Gerhart had learned from his last trip in the Ash Lands with Cyran that this place was quite...hot. He still managed all the same armor, but he seemed much more deliberate in the clothing beneath to allow for more airflow to keep himself cool. It was still warm, but he didn't feel so near to passing out as he did in the desert.

He adjusts his gauntlets as he walks besides Zarius, surprised they would be working together on something simple like this. Gerhart was always happy to do simple work like this, but he always imagined the tiefling was far too busy with other stuff. One of them was important and embroiled in lots of plans, the other was Gerhart.

"Been awhile since we've had the chance to catch up, huh? What's it been.....few weeks since the Snipe hunt? Or Has it been months? It all blends together after awhile." He laughs gently as his hands rest on the pommels of his sword, the knight seemingly happy with the fitting of his armor at this point.

There certainly was a maturity the tiefling would be able to see in him. Even though his face holds the same boyish smile and he carries that effortless positivity, his eyes tell his seen some things since their last meeting. There's a hint of caution buried in the green hues of his pupils as they gently scan the surroundings.

Zarius walks along side Gerhart, matching his pace as they wander about the ash covered forest floor of the Deadwood. There weren't many people who lived out in the bleak forest, and the few that do are even more crazy than those in the city of Darkveil. It was a dismal place, full of ash, burnt trees, and the perpetual scent of brimstone hanging in the air. The lack of greenery and life in this place made for an eerily quiet atmosphere where the only noise was the occasional echoed rumbles of Mount Drakolt in the distance.

Despite the remoteness and silence of the Deadwood, the patrol through it serves a few important purposes. One is to give an excuse to catch up with the young fighter away from prying eyes and keen ears. Another is to keep an eye out for any trouble hiding out amongst the blackened pines and volcanic rocks. And lastly, Zarius has a secret ulterior motive as per usual.

He smiles at the young fighter. "It has been a while. You seem to be doing well for yourself." It was pretty easy to tell that Gerhart had indeed matured in the time between their very first encounter and now. He had a confidence that was more based in experience than just bravado. It was pretty impressive for such a short amount of time.

"Tell me, what have you been up to as of late?" Zarius wouldn't admit that he had been keeping an ear out for news of the young man's exploits. He liked to keep an eye on all his allies, especially so he can prepare to be conveniently able to help should they find themselves in any trouble, further indebting them to him and building up more trust.

Looking around, everything is still. It's a far cry from the chaos of civilized society back in Darkveil. Honestly, the break from the loud parties, outbreaks of violence, and secret meetings was welcomed. And Gerhart's company kept it from getting too boring. 

As they walk, Gerhart does occasionally run his hands across some of the bark of the trees, inspecting the light ash on his fingers or looks at some of the plants. It was weird, for all intents and purposes these plants should be burned and crumbling, but it seems life found a way. He gave a little half smirk and laugh as he looked back to Zarius when he asked after him.



"Compared to how busy you are, I likely haven't been up to too much." He stands up from one of the plants he was inspect, brushing dust from his hands onto his pants. "Still throwing myself into just about every job I can find....Fighting monsters here and there, went through a tomb supposedly belong to some old sultan in Ziev, bought a house, fought a couple yetis and owlbears." One of those things seemed much more significant than the others, but Gerhart in his way lumped it all together.



"Still no dragons, that's probably the last thing on my list of 'things I wanted to do as a kid.'" He chuckled. Gehart kicked a rock down the path as they continued wandering through the woods. "What about you, hm? I imagine ownin a business has to keep ya pretty busy."

Zarius listens to the young man speak of his exploits. Gerhart sure had been busy and his gained experience shows in how he walks and takes note of his surroundings. There's an awareness there that speaks to maturing not only as a fighter, but also as a person. It's promising to say the least. 

"Fighting monsters sounds right up your alley. An old Sultan temple though? That does not sound like something you normally do." He wonders if Gerhart got pulled into something without really understanding what it was. It wouldn't surprise him. Gerhart had a big heart and was pretty approachable, some might call upon him for help or even exploit the young man's eagerness. 

He chuckles a bit. "Dragons, huh? I have only run into two myself. I cannot say I can recommend fighting them."

He remembers the instance when he first met Veliky and Edward in the Zeinav Desert and how they stumbled upon a small cave dragon. Or how Cyran and himself uncovered a ruined city under the White Sand Sea where they accidentally released a large wyvern worshipped by dragonkin. There was also the ice dragon he saw from a safe distance after fighting yeti with Vikram.

