Wonderful 96.

The Principality Of Maladimbáh...

After the others greet him, lord Farque says "I know you all want to know where Dorc, Mira and myself have been since last seeing you". Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera definitely want to know, as they eagerly watch the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who tells them and the others "But we've got more pressing things to deal with" the heavily armoured deathlord then adds "So the telling of what we've been up to can wait for another time".
Both the nobleborn youngster from the kingdom of Sarcrin and the orphaned teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury hide their disappointment well.
Not so sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who sighs in disappointment, as he was hoping to hear about Dorc da Orc's capture. And that the large ork suffered at the hands of those who held him prisoner.
The knight in the order of Saint Mar-che really doesn't like the ork warleader, and the more he knows and sees Dorkindle suffer, the better the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic feels.
"First thing first" says Draugadrottin as he's known by the people of his lands far to the south of the equator, who then adds "We've got to finally deal to a certain elven magic user who has been annoying the fuck out of us for the last three years" the lord of the death realm glances at Helbe the elven thief and says "It's about time she dies".
The elven princeling from the principality of Laerel nods his hooded head in agreement with that. He wants the elven maid Kaldeàlil Haldéilv dead as much as anyone. After all, she wants him dead too. It's why she has been doggedly pursuing the group for the last three years. All so she can get revenge on the elven masterthief, for him killing her lover, the elven noble from the principality of Alínlae, Xanderlith Karlavilt.
Lord Farque looks at them all, then tells them "Dorc and Mira are coming down into the valley, they should be here later this morning or midday at the latest" the heavily armoured deathlord, whose name in the royal elven language is Des'tier, which means The Destroyer, adds "Until then, what i want you all to do is".
As they stand near where their horses are picketed, they listen in silence, even sir Percavelle, as to what the lord and ruler of the lands Farque has to say.
The lord of the death realm who senses more riders on the road to the north, elven house guards heading east to the river that's the natural border between the lands of house Haldéilv and house Walashàele. Finishes explaining what he wants done, then after saying "She's stirred up shit to try and trap you and kill you" lord Farque who looked at prince Helbenthril Raendril when he said that, adds "We'll just let her think she's trapped you then, and in the last place she would expect".
Draugadrottin after saying to them all "You know what to do, so let's do it" says to the elven masterthief in language of the elven nobility "Wait a moment" the heavily armoured deathlord then turns to Shur Kee the monk, and says in the language of the far eastern coastal kingdom of Wah Lee "Shur Kee, there's something i want you to do".
The short statured monk is silent as he listens to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque as the others with the exception of Helbe the elven thief, untie their mounts reins from low branches and from around tree trunks.
After completing a bow from the waist with a bob of his head, a peculiar bow that only he does, Shur Kee the monk says in his native language to the undead warlord "I have been doing that anyway my lord"
Draugadrottin who has always thought the physical adept is far more perceptive than others would believe him to be, quietly asks the monk in the philosophical order of Bru Li "Have you noticed any change in her behaviour lately?".
"Just that she's more daring, no i would say reckless at times" replies Shur Kee, who continues with "Ever since she was briefly taken capture by road bandits in Belinswae".
The deathlord of Farque slightly nods his full helmed head, and knows that the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, has figured out something happened to Lisell Maera when she was captured, but he doesn't exactly know what.
"Well continue to keep an eye on her" says the undead warlord "Yes my lord" says the monk, who after bowing once more to the heavily armoured deathlord, makes his way over to his horse, and the two pack horses he and Tam were able to retrieve from earlier, when they were attacked further north in the forest.
After glancing at Lisell Maera who is getting up into the saddle of her horse, and knowing that the orphan teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury will have to confront, deal with, and come to terms with what happened to her at the hands of her captors.
Lord Farque says to the elven princeling in the royal elven language "There's something else" Helbe the elven thief lifts an enquiring eyebrow, and says "Oh?" the elven magic user follows that up with "And what's that?".
"That annoying fucking gnat of yours is most likely going to get herself into trouble that could possibly get her killed" says Des'tier, Helbenthril Raendril blinks in surprise, then he says "Narladene?" and with a frown upon his face, the young elven noble from the principality of Laerel says "How?" as he knows the only thing dangerous to Narladene is someone like lord Farque, or maybe a dragon, or.
"Someone exactly the same" says lord Farque interrupting the thoughts of the elven master assassin, who blinks in surprise again, then nods in understanding after he mutters "Shit" when the lord of the death realm tells him "There's a ground pixie attached to that lord Walashàele".
The youngest grandchild of the ruling prince of Laerel listens as the heavily armoured deathlord tells him "From what i can tell, they haven't noticed one another yet even though they're in the same area" the undead warlord looks at the elven princeling and says "You've got decisions to make".
