The Hire 108.

Almaic. Phelm. Nastell...

"The warleader and his battalion are definitely there" says subcommander Waiamin, who continues with "So is captain Weldin's company".
The field commander Tamric Drubine nods his head, and takes the brass, cylindrical eyepiece that his second in command hands to him.
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin, who is now a field commander in the armies of Farque. Looks through the eyepiece, towards the battleline that's closest to the north wall of the city of Almaic.
"Yeah, they've definitely taken that long trench" says Tamric Drubine after looking through the brass, cylindrical eyepiece for a few moments.
The field commander who leads the army that's mostly made up of the robber barons Almard and Larimer's armies, then quietly says in a dry tone "Let's just hope Dorc stays there and doesn't attack the wall by himself".
Next to him, his second in command, the subcommander Waiamin, wryly smiles, and nods his head in agreement with his commander. As that's a very distinct possibility. The ork warleader attacking the north wall of Almaic all by himself.
They're in one of the makeshift fortifications the enemy have built. In one of the battlelines further back from the city of Almaic.
Tamric Drubine, or Tam as he's more commonly referred to by those who know him well. Glances from side to side, and watches part of the army he leads, continuing their march forward, around the fortification he and his senior staff have stopped in. To observe the battle, here to the north of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm. The northern most duchy in the kingdom of Nastell.
What few trebuchets Tam has with his army have been brought forward, and are now flinging their shots at the north wall of the city.
The catapults are still too far out of range, and have yet to get into action. Even though it's now basically midday.
The young field commander, who was the heir to a former knight of castle Drubine in his homeland of Sarcrin. Watches as a wave of fire, about forty feet in length. Leave his army, and head towards the top of the north wall of the city that's the provincial capital.
Tam wonders if it will get through the wards the enemy have up protecting this side of the city. Predominantly from spellcraft.
He isn't surprised when it splashes against the invisible wards that the enemy spellcasters still have up.
Field commander Drubine then looks down below him, and sees Mira Reinholt the mage climbing up the ladder to the archers platform that he and his second in command, and two others of his senior staff, are observing the battle here on the north side of Almaic.
"Was that you?" asks commander Drubine when the once powerful mage gets up onto the archers platform "With that firewave?" asks Mira Reinholt the mage, Tam nods his head yes, and the Vexilian mage in exile tells him "Not me" followed by "One of Larimer's one's did that".
"Oh?" says the young field commander, the spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil, who is also a highly skilled swordmaster nods his hooded head, then says "He's letting those few he has, actually cast now".
"About time" mutters subcommander Waiamin, Tamric Drubine nods in agreement with his second in command. For the robber barons Larimer and Almard are the most conservative of the five robber barons of the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains, who have banded together to wage war upon duke Hargen and the duchy of Phelm.
Who have the least amount of spellcasters with them compared to the other three robber barons. Especially the robber baron Markell. Who has more spellcasters in his army than the other four robber barons combined.
Now both the robber barons Larimer and Almard are letting their few spellcasters actually get involved in the battle, which started at dawn, and it's now midday.
"Better late than never i suppose" says Mira Reinholt, who continues with "Every bit helps, and those wards they've got up are weakening" the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation, to be found anywhere in the Southlands, then adds "Even i can feel that from here".
"At least that's something" quietly says commander Drubine who knows that the battle will get even more difficult once they begin the direct assault upon the north wall of the city that's the provincial capital.
Tam looks through the brass, cylindrical eyepiece again, this time looking away to the east.
There in the distance, on the river Mareb. The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin. Sees the wall of smoke that's slowly getting thicker and thicker, as it drifts down towards the east side of Almaic.
"The general will begin his assault upon the east side of the city in earnest soon" quietly says the young field commander, his second in command, along with the mage Reinholt, who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque, look eastwards too.
And they see the thick smoke drifting down the Mareb river towards the east side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"Hell, it's going to be chaos over there" quietly says subcommander Waiamin "That's for sure" says Tamric Drubine who knows that the side of the battle he's leading, is really just one large distraction to draw resources and men, the enemy have on the east side of the city, away to this side of Almaic.
And if they make a breakthrough here on the north side of the city, that's a bit of a bonus. A bonus that Tam is willing to see come to fruition. Especially with all the fighting his army has done so far today. Now that some of them in the advanced elements. Are now in the battleline closest to the north wall of Almaic, just a hundred and fifty feet from it.
Mira Reinholt, who is looking through his own brass, cylindrical eyepiece, which is wrapped in leather. Is now looking towards the frontline of the battle. At the open ground between the city wall, and the first battleline. Which is a long trench, which must at least be a quarter of a mile long.
"Hmmmm" murmurs the highly skilled swordmaster "What is it?" asks the nobleborn teenager who is originally from the kingdom of Sarcrin.
"There's a magetube out in the open, probably fifty feet out from the wall" says the exiled Vexilian mage, who continues with "Must of got blasted off the top of the wall from when one of my mageglobes blew up".
The young field commander nods, then says "And?". "Well, Dorc is in that long trench, just a hundred feet from it" says the mage Reinholt who leaves it at that. Tamric Drubine winces, then mutters "Hell".
"Exactly" says the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster "Maybe he hasn't spotted it" says commander Drubine "I doubt that" dryly says the once powerful mage.
Who as he continues to look through his elven made, leather wrapped cylindrical eyepiece that he acquired in a faraway land north of the equator, says "I'm pretty sure he's looking at it right now".
"Where?" asks Tam "Towards the very east of that long trench" replies the highly skilled swordmaster, who continues with "You can just spot him and that bright green goblin Teabagger through a missing part of the palisades".
The field commander searches for a few moments, and spots what the member of lord Farque's personal council has described, and he sees the ork general and the goblin commander in the long trench.
The nobleborn teenager who is originally from the kingdom of Sarcrin looks directly out from their position towards the north wall of Almaic, and sees the magetube lying on the ground in no man's land, about fifty feet from the wall.
"That fat green lump will be a danger to our own army as much as he will be to the enemy if he gets a hold of that thing" wryly says Mira Reinholt "Well, at least they're staying put for the moment" quietly says Tamric Drubine "That won't last" mutters subcommander Waiamin.
"True" says the Vexilian mage in exile, who after a slight pause adds "Though for all of his annoying behaviour, Dorc will stick to the plan" he pauses before continuing with "After all, a lot of it is his idea".
The young field commander nods to that, as the plan to attack the city of Almaic was mostly his and his fellow field commanders, Talbot and Leivyn's, ideas. Though using the idea that the ork warleader Dorc da Orc originally, and rather quickly came up with. Which they then expanded upon.
"Still, if he gets that magetube and blasts a hole in that wall before we're ready to attack the wall, it could lead to disaster" quietly says Tam "Better send a messenger forward to tell him that" says Mira Reinholt, who continues with "Because sooner or later he's going to go out there and get it".
"Maybe it's broken, or has no power left in it" suggests subcommander Waiamin "Can't risk that" says the young field commander, who turns to the two other officers on the archers platform with them, and starts issuing orders. One of which is that a messenger is to be sent to the ork warleader.
"Have a spellcaster teleport the messenger to that battleline he's is" says councilor Reinholt to the nobleborn teenager, who nods and orders that.
As the field commander is talking to his officers, the spellcaster who was once more powerful than any other mage of his generation in the Southlands. Infact he was once one of the most powerful human spellcasters ever about a dozen years ago.
Looks through his leather wrapped cylindrical eyepiece to the top of the north wall of the city that's the provincial capital.
The Vexilian mage in exile who can just sense the wards protecting the wall. Can't yet sense any of the enemy spellcasters. As the fortification he's in at the moment is about five hundred yards from the the city. And that's about the limit of his ability to magically feel, especially with powerful wards blocking want he wants to sense.
So he searches for spellcasters visually. And pretty soon spots some of them, along the eastern half of the north wall of Almaic. Which is the half that field commander Drubine's army is targeting.
While across the road that leads to the main gates in the north wall of Almaic. Field commander Leivyn's army are targeting the western half of the wall. Which is by far, the longest wall or perimeter of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
The once powerful mage who at the age of seventeen was a member of the mage council of his homeland, Vexil. Spots two wizards, who are easy to identify. As they wear the robes of their calling.
And he's certain he sees at least one sorcerer too. There might be a second, but he's not too sure. As sorcerers tend to wear everyday, normal clothes like anyone else would wear.
