Mercenary Tales 16.

Northern Vexil. 

Gamil Geist yawns as he steps out of the backdoor of the inn, then looks around, wondering where his cousin Farsen has got to this morning. They spoke briefly just after dawn, but since then he hasn't seen his younger cousin. 

Gamil a rather large individual, more in weight than in height, steps to one side, as the commander of the company guard, Kilmas steps outside behind him. 

Forgetting about his younger cousin for the moment, Gamil Geist quietly says to the guard commander "More of them coming in today by the sounds of things". 

Nodding his head, Kilmas the guard commander quietly replies with "Last of the mercenaries we've hired should come in today and tomorrow". 

Kilmas, a gaunt man, who seems lost in the cloak he wears over his hardened leather armour, continues with "A good thing too" followed by "Some of this lot are hardly what you call disciplined". 

The commander of the guard in the Geist Trading Company then says "Don't want them too idle for too long" he then dryly adds "If not, that's just trouble waiting to happen". 

Gamil grunts in agreement with that, even he, who has very little experience when it comes to military matters. 

Can tell that this mercenary army they've gathered here in the hill country in northern Vexil, near the border with Girdane. Isn't what you would call, professional. Or for that matter, competent. 

Though there's pockets of true professionalism amongst the army of mercenaries, they're few and far between. 

With the company of Geist guards, being one if not the most professional force amongst the ten thousand strong army. 

After stretching his arms over his head, Gamil Geist glances to his left, and spots a bunch of odd looking boxes stacked up against the back of the inn, next to the large tent that belongs to Mackrin's mercenary company. 

The older Geist cousin thinks about taking a step closer to the almost coffin like boxes to see what they are. 

But a shiver suddenly runs through his body, and he quickly forgets about the boxes, as Mackrin himself exits his tent, followed by a number of his company. 

Gamil waves over the mercenary captain, who nods and walks over to the member of the Geist Trading Company, while those of his mercenary company wander off. 

"You haven't seen my cousin Farsen have you?" asks Gamil Geist, who then mutters under his breath "He's always wandering off when there's shit to do". 

"Saw him earlier wander off that way" says Mackrin the mercenary captain, whose company is one of the more proficient to be found in the army. And one of the handful that the Geist cousins trust to actually do what they're told to do. 

Gamil Geist looks down through the village, and to the east, and grunts as he realizes where Farsen most likely is. 

"Thanks for that Mackrin" says the older of the two Geist cousins in command of the mercenary army. He then asks the mercenary captain "All of your lot arrived then?". 

"They have" replies Mackrin who follows that with "Got in during the night" he continues on with "They saw some others coming this way too". 

Gamil nods when he hears that, knowing that the last of the mercenaries hired by his family's company will be arriving over the next couple of days. 

"Right I'm off, to get that cousin of mine" says Gamil Geist who nods to the mercenary captain, then walks away. 

Heading east down through the village, to the part of the camp on that side. He's followed by the guard commander Kilmas. 

While back behind the inn, the mercenary captain Mackrin spots the odd shaped boxes stacked up against the back of the inn, beside his large tent. 

He frowns as he wonders what they are, and who they belong to. He takes a step towards them, intending to see what they are, and what they contain. 

A slight shiver, fairly cold. Suddenly runs through him. He then shrugs his shoulders, and turns around, and moves off to check on his men, and quickly forgets about the odd coffin like boxes next to his tent. 

As they walk through the village, heading to the part of the camp on the east side, Gamil Geist says to the guard commander Kilmas "He's fawning over those damn things again". 

"I bet that's not the only thing he's fawning over" dryly says the guard commander who has known the two cousins since they were small children. 

The older Geist cousin sourly smiles at hearing that from Kilmas, who entered the guard company at just fifteen years old, when Gamil was just five years old, and Farsen was just a toddler. 

