Aftermath 29.

The Kaldel Plains...

Making his way from one of the airships that's being torn apart. Gorlic the former arena fighter stops and watches the loading of Rogar's airship.
"That's going to be heavy when it finally lifts off" the former arena fighter Gorlic murmurs to himself as he watches another of the magetubes going down below deck on the vessel from the kingdom of Druvic.
Gorlic slightly shakes his head, then continues on his way across the village green. Going around the bow end of Rogar the merchant's vessel.
Then going by the north end of the two storey house that Arvelle uses as his headquarters.
There he sees Mac the dwarf and some of the other wreckers not tearing apart the three ships they took out during the night.
They're standing guard over some of the crew members of those three vessels who survived their airships basically being destroyed.
When he sees the former arena fighter originally from the city-state of Brattonbury, the dwarf who is a former shipwright, steps away from others and makes his way over to Gorlic.
"How goes it?" asks Mac the dwarf referring to the breaking down of the three airships in various states of wreckage on the village green.
"Slowly" is the reply from the former arena fighter, who continues with "Especially that fat cargo ship, i wouldn't be surprised if takes a couple of weeks to completely break apart that one".
"I figured as much" says the former shipwright who is originally from the Cascades, the hill country and low mountains near the coast of the Southlands. Inland from the crescent port of Gilsom.
The dwarf rolls his eyes as a grinning Gorlic tells him "That merchantman not so much" and adds "Thanks to what me and the others did last night".
"I'm surprised we were able to salvage some of the magetubes on that one after you lot blasted it to bits" dryly says the former shipwright, which just causes Gorlic to grin even more.
Then the former arena fighter, who earned a pretty good living in the famous fighting arenas of Brattonbury, until he started to get regularly defeated.
Nods towards the prisoners, and quietly asks Mac the dwarf "What's with this lot then?".
"They don't want to join up with Rogar's crew" is the quiet reply of Mac, who glances up at the former arena fighter, and quietly adds "Arvelle has sent for the blademaster". Gorlic winces when he hears that, as that can only mean one thing.
"Do they know?"  quietly asks the man who hails from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, who can be a bit of a hothead at times.
"No" is the quiet reply of Mac, who after a moment's pause, continues with "Though i think they've guessed something is up, as they've got a lot more nervous as we wait".
"I can well imagine" murmurs Gorlic who doesn't envy the prisoners one bit, as he knows what fate awaits them.
Both the former shipwright and the former arena fighter look to the back door of the two storey house, where they see Arvelle talking with Pallen the blademaster, and Sasha the former mercenary.
The three of them make their way outside, and Gorlic and Mac watch as Arvelle and Sasha stop, while Pallen continues on towards the prisoners.
The blademaster approaches them from behind, and kicks one of the prisoner's in the back of the legs, dropping the man to the ground, dropping him to his kness.
Then the dangerous blademaster, who doesn't bother to draw his sword, takes a dagger from his belt as he grabs the air sailor by the hair.
Pallen then shoves the dagger into the side of the man's neck, ripping it sideways as he tears it out.
"Hold them" says Pallen the blademaster to the other wreckers, who all grab a prisoner, and force them onto their knees, onto the ground,
"We better give them a hand" quietly says Mac after nudging the former arena fighter from the city-state of Brattonbury.
Gorlic nods his head, then he the dwarf from the Cascades make their way over to the others, to help subdue and hold the prisoners who are struggling.
While Pallen goes about killing them one by one. The blademaster originally from the kingdom of Girdane doesn't bother to slit their throats.
He just thrusts his dagger into the sides of the prisoners necks, then rips it out sideways, usually towards the front of the neck at the throat.
Before shoving them forward onto their faces. Where they writhe about on the ground, slowly bleeding to death.
Some of them get lucky, and Pallen cuts right across their throats, and they bleed out quickly. But they're just a few. As most of them take a long time to die. Often crawling across the ground as blood flows from their fatal wounds.
