Aftermath 45.

The Kaldel Plains...

"Aaaahhhh?" says Gorlic the former arena fighter, while next to him, Samiel the mage says in a tone of bewilderment "Huh?".
There's a moment's silence, then Gorlic who is originally from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, says "Was that supposed to happen?".
"No" is the reply of the powerful spellcaster who hails from the city-state of Tuledare, who continues with "No, not like that".
There's another moment's silence, then the mage who once worked for the airdock authority in the city of Tuledare, asks "What did you see?".
Gorlic, who is looking through the brass, cylindrical eyepiece he's borrowed from Sasha the former mercenary, says "Well, there was a small blue light, similar to that mageglobe of yours" he continues with "I think it blew up, then your one did right after it" the former arena fighter then adds "Bit hard to see in this light, even with the eyepiece".
Samiel nods, as they stand at the southern edge of the patch of trees, they cover a couple of miles about a mile and half south of the village.
"Then that ship's boat dropped out of the sky, spinning like crazy as it did so" says Gorlic, who once again is looking through the eyepiece, trying to locate in the distance to the south, where the small airboat hit the ground.
"It should've been destroyed in the air" mutters the Tuledarian mage, who then adds "I don't like this" he continues with "That was another mageglobe for sure" he then adds "And i can't sense a mage anywhere".
Taking the eyepiece away from his face, Gorlic looks at the powerful spellcaster, and asks him "You sure?".
"Absolutely" says Samiel, who follows that with "We tend to show off, magically speaking" he then adds "Basically announcing our presence to other spellcasters, especially other mages" the powerful mage then says "For a mage to hide themselves is more than a little odd".
After a moment's silence, Samiel once more mutters "I don't like this" followed by "Not one bit".
The spellcaster from the city-state of Tuledare who is also pretty sure that the small flying boat they spotted in the late afternoon sunlight, had wards up around it, even though he couldn't sense any.
As his mageglobe should of still destroyed it outright, even though it exploded short of it's target by some thirty feet.
He looks sideways at his fellow wrecker and lifts a sceptical looking eyebrow after the former arena fighter from Brattonbury clears his throat, and says "You won't believe this, but I'm pretty sure i saw something big and green, a troll i think, though the ugliest damn troll I've ever seen. Floating down through the air towards the ground".
Gorlic briefly pauses before adding "And it was holding a goblin" the former arena fighter turned illegal wrecker then adds "The brightest damn goblin I've ever seen".
Samiel doesn't pass comment on that, he just grunts and continues to sense, while Gorlic looks through the brass, cylindrical eyepiece muttering to himself about bright green goblins and big ugly trolls.
The former airdock worker from the city-state of Tuledare steps away from the bushy tree they're next to, and in the fading light of the day, he looks southwards across the plains, casting farsight as he does so.
"I found it" says Samiel a couple of moments later, the powerful spellcaster continues with "About three or so miles away, it's in pieces".
Gorlic, who moves over and stands by the Tuledarian mage, asks him "Can you see anyone?" as he looks for the downed airboat that's broken apart after hitting the ground.
"No" says Samiel, who continues with "No one" he briefly pauses then adds "No ugly trolls or bright green goblins" .
Gorlic sourly smiles, and after a moment, he too spots the small vessel that's in pieces after hitting the ground.
The former arena fighter from the coast of the Southlands can't see anyone around too.
"There was definitely people onboard" quietly says Gorlic, then after a slight pause he adds "And i don't see any bodies near the wreck".
"Nor do i" quietly says Samiel the mage, who continues with "Which is something else i don't like".
The powerful spellcaster who is absolutely certain that magic is involved here, and is unable to sense it. Quietly says to his fellow wrecker "We're getting out of here".
The former arena fighter looks at the Tuledarian mage in surprise, as Samiel usually isn't particularly cautious, and never backs down from anything.
"You sure?" quietly asks Gorlic, who continues with "We don't even know if we killed anyone".
"I'm sure" says Samiel who quickly adds "Like i said, i don't like this at all" the powerful spellcaster continues with "There's definitely a mage involved who isn't acting like a mage should".
Hell, whoever it is they're acting like i would if i didn't know who i was up against, Samiel thinks to himself, the mage who once worked for the dock authority in the city of Tuledare decides to be cautious. Even though it goes against his nature as a mage.