The young elven noble faintly grimaces, then after a few moments of thinking things through, he says "No, I'll still be the bait in the trap" he looks at the lord and ruler of the lands Farque and asks him "Can you deal to this other ground pixie?". "Of course i can" dryly says the lord of the death realm who continues with "But the question is, do i want to waste my fucking time doing so?".
I'd figure you'd say something like that, prince Helbenthril Raendril sourly thinks to himself, who then says "Well if you can, do so" the elven masterthief isn't going to beg, or try to appeal to the heavily armoured deathlord's kind nature. Because he knows the undead warlord doesn't have one.
And then there's the fact that Des'tier has always found Narladene more than a little annoying, not to mention the ground pixie, very briefly mind you, knew him, well she saw him a few times when he was still alive four hundred and forty years ago. As she was at the final battle during the invasion of the Southlands by the Holy Norstran Empire. Where the then battlelord Kaiuss Farque died as he killed the emperor of Norstran, and defeated the invading forces of the empire from across the Great Western Ocean.
"Who knows, nothing could happen to her" says the heavily armoured deathlord, who doesn't mention that something definitely could happen to Narladene, which the elven masterthief is all too well aware of. "Besides I've got a feeling that's why that bitch Kaldeàlil is over there with that lord Walashàele" says Draugadrottin who continues with "So she can locate you through his pixie" the young elven noble nods his hooded head in agreement, and the lord and ruler of the lands Farque tells him "So don't alter the way in which you cast and behave, keep yourself shielded".
"I will" says the elven princeling, the undead warlord slightly nods, then he looks at the rest of the group who he hasn't seen in months until a short time ago, and tells them in the common language "Move out".
"What is it?" asks Mira Reinholt the mage, Dorc da Orc who is slightly drooling, grunts then says "Dead cunts" the ork warleader waves one of his large, meaty hands in the direction of the treeline just down the track from them, and adds "In them fucken trees".
The once powerful mage, who has lifted the hood of his cloak onto his head, nods as they continue on their way down the track into the valley. They're soon into the trees, which causes Dorkindle to sigh in relief as it's slightly cooler here, and there's plenty of shade from the morning sunshine this late summer's day.
As they go further down the incline into the valley below, they see the passage of horses on the track, and when they've gone another hundred yards or so, the ork weaponsmith grunts, then says "Fucken there". Just a bit further down the track, the mage Reinholt spots the first dead body lying in the middle of the track.
They stop and look around, and both the spellcaster who is a highly skilled swordmaster, and the warleader of the ork race can tell that the dead, both elven and human, are all mercenaries due to their weapons and armour they have.
The Vexilian mage in exile looks at one of the dead, and notices the bolt in the chest, he points this out to the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks, and says to him "Looks like the quarrels Lis uses in that crossbow of Shur Kee's".
With a glance at the dead mercenary, Dorc da Orc grunts, then says "Yep it fucken is" then he wanders over to where a dead horses lies against a deadfall.
The swordmaster Reinholt sourly smiles as the large ork has got a look in his eye that he wants to fuck the dead horse, so the once powerful mage says "Dorc anyone close by?".
The ork warleader who is murmuring "Sexy horsey" in his native language, and is just about to undo his belt and drop his grubby, knee length pants, grunts when the mage Reinholt interrupts him with a question.
Dorc da Orc looks around and sniffs a few times, then after grunting he looks at the exiled Vexilian mage and tells him "Some tree fuckers around".
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands, nods then says "Farque, the others?". The ork weaponsmith breathes in deeply through his nostrils, then he waves to the south and says "That fucken way, not north" the son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks pauses for a moment as he breathes deeply through his wide nostrils once again, after doing so he adds "He fucken with them now".
Mira Reinholt nods, then he says "Come on let's keep moving" the ork warleader is about to disagree as he really wants to fuck the dead horse, but he decides not to, as he recalls the order given to him by lord Farque that he's to get to the others as quickly as possible.
Though as he goes to follow the once powerful mage, he stops and hacks off the leg of a dead human mercenary, then after he strips the pant leg off, he starts gnawing on the thigh meat of the leg as he follows the swordmaster from the city-state of Vexil.
The mage Reinholt just shakes his hooded head as he glances back at the large ork who is happily chewing away on a leg, then he tells the warleader of the ork race "Keep an eye out for those elves you've got wind of as he stuff your face" as he figures the elves Dorkindle has caught the scent of nearby, are more likely to be house guards than mercenaries.
With a mournful of leg meat, Dorc da Orc says "Me will" the ork weaponsmith then grins as the elves he smells in this part of the forest are mounted "Horsey" murmurs the grinning ork weaponsmith. And if they run into them, and the likelihood of violence is pretty high, the large ork intends to fuck one of their horses. After all, he thinks it's way better to screw a horse that's still alive, than a dead one . . . . . .