The Lost Ones 68.

Summer. The Town Of Falmare.

"Do you see him?" asks Brossic the lowland mercenary, who grimaces as pain shoots through his skull from his broken nose.
The lowlander then grunts as he readjusts the unconscious Spranen who is slumped over his right shoulder.
While beside him, a dazed looking Halnard blinks as he looks out across the southern part of the town of Falmare.
"I can't see him" says Grunna the sorcerer who has stepped forward from the others as they stand upon the flat roof of a two storey inn.
"Trust bloody Sharnd to piss off like that" adds the powerful spellcaster in a mutter as he looks south across the large lowland town.
Behind the sorcerer from further down the coast of the Southlands, the lowland mercenary Brossic grunts in agreement.
Then he hisses, and winces in pain, as he goes to wipe his sweaty brow with his free arm, and he knocks his broken nose.
"Fuck me, this break hurts" mutters the mercenary who leads the five of them who have plans to create their own nation up in the nearby Maldin Hills.
Brossic who has had his nose broken a couple of times in the past. Can't recall them hurting as much as it does this time.
"Damn that knight" adds Brossic in a loud mutter.
Both the dazed Halnard, and Grunna the sorcerer nod in agreement with what the lowland mercenary just said. Then Brossic says "He's probably running home".
Grunna grunts in agreement, as he too figures that Sharnd the merchant is fleeing through town, back to his home in the south of Falmare.
The sorcerer looks back at the others, looking beyond them, in the direction they've come from. To see if he can spot the large, heavily armoured knight who attacked them.
The spellcaster from further down the coast of the Southlands can't see the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che at the moment.
And he briefly contemplates sensing for the knight's magical shield and weapon. But decides not to, as he knows that there's also a witch out there somewhere. Who probably wants him to do that.
Instead Grunna continues to hold his power within himself, and not sense.
The powerful spellcaster from the coast, will only take hold of his power and use it, when he absolutely has to. Like when he next teleports them away from the rooftop they're on at the moment.
The sorcerer then looks at Brossic, and says to him "That safe house you've mentioned in the past?".
"Might as well" says the lowland mercenary, and as Grunna turns back to the south, Brossic tells him "Can you see Sharnd's home?".
The powerful spellcaster shakes his head no, then says "I can't, but i can see the neighbourhood it's in".
"That's good enough" says Brossic, who steps forward, keeping a hold of the unconscious Spranen, making sure he doesn't slip off his right shoulder.
The lowland, or flatland mercenary winces once more as pain shoots through his skull from his shattered nose.
Then he points to the south with his free hand, and says "Sharnd's house is there somewhere" followed by "The safe house is a few streets to the east of it".
"Are people living there nowadays?" asks Grunna as he searches for a suitable rooftop in the area in the south of town, that Brossic has pointed to.
"I'm not sure" replies the lowland mercenary, who continues with "It's been years since we've used it".
The safe house in question, was first used by Sharnd and Brossic a decade ago. The two of them worked together first, before they first met Grunna a couple of years later. Then two years after that, the three of them met the two mercenaries from the port town of Gilsom, Halnard and Spranen.
The safe house, a small abode owned by Sharnd, was used for storing stolen goods when he and Brossic first started working together.
And where they had clandestine meetings with others they hired, when they first started out in the life of mercenaries who aren't above doing illegal jobs to earn money.
It's also where Brossic used to live whenever he came to Falmare. Until they decided it was best for him to stay in the more pricey inns here in Falmare.
But more for the reason that Sharnd who had brought a house nearby, didn't want any of the locals to figure out that a lot of the illegal activity in town, and in parts of the surrounding lowlands, was planned and operated from a small house, just a few streets from his home, in the southern part of Falmare.
"Just head there anyway" says Brossic to Grunna, then the flatland mercenary who leads the group of five who want to carve out a nation of their own in the Maldin Hills, adds "And when we get there, you can fix this damn nose of mine".
