Part Twenty Two

*A fragile partnership, a rich history, an oppressive dark...*

### Content Warnings

Captivity, falling, mention of vomiting, coal mines/abuse of miners, body horror (goat man), animal attack (monster), tinnitus, injury (bitten leg).

## Summary

Arthur has a nightmare of his time in the pits, revealing that he promised to work with John if John never said Faroe's name again. Arthur wakes and, in the tavern, they learn more about the town of Addison from a man named Irvine. Irvine also tells them that they can’t leave without a car, and so, Arthur and Yellow head for the surveyor’s camp to find one. They realize the blood they found the previous night may have been the surveyor’s; as they plan to leave, an invisible creature attacks Arthur. A flute calls the creature off; as Arthur fades into unconsciousness, Yellow says that its player is Larson.

## Synopsis

In a flashback dream, Arthur gives John the silent treatment while he tries and fails to escape the prison pits, roughly a week into their imprisonment. John insists they have to work together to escape, and apologizes for his actions. Arthur ultimately agrees to work with John on the condition that John never mention Faroe’s name again.

Yellow wakes a hungover Arthur at dawn. Arthur goes to take a bath. While the water heats, Yellow tries to manipulate Arthur into giving him answers, inquiring specifically about ‘Kayne’ (who Arthur calls Carmichael) and the Glass of the Cana. He also says that Arthur can call him John, which Arthur refuses.

In the bath, Yellow insists that he can’t trust Arthur because Arthur can send him back to The Dark World at any time. Arthur tells the truth about the Glass of the Cana, to Yellow’s fury, and clarifies that he never wanted to hurt Yellow, and that he considers Yellow a person. They briefly discuss philosophy, which Yellow shows interest in, but Arthur soon loses stamina.

After shaving, they find the door to their room left ajar. Rather than confront them, they head downstairs. They read newspaper clippings, learning more about Addison: its location near the base of Mt. Hoosac, a few hundred miles west of Arkham, the town’s settlement around 1873, and the mine closure in 1916. They also find an article discussing a nearby college observatory, as well as a hand-drawn map and a phrase, etched directly into the wall: ‘Day comes when the wind is done holding the dark.’ In addition, they realize that they can hear someone's wheezy breathing through a hole in the wall.

A man (Mr. Irvine) speaks up behind them, denoting it as a local saying. He says that he himself isn’t local, but was brought to Addison by a love for truth and knowing. Irvine discusses Addison in poetic terms: ‘a place of unfathomable depth’, ‘darkness so black […] that light can be only dreamt of’, ‘The Unknowing’. When Arthur expresses a desire to leave, Irvine reveals that the roads are impassable on foot. Irvine informs Arthur that a few years ago, a prospective land buyer had a vehicle. Arthur asks how he would know this, not being a local, and Irvine reveals he has been in Addison for ten years and that Addison is birthed on ‘the graves of the countless dead’. Irvine also reveals that a mine surveyor, a few months back, also had a vehicle.

While they talk, a massive, ram-like man comes downstairs and glares at Arthur. Irvine identifies him as a Larson. They return to their room. Arthur searches through their bag and finds nothing missing. Together, they depart and find the surveyor’s tent, closer to the mine. Arthur spends time investigating the tent, which irritates Yellow. Arthur attempts to teach Yellow about deductive reasoning, and Yellow deduces that the blood they find in the woods last night was the surveyor’s. Just as they piece together what happened, the snarls of a creature startles them.

Arthur readies the rifle; however, Yellow can’t see anything. Regardless, something attacks them, and they realize the creature must be invisible. They run towards Mt. Hoosuc. Yellow spots prints forming in the ground. They find an opening; running in, they fall over the surveyor’s body. The creature attacks Arthur’s leg, but the damage is too severe. Arthur apologizes to Yellow, who tells him that he ought to be sorry.

A flute rings out, making the creature retreat. Just as Arthur passes out, Yellow identifies the flute player as Larson.

## Votes

* Chapter 106: **Tell the Truth About the Glass of the Cana [42]** / Continue Lying [4]
* Chapter 107: Enter the Room [14] / **Wait Downstairs [28]**
* Chapter 108: **Visit the Surveyors Camp Near the Mine [33]** / Visit the Larson Estate [6]
* Chapter 109: **Search Around the Campsite [26]** / Head to the Mines [13]
* Chapter 110: No vote.

## Additional Notes

* Arthur lies and tells Yellow that he made a deal with 'Carmichael'. This may be a reference to 'Hoagy Carmichael', a famous composer of the 1930s.
* Despite referencing 'this too shall pass' at the end of Part 21, Yellow denies knowing about the lighter.
* Arthur searches his jacket and is unable to find his lighter; later, he finds the lighter in his jacket and expresses confusion.
* Before leaving the Red Right Hand, Arthur says: "Right, well, once more unto the breach, dear friends. Once more!" This is a quote from *Henry V* by William Shakespeare.