A seeker of knowledge, a seeker of truth

A journey to learn what was lost, and to find purpse

[theseeker-oftruth]

Signature Spellbook: Isobel, the Seeker of Truth 

[smolgruulgal]

The painting I’ve been working on. Enjoyed drawing my warlock. She’s changed so much, since the start of the game. I love her way too much 

[theseeker-oftruth]

@josephkabox reblogged your post and added:

Seeing the creature, Joseph couldn’t help but suppress a gag. Seeing mutated animals was one thing. Seeing humans warped into such parodies of life, well, it was always hard for him to stomach. Never had he seen a plane with such twisted creatures, and he hated it had to be his home.

At the mention of a book, Joseph was mildly confused, until he noticed the tome lodged in the one half’s mangled torso. “We’ve been after a book?” He supposed he wasn’t too surprised, as he knew how valuable some books could be, and she’d already mentioned she wasn’t really a treasure hunter.

With the creatures retreating back into the floor and Isobel using her powers to stay grappled to it, Joseph furrowed his brow as he called upon his energy once more. “Oh no you don’t.” Grabbing Isobel around the waist and pulling back on her, he poured his energy into them both, sending a surge of strength trough them so to better pull the creatures back.

Before Joseph could see if it was working, the howl of whatever lurked beneath the floor made his eyes widen instantly. “That…sounded big.” Part of Joseph wondered if this was worth whatever was in that book. He contemplated taking Isobel and getting out of there, but something told him she wasn’t just going to leave, and he wasn’t ready to just leave her there alone.

With what was left of his reserved energy, Joseph focused on the world around him, thinking back to fights he’d fought in the past. The image of soldiers at his sides came to mind, and reaching out with his energy, soon enough, the sound of unsheathing swords could be heard.

Standing at each side of the two, a pair of ethereal soldiers had manifested from Joseph’s energy, swords at the ready for whatever harm may come, their empty eyes locked on the abomination in the pit.  

The eldritch creature watched with purple eyes. Pits of light that dug into its skull. 

The two puppet humanoids began to chant a strange tune, “ In the beginning there was dust dust dust, but we will eat the yellow as we must must must.” “Will they taste like mouse? We must find out.”

Isobel’s eyes widened at the disturbing words to their mad tune, “Shut up!” In a fit of anger fueled by the sudden burst of strength from Joseph, she tugged as hard as she could. The flesh veins holding one of the vampires in place ripped as she violently pulled. 

The elder monster made a gurgling sound as it began to crawl into the room, attempting to get closer to Isobel and Joseph. As it did, a pain rushed through Isobel’s head, as the chain tattoos on her wrists and neck glowed brightly, even through her cloth and armor. 

She lost focus and her power retreated as she almost collapsed into Joseph’s grasp. Thankfully, the spectral soldiers rushed towards the creature, pushing it back from them.

Isobel pushed through her dizziness and pointed to the body of the vampire with the book, “I-I have to get that. I can’t return empty handed.”

[josephkabox]

As Joseph watched Iosbel’s body seemingly react to the presence of the horror before them, he was glad to have summoned the soldiers to his aid.

With her limp in his arms, he had to fight the urge to just take her and run as she spoke to him. “Isobel…” He clentched his teeth as he looked once more to the tome lodged into the chest of one of the puppeted ‘humans.’ Why hadn’t he brought his partner with him, he thought. He could try to detain them, but his mana reserves were limited at this point. He really hadn’t expected a literal eldrazi spawn to be nestled in a place like this.

A dark part of his brain lept at this moment, playing on his exhausted state. Gnawing at him to make a move.

Reaching for his neck, he bit his lip as he yanked free a silver medallion, letting it fall to the floor. “This book better be worth it.” He gave her a wry laugh as he gently moved her away from the action. “Stay back. Trust me.”

With a swipe of its arms, one of the soldiers shattered like glass before evaporating into nothing but a fine mist. The puppeted humans laughed as they were one pawn closer to evicting their uninvited guests.

As the last summoned soldier slashed helplessly at the eldrazi horror, one of the humans turned to notice Joseph undoing his tunic. “Oh, the little mouse gives itself freely?”

Raising an eyebrow, a mild look of shock surfaced on the creature’s face as Joseph dropped to his knees, yelling out as his skin began to write, the bones under his thinning flesh shifting with loud pops and the sound of tearing muscle.

“What’s this?” As the rest of the beast turned to face Joseph, using a massive limb to smash the other soldier as it did, it was shocked as a beast leapt upon one of the humans, leaving only a pile of shed clothes where Joseph had stood.

A cry of pain escaped from the puppeted human as the blur of dark fur assalted it, blood and flesh flying as the werewolf tore into it. The eldrazi tired to swat at Joseph with its massive claws, but Joseph had already lept to the other of the two humans, the first dropping to the floor with a wet plop as its tether had been broken.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“What do you mean Jo-!!”

An audible gasp came from her as she watched the scene of his transformation. Joseph was a werewolf! And in a flash of motion, he had tore through the two humanoid puppets, tearing them apart. 

Isobel was so taken in by the shock that she hadn’t noticed she had fallen down. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the beastial form of Joseph. He was moving about with a strange grace that one wouldn’t expect for a beast his size. 

It was only when she noticed Joseph had acquired the vampire with the book that Isobel came back into the moment. 

She reached out to his mind: Oh! You got him. Rip out the book and we can get out of here!

Standing up, Isobel gestured for Joseph to hurry up. The Eldrazi spawn did not seem to appreciate not being able to grab Joseph, and it began to lift itself further. Two large limbs emerged from the pit and dug into the walls, as it started to pull itself out. 

Seeing her chance, Isobel gathered her remaining magic and shot beams of magenta flames towards the creature. They connected knocking it back slightly, but it kept its grip. Suddenly, the wooden boards began to creak and break around Isobel and a large limb emerged. 

