Nostrum: Tales of Valor

Revelations

Fumbling through her belongings, Yuler pulls free a pair of heavily stained boots. Alongside them she slings a leather bandolier with empty pockets and a rounded hat that leans harshly near the forward left portion of its brim. The wavy, ash grey material clashes well with the rest of her selected attire, which she hastily slips into. Seating herself against a worn out mattress she slips into one of the boots and begins fastening its buckled straps, when she hears the door to her room begin to creak. Choosing not to look away from her boot, she simply listens in on what they may be doing.

"I haven't seen you wear any of that since...."

"I had hoped to keep it that way."

"What's got you resigning that mentality?"

Yuler hears the dull clinking of glass against teeth, followed by the sloshing of liquid as a bottle in Lee's hand comes to rest against his hip. A subtle hint of disappointment crosses his eyes, but he does not speak on it. Instead, he steps further into the room, leans against a large wardrobe at the left of the door, and takes another swig from his booze. Still maintaining her focus on getting dressed, she pulls the second boot closer and begins working on it as she did the first. With both now snug against her skin, she stands and clops towards the wardrobe herself. Upon opening the doors of it she exposes a body-length mirror behind the main clothes rack. Pushing aside a few shirts and jackets, she readjusts her holsters and brushes at the creases of her pants.

"The men I cared about most in this world were torn from me by the same entity wearing different faces. It is what caused Dragar to become the very thing that killed Gru'go, and Belial to do the same to Briar."

"Clathrus Archeri?"

"No, not the plant." Yuler sighs as she reaches into the wardrobe. "What was behind it." Pulling out a cloaked object with obvious weight to it, she holds it out with both hands and marches to the opposite side of the room in a slow and steady manner. Firmly planting her feet against the ground, she sets the object against a desk and searches with her fingertips for the edges of the coiled white cloth. "Cronn was the last of them. They'd have bickered at one another till the end of time if they were to hear me say this, but it is the truth. He was the bravest of them all. He went against the very thing we were taught in our time with the Purebloods, and that is that beasts are our only true enemy. The others died succumbing to or fighting off beasthood, but not Cronn. Cronn's death was a show of humanity." Removing a thin bundle of string from each end of the cloth, Yuler pulls the stiff fabric away; exposing the polished body and sharpened head of Cronn's folded ax, as well as a sophisticated belt with a crow engraved in its central plate. "Achlys chose to use the dried remains of those abominable things to her advantage. An advantage which cost me all but my own life."

"'A fate that is all too common.'" Lee muffles a hiccup as his eyes momentarily drift towards the floor before springing back up to those of Yuler. "I can certainly understand your anger, but let us not forget that it is only speculation that Achlys was the one to bring about that carnage." Lee leans to one side as he looks over the consequential blade before taking notice of the daggers that Yuler has begun to shoot at him.

"I know it to be true. Though, this is not even about Achlys. It is about Dabria."

"What of it?" Lee presses his back against the wardrobe, giving Yuler enough room to pass through the doorway as she moves towards it. "It has been quite the tedious effort to rid our world of such weeds."

"Efforts which remain ineffective."

"Quite, but-"

"Efforts which must be changed and improved upon."

"Yes, but what is it you think yourself capable of?"

Slipping the ax into a holster at her side and pulling the belt around her waist, she pulls the front door of the cottage wide open and steps down into the yard. With a dirt road ahead of herself, she takes in a deep breath and looks back towards Lee, whose tipsy state only seems to be worsening.

"If Dabria came from The Bethel, then The Bethel is where I will be heading. Every weed has roots to burn."

Feeling the floorboards beneath his feet begin to warp, Lee tosses a glance over his shoulder. Then, steps out of the cottage as well; followed by Marne, who has also found himself back in uniform.

"Well... it seems clear that I have run out of time to talk the both of you out of this." Lee looks them over as Marne approaches Yuler, who remains grounded in wait. "C-could you...- give me a moment to bring Hael out. I'm sure she would like to have a word with the both of you before you set off."

"No," suggests a voice from within the cottage, "that's quite alright." Running her fingers along either side of the door frame, Hael frowns toward the yard ahead. "I believe they have chosen what their next move will be." Keeping herself facing straight ahead, she listens to the sounds of Lee chuckling in a bemused manner.

"Surely you don't believe them to be capable of such a thing on their own?"

"Of course not." Lee's laughter stops and the teeth he had so recently been showing return to their hiding place behind the scruff of his lips. "That is why we must join them."

"Hael." Shifting his head back as if her words had physically struck him, Lee stares on with a look of surprise. "This is not what we've agreed upon."

"You are free to stay here and tend to the fields, if you so choose. I, however, must pack some supplies for the journey ahead."

