The Hire 24.

The Border Region. The Southern Reaches. The Colevar Mountains...

The senior wardog handler Jessup jumps onboard the krean strikeship the Fídiablo. And nods to one of the officers looking out the side of the wheelhouse.
A moment later and the sleek looking mastless airship lifts off from the ground, rising up through the falling rain. Jessup heads below deck, to the cabin that his lord and ruler is in.
The undead being makes his way down a passageway, and when he gets to the end of it, he rolls his eyes.
"Out of the way Hammer" mutters Jessup the senior wardog handler to the massive shape that's lying infront of the door he wants to go through.
Jessup, even though he's their handler. Knows he has very little say in what the wardogs of Farque actually do.
He has some control over the living wardogs, especially when they're young.
But when it comes to the undead ones. They do as they please. And only listen to him when they want to. Or ordered to by their master.
The massive undead wardog Hammer cracks an eyelid, even though he wasn't sleeping.
Then after looking at Jessup for a few moments, he finally decides to roll onto his back. So that the senior wardog handler can get between him and bulkhead, to get to the door.
Jessup squeezes around the massive canine, even though he's the only person apart from their master, they won't bite or tear apart if you touch them. Along with children who might accidentally touch them.
Even so, he rarely touches them. Especially the undead ones. Of which Hammer is one of seven.
And after Jessup opens the door to the cabin, and he enters. He's confronted by a second undead wardog, Axe.
Who is sitting in the way of the door, with his back to it. The senior wardog handler can't even slip around the massive canine who stands well over six and half foot tall at the shoulder, and like his brother Hammer, weighs in excess of fifteen hundred pounds.
"Axe you big dummy, get out of Jessup's way" says lord Farque in the ancient language of command as he sees Axe is blocking the senior wardog handler from properly entering the cabin.
The massive undead canine moves to one side, and Jessup enters the cabin. Where lord Farque sits behind a small desk, while the undead scout Dargaven stands at one of the portholes in the cabin, which he's looking out of as the krean strikeship they're on heads south.
"They'll pay up for the coming week then?" asks the undead warlord who rules the nation that's named after his family.
Jessup, who was just speaking with the paymaster of robber baron Markell's army before coming onboard. Who conveniently, is with the trailing army, that's led by General Halvane, and the bulk of the Farqian mercenary army.
Nods his head and says "As scheduled my lord, tomorrow" the senior wardog handler, who along with his lord and ruler, as well as the undead scout Dargaven, and the wardogs Hammer and Axe.
Are the only undead from the lands Farque to have accompanied the mercenary army from their lands. Who have been hired by five of the robber barons of the unruled lands in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains, who have decided to wage war upon duke Hargen, the duke of Phelm, the northern most duchy in the kingdom of Nastell.
"More likely to have problems with Almard and Larimer" adds the undead wardog handler, who continues with "I wouldn't be surprised if they've contacted their paymasters, and told them to take their time with the next scheduled payment".
"If they do, they'll find out the consequences" quietly says the heavily armoured deathlord. Both Jessup and Dargaven slightly nod to that.
As they know their lord and ruler will withdraw his forces leading the armies of the robber barons Larimer and Almard if they don't pay up. And won't support them in anyway in their campaign against duke Hargen unless they hand over the next scheduled payment.
The Farqian mercenary army, like centuries past. When there was multiple mercenary armies from the lands Farque. Over twenty of them when lord Farque, Jessup and Dargaven were still alive.
Are true mercenary armies. They only fight when they're paid. If a scheduled payment is missed. They'll withdraw from the campaign they're on. Even if it's in the middle of a battle.
You either pay up as scheduled. Or face the consequences if you don't.
And if you have ulterior motives in not paying. Like planning to turn on them after they've won a battle, or war for you. So that you don't pay them. They'll turn on you in an instant.
Something they'll gladly do for free. As they did numerous times in the past. When the three in the cabin, and the two undead wardogs were still alive.
Lord Farque, along with Jessup and Dargaven all sense one of the crew hurrying from the wheelhouse up on deck. Heading below deck, and the cabin they're in.
The three of them also sensed one of the navigators up in the wheelhouse, communicating by spell, over a long distance with one of the spellcasters in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
After glancing at the other two undead, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who is also known by the name of Draugadrottin by the people of his lands, quietly says "Something's happened".
As it was the sorceress Kerris who was in communication with one of the navigators onboard. And she's with those in the Farqian mercenary army led by field commander Leivyn.
"Hammer move" says the lord of the death realm to the undead wardog out in the passageway on the otherside of the closed cabin door.
A few moments later, and there's a knock on the door, and the undead warlord calls out "Enter" in the krean language.
"My lord, a message for you in the wheelhouse" says the krean crew member who enters the cabin.
With a nod of his full helmed head, Des'tier as he's known by to an older generation of elven kind, says "We'll be up shortly". "Yes my lord" says the krean air sailor before he exits the cabin.
A little while later, and the three undead along with the undead wardogs Axe and Hammer are up on deck.
And as the two massive canines sit out on the flat mastless deck in the rain, the trio of lord Farque, Jessup and Dargaven enter the wheelhouse.
They're greeted by captain Kalrisian and senior navigator Nienub, the lord of the death realm nods his full helmed head in reply to their greeting, then he says "You've received a message from the sorceress Kerris?".
"Yes my lord" is the reply of senior navigator Nienub, who for a krean, is relatively short at just six foot tall. But his features, are more dragon like than many of the other crew onboard.
"The sorceress says" adds the senior navigator of the Fídiablo, who then goes onto explain the message he got from the sorceress in the Farqian mercenary army, who is with the force led by field commander Leivyn. The army that's the furthest east of the three that have pushed into the north of the duchy of Phelm, the northern most duchy in the kingdom of Nastell.
