Civil war. 

Not a situation Ambika wanted any part in, but Kishan's always had a predilection for power, be it his own or others'. He would regularly train his skills, demand mock battles with her and her partner, and listen so keenly into the recounted tales of adventures, wondering what inspiration he could draw from them to become even stronger.

The day after Ambika and her partner lost to Kishan in a two-versus-one fight, was the day he left the family without leaving any trace.

Ambika pushed her memories back into the abyss, and focused on the matter at hand. A downtrodden mother had been standing on the town square of the village she had been passing by, pleading to anyone and everyone in sight to please help bring her young child back. As someone who has lost two, maybe three of her children, Ambika did not have the callousness to disregard such a request, and agreed to help her. She remembered the expression, the tears raining down that mother's sullen, sleep-deprived face as the latter recounted the events that led to the child's escapade, and couldn't help but wonder what her face was like right after the day her whole family died. She felt herself just doing things on autopilot for a long while after that and not quite present in her body.

Ambika stopped her descent into grief yet again before they could show in her demeanour. After all, she was not alone. Sitting together with her in the wagon that happened to be heading near the direction the child had left for, was a male adventurer with three prominent claw mark scars on his face, likely someone who has seen his fair share of battles. This man was in the wagon for the same reason she was, that much she knew.

"Ambika Shanti Phairot." Ambika did not like talking more than she needed to, so she kept her introduction short and to the point.

When it came to the political battles between the big wigs who like to throw their weight around, Gerhart was wildly uninterested. Despite his supposed fame, or at the very least the fact that some people know who he is, he was strangely resilient to temptations of power. His dad may not have instilled a lot of heroic virtues into the young man, but a distrust for government was shared between them.

For all his skills and expertise, Gerhart was much more comfortable working on the ground level. Helping people in need wherever he could find them, that seemed a lot more important than deciding who the actual big king is. That ethos is what propelled the ranger into action today in the Isles.

He was the exact opposite to Ambika and that much was obvious from the start. Gerhart was often someone you heard before you saw him. A warm and friendly voice that carried even over the slightly chill fall air. Then there was that grin, a boyish and almost naive grin that seemed to constantly sit on his face.

Gerhart leaned over the front of the wagon to talk with the driver, "So how far deep into the woods is this? Hal says the treetops are pretty thick."

The driver, who seems at least familiar with the boy looks back over his shoulder, "Shouldn't be too far, Mika couldn't have run off that far. Bet he didn't even make it to his pa...Probably just heard a bear or something and got scared...hiding in a cave or something. Glad to have you on the look Hart."

"Ah, no problem. Rice is with her parents anyways, so I figured I might as well put myself to use." He grins and claps the driver on the shoulder before slinking back to his actual seat.

The smile remains when Ambika introduces herself, "Gerhart. Glad you're coming along its always easier with more people."

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: In my father's foot steps
Participants: Two or more
Location: Crescent Isles
Post Requirements: 5 post per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: The civil conflict taking place in the Crescent Isles has been amping up, and has started spreading across the country side, making it hard to ignore. While the direct conflict seems to be between the crown and a band of local rebels, everyone is feeling the pressure, while some are even being called to join the fight. A mother from a nearby village has reached out, claiming one of her young children has fled into the wild to join their father who has left to fight. The child however has fled into battle infested lands and is not yet prepared to fight such an enemy. She is asking for help in bringing her child back and safe, while maybe also helping them to understand.

Gerhart. Ambika's heard of that name occasionally during her time across different taverns. That meant she did not have to worry about his survivability much, which was a definite load off her shoulders. Gerhart had been smiling earnestly the entire time, which was an eternal enigma for the likes of Ambika in the past, and even more so now. Understanding the why's were secondary, if not tertiary to the objective at hand, and Ambika wasn't about to throw such a personal question at someone she'd just met, so that enigma shall continue to remain unanswered.

Noticing that the path was getting rougher and grassier, Ambika removed her crossbow from her instrument case and began tuning it in preparation for any possible skirmishes or other incidents. She'd prefer not to shoot to kill due to the possible consequences it might have down the line, but being unarmed in a warzone was like screaming to be targeted.

