The Find 28.

Autumn.

In the giant hole in the ground. Within which is the ancient city of Dalphene aka The City of Ruins.
"You two, get out there and help Uren and those others" orders Maygam as he points away to where his second in command is.
The two indicated, after looking up into the air. Hurry out of the ruins, and make their way to where Uren and a few others have gathered up more of the stragglers who have been caught up in the battle.
The mercenary captain grimaces as he hears the thud of magetubes firing in the distance, and he darts a quick look at the person next to him.
"Not firing at us" says Lolmildíll the elven magic user.
"Well, at least that's something" says Maygam the mercenary captain who doesn't know where at least a good half of his company are at the moment.
"Though that wyvern is heading up this way again" says the effete sounding elf originally from the principality of Alínlae.
"Great" sourly mutters Maygam, who then yells out "Hurry up and get in here!".
The mercenary captain then asks the elven spellcaster "Can you do anything about it?".
"If i do, they'll know where we are" says Lolmildíll who is more commonly called Lolm by the others in the company.
Maygam grunts as he's heard that often over the last day since they got caught up in the battle between the three largest mercenary companies down here in the pit.
The mercenary captain who was hoping to take advantage of the battle between Jarnok's and Hamblett's companies. Until Jorkamin's company entered the battle and messed up his plans.
Then says to the elven noble from the principality of Alínlae "That damn wyvern might not spot us this time".
The elf sourly smiles to indicate what he thinks about that idea.
"Okay, it probably will" mutters Maygam, who is about to shout out again.
But stays silent, and steps aside, as does Lolmildíll. So that Uren and the others can enter the ruins.
Breathing heavily, Uren the mercenary says "Just these three".
The mercenary captain grunts as that's better than nothing. As they try to find those who got separated from the rest of the company when Jorkamin's company entered the frey yesterday.
Attacking everyone and anyone, not just those in Jarnok's and Hamblett's companies.
The northern part of the pit, a couple of miles north of the neutral zone, is an absolute battlefield at the moment.
With everyone fighting everyone. Whether they be mercenaries, adventurers, wild goblins. Or anyone else who is down here, in this part of the giant hole in the ground.
Within which is the ancient city of Dalphene, which is more commonly called, the City of Ruins.
Before Maygam can ask his second in command if she saw any of the others in the company.
Lolmildíll quietly says in his effete sounding voice "It's circling this way".
The mercenary captain, his second in command, and the elven magic user back away from the hole in the wall.
And get under where part of the roof is still there. While the others who are still above ground, jump down into the hole in the ground in the middle of the room, and disappear below ground.
"They using it to look for targets i guess" quietly says Uren the mercenary.
Looking at the woman with the scar across her face, who is his second in command.
Maygam nods his head yes, then glances at Lolmildíll, who quietly tells Uren "They are".
The elven magic user continues with "Finding targets for that warship of their's to attack".
Shaking her head, Uren quietly says "Damn Jorkamin is going to wipe out a whole lot of the companies down here in the pit".
"He was always a greedy bastard from the dealings i've had with him" quietly says Maygam, who after a slight pause, muses "Wonder if he's been able to kill Jarnok?".
Uren and Lolm share a look. As they both know how much Maygam hates Jarnok the mercenary captain.
For the simple reason Maygam and Jarnok are former friends who were once in the same company, until they had a falling out, over a decade ago.
The mercenary captain and his second in command watch the elven magic user, who goes completely still and closes his eyes.
Just when Maygam is about to quietly ask Lolmildíll what's happening.
The elven practitioner of magic opens his eyes, and quietly tells the two of them "It missed us this time" followed by "It didn't go over us".
Maygam hurries to the hole in the wall, and looks out and up. And he spots the wyvern at it's rider, heading away from this part of the pit.
Then looking back at the other two, the mercenary captain quietly says "We have to move" followed by "And continue to search for any of the others who might still be alive".
