Vexil.
"Think they're looking for us?" asks Zam the ex mercenary, who after a slight pause continues with "Well, those of us who were at that market last night?".
"Probably" is the reply from Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy as they keep close to the buildings on their right as it's raining this morning.
"Especially since Dorc is so recognisable" adds the elf who is a commander in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque.
"Not to mention Percy and Shur Kee" continues the elven spy who is originally from the principality of Alinlae.
The youngest member of the group grunts in agreement with that as he does up the hood of his cloak a bit tighter. For though the rain this morning isn't particularly heavy, it is consistent.
Glancing at the teenager who hails from The City Of Ruins, the spy Tanith tells him "I wouldn't worry too much about it".
The elf who previously served in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland of Alinlae, then says "His highness will no doubt make the city guard forget about it fairly quickly".
Dalinvardèl Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly referred to by the others in the group, continues with "He's probably done so already".
The commander in the Armies of Farque then says after a moments pause "Though that doesn't mean those who was there last night and got into a scrap with you lot won't forget about it anytime soon".
The elven spy follows that with "I bet some of them will be out for blood" he then adds "Especially if someone was killed".
Zam slightly winces at that, and when Dalin asks him "Anyone killed?" he continues with "With Dorc involved, I'm guessing so".
"Maybe" says the ex mercenary who is originally from The City Of Ruins, who then adds "Could be" and follows with "Think Dorc might of killed someone, when he threw him at a tree".
The youngest member of the group pauses, then says "Which was about twenty or so feet from him" he pauses again, then says "And that was after he knocked him down, and knocked him out".
"Yeah" dryly says the elven spy who is a senior officer in the Armies of Farque, who continues on with "He probably killed him".
Zam who was scratching together a meager living as a mercenary in The City Of Ruins when the others found him, nods his head in agreement with Dalinvardèl Tanith as they turn a corner onto another street.
He nods again, when the spy Tanith quietly tells him "Just up ahead on the right". The ex mercenary sees the tower that's there destination this spring morning, here in the north of the city of Vexil.
And though the two of them have been chatting in elvish as they've walked here through the rain, the two of them fall silent as they approach the tower.
Dalin hands a couple of silver coins to one of the guards at the front of the tower, who nods to them both and allows them to go through the tower doors once his fellow guard opens them.
Inside the tower, the elven spy quietly says in his native language to the teenager who is the youngest member of the group "Know how to use one of these?".
"I do" replies Zam in the same language as he walks alongside the elven spy to the opening of a shaft that goes up the tower.
"Top level" says the commander in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque, the ex mercenary nods in understanding.
Then he watches as Dalin steps in through the opening, which is slightly wider than a normal doorway found in a tower of this size and height.
The spy Tanith quickly floats up and disappears from view. The youngest member of the group waits a few moments. Then he steps through the opening, and after quickly looking up.
Zam who has his hands by his side, and has both of them as a fist. Opens his hand, and holds them palm side up.
The ex mercenary who is originally from The City Of Ruins starts floating upwards through the central shaft of the Wind Tower.
He might know how to use one, but this is actually the first time the youngest member of the group has actually been in one.
And Zam finds that he's going up it a lot quicker than he thought he would. He starts turning his hands over, and he starts slowing down.
And once he's got his hands facing palm down, he's slowed down enough that he makes them into fists. And he comes to a stop at the top level of the Wind Tower.
The ex mercenary steps out of the opening on the top level, and he finds Dalin waiting on the landing there.
The spy Tanith nods his hooded head for the teenager originally from The City Of Ruins to follow him to a nearby set of steps that head up, and go through an opening on the roof.
They step up onto roof, and into the falling rain. Lord Farque turns his full helmed head and glances at them, while Dorc da Orc who is near the opening in the roof where the steps come up.
Has an empty ale barrel on his head. And though it's a fairly large barrel, it does not slip down over the broad shoulders of the big burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
The ork warleader has whacked a chunk out of the side of the barrel so that he can see out of it. One glance up at the hole in the side of the barrel, Zam sees the look of disgust and anger, on the broad green brutish looking face of the large ork. Who is more than a little pissed off to be out in the rain this spring morning, here in the north of the city of Vexil.
The elven spy and the ex mercenary stand by the undead warlord, here on top of the tower that's at least two hundred and fifty feet tall.
One of the tallest ones in the city, that isn't used by the city guard, or the Mage and City Councils of Vexil.
It belongs to a merchant's guild here in the capital of the city-state. And though guilds aren't as prevalent here in Vexil than say in some other places in The Southlands, like the city-state of Brattonbury where guilds are common. You can still find some of them here in Vexil.
Gesturing away to the north, Lord Farque says in elvish to Dalin and Zam "Tovis and Beldane should be there soon".
The undead warlord is referring to the pair of the war engineer and the fighting cleric, who left the city early this morning with the wagon, it's hired driver and guard.
Heading to the patch of woods not far from a village about a dozen miles to the north of the capital of the city-state.
