Spring. On A Hill. On The Border.
Jinsa the teenage army recruit drops down behind a small outcrop on the hill.
She glances away to her left, where a bit further down the north facing side of the hill.
She sees her fellow army recruit, and the unofficial leader of their group. Hamblin, who is behind a fallen tree.
Jinsa then looks back at the twin masted airship that isn't all that far away.
The best archer in the first group of teenage army recruits, who spent most of the winter living and training in the forest town of Gildin Dale.
Before they came out to the coast, and the bordertown of Halmard to complete their training.
Sees a couple of the raiders jump off the bow of the vessel that's come to a stop.
One lands badly, and falls groaning in pain as he clutches an ankle.
The other is fine, and is looking around to see who is attacking the twin masted airship.
He takes a step, before he falls backwards with an arrow in his gut. Shot from Maselle the teenage recruit's bow.
As that raider lies there on the ground, screaming in pain, clutching at his belly.
Jinsa looks at those on the forward half of the deck. Searching for an ideal target.
The daughter of a master archer in the armies of Farque, who has been shooting at those raiders with bows and crossbows.
Spots a better target, a raider who is obviously an officer, or the equivalent of one.
He's just forward of a midships, here on the starboard side. Calling out orders to the other raiders and the crew.
Jinsa who has an arrow to the belly of her recurve bow. Waits a few moments, and when the raider who is an officer.
Takes a couple of steps towards the starboard rail, shouting at the others to put another cargo net over the side.
After the first one was ripped away by the ork general, Dorc da Orc. Who is now onboard the airship, somewhere below deck.
Jinsa draws back her bow, and steps to the side of the outcrop, and lets the shaft fly, all in one motion.
She ducks back behind the outcrop, not even bothering to see her arrow hit.
She knows it did, as it takes the raider calling out orders near the starboard rail, right in the throat.
He staggers back, and falls on the deck gasping as blood spews from his mouth.
Golmard the teenage army recruit, is one of those in the group without a ranged weapon.
The largest of the teenagers in the first group of recruits from across the northwest of the lands Farque.
Is an adequate enough archer with a bow. But he finds carrying one a hindrance.
And though he's a fine hand with any weapon he's trained with. He's exceptional with his sword. And he prefers to fight with that.
The large teenager who at fourteen, is already a couple inches over six foot in height. And is close to two hundred pounds in weight.
Is flat on the ground, just down from the brow of the hilltop.
Golmard rolls to one side, so he ends up behind some grass and moss covered boulders.
He gets up into a crouch, and looks around the boulders.
He looks down the hill to his left, and spots his fellow recruit Jinsa behind an outcrop.
And further down from her, Golmard sees Hamblin, the unofficial leader of their group.
Crouching down behind a fallen tree, near a clump of trees. On what's an otherwise pretty barren hill when it comes to tree cover.
After he sees Hamblin shoot off an arrow at a target onboard the twin masted airship.
Golmard dashes from behind the boulders he's crouching behind.
The large fourteen year old, who in all likelihood, will be a sword or blademaster when he's older.
Heads down further to the left, so he can get behind where Jinsa is taking cover behind an outcrop.
Golmard knows that both Jinsa and Hamblin will need to be protected as more and more of the raiders disembark from their vessel.
Maselle the teenage army recruit is an above average archer. She knows she's no where near as good with a bow as Jinsa. Or for that matter, Hamblin.
But she is good enough to hit any target she aims at. With a very slim chance, if any, at missing.
Maselle draws back her bow, and lets the arrow to it, fly.
She doesn't use the shorter recurve bow like Jinsa. Nor the longbow that Hamblin favours.
She uses an in between bow. Which she doesn't have to use as much strength, as one would use to draw a powerful recurve bow, or a longbow.
Besides, Maselle doesn't have the reach, height, and strength for a longbow.
Though she might change to one, when she's older. And put on bit more weight and strength, and grown at least a few inches taller.
Nevertheless, the arrow she just shot from what's essentially a hunting bow, with a horn and brass belly over the ashe limbs.
Thuds into the chest of one of the raiders who was attempting to climb down one of the lines on the foremast.
He falls off the line, and crashes down upon a few of the other raiders who are about to climb overboard and jump to the ground.