Far too quick for her to react in her weakened state, she was tightly gripped by the grasping hand of the spawn. A light of black and magenta forming a ring around Isobel’s head as she screamed. The pain was far too much as the spawn tried to flay her mind. 

She cried out, though her words only could pour from her thoughts entering the minds of any close enough to her. MAKE IT STOP!!!!

And from the beast, a single word emerged from its mouthless face,

 “Awaken.”

[josephkabox]

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black. Whatever colors existed within the real world were muted by an overlay of blood and rage.

Black blood splashed onto his fur, darker than the hair of his human state and yet uncannily familiar in its curl and texture.

With a snap, Joseph had severed the final puppet from its strings. A meek part of his mind whispered to his primal fit. Remember why we’ve done this. The strings to the macabre marionette dangled, dripping from his maw. Looking down, he saw the tome and swiftly yanked it free from the puppet’s chest before he let his jaws go slack, taking a sick pleasure in the wet thud a moment later.

A scream pierced his ears, his sensitive eardrums begging for it to cease. With a snarl, he turned to face the female. His head throbbed as he leapt to the mighty hand that gripped her, his unburdened claws sinking into its flesh. With terrible speed, his jaws opened, ready to silence the girl, when that meek voice spoke once more. Remember, Joseph. Remember.

The world around him felt slow in this form. With the perk of an ear, he knew right away another alien limb was coming to meet its twin, ready to swat him away like a fly. Closing his jaws around the girl’s clothing, he used his claws to rip into the fist that gripped her, and the muscles in his neck to pull her free.

With a leap, the hand he expected slapped only at the spot of arm he had once been.

Touching the ground, he ran with an awkward three legged run – the book clasped tightly in his fist, the girl dangling like a pup from his jaws.

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black, and yet he could see just fine, and what he saw was a way out. Lowering his head, he smashed into an ancient window, shards of glass ripping into his flesh. The pain was ignored, almost nonexistent in his rage, and as he hit the ground, he hit it running.

He smelled a forest. Nostalgia set in. The meek voice in his head said nothing as his instincts lead his body towards the forest. They’d be safe there.

[theseeker-oftruth]

Pain. Darkness. A voice. Silence. 

It was like it had been before. An absence of everything. No sensation, no passage of time, a void of existence. 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

However, it was different this time. She suddenly felt something. She felt cold, then warmth. The wind against her face, and the tug of cloth against her body. Was she being held? 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

Isobel opened her eyes to see the dull light of the waxing moon. Its light radiated across the cloudy sky, and pierced through the trees that surrounded her. Rubbing her head, she glanced down at her arms. The tattoos were no longer glowing, though a nagging pain filled her head. It made her vision blurry. 

Lifting herself slightly, the mage winced in a sudden shock of pain at her side. Isobel froze, but not from the pain. She was remembering what had happened, and slowly turned her head around to observe her surroundings.

“Joseph?”

[josephkabox]

The forest round Isobel was dense, shaded black by the thick treetops. In the small clearing where she resided, however, the moon illuminated the grass around her, as well as the small drops of blood.

A soft growl could be heard in the distance, and in the shadow of the trees, the glint of two red eyes could be seen, framed by a bulky dark shape.

Joseph growled as he remained under the cover of the shadow. His mind was a jumble of murderous thoughts, conflicted by a soft presence keeping him grounded. As if angred by the leash that was his humanity, the werewolf slashed at a nearby tree before sitting on his haunches.

As Isobel stirred, he snarled at her, but did little else, seeming unwilling to expose himself to the moonlight. Wanting desperately to run free into the night, never to meet a human again, but remaining tethered by the shred of his humanity.

Looking down at his hand, he remembered the book he had brought. Why had he brought it? He couldn’t remember. Lifting it up, letting a sliver of moonbeam illuminate it, he looked over its cover. If any writing was etched upon it, he had no memory of how to read it, but looking at the tome seemed to make him think. This was important. This female was important. The meek voice in his head remained silent, and his crimson eyes turned to the girl.

He gave her a soft growl, but otherwise remained tame. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

Everything was a bit blurry and faded at first. She needed to allow her eyes to adjust to the new environment and the minimal light. It was hard to see, but she definitely could hear everything. The growls from a nearby circlet of trees caught her attention.

Lifting her body ever so slightly, Isobel narrowed her eyes to look. She could make out the dark form of Joseph, his beastial body cloaked by the shadows. The two red eyes pierced through the darkness, staring into her own null blue eyes.

Placing a hand on the back of her clothes, they were moist. There was also a bit of tearing. It was obvious how he had carried her. 

A bit of silence grew between the two. The uncertainty filled the air. However, it was broken by a weak and soft chuckle, “Didn’t know you were the biting type. Didn’t even take me on a date yet.”

Isobel coughed feeling a bit exhausted. A lot had been taken out of her. She had practically used all her magic in the last bit. 

She struggled to stand, but found she was unsuccessful as she fell back down on the grass, “By the angels, look at us. We’re both such a mess.”

[josephkabox]

The joke seemed to fall on deaf ears at first, but after a moment, the growling stopped, his ears turned towards her as he seemed to listen.

Joseph looked down at himself, as if responding to her mention of their looks, and grunted. His fur was slick yet sticky with gore from those creatures. His wounds had mostly healed, given the regenerative properties of this body, but his body still felt tender.

He gave a soft whimper, but stopped as he looked back up at Isobel. That was her name, right? He blinked a few times, and the red of his eyes seemed to drop in intensity. The haze around him seemed to calm slightly.

Taking a slow step out into the moonlight, he winced as it stung his eyes, but he was quick to adjust. Now fully visible, if he were to stand fully, he’d have dwarfed Isobel, but instead he stood crouched, the knuckles of his right hand pressed against the ground for support. An awkward quadruped, yet remarkably lethal.