"Stop." Ambika called out to the driver. She had seen a little glint coming from between tallgrass in the distance, the telltale sign of something reflecting light that was hiding in there. In this case, likely metal or glass. The driver stopped accordingly without complaint.

Ambika stood up and moved to the front to point at the direction she saw the glint. "There. What do you say we do?" She asked Gerhart. The two were working together for the time being, so it was only fair that they made decisions together where possible. "I'm fine with sneaking, diplomacy, or hostility. Or other options."

"Hey, hey slow it down." He laughs softly when the crossbow is so quickly drawn out.

Gerhart is far from unarmed, a sword on each hip and a kukri along his back showed he was just as ready to fight. So did the bits of armor her wore, sparse but well maintained pieces meant to protect the important areas. He hopped down off the back of the wagon looking to each side.

As he walks to the front of the wagon Ambika could see that kukri start to move from the sheath on its own before disappearing from sight.[1,2] It seems he wasn't going to be naively unarmed either, but the devil may care attitude probably wasn't appreciated. His hands hang loose, looking unready to guard himself.

"Mika, is that you? I promise we are friends. Your mom has some mincemeat pie waiting for you at home...smelled pretty nice when we left."

Instead, as Ambika likely expected, a bandit stands with a crossbow ready. Several others stand up and level some sort of weapon at the ranger. They all look less than friendly.

"Go ahead and just leave your solars on the ground and move along."

"Solars? What are those? Like the sun? I don't think I can hand you that."

"You know what we mean, don't play dumb kid."

Gerhart laughs, "Ah well the joke is on you, I am dumb."

"Well then here's a chance to do something smart, give us everything of value you have."

"What if I value friendship most of all?"

"All right, screw it, pick it off his corpse boys."

"Oh you want like shiny things, here." Gerhart grins as the bandit sighs, thankful the kid seems to get it.

Unfortunately, Gerhart was not grabbing any valuables. Instead he clapped his hands and a bright light flashed out blinding the bandits who's shots now went wild. They blinked and rubbed their eyes in pain.[3]

---

1. Living Weapon
2. Unseen Companion
3. Blinding Clasp

While Ambika did not necessarily appreciate Gerhart appearing unarmed, she could most definitely appreciate the lengths he took to hide it. Figuring that's the way he decided to roll, Ambika refrained from commenting further. Far from the first time she had to adapt to how others worked, and this wasn't going to be the last either. Not by a long shot.

Ambika instinctively covered the driver's eyes while turning away with her eyes shut as she realized what Gerhart was about to do. When she opened her eyes again, the blinding light leaving some illusions in the eyes, the bandits were effectively disabled. Knowing it wouldn't last for long, she hissed sharply by the driver's ear. "Go!"

The driver rode off in a hurry, causing an abrupt shift in momentum and Ambika almost fell in the process, barely catching herself by shifting her leg to the side. She groaned internally at the concern Gerhart would likely demonstrate towards her as he saw that. She knows he means well, but she was far from ready to take such worries at face value.

Sitting down once again, Ambika took to massaging her leg muscles to help relieve the tension that sudden maneuver caused, keeping her expression neutral throughout. The wagon was starting to slow down once again, though she saw nothing unique in particular. Perhaps the destination was nearby?

Gerhart laughs a little watching the wagon go speeding by without him. Probably for the best, good instincts to get them out of danger. It did leave him in the middle of the bandits who were starting to clear the stars from their eyes.

"Ah, shoot, I'm sorry guys, I forgot my hands kinda do that sometimes." He gave a very sheepish shrug as if it was all an accident.

The bandits were not so kind as to believe him. They growl in anger and pitch their bows down, they were going to beat this kid hands on. As they charge in, one finds his leg swept out from under him as the invisible weapon cuts his hamstring. The scream and flash of blood catching the others off guard.

"Oh no, what happened?"

"All right kid, what the hell is going on?"

