In the morning Flacidious had headed to the guards headquaters he stood waiting in a room where men played cards on an table eyeing him with suspicion every now and again and talking about things of little consequence. A boy came through a door and headed over to Flacidious.
“The captain’s ready to receive you now.” The boy seemed rather well presented he had was wearing an official looking uniform with the town lords coat of arms on the breast, he had short golden hair and green eyes and stood just shy of six foot.
“Wonderful” Flacidious said and gestured for the boy to lead the way, on the other side of the door was a corridor with a number of other doors on the left hand wall. There were none on the right hand wall instead there were slits for crossbows and spears at either of the end were racks of cheap looking spears. Flacidious let out a ponderous hum and the boy looked back at him.
“Sir?” The boy asked.
“Oh I was just appreciating the architecture.” Flacidious said waving his hand at the right hand wall. The boys gaze followed his hand and a look of realisation appeared on his face.
“Ah yes, apparently because we’re out here on the frontier the headquaters also acts as a keep.” The boys brow furrowed a moment then carried onto the far door and knocked. “I have Sir Flacidious here to see you.”
“Send him in” a voice came from the other side of the door and the boy opened it and ushured Flacidious in. The room was dark, lit by a collection of candles scattered on various surfaces. There was a bookshelf against the left wall along with a stand that held the rooms occupants armour, a brigandine with a pot helm. There was a sword and shield mounted in nicely decorated weapons racks to the left and the rooms occupant sat behind a large table, face grim and deeply scared.
“Captain.” Flacidious said.
“Take a seat, please.” The captain indicated the cushioned chair infront of Flacidious who sat down without needing any more prompting. “You can go now Elwyn I’m quite alright.” The captain shoed the boy out of the room waving a hand that only had three fingers left. As the door closed with a comforting clunk the captain turned to face Flacidious.
“So, I’m sure no doutb you’ve heard already about the predicament on the Vicini boarder?”
“If by predicament you mean that they’ve stopped protecting their boarders and the country is wide open, then yes, yes I have.”
“That why you’re here then?” The old captain asked, one good eye trained on Flacidious the other seemingly trained awkwardly on the bookshelf.
“How do you mean?” Flacidious tilted his head sliglty and wrested his hands on the table infront of him.
“You here for plunder or banditory?”
“Is there much difference?” Flacidious asked grimly.
“No, no I suppose there isn’t. As long as you do it on the other side of the border I don’t much care.” The captain sniffed and leant back, the wonky eye now seemingly taking great interest in the captains top lip. “There’s problems with the villages, I need someone to go out there and make sure they don’t all get big ideas and run off, I don’t much care how you get them to stay here, but stay here they will.”
“Are there any insentives for us to help with this particular issue?” Flacidious asked in a matter of fact tone, lightly patting his hands on the table not moving his gaze from the captain who sat up a moment.
“Of course, if the peasents understand how well they have it and decide that remaining is indeed the safest course of action I’ll reward your company with a 100 talent stippend for the next six months as long as they don’t up and leave.”
“I’ve heard there may be bandits and beasts harrasing the peasents, seems like it may be dangerous work.” Flacidious said looking at his hands that he cuped as if to make a pair of scales.
“Aiye it may be dangerous work, but also paying working and that’s many times what my guards will ever get for such work.” The captain sat with crossed arms. Flacidious stroked his goatie a moment.
“Answer me this then and we’ll draw up the contract.” Flacidious sat up and tilted his head back a moment looking down at the captain for a second and then leaning forward. The captain looked at Flacidious as though to measure him and waited for what Flacidious had to ask, the moment hung there.
“Well?” The captain asked as Flacidious drumed the tbale quickly in responce and sat back in the seat.
“What has happend to the patrols you’ve sent out to the Vicini border?” The captain sneered a moment.
