Well, negotiations had broken down almost immediately.

Ezra could only watch in surprise at the lone mage, who not only snapped at the Homunculi for saving his life, but then continued the battle against the Churchmen. Now flinging an orb of ice into the chest of the enemy mage, Ezra could only cringe as the man crashed to his knees and began wheezing and trying to breathe properly. Poor guy probably had the air knocked out of his lungs and could really be hurt. They wanted to go and check on the man, but before Ezra could take more than two steps towards him, one of his compatriots was already checking on the wounded man.

Then the orders started.

The mage wanted the other two men to abandon their friend and head back towards the town. The portly friend objected to the mage's demand, but the leader insisted. More threats were exchanged, and the two finally ran off. As they ran, Ezra called out, "Don't worry! I'll make sure your friend is okay!" Their boots crunched in the snow, and the Homunculi had not seen two men run so fast in their life. Growing smaller and smaller, Ezra let out a deep sigh of relief. They had not wanted to keep fighting, so in a way, diplomacy had won out in the end. It just took one last measure of violence to end the battle.

"And you are?"

Ezra frowned at the tone, looking over their shoulder and shifting towards the grumpy mage behind them. Upon taking a closer glance at the man they saved from getting impaled, the Homunculi noticed the deep set frown the mage was holding. How rude could this guy be? Save his life, get a snarky response. They turned back towards Wheezy and began making their way towards the man, eventually squatting down a good foot away from him.

"...My name is Ezra. Although common courtesy would dictate you introduce yourself first, but I suppose manners are not a high priority for you at the moment." They paused, still down at about the same level as the Churchman. "You have sent a warning via the two non-magic users to the Church about the 'heretics' out here in the woods and you now have unwittingly taken a hostage to satisfy some curiosity since you mentioned asking this man questions to the two lackeys before they left. Looking at this scenario, I have now become an unwilling accomplice to your accidental, not well thought out plan and I should be more annoyed than I am currently. However," they stood up and faced the mage once again.

"I really, really do not want to die or be tortured. So, ask your questions. We make sure he's not going to die, and then we leave before reinforcements arrive." Ezra stated, eyes narrowed. The man who got iced groaned, still struggling to get air into his lungs. They looked down at the Churchman with a sigh and adjusted the braid so it rested more comfortably in front of their shoulder.

"Sir, are you alright or do you need assistance?"