The Find 51.

Autumn.

In and around the pit. In which is the ancient city of Dalphene. More commonly called The City of Ruins.
"What was it?" asks Almard the mercenary, who like the others was woken up by the constant thuds of magetubes firing down in the pit.
Infact magetube shots are still flying up into the night sky in all directions above the giant hole in the ground.
Even though the actual magetubes are no longer firing.
Hilmik the dwarven mercenary who was on watch, tells the others what he saw.
Almard, who is yawning nods, when Hilmik informs them that he's pretty sure another of Jorkamin's warships has just been destroyed.
"And i think the wyvern that was with it was killed too" adds Hilmik the dwarven warrior, who follows that with "I haven't seen it since the last shot was fired".
"Wonder if they got those magetubes off that airship that went down yesterday?" asks Zam the mercenary, who is wrapped in his blanket.
"More than likely" says Almard, who looks around, then quietly asks the dwarven mercenary from the Colevar Mountains "Anyone around?".
"Just a flock of sheep a few hundred yards to the south of us" replies Hilmik.
Almard, who is the helper of Uren, the second in command of the company they're part of.
Nods, then asks the young dwarven warrior what time it is. After Hilmik tells him.
Almard suggests they get back in the ramshackle barn behind them. And get some more sleep before they set off sometime before dawn.
Zam, Melmear, Farnill then Almard make their way into the old barn. While Hilmik remains outside on watch. On this cold, autumn night.
Watching the magetube shots still visible, heading high up into the night sky.
The small group who are less than a mile to the west of the giant hole in the ground.
Within which is the ancient city of Dalphene, also known as the City of Ruins.
Aren't the only mercenaries watching what's just happened, in the northern half of the pit.
There's a number of them, especially scattered across the area to the north of the neutral zone of the City of Ruins.
Amongst them is the mercenary captain Maygam. Who after a fair few moments of silence looks at his second in command Uren, and the elven twins Gilvanéllé and Lolmildíll.
As they stand outside one of the tunnel entrances, that leads to the large underground chamber that the company is using.
The mercenary captain clears his throat, then looks up into the night sky again, watching one of the magetube shots still in the night sky, streaking high into the darkness above the giant hole in the ground.
"Was that someone shooting a magetube like it was a quick loading crossbow?" quietly asks Maygam the mercenary captain.
"Pretty much" says Lolmildíll the elven magic user after he shares a look with his twin brother Gilvanéllé.
"It was two of them actually" says Gilvanéllé the elven magic user in his harsh, scolding and angry sounding voice.
"Who the hell could do that?" asks the mercenary captain with a frown upon his face.
After the twins from the elven principality of Alínlae share another look.
Lolmildíll or Lolm as he's more commonly called by the others in the company, says "Have no idea".
Uren the mercenary nods, then she says "Well whoever it was, they destroyed another of Jorkamin's ships".
The second in command of the company then adds "And killed another of his wyverns".
The mercenary captain Maygam, along with the noble elven twins nod in agreement with female mercenary who has a scar across her face.
With a smile upon his face, Jarnok the mercenary captain turns to Greason the wizard and says "Well, well, well would you look at that".
The mercenary captain continues with "That's another of his ships gone, as well as one more wyvern".
With the smile still upon his face, Jarnok says "He's going to be totally pissed off with that".
Greason the wizard, along with Tunga the troll nod in agreement with the mercenary captain.
As they stand outside the ruins the company are using, looking up at the night sky above the City of Ruins.
Where magetube shots that were fired a little earlier. Are streaking in all directions, up into the sky on this cold, autumn night.
"Who the hell did that?" muses Jarnok, who then quietly adds "We should probably congratulate them".
After nodding, Greason the wizard who finally got to sleep after the hectic night he's been through.
Until he was woken by a couple of magetubes been fired in rapid succession somewhere away to the south of here.
Quietly says to the mercenary captain who hails from the kingdom of Girdane "I have absolutely no idea".
The wizard in the fiery red robes, continues with "Whoever it was, i don't definitely don't want to get in their way".
Also not wanting to get in their way, is the mercenary captain Hamblett. Who is also wondering how those magetubes were fired like that. And who it was that was shooting them.
Hamblett who is glad that another of his rival Jorkamin's warships has just been destroyed. As well as one of Jorkamin's wyverns has been killed too.
Looks over at his second in command, Rameeda, who quietly tells him "That way".
Rameeda points as he continues with "The lookout said they were coming from that direction".
"Close to the neutral zone?" asks Hamblett the mercenary captain.
"Looked like it" says Rameeda the mercenary, who then adds "Probably less than half a mile from there".
The mercenary captain nods, and though he's glad one of his main rivals has lost another warship, and another of his wyverns.
Hamblett, still has other things on his mind. As he still has intentions of attacking a former friend, and wiping out his company.
"We still going ahead?" quietly asks Rameeda, who served with Hamblett in the previous company they were in.
"Yes" replies the mercenary captain, who follows that with "With Jorkamin and his losses, and if we're able to wipe out you know who, and his company. There'll be a shift in power down here in the pit".
Hamblett, who is standing outside one of the ruins the company are using, turns and looks at his second in command, and tells him "A shift in power to us".
There's many a mercenary, adventurer and treasure seeker across the City of Ruins, especially to the north of the neutral zone.
Who were woken by the awesome display of firepower of magetubes firing.
One who was already awake, as he was watching the airship and wyvern approaching from the south.
Was the one who the warship and the wyvern belong to. As they're in his company. Well, they were in his company.
As the twin masted fighting ship lies in pieces near the neutral zone. And the wyvern, nothing much is left of it near the eastern wall of the pit, where it was hit by a magetube shot.
Still in shock at what he's just witnessed from on top of the ancient square tower affixed to the ruins the company is using.
Jorkamin the mercenary captain turns and looks at Darmos the wizard, who looks as stunned as he feels.
The mercenary captain then looks to the south again, and up into the sky, where a handful of magetube shots can still be seen above the City of Ruins. Streaking up into the sky, on this cold autumn night.
Jorkamin watches them for a few more moments, as he does the shock gives way to anger.
"Kill them" sneers Jorkamin the mercenary captain, who turns to his second in command and tells them "I want them dead".
He points away to the south and west, where they saw the magetube shots rising up from the ground, not that far from the neutral zone, and he adds "Now".
The wizard who is the second in command of the company refrains from grimacing.
As he has no wish to confront whoever it was that was shooting a pair of magetubes with ease.
But one look at Jorkamin's face, and he knows he can't back out of this now.
"Take as many of the company as you need" says Jorkamin the mercenary captain, who follows that with "I want those responsible dead".
"Will do captain" says Darmos the wizard, who gestures to some of those on top of the ancient tower, and starts issuing orders.
As Jorkamin wants some retaliation for what just happened, here on this cold autumn night in the City of Ruins.
Dorc da Orc grunts, as lord Farque grabs him by the left arm and tells him "This way".
The large ork who was staring off to the northeast, the direction the undead warlord was looking.
Hurries alongside the large, heavily armoured deathlord who heads back in the direction they came from.
After about a couple hundred yards, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque gestures away to their left, to one of the ancient culverts that run through this part of the ancient city of Dalphene.
The lord of the death realm, and the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world jump down into the ancient culvert.
Then leaning against the sloped and in places crumbling side wall of the culvert, they look back in the direction to where they shot the magetubes from.
"Cunts?" quietly asks Dorc da Orc who like the deathlord of Farque has leaned his magetube up against the culvert wall next to them.
The undead being, who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin to the people of his lands. Nods his full helmed head in reply to the ork weaponsmith.
The large, heavily armoured deathlord lifts up his magetube, and lies it on the ground above the culvert wall.
"There" quietly says lord Farque with a nod to where he's pointed the magetube.
Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle which is his given name, looks that way. The big, burly ork from the frozen bottom of the world, who is a general in the armies of Farque.
Frowns as he sees nothing, as this part of the pit, just north of the neutral zone, is fairly bare, with little in the way of ruins.
There's more of them to the east, compared to closer to the western wall of the giant hole in the ground, which is only a couple of mile or so away.
Then the warleader of the ork race grunts as he sees sparkling, multicolored lights.
That indicates a rift forming, to the south and east a bit, about hundred or so yards north of where they just were.
The large ork lifts up his magetube as well, and lies it on the ground above the culvert.
"Not yet" quietly says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque as the rift forms.
"Wait until they're all through" quietly adds the undead warlord who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates to, The Destroyer.
The weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks grunts, as they stand in the ancient culvert, watching the first mercenary to walk out of the rift, that's less than fifty yards from them.
The two of them are completely still, as mercenary after mercenary hurry from the rift.
The two of them are just wondering how many are actually going to come through the magical doorway.
The otherside of which, is only about a mile and three quarters away to the northeast.
When about the sixtieth or so mercenary comes through the rift, followed by one in fiery, red coloured robes.
Dorkindle when he sees the lord of the death realm has taken hold of the firing lever of the magetube he's got, the large ork does likewise. And waits for the command from the large, heavily armoured deathlord to start firing.
"Now are you going to leave that open or not?" murmurs Draugadrottin as he watches what the wizard who he assumes is from Jorkamin's company, is going to do.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque rather hopes the spellcaster will leave the rift open.
Des'tier faintly smiles behind the faceplate of his full helm, as that's exactly what the wizard does.
"Shoot at the ones in the front" quietly says lord Farque to the ork warleader, who grunts in reply to the undead warlord.
Then the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world jerks up on the lever of his magetube, an instant after the lord of the death realm does on his one.
Both magetubes bounce as the thud of them firing can be heard for miles around.
And while the ork general fired his magetube at the mercenaries in the lead, who are hurrying south.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque had another target, the fully formed rift.
A target he definitely couldn't pass up, especially considering the wizard who cast it, didn't drop the spell and left it open.
As the large swirling ball of pure magical energy, red in colour. Goes tearing across the ground, towards the mercenaries who are leading the way.
The other magetube shot, this one larger, heads to where the rift is still open.
And though the wizard who cast the spell, should of really closed it. And should close it now, as one of the magetube shots comes tearing towards it.
He's kept it open, as a means of quick escape. Which is major mistake on his part, and a fatal mistake too.
Not just here, but also on the otherside of the rift, infact it's more fatal there, than it is here.
As the mercenaries, and the wizard who cast it, are for the most part, clear of the magical doorway.
The magetube shot hits the rift with predictable results when pure magical energy hits a tear or rift in reality.
There's a massive explosion that rips apart the rift, not just here near the neutral zone.
But also more than a mile and half away to the northeast, where the otherside of the fully formed rift is located.
To say that the resulting explosion is devastating to Jorkamin's company, is an understatement in the least.
It's catastrophic for the mercenary captain, and his company, where a large chunk of them are wiped out.
As twin explosions light up two parts of the ancient city of Dalphene to the north of the neutral zone, on this cold autumn night down here in the City of Ruins . . . . . .