The Lost Ones 30.

Summer. The Lowlands. West Of The Maldin Hills. The Southlands.

They've made their way down to the flatlands or the lowlands as they're more commonly called.
They're a few miles out from the very west of the Maldin Hills. Where the land turns from low, rolling hills, to land that's basically flat all the way to the coast of the Southlands, that's a further thirty to forty miles to the west.
They're in a large lowland village that could be called a town, if only it had more than one inn.
And from the one inn the village does have, walks out Tamric Drubine the field commander, followed by Lisell Maera the messenger.
"They definitely stopped off here when they left" says Tamric Drubine the field commander as the two of them speak in the elven language as they make their way through the village.
"And they went west" says Lisell Maera the messenger as they briefly stop to let a horse drawn wagon go by.
"Though they left at dusk" continues the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who then adds "Do you think they actually continued out that way to the coast?".
"I doubt it" says the nobleborn teenager who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
"They probably changed course when it got dark" continues the young field commander in the armies of Farque, who follows that with "That's what i would do".
The messenger or runner as they're sometimes referred to, nods her head in agreement with field commander Drubine.
As the two of them head back through the village, to where the others are waiting for them.
Saanea the witch slightly shakes her head as she watches Dorc da Orc and sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
The two of them seem to be ignoring one another. But the pretty looking hillwoman sees the occasional glare and scowl the two of them direct at one another.
Like just now, as the large ork sitting in the shade behind a wood shed, angrily scowls at the heavily armoured knight who is standing beneath a nearby tree.
As for the former paladin, he glares back at the ork warleader. Before the two of them seemingly go back to ignoring one another.
The witch from the nearby Maldin Hills looks over at Shur Kee the monk, who is sitting beneath another of the trees here on this side of the village.
The short, statured monk wearing the odd, conical shaped hat. Is sitting there with his eyes closed as if he's meditating. That's exactly what he's doing.
The witch Saanea is of the opinion that if it was just her, here with Dorc da Orc and sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
The two of them, who remind the spellcaster of nothing more than two hill cats trying to kill one another over territory.
Would be at each others throats if Shur Kee wasn't here with her.
The pretty looking hillwoman then sourly smiles as her familiar, which is in its cat form at the moment, saunters over to where the acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li is sitting against the trunk of a tree.
Hop into the lap of the physical adept, and start purring loudly as the short, statured monk pats it as he continues to sit there with his eyes closed.
The witch's familiar spends almost as much time with the honorary member of lord Farque's personal council as she does with her at the moment.
And the familiar has made it no secret to Saanea that she likes being in the company of acolyte in the order of Bru Li.
The spellcaster from the Maldin Hills, looks over at Dorc da Orc who after glaring at his bitter rival, sir Percavelle Lé Dic again.
Grunts then looks away to his left, a few moments later, and Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera make their way from around the next house along, on this side of the large village.
The first such village in this part of the lowlands just to the west of the Maldin Hill range.
The field commander briefly smiles at the witch, which of course Saanea, as well as Lisell Maera notice.
"That airship they were on briefly stopped here" Tamric Drubine says to the others "By chance, to you happen to know which way they went?" asks sir Percavelle Lé Dic who quickly adds "Wot".
"West towards the coast" says the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
"Though they left in the early evening, and could of easily changed direction as it got dark" adds the young field commander in the armies of Farque, who continues with "Which is what I'm guessing they did".
"Hmmmm" murmurs the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic, who then adds "What course of action do you suggest young Tam?" followed by a "Wot".
"That's fucken easy ya dumb cunt" says Dorc da Orc with a glare directed at the knight who is a member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che.
The large ork, then flicks a glance towards Saanea as he says "She can do something fucken witchy".
"Pardon?" says the pretty looking hillwoman, who is making her first foray into the lowlands to the west of the Maldin Hills.
She's gone down into the flatlands to the east of the hill country before, infact a couple of times. But this is the first time she's been down here, to the west of the hill range.
"You know" says the ork warleader, who follows that with "Do something magicky to find where them cuntdicks went".
"He means if you can scry them out" says Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
The spellcaster from the nearby Maldin Hills, who has mentioned to the young field commander it might be possible for her to scry out who they're looking for, if the conditions are right.
Nods her head, then asks the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin "Do you know where they set down when they stopped here?".
"Over on the otherside of the village" replies field commander Drubine, Saanea the witch nods, then says "Let's go and have a look".
The group move off, though Dorkindle does grumble as he gets up off the ground, and has to move out of the shade he was sitting in.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world follows behind the rest of the group. Glad that they're down out of the Maldin Hills.
Here in the lowlands, it's still warm, especially as it's another clear and sunny, summer's day.
But it's no where near as hot as it's been up in the dry and dusty Maldin Hills, where the heat, depending on the time of the day, and what side of the range you're on, can be quite oppressive.
They make their way around to the west side of the village, followed by a group of curious children, who point and stare at the strangers.
Until Dorc da Orc turns and roars at the children, who take off running, screaming and screeching in fright. Which of course causes the ork weaponsmith to laugh.
"Fucken humanlings" chuckles the warleader of the ork race who is a general in the armies of Farque.
On the west side of the village, they look around for any sign of where the airship they're searching for set down, when it stopped off here.
"Dorc where did it land?" asks the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, a castle located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
Dorkindle who is just about to sit down in the shade beneath a tree.
