To War 124.

Summer. Southern Melaurn.

A patrol from part of the first army of Farque led by field commander Tamric Drubine.
Turns up at castle Measum early in the morning. After they watch the enemy army. Or what's left of it, retreat during the middle of the night.
Tovis the war engineer, who is glad of their arrival as he stands at the end of the drawbridge.
That's down for the first time since the enemy laid siege to the large castle that's the ancestral home of the local nobleman, lord Measum.
Wonders if he should pursue what's left of the enemy. As his orders are to keep them occupied, so they don't head further south into the province of Corlinda, or over the border into the province of Karricaw.
After speaking with the company commander of the mounted patrol that showed up at dawn.
Who informs the war engineer originally from the kingdom of Druvic.
That the fleeing enemy have headed northwest to the border with the province of Moleau.
He decides to stay here and tend to things in the largest castle to be found in the south of the kingdom of Melaurn.
The young engineer who is a captain in the armies of Farque, who is the commander of the engineering corp of the first army of Farque.
Looks back through the open gates here on the west side of castle Measum.
And sees folk from the town within the castle, and those from the surrounding farms and nearby villages.
Coming down to the wall to help clean things up. While others are already making their way out of the castle, and heading home.
So that they're no longer a burden on those who live and work in lord Measum's castle.
As a couple of farmers, and their families and a small flock of sheep cross the drawbridge, then head south to their homes.
Tovis the war engineer looks away to his right along the moat.
On some of the rafts left behind, some of the soldiers from the castle garrison are fishing the enemy dead out of the water.
And dumping the bodies onto the ground on this side of the moat.
As piles of them accumulate, Heinë the sorceress walks along and sets fire to the enemy dead.
In the early morning light, black smoke rises up from some of the piles of enemy bodies.
As not even the magical fire of the sorceress can burn the soaking wet clothing, armour and bodies of some of the enemy cleanly.
The war engineer, who previously served a baron Harkonin in eastern Druvic. Before joining the group that travels with lord Farque.
Knows that this has to be done as soon as possible. Because if hundreds of dead bodies are left in the moat.
Disease will quickly spread throughout the large castle, that's been the ancestral home of lord Measum's family for centuries.
The commander of the first army of Farque's engineering corp. Wryly smiles as he spots Dorc da Orc over on this side of the moat.
The large ork is crouching near one of the piles of burning bodies that Heinë the sorceress has just set alight.
Even from where Tovis is standing by the drawbridge, he can see the ork warleader in the morning light, drooling as he watches the pile of burning bodies.
With a shake of his head, the young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic spots Dorc da Orc's bitter rival sir Percavelle Lé Dic standing not that far from the big, burly ork who is from the southern polar region of the world.
And further along the bank of the moat from the former paladin, stands Shur Kee the monk.
With the short, statured monk is a number of the goblin battalion. Including their commander, Teabagger the Goblin Cunt.
All of whom are keeping an eye on the ork general and the nobleborn knight who are bitter rivals.
Who Tovis is surprised didn't try to kill one another during the two days of near nonstop fighting that took place along the west side of castle Measum.
Before what little of the enemy who remained, retreated during the night.
The captain in the armies of Farque gets the attention of Teabagger the Goblin Cunt, he waves at him to join him.
The small, bright, lurid green goblin, who hails from the northern province of Sorros, here in the kingdom of Melaurn.
Trotts along the bank of the moat, to the drawbridge, which the war engineer is standing at the end of.
"Teabagger, if you could have some of the battalion help clear away the remnants of their camp" says Tovis the war engineer who gestures to the abandoned enemy camp, that's down the road.
"Yes boss, er captain engineer" says Teabagger the Goblin Cunt, who doesn't know how to refer to Tovis at times.
The young engineer who is from the kingdom of Druvic faintly smiles, then quietly tells the commander of the goblin battalion in the armies of Farque "You lot can keep anything of worth you find".
The captain in the armies of Farque quietly continues with "Whether it's weapons, armour, food or coins" followed by "If it's of worth, keep it".
Teabagger's eyes go wide at the prospect of that, then he says "Yes captain".
The war engineer nods in dismissal, then the small, bright green goblin moves off, yelling out in the goblin language as he does so.
A short time later and Teabagger is leading a group of goblins down the road, to where the enemy's abandoned camp is.
Tovis, who has spotted lord Measum up on the top of the west wall, watching the clean up.
As the last of the dead defenders are carried away, and the parapet washed down with buckets of water.
Turns and sees Heinë the sorceress walking this way along the bank of the moat.
The powerful Farqian spellcaster is waiting for more of the enemy to be pulled out of the water, so she can set more of the piles of them on fire.
"Easier than actually setting the living on fire i guess" dryly says Heinë the sorceress when she joins the young Druvician engineer.
