The last few hours in the city were a mix of preparation and contemplation, the group checked information sources, ensured that their personal kits were ready for the journey and that they had the essentials in case there were any issues with the provided provisions. They then slipped quietly out of the city and congregated at the storage collection point.
The meeting point was a couple of miles outside of the city along the Kings road in a farm that had fallen into disrepair the farmhouse’s shutters had fallen off and the thatched roof was rotten, the barn had half collapsed and the fences had collapsed in parts. Flacidious approached from a wooded area and crossed the unkept field. He stopped a moment and carefully changed direction seeming far more cautious, upon reaching the rear of the building he let out a whistle that sounded like a small song bird. A moment past and a whistle could be heard from inside the run down farm house and with that he carefully made his way around the front and climbed in through the open window clearly keeping his wits about him.
“Evening Sir” a soft feminine voice came from a corner of the room, Flacidious turned to look at the source. The girlish figure sat in the corner stared at him cross bow pointed squarely at his chest.
“Meredith, are we the first here?” Flacidious asked calmly his eyes fixed on hers.
She smiled a moment, “No, Gilnar, Sial and, Erke are down in the basement.” She still had the cross bow pointed square at Flacidious, finger tight on the trigger.
“That all?” He tilted his head.
“Nah, the grey bitch is in the remnants of the barn with Bedros.” She hissed and placed the cross bow on the small foot stool next to her and put her hands behind her head. She was wearing loose dark clothing hard to make out in the gloom of the cottage. Flacidious’s posture softened and he walked towards the basement hatch. “I’d be careful, could be trapped”
He glanced up at her “Could be?”
She blinked slowly and purposfully and the shook her head “nah, it isn’t.”
He nodded and opened it, there was some chatting below which stopped the moment the door opened.
“It’s me, Flacidious, I’m coming down.” He warned the assembled group and headed down the stairs giving Meredith a stern stare which she met with cold indifference.
In the cellar were a number of crates and the three men going over the supplies lit by candle light.
“So, what have we got?” Flacidious asked.
A tall bald man scratched a scar above his cauliflower ear “I recon we got everything we need food wise and all the standard equipment, trail tents, rope, flints, oil, candles, paper…” he trailed off pointing at things.
“And we’ve got a half dozen birds Sial don’t forget” A short broad man with a nice bushy beard stated with a full booming voice
“Yeah and we’ve got a half dozen birds” The bald man called Sial said waving his finger lazily in the direction of various boxes. In his other hand he had a piece of paper.
“Yeah the commander’s still good when it comes to putting together an inventory.” A third lanky man almost seven feet tall said with a thin voice his cat like eyes reflecting light in the gloom.
“And keeping us well paid and off the books” said Flacidious who looked around the basement a moment longer. “Fine, start loading up the horses, I assume we have horses?”
“We have horses, they’re near the barn.” The lanky one said.
“Thanks Gilnar.” Flacidious put his had back on the ladder rung.
“So, Boss, what do you think’s going on out there?” The short bearded man asked.
“Nothing good that’s for sure Erke. Nothing good.” With that Flacidious went back up, Primela and Bedros had returned while he was in the basement, below he could hear the men breaking open the boxes. He eyed the two arrivals and then looked at Meredith still in her corner chewing something now, she seemed to have stopped blinking, he pulled himself up and brushed himself off.
“Flacidious” the statue like Primela nodded and then smiled mouth of razor like teeth on show.
“Primela, Bedros, did you bring the horses over?” Flacidious asked while walking over to the stool next to Meredith and taking a seat.
“Sure did. They’re pretty good horses look like they’ve got plenty of endurance, not to fast though” she shrugged “but given the ride we’ve got ahead of us that’s to be expected.” As she finished the sound of bird song came from outside. Meredith put her hands to her mouth and returned the sound then tilted her head to listen.
“It’s Charles, Fong and, Lane.” A few moments later the three of them entered and nodded.
“Alright, everyone help pack the horses.” As Flacidious said that Sial popped his head up a saddle bag over his shoulder.
“Why hello Lane, Fong, Charles, Nice of you cunts to make it.” He grinned and dumped the bag on the side, then looked at Flacisius “We’ve started seperating the goods into standard packs. Could do with a few extra pairs of hands.” He turned back to the others at the door and grinned a yellow grin before descending back into the darkness below.
