The General & The Knight 38.

Winter. The Unruled Lands.

They travel throughout the rest of the day. Occasionally seeing the airship they spotted earlier in the day.
When they stop at dusk for camp. Then nightfalls, they finally lose sight of the vessel.
Even Dorc da Orc is unable to see it. As it has gone and landed somewhere. Quite some distance from where they've stopped for the night on the coast.
They make camp in and around a clump of four trees overlooking a beach on one of the many sandy bays that can be found up and down the coastline.
They make a brief fire to cook their evening meal. And put it out afterwards. As the night is relatively mild. Especially considering it's the end of winter.
Even the constant, but gentle breeze blowing off the ocean. Doesn't do much to drop the nighttime temperature.
They're up early the next morning. Including general Dorc, who woke earlier when the last pair of recruits came on guard.
After packing up camp, the ten teenage recruits of the first group. Along with their two instructors who are on patrol with them. Here in the unruled lands north of the border.
Continue on their way up the coast as the first light of the day touches the horizon away to the east.
As usual as they walk, Dorc da Orc either glares at the ocean to their left. Or scowls at his bitter rival sir Percavellé Lé Dic.
Doesn't matter if the nobleborn knight is at the front of the line of march, or if he's at the rear. The large ork will scowl at him. Usually thinking of ways he can kill the former paladin by, and get away with it.
The only time he isn't doing that. Is when the ork warleader is at the front. Walking with Hamblin the teenage recruit. Who asks him if he can see that airship this morning.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world scans the skies. And is unable to see the twin masted ship this morning.
Hamblin who is the unofficial leader of the first group. Who are out here on patrol in the unruled lands.
Wonders if that airship headed further inland during the night, or earlier this morning.
Or if it's continued northwards. But is flying more normally, compared to how slowly it was flying yesterday when they were watching it.
Nevertheless, the young teenage army recruit from the farming village of Polsten. Which is located forty five miles to the southeast of the forest town of Gildin Dale.
Has Dorc da Orc regularly check the skies all around them as they continue on their way northwards along the coast.
The rest of the morning is pretty uneventful. Apart from when they have to go inland nearly a mile. As a bay, the largest one so far. Forces them inland.
The massive bay, which looks to have fairly deep waters. Would be an ideal spot for a city and a harbour. That's if people actually lived here.
They follow the inside of the bay, where they spot a few wrecked small fishing boats.
Which no doubt are from the town they're heading to. Which over the years have been caught out by the tides in the bay.
The ten teenage army recruits from throughout the northwest of the lands Farque.
Along with the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world. And the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic.
Briefly stop just north of the wide bay around midday. To have something to eat and drink.
Once again the ork warleader is unable to see any sign of the airship they saw yesterday.
Nor does the recruit Hamblin when he takes out the brass, cylindrical eyepiece he has in his pack.
And he too scans the skies, especially to the east, and to the north. For the airship they watched yesterday flying slowly to the north, further inland from where they're on the coast.
The patrol from the Farqian border town of Halmard continue on their way.
Continuing north along the coast. As they head to a coastal town here in the unruled lands. That they're to observe without any of the inhabitants knowing that they're about.
It's later in the afternoon, when they start noticing signs of civilization. As they see just in from the coast. What looks like to be pastures for grazing animals. That have gone fallow over the winter.
It's when they spot a well a hundred yards or so inlaid from where they're walking near the shoreline.
That Dorc da Orc, who is walking with Hamblin the teenage recruit says "Smoke" the large ork continues with "Me smell fucken smoke".
Hamblin shares a look with his fellow recruit Maselle. And in the elven language tells her to run ahead to join Lamis who is out scouting infront at the moment. To see if they can spot anything.
As Maselle runs ahead, and the rest of the group continue on their way, Hamblin the teenage recruit asks the ork warleader "How far away do you think that smoke is general?".
With a shrug of his massive shoulders, the ork weaponsmith replies with "Few miles me guess".
Hamblin nods his head when he hears that. For if his maps are accurate. And they have been so far. Then the town they're heading to, is only a few miles away.
A little later, towards the end of the afternoon. They spot Maselle running back down a rise in the coast. One of the many headlands that jut out into the ocean.
The teenage recruit stops about halfway to them. And waves them on, and gives them the signal to hurry.
The teenage recruits, along with the ork general and the foreign knight who are bitter rivals, jog forward.
Hurrying up the rise that Maselle and Lamis are up, looking down the otherside.
Once at the top of the rise, they all duck down as Maselle and Lamis are doing.
