Arrival of the Actillian

Chapter 7

Surprises

As soon as Katrina caught up with the rest of the slaves, they soon met with a small group. A badger and a hare, and a group of squirrels, and this big group are surprised to see them; they didn't expect this to happen.

Tameo the hare looks at the group of slaves, and asks, "How did you all get out of there so fast?"

"They let us go," said Jenner.

"Good vermin? Never thought I will see the day that will happen," said Maria.

"Where is Joseph?" Baltimore asks, after examining the group of slaves.

"He is still in there," Katrina said, didn't look up. Looking down, and she looked sad. "He has joined them in order of letting us all go."

"What?!" Both Tameo and Baltimore ask in shock, while the rest of the group is surprised of it. Tameo asks, "Why did he choose to do that? Was it part of a plan of his?"

Maria came forward, and looks at Katrina. She asks, "Please tell us what he is planning?"

Katrina looks up at her, and said, "I don't know. He agreed to the deal, without even telling us what plans he was planning."

"But then again, he'll still cause them a lot of surprises," said Jenner. "He created monsters that made Malkus and his soldiers more terrified of him. And they don't know that he is the one who created them."

The slaves are surprised of this, never expected of learning that the human they never met was the one who brought those monsters. Those same monsters that killed about half of Malkus's army. They all spoke at the same time, causing a lot of ruckus.

Tameo looks at Baltimore, and said, "It seems Joseph is killing them himself, and he is pretty much doing nothing while his monsters are doing it."

"He doesn't really need our help, I guess," said one of the squirrels.

Maria came behind that squirrel, and hit his head. She said, "Don't say that, he might still get in trouble if those vermin learns that he is lying. When they learn that, they'll kill him immediately."

"This means, it doesn't matter how long he'll shout the word. I will go in there the moment the time is right," he said, and he hold his war hammer.

"Whoa there big guy," said Tameo. "I think he can take care of himself, after all. He got that magic of his…"

"I don't care," Baltimore said, he sounded mad.

"I'll be with you once we start," said Katrina, some of the slaves are surprise.

"No offense Katrina, but I think you should stay out of this battle," said Baltimore.

"No matter what you all say, I will go in there to help him," said Katrina.

"Oh great, we got here a stubborn one," said Maria. "Well it's fine with me…"

"I just hope she doesn't act like Joseph, my feet are still sore fro that dang trap," said Tameo. He raised one foot, and rubs it.

"It was a clever trap," said Baltimore. Than they're all started to plan of what to do now, it seems clear that Baltimore and Katrina will want to get into the castle sooner. To get Joseph out of there, and Katrina wants to get him out sooner.

That evening, Joseph sat in his new room. His room looks like a terrible one, like someone just throws the trash in. But than again, when he saw the barracks. Where those soldiers sleep, he is glad that he doesn't sleep in there. This room is a bit better, and very less smelly. He'll have to get use to it, but than again. After he saw the entire place, he plans on giving these vermin hell.

He could probably set everything up with his magic, but where is the fun in that. But than a thought came to mind, he won't get caught setting them up. He sat down on the bed, set the backpack beside him. He opens it, and pulls out his notebook. Grabs a pencil, and came to the same page he written his spells. As he written, when he finished. He read them out, and soon after he fallen asleep. Tomorrow, there are going to be several things happening.

The next day, Joseph stood in the courtyard. Today, he has to train some of these soldiers. He wanders of what to do; he never taught a bunch of creatures before. The plan was to slowly get rid of them through surprise accidents.

And these vermin are scared of him, and their leader wants him to teach them in the ways of the deadly arts. Right now, Joseph wishes he picked a different title.

So he looks around, seeing some potential to use. Spotting a few spots, seeing good spots for the future so called accidents. So he looks back at the group, and notice it became larger. It appears to be, that Malkus wants them all to become better.

Then he sees Commander Motaz walking towards him, and when he stopped in front of him. Motaz said, "Joseph the Deadly, King Malkus wants you to teach all the soldiers to know your deadly arts."

"All?" Joe asks, looking at all the soldiers with disgust. "Well, at least a few will survive…"

"What do you mean?" Motaz asks, and some of the soldiers are worried.

"I survive, while hundreds fall in training," Joseph said, and this made the soldiers and the commander worried. "You see, I and few others survive the training in the deadly arts. Creature can die in my training, by accident or purpose. But in the end, they will be willing to die like I." The soldiers are freaking scared of this, and Motaz half smiled and half unnerved.

"So your training is like becoming an assassin?" asks one of the rat soldiers.

"No, the ways to survive one most powerful foe. The power of death," said Joe, and smiles as he sees their fear. "You see, we all are fated to die. It depends of how long you can survive your death."

This also made Motaz confused, he asks, "If you seek death, than why didn't you die in your training from the beginning."

"Because Motaz, I was foolish," said Joseph. "It seems the ultimate prize of finishing the practice. You gain a destructive demon that will guide your very body through the arts of death. It was more like a curse than a prize, you live to achieve the tempting prize. And one you gain it, you'll wish you died in the training like I." He looks all the soldiers, and said, "Enough talk, it is time to begin your training. Just remember, concentrate and do well, otherwise. You be dead in seconds!" The soldiers are terrified of him, and wanting to escape this castle. They wished they gone with the slaves, for getting taught by a monster are not very good. Plus if one of them escapes, they'll get killed by the free slaves who are living in that forest far away. Or by the sounds of the training, if they escaped. It is either Joseph who will come after them, or Death itself.

They stayed silent, and Motaz headed back into the castle. Joseph looks at the group, "Remember, listen well." He walks in front of the front row, and said, "To defy death, first you must stay very still. Stand very still, and remain like that until I tell you all to move." They all straighten up, looking at him with fear. Joe walks in front of the front row, and said, "If you even move, taking a step. I'll guarantee that you die right after one who dies." They look at him in fear, he means one of them is about to die. If one of them moves, he'll kill them himself.

'Oh I hope this works,' he thought to himself. He closed his eyes, and used the magic he cast last night. Few feet away, a long wooden beam shakes a bit. It stood directly behind Joseph, and it had a few arrows stuck at the top.

Joseph opens his eyes, and he takes a step to the right. The wooden beam falls straight down, heading towards the crowd.

SPLAT!

The long wooden beam slams upon two soldiers, killing them instantly. Three soldiers jumps out of the way, and Joseph stares at the beam in fake surprise. He shouted, "Oh come on. Death you cheated me again!" He stomps upon the ground in anger, he looks at the soldiers. Seeing two died from the slam, and notices a few arrow heads upon the ground facing upwards. He also notices that the soldiers are standing very still, and they're also shedding tears. Joseph shouted, "I know some move, so I order that you tell me which. Or trust me, I'll make the training whole lot more worst. Even knowing that Death is among us, and helping me out in this training. I'll make it even worse than every before."

The rats pointed at the three that had moved, and they are begging that Joseph won't kill them. They kneeled down, and kept begging. Joseph groaned in anger, and said, "You three are lucky I'm not in the mood to dirty my hands." He points at the wooden beam, and said, "You three, pick that up and put it in the hole. Then you guys will live, less." Making his voice sound threatening, and the three rats obeyed. They scurry in to grab the wood, and they had a hard time picking it up.

Joseph walks towards the hole, and waiting for them to come. Soon those three came over, holding the beam hard and slowly bring it down to the hole. "Being so slow, makes me mad," said Joseph with frustration, and he grabs the front rat and pushes him into the hole. He hit the ground hard, but he still lived.

The weight of the wooden beam came heavier, that the one in the back let's go. The one in the middle collapse forward, and the wooden beam killed him as the wood grinds him into the ground. Going into the hole, pulling his head hard, cracking the neck. The rat that was in the hole, only had a second before he died.

The last rat from the back of the wood stares at Joseph in fear, and Joseph looks from the hole to him. He said, "It seems you're the lucky one. You all can now have the day-off, bury your two allies if you want. I don't care, now your next training is to survive. Survive death, since now it lurks in this very place." They all obeyed, and left to do there regular duties.

Joseph placed one hand on his forehead, and sighed in disgust. He said to himself, "I am such a monster, I feel disgusted of myself." Than he reassured of himself, that these vermin did worst them him. All he is doing is removing these creatures, so a much more peaceful creature can live without getting harmed by one of them.

He notices Commander Motaz standing in front the door to the barracks, so he walks over to him. Motaz asks, "Captain, how has our soldiers perform?"

"Commander, these wimps won't survive this training. Four already died," Joe said, and in thought he said, 'killed by me.' "I think I'll just stay in my quarters for the rest of the day. Oh, here is a reminder. Be careful now on, my old friend is around."

"Who?" Motaz asks; he feels fear still when he heard what Joe had told him.

