Hair of Dog and Ass of Bear (Eridanus)

[Archelon]

mysterious man's theme song: : With those words, Eridanus' would see the area outside Tim's carriage filled with a sudden set of trailing mists, cold enough to frost the windows, and seep about the edges of the door. As if beckoning one outside, the door frame opened, and the ethaefel would step out onto the cold cobbles of Sunberth. The hairs on the back of his neck shivering.The mists growing ever thicker, to the point where the pair could not see more then a foot around them as the noise began to be heard. The distant sound of clopping hooves on stone echoed in their ears, creating a tempo that kept pace with their quickening heartbeats, accompanied by the high braying of a horse growing ever closer. A carriage at full speed. Beside Eridanus, Tim would stoicly stick out his chin and wait. They did not have to wait long. For in less then a minute a driver's voice would cry out "Woah" as barely three feet from them, a large ornate black carriage drew to a sudden halt. For a time, the horses stilled, back into complete silence, not even breathing. Why were they not breathing? Eri's would glance out of the corner of his eye to see the milk white gaze of an animal. It's eyes blind, it's mane tarnished and stiff. By god, the horse drawing the carriage was not alive at all. It was a well preserved, nuit of a horse. The sheer amount of skill to craft such a thing as an animal would have to have been enormous. But the enormity of that revelation was nothing compared to the carriage itself. Ornate runes were fashioned dark red bloodstones , arranged and patterned into black walls, lined with skulls of living creatures seeming sutured into the carriage itself, some of the greatest predators Mizahar had ever known, all mounted on the frame made of gebon and black ebony. It's lines, gilded with care, and if Eridanus could note, d-wire inlay the type that the nuits of sahova used. Save that it was made with silver, and gold, which would have glinted majestically if not for the darkness of the mists enshrouding the carriage. The driver, a human man, of no discernable features to make him stand out slowly got down from the carriage's forestep and lumbered over to the door of carriage itself, before staring at Eridanus, and Tim. His features not withstanding, his clothes were of the highest quality, and steel green eyes gazed deeply at the both of them before he spoke. "Ah, young Timothy, and young Eridanus." The porter had addressed the Ethaefel by his name. B-Y H-I-S N-A-M-E. The porter went on as if this was nothing of import. " The Master has arrived to discuss a matter of business with young Tim..." The porter looked over at Eridanus', "The master would like to extend the courtesy of discussion with you good sir, after his business with the young Tim. But requests you do him the favor of helping to dispense with the transport of some item of note back into Tim's carriage. Please step forwards. I shall assist you." Eridanus would, after whatever consideration he made eventually step forwards to where the porter stood before the carriage door. Only to have the man open it for a moment to give him a faint view of the inside. He might espy, that the carriage possessed two individuals inside. One of whom was a young woman who seemed to stare at him with a faint smile on her face. The Other he could not completely make out, as his features were obscured, however he would note the end of a cane capped in a silver skull with eyes of red rubies staring at him, and at "Young Tim." A young woman whom he might be startled to recognize was not a woman at all, but rather, a spirit who had assisted him about a year ago, when the night of Sunberth had been overrun by menacing ghosts. A spirit he may have never learned the name. But the real thing was what lay in between them, on the floor of the carriage. It was a corpse. But not just any corpse. It was the corpse of a JourneymanYes the one from that old quest. rendered in three. The 'item' that he was supposed to cart back into TIm's carriage. Whatever his thoughts were they would be jolted from his stupor at the porter's voice "The Master, as a generous requirement in helping young Tim fulfill his order has taken it upon himself to craft you an earing out of one of this creatures tendrils as a token of his appreciation. Seeing as this creature was the only thing not on Tim's list for him to acquire on his own for the Master's order. It was imperative that it's delivery be forthwright to complete what the Master wishes." With no further words, the porter lugged the journeyman's corpse over his own shoulder before throwing it onto Eridanus' , bringing him to his knees on the cobbles as the carriage doors closed, cutting off any further tantalizing glmpses inside. "Once again, after his meeting with the young Tim, he bids you leave to come and speak to him if you should so choose." From the window, a gnarled finger pointed at Tim and beckoned him inside. Whether or not Eridanus would try to go with was best left up to the two of them. One thing was for sure, if he did enter the carriage: his views of Sunberth would never be the same.

[Eridanus]

They waited, and a sense of unease and foreboding struck the ethaefal as the mysterious carriage arrived, in the same way impending doom arrived upon one's heart, threatening to tear away at the sanity and security of an anguished soul.

Like the boogeyman from the urban legends that plague cities, the magnificent yet morbid carriage arrived, pulled by an even more morbid horse. A deceptively ordinary person appeared from the carriage, and addressed the two nonchalantly.

"Wait how did you-"

He was cut off by the man, as if it was complete natural. And you know what, Eridanus was not even sure if he should be surprised any more. Timothy had already displayed his flair for omniscience, and if this mysterious stranger was the one whom the maledictor feared, and who could somehow stop time and materialize to him, it was probably not surprising for him to know such trivial information. Relatively speaking, of course.

However, as the door opened something more interesting appeared to him and he tried ot peer in, seemingly making out the shape of-

Wait a minute.

That was clearly that ghostly lady who gave him and others the quest to retrieve certain things during the mysterious mist event of one year ago. That involved hordes of ferocious ghosts and possessed monsters. That involved particularly giant rats and other, strange ghosts that possessed him to unlock some ability in another.

"Aren't you the-" He began to call out, but the porter cut him off again, regaining his attention by gesturing at something that lay slumped before them.

What in the-

This mysterious apparition that scared Timothy so much managed to secure that?

"Woah woah hold on. Hold on a bit, this is getting too- OOF!"

Before he could finish his question, the corpse of the journeyman was thrown into his arms, and the carriage door closed before he could peek in any further. The weight of the body dropped him to his knees, for the strength of the moonchild proved only to be astounding during combat and not during normal times like these. If this scenario could be called 'normal' at all. Perhaps 'non-combat' might probably be a better term.

Accepting the earring as well with a nod of appreciation, he hung it on a ear without thinking, a gut feeling somehow telling him not to fear this gift.

"Special delivery, Timmy!" He called out, lugging the heavy weight over to the maledictor's carriage and dumping it into the confines of the man's much less extravagant carriage. But really, the luxurious splendor of the mysterious master's carriage was ridiculous. How could anyone hope to match that??

"He wishes to see you, and me after he's done with you. That was his instructions. However, if you wish for me to present during your negotiations with him, bring me along and I will acquiesce," Eridanus told the young man, giving him one more chance to decide on what next to do.

[Balderdash]

Timothy couldn't help but beam at the dead Journeyman, his wizard's mind already racing with the possibilities of such a creature. "Oh, that's not so ba- Oh... D-does he?" Evidently, he wasn't thrilled with such a prospect, but a great deal more calm thanks to Eridanus' offer. "Thanks for that... Let's go then, shall we? He hasn't murdered us yet, so we might be okay. It's almost finished, too, y'know." And with that, they both stepped out of the carriage and awaited the Mysterious Man's business.