[IRP] Beginnings of Change

[Toogee]

Meanwhile, Paige was inside the stable, looking over their escape options. Four horses were standing at the ready in their pens, their saddles adjacent to them. Though rather plain, the steeds appeared to be Imperial, judging from the seals emblazoned on the seats of the saddles. Nonetheless, they were good enough for the team's escape, especially if they doubled up. The only issue was that Paige had never ridden (by herself) before. She wasn't entirely sure which way the saddle went on the horse. As she tried to figure out, she noticed that the sounds of battle had died down. The librarian felt a strange mix of relief and dread. Either her companions were standing tall and victorious, or their corpses were in a burning pile. She had to know, so she stepped out of the stables.

The truth was closer to the middle.

The team was victorious, but not without losses. Shad had seemed to move, but remained unconscious. Paige saw the others gathered around another fallen...was it the monk?! She rushed over to Cassandra's side, fearing the worst.

Thomas took a minute to cough up the blood oozing in his mouth. He was going in and out of consciousness, struggling to form a cohesive thought, other than "This really hurts!" Yet, he had to break his vow, to guide them. If his sin saved his country, then damn his fate.

"The boy...never revealed...he doesn't know!"

The monk went into another coughing fit, slipping in a puddle of his blood. Paige attempted to help him up by offering his sword to lean on. The runes on the blade glowed in her hands, something that surprised her. Thomas didn't take his sword, nodding for the librarian to keep it as his last gift. He gasped as he struggled to say more.

"The library. The truth is in Ostia's library."

He spoke quickly, trying to get it all out before succumbing to the afterlife. That was all he could reveal. His breath escaped along with the last of his life.

Paige closed her eyes in sorrow. Their only lead to saving Lycia was gone.