The Hire 150.

The Battle Of Almaic...

After quickly returning to the palace of the duke, to get some of his potions, and to get more men out to the western side of the city.
Sir Yarrim the sorcerer has the remaining warship here in the grounds of the palace, take off and head westwards as the enemy are trying to make a push through on that side of Almaic, more than anywhere else in the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
The nobleborn sorcerer, as he's just about to leave along with the experienced guardsman Harvin, and others in his personal household guard they've gathered here in the palace.
The nobleman whose estates are along the southern border of the duchy, looks around. Then unable to spot someone, he calls over a page, and asks the young lad where the swordmaster Berric, the commander of duke Hargen's personal guard is.
"He went to the north wall sir Yarrim" is the reply of the page, who then adds "Just before sunset".
Hopefully he gets himself killed up there, sir Yarrim thinks to himself, for when he returned to the ducal palace. He sensed the magical attack upon the north wall of the city by the enemy.
"Very well" says the powerful sorcerer, who with a nod of his head, dismisses the young page.
Then the spellcaster, who is the second most influential noble in the duchy behind only duke Hargen himself.
Looks away to the west in the night sky, and sees the duke's airship flying over this part of the city, heading towards the western side.
The sorcerer Yarrim just hopes the cruiser stays in the air tonight, unlike the smaller frigate, which the enemy knocked out of the sky during the day, over to the east of Almaic.
"Stand close" orders sir Yarrim, who knows that if they're not able to hold up, and force back the enemy offensive along the west side of the city. Then the battle for the city that's the provincial capital is surely over for them. Defeated by the enemy who have come down out of the unruled lands in the Colevar Mountains to the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
The powerful sorcerer and his guardsmen disappear, as he teleports them to the battlecruiser in the night sky, where it's heading away from the duke's palace. Going towards the western quarter of the city.
As they do, the first messengers start arriving from the eastern quarter of the city tonight. Informing the duke and his senior advisors. That the enemy have somehow got across the Mareb river. And that they're on the docks and along the boulevard that goes down the east side of Almaic. Fighting those who are defending that side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
Though the truly odd thing about the enemy who have got across the Mareb tonight, to get to the east side of the city. Is that they're all goblins.
Meanwhile along the top of the north wall of the city of Almaic, the swordmaster Berric winces at the sound of another loud explosion, that briefly lights up the top of the north wall. Just to the west of where the city gates stand.
The commander of duke Hargen's personal guard nods his head as the experienced guard Ludoc, who is next to him, sourly says "Determined bastards aren't they?".
The swordmaster, who is the highest ranking commoner in the duke's court. Just hopes to hell the wards along the wall, in particular the section the enemy are targeting. Continue to withstand the spells they're tossing at it. Which they've been doing since just after nightfall.
"Where's the sorcerer?" asks commander Berric "That way i think" replies Ludoc nodding his head towards the section of the wall that's under heavy magical attack.
"Come on, i need to speak to him" says the commander of duke Hargen's personal guard "I had a feeling you were going to say something like that" mutters Ludoc, who along with his commander survived one of the battles along the border, as well as the battle for the northern city of Savariss.
Berric who also happens to be a swordmaster, along with Ludoc. And the others of their company who came with them to the north wall of the city, who have survived the day's fighting.
Make their way along the top of the wall, keeping low as they head along the walkway. Heading to where explosion after explosion is taking place.
They pause for a few moments, covering their ears as they do so. As a magetube just a bit further along the walkway. Shoots at the enemy army that for the most part, has retreated back to the battlelines to the north of Almaic.
It's one of the few times of late that one of the magetubes along the top of the wall has fired.
As all of then are very low on power. And the spellcasters here on the top of the wall, and in the northern quarter of the city. Are too busy to fill the large magical weapons with more power. As most of them are busy with maintaining the wards. Those that are still intact,  that are protecting the north wall of the city that's the provincial capital.
Moving along the dark, unlit walkway would normally be treacherous. But not so tonight. Due to a section of the wall, about thirty yards, or ninety or so feet in length. That is continually alight as the enemy targets it over and over again with their spells.
Commander Berric grunts as Ludoc says "There he is" when he spots the sorcerer Dominic, crouching alongside a merlon. Looking to the north towards the enemy.
Keeping low, the swordmaster who is the most well known commoner in the entire duchy, scrambles forward, and joins the sorcerer who he's good friends with, at the side of the merlon.
"Why are they attacking just this stretch of the wall?" asks the commander of the duke of Phelm's personal guard. Who flinches as a fireball comes towards them. Which hits just to the right of them, splashing liquid fire everywhere against the wards protecting this part of the north wall of Almaic.
Liquid fire that lights up the night along this section of the wall, with it's orange and red flames.
"Because some of the wards failed here earlier" says Dominic the sorcerer, who then tells his friend the swordmaster "And we had to recast them quickly" he briefly pauses before adding in a quiet tone "Which is never really a good thing".
