The City-State Of Vexil.
They walk up to the counting house that they've been using. And out the front stands Helbe the elven thief.
Zam the ex mercenary who is at the back with Dorc da Orc, sees the elven magic user hand Lord Farque a rolled up leather satchel.
"Three of them" says Helbe the elven thief, who then switches from the elven language to the royal elven language to tell the undead warlord something.
The teenager originally from The City Of Ruins glances at the ork warleader next to him, who looks absolutely disgusted that they're outside in the constant drizzle.
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque says something in the royal elven language that only he and Helbe the elven thief understand.
Then the young elven noble who hails from the island principality of Laerel says in the regular elven language "You want to me to take you there?".
"We'll walk" says Lord Farque in elvish, who follows that with "Mira probably knows the way there".
"Where?" asks Mira Reinholt the mage as he looks at the large heavily armoured deathlord, and his fellow spellcaster the elven masterthief.
"Salman's counting house" is the reply from the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
"On Victory Lane?" asks the once powerful mage, which gets a nod of the head from the highly talented elven magic user.
"Yeah I know where it is" says the practitioner of magic who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, who then adds "It's not all that far".
"Let's go" says the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque who has switched to the common language.
They set off, with the lord of the death realm leading the way along side the Vexillian born spellcaster.
Followed by the big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, and the ex mercenary who hails from The City Of Ruins.
Zam looks around and finds no sign of Helbe the elven thief, who has disappeared which he often does.
The teenager who is the youngest member of the group shrugs his shoulders as he walks along side the grumpy looking ork weaponsmith as it continues to drizzle on this early spring morning here in the city of Vexil.
"Take it you're having some of the gold from the mines go to Salman's instead" quietly says the mage Reinholt in the elven language after they turn onto another street, this one busy as it leads to one of the market squares here in the north of the city.
"Probably best" is the reply from Lord Farque in the same language, who follows that with "Don't want to have the one, mainly owned by your family's business, coming under too much scrutiny".
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in The Southlands nods his hooded head in agreement with the lord of the death realm.
They bypass the market, going through a series of lanes that the mage Reinholt leads them through. And end up in a quiet neighbourhood, here in the north of the capital city.
The north of the city, well north of the Mage College, as well as the main airdocks of the city. Is the more affluent part of the city of Vexil.
With many of the city-state's wealthy living and doing business here in this part of the city. In fact the Reinholt Family Manor. The park like grounds that Mira's family owns, on which are a number of houses. Isn't all that far away, further to the east, here in this part of the city.
"Leave it Dorc" suddenly says Lord Farque to the large ork, who was about to wander off when a hobbit walks down a lane on the other side of the street they've walked out onto.
A sour sounding grunt comes from the large ork who is a general in the Armies of Farque as he eyes the hobbit walking down the lane.
Zam just shakes his head, as the ork warleader is willing to kill anyone, or anything that annoys him on a day like today, where a constant drizzle of rain falls upon the city of Vexil.
"Not far" says Mira Reinholt when he gestures to the street to their right, which they head down. This one a tree lined street, like many in this part of the city.
"What's that me smell?" says Dorc da Orc who is suddenly interested in something as he looks around for whatever that's got his attention.
"Food most likely" dryly says the Vexillian mage in exile who is leading the way along side Lord Farque. That gets a chuckle from the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks.
"It's animals" says the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, who follows on from that with "Lot's of different ones too".
"Ah" says the mage Reinholt in understanding, who continues with "The city menagerie" he then adds "That's not that far from here".
Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle which is his given name, knows that word, even though he doesn't know how to say it, so instead he says "One of them fucken animal parks?".
"Yep" is the reply of the practitioner of magic who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, who continues with "It's the main public one".
"Can we go?" demands the large ork who is the warleader of his race, who leans forward to look at the deathlord of Farque as they stop to allow a pair of wagons to go by, before they cross the street.
"No" is the reply from the large heavily armoured deathlord as they get underway again when the wagons have gone by.
"Why the fuck not?" asks a disappointed sounding Dorkindle who is repeatedly sniffing to catch the scents from the nearby public menagerie.
"Because you'll try to eat or fuck the animals there" is the dry sounding response from Lord Farque who has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands also know him by.
"Both" dryly adds the practitioner of magic who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, who glances back at the big burly ork walking behind him.
Dorkindle chuckles then says "Yeah" followed by "Me probably would". Next to the large ork, Zam the ex mercenary just shakes his head at the thought of that.
Though the teenager from The City Of Ruins would of liked to of gone to the public menagerie, as he's never seen one before.
As they turn onto another street, and the mage Reinholt tells them how a wealthy businessman had his own private menagerie in the city. Which he heard closed a decade ago when the animals suddenly escaped one day.
And Lord Farque informs them that Helbe the elven thief did that, when the group as a whole was last in Vexil after a flare up in tension between the city-state and it's rival, the city-state of Tuledare.
Which the group stopped, which garnered part of the mage Reinholt's exile to be rescinded. Allowing him to visit Vexil, like he's doing at this time.
The once powerful mage then says "The lane to the right at the end of the street there" followed by "To the right".
The undead warlord nods his full helmed head, who continues waking, before suddenly coming to a stop.
