The Thick Of It 40.

Winter.

They withdraw south through the walled town of Gensa. Fighting the advancing enemy.
As they do so this night. Zam the ex mercenary finds himself in the thick of it.
The teenager from the city of Kuradum is in the south of the town. Not far from the wall on this side of Gensa.
Zam, who is an infantryman in the armies of Farque. In the light infantry to be exact.
Pops his head around the corner of a building, and seeing that it's clear. He waves forward the local loyalist soldiers who are with him.
As they run out of the alleyway, and across the street to the lane on the otherside.
The ex mercenary who is the newest member of the group, looks back in the direction they've come from.
And he winces when he spots the glow of flames in the distance towards the center of town.
Knowing that could very well be disaster with what is planned this night.
Zam breathes a sigh of relief when he hears a loud whoosing sound, probably water from a spell. And the glow of flames basically vanish in an instant.
The teenager who as a mercenary, was plying his trade in the City of Ruins when he was found by the group.
Knows that they've been fairly lucky this night. As the rebel forces of councilman Hirrye haven't been hell bent on burning anything.
After all, they want to take over the large walled town of Gensa, not destroy it in anyway.
Not so lord Farque, who has no qualms about destroying the largest town in northern Kuradum.
The undead warlord has allowed the enemy into Gensa without going through a protracted siege of any kind.
And as Zam runs from the alleyway, and across the street this cold winter's night.
The teen from the city of Kuradum knows that the lord and ruler of the lands Farque's plan is steadily coming to fruition.
The ex mercenary who is the newest member of the group hurries down the lane to join the local loyalist soldiers.
There he finds Lisell Maera the scout, with a handful of other loyalist soldiers.
The attractive young woman from the city-state of Brattonbury, who is now in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
Nods in greeting to Zam the ex mercenary, then she nods to the south, to across a town square, to the open south gates of Gensa.
There, other loyalist soldiers, from here in the town garrison, as well as the Kuradum city garrison, are quitting the town of Gensa.
To the loyalist soldiers with him and the scout Maera, Zam the ex mercenary quietly says "Across the square, and out the gates".
The Kuradian teenager who was born and raised in the capital, continues with "The quicker you get out of town the better".
Zam briefly pauses before adding in a slightly dry tone of voice "Later on, you definitely don't want to get stuck in town".
The soldiers loyal to the ruling council of Kuradum, hurry from the lane, and across the square towards the gates.
Where others from their garrisons here in Gensa, and the capital city of Kuradum, are making their way out of the largest town in the north of the city-state.
And who are then heading along the road that goes south from the large, walled town on this cold winter's night in this part of Kuradum.
Zam the ex mercenary, and Lisell Maera the scout follow after them. Though the two of them don't go out of the gates like the loyalist soldiers.
Instead they head towards the nearby sally port, where a couple of the group are waiting.
Dorc da Orc growls as he throws an axe, which slams into the head of one enemy soldier.
Shattering apart the man's skull. And continuing on into the chest of the following rebel soldier.
Who is slammed back into a pair of rebel soldiers who are closely following behind him.
The large ork goes to advance on the remaining rebel soldiers who are backing away.
Then he growls in annoyance when he hears a familiar voice say "Dorc, fall back".
Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy continues with "We want them to advance on us remember".
"Fucknuts" mutters Dorc da Orc, who turns and starts following the others. Then the ork warleader chortles when he spots an annoyed looking sir Percavelle Lé Dic retreating down the street as well.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world, gets to the corner of the street where the spy Tanith is waiting.
The elven spy from the principality of Alínlae, who has just waved by some loyalist soldiers, directing them south.
Says to the ork weaponsmith from the wolf tribe if orks "Time to get to the south wall and the gates".
Dalinvardèl Tanith or Dalin as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, dryly adds "We definitely don't want to get trapped in town".
Dorc da Orc is in agreement with that, then he grunts and starts heading off, when the elven spy says to him and sir Percavelle Lé Dic "You two, let's go".
The three of them, the ork general in the armies of Farque, the elven spy who is a company commander in the scouts and rangers division of the armies of Farque.
And the nobleborn knight from the kingdom of Druvic, who has no rank whatsoever in the armies of Farque.
Start making their way to the nearby south wall of Gensa. As the enemy continue to advance through the walled town on this cold, winter's night in this part of the city-state of Kuradum.
On top of the south wall of Gensa, Beldane the cleric looks northwards across the town.
The powerful cleric who has cast a farsight spell upon himself, can't see him.
But he knows Helbe the elven thief is somewhere on the north wall of the largest town in Kuradum.
As the talented elven magic user is speaking to him via a mindspeech spell the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel has cast.
The fighting cleric from the kingdom of Nastell, nods and replies to something the elven masterthief says by way of the mindspeech spell.
Then the member of the church of Glaine, a god predominantly worshiped in the north of his homeland Nastell, looks down to the base of the wall here at the southern end of town.
"Nearly all of them are in!" Beldane the cleric calls down to those waiting at the sally port, about thirty yards from the south gates of Gensa.
"He'll be closing them soon!" adds the powerful spellcaster, who though part of the group for a handful of years now, has yet to step foot into the lands Farque.
The fighting cleric in the halfplate armour spots a number of the defenders of Gensa crossing the town square towards the gates.
Including Dorc da Orc, sir Percavelle Lé Dic and Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy. Then he calls down "The last of ours are here!".
Nodding his hooded head, Mira Reinholt the mage calls up to his fellow spellcaster on the top of the wall "Get ready to secure the gates!".
The once powerful mage then turns to Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit, Lisell Maera the scout, and Zam the ex mercenary, and says to them "You three out".