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, is also certain he sees a cleric up on the eastern half of the north wall. He waits until he sees that person walk between a pair of merlons. Then nods his head as he sees that they've got an ornate looking mace. As well as wearing vestments of a church or temple that the mage Reinholt doesn't recognise.
Which isn't surprising, since the Vexilian mage in exile has never been that interested in learning what church is which.
He might be able to identify some of the more well known churches and temples, with their gods and goddess. But very few. He just knows that all of them, are annoying. Especially their more powerful clerics. Who he were always found to be more than a nuisance to deal with when he came up against them in battle, when he still had all of his powers.
"Fucking cleric" mutters Mira Reinholt "What was that?" asks Tamric Drubine "Nothing much" replies the highly skilled swordmaster, who continues with "They've got a cleric up on the wall" followed by "Amongst a bunch of other spellcasters".
The young field commander nods, then says "Are ours targeting them?" the council member answers with "I guess so" he then adds "Though they have to bring down those fixed wards to do so with any purpose".
Or you could just around them like i can, the mage Reinholt thinks to himself, who as he continues to look through his leather wrapped, brass, cylindrical eyepiece, puts his free hand into one of his hidden pockets in his cloak, and drains some power from one of his spell gems.
After he does so, the spellcaster who hails from the city-state of Vexil creates a mageglobe in that hand, and once it forms, he flings it backwards off the back of the archers platform, where it takes off, heading north, away from the battle.
Tamric Drubine who saw the living piece of magic out of the corner of his eye, head north away from the city, asks the once powerful mage "Where's that going?".
"There" replies Mira Reinholt who gestures towards the top of the north wall of Almaic, along the eastern half of it.
"It is?" asks the young field commander, whose army is predominantly made up of the armies of the robber barons Larimer and Almard.
"It is" answer the exiled Vexilian mage, who then adds "It's just taking a roundabout way to get there" the mage Reinholt then explains "They're difficult to sense and track at the best of times, almost impossible to do so in the middle of battle where spells are going off all over the place".
The member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque continues with "Best to follow them visually, hence if you can't see them coming, it's rather difficult to deal with them".
The practitioner of magic doesn't explain that mageglobes are supposed to be used in a battle to the death between two mages. For when two of them magically duel one another.
The Vexilian mage in exile uses then whenever and wherever he likes. And has done so ever since he's been able to create them. It's why most of the spellcasters he's targeted with them, are surprised that a mageglobe is heading straight towards them, when traditionally they used in duels between mages.
The spellcaster who is also highly skilled swordmaster asks the young field commander "Seen enough?". "I have for now" replies Tamric Drubine, who then tells his second in command "We'll continue forward with the rest of the army".
Subcommander Waiamin nods to that, then loudly orders for those who have stopped in the fortification with them, to continue the march towards the city of Almaic which is only about five hundred yards away.
Once they're down off the archers platform, and out of the fortification which was overrun by the forward elements of Tam's army earlier in the morning.
The mage Reinholt who can't even sense the living piece of magic he created a short time ago, looks up into the sky and wonders if he can spot it. He's unable to. But he knows it'll come back this way, high in the midday sky. Where it'll go around the wards the enemy have up infront of the north wall of Almaic, and make it's way into the city, where it'll go for it's target who is on top of the north wall of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
As they set off again with Tamric Drubine's senior staff, the young field commander spots the robber barons Almard and Larimer, along with their senior officers, away to the right. Now further infront of commander Drubine and his senior staff.
"They might stop annoying me now that they're further infront of us" quietly says the nobleborn teenager with a nod of his head in the direction of the two robber barons.
"You mean stop annoying me" dryly says Mira Reinholt who has interceded whenever the robber barons have tried to question the young field commander since dawn, when the battle got underway.
"I stand corrected" says commander Drubine with a grin as he walks between his second in command, and the member of lord Farque's personal council as up ahead of them, the battle for the city of Almaic continues to rage on, this hot summer's day here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
As they march forward, the once powerful mage continues to glance up at the sky. And eventually he spots a tiny red dot high in the clear blue sky, heading southwest towards the city of Almaic.
The spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster slightly nods his black hooded head as he briefly sees his mageglobe high in the sky, making it's way towards Almaic, and it's target up on the north wall of the city that's under attack . . . . . .