The Lost Ones 60.

Summer. The Town Of Falmare. The Lowlands. The Southlands.

Lisell Maera the messenger makes her way through the town of Falmare.
She's the only one to enter the large town for the simple reason the others were all seen by those they're pursuing.
Either up in the Maldin Hills when they first attacked them, or later in the port town of Gilsom. When they destroyed the airship of those they're after.
The attractive young woman originally from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, makes her way to a taverna, where she sits at a table in the shade of a tree out infront of the establishment.
After she orders a wine, the messenger in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque waits.
"I hope to hell it turns up" Lisell Maera the messenger mutters to herself after the serving woman delivers her a goblet of wine.
Saanea the witch told the messenger or runner as they're often referred to, that it will turn up.
The pretty looking hillwoman just didn't tell the tall, lean attractive looking young woman from the coast of the Southlands, when it would turn up, and what it would look like.
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by those who know her well. Looks around and spots a couple of mercenaries making their way down the street.
She wonders if they're part of the group that she and the others have been after.
Or if they've been hired by them, since they arrived here in Falmare yesterday morning.
Either way, the two men, glance in her direction as they walk by. She suspects they're admiring her for the way she looks, than who she might actually be.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, whose mother was a street prostitute, and whose father, who she never knew, was a sailor.
Wryly smiles to herself after taking another sip of wine. As that tends to happen to her a lot. Admiring looks directed at her.
And though admittedly it's sometimes flattering. More often than not, Lis finds it annoying. And at other times outright a hassle. Where she often has to take steps. To curb any unwanted attention directed at her. Steps that often require violence on her part.
The messenger in the armies of Farque after taking another sip of wine, looks up at the tree next to her. And at the other one here infront of the small taverna.
Looking at some of the birds flitting between the branches, she wonders if one of them is it.
When suddenly their comes a quiet meow from down beside her.
Lis looks down and sees a tabby coloured cat. The eyes of which have for more intelligence than any feline ought to have.
The attractive young woman takes another of sip of wine, clears her throat, then murmurs "Lead the way".
She gets up, and watches as the cat wanders a few yards away, then looks back at her.
Lisell Maera nods, and walks towards it. The cat seeing that the messenger in the scouts and rangers division is following behind her. Continues on it's way. Going across the street that runs infront of the taverna. And enters a lane. Lis follows after it.
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury wryly smiles as she follows after Saanea's familiar.
A creature that's often flighty or circumspect to say the least.
The familiar tends to keep away from the others in the group, though in cat form it might rub up against one's legs.
The exceptions to this are Shur Kee the monk. As the familiar, no matter what form it's in. Is all over the short, statured monk. Just as much as it engages with Saanea the witch herself. Much to the annoyance of the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills.
Lisell Maera has seen the familiar in the form of a number of animals, cats, small dogs, birds, and even lizards. Riding on the shoulders of the acolyte in the order of Bru Li.
The physical adept who is from the far east coast of the continent. Where his homeland, the kingdom of Wah Lee is located.
Takes it in his stride that the familiar of Saanea the witch is often all over him. And he's not annoyed in the least that it likes being around him.
The other exception is Dorc da Orc. Which the familiar to the witch from the Maldin Hills keeps well away from. And with good reason. As the large ork wants to eat it. The ork warleader has tried to grab it a number of times already. But the clever magical creature is far to quick and smart for the big, burly ork who is from the southern polar region of the world.
The messenger in the armies of Farque follows the familiar through the lanes, streets and side streets of the town of Falmare.
One of the largest towns in the lowlands that lie between the Maldin Hills to the east, and the coast of the Southlands to the west.
The tabby coloured cat occasionally stops somewhere as it leads Lis through town. Usually an inn, or a taverna. And often one of the boarding houses.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury nods her head whenever it does. As the familiar shows her the locations of those they're after, here in the town of Falmare.
The runner in the scouts and rangers division in the armies of Farque, figures the core group of those she and the others are after, must be hiring additional mercenaries who are here in Falmare, or are passing through town.
For what the familiar has shown her, there's a lot more of them now than there were when they fled the port town of Gilsom on a coastal raider a few nights ago.
Lis clears her throat, and the familiar stops, then wanders back to her, as she stops at a street corner.
The messenger kneels down after the tabby coloured cat meows and rubs against her legs.
"Take me to where that merchant Sharnd is" quietly murmurs Lisell Maera.
She and the rest of the group have learnt the names of the core group they're after, from Saanea spying on them with her familiar.
"Or their leader Brossic" quietly adds the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands as she pats the magical creature that's taken the form of a cat.
The familiar tilts its head as it looks up at Lis, then it meows at her after butting her right hand with its nose.
It wanders away, stopping a few yards away. Where it looks back at Lisell Maera to make sure she follows.
Seeing that the messenger is. The tabby coloured cat heads right into a lane. And the messenger in the armies of Farque follows closely behind it.
The familiar leads the lean, tall, athletic looking young woman into what's clearly a residential neighbourhood in the town of Falmare. Stopping near a fairly large fenced off two storey house.
Lis who hears children playing in the yard and gardens behind the two storey house. Slightly nods her head in understanding. As this his the home of Sharnd the merchant who is a resident of Falmare. And the merchant must of gone home to his wife and children.
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury looks at the familiar, who is looking back at her.
Lis slightly shakes her head no, then mouths the name Brossic. The tabby coloured cat meows, then starts making its way down the street. Going by the residence of Sharnd the merchant.
The messenger in the armies of Farque follows after the familiar that belongs to Saanea the witch.
