The Lost Ones 36.

Summer. The Southlands. The Maldin Hills & The Lowlands.

"Did you get them to speak?" asks Lisell Maera the messenger.
With a sour look upon his face, sir Percavelle Lé Dic says "The smelly beast eventually did".
The messenger or runner in the armies of Farque grimaces as she can pretty much imagine what happened.
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, grimaces again when the heavily armoured knight says "He started eating one poor fellow's arm, and the rest of them started jabbering like there was no tomorrow, wot".
Next to Lisell Maera, Saanea the witch gags, and feels like vomiting after hearing that from the nobleborn knight who is from the kingdom of Druvic.
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic looks away to the west, towards the flatlands and says "Hmmmm i can just make out that ship, wot".
"They're still going west" says Lisell Maera who is more commonly called Lis by the others in the group.
"We should get after them, wot" states the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic, who then makes his way down the path, to where Shur Kee the monk is standing. Watching some of the hillmen carry away their dead. Who were killed by the mercenaries who attacked their village this morning.
Lis along with Saanea the witch look up the path, and see Tamric Drubine the field commander making his way down through the village.
The nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin is followed by Dorc da Orc.
"Find out anything useful?" asks the messenger from the coast of the Southlands.
"Some" replies Tamric Drubine the field commander as he looks westwards, and spots the airship in the distance, heading across the lowlands.
"We know where that ship is from down in the lowlands" continues the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, which is located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
"And where they could go along the coast if they head out that far" adds Tamric Drubine who more often than not is called Tam by those who know him well.
"And the prisoners?" asks Saanea the witch who looks back up the hill through the village.
"Dead" says field commander Drubine referring to the half a dozen mercenaries who didn't flee, or were picked up by their airship. And were caught by the group here in the hillside village.
Behind the nobleborn teenager who is a senior officer in the armies of Farque. Dorc da Orc chuckles at what happened to those mercenaries they caught.
The large ork was the one to kill them. And he rather enjoyed doing it.
The spellcaster Saanea doesn't know what to make of the deaths of the mercenaries who were captured. And who were tortured before doing so.
She thinks they deserved to die for what they did here this morning. And what they did in another village further to the north, here in the Maldin Hills.
But she's not so certain if they should of been tortured beforehand. And that they probably died horrible deaths at the hands of the ork warleader. Who is standing there with a large grin upon his broad, green, brutish looking face.
Saanea's thoughts are interrupted by field commander Drubine asking her "Is your familiar following it?". Referring to the mercenary's airship that's limping away to the west.
"It is" says the pretty looking hillwoman, who closes her eyes to watch what her familiar is watching.
The local spellcaster who is from the very north of the hill country continues with "They've sustained a bit of damage, and are trying to repair it as they head west".
Tam nods his head, then he quietly says "I wonder if they're heading to the merchant's home town?" followed by "Or all the way out to the coast".
The young field commander in the armies of Farque "Time to get going".
Then after Saanea opens her eyes again, the nobleborn teen who hails from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin gestures down to where Shur Kee the monk and sir Percavelle Lé Dic are standing.
The four of them make their way down the path to where the former paladin and the physical adept are.
While behind them, one of the houses is still on fire. And another one has just been put out by the villagers.
After Tam calls out to some of the nearby villagers who though appreciative, are keeping their distance. And the field commander tells them to take whatever they want and can use from the dead mercenaries.
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin says to Saanea the witch "Once we're down beyond the orchard and vineyard, teleport us westwards".
The young field commander in the armies of Farque continues with "As many times as you can until you can no longer do so".
The pretty looking hillwoman nods her head in understanding as they head down through the rest of the village. Then they make their way down through the orchard and vineyard.
As they do, Dorc da Orc jogs off to the left through the trees in the orchard. Until he finds one of the mercenaries, who attacked the hillside village this morning.
The lowlander is injured, and crawling away on all fours. Groaning as he does so. Which gave him away, as the large ork heard him from the otherside of the orchard.