Fuck, Draugadrottin thinks to himself as he listens to what the senior navigator has to say. Then the deathlord of Farque, along with the two other undead. Silently discuss things by way of mindspeech of the undead as the krean spellcaster continues with what he has to say.
The undead warlord glances at Dargaven, and slightly shakes his head no at a silent suggestion from the undead scout.
Then after the navigator Nienub finishes explaining the message he received, the lord of the death realm asks the krean spellcaster "Did the sorceress know when they went missing?".
"She was told by the spouter Zaneff that it was just before dawn" is the reply of the strikeship's senior navigator "And they think they might of gone even further east to get away from the enemy?" asks the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"Yes my lord" says Nienub the navigator, who continues with "That is what both the spouter Zaneff, and councillor Parsen believe".
Des'tier nods his full helmed head, then falls silent as he contemplates things.
After a while, captain Kalrisian asks the large, heavily armoured deathlord "Would you like us to change course my lord?" followed by "Southeast to this Dalbar Falls?".
After a few moments, the lord and ruler of the lands Farque says "No stay on course" followed by "Though more to the east than due south".
"Yes my lord" says the captain of the krean strikeship Fídiablo.
Then the undead warlord along with the senior wardog handler Jessup, as well as the scout Dargaven step outside.
"Think they're still alive?" quietly asks Jessup once they're out on deck "Not sure" is the quiet reply of lord of the death realm, who is too far away to sense if those who are missing, are in the lands of the living, or if they're now dead.
"No great loss if that robber baron Gergus and his second are killed" quietly says the undead scout Dargaven, who then dryly adds "Apart from the inconvenience".
Then the scout, who like his lord, wears a full helm, though he is in light leather armour, quietly says "But Lis dead".
"Yes" quietly says Draugadrottin as he interrupts the undead scout, the heavily armoured deathlord follows that with "That wouldn't be good" the lord and ruler of the lands Farque then silently adds, definitely not good after all the time and effort it took to find her, then train her.
"You sure you don't want me to go and search for them?" quietly asks Dargaven who silently suggested the same thing when they were in the wheelhouse a little earlier.
"I'm sure" is the reply from lord Farque after a few moments of silence "We've still got other things to do" adds the lord of the death realm.
Then the large, heavily armoured undead being glances at the wardogs Hammer and Axe. Hammer who is running up and down the mastless deck, snapping and biting at the falling rain.
While Axe lies near the wheelhouse, on his back, legs in the air, with the sound of snoring coming from him.
Draugadrottin looks at both, Jessup and Dargaven, and tells them something by way of mindspeech of the undead.
"Probably find them quicker than Dargaven or i could" quietly says the senior wardog handler, next to him, the undead scout nods in agreement, and does so again when Jessup dryly adds "That's if they don't get distracted".
"I'll send just the one" says Draugadrottin "Which one my lord?" asks Jessup "Axe" is the reply from the heavily armoured deathlord which causes his senior wardog handler to slightly wince.
"He'll find them if they're living or dead" quietly says lord Farque, who then tells Dargaven "Inform captain Kalrisian to head southeast for thirty miles or so as quickly as possible before he returns to course" the lord of the death realm continues with "It's already late afternoon, it'll be dark by the time we drop off Axe".
"Yes my lord" says the undead scout who makes his way back to the wheelhouse, while the undead warlord makes his way over to where the massive canine, Axe is lying infront of the wheelhouse of the strikeship the Fídiablo.
Jessup stands back as his lord and ruler of the lands Farque speaks in the ancient language of command to the undead wardog Axe.
And though the senior wardog handler knows phrases in that particular language. He can't follow what the conversation the heavily armoured deathlord of Farque has with one of his wardogs.
The massive animal lies there on his back, with one eye open watching his master as he speaks to him.
Axe understands his command, and wags his stubby black tail, and yips and growls in response to his master.
Behind the faceplate of his full helm, the undead warlord wryly smiles as he looks at Axe, who is the laziest of all the undead wardogs, whether they're undead or alive.
Though out of them all, he's the most destructive in battle, even more so than his brothers Hammer and Anvil.
And set a task, he's the most sticktoitive of the lot. Even more so than his sisters Lightning and Spear.
A little later, and in the rain that's fallen all day, it's dusk approaching nightfall when the strikeship Fídiablo slows down after traveling more to the east and south than directly south.
Lord Farque after sensing, and finding that he's still too far away to sense Lisell Maera, either that or she's dead.
Snaps his fingers and brings the wardogs Hammer and Axe to heel beside him.
Then as the krean strikeship drops in altitude in the fading light, the undead warlord quietly says in the ancient language of command to Axe "Find Lis and those with her, and bring them to safety". Axe barks, and wags his stubby black tail as he sits there next to his master.
Then as the sleek, dark, mastless airship gets closer to the ground, Axe stands up and leans into his master, who pats him along the neck and top of the head.
The massive animal growls in contentment, then when the Fídiablo is about sixty feet from the ground. Axe leaps over the port side of the deck towards the ground.
Lord Farque gives Hammer a pat after he lets out a whine when his brother disappears over the side.
Then the lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head to Jessup who is standing nearby with Dargaven.
The undead wardog handler signals to the captain and crew in the wheelhouse who are watching.
A moment later, and the Fídiablo is rising up in the air, and is turning due south. Heading back on it's course that will take it to the army led by field commander Tamric Drubine.
While down on the ground, the undead wardog Axe is just a blur of movement in the fading light of dusk. As he runs to the southeast, on his task to search for, and find Lisell Maera who has gone missing after the battle at the village of Dalbar Falls that the enemy was using as a staging ground . . . . . .