Winter.
"Anything else?" quietly asks Helbe the elven thief.
"Just that" replies lord Farque, who continues with "Then take out anyone else you deem important".
The highly talented elven magic user in the white cloak, nods his hooded head. Then he disappears when he shifts away.
Turning to Saanea the witch, the undead warlord tells the spellcaster "Give the signal".
The witch from the Maldin Hills nods, then she closes her eyes. The next moment, her familiar. Which at the moment is in the form of crow. Lifts off from her right shoulder and heads up into the sky.
Then the large, heavily armoured deathlord, followed by the rest of the group.
Make their way through the trees to where commander Tracklen of the Kuradian army and his men are waiting.
They don't have to wait too much longer as the battle is soon underway this cold winter's morning, here in this area of the city-state of Kuradum.
In the town of Salmet Crossing, subaltern Kobus, the adjunctant to commander Pierce.
The commander of councilman Hirrye's forces in this area of the city-state.
Opens the door to the room, here in the inn that they're using as their headquarters.
The subaltern steps in the room and suddenly comes to a stop, and looks around the room in surprise.
Two of his fellow officers are on the floor, obviously dead from pools of blood they're lying in.
The guard in the room, is also dead. As his throat has been sliced open, as he's slumped on the floor, against the wall next to the door.
A pair of runners, are either dead or unconscious. As they're slumped on the bench they usually sit on while waiting for orders.
Subaltern Kobus sees no sign of commander Pierce, who isn't sitting behind the desk he usually sits at when he's in here.
The subaltern makes his way forward, and goes around to look behind the desk.
And breathes a sigh of relief when he doesn't find the commander lying dead on the floor.
Subaltern Kobus then turns to call out to the guards in the corridor. When suddenly he feels something slam into the side of his neck.
The officer in councilman Hirrye's army drops to his knees, clutching the side of his neck, where blood sprays from it.
He slumps over onto his side, gasping his last breath, not knowing what's happening.
Or for that matter, where commander Pierce has got to.
Helbe the elven thief steps back so he doesn't get blood on his boots from the enemy subaltern he's just killed.
The blurred and shielded elven magic user, who has the unconscious enemy commander over his right shoulder. Glances out the open window of the room, then he shifts away.
Meanwhile, out the front of the inn, some of the soldiers and officers loitering around, point away to the west in the sky.
As shouts of an airship can be seen coming from that direction, are called out from across the town of Salmet Crossing.
As one of the officers runs inside to inform the commander of the approaching airship.
The sounds of magetubes firing can be heard from the airship to the west of town.
From the woods just a couple hundred yards to the north of town, they watch the Farqian frigate approach from the west.
The twin masted vessel is less than a mile away, when it turns to starboard. And fires a broadside of twenty magetubes.
Most of the shots of pure magical energy, are aimed for the pair of enemy airships on the ground. On the western edge of town.
One a fighting ship, a brigantine. The other a larger transport vessel in the fleet of the pretender, councilman Hirrye.
The other half dozen shots or so, are directed at the enemy camp. Most of which is outside the north of town.
As the first of the incoming magetube shots are about to hit their targets.
The fast moving Farqian frigate fires another volley of shots from it's starboard side weapons. Before it turns north, and heads off in that direction.
They watch as magetube shots slam into the two enemy airships that are desperately trying to get up off the ground.
They don't stand a chance, as magetube shot after magetube destroy the enemy warship and transporter.
Other shots slam into the camp, sending large explosions of dirt and debris flying up into the morning sky.
And a few moments later, it's repeated when the second volley of twenty magetube shots hit their targets.
Both in the town of Salmet Crossing, and the camp beside it. Buildings shatter apart, some in fiery explosions.
While other hits, just send debris and everything else they hit, flying in all directions, mostly straight up into the morning sky on this cold winter's day.
With more than quite a few explosions mushrooming up into the morning sky above the town of Salmet Crossing.
There's a few moments of silence as debris starts falling back down towards the town and the surrounding area.
Then the screams of pain, and shouts of help can be heard across the town, and from within the camp.
Suddenly there's movement from the woods to the north of town. As the first of the Farqian soldiers from the third army of Farque advance.
They're from the scouts and rangers division, shortly followed by the first of the light infantry.
As he watches the first wave of the attack from his soldiers hit the enemy camp on the north side of the town.
Lord Farque looks at Tamric Drubine, and slightly nods his full helmed head.
"Commander you may begin your attack" says Tamric Drubine the field commander to the local military officer, commander Tracklen.
"Yes sir" says commander Tracklen, who instead of having one of his officers give the command, he does it himself.
"Advance!" calls out the commander in the Kuradian army, still loyal to the ruling council of the city-state.
The two hundred and fifty or so Kuradian soldiers under commander Tracklen's command, move out.
Making their way out of the woods, and advancing at a steady march towards the enemy camp and the town of Salmet Crossing.
With them is lord Farque and the rest of the group, with the exception of Helbe the elven thief.
Who is somewhere in the town, that just took a barrage of shots from the Farqian frigate which is getting further and further away to the north.
