Mercenary Tales 83.

Border Region. 

Tamric Drubine the field commander looks around through the trees, then over at Beldane the cleric, who shrugs his shoulders when he sees the young noble originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin look his way. 

The young field commander in the Armies of Farque looks back at Dorc da Orc, but the large ork just has a bored look upon his broad green brutish looking face as he looks around. 

Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well, looks back up to the top of the hill they were previously on. 

Until Beldane teleported them off it, just before it was struck by a magetube shot from a Girdanian patrol ship. 

A warship that's in pieces somewhere off to their right, after it was taken down by Helbe the elven thief. Who along with Lord Farque has gone off somewhere. 

Field commander Drubine knows that Beldane won't be able to find them. But someone else might know where they are at the moment. 

"Dorc" quietly says Tamric Drubine the field commander, who follows that with "You know where they are?". 

"Fucken who cunt?" asks Dorc da Orc who is peering away through the trees to their right, where he spots more of those in the mercenary army of the Geist cousins, hurrying south to the nearby border with the city-state of Vexil. 

After rolling his eyes, Tamric says "Farque and Helbe" followed by a mutter in elven with "Who the fuck else do I think". 

The big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world grunts, then he deeply sniffs as he looks around. 

Then the ork warleader gestures to the south and tells the young field commander "Fucken that way". 

The ork weaponsmith follows that with "Me hear fucken fighting that way too's" then he loudly mutters "Me fucken missin' out on that shit". 

Tamric Drubine who is the son of a former Knight of Castle Drubine, which is located in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin, looks away to the south through the trees. 

Then he looks over at the fighting cleric in the church of Glaine, and quietly asks him "Think we should head that way?". 

Beldane the cleric thinks about shrugging his shoulders in reply again, but instead he says "Might as well". 

Then the powerful practitioner of magic who hails from the kingdom of Nastell looks back at Dorc da Orc, and he asks the general in the Armies of Farque "Dorc who's fighting away to the south?". 

"Not north" mutters the son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks. 

"Lord Farque and Helbe fighting down there?" adds the powerful cleric in the half plate armour who waves away to the south, then says "Against any of them?". 

Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle which is his given name grunts, then after a few moments, where he deeply sniffs then listens carefully, before saying "Nah cunt". 

The large ork who actually holds a higher rank in the Armies of Farque than Tam, which everyone conveniently forgets to mention to him, says "Them cunts". 

Gesturing away at the passing mercenaries through the trees further to their right, as he adds "Fucken 'em". 

The warleader of the ork race follows that with "Against them other cunts that ways" as he waves away to the south, indicating to across the border into the city-state of Vexil. 

Beldane the cleric nods, then dryly says in the elven language to field commander Drubine "Not like it wasn't expected". 

Tam nods his head in agreement, then in the common language he tells the other two "Come on then" followed by "Might as well head that way" as he points to the south through the trees. 

Then the senior officer in the Armies of Farque, who is noble born, and originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, says "Since that's where everything seems to happening". 

The young field commander sets off, and he's quickly followed by the fighting cleric in the church of Glaine, and eventually the big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world. Who grunts as he follows after the two humans. 

After checking on the wreckage of the Girdanian warship that he brought down. In this case, a twin masted cutter. That's mainly in three large pieces on the forest floor. Helbe the elven thief heads off south, and across the border into the city-state of Vexil. 

The young elven noble who hails from the island principality of Laerel who has just shifted. Watches as some of the Geist company guards hurry between the trees, heading south to where the elven masterthief can clearly hear fighting taking place. 

The highly talented elven magic user glances at his right shoulder, to where Narladene the ground pixie is standing. 

"Where is he?" quietly asks Helbe the elven thief, the ground pixie leaps off his shoulder, then dives down into the ground. 

After a few moments, the tiny winged creature who is originally from the Sunreach Mountains pops back up out of the ground, and makes her way back onto the right shoulder of the elven master assassin who she is 'attached' to. 

"That way" quietly says Narladene the ground pixie who points off through the trees, more or less to the southeast. 

The naturally magical creature who went down into the ground, so that she could locate the movement of a particular individual. 

The only person, in the entire world to be exact. That feels a certain way to Narladene by the way they move upon the ground. 

Says to the elven master archer who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel "Think he's watching that fighting we can hear". 

"Makes sense" dryly murmurs the elven practitioner of magic, who then shifts away, heading southeast through the forest. Here in the hill country that makes up the border region between the kingdom of Girdane and the city-state of Vexil. 

Lord Farque slightly turns his full helmed head to the right as he senses who it is that's rapidly approaching the position he's watching the fighting between regular Vexillian army soldiers, and the hired mercenaries of the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen. 

The undead warlord who is on a slight, tree covered rise is watching elements of the Vexillian army who are engaged with mercenaries from the army that the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen have gathered. 

The large heavily armoured deathlord who is crouching down, on one knee, slightly behind the trunk of a fairly large tree. 

Looks away to his right again, and wryly smiles behind the full helm that encloses his head as he watches the hooded figure of Helbe the elven thief moving at speed through the forest as he continuously shifts. 

The highly talented elven magic user who is originally from the island principality of Laerel is blurred and shielded. 

