The City Of Vexil.
It's drizzling the next morning, and Zam the ex mercenary finds himself in the stables at the rear of the Merchant's Rest inn.
The stables are empty as none of the group have horses, and there's no other customers staying at the inn at this time.
The poor stableboy with nothing to do, has been roped into working in the inn itself. He's the one who has been sent to the nearby bakery at least a few times a day, to help feed Dorc da Orc.
And the large ork is the reason the teenager originally from The City Of Ruins finds himself in the stables this morning.
For the simple reason sir Percavelle Lé Dic and Tovis the war engineer arrived in the city yesterday afternoon.
And ever since, the ork warleader and the noble born knight from the kingdom of Druvic, have been constantly arguing.
And this morning during breakfast, the two of them were arguing so much, that Zam had to get out of the common room, and come out to the stables.
The ex mercenary isn't the only one with the same idea. As Mira Reinholt the mage also decided to get away from the arguing rivals.
So now the youngest member of the group finds himself practicing his sword work with the spellcaster who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster.
Zam, in the middle of the stables, stands with sword in hand, keeping the blade in a low guard, with the point to the ground.
Standing opposite him is the once powerful mage, who lifts an eyebrow as he looks at the latest stance and guard of the teenager who is originally from The City Of Ruins.
After clearing his throat, Mira Reinholt the mage says "Yeah, you probably don't want to do that" followed in a slightly dry tone of voice with "You're not Lord Farque".
Slightly wincing in embarrassment, Zam the ex mercenary says "Why not?" then he changes his guard to a more traditional one, instead of imitating the one that the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque favours.
"Because you have to be a fucking exceptional master of the sword to use that guard" says the mage Reinholt who follows that with "If not, you'll get killed pretty damn quick trying to do that".
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in The Southlands, then says "Hell even I rarely use that, and only with both of my blades".
Zam nods his head, as the Vexillian mage in exile opposite him, has split his unique looking weapon, and holds just one of the blades, which resembles a short sword.
While the other blade of the twin bladed staff like weapon, lies on a nearby hay bale, in one of the empty stalls.
"Left foot further forward, and turn it slightly inwards" says the mage who finds himself, along with the rest of the group at this time, in his homeland of Vexil, here in the early spring.
"This time, just try to defend" adds the spellcaster who was once a member of the Mage Council of Vexil, younger than Zam at the time.
The ex mercenary nods his head yes in response to the highly skilled swordmaster, then the mage Reinholt says "Begin".
The teenager from The City Of Ruins, defends if his life depends on it. For the once powerful mage doesn't go easy on him.
Mira Reinholt might be in his early forties, but Zam knows he's far quicker with a blade than he is.
Not to mention, a hell of a lot more talented, let alone having way more experience than the young ex mercenary.
Though the teenager who over the nearly two years since the group found him in The City Of Ruins.
Has developed with the sword at an ever increasing rate. Taught to him by pretty much all the members of the group. Including Dorc da Orc and Lord Farque himself.
Even Shur Kee the monk has taught him things about the sword. Even though the physical adept doesn't use a sword himself.
Though with the staff he uses, the short statured monk who is originally from beyond The Southlands. Has taught the teenage ex mercenary how to defend and attack those who wield weapons with a long reach.
Zam barely ducks out of the way of a back hand swing by the swordmaster Reinholt. The youngest member of the group who has already been hit by the flat of Mira's blade this morning.
Doesn't fancy getting hit by it again. As he's already got a few bruises from their sparring session this morning.
The once powerful mage holds up his weapon to indicate a halt, and the ex mercenary steps back and lowers his sword.
"You're getting better" says the exiled Vexillian mage, who follows that with "Even from during the winter time".
The practitioner of magic gestures to some of the nearby hay bales, and the two of them take a seat, with Zam taking a drink from his water bottle.
"I know" says the teenager from The City Of Ruins in response to Mira telling him "Remember sparring is all well in good to learn how to fight against a single opponent, maybe two or even three if you're skilled".
The spellcaster who is a member of Lord Farque's personal council, who is checking his blade, continues with "When it comes to battle against multiple opponents, just hit hard and fast, because technique pretty much becomes irrelevant when you go up against larger numbers".
"Unless you get really good" says Zam, who has heard this from Mira before, as well as from others in the group.
"Unless you get really good" says the mage Reinholt who nods in agreement with the teenager from The City Of Ruins, who is the youngest member of the group.
After a moments pause when he looks out of the open front doors of the stables, Zam asks the once powerful mage "Blademaster yet?".
