The Hire 122.

The City Of Almaic...

They head west through the city of Almaic. Separating so that they can cover more ground as they search for a cleric by the name of Beldane.
Narladene the ground pixie who can sense much further than Helbe the elven thief. Heads up into the sky as she searches.
While the young elven noble keeps closer to the ground. Mainly on rooftops as he passes through the western quarter of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
Narladene who has sensed another cleric, drops down to the ground. Going through a rooftop, and into a building, which she flies out of. And ends up in a shaded courtyard off a square, where some of the enemy, who have been wounded in the battle, are being tended to.
The ground pixie who hails from the Sunreach Mountains, spots the cleric as he goes about administering to the wounded.
The naturally magical creature who is invisible to all, apart from a cat that's watching her from a nearby windowsill.
Sees that the cleric who is casting a light healing spell upon a wounded soldier in the duke's army. Doesn't match the description of the one named Beldane that prince Helbenthril Raendril gave to her.
Nor does the vestment, or what would be a surcoat on a knight. Match the description the elven magic user she's attached to, gave to her as well.
The tiny winged creature is about to head away, and go and find the nearest cleric she can sense.
When she sees a trio of guards rush by in the square. They're church or temple guards. And they do wear the colours and vestments of the cleric that she and Helbe the elven thief are searching for.
With her tiny gossamer wings fluttering, and the nearby house cat on a windowsill watching her. Narladene heads off after the trio of guards. Who are making their way further westwards in the city. Presumably to where the battle is taking place on this side of Almaic. Where the city spills out beyond where a wall would've been built.
The naturally magical creature closely follows them hoping to find out what church or temple they belong to. But they hardly speak as they hurry through the streets and lanes in this part of the city. And when they do, they don't mention what church or temple they're guards for.
The ground pixie sourly smiles, then sighs in frustration wishing she could read the minds of those she's closely following.
She's just about to go off and get Helbe the elven thief, and get him to read the minds of the trio of guards she's following after.
When the three of them quickly get out of the way of a messenger rider heading quickly back towards the ducal palace from the battle along the west side of Almaic.
Narladene hears one of the three guards she's following mutter an oath as he narrowly avoids getting run down by the messenger on horseback.
He says a name of a god that the tiny winged creature recognises. And though the ground pixie isn't familiar with every god and goddess that are the deities of Volunell.
She does recognise the name of this one. For the simple reason she's heard it before here in the duchy of Phelm. As it seems to be the most popular god worshipped here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell.
"Glaine" murmurs Narladene the ground pixie to herself, who then silently adds, of course, how obvious.
The naturally magical creature who is invisible to all, apart from the horse that went by. And some birds that pass overhead. Takes off, and heads to where she can sense Helbe the elven thief. Who is further to the west of where she is at the moment.
The blurred and shielded Helbe the elven thief shifts to a rooftop. And looks away to the west, and briefly watches the battle there.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel, who is now a member of the personal council of the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Watches as war machines on both sides of the battle fling and launch their loads at their targets. Trebuchet and catapult shots streak through the afternoon sky. Though mainly from his own army. Which is bombarding this side of the city of Almaic.
The elven magic user knows that the war engineer Tovis, and most of his engineering corp, are to the west of the city. And that's why the bombardment upon the enemy defending this side of the city. Has no doubt been relentless throughout the entire day so far.
Proof of that is the number of destroyed buildings that are on the west side of the city that's the provincial capital. Where the city has been built out from where a wall would normally of been built.
After briefly watching the battle, and knowing that he's got something more important to deal with.
The elven masterthief who just happens to be a member of the royal family that rules the principality of Laerel. The oldest and longest running ruled nation, not just in the Southlands, but on the entire world of Volunell.
Looks away to a rooftop to his right, where amongst some enemy officers and others observing the battle on this side of Almaic, is a cleric.
And though the cleric isn't the one the elven princeling is searching for. Nor is the vestments he's wearing the ones of the church or temple, that the cleric named Beldane was wearing when the elven spellcaster saw him whilst he was overcome by his power of forethought.
