The Taboo Collector and His Odd Companion

The morning light shown through the windows of the mansion known as De Cri. Unnamable objects lit up, their decorations of jewels and sparkles illuminating the room with many bright vibrant colors. A body stirred under the crimson covers of an enormous bed. Opening his azure eyes, he looked at the swirling colors on his ceiling. Blinking once or twice, he stroked the side of his head. Sitting up, he chanted a couple of words.
"Aredia gradni…" His voice was soft and quiet. Shining dully in the light, a red robe started to flow off of it's own hinge and towards him. Gently fixing his Mohawk while the robe floated over to him, he yawned a little, and sifted over to the side of the bed. Grabbing the robe and slipping it on, he got up and clapped his hands together once and clicked with his tongue. The heavy wooden door opened as soon as he did so. A small smile crept across his face.
"Another beautiful day in Radicus's house…" Radicus said, his smile vanishing as soon as he said that. His smile turned straight downwards into a rather dark grimace. Radicus let out a long sigh as he swiftly trotted down the stairs.

Radicus had been alone ever since his parents died. He had never looked for company, because he never cared too much about the village folk. A huge majority of them were judgmental snobs. Sure, Radicus was from a royal family. But he was not at all like the people he lived by. Besides him being wealthy, Radicus also had certain tastes that no one approved of. He had stained his hands with magic. Magic was highly frowned upon… even his parents had forbade it. But it had always been a fascination of his. And today he was going to indulge himself in his dark hobby.

He did not see why the people fussed so much about magic. From the items he had bought, all of them have done useful things. Well. At least the nick knacks he had learned how to use. He had many things that he had bought off of the black market down in the woods. And it was not like the items came with instruction manuals. Or much less, talkative owners. Most of them were shady and rather devious. He always let them haggle for a bigger price with him, because then they both would think they got away with getting more for their goods, and they did not know that he had LOTS of money. Sir Radicus reached inside of his closet, pulling out a dark crimson robe with golden emblems embroidering them. He did not want to bring much attention to his face.

One would think that a robe like this would only make him stand out more.

But as Radicus gently put it over his shoulders and slid the hood over his head, his face automatically transformed into something completely different. The robe completely disappeared, and his blue eyes morphed into green ones, and his hair distorted until it was in a neat brown comb back instead of a white Mohawk. His face sprouted a small beard and glasses appeared out of nowhere and floated just above his nose. Radicus snatched the glasses up swiftly and placed them upon his nose, and took a swift glance into the mirror.
"You're such a clever one, aren't you Raddy?" Radicus said in a peculiar voice that wasn't his, but the disguised voice. Making a disgusted voice, he gripped his throat and scrunched up his nose.
"Weird. I didn't know this thing changed voices… and I don't like this voice either." Radicus mumbled as he made his way out the door, his attire looking like the normal snobs of the town; a brown tuxedo, crisp and very clean. The sun always was a rather large influence on whether he went out or not, but today he grit and bared it. His disguised face scrunched up and squinted, his eyes taking pain from such a bright day. Radicus, under his disguise, was alarmingly pale. He hardly ever got out of the house. And when he did, he cursed the sun to high heavens for its relentless attacks. But he was not going to miss out on this. No. Today was a mass gathering of MANY many magic sellers. He had heard about it from eavesdropping on the less quieter sellers. And with a whole lot of sellers, there came more opportunity to buy fascinating things from more far off unknown places. The very thought made him shiver as he went down the streets. People looked over at him mildly suspicious when he did so, considering it was such a nice day. Radicus only walked faster after this. Children played around in the streets, the mothers chasing after them like they were wild geese. The clack of his cane echoed throughout the streets and the people in the market of the town could be heard. Sure, they were selling fish meat and bread, which all smelled wonderful, but Radicus knew what he was going for would satisfy his specific appetites more then anything.

Reaching the end of the road, he looked behind him to see if there was any followers. The street was vacant except for a small black dog running across the street. Radicus chuckled to himself.
"Wouldn't be surprised if that was one of them..." He said as he again sneered at his fake voice. Looking back to the end of the road, he waltzed straight into the tall grass, shoving his way through it. Soon enough, the grass began to get shorter and shorter, and sure enough, he was trotting on a well worn path. Pulling off his robe, he put it in his bag. But it wasn't just any bag. The bag was only the size of his hand, but it sucked the robe in without any trouble. Yet another one of his magical items he had acquired over his lifetime. Luckily this one looked normal enough to carry around on his person, as long as he didn't put anything abnormally large into it and it just suck it up. That would surely draw attention. The trees creaked and bent as he followed the path into the woods. Grateful for the shade the enormous redwood trees provided for him, he breathed in the cool crisp smells of the forest. He soon would be there.

Animals of all sorts rustled in the bushes and clamored up the trees as he went by. He saw a few people on his way, magic sellers, no doubt. They smelled of enticing perfumes that was not sold in the town he lived in. bells jingled as they walked along, not a word passing through their lips. Their staffs bore things on it such as rabbit bones and pretty gems that sparkled as the patches of sun hit them through the trees. The people carried all sorts of boxes, most of them looking ancient, a few unknown emblems on them which were partially faded. A few of them even had a few animals. Familiars, no doubt. They were definitely dealers. Radicus shivered slightly in excitement as he neared two familiar redwood trees. They both had fallen down, one right next to the other, forming a V. Stepping through these crossed trees, Radicus was met with a familiar, but always wondrous sight. Appearing from nowhere, all sorts of huts and booths lined the streets, with many people walking around with odds and ends, and some with pets on their shoulders or scurrying along beside them. It was The Dragon Horn Bizarre. Even though he had been there many times before, it always filled him with excitement as if he were a kid at Christmas day. Hearing a bark, he looked back and saw the little black dog materialize from jumping through the trees. It then morphed into a man whom brushed himself off and went on his way to the Bizarre. Radicus smiled. He knew he was a man. Closing his eyes and breathing in the smell of rare exotic meats such as dragon fillets and omelets, he felt like he was back at home. Treading slowly and taking his time, he started on his adventure.

Many of the people didn't even cast a second glance over at Radicus and his bizarre dressing habits or hairstyle. There was many other strange people then him. He stopped to listen to a woman completely wrapped in white robes. She was singing in some foreign language that didn't even seem human. In fact it wasn't. It involved many strange sounds that could only be described as alien. A whirring sound came from her voice as she swayed her hands slightly, dancing to her song. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the beautiful strings of melodies that was coming from her mouth. It reminded him of old tales of dragon slayers and wizards. The lady strummed her fingers across a golden harp that sat next to her. Her fingers skillfully flew across the strings, not even having to look at it. Radicus laid down a couple of dollars for her and continued on his way, experiencing the calm feelings her melody brought to him. Soon enough, he wandered into a shop with a woman seemingly babbling to herself. Following her gaze, he saw that she was not just a crazy woman. She was chanting to a book and waving her hands at it. Pictures leapt from the pages, fairies danced around and the children sitting on the floor clapped and stared in awe, their eyes twinkling in the light of the pictures. Browsing through a couple of books on the shelf, he grabbed a few and went up to the other person in the shop. The man was busy sorting through coins of different countries, but looked up automatically when Radicus approached.
"Will that be it?" The voice man said with a raspy gruff voice. His eyes were grayed and he was obviously blind. But he knew he was there. A bit startled, Radicus nodded.
"I'm sorry, yes. I was just startled because…" He trailed off awkwardly, not wanting to say it was because the man was blind. The old man grinned a wide smile, displaying his silver tooth that glinted in the light.
"Ah, one is not as blind as some people think." The man spoke and reached out, taking the two books from him and running a couple fingers over the top of it. His fingers read the titles swiftly.
"That'll be 20 dollars." The man said sliding them back over to Radicus. Radicus smiled and pulled out the money, setting it into the man's outstretched hand. Setting it into the callous hand, he exited the store, and headed over to the food portion of the bizarre. Sitting down after ordering a hot piece of dragon meat, he waited it to cool. The smell of it was enticing. The smell of it even smelled like fire itself. Looking over to the other shops, he took a small sip of his berry juice. An idea popped into his head. If he was so lonely, why not buy a pet?

