The Lost Ones 37.

Summer. The Lowlands & The Coast Of The Southlands.

They fly throughout the rest of the day, going the forty miles or so to the coast which they reach at nighttime.
There they turn north, as they're bound for the large port town of Gilsom. As the shipwrights there are best able to fully repair the damaged airship.
Though they stop at a coastal village late at night for the simple reason the ship's crew are exhausted.
They've spent all day doing repair work on the twin masted vessel. But unable to fix the holes in the underside of the airship that belongs to Sharnd the flatland merchant.
The ship's carpenter is out on his feet, and he and his apprentice have to be carried down to their cabin because they're so exhausted.
While the core group of five who are wanting to set up a nation of their own in the Maldin Hills. Who have run into their first problem with their plans.
Go to sleep that night wondering how long it will take to properly repair the airship. And how long it will be before they're able to resume their plans, hoping to establish their own nation in the hill country that lies across on the otherside of the lowlands they've just crossed.
They also go to sleep, wondering about those who attacked them in the village early in the morning. And if they're still pursuing them at all.
They are, though the group numbering six have to stop late at night too.
For the simple reason that Saanea the witch is exhausted after teleporting them every so often throughout the day.
And because, with the exception of Dorc da Orc the others are tired too. And Tamric Drubine the field commander doesn't want any mishaps during the middle of the night.
They stop at a lowland village set amongst a large copse of trees. Here on the flatlands, where the grass is slowly turning a straw colour in the heat of the summer.
You're more likely to find villages and towns along riversides, or amongst the copses that are dotted across the lowlands.
Dorc da Orc who has lost sight of the airship they're following. Though he's sure it turned north earlier in the night when it got to what he believes is the coast.
Wouldn't mind continuing on. Though he's persuaded to stay with the others for the simple reason he's run out of booze. And here in the village they've stop at. There's plenty of alcohol to be had.
Even better there's ale and beer. Which isn't brewed back in the Maldin Hills. Where various sweet wines are produced. The large ork has been predominantly drinking that for the last couple of months.
So to drink various ales and beers. Is a pleasant distraction for the ork warleader. Who drinks throughout the night. As he basically buys all the alcohol in the village at the moment.
Where they keep their beer and ale cool, by having them in stone wear jugs in the stream that runs behind the village.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world might be disgusted every time he pulls up a rope tied to a tree, at the end of which is a jug of beer or ale sitting in the nearby stream.
But that doesn't stop him from doing it. As he drinks throughout the night. While eating legs of roast lamb he's bought from the villagers.
He's still doing that early in the morning, well before dawn when the others wake up.
Tamric Drubine the field commander wakes up, and looks at the sleeping witch beside him. They're in the main room of a house, that they basically hired from a local family. Who spent the night with the family next door. As the small village doesn't have an inn, let alone a tavern.
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin watches the sleeping Saanea for some time. Before he looks beyond her, and sees that Lisell Maera is already up and outside by the looks of things, as the door to outside is open.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group figures that Shur Kee the monk is already awake and outside. As the short, statured monk is always the first to wake up.
And from the sounds of snoring coming from the bedroom in the house. Sir Percavelle Lé Dic is still fast asleep.
And no doubt the young field commander in the armies of Farque is thinking Dorc da Orc is still outside somewhere behind the house and the village.
By the stream where the local lowlanders keep their beer and ale. Which Tam figures he's probably drunk most of by now.
The son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, a castle located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
Gets up, and without waking the sleeping Saanea. He makes his way outside of the house.
Where in the gloom before dawn, he finds Lisell Maera sitting on the porch. The messenger is yawning as she watches Shur Kee going through his morning exercises in the clear patch between this house and the next.
Field commander Drubine watches the physical adept too. Knowing that all Shur Kee has to do is speed up the slow movements he's doing. And they'll become deadly strikes if he was to hit someone with them.
Tam sits down next to the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, as they wait for both Saanea the witch, and sir Percavelle Lé Dic to wake up.
"Where's Dorc?" quietly asks Tamric Drubine the field commander in the elven language. He speaks just above a whisper, so as not to disturb the physical adept's exercises.
"Still there" replies Lisell Maera the messenger in the same language, who speaks barely louder than a whisper too.
