Blackburn's Crossing Chapter 4: Snake Eater

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Arissa followed Ludwig into the office and took a seat indicated by him, crossing her legs and folding her hands together over her knee. Glancing around the room, she noticed a series of letters on Ludwig’s desk. Curious... I had not thought he would have made many contacts as of yet. She glimpsed the unfamiliar name Dr. Markov, and read a little further to discover it was some sort of talk of shifts. She saw Ludwig catch her staring and looked up to meet his gaze with a bright smile. "Two assistants and a doctor it sounds like. It must be wonderful to have been able to find another man of medicine, even in these lands, although I cannot say I have had the pleasure of meeting a man by the name of Markov before in the Crossing." Without missing a beat, Arissa quickly changed the subject away from her prying. "I must say, it would likely be wise to avoid going too far into the swamps. This land knows many dangers that our world was thankfully devoid of, and one can get into all sorts of trouble by not knowing it's many rules, ja?"

Arissa tugged on a lock of her hair to punctuate her point before her easy grin faded. "Anyways... I suppose I have come to you with a business proposition... or more of a proposition of a proposition. During the past few weeks my friends and I have faced a great many dangers and hardships, some of us barely escaping certain situations with our lives and others their sanity. Unfortunately, we are soon to embark on another such task of great importance. I witnessed your talents up close, Herr Doktor, and I believe that we are in desperate need of a man of your abilities, and I am certain that James Blackburn will agree, seeing as his bride to be is to accompany us. I hope to broker an accord of sorts with you and James if it is necessary to acquire your assistance, but wanted to know if this is something that would be of interest to you. Thoughts so far?" She eyed the strange Garmonian over, curious of his reaction to her business proposal.
 
Entering the clinic, Kallisto went from casually walking to trying to make herself as small as she could reasonably manage, keeping the spear close to herself as she realized all the people inside the building. She hadn't expected it to be so busy or so populated, though was appreciative that Ludwig appeared so quickly.

Following where he led into his office she didn't scrunch herself up as much, but seeing the small chairs still frowned. She instead opted to stand behind the other seat, leaning on the spear as she listened to the conversation. When Arissa mentioned dangers in the swamps, Kallisto rubbed the pads on her palms as she nodded slightly, though she didn't recogize the name Markov either.

Looking around the small room her gaze circled back towards Ludwig, "...what do you mean something peculiar happening again? We dealt with quite a few strange things in the swamps ... did one of them appear over here?"
 
Hand in hand Yelcan and Peri head towards the manor, and he fills her in on his brief conversation with Lina. Once they reach the manor, Yelcan leads her into the house and to his room, where he grabs his pack and the rest of his gear. Still holding her by the hand, Yelcan leads Peri to the library, when he runs into Leone in the hallway. Giving her a quick wave, he moves to go past her to move towards the library, but stops. "Oh hey, Leone...we were just about to try and find some references to these stories from the fairytales book, would you wanna help us out?"
 
Léone drifts by in the hallway, seeming to think about something else before her attention is drawn over to Yelcan's call. She quickly pats herself down and turns to address them. "Oh hey there. You two look like quite the couple," she says, smirking slightly. At the request she tilts her head and raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want me around? I might be a bit of a bad luck charm when it comes to books," she muses, following them as they headed towards the library. "But sure, if you insist."

"At least I can take notes alright now... speaking of which, when we've got a free moment after the book we ought to discuss some findings about the Machine as well," she notes, speaking to Yelcan but also including Peri in the conversation as well. "James and I managed to get some progress on it somehow, and I feel like we ought to get everyone on the same page as far as that goes."

Entering the library, they begin scouring the shelves for any mention of this "Grimm's Fairy Tales" but find absolutely no mention of the title, the author, or any of its supposed fairy tales. After a decent amount of searching she frowns, setting her latest book down. "I... didn't expect this to go any better," she says, scratching her head. "Now that I think about it, we can't even look for anything that might be similar to the stories in the book, because we don't know what the stories are... since we've never opened the book."

She sighs, glancing over to the fairy tale book as it innocuously sat on one of the side tables of the library next to James. "I could try to use an identification ritual on it and see if that gives us any clues... but I already told you what happened the last time I tried to identify a book. Again, not a very good track record on my end." She shrugs, glancing out the door to the library. As important as this research was, she kind of wanted to just take a break and go play with the dog again. He was awfully fluffy after that bath Grimdosh had given him.
 
Making brief eyecontact with Arissa as she was blatantly staring at his letters, Ludwig exhales slightly through his nose before speaking up. "Did you find anything of interest in those letters? I can bring them back on the desk if you'd like, maybe lend you my glasses as well?" He gives Arissa a tense stare for a couple of seconds before cracking up and giving away his poker face with a grin. "I'm merely messing with you, I understand that curiosity has to be sated. As far as the name Markov goes, I'm sure you'll meet him eventually. He usually works the night shifts, so you'd have to wait a bit."

Leaning his chin on top of his palm, he switches looks between Kallisto and Arissa. "A proposition of a proposition.. I see. Those adventures of yours seem to be more grave than I thought they would've been. Both health and sanity are important things to keep up, during travel there are chances of prolonged exposure to dire situations or mental trauma that could affect a humanoid in the long term. I'm flattered that you've found it upon yourself to come to me for assistance, though there are some complications. It's great that Mr. Blackburn would approve of my absence, but is there an estimate of time that we'd be gone for? I could leave the shop in the hands of my employees, but I wouldn't count on them covering shifts for weeks."

Crossing his arms, Ludwig leans back into his chair to think. When Kallisto mentions the swamp, he looks at her with a grin as if he'd been waiting for someone to ask that very question. "Well. It's an experience that one might write off as a nightmare, daydream, or hallucination.. but as I was walking in the swamp, my surroundings started to morph pretty much instantly, leaving me in a clinic ironically enough. There I met a man and a woman who offered me a chance, I considered the pros and the cons and went with it. Next thing I knew I ended up back at my apothecary. Is that a bit like the strange things you dealt with?"
 
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Kallisto frowned as Arissa was called out for snooping so blatantly. "If Markov helps you with the clinic, then I look forward to meeting him. His name doesn't sound familiar to me, but it's good people are moving into the Crossing after so many have left ... for various reasons."

She ran a clawed hand through her hair as he asked about the time they'd be gone, "It's ... hard to say. When we went into the swamps, we understood the time it took to travel, roughly, but we'll be going into a ... book? Things get strange when magic is involved." When he continued to speak about what he saw in the swamps, her thoughts went back to the last time things shifted around her while she was out there. She leaned a little heavier on the spear as she focused in on Ludwig's face, "... I have had something similar, before we left to deal with the serpent. I did not meet a woman ... but I did meet a man. The way you word things, it sounds like a deal was made ... did the man have yellow eyes?"
 
Ludwig gives Kallisto a kind smile when she mentions meeting Markov. "I'm sure he'd look forward to meeting you as well. Covering the shifts of the apothecary, Markov and I don't really meet in person. But I'll leave a note behind so he'll understand being approached. He's quite new to the crossing as well, even newer than I am.. I think."

Listening to Kallisto talk about her experience in the swamps and some sort of magic book, Ludwig nods curiously. "A book? Like literally diving into a book? Magic keeps pushing boundary after boundary.." Ludwig grumps, slightly biting his lip before continuing. He's about to speak up about how ridiculous it sounds, but is reminded of his own fair share of reality warping magic. "The man did indeed have yellow eyes, also goes under the name of Mr. Legba. There's been some changes that have followed after our meeting, but nothing I can't subside with medicine. Though you've piqued my interest, apparently there's more to be discovered around here."

Ludwig rubs his chin for a bit, the words of Legba ringing through his ears about magic. He sighs deeply for a moment before slamming his hand on the desk. "In times like this, a true practicioner of medicine must not falter and push on. If the two of you can arrange that Mr. Blackburn keeps an eye on the apothecary in case something goes wrong with shipments or anything like the sort, then I'll come with. It's not a secret that I don't.. appreciate magic, but I'm willing to put myself over it in order to discover new things. Mind you though, I am not the easiest companion to have around." He laughs as he grabs a sheet of paper and neatly rips it in two pieces, scribbling some sort of signature on both halves before sliding them over towards Kallisto and Arissa. "In case you meet Markov before I have the chance to introduce you, just show those."
 
Arissa maintained her pleasant smile, but glanced over Ludwig to look for any changes. Gods, not another one... at least I am not the only fool from my world to make a deal with the devil. However, bringing him along may be a liability... gods know what his bargain might have been. Her thoughts were interrupted as Ludwig slammed a hand on the table and she laughed to cover up her surprise. “A man with yellow eyes out in the swamps? Doktor Ludwig, are you certain you have not been sampling your herbal remedies? What did this swamp man want with you, Herr Doktor? Apologies for prying, I am afraid that curiosity is a weakness of mine.”