There's a good chance the cleric across on the rooftop away to the right will know what the particular church or temple that this Beldane belongs to.
The highly talented even magic user as he's blurred and shielded, reads the mind of the cleric on the roof of the building about thirty yards, or ninety feet away to his right.
Helbe the elven thief grimaces and mutters "Fuck" as he sifts through the thoughts and memories of the nearby cleric.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel eventually finds within the mind of the cleric he's reading, what he wants.
Glaine, the elven princeling dryly thinks to himself, the elven spellcaster then silently adds, of course it would of been that one.
As he knows that the church of Glaine is the most popular god worshiped here in the north of the kingdom of Nastell. Especially in the towns and cities, such as Almaic.
The elven master assassin stops reading the mind of the nearby cleric who belongs to the church of Sayen. He quickly casts a mind control spell instead, faintly smiling in satisfaction as he takes over the mind of the cleric on the rooftop away to his right.
The cleric walks forward to the edge of the roof he's on, as though to get a better look at the battle that's raging on this side of the city that's the provincial capital.
Then by way of mindspeech, Helbe the elven thief says to the cleric whose mind he's taken over.
You won't be doing that again, ever!
The elven magic user then makes the cleric step off the front of the roof, and dive head first towards the ground three storeys below.
As those on the nearby rooftop rush forward in a panic after seeing the cleric in their midst dive head first off the roof to his death.
Narladene the ground pixie appears on the right shoulder of the elven princeling she's attached to, and says in the elven language "I've found out what church he's in".
"Same" says Helbe the elven thief, who then adds "The church of Glaine".
The naturally magical creature originally from the Sunreach Mountains nods in agreement, then looking away to the right, where she sees a number of the enemy on a rooftop about ninety feet away, looking rather shocked. She asks the elven master archer "What happened there?".
"Nothing much" replies the grandson of Prince Raendril of Laerel.
Narladene sourly smiles as she sensed exactly what the elven spellcaster was doing as she approached him.
He just killed an enemy cleric in rather dramatic fashion. And won't tell her why.
The elven masterthief who is just glad there's one less cleric who will no longer sexually interfere with some of the children who attend the church of Sayen here in the city of Almaic.
Looks back towards the center of the city and says "I think the church of Glaine is near the middle of the city".
The elven master assassin gestures towards the middle of the city and adds "Where that tall tower is".
The tiny winged creature nods to that, and the elven magic user says to her "Might as well go there and see if he's around".
The grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, whose mother will be the next ruler of his homeland, then says "Even if he's not there, which i doubt he is". As the cleric named Beldane is a fighting cleric, and will no doubt be near or in the battle. "Someone there will definitely know where he is at the moment" continues the elven masterthief, who then silent adds, i just hope to the forest gods he hasn't been killed.
The young elven noble doesn't fancy explaining that to lord Farque. Infact, the elven magic user isn't looking forward to telling the lord and ruler of the lands Farque. That a cleric is the latest person that needs to found if the undead warlord's plans are to reach fruition.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril is just about to shift away to the east, back towards the center of Almaic, when Narladene suddenly says "What's that?".
The elven master assassin glances at the natural magical creature, who he sees is pointing away to the north. The highly talented elven spellcaster looks that way, and the next instant he sees a bright white, beam of light, shoot down out of the clear blue afternoon sky, and strike someone near the north wall of the city.
"Some kind of strike spell that clerics use" quietly says the blurred and shielded elven magic user "It is" says Narladene, who continues with "From a magical weapon, not a caster".
The eyebrows of the elven master archer goes up in surprise when he hears that. As a spell like that is pretty powerful. And to come from a weapon, most likely a mace or cudgel of some kind. As clerics tend to use those two weapons more than anything else.  Is quite rare. Infact very rare.
Then the ground pixie who is attached to the young elven noble quickly says "Whatever's happened, Mira has just retaliated". She points up into the sky, and says "There".
