Chapter 21

It was getting late in the night and Mattimeo alojng with his friends from Redwall, the Guosim, and Long Patrol were studying the map. Halsbrook leaned on his rapier, adjusted his monocle, and twiddled with his mustachoied whiskers.

"I say, me laddos, we're in quite the pickle, y'know."

Mattimeo rhythmically tapped the hilt of his sword and spoke.

"Aye, it sure is. Though we were successful in driving out the toads and lizards back to their marshlands, they still have hundreds almost ranging in the thousands still. However, they're all nothing more than fodder, the real problem is Nikos. As we all know, he'll be far from the battle, possibly someplace high or behind heavy cover, either or, he definitely won't be on the frontlines."

Nycolas stepped into the firelight, cleared his brawny throat, and told everybeast his plan.

"I've got a proposal, sirs! Me and my troops will sneak 'round tonight, see how many buffers this Nikos' fella has, come back safe and sound before breakfast, eh."

Halsbrook tapped the handle of his needle sword.

"Alright, Colonel, no killing, or taking prisoner. Just count, got it?"

"I jolly well do, sir."

"Very good, go."

Nycolas saluted the old General with his ears, his platoon marched off.

"Mattimeo, old lad, tomorrow morning we'll launch a surprise attack on the blighters. I'll have Colonel Nycolas and his hares hide in bushes, flingin' stones, arrows, and other projectiles. Then I'll have Colonel Humphrey take his platoon if fighters, and have them roll large rock down the battlefield, this should flatten the vermin to pancakes, haha, wot."

"Hmhm, of course, sir. But leave Nikos to me, he's caused Redwall so much grief and pain."

"No way, Matti, the fox is mine, he's the one who executed my husband in cold blood."

Honeycomb said twirling her spear.

"You two have got it all wrong, all five us are gonna slay him."

Sam said with Elmtail and Cheek standing behind him. Mattimeo's lips curled into a grin and his cheeks blushed red.

"Right, we'll all take him down, together for Redwall."

"Redwall!"

Meanwhile, a few miles from Mattimeo's camp, Nikos camp was just over the horizon, deep within the camp there was a large purple tent. Nikos tossed in turned in his cot, he dreamt he was being chased a horde of skeletons, both vicitms and allies. He sprinted as fast as he could and soon came to a rocky wall. The fox climbed the wall with some slight difficulties, sliding down once in while. Nikos eventually succeed, he sighed in relief as he watched the corpses and skeletons clawing at the rock wall. However, as soon as he turned around a mouse clad in silver armor wielding a brightly colored sword raised the weapon over the fox's head and slashed it downwards. Nikos awoke in a bloodcurdling scream.

"GAAAAAH, MURDER!"

Silverstryp and Maudan ran into the tent with their weapons drawn.

"What is it, Chief? Did somebeast try and kill you?"

In frustration, Nikos lobbed a clay bowl from his nightstand at the head of Silverstryp.

"Idiot, if there was an assassin, I'd be dead, wouldn't I?!"

"Y-yes, Chief. You would."

Nikos rubbed his exhausted eyes and got up from his bed, the commander paced around his bed mumbling to himself.

"I can let some stupid ghost mouse frighten me. No, why should I be afraid of a dead mouse, what is dead cannot kill me, I will crush Mattimeo and his friends!"

"Yes you will, absolutely."

Maudan said in a nervous tone, Nikos glared at his cohorts with mad eyes.

"Get out, leave me be!"

The fox kicked the weasel and ferret out of his tent, he then laid back down and tried to get some more shut eye.

Nycolas and at least five of his hares saw Gando slumbering outside next to the largest campfire. His damson tongue flickered in and out. But that was the least of Nycolas' worries, the counted a total of 15 monitor lizards, they swiftly made into the vermin camp. With lightning fast reflexes they all took a head count of all the vermin and their tents, hiding in the shadows of both trees, bushes, and tent walls. The hares zipped and zoomed through the vermin infested camp, as soon as they stopped counting, the sun was barely peaking up.

"Alright, you chaps and chappess, we better start headin' back."

In one long white line, the hare of Salamandastron ran out from the camp and back to theirs.

Halsbrook instantly awoke to the sounds and smells of breakfast sizzling. His popped up from the pillow, his eyes widened. The General's nose twitched up and down, and soon he was automatically on his footpaws. He followed the aromatic smell of the sizzling food and saw one of the Guosim shrews frying up potatoes and onions in a skillet.

"Ah, General. You're just in time for breakfast."

Halsbrook sat a flat rock right next to the cooking fire, he licked his chops and rubbed his grumbling stomach.

"That smells wonderful ol' chap, abso-bally wonderful."

"Thanks, sir. After it's done cooking, would you like a plate?"

Halsbrook's ears perked up and he chuckled out loud.

"Would I? Do bees make honey, are shrews gifted boatbuilders?"

"Haha, alright, alright. Here ya go."

"Much obliged ol' thing."

Halsbrook took the wooden plate of fried potatoes and onions and started scoffing away.

"Mmmm, ooh, mmm. I say, chap this is some bally good scoff, wot. I don't think I've had this great of vittles before in all of my jolly old life."

The shrew saluted the General with his bronze spatula.

"I'm glad I could be of service."

The two saw Mattimeo walke towards them, he rubbed the back of neck.

"Not much fun using a rock as a pillow, you know. Are guys ready to finish this?"

"Of course, Mattimeo the Warrior. Are you hungry? This jolly good shrew makes some of the best tucker I've ever tasted, wot!"

"No thanks, I already ate, had the rest of my blackberry pastie."

Halsbrook swallowed a large bit of potato.

