To War 86.

Summer. The Kingdom Of Melaurn.

Helbe the elven thief follows the retreating army northwards.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel finds who is left in command of the enemy army. And tampers with their mind.
As the defeated army made of the king's own, and allies of the crown and king from the provinces of Calinar and Alindar.
Cross back over the border into the province of Moleau.
The highly talented elven magic user has the enemy commander take his army further to the northwest.
The elven masterthief who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
Watches the retreating enemy for a bit. Finding, not all that surprisingly. That it's the king's own, even though they've been defeated. Are the ones still keeping their discipline.
Not so much the others, those belonging to various lords and nobles from throughout the provinces of Calinar and Alindar.
They're fleeing in a pell mell fashion. Getting in one another's way. Often leaving their wounded and injured behind.
And that's not to mention the camp followers. Who are even more chaotic than the rest of the army.
With many of their carts and wagons getting in the way of soldiers both on foot, and on horseback.
As the defeated army representing the king and crown of Melaurn, continues to flee to the northwest, now that they're in the province of Moleau.
The elven master assassin who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel.
Looks at his right shoulder as Narladene the ground pixie suddenly appears there.
"They're there" quietly says Narladene the ground pixie.
"How far?" quietly asks Helbe the elven thief.
"About eight or nine miles" replies the naturally magical creature who is from the Sunreach Mountains.
The tiny winged creature nods her head at the retreating army, and says "They'll probably get there before nightfall" she continues with "In the late afternoon probably".
"Probably" quietly says the elven masterthief who stands upon a small hill, above the road the enemy army are heading north along.
"What have you been up to?" quietly asks the ground pixie who has been attached to the elven magic user for a number of years now.
"Oh this and that" quietly says the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel, who briefly flashes a smile upon his face.
Narladene, who met and attached herself to the young elven noble from the island principality, over fifteen years ago. In the city of Leeabra, the capital of the kingdom of Druvic.
Shakes her head, as she sensed the elven princeling from Laerel casting multiple times as she was away.
What the elven spellcaster was actually doing. Was eliminating a number of threats in the enemy army. Who survived the battle this morning in some woods, across the border in the province of Corlinda.
The elven master assassin who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque.
Decided early on to keep the senior most officer in the king's own alive. As he needed someone to actually take control of the enemy army who have fled north across the border into the province of Moleau.
And a few other officers in the king's own, who actually know what they're doing.
But apart from them, everyone else is fair game. Especially the nobility from the provinces of Calinar and Alindar who survived this morning's battle.
And even more so than them. Any enemy spellcaster who was able to survive the battle.
Where quite a few of them had already been killed. Either someone dumb enough to take on Mira Reinholt the mage in battle. Or face Beldane the cleric on the battlefield.
Or any of them just pure unlucky to be near prince Helbenthril Raendril himself.
Who predominantly observed the battle more than anything else. As he wanted to see the enemy army both defeated. And when they retreated, he wanted them to go in a certain way. Which is exactly what they're doing right now.
Since then, the elven magic user, as usual as he's out and about. He's blurred and shielded.
So that he can't been seen by anyone. Nor can he be sensed by any other practitioner of magic.
Has been picking off a fair number of the enemy nobility and spellcasters, and others he deems fit to be eliminated.
Some of it has been fairly easy. As quite a few of those he's targeted are already wounded or injured. He's just helped them on their way to the afterlife.
Having a wounded nobleman bleed out a hell of a lot quicker than would naturally occur.
To a number of concussed officers and nobles not waking up at all. With five of them dying in the wagons they're in the back of.
The elven masterthief who is a member of the royal family who that rules the island principality of Laerel.
Had to be a bit more imaginative after that as he got rid of a number of others in the enemy army who are retreating north, and west from the border with the province of Corlinda.
The highly talented elven magic user, who is of middling power at best when it comes to magic.
But is extremely inventive, and has the unique ability to cast multiple spells at once. Up to a dozen at a push, sometimes even more.
When most other practitioners of magic struggle to cast two spells simultaneously.
Had one perfectly hale and healthy nobleman from the province of Alindar.
Lose control of his horse, and run head first into a tree off the side of the dusty dirt road the enemy army is traveling on.
The horse survived the head on run into the thick oak like tree, not so the nobleman from the province of Alindar.
