Soldier Of Gods 5.

Tuledare. 

After guard duty on the gates in the morning. Then getting some lunch at midday in the cathedral refectory. The young cleric Jovan Garney is asked to escort a couple of the church women to the afternoon markets. 

The foreign born cleric knows he's been given these jobs as he's the newest cleric of Kaēvin here in the city of Tuledare. 

Freeing up the other three clerics who are based at the cathedral to attend the more important jobs of the church. 

Jovan who hails from the Lands Farque, a nation that isn't well known outside of the southern region of The Southlands. 

Doesn't mind in the least to be doing such jobs. For the simple reason these types of jobs gives him the best opportunity to explore the city and get to know it's inhabitants. 

Considering it looks more than likely that the city of Tuledare is going to be his home for the foreseeable future. Even though the city-state is at war at this time. 

The young, not to mention extremely powerful cleric finds himself in the company of a church laywoman by the name of Hildagar. 

Who he's spoken to a number of times already in his brief time here in Tuledare. She works in the cathedral kitchens. And is in charge of the stores there. 

Jovan has learnt from the church guards, that if you get on Hildagar's good side. You'll likely to get extra portions in the refectory during meal times. 

That's why the cleric who has only been in the city a little under a month. Is carrying a basket for the woman, who must be in her forties if Jovan is to guess. 

While Hildagar walks out in front as they head to the markets in this quarter of the city. The practitioner of magic finds himself walking beside the priestess by the name of Saleane. 

Jovan Garney just met her before they left the church grounds. And found out she has just returned to the city after spending the summer and early autumn in a church in a town in the north of the city-state. 

Saleane who is a born Tuledarian, isn't all that older than Jovan himself. At the spellcaster's best guess, he figures she's only two, maybe three years older than himself. 

"How are you liking the city?" asks Saleane the priestess as they chat while following Hildagar through a series of lanes that heads to the marketplace. 

"I'm liking it so far" replies Jovan Garney the cleric, who follows that with "I'm hoping to get to see more of the city before the wintertime". 

The practitioner of magic who from what he can see of things, is that the war has yet to really affect the city of Tuledare. At least not this quarter of the city. 

The cleric Garney who knows the church grounds and the surrounding neighbourhoods are close to the wealthiest area of the city. 

Suspects things maybe a little different in the poor quarter of the city, which is over in the northwest of the city. 

And that things are probably busy in the south of the city. As out the city gates in that direction lead the roads that head out of the city-state to the disputed lands between Tuledare and Phamal. 

The main airdocks in the north of the city are also busy if the amount of airships going to and from there, many of which are heading south towards the war, is anything to go by. 

As they exit a lane, and enter the square where the afternoon markets in this quarter of the city is located. 

The priestess Saleane, who though short, is fairly athletic looking to Jovan's eye, not to mention more than good looking. With her short hair, black in colour, that goes down either side of her face, to her chin, glances at him.

"Hopefully the war is over by then" quietly says the good looking woman who grew up near this part of the city. 

Jovan nods his head in agreement with that, then as Hildagar heads towards a stall holder, the powerful spellcaster quietly asks the priestess beside him "Any idea on what his holiness will do if the church is asked by the authorities to join the war effort?". 

The priestess who wears a similar hooded cloak as the young cleric, both of whom have the hood down at the moment. 

Looks sideways at the foreign born cleric, and wryly smiles as she says "No idea" followed by "You're more likely to know". 

"Me?" says Jovan Garney with a slight frown upon his face, as he's only spoken to the church leader just the once since arriving here in the city of Tuledare. 

Saleane with a slight shake of her head, and a smile that turns more genuine, tells the powerful young spellcaster "You are cleric young Jovan" followed by "And by all accounts a very powerful one at that". 

She briefly pauses as they come to a stop as Hildagar haggles with a fruit vendor, then the priestess says "You and the other clerics are second only to his holiness himself". 

Saleane continues on with "You need but ask, and I'm guessing you will know his thoughts on the matter" the priestess follows that with "You probably don't know it as you're fairly new here, but even at your age in the structure of our church you're rather important, especially considering how powerful you're supposed to be in magic". 

This gives Jovan Garney a few moments of pause, as he had not really thought about his position in the church hierarchy. 

After a small shrug of his shoulders, the powerful spellcaster quietly says "I guess I never really thought about it". 

The two of them fall silent for a moment as Hildagar deposits the fruit she's just purchased into the basket that Jovan is carrying. 

Then the cleric and the priestess follow the church laywoman as she continues on her way through the marketplace. 

From what Jovan can see, the stall holders and vendors seem to be doing okay in their trade, considering that the city-state is at war at this moment. 

The practitioner of magic mentions this to the young priestess alongside him, and she nods in agreement before saying "In this part of the city, and near the eastern gate it is". 

She briefly pauses as they stop for a pony drawn cart to go by, then she says "Not so much over in the poor quarter is what I've heard". 

As pair of loud dwarven merchants go by, speaking to one another in their own language. The priestess Saleane says to Jovan "They've cut back on the afternoon markets over there, only three times a week by all accounts". 

She follows that with "And the city council has increased the guard on the stockyards too". Which are located outside the northwestern quarter of the city. 

As Hildagar chats with a cheese merchant she knows well, and as the shadow of a passing airship briefly blocks the sun, on this clear but cool autumn day. 

Jovan who as a child wasn't particularly tall, is now definitely tall, standing a couple of inches over six foot, looks across the square to where an argument has broken out. The priestess Saleane has noticed it to, then she quietly says "Sellswords by the looks of it". 

The powerful young cleric nods in agreement with her, then quietly says "A lot of mercenaries in the city at the moment, wanting to be hired by the council for the war". 

The spellcaster from the Lands Farque follows that with "That lot look like they're buying supplies and they're not too happy about the prices". 

As Hildagar finishes her conversation with the cheese merchant, and walks over to where the two younger church members are, and asks them what the commotion is all about on the other side of the square. 

And Saleane replies with "Some Sellswords aren't too happy about the price of some the goods they're purchasing". 

The cleric Garney looks around and spots a couple of city guards, who were hanging around the front of a nearby bakery adjacent to the marketplace. 

Finally take notice of the loud argument, and make their way over to where the group of mercenaries are arguing with a couple of the stall holders. 

"Looks like the guard are going to sort it out" says the church laywoman Hildagar, the cleric Garney narrows his eyelids as he watches what's taking place across the square. 

"I don't know" quietly says the foreign born practitioner of magic. Which causes the two church women to look sharply at the cleric. 

Then as the priestess Saleane quickly asks the powerful young spellcaster "What is it?".

And Jovan goes to cast a spell to see the actual intentions of the Sellswords who are arguing with the stall holders. 

The two guards in the city watch get to where the mercenaries are in front of a couple of the vendors here in the marketplace. And all hell breaks loose. 

"Shit" mutters Jovan Garney as weapons are drawn and blood flies when one then two of the Sellswords swing their weapons at one of guardsmen. 

The other narrowly avoids a sword to the neck. All the same he's knocked down by one of the Sellswords. 

Who turns and grabs a sack from the table of one the stall holders, who has drawn his last breath as another of the Sellswords has stabbed him in the throat with a long dagger. 

The other mercenaries have also grabbed goods from the vendors they've been arguing with. The second of whom, has jumped over the table holding his wares. And scampered under a nearby wagon to avoid getting skewered by a couple of swords. 

After another of the Sellswords grabs the coin box on the table of the vendor who was killed. The mercenaries flee as the dazed guardsman tries to get to his feet after getting knocked down. 

The Sellswords rush across the square through the marketplace in the direction where the cleric Garney is standing with the two church women, Hildagar and Saleane. 

Jovan who doesn't know the in's and out's of the law here in the city of Tuledare. And coming from a nation where crime is non existent. 

He briefly thinks about asking the two church women if he's allowed to intervene on what's clearly a civil matter, and nothing to do with their church. 

But he quickly forgets about that. And instead casts as people flee in panic from the group of eight Sellswords who have robbed a couple of stall holders, killing one, and a city guardsman in the process. 

Jovan who has stepped in front of Saleane the priestess and the laywoman Hildagar. Watches as first one, then a second, followed by a third mercenary. Going flying backwards in the direction they've fled from. 

The trio who are flung a good sixty feet backwards, go crashing down onto the cobblestone ground, with audible thuds. 

Landing at the feet of the city guardsman who has got up off the ground, and now got his wits about him. 

The cleric Garney who doesn't draw his mace, as he sees no need to use it. Casts again as the five remaining Sellswords head towards him. 

Three of them come to a sudden stop when they slam face first into the ground. And the foreign born cleric slightly winces, as he put a bit too much more power than he was intending to in that particular spell. 

The remaining two fleeing Sellswords recognize the immediate threat that the cleric in the chainmail armour, in the dark blue cloak, that has silver scrollwork along the sleeves. Representing Kaēvin the god of scribes and wordsmiths. 

And they run to the side to avoid the powerful young cleric originally from the Lands Farque. 

Jovan quickly turns as they run by him. But before he can do anything else. The fleeing Sellswords run into the priestess Saleane and the laywoman Hildagar, who have stepped to the side, and away from the spellcaster. 

As members of the church of Kaēvin, both the priestess and the laywoman who both joined the church when they were still children. 

Are taught to fight, in all manner of combat techniques, as does everyone in the church, from the sculleries in the kitchen, and the stableboys, to the leader of the church, his holiness. After all, their god Kaēvin is also a wargod. 

One of the two remaining Sellswords goes down after his legs are kicked out from under him by the priestess Saleane, who preforms a near perfect spinning back kick, which she spins low to take out the mercenary's legs. 

While the last Sellsword, who thinks he's in the clear as he runs by the rather harmless looking Hildagar. 

Is dropped to the ground with a crack to the back of the head from a truncheon that the stout looking laywoman pulls out from beneath her cloak. 

After Jovan Garney winces when the last of the fleeing Sellswords lies there, more than likely dead after that whack to the back of the head. 

The powerful young spellcaster, quickly says "Ah no, they're alright Hildagar". 

In response to the church laywoman who works in the cathedral kitchens asking him "You didn't drop that basket of fruit and vegetables I brought did you young cleric?" . . . . . .