The Find 20.

Autumn.

The giant hole in the ground. In which, is the ancient city of Dalphene. More commonly known as the City of Ruins.
They move out late in the afternoon, breaking up into smaller groups as they leave the couple of ancient buildings they've observed the battle from.
The captain of their company, Maygam. Has given them their orders. So that his latest plan can get underway.
None of them know the entirety of the plan. As the mercenary captain has only told his second in command, Uren. Along with one of the elven twins, Lolmildíll. The entirety of his plans for getting someone in, and hopefully something out of the site.
A site, that's a recently dug up ruins. That two of the larger mercenary companies down here in the pit have been fighting over for the last week or so.
Now it seems, another of the larger mercenary company's down here in the City of Ruins. Wants to enter the frey, and fight over the site as well.
All of which, has put Maygam's plans into action quicker than he thought they would be.
It's late afternoon on what's been another cool day here in the ancient city of Dalphene.
And the young mercenary Zam follows the dwarf Hilmik down into a stone culvert.
Following behind them are number of the other mercenaries in the company. Some he knows like Farnill. And others he's only just met today.
In the lead, the young dwarven warrior originally from the Colevar Mountains, puts a hand up for the others following to halt.
They do, and Hilmik creeps ahead, as the broken culvert actually goes underground for a bit.
After looking ahead, and listening. The young dwarf, waves Zam forward.
And the teenage mercenary originally from the city-state of Kuradum moves forward to crouch beside the dwarf who is leading the way.
"No one in the tunnel" quietly says Hilmik the dwarven mercenary.
Who then gives young Zam a shake, to try and scare him, to get him to concentrate on the situation at hand.
The teenage mercenary who like Farnill and Hilmik, joined Maygam's company at the start of the autumn. As a number of others did.
Such as Melmear and Imraness. Who are towards the rear of those that the dwarven warrior Farnill is leading.
Sourly looks at that young dwarf from the Colevar Mountains.
"Do you mind?" mutters Zam the mercenary.
"Keep alert young Zam" is the reply of Hilmik, who has a grin that splits his short beard.
The dwarven mercenary then nods for Zam to keep following him, and moves off.
The teenage mercenary from the city-state of Kuradum looks back and gestures for the others to follow.
Then he follows Hilmik into the ancient tunnel, a few moments later, he's followed by the others in their group.
Once they're at the end of the tunnel, Hilmik looks out, and away to their left, where his keen dwarven eyesight, spots movement.
"Uren and her group" murmurs the dwarven warrior as he spots amongst the ruins away to the left, some of the others who have headed this way.
He nods when he spots Almard, who like him and Zam, is a fairly new hire.
Look this way, and nod in the direction the group that Hilmik is leading, are to head.
The experienced mercenary who is a from the unruled lands near the city-state of Kuradum, gives a hand signal to Hilmik.
The dwarven warrior who quickly learnt the hand signals just before they set off.
Slightly grimaces, before he nods back to the mercenary, who though he's a new hire, is already Uren's helper.
Looking back at Zam, Hilmik quietly says "Some of those new ones are up ahead" followed by "From the ship that put down, Jorkamin's lot".
The teenager from the city-state of Kuradum grimaces, then quietly asks "Can we get around them?".
"I don't know" is the reply of the dwarf from the northern end of the Colevar Mountains.
"Pass the word to the others what's up ahead" adds Hilmik, who then nods to where those Uren have with her, as he continues with "They're just moving out now".
Zam looks in that direction, and spots a few of those with the second in command, moving out, heading to where the mercenary captain, Maygam wants them to be.
Then Zam turns and informs the next mercenary behind him, what's up ahead.
The teenage mercenary from Kuradum moves out after Hilmik as word gets passed along behind him, that some of Jorkamin's company is somewhere up ahead.
At the rear of the group, Melmear and Imraness share a look when they hear who could be up ahead.
Then they're moving, following the others. With Imraness, the best swordsman out of this lot, bringing up the rear, as he follows behind the comely looking teenage girl, from the Last Village, here in the City of Ruins.
"What now?" mutters Imraness a little while later after he's left the tunnel, and scrambled over the foundations of a ruins, and hurried into another ancient building.
