The Hire 141.

The Battle Of Almaic...

They climb over some rubble and enter the shell of a building, here on the west side of the city of Almaic.
Keeping low, sir Yarrim the sorcerer and two of his personal household guards, Harvin and Sallick.
Make their way through the building, getting to where the west facing wall is. Or what's left of it, as a boulder hit it earlier in the afternoon. And most of it's rubble now.
Looking westwards into the sky, the guardsman Harvin whispers "Sun's about to go down".
Next to him, the nobleborn sorcerer whose estates are along the southern border of the duchy of Phelm, nods in agreement.
Then the spellcaster, who is the second most influential noble in the duchy, behind only duke Hargen himself.
Looks back the way they've come from. And spots the other three personal household guards he's brought with him.
He's ordered them to follow at a distance. And to protect him as well as Harvin and Sallick from the enemy who might be behind them.
After all, they're now outside the city proper. Not far from where the gates, are located on this side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
They've caught sight of some of the enemy already. But they've left them alone. As the powerful sorcerer, who is in a relationship with the younger sister of duke Hargen. Is after bigger game, so to speak.
The spellcaster who has cast a spell to hide himself from the magical senses of other practitioners of magic. Points to across the rubble strewn lane infront of the building they're in. To another partly damaged building. Though not as damaged as the one they're in.
As they crouch there behind what's left of the wall on this side of the building, sir Yarrim the sorcerer quietly says "They're on the other side of that building there".
"Both?" quietly asks the guardsman Harvin. The nobleborn spellcaster from the southern border region of Phelm, nods his head yes in reply, then quietly says "More or less".
Then Harvin, who along with Sallick, has been with the sorcerer Yarrim pretty much all day, and have served him for a number of years. Knows that with a lot of his spells, the powerful sorcerer needs to be able to see his target.
"Will you have to be able to see them?" quietly asks Harvin "Maybe" is the quiet reply of sir Yarrim, who is after a pair of dwarven delvers amongst the enemy.
They look up, and watch as an energyball, green and black in colour. Appears over the roof of the building they're watching. And take off through the air to the right. Heading towards the nearby city gates, and the small section of wall to either side of the gate towers.
"Nasty" murmurs sir Yarrim, who immediately recognises the type of energyball one of the enemy dwarven delvers has just cast.
It will spew noxious gases once it explodes against one of the watchtowers to either side of the gates on this side of the city that's the provincial capital.
"Down" hisses Sallick in warning as he spots a number of the enemy away to their left down the lane.
The sorcerer Yarrim and the guardsman Harvin drop down below the level of the wall they've been peeking over.
All three of them are absolutely still, as they hear a number of the enemy moving cautiously through the rubble strewn lane on the otherside of the wall, they're lying behind.
Sir Yarrim is just glad there's no dwarves or elves, or even goblins with the enemy just a few yards away. For if there was, they would definitely hear him and his two personal household guards.
After staying still for a little while, the guardsman Sallick slowly lifts his head up, and peeks over the wall they're hiding behind.
He then pops his head back down, and nods before he quietly says just louder than a whisper "They've just gone around the corner, to the building opposite us" followed by "Probably to join the others around there".
Sir Yarrim nods in agreement, then he and his two personal household guards sit up to once again peek over the wall they're behind.
And as Harvin and Sallick keep an eye out for the enemy, up on any nearby rooftops as well as where they can see on the ground.
The powerful sorcerer who helped devised and set up the wards along the north wall of the city. As well as put up and set the wards around the palace grounds.
Senses for other practitioners of magic in the area. Not just the two dwarven spellcasters who aren't all that far away on the otherside of the building across the lane from them.
And though sir Yarrim senses other enemy spellcasters. There's not a one that worries him. Though he does feel like he sensed one, another sorcerer, fairly powerful too. A little earlier, when he arrived on this side of the city. He frowns as he can't locate that individual now.
Then as Sallick whispers to his fellow guardsman Harvin "Think they'll continue to attack during the night?". And Harvin replies with "Seems they might".
The three of them hear an enemy catapult nearby, launch it's load towards the city proper.
They look straight up, and spot a whole lot of rocks and debris pass about fifty feet overheard, on their way to the city proper. Just to the south of the city gates, such as they are.
Then the two personal household guards look at the nobleman who they serve, and wait for what he does.
"This could get a little tricky" quietly says sir Yarrim who senses that the pair of dwarven delvers, who are working in unison, have both barrier and protection spells up around themselves.
"Remember to stay out of my line of sight" quietly says the nobleborn spellcaster, the two guardsman nod in understanding. Then do so again, when the powerful sorcerer tells them "I may not be able to protect you, so be prepared to flee".
Then sir Yarrim suddenly falls silent as they start to hear fighting nearby. If it's not on the otherside of the damaged building across the lane from them. Then it is coming from beyond that direction. Which isn't all that surprising, as the enemy need to go that way if they want to get into the city proper.
"Get ready" quietly says the powerful sorcerer after a few moments of silence as they listen to the sounds of battle, not all that faraway from where they are in a shell of building, that was hit multiple times earlier in the day.
They move forward, keeping between the damaged buildings as they make their way towards the city proper.
Up ahead, they can see the western gates of the city, away to their right. The towers of which, are the tallest structures along where a wall would have normally been built.
They pause, as a number of soldiers, in their army, as well as the army of the robber baron Markell. Cross the lane they're in, and get onto the road, that leads up to the city gates.
Then the war engineer Tovis looks back at the others, to see if they're ready to continue. They are, and the young engineer nods for subaltern Jaxs to continue to lead the way.
The lean, athletic, not to mention attractive scout, who also happens to be an assassin, whose training was completed by prince Helbenthril Raendril.
Gets underway again, with the others. The war engineer Tovis, his second in command, the sorcerer Larris. And Shur Kee the monk. Along with two others in the engineering corp. Follow after the scout from the lands Farque. As they make their way towards the city proper.
"Still think this is a good idea?" murmurs Tovis the war engineer to his second in command as they scramble over some rubble behind the scout Jaxs.
The sorcerer Larris, who is holding his power within himself, so he can go undetected to the magical senses of other spellcasters, in particular enemy spellcasters.
Just grunts in reply to the murmured question from the young engineer, who holds the rank of captain in the Farqian mercenary army.
Then once they're down the otherside of the pile of rubble, they all pause as they can now hear fighting away in the distance, closer towards where the gates are located on this side of the city that's the provincial capital.
"That's not all that faraway" quietly says subaltern Jaxs, who then looks at the sorcerer and asks him "Are they still not that far from us?".
"I think so" is the rather noncommittal answer from the fairly powerful sorcerer, who joined the armies of Farque as soon as he was allowed to.
Larris, who isn't so sure, as he's unable to magically sense due to the fact he's holding his power within himself.
Nevertheless, he doesn't particularly need to do that, because he spots something, and points as he quietly says "They're not that faraway".
The second in command of the engineering corp in the mercenary army from the lands Farque is pointing at an energyball they see go over some of the rooftops, on it's way to the city proper, and to the west gates of the city of Almaic.
"That's them" quietly adds the sorcerer Larris "You sure?" asks captain Tovis.
His second in command nods his head yes in reply, then he quietly explains "That energyball is one favoured by delvers" the sorcerer continues with "That's them over there, so that means the enemy spellcaster isn't all that faraway too".
The war engineer Tovis who has been told by Larris, that the enemy spellcaster they're after, is more that than likely to be the nobleborn sorcerer, sir Yarrim. Quietly says "If you say so" then nods for Jaxs to continue onwards.
With the subaltern in the lead, they make their way further towards the city proper. Going from building to building, and lane to lane. In the warren that's built up over the years, just outside where a wall would've normally been built along this side of the city.
They pause near a badly damaged building, and watch a boulder go flying through the late afternoon sky, towards one of the watchtowers away to their left.
The young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, slightly smiles as the boulder flung from one of his trebuchets. Slams into the tower, taking away some of the top of it. And sweeping away some of the enemy who are on top of that particular tower.
They continue on, hurrying across a lane. Then once behind another building, the scout Jaxs holds up a hand for the rest of them to stop.
After looking over his shoulder, and up into the sky. And seeing the sun is dropping down towards the horizon out to the west.
Tovis moves forward and stands beside the attractive subaltern, who has been his shadow throughout the day. The two of them glance around the corner infront of them.
And away to the left, they can just make out the road that leads up to the gates along this side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
They can see soldiers in their own army, along with soldiers and mercenaries in the army of the robber baron Markell. Fighting against the enemy, who are on the road before the gates of Almaic.
The war engineer nods when Jaxs points at the building opposite them, then quietly says to him in no more than a whisper "Think they're on the otherside of that building there".
The lean, athletic looking scout points away to the right, and quietly adds "We'll go around that way".
Captain Tovis looks back behind him, and looks at his second in command, then at the short, statured monk wearing the odd, conical shaped hat.
"Get ready for anything" the young engineer quietly tells Larris the sorcerer and Shur Kee the monk.
The two of them nod, then the war engineer quietly says to the attractive scout, who also happens to be an assassin "When we get around there, keep clear of them".
Subaltern Jaxs immediately knows why, then quietly says to the young engineer originally from the kingdom of Druvic "Just keep an eye out for any of the enemy" she then dryly adds in a murmur "Which shouldn't be hard, since we're in the middle of a battle".
The captain who commands the engineering corp in the Farqian mercenary army grins at that.
Then he, along with the others. Follow after the scout, who leads them away. Going to the right across the lane, and around a building that's been damaged during the bombardment that's gone on throughout the day.
They get to a corner of the damaged building, and stop. They look around the corner, and see a long square. At the other end of which, are a number of dwarves. Including the two delvers. Along with others in the army of the robber baron Markell.
With them are a trio of soldiers in the mercenary army from the lands Farque. One of whom spots them at the other end of the square. Who jogs back to meet them.
The subaltern Jaxs nods in greeting, then in elven she quietly asks "Any sign of the enemy close by?" she follows that with "Well, apart from those fighting us on the road up ahead" as she gestures away to the road that leads up to the nearby gates.
"Nothing in the buildings and lanes to either side of us" replies the Farqian soldier, who is a sergeant at arms, who has been tasked by field commander Talbot to keep an eye on the dwarven delvers who are in the robber baron Markell's army.
"We've got others continually circling around, trying to find any who might be close" adds the sergeant at arms in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
"Ours?" asks the assassin Jaxs referring to their army "Or their's?" adds the attractive scout referring to the army of the robber baron Markell.
"There's" is the slightly dry reply from the sergeant at arms "Great" mutters the subaltern, who then looks at the war engineer, and quietly asks him "What do you want to do captain?".
Tovis looks at his second in command, then quietly asks him "Search for them?" followed by "Or wait for them to do something?".
With a slight shrug, Larris the sorcerer quietly says "It doesn't really matter" he then adds "Either really" the fairly powerful spellcaster continues with "We're going to be reacting no matter what we do".
The young engineer nods, then is about to turn to the sergeant at arms and tell him something. When he notices Shur Kee the monk peering away to their right, through a damaged building in that direction.
"Shur Kee what is it?" quietly asks the war engineer "I think there are people on the otherside of that building over there" is the quiet reply of Shur Kee the monk.
"Ours or their's?" quickly asks captain Tovis "They were trying to move about without being seen" says the short, statured monk.
"Definitely their's" quietly says the subaltern Jaxs, the young engineer nods in agreement, then after sharing a look with his second in command Larris, who nods.
Tovis the war engineer quietly says "Let's go" as he points away in the direction that Shur Kee is pretty sure he's seen a number of people . . . . . .