Nostrum: Tales of Valor

Dulled Welly

"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.