To War 6.

Summer. Farque.

They board early in the morning. And instead of flying south directly into the kingdom of Melaurn.
They head east along their southern border with the other airships that they leave the coastal stronghold with.
Onboard the airship, Dammis the young runner in the first army of Farque.
Looks to port in the early morning light. And on the deck of the airship that way, he spots amongst the soldiers.
Markell, who he did basic training with in the previous winter up in the northwest of the lands Farque.
He sees his fellow runner in the scouts and rangers division of the first army look this way. And nod in greeting when he spots him.
The young teenager from northwestern Farque nods in return as the airships head east.
Dammis has learnt that in the armies of Farque. If you're in the scouts and rangers division. You hardly ever work together as scouts and rangers in any group larger than a squad.
And more often than not, especially if you're a runner. You're assigned to another division. To work alongside them.
And right now, the young teen along with Markell over on the airship to port.
They find themselves assigned to the engineering corp. The battalion that's been based in the mountainous stronghold on the coast of their lord's lands. Right on the border with the kingdom of Melaurn.
Dammis doesn't know why they're heading along the border instead of flying down into Melaurn.
Now that the first army of Farque, well a sizeable portion of it. Is off to war, as they've been hired by the nobility of the province of Corlinda, in Melaurn. In their conflict against the neighbouring province, the province of Karricaw.
The ten airships, four of which are large transporters carrying the engineers equipment and war machines.
Are escorted by a trio of warships. A pair of twin masted frigates. As well as a krean strikeship. The deadliest, and most destructive airship in the skies of the world of Volunell.
They travel throughout the day. Leaving behind the border with the kingdom of Melaurn. And traveling along the border with the southern tundra.
They keep flying throughout the night, and into the middle of the next morning. Flying above the hill range along the southern border of their lord's lands.
"Yes captain" says Dammis the runner, when the war engineer Tovis turns to him and says "Runner, go and inform the cleric Beldane we're here".
The young teenager leaves his position on the aft deck with the two other runners, and heads below deck and forward.
In the forward hold, Dammis knocks on the door of one of the officer's cabins.
"Yes?" comes a voice from inside the cabin.
"Sir, we are here" replies the young runner from northwestern Farque.
"Very well" says Beldane the cleric after he shoulders his pack and opens the cabin door.
The fighting cleric from the kingdom of Nastell nods for the runner to lead the way back up on deck.
The member of the church of Glaine who has spent most of the spring, and the early summer.
In the city of Calinar, the capital of the kingdom of Melaurn.
Follows the black clad runner up a ladder, and onto the deck of the airship.
They head aft, as they do, Beldane glances around, and sees that their airship is to starboard of the rest.
Flying over the tundra side of the border, not over the hills themselves.
The powerful spellcaster faintly smiles when he sees this as he walks up onto the aft deck, where his friend, the war engineer Tovis waits.
"You want the captain to set us down?" quietly asks Tovis the engineer when he's joined by Beldane.
"No, it's okay, I'll teleport down" says the fighting cleric who isn't actually in the armies of Farque.
But he is a member of the group. Those who the lord and ruler of the lands Farque has gathered around him, to achieve his goals.
The war engineer, who is also a member of the group, which in it's current configuration. Numbers fifteen members.
One undead, one ork, two elves,  eight humans, a hobbit, a ground pixie, and the hidden member of the group, the soul of a Greater Dragon.
The powerful spellcaster who hails from the northern districts of the kingdom of Nastell, is not allowed to set foot in the lands Farque.
If he was just a regular priest, without any magical powers at all. He would be allowed to enter the lands of Farque. But he's not, so he isn't allowed.
So he has to wait just on the otherside of the border, while the airship, along with the others from the coast. Briefly put down on the north side of the hill range.
The two of them, one a cleric from Nastell, and the other, an engineer from the kingdom of Druvic.
