The Hire 146.

The Battle Of Almaic...

"Get more men up there" says sir Yarrim the sorcerer who is breathing heavily. The nobleborn spellcaster winces, as he gestures back towards the west.
"Yes sir" says one of the officers in command of the defence along the western side of the city.
The sorcerer Yarrim hobbles over to where his guardsman Harvin is standing, who is in just as bad as shape as the nobleman from the southern border of the duchy.
"Think they can hold them out Harvin?" quietly asks sir Yarrim, who along with his personal household guard, only just got away from the enemy, nearly losing their lives in the process.
"Maybe sir" says Harvin the guardsman as they watch those in a courtyard behind one of the city watchtowers, here in the western quarter of the city, hurry away to where the fighting is heaviest. Just beyond where a wall would normally be along this side of the city.
Harvin who grimaces as he looks across the torch lit courtyard, as night has well and truly fallen across the kingdom of Nastell.
Quietly says to the spellcaster in the red coloured armour "If they can hold them out through the night, it'll be an achievement" he briefly pauses as he takes in a deep breath, then he continues with "Especially with what we've just heard from the north side of the city".
The powerful sorcerer nods his head in agreement with that. As the lookouts up on the top of the watchtower. Just a little while ago, called down that they had seen the signal from the top of the north wall of Almaic. That the enemy are falling back there. And are no longer in a full on attack upon that wall.
Now the north wall of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm, stands in near darkness. As no torches or lamps have been lit there. And the signal fires are all out there too.
"Yes that will be an achievement" quietly says the nobleborn spellcaster, who can't help but suspect that the enemy are up to something else while they withdraw from the north wall of Almaic.
What? He's not exactly sure. But he does suspect they're up to something.
Sir Yarrim, who like his guardsman Harvin, is battered and bruised after their ordeal at dusk out in the warren of buildings and lanes, just beyond where a wall would normally be along the west side of the city of Almaic.
Shakes his head slightly, and quietly says "No, not just yet" in response to his personal household guard quietly asking him "Are we heading back to the palace sir?".
The powerful spellcaster who is the second most important and influential noble in the entire duchy of Phelm, behind only duke Hargen himself.
Sees more soldiers, mercenaries and city guards who have come from elsewhere in the city, hurrying along the street to the right of the courtyard behind the watchtower.
Heading to where the fighting is taking place just to the west of their position.
As along this side of Almaic, the fighting has been the heaviest anywhere in the battle for the city that's the provincial capital.
"Runner!" calls out the powerful sorcerer, who as he waits for the messenger to hurry over from the otherside of the courtyard, heals his guardsman.
"Thank you sir" says Harvin in appreciation as he no longer stands there feeling battered, as if he's been trampled by a herd of cattle.
"And yourself?" asks the member of sir Yarrim's personal household guard.
"Unfortunately you can't heal yourself with a spell" is the sour sounding reply from the nobleborn sorcerer, who then adds "I need to get another spellcaster to heal me, or return to my chambers in the palace to get a potion".
The powerful spellcaster usually carries at least one healing potion on him at all times. But he left his chambers well before dawn, forgetting to take one as he rushed to see what the enemy were doing when they began their attack upon the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"I want you to go over to the east side of the city, where some of my guards are" says sir Yarrim to the messenger who has stopped infront of him.
The nobleman, whose estates are along the southern border of the duchy. Explains to the messenger what he wants done.
Then after the messenger leaves to go and get his horse, the powerful sorcerer says to the experienced guardsman "We'll go up and have a look" as he gestures to the watchtower at the other end of the courtyard.
Harvin looks from the tower to the spellcaster, and lifts a questioning eyebrow and says "Are you up to that sir?".
"I'm not going climb up the stairs" says sir Yarrim, who then teleports himself and the guardsman up to the top of the tower.
The watchtower, which is the headquarters of the city guard in this part of Almaic. Is about fifty yards back from the line of towers that are up and down the west side of the city, where a wall would normally stand.
Further north along that line, about eighty yards further north. The gates on this side of the city, are located between two of the towers that are quite close.
And even though you can enter the city proper just about anywhere. The road from the west goes through the warren of buildings outside the city proper, and leads straight to the west gates of Almaic.
"Hell, they don't stop with those things do they" says Harvin as room is made for them on the west side of the tower.
The experienced guardsman from the estates of sir Yarrim, points to a load of burning barrels, full of pitch most likely. Shot from an enemy catapult or trebuchet. Flaming through the night sky, narrowly avoiding the city gates. To land upon a building on the street just behind the gates. No doubt the building will soon be on fire if no one is able to put it out.
As Harvin quietly asks one of the lookouts "Have they targeted this tower back here". And the lookout points down at a building further infront of the watchtower. A building that even at night, you can see has been hit by at least a couple of boulders.
The sorcerer Yarrim, who has cast a spell to hide himself from other spellcasters. Takes a brass cylindrical eyepiece offered to him by one of the lookouts.
