Eight Intertwined

172 - Oasis

Werner. 

The name had stuck in Cyrus' mind ever since he first heard Erhardt speak of him. Cyrus had never heard of anyone by that name before, but there was something about the way Erhardt talked about him that told the scholar he was a man to be feared. Werner was a mystery, an enigma who had taken up permanent residence in Riverford after bringing a country to its knees, and he needed to be stopped. Cyrus had no idea when the travelers were planning on pursuing Werner in Riverford, but he wanted to be ready for when they did. A man like that could not be left to his own devices for any longer than necessary. As far as Cyrus was concerned, the fact that Werner was still alive at all was dangerous for every person in Orsterra. 

Cyrus couldn't help but wonder what could drive a man to tear an entire country to pieces. What power did Werner have to rip Hornburg from the ground and leave it in tatters? He must have been strong to get away with something so horrifying, but Cyrus couldn't assess him beyond that. Was simple strength even enough to destroy a nation in a matter of a single battle? The way Olberic talked about Hornburg made it seem as if the entire country had been destroyed before anyone had the chance to realize what was happening. The research Cyrus had conducted on his own only confirmed this assumption. Hornburg had not lasted long after Werner placed a target on its back, and no one had known to defend themselves until it was too late. 

The travelers had fought against many dangerous foes in the time since they had first met one another. Their battles had started against pirates pillaging small towns and evolved into human traffickers, tyrants of conquest, and murderous masterminds of all sorts. Even so, Cyrus didn't know if they would be able to defeat a man who had brought an entire country to its knees. What chances did they stand against someone like that? How could they even hope to succeed if they barely knew anything about Werner in the first place?

Cyrus had been agonizing over the question for far longer than he was comfortable with, and in the end, he decided that he had sat with it for enough time. He couldn't talk or think himself in circles and expect it to go anywhere. His best option was to find someone who knew more than he did. Erhardt had personal experience with Werner, and while he had been hesitant to talk to Olberic about him before, he was Cyrus' only option. Erhardt wanted Olberic to leave Werner be and not risk his life against the man who had manipulated him into regicide. He was terrified for the man he had once loved and perhaps still loved now. The least he could do was try to spare him where Werner was concerned. 

But Olberic couldn't leave Werner be. None of them could. He was simply too dangerous of a man to be left alone for any longer than necessary. If Werner had destroyed Hornburg without a second thought, what chance did any other settlement he decided to ruin stand? No, Werner needed to be stopped before he had the chance to drive any other countries or citizens into the ground. It was the least Olberic could do for Hornburg's ghost... Though it wasn't truly about avenging Hornburg anymore. Instead, the travelers fought for the future of Orsterra, and they would ruin anyone who dared to stand in their way of seeing that brighter dawn to reality. 

Cyrus found Erhardt in the guards' station sharpening his blade with glossy eyes and an apathy that seemed to fill the air all around him. Cyrus didn't know if Erhardt knew about the black market or not, and somehow, it didn't feel like his place to tell him about it either. Instead, Cyrus simply knocked against the doorframe of the room, and Erhardt looked up slowly. It took him a few seconds longer than it should have for him to recognize Cyrus, and Erhardt blinked through something like grief before setting his blade back in its sheath. "Ah... Cyrus, yes?" Erhardt asked, and Cyrus nodded. "What brings you here? Do you need something?"

"I was hoping to ask you a few questions, if that would be alright," Cyrus replied. "I do hope you aren't too busy at this time of night." On any other night, Erhardt would likely be occupied with fending off the last of the lizardmen attacks from the day so the people of Wellspring could rest. Now that the lizardmen had been taken care of though, Erhardt had all the time in the world.