Gorlic shoves away one of the prisoners he's helping to hold after the blademaster, whose right forearm is covered in blood. Slams his dagger into the side of the prisoner's neck from behind, then ripping it out.
The former arena fighter who steps back. Saw the look in the eyes of the dangerous blademaster when he killed the prisoner.
There was nothing in Pallen's eyes. Absolutely nothing, as he killed another man.
Gorlic who gets on well with the tall plainsman who is a blademaster. Has never met anyone so devoid of emotion when they take a life like Pallen is when he kills someone.
It's eerie to see up close, and something the former arena fighter will never get used to.
Especially considering Pallen will kill on a whim. Taking another's life for any reason whatsoever. Usually for the most mundane of things. Often trivial and not worth one's time.
But to the plainsman who was born and grew up in the kingdom of Girdane. That's reason enough to kill someone.
Though what he's doing now is killing on behalf for their leader Arvelle. And Pallen is fine with that as well. Especially since he's one person who can kill a fairly decent sized group quickly and efficiently.
And by the time he's killed the last prisoner. There's over thirty dead bodies lying on the ground behind the two storey house.
Arvelle after dismissing the others to return back to work with the dismantling of the three damaged airships out on the village green. He looks around, and nods to Gorlic to join him.
"Have the locals bury them" says Arvelle the plainsman "They can take whatever's on them, including coins" adds the leader of the crew of the illegal wreckers.
The former arena fighter nods when the tall plainsman, with the shaved head tells him "Join us inside once they're underway".
Arvelle turns, and calls into the house "Woman get out here!". The local plainswoman he's been sleeping with of late, hurries outside, and the leader of the illegal wreckers says to her "Gather some of the others, you're to bury this lot" as he gestures at the bodies of the prisoners, the last of whom are still dying.
The plainswoman keeps the disgust she's feeling, off of her face. And just nods to Arvelle, who heads inside, followed by Mac and Sasha.
Then as Pallen takes a bucket of water from the nearby trough to clean the blood off his forearms.
Gorlic says to the plainswoman "You lot can keep anything of worth on them".
He nods away to the north, then says "You can dump them in the pit". She nods, and the former arena fighter adds "You best be off to find some of the others" he gestures around to the village green as he says "I'll go this way".
She nods again and goes the other way. After a moment, Gorlic heads off too, until he stops mid stride when a familiar voice quietly says "Best you keep your eyes to yourself Gorlic".
The former arena fighter turns and looks at Pallen who is beside the water trough, washing his hands and forearms in a bucket of water.
The dangerous blademaster from the kingdom of Girdane continues with "And off her".
The tall plainsman nods to the house they're behind, and adds "He won't take too kindly to you eyeing up his latest".
Gorlic who thought Pallen wasn't watching as he watched the plainswoman walk away, nods to the blademaster, who quietly says "He'll get sick of her soon enough, like he has the others".
The dangerous blademaster who just calmly and without emotion just killed over thirty men, says "You can eye her up and more when that happens".
Pallen pauses for a couple of moments before quietly continuing with "Until then, keep your eyes off her" he follows that with "Because if you don't, and he catches you, he'll kill you".
"I will" quietly says the former arena fighter, who takes the blademaster's warning to heart. As be knows Arvelle can be more than a little jealous.
The tall, shaven headed plainsman who leads them is not just ambitious. But is also greedy, and not with all the coin they've made from the airships they've brought down across the Kaldel Plains over the last year or so.
He's just as greedy with the local women who remained behind in the two villages the illegal wreckers took over, and are using as their base.
"Make sure you do" quietly says Pallen, who takes a cloth from a back pocket in his leather breaches, and uses it to wipe his now clean hands and forearms.
The dangerous blademaster who hails from the kingdom of Girdane, then quietly continues with "Even with that temper of yours, i like having you around, and so does Sasha" he then adds "Would be a shame to lose you just because you're paying attention to someone you shouldn't be".
The tall plainsman, who wears his hair long and braided like most men of the Kaldel Plains, then nods and heads inside.