She flashed Ludwig a smile before continuing. “I suppose that I should not be such a skeptic, however, considering that we are about to enter a magical children’s novel. From what I have heard, it quite literally pulls the reader into the story, and sometimes has them take the place of the characters somehow. It sounds like nonsense, I know, but it has somehow drawn in Perian and Bernard’s mother. I doubt that your companionship will be anything but lovely, Herr Doktor, and I do appreciate your offer to help. I am certain that James Blackburn will be able to find suitable men to watch your business in your stead. How long would it take you to get ready? I would like you to be present if possible so that you could inform James of the needs of your business.”
 
Blackburn Manor:

Bernard would find the letter at the Dancing Lady easy enough, and then upon heading to the Mansion he would see Grimdosh brushing a dog calmly getting rid of much of the excess hair that had fallen into the coat, and putting it aside in a pile. He lifted his head slowly to Bernard for a moment before answering an unspoken question. "Library." Then he goes back to slowly cleaning the dog.

Meanwhile in the Library, James reentered the room before sitting next to Leone with the book retrieved from his vault so that it would be ready when everyone had gathered. He tried to help in the search but there didn't seem to be much on the subject, until Yelcan suggested taking a look at his private library. Unsure of why a children's book of tales would be in there, he decided it would be better safe than sorry since it was in fact a magical book that had somehow ended up in his library. There they managed to find a few things on the subject and brought it back to the main library for everyone to look through.

"So the book has been noted to be in many libraries, and it has some sort of magical nature that tries to prevent it from being removed or at least destroyed in its entirety. Often reappearing in the Library it is taken from. I am interested in those two scholar's debates about the subject of the book that Yelcan found. It seems neither of them had first hand experience save for a few interviews with some brave souls that claim they went into the book," says James as Bernard comes in. He nods to him in recognition before continuing. "Specifically one of them thinks the story might be tailored to whoever enters the book, and that seems to imply part of what you will face will be based off the baggage you bring into the book. Something to keep in mind at the very least. Then we must also consider while the book was not destroyed during the Ball it has possibly received a small amount water damage. Could that have any sort of affect on what is contained within? This is another thing that should probably be considered."

James turns to Bernard sliding the book in question over to Bernard. "It's been waiting here for you patiently. I assume the others will be along shortly as well?" asks James as he noticed no one had come in the room behind Bernard. "I know this is a gathering about saving your Mother, but Leone has expressed a concern with bringing up a function we found out about the Machine housed in the main part of the mansion across the river. I'm not sure if you have ever been told this Bernard but there is a large room crafted for what seems like specifically that machine, and both Yelcan and Leone had run some tests finding out that it can duplicate things. There is more that it can do but we must save this discussion for when you get back. I just wanted you to be aware of its existence in an effort not to have any secrets between us. Needless to say the discussion of this finding could potentially derail what we are all here to accomplish so it will have to wait."
 
Bernard took the book, looking it over and frowning at the hole in the middle. "Arissa was intending to repair the book before we entered. Shouldn't take her more than a minute or so, but hopefully it might put right anything that may have gone awry." He set the book back down on the table and looked to Peri, "Picked this up for you from the Dancing Lady, Simon seemed to think it was quite important. You should probably open it sooner rather than later." He grinned at Peri, having an idea of the contents of the letter and the excitement it might bring.

While Peri handled the letter, Bernard's attention turned to James who was speaking to him. "Yes, it seems there's much we should discuss when we're done saving my mother. I also had a thought, it seems silly, but I know that these kinds of details often escape all of us: Please leave the book somewhere that's not air tight. I would hate for all us to survive the book only to suffocate in some vault because it was a safe place to store it and you didn't check soon enough." Bernard laughed to himself, the idea of accomplishing a task and saving his mother only to die because of a small oversight seemed like exactly the kind of thing that might happen when people were too caught up in other affairs.
 
Peri followed Yelcan easily enough and happy enough to be guided along assisting with Yelcan’s packing and being a little nosy as she placed things into his bag for him.

As they ran into Leone on their way to the library she blushed a little at her comment and exclaimed she was along to help research the book having not had any chores of her own.

The research went well it had mixed but all around disappointing results, but that is to the earlier information from Lina and this new theory about how the book reacts to people she felt more comfortable, but truely the only thing driving her pas her fear was saving her mother.

As thing settled and Peri listened to the others chat she looked to the letter Bernard had given her. “Strange, I wasn’t expecting anything, and Brian’s letters came to the house. Tracing the seal she examined it for a moment before opening it and reading its contents.
 
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Ludwig chuckles at Arissa's mention of the herbal remedies. "I'm afraid not. I did meet the man with yellow eyes. I forgive you for your intrusion, just because I know the feeling of wanting to uncover hidden things. I'm a fairly open man if I may say so myself, but some degree of restraint must be shown. So this man apparently had an interest in my craft, together with the woman that I met at the ball earlier. Both of them seemed to be human-like, but there's a particular aura that is indistinguishly abnormal. I got enticed with the promise of enhancing my work in ways I would've required years upon years of study to actually manage, using the greatest weakness of a human.. Time."

He scratches his chin momentarily, tapping his breast pocket before returning to his story. "I considered declining, but was reminded of my duty as a man of medicine to take risks in order to progress beyond what we could do before - evolution, one might say. So I stepped into a machine that granted me the knowledge I desired, a switch was flipped and I got back into my apothecary. Only now I inhabit a colleague of mine, apparently that was the drawback. A mild one if you ask me, we get along quite well."

His eyes widen for a moment as if he remembered something he'd forgotten to mention, as he bends under the table. "Wait a minute, please. There was another drawback, well.. not sure if you could call it a total drawback." Ludwig stands up and walks around the desk, the clicking of hooves sounding on the wooden floor. "I've gotten these as well, though I've been able to compensate for it with some well made shoes. I think it's a practical joke of some sorts, I can appreciate the humor."

Turning towards Arissa, he makes a small bow. "I'll be done shortly after my shift, then I'll make my way towards the manor. If you'd wait for me there, I'll be prepped and ready."
 
Kallisto frowned as she tried to follow what Ludwig said, "Er ... what do you mean 'inhabit'...? Do you turn into someone else ...?"

As he stood and Kallisto saw the cloven hooves she gave a low growl of a sigh, "Ludwig ... I can't change what you have done, but please don't go speak with Legba again." She rubbed the pads on her hands again, "I can ... sort of relate, but at least with me it seems people expect me to look strange, you have ... it won't go well for you if people see that, or if it gets worse." She turned away slightly, "I'm glad you seem to trust us enough to show that, but be careful with who else you show. Differences of that nature are not always treated ... nicely."
 
Arissa was unable to stop herself from glancing over to Kallisto with worry for a brief moment as Ludwig shared his tale, and then gasped as she saw his hooves. Gods, this all sounds far too familiar... It sickens me to think of all the potential victims Legba may have had in our absence. She quickly stifled her reaction and looked at Ludwig with a curious expression. "Doktor, are you feeling well? You seem to be a little horse." She laughed to cover up her anxiousness at hearing about another deal with Legba, before her expression grew serious once more. "Personal opinions aside, I believe Kallisto is right. I have already heard people spreading rumors in town about you as some sort of 'foul necromancer' working for James Blackburn. I would urge that you do not reveal your appearance so easily in the future. It would be quite the shame if someone got the wrong idea from catching a glance, ja?"
 
Bearing the slight ridicule and mild scolding from both Arissa and Kallisto, Ludwig gives the both of them a calm smile as he walks back to his seat. "Well, not exactly. During the process with the machine, another scientist's brain was merged with mine. So now we're on a... shared contract. If I fall asleep, he wakes up and vise versa. He's not that bad of a man, liked to dabble around in medicine and science like me. I gave you those notes so he would recognize the situation."

Shoving his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, he continues. "People can spread rumors all they want, if they wanted to see a real necromancer then they should've been at the ball. Appearance wise, I didn't think I had anything to fear of you. As you've already mentioned, you have quite the augmentations of your own. I can hide these feet if needed be, no need for worry. I'll be more on my... toes in the future about these kinds of things, though I can't say I'm not impressed."
 
Kallisto reached forward towards the desk and pulled the piece of paper closer, looking it over. On the page she saw what looked like Ludwig's signature and towards the top, though it was difficult to read she eventually made out the word, "Clear."

"I ... see." She gently folded the paper and placed it in her pouch, "It's more ... I have a longer history in the Crossing, and I had a few people who helped defend me. You are still new to the Crossing, I just worry how people might turn on you." She bowed her head slightly, "Just be careful, at the very least."

She rubbed the pads on her hands, "Er ... I do not know how much you know of horses or other animals with hooves, but if yours are anything like theirs, you'll probably need to maintain them. I can try to help with that ... I doubt you'd want to feel like you're walking on glass if they're left alone for too long."
 
Ludwig nods in agreement. "I understand that you've developed a mild acceptance to those things, and that's great for you. I'm not waving my mishaps around quite that easily either. I do have a slight understanding of the situation, my means are slightly controversial but they work regardless. I'll keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, considering the rumors."

Subconciously tapping his feet against the wooden floor, he's brought to attention about maintaining his hooves. "I'd love to not walk on glass, thank you for the offer. I might be a doctor, though I'm not a veterinarian. Well.. I can't say I haven't dabbled around in that specific field of medicine.. I always found it remarkable how.. Nevermind, I'm getting off track here." He straps on his shoes and taps on the floor to make sure the clopping sound doesn't show up. "There are people in books right now, how unusual it might sound.. So, I'll go get my materials in order for an effective trip. I assume we can resolve further questions during our trek, the rest of the group would probably like to share in this knowledge."
 
She nodded as she watched Ludwig replace his shoes, before looking to her own feet. "Not really fond of shoes ... kind of funny, it'd be strange to see me wearing them, and strange for anyone to see you without them." She bowed her head slightly as Arissa also rose with her and made their way out of the clinic. Again Kallisto scrunched up, trying not to hit anything by accident as they went through the small building.

Making their way across the Crossing, Kallisto led Arissa to the home she shared with Marcus, "This is where I lived when I was younger ... I've been staying here again recently, especially getting closer to the end of the year. I'll grab the Axe quick, then hopefully Ludwig is ready."

Returning to the clinic, the pair were joined by Ludwig as they made their way to the manor -- an interesting trio to any who saw them. Finally making it into the manor Grimdosh led them to the rest of the group who all seemed to be gathered for the most part in the library of the home.
 
Arissa smiled warmly to Ludwig as she stood to leave. "A pleasure as always, Herr Doktor, although I must say it is rather refreshing to not be in such desperate need of your services this time around." Arissa gave Ludwig a brief curtsy before following Kallisto out of the room, closing the door behind them.

When they reached Kallisto's home, Arissa frowned briefly but quickly smiled politely to Kallisto when she looked over. "Your childhood home is lovely, Kallisto. If I am to be frank, I was led to believe you grew up on the streets, seeing where you kept your things. This place is rather cozy."

As they made their way into the library, Arissa smiled and waved to her friends before approaching James. "Greetings, James. I trust that you have been well in our absence..." Arissa paused for a moment, recalling what she had heard occur earlier that day in the country of Darkon, but deciding that now was that now was not the time to ask. "I pray that you do not mind, but I have come to a bit of an arrangement with Doktor Ludwig. Our expedition in the swamps was far more dangerous than we had planned for, and I had thought it to be wise to prepare better for our next adventure. The Doktor has agreed to accompany us into the book, so long as you are able to provide him with an extra set of hands or two in his absence to help run the clinic. This would not be a problem for you, ja? I apologize for not approaching you before making the request, but I believe you would agree with me when I say that Merris has been trapped for far too long already." Arissa briefly considered mentioning his involvement in Merris's current predicament, but decided to refrain from doing so, especially in front of everyone.
 
Blackburn Manor:

James nods to Bernard's comment about the book. "I will not try and not store you anywhere that might make exiting complicated," says James seriously for a moment before smiling over in the direction of Peri as she read the letter. He looks over to Arissa, Kallisto, and Ludwig as they enter, giving them a nod. "Glad they could make it, I just hope the book can handle so many inhabitants. I wonder if there is a limit to such things," says James as he looks over to Grimdosh for a moment and then looked back to Leone. He walked up and hugged her before kissing her for good luck. "You all make it back, otherwise it's going to get really lonely here in the crossing without you."

Stepping out of the room with Grimdosh they shut the door behind them. Grimdosh looks to James as he continues to wait outside the door. After a long moment there is a sudden rush of wind, and James anxiously opens the door seeing no one in the room. A surreal experience, almost as if they had all teleported outside of the room. All that was left was a book on the desk. He walked up to it putting a hand on the cover for it for a moment. Did one of the animals on the cover wink at him? No... surely not. It must be his over worked mind. He grabbed up the book and proceeded to bring it with him out the door as Grimdosh walked after the dog who had stolen his cleaning brush. James smiled for a moment at the scene before continuing up the stairs....
 
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