Behind Unlocked Doors (Part IV)

A particularly eventful day for Mr. Hor.

[19:44:11] RW Abbey: Belfry

[19:44:11] ------------------------------------------------------------

[19:44:11] The Belfry of the Bell Tower is an open, airy space, four

[19:44:11] great stone arches look out over the abbey grounds and

[19:44:11] the woods of mossflower to the north, south and east. To the

[19:44:11] west one looks across the threshold of the abbey and out over

[19:44:11] the flat lands to the west.

[19:44:11] The stairs leading up are made of wood and stop at the stone

[19:44:11] ledge around the outside of the tower. Dug deeply into the

[19:44:11] stone a great oak beam stretches across the centre of the

[19:44:11] tower. It holds up the Matthias and Methusaleh bells, both

[19:44:11] attached by thick ropes to support their weight. Above the

[19:44:11] bells the roof supports can be seen and the underside of

[19:44:11] of the red tiles.

[19:44:11] ------------------------------------------------------------

[19:44:11] Exits: [D]own[s]tairs

[19:44:11] With: [IC] I'M NOT INSANE. (Abel), [IC] Theophilus, [IC] Anba_Hor, Evil Itself., [ZZZ] Shade, [ZZZ] Castus, [ZZZ] Rus, [ZZZ] Napoleon Complex. (Darcy), and [ZZZ] Turzel.

[19:44:11] ** THIS ROOM IS BROADCASTING **

[19:57:06] Theophilus walks up to the door of the belfry with Abel, "Well, 'ere it is..." he pauses, "Er... oh." he opens the door slowly, somewhat reluctantly. Avoiding looking inside the belfry, he says to Abel, "I'll just... wait here."

[19:59:12] Abel nods. "T-thank you...so much," he murmurs. He walks through the door, pausing on the other side to close it most of the way. Turning back shakily, he peers into the shadows cast by the midday sun. "A-Anba? Sir?"

[20:01:17] Inside, the fox is meditating. He's humming mystic syllables and text, with his back facing the door. The early evening air blows past, chilling him... he scoots over towards a lit torch, for warmth; if he kept where he was, even an armslength farther to the right, he'd be frozen to death. Anba Hor looks up from his lap and stops humming. "Ah... my friend. Come in... were you seen on your way in?"

[20:01:19] Theophilus quickly takes the door knob and pulls it open. Still avoiding looking in, he says, "Hold on there! We'll keep this open for now."

[20:05:56] "Yes, I was led..." Abel gestures behind him to the nervous otter. "...by Theophilus here." It takes all of his willpower not to run up to the fox and pour his thoughts out, to embrace him...but he grips onto his arms, mentally calming himself. "H-how have you been ma - Anba?

[20:11:11] Anba_Hor turns around, narrowing his eyes, "Did I specifically tell you to bring others here, into the realm of our private discussion? Who is he? What is his alignment?!" The fox tries to keep his yell down, so that the guards don't hear him... he peers over the edge of the tower to make sure no one else is following, "Abel... you have been loyal to me - would /you/ trust this.. otter.. were you in my position?"

[20:11:28] Darcy has connected.

[20:16:24] Abel cringes at the harsh tone of his master's commanding voice. Lowering his head, he whimpers, "I-I am sorry, sir...I am weak...I c-cannot move alone..." Even now, his legs are shaking rather violently from lack of use. Whispering, he glances behind to make sure Theo is not paying attention. "He is not to be confided in, I understand, s-sir."

[20:19:56] Tugging on the chains, the fox brings himself as close to Abel as is possible. He kneels, putting a paw on Abel's shoulder, then looking at the otter, "Please, come in... Theophilus. You must be eager to report back to whomever sent you, yes? Do not make them wait, please... it would be rude of me. Well? What's your business here? To find out what a chained-up fox could be doing besides being chained up?"

[20:26:50] Theophilus risks a peek inside. Seeing the condition of the chained up fox and his condition's condition, he pulls a disgusted face and looks away. After a minute, he looks back, resisting the urge to pull the top of his habit up over his nose so that he won't show himself as weak to the fox. He walks closer, just outside of the fox's reach. He puts a hand to the handle of his knife, saying "I just came for the mouse, thought it might help him... but I w-warn you, I'll take him away if you do him any harm." He stares into the evil fox's eyes, then adds quietly, "Or if you intend to do any harm through him, to Redwall or anybeast."

[20:29:40] Darcy has left.

[20:35:22] Abel puts his own paw on top of the foxes, gently massaging through the thick, black fur. Glancing back at Theo, he smiles disarmingly. "Please, calm yourself...I'm not gonna go on an axe rampage or anything." He glances down the the paw straying by the knife handle, eyes showing a slight bit of worry...