While Gorlic, after a moment, heads around the end of the two storey house. To gather up some of the locals to clear away and bury the dead prisoners.
The former arena fighter who is originally from the city-state of Brattonbury, knows he'll have to be careful. And not pay attention to the plainswoman that Arvelle is currently bedding.
Because if he doesn't, he knows what Pallen said will come true. The leader of the crew of illegal wreckers will kill him if he thinks Gorlic has intentions upon his woman.
The former arena fighter who spots a couple of the locals, heads their way. Not looking towards the plainswoman who Arvelle is bedding. Who he catches a glimpse of out of the corner of his eye, heading east through the village, in search of some of the other locals to help with the burying of the dead prisoners.
After he gathers up some of the locals and tells them what to do. Including to dig up the pit more, as quite a few more bodies are going to added to the dumping ground.
Gorlic heads into the two storey house the others are in. Though only after watching the locals for a bit as they start clearing away the dead prisoners.
The former arena fighter from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury slightly frowns as he's about to step inside. As he spots one of the local women leading a cart and horse towards the pit, with a few of the dead bodies in the back of the cart.
Gorlic can't remember seeing her before, she must of come down from the other village with the wreckers who live there.
As he's only been there a handful of times, and doesn't really know the locals who remained there when they took over that village and this one.
He's seen a few locals from that village here over the last two days. But he can't recall seeing this one. And he knows he would've noticed her before.
For the simple reason, even from behind she looks attractive. And though he can't see her face as she's walking the other way, as she leads the horse and cart.
He can just see some of her hair sticking out the side of the wrap the plainswomen wear when they're out and about. And it looks long and fine, even though it's most likely tied up as the local women wear their hair.
Gorlic watches her for a few more moments, then he shrugs and turns around, and heads inside. Figuring he'll probably see her at some other time.
He certainly hopes so, as he makes his way through the house, to the otherside. To the room just off the kitchen, where the others are seated at the table.
When the former arena fighter who can be a bit of a hothead at times joins them. They're discussing who they think Samiel, the twins Sara and Famic, and the others will have come here after their sojourn to the kingdom of Nastell to find buyers for what they've taken overnight.
Gorlic sits down next to Pallen the blademaster and Sasha the former mercenary, across the table from Arvelle and his offsider, Mac the dwarf.
"You think those other two will come back so quickly?" asks Sasha the former mercenary, who like her lover the blademaster Pallen, hails from the kingdom of Girdane.
"Not unless they've suddenly got a shitload of coins in a hurry" says Arvelle, who continues with "Or they sell all those magetubes they brought in just a day or two after getting back to the kingdom".
The leader of the crew of illegal wreckers then says "No it'll have to be new buyers, and most likely ones we haven't dealt with before".
"That's if they can find any new ones in the capital Valban" says Mac the dwarf, the tall, shaven headed plainsman who leads the illegal wreckers nods in agreement with the former shipwright from the Cascades, who continues with "They might have to go to the provincial capitals to find new buyers".
"Or further afield" says Arvelle, who then adds "I've given them permission to go beyond Nastell, down to the elven principality of Alínlae or the city-state of Andelka if they can't find enough potential buyers in the kingdom".
The leader of the crew of illegal wreckers gestures in the direction of the village green as he says "With a whole lot of material from three more airships, not to mention one complete keel on that fat cargo ship still intact, as well as some more magetubes that Rogar can't afford to take".
Arvelle briefly pauses, before slightly grinning as he adds "This is the biggest haul we've taken so far, and it'll take some time to clear".
The others at the table all nod in agreement to that, and the tall plainsman with the shaved head who leads them says "So hopefully they can scrounge up at least a few new potential buyers".
As Arvelle speaks, Gorlic can't help but think of that plainswoman he saw who he didn't recognise. The former arena fighter from the city-state of Brattonbury also thinks about the local that's Arvelle's current lover too.
Gorlic knows it's perfectly fine for him to think about her. But he better not eye her up, or pay attention to her. As he could end up dead due to a jealous Arvelle . . . . . .