The General & The Knight 49.

Spring. The Northern Border.

"Hell" mutters Hamblin the teenage army recruit, who then calls out in the elven language "You see this?".
Jinsa the teenage army recruit looks down his way, and quickly nods yes.
Before she stands out from the outcrop she's behind, and shoots off two arrows in quick succession from her recurve bow.
Two of the raiders who have jumped off their airship, are dropped by the arrows shot from the best archer in the group of teenage army recruits.
"Hell" Hamblin mutters again as he watches the twin masted airship of the raiders slowly rising up into the air.
Which the ork general, Dorc da Orc. And the foreign knight, sir Percavellé Lé Dic, are on.
The thirteen year old who is the unofficial leader of the first group of teenage recruits.
Who for most of the winter, have been 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.
Is on one knee behind a fallen tree, where he draws back on his longbow.
Who thinks about shooting at one of the raiders on the airship again. One of those attacking either the ork warleader, or the former paladin.
He decides against it, for the simple reason there's far too many of the raiders on the ground now.
As a lot of them, jumped overboard after Dorc da Orc ran up onto the deck from within the twin masted airship.
The teenage army recruit from the farming village of Polsten, which lies about forty five miles to the southeast of Gildin Dale.
Takes aim at one of the raiders keeping low, heading this way.
Quite a few have hurt themselves jumping off the converted cargo ship.
But not the one Hamblin draws a bead on.
The young army recruit from northwestern Farque lets go of the string, and sends the arrow flying.
The shaft hits the raider he was aiming at in the chest, instantly knocking down the man from the unruled lands.
The teenage army recruit takes another cloth yard shaft from his quiver.
Slightly wincing as he does so, as he sees that he's only got a few more arrows left.
Hamblin puts the arrow to the plate on the belly of his bow. His longbow has a horn belly, which he finds is easier on the longer arrow of his weapon. Than a brass, bone, or ivory plate.
The unofficial leader of the first of four groups of teenagers from across the northwest of the lands Farque.
Who have undertaken the basic army training this winter.
Looks at the raiders, who have landed their airship on a hill, that's right on the northern border of his lord's lands.
Looking at those of them on the ground, and slightly shakes his head as he watches them.
Hamblin thinks they would be better to charge as a group at one of the teenagers with a bow or crossbow.
So that they can overwhelm one of the young Farqians with a ranged weapon.
But they're not doing that. Those that are capable, are moving by themselves, or in pairs, very occasionally, as a trio.
As they move across the hill towards the teenage army recruits.
Making them easy targets for those young teens with ranged weapons.
Like Hamblin and Jinsa, who are off to starboard of the twin masted airship, that's slowly rising up into the air.
Moving up off the hill, that's right on the northern border of the lands Farque. About fifteen miles inland from the coast, and the bordertown of Halmard.
Hamblin picks a target, after all there's plenty of them. Draws his bow back, and lets the arrow to it fly when he releases the string.
The shaft thuds into the right thigh of another of the raiders, who drops to the grassy ground, screaming in pain.
And as Hamblin quickly takes another arrow from his quiver. Another of the raiders from the unruled lands, who is fairly close.
Rushes the teenage Farqian's position. Running at the fallen tree, that Hamblin is behind.
The man gets about fifteen feet away, where he stumbles forward, clutching at his throat, that a dagger is suddenly in.
As that raider hits the ground face first, Hamblin quietly says in the elven language "Thanks". As he takes a quick look back behind him.
Golmard the teenage army recruit nods, then moves forward, and hunkers down behind the same fallen tree.
"Those two mad idiots are still onboard i see" quietly says Golmard the teenage army recruit in elven.
Hamblin nods in agreement as he takes one of the last arrows from his quiver.
Then the teenager from a family of farmers, who come from the village of Polsten in northwestern Farque, says "I'm almost out of arrows" followed by "Only one more left after this one".
Golmard, the largest of teenage army recruits, not just in the first group. But in all four of the groups from across the northwest of their lord's lands.
Who have lived and trained throughout most of the winter, in the forest town of Gildin Dale.
Before they came out to the coast, and the bordertown of Halmard, to complete their training.
Looks at Hamblin, then at the raiders still on the ground, on this side of the hill.
Golmard who has thrown three of his four daggers, just nods. Then both he and Hamblin slightly wince, when they hear Jinsa call down to them in the elven language "I've only got a few arrows left".
There's a few moments of silence from the pair of teenage boys, then Golmard says to the unofficial leader of their group "Well, we know what we have to do".
Hamblin nods in agreement as he draws back on his bow, and draws a bead upon another of the raiders, then says "Our lord wills it".
