Commando Part 18

For the next three days Viyamor’s group conversed with the five travelling warriors who escaped the Gantronese attack on the Red Symbol’s base. These five warriors called themselves the Travelling Talons or at least members of a larger mercenary army in the South Western parts of the Unknown Lands. It consisted more than a battalion of hired guns, mercenaries, bounty hunters, rogues, rangers, fighters, and privateers. However the five mercenaries before them were two women, a male half orc, a bald dark skinned elf, and a light skinned figure who appeared more alien to Calorn. The two women appeared slightly foreign to the Sarcagosee warriors. One was an auburn brown haired beauty with the appearance of a succubus or a female with bat like wings. She wore a white sleeveless blouse worn by explorers, adventurers, and archaeologists. Over her lower parts she wore short pants that appeared to fit on her nicely. Rough explorer’s boots covered her feet. She was armed with a few pistols, two combat knives, and a hatchet. The other female had a Vorcadam look about her with the yellowish skin tone, slanted eyes, and thin eyebrows. Her clothing included a hooded cloak over a leather armor that was a cross between a cuirass, tank top, and a vest covering most of her upper body held by straps. This cloaked female wore long pants covered in pieces of metal for armor. She only had two pairs of pistols, one of which appeared alien and the others from Grussia.

      As members of the Travelling Talons these five mercenaries were often tasked with missions and contracts. Most times they set out to scout the area in search of any sign of Gantronese activity. Several of their scouting shits resulted in the discovery of old bases and facilities abandoned by the Gantronese. A few of these did put them in a few encounters with the Gantronese patrols and stragglers. Each encounter became a skirmish that seldom transformed into a battle. It was not very often for them to keep an eye on the tribes, or beasts of the Unknown Lands since they mostly fought each other, preyed on weaker prey, or just lived their natural lively hoods not caring about the civilizations around them. These five introduced themselves as Odoz, Cagan the Orc, Nanim Despurden, Vylinsis, and Maphai Dovakson.

      During the remaining three days of their stay in Ujal Voge the two groups became acquainted with each other and joined forces. Ordoz was a member of a humanoid species called the Fornith who came down to Calorn with others of his race. His entire race was at war with the Gantronese for the past century and a half. Part of a battalion of chosen warriors Ordoz fought the Gantronese in guerilla style warfare within the mountains of the Grussian-Eothan Peaks that interlock with the Sarcagos. He and a hand full of others survived hoping more of their kind would be sent with the Fornith Fleet. Cagan the Orc came from a clan of Orcs, and humans who coexisted in the mountains. As a child he was kidnapped by slavers two of whom he killed with his hands. This brought him to the fighting pits after training until he was fourteen. As he climbed to the top Cagan won his freedom swearing an oath to kill slavers and bring down any empire allowing slavery. Nanim Despurden is a dark elf or Drow who sought a new life after being banished. He found this band of mercenaries to be a promising substitute for a clan and family. Vylinsis is the winged beauty who belongs to a humanoid race said to be cousins to the demon succubus and incubus. Her people live in a well hidden city deep with the mountains of Nazdar held Syrianos - Daedrathia. Maphai Dovakson was a member of a wealthy low status noble family who were eradicated by the Gantronese. She and the remnants of her family fled with all their wealth to Ruhonthra where they began this large mercenary army.

      Maurice, Brittany, Hilastes, Amonif, Jenn, Loaket, Flede, Jode, Macon, Eyanosa, and the Ranger Oraceth told these five mercenaries their own stories. As the leader Maurice told their leader, Maphai about their mission in the Unknown Lands. After exchanging words, information, sharing drinks, and meals seventeen warriors forged an alliance. In the tavern’s largest booth the two leaders and their companions discussed how they could meet while on the road. One group would take the Krukir’s Way roads, and the other group would ride through the marshy swamps.

