The Hire 35.

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

Tamric Drubine looks away to his right, and watches one of the catapults roll forward, heading down to the flatter land below. As others have done, as they start across the farmland between their lines, and the battlelines of the enemy, the army of duke Hargen.
The young field commander in the mercenary army from the lands Farque, then looks southwards. Where in the distance, he can see the torches and lamps, dotted throughout the enemy battlelines. While further up, he can spot the cook fires in their warcamp this night.
The nobleborn teenager who hails from the kingdom of Sarcrin, glances back behind him. Where he can make out sir Percavelle Lé Dic pacing back and forth behind the viewing platform that the field commander and others of his senior staff are standing on.
Then Tamric Drubine, or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well. Looks forward again, to where he knows is a number of buildings on one of the farms between the two opposing armies.
The field commander in the Farqian mercenary army can't make them out at the moment. But he roughly knows where they are. And from there, he looks in a straight line towards the enemy army just under two miles away from his battlelines. But only three quarters of mile from the particular farm, that he and the others have been looking towards since dusk.
Tam thinks about asking one of his officers, an elf from the principality of Envadarlen, who a little while ago told him that the enemy have noticed that they had started mobilising. And are sending out patrols across the farmland. If anything else is happening.
When all of a sudden a large explosion occurs within the enemy battlelines, that lights up the night.
They see it first, fire and debris getting thrown hundreds of feet up into the air. Bulwarks and palisades within the enemy lines destroyed by the explosion. Along with whoever it is that's in the trenchlines behind them.
A few moments later, and they actually hear the explosion. Which even from this distance, of just under two miles away. Sounds surprisingly dull like, and comes across as a low thud from the south.
After faintly smiling, Tamric Drubine orders "Begin the full advance". "Yes commander" says his subcommander, a Farqian by the name of Waiamin. Who starts calling out orders.
While Tam rolls his eyes, as behind him he hears sir Percavelle Lé Dic loudly mutter "I do hope that big stinking idiot blew himself up wot".
Dorc da Orc and his goblin battalion in the Farqian mercenary army had with them over a hundred small barrels, stuffed full of black powder.
Made up predominantly of saltpeter, and another type of nitrate, made from the crushed guano of bats. Both of which are abundant in the caves, tunnels and mines found throughout the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains.
Ordinarily such a thing in a warzone or a battle would be a disadvantage, infact a straight out liability. For the simple reason, once it's detected. An enemy spellcaster can easily set it off with a basic flame spell.
Not to mention using it at nighttime, there could be lit torches and lamps in the vicinity. Any of which could set the volatile powder off.
But not this night, for the goblin battalion who handled it tonight. Travelled beneath the ground, which spellcasters hardly ever check. And the goblins, along with their ork general, can see in the dark without any problem. So there's no need for them to use torches and lamps.
Now they've set off the first major offensive of the war between the robber barons of the unruled lands in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains. And the duke of Phelm, duke Hargen and his army.
Dirt and debris comes tumbling in the side tunnel that Dorc da Orc dived into with Teabagger the goblin Cunt.
The large ork shakes his head after the sound of the large explosion, that wasn't all that far away. Then he looks up, and sees that the side tunnel he's in, is still in one piece, and hasn't collapsed.
The ork warleader grunts in satisfaction at the work done by the engineers in the Farqian mercenary army who dug out the tunnels.
Then getting up off the tunnel floor, and hauling Teabagger to his feet, Dorc da Orc yells out "Dig through the tops ya fucken gob-a-lin cunts!".
Then dragging the dazed looking Teabagger along behind him, the big, burly ork makes his way through the dirt laden air in the side tunnel.
Where at the end of it, the goblins are using spades and mattocks to dig upwards into the roof of the tunnel. Which is only a few feet below the surface above it.
Dorkindle growls, and the goblins get quickly out of his way. And not bothering to use anything apart from his massive hands. The ork warleader, digs upwards through the ceiling of the tunnel. It doesn't take him long to get through to the surface as dirt and grass rains down upon him and the goblins at the end of the tunnel.
The big, burly ork who can now stand upright, pops his head up through the ground, and takes a quick look around to see the destruction wrought by the explosion that he and his battalion created.
The ork weaponsmith grins as he sees what's going on. Then he grunts as he pops his head back down beneath the ground, and into the tunnel.
"Alright which of you cunts got the boom booms" says Dorc da Orc in as quiet of voice as possible.
