Aftermath.

The Kingdom Of Nastell...

"They're definitely behind us somewhere" says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy. Beside him, both Shawtus and Smawfri McQuade nod in agreement as they look back in the direction they've come from.
The young squad leader Barron looks back too, then he shrugs and says "I've no idea" in response to the spy Tanith asking him "Do you think we're still in Phelm?".
They've fled south after the city of Almaic fell to the enemy from the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains.
With them are others who have also fled the capital of the duchy of Phelm. Mostly soldiers, along with a few nobles and court officials.
"I don't think they'll follow us into Molnah" says Barron referring to the duchy to the south and southwest of Phelm "That's if i knew where we actually are" mutters the young squad leader.
"Keep moving" says Dalinvardél Tanith who is more commonly called Dalin by those who know him well, and the name he's been using since infiltrating duke Hargen's army. Not that the duke's army actually exists anymore.
The four of them hurry up the track that winds it's way up a hill in amongst the woodlands they're in.
Which Barron has guessed is in the estates of sir Yarrim the sorcerer, along the southern border of the duchy of Phelm.
As they head uphill, they encounter the stragglers of those fleeing south after the defeat at Almaic. The young squad leader hurries them up, not caring that some of them are court officials and nobleborn.
The threat of execution by the enemy spurs them on. As none of them want to fall into the hands of the enemy who have defeated duke Hargen's army.
They top the hill, where the rest of the small squad is waiting for them. And as the other refugees from Almaic continue down the track that goes southwards down the otherside of the hill.
They look back to the north in the direction they've come from. And it's the sharp eyed elf who is the first to spot the following enemy.
"There" says Dalinvardél Tanith who is originally from the elven principality of Alínlae, who is now part of the armies of Farque.
Seeing which particular enemy are after them, Shawtus McQuade mutters "Shit" and his slightly younger and slightly shorter cousin Smawfri adds "Fuck". The two dwarven warriors who hail from the Sunreach Mountains then mutter in unison "Shit fuck".
"What is it?" asks Barron, who can just make out the enemy who are pursuing them through the woods when Dalin points them out to him.
"That lot all in black" sourly says Shawtus McQuade, who along with his cousin, were once co-chieftains of their clan.
The young squad leader grimaces, then says "They're on horseback too". "And moving fast" adds the elven spy, who looks away to the south the direction the track they've been following, goes.
"Keep going" says the elven spy who once served in one of the more prominent noble houses in his homeland of Alínlae "The next hill to the south could be over the border for all we know" adds the spy Tanith who continues with "Hopefully they won't follow you there".
The McQuade cousins quickly glance at the tall elf in the grey hooded cloak, then the two dwarven warriors share a look of understanding.
While Barron slightly frowns, then says "You?" followed by "Don't you mean us?". The young squad leader continues with "What about you?".
The elven spy who infiltrated duke Hargen's army shrugs, then with a slight smile on his youthful looking face, says "I won't be coming" followed by "Someone has to distract them and lead them off in another direction so you lot can escape".
The young squad leader is about to argue that point, when Shawtus McQuade grabs him by the arm, and says "Come on lad, let's go".
While Smawfri McQuade says to the rest of their small squad, who survived a battle along the northern border of the kingdom, as well as the fall of the cities of Savariss and Almaic "Get moving" as he gestures down the track that heads down the otherside of the hill.
Dalinvardél Tanith nods to the two dwarven mercenaries, who nod back in return to him. Then the elven spy turns, and runs back down the way they've come from.
Shawtus McQuade, who almost has to haul Barron forward down the south side of the wooded hill, says "Come on lad, don't let his sacrifice been in vain".
"Besides, if there's one bloke who might get away from them, it'll be the ranger" adds Smawfri McQuade, as they hurry down the track following after the rest of their small squad, and the other refugees who they've met up with, who have fled the city of Almaic.
They continue in a mix of running and walking throughout the middle of the afternoon. And once they top the next hill in the woodland. Which is indeed across the border in the duchy of Molnah. They look back to the north, in the direction they've come from.
Breathing heavily, the young squad leader Barron says "Can you see him?" followed by "Can you see them?".
Both of the McQuade cousins shade their eyes with a hand to the brow as they look to the north, trying to find any sign of the mercenary ranger they know as Dalin, and the enemy who have been pursuing them.
After a long moment of silence, it's Smawfri McQuade who points away to the northeast and says "There" followed by "Horses riding east".
"How far?" asks the young squad leader "About four miles" is the reply from the slightly younger and slightly shorter of the dwarven cousins.
"They must be chasing after him" adds the slightly older and slightly taller of the dwarven mercenaries who hail from the Sunreach Mountains.
"Any sign of him?" asks Barron, after a while, the McQuade cousins both shake their heads no.
Then Shawtus McQuade says "They're still riding east away from us through the woods, so they must not of caught him yet". His cousin Smawfri grunts in agreement.
"That's something i guess" quietly says the young squad leader, who hopes the elven mercenary ranger from the principality of Alínlae, is able to evade the enemy who had been pursuing them.
"Hell, do you know how long it took to find you?" says Darid Parsen the cavalry commander as he looks at the rider on the horse beside him.
Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy shrugs then says "I've no idea".
"For bloody ever it felt like" says the cavalry officer who is a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"Sorry about that, but i had to lead some people to safety" says the spy Tanith, commander Parsen grunts then says "No harm i guess" followed in a slightly dry tone with "Apart from the fact we're not part of the new duke's army".
