The Hire 117.

The Battle For Almaic...

Along the top of the north wall of the city of Almaic. A lot of them see the smoke being blown away from the east side of the city as multiple magetube shots are fired from one of the duke's two warships he has here in the city.
And through the turbulence of the smoke being blown away. Many of those at the northeast corner of the city. Watch what happens down in the Mareb river. And how a large number of the enemy who are trying to cross over to Almaic, are swept away when the river resumes its natural course.
A couple of runners, or messengers from that corner of the city. Are sent along the top of the wall, to inform officers, nobles and others. To what's just happened along the east side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
One such person who is informed, is Beldane the cleric in the church of Glaine. Who has just seen the duke's warship in the distance, a frigate. Get hit by an enemy energyball. A lucky hit if the cleric has ever seen one.
As it just hit the magical keel on the underside of the frigate's bow. A frigate that drops down out of view on the otherside of the river.
The powerful cleric who suspects it will crash land in the countryside on the otherside of the river. Turns and listens to the runner inform him and the nearby officer of what happened in the Mareb river.
As the runner moves on, the officer, a commoner, turns to the member in the church of Glaine, and asks him "What do you think of that cleric?".
"I think we got extremely lucky" says Beldane the cleric, who continues with "Someone was smart and figured out what they were doing over there" the fighting cleric then adds "Because if they had crossed the riverbed in numbers and got to the city side of the river, we would of been in trouble".
Beldane then quietly tells the common born officer "Our forces are stretched thin down that long bloody boulevard, i suspect they would of got into the city itself pretty easily if a lot of them had got across the Mareb"
The officer in the duke's army nods his head in agreement at that assessment from the cleric in the church of Glaine.
Beldane, who has positioned himself near the officer, for the simple reason he's not nobleborn. Who tend to take umbrage whenever a commoner like the powerful cleric suggests something. They're loath to listen to him in the first place. Considering he's more experienced than most of them in combat and battle.
Looks away to his left along the top of the wall, and spots his friend, Dominic the sorcerer. Who has just been informed of what's just happened along the east side of the city, by the same messenger who told the member of the church of Glaine.
The powerful cleric nods his head, and mutters to himself "Figures" when his friend Dominic the sorcerer calls out to him "Sir Yarrim is over there!" as he points to the east side of the city, though further to the south.
Beldane, who doesn't particularly care for the nobleborn sorcerer, who happens to be the most influential noble in the duchy behind duke Hargen. More so, that the woman he's in a relationship with. The lady Elaine, who is the younger sister of duke Hargen. Is now the duke's new heir.
Waves to his friend Dominic, and calls out "That's definitely stuffed up their plans to take the city!". "I agree!" calls back Dominic, who gestures to the enemy just north of them, and adds "They'll try to take the wall now that their attack upon the east of the city has basically failed".
The cleric Beldane, who is originally from the central region of the duchy, not all that far from the capital Almaic. Where he was indoctrinated into the church of Glaine at a fairly young age. Who joined the church full time at the age of eight when his magical powers first manifested.
Nods in agreement with his friend Dominic, who also happens to be friends with sir Yarrim. Considering Dominic's father helped train and teach the nobleborn sorcerer along with his son Dominic.
The cleric in the church of Glaine wonders if the enemy were hoping the east side of Almaic would of been overrun by them pretty easily. After all, who would of thought they could of got their army across the Mareb river with ease. Turns out they almost did. Though eventually unsuccessfully. Beldane knows if they were successful there, the capital of the duchy of Phelm could of fallen fairly rapidly.
Considering there's hardly anyone defending the city, who is actually in the city proper. With only a small number at the ducal palace. And at city guard towers throughout Almaic.
Everyone else defending the city that's the provincial capital. Are either here along the north wall. Or out on the long boulevard that runs down the east side of Almaic. Or out on the streets, and amongst the buildings on the west side of Phelm's capital. Where the city has spilled out beyond where a wall would normally of been built on that side of the largest city in the northern most duchy in the kingdom of Nastell.
Beldane, who has been keeping an eye out for that enemy mage. Who definitely isn't acting like an ordinary mage. Because if they did, they would of well and truly smashed through the fixed wards protecting the north wall of Almaic. Then smashed through the wall itself.
Looks down off the top of the wall, at the magetube lying on the ground, about fifty feet from the wall. The cleric in the church of Glaine then looks at the closest battleline that the enemy have taken.
The long trench that's full of goblins. And what appears to be a troll. The ugliest, and roughest looking troll Beldane has ever seen. True, he's only ever seen a couple of trolls in his lifetime. But neither one of them looked as demented and feral looking as the fat one that's in the long trench that's just a hundred and fifty feet away from city wall.
"When do you think they'll attack?" asks the common born officer standing to the right of the cleric who is in half plate, and chainmail armour.
"Once they get more of their army forward" replies Beldane, who points to the rear of the enemy army that's to the north of the city of Almaic, and he adds "See" followed by "There's scaling ladders back there".
"Hell of a day to fight a battle" murmurs the officer, who wipes sweat from his brow, as it's now the hottest time of the day.
The powerful cleric nods in agreement, then he looks away to his left as he senses his friend Dominic walking this way.
The sorcerer goes by the burnt and scorched part of the top of the wall, where Beldane was in the midst of an explosion from a mageglobe.
Then he walks by what remains of one of the catapults that was the destroyed in the same explosion. And joins the cleric in the church of Glaine, and the officer beside him.
After briefly waiting for the catapult further to their right to launch a load of rocks and broken bits of masonry at the enemy.
Dominic the sorcerer quietly says to his fellow spellcaster "Once they get as many of their men forward to those front battlelines, they'll rush the wall" the sorcerer continues with "They've got too much momentum now, they'll have to take on the wall. Especially with what's happened around on the east side of the city".
