The Hire 77.

Phelm...

The squad leader Barron looks at commander Berric as he crawls forward to get beside the commander of duke Hargen's personal guard. Along with the experienced guard Ludoc.
The commander who also happens to be a swordmaster, shrugs his shoulders in reply to the enquiring look from the young squad leader in the army, who is from the south of Phelm.
Then they go back to looking at the farmhouse that's about fifty yards away from them.
Then squad leader Barron and commander Berric glance at the experienced guard Ludoc who just quietly said "I think Dalin just climbed straight up the side of the house and into that second storey window there".
Noticing the scepticism on the faces of the two beside him, Ludoc murmurs "Well that's what it looked like".
The commander of duke Hargen's personal guard is just about to say something. When they clearly hear a loud bang from inside the farmhouse. Along with shouting, in familiar dwarven voices.
"Go" orders commander Berric, who is up and moving towards the farmhouse that's suddenly become a hive of activity this night.
"Move" says squad leader Barron to the others behind them as he gets up alongside the swordmaster Berric, and the experienced guard Ludoc. And rushes forward into the night towards the farmhouse that a number of deserters and road bandits are using.
Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy has just slashed the throat of a deserter open. And thrown a dagger at another. Taking that man in the right eye, dropping him.
The elf who is from the principality of Alínlae then kicks another in the groin, who is scrambling to pull his pants up, that he's just pulled down.
The spy Tanith then punches that fellow in the back of the head. Knocking him out. But keeping him alive. As he's an officer in the army of duke Hargen of Phelm.
"Quiet" says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy to the bound woman on the bed, in the room on the second storey of the farmhouse that the spy in the Farqian mercenary army, has climbed up into.
The woman who was just about to be raped. Nods her head as she looks at the tall figure in the gray hooded cloak who has just saved her life.
Then the spy Tanith, who is more commonly called Dalin by those who know him well. And it's also the name he's going by whilst in the army of duke Hargen, which he's infiltrated.
Rolls his eyes, as he hears the loud bang from downstairs in the main room of the farmhouse. That's immediately followed by shouting in the dwarven language.
The elven spy who once served in one of the more prominent noble houses in his homeland of Alínlae. Assumes the shouting is swearing in some way.
As the two dwarven warriors downstairs tend to swear a lot when they're excited. Such as during battle.
Dalin rushes out of the bedroom upstairs, to head downstairs to help the dwarven warriors, who are cousins.
"Take that you human prick" growls Shawtus McQuade in the dwarven language as he slams his axe into the legs of another of the deserters here in the main room of the farmhouse.
"Damn smoke" mutters the slightly older and slightly taller of the dwarven warriors from the Sunreach Mountains as he waves some of the smoke from the flash powder that went off, away from infront of his face.
Then he's shoved to one side by his cousin Smawfri McQuade who tells him in dwarven "Out of way you tall fucking freak".
"Bald headed cunt" mutters Shawtus at his slightly shorter and slightly younger cousin, who invokes one of the two gods of dwarven kind, as he shouts "Thaxel!".
Before slamming his hammer into the knees of a road bandit, who staggers by half blind, and half deaf from the flash powder package that went off when the slightly older dwarven warrior threw it down at the floor amongst those who were in the main room of the farmhouse.
Which they sneaked into through the backdoor, which brought them into the kitchen to the side of the main room.
Now here in the main room of the farmhouse, which was abandoned a couple of days ago by it's usual occupants. And tonight is being used by a group of deserters in duke Hargen's army. And road bandits they've joined up with.
Those who were affected by the flash powder, are staggering around. Blinking their eyes, or shaking their heads trying to clear it.
All easy targets for the dwarven cousins who were once co-leaders or chieftains of their clan.
While those who were on the edge of the flash powder package exploding. Which exploded with a rather loud bang too.
Are fleeing outside, out onto the porch that runs along one side of the farmhouse and beyond. Where they're suddenly attacked by those who have been lying in wait outside in the night. Who have now rushed the farmhouse once they heard the attack had begun.
Commander Berric swings his sword, neatly decapitating a deserter who ran out of the farmhouse, looking back at it, and not where he was going.
Next to the swordmaster from the city of Savariss, the experienced guard Ludoc throws a hand axe, that slams into the face of a road bandit, who has just staggered off the porch, half blind from the flash powder explosion that took place inside of the farmhouse.
While the young squad leader Barron, runs his sword into the guts of a half dressed deserter who has fled what's happening inside the farmhouse.
