The Homecoming 56.

The Road Away...

"I don't feel well sir" says Larm the workyard appreciate "You'll be fine" says Tovis the war engineer as they scramble down an incline to the road below. "You just took a knock to the head" adds the young engineer, who found the dazed apprentice stumbling around the streets near the inn they've been staying at.
When they get down to the road, they head east, away from the border and the town of Falshire.
They're not the only one's on the trade road that goes through the border. There's others from baron Harkonin's army who were in Falshire on the road with them.
They've fled the border town as it's been overrun by a force in the army of the Lé Dic fief, their enemy. It's still fairly early in the morning, and they've already lost the battle that started around dawn.
Baron Harkonin's war engineer wonders if others from castle Harkonin and the town of Maliss were able to escape Falshire. He certainly hopes so, especially those who came with Tovis from the workyards that he's in charge of.
The young engineer looks at the apprentice, who he's got an arm around to help keep upright, and he asks him "Can you remember what happened to you Larm?".
After blinking a few times as he tries to gather his thoughts, the workyard appreciate who is not yet fourteen, says "Think someone punched me when i was cleaning the smithy" he continues with "Yeah I'm sure of it".
Tovis nods, then Larm tells him "Wait, i think it was an elf". The war engineer blinks in surprise at hearing that, and says "An elf?" as there's no elves living in the Harkonin fief, though they used to be. But he knows there's a community of them in the south of the Lé Dic fief.
"Yes definitely an elf" says the young apprentice, who is quiet for a while as they try to walk as quickly as possible, hoping that those from the Lé Dic fief who have attacked Falshire, don't continue eastwards into the Harkonin fief.
"He was asking about you sir" says Larm when he eventually breaks his silence "Eh?" says a surprised Tovis, who has no idea why an elf, any elf, would be asking after him.
"Wanted to know where you were" says the workyard appreciate, who then winces and adds "I told him you went to the headquarters, think he punched me out after that".
Baron Harkonin's war engineer nods, and he continues to wonder why an elf would what anything to do with him.
As he does, a soldier in the baron's army who has also fled the border town of Falshire, runs up behind them and says "Here engineer, let me help you with the youngster there".
Tovis nods as he hands Larm off to the soldier, who he sees is slightly limping. The war engineer quietly asks the soldier "Bad back there?".
The soldier grimaces, then quietly answers with "Bad" he continues with "They had some beast with them. Big green thing, that me and some of the other lads thought was a troll. But sergeant Maccé, said it wasn't tall enough to be a troll, but it was certainly fatter than any troll he'd seen in Leeabra".
The slightly limping soldier who has an arm around Larm to keep him steady as they trudge along the road eastwards, then tells the baron's war engineer "Damn beast killed all of your ballista crews by himself". Tovis winces when he hears that, as he personally trained the soldiers to operate the two, side by side, wagon mounted ballistas that they brought with them to Falshire. "Took out one of the catapult squads as well" adds the soldier who shakes his head.
"I know" quietly says Tovis who saw the green beast in question, who took out the catapult squad. A few of whom, he helped to get away from the heavy fighting in the north of the town of Falshire.
"Some of the others said that sir Percavelle Lé Dic himself has returned" says the soldier, the young engineer stares at him in surprise when he hears that "Is true" says the limping soldier, who then adds "Some of the others swear it was him".
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic! Tovis thinks to himself in a shocked tone. The war engineer to baron Harkonin, like everyone in the east of Druvic, has heard of the famous knight who was a previous earl of the neighbouring fief, who hasn't been seen in these parts for at least eight years.
"If so, no wonder the town fell to them so quickly" quietly says Tovis, the soldier nods in agreement, as the reputation of the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che who is the uncle of the young lady Linara Lé Dic. Is known far and wide throughout the east of Druvic.
Infact the most recent time of prolonged peace between the Harkonin and Lé Dic fiefs, was when sir Percavelle, when he was actually around, was the earl of Lé Dic, in the earlier part of his rule when he held that title.
