Written by [@Mardox] and I

Soon enough, the two had finished their food and were now on their way back to Herbert’s wagon; both of the girls were now wearing their cloaks. Rhiara’s fur cloak had plenty of white fur at its top, which bended in with her hair to give the illusion of a mane. Athaliah’s however, was the traditional brown and grey. There was perhaps an inch of snow on the ground and the girls were now even more thankful that they wouldn’t be walking. The pair spotted two more figures leading their horses, leaving where Herbert’s wagon was parked – though the wagon was still there, with Herbert and Erika themselves next to it. “Morning, you two!” Athaliah shouted merrily when she was close enough. 

"Morning!" Called back Erika cheerfully as Herbert pushed a large iron chest into the wagon before smiling at Athaliah and giving a friendly wave to both her and Rhiara. "Ready to hit the road?" Asked Erika. "I guarantee that adventuring with Herbert is always interesting."

“Yeah…” Rhiara fidgeted with her glove nervously. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” 
Athaliah was busy watching the two people lead their horses away. “So, who were they?” she asked inquisitively. 

"Our item retrieval expert and her eastern bodyguard." Replied Erika. "They'll be joining us to get some documents and stuff that we'll need from a rather unpleasant Viarosan nobleman. They might stick around afterwards."

“Item… retrieval… expert?” Rhiara narrowed her eyes. “What’s –”
Athaliah interrupted her. “A thief, Weiss.” She spoke disdainfully. “Well, what’re these people ‘retrieving’?”

"There was another survivor from Krossavik who was obsessed with slaying Htraknu. Before he set off to do battle with the dragon, he amassed a sizable amount of information." Explained Erika. "When he left Viarosa, the nobleman in question seized the documents he left behind, along with some of his personal possessions. Once we have the documents and his personal things, we'll have more intel about Htraknu and we may be able to pinpoint where Bjorn hid out during his campaign."

Athaliah raised her eyebrows. “Okay, assuming that the noble has these documents and those thieves are able to steal them, what do we do then? Look for the camps this man set up that might not exist anymore?”

"The camps are one option," Interjected Herbert grimly, "but if we use the documents and items to find his remains - at least part of them anyways - then we can ask the man himself what we need to know." With that, he began rummaging about in the wagon's boxes for something.

“Sorry, sorry, what?” Athaliah replied, her expression in-between confused and mortified. “How can we ask the man if we find his remains?”

"Here it is!" Said Herbert in an almost triumphant manner as he produced a rather dusty and battered-looking book from a crate. The black-covered tome appeared to be positively ancient, and due to its black cover, the locks keeping it shut, and the unsettling symbols on the cover, it gave off a somewhat sinister air even in the bright morning light. The monster hunter turned to Athaliah and presented the book with a grim smile. "A little bit of magic, of course."

Athaliah squirmed on the spot. “Uhh, are you sure you know what you’re doing, Herbert?”
Rhiara also seemed uncomfortable, and she took a step backwards. “Please tell me you don’t do that kind of thing regularly.”

Herbert met Athaliah's gaze with a rather serious expression. "This isn't the sort of thing to fool around with. If I didn't know what I was doing, I wouldn't suggest it." The monster hunter and apparent part-time necromancer turned his attention to Rhiara. "I assure you that I do not partake in this sort of activity any more than absolutely necessary. Necromancy is not to be taken lightly."

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” Athaliah replied. “I trust you though.”
“Me too. I know you’ll do what’s right.” Rhiara nodded. “What’s our next step, by the way?”

"Well, we gather the party and head back to Viarosa." Said Herbert. "If you've got any more packing left to do, you should probably get it done now."