Mercenary Tales 74.

The City Of Oaklynn. The Kingdom Of Girdane. 

They spend the evening at one of their safe houses after seeing a number of their contacts during the late afternoon, here in the city of Oaklynn. 

They don't have much in the way of influence amongst the kingdom's royalty and government. Compared to what they have down in the city-state of Vexil. 

But here in the kingdom of Girdane, they have more influence amongst those in the business community. 

And it's in a spare home of one of the kingdom's business leaders. That they find themselves in, this cold winters night. 

"Must be where he meets his mistress" dryly says Margin the wizard referring to the two storey home they're in. Located in a nicer part of the city, but not where the truly wealthy of the kingdom reside. They tend to live closer to the royal palace. Which is near the center of the city of Girdane. 

The elven warden Jarkellé just grunts in reply to that from the practitioner of magic who hails from the city-state of Vexil. 

The elf originally from the principality of Alinlae is in a foul mood since they left the city of Vexil in a hurry just before noon today. 

To be fair, Margin has been in a similar mood since they hurriedly departed the capital of the city-state of Vexil. 

It's just at the moment the spellcaster in the red robes hides his feelings a bit better than the elf who is one of only two others than himself, left in their group. As they stand in the front parlour of the narrow two storey house, with a fire lit in the fireplace to ward of the cold this evening. 

The wizard who yawns, as he's tired after creating two rifts this day, quietly says "I don't know" dryly followed by "You know I can't sense her". In response to Jarkellé the elven warden asking him "Where is she?". 

The elf originally from the principality of Alinlae sighs, then mutters in his native tongue "I should of gone with her". 

Margin who can kind of understand elven, asks Jarkellé "What was that?' followed by "Something about Salinéll I gather?". 

The elven warden nods his head, then in the common language, says "I said, I should of gone with her". 

"You know how she is, when she gets it in her head to do something" says the Vexillian born spellcaster, who continues on with "She'll do whatever it takes" the practitioner of magic follows that with "You of all people should know this". 

Jarkellé sourly grunts, then sighs as he knows all too well how Salinéll the elven maiden can be. Especially considering how bad things have got, now that the three of them are all that's left of the group that the elven maiden had gathered to her over the last quarter century since the Battle of Vexil. 

There's real glass windows in this house, and Margin the wizard parts one of the closed curtains to glance outside of the two storey house that's right on the street front. 

The street outside is lamp lit, and the spellcaster who hails from the city-state of Vexil sees a few people on the street, huddled in their cloaks, as they hurry about on what's a cold night here in the city of Oaklynn. 

Margin fully closes the curtains again, and takes a seat, as he sees that Jarkellé has sat down on one of the chairs here in the front parlour of the home that belongs to a fairly prominent business owner, here in the kingdom of Girdane. 

The wizard in the red coloured robes yawns, then leans back in the comfortable chair he's sitting in, and finally says what they've all thought about today, but have yet to voice. 

"Well, that went to shit today" says the practitioner of magic who hails from the city-state of Vexil. 

"And that's putting it lightly" adds the wizard who is the last human left in the group that had been gathered over the last quarter century or so by Salinéll the elven magic user. 

Jarkellé the elven warden slightly grunts, then nods his head in agreement with the practitioner of magic sitting on the other side of the small parlour they find themselves in. 

Then the elf who hails from the principality of Alinlae says "The entire group wiped out except for the three of us" he briefly pauses before adding in a dry tone of voice "Not to mention that damn ork is still alive". 

Margin winces at hearing that, as he too thought the ork named Dorc da Orc was finally dead. Killed by Mercer after they had captured it. 

"No idea how that thing is still alive" says the Vexillian born spellcaster with a shake of his head as the two of them wait for Salinéll the elven maiden to return from whatever it is she's doing this night, here in the city of Oaklynn, the capital of the kingdom of Girdane. 

"I hope it's alive" mutters the wizard Margin, who follows that with "And not, you know" he briefly pauses before continuing with "Undead". 

Jarkellé winces at the thought of that, then he says "No, it's alive" followed by a muttered "Thank the forest gods". 

The elven warden from the principality of Alinlae continues with "Definitely alive" he then says "It still stank like the cesspit it is when it rushed us". 

Jarkellé then tells the Vexillian born spellcaster "Undead smell cold and metallic, and that bloody thing was definitely not cold". 

The wizard Margin grunts as he figured as much. Besides if the large ork named Dorc da Orc was undead. The three of them would be dead like the rest of the group. 