Radicus thought about it and looked over to the familiar shop on the corner of the street. There was many animals such as parrots, dogs, mice, rodents, snakes, and even a couple of pet dragons. He would get a dragon if they weren't so loud. With all of the noise that came from dragons, the village folk would definitely become more curious. They were already talking about how he was never around and very mysterious. Radicus sighed as he finished the rest of his meat. The flavor of the meat tasted like fire itself. Taking in a deep breath, he got up and walked over to the familiar shop with an undeniable hope. Radicus walked in, slightly ashamed. He felt so desperate looking for a familiar, but he strode in proudly as he could. A parrot flew right in front of him, startling him a bit as it's colorful wings flashed before him. Crouching down to look at the ones in small cages, he discovered toads and reptiles. Below them on the ground were all colors of cats, looking intently at the birds and rodents in the room and pulling at their leashes. There was a few dogs scattered throughout the shop, most of them mutts. Crouching down to scratch one behind the ear, he could hear the store clerk arguing with one of his customers. No doubt about prices.
"Twenty doubloons for this here bird. That is my final offer." The man who had a strong pirate accent spoke. The store owner huffed.
"I told you, no deal! It is 30, and that is FINAL. I raise all these animals with love and care. They are at least worth that." The shrewd man said with a scowl. The other man let out a growl of dissatisfaction but seemed defeated.
"Alright you good for nothing dirt bag… here. Take it." The sound of money clinking could be heard. Radicus looked to the owner. His face was red with rage and he kicked a cat who made a angry hiss on his way back into the room.
"Damn cheapskates trying to haggle with me… you dumb animals are worth more then what they ask…" he said mumbling and sitting back into his chair, and picking up a book. Radicus petted the cat, highly disapproving of how the man treated these animals. Just then out of the corner of his eye, Radicus spotted something that glinted in the sun. The man had a black leash around his wrist, with tiny mirror decorations on the loop. It was a very long leash. Following the leash with his eyes, Radicus came upon the corner of the shop. In the dark, something moved. Radicus blinked and got up quietly, trying not to disturb the man. His curiosity peaked, he observed as he got closer. On the floor two hands seemed to move on the floor. But they were black and were long and sharp fingers. Eyes stared at him intently and somewhat warily. The creature had sunk back a little in the shadows, but now was just as curious as Radicus was. His face was that of a man, and half of his body too. The lower half was completely black, and he appeared to have a small tail swishing back and forth behind him. He bore elf ears and a slender body that hid quite well in the shadows. His hair as jet black, and his upper torso and face was so pale that Radicus could of sworn it was white. The creature looked to Radicus, a solemn expression on his face. Radicus's heart was beating fast. What a magnificent creature. What a beautiful creature. Smiling a little, Radicus spoke softly.
"Do you have a name…? I am Radicus." Radicus spoke as if he was speaking to a child. Suddenly, the creature lurched forward. Startled, Radicus leaped out of the way, and soon discovered that it was not the creature who had moved. Struggling like a wild animal, it was brought to the shop keeper's side forcefully by the leash. Crouching down in almost a begging manner, the creature put his hands up to the collar and clawed at it, terrified.
"Skarrow is not for sale." The man's voice was deeply accented in Russian and was as cold as ice. Radicus looked down to the creature named Skarrow. Skarrow flinched every time the man made a sudden movement.
"I will make it worth your while." Radicus said adamantly, moved by the creature's silent agony. The man shook his head.
"I said no deal. Not for sale." Radicus fought back a few sharp words he wanted to speak to the man.
"700 dollars." Radicus said, trying to show that he meant business. The man looked at him for a moment and then let out an unpleasant laugh.
"Ahah! … You serious? He is worth far more then this." Radicus knew the man was lying. His eyes had shifted to the right. Radicus stiffened up and grimaced.
"One grand." He said with a tinge of darkness in his voice. The man played with the page of his book. Radicus knew that he was either debating or making up a final price. He knew that it probably was coming up with a large price.
"…'Vell. Considering how great of a servant he is, he is not going to be cheap." The man said and paused cruelly.
"Give me two grand, ey? Then we might have a deal." He said acting like it was no big deal and pretending to go back to reading his book. Radicus walked forward and pulled out the money from his small bag, he put it down on top of the book. The man looked up, trying his best to hide his shock.
"Wait wait now, I said you might have a deal, I--" Radicus was quick to cut him off.
"I hope you know that you are as easy to read as that book you are holding. Both of us know that this is far more then you would of put up for him. So I suggest you take it before I walk out." Radicus said, looming over the man and holding out his hand. The man was silent for a couple of seconds, opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. Mumbling in dissatisfaction, he threw the leash into Radicus's hand and looked over to Skarrow. Snatching up the money greedily, he ordered Skarrow to go.
"Go on, scat. I don't have all day, you worthless rat. He's your problem now." The man said letting out another unpleasant throaty laugh. Radicus looked to Skarrow, beckoning for him to come. Skarrow hesitated, but outstretched his hand and started crawling over to Radicus. He stopped behind Radicus, at a safe distance of course. Radicus made sure he was far away enough from the shop until he looked back to Skarrow again. His eyes were shifting everywhere nervously, and when he saw Radicus looking at him, he flinched. His skin was indeed white as ivory, and he clung to the building's shade. Sitting down, Radicus smiled at the fascinating wonder before him.

"So you hate the sun too, huh Skarrow?" Skarrow flinched once more as Radicus spoke. Skarrow paused, looking at Radicus with his glistening black eyes. He did not speak. Radicus scratched his head a little, feeling the awkwardness.
"You know… you don't have to crawl like that." Radicus said, a compassionate look written all over his face. Skarrow kept his eyes locked onto Radicus's, a hint of confusion on his own face. Skarrow gently removed his hands from the ground and placed them on his knees as he squatted upwards.
"Good good, that's a start." Radicus said with a smile. Radicus for the first time saw his curved little black shoes. There was a long pause before Radicus attempted to talk with him again.
"My name is Radicus. Your's is Skarrow. Right?" Radicus said in a gentle voice. Skarrow looked to the ground, a beaten look on his face.
"R-Radi… Radicus…" Skarrow's voice was as soft as velvet as he spoke to the ground. Radicus was delighted that he managed to at least get a word out of him. Getting up onto his feet, he scooped up the alarmed creature.
"Alright, I'm baggin' what I got and going home." Radicus said as he started to walk along. The creature was shockingly light. Skarrow clung to Radicus's neck, like a scared child. His breath was rapid against Radicus's neck, and his heart was fluttering like a bird. He had never experienced anything being so frightened. Radicus wished Desperately to comfort him.
"You know… I am not going to treat you like he did. Whatever he did to you, it is not going to happen again." Radicus quietly spoke to Skarrow whom clung to him so tightly. Loosening his grip a little, he looked at Radicus, his body stiffening. Radicus didn't even need to look over at Skarrow to know that he didn't believe him. Sighing as he stepped through the trees and set Skarrow down, he looked to Skarrow. Skarrow had reverted to his normal crouching position.
"C'mon. You can stand." Radicus said kneeling down. Skarrow turned his head to the left, ashamed. A small click made Skarrow look over in curiosity. Radicus held the leash for a couple of seconds, and then tossed it aside. He then proceeded to take off the collar. Skarrow tensed as once again he felt the hands of his new master. They were big and warm, and one of his fingers bore a ring. Observing the creature as he removed the collar and tossed it aside, he smiled.
"This was a ring from my parents." Radicus said, touching the top of it. It was the seal of the household.
"Do you have any gifts from your parents?" Radicus attempted again to get a couple words out of him. Skarrow stared at where Radicus threw the collar in bewilderment and then looked back up to Radicus. Knowing that he wasn't about to get any sort of answer, he offered a hand to him. Shifting his gaze to his master's hand, a nervous aura intoxicated him. Radicus could feel it. Skarrow reached out and gently placed his slender hand into Radicus's firm one and looked to the left again, closing his eyes tightly. Radicus gently pulled Skarrow up. Skarrow lost his balance because he had his eyes closed and tumbled forward straight into Radicus's arms. Immediately jumping back with wide eyes, Skarrow bowed his head as an apology. Radicus chuckled.
"Like I said. You don't need to treat me like a high and mighty owner. We are equals now." Radicus said as he sifted through his bag. Skarrow blinked.
"E-equals…?" Skarrow said in his soft tone, his lips barely moving at all. Radicus looked up a bit startled that he had finally spoken again. Skarrow held his tail and waited for an answer with shy eyes.
"Yeah, that means you don't work for me. I would love it if you would come to live with me though." Radicus said, his heart fluttering with nervousness. He had never asked anyone to come visit him let alone live with him. Skarrow nodded, looking back down to the ground. Radicus could not hold back a wide joyous grin.
"Then you'll need to put this on." He said handing Skarrow the cloak. Skarrow put it on awkwardly, and just like that, his whole body changed into the persona Radicus was earlier. Nodding in approval, he gestured Skarrow to follow along. He was a bit worried about Skarrow's behavioral patterns showing through, and he was right to worry. Looking back, Radicus began to laugh hysterically. There, right behind him was Skarrow crawling on all fours again, looking like a gentleman gone stark raving mad.
"Skarrow, you really got to walk. It is ok." Radicus said wiping away a tear from laughter and helping Skarrow up again.