"Oh?" says Dalin, who then asks the cavalry commander "Who is the new duke then?". "Solamard" is the reply from councillor Parsen.
The elven spy blinks in surprise, then says in a tone as equally surprised "Really?" followed by "I thought it would of been Larimer or Almard, and if not one of those two, then Gergus". As he would of guessed the youngest of the five robber barons from the southern reaches of the Colevar Mountains, would be the one to survive and be the new duke of Phelm, if either Larimer or Almard didn't take the ducal seat for themselves.
"Well" says the cavalry commander, who in actuality is really a hordes outrider by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to find himself inhabiting the body of Darid Parsen.
"Actually Gergus could of been the new duke" adds commander Parsen, who continues on with "But instead, he now has all of the southern reaches north of the border as his domain".
Dalin lifts an eyebrow in surprise at that. And as they, and the cavalry company led by the cavalry commander rides eastwards through the woodlands here in the south of the duchy of Phelm.
Darid aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman explains to the elven spy what's happened, in how the robber baron Gergus made his fellow robber baron Solamard the new duke of Phelm. After having the other three robber barons, Larimer, Almard and Markell killed off.
They ride throughout the afternoon, and as they do, Dalinvardél Tanith asks the member of lord Farque's personal council "Where are we headed?".
"We're getting picked up by one of our airships" says commander Parsen "The strikeship?" asks the spy Tanith.
Darid aka Zubutai Timaginson winces then says "Ah no".
Seeing the grimace on the face of the cavalry commander, the elven spy asks him "What is it?".
The councillor shakes his head, then sourly smiles. And after a few moments of silence, Darid Parsen explains to Dalin what else has happened since he fled the city of Almaic.
"What the hell?" mutters the spy Tanith who infiltrated the army of duke Hargen, in which he did as much as possible to sabotage the plans of the then duke's army. Whilst feeding information about duke Hargen's army to his own army, the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
"A cleric?" adds Dalinvardél Tanith in a mutter of disbelief.
"It's true" says commander Parsen "Have you met him?" asks the elven spy who is originally from the principality of Alínlae.
"Not yet" says the councillor, who continues with "The royal thief was still trying to find him and bring him in when i left to look for you" Darid aka Zubutai the son of Timagin, briefly pauses before adding "And to look for someone else".
"Oh?" says Dalin as the cavalry company starts riding through land where the trees are starting to spread out, with wide open spaces now between some of them.
"We're to find him before we rendezvous with the ship" says the cavalry commander.
After he rides around a clump of trees, and gets into some open ground where he gets alongside commander Parsen's mount again, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy asks the councillor "Who?".
"Cunt" growls Dorc da Orc as he glares at the Mareb river which they've come alongside of once again.
The large ork stands there glaring at the wide river, while Teabagger the goblin Cunt sits upon a nearby rock in the late afternoon sun, on what's been a warm summer's day here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell. Though no where near as hot as it's been in previous days.
The small, bright green goblin who is the commander of a battalion of his own kind, within the armies of Farque. Sourly smiles as his general starts undoing his grubby knee length pants.
Teabagger looks the other way as the ork warleader drops his pants, backs up a couple of steps, crouches at the edge of the water, and proceeds to spray shit into the Mareb river, chuckling as he does so.
"Take that you cunt river" chortles the big, burly ork who hails from the southern polar region of the world.
Grunting as he squirts runny shit into the river, the ork warleader looks over at the small, bright green goblin sitting on a nearby rock.
"Cunt you wanna poo in the river too?" asks the ork weaponsmith who is a member of the wolf tribe of orks.
"No boss, i mean general" says Teabagger the goblin Cunt who is still looking away "That's alright" adds the goblin commander.
"You're fucken loss" says Dorkindle, who grunts in effort as he sprays a last bit of runny looking green, black shit across the surface of the river.
Chuckling to himself, the large ork hops forward, pulls up his knee length pants, tightens the belt, and looks back at what he's done.
The son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks grins in pleasure at seeing his shit float down the Mareb river.
Teabagger rolls his eyes, and gets up when his general says "Let's go cunt". The two of them continue northwards, keeping the river Mareb to their right. Though just out of sight, as Dorc da Orc doesn't want to look at it.
It's approaching dusk, and they're on an empty road just west of the Mareb river, when the warleader of the ork race, grunts then suddenly stops and mutters "Smells like fucken water".
Teabagger is just about to mention the river Mareb is only a hundred yards or so away to their right, when his general points to a low rise in the distance to their left, which the road leads up to.
The goblin commander looks that way too, and the next moment they suddenly see a figure standing there, waving at them.
"Yuck one of them" says the big, burly ork who hails from the frozen bottom of the world.
"One of our scouts" says the small, bright, green goblin who is pretty sure he recognises the figure in the distance on the low rise.
"That's one of the water elementals in the cavalry" adds the commander of the goblin battalion in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
"Yeah cunt" grunts Dorc da Orc as they continue on their way along the hard packed road, heading for the low rise.
A little bit later as they're making their way up the rise, the large ork murmurs "Ooohhh horsey" in delight.
And when they top the rise, where they're met by the scout, the water elemental spouter Zaneff.
They look away to the west, where in the fading light at the end of the day, they see the cavalry company led by Darid Parsen riding this way . . . . . .