To War 39.

Summer. The Province Of Moleau. The Kingdom Of Melaurn.

The field commander Tamric Drubine crawls forward along the hilltop he's on, then stops when he's able to see the road down below.
Away to the left, about a third of a mile away along the road is Dorc da Orc and his battalion of goblins.
While directly down below, is the enemy. A combined army from the province of Olind. The province directly to the north of eastern Moleau.
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, who is now a senior officer in the armies of Farque.
Gets a good look of the enemy, who are just a couple hundred feet below where he is.
They've made the mistake of putting the bulk of their infantry in the front of their line of a march.
With the mounted troopers following them. Most of them heavy horse. With very little in the way of light cavalry.
Those in the fore have stopped a couple hundred yards from the battalion of goblins and the ork general. With the rest of them following, starting to bunch up.
Those directly below field commander Drubine's position aren't bunched up yet.
Which is fine by him. As that will probably make things even worse with what's about to happen.
Though still only nineteen years old, about to turn twenty in the autumn.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well.
Is already a senior officer in the armies of Farque. Who has helped lead one of the Farqian armies in the past.
During a war up in the kingdom of Nastell. Far away from down here in the very south of the Southlands, in the kingdom of Melaurn.
Watches the enemy for a little bit longer, then he crawls backwards along the top of the hill, and eventually stands back up.
"There's a better spot over there sir" quietly says his subaltern, who nods away to the left.
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin looks that way, and sees the undead heavy foot trooper Arveem and a few others, including Tam's lover, Saanea the witch walking that way.
The young field commander then looks down this side of the hill, at his waiting army.
Then Tamric Drubine the field commander says to his subcommander "We'll be with trooper Arveem" followed by "Watch for our signal".
The subcommander nods, then field commander Drubine, and his subaltern, a young man by the name of Phelms, who hails from The Citadel, the capital of the lands Farque.
Make their way along the side of the hill, and amongst the smattering of trees, that Arveem, Saanea and a couple of others are in.
Subaltern Phelms waits on this side of the trees, so he can pass on the signal of his commander to the subcommander.
Tam walks to the group of four, and sees that one of the others is an elven scout by the name of Janarendellé.
While the other is the young aide to undead heavy foot trooper Arveem, a teenager by the name of Hamblin.
Who was a recruit in the wintertime back in the lands Farque, who field commander Drubine helped to train.
As Tamric Drubine stands next to his lover Saanea. And the female elf, Janarendellé is leaning forward against the back of tree, looking around it, down at the road below.
The undead being in the full suit of heavy plate armour, who at seven foot tall, and weighing well in excess of three hundred pounds, is the largest human Tam has ever met, or seen for that matter.
Is quietly speaking to his aide, and officer in training, Hamblin.
Nodding down to the road, to where general Dorc and his goblin battalion are still waiting.
Arveem the undead heavy foot trooper quietly says to his aide "See the young runners at the rear there?" followed by "Behind the cover of those rocks on one side of the road, and behind those trees on the other?".
"I do trooper" says the young teen Hamblin who has to constantly remind himself not to call the undead trooper sir.
Even though every fibre of his being tells him it's what he should call Arveem.
"Do you know what their most difficult job is?" asks the massive, heavily armoured undead being.
The young aide who hails from a farming village in the northwest of the lands Farque, who recently turned fourteen years old, replies with "Going through the middle of a battle to deliver a message".
"Not really" says Arveem who is looking down at the four teenage runners behind the goblin battalion.
"Though admittedly that is difficult, and is where most runners or messengers in any army get killed" says the undead being who died four and half centuries ago.
Hamblin stays silent, as he knows Arveem is imparting wisdom here. And wants him to learn something.
"No, the most difficult thing for any runner is staying out of a battle, when their friends and comrades are in the thick of it, fighting for their lives" says the undead heavy foot trooper, who follows that with "Staying put, and observing while the people you know are getting slaughtered, that's the most difficult thing for a runner to do".
Arveem briefly pauses, before he adds in a quiet tone "Right Jana?".
"Sure is" is the equally as quiet reply of Janarendellé the scout.
Who turns her head to look over to where the young aide is standing with the undead heavy foot trooper.
"I was there in the battle when our lord died" says the elven scout, who is polite enough not to mention that was also the same day that Arveem died.
"I was barely a century old, and a young runner in our then battlelord's combined Southlands army" adds Janarendellé the scout, who follows that with "Who was told to watch and observe what happened that fateful day".
She's silent for a few moments, and goes back to looking down at the road below, then quietly says "Most difficult thing I've ever done in my life".
Behind where Arveem is standing with his aide Hamblin. Field commander Drubine nods in understanding, and briefly clasps the left hand of his lover, Saanea the witch.
"You understand?" asks the undead being with a glance down to his side at his aide.
"Yes trooper" replies the officer in training Hamblin.
"That goes for those who command too" says the massive, heavily armoured undead heavy foot trooper, followed by "Which you could find yourself doing one day".
The teenager Hamblin nods his head in understanding, as they look down at what's happening on the road below.
"Right field commander?" asks Arveem the heavy foot trooper with a glance back at Tamric Drubine.
"It sure is" says the nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, who like the others is speaking in the elven language.
Then Janarendellé the elven scout interrupts the conversation, by saying "Their infantry is bunching up pretty badly now".
Tam, who is the son of a previous Knight of Castle Drubine, which can be found in the forested north of his homeland, Sarcrin.
Steps forward, to get a better view at the enemy, who are away to the right from this position in the trees near the top of the hill.
"They're still not attacking" quietly says the senior officer in the armies of Farque.
"I'm sure the ork will get them to attack him and his battalion fairly shortly" dryly says Arveem the undead scout as they watch what's happening down on the road, that goes through this part of eastern Moleau, heading south to the province of Corlinda.
Tamric Drubine sees Dorc da Orc discuss something with the bright green goblin, Teabagger the Goblin Cunt who commands the battalion of goblins.
The young field commander wryly smiles as he sees sir Percavellé Lé Dic butt in on the conversation between the ork general and the goblin commander.
While off to one side, stands Lisell Maera the scout who is watching the large ork, the small bright, lurid green goblin and the heavily armoured knight.
Field commander Drubine can well imagine the scout Maera is probably rolling her eyes as she watches and listens to the three having what looks like be a heated discussion.
Arveem the heavy foot trooper snorts, then says in a slightly dry tone to Tam "I think you better get ready to give the signal field commander".
The nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin nods his head in understanding, as he realises the undead being can clearly hear what Dorc da Orc, Teabagger the Goblin Cunt and sir Percavellé Lé Dic are talking about.
So can Janarendellé the scout, who Tamric Drubine sees is stringing her longbow as she continues to look down the hill at the enemy on the road.
After briefly looking back to see if his subaltern Phelms is watching him.
The senior officer in the armies of Farque looks down to the road, and sees that a number of horsemen have worked their way to the front.
From the looks of their armour, and the sigils on their surcoats, it's fairly obvious they're nobles from the province of Olind.
Who like their soldiers, are just as surprised to find what's essentially a small army of goblins spread out across the road, and to the sides of it.
"Lis is moving back" quietly says Saanea the witch to her lover the field commander.
Tam looks at Dorc da Orc and his battalion of goblins and spots the scout Maera making her way to the rear of the battalion of goblins.
The son of a previous Knight of Castle Drubine, which is located in the forested north of the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
Looks to the front of the battalion of black clad goblins, and sees the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, is taking one of his longspears from across his back.
Now normally a gap of just over a couple hundred yards between forces is a safe distance.
Even a skilled archer with a longbow would be hard pressed to hit anything at that distance.
And anyone else with a throwing weapon, you can forget about it as that's easily six hundred feet.
But when it comes to an ork, you can throw those assumptions away. Especially if you don't know what they're capable of.
"Told you that ork would get them to attack him" dryly murmurs Arveem the heavy foot trooper.
As they watch Dorc da Orc run a few steps forward, and throw his longspear with an almighty heave.
The spear which is about ten foot long, goes sailing up into the air, going up in an arc, before it starts to come down.
Tamric Drubine suspects the ork general wasn't throwing it anyone specifically, just at the mounted noblemen at the front of the enemy army who are allies of the crown of Melaurn.
As it turns out, the ork warleader's longspear ends up hitting the nobleman wearing the most shiny of armour, and the brightest of capes.
The longspear slams into the armoured breastplate of the nobleman from the province of Olind.
Even thrown over six hundred feet, the longspear almost goes right through the enemy noble, who is cartwheeled off the back of his horse, which bolts off in fright.
There's a momentary pause from those in the enemy army, then all hell breaks lose from them.
Mounted soldiers further back, try to rush forward after seeing what just happened.
From the sigils on their surcoats and tunics, they're from the lands in the province of Olind that the nobleman who just got skewered by Dorc da Orc's longspear comes from.
Amongst the infantry infront of the mounted soldiers. Others from that nobleman's lands, rush forward too.
While at the front of the enemy army, there's some more of them. Who yell and shout, as they break ranks and run forward.
Ignoring the shouts and yells of command from the other mounted nobility at the front of the enemy army.
Watching the chaos ensue amongst the enemy army from the province of Olind, who are traveling through eastern Moleau to get to the province of Corlinda.
As they're allies to the crown and king of Melaurn, who is at war with lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, who has hired the first army of Farque.
Tamric Drubine waits a little while as the enemy army erupts into chaos.
And when some at the front are strung out along the road as they rush towards the goblin battalion led by Dorc da Orc are waiting.
And the rest of the army is a milling and swirling mess, as others within the ranks. Especially some of the mounted soldiers attempt to rush forward, but are hampered by all the infantry infront of them.
The young field commander in the armies of Farque turns, and spots his subaltern Phelms, back just outside the trees, intently watching him.
The nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin gives his subaltern a hand signal.
The junior officer nods, turns then moves a short distance away, and gives the signal to the subcommander of the force that field commander Drubine has command of.
"Think they'll move" quietly asks Saanea the witch as she nods down at the battalion of goblins down on the road.
"With Dorc and Percy at the front?" dryly says the field commander Tamric Drubine, who slightly snorts before he adds in a dry tone "I doubt it".
Infact the ork warleader and the former paladin are now basically standing side by side on the road out infront of the battalion of goblins.
As the enemy amongst the infantry who have broken ranks, rush towards them.
"And here we go" quietly says Arveem the undead heavy foot trooper.
As the enemy army from the province of Olind are in turmoil, the force from the lands Farque led by field commander Drubine comes sweeping up and over, and around the hill, to descend upon the enemy army.
With the light cavalry, the quickest in the force that the senior officer in the armies of Farque, leading the way.
Tamric Drubine along with his lover Saanea the witch, and the elven scout Janarendellé, and Arveem the undead heavy foot trooper and his aide Hamblin.
Remain up in the trees near the top of the hill, where they observe the ensuing battle down on, and around the road below them . . . . . .