The Hire 143.

The City Of Almaic. The Duchy Of Phelm...

As they peer through the dust into the building, the sorcerer Larris quietly asks "Did you get them?".
"I am uncertain" replies Shur Kee the monk, who after a pause adds "Though i think i heard it hit".
The sorcerer in the mercenary army from the lands Farque grunts, then looks sideways at the short, statured monk beside him.
Who scared the hell of Larris as he was getting up off the ground. The honorary member of lord Farque's personal council, who got up off the ground quicker than the spellcaster.
Suddenly shouted "Bru Li spirit!". And a strange ball of white energy appeared infront of him. Which took off through the hole in this end of the building. And into the room beyond.
Where the acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li. Told the sorcerer Larris he spotted the trio they were after.
The Farqian sorcerer who is still holding his power within himself. Just incase the enemy sorcerer, sir Yarrim is still alive. Vigorously waves a hand infront of his face to clear some of the dust filled air out of the way.
Larris who murmurs "That was a hell of an explosion around there". Looks sharply at Shur Kee, who suddenly tenses and spins back the way they came from.
A moment later and the holy man wearing the strange conical shaped hat relaxes, then quietly says "It is the others".
The fairly powerful sorcerer nods as he hears the familiar voice of his commander, the war engineer Tovis quietly call out in elven "Larris is that you?".
"Of course it's him" quietly says subaltern Jaxs in the same language, who then quietly tells the young engineer "Now be quiet, more of the enemy might be about".
The four of them, the lean, athletic, attractive looking scout in the lead, the young engineer behind her, and two others in the engineering corp of the Farqian mercenary army walk through the dust filled air, along this end of the building. Where they find Shur Kee the monk and Larris the engineer.
"What happened?" captain Tovis quietly asks his second in command "Shur Kee" replies the sorcerer Larris.
After blinking in surprise, the war engineer gestures all around and quietly says in a tone of surprise "What?" quietly followed by "All this?".
"Oh no, that was the enemy sorcerer sir Yarrim" quietly says the spellcaster from the lands Farque, who then adds in a mutter "Hell of an explosion whatever it was".
Then the second in command of the engineering corp in the mercenary army from the lands Farque explains that the acolyte in the order of Bru Li might of hit the enemy sorcerer, and two others with him. With the unique power that the short, statured monk has at his disposal.
"Well, we think the councilor got them" quietly says the fairly powerful sorcerer as he gestures to where there's a decent sized hole in this end of the building "In there" adds the second in command to captain Tovis.
Then they all look up into the dust filled sky of what's essentially now dusk in this part of northern Phelm.
As they hear, then see a boulder pass directly overhead. Sweeping the dust away for a few moments, about sixty feet up off the ground as it heads towards the city proper.
"Hell, those crews of yours never let up do they?" mutters the scout Jaxs, who is also an assassin, who has been tasked to protect the war engineer.
All four members of the engineering corp, their commander, the second in command, and the two others. All grin with pride at that muttered statement from the attractive looking subaltern.
"You lot won't be grinning if one of those damn boulders falls on us" sourly mutters the lean, athletic assassin.
The young engineer, who is originally from the kingdom of Druvic, snorts before he quietly says "We're not going to get hit" he continues on with "They're aiming for the city itself now, and we're at least a good thirty yards from it here".
The subaltern rolls her eyes, though she will admit that the accuracy of the war engineer's crews can't be faulted. It just the fact standing under flying boulders, rocks and burning barrels. No matter how experienced one is in battle. Is something she will never get used to.
Then the scout, who is also an assassin quietly says "Now what?".
For though she would normally lead the way. Not so when there's a dangerous enemy spellcaster about.
And there's others better suited to counter him. In particular the sorcerer Larris, and even more so Shur Kee the monk, who is an honorary member of lord Farque's personal council.
"Guess we'll go in and check" quietly says the sorcerer who is still holding his power within himself, as he nods to the hole in the building they're standing infront of.
