The Thick Of It 20.

Winter.

One moment there's silence in the darkness before dawn.
Then there's the bright light of a silent explosion.
Sending snow, tents, and bodies flying in all directions.
Zam the ex mercenary lifts his head up quickly. And he sees the outline of bodies hurtling through the air against the bright white light of the explosion that looks like a sun hanging just above the ground.
The teenager from here in the city-state of Kuradum, never knew explosions could be silent. But now he does.
Then the newest member of the group flinches as he lies there on the snow covered crowd.
As a second explosion occurs. This one you definitely can hear as the second mageglobe created by Mira Reinholt the mage comes to the end of it's existence.
This explosion is more conventional. Having flames mixed up in the debris that mushrooms up into the predawn sky.
There's another brief pause, then Zam the ex mercenary gets up and is moving after Tovis the war engineer quietly says to him "Go".
Up and down the treeline, black clad soldiers from the third army of Farque are moving, and advancing on the enemy position.
Just as Zam hears a growl from behind and to his left. The war engineer Tovis grabs him by the right arm, and hauls the ex mercenary sideways towards him.
"Stay behind them" says the young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic as Dorc da Orc followed closely by sir Percavelle Lé Dic go by as they hurry towards the enemy camp they're attacking.
With the large ork growling once again as he hurries by. Moving quickly through the snow that's thick on the ground.
Lord Farque goes by next, and the war engineer who is a captain in the armies of Farque quickly says to Zam "Get behind him".
After the undead warlord says something in elven. A language that the ex mercenary only began learning in the autumn. And is no way proficient in yet.
The snow is thick on the ground, at least calf deep, and knee deep in places.
Zam finds it relatively easy going through it now as he and Tovis the war engineer closely follow the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
As up ahead, Dorc da Orc just cuts through the snow, it goes flying from him, creating a path so that the others can follow.
They cover the fifty yards to the enemy camp in no time as the darkness before dawn gives way to the burgeoning light of false dawn.
Zam nods his head yes when next to him Tovis nods at lord Farque infront of them, and says "Stay close".
Up ahead Dorc da Orc has picked up an enemy soldier who has crawled out from his collapsed tent, wondering what's happening.
The large ork bites the local soldier in the army of councilman Hirrye in the head, tearing the front of the man's face off.
The ork warleader biffs the faceless body away to the left, where it crashes, and collapses one of the tents that's actually still standing.
Which is a bit of a rarity, as most of the tents have at least partially collapsed, or fully collapsed after the heavy snowfall during the night.
Zam draws his sword, while next to him Tovis the war engineer has taken his hammer from it's belt sling.
The two of them follow behind the large, heavily armoured figure of the deathlord of Farque.
They look away to their left as a flash of white appears, followed by a low sounding thud as there's another explosion.
"Don't worry" says lord Farque from infront of the ex mercenary from the city-state of Kuradum, and the young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic.
"The one spellcaster they had is dead" continues the undead warlord, who follows that with "Only ours are left".
The lord of the death realm steps over an enemy soldier who has been decapitated by sir Percavelle Lé Dic.
Then the undead being who also has the name of Draugadrottin that his people know him by. Calls out something in orkish to Dorc da Orc.
The ork weaponsmith grunts and nods without looking back, then he starts heading more to the left than the way they were heading.
Infront of Zam and Tovis, the large, heavily armoured deathlord gestures to their right.
The next moment, from behind a collapsed tent, a trio of enemy soldiers rush them.
The first is dropped by a hammer blow to the chest from the war engineer, who is a captain in the armies of Farque.
While the second almost stumbles forward onto the tip of Zam's sword. With the blade killing the enemy soldier basically instantly as it cuts through the man's neck and throat.
The third goes flying backwards, in the direction he came from after a no look backhand punch from the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"Percy head to the left!" calls out the undead warlord to the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic who is about twenty yards infront of them.
The member of the order of the Knights of Saint Mar-che, nods his full helmed head.
Then after the former earl of Lé Dic, punches an enemy soldier in the face with his gauntleted right hand.
Shattering the man's nose and teeth apart, dropping him to the ground. Where sir Percavelle Lé Dic, or Percy as he's more commonly called by the others in the group.
Kicks the downed enemy soldier, in the side of the head, with his right steel boot.
"Take that you vile villain!" declares sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who then hurries so that he can keep up with his bitter rival, Dorc da Orc.
He's followed by the large, heavily armoured deathlord, the war engineer and the ex mercenary.
As they head to wherever the ork warleader is going. Enemy soldiers, bleary eyed, half of whom were deep asleep when the explosions occurred.
Stumble from their collapsed and partially collapsed tents.
Only to be killed by the five of them, as well as the other members of the group.
And the hundred and fifty or so soldiers from the third army of Farque. Predominantly from the scouts and rangers division.
Who have accompanied their lord and ruler on this attack. Here in the northeast of the city-state of Kuradum.
After swapping his sword from his gloved right hand to his left. Zam swings his weapon out to his left side.
The blade catches an injured enemy soldier, who was caught up in the explosions. In the side of the head.
The local man fighting on the side of the so called duke of Kuradum, councilman Hirrye.
Drops to the snow covered ground with his jaw shattered and his skull cracked.
Zam pays him no more thought, as he and the young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic.
Follow closely behind the undead being, who has the elven name of Des'tier, which translates to, The Destroyer.
As the first light of the new day starts to appear on the horizon to the east.
Zam, who hails from Kuradum, the capital of the city-state. Hops over a body that looks like it's been torn in half.
The young man from the city of Kuradum figures the enemy soldier was hacked in half by Dorc da Orc. Who is holding a wicked looking axe at the moment.
The ex mercenary, who isn't exactly short at six feet in height. Is pretty sure the ork general's weapon is longer than he is tall.
With the blade at least being up to waist high on Zam.
Infront of him and the war engineer, who previously served in the army of a baron Harkonin in the kingdom of Druvic.
Lord Farque calls out something in the ork language to Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle which is his given name.
The son of the previous matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks loudly grunts in reply.
Then the big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world.
Runs directly at one of the tents that has partially collapsed.
"Follow him" loudly says the undead warlord to the nobleborn knight, the war engineer and the ex mercenary.
As the ork weaponsmith smashes into the tent and knocks it down. The trio of enemy soldiers who were in it, and were trying to get out of it after hearing the explosions earlier.
Are trampled by the warleader of the ork race who is a general in the armies of Farque.
With Tovis beside him, Zam runs across the crumpled tent. He slightly winces as he stands on someone in the collapsed tent who lets out a feeble sounding groan.
Then after he and the young engineer from the kingdom of Druvic.
Make their way off the collapsed tent behind the undead warlord.
With a quick look around, Zam sees that they're near the center of the enemy camp.
There's an opening, where just a few tents stand upright after the heavy snowfall during the night.
Across from there, he spots some of the others in the group.
While lord Farque, after saying something in the ork language.
Reverts back to the common and adds "We'll do what's necessary".
The undead warlord gestures towards one of the nearby tents, and he says to them "That one".
The ork warleader is already heading that way. The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world kicks out at an enemy soldier who is crawling across the snow covered ground.
Zam grimaces as he clearly hears the thud of the impact of the kick from the large ork.
Away to their left, a pair of enemy soldiers rush towards them. Only for the two of them to drop to the ground.
One with an arrow in his back, and the other with a crossbow bolt through the back of his neck, and out his throat.
The Kuradian ex mercenary spots Lisell Maera the scout, and Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy heading this way.
The scout Maera with her crossbow in hand, and the spy Tanith who shoulders his bow as he approaches.
As the battle at dawn rages on all around. In the middle of the camp, there's a pocket of tranquility, so to speak.
With little in the way of actual fighting going on at the moment. "Wait out here" says lord Farque in common after he says the same thing in the ork language to Dorc da Orc.
Draugadrottin enters the large tent, and a few moments later he calls out "Zam, Tovis get in here".
The ex mercenary and the war engineer share a look, then they enter the large tent, which is the command tent for this particular force in the army of councilman Hirrye.
"Take one" says the large, heavily armoured deathlord as he waves a hand at the trio of bodies on the tent floor.
Taking a closer look, the young man from the city of Kuradum insees that the enemy officers are unconscious.
"What happened to them?" asks Zam the ex mercenary.
"Helbe i guess" dryly says Tovis the war engineer as he goes to lift up one of the three unconscious enemy officers.
The lord and ruler of the lands Farque who is reading maps and documents on the table off to one side.
Nods his full helmed head in agreement with what the young Druvician engineer just said.
Taking a map off the table, as well as a couple of missives, that he stuffs behind his belt.
The lord of the death realm then says "Time to go". And he comes over and picks up the last of the unconscious enemy officers.
Zam steps outside with the unconscious enemy over his right shoulder.
He finds that the rest of the group, with the exception of Helbe the elven thief.
Have made it here to the command tent of that enemy.
The ex mercenary steps to one side, as Tovis the war engineer makes his way back outside, followed by the undead warlord.
In a relative spot of calm in the midst of the dawn battle, Zam the ex mercenary after shrugging to settle the knocked out enemy officer more comfortably over his right shoulder,. quietly says to no one in particular "I guess we head back now?".
"You guessed right" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Who then looks at Dorc da Orc, then sir Percavelle Lé Dic, and tells the ork general, and the nobleborn knight "You two, lead the group back" . . . . . .