The City Of Tuledare.
"Are you going to tell us who that lot were father?" asks the church guard Sammit as they walk across the courtyard at the front of the church grounds.
"Best you not know" is the reply of Jovan Garney the cleric as they head to the cathedral, with the light of dawn in the east, rising across the capital city on what's a cold autumn morning.
"Just know that we're lucky to be alive" adds the powerful young spellcaster in the church of Kaēvin.
"We could be dead like the others on our ship" continues the cleric Garney, who follows that with "And those other ships too".
The guardsman Sammit goes to ask him another question about those who briefly detained them down in the southern border region, but he falls silent when next to him, his fellow guardsman Oldham glances sideways at him, and shakes his head no.
Instead it's the older, and more experienced guardsman, Oldham who asks "Will we go back into battle father?" he briefly pauses before dryly adding "Not that we actually got into battle".
The young seventeen year old cleric nods his head in agreement with that, then he looks around at the others who survived the journey south to the border region, and he quietly says "I don't think we will".
The cleric Garney is silent for a moment, before he continues in an even quieter voice with "I don't think there'll be a battle to go to anyway".
The powerful young practitioner of magic who has brought them back to the city of Tuledare via a gateway spell, suspects the battle that's now taking place along the southern border region will be over shortly.
Infact he's certain the war will be over fairly soon too, now that he knows an Army of Farque is involved. On the side of the city-state of Phamal, against the city-state of Tuledare.
Their sudden return has gathered the attention of others in the church who are up early on this cold autumn morning.
And they're met by a number of people from the cathedral, and the outlying buildings. Who are quick to help those who are injured, who the cleric Garney has yet to heal.
As he only spared what little power he had last night, healing those who were seriously injured.
One of those who have come out, is the powerful young spellcaster's fellow cleric, Yuma. Who hurries down the front steps of the cathedral to meet him.
"What happened?" quickly asks Yuma the cleric "What does it look like?" is the reply of Sammit the guard, who then sourly adds "We were attacked".
Before the cleric in her late twenties can admonish him for his outburst, the young guardsman quickly says "Sorry mother" followed by "It was rough yesterday afternoon" he then adds "And a rough night".
"I see" says the severe looking, though attractive woman, who hails from unruled lands just to the south of the kingdom of Druvic.
Looking around at the survivors, many of whom are heading to the dining hall and kitchens, she asks her fellow cleric "Is this all of you?".
Both guardsmen wince, and Jovan Garney nods then says "It is" followed by "Our ship was destroyed, so was the sister ship".
The powerful practitioner of magic continues with "As were the four other vessels that left the city with us yesterday morning". The cleric Yuma grimaces, then mutters "Hell" she than asks her fellow cleric "Kalmiss?".
After grimacing himself, the seventeen year old cleric replies with "Dead" he follows that with "Died when our airship was attacked".
He doesn't mention that Kalmiss the cleric should've abandoned ship like he did. Instead the older, middle aged cleric decided to attack the Krean strikeship in what was always going to be a futile gesture.
The cleric Yuma grunts in a tone of loss about hearing that their fellow cleric is dead. Now there's only the two of them here at their church headquarters in the city of Tuledare.
They enter the cathedral, and make their way around to the dining hall and kitchens, as they do, Jovan Garney quietly says to those walking with him "I fear this war is lost".
The two guardsmen, and the cleric Yuma look at the young practitioner of magic, then the cleric who is older by a decade, asks him "Why do you think that?".
"Because just a single ship destroyed six vessels on our side" quietly says the powerful young cleric.
Yuma looks at the guardsmen Sammit and Oldham, both of whom nod in agreement with what the cleric Garney just said.
"Hell" mutters Yuma the cleric after wincing at what she just heard from her fellow spellcaster, and which the two guardsmen just confirmed.
The older of the clerics shakes her head in disbelief as they enter the dining hall, which is suddenly busy with the new arrivals who survived the attack down on the southern border region.
As they sit down at a table, and food is brought to them, Jovan Garney quietly says "Not to mention after we abandoned ship, we heard magetubes firing for quite some time afterwards in all directions". He briefly pauses before continuing with "And firing well into the night too".
The guardsmen Sammit and Oldham both nod in agreement with that, with the younger guard Sammit muttering "Thought it was never going to stop".
His fellow guard Oldham grunts in agreement, before tucking into the food that's brought to them. Brought to them by the head cook herself, Oldagin.
