The Hire 3.

Unruled Lands. Near The Duchy Of Phelm...

The cavalry commander Darid Parsen reigns his mount in. And looks at his second. Who sourly smiles at his young commander.
The young man from the kingdom of Druvic, who is now in the armies of Farque. Looks back at the rest of their squad. And sees more than a few of the Farqian's shaking their heads.
Darid Parsen looks ahead again, and watches their allies. Well those they're fighting for. Riding in a disorderly fashion along one of the roads that comes out of the Colevar Mountains, and leads into the kingdom of Nastell. Though they're heading back north.
"I'm surprised they're pushing the duke's men so much with the way they're organised" says the second, a man by the name of Kalleb, who hails from the capital of the lands Farque, The Citadel.
"Well i should really say disorganised" dryly adds the second, who the cavalry commander suspects might have a fair bit of southern horde ancestry in him. As he's rather short, and quite swarthy like the majority of the hordes barbarians, who roam the tundra to the south of the lands Farque.
The cavalry commander, who was a soldier in the army of lady Linara Lé Dic, in the kingdom of Druvic. But in actuality, is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of Darid Parsen.
Arrived here in the Colevar Mountains with his squad, along with the rest of the advanced force from the lands Farque a couple of weeks ago.
And now, since a few days ago. He and the rest of the command staff of the mercenary army from the lands Farque. Are in charge of the campaign that the robber barons of the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains, have against duke Hargen, the duke of Phelm, one of the northern duchies in the kingdom of Nastell.
"I wonder if they even know we're watching them?" quietly says Darid Parsen the cavalry officer "I'd doubt it" is the dry reply from his second, Kalleb. Who the commander isn't afraid to admit it, is a superior horseman than himself.
The second, or adjunctant as they're sometimes referred to, then adds "Though we're only watching them because we've got an advantage". "There is that" says Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who then looks over at their advantage.
It's one of the scouts in the mercenary army from the lands Farque. Who is standing in the shade beneath a tree off to one side.
He's a lean looking man, young by the looks of it. Who is blond, almost white haired, who has the clearest of blue eyes.
The cavalry commander is reminded of someone in his past. Well, Zubutai Timaginson's past when he looks at the scout who hails from the coast of the lands Farque.
Because like her, the seemingly young looking man, isn't a human at all. He's a water elemental.
"Spouter, you okay in this heat?" asks Darid Parsen. The scout, a water elemental spouter by the name of Zaneff, nods his head and says "I'm fine commander" he continues with "Unlike you and the others, i can control my temperature, and I'm quite cool at the moment".
"Lucky for some" mutters the second, Kalleb, who wipes his forehead, as even here in the relative shade of the trees they're amongst, it's another warm day in the foothills of the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains, and it's still only early in the summer.
At least it isn't humid as well, Darid Parsen thinks to himself, who as he looks around silently adds, i hope it doesn't get humid here.
The cavalry officer is just about to order the squad down to the road, to where a unit of horsemen in one of the robber baron's armies, is returning from raiding into the duchy of Phelm. When Zaneff quietly says "Airships to the southwest".
Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman as well as the rest of the mounted squad look in that direction. And of course, since they're all human, they don't see anything.
The cavalry officer in command is just thinking about taking out his cylindrical eyepiece from his pack, when he asks the water elemental "Whose?". As he knows both the robber barons of the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains. As well as duke Hargen, all have their own fleets of airships.
The scout is quiet for a little bit as he looks away to the southwest over the hills in that direction. Then a smile starts to slowly form on the face of the spouter, who then tells commander Parsen "They're my lord's".
The cavalry commander lets out the breath he was holding, then he says "Well, the bulk of the army is about to get here".
Darid Parsen then looks down to the road, and the returning raiding party from one of the robber baron's armies. Who no doubt, don't know that the commanders of the mercenary army from the lands Farque. Have taken over the command of their war against the duke of Phelm.
"Well, we better see that this lot is in some sort of order before our army gets here" says Darid aka Zubutai Timaginson as he gestures down at the raiding party from one the robber baron's armies, who have just returned from the kingdom of Nastell.
The cavalry commander slightly shakes his head, as he knows, and has already experienced. That the change over in command to the army of Farque, is a bit of a mess so far.
For though all five of the robber barons have agreed to it, per the agreement in hiring the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
Not a single one of them likes it. Nor have they got word of it to all of their forces scattered across the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains.
And those who have been crossing over the border into northern Nastell since the end of spring, to battle against duke Hargen's army. Know nothing about the change in command.
Darid Parsen looks at his second Kalleb, then to the rest of the squad, who are all mounted with the exception of the scout Zaneff, and tells them "Come on then, let's see to this lot" he continues with "And give them a bit of an education about who's running things now".
In the sky to the southwest, on one of the larger transporters. Tovis the war engineer nods his head, as one of the crew who passes by, informs them that they now flying over the unruled lands to the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
The fleet has been unmolested as they've flown north from the lands Farque. As it's avoided any large population centres as they've come up from the south of the Southlands.
They've skirted across the western duchies in the kingdom of Nastell when they've got to it.
Now they're passing over the first of the foothills in the range of mountains named Colevar.
The young war engineer who is from the kingdom of Druvic, the Harkonin fief to be exact.
Looks away to starboard, to the east as he stands in a midships. In that direction he knows is the duchy of Phelm. Whose duke, a Nastellian nobleman by the name of Hargen.