Look overboard, and down "Must be their delegation" quietly says Tovis the war engineer. The fighting cleric in the half plate armour nods in agreement.
As they see just over the border, a camp that's just been broken down, and packed away.
"Guess they'll be flying back with the fleet" says Beldane the cleric, who is a member of the church of Glaine. A god that's widely followed in the northern duchies of his homeland, the kingdom of Nastell.
"There's Mira" quietly says the powerful spellcaster as he points down near those from the province of Corlinda in the kingdom of Melaurn.
"And there's his highness" adds the war engineer, who is relatively young in his early twenties. While his friend the cleric is nearly thirty years old.
They see the elven envoy, prince Helbenthril Raendril in conversation with a few of those in the delegation from the province of Corlinda in Melaurn.
"I'll see you later then" says Beldane the cleric to the war engineer originally from the kingdom of Druvic, where he served in the army of a baron Harkonin.
Standing nearby with the other runners, Dammis watches as the captain of the engineering corp shakes hands with the foreign cleric.
Then the spellcaster named Beldane disappears. Most likely teleporting away.
Then the airship which is slowly flying over the tundra side of the border. Swings away to port, to head up and over the hill range.
To land down on the north side of the hills, where the fleet to travel south with the first army has gathered.
"I don't think they truly understand what they've got with hiring us" says Mira Reinholt the mage as he stands with Beldane the cleric just on the tundra, looking over at the delegation from the kingdom of Melaurn who are ready to depart.
"They also have no idea what we're planning" adds the once powerful mage who is a member of lord Farque's personal council.
"What exactly are we planning?" asks the fighting cleric, who has no idea what they're actually going to do. Apart from that they're soon to set off for the kingdom of Melaurn.
"We're going to Melaurn" replies the spellcaster who is in exile from his homeland, the city-state of Vexil, who quietly chuckles when next to him, Beldane dryly mutters "I know that".
The mage Reinholt, who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster says "I'm not exactly sure myself" followed by "Farque hasn't explained it all yet".
"The lord is taking command himself?" asks the fighting cleric in a tone of surprise.
For the last time one of the armies of Farque was hired out. In the northern duchies of the kingdom of Nastell. For the robber barons in the unruled lands to the north of Beldane's homeland.
The undead warlord stayed in the background for the most part. And had one of his generals, and a trio of field commanders, do most of the planning, and commanding of that army.
"I'm not sure when it comes to battle" says the Vexilian mage in exile, who briefly pauses then tells the churchman "But he is planning the strategy" followed by "That he has told us in the council".
The powerful spellcaster from the kingdom of Nastell nods his head in the direction of the nearby delegation from the province of Corlinda in Melaurn.
On what's a warm and sunny summer's day here on in the southern border region of the nation of Farque.
"What's his highness talking to them about?" asks Beldane the cleric, referring to Helbe the elven thief who is over with those Melaurians from the province of Corlinda, who have come and secured the services of one of the armies of Farque.
"Probably about where we're heading" quietly says the spellcaster who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Until he was stripped of most of his powers when he went offworld after accidentally casting a rift/void spell.
"To their province I'm guessing" says the member of the church of Glaine.
Next to him, his fellow practitioner of magic, the mage Reinholt slightly shakes his hooded head no.
Beldane's eyebrows shoot up when he sees the councilor shake his head no. As he wasn't expecting that for an answer from the exiled Vexilian mage.
The powerful cleric from the kingdom of Nastell wonders what's exactly going on, as he waits here on the tundra side of the border with Mira Reinholt the mage.
Dammis the runner, along with the two other runners make their way off the airship with the war engineer, and a group of other officers in the engineering corp.
The young teen from northwestern Farque finds himself following after the captain who commands the engineering corp. Who leaves behind the others at the rendezvous point.
