Aftermath 35.

The Kaldel Plains...

It's early evening, and after popping up out of the ground, Narladene the ground pixie looks around.
The naturally magical creature who is originally from the Sunreach Mountains looks at the town that's a couple hundred yards away to the north.
The ground pixie who is attached to Helbe the elven thief shrugs her shoulders, and takes off. Narladene wings her way towards the town knowing that the four who are missing. Tamric Drubine, Lisell Maera, Tovis the war engineer and Beldane the cleric are not in town.
The tiny winged creature knows so because she can't sense the powerful cleric in town. Nor could she feel their presence through the ground.
The naturally magical creature can usually detect Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera through the ground. Even in a town as busy as the one she's approaching. But the tiny winged creature can't feel their movement in town, or anywhere within twenty miles or so in all directions.
Narladene who knows that the first of the villages to the north of town, is more like thirty miles away. Guesses that the quartet who are missing are either in or near that village away to the north.
She won't know until she heads that way, and is able to sense the magic of Beldane the cleric, and feel all four of them through the ground. 
But first, she makes her way into town. Which is lot larger than she thought it would be.
Even in the early evening it's fairly busy, full of plainsmen and foreigners alike.
The ground pixie who is invisible to everyone with the exception of animals, who can always see her.
Makes her way through the town, listening and watching the inhabitants, and visitors as well.
The tiny winged creature who attached herself to prince Helbenthril Raendril over a dozen years ago in the kingdom of Druvic, when she was living in that kingdom's capital, Leeabra.
Is here to find out information, almost as much as she is looking for the missing four of Tam, Lis, Tovis and Beldane.
The naturally magical creature when she makes her way around to the front of a tavern where she listens to a conversation between two men who have just left it.
Narladene's interest is piqued when she hears them discussing a possible purchase of goods, and where they goods have come from.
"They come from the village further north?" asks one of the men, as they stand to one side of the tavern's front door.
"They have" says the second man, who unlike the first, is a plainsman.
The tall plainsman continues with "Came in last night with four wagons full of goods" he then adds "By the sounds of things, they've sold most of it, and are looking to get rid of the rest".
"What have they got this time?" asks the first man, who might not be a plainsman, but he's obviously a local who has lived and worked here in town for quite a number of years.
"The usual, rope, wood, fittings, you name it" says the plainsman, who continues with "From ships no doubt".
"No doubt" dryly says the first man, and the two of them share a look.
Narladene as she sits upon the eaves of the roof looking down at the two men, nods her head. As it seems to be common knowledge amongst certain people in town. That the two villages further north is the haven for a crew of illegal wreckers.
"I'll go and have a look tomorrow and see if there's anything of interest" says the first man who spoke, who then asks "Are they over at the usual place?".
"They are" says the plainsman, who like most plainsmen, is tall, standing just over six foot in height.
"Over at Mards" says the plainsman, who falls silent as someone approaches, then once that individual makes their way into the tavern, he adds "No doubt others will be there early in the morning to try and grab a bargain".
Mards, Narladene the ground pixie thinks to herself as she takes off, the naturally magical creature then silently adds, now how the hell do i find that?
The tiny winged creature wanders about, going in and out of buildings, trying to find Mards.
Narladene who is briefly distracted by a cat on a roof, which tries to stalk her as she flutters by.
The feline has second thoughts, when she tells it to get lost in cat. The ground pixie like all pixies and sprites can speak the languages of animals.
The naturally magical creature shakes her head as she watches the cat scamper away across the roof, then she continues on her way.
Narladene eventually locates Mards, which turns out to be an inn. She finds it when she hears someone mention it to someone else, and she follows them there.
It's a prosperous looking place on the north side of town. And when the ground pixie makes her way around to the back of it.
And goes by the wagons in a row beside the stables. She sees four larger style wagons, off to one side. Three are empty, and the last has a canvas covering what's in the bed of the wagon.
There's also two men, armed with crossbows and swords, who are guarding those wagons. Particular the one that still has something in the back.
Narladene guesses they're two of the illegal wreckers who have come down from the villages further north on the plains. And that the rest of them who have traveled to town. Are inside the inn named Mards.
The ground pixie goes into the wagon bed, and sees a number of things in wooden boxes. Some of which she recognises as fittings from an airship.
The tiny winged creature, makes her way from the wagon, and into Mards. Simply by flying through the front wall of the inn. On what is turning into a cool evening, after what was relatively warm day in this part of the Kaldel Plains.
Inside Mards, who turns out to be the proprietor, who is behind the bar in the common room of the inn. Narladene looks around, hoping to spot more of the illegal wreckers.
It's not that difficult to find them, there's eight more of them. Who are sitting at two tables at the back of the room, well away from any of the other customers in the common room of the inn.
The more than seven hundred year old ground pixie, which is relatively young for one of her kind, as they can live for two and half thousand years.
Makes her way over to the two tables at the back of the common room, where the illegal wreckers are quietly chatting to one another as they have their evening meal.
