Mercenary Tales 21.

The Border Of Vexil And Girdane. 

Most of the mercenary army gathered by the Geist Trading Company don't even make it to the road. And by nightfall they end up making camp beneath the trees, scattered across a few of the hills in the border region, across in the kingdom of Girdane. 

The army is so spread out, and due to the hilly terrain, a lot of the wagons with the camp followers, are far from the companies they're part of. 

Not so for Marqand's mercenary company, as they're one of the few companies, where their wagons were following them fairly closely. 

So the group have their tents up beneath some trees, not far from the forest road that leads back southeast into the city-state of Vexil. 

On what's a cold night, after what was a cold winter's day, where snow fell throughout much of the afternoon, here in this part of the hill country that straddles the border between the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane. 

The group with the exception of Lord Farque and Dorc da Orc who aren't with them at this time. Are settling down for the night. 

Apart from Zam the ex mercenary and Tovis the war engineer, who are amongst some of those in the company who are on watch for this part of the evening. 

As well as Helbe the elven thief, who only briefly visited with Tamric Drubine the field commander in the afternoon. And is no where to be seen. 

In fact the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who for the most part kept an eye on the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen throughout the day. 

Is now up in the night sky, far above the hill country in northern Vexil and southeast Girdane. On board the twin masted brigantine, the warship that the Geist Trading Company have with them at this time. 

The vessel, which has been patrolling the border region. Though it briefly took off in the morning, as a Vexilian aircorp frigate, a patrol ship. Was seen away to the south. Stopping in at one of the towns in northern Vexil. Before it headed off to the west. 

The elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the principality of Laerel, is below deck. 

In the captain's cabin, while the captain is in the galley, having dinner with some of the crew of the warship that's part of the Geist Trading Company's fleet. 

The elven master assassin who is Lord Farque's envoy, and a part of the undead warlord's personal council. 

Is going through the captain's logbook, as well as a number of marked maps of northern Vexil and southeast Girdane. 

The highly talented elven magic user who is blurred and shielded, is sitting on the chair at the small desk that the captain of the warship has in his cabin. 

The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel lifts an eyebrow at what he reads in the captain's logbook. 

Then he quickly looks at one of the marked maps that the captain has left out on his desk. The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, then shakes his hooded head as he quickly reads the passage in the logbook that's taken his interest. 

"What is it?" quietly asks Narladene the ground pixie after she lands upon the right shoulder of the elven princeling she's attached to. 

The naturally magical creature who has just returned after looking through the airship, looks at the marked maps, then at the open page in the logbook that the elven master archer is reading. 

The tiny winged creature who hails from the Sunreach Mountains grunts as she figures out what's what. 

Then Narladene the ground pixie quietly says "They going to attack those places first" she points at one of the maps, and quietly adds "There, there, and there". 

Nodding his hooded head, Helbe the elven thief quietly says "They are" he moves the top map to one side, then adds "Then this place, followed by this" as he points at another couple of locations in northern Vexil. 

The ground pixie who though young for one of her kind, is the oldest member of the group with the exception of Lord Farque's sword, then quietly says "Hmmm then what?". 

"I'm thinking the same thing" quietly says the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, who follows that with "What are they going to do after attacking those last two places". 

The young elven noble falls silent, as does the naturally magical creature sitting upon his right shoulder. 

While outside, the wind picks up. Here a few thousand feet above the hill country that straddles the border between the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane. 

Eventually the elven masterthief who is a member of Lord Farque's personal council, breaks the silence, and quietly says "The cousins don't exactly know what they're doing either, after they attack these villages and towns in northern Vexil". 

The highly talented elven magic user, is silent for a moment, before he continues on with "They've got it somewhat in their minds, that they'll cross back into Girdane after these initial attacks". 

The son of the heir to the principality of Laerel, then quietly adds "They're waiting for word from their cousin Misa on how they'll proceed". 

Narladene nods her tiny head at hearing that, then after Helbe the elven thief quietly says "Better go tell Lord Farque I guess". 

The naturally magical creature tells the elven master assassin "Someone's coming" followed by "It's the captain". 

Prince Helbenthril Raendril quickly returns everything to the position he found them in. Then after a quick look outside through the only porthole in the captain's cabin. 

He shifts away into the night, with Narladene gripping onto his right shoulder. On a night that's cold, and now windy here in the border region between the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane. 

They trailed the mercenary army of the Geist Trading Company throughout the day, and into the afternoon, then evening. 

They didn't travel far, as the bulk of the mercenary army were slow to get going, and slow going on the march. 