Is fighting a war against the robber barons of the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains. Who have hired the mercenary army from the lands Farque, in their campaign against the duke from the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
Tovis looks up as a shadow passes overhead. And he sees one of the reasons why the fleet has been left alone as it's traveled north from the lands Farque.
It's one of the warships in the aircorp of the lands Farque. In this case, a destroyer. The young officer in the engineers corp of the armies of Farque shades his eyes as he looks up at the passing warship.
Then the young engineer who hails from the eastern region of the kingdom of Druvic, spots another vessel even higher up in the sky.
It seems small from this distance, as Tovis figures it must be flying extremely high in the sky. Probably over twenty thousand feet up. As it's basically just a speck to his eyesight.
The war engineer has learnt that there's only one type of ship that can fly that high. A krean vessel. Most likely one of their scoutships, or one of their strikeships.
They've been watching over the rest of the fleet from the lands Farque. And it's ultimately been them who have kept the fleet that's traveled so far from the south, safe as it's made it's way here. To the unruled lands in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains.
One of the junior officers of the transporter's crew makes his way to a midships from the wheelhouse. And he informs the war engineer that one of the ship's spellcasters has got word that they'll make landfall a little bit later this afternoon.
As the young officer in the crew moves away to inform others of importance in the army who are onboard, about what's happening.
The young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic briefly wonders how the one of the spellcasters in the crew knows where they're going to land, and when.
Tovis looks up into the clear summer's sky, and it takes him a few moments to spot the tiny shape in the distance, that's high above the ground.
And correctly guesses that it's the krean vessel flying at an extremely high altitude, that's informed the spellcaster upon the transporter, where and when they're going to get to their destination.
As the war engineer moves off to inform the others in the engineering corp in the mercenary army of Farque who are onboard, and who he's in command of, what's happening.
High in the sky above the rest of the fleet from the lands Farque. The krean strikeship Fídiablo flies along at a steady fifteen knots. Keeping pace with the larger, and slower ships of the fleet, far below.
As captain Kalrisian has a quiet word with one of the navigators in the wheelhouse that sits aft.
He looks out one of the open windows in the front of the wheelhouse. And nods his head to one of the passengers onboard. Who acknowledges the krean captain with a wave.
The passenger, a man in heavy leather armour, who is greying, and appears to be in his late forties.
Makes his way forward along the flat deck of the sleek looking, mastless airship.
He makes his way to where a large heavily armoured figure is standing towards the bow of the Fídiablo.
And though it's freezing cold at this altitude of over twenty five thousand feet. The two men on the flat deck don't feel it. As both of them are dead.
Forgoing to speak in the mindspeech of the undead. Jessup the senior wardog handler quietly says "Interesting that from Dargaven my lord".
"It's to be expected" says lord Farque who now that he's within range of sensing their fellow undead Dargaven, who is just under twenty miles away to the north, further into the foothills of the Colevar Mountains.
He can communicate by way of mindspeech with the undead scout who is the only one of their kind, to of traveled with the advanced force from the lands Farque, who arrived here a couple of weeks ago.
"I suspect the taking of command may take a little bit of time" continues the heavily armoured deathlord who rules the lands that bears his family's name, faraway to the south.
Next to the undead warlord, the senior wardog handler, who is the only other undead to travel with the deathlord of Farque. Well to say, the only other undead human to travel with him.
Nods his head in agreement with his lord, then he quietly says "We'll proceed as planned then?".
"We will" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin to the Farqian people.
"Observe, watch and guide" quietly says Jessup, which illicits a slight nod of the full helmed head of the lord of the death realm.
"This is to see how they do" says Des'tier as he's known by an older generation of elven kind who know who he is "I've been planning this for well over a decade" quietly adds lord Farque, who continues with "Hell, even longer than that. Ever since i found the ork in the dwarven hill country on our southern border".
"Speaking of that ork" says Jessup, who continues in a dry tone with "He's not where he's supposed to be" the senior wardog handler then adds "Dargaven said he took off into the mountains, and isn't with the young field commander who he's supposed to be looking after".
The undead warlord rolls his eyes at that, then he tells the undead wardog handler "When we land at that camp, have one of them go off and retrieve that big fucking idiot".
"Which one?" asks Jessup, who has brought two as his lord commanded. Well, he didn't actually bring them. They were the two who decided to come along. He had no actual say in which two.
The large, heavily armoured figure in the dark blue, and black steel plate armour. Well, it looks like steel plate armour. But it's something else entirely different. And is not actually of this world.
Thinks about it for a few moments, then with the slightest of smiles on his youthful looking face behind the visor of his full helm, he says "Axe" followed by "I think he gets pleasure in riling up the ork".
"It shall be done my lord" says Jessup with a slight smile upon his own face.
Then the two undead glance back to the wheelhouse, when the krean watch officer who has stepped out of one of the side doors in the wheelhouse, calls out something to the two of them.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque waves a gauntleted hand in acknowledgment. The krean officer steps back inside the wheelhouse.
And a few moments later, the strikeship Fídiablo starts to pitch forward slightly as it drops in altitude.
Anyone else without wings would tumble forward and off the sleek, mastless krean vessel. But not the senior wardog handler Jessup, and his lord.
Who just stand there, and continue to quietly chat as the krean strikeship picks up speed as it drops in altitude to get closer to the rest of the fleet from the lands Farque as they get closer to their destination in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains . . . . . .