The City-State Of Vexil.
It's been a while since Zam the ex mercenary was tasked to watch out for one of the shipments of gold entering the city of Vexil.
But on this fine spring morning, not long after dawn. He finds himself on a rooftop in the very north of the city.
Watching one of the set of gates that can be found along the north wall of the capital of the city-state of Vexil.
The youngest member of the group who is originally from The City Of Ruins, yawns as he watches those entering and exiting the city this morning.
To the ex mercenary it feels like it's going to be a fairly warm day today. Though he appreciates the fine weather, he'd rather prefer it to be cooler, especially during the middle of the day.
Zam just shakes his head as he can imagine it would get quite hot in the large city during the summertime.
Though he's been told by others in the group, that the city of Vexil doesn't get particularly hot during summer, except during the very hottest time of the year, just after midsummer.
The ex mercenary looks away to his right, and he spots Lisell Maera the scout upon a rooftop a few buildings away in that direction.
She looks his way, and nods before going back to looking at the nearby city gates, one of the busier set to be found in the north wall of Vexil.
"Beats the chaos of yesterday morning I guess" Zam the ex mercenary murmurs to himself as he reflects on what happened yesterday.
When he along with the scout Maera, and Dorc da Orc, as well Lord Farque himself. Found themselves in the middle of a mage battle between Mira Reinholt, and Garmen the elder, a member of the Mage Council of Vexil.
The youngest member of the group is of the opinion that he doesn't want to be in the middle of one of those again.
He was briefly in the midst of one back in the wintertime up in the hill country of northern Vexil. When Mira Reinholt fought the mage, Garmen the younger. Who was killed by Helbe the elven thief.
Being in the middle of another one just a couple of months later, wasn't exactly one of the things Zam wanted to experience again in his relatively short life so far.
Especially considering that the city guard was also involved, who attempted to arrest Dorc da Orc. Which was a huge mistake on their part.
As the large ork was having none of that. With predictable results, as the ork warleader killed a few of the city guard who tried to arrest him on the streets in the northern neighbourhoods of the city yesterday morning.
The ex mercenary who has got a pretty good view out through the open gates from the rooftop he's on.
Looks out onto the road leading into the city, and the gates he's observing. And amongst the wagons, carts, and travellers in general approaching the city.
He spots a familiar wagon, it's driver, and private guard. Along with two others who are walking alongside it.
Zam slightly nods to himself as he recognizes Beldane the cleric and Tovis the war engineer walking alongside the wagon.
The ex mercenary who hails from The City Of Ruins, looks over to where Lisell Maera is watching the nearby gates.
After a few moments, the attractive young woman originally from the city-state of Brattonbury looks his way.
And the youngest member of the group gives her a hand signal, the junior officer in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque nods in reply to him, before she goes back to watching the busy gates in this section of the north wall of the city of Vexil.
Zam waits a little bit, and when he sees the wagon with the shipment of gold in it, stop about forty yards from the gate, as the line to enter the city is about that long.
The ex mercenary turns and hurries to the other end of the roof he's on. The youngest member of the group looks down, then he crouches down and takes a hold of the edge of the roof, and slides over the side.
He hangs there for a moment, then he lets go, dropping half a dozen feet to the narrow landing at the top of the set of steps that go up the back of the two storey building he's been watching the nearby city gates from.
Zam quickly and carefully makes his way down the narrow set of steps. Then once he's down in the alleyway that runs behind the building.
He turns to the right, and starts walking. Out of the alley, he turns to the left. And makes his way along the street, before coming to a stop at the northeast corner of the building he was just on top of.
There the teenager who is originally from The City Of Ruins stands and waits as he looks to the nearby city gates, which across the street and to the right of the building he's standing at the corner of.
He doesn't have to wait too long, as those entering and leaving the city are moving fairly freely through the gates, as the city guards are only stopping those they deem suspicious in any way.
And Zam soon sees the familiar wagon, and those with it, entering the city through the open set of gates.
The ex mercenary who is the youngest member of the group crosses the street to his right, and walks that way as the horse drawn wagon has turned that way.
He follows it at a distance, as he knows Lisell Maera is somewhere in front of it. As it heads to one of the counting houses that's located here in the north of the city of Vexil.
The streets quickly get quieter the further they get away from the busy gates, and Zam soon finds himself with hardly anyone between him and the wagon he's following.
And even though it's fairly uneventful to the counting house, the ex mercenary who hails from The City Of Ruins is ever vigilant as he watches the wagon that's about thirty yards in front of him.
A wagon which from the outside, you wouldn't know has a stack of gold bars in the bed, beneath the canvas covering that's over them.
Once the wagon gets to the counting house, and Tovis and Beldane watch over the unloading of the gold by the workers in the counting house.
The teenager who is the youngest member of the group goes over and stands beside Lisell Maera who is watching things from a corner of the cobblestone yard to this side of the counting house, the side away from the street it's on.
"This is probably one of the last ones we'll watch over" quietly says Lisell Maera the scout to the ex mercenary.
"Word is we'll be leaving the city soon" adds the attractive young woman who is originally from the coastal city-state of Brattonbury.
"Any idea to where?" asks Zam the ex mercenary, who when he first joined the group, when they found him in The City Of Ruins. He had no idea they would be traveling so much.
Even though it's one of the more mundane things he's encountered since joining the group compared to some of the more crazy adventures he's found himself in the middle of.
Traveling to places he never thought he'd ever visit, let alone know they actually existed. Is one of the surprising perks of being a member of the group that travels with Lord Farque.
"No idea" is the reply of Lisell Maera or Lis as she's more commonly called by the others in the group.
"You know how things are" dryly adds the lead scout who is a junior officer in the Armies of Farque.
"We're the last to be told" says the scout Maera as she continues in the same dry tone as the two of them watch the unloading of the gold from the back of the wagon.
Gold that's come from one of the mines up in the hill country in the border region of northern Vexil, mines that the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque has taken over.
"Hopefully somewhere less chaotic" quietly says the ex mercenary who is originally from The City Of Ruins.
Next to him, the scout Maera snorts in laughter, then she says "Chaotic?" followed by "Here?". The junior officer in the Scouts and Rangers division of the Armies of Farque, with a grin upon her face, adds "It's basically been a relaxing holiday here this spring, compared to some of the shit we usually get up to".
Looking at the teenager next to her, Lisell Maera or Lis as more often than not, she's called by those who know her well, says "Being in that mercenary army in and around the northern border is more of what usually happens with us".
The scout leader who hails from the city-state of Brattonbury, where her mother was a street prostitute, and her father a sailor who plied his trade on The Great Western Ocean, then adds "Even that was pretty tame compared to what we usually get up to".
Slightly wincing at hearing that, Zam the ex mercenary grunts, then says "Well, where ever we end up, I'm sure it's bound to be interesting".
The scout Maera just shakes her head, and faintly smiles, then she gestures over to where Beldane the cleric and Tovis the war engineer are standing.
"Come on, that lot has finished unloading the wagon" says the attractive young woman who is a junior officer in the Armies of Farque.
The youngest member of the group nods as he sees this, then he along with Lis make their way over to where the powerful fighting cleric, and the war engineer are standing.
As the now empty wagon, along with the driver and the private guard move off. The ex mercenary and the lead scout, along with cleric in the church of Glaine, and the war engineer who is a commander in the Armies of Farque.
Head off as well, and make their way back to the Merchant's Rest, the small secluded inn the group have been staying at whilst here in the city of Vexil.
As they walk, Lis and Zam who are following behind Beldane and Tovis, glance at one another after they round a corner.
As approaching them on this side of the street they've turned onto, are a patrol of four city guardsmen.
The two of them are both thinking the same thing. That they hope Helbe the elven thief has done what he said he was going to do. And have the city guards in this part of Vexil.
Ignore both Dorc da Orc and Lord Farque. Along with the ex mercenary and the lead scout. Who were with the large ork yesterday morning, when a number of city guards attempted to arrest him on more than one occasion.
Both Zam and Lis take a breath in relief when the city guardsmen go by, and the only thing they did, was wish them a good morning, after Beldane the cleric said it to them first.
The youngest member of the group slightly nods his head after the junior officer in the Armies of Farque quietly says to him "Guess the royal thief did his thing" followed by "Those four were not in the least bit interested in us".
"Let's hope it stays that way" quietly says the teenager who is originally from The City Of Ruins, who doesn't fancy what little time they have left here in the city of Vexil, dodging the city guard.
The scout Maera nods her head in agreement with him, as the two of them continue to follow behind Beldane the cleric, and Tovis the war engineer.
As the four of them head back through the streets in the northern neighbourhoods of the city of Vexil, back to the Merchant's Rest inn, where they along with the rest of the group, have been staying at while here in the capital city of the city-state, during the springtime . . . . . .
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