Chapter 5
Harlan and Xaviel clashed swords with each other. The sable Captain smiled down on his enemy, his grin contained rows of white fangs. Every few fangs were gold and had small diamonds placed in the middle. Harlan frowned in disgust at the vermin.
"What's wrong, can't keep up?"
Xaviel taunted. Harlan parried the sable's attack, then punted him in the chest. Xaviel staggered back a bit, he still pressed onward.
Sam and Elmtail could hear the sounds of a battle commencing. The two jumped down from the branches and onto the dirt.
"C'mon, I hear a battle partaking!"
Sam shouted to the beasts following him.
Harlan ducked down and kicked underneath Xaviel, knocking him down on his bottom. Xaviel groaned in frustration before slashing his sword at Harlan's footpaws. But no avail, Harlan leaped high in the air and slashed downward at the sable. Unfortunately, the attack was useless, because Xaviel rolled out of the way. Xaviel got up and lunged back at his adversary again. Sweat dripped from Harlan's brow, it seemed he was bested by another beast.
"If I die, I die taking you down!"
He shouted before resuming his battle.
Orlando and General Alvadian sat inside the thrown room of Salamandastron. Orlando lightly tapped on his double bladed axe handle. Alvadian cleared his throat before speaking.
"Ahem, alright now. Since we're going with my plan of action, sir. I decided have the young Lieutenant and his pals should lead the first patrol party. Then, come supper they go back into the ol' mountain and relieve themselves, letting the evening patrol in on some action. We do that, keep some sentries and guards, and we'll all be right as rain, wot."
The General hare said to his Commander.
"Any questions, sir?"
Orlando leaned in on his chair.
"I am just spitballing, but what if Lieutenant Harlee tries something stupid or worse?"
"Ah yes, that is why my trusty right paw, Colonel Scallaram will keep a close eye on him, if he decides to stir up trouble."
Orlando nodded and smiled at his trusty advisor.
"Thank you, General, dismissed."
Alvadian saluted with both his paw and ear, before hopping off.
Sibo tapped impatiently on the guardrail on his ship. The beast he sent out were taking far too long, what could have happened to them? He thought, out in the distance he one of his trackerbeasts, a tall, burly stoat, named Hengan. He was dressed only in a hooded green cloak and black leather belt, he carried around a cutlass. The stoat was sprinting to the ship.
"Cap'n, Cap'n!"
He exclaimed. Sibo puffed out chest.
"What is it, me bucko?!"
He shouted in response.
"Cap'n, me and me trackers spotted a few hares coming out of the mountain, I think it would be a good time to strike, and take this place for ourselves!"
Hengan suggested. But Sibo shook his head, the time was right to strike.
"Not yet, Hengan, we wait til nightfall to spring our first attack."
Harlan became winded, the sword he wielded felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Xaviel twirled his sword around, in a skilled way. The sable popped a kink in his neck.
"Come on, I'm just getting start!"
The sable lunged in from the offensive, luckily, Harlan was still able to defend himself. Using both paws, he lifted the blade over his head to block to deathly instrument from chopping his head in two.
"Huuh, huuh, huuh! I'll hold you off, you verminous scum!"
Harlan panted out, this caused Xaviel and his hordebeasts to laugh out loud.
"Hahahaha, you? Stop us, rubbish, you can barely stand on your own two foot paws!"
Xaviel cried out, laughing at his fallen foe. Harlan tried to lift his blade, but no avail, he was too tired to fight back, he accepted his fate.
"Sam, Elmtail, I'm sorry, I failed you lads."
Harlan whispered under his breath. Xaviel lifted the sword over his head, and as soon as he was about to finish the Northern squirrel off, fate decided to turn its tail on Harlan and onto Xaviel, an arrow wisped on by from the treetops sticking near Xaviel's footpaw. Xaviel's eyes widened with horror. The ambushees were ambushing the ambushers! Xaviel sheathed his sword, and he sprinted as fast as he could. The sable was very agile, he cried out orders.
"Retreat, retreat!"
Feraug followed behind his master, and the rest followed. Things were not so lucky for Hulgo, because as soon as the rat got at least a few paces in of running, an arrow stuck him in the back of the neck. Hulgo and few other stragglers fell victim to the Mossflower Patrol's arrows. Sam jumped down from the trees.
"Are you alright?"
He asked Harlan, offering a helpful paw. Harlan smiled at his comrade.
"Yes, I am, lad, thanks to ya."
"Alright, next time, when we see vermin we immediately report back."
"I planned on it, but the rotten scum found us out and ambushed us. I had to fend them off somehow."
Harlan said wiping the sweat from his forehead. Elmtail pitched in, adding some more to the topic at paw.
"I for one am glad you helped fend those evil creatures off, if you fled, they would have followed you, and slaughtered us, if given the chance."
Sam pursed his lips and replied to what Elmtail had said.
"Well, it's not worth it, losing a well seasoned warrior such as Harlan."
Sam ordered his beasts to press onward, they were going to track those vermin.
Far from Sam and his patrol, Xaviel panted and rested himself on a large rock.
"Status report, any casualities?"
He demanded, a skinny rat with patchy fur stumbled towards his master.
"Erm, a few, Captain, one of them being Hulgo."
"Hulgo, they killed Hulgo?"
"Yes sir."
"Hahaha, Hulgo!"
When Xaviel started laughing, it meant certain death to the creature who did something horrible to Xaviel. Nobeast could take anyone or anything from Xaviel and get away with it! The sable jumped up and thrusted his fists towards the sky.
"That squirrel and his accomplices will know the meaning of pain, once we're done with them. We're Deathbringers, Vendettamakers, we take the lives of those who take from us!"
He shouted, his hordebeasts raised their weapons and chanted the Deathbringers war cry.
"Deathbringers, take, kill, take, kill!"