"We are just looking for a little kid who's lost, you were the ones who got all angry and wanted to attack."

"Whatever tricks you got, there's still only one of you and 6-" He is cut off by another scream as a bandit is taken out.

"Five now.....just tell us, have you seen a kid in these woods or a group of soldiers nearby?"

"I ain't telling you shi-" This time his voice is interrupted by the feeling of the blade at his own neck. "....Left at the river."

"Thank you!" Gerhart grins and shifts to go follow the cart.

He pushes off the air itself to get himself going a bit faster, catching up with the cart eventually.[1] Gerhart grabs onto the cart and hoists himself in as it is moving seemingly pretty used to the motion.

"Left at the river up ahead Jarnum!" He lets out a breath as he sits down, looking to Ambika. "Y'alright? Sorry to sorta step over ya there, way easier to get them worked up and talking if they think you're an easy target."

"Whatever works," Ambika simply replied. Putting aside her personal feelings on the matter, Gerhart's delivered on what they needed to know.

The aforementioned river was long and relatively narrow, likely perfectly traversable on a good day even if ill-recommended regardless. Today was not exactly one of those days, however. The clouds were looming in the air, unlikely to rain, but windy enough to make for somewhat rapid river currents. The child they were looking for, Mika, seemed aware enough of that, and was travelling upstream along the river, perhaps clinging to the hope of a bridge he could cross.

"Could you drive to that bend over there?" Ambika asked the driver. As the wagon drove along, Ambika elaborated on the plan she had in mind to Gerhart. "Mika may be less inclined to do something foolish if he saw you, or the opposite. I would not know, and pretending to know the mind of a child is arrogance. However, you would be better equipped to deal with unexpected developments," gesturing at the river as she uttered "developments".
"I trust you to keep the child safe." Ambika stared at Gerhart's eyes with all the sincerity she could muster. Once the wagon stopped, she quickly went on the move, descending down the gentle slope carefully and discreetly so as to not draw Mika's attention. Not that the child was anywhere close to attentive at this point - he was clearly exhausted and running on fumes, hobbling along with uneven steps and veering dangerously close to the river. Still, it did not hurt to be cautious.

Arriving on the riverside, Ambika walked towards Mika with audible steps, making no attempt to hide herself. Getting the child's attention was the first priority, since she did not want to startle him any more than she needed to. Soon enough, the child noticed her and halted his steps. Ambika raised her arms up to demonstrate she had no ill intent.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" Mika tried to shout, but it was more like a painful croak. Ambika stopped on the spot.
"Your mother, Saku asked me to find you," Ambika attempted to explain her motive. "She's-"
"I'm not going back! Dad needs me!"
"And what would you do if your dad saw you like this?" Ambika glared at Mika's left knee. The child was hiding it under his clothes, but he was clearly injured on multiple spots.
"Wh-what are you talking about? I'm fine! Just leave me alone!" Mika was visibly flustered, and attempted to turn around... Only for his right ankle to give way, causing him to tumble right into the river.

In the far far distance of the horizon, Gerhart could see small bits of smoke. Probably the camp of soldiers the bandits were talking about, looks like the kid made it a lot closer than they had thought. Impressive. He gives a little huff of a laugh as he makes the realization.

He is careful not to be right next to Ambika as she approaches. Can't look like they are coming down too hard on the kid, it was hard to fault him for his childish thought process. Falling towards the river does force the ranger into action though.

Gerhart flicks out a hand sending a wire flying towards Mika.[1] It speeds out and manages to grab onto his ankle to stop his fall. Once his momentum fully stops, Gerhart releases the latch and reels the line in.

"Don't worry Mika, we got you." He smiles and makes his way down to help the kid up, dusting off his clothes a bit.

"I just wanna help my dad." He sniffled and cried wiping his face with his sleeve.

"I know ya do bud...do you have experience fighting?"

"I beat up Zensa last winter when he called my coat stupid."

Gerhart laughs gently, "OK ok, seems like you got some guts, but you know this isn't like that right?"

"But I can help!"

