How to save a life

Artorias was so taken aback by the amount of time that had passed between Wren's disappearance and now that he was unable to contain the shock on his wide-eyed expression. Three weeks? The Aegis did his best to hide how discouraging that news was. It would likely be a futile effort to go looking for anything that might give them some leads now, but Artorias was a wolf of his word, and he had offered his aid to Mercury. If the once-Menagerie wolf wanted to continue his search, then Art would give him what little help he could provide. He watched while Mercury struggled to grasp the reality of the situation, clearly locked in a war between his head and his heart. Artorias' heart broke for the wayward man. He couldn't imagine what kind of state he'd be in if Briar simply disappeared one day. Perhaps it was that empathy that allowed him to give Mercury all the time he needed to grapple with what he wanted to do.

In the end, Mercury wanted to take his offer to go search the spot where Wren had disappeared. He warned the Aegis what condition the crime scene would be in when they arrived, and it did little to assuage Art's concerns. He pursed his lips, frowning some while he considered his next move. The chances of them finding any actionable bit of intel were virtually zero. Going to look would likely be a waste of time—but something told Artorias that the midnight wolf would be going back anyway to continue his desperate search whether he accompanied him or not. "I'll speak bluntly with you, Mercury. I do not know if we will have any luck finding anything that will help us find Wren at this point," he admitted in low, grave tones. It wasn't the most comforting of sentiments, but Art would rather be honest with Mercury than feed him a kind lie. "But if there's any sliver of hope, or any chance of finding some closure, it might be there. If you are truly set on continuing your hunt, I'll go with you to see what I can see. But it may not be what you're hoping for."

Beyond the nigh impossible odds, Artorias also had to consider he had a pregnant wife back home he needed to tend to. He couldn't be gone for too long, but he wasn't about to leave Mercury out in his despondent state all alone either.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"