[Quest] An old Address (Harlequill)

[Jaquise Emittere]

Jaq brought teams 3 and 5 with him as they went to investigate the ruins. Team 5 included Barry, Ben, and the last armored man whom Jaq had learned was named Shaun. As they searched through the ruins Jaq found a great deal more of the stone bones. Like the ones he had seen before they were all covered by vegetation, so whatever had happened had been a long while before. Thinking back to his lessons in magic during his childhood, Jaq guessed that this was a result of wild Djed. From the way they were covered it was a long while ago, but Jaq was unsure if it was as far back as the Valterrian that this occurred. What also worried him was why so many bones would be here in the first place. Whatever the case was, the only danger the group found during the hours of sweeping was a snake nest, nestled under a pile of the bones turned stone. They marked the area and finished their search, returning to Allen with the results when they finished. All during the walk back, Jaq couldn't help he had missed something.

[Harlequill]

Amidst the bones of civilization we seek our fortunes... Jaq had not yet seen the laborers move with the purpose they possessed now. Even Allen was roused from his recent melancholy. They set the center of their camp on the outskirts of the area scouted by the mercenaries. "With the majority of our location buried, we will need to begin digging at the center and work our way outward. It could take as little as ten days or as many as thirty. At this point it is more a matter of luck than anything else. We know he's buried here, but if we have to search every building, it will be a long spring." Allen smiled to Captain Jaq and moved to supervise the unpacking of the gear. A small forest of tents sprung up out of the wagons as the men prepared for the long haul. Picks, shovels, hammers and timber were unloaded onto the bare earth and organized. Every piece of equipment was inventoried to determine the damage from the wolverine attack. Such an inventory would have normally been Tenner's duty. This was a reality that was not lost on Allen. Ben also seemed to be filled with a new energy. While he was once again drinking heavily he finally found his voice. Stripping his robe from his body he revealed himself to be in superb physical shape. Were his skin a darker hue he could easily have been mistaken for Alicob's brother rather than Allen's. With a pick in his hand he enthusiastically began the dig with his own sweat and effort. Jade, now that the area had been declared safe, was to be found tagging along behind Jaq with a lost expression on his face. The rock which had been present throughout his entire life had been shattered by the careless violence of a territorial animal. Nothing would ever be the same. All that remained for him was his belief that Jaq would keep him safe. Piles of stone bones were gathered and stacked to the sides of the dig. Swept out of the way as necessary in every widening piles. There were not many on the ground in terms of bones per square foot, but when digging up a mile in every direction they began to accumulate a lot. One of the younger laborers, a man who shared the darkness of Jaq's humor, could be seen stacking the bones in neat little piles to resemble the buildings of the town they were now unearthing. With all that had happened since their departure some men found it difficult to relax, but they did not find it difficult to work. The first five days at the dig site were a veritable hurricane of progress. Stone tiles, the ones upon which the center of the dig was based, were revealed to be the roof of a three story building. Most of the structure had been disintegrated by the ravages of time, but the brothers cheerfully pointed out seemingly trivial details which they said revealed the general era, size, shape, and use of the structure.

[Jaquise Emittere]