Maselle, who is behind one of the few trees towards the brow of the hill. Who is almost directly in line with the bow of the twin masted airship.
About thirty yards up from where it's come to a stop on the north facing side of the hill.
Has got a good vantage point to look down onto the deck of the raider's vessel, which is a converted cargo ship.
Maselle who knows that her fellow teenage army recruit, Lamis who doesn't have a ranged weapon. Is somewhere right behind her, keeping an eye on her.
Sees over on the port side of the vessel, ropes are being tied to the rail so that raiders can climb down them to the ground.
As it's only really safe to jump from the actual bow to the ground without any mishap.
Though she does see one of the raiders hold onto the port side rail. Admittedly close to the bow, then let go of it, and fall about a dozen feet to the ground. Where he lands fairly safely, only staggering back a step or two.
Until he arches his back, and screams in pain and drops to the ground, with a bolt shot from Marshay's crossbow in the middle of his back.
Furnid the teenage army recruit looks away to his right, and sees Marshay run for cover after shooting off her crossbow again.
Furnid who is behind the largest bit of cover off the port side of the twin masted vessel.
A large boulder, that's sticking out of the hill. Steps to his right, and lets the arrow to his bow fly.
Taking one of the raiders on deck with a bow, who is drawing and taking a bead on the running Marshay.
The arrow from Furnid's bow slams into the face of the bowman on the deck near the port rail, forward of a midships.
Absolutely shattering apart the raider's face, and the front of his skull.
That was a better outcome than expected from Furnid. Who was actually aiming at the raider's chest.
Furnid takes another arrow from his quiver, and looks at Dammis who is also behind the large boulder.
The smaller teenage boy, who is flipping one of his long daggers from one hand to the other.
Shares a look with Furnid after he glances around the boulder to look at the twin masted airship, that's come to a stop. Not all that far from the two of them.
They've both seen that more of the raiders are making their way overboard, and are on the ground.
Dammis stops flipping his long dagger, and takes another one out from it's sheath.
He nods at Furnid, who slightly nods in return. Before he draws back on his bow, steps out to the side of the large boulder.
And shoots off another shaft, which takes one of the raiders, who has just climbed down a rope tied to the port rail, in the throat.
Furnid steps back behind the large boulder, wryly smiling to himself, as that was another shot that went high. As he was actually aiming for a gut shot on that raider.
He takes another arrow from his quiver, as he glances around the side of the large boulder, looking for another target.
There's plenty of them, as there must of been more than a hundred and fifty raiders and crew on the twin masted airship when it came to a stop on the north facing side of the hill.
A hill that's right on the northern border of the lands Farque. Just under fifteen miles from the coast.
Marshay lies in a dip along the face of the hill. The teenage army recruit from the northwest of the lands Farque. Pulls back on her crossbow, not needing to wind it back with the winch to load it.
As she lies there, the teenage Farqian takes a bolt from her hip quiver. And loads her weapon, putting the bolt in the grooved channel along the top, or spine of the weapon.
Marshay who is in line with the aft half of the airship on the port side, towards the stern.
Pops her head up, and looks a bit further down the north facing side of the hill.
And she spots Markell lying in similar looking dip or fold in the hillside.
The teenage boy who doesn't have a ranged weapon. Looks back up at Marshay, and gives her a quick hand signal.
She rolls onto her side, and shoots off her crossbow. Taking one of the raiders who has made his way off the airship and onto the ground. Right in the face as he runs towards the dip Marshay is in. After spotting her dive into it.
The teenage girl, the only one of the young army recruits in the first group to use a crossbow.
Quickly pulls back on it again, as she sees that more than a few of the raiders have made their way off the port side of the airship. And are now on the ground.
Marshay shares a quick look with Markell, who wryly smiles in return as he slips his sword from it's scabbard. And takes a brace of throwing knives from the front of the baldric he has across the black surcoat over his leather armoured vest.
The two of them wait for more of the raiders who are on the ground, on this side of the twin masted vessel, to head their way.
Over on the otherside of the raiders vessel, away off the starboard side.
Hamblin the teenage army recruit is wishing he found better cover than he did.
The fallen tree he's behind doesn't particularly give him all that much cover.
The teenager from the farming village of Polsten, which lies about forty five miles to the southeast of the forest town of Gildin Dale.
The town, that the teenage army recruits from across the northwest of the lands Farque. Spent most of the winter living and training.
Before they came out to the coast of the lands Farque, and the bordertown of Halmard to complete their training.
Pops his head up, and sourly smiles as he sees a crossbow bolt stuck just infront of him in the fallen tree.
The unofficial leader of the first of four groups of teenage recruits.
Looks towards the nearby airship, and slightly winces as he sees the amount of raiders trying to make their way off the vessel.
Hamblin who has an arrow to his bow, gets to a knee, draws back on the longbow.
Then lets the arrow fly, which takes one of the raiders climbing over the starboard rail in the side.
The man screams in pain, and falls overboard. Where he crashes into another of the raiders, who has just climbed down a rope, to get on the ground.
Hamblin drops back down behind the fallen tree, and slightly smiles to himself. As that's two more of the raiders he and the rest of the group don't have to worry about.
The son of farmers from the village of Polsten in northwestern Farque. Who has spotted Golmard making his way downhill behind Jinsa and himself.
Is more than a little worried that he and the rest of the teenagers of the first group of recruits.
Still have to deal to so many more of the raiders, whose airship has landed on a hill, that's right on the northern border of the lands Farque.
Though Hamblin is rather glad he isn't actually onboard the twin masted airship.
Which apparently the two instructors who came along on patrol with the group, are on at the moment.
If the yelling and shouting of some of those on deck is anything to go by.
The yelling which has suddenly intensified. Sounds like they're calling for some of the raiders to head below deck.
Hamblin is not the only recruit to hear that. All of them see quite a lot of the raiders on the deck of the vessel.
Go running to the nearest ladder to get below deck.
Infact more of them do that, than make their way off the twin masted airship, and onto the ground.
Here on the north facing side of a hill, that's marked on the maps Hamblin has in his pack. As being directly upon the northern border of the lands Farque.
Dorc da Orc grabs one of the raiders who has jumped down the ladder the large ork has found.
The ork warleader has the man by the throat, and with one hand. The ork weaponsmith breaks the raider's neck.
Then throws him back up the ladder at two more raiders who rush down the steps to get at the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
The ork general in the armies of Farque lets out a loud roar as he heads up the ladder.
As more of the raiders rush down the steps from above deck, to attack the large ork who is onboard their vessel.
Also onboard the twin masted airship. Though towards the stern, while the ork weaponsmith is closer to the bow.
Is Dorc da Orc's bitter rival, the foreign knight, sir Percavellé Lé Dic.
The heavily armoured knight slams his head into the face of a raider who rushes him.
The man's face shatters apart, and blood and bone goes flying when the heavy steel helm slams into his face.
The former paladin shoves that raider backwards, into the path of another raider who rushes through the passageway at the nobleborn knight.
That particular raider leaps over his downed comrade. Only to leap into the path of sir Percavellé Lé Dic swinging hand axe.
Which takes him in the side of the head, taking off most of his skull. And his body goes slamming sideways into the bulkhead on the left.
The nobleman from the kingdom of Druvic, hurries forward to the ladder he's found that will take him up onto the deck.
The member of the order of The Knights of Saint Mar-che looks up and sees a number of the raiders rushing down the steps to confront him.
Sir Percavellé Lé Dic, or Percy as he's more commonly called by those who know him well.
Grins behind the faceplate of his full helm, at the prospect of fighting more of these raiders from the unruled lands to the north of the nation of Farque.
Then as he starts heading up the ladder, the grin behind the visor of his full helm.
Turns into a sour looking smile as he hears the all too familiar roar of his bitter rival, Dorc da Orc, come from somewhere forward onboard the twin masted airship.
To say that Percy is more than a little disappointed to find that the ork general is onboard the raiders vessel as well. Would be an understatement to the extreme.
The nobleborn knight who hails from the kingdom of Druvic is utterly annoyed that the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world. Has also made his way onto the twin masted airship.
On what is a fine and sunny, not to mention relatively mild day, that's the very start of spring.
Here on a hill that's right on the northern border of the lands Farque . . . . . .
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