Part Thirteen

*A strange world, a haunting stranger, a terrible choice...*

### Content Warnings

Knives, animal attack (animal v. animal), animal corpse, corpse decay (the woods overtaking the corpse), mild animal gore, chewing-like sounds, self-mutilation (Arthur bites off his own finger, then cauterizes it with a lighter), body horror (wooden finger).

## Summary

Having been transported to the Dreamlands, John and Arthur travel in the hopes of finding a way to escape back to Earth before the King in Yellow finds them. They navigate a forest where they meet a Trader, with whom they exchange an the egg-shaped stone for a shard of glass. They only escape these dangerous woods when they sacrifice a finger of John's hand to it, which the trees replaces with wood. Once out, they find themselves in a red desert.

## Synopsis

In the Dreamlands, Arthur and John find themselves on the black, sandy shore of a violet lake. Hearing thunder approaching, they head to a forest of strange-looking trees to escape the rain. While walking, they argue about John's motivations for guiding Arthur to The King In Yellow. He now remembers more of his life before being separated from the King, and realizes he has changed to the point they are no longer the same.

They find a stone building in the forest. John explains that he, as the King in Yellow, tried to enter the world using a portal meant for Shub-Niggurath. His soul was ripped in half when a woman trapped him in a book: one half of him stayed in the Dreamlands as the King, and the other resided in the Dark World and bound to a book. They go inside the building.

John discusses how he found meaning and purpose during Arthur's hospital stay, and states that this discovery is why the King could not assimilate him back into his being. Arthur recalls the King said something similar to him, but that he would kill Arthur and reclaim John. They agree their sole purpose is to escape the Dreamlands.

They find a small box containing a small necklace made of dried organic beads and a knife with blood on it, still wet. Arthur leaves it and walk deeper into the woods. The trees are strange: black bark, purple lines, strange leaves, dark red ground. Arthur feels like the trees are whispering. Moving on, he states that he understands their primary goal as survival. He recalls his time in the Boys' Brigade as a child, and how it made him feel used and frustrated -- but, his survival skills came in handy.

John thinks they're being followed, but cannot see well in the sky's rapidly changing color. Arthur hides behind a fallen tree for a time, but they do not provide much cover - the branches start ten feet up the trunks. John watches the treeline as they proceed. Eventually, they hear something behind him and they run, eventually hiding beneath a trunk. As John prepares Arthur to fight, the stranger surprises them by asking why they're following. The stranger can hear and claims to see John.

Arthur asks the being for help. He replies he is not a cana, but a trader. Arthur and John check their belongings: the lighter, the Yellow Sign book, the Shub-Niggurath book, a wallet, the pallid mask, and the egg-shaped stone that the Trader calls the Crystallizer of Dreams. They trade it. The Trader says it can allow one to see between worlds and move objects; John bemoans losing a valuable item. Arthur trades it for a shard of glass, but calls the trade unfair. He asks how they should leave the woods, and the Trader replies that the woods will let them leave when the woods want to. The Trader cautions that being in the forest in the dark is dangerous.

Arthur hides behind a fallen log as the light dies out completely.  After a while, a sun rises. John describes some creatures he saw: slender, tall man-like creatures with smooth, featureless whale-like skin, tall, curving horns and bat-like wings. Arthur likens them to demons. John recognizes the religious reference and comments he supposed Arthur is not religious, from the amount of swearing he does. Arthur replies he is only religious when he is out of options.

They try to figure out how to leave the woods. John comments the sun is more like the earth's sun than the others they have seen, and the woods seem less menacing. Arthur asks John how he can know so many mundane earthly things. John replies he sees the world as Arthur sees it and absorbed some of his muscle memory, due to sharing his mind. Arthur quotes some of the fable of the Woodcutter and the Trees, about the trees seeing the axe handle as one of their own.

John spots an animal corpse. Suddenly, a sapling rapidly grows from within. John theorizes the forest wants more trees. It may let them leave if they sacrifice a piece of Arthur's body to grow into a tree. Arthur strongly refuses before relenting. He thinks he might be able to bite off a portion of his pinky. He realizes that while he has no feeling in his left hand, John does. John agrees to the plan anyway, suffering in penance. Arthur plans heat his belt buckle with the lighter to cauterize the wound. Arthur asks John about remembering hurting people, to which John replies that he can choose what to remember, or to forget. Arthur disagrees, and John tries to ask him about Faroe. They agree they can choose what not to talk about, but John assures him he will listen if Arthur wants to.

Arthur is ready to bite, and tells John that this, too, shall pass. He spits the finger tip on the ground and quickly cauterizes the wound. Frustrated at the lack of movement, Arthur spits on it and the sapling starts to take root. A little woozy, Arthur sits. John feels the woods start to eat the wound in his hand, replacing the pinky with a black bone-like branch of wood. The woods show them an exit, and Arthur walks out into a desert. From here, John sees that the woods are moving away from them. It was always small, and moving around them to create the illusion it was endless.

John asks Arthur what "This too shall pass" meant. Arthur says it was just a comforting thought, but John points out it is written on the lighter they have. Arthur had forgotten, but recalls it now; he found the lighter in an old desk drawer in his office in Arkham. They walk away from the woods, and Arthur whistles "You Call It Madness".

## Votes

* Chapter 61: Take the Knife & Necklace [5] / **Leave the Items Alone [8]**
* Chapter 62: **Orange Egg-like Stone [10]** / One of the Two Books found beneath the Island [4] / Wallet with Money [3] / The Pallid Mask [2] / The Tooth [7] / Lighter [2]
* Chapter 63: Run [7] / **Stay [11]**
* Chapter 64: **Bite it off [11]** / Hope for another solution [8]
* Chapter 65: no vote

## Additional Notes

* This is the first explicit mention of the writing on Arthur's lighter.