#thanks muchly for readin mates

[theredwallrecorder]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) pt 4/1 - Steadfast

Haha, I just recently realized that when this post is viewed on the blog it makes the lenny face look like the eyebrows are stabbing the eyes. Accurate.

If anyone’s curious, this is part of an ongoing series of fics about Redwall Hell and its characters. Here is part one, part two, and part three. I really need to catalog these fics since there are so many now.

Somebody *cough cough @thegoldensoundtwice cough* really needed to know about Nivedita’s fighting style... and well how about this? She’s first up in our Redwall Hell unofficial tournament! @raphcrow I hope this pleases you, my queen~

We last left our intrepid babes facing off against the Great Vulpuz himself, but not one to be outdone, the ruler of Hellgates has sent Nivedita and Willow Slay off to fight his lackeys while he gets the Lady all to himself. Smooth move, Vulpuz. Don’t mess this one up.

Do enjoy Redwall Hell: The Anime pt 4.1 - Nivedita vs. the Mask of Malkariss. There is a reason nobeast in hell will cross the Lady’s esteemed right paw, as one unfortunate creature is about to find out.

Here is Nivedita’s theme. Feel free to peruse this translation of the lyrics, for they describe her well. Also, here is the theme for when her shadow rises. How deep the wellsprings of mercy that dwell within her, but if ownage is what you seek... through her, it will find you.

Man I love this AU.

Moments after she had stepped forth into the darkness, Nivedita found herself on the pebbled shores of the black sea of Hellgates. In front of her the dark, frothy waters churned ceaselessly, lapping against the smooth-worn bellies of the dozens upon dozens of gargantuan obsidian boulders scattered across the broad beach like a seer’s divining implements. The pale sun of Hellgates had nearly completed its laborious trek across the sky; it hung suspended just above the expanse of the sea, casting its sickly light over the water’s agitated surface and bathing the area in varying shades of crimson. The obnoxious, salty stench of the surf ruthlessly assaulted the female rat’s nostrils as she gazed at the creature she had chosen to confront.

Framed by the eerie, bulbous sphere of the weary sun sinking into the sea, a polecat stood silently before her, the blood-red waves swirling about his unshod footpaws. Upon his face he wore a half mask of honed white marble, the jagged edge of the mask rearing up above the crown of his head. Nivedita could make out a series of curious patterns carved into it. In one paw he held the thonged whip with which he had threatened the Lady, and in the other was a long prodding spear, of the kind typically used by slavers to keep their wretched charges in line. A soft tinkling sounded when the wind surreptitiously moved the fringe of his chain mail tunic. The strange polecat regarded Nivedita without speaking, his lip curled in a gesture of derision beneath the bottom edge of the mask.

“I am deeply disappointed,” he said finally, the deepness of his voice carrying over the alternating crash and hiss of the surf. “Do you not remember me, concubine?”

Nivedita stiffened. Something dark and heavy stirred deep within her soul and she frowned, staring quizzically at the masked polecat.

“Forgive me, but I’m afraid I’m not sure I know you.” Nivedita offered him a polite curtsy. “Have you come to the Lady’s nightclub before?” she inquired.

Chuckling, the polecat shook his head. “Silly girl, I have never been within a league of the usurper’s indulgent nest. I knew you before, when you were just a frightened slave rat eagerly willing to do all within your power to keep everybeast around you out from under the harsh stroke of the whip.” He paused to study her closely. “What has happened to you? How fierce and terrible you appeared that night, your tortured soul dripping with infinite will and purpose! Whence has the fire fled? Has that vixen truly succeeded in transforming you into a shadow of yourself?” Taking a step forward, the polecat gestured with the point of his spear, indicating her entire body. “Did you forfeit the power I saw once, so long ago? Did the vixen wrest it from you, to claim it as her own? Where is the black knife that struck down the one who paved the way for my kingdom, whose blade scintillated joyfully in the light of the torches of the horde?”

Nivedita’s eyes grew wide, the realization of the meaning of his words dawning upon her. She regarded him with thinly veiled agitation, an uncharacteristic sharpness in her tone when she spoke, “I do not know how you came by this knowledge of me, but I would ask that you stop speaking of that night at once. I no longer wish to remember it.”

The masked polecat seemed to consider her request. Without warning he hurled himself forward, jabbing with the prodding spear. Thinking quickly, Nivedita turned to one side, the spearpoint whooshing harmlessly past her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes and raised her right arm, just in time to receive a lashing from the polecat’s whip as he pivoted on his footpaws, striking at her with the cruel weapon. Nivedita gritted her teeth at the pain, forcing her left footpaw to receive the brunt of her body weight as she retreated out of the polecat’s reach. He began to circle her, his eyes glittering from within the confines of his mask.

“I was there, concubine,” he rasped, the mask failing to muffle the reluctant awe in his voice. “I was there when, in the same breath, you both hailed and cursed our master. I was there when he knelt to receive you, and when he reeled from the murderous blow you dealt him. I was there, rat, when you clothed yourself in his blood and committed his foul corpse to the depths of the earth! Not a soul in the entire horde dared to stand against him, and yet—! You! You, an insignificant trull, struck down his mightiness even as he lounged casually on the proverbial throne of the height of his reign!”

Whirling, the polecat dealt Nivedita a series of swift blows with his spear and whip. She did her best to dodge, ducking and weaving as fast as the mangled side of her body would allow. He watched her struggle to avoid his attacks, frustration and confusion evident in the sloppy nature of his movements. Panting with exertion, the polecat skipped backwards, surveying the new injuries he had inflicted upon her with obvious annoyance.

“Why?!” he snarled, jabbing in her direction with the spear. “Why do you not fight back? Return the pain and suffering to me, blow for blow, gash for gash! Where is your ferocity? Your hatred? Your bitterness and loathing? Where are the indelible emotions that gave you the strength to slay our master?”

Nivedita rubbed the sweat off her nosetip with the back of a paw, wincing as her whiskers brushed against the angry, glowing gashes on her arm. She stared levelly at the polecat, a faraway look in her glimmering eyes.

“You must understand, I let them go when I…” her thoughtful voice faltered. Nivedita’s gaze strayed out over the black sea, taking in the raw beauty of the hellish sunset. “You’re right,” she continued softly. “That anger and hatred once had power over me, but no more. I released them when I forgave him for what he did to the ones I loved… and for what he did to me.”

The polecat’s mouth was agape. “You… you foolish girl!” he snarled. “You willfully gave up the source of your power just to feel better about your miserable past? All that righteous fury you bore was for nothing? Nothing?!”

Furious, the polecat struck out at her with his whip, the stinging barbs catching and tearing off bits of her fur and flesh. Again and again he beat her, bringing the whip down upon her upraised arm with increasing ferocity. Nivedita bore the onslaught without moving, her eyes burning into his as he unleashed a rage born of incredulity.

“How?! How could you just throw away an awesome wellspring of power? Not even our master could stand in your way… and you gave it up! Fool! You could have found immense favor in the eyes of the Great Vulpuz, but instead you grovel at the footpaws of that ragged vixen, playing the games of babes with the rest of the rabble of Hellgates and that traitor mink! How can you stand to linger amongst such rubbish and filth? Don’t you understand you are only titivating their feckless souls, adorning worthless baubles with value they do not deserve? They are nothing to you, and yet you leave your strength in the dust to be with them! Rash! You have wasted your—”

Nivedita had heard enough. She had been monitoring the progress of his assault, biding her time as each wild blow brought him ever closer to her. Finally, the opportune moment arrived. She swung her arm in a wide circle as he brought the whip down for another stroke, and the thongs of the whip entangled themselves in her claws. She tugged fiercely on the weapon, causing him to lose his balance and stumble forwards.  With their faces nearly touching, Nivedita smiled wistfully up into the polecat’s shocked eyes.

“I am sorry you think my greatest strength was born from my hatred and anger,” she murmured, odd hints of lingering gratitude in her voice. “You are wrong. I learned of my own strength through forgiveness. Everything I am I owe to those who helped re-shape my heart, bringing me to a place where I could forgive. It is because of love that I fight you now, and it is because of love that I am more powerful than you.”

The sound of a mighty exhale interrupted her. An enormous paw descended from the air above Nivedita, its gargantuan bulk momentarily hovering around the polecat’s head. A barely audible squeak escaped between his lips as the paw gripped his torso and squeezed none too gently. The whip and prodding spear fell forgotten upon the strand as the polecat was lifted bodily off the ground, forced to come face to face with a nightmarish beast. Its features wreathed in shadow, all he could see was a pair of fiery red eyes, twin pools of unquenchable flame. The shape of the monster seemed to pulse and fluctuate, the darkness beneath its eyes parting to reveal a gaping maw lined with saw-like fangs. A globule of foul-smelling phlegm dripped from between the beast’s teeth, splattering across the polecat’s mask. The unfortunate vermin’s nerve completely deserted him.

“N-no… how can… how can this be? I understand, I understand! You are still strong!” he cried, his voice hollow with desperation. “P-please! Don’t let the slavemaster devour me!”

The great beast bowed, bringing its forehead to rest against the polecat’s mask. For one breathless moment, only the sound of the wind and waves could be heard. A low rumbling noise heralded the slavemaster’s stirring, and a terrible roar ripped from its throat, splintering the marble mask into a thousand jagged shards. Drawing its arm back, the monster cloaked in darkness hefted the polecat as though he was naught but a stone unearthed by the tide. With a powerful heave, the slavemaster hurled the polecat far out into the sea, echoes of the vermin’s scream ricocheting off the boulders on the beach even after he had disappeared from sight. Nivedita sighed, turning to glance at her protector with brows upraised.

“You are getting very good at that, but I wish you wouldn’t throw them quite so far,” she admonished gently.

The beast moaned, a guttural cry that culminated in a gurgling trill of contentment somewhat akin to laughter. Gradually, he bent down to Nivedita’s level, nuzzling her with the rough affection of one who is unsure how to mindfully handle his own bulk. She embraced and rubbed his proffered head with infinite tenderness even as his body began to shrink, his immense form merging with the contours of her shadow.

“Thank you for protecting me,” she whispered. “I love you, my son.”