The Hire 103.

Almaic...

Up on the north wall of the city of Almaic. The sorcerer sir Yarrim is just contemplating about going back to the palace of the duke. When he decides to sense out again at the enemy to the north of the city.
The powerful sorcerer who is in a relationship with lady Elaine, the younger sister of duke Hargen.
Senses a number of spellcasters within the ranks of the enemy army. Well two armies to be exact, that are north of Almaic.
The nobleman from the southern border region of the duchy of Phelm. Isn't too surprised about any of them. Or anything for that matter. Until he decides to sense downwards through the ground. Why? He's not too sure. Just that he feels like doing so.
Sir Yarrim, whose guards are quietly chatting to one another behind him. Blinks in surprise as he suddenly senses something unusual beneath the ground to the north of Almaic, heading more or less this way.
The sorcerer, one of the more influential nobles at the duke's court takes a couple of moments to realise what it is.
Sir Yarrim looks sharply away to his right, and is about to call out a warning to the court wizard Melbar. But at the last moment, he decides not to.
And instead he goes back to sensing what's beneath the ground, heading to the north wall of the city. It approaches the wall, and passes far beneath it and the wards that now go underground.
The shielded sorcerer is just able to sense it continue on beneath the city for a couple hundred feet, then it starts heading upwards.
Sir Yarrim looks quickly back in the direction it came from. Going back in a straight line from when he first sensed it.
The nobleborn spellcaster in the red armour, who has a longsword on his left hip. Is just about to cast a line of searing fire back in the direction he first sensed it from. When all of sudden he gets an untrustworthy feeling.
The sorcerer from the very south of the duchy of Phelm has had the same feeling a number of times in the past.
And they've all ended up being a warning of some kind of danger. Usually towards him.
Sir Yarrim assumes it is again, and instead of casting what he was originally intending to do. The powerful sorcerer teleports himself and his two guards away after quickly telling the wizard Mareb by way of mindspeech that a mageglobe has got under the wards, and is in the city, and is now heading back towards the north wall of Almaic.
"Hmmm" murmurs Helbe the elven thief who was just about to move in on the enemy sorcerer when Narladene the ground pixie informs him that sir Yarrim is teleporting instead of what he was originally intending to do. Which was to cast a spell back to where he thinks the mageglobe created by Mira Reinholt the mage originated from.
After the shielded sorcerer and his two guards vanish from the top of the wall of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
The young elven noble who hails from the island principality of Laerel glances at the naturally magical creatures standing on his right shoulder, and lifts a questioning eyebrow.
"Wonder why he suddenly did that?" murmurs Narladene the ground pixie, who then adds "It's not as though he can sense you".
The blurred and shielded elven magic user nods his hooded head to that, then does so again, when the tiny winged creature tells him "Better get away, Mira's mageglobe is heading back this way".
The highly talented elven spellcaster shifts away, as the mageglobe created by his fellow councilor Mira Reinholt, shoots back towards the north wall of Almaic.
The elven masterthief is well and truly gone by the time the living piece of magic, the size of a small apple, slams into the back of the north wall of the city, just six feet from the very top. Just below one of the catapults that's about to launch another load at the armies advancing upon the city that's the provincial capital.
The mageglobe comes to the end of it's brief life, and explodes upwards. Tearing up a section of the north wall of the city, and shattering apart the catapult and it's crew, on that section of the wall.
As stone work, timber, and body parts are flung into the air in a shower of red sparks.
The explosion could of been so much worse, had there not been a barrier spell that was hastily shoved up to one side of that section of the top of the wall, by the court wizard Melbar.
Who sensed the mageglobe just thirty feet from the wall after the sorcerer Yarrim warned him of it approaching.
"Hmmm, thought that would of been a bit bigger" murmurs Mira Reinholt the mage after he sees the explosion upon the top of the north wall of the city of Almaic created by his mageglobe.
Marching infront of the once powerful mage, the young field commander Tamric Drubine turns around, and asks the spellcaster who is a member of the personal council of lord Farque "What was that?".
"Nothing" replies the mage who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil.