“I’m sure you can guess.” The captain said with a growl after a few seconds of no response just Flacidious staring intently awaiting an answer “We received a report that the border had been abandoned from some of our border scouts at the Sharnar tower that they had seen a runner arrive at their opposite number in Vicini terretory the runner spent a short time at the tower and then ran along the border presumably to the next tower after that the troops at the Vicini tower were seen leaving with their travel bags towards their terretory.” The captain paused and looked at Flacidious who nodded and indicated for the captain to continue. “For the next few days they didn’t see anyone return to occupy the tower, then they came and reported. I sent out preliminary scouts to investigate the tower and they said there was nobody there.” Flacidious held up his finger a moment.
“So they went into the Vicini terretory?”
“Yes, and came back to report. We sent a small patrol to see what was going on with orders to return if they encountered anything and to go no futher then till the first sun reached its Zenith, they also returned.”
“That I suppose wouldn’t have them reach any substantial settlement?”
“No” The captain shook their head, “The next group though we sent to reach their nearest town, they never returned, and neither did the two scouts we sent after them, and that’s that I declared none of the guards were to cross the border as it was probably some kind of trick. Another mercenary band came through a week ago and headed off without much concern and we’ve not seen them either.” The captain looked at Flacidious glumly.
“Very well, we’ll take a look at your villager issue, then we’ll be heading into the Vicini terretory.”
“At least that will reduce my long term costs. So did you come from the capital?”
“We did, its still the hopeless hole it always has been.” Flacidious said leaning back with a grin.
“Indeed, so tell me all the news.” The captain leaned across the table and Flacidious spent the next hour relaying all the least intersting gossip of the capital.
The village was a collection of huts in amongst a number of fields at its centre was a wooden temple, a granery, a barn and a store house, the ten black figures rode through the village and stopped at a haggard young woman wearing well kept but worn smock and habit she had scales and lizard like eyes, Flacidous looked down at her.
“Where is your village chief?” Flacidious’s voice had a venom to it the kind of voice that brings with it nothing but pain and terror.
“He’ll be in the field m’lord.” The woman said with a hiss and pointed towards one of the assorted fields. Flacidous turned his horse and headed towards them, Lane took an extra moment to look the reptilian woman up and down his snout twitched as Sial grunted at him to move.
There were a half dozen men in the field that had been pointed at, “Which of you is the village chief?” Flacidious asked again a note of hostile impatients.
“I am, what do you want?”
“I’m here at the behest of the Captain of Icini, they inform me that you may be disastisfied with your lot and that I may help see to it that you become satisfied with it once more.” Facidious’s horse trotted back and forth trampeling crops as it did. The other nine were scattered across the field in no particular order.
“The captain did eh? Never seen the captain out here taking much of an interest before.”
“I couldn’t really care less what your relationship is to your lords, what truth is there in the word that you’re looking to leave?” Flacidious stroked one of his silver rings and the man looked nervous.
“Wait, we’d not consider leaving, it’s just that we’re being raided by bandit pack sire.” The chief said meekly. Flacidious looked at him for a long moment and the chief who had started with quite the self confident pose had been reduced almost to groveling.
“If we were to clear this nusiance for you, what would you offer other of course then your continued loyal fealty to your lord?” Flacidious’s voice was full of scorn, the other riders looked hawkishly around.
“Well, we don’t have much, and our lords are in need of much.” The chiefs eyes looked desperate now and completely under Flacidious’s sway.
“Well, once we have cleaned up these bandits we will need succor for the night. You will amuse my troop, it has been decided. When and where do these bandits harrass you?”
The village chief went into a detailed description of what had been transpiring for the last two months and Flacidious seemed to pay great attention. By the time he seemed satisfied the sun was begining to set and Flacidious gathered around the band. Looking up and down he turned to Gilnar
“Where’s Long?”
“Getting long” said Gilnar with a grin and Sial laughed along with Erke. A moment of concern seemed to cross Flacidious’s face.
“Ah, that peasent lizard.” Flacidious looked into the night for a moment. “What a nuisance, once we’re done here Sial and Gilnar round the randy snake up, we’re going to put an end to these bandits, I have a good idea of where they’re operating from so I’m quite sure that we’re going to be able to find them.” Flacidious set out the plan and they packed for a night in the forest and an ambush, Long was returned to the group looking very pleased with himself a scar on his cheek. Then the troop headed off into the dark once more, a task at hand this time.