[IRP] Beginnings of Change

[WyvernSlayer]

Yuri was mostly silent as the group congregated. There was a blank look on his face – he was still trying to comprehend what had just happened. I am a wanted man now, he thought. Worse yet, I’ve been branded a traitor and a heretic to the Church…

But why, he wondered, was he able to harness the good magic as a heretic standing against the values of the church? Yuri had always been told from a very young age that only the good were able to wield such power. Perhaps they were wrong? Or had he been lied to? Yuri’s head spun with questions.

Cassandra’s voice broke him out of his daze. “Let’s retreat to a favorable position,” she said. “We need to lick our wounds and regroup.”

“You must go to the east,” Yuri said rather softly.

“Without an army at our back, we couldn’t even challenge the emperor in the first place.”

Yuri’s eyes widened. “What?!” he blurted. He felt all eyes converge on him.

Yuri stepped in front of Cassandra. “Challenge him? Are you mad?!” He turned to face the rest of the group. “To raise a hand against the Emperor of Lycia is to beg for death!” Yuri peered into the resolute stares of each of the members. The only one who seemed surprised was Eli. He only assumed that he was not made aware of this daft cadre’s intentions.

“The Emperor is… he is unlike any man I have ever seen before.” Yuri sighed and slumped his shoulders a bit. “I only saw him once… at the Elimine Church in Thria. I was just an acolyte then…” The interest of the group subconsciously pressed Yuri to continue.

“I saw him meet with the Archbishop during mass some two or three years ago. Everything about him – his armor, his eyes, his walk… it was like witnessing a god among those who walk this earth. I dared not meet his gaze, for I feared that he could pluck my very soul from my body… I know this does nothing to dissuade you, but you must listen to me when I say that hoping to stand against him is a terrible mistake!” As Yuri’s voice rose, the horses whinnied anxiously. Yuri glanced back at them, then spoke again.

“You need to keep away from Ostia and Thria. Please, my friends… don’t let me have renounced my saint for nothing. Go to the east. Flee, into Bern. There, you will be safe.” Yuri walked past Paige, towards one of the horses. As he stepped past the lifeless body of his former captain, Yuri stopped.

Faulkner’s face lay frozen in time, awry with shock. Yuri muttered a prayer under his breath as he slid his hand down over Faulkner’s eyes. He reached for the spear that lay nearby and scooped it up.

“I ride for Tania, then across the border,” he said over his shoulder. “You would do well to follow if you hope to escape the Emperor’s wrath, my friends.” He approached one of the horses, flipped its backwards-facing saddle into the proper position, then mounted it.

As he looked eastward, Yuri could pick up the faint sounds of voices behind him. The other Keepers has surely heard the commotion from the fight.

“Quickly!” he snapped. “Do not waste the lives I have helped save tonight. Hrah!” Yuri snapped the reins, and was off into the night.