[20:37:14] ( The Torturer, his evil black grin now exposed and gleaming as white as his eyes, attempts to find the soul of this new creature, and it might indeed feel as if this were so to the otter... his stare is mesmorizing... the vulpine murderer stands, now a head and a half taller than Theo, and looks down on him with the same stare, which could shrink the otter even further to the size of an ant. "You fool. Put down that splinter of a knife or I'll show you how such a thing is properly used. You use a weapon like /that/ to intimidate /me/?! You insult me, you coward. Come over here where I can reach you, and stab me. Do it!" His voice even resonates the huge bells, making it seem as if it's the very stones talking. )

[20:44:27] Something rustles on the steps. It is a brief and muted sound, like bare feet, perhaps. It could just as easily be the harmless racket of old wood adjusting to the temperature. But there is, in fact, a specter of sorts perched out there: a scrawny vixen, pallid and shrouded, biding her time. Wary of the voices, Psamathe is paused to appraise the situation; a half-dozen steps from the door to the belfry, her spine is against the wall and eyes are trained upward.

[20:45:22] Theophilus fidgets for a moment, in a mental struggle, then stops and smiles, staring into the evil one's eyes, "Huh, I wouldn't fall into a trap like that if I was a lame toad infant," he says exaggeratively, "And this," he says slowly pulling out the knife, "Is no 'splinter'." He turns the knife over, letting the light glint off of the blue blade and the redish-hued pearl. "This knife belonged to an otter tribe leader," he says sternly, "Not like that would matter to you, of course." he adds reverting back to his old cheerier voice. He slides the knife back into his belt.

[20:55:15] Psamathe separates her eyes from the door. They roll skyward, and her disfigured hand rises to cover them. ".. boldsy do-gooders," the vixen mutters to herself, expecting the otter to come soaring, bloodied, down the stairs at any minute. What remains of her fingers part, permitting her purplish gaze to connect with the belfry entrance again. No shredded Theophilus yet. ".. maybe Abner ate 'im," she muses quietly. The fox creeps another few steps toward the door, gripped by canine curiosity.

[20:58:21] Anba_Hor shakes his head, but the eyes seem to stay fixed on the otter, unflinching and unmoved by what it has to say to the fox, "Not terribly so, no... when I get tired of slaughtering whole families of rabbits for food, I tend to go after otter. I throw daggers at them while they're playing in the rivers and streams... you know; it's fun for me, to bet myself if they're die of drowning or poisoning first... Hahahaaa!!!" He really lets the laugh out at full volume, since this is not a thing that might worry the guards, and it is /huge/. The sound vibrates the bells, which in turn vibrate the air column of the tower... the sound is mind-numbing.

[21:01:38] Abel flinches and shuts his eyes at the incredible sound of the fox's roar, clenching the paw in a vice. "M-master..." he whispers quietly, not enough for the others to hear. "...please don't..."

[21:02:46] Theophilus frowns, "Well I don't plan t'be caught unarmed by th'likes of you."

[21:14:25] Anba_Hor cares not for what the otter is saying, as most of it is lost in the laugh. "Fool, go back downstairs unless you have business here... which, by the way, you have yet to state. Or perhaps your friends dared to see how long you could stay up here without going out of your mind with fear?!" The fox rips at the chains... suddenly, something gives, or seems to give. The fox looks back... the sconces, while built strong enough to be pulled on by most any creature smaller than a badger, were not meant to sustain such a prisoner... the fox has been slowly working at them and now one of them seems as if it's giving way. "Hmm... hehhhh... today isn't your lucky day, otter. You'd better get going before I rip this one right out." The fox snaps at him, barking.

[21:18:45] As the ear-splitting clamor of the laughter and bells resonates down the stairwell, Psamathe can barely contain herself. The fox ever-so stealthily slinks forth. Hooded by wool and long shadows, she pokes the tip of her snout around the half-ajar door, peering inside the belfry. Eyes roll over the otter, catch the rough position of Anba Hor--more by his voice than an actual visual--and vaguely spy a third occupant of the small space. A lop-sided grin infects her lips. ".. 'sbout t'get ugly up 'ere," she comments, perhaps loudly enough now to be heard.

[21:21:04] Abel gasps at the feat of strength shown, as the chains begin to cry freedom from the wall. Suddenly, he turns to Theophilus, a pleading look on his face. "No...just leave...he'll hurt you!" The shadows begin to play in his mind again, making a rough outline of another fox appear in the gloom...

