Fetch tried to relax, but he couldn't . Tyris was a mess after the ordeal of the previous night. She was willing to go through with Galatea and Clovis's plan but she seemed worse off for it. She curled up into a ball and laid shivering by Fetch's side on their bed.
He tried healing spells but they seemed to have no effect. Whatever affected her was psychological not physical. He kissed her gently and tried playing with her hair. She normally liked that, but today she arched her head away, seemingly shunning all contact.
Fetch wondered if it was the right thing to do. He wanted Tyris freed, but at the cost of her mind , that seemed too much. Having a small chance of her going crazy and killing him didn't seem that big a deal compared to the state she was in. His heart ached for her.
He kissed her again and whispered, "I'll be back , there's things I must attend to. I'll be nearby holler or get a servant to come find me." . She nodded .
Fetch got dressed , and went downstairs. Frank ,Clovis and Surry were in the study. Clovis was showing Surry some rare tomes , that he or his master had gathered in their travels. They seemed pretty close. Once again Fetch wondered if he should be feeling defensive or mad . Frank was admiring a blade in an exquisite ornate silver scabbard.
"Oh your finally up Fetch, ...umm hows Tyris doing,", asked Frank.
Fetch shook his head," She's not taking it so well. First it was dizziness , then she seems to have the shakes or something. None of my prayers seem to help."
Clovis grimaced, " It should be temporary. I've seen item withdraw before. None of it is ever permanent. "
"He's correct. Even an artifact's control when broken will eventually be cured. I know you've tried the direct approach with healing prayers, but have you considered protection wards. Especially from evil, that's a good way to counter enchantments and compulsions. ", the silver scabbard sword said in a strong elven voice. Fetch took a second look, and realized it was Galatea reforged. He didn't think that Clovis could accomplish this feat so quickly , but the blade before him otherwise.
Fetch considered her course of action and wonder why he never thought of that . He never received proper training in how spells interact, he was more of a on the job learning type anyways. He nodded and quickly ran up the stairs. He quickly casted the ward, and the change was instant. Tyris stopped shivering and sweating, and a calm came across her face. She got up , and wiped the sweat off her head. She looked in the mirror and saw how disheveled and strained she looked. She frowned, "Thank you Fetch. Everything was going crazy there."
Fetch shook his head, "It wont last long, 10 minutes or so. I might have some scrolls ".
Tyris smiled "That's OK, I just need time to refocus. It won't be easy , I guess this is like an addict under withdraw. ...don't feel bad, In the end it will be for the best."
The pair walked back to the study together. "Thank you Galatea, you are correct once again. Unfortunately it is only a temporary reprieve. "
Clovis handed Tyris a box, "Take this, no charge. ", he said with a smile.
Tyris opened it and inside was a simple jade ring, with a silver design on it. She looked at it and nodded , "Thank you Clovis", and put it on.
Clovis continued, "I wouldn't rely on it all the time. Maybe take it off a few minutes a day first, then maybe a few hours. It will ward you from evil and the compulsions of the Dragon's flame, but you will eventually develop your own resistances as well."
Tyris nodded and gave him a slight kiss on the cheek,"Thank you. For everything."
Fetch was relieved. He hated to see Tyris suffer . As he relaxed in a chair. Some servants brought in a large tray with an object under a cloth. When they set it down Clovis, withdrew the cloth.
"Before we congratulate ourselves there's another matter we must attend to. Our little assassin. Normally I would dispose of him, but he's a warforged..and therefore quite interesting, also I believe you know him. I feel he might not be responsible for his actions.", Clovis proclaimed with Trip in a small cage.
Trip pleaded," 1000 pardons! I don't know what came over me. I was compelled by a voice to slay Master Fetch, but strangely now its gone. "
Frank poked the warforged scout through the bars with a sheathed dagger." Aww ..can we keep him."
Fetch signaled for him to be released. "Its OK . Guess your coming with us. "
The companions spent another night at Clovis's mansion. The rest of the their stay was quite quiet and comfortable. Tyris seemed fine, she seemed a little clumsy but otherwise was fine. Frank spent a good hour arguing with Galatea to let him wield her, but she flatly refused. Surry spent the last night with Clovis. Fetch didn't want to know what they were doing. It was still too weird for him. Trip promised to repent for his actions. He swore to serve faithfully till his debt was repaid. The cleric thought of dismissing his oath, but he had spent too much time with knights. He knew that most military types placed strong conviction in their oaths. Dismissing an oath would be a grave insult.
The next day Fetch's crew bid Clovis farewell. Clovis insisted that they stay again at his humble abode the next time they came back to McDunnalds. He summoned a carriage to take his guests to the 3rd army mustering area.
The Mustering grounds was chaotic and a mess. Many soldiers , guards, and knights were lined up in various ques. There were some official soldiers here to attempt to keep things organized, but it was a losing cause. Fortunately the carriage driver seemed to know the area well, and inquired about their destination from a friendly guard. In a few minutes, they were headed to their destination.