It was the 13th day on the job. Jaq, whose main income used to be guarding caravans took at the least 35 days to make their journey's, it seemed to feel a great deal longer then that. Despite what Allen and Ben told him, Jaq thought the was going far to slow. Given that he was being paid a great deal per day for this job this was an odd complaint for a soldier of fortune. Still, with the death's off the unnamed armored man, Harold, and of course Tenner weighing on his soul Jaq couldn't help but feel a little bad about the expedition itself. He had learned long ago that death was the way of life, but sometimes he thought Dira perhaps took a little to much enjoyment in cutting certain lives short. And whenever he looked at the sullen boy who followed him, he couldn't help but think how bleak of a future jade would have. Despite the fact that Stitch was a wonderful person, it was still an orphanage and the boy had still seen his father cut down by a literal monster. The mercenary thought he should say something, but nothing that came to mind seemed to be adequate. Finally as he settled down for a meal on his break, he decided to take a bit of truth from his life. As the boy sat down next to him with his own meal, Jaq looked to him. "You know, I lost my Father when I was younger." The boy stopped eating halfway and looked up to him, as if he had found a rock from which he could grasp onto in a river of emotions that ended in a cliff. "He was a wizard, like me. Well, better then me, a lot better. He taught me everything I know. One day he made a mistake, screwed up with some magic, and some people got hurt. I had been there to, and was probably going to be arrested with him. He took all of the blame though, to save my life he gave his own." The boy, seeing the connection, seemed to find a little solace in the fact that Jaq had gone through something bad to. It wasn't enough though. Jaq could already see it in his eyes. The hope Jaq had kindled was flickering like a candle in a hurricane. "We have something in common here. And I'll tell you what, there's a way to keep old Tenner with you. Make his sacrifice worth it. Live life, be happy. Never forget him, but don't let what you remember make you sad. The last thing that old man would have wanted was to make you sad. As long as your alive, so to does he live in your memories." Jaq couldn't think of anything else to say, and went back to eating his food. Thankfully he was saved a long awkward silence by the arrival of V and Shi'ala. V was in wolf form, which meant his break was over. He must have taken longer then he had thought to say what he had said. With a pat on the kids Head, Jaq drew himself to his feet and followed the others to his post. Just before he was out of Sight, Jaq looked back and saw the kid. He was crying. That was good, everyone needed to cry

[Jaquise Emittere]

