Aftermath 21.

The Kaldel Plains...

Helbe the elven thief appears and says "There's some more wagons up ahead".
"Like the ones we came across last night?" asks Mira Reinholt the mage, referring to some burnt out wagons they found just after sunset last night.
"No they're intact" says the young elven noble who is from the island principality of Laerel "Though there's quite a few dead, like there was last night". Then by way of a mindspeech spell. The elven magic user informs his fellow spellcaster that he suspects Tamric Drubine and the others with him are responsible for what's happened ahead, just a few miles away.
The once powerful mage who pulls back on the tiller to lift the jolly boat higher into the morning sky.
Looks at his fellow member of the personal council to lord Farque. And quietly asks him "You sure?".
The elven masterthief nods his hooded head yes, then says "I'm sure" followed by "You'll see when you get there".
The young elven noble who is part of the royal family that rules the principality of Laerel then disappears. While the mage who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil. Continues to lift up on the tiller, sending the small air boat higher. And it's not too long before they can all see the wagons in the distance down on the plains. On what's a cool morning here on the Kaldel Plains as summer comes to an end.
From the air, as they approach they can see the bodies scattered around, and near the wagons.
All of them look to be fighting men, and none look to be plainsmen. Unlike last night, where the dead. Men, women and children, were all plainsmen.
The spellcaster originally from the city-state of Vexil, who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster brings the jolly boat down. And lands it about thirty yards back from one of the wagons.
They all jump overboard after the small air boat settles. Though Teabagger the goblin Cunt slips overboard more than he jumps overboard.
Away to their right, south of the wagons. They see a few bodies lying on the ground.
While another is at the back of the wagon they're approaching. And another is leaning halfway over the side of it, from the wagon bed.
"Pray tell, i wonder who did all this, wot?" asks sir Percavelle Lé Dic "Tam and the others" answers Mira Reinholt.
The others look at him, then Darid Parsen nods his head, when the once powerful mage adds "In retaliation for what was done to those plainsmen we found early last night".
The nobleborn knight, sir Percavelle clears his throat, then says "That young chap has quite a bit of mettle to him" followed by "I do say, i do like that about him".
They make their way around the wagon, where they see Helbe the elven thief crouching down next to one of the bodies, where a cook fire was.
Shur Kee the monk nods his head when he sees a bent crossbow bolt near another of the bodies. He knows that came from his old weapon, that now belongs to Lisell Maera.
While Mira Reinholt spots another of the bodies. That doesn't seem to have any wounds to it. And isn't spoiled or corrupted like the others near it. And knows that person was killed by magic wielded by Beldane the cleric.
They stop near the young elven noble who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
The third inline to the throne of the principality of Laerel stands up from where he's crouching, points at the dead body at his feet, and says "Tam" he briefly pauses then adds "And Lis too" he then murmurs "Definitely Lis".
"Hell" murmurs Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy, as they all look at the dead body the elven princeling has pointed to.
The dead man's pants are down, and there's burn marks up and down his inner thighs. From a burning brand that was in the cook fire most likely.
And though one of his eyes has been burnt out too. The most horrific injury to him, is that his genitals have been cut off. And they're in his left hand.
Dorc da Orc who has been sniffing around, and licking his lips as he eyes up some of the dead bodies that are lying nearby.
Looks over the others, and looks down at the dead body they're all looking at. Cackling in laughter, Dorc da Orc says "Did fucken Tam do that?".
With a nod of his hooded head, the mage Reinholt says "He did".
Still laughing, the large ork says in a tone of pride "Awww he all grown up now" followed by "Me teach him so good".
The big, burly ork who is from the southern polar region of the world, knuckles an eye as tears of laughter start to fall, then he says "Me so proud".
Rolling his eyes as he looks at the ork warleader standing there, crying in laughter as he points at the dead man on the ground, and says "Hey cunt, why you holding your cock like that?" followed by "Did it fall off?".
Councilor Reinholt says in elven "How long ago do you think this happened?".
"A couple of days ago by the state of these bodies" says Darid Parsen the cavalry commander "At least" adds prince Helbenthril Raendril. Dalinvardél Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, nods his hooded head in agreement with the nobleborn elf.
The spellcaster, who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands. Until he was stripped of most of his powers when he accidentally went offworld a number of years ago.
Knows that there's one amongst them, who knows exactly when this took place. Though getting it out of him might be a bit of chore. As at the moment, he's bent over at the waist, in the throes of a fit of laughter.
"Dorc!" yells the swordmaster Reinholt trying to get the attention of the ork weaponsmith who is busy laughing. Sir Percavelle Lé Dic after a sour look directed at the large ork, has already wandered away, just to get away from son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks.
After taking a few deep breaths, Dorkindle finally stands upright again, and wipes his eyes, then looking at the Vexilian mage in exile, he says "What cunt?".
"How long ago did all this happen?" asks the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster as he gestures around them at the dead.
After shaking his head, and chuckling again as he looks down at the dead body near where the cook fire was, the large ork sniffs a few times, then murmurs "Hmmmm" as he looks over at some of the other dead that are nearby.
"Five days ago" says Dorc da Orc as he holds up three fingers of his right hand.
"Er?" murmurs Teabagger the goblin Cunt as he looks sideways, and up at his general standing beside him.
Rolling his eyes, the mage Reinholt says in a laconic tone "So three days ago then?".
"Five cunt" says the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks, who then adds "can't you count?" as he continues to hold up three fingers.
