The Journey 40.

Autumn. Cimvac. Dolparn. Terrindim.

"Damn it" mutters lord Ganulf as a bit of burning debris crashes down beside him.
The lord of Highsun looks up at the half built airship above him that's ablaze as he runs underneath it.
Silently praying to the gods Glaine, Galavin and Torros that it doesn't fall on top of him in a burning pyre.
Waving smoke out of the way of his face, he grins as he's got clear from beneath the half built airship that's well and truly alight.
The nobleman from the northern province of Hanamede swings up his sword as a screaming man runs at him through the smoke, swinging a sword of his own.
It's one of the Golmard guards, who staggers, and gurgles in pain, after lord Ganulf whips his sword across the enemy guard's throat.
The lord of the city of Highsun, advisor to crown prince Waniq, continues on his way.
As all around him, the largest shipbuilding yard in the city of Cimvac, here in the eastern province of Dolparn, burns this night.
Lord Ganulf peers through the smoke, and after he flinches as there's a large explosion somewhere behind him.
And he looks up and spots the dragon Sunflame flying above the shipbuilding yard this night.
He dashes away to his right through the smoke when he hears voices in that direction.
The nobleman from the mountainous north of the kingdom, just hopes it's the Balford company he came to city of Cimvac with this night.
Looking away through the smoke as he's behind some of the others, able airman Orvick spots someone approaching from their left.
The teenage airman with the clubfoot who has kept close to Cedric the bosun, as the company along with the dragon Sunflame has set this massive shipbuilding yard on fire.
Can see pretty clearly even though it's nighttime, and there's a lot of smoke about. As the fires give off a lot of light to see by
The able airman, who previously served on the battlecruiser the Dragon's Revenge. Sees who it's that's coming their way.
"My lord this way!" calls out able airman Orvick.
Lord Ganulf hears his new aide, and runs towards him. He soon sees Orvick, along with his offsider Cedric. And about a dozen soldiers in the company from the Balford faction.
"Right lads" calls out the bosun Cedric, followed by "That way, now hurry".
The lord of Highsun wryly smiles, as he sees that they're all wearing cloths or scarves wrapped around their faces, to help them breathe with all this smoke that's about.
He should of done likewise, but he was too busy trying to see if they had set every warship and other vessels on fire, here in the yard, that exclusively builds airships for the Golmard faction.
"Thought we had lost you my lord" says the young able airman who is from the capital city Fanile.
"I thought i was lost too" sourly says the advisor to crown prince Waniq as he and his aide follow the others.
The way they're going, the smoke is starting to thin out, as a bit of a breeze starts to pick up, here in the largest shipbuilding yard in the city of Cimvac.
They run into a couple of enemy guards, who stagger through the smoke.
The soldiers in the Balford faction easily, and quickly cut them down. As behind them, an airdock that's well and truly ablaze, collapses.
Sending sparks, and burning debris, flying up into the night sky.
The burning shipyard can be seen across the city, which is one of the largest cities in the eastern region of the kingdom.
"Through the fence!" calls out the bosun Cedric when he spots some of the others in their company, running through a section of the wooden fence surrounding the shipbuilding yard. That looks like it's been blasted with a spell. That's exactly what's happened to it.
And the twelve Balford soldiers, along with lord Ganulf, his offsider, and his aide.
Follow some of the others in their company through the gap in the fence. While behind them, the massive shipbuilding yard continues to burn.
"That's the first bit done" says the lord of Highsun, who coughs from the smoke.
Next to him, his aide, able airman Orvick, who even with his clubfoot, and his limping gait, easily keeps pace with the advisor to prince Waniq.
Tightly grins as to what they've accomplished so far this night, and in fairly quick time too.
Those with cloths and scarves covering their faces, quickly take them off. As people have come out onto the streets, to see what's happening.
Hoping that his offsider Cedric, who is leading the group, knows where he's going, lord Ganulf asks his new aide "You know where we're going Orvick?".
The lord of Highsun, who is the advisor to the crown prince of Terrindim, continues with "Or where the hell we are?".
"Ah" says the able airman in a hesitant tone, who continues on with "We're in Cimvac" followed by "To another one of the targets".
As they and the others hurry down a street, lord Ganulf looks sideways at his aide, and sourly smiles.
The nobleman from the northern province of Hanamede sees his aide, with a tight grin upon his face as they follow the others.
The lord of the city of Highsun, who was previously in the Salmain faction, until he quit, and joined the Balford faction a few years ago.
Can't help but grin as he looks at the teenage airman, who is limping along beside him.
"Indeed we are Orvick" says lord Ganulf with a chuckle, followed by "Indeed we are".
A short while later, and they find themselves in a dark alleyway. The lord of the city of Highsun, followed by his aide. Pushes forward, to where his offsider, the bosun Cedric is standing at the other end of alleyway.
"You know where you're going Cedric?" quietly asks the advisor to the crown prince.
"Er" says Cedric the bosun "I guess i do my lord" adds the offsider to lord Ganulf.
The well known, and rather accomplished nobleborn duelist, frowns then asks "You sure about that?" he follows that with "Have you lived here in Cimvac before?".
The lord of Highsun frowns, then he adds "I thought you were from the capital?".
"I am my lord" says the senior bosun, who previously served alongside able airman Orvick, onboard the battlecruiser the Dragon's Revenge.
"And i know exactly where we're going" adds Cedric, who is lord Ganulf's new offsider, he briefly pauses, before saying "I've got an image in my mind on where to go, and to what streets to go by, to get there".
The nobleman from the mountainous north of the kingdom of Terrindim grunts, then he asks "Sunflame?".
"That's who my lord" replies the bosun Cedric, who along with able airman Orvick, and lord Ganulf himself.
