The Hire 113.

Northern Nastell. In The Duchy Of Phelm. The City Of Almaic. A Battle...

Scaling ladders hit up against docks and piers that would normally stick out into the water. Docks and piers that are significantly shorter than what they'd normally be. Docks and piers that are now closer to the riverbank on the city side of the Mareb than they were at the start of the day.
Soldiers in the mercenary army from the lands Farque start climbing up the ladders after crossing the riverbed. Heading up into the smoke that obscures much of the river, as well as the riverfront, and the boulevard that runs along the eastern side of the city of Almaic.
The city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm. Which is under attack in the war between the robber barons of the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains, and duke Hargen of Phelm. The northern most duchy in the kingdom of Nastell.
The first of the soldiers in general Halvane's army sets foot upon one of the damaged piers. Where he crouches down and listens carefully as he peers ahead into the smoke.
He slightly nods his head as he hears movement and talking infront of him. Not all that far away. Less than forty feet is his best guest.
The soldier in black from the lands Farque silently draws his pair of long daggers. And lifts the traditionally black cloth of the hordes barbarians of the southern tundra from around his neck. And covers the lower half of his face as he silently says a prayer to the tundra gods of his people.
Then the soldier in the mercenary army from the lands Farque stands up, and in near silence moves forward through the thick smoke.
He's the first soldier in general Halvane's army to cross the dry bed of the Mareb river, and reach the riverfront along the east side of the city of Almaic.
And he certainly won't be the last, as others are climbing the scaling ladder behind him. As well as the other ladders that are up against the docks and piers that have been damaged and shorten from earlier in the day.
While more of them, including soldiers and mercenaries in the armies of all five robber barons. Make their way down into the dry riverbed through the smoke. And cross it to the city side of the Mareb. As the assault upon the east side of the city of Almaic gets underway in earnest.
Sir Yarrim the sorcerer along with two of personal household guards appear upon the domed roof of a temple in the east of the city. It was the highest rooftop in this part of the city that the spellcaster could see when he teleported them from the palace grounds.
"Holy shit look at the level of the river" exclaims one of the guards who is looking away to the south of the city, where the water level of the Mareb river is extremely low, and is getting lower.
The nobleborn sorcerer whose estates are along the southern border of the duchy. Is looking towards the smoke shrouded river, to the east of the city.
He doesn't try to bother thinking of a spell to try and see through the smoke. He just enhances his hearing as powerfully as he can.
"Quite" is the quiet order from sir Yarrim the sorcerer as he listens.
The nobleman who is the most influential noble in the duchy behind the duke, listens carefully.
And though he has no idea how the enemy has stopped the flow of the Mareb river. The nobleborn spellcaster is pretty sure he can hear them crossing what must be a fairly dry riverbed.
"Shit" mutters the sorcerer Yarrim, who drops his enhanced hearing spell, and quickly looks back in the direction he and his two guards have come from.
He slightly nods as he sees the smaller of the two warships that have been waiting in the palace grounds. Is in the air, and is heading in this direction across the city.
The sorcerer, who is the most powerful spellcaster amongst those defending the city of Almaic against the forces of the robber barons of the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains, who have invaded the duchy of Phelm. Marched south across the duchy, and are now attacking the city of Almaic.
Looks eastwards again, and spots a three storey building, just a couple streets back from the long boulevard that runs between the city proper, and the riverfront.
"Stand close" orders the nobleborn sorcerer, then once his personal guards are standing to either side of him. The three of them disappear from the domed roof of the temple.
They reappear a few moments later upon the roof of the three storey building, that's about thirty yards back from the long boulevard that runs down the east side of the city of Almaic.
There's smoke here, though it isn't anywhere as thick as it is down on the boulevard, or along the Mareb river.
And as the three of them hurry to the edge of the roof. They see an energyball, green in colour. Away to the south of them, leaving what must be one of the watch towers down on the riverfront.
Head out through the smoke, burning away all that it touches, as it crosses above the Mareb, going across to the otherside where the enemy are.
At the edge of the rooftop, one of the two personal guards from sir Yarrim's household, who is more attuned and familiar to the sounds of combat than his lord, says "Sir, there's fighting that way" as he points away to the north into the smoke on this side of the Mareb river, along the boulevard and the riverfront docks.
"Damn" mutters the nobleborn spellcaster, who then says "I don't know how, but they've crossed the river".
Thinking of the best, and quickest way to see what's happening. And hopefully to blunt the attack upon the enemy who are attacking this side of Almaic. The nobleborn sorcerer from the very south of the duchy of Phelm casts a spell.
Sir Yarrim knows a wind spell would have to be extremely powerful to shift even some of the smoke away from this side of Almaic. Not to mention it would take time to build up in strength to shift the smoke.
Takes his cue from the energyball he saw a few moments ago. Which burnt away the smoke it came into contact with as it went over the Mareb river.
Though the powerful sorcerer who is in a relationship with lady Elaine, who is the younger sister and heir of duke Hargen. Casts a spell of fire, a firewave to be exact. The largest, and longest one he's ever cast in his life.
The near hundred and twenty foot long wave of fire, which is about ten foot in height.
Forms infront of the roof sir Yarrim is on, and it heads out over the buildings and streets infront of the three storey building.
The nobleborn sorcerer from the southern border region of Phelm hopes he's judge it as best as he can. As the firewave drops down in height the further it goes eastwards. He just hopes it doesn't drop down too low before it gets to where he wants it to go.
But even then, it's already doing what he primarily created it to do. It's burning away the smoke it comes into contact with.
And since the wave of fire is fairly long, the path it burns away stays clear for a while as there's very little wind to blow the other smoke around to fill in what's been burnt away.
"Keep an eye out, and tell me what you see" says sir Yarrim to his two guards, both of whom nod their heads as the three of them watch the path of the firewave, which is going slightly north as it goes eastwards.
The nobleman quickly looks over his shoulder, back across the city, and sees the warship has left behind the palace grounds, and will soon be here at the eastern edge of the city.
The sorcerer Yarrim then looks ahead again, to watch his firewave, which is moving at the pace of someone quickly walking as it burns away any of the smoke in it's way.
From their position upon the roof of the three storey building, bits of the long boulevard along the east side of the city is revealed to them as the firewave drops down in increments, as it heads towards the Mareb river.
As they stand along the front of a building on the city side of the boulevard, the McQuade cousins glance at one another, then at the elven spy Dalinvardél Tanith.
"You hear that?" asks Shawtus McQuade "The fighting?" replies Dalinvardél Tanith who hears the sound of combat away to the north along the riverfront.
"No" says the slightly older and slightly taller of the two dwarven warriors from the Sunreach Mountains, who are hired mercenaries in the army of duke Hargen of Phelm.
"South, in the air" says Shawtus McQuade, Dalinvardél Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by those who know him well, and the name he's also using while embedded in duke Hargen's army.
Listens carefully, then nods his head as he looks away to the south as hears something that way.
The next moment, they see the smoke dissipate about thirty yards south of them, as the left edge of a wave of fire appears from over the buildings in that direction.
It burns away all the smoke it comes into contact with, as it passes over the long boulevard at a slight angle.
As it moves forward, it's slowly dropping down in height. And as the ten foot tall wave of fire crosses over to the otherside of the boulevard, it narrowly misses the watch tower directly to the south.
It barely passes over a dock, which is in full view now. And which Dalin is glad to see no one from his army is on. The firewave that's well in excess of a hundred feet in length, then crosses over the Mareb river heading north at an angle, burning away the smoke, to reveal everything it passes over.
Some of the soldiers in the Farqian mercenary army, and soldiers and mercenaries in the armies of the robber barons of the Colevar Mountains who have invaded the north of the kingdom of Nastell, specifically the duchy of Phelm.