[21:23:52] Theophilus jumps, startled, and looks behind him at the sneaking vixen. "What er you doin' here?" he asks, then without waiting for an answer he turns back to Anba, "I'm not leaving by meself," he gestures toward Abel, "I brought him up 'ere and I'm goin' down with him too. He's to weak to go by his own, and I can't even guess what you're gonna do to 'im when I leave."

[21:24:54] Maleficus has arrived.

[21:25:05] Anba_Hor rips one of the sconces free, and weilds it like a deadly flail at the otter. He's able to reach a bit further now, with one limb freed... the fox swipes viciously out at Theophilus, aiming straight for his face, perhaps to knock him off balance and send him over the ledge onto the floor of the bell tower, seemingly miles below!

[21:30:30] Theophilus ducks, attempting to dodge the sconce, but it still clips him on the side of the head. Knocked to the ground, he quickly rolls over and jumps away from the hostile fox.

[21:31:39] Psamathe, being acknowledged by the otter, finally steps forth through the door. She takes a fast glance around the area, cocking a brow at Theophilus. Then the cautious gaze meets the loose sconce. "Been doin' some pullin', Abner?" she chimes brightly to the captive tod. A glance is cast over her shoulder, back down to the steps. This is followed by a quick bob of her head, as if to invite some other waiting ghoul up to the belfry. ".. y'down there still, stretchrat?" she hollers to Maleficus, having lost sight of him now.

[21:33:48] Maleficus drops down from where he scaled the wall, silently landing on the steps before the doorway, slowly striding into the room, his half-tattooed face in a dark grin, usually a bad sign for most beasts. He chuckles quietly, "Chaos seems rather profitable tonight. Forgive me, Psamathe, but I was merely protecting your back from possible sneakers and gawkers."

[21:35:24] Anba_Hor chuckles as he makes contact, growling and again barking, "That's it, rudder-tail, back to the river! I'm going to fish you out with my dagger one of these days!!" He straightens up at the sight of Psamathe, putting the freed paw behind his back, "Why, if it isn't that vixen that always seems to find the time to bother my poor, imprisoned spirit... what have you for me this time?"

[21:38:46] Psamathe juts a quick finger to the tattooed ferret that zooms in behind her. "Think ah' found th' only creature in Mossforests wi' more inkies than *you*!" she tells Anba, gesturing excitedly to Maleficus. The vixen has a knack for ignoring fights she is entire uninvolved in, and thus sidesteps the action among the chained beast and the otter. Turning to address the ferret, Psamathe breaks into a full toothy grin: ".. th' Abbey's rife wi' sneaks 'n gawks--that's fer sure."

[21:41:20] Maleficus laughs softly, a monotonous and deep, emotionless one. He nods to Psamathe and says, "I've been here before. I should know. And they should know better than to allow me in here again, but I suppose the ignorant can't ever learn properly." He watches a bit of the fighting, his head tilted a tad, "Hmmm...what do you think, Psamathe? Should I step in...or should chaos show us who would be the victor between the two?"

[21:47:48] Anba_Hor swears to himself, "What /is/ it today, show and tell day?! I care not to see any more visitors, send him away. Oh.. unless he wants to 'step in'. Tell him he can be my guest, if he'd like to have his head sent plummeting down this tower without its body. I'd oblige all three of you in that, if you'll just make a line..." He grips the chain and wraps it around his paw. "Easier that way."

[21:49:15] Psamathe intertwines her fingers, extends her elbows and performs a raucous knuckle-crack. Then her hands part and an arm seeks out the back of her neck, rubbing at it. ".. eh," she responds to the ferret beside her. "Best to let silly riverdogs lie, yeah? Methinks Abner'll take care o' all that needsta' be taken t'night." The vixen becomes visibly bothered by her cloak, hastily pulling the hood back before she continues, ".. they

also should know bett'r 'n t' keep their gravest enemies all locked 'n keyed up inner' tower, prolly'." Eyes narrow at Anba Hor's utter lack of

hospitality. ".. sheesh, mate--thought ye'd maybe lik' a bit o' drink 'n chatter wi' some like-minded ole' fools. Didnae' know ye'd 'ave *company*

when we arrived."

[21:51:08] Maleficus gives that same chilling laugh he did earlier at the fox's words, "Heheheh...I would be more than happy to. Though...hmmm...." he glances the otter up and down, "I want to have more fun than just lopping off his head..." his dark grin stretches through his muzzle.