Sourly grunts, then makes his way to where the others are standing.
The ork general looks carefully at the ground in the area, then he walks away to the left, and stops after twenty paces, and says "Fucken here" as he points at the ground.
The weaponsmith who is the son of the previous matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks, gestures to where the airship landed, and says "Along like this" followed by "Front here, fucken back down there".
Field commander Drubine nods then says "Thanks Dorc". The warleader of the ork race just grunts, as he quickly makes his way to the tree he's decided to sit beneath, as it offers quite a bit of shade. Especially compared to the bare looking trees found up in the nearby Maldin Hills.
Looking at Saanea the witch, Tamric Drubine asks her "Are you able to do anything?".
"I might be" is the reply from the pretty looking hillwoman as she looks at the ground where an airship recently put down, when it stopped here at the village.
The witch's familiar hops off the shoulders of Shur Kee the monk, and makes her way to Saanea. The cat rubs up along her legs, before the spellcaster picks it up, and holds it in her arms.
Then the witch from the nearby hill country closes her eyes as she attempts to scry out where the airship went.
"The devil's work i tell you" declares sir Percavelle Lé Dic as he looks at the spellcaster who has recently joined the group, he then adds "And doubly so, because she is a woman, wot".
Both Lisell Maera and Tamric Drubine roll their eyes, as the former paladin in the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che continues with "Another evil doer is amongst our ranks, wot" followed by "Flaunting their deceptive and ungodly arts, wot".
"That's a bit rich coming from you Percy" dryly says Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by the others in the group.
"Considering that shield and sword you carry" dryly continues the attractive young woman who hails from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury.
"My dear girl, that's entirely different wot" says the large, heavily armoured knight in a haughty manner.
"Oh?" says Lis who arches an eyebrow as she looks at the nobleborn knight who is the former earl of Lé Dic, which is his family's fief in the kingdom of Druvic.
"Yes, indeed" declares Percy with a dismissive wave of a gauntleted hand.
"How so?" asks the messenger who is in the scouts and rangers division in the armies of Farque.
"Because they're mine!" loudly states sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who after looking disapprovingly at Saanea the witch, turns and stomps away, to stand beneath a nearby tree.
Ironically the tree next to the one that Dorc da Orc is already sitting under.
Both Lis and Tam faintly smile, as does Shur Kee the monk as they look at the former paladin who is a member of the Knights of Saint Mar-che. One of the largest and most influential order of knights to be found in the Southlands.
Then the runner, the field commander and the physical adept. Look at Saanea the witch again, and watch her as she stands there with her eyes closed.
Eventually a faint hazy light appears in the daytime sunshine. It forms into the outline of an airship. More or less in the position Dorc da Orc indicated where an airship put down here, just outside the village.
The blue, fuzzy outline gets more distinguishable, and details can be seen. And now figures can be seen on the deck of the twin masted vessel.
They start to get more detailed. And amongst them, there's a few that Tam, Lis and Shur Kee recognise as mercenary guards who visited the village the group were previously staying in up in the Maldin Hills.
Then the outlined image of the airship lifts up into the air, as it takes off. The twin masted vessel slightly turns, and begins to turn west.
As it does, the image begins to dissipate. While it does, the cat in the arms of Saanea turns into a falcon, and takes off into the sky.
And as the outline image of the airship finally disappears. The witch's familiar passes through exactly where it was. Then the falcon flies away into the late morning sunshine, heading westward.
Tamric Drubine, Lisell Maera, Shur Kee the monk, and even sir Percavelle Lé Dic and Dorc da Orc look at the spellcaster from the nearby hill country, who has opened her eyes, and says "We follow it" as she points in the direction her familiar flew away to "It's following the way that airship went" adds Saanea.
"Let's go" says field commander Drubine, who sets off followed by the others.
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, looks back at Dorc da Orc, who looks annoyed to be on the move again, and the young field commander in the armies of Farque tells him "Keep an eye on it Dorc" followed by "Don't lose sight of it".
Although there's a sour looking expression upon the broad, green, brutish looking face of the ork warleader, he does grunt in a positive manner in response to Tam.
"How long will it follow which way that airship went?" asks field commander Drubine as he walks beside the pretty looking hillwoman he's attracted to, while Lisell Maera runs by them, as the messenger in the armies gets out infront of the rest of the group.
"Depends" says Saanea the witch, who briefly pauses, before she adds in a slightly dry tone of voice "She's got a mind of her own, and tends to do what she wants".
Tamric Drubine faintly smiles, then the spellcaster from the nearby Maldin Hills tells him "Though she usually sticks to a task for sometime before she gets bored and does what she wants".
They walk for a mile or so, heading west, further out onto the flatlands, when both Dorc da Orc and Saanea, who can sense the direction her familiar has gone, but not see it, as it's out of sight, apart from the large ork's sight.
Tell the others to turn south as that's the way the familiar has now gone. Though in the ork weaponsmith's case. He tells them to go, not north. Then he tells them, right, followed by, the other fucken right, as he actually means left.
They head due south across the lowlands now, and as Tamric Drubine walks beside the pretty looking hillwoman.
He wonders where the airship they're following is going to. And what the flatland merchant named Sharnd, and the mercenary guards of his, along with others on the airship. Who attacked the village up in the nearby hill country, the group were previously living in.
Are up to now, as they've headed south over the lowlands, here to the west of the Maldin Hills . . . . . .