#rivervale_lodge

Frank frowns and carefully, safely, pulls over to inspect.

A voice from above goes "For god's sake, keep driving. I can hang on, but we don't have much time"

Frank however, by that time has had a chance to see that yes, there is a PERSON up there

He also sees winged chimerical snakes (What is it with snakes lately?) not gigantic, but looking venomous, flying this way, six of them

They're flapping at about twenty MPH

"Get in the cab." he orders.

The figure appears to be a male eshu, he is wounded, "Going to get blood on your seat." But he obeys and gets in the cab. The snakes have now closed, Franks has seconds to get in and start moving hoping they can't hurt his truck before he races ahead, or he can stay and fight

"Not the first time." Frank swings himself in as well and gets the Rig in gear; they're buttoned up in the cab, the snakes have to bite through mortal steel to get to them.

One, faster than others, tries, but the Dawntreader seems to snort at it's attempt, and then the others taste the rig's exhaust, causing them to get dazed and cough. Oddly, the dawntreader is cleaner than that most of the time, but for intruders who come after it, it can get a bit huffy.

The Eshu looks badly wounded, "I don't suppose you're heading to teaneck?"

"I'll get you there eventually. I have a first aid kit' we get clear of these things, I'll patch you up. What's your name?"

"Smith" the Eshu grins

"Mm. King." Frank responds without amusement. He keeps an eye on the snakes as he drives.

Given the fact there's blood on the teeth of the eshu, his own amusement has bravado.

(Wits plus drive to shake the snakes completely)

/roll 7

Frank is ten miles from home, he knows this route like he knows the back of his big blue hand, and he a master of moving rigs like this in far less than 40 acres! Further, having a magical truck certainly helps! One snake tries to crawl into a tail pipe but gets slapped around as Frank shimmies it, out it falls again to the ground and the others? They just get left behind!

The Eshu is looking paler but manages to mutter "I've never seen anyone drive like that"

Frank looks for a safe place to pull over, when there's enough distance from the snakes.

He finds it, a side road near a copse of trees so thick it's like a roof over your head

"Hey," Smith says "if I don't make it..." Breathing harder now, "Get this ..." Some kind of port jack for those computer things, "Get this to the baron of teaneck. Tell him, to tell my sister, she was right, but it was still a blast"

(Int plus MEdicine to save his life, WP allowed)

"You'll make it." the giant troll (not really redundant, this guy is HUGE) rumbles as he parks and grabs his extensive first aid kit.

The Eshu mumbles something about wanting to thank the academy for this award , yeah, he's slipping

Frank works fast, applying pressure and bandages (he's really good at pressure....)

Geez, the guy has chimeric AND mortal wounds.

"Stay with me, Smith. You hear? You don't get to rest yet. Tell me a story, Smith. How'd you get like this?"

"supersecret mission, oh the stories I could tell..." Being an eshu he starts to, "Let's just say I work for a local nick fury type, but with two eyes. He brought me into the game... network... who doesn't want to play james bond?"

"Found.. shadow court activity ... went to investigate.. not the yahoos... who claim they want modernest governments.. the real.. real one... got intell... had to get out. Did. Got to report"

"The Baron of Teaneck needs your personal report, not just a computer document. You need to hang on, get him the real intell.

"You know, he does have some nice prizes to his best workers. Great booze... once he set me up on a date with this satyr lady... my sister called me a pig, I just oinked at her," A smirk and cough

But he is holding. NO longer bleeding

Frank patched the worst leaks, and the guy should make it

IF he gets a doctor or a balefire in the next few hours anyway

Frank strips off the gloves carefully and uses hand sanitizer. "I'll get you to a balefire, and we can contact Teaneck from there."

"Well, not like I can wrestle you for our final destination," He says sleepily, "I think I'm going to pass out ..."

"Stay with. me, Smith.... can you do that?" Frank worries; he's got first aid, sure. He's assisted on-scene at more than one highway accident. But he's not a doctor.

The giant gets back in the driver's seat and they pull out, heading for Rivervale.

"I know a short story, more like a poem... but it tells a story. Pooka claim it's one of theirs, or mused by them.." he struggles to stay awake

"One bright morning in the middle of the night," Smith says "Two deadboys got up to fight. Back to back, they faced each other, drew their swords and shot one another. A deaf policeman heard the noise, and came to kill the two dead boys. Now ... if you don't believe my tale so tall, go ask the blind man down in the hall, he saw it all.." A chuckle "That one has a dozen variations at least"

And he quotes some of those variations, and Frank sees the lodge!

Frank's real concern is hearing Smith's voice; not so much what he's saying but that he's awake and talking.

When they are safely parked in the Lodge lot, Frank gets out and goes around to unbuckle Smith and carry.him in.

Tig is inside, "Hey, I-" Then he stands "Okay how can I help?"

"lo.." Smith slurs a bit

"Get a cot at the Balefire." Frank orders, and takes the eshu there.

The cot set up, Tig says "I got a spring balm cookie.. it's a bit old, may not heal him up much, but it's an idea" He offers

Smith looks a bit better already thanks to the balefire's light