The Lost Ones 61.

Summer. The Lowlands. The Southlands.

"You looking for a hire?" asks Spranen the mercenary as he and Halnard look at the attractive young woman sitting at the table by herself.
"You hiring?" asks Lisell Maera the messenger as she looks at the two mercenaries who she knows are originally from the port town of Gilsom.
"We are" replies Spranen who is the older of the two mercenaries from Gilsom.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury nods her head, then asks "What are you offering?".
"Mind if we sit?" asks Spranen pointing at the small round table beneath one of the trees here in the central courtyard of the inn, that Lisell Maera is sitting at.
"Go ahead" says the messenger in the armies of Farque.
Spranen sits down on the chair opposite the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands.
While Halnard drags over a chair from the next table that's empty, and sits down next to his fellow mercenary from the port town of Gilsom.
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by those who know her well.
Glances at the others here in the courtyard in the middle of the inn. All of them mercenaries, hired previously by Spranen and Halnard. Who do most of the hiring for the core group of five who have plans to set up their own nation in the Maldin Hills.
"This lot with you?" asks Lis nodding at some of the others who are here in the central courtyard of the inn.
"They are" replies Spranen who does most if not all of the talking, whenever he and Halnard hire new mercenaries.
"They can vouch for us" adds Spranen, who continues with "What we pay, and what we get up to".
"I see" says the messenger in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque as she looks at the two men from Gilsom sitting opposite her.
Lis who has noticed Saanea the witch's familiar has flown to the tree branches above the table she's sitting at, asks the two mercenaries "What are you getting up to?" followed by "And what are you paying?".
"What we're doing" says Spranen, who pauses for a moment or two, before he continues with "Is a little of this, and a little of that" followed by "You might see a bit of action, it all rather depends".
You lot have seen a shitload of action recently i guess you weren't expecting, the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury thinks to herself, who just nods in reply to what the mercenary from Gilsom just said.
"As for pay" says Spranen, who shrugs his shoulders, then says "That all rather depends really". Next to him, Halnard the mercenary nods his head in agreement.
The runner in the armies of Farque, who knows exactly how much Spranen, Halnard and the others are paying the mercenaries they've hired.
And how those they've hired recently, here in the town of Falmare, and before that in Gilsom, with the exception of the two new spellcasters they've recruited recently, are earning significantly less than those they hired originally.
Slowly nods her head, and looks at each of the mercenaries sitting opposite her at the table, then says "Well, i don't think you can afford me".
This earns a few smiles, and quiet chuckles from the other mercenaries in the central courtyard of the inn, who are watching the conversation between Spranen and Halnard, and the tall, athletic, attractive young woman they're looking to hire.
"Oh?" says Spranen, who briefly pauses then adds "Is that so?".
He and Halnard share a look, then he looks at the young woman sitting opposite them, whose colouring and hair colour show that she's from somewhere along the coast of the Southlands, here towards the mid coast, or further north, and asks her "How much do you want?".
Lis who has just eaten another wedge of cheese off her plate, and taken a sip of her wine, replies with a ridiculously amount, that would be too much for even a rogue knight, or powerful spellcaster.
She refrains from smiling at the reaction she gets from the two men sitting opposite her.
Spranen whose eyes bulge in disbelief, while Halnard just stares at her blinking, not actually certain he heard what she said.
Spranen, who after clearing his throat, and sharing a quick look with Halnard, says to the attractive young woman sitting opposite them "Surely you're joking?".
"Not in the least" replies the messenger in the armies of Farque, whose mother was a prostitute on the streets of Brattonbury, and whose father, a man she never knew or met, was a sailor.
"Hell" says Spranen, who then adds "We wouldn't even pay that for a" he pauses for a few moments as he figures out someone who'd you pay a ridiculous amount to hire, then adds "A mage".
"I'm better than a mage" says Lis, who then looks over at the other mercenaries here in the inner courtyard of the inn, and adds "And better than all this lot you've already hired".
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury then looks at the two men on the otherside of the small, round table and says "And definitely better than you two".
Halnard the mercenary, who hasn't spoken yet, snorts in derision, then says "Oh?" followed by "Is that so?".
