Some bad news for the Guaire family - continued

Continued directly from Some Bad News for The Guaire Family. Tavis offers Derrin a deal he can't pass up...but will Tavis be around to enact his side of the deal?

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm a tactician. not sentimental." The mouse rubs at his injured shoulder, gritting his teeth as he continues. "We both know the current Mayor is a little snake in the grass with the village leaders wrapped around his paw. The only way to properly get rid of him is to get rid of his supporters, those who helped stock the jury against us."

Derrin shrugs. At least he had tried to say something nice to the mouse. "Right, well we'll be gone when ye come back." He replies, his parents still gathering there things behind him. He can't really think of much else to say, considering his enemy was standing in front of him and telling him that he would help in his own way.

The mouse smirks slighly, "I have no qualms with your parents. But I'm not letting them go for free either. Or your brother." Tavis paces back and forth, "I have...a job for you Derrin. You see, I got this letter this morning. Appearently our illustrius ex sheriff got himself caught by a group of horde rats down south. They want to ransom him off to the town." Thaddius's eyes widen, "Byron was the right paw of the Mayor. If we get to him we would know every dark deed Edwin ever did and finely bring him to justice!" The mouse however simply stares at him, "Riiiiiiight. Justice. Anyway. I'm spread thin myself keeping the Bushfolk at bay. And I don't plan to pay horde beasts in anything but in death and dismemberment."

"But you are a capable beast. You were one of my better soldiers...if you bring Byron here I will spare him the fate you and your brother both deserve." The mouse concludes.

Derrin raises an eyebrow. Well this was certainly a different experience for him. "Ye know, I had forgotten wot it felt like t' have ye give me a job." He crosses his arms, staring the mouse down. "I s'pose I can do somethin' like that," He finally says. "Figures that Byron wouldn't be able t' last this long after we dropped him off at Ferravale."

Tavis twitches an eye, if he hasn't forgiven him for leaving the militia then he obviously hasn't forgiven him for stealing Byron away either. "It's not surprising really. Just try not to lose him this time." The mouse reaches into his pocket with his good paw and hands it to otter, "This is a map to where we are supposed to make the exchange." Before letting go of the map he adds starckly, "And before you start feeling sorry for the beasts around you again, remember that your brothers life is in your paws this time." Nope, hasn't forgiven him. at. all.

Derrin sighs, looking back at Thaddius. "Do ye really want t' find out?" He asks, remaining at the door while he waits for his parents, who are almost done packing their things. "I'll tell ye, it's not a good idea t' test that mouse. I remember th' things he would do when I served under him."

Thaddius holds up a paw. "I. Really. do not want to know. One can only imagine what is going on through the mind of a beast like Tavis..."

Meanwhile outside Tavis is walking calmly down the street. The sun is begining to set to the west. He looks on the vermin slums around him and sighs deeply. A small group of vermin dibbuns are kicking a ball back and forth to each other when it gets kicked too far, landing near tavis's feet. He looks at the ball then to the weasel that kicked it to him. The dibbuns look, nervous, fearful they are about to loose their toy. Tavis however merely smiles and kicks it back, continuing his way down the street.

A little further down the street, there is a sudden shuffling of footpaws, and five vermin seem to slide from the shadows, all armed with bows. All five raise their bows in unison, drawing their arrows back on the strings. Finally, a black furred fox walks from the shadows, seeming to literally be made of darkness himself. "Well hello there Tavis," He says rather politely, but with a devious grin.

The mouse pauses in step and growls at the fox. He doesn't waste time with pleasentries and goes to draw his blade with his right paw. Which is in a sling. "Blast that otter..." The mouse instead draws his broadsword with his left paw and twirls it so it faces the right direction. "Do you have any idea who you are trying to rob beast?"

Radion inclines his head in response, smiling calmly. "Well...I would assume that you are the famous Tavis, warrior and member of the militia, am I right?" The bowbeasts around him do not make a single move, and they keep their bows trained on the mouse.

"You're about to find out first paw if you don't point those arrows somewhere else fox." The mouse quickly debates where or not his armor would protect from arrow bolts. Probibly not at this range. He could try to make a run for it, he doubts he could out run arrows though. And he doesn't run from Vermin. Then Tavis realizes that the only place that the archers probably won't shoot him is right next to their leader. IF he is wrong well, at least he will die on his boots. With out warning tavis lunges at the fox, looking to impale him with his blade.

All five bowbeasts move their bows along to follow Tavis, though they do not open fire. Radion sidesteps Tavis almost lazily, sticking out his leg to trip the mouse even as he draws both of his daggers. It never hurts to be prepared for a fight it seems.

Tavis stumbles and falls upon his injured shoulder. A wave a seering pain floods through his body. After a moment he rolls back onto his feet, slashing at the fox's belly as he does, "Die Vermin dog!"

Radion jumps back from the sword slash, chuckling as he does. "Well I must say, you have more fire than I had originally given you credit for, but it will not help you." He settles into a low stance, his daggers ready. "Just try and kill me, mouse. Make me laugh."

The mouse growls dangerously, He lifts his sword high and...throws it?! yes throws it at the fox, drawing his own dagger in the process and leaping after him.

THis most certainly catches Radion off guard, and he literally is forced to dive to the side to avoid the sword sailing through the air. He hits the ground in a roll, coming up in his low stance again and instantly moving forward against Tavis, aiming a thrust for the mouse's good shoulder.

Tavis shouts off an obscenity that wold make a sailor beast blush. He falls to one knee, his own dagger falling from his grasp. Loosing his ballence he falls onto his face, trying to pick himself up. But with one arm in a sling, the other in horrible pain he...he cant move.

Radion smiles wickedly, and, stepping back, he launches a kick towards Tavis's jaw with a frightening intensity as the bowbeasts quickly figure out that their arrows are not needed and put them along with their bows away.

The mouse crumples to the side, his vision bluring the last thing he sees is the grinning face of the fox...