The Homecoming 54.

Battle Tide...

Tamric Drubine kicks one of baron Harkonin's soldiers in the knee, then slams the hilt of his longsword into the face of the soldier. Who drops to the ground with a shattered mouth. The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin then kicks him in the side to make sure he stays down.
Those from castle Lé Dic and castle Duc de Laér, who are led by sir Galmot the army commander of the Lé Dic fief. Were having a tough time of it as they attacked the north side of Falshire. With many of them falling to the two, wagon mounted, side by side ballistas. The scorpion on a third wagon. As well as pair of catapults in the border town.
All until Tam, along with Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, sir Percavelle Lé Dic and Dorc da Orc. Who approached Falshire more from the northeast than directly north. Made their way into town and started attacking the forces of baron Harkonin who have taken over the disputed border town.
It's primarily because of the ork warleader, as well as the former paladin that the Lé Dic fief soldiers have made any headway, and are actually in town now. If it hadn't been for those two, especially Dorkindle.
Lady Linara Lé Dic's soldiers could very well of been decimated as they approached Falshire early on this spring like morning.
The former heir to a previous knight of castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin looks around, hoping the hell that the individual they're searching for isn't anywhere in the middle of this battle, that's taking place in the northern outskirts of Falshire.
It doesn't help that Dorc da Orc, and to a lesser extent, sir Percavelle Lé Dic are killing anyone wearing a Harkonin tabbard. Tam hopes the war engineer they're trying to locate, if he is in Falshire, isn't wearing Harkonin colours.
The nobleborn teen who is wearing near half plate, isn't all that far from the three storey building that's the headquarters of the Harkonin forces here in the border town.
Tam moves back behind the corner of the house he's been fighting infront of, when he sees a Harkonin soldier with a crossbow, looking out of a window across the street.
The soldier who caught a glimpse of the teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin, instead shoots at a couple of soldiers in the Lé Dic army who are hurrying along the street.
Tamric Drubine hurries out from the side of the house, and sprints across the street. The fifteen year old, runs shoulder first into a door, which slams open.
He comes to a stumbling stop, turns right in what looks like a cloth merchants shop or tailors. And he runs at the Harkonin soldier crouched down beneath the window, hurriedly trying to reload his crossbow.
Tam kills him with a thrust of his longsword to the throat.
Then he rolls his eyes, as he hears a familiar voice from outside say "Ah ha take that you foul villain!".
"Percy!" calls out Tamric Drubine as he looks out the window and sees sir Percavelle Lé Dic out on the street, where he's just killed a trio of Harkonin soldiers. Who were brave enough, or dumb enough, depending on your point of view. To attack the former earl of Lé Dic.
Lifting up the visor, or faceplate of his full helm, then looking around and eventually spotting the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Druvic, sir Percavelle Lé Dic says "Tamric young chap, there you are" the heavily armoured knight then adds "Pray tell, what would thou'st be doing in that tailors?" followed by "Bit of an odd time to be getting a fitting wot".
The nobleborn knight guffaws at his own joke, while Tam, after rolling his eyes again, calls out to him "Careful who you kill there Percy!" he continues with "Don't want to be killing that engineer if he happens to be here".
"Not to worry" says the former knight of that first class, who then adds "If that fellow happens to be here, he won't be in uniform" sir Percavelle Lé Dic continues with "He'll be in work leathers, like a blacksmith's apron and such" he pauses for a moment, before continuing with "Or if he's a fighting fellow, he shall be attired more like a mercenary than a soldier in the spiteful baron's army".
Tam and the rest of the group have been informed by the former earl of Lé Dic, that engineers, especially war engineers here in the kingdom of Druvic. Are held in pretty high regard within whoever's court they serve in. Even if they happen to be common born. Which tends to be the case more often than not. As very few in the nobility in the kingdom, take up the calling of an engineer. Even though most, if not all of them, depend on engineers in their lives.
Weather it's a building engineer, who helps with their castles and towns. Or a war engineer, who helps with their siege engines, war machines. As well as their sappers if they happen to be attacking an enemy's castle.
Tamric Drubine, who is just wondering where Dorc da Orc is. As the large ork is supposed to be keeping close to the former earl of Lé Dic, and keeping an eye on him.
Spots the large ork, hurrying around a corner at the end of the street.
"There you are cunt" growls Dorc da Orc who is huffing and puffing as he makes his way up the street to where the knight in the order of Saint Mar-che is. And as Tam exits the tailor's shop he was just in, the large ork says to the former earl of Lé Dic "Stop fucking off like that cunt".
"Do keep up you smelly beast" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic in a rather cheerful tone of voice "Fucken assface" mutters the warleader of the ork race, who then says "And me not smelly".
'Yes you fucking are' Dorkindle thinks to himself "Fuck up whore, was me talking to you?" mutters the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks as he glares at the skull of his mother, that's tied to his thick waist belt.
Before the large ork has an opportunity to get into a prolonged argument with both sir Percavelle, and his long dead 'Mother'. Tamric Drubine says to him "Dorc make sure to be careful of who you kill" the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin adds "You don't want to be killing that engineer by accident if he's here in town".