He sniffed the air, smelling her scent, the smell of the blood, and after a moment, his memories began to balance out. Stepping forward, he lifted the book from the grass, stretching out his long arm and letting it dangle between his claws, offering it to her, but remaining silent, if he could even speak. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

She heard the grunt and whimper as the werewolf approached. Isobel frowned and reached out a hand to gesture him closer, “oh don’t be sad. We’ll be alright. I’m sure.”

Seeing the book in his grasp, Isobel’s eyes widened. She had nearly forgotten it. The prize she had sought in the first place. The mage took a hold of the book and placed it down beside herself. She would have time later to look at it.

Despite her calmness, she was well aware of the situation. It was a surprise that Joseph had the self control to remain docile in his state, especially with the urgency of the scene they had just left. 

The thing that just happened…The hell spawn that they had fought. 

Isobel was remembering what had happened. Trembling, Isobel curled her legs close to her chest and held them tight. She squeezed herself tightly for a few moments, before allowing herself to go limp. She plopped onto the grass and exhaled softly. 

Isobel dug into her side bag and pulled out a flask, “I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.”

She took a long sip, then paused for a moment. Reaching out her hand towards Joseph, she offered him the flask.

“Sorry for that mess of a situation. I…are you alright?”

This was the first conversation she ever had with a werewolf…or at least one that was transformed.  

[josephkabox]

As Isobel took the book, he felt a sense of pity as he watched her fall over onto the ground. It was an odd feeling, nearly alien to this form.

As she offered him the flask, he jumped back in fright, only to stretch out his neck to sniff it. His snout lurched as he shook his head at the smell, wanting no part of it.

Looking around, Joseph seemed somewhat confused. Licking his jowls, the blood he tasted only confused him further. Human, but not. He felt his vision go slightly hazy once more as he remembered the taste of spilled blood in past kills. Males too weak to fend him off. His gaze returned to Isobel and his belly ached. He tore at those things, but he hadn’t truly fed. His eyes glowed crimson a moment longer until the nag of that meek voice distracted him.

He huffed as he sat down beside Isobel. Letting out a yawn, he let his head droop, and after a moment, he seemed to doze off slightly.

Slowly, his dark brown form began to shrink, the sick sound of popping joints and shifting muscle coming from him as his fur seemed to retreat and his body once more resembled that of a man.

Opening his eyes, he winced as the world around him looked foggy. Rubbing his eyes, he realized his glasses were gone, not to mention his clothes. Turning around, he noticed Isobel and nearly had a heart attack. “Isobel, I um…” He blushed as he scooted away. “…you wouldn’t happen to have blanket would you.” He looked around, the memories of what had occurred very faint in his mind. “I…didn’t expect to leave the mansion.”

[theseeker-oftruth]

Her eyes drifted closed, as she took a few moments to rest. She felt Joseph move closer, then take a place beside her. The werewolf’s fur brushing slightly against her exposed skin. It was rather soft despite how it looked in the dark. 

In all honesty, the mage could have easily drifted asleep. The only thing that woke her was the sudden jolt from Joseph, then his shuffling away.

Lifting her head, she glanced over to see a vague human form turned away. A nude human form.

Isobel quickly turned her head. Hearing his request, Isobel dug into her bag to pull out a small blanket from her bag. “Here.”

She weakly tossed it to him….unfortunately it only plopped a foot or two away from her. Isobel sighed, “A-ah…sorry. My strength is a bit sapped at the moment.”

Isobel turned away to give him a bit of privacy, so he could grab it. “So…a werewolf? Can’t say that I’ve met one quite as polite as you.”

Clearing her throat, she continued, “are you alright? You’re not hurt are you?”

[josephkabox]

Grabbing the blanket, Joseph quickly wrapped himself in it before anything ‘vital’ could be exposed.

Forcing a soft chuckle, he did his best to get over his embarassing situation. “Polite. You aren’t the one that had to sit in his head.” He furrowed his brow at the last remark, his voice having grown slightly more serious. “I keep him tame, for the most part. It’s easier…” On other worlds, he thought, but he quickly remembered who he was talking to. “Lately. Just keep your distance if I do it again. I don’t trust him. Had our situation been less dire, I wouldn’t have asked him to come out at all.” He felt that dark part of his brain scold him. They’d been through so much, and still he refused to give him an inch.

He pulled the blanket tighter around his body, watching as his breath condensed in the frigid, Innistrad air. “I think I’m fine. I remember getting banged up, but my other half heals quickly. I guess I just wasn’t expecting a full blown eldrazi to pop up.” He grimaced. Was that word common knowledge on this plane yet? He hadn’t been touched by Emrakul properly to know, and he didn’t want to push the subject with the only one he knew that had been. “That thing was horrifying. It must be the cause of the disturbances in the area. I’ll have to go back and destroy it, once I’m properly equipped to handle it. I wasn’t this time and I regret that.” I also need my stuff back, he thought.

“What about you?” He said, looking over his body, examining for wounds. “I vaguely recall us going through a window. Plus…” He remembered her markings. “What happened to you back there? I’ve heard stories of demons leaving marks on their indebted,” once more she reminded him of someone else, though he kept any suspensions at the back of his mind, “but this seemed different. You reacted to that thing.” He did his best to not sound pushy during his questions, not wanting to pry, but at the same time he wanted to help her if he could. 

Remembering the book, he wondered how much it had to play into this. “Is that book involved with this? Maybe I can help you.” His eyes turned finally to that tome, wondering if he could discover anything from what lie exposed.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“I am thankful to hear that. I unfortunately don’t really have any medical training, so wouldn’t be able to help you. At least I don’t need to play emergency healer.”

She gave a soft chuckle, but stopped when it started to hurt. Isobel sighed and rubbed her side, before laying down on the grass again.

“I wouldn’t worry too much Joseph. I’m certain that I would be alright. You wouldn’t be the first werewolf I’ve dealt with. I am from Kessig afterall.”

Reaching for the book, Isobel opened it to look through the pages. She wondered why her patron had wanted it so badly. The pages were filled with strange notes and symbols. As she read deeper, she gave a soft chuckle, “Ah, so that’s it.”

Isobel didn’t know if she had the heart to tell Joseph that it was just a recipe book. Of course, it was obviously coded and would need to be deciphered. However at first glance, it was very disheartening. 

Sitting up, Isobel glanced over to Joseph giving a serious look, “Joseph. You saved my life. In return, I can offer you this. I will answer one question truthfully, aside from that I can’t really talk about myself.”

[josephkabox]

As Isobel looked through her newly acquired book, Joseph watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was blurry, without his eyeglasses, but he could still make out her features. He felt cold, and part of him was unsettled by the evening.

The offer took Joseph off guard. Pulling the blanket closer, he thought about it, looking at a particular blade of grass as if it held some secret he longed to know. “There are many things that have happened tonight that leave me begging for answers. However, I don’t have a single question that might clear those up.” He paused. “I think after tonight, you’ve shown me that you can be, at the very least, trusted. I don’t think you intend any ill will upon me, and I don’t wish to pry about your personal affairs. If you don’t mind, for the moment, I’d like to hold onto that question.”

He looked her over once. The opportunity to know more was gnawing at his mind. No clear question could cement itself in his mind, but a haze of related ones seemed to muddle.

Rubbing his eyes, he looked around. “Not a question, but I am curious if I could bother you for a request. You would’t mind helping me back to town, would you? If this is the forest right off the road, I think that’s where I took us, it should just be back on the main road, at the foot of the mountains. I have a room I’m renting there, and I’m not quite in the best position to get back alone.” He chuckled softly, feeling somewhat prone.

[theseeker-oftruth]

Isobel gave a soft nod listening to his proposal,”I certainly don’t have any desire to argue against that. Perhaps at a later time then~” 

She pushed the book into her bag with a huff and glanced up to the stars. It was a mostly clear night, and the view of the sky was truly beautiful. Isobel couldn’t easily lose herself in it if she wasn’t careful. 

The moon. The moon was so beautiful. A silvered orb of lunacy. Isobel could faintly see the markings left upon it from the battle against the eldrazi.

“Hm?”

Isobel was brought out from her thought by Joseph’s request. She gave a soft laugh, “Well, I can’t, in good conscious, just leave a naked man to fend for himself. As long as you don’t mind keeping pace with my crippled self. I think…”

She grumbled the next bit, “I think I sprained or pulled something.”

Moving to stand, Isobel used her staff as a walking stick. She hubbled over to Joseph and offered a hand. 

“There should be a village not far from here. Lets get there before you freeze.”

[josephkabox]

Seeing the offered hand, Joseph felt uncertain about standing up, but he cold ground was really starting to get to him too. Taking her hand in his, he stood up with a grunt, doing his best to cover himself with the blanket. “Thank you.”

After standing, he paused as he watched her limp on her staff. “Hold on. Maybe I can help.” Letting the blanket drape over him as best he could, he held out his hands and rubbed them together. After a moment, the began to glow the faintest of white before he gently placed them on Isobel. “Be still, I’m not going to hurt you.” It wasn’t much, but right away the magic began to radiate through her, easing her pain. “My mother was a healer, and I learned a bit about being a field medic while growing up. I did my best to pick up on things.” He gave a half shrug. “I’m usually better at this, but I’m sort of drained at the moment. I do hope this helps though.”

After a few moments of letting the magic seep into her body, he lifted his hands from her, holding the blanket close once more. “Any better?”

[theseeker-oftruth]

The pain eased, at least enough for Isobel to stand a bit straighter. She found that she no longer needed the staff for support. Giving a soft smile, she nodded, “Thank you Joseph.” 

Glancing off towards the distance, Isobel could feel her magic picking at the threads of life where the nearby village resided; however, it quickly faded away. She didn’t have really any magic to spare. Sighing, she glanced to Joseph.

“Well, we better get walking. Its going to be a few hours to the nearest village.”

And with that, she walked alongside Joseph into the night. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

@josephkabox reblogged your post and added:

Seeing the creature, Joseph couldn’t help but suppress a gag. Seeing mutated animals was one thing. Seeing humans warped into such parodies of life, well, it was always hard for him to stomach. Never had he seen a plane with such twisted creatures, and he hated it had to be his home.

At the mention of a book, Joseph was mildly confused, until he noticed the tome lodged in the one half’s mangled torso. “We’ve been after a book?” He supposed he wasn’t too surprised, as he knew how valuable some books could be, and she’d already mentioned she wasn’t really a treasure hunter.

With the creatures retreating back into the floor and Isobel using her powers to stay grappled to it, Joseph furrowed his brow as he called upon his energy once more. “Oh no you don’t.” Grabbing Isobel around the waist and pulling back on her, he poured his energy into them both, sending a surge of strength trough them so to better pull the creatures back.

Before Joseph could see if it was working, the howl of whatever lurked beneath the floor made his eyes widen instantly. “That…sounded big.” Part of Joseph wondered if this was worth whatever was in that book. He contemplated taking Isobel and getting out of there, but something told him she wasn’t just going to leave, and he wasn’t ready to just leave her there alone.

With what was left of his reserved energy, Joseph focused on the world around him, thinking back to fights he’d fought in the past. The image of soldiers at his sides came to mind, and reaching out with his energy, soon enough, the sound of unsheathing swords could be heard.

Standing at each side of the two, a pair of ethereal soldiers had manifested from Joseph’s energy, swords at the ready for whatever harm may come, their empty eyes locked on the abomination in the pit.  

The eldritch creature watched with purple eyes. Pits of light that dug into its skull. 

The two puppet humanoids began to chant a strange tune, “ In the beginning there was dust dust dust, but we will eat the yellow as we must must must.” “Will they taste like mouse? We must find out.”

Isobel’s eyes widened at the disturbing words to their mad tune, “Shut up!” In a fit of anger fueled by the sudden burst of strength from Joseph, she tugged as hard as she could. The flesh veins holding one of the vampires in place ripped as she violently pulled. 

The elder monster made a gurgling sound as it began to crawl into the room, attempting to get closer to Isobel and Joseph. As it did, a pain rushed through Isobel’s head, as the chain tattoos on her wrists and neck glowed brightly, even through her cloth and armor. 

She lost focus and her power retreated as she almost collapsed into Joseph’s grasp. Thankfully, the spectral soldiers rushed towards the creature, pushing it back from them.

Isobel pushed through her dizziness and pointed to the body of the vampire with the book, “I-I have to get that. I can’t return empty handed.”

[josephkabox]

As Joseph watched Iosbel’s body seemingly react to the presence of the horror before them, he was glad to have summoned the soldiers to his aid.

With her limp in his arms, he had to fight the urge to just take her and run as she spoke to him. “Isobel…” He clentched his teeth as he looked once more to the tome lodged into the chest of one of the puppeted ‘humans.’ Why hadn’t he brought his partner with him, he thought. He could try to detain them, but his mana reserves were limited at this point. He really hadn’t expected a literal eldrazi spawn to be nestled in a place like this.

A dark part of his brain lept at this moment, playing on his exhausted state. Gnawing at him to make a move.

Reaching for his neck, he bit his lip as he yanked free a silver medallion, letting it fall to the floor. “This book better be worth it.” He gave her a wry laugh as he gently moved her away from the action. “Stay back. Trust me.”

With a swipe of its arms, one of the soldiers shattered like glass before evaporating into nothing but a fine mist. The puppeted humans laughed as they were one pawn closer to evicting their uninvited guests.

As the last summoned soldier slashed helplessly at the eldrazi horror, one of the humans turned to notice Joseph undoing his tunic. “Oh, the little mouse gives itself freely?”

Raising an eyebrow, a mild look of shock surfaced on the creature’s face as Joseph dropped to his knees, yelling out as his skin began to write, the bones under his thinning flesh shifting with loud pops and the sound of tearing muscle.

“What’s this?” As the rest of the beast turned to face Joseph, using a massive limb to smash the other soldier as it did, it was shocked as a beast leapt upon one of the humans, leaving only a pile of shed clothes where Joseph had stood.

A cry of pain escaped from the puppeted human as the blur of dark fur assalted it, blood and flesh flying as the werewolf tore into it. The eldrazi tired to swat at Joseph with its massive claws, but Joseph had already lept to the other of the two humans, the first dropping to the floor with a wet plop as its tether had been broken.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“What do you mean Jo-!!”

An audible gasp came from her as she watched the scene of his transformation. Joseph was a werewolf! And in a flash of motion, he had tore through the two humanoid puppets, tearing them apart. 

Isobel was so taken in by the shock that she hadn’t noticed she had fallen down. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the beastial form of Joseph. He was moving about with a strange grace that one wouldn’t expect for a beast his size. 

It was only when she noticed Joseph had acquired the vampire with the book that Isobel came back into the moment. 

She reached out to his mind: Oh! You got him. Rip out the book and we can get out of here!

Standing up, Isobel gestured for Joseph to hurry up. The Eldrazi spawn did not seem to appreciate not being able to grab Joseph, and it began to lift itself further. Two large limbs emerged from the pit and dug into the walls, as it started to pull itself out. 

Seeing her chance, Isobel gathered her remaining magic and shot beams of magenta flames towards the creature. They connected knocking it back slightly, but it kept its grip. Suddenly, the wooden boards began to creak and break around Isobel and a large limb emerged. 

Far too quick for her to react in her weakened state, she was tightly gripped by the grasping hand of the spawn. A light of black and magenta forming a ring around Isobel’s head as she screamed. The pain was far too much as the spawn tried to flay her mind. 

She cried out, though her words only could pour from her thoughts entering the minds of any close enough to her. MAKE IT STOP!!!!

And from the beast, a single word emerged from its mouthless face,

 “Awaken.”

[josephkabox]

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black. Whatever colors existed within the real world were muted by an overlay of blood and rage.

Black blood splashed onto his fur, darker than the hair of his human state and yet uncannily familiar in its curl and texture.

With a snap, Joseph had severed the final puppet from its strings. A meek part of his mind whispered to his primal fit. Remember why we’ve done this. The strings to the macabre marionette dangled, dripping from his maw. Looking down, he saw the tome and swiftly yanked it free from the puppet’s chest before he let his jaws go slack, taking a sick pleasure in the wet thud a moment later.

A scream pierced his ears, his sensitive eardrums begging for it to cease. With a snarl, he turned to face the female. His head throbbed as he leapt to the mighty hand that gripped her, his unburdened claws sinking into its flesh. With terrible speed, his jaws opened, ready to silence the girl, when that meek voice spoke once more. Remember, Joseph. Remember.

The world around him felt slow in this form. With the perk of an ear, he knew right away another alien limb was coming to meet its twin, ready to swat him away like a fly. Closing his jaws around the girl’s clothing, he used his claws to rip into the fist that gripped her, and the muscles in his neck to pull her free.

With a leap, the hand he expected slapped only at the spot of arm he had once been.

Touching the ground, he ran with an awkward three legged run – the book clasped tightly in his fist, the girl dangling like a pup from his jaws.

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black, and yet he could see just fine, and what he saw was a way out. Lowering his head, he smashed into an ancient window, shards of glass ripping into his flesh. The pain was ignored, almost nonexistent in his rage, and as he hit the ground, he hit it running.

He smelled a forest. Nostalgia set in. The meek voice in his head said nothing as his instincts lead his body towards the forest. They’d be safe there.

[theseeker-oftruth]

Pain. Darkness. A voice. Silence. 