Now lord Farque stands upon a rocky outcrop on a hilltop, the wind buffering the immovable form of the large heavily armoured deathlord. 

A bit behind the undead warlord, amongst the trees, there comes the soft groans of pain of someone. 

The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque then rolls his eyes as after the groans of pain, he hears the distinctive chortle of Dorc da Orc. 

Then the lord of the death realm looks up into the night sky, away to the south and east, about five miles away, a few thousand feet up, he clearly sees the twin masted brigantine that the Geist cousins are using to patrol this area of the hill country that straddles the border of the city-state of Vexil and the kingdom of Girdane. 

Des'tier which is his name in elven, watches the figure, who is invisible to everyone else, shooting through the night sky in this direction. 

It's not too long before Helbe the elven thief appears beside the undead warlord on the rocky outcrop on the side of one of the hills, here across the border in the kingdom of Girdane. 

"What the hell is that?" asks Helbe the elven thief who looks back behind them, and peers amongst the trees as he hears a groan of pain come from someone. 

"A snack" is the reply from Dorc da Orc who the elven masterthief can make out amongst the trees. 

The big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world chuckles, then goes back to what he's doing. 

"A straggler" says Lord Farque to the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel who stands beside him. 

"He got fucking hungry, so he went and got one of them" dryly adds the undead being who has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands also know him by. 

"Eeewwwww" mutters Narladene the ground pixie in disgust, who then takes off from the right shoulder of the elven spellcaster she's attached to, and flies away. 

After he rolls his eyes, and tries to ignore that Dorc da Orc is eating someone alive back amongst the trees behind them. 

Helbe the elven thief informs Lord Farque of what he found out onboard the twin masted brigantine of the Geist Trading Company on this cold and windy winter's night. 

The undead warlord listens in silence to the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel. 

Then after the elven master assassin tells him what he's found out recently onboard the Geist owned warship. 

He asks the lord of the death realm "So what should we do?" the elven princeling briefly pauses before continuing with "Let them continue with their attack?". 

Draugodrottin is silent for a few more moments, then after a groan of pain that comes to an abrupt stop, followed by a grunt of disappointment from Dorc da Orc back amongst the trees. 

The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, slightly shrugs his massive shoulders, then says to his envoy "Might as well". 

The large heavily armoured deathlord continues with "What I'm more interested in is what happens afterwards". 

Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head in agreement with that. And though he knows they as a group could probably stop this coming attack upon northern Vexil by the Geist Trading Company. 

And by the state of the mercenary army that's been gathered by the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen, it's going to be a rather messy attack in the hill country of northern Vexil. 

The elven masterthief knows that finding out the end game of the Geist Trading Company is what's important here. 

"If that Misa Geist shows up, we'd know what they're actually up to" quietly says the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel. 

Then after Narladene the ground pixie lands back upon his right shoulder, as she's caught a glimpse of the unlucky mercenary Dorc da Orc has been eating alive, is now dead. And the large ork isn't that interested in eating him anymore after gnawing on an arm. 

The highly talented elven magic user says to the deathlord of Farque "I get they want to start a war between Vexil and Girdane to help out with their business". 

The undead warlord nods his full helmed head in agreement with that, as the Vexilian ruling council will be purchasing goods like crazy if they end up going to war against their neighbours to the north and west. 

"But attacking their own nation seems more than a little odd" adds prince Helbenthril Raendril, followed by "You'd think they'd attack Girdane instead". 

As both he and the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque knows that the Geist Trading Company as a whole, are a loyal family to their homeland of Vexil. 

So much so, when it comes to politics. They always back any Vexilian loyalist who seeks to be appointed to the ruling council of Vexil. 

Which is sperate to the mage council of Vexil, who in reality, really runs the city-state of Vexil. But they only appoint members from within the mage community in Vexil, and they have to be born and raised, in the city-state itself. 

And they only take on members rarely, in fact one of the last such member to join was Mira Reinholt about twenty five years ago, when he was just seventeen years old, just newly graduated from the Mage College of Vexil. 

Not that he was on the council for long, as he was sent into exile during the Battle of Vexil, less than four months after joining the mage council who actually rule the city-state of his birth. 

"We'll let this play out, and see what happens" quietly says Lord Farque, who then tells the elven princeling "Tell Tam and the others to go along with what's going to happen, but to keep out of trouble". 

"I will" says Helbe the elven thief as they look to the west to the scattered mercenary army, on this cold winter's night in the hill country that straddles the border of the kingdom of Girdane and the city-state of Vexil . . . . . .