The naturally magical creature who is originally from the Sunreach Mountains perches upon the fitting of a candle lit lamp on the wall behind one of the tables. There the invisible ground pixie watches and listens to the illegal wreckers, who have made their way to town from the villages further north of here, villages where they're based.
Narladene concentrates on two men quietly speaking on the table to the right. The other two at the table with them are relatively silent. While the four at the table next to them are relatively chatty.
For all that, they're all keeping a watchful eye on the other patrons in the common room of Mards.
Making sure no one sits at the two empty tables closest to them. It looks like no one is interested in sitting at those tables. As locals and visitors alike, just instinctively know to keep their distance from the two tables where the illegal wreckers are sitting.
"We'll be back down here fairly quickly no doubt" says one of the men who Narladene is watching and listening carefully to.
"I wouldn't be surprised others aren't already on their way" adds the illegal wrecker, who like the others with him, has no idea of the turmoil that's broken out in the village that they left yesterday morning.
"Yeah, what with those three ships that need to taken apart" quietly says the second fellow Narladene is paying attention to, he continues with "And one of them, with it's keel intact".
The tiny winged creature's arched eyebrows lift up in surprise when she hears that. Then as the more she listens.
She finds out the illegal wreckers a couple of nights ago. Took down a trio of airships in one of the villages they're based at.
From what she hears, Narladene knows it's the village she's already visited. After she went through a rift that was cast by a mage who is part of the crew of illegal wreckers.
The ground pixie listens to the conversation between the two at the table on the right for quite sometime. Learning all she can about the illegal wreckers, and what their plans are.
The tiny winged creature eventually departs Mards inn, as she still has to try and locate the missing group of Tamric Drubine, Lisell Maera, Tovis the war engineer, and Beldane the cleric.
The naturally magical creature who doesn't sleep, her kind doesn't need it. And who doesn't tire. Though they do rest at times when they feel like it.
Drops down into the ground just to the north of town.
Narladene senses northwards for movement through the ground. Then not finding what, or to be exact, who she is looking for. She starts heading north. Flying through the ground, which she can do quicker than if she was flying through the air.
As the night rolls on, the ground pixie stops every once in a while, to feel the movement through the ground.
The naturally magical creature originally from the Sunreach Mountains, who can feel the movements of people through the ground. Can identify people she knows quite well, from fairly long distances.
It's easy for her to locate and identity someone like Dorc da Orc through the ground. For the simple reason he's an ork, and is so big and heavy. And orks aren't exactly common. Infact they're rarer than her own kind outside of the southern polar region of the world, which is the naturally habitat of the ork race.
It's a lot more difficult to identify humans. As they're the most common race of people to found in the Southlands.
The ground pixie has to know the human being to easily identify and locate them. For the simple reason a lot of humans, on average, are the same size, and their movements are similar.
So every time she stops to feel for movement on the surface of the ground, she also senses for magic. Which is often more easier to locate people if they're spellcasters.
And during the fourth time she stops north of the town, Narladene senses the magical power of Beldane the cleric.
At least he's alive, the tiny winged creature thinks to herself, she then silently adds, now what about the others?
The naturally magical creature is completely still and silent as she feels the movement through the ground to the north.
She can feel the vibrations of movement of everything from worm to a lion, making their way across the ground.
Narladene waits a while, then she feels the movement of someone she knows close to where she senses Beldane the cleric.
It's Tamric Drubine, who by the way he moved. Has just rolled over as he lies upon the ground.
The ground pixie nods her tiny head, and realises that they must of bed down for the night. As she feels the movement of all four of them, a little under twenty miles to the north of where she is.
The tiny winged creature who from the movement she can feel in all directions, knows that the four of Tamric Drubine, Lisell Maera, Tovis the war engineer, and Beldane the cleric. Are about five miles to the east of the village that she knows the illegal wreckers are in.
She can feel the movement of the people in that particular village. Though she's surprised she can't sense any spellcasters in that village. When she knows there's a number of them within the ranks of the illegal wreckers.
"They must of gone somewhere" Narladene murmurs to herself as she continues on her way through the ground, heading towards where she can sense and feel the four who have been missing since the airship they were all traveling on, was brought down by the illegal wreckers.
As she heads northwards, the naturally magical creature continues to sense for magic, and feel for movement through the ground, out of habit more than anything else.
And when she stops and is able to feel the movement of the inhabitants of those in the second village, a few miles to the north of the first. The second village the illegal wreckers are based in.
The tiny winged creature frowns as she senses movement, of what's an animal or creature, infact a pair of them. Which are something you wouldn't normally find in a village or town here on the Kaldel Plains.
"Is that?" Narladene murmurs to herself as she pops up halfway through the ground, which she half sticks out of.
The naturally magical creature then adds in a tone of surprise "It is" as she feels the movement of two creatures, in the second village further to the north.
They're naturally magical creatures, though nothing like her and her kind. And they seem to be in a stable in that particular village, as she can feel there's horses and stock near them.
How the fuck did they get a hold of them? Narladene the thinks to herself, who drops back down into the ground, and takes off, flying quickly through the ground, heading to where the group of Tam, Lis, Tovis and Beldane are this night . . . . . .