It was like it had been before. An absence of everything. No sensation, no passage of time, a void of existence. 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

However, it was different this time. She suddenly felt something. She felt cold, then warmth. The wind against her face, and the tug of cloth against her body. Was she being held? 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

Isobel opened her eyes to see the dull light of the waxing moon. Its light radiated across the cloudy sky, and pierced through the trees that surrounded her. Rubbing her head, she glanced down at her arms. The tattoos were no longer glowing, though a nagging pain filled her head. It made her vision blurry. 

Lifting herself slightly, the mage winced in a sudden shock of pain at her side. Isobel froze, but not from the pain. She was remembering what had happened, and slowly turned her head around to observe her surroundings.

“Joseph?”

[josephkabox]

The forest round Isobel was dense, shaded black by the thick treetops. In the small clearing where she resided, however, the moon illuminated the grass around her, as well as the small drops of blood.

A soft growl could be heard in the distance, and in the shadow of the trees, the glint of two red eyes could be seen, framed by a bulky dark shape.

Joseph growled as he remained under the cover of the shadow. His mind was a jumble of murderous thoughts, conflicted by a soft presence keeping him grounded. As if angred by the leash that was his humanity, the werewolf slashed at a nearby tree before sitting on his haunches.

As Isobel stirred, he snarled at her, but did little else, seeming unwilling to expose himself to the moonlight. Wanting desperately to run free into the night, never to meet a human again, but remaining tethered by the shred of his humanity.

Looking down at his hand, he remembered the book he had brought. Why had he brought it? He couldn’t remember. Lifting it up, letting a sliver of moonbeam illuminate it, he looked over its cover. If any writing was etched upon it, he had no memory of how to read it, but looking at the tome seemed to make him think. This was important. This female was important. The meek voice in his head remained silent, and his crimson eyes turned to the girl.

He gave her a soft growl, but otherwise remained tame. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

Everything was a bit blurry and faded at first. She needed to allow her eyes to adjust to the new environment and the minimal light. It was hard to see, but she definitely could hear everything. The growls from a nearby circlet of trees caught her attention.

Lifting her body ever so slightly, Isobel narrowed her eyes to look. She could make out the dark form of Joseph, his beastial body cloaked by the shadows. The two red eyes pierced through the darkness, staring into her own null blue eyes.

Placing a hand on the back of her clothes, they were moist. There was also a bit of tearing. It was obvious how he had carried her. 

A bit of silence grew between the two. The uncertainty filled the air. However, it was broken by a weak and soft chuckle, “Didn’t know you were the biting type. Didn’t even take me on a date yet.”

Isobel coughed feeling a bit exhausted. A lot had been taken out of her. She had practically used all her magic in the last bit. 

She struggled to stand, but found she was unsuccessful as she fell back down on the grass, “By the angels, look at us. We’re both such a mess.”

[josephkabox]

The joke seemed to fall on deaf ears at first, but after a moment, the growling stopped, his ears turned towards her as he seemed to listen.

Joseph looked down at himself, as if responding to her mention of their looks, and grunted. His fur was slick yet sticky with gore from those creatures. His wounds had mostly healed, given the regenerative properties of this body, but his body still felt tender.

He gave a soft whimper, but stopped as he looked back up at Isobel. That was her name, right? He blinked a few times, and the red of his eyes seemed to drop in intensity. The haze around him seemed to calm slightly.

Taking a slow step out into the moonlight, he winced as it stung his eyes, but he was quick to adjust. Now fully visible, if he were to stand fully, he’d have dwarfed Isobel, but instead he stood crouched, the knuckles of his right hand pressed against the ground for support. An awkward quadruped, yet remarkably lethal.

He sniffed the air, smelling her scent, the smell of the blood, and after a moment, his memories began to balance out. Stepping forward, he lifted the book from the grass, stretching out his long arm and letting it dangle between his claws, offering it to her, but remaining silent, if he could even speak. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

She heard the grunt and whimper as the werewolf approached. Isobel frowned and reached out a hand to gesture him closer, “oh don’t be sad. We’ll be alright. I’m sure.”

Seeing the book in his grasp, Isobel’s eyes widened. She had nearly forgotten it. The prize she had sought in the first place. The mage took a hold of the book and placed it down beside herself. She would have time later to look at it.

Despite her calmness, she was well aware of the situation. It was a surprise that Joseph had the self control to remain docile in his state, especially with the urgency of the scene they had just left. 

The thing that just happened…The hell spawn that they had fought. 

Isobel was remembering what had happened. Trembling, Isobel curled her legs close to her chest and held them tight. She squeezed herself tightly for a few moments, before allowing herself to go limp. She plopped onto the grass and exhaled softly. 

Isobel dug into her side bag and pulled out a flask, “I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.”

She took a long sip, then paused for a moment. Reaching out her hand towards Joseph, she offered him the flask.

“Sorry for that mess of a situation. I…are you alright?”

This was the first conversation she ever had with a werewolf…or at least one that was transformed.  

[josephkabox]

As Isobel took the book, he felt a sense of pity as he watched her fall over onto the ground. It was an odd feeling, nearly alien to this form.

As she offered him the flask, he jumped back in fright, only to stretch out his neck to sniff it. His snout lurched as he shook his head at the smell, wanting no part of it.

Looking around, Joseph seemed somewhat confused. Licking his jowls, the blood he tasted only confused him further. Human, but not. He felt his vision go slightly hazy once more as he remembered the taste of spilled blood in past kills. Males too weak to fend him off. His gaze returned to Isobel and his belly ached. He tore at those things, but he hadn’t truly fed. His eyes glowed crimson a moment longer until the nag of that meek voice distracted him.

He huffed as he sat down beside Isobel. Letting out a yawn, he let his head droop, and after a moment, he seemed to doze off slightly.

Slowly, his dark brown form began to shrink, the sick sound of popping joints and shifting muscle coming from him as his fur seemed to retreat and his body once more resembled that of a man.