[21:57:00] Anba_Hor leans forward, in the ferret's face, "Try me. There isn't anything you could do that I haven't done better, ferret." He shoos away Abel, who stands well out of the way after the traumatic flailing, and next regards Psamathe, "Like-minded? Who could you possibly bring me that is like-minded to /me/? This fool? He looks like he /wants/ to be me. Hah!" He laughs in the ferrets face, swinging his paw and unwinding the chain-and-sconce assembly. "It's a shame, stub-ears, that your kind has to put up with trash like you." His entire aim is to make the ferret do something towards him.

[21:58:04] Theophilus has disconnected.

[21:59:16] Psamathe migrates in the direction of the captive, either oblivious or uncaring of his particularly foul mood tonight. She is going through the motions again; fussing within the cloak as she fetches the same smuggled goods she has brought for weeks now. A bottle of harder booze this time, as well as a packet of scraps pilfered from some unknowing kitchen. The fox decides to slurp the first drink from the bottle, but struggles with the cork. She has it locked between her teeth, yanking and gnawing; "Watchit!" she hollers to Maleficus before he can react, words mangled by the cork. ".. 'e's a grabby one." Returning her attention to Anba Hor, Psamathe says, "Why so broody alla' time, Abner? Wha' 'appened t'the ole' days o' swillin' ales at the Guller, devisin' schemes an' collectin' cronies?"

[22:01:11] Maleficus leans against the wall, his eyes gazing at the fox, "Really? I would like you to try and give good examples. I've eaten enemies and burned the houses of dibbuns while laughing at their parents' faces. I've been the head tactition of twelve different engagements, none of them losing. I have sent this very abbey into the worst turmoil it had ever had." He kneels down, just out of range of the swinging sconce, "As for wanting to be you...why would I want to be a caged beast, hmm? Why would I want to be the one caught in whatever act I made and left to nothing but other creatures' hands? You see, you can think of me as a beast who wants to be you, but I have seen and felt more than you think. I am not here to fight you. Very much on the contrary..."

[22:12:38] Anba_Hor rips the other sconce out of the wall, only his feet bound now. These are far stronger, and his legs too weak to pull them out. But it's enough. The fox swings both at the ferret, an overwhelming whirl of twisted metal. Finally, after a few sparks ignite at the clashing, the fox growls, "Burned houses?? Ha!!! I've burned dibbuns standing not six paces from their mothers, and then doused them and given them /back/! Nothing's worse than living with the horrible burn marks of my wrath, ferret. I /live/ in hell, and those that fall into my lair lie impaled for days before dying. I feed them, so they fatten. You could not possibly fathom me... no king or legionnaire would /dare/ hire me as a tactician, for fear that I would escape and know their weaknesses. I pity that short list of achievements. I plan to /take/ this abbey, ferret, even while you stand inside it." He spits at the ferret's feet, and gives him the most awful stare that has seen countless victims beg.

[22:15:12] Psamathe is still chomping on the cork. Now both hands grip the bottle, tugging against the strength of her teeth. While battling with the disobedient booze, she catches the ferret's story; brows lift in response to it, ears twisting awkwardly to the side. She barely knows this fellow, after all. Their brief interactions at the tavern spared her the majority of his history. ".. oh, we di' tha' once!" she chimes clumsily. Before continuing, the fox decides to remove the cork from her mouth. Staring at it despondently, Psamathe begins to speak again, but halts at Anba's outburst. "Lordy, mate!" she snorts. "Was' wi' all th' aggro'?" The vixen examines his freed arms and ahems, ".. open this fer me, Abner? Yeah? 'N we kin all 'ave a drinkety drink 'n discuss our feats 'o badnessery."

[22:17:01] Maleficus watches the sconce whiz just in front of his nose, grinning all the while before replying, "Indeed? It would be so boring. What I want is an abbey afraid to step outside its wall, then...just when they feel that the abbey is the only safe place left...kill them all...and show them that their Order was wrong for telling them that it is safe." He stands up slowly, "As for burning dibbuns, eating them is far more impressive. They are tender, you know." He tail swishes back and forth before saying, "Chaos does favor you, I can tell. Your rage is the key...no doubt you would carry on for days with wounds so deep..." he scratches his chin and says, "As for my 'short list', I was merely giving a few examples to make you not feel so bad."

[22:23:29] Castus has connected.

[22:23:52] Anba_Hor stares at a civilized beast... Maleficus, if he was bold enough to look, would see only an animal with a cunning brain. "I don't process the feelings of others, ferret, that is /your/ weakness and yours alone. I simply see them and manipulate them. I'm glad you've told me about yourself. It will make it easier for me to end your existence. I guess that would be the deciding factor, would it?" He sits and closes his eyes, perhaps even more disturbing than the stare... "Ah, but don't worry... once you're on my list, ferret, you don't have to guess if you will die. It is a matter of simply removing you from off of my path."

