The Find 38.

Autumn.

In the giant hole in the ground. Within which is the ancient city of Dalphene aka The City of Ruins.
Darmos the wizard looks northwards, where in the afternoon sky the wyvern is heading.
The spellcaster in the blue robes looks at Jorkamin the mercenary captain standing beside him. And finds Jorkamin looking back at him.
The two of them then spin around, and look in the direction the wyvern came from. A wyvern without it's rider.
"The hell" mutters Jorkamin the mercenary captain when further back, Salumen the mercenary calls out "Cap this way!".
The mercenary captain shares a look with the wizard who is basically his second in command.
Then the two of them, along with about twenty of the company, hurry back to where Salumen and some of the others are.
When they reach him, Salumen the mercenary quietly says "That way" followed by "Marissa and some of the others have gone that way".
Jorkamin grunts, then he along with the blue robed wizard, and some of the others, head to where Salumen has pointed.
It's not long before they get between a couple of the ruins here a couple of miles to the north of the neutral zone, where they find Marissa.
"Anyone see what happened?" asks Jorkamin the mercenary captain.
Gesturing at one of the company with her, Marissa says "Hormac saw him out of the corner of his eye just before he hit cap".
"I was over there cap" says Hormac the mercenary, who points away to the right, to a pile of rubble and brickwork behind one of the ruins.
"Just saw him the last moment before he hit" adds Hormac, who then grimaces at the recent memory.
Jorkamin just nods his head, then steps forward to get a closer look at the body of Smealle the wyvern rider, or what's left of him.
The mercenary captain sighs at the sight of the young mercenary, who not too long ago, was in the saddle upon one of Jorkamin's wyverns, circling above this area of the pit.
"Know what did him in?" asks Jorkamin when he glances at Darmos the wizard.
"I'd say hitting the ground from a fairly high height did it" is the reply of the practitioner of magic in the blue robes.
Which are slightly singed in places after the encounter with the sorcerer Kilfin earlier in the afternoon.
Jorkamin sourly smiles at the that from the wizard, then dryly says "I know that".
The mercenary captain then follows that with "What i want to know, is what caused him to fall off the back of that wyvern?".
Crouching down so that he can get a closer look at the body of the dead wyvern rider, Darmos says "Well he wasn't shot out of the saddle".
"Of course not" says Marissa with a snort, who then continues in a dry tone with "It would be a miracle if he was, considering he was circling a good five hundred feet up".
The wizard in the blue robes shakes his head, then he rolls over the dead body, and grimaces before he says "Well he either slipped out of the saddle, which i highly doubt as young Smealle always strapped himself in".
The spellcaster who is effectively the second in command of the company, then quietly says "That really just leaves one other option".
"Spellcaster?" quietly asks Jorkamin the mercenary captain.
"Spellcaster" is the reply of the wizard, who nods his head yes.
"Which one then?" murmurs Jorkamin, which illicits a shrug of the shoulders of Darmos, who then says "Could be anyone, from any of the other companies up here".
Jorkamin grunts when he hears that, then the captain of the company looks around.
And he spots Salumen standing nearby watching things.
Jorkamin waves over his friend, who served in the church guards of the death god Madau with him in the city-state of Eweteets when they were younger.
The mercenary captain gives Salumen a few orders, and the former church guard moves off, calling some of the others to him.
"Any of the others nearby?" quietly asks Jorkamin as he looks at the wizard in the blue, slightly singed robes.
Knowing who exactly the mercenary captain is referring to, Darmos tells him "Fimgill isn't all that far away". Referring to one of the other spellcasters in the company.
"Have him head to town" says Jorkamin, meaning the town they're permanently based out of, about a dozen miles to the south of the pit. Along the road to the city-state of Eweteets.
"I want another of the wyverns up here as soon as possible, by the morning at the latest" says the mercenary captain, who then adds "I want the other warship up here too".
Darmos nods, then asks "You want to him head down there on the ship we came on?".
Jorkamin is silent for a few moments, as he thinks about a few things, then he quietly says "No, we'll keep it here with us".
Referring to the warship of his, that's just a couple hundred yards away from their current location, a couple miles to the north of the neutral zone.
Here in the pit, within which is the ancient city of Dalphene, or as it's more commonly called throughout the Southlands, and for matter, beyond it, the City of Ruins.
Nodding his head, Darmos the wizard says to the mercenary captain "I'll just tell him".
As the overweight and disheveled looking Darmos scrambles up the nearby pile of rubble and stonework, then onto the roof of the ruins.
So that he can get in contact with his fellow practitioner of magic in the company.
Jorkamin the mercenary captain who briefly contemplates what this battle is costing him, not just in coins and mercenaries.
But other things, like the wyvern that's now out of sight as it's gone north.
That he knows, he might not get back. As wyverns are fractious animals, even the tamed and trained ones like he's got.
Looks at Marissa, and beckons her close. Once the woman in the hard leather armour stands right next to him.
The captain of one of the largest, if not the largest mercenary companies down here in the giant hole in the ground.
Quietly gives Marissa a few orders that he wants done straight away,
She nods, and moves off, waving for some of the others to join her as she walks away.
While Jorkamin paces back and forth near the dead body of the wyvern rider Smealle. As he waits for Darmos to finish what he's doing.
A few moments later, and the wizard is back down on the ground, beside the mercenary captain.
"He's heading off there now" says Darmos the wizard, who then quietly adds "He didn't sense anyone attack young Smealle".
Jorkamin slightly nods, then he asks the rotund looking spellcaster "Nor did you i gather?".
"I didn't" is the quiet reply of the practitioner of magic, who is effectively the second in command of the company.
"This might set us back a little bit" says Jorkamin, who with his entry into the battle between Jarnok's and Hamblett's companies yesterday.