"Captain Fetch!", a young boyish soldier yelled, as Fetch and his friends were dropped off.
Fetch nodded at the approaching soldier ,"I am Captain Fetch, and you are?"
"Bram! I'm Lieutenant Bram. I will be your liaison officer till we get things settled. Its been a mess here. We aren't use to handling so many soldiers at once. This campaign against the Darkriver horde is new to most of us. ". Bram said quickly.
"New? I thought you guys were constantly battling humanoids and bandits.",asked Fetch.
"Yes that's true. But mostly skirmishes and defensive engagements. When we do go on the offensive its normally on a small scale. But Olive has mobilized over 10,000 troops. I'll explain more when we meet Colonel Fields. Your companions...are they your personal guard?", asked Bram
"This is Frank , he will be my head man at arms. This is Trip, he will be my personal scout. This is Surry my personal mage. And this is Tyris, my bard.", Fetch said quickly.
"Well whatever you want! I've heard of stranger camp followers. One guy brought along his personal astrologer. Another guy had a masseuse.", Bram said as he led them to a large command tent. Fetch's companions stayed outside as he entered.
Inside the tent was an elderly man in a chain tunic, Fetch could surmise from his tabard that it must be Colonel Fields. Sitting on his right were 2 men. One appeared to be a young knight from the north lands, another appeared to be a young soldier from Grom. They were both about Fetch's age and their tabard indicated they were lieutenants . Sitting on his left was a large smiling dwarf, his tabard indicated he was a captain like Fetch. , Next to him was a red haired halfling, and a pretty elf with short magenta hair. Further to his left was a large Grommish man wearing an unusual spiked helm. He only had 1 lieutenant with him, a thin gaunt bald man with a large scar across his face.
"Welcome aboard Captain Fetch. You came highly recommended by General Olive herself. From your file , it says you were promoted immediately to captain , skipping lieutenant, you must have impressed her greatly . " . The 2 younger human lieutenants muttered their disapproval . Col Fields directed him to sit next to the 2 uncomfortable men. "Welcome to the 15th battalion of the 3rd army. The Goldchips! ", Fields seemed proud of the name, the smiling dwarf just rolled his eyes.
"Let me start with quick introductions. That's Captain Hrolf , and Lt Gainey. Thatès Captain Torsten , with Lt Kanjo and Lt Cala. and finally your 2 lts. Osk and Vickers. Its a bit chaotic out there, only Cpt Torstens company had been together for awhile. Captains Hrolfs group was decimated by the first wave of attackers. He's here to recruit and reform his company. Your company hasn't been completely formed yet. I suggest after this meeting Osk and Vickers will aide you in forming your band. "
An aide brought drinks and sweet breads into the tent. Everyone but Hrolf partook in the snack. Lt Kanjo gladly took his share. " Lets get down to business. This is new to most of us. Cpt Torsten being the exception. We've engaged in short raids and skirmishes in the past but never a battle of such magnitude. The logistics alone are quite staggering. General Olive has taken the bulk of the army to engage the Darkriver horde near the northern wold. Its our mission to patrol and engage enemy forces that attempt to use or raid along the road to Karlston. My plan is to move in force and engage any enemy we find. Afterwards we can split up and guard the following strategic positions."
Col Fields took out a map and had several areas marked. Fetch recalled traveling down the road, but some of the land marks and roads seemed out of place or misdrawn.
"Err Sir, how recent are those maps? I've been down this road 2 months ago, and they don't seem 100% correct.", said Fetch unsure if he should voice his opinion here or in private.
Fields frowned at the comment, " I can assure you, the best cartographers in the land has guaranteed me of the accuracy of these maps. My scribes will provide you with a copy as soon as possible. Please ready your forces immediately. Our marching orders can come at any time."
Hrolf and Gainey left after the meeting was adjourned. Fetch offered to shake Hrolfs hand but he returned his gesture with a steely gaze. "Damn noble brats...", he snarled in a whisper, but still loud enough for all to hear.
Osk and Vickers did not seem enthused to meet their new captain. "Love to chat sir, but we have to see to the organization of the men. Will meet you soon at the base camp.", they saluted and marched out .
Torsten however was engaged with a heated discussion with his men. He simply walked up to Fetch and saluted. " So my men and I have a wager. I say you're the famous Warmaster of the host, they say there's no way it could be you."
Fetch was unsure about his answer , he still wanted to remain incognito, and he guessed from Olive's orders his cover was still being kept.
Torsten waited for his answer, but after Fetch's hesitation he gruffly remarked, "Never mind, I don't know what I was thinking. Lets go, I'll buy drinks Kanjo." The dwarf and halfling left. The elf stayed and curtsied elegantly for Fetch, before she followed the pair. She winked at him seductively as she left. Fetch marveled at Lt Cala. She was stunning even for an elf , she was of average height , fit not overly muscular and had generous curves, she seemed out of place as an officer in a war camp.
Fetch wasn't sure his next course of action, he left the camp and was met once again by Bram. "I hope that went well Sir, lets get you to the main camp and properly assemble your men.
Osk and Vickers , although both were young, and appeared similar were arguing about troop composition. They were attempting to come to a conclusion of what troops to recruit from the mustering grounds. Vicker's appeared to want tactical and assault squads, while Osk wanted support and skirmish units. Fetch had some familiarity of the way Grommish troops were divided.
The basic unit was the tactical squad. They were an all purpose group composed mainly of light infantry with shields, clubs and slings . The rarer heavy infantry squads were called assault squads. They were typically armed with 2handed weapons with heavy or medium armor and were tasked with breaking enemy ranks and leading charges. Support squads were mainly exclusively mages and clerics. Skirmish squads were light footmen , specialized in open combat in rough terrain. There were also heavy weapons squads , composed of golems , and Dragon squads, which were equipped with various dragon golems. Grommers rarely relied on cavalry but there were also the rare cavalry squads. Finally the command squad was the unit commanders personal squad, most leaders employed one as an elite unit, or at least had a group that could be sacrificed to ensured his survival.
Fetch was tired of their arguing. He quickly interjected "Listen you 2 dolts. While you 2 are arguing other units are recruiting all the good troops, you 2 just follow me. Now look, we are going to do a lot of traveling, and from what I understand there won't be much heavy engagements. So we'll probably be looking at the majority as tactical and skirmish . Maybe 1 or 2 support. How much field experience have either of you 2 have anyways?"
Osk proudly stated ," I was a crusader in the great host, I served under General Hero himself . I came to the south after our victory seeking new challenges. "
Vickers looked a little ashamed, "I don't have any field experience . I had 2 years training in the McDunnalds war academy . This is my first command."
"General Hero himself eh? Where in the battle were you positioned? ", inquired Fetch.
"I was at the center of the battlefield along with the rest of the Order of the boar. Fiends and gnolls fell to my terrible axe as they attempted to break our ranks!", he boasted proudly.
"LIAR LIAR LIAR HAHA PANTS ON FIRE!", Frank laughed as he grabbed Osk and vigorously messed up his hair. "Listen , I was in the center of the great host, and there weren't any boar there. The clan of the boar was on the right flank in the hills with the squirrel boys. And none of the war chiefs refers to themselves as general in the north, its champion. And Hero's a chick , with honking huge breasts not a dude! Like if your gonna put on airs and make up tall tales, at least do it right!"
Osk finally squirmed out of Franks grasp, and drew his axe. "How dare you lay your hands on me and question my honesty ! I've split men in half for less!" he yelled fiercely.
A small crowd started gathering, Fetch threw up his hands. The first day on the job and one of his subordinates was gonna get killed. " Listen, here's my guess, from your age you were a member of a militia along the border. When the mists left you took the opportunity like a lot of us eventually did to make a name for yourself in the south. Some careful boasting and you passed their joke of a veterans program , and with enough butt kissing you earned a commission. I could be wrong, and you served with the host, but if you did, then you should know who I am. Am I right or am I right?" , asked Frank .
"You stain my honor, for that DIE!", said a clearly agitated Osk. He swung his axe at the unarmed Frank. Frank easily stepped to the side and the axe bit deeply into the ground.
Frank placed his foot on the blunt of the axe and calmly pressed down. "Nice swing , but it leaves you open, also if you missed you are vulnerable to a counter attack."
Osk released the axe , and drew a hidden dagger from his back. He thrusted at the mocking warrior in front of him. Frank scrambled back as the dagger came close to piercing him." Whoa, that's close. Your skill with the blade is much better then that of your axe. I revise my theory. I think you weren't part of the militia but a 2 bit thief or bandit. After the mists, you decide to reinvent yourself in the south, and live off the glories of those that bled in the great battle."
Osk quickly tired of chasing the taunting warrior and prepared to throw his blade. His throwing stance was that of a master. He adopted a similar stance to Tyris or Earl when they prepared to throw . Despite his lack of skill with the axe, Fetch could see he was skilled at dagger throwing. He could sense that things were getting out of control fast.
"Thats enough , son. ", a high pitched mechanical voice said as a crossbow bolt was placed against Osk's throat. Trip had scrambled up and pressed his loaded crossbow upwards against Osk's exposed neck.
"Awww, things were getting interesting. ", said Frank.
Osk dropped his blade, and Trip lowered his crossbow. "This isn't over! I don't care who you are! This isn't the last you heard from Sir Osk of the Boar!" . Osk turned around and marched out of the camp towards Fields camp.
"Hey , if he quits, can I have his job? " asked Frank.
