The Find 53.

Autumn.

Northern central region of the Southlands. In the giant hole in the ground. In which is the ancient city of Dalphene. More commonly called The City of Ruins.
There's a few moments of silence as they stand outside one of the tunnel entrances.
Then Maygam the mercenary captain asks "What the hell was that?" as he looks at the others with him.
The twin brothers look at one another, then Gilvanéllé the elven magic user says "That" he briefly pauses before adding "Was a rift being destroyed".
Nodding his head in agreement with his twin brother Gilvanéllé, the other elven magic user Lolmildíll says "Darmos".
Lolmildíll or Lolm as he's more commonly called by the others in the company, is sensing like his twin brother, and he says "Don't know if he survived it or not".
Gilvanéllé, or Gilvan as he's called by his brother, or Gil by the rest of the company, nods then says "That would been devastating".
He points away to the east, the direction of the second large explosion, that was basically instantaneous as the first one away to the south, closer to the neutral zone.
"That was the point of origin of the rift" explains Gilvanéllé, who is more thoughtful sounding than his usual sneering, aggressive self.
Looking at Maygam, Gil tells him "Might of got lucky, because if Jorkamin was anywhere near that side of the rift, he would of got caught up in that explosion".
"Or alternatively, he might of gone through, and got caught up in the explosion to the south, that Darmos was in the middle of" says Lolmildíll the elven magic user.
"Knowing Jorkamin, he wouldn't of wanted to put himself in danger" sourly says Maygam, who continues with "No way he went through that rift with his pet wizard".
The mercenary captain nods away to the east, where they can still see a massive cloud of debris in the night sky, that's raining down on that area of the pit.
And he quietly says "The best we can hope for is that he was right next to that end of the rift" followed by "That would of killed him off for sure if he was too close to it".
"Whatever happened" says Uren the mercenary, who momentarily pauses before adding "His company would of taken a hit there" she continues with "Along with the loss of that warship, and another of his wyverns tonight. Jorkamin's lot here to the north of the neutral zone will be in bad shape".
Maygam nods his head in agreement with his second in command, then the mercenary captain after looking up into the sky, asks the elven twins what time it is.
"A little after halfway between midnight and dawn" is the reply of Lolmildíll the elf, who like his twin brother Gilvan, is a noble from the principality of Alínlae.
Maygam rubs his chin as he thinks of something, then he quietly tells the trio standing outside one of the tunnel entrances "This might be an advantage to us".
The mercenary captain continues with "If he's still alive, he'll be hell bent on finding whoever it is that's been responsible for attacking him and his company".
Maygam pauses for a moment or two, before he says "That should leave us free to do what we want".
The mercenary captain pauses once more, before adding in a dry tone "Just have to worry about the other companies up here who want to attack us".
The elven twins Gilvanéllé and Lolmildíll, along with Uren nod in agreement with Maygam.
As they all wonder who it is that's responsible for the attacks upon Jorkamin's company this cold, autumn night here in the ancient city of Dalphene, which is more commonly called the City of Ruins.
Maygam gives them a few orders, and has the nearby lookouts on watch make sure no one is around.
Especially from Jarnok's company who were unsuccessful in attacking them earlier in the night.
Meanwhile, a bit further to the east, amongst a ruins without a roof of any kind.
Jarnok the mercenary captain is hunkered down amongst some half fallen walls.
He grimaces as he looks up away to the left in the night sky he can see the debris from the large explosion that happened nearby, falling towards the ground.
The mercenary captain looks over at Greason the wizard, who informed him that it was a rift that was destroyed.
"Darmos you say?" asks Jarnok the mercenary captain, who then asks "Think he's dead?".
"Maybe" says Greason the wizard who follows that with "He was near that explosion further south, near the neutral zone".
"Wonder if Jorkamin went through the rift with him?" muses the mercenary captain who continues with "For some reason i doubt it, and he stayed on the otherside of the rift".
"If he did, and he was close to it, then he's dead" states the wizard in the red coloured robes who then adds "No way anyone would of survived that if they didn't have wards around them".
Near a hole in the wall to their right, Tunga the troll, who is crouching down, nods his head in agreement.
As they hear the debris hitting the ground not all that far away to the east of them.
Jarnok didn't realise how close he and the bulk of his company here to the north of the neutral zone, was to Jorkamin and his company.
As that loud explosion east of here, was only a third of a mile away at best, closer to a quarter of a mile away if the sound of the falling debris is anything to go by.
Jarnok, who was planning on doing something else when dawn breaks. Is thinking of a change of plans, taking advantage of what's just happened.
"Whoever it is that's been attacking Jorkamin, they've done us a huge favour" quietly says the mercenary captain who continues with "Even if he and his wizard survived what just happened, his company here in the northern half of the pit will be decimated".
"More than likely" says Greason, who continues with "Considering the size of those two explosions".
The practitioner of magic has never witnessed a rift being destroyed before.