Dammis as he and the war engineer head uphill, looks back down. To where the fleet are readying to depart. There's dozens and dozens of airships. Transporters and warships. Here on the northern side of the hills. Waiting to depart for the kingdom of Melaurn. Where the first army of Farque, well at least three quarters of it, has been hired by the nobility of the province of Corlinda, in their border conflict with the neighbouring province of Karricaw.
They head up the hill, with the young runner barely keeping up with the muscular looking man who wears something akin to a blacksmith's leather apron over his leather armour.
And though it's a warm day here in the hills along the southern border.
The war engineer originally from the kingdom of Druvic barely breaks a sweat as he walks quickly up the hill.
"Stay close" quietly says captain Tovis to the young runner as they near the top of the hill.
They start to see black clad soldiers every so often, by themselves amongst the trees.
And even more of them, when they go over the hill and head down it.
Dammis who spots the tundra to the south through the trees down the hill. Then sees a krean scoutship in a small clearing down to their left.
The war engineer starts heading that way, when a Farqian soldier all in black steps out from behind the tree, and quietly says "Further down the hill in the village, war engineer".
"Thank you" says the captain who commands the engineering corp of the first army of Farque.
Who with the young runner right behind him, heads down to a small hillside village amongst the trees.
Dammis figures the soldiers here and there amongst the trees are predominantly scouts and rangers by their appearance.
Though none in the first army that he recognises. And though he's only been in the first army since the start of spring.
He would of thought he's met most of the scouts and rangers division by now. But apparently not, for these soldiers, who are living. Don't seem to be like the other scouts and rangers he's met so far.
He wonders if they're the ones he's heard about. Who aren't just scouts and rangers. But are apparently more than that. What exactly, he's not too sure. He figures he'll find out one day.
The teenager from the northwest of the lands Farque, follows the war engineer into the quiet village.
The only settlement for miles and miles here on the southern border of the nation of Farque.
A black clad soldier, this one obviously an infantryman steps out of a house, and without a word, points them in the direction of the small tavern in town.
And though the village looks like it's near deserted, that's far from the truth. As the locals are keeping out of the way.
Tovis the war engineer and Dammis the runner walk by the soldiers kneeling out infront of the tavern.
Who closely watch the two of them approach.
A figure on the front porch of the tavern waves them forward.
The teenager from northwestern Farque sees it's a lean, attractive young woman, about twenty years old if he's not mistaken.
Who from all appearances is a scout in the armies of Farque.
Stepping onto the front porch of the tavern, the war engineer Tovis says "Lis" to the scout.
Dammis glances at the captain, as there was definitely feeling in that from him.
"Tov" replies Lisell Maera the scout in greeting, who then turns to Dammis and tells him "You can wait with the others in the shade there runner".
The young runner in the first army of Farque nods, and heads off the side of the porch, to the shade between the tavern and the next building.
While the war engineer, and the scout head inside.
Dammis catches sight of who is in the tavern, and on seeing the large figure in the blue, black heavy plate armour. He automatically bows, when he recognises his lord.
Before he steps off the side of the front porch, and the front door closes. He's sure his lord acknowledges his bow with a slight nod of his full helmed head.
In the shade where others are waiting, Dammis grins as he sees someone he knows.
It's Hamblin, who he went through basic training with in the wintertime, up in the northwest of the lands Farque.
Hamblin who is now an adjunctant by the looks of his black tabbard he wears over his armour.
Hamblin, who grins in return when he spots Dammis step into the shade next to the small tavern in the hillside village.
Meanwhile inside the tavern, Tovis the war engineer takes out a sealed missive from an inner pocket of his leather apron, and hands it to lord Farque, and says to him "From councillor Littlefoot".
As the undead warlord cracks the wax seal, and unrolls the parchment.
The captain in the engineering corp of the first army says "He said, he and Dalin found out something rather interesting in the city of Calinar".
The heavily armoured deathlord reads the missive, then after a few moments of silence, lord Farque slightly nods his full, helmed head then quietly says "That they did" . . . . . .