Fetch together with Lt Vickers and temporary lt Trip made their way to the mustering grounds. Lt Bram witnessed the entire affair earlier, and went to Col Fields camp to explain the situation. Fetch could tolerate Vickers with little field experience, but he would have nothing to do with Osk who not only lied but an attacked an unarmed man with both axe and blade. He was fairly sure Frank was in no danger , but an officer should not throw tantrums at taunts.
Most of the hastily assembled squads were already selected. There were still many troops to be selected but their quality was questionable. Fetch didn't like this recruitment method, it seemed more like an auction to him. However the more the thought about it, the more it seemed to fit the way the merchant princes of Grom operated. He had Surry make a note of his suggestion to change the current recruitment structure then he went and talked to some of the recruits . He didn't worry about his appearance or age. If any of the men had trouble with him in command, he was sure Trip or Frank could beat it out of them. He was looking for experience and cohesion in his squads. He met several authentic veterans from the great host. Unlike the other squads that sniffed or seemed unimpressed with the young captain. They bowed and humbly requested to serve under him. Despite not wanting to pick assault units, Fetch decided having a few squads of veterans might not be a bad thing. In the end . He ended up with 4 tactical , 2 assault, 1 skirmish, and 1 support squad. He hand picked a few others from various assault groups to round out his command group. Vickers didn't seem too impressed with his selection, but he kept his mouth shout.
Fetch wasted no time in organizing the groups. He had Trips platoon composed of 2 tactical 1 skirmish and 1 support squad. He appointed Surry as Trips sgt. He hated to admit it , but she probably had more practical experience then anyone in his group except Trip. Vickers group group was the 2 assault and 2 tactical units. Vickers didnt seem comfortable with the troops assigned to him, he preferred a more mobile group and diverse group, but Fetch wanted to give him an easy command to begin with. He also appointed Frank as his sergeant to make sure things ran smoothly. Fetch wasn't sure if he could appoint sergeants and corporals, but he did it anyways. Things were chaotic enough without having to wait for leaders. His command group was practically another assault squad. It was an assault squad with Tyris and himself included. He loathed to split up his group, but he wanted people he could trust and depend on in positions where he could count on them.
After a haggard Bram returned, they were off to requisition supplies and gear. Most had their own gear, but he wanted additional missile and engineering gear. Shovels, saws, picks , ropes,...as much as he could get he gathered. A small train of mules and carts finished off his group.
Fetch was in his element. He knew there wasn't time to train all the men properly. So he had a quick meeting with his people in charge to run down basic procedures, and what was expected of them. Some of the men grumbled about the amount of work , and serving under officers so young. Many hinted that he must have gotten their posts from grafts or bribes. A quick beating from Frank or Surry straightened them up.
Fetch waited behind the ancient wall. He could hear the ogre and goblin voices. His scouts told him there were approximately 30-40 raiders. Maybe 5 ogres or giants. He could hear the snarl of wolves as well.
He grinned. If he was the enemy, he would have the wolves scouting, but his opponent was lazy. It would save him the trouble of trying to track and hunt them down. He looked at his men. There were only the 2 assault and his command squads. He saw Tyris, and a thin wrinkle of worry bothered him. She seemed to be doing better, but had bouts of dizziness and sickness the past few weeks. Sometimes she would snap and lose her temper for no apparent reason, but he could tell she was still Tyris. He was deeply worried her personality would change to something he wouldn't recognize but his fears were unfounded.
Tyris turned to Fetch, she seemingly knew he was thinking about her. She nodded and smiled. Fetch relied on her to signal the attack. Her hearing was amazing. She signaled with gestures that there were 60 raiders, mostly hobgoblins and goblins, amongst them 10 ogres, 20 wolf riders and 4 of something else Fetch couldn't understand. She nodded again and suddenly stood up with her bow singing a Northern war song. Fetch rolled up and intoned a prayer on his men, as he saw a series of arrows strike a hobgoblin wearing priestly garb.
The rest of the hidden troops rose up as well, and roared various war crys. Fetch had them redivided into their former orders. The first squad drew their numbers from the lion, mammoth , and ice griffon. The second squad was from the squirrel, narwhal, and boar . His command group , he put everyone else in, or people that might need to be watched. Torsten told him that he should put the best people in his command squad, but Fetch didn't like the idea of weaker units and elite units. He just wanted units that worked.
The former knights left their hidden positions and attacked the raiders in the narrow ruins. Even though they were outnumbered, the element of surprise and the narrow corridors threw the enemy into confusion. The enemy quickly recovered however and they moved their heavily hobgoblin and infantry to the front, and retreated their goblin skirmishers and archers to the rear. Most of the wolf riders were caught in the ruins, but the surviving riders began their outflank on their outnumbered foe.
