The Homecoming 148.

Repercussions...

It's Tovis the war engineer who is the only one in the group who actually sees what happens on the south wall parapet of castle Lé Dic.
Baron Harkonin's former war engineer, who down in the south courtyard of the massive castle, has just helped the trebuchet crew to load a netting of rocks and broken bits of masonry. And seen the load get flung over the battlements at the enemy attacking the south side of the castle.
Spots the encounter between Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, and the enemy knight who he immediately recognised as sir Taevar the Harkonin army commander. On the eastern half of the battlements along the south wall of the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family.
The young engineer from the fief across the border to the east. Breathes a sigh of relief when he sees the mercenary ranger in command of the defence of the southern side of castle Lé Dic.
Drop the nobleborn knight from the Harkonin fief, with a thrust to the face with one of his long daggers. Which must of gone through the eyeslot of sir Taevar's helm.
Tovis who sees the enemy army commander drop to a knee up on the parapet of the south wall. Then blinks in surprise as the nobleborn knight suddenly swings a hammer up at the mercenary ranger.
Which catches Riley Hait in the side of the face and head. The ranger Hait who has the lower half of his face covered with black cloth.
Staggers sideways from the force of the blow to his head, and topples off the top of the wall between two merlons, and disappears from view.
Tovis the war engineer briefly pauses in shock. Then he takes off running across the courtyard towards the nearest set of steps that lead up to the battlements along this side of castle Lé Dic.
The young man who until recently was baron Harkonin's war engineer, doesn't even see the Lé Dic soldier up on the parapet, pick up a polearm.
And swing it at sir Taevar who struggles to his feet, holding the hammer he hit Riley Hait with, out in one hand. While blindly groping out with his other gauntleted hand, as if he's trying to find out what's infront of him.
The landed knight who is the commander of the army from the fief across the border to the east. Is whacked in the side of the helm by the polearm swung by the Lé Dic soldier. The same one who made his way along the parapet with the ranger Hait from the otherside of where the south gates are.
Sir Taevar is knocked sideways, and he staggers, and hits the top of the wall, where he too tumbles over the side, between the two merlons that Riley Hait just went between.
Over the south wall of castle Lé Dic, on the moat below it. On one of the rafts that the Harkonin army have been using to ferry men over to the south wall of the massive castle that's been the home of the Lé Dic family for centuries.
Dorc da Orc, Shur Kee the monk and sir Percavelle Lé Dic, all at the same time, happen to be looking up at the top of the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
When they see Riley Hait the mercenary ranger fall from the battlements.
There's stunned silence from the three of them. When moments before, sir Percavelle Lé Dic was shouting out his family's name. And Dorc da Orc was muttering away to himself in his native language at the water surrounding him on the raft.
While Shur Kee the monk had just shouted out, as he let lose another ball of spiritual energy. That's now going sideways across the surface of the water, heading towards a raft with the enemy upon it, further to the left of them, near to where the gates are on this side of the massive castle.
After the body of the ranger Hait hits the water, there's a brief moment of silence, then Dorc da Orc mutters "Sick fucken cunt going for a swims like that" followed by "Why he want to do that for?".
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic and Shur Kee the monk who are polling the raft towards the south wall of castle Lé Dic, while the large ork crouches in the middle of it.
Glance at one another, then hurriedly start to pole the raft to where the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen is floating in the water.
A moment later, a heavily armoured figure falls from the battlements and hits the moat right next to where the ranger Hait is.
And while the mercenary ranger who was brought up and trained by some of the elven warders of Envadarlen floats face down on the water.
The heavily armoured figure who hit the water next to him, quickly sinks beneath the surface of the water.
"Hurry" is all Shur Kee the monk says as he and the former earl of Lé Dic pole the raft to where Riley Hait is floating in the water.
Dorkindle picks up one of the paddles and flings it away at a nearby raft, hitting some of the enemy upon it. Sending that raft spinning away from where the mercenary ranger floats.
They get their raft close to where the ranger Hait is on the surface of the water, and the short, statured monk uses the long pole to hook the ranger Hait's cloak and pull him closer to the raft.
"Beast bring him aboard" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic, and for once the ork warleader doesn't grumble as he reaches out sideways, and with one hand plucks Riley Hait out of the water and brings him onboard the raft.
Putting the soaked mercenary ranger face down on the raft, the ork weaponsmith sees the bloody head of the ranger Hait, and says "He fine, he just got a headache".
The big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world then rolls the wet mercenary ranger over.
Dorkindle grunts at what he sees, then the large ork says "Second thoughts, he dead". As Riley Hait whose side of his head was smashed in, up on top of the battlements along the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
Is missing at least half of his head, as he fell from the top of the south wall. Hitting the wall a couple of times as he fell to the moat, then hit the water.
Both Shur Kee the monk and sir Percavelle Lé Dic are silent as they look at the body of dead mercenary ranger lying on the raft.
Then the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, who isn't one to swear at all, says "Ah shit" in disappointment as he looks at the body of Riley Hait, who as Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, is the short, statured monk's oldest and closest friend within the group.
On the roof of the central keep within castle Lé Dic, Helbe the elven thief looks at the dead dark druid Palvarc, then at Narladene the ground pixie who has just landed upon his shoulder.
The two of them then look at the staff of the dark druid's, which lies just out of reach of an outstretched hand of the dead advisor to baron Harkonin.