The fighting is over pretty quickly, especially inside. Where the McQuade cousins, along with the spy Tanith, who is passing himself off as just a mercenary ranger from the principality of Alínlae whilst he's in the army of duke Hargen.
Take out most of those who were inside the main room downstairs in the farmhouse.
Infact Dalin has to get the two dwarven warriors originally from the Sunreach Mountains, to calm down and restrain themselves.
After they kill nearly all of the deserters and road bandits who remained inside and didn't flee outside.
The elf who serves in the armies of the lands Farque, who has infiltrated the army of the duchy of Phelm. Wants some of them captured to answer questions. As it is, he's only able to save a trio of them. Along with the officer he knocked out in the bedroom upstairs.
The McQuade cousins, Shawtus and Smawfri. Were more than a little enthusiastic in their dealing with those in the main room of the farmhouse.
They've been busting for a fight ever since escaping the city of Savariss  which fell to the enemy, who have come down out of the unruled lands in the foothills of the Colevar Mountains to the north of the kingdom of Nastell. And into the northern most duchy in Nastell, the duchy of Phelm.
After kicking a severed head out of the way, and as the last of the smoke from the flash powder going off wafts out the open windows and the door.
Shawtus McQuade says to his cousin "Think i saw some booze in the kitchen" the slightly older and slightly taller of the dwarven warriors looks up at the elf in the gray hooded cloak, and switching to the common language says "That got a lass tied up in the corner of the kitchen".
"The other is upstairs" says the elven spy who has infiltrated duke Hargen's army "And an officer in the duke's army i knocked out" adds Dalin.
"Fucking deserter scum" mutters Smawfri McQuade making his thoughts on the matter clear, then the younger of the two dwarven warriors says to his older cousin "Let's go and get that other lass down here, and bring that traitor scum down too".
The more hot headed of the two hot headed dwarven warriors then adds in his native language "Then we'll get that grog before any of the lads find it".
"Aye sounds like a plan" says Shawtus McQuade in the dwarven language, who then switches to the common language and says "We'll just get those two down here Dalin".
Then as he goes to follow his cousin Smawfri up the stairs to the second storey, he suddenly stops and looks at the elf who is passing himself off as a mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Alínlae.
"Dalin how did you climb the side of the house like that?" asks Shawtus McQuade "Eh?" says Smawfri McQuade, who pauses on the stairs and looks back down, and frowns as he didn't see what happened outside before they entered the farmhouse.
"Oh i just used these to climb up" explains the spy Tanith, who pulls forward from one of his sleeves, a pad with hook like spikes that fits into the palm of a gloved hand, and is secured with ties, that are wrapped around the hand.
"We use them to climb straight up trees and the like" adds Dalinvardél Tanith, who briefly pauses before continuing with "Like buildings too".
The older McQuade cousin chuckles, as he had an inkling that Dalin, who after he saw what he did to climb the side of the two storey farmhouse. Had an inkling he was more than just a regular, though highly skilled ranger. And what he just admitted, proves it.
"Get into any buildings not exactly that easy to get into?" asks Shawtus "A few" quietly says Dalin, who falls silent as the others start to enter the farmhouse from outside.
"I bet" dryly says the slightly older of the two dwarven warriors from the Sunreach Mountains. He continues on his way up the stairs, saying to his slightly younger cousin "Move you bald git".
"Ah shove it you tall prick" is the reply of Smawfri, who heads up the stairs, muttering to his slightly older cousin following him "By Dovarn what the hell were you two nattering on about?".
"Think our ranger might be a bit of burglar as well" quietly says Shawtus McQuade in the dwarven language as he and his slightly shorter cousin get up to the second storey of the farmhouse.
"Probably why he's a mercenary like us" adds the older of the two cousins who little over decade, co-led their clan. Smawfri grunts at the assumption from his cousin. Which though plausible, is totally incorrect.
Though the elven mercenary ranger isn't above doing a bit of burglary. But only if it's legitimately part of a plan in his actual vocation, which is a spy.
"Any trouble in here?" asks commander Berric as he looks around inside the main room at the carnage wrought by the McQuade cousins.
"You're kidding me right?" says Dalinvardél Tanith who then adds "With those two?" followed by "I had to get them to stop from butchering all of them".
The elven spy in the Farqian mercenary army who has infiltrated duke Hargen's army, gestures at the trio tied up in a corner of the main room of the farmhouse.
Two road bandits, and a soldier in the duke's army, who deserted after the defeats in battle further north in the duchy against the enemy from the unruled lands in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains.