"Early in the fucken morning they kill 'em" says the big, burly ork who is from the frozen bottom of the world.
"So in the morning three days ago" says Mira Reinholt in the elven language, prince Helbenthril Raendril nods his hooded head in agreement, then he says in elven "You notice anything?".
Darid Parsen has already noticed it, and he says in elven "No horses". The elven magic user nods again, then says "They're on horseback now".
"Fuck" mutters the exiled Vexilian mage, who then adds "Just as we were catching up to them".
"It can't be helped" says the elven master assassin, who informs his fellow spellcaster by way of a mindspeech spell, that Narladene has gone ahead, following the horse tracks left by Tamric Drubine and the three others with him.
"They're still heading north and east" says prince Helbenthril Raendril who continues on with "Those original wagon tracks from the crash site pass a little bit away to the east of here" he then adds "Must be a well known route they're taking".
"Think this lot are involved with those wreckers?" asks Mira Reinholt who nods down at the dead man lying on the ground infront of them.
"Do you?" asks the elven masterthief, the once powerful mage shakes his hooded head no, then says "Not certain".
The highly skilled swordmaster continues with "They didn't go after those plainsmen living in that canyon. And that lot watched them take apart that cargo ship down on the dry lake bed".
The Vexilian mage in exile after a slight pause, then says "Still, the plainsmen down there said that the wreckers looked like they were all foreigners that they could tell" he gestures around them as he adds "As are all this lot by the looks of it".
"Well whoever they were" says Darid Parsen the cavalry commander, who points down at the dead man, who was tortured and mutilated before he died, then adds "Tam and the others found out".
"That they did" murmurs the mage Reinholt, who after a momentary pause, continues with "And they also might know where exactly the wreckers are".
"That cleric does know parts of the plains well" says the cavalry commander, who like the mage and the elven magic user, is a member of lord Farque's personal council "He spent a year or more traveling the plains for his church" adds commander Parsen who then says "So he might know exactly where these wreckers are".
Mira Reinholt faintly winces at that, and hopes that Tamric Drubine and the others don't do anything rash in retaliation for the warship they were all traveling on, being taken down out of the night sky by these illegal wreckers.
"We should get going" says the once powerful mage, who then adds "We still might be able to catch them" the highly skilled swordmaster then asks his fellow spellcaster "How far do you think we've come?".
"More than halfway i guess" says Helbe the elven thief "Another three hundred and fifty miles or so then?" says councillor Reinholt, the elven princeling nods his hooded head to that.
"We're going" says mage Reinholt to the others, then the spellcaster originally from the city-state of Vexil calls out "Dorc leave that alone!" followed by "We're leaving!".
The large ork who had wandered away, and was fingering the entrails of one of the dead bodies, and was about to have a quick snack whilst no one was looking.
Grunts in a guilty manner, and gets up and makes his way towards the others. Briefly stopping at one of the wagons, from the back of which he takes a small barrel of grain alcohol he caught a whiff of earlier.
They all make their way to the jolly boat, where sir Percavelle Lé Dic is already waiting.
After Helbenthril Raendril, the grandson of Prince Raendril, says "I'll go on ahead" and adds "You'll find their trail to the north, you can't miss it" then disappears.
The once powerful mage says "Get onboard" to the others, as he's the first one to hop aboard.
He's followed by Dalinvardél Tanith, Darid Parsen, Shur Kee, and sir Percavelle Lé Dic, then Teabagger the goblin Cunt.
Dorc da Orc is last onboard, as the rest have to basically counter his weight, until he's sitting square in the center of the small air boat. On the bench right behind the single mast that the jolly boat has.
Taking the tiller, and lifting up on it, the mage Reinholt quietly says in the elven language to his fellow councillor, Darid Parsen "Sometimes i think Tam as well as Lis are too well trained".
The cavalry commander, who in actuality is a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of Darid Parsen, nods his head in understating.
"To eliminate your enemies and such?" quietly says councillor Parsen, the highly skilled Vexilian swordmaster nods, then says "Exactly".
The once powerful mage as he lifts the tiller up, sending the jolly boat higher into the air, quietly continues with "If they get there before us, i hope they don't get it into their heads to take action, in retaliation for our ship being destroyed".
"I'm certain they won't" says Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who follows that up with "It's just the four of them, and there's what?" he then adds "More than a couple of hundred of these wreckers".
"You hope they won't" quietly says Mira Reinholt, who levels out the small air boat a few hundred feet above the ground.
And after he has Shur Kee the monk tighten one of the lines. And Dalinvardél Tanith who is looking overboard, down at the ground. Where he's spotted the tracks of at least a half a dozen horses, or even more. Heading north and east from the wagons below.
The exiled Vexilian mage quietly says to his fellow member of lord Farque's personal council "They've been around us for too long".
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Nods his hooded head to where Dorc da Orc is sitting in the middle of the boat, sipping from the barrel of grain alcohol he's got. While he glares at sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who is in the bow, glaring back at the ork warleader.
"In particular Tam around him" quietly says the mage Reinholt, the cavalry commander winces as he looks at the large ork, who is the person that Tamric Drubine has looked up to the most since he was a child.
"Hell" mutters Darid Parsen, who then adds "That's true". The councillor who over the years has inhabited a number of different bodies, then quietly says "Let's just hope he does the right thing".
Mira Reinholt the mage just nods to that, as they continue flying to the northeast, here on a cool morning at the end of summer on the Kaldel Plains . . . . . .