"Well, suit yourself then, by the by. As soon as Nycolas had gotten back I told him to rest up awhile and have him, and Humphrey return back to the battlefield, Nikos thinks he has won, so he and his horde are on their way, about to walk through the battlefield with pride. But, we'll see who will come out the victor, wot."

Mattimeo adopted some of the hare lingo.

"Abso-bally-lutly!"

"Hawhaw, wonderful, ol' chap. Anyways, let's pay that nasty a fox another visit."

"I agree, but first I need to make a short speech."

Mattimeo ran up and jumped on a large rock, for everyone to see. He then called for everybeast's attemtion.

"Everybeast, of Redwall, Guosim, and Long Patrol. I thank you for your courage and your sacrifice you are doing today, we cannot forget those who gave up their lives yesterday, they will not be forgotten, I may not be the greatest at speeches, but I can tell you is if we fight hard and fast we'll win the day, and bring down Nikos' reign. Are you with me?!"

"YES!"

Mattimeo unsheathed sword and raised it into the air.

"REDWAAAALLLLLLLL!"

"LOGALOGALOGALOGALOGALOG!"

"EULALIAAAAA!"

The battle cries all shook and rattled the earth. They were so loud that Nikos could barely even hear it.

Just arriving at the battlefield, the Raiders and Reavers were about to descend the steep hill, Nikos and a few of his archerbeasts were the first to see Mattimeo, Sam, Elmtail, Cheek, Honeycomb, Log-a-Log, and General Halsbrook in the very front leading their fighters. Nikos chuckled out loud and aimed his crossbow right at a Mattimeo's head, his index claw hovered over the trigger, he smiled devillishly.

"Goodbye, you little impudent cur."

But before he could squeeze the trigger, a volley of arrows, javelins, and slingstones passed through, and over the hordebeasts. Nikos yelped in surprise as his eyes shifted up, down, left, to right, and all over the place. More arrows and other projectiles flew passed him. Fearing for his life, the fox slung the weapon across his shoulders, jumped down from the large boulder, cheeked his surrounding to see where the arrows, slingstones, and projectiles were being shot at, told his archers were to shoot, and snuck off away from the battlefield, as he sprinted for his life, an arrow flew through his cloak. Mattimeo saw the villain fleeing from the fight and began to give chase, he was halfway up the hill, but he was stopped by Silverstryp who had his sabre drawn. The weasel licked his lips and chuckled evilly.

"I'm so gonna enjoy this."

"Outta my way, snotwhiskers. Can't you see I've got no time for dumb games, I've got a fox to catch."

Silverstryp ran forward and slashed at Mattimeo, the mouse was prepared and blocked the attack.

"Well then, mouse. You'll have to get through me, haha!"

Silverstryp said in a cold voice. As Mattimeo and Silverstryp dueled, Sam, Elmtail, Honeycomb, and Cheek were surrounded by many vermin. The vermin licked their chapped lips and brandished their spears, pikes, axes, and swords.

"Hehehe, were so gonna enioy this!"

One of the foebeast exclaimed. Sam popped a kink out of his neck and twirled his daggers.

"That's what you think, REDWAAALLL!"

Sam lunged forward, piercing a stoat, the acrobatic squirrel jumped high into the air, performed a backflip, and dived into a wave of vermin. Honeycomb whacked and thrusted her spear with lightning fast reflexes and passed countless of vermin. Cheek swung his mace and chain and caused about five vermin all at once to be knocked flat on their bottoms. Finally, Elmtail, swiftly and skillfully twirled his axe, began hacking away at the vermin. Just as the three friends had fought off the vermin they say Mattimeo fight against Silverstryp and tried to go and help him, but we're surrounded by more vermin.

Nycolas ordered another volley of arrows on the vermin, but the fifteen monitor lizards gainescup on them and started killing the hares with their tridents. Gando knocked the Colonel flat with the butt of his trident, his tongue slithered in and out.

"Hahaha! You sstupid beasstss. You have lossst."

Gando tried driving the three pronged trident into the sternum of the hare, but Nycolas' legs shot up like pistons and they temporarily stunned the monitor lizard. Nycolas shot up and drew his rapier, he popped his neck, and began loosening himself up.

"Is that the best you can do, the babes in our mountain are more threatening than you, you slithering scum."

"You will pay for that!"

Gando hissed. The lizard and hare started their duel. Gando stabbed with high velocity whereas Nycolas kept parrying, blocking, and dodging with fast accuracy. Gando then tried to sweep the hare off of his hind paws, but that too was useless, the hare sprang up like a rock and landed hard on the lizard. The monitor lizard threw the hare off of him, scurried up to his footpaws, grabbed his trident and thrusted the weapon into the middle section of Nycolas.

"You loosssee, hare."

Gando whispered, but Nycolas had one last trick up his sleeve, he drove the trident deeper into his middle, getting closer and closer, wincing and cringing in severe pain. Inch by painful inch, Nycolas and Gando were inches from each other.

"Eu... la... lia!"

Nycolas coughed out, then in an instant Gando saw the rapier handle protruding from the middle of his chest.

"Cannot be, I won!"

"Evil, nurgh! Ne-ver wins..."

Nycolas quietly said before passing away, Gando died shortly after. To make matters worse for the vermin, large round boulders rolled down the steep hill, flattening and crushing many foebeasts in their way. The Guosim, Long Patrol, and the five Redwallers had gotten out of the way. However, the vermin that had gotten out of the way were Silverstryp, Maudan, and a few stragglers. Standing at the top of his hill, Humphrey and his lot began attacking the vermin from behind. The odds were never in the vermins favor, they were finally losing. Ten to one hundred.