[22:26:02] Maleficus laughs softly, "If it is my time to die, I would greet it with open arms...with a blade in each hand, of course. And you think I've told you everything? You don't know any part yet."

[22:28:54] Psamathe dejectedly plops to the ground, ignored by the others. She grumbles incoherently awful things beneath her breath and returns to chewing at the cork. An abent-minded foot kicks the packet of food scraps to Anba Hor. The fox shifts her eyes among the two tattooed creatures above her, a but put off by the display of male one-upping. The booze in hand is far more interesting to her at this point; she figured that their battle of 'most evil' could continue for a while.

[22:34:27] Anba_Hor refuses to continue proving himself. His reputation precedes him... "Enough of this foolish game. I need not prove anything... I even know not who I'm proving myself to... so it matters not. Go back to your crib and mother..." The fox continues chanting and meditating, ignoring the food for now, "Psamathe, bring no more pretenders up to my bell tower."

[22:41:27] Psamathe is wrapped up in chewing on the cork. She utterly ignores the dueling giants; comfortable and concentrating, for the moment.

[22:46:42] Anba_Hor ignores the ferret for now, and simply withdrawls inside a far more evil place within himself. He's become far too uncomfortable with the comforting sights of vermin and comforting places such as dark, drafty towers.

[22:47:25] Maleficus grins as he watches the fox go inside himself and turns to the vixen, "I can tell you're bored out of your head by now."

[22:49:57] Psamathe lifts her shoulders in a half-shrug to the ferret. Eventually, the fox managed to remove the cork. She has been silently swilling its contents for some time now. "Ah .. 'm used t'it," she tells Maleficus, flashing him a weak smile. "'Spent *too* much time 'round this one." A thumb juts to the meditating captive. "'Jus can't seemta' get away from 'im, though--s'like some kindo' show."

[23:03:20] Turzel has connected.

[23:03:32] Turzel goes Out Of Character.

[23:04:51] Apophis has arrived.

[23:07:24] The Belfry has been conspicuously ill-looked after lately. The door, ajar? Who could have thought of something like that? It's not particularly reassuring to the ones win the Order, but at least a few of them have collected their wits and found their way back to the bell tower. And with the door open, that's not going to do at all! The most those unfortunately stuck in the tower hear is a few mumbled voices, and then the sound of the door shutting tightly, the locks put securely back in place. "Well!" says Brother Gervais. "That takes care of that at least."

[23:08:20] Maleficus hears the click of the lock and grins, "Brilliant. Just what I would wish."

[23:09:29] Apophis heads off.

[23:09:29] Apophis has left.

[23:15:35] Anba_Hor doesn't hear the click, from within his special place... the fox is completely relaxed, not afraid of any of the other occupants, even while he's concentrating on something else entirely. What would /any/ of them have to gain from killing the fox at this point in time? None of them is insane... he hums the sacred syllable and chants in an old language, perfectly relaxed...

[23:17:29] Maleficus reaches into his shirt, pulling out an object, revealing itself to be part of a lockpicking kit, "Now...nobody can disturb what I am about to accomplish. The one being that has caused this abbey so much fear..." what was the tod thinking when he thought none of them were insane?

[23:26:44] Psamathe looks to have drifted off into some booze-addled sleep. The clink of the locking door, the murmured remarks of the Order beasts; just faint, blurry incidents to her. She has undoubtedly fallen out in worse situations.

[23:30:21] Anba_Hor is almost as clueless as Psamathe, as he thinks about everything going on and the revelation comes to him! He blinks his eyes open and sees the ferret with the lockpick... he follows him with his eyes, not saying a word.

[23:32:23] Maleficus sees the fox gaze upon him and says, "What's the matter? Wouldn't you like to be free, little bird?" He presents the lockpick, "I offer it freely. To let chaos have its day once again." He makes a light, underpawed throwing motion with his paw, like a signal that he may throw it into the cage.

[23:37:12] Anba_Hor narrows his eyes, "None of you is a suitable hostage. I want you to give me that pick... then I will stay here, with the shackles unlocked around my wrists and ankles, and bring me one of their elders. Somebeast of value. Tell them I wish to speak to them about who else is coming up here and helping me, in exchange for my freedom. When they come up, I will break free, and walk them out of this abbey."

[23:39:25] Maleficus chuckles softly and tosses the lockpick into the cage, "An apple in the eyes of chaos, you are. Indeed, it is profitable that I have come. Now the abbey will once again feel fear. See? It isn't so bad." He chuckles softly, gazing at the door that has locked him and Psamathe in, "Perhaps...one of those out there is an elder?"