Beldane nods to that, and his friend the sorcerer tells him "You and that mace of yours better be ready when they do".
"I will" says the fighting cleric, who turns to a couple of nearby archers who have just made their way up to the top of the wall, after coming over from the east side of the city "Shoot at those goblins in that long trench there". After the archers glance at the officer, who slightly nods, they both say "Yes sir cleric".
Beldane wryly smiles at being called a sir, something he's definitely not. As he's just as common born as the two archers themselves.
The member of the church of Glaine turns back to his friend Dominic, who has just sent a fireball towards the enemy, sending it further back amongst them. Where they're still making their way forward through the battlelines that are further away from the north wall of the city.
"You pacing yourself?" quietly asks Beldane "Have to" is the quiet reply from Dominic as they talk about magic.
"Don't want to burn myself out" adds the sorcerer, who continues with "Have to keep maintaining the wards too".
The cleric nods to that, as he isn't required to help with the fixed wards upon the north wall of the city.
He hasn't cast anything yet during the battle, as the enemy aren't close enough for him to be truly effective.
And the only time he's actively been involved with any magic so far today. Is when his magical mace protected him on its own. When an enemy mageglobe exploded near the cleric. The mace which protected Beldane and three others who were standing close to him in the explosion.
The sorcerer Dominic then says "Not a lot of hard wards up, so if they get to the top of the wall, they'll be able to go through the protection spells".
The fighting cleric nods in understanding, then says "We'll have to get as many of them on the open ground infront of the wall as we can".
Beldane looks out at the enemy, then quietly says "If we hold them out for the rest of the day, and through the night. Then this battle will be one of attrition" he continues on with "If that happens, we'll be the victors. Because they're all here, and they have to take the city with who they've brought".
The heavily armoured cleric, who is in the church of Glaine, after momentarily pausing, adds in a slightly dry tone of voice "That's unless they've got another army further to the north that's ready to attack us".
Dominic the sorcerer chuckles, then says "I doubt it" followed by "They're all here, and they want the city, and the duke dead" he then adds in a slightly sour tone "Those robber barons aren't exactly known for their cooperation. So the quicker they can take the city, the better it is for them".
Then in a more regular tone of voice, the sorcerer says "Like you said, the longer we can hold out, the better it is for us, and the more difficult it becomes for them".
Beldane nods to that, then he points at an enemy soldier in black, who has come forward, and hopped into the long trench that's the closest battleline, where all the goblins and the ugly looking troll are located.
"In black like those goblins are" quietly says the member of the church of Glaine, which is the most popular church here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell, especially in the towns and cities. While the harvest gods are more widely worshiped in the countryside, and farm villages throughout the north of the kingdom.
"The same mercenary army those robber barons have hired" says the sorcerer Dominic, who points further away to the west along the same battleline, where there's other mercenary soldiers wearing the same lightweight black cloaks and tabbards.
Beldane looks further west, and sees more of those mercenary soldiers in black in the battlelines that are closest to the north wall of the city of Almaic.
"Must be their best soldiers, considering they took all our battlelines north of the city in half a day" quietly says the fighting cleric, both the sorcerer and the officer nod in agreement with Beldane. Who then points at the enemy further back, and says "That's the robber barons rabble" he continues with "Fresh, having done no fighting so far, and only having to avoid our war machine shots, and our spells sent their way".
The cleric in the half plate and chainmail armour looks at his friend Dominic, and the common born officer with them, and says to them "It'll be them who'll do the bulk of the attack upon the wall itself since they've yet to be really involved in the battle".
"Fresh troops" mutters the sorcerer, who then dryly adds "That's all we need". The cleric Beldane wryly smiles in agreement with his friend and fellow spellcaster.
The fighting cleric is about to say something else, when he pauses as one of the ballistas further to their right shoots off a ten foot long heavy spear at the enemy.
Then a magetube further left along the top of the wall, near the main gates, fires a shot off at the enemy who are just north of the city of Almaic.
As Beldane watches the twelve foot wide ball of pure magical energy streak through the early afternoon sky, passing over those enemy at the front. And head towards the rear of them, where they're still making their way forward.
The powerful cleric says to his friend the sorcerer "I wonder if they'll turn on themselves?". "Huh?" says the sorcerer who is busy watching the magetube shot. Which he senses, shatter through an enemy protection spell. And land amongst them towards the rear. Where it explodes, sending dirt, debris, and bodies flying up into the air in a fiery explosion.
"Like i said, they're not normally the cooperative bunch those robber barons" says Beldane, who follows that with "I wonder if they'll turn on one another?" he then adds "Win or lose".
The sorcerer, whose family has lived here in the city of Almaic for generations slowly nods to that. While the officer next to the follower of Glaine asks "You think they will cleric?".
Beldane nods, then asks "Why are they here in Phelm?". "To kill the duke and take over the duchy" is the answer from Dominic as that's fairly obvious.
"How many of those robber barons are here?" asks the fighting cleric in the mix of half plate and chainmail armour.
"Five of them" is the reply from the common born officer, as that too is fairly common knowledge.
"Well, how many of them can be the new duke?" asks the cleric in the church of Glaine.
"Just one" answers the sorcerer Dominic.
"Well, there you go, they're bound to turn on one another eventually" says Beldane, who continues with "No matter if they're victorious or not" after a brief pause, he adds "I'm surprised no one has thought about that before".
The sorcerer nods in agreement with his friend, then quietly says "Best we hold them out no matter how long it takes, and let them turn on each other".
"Yes, lets" quietly says Beldane the cleric, who then points down at the closest battleline that's full of goblins and one ugly looking, not to mention fat troll, or what he thinks is a troll. As he notices something, and he says "Movement down there" followed by "They're up to something" . . . . . .