The Hire 40.

The Duchy Of Phelm. The Kingdom Of Nastell...

As the sun rises on the day. Looking northwards, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy says "It's pretty much a rout now".
Next to him, the squad leader Barron says "Definitely looks like it" he briefly pauses, then adds "Can't believe we held them through the night".
Nor can i, the spy Tanith thinks to himself, as the two of them turn away, then scramble down the hillside to the road that leads away to the south.
The army of duke Hargen in this part of the duchy is in retreat. And though they fought and held out the army of the robber barons that attacked them during the night.
They've finally capitulated, and are now on the run to the south. At least those that are left are. As another day has dawned sunny and warm in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains, here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
The two of them, the squad leader, who hails from the south of Phelm. And the elven spy from the principality of Alínlae. Rejoin their squad.
Who are mostly intact. Due to Dalinvardél Tanith keeping them out of harm's way. And away from the thick of the fighting that took place throughout the night.
"We pissing off then are we?" asks Shawtus McQuade, Barron nods his head, then says "That we are".
"Bout fucking time" mutters Smawfri McQuade, who like his cousin Shawtus, saw the writing on the wall, so to speak. When the enemy first attacked during the night. When they immediately saw that the duke's army here in this part of the duchy, weren't going to be able to repel the army of the robber barons.
"Any word on the general?" asks one of the squad members "Dead" replies the squad leader, who continues with "Died at the very start of the battle, as did most of the commanders".
"No wonder we lost" says another of the squad "Aye" says Shawtus McQuade, who continues with "By Thaxel it's a miracle we survived the night" he gestures around them at the others who are fleeing south like they are, and he adds "Considering most of this lot who aren't dead, put up a piss poor show against the robber baron's mob".
His cousin nods in agreement. For though they might of been out of the thick of the fighting during the night. Whenever they did encounter the enemy amongst the battlelines. It was the two dwarven cousins from the Sunreach Mountains who dealt to them.
They didn't leave many of the robber barons men they encountered, alive after those confrontations.
"Who's in command then?" asks another of the squad "Who knows?" replies Barron the squad leader, who at times during the night, didn't think they would survive the battle.
And only did so due to the wits and cunning of the elf he thinks is a mercenary ranger. And the sheer bloody mindedness of the two dwarven warriors who killed any of the enemy they ran across.
"No one probably" adds the squad leader "Where we going?" asks another of the squad, who number less than fifteen, and only lost a couple during the night.
"South" is the answer from the fairly young squad leader, who continues with "To Halvíc most like" he briefly pauses then adds "Or Savariss".
Idling up beside the two dwarven warriors, Dalinvardél Tanith, or Dalin as he's more commonly called by those who know him well. It's also the name he's going by, since he's infiltrated the army of duke Hargen.
Quietly says to the two cousins who hail from the Sunreach Mountains "Keep an close eye on things".
The elven spy who once served in one of the more prominent noble houses in the principality of Alínlae, quietly continues with "We're in good shape, with all of our equipment, and our supplies".
With a nod of his hooded head at those on the road with them, the spy Tanith quietly adds "Some of this lot might try to take advantage of that as we flee south" he follows that with "You know how armies that have been routed can act".
"I like to see them fucking try" mutters Smawfri McQuade, who is the more hot headed of the two hot headed dwarven warriors.
"Aye, they'll regret if they try" adds Shawtus McQuade, who is the slightly older, and slightly taller of the two cousins.
Both of whom are now glaring at the others in the army they're sharing the road with, as they all head south, as quickly as possible as the day gets underway, now that the sun has risen in the clear sky.
On what's another hot and sunny, summer's day here in the north of the duchy of Phelm. The northern most duchy in the kingdom of Nastell.
They walk quickly throughout the early morning. And up ahead, they spot a few riders at a crossroads.
The mounted soldiers in the duke's army, are motioning to those fleeing south. To continue south on the road that leads that way.
Dalin recognises one of the riders. For like himself, he too is a spy in the armies of Farque, who has also infiltrated the army of the duchy of Phelm.
They don't say anything. And they barely glance at one another. But the mounted spy, unobtrusively does a couple of hand signals that only his fellow spy can identify.
The elven spy originally from the principality of Alínlae, gives a quick hand signal in return.
Keep going south and Stay safe was what the Farqian spy on horseback signaled to Dalin. And the spy Tanith replied that he would.
Looking ahead, as they pass the crossroads, and continue southwards. Dalinvardél Tanith who walks between the McQuade cousins who are on his left, and Barron the squad leader who is on his right, quietly says to them "If we don't regroup somewhere, with another of the armies, either in Halvíc or elsewhere".
He momentarily pauses, before continuing with "This could end up in disaster for the duke" he then adds "He might lose his duchy before it's even mid summer".
Both Shawtus and Smawfri McQuade grunt in agreement to that. While Barron, who is a born Nastellian, and not a foreign mercenary like the other three. Winces at the prospect of that happening.
Though he knows what Dalin says, is the truth if something isn't done to stop the advance of the armies of the robber barons of the unruled lands to the north of the kingdom. Who have pushed south, to wage war upon duke Hargen and the duchy of Phelm.
"Your duke got any allies elsewhere in the kingdom lad?" asks Shawtus McQuade with a glance at the young squad leader "He does, but they won't come to his aid" is the reply from Barron.
"What about the king like?" adds the older of the two dwarven cousins, who continues with "Bet he wouldn't be exactly pleased that his northern border has been breached by that rabble from further up in the mountains".
"He won't help out" says the squad leader, who in a slightly sour tone, adds "Up here in the north we have to fend for ourselves. And the crown doesn't particularly care, either you defend and hold. Or whoever is victorious is the new duke. Doesn't matter what side of the border you're from".
