The City-State Of Vexil.
Watching from a distance down the street. Zam the ex mercenary sees the wagon full of gold briefly stop before turning onto the street to the right.
The youngest member of the group sees Tovis the war engineer who is with the driver and the hired guard.
Look back this way before the wagon rounds the corner, and gives a discreet hand signal when he catches the eye of the teenager who is originally from The City Of Ruins.
Zam who is glad that it's only slightly drizzling today, unlike the heavy rain that hit the city yesterday.
Hurries down the street once the wagon is out of sight, he rounds the same corner after nearly knocking over a couple who are heading in the other direction.
The youngest member of the group who was barely surviving as a mercenary when the group found him in The City Of Ruins.
Slows down, as up ahead he sees the horse drawn wagon slowing down, then come to a stop in front of a patrol of city guards, who have waved it to a stop.
Zam casually crosses the street, and sees that another wagon that must of been stopped. Is carrying on further down the street. To what looks like a tavern.
"Makes sense" Zam the ex mercenary murmurs to himself as he sees that wagon has a number of ale barrels in the back of it.
The teenager who is the youngest member of the group, briefly stops almost opposite the wagon that entered the city a short time ago. And is on the way to a nearby counting house.
One of the patrol of four city guardsmen glances Zam's way, then ignores him as it looks like the ex mercenary is taking shelter beneath the front awning of a shop.
Which in fact he actually is. Though more to keep an eye what's happening on the opposite side of the street.
Where Tovis, who is standing beside the wagon. Is speaking to the lead guard in the four man patrol.
Zam just hopes they're not a corrupt patrol, looking to take advantage of their authority. But he's been told that corruption is pretty low, to near non existent in Vexil's city guard.
Due to the fact that the Mage Council of Vexil, tends to root out any corruption fairly quickly. Whether in the city guard, or the city-state's army, and the aircorp too.
The corruption that there is in Vexil tends to be within the numerous trading companies. And their dealings with The City Council of Vexil.
The teenager who is originally from The City Of Ruins hears Tovis explain how they're taking a shipment of precious ore to the nearby counting house.
And the eyebrows of the two guardsmen who search the back of the wagon shoot up in surprise at what they find.
And inform their patrol leader, that indeed it's a load of gold in the bed of the wagon once they pull up the canvas covering.
The patrol leader waves the full wagon onwards, and the driver obliges, and has his horses moving fairly quickly, sending the wagon rolling onwards.
Zam who moved off before the wagon did, crosses the street up ahead of it. And turns right into the lane that he knows the wagon will turn into.
In the lightly falling drizzle, the youngest member of the group waits for the wagon to enter the lane.
Once it does, and it goes by where the teenager originally from The City Of Ruins is standing against the rear of a building.
The ex mercenary joins the war engineer who who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, where he served in the army of a prominent nobleman, before joining the group.
"They've stepped up their patrols" quietly says Zam the ex mercenary in the elven language "That's the second one to stop you since you entered the city" adds the youngest member of the group.
"Hmmm I wonder why?" says Tovis the war engineer in the same language as they walk alongside the wagon as it heads down the lane they're in.
"Probably something to do with you yesterday morning, out in the open in the middle of a street, killing a prominent official working for the city council" dryly adds the commander in the engineering corp of the Armies of Farque.
"That's probably why" dryly continues the war engineer, while next to him, the teenager originally from The City Of Ruins sourly smiles.
"He deserved it" quietly says the youngest member of the group, followed by "Definitely deserved it".
Tovis nods his head as they continue to walk through the drizzle as the wagon exits the lane, and they turn left onto another street.
At the end of which, on the other side. Is their destination. One of the counting houses here in the north of the city of Vexil, that Lord Farque uses to store his gold from the mines that he's taken over, in the hill country in the north of the city-state of Vexil.
"Deserved or not" quietly says the Druvician war engineer, who continues on with "Is beside the point".
Tovis follows on from that with "The city guard have picked up their patrols in this part of the city" he then adds "They'll continue to do so until they find someone responsible for that Gopeth's death".
Zam grunts at hearing that, and does so again when the commander in the Armies of Farque quietly tells him "I suspect the royal thief is setting up someone for that Gopeth fellow's death" he continues on with "So you've got nothing to be worried about".
The teenager who was scratching together a meager living as a mercenary when the group found him in The City Of Ruins.
Along with the war engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, come to a stop beside the wagon, that's stop to the side of the building where the counting house is located.
The hired guard hops off the back of the wagon, and the driver gets down off his seat. As Tovis speaks to one of the group of counting house workers who have come outside once they've noticed the arrival of the wagon, that's heavy with a shipment of gold bars.
Zam steps aside to get out of the way as they start unloading the wagon. He waits for Tovis to finish speaking with one of the counting house workers.