Has set in motion plans he's had for a number of years. Plans that will see him in command of the most dominant mercenary company in all of the City of Ruins.
As he intends to wipe out his nearest rivals, and any of the other mercenary companies who are caught up in the battle.
"But it won't stop us" continues Jorkamin, who many years ago, was a guard in the church of the death god Madau, down in the city of Eweteets.
The lean, tall mercenary captain with the sharp facial features, and the overweight wizard in the blue robes turn when someone nearby says "Cap".
It's the mercenary Salumen, who continues with "It's done".
Jorkamin the mercenary captain nods then says "Good" he looks around at the others still waiting, and he tells them "Let's go".
They set off, and as Darmos keeps pace with the taller mercenary captain, the wizard quietly asks him "What's done?".
"I gave the order to kill anyone who we take prisoner" is the quiet reply of Jorkamin, who follows that with "I don't want anyone alive, whether they're from a rival company, or adventurers and treasure seekers, hell even wild goblins".
The captain of the largest mercenary company in the pit then adds "Everyone we come across up here i want dead".
Jorkamin looks at his second in command, and quietly tells him "I intend to rule here like a king, and no one will get in my way".
Darmos nods his head as he'd always known that this was Jorkamin's intentions, just that the mercenary captain had ever voiced it before.
Now those of the company walking nearby have heard it, and no doubt will spread that information to the rest of the company, up here to the north of the neutral zone.
The overweight and disheveled looking wizard is periodically sensing, trying to locate other spellcasters as they head back towards where the airship is.
The known ones that he's still worried about, are the two wizards in Hamblett's mercenary company.
Lopaphil and Greason.
Darmos doesn't know Lopaphil that well, only knowing him by reputation and rumour.
As for Greason, he's an old acquaintance of his. As they had been in another company over a decade ago, before joining their current mercenary companies here in the City of Ruins.
Darmos knows that he's the better spellcaster than his old comrade Greason, who is of similar power to him.
But the blue robed wizard knows he'll have to be cautious with dealing with Greason, as the red robed wizard is a clever individual.
The only other known spellcasters who might be mixed up in the battle, here to the north of the neutral zone.
In the giant hole in the ground, within which is the ancient city of Dalphene, or as it's more commonly known as, the City of Ruins.
Are the two elven magic users in Maygam's mercenary company. The twin brothers Lolmildíll and Gilvanéllé.
Darmos slightly grimaces even thinking about the two of them. Who he knows are both powerful when it comes to magic. But are much worse as people.
Some dismiss the rumours of the elven twins in Maygam's company. Not Darmos, as he's seen evidence of their depraved behaviour.
The blue robed wizard who is effectively the second in command of Jorkamin's company.
Knows that the reason Maygam's mercenary company, which at best is only a mid sized company down here in the pit.
Is so successful compared to other companies of the same size and even larger ones.
Is because Maygam has the twin brothers Lolmildíll and Gilvanéllé working for him.
One of them is bad enough, but the two of them together are a nightmare.
With Gilvanéllé an absolute horror if rumours about him are truly correct. As it's said he eats upon the flesh of other people, in particular humans.
"What are you thinking about?" quietly asks Jorkamin the mercenary company.
"Who else we might run into up here" is the quiet reply of Darmos the wizard, who then adds "Magically".
The mercenary captain nods his head, then quietly says "Hamblett's pet wizards?".
"Yeah" says the spellcaster who has been in Jorkamin's company for nearly a decade now.
"And the elven twins in Maygam's" continues Darmos, who then adds "That's if they're up here too".
Jorkamin scowls at the mention of the elven twins and especially the mercenary captain Maygam.
Who he along with many of the other captains of the larger companies down here in the City of Ruins, including Jarnok and Hamblett.
Have found to be a major annoyance in their running of operations. Digging up ruins, and finding whatever is of value.
Only to have the likes of Maygam and his company, stealing it as it's brought back to the neutral zone, or the towns and villages at the southern end of the giant hole in the ground.
"If that puffed up scavenger Maygam, and those sick elven bastards of his are up here, they're dead" says Jorkamin who continues with "It'll be just as satisfying getting rid of them, as it is getting rid of Hamblett and Jarnok".
As they head through a shell of a building, Darmos nods in agreement with Jorkamin.
Though he doesn't really have anything personal against those they're at battle with.
He'd freely admit to satisfaction at seeing the elven twins Lolmildíll and Gilvanéllé dead.
As he's seen the evidence of their depravity. When he and some of the others in the company found a young woman alive, who had been held captive by one of the elven twins, and repeatedly raped and tortured.
She didn't know which one it was, but when Darmos who had seen the elven twins before, read her mind. He knew which one had raped and tortured her over a number of days.
He had a feeling which one it was anyway. For if it was Gilvanéllé, the young woman would of been found dead, most likely half eaten.
It was the other brother Lolmildíll who did it, then let her go free to be found by Darmos and the others.
The blue robed wizard will definitely find some satisfaction in getting rid of the elven magic users Gilvanéllé, and especially Lolmildíll.
They make their way to the warship that brought them here to this part of the pit.
Jorkamin has a word with the captain of the converted transporter. And soon the airship is lifting up into the air on this cold autumn day, here in this area of the northern, central region of the Southlands.
As the mercenary captain and the blue robed wizard watch the warship head up into the sunny afternoon sky, to resume attacking targets upon the ground.
Jorkamin quietly says to the spellcaster who is his second in command "Let us go and hunt down the others we're after".
Darmos nods in agreement, and with the others of the company spreading out around them.
They move off to find anyone else in either Hamblett and Jarnok's mercenary companies.
Or anyone else for that matter, who are up here to the north of the neutral zone in the giant hole in the ground, in which is the ancient city of Dalphene, also known as the City of Ruins . . . . . .