"You can! I bet your mom needs a lot of help around the house...your dad's not around so that means you gotta do the tough stuff right?"

The kid takes in a deep sniffle to try and stop crying as he nods gently.

Ambika and Gerhart were now back inside the wagon along with Mika, the wagon driving back the way they came. Mika was fast asleep on Gerhart's lap, likely a symbol of the trust that ran between them.

"We should get Mika checked on before sending him back to his mother," Ambika whispered gently to Gerhart to avoid waking the child.

The bandits were visible yet again in the periphery as they passed by the longgrass fields, though they appeared thoroughly terrified after Gerhart's little rampage and did nothing as the wagon passed.

By the time they returned to the village, it was early evening and Mika woke up as the wagon stopped. Ambika was personally hoping he'd continued to stay asleep, but alas, it was not to be.

"I don't need a check-up! I'm fine!" Mika insisted.

"You would rather burden your mother with a new concern as she sees your untreated injuries? Fill her heart with dread when she finds out her son has been hiding his injuries from her?" Ambika was deeply aware of her harshness towards the child, but she earnestly believed it had to be said. She had been there herself many times when her children did not see themselves fit to bother her and her partner over something that they absolutely should have, and all it caused was more grief in the long run.

"...But..." Mika trailed off, unwilling or unable to utter the words he wanted to.
"I'll pay for it. Let's go," Ambika forcibly ended the conversation, and headed towards the infirmary.

Behind her, Mika looked up at Gerhart, unsure on what he should do.

Gerhart happily let Mika wear his gauntlets while they rode back. He told a few of the stories he remembered his dad reading to him, lots of heroics and bravery. Things to take his mind off the current situation and keep
him smiling. Keeping that smile going seemed to be something Gerhart actually took seriously, more seriously than the bandits that’s for sure.

He grinned at the bandits as they trotted by. Notably, none of them had actually been killed but they had pretty bad wounds to tend to. The kind that would keep them out of a fight for awhile and maybe have a chance to think about their choices next time. They grumbled some curses under their breath as the ranger passed.

Once back in the village he hoists Mika up, carrying him with on arm as the boy put his arms around Gerhart’s neck. He couldn’t help but laugh a bit at Mika’s protests, he was probably the same as a kid honestly.

”She’s got a point bud. Don’t wanna scare your mom if you got something serious going on.”

”But doctors are scary.”

He smiles and sets Mika down on the back of the wagon, “How about this compromise then…let me take a look at you.”

Gerhart reaches into a pouch to pull out some gauze and healing salves. He hands them to Mika to let him inspect them and hopefully make him feel a bit more comfortable. After a few moments he looks to Ambika and then Gerhart and nods.

”Great! Thank you for working with us Mika.” 

It only takes a few minutes for Doctor Gerhart to go through his examination. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, the kid seems pretty fine. They were lucky to get to him before anything serious happened, even more lucky he seemed to slip past the bandits. 

“See? Easy enough, saved you a few coins.” He grins towards Ambika.

"Thank you, Gerhart. For all your help." Ambika was entirely sincere in her gratitude. All in all, she was lucky to have Gerhart around for this search, and for everything to have wrapped up nicely.

The three arrived at the mother's house, where Mika immediately ran up to his mother and broke into tears, the mother's eyes equally teary as she crouched down and hugged him back.

"I'm sorry, mum," Mika squeezed out the words amidst the sobbing.

"Thank goodness you're safe, Mika," Saku reassured the child, before standing up to thank the two. "Thank you, Hart, and..."
"Ambika."

"Ambika. Thank you so much. I hope your children are doing well." The wish was pure, which made it cut through Ambika's heart so much deeper. She barely managed to maintain civility in the face of it all, managing to eke out the lies she needed to seem normal, "I hope so too. I am... on a journey to see them." 

"Well then, don't let us keep you around. I hope you see them soon!" Saku and Mika waved goodbye to the two. Ambika gestured a goodbye and walked away as quickly as she could without giving away her internal distress. She was going to need some privacy to unload her grief.

