Sixclaw
Chapter 36
THE FACILITY, UNDISCLOSED LOCATION.
Everything hurt. From the cauterized stump of his left arm, down to the wound in his stomach, and to his feetpaws. But for Crabfang, pain was an old friend. The feral cat opened his eyes. "Ow… That hurt like a bitch"
Crabfang reached out with his one remaining arm, managing to grab a bit of debris, which he then used to pull himself up so he could hopefully get out of the massive pit.
Suddenly, the feral cat lost his balance and fell next to the corpse of a Death Squad soldier. "What a day, huh? A day for dying. Unfortunately, it's not my dying day." Crabfang gripped the loose gas mask and chemical tank that had been attached to the cadaver. He put the mask to his face, and a new strength came to him. No way am I going out like this.
The cat felt a surge of adrenaline rush into his body as he stood up, and started to climb out of the pit.
FORT SKULL
Once the Skullians and their allies had managed to get their troops on to transports, load the tanks and captured vehicles onto cargo ships, it had been about three uncomfortable days.
"So what's our next move?" asked Sixclaw. "Both sides are fighting to a stalemate, so we need something big."
"A game-changer!" said Deyna. The large otter was leaning up against the wall, fiddling with the Sword of Martin. "We need a sudden and radical change in weapons, tactics, something, anything! We just need it soon."
Red reached across the table and poked one of the few beasts who hadn't spoken yet. "One-Eye, you're being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal. What's on your mind?"
"Oh, nothing." said One-Eye. "Just reading the briefings LIKE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO." at this, the wildcat stared intensely at the creatures around the table. "Apparently, Flametail deciphered the code to the archived data about an hour ago."
"And? So?" Bootbrain was visibly disinterested. "We got our data back, that's the end of it. No action needed."
"Bootbrain, the designs for the new weapons are on those archives! A game-changer, remember? This could be it! We could win the war, reign supreme over the southlands, no one would be able to stop us! Not the Southards, not the Dravanians, not anybeast!"
"There is another option." Sixclaw, the only beast in the room (besides One-Eye) who read the briefing material. "We can access their information. Crabfang managed to get every bit of information stored in that facility, including the enemy's."
"Tell Coggs to do both,"said One-Eye. "I want the data analyzed by tomorrow."
Suddenly, Sixclaw's transponder buzzed. "Hey, Coggs is calling me."
Longtail flicked a claw. "Put him through."
Sixclaw set her comlink on the table, and a slightly garbled version of the weapons designer's voice came through. "Flametail went ahead and looked at the archives. What he found is… well it ain't good news."
"Okay, we'll be down in an hour or two to take a look at it, okay?"
"NO! NO, YOU NEED TO GET DOWN HERE RIGHT EFFING NOW!" after that, the Skullian weapons designer hung up.
"What a madbeast." said Deyna. "No offence, One-Eye." this remark only made the thin warlord glower at Deyna more furiously.
"All in favor of looking at what Coggs found first, raise a paw." said Bootbrain. Six out of ten paws went up, and the council was dismissed.
As the two cats retrieved their weapons, Sixclaw spoke to One-Eye. "Hey One-Eye?"
"Yes Sixclaw?"
"I'm pretty sure Crabfang gave me a promotion. Is that important?"
"WELL, KIND OF! Since the unfortunate death of Shard, The council has an empty seat."
"What are you saying?" asked Sixclaw.
"I'm saying congratulations, Battle Strategist."
A/N
Alright, Crabfang is alive, but he isn't going to be the same person he was before getting blown up. That shit can change you. Also, I'm trying to update more frequently, but my schedule is pretty screwy so don't expect a definitive schedule.
Review responses:
Keva Strongbow: When Crabfang sacrificed himself, he gave up everything to help the Skullians win the war. In a way, it's saying "I believe in this cause, and I'm willing to die for it." One-Eye does indeed take pride in his… mental state. It's something we all should do, even when we are crazy as him.
Waycaster: I didn't want to give the backstories right away. I think that isn't a good idea. A bit of mystery is a good idea, instead of throwing every bit of detail at the reader at once.
Badrangfan: I'm pretty sure most Redwall villains have said that at least one time. It's a pretty common threat in the Redwall universe.
Sebias of Redwall: Yeah, it was pretty sad. I agree, One-Eye and Sixclaw have risen from the ashes, and they came out stronger from their struggles than they would have had they not gone through that pain.
Grey: I didn't want to give One-Eye a mary-sueish backstory, but I also wanted to emphasize "This guy is a very mentally warped and twisted character, and he did not become this way on his own." Sixclaw is a similar case, except the after-affects from her mental strain are less obvious.
A certain troll: Sixclaw isn't a dead fic. Suck it.
R&R!