Mercenary Tales 66.

Vexil. 

"Are they going to accept our help?" quietly asks Kynil the sword mistress, Margin the wizard replies with "Unfortunately yes". 

The sword mistress lifts an eyebrow in surprise at hearing that, and the spellcaster in the dark red robes quietly says "The fewer we work with, the better". 

The Vexilian born practitioner of magic continues with "Preferably one would be best". He nods across the large square "Salinéll is going to try and talk that fellow in the church of Glaine to work with us". 

The others look to where the elven maiden Salinéll, who is with her fellow elf, Jarkellé. The two elves from the principality of Alínlae, have struck up conversation with some of the clergy from various temples and churches, including the fighting cleric from the church of Glaine, a cleric by the name of Beldane. 

There's a large group of clerics, priests, priestesses, monks, adepts, and nuns, as well as laymen and women. 

Who have gathered here in the large square where most of the churches and temples in the city of Vexil are located. 

On this cold winter's morning, they've come up with a plan to try and find the undead being who they know is either in the city of Vexil itself. Or in the immediate surroundings of the capital city. 

"Seems the city council" quietly says Margin the wizard to the remaining members of the group who survived the attack by the large ork named Dorc da Orc. 

Though to be fair, it was they who attacked the ork. As more than a few of them were hell bent on killing the large ork. Which ended up in the demise of four of the group. 

Now that the large ork is dead. Or so they believe it's dead. They can now concentrate on finding, and destroying the undead being many of them have been after for more than two and half decades. 

Margin, one of those in the group who didn't really care about killing the ork. As he's the one in the group, who wants the undead being destroyed more than anything else 

Though, he like every other member of the group. Wants to see a war between the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane. For various reasons. 

Quietly tells the others "Because that fellow in the church of Glaine fought that undead creature, and survived". 

He gestures at all the various clergy, who are splitting up into groups. Many of them from different churches and temples, who have decided to work together. 

"Not to mention he's very powerful" continues the wizard in the dark red robes, who follows that with "And he's got a magical mace, that's extremely powerful too". 

Margin briefly pauses as he sees that the two elves Jarkellé and Salinéll, are now talking with the fighting cleric named Beldane. 

"A lot of the others want to work with him" says the Vexilian born practitioner of magic, next to the wizard, both Marcus and Mercer nod. 

While the sword mistress Kynil quietly says "Makes sense I guess" she follows that with "Can't blame them for wanting to survive a confrontation with that thing". 

They fall silent as a pair of priests hurry by, close to them. Then the sword mistress asks the wizard in the dark red robes "Think they've got a chance?". 

"Salinéll and Jarkellé?" asks the practitioner of magic who hails from here in the city of Vexil, who follows that with "Of talking that cleric Beldane into letting us help him?". 

"That as well" says the sword mistress Kynil, who follows that with "But that lot in general" she then adds "Think they've got a chance of finding it, then holding it, and destroying it?". 

The wizard in the dark red robes, who wraps his robes tighter around himself to help ward off the cold, shrugs his shoulders, then quietly says "Got no idea" after a brief pause, he adds "I hope so". 

Margin also hopes that he's there when the undead being is taken, then destroyed. For personal reasons of course. 

For he saw the undead creature just over two and a half decades ago, during the Battle of Vexil. Kill his brother, who was a defender on the south wall of the massive city, that's the capital of the city-state of Vexil. 

"Looks like they've come to a decision about something" quietly says Mercer, who nods to where the elves Salinéll and Jarkellé have finished their conversation with the cleric named Beldane. 

The two elves from the principality of Alínlae head this way, while the fighting cleric in the church of Glaine, is now in a conversation with a number of the other clergy. 

"He'll help us out" quietly says Salinéll the elven maiden when she and the elven warden Jarkellé rejoin the others. 

"Well I should say, we'll help him out" adds the elven maiden who leads the group, who are attempting to start a war between the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane. 

Salinéll the elven magic user, who hides her ability to cast from other practitioners of magic, thanks to a ring she wears. 

Then tells the rest of the group "A number of the others want to go along with him" she continues with "He's deciding which ones should join us". 

Margin nods his head, then quietly says "This will be difficult" followed by "Keep silent to what we're really doing" he then adds "Don't let anything slip". 

The spellcaster in the dark red robes says that last bit with a pointed look at both Mercer and Marcus. 

Especially Mercer, who initiated the attack upon Dorc da Orc, on the nearby streets to the southwest of the large square where they're at the moment. 

And who also killed the large ork, who they captured, then mutilated before ending it's life. 

