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The Janusan had seen better times, the outside gardens had been completely trampled much to the dismay of any to feed the loose [abbr=Quillats]spearhogs[/abbr] now attempting to eat what remained. The outer walls of brick had stood rather well in the attack, although it wasn’t ever intended for an assault. Luckily, it only had to deal with the raiding groups keeping them locked in before they brought any serious groups forward to breach.

In truth, the walls were intended more to keep the students in rather than keep hostile forces out. There were no proper ramparts in any case either, a makeshift fortification was set up near the gatehouse to allow for some defensive fire to the nearby. The brick buildings of the interior were a little worn but still very functional, excepting a singular student barracks which had been partially deconstructed to build the small rampart near the gatehouse.

Those interior buildings sat relatively squat to the ground, several barracks for students and small houses for the teachers. Two towers sat, a larger one in the center of the compound, while a smaller one of stone sat near the southernmost wall. The two were the only constructions that reached out higher than the walls, the stone tower had been peppered with throwing spears, one had managed to wedge itself between stones, the others had either fallen off, or hit targets on the tower as the small amounts of blood showed.

Nothing was of grand construction here, while the compound was large, a small town or large village in size, the walls did not reach that much higher than a Kitz’lae stood, a few working in concert might jump over. Although doing so in an assault was foolish.

The Janusan was the highest training center for the Janus in Welkos. While every Kitz’lae had a connection to the Lae’nat, the cosmic force that pervaded everything through mana as all good gods-fearing people knew, the Janus were the adepts, the truly phenomenal of will that surpassed the average person in great respect. It was service to the state, whether as a soldier, a civil servant, or another worker, it was of high regard and status for most. Not to mention the expert techniques that many Janus were taught to make even better use of their natural aptitudes.

So to attempt a breach of such a place without full force would have been folly, as the accursed suhrvuj knew in their own dark cunning, nonetheless, the teachers and techniques known by these adepts were vital for Welkos, to survive in the north as a state they would need all the assistance they could muster from the disastrous conflict near Wek-Nor.

After fully driving off the suhrvuj, it took some time to reorganize and regroup before entering the Janusan walls. [abbr=Prince]Renarrib[/abbr] Vos and Hundreds-Captain Cevos both entered with their retinues, the common soldiers had started to intermingle somewhat, searching out those that they knew in units serving or making trades of common goods.

Although in the cities some thought the mingling of Kitz’lae and Kitzon was frowned upon in the eyes of the Great Father, most in the practical disciplines like soldiery cared not. The Kitzon were almost always more numerous than the Kitz’lae, the Kitz’lae were stronger, tougher, and generally the more useful soldier. Generally, the Kitz’lae were more profoundly limited by supply lines to support large numbers, something that any good commander knew well.

The soldiers in the Janusan had been very tired and seemed primarily to be Kitzon at this point. It made sense given they were essentially the remnants of a proper Hundreds-Army. Rations were often exchanged, those that had been at the Janusan sharing food and such things that had been stored in the cellars and taken to help keep the soldiers well, dried and salted meats, or bread, those that had been marching freely sharing the goatskins of watered beer. Most of the time ‘watered’ was the case in more than one soldier's goatskin. Any commander who had been in the field long knew that too.

Vos turned away from Cevos, he had spotted the [abbr=Headmistress]Vissoon[/abbr], she who led the Janusan. An older Kitz’lae, one could tell easily enough from the shape and health of her scales, and the walking stick too, no doubt from the withering of age. The old burned-scarred scales on her left shoulder no doubt bespoke more of her occupation as a Janus rather than age. She croaked out as he approached.

“Forgive if I do not kneel Renarrib, my old knees could not bring me to rise again should I do so.”

“Vissoon, I have known you from my [abbr=Roughly Twelve Years Old Celebration]minor-majority[/abbr], you have used that excuse every time, nor would I have you do such a thing.”

She sighed with a soft smile, replying, “Alas you never were much for the court formalities [abbr=affectionate term for a hatchling]chik’vun[/abbr].”

Vos smiled a closed mouth smile before getting a bit more serious saying, “We will need to evacuate to the North, we have to spend time to gain the forces needed to push the suhrvuj out, they have Wek-Nor, the Janusan will have to be evacuated.”

“You know best about such things chik’vun, the commanders here were worried that none would come and we would have to break through the suhrvuj ourselves. Most of the Janus here aren’t ready for such work.”

Vos nodded, they continued speaking about the logistics and where they could integrate the Janus students as they would need to move soon. Elsewhere in the Janusan, Hundreds-Captain Cevos had sought out who had been in charge, coming across a Kitzon Tens-Captain, at least a decade senior to any of the other remaining Tens-Captains. They had exchanged some brief talk, a goatskin.

The Hundreds-Captain stated, “I saw that rampart made up near the gate.”

The Tens-Captain, his name was Hkev, replied nodding, “Yes, sir. I have to admit it was a junior officer who proposed the idea. A Kitz’lae from Kres’hai, his family did repairs on the third walls there, Kres’hites like their walls sir.”

Cevos grinned closed-mouthed. He said, “I appreciate the honesty, a full unit?”

“No sir, three out of every five died, down to about a score or so in that. Three other units could be merged from Kres’hai and that would fill it out sir.”

“We’ll look at that,” Cevos patted the older Kitzon on the back. “We have a lot to discuss but we also are going to be needing to move on soon enough, any wounded?”

“Most died on the journey, the suhrvuj let up as we got further away from the river sir.”

Cevos nodded and they continued.

In truth it wouldn’t even take till evening for the Janusan to be abandoned, students never had much and soldiers were often prepared to march whenever. The evacuation north would begin thus so, they would continue from the reserve camp. Resting only a small time before heading further north, abandoning ground as suhrvuj scouting parties became more and more common.

It would be some time before they could comfortably stop.

[hider=Summary]Vos and Cevos arrive with the army at Janusan and the state of it and some conversation and fraternization happens amongst the soldiers. Vos speaks with the Vissoon, who is essentially the Headmistress of the Janusan, they know each other and speak fondly. Cevos speaks with a Kitzon Tens-Captain who took charge of the forces that fled to the Janusan, they speak of some matters in organizing troops. The combined forces soon get underway and the evacuation north begins, we’ll likely return in some time to Welkos.[/hider]