The nobleborn spellcaster, who is the most powerful practitioner of magic here at the battle of Almaic. With the exception of a certain mage amongst the enemy. Who though no longer has all of his powers. Can still occasionally be as powerful as he once was. Though only during times of duress. Or if he creates a devastating mageglobe. Which takes a lot of effort and power on his part to do.
Sir Yarrim looks through the brass, cylindrical eyepiece. And though it's not one of the advanced one's he's heard about. Which enables you to see more easily at night.
This one does the job adequately, and allows him to see things up close. Especially when there's a source of light about.
Not to mention the largest of the three moons of Volunell, Ilnari. Is already up in the early evening sky. Making it a bit easier to see things by.
As the powerful sorcerer looks out to where the buildings have spilled out beyond where a wall would normally have been built.
He catches a brief glimpse of some of the enemy hurrying by a building that burnt down earlier in the battle. And is smouldering now that's it nighttime.
Passing a building that burnt down earlier in the day, and is still smoking and smouldering.
Tovis the war engineer quickly follows the scout Jaxs who is leading them forward, towards the city proper.
Behind the young engineer who is originally from the kingdom of Druvic, he hears his second in command, the sorcerer Larris mutter "I hope to hell we don't run into the enemy". As there's not that many of them.
Just the scout, subaltern Jaxs. The war engineer and his second in command. Along with two others in the engineering corp of the Farqian mercenary army. As well as Shur Kee the monk.
They enter one of the many damaged buildings just outside of the city proper. Where they find a large squad from their forces. Mostly made up of soldiers and mercenaries in the army of the robber baron Markell.
Though there are a number from the army from the lands Farque with them.
And in pairs or threes, they're leaving the damaged building. Heading down a wide lane. To between a pair of buildings, just to the right of one of the towers in the line of them, that marks where a wall would've normally been built along this side of the city of Almaic.
They find an officer in the Farqian mercenary army, a subaltern who is leading the force here in the damaged building. Who is looking out a window, next to the open doorway, the pairs and threes are leaving by. On their way down the lane, and between the two buildings, beyond which is the city proper.
"Any resistance here?" quietly asks the scout Jaxs in the elven language to her fellow subaltern in the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
"Just archers and crossbowmen up in the tower up there" is the quiet reply from the other subaltern in the same language, who continues with "They've got to get lucky to hit now that it's nighttime".
The subaltern pauses as the sergeant at arms in the Farqian mercenary army next to the open doorway, waves a pair of soldiers in the robber baron Markell's army through, after he quietly tells them "Hurry, into the city".
And though they can hear fighting away to the north somewhere, closer to where the city gates are. Infront of them, where they're entering the city proper, there's no sound of fighting, or sign of the enemy, apart from those in the nearby tower.
"We must of sent about twenty five of them through by now" explains the subaltern, his sergeant at arms next to the open doorway, nods his head in agreement.
Tovis the war engineer, quietly asks his second in command "Any enemy spellcasters about?".
"I can't tell at the moment" replies the sorcerer Larris who is holding his power within himself at this time.
The young engineer who is a captain in the Farqian mercenary army nods. Then he watches as another pair of soldiers in robber baron Markell's army are waved through the open doorway by the Farqian sergeant at arms.
Tovis, who once served as the war engineer to a baron Harkonin in the east of his homeland Druvic. Is just glad to see that their forces, are now entering this side of the city itself.
And true they're only entering in small numbers at a time. It's a start, after what's been a long day of battle here on the west side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"Movement in numbers" says Shur Kee the monk in a quiet voice as he suddenly speaks up from behind the war engineer, and his second in command.
A few moments later, and they hear the sounds of fighting in the night, from beyond the two buildings, between which the large squad have been entering the city proper.
"Go" commands the subaltern in command of the squad, as does the sergeant at arms, who keeps waving soldiers and mercenaries in the robber baron Markell's army through the doorway, and down the lane to between the buildings that leads into the city of Almaic itself.
As the last few of the robber baron's men in the squad hurry out through the doorway. And only half a dozen Farqian soldiers remain in the damaged building with the war engineer and those with him.
The subaltern asks the young engineer "You lot going to come along with us captain?".
Tovis glances at his second in command Larris, who just shrugs. Then he looks over at Jaxs, who though is an officer in the Farqian mercenary army, is also a trained assassin. Who has been ordered to look after the war engineer.
The lean, athletic, attractive looking subaltern just lifts an eyebrow in reply to the enquiring look from Tovis.
Then the young engineer looks back at the honorary member of lord Farque's personal council, Shur Kee the monk.  Who in his odd, conical shaped hat, slightly nods his head.
"We'll go with you lot" says captain Tovis "Yes sir" says the subaltern, who then tells the sergeant at arms, and the other half dozen Farqian mercenary soldiers with him "Let's go".
Subaltern Jaxs is the first one to follow them out of the doorway. Followed by the other two from the engineering corp. Then the war engineer himself, and his second in command, the sorcerer Larris. And finally Shur Kee the monk.
And they head into the night, down the lane to between two buildings, beyond which is the city proper.
Where they can hear those in the large squad, have engaged the enemy who they've come across as the battle for the city of Almaic continues . . . . . .