The Homecoming 52.

Battle Of Falshire...

With the early light of the morning behind them. Lisell Maera glances over at Shur Kee the monk who slightly nods to her.
As the short statured monk puts his odd, conical shaped hat upon his head. The orphan teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury, who is crouched down behind a cart. Who hears the distinctive sound of a catapult being shot off from somewhere in the north of town.
Hurries out from behind the empty cart when she sees another soldier hurrying by.
"What?" says the soldier in the army of the Harkonin fief, who stops when he sees Lis hurrying towards him.
"Who are you?" asks the soldier, who is squinting in the dim light of dawn, as the first light of the morning through the clouds, is low in the sky, and which he's directly looking into.
"Wait you're a wom" is all he gets out, just before the long limbed, young woman punches him in the stomach. As the soldier doubles over gasping for breath, Lisell Maera grabs the back of his head, and drives her right knee into his face. The soldier in the army of baron Harkonin drops to the ground.
"Hmmmm i think i might of hit him too hard" quietly says Lisell Maera as Shur Kee the walks up beside her. The acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li just raises an arched eyebrow as he looks down at the unconscious soldier.
"I think i shall deal with the next one friend Lis" quietly says Shur Kee the monk, the attractive eighteen year old from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury winces, then nods her head, as she believes it would be best if Shur Kee deals with whoever comes along next.
She glances down at the soldier she has just knocked out. It's the second soldier she has incapacitated in just a short while.
That's not including the first soldier that they ran across when the shouts and calls came for the soldiers in baron Harkonin's army to assemble in the north of Falshire. She killed that soldier before she remembered that they're trying to capture one to question. Not kill them, or maim them like she's been doing.
"Maybe friend Dalin has got one" quietly says the physical adept "Hopefully" murmurs Lisell Maera, who looks around, then quietly tells the monk from the otherside of the continent "Some stables will be our best bet" she follows that up with "You'll always find a smithy or a workshop of some kind near one of them".
Shur Kee the monk nods in agreement, and the two of them move off, heading further south through the border town of Falshire.
As they do, the two of them both hear a familiar roar in the distance "I do believe friend Dorc is now here" murmurs the short, statured monk. Lis who has just rolled her eyes at hearing the large ork somewhere to the north of them, dryly says "Sure sounds like it" as they continue on their way.
Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy drops down, and watches a couple of people move quickly away through the early morning light. The elf from the principality of Alínlae, who is on the roof of a shed, nods his hooded head as the two below definitely look like townsmen.
Who have come outside when they heard all the shouting and yelling. Now realising what's actually going on, they're hurrying away towards the inn that's close by.
The spy Tanith who left Shur Kee and Lis a little while after crossing the trade road that cuts through Falshire. Saw some soldiers bustle from the inn a short time ago, taking off to the north side of town. From the sounds of it, forces in the army of the Lé Dic fief are attacking from.
Dalinvardél Tanith or Dalin as those who know him well, refer to him as. Knows for a fact that's the side of town that's under attack from the forces led by sir Galmot.
He can easily hear it as well, rolling his eyes when hears the roar of the ork warleader, Dorc da Orc.
"Well, they're near now" Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy dryly murmurs to himself, who then gets up, and leaps to the roof of the house next to the shed.
So that he can get a better look to around one side of the inn that's just across the way. The spy Tanith slightly nods his head when he catches sight of what he guessed was around here.
He sees the inn's stables, and along from that, another building that looks exactly like the stables. But is really a smithy and workshop.
There's another building attached to that. Which is probably the place where the workers in the smithy and the workshop live.
Now i wonder if you lot from castle Harkonin have taken it over? Dalin thinks to himself, the elven spy from the principality of Alínlae then silently adds in a confident tone, i pretty sure that you have.
The spy Tanith lets himself down off the roof, and hurries towards the buildings around the side of the inn. Not before too long to, as the housewife in the home whose roof he was just on. Has come out her front door, and looked up at her roof in the early light of dawn, as she's sure she just heard something up there.
Dalinvardél Tanith avoids the yard between the stables, smithy, connecting house and the inn itself. He goes around the connecting house, which sounds empty to his enhanced hearing. Not so the smithy next door.
The elven spy who once served in one of the more important noble houses in his homeland of Alínlae. Moves quietly along the back of the smithy, he sees the slightly ajar back door.
After working his way up to it, Dalin takes a look through the slightly open doorway. He nods to himself as he watches what's happening, as well as listening to what's happening inside the smithy. The spy Tanith slips inside without making a sound.
Larm who has seen to the bellows, and is now sweeping the floor of the smithy, looks out one of the front sliding doors, across the side of the yard, to the north. Where most of the others took off to, when the call to assemble was shouted out a short while ago.
The work yard apprentice from castle Harkonin, well the town of Maliss to be exact. Frowns as he's pretty sure he hears the sounds of battle coming from the north side of Falshire.
The young apprentice, who's about to turn around and tell Jamark, the other work yard apprentice who came with them from castle Harkonin. That he's pretty sure he can hear fighting in the north of the border town.
Frowns again when he hears a slight thud behind him. He spins and finds Jamark lying on the dirt floor of the smithy. Standing over the other work yard apprentice is a hooded figure in gray. Tall, a few inches over six foot in height. Who after staring at Larm, quietly says to him "Sorry about this".
The work appreciate goes to move, intending to throw his broom at the stranger, then flee. He's not nearly quick enough, as suddenly the tall, hooded figure has dropped him to the ground too. After punching Larm in the gut.