If you want to play hide and go seek, i can do that as well, the powerful mage thinks to himself, who starts casting a rift back to the village, and as he does, he quietly tells the former arena fighter "We're going".
As dusk takes full effect, and the rift forms, Gorlic is the first one through it, a moment later followed by Samiel.
Who turns and looks back in the direction the small airboat went down. As he does, there's a painful jab in his right eyeball. Samiel screams in pain, staggering backwards as he puts a hand to his right eye.
The powerful mage hopes he's all the way through to the otherside of the rift, as he automatically drops the spell after feeling the pain in his right eye.
"Fucking prick" mutters Narladene the ground pixie after the rift vanishes. The naturally magical creature returns her tiny sword to it's scabbard on her right hip.
Then she turns, and starts flying south to where she can sense Helbe the elven thief and Mira Reinholt the mage. Who aren't all that far from the wreck of the small airboat that's brought them more than seven hundred miles north across the Kaldel Plains.
The tiny winged creature grins knowing that she's just blinded the mage named Samiel in his right eye.
Though he'll probably get one of the other spellcasters amongst the illegal wreckers to heal him, and restore his sight in that eye.
Even so, Narladene takes pleasure in the fact that at the moment, that Samiel the mage is blind in his right eye.
Gorlic spins around, and catches Samiel who staggers back into his arms screaming in pain.
The former arena fighter winces as the powerful mage was just inches away from his rift as it vanished.
"Here, what is it?" asks Gorlic who hastily adds "What's wrong?".
"My eye" says Samiel, who the Brattonburian turns around and sees is holding his right hand up to his right eye, blood is running down that side of the face of the powerful spellcaster from the city-state of Tuledare.
"Let's get you inside and see to it" says Gorlic as they're on one side of the village green, near where the two storey house that Arvelle lives in.
And with the former arena fighter holding onto the mage, the two of them walk through the last light of dusk towards the two storey house.
Gorlic who sees Arvelle the plainsman, along with Sasha the former mercenary, and Pallen the blademaster make their way outside from the two storey house after hearing Samiel screaming.
Grimaces when he hears the powerful spellcaster mutter "I can't see out of this eye" followed by "Something stabbed me, and blinded me".
"I'm back" quietly says Narladene the ground pixie into the right ear of Helbe the elven thief, who glances to his right shoulder, and faintly smiles when he sees the naturally magical creature who is attached to him, land upon his right shoulder.
"You don't have to hide yourselves anymore" quietly says the ground pixie, who continues with "He's gone back to that village".
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel nods his hooded head, then unblurs himself and the rest of the group.
"Ah fucken stink" says Dorc da Orc, who then adds "I can see you cunts again". The large ork is scowling at sir Percavelle Lé Dic when he says that.
"Has he gone?" asks Mira Reinholt the mage as they gather near the destroyed jolly boat "He's gone" says Helbe the elven thief to his fellow spellcaster and member of lord Farque's personal council.
The highly talented elven magic user winces after hearing what Narladene has just told him, then the elven masterthief says "Blind in his right eye too".
"I gather you know who is back" murmurs the once powerful mage who hails from the city-state of Vexil.
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel nods his hooded head, then glances at Narladene when the mage Reinholt quietly asks "She find them?".
After listening to the naturally magical creature perched upon his right shoulder, the elven master assassin quietly says "They're just east of the village" the elven princeling continues with "Seems they've been busy".
The Vexilian mage in exile nods for Darid Parsen to join him and the elven magic user, who are standing off to one side, quietly talking to one another in the elven language.
"We've found them" quietly says Mira Reinholt to the third member of lord Farque's personal council in the group.
"She back?" asks Darid Parsen the cavalry commander as he looks at prince Helbenthril Raendril.
The elven master archer nods his hooded head in reply to that.
"And that mage?" asks commander Parsen as he looks at his fellow councillors.
"He won't bother us for awhile" says the young elven noble, who then dryly adds "He's a bit preoccupied with something at the moment".
The cavalry commander, who in actual fact is a hordes barbarian from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to find himself inhabiting the body of Darid Parsen.
The latest body he's inhabited since first dying as Zubutai the barbarian hordesman in a battle in the southern kingdom of Melaurn a dozen years ago. Then asks the two spellcasters "What's the plan?".
"First we go to Tam and the others" is the reply from Mira Reinholt, Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head in agreement.