      Coming up with a few places to meet along the road the two parties parted ways. It was an hour after the crack of dawn both groups began to leave. Maurice’s eleven sarcagosee warriors mounted their large cat steeds, and Maphai’s crew of four loaded up the large yacht. The locals said their farewells to the two groups and bid them great fortune on their journey. In ten minutes of mounting their cats the twelve warriors proceeded out of Ujal Voge after parading through a crowd of local villagers. Maurice took the lead down the wooden road with eleven warriors, gangsters, and soldiers trailing behind at his heels. He kept meddling with the hand held radio Maphai gave him for communication. For a good thirty miles the twelve venturing companions galloped down the wooden road while the yacht sailed on the marshy waters miles away from the wooden road. On both sides of the road the boggy marsh appeared the same for miles all around with a few trees, branches and logs visible here and there. The occasional crocodile or patch of land visible in the grass was all they really saw during the trek on the road. Another twenty miles and they would only be hundred miles away from the swamps.

      Feeling they could press on further before nightfall Maurice urged his companions forward. In full gallop on their steeds the twelve riders rode on the wooden road for a great number of miles until it grew dark. His own mount kept galloping on the wooden road several more hours into the day. The commando paid no heed to their surroundings as he raced towards the swamps hoping to get as far as he could before it turned dark. Hearing nothing but the galloping of his steed’s paws hitting the boards Maurice felt the wind on his face from the speed his mount galloped.

      Out of the corners of his eyes Maurice spotted movement in the waters and grass of the marshes. Glancing to the right and to the left he noticed they were passing crocodile dwellings on either side of this road. He counted about nine crocodile dwellings full of crocodiles and young crocodiles. There were no doubts there were more of these nests and dwellings hidden in the grass of the marshes. Maurice kept his gaze ahead of them on the wooden road that began to snake a little through the landscape. The sun began to drop in the sky as the day was starting to end. At full speed Maurice led his companions further down this road with the day closing and night approaching.

      When the day ended and night came with the dark sky each rider slowed their mount to a trot. Whoever had lanterns they immediately lit them to shed some light on the road. Loaket handed Maurice a lit lantern that held it up to see where the road was in front of him. Holding up the lantern Maurice pressed on well into the night with the lantern’s light illuminating the road before him. He raised the radio to his mouth to contact Maphai who did not pick up until the sixth attempt. Both leaders exchanged words about their locations so they could calculate when and where to meet. She told him to keep going a little further and keep an eye out for a red light.

      Within an hour and a half of talking to Maphai Maurice spotted a small red light in the distance. Informing his companions what he saw in the dark he warned them to keep close and stay on the wooden road. Each one called out to him letting him know they were behind him. Relieved to know all of his companions were behind him Maurice looked down at his steed’s head. These Jumbo Cats had the ability to see in the dark after all feline species are nocturnal creatures. It was to their greatest advantage and for the Uxane nations who tamed and rode them. Another good thing about these large cats was that they never acted like the little ones who would sleep all day and roam around at night. His steed turned its head from time to time checking out its surroundings. Even though he could not tell what the cat saw he didn’t think they were in any danger from the way it kept on going.

      This red light Maphai told him about grew larger and brighter as they progressed further down the road. Multiple lights joined this red light illuminated what appeared to be a structure with several shadows of figures moving around. No one could really tell what the structure was even if there were enough lights illuminating the thing. He pressed his steed and his convoy of companions forward until they reached the structure. A few more lights were turned on facing the surrounding area to illuminate anything that might encroach upon them. The lights shining on the structure illuminated a large structure that resembled a large submarine that was converted into a building. It had a couple of garages for vehicles and a dock for floating vessels. Feeling exhaustion overwhelm their bodies they herded the steeds inside the garages where they fed them hunks of meat.

      Once the jumbo cat steeds were fed and herded inside the garages the twelve warriors entered this submarine like structure. When they entered the five mercenaries greeted them inside a vast chamber that was part of a much larger structure. In the dark it was difficult to see the true size of this structure. To the greater surprise of the commando and his companions the structure was about as big as the tavern inn back in Ujal Voge.