The Lost Ones 6.

Summer. Western Southlands. The Maldin Hills.

Sir Percavelle Lé Dic looks down, and nods his full helmed head when Lisell Maera the messenger says "They definitely came this way south".
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, hops back onto her horse after looking at the dry and dusty trail they're on.
Then the two of them continue on their way as they travel north.
They've crossed over to the eastern side of the Maldin Hills. The side of the range that's even more drier looking than the western side.
Though it isn't as hot over here during the afternoon, as there's a lot more shade. Though in the mornings, with the sun directly hitting it, one figures it will be much hotter than it is over on the western side of the hill range.
The two of them who rested during the heat of the day, continue down the trail, that they see in the distance leads to one of the many roads that crisscross the Maldin Hills.
They've seen no one this afternoon, apart from some herders in the distance, downhill. Moving their sheep to lower pasture.
Once they're on the road at the end of the trail. Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by the others in the group.
Stops and takes out the map of the area that Tamric Drubine the field commander gave her. After looking at it carefully, the messenger in the armies of Farque says "The old mining town isn't all that far away".
"Pray tell do you think many souls still live there?" asks sir Percavelle Lé Dic who then adds a "Wot".
"I'm not sure" answers the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, who continues with "If they are, probably best not to mention we wiped out most of those who turned to raiding".
She then adds in a dry tone of voice "They might not take too kindly to that" which causes the heavily armoured knight to guffaw in mirth.
They set off along the hillside road, heading north. With the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic, relatively comfortable in the slightly cooler temperatures over on this side of the hill range as they ride north.
Parts of the road are in shadow at this time of the day, and Lis finds it a relief not to be wiping her forehead all the time with a forearm as is often the case over on the otherside of the hill range.
The two of them, the messenger and the former paladin are riding side by side, and sir Percavelle Lé Dic or Percy as he's more commonly called by those who know him well, stands up in the saddle as he looks away along the road, then he says "I do believe there it is there wot".
Lis stands in the saddle too, and spots the small mining town further along the road they're on.
The attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands, whose mother was a street prostitute, and whose father, a man she never knew or met, was a sailor. Nods her head, and after a few moments, quietly says "Looks like people are still there".
The messenger in the armies of Farque, who knows the raiders who survived the failed attack upon the village that the group are living in. Won't of got back to the mining town yet. As they're on foot, and probably won't get back here until sometime tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. That's if they even return to the mining town.
She quietly says "We'll see if they know of her" followed by "Or if she's in one of the two villagers that they had already attacked".
"Yes indeed" says the member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che, who continues on with "It is proving rather difficult to locate this woman wot" the former knight of the first class then dryly adds "Sometimes i wonder if she is even real, due to how elusive she is to locate".
Lisell Maera nods, as she understands the sentiment. For the woman who was revealed to Helbe the elven thief by way of his powers of foresight before he and the others disappeared through a rift/void spell.
Has proven difficult to locate. Though it's not been helped that the only information the elven masterthief gave of her location, was the Maldin Hills.
And though they have a detailed description and name of the woman, and even seen an image of her, as the elven magic user showed them what she looked like before he and the others disappeared.
The rather general location of the Maldin Hills, has proven to make things difficult for the five of them who didn't disappear through the rift/void with the rest of the group.
They approach the mining town, and see that the ramshackle looking place is smaller than the village they're living in at the moment. And for that matter, smaller than most of the villages they've seen during their travels through the Maldin Hills.
There's a wagon track that leads up the hill to the northwest, to the mine entrance about a hundred yards away.
There's no wagons on it this afternoon, and it doesn't look like there's been one on it for months, if not years.
Well, i guess that's why they turned to raiding, Lis thinks to herself, as she looks towards the mine up the hill.
Then the messenger in the armies of Farque who is originally from the city-state of Brattonbury, looks around at the town as they ride into it.
The place is rundown to say the least. And that's a fairly generous description for it. As most of the dwellings look like they could fall down at any moment now.
With only a couple of buildings, that look to be much older, which are more sturdier looking. And look like they could stand for at least a few more centuries.