"Our lord wills it" replies Golmard who then watches as his fellow teenage recruit drops another of the raiders, this time with a shot to the face. Shattering apart the front of that raider's skull.
With his last dagger in his right hand, Golmard draws his sword with his left hand, saying "I'll take the one on the left".
Hamblin nods his head, as he puts his last arrow to his longbow, as he watches a pair of raiders run towards the fallen tree they're behind.
The teenager from the farming village of Polsten waits until they get pretty close, then shoots off his last arrow.
As the shaft slams into the chest of the man on the right, knocking the raider over backwards.
He draws his own sword, while next to him, Golmard biffs his last dagger at the other raider.
Taking that man from the unruled lands in the face. Who drops to ground screaming in pain, as he clutches at his bloody face, that has a dagger sticking through his mouth and right cheek.
The two teenage boys from northwestern Farque share a look as a few more of the raiders who have jumped off their airship, run in their direction.
While further up the hill from them, Jinsa has shot off her last three arrows in fairly quick succession.
The best archer in the first group of teenage army recruits doesn't even bother to see the third shaft slam into the guts of one of the raiders as she shoulders her recurve bow, and draws her sword.
Jinsa dashes out from behind the outcrop she's been behind, and heads downhill to where Hamblin and Golmard are.
She doesn't even wince when she hears the flight of arrow pass behind her by a few feet.
She knew it was going to miss it's intended target, her.
The fletching sounded rough, or off. Not smooth in a finished way, as it should be.
It was bound to miss what it was shot at from one of the raider's bow.
Jinsa heads down to the fallen trees where her fellow recruits are. Who she sees are still behind the fallen tree Hamblin has been shooting his longbow from behind.
She nods to herself in understanding, as she knows they'll keep that fallen tree between them and the raiders coming at them.
Making it far more difficult for the men from the unruled lands to get at them.
Jinsa figures the raiders rushing towards her fellow teenage recruits are going to be in for a hell of a surprise.
Golmard, who is as tall as the tallest of the raiders, and almost as large as the largest of them.
Is an expert with the broadsword he wields. While Hamblin, the unofficial leader of their group, is almost as good with his sword.
As Golmard shouts "Farque!" and Hamblin is silent as they prepare to be attacked. And Jinsa runs down towards them.
Up towards the brow of the hill, near the few trees that are actually standing on this hill.
That's right on the northern border of the nation of Farque.
Maselle the teenage recruit shoots off one of her last arrows from her bow.
Hitting one of the raiders in the lower abdomen, as he looks up the hill, trying to spot where Maselle is.
As the man drops to the ground screaming in agony. Above him, the twin masted airship is slowly rising up from the north face of the hill.
"I'm almost out" says Maselle the teenage army recruit in the elven language as she takes one of the last arrows from her quiver.
She brought three dozen shafts with her on patrol, she didn't shoot any off all patrol while north of the border of the nation of Farque, in the unruled lands.
But since the raiders twin masted airship put down upon the hill, that's on the northern border of her lord's lands.
She's shot off all of her arrows except for two. One of which she has put to the brass plate on the belly of her bow, and notched it to the string.
"What can you do?" says Lamis the teenage army recruit in the same language, as he shrugs his shoulders in a nonchalant manner.
The teenage army recruit, who holds his shortsword in his gloved right hand, then adds "Our lord wills".
"Our lord wills it" replies Maselle, who then lets the arrow to her bow fly. Taking another of the raiders who has jumped off their twin masted airship.
This one drops to his knees, then topples over onto his side, howling in agony with an arrow in his groin.
Seeing some of the raiders start running up the hill, towards the sparse covering of trees towards the brow of it.
Maselle takes her last arrow, and puts it to her bow, quickly drawing it back, and letting the shaft fly.
"I'm out" quietly says the teenage girl after her last arrow takes another of the raiders, this one in the throat.
Maselle shoulders her bow, and draws her sword, then shares a look with Lamis.
Who wryly smiles as they wait for the closest of the raiders to come up at them.
"Here we go" quietly says Maselle, Lamis nods in agreement as he goes into a slight crouch and waits.
While next to him, his fellow recruit Maselle shouts "Farque!" in a defiant tone of voice as they're about to be attacked.
As they wait for the raiders to come up to them, Lamis who is the quickest of the teenage army recruits, quietly and calmly says to his fellow recruit "Let them swing their swords at us".
He follows on from that with "They'll be winded, and off balanced when they do".
Jinsa nods in understanding, as the thirty yards up to where they are in the small scattering of trees on the brow of the hill.
Is quite steep from where the raider's airship put down, and a lot of the men jumped off the twin masted vessel.
