The Hire 102.

The Kingdom Of Nastell. The Duchy Of Phelm. The City Of Almaic...

Mira Reinholt the mage walks behind the group that includes the young field commander Tamric Drubine and his senior staff.
They're well behind the front ranks, towards the rear of the vanguard as the army marches towards the city of Almaic.
The once powerful mage from the city-state of Vexil, who is now a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Won't allow the young field commander to march at the front of the van. Though even back here, they're not exactly immune to the dangers posed by the enemy upon the top of the north wall of Almaic.
As a magetube shot proves as it careens off a barrier spell one of the spellcasters has put up. And lands amongst the soldiers and mercenaries forty yards to the right of them, and explodes.
The mage Reinholt faintly winces as he smells the charred bodies of the soldiers and mercenaries away to the right. Who as the further back you go, are more and more from the armies of the robber barons Almard and Larimer.
Both of whom, along with their seconds, and a number of their senior officers. Are walking directly behind the Vexilian mage in exile.
"Hell" loudly mutters the robber baron Larimer as the stench of burnt bodies continues to waft their way until they've gone ahead a further fifty yards.
The march forward has been fairly easy, as the enemy battlelines have been taken, and cleared. Allowing them easy access to get nearer to the city of Almaic.
Then as the two robber barons Larimer and Almard. The two most troublesome of the five robber barons from the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains to the north of the kingdom of Nastell. Who have banded together to wage war upon duke Hargen and the duchy of Phelm, here in northern Nastell.
Discuss how the army away to their right, or west. Are moving forward too. Though only their front ranks, which are made up of soldiers in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
The once powerful mage who hails from the city-state of Vexil, which he's in exile from. Due to committing treason during the battle of Vexil over a decade and half ago. A battle that's the largest in the Southlands in the last four hundred and fifty years since the invasion of the region by the Holy Norstran Empire.
Looks away to the left, to the east where he can clearly see the Mareb river, that runs down the east side of the city of Almaic.
The spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil, who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster then looks further away to the northeast, the direction the river comes from. And he can clearly see the smoke in the distance.
The spellcaster, who was once the most powerful mage of his generation, to be found anywhere in the Southlands. Nods his hooded head, as he figures the rivercraft that general Halvane's army have put into the Mareb.
Will well and truly be alongside the city of Almaic by midday at least. Where the smoke from them, will obscure what the general's army will be doing.
The mage Reinholt then glances behind him, as the robber baron Almard has just asked him "Councilor, are we stopping up here or something?".
As up ahead, those in the vanguard just infront of the group consisting of field commander Drubine and his senior staff, have stopped at an enemy fortification, that's been partially destroyed by the forward elements. Who are the ones actually doing the fighting against the enemy.
As the rest of the army, will be used to storm the actual city when they eventually get to it.
"Looks like it" is the response from Mira Reinholt the mage, who as they go down a bit of a rise at the moment. Gets a good view of the entire area leading up to the north wall of Almaic. Which is only just over half a mile away now.
The swordmaster Reinholt sees that the forward elements that are closest to the city at the moment, are only a hundred yards or so from it.
He assumes, correctly as it turns out. That it's the goblin battalion led by the ork warleader Dorc da Orc who is in it that particular enemy fortification.
They look to be attacking the enemy from one side, pushing them back to the other side. Going from east to west by the looks of it.
The once powerful mage nods in understanding, as he sees how that long battleline, is fairly close, at it's western end to the road that leads to the north gates of the city, that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
Dorc da Orc and his battalion of goblins seem to be pushing the enemy there towards the road. A road that's been set with traps by the enemy. A road that the forward elements have avoided as they've fought their way towards the north wall of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
The exiled Vexilian mage, along with the robber barons behind them. Enter the remnants of the enemy fortification that commander Drubine and his senior staff have gone into.
The swordmaster Reinholt looks around, and spots Tamric Drubine on an archers platform, looking towards the city.
The member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, makes his way over there.
As he does, subcommander Waiamin and another officer in the Farqian mercenary army come from the other direction, through the trench.
"You don't want to keep going that way councilor" says the other officer in the elven language, a subaltern, who continues with "Warleader Dorc and his battalion of goblins took this battleline".
The subaltern, then adds "The warleader, ah relieved himself on a few of the dead enemy back that way".
"They weren't dead when he took a shit on them" dryly says Mira Reinholt in the same language, who then adds in the same dry tone "Dorc taking a crap on them is what finally killed them".
The subaltern, a young man in his late teens winces, while subcommander Waiamin mutters "Hell". "It definitely was for them, that's for sure" says the highly skilled swordmaster, who then turns and says in the common language "If you could wait here" to the following robber barons and their seconds.
The mage Reinholt, along with the subcommander, climb up the ladder and join the young field commander up on the archers platform. As around the enemy fortification they're in, the army continues it's march forward towards the city of Almaic.
Up on the archers platform, the Vexilian mage in exile looks around, and down in the trench below. He spots the assassin, one of those trained by Helbe the elven thief. A soldier in the Farqian mercenary army. Who is also keeping an eye on field commander Drubine.
He spots the mage Reinholt looking down at him, and slightly nods to the councilor. And seeing that the mage Reinholt is right next to the young field commander at the moment.
He wanders away for a bit, though not too far. As he goes and stands by the robber barons and their seconds.
The swordmaster from the city-state of Vexil faintly smiles when he sees that. As the assassin has placed himself close to the nearest threat to Tamric Drubine, who aren't the enemy.
"Looks like Dorc and his battalion are about a hundred and twenty yards from the wall" says the field commander Tamric Drubine in the elven language, as he's looking through a brass, cylindrical eyepiece "The way they're going, they might reach the wall by just before midday" adds the nobleborn teenager who is originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
The once powerful mage who has taken out his own leather wrapped, brass cylindrical eyepiece, and is looking through it, says in elven "He'll get there alright".
After a brief pause, the spellcaster who is permanently shielded because of an amulet he wears on a chain around his neck, quietly adds "Let's just hope he doesn't get it into that thick skull of his to attack the wall by himself".
"There is that" says Tamric Drubine, who almost winces whenever the mage Reinholt speaks in elven. For though the highly skilled swordmaster has spoken the language for well over a decade now. And is fluent in it. His accent and cadence in the language isn't particularly good. Infact it's atrocious.
The young field commander, as he looks at where the forward elements of his army are, and what they're doing, quietly says to the councilor and his subcommander "This is more or less going to plan" he briefly pauses before adding "But it won't last, when we get to the wall".
As a couple of the enemy magetubes up on the north wall of the city fire upon this army, and the army to the west led by field commander Leivyn.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well, asks the Vexilian mage in exile "Why aren't those magetubes firing more often?".
"Once they're depleted it takes a lot of power to get them full again" explains the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation, to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
"It's why warships have anywhere from three to more than six spellcasters in the crew" continues the mage Reinholt, who then adds "Constantly refilling the amount of magetubes onboard takes a lot out of you".
The young field commander and his subcommander nod in understanding, then the councilor tells them "And the fact the crews up on the wall seem to be in the duke's army, so they won't be as experienced as airship crews in using them" Mira Reinholt then adds "Takes a lot of coordination and effort, not to mention brute strength to roll them forward again after firing, and that's even with them in their wheeled cradles" he continues with "Those things are fucking heavy, even the smaller ones".
"No wonder they're so expensive to make" quietly says Tam, who has heard how expensive it is to outfit an airship with magetubes. Even if he hadn't of been told how much, he thought someone would of been lying if they had brought that figure up.
"Exactly" says the spellcaster, who originally comes from the land, that being the city-state of Vexil. Where more magetubes are produced than anywhere else in the Southlands. The region of the world where magetubes are more abundant than anywhere else in the world of Volunell.
As he watches through his eyepiece, an enemy catapult up on the top of the north wall of Almaic, fling a load out and away from the city.
The mage Reinholt quietly says "Even with things going more or less to plan, things can go bad rather quickly if we're not careful" the Vexilian mage in exile then adds "On any side of the city".
Tamric Drubine, along with his fellow field commanders, Leivyn and Talbot. And a number of others, predominantly Dorc da Orc. Planned the attack upon the city of Almaic.
Nods his head in agreement with the council member, then quietly says "Especially considering the attack on the west side of the city is a full on distraction" Tam momentarily pauses, before adding "And our along with Leivyn's army are basically doing the same thing here to the north of the city".
The highly skilled swordmaster nods to that. For the attack upon the west side of Almaic, led by field commander Talbot is a full on diversion.
While here on the north side of Almaic, the armies led by the field commanders Drubine and Leivyn. Are acting as a diversion, as much as they are in actually taking the north wall of the city that's the provincial capital.
All to draw the duke's forces away from other parts of the city. Specifically the east side of Almaic. Where later on during the day, the main thrust of the attack upon the city will come from the army led by general Halvane.
For the simple reason the duke and his military commanders will never think someone will commit a full on attack against Almaic from across the Mareb river.
"They seem a bit more pleased about things" quietly says the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin with a nod down at the nearby robber barons and their seconds.
"That'll change quickly once they're in the thick of the fighting to take the north wall of the city" dryly says subcommander Waiamin "This is true" quietly says Tam, while the once powerful mage who is grinning, nods his hooded head in agreement with that assessment from the subcommander of this particular army.
The young field commander after one last look through his brass, cylindrical eyepiece at the progress of the battle, here to the north of the city of Almaic.
Returns the eyepiece to his pack, and says to his subcommander and the councilor "Time to get going again".
Both the swordmaster Reinholt and subcommander Waiamin nod to that, then the subcommander calls out an order to those in the partially destroyed fortification, to resume the march with the rest of the army.
After they make their way out of the enemy fortification, and continue on towards the city of Almaic.
Mira Reinholt who once again is following right behind field commander Drubine and his senior staff. Between them and the robber barons and their seconds, and senior officers.
Creates a mageglobe in his gloved right hand, and quickly bends down and pushes it into the ground.
Beneath the ground, the living piece of magic makes it's way towards the north wall of the city of Almaic.
Where not only it will cause a fair bit of destruction, but also act as a distraction to the enemy spellcasters. Who will wonder how and why a mageglobe has got through their wards. When they sense no mage amongst the forces attacking the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
Let's see what happens this time, the mage Reinholt thinks to himself as he walks towards the north wall of Almaic, looking at where his mageglobe will eventually end up, and come to the conclusion of it's short existence . . . . . .