"And then?" asks Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman "We deal to those bastard wreckers who took down our ship" says the once powerful mage, who continues with "And our boat". The Vexilian mage looks at the wreckage of the jolly boat as he mutters "I liked that little boat".
"What happened?" asks Arvelle the plainsman after they sit Samiel down in a chair in the room just off the to the side of the kitchen in the two storey house that the leader of the crew of illegal wreckers lives in.
"Something stabbed me in the eye" says Samiel the mage, who takes a cloth that Pallen the blademaster gets from the kitchen and hands it to him.
"And now I'm fucking blind in that eye" testily says the powerful spellcaster from the city-state of Tuledare who puts the cloth to his bloody eye.
He then quickly looks over at Sasha the former mercenary, who is lighting the fire in the nearby fireplace, as the early evening, like the day, is already cool and is now turning cold.
"Sorry" says Samiel to the good looking woman with just one eye, and who has a gnarly looking scar down one side of her face.
"Don't be" says Sasha the former mercenary as she gets up from lighting the fire.
"You want us get Davon and have him take a look at it?" asks the tall plainsman with the shaved head who leads the crew of illegal wreckers.
"No fucking thanks" sourly says Samiel who continues with "The way that wizard casts, I'll probably end up blind in the other eye too".
"Get Sara" says the powerful mage, who continues with "At least she knows what's she's doing" the Tuledarian spellcaster then adds "Even better, get me one of my healing potions".
Samiel looks at Gorlic, and tells him "One of those we got from town" followed by "Like the one i gave you".
The mage then gives the former arena fighter directions to where he's stored his potions in the house he lives in. And which glass vial to get.
Gorlic nods, and heads outside to get the healing potion in the house Samiel lives in.
As he does, Arvelle says to the powerful mage "What else happened?" the tall plainsman with the shaved head continues with "Pallen and Sasha tell me that a small airboat was spotted away to the south".
Samiel nods, and winces as the movement hurts his right eye, which has basically popped after being stabbed. By what, and by whom, he has no idea.
The powerful mage then goes onto explain how he and Gorlic finally spotted the ship's boat heading in this direction, some six or seven miles south of the village.
The two of them decided that since it looked like it was coming straight here from due south. And they're not expecting anyone from that direction, at least not in a small airboat of all things. It was best to take care of it, as in destroy it.
And that's what Samiel did, though not as the Tuledarian mage expected.
He tells the three listening how the ship's boat should of been destroyed, then tells them how it was actually destroyed.
"A mage?" says Arvelle the plainsman in a tone of surprise "It has to be" says Samiel, who continues with "Because that was definitely a mageglobe that interfered with my one".
The powerful spellcaster then explains his thoughts on the matter, as well as what he's worried about. Chiefly that another mage is not acting like a mage should. Instead of being bombastic and open, whoever it is, is being stealthy and cautious. Something you'd never describe a mage as.
"I don't like this" quietly says the leader of the crew of illegal wreckers "That's what i said" mutters the mage from the city-state of Tuledare.
They're all silent for a few moments, then Sasha quietly says "You think they might have something to do with Mac and our missing treasure?".
The four of them look at one another, then eventually Arvelle nods and says "Maybe". The leader of the crew of illegal wreckers then asks Samiel "You sure you didn't see any bodies?".
"Not a one" says the powerful mage who then adds "And nor did Gorlic".
The tall plainsman with the shaved head is silent for a moment as he thinks about something, then he looks at the couple who are originally from the kingdom of Girdane, and tells them "Alert the others" followed by "We might come under attack by whoever it is that was on that airboat".
Just then Gorlic returns, and hands a small glass vial to Samiel, who peers at it with his good eye. The Tuledarian spellcaster grunts, takes out the stopper and downs the contents in the vial, grimacing as he does so as it doesn't taste particularly nice.
After a moment, the powerful mage wipes his right eye with the cloth he's holding to it. Then he takes the cloth away, and blinks a few times, and slightly sighs in relief as his eye feels whole again. And more importantly he can see out of it. Making sure he doesn't look towards Sasha, Samiel quietly says "That's better" he then adds "It's healed".
Gorlic the former arena fighter nods in relief, then looks at Arvelle and asks the tall plainsman with the shaved head "What are we going to do?".
"Prepare for an attack" says the leader of the crew of illegal wreckers . . . . . .