The ork warleader catches up to the rest of the group after stomping on the injured mercenary's head.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, is totally oblivious to the fact that there's brain matter, along with bits of scalp, hair and bone that's splattered over his right boot.
The ork weaponsmith is chuckling to himself as he rejoins the others as they walk out from the trees at the bottom of the orchard.
It's still early in the morning, only a glass past dawn. And the witch from the very north of the hill country. Teleports the group of them westwards. She does so again, and again. Then a fourth time, until she has to stop to recuperate some of her magical energy.
As a teleportation spell is weight dependant. And the heavier the thing, or person you're teleporting apart from yourself.
The more of a drain it is upon the caster and their magical power.
And with someone like sir Percavelle Lé Dic, a large man in a full suit of heavy plate armour.
And Tamric Drubine, who is also around six foot in height. And is wearing half plate armour.
Then there's Dorc da Orc as well. And the large ork weighs as more than three large, fully grown men.
That takes a lot of energy out of practitioner of magic, who keeps teleporting them. Along with the others.
Who thankfully for Saanea the witch, aren't particularly heavy. As she herself doesn't weigh all that much. And nor does Lisell Maera the messenger and Shur Kee the monk.
Looking westwards now that they're beyond the rolling hills in the very west of the Maldin Hills.
And that they're now down on the flatlands, Tamric Drubine the field commander who can see that the damaged airship that they're pursuing, is only about six miles away now. And is sailing slowly westwards sees that it might be possible to catch up to it sometime today.
As the group walk quickly across the lowlands, where even at this time of the morning it's no where near as warm as it is up in the hill range behind them.
On what feels like it's going to be another warm summer's day in this part of the Southlands.
They see the fleeing airship gradually pick up speed as it heads westwards.
Field commander Drubine quickly looks at Saanea the witch, and he takes hold of her right arm as they walk.
The pretty looking spellcaster has closed her eyes, and she says "They've done some patch work repairs on their ship" she follows that with "They might not be able to fly as fast as they possibly can, but they're flying a lot quicker than they just were".
"Damn" murmurs Tamric Drubine, who only lets go of the witch's arm after they've walked a bit further even though she's opened her eyes again.
"They are getting away, wot" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic who is further infront, just behind Lisell Maera and looking back at the others.
"I know that" says the young field commander in the armies of Farque.
The member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che looks at the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills, and sourly smiles.
Then he looks ahead again, and walks quickly to catch up to the messenger who is leading the way across the lowlands.
"Think we'll be able to catch them?" quietly asks the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, who is walking next to the pretty looking hillwoman.
Saanea the witch shakes her head no, then says "Not unless they stop somewhere".
She looks at the others in the group, then adds "There's too many of us for me to teleport quickly at a distance".
Tam slightly nods, and contemplates teleporting himself and one other with the witch. But he quickly forgets about that idea, as he doesn't want to split up the group in anyway.
After all, they've already been split off from the rest of the group. Who they have no idea where they are. As they went missing in the spring when they went through a rift/void that was accidentally cast by Mira Reinholt the mage.
"We'll just keep following them as quickly as we can" says field commander Drubine, who then asks the spellcaster from the very north of the Maldin Hills "Is your familiar still watching them?". "It is" replies Saanea the witch.
It's a blackbird at the moment, and it's on the rail on the stern of the airship. Looking like it's catching a ride westwards on the twin masted vessel.
The familiar is watching the group here on the aft deck near the wheel. Who are busy discussing things. In particular what went wrong with their attack upon a hillmen village first thing this morning.
And what they're going to do now, as they fly westwards across the lowlands.
"I say we keep heading out to the coast" says Brossic the lowlander, who leads the crew of mercenaries.
"We'll be able to find more mercs out there, and quickly too" continues Brossic who then adds "Compared to down here in the flatlands".