“You heard, get down there and help with sorting the packs, Meredith, Bedros, Primela load the horses with me.” With that they gave the odd response, Meredith sprung to her feat and waited for a sack to be brought to the surface.
The whole process took about an hour and they were all stood outside the old farm house obscured from the road, the lit by the moon that hung low in the sky. There were the sounds of night animals in the distance carried by the slight breeze and mixed with the rustling of leaves.
“Remember, the standard rules apply, we don’t kill the locals, we don’t mention the order, we don’t mention the king, we die alone.”
“We all die alone” They echoed. Grins hidden by the darkness.
“Let’s make a move.” Flacidious said heading to the horses first, the others following, dark cloaks and cowls hiding their forms though hight gave some away. The seven foot Gilnar and the four and a half foot Meredith in particular but still as ten shadowy figures they mountained their horses and flowed onto the road heading away from the city the noise of hooves becoming the loudest thing for miles.
Several days travel and the group were camped for the night a short distance from the Kora Road, they’d left the King’s Road the day before as it wound its way east to Thorns, the second largest city in kingdom. Meredith had the last watch so was curled up asleep in her tent while the others sat around the fire talking and laughing about the past. The carcasse of a wild boar on a spit above a white hot fire and root vegetables covered in pig fat below. Each member of the group had a slab of wood covered in meat and vegetables and a jug of liquid, Flacidious laughed up a storm as Gilnar told a twisted tale of an encounter with a gang of drunk Peck in Thorns once. The story involved a hot poker and some permenant and almost certainly agonizing disfigurement.
“That’s nothing, I heard that Sial ground up a mans arm once and ate it infront of him!” Primela said as she sunk her teeth into a lump of pig juice and fat trickled down her cheek.
“Ha! Not quite, I didn’t eat it, I had his partner eat it!” Sial scratched his scar a moment and took a glug from his mug.
“What had they done to deserve it again?” Charles asked as he snorted a bit while laughing and drinking.
“Simple, see, there was this combination lock that me and the lads couldn’t get past, some kind of stupid magic trick, anyway these two brothers knew all about it so I had them tell me ya see!” Sial said with a wink and a smile before knocking back another drink.
“I can see why it was necessary now!” Flacidious roared with laughter.
“So, did you get it open?” Asked Charles.
Sial Grinned and leaned forward, he looked at all the faces waiting for him and roared “Of course I didn’t! You think I’d be here if I did?!” He then let out a bought of laughter so loud it could have woke the dead.
“Remember when we had to deal with that Eli in Basterville?” Bedros asked Primela.
“Oh my, do I, but I wish I didn’t what a frightful bore! Spent all that time trying to get in me and then couldn’t perform, he should be happy all I did was strip him and leaving him hanging by his feet in the town square! I had half the mind to flay the impotent fucker.” Her obsidian eyes rolled and she clenched her taloned fist.
“He may of prefered it mind, I heard it was a mighty cold night.” Fong said as he walked back from a tree line shaking his cock off before shoving it back into his leggings. He plonked himself down on the floor and picked up his plate.
“Not a problem for you though!” Lane cackled blond mane tossed from side to side.
The tomfoolery and rambunctious drunkness continued for a couple of hours before they settled into their watch pattern finishing with Meredith sat in a tree surveying the surrounding area, eyes lit up like an owls, she was as silent as the dead and if anyone had strayed into her domain they’d of wished they were. She stood on the branch she’d been sat on and then lept silently to the next tree along covering a monstrous distance. For a moment her nose twitched and her eyes narrowed, she looked off in the distance and could see a distant red glow, she watched it for a while and listened until the sun came up and the others awoke.
“Leutenant” Meredith was hunched next to Flacidiouses tent.
“Yes?” A tired voice came from within the tent.
“There was a fire, there is a fire, Corrinth. It was burning all night.” She said queitly.
“What?”
“You can see the smoke now, I think it’s still aflame.”
Flacidious’s head popped out of the tent. “I suppose it doesn’t matter, Corrinth is towards Thorns.” He said, his eyes seemed unfocused for a moment then he stroked his goatie. “We should pick up the pace. Make sure the rest are awake, forget breakfast we’re leaving the minute everyone up and packed.” Meredith nodded, her eyes a blood red this morning instead of a placid ice blue. She looked out of the corner of her eye at the rising smoke stack and growled quietly to herself. Then stood and moved with purpose waking everyone up. They set off and picked up the pace. They all on occasion took a moment to look back and puzzle over what the smoke ment for them.