The Lost Ones 26.

Summer. The Island Of Solma. In The Sultanate Of Dreese.

Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy ducks down as a flight of arrows are shot in his direction by the enemy.
The elf from the principality of Alínlae in the Southlands pops back up, and lets the arrow in his own bow fly.
Then he picks up his crossbow on the log next to him, and shoots off a bolt from that as well.
The spy Tanith ducks back down with a slight grin upon his face knowing that there's two less of the enemy he has to contend with.
"Now if only more of them would go and get themselves killed" Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy murmurs to himself as he quickly reloads his crossbow.
They've fought their way inland. After fighting the Viceroy's forces on the south side of the island of Solma, that first day, and into the night.
Getting through the enemy's defenses on the beach took until the end of the afternoon. But it was getting beyond that, and into the tropical forest behind it, that took into the night, and the following morning.
Now it's the following day after that. And the Sultan's army, and his personal guards. Are in a running battle with the Viceroy's forces in the interior of the island.
Dalinvardél Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
Is out infront amongst those leading the assault upon the enemy, who have been using the island of Solma as a stronghold.
Infact the elf from the Southlands, which is on the otherside of the continent.
Is actually amongst the enemy. In a village, upon a hilltop towards the middle of the island.
If there were any locals in the vicinity, they're well and truly gone now. As it's only the combatants from both sides of the war between the two brothers. The Sultan and the Viceroy. Who are in the interior of the island now.
Most if not all of Dreesians who lived here. Have fled north, to that side of the island. There, most of them are leaving the island. Or have left it, as they depart by boat and ship. To islands further north in the chain. That's off the coast of the mainland of Dreese.
Dalin who has taken shelter behind a house in the hilltop village. A house that has a fallen tree across one end of it.
Grabs his crossbow, and runs away to his left, when Narladene the ground pixie suddenly appears beside his head, and says "Run" as she points away to the left.
The elven spy from the principality of Alínlae, where he served in one of the more prominent noble houses of his homeland.
Winces as he runs, as he hears the sounds of war machines from down the hill firing upon the village.
The elf from the Southlands knows that Tovis the war engineer is extremely accurate with the catapults and ballistas he has under his command.
And a few moments later, a large rock clips the house that the spy Tanith was taking shelter behind.
Before slamming into the building that some of the enemy archers who were shooting at Dalin, are in.
The elf who is an officer in the scouts and rangers division in the armies of Farque.
Runs down between the trees on the west side of the village. And spots the trail he took to get up to the hilltop village.
As a handful of burning barrels of pitch pass overhead on their way to the village.
Dalinvardél Tanith waits beside a tree for the Sultan's soldiers he can see down on the trail below, who are heading up this way.
The elven spy from the otherside of the continent, says "Thanks". To Narladene the ground pixie who appears beside him again.
"Any luck?" quietly asks Dalin as he speaks in elven to the naturally magical creature who is attached to Helbe the elven thief.
"Nothing" is the reply from the tiny winged creature. Who then disappears from the sight of the spy Tanith.
The ground pixie from the Sunreach Mountains in the Southlands. Then heads up into the sky.
A few hundred feet up she looks down at the battle taking place around the hill the village is on.
Then as more of the catapults down at the base of the hill, lob up loads of large rocks, bundles of stones, and burning barrels of pitch at the hilltop village. Narladene heads northwards, leaving the battle on the ground behind.
The tiny winged creature who could move much faster through the ground, than she could through the air.
Heads towards an airship in the distance, it's a few miles away to the north.
And the naturally magical creature from the Southlands. Is soon onboard the small, single masted airship that's called the Quick Gull. The smallest and quickest vessel in the fleet of the Sultan of Dreese.
A handful of miles further north, lies the north coast of the island of Solma.
There on the ground, is one of the Sultan's airships, badly damaged and burning. After it confronted some of the Viceroy's airships. Some of which have magetubes. Like a few of the Sultan's airships do.
"Still nothing?" quietly asks Narladene once she lands upon the right shoulder of Helbe the elven thief, who is wandering back aft, having just spent some time on the bow deck.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, which lies off the coast of the Southlands, which is on the otherside of the continent.
Slightly shakes his hooded head no in response to the question from the ground pixie who is attached to him.
"Where's the Sultan?" whispers Helbe the elven thief.
"Still on the beach, on the south side of the island" is the murmured reply from the tiny winged creature standing on the right shoulder of the elven magic user.
"Figures" mutters the elven masterthief who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
The Sultan of Dreese only gets involved in the fighting, when the Sultan of Dreese wants to get involved. And involved, that would be his cadre of spellcasters who are at his disposal.
The supreme ruler of the Sultanate of Dreese only gets into combat with his spellcasters at his side.
Usually at the start of the battle, and towards the end of it. When he, and just about everyone else knows, his army is going to be victorious.
The Sultan hardly ever lets his cadre of spellcasters get involved in any combat when it's heavy, or strong.
He leaves that up to his army. And now more of his personal guards. Who wouldn't normally be in the thick of battle so much. But they are here on the island of Solma.
Which was thought to be a stronghold of the Viceroy's forces. And which it has turned out to be. As the fighting through the tropical forest down below, has been pretty heavy here on the island of Solma.
The elven master archer who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
When he's on the aft deck. Looks over at the representative of the Sultan's court onboard the Quick Gull.
Who is looking more than a little pensive that one of the Sultan's fighting ships, has been knocked out of the sky, and is out of the fight.
"Best keep away from the north shore" quietly says the elven master archer to the Quick Gull's captain.
"Your ship is quick" adds the elven princeling from the Southlands, who continues with "But that's worth nothing if they hit us with a lucky magetube shot".
The captain nods in agreement with the elf from the otherside of the continent. The ship's captain definitely doesn't want his vessel, down on the ground, burning to pieces. Like one of the Sultan's other airships is doing at the moment.
"Did you tell him?" murmurs the highly talented elven magic user.
"He already knew" quietly says Narladene, who continues with "The island isn't that big, he can sense right across it fairly easily" she then adds "He sensed it getting hit and going down".
Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head to that, then he along with the ground pixie and just about everyone else onboard the Quick Gull. Keep an eye out for any more of the Viceroy's airships that could be in the vicinity of the island of Solma.
Meanwhile further south on the island where a running battle is taking place between the forces of the Sultan of Dreese, and his younger brother, the Viceroy of Dreese.
Lord Farque who stands within the tropical forest that covers much of the interior of the island.
Looks up to the hilltop, then waves more of the Sultan's soldiers and personal guards on.
Watching them head through the trees up the hill, which has a village on top of. Where a fair few of the enemy have dug in.
The undead warlord who senses Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy coming back down this way.
Looks down to his right, where Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit stands, who has just said "Heavy fighting here".
The halfling who was previously an air sailor in the Viceroy's forces, continues with "More so than anywhere else we've fought against the Viceroy's men".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque nods his full helmed head in agreement with the hobbit standing next to him.
"Good" quietly says lord Farque, who is speaking in the halfling language, just as Jarjin Littlefoot is.
The hobbit, who in actuality is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson. Who just happens to inhabit the body of the former air sailor.
Knows that the heavily armoured deathlord wants the Sultan's forces, which he effectively leads in all but name only.
To take a hammering as it fights the enemy across the island of Solma.
Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman doesn't know exactly why lord Farque wants that.
But he assumes it has something to do with the release of Mira Reinholt. Which can only be achieved with them defeating all of the Viceroy's forces. And taking the Viceroy prisoner. And bringing him infront of his older brother the Sultan. To face justice for his attempted coup against the Sultan of Dreese.
"One of our ships has gone down" quietly says the lord of the death realm "Over on the north side of the island, one of the fighting ships with the magetubes".
"That's not good" murmurs the former air sailor in the Viceroy's forces.
"You might say that" quietly says undead being, who briefly pauses before adding "Or you might not".
Which earns a quick look from the hobbit, who hails from the mainland of the Sultanate of Dreese.
Jarjin aka Zubutai Timaginson doesn't get to ask anything else in relation to that.
As lord Farque, or Draugadrottin as he's also known by to the people of his lands, says "Dalin's coming back down".
Then the heavily armoured deathlord switches from the halfling language, and in the local dialect, then repeating it in the common language.
The lord of the death realm, who the Sultan's forces know as the dead man, shouts "Head up that fucking hill!" followed by "I want you to clear those bastards out of that village".
To some of the Sultan's men, who have just made their way to the base of the hill, through the tropical forest, that covers a lot of the interior of the island of Solma.
The soldiers and some of the personal guards of the Sultan of Dreese, head up the trail towards the village on top of the hill.
As more and more of their number turn up in this part of the island. After fighting their way north through the interior of the island.
Undead warlord after having a quick word with one of the Sultan's officers, then turns and walks deeper into the tropical forest, followed by Jarjin Littlefoot.
A few moments later Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy joins them, after making his way down the hill which has the village on top of it.
As they look towards the clearing that has a lot of the war machines and equipment under the commandof Tovis the war engineer in it.
Lord Farque asks the elven spy from the principality of Alínlae "Anything?".
"Nothing" is the reply from Dalinvardél Tanith who then adds "That's what Narladene just told me".
"Fuck" mutters the heavily armoured deathlord in a language that both the elf and the hobbit standing next to him, don't understand.
Then the lord and ruler of the lands Farque who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates to, The Destroyer.
Nods his full helmed head, and says in elven "Might be". When the spy Tanith says "He might not be on the island at all".
They are of course referring to the Viceroy, the younger brother of the Sultan of Dreese. Who led an attempted coup against his older brother.
As a couple of the nearby catapults lob their loads up towards the village on top of the hill.
The spy Tanith says "They're quite dug in up there" followed by "And from what i saw, there's a lot of them".
The undead being nods, as he has sensed how many lives are up on the hilltop above.
Then he looks towards the clearing as Beldane the cleric, who is with Tovis the war engineer, and the squads operating the war machines.
Has spotted them standing amongst the trees nearby, and is making his way over to them.
"We could go around them, and just let them sit up there" says Draugadrottin who continues with "But where would be the fun in that?".
Then the lord of the death realm adds "Besides, that fat fucking cunt, the Sultan wants them wiped out, so that's what we're doing".
Beldane the cleric joins them, and asks in the common language "Any sign of him?".
"Nothing" is the reply of the undead warlord.
"Hmmm wonder where he is?" murmurs the fighting cleric who is a member of the church of Glaine.
"He might not be on the island at all" quietly says Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy as they hear Tovis the war engineer shouting out orders from the nearby clearing.
"Or he could be" says Jarjin Littlefoot, next to the former air sailor in the Viceroy's forces, the heavily armoured deathlord slightly nods in agreement with the halfling from the mainland of Dreese.
Des'tier and the rest of the group know that the Viceroy, like his older brother, is a spellcaster.
Though not a particular powerful one, especially in comparison to his brother the Sultan.
And the lord and ruler of the lands Farque has sensed quite a few spellcasters amongst the enemy across the entire island, who aren't powerful at all. And any one of them could be the Viceroy.
As well as others who have just left the island of Solma, or who are in the process of leaving, by sea and air, from the north side of the island.
"He's still here, or he's just left" quietly says the undead being which gets the attention of the others.
"He must of realised that once we got more than halfway across the island, he wouldn't be able to hold it anymore" adds Draugadrottin, who continues with "Though that's not stopping his forces from putting up a fight".
As the battle here on the island of Solma has been by far the toughest in the war between the two brothers, the Sultan and the Viceroy.
"We'll have to make sure we take some more prisoners, and question them before we kill them" says the lord of the death realm, who follows that with "Any information whatsoever about the Viceroy is vital".
As the heavily armoured deathlord, whose nation is all the way on the otherside of the continent.
Has important plans for the Viceroy of Dreese. Though they're plans that can only be fulfilled if the Viceroy, the younger brother of the Sultan, is captured alive.
He's no good to me dead, lord Farque sourly thinks to himself, who then tells the others what they'll do once they take the village up on the hill infront of them, that a number of the enemy have are in.
The undead warlord then says to the others "And hopefully Helbe and that gnat of his can locate the Viceroy, or at least any word of where he could be" he then silently adds, because it's fucking vital we find him, and that he's alive too . . . . . .