Late that night Jaq was sitting upon a rock, his watch just starting, when the necklace he had kept under neath his chain mail to protect it pulled itself out and up. As it pulled away from Jaq, reality seemed to shift around it. The string that had hung around his neck melded into the orb, which began to grow bigger, to the point where it was perhaps a half a foot wide. What had been simply a see through bead seemed to ice over. The surface of it audibly crackled as the it froze. It did not loose any of its luster, indeed it actually seemed to reflect things even more clearly. Though it did not posses any eyes it seemed to be glaring at Jaq. With a cold, emotionless voice Zagarek spoke. "You are becoming too attached to the human young-ling, Jade." Jaq met the things glare with one of his own."I thought we agreed you would keep silent until we returned to the city. These people are fearful of magi,, and you aren't ready for combat yet either." "Your points are valid, but your identity as a user of magic has already been revealed. Even if it has not, no one will steal upon us so long as I am watching." The orb seemed to shift for a moment, contracting in size before growing larger once more. Jaq had yet to figure out what it meant, but he assumed it was part of the way this being communicated with others of its kind. "I am speaking now because, as much of a liability as I am in my present state there is something that must be said before the situation gets out of hand." Jaq sighed and looked around. He knew Zagarek wasn't bragging when he had said no one can sneak up on them, the familiar had quite the observational skills, but habits die hard. "So you think my worry for the boy is a problem?" The orb drifted down for a moment or two then floated back up to eye level with Jaq. "That is not the only issue. And more then that, its and issue that may become lethal. From what I understand of you humans, such attachment can lead to the taking of serious risks to ensure the young ones protection. The adult human Tenner's choice to throw Jade shows this to be true." At the mention of Tenner Jaq stiffened. Though it had no mouth to speak of, and didn't actually breath air, the creature seemed to be taking a pause before continuing to speak. Jaq thought it was an attempt at trying to mimic a human's way of speaking. Again he wasn't sure though. "There is already evidence from the fight with the large beast whom you call a wolverine that should the child be placed in danger you will choose its safety over your own. The leaders of the party, the human's Allen and Ben, could have been of great use in that battle." "If both of them were killed I would receive no money for this expedition. I saw a way to keep them out of the fight and protect the child at the same time and took it." Jaq spoke with a touch of anger in his voice, but Zagarek did not seem to notice. "You forget that in that fight you lost two of your numbers and a third was injured, decreasing your groups ability to fight and increasing the likely hood of injury in a future battle. The child may one day grow older and become useful, but at this moment his life holds little value to the group." The cold and uncaring way almost made Jaq explode his already seething anger. It had no right to tell Jaq to ignore the boy's safety. A sudden realization occurred to him just before he opened his mouth to yell at Zagarek. The being was fearful for its life. The thought didn't cool Jaq's anger completely, but it allowed him some semblance of control over the emotion. "You need not worry that I will run to my death at the merest hint of danger toward the child. My goal is to get everyone back alive, including me." As he said it though, Jaq felt a weight fall on his chest as his anger deflated to sorrow. He had already failed at this goal, Tenner's absence so fit to remind him of that. He hadn't known the old man long, but the loss was still discomforting for the hardened mercenary. "Everyone left that is." The orb pulsed once more, shrinking and reverting to its normal size much quicker then it had previously. "That is another issue we must speak of. It is to no fault of your own that the others fell. The creature had caught the group by surprise. Remember that it was you who struck the killing blow against the beast as well, inherently saving everyone's life while doing so." Jaq translated the words to a less sophisticated level of speech and heard, don't blame yourself, you did the best you could. "As to the issue of the man child Jade, I would ask that you remember your life is no longer solely your own anymore. Someone is coming, I will revert back to the sealed form now." Jaq watched it shift the form of the necklace and fall around his neck once more just as the crunch of feet along the grass around him alerted him to the arrival of V and Shi'ala, coming to join him on teams 3's first watch for the night. Behind them was a curtain of mist, only broken by the dim light of campfires of in the distance. "Jaq, were you just talking to someone?" Jaq looked to them and with a smile that did not reach his eyes pulled himself to his feet. 'Say what you will wizard, just know that the more who know of my existence the more that can threaten it.' The telepathic message from Zagarek stopped Jaq from speaking allowed what had just transpired. The expedition force was being very open minded about his skill in Reimancy. To let them know he was bonded with a magical being was, as Zagarek pointed out, an unnecessary risk. "Just to myself. It helps me think more clearly when I hear the words aloud. Come on, lets go relieve team 5. I'm sure Ben wants to get back to drinking behind my back and I sure don't want to keep him from it." Just as Jaq turned his back a flash of lights went off as V shifted to her wolf form. Despite the fact that most kelvic's were not very shy about their bodies, Shi'ala kept V from taking off her clothes in front of the others when it wasn't an emergency. The wolf shot passed Jaq, only looked back for a moment to give him a questioning look before dashing on ahead and into the fog. Shi'ala, walking only a little bit slower then the wolf had been running, only shook her head in Jaq'' direction with a small smile on her face. The look said she trusted him enough to allow for a few eccentricities. The trust that look spoke of hurt Jaq on the inside, but he didn't let it show on the outside.

[Jaquise Emittere]

On the fifteenth day the expedition, Jaq awoke to the sound of someone crying out in pain. Without hesitation, and without a shirt, Jaq grabbed Memoria and leaped out of his tent, drawing the blade in a liquid smooth motion. What he saw in the ring of tents that had become the mercenaries side camp was a ring of stones with two men in the center and several mercenaries on the outer rim of it looking in. Michael and Shi'ala were both in the center wearing simple clothing much like Jaq's own shirt, meant for comfort and ease of movement. Michael, who was shaking unsteadily on his feet, was attempting to hold off viscous attacks from Shi'ala using what looked liek a practice sword made of soft wood. Not to few of the attacks made it in through the young wolf's defense and each one brought out a new cry of pain, though they were a great deal more stifled then the first. V, Niva and her sister Luavina, Jay and Gared all stood or sat on the outer rim of the stone circle watching. The sisters appeared to be focusing on Michael's injured leg, but every so often they would smile as the young man who had to many times tried to seduce them got struck by Shi'ala's wooden blade. All but the two in the ring had turned to Jaq when he come charging out of his tent where nothing on his chest but the necklace that was Zagarek's sealed form. The mercenary captain, embarrassed by his display, sheepishly sheathed Memoria and moved back into his tent to grab his loose fitting white shirt. 'It is advised that you not do that again. Making such a mistake once is foolish, but understandable. Making it again will make you look incompetent.' Jaq responded to the mental sending with one of his own. 'Thank you.' When he stepped out of the tent the second time only Luavina turned to Jaq, and she gave him a sly look that made him all the more embarrassed. Not for the first time he wondered how old the konti sisters were, and not for the first time he dismissed the thought before it could get him in trouble. He had learned that the two sister's divination manifested itself as a weak empathetic ability that actually grew stronger when they were together. It didn't help much when reading people they weren't familiar with, but with it they were able to bring their dual Suvai forms to whole new levels of intricacy and teamwork. Jaq took a seat on a rock beside Gared and looked to the old warrior with a questioning glance. "Sorry bout the noise Cap'n, tryin to get the wee un there in the ring with the other Cap'n back on 'is feet so to speak." Several days of conversing with Gared had left Jaq with only a spare bit of knowledge on how to understand him. Thankfully where he while he was puzzling out the man's words V interjected with a translation. "There trying to get Michael back into shape. The sisters needed to see how his leg would do in a fight." A thump from the ring brought Jaq's eyes back to the spectacle at hand. Apparently Michael's leg wasn't as good as it used to be, cause he was one the ground now clutching it with Shi'ala's practice blade pointed at his neck. His was several feet away on the other side of the circle. Luavina, having seen enough for the day, moved into the circle to more closely inspect the young wolf's leg. After a few minutes of studying it she shook her head and cursed. "It'll be at least another 4 days before he can fight again, perhaps longer before he's performing at his pique." The young wolf moved to say something about his performance but with a squeeze of his leg Luavina forced him to shut his mouth in pain. "None of that now. Remember I'm your doctor. If you want to get better you'll behave." Luavina did not let of the leg until she had secured a nod of assent from the injured mercenary. She helped the man to his feet and assisted him in getting to a nearby log on the outside of the stone ring. When he was assured that Michael was well, Gared stood up and walked into his tent, one which eh shared with the youth. A moment later he came out holding another wooden sword, this one shaped less like the longsword the Wolves company used, and more like Jaq's katana. He brought it over to Jaq and held it out to him. "Twas think'n you'd be 'p for a bit of sparrin. Made dis meself." Jaq looked passed the older man to V behind him for another translation. "He made that for you so you can get some non lethal practice in." With a nod and a smile Jaq turned back to the old man and accepted the wooden sword. He inspected it for several moments before deciding it was a very nice piece of work. 