Are the only survivors of the Balford faction's battlecruiser, the Dragon's Revenge. Which was destroyed in battle against the Golmard faction, in the central province of Smalsare.
The senior bosun, who is more than capable with the sabre like sword he wields, who is getting directions on where to go from the dragon Sunflame, says to lord Ganulf "We go left here, then turn the next right, and cross a square" followed by "It's on the first street on the west side of the square".
Cedric the bosun pauses for a moment, then he says "Sir Solvik and Sunflame are fighting an enemy dragon now".
They all hear the two dragons in the night sky above the city of Cimvac roar, followed by a pair of explosions.
Slightly grimacing, the advisor to prince Waniq says "They better live" followed in a dry tone with "They're our way back to the capital".
Then the nobleman from the northern province of Hanamede, says to the air sailor who he recently made his offsider "Lead the way Cedric".
The senior bosun in the air fleets of the Balford faction, looks out of the alleyway, looks both ways, then turns left.
Lord Ganulf and his aide Orvick let the rest of the group go by. Then they make their way behind them.
As they quickly walk down a street that heads around to the right, and goes to a city square.
Able airman Orvick quietly asks the advisor to the crown prince of Terrindim "Think it'll work my lord?".
Looking back in the general direction they've come from, where he can see the glow of the burning shipbuilding yard, lord Ganulf says "Sure thing".
The lord of the city of Highsun continues with "The first part is working" followed by "And that's the most important" he then says "The second part is a bonus really" lord Ganulf then silently adds, a damn good bonus hopefully.
They hurry across the square, and those people there, rush to get out of their way. As a group of armed and armoured men moving about at night, can mean only one thing.
One faction in a faction war, is going to attack their enemy. Which is indeed what's happening here in the city of Cimvac, in the eastern province of Dolparn.
They head down the west facing street from the city square. Shouts can be heard down the street, as members of their company are already there.
Fighting can be heard coming from quite a well maintained two storey house. And what looks to be a warehouse that's adjacent to it.
"Just set it alight" says lord Ganulf who has noticed that two of the soldiers with them, are carrying two of the smaller barrels that they've brought with them from the city of Fanile.
With the help of bosun Cedric, one of the soldiers throws the barrel he's been carrying, right through a glass window on the ground floor of the house.
Hearing the sound of fighting coming from inside, senior bosun Cedric shouts "Get out of there!".
Hoping that those of the Balford faction who are inside fighting, quickly get out of the house.
Lord Ganulf, gestures for his aide Orvick to help the other soldier, who is pouring the contents of his barrel along the front of the house.
The lord of Highsun's new offsider shouts out again "Get out of there!".
Then he quickly backs away from the smashed in glass window. As one of the soldiers, who has swiped one of the lit street lamps.
Biffs it inside, which is followed by a loud whooshing sound, then fire erupts in the ground floor room.
Which is followed by more fire as the swamp gas poured along the front of the house catches alight.
"Think he's in my lord?" asks Orvick the aide.
"One can hope so" says the nobleman from the mountainous north of the kingdom as the fire starts spreading quickly, with flames leaping over to adjoining warehouse.
"But i doubt it" adds the advisor to prince Waniq, the crown prince of Terrindim.
As they watch the residence of senior admiral Talarg catch on fire.
Sir Talarg, who is a senior admiral in the fleet of the Golmard faction.
Who oversees a lot of the shipbuilding taking place in the largest of shipbuilding yards, here in the city of Cimvac.
"Round the back!" calls out the bosun Cedric, who waves around to the Balford faction soldiers with them, to get around to the back of the house.
"We've got to go my lord" says the the newly appointed offsider to lord Ganulf.
"Sunflame doesn't know if he can wait long enough to send up back to the capital" quietly adds the bosun Cedric.
"For all our sakes, i hope he can" mutters the advisor to prince Ganulf, as they follow Cedric to around the back of the house that's well and truly on fire.
There's a few scuffles with enemy guards and soldiers coming out of the house, and others who have been in the adjacent warehouse.
The Balford faction's soldiers attack them, as since more of them have turned up from fleeing the burning shipbuilding yards.
They make short work of the enemy soldiers, who definitely didn't expect what's happened this night, to what's actually happening.
There's a park behind the burning two storey house.
And as Sunflame the dragon, engages with an enemy dragon up in the cool night sky above the city of Cimvac, here in the province of Dolparn.
A rift suddenly appears in the park, obviously too large to be cast by a human spellcaster.
"Through the rift!" shouts Cedric the bosun, lord Ganulf echoes that. And soldiers in the Balford faction start running through the large rift.
Amongst the last of the company to go through the rift, is the nobleman from the province of Hanamede, and his offsider, and young aide.
"Always escaping through a rift eh lads" dryly says lord Ganulf to the members of his staff. Which is his aide, and his offsider.
Both able airman Orvick, and bosun chuckle at that, as they run through the rift alongside lord Ganulf, and return to the capital city of Fanile.
The last through is the company captain. Well last through on the ground that is.
As the rift suddenly expands after the company captain came through it.
The dragon Sunflame and his rider fly out through the rift, which disappears behind him.
And the dragon circles above the staging grounds of the Balford faction here in the capital city.
While those who returned to the city of Fanile, cheers him and his rider.
"A good start" says lord Ganulf to his new staff, all two of them.
The lord of the city of Highsun then pats his tunic and leather vest, to free himself of the soot and ash covering him.
Then the advisor to the crown prince dryly adds "I need a bath".
Then he grins, as the hasty plans he came up with this afternoon, actually seem to have been successful.
Something he wasn't entirely sure of, as lord Ganulf didn't expect them to work so easily.
But they did, much to his surprise, which causes the lord of Highsun to grin again . . . . . .