The Hire 116.

Almaic. Phelm. Nastell...

Dorc da Orc and Teabagger the goblin Cunt look at one another as they definitely hear magetubes firing somewhere around on the east side of the city of Almaic.
The large ork who has been staring at the nearby magetube that's lying out on the open ground, just out from the north wall of the city. Wondering how he's going to get it without getting himself killed.
Grunts as he hears more magetubes firing. Then he and the small, bright green goblin who commands the battalion of goblin in the mercenary army from the lands Farque. Look towards the Mareb river, as they hear something.
"Fuck" growls Dorc da Orc who immediately recognises what's happened, as he catches a glimpse of the river through the smoke, and sees that it's flowing southwards again.
Teabagger grimaces as he too understands what's happened along the east side of the city that's the provincial capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"An enemy airship you think boss, er general?" asks Teabagger the goblin Cunt "Fucken probs" is the reply of the big burly ork who hails from the southern polar region of the world.
After a momentary pause, the goblin commander asks "Think many of them got across?".
"Fucken maybe" says the ork warleader, who figures, correctly as it turns out. That a lot in the army led by general Halvane who were attacking the east side of Almaic. Were killed, and swept away as the Mareb river resumed flowing again on its course southwards. The small, bright green goblin guesses something similar.
Then the large ork, who helped come up with the plan to attack the city of Almaic. Who now knows that plan has just had a serious setback. Goes back to watching the magetube lying out in no man's land, just fifty feet from the north wall of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"That was definitely magetubes firing" says Mira Reinholt the mage who looks eastwards through his leather wrapped brass, cylindrical eyepiece "One of those two airships in the palace grounds?" asks Tamric Drubine who is standing at the end of an enemy battleline, that the army he leads has taken over.
With the young field commander and the once powerful mage is subcommander Waiamin, and others in the senior staff of the nobleborn teenager who is originally from the kingdom of Sarcrin.
"More than likely" says the mage Reinholt who is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Tamric Drubine, or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well. Looks eastwards through his own brass, cylindrical eyepiece.
Then one of the nearby spellcasters calls out that indeed it is an enemy airship on the east side of the city that's firing its magetubes.
The mage, who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster. Who can't sense that far to the enemy warship.
Catches a glimpse of the Mareb river in the distance through the smoke. And when before when he last saw it, the river was fairly still. It's now moving, and flowing again. Which can only mean one thing.
"Fuck me" mutters the Vexilian mage in exile who winces "What?" asks Tam "The river is flowing again" is the sombre reply from the swordmaster Reinholt.
The young field commander in the armies of Farque grimaces, then mutters "Hell".
The nobleborn teenager who is a former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin, quietly says "I hope there wasn't too many of them trying to cross the riverbed when it started flowing again".
"We can hope" quietly says the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Though the mage Reinholt suspects there was probably an awful lot of the army led by general Halvane crossing the riverbed when the Mareb resumed flowing.
And that now the attack upon the east side of the city of Almaic, has been severely hampered. If not outright curtailed.
"That sounded like magetubes firing in the distance" says Darid Parsen the cavalry commander, next to him. Both his second in command Kalleb, along with the runner Lisell Maera nod in agreement.
It's confirmed a few moments later when the lead scout, the water elemental spouter Zaneff appears and says that indeed it's magetubes, most likely from one of the two airships that the enemy have had lying in wait, in the grounds of the ducal palace, that's firing around on the east side of Almaic.
"I'll go up and get a better look" says Zaneff the water elemental spouter who points up at the early afternoon sky.
Commander Parsen nods and gives his permission to do so, though the member of lord Farque's personal council orders Zaneff not to go eastwards, as he knows how important the water elemental spouter is. As he's extremely rare, less common than the coursers of his race. With there only being three of his kind in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
Zaneff who turned to mist, isn't gone for that long. And he soon reappears next to councilor Parsen.