After a moments pause, the deathlord of Farque says "Dorc". Zam sees the lord of the death realm make a series of quick gestures with his gauntleted left hand off to one side.
The ex mercenary from The City Of Ruins sees the large ork, suddenly come alert, then grunt and walk away, crossing the street. He nods when Draugodrottin says a few words in orkish.
As the ork warleader makes his way into an alleyway on the other side of the street. Zam sees the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque who quietly says "Mira" make a series of quick gestures with his other hand.
The teenager who is the youngest member of the group, has been taught the hand gestures used by the group. Can't keep up with whatever the undead warlord just signaled.
"Take Zam with you" quietly says the large heavily armoured deathlord who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates to The Destroyer.
Draugodrottin starts walking again, and the mage Reinholt and Zam the ex mercenary follow him. Until the exiled Vexillian mage turns into a narrow lane to the right, taking the youngest member of the group with him.
Zam hurries to catch up to the once powerful mage who is quickly walking down the lane, looking at the doorways as he passes them.
"In here" quietly says Mira Reinholt, who steps into a deep alcove, which has a doorway at the end of it.
The teenager from The City Of Ruins follows him, and as the two of them look back out into the narrow lane.
The Vexillian mage in exile briefly touches Zam on the shoulder, then quietly tells him "We're invisible".
The practitioner of magic who is also a highly skilled swordmaster then says "We were being followed". Before Zam can ask him why they're invisible as they stand in the dark alcove.
Looking out into the lane, and to the left. They see a pair of fairly nondescript looking men stop at the entrance of the lane.
And though they briefly look in the direction that Lord Farque continued down the street, they turn into the narrow lane that Zam and Mira entered.
The two men walk quickly, each stopping at a closed doorway, to see if they're open. As they get closer to the alcove they're in.
The ex mercenary from The City Of Ruins glances at the mage who is a member of Lord Farque's personal council.
And he sees the practitioner of magic close his eyes, and figures the exiled Vexillian mage is going to cast.
Then as one of the men stops and looks into the seemingly empty alcove, Mira Reinholt quickly says "Grab him".
As the man's eyes roll back, and he starts to fall over. While the second man, across the narrow lane, checking a door to see if it opens, faints as well.
Zam grabs the first man, while Mira hurries out into the lane, and picks up the other fellow, and drags him into the deep alcove.
"It's open" says councilor Reinholt with a nod of his hooded head at the doorway in the deep alcove.
The ex mercenary, struggling to hold the first unconscious man, who is a lot larger than the second one.
Gets the door open, and hauls the man he's holding inside. He's followed by the mage Reinholt, carrying the other unconscious fellow.
They're inside a storage room at the rear of a shop. The exiled Vexillian mage, who has laid the unconscious man he was holding onto the floor, next to the first one where Zam has put him.
Uses a spell to lock the interior door that leads to the shop out front after he drops the invisibility spell he had cast upon himself and the youngest member of the group.
After wiping his forehead, and taking a deep breath, Mira Reinholt mutters "Pain in the ass casting multiple spells".
"Who are they?" quietly asks Zam the ex mercenary, and the once powerful mage replies with "No idea" as they look at the two unconscious men lying on the floor.
The outer door to the alcove opens up, and Lord Farque steps into the storage room, and he says "Dorc's got him". In response to Mira Reinholt saying "I thought there was three of them you noticed?".
A few moments later, and the ork warleader ducks inside, and after Zam closes the door to the alcove.
The large ork opens up one of his large sacks, and tips it up, and a third fellow drops to the floor with a groan, from an obviously broken right arm.
Draugodrottin rolls his eyes, as he told the ork warleader not to harm whoever it was that was following them. It's the easiest way to get him not to kill whoever it was.
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque says "No need" in reply to the mage Reinholt saying "I guess I could try and read their minds, to see who they are, and what they're up to" followed by "Even though I'm not particularly good at that".
"Helbe's heading back this way" says the undead warlord, whose nation is far to the south of this region of The Southlands.
A short time later, and Helbe the elven thief slips inside from the narrow lane, and looks at the trio who have been captured.
"Who's this lot?" asks the young elven noble, shrugs are the reply from the others, then Lord Farque says "They were following us".
The large heavily armoured deathlord of Farque gestures at Mira and Zam, then continues with "Following after them in particular".
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel nods his hooded head, then he quickly and efficiently reads the minds of the three captured men. All of whom are unconscious, as the third one has passed out from the pain of his badly broken right arm.
"Well" says Helbe the elven thief, who turns and looks at his fellow practitioner of magic, and member of Lord Farque's personal council, and add "Aren't you the popular one then".
"Huh?" says the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in The Southlands.
"They've been hired to find and follow you" says the highly talented elven magic user, who after a pause, continues with "They're not the only ones either".
The elven master assassin then says "Seems you're pretty popular, and a fair few people are after you".
"Why?" asks the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, who looks at the three captured men on the floor, then over at the mage who is a member of his personal council.
"Because he's Mira" is the dry sounding reply from the young elven noble, who is a member of the royal family that rules the principality of Laerel.
Who then looks at his fellow spellcaster, and grins before he starts explaining things from what he's found from reading the minds of the three unconscious men who they've captured, on this drizzly spring day here in the city of Vexil . . . . . .
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