Chapter Three


It was another few days before Seb, Fret and Jared could meet together in-game. They managed to get Adrian on board, Markem joined up with the party without being invited at all, while Schuyler never even seemed to have logged out in the first place.

Both the Professor and his assistant were now safely within the grounds of Redwall, enjoying what delights the newly refurbished abbey had to offer. It had been mushroom soup and that pie with an extremely long name the days before, but currently they were just enjoying some jam tarts Severyn had helped Bard and Skoven make.

"You've returned, brave warriors!" said the wildcat, licking his lips. He prepared to grab the last two tarts, but they were already inside Lovis's paws.

"Wouldst thou like the good news or the bad news?"

Fret crossed his arms. "Considering your track record I think we'll be bored to death before we can tell them apart."

"The bad news first it is!" The rabbit shook his head. "Unfortunately, we have seen very little in the way of progress. Those two pesky doors would not open whatever we do."

"Not that big of a surprise," mused Seb.

Jared nodded. "A player character's always needed for all the important stuff. And I've got a feeling there's going to be one of those reveals very soon."

"What about the good news?" asked Adrian.

Severyn's only visible eye gleamed in the candlelight. "We found help."

0000

"Ok," breathed Seb. "We've been standing underground in front of the doorway for five minutes now, where's the help we requested?"

"Here they are!" replied Severyn, whose voice echoed through the tunnel. His face soon emerged into view, but it was what, or rather who he was carrying that was the quickest to draw the party's attention. "Everybeast, meet Gingi and Tsari."

Schuyler coughed. "Why are two quadruped cats suddenly in the game?"

"And can I pet you?" asked Adrian, whose ears folded as he discovered he was getting some sharp looks. "What, you don't get the urge to play with kitties when you see them?"

Markem's interruption was blunt. "I know I don't."

"Oh, sorry. I know it's incredibly impolite, and I shouldn't do it."

"But I suppose you really want to, don't you? Maybe you'll get an opportunity to play with 'these kitties' if our business is concluded quickly enough."

"We are no mere kitties, Gingi!" mewed the tabby, her green eyes reflecting the candlelight. "We are researchers sent from faraway lands to help you with your project, and we have devised a way to open these sets of doors."

"By hinging on our unique talents!" said the ginger, wiggling his ears. "Get it, Tsari?"

"Yes, yes. Now… here we go!"

The cats' green eyes flashed, and the twin doors slid apart, leaving a way forward to a crystalline palace.

Severyn pointed a claw at the cats. "H-How did you-"

"I KNOW!" Yet another voice came in from the end of the tunnel, and a very familiar shrew came into sight! "I'm Naron, by the way. And yes, somehow this joke wasn't done to me."

"Not you!" moaned Jared, rolling his eyes.

"I remember the three of you well! We fought in the ruins up top before you clashed against Kezda, and I swear the next time I see your other ottery friend and his pointy stick I will-"

"Hey, didn't the author cut that fight from the story because of how easy it was?" asked Seb.

"I dunno," said Fret, "maybe he just forgot all about him."

The Southswarder shrew shook his head. "But at least our dear professor here remembers me. Right, Lovis?"

"Vividly so."

"Ah, you're still salty about that one research project in the university!"

"I recall doing all the work while thou-"

"Excuse me." Both beasts turned towards Schuyler, who didn't even bother looking while he polished a knife. "I have thousands of better things to do right now compared to hearing you two argue. So why don't you go start the questline or something? I have to attend to my roleplaying guild in approximately forty-three minutes."

"You have a roleplaying guild?" asked Jared.

Schuyler chuckled. "Everybeast important has one!"

The squirrel's brows furrowed. "Right… could you commence the exposition dump already?"

"That's fine with me!" exclaimed Lovis. "Long ago - and I do mean quite long ago, centuries before-"

Severyn tapped his teacher on the shoulder. "I believe it's time for the newcomers to speak now."

The rabbit looked at Gingi and Tsari, and he proceeded to sigh. "Very well."

0000

"You seem to recall that there used to be a kingdom with its centre being around here, and that some Verdauga beast tried to re-establish it."

"There's just one problem - he tried to bite off more than he could chew when he tried to tangle with Martin the Warrior."

"I thought Tsarmina killed him…"

"Yes, you are right. But that doesn't mean he's dead forever!"

"Buried in the earth, within the middle of Old Kotir, lies his phantom, destined to awake once the doors are opened… which brings us to now."

0000

"Great!" moaned Fret. "It's your fault that we have to do more extermination duties."

"Precisely so," said Naron. "Besides, they are not who they claim to be."

"So you know us then?" asked Gingi.

"Indeed so. You have not exactly covered your tracks, clones of Kotir."

Seb's eyes widened. "Clones?"

"We are genetically altered copies of beasts who once existed," mewed Tsari.

Gingi's whiskers twitched. "Brought forth from advances in magic and science both."

"It would be marvellous if thou speakest the truth, but we know not of what thy purpose is."

"Did you not see?"

"We opened the door… for you to defeat Verdauga's phantom."

Schuyler scoffed. "What, is he going to take over the world? When the Southswarders tried it they got completely stomped. But then, they weren't expecting Schuyler the Taggerung and his many blades. What makes this iteration of Verdauga any different?"

Lovis winked. "Because he hath already succeeded once."

Fret sighed. "I totally expect you to drop another boatload of exposition. Just get on with it."

"Delightful! The Verdauga thou art familiar with is a clone brought back from the dead by Kotir's primary researcher Fortunata, who hath locked herself down there… until now, anyways."

"Because you opened the door," said Seb, turning towards the two smaller cats. "Wait, so how did you manage to do that?"

Their voices blended together between the walls of the cavern. "Kotirian royal blood!"

Seb's eyes squinted. "You mean… you're royalty?"

"You don't have to give me your phone numbers," said Fret. "I'm bored of scam calls. Oh, I'm a prince, give me some cash and I'll make it worth your while! What a bunch of rubbish!"

Gingi smiled. "Don't worry, we don't use phones."

"Besides," added Tsari, "we're not exactly royalty. Clones, remember?"

"Yeah, right," said Schuyler. "And next you'll be telling us Severyn's another one of these clones."

The wildcat shook his head. "Oh no, I'm a proper descendant of Verdauga." He cupped one of his massive paws across his face and took the eyepatch off. "See? The eye's green. My sobriquet is a diversion."

Jared turned to the rest of the party. "Fret, can I borrow your phone?"

"Why?"

The squirrel bent an arm upwards across his chest while lifting the other up sideways. "Because I freaking called it!"

"That reminds me of something. Fret?" asked Severyn. "Could I please have your phone number for no particular reason?"

The ferret screamed. "SHUT UP!"


A/N: Happy birthday, Vin. I know you have had a few stressful years, so let's hope this one gets better.