"Never lost a battle here in the kingdom they say" says the young engineer from the town of Maliss, both the limping soldier, and the still dazed Larm nod in agreement as they continue along the trade road that heads further into their baron's fief.
"Well at least not until he disappeared at the outbreak of the civil war" says Tovis "Maybe the baron can defeat him if he makes his way east" quietly says the soldier after he looks back along the road behind them, as sees a few others who have fled the town of Falshire, who are also heading eastwards.
"Let us hope so" quietly says the war engineer, who then silently adds, let's just hope sir Percavelle doesn't come this way at all.
Tovis looks back along the road too, and spots a handful of the baron's soldiers further behind them. The war engineer sourly smiles at the way things have gone. How baron Harkonin's decision to take Falshire hasn't worked out as he had planned.
The young engineer is sour about the rites that the dark druid Palvarc preformed. And how they've brought about no result for the baron in securing the border town of Falshire.
Sacrificing those people for nothing, Tovis thinks to himself in disgust, the war engineer who isn't a believer in the old ways to begin with. Thinks of the druid's circle that was built, in hopes of success for the baron and his ambitions against the Lé Dic fief.
A druid's circle, that his equipment helped build. Something he was definitely against. But it was something he couldn't refuse because the baron wanted it so badly.
Besides, Tovis knows if he had voiced his opposition to it. He could very well ended up being one of the victims who was sacrificed to bring about the completion of the druid's circle on the hilltop above the hamlet to the southwest of the town of Maliss and castle Harkonin.
Looking forward again, the young engineer slightly frowns, as thinking about the dark druid Palvarc and his rites, has reminded him about something.
Tovis looks over at the limping soldier who is helping Larm the workyard apprentice to walk, and he asks him "You didn't happen to see Maren anywhere did you?".
"Palvarc's apprentice?" says the soldier, the war engineer nods yes, and the soldier after frowning says "Last i saw of him, was in the headquarters in the north of town there" he briefly pauses before adding "Don't know if he got away or not".
Tovis once again nods, and though he thinks about the apprentice dark druid Maren for a few more moments. He doesn't really care what's happened to him. Infact, the war engineer, who must admit that although Maren gave them brief warning about the enemy, before they were just about to attack Falshire.
He couldn't care less about where the dark druid's apprentice is, and what's happened to him. If he's survived the attack on the border town, or not.
In Falshire, Maren the dark druid's apprentice comes too, hearing voices. "Looks like he's going to live" says one voice, there's a deep, sounding grunt after that, then another voice, this one slightly younger says "Pity".
The first voice then says "Dorc tell us if he's going to cast". There's another deep sounding grunt. Then Maren, whose eyelids are shut, smells something rather disgusting that's come close. Then he feels someone shake his right shoulder.
The apprentice to the dark druid Palvarc groans, then opens his eyes. Looking straight up, he recognises the ceiling of the largest room downstairs in the three storey building that lord Sarvaine has made his headquarters here in Falshire.
Then Maren who goes to lift his head up, then jerks it back, and hits the back of his head on the floor he's lying on when he sees the face that comes into view, and looms over him.
It's big and wide, definitely green, and both feral looking, and brutish in appearance.
It's the face of the ork he struck with the power of his staff, who should of been killed by it. And though he saw it earlier moving about, trying to sit up. He still can't believe it's alive, let alone moving about, not seeming to be injured in anyway.
"Move that fat head of yours Dorc" says Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, the large ork grunts, then sits back down next to the prisoner, instead of leaning over him just like he was doing.
"Remember, if he's going to cast tell me" says the ranger Hait, who takes a step around, so that the prisoner lying on the floor, can now see him.
The mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen looks over at Tamric Drubine, who has found himself a chair, and has sat himself down.
"Think he'll talk?" asks Tamric Drubine who speaks elven "Let's find out" says the ranger Hait in the same language, who then crouches down next to the prisoner they've brought down from upstairs.
The mercenary ranger who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of Riley Hait, says in common to the captured spellcaster "Right, i want you to listen carefully" he continues with "If you so ever think about casting a spell, any spell" the mercenary ranger briefly pauses, before adding "My big, green friend here will start eating you".
"Me will?" says Dorc da Orc in surprise, who then grins then adds "Me will" when the ranger Hait, nods yes.
The druid's apprentice looks from the ork kneeling beside him, to the man crouching on the otherside of him, to the teenager sitting on the nearby chair, then back at the ork. He looks at the man to his left, a mercenary of some kind, and he goes to cast.
Dorc da Orc who is sniffing repeatedly, says "He's getting more magicky" Riley Hait, nods, then tells him "A hand". The large ork chuckles, and grabs the right hand of the prisoner, and bites it.
Maren screams in pain as his right hand is bitten off. It's not a clean bite at the wrist, it's a ragged bite across the palm. All of his fingers are gone, as well as most of the palm. His thumb remains, as well as a small bit of the palm above the wrist.
He looks at the bloody ruin of his right hand, then at the ork, who says "Crunchy" before he swallows most of his hand.
"I warned you" says Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who then adds "Don't try to cast" the mercenary ranger who was brought up and trained by the elven warders of Envadarlen, then tells the captured spellcaster "If you do, more of you will end up in his stomach" as he gestures at ork warleader.
In shock, and not even contemplating trying to cast again, Maren the apprentice of the dark druid Palvarc, nods his head.
"Good" says the ranger Hait, who then adds "There's a war engineer by the name of Tovis, who i gather came with you lot from castle Harkonin" he then asks the prisoner "You wouldn't happen to know where he is would you?".
Tovis? Maren the apprentice druid thinks to himself, the apprentice to the dark druid Palvarc then silently adds, what the hell do they want with him?
"Well?" asks Riley Hait, who continues with "Speak up, if not, he" the mercenary ranger points at Dorkindle, before adding "Will take another bite out of you".
Looking at the ork who chuckles, Maren looks back at the mercenary crouching on the otherside of him and says "Ah" he continues with "I think lord Sarvaine sent him away". "Where?" asks Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson "Back to the inn he's staying at" replies the prisoner "And which one is that?" asks the ranger Hait "The large one in the south of town" says the captive spellcaster.
As Tamric Drubine gets up from where he's sitting, and hurries outside, the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen, looks over at the large ork, and quietly says "Dorc" and makes a slashing motion across his throat.
The ork weaponsmith grunts then punches the prisoner in the face, hard. So hard, that Dorkindle's fist hits the wooden floor beneath the head of the prisoner, cracking it.
The warleader of the ork race lifts his hand free, shaking it, flinging bits of skull and brain matter everywhere.
"That cunt's gotta new hole in his head" says the large ork with chuckle, Riley Hait sourly smiles and shakes his head, and gets up wiping bits of skull and brains off the front of his cloak.
The mercenary ranger who knows it would of been a hassle to hold a spellcaster captive, especially considering they don't have a spellcaster of their own with them.
Says to the large ork "Come on, let's see if we can find that engineer".
They along with the rest of the group, as well as some soldiers from castle Lé Dic that sir Percavelle Lé Dic gets to help them. Search the town of Falshire throughout the rest of the morning, hoping to find the war engineer Tovis.
Their search is unsuccessful, and at around midday, on the eastern outskirts of town, near the trade road that cuts through Falshire and continues onwards into the Harkonin fief.
Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy says to Riley Hait the mercenary ranger "He probably escaped town and fled eastwards" the spy from the elven principality of Alínlae gestures to the east and continues with "Quite a few of them were seen going that way, even as the fighting was still going on. I'm guessing he went with them".
"Seems likely" says the ranger Hait as the two of them converse in the elven language, then Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman mutters "Fuck, we were so close to finding him too" . . . . . .