"The river's flowing again" quietly says the water elemental spouter, the cavalry commander winces when he hears that, and he mutters "By the tundra gods" in the hordes dialect of the southern tundra.
And with the Mareb river flowing once again can only mean one thing. And that thing isn't good for the attack upon the east side of the city of Almaic. The side of the city that seemed least likely to be attacked. And the side of the city, where the attack was most pivotal if they wanted a quicker, and more assured victory over the duke forces protecting the capital of his duchy.
"Now what?" quietly asks the second in command Kalleb , as he looks at the councilor, and the lead scout as they stand amongst a burnt out enemy fortification. Here on the north side of the city of Almaic.
"We continue onto the wall i suppose" says the cavalry commander, who in actual fact is really a hordes outrider by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to find himself inhabiting the body of Darid Parsen, who was formerly a foot soldier in the army of lady Linara Lé Dic, in the kingdom of Druvic.
"Grind it out i guess" adds councilor Parsen, who after a brief pause, glances over at Lisell Maera, and says "But first commander Leivyn needs to be told about what's happened on the east side of the city".
Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman looks beyond the attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who is now a runner in the armies of Farque.
He looks beyond sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who is once again pacing back and forth, wanting to get underway again.
To where commander Leivyn and others in the attractive field commander's senior staff. Are watching the progress of their army upon the north wall of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"You want me to tell her?" quietly asks Lisell Maera, who like the other three in the cavalry company, is speaking in the elven language.
Darid Parsen doesn't even contemplate that, and he says "I'll tell her" the cavalry commander continues in common with "We might as well all go over to her and her staff".
Darid aka Zubutai the son of Timagin, nods for the pacing sir Percavelle to follow him and the others as they make their way over to field commander Leivyn, to inform her of what's happened along the east side of the city that's the provincial capital.
Around on the west side of the city of Almaic, near one of his catapults, which is now firing upon the enemy.
The war engineer Tovis looks a little worried as he looks up at the clear early afternoon sky. To where his second in command, the sorcerer Larris, is once again floating up in the air above the army led by field commander Talbot, which is attacking this side of the city.
The fairly powerful sorcerer has gone up again, this time even higher into the sky. Because he's sure he sensed magetubes firing in the distance, clear across on the otherside of the city.
Larris, who holds the rank of subaltern in the armies of Farque. Disappears as he teleports, a moment later and an enemy energyball streaks through the sky, going through the exact spot where the sorcerer was levitating.
The second in command of the engineers corp in the Farqian mercenary army is on the ground, about fifty yards to the right.
And he jogs back to where Tovis is standing with Shur Kee the monk near one of the catapults. Which is being reloaded, to fire upon the west side of Almaic, where it has spilled out beyond where a wall would normally be.
The spellcaster in the mercenary army from the lands Farque, who is now holding his power within himself, rejoins the young engineer and the short, statured monk near the catapult.
"It was that airship firing alright" says Larris the sorcerer, who after he pauses for a moment, adds "The Mareb is flowing again, i could see all the water away to the south of the city now".
Wincing, Tovis the war engineer mutters "Damn" before continuing with "I hope there wasn't too many of the general's army crossing when it resumed flowing".
Next to the young engineer, the acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li nods in agreement with him.
"Let us hope so" says the sorcerer Larris, who like Tovis and Shur Kee, has a feeling that a lot of general Halvane's army were caught in the riverbed when the Mareb river resumed its course southwards.
"If a lot of them didn't make it over, then the attack upon the east side of the city is well and truly blunted" quietly says Tovis, who is originally from the kingdom of Druvic, where he was the war engineer to a certain baron Harkonin.
The young engineer, who holds the rank of captain in the armies of Farque, who commands the engineering corp in the mercenary army from the lands Farque, that has been hired by the five robber barons of the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains, who have banded together to wage war upon duke Hargen of Phelm, here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell. Looks around, and spots a nearby runner, who he waves over.
