The Lost Ones 14.

Summer. West Southlands. Maldin Hills.

"She was here just a few days ago" says Lisell Maera the messenger who has just spoken with some of the hillwomen who live in the four houses.
While their men folk are up in the abandoned mines, collecting old mining tools and equipment that they sell for scrap.
And looking for any elusive gold that might of been missed when the mines were still in use.
"She's been attending to one of the children who fell sick at the start of summer, and she's been checking on him once a week since then" adds the attractive young woman originally from the city-state of Brattonbury.
Tamric Drubine the field commander nods his head, then he asks "Did you get directions there?".
"I did" says Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by the others in the group, who then adds "There's just two farmholds south of here along the road that ends fairly soon, and she's living with a family on the second one".
The nobleborn teenager who hails from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin nods his head, then quietly says "We'll get there by midmorning".
"We will" says Lis in agreement with the young field commander in the armies of Farque.
Then Tamric Drubine, who is more often referred to as Tam by the rest of the group, looks over at the others and switches to the common language, and tells them "We're going".
"We just fucken got here" loudly mutters Dorc da Orc who has just sat down, and broached one of his barrels of wine.
"It's still early" says field commander Drubine, who then tells the large ork "So we might as well walk while it's still fairly cool".
"Walk, walk, walk that's all we fucken do" loudly complains the ork warleader as he stands back up "Dorc wanna kill some cunt soon" adds the ork weaponsmith, who pointedly looks at sir Percavelle Lé Dic, before he slurps from his open barrel of sweet, red wine.
They set off, heading south, leaving the cluster of four houses behind them.
As they make their way along the dry and dusty road, one of the last such roads in this area in the south of the Maldin Hills, on the east side of the range.
Tamric Drubine walks alongside Lisell Maera at the front of the group, and the messenger quietly asks the young field commander "You figured out what you're going to say to her?".
The attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands, who is speaking in elven as they usually do when the two of them want a private conversation, then adds "I doubt she's just going to leave her new home, and come along and live a life on the road".
Lis glances back at the others following them, as she dryly adds "With us".
"I'll charm her into coming along with my sunny disposition, and eloquent behaviour" says Tam.
"We'll, she definitely won't come along if you do that" dryly says the messenger who is in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
"Such confidence in one of my soldiers" wryly says the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin, who follows in a similar tone with "Such is the burden of command".
"Idiot" dryly says Lisell Maera who is a couple of years older than the young field commander.
Tamric Drubine can't help but grin, then he says "Well, i was actually thinking about telling her the truth" followed by "It might be the best thing to do".
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, whose mother was a street prostitute, and whose father, a man she never knew or met, was a sailor. Blinks in surprise at what Tam suggests he'll do when they finally find the woman they've been searching for here in the Maldin Hills.
"What?" says Lis, who continues with "You're going to tell her that an elven prince has seen in his powers of foresight, that you're to join the rest of us in the mercenary armies of a nation, whose leader is an undead man?".
"More or less" says Tam with a shrug of his shoulders, as the road they're on, starts heading up the side of the hill they're on.
"Might be for the best" adds the young field commander who continues with "Besides, she might know why we're actually looking for her once we turn up".
The messenger in the armies of Farque grunts, then says "I'd forgotten about that" she pauses for a moment or two, before she continues on with "That's if she knows how".
"True" says the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, a castle that's located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin. A feudal kingdom that lies nearly three thousand miles away to the east, and north.
"Nevertheless if she doesn't, most if not all of them know when someone's telling the truth or not" adds the nobleborn teenager who is a senior officer in the armies of Farque.
Lis nods in agreement to that as they head up the hillside road, as they continue on their way southwards, to a farmhold, they know the woman they've been searching for here in the Maldin Hills, is living at.
They soon come upon the first farmhold when they make their way onto the next hill along.
They don't stop, though both Lisell Maera and Shur Kee the monk wave to a couple of children who are watching over a herd of sheep in a large stoned off, hillside paddock. The children stare at the group as they walk by. Though Shur Kee wearing his strange looking conical shaped hat gets a couple of odd looks.
It's the large heavily armoured knight, and especially the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world that the two children stare at the most, as the group walk by on the road.
The road they're on, goes up and over the hill, into a dip, in what one might actually call a valley.
"The farm must be on the otherside of the next hill here" says field commander Drubine, Lisell Maera nods in agreement.
Then Tam looks back, and says in common "Dorc can you smell anything or anyone on the otherside of the hill infront us?".
"Sheeps" is the reply from the large ork after he sniffs a few times "And fucken peoples" adds the warleader of the ork race.
"What kind of people?" asks the young field commander.
"Peoples" says Dorkindle, who waves a large meaty, skillet sized hand in a gesture indicating the rest of the group as he adds "Like you cunts" followed by "Humans".
Field commander Drubine nods, then he quietly says in elven to the messenger walking beside him "Here's hoping she's one of them".
"I hope so" says Lis in the same language, who continues with "I'm getting sick and tired walking up and down these hills looking for her".
The senior officer in the armies of Farque can only nod in agreement to that as they continue along the road as it goes uphill, then eventually down into a valley before it goes up the next hill. Here on another hot, summer's day in the Maldin Hills.
When they're on the next hill, and they go up that one, which like a lot here in the southern half of the range, especially on the east side, isn't particularly high, or steep.
Both Tam and Lis look up when they spot a bird of prey of some kind. One that isn't particularly abundant in the hill country.
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, and the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury. Share a look after they watch the bird disappear over to the otherside of the hill, the road they're on goes up.
Then as it approaches midmorning, and they're about to crest the hill, field commander Drubine quietly says to the group "Be prepared for anything" he then adds in a dry "Who the hell knows what's about to happen".
Tamric Drubine then says "Percy fall back, and walk beside Dorc". The nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic is about to protest, when he shuts his mouth, when the young field commander tells him "That's an order".
Though the large, heavily armoured knight looks displeased, he does slow down to walk beside the ork warleader. Who is none too pleased himself to be walking beside the former paladin.
"Lead the way" says Tam to Lis, the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin then adds in the elven language "I'll do the talking once we meet her".
The messenger in the armies of Farque nods, and she increases the pace a little bit. While field commander Drubine falls back to walk alongside Shur Kee the monk.
They crest the hilltop, and start making their way down the otherside. Nestled between this hill and the next one to the immediate south.
Is a farmhouse, one typical in shape and size to many in the hill range. And though there's a couple of outer buildings, one of which is a rather rudimentary looking stable.
There's nothing else of interest in the vicinity, apart from the stone pens, and stone walls of the paddocks. That the hillmen, well the farmers in the hill country, are rather fond of. As you see them everywhere throughout the Maldin Hills.
As the group head down the road towards the farmhouse, they see a boy with his dog. Watching over a small herd of the sheep that's up the side of a hill on the right, or the west.
While more of the sheep are in one of the paddocks, with it's waist high stone walls. Closer to the farmhouse, and the other buildings.
In a nearby wash, where it looks like water flows when they actually get rain in these hills. Which isn't all that often, and hardly ever during the summertime.
There's a man and a teenage girl, carrying stones to one of the nearby stone walls. Which looks like it's being prepared.
And between the house, and the barn, a woman is taking down washing from a line that's tied between the two houses.
The group is soon spotted, and the boy up the hill to the right is soon calling out to the others.
Who stop what they're doing, to watch the group making their way down the road towards the farmhold.
Then Tamric Drubine quietly says to the others "There she is" as another woman, this one much younger than the one attending to the washing. Steps out from the back of the farmhouse, to watch the group of strangers walking down the dry and dusty road.
"Good morning" says Lisell Maera in the hillmen language to the man and the teenage girl in the wash, as they pass them by.
The two of them can't help but stare at the group. Especially sir Percavelle Lé Dic repleasant in his suit of full plate armour. But mostly at Dorc da Orc. Who causes them to gag as they catch a whiff of him as he walks by the wash that's next to the road.
Lis repeats the greeting to the hillwoman taking down the washing, who actually responds with a nod of her head as she stares at the group.
They stop next to the farmhouse, and the messenger in the armies of Farque says "Good morning" in the local dialect to the woman standing next to the house.
She's around the same age as Lis, maybe a couple of years older. Not particularly tall, nor is she short.
She has the typical tan colouring of all the local people who dwell in the Maldin Hills. And her hair is quite fair, almost blonde.
And she's rather pretty in the opinion of Tamric Drubine as he steps forward as Lisell Maera steps back to stand beside Shur Kee.
The young field commander in the armies of Farque greets her in the hillmen dialect, then he says in common "Excuse me if i continue in common, i only know a few phrases in the local language".
The young woman who though looks a bit cautious, stands there in confidence as she looks at them, then nods in response to the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
"You are Saanea?" asks field, commander Drubine.
"I am" replies Saanea the hillwoman.
"And you are a" says Tam, who monetarily pauses before he adds "A witch?".
The hillwoman they've searched for since coming to the range, is silent for a few moments, then she says "I am".
And before she can say anything else, the senior officer in the armies of Farque, says "My name is Tam" followed by "And this is Lis, and Shur Kee" then "Percy and Dorc" as he introduces himself and the rest of the group.
Saanea the witch nods as she looks at the group, and though she did stare at Dorc da Orc when she first caught sight of them. As she tried to figure out what he is.
She has a fair idea at what he actually is. At first she thought he was a troll. But she soon realised he was something else entirely different, and something much rarer, not to mention a whole lot more dangerous than a troll.
"What can i do for" says the hillwoman who briefly pauses before she continues with "A young noble from somewhere to the east, a young woman from the coast, a knight" she briefly pauses before she adds "And an ork" she follows that with "And a holy man of some kind".
She gestures at both Tam and Lis, who wear black tabbards over their armour, as she says "Who are in some army i guess" as the tabbards have the crest of the lands Farque faintly embroidered in a silver thread on them.
The spellcaster, who has sensed the magical sword Tam has, and the even more powerful magical weapon Percy has, not to mention his shield, which though seems subtle. To Saanea, it's absolutely blazing with power, far more than anything magical she's ever sensed before.
The witch who has sensed other magical items on the group, mainly potions, she figures most likely healing potions.
Then says "And i guess no ordinary army" she continues with "Especially considering you're traveling in such a small group through the hill country, which can be extremely dangerous at times".
Tamric Drubine, who has thought that traveling through the Maldin Hills hasn't been particularly dangerous at all. Especially considering the number of dangerous places he's been to, both here in the Southlands, and elsewhere.
Says to the hillwoman who is a spellcaster "Correct" followed by "We are in an army" he then adds "An army from a nation further away to the south" he briefly pauses before saying "Much further to the south".
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, who is the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, continues with "And we have a proposition for you".
"Oh?" says the witch who wasn't expecting that "And what would that be?" asks the hillwoman the group has been searching for.
"How would you like to join that army?" asks the young field commander in the armies of Farque, who looks around at the surrounding farm, and at the family who have stopped what they've been doing this morning, to watch the conversation next to their house.
"With us, you can help out way more than you could ever do here" says Tam who continues with "We don't just fight in wars".
The nobleborn teenager then says "If you'd like, you can find out if I'm telling the truth or not" referring to the witch's spellcasting abilities.
"How do you know i haven't read all of your minds already?" says Saanea.
The young field commander faintly smiles, then says "Trust me, I'd know if you have" as he knows she would've projectiled vomited, and passed out if she had attempted to read the mind of Dorc da Orc.
The witch arches an eyebrow, and wonders how the young man named Tam knows she hasn't done that. Infact she can't read minds, as her knowledge of spells in patchy at best.
Though she does know how to tell if someone is telling the truth or not. And she finds that the young man she's been talking to is telling her the truth.
Saanea, who has always had itchy feet to say the least, especially after her marriage ended, is quiet for a few moments, then she says "You speak the truth".
Then after another slight pause, she asks "What exactly does this proposition of yours entail?".
"Travel for starters" says field commander Drubine, who is just about to continue on, when he's interrupted from behind by Dorc da Orc who says "Would you fucken hurry up ya cunts" followed by "Me is getting fucken hot standing out here in the fucken cunt sun".
Tam slightly grimaces, then says to the hillwoman "Sorry about that" he continues with "Could we continue the conversation inside, where it's cooler?".
The spellcaster is silent for a few moments as she contemplates what they have to offer, then she says "Of course".
And as the ork warleader grunts in satisfaction, Saanea the witch turns and leads them inside the farmhouse, and though she doesn't know it yet. Into her life, which is about to change dramatically in comparison to what she's lived so far . . . . . .