The spellcaster from the city-state of Vexil, who is in exile from his homeland, then adds "Make sure Tam does the otherside".
Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit nods, then says "We will". Before he hurries through the open sally port, followed by Lisell Maera and Zam the ex mercenary.
While the mage, who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, hurries to the gates, calling out to the approaching group "You lot with me!".
The gates are swinging closed from the otherside, and the mage Reinholt says to the group that includes Dorc da Orc, sir Percavelle Lé Dic, Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy, and a number of loyalist soldiers "Bar the gates!".
Before sir Percavelle Lé Dic can question him, the once powerful mage who is a member of lord Farque's personal council, tells him "We're going out the sally port".
"Now pick it up, and bar the gates" orders the spellcaster, who was once the most powerful mage of his generation to be found anywhere in the Southlands.
Until he was stripped of most of his powers when he went offworld through a rift/void spell that he accidentally cast a number of years ago.
Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle which is his given name, picks up the heavy wooden beam by himself with the just a grunt, and a muttered "Fucken cunts" in effort.
And with the others guiding it, they place it into the slots, and bar the large gates, here in the south wall of Gensa.
"Hurry, through the sally port" orders Mira Reinholt the mage, who gestures to the nearby sally port.
The dozen or so loyalist soldiers, followed by sir Percavelle Lé Dic, Dorc da Orc and finally Dalinvardèl Tanith the elven spy, make their way through the sally port, and out of the town of Gensa.
The Vexilian mage in exile stays inside, closing the sally port, and slides down the iron bar into the slots, and closes the lock.
The member of lord Farque's personal council casts a spell upon the lock.
Then he creates a mageglobe, which hops out of his hand, and drops to the ground, and sinks beneath the cobblestones infront of the sally port.
The swordmaster Reinholt then looks up, and as the enemy start to appear across on the otherside of the square.
He teleports up to the top of the wall above the gates, and joins his fellow spellcaster, Beldane the cleric.
As the fighting cleric swings his magical mace, and a shaft of white light shoots down out of the night sky, and lands amongst the enemy rushing across the town square, where it explodes.
Mira Reinholt the mage steps to the nearest crenalation, and looks down to the otherside of the gates.
There he sees Saanea the witch, who has just cast a spell, next to her is Tamric Drubine the field commander, who looks up, and calls out to the once powerful mage "We're done!".
The young noble from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin continues with "Get out of there!".
Then he and his lover, the pretty looking witch from the Maldin Hills, turn and hurry away from the walled town of Gensa.
And join the others on the road, who are retreating from the largest town in northern Kuradum.
"Is he done up there?" asks Mira Reinholt with a nod of his hooded head across town, to the north wall of Gensa.
"He's just about to" replies Beldane the cleric, who then adds "Time for us to go".
Then he teleports himself, along with the once powerful mage, off the top of the wall, and south away from the town of Gensa.
"Come on you lot" mutters Helbe the elven thief as he looks down from the north wall of Gensa.
"Hurry up" adds the highly talented elven magic user as he watches the last of the enemy entering the walled town of Gensa.
After a few moments, the highly talented elven magic user murmurs "Good enough".
"I'd say so" quietly says Narladene the ground pixie who is on the right shoulder of the elven masterthief she's attached to.
As basically all of the enemy, the soldiers at least. Are now inside the town of Gensa.
Their siege towers and catapults have been abandoned. The only ones left outside of the walls of the largest town in northern Kuradum are the camp followers. Who remain back up the road, in the camp.
From the top of the north wall of Gensa, the blurred and shielded elven magic user closes the gates with a spell.
They swing in and close without any of the enemy knowing, as they've all rushed further into the large, walled town.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel then casts a seal spell upon the gates.
Then even if it's not necessary, he casts a barrier spell too, since he doesn't bother to put the bar on the inside of the gates.
"Time for us to go" quietly says the member of the royal family that rules Laerel.
Then Helbe the elven thief, with Narladene the ground pixie clutching onto his right shoulder, shifts away.
Standing on one of the two hills just to the south wall of the walled town of Gensa.
Lord Farque who is watching the last of the group, and defenders of Gensa, hurrying along the road south of the large walled town.
Looks towards the north, as he finally senses Helbe the elven thief making his way off the north wall, and away from Gensa.
"You may begin your attack" says lord Farque to the person standing beside him.
"Yes my lord" replies Tovis the war engineer, who then looks behind him and gives a signal.
He looks across to the hill on the otherside of the road, and gives the same raised hand signal, knowing that one of his observers over there will see him.
Then from down behind them, there comes the creak of a very large siege engine in motion.
There's one, a second, then a third. Trebuchets that launch their loads. The same happens from behind the others hill on the east side of the road.
And on this cold winter's night in this part of northern Kuradum, large boulders, covered in pitch and naphtha that have hay mixed in within it.
Send burning streaks through the air, as they go flying towards the town of Gensa, which isn't all that far away.
Just over a hundred yards from the hill on the east side of the road. And a little bit further from the hill on this side of the road.
They all land within the large walled town, all hitting their first targets. Such is the precision of the engineers in the armies of Farque.
They land creating explosions, as all the buildings they hit, have a number of barrels of pitch and naphtha stored in them.
Which instantly go up in flames, spreading fire quickly to those buildings close by. As parts of the large walled town start to rapidly burn.
Meanwhile, the trebuchets are being reloaded, and they start flying their burning loads once they've been adjusted to fling the burning boulders towards their next targets.
On top of the hill to the west of the road, lord Farque watches the town of Gensa burn.
The town this cold, winter's night that now has well over five thousand of the enemy rebel soldiers trapped inside of it, with no way to get out . . . . . .