"Commander Talbot needs to be told of what's happened over on the east side of the city" says Tovis to Larris and Shur Kee, the young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic continues with "With the general and his army failing to push through and quickly enter the city from the east, this battle has just got a whole lot harder".
Both the second in command of the engineers corp, and the physical adept nod in agreement with the war engineer. Who turns to the waiting runner, and tells him to report to field commander Talbot, to inform him of what's happened along the east side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
Within the city of Almaic, Helbe the elven thief who has just shifted to a roof top near the northern quarter of the city that's the provincial capital.
Glances sideways at Narladene the ground pixie who has just briefly dropped down to the rooftop, before returning to his right shoulder, where she's just muttered "Fuck".
"What?" asks Helbe the elven thief "The river is flowing again" replies the naturally magical creature, who continues with "Swiftly too".
"Fuck alright" mutters the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who knows he could of done something to prevent that. But he has more important matters to attend to.
Though he knows his army, which is attacking the city of Almaic, won't see it like that.
Such is the position of responsibility, the elven magic user sourly thinks to himself, then he along with the ground pixie who is attached to him, look away to the east across the city.
"Well, at least someone got it" says the elven masterthief as they see in the distance, the enemy warship drop out of view beyond the city, and the river that runs along the east side of Almaic.
Then the highly talented elven spellcaster, who is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, senses all around him again, searching for clerics.
"Do you know which church or temple he belongs to?" asks Narladene, who can't believe they're looking for a cleric instead of concentrating upon the battle to take the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"Not really" says the elven master assassin "You mean no" dryly says the tiny winged creature who originally hails from the Sunreach Mountains, who met the young elven noble a dozen years ago in the city of Leeabra, the capital of the kingdom of Druvic, where she was living at the time.
"Yes, i mean no" mutters the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, the elven master archer then adds "I'll know it when i see it".
The naturally magical creature nods her head, as the elven princeling has described to her what the cleric they're searching for looks like, and the vestments he wears.
"Well, since he's a fighting cleric he's probably in the battle already" says Narladene, who then adds "Or at least waiting to get involved".
Prince Helbenthril Raendril nods his hooded head in agreement with the tiny winged creature who is perched upon his right shoulder, then murmurs "That's what I'm afraid of".
The elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family that rules the principality of Laerel, which is the oldest nation in all the Southlands. Hopes to the forest gods that the cleric by the name of Beldane, who he's searching for. Isn't in the battlelines to the north of the city. Which the elven magic user suspects have all fallen to the armies led by the field commanders Leivyn and Drubine by now.
And that the cleric who was revealed to him when he was unconscious from his powers of foresight. Isn't in the midst of the battle along the east and west side of the city yet.
"Clerics prefer to be in melee combat, they're more powerful there" muses the elven princeling, who then adds "So if he wasn't in the battlelines outside of the city, or on the boulevard along the riverfront, then he's probably still alive, waiting to get involved".
Narladene contemplates that for a moment, then nods her head in agreement and says "Sounds plausible" followed by "Hell, it better be".
I know, Helbe the elven thief thinks to himself, who knows that his actions, or to be exact inaction. Has allowed the duke's forces to severely blunt the attack upon the city of Almaic. Now that general Halvane's army, or what's left of it. Are unable to cross the Mareb river, and enter the city that's the provincial capital.
The elven spellcaster, who like the ground pixie on his right shoulder, has sensed a number of clerics in the city, looks around as the sun continues to beat down this clear, sunny and hot summer's day, here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
"Which way?" murmurs the blurred and shielded elven magic user "One is as good as any" says Narladene, who then adds "Pick one".
The young elven noble from the principality of Laerel, who is now a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, does so. And he shifts away, in search of the cleric named Beldane, who his powers of foresight revealed to him, must be found as he's now part of the grand scheme that lord Farque has in the rebuilding of the armies of Farque . . . . . .