[23:43:26] Anba_Hor shakes his head, "No, you must not execute this now... they will see you both and suspect that there may be a trap. This must wait until the next day. Tomorrow. In fact, I want you to have hostages as well... Psamathe... I want you to take a dibbun, any dibbun is fine... Maleficus, I suppose it won't do any good to tell you what to do - but likewise, somebeast important. Use broken glass, anything you still have in the way of a weapon inside the abbey."

[23:47:56] Maleficus chuckles at the vixen before saying, "No. No need to explain. Hmm...if I could only get my paws on that 'champion'....Flicktail...yes...that would be a prize. But, I will see if maybe an older woodlander will work. Old folk and dibbuns tend to get them riled rather nicely."

[23:49:49] Anba_Hor looks over at Psamathe, then at Maleficus, "Kick her... do something so the drunkard hears this... an older abbey member will be fine..." He stares at Maleficus, "This does not make us partners." The fox has something planned for each of them, and for those that they capture, but he himself is piecing it together.

[23:51:10] Maleficus shakes his head, "I never planned to be your partner. You're simply something I can use to bring this abbey down with at the moment. And I am telling the truth. Nothing personal, just business." He walks over to the vixen, giving her ear a little flick, "Hey. Wake up."

[23:52:53] Psamathe flinches and reflexively snaps her jaws at the offending flicker. ".. rottin blearg--" she trails off, sinking back into her stupor.

[23:53:22] Maleficus rolls his eyes and picks her up bodily, giving her a shake, "Wake!"

[23:54:51] Psamathe's eyelids flutter. The hazy image of Maleficus focuses after several blinks, and she then quickly knots her eyes shut again. ".. no!" she grunts, and drops into a total deadweight. ".. yer makin' me sick," she hiccups.

[23:56:05] Maleficus growls softly under his breath before just putting her down, "Fine. I will bring a dibbun and an elder. Both wouldn't be hard to get."

[23:57:43] Anba_Hor gives the vixen a disgusted look, "Very well. She can rot on the steps, for all I care. They will find her and interrogate her after we have been long free of the abbey. I need another, then, willing to go through with this... we need to all three of us go in opposite directions from the abbey... I need another fox."

[23:58:37] Psamathe, crumpled and drunk, is a poor candidate for henchman.

[23:59:09] Maleficus hmmms, leaning against the wall, "Another fox...hmm...unfortunately, I know of no other fox than you, her....but...." he grins, "Perhaps there is another. Perhaps more squeamish, true, but another nonetheless..."

[00:02:47] Briefly closing his eyes, the Torturer tries to picture what will happen. "They are going to follow one or all of us. The trick is... to get as many as possible from the abbey, make them think my accomplices are escaping too, so that my employer can have his pick of those within Redwall.

[00:04:37] Maleficus grins softly to himself, "I have a few tricks to throw some off of my own trail. Some things that I've had laying around the woods of Mossflower for close to a full season-cycle. I took the liberty of taking the past week to check them all. None of them were tampered with nor damaged."

[00:12:55] "Before I leave here, I want to put an end to that fool king..." Anba doesn't say much more than that, except to look at Abel. "I will at that time receive my pay from my benefactor, and with any luck I'll finally have that mouse and his brother following me, where I can finally watch them suffer a slow death." He looks at Maleficus. "I too have a trap for them... I will head into the grasslands, where my ditch is waiting to swallow them up and impale them."

[00:14:16] Maleficus chuckles softly. Apparently, great minds /do/ think alike. He had pretty much the same kinds of traps in Mossflower. Though there were several others, including hidden tunnels.

[00:19:52] Anba_Hor smiles. He closes his eyes, and from this point on, nobeast can tell what he may be thinking... is this his plan? Does he have another one? Is what appears to be an escape plan really one? The fox goes to the task of jamming the sconces back into the walls. He doesn't want to appear to be half-free from his bondage, to those that will come visit him tomorrow...

[00:21:09] Maleficus nods. His eyes turning towards the door. Is his plan to do exactly what was conversed? The dark grin and blank expression say nothing, except that it's gonna be bad.

[00:32:13] Maleficus hmmms, walking over to the door and giving a big yawn and nods on the door, "Oy! 'oo locked th' bloody doo-ah!"

[00:37:38] "Hellgates! What was that?!" "Language, Kearn... I don't know. Did anybeast get inside 'ere when we weren't lookin'?" "Obviously! Weren't there some vixen comin' by earlier?" "I'm not sure... think we should open it?" "Well. We're armed. There's four of us an' of them." "Right... javelins up." And Maleficus is greeted by the sight of four otters armed and ready, staring at him in obvious surprise. "What... who are you there, mate?! What were you doin' up there?" The lead one demands.

[00:40:18] Maleficus does a perfect impression of somebeast who had been asleep the whole time, his usual dark, deep tone disappearing into a higher voice with a weird accent, jumping when the javelins present themselves, "Oy! Now need for those, lads! Put those pokers down." He rubs his eyes and points to the vixen, "We went en 'ere t'give th' guards somethin' nice t' drink and found nobeast 'ere. So, we drank th' drought ourselves and fell asleep. Then I wake oop n' th' bloomin' door's shut n' locked!"

[00:48:44] "*Without* explicit permission from th' Abbey," the otter growls, not happy that someone he's never seen before has found their way to his prisoner, or that someone *else* thoughtlessly locked in other creatures with a murderer. "The prisoner gets food an' drink, not courtesy visits! Don't you know he's a murderer? You two!" He points to a couple of his companions. "G'wan an' grab the vixen. Can't 'ave 'em sleepin' with a killer! An' you, sir, do identify yourself if you please."

[00:51:14] Maleficus rubs his eyes again and says, "We weren't givin' anythin' t' th' bloody prisonah! We wan' nothin' wi' 'is lot. We drank our stuff oursilves. An' a murdahrah, ye say?! Well, why didn' anybeast stop oos from gettin' in 'ere?! I wan' nothin' t'do with a murdahrah! Name's Damascus..."

[00:59:46] "Damascus, huh?" the otter says, unimpressed. "Well, Damascus sir, I'm Joril, an' we 'appen ta' know this door was unlocked at some point in the night. Mind explainin' why we 'ad ta' come out 'ere ta' find it, instead of you an' the vixen comin' an' lettin' us know? There be a prisoner up there. He's big. Fairly hard ta' miss."

[01:02:35] Maleficus shakes his head, "We saw th' doo-ah open, so we walked in, assumin' tha' there were guards oop 'ere already. When we saw none, we looked at th' prisonah a' 'e was actin' just loike 'e is now, sittin' there an' no' sayin' a word, so we thought it'd be a good idea t' sit away from 'is cage an' share th' drink between oos until th' guards go' back. We thought maybe they wen' on duty t' some abbey business."

[01:14:08] "Indeed," Joril says quietly. Something is off about this whole deal. His two compatriots head up to take the vixen out of the tower, whatever her inebriation at the time being. "Well... take your friend an' vacate the premises, if you please. This 'ere is a dangerous creature, mister Damascus. Shame if anythin' were ta' 'elp him... escape." He nods to the two other otters near him. "Kindly escort the two of these creatures to th' gates. Sir... if you please." He gestures to the main gates with his javelin.

[01:15:26] Maleficus nods, stepping down the stair, "Straightaway, sah. No need t' say it twice. I would rathah be 'ome, drink me October ale meself anyways."

[01:30:02] The otters see to it that the ferret is taken straight away to the gates, whilst the vixen is recovered and deposited back outside where she belongs. "I want a guard on th' walls," Joril says quietly. "Somethin's not quite right around 'ere..."

[01:31:16] Maleficus is sent outside. Picking up the vixen in his arms, he walks away, then when he's sure the guards on the walltops can't see him, he grins darkly, "Perfect."

[01:32:14] Maleficus goes home.

[01:32:14] Maleficus has left.

[01:46:13] Rus wakes up.

[01:50:21] Turzel wanders into the belfry, having been a little bit too much at the October Ale, her breath smelling a little too much of the pungent beverage. An expression of mild confusion is plastered on her features.

[01:53:13] Anba_Hor is pretending to still be chained up by all four limbs, and hasn't been paying much attention as the guards have been clearing out those locked in earlier. The evil in him seems to be calmed by some other force; either the meditations have soothed him, or he is in a thoughtful state brought on by the turn of events. The fox doesn't notice the mouse at first...

[01:58:51] Turzel is carrying a tray of food for the prisoner, some scones and berry preserve as well as other scraps from the dinner feast. She gives him a stern look and pauses a moment before setting the tray before his feet.

[02:03:46] Anba_Hor eyes the mouse, not saying a word. He looks at the food. "Surely you're going to try some of that yourself, before I eat it... that's what the last one did. It makes me feel better." He watches her like a hawk, knowing that more than a few might be trying to carry out their own form of justice... "Don't I get utensils?" He tries this, every chance he gets.