And while Dorc da Orc grunts, and a kneeling sir Percavellé Lé Dic murmurs "Hmmmmm".
It's Golmard who voices what all the recruits are thinking "Well, i guess we know where that airship got to".
As just to the north of them, along a massive stretch of the coastline that has a beach which must be at least two and half to three miles long. As it curves away to the northwest into the ocean.
There lies a town, towards this end of the long beach. A few hundred yards from the headlands the teenage recruits and their two instructors are up.
A lot of the town is a smoking ruin. With the smoke blowing away inland and to the north by the inshore winds.
The town which they were to observe, while going unnoticed by it's inhabitants.
Has obviously been attacked sometime earlier today. By the looks of it, in the morning sometime.
"I do say, i believe that ship and those fellows on it must be raiders, wot" says sir Percavellé Lé Dic as he breaks the silence as they continue to look down at the town on the long beach below them.
Hamblin nods his head in agreement with the heavily armoured knight.
The unofficial leader of the first group of recruits is looking through the eyepiece.
Scanning the skies in all directions. And seeing no sign of that airship anywhere. He goes back to looking at the town below.
"Doesn't look to be many survivors" quietly says Hamblin as he sees bodies scattered throughout the burnt out remains of the town.
"If any" adds the teenage army recruit from the farming village of Polsten.
Glancing sideways at the ork warleader beside him, Hamblin asks him "Anyone alive down there general?".
"Fuck all" says Dorc da Orc, who continues on with "And they is dying".
The unofficial leader of the first group of recruits looks at the large ork, then at the nobleborn knight away to their left.
And though those are the adults with them. Young Hamblin who at just thirteen, isn't sure if he should trust them with making any decisions on how they should proceed.
"What should we do?" quietly asks Maselle in the elven language, who then has a pointed look at the ork general and the foreign knight.
"Go down and see how things fare?" adds Maselle, who follows that with "Might be some survivors who can tell us what happened".
She then says "If it was that airship, which it probably was, it might head down to our lord's lands" followed by "We'll have to warn the garrison at Halmard if they do".
Hamblin nods, then looks at the rest of the recruits in the group who have been listening to Maselle.
The thirteen year old farm boy, who before the winter began. Never thought at the very end of winter, and at the end of their training. He would be put in a situation like this.
The unofficial leader of the first of the four groups who have lived and trained in the forest town of Gildin Dale for most of the winter. Before coming out to the coast.
Looks at the two instructors again, then after a few moments of silence as he thinks about things, Hamblin says in the common language "Well go down there and see how things are" followed by "And see what we can find out".
Dorc da Orc grunts to that, while sir Percavellé Lé Dic says "Here, here lad" the former paladin then adds "Very good decision there young Hamblin" followed by "Wot".
They find a trail that goes down the side of the headlands to the beach, and as the sun starts to head down in the sky to west, over The Great Western Ocean.
The teenage Farqian army recruits and two of their instructors this winter, enter the coastal town. Which is the closest settlement to the northern border of the lands Farque. About forty or so miles north of the border town of Halmard.
As they enter the burnt out ruins of the town, and Hamblin tells the others to spread out, and search for survivors.
Sir Percavellé Lé Dic says "Beast don't profane the dead by eating them". He knows the large ork too well. And has seen the ork warleader drooling already before they've even come across the first dead body.
With a guilty look at the recruits who are closest, the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks, says in a tone of disdain "Whatev's cunt" followed by "Dorc not do something fucken shitty like that".
Which earns a sour looking smile directed at him by the member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che.
Hamblin, who like all the recruits. Not just those in the first group. But all four of the groups who were living and training in the forest town of Gildin Dale, before coming out to the coast at the end of winter.
Knows about the ork general's rather unsavoury habits. Such as eating the corpses of the dead, among other things.
Has the ork warleader stay by his side as they enter the village. As does the former paladin sir Percavellé, who wants to keep an eye on the large ork.
While the rest of the group of recruits spread out to find anyone who might of survived the attack upon the coastal town.
Hamblin looks away to the left, back towards the beach. Where near some of the fishing boats that have been hauled up the sand. Lie a number of dead bodies.
And with the ork general and the foreign knight walking right behind him.
He walks around a house that's half burnt to the ground, and is still smoldering.
Out infront of it, he finds Jinsa kneeling down near two bodies, a woman and young girl. Both dead, both killed by arrows.
"Shot from above" says Jinsa as she gets up and points at the two bodies lying face down on the ground.
