An Attempt On Thievery
Ruins Dueling Grounds
This was at one point in time the origional throne room. The partial collaps of the earth above into the far end of the room has since given the room another purpose. Half the size of the Great Hall this room comes with stone pillar supports that a beast can walk around and is bathed in a blue glow from crystals lining the fallen debris where the throne once sat. Instead A large pile of boulders and rocks lays propped up on the far wall with a trickle of water pouring down from the ceiling into a pool at the bottom, a naturally made indent in the floor after the earth came crashing down.
The walls are lined with various forms of weaponry. Those blades commendeered from topsiders or the simple wood and stone made weapons created by the locals. When not used to settle differences via dueling this room is used to train warriors in the art of fighting
An ill wind blows through Beggar's Pass. The sun is just begining to set but still remains unseen as the clouds over head block it from view. The pass has an erie blue glow as a storm is on the horizon. With it comes rain and prehaps some snow. The wind howls as it flows through the valley. Melting snow has turned the creek into a full scale river below, frought with debris and gushing water.
A travel worn fox stumbles along the edge of the pass, his ears twitching as he listens to his surrounds. He had hoped to reach a town or at least a random hut by this time, but luck is not on his side at this point. He glances up at the darkening sky with a shiver and wraps his arms around himself, trying to scrounge up enough heat to stay warm. At this point, an oversized leaf would be welcome enough shelter.
Even through the rain the sound of shouting can be heard. It is in an odd dialect, with lots of hissing. If one were to peer over the side of the pass towards the creek one would see a trio of lizards in danger of being blown away by the storm. They are dressed in tribal beads and cloths and make a bead line for the fox, as if they are going to climb the hill side to get to him, instead they seem to simply vanish below him.
The fox starts to grumble under his breath as he stumbles along. Maybe he should just go back to jail! The weather was certainly warmer there. And less...wet. As he walks, however, his ears begins to pick up on the sound of the voices. He frowns to himself and, after a moment of locating where the sound if coming from, he peers carefully over the rim of the valley, only to see the creatures, he wasn't quite able to see them in time to distinguish what they were, disappear. He bites his lip ring as his curiosity perks. Maybe the 'things' went somewhere safe? And if so, they certainly wouldn't mind having a small, tiny fox join them, right? Curiosity and the need to escape the elements drives the fox to slip and slide down the side of the valley, attempting not to break all his bones. He lands with a 'plop' and a shiver as the rain and wind batter his being. Scrabbling to his feet, he looks around for wherever the creatures went.
The lizards themselves wouldn't have found the fox so tiny, rather eye to eye level. And such a small creature should have no trouble fitting into the large hole burrowed into the earth here. A large circular hole penetrates the earth here. Lightning flashes behind Tweeds, briefly highlighting the tunnel ahead and the shapes of the three lizards there in moving steadily away from the vulpine.
The fox catches sight of the tunnel and starts to move cautiously towards it, though the flash of lightning causes him to tense and look around sharply, though all he can see is sheets of rain. He starts to move towards the tunnel once again, this time picking up the pace. He enters the space carefully, trying his best to be silent, though he can't stop his clothing from dripping onto the stone floor. He looks around pensively, his insides giddy with excitement. The fox starts to move down the tunnel after the lizards, curious as to where they're heading.
The lizards pause only to strike up a torch. All three lizards continue to move down at a brisk trot, occasionally chattering in their odd language. Occasionally one laughs and another tries to trip the other with his tail. All are unaware as they lead the fox through the maze of corridors which eventually become solid slabs of white stone. Some slabs are broken, some littered with debris, A healthy supply of moss runs along the sides which are occasionally written over with hand painting. The paintings depict lizards hunting several different kinds of beasts. It's impossible to say what kind of beasts they are hunting, just that they are also armed with swords and civilized clothing.
The fox continues to follow along behind the lizards, getting himself completely lost in the maze of corridors and tunnels. A few times he loses sight of the lizards around a bend or a corner, but the torch light guides him on. As they continue to walk he begins to see the paintings and rubble. He shivers as his eyes alight on the hunting depictions and he hangs back, wondering if he should risk going on. Who knows what lays in store for him? His curiosity drives him on, however.