Opening his eyes, he winced as the world around him looked foggy. Rubbing his eyes, he realized his glasses were gone, not to mention his clothes. Turning around, he noticed Isobel and nearly had a heart attack. “Isobel, I um…” He blushed as he scooted away. “…you wouldn’t happen to have blanket would you.” He looked around, the memories of what had occurred very faint in his mind. “I…didn’t expect to leave the mansion.”

[theseeker-oftruth]

Her eyes drifted closed, as she took a few moments to rest. She felt Joseph move closer, then take a place beside her. The werewolf’s fur brushing slightly against her exposed skin. It was rather soft despite how it looked in the dark. 

In all honesty, the mage could have easily drifted asleep. The only thing that woke her was the sudden jolt from Joseph, then his shuffling away.

Lifting her head, she glanced over to see a vague human form turned away. A nude human form.

Isobel quickly turned her head. Hearing his request, Isobel dug into her bag to pull out a small blanket from her bag. “Here.”

She weakly tossed it to him….unfortunately it only plopped a foot or two away from her. Isobel sighed, “A-ah…sorry. My strength is a bit sapped at the moment.”

Isobel turned away to give him a bit of privacy, so he could grab it. “So…a werewolf? Can’t say that I’ve met one quite as polite as you.”

Clearing her throat, she continued, “are you alright? You’re not hurt are you?”

[josephkabox]

Grabbing the blanket, Joseph quickly wrapped himself in it before anything ‘vital’ could be exposed.

Forcing a soft chuckle, he did his best to get over his embarassing situation. “Polite. You aren’t the one that had to sit in his head.” He furrowed his brow at the last remark, his voice having grown slightly more serious. “I keep him tame, for the most part. It’s easier…” On other worlds, he thought, but he quickly remembered who he was talking to. “Lately. Just keep your distance if I do it again. I don’t trust him. Had our situation been less dire, I wouldn’t have asked him to come out at all.” He felt that dark part of his brain scold him. They’d been through so much, and still he refused to give him an inch.

He pulled the blanket tighter around his body, watching as his breath condensed in the frigid, Innistrad air. “I think I’m fine. I remember getting banged up, but my other half heals quickly. I guess I just wasn’t expecting a full blown eldrazi to pop up.” He grimaced. Was that word common knowledge on this plane yet? He hadn’t been touched by Emrakul properly to know, and he didn’t want to push the subject with the only one he knew that had been. “That thing was horrifying. It must be the cause of the disturbances in the area. I’ll have to go back and destroy it, once I’m properly equipped to handle it. I wasn’t this time and I regret that.” I also need my stuff back, he thought.

“What about you?” He said, looking over his body, examining for wounds. “I vaguely recall us going through a window. Plus…” He remembered her markings. “What happened to you back there? I’ve heard stories of demons leaving marks on their indebted,” once more she reminded him of someone else, though he kept any suspensions at the back of his mind, “but this seemed different. You reacted to that thing.” He did his best to not sound pushy during his questions, not wanting to pry, but at the same time he wanted to help her if he could. 

Remembering the book, he wondered how much it had to play into this. “Is that book involved with this? Maybe I can help you.” His eyes turned finally to that tome, wondering if he could discover anything from what lie exposed.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“I am thankful to hear that. I unfortunately don’t really have any medical training, so wouldn’t be able to help you. At least I don’t need to play emergency healer.”

She gave a soft chuckle, but stopped when it started to hurt. Isobel sighed and rubbed her side, before laying down on the grass again.

“I wouldn’t worry too much Joseph. I’m certain that I would be alright. You wouldn’t be the first werewolf I’ve dealt with. I am from Kessig afterall.”

Reaching for the book, Isobel opened it to look through the pages. She wondered why her patron had wanted it so badly. The pages were filled with strange notes and symbols. As she read deeper, she gave a soft chuckle, “Ah, so that’s it.”

Isobel didn’t know if she had the heart to tell Joseph that it was just a recipe book. Of course, it was obviously coded and would need to be deciphered. However at first glance, it was very disheartening. 

Sitting up, Isobel glanced over to Joseph giving a serious look, “Joseph. You saved my life. In return, I can offer you this. I will answer one question truthfully, aside from that I can’t really talk about myself.”

[josephkabox]

As Isobel looked through her newly acquired book, Joseph watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was blurry, without his eyeglasses, but he could still make out her features. He felt cold, and part of him was unsettled by the evening.

The offer took Joseph off guard. Pulling the blanket closer, he thought about it, looking at a particular blade of grass as if it held some secret he longed to know. “There are many things that have happened tonight that leave me begging for answers. However, I don’t have a single question that might clear those up.” He paused. “I think after tonight, you’ve shown me that you can be, at the very least, trusted. I don’t think you intend any ill will upon me, and I don’t wish to pry about your personal affairs. If you don’t mind, for the moment, I’d like to hold onto that question.”

He looked her over once. The opportunity to know more was gnawing at his mind. No clear question could cement itself in his mind, but a haze of related ones seemed to muddle.

Rubbing his eyes, he looked around. “Not a question, but I am curious if I could bother you for a request. You would’t mind helping me back to town, would you? If this is the forest right off the road, I think that’s where I took us, it should just be back on the main road, at the foot of the mountains. I have a room I’m renting there, and I’m not quite in the best position to get back alone.” He chuckled softly, feeling somewhat prone.

[theseeker-oftruth]

Isobel gave a soft nod listening to his proposal,”I certainly don’t have any desire to argue against that. Perhaps at a later time then~” 

She pushed the book into her bag with a huff and glanced up to the stars. It was a mostly clear night, and the view of the sky was truly beautiful. Isobel couldn’t easily lose herself in it if she wasn’t careful. 

The moon. The moon was so beautiful. A silvered orb of lunacy. Isobel could faintly see the markings left upon it from the battle against the eldrazi.

“Hm?”

