The ten dark figures on horse back approached a large town it was surrounded by a large wooden pallisade and a dozen towers lined the walls there was a river running along side reflecting the light of the moon and gurgeling away. A dozen guards stood at a large gate and stopped the suspicious looking group
“Papers” A guard asked, all the guards immediately around the group were armed with long spears and had swords hanging by their sides, the guards had teeth clenched and hads tightly held aroudn their weapons lightening their knuckles.
“Of course.” Flacidious reached into his saddle bag the guards eyes fixated on his hand. “Rough times? Here” He handed a piece of parchement to the guard who handed it to another man.
“Never you mind, why are you traveling so late?” He asked looking the group up and down.
“The town was close enough to reach and we didn’t feel like spending another night out on the trail.”
The other man continued to study the papers, a man behind him held a jacketed torch.
“Already have arrangements for where you’re staying?” The guard said waving his hand to indicate that there were quite a few of them arriving at once.
“Yes we have had a caravaners lodge arranged for our stay.” Flacidious said crossing his hands and resting them on the pommel of his saddle.
“Everything looks in order Rod, looks like they’re from the capital, mercenaries.” The man who had been checking the paperwork said handing it back to the guard called Rod.
“Mercenaries? There could be some work for you and yours. Come by the guard house at sun up if your up for earning a little coin.” Rod handed the parchement back to Flacidious who noded and placed the parchement back into the saddle bag.
“In the morning then.”
“Don’t be causing trouble in the inns!” The guard yeld as the group slowly rode through the gates. Sial gave a big yellow tooth grin and scratched the scar above his ear as his horse slowly carried him past the guards.
The guard that had been checking the parchment came along side Rod and whispered “They look like trouble.”
“That wont be the half of it.” Rod said “Come on you lot, back to your post enough gawking.” The guards stomped back to their positions and set about their nights work.
The group arrived at a large stable that had a boy stood outside the large stable doors he was wearing a filthy smock and had sandles made of straw you couldn’t tell the colour of his hair but it was almost certainly filthy like the rest of him. He looked up at Flacidious.
“Nice Horse” He said in a squeeky voice.
“Thanks boy, we’re with the Dustmen.” Flacidious said and then got down from his horse.
“Dustmen.” The boy paused a few minutes and stared into the distance. Flacidious looked at the others as they dismounted then the boy clicked his fingers “Ah ha! I’ll be right back mr Dustmen sir” the boy ran off, Flacidious stood holding the reigns of his horse and looked again at the others a moment later a four more shabby looking men, most likely stable hands came out.
“Ah we’ve been expecting you, the boy will show you to your lodge. Please let us take care of the animals you’ll have fresh ones in the morning.” A strangely asymetrical man said with a slur and held out his hand to take the reigns, Flacidious noded and removed his saddle bag from the animal. The others did the same and after a little while the group had been led to the small lodge, it had two floors and an out house, water came from a central well but the shutters worked and there were cots.
“No watch tonight!” Fong said happily.
“Boy, where’s the closest tavern it’s been forever since I last go to have a real drink.” Gilnar asked with a ravenous look.
“Best be quick boy, best be nimble, or Gilnar will eat you whole!” Primela said with delight her black eyes wide and threatening.
“It isn’t just the drinking we’re after.” Said Sial his sharp toothy grin far to wide for a normal human.
The boy looked quite terrified, “J-j-j” the child stuttered
“J-j-j spit out boy or Gilnar will be spitting out your bones!” Lane taunted.
The boy gulped looking like a small traped animal “Just just d”
“Just just, is this some new game?” Asked Sial.
There was a loud crashing sound and the others turned to see Meredith a look like thunder, her eyes looking quite human and soft blue, “Leave the child be for Irisi’s sake!” her hand glowed and sparked with electricity.
“Ahh we’re only teasing the lad Mere.” Gilnar grinned sheepishly “Besides, he wouldn’t make a very satisfying meal” with that the others all laughed and Meredith went for Gilnar who backed away at pace and back through the door.
“That’s enough, get to the tavern just follow your cocks and I’m sure you’ll find it.” Flacidious ordered while looking through his saddle bag.
The group filed out of the lodge and Meredith withdrew to the corner of the room and curled up.
“I’ll never understand you Meredith.” Flacidious said head still in his saddle bag.
“Nor I you.” She said through gritted teeth.
“Why are you with us?” He asked, maybe a trace of curiousity or concern in his voice.
“Could you imagine if I hadn’t!” She stated with a touch of spite.
Flacidious tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling as though thinking for some time the words sitting there playing on his thoughts. “I’d rather not” he smiled gruffly and turned to face her. “But still it often confuses me.”
“I suppose like all the rest of us have nowhere else to be, and I owe everything I have to the Commander and you, as much as it pains me to say I’d be really rather useless without you all. When I made it to Thorns I had no idea of what this world was really like, and to be quite honest I still dont’ think I really do.” She said with a sad tone and rested her head against the wall. He made a small noise of affirmation and set back to looking through his bag, taking the odd item out. Finally he pulled out his 13th day testement and sat on the edge of one of the cots reading, his lips moving slightly as he mouthed out the words.
Meredith stood up quietly and left the lodge leaving Flacidious on his own with his thoughts and his book after a while he closed it, put out the hooded torch and headed out towards the tavern.
Meredith had taken to the towns public bath house and sunk herself into a pool of steaming hot water and fragrences the person in charge of the bath house had been suprised when someone with such resources arrived, particularly one as tiny as she happend to be. Meredith sighed and traced her fingers through the water, “Finally clean” she splashed her face and then leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “Five years” she muttered and tutted. An hour went by and she left the bath house a notable spring in her step, she looked up at the sky, the moon wasn’t at its zenith just yet the sound of tavern music was waafting through the air and she sighed, shrugged and followed it to it source a large red washed building with a man falling through the door and the loud shouts of revelry inside.
She stretched, sighed, and went in, a thick unpleasent smell hung thick in the air Meredith scrunched up her nose and scanned the bar. A serving wench almost fell over Meredith but the two women avoided each other, the wench looked at Meredith with a look of suprise, then shrugged and carried on with the six jugs in her hands. Meredith’s eyes followed the wench to a collection of tables covered in food, bottles, women, and her party of vagabonds, she pulled back her cowl and headed over.
“Another tankard.” Meredith shouted at the tavern wench and bounded over the table landing beside Lane who looked at her his reptilian face forming a strange snake like smile.
“Well look who has shown her face.”
“Shut it lane or I’ll slice your snout off.” Meredith said with a snear and grabbed a leg of chicken from the table. Lane laughed as did Fong who was stood to the other side of Meredith. However Fong quickly returned to enjoy some sample of debauchery with the human girl spread out on the table before him. She looked around and noticed Flacidious stood at the bar talking to a man in reasonably upmarket clothes, Meredith watched them a moment and then the wench arrived with her tankard. Almost a fourth the height of the small woman herself, the tavern wench watched her cross armed a moment only for her mouth to drop a ghast as Meredith easily lifted and swigged from the huge jug and slammed it down on the table.
“Your beers fucking terrible! Bring me another!” Meredith roared, Long howeled with laughter, Gilnar appeared next to her and lifted her high. “You’re lucky I didn’t blow your head off!” She yelled at him.
“Ah, Little Mere, we’re bound by death.” Gilnar laughed and drank more of his own drink and she played his head like a drum drinking deeply and merrily. Flacidious watched from the bar, a sad frown on his face for a moment.
“So, that’s all I know about Vicini.” The well dressed man said.
“And the guards, they said they had some work?” Flacidious asked drinking slowly. The man nodded.
“Indeed, there’s reports of more monsters raiding the villages I expect they’ll be asking you to go clear help clear them out.” The man said in a hushed tone.
“Any thoughts on why?” Flacidious probed.
“Only the obvious, with the guards gone from the Vicini borders the monsters aren’t getting killed over there any more.” He said with a shrug.
Flacidious stroked his goatie “That would be the most obvious answer, has there been any word from anyone we’ve sent to investigate yet?”
The man shook his head “nothing, the original patrol from the city never made it back and a group of mercenaries went out seeking a fortune also never made it back.”
“They could have made their fortune?” Flacidious asked mockingly
“Aiye, and my wife isn’t fucking my stable hand.” The two men laughed and then shook their heads. “I’ll be leaving shortly with Vicini seemingly gone there’s no trade to be had here.” The man said bitterly.
“How much did you have tied up?”
“A couple of hundred gold talents, gone now, it was all looking so promising.” The man looked down at his drink.
“You could always come and work for the commander again.” Flacidious said turning to look at his crew partying in the corner.
“No Flacidious, no I couldn’t. Anyway, it was good to see you again, don’t get killed.” The man said with a sad smile and patted Flacidious on the shoulder, holding for a moment, Flacidious covered the hand with his own and nodded.
“You to Don, be well.” With that the man left and Flacidious returned to his group, Meredith leaping down and latching to him for some time. When she started to talk it seemed she didn’t finish. The night rumbled on, and the gears of the world relentlesly ticked on once more with no concern for the mortals that inhabited it.