The Hire 132.

Almaic. Phelm. Nastell...

"The fuck" growls Dorc da Orc as both ladders shake under his considerable weight.
The large ork looks down and scowls, and though he's only about twelve feet off the ground.
He can see beneath him there's basically no one. They've all got out of the way just incase he falls from the ladders. For if he was to fall and hit any of them, he'd kill them.
The ork warleader sourly smiles as he sees that not even the goblins in the battalion, including their commander Teabagger. Aren't that close to the bottom of the scaling ladders. As they watch their general head up them.
The ork weaponsmith looks up, and sees that there's four soldiers and mercenaries in the robber baron Larimer's army above him on the ladders heading towards the top of the north wall of Almaic.
Dorkindle grunts, and lifts his right foot up, and winces as he pauses as his left foot is just on the ladder on the left, and it loudly creaks under his weight.
The big, burly ork who hails from the southern polar region of the world puts his right boot up on the next rung of that ladder. And reaching up, holding onto both ladders, he heads up the both of them. Which once again, alarmingly shakes under his considerable weight.
"Fuck me" mutters the large ork in his native language, who takes a deep breath, and looks up as he hears a strangled scream from above him.
As he looks he's hit in the head by a falling body. One of the soldiers above him, who was about to top the wall. Until a spear got stabbed down into his face by one of the enemy up on the top of the north wall of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
The son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks grunts as he's hit by the falling body, which continues on its way to the ground, which it hits with the thud.
Dorc da Orc who didn't even budge when the body struck him on the head on its way to the ground. Grimaces in disgust as both ladders that are side by side, violently shake under his weight, and the three others who remain on them, as they attempt to climb to the top of the north wall of Almaic.
"Dumb fuck" mutters the warleader of the ork race, who  looks down at the dead soldier and adds "Why you fall on Dorc like that?".
The ork weaponsmith shakes his head in disgust, then as he's about to climb another rung on one of the two ladders.
Teabagger the goblin Cunt calls up to him "Boss, i mean general, you okay?". While one of the trio of soldiers in the Farqian mercenary army who are at the base of the wall with the goblin battalion asks "You alright there warleader?".
"Yeah cunts me fine" is the reply from the ork, who to this day, is still the largest member of his tribe, the wolf tribe.
"Unless some silly fucker fall on me again" mutters Dorkindle in the ork language, he continues muttering in that language with "Or one of these fucken cunt ladders breaks" as he climbs up another rung on one of the scaling ladders, that are side by side, here on the eastern half of the north wall of Almaic.
Back from the north wall of Almaic, in one of the makeshift fortifications in one of the battlelines, where they're watching the progress of the assault upon the city wall.
Tamric Drubine the field commander looks at Mira Reinholt the mage and lifts a questioning eyebrow.
The once powerful mage responds with a rather wry looking smile and shrug of his shoulders.
Then the two of them go back to watching Dorc da Orc who is attempting to climb to the top of the north wall of the city that's the provincial capital.
Others in the fortification who are part of field commander Drubine's senior staff, are making quiet bets on if the large ork will make it to the top of the wall.
And though most bets are on him falling eventually. Nearly half of them are of him at least getting to the top of the north wall of Almaic.
For if there's someone who clearly looks like they shouldn't get to the top of the wall, but still might have a chance at making it. It's the ork warleader.
"Think those ladders will break before he gets to the top of the wall" quietly says subcommander Waiamin who is on the same archers platform the nobleborn field commander, and the mage Reinholt are on.
"Seems most likely" says Tamric Drubine the field commander as they watch the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, climb another rung on both of the ladders that are side by side against the face of the north wall of the city.
"He'll probably make it to the top knowing him, the fat lump" dryly says Mira Reinholt the mage, who has known the large ork longer than anyone else with the exception of lord Farque.
"Bet he gets to the top, then falls" adds the spellcaster who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil.
"A gold coin?" asks subcommander Waiamin.
"A gold coin" replies the mage who is also a highly skilled swordmaster who confirms the bet.
As they continue to watch the ork general climb the two scaling ladders. Who has now definitely got the attention of the enemy. Who are shooting arrows and bolts down at him now. While those on the ground, predominantly the goblins with crossbows and bows, are shooting back up at the enemy trying to shoot their general.
Subcommander Waiamin says "A fall from the top of the wall, could be fatal for the warleader".
"He'll be fine if he falls" says field commander Drubine, the nobleborn teenager who hails from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin then adds "Even from that height".
"Especially if he falls on his head" dryly says the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Until he went through a rift/void he accidentally cast, and ended up offworld. Where he was stripped of most of his powers whilst captive on another world in another galaxy.
Not that he remembers much or any of that experience. As it was wiped from his memory by the one who found him and returned him to the world of Volunell.
The Greater Dragon Kye, one of the creators of Volunell. Which is just one of the worlds the Greater Dragons have created in their lifetime. Volunell being the latest.
The mage Reinholt who wasn't joking about the ork warleader surviving a fall from the top of the north wall of Almaic, especially if he lands on his head.
Rolls his eyes, as the large ork's right boot slips from one of the ladder rungs, and he hangs their precariously for a few moments before he gets his right boot back on the ladder to the right.
"Come on you fat psycho, I've got a gold on you making it to the top" murmurs the mage who is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Dorc da Orc who has an arrow sticking out of the top of his purple coloured dreadlocked top knot, who feels another one, or crossbow bolt bounce off the top of his head.
Frowns as he sees the next rung on the left above him looks like it's going to break as there's a large crack along it.
The weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks, reaches up to the next rung above that one, and continues on his way up the ladders that are side by side.