With his breath knocked out of him, and gasping for breath. Larm who is sitting on his rear end, bent over trying to breathe. Flinches as his attacker kneels down beside him. Then out of the corner of his eye, the work yard apprentice sees that Jamark is breathing, and is only unconscious.
His attacker then tips his head back, and quietly says to him "Breathe slowly and deeply". Larm gulps and does so, and though it takes him a few tries, he slowly breathes in, and starts to feel a lot better.
"Right, better then?" quietly asks Dalinvardél Tanith, the youngster who he's just dropped with a punch to the stomach, nods his head.
"I'm not going to hurt you" quietly says the elven spy, who then adds "I just want you to answer a couple of questions".
Larm, who realises that his attacker is an elf. Who knows that there's a small community of elves in the south of the Lé Dic fief. He hasn't seen a elf since he was a small child. As they would often travel to the town of Maliss and castle Harkonin to trade. Which stopped when the dark druid Palvarc arrived at castle Harkonin and became the advisor to the baron.
Nods his head when the elf quietly asks him "You're from the Harkonin fief right?" followed by "With the baron's army here in Falshire?".
Getting the answer that he wanted, Dalin then asks the youngster who he figures is an apprentice to a smith of some kind "Is there an engineer with you lot?" the spy Tanith continues with "A young war engineer. His name is Tovis".
The elf from the principality of Alínlae narrows his eyelids as he sees the young apprentice hesitate. The elven spy quickly puts the palm dagger in his right gloved hand to the throat of the youngster. Making sure the apprentice from the Harkonin fief can feel the edge of the blade against his throat. "No lying now young fella" quietly says Dalin, who then adds "Out with the truth".
With tears in his eyes, as he's never been so scared as this in his life, Larm who can feel the sharp steel against his throat, murmurs in a trembling voice "Yes".
"Where?" quietly asks the elf from the principality of Alínlae.
"Headquarters" murmurs the work yard apprentice, who then adds in s shaking tone of voice "In the north of town. Three storey place. He went to see lord Sarvaine".
"Shit" mutters Dalinvardél Tanith who knows that's the part of town that's going to be under attack right now. And is where the person he and the rest of the group have been searching for. Is now located.
Slipping the palm dagger into his right sleeve, Dalin punches the young apprentice right in the face. Knocking him out before he even falls back onto the ground from where he's sitting.
The spy Tanith quickly gets up, and hurries out the front sliding door of the smithy. Stealth doesn't really matter now. It's speed that's important now. As the engineer named Tovis, is somewhere in the north of the border town of Falshire. Which is coming under attack by the Lé Dic forces led by sir Galmot.
The spy from the elven principality of Alínlae hurries through the yard between the out buildings and the inn. Once around the side of the inn, he heads north, hoping to find the war engineer they've been searching for here in the kingdom of Druvic, before the young engineer gets too caught up in the fighting.
Shur Kee and Lisell Maera hurry into a lane between two buildings, and watch a handful of people hurry by on the street they're were just on.
They're towns folk, who are fleeing from the north of Falshire, where fighting has broken out.
The physical adept from the far eastern kingdom of Wah Lee, and the teenage orphan from the city-state of Brattonbury. Who have just checked out a nearby stable, that unfortunately had no smithy nearby.
Step back out onto the street, and in the early morning light of the day, Lis quietly says "What if they have the engineer keeping an eye on those catapults?" followed by "Just in case something goes wrong with them in battle?".
Shur Kee, who knows that could very well be a possibility, also knows that in a rual part of a kingdom such as Druvic. That a lord or lady of a fief, would want to protect someone as talented and skilled as a war engineer. Making sure that they're out of harms way. Especially one who is supposed to be as highly talented as they one they're searching for.
"This might be so" quietly says the monk in the odd, conical shaped hat who continues with "But they might have work crews who are able to deal with those problems" he then adds "Someone such as the one we seek, will be behind the frontlines, even in such a place as this". "I hope so" murmurs Lisell Maera, who can now clearly hear fighting in the distance in the north of the border town.
The two of them, who make an odd contrast as they hurry up the street. As Lis is at least five foot, eleven inches in height. While Shur Kee is just over five and half foot tall.
Hear a disturbance up ahead around a corner, they hurry around it. And find those towns folk who they saw just a little while ago. Scattering out of the way, as someone runs towards, then through them. It's Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy.
"Quick turn around" says the spy Tanith as he runs towards the acolyte in the order of Bru Li and the long, limbed teen from the coast of the Southlands.
"He's in the north of town" continues the elf from the principality of Alínlae, who then adds "Where they've got their headquarters".
"Oh shit" mutters Lis who grimaces as she and the short, statured monk who is from beyond the Southlands, spin around and follow after the quick moving elven spy.
She knows that the war engineer that they've been searching for, could very well be in the thick of the fighting very soon. Especially if plenty of the soldiers from castles Lé Dic and Duc de Laér, who are led by sir Galmot, the commander of the Lé Dic fiefdom's army. Make it into town, to fight those soldiers in the Harkonin army who have taken over the border town of Falshire.
"This is not good" says Shur Kee the monk, who though far shorter than Lis, keeps up with the long, legged young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury,
Next to the physical adept from the otherside of the continent, Lisell Maera nods her head in agreement as she runs. While further infront of them, the spy Tanith who heard the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, says "You've got that right Shur Kee" followed by "Definitely not good" before he rounds a corner, as he leads the other two to the northern part of Falshire. As they race to find the war engineer they, and the rest of the group are searching for here in the east of the kingdom of Druvic . . . . . .