Before the head cook moves off, the cleric Garney who has had a quick look around at those in the dining hall, asks her "Oldagin, where's Hildagar this morning?".
"Oh she's gone to the morning markets young father" replies Oldagin the head cook, the powerful young cleric nods, and says thanks to head cook before she moves off.
The young practitioner of magic, best have the church members remain here on church grounds, especially after the warning the Farqian scout commander gave him before he and the others came back to the city before dawn.
The cleric Garney now knows that an attack here on the city of Tuledare is imminent, he's just not certain when. But he'll do his best to keep his fellow church members as safe as possible. Considering that his fellow Farqians have specific targets. None of which are anything like his church's headquarters.
Jovan Garney looks away to the table to their right as he eats some eggs on toast. There he sees the priestess Saleane with other survivors of yesterday afternoons attack.
He hasn't spoken to her since last night, before they were apprehended by the Farqian army company.
The powerful young spellcaster would like a word with her, to see how she's doing. But before he's even able to, the guardsman Oldham says "Hell, his holiness is here".
The leader of the church of Kaēvin is making his way through the dining hall, stopping to check on the well being of those of his church who have suddenly returned this morning.
The cleric Garney stuffs some bacon into his mouth from the platter in the middle of the table, scoffing it down as he knows his holiness will want to speak with him as soon as he makes his way over to their table.
And after the head of the church of Kaēvin speaks with those at the table the priestess Saleane is sitting at. He makes his way to the table Jovan Garney and those with him are sitting at.
As the powerful young cleric goes to stand, his holiness says "It's alright son, remain seated" before he takes a seat to the right of the cleric Garney, on the empty bench at the head of the table.
After the head of the church, not just here in the city-state of Tuledare, but all the Southlands. Asks of their wellbeing, and the young cleric and the two guardsmen reply that they're fine.
The man in his early fifties, who is still fit and active, quietly asks the powerful young spellcaster "So what happened?".
Jovan Garney repeats what he has already told his fellow cleric Yuma, though he goes into a bit more detail about their journey south yesterday. Then the destruction of the airship they were on, and the other vessels that left the capital city with them.
The head of the church of Kaēvin, winces at hearing about the destruction of the pair of church airships.
Then looking around at the survivors here in the dining hall, he quietly asks "How many have come back?". "Around fifty, all from our ship" replies the cleric Garney.
His holiness grunts, then quietly says "Nearly a hundred and twenty of our fellow church members lost" he pauses for a moment, before saying to the young practitioner of magic "Still, you saved more than half of those who were onboard the ship you were on, that is some accomplishment".
"And in quick time too holy father" says the guardsman Oldham, who with a nod at the young cleric adds "If it wasn't for the young father and his actions, we'd all be dead".
Beside the older and experienced Oldham, his fellow guardsman Sammit nods in agreement with what he just said.
The head of the church, whose god is the god of scribes and wordsmiths, who also happens to be one of the human war gods.
Is silent for a few moments, then he says "Some of the others mentioned you were captured during the night" he pauses before adding "What happened there?".
Jovan Garney explains how he had to rest up before he could get them back to the capital via a gateway.
And though he tried to conceal them, and keep them hidden using as little magic as possible in what was now obviously an area of battle in the woodlands along the southern border region. They were eventually captured by the enemy during the night.
The powerful young spellcaster is silent for a few moments, until his holiness prompts him with "Why did they release you?".
Looking at the head of his church, the cleric Garney tells him "Because I'm one of them".
The holy father falls silent, while the cleric Yuma, as well as the two guardsmen Sammit and Oldham just stare at the young practitioner of magic in disbelief.
"As you might of figured out, they were not Phamalians" says Jovan Garney, who follows that with "But from an army hired by the Phamalians" he briefly pauses before adding "That hired army is from my homeland".
The powerful young spellcaster hasn't gone into detail where he's from, nor does he do so now. Just that he's mentioned in passing that the nation of his birth is far to the south.
"They will not harm one of their own, no matter what, even if they're on opposite sides during a war" says Jovan Garney, who then adds "And since by default I was in charge of the rest of the survivors, no harm would come to them too".
The head of the church of Kaēvin slowly nods, then before he can ask another question, the cleric Garney tells him "Even though it hasn't come to an end yet, this war is already over holy father" followed by "No one, no matter who they are, can stand against an army from my homeland" . . . . . .
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