The young field commander looks to where the messenger or runner, nods to beyond the gap between this house and the next.
And about thirty yards away in the predawn gloom. The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin. Is just able to see the large figure of the ork warleader sitting at the base of a tree, close to the nearby stream.
Tam is fairly sure the ork warleader, who is a general in the armies of Farque is drinking from a stone wear jug which are popular throughout both the lowlands, and the hill country to the east.
And if field commander Drubine listens carefully, he's pretty sure he can hear the ork weaponsmith murmuring and chuckling to himself between drinking from the jug he's got at the moment.
Tamric Drubine is just glad that there's no where near enough alcohol in this village to get the large ork even anywhere near drunk.
It will take a lot more than what one small lowland village has in supply of booze to get the warleader of the ork race drunk.
"On to the coast then?" quietly asks Lisell Maera who is more commonly called Lis by the others in the group.
"Looks like it" is the quiet reply from the young field commander as the two of them converse in the elven language.
"They'll have to find somewhere to fix their ship" continues the nobleborn teenager who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
"And one of the ports along the coast is the best place for that" adds Tam who continues with "Besides, last night Dorc saw them out on the coast, which from my best guess, is only four or five miles from here".
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, whose mother was a street prostitute, and whose father was a sailor.
Nods her head in agreement with the young field commander. As last night when she spoke with some of the villagers, they mentioned that the coast wasn't all that far away.
Next to Lis, Tam sees Shur Kee come to the end of his exercises, and bow in the direction the sun is to rise from.
The nobleborn teen who is a senior officer in the armies of Farque calls out in the early morning gloom "Dorc we're going to leave soon".
"Yeah cunt" is the reply from Dorc da Orc as he pulls one of the last jugs out of the stream that runs behind the village in the middle of a copse.
And by the time they're all awake, and had a quick bite for breakfast, then cleaned up.
The large ork has taken the last two stone wear jugs out of the stream. And keeping them for now, he follows the others out of the village as they leave at first light, as the sun rises behind them in the east, as they walk west towards the nearby coast.
They walk for a little while, on a dirt packed road that goes out to the coast.
Saanea the witch doesn't want to expend any magical power more than necessary. So she waits until there's more light from the rising sun to see by, before she teleports the lot of them for the first time this morning.
Tamric Drubine nods his head, as from behind him and Saanea the witch as they walk together, Dorc da Orc says "Them cunts went fucken north last night".
Then within a quarter of a glass, the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills has enough light to see by, and she teleports them all westwards.
She does so again, then a third time. Which she goes northwest, and they end up on another road, the coast road.
They walk north, going by beaches and seaside villages in the early morning light, on what feels like it's going to be warm and sunny day along the coast of the Southlands.
Tamric Drubine who has told the pretty looking hillwoman beside him not to cast again for a little while.
Looks back at the following ork warleader, and asks him "Dorc can you see that ship yet?".
Dorkindle looks northwards, and sees quite a few airships in the sky, heading up and down the coast. As well as inland, and he spots a couple coming into towards the coast.
Which is always busy, both on the sea and up in the air. As well as on the ground, as a couple of wagons have already gone by them, heading south as the group walks north.
"Hmmmm" says the ork weaponsmith as he looks to the north, hoping to spot the airship they've pursued from the Maldin Hills, which are just over forty miles to the east.
The big, burly looking ork from the southern polar region of the world grunts as he sees an airship has just risen into the morning sky, and is heading north, about eight miles away.
"Me see them cunts" says Dorkindle who then explains "They just taking off for the day" he continues with "Them merc fuckers are going north".
Tam looks at the witch walking beside him, who tells him "My familiar is still onboard watching them".
Onboard the partially damaged airship that belongs to Sharnd the flatland merchant. Brossic the lowlander yawns as he makes his way up onto the deck, as the airship lifts off, leaving behind the small village they stayed the night in.
The leader of the crew of mercenaries grunts as he sees a blackbird perched on a sheet, preening it's feathers as it catches a ride on the airship.
Brossic watches it fly away, not realising it's just gone under the twin masted vessel, and come up on the otherside of it. Where it heads up into the aft mast. Where it lands on a spar, and looks down at those who are making their way to the aft deck.
