The Homecoming 69.

In The Woods...

Tovis the war engineer groans when he finally regains consciousness. The young engineer who feels like he's lying on his back, on the ground, slowly opens eyes.
When he opens his eyes fully, he starts blinking, in surprise more than anything. As he finds himself looking at something he would not of expected to see.
It's a face of a young woman, looking down at him with concern. Baron Harkonin's war engineer can't help but stare at her, as she's more than attractive. Infact she's quite beautiful.
Tovis the war engineer blurts out the first thing that comes to him, and he says "You're beautiful". Then instantly regrets it, as he must sound like a fool.
A wry look appears on the face of the young woman, who rolls her eyes, then looks away towards something and says in a slightly dry tone of voice "He's awake". A voice away in that direction says "Get him up, we're moving".
The attractive young woman nods her head, then looks down at Tovis and tells him "Come on" followed by "On your feet, we've got to get out of here".
She helps Tovis sit up, who murmurs "What?" in confusion. "We've got to get gong" says the young woman, who continues with "There's pair of wounded cockatrice back there, and they're causing havoc".
The war engineer to baron Harkonin blinks as he recalls what's happened. Then he gets to his feet, a little unsteadily if truth be told, with the assistance of the young woman. Who is probably a few years younger than himself, but for all that, she's almost the same height as he is.
She's tall, Tovis immediately thinks to himself, the young engineer then says "Who?". "Time for that later" says the attractive young woman, who then hurriedly adds "For now, we've got to get away".
The war engineer stumbles the first few steps, and the young woman tells him "Someone can carry you if you like?" she then adds something in a language he doesn't understand. Though he could clearly understand the tone she just spoke in. It was dry.
"No, that's okay" says Tovis, who shakes his head, then feeling a bit more steady, he starts walking, with the young woman beside him. After a little while the two of them are jogging.
Baron Harkonin's war engineer looks around, and finds he's in the woods somewhere. Which isn't surprising as this area in the west of the Harkonin fief is predominantly woodlands,
The young engineer spots others moving through the woods. He can't see them too clearly as they're scattered about in the distance.
But he can definitely tell one of them away to the left, is short. And has the most unusual looking helm, or hat upon his head.
While away to the right, and further ahead through the trees. He's sure he spots someone in a full suit of heavy plate armour moving pretty quickly.
The war engineer to baron Harkonin squits, as he's not to certain. But further beyond that figure. He thinks he sees a massive shape moving between the trees. What ever it is, it's easily seven and a half feet tall. And is extremely large.
Tovis watches the hulking shape in the shadows that way. Then he shakes his head in disbelief. And instead, he takes a closer look at the young woman jogging alongside him.
She's tall as he first saw, dark of hair. With a tan skin tone to her. A slightly darker colouring than most brunette local woman found in the kingdom of Druvic.
She wears a cloak, beneath which is tight fighting leather armour. Which Tovis sees clearly shows off her lean, athletic looking body. He tries not to blush as he watches her and fails.
Instead he looks and sees that she carries a number of weapons as she easily avoids any obstacles on the ground. Running around tree trunks, and hoping over rocks, and little ditches made by rainfall hitting the ground as they make their way through the woods.
She has a crossbow across her back. One of a strange design that the war engineer doesn't recognise. While he sees a pommel of a sword sticking out from where her cloak is open.
He catches a glimpse of a brace of daggers on her belt too. And wonders what other weapons she has hidden about her.
Tovis who has never seen a fighting woman before. Knows that they are more common in some of the knightly orders found here in Druvic. But woman are not found serving in the armies of the nobility of the kingdom.
Very few of them serve as camp followers such as cooks and cleaners. They're never soldiers, as the Druvician nobility are a traditional lot. Who do not like woman to take part in the martial way of life.
Baron Harkonin's war engineer guesses what the young woman is, and after they leap over a narrow stream, he asks her "Mercenary?".
"Something like that" replies Lisell Maera as they head around a knot of trees "With the Lé Dic army?" asks the war engineer Tovis, who wonders if he's a prisoner, and doesn't know it,
"No" says the attractive teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury. Which is technically correct. They've not been hired by the lady Linara Lé Dic. They've traveled alongside her army, and fought with them against the Harkonin army.
That's until earlier in the day, when the Lé Dic army that had entered the neighbouring fief to their east, was all but wiped out.
Breathing quite heavily, as the young woman is setting a constant pace, Tovis asks her "Where are we going?". "West" says Lisell Maera, which is true enough. She then tells the young engineer they've traveled to the kingdom of Druvic to find "The way the baron's army is going" which is also true. Lis then adds in a slightly dry tone "Well those who aren't caught up in those cockatrice going crazy".
Tovis nods as he jogs alongside the young woman, who is obviously a foreigner, and obviously a mercenary of some kind.
The war engineer to baron Harkonin figures they must be moving parallel to the trade road. Probably to the north of it. As the woodlands are a bit more denser to the north of it, compared to south of it. And the woods they're going through at the moment. Is quite thick in some places, with few open spaces and meadows.
They run for quite some time. How long? Tovis isn't too sure. Just that when a stop is called. The young engineer is breathing heavily. Sweating just as heavily. And quite exhausted when he slumps down onto a log.
Head hung low as he tries to get his breath back. The war engineer hears movement around him. He's too tired at the moment to look up to see who is near. He just nods when a water sack is pressed into his hands.
It takes a while before he has a drink, and only after wiping the sweat from his forehead at least half a dozen times with the back of his arms.
After taking a long drink from the water sack, Tovis finds the attractive young woman sitting on the log further to his right.
While infront of him, stands a young man. A teenager really. Fairly tall, almost six foot, who the war engineer guesses is only fourteen or fifteen years old.
He wears half plate armour. And has a longsword at his side. And a bow and quiver on his back.
For all that the blond teen is young. Tovis immediately recognises that he's dangerous. The war engineer has been around fighting men all his life. And he's a fairly good judge of those who are more deadly than others.
And the youngster infront of him is one such as those. Instantly recognisable as a threat with his weapons.
"Thanks" says Tovis to the teenager, with a nod of his head to the water sack.
"No worries" says Tamric Drubine who continues with "Keep it" as he gestures at the water sack he's given to the young engineer, who is probably just over half a dozen years older than himself, if that.
"You get to babysit him for now" says the nobleborn youngster in the elven language to Lisell Maera.
"Thanks" dryly says the orphan teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury in the same language.
Baron Harkonin's war engineer lifts an eyebrow as the two teens converse in the language he heard earlier, which he doesn't understand.
The young engineer is just about to asks them who they are. When another person comes into view.
It's a short fellow, with a golden hue to his skin. Who wears the oddest looking clothes beneath his cloak. They look like something one wears to bed, not out and about.
But they're not the strangest thing he wears. That would be what's on his head. The strangest looking hat Tovis has ever seen. It's an odd looking, conical shaped hat. Pointed at the top, with a circular brim. It sits slightly forward. So it's a bit difficult to get a good look at the face of the short fellow. Who Tovis guesses is in his mid to late twenties.
"Ah greetings to you too" says the young engineer in response to the short man in the odd, conical shaped hat saying to him "Greetings friend" before he sits down on a nearby fallen tree.
As the teenager in the half plate armour goes and sits down next to the short individual. Tovis turns to the attractive young woman sitting next to him, to ask her what her name is.
When he's distracted again, when two more people come into view through the trees.
Both are at least six foot tall. One, who is leaner than the other. Is well over six foot tall. He's easily a few inches over.
And when the two of them get closer. Tovis blinks in surprise as that person. The taller of the two. He sees isn't a human. But is an elf.
"You don't seem in too bad of shape" says the elf, as he and the other fellow stand a little infront of baron Harkonin's war engineer.
Who blinks in surprise, as he recognises the voice of the elf. As the person who grabbed him, and led him to safety across the trade road, and into the trees when the two cockatrice went berserk as they were attacked.
"Thanks for that back there" says Tovis to the elf, with a nod of his head back in the direction they've come from.
"Think nothing of it" is the reply of Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy, who then switches in elven, and quietly says to Riley Hait the mercenary ranger "I'll go ahead" followed by "I'll know when the rest of you get going again".
