Tuledare. Border Region.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry" murmurs Jovan Garney the cleric in what can only be called panic, as one of the nearby airships is obliterated by the fast moving Krean strikeship.
The powerful young cleric in the church of Kaēvin who has ordered the ship to be abandoned, looks behind him, and grimaces at what he sees.
Another of the nearby airships, which was traveling south along with the two vessels belonging to the church of Kaēvin.
Is firing it's magetubes at nothing. For the simple reason it's target is not where it's supposed to be.
The Krean strikeship has shot upwards and is now flying upsidedown, still firing it's vast number of magetubes. Straight down upon the airship that just fired at it.
More than thirty magetube shots streak down out of the afternoon sky, and slam into the vessel from the city of Tuledare. Blasting it apart in mere moments. As the barrier spell that was hastily put up by the spellcasters onboard that vessel, could no way stop that amount of firepower that just struck it.
The cleric Garney breathes a sigh of relief, then he shouts "Through the gateway!". After the gateway he's cast has formed.
Not waiting for anything, the guardsmen Sammit and Oldham who are close by, are the first to run through. Quickly followed by some of the crew who are in a midships, close to the magical doorway.
After shoving a stumbling air sailor in the direction of the gateway, Jovan Garney looks aft, to see what's happening.
He sees the helmsman spinning the wheel, and the captain shouting orders, the powerful young cleric originally from the Lands Farque mutters "Damnit".
When he sees his fellow cleric in the church of Kaēvin, Kalmiss is casting. A spell that the younger cleric knows will be absolutely useless in their current situation.
"Abandon ship!" shouts Jovan Garney who enhances his voice with a spell he quickly casts.
And as more of those onboard rush to his gateway, and run through it to safety. The practitioner of magic turns and looks around. And winces at what he sees.
Out of the six airships that left the capital city of Tuledare at the same time. Three of them have simply vanished, as they've been completely obliterated.
A fourth is firing at empty sky. Because the mastless Krean strikeship, which can fly circles around any other vessel in the skies of Volunell. Apart from a Krean scoutship, which is even more maneuverable, and even faster.
Is a few hundred feet underneath it, on it's starboard side, firing it's port side magetubes up at the airship that's been hired by the Tuledarian army to carry companies of mercenaries to the war.
As that twin masted airship is blasted apart by numerous magetube shots, that easily destroy it. For the simple fact it has no barrier or protection spells on the underside of it. And even if it did, they would be useless against such firepower.
Jovan Garney turns back, and sees members of his church, including the priestess Saleane hurrying through his gateway.
Then he looks quickly to aft, to where the cleric Kalmiss is, whose spell has just been unleashed.
The powerful young cleric just shakes his head, and he doesn't even bother to watch the massive energyball that his fellow cleric in the church of Kaēvin has just flung at the Krean strikeship.
The cleric Garney doubts it'll hit it's target. And even if it did, it would be ineffectual. As no way will it get through the shields cast by the Krean navigators onboard the strikeship.
Jovan Garney who at one stage in his training in his homeland, was taught by a Krean navigator. Knows that even he is no where near powerful enough to take on an even mildly competent navigator in the Krean aircorp.
And strikeships have a cadre of the more powerful Krean practitioners of magic on board them.
"Right, I'm outta of here" mutters the cleric Garney as he sees the Krean strikeship has turned it's attention to the two remaining vessels from the city of Tuledare still in the afternoon sky, here above the forests in the southern border region of the city-state. The two remaining vessels being those in the church of Kaēvin.
"Abandon ship!" yells Jovan Garney once again, who waits for a couple of crewmen, and a trio of church guards to go through his gateway.
Before he hurries through it, as the Krean strikeship starts firing upon both of the church of Kaēvin airships.
Striking the sister ship of the one he's on, as he goes running through the gateway that he has cast to save as many onboard the vessel as possible.
The powerful young spellcaster runs out of his gateway, onto a dirt road in some woods. Quite a few onboard the airship have already come through.
And though as the caster of a spell such as the gateway he's created, Jovan Garney would normally be the last one to come through it before dropping the spell.
Instead the young cleric in the church of Kaēvin keeps his spell going, so that anyone else onboard can come through it.
Jovan Garney knows what he's doing is dangerous for the simple reason what is more than likely to happen.
The powerful practitioner of magic braces himself for what's about to happen. Wincing in anticipation, and after a few laymen in the church come through the gateway carrying packs.
