Tuledare. Border Region.
"Hell" mutters Malisse as she steps over a dead body on the outskirts of a still smoldering village, as the light of dawn sweeps across the countryside on a cold autumn morning here in the border region of the city-state of Tuledare.
"Need a hand milady?" says a familiar voice from behind the slightly overweight woman who is not who she appears to be.
With a sour look upon her face, Malisse turns around and says "Don't you bloody well start" followed with a muttered "I'm fucking sick of it".
Zam the commander chuckles, then says "Sorry" though he doesn't sound sorry in the least. Then the ex mercenary who hails from the City Of Ruins, points off to one side of the burnt down village, and says "They're in the trees there".
Malisse, or to be precise Zubutai the barbarian hordesman grunts, then heads in that direction, with the ex mercenary walking alongside her.
There's no locals about, and the only dead bodies to be seen, those that aren't burnt to a cinder. Are soldiers in the army of Tuledare, along with mercenaries who have been hired to fight alongside them.
There's a small number of Farqian soldiers walking about, checking on things. But for the most part, the company who entered here after the aerial bombardment, have moved on.
"This lot had no chance" quietly says Malisse aka Zubutai Timaginson, the woman in her thirties, who is a member of the personal council to Lord Farque, continues with "Especially after our airships hit it".
Next to her, Zam who has recently turned twenty, nods his head in agreement as they skirt around a burnt down building.
Then the ex mercenary, who is a commander in the Armies of Farque, quietly says "They had no chance once the Krean fleet destroyed their aircorp".
The woman, who in reality is a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, nods then says "It was inevitable" the member of Lord Farque's personal council then adds "Now the rest of the city-state is open to us" followed by "They'll fall within the next few days".
Zam is in agreement with that, then they both nod to a black clad Farqian scout who points between some trees further to their right.
They go that way, and end up in a small clearing in the copse, here they find the field commander Tamric Drubine, Saanea the witch and others.
Along with Beldane the cleric who has recently arrived from further east along the border region.
The young field commander is off to one side talking to the newly arrived fighting cleric. So Malisse and Zam go and stand with Saanea, the witch who hails from the Maldin Hills, which is out near the coast of The Southlands, nearly two thousand miles from here in the central regions of the lands collectively known as The Southlands.
Knowing who went with Beldane the cleric, Malisse nods in his direction, then quietly asks the spellcaster who is the lover of field commander Drubine "Everything go alright with them?".
The member of Lord Farque's personal council after a slight pause, adds "And in them, I mean those two walking disasters Dorc and Percy".
"From what I heard when Beldane first got here, those two haven't killed one another yet" replies Saanea the witch.
"Pity" murmurs Zam the ex mercenary who grins when Malisse aka Zubutai the son of Timagin wryly smiles and looks sideways at him with a shake of the head.
"That's something at least" quietly says the woman, who was brought back to life just a few weeks ago, though her body is inhabited by Zubutai the barbarian hordesman.
Then the member of Lord Farque's personal council nods when Tamric Drubine looks her way, and nods for her to join him and Beldane the cleric.
After making her way over to the field commander and the fighting cleric, Malisse aka Zubutai Timaginson asks the powerful spellcaster originally from the kingdom of Nastell "How did things go to the east?".
"Good" replies Beldane the cleric, who follows that with "All objectives met" he then adds "Which was fairly easy since all of their airships, the ones already down here, and the others traveling down here from the north, were wiped out by our fleet".
The woman who hails from unruled lands further to the south of the city-state of Phamal, grunts at hearing that.
As they figured their plan would go smoothly once the enemy airships were destroyed. As no vessel in the skies of Volunell can stand up to the Krean fleet.
"Found more resistance from their hired mercenaries than the actual Tuledarian forces" says the cleric in the church of Glaine, a god predominantly worshipped in the north of Beldane's homeland, Nastell.
The member of Lord Farque's personal council and the young field commander share a look, then Malisse says "We found the same here".
Then the woman who is in fact a hordes outrider from the southern tundra, falls silent as she listens to what else the powerful cleric has to say.
After the spellcaster originally from the kingdom of Nastell informs them of the situation further to the east here in the southern border region of the city-state of Tuledare.
He tells them of an odd happening that occurred earlier in the night, which the company led by Lisell Maera the scout commander came across.
Councilor Malisse, who doesn't know her last name, lifts an eyebrow in surprise at what the cleric Beldane explains. So does Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well.
The field commander in charge of the Fifth Army of Farque quietly asks the fighting cleric "Why weren't they dealt with?".
"Because the youngster in command of them is a Farqian" is the quiet reply from the powerful spellcaster originally from the kingdom of Nastell.
"Oh!" murmurs Tam, who is of noble birth from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, who then nods in understanding, as does Malisse when Beldane quietly tells them "A cleric".
The member of the church of Glaine continues with "Left Farque a little over a year ago when he turned sixteen" followed by "He's in the church of Kaēvin, his name is Jovan Garney".
Commander Drubine frowns and is silent for a few moments as he thinks of something, then after he nods as he recalls what he's thinking of, he quietly says "I remember meeting him when the Lord Farque paid him a visit when he must of been eight or nine".
Nodding, Beldane the cleric says "That's around the age or near it that most spellcasters come into their power".
Looking at the other two standing with him in the clearing on this cold autumn morning, Tamric Drubine quietly says "He's from farmland near the coast, down towards the border with Melaurn".
Malisse nods, then quietly says"I think I was there too" the member of Lord Farque's personal council, who doesn't always retain every memory of the lives he's lived, then dryly adds"I think".
"You were there" says the young field commander, who follows that with "You were still Riley" he then adds in a dry tone "It was before we went off east across the continent through that miscast rift/void and you became Jarjin".
Sourly smiling, Malisse aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman says "Don't remind me" she then murmurs "I liked being Riley" and she silently adds, hell I liked being that hobbit Jarjin too.
The outrider from the Pony Archers horde, who doesn't particularly care for the person he is at the moment, for the simple reason she's absolutely useless.
Zubutai the son of Timagin has inhabited women's bodies before, and they've all been more than sufficient.
Infact he was a sorceress at one point, and being female was the least of his problems then. Being a spellcaster was far more difficult than anything or anyone he's ever been before. It's just completely different than being anyone else. And something he never fully got used to.
She looks at the young field commander who is silent as he looks off between the trees, and asks Tam "Still going ahead with the plans for the capital?".
The son of a former Knight of Castle Drubine in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin, nods his head, then says "I am" he briefly pauses before saying "Though".
He falls silent, and after Malisse glances at the cleric Beldane, she asks commander Drubine "Yes?".
"I might move things forward" quietly says Tam, who continues with "To this afternoon, and not during the middle of the night, or dawn tomorrow". "And that's because?" asks Malisse aka Zubutai the son of Timagin.
The noble born field commander looks at the fighting cleric from the kingdom of Nastell and asks him "You think this thing cleric Garney will speak to their leaders?" followed by "If he's got an inkling of what we've got planned for the capital city".
"He's smart, which is no surprise considering the education the Farqians get" says Beldane the cleric, who follows that with "He's probably worked out we're going to attack the city".
The powerful spellcaster in the church of Glaine then says "And Lis gave him a subtle warning to remain in his church grounds once he got back to the city, and to keep away from obvious targets like watchtowers and barracks".
Tam grunts, while Malisse nods her head, then Beldane says to them "But will he speak to the Tuledarian leadership about a sudden attack on the city?".
The fighting cleric wearing the half plate armour, who has an extremely powerful magical mace, which often has a mind of it's own, tied to his belt, quietly says "I don't think he will".
The member of the church of Glaine, who is probably the most unlikely member of the group that travels with Lord Farque, for the simple reason he's a cleric and the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque is undead, then says "That's the impression I got after reading his mind".
Tamric Drubine nods, then says "Still" he briefly pauses before continuing with "I'll bring the attack upon the capital forward".
The field commander waves over one of the subalterns who is an assistant, and tells him "Send word to the Krean fleet admiral" followed by "I'd like to discuss the next phase of our plans" he then adds "Of the attack upon the capital city of Tuledare".
"Yes field commander" says the subaltern who then hurries off, while Tamric Drubine looks at Beldane the cleric and Malisse the councilor and tells them "Time to end this war" . . . . . .
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