The two of them are silent for a few moments, then the practitioner of magic quietly says "We've no clerics to help us out if we run into them again". 

The elven warden nods in agreement with that, then he says "Maybe Salinéll can get some more help from the church of Famal here again?". 

"Hopefully" murmurs Margin, who is fairly certain that word from Vexil will reach here, probably by tomorrow, as to what's happened down in the capital of the neighbouring city-state. 

And how the church of Famal here in Oaklynn won't be too pleased to learn that the leader of their church in Vexil has died. And that the interim leader who took over, is also dead. 

The practitioner of magic originally from the city-state of Vexil is about to say something, when Jarkellé holds up hand, then quietly says "Someone approaching on this side of the street". 

The two of them get up from their chairs, and as they make their way to the front door of the house they're staying in, the warden from the elven principality of Alinlae quietly says "It's her". 

There's a knock on the front door, and Jarkellé opens it, and with the cold air that comes in, is Salinéll the elven maiden. 

After closing the front door, then making their way back into the front parlour of the two storey home they've got use of, while here in the city of Oaklynn. Margin the wizard asks his fellow practitioner of magic "Well?". 

The elven magic user sits down in the chair closet to the fireplace, then Salinéll the elven maiden says "Something good for once". 

She briefly pauses before adding in a sour tone of voice "Especially considering how badly things went today down in Vexil". 

The elven spellcaster who is the bastard child of elven nobility, which explains why she's a practitioner of magic. As only elven nobles are capable of casting. 

Then tells the other two "I got a hold of one of our contacts" followed by "The shipping magnate with ties to the palace and the house of lords". 

Both Margin and Jarkellé nod in understanding as they know who the attractive elven maiden is referring to. 

"He's gone immediately to the palace to inform them of an incursion across the border from Vexil" says Salinéll the elven magic user. 

Margin the wizard slightly winces at that, as they know just the one mercenary company from the army gathered by Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen are heading north through southern Girdane. 

While the rest of the mercenary army will head back into Vexil early tomorrow morning, sometime before dawn. 

"I suspect the response will be swift from the palace" continues the elven maiden from the principality of Alinlae. 

Who in her guise as Misa Geist, has got her so called cousins Gamil and Farsen, to do what she wants them to do. 

And though the cousins who run the company business want to create a border war between Vexil and Girdane, so that they can profit from it. 

Salinéll the elven maiden has other plans. She wants an all out war between the two nations. Hopefully a war that will expand to involve other nations here in the central region of The Southlands. Not too mention the robber barons and others who attempt to rule the unruled lands scattered across this region of The Southlands. 

"Could be sometime tonight" says the elven magic user who hides her ability to cast thanks to a magical charm she wears. 

"Early tomorrow morning at the latest" adds the elven maiden who has spent the last quarter century trying to start a wide ranging war in this region. As well as trying to kill two people, who were involved in the death of her father a quarter of a century ago during The Battle of Vexil. 

"At least that's something good that's come out of today" says Margin the wizard, Jarkellé the elven warden grunts in agreement with the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil. 

"They might cross over the border themselves" adds the practitioner of magic who wears dark red coloured robes. 

"Let us hope" says Salinéll the elven maiden, who after a moments pause, continues with "As for our other problem". Margin and Jarkellé share a look as they're both certain where this is going. 

"That damn ork" says the elven practitioner of magic, who follows on from that with "And the undead creature". 

The elven spellcaster who like Jarkellé hails from the principality of Alinlae, looks sharply at the human wizard, before saying "Considering that damn ork is supposed to be dead, and it isn't". 

The wizard Margin winces at that, for Salinéll is more than annoyed at finding that the ork named Dorc da Orc is still alive. When she was told it was dead. 

"We'll have to try and get some more help from the churches and temples here, as well as down in Vexil" adds the elven practitioner of magic, who follows that with "With them is our only chance of getting rid of that undead thing". 

Salinéll looks at both the wizard and the elven warden and tells them "Mark my words, when we return to the city of Vexil, we'll find those two and destroy them once and for all". 

Meanwhile, a little earlier in the evening. A gateway appeared near a town about six and a half miles away to the southwest of the city of Oaklynn. 

Well out of the range for Salinéll the elven magic user and Margin the wizard to sense. And for that matter, pretty much every other spellcaster in the capital city of the kingdom of Girdane with the exception of the strongest of mages. 

And out of the gateway came the pair that Salinéll, Margin and Jarkellé were just discussing. Along with a third person. Who the trio saw die earlier in the day, down in the city of Vexil. Or so they thought he died . . . . . .