Lisell Maera nods, then says "I'll prove it" the messenger in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque continues with "Get up" as she stands, then she adds "Come at me".
Spranen and Halnard shoot a glance at one another, then the two of them stand, and go to grab the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands on the otherside of small round table.
Lis who has been taught a fair bit of unarmed combat, specifically by Helbe the elven thief and Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy, and more recently by Shur Kee the monk.
Shoves the small round table forward, which slams into the legs of Spranen, who grunts in pain, as he doubles over the small table.
The messenger in the armies of Farque grabs him by the back of his tunic and leather vest, and flings him sideways over the small table, using his momentum to send him into the trunk of the tree.
Lisell Maera spins sideways as she does so. As Halnard, the most cautious of the mercenaries who have plans to create their own nation up in the Maldin Hills.
Goes around the small table that's tipped over, to grab the tall, athletic looking, attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands.
The runner in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque, ducks down as she spins, kicking out her right leg as Halnard goes to grab her.
She sweeps his legs out from him, knocking him down to the ground. Lis gets up from her spinning crouch, and plants a short kick into the side of the mercenary on the ground.
Who groans, as is Spranen, who is spread over the upturned table, after he went shoulder and head first into the tree trunk.
"Now don't do that" says Lisell Maera the messenger who has flung one of her throwing daggers. Which is sticking into a nearby table top, right next to the hand of one of the other mercenaries who is in the act of standing up.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who has slung her loaded crossbow off her back, and is pointing it at another of the nearby mercenaries who has stood, says to him "Sit back down" followed by "Unless you want a gut shot". The hired mercenary hurriedly sits back down.
Lis looks at the other ten or so mercenaries here in the central courtyard of the inn, pointing her loaded crossbow at each of them, before she slings it back across her back when they all remain seated, carefully watching her.
The messenger in the armies of Farque looks down at Spranen and Halnard, and tells them "I told you i was worth it" followed by "And i told you i was better than you lot".
Lisell Maera then after one last look at the two mercenaries from Gilsom she has just put down, walks away as the serving woman rushes into the central courtyard to see what all the commotion is about.
"Those two will pay for me" says Lis to the serving woman with a nod of her head at Spranen and Halnard who are attempting to get up off the ground.
"And they'll pay for the the damages too" adds the attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury.
Who then makes her way from the inner courtyard form the middle of the inn. While the familiar of Saanea the witch, takes off in it's current form of a sparrow. And heads up and out of the central courtyard.
Outside of the inn here on the north side of Falmare, Lisell Maera crosses the street, and makes her way into a lane, where she finds a tabby coloured cat.
"Well, if that didn't get their attention, then nothing will" quietly says the messenger to the cat, who meows in reply.
The attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands, then quickly adds "See if they follow me".
The familiar that belongs to Saanea the witch meows again. And the runner in the armies of Farque continues down the lane.
A few moments later, and as the cat has changed to a sparrow again, and is on the rooftop of a building on one side of the lane.
A handful of the mercenaries who were in the central courtyard of the inn, hurry out onto the street.
And after one runs down the street, heading to inform some of the others at what's just happened.
Two of the others after talking to a street urchin hanging around out the front of the inn.
They quickly cross the street, and make their way into the lane, heading in the direction that Lisell Maera has gone.
A few moments after that. Both Halnard and Spranen make their way out of the front of the inn, with the rest of the mercenaries who saw what happened in the central courtyard of the inn.
Both of them are little woozy, shaking their heads, trying to clear them. With Halnard wincing too, as he holds his side where he was kicked.
They head in the other direction down the street. After speaking with the same street urchin out the front of the inn. And sending two of the other mercenaries after the pair who are following after the attractive young woman who casually beat up both Halnard and Spranen.
As they do, they're watched by a sparrow, that's actually a familiar which belongs to a spellcaster from the Maldin Hills, Saanea the witch.
"What are they doing now?" asks Tamric Drubine the field commander.
"Some of them are following after Lisell" replies Saanea the witch, who sits there with her eyes closed, as she looks through the eyes of her familiar.
