The Lost Ones 13.

Summer. Maldin Hill Country. In The West Of The Southlands.

"Looks like this road goes over to the west side of the range" says Tamric Drubine the field commander.
It's another hot and dry day here in the Maldin Hills.
And the group have stopped beside some small, bare trees on the side of the road they've been traveling on for the last couple of days.
The young field commander in the armies of Farque who is looking through his brass, cylindrical eyepiece, says "There must be another one that continues south".
Next to him, Lisell Maera the messenger who is looking at a map of this area of the hill range, nods her head then says "The map says there's one".
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well, slightly nods, then after a few moments, he says "There it is".
The nobleborn teenager who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin points to where he sees another road that continues southwards, and he says "It's down there".
As the road in question, is down near the base of a hill over a mile away, it looks like it comes up from the lowlands to the east.
"Now we just have to find a trail that leads down there" dryly says Lisell Maera or Lis as the others in the group tend to call her.
Field commander Drubine grunts in agreement with that, then the senior officer in the armies of Farque says "We might as well keep on this road until we either find a trail that goes downhill, or until it heads over to the west side of the range".
Lis nods in agreement, then as she looks at the map one last time before handing it back to Tam, she says "We're definitely in the southern half of the range now".
The attractive young woman who is originally from the city-state of Brattonbury then quietly adds "Hopefully she's down here somewhere".
The young field commander can only nod in agreement to that, as he returns his eyepiece and the map to his pack.
Then the two of them, who have been speaking in the elven language, make their way across the road, to the bare looking trees that the others have been either standing or sitting beneath. As they offer a little bit of shade this afternoon.
"Let's get going" says Tamric Drubine in the common language.
And though Dorc da Orc grumbles and mutters in the language of his race as he gets up off the ground where he's been sitting, sipping from a barrel of wine.
They get underway again, as they continue on their way southwards down the east side of the Maldin Hills.
Here in the southern part of the hill range, it's very similar to the very north of the hill country.
Where the hills aren't as tall or high as elsewhere in the range. Nor are they as close together. The lower hills tend to roll out over longer distances.
And though traveling on foot is easier, as the climbs up and down the hills aren't as steep or strenuous. It takes almost as long to traverse them, because of how far apart they are.
In some places, there's actual valleys between the hills where they spread out. The only other place in the hill range you find such, is in the very north of the range.
And like the very north, there isn't as many people. And here on the east side of the Maldin Hills. Which is already the side of the hill range with a smaller population. There's even less people.
The group of five, continue along the road, until they eventually find a trail that goes downhill, just before the road turns and goes over the hill, in the direction of the west side of the range.
Lisell Maera is out infront as usual, and also as usual, Dorc da Orc is to the rear, where he's following the rest of the group.
The large ork who usually moves more slowly in the summertime. Especially in the hot, dry summer conditions here in the Maldin Hills.
Also likes to walk at the rear, as it's far as possible from his bitter rival, sir Percavelle Lé Dic. Who is always first to follow Lis, who scouts out infront.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world doesn't like being in the company of the former paladin.
It's the same for the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic. Who doesn't like walking anywhere near the ork warleader.
Not just because he dislikes him. But also because the large ork smells absolutely disgusting at the moment.
As he has done for the entire time they've been here in the Maldin Hills during the summer.
Going down the trail that crosses two hills. They eventually get onto the next road that goes south down this side of the hill range.
On the road, a lot of which is already in shade at this time of the afternoon, as the sun is no longer directly hitting this side of the Maldin Hills.
And only higher up here on the east side of the range, is still basked in sunshine.
Lisell Maera who has dropped back to join the others, says "That map shows there's actually a village somewhere further south of here" she continues with "By my best guess, we'll probably get there some time early tomorrow morning".
The son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, a castle located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
Knows that some of the maps he has of the Maldin Hills. Are accurate with the locations of places. Are also highly inaccurate when it comes to the distances between places and features.
