The City-State Of Vexil.
They leave the city well before dawn on what feels like is going to be another cold spring morning, here in this region of Vexil.
With Zam the ex mercenary and Dorc da Orc, is Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy as they make their way along one of the main roads north out of the city.
Behind them is a horse drawn wagon, with the same driver that Zam and Dorc accompanied over a week ago during a trip down from northern Vexil.
This time there's no hired guard with the wagon. For the simple reason they're not going to the border region up in northern Vexil this time.
The ex mercenary who is originally from The City Of Ruins walks alongside the spy Tanith, out in front of the wagon.
While Dorc da Orc brings up the rear, following behind the horse drawn wagon as they head north from the city.
"Doubt we'll run into any trouble this morning" says Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy as he and Zam quietly converse in the darkness before dawn.
"We're not exactly going too far" adds the elven spy who is a commander in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque.
"Besides both the city guard and army keep things quiet in and around the capital" continues the elf who hails from the principality of Alinlae, where he used to serve in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland.
The teenager who is the youngest member of the group nods his head in agreement, then he glances up into the gloomy sky before dawn, and in the distance away to his right, he spots the outline of an airship heading towards the city of Vexil.
The ex mercenary then glances at the elven spy walking beside him, who quietly tells him in elvish "Even if we do run into trouble, Axe will take care of it".
"He's here?" quietly asks Zam the ex mercenary in the same language, who as he looks around, continues with "Where?".
"Beats me" is the reply from Dalinvardèl Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
"I have no idea" adds the elven spy with a shrug of his shoulders, who after a pause continues with "I saw him jump off the north wall just after we went out the gates".
Zam winces at that, for the walls of Vexil are over fifty feet high, closer to sixty, and are pretty much the tallest walls of any city in The Southlands, or for that matter any city on the world of Volunell.
The spy Tanith gestures away to the northeast, and quietly says "He took off that way" he follows that with "Even I can't see him".
The ex mercenary who hails from The City Of Ruins nods, as that's the general direction they're going this morning.
The youngest member of the group then quietly says in elven "He's probably heading to where we're going".
"More than likely" says Dalin with a nod of his hooded head in agreement with the ex mercenary, who used to ply his trade in the massive hole in the ground where the City Of Ruins is located.
The teenager then looks back behind them, and can just make out Dorc da Orc, who he's glad to see is still following them. And hasn't wandered off to do gods know what.
A while later as the sun starts to rise in the east on a chilly morning here just to the north of the capital city.
And they encounter more traffic on the road, those in wagons, carts, carriages, horses and on foot. Mostly going towards the city of Vexil.
They turn off the road they're on, and head east. Bypassing one of the larger towns just north of the capital of the city-state.
After glancing back to make sure the ork warleader Dorc da Orc is still following them and the wagon. Which he is, much to the relief of Zam who Lord Farque has put in charge of the large ork for this quick sojourn north this morning.
"He's going to be there, is he?" quietly asks the ex mercenary originally from The City Of Ruins, who looks around in the growing light of dawn, and sees they're traveling through farmland just to the north of the city.
"Should be" is the quiet reply of Dalinvardèl Tanith, who then dryly adds "He probably hasn't even left the city yet".
The elven spy who is a senior officer in the Armies of Farque dryly continues with "One of the advantages of magic".
Zam grins and nods his head in agreement with the spy Tanith as they walk up an incline in the road they're on, followed by the horse drawn wagon, which is followed by Dorc da Orc.
Who Zam sees is snacking on a large meat covered bone. Which the ex mercenary hopes to hell is an animal bone of some kind. And not one that once belonged to a person.
At the top of the incline, the elf who is originally from the principality of Alinlae briefly stops, then points further to the east, and a bit south, and quietly says "Those woods there".
With a hand up above his eyes to shade them from the rising sun, the teenager who is the youngest member of the group, who has stopped next to the elven spy, sees the woods in the distance about four miles away.
As they get going again as the wagon tops the incline, Zam the ex mercenary asks Dalinvardèl Tanith "Can you see it?".
With a shake of his hooded head, the spy Tanith replies with "No" he continues with "That doesn't mean anything though" followed by "Considering it's probably invisible, which they can easily do".
The teenager originally from The City Of Ruins nods his head as they head down the other side of the incline.