Though he had heard of what happens when it does. Just that it was far larger than what he could've imagined.
Looking at the mercenary captain, the relatively tall, but overweight spellcaster asks him "What do you plan cap?".
Jarnok waves over Tunga, and the troll makes his way to where the mercenary captain and the wizard are sitting.
Once the troll sits down, Jarnok quietly says "Since Jorkamin's company has taken a big hit, i think it's best we take advantage of the situation".
He continues with "He interfered in the fight we had going against Hamblett and his bunch".
Jarnok briefly pauses for a moment or two, before he adds "Time he paid for that interference".
The third of the mercenary captains of the three largest companies working down here in the giant hole in the ground.
In which is the ancient city of Dalphene, which is more widely known as the City of Ruins.
Hamblett the mercenary captain looks away to the south, towards the neutral zone.
Where he can see the debris cloud, fairly clearly, even though it's nighttime.
He then looks to the east, and sees a similar cloud of debris and dirt, on this cold autumn night in the pit.
Looking over at his second in command Rameeda, Hamblett the mercenary captain quietly asks "Any idea?".
Rameeda the mercenary shakes his head no, then says "Whatever that was, or whoever it was, there is one thing".
"Oh?" says the mercenary captain who gets up from the pile of rubble he's sitting on, then adds "What's that?".
"Anyone who got caught up in that is fucked" says the second in command of the company.
Hamblett nods in agreement with that blunt assessment from his second.
Then Rameeda steps outside the ruin they've stopped in, to speak to with one of the company who has a message for him.
Rameeda steps back inside after quietly speaking with the messenger, and he says "One of the spellcasters says it was a rift being destroyed" followed by "Darmos the wizard's rift".
Hamblett grins at hearing that, then he quietly says "Hopefully Darmos was killed" he briefly pauses then adds "And Jorkamin too".
Rameeda nods in agreement with that, then the second in command of the company says "No matter if they were, or if they weren't" followed by "Their company would've been decimated for sure".
Hamblett nods to that, then his second in command quietly asks him "Change of plans cap?".
The mercenary captain is sorely tempted to change his plans. Especially considering Jorkamin's company will more than likely be in disarray with what's just happened.
But the ties of old friendships that were broken years ago, are too strong.
And Hamblett shakes his head, and quietly says "No, we stick to what we've planned".
The mercenary captain continues with "Though I'm sorely tempted to turn around and attack what's ever left of Jorkamin's company, we'll go ahead with our plan".
Rameeda nods his head in understanding. After all, he too like Hamblett served alongside Maygam in another mercenary company over a decade ago.
And the friendship they once had, is long broken. Especially between Hamblett and Maygam.
Who are the most bitter of rivals, if not enemies nowadays. When in the past, they were the best of friends.
Jorkamin the mercenary captain is carried into some shelter, a partially dug out tunnel in one of the ruins a couple hundred yards from the site of the explosion.
The mercenary captain who is going in and out of consciousness, sits up with a groan, then hisses due to the pain in his left leg.
He doesn't look down at it, but he figures it's broken down by the ankle if the pain is anything to go by.
Listening to his men, Jorkamin realises that there was another explosion, away to the south, near the neutral zone.
The mercenary captain grimaces as he figures it was the rift that Darmos cast, which exploded with devastating effect.
He nods his head in thanks as one of the men wraps a blanket around him, as he's shivering, while sitting on the floor of the half dug tunnel, that's lit by a single lamp.
"Jenin is coming cap" quietly says one of the company who has just entered the half dug tunnel.
The mercenary captain breathes a sigh of relief at hearing that. And a few moments later, a woman enters and makes her way to where Jorkamin is on the floor of the tunnel. "Let me look" quietly says Jenin the sorceress, one of a handful of spellcasters Jorkamin brought with him, to the north of the neutral zone of the City of Ruins.
"This shouldn't hurt" says the sorceress who lays her hands on his left leg, and quickly casts a healing spell.
Jorkamin the mercenary captain says "Thanks" as the warmth of the spell goes through his leg as the break is healed.
After stretching his newly healed leg a few times, Jorkamin sits up, and nods in the direction of the explosion that nearly killed him, and asks "Any survivors?".
"Just a handful have been pulled out of the rubble alive so far" quietly says Jenin, which causes the mercenary captain to wince.
Then after a few moments of silence, Jorkamin quietly asks what he's been dreading to hear "Darmos?".
"I don't know" is the hesitant reply of the sorceress, who briefly pauses before adding "I can no longer sense him".
Jorkamin the mercenary captain grimaces, as he wonders if his second in command, Darmos the wizard is dead.
The wizard Darmos isn't dead. At the moment, he's unconscious. Draped over the left shoulder of Dorc da Orc.
As the large ork walks alongside lord Farque, as the two of them walk back to the ancient tower that the rest of the group have spent the cold, autumn night in.
Here in the giant hole in the ground, within which is the ancient city of Dalphene, which is also known as the City of Ruins . . . . . .