The Hire 28.

The Border Region...

The Previous Night. And Darid Parsen returned to camp late with his patrol who survived the attack upon the village of Dalbar Falls.
The army led by field commander Leivyn had moved south into the duchy of Phelm. And it took a bit of time for Darid and his patrol to finally locate them.
They eventually did, and the cavalry commander got out of the rain, and crawled into his tent that someone had helpfully put up for him.
The former soldier in the army of lady Linara Lé Dic in the kingdom of Druvic. Took a while to fall asleep as he was worrying so much about who was missing.
But he finally dropped off. When he wasn't exactly sure. But what he was sure about. Is that he was woken up sometime in the middle of the night. By a scratch on his tent, and a voice clearing, then saying "Commander you better wake up, and get out here". It's the voice of his second in command, Kalleb.
The cavalry commander, who 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.
Groaned, and rolled out of his bedroll. The member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, is glad he fell asleep in his armour, tabbard and cloak. For he couldn't be bothered looking for something to wear in the dark, if he had wanted to.
The cavalry commander slipped out of his tent to find Kalleb standing in the steady drizzle, holding a torch. Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, can make out the figures of some of their patrol standing around in the dark, outside of their tents.
But what grabs his immediate attention is the massive shape in the darkness between a pair of the tents nearby.
The dark shape moves, and before it comes into the light of the burning torch held by Kalleb. The cavalry commander immediately recognises what it is.
"Hey Axe" quietly says Darid Parsen the cavalry commander who has always been able to identify which Farque wardog is which. Especially amongst the seven undead ones. Which to him, are easy to identify from one another.
The undead wardog Axe softly barks, and sits down a few yards infront of Darid aka Zubutai Timaginson.
The cavalry commander nods for his second in command to move away.
Then the former foot soldier in the Lé Dic army from eastern Druvic. Who is pretty certain why the undead wardog is here. After all, it was only the previous morning, that the cavalry commander had a message sent by spell to the krean strikeship the Fídiablo, which lord Farque is on.
Quietly says in the hordes dialect of the southern tundra, as he knows Axe can understand any language you talk to him in "You going to go and find Lis are you boy?".
The massive canine, who even sitting, towers over the young cavalry commander in the mercenary army from the lands Farque. Softly barks just the once, and from the light of the torch held by Kalleb. Darid aka Zubutai the son of Timagin, sees the stubby tail of the undead wardog wagging.
Probably wants to know where they are, or were, the cavalry commander thinks to himself, who then steps closer to the massive animal, that isn't living, but is undead.
Careful not to get too close to Axe, so that he doesn't accidentally touch the undead wardog.
The member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, gets his bearings then points away to the east, then south and quietly says in the dialect of the hordes barbarians of the southern tundra "They're that way".
The cavalry commander then goes onto explain the location of the large village of Dalbar Falls, that the enemy was using as a staging ground.
Then the last known location of Lisell Maera, along with the robber baron Gergus. As well as two others in the robber baron's army. Including his second in command, Hammind. Who also happens to be the brother inlaw of the missing robber baron.
And how they were last seen heading east from Dalbar Falls. Which was all but wiped out by an attack led by Darid Parsen's cavalry patrol.
Councillor Parsen doesn't feel the least bit foolish standing in the steady drizzle in the middle of the night, talking to a dog that's as big as a horse.
He knows lord Farque's wardogs, both living and undead. Are extremely intelligent. Infact, Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, is of the opinion. That they, especially the undead ones, are more intelligent, and smarter than most people, including himself.
Added to that, their absolutely destructive nature when they want to be. It's very unwise to stand in their way.
After explaining what he knows of the last sighting of Lisell Maera, and those missing with her. The cavalry commander steps back as Axe stands up.
Darid Parsen doesn't flinch, though he does slightly wince as Axe sniffs at him, then softly barks a few times in his face.