As they do, Dalin points and quietly says "There's a wagon track just beyond that small lake, or pond really" he then adds "It heads into those woods, where we want to go".
There's not much in the way of traffic on the side road they're on. They only person they encounter is a farmer on his wagon, heading the other way, late to the morning market in the nearby town.
He barely acknowledgeds Zam and Dalin's good morning, as he's so distracted by the sight of Dorc da Orc.
So much so he briefly sends his horse and wagon off the side of the road as he looks back at the big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
Once they get beyond the relatively small body of water, they turn onto the wagon track, which leads to the nearby woods.
In which the locals from the farms in the area, gather both firewood, as well as harvest some of the trees to build things.
Though this morning, the woods are empty of any of the local farm community. Though that doesn't mean the woods are actually empty.
"Know where it is?" quietly asks Zam the ex mercenary as they enter the woods "Where they are?" adds the teenager originally from The City Of Ruins.
Dalinvardèl Tanith shakes his hooded head no, then the elven spy looks back at the ork weaponsmith following the wagon, and asks in the common language "Dorc you know where they are?".
The large ork who is has finished eating the large bone he was gnawing on early, looks up from one of his sacks he was peering into.
Then after glancing around, then sniffing a few times, Dorc da Orc gestures, then says "Fucken that way" followed by "Not fucken far".
Dalin nods his thanks, then says to Zam "Keep following this track I guess" he continues with "Won't be too long now".
The ex mercenary who is glad it isn't too chilly here amongst the trees this spring morning, nods his head as they continue on along the wagon track which goes through the woods they're in.
And it's too far before they see a clearing though the trees, and in the clearing stands a familiar hooded figure, next to a square canvas covered stack. As they enter the clearing, the hooded figure who is yawning, waves to them in greeting.
"Morning" says Helbe the elven thief by way of greeting, both Zam and Dalin greet the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel. While Dorc da Orc just grunts at the sight of the elven masterthief who was waiting for them.
"Been here long?" asks the spy Tanith "Not long" is the reply from the highly talented elven magic user.
"Told you" dryly says Dalinvardèl Tanith to the ex mercenary who is the youngest member of the group.
Zam grins, then nods as the elven master assassin gestures at the canvas covered stack he's standing next to, and says "You lot get to load it".
Switching to elvish, the elven master archer says "Just get Dorc to load it all" followed by "Tell him some of it's his".
The elven masterthief who just happens to be the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel briefly pauses, before he continues with "To be fair some of it probably is".
Both Zam and Dalin nod, then Helbe the elven thief says in common to the large ork "Hey Dorc, get this loaded into the wagon".
The warleader of the ork race who has just taken a bottle of wine from one of his sacks, and is about to drink, is about to tell the elven princeling to get fucked.
When the spy Tanith speaks up, and tells the ork who is a general in the Armies of Farque "Some of it's yours Dorc, so you might as well stack it in the wagon".
"Oh?" says Dorc da Orc who is suddenly interested in what's happening this morning in the middle of the woods they're in.
As the large ork and the wagon driver take off the canvas covering to reveal a stack of gold bars, prince Helbenthril Raendril quietly says to Zam and Dalin "I'll see you back in the city" followed by "At the new counting house".
Gesturing behind him, the elven magic user adds "Nothing will bother you between here and the city" he then adds "Axe will make sure of it".
The ex mercenary from The City Of Ruins looks up, and sees the massive form of the Farqian wardog Axe come into view..
It looks like the undead wardog is standing on nothing but air, about eighteen feet above the ground.
He's in fact standing on the deck of the krean scoutship, which is invisible along one side of the clearing..
The scoutship that during the night picked up the load of gold from one of the mines in the hill country of northern Vexil, that Lord Farque has taken over.
"You got this?" asks Helbe the elven thief "We do" is the reply from Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy, the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel nods, then he disappears as he shifts away and starts making his way back to the city.
While Zam and Dalin share a look, then wander over to the wagon, to make sure Dorc da Orc and the driver stack the gold bars properly, and don't just chuck them into the back of the wagon.
Whilst the undead wardog Axe watches on from the deck of the invisible krean scoutship on this cool spring morning here in some woods, just a dozen miles or so to the northeast of the city of Vexil . . . . . .
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