'There seems to be little harm in practicing your sword skill. It can only improve your chances of surviving.' Jaq had actually thought about sparring, but had avoided joining in lest he lose and lessen the others opinion of him. People needed a Captain they could look to for help, not one whom they doubted. Now that they knew of his skill in Reimancy though, or for those who were a bit simpler of mind that he used magic, losing a sparring match was no longer as important to his image. He could risk losing to one of the to others. It begged the question though, who would fight him. The pale man had not failed to notice the fears the others sometimes regarded him with. They treated him well enough now, but Jaq doubted that most of those around the circle would be willing to face off against him without holding a fear that he'd resort to magic to win. It seemed that the decision had already been made for him though. With a cough, Shi'ala brought Jaq's attention to the center of the ring where she stood. "Lets go Captain. Other people want a go before there shift to you know." The leader of the wolf mercenaries greeted Jaq with a small, tight smile. It showed amusement while still keeping her stern demeanor about her. Jaq met the smile with a flamboyant one of his own and pulled himself to his feet and into the circle. When he stood facing Shi'ala he gave her a slight bow, gripped the practice katana and the hilt with his right hand and near the bottom of the handle with his left. He squared his feet and waited for his opponent to get ready. When she did they tapped swords and immediately dove in for an attack. Jaq came from above with a swing aimed for Shi'ala's shoulder. The woman deflected the strike and aimed one of her own at his leg. Jaq swept his katana around and knocked it aside that continued the swing with a spring, bringing it across Shi'ala's chest. She was ready though and stopped the attack with a two handed block. After holding Jaq back a for a few seconds in this position she pushed him off and aimed at his midsection with a lunge. Jaq barley moved out of the way in time to avoid the strike. He forced her to take a few steps back with a wild swing here and there, giving him a moment to breathe. Shi'ala was skilled, better then he was that was for sure. It was no wonder she was in charge of the wolves. If this continued much longer Jaq would lose. Even as this thought crossed his mind Shi'ala charged in with a swing at his arm. Jaq twisted his sword around the blade, deflecting the momentum of the swing off to the side then aimed stabbed at her left shoulder with his own sword. He felt he made contact but just as the blade hit her, Shi'ala began spinning to the left, lessening the power of the blow and causing Jaq to take a step forward. She was at his blind side now, and he didn't have enough time to turn his head. He felt sure she was bringing the blade down on his back but if he guessed wrong he'd be hit. from his spot on Jaq's neck, Zagarek was able to see what Shi'ala was doing. While he could not share his sight with Jaq, there connection was no were near the level required to do that, he could send a message to the mercenary. 'Duck down and sweep your blade around.' Jaq complied with the instruction instantly, feeling a gust of wind brushing against the top of his head as the the wooden practice sword just passed over him. At the same time he brought his own practice sword around in a sweeping motion, taking Shi'ala's feet out from under her. She fell to the ground landing on her back. Jaq had the point of his practice sword at her neck a second later. Shi'ala dropped the wooden longsword next to her and raised her hands near her head. "Yield." Jaq offered his hand and the wolf leader grasped it and pulled herself to her feet. "How did you dodge that last swing?" Even as Jaq spoke the lie he felt his guilt deepen, he didn't like keeping secrets. "Luck. Its useful when one has such a large blindside." "Apparently." Shi'ala retrieved her weapon and raised toward Jaq once more. "Again?" Jaq and Shi'ala faced off five more times, and in each one jaq was trounced, beaten, and knocked to the ground. While he couldn't repeat his earlier success int eh first fight, Jaq felt a bit of pride at the fact that he and Zagarek worked well together, and despite the lies he had to tell to keep the beings existence a secret he was happy he had made the contract. Around the ring bets were made, each time with the odds favoring Jaq the victor decreasing to the point where they were no longer betting on his victory, and were instead betting on how long he last. It was a good learning experience though. By the time they ahd finished both parties were to tired to go on watch, and the rest of the mercenaries offered to pick up the slack in order to thank the two for such a wonderful show. Jaq ate a small bit off food and resigned only a little while later. Secret : Can't think of any more things to post about. Will let you pick it up from here.

[Harlequill]

While the excavation of the ruins was progressing swiftly it had yet to yield fruit. When off duty among the watch Ben was either sleeping or drinking and digging. Each time his pick met earth his voice burst out in song. His singing voice was not good, but it spurred the men on to new levels of effort. Seeing the man who paid them outperform the workers with only a modest attempt stung their egos and motivated them to match his pace. Most of the buildings of this place had long ago wasted away to nothing beneath the earth. The foundations remained, as did the shells of the largest and most well constructed buildings. Each building, as it was discovered, was inspected by Allen and his foreman before being entered. Thus far there had been no collapses, but one could never be too careful. The area where they had first begun digging was now the center of a massive rectangle carved out of the earth. Its shape changed along the edges to move around particularly large trees which were not worth the effort of cutting down yet. While no graveyard had been discovered yet, meaning the tomb they sought was still missing, valuable historical items had been collected and moved for storage in the wagons. Armor and weapons nearly five hundred years old, a tapestry which had been preserved nearly whole, a collection of ceramic vases that had been spared destruction, and other miscellaneous items were all gathered and moved with care. Allen was becoming more excited by the day. He was also becoming more impatient. Twelve days had passed since they camped, making this the twentieth day of the expedition. Around this time men began lamenting the loss of the good liqueor when Tenner's wagon had been destroyed. A few decent men berated the others for not lamenting Tenner's loss instead. The amount of cheap alcohol being circulated would soon be down to each man's personal stash. That may or may not be a blow to morale, only time would tell. The core of the ancient city had now been discovered and exposed to the sky above. Fifty hard working men can move quite a bit of dirt over the course of twelve days. Lumber had been brought in to shore up and support the sides of the dig. Allen spent the majority of each day in one building or the other, collecting clues which only he understood and writing them down in his journal. Muttering to himself had become a regular occurrence. Jade spent most of his time digging now. In spite of his youth, and the tiny stature of his shovel, he put his back into the work and did his best to help the adults. When not working he spent his time trying to tag along after Jaq or V. Both he and the kelvic had developed a friendship since Tenner had passed. To a boy there was little difference between a dog and a wolf, and V helped him through the grief as best she could when not working. On the fifteenth day of camp the rain began again, slowing the dig. Mud washed down into the archeological pit and men rushed to support the walls. One of the buildings, something Allen had supposed was the town hall of the city, collapsed as its rotted structure was undermined by shifting mud and water. Allen and three other men were trapped beneath the rubble. Two drowned before they could be rescued, Allen suffered a puncture wound in the torso, and the other man's skull was crushed by a fallen beam. Both of the medics were required to save their benefactor's life. When they were finished he was ordered to rest in his tent, likely for the duration of their stay here. Splinters had been removed from his wound, but the exact nature of his injury escaped Jaq. From the grim expressions on his soldiers' faces he knew that it was serious. Ben stopped working altogether and spent his days tending to his injured brother. When the rain had stopped the men began to take stock of the situation. Clearing the rubble was a major task, and the foreman was now several men short of a full crew. Once the walls of the pit were repaired men formed a line to hand off rubble, transporting it outside the digsite to stack nearby. Two more days passed repairing what had gone wrong and worrying about the health of Allen. A pall had fallen over the expedition. 25 days had passed since Jaq, Allen, and the expedition left Syliras. What other tragedies would befall them before finding the safety of that city once more?

[Jaquise Emittere]

17 days of watching the digging progress had left the mercenaries a bit sullen. Without liquor to keep them occupied, most of their time was spent sparring and gambling on those in the rock circle. Some had lost so much they were betting on the pay they would receive from this expedition. In hopes of setting an example, and because he sucked at gambling, Jaq's only participation int he events was sparring, and only with Shi'ala. It had become a goal for him to beat her again, but even with Zagarek's assistance Jaq was unable to get another victory. At least that was how it was before Allen's accident. Since then the group's sullenness became something more akin to depression. Everyone was reserved in their dealings with others, even the wolves. The only ones who didn't seem to be affected by dour mood were V and Jade, who spent most of their free time running around in circles chasing the other or some nonsense like that. It would be cute if Jaq hadn't seen V rip through the wolverine the way she had. Seeing them like that was just a bit creepy. In hopes of getting some good news, and perhaps three of the mercenaries under his command back, Jaq was visiting Allen's tent for the first time since the accident. He had been told before that that the man was to injured to see anyone. Niva, Luavina, and Ben busy taking care of the leader, the watch's had been stretched, cutting back on the groups sleep and worsening the mood further. Though Zagarek told him it was unlikely the mercenary would see any divine intervention and would be better spending his time doing something constructive, Jaq prayed to all the gods eh could think of for a miracle as he stood outside the tent, waiting for one of the konti sisters to admit him.