The two young army recruits from the northwestern Farque watch as a handful of the raiders run up to where they are.
They can clearly hear the men breathing heavily, as they try to keep their footing. One of them has already dropped his sword, which he has to pick up as he follows the others.
Jinsa and Lamis share a quick look before the raiders from the unruled lands make their way up to the trees where they are.
"Our lord wills it" says Furnid the teenage army recruit, it's echoed by Dammis beside him.
Then Furnid steps out from the side of the large boulder they're behind, quickly draws his bow back, and shoots off the arrow he has notched to the string.
The shaft slams into the side of one of the raiders, who is looking up at the airship that's slowly rising up from the north face of the hill.
As that raider falls over, clutching at the arrow in his side, and screaming out for help.
Furnid steps back behind the large boulder, and quietly says "That was my last one".
"It was bound to happen" says Dammis the teenage army recruit, who then adds in a slightly wry tone "What with there being so many of the bastards".
Furnid nods in agreement as he shoulders his bow, and draws his sword.
He had thirty arrows he shot of, and is pretty sure he hit at least twenty one or twenty two of the raiders.
He's no where near as good with a bow as his fellow recruits Jinsa or Hamblin.
But he reckons that was pretty good shooting. Considering a lot of his targets were moving.
Dammis with two long daggers in hand, glances around the side of the large boulder, that's off to the port side of the twin masted airship that's slowly rising up into the air.
He nods and says "They sure are" in response to Furnid asking him "Are the general and the knight still onboard?".
"And that too" adds Dammis after his fellow recruit from the northwest of the lands Farque also asks him "Any of them coming our way?".
"Running right at us" says Dammis, who though the smallest of the teenage army recruits in the first group.
Is an absolute terror in close quarter combat with his long daggers. And even better at unarmed combat.
"Well, here we go then" says Furnid who takes a throwing dagger from his belt, he has a trio of them, and he intends to use them judiciously.
"Yep" says Dammis as he continues to look around the large boulder and watch some of the raiders from the unruled lands run to where they are.
Markell pops up from the dip he's in, and throws a dagger. Which takes a raider in the leg.
The man stumbles, but keeps his footing. And though he grits his teeth from the pain, he continues on towards where the teenage army recruit is.
Until his head basically explodes into pieces, and drops to the ground dead, when a crossbow bolt slams into the side of his forehead, and goes out the otherside of what's left of his head.
"Almost out" says Marshay the teenage army recruit in the elven language as she drops down back into the dip she's in, and reloads her crossbow.
"It happens" says Markell the teenage army recruit in the same language, who then dryly adds "Unfortunately".
"Didn't think I'd be shooting off thirty bloody bolts when we left Halmard" Marshay mutters to herself as she lies in a dip, or a fold in the ground, about fifteen feet from the one her fellow recruit Markell is in.
She pops her head up, and looks up, and sees that they're now behind the stern of the twin masted airship.
As the bow has turned to starboard a bit as it slowly rises up into the air.
She briefly saw sir Percavellé Lé Dic on the aft deck of the raider's vessel a short time ago.
And figures he's the one who has got the converted cargo ship moving again, after it came to a stop on the hill.
Marshay who also heard the ork general Dorc da Orc onboard the twin masted airship.
Spots a number of the raiders on the ground, looking around in this direction, trying to locate her and Markell.
She also sees some of them running away towards the large boulder further up the hill, and away to the left. That her fellow army recruits Furnid and Dammis have been taking cover behind.
Then Marshay who has slotted the last bolt in her hip quiver onto the spine of her crossbow.
Looks to her right, and sees a bunch of the raiders basically form a line, and head downhill in this direction.
"They're coming this way" says Marshay, who like all the other Farqian teenage army recruits of the first group, is speaking in elven during combat.
"And I've only got one bolt left" adds the only teenage army recruit in the group with a crossbow.
"Hit the one on the far left" says Markell, who continues with "The one holding the hilt of his sword, he knows what he's doing" followed by "He told the others to spread out like that".
Marshay nods in understanding as she watches the group of raiders heading this way, she waits for them to get closer.
While in the dip close by, Markell has laid back down on his back.
And has one of his shortswords lying across his chest and stomach.
While the other is beside him, next to his left hand.
While on the ground to his right, is his pair of throwing daggers.
The teenage army recruit from the northwest of the lands Farque calmly  says as he waits "As our lord wills it".
And smiles as he hears Marshay reply in the more traditional form with "As my lord Farque wills it".
As they wait to get attacked on the side of a hill, along the northern border of their lord's lands.
As the raiders twin masted airship continues to slowly lift up from the hill.
On a day, the very first day of spring, which is clear and sunny here on the border . . . . . .