"My sister handles most of the finances and background operations of running the business. That said, I have been quite busy myself. I have met many new people, made new allies, fought various creatures across the nation. Oh, I actually was targeted by an assassin out here recently." He laughs at the last part as he gestures to the Deadwood around them. Being marked by trained killers was not something he got too worked up about, and really, the situation with the young mercenary Askr seemed to be less about him and more about the kid to begin with. He hoped to have answers soon. 

"Not usually no." He stretches, clasping his hands behind his head as they walked together. "Truth be told I don't think I really thought about it...Just wanted to be the hero that you always hear about in books, ya know? Wasn't quite like that though."



There was the smallest of cracks in the usual facade, but its smoothed over as he focuses on what Zarius said about dragons. "That sorta implies ya did fight one though, is that how you bought your bar?" He grins.



The bit about the assassin raises an eyebrow. Where it anyone else in Charon he might be incredibly concerned and dive into offers of protection and securing their safety, but Zarius was one of a handful of people he knew the assassin was the one that likely needed the protection if they weren't already dead. Of course, Gerhart no idea about Zarius' dealings with the underworld, but he did know how good a fighter the tiefling was.



"You say you're targeted like you just skipped down to the market for bread, it's a little weird ya know." Once more the young knight is back to grinning and giving his friend a shoulder nudge. It felt good back to get back to doing a simple job for once, nothing weird happening, no talking yetis or giant bone snakes. Just absolutely two guys having a normal time in the Deadwoods.

"Well, being a hero is not always easy. Most writers prefer to tell the stories of valiant victories and hard won battles than the mundane day to day or the miserable failures," he gives Gerhart a reassuring smile. "It all is part of life though, and how you pick yourself up and keep moving forward speaks more of your capabilities than just your successes."

Zarius knew a thing or two about failure. He had made plenty of mistakes, some that could have been life threatening not only to himself, but to others. Despite his best efforts to always fully think through plans for any situation, there were times planning was a luxury not awarded to him.

Even his best laid out plans have not always gone the way he anticipated. It was impossible to account for every variable, especially while working with other adventurers who could be loose canons at times or have their own agendas and secrets they weren't willing to share with him yet. 

He steps over some exposed roots as they start to get into some thicker undergrowth. "Two actually, one much earlier in my adventuring career and another with Cyran. I am afraid neither had a hoard of riches to raid afterwards."

As they come around some jutting rocks, the tiefling pauses before picking a direction and heading that way pretty deliberately. He glances back at Gerhart as he walks through the drifts of ash on the ground. 

"Unfortunately, it is not something that uncommon for me. The very first attempt on my life that I remember was when I was six years old. Some mercenaries my father had hired for a job were bought out from under us by a rival family. While my father was away from our family estate for other business, they broke in through the staff entrance, killed a few of our personal guards and stormed into the study where I was with my tutor," he pauses, a distant look in his eyes as he remembers the violent event. "My tutor died protecting me before the mercenaries were slain by my mother."

Hopping across dry streambed, he huffs and looks around. They were getting close.

"I have always had a target on my back. I do not ever expect I will be rid of it. I am just thankful that I have good friends I can trust watching my back."

"Learned that lesson the hard way." He smiles and taps some of the damage still visible in his cuirass from the bone snake and the gorgon. Cirice did wonders fixing it in the tomb and he'd had it fully repaired since then, but hard to fully hide damage that big.



He kept an eye on Zarius' path, he could pick up on the fact the tiefling wasn't just picking a random place. There was intent in those steps. What the intent was, Gerhart couldn't gather. He listened quietly as Zarius shared his story, one of the few times he knew his smile and bright attitude wouldn't necessarily help. "Sorry to hear that."



Gerhart leaves it at that for the moment, not much else you can really say about tragedies like that. He knew that from personal experience. It did explain a little bit about Zarius though as Gerhart realized there wasn't much he actually knew about Zarius' past. Though he couldn't be mad at someone keeping things secret, up to this point Astrid was the only one he could remember openly telling he was an orphan.



The tiefling's last sentence snaps him out of the brief dissociation he was caught in. "You still gotta be careful, I won't always be there to save your ass like when the Martial Academy was attacked." He grinned, now seemed like a good time to turn it back on.

"Do not worry, I do not plan on dying anytime soon." He gives Gerhart a reassuring smile. "I may not be too stupid to die like you, but I have many other tricks up my sleeves." 