The attractive young woman from coast of the Southlands figures they were built by the original inhabitants and miners, who first dug out the mine.
And she nods for Percy to follow her as she rides over to one of those buildings, as they look at those who still inhabit this old mining town, here on the eastern side of the hill range.
A handful of people have come out to watch them as they dismount, and tie their horses up at a rail infront of the sturdy and solid looking building.
For the most part the people are either older, or very young. And they're not hillmen. But have the looks of those from the lowlands between the Maldin Hill country, and the coast.
Infact a lot of them are similar in colouring to Lis herself. Though for the most part, they're more fair haired than she is.
The messenger catches sight of a few hillmen, hillwomen to be exact. Most likely taken from the two villages to the northeast that were raided by some of the inhabitants of the old mining town.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury figures that she and the others have pretty much wiped out every able bodied man who lived here.
And that this old mining town, which if it wasn't doomed already, will not exist for much longer.
Looking at a couple of small children playing on the dusty ground nearby. Lis wonders if she's sealed their fate. She probably has, but there's nothing she can do about it. As their fathers by their actions, doomed them anyway.
"Such is life" murmurs the messenger in the elven language, then she quietly says in common to the large, heavily armoured knight "There's some hillmen or women i should say, in that house over there, sneaking a look at us".
The nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic, where he was once the earl of his family's fief. Has just looked into the building they're infront of and found it empty.
He looks to the dwelling Lis has indicated, and sourly smiles as he tells her in a dry tone "That's if it doth not fall down as we walk to it".
The messenger in the armies of Farque nods, as the house is more than a little dilapidated. One good wind storm could very well blow it over.
Lis and Percy make their way over to it, with the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands quietly telling the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic "I'll do the talking Percy".
The member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che reluctantly agrees with a grunt. Much to the relief of the messenger.
As she knows the former paladin and his overbearing manner, and boisterous voice can overwhelm most people. Especially people they're trying to get information from.
As they approach the house, they hear people scurrying about as they near it.
Lis knocks on the wide slat door, where they can see through the gaps in the slats.
As Percy stands behind the messenger, and looks with disapproval at the standard of the building.
The attractive young woman waits for someone to approach the otherside of the door. Which she sees someone eventually do after she knocks on it again.
The door slightly opens, and Lis says in the hillmen dialect "Greetings". The messenger who has learnt a few basic phrases and words in the language of the hillmen of Maldin, switches to the common language, and says "May we come in".
The woman, in her mid thirties, eyes up the messenger, then she looks a little nervously at the large, heavily armoured figure standing behind her.
"We mean you no harm" quietly says the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, who now serves in the armies of Farque.
After a moments pause, the hillwoman nods, then says in her accented common "You may come in".
The messenger, followed by the former paladin, enter the small dwelling, where they find two other hillwomen. Much younger, younger than even Lis. Both teenagers, one of whom is in the early stages of pregnancy.
"We wondered if you could help us with something" quietly says Lisell Maera as she looks at the two younger woman, then the older one in her thirties who bade her and Percy enter.
"But first" quietly says the messenger, who follows that with "I understand you're from the villages further to the northeast" she briefly pauses then adds "Taken from there?".
It's the older woman who answers with a nod and says "We are" followed by "My daughter Salma" indicating the younger of the two teens "And Sersha, Malna's daughter here" who is the older one, about sixteen, who is pregnant.
"Were taken in the spring by these miners" says the hillwoman, who says the word miners in disgust.
Lis nods, then after quickly looking out a shonky looking window that has no shutters, she quietly says "You no longer have to fear them" she then adds "They're all dead, well most of them are".
The pregnant teenage girl lets out a sob, one of relief not heartbreak.
While a look of relief crosses the face of the older hillwoman, and her daughter Salma straight out grins in pleasure.
The messenger in the armies of Farque quickly tells them what's happened. And after telling them of the demise of the raiders who lived in this old mining town, she says "We were wondering if you know of someone".
She then tells them the name of the woman they're looking for, and a detailed description of her.
"No one by that name in our village" says the hillwoman in her mid thirties, whose name is Gretta, she continues with "Don't know as if I've heard of anyone by that name in the village further to the east of ours as well".
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic grunts in disappointment, while Lisell Maera just nods, then the two of them take interest again when Gretta tells them "There be quite a few farm and croft holders further north along the roads, that continue up beyond our village and the next one along" she then adds "There's dozens and dozens of the places, and she could live on one of them".
Lis and Percy share a look. And the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands nods. And the former earl of Lé Dic says "Hmmm could be".
"Could be" quietly agrees the messenger with a nod of her head.
They stay the night, guests of Gretta and the two teenagers Salma and Sersha. Sharing an evening meal, though the two of them sleep outside on their blankets. Mostly because it's cooler, and because Percy doesn't trust the dwelling, which in his opinion, could fall down at any moment.
They leave early in the morning, well before dawn with Gretta, Salma and Sersha who have decided to leave.
Two other hillwomen who were captured, left just after the raiders decided to go south. And with no one to stop them, they left with ease.
They would of left too, but Sersha has been having trouble with morning sickness over the last couple of weeks, which has cleared up over the last few days.
She's fine to travel, and they pack what little possessions and food they have, and accompany the messenger in the armies of Farque, and the former paladin.
Lis lets the pregnant teenager ride on her horse which she leads. While Percy lets Gretta and her daughter Salma alternatively ride on his mount. Which is fine by him, as he doesn't entirely trust the horse as it's not battle trained. Nor is it accustomed to having a large, heavily armoured man upon it.
The former knight of the first class in the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che only took this particular horse, because it was the one his bitter rival, the ork warleader Dorc da Orc, kept eyeing up.
No doubt to do something nefarious and wicked to it, in the opinion of the the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic.
The travel from well before dawn, to after midmorning, covering the eight miles or so to the village that the hillwomen are from.
Once there, and the villagers are overjoyed that last three missing women from their village have finally returned.
And when Lis and Percy, are finally able to ask around about the whereabouts of the woman they're searching for.
They get a bit of luck, from a young man, who like many in the Maldin Hills, is taken by the beauty of the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury.
He's originally from a farm further to the northeast, beyond the next village. And he tells them that he has heard of a woman by that name. Who lives even further to the northeast. At the very northern tip of the hill country, where it turns to the east.
He's never seen her, but he guesses she might be around the age of the woman they're searching for.
"Someone with such an odd name, and around the age she's supposed to be" says Lisell Maera to sir Percavelle Lé Dic when they finally get some quiet time away from the hillmen of this village, who are more than appreciative that they returned Gretta, Sersha and Salma. Not to mention wiping out most of the raiders from the old mining town to the south.
"I doubt there's two people like that up there in that part of the hill country" adds the messenger, who is part of the scouts and rangers divisions in the armies of Farque.
"Tis no mere coincide alright" says the Druvician nobleman in agreement, who looks towards the road that heads north out of this particular hillside village, and he continues with "Verily shall we pursue this lead to the north?" he follows that with "Or return and inform the others?" he briefly pauses before adding a "Wot".
Lis doesn't even have to think about it, and she says "We'll go north and find out for ourselves" the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands continues with "Even if it isn't her, at least we'll know we haven't wasted our time going back to tell Tam and others, before heading back this way to try and find her".
"My sentiments exactly young Lis" says the middle aged knight from the kingdom of Druvic, who has been in his order for over thirty years now, having first joined when he was just fourteen.
They rest in the village throughout the hottest part of the day, and leave well after the middle of the afternoon. Taking a fair bit of food and supplies, that the villagers willingly give them.
The two of them take the road that takes them to the north out of the village, which turns northeast, as the hill range turns that way.
They figure they'll be in the next village by dusk or early evening. They'll stop there for the night. And in the morning they'll continue on their way, heading further to the northeast.
In search for the woman, they and the rest of the group, who didn't get sucked into a rift/void spell. Came here to the Maldin Hills to find . . . . . .