Winter.
Commander Tracklen and his adjunctant Morris along with one hundred and twenty soldiers from the Kuradum City garrison.
Are onboard one of the warships in the fleet of the mercenary army from the lands Farque.
The Kuradian army commander and his adjunctant share a look as one of the deck officers calls out what's expected of them when the time arrives.
"You lot have been chosen because you've already gone through a rift" calls out the deck officer in black, who follows that with "In your case, a gateway".
As he stands on the fore deck, looking aft, the officer from the lands Farque continues with "This is no different, you'll go through one of the two rifts that appear infront of you on deck".
He briefly pauses before calling out "Be prepared for battle, because that's what you're going into".
The officer in the fleet from the lands Farque briefly pauses again, before saying in a slightly dry tone of voice "Though we have to get there first".
The Farqian air fleet officer as he looks at them along the deck, then adds "Which will be an experience in itself".
Commander Tracklen, his adjunctant Morris, the handful of Kuradian officers, and the hundred and twenty soldiers they've brought with them.
Are lined up along the deck of the twin masted frigate in the fleet from the lands Farque.
Half on the starboard side, and half on the port side as the warship heads east from the capital city, Kuradum.
There's two similar airships to aft, one on the starboard quarter, and the other on the port.
Both have a similar number of soldiers from the Kuradum City garrison onboard.
In total there's nearly four hundred soldiers loyal to the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum, on the trio of warships from the lands Farque.
The senior most officer in the army of the ruling council, along with his adjunctant turn as a voice says "You all ready then?".
They find the mage in the black hooded cloak, Mira Reinholt is standing there behind them.
The two Kuradian loyalist officers turn completely to face the spellcaster in black who has an odd, double bladed sword strapped to his back.
"We are" says commander Tracklen, who along with his adjunctant stand in a midships.
About halfway along the line of soldiers in the army of the ruling council of Kuradum, standing on the port side of the fighting ship from the lands Farque.
"We are" repeats commander Tracklen of the Kuradian loyalist army, followed by "As ready as we'll ever be".
The mage from the city-state of Vexil, his homeland that he's in exile from, nods his hooded head, then quietly tells the two of them "Be ready for just about anything on the otherside".
The once powerful mage with a faint smile upon his face then says "Though getting there will be just as, shall we say, exhilarating".
Then the adjunctant Morris who is looking to aft here on the port side, says "What's that in the distance".
The younger of the two officers in the loyalist army, who grew up amongst the wealthy and privileged of the city-state of Kuradum, adds "Whatever it is, it's moving fast".
Commander Tracklen and others from the army garrison in the city of Kuradum have noticed it too.
Then the local army commander says "What type of ship is that?". As the approaching vessel has what's essentially a flat deck, and has no masts.
"Thankfully the kind that's on our side" dryly says the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
The Vexilian mage in exile who is a member of the personal council to lord Farque, then says to the two local officers "Have everyone stand ready".
The practitioner of magic who was once the most powerful mage of his generation.
Until he was stripped of most of his powers when he went offworld through a rift/void spell that he accidentally cast.
Then says to the Kuradian army commander and the adjunctant "The ships are about to go through".
"The ships?" murmurs commander Tracklen, while next to him, Morris frowns as he isn't certain if the foreign mage actually meant to say that.
"Stand ready!" calls out the deck officer as he watches the local soldiers lined up along the deck.
Then the senior most officer in the army loyal to the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum.
Feels the airship they're on, pick up speed as the crew tighten some of the sheets, and quarter some of the sails on the forward mast.
Tracklen looks to where his adjunctant Morris points. And he spots the strange looking airship with no masts, and a low wheelhouse to aft.
Has shot forward infront of the trio of warships in the fleet from the lands Farque.
On this cold, and slightly cloudy morning here in this region of the city-state.
Just a dozen or so miles to the east of the capital city of Kuradum.
They watch as the dark, sleek looking airship without any masts, starts to rise up into the sky.
Going straight up vertically, much to the astonishment of commander Tracklen, the adjunctant Morris and their men.
Then the odd looking vessel starts doing a loop, completely upside down as it passes back over the warship they're on, and the following two airships.
"That's impossible" murmurs the loyalist army commander, who then says "Huh?". In reply to his adjunctant Morris saying "Sir, up ahead".
The senior most officer in the army still loyal to the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum.
Blinks in surprise as he sees what's up ahead of them.
"The fuck is that thing?" says a startled sounding commander Tracklen.
"Ship rift" is the reply of Mira Reinholt, who follows that with "That's what we're going through".
As up ahead, a multitude of glowing lights have appeared about five hundred yards infront of the twin masted warship.
As the airship quickly approaches, the coloured lights solidify, and becomes slightly opaque.
As commander Tracklen has seen in the past, rifts do. Though this one is at least fifty feet wide, and more than three times that in height.
"Prepare to go through!" shouts out the Farqian officer up on the fore deck.
"The hell?" murmurs an astonished sounding Morris, as he along with his superior, commander Tracklen and others in the loyalist army realise what's about to happen.
The senior most officer in the army loyal to the ruling council of the city-state of Kuradum.
Winces as he watches the foreign warship they're on rapidly approach what the mage Reinholt called a ship rift.
The next moment they're closing in on it, and the moment after it, they're going through the giant magical portal in the morning sky.
They fly out the otherside of the ship rift and the twin masted warship starts angling to port.
While to aft, the other two warships come through the ship rift one vessel at a time.
As the airship from the lands Farque tilts to port as it curves in that direction, commander Tracklen who is sure he hears shouting and yelling somewhere in the distance.
Notices that the morning here is clear and sunny, unlike the slightly cloudy conditions in and around the capital city.
Then the loyalist army commander hears orders being given from one of the nearby open hatches.
And the next moment, as his adjunctant Morris says "Sir look down there".
The port side magetubes of the twin masted warship open up. Firing all twenty four of the magical weapons on the port side.
"Hell" says commander Tracklen as he sees down below on the ground, away to the left, to port, a battle is taking place.
Between the loyalist forces on the frontlines in the east of the city-state of Kuradum, against the rebel forces. Whose leader is the self proclaimed duke of Kuradum, councilman Hirrye.
As the two following warships fire their port side magetubes, the twin masted airship from the lands Farque starts dropping in altitude. Heading towards the ground, and the battle down below.
The local army commander looks back and sees the rest of the group of mercenaries coming up on deck from a nearby ladder.
"Get ready" says Mira Reinholt the mage to the Kuradian army commander and his adjunctant.
While up on the fore deck, the officer of the deck shouts out "Get ready to go through". After another volley of magetube shots fire off from the port side.
Heading over the loyalist army down below, and into the enemy positions further back.
As the first volley of magetube shots have already done, ploughing into the rear elements of the enemy.
Sending debris of bits of bodies, wagons, horses and snow covered ground flying in all directions.
The adjunctant Morris looks back to aft, and sees that one of the other warships is higher up in the morning sky than they are.
And the third warship is even higher up than that one. Being a good five thousand feet above the ground.
The adjunctant slightly nods as he realises none of the three airships are going to land, as the loyalist troops onboard have another way to disembark.
Commander Tracklen turns as well, as lord Farque walks up to him and his adjunctant, and the mage in the black hooded cloak.
"Your men will go there" says lord Farque as he points down at the battle on the ground.
"There's enough of you, that you'll be able to break their line there" adds the undead warlord, who continues with "You'll be in their midst, so best of luck".
"The warships?" asks the loyalist army commander as another volley of magetube shots come from the port side weapons.
As the trio of airships continue to fly at a tilted angle, firing down at the enemy positions on the ground.
"There's enemy vessels in the area, who are approaching" says the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
"They'll be dealing with them once we've disembarked" adds the large, heavily armoured deathlord.
The commander in the army of the ruling council of Kuradum nods his head in understanding as the warship continues it's long curving swing to port.
Tracklen gets a better look at the battle down below, and sees the area he and his men will be sent to.
Towards the southern end of the battle, near a village that's been abandoned.
The loyalist army commander from here in the sky about five hundred feet above the battle.
Can see that if he and his element of nearly four hundred soldiers in the army of the Kuradian ruling council.
Can break through the enemy lines, and swing northwards, they'll be able to force the enemy to withdraw, most likely in a disorderly retreat.
The port side magetubes of the Farqian warship fire off once more. Sending balls of pure magical energy, some nearly twenty feet wide.
Hurtling down towards the ground, and into the ranks of the enemy.
Then as a volley of magetube shots can be heard firing from one of the other airships from the lands Farque.
The warship the Kuradian army commander and his adjunctant are on, starts to level out.
"Here we go" says Mira Reinholt the mage who nods his hooded head forward.
To where a pair of spellcasters in the mercenary army from the lands Farque have come up on deck.
They're standing on the steps to the fore deck, and the practitioners of magic, one wizard and the other a sorcerer, are casting.
The familiar sparkling colours of a rift spell start to form in front of both of the spellcasters.
Directly infront of those who are first in line of the troops from the Kuradum City garrison.
Then once the rifts form, one on the port side of the deck, the other on the starboard side. The Farqian officer on the fore deck shouts "Go, go, go!".
The Kuradian soldiers loyal to the ruling council of their city-state are moving.
Going through the two rifts as the Farqian warship circles above the battle that's taking place down below.
On this cold, clear and sunny winter's day here in the east of the city-state of Kuradum.
The line up ahead of them is moving, and commander Tracklen along with his adjunctant find themselves rapidly moving forward.
As one at a time, the soldiers further infront of them hurry through the rift that's at the base of the steps to the fore deck.
The commander of the loyalist army of Kuradum follows his adjunctant. While directly behind him are some of the mercenaries who travel with lord Farque.
He sees that some of them have disappeared, the elf in the white hooded cloak, as well as the fighting cleric.
While the other elf in the gray hooded cloak, along with the mage Reinholt are directly behind him.
Then in no time, the soldiers directly infront of the adjunctant Morris are rushing through the rift one at a time.
The local army commander slightly nods as he hears his adjunctant Morris murmur "Here we go". Just before he hurries through the magical portal.
A step behind him is commander Tracklen, who takes a quick breath to calm his nerves, before he rushes through the rift.
The otherside of which is down below on the ground, in the middle of a battle between the loyal forces of the ruling council of Kuradum.
And the rebel forces of the so called duke of Kuradum, the councilman Hirrye . . . . . .
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