Where he comes to a stop, as the group has been halted again by the dwarven warrior Hilmik, who is leading the way.
Both Imraness and Imraness look ahead, where they see Hilmik and the youngster Zam, along with another of the newbies, Farnill.
Conferring about something as they crouch beside a large hole in the wall at this end of the ancient building.
One of the other mercenaries infront of Imraness and Melmear turns and quietly tells them "The dwarf can hear fighting up ahead".
The teenage girl from here in the pit, and the young mercenary, a former church guard from the city-state of Eweteets.
Nod as the merc infront of them continues with "He thinks it's Jorkamin's lot who have joined in the fighting between Hamblett and Jarnok's companies".
After the merc infront of them moves forward, Imraness the mercenary quietly says to the comely looking, fuller figured teenager next to him "Just run if we get caught up in anything".
The ex church guard, who is still only eighteen years old, and is already one of the best swordsmen in the company he joined not that long ago, continues with "Remember we have to get into that site".
Imraness briefly pauses before he adds "Or at least as close to it as possible".
"I know" quietly says Melmear the mercenary as the two of them watch the trio up near the hole in the wall.
The former serving maid in one of the taverns in the Last Village, down here in the City of Ruins, then quietly says "Here we go then".
As Hilmik the dwarven warrior slips out through the hole in the wall, as the light starts to fade outside, as it nears sunset, here in the northern area in the central region of the Southlands.
The young mercenary Zam follows the dwarf out through the hole in the wall.
Then Farnill, an archer from the kingdom of Nastell, follows the two of them out of the ancient building.
Then one by one, the rest of the group make their way through the hole in the wall.
With eventually Melmear, and lastly Imraness exit the ancient building, as they follow after the rest of the group as they make their way towards the site.
Zam looks back at Farnill who is following closely behind him, with an arrow notched to his bow.
The teenager from the city-state of Kuradum looks forward at Hilmik, who has slowed again, and is creeping forward towards the corner of a building.
As now even Zam can hear the sounds of fighting, not all that far away from them.
He cautiously moves forward as the rest of the group slows down behind him.
And when Zam gets to behind the dwarven warrior from the Colevar Mountains, Hilmik quietly tells him "They're in a barn fight around there".
The teenage mercenary, crouches down, then leans forward around the dwarven warrior infront of him, and takes a peek around the corner.
Zam mutters "Shit" after he quickly pulls his head back from glancing around the corner of the ancient building, that the group are up against the side of.
"Now what?" quietly asks Zam as he wonders what they should do next.
He then nods, as does Hilmik, when behind them, Farnill the mercenary quietly says "Let as many of them kill one another as possible".
"We wait?" quietly asks Zam. Nodding his head, Hilmik says "We wait" followed by "Tell the others".
As Farnill turns and tells the merc behind him that they're going to wait, and to pass it on to the rest of the group.
Zam cocks his crossbow, just incase one of those fighting around the corner. Whether they're in Jorkamin, Jarnok or Hamblett's company, come around this way and discover the group.
Infront of the teenage mercenary from the city-state of Kuradum, the young dwarf from the Colevar Mountains is frowning.
"What is it?" quietly asks Zam the mercenary, who has become friends with Hilmik since they joined Maygam's company within days of one another.
"Not sure" is the quiet reply from the dwarven warrior, who continues with "I think i hear movement underground" followed by "Hard to tell with that fighting around the corner".
"Goblins?" quietly asks the young mercenary from the city-state of Kuradum.
As wild goblins are the most likely to be under the ground. Especially here to the north of the neutral zone, where they're more prevalent.
"Maybe" is the quiet reply from Hilmik, who after a brief pause, murmurs "Can't really tell".
Zam just nods, as he and the rest of the group that Hilmik is leading towards the site, continue to wait.
"What is it?" quietly asks Melmear to the mercenary infront of her, who has just quietly spoken to the one infront of him.
"The dwarf says there's something underground around here" is the quiet reply of the mercenary infront of a Melmear.
"Goblins most like" adds the mercenary who then looks forward, waiting for the signal to continue.
Looking back at Imraness behind her, the comely looking fuller figured teenager from here in the City of Ruins, quietly says to him "Hear that?".
"I did" is the quiet reply from Imraness, the young swordsman from the city-state of Eweteets continues with "Nothing like goblins to get mixed up in all of this and confuse everything".
"Not as if it's confusing already" dryly says Melmear with a shake of her head.
Then the mercenary infront of the two of them, quietly says "We're moving again".
Deeming it's as good as of a time as any to get going again, as he's heard the sounds of fighting around the corner dying down.
Hilmik, who knows the others won't be able to see that well fairly soon, as the sun is about to set upon the City of Ruins.
Moves around the corner, with the others in the group, starting with Zam, following him one by one.
It's an ancient city square by the looks of it, and strewn across it are the dead and dying from three of the largest mercenary companies down here in the giant hole in the ground.
Within which is the ancient city of Dalphene, or the City of Ruins as it's more commonly called.
There's still fighting around the ancient square, with mercs from Hamblett's, Jarnok's and Jorkamin's companies all going at one another.
As Hilmik leads the group diagonally across the ancient city square, an arrow shot from Farnill's bow passes  to his right, and ends up hitting a mercenary from one of the battling companies, who has turned and spotted them.
Others from the three companies who are still alive and fighting one another, have spotted those from Maygam's company as well.
Who are heading to the recently dug up ruins, or the site as everyone is calling it, which is just beyond the ancient city square.
With the fading light of the end of the day settling down upon the City of Ruins.
Hilmik who is out infront as he hurries across the ancient square, frowns as once again, he hears movement underground, right beneath the square to be exact.
And this time, he actually feels the movement beneath his feet.
He's not the only one, as behind him, Zam feels it as well, and the teenage mercenary from the city-state of Kuradum says "What's that?".
Just then, the ancient stone work in the middle of the square bursts upwards, and something erupts from under the ground. Right in the middle of the group from Maygam's mercenary company who are crossing the square.
Bodies are flung everywhere, Farnill staggers forward, pushing over Zam, who knocks down Hilmik.
The teenage mercenary from Kuradum is quickly to his feet, and helps his dwarven friend up, while behind them, Farnill shouts "Run!".
The archer from the kingdom of Nastell has turned around, and has seen what's come up through the ground.
It can only be described as a giant slug, a gray, green colour, about eighteen feet long.
It has a greenish ichor oozing from it's maw, as it slithers forward, crushing two of the mercenaries who were knocked down.
Hilmik, who has turned to see what it is, shouts "Don't look at it's eyes!" as he recognises what the creature is. He's never seen one before, but as a dwarf, he's definitely heard of it.
One of the other mercenaries doesn't heed the warning of the dwarven mercenary.
And as he runs at it with his broadsword, he looks directly at the head of the giant slug like creature. He comes to a sudden stop, transfixed by the look in the eyes of the creature.
Which slithers forward, knocking him down, then rolls forward, crushing him to death.
"Scatter!" shouts Zam, who then hears a voice away to the left, call out "Zam this way!".
Hilmik looks that way, and spots Almard at the entrance of an underground culvert at the edge of the ancient square.
"Move!" shouts Farnill, who along with Hilmik and young Zam head towards where Almard is waving to them.
Meanwhile, Imraness who has just helped Melmear to her feet. Who heard Hilmik's shouted warning, says to the teenage girl "Don't look at it" followed by "Look at the ground".
And he takes her by the arm, and leads her away, as others have scattered in all directions.
While others attempt to fight the giant slug like creature, and fail.
Out of the corner of his eye in the fading light, Imraness spots Farnill, Zam and Hilmik hurrying towards an underground culvert, where he spots someone standing at the mouth of.
Imraness, leading Melmear, heads that way too. And sees that it's Uren's helper, Almard who is at the culvert mouth.
"Quick, in the tunnel" says Almard the mercenary, as first Farnill, then Zam and Hilmik, followed by Imraness and Melmear enter the tunnel.
Then seeing the giant slug like creature turn this way, Almard shouts "Run!".
As he leads the others through the tunnel. The six of them, all fairly new hires into Maygam's mercenary company.
Don't know it, but as they flee for their lives through the tunnel. There's a group of adventurers here in the City of Ruins, who are searching for one of them . . . . . .