First Day Of Spring. The Border Region.
Hamblin the teenage army recruit nudges his fellow recruit Golmard who has dozed off beside him.
Yawning as he wakes up, Golmard the teenage army recruit says "Now i know why they made us run so many bloody times through the forest".
The largest of the teens in the first group of recruits, infact the largest in all four of the groups who lived and trained in the forest town of Gildin Dale throughout most of the winter. Before they came out to the coast to complete their training.
Then says "It's for situations like this" Golmard briefly pauses before he continues on with "Though i didn't expect to put our training into use so quickly".
Next to him, Hamblin nods in agreement as he continues to look through his brass, cylindrical eyepiece.
The two of them are lying on top of a hill, just within the edge of some trees.
A few miles north of the border of their lord's lands, from what Hamblin can deduce from the maps he has.
The teenage army recruit who though only thirteen years old, is the unofficial leader of the first group.
Is looking away to the east, watching the twin masted airship that's been pursuing them since yesterday afternoon.
"You know what" says Hamblin the teenage recruit.
"What?" asks Golmard, who can see the pursuing vessel with the naked eye in the distance. Though no where near as clearly as Hamblin.
"If my calculations are correct, I'm pretty sure today is the first day of spring" says the recruit who is from the farming village of Polsten, which lies about forty five miles to the southeast of the forest town of Gildin Dale in northwestern Farque.
"It is?" asks Golmard, Hamblin nods yes in reply as he continues to look through the eyepiece at the airship away to the east.
"Damn" says the larger of the two teenage army recruits, who then adds in a disappointed tone "We're missing festival day".
Hamblin wryly smiles, as he hadn't even thought of the festival day, today. Which is a celebration of both the end of winter, and the start of spring.
The unofficial leader of the first group of teenage army recruits smiles, then quietly chuckles when Golmard sighs and says in a dejected tone of voice "All the pies and spring cider we're missing out on" followed by "If i knew being in the armies of our lord was going to be like this, i would never of joined".
Hamblin just shakes his head as he continues to smile. As he thinks about them and their training and joining the armies of Farque.
As if he and Golmard and the rest of their group. Along with the other recruits from across the northwest of the lands Farque. Had any say in the matter.
They didn't volunteer, they were chosen at a young age to be in the armies of their lord.
Hamblin knew when he was about six years old. After a couple of years attending the small learning center in the village of Polsten. That he was going to go in his lord's armies.
The instructor in the center told him so. As he and the other children were all tested to see if they had the right temperament to be a soldier of their lord.
This didn't make them special in anyway. Infact his childhood instructor told Hamblin that the rest of his family were just as important. If not more important, considering they're farmers. Who provide for the village of Polsten, and elsewhere across the northwest of Farque.
It's instilled into all Farqian children at a young age. That those who become soldiers in the armies of their lord.
Are to protect the rest of the people of their nation. And to fight where their lord tells them to.
Hamblin knows that no matter where he ends up in the armies of Farque after he completes his training.
And whatever rank he may end up having. He'll never be more important than his parents and siblings, a brother and sister.
Who till the fields on their farm, and produce dairy from their herd of cows.
Equality is one of the cornerstones of their nation. Being part of it ever since the first mysterious Farque thousands of years ago.
Arrived out of nowhere in the area around what is now The Citadel, the capital of the lands Farque.
And began what is now the largest nation, in size at least, within the Southlands.
"Maybe they'll have some left over when we get back across the border" quietly says Hamblin as the two of them continue to converse in the elven language.
"I hope so" says Golmard in a wistful tone of voice, who can't believe for the first time in his life. He's only fourteen years old. That he's going to miss the spring day festival celebrations.
The two of them look back as they hear a thump, followed by "Fucken branch cunt" in the deep, growling familiar voice of the ork general, Dorc da Orc.
The large ork, who has just punched a branch off a tree that got in his way.
Grunts as he makes his way forward, and gets down next to the two teenage recruits.
Who refrain from screwing up their faces in disgust, as the ork warleader absolutely reeks at the moment.
The warmer temperatures of the last couple of weeks out on the coast, and the last few days they've been here in the unruled lands north of the border.
Definitely hasn't helped the odour coming off the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
Both Hamblin and Golmard think that being around the ork weaponsmith in the cold of the middle of winter.