"Think some of them headed south, back to the neutral zone?" asks Uren before she hops down into the hole in the ground.
"Maybe" is the reply of Maygam who jumps down through the hole in the middle of the floor, followed by Lolmildíll the elven magic.
"Though i suspect more of them went further north" quietly says the mercenary captain as they head along the tunnel that runs beneath the ruins they were just in.
"If they're smart they would of" quietly says the second in command of the company.
"That's not necessarily true" says Lolmildíll from the rear.
Which causes both Maygam and Uren to stop, and look back at the elven magic user.
"Why's that?" asks the mercenary captain, who has told all of those who came north with them.
To head up and out of the pit if they get separated from the others. And the best place to do that, is at the narrow northern end of the giant hole in the ground.
Where you can easily walk up and out of the ancient city of Dalphene, or the City of Ruins as it's more commonly called.
Standing in the tunnel, built years ago by the looks of the boarding to secure it.
Maygam once again asks the elven spellcaster from the principality of Alínlae "Why?".
"Oh it might be safer up there, because there's little fighting" says Lolmildíll, who continues on with "But there's other, more dangerous things up there".
The thin, pale looking elf, briefly pauses before he says "Things that would even give Gil pause".
Maygam scowls at the mention of Lolmildíll's twin brother, Gilvanéllé.
"Such as what?" asks the captain of one of the mid size mercenary companies that lives, and works down here in the City of Ruins.
"I have no idea" says Lolmildíll with a shrug of his slim shoulders, who then adds "Just that he's cautious when he goes up there".
The elven magic user, continues with "Ever wondered why hardly anyone digs up there?" followed by "And after centuries of people digging up this ancient city, the very northern end isn't as dug up, or even anywhere as wide as the rest of the pit?".
Maygam nods, and grunts to that, and Lolm tells him "That's why" continuing with "It's way more dangerous than what you think".
The mercenary captain sighs, then gestures for Uren to continue through the tunnel.
As they get underway again, and hear the slight thud of an explosion in the distance away to the south of where they are.
Maygam asks Lolmildíll a question he's repeatedly asked him over the last day or so "Where the hell is Gil?".
From where he's walking behind the mercenary captain, the elven practitioner of magic says "I have no idea".
Maygam grunts again, then he quietly asks "He's not dead is he?".
That gives Lolm a moment's pause, as that's the first time the mercenary captain has asked him that.
"No, he's not dead" says Lolmildíll, who follows on from that with "I'm pretty certain i would know if Gil was dead".
From where she's walking infront, Uren nods in agreement with that. For though the twin brothers have a deserved, and depraved reputation amongst the company. And other mercenary companies for that matter, who know about them.
Uren knows how close the elven twins are, and she isn't at all surprised that Lolm would know if Gil was dead.
The second in command of the company, who is the only one apart from Maygam that the twin brothers actually get along with, and respect, quietly says "We're here".
As she steps out into a cavern where the company is using as a base, as they try to find any survivors of the battle, that's taking place, mainly above ground.
Of the near eighty of his company that Maygam had with him, north of the neutral zone, nearly half of his entire company.
They've only been able to find just under forty of them, most of whom are in this cavern.
With the others, guarding the tunnels that led to the cavern. Which is an old wild goblin cavern, that was abandoned decades, if not centuries ago.
It's been dug out, and made more habitable by a number of mercenaries, adventurers and treasure seekers over the years.
Now Maygam and his company are using it as a refuge from the battle that's taking place, predominantly above ground.
"Never thought I'd actually be hiding out down here, but here we are" dryly says the mercenary who is the captain of one of the more successful companies in the City of Ruins.
Maygam and Uren have small squads go out and search for more of the company who may have survived the battle.
The two of them along with Lolmildíll, and a handful of others head out through one of the tunnels that lead to the cavern.
It's the longest of the tunnels, going northeast nearly two hundred yards. It's not straight, and parts of the walls and ceiling have crumbled in places.