"Yeah cunt, me be careful" says the ork warleader in a rather nonchalant manner, he then adds "Dorc been asking them cunts if they the fucken engineer before me kills them" he continues with "It's all goods, me know what a fucken engineer looks like".
Tam who hopes so, nods his head, then gestures towards the three storey building that's nearby, and says "I think that's their headquarters, or at least their main lookout in the area". As he saw one of baron Harkonin's soldiers come from there, who was wearing little in the way of armour. Obviously a runner to be in such lightweight leather padding.
"Let's head there" says the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin. Both the former paladin, and the ork weaponsmith nod in agreement with that.
And the three of them, along with a handful of soldiers in the army of the Lé Dic fief who have run into the street from the northern end. Hurry off towards the nearby three storey building. By the looks of it, the largest, not to mention tallest building in this part of town.
On their way there, they run across Riley Hait the mercenary ranger who is retrieving a couple of his throwing daggers from a pair of baron Harkonin's soldiers he's killed.
'Anything?" asks Riley Hait the mercenary ranger "Nothing" replies Tamric Drubine as they make their way between a couple of rows of houses.
The mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen, slightly winces as he figures that it'll be more difficult to find the engineer they're looking for than they intended. That's if he's even here in the town of Falshire.
The ranger Hait is finding it difficult to at least ask if the engineer is about, because every soldier in baron Harkonin's army he's come across, has tried to kill him. When all the mercenary ranger wants to do, is question them about the war engineer, that he and the rest of the group are trying to locate.
When they get to the end of the row of houses, both Tamric Drubine and Riley Hait look at Dorkindle who has just grunted.
They've been around the large ork long enough to know what most of the ork warleader's grunts are. Or at least what he's trying to convey when he grunts.
And mercenary ranger, who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of Riley Hait. Asks the big, burly ork "What is it Dorc?" and when he sees the ork weaponsmith repeatedly sniffing, he asks him "What do you smell?".
"Magicky cunt" answers Dorkindle who waves a large, frying pan sized hand in the direction they're going, towards the three storey building just up ahead.
The son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks then gestures away to their left, in the direction of south, and he adds "The other fucken cunts, that tree humper Dalin, lil' Lis and the monkey, are coming this fucken way".
The ranger Hait, looks at the others who have all stopped, nods his head, then tells them "Keep going". Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesmen continues with "Dorc get out infront" then noticing something, the mercenary ranger adds "Percy move forward with him, and use that shield of yours".
Riley Hait knows that that ork warleader, and the former paladin, who is taking the Shield of Saint Mar-che off his back, are the two out of the four of them, who are best able to deal with a spellcaster.
Though out of the entire group of them, who are here in the border town of Falshire. It's Shur Kee the monk, who is the most able to deal to a practitioner of magic if he was to encounter one.
Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson knows that the acolyte in the order of Bru Li is by far the most powerful one of the group of seven here in the disputed town that straddles the border between the Lé Dic and Harkonin fiefs. It's just fairly unpredictable if and when the short, statured monk unleashes his power. The ranger Hait can never be too sure when and where Shur Kee uses his power.
They come out from between the houses, and look at the three storey building. They can hear fighting coming from around the otherside of it. And can see soldiers from both sides of the border, fighting away to their right.
The ranger Hait sends the Lé Dic soldiers who were following them. To help out their comrades who are battling the enemy away to the right.
"Try and take someone in there" quietly says the mercenary ranger with a nod of his head to the three storey building "An officer or a nobleman" adds Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson.
Dorc da Orc and sir Percavelle Lé Dic nod, then move out across what's essentially a square. As they rush towards the three storey building, with the ranger Hait and Tamric Drubine following behind them.
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin says "There they are". Riley Hait looks to where Tam has waved away to the left, and he spots Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy running up a street from the south through the town. The elf from the principality of Alínlae is followed by Shur Kee the monk, and Lisell Maera.
The mercenary ranger who was raised and trained in the elven principality of Envadarlen frowns as he tries to hear what the spy Tanith is calling out, then Riley Hait finally hears Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy call out "He's here!" he points at the three storey building and adds "In there!".
"Shit" mutters the ranger Hait, just as he does so, a beam of light, or to be exact, an absence of light, as it's a solid black beam. Shoots from a window up on the second storey of the building, and strikes Dorc da Orc.
It hits the large ork in the center of the chest, and his flung backwards. Propelled back with some considerable force too. The more than seven hundred and fifty pound ork warleader narrowly misses Tamric Drubine and Riley Hait as he goes flying back across the square.
The large ork comes to a stop with a thud when he hits the base of one of the houses opposite the three storey building.
Seeing Dorc da Orc suddenly flung backwards from where he was running beside him. Sir Percavelle Lé Dic holds up his shield infront of him, and shouts "Saint Mar-che!" followed by "Narille!".
The heavily armoured knight, who was once of the first rank in his order, and who was once a paladin. Runs shield first into a closed door. The door gives way and slams open, sir Percavelle Lé Dic enters the large building that's the headquarters of baron Harkonin's forces here in Falshire, shouting "Lé Dic!" . . . . . .