“Any time, don’t worry about it.” He smiled and crouched down to Mika’s level. “Your dad will be back soon, until then you can do a lot more to help than fighting. Keeping your mom happy is just as important all right?”

He stands and ruffles the kids hair with a laugh before the groups separate. He waves them good bye after taking his gauntlets back. Once the fingers have wriggled their way back into their protective casing, he turns to Ambika with a wide grin.

”Sooooooo, kids of your own eh? Is that a story you’re going to share or…” he just trails off, but it’s clear the boy is not going to miss a chance to be a busy body. There was a conversation to be had here if Ambika was willing and Gerhart was a certified yapper so of course he was going to try and get someone talking.

Ambika considered her options as she walked along trying to find a private spot. Could she outrun Gerhart? Absolutely not. Could she outwit Gerhart? It was a small village and the buildings were spaced out for the most part. Unlikely. Could she say no? Yes, but she had this nagging feeling Gerhart was going to try to draw it out of her anyway. People like him would find any opportunity to be involved in events. Probably how he made friends out of random people in a small village like this. Might as well make him regret asking then.

Ambika walked a ways out from the village to a nearby tree, leaning her back against its trunk and looking straight into Gerhart's eyes.

"Two of them are dead, together with my partner. House raided deep in the night. I was the only survivor." Ambika's voice was tinged with anger and self-loathing. What she would give to have died in their place...

"My eldest, Kishan, left the household 9 years ago without a word. I am looking for him. If you don't have any information on him, I would like to kindly ask that you leave me alone. I need some privacy." Ambika sank to the ground, taking out her crossbow to reassemble into a lute and let out her grief through music.

“Ah, I’m sorry to hear that.” It was strange, Gerhart’s words were certainly genuine. He did empathize with Ambika, but there wasn’t the sheepish retreating most people would display.

The ranger seemed genuinely happy someone would share something with him. The actual substance of the words mattered, but people feeling open enough to talk seemed to matter more. One of the many oddities of Gerhart. 

“I get it though, in a different kind of way.” He smiles a bit pointing to the scars on his cheek. “Probably think I got these from adventuring right? I wish….when I was a kid, probably not much older than Mika…maybe younger, my town was hit by werewolves. My dad pulled me out of the way, still got clipped a bit but dad took the brunt of it. After it was all over I think only me and a couple of other kids survived. Spent a couple years having to survive on our own as best we could until we met my new dad….but you didn’t ask to hear all that.” 

Gerhart laughs gently as he gives Ambika a moment, “Well you’ve seen how much easier a search is with more people. I can help, I know lots of people unfortunately for them.” He grins wide, “I’m sure they are doing all right, you seem pretty capable so I can only imagine your kid is the same.”

Gerhart's response caught Ambika off-guard, and it caused her to calm down a little. It wasn't his fault they died or anything, she shouldn't have directed her anger at him like that.  Her obstinate stubbornness would prevent her from apologizing to Gerhart though, and in all honesty she hadn't the energy left to hold further conversation. So she simply gave him a light nod of acknowledgement and focused on her lute, strumming a somber, mournful tune as tears ran down her dry cheeks. 

She couldn't care less anymore if Gerhart saw her moment of weakness - she was tired, oh so tired of everything ever since her joys in life were all ripped away in one go. Even waking up was agony as she would hear the phantom of a voice chirping "Good morning" before realizing its owner was no longer around, The tempting allure of alcohol would tempt her every time she was in the vicinity of an establishment, and she would have to keep herself from drowning her sorrows in such a manner. There were days she would ponder just ending it all, and the only thing stopping her was the bare sliver of hope that her estranged son might still be alive. And clinging onto hope was an excruciatingly exhausting affair. It is a terrible poison that demands you continuously push yourself for a future that might not even exist, demands that you delude yourself into believing that everything will be alright, and that she could, broken as she was, find some closure and healing at the end of this ordeal. 

By the time Ambika was done, it was already nightfall and she was so thoroughly drained that she fell asleep by the tree.