The Lost Ones 71.

Summer. In The Southlands. The Town Of Falmare.

"You see it?" quietly says Brossic the lowland mercenary who crouches down and points as he adds "There, on that street".
Looking to where the lowlander is pointing, Grunna the sorcerer mutters "Hell" as he too spots it.
The spellcaster from further down the coast of the Southlands, crouches down as the two of them stand upon the roof of the safe house.
In a low walk, Brossic moves away to the back of the flat roof, and quietly tells the mercenaries Spranen and Halnard down on the ground what they've spotted.
While Grunna continues to look to a street further to the north, here in the southern part of Falmare. To where there's a rather large green creature walking quickly in this direction.
The sorcerer sees the troll, for that is what he still thinks it is. Suddenly stop, and lift it's head, and from what Grunna think he sees, it starts to sniff.
The spellcaster from further down the coast, drops down flat onto the roof, when the large green creature looks straight in this direction.
"What the fuck" mutters the powerfull sorcerer in surprise.
Who then looks quickly behind him, and gestures for Brossic to keep as low as possible, as the lowlander makes his way back to this side of the roof.
"That damn troll or whatever it is" quietly says Grunna the sorcerer when Brossic crawls up beside him.
"It can smell us" adds the spellcaster from the coast, who follows that with "That's how it can find us".
"By the gods, what the hell" murmurs Brossic the mercenary in surprise, who then pops his head up to try and spot the creature, but is unable to find it, as it must of gone into one of the many lanes between the buildings, here in one of residential neighbourhoods in the south of Falmare.
Grunna quietly grunts when the flatland mercenary quietly tells him "I can't see it at the moment".
The spellcaster pops his head up as well, and he too can't see the large green creature that's somewhere to the north of them.
"That knight?" asks the powerfull sorcerer, who continues with "You see him?".
After a few moments, Brossic who leads the five of them, who have plans to create their own nation up in the Maldin Hills, shakes his head, and quietly says "I can't see him".
"Same" murmurs the spellcaster from the further down the coast of the Southlands.
He softly grunts when Brossic mutters "And where the hell has Sharnd got to?" as they've still seen no sign of the merchant who lives nearby.
Suddenly, the two of them, the lowland mercenary, and the sorcerer from the coast, hear someone trying to get their attention.
It's Halnard the mercenary, who is down on the ground with Spranen. Both Brossic and Grunna frown as they try to hear what the mercenary from the port town of Gilsom is trying to quietly tell them.
Then the lowland mercenary and the powerful spellcaster from down the coast quickly look away to their right when they realise what Halnard is saying.
In that direction, that the street the safe house is on, they see a familiar figure.
It's Sharnd the merchant. The local townsman, who is the fifth member of the core group who have plans of creating their own nation up in the Maldin Hills, which lie just over twenty miles to the east of the town of Falmare.
Stands there in the middle of the street, with his hands behind his back, and with what looks like to be a wad of cloth stuffed in his mouth, and another cloth wrapped around part of his face.
The local merchant is looking towards the safe house that he owns, which he and Brossic the mercenary used to work from a decade ago, when they first met.
The local businessman, who is the one to fund their plans for carving out their own nation up in the nearby hill country.
Has a look of absolute terror on his face and in his eyes, as he looks to where his fellow lowlander, Brossic the mercenary, and Grunna the sorcerer are lying on the roof of the safe house.
The local merchant, whose house is just a few streets away here in the affluent neighbourhood in the south of town.
Looks around in fear, as a few people on the street, stare at him, and wonder what's going on.
Then the bound and gagged merchant grimaces, and he takes a step forward, in the direction of the safe house.
He winces, then looks up to the flat roof of the safe house, where he can see Brossic and Grunna watching him.
Sharnd the merchant grimaces again, then takes another step forward, wincing as he does so. It's a wince of anticipation by the looks of it, as he doesn't seem to wounded or injured in anyway.
"What the fucking hell is going on?" hisses Brossic the mercenary, next to him on the roof of the safe house, Grunna the sorcerer is wondering the exact same thing.
As they watch the bound and gagged Sharnd walk slowly down the street, heading in this direction. The local businessman from here in the town of Falmare is taking deliberate step after deliberate step as he heads towards the safe house that he owns.
Both Brossic and Grunna look quickly around, trying to see who else is about. But apart from the few locals down on the street, who are perplexed as the sight of the local merchant. They don't see anyone else nearby.
Then just as Brossic the lowland mercenary quietly says "There's got to be".
Sharnd the merchant's face explodes outwards, and he drops to the ground dead with a crossbow bolt through the back of his head.