Goblins move forward, and one, Youdead, as named by his general, is the first one to say "I do general".
The large ork wearing what's basically a tent as a poncho, grunts. Then grabs Youdead, and tells him and the others with the 'boom booms' "You gob-a-lin cunts get as many as them Hargy cunts as you can, get them in the fucken trenches is best" followed by "Then get back here".
Then the warleader of the ork race lifts Youdead the goblin up, and pushes him up and out of the top of the tunnel, through the hole in the ground.
Youdead, a small, dark green, almost black goblin. Scrambles away from the hole in the ground, heading towards the nearest trenchline in all the confusion caused by the large explosion. In his hands he carries what his general calls a 'boom boom'. Which in actual fact is a mage canister.
"Right which one of you fucken cunts is next?" says the big, burly ork who hails from the frozen wasteland that's the southern polar region of the world. Who grabs the next goblin soldier who steps forward, lifts him up, and pushes him up through the hole in the ground.
At the western end of the battlelines of duke Hargen's army, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy who knows what's going to happen this night, after Narladene the ground pixie informed him of Tamric Drubine's plans.
Is looking northwards towards the army of the robber barons, and had just quietly mentioned to his squad leader Barron, that he sees movement from within the battlelines of the robber barons army. In particular some of their war machines are moving down onto the edge of the farmland, and are making their way forward.
When the large explosion rocks the center of the battlelines of duke Hargen's army. Just behind the first line of bulwarks and palisades. In what's the second line, and the trenches behind it.
The spy Tanith who has infiltrated the army of the duchy of Phelm. Didn't expect the explosion to be quite that large. Is suitably impressed by the explosion he knows was created by Dorc da Orc and his goblin battalion.
And as he stands at one end of the trenchline that he and his squad have been assigned to this night, Dalinvardél Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by those who know him and well, and the name he goes by here in the duke's army.
Hears Shawtus and Smawfri McQuade down in the trench, exclaim something in the dwarven language. He doesn't know exactly what was said, but he does know it involved a few swear words that he recognised.
Then the elven spy who is originally form the principality of Laerel, and is now in the armies of Farque. Grabs the squad leader Barron by the arm, and Dalinvardél Tanith tells him "Wait" as Barron is about to order their squad, down and to the right, where about two hundred yards away, is the site of the large explosion. Which others are rushing towards.
"It might be what they want" adds the spy Tanith with a nod of his hooded head to the north, in the direction of the army from the unruled lands to the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
"Aye Dalin's got the right of it" says Shawtus McQuade from down in the trench, the highly experienced dwarven warrior continues with "Have our men rush into the chaos created by the explosion. All good commanders would want that to happen as they probably have something else up their sleeves".
His slightly younger, and slightly shorter cousin Smawfri grunts in agreement. As they all see energyballs, fireballs and other spells, leave both sets of battlelines. And start crossing the farmland between the two opposing armies.
Just then they hear an explosion come from somewhere away to their right in their battlelines, followed by another, then another. From what they see and hear, they're coming from near the site of the large explosion, though towards the eastern flank of the duke's battlelines.
"Told you" says Dalin to the squad leader Barron, as they see a bright blue explosion, that makes no noise. But sends soldiers, along with dirt and wood from one of the bulwarks and palisades, mushrooming up a good hundred feet into the night sky, before falling back down to the ground.
The elven spy in the armies of the lands Farque, who has infiltrated duke Hargen's army. Knows that Dorc da Orc and his goblin battalion will be creating as much chaos and panic throughout the battlelines of the duke's army as possible this evening. As they've got dozens of mage canisters at their disposal. Which aren't easily detected by spellcasters, if at all.
He knows that if he wants to be safe, he should remain here at the very west of the battlelines, and up the incline some distance from the very front.
The McQuade cousins who have climbed out of the trench their squad are in, look north. And Smawfri in a calm voice says "They're advancing for sure" followed by "More on the east side, than on this side".
His cousin Shawtus, along with Dalin nod in agreement, as they can clearly see the army of the robber barons to the north, advancing southwards across the farmland in this direction.
After another explosion goes off somewhere to their right, which sends the reek of brimstone in their direction. Barron the squad leader looks further up the incline behind them, to the warcamp, and he says in a slightly worried tone "Wonder what the general will order?".
"I wonder" quietly says Dalinvardél Tanith, the elven spy who the rest of his squad thinks is just a ranger for hire from the principality of Laerel, then silently adds in a slightly dry tone, nothing since he's probably dead.
Narladene the ground pixie looks at the dead general lying on his camp bed, in a section of his command tent at the top of the incline, where the duke's army in this part of the duchy, have their warcamp.
The tiny winged creature looks up, and sees the stunned look upon the faces of some of the general's guards and officers, who have pulled aside the partition, as they've searched for him, to see what he wants done about the attack by the enemy.
Then as another explosion comes from down the incline amongst their battlelines, a call comes from outside the command tent. That the general's two commanders, and their four subcommanders, including the one who was on night duty down amongst those in the battlelines, have all been found dead.
The naturally magical creature who is invisible to all, sinks down through the tent floor, and into the ground. Knowing that Helbe the elven thief has killed all of the senior staff of this particular army of duke Hargen, an army that's now leaderless.
The ground pixie contemplates heading back north, to where she senses the elven magic user she's attached to, has gone back and rejoined their army.
Instead she heads down the incline, to where she senses some of the goblins in the battalion led by Dorc da Orc. Are amongst the duke's battlelines, causing havoc by throwing around mage canisters at the enemy.
Narladene wryly shakes her head, at the idea of letting them even keep the large supply of mage canisters they have with them. And as she comes up through the ground. And sees a powerful wave of water in the night, sweep through one of the trenches from a mage canister that was tossed into it. And she spots a dark goblin, scampering, and tumbling down the incline. As soldiers and mercenaries in the duke's army are swept out of the trench by the powerful wave of water.
She shrugs her shoulders, and thinks at least it's the goblins, even with all their faults, being accident prone being the main one. Are the one's actually using the mage canisters, and not their general.
Well i hope he's not using any of them, Narladene the ground pixie thinks to herself, who winces at the prospect of Dorc da Orc using the mage canisters that his battalion have.
As enemy soldiers are washed away in the night infront of her. The naturally magical creature wings her way further down the incline, passing by a goblin who has tripped over, on his way to a palisade further to the east.
Narladene rolls her eyes, and shakes her head, as she watches the goblin, another fairly dark one. Get back up, still holding a mage canister, and stumble on his way towards his intended target.
The tiny winged creature drops down through the ground a few moments later, feeling and hearing the explosion caused by the mage canister thrown at a palisade by the goblin she saw trip over.
Narladene makes her way through the ground, and gets to where she wants to check up on. She flies out into an underground tunnel.
There the invisible ground pixie sourly smiles as she watches a hunched over Dorc da Orc reach up through a hole in the ground, and haul one of his goblin soldiers down into the tunnel.
"Thanks boss, er general" says the goblin in gratitude as he stumbles away from the ork warleader. Who goes to pop his head back up through the hole in the ceiling of the tunnel, when he suddenly catches wind of who else is in the tunnel with him and his goblin soldiers.
"What the fuck you want?" mutters the big, burly weaponsmith who is the son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks, as he glances to one side, where Narladene suddenly appears to him, and him alone.
"Their general is dead" quietly says Narladene, who continues with "And so are his senior commanders" the ground pixie briefly pauses, then adds "Stinky".
Dorkindle sourly smiles at being called that, then ignoring the puzzled looks of the goblins in the side tunnel with him, as they can hear Narladene but not see her. The ork warleader says "Goods".
Then he grunts when the tiny winged creature tells him "Remember wait for the others after you've done this stage of the initial attack" the ground pixie then adds "Even you and your battalion can't take them on all by yourselves".
"Me knows that" says the large ork, who then tells Narladene "Now fuck off". The naturally magical creature has already disappeared. Infact she's already moved away. Much to the relief of the warleader of the ork race.
Dorc da Orc pops his head up through the hole in the ground again, and showing considerable restraint for him. He waits for those of his battalion above ground, to return after throwing their mage canisters at the enemy bulwarks, palisades and trenchlines.
Knowing that the army led by Tamric Drubine is at this moment crossing the farmland, heading towards the position of duke Hargen's army, an army that's now leaderless.
As he waits, the large ork spots one of the goblins, go to toss one of the mage canisters into an enemy trench. But he trips, and falls into the trench as he's twisting the end of the metal tube that contains a spell cast by a mage.
"Fucken gob-a-lins" sourly mutters Dorc da Orc as he watches the explosion that tosses dirt, and bodies, including the goblin's into the night sky from the nearby trench.
The ork general then looks around for another of his battalion above ground to return, as the battle this night has barely just got underway . . . . . .