But all the same, they get to the end of the tunnel, that comes up in another of the ruins in this part of the giant hole in the ground.
After Lolm gives the all clear, and Maygam sends one of the men up. They make their way up into the ancient ruins.
Most of his company know of the cavern that is their bolt hole, here in the north of the City of Ruins.
But the mercenary captain suspects the newer members of his company. Those hired on over the last few months might not.
After he sends out a few of his men to search for any others in their company.
Maygam quietly asks his second in command "Do you tell that new offsider of yours about the cavern?" followed by "Almard?".
Uren slightly winces, then quietly replies with "I didn't" she then bitterly adds in a mutter "I didn't think we were going to use it".
The mercenary captain grunts in agreement to that. As he too never thought they'd be using it. As they've hardly ever used it in the past.
And when they have, it wasn't used a place of safety to keep clear of a battle.
Maygam winces, then glances at the silent Lolmildíll as he recalls what the elven magic user said earlier.
As Uren quietly says "I told Almard what i told the others if they got separated from the rest of us" followed by "Get out of the pit, and head back south up top, and come back down at the southern end, and go to our base in the Last Village".
Maygam nods to that, as that's the order to all in the company if they somehow get separated from everyone else.
The mercenary captain just hopes that Uren's new helper Almard, and anyone else who they've been unable to find.
Don't head to the very northern end of the pit, after what Lolmildíll mentioned earlier.
After they hear the thud of magetubes firing in the distance to the south.
The slim, pale looking elven magic user speaks up again, and he says in his quiet, effete sounding voice "Feels like that airship is putting down somewhere".
"Wonder if Jorkamin is actually onboard it?" muses Maygam the mercenary captain.
Who looks around, then points to some broken steps that go up to what's left of the roof of the ruins they're in.
"Safe to go up and have a look?" quietly asks Maygam, Lolmildíll slightly shrugs, then quietly says "Well that wyvern isn't close, so it's safe enough i guess".
The mercenary captain nods, then he heads quickly to the steps, and up them, followed by his second in command, and the elven spellcaster.
They're low on the roof, and as they look away to the south, they spot in the distance, Jorkamin's warship setting down, behind some of the ancient ruins, nearly a mile away.
Further south of it, closer to the neutral zone, in the middle of the giant hole in the ground, a few hundred feet up, the wyvern can be seen circling.
The circles are slowly getting bigger and bigger, as it heads back northwards, in the direction of where the airship is landed.
Maygam is just thinking to himself, what that lot in Jorkamin's company are doing.
When Lolmildíll quietly says "I sense that sorcerer Kilfin around near there" followed by "He's trying to conceal himself, but i can just sense him".
Nodding his head, Maygam quietly says "Hamblett" he continues with "They must be closing in on him" he briefly pauses before adding "Knowing him, he'll put up a fight to the end".
Both Uren and Lolm nod in agreement, as they've had dealings with the mercenary captain Hamblett, and his company in the past.
For out of the three largest mercenary companies operating down here in the City of Ruins.
Hamblett's company is the most willing to work alongside other smaller companies, like Maygam's for mutual benefit.
Looking at the masts of the warship sticking up from behind one of the ruins in the distance.
Maygam is pretty sure that Jorkamin himself was onboard it when it set down.
The mercenary captain is silent for a few moments, then he quietly says to his second in command and the elven magic user "You know what this means?".
The two of them look at him, and he quietly tells them "If Jorkamin gets rid of Hamblett, which i suspect he's trying to do right now".
Maygam briefly pauses before adding "And he does the same to Jarnok, or has done so already" followed by "And any other mercenary captain over the last day since he entered the battle".
It dawns on Uren and Lolmildíll what Maygam is getting at, and they both nod when he quietly says "He'll have free reign of just about everything in the entire pit" he then adds "Even the truce of the neutral zone".
The mercenary captain is silent for a moment or two, before he continues with "He'll basically be the king of the City of Ruins" . . . . . .