Shawtus grunts then says "A rough but fair way to rule" he briefly pauses before adding "I suppose".
Barron the squad leader nods, then falls silent as he contemplates their situation. Wondering if they'll make it south. To even Halvíc, which they only left from a few days ago.
The four of them in the front of the squad, are all silent. As they briskly walk along the road heading south, with the rest of the squad following right behind them.
Amongst the defeated army of duke Hargen, well what remains of them. Who have been routed by an army of the robber barons from the unruled lands to the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
They walk like this for quite some time, until Smawfri suddenly breaks the silence, as he looks away to the side, and says in a threatening tone "What the fuck are you lot looking at?".
"Nothing" says a soldier in the duke's army, one of a small group who have been keeping pace with the squad led by Barron.
"Well make sure you keep looking at nothing" says the slightly shorter of the two dwarven warriors, who continues with "If not, I'll take my axe and shove it up your man cunts".
"That would be your fucking arses" adds Shawtus in a tone identical to that of his slightly younger cousin.
The group of about eight soldiers, fall back from Barron's squad. Quite some distance too.
"What was that all about?" asks the young squad leader who hails from the south of Phelm.
"Those fuckers were eyeing us up" says Smawfri, who then adds "Notice they had no supplies, and they hardly had a weapon between them".
"Best bet, was they were waiting for a chance to divulge us of our stuff" adds Shawtus, the slightly older of the McQuade cousins continues with "There'll be a fair few others among this bunch, who'll get desperate and try something against those with food and equipment".
"The assholes" mutters the younger of the two dwarven warriors.
They continue onwards, only taking a short break at mid morning. When Dalin scouted off  the road, and found a clean stream for them to fill their water bottles and water sacks.
Once they're on the road again, that leads south to Halvíc, and the staging grounds there. The elven spy in the Farqian mercenary army, who has infiltrated the army of duke Hargen. Spots something. It's in the sky.
"Uh oh" quietly says Dalinvardél Tanith, who honestly means it.
"What is it?" asks the squad leader "Airship to the southwest" is the quiet reply of the spy from the elven principality of Alínlae "About six miles away" adds Dalin.
The McQuade cousins quickly look in that direction in the sky, and they too spot the airship in the distance.
"One of ours?" asks Barron "I hope so" murmurs the spy Tanith, who genuinely hopes it's a vessel in duke Hargen's fleet.
Because if it isn't, there's a good chance he could get attacked, and killed by an airship on his own side.
Such is the risk of a spy, Dalinvardél Tanith dryly thinks to himself.
"Is it coming this way?" asks the squad leader "It is now" is the reply from Smawfri McQuade, which causes Barron to wince.
"Maybe i should call out a warning?" quietly says the young squad leader from southern Phelm.
"That wouldn't be particularly wise" quickly says Dalin, who follows that up with "This lot might panic if they don't know whose vessel it is" the elven spy then adds "We definitely don't want to be caught up in that".
Both of the dwarven warriors grunt in agreement, while Barron nods in acceptance of Dalin's wise council.
Then the young squad leader asks "Can you tell whose it is now?" as he can't even see the airship in question yet.
The elf and the two dwarves are silent for a few moments, then Smawfri mutters "Can't bloody tell, your ships all look the damn same". The your he's referring to is humans.
The younger of the McQuade cousins then mutters something in the dwarven language, that the spy Tanith is certain contains a lot of swear words.
Then Dalin almost breathes in relief, then he says "It's one of ours" referring to the duke of Phelm.
"Thank the gods for that" murmurs Barron. For just then, further along the road, there are those who have just spotted the approaching airship.
And before anyone can panic, Barron yells out that it's one of their's.
A little bit while later, they can all identify the duke's standard flying from one of the masts of the airship.
"Hmmm thought it was coming towards us, but it's turning more straight north" muses Shawtus McQuade, which causes Dalinvardél Tanith to quickly look back to the north.
"Fuck" mutters the spy Tanith in the elven language, who then switches to common, and quietly tells Barron "We've got to get out of here" followed by "And fast".
Dalin has spotted an airship approaching from the north. He has immediately recognised it because of it's unique shape, and the incredible speed it's moving at, as it heads this way.
"Enemy airship to the north" quietly says the elven spy who has infiltrated the army of the duchy of Phelm.
Barron winces, then heeding Dalin's words from earlier, he turns and quietly says to the rest of the squad "Right, off the road and into those trees there".
The squad hurry off the road, with the McQuade brothers frowning as they look to the north as the follow after the rest of the squad.
"You see that?" asks Shawtus in dwarven "Aye" replies Smawfri in the same language, who continues with "Looks right fucking familiar like".
"That it does" says the older of the two dwarven warriors, who like his younger cousin, has spotted the fast moving airship approaching from the north.
They've seen it's like before. Over a decade ago, when they were traveling on their own airship. A dwarven dreadnought. And they were stopped by such a vessel, as they flew along the coast of a nation far to the south, in the very south of the Southlands.
The squad gets amongst the trees, and Barron quietly orders "Run". Which they all do, with the trio of mercenaries, who aren't human, bringing up the rear.
As Dalinvardél Tanith easily lopes along beside the McQuade cousins, the older of the two dwarven warriors asks him "You see an airship like that before Dalin?".
"No i haven't" lies the elven spy in the Farqian mercenary army, who continues with "Strange looking thing, it's got no masts".
"Aye" says Shawtus McQuade as they run with the rest of the squad through the woods.
"You know what it is?" asks the spy Tanith.
It's Smawfri McQuade who answers in a dry tone with "Aye, it be trouble" just as the three of them clearly hear the thuds of multiple magetubes firing somewhere in the sky to the north of them . . . . . .