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin who leads this army advancing towards the city of Almaic nods, then looks ahead again, as he walks forward along with members of his senior staff.
While behind the mage Reinholt, the robber barons Almard and Larimer, along with their seconds, and their senior officers.
Walk here, at the rear of the vanguard of the advancing army. Which is marching through the ground already taken by the forward elements of the army led by field commander Drubine.
The spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, slightly jumps in surprise. While behind him the robber barons, their seconds, and senior officers. Either mutter obscenities, or exclaim in surprise.
As the hooded and cloaked figure of Helbe the elven thief suddenly appears walking beside his fellow council member, Mira Reinholt.
"Might have a bit of a problem with one of their spellcasters" says the young elven noble who casts a ball of silence around himself and the mage Reinholt so no one can hear what they're saying.
"Then deal with it" says the once powerful mage in a slightly sour tone, who is slightly annoyed that the elven spellcaster made him jump in surprise, as he often does when he suddenly appears out of nowhere right beside him.
Flashing a tight grin, prince Helbenthril Raendril says "I will" followed in the royal elven language which his fellow spellcaster doesn't understand "Well, i hope i can".
Then switching back to the regular elven language that he and his fellow councilor are conserving in, the elven masterthief tells him what just happened before the mage's living piece of magic exploded at the top of the north wall of Almaic.
"He sensed it?" asks the once powerful mage in slight tone of surprise "So Narladene says" replies the young elven noble who is the youngest grandchild of the ruling prince of Laerel.
The swordmaster Reinholt nods his hooded head as he sees the ground pixie appear to him as she stands upon the right shoulder of the elven master assassin who like the Vexilian mage in exile is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"How powerful is this sorcerer?" asks the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation, to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
"Pretty powerful" replies Helbe the elven thief, who then adds "By far the most powerful spellcaster here in the battle".
Mira Reinholt slightly winces, and does so again, when the elven magic user tells him "Who happens to be shielded too".
"You might have a bit of a problem alright" mutters the mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
The elven princeling from Laerel nods in agreement, then says to his fellow council member "Be careful with your mageglobes" the elven master archer continues with "Probably best to send them off in another direction altogether before having them come back towards the city".
The highly talented elven spellcaster then adds "If not, he might get lucky and trace one of them straight back to you since he knows what to look out for now".
The Vexilian mage in exile nods his hooded head to that, then quietly says "Get rid of him" the once powerful mage silently adds, then i won't have to worry about the bastard.
"I intend to" says the young elven noble who is the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel, who then nods towards the young field commander Tamric Drubine infront of them, and says  "Make sure to keep a close watch on Tam".
"I will" says the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, the elven masterthief nods his hooded head, then he disappears as he blurs himself and shifts away.
Standing upon a rooftop of a building just behind the north wall of the city of Almaic, though near where it meets the eastern side of the city.
The sorcerer Yarrim looks back along the north wall, while his guards stand behind him, wondering why they're all the way over here now, instead of being on top of the north wall as they were just a short time ago.
As he senses, sir Yarrim the sorcerer glances back at his guards, and asks the two of them "Did either one of you notice anyone on the rooftops near the part of the wall we were just on?".
Though neither of them were actively looking for such, they both answer in the negative to the nobleman's question. For when they did glance around at the rooftops near to the section of the wall they were on previously, they didn't see anyone.
The nobleborn sorcerer from the very south of the duchy of Phelm slightly nods, then tells the two of them "Keep an eye on rooftops wherever we go" followed by "Tell me immediately if you see anyone, i don't care who it is, just tell me about them".
"Yes sir" the two members of his personal household guard say in unison as the powerful sorcerer looks back to the west along the top of the north wall of Almaic.
So, someone's about are they? Yarrim the sorcerer thinks to himself, he comes to the conclusion that the warning feeling he got, had to do with another spellcaster.
He wonders if has anything to do with this mysterious mage who is amongst the enemy armies advancing upon Almaic. Or if it's another spellcaster entirely different.
Knowing the way things are going at the moment, it's probably someone else and not this mage, sir Yarrim thinks to himself, who after looking along the top of the north wall. Then at the enemy steadily marching forward across the ground their advanced elements have already taken to the north of Almaic.
