Nostrum: Tales of Valor

Dulled Welly

Attaching another bell to his rope, Briar works to regain his breath. Alongside him, Cronn does the same, whilst cutting away at an entanglement of rope he had mistakenly got himself caught in. Across from the both of them, Belial stands atop a wagon loaded up with strapped-down barrels and studies the surrounding areas from his vantage point.

"Can't be many left at this rate." He states, listening intently and scouring the lands below with hawk-like vision. "We were lucky to reach this one as easily as we did."

"Easily?" Cronn argues, motioning towards his snared feet.

"Well, we can't base our success solely on your inability to spot a thieves' trap."

"How was I to know some merchant would leave something like this in the treeline? Hell, we weren't even sure what we might be walking into before we actually got up here. Oh, let's not forget, we can't base our professionalism on your inability to remember your full attire."

"It matters not." Pointing down the dirt road as a breeze brushes up the hillside, Belial clutches at his hat with a bare hand. Keeping it in place as best he can. "We've got but one last chime to reach and we'll be ready to head back once more."

"Well on that note," Cronn grunts harshly as he cuts at the last piece of rope. Only stopping when the blade breaks free and slings itself upward as the rope falls free. "we should keep on the move. I'd like to get back to cave delving as soon as we can."

"Let's hope the other Nostrum can keep up then. Otherwise, we'll be picking up their slack before we get the chance."

"Speaking of others, did you inform Achlys of the Ryoushi's arrival?"

Briar shakes his head and gets to his feet, brushing damp soil off the knees of his trousers.

"With all else going on, I figured it best to wait."

"I'd say you made the right call."

"You would?"

"Yes." Getting up as well, Cronn pulls his ax from where he had planted it into the ground and rests it against his shoulder. "As much as I hate to go against what is best for all, I also believe that any additional concerns would overwhelm or sway our current objectives."

"Sounds like you've got some self-interest in their being here if I had to say so myself." Belial conspires, not wanting to break his gaze from the distant hilltops before him.

"You could say that. Though, I'll deny it." Cronn glares at the back of Belial's head, ignoring the sensation that is Briar, who has started to study his body language at this moment. "Besides, having another League out and about could potentially assist us in our efforts."

"Given we don't come face-to-face." Belial leaps off the barrels, catching himself with ease as his feet hit the path.

"The Ryoushi may be isolated, fixed in their ways, and arrogant, but one thing they are not is helpless."

"Certainly not. As much as it pains me to say it, we would be the ones at the greatest risk if they chose to engage."

"Well then, why give them the chance? Let's get moving." Without waiting for the others to join him, Belial starts off down the hill, abandoning the long-forgotten wagon and what dark history surely surrounds its current state.

With a lake of fog having formed halfway down, the men ignite torches before submerging themselves. Years of training have proven to them that any beast which lingers in such a place will surely fear the light as it surrounds their silhouetted forms. With no more forward visibility, they focus on the craggy thoroughfare. More and more breaks become known the further on that they go, making it abundantly clear just how long it has been since this route has been used routinely. With branches, briars, divots, and even more wagons coming into view, the trail is all but gone. Briar moves closer to a wagon as they pass it, having noticed that it was terribly leaning to one side. In doing so, he finds that one wheel has been broken clean off, but not due to age and neglect. Stepping off from where Belial and Cronn continue onward, he circles around to the opposite side of the wagon. White flowers with red floral discs bloom where the horses would have once been, pulling those aboard. Lowering his torch, the bones of these creatures can be seen jutting out of the hardened dirt. Closer inspection exposes traces of the massacre that took place, as each is riddled with claw marks.

"Find something?" Cronn whispers, unintentionally startling Briar.

"We should keep close. It would seem our missing merchant was part of a caravan."

"I think I've gathered as much." Cronn looks towards the shattered rib cages of each stallion, acknowledging that they had surely been feasted upon by something that likely still lurks in the shadows. "We've got a count of about six, possibly seven wagons total. Hard to tell the exact number in these conditions. Either way, it seems the one uphill was the only one to escape."

"Let's hope they managed just that." Running his fingertips along the splintered wood, Briar steps back onto the trail and attempts to catch up with Belial's fading light. The intensity of the fog's glow tells him that Cronn is following closely as he quickens his pace, keeping each step as quiet as possible.

"Any ideas as to what could've done so much damage in such a short amount of time? Surely, even a large pack of lycanthrope couldn't have done all this."

"Their hive mentality wouldn't allow it." Briar states in agreement. "Once one wagon got too far, they would've abandoned it and swarmed those that have already been disabled."

"Not to mention, they never travel in packs too large."

"It's certainly out of their reach."

"Briar, Cronn, we need to keep moving." Belial eagerly waves his distant torch, signaling for them to come forward. "We've no time to dwell on thoughts of the past!" His aggressive whispers travel well enough that neither of the others put up an argument. They simply do as Belial requests for the sake of not drawing anything nearer to them that hasn't already seen their torch glows.

Passing the remnants, Briar notices that Belial's flame has started to gradually move upwards. Then, stops entirely. Intrigued, he continues to watch as he makes his way over. The flame becomes lower now, moving from left to right as if Belial is examining something himself. Once Briar and Cronn are close enough, they find that Belial has traveled up an arching stone bridge, but stopped near where it would begin to flatten before dropping down once again. As they take his sides, they too see the problem. The bridge has collapsed from this point on, and the other end is not visible.

"Seems it used to pass over a river."

"I don't hear any water." Cronn remarks, trying to look closer at the base of the bridge. "Think it's dried up?"

Briar, without warning, bunts a small stone off the ledge. After a few seconds, the sound of it breaking the placid surface reverberates back at them. Realizing just how far the fall is, the three of them take a couple of steps back. Ensuring that they can make a getaway if more of the bridge collapses.

"What do we do now?"

"We'll have to turn back and find a low point. Tread water." Briar does as he suggests and wraps around one corner of the bridge, searching for a point in the embankment where he can safely reach the water's edge. Cronn and Belial follow suit. Navigating their way through low brush and down slick, muddy walls- where the water level was once higher- joining Briar.

"How can we be sure that this is nothing more than a river? Perhaps it's a lake."

"Would it change our course of action if we did?" As Briar finishes asking this, a distant chime sounds out from somewhere beyond the body of water, causing all of them to look in its direction.

"Guess not." Belial responds. The irritability in his voice becomes even more clear through grunts and grumbles as he pulls a sedative from his pocket, pops the cork, and gulps it down. Wiping his mouth with a sleeve, he reaches into the opposite pocket and pulls out the wrappers he previously stowed away before stuffing them into the empty bottle. "Best to not ruin anything along the way."

As the water reaches waist level, the men raise their torches higher. Attempting to keep them lit for as long as they can. Silently hoping that they will reach the other side before being forced to swim in absolute darkness. Cronn looks overhead, hoping to see the moon, but even its eternal watch over the world below cannot penetrate such a heavy fog. With the water still rising, their hopes are quickly diminished. Briar- having taken the lead once more- wields the first torch to be extinguished. As the embers hiss, he forces their entirety beneath the surface, muffling the sound of them dying out. Moments later, Belial plunges his into the water as well. With Cronn's being the last one lit, he takes several deep breaths and kicks off, as what reachable land is lost somewhere below him. Keeping the torch alive for however long the situation will allow him, he holds it above himself, but with water lapping over his cheeks, he accepts that going any further like this will surely force him under entirely. Once again, he takes in a deep breath and begins lowering the handle, which quickly absorbs water, but before the flame even touches the surface a third hiss sounds out. With paling skin, he tips his head slightly to one side. In the dying light, surrounded by black water, he sees the warm glow being reflected back at him through the chalky, cataract-ridden eyes of a giant, snaggletoothed reptile. A fourth and final hiss is heard as the darkness consumes all.