Dorkindle grunts, then scowls as a fairly decent sized rock hits him on the top of the head, bouncing off it, before it drops to the ground.
The big, burly ork who hails from the frozen bottom of the world. Who is sweating profusely in the afternoon heat. More so than usual, since he refuses to take off a thick rain poncho that some in the goblin battalion made for him earlier in the campaign when it rained for a couple of days.
Looks up, and sees one of the others climbing the ladders, is hanging on for dear life, with an arrow in his side.
The warleader of the ork race then blinks as he sees another, a mercenary in the army of the robber baron Larimer. Is at the very top of one of the ladders, swinging his axe at the enemy, who are trying to kill him.
Whilst trying to shove the two ladders off the wall. They're failing miserably at that. As no way they'll push the ladders from the north wall of Almaic while the large ork is on them.
"Get some" Dorc da Orc murmurs to himself as he continues up the scaling ladders, who knows that if one of the others can get to the top of the wall, and distract the enemy along this section of the wall. It gives him a better chance of topping the wall himself.
Though the most likely reason for him not getting to the top of the north wall of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm, is himself.
More precisely his weight on the ladders. One of the scaling ladders could never hold his weight. And two of them are barely doing so.
Still, that doesn't stop the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world from continuing to climb them, to get to the top of the north wall of Almaic.
Up on top of the wall, commander Berric says "What's going on over there?".
Leaning out over the top of the wall, the experience guard Ludoc looks away to the left, then pops his head back before he's shot at by the enemy.
"Hell" says Ludoc, who then tells his commander what's happening away to their left along the north wall of the city.
"It is?" asks the commander of duke Hargen's personal guard after the experienced guard tells him what's happening away to their left, closer to where the city gates are.
"It is" replies Ludoc "No wonder those ladders haven't broken" murmurs commander Berric, who then silently adds, that troll isn't exactly small.
The commander of duke Hargen's personal guard nods for his men to follow him. And they make their way to the left along the top of the wall.
They have to climb over rubble, and down into, then up out of pretty large, and deep hole in the top of the wall, caused by an explosion.
The same one that the cleric Beldane disappeared in earlier in the afternoon.
"Looks like they can't push the ladders off" says commander Berric, who also happens to be a fairly accomplished swordmaster, who hails from the northern city of Savariss, which fell to the enemy just four nights ago.
Ludoc who has just helped one of the company climb up out of the hole in the top of the wall, says "The damn thing must be bloody heavy".
The commander of duke Hargen's personal guard nods his head as they continue along the wall, where a number of the defenders are trying to push a pair of scaling ladders off the face of the wall.
While archers and crossbowmen are shooting down at those on the two ladders that are side by side.
And others are dropping rocks and bits of broken masonry and stonework down on to them.
"Good cunt" says Dorc da Orc as the soldier in the robber baron Larimer's army who was shot in the side, finally falls from the ladder he's on. And drops to the ground, just missing the large ork as he falls to his death.
The weaponsmith who is the son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks looks up as he climbs another rung in each ladder.
And sees that the mercenary who was at the top of the ladder, has been grabbed and is being dragged up and over the top of the wall by the enemy.
The last of the men on the two scaling ladders tries to grab his leg, but it slips from his grasp as the mercenary in the robber baron Larimer's army is hauled up onto the top of the wall.
Dorkindle grunts as he has a fair idea what's going to happen next. And a couple moments later there's a scream as the mercenary who was taken by the enemy. Is thrown off the top of the wall.
Falling by the ork general who continues to climb up the two scaling ladders that shake every time he goes up a rung.
The big, burly ork from the frozen bottom of the world climbs another couple of rungs fairly quickly, compared to how slowly he's been climbing the ladders so far.
And as he winces as he's shot in the face by an enemy archer, and has an arrow sticking out of the side of his face, to match the one in his topknot.
He looks up and sees the last of the robber baron's soldiers on the ladder is at the top of the ladders, not that far above the large ork, stabbing his shortsword up at the enemy trying to kill him.
He gets in a lucky blow, taking one of the defenders under the chin. Causing him to fall backwards, knocking over another of the enemy up on the top of the wall.
Dorc da Orc grunts, and reaches up with his left hand. And as the soldier from the unruled lands north of the border in the Colevar Mountains goes to step up.
The ork general takes a hold of his left boot, and thrusts upwards beneath it. Sending the soldier in the robber baron Larimer's army up onto the top of the wall, where he crashes into some of the enemy.
"Good cunt" says Dorkindle, who then adds "You kills some of 'em before me gets up there". As he climbs another rung. As he does, his rather fortunate luck finally gives out. And the rung under his right boot breaks.
"Cunt!" yelps the ork weaponsmith who hangs onto both ladders. Then looking up, he growls and pushes off the rung under his left boot. And reaches up with both hands, letting go of the ladders. As that rung he just pushed off, breaks as well.
Dorc da Orc grabs the top of the wall with both hands, and though something smacks down onto his left hand, which admittedly hurts like hell.
He growls as he hauls his considerable sized frame, all seven hundred and fifty pounds worth. Plus the couple of hundred pounds in weight in weapons, bits of armour, and equipment he has on him.
Up onto the top of the north wall of the city of Almaic.
"Huh" says the field commander Tamric Drubine in a tone of surprise, who then adds "He made it".
"Shit!" exclaims subcommander Waiamin in surprise at seeing the ork warleader get up onto the top of the city wall.
"You owe me a gold coin" says Mirs Reinholt the mage to the subcommander as they look to the top of the north wall of Almaic, where Dorc da Orc has just topped it . . . . . .