The ranger Hait nods his head, and after the spy Tanith says in common to the war engineer they've just abducted "Keep out of trouble you hear" before he moves off.
Riley Hait the mercenary ranger sits down next to the young engineer, and says "I'm Riley". He nods to Lisell Maera who is to their right, and adds "That's Lis".
The mercenary ranger who was raised and trained in the elven principality of Envadarlen, gestures to the nearby fallen tree, and says "That's Tam, and that's Shur Kee".
The nobleborn teenager, and then the short statured monk nod as baron Harkonin's war engineer looks at them.
"I'm Tovis" says the young engineer "We know" murmurs the ranger Hait in the hordes dialect of the southern tundra, he then says in the common language "Good to meet you Tovis".
The young engineer after nodding, says "I understand we're heading west?".
"That we are" replies 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.
Tovis, who wonders if he's going to be returned to baron Harkonin's army. Voices this, and is slightly unsettled when the man in the black leather armour sitting next to him, says in response "Maybe".
The war engineer, who doesn't feel in any danger, is about to ask the mercenary sitting beside him something else. When all of a sudden he gets the fright of his life when he sees what's approaching through the trees.
Tovis falls backwards off the log he's sitting on, and starts scrambling backwards on his rear end as he sees what's walking towards him.
It's large, and it's green. It's covered in weapons. And wears bits and pieces of armour. Prominent of which, is large black plate of some kind of metal the young engineer doesn't recognise. Which it wears over it's chest, and much of it's rather ample stomach.
Tovis would describe the look upon it's wild looking face, as angry. Or at least annoyed or irritable.
Baron Harkonin's war engineer has seen it before. During the battle of Falshire a few days ago.
When it used one of his twin, wagon mounted ballista upon one of the catapult crews that was defending the border town of Falshire from the attacking Lé Dic force.
It took out most of that crew, and badly damaged the catapult before it wandered off as it was yelling at something, or someone.
Tovis stops where he is, when he hears a voice from behind the large green creature, say "Out of the way you filthy beast, i want to see this fellow we've traveled far and wide to find".
Huh? the war engineer thinks to himself, as he takes in what the rather pompous sounding voice just said.
Then as the large, green creature stops and grunts. The young engineer sees a man step out from behind it. A fairly large man in a full suit of plate armour.
Baron Harkonin's war engineer stares for a few moments. Then he blinks in surprise. He's seen that armour once before. When he was a child. When their was a time of relative peace between the Harkonin and Lé Dic fief.
When travel between the two neighbouring fiefs was more common. When those not just traders and merchants crossed the border between the two fiefs.
Tovis remembers a tourney held at castle Harkonin when he was about six or seven years old. When the then earl of Lé Dic attended. The famous sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who is known throughout all of eastern Druvic. Infact known throughout the entire kingdom. And true to form, he won every contest he entered in that particular tourney.
Tovis still remembers it to this day. As he had never seen, and still hasn't seen. Someone move as quickly and fluidly with longsword in hand, while wearing a full suit of heavy plate armour, as sir Percavelle Lé Dic did during that tourney.
The young engineer is startled when the knight, lifts the face plate of his full helm and looks at him. And though he only saw his face a handful of times just over fifteen years ago. Tovis sees that though he's older, it is indeed the same sir Percavelle Lé Dic he saw when he was a child.
"Hmmm is he not right in the head or something?" asks sir Percavelle Lé Dic who then adds "He looks a bit like a just landed fish, opening and closing his mouth wot". The heavily armoured knight shakes his head, then says "Be a shame for us to travel this far to eventually find the chap, and realise he's a bit of dull headed ninny".
"He's fine" says Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, who gets up and makes his way back to where the war engineer has scuttled backwards. And is now just sitting there, looking in disbelief as he stares at both Dorc da Orc and sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
The ranger Hait puts a hand on the shoulder of the young engineer and tells him "It's fine, they won't harm you" Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman then silently adds in a dry tone, well, they might not harm you i should say.
Tovis finally looks away from the large green creature, and the former earl of Lé Dic. And looks around at the others in the group, with the exception of the elf, who has moved away through the trees.
Baron Harkonin's war engineer is silent for a few moments, then he asks "Who are you people?" . . . . . .