more than that." Eragon raised his brow as he realized where Log-a-Log was going.
"Long ago my ancestor, Log-a-Log Big Club, aided your predecessor, Martin the Warrior, in overthrowing the tyrant Tsarmina. Today, I do the same. We pledge our friendship to you and to Redwall Abbey. We will help you kill the serpent, and we will come back with you to defeat the Scourge as well!" Visibly touched, Matthias was at a loss for words. He had not expected such loyalty from friends so recently made.
"Don't you forget, a shrew's as good as his word. We made a promise before we left, and we're not about to renege on you!" spoke up Guosim."
"Aye!" cried Fangur, the hardened veteran of whom Rotham spoke.
Several more shouts of agreement followed. Not unanimous, Eragon observed, but a considerable majority. Enough to keep the venture afloat. The shrews had an almost political way of doing things, albeit much simpler than the courts of Surda or Uru'Baen. There, getting the simplest thing done (ordering new armor sets for a garrison, deploying a patrol force, or refurbishing a building, for instance) could take hours of debate, involving more subtlety, maneuvering, and back-slapping than he cared for. It was one of the reasons he refused the head position of Du Vrangr Gata and shied away from Alagaesian government altogether. True, he had assumed control of the Varden for a time, and took part in yearly town hall meetings in Carvahall, but those were under conditions of necessity. Organized government was a place he would never feel at home. The burden of leadership was best left to others.
Taking his place alongside Matthias, Eragon decided it was time to resume the mission. "I'm always glad to see arms crossed in camaraderie. Friendship is one of the few things I've seen stand the test of time. But our time today is of the essence. We've got to make haste. Best to strike while the sun is still out, while old Poisonteeth is most likely asleep or at rest. Not to mention, we've still got to find his doorstep!"
They split into groups of four and fanned across the quarry. Log-a-Log and Matthias joined Karven and Fangur. It was decided that Eragon was the equivalent of three warriors, so he was paired off with Guosim only; a match she didn't take kindly to, as she made clear at the outset of their search.
"Planned this all along, didn't you? Cut me off from the rest of the group and leave me for Ice-Eyes, while you make your escape to whatever strange land from whence you hail." Getting her confidence would be difficult, Eragon thought. In Guosim ran all her kind's clannishness and distrust of outsiders, multiplied tenfold. The dwarves themselves would have thought her paranoid.
"You trust Matthias."
"We know where he's from. And he's proven his worth. You've done nothing but wallop seven of our shrews." She seemed to have forgotten his timely intervention just earlier that day.
"What more can I do to earn your trust? I've spoken nothing but the truth," he replied helplessly.
"What is truth?" she spat. He was without an answer. Something told him an abstract dissertation worthy of Oromis would be useless to her practical, obtuse nature. Nor would do any good to explain Alagaesia, the dragons, or his personal history. Matthias was open to those kinds of stories, but telling Guosim would only serve to alienate her even further and increase her xenophobia. What good would talk of magic, unknown creatures, and faraway lands be with a shrew who had loathed anything beyond her Union's own borders?
"All I can really say is that I was on a quest of my own before I arrived here. I woke up near the forest you call Mossflower and found my way along the river. Not too long after, I met your company."
She narrowed her eyes. "Where did you start?"
He described the glade as best as he could, detailing the creek, trees and bushes in the area with precision and vividness. Guosim's eyes widened in surprise.
"You started there?! That glade isn't too far off from one of our outposts near the edge of Mossflower! But, but...that's a two day's journey from here! We paddled along the river to get to where we are now!"
"Uhhhh…." He probably could have stretched the truth a little more, thinking back on it. Tact was never his strong suit.
"Did you have a horse? Did you fly on the back of a raven or eagle?"
"I…I..." Well, honesty was the best policy."I ran."
"By the heavens...who are you?" Eragon chose his words with more care this time.
"A friend...a helper on your quest. I belong to an order known as the Riders, of whom I am one of the last. I was tasked to complete a mission when...I was somehow transported to this place. When I first came to, I wondered where I was. I wondered where all my friends were and why I was here. But after everything that's happened so far...I believe I'm here to help you."
Guosim listened intently, taking everything in. No doubt she searched for a hidden meaning in his words, the veiled threat she certainly expected from him. Finally, she laughed bitterly.
"Time will tell, Eragon. Time will tell. For now, I'm under Log-a-Log's authority not to harm you. But if you so much as lift a whisker towards one of us, I'll make sure your so called order loses one more member!"
Eragon and Guosim were quiet for a long time as they searched the quarry. The duo scoured the lower slopes, poking and probing. They inspected underneath deformed bushes, turned over chunks of rock, crawled beneath huge slabs, always watching closely for the telltale single winding track of the adder. The silence was deafening. There was neither birdsong nor the hum of insects inside the sunken arena. Asmodeus' presence seemed to cast a deathly pallor on the entire place. Having crisscrossed the floor, Eragon and Guosim progressed to the middle terraces, but the results were equally disappointing. All morning they had searched the quarry without any success.
At midday Log-a-Log called a halt. The group convened on a flat table-shaped rock halfway up and shared a meager lunch followed by a canteen of water. It was not a cheerful meal due to the morning's fruitless search. They each sat with their own thoughts. Finally Guosim stood up, dusting her fur off. She clapped her paws together in a brisk manner, urging her companions to resume the task.
"We haven't got all day!" Motioning to Eragon, who had barely started on his second loaf of bread, she made her way to the southwestern section of the quarry.
"Better hurry, Eragon." Matthias chuckled, watching Guosim walking off into the distance. Her figure grew less visible by the second. "Your partner may find Asmodeus before you do!"
"That's what I'm worried about!" Hurriedly packing his half-finished meal, Eragon bounded quickly toward his eager companion. Thanks to his powerful lower body, he caught up to Guosim in a few leaps. Landing with a resounding boom next to her, he heard a slight rumble as he turned to face his partner.
"Let's not charge off recklessly like that again, shall we? Who knows what might be out-"
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
The ground which they were standing upon caved in, causing them to fall to the ground beneath. Matthias and the others heard their screams from a distance and came barreling to the scene. A perfectly circular hole, about six feet in diameter, existed where Eragon and Guosim once stood. Darkness extended far below and neither of the two could be seen or heard. They had found the entrance to the lair of Asmodeus Poisonteeth.
The showdown is coming soon! Don't worry, Eragon isn't here to steal Matthias' thunder. But his presence will be essential. Also, we find out something surprising about Asmodeus...