"The two she beat up" adds the pretty looking hillwoman, which causes both field commander Drubine, and Shur Kee the monk to faintly grin.
"Are going another way" continues the witch from the Maldin Hills, who pauses for a few moments, before she nods then says "They're going to tell some of the others what's just happened".
"Let's hope they're the vengeful type" quietly says the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
Both the witch, as she sits there, eyes closed with her back against a tree trunk, nods her head in agreement. And the short, statured monk from the far east coast of the continent, nod in agreement with what the young field commander just said.
They're in a fairly large copse of trees just to the northwest of the town of Falmare. Which is a fairly large town for one in the lowlands between the Maldin Hill range and the coast of the Southlands.
As Saanea the witch continues to observe what's happening in the nearby town through her familiar.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group. Along with Shur Kee the monk look away to their right, where they see sir Percavelle Lé Dic walking in their direction.
"I fear that smelly beast is about to fornicate with a creature of the woods, wot" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic in disgust as he walks up to the others.
The nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic shakes his head, as he adds "A large shelled creature, methinks a land turtle".
After rolling his eyes, the young field commander in the armies of Farque asks the former paladin "Where Percy?".
"Through the trees back there" replies the former earl of Lé Dic, which is his family's fief in the east of the kingdom of Druvic.
"In a clearing, wot" adds the heavily armoured knight who is a member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che.
After telling Shur Kee to remain with Saanea the witch. Tamric Drubine moves off in the direction sir Percavelle Lé Dic has indicated. The nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic follows after him.
And it's not too long before Tam reaches the edge of a clearing within the copse. And he stands there sourly smiling. While the former paladin stops beside him, and says in a tone of disgust "See, i told you so, wot".
The large, heavily armoured knight then mutters "Damn degenerate creature from the deepest of hells".
As across the clearing, they see Dorc da Orc, with his grubby knee length pants down to his ankles. Has climbed up onto the back of one of two massive land tortoises making their way through the copse.
The one the large ork is on, and trying to hump. Must be near fifteen feet in length, and almost that in width. And probably weighs three or four tonnes.
Not that, that is doing anything to put off the ork warleader who is doing his best to fuck it.
The big, burly ork who is oblivious to everything around him. Is having difficulty trying to actually screw the massive creature. Though not from any lack of trying from his part, so to speak.
"Dorc!" calls out Tamric Drubine, who follows that with "Get down off that poor thing!". The giant land tortoise knows that there's something on top of it's shell. It just doesn't know what, or what it's trying to do to it.
The big, burly looking ork from the southern polar region of the world, quickly looks around with a rather guilty looking expression on his wide, green, brutish looking face.
He spots Tam, who has a disapproving look upon his face. While next to the young field commander, the nobleborn knight, sir Percavelle Lé Dic stands there with a look of disgust on his face.
"Fuck me" mutters Dorc da Orc in the ork language "Me can't even get some fucken sexy time to me self" adds the large ork in the incomprehensible language of his race.
The ork warleader slides off the back of the giant land tortoise. Rather inelegantly, as he basically falls off the massive creature, and lands on his ass.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world grunts and gets to his feet, pulling up his grubby knee length pants as he does so.
The ork weaponsmith looks at the giant land tortoise, along with the other one as they continue on their way through the woods.
And he sighs in frustration, as he's seen such creatures before in the past, and never had the opportunity to fuck one. He thought now would be the best time to do so. Even though he had no idea how to actually screw one of them.
Dorkindle grunts when field commander Drubine calls out his name again.
The large ork turns, and walks across the clearing to where the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin, and nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic are standing.
"Why we not going into town and killing them cunts?" asks Dorc da Orc as if he didn't just try to rape a giant land tortoise.
As sir Percavelle Lé Dic looks at his bitter rival the ork warleader in disgust.
The young field commander in the armies of Farque after shaking his head, says to the large ork "Because".
"Because fucken what?" asks the ork who is a general in the armies of Farque.
"We're waiting to get those we're after in one spot, instead of going all over the place through that large town for them" says Tamric Drubine, who briefly pauses as he thinks of what Lisell Maera the messenger has just done in the town of Falmare, before he adds "And we might just of done that" . . . . . .