The Lost Ones 62.

Summer. Southlands. Lowlands. Falmare.

"What exactly did she do?" asks Brossic the flatland mercenary.
After sharing a look with Halnard the mercenary, who is still holding his side where he was kicked.
Spranen the mercenary says in a bit of a sour tone "She beat us up".
"What?" says Brossic who grins as he looks at Grunna the sorcerer, who is also grinning.
"Both of you?" adds Brossic who leads the core group of five who have designs on creating their own nation up in the Maldin Hills.
Spranen just grunts in reply, while next to him, Halnard sourly smiles, then winces as he prods a little too much at where he was kicked in the side.
Brossic goes to say something else, but is interrupted by Grunna the sorcerer who asks the other two "Was she pretty?".
Spranen, Halnard and Brossic all wryly smile as they look at the powerful spellcaster who is from the coast of the Southlands.
Grunna who is married, and has kids of his own. Isn't exactly known for his fidelity. And is often caught with numerous women who aren't his wife.
"Yes" dryly says Spranen, who continues with "She was pretty" followed by "Infact she was very attractive".
"No wonder she beat the two of you up" wryly murmurs the sorcerer Grunna, which earns him a filthy look from both Spranen and Halnard, the two mercenaries out of the core group of five, from the port town of Gilsom.
"Let me see" says the sorcerer, and before Spranen can object, Grunna quickly reads his mind.
"Do you mind?" says Spranen in disgust after his mind is read by the powerful spellcaster who is from further south along the coast.
"Hell, she's a looker for sure" says Grunna in appreciation, who then winces and says "Damn, she did beat the shit out of you two".
"She did?" asks Brossic, who like the sorcerer, thought the two mercenaries from Gilsom were kidding when they said they were beaten up by an attractive looking young woman who they were trying to hire.
"She definitely did" says Grunna in reply to the question from the flatland mercenary who leads them all.
Brossic eyebrows lift up in surprise, then he asks the two from the port town of Gilsom "What did the others do who were with you?".
"They were just as surprised as us" replies Spranen, who continues with "Well most of them were" followed by "The two who thought about doing something, she threatened to kill". Next to Spranen, Halnard nods his head in agreement.
"Here, let me look at that" says Grunna the sorcerer to Halnard.
The powerful spellcaster steps forward, and touches the side of Halnard that he's been prodding at.
The injured mercenary from Gilsom grunts when Grunna tells him "Nothing's broken, they're just bruised".
"Thanks" says Halnard the mercenary when the sorcerer from further down the coast, casts a light healing spell upon him.
"Maybe you should of hired her" says Brossic the mercenary.
"With what she was asking?" says Spranen in an incredulous tone of voice "I wouldn't hire any of us for that price" adds the mercenary from the port town of Gilsom, who continues with "Infact i wouldn't hire anyone for that price".
"How much was she asking for?" asks Brossic, Spranen tells him how much, and the leader of the group of mercenaries who hope to carve out a nation of their own up in the Maldin Hills, winces.
As does Grunna the sorcerer, who dryly murmurs "She thinks highly of herself, doesn't she?".
Spranen just sourly grunts to that, while next to him, Halnard nods his head in agreement.
"What did you do next?" asks the lowlander Brossic.
"Sent some of the men who were with us, to see where she went" is the reply from Spranen, who like Halnard. Still can't believe how easily the attractive young woman they attempted to hire, beat them up.
"Someone that good looking won't be that difficult to find" says Grunna the sorcerer, who continues with "Even in a town as large as this one".
The other three mercenaries all nod in agreement with the spellcaster who is from further down the coast of the Southlands.
The four of them are in the small warehouse across the yard, behind Sharnd the flatland merchant's shop, here in the east of the town of Falmare.
Sharnd, who is on his way. Doesn't like them meeting in his trading shop. Which is his legitimate business. Nor does he like them meeting at his home.
The merchant who is paying for most of their operation to create a nation of their own up in the Maldin Hills.
Likes to keep his legitimate business interests, and his family life separate from his more illegal activities that he and the others partake in.
The small warehouse behind Sharnd's shop, which the merchant also owns. Is the place they usually meet in, and go over their plans while they're here in the large lowland town of Falmare.
"So what are you going to do if you find her?" asks Brossic, who might not be as cautious as Halnard, but is pretty pragmatic all the same.
"Kill her for kicking your ass?" adds the mercenary who like Sharnd the merchant, is from here in the lowlands that lie between the Maldin Hills, and the coast of the Southlands.
"Because if you do, the town guards will be all over you" continues Brossic who then adds "Which means us as well".
"The least we can do is teach her a lesson" says Spranen, next to him, Halnard nods his head in agreement.
"Or you could hire her" interjects Grunna as he sits down upon a bale of cloth "Well, not what she's asking for, but a substantial price all the same" adds the sorcerer from further down the coast of the Southlands, who then says "She's definitely worth it".
As much as Brossic agrees with that idea, even though he actually hasn't seen how good the attractive looking young woman actually is. He can see a few problems with that idea.
The main one of which is that they can't afford to pay one mercenary more than what they're paying the latest ones they've recruited here in Falmare.
"Good idea" says Brossic the flatlander, which lowlanders are sometimes referred to as.
"But unfortunately we can't afford to pay anyone extra" adds the lowland mercenary who is the leader of the five who are attempting to carve out a nation of their own, up in the Maldin Hill country, which is less than twenty five miles away to the east from Falmare.
"And let's face it, we can't have a woman amongst the men, she'd be the only one" continues Brossic.
"Oh, i don't know about that" says the sorcerer Grunna, who then adds "I think it'll be good to have some female company".
"You would" dryly says Brossic, who along with Halnard and Spranen sourly look at the powerful spellcaster from further down the coast of the Southlands.