And they head to the north side of Falmare, to one of the larger inns on that side of town.
Lis slightly nods her head as she sees a pair of sailors, disreputable looking sailors at that. Who can only be pirates, hired in Gilsom by those they're after.
Make their way out of the inn. A little unsteady as they do so. They're drunk already, as it's not yet midmorning here in the lowlands between the Maldin Hills and the coast of the Southlands.
The two pirates berate a man walking down the street, and try to grab a young woman going about her business this morning.
She hurries away before one of the drunk sailors attempts to grab her again. But falls over laughing, and has to be helped up by his fellow crew member.
The messenger in the scouts and rangers division in the armies of Farque narrows her eyelids as she watches the pair of sailors from Gilsom.
And wonders if they'll come her way as she follows Saanea's familiar down the street.
But they're too drunk to notice her on the side of the street she's on as they stumble into a lane on their left. Presumably to go to one of the nearby boarding houses. As by the looks of the inn, it looks a little expensive for an ordinary mercenary to stay in.
The tabby coloured cat has stopped at the corner of a building, and Lisell Maera stops beside it, and kneels down whispering "Is he in there at the moment?".
The familiar gives what can only be a shrug of its shoulders, then it wanders down the narrow gap between this building and the next.
Lis watches it, until it disappears amongst the shadows between the two buildings.
The next moment, a bird comes flying at the messenger, narrowly missing her.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury spins around. And spots the small bird, a sparrow by the looks of it. Go up and over the roof of the inn across the street.
The inn is like many a building on the coast of the Southlands, or near it. As it has it's courtyard in the center of it.
Lis assumes the sparrow has gone down into the courtyard in the middle of the inn.
She waits out here at the corner of the building. And doesn't have to wait that long. As she spots the sparrow come up over the roof, and across the street towards her.
It passes over her head, and into the narrow gap between the two buildings.
The messenger in the armies of Farque turns. And a few moments later, the tabby coloured cat comes sauntering out of the shadows towards Lisell Maera.
"One meow yes, two for no" murmurs the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands as she crouches down and pats the familiar of Saanea the witch, as it rubs against her legs.
"Is he in there at the moment?" adds Lis in a murmur.
After the tabby coloured cat bumps her nose into the right hand of the runner, it quietly meows twice.
"Damn" mutters the messenger in the armies of Farque in elven.
Then reverting back to the common language, she murmurs to the magical creature "Any of the other leaders in there?". The cat meows once in reply to her.
"Good enough" murmurs Lis, who gets up after patting the tabby coloured cat again.
Then she crosses the street to the inn. As the runner does, a sparrow passes just above her, and goes up and over the roof of the inn, disappearing down into the inner courtyard of the establishment.
Lisell Maera enters the inn, and after speaking to the innkeeper, and ordering a goblet of wine, and a small plate of cheese and cold sliced meat. She tells him, she'll take it in the courtyard, which she can see through a hallway that leads to it. That there's a number of tables in it, as there's also trees in it, to help keep it cool on a warm summer's day, like today is.
The messenger in the armies of Farque takes a seat at one of the small round tables.
And though she's seated beneath a tree, and somewhat in the shade. The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury gathers the attention of the others at the tables that are occupied here in the inner courtyard of the inn.
They're obviously all mercenaries. And at one of the tables beneath a tree, that has a rather active sparrow jumping from branch to branch in it.
Lis recognises two of the mercenaries as being those who are leading the group who are trying to establish a nation of their own up in the Maldin Hills.
Spranen and Halnard, two mercenaries from the port town of Gilsom. And from what Saanea the witch has learnt from her observations through her familiar.
They're the two mercenaries out of the core group of five, who do most of the hiring.
I wonder if they'll try and hire me? Lisell Maera thinks to herself, who then says "Thanks" to the serving woman who puts down a small plate of cheese and sliced cold meat on the table, as well as a goblet of wine.
I bet they do, silently adds the runner in the armies of Farque who is slightly surprised to find her goblet of white wine is chilled. Something she appreciates on such a warm day here in the lowlands, or flatlands as they're sometimes referred to.
Lis has made it no secret she's a traveling mercenary. As she has her crossbow slung across her back. And her sword on her left hip. Countered by a brace of throwing daggers on her other hip.
Pretty much all of the mercenaries here in the inner courtyard of the inn, are eyeing her up to some degree or another.
With the mercenaries from the port town of Gilsom, quietly talking to one another, as they occasionally glance her way.
The messenger in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque knows she's getting eyed up because of her looks, just as much or even more than her being a mercenary.
Lisell Maera glances up into the branches above the table that the mercenaries Spranen and Halnard are sitting at.
And she spots Saanea's familiar perched on a branch, bobbing it's head up and down, as it looks down at the two mercenaries from Gilsom at the table below it.
The magical creature then looks directly at Lis, and the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury sees it chirp, as it stabs it's beak down in the direction of the two mercenaries sitting at the table below it.
Well, i guess so then, Lisell Maera thinks to herself as she watches the mercenaries Spranen and Halnard briefly confer about something, then get up from their table, and cross the courtyard to the table Lis is sitting at.
The other mercenaries at the other tables all watch them. As they walk over to where the runner in the armies of Farque stabs a wedge of cheese with her table knife, and eat it. Before she takes a sip of wine as the mercenaries Halnard and Spranen stop right infront of her table.
Let's see what they want then, Lisell Maera the messenger thinks to herself, as she waits for what the two mercenaries from the port town of Gilsom want . . . . . .