He looks away to the east and northeast, looking along the Mareb river, where in the distance to the northeast. Smoke can clearly be seen on the river. Smoke that's heading this way.
So, you're going to try to hide something, the nobleborn spellcaster thinks to himself referring to the enemy in general, the powerful sorcerer then silently adds, just exactly what though?
The nobleman from the southern border region of Phelm then looks directly to the east as he walks that way along the rooftop, followed by his two guards.
The sorcerer, who is the noble behind the duke, who most definitely doesn't want the robber barons of the unruled lands in the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains, to take the city of Almaic.
For the simple reason he's never been so close to the ducal seal as he is now. Considering his ladylove, the lady Elaine, who is the younger sister of duke Hargen. Is now the heir to her older brother and the duchy of Phelm.
Watches the enemy army across the Mareb river, to the east of the city that's the provincial capital.
And though there's a number of enemy war machines across on the otherside of the river. They're all catapults, and there's no trebuchets.
And the catapults are doing very little damage to the forces along the boulevard and docks that run along the east side of Almaic.
When they are successful, they're only hitting and destroying the piers that stick out some distance into the water on this side of the river.
And why don't they have any trebuchets over here? the nobleborn sorcerer thinks to himself, who has heard the reports that the enemy have plenty of them on the west side of Almaic. And he's seen a number of them with their forces to the north of the city. But he sees none of them to the east of the capital of the duchy of Phelm, across on the otherside of the Mareb river.
If they did, they'd definitely do a fair bit of a damage to our forces here, sir Yarrim thinks to himself, who has quite a few of his own household guards with those defending along the eastern side of the city.
The shielded sorcerer from the very south of the duchy, briefly looks to the north again and wonders where that mysterious mage is. And the other unknown spellcaster might be.
Then he looks down at the long boulevard that runs along the east side of Almaic, he nods down to there and says to his guards "We're going down there for a bit to check on our own men, and others defending that side of the city".
Sir Yarrim briefly pauses, before continuing with "Remember, keep an eye on all the rooftops close by" he then adds "And also keep an eye out for anyone or anything out of the ordinary".
The two guards who are members of his personal household guards, nod that they will. Then the nobleborn sorcerer in the red armour with a longsword on his left hip. Teleports the three of them down to the long boulevard that runs along the east side of the city of Almaic.
On a roof, near the one he was standing on before he went and talked with Mira Reinholt the mage. The blurred and shielded, Helbe the elven thief as he looks along the north wall of the city, glances at Narladene the ground pixie and asks her "Where is he now?".
The tiny magical creature, who can sense any spellcaster, no matter what they do to hide themselves from other practitioners of magic, looks away to the east, and after sensing, says "He's over on the east side of the city now".
"He gets around a fair bit doesn't he" murmurs the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, the highly talented elven magic user as he looks along the north wall of the city.
Takes note of all the enemy spellcasters on the top of the wall. And elsewhere in this part of the city.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril who is a member of the personal council of of lord Farque. Who has been the envoy for the Farqian mercenary army, in it's dealings with the robber barons of the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains, who have banded together to wage war upon duke Hargen and the duchy of Phelm, here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
Sees that there's very few of the enemy spellcaster to be concerned about. He sees that it's only the court wizard, a man by the name of Melbar. Along with a cleric, who with the armour and vestments he wears. Seems to be a member of the church of Glaine. As well as another sorcerer.
Seem to be the only ones for the armies led by the field commanders Drubine and Leivyn to worry about on this side of the city.
The elven masterthief briefly thinks about dealing to them to himself. But he knows he's got someone else far more important to worry about, and deal to. And that's the sorcerer, sir Yarrim. Who is now somewhere on the east side of the city, that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"Right then" quietly says the young elven noble who is the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel "Let's go and find this sorcerer" adds the elven master assassin, the blurred and shielded elven magic user then tells Narladene "Lead me to him".
A few moments later, and Helbe the elven thief shifts away, heading east across the city of Almaic, in search for the enemy sorcerer, sir Yarrim . . . . . .