[02:10:15] Turzel exchanges a glance with the apprehensive guards, who seem more on edge, lately. Understandable. She smiles at them reassuringly and turns back towards Anba Hor. "Erm. H-hello. I have killed many of your kind before... I hold great judgement against what you have done." She looks him up and down, her brow furrowing with concern. "However, I cannot stand anybeast turning to skin and bones under my watch. Not in the Abbey, of all places. M-my hope is that you see the kindness of our beasts." She chuckles. "Hon, I may be an old mouse, but I know a thing or two after all these s-seasons." When he challenges her to take a bite, she eyes a scone with immense delight. There's no hesitation when she brings it to her lips. The old mouse takes a small nibble, closing her eyes as she swallows. "No utensils but your own..." She eyes him with slight trepidation. "Fangs. Ahhh. Delicious. O-okay, now, won't you be my guest, my dear?"

[02:21:05] Anba_Hor gives the mouse a dry look, "Well... put it on my lap? I can't very well reach it from here..." He makes a show of pulling on the chains... he's weary of fearful beasts who come up here and keep a ridiculous amount of distance. Sure, she would have a reason to be frightened... "Why do creatures fear me?" He poses this question seemingly from nowhere...

[02:22:24] Estella has arrived.

[02:23:31] Turzel smiles, but the grin is albeit quite fake. After all, she doesn't seem so happy ascending her way to the belfry in the middle of the night to drop off food for the prisoner. In fact, it causes her great anxiety. However, she goes through with the task, mustering up the courage to scoot the plate closer to the fox's feet. "There," she says, bluntly. Her eyes flit up to meet his own, mysterious as they are. "There is no fear, hon. Only contempt."

[02:28:19] Anba_Hor stares at her, even if her eyes do not make the effort to stare back, "Contempt... there's something I feel all the time. Do you know why I hold you and the others in contempt? It's because you only live one way. How boring all of this would be if it were like this /everywhere/. You all enjoy this, and you know why? Because you're smug knowing that creatures like me are forced into a lesser existence. That's the only reason there's any charm to this place." He sighs, looking down at the food. "No utensils?" He tries it every time, usually to no avail. Utensils are potential weapons.

[02:34:51] Turzel shakes her head, only looking at him with a confident gaze. This is only a gift from all her seasons of experience; otherwise she'd be petrified out of her mind. "Just take the food, fox," she quips, looking more and more irritated by the minute.

[02:38:19] Anba_Hor starts eating, then looks up at her again, "I don't suppose if I took the food and gave you this tray that you'd leave... so speak your piece. Or perhaps a question... Why do I do what I do... that's my favorite." He laughs, baring his fangs. "What I do is as easy to me as preparing food is for you." The fox stares at the guards, some of whom avert their gaze, knowing what's said about the creature's eyes.

[02:42:58] Turzel merely chuckles. "S-seasons of battling creatures like you have taught me better than to try to reason with you, my dear." She observes him consume her offering. At least this goal has been accomplished. "The abbey will never f-forget your murders, hun. Well, you have wronged us and killed our kind -- T-that will never compare to the p-preparation of a meal."

[02:47:27] "All good things require preparation. I'm sure you have to kill fish for some meals... I have to kill some for what sustains me. T-tell me... is that stutter... is it t-terribly f-frustrating? I've heard that a good scare can cure one, of course it'd have to be the scare of a lifetime." He wonders if ripping the loosened sconces out of the wall and dangling her over the edge of the shaft would constitute... "Just say the word." He finishes the food relatively quickly.

[02:51:48] The guards, upset by her extended stay, force her out. She says nothing to his response -- only a dignified look. The mouse takes her leave, her silence indicating that she is above the situation -- and the prisoner entirely. She exits, her eyes almost glistening with tears. "What have we done," she mutters under her breath. A guard shoots her a condescending look; she lowers her head and sighs. The world is not as black and white as it seems.

[02:53:55] The door, behind the mouse, locks shut tightly. A guard makes sure she descends safely.

[02:59:32] Again the fox is left to consider what his fate may be if all else fails. A big 'if'. He looks out the open archway to the south - Mossflower Wood. He sees a faint light, and wonders about it. He knows that Apophis is outside of the abbey, but is he yet in the woods? Anba Hor forces himself to sleep, against mounting suspicion and swirling plots. He'll figure it out tomorrow. Unpredictability has always had his back, and is always the best plan.

[03:01:08] Turzel has disconnected.

[03:01:29] Anba_Hor has disconnected.

[03:10:00] Estella falls asleep.

[03:12:24] Castus has disconnected.

[03:12:28] Rus falls asleep.

Groups:

• Friends of Anba Hor