Nostrum: Tales of Valor

Mundet

As dawn approaches, The Keep comes to an almost complete internal rest. Deep snores and somber whimpers come from those within the chambers as they sleep off fresh memories and a boozy meal. Branching away from the cozy nests and their nasally occupants, Yuler treads lightly down a corridor to the left, making her way towards the bathhouse. Being aware of the separation between The Keep and the bathhouse, she wraps herself in a large, fur blanket; Which covers her robes and drapes to the floor behind her. Alas, its length alone would not be enough to warm her bared feet as she sinks them into fresh white powder, just beyond the outer walls. Leaving a well-defined trail as she trudges on, and with a dreaded shiver, she pulls the blanket tighter, wearing it in such a way that the fur could be mistaken for a coat of her own. Slivers of sunlight beam up towards her from a far-off horizon, making her squint as it pierces her nocturnal eyes. Reaching the door, she bundles her blanket and looks towards the roof, checking that the furnaces' chimneys are releasing smoke. Sighing with relief, she watches her breath burst forward like that of a fiery dragon. Irritable, due to the icy pains in her feet, she rips the door open and rushes inside. An immediate wave of heat washes over her. Warm stones burn her reddening toes as she looks about the room; Ensuring that she is as alone as she thinks herself to be. Once satisfied, she tosses the furs towards a nearby bench and walks alongside the steaming waters. Finding a spot with shallow steps, she sits against the bank and carefully lowers her legs into the pool. Temperature shock causes them to sting at first, but this quickly subsides and she relaxes.

"Soothing, isn't it?"

Startled, Yuler kicks out against the water, causing a splash, and jerks her head in the direction of the voice. Standing only a few feet away is Belial. He quickly throws out his hands apologetically and chuckles a bit.

"Forgive me. I suppose I should've announced myself a little sooner."

"Is that what you think?" She asks sarcastically, pulling her robes closer to her body.

"Hm." Acknowledging his mistake and understanding her frustrations, he takes a few steps back and examines a row of columns at the far end of the enormous bath. "Curious, it is. The ingenuity that leads up to such wild innovations, I mean."

"Is there a reason for your being here?" Yuler snaps, now feeling even more agitated by Belial's attempt at small talk in such a state.

"Oh, please. Don't allow my presence to distract you. Proceed."

"I think not."

Belial lets out yet another chuckle, but his tone gives off what Yuler continues expecting him to vocalize.

"I do apologize. My efforts at being humorous are quite... unseemly... at such an hour."

Yuler studies Belial's clothing, noticing that he seems to be mostly dressed for the day to come, yet he couldn't have had the chance to sleep nearly enough for such a thing. From his boots to his buttoned shirt, he lacks only his coat, gloves, hat, and mask. Slipping both hands into his pockets, he continues to admire the architecture lain out before them. Then, he steps away from the water and turns towards where he had come from, but stops once more.

"Is there something on your mind?" Yuler asks impatiently.

"There is, actually." Belial turns his gaze upwards, peering through cutouts in the bricks above that let steam seep into the heavens. "As you know, we now share a common history. A history which... we cannot undo."

Yuler gulps as a knot begins to form in her throat and looks back towards the water at her knees.

"I'm aware it is something you're not yet ready to relive, but I must know; Where does your anger direct itself?"

"My anger?"

"Yes."

Seemingly confused, Yuler pulls her thin eyebrows together and lets the words soak in for several moments before speaking.

"I... am not angry."

"'Not angry?'" The idea of these words being true puts Belial in a baffled state. In this state, he turns back to her with even more questions than he had prior. "How could you not be furious? How could you not want to exact revenge?"

"Revenge?" Puzzled, Yuler lets her jaw loosen a bit. Her irritability with Belial turns to pity as she begins to recognize his dilemma. The entire reasoning for his being here at this very moment, and his inability to rest. "No. There is no revenge for such a thing. It is done."

"What of those who could've prevented it? Those who, perhaps, caused it?"

"Belial," she begins, softening her voice as she does so and offering a hand for him to take, which he does with uncertainty, "there is no fault here. These are things we knew the risk of. Things we have been warned about. No one but that Kneller caused Gru'go's death."

"You truly believe that? What about Briar?"

Startled by Belial's snappy accusation, she once again has to compose herself before speaking.

"What of him?"

"He faltered. He could have easily taken a shot at Dragar, but he didn't. Not until it was too late. Isn't that bothersome to you? Doesn't that make you question his ability to protect those who he leads?"

"Briar was hesitant to engage because he knew there was a chance he could hit Gru'go instead. He wanted to make sure he had a clean shot. That's all?"

"How can you be so sure?"

"How can you not?"

Belial falls silent for a brief moment. Uncertainty floods his skull as he stares back into the sympathetic eyes of Yuler, which only continue to lack the understanding he seeks. Clearing his throat and calming his breathing, he readies himself to speak once more.

"Briar is the one who led us into that cave. Briar is the one who failed to act when my brother was being lifted into the air." Pausing for a moment to calm himself once more, he grits his teeth. "Briar is the one who killed Marne."

Yuler doesn't speak for some time after hearing this claim. Instead, she watches Belial shake with rage and listens to his agitated breathing hasten. On Belial's side, he sees that Yuler feels the opposite. He can tell by her sorrowful, apologetic expression that she couldn't possibly grasp the idea that anyone but a beast would ever be responsible for such acts against a Pureblood. Accepting this, he turns back towards The Keep and shakes his head, walking off.

"Forget any and all of what I've said. It's clear to me now that our understanding of one another is more limited than I had previously hoped."

"Belial, wait!" Pulling herself out of the water, Yuler cautiously rushes after him. Trying not to fall as she slips against the smooth foundation. "Wait!" Watching him burst through the door and stomp into the snow, she uses the frame to stop herself from falling or moving any further forward. Getting frostbitten was a certain thing if she proceeded in her current state. Unable to do any more, she continues to plead with him to come back whilst shielding her eyes from the blinding light outside. No longer being able to see him through her watery vision, she gives up for a moment and shuts the door. Finding a cloth to dry off with, she does so as quick as she can and pulls the blanket over herself once more.

Rushing back out into the wintery scene, she continues to pursue Belial, who is no longer in sight. Using only the slushy prints of his boots, she navigates her way into and through The Keep; Continuing on for a crude minute as the trail becomes thinner and the puddles, smaller. Fearing that Belial might try to harm Briar, she forces herself to press on until the trail goes cold. Thinking about what to do next, she turns on her heel and sprints back towards the sleeping quarters. With the tracks having led her so far from it, her lungs begin to burn as she presses on, forcing herself to keep moving. Until a sudden thwip is heard and the cracking of wood across her face causes it all to go black.

"Truly a shame you're blind to a truth so blatantly lain out in front of you." Belial admits, wrapping Yuler up in the fur blanket as meticulously as he can. "We could have worked together. We could have ensured that he wouldn't be capable of such harm in the future." With the blanket rolled in such a way that it appears to be no more than a laundry sack, he pulls it over his shoulder and turns back towards where Yuler had been running from. "You, of all people, should have understood me. You have gone through what I have, and yet, you betray the knowledge of how it came to be?" Receiving only silence as a response, he shakes his head and sighs, just as two wandering servants turn the corner up ahead. Stiffening his back, he makes the sack appear as light as possible and ceases his one-sided conversation. As the pair of them pass, he gives each a nod and they return the greeting. Once they are out of earshot, he begins his rambles once more. "I have traveled with Briar and Cronn for quite some time now. I know the inner workings of their relationship like the back of my hand. It will take little to nothing for me to turn them against one another." Smirking, he thinks on how he has done such a thing once already and ponders on how he might do it again. "Not that any of this should matter to you, though. We're nearly at your stop." Turning another corner, Belial pulls himself up a small flight of stairs, where a window sits halfway. Snowflakes flow inside as he raises Yuler's body up onto the ledge. Standing idle for a moment, he listens to the sounds of her slowed breathing, ensuring that there is still a reason to do what he is about to. "Truly... truly a pity." With these last words, he removes his belt and ties off the only opening in the blanket. Then, nudges it over the ledge. A sound that would sicken even the illest of men echoes off the walls before trailing away from the mountain, never to be heard again. Turning away from the window, he ventures back down the stairs, through the corridors, and into the sleeping quarters; Where he proceeds to watch Briar sleep for several moments before laying down in his own bed. Out of curiosity, he turns towards where Cronn rests. A lumpy mass beneath the covers makes it clear to him that Cronn has sunk into his usual coma-like state of sleep. Letting out a low, disgusted growl, he turns away from the both of them and shuts his eyes.