Woods where the krean scoutship is waiting with another shipment of gold, that it's brought down from the mines under control of the deathlord of Farque, in the hill country of northern Vexil near the border with the kingdom of Girdane.
"The royal thief will keep a close eye on it when it returns to the city" says the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, who follows that with "Just in case some other fucking idiot tries to fill in the void of that cunt councilman Meecham, and get it into their heads to steal from me".
Both the elven spy who hails from the principality of Alinlae, and the ex mercenary who is originally from The City Of Ruins nod in understanding to that from lord of the death realm.
Lord Farque who is also goes by the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands know him by, briefly pauses as he glances first back at the ork warleader, then at the youngest member of the group, before he says in a slightly dry tone of voice "Though that's after Helbe fixes up that fucking mess you were involved in last night Zam".
The teenager winces at hearing that, then he says "Sorry about that my lord" the ex mercenary continues on from that with "Didn't think anything like that would happen last night".
Zam starts to explain how a group of people at the market last night, took umbrage that Shur Kee the monk and sir Percavelle Lé Dic seem to be friends.
When not so long ago they were opponents during Le Grande Meleé on the second day of the Spring Tourney of Vexil.
Before the youngest member of the group gets too far into explaining what happened yesterday evening, at the main night market to be found in the north of the city.
The undead warlord holds up a gauntleted hand for Zam to be silent, the ex mercenary shuts up and large heavily armoured deathlord says "No need to explain, I know what happened".
The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque who has an elven name of Des'tier, which translates to The Destroyer, glances over at Dorc da Orc who is itching to head back down into the tower.
For a couple of reasons, one because he hates to get wet, and he wants to get out of the rain. And two, because he enjoys using a Wind Tower. For in the past, the large ork has spent time going up and down Wind Towers for the hell of it. Even though he doesn't exactly know how to properly use them.
Lord Farque just shakes his head at the sight of Dorc da Orc wearing a barrel on his head, then Draugodrottin says in elvish to Zam and Dalin "Let's go" followed by "There's something we need to check up on".
"Where?" asks Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy "The airdocks" replies the lord of the death realm, who continues with "The main ones".
Gesturing to where the warleader of the ork race is, the deathlord of Farque adds "It won't be a fucking hassle having him there" followed by "There's plenty of trolls at the nearby ship building yards, so he shouldn't really stick out" he briefly pauses before saying in a dry tone of voice "Too much".
Zam twists his lips to refrain from smiling, while next to him, Dalin chuckles a bit, before falling silent when the large heavily armoured deathlord stares at him for a moment.
Before quietly saying "Keep your ears and eyes open" he follows that with "Who knows what you could pick up concerning what we've been up to in the city since we got here at the start of spring".
The move off, with Lord Farque telling the large ork beside the steps that lead down into the tower proper "We're going cunt".
Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle to give him his full name, doesn't have to be told twice. He's off and moving. The first one down the steps.
Even though he can barely see where he's going due to the barrel he's wearing on his head to protect from the rain this morning.
Following the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque down the steps into the tower, Zam spots the ork weaponsmith hurrying to the shaft in the center of the tower.
And by the time they're heading to that opening, the big burly ork has hoped into the shaft and disappeared.
The ex mercenary who hails from The City Of Ruins goes to stick his head through the opening, and look down to see the large ork, but he's hauled back by the undead warlord who dryly says to him "You don't want to do that".
Just then a chuckling Dorc da Orc appears at the top of the shaft, floating there, with the large barrel askew on his head.
There comes a sigh from the full helmed head of the large heavily armoured deathlord of Farque, as the ork general in the Armies of Farque drops back down the Wind Tower.
Des'tier steps into the tower and drops, and both Zam and Dalin look down the shaft, when they hear an indignant sounding squawk come from Dorc da Orc.
"He's got him" says the spy Tanith as they see Lord Farque haul Dorc da Orc out of the bottom of The Wind Tower.
The elf who is a commander in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque steps into the opening, then drops down through the center of the Wind Tower.
The teenager originally from The City Of Ruins looks down through the opening, then he steps into the Wind Tower proper, then he too drops down.
Zam gulps after he steps out through the opening at the bottom of the tower, as he almost didn't bring himself to a stop in time.
And through the ex mercenary knows that the magical tower itself won't let you actually hit the ground.
It sure doesn't feel like it when you're dropping down it at speed. And you almost forget to make a fist on either hand when you're near the very button of the Wind Tower.
The youngest member of the group follows Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy out of the tower itself.
Where Lord Farque is waiting outside on the street, with a disgruntled looking Dorc da Orc beside him.
The barrel the large ork was wearing on his head is now gone, where exactly. Zam and Dalin have no idea. Just that they figure the undead warlord has thrown it away.
Gesturing at the spy Tanith, the lord of the death realm tells Dalin "Lead the way" Draugodrottin follows on from that with "We'll follow".
Dalinvardèl Tanith sets off as it continues to rain this spring morning here in the city of Vexil. Lord Farque, Dorc da Orc and Zam the ex mercenary follow after the elven spy as they head south to the main airdocks here in the capital of the city-state of Vexil . . . . . .
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