Eventually all things must come to an end, and so does this odd network of tunnels. The torch is rendered moot and put out as Tweeds scaly guides reach the Overlook. Light bounces into the hallway from a large opening in the side of the tunnel. Down below there is a large room, just slightly smaller than the Abbey great hall. The center is caved in with spikes surrounding it, the far wall is completely missing, a large abyss has grown here with a bridge spanning the endless gap. Farther down the hall there is a stair well the lizards disappear into.
The hall down below is filled with stillness. With night fallen most of the lizards have retired to their homes or simply found a comfy patch of rock here to fall asleep on. There are about twenty, maybe even forty sleeping lizards here in the dimly lit Great Hall under Beggar's Pass. A few are seen roving about with little care if they step on one of their companions.
None of this of course compares with the large pile of gold sitting in the far center of the room, it has an empty throne on it.
Tweeds hangs back and waits for the lizards to retreat down the stairs before coming forward. He stumbles slightly without the torch and he is forced to tap about in front of himself to make sure he doesn't trip over some rubble or other. His heart is still racing at this point and is quickens as he reaches the outlook and peers out over the Great Hall. He gulps as he looks over the sleeping lizards and turning back is starting to sound like a pretty good idea, when his eyes fall upon the huge pile of gold. Sleeping lizards can't be that bad, right? Besides! He wouldn't know where to go if he turned back, which is this case is just another reason to hang around. He gives a little greedy shiver and starts to move towards the stairs, wondering how much gold he could stuff down his shirt.
By the time Tweeds makes it to the stairs the lizards are long gone. The stairs prove to be just as well worn, cracked and bordering on the edge of breaking apart as anything else in these ruins but if one follows them down they will eventually come to the great hall. The great Abyss is twenty feet away without guard rails, to the left the room tilts and several lizards lays sprawled out on the ground. Like their counterparts they all wear tribal clothing, mostly beads and cloths, but here and there the mostly red scaled reptiles are wearing more civilized hats, vests, shirts, pants...one only shudders to think where they got them.
Tweeds makes his way carefully down the stairs, wincing as his paw kicks a small pebble. It falls with a 'tap tap tap' and lands at the bottom of the steps. He holds completely still for a few moments, preparing to run should anyone come rushing up the stairs. It stays quiet, however, at least for the moment and he continues on. He finally reaches the bottom of the stairs and peeks around the door way to the room beyond. He shivers again at the sight of all the lizards and wonders, for a split second, what would happen if we let loose with a shriek and then ran for his life. However, his better judgment rules out the idea and his mind is re-focused on the gold, which he takes one, tentative step in the direction of.
The fox's movements and antics go un noticed even by the few reptiles wandering about. There are maybe three or four lizards up and about, the rest are all sound asleep, snoring and dreaming peacefull dreams. Who knows how many dreams of the fox's own the pile of gold can fulfill? It is taller than Tweeds is tall!
Tweeds cowers within the shadows, trying to use them to cloak his presence as he moves towards the bridge. After a few moments of sneaking, he reaches the wall beside the bridge. Now to cross without being noticed.
There are admittedly fewer beasts along this route to step on. The lizards are small, about the same size as tweeds. While very few look truly over fed and fat they all have a muscled appearance without want for food. All that stands between Tweeds and his pile of gold are twelve, thirty snoring lizard’s tops. Occasionally one will stir as he drifts too close.
Tweeds continues to move closer to the gold, his eyes shining. He just wants to leap into it! He glances down at one of the closest lizards, attempting to skirt around him. He shivers at the reptiles clothing, which consists of a tribal cloth and a very nice feather sticking from a cap on his head. It didn't seem natural for a lizard to be associated with a feather. After a few more moments of carefully waltzing around the room, he reaches a point of being about two yards away from the gold. His blood runs joyously through his veins and his heart ponds, seeming to pull him closer and closer to his goal.
If the feather bothers the fox, perhaps the lizard wearing a fox fur vest up ahead would bother him even more. One of the larger, fatter lizards snoring loudly as the fox passes by. The gold is with in reach with out any tribe members to step over. Every other reptile has his view of the fox blocked by the big, golden pile of coins, rubies, precious stones, armor, swords, weapons, helmates stuck on spikes by the throne perhaps as a warning to those who dare rob this place.
If the helmets are indeed warnings, they fly right over Tweeds head, who's to obsessed with the idea of having gold to let it worry him. His eyes do fall upon the slumbering lizard who has adorned himself in a fur vest. The fox gives a gasp of dismay then gulps, standing stock still as he realizes his mistake of making noise. The gold will have to wait half a second. After all, it pays to be careful when you're this close to getting all the riches in the world.
Perhaps, or perhaps it will be that split second that spells the fox's doom! A lizard dressed in a leather sash with a cloth vestment and feather cap walks around the corner of the gold pile. If the fox were not so shrouded in darkness, and if the lizard's belly were not so full of wine and good food he might have seen him. The universe smiles on Tweeds as the reptile yawns and stretches before curling into a ball next to the gold pile.
Tweeds's legs nearly give out on him as the reptile walks around the pile. He stands ridged a long moment after the lizard has laid down and it's only after the breath around him starts to become regular and normal that he dares move close enough to the pile that he's not having to lean towards the gold to grab it. He slowly, reverently puts a paw out and takes a piece, which he smiles lovingly at and drops down the front of his shirt, which is going to be his pouch.
The first of many to be sure. As it turns out the universe is in fact smiling upon Tweeds, smiling because the trap it set is successfully sprung. The single gold piece, one in many hundreds was holding up two more pieces of gold, those two pieces were holding up two more and so on and so on. The pile shifts its weight and begins to pour forward, slowly at first but it gains momentum like a slow moving river spreading out and threatening to engulf the fox below it in a giant noisy clatter.
At first, Tweeds tries to grab all the coins that are falling, desperately hoping that it's quiet enough not to wake the reptiles, but soon he becomes overwhelmed by the amount of gold. He is forced to leap back, barley avoiding the falling landslide of gold. Unfortunately, in the process of leaping back, he also lands slap dab in the middle of one of the lizard's torsos.
The pot bellied, fox fur wearing lizard lets out a loud screech. Normally this would signal some sort of alarm for the tribe, but tonight is not a normal night as each and every lizard has already been awakened by the sound of the falling pile of gold. The young lizard who layed down in front of the pile sticks his head up out of the gold he turns to see the fox for the first time and a confused look comes across his face. Others are staring in bewilderment, expecting the gold to just have fallen over again. The confusion doesn't last forever though, it's quickly sinking in that there is an outsider present here and looks of bewilderment are being replaced with looks of anger.
Tweeds quickly steps off the lizards guy, horrified that it was the dreaded vested lizard! He glances around him and takes a few careful steps backward, towards the pile of gold, keeping his paws in front of him in an unspoken pleading gesture to the lizards while his mind whirls for a way out. And he just might find it! He whirls around and starts to sprint for the bridge, making use of his long legs. However, it's questionable whether he'll even make it that far.
Lizards see, lizards chase. As realization dawns that there is an unwanted thief loose in the ruins the tribe picks themselves up and begins to chase after the fleeing fox. All the while the tweleve or so lizards seperating him from the bridge make a move to grab, swipe, or otherwise stop the fox.
Tweeds scowls as the lizards cut him off and he slowly starts to slow his pace, seeking a new way out. But his eyes alight on none, for he is being ringed in by the hissing reptiles. He bites firmly on his lip ring and draws out his dull saber, hoping he can buy himself some time or at least intimidation.
The tribe of scaley and angry lizards comes to a halt just out of reach of the fox's saber. They surround him in one big angry mob of teeth, claws and deadly glares. There isn't much iron here for the lizards to use other than loot scavanged by their victims. But they make due with stone axes, spears, spiked clubs, or just teeth and claws. For a brief moment they just glare at the thief before them
Tweeds's paws are shaking and suddenly, the gold doesn't really seem the important. The single coin that has settled in his shirt lays forgotten. He turns quickly in a circle, trying to keep the lizards at bay. "Stay back!" Is all he can really think to shout.
The lizards look to each other. They say in their own language. "How did a fox get down here?" "What should we do with him?" yet another, "Who cares, let's bash him over the head and take him to the king!" And they do thus so. As one the lizard horde leaps at the fox, all forty of them descending upon Tweeds in one large mass of scales, teeth and claws, seeking to tackle him and tie him up
Tweeds keeps his saber extended, his face tense. Why hadn't he been more level headed?! It was the storm, for sure! Throwing him off or some such. After a moment more of turning in circles, the fox is about to see if he'd be able to shove through the crowd of lizards, when they take it upon themselves to do a bit of a group hug, so to speak. Tweeds is quickly overwhelmed by the mob, for it's practically one against hundreds.
Dissarmed of his weapons and bound with thick ropes. Prehaps the reason WHY a horde of lizards had rope handy while they were all sleeping is best left a mystery. Reguardless the small fox is tossed up into the air by the lizards and carried back towhere the the over turned gold pile is. They toss him to the ground, forming a large circle around their prisoner...or prehaps dinner. At this point the fox's fate is up in the air. They begin to make hissing noises and chants in their own language.
Tweeds let's out with a grunt as he is hoisted into the air and carried back towards his original goal. On the bright side, if he is about to die, he'll die amidst the riches and glory he always dreamed of. He lets out another grunt as he is tossed to the ground and he looks around helplessly at the hissing reptiles, gnawing anxiously on his lip ring as he does so. Hopefully they'll get it over with quickly! He squeezes his eyes shut, preparing himself for what is to come.
What the fox does not see is the lizards in the kitchens getting the stew pots ready. For the lizards of Beggar's Pass, it is never too late in the day or morning to start a party. Then abruptly the chanting stops. The red scaled lizards part to allow their leader through.
In times past the Lizard King would usually be decked out in gold and jewelery, but its hard to appear regal when one has just been awoken from sleep. The current lizard king seems...different. for one he is wearing pants, not a cloth sash. and a vest and silk garment, both left open to accomadte the effects of a week worth of feasts. The plump bellied lizard has red scales and a golden crown setting upon his wide brimmed hat. Dylan enters with his translator in tow, a skinnier but still well fed lizard in cloth robe. The lizard king looks down at the fox before him and raises an eyebrow, rubbing his eyes he sighs, "Oh you have got to be kidding me...
Tweeds keeps his eyes shut, grimacing on the inside. He had wanted to grow old and haggard! And see his little sister possibly get married! Not that anyone would consider her old enough yet, but still. In fact, /he/ had thought it might be a possibility to get married, if the right vixen came along. However, the pain doesn't come. He peeps his eyes open and glances around as the reptiles part to allow Dylan through. His eyes fall on the newcomer, who must be of some power since he just walked through the lizards and parted them like grass on a windy day. Plus he's wearing a crown which would suggest /some/ kind of rank.
The Lizard King continues to rub his eyes, "Hrsk...what am I looking at here?" The translater / ex king replies, "A fox." He is greeted with another sigh, "Why Hrsk, Why am I looking at a fox bound in ropes?" The leaner lizard steps forward and coughs politely, "This is a trespasser on our land, probbily some poor fool from the village up north..." Hrsk completely ignores Dylan's shock at discovering that there really is something at the end of Beggar's Pass and continues, "As 'king' it is your job to decide his fate. Public execution followed by fox stew usually makes the villagers happy, fox's make good capes too. Or you could just toss him in the scorpion pit." Hrsk explains this all in perfect English with a bit of an accent.
Tweeds twists around on the floor, so as to get a better look at the two lizards who speak, "If I may speak, I wasn't actually trespassing. I was seeking protection from the storm and I found a hole in the ground and wandered in. While I was wandering around and I somehow got lost, which eventually ended in me getting ruthlessly mugged by a band of your quaint little hoard."
Hrsk tilts his head to the side rubbing at his chin, "He's a bit on the thin side, prehaps a few weeks of feeding will make a propper meal of him." Dylan however looks horrified at this thought and how he just completely ignores the vulpine, "No...we are not eating him." Hrsk shrugs, "Well, he can still make a fine pelt..." The lizard king face paws, rubbing at his snout. "One problem at a time. While I wouldn't put it past my quaint little horde to do that it does beg the question of why you decided to press this deep into ancient, possibly unstable ruins filled with peacefully violent reptiles."
( A little piece of Tweeds shrivels up on the inside as Hrsk suggests fattening him up and it shrivels a bit more at the thought of being eaten by the lizards. It's one thing to simply die, but another thing to get eaten. He grasps desperately at Dylan's words, a small amount of hope filling him. He shrugs from his place on the ground, offering in a voice that holds more confidence then he feels, "You could say I have an issue with curiosity. It's rather my undoing." )
Dylan narrows his eyes at the fox, claws resting on his chin as he sizes him up, hopefully not for dinner. "And here I thought curiosity only killed cats..." Hrsk chuckles at the analogy, "Our warriors caught him trying to flee from the gold pile. And I don't see why you are so hesitant to eat one fox. It's not like it's cannibalism." Hrsk walks around the trapped vulpine. "Fine you don't want to make a meal out of him and you don't want his pelt, what DO you want to do with him. He's a thief and a trespasser, two things that warrant death here." It's Dylan's turn to chuckle, "Or make them king. I hate to say it but you do have a good point Hrsk..."
Tweeds smiles half-heartedly at Dylan's witticisms, but the sickening knock is quickly growing in his stomach, along with his desperation. He clenches his teeth, his mind racing for an excuse for him to live at least for a few days longer! "Come now, it's hardly the civilized thing to do; killing an innocent creature." Then again, the lizards arent really civilized and he's hardly innocent, "I'm sure we can work something out that will please us all. I was never actually able to take any of the coin and none of you are lacking for food! How's about you just take me to a random location out in the middle of the forest and I stumble around until I meet either my impending doom or freedom! I'll even promise my worthless body to you if I happen to keel over." He curses internally. He never was very good at talking his way out of something.
Oh and it shows. Dylan only shakes his head he is trying to stifle a laugh. "Hrsk, what are my options here?" The translator rubs at his chin, "Oh you have many choices...as long as they all end in death or dismemberment for the fox. Rules are rules after all." Dylan nods at this. "Well then, it looks like my claws are tied. Have it your way Hrsk, you may have the fox sent to the kitchens for roasting, or, stewing or what ever it is you beasts prefure." Hrsk nods to Dylan, glad that his little puppet king is seeing reason. It makes his job so much easier. The translator begins to relate the kings orders in the tribes own language. /The king has decreed that the thief shall be eaten!/ A cheer goes up among the people and after it dies down Dylan says in the same language, /Eventually/ The lizard king grins wickedly at the shocked look his translator gives him. In truth its one of maybe three words he picked up from his stay here. But oh is it so worth it. Before Hrsk has a chance to over come his confusion Dylan says, "Tell them that he will preform community service for the tribe first and eventually somewhere down the line when he dies, the tribe may eat him."
Tweeds squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, his equivalent of punching himself in the face, which he would have very much have liked to do. Did his months in jail teach him NOTHING?! He tries to think quickly, but it ends in a brick wall. He sighs resignedly, muttering, "Fine, do what you must. But I warn you, my family is not very savory. I'll taste more than slightly bitter." He grins weakly, though it doesn't last long as Hrsk starts to jabber off in the hissing tonuge of the lizards. He bites his tongue, dread growing in his stomach. He lays there for a few moments, trying to block out what's going on. However, he can't help but hear Dylan's words, which slowly sink in. So he's not going to die? Not right away, at least! Perhaps escape will be possible. He looks up at Dylan with narrowed eyes, his voice questioning as he speaks, "I suppose I should be thankful, but it's been overtaken by curiosity. Why not just eat me now? It'll be easier."
The lizard king only grins as Hrsk echoes the fox's statement, "Yes...why ARN'T we eating him now? He's a thief! He has to die!" Dylan nods, "Yes, but you laws don't exactly say how /soon/ he has to die if I am not mistaken. I imagine all beasts die eventually, either through old age or prehaps from the work I am about to put this vulpine through." Dlyan bends down to one knee so he is eye to eye with the fox, more or less, "Listen Fox...through a very long and complicated story that I don't feel like telling right now I have become the king of this tribe. If You like living I suggest you listen very closely to what I am about to tell you. No, while the tribe may think differently, I do NOT eat fox's. I do NOT plan to kill you and turn you into a hat. I DO however plan to offer you a job, a well paying job..."
Tweeds continues to lay there whilst the two reptiles exchange words. Though he's trying to keep himself from getting too excited, the thought of not actually dying is quite appealing. He looks up at Dylan as the lizards addresses him and he starts to gnaw on his lip ring as he processes the king's words, "Well, this is a good a time as any, I suppose. And you don't know how reliving it is to my conscience to know that you refrain from eating vulpine." This bit is said with a bit of snarky sarcasm, but he quickly disregards it and says, "What did you have in mind?"
Dylan leans down and cuts the rope with his claws. His belly might have gone soft but his claws havn't. "You are now a loyal agent of the Shadow Cartel. We can get into exactly what that means later, but for now I will pay you your weight in gold if you do this one simple task, deliver this message, that the lizards of Beggar's Pass are open for beasts to come and trade with us. Tell Redwall, Ferreval, any village you so desire. You of course have to come back to get paid. Oh and be sure to tell them about everything you saw here, especially the large pile of gold, don't leave that out." Hrsk stands in shock, jaw hanging open, "But...no...you can't...HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! I will not stand by and let you doom my peoples existence!" Dylan merely shrugs, "Which is why I am opening you lot up to trade." and not simply to spite Hrsk for conning him into becoming a puppet king. "Think of it this way, your people are bound to run into the outside world eventually, might as well do so on our terms right? I'm sure Raziel would agree...or do I need to bring him down here to add some weight to the matter?"
Tweeds slowly stops chewing on his lip ring, not sure if he should trust his ears. Maybe the lizard is lying and this is just some sick and twisted game. Or maybe the hoard of reptiles will revolt and eat him anyway. Either way, it would result in death, so he might as well just play along. He rubs his wrists as Dylan cuts him free and slowly rises to his feet, his muscles tense, "Alright. If you insist, I'm sure I could do a bit of word spreading." He hesitates for a moment, not sure if he should be forward enough to continue, but after a moment he says carefully, "I do have a number of questions, however, that I think should be answered eventually."
Dylan chuckles, "I would rather those questions go answered AFTER you spread the word about this place." The king turns his attention towards Hrsk with a feint little smile. The tribe is still waiting patiently to hear what 'eventually' entails. Staring death and murder at his king Hrsk finely shouts out the news to the colony. IT is regarded with mixed reations for a change. Some cheer because that is what they are supposed to do after the king speaks. THe previous two kings made sure there was a law in place to make it so. The others have a look of confusion, fear, and pause to contemplate what this entails. Dylan nods to the reaction. Good enough in his book. "Right then, I'm off to bed and...oh I almost forgot, I'm Dylan Locke, when you get to redwall be sure to tell a vixen named Elena this story especially...and Flicktail. I'm also forgetting something else...what was it..." The lizard snaps his claws, "Oh right, I didn't catch your name fox."
Tweeds nods quickly, storing up said questions in the back of his brain. He grins as he watches Hrsk decrees to the hoard, letting his relief boil up. He isn't going to die! At least not for a while yet. He may still live to marry! His attention is brought back to earth as Dylan speaks to him and he replies while flourishing an exaggerated bow "I will be sure to find Elena and Flicktail and give them a full rendition of the goings on here. And my name is Tweeds." He glances around before asking, "By the way, I wasn't lying when I said I got lost in here. Could I have someone to show me the way out?"
Dylan laughs, rubbing the back of his neck, "Yeah...I kind of just got the job last week. I'm not really sure how to get out of here either." The lizard looks around and laughs, "Make yourself at home. If Hrsk did his job right the tribe won't harm you. They may be fierce warriors but, they aren't quite evil marauding monsters either. Disturbingly smart too, it might take a while but if you talk to one enough I am sure you can convince them to give you a hot meal and somewhere to sleep for the night." Dylan stretches and yawns, "Now if you excuse me, I really do just want to head back to sleep..." The lizard groggily turns for where he came from and pauses. Blast it, which corridor was to his chambers?
Hope you enjoyed!
