The Hire 34.

The Southern Reaches In The North Of The Duchy Of Phelm. The Kingdom Of Nastell...

They move out at dusk. And though another of their armies further to the west in the duchy of Phelm are also beginning an advance against the enemy around the same time.
It's them, who are going to kick things off, so to speak. The first major engagement between the armies of the robber barons of the unruled lands in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains. Against the enemy, the army of the duchy of Phelm.
With their nightvision, they can easily see in the growing darkness as they leave their battlelines and start crossing the farmland that separates their army, from that of duke Hargen's, which is situated to the south.
And though it's inevitable that a number of them trip over themselves, and one another. They still get up, and continue onwards with the rest of their battalion as they cross the ground to their destination.
Away to their left in the darkness, they see an energyball, a fairly large one, a couple hundred yards away. That's come from their lines, heading across the farmland to the battlelines of duke Hargen's army to the south.
They can't control what's happening around them, all they can do is their assigned task. Which is to cross fairly open ground in some places. To get to a number of buildings on one of the farms between the two opposing armies.
They know that behind them, war machines are being rolled down the incline towards the front of their battlelines.
While other companies and battalions in their army are preparing to move. But it's they who will be the first to act. Well, with the exception of those who have already got things underway, as they've been preparing things since just after the morning their army first arrived here.
The dusk here in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains in northern Nastell, is short, even at this time of the year, early summer.
And what was a hot and clear day, gives way to a warm evening in this part of the duchy of Phelm.
The first of them make their way through some woods, parts of which have been scorched and burnt by various spells cast by practitioners of magic from both armies.
They get to the southern edge of the woods, after some of them pick themselves up off the ground when they've tripped over. They can't help doing that, it's in their nature.
At the edge of the woods, they look across a field to some buildings on a farm. In the darkness they can see one building, a barn has been burnt to a shell of what it once was. While near it, a low stable is damaged too.
But the nearby farmhouse is still pretty much intact. And it's to there that they look.
And it's not long before they see their signal. And they start moving out from the edge of the woods, and cross the field.
They don't even have to look down, well those that keep to their feet don't have to. But they feel all the dirt that's recently been spread across the sparse looking grass of the field behind the farm buildings.
It makes their footfalls softer than they would normally be. Even their leader, who isn't one of their kind. Isn't as loud when he crosses the field.
As they near the farmhouse after going through a conveniently open gate in the fenceline around the buildings.
They see the back door of the farmhouse is open. Then one by one, they make their way through the open door, and into the farmhouse. That's their first destination to reach. But definitely not their last for tonight.
Teabagger the goblin Cunt is one of the last to cross the field, go through the open gate, and reach the farmhouse.
He left a little later than the rest of the goblin army, that's a battalion in the mercenary army from the lands Farque. For the simple reason that he's bright green in colour. And even though it's fairly dark now. When they first moved out at dusk, there was a chance he might of been spotted by the enemy to the south.
He also left a little later than the others, because their general left later too. As the large bulk of the ork warleader might of been spotted in the fading light of dusk as well.
So Teabagger who is in command of the goblin battalion in the Farqian mercenary army. Along with Dorc da Orc, their general who leads them whenever he's with them. Are amongst the last to reach the farmhouse, which is their first stop for the night.
"Warleader over here" says a quiet voice in common, a human voice at that.
It's one of the engineers in the mercenary army from the lands Farque, who waves over the large ork, and the small bright green goblin who commands the goblin battalion when they enter the kitchen in the farmhouse.
Dorkindle grunts, and along with Teabagger, they make their way to a doorway, which the large ork has to duck down to get through. And they follow the Farqian engineer down a set of steps to a large cellar beneath the farmhouse.
The ork weaponsmith grins as he sees one by one, the goblins of his army disappear into the mouth of a tunnel in the south facing wall of what's predominantly been used as a root cellar.
Then the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world scowls when the engineer, one of about thirty in the cellar, as well as upstairs in the farmhouse, quietly tells him "Sorry warleader, we couldn't make it that tall. You'll have to bend down all the way, and even get on your hands and knees in some places".
The engineer, a subaltern in the army from the lands Farque quietly continues with "All your soldiers will be able to go through without any problem".
Teabagger grins at that, which he quickly wipes off his face as his general glances his way.
Then the Farqian engineer, quietly tells them "One of my, ah men is waiting for you in there" as he gestures to the mouth of the tunnel in the cellar wall "He'll make sure you get to the end".
After grunting, Dorc da Orc says to the subaltern "Thanks cunt" then waving at Teabagger to proceed him into the tunnel, the big, burly ork from the bottom of the world, tells the bright, green goblin who is originally from the kingdom of the Melaurn "Go on, get in there ya little cunt".
"Yes boss, i mean general" says Teabagger the goblin Cunt, who hurries forward, and after he trips over his own feet, and picks himself up off the ground, he enters the tunnel.
After rolling his eyes, the ork warleader sighs, then ducks down, and enters the tunnel too. And they like the rest of the goblin battalion in the Farqian mercenary army, continue southwards towards the enemy battlelines.
Though now underground, and not above ground across the near two miles of farmland that separates the two opposing armies.
"Fucknuts" growls Dorc da Orc after he bumps his head on the roof of tunnel once again.
Infront of him, Teabagger grins in the darkness. Then he hurries ahead a bit. For his general, who refuses to take off the poncho some of his battalion gave to him a few days ago.
Reeks more than ever, especially in the close confines of the tunnel that was dug out by some of the engineers in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
After a while, Dorkindle grunts, then says "What's the fucken hold up?" as up ahead there's a few of the goblins who have slowed down.
"You'll have to get down low here general" says Teabagger, who has stopped, and is looking back in the darkness at the large ork, who is walking, bent over at the waist.
"Bit fucken cunty of them" mutters the warleader of the ork race in his native language, he continues muttering with "They knows me is fucken bigs, and needs fucken room".
The weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks sighs, then he grunts as he drops to his hands and knees, and crawls forward. Careful not to hit the wooden beams used to brace the tunnel walls and ceiling.
The big, burly ork from the desolate, and frozen southern polar region of the world. Gets through the particular low section of the tunnel. And gets up onto his feet, and continues on his way. Following after the small, bright green form of Teabagger.
There's not a single lamp or lit torch in the tunnel. For the goblins, and their general, the ork warleader. Can see perfectly fine in the complete darkness below ground. Their nightvision giving them an advantage over any human.
And in the case of Dorc da Orc, he can see even more clearly than the goblins. As he has a type of thermal vision that's peculiar to the ork race. Which enables him to see the heat, or lack of it. Coming off people in any condition. Including absolute darkness.
About a hundred yards further along the underground tunnel, some of the goblins infront of their commander and general have slowed and come to a stop.
"Now fucken what?" mutters the Dorkindle, who peers ahead in the darkness, then sniffs. The large ork who is bent forward, grunts in understanding. And moves slowly forward before coming to a stop behind Teabagger.
The ground here in this part of northern Phelm, the best farmland for miles in the southern reaches within the duchy. Might be good for tunneling compared to the rocky foothills that surround it.
But even then, the engineers in the Farqian mercenary army couldn't dig out such a long tunnel in just two days and two nights.
Not useless one of their number wasn't human. But was of another race entirely different.
He's there, crouched down in the tunnel, up against the side of the walls. As the goblins slip by him one at a time.
He resembles a fairly large man. In excess of six feet in height. And weighing over two hundred and fifty pounds. And though he wears the black tunic of the mercenary army from the lands Farque, and he looks human enough. He isn't a born Farqian. Nor is he human. Teabagger the goblin Cunt, and Dorc  da Orc crouch down beside him.
"Warleader" says the engineer to the big, burly ork "Hey cunt" says the ork weaponsmith to the engineer. The large ork's acute sense of smell, identifies the scent of the engineer being similar to the ground that surrounds them. Infact it's actually stronger, and smells more like rock than of dirt.
"The side tunnels have been dug" says the engineer in the Farqian mercenary army, who is a earth elemental, originally from the Sunreach Mountains.
He nods in the direction they're going, and says to the ork general and the goblin commander "The end of the tunnel comes up beneath their lines. You'll be about fifty yards behind their frontlines, amongst their trenchlines"
Dorkindle grunts in satisfaction at that information, then the earth elemental, who is a delver, says "I'll remain here to keep the tunnel open to let any of you through, who come back this way" he briefly pauses then adds "Or to close the tunnel if any of them get in it, and come back this way".
The ork weaponsmith grunts in understanding, then says "Goods, you do that". Then he nods for Teabagger to continue onwards. And as the large ork gets up, and follows after the small, bright green goblin, he grunts in reply to the earth elemental's departing words of "Good luck warleader".
They continue onwards through the tunnel, for the most part in silence. Apart from when the ork weaponsmith occasionally grunts and growls, and mutters to himself in his own language. Usually when he hits his head on the ceiling of the tunnel.
Eventually they start heading up an incline, and Teabagger along with Dorkindle pass a pair of side tunnels that most of the battalion have already entered and are waiting in.
Then the two of them, along with the last of the battalion get to the very end of the tunnel. The end is quite wide, like a circular chamber, and in it, is a lot of small barrels that have been stacked up.
The barrels have been carried by half of the battalion of goblins. There's over a hundred of them in the round chamber at the end of the tunnel.
The last few barrels are stacked up, and Teabagger quietly says to the large ork "That's all of them general".
Dorkindle grunts, and the remainder of the battalion hurry back down the tunnel, and enter the side tunnels that have been dug.
"Get ready cunt" says the big, burly ork to the goblin commander. The small, bright green goblin doesn't need any warning, he's already backing out of the round chamber as his general takes out something from beneath his poncho.
"Um the other end general" says Teabagger as he watches the ork warleader, who grunts, and twists the other end of the foot and a half long black steel tube he's holding.
Teabagger takes off running down the tunnel, while his general who is chuckling, biffs the steel tube, which is a mage canister, at the base of the stacked barrels.
Then the large ork, bent over, runs back down the tunnel, grabs and picks up Teabagger who has tripped over, and carries him back down the tunnel, before diving into one of the side tunnels.
A moment later, and the first major advance against the army of the duchy of Phelm gets underway . . . . . .