Insertion

Royal blue skies line the eastern horizons, promising the rise of a late-summer sun. Cool, coarse stones whistle as winds rush against them; Fleeing towards the darkest corners of the night. In the gully below lies a robed corpse, stripped of its possessions, and holding out a crooked palm-full of knobby fingers. As if to still be gripping at something that has long ago escaped its clutches.

Tightly sewn gloves work a rope, wrapping it around thin, worn metal and pulling harshly on either end. The peculiar mineral clanks against another, stopping only when it is pressed against the other and Briar's torso. Falling in line, it becomes the third in a row. Looking between a heap of dying embers and those who are tending to Yuler's recovering state, he discretely shakes his head and whips the sash of bells out of spite; Knocking them against his chest. Hearing the clinking vibrations from this, Cronn turns to face his partner.

Recognizing the rare behavior from few but far between memories, he steps away from Yuler, who sips at a vial whilst Belial dabs at beads of sweat that form across her forehead. Once the others are out of earshot, he places a gentle palm against Briar's back, making his presence known and his intentions clear.

"There was nothing you could have done here. We arrived too late and what came of that was near inevitable." Cronn lowers his hand and looks over the remains. A small bubble of guilt he had ignored up to this point begins to grow larger, but he keeps its existence suppressed for Briar's sake. "We can't let these things get the best of us. 'It's a fate that is all too common', yes?"

"Indeed." Briar taps at the grip of his holstered crossbow, dwelling on a moment of weakness he didn't realize he was having during the encounter. "But, perhaps I could have acted faster?"

"What's done is done. We must focus on Yuler's well-being and move on from this event."

"What brings you to have such compassion for me in these times?" Briar jabs, more confused than all else. "Times where my word has been compromised by the request of another, and my perseverance sways? I had several opportunities to keep Gru'go safe. Several chances at preventing his death, yet I took none."

"And why might that have been?" Cronn questions rhetorically.

"I... I thought we might have been able to save both of them." A hard knot passes through Briar's throat and he lets his hand fall loosely at his side. "A waning strand of hope that, somehow, we could have brought Dragar's humanity back." He sighs and looks towards a clump of ash as it breaks away from the indistinguishable mass. "Rookie's mistake."

"And still, these things were only possibilities. You couldn't be sure about any of them, yet you hesitated to act upon a Nostrum's instinct for the sake of thought. Your dedication to our own men is what puts you apart from all others. Hell, it may even outdo Achlys'."

"Let's not push it that far."

Cronn chuckles for a moment before coming back to the sight ahead, where Briar's eyes have remained. He then clears his throat, attempting to brush off the odor that is being emitted from it.

"Listen, I understand why you couldn't say anything and I know I was being hypocritical about the circumstances. I also understand your hesitation and desire to find the best outcome, as the two are linked."

Briar's gaze is severed from the few embers that remain as Cronn's words catch his full attention. Peering at the cheek of his partner, he awaits further explanation.

"Clearly, these... things... are what Achlys wanted you to keep secret. They are also what you came back out here for. Alongside this, you've known what they are capable of far before we found the first of them. This is why- at least, I believe it is why- you felt you could save Dragar. I think you thought that you could wait out its effects, but upon seeing his condition worsen, you accepted that that was not an option. What I am most curious about, however, is what still remains unanswered."

Briar, still holding his tongue for the sake of Achlys' orders, continues to listen without speaking on the subject himself. "If it isn't I who tells him, it isn't I who is responsible for his knowledge."

"If something like this is the result of these reagents being put to use, then someone gave them to The Knellers with the intention of causing these exact situations. Knowing this to be factual, we can safely assume that Dragar was not only not the intended target, but that there will be no less than a handful more of these outbreaks."

"Outbreaks?" Briar asks, knowing that he is only restricted from answering questions, not offering them.

"Yes, outbreaks. Something in this specific type of treated fungi causes those who are infected by the ailment to become enraged and transform faster than they might have naturally. Based on your initial reaction when seeing the very first of them, I'd have to guess that the beasts they are intended to provoke are significantly more lethal than...." Cronn doesn't finish this sentence. Instead, he motions with a slight nod of his head and an uncertain finger that coasts over the entire length of the smoky remnants. "Not only that, but the one who possesses such a transformation is likely a Nostrum... a Pureblood Nostrum. But, who could have known that such a creature exists among us? Who could have sent The Knellers to awaken it?"

"The sun is nearly up now." Briar remarks, with satisfaction seeping out from between his parted lips. "We should get some sleep."

"Not quite yet." The voice catches both Briar and Cronn off guard, and they turn to face Belial and Yuler. Belial stands with slightly crouched knees. Using them to support himself and the weight of Yuler, as she stands at his side with an arm of her own slung over his shoulders. "I have questions of my own."

"Perhaps we should discuss this when you're in better health, Nostrum Yuler." Briar steps towards the weary woman calmly, stopping only as she grips the fold of his arm for balance.

"No. I lost my brother to this thing." Fresh tears pool up at the base of each eye as she gazes deep into Briar's soul. Seeking out some kind of understanding beneath his skin, and finding it with relative ease. "Tell me, was he infected prior to this exposure, or did the thing in that cloth simply overtake him?"

"Yuler." Briar pleads with pity filling his voice.

"He must have been infected prior." Cronn theorizes, looking back on the event. "If the reagent could simply do something like this to someone, then it should have done so to each and every one of us."

"What makes you so sure?" Belial asks, raising an eyebrow in Cronn's direction.

"Simple. We have all been exposed to it, yet none of us changed in any way. This must mean that it reacts solely with the pathogen, causing it to spread rapidly throughout the body and ravage the host's brain. They quickly become confused and disoriented as their lycanthropy takes hold of them."

"Cronn." Briar urges, nudging his partner with a sharp elbow.

"Nothing I am telling you is to leave this circle." Cronn looks to each of the others with a stern glare that promises further harm to those who disobey his demand. "We must keep these things to ourselves to avoid stirring panic amongst the other Purebloods. This will allow us to continue on with tracking down the remaining Knellers, as well as the other parties with little to no conflict."

"Wouldn't it be better to inform them?" Yuler questions, taking into account what the reagent is capable of.

"Not necessarily." Cronn assures. "If we tell them what it is capable of, two things will happen. Firstly, the others may become discouraged and choose to not continue with their duties out of fear that they too will encounter something as we all have. Secondly, this is an opportunity for us to clear out any Nostrum who may have become infected already." The others fall silent at these words. The idea of killing more of their own before such actions are necessary makes them wary of Cronn's truths. "I don't expect you to approve of such a thing, but it is an inevitable outcome and we would be better off clearing them out now, instead of having to deal with them at a later date."

"Shouldn't we get what work we can out of them before we risk losing them so early on?" Belial scratches the base of his chin with a knuckle and looks at Cronn's boots. Seemingly still deep in this thought. "After all, if we're going to get rid of the rest of The Knellers, we might as well do it while our numbers are at their current highest."

"While that is true, it would carry more risks than rewards. What if all of this is just a trick to make us do just that? What if the greater mind behind The Knellers' actions takes note of what we have and haven't done, and chooses to make some sort of airborne concoction out of the fungus? They could easily irritate the plague and cause a bloodbath."

The others return to their silence, seemingly unsure of which route would be best. On one hand, Cronn has a point. On the other, their loss in numbers could also result in an unforeseen bloodbath. Briar clears his throat in an abrupt manner and looks at each of them. Holding the longest eye contact with Cronn.

"That's just about enough of that."