One of whom is Brossic, who is the second to last of the group of five, who have plans to take over a fair portion of the Maldin Hills, where they hope to set up a nation of their own.
The last of the group of five onto the aft deck is Grunna the sorcerer, who is yawning more than the lowlander Brossic.
The crew leader grunts in greeting when he joins the others on the aft deck, he does so again, when Sharnd the flatland merchant quietly says "The captain says we'll reach this end of the Cascades by midmorning".
Referring to the range of hills, much smaller and shorter than the Maldin Hills. Which run just behind the coast, for about fifty miles or so. Unlike the hill country to the east of the lowlands. The Maldin Hills, which run from north to south, well in excess of two hundred miles.
"And Gilsom sometime just before midday" adds the merchant who owns the twin masted airship they're traveling on.
"Good" says Brossic the lowlander mercenary after he clears his throat.
"We can get to hiring as the ship is repaired" adds Brossic, who looks at both Spranen and Halnard who are from Gilsom and says "You two will be in charge of that" followed by "You'll know the best places to go to find those we need".
The two mercenaries from the large port town of Gilsom nod to that, then Spranen says "Will it matter where they're from?". As so far, they've only hired mercenaries from the lowlands and along the coast.
"Because there'll be a lot of mercs from pretty much everywhere there" adds Spranen who continues with "Even from across the Great Western Ocean".
Brossic glances at Sharnd the merchant, who slightly nods his head yes.
"That's fine" says the leader of the crew of mercenaries who briefly pauses, as the captain nearby calls out some orders.
Brossic then continues with "Though if they're from Nors, make sure they want to stay and settle here in the Southlands".
"Will do" says Spranen, next to him, Halnard nods in agreement with his fellow mercenary from Gilsom.
Brossic then looks at the sorcerer Grunna, and says to him "I trust you to find any spellcasters we might need".
The spellcaster from further down the coast, who doesn't particularly like working with other practitioners of magic, but can see the necessity of doing so now, nods his head that he will.
Grunna the sorcerer then says "They won't come cheap" followed by "Spellcasters are always more expensive than regular mercs" he then asks "How many do you want me to try and hire?".
Brossic looks at the merchant Sharnd, who is the one most responsible for funding their plans.
"Two I'd say" says the flatland merchant, who continues with "I don't know how much it's going to cost to fix the underside of the hull".
Sharnd who expects the repair work on his airship is going to be expensive, no matter which shipwright he goes to, then says "Two for now, and if we have need for more in the future, we'll see how things stand".
"Taking more villages and towns back in the hill country will help with things" says Brossic the lowlander, who continues with "Especially once we attack the mining towns".
Which they expect to be the more difficult places to attack up in the Maldin Hills. As the failure early yesterday morning was a bit of anomaly to say the least. As they were not expecting to run into those they did run into.
"If we don't run into anymore surprises" dryly says Brossic referring to what happened in a hillmen village yesterday morning "Then things should start returning to what we've planned" adds the leader of the mercenary crew, who continues with "Especially with the new lot we hire, as there'll be more of them, and hopefully a couple of spellcasters too".
The others all nod, then the most cautious of the five of them, Halnard the mercenary says "And what about that lot we ran into yesterday morning?".
The mercenary from the large port town of Gilsom continues with "What if they're still following us?" Halnard then adds "Or we run into them again somewhere?".
"Then we'll deal to them" replies Brossic the lowlander, next to him, Grunna the sorcerer nods in agreement.
Then the spellcaster who is from further south along the coast, looks back in the direction they came from last night, back to the south and east, across the lowlands.
As the airship goes out over the water as it heads north, the sorcerer who has cast a farsight spell upon himself. Looks for those who attacked them in the hillmen village early yesterday morning.
Grunna can't see them as he looks back towards the lowlands, and he tells the others "I can't see them anywhere".
"They probably lost us during the night" says Brossic the lowlander, the others nod in agreement.
Though if Grunna looked directly south along the coast road, he might be able to spot the small group who are pursuing them.
And if he thought about things a bit more. And remembered that witches, like the one who attacked the airship yesterday morning, have familiars.
Then he'd search for one, and realise that there's one up in the aft mast of the airship. In the form of a blackbird, looking down at those on the aft deck, watching and listening to everything they say and do as they fly north to the large port town of Gilsom . . . . . .