Mercenary Tales 42

The City Of Oaklynn. The Kingdom Of Girdane. 

Messages between towns and cities, especially between capital cities. Are undertaken in a number of ways. 

And though the governments of various nations have a number of ways of contacting one another, usually magical, and usually only between nations that are friendly neighbours. 

For the general public, one can send a message over a long distance by several means. The cheapest by coach, wagon or horseback, usually belonging to a trading company. Which does take a certain amount of time. From days to weeks, sometimes months. 

But for quicker methods, you have to pay a substantial amount for it. And the cheapest out of those, and the most common. Is by airship, usually a fast moving single masted vessel. Which will have packets of bound messages. Hence the name packet ship to describe those type of vessels. 

But for even more expensive ways, one can send it via magical means, by rift or gateway through a bonded message service company. Who employ various spellcasters. Though only in the main cities, and capitals of various nations across the Southlands. 

The other expensive way is by air. In the elven principalities, they use griffon messengers. While other nations tend to use wyverns. 

And though some trading companies run such operations. They tend to be stand alone companies. Who make a fortune sending bound messages from city to city. 

And it's one such messenger, that left the capital city of Vexil in midmorning, and arrives in the city of Oaklynn, the capital city of the kingdom of Girdane, just as the sun sets on what's been a cold winter's day here in the central region of The Southlands. 

The wyvern could of made the journey a bit quicker, but they're temperamental creatures. And the rider knows to give it some leeway when it comes to the delivery of the messages he's carrying. 

Though this day, he's carrying just the single message in a magically sealed envelope. When ordinarily he'd carry a small bundle, or packet of them. 

But someone paid his company a fortune to send this single message. He doesn't know what it is, or who it's from, or who it's for. 

He just has to get it to the company's offices in the city of Oaklynn in a timely manner. Or at least as fast as possible. 

It helps that his company's offices are in a tower in the south of the city, not far from the main airdocks of the capital city of the kingdom of Girdane. 

And as dusk gives way to nightfall over the city of Oaklynn, the dark green, almost black coloured wyvern lets out a screech as it circles down around the city of Oaklynn, to the tower that is it's destination. 

The wyvern lands upon the top of the tower, and the fractious creature let's out another screech. Before it settles down with what sounds like a grumble as the rider hops down out of the saddle. 

Who is glad that there's no other wyvern on the tower top at the moment. As they can often fight for no reason, even ones that have grown up together. Which is what the various message companies will do with their wyverns. 

Having wyverns that are completely unknown to one another is a recipe for disaster. As they'll fight if they don't know the other creature. Damage is a certainty, sometimes resulting in death. 

With the riders being killed if they're caught up in any fight between wyverns that don't know one another. 

This particular rider gives his wyvern a good thump of appreciation, which earns him a hiss. The type of hiss that's a sign of contentment from a wyvern. 

Then as the winged creature settles down, wrapping a wing over it's head, the rider heads down the tower to the night office of his company. 

The night manager takes the bound message from the rider, and the card that comes with it. He thanks the rider, who will go back to the tower top to check in on his wyvern. 

Before he heads down to the dormitory that the riders use while they're here in the capital of the kingdom of Girdane. 

After the night manager reads the card, he goes to the row of shelves against the left wall of his office. 

And after looking for it, he takes one of the black leather bound books from a shelf, and returns to his desk with it. 

"Hmmm an older one" the night manager murmurs to himself as he looks at the card, and the corresponding entry in the book after he finds it in. 

He takes note that the customer has been using the company for over two decades, and in that time, they've only used them for important bound messages like this particular one a handful of times. 

Then after the night manager writes the entry into his own ledger, he calls for one of the runners waiting out in the hallway, and for a couple of the company guards sitting on the benches out there too. 

"You are to deliver this to" says the night manager, who then gives the name of the person the message is for. 

"They'll either be at the" continues the night manager, who then gives the location that certain individual will be at, he then adds "Or they'll be" as gives another location they might be at. 

The night manager follows that with "If they're not at either place, you are to return with it" followed by "Understood?". The runner, a young man in his late teens nods and says that he understands. 