Helbe the elven thief looks up into the sky, and in the distance, with the benefit of his naturally enhanced eyesight, he just spots a grey, green dot of light. That he knows is a mageglobe. Though he can't sense it, as it's getting further and further away. And mageglobes are notoriously difficult to sense anyway.
"Who's it targeted at?" asks the elven masterthief "The cleric with that magical weapon i guess" says the tiny winged creature, who points away to the north wall of Almaic, and adds "Near the city gates there".
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel nods his hooded head when he hears that.
Then Helbe the elven thief as he's about to shift away towards the city center. Suddenly pauses as he recalls something from earlier in the day.
When he was following around the enemy sorcerer, sir Yarrim. Who checked on the north wall of the city that's the provincial capital.
Where the nobleborn enemy sorcerer met with a few people along the top of the north wall of Almaic.
One of whom was another sorcerer, who sir Yarrim was friendly with, even though that particular spellcaster was a commoner.
The elven princeling narrows his eyelids in concentration as he recalls that there was an enemy cleric nearby. Not far from where the two sorcerers met.
And that sir Yarrim wanted to get away from him. As he didn't particularly like the cleric, who was also friends with the other sorcerer.
"What was his name?" murmurs prince Helbenthril Raendril in the royal elven language "Huh?" asks Narladene, who doesn't understand that particular language.
"Just thinking out loud" is the reply in the regular elven language from the elven master assassin, who is pretty sure he heard sir Yarrim mutter the name of the cleric who he didn't like, and who he didn't want to speak with. He took off before the cleric in question could get near him, and speak to the nobleborn sorcerer, who is the second most influential noble in the duchy of Phelm, only behind duke Hargen himself.
The blurred and shielded elven spellcaster closes his eyes as he tries to remember the conversation he overheard on the north wall of Almaic from earlier in the day.
The elven master archer hears the naturally magical creature standing upon his right shoulder say "That mageglobe is dropping out of the sky now" she pauses before continuing with "Fast too".
Narladene pauses once more, then says "Going to hit that cleric, or pretty damn close to that cleric".
Helbe the elven thief is about to nod, when he suddenly opens his eyes and says "Shit" as he remembers the name that sir Yarrim the sorcerer muttered.
The elven magic user shifts quickly away, and instead of heading back east to the center of the city. He heads north, towards the wall on that side of the city that's the capital of the duchy of Phelm.
He shifts again in midair, so quickly that the tiny winged creature can't even get out what she's wants to say. Which is that the mageglobe created by Mira Reinholt is going to hit its target.
The blurred and shielded elven spellcaster shifts again, in midair once more, closer to the north wall of the city of Almaic. He does so two more times.
During which, there's a fairly decent sized explosion on the top of the north wall of the city, near the gates on that side of the city.
"Stop!" yells Narladene the ground pixie as the elven princeling is about to shift once more as he's in midair. Even closer to the north wall of the city that's the provincial capital.
Helbe the elven thief who is floating in midair, just above a rooftop. Sees debris flying up into the air from an explosion. Presumably from the mageglobe that his fellow council member, Mira Reinholt the mage created.
The young elven noble senses that way, and senses a cleric amongst the debris. Falling to the ground, on this side of the north wall of the city.
Then the tiny winged creature, and the elven masterthief she's attached to, look at one another as they both sense something.
"Gateway" they say in unison, which wasn't cast by the cleric but by something else.
"That weapon" says Narladene, who sensed the clerical weapon casting. While the cleric felt like he was unconscious. Well, that was the feeling the naturally magical creature got form the cleric.
Prince Helbenthril Raendril lets out a deep breath, then continues towards the north wall of Almaic as he shifts away. Knowing that in all likelihood, that is was the cleric named Beldane that he's searching for. Who has just been caught up in an explosion from one of Mira Reinholt's mageglobes.
And that the cleric who was revealed to the young elven noble via his powers of forethought. Has just disappeared through a magical gateway . . . . . .