"Not quite" is the dry sounding reply from the Vexillian born swordmaster, who suspects the young ex mercenary, could possibly be already ranked a blademaster if he attended one of the public training halls in the city.
But he, Mira Reinholt. Not to mention Lord Farque himself. Expects a higher standard for one to be ranked a blademaster, compared to Zam's ability at the moment.
"Though we'll ask Farque in the summer if you're able to attain the rank of blademaster" says the mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
Which gets a genuine grin of appreciation from the teenager who is originally from The City Of Ruins.
Looking out of the stable doors again, to the back of the inn across the small courtyard, Zam wryly says "Wonder if those two have stopped arguing?".
"Doubt it" dryly says Mira Reinholt, who continues in the same dry tone with "The only time they've stopped since Percy turned up yesterday, is whenever that fat greedy slob of an ork stuffs his face with food" followed by "Or to take a swig of booze".
The ex mercenary nods in agreement with the practitioner of magic who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
The Vexillian mage in exile who is also looking to their left out of the open stable doors, then quietly says "They might of stopped if he's come down from upstairs".
Once again Zam nods in agreement with the mage Reinholt. For the he the once powerful mage is referring to, is Lord Farque himself. Who will quickly bring an end to the arguing ork warleader and former paladin.
After a few moments, the two of them resume their training. With the highly skilled swordmaster teaches the teenager from The City Of Ruins, a couple of techniques he's yet to learn.
After a while, as the exiled Vexillian mage stands to one side, to watch the ex mercenary who is the youngest member of the group go through a number of forms.
Zam sees Mira glance out the stable doors, which the ex mercenary has behind his back. The once powerful mage who has put his black hooded cloak on again, nods his head in greeting.
The teenager from The City Of Ruins guesses he's being watched. And when a breeze comes in through the open stable doors. Zam realizes from the slight stench he catches a whiff of, that it's Dorc da Orc who is watching him.
And when the swordmaster Reinholt eventually calls him to halt. And the ex mercenary turns around, he sees the large heavily armoured figure of Lord Farque just outside the stables with the warleader of the ork race.
"You're improving" says Lord Farque to Zam once the ex mercenary and the once powerful mage make their way out of the stables.
"Dorc?" says the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, who looks at the large ork, then nods at the youngest member of the group.
"Better cunt" grunts Dorc da Orc, which Zam will take as a compliment. For that's pretty much high praise from the ork weaponsmith, who rarely if ever compliments anyone else in the group, about anything they do.
The ex mercenary grins and nods to the big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, who stands there scowling in disgust as it continues to drizzle on this spring morning, here in the city of Vexil.
"Come on you two" says Lord Farque or Draugodrottin which is the name he's also known by to the people of his lands.
"We're are we off to?" asks Mira Reinholt who lifts a questioning eyebrow as he looks at the lord of the death realm.
"To diversify" is the dry sounding reply from the large heavily armoured deathlord of Farque, which causes Dorc da Orc to mutter "To fucken what?".
The undead warlord leads the way across the small courtyard, and around the secluded inn, here in the north of the capital city.
And though the lord of the death realm doesn't reply to that from the ork who is a general in his Armies.
He does reply to the large ork, when Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle which is his given name, asks the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque "Why me gotta fucken go?".
As the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks definitely does not want to be out this morning. For the simple reason there's a constant drizzle falling upon the city of Vexil.
"Because you and the fucking annoying knight's constant bickering is getting on everyone's nerves" replies Lord Farque who has the elven name of Des'tier, which means The Destroyer.
"That's fucking why" adds the undead being, whose lands are far to the south of Vexil, which is a city-state located in the central region of The Southlands.
The ork warleader opens his mouth to argue with the large heavily armoured deathlord, who switches to the ork language, and says something to the big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
Zam sees Dorc go silent and scowl after hearing that from Lord Farque, which the ex mercenary is pretty certain contained a hell of a lot of swearing.
As he's figured out, and been told by the other members of the group, that the ork language is pretty much all swearing.
The teenager who hails from The City Of Ruins, refrains from grinning as the large ork, who is silent, continues to scowl as they head out through the covered lane that leads to the nearby street from the secluded inn.
Once on the street, Lord Farque turns right, and leads the three of them on this spring morning, where it continues to drizzle with rain.
Where they're going, Zam the ex mercenary has absolutely no idea, he's just glad to be out and about, and doing something today, here in the city of Vexil, the capital of the city-state with the same name . . . . . .
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