"See the angle of the arrows in their backs, and that one down in the right shoulder of the little girl" adds Jinsa who is the best archer in the group.
"I'd say they were definitely shot from that airship" continues the teenage girl, whose father is a master archer in their lord's armies.
Dorc da Orc, or Dorkindle which is his given name, grunts in agreement with Jinsa.
Then points across to the front of another house, where the body of a man lies.
"See his fucken brains splattered all over the place" says the warleader of the ork race, who continues on with "Some cunt drops somethin' on him from above".
Dorkindle looks around, then points and says "There, that fucken rock". As there's a blood splattered rock that's bounced about twenty feet away from the dead man.
Hamblin nods, and realises that their suspicions about the airship attacking the beachside town is true.
The unofficial leader of the group of teenage recruits says "Keep looking for survivors".
He looks at the big, burly ork from the frozen bottom of the world and asks him "Can you smell any of the townsfolk still alive general?".
The large ork grunts, then points away to their right along a street that leads away from the beach, and says "Fucken thataway".
They head that way, the teenager from the farming village of Polsten in northwest Farque. The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world. And the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic.
"Poor horsey" murmurs the ork warleader as they walk by a dead horse.
Hamblin looks away to their right, and sees that Claradene has gathered the reins of two other horses who are aimlessly roaming around.
They continue on between the houses and buildings in the town. And as dusk takes hold. They come across Furnid walking through the burnt out shell of a house.
Who calls out to them with "Maselle and Marshay have found someone still alive back here".
They follow the young recruit through the burnt out house. And around what seems to be a chandlers. Which though burnt, is still somewhat intact.
Around infront of it they find the two teenage girls Maselle and Marshay with a townsman.
He's on the ground, with a badly broken right leg. And a pair of arrows through his back.
As Marshay gives the man some water from her canteen.
Maselle says in elven "Taking that top arrow will be alright, but that lower one is through his lungs, and will probably kill him if we take it out".
Hamblin nods, then says in the same language "Has he said anything?".
"A little" replies Maselle, who continues on with "That ship attacked them alright".
Hamblin glances at the ork general and the foreign knight. Both of whom he knows have a healing potion on them.
The teenager who is the unofficial leader of the first group of recruits makes a decision quickly.
And doesn't ask either of them for one of their healing potions. Then he kneels down, and in the common language asks the townsman "What did they do?" followed by "And where did they go?".
They listen, as the man, in his twenties, a fisherman. Who though in pain, and slightly delirious.
Tells them about how the airship of raiders attacked the town early in the morning.
Taking what they wanted in the way of food, goods, valuables, and the young women of the town.
Before setting much of the town on fire after they killed or tried to kill everyone else.
"And which way did they go?" asks Hamblin the teenage recruit.
The wounded townsman groans in pain, and after a moments silence answers with "Southeast" followed by "To the southeast".
Hamblin nods, and gets up then looks at his fellow recruits Maselle, Marshay and Furnid, and says to them in the elven language "That's the way we're going anyway".
The three of them nod, then Hamblin says "Marshay go and get Claradene, we'll have her ride back to Halmard and inform the garrison of what's happened here".
Claradene is the best rider in the group of teenage recruits. And with the pair of horses she's rounded up. Will get back to the border a hell of a lot quicker than it's taken them to walk up here.
"We'll continue on as planned" adds Hamblin who continues on with "No doubt we'll come across these raiders".
Then as Marshay hurries away to find Claradene, Hamblin switches to the common language and says to the ork weaponsmith and the nobleborn knight "We'll continue as we planned for the patrol" followed by "Inland to the southeast".
"Very well" says sir Percavellé Lé Dic, while Dorc da Orc just grunts.
"Furnid go and gather the rest of the group, see if they can find anything we can use" says Hamblin who briefly thinks about something, then adds "We're leaving, we'll travel into the night for awhile".
Furnid moves off, and in the dying light of the day, Hamblin looks down at the seriously wounded townsman after he shares a look with Maselle.
The teenage recruit from the farming village of Polsten says to the local "Close your eyes, and try to rest".
Hamblin then looks to his left, and quietly says "General" and nods down at the townsman.
Immediately understanding what the young teenage recruit wants him to do. The large ork grunts and nods yes.
Hamblin gestures for sir Percavellé Lé Dic and Maselle to follow him.
As they walk away, behind them the ork general takes an axe from his weapon harness.
The townsman doesn't even see the swing of the axe that takes off his head. All he hears is what sounds like "Get some" from a deep, growling voice, before his life comes to an end . . . . . .