There's a moment of stunned silence, then a local woman on the street screams in fright and runs. So do the two other locals on the street, as the dead merchant lies there on the ground, just thirty feet or so from the safe house that he owns.
"Fuck" gasps Brossic the mercenary is surprise.
While next to him on the roof, Grunna the sorcerer lies there in shock as they look at the dead body of Sharnd the merchant lying in the middle of the street.
Down on the ground, glancing around a corner of the safe house. Halnard the mercenary is just as shocked as the two up on the roof. As he can see Sharnd lying dead on the street, not all that from the safe house.
Behind his fellow mercenary from the port town of Gilsom. Spranen the mercenary looks around Halnard to see what he's looking at.
Spranen the mercenary, who has only just been healed after being knocked out unconscious a little earlier.
Stands there in disbelief, as he sees the dead body of Sharnd the merchant lying nearby in the middle of the street, with a crossbow bolt sticking out of the back of his head.
Quickly reloading her crossbow, Lisell Maera the messenger steps back from the corner of the house she's been looking around, and looks back to the mouth of the alleyway and nods.
"Well he's dead" quietly says Tamric Drubine the field commander to the others.
Then the nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin looks at sir Percavelle Lé Dic, and quietly tells him "Go and join Lis, Percy" followed by "And get ready".
"Righto, wot" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who hurries out of the alleyway, makes his way along the front of the house, and joins Lisell Maera at the corner she's standing just back from.
"Yes it was" quietly says field commander Drubine in response to Saanea the witch quietly asking him "Was that necessary?".
As the spellcaster wasn't exactly pleased with that part of the plan that Tamric Drubine quickly came up with.
"Remember he helped kill a lot of innocent people up in the Maldin Hills" quietly says the young field commander in the armies of Farque who gestures for the pretty looking hillwoman, along with Shur Kee the monk to head back down through the alleyway.
As the three of them do, Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well, quietly adds "So he deserved that".
The spellcaster from the Maldin Hills can see the logic of that argument. But she still doesn't like that they just killed a man who they had taken prisoner. A man who was bound and gagged. Who was told by Tam, exactly what they were going to do to him.
The local merchant Sharnd, knew he was going to die by crossbow. When he was shoved out onto the street around the corner, and told to walk down the street, to the abode that was his old safe house.
The nobleborn teenager who is the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, a castle located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
As they hurry back through the alleyway to the lane beyond. Hopes they run into Dorc da Orc, who should be in the neighbourhood now. As Lisell Maera the messenger mentioned that the large ork wasn't all that far behind her.
The young field commander, who is a senior officer in the armies of Farque. Figures the ork warleader will just head to where he can smell those they're after. Who know doubt, are in shock at seeing one of their number, shot down not all that far from them.
"Fuck" mutters Grunna the sorcerer, who then adds  in a mutter "Fuck, fuck, fuck" as he looks to where Sharnd the merchant lies dead out on the street, not all that far from the safe house. Upon the roof of which, the spellcaster from down the coast of the Southlands, lies next to Brossic the mercenary.
Who looks similarly stunned and shocked as Grunna does, as they look at the dead body of Sharnd that lies out on the street, not all that far from them.
The Brossic pops his head up, and looks in the direction they spotted the large green creature coming from.
Not seeing it, then not seeing anything or anyone away to the right down the street, in the direction the crossbow bolt came from that took down Sharnd.
He gets up, and hurries to one side of the flat roof. Where he looks down and quietly says "You two want to stay and fight?" quickly followed by "Or piss off?".
He looks back at Grunna, who has followed him to this side of the roof, and quietly asks the sorcerer "Well?".
Before either of the mercenaries from the port town of Gilsom, Spranen and Halnard can respond to the question from Brossic the lowlander.
The sorcerer Grunna, quietly says to the flatland mercenary "I think that decision has just been taken from us" as he nods away to the right, in the same direction that the now dead Sharnd was coming from.
The mercenary from the lowlands, winces as he sees the large, heavily armoured knight in the order of Saint Mar-che, who attacked them a little earlier, to the north of here, in the eastern part of the town of Falmare. Has walked out onto the street from somewhere. And has stopped, and even with his full helm on. It's obvious he's looking straight at the safe house. To the roof that Brossic the lowland mercenary, and Grunna the sorcerer are still on.
"Kill him" says Brossic the mercenary to the spellcaster from further south along the coast.
"That" says Grunna the sorcerer, who slightly pauses before he adds "Will prove difficult" as he eyes the shield the heavily armoured knight has, he continues with "Infact, damn near impossible".
The sorcerer who is holding his power within himself, doesn't particularly want to cast against the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che.
For the simple reason the spell will come straight back at him, like it did previously. Something he doesn't want to endure again anytime soon.
"Well?" says the flatland mercenary Brossic.
"Shut up, will you" mutters the powerful spellcaster, who then adds "I'm thinking of something".
Down on the ground, Halnard the mercenary looks up to the roof and says "There's someone else" followed by "He doesn't have a crossbow" referring to the knight who is calmly walking down the street towards the safe house.
"Fuck" mutters Brossic the lowlander when he realises that the mercenary from the port town of Gilsom is right. Besides from experience, Brossic knows that basically most knights don't use crossbows anyway. As they see the weapon as beneath them.
Then just as the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che gets to near where Sharnd the merchant lies dead on the ground.
A front door of a house on the large heavily armoured knight's right, comes flying off it's hinges, shooting out across the street, and slams into the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che, knocking him down to the ground.
"Got him" says Grunna the sorcerer in satisfaction, who realised he had to attack the large, heavily armoured knight indirectly, and not straight at him with any kind of spell.
"Yes" says Brossic who clinches a fist in satisfaction. Who goes to get up, so he can head back and get down off the roof, when he suddenly falls backwards, howling in pain.
The sorcerer Grunna grabs the lowlander who falls back against him. And sees that Brossic has a crossbow bolt through his left arm.
The spellcaster drops down flat upon the roof, bringing the wounded, and cursing Brossic down next to him.
"Hmmmmm" murmurs Lisell Maera the messenger, who then quietly says to herself "Just winged him i think".
The attractive young woman from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury, who has stepped back and reloaded her quick loading crossbow.
Then glances around the corner of the house she's infront of, to out on the street, where she sees sir Percavelle Lé Dic still on the ground.
Though the former paladin, shoves off the door that knocked him down, and is now attempting to stand up.
The messenger in the armies of Farque murmurs to herself "You'll have to hit him harder than that".
As she knows that out of the group here in the lowland town of Falmare, only Dorc da Orc can take more of a beating than the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic.
Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by the others in the group. Looks to the roof of the safe house down the street.
She can't see the two on the roof at the moment, so she looks to the front corners of the small abode.
As she caught a glimpse earlier, of one of the other mercenaries looking around one of them, and out onto the street.
The attractive young woman from the coast of the Southlands lifts up the crossbow and takes aim along it.
A crossbow that was designed by Dorc da Orc a number of years ago, and given to Shur Kee the monk, who gifted it to Lis when she was younger, after she first joined the group over seven years ago.
Spranen the mercenary and Halnard, who like him, is from the port town of Gilsom. Share a look when they hear Grunna up on the roof say "Brossic's been hit".
"Is he alive?" asks Halnard the mercenary.
"He's alive" is the reply from the powerful sorcerer up on the roof of the safe house.
At the same time, both Halnard and Spranen hear Brossic loudly mutter "Of course I'm alive you fuckers" followed by a groan of pain from the lowlander who leads the group who have plans of creating their own nation up in the nearby Maldin Hills.
A small group that's just gone from five to four now with Sharnd the merchant lying dead out on the street.
The two mercenaries from the port town of Gilsom then hear Brossic say from between clenched teeth "I've got a damn bolt through my arm".
Halnard and Spranen share another look, then the younger of the two mercenaries from Gilsom, Halnard who is the most cautious of the group who have designs on having their own nation up in the Maldin Hills.
Moves forward slowly, and peeks around the corner of the house, to look down the street.
Halnard who briefly catches sight of the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che out on the street, attempting to stand up.
Snaps his head back, and mutters "Fuck me". As a crossbow bolt slams into the corner of the house, and goes part way through it, with the bolt head just inches away from Halnard's face.
He moves further back, then turns to Spranen, and tells him "Around the back" followed by "It'll be safer".
Then as the two of them turn, to hurry back along this side of the safe house, Halnard says to Brossic and Grunna "Get down off the roof". "You're sitting targets up there" adds Spranen the mercenary as he and Halnard make their way around to the back of the safe house.
"You think we don't fucking know that already?" mutters Brossic the lowland mercenary, who grimaces in pain as he tries to crawl back along the flat roof.
Next to him, Grunna the sorcerer who has just quickly popped his head up, and caught sight of the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che who he knocked down, is trying to stand up.
Quietly says to the lowlander "I'll have to pull that out before i can heal you".
"Figured that" mutters Brossic who winces in pain every time he moves his left arm. Which is often as the two of them crawl back along the flat roof of the safe house.
The lowlander who leads the group who are attempting to set up a nation of their own up in the Maldin Hills, shakes his head, then says in disgust "Well, today isn't exactly going well is it?".
Next to him, Grunna the sorcerer grunts in agreement as they crawl to the back edge of the roof of the safe house, on this warm summer's day here in the lowland town of Falmare . . . . . .