[Harlequill]

Niva and Luavina both emerged to inform Jaq that he would have up to one hour to speak with Allen. Anything after that and they would come in to remove it, Captain or no Captain. Ben also stepped out as the konti left. Though he stayed nearby the expression on his face spoke volumes. It appeared that Allen was not so injured that he could no longer order his older brother around. When Jaq stepped into the tent he could see that it was the best the expedition had to offer. The inside was dry and filled with aromatic incense smoke. There were two braziers burning brightly to heat the room and ward off any late spring chill. Allen lay on a bed of furs, propped up into a seated position by numerous furs. His armor was laying nearby, the chain links of the chestpiece shattered and twisted. The young man's sword rested on the bed next to him. His face was beaded with sweat and his upper body was bare save for the freshly changed bandages wrapped around his chest. A wan smile lit the injured archeologists face as he saw his mercenary Captain. Lifting one hand slightly he beckoned him closer. There was a pair of chairs propped up on either side of the bed of furs. The supply train had been well stocked. "So many long faces for me? It isn't nearly as bad as it looks. The healers tell me I will be up and walking in no time at all. How can I help you Captain?" When he had finished speaking he leaned his head back onto the mound of pillows supporting him. A very fine line of red blood had begun tracing a path from the corner of his mouth down his chin. Either he was not aware of it or he did not have the strength to lift a hand and wipe it away. In spite of this gruesome stream, the corner of his mouth lifted in an encouraging smile.

[Jaquise Emittere]

Jaq took the seat and looked to the leader of the expedition with a mix of concern and surprise. It was an awkward look to say the least. The man, despite what looked to be a gruesome injury, was talking as if he had a cold. Not for the first time Jaq wondered what he done before starting this expedition. "Came in to talk to you, see how you were faring and see if there was anything I can do for you. The people out there are in dire straits without you at front of the line." Jaq looked around once more at the tent, admiring the setup. It was comfortable to the point where Jaq would probably choose it over some of the seedier rooms he had spent a night in. "Its good to here you'll be up soon. The force almost seems directionless without you. They work, but its not with the same enthusiasm." A voice in his mind, cold and calculating, spoke up. It was not an audible voice, so Jaq had to work to not give off any signs as he listened to what it had to say. 'Jaquise, try and learn if there is any news of the tombs location. I doubt even a wound such as this has kept him from working, though it is most likely through others.' Jaq thought for a moment before relaying the question. It wouldn't hurt to ask, and if indeed something new had been discovered the mercenaries spirits would surely be lifted. If they kept going they way they had been being sulky, moody, and uncommunicative they would make a mistake. Someone was liable to get hurt."I had hoped to bring news of your good health to the mercenaries, but what might also make them happy is to learn if your laborers are any closer to finding the tomb."

[Harlequill]

A series of quiet coughs racked the man's body for a few minutes when he opened his mouth to respond. If Jaq reached out as if to help then he would wave him off impatiently. "I'm fine. It looks like we will have the tomb within a few days. From the layout of the buildings we have unearthed this far, we find It likely that any burial chambers would be located on the western side of the settlement. That isn't a guarantee though. Do not make any promises to them that we cannot be sure will be fulfilled." Reaching over beside his bed he picked up a cup of water and lifted it to his lips, drinking deeply. If Jaq's eyes followed the hand he would see that beside the bed, tucked away halfway beneath a blanket, were stacks of papers. They were the notes that Allen had been keeping on the layout and history of the settlement. His familiar had spoken wisely. Either Allen was still working, or he was having Ben and the foreman do work at his behest. Luavina's pretty face peeked into the tent for a moment. Concern was written over her features. After examining the patient from afar, and giving Jaq a tiny frown, she pulled her head back outside. She must have heard the coughs and worried about the patient. Jaq would have to be careful not to get himself in trouble with the healers.