As it turns out in the morning the next day, when they eventually spot the village in question, late in the morning, during the hottest time of the day on this side of the hill range.
"We fucken stopping there" pants Dorc da Orc, it isn't a question, but a statement. As the large ork wants to get into some shade, and out of the sunlight. On what's another hot and dry day here in the hill country. That has a clear blue sky above the range.
It's midday when they finally reach the village. A fairly small place, that has just a dozen or so houses. With a few other buildings scattered throughout it. While there's a small bit of fairly flat land on the south side of the village, that has the local orchard.
"See if anyone knows of her" quietly says Tamric Drubine the field commander as they enter the village, where hillmen have come out to watch them.
Seeing that the group of travelers, even with Dorc da Orc and sir Percavelle Lé Dic, pose no real danger to the hillmen of this village.
Especially given that the large ork yells out for booze. Then chucks a bunch of coins in the direction of the villagers as he goes and sits in the shade along one side of the building.
The coins being a mix of copper, silver and gold coins. Worth way more than all the alcohol in the village. As Dorkindle has never really been clued up into how much coins are worth.
Just that gold is worth the most out of the common coins, and copper the least. Don't even get him started on their weights and sizes. That's way too much for him to figure out.
The hillmen, men, women and children all look at the coins scattered across the ground. And after a moments pause, they hurry and gather them up.
Then rush to get bottles and barrels of wine for the ork weaponsmith, who is running low on the wine he got from the previous village they stopped at.
As some of the hillmen hurry off to get wine for the large ork sitting in the shade.
Tamric Drubine, Lisell Maera and Shur Kee the monk speak to a number of others.
While sir Percavelle Lé Dic asks some of the others if there's by chance a bathtub in the village.
The former earl of Lé Dic wants to scrub himself clean after walking on foot down the east side of the Maldin Hills.
As the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic is led to one of the houses that actually has a wooden bathtub.
And as some of the villagers start putting bottles and barrels of wine near Dorc da Orc. None of them want to get too close to him as stinks like dried animal dung.
Shur Kee the monk speaks with an older couple, in their house. The acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li is quiet as he listens to the couple answer his questions.
The short statured monk who is from beyond the Southlands, from the far east coast of the continent to be exact. Where the kingdom of Wah Lee, his homeland is located.
Soon exits the older couple's house once he's found out what he wanted to hear.
The physical adept puts his odd, conical shaped hat back on when he's outside. He looks around, and soon spots field commander Drubine making his way out of another of the houses in the village.
Shur Kee the monk makes his way over to Tam, and quietly tells him "She lived here last year" followed by "For quite some time too".
"I know" says Tamric Drubine with a nod of his head, then the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin gestures to the house he was just in as he adds "They just told me" followed by "She made an impression on them too".
Shur Kee nods to that, as that is what he was told by the older couple who he just spoke to.
"It sounds like they miss her" quietly says the physical adept, who then continues on with "All i know is that those i spoke with said she went south after leaving the village".
"Same" says the young field commander, who along with the honorary member of lord Farque's personal council, make their way to a shaded corner of one the buildings, where they can keep an eye on Dorc da Orc.
Who is getting stuck into the bottles and barrels of wine the villagers have brought him.
"They have any idea where south she went?" quietly asks Tam who is a senior officer in the armies of Farque.
Shur Kee shakes his head no, and the young field commander slightly winces, as he got a similar answer from those he spoke with.
Then he along with the physical adept, who is the living conduit of the Jade Warrior, Bru Li. Spot Lisell Maera speaking with a couple of the hillwomen who live here as they walk around from the side of one of the houses.
After the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands speaks with the two villagers. She spots Tam and Shur Kee, and makes her way over to them.
When she gets to them, and before they can ask her anything, Lisell Maera quietly says "I've found her".
"What?" says a stunned sounding field commander Drubine, who after a brief pause as he gathers his thoughts, adds "Where?".