If there's one hot head in the group, it's Mercer. And Salinéll has made it perfectly clear if Mercer or anyone else does anything untowards that will jeopardize their plans from now on. She will kill that member of the group. 

"That should be plainly obvious" says Salinéll the elven maiden with a look at the others, staring at Mercer for a moment longer than anyone else. 

"Keep to our story of wanting to be rid of this undead creature" adds the elven magic user, who briefly pauses before continuing with "Which is true enough". 

The wizard Margin nods to that, then gesturing over to the large group of clergymen and women, many of whom are moving off, he quietly asks the elven maiden who leads their group "What's the plan?" followed by "Concerning us too?". 

"We'll be helping that cleric Beldane" replies Salinéll the elven maiden, who follows that with "Let's face it, we won't be able to stop it on our own, it's too damn powerful". 

She briefly pauses before continuing with "We'll distract it, and hopefully slow it down when we hopefully locate it". 

"So we're bait then?" dryly says Mercer, Margin is thinking the exact same thing, though he sees them being lambs to the slaughter, more than anything else. 

"More or less" says Salinéll the elven magic user, who follows on from that, by dryly adding "So try not to get yourselves killed". The others all wince at that. 

Then the elven maiden who leads them, gestures in the direction of the fighting cleric in the church of Glaine, and says "That Beldane freely admits he doubts he can defeat this undead creature". 

Salinéll continues on with "Though he thinks he can either hold it given half a chance, or destroy it once it's held" she then adds "But definitely not both, especially after he confronted it yesterday and barely survived". 

The practitioner of magic who hails from the elven principality of Alínlae nods her head in response to Margin the wizard quietly saying "That's something I guess". 

The local born practitioner of magic knows that most spellcasters, would never freely admit their inadequacies. Especially ones as powerful as the cleric Beldane.

So for the fighting cleric in the church of Glaine to admit what are his shortcomings. That's something profound in the opinion of the wizard Margin. 

"He's seeing if a few of the others will join us" says the elven maiden, who set into motion their plans for revenge for what happened during the war known as the Battle of Vexil. 

"He, and we'll need their help" continues Salinéll the elven maiden, who then adds "If we're to find this creature and destroy it". 

She looks at each member of the group, Margin the wizard, Jarkellé the elven warden, Kynil the sword mistress, as well as Mercer and Marcus, then quietly says to them "Once we've gotten rid of it, then we'll continue on with our plans for war". 

The elven maiden who is also pretending to be the Geist cousin Misa. Just hopes that her so called cousins Gamil and Farsen, and the mercenary army they've gathered. Are still more or less intact, up in the hill country that straddles the border of Vexil and Girdane. 

Because she and the rest of the group still have plans for them. Vital parts of the plans, that will bring about a full blown war between the neighbouring nations of the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane. 

"Here he comes" says Margin the wizard, who follows on from that, by quietly adding "And he's got company too". 

The see that the cleric named Beldane is heading their way. And with him are a trio of clergy, from some of the churches and temples, here in this part of the capital of the city-state of Vexil. 

A cleric from the church of Famal, a priestess belonging to the church of Maëlle. And another cleric, this one in a suit of heavy plate armour, who can only be from the church of Goran. 

When the quartet of clergy join them, Salinéll the elven maiden introduces the other members of the group. 

And in response, the cleric Beldane introduces those with them. After he does, Beldane the cleric says "We've been assigned with some of the other groups to the southern quarter of the city" followed by "And work our way back this way if we can't locate it in the southern part of the city". 

"Sounds like a plan" says Salinéll the elven maiden, who then looks at the young man in the half plate armour, who is a member of the church of Glaine, and says to him "Lead the way". 

The powerful practitioner of magic nods his head, then he casts, and near instantaneously, a gateway forms to the side of them. 

The fighting cleric originally from the kingdom of Nastell nods his head to the cleric in the church of Goran, who looks back at him. 

The heavily armoured cleric is the first one through the magical doorway, followed by the two other local clergy. 

Then the group go through the gateway, with Mercer in the lead. He's followed by Marcus, Kynil the sword mistress and Jarkellé the elven warden. And finally Salinéll the elven maiden and Margin the wizard. 

Beldane the cleric slightly pauses, then he too steps forward, and enters his gateway. As he does he refrains from smiling. 

As he knows that the group who has joined him and the three local clergy members. Are hoping to trap, then destroy lord Farque. 

But it's them the fighting cleric is sending into a trap. On this cold winter's day here in the city of Vexil . . . . . .