The sorcerer, who knows how the others feel about how he treats his wife and young children. Is about to say something in reply, when the side door to the small warehouse opens, and Sharnd the merchant walks in.
"What's this i hear from some of the men" says Sharnd the merchant, who has just come from his home, where he's been with his wife and three children most of the time since they arrived in Falmare yesterday.
"You two got attacked by a young woman or something?" says the flatland merchant as he looks at the two mercenaries from the port town of Gilsom, Halnard and Spranen.
"You mean they got the shit kicked out of them by her" says Brossic the lowland mercenary.
Sharnd's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at that, and as he looks at the two from Gilsom, he asks "Was she pretty?".
"Very" is the reply from Brossic who leads the five of them in their attempt to create a nation of their own in the Maldin Hills.
"You were probably distracted by her looks" says Sharnd, who glances at Grunna sitting on a bale of cloth, as he adds "I know you would've been if you were there".
Sourly smiling, the sorcerer loudly mutters "What's with everyone picking on me today?".
Sharnd ignores that, and instead says to Spranen and Halnard "I hope you two aren't planning anything stupid in retaliation?".
"We thought about it" admits Spranen, who wouldn't mind if they found the attractive young woman who beat himself and Halnard up, and killed her.
"But, if we locate her" continues the more talkative of the two mercenaries from the port town of Gilsom "We'd just pay her back in kind" adds Spranen who follows that with "Give her a quick beating like she did to us".
The lowland merchant from here in the town of Falmare nods his head, then says "That and nothing else" Sharnd continues with "The town guard might let a few beatings go here and there, but they definitely won't tolerate a murder".
Both Spranen and Halnard, nod in agreement to that, then Spranen looks at Sharnd, Brossic and Grunna and says "So it's alright to use some of the men to find her, and give her a hiding?".
Sharnd the merchant nods yes, as does Grunna the sorcerer. The others then all look at Brossic the mercenary, and the leader of them, nods his head yes too, then says "It's fine".
The lowlander mercenary continues with "Just don't over do it" followed by "Just teach her a lesson".
"We will" says Spranen the mercenary, who crosses to the side door that Sharnd came in through, opens it and speaks to a couple of the mercenaries who are waiting outside.
After he does, Spranen closes the side door, and walks back to where the others are here in the small warehouse that's behind Sharnd's trading shop.
Where Brossic the mercenary is asking his fellow lowlander Sharnd "So how are the finances?".
While up in the rafters of the small warehouse, there's a mouse perched on a beam, looking down at them, watching and listening to everything they say and do.
"Where?" quietly asks Tamric Drubine the field commander.
"In a small warehouse on the east side of town" is the reply from Saanea the witch as she opens her eyes, then she stands up from the base of the tree she's been sitting against.
"It's right behind the shop of that merchant Sharnd" adds the pretty looking hillwoman who is from the nearby hill country known as the Maldin Hills.
"Inform Lis to where they are" says the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, looks from the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills, to the others standing nearby, and says "Come on, we're going".
"Fucken where?" asks Dorc da Orc who has been bored since they arrived here yesterday, and was getting sick of waiting here in the large copse of trees just to the northwest of the town of Falmare.
"Into town" says the young field commander in the armies of Farque. The ork warleader grunts, then loudly mutters "Bout fucken time".
Then after Saanea the witch gives her familiar some new instructions, they move out, and head through the woods in the direction of the town of Falmare.
As Shur Kee the monk leads the way, Tamric Drubine quietly says to the witch walking beside him "Think you can disguise those two?". As he nods his head at sir Percavelle Lé Dic who is following Shur Kee the monk quite closely. Then nods at Dorc da Orc, who is following behind himself and the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills.
"Maybe" says the pretty looking hillwoman in a rather dubious tone of voice, as she first looks at the heavily armoured knight infront of them, then at the large ork who trails them.
"Do your best" says the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, which is located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
"At least try and disguise Dorc if you can" quietly adds the nobleborn teenager who is now a senior officer in the armies of Farque.
The witch from the nearby hill country nods, then she looks back at the following ork warleader, and wonders how best to disguise him.
They move quickly through the copse of trees. Even Dorc da Orc who has perked up at the prospect of action.
And though the large ork who is a general in the armies of Farque can't smell any dwarves in the town of Falmare. He's still excited at the possibility of some violence.
They briefly stop at the edge of the woods, and field commander Drubine quietly tells the others "We'll walk around to the east side of town".
"Not north" mutters Dorc da Orc, which Tam ignores as he says to Shur Kee the monk and sir Percavelle Lé Dic "You two lead the way".
The short, statured monk wearing the odd conical shaped hat nods, and with the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic, leads the way from the large copse they've been in.
The young field commander and the pretty looking hillwoman follow. As they do, Tamric Drubine looks back and sees a rather portly looking man walk from the copse behind them.
"It's the best i could do" quietly explains Saanea the witch as she too looks back at the disguised ork weaponsmith.
"It's good enough" quietly says the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin as they cross a dirt road that leads to the north side of the town of Falmare, which is just a few hundred yards south of them.
As they continue around to the north of the large town, heading around to the east side of the lowland town, Tam quietly asks the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills "Are they still there?".
The young field commander takes the right arm of the pretty looking hillwoman as she closes her eyes while walking. And a few moments later, the witch who is looking through the eyes of her familiar, quietly says "They are".
With her eyes still closed, Saanea is silent for a few more moments, then she adds "Lisell is near where they are too".
As the witch from the Maldin Hills opens her eyes, Tamric Drubine who still has a hold of her right arm, nods his head and quietly says "Good" as the five of them make their way around to the east side of the town of Falmare . . . . . .