"You're probably right" mutters Gamil Geist, who tries to refrain from sighing, but fails miserably as they walk through the village, on this cold winter's day here in the hill country, in the north of the city-state of Vexil. 

Leaning forward on one of the posts of the fenced off pen, Farsen Geist watches the cockatrice. 

The younger Geist cousin, who is a little over twenty five years old. Is as different in looks from his older cousin Gamil as one can be. 

While Gamil can be described as wide, or to put it bluntly, overweight. Farsen is muscular, almost lean in appearance. 

The only thing the two cousins have in common looks wise, is that they have the same dark, almost black hair. 

Farsen the younger, and taller of the two Geist cousins in command of the mercenary army that's gathered here in the hill country of northern Vexil.

Might be watching the twenty or so cockatrices, as he finds them totally fascinating. 

But who he's also watching, is the mercenary named Danielle, a young woman from the very south of the city-state. 

Who is the twenty year old daughter of Hafnah, who is the captain of the mercenary company, that the cockatrices belong to. 

One of the few companies in the gathered mercenary army, that's trusted by the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen. For the simple reason they have the magical creatures that are cockatrices. 

Creatures that have to be expertly handled. For if not, they can be just as dangerous to the army they're in, just as they are to any enemy they might come up against. 

One of the handlers wanders by, leading one of the cockatrice by the reins. Knowing that the younger Geist cousin likes and admires the creatures. He stops next to the post that Farsen Geist is leaning forward against. 

Knowing what to do, and glad that there's blinders on the magical creatures eyes. The younger Geist cousin reaches forward, and rubs the long neck of the cockatrice. Which ducks it's head to enjoy the rough rub that Farsen gives it. 

The dark haired Geist cousin, finally nods to the handler and with that the mercenary moves off, followed by the cockatrice which reined, follows after him. 

Farsen Geist then looks away to the right, along the fence line that makes up this side of the pen. And he spots Danielle, speaking with her father, Hafnah the mercenary captain. And couple of others from their company. 

As he stands there leaning against the post in front of himself, Farsen wonders if the mercenary captain's daughter will look his way, and acknowledge him. He certainly hopes so. 

The younger Geist cousin lets out a sigh when he sees the group move off with Danielle not even looking this way. 

Farsen Geist is just wondering if he should move off too, when suddenly Danielle glances back and flashes a smile at him. Before she continues on, walking beside her father the mercenary captain Hafnah. 

Farsen can't help but grin to himself, and it's as he's grinning, that he hears his older cousin Gamil walking towards him, saying "There you are" followed by "I've been looking for you". 

The younger Geist cousin wipes the grin off his face, though not before Gamil Geist says to him in a dry tone of voice "Gee, I wonder why you've got that dopey looking grin on your smacker?". 

"The cockatrice" is the quick reply from Farsen Geist, who continues no with "They always make me laugh". 

Gamil snorts at that obvious lie from his his younger cousin, then he sarcastically says to him "Right". 

The older of the two cousins, whose family owns one of the largest, and most successful trading companies in not just Vexil, but the entire Southlands. 

Who has spotted the mercenary Danielle and her father Hafnah moving off in the distance, then decides to change the subject, and stop teasing his younger cousin. 

And tells him "The last of the mercenaries should be in today, or tomorrow" he follows that with "After that, she should show up". 

Glancing behind his older cousin, and seeing the captain of the guard in the Geist Trading Company standing a bit further back, Farsen quietly says to his cousin "Think she'll show". 

I fucking hope so, Gamil Geist thinks to himself, who then nods his head in reply to that from Farsen, and quietly tells him "I think she will". 

Then the older of the two cousins, says "Come along little cousin, there's some things we need to check up on". 

Farsen Geist nods, then he along with his older cousin Gamil, as well as captain Kilmas, move off. And go and check up on a number of things around the camp of the mercenary army. 

That they've gathered here in the hill country of northern Vexil. On what's only the second day of winter, and a cold day it's turned out to be . . . . . .