Joseph is about to say, but just then he felt pain in his right foot. He flinched, and he looks down. He sees an arrow sticking in his boot, and he looks up at the wall where a rat stood guarding. He said, "You miss, if you wanted to kill me. Aim my heart!"

"Soldiers! Kill the traitor," Motaz commanded, and he pointed at the rat who thought that could cheat death by killing Joseph.

The rat traitor drops his bow. Seeing that two rat soldiers by either side is coming towards him. So the only option is to jump, so he leaps down to the courtyard. When he landed upon the ground, he landed on arrow heads. He shrieked in pain, and falls backwards. His head fell onto another arrow head, and he died.

Joseph and the Commander came towards it, and they knew he was dead when they saw the pool of blood. Joseph is having a hard time moving his right foot, since the arrow is still stuck in it.

He said, "Dang, what a waste."

"He is the same one that bothered you every morning," said Motaz.

Joe nodded at this, and said, "It seems my friend Death beat me to him. It always makes me mad when it beats me to it." He looks at his right foot, and sees there is a bit of blood coming from his boot. "It seems I am going to die slow if I keep loosing so much blood," he said.

Motaz looks down to see his foot in his boot, arrow stuck in it and blood is dripping out of the hole. Motaz looked worried, and said, "Return to your quarters, I'll send the healer to look after you."

Joe looks at him; his expression is mixed with disgust and surprise. "There is a healer here," he said. "Well that healer better do well, even better if he or she kills me." He walks away, slowly with the pain in his right foot.

He sat in his room, on the ugly form of a bed. He manages to take the arrow out, and his boot and his bloody sock off. He saw the wound, it isn't deep. The boot must've stopped it a bit from sticking into the bone. He put a cloth on it to help it stop bleeding, and now he has to wait for this healer.

But then a better thought came to mind, if he could heal his leg with a spell. "Healing hand," he said, his right hand felt strange. He is about to touch his foot, but than…

The door to his room open and the healer came in. It is a vixen, a red fox. She wore blue garment, and she is carrying some healing equipment. And a dagger? 'Why does a healer need a dagger?' He asks himself when he saw the dagger.

The vixen looks at him, and he see her eyes are full of anger. He said to her, "So, you're the healer that came to heal me?"

"I am the only healer in this place," she replied. "I am here to do more than just heal you," she gripped the dagger with her left hand tightly.

She than leaps at him, aiming the dagger at him. In defense, he raised his right hand to stop her. His hand stopped her, on her chest. She just stopped; she didn't go to strike him with the dagger. But her eyes changed no anger in them.

He forgotten of the spell, his hand is still in affect. But his spell is supposed to heal a wound; this healer doesn't have a wound.

She drops the dagger, and took a few steps back. She looks at him, and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"I would've let you, but then. I would've died without knowing why you want to kill me in the first place," said Joseph.

She looks over to see his wound, it is still bleeding. So she said, "Let me heal you first." She grabs some of her healing equipment, and went over to him. She sat down, and removes the cloth. She than tries to help him with that wound of his, as she did. She said, "I wanted revenge, my son was killed by you. Malkus has told me and every soldier that you are a dangerous monster who fights along side death. And at the very moment you were brought into his chambers, you killed the ones who captured you. One of them was my son, my son wanted to become a soldier. So he tries to please the king, but then you killed him. Now I don't know why I am helping you, for some reason."

"That was a lie," Joe said, sounded confused. "You see, your son and his lackeys brought me into see Malkus. I told Malkus of what happens if he kills me, that he and you with everyone gets destroyed by the creature that lives inside me. Malkus was furious, so he killed those three and thrown me down into that pit. I didn't kill your son, he did."

The vixen looks at him in surprise, and said, "That must be a lie."

"Think about it, if I hadn't told him that I was dangerous when I am dead. I would've been dead long ago, and all you will suffer the same fate. Your son would still be killed, and fate will be fate. If I hadn't come in the first place, your son would still be killed by Malkus when he made him angry. So you see, your son was trying to help someone who is actually going to kill him when he gets angry," said Joe.

The vixen was shedding some tears, as she heals his legs. She wraps it around with a new cloth, to keep it tighten. This hurt Joe, for squeezing his leg. But in the end, she is done and Joe's leg feels a bit healed.

The vixen stands up, and looks at Joseph. She said, "Thanks, for telling me that. I knew Malkus was bad from the start. But I thought my son can become someone like him, to be a skilled soldier. But now I know…"

"You're welcome," Joe said, looking away. "By the way, my name is Joseph."