Sharnd the merchant, who is all for stopping in his hometown, which is further to the south and west in the lowlands, to do some proper repairs on his airship.
Can see the logic of Brossic's idea. And he nods in agreement with the leader of the crew of mercenaries.
"That may be all well and good" says Halnard the mercenary, who is from the large coastal port town of Gilsom.
"But what about that lot we ran into this morning?" adds Halnard, the most cautious of the five of them, who have plans to carve out a chunk of the Maldin Hills, to create a nation of their own up in the hill country.
"What happens if we come across them again, and they do even more damage than they've already done?" continues Halnard, who looks forward along the deck, as he quietly adds "They killed or injured more than half of the mercs we hired".
"Then we hire more mercs" says Brossic, who follows that with "And if we ever run across that lot again, by the gods we kill them!".
The others nod, with the exception of Grunna the sorcerer, who is looking aft.
The spellcaster from the coast, is looking back in the direction they've come from, casting a farsight spell as he does. Totally oblivious to the blackbird that's preening it's feathers as it perches on the stern rail of the airship.
"I can see them in the distance" says Grunna the sorcerer as he interrupts the conversation of the others.
They all look at him, then look back to the east across the lowlands when they see him looking in that direction.
"How far away are they?" asks Brossic the lowlander.
"About seven, maybe eight miles" says Grunna who continues with "They're falling behind, as we've picked up speed again".
The leader of the crew of mercenaries nods his head, then quietly "Should we deal to them?".
The sorcerer from the coast of the Southlands, slightly shrugs his shoulders, then says "Well there's only six of them".
The others fall silent for a few moments as that sinks in. That just six people took out more than half of the fifty hired mercenaries, and damaged the airship, and forced them to flee the Maldin Hills.
"Hell" mutters Spranen the mercenary, who like Halnard is from the large port town of Gilsom.
"Just six?" asks Sharnd the flatland merchant, whose airship they're traveling on.
"Yes" says Grunna with a nod of his head, who then adds "That troll, the knight" he briefly pauses before adding "The young fellow in the half plate armour, and the other one who was in the vineyard wearing that strange looking hat".
The sorcerer from the coast continues with "And two young women, one tall, from the coast by the looks of her. And the other a hillwoman, who is the damn witch who damaged the ship".
"I guess they're following us?" asks Brossic.
"Looks like it" is the reply from Grunna, who after a brief pause adds "They'll soon lose sight of us" followed by "Eventually that troll won't be able to see us either, as we'll get out too far from them".
The leader of the crew of mercenaries nods, then says "We'll definitely go out to the coast then" Brossic continues with "I don't want them knowing what we'll get up to".
The others murmur in agreement, then Halnard from Gilsom says "Who the hell are they?" followed by "And why follow us?".
Next to him, Spranen says "And what were they doing in that village?" followed by "With the exception of that witch, none of them are from the hill country".
"Traveling group of mercenaries most like" says Sharnd the lowland merchant.
"True" says Halnard, who after he briefly pauses, he adds "That doesn't explain why they're still following us".
"A group of vengeful mercenaries then" says Sharnd in exasperation, who adds in the same tone "I don't know why the hell they're doing what they're doing".
"Who knows why" says Brossic the lowlander, who continues with "But what i do know, is that we've got to hire more mercs than what we did previously" and with a glance at Grunna, he adds "And that includes spellcasters too".
The leader of the crew of mercenaries continues with "Just incase we run into them again when we return to the hill country".
The others who are all silent, eventually nod their heads in agreement with what Brossic just said.
Including Grunna the sorcerer, who isn't particularly fond of working in conjunction with other practitioners of magic.
As they all look to the east, back in the direction they've come from after the failure of the attack on a hillmen village first thing this morning.
Wondering if they'll again encounter those six who attacked them this morning, and forced them to flee the Maldin Hills.
The five of them, who have plans to set up their own nation in the hill country, rather hope they don't run across that group of six strangers ever again . . . . . .