An armored ogre smashed his maul into a knight's shield, cracking it and driving the man to the ground. The ogre calmly stepped on top of the wounded knight , crushing the remaining life out of him, and readied another swing at the retreating warriors. It shouted insults at the tepid knights, but suddenly his body was thrown back in a thunderous clap, as lightning and stone impacted heavily onto its chest. The assaulting object was an ancient rune covered warhammer and it hovered in midair briefly before flying back to Fetch's hand. The knights surged forward once again and pierced the stunned and staggered ogre with several mortal wounds. Before the knights could push their advantage a robed reptilian mage engulfed the bloody corridor with a swirl of fire. One of the knights fell, but the rest fell back and dispersed into the ruins. Most apparently had experience fighting demons and mages.
The battle had stalled quicker then Fetch had hoped for. Their mages had stopped his initial assault sooner then expected. Fetch fought reptilian foes before but wasn't sure what these types were exactly. They were fiery red in color and they appeared to favor fire magics. Tyris calmly touched his shoulder, and signaled him to duck. Fetch chastised himself for losing track of the battle and he quickly ducked under the cover of the ruin wall as a hail of arrows fell into their position. Fetch's armor and shield protected him from any stray arrows that fell or deflected past their cover. Although Tyris was tall, she still managed to roll herself up into a small ball against the wall and avoided the missile fire.
A Grommish war cry suddenly roared from behind the enemy ranks, mixed in with frenzied Goblin yells. Fetch waited a few seconds then stood up and saw Surry's and Vicker's remaining squads engage the enemy's rear. He spied another red lizard mage casting a ball of fire into the advancing Grommers. The squad scattered , but he saw Frank leap at the mage striking him down with a shield bash then sword slash combo. Tyris assumed her former position , she scanned the battlefield, and fired a succession of shots seemingly at a wall. An arrow struck a reptilian foot, its owner shot up, and a arrow buried itself into its neck. The mage fell backwards but another arrow buried itself into its chest . "just in case", Tyris said pausing from her song.
The battle was soon over. With their heavy infantry caught in the ruins, and their archers and support troops caught by the Grommish flanking attack, the raiders were thrown into confusion. Fetch could see Surry raise a wall of ice, to cut off any hope of escape. He frowned at her choice. He would prefer if they chased a fleeing foe rather then fight a cornered foe. His company came together fairly well in the last few weeks, but there were still some tactical issues he had to work out.
Tyris and Fetch exited their sniper position to survey the battlefield. Fetch took the normal way down, while Tyris sat on the wall facing away . She leaned backwards , so her body was upside down with only her lower legs supporting her weight. She paused a second, and then waited. Fetch saw her do this many times, but wondered why she suddenly stopped.
"Can I get a hand here Fetch,", she said in a quiet embarrassed voice, so the other knights couldn't hear . Fetch raced down and supported her, as she flipped down . "Sorry about that, I lost my balance there. I'm losing my edge ", she said with a smile. Fetch knew she was going to lose some of her "edge" after her link with the Dragon's flame was severed. He just didn't expect her to take it so well.
He considered saying something witty, when suddenly a bloodied ogre burst from a pile of corpses, and smashed Fetch's side with a heavy spiked gauntlet. Fetch barely had time to block the blow with his shield, but the force of the attack slammed him back heavily against an ancient wall. The ogre grasped a large spiked club and swung once again. Fetch quickly intoned a prayer of protection as he raised his shield again to block. The spiked club clipped Fetch on the shoulder, crushing bone and tearing flesh. Fetch ignored the pain and took the time the ogre needed to recover from his swing to fall back . He readied a blinding prayer, but the ogre howled and lurched awkwardly on one foot. Fetch could see a blur of black and red spin around the ogre. A stab to the foot, a slash to the tendon. A kick to the knee. Fetch had trouble following the flurry of blows Tyris landed on the ogres leg.
The ogre lost its balanced and fell forward. Tyris took a short leap and landed on its back . She delivered a quick stab through the neck with her rapier before the ogre crashed to the ground. She waited a second on top of the beast, then satisfied that it was incapable of rising, hopped off and appeared at Fetch's side.
"I guess you didn't lose ALL your edge," Fetch said as he intoned a prayer of healing on his shoulder. They continued their survey over the battlefield. They met up with Frank and Surry who were dispatching their downed foes.
"Any of the mages survived?", asked Fetch. Frank and Surry shook their heads.
"When they die they either burn up or they explode. ", grimaced Surry.
"Makes it hard to loot.", said Frank clearly disapointed.
Vickers found the 4 companions and was clearly happy. "That was epic sir! Now I know why you bring along your own bard! To compose songs of your great victories! That's the second group of raiders we vanquished. We taught them a lesson they won't soon forget!"
"Are you sure? cuz their all dead !", said Frank as he grabbed Vickers , put him in a head lock and messed up his hair. He released him before he could protest ."Now go count bodies or something, work out a kill ratio or whatever you do. " He told his commanding officer.