"Those two are upstairs getting an officer i knocked out" explains the spy Tanith who continues with "They're bringing him down, along with one of their captives".
"Speaking of which" says Dalin, who tells the young squad leader Barron "There's another in the kitchen tied up".
"Were they?" asks commander Berric "No" is the reply of the elven spy, who then adds "Though the one upstairs was almost".
The commander of duke Hargen's personal guard breathes a sigh of relief, then nods for the young squad leader Barron to go and release the captive in the kitchen.
Then the commander, who is also a swordmaster looks at Dalin "This officer?" followed by "He look familiar?".
"No idea who he is" truthfully replies Dalinvardél Tanith who continues with "From his uniform I'd say he's a captain".
The local swordmaster who hails from the city of Savariss in the north of the duchy of Phelm winces. As that can really only mean one thing. The officer upstairs who Dalin knocked out is a nobleman.
As the only commoners of rank of captain or higher in the duke's forces, whether in the army or something else.
Is commander Berric himself. And his younger brother, the captain of the guard Gallene. Who either died in the battle for the city of Savariss, or was taken prisoner there. The swordmaster Berric fervently hopes it's the latter, and not the former.
The commander goes outside to confer with the experienced guard Ludoc about something. While the others start clearing the dead from out of the main room of the farmhouse.
For though the dwelling, and the barn outside is a little too close to a nearby road for Dalin's liking. He agrees with the swordmaster Berric that they might as well spend the rest of the night here.
When the commander of the duke Hargen's personal guard returns inside, most of the dead have been dumped outside, and the other captive has been brought down from upstairs. And is now in the kitchen with the other woman, and the young squad leader Barron.
The army deserter, the officer who was knocked out by the spy Tanith in the bedroom upstairs, has also been brought down to the main room by the McQuade cousins. Who are both grinning from ear to ear as they stand over the deserter who is still unconscious.
"They were a little rough with him bringing him down" dryly says Dalinvardél Tanith in a quiet voice to commander Berric.
"He's fine" says Shawtus McQuade "He didn't have a broken arm when i knocked him out" dryly says the elven spy in the Farqian mercenary army who has infiltrated duke Hargen's army.
"Dropped him" says the slightly older of the dwarven warriors in a deadpan tone of voice "You tall folk are all arms and legs, couldn't get a hold of him properly" adds Shawtus McQuade.
The swordmaster Berric sourly smiles as both dwarves are far stronger than any of them. And the story of them dropping the deserter is highly unlikely to say the least.
"Dropped him?" says the commander of duke Hargen's personal guard "Hard" is the reply of Smawfri McQuade who is the one who actually broke the deserters arm, with his hammer.
"I bet" dryly says commander Berric, who continues with "Better see if you can wake him up".
"There's an indoor cistern in the kitchen" says the slightly older and slightly taller McQuade cousin, who continues with "Bucket of water should do the trick in waking this fella up".
Shawtus nudges his cousin, then nods to the kitchen. The two of them head that way, with Smawfri murmuring in dwarven to his cousin "We'll get that booze while we're at it". Shawtus nods his head in agreement with his slightly younger, and slightly shorter, not to mention bald cousin.
As the dwarven warriors head into the kitchen, commander Berric quietly says "Let's see who he is". As the unconscious deserter is on his face, with it turned away from the local swordmaster, and the elven spy who has infiltrated duke Hargen's army.
The commander moves forward, crouches down, and rolls the unconscious deserter, who is clearly a high ranking officer over.
Dalinvardél Tanith lifts an eyebrow as the commander of duke Hargen's personal guard loudly mutters "Hell".
The elf who hails from the principality of Alínlae, who is posing as a mercenary ranger from his homeland whilst immersed in the army of the duchy of Phelm.
Steps forward and looks down at the face of the relatively young man who he knocked out in the bedroom upstairs. "Who is he?" quietly asks the spy Tanith as commander Berric stands up shaking his head.
"Sir Tanvar" is the quiet reply of the swordmaster Berric. Dalinvardél Tanith slightly frowns as the name is vaguely familiar to him. It must be on the list of important nobles in the duchy of Phelm he has memorized. He just can't recall who at the moment.
Though he immediately does when the commander of duke Hargen's personal guard, after grimacing quietly tells him "He's a younger cousin of the duke" the swordmaster Berric then adds "And his heir until the duke's young son comes of age".
"Hell indeed" murmurs Dalin as they look down at the unconscious deserter lying on the floor . . . . . .