Look up as they cross the dry riverbed of the Mareb. And they see the firewave pass overhead, passing about a dozen feet over where the surface of the water would normally be. The wave of fire continues to burn away all the smoke it comes into contact with, as it heads north on it's way to the otherside of the river.
When the firewave eventually gets to the otherside of the Mareb river. Soldiers and mercenaries in the army led by general Halvane from the lands Farque. Scatter from it, as it continues to burn away the smoke and anything else it comes into contact with.
That includes soldiers and mercenaries who are too slow to run out of its way. It also hits a catapult on that side of the river. Instantly setting it alight.
Eventually it hits the ground, where it explodes. An explosion, that's nearly a hundred and twenty feet in length. Which hits some of those in general Halvane's army who are waiting to cross the Mareb river.
"Hell, do you see them all down in there?" says one of the personal household guards of sir Yarrim who points down into the Mareb river. Where there's still smoke, but is clearly more visible as the top layer of smoke above it has been burnt away by the firewave.
Which must of traveled at least three hundred yards away to north as it crossed to the otherside of the Mareb river.
Down in the riverbed, through the smoke, they can see the enemy in numbers, crossing to the city side of the river.
"I see them" murmurs the sorcerer who is the most influential noble in the duchy behind only duke Hargen himself.
Sir Yarrim then glances at his other personal household guard, who is saying "Sir, there" followed by "You can just see it through the smoke".
The nobleborn spellcaster looks to where that guard is pointing to the north along the river.
The sorcerer Yarrim frowns as he tries to spot it. And he's just about to cast a spell to enhance his sight when he eventually sees what the guard is pointing to.
The nobleman whose estates are along the southern border of the duchy, blinks in surprise as he's just able to make out in the distance through the smoke, a wall of water.
A wall of water, where the Mareb river has been stopped. How? The sorcerer Yarrim has no idea. He knows it isn't by spellcraft. Or at least any spell that he can sense.
"How the hell are they doing that?" mutters sir Yarrim, who sees that the smoke will soon cover that part of the river again, obscuring it from sight.
The powerful sorcerer, then turns around, and casts a mindspeech spell to his fellow sorcerer upon the twin masted frigate that's now rapidly approaching this side of the city.
The nobleborn spellcaster from the very south of the duchy, tells the sorcerer onboard the duke's warship, what he wants done. And to tell the captain of the vessel to attack, what and where.
For sir Yarrim knows the magetubes onboard the airship will be far more destructive than anything he could ever do.
"Er sir" says one of his personal household guards, who points and adds "I think that's coming right at us". A fireball has left the otherside of the Mareb river, and is burning through the smoke as it heads in this direction.
Sir Yarrim puts up a barrier spell that he knows will easily stop the enemy spellcaster's fireball. And he creates a fireball of his own.
He doesn't send it across the river back at the enemy practitioner of magic whose fireball is heading this way.
The powerful sorcerer sends his own fireball down across the boulevard, and down into the riverbed, down onto some of the enemy who are crossing over to the city.
Sir Yarrim follows that with an energyball, though he sends that northwards across the river. In the direction of where the river has stopped flowing, where the wall of water is.
It's no longer in view, as the smoke has once again obscured that part of the Mareb river. But the nobleborn sorcerer knows that his energyball will eventually hit that wall of water.
"Keep an eye on that one" says sir Yarrim pointing at his departing energyball which is heading north. While his fireball has dropped down by one of the docks along the waterfront, and is heading down into the riverbed.
And as the enemy fireball splatters harmlessly against the barrier spell he has up infront of him and his two personal guards.
His own fireball drops down amongst some of the enemy crossing the riverbed, and explodes. Killing at least a dozen of them, and setting fire to nearly double that number. Most of whom will burn to death as well.
As the battle along the east side of the city of Almaic heats up, so to speak. On this hot and sunny, summer's day here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell . . . . . .