The Journey 16.

Autumn. The Province Of Smalsare. The Kingdom Of Terrindim.

"They've turned off" says Helbe the elven thief.
"Something must of happened" says Mira Reinholt the mage as they see the new arrivals turn off from chasing part of the Balford fleet that's fleeing to the south.
"The rest of that fleet should fuck off as well" says lord Farque referring to the Balford fleet.
"Because if that new bunch turn on them, they'll be decimated" adds the undead warlord as they watch the battle from the bow deck of the Quick Gull.
"Well, looks like they're turning towards them" quietly says Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit, the others nod, then the halfling from the far eastern coastal nation of Dreese, adds "Though it looks like they're going to stand off".
As in the distance to the south and west of the hill the Quick Gull is infront of.
They see the new arrivals from a third faction, slowing down in the sky. So much so, that their three dragons start to lazily circle in the air. With one of the blue shaded dragons heading down to the ground. Where the Balford army has already withdrawn. And the Golmard army is in pursuit of them.
While up above in the morning sky, here in the central districts of the province of Smalsare.
At least two thirds of the Balford faction's fleet are still engaged with the Golmard faction's fleet.
Fighting ships from both sides of battle are being destroyed and damaged.
Though it's obvious, even from this distance. That the Golmard faction has the upper hand. As they have more dragons than their opponents, even though they've just lost one in this battle.
After looking around, and seeing Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy, standing with Tovis the war engineer, and Beldane the cleric along the starboard rail in a midships.
Who like the entire crew of the sleek looking airship that was previously in the Sultanate of Dreese's fleet. Are watching the battle in the sky to the southwest.
Lord Farque then glances at Helbe the elven thief who is standing to his left. The heavily armoured deathlord looks at the right shoulder of the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel.
"You see or sense anything out of the ordinary just before that new lot turned off?" asks the lord and ruler in the lands Farque who speaks quietly in the ground pixie language.
"Hmmmmm not really" says Narladene the ground pixie who speaks quietly in her own language too.
The tiny winged creature who is attached to the highly talented elven magic user, and whose senses are almost as good, though not quite, as lord Farque's own, thinks about something for a moment, then quietly says "Someone cast a rift on one those fleeing ships at the back as it was destroyed by one of the red dragons".
The undead warlord, who is known by the name of Draugadrottin to the people of his lands, slightly nods his full helmed head, as he sensed that as well.
And didn't think much of it. Apart from it being a desperate attempt from one of the spellcasters onboard that particular warship in the Balford fleet.
To get themselves and others off the doomed airship. The deathlord of Farque sensed a few people go through that rift before the wizard who cast it was killed.
He didn't think much of it at the time. But since it happened just before the new arrivals turned away. It might of more significance than he realised.
"You want me to go and have a snoop around at things?" asks Narladene, who grins as Helbe the elven thief rolls his eyes, as he can't understand a thing she and the undead warlord are talking about.
After a moment thinking about it, the undead being who has the elven name of Des'tier, which means, the Destroyer, says "No".
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque, who thinks Narladene is a annoying gnat most of the time. Knows that she's perfectly safe from anything magical the dragons do. But there is a small chance she could be physically harmed by them. Especially considering there's quite a few dragons in and around the battle to the southwest of the hill they've landed infront of. Here amongst the rich farmland in this part of the province of Smalsare.
Annoying gnat or not, even he won't risk the ground pixie, just to get a closer look at the battle.
Which with every passing moment, is turning in favour of the Golmard faction, and getting worse and worse for the Balford faction.
"Hope that new lot don't turn back this way, and come near us" says Helbe the elven thief after lord Farque and Narladene finish their conversation in the ground pixie language.
"I don't fancy facing three dragons" dryly adds the young elven noble who is part of the royal family that rules the elven principality of Laerel, which lies off the coast of the Southlands.
"You?" says Mira Reinholt the mage with a slight smile upon his face "Who has killed two dragons himself?" adds the once powerful mage, who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil.
"Let's face it, i just finished them off" dryly says the highly talented elven magic user, who nods his hooded head to the side at Des'tier, and adds "His lordship all but killed that first one in Leeabra".
The mage Reinholt grunts at that, as that refers to the dragon who was his friend. Who bit off the lower half of his left arm. And briefly killed him in the capital city of the kingdom of Druvic.
"And that other one had a dwarven dreadnought crash on it" continues the elven masterthief who then adds in an extremely dry tone of voice with "Not to mention those two raving lunatics Dorc and Percy were on it, attacking it, the same time they were trying to kill each other".
Jarjin Littlefoot grunts, then rolls his eyes at the mention of that.
As that was the battle in the southern kingdom of Melaurn in the Southlands.
When he as Zubutai the barbarian hordesman first died. And was brought back to life by lord Farque, who was in his own lands to the north at the time.
Who brought the hordes outrider back to life into the body of one of dwarven crew members of that particular dreadnought.
"I missed that one" dryly says Mira Reinholt the mage, who was offworld at that particular time.
"Lucky you" dryly says Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman, who out of all his deaths, remembers that one, his own one, most vividly.
The elven princeling from Laerel softly chuckles then falls silent and nods his hooded head, when next to him, lord Farque dryly says "I don't fancy facing a trio of dragons" followed by "One or two i could deal with" then adds in a sour tone "Fuck facing three at once".
The others on the bow with him, who are three members of his personal council nod in agreement. As they know the heavily armoured deathlord is their best protection against any dragon. For the simple reason he's the one who can best kill them.
Draugadrottin briefly pauses before he says "Though" he pauses again before continuing with "These dragons don't seem as tough or as ruthless as dragons elsewhere".
The undead warlord who is of the opinion that the dragons here in the kingdom of Terrindim, which is in the eastern half of the continent.
Are inhibited due to their close personal relationships with humans. So much so that they allow humans to ride upon them. Something you wouldn't see a dragon anywhere else in the world do.
"The only one that looked remotely like a dragon elsewhere" says Des'tier, who continues with "Is that large orange Balford one that killed the maroon coloured one from the Golmard faction".
"I agree" says the mage Reinholt, who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
"These dragons here, are no where near as lethal as others elsewhere" adds the once powerful mage, who has been good friends with two dragons in his lifetime.
One of whom was the dragon Mor, who was and still is, one of the senior lecturers at the Mage College of Vexil.
The spellcaster who is a highly skilled swordmaster just shakes his hooded head at the image of his older teacher Mor, having a human in a saddle upon his back like a horse.
His old teacher wouldn't take to kindly to that. Infact Mira knows old Mor would clearly think that just the idea of it being as totally ridiculous. As no self thinking dragon would do such a thing.
Old Mor would have a fucking fit if he saw the dragons in this kingdom, Mira Reinholt thinks to himself, the exiled Vexilian mage then silently adds, and I'm pretty sure he'd laugh himself fucking stupid at the names the dragons here have.
"They're fucked" states Jarjin Littlefoot as they now see some of the Balford fleet who are engaged with the Golmard fleet, are trying to break off and flee. Like one of their wings has already done.
"They've got no chance in one's and two's like they're trying to escape in now" adds the halfling who is a former air sailor in the Sultanate of Dreese's fleet.
Lord Farque, Mira Reinholt and Helbe the elven thief all nod in agreement with the hobbit, who in actuality is a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to find himself inhabiting the body of Jarjin Littlefoot.
As they watch the destruction of a large portion of the Balford fleet here in the province of Smalsare, in the central region of the kingdom of Terrindim.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque hopes that the victorious fleet, which looks like it's more and more likely going to be Golmard fleet. Don't decide to fly west, the direction that they're going.
For the simple reason that they might have to take a detour on their way westwards across the kingdom.
He also hopes the new arrivals, don't go that way too. As they will make their journey westwards even more difficult.
"They're done for" says the mage Reinholt referring to the Balford fleet.
The spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Who knows a fair bit about aerial combat between airships. As he's been in an awful lot of them over the years, continues with "It's not even midmorning, hell it's still early morning and they've been defeated".
"Think they could had a chance if that lot at the back hadn't of pulled out?" asks the Vexilian swordmaster in exile with a glance at the large heavily armoured figure in the dark blue/black full heavy plate armour.
"I doubt it" says Draugadrottin, who briefly pauses before he adds "Especially if that new lot joined the frey".
The undead warlord is silent for a few moments, before he quietly adds "Whatever that new bunch was up to, they were thwarted by something in the battle".
The lord of the death realm nods his full helmed head in the direction of the battle in the sky to the southwest of them, and he adds "Look at them" followed by "They're just hanging around to watch the end of the battle now".
It's clear to see that the fleet and dragons of the third faction are just observing things.
As they're back well off from the battle that's quickly drawing to an end.
Even when a couple of badly damaged Golmard warships fly their way.
The vessels in the third faction give them a wide as berth as possible. Getting well out of the way of the disabled ships as possible.
As across the sky, more and more of what's left of the Balford faction try to break away, and flee to the south.
Not even the remaining Balford dragons can help stop the inevitable defeat.
Especially once the flagship of their senior admiral, the senior admiral Yammick is destroyed.
Not by any of the Golmard dragons, or for that matter, any of the Golmard spellcasters on their warships.
His battlecruiser is destroyed when he takes the wheel himself as he finally decides to flee.
And he turns it into the starboard side of a cutter in his own fleet. Which is trying to get clear, as it too has decided to flee.
The triple masted flagship of the Balford forces here in the province of Smalsare cuts the smaller warship in two. In the process ripping away it's own bow section, and it's fore mast.
The Balford flagship starts to drop out of the sky and break apart with the prince's relative, senior admiral Yammick at the wheel.
A position he should never of been at. Just like the post of senior admiral. Which he should never of been given.
Down on the ground, just infront of a hill, and few hundred yards behind a farmhouse, and it's out buildings.
Onboard the Quick Gull, the small, sleek looking single masted vessel that served as a scout ship in the fleet of the Sultanate of Dreese.
They watch the battle come to an end, and though it started at dawn. It's over well before midmorning. Infact it's not even halfway to midmorning.
And as the Golmard warships and their surviving dragons break off from the battle after decimating their opponents.
What's left of the Balford faction scatter in all directions as they attempt to flee.
"Here we go" quietly says Helbe the elven thief who continues with "They're moving".
As they watch the fleet of the third faction that turned up in the middle of the battle. Are now on the move.
And though the Golmard fleet let quite a few of their enemy retreat. As a fair bit of their own fleet has been destroyed or badly damaged.
Not so the third faction, who move to intercept some of the defeated Balford fleet who are fleeing.
"Let's see who does what first" says Mira Reinholt the mage.
"The Balford's" says lord Farque a few moments later, a moment later, Narladene the ground pixie nods her head in agreement as she stands upon the right shoulder of the young elven noble she's attached to.
As she, like lord Farque has already sensed. A practitioner of magic upon one of the damaged Balford warships that's fleeing, is going to cast. 
A fireball streaks across the morning sky from a damaged war galley in the Balford fleet. Heading towards one of the third faction's vessels that's blocking it's path.
The fireball splatters harmlessly off the that particular warship in the third fleet.
Which doesn't retaliate. But one of the three dragons in their fleet does.
A dark blue dragon sweeps up and over that particular warship in the third fleet. And dives down towards the oncoming war galley from the Balford fleet.
The dark blue coloured dragon doesn't cast anything, nor does it spew fire from it's maw.
Instead it just crashes down onto the already damaged war galley in the Balford fleet.
Smashing through it in flight, breaking apart the Balford warship that's attempting to flee.
The dark blue dragon drops down, shaking itself, to get rid of broken bits of the war galley that's on it. As the Balford vessel is in multiple pieces as it falls through the sky towards the ground.
"Well, i guess that's what they're doing then" quietly says Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit in a dry tone of voice , the former air sailor from the far east coast of the continent continues with "Attacking those Balford ships that are trying to get away".
The third faction, the Salmain faction, who have only attacked once the Golmard faction broke off from the battle after clearly being victorious.
And only after one of the fleeing Balford faction's vessels attacked one of their's.
Uses all fifty or so of their warships, along with their dragons of various shades of blue.
To attack the remains of the Balford fleet. Whilst the Golmard faction stand off, well back in the air from what's happening.
The damaged vessels in the Balford fleet have no chance against fifty fighting ships, and a trio of dragons, who are fresh, and ready for a fight.
After a while as they watch things in silence, Jarjin aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman points then says "There's a handful of ships getting away to the south".
"They're letting them get away" says lord Farque as there's four of the damaged Balford warships fleeing to the south, who are not being pursued by the third faction's vessels and dragons.
"They want the rest of their faction to know what's happened here this morning" adds the undead warlord as they watch the last of the Balford vessels being destroyed.
While the final remaining Balford dragon that hasn't already fled. Disappears in the sky through a rift that it has just cast.
As debris and burning airships fall out of the morning sky towards the rich farmland here in the central districts of the province of Smalsare.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque quietly says "Now we wait and see which way all this lot go".
The heavily armoured deathlord briefly pauses before he continues on with "We might have to turn away to the north or south to fucking avoid them all".
As they already know, that innocent airships who get caught up in the middle of the wars between the factions here in the kingdom of Terrindim. Don't fare all that well.
As they tend to attack anyone who gets too close to their fleets. It's how they got caught up in an earlier battle between the Balford and Golmard factions, further east in the province of Darnass.
"We wait?" asks Helbe the elven thief with a glance at the undead being standing next to him.
"We wait" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque as they watch the end of the battle on this cool autumn morning, here over the farmlands in the central districts of the province of Smalsare . . . . . .