Eight Intertwined

158 - Wellspring

Olberic didn't know what he expected to find in Wellspring, but being asked to do the extermination work of the black market certainly wasn't on his list. 

After Therion explained the task to the rest of the group, they all agreed they would do what they could in order to liberate Wellspring and its caves of the lizardmen. From there, they would hopefully be able to make their way into the black market. However, getting rid of the lizardmen had to be their first priority, and Olberic could only hope they were able to fulfill that goal without too many issues. They had run into enough problems in their last few visits to various towns. It was time they were finally given something simple to work with. 

Since it would be a while longer before they could check the black market, the travelers decided to ask around about the lizardmen and Erhardt at the same time. Olberic knew his old friend had to be somewhere in Wellspring, and he was determined to find him no matter what it took. If the town really had a problem with monsters, then it would only stand to reason that an experienced fighter like Erhardt would be leading the counterattack. Olberic was hoping for that, at the very least; he wouldn't be able to say for certain where he could find Erhardt until they already crossed paths. 

For all Olberic knew, Erhardt could have chosen to put his sword down forever. He had already fought against the nation that destroyed his home, and he had brought Hornburg to ruin with a single slash of his blade. Without that purpose, Erhardt would have nothing else to fight for. Maybe he was in the same position Olberic was, wandering around with no idea as to what he should have fought for or why he needed a blade in the first place. Olberic couldn't tell if he thought that because he was trying to make Erhardt sympathetic or because it was actually true. It was difficult to think of anything objectively where Erhardt was concerned. He always left Olberic's mind muddled and foggy. Erhardt had the audacity to convince Olberic to care for him, and even all these years later, Olberic couldn't bring himself to hate him. It was as agonizing as it was sweet, but then again, Olberic believed that was what love amounted to sometimes. 

He didn't like it though. Olberic had been giving Balogar's words a lot of thought ever since the group left the shrine behind. Above all else, Olberic knew Balogar was right. The travelers had been struggling to open up to each other ever since they were first targeted by Lucia and Yvon. It felt like there was always something to hide, and when one of them started to keep secrets, the others always followed suit. It was just a matter of time before something began to stray too far from the beaten path. Something was always doomed to crack, and they had been fools to think they would be exempt from that. 

Olberic's love for the rest of the travelers had never faltered once. He knew he cared for them more than anything, and he wanted them to feel the same way for him in return. It had taken some time for them to open up to one another, but once they had, it felt like nothing could ever think of stopping them again. Olberic had felt as if he was on the top of the world during their time in the tournament at Victors Hollow. They fought together perfectly, bouncing off one another expertly and with practiced ease. They were more than just a team. They were a family. Olberic didn't think he had felt that camaraderie since he lost Erhardt. At long last, it felt like he was able to thrive rather than just shuffle his feet through the dreariness of daily life. 

But everything had changed since then. Every little challenge that knocked against their alliance wore their walls down, and it was just a matter of time before things started to crack. Olberic hadn't realized it until Balogar raised the point, but he saw now that it was like he was losing Erhardt in slow motion. Rather than everything ending with a simple slash of a careful sword, Olberic's friends were drifting away, and he didn't know if he could have grabbed the rope fast enough to pull them in close before it was too late. He was losing everything he loved and needed, and Olberic wished he had recognized the severity of the drift before it was too late. He could still mend it, but there was no more prevention. They had gone beyond that. Olberic just hoped he would be able to connect with them again in time. Grief had come for him too many times, and Olberic refused to lose to it again.