I think he just said thanks, the cavalry commander thinks to himself, who then watches as the massive bulk of the undead wardog turns, and moves away into the night. Heading southeast away from the camp. Continuing on his search for Lisell Maera and those who are missing with the runner in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
Axe runs through the falling drizzle, moving so fast, that if one was to catch sight of him at night, he'd just be a dark blur of motion.
The undead wardog does stop once in a while. Usually to stop and look at something that gets his attention.
Like a family of raccoons, that scamper up a tree, which he sits under to watch them.
After barking at them in what he considers a friendly manner, the massive canine who has walked the world of Volunell, for four and half centuries.
Continues on his way through the night, stopping again before dawn, to watch the night turn into day.
And though the early morning skies dawn grey, with the drizzle continuing to fall. Axe softly barks a few times, and vigorously wags his tail at the dawning of a new day.
Then he's on the move again, always heading east and south, on his search for the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, and those who are missing with her. Who include the robber baron Gergus.
Just after dawn, Axe slows down, and comes to a stop at a stream. The undead wardog eyes it for a moment. Then he barks at it a few times.
An instant later, and the surface of the stream ripples. More so than the drizzle that's falling on it.
Then some of the water rises up, and roughly forms into a man like shape, that walks out of the stream.
And though the living cannot see the transformation. Axe can clearly see the man like shape of water change into the actual human form of the water elemental who has been in this stream since yesterday.
"Hello Axe" says the water elemental spouter Zaneff, who slightly bows to his lord's wardog who he recognises.
Axe, like all the wardogs of Farque, living and undead. Likes the smell of water elementals, and gives Zaneff a thorough sniffing, before sitting down and barking softly at him.
And though the water elemental spouter can't understand the massive animal, he quickly figures out why the undead wardog is here in this area of the border region of the duchy of Phelm.
Zaneff tells Axe that the stream leads to the river that runs around the village of Dalbar Falls. And the water elemental who was the last person to see Lisell Maera, as well as the robber baron Gergus.
Tells the undead wardog exactly where he saw Lis across the river to the south of Dalbar Falls, and the open ground that duke Hargen's army were using as a staging ground.
He then describes the countryside, or what he saw of it. To the south and east of the village of Dalbar Falls.
With his stubby, black tail wagging, the undead wardog sits there listening to the water elemental Spouter.
Then once Zaneff, who is a scout in the mercenary army from the lands Farque. Finishes explaining what he knows of where Lisell Maera went missing.
Axe stands up, and snuffles at the top of the water elemental's head. Then the massive canine softly barks a few times. Then takes off, while behind him, the spouter Zaneff turns into water again, and sinks back into the stream.
The undead wardog continues running throughout the early morning. And eventually he comes to the village of Dalbar Falls, approaching it from the southwest.
The Farqian wardog spots the corpse of a water serpent on the banks of the river, to the southwest of the large village, which is about a mile and half away.
Axe shows a fang, lifting a side of his upper lip, and he growls at the dead creature, showing his disgust for it.
The massive canine, who stands over six and half foot tall at the shoulder. And weighs in excess of fifteen hundred pounds.
Runs along the side of the river, on it's south side. Until he stops, and hunkers down onto his haunches, when he catches sight of the large village of Dalbar Falls, and the open ground to the west of it, that was used as a staging ground by some of duke Hargen's army in this part of his duchy.
The undead wardog spies the survivors of the attack two nights ago upon Dalbar Falls and it's staging ground.
As well as those of the relief column, who turned up before dawn yesterday.
They're picking through the remains of the large village and the camp to the west of it. That was devastated by a wall of water, as the dam of the weir to the east of the village. Was broken by the water elemental spouter Zaneff during the attack upon the village by the cavalry patrol led by Darid Parsen.
And though Axe knows he has a specific task to do. He can't help but wag his tail vigorously as he watches the enemy going through the destroyed village and warcamp in the dull early morning light of a slightly drizzly day.
He knows he shouldn't strictly go out of his way to do something else instead of the task at hand, or paw in his case.
The massive canine can't help himself, after all, it's in his nature, and it's what he is. A wardog, or a dog of war as the literal translation from the ancient language of command, used by his master. The lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Axe gets up, and without even a run up, he bounds across the river, easily clearing the fifty foot gap to the otherside.
He quickly runs through the destroyed warcamp. Not too quickly, after all, he wants the enemy to see him.
The undead wardog runs down a horse on a tie line. And bites off the head of another. And sends another sprawling, ripping open it's guts with a swipe of a paw.
The other horses bolt, ripping away from their tie lines. As they flee the massive canine that's attacked them out of nowhere.
Axe doesn't care about them, he's already off and running. Heading towards the nearest soldier in duke Hargen's army, who has turned to see what the commotion is with all the horses.
The undead wardog runs him down, killing him on impact. Then Axe heads towards the next soldier in the army of Phelm. Who is yelling out to his fellow soldiers about the massive canine. Others spot Axe, and start yelling and shouting too.
The maw of the massive canine opens wide, in what looks suspiciously like a grin. As he runs amongst the enemy, and starts doing what he does best, maiming and killing.
Arms, legs and heads go flying. Some bodies just explode from the force of impact when Axe runs into them.
The undead wardog runs through tents that have been put back up. Knocking them down, and anyone unlucky enough to be in them when he runs into them.
Weapons hit him, to no effect. As swords, axes and hammers bounce of his skin. As he rips and tears his way through the duke's soldiers who are here in the destroyed warcamp, and the large village of Dalbar Falls.
The massive undead animal from the lands Farque runs into the village proper. Running through buildings that have collapsed. Smashing through one side, and out the other.
Or leaps over other ones. To get at any of the soldiers in the army of the duchy of Phelm. Who are in the large village of Dalbar Falls.
By the time he's finished, and leaps back over to the otherside of the river that's runs to south of the village.
Not a single one of duke Hargen's soldiers in the destroyed village and warcamp, is left standing. They're either dead or dying. All one hundred and ten of them. Most of whom we're in the support column who came up from the south, who came upon the end of the attack upon their fellow soldiers in duke Hargen's army, who were using Dalbar Falls as a staging ground.
Axe looks back, and sees one of the enemy soldiers stagger around from one of the destroyed buildings in the village, his left arm ripped off by the undead wardog.
The massive canine watches him stumble, then trip, and fall into the river, where he's washed away. Axe senses him die a short while later, as he sinks beneath the water and drowns.
The undead wardog wags his stubby, little tail. Then barks a few times in what can only be described as satisfaction.
Then he's up and moving again, briefly stopping near some trees on the south side of the river. The massive canine sniffs, then yips in satisfaction as he clearly catches the scent he caught wind of some time ago now, just after dawn.
Axe is moving again, heading east and south. Following the familiar scent he's after.
There's three other scents with the one he's after. As well as quite a number of others, following after those four.
The undead wardog from the lands Farque, whose lineage goes back thousands of years. To the mythical founder of the lands Farque, who is forever lost to history*.
Picks up the pace, as he heads more to the southeast than east. As that's the way the one he's after, has gone. With those they're with. While obviously being chased by others.
Who Axe knows will be more of the enemy.
The massive canine runs faster and faster, eventually turning into a blur of motion. The undead wardog who never gets tired. And never needs a break. He's only lazy in those times he's lazy because he chooses to be.
Who has an advantage over his master, and any other undead. He's immune to powerful clerical magic, and holy ground.
Moves quickly through the trees, and across the hill country to the southeast of where Dalbar Falls is located.
It's a little while before Axe decides to sense for the person whose scent he's after. And after a few moments, he loudly barks with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth as he runs.
As he senses that the person he's after, the runner Lisell Maera is alive and not dead . . . . . .

*Are they?