"What about that?" asks Narladene the ground pixie with a nod of her tiny head at the staff lying near the dead spellcaster from the Harkonin fief.
Rubbing his chin, Helbe the elven thief murmurs "I'm not sure" the young elven noble then adds "Leave it for now" followed by "We'll deal with it later".
The tiny winged creature nods her head in agreement. For if they try to break open the staff to let the trapped ground pixie within free, they could very well kill it if they're not careful.
The elven magic user turns around, and lifts a hand and waves when he spots Lisell Maera on the north wall parapet looking this way.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury who is in command of the defence of the north wall of castle Lé Dic, waves back. Relieved that the elven princeling survived the encounter with the dark druid Palvarc.
Then the elven masterthief looks sharply at Narladene, who says "Mira". "Where?" asks the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
"To the west and south" replies the naturally magical creature who can now sense the mage Reinholt "About twenty to twenty five miles away" adds the ground pixie who continues with "He's on an airship. No it's too small for that, must be a ship's boat".
The elven master assassin turns and looks away to the southwest, and asks the tiny winged creature "Is he with him?".
"I can't tell" is the reply of Narladene who knows the young elven noble is referring to lord Farque, she continues with "I guess he is".
Then the naturally magical creature looks closely at the elven magic user who she's attached to. Who is frowning at something.
"What is it?" asks the ground pixie who originally hails from the Sunreach Mountains.
"Tovis" says a frowning prince Helbenthril Raendril who has spotted the young war engineer over on the parapet of the south wall of the massive castle that's been the home to the Lé Dic family for generations.
The elven master archer who watches baron Harkonin's former war engineer hurrying along that parapet, says "I'm told him to stay off the top of the walls" Helbe the elven thief then adds "I told Riley to make sure".
"Make sure what?" asks Narladene as the elven magic user suddenly falls silent in the middle of what he was saying.
The tiny winged creature then looks along the battlements of the south wall of the massive castle as she sees that's what the elven masterthief is doing.
"What is it?" quietly asks Narladene as she suddenly feels Helbe the elven thief go tense.
The young elven noble who hails from the island principality of Laerel off the west coast of the Southlands is silent for a few moments, then he mutters "Shit".
The highly talented elven magic user then shifts across to the parapet along the south wall of castle Lé Dic.
He appears right infront of Tovis the war engineer, who is rushing towards a section of the wall, where some of the defenders are fighting the enemy who have got up onto the battlements.
"Stay behind me" orders the elven masterthief to the young engineer who he puts a barrier spell around.
All the near breathless Tovis the war engineer says is "Riley" and nods over the otherside of the wall, to the moat below.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril just nods his hooded head, then hurries along the parapet with the young engineer following behind him.
As the young elven noble makes his way along the battlements. One by one, the enemy soldiers in the direction he's heading, who are fighting the beleaguered defenders of castle Lé Dic.
Jump off the parapet to the courtyard below as he controls their minds. Soon nearly a dozen Harkonin soldiers and camp followers jump to their deaths.
And the elven master assassin reaches a wounded Lé Dic soldier who has been wielding a polearm against the enemy.
"Sir" is what the wounded soldier says to the young elven noble, then nods between two of the merlons next to them.
The elven magic user touches the arm of the soldier in lady Linara Lé Dic's army and heals him.
Then Helbe the elven thief looks over the side of the wall between the two merlons, down at the moat below.
The grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel quickly spots the raft that has Dorc da Orc, Shur Kee the monk and sir Percavelle Lé Dic on it.
On the raft with them, is Riley Hait the mercenary ranger who lies next to where the ork warleader is crouching in the middle of the raft.
One look at the ranger Hait and the elven masterthief knows he can't do anything for him, and that he's dead.
Narladene draws in sharp breath at the sight of Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, even though she doesn't actually breathe.
"Fucking hell" mutters that ground pixie as they look down at the dead body of Riley Hait lying on the raft that the ork weaponsmith, the physical adept and the heavily armoured knight are on.
The elf from the island principality of Laerel slightly nods his hooded head in agreement with the naturally magical creature, then he quickly looks at her as he suddenly thinks of something.
"Go" says prince Helbenthril Raendril in the elven language to the ground pixie upon his right shoulder.
"Where?" asks Narladene "To Mira" is the reply of the elven master assassin who continues with "And lord Farque" he then adds "Tell him Riley is dead".
The tiny winged creature looks down at the body of the dead mercenary, then says "He can't use that body again, he's missing half of his head".
"Doesn't matter" says the young elven noble who then explains "There's plenty more dead here in better shape, one of them will do".
"Right" says the naturally magical creature with a nod of her head, then without saying another word, she takes off, heading down into the castle's south wall, then into the ground beneath it.
As she can fly faster through that, they she can through the air, as she heads to the southwest, where she can sense Mira Reinholt the mage who is onboard an airship's boat just over twenty miles away from castle Lé Dic.
"Who were you talking to?" asks Tovis the war engineer as he looks at the elven magic user who is in charge of the group he has joined.
"No one" replies Helbe the elven thief in the common language.
Baron Harkonin's former war engineer takes another look down at the dead mercenary ranger on one of the rafts down on the moat, then he asks the elven master archer "Now what do we do?".
"Win this battle of course" is the reply of the elven princeling from Laerel who knows that there's a good chance he'll see Zubutai Timaginson again in another body, some time later today or tonight . . . . . .