"I know your name," she replied. "My name is Savviel, nice to meet you Joseph the Deadly."

"You have no need to call me the deadly," Joseph said. "You can just call me Joseph."

"Alright, Joseph," she said, trying to smile.

"I probably expect that Motaz wants to learn of how this goes," Joe said, and Savviel nodded. "But here is advice, get out of this castle when you can. For this castle will be turn to the worst, in any day."

Savviel looks at him in worry, and said, "Very well. I guess I will see you later…" She went to open the door, and Joe just said bye and she left.

Joe looks at the window, out into the horizon. Today was a bad day; he did more things he didn't want to do. But then if he doesn't do deadly things like today, they would begin to think that all he said in the pass days might be a lie. They would kill him, and then he'll never get home.

He touches his right foot with his right hand, going to heal with the magic he just summoned a while ago. He didn't feel a thing, he removes his hand. The injury is still there, so his healing spell didn't work.

Unless it did work, on the vixen. He must've healed something in her, but what was it. Well he can worry about it some other time, he cast the spell again. With the same feeling he felt in his hand before, he touches the wound.

He felt his leg sort of shivered and slight pain. When he removed his hand, he saw that the cloth isn't darkening anymore. He removes it, and sees that the wound is fully healed. So the spell worked like all the rest, and definitely the spell he cast last night. The spell from last night was the power of Death he learned from movies called Final Destination. It only lasts one day, and he was darn lucky that log didn't hit him. In truth, he was concentrating to make some traps somewhere else's. Breaking some wood to make it easier for creatures to fall and break there bones. But moving that wooden beam wasn't part of the plan, he is just glad it only lasted one day.

"Hey, hey Joseph," said someone outside the window. This made Joseph look in that direction in both surprise, and confusion. He got up, and walks over to the window. Leaning over, to look downward.

A squirrel is there, and he seemed to have climbed up on the wall. He notices a lot of ledges that seems climbable for a squirrel, and he wonders why the squirrel is here.

"Joseph the Deadly, I bring a message to you," the squirrel said.

"Enough with the dumb title, I am getting sick of it," Joseph said, sounded so frustrated with the title. The title he picked for himself from the beginning had helped him, but also hurt him. "So what is the message?"

"Baltimore, Maria, Tameo, and Katrina are planning to attack this horrible place very soon. Just telling you to get ready for it," the squirrel said.

"I wouldn't do that if I were them, there are several things happening here that you all don't understand," Joe said, and this made the squirrel confused. "Mainly, I've been doing a lot of bad things here ever since the slaves left. I had killed four rats in training, which made me sick when I just acted calmly."

"You're a warrior Joseph, you shouldn't get sick in killing vermin," the squirrel said.

"I am no warrior," Joseph replied back. "A warrior protects, what I have been doing is killing rats when they can't even defend themselves. I am a monster, and I am slowly killing them all as long as I live."

"You're no monster, you sacrifice your freedom to be here to let the slaves go free," said the squirrel. "You killed those rats because they will kill someone that can't defend themselves. Those rats must've killed someone innocent before becoming a soldier here. So we're coming to get you out, and destroy the vermin."

"Getting into this place is much more difficult than you think," said Joe. "You see, you're being lucky here. Because someone could've spot you, and they have many weapons. Even though they have fewer soldiers than before, and the ground is riddle with spikes on the inside. They got traps that I had set up, and if you step in one. You'll be dead."

"So it isn't a good time yet, is that what you are saying?" the squirrel asks.

"Yes, I will shout Redwall when it is time. Okay, otherwise you will be heading straight into traps in this place," said Joseph.

"Very well, I will report this to them. They may not like it, but they must know," said the squirrel. He begins to climb down, and he said, "We'll come to rescue you soon."

Joseph sees him go, and he sighed. That was a close one; he wants to take care of this himself. Even know it could be suicide, but than no good creatures will get killed in this.

The scout return to the camp, and reported the conversation he had with him. Tameo and Maria agreed to this, since the human creature knows things going on in the castle more than them. Katrina is still worried about him; she wanted to learn more from the scout. But the scout only told what he already learned. Baltimore was furious; they could've gone in there. Save him and destroy the vermin, and they could journey back to Redwall Abbey. But for now, they must wait till it is ready.

End of Chapter 7

Written by Josephiroth