Larris who is second in command of the engineering corp in the Farqian mercenary army glances at the short, statured monk, and nods in relief when the acolyte in the order of Bru Li quietly says "I shall lead the way".
Larris is perfectly fine with that. For no matter how powerful a spellcaster one is. The physical adept with his unique powers, can defeat any spellcaster he comes up against.
For the simple reason he's not a spellcaster himself. And what he does can take a practitioner of magic by surprise.
"Fine by me" quietly says the sorcerer Larris "And me" murmurs the war engineer Tovis from behind his second in command.
Who follows Shur Kee the monk, and ducks down and goes through the hole in the wall.
Sir Yarrim the sorcerer groans "Here" in response to his guardsman Harvin saying "Sir, where are you?".
A few moments later, and the experienced member of the nobleman's personal household guard makes his way through the dust, and over the rubble, and finds the powerful sorcerer lying on the ground.
Harvin who is limping, winces as he crouches down, and quietly says to the nobleborn spellcaster "Sir, can you get up?".
"I think so" is the quiet reply of sir Yarrim, who Harvin helps to sit up. Though the powerful sorcerer groans as he does so, as he's battered and bruised from what they've just gone through.
"What the hell was that sir?" quietly asks the guardsman Harvin as he peers through the dust filled air that surrounds them.
"I don't know" is the quietly reply of sir Yarrim, who then adds "What i do know, is that it wasn't magic".
Harvin nods, and as he looks back in the direction of the building they were blasted out of when they were hit by strange white ball of energy, he hisses "Sallick" followed by "You there man?" as he tries to locate his fellow member in sir Yarrim's personal household guard who was with them.
"Damn dust" mutters Harvin as he waves a hand infront of him to try and clear some of the thick dust out of the way.
Then realising how the dust was created, and who brought it about, he quickly says in a quiet voice "Sorry sir".
"No worries" quietly says the spellcaster who is the second most important noble in the duchy, behind only duke Hargen himself.
"It is damn dust" adds the powerful sorcerer, whose estates are located along the southern border of the duchy of Phelm.
"Next time i won't make the explosion so large" quietly says sir Yarrim.
Harvin, after hissing out his fellow guard's name again, and who hopes there won't be a next time where they're so close to an explosion, quietly says "Not to worry sir, you got those dwarven fellows, that's all that matters".
The guardsman then quietly adds "Let's get you up sir, 'cause it's best we get the hell out of here" as they can hear fighting somewhere away to their right, closer to the city proper.
Which the enemy, the robber barons from the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains, who have invaded the duchy of Phelm, are trying to enter as dusk falls here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
Both of them grimace as they stand, and after Harvin hisses out Sallick's name again, the guardsman quietly says "We'd better go".
"Sallick?" quietly asks sir Yarrim "He can find his own way out of here" quietly replies Harvin, who then silently adds, that's if he's still alive.
The guardsman, who doesn't think his friend and fellow guard is still alive, looks around through the dust filled air, then quietly asks the nobleborn spellcaster "Can you get us out of here sir?".
After shaking his head no, the sorcerer Yarrim says "I need to see where I'm going if i want to teleport us" he then adds "And I'm not up to casting a rift at the moment".
The nobleman who is holding his power within himself, as that's a little bit easier to do than to cast a spell to hide himself from other practitioners of magic, quietly says "We've got to get clear of the dust".
Harvin, who stops himself from coughing least it gives their position away, nods then after looking around, he picks a direction and quietly says "This way".
Then the two of them, nobleborn sorcerer, and common born guardsman, hold onto one another to keep themselves upright as they walk away through the dust.
Trying not to stumble and trip over the rubble and uneven ground, on what was previously a long flat square here between some of the buildings outside the city proper.
That was until sir Yarrim blew it up to kill a pair of dwarven delvers, and a number of other enemy soldiers and mercenaries who were in this square.
With Shur Kee the monk infront, they make their way to the open window in the room they've entered through one end of the building.
Glancing out the window, the war engineer Tovis frowns as it's almost impossible to see. For though there's less dust here inside. Outside, the dust is thick, coupled with it being basically dusk now, it's rather dark out in what was a square.