Commander Berric winces at hearing that, then he covers his ears and closes his eyes as his friend Dominic calls out in warning to those along the section of the wall that the enemy spellcasters are targeting "Energyball coming in!" followed by "One of the big ones!".
It must of hit further down the wall, down towards the base. As Berric feels the wall actually shake due to the loud explosion.
"Hell, that's loud" says the experienced guard Ludoc from behind his commander, the swordmaster nods in agreement as he opens his eyes, and sees blue sparks shooting up along the wards as they head up into the night sky.
"Think we can hold out?" asks commander Berric "Honest answer?" says the sorcerer, who also happens to be the best of friends with sir Yarrim the sorcerer, along with Beldane the cleric in the church of Glaine. Two individuals who definitely do not get along. Even more so than commander Berric and the sorcerer Yarrim.
"Yes honest" quietly says the swordmaster who hails from the northern city of Savariss.
"Maybe" says the sorcerer Dominic, who then adds "But what i can tell you is that they're expending a hell of a lot more power to attack this section of the wall, than we are as we defending it".
"That's something at least" quietly says Berric, the commander of duke Hargens personal guard.
The two of them pause for a moment, as one of the magetubes further along the walkway. This one on the eastern half of the north wall of Almaic. Shoots at the enemy camp, that's further back behind the battlelines.
After the reverberating thud of the magetube firing dies down. The swordmaster Berric is about to ask the sorcerer Dominic something when Ludoc interrupts and says "Look at that, away to the south over the city" followed by "Pretty sure that's the battlecruiser that was moored at the palace".
They look south across the city of Almaic, and indeed they see the running lights of an airship, that's heading westwards over the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
"Hell, things must be bad to the west if they've sent that in" quietly says commander Berric, both the sorcerer Dominic and the experienced guard Ludoc nod their heads in agreement with what the skilled swordmaster from the northern city of Savariss just said.
After speaking with the captain and the spellcasters onboard the warship. The sorcerer Yarrim makes his way to the bow of the airship. And looks to where they're going.
The guardsman Harvin walks up and joins the nobleborn spellcaster in the bow, and quietly says "It's going to be hell for the duke's men down there my lord".
"I know" is the quiet reply of sir Yarrim the sorcerer, who continues with "I've told the captain to not target too closely to the watchtowers".
The nobleman in the red armour, that's reflecting in the light of the slightly shuttered lamp here in the bow, after pausing for a moment or two, quietly says "Even so, our forces who have engaged the enemy might get caught up in the bombardment".
The guardsman from the estate of the nobleborn sorcerer, nods his head at that, as it was something he was expecting once sir Yarrim decided to send this airship into battle tonight.
Then as the battlecruiser starts to slightly turn to starboard, so that it's port side magetubes will be able to fire, the sorcerer Yarrim quietly says "Wonder if that person is still down there?".
"Which one my lord?" asks Harvin, who along with sir Yarrim, were lucky to get out of the battle along the west side of the city a little earlier at dusk.
"The one who sent that ball of whatever the hell it was at us" says the nobleborn spellcaster who is in a relationship with lady Elaine, the younger sister of duke Hargen of Phelm, the lady Elaine who also happens to be the duke's new heir.
Harvin grimaces as he remembers getting hit by the white ball of strange energy that blasted him and sir Yarrim backwards out of an open window.
"I hope not" mutters the member of the powerful sorcerer's personal household guard.
The sorcerer Yarrim faintly smiles, for though he's got no idea how to counter whoever it is that attacked at dusk just outside the city proper. He wants to know who they are, and what it is they actually do. As it isn't magical in anyway, at least as far as sir Yarrim can tell.
Behind them in the bow, are the others of sir Yarrim's personal household guard he's brought along with them.
And they all turn as orders are shouted from the aft deck of the tri-masted warship, where the wheelhouse is located.
The battlecruiser turns more quickly, as they're now quite close to the line of watchtowers that mark where a wall would've normally been built here along the west side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm. And then it begins to tilt down to port as it starts to slow again
A few moments later, and a barrage of twenty five magetubes firing from the port side of the duke's warship rocks the night. Sending magetube shots, ranging from six feet in width to nearly eighteen feet in width. Streak through the night sky, lighting up the night with various colours as they head down towards the ground.
Sir Yarrim as he stands upon the slightly tilted deck, nods his head as he sees the magetube shots are going to hit outside the city proper first.
The captain has ordered his below deck crew to fire upon the warren of buildings and lanes outside the city proper first. Then have them work their way back to the city itself. Marching their line of fire backwards until it's around the watchtowers that mark where a wall would normally be along the west side of the city of Almaic.
"Here we go then" quietly says sir Yarrim as he senses first one, then a second, and then a third enemy spellcaster target the airship.
The powerful sorcerer casts wards in conjunction with the crew's spellcasters to help protect the warship.
While down below, the port side magetube crews are now firing at will. As the battle for the city of Almaic escalates on this warm summer's night here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell . . . . . .