Mercenary Tales 92.

Northern Vexil. 

Lord Farque brings the wyvern around, and starts taking it down to one of the nearby hilltops he's been circling. 

Before the large winged creature sets down, the undead warlord glances back north, to a little under a mile away. On the side of one of the hills he sees that the group has encountered a number of Vexillian soldiers. 

The large heavily armoured deathlord rolls his eyes, and shakes his full helmed head, then he has the wyvern land between the trees at the top of the hill. 

With the wyvern settling down, wings folded along it's back, and eyes on the undead being who has taken it from a Vexillian aircorp rider. 

The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque steps forward, and looks down. The hill he's on is steep on one side, almost vertical, basically a cliff. 

And down below, over a couple hundred feet, is a forest road, on which is a column of Vexillian foot soldiers. 

From his position looking south, the lord of the death realm looks into the trees to the right of the road. And he slightly nods to himself at what he sees and senses. 

Looking back at the Vexillian soldiers on the march, on this cold winters morning here in the north of the city-state. Lord Farque quietly says to himself "Haven't noticed them yet". 

They will soon, the undead warlord thinks to himself as he watches what's about to happen down on the forest road that goes by the hill he's on top of. 

A member of the Geist company guards comes back and informs commander Kilmas of what's up ahead, a forest road and who is on it. 

The company commander doesn't have to think long about it, and he looks over at captain Hafnah, who along with a number of his company, has just joined up with the commander and those with him. 

Kilmas quickly outlines what he wants done, and captain Hafnah the cockatrice rider agrees with him. Even though they're outnumbered. 

Then the commander of the Geist company guard has someone shut up the wagons and those on them, who have just come in, and joined them. Who were making a racket as they came through the forest. 

Kilmas waves over some of his officers, and mercenary leaders he trusts and informs them what's up ahead, and what they're going to do about it. 

They move off to give out orders, and the commander of the Geist company guard, nods to captain Hafnah to get underway. 

The mercenary captain and those of his company move out, walking their mounts, heading to the forest road that's nearby. 

They soon mount up, and once they're in front of the rest of the force that commander Kilmas has with him. 

They take the leather binders off the eyes of the magical creatures that they ride. And start moving at speed through the trees. 

While behind them, mercenaries as well as guards in the Geist Trading Company hurry forward. 

Those with bows and crossbows moving to the front, hoping to set up position once they get to the forest road that's close by. Others are drawing weapons as they begin hurrying forward through the trees. 

While the wagons that have just joined those who are led by commander Kilmas, move forward as well, following the others at a distance. 

Up on the cliff like hill, Lord Farque who also has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands know him by. 

Looks down into the trees off to the west side of the forest road, looking at what he can already sense. 

The large heavily armoured deathlord watches as the cockatrice riders move their mounts between the tree trunks, heading quickly towards the nearby forest road. 

The undead warlord who has the elven name of Des'tier, which means The Destroyer. Glances back amongst the trees, and sees those on foot. 

Mercenaries, along with guards from the Geist Trading Company. Who are hurrying forward, towards the road that the cockatrice riders have almost reached. 

The lord of the death realm then slightly nods to himself when he sees the wagons further back still. Are on the move, following after those on foot. 

The large heavily armoured deathlord of Farque will keep an eye on those more than anything else. 

Though he does watch what's happening up ahead. Where the cockatrice, and their riders. Are about to come out of the trees to the west of the forest road, that winds it's way to the nearby border further to the north. 

A keen eyed soldier towards the front of the column spots them, as he looks away to his left amongst the trees, and he shouts out a warning. 

"Cockatrice!" followed by "To the west!" he then adds "Mercenaries!". 

Though a few in the column of Vexillian foot soldiers, either stop and look to the west, their left. And others who are continuing to walk, look that way too. 

The vast majority of the column of soldiers in the army of the city-state of Vexil, look down at the ground, while drawing weapons. 

Many with spears, move to the left side of the column after hearing that shouted warning from a fellow soldier towards the front of the column. 

You see the thing with soldiers in an army such as the Vexillian one. They've trained alongside cockatrice, and their riders. As their army has an entire division of them. 

And though most combatants, either soldiers from various armies, or mercenaries from different companies. 

Don't know how to fight with, and against mounted cockatrice. Not so with those in the armies of the city-state of Vexil. 

And though captain Hafnah and his fellow cockatrice riders surprise a number of the column of Vexillian soldiers. 

It's not particularly a lot of them. And not just that, many of the riders and their mounts find themselves running towards a line of spearmen. 

Who have their weapons braced, while their heads are down, looking at the ground on this cold winters day here in the hill country that makes up a lot of the very north of the city-state of Vexil. 

Riders turn their cockatrice to the side, some going left, others to the right, along the west edge of the forest road after they make their way out of the treeline. 

Those with throwing weapons, biff them. Not just at the Vexillian soldiers who are standing their motionless after looking into the eyes of a cockatrice. 

But also at any of the other soldiers in the column, who are either standing there with their heads down with a spear braced for a mounted charge. 

Or are just keeping their heads down, so they don't get paralyzed by any of the cockatrice that might look directly at them. 

Captain Hafnah after throwing a dagger, that catches one of the spearmen in the neck, quietly says to himself "There". 

As up ahead, his second in command Marnell has just taken down one of the enemy spearmen, who has knocked over another. Who has accidentally stuck his spear into the soldier next to him, who drops screaming in pain. 

As Marnell brings his mount up, captain Hafnah rides his cockatrice right into where the soldiers are on the ground. 

He's followed by his daughter Danielle, and another of the riders in his company. As they charge their mounts into the gap in the column of Vexillian foot soldiers. 

Some of the soldiers move, while others whilst still looking down at the ground, wildly swing their weapons. 

All the while the mercenary captain, and those riders in his company behind him, who now include his second in command Marnell. 

Plow through the column of enemy soldiers, with their large mounts easily knocking over any of the Vexillians who get in the way of the cockatrice. 

Captain Hafnah is quickly through the column and now on the other side of the forest road, his fellow riders get through quickly too. 

And the mercenary captain has already turned his cockatrice, and is now riding it back into the side of the column of Vexillian foot soldiers. 

Entering where a number of the soldiers are on the ground, trampled by the large mounts, who are actually magical creatures. 

This time as captain Hafnah and the riders with him go through the column of enemy soldiers. They go at an angle, as they do, arrows and bolts start flying from the treeline along the west side of the forest road. Dropping Vexillian foot soldiers where they stand. 

A sergeant at arms, seeing the futility of what they're doing. Shouts out an order, which is repeated up and down the line of march. 

As almost one, the soldiers in the army of the city-state of Vexil shout and scream as they break ranks, and start running. 

They run off the road, to the west side, and the treeline in that direction, towards the enemy mercenaries who are attacking them. 

There's someone with at least half a fucking brain down there, Lord Farque thinks to himself as he watches the battle down on the forest road below the cliff he's on top of. 

The undead warlord sees that Vexillian foot soldiers have basically done the best thing that they can do. 

And that's get off the forest road, and engage the mercenaries and guards from the army gathered by the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen, amongst the trees. 

Making the cockatrice all but redundant, as their riders won't take them in amongst their allies within the trees as the fighting gets heavier and more chaotic. 

And though the company of cockatrice riders attack the back, or east side of the column of Vexillian soldiers. 

A column that's now broken, and individuals are just running as fast as they can into the forest to the west of the road. 

They are far less effective now that the Vexillian foot soldiers are engaging with their allies amongst the trees. 

The lord and ruler of the Lands Farque who is now satisfied that the column of Vexillian soldiers are getting off the forest road, and are heading in the direction he wants them to go, and that's to the west. 

Sees that soldiers in the army of the city-state of Vexil don't yet know that they have the superior numbers. 

And should they do, they should easily overwhelm those of the army gathered by the Geist cousins Gamil and Farsen, who find themselves in this part of the heavily forested hills of northern Vexil. 

As Draugodrottin watches as more and more of the Vexillian foot soldiers run into the treeline to attack the mercenaries and guards from the Geist Trading Company. 

He briefly closes his eyes, then opens them and looks further back amongst the trees. And through the gaps in the forest canopy, Des'tier spots the wagons at the rear of the mercenary force that finds itself cut off from the rest of their army, who are further away to the west in the forest. 

"Time to even things up a bit" Lord Farque murmurs to himself, who then follows that with "More like turn it into a fucking shit show" he then silently adds, for everyone. 

The wyvern lifts it's head a bit, and tilts it to the side, as it watches the large heavily armoured figure that's taken it from it's original rider. 

The large heavily armoured figure that's now glowing slightly blue in the sunshine on this cold winters day, here in the hill country of northern Vexil. 

They first notice something when the injured company guard in the back of the wagon, screams after they hear a cracking sound. 

A scream that's abruptly cut off, followed by the sound of something, or to be exact, someone. Falling off the back or side of the wagon, and hitting the ground. 

The driver goes to pull up the wagon, as he does he shares a look with his fellow mercenary, sitting on the wagon seat with him. 

Then the two of them turn their heads, and look behind them. Something that both of them wish they had never done. 

The wagon driver goes flying forward after getting hit in the middle of the back. He goes flying over the pair of horses, who have stopped, and he hits the ground with a thud. 

The other mercenary goes to swing his crossbow around to shoot it, when he screams in pain, and he and his crossbow go flying off the side of the wagon seat. 

And he smashes into the trunk of a nearby tree, he smashes into it hard too. He's no longer moving after he drops to the ground. 

The horses take off in fright, taking the wagon with them. The wagon driver groaning on the ground, trying to move. 

Is first trampled by the horses. Then run over by the wagon. He's dead by the time the rear back right wagon wheel goes over him, crushing his skull apart. 

In the wagon bed, the three odd shaped boxes are broken apart, and in pieces as the horses with the wagon take off. 

And standing where the wagon just was, are three individuals, looking a little worse for wear if one was to look closely at them. 

But that's the last thing anymore should do, look at them closely. Because if you get close to them, you'll end up dead. 

For the trio who look corpse like, to say the least. Have a faint blue glow around them, as they stand there in the forest. 

Then they start moving, far quicker than a human should be able to move. They head to where there's fighting up ahead amongst the trees. 

There's six others just like them, nine in total. Who were in the odd shaped boxes, in the back of three wagons that belonged to captain Mackrin's company. 

The nine of them have all been risen, so to speak. And are on the move, their only objective is to kill everyone, and anyone they come across. 

And nothing here, in this part of the forested hill country of northern Vexil will stop them. Except for the individual who has raised them. 

Who stands upon the top of a nearby cliff watching what's happening down in this part of the forest, on this cold winters day, here in very north of the city-state of Vexil . . . . . .