Followed by a couple of crew, then another air sailor, this one an officer who was onboard. The inevitable happens, his gateway is destroyed on the other side as magetube shot after magetube shot slams into church ship, destroying it.
The cleric Garney who has placed his most powerful shield, in this instance, a major barrier spell around the gateway on this side.
Sees the gateway explode, a powerful explosion that's contained within the barrier spell which is a good dozen feet all around it.
If the shield wasn't around it, the explosion would of been devastating. Destroying all who come through the gateway, and fair bit of the surrounding forest too.
Jovan Garney faintly smiles before he's knocked out by the backlash of his spell being destroyed by a multitude of magetube shots on the other side by the Krean strikeship.
As he blacks out, comfortable in the knowledge he's kept everyone who came through the gateway alive.
The young cleric in the church of Kaēvin knows that his Lord has entered the war on the side of the city-state of Phamal, or to be precise one of his armies has.
And that the city-state of Tuledare is already defeated, they just don't know it yet, as it's happening to them right now.
Jovan Garney finds himself waking up sometime later. The powerful young cleric groans, and attempts to sit up.
Someone helps him to sit, and somebody else gives him some water to drink from a tin cup, which is greatly appreciated by the practitioner of magic.
"Thanks" croaks the cleric Garney, who clears his throat before saying it once again.
"No worries father" says the guardsman Sammit who helped him to drink the water.
The powerful young spellcaster finds that it's the guardsman Oldham behind him, who has helped him to sit up.
As the Farqian born practitioner of magic looks around, and sees that it's early evening, the older of the two church guards, Oldham asks him "What was that thing father?" followed by "That ship?".
"You don't want to know" wryly responds the cleric in the church of Kaēvin.
The two guardsmen share a look, then the older of the two guardsmen asks him "Where are we father?" followed by "I assume somewhere still in Tuledare?".
"We are" replies the young seventeen year old cleric, who continues with "Still in the southern border region".
After Oldham helps him to stand, the practitioner of magic says "I guess about thirty miles to the west of where we were previously".
The young cleric in the church of Kaēvin continues with "The road over there is the one I used when I entered the city-state at the end of summer" followed by "Didn't want to go too far".
The powerful young spellcaster then quickly explains how spells like a gateway, or a rift cast by other types of practitioners of magic. Are dependant on time and distance. The further away the other side of the gateway is, the longer it takes to cast the spell.
"I wanted to get us away from there as quickly as possible, that's why we're here and not back at the capital" says Jovan Garney who leads the way to where the others have set up camp, back amongst the trees, away from the road.
The teenage cleric finds himself in command now, after he tells the others that the cleric Kalmiss is dead. Jovan sensed him dying on the airship through his gateway spell just before it was destroyed.
And that any others who were onboard the church vessel, who weren't able to get off it. Either by going through his gateway, or the ship's boats that were hastily launched. Are without doubt, dead as well.
The powerful young spellcaster finds that there's nearly fifty others with him, here in the forests of the southern border region of the city-state of Tuledare.
All members of the church of Kaēvin, wether they're members of the clergy, guards, air sailors, or laymen and women. And that he's now solely in charge of them.
Jovan Garney who is thankful that one of the packs that was brought through his gateway, is his own. Gathers a small number of the group near one of the two fires that have been lit. Including the guardsmen Sammit and Oldham, as well as the priestess Saleane.
The powerful young cleric who has sensed that there's no one nearby. Well no other practitioners of magic within half a dozen miles.
The cleric knows with certainty that fighting in this war on behalf of the ruling council of Tuledare is absolutely futile.
Considering that one of his Lord's armies is now involved in the war between the city-states of Tuledare and Phamal.
And it's only a matter of time, most likely quickly. The Phamalians are going to be victorious over the city-state of Tuledare.
Doesn't mention this to those he's gathered close, instead he quietly tells them "I'll need some rest before I can get us back to the capital" followed by "I'll need some sleep before I'm able to cast a gateway back" he then dryly adds "Having one of your spells be destroyed isn't exactly healthy to the mind or body".
"We're not going to join the forces gathered in the border towns?" asks one of the church laymen in the group of a half a dozen that the cleric Garney has gathered.
The powerful young cleric shakes his head no, then quietly says "No, we'll return to the capital, and see what else can be done".
Jovan Garney also doesn't mention that those forces that have been gathering in the border towns and villages, to repel any attack by the Phamalians.
Have either been destroyed, or are about to be destroyed. As he knows that no way in hell will the Tuledarian army, and the mercenary companies that they've hired will be able to stand against one of the Armies of Farque . . . . . .
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