The elf who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Had an officer in some Calinarian lord's army, go crazy. Draw his sword, cut down his lord.
And turn on some of the other soldiers he's known for years. Before he was eventually cut down by his friends and comrades.
The elven master archer had one of wagons go out of control. With the driver unable to rein in his team of horses.
The horse drawn wagon plowed into some of the foot soldiers in a few of the noble's armies from the province of Alindar.
Eventually running over, and trampling to death the captain of the guard of one of the nobles from Alindar. The elven master assassin's intended target.
Eventually the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel gave up on making things look like accidents or incidents. And just killed a number of those he's targeted, as they've either walked or rode along the road, that the retreating army is on.
An officer in the king's own just falls off his horse dead. As did an officer, from an army from the province of Calinar. Whose lord, and his vassals had died in the morning during the battle.
While a nobleman from the province of Alindar suffered the same fate. And as one of his sergeant at arms, who was the most senior retainer to survive the battle, rushed to his aid, he dropped dead too.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril looks down at the passing army who are heading further north and west, after crossing back into the province of Moleau.
Then he glances at Narladene on his right shoulder, and asks the ground pixie who is attached to him "Where exactly are they?".
"That way" says the naturally magical creature who points northwest, the direction more or less, the enemy army who survived this morning's battle across the border in Corlinda, are fleeing in.
The highly talented elven magic user who is blurred and shielded, nods his hooded head.
As he does, the tiny winged creature crouches down, and clings onto his shoulder and cloak as she senses he's about to cast.
The next moment, the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel shifts away, heading to the northwest.
Following the directions of Narladene the ground pixie. It doesn't take too long to get where he wants to go.
It's barely the middle of the afternoon, when he makes it there.
The highly talented elven magic user after quickly checking out the surrounding countryside.
Makes his way into the army camp he's traveled to.
The elven master assassin who is blurred and shielded eventually spots someone he recognises.
The elven masterthief who is the envoy for the first army of Farque drops his blur spell, then says in the common language "Where are the others?".
"You" gasps a nobleman from the province of Selvah Na after he jumps in fright at the sudden appearance of the elf in the white hooded cloak beside him.
"Yes, me" dryly says the elven princeling from Laerel, who follows on from that with "The others?".
As a crowd of the nobleman's guards start to gather, the noble from Selvah Na clears his throat, then points to further in the camp and says "That way".
The elven master archer nods his hooded head, then says "Very well" followed by "Come along, there's a lot to discuss".
As the two of them head further into the camp of the large army from the province of Selvah Na.
Infact, it's the largest army in the warzone by far.
With close to ten thousand soldiers in the services of various lords, ladies and other nobles from Selvah Na.
The most rebellious province in the kingdom of Melaurn.
Who Helbe the elven thief negotiated with to join lord Gormica of Salmah Forest, and his war against the crown and king of Melaurn.
It was fairly easy negotiation for the elven envoy. For the simple reason every noble, and for that matter, most of the local population in the province of Selvah Na, absolutely hates the crown.
They discuss the journey the large army from the southern most province in the kingdom took to get here.
Going north and west out of Selvah Na. And instead of going north into the province of Corlinda. They went into the province of Romial.
There they traveled a little more cautiously. Even so, they only encountered one force that was loyal to the crown and king.
And that enemy army of about five hundred soldiers who were making their way to Corlinda.
Stood no chance against the large army from the province of Selvah Na. Who wiped them out in no time. Before continuing on their way northwards through Romial, and they eventually made their way up into the province of Moleau, where they are now.
Near the center of the camp, on what's a relatively cool day for the summertime in this part of the kingdom of Melaurn.
They find the command tent, that has a number of the nobility from the province of Selvah Na, in and around it.
At the appearance of the elven envoy who represents the first army of Farque.
Conversations halt, and the nobles and officers look at the elf in the white hooded cloak who has showed up in camp.
"Gentlemen" says Helbe the elven thief in the common language.
"And ladies" adds the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel.
"Gather around" continues the highly talented elven magic user, followed by "There's something we need to discuss".
After more than a few shared looks, one of the nobles, a lord from the port city of Ramgee speaks up, and asks "What is it?".
"Why, a battle of course" says prince Helbenthril Raendril, who continues with "There's an enemy army retreating in this direction".
The elven envoy pauses for a moment, before he adds "And i want you lot to wipe them out" . . . . . .