"There's a settlement of about four houses south of here" says the messenger in the armies of Farque, who continues on with "Nearly twenty miles away, close to some abandoned mines".
Lis follows that with "She's on a farm a few miles further south of there" she continues with "One of the hillwomen i just spoke to. Her brother lives down in that settlement. And when he came for a visit at the start of summer, he told her of the woman who lived here last year. Who now lives with a family on one of the isolated farmholds here in the south of the range".
"About twenty five miles away then" quietly says Tamric Drubine as he looks at Lisell Maera and Shur Kee "We should get there sometime the day after tomorrow" adds the nobleborn teenager who is the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine.
Both the monk and the messenger nods when the young field commander tells them "Might as well stay here for now" as he nods to where Dorc da Orc is busy downing bottles and barrels of wine.
"Leave in the late afternoon?" asks the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury "Walk into the early evening when it's cool?" adds Lis.
Tam nods yes to that, then he says in a slightly dry tone of voice "That's if Dorc doesn't get drunk" he continues with "No way in hell we're going anywhere if he can't move".
Turns out they don't have to worry about that, as it takes an awful lot of alcohol to get Dorkindle or any ork for that matter, so drunk that they can't move.
And surprisingly for the ork warleader, he doesn't drink everything in sight.
As he knows getting booze in parts of the Maldin Hills is difficult to begin with. So he keeps a lot of the wine the villagers bring him, to drink later on.
The alcohol is the only thing along with the shade, that keeps the ork general cooler than the air temperature during the day. And also makes him bearable to be around.
After the hottest part of the day passes, they leave the village having purchased more food, and refilling their water sacks. While Dorc da Orc basically buys all the alcohol in the village.
They set off along the road that continues south, which drops down low along the hillside. In the shade as the sun in the late afternoon is only hitting the top of the hills on this side of the range.
They walk into the early evening, and only stop when it's halfway between dusk and midnight.
After having something to eat, they settle down for the rest of the night. Though they set a watch, they don't really have to. As Dorkindle doesn't sleep during the night. The large ork doesn't have to sleep unless he's tired.
He also doesn't wander away in the night, as he doesn't smell any wild goats in the area to try and catch and violate. Much to his disappointment.
They set off early in the morning, well before dawn when it's still relatively cool. As the middle of the morning, to just after midday, is the hottest time of the day on this side, the east side of the Maldin Hills.
They have another day of uneventful travel on foot. Only seeing a couple of farmholds, one of which they stop at as it's close to the road.
There, they ask about the woman they're searching for. And the hillmen there know of her. For she lives on a farm further to the south.
After spending the hottest time of the day at the farmhold, they continue on their way along the dry and dusty road that goes south.
Late in the afternoon they spot a large cargo ship going over the hill range, as it heads eastwards further inland to somewhere else in the Southlands.
It's the only thing they see of interest during the day, apart from Dorkindle catching the scent of an Arassas over on the otherside of one the hills they make their way across in the late afternoon.
They make camp at night again, and again they set a watch, though it's unnecessary as the ork warleader doesn't sleep again.
The big, burly ork from the frozen bottom of the world, like all of his kind, can go a week or more without sleep.
Though in the summertime, especially here in the dry, hot Maldin Hills. Dorc da Orc usually sleeps every third night.
They're on the road again early the next day, well before dawn again. And in the early morning, after walking for a short while. They spot a cluster of homes not that far away, close to the road.
There's a wagon track that leads uphill from the four houses. A track that leads up to some mines, which apparently were abandoned many decades ago.
As they walk towards the four houses in the early morning sunshine, Lisell Maera the messenger who has dropped back to the others, quietly says "She's on a farm just a few miles south of here".
"Hopefully she's there" quietly says Tamric Drubine the field commander who hopes the search for the woman they're looking for, is about to finally come to an end . . . . . .