The Thick Of It 60.

Winter.

"Looks like things are picking up over there" quietly says Mira Reinholt the mage with a nod of his hooded head to the east wall of the city.
"That commander Tracklen is over there" quietly adds the once powerful mage.
Next to him, here on top of the watchtower of the city guard, the largest structure in the south of the city of Kuradum.
Lord Farque who is looking in the same direction, slightly frowns. Before the undead warlord sharply turns and looks towards the south wall of the capital city of Kuradum.
The mage from the city-state of Vexil, his homeland that he's in exile from. Is just about to ask the large, heavily armoured deathlord "What is it?".
When lord Farque says "Shit" and points to a spot on the south wall of the city, and quickly adds "Rift".
The mage Reinholt who is just about to teleport the two of them to the city's south wall.
Holds off from doing that, when the lord and ruler of the lands Farque says to him "Wait".
The lord of the death realm, spins around and points again, this time in the direction of the council buildings, and says "Another one".
The Vexilian mage in exile isn't surprised at both, as they were expecting attacks there.
But he is surprised when the undead being, who has the name of Draugadrottin that the people of his lands also know him by.
Points to another spot in the city, not that far from the council buildings, just a bit further north of them, and quickly says "A third rift".
"What the hell is there?" mutters the spellcaster who is also a highly skilled swordmaster.
Then as the first rift starts to form on the south wall of the city, the deathlord of Farque quickly recalls the layout of the central city, and he says "The treasury" followed by "And the nearby counting houses".
After blinking in surprise, 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 a number of years ago, adds "Makes sense".
Then the swordmaster from the city-state of Vexil, who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, nods his hooded head, when the undead warlord tells him "Get us there".
Mira Reinholt, who knows that Helbe the elven thief will have to deal with whoever it is that turns up on the grounds of the council buildings.
And that the rest of the group, and the other defenders on the city's south wall, will have to take care of whoever comes through the rift that's formed there.
Drops the invisibility spells upon himself and the lord and ruler of the lands Farque as he wants as much of his limited power available to him as possible.
Then much to the surprise of a couple of those up here on the roof of the sixty foot tall watchtower, who are looking their way, and suddenly see the two of them appear in the sunlight on this cold winter's morning.
The once powerful mage teleports himself and the undead warlord away, heading towards the treasury building near the center of the city.
As he teleports himself and the lord of the death realm away. The once powerful mage can't help but be impressed with who he assumes is the rebel sorceress, Losmena.
Who has cast a trio of rifts, one after the other, here to the capital city of Kuradum from elsewhere.
A feat of spellcasting that would tax the most powerful and skilled of all practitioners of magic.
Here on this cold, but clear and sunny winter's morning in this part of the city-state of Kuradum.
"Rift" suddenly says Narladene the ground pixie.
"Where?" asks Helbe the elven thief as he looks over to the council buildings, here in the center of the city.
"It's going to form on the south wall" is the reply of the naturally magical creature as she stands upon the right shoulder of that elven magic user she's attached to.
"Another one" suddenly says the ground pixie who is from the Sunreach Mountains.
"Here" adds the tiny winged creature as she nods towards the grounds across the street from them.
"And another" quickly says Narladene, who looks away to their right, and points in that direction as she adds "A few hundred yards away".
After the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel mutters "Hell, that's three rifts in quick succession" followed by "That young sorceress is talented".
The elven masterthief briefly frowns, then he nods to himself as he realises what's in the direction of the third rift.
"The treasury" quietly says the highly talented elven magic user who is a member of lord Farque's personal council.
Then after Narladene says "Mira and lord Farque are heading that way" and she adds "The one on the wall is complete".
The elven master assassin in the white hooded cloak, who is blurred and shielded, and standing upon a rooftop, quietly says "There it is" followed by "Right where we expected it".
As a rift starts to form directly opposite the building they're in, a building that has an enemy spy sitting at the window of the room directly below them.
The elf who is a member of the royal family that rules the island principality of Laerel.
Faintly smiles to himself, as he has already cast a number of spells in preparation of this eventuality.
Meanwhile in the south of the city, up on the wall, above the middle of the three gates.
Beldane the cleric, who has just been discussing with Tamric Drubine the field commander what the plans see him doing.
As more and more of the enemy, break off the attack upon the south wall of the city of Kuradum, and head around to the east wall of the capital city. Suddenly spins to his left, as he senses something.
Unlike lord Farque and Narladene the ground pixie. The fighting cleric, along with every other spellcaster.
Doesn't have the ability to sense magic like a rift, before it actually starts to form.
He, like other spellcasters can only sense a rift or similar spell as it's forming. So he has less time to warn the others.
So Beldane the cleric shouts "Rift!" and points with his mace to where it's forming, here on top of the south wall of the capital of the city-state of Brattonbury.
The powerful cleric who hails from the kingdom of Nastell, briefly thinks about hitting the forming rift with a blast of pure energy, which would destroy it before it's complete.
He only thinks about that for a mere moment, as doing that will result in a large explosion.
Which would destroy a large chunk of the wall, also killing everyone close to it.
So the member of the church of Glaine, a god predominantly worshiped in the north of his homeland, Nastell.
Waits for the rift to completely form before he casts a spell at whoever comes through it.
From the time Beldane sensed it, and for it to completely form isn't all that long, about five heartbeats is his best guess.
Which from experience dealing with rifts, and casting the cleric's version of it, a gateway.
He knows the otherside is less than a hundred miles away, probably around fifty to sixty miles away is his best guess.
The powerful fighting cleric in the church of Glaine as he watches the rift stabilize as it forms.
Senses another rift away to the north, somewhere in the center of the city, most likely the council buildings.
And he immediately senses a third one, just to the north of the grounds of the buildings used by the ruling council of Kuradum.
As he senses this, and thinks that's some pretty impressive spellcasting, no doubt from the young sorceress by the name of Losmena, who is working with the rebel leader, councilman Hirrye.
The first of those coming through the rift here on top of the south wall of the city of Kuradum, start appearing as they run out of it onto the wall.
The same time Beldane the cleric senses the rift forming on top of the south wall of the city. Saanea the witch senses it forming too.
The attractive witch who has wandered along the top of the wall, to where Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit and some of the others are.
Finds herself on the otherside of the rift from where the fighting cleric is, who is closer to one of the small catapults.
Where her lover, Tamric Drubine the field commander along with Dorc da Orc and sir Percavelle Lé Dic are located.
"Rift" quickly says Saanea the witch to the halfling former air sailor standing next to her.
"Shit" mutters Jarjin Littlefoot the hobbit as he looks to where the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills points to just over twenty yards along from them.
Here on top of the south wall of the capital city of Kuradum, on this cold, but sunny winter's morning.
As they watch the rift form, Zam the ex mercenary who is behind the pretty looking witch, and the halfling who isn't what he appears to be, asks "What is it?".
"Company" replies the hobbit who hails from the Sultanate of Dreese, which lies on the far east coast of the continent. Basically on the otherside of the world from the Southlands.
As the teenager who was born, and grew up here in the south of the city of Kuradum.
Looks behind him, and finds Shur Kee the monk still sitting there with his eyes closed, and his back against one of the crenalations here on top of the city's south wall.
Oblivious to everyone and everything around him as the enemy continues to attack the south wall of the city of Kuradum.
Jarjin Littlefoot, who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque, quickly says to the practitioner of magic standing next to him "Anything you can do?".
"I can, but I'll blow us up and everyone else in the vicinity of it" is the reply of Saanea the witch who has sensed two more rifts form, somewhere in the center of the city.
She figures one is at the city council buildings, and the other one feels like it's just to the north of that one.
And can't help but be impressed by the casting abilities of the enemy practitioner of magic, who she assumes is the young sorceress Losmena.
The witch from the Maldin Hills, the hobbit from the Sultanate of Dreese, who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to find himself inhabiting the body of the halfling, who is a former air sailor.
And the ex mercenary, from right here in the south of the city of Kuradum.
Along with others here on top of the south wall, watch as the rift not far from the two small catapults above the middle of the three gates in the wall. Solidify, and come to a completion as it forms on this cold winter's morning in the capital city of Kuradum . . . . . .