Vickers nodded and happily went about his work. Fetch didn't like the fact that Frank was bossing around his commanding officer, but the 2 seemed to work well together.
All in all , Fetch's company lost 6 men. 14 were wounded but Fetch quickly got them back to their feet. The other clerics assigned to them, marveled at their young commanders mastery of the healing arts. Most of the injured were from the enemy mages. Trip later returned and reported 3 wolf riders escaped. His unit was only able to stop 5 of them.
Fetch knew that was one the weakness of the Grommish army. If a full detachment was deployed they could compensate for their lack of cavalry with their skyships and their magic. But in small scale battles, they had to rely on positioning to counter enemy cavalry. A northern cavalry charge could easily break his ranks thought Fetch.
The other weakness was their lack of specialized ranged troops. Most of their troops had some missile capability, and their dragon squads were more then a match for archers, but they didn't have enough of them. Once again, a large force could compensate but in small battles the weaknesses were more glaring.
He thought about ordering their troops to strip their foes , but they were already happily engaged in their task. It was a Grommish right to loot the fallen. He instead told them they had 10 minutes before they moved. It was getting dark, and he wished to fall back to his prepared position. It was true they stopped 2 large raider detachments, but he was concerned about the amount of raiders they were facing. Could the enemy forces be more then were reported? Or was it just a coincidence the raiders came along his route. The news from the front was that Olives forces had tied up the main force of the Blackriver horde. Her skyship raiders were systematically destroying the enemies supply and isolated elements. It was a good strategy, one they should have used instead of risking it all on a large field battle like they did with the gnolls. He would submit his report and hope someone with a clearer view of the overall battle could make sense of what was happening.
Fetch kissed Tyris as he made his nightly patrol. She was getting fatigued earlier then normal, but she claimed she was alright. He was naturally concerned for her well being, but she said she wanted to stay and compose a song about the great Warmaster. He chuckled at that thought, she generally never wrote any songs, she sometimes changed a verse or a phrase of a song or a poem to better suit her tastes, but he never saw her compose her own piece.
"If you're gonna write a ballad about me. Please don't tell everyone the truth, exaggerate as much as you possibly can!", he said as he slipped out the tent.
Since Fields maps were terribly incorrect , they had to revise their initial patrol areas. Fields and Hrolf's units camped by the ruins near McDunnalds and were in charge of the patrols there. Torsten's and Fetch's companies camped by the ruin fort closer to Karlston. Fetch initially considered it inefficient, but with the large patrols of raiders in the area, he thought it was most fortunate Fields maps were incorrect. Fetch's and Torsten's company had a friendly rivalry going on, to see who can kill the most raiders. Incredibly, Torsten's company was leading, but Fetch thought today's battle would bring his numbers closer.
Fetch passed Surry and Cala's tent. The two were apparently childhood friends from the Eagleclaw Barony. They both served together in the town guard or something, he recalled Surry saying. She also laughed that Agni use to court her, before they left the barony, and told Fetch that he should get to know his future daughter in law. Cala was supposedly a better tracker and archer the Surry but lacked her versatile magic ability. He could hear them chatter away in their musical elven tongue , and thought it best not to listen in. For a human, Fetch could understand and speak Elvish fairly good, but he lacked the distinctive rhythmical speech pattern.
He walked by Torsten's tent, and heard loud snoring from within. The guard posted outside his tent saluted him as he walked by. Fetch kind of liked Torsten. The dwarf was a veteran of the last orc war, the great war, and the demon horde. He always took the direct approach in battle, which often resulted in unnecessary casualties but he always pulled his unit through in the end. The dwarf was very skilled in a fight too. He watched Frank and Torsten in a friendly duel last week. They were both evenly matched. After a few minutes, Frank used Hildraxels move by "opening" his guard to lure Torsten in . Instead the dwarf refrained from the opening and commented to Frank that he had his guard open. The spectators laughed at that comment. Frank protested and tried to explain what he was doing, but Torsten took his lapse of concentration and slammed Frank to the ground. It was all in good fun , Franks pride was hurt more then his back.
Next he walked by the supply tents. Outside Lt Kanjo was sitting on a barrel, whittling wood. He gave Fetch a creepy smile as he walked past. Trip and Kanjo had history apparently. They didn't talk much, but he noticed how the 2 would stare menacingly at each other in camp. During the Great War, Trip's unit the 5th Warforged Marine Corp attempted a beach assault against positions held by Kanjo's unit the 3rd Dogoons. The battle was particularity fierce. Even though the marines managed to break through, the casualties they suffered forced them to abandon their gains and retreat. Kanjo was a specialized fire sorcerer, and it was rumored he didn't care if friends got in the way of his blasts. The cleric wasn't sure if that was reputation or truth. If that was true , Fetch thought his own fellows would have killed him by now. However, he was in Torsten's unit, and the 2 both believed in victory at all costs.