Tovis slightly winces, but nods in agreement with the lean, attractive looking practitioner of magic, who is from The Citadel, the capital of the lands Farque.
Then the war engineer sees the sorceress looking over at some of the patrol who rode in at dawn.
And though some of them gone into the castle, a group of them, along with their commander are still out here.
Tovis who knows a few of them, as they've worked with his engineering corp in the past. Sees that Heinë is watching one in particular.
"What is it?" quietly asks the commander of the engineering corp of the first army of Farque.
The sorceress is silent as the Farqian soldier she's watching, walks this way, leading his horse as he does so.
"Captain" says the scout in the first army of Farque, who nods in greeting to the war engineer as well.
He does the same to the spellcaster, as he says "Heinë".
"Darmill" says the sorceress in reply, who then just stares at him.
The scout goes to say something, but seeing Heinë standing there, just staring at him.
He falls silent, then with a nod to the commander of the first army's engineering corp, he walks across the drawbridge with his horse, and enters the large castle, that's the ancestral home of the local nobleman, lord Measum.
"What was that all about?" quietly asks Tovis the war engineer with a sideways glance at the spellcaster who holds the rank of subaltern in the armies of Farque.
The sorceress doesn't say anything, and when Tovis thinks she's going to say nothing about it, and he's just about to change the subject, Heinë speaks up.
"When we were younger Darmill tried to pursue me" says the lean, attractive looking practitioner of magic.
The war engineer frowns, then clears his throat, and says "Ah i see" after Heinë tells him "Romantically".
"Didn't work out for some reason?" asks the young engineer who hopes he isn't being too forward with the sorceress.
"You could say that" says the Farqian spellcaster.
Tovis who doesn't want to pry any further, nods his head, and as he thinks Heinë is going to drop the subject.
She quietly tells him "The main reason being I'm not attracted to men".
It takes a moment for the young engineer to figure out what the sorceress means.
And he when he does, his cheeks go red with embarrassment.
"Er i had no idea" says the commander of the first army's engineering corp.
Tovis isn't a total innocent, and he knows that some women prefer to be in relationships with other women. And the same for men too.
But he's never known someone who is actually like that.
"Disappointed captain?" asks Heinë with a slight grin upon her face as she adds "That you've got no chance?".
The war engineer's face couldn't get any redder, and he slightly winces as he wishes he was somewhere else at the moment.
Preferably in the moat, even with all the dead bodies at the moment.
At least he'd be cool in there, the young engineer is thinking to himself.
"I ah never" says the captain in the armies of Farque, who shakes his head, before adding "I never thought that about you".
"I know, I'm just teasing captain" says the sorceress who fondly lays a hand upon the right arm of the war engineer, as she continues with "I know you didn't".
Heinë knows captain Tovis, was never attracted to her. Even though they've worked closely with one another.
Ever since the first army of Farque travelled to the kingdom of Melaurn, to take part in the border war between the provinces of Corlinda and Karricaw.
Besides if rumours are true, she knows the war engineer is attracted to the scout by the name of Lisell, who also travels in the group with lord Farque.
The sorceress Heinë doesn't have the heart to tell the young engineer he's wasting his time there.
As she's met the scout Lisell Maera a couple of times. And the sorceress immediately knows that there's something wrong with the attractive young scout. Who will never care or love anyone in her life if Heinë can read things right.
And by all accounts, the young engineer originally from the kingdom of Druvic is no longer pursuing Lisell Maera.
But all the same, the sorceress who is a subaltern in the armies of Farque. Figures captain Tovis is still madly in love with the young woman, who if she remembers correctly, is from the city-state of Brattonbury.
As the war engineer clears his throat, sounding a little nervous as he does so.
The sorceress Heinë does him a favour, and changes the subject.
The Farqian spellcaster nods away to their right along the moat, and quietly says "The councilor is coming this way".
Tovis the war engineer turns and sees Shur Kee the monk walking this way.
The acolyte in the philosophical order of Bru Li, is followed by a pair of goblins.
The commander of the engineering corp in the first army of Farque sees it's the same two goblins who followed the physical adept everywhere during the last two days of fighting along the west side of castle Measum.
After Shur Kee the monk greets the war engineer and the sorceress, he says "Friend Tovis there is an airship approaching from the west".
Indicating the two goblins Fatcunt and Fuckity Fuckfuck, the short statured monk says "My friends here says it has no masts" followed by "So it must be the command ship".
Both Tovis and Heinë look to the west in the morning sky, and though the Druvician war engineer can't see anything.
The Farqian sorceress who casts a farsight spell upon herself, can see it.
"It's the command ship alright" says the powerful spellcaster, followed by "The krean strikeship".
With a nod of his head, Tovis the war engineer says "Lord Farque".
He briefly pauses, before continuing with "I wonder if something's happened?" . . . . . .