"That was close" mutters Helbe the elven thief, on his left shoulder, Narladene the ground pixie nods in agreement.
As they look across the street, at a building that's just a pile of debris and rubble.
While the building directly to it's left, is on fire, burning uncontrollably. While the building to the immediate right, is still in one piece.
The young elven noble who is from the island principality of Laerel, shrugs to get the unconscious enemy army commander, in a more comfortable position on his right shoulder.
"Glad this guy is short and light" murmurs the blurred and shielded elven magic user.
As he stands at the mouth of a lane between two buildings, here in the town of Salmet Crossing.
One of the larger towns in this part of the city-state of Kuradum. And a strategically important town in this area in the war between the two factions fighting over who is to rule the city-state.
The elven masterthief and the naturally magical creature who is attached to him.
Watch as people, both town's folk, and soldiers and mercenaries in the forces of the self styled duke of Kuradum, councilman Hirrye.
Hurrying along the street in both directions. While others are searching the destroyed building across the street for any survivors.
And more are trying to put out the burning building, forming a bucket line from a nearby well.
"There to the left down the street" quietly says Narladene the ground pixie from her position on the left shoulder of the elven master assassin she's attached to.
The young elven noble who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
Looks that way, and spots an enemy officer trying to organise things. As he's calling out to soldiers, getting them to form up to follow him.
The highly talented elven magic user slightly narrows his eyes, then he casts a spell.
One moment the enemy officer is calling out to more of the passing soldiers, to follow him.
The next moment, he drops to the ground clutching his head after Helbe the elven thief casts a mindblast spell on him.
The spell is so efficient, that it kills the enemy officer in mere moments. His mind so shattered, that his body can't survive what's happened to it.
"I sense him" murmurs the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel in response to the ground pixie quietly telling him "Enemy wizard heading north through the town".
The blurred and shielded elven magic user shrugs once more, getting the unconscious enemy commander into a more comfortable position on his right shoulder.
Then the elf who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque. Shifts away, as he goes hunting for the enemy spellcaster who is nearby, here in the town of Salmet Crossing.
Commander Tracklen of the Kuradian army still loyal to the ruling council. Has his archers and crossbowmen shoot at anything that moves in the enemy camp, from the side they're approaching it from.
The senior most officer in the army loyal to councilman Sammis and the rest of the ruling council.
Has them shoot another couple of volleys. Then he gives the order for his men to advance into the camp.
As he sees his allies doing the same from the other directions they're attacking from.
The local army commander and his adjunctant Morris are back behind the vanguard of their forces.
But that doesn't stop them from running into the enemy camp that's in disarray after the recent bombardment from the Farqian warship.
"You lot away to the right" orders commander Tracklen to some of his men as he spots some of the enemy in that direction, who are trying to help those who barely survived the explosions of the magetube shots.
The order is to kill as many as the enemy as possible. Both Kuradian soldiers loyal to the pretender, councilman Hirrye.
And those mercenaries hired by the self styled duke of Kuradum.
Only taking senior enemy officers prisoner if they're able to get the chance.
So commander Tracklen has no problem when one of his men, shoves his sword into the back of an already injured enemy mercenary, trying to crawl away from a tent that's on fire.
"Hell, this is going to be chaotic" says the adjunctant Morris.
"Such is battle" replies the local army commander, who follows that with "Make sure our men stick to this side of the camp".
"Yes sir" says the junior officer, who relays that order to a nearby subaltern and a sergeant at arms.
Commander Tracklen and his adjunctant move quickly to one side, as a loud growl comes from behind them.
Both of them wince as the large ork walks by, glancing down at the two of them, as be grunts in satisfaction that they got out of his way, before he walked into them.
Then the knight in the brightly polished steel plate armour, with the pristine white cape.
Hurries by the two of them, saying in a somewhat posh accent "Do keep up chaps, don't want to miss out on all the fun" quickly followed by "Wot".
Commander Tracklen and his adjunctant Morris share a look after the foreign knight, runs by the large ork, saying "Ha! You smelly evil beast of the underworld, i shall slay more of the enemy than you will".
Before running around behind a tent, from where they can clearly hear him shout "Take that you villain!".
Followed by a scream of pain by someone, definitely not the large, heavily armoured knight.
Meanwhile the large ork just shakes his head in disgust as he continues on the way he's heading.
While taking an axe from the weapon harness he is wearing, a harness with all manner of weapons on it.
And though the axe looks to be large if it was wielded by a human. Not so for the ork, as it looks pretty small in his hands.
Infact so small, he throws it with force. And it slams into the back of an enemy soldier who is limping away.
The local army commander and his adjunctant turn when behind them, someone says "Keep an eye on your men".
"Yes commander" says commander Tracklen to the field commander, Tamric Drubine.
Then the senior most officer in the army still loyal to the faction in the civil war led by councilman Sammis.
Nods for Morris, and those of his men nearby, to follow him.
As the attack upon the enemy here, in and around the town of Salmet Crossing.
Continues on this cold winter's morning, in the southeast of the city-state of Kuradum . . . . . .
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