Fetch thought it was important to check the guard , and gauge the morale of his men. They seemed pretty confident after the 2 easy victories, but he still liked the contact he had with his men. A few of them were engaged in a knife throwing game at one camp. At another camp he saw a large group watch Trip and Frank play a simple balancing game with sticks. Each would take turns to pull a stick out of a pile without it toppling. It was a game children played, but it took on an adult flair when money was involved. Satisfied with the state of his camp he began to walk back to his tent.
"Let me in! There's monsters out there!", said a haggard voice.
"Sorry Sir! No one is allowed in our camp after dark. You can camp 50 paces outside if you wish.", said the stern guard.
"How about if there's 10 gold in it for you.", said the voice.
"How about if I take your money and kick your ass 50 paces outside of the camp.", said the guard angrily as a scuffle began to take place.
That wasn't the response Fetch wanted, but it got the desired result. Grommers will be Grommers he sighed as he moved in to break up the melee.
When Fetch got to the guard post, he saw the 2 guards wrestling each other in the dark. He intoned a simple orision of light. The guards saw what had happened and they released their grip on each other.
"Sorry sir, there was a trapper or huntsmen here, he gave us the slip in the dark.", said a red faced guard.
"No I didn't I'm still right here.", said a nondescript looking trapper, leaning against the wall.
"I'll handle this ", said Fetch recognizing the trapper. He walked towards the man and both of them left the safety of the camp.
"You saw through my disguise rather quickly,"said the disappointed trapper.
"No..your disguise was perfect, its just your cocky attitude I recognize.", smiled Fetch, "So why are you harassing my guards , I'm sure you could easily slip past them or put on some Grommish captain disguise and demanded entry. "
"Oh no...it would be royal adventurer or nothing. I just wanted to test them out, see if they were doing their jobs. Its little things like that , that makes me happy with my work.", he said wistfully.
"Your plan didn't go quite as expected ", said Fetch," It kind of went off track at McDunnalds, and now I'm not sure if I need to maintain a disguise. Tyris lost the link to her sword. I don't think she qualifies as an immortal or near immortal anymore. I'm not sure if even the snakemen are even after her anymore, the last time we met them, there were 50 of them, big ones too, they didn't seem to be targeting her."
Earl the trapper looked at Fetch questioningly, "First off, do you think the snakemen will care if she lost her artifact if they attack again? Secondly, don't think your little girly bard is the only immortal in these parts. There are other people they are after."
Fetch considered telling him about Clovis's forge, but he enjoyed the idea that he knew something he didn't. "So what are you here for anyways? Just to visit an old friend?"
" I don't have any old friends...its a long lonely road..friends only get in the way or get killed...", he softly said in a bitter tone. Fetch almost felt sorry for him but his tone changed," I have better things to do with my spare time anyways. There's always a tiefling brothel opening up that I have to visit and rate. For my book I'm writing you see. Earls guide to damned women. ", the thought of a tiefling brothel gave Fetch a slight chill. They were amongst the ugliest women he had ever seen, but after every demon war there were always a rash of them. Tieflings had very few avenues of work, banditry, mercenary , adventuring, or whores were there only employment choices.
"But seriously... I need you to pass an urgent message to Olive. The forces that were suppose to reinforce you from Karlston aren't coming. ", Earl said.
"WHAT! Olive was depending on them before she made her final push. What happened, why did Governor Nils cancel his support.", exclaimed Fetch.
"Well...long story...Nils is dead. I killed him...now don't give me that look. He was going to betray you guys. I found out he cut a deal, with whoever riled up the Darkriver horde. I'm sure it wasn't just them either. I placed a lot of incriminating evidence at the murder site, his command staff will be paralyzed with indecision for the next while. They won't be sure who to trust. They wont be aiding you, but they wont be attacking you either.", said Earl stretching and yawning .
"Why would he betray us, we're humans , races of light all that good stuff, why aid goblins. ", asked Fetch confused. " Was it money ? I'm sure you Grommers have more then the goblins."
Earl looked around for a soft area of ground." Governor Nils saw the writing on the wall. With the mists gone, and Olive and entire army at her back things were going to change. Trade with the north was gonna reopen. The 3rd army will systematically wipe out any tribes or bandits in Grommish territory. Reestablish centralize rule. Guys like him wont be able to run their territories like their own private fiefdoms anymore. He liked the status quo, but knew he wasn't strong enough to resist change. So he sided with someone he thought was strong enough. Unfortunately for him, he fell down the stairs on top of my dagger...5 times. "
Fetch nodded, he knew Clovis was right, but he never thought it would degenerate to civil war. Olive would have to be told at once.
"Oh and another thing. The Infernal Legion of Ari the fallen has thrown his lot with the Darkriver horde. Also the Goblins of the howling woods, and a sizable contingent of giants from Frost haven. ", said Earl grimly as he finished making his camp. He started to light a small fire.
Fetch heard the name of Ari the fallen. He was the son of Lady Janya from Mammoth keep . The story he heard was he was banished for some reason or another. He wasn't sure what infernal legion he commanded. The goblins of the howling woods were a mystery. He didn't recall any howling woods from any maps he studied. Perhaps it was a local name. The giants of Frosthaven was a name he heard often enough. Frosthaven was a nation of giants that frequently launched raids with their massive longboats on the civilized lands. They were a terrible sight to behold in battle.
"How many? Do you know? ", asked Fetch trying to get as much information as possible.
Earl unwrapped a half eaten roll of bread, and ate a cold piece of cured meat. " Exactly 3333 in the legion, barbazu, or bearded devils mainly. Nobody knows the exact number of goblins, not even the goblins but I figure at least 50,000. And at least 40 long boats landed so roughly 1000 giants is my guess. "
Fetch was stunned by the numbers. This afternoon victory seemed certain, but now...a full scale retreat would have to be ordered.
"Don't beat your self up right now. You won't be able to get a message through to Olive by magical means. The hills she fortified herself in are protected. Warded against malevolent as well as benign magics like that. You will have to wait till morning. I'm leaving in the morning as well, to make sure Baltar's port is still on our side . Organize your thoughts , get a good night sleep. Tomorrow will be busy.", said Earl calmly.
Fetch breathed deeply, he knew Earl was right. He already started to draw up plans on who to warn, and the path they would have to take. Earl handed him a scroll with a royal adventurers seal. Fetch had seen seals like this before but never this elaborate. He always suspected Earl was a royal adventurer, but was never sure till now. He somehow thought it would be a free wheeling lifestyle , where all your expenses would be paid, and you could wine and dine on the governments expense. He was sure that was how they all lived, but looking at the trapper in front of him, sitting in his small camp, eating a half roll of bread and cured meat, he knew some took the job quite seriously. He thought about handing Earl the imprisoned blade, but something held him back. He trusted the man, but wasn't sure if he could part with it. It was a part of Tyris, a cold dark part, but a part of her all the same.
Fetch unexpectedly sat down next to Earl and handed him a flask of Plateau brandy. He picked it up in Baltar's port, because he thought it funny that he was buying brandy he helped prepared himself. King paid him 4 silver a day to bottle crates of it. The merchant sold it to him for a princely sum of 25 gold. Earl took it and smiled. "You're alright Fetch. When I saw you fight those brigands unarmed on the plateau, I thought maybe I should step in , because there's not enough good hearted people in the world. Too many people like myself ..cold blooded murderers heh."
"You have to do what you have to do. If that many forces are coming to get us , I'm sure they wont leave quietly even if they defeat us. They must have been promised much treasure. Treasure they won't get unless they sack a city or two. If you didn't kill the governor, his armies and more importantly his city would serve as a base against us. ", said Fetch drinking from the brandy as well.
" That's only a guess. Who knows, a public revelation of his dealings might have been enough to stop him. I took the direct brutal approach. He had a wife and 4 children you know, I'm sure they would prefer if I took another approach..", a silence hung between the 2 men huddled by the fire," Don't worry I stopped caring about my victims a long time ago. You can't be in my line of work if you care. I hate to admit it Fetch , but I admire you. I'm sure since we've met you've killed at least as much men as I have. Maybe more. But you have still have hope, still have friends, you even managed to keep a wife. How is she by the way? Besides the fall from immortality, and that crap..did you manage to knock her up finally heh?" , Earl said relaxing.
Fetch considered telling him about Kard's Prophecy but chose against it, it was too weird to talk about . "She's fine, it took awhile to adjust from losing her artificat but she seems fine now, just gets dizzy in the morning, throws up occasionally, sometimes gets moody and eats a lot. and to answer your second question, it doesn't look like we are able to have kids. " Even though he was apparently capable of having children, Surry and Agnar being proof of this, he didn't want to single her out. They were in this together.
"Your joking right? but I'm a bit jealous, it would be nice to find someone who was in my line of work . Someone I could rely on , share with, care for. But that would probably end badly. I'm sure I would kill her with in a week." ,Earl said with a rare bit of raw honesty. He quickly realized his "lapse", " well its late..I should get some sleep, people to spy on , bad guys to kill tomorrow. Whatever you do not choose Earl as a name if its a boy.", he said as he lied down his blanket.
"What are you talking about. I told you we can't have kids. ", said Fetch puzzled.
Earl looked at him puzzled and sighed . He then got up and packed his blanket. Fetch was interested in his strange change of behavior. Was the ground too hard or something?
"Ok , lets get into camp and find your lady friend a real old fashioned healer. One who has an idea about midwifery .", chuckled Earl.