Zarius leads Gerhart towards a particularly large tree surrounded by a few stone ruins. The scorched pine towers over the surrounding forest, its branches lightly dusted with the falling ash spewed out in plumes from the looming Mount Drakolt. The ruins are old and weathered, long since abandoned to time and the elements. It may have once been a small stone cottage judging by the size, but all that remained of it were a few crumbling walls. Stopping just in view of the eroded building, the tiefling looks at Gerhart. 

"Would you mind waiting here for a moment? I just want to check to see if any creatures have made a nest in those ruins."^[1] He keeps his voice quiet as he asks the question. It is a bit of an odd request, but Zarius is more stealthy than the fighter, so he probably would have an easier time scouting ahead without disturbing any local wildlife which seems to be the tiefling's concern. 

"I will be right back." Zarius turns invisible and silently skulks off, only leaving footprints behind in the drifts of ash on the ground.^[2,3]

He circles about the ruins before sneaking closer and searching around a bit for something specific. It takes some time before he finds a hatch hidden under the ash. He pries it up as quietly as possible before removing the contents of the small compartment and stashing them in his satchel. Closing the hatch, he dusts some of the ash back over it as best as he can before he quickly returns to Gerhart and drops his invisibility. 

"All clear, sorry about that."

---

[1] Smooth Talking
[2] Invisibility
[3] Silent Step

It certainly was an odd request to be sure, especially when Zarius would turn down his offer to help. They were supposed to be on patrol together after all. He doesn't press even when the tiefling turns invisible and walks off. This seemed to be a lot of work for just a quick scout ahead. Zarius was much more careful than the young knight though, it was honestly surprising that nothing and no one had popped out and tried to fight them yet.


His eyes prick up a bit hearing the shuffling and rustling going on.^[1] So he was definitely doing a bit more than just looking out for creatures. He couldn't pick out exactly what had happened, but he knew something was strange. Unfortunately, he had absolutely no knowledge of spycraft or subtlety. The only way Gerhart would figure out what was going on is if he asked the tiefling directly so.....might as well give it a shot?


"You sure? Nothing to uh....talk about?" Naively he hoped Zarius trusted him enough, but there was also a part of him that knew whatever it was Zarius got up to was probably best kept from him. He didn't want to find himself in a situation where he would have to confront his friend.

---

^{1. Increased Senses}

Zarius smiles at the young fighter and gives him a pat on the shoulder. "I am sure, but if you have anything you want to talk about I am all ears."

The tiefling knew what Gerhart was trying to get at. It wasn't too hard to piece together that Zarius was up to something beyond just patrolling the area. While Zarius does trust Gerhart quite a bit and the young man clearly had matured a lot since the last time they met, there were still things that the tiefling would prefer him not be dragged into.

They were a part of different worlds, Gerhart in the light fighting for the people and getting to be a hero, while Zarius worked in the shadows manipulating both the populace and those in control. It was best to keep things that way, at least while they could. 

"You know, I do worry about the Fighter's Guild with Miss Athena still missing. Mister Shaa is doing well helping the new members get settled, but this whole business with the Clasp is concerning. Have you had any run-ins with them as of late?" He changes the subject and starts walking off away from the ruins. No point lingering here too long. 

Gerhart stiffled a small laugh as Zarius said "Mister Shaa" as much respect as they held for the minotaur it seemed funny to Gerhart to refer to him so formally given his usual nature. He moves past whatever Zarius had hidden or retreived, picking up on this part of the conversation seeing as this might be something Zarius can help with.



"We did actually...few weeks ago at this point. Shaa caught on to some leads about where she might be, I offered to come with and help sort through the hideout....I'm not sure if I ever actually met this Athena, but she seemed important to Shaa so I wanted to help." He stretches a moment, turning to follow after Zarius. "Long story short, she wasn't at the hide out we found in Moonveil Forest, apparently she had been transfered out of there a few weeks before we got there....I've been worried a bit now that they know we are after her if that's put her in more danger."



The concern he wore on his face was obvious, he didn't have the same talent for hiding his intent or feelings. He knew it wouldn't be their fault if something happened, but now that he's involved he would still feel guilty if their actions led to something bad happening to her.

The tiefling is glad that the fighter isn't too insistent on getting the truth out of him. There were only so many times you could reassure someone before their doubts turned into paranoia and paranoia turned into desperately seeking out answers for some peace of mind. Zarius' business was his own and he liked to keep it that way as much as he could, not just to protect himself and his family, but also to protect his allies from getting tangled up in the web of lies and deceit that runs rampant in the underbelly of the Ash Lands. 

"Astrid and I also ran into the Clasp hiding in some ruins in Moonglade. There was no sign of Athena there either." He rubs the back of his neck as they continue patrolling. "I am certain she is a capable individual, but she has been missing for so long it is hard to not be concerned. I also would not put it past the Clasp to just be pretending that they have her just to lead the guild on a wild goose chase." Zarius wouldn't admit he's used similar tactics to get people off his own trail time and time again. 

He notes the look on Gerhart's face and he lightly punches him in the arm. "Hey, we will do what we can. A bunch of bandits picking a fight with a guild filled with adventurers will not last long. Once we have a solid lead on their leader, then we will be able to give them hell."

"Can't say I'm not annoyed to hear they have holed up pretty firmly in my home, but not a bad place to make a hide out.....Secure enough until you get the attention of some others." He grins a bit, shaking himself out of that feeling thanks to Zarius.

"Well if we know she's being taken around that's a start, but I am not exactly the uh subtle type. I figured one of these days you'd just call us all in having already figured it all out between you and Shaa."

Gerhart turns his gaze to the horizon, once more going back to scanning for anything seeing as this was the job they were supposed to be doing anyways. Still calm which seemed a bit odd for the wilderness, the stillness wasn't something you usually got, but he wasn't the local here.

"Always this quiet? I'm used to the murmurs of the woods, every little thing talking out there, but here? Just seems oddly quiet for a forest....Though I don't even know what would live out here...Little birds made out of charcoal?" There were plants and everything, so it would only make sense for there to be some sort of animal life.

Zarius shakes his head a bit. "Do not sell yourself short. Moonglade is your home, not mine. You will likely hear of things sooner than I do and can act accordingly. You have proven you can stand on your own two feet, taking charge is not something beyond your capabilities." Gerhart was the kind of person who was easy to approach and hard to dislike. His genuineness and friendly attitude endeared people to him, while his strength made him reliable even if he wasn't the calculating type.

As far as wanting to be a hero of the people, Gerhart had many of the traits that fit that image already. Word of his accomplishments had grown in such a short amount of time, the young man probably didn't even realize that in the eyes of many, he already was a hero in some capacity. If he kept doing what he was doing, it wouldn't be long before bards started writing songs about him. 

Still, Gerhart would likely need to still rely on others in order to really make a difference. The Clasp were a particularly annoying problem and it was clear that their leader at least was capable of giving many adventurers the slip so far. Even members outside the Fighter's Guild had their fair share of issues with the criminal group. 

"I am not sure if you have met her yet, but the Witch of Moonglade is also very much invested in defeating the Clasp. I imagine other mutual friends of ours would like to see the common folk safe from marauders and bandits as well." While Zarius was happy to help Gerhart protect his homeland, his attention could only be divided so much. Fore the time being, Zeinav occupied most of his attention. 

"For all my accomplishments, I am but one man and I cannot be everywhere at once." He offers Gerhart a smile. "Hunting down these people will take our combined efforts." His smile then turns into more of a teasing smirk. "Everyone could use a little dumb luck, and you clearly have more than your fair share."

"Yeah but you're smart enough to know when to listen." He grins. A lot of his own heroism was lost on Gerhart, he didn't think about why so many people asked for him specifically. It wouldn't have occured to him that they sought his services because of any reputation he had gathered. Just a simple young knight trying to do his best, it's not as if he was going to become a Knight of Tegrid anytime soon.



"The Witch of the Moonglade?" He raises an eyebrow, thinking a moment. "Oh you mean Kamille! I didn't even realize she was someone so important the first time I met her, probably made a big fool of myself." Gerhart sheepishly laughs and scratches his cheek. "Helped her find some miners that got trapped....then couple weeks later Shaa thought it would be good if I went to represent the Fighter's Guild at a gala at the White Walled Keep since that's my home, ran into her again there....Huge help when it came to navigating all that politicking. My sister being there didn't help any, but that's entirely something else."



Gerhart kept his eyes ahead as they walked, a little reassured by the offers of support even if he didn't realize he was looking for it. Rooting out The Clasp would take a lot of people, so laying the groundwork for allies now wasn't so bad. That's how he'd have to frame it for himself to make it much more manageable to handle this newfound fame.



"Dumb luck is better than no luck right? Though I am smart enough to know you're right, I've had good people beside me to help as well. Heck, without Cyran and...Cirice I wouldn't have made it from the Sultan's Tomb." Zarius can easily pick up on the little pause and inflection Gerhart puts on Cirice's name, the budding crush still there in his heart.