The Homecoming 86.

Castle Lé Dic...

"Don't make Dorc go up there to makes sure you cunts doin' it fucken right" says Dorc da Orc as he watches the servants carrying the latest batch of human waste up to the top of the south wall of the castle.
With rags and cloths covering their mouths and noses, the pairs of castle servants are gingerly carrying each barrel up to the parapet while the large ork watches on.
Passing nearby, Tamric Drubine slightly grimaces as he sees the servants carrying the barrels of shit up to the top of the wall.
Along the top of the east wall of castle Lé Dic it already reeks. And the human effluent is still in the barrels up there, and yet to be poured into the troughs.
They won't be until the enemy are well and truly attacking the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
Which will be any day now, since the army from the Harkonin fief were expected two days ago. But they've been plagued by delays and are traveling slowly thanks to the efforts of the two elves. Helbe the elven thief and Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy.
"How's it going?" asks Tamric Drubine when he gets to one of the trebuchets here in the main courtyard on the southern side of castle Lé Dic.
"Fixed" replies Tovis the war engineer as he looks at the problematic war machine, that he and the castle engineers have finally repaired.
The young engineer from the Harkonin fief looks around, then asks the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin "Where's Lis this morning?".
Tam refrains from rolling his eyes, and instead tells the former war engineer of baron Harkonin "With young Linara Lé Dic no doubt".
"Ah makes sense" quietly says Tovis, who has been informed by Riley Hait the mercenary ranger. That Lisell Maera has been given the task of protecting the lady of castle Lé Dic.
Though the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury has also been told to still keep an eye on Tovis when ever she's around him. Not that he knows that.
Then remembering the situation they're in, Tovis asks the nobleborn teenager "Any word?". "Not as yet" replies the former heir to a previous knight of castle Drubine in northern Sarcrin, who continues with "They'll turn up in time" Tam then silently adds, well i hope they do.
The two of them continue chatting for a while, then the teenage noble in the half plate armour continues on his way, making his way to the eastern side of the massive castle.
Once there, Tamric Drubine looks up and spots Riley Hait the mercenary ranger and Shur Kee the monk up on top of the east wall.
They're on the only part of the parapet that doesn't stink. Above the gates, since the drawbridge is covered, and dumping crap, and anything else for that matter on the enemy there will be a waste of time.
The young noble from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin heads up the set of steps right next to the gate house, and he joins the mercenary ranger, and the physical adept upon the top of the east wall of castle Lé Dic.
"Any sign of them?" asks Tamric Drubine "Nothing" is the answer from Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, who isn't worried about the safety of either Helbe the elven thief and Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy,
As the young elven noble will keep the two of them out of harms way.
What the ranger Hait is worried about, is the Harkonin army that will soon get here. For though the two elves have delayed the army from the fief to the east, at least two days so far.
It will arrive here at castle Lé Dic and the town of Massic eventually. And when it does, they can expect a tough time of it from baron Harkonin's army.
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. Sourly smiles as he thinks of the Lé Dic army who teared across the border, and entered the Harkonin fief, where they were wiped out.
"Fucking idiots" mutters the ranger Hait in the hordes dialect of the southern tundra, who then nods his head and says "Not if the wind blows this way" in response to Tamric Drubine saying "At least it doesn't stink here above the gates".
The nobleborn teenager looks away to the left along the top of the wall, to where the nearest barrels of human waste is. Next to pile of rocks and rubble that will also be dropped down upon any of the attackers when they get here.
"Dorc was telling me how he and the lord, and Mira defended a castle with hardly any soldiers on their side against an invading army" says Tam, who then adds "He also told me how the three of them used to attack castles by just themselves as well".
Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman nods, then says "That's when Mira was still powerful" the mercenary ranger continues with "Tam you've only known him after he lost most of his power. He was a sight to behold back then I'll tell you".
Nodding in agreement with the ranger Hait, Shur Kee the monk says "Friend Mira was indeed all powerful" the acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li then adds "Though i do believe he is a more accomplished practitioner of the magical arts nowadays".
"Losing his power will do that" says the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen, who then dryly adds "At least he doesn't blow up buildings with us in it like he used to do all the time".
Shur Kee faintly grimaces, as he like the ranger Hait has experienced that a number of times in the past, when the mage Reinholt was careless with his power. Blowing up things without a care of who was in the vicinity.
"Mira would blow a hole in a castle wall, and the lord and Dorc would enter through it and kill anyone dumb enough to get in the way of them" says Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson, who continues with "I think that's how Helbe first met the three of them. They attacked a castle, they he was interested in".
"Interested?" asks the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin "Interested in stealing from" replies the mercenary ranger who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra "Figures" dryly says Tam "Get him to tell you about it when he shows up" suggests the ranger Hait, who then adds "He witnessed a lot of them, attacking and defending castles over the years".
Shur Kee nods in agreement, as he knows that only the elven masterthief was the first to join the trio of lord Farque, Dorc da Orc and Mira Reinholt the mage.
And traveled with them for some time before one by one, others started joining the group over the years.
"And that doesn't include the years before he joined them, when the lord and Dorc had a falling out with Mira, and spent half a decade chasing after him across two continents" says Riley Hait "They don't talk about that much" quietly says Tamric Drubine, who then adds "If at all".
"With good reason" dryly says the mercenary ranger who was brought up and trained by some of the elven warders of Envadarlen.
Tam who often forgets that the mage Reinholt wasn't much older than he himself is right now. When he was an important figure in the mage council of Vexil. Who would betray his homeland during the battle of Vexil more than fifteen years ago. Still the largest battle anywhere in the Southlands since the invasion of the western half of the continent (The Southlands) by the Holy Norstran Empire nearly four hundred and fifty years ago.
And the only time anything is ever mentioned about that time in the lives of the trio of lord Farque, Dorc da Orc and Mira Reinholt.
Is when the large ork always says to the exiled Vexilian mage "Hey killer, you fucken 'member this?" as he laughs while chewing on some unfortunate's hand he's chopped off and stuffed in his mouth.
"Well we've only got one of those three with us at the moment" says Riley aka Zubutai the son of Timagin, who continues in a dry tone of voice "Unfortunately that one is the totally insane one" he then adds "So we'll just have to make do".
The nobleborn teen who is a former heir to the title of knight of castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin nods, then after a few moments pause quietly asks "And if the castle falls to the Harkonin army?" he adds "It is a possibility".
"We'll have to leave" says the ranger Hait, who continues on with "Hopefully getting as many of the locals away in the process". Though how, if indeed that happens. He doesn't know how they'll accomplish that.
"I do not believe that will come to pass" quietly says Shur Kee the monk, Riley Hait the mercenary ranger faintly smiles then says to the member of the group who was, and still is his closest friend "You were always the optimist my friend".
"Yes" simply says the short, statured monk, who then adds "But it is more than that" he follows that with "We have friend Percavelle who knows much of battles, and the knowledge of his family's castle".
The physical adept continues with "And we have you friend Riley, along with his highness leading us" the monk from the kingdom of Wah Lee on the far eastern coast of the continent, then adds "But i think most importantly, we have friend Dorc here with us. You must not underestimate what he is capable of".
He looks at both Riley Hait and Tamric Drubine, and tells them "You both know this, and you have both seen him in action in the most dire of circumstances".
Both the mercenary ranger and the nobleborn teenager slowly nod as they know the short, statured monk speaks both wisely, and the truth.
And there's also you my old friend, Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman thinks to himself as he looks at the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, who he knows is the most dangerous one of them all, who is here in the Lé Dic fief at the moment.
The ranger Hait is about to mention something along those lines, when he notices the short, statured monk looking away to the southeast in the direction of the trade road, and is frowning.