As Hael vanishes beyond the cottage walls, Lee proceeds to look between the two at his right, and the open void into their home at the left. Given a brief moment of silence to make his decision, he huffs angrily and stomps after Hael, but not before tossing a nearly empty bottle over the fence and smashing it against something solid beneath the brush. With no more than a morning breeze left to accompany them, Yuler and Marne listen to what muffled arguments have suddenly burst into existence. Not wanting to stick around through such a thing, they debate on whether or not they should simply begin the trek without their counterparts but individually come to the silent agreement that their odds of survival are far too low without the second half.

***

The hooves of a single horse beat against battered dirt as the creaky wheels it hauls dig fine lines into the earth. With the sun just beginning to dip below the horizon, Marne allows his feet to hang off the rear of the covered wagon; watching orange rays of light disappear behind trees and hills as they themselves continue to travel up an inclined trail. Spinning a firm, pointed hat between his fingers, his mind begins to wander. Thoughts about his brother and what the Purebloods had gone through pry at his mind. Refusing to give him the peace such a moment should have to offer. Then, a sudden warmth at the base of his wrist distracts him. Turning towards the source, he finds it to be the nimble fingers of Yuler, who looks to him with concern in her eyes.

"Is something the matter?" She asks, keeping a loose grip on him. "You seem to keep drifting off to another place."

"It's nothing to cause concern." Giving her a smile from the corner of his mouth, he looks back to the distant skies and sets his hat aside. "How far do you think The Bethel is from our little valley?" Marne dips his head towards the cottage, which has been long out of view, and his eyes run the length of the grounds they have covered. All the way to where the road seems to vanish between two hills. Then, he looks off to his side of the wagon and examines each passing tree; acknowledging that the woods appear to be thickening around them. "It's been nearly a full day's time on the road already."

"A greater distance than I'd like to admit." Yuler states, pulling her hand away and leaning back onto both arms for support.

"A greater distance than you might even think." The pair of them look towards a lantern at the front, where Lee sets a match against dampened wick. "The Bethel has found its way into many settlements. From great cities to minute outposts and villages. Its expanse is not something to be questioned or underestimated."

"Where might it all branch out from then, hm?" Yuler questions, talking loudly so that her voice can be easily heard over the sounds of the whining wood and trotting.

"Maciofim. Home of Nostrum, The Bethel, and beasts." Lee spits off towards the roadside as he finishes his answer. Ensuring his stance on their efforts remains well-known.

"The city is not all bad. Even with all that there is slowing it down." Hael remains facing forward as she speaks. As if the scent of a familiar place is what guides the reigns in her hands. "It was once a very lively place and still is in some districts. But, that is a matter of how aggressive Mildew is at any given time."

Yuler and Marne look back to one another, then towards the horizon yet again. Trees have engulfed the once open fields and the sunlight is nothing more than a faint blue glow overhead; disrupted only where stars have begun to peak through. Marne takes this moment to admire the woman at his side, as she tips her nose towards the heavens and lets starlight spill into the black pools of her eyes. Mesmerized, he finds it difficult to turn away, but manages to do so just as Yuler looks back at him herself.

"It feels strange, does it not?"

"What?"

"Returning to the work of a Nostrum after living such unrelated lifestyles."

"Oh." Yuler bites at her bottom lip and shifts her jaw back and forth. As if to be sawing at the sensitive flesh with her teeth. "I couldn't say."

Confused, Marne stares at the nervous expression that has budded up through Yuler's contempt. Then, glances back at Hael and Lee, who seem to be having a discussion of their own. Assuming it to be another flaring argument about what has come of their peace at the cottage, he ignores it and gives Yuler his undivided attention.

"Couldn't say?"

"I... haven't decided to return to being a Nostrum just yet. Putting on my gear and acting as if I were ready to go toe-to-toe with the beasts with no more than yourself at my side was nothing more than a ploy." Yuler's hushed tone tells Marne that her words are true, and meant to be kept quiet. "How else was I to get Hael and Lee to come along?"

"My own offense aside; what reason would you have for doing something like this then? Why would you take them from the home they have worked so tediously for?"

"There was no deceit in my intentions. I wish to rid the world of Dabria."

"How might you do something like that without having the will to fight?"

Yuler hesitates for a moment. Then, straightens out her body and rests her palms in her lap.

"My intentions were not to offend you. I simply needed leverage in order to bring them along. They are some of the most experienced and skilled Nostrum I know. I include you in that category as well." Giving Marne a reassuring smile, she continues. "I have been fortunate enough to be left in their care with you at my side."

"That does not answer my question." Marne's voice becomes stern in his search for a sufficient response, and his eyes narrow in Yuler's direction.

"You will simply have to trust that I am here now and will continue to be. Even if we encounter some product of Mildew." Pulling her legs up from the wagon's edge, she slides herself against the floorboards and up onto a pile of thick quilts. Proceeding to make herself as comfortable as possible before letting out a shallow huff. "Have faith in me, as I have faith in you."