Then nodding at the unconscious Spranen on his right shoulder, and the dazed looking Halnard standing next to him, Brossic says "And these two as well".
Grunna grunts, then after finding a suitable rooftop to teleport them all to.
The sorcerer steps back closer to the others, and stops holding his power within himself.
Brossic breathes a sigh of relief as suddenly the pain in his face disappears after Grunna casts a quick healing spell on it.
Then the four of them, the lowlander, the two mercenaries from the port town of Gilsom, and the sorcerer from further down the coast disappear as Grunna teleports them away.
As they stood upon the rooftop they just disappeared from. They were oblivious to the fact that a couple hundred feet above them.
A raptor, in this instance a small hawk. Was circling above them, watching and listening to everything they said and did.
The raptor circles once more so that it's facing south, and starts winging it's way to where Grunna the sorcerer, and those with him, have just teleported to.
Further north in Falmare, still on the east side of the large town. Saanea the witch nods her head, and opens her eyes after briefly watching through the eyes of her familiar.
The pretty looking hillwoman hurries down the lane she's in, and turns left onto a street.
The spellcaster from the Maldin Hills, uses a spell to increase her running speed, and she's quickly down to the other end of the street.
Where people frown, and look in her direction, as they wonder why she's running so fast on such a warm summer's day, here in the large lowland town of Falmare.
The witch from the nearby hill country which is just over twenty miles to the east.
Turns right into a side street, where she spots the young field commander Tamric Drubine, and Shur Kee the monk.
Saanea who sees that Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
Has an unconscious person draped over his right shoulder. It's the lowland merchant Sharnd.
And that the nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, and the short, statured monk from the far east coast of the continent, where his homeland of Wah Lee is located.
Are speaking with a pair of town guards. Some of the few town guards that the pretty looking hillwoman has actually seen, since arriving here in Falmare a little earlier today.
As she approaches them, Saanea the witch hears Tamric Drubine the field commander say to the town guards "He's had too much to drink today, so we're taking him home" followed by "He could never handle his booze".
The two guards, who if they looked closely, might actually recognise the unconscious Sharnd, as the local merchant is quite well know in parts of town. Especially in the south and the east of Falmare.
Waves them along, and one of them says "Get him out of here" followed by "We don't need another drunk lying on the streets of town during the day".
Field commander Drubine nods to that, and says "We'll just do that" as he and Shur Kee walk towards Saanea the witch, who joins them.
The three of them head back along the side street, in the direction the pretty looking hillwoman has just come from.
As they walk, the young field commander in the armies of Farque quietly asks "Are they watching us?".
"No friend Tam" is the quiet reply from Shur Kee the monk after he glances back behind them.
The acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li, continues with "They have gone the other way, and have turned onto the street there".
"At least that's something" murmurs the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, who with ease, carriers the unconscious local merchant Sharnd over his right shoulder.
Tam who is a senior officer in the armies of Farque, looks at the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills, who he's attracted to, and asks her "The others?" followed by "Do you know where they've gone to?".
As he guesses that they too, have fled the large heavily armoured knight, sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
"Into the south of town" says Saanea the witch, who continues on with "To the neighbourhood where his house is" as she nods at the unconscious lowlander over the right shoulder of the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
"There's a place near his home, that they hope to use" adds the pretty looking hillwoman as they make their way out of the side street, and turn right to the south.
"At least we know where they're going" quietly says the young field commander in the armies of Farque.
Who then says "They'll find them too, they're a resourceful bunch" in response to Saanea asking him "Will the others be able to find them?". Referring to sir Percavelle Lé Dic, Dorc da Orc and Lisell Maera the messenger.
Also in the east of the town, though further in towards the middle of town. Lisell Maera the messenger who has just hopped down from the last rooftop in a row of houses.
Hurries over to a nearby statue, and climbs up onto the base of it as she looks away to the south in the sky.
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury jumps down off the statue after catching sight of Saanea's familiar in the sky above Falmare, further to the south.
The messenger, or runner as they're sometimes referred to as. Who is in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque. Hurries off in that direction, making her way towards the southern part of town.
The long legged, athletic and attractive looking young woman, who is moving at a steady jog.
Keeps looking away to her left, into lanes, side streets and streets. Towards streets in that direction that are also going into the south of Falmare.
Lisell Maera or Lis as more often than not, she's called by the others in the group. Suspects she'll spot either Dorc da Orc or sir Percavelle Lé Dic in that direction.
Though the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands, suspects it'll be the large ork she'll spot first.
Due to the former paladin being out infront, and ahead of her and the ork warleader.
It's not long before Lis hustles down some steps in a narrow lane, and in the street she runs out into, she dodges around some goblins carrying wooden boxes. Which no doubt will hit the ground soon, as goblins tend to be accident prone.
The messenger in the armies of Farque looks away to her left, and down a side street, at the other end of which she spots a curving street that goes south.
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury spots someone go by on the curving street at a jog, who glances in her direction.
The messenger or runner as they're often referred to, turns into the side street, and picks up the pace, breaking out into a sprint.
She runs out of the side street, and into the wider curving one, where she turns right.
Lisell Maera quickly catches up to the person she spotted, and asks "You know where they are?".
"Yeah" is the grunted reply from Dorc da Orc as he jogs along the curving street, that strengthens out just before a square.
"Do fucken you?" asks the large ork with a glance down at the messenger beside him.
After glancing up into the sky to the south, where she spots Saanea the witch's familiar, the attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands says "Yeah i do".
Lis who being so close to the ork warleader, has her sense of smell assaulted from the stench coming off him.
Is glad about one thing running alongside the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
As the people on the streets get quickly out of way of the large ork. Who will run over anyone and anything that gets in his path.
As they enter the square, and run through it, and a donkey that's pulling a cart full of vegetables takes off in fright at the sight of the warleader of the ork race.
Lis asks the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks "Where's Percy?".
There's a look of absolute disgust upon the face of Dorkindle as he glances down at the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury.
Though the ork, who is a general in the armies of Farque does say "That fucken cunt, is that way" as he nods his big, boofy head in the direction the two of them are going.
Lisell Maera nods her head, relieved to know that the former paladin is more or less going in the right direction.
As for sir Percavelle Lé Dic himself, it's more out of blind luck, and pure chance that he's heading in the right direction as he chases after those he and the rest of the group have been after, since running across them firstly up in the Maldin Hills. Then up the coast in the port town of Gilsom, now here in the lowlands, in the town of Falmare.
The nobleborn knight who is member of the order of Knights of Saint Mar-che. Who tends not to listen to what the others are discussing, especially when it doesn't involve him.
Actually does recall a conversation between Tamric Drubine the field commander, and Saanea the witch before the group made their way into town.
And how the merchant they're after, a fellow by the name of Sharnd if sir Percavelle Lé Dic recalls correctly.
Has a home in the south of the town of Falmare. So that's the way the large, heavily armoured knight is going.
The former earl of Lé Dic, which is his family's fief in the eastern part of the kingdom of Druvic. Just hopes his bitter rival Dorc da Orc doesn't find the mercenaries before he does.
"Can't have that big, filthy beast getting them, wot" sir Percavelle Lé Dic loudly murmurs to himself as he runs through the streets and lanes in the southern half of the town of Falmare.
"It is i, the great sir Percavelle who fought them" states the former paladin, who continues on with "So it is i who should finish them off, wot".
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic or Percy as he's more commonly called by those who know him well, then mutters "Not that foul smelling green demon" as he continues through the south of Falmare, in search for those he's already attacked this warm summer's day here in the lowlands between the Maldin Hills to the east, and the coast of the Southlands to the west . . . . . .