Is a lot more preferable than being around him now, as the days heat up, now that it's actually spring.
"Hmmmmm" murmurs the ork general in the armies of Farque as he looks off into the distance at the airship away to the east.
"What they fucken doin' there?" asks the ork warleader with a nod of his large head in the direction of the vessel that's been pursuing them since yesterday.
"Going around in circles" says Hamblin, who continues with "Looking for signs of us i bet".
Next to the unofficial leader of the first group, his fellow recruit Golmard nods in agreement.
"Bunch of no good shithead cunts" mutters the ork weaponsmith.
Who keeps looking towards the airship away to the east, which is trying to find which way they've gone.
The three of them can't see it, as there's too many hills, along with woods here and there, that are in the way.
But they assume, rightly as it turns out. That the airship, which is a former cargo vessel. Is flying over some of the raiders on the ground, who are searching for their tracks.
Hamblin and Golmard look back as they hear someone approaching. It's their fellow recruit Maselle, who joins them.
The teenage girl does the smart thing, and lies down next to Golmard. As faraway as possible from the rather smelly ork warleader.
"Still searching for us i see" quietly says Maselle the teenage recruit.
"Yep" is the reply from Golmard, who takes out a travel biscuit from his pack, and starts chewing on.
Glad that it's a recently baked one, and not one that's weeks, if not months old, which are always rock hard.
Maselle looks over Golmard, and quietly says to Hamblin "Jinsa has gone about a mile south, and come back" she continues with "She says the way to the border looks fairly clear, plenty of game trails going in that direction so we should be able to cover that ground more quickly".
Hamblin nods, then looks away to the south, where they can see the border to their homeland, just under three miles away.
There's a few hills that way, and a lot more in the way of trees too. As this is pretty much the last area where there's woods. As the further west you go, and the closer you get to the coast. The less there is of tree cover to be found.
The unofficial leader of the first group of four, that have been living and training in the forest town of Gildin Dale during the winter.
Before coming out west to the coast, for the completion of their training.
Looks back to the east through the brass, cylindrical eyepiece, when Golmard says "Looks like they might of found out which way we've gone".
Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle which is his given name grunts in agreement with the teenage army recruit, then says "Fucken looks like it".
Hamblin tends to agree as he watches the twin masted airship turn in this direction.
The teenager from the farming village of Polsten through the eyepiece, sees the captain of the vessel, pointing in this direction as he shouts out orders.
"Since they're heading more or less directly towards us, I'd say it's time for us to get going" quietly says Hamblin in the common language.
His fellow recruits Golmard and Maselle nod in agreement with the unofficial leader of their group, while the ork general just grunts.
The four of them, including the large ork. Crawl backwards for a bit, before they get up off the ground, under the cover of the tree branches.
"Go and tell the others to get going" quietly says Hamblin to Maselle "Jinsa to lead as scout" continues the dark haired, lean thirteen year old who is the unofficial leader of the first group of recruits.
"The three of us will bring up the rear" adds Hamblin indicating himself, Golmard, along with general Dorc.
The teenage Farqian from the farming village of Polsten continues on with "Everyone knows which hill to get to, so it shouldn't be a problem".
Unless the raiders catch us before we get there, Hamblin dryly thinks to himself as Maselle takes off through the trees at a run, to inform the others to get going.
While the two teenagers Hamblin and Golmard, along with the weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks walk quickly beneath the trees.
Going west for about a hundred yards, so that they're on that side of the hill, before they turn south, and start making they're way southwards in the direction of the border of the lands Farque.
The homeland of the teenage army recruits, who have been sent north of the border on patrol.
Their last exercise of the training they've endured. First in the forest town of Gildin Dale. Then out on the coast, in the bordertown of Halmard.
As they walk quickly, Hamblin within his mimd, goes quickly over the plans they've devised.
Surprisingly, the bulk of the ideas came from the ork general, Dorc da Orc.
Who once Hamblin told him they might be caught by the raiders on the twin masted airship.
Either here on this side of the border, or just over the border in the nation of Farque.
The big, burly ork devised a number of things they can do. All of them completely hair brained, but all totally feasible.
Even though it means the nine teenage army recruits. Along with the ork general, and the foreign knight. Who are two of the instructors they've had during their training over the winter.
Will have to face off against the twin masted airship and all those onboard.
Which Hamblin figures there's about a hundred and fifty of them.
Along with the other raiders on the ground. Who have been searching for the whereabouts of the Farqian teenagers, as well as the ork warleader and the former paladin.
The unofficial leader of the first group of teenage army groups knows that the major problem they have is when they cross open ground.
Considering that the captain of the raiders airship has a cylindrical eyepiece of his own.
And though it's cruder, and far less capable than the one that Hamblin has in his pack.
It's good enough to see them from ten miles away if he looks directly at them.
The group of Farqian teenagers also have the disadvantage of having both Dorc da Orc and sir Percavellé Lé Dic along with them on patrol, here north of the border, in the unruled lands.
Both of whom are definitely not the shy, retiring types. As they can easily be spotted from a distance.
What with the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic in his full, suit of heavy plate armour he wears. Along with the snowy white cape he wears attached to the shoulder plates.
The former paladin, who has no actual rank or position in the armies of Farque.
Can be spotted from miles away on open ground, due to him being so eye catching, so to speak.
As for the ork general in the armies of Farque. He sticks out even worse than his bitter rival, the former earl of Lé Dic.
Because Dorkindle is so large, and because he's so green. He sticks out pretty much anywhere he goes, especially on open ground.
As they get to the base of the hill, on the south side of the hill.
Young Hamblin says to his fellow recruit and the ork general "We'll have to run for it across any open ground".
The teenage army recruit from the farming village of Polsten, continues with "They're bound to spot us if they're looking our way when we're out on open ground".
As they continue to walk quickly through the trees, Hamblin after a quick glance at Dorc da Orc.
Quietly says in the elven language to his fellow recruit Golmard "Don't know if any of the ideas the general came up with will actually work".
The unofficial leader of the first group of recruits after a monetary pause, continues on in elven with "But i hope they do".
The teenage recruit Golmard nods in agreement as they start jogging southwards.
Following in the wake of the rest of the group of Farqian teenagers, along with the nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic.
As they jog between the trees, they constantly look away to their left, away to the east.
At the airship that's been after them since yesterday afternoon.
The twin masted vessel that was previously a cargo ship looks like it's following the trail they took to the hill they were just up.
And those onboard, as well as those raiders on the ground are yet to actually spot them.
Hamblin looks ahead, in the direction they're going and says in common "We'll have to run for a bit here".
And though he doesn't particularly want to, Dorc da Orc grunts as he breaks out into a run with Hamblin and Golmard. As they head across some open ground. Where there's little in the way of tree cover, if any.
Ahead of them, the rest of the teenage army recruits, along with sir Percavellé Lé Dic have crossed the open ground, and are now making their way into another stretch of woods on the way to the border.
When the three of them get across the open ground, and start jogging between the trees.
The unofficial leader of the first group of recruits looks away to the east to see if the airship has spotted them.
But it looks like the twin masted vessel is still heading to the hilltop they were just up.
They cross open ground two more times, and once they do, Hamblin checks to see if the raiders change course and head this way.
They get lucky as they run to the hill that's right on the border, until they start heading up the hill behind the rest of the group.
Hamblin looks back, when halfway up the hill, which doesn't have much in the way of trees on it.
Maselle the teenage recruit who is looking back, shouts out in elven "They've spotted us!".
The young teenager from the farming village of Polsten who is the unofficial leader of the first group sees that the airship has turned south, turned this way, and is picking up speed.
"Get to the top of the hill!" shouts out Hamblin in elven to the rest of the group.
Then in the common language he says "They've spotted us general, and are heading straight towards us".
In response to Dorc da Orc who is beside him, huffing and puffing as they climb the hill, ask him "What the fuck is it?".
The ork general looks back, and sees the airship coming this way, he grunts then says "Time to fucken fight them cunts" followed by "Time to make a fucken stand".
Both Hamblin and Golmard nod in agreement, even though they're going to be badly outnumbered by the raiders on the airship and on the ground.
But since they're now on the actual border, and once more on their lord's lands. There's nothing else to do but fight if the raiders try to take them on this hill . . . . . .
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