Making him invisible to prying eyes. But not to the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, who can easily see the young elven noble who is a member of his personal council. 

The undead being who has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands also know him by. 

Goes back to watching the nearby fighting, and a few moments later the blurred and shielded Helbe the elven thief appears beside him. 

"They're getting stuck into each other pretty good" quietly says Helbe the elven thief, whose actual name is prince Helbenthril Raendril, as he's the grandson of Prince Raendril, who is the ruler of the principality of Laerel. 

The elven practitioner of magic who is speaking elvish, continues with "Don't know who has got the better of it". 

The lord of the death realm, who has the elven name of Des'tier, which means The Destroyer, stands up then nods his full helmed head in agreement with the elven masterthief. 

The large heavily armoured deathlord who can sense Dorc da Orc, Tamric Drubine the field commander and Beldane the cleric heading this way too. 

Looks closely at one of the Vexillian soldiers, who is on the ground, on top of one of the mercenaries, trying to choke the mercenary to death. Then he looks away to the south, then up into the morning sky in that direction too. 

"More of them are heading this way" quietly says Lord Farque in the elven language as he and the elven princeling from the island principality of Laerel, continue to watch the fighting down amongst the trees, not that far from where they are. 

Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head, as he suspected more elements of the Vexillian army were here in the north of the city-state. 

So he's not that surprised that more of them are on their way here, just over the border from the kingdom of Girdane. 

"We going to get involved?" quietly asks the highly talented elven practitioner of magic as the two of them, along with Narladene the ground pixie watch the fighting nearby. 

After a few moments, the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque shakes his full helmed head, then quietly says "We'll stay out of it". 

Draugodrottin briefly pauses before continuing in a slightly dry tone of voice with "Unless someone fucking attacks us" followed by "Then it's the usual". 

The elven master assassin nods his hooded head in understanding. As he knows the undead warlord would prefer to keep our of the way of the conflict between the Vexillian military and the mercenary army gathered by the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen. 

But if anyone, from either side were to attack them. Then Des'tier will reply in force and expect the rest of the group to do likewise. 

The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel then quietly asks the deathlord of Farque "So what will we do?". 

The lord of the death realm doesn't reply immediately as they watch the fighting nearby. Then eventually he says "You know this wasn't such a bad idea" as he gestures down at some passing mercenaries in the Geist cousins army. 

"I thought you reckoned it was a bad idea?" says the elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the principality of Laerel. 

"I thought it was a badly executed idea" says Draugodrottin in a dry tone of voice, then he continues more normally with "Not a bad idea in general". 

The lord of the death realm who can sense Dorc, Tam and Beldane getting closer, then adds "In fact there's a couple of genius ideas, that we just might take advantage of". 

The eyebrows of the elven magic user, who is a member of Lord Farque's personal council, lift up in surprise at hearing that, then he says "Oh?". 

Des'tier after glancing at Narladene the ground pixie, switches to the noble elven language, and tells the elven princeling "For instance those old gold mines that were reopened by that Salinéll and her lot here in northern Vexil". 

Prince Helbenthril Raendril looks sharply at the undead warlord, then after a moment, he slowly nods his hooded head in understanding. 

"You want them?" quietly asks Helbe the elven thief in his first language, the noble or royal elven language. 

The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque nods his full helmed head slightly, then he gestures down at those fighting down below, not that far from them. 

"Without any of those fuckers from either side knowing" quietly says the undead being who has the elven name of Des'tier. 

The elven magic user wryly smiles, as he know first and foremost. That the lord of the death realm likes to take an opportunity to increase his coffers whenever he can. And during any kind of conflict is often the best opportunity to do that. 

"If war does break out between Vexil and Girdane, neither side is going to hire any mercenary armies" says Draugodrottin, who then adds "So that leaves us shit out of luck". 

The large heavily armoured deathlord continues on with "So the next best thing, is what can we take advantage of" followed by "And those newly reopened mines sound pretty fucking good to me". The elven master archer grins at hearing that, after all he does have the soul of a thief. 

Then Des'tier switches back to the normal elven language, and says "Here comes Tam, Beldane and Dorc". 

Helbe the elven thief looks back behind them, and through the trees, he spots the trio of the young field commander, the fighting cleric and the ork warleader approaching the rise from the north. 

"Going to tell them?" quietly asks the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel as he glances sideways at the large figure standing beside him. 

With a slight shake of his head, Draugodrottin quietly says "Not yet" followed by "Not until the others get down here". Referring to the rest of the group, who are still up in the kingdom of Girdane, and won't be down here in the hill country of the border region until later in the morning. 

The elven princeling nods his hooded head in understanding, then as an errant arrow goes flying by them by a few yards. 

The undead warlord and the elven masterthief go back to watching the fighting down amongst the trees between soldiers in the Vexillian army, and mercenaries and guards from the army gathered by the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen. 

Who were hoping to start a border war between their homeland of Vexil, and the kingdom of Girdane. Which they were hoping to take advantage of, and make a profit from. 

But at the moment, things are not going their way. As more and more soldiers in the army of the city-state of Vexil are a turning up, as they approach the border from nearby positions. Here on what's a cold winters morning in this region of The Southlands . . . . . .