The night manager then tells the pair of guards "Protect him" he continues on with "The customer has paid a fortune for that message to be sent" he follows that with "I want no harm to come to him or the envelope he carries" he then adds "You know the consequences if something happens to that message". 

All three of them, guards and runner nod in understanding. As they know that the message, to be exact the envelope is protected by magic. 

And if anything was to happen to it, or the wrong person opens it. Something rather unpleasant will happen. 

Most likely to them, and definitely to whoever it is that would be stupid enough to tamper with a magically sealed envelope. 

The runner and his accompanying guards leave the tower, and make their way north through the streets of the city of Oaklynn, on what's a cold but clear winter's night. 

Near the city center, the runner from the bonded message company, stops at one of the more well to do wine shops found in the capital of Girdane. 

With the company guards in attendance, the runner speaks with the shop owner. 

Who informs him that the person he's looking for, isn't here this night. And only sporadically visits the wine shop over the last half a year or so. 

The runner thanks the owner, then he and the company guards head off again. Making their way north through the city streets. 

A little bit later, and beyond the city center, the runner followed by his two guards, enters an inn, one of the finest establishments in the capital city of the kingdom of Girdane. 

The innkeeper in the front room frowns at their appearance, then once he realizes they're from one of the bonded message companies in the city, he asks them what he can do for them. 

The innkeeper, a slim man in his late forties lifts an eyebrow in surprise when he hears who the runner wants to see. Then he leads the three of them away, to one of the private dining rooms found in the establishment. 

He's just sat down, and looked across the table at his guest, one of his fiercest rivals, who also happens to be one of his best friends. Who is talking to the serving woman, who has come in to take their order. 

He's just about to quip about how much is friend is ordering, when the innkeeper followed by others enter the private dining room. 

He frowns at first, then slightly nods in understanding when the innkeeper informs him that the young man is from one of the bonded message companies in the city. 

He's asked his name, and after supplying it, he holds out his hand, and the messenger hands him over the sealed envelope. 

Then after seeing him open the envelope, which he glances inside of and doesn't take out the missive inside. The runner, and his guards départ the private dining room and inn. 

After they do, he tells his guest "Sorry old chap, I'm off" followed by "Enjoy your meal" and he leaves as his friend protests him taking off like this. 

He steps outside into the cold night, and hurries away. He's in luck tonight, as he doesn't have all that far too go. 

And for once, the person who is to receive the missive he's carrying, is actually in the city this time. 

As normally he'd hold on to whatever magically bound message that's delivered to him until whenever they show up. Which often can be months, even years at times. 

He crosses a square, and turns onto a street that goes east, he's bound for another inn, at the end of this particular street. 

Not as opulent, or well known as the one he was just going to have dinner in, but one almost as expensive, but far more discreet. 

He enters in the inn, glad to be out of the cold night air, he greets the innkeeper who knows him. Who informs him, where those he's looking for, are dinning this evening. 

He heads to one of the two small private dinning rooms that the inn has, knocking on the closed door when he gets there. 

He's asked to enter from someone inside, once he does he says "Message from the city of Vexil" to those who have turned to look at him "It just came in a short time ago by wyvern rider". 

Once he's handed it over, he's dismissed by one of the trio of elves in the group using the private dining room. 

Once their main contact here in the city of Oaklynn, or for that matter in the entire kingdom of Girdane. Who just happens to a member of the royal household staff, departs. 

Jarkellé the elven warder hands over the opened envelope to Salinéll the elven maiden, who sits down at the table, and takes the missive out as the others serve themselves from the side tables. 

She clenches a fist, and thumps it on the table top, causing the others to turn and look at her, as she stares at the missive she has just read. 

Then Salinéll the elven magic user, with a look of fury in her eyes, she says to the others "They've be spotted". 

Still seething, the elven maiden from the principality of Alínlae, continues with "In the city of Vexil" followed by "Both of them". 

Eyebrows are raised in surprised by the others, then furious looks start to appear on their faces too, and Salinéll tells them "That stinking bastard of an ork, and that other one, whatever the fucking hell he is" .

A devilish grin starts to appear on the youthful face of the elven maiden, who then says in a determined voice "We've got them" followed by "And they're going to finally pay for what they did" . . . . . .