As he does, the ex mercenary originally from The City Of Ruins looks over at the rooftops opposite this side of the building where the counting house is located.
The teenager who is the youngest member of the group faintly smiles to himself as he briefly spots through the falling drizzle.
The massive shape that's Axe the wardog, who for a moment looks down this way. Before he disappears from sight, as he drops down out a view on one of the buildings across the way.
Zam figures the undead wardog has been following the wagon ever since it entered one of the gates in the north of the city earlier this morning.
Which essentially is the same thing that the ex mercenary has been doing this drizzly spring morning here in the city of Vexil.
Tovis joins him again, and the two of them watch the unloading of the wagon in silence. While away to their right, the wagon driver and the hired guard, are quietly chatting to one another.
Once the wagon is finally unloaded, the war engineer from the kingdom of Druvic, and the ex mercenary from The City Of Ruins, bid the driver and guard farewell.
The two of them move off once the wagon gets going again. Zam and Tovis head off in the direction of The Merchant's Rest inn.
As it continues to drizzle, the youngest member of the group quietly says in elvish to the commander in the engineering corp of the Armies of Farque "When's the next one due?".
"It'll be a while" replies Tovis in the same language, who follows that with "With just three of the mines producing now, and the weather the way it is up there".
The open pit mine is still flooded, and the rain is usually heavier and more frequent up in the hill country of northern Vexil, compared to down here in the capital city.
Including today's, and another shipment earlier in the week. The next wagon full of gold isn't expected until sometime next week, most likely later in that week.
The teenager originally from The City Of Ruins nods his head, and the two of them hurry across the street they're on.
Zam then tells the senior officer in the Armies of Farque "I still get the feeling that something is going to go off here in the city".
The ex mercenary continues on with "Might not have anything to do with us" he briefly pauses as he considers things, then he quietly adds "Though most likely it will".
Next to him, Tovis nods his head in understanding, and Zam tells him "What with Mira being wanted by that mage Garmen" he follows that with "As well as Percy and Shur Kee, not to mention Dorc because of what happened at that night market last week".
"Anyone try and attack him again?" asks the war engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, who is referring to Dorc da Orc.
"Not that I've heard" is the reply from the teenager who is the youngest member of the group, who then pauses before continuing on with "Though knowing Dorc, who knows".
Tovis grunts in agreement as the two of them make their way into a covered lane, that runs between two rows of buildings in this area in the north of the city.
Zam as he walks, always has a hand on one of his weapons. As does the war engineer walking alongside him.
Good thing he does, for out of an open doorway to their right. A number of assailants rush out into the lane and attack the seventeen year old ex mercenary and the war engineer who is in his mid twenties.
Just in time, Zam draws his sword. And when it blocks a sword that's slashed at him from one of the men attacking them.
As the youngest member of the group skips to the side out of the way, as he knows Tovis is absolutely brutal at close quarter combat, either with an axe or hammer that he prefers. Or with a sword or mace, that he also carries and likes to use.
The ex mercenary quickly sees that he's the target of the half a dozen men who have attacked them in the covered lane.
"Shit" mutters Zam who almost gets whacked in the hands as he blocks another sword swung at him, using his own blade to do so.
The teenager who hails from The City Of Ruins as he kicks out, connecting with the right knee of the fellow who just tried to cut him down.
Winces as Tovis takes down two of the assailants in quick succession. Using his hammer to do so. Dropping the men to the ground with broken and shattered bones.
Zam spins out of the way, and is about to hit one of other would be killers. When that fellow goes flying when something rather large runs into him.
"Move" says Tovis who takes hold of the ex mercenary by the right arm, and drags him away. While behind them, Axe the undead wardog takes care of the remaining would be assailants.
"Fucking hell" says Zam, who continues with "What was that all about?". The ex mercenary then winces when the war engineer says "They were definitely after you".
The commander in the engineering corp of the Armies of Farque continues on from that with "Probably to do with you being squire to Percy during the tourney".
The youngest member of the group sourly grunts, then nods his head in agreement with the Druvician war engineer. For that's happened before to Zam. And most likely will happen again.
After exiting the covered lane and moving out into the drizzling rain that's falling today in the city of Vexil.
The ex mercenary looks back into the covered lane, and sees the half a dozen bodies lying on the ground. And the undead wardog Axe is no where to be seen.
"Hell" mutters Zam, who then says to the senior officer in the Armies of Farque "No way we'll be able to clean that up".
Tovis nods his head in agreement, then says "I know" he follows on from that with "Hurry" he continues on with "Back to the inn as quick as we can".
As the two of them head back to the Merchant's Rest inn on the drizzly spring morning here in the city of Vexil . . . . . .
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