The elven raised and trained, human ranger looks that way too, when the physical adept says "There are people on the road". "More of the locals coming in?" asks Tamric Drubine, as the people of the fief in that direction have been turning up to castle Lé Dic and the town of Massic even since word was spread about the incoming army from the Harkonin fief.
"They're leaving it late if they are" quietly says Riley Hait as they wait to see who it is that's approaching the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
As they wait, both the war engineer Tovis and sir Percavelle Lé Dic join them on top of the east wall of the castle.
They wait in silence, until they see that it is indeed more of the locals coming along the trade road towards castle Lé Dic.
"More of our people seeking refuge here in thy family's castle" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic as they see the two wagons and about twenty people, men, women and children heading this way.
"And that's the last of them too" says Helbe the elven thief who along with Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy suddenly appears beside them on top of the east wall, just above the gates.
"They're from further south of the road, and thought they could hide from the Harkonin army as it went by" explains the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who continues with "I convinced them otherwise" the elven magic user briefly pauses, before adding "Considering the baron and his army will get here early tomorrow morning if they keep moving through the night, which i expect they'll do with all the trouble that Dalin and I've created for them lately".
"Tomorrow morning then?" asks the ranger Hait as he looks at the elven princeling who is the defacto leader of the group in the absence of lord Farque and Mira Reinholt the mage.
"Yeah in the morning" says prince Helbenthril Raendril, who after glancing at sir Percavelle Lé Dic, then Shur Kee the monk, quietly says in the elven language "We've got a bit of a problem".
Great, that's all i needed to fucking hear, Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson dryly thinks to himself "What is it?" asks the mercenary ranger in the same language, which only Tamric Drubine and himself, and of course the two elves understand, amongst those who are on the parapet above the east gates of castle Lé Dic.
The elven masterthief explains the problem of baron Harkonin now knowing that it was lord Milburn and his co-conspirators that killed earl Maxiss Lé Dic in the border conflict in the summer nearly two years ago.
The young elven noble also explains about the problem of the staff in the possession of the dark druid Palvarc, who is the advisor of baron Harkonin.
Both Tamric Drubine and Riley Hait faintly wince, as they know this could all end if the elven master assassin was able to kill either baron Harkonin or the dark druid Palvarc, or preferably both.
But since he's been unable to, the baron and his army are still marching their way towards castle Lé Dic. Though far more slowly than the baron and his advisor, and the nobles of his court would ever of expected.
"We've got some decisions to make" quietly says Helbe the elven thief in his second language of elvish, his first being the language of the elven nobility.
Then ignoring sir Percavelle Lé Dic who demands "What are you lot blathering about?". The highly talented elven spellcaster continues in elvish with "First of which, is telling Percy and his niece about what happened to earl Maxiss".
"I agree" says the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen, who then adds "Together".
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel nods his hooded head in agreement to that, then he quietly says "There might be a chance to get rid of the baron and his dark druid both, though it's fraught with danger".
"Oh, how?" asks Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman "It involves Shur Kee" says the young elven noble who then explains the plan he's come up with that involves the short, statured monk.
"I'll explain it to him" quietly says the mercenary ranger, who continues with "You know him, he'll do anything to help others".
That's what I'm afraid of, Helbe the elven thief thinks to himself, who then says "But first thing, first" he then adds "Percy and his niece need to know about their brother, and father respectively".
Switching to the common language, the elven princeling says to sir Percavelle Lé Dic "Come along Percy, there's something we need to discuss with your niece Linara". "Of course" says the heavily armoured knight, who then adds "Let's be off to chat with young Linny".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril leads the way to the steps, dreading what he's about to tell the former earl of Lé Dic and his young niece, the lady of the Lé Dic fief.
The young elven noble now knows how it feels like to have the full responsibility of leadership upon his shoulders, such as lord Farque has. He now knows he doesn't particularly like it, but it's something he has to deal with, no matter what . . . . . .