The young engineer who hails from the kingdom of Druvic nods his head as next to him, his second in command Larris quietly says "Think out there is that square those dwarves in Markell's army were in".
Then the two of them look over at subaltern Jaxs who they can just make out through the dust standing at the other end of the long open window, who has just said in a quiet voice "Over here".
They make their way over to her, passing behind Shur Kee the monk who is staring out the open window.
"Out here" quietly says the lean, athletic looking scout who also happens to be an assassin.
She points out of a fairly decent sized hole in the wall next to the window, and quietly adds "There, you can just see a body".
Both Tovis and Larris crouch down a bit and peer out through the hole in the wall, and through the dust they're able to just see a body lying on the rubble outside.
"Looks like the councilor did get them" quietly says the sorcerer who is the second in command of the engineering corp in the Farqian mercenary army.
Then he along with captain Tovis and subaltern Jaxs, look over at the physical adept standing at the window who has just said in a quiet voice "Silence please".
The three of them glance at one another, then they move quietly as possible towards the short statured monk, who they find is standing there at the window with his eyes closed.
The honorary member of lord Farque's personal council has his head slightly tilted as he stands there with his eyes closed.
Then after a taking a slow, deep breath, the acolyte in the order of Bru Li points, and murmurs "There" he continues murmuring with "Movement, two people heading that way" he pauses then adds "It sounds like they might be injured".
"Larris?" quietly murmurs Tovis the war engineer "It might be some of ours" quietly murmurs the sorcerer Larris, who after momentarily pausing, adds "Then again it might not".
Stepping closer to the short statured monk, the spellcaster from the lands Farque whispers to him "Councilor how far away are they?".
"Across the square out there" is the murmured reply of Shur Kee the monk, who continues murmuring with "About seventy, eighty feet away, heading towards the city".
The sorcerer nods, then glances at his commander, the war engineer Tovis, who nods and murmurs to him "Go for it".
Larris the sorcerer stops holding his power within himself, and sighting along where the honorary council member is pointing, he quickly casts a spell.
The guardsman Harvin grunts as he almost trips over some rubble, nearly tripping over the both of them.
Then after a murmured "Sorry sir" from the guardsman, the two of them continue on their way. Heading towards what they think is the city proper. Suddenly sir Yarrim hears something awfully familiar to him.
"Stop" hisses the nobleborn sorcerer, who quickly looks back and to the right, in the direction of the building across the square they were previously in.
The nobleman whose estates are along the southern border of the duchy of Phelm, winces as he sees a fireball hurtling through the dust filled air, heading more or less towards them.
Seeing an opportunity here, sir Yarrim quickly hisses to Harvin "Back". The two of them scramble backwards as quickly as possible. Even though Harvin is limping, and the nobleborn spellcaster is hurting like hell with every step he takes.
They both wince as the heat of the approaching fireball reaches them. Then as they scramble backwards, the rolling ball of liquid fire, which is burning a path through the dust, narrowly passes by infront of them by just a few yards.
They're both breathing heavily as they watch the fireball go by through the dust, which would of hit them, if they continued walking the way they were going.
"Come on" gasps sir Yarrim in a murmur as they continue to watch the fireball.
Then when it hits the edge of a building at the end of the square and explodes in splatter. The nobleborn sorcerer grins as a large patch of the dust is burnt away and he's now able to see towards the city itself.
Sir Yarrim stops holding his power within himself, and not bothering to deal with the enemy spellcaster he suddenly senses back across the square in the building they were in previously. He teleports himself and Harvin away, into the city of Almaic proper.
"Damn" mutters the sorcerer Larris who was just about to cast an energyball at the powerful enemy sorcerer, obviously sir Yarrim, who all of sudden he sensed out in the dust filled square, not far from where they saw the fireball he cast explode against a building on the otherside of the square.
"What?" asks the war engineer Tovis "He got away" replies the second in command of the engineering corp in the Farqian mercenary army . . . . . .