Isobel was brought out from her thought by Joseph’s request. She gave a soft laugh, “Well, I can’t, in good conscious, just leave a naked man to fend for himself. As long as you don’t mind keeping pace with my crippled self. I think...”

She grumbled the next bit, “I think I sprained or pulled something.”

Moving to stand, Isobel used her staff as a walking stick. She hubbled over to Joseph and offered a hand. 

“There should be a village not far from here. Lets get there before you freeze.”

[theseeker-oftruth]

Memories Torn

[eldraziresearcher]

Jovan took a glance at the drawing in her notebook and shook his head. He had never seen anything like what Isobel is showing.

“I’m sorry, but that isn’t it. It was more simple, with a circle and three lines with their ends curved to the left.”

[eldraziresearcher]

Jovan looks at Isobel.

“This isn’t the first time you encountered Eldrazi activity, is it?” Jovan questioned. “Why would you be in a temple that worships the fales depictions of the Eldrazi Titans?”

[theseeker-oftruth]

Isobel gave a soft shrug, “No I suppose not. But…”

She thought for a moment, and in a rare moment of honesty she added, “I’m not here particularly because of the Eldrazi. I’m here because its familiar.”

The mage left it a bit vague, not quite sure about the situation yet.

[eldraziresearcher]

“This temple is familiar to you?” Jovan questioned. He’s already losing interest in this planeswalker. “Nevermind what I asked then.”

Jovan shakes his head. 

“I better return to Fiora, but before I go–” Jovan has his arm behind his back. “–Assuming that you have traveled on this plane for some time, have you seen a Kor Lithomancer around Zendikar?”

[theseeker-oftruth]

She gave a soft nod, “Yes. Its really quite strange. Technically, this is the first time I’ve been here. Though, I’m not suppose to be here.”

Isobel mumbled the last bit mostly to herself. 

Hearing the last bit, she gave a nod, “Oh...what is the name?”

She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

Memories Torn

[eldraziresearcher]

Jovan took a glance at the drawing in her notebook and shook his head. He had never seen anything like what Isobel is showing.

“I’m sorry, but that isn’t it. It was more simple, with a circle and three lines with their ends curved to the left.”

[eldraziresearcher]

Jovan looks at Isobel.

“This isn’t the first time you encountered Eldrazi activity, is it?” Jovan questioned. “Why would you be in a temple that worships the fales depictions of the Eldrazi Titans?”

[theseeker-oftruth]

Isobel gave a soft shrug, “No I suppose not. But...”

She thought for a moment, and in a rare moment of honesty she added, “I’m not here particularly because of the Eldrazi. I’m here because its familiar.”

The mage left it a bit vague, not quite sure about the situation yet.

[theseeker-oftruth]

@josephkabox reblogged your post and added:

Seeing the creature, Joseph couldn’t help but suppress a gag. Seeing mutated animals was one thing. Seeing humans warped into such parodies of life, well, it was always hard for him to stomach. Never had he seen a plane with such twisted creatures, and he hated it had to be his home.

At the mention of a book, Joseph was mildly confused, until he noticed the tome lodged in the one half’s mangled torso. “We’ve been after a book?” He supposed he wasn’t too surprised, as he knew how valuable some books could be, and she’d already mentioned she wasn’t really a treasure hunter.

With the creatures retreating back into the floor and Isobel using her powers to stay grappled to it, Joseph furrowed his brow as he called upon his energy once more. “Oh no you don’t.” Grabbing Isobel around the waist and pulling back on her, he poured his energy into them both, sending a surge of strength trough them so to better pull the creatures back.

Before Joseph could see if it was working, the howl of whatever lurked beneath the floor made his eyes widen instantly. “That…sounded big.” Part of Joseph wondered if this was worth whatever was in that book. He contemplated taking Isobel and getting out of there, but something told him she wasn’t just going to leave, and he wasn’t ready to just leave her there alone.

With what was left of his reserved energy, Joseph focused on the world around him, thinking back to fights he’d fought in the past. The image of soldiers at his sides came to mind, and reaching out with his energy, soon enough, the sound of unsheathing swords could be heard.

Standing at each side of the two, a pair of ethereal soldiers had manifested from Joseph’s energy, swords at the ready for whatever harm may come, their empty eyes locked on the abomination in the pit.  

The eldritch creature watched with purple eyes. Pits of light that dug into its skull. 

The two puppet humanoids began to chant a strange tune, “ In the beginning there was dust dust dust, but we will eat the yellow as we must must must.” “Will they taste like mouse? We must find out.”

Isobel’s eyes widened at the disturbing words to their mad tune, “Shut up!” In a fit of anger fueled by the sudden burst of strength from Joseph, she tugged as hard as she could. The flesh veins holding one of the vampires in place ripped as she violently pulled. 

The elder monster made a gurgling sound as it began to crawl into the room, attempting to get closer to Isobel and Joseph. As it did, a pain rushed through Isobel’s head, as the chain tattoos on her wrists and neck glowed brightly, even through her cloth and armor. 

She lost focus and her power retreated as she almost collapsed into Joseph’s grasp. Thankfully, the spectral soldiers rushed towards the creature, pushing it back from them.

Isobel pushed through her dizziness and pointed to the body of the vampire with the book, “I-I have to get that. I can’t return empty handed.”

[josephkabox]

As Joseph watched Iosbel’s body seemingly react to the presence of the horror before them, he was glad to have summoned the soldiers to his aid.

With her limp in his arms, he had to fight the urge to just take her and run as she spoke to him. “Isobel…” He clentched his teeth as he looked once more to the tome lodged into the chest of one of the puppeted ‘humans.’ Why hadn’t he brought his partner with him, he thought. He could try to detain them, but his mana reserves were limited at this point. He really hadn’t expected a literal eldrazi spawn to be nestled in a place like this.

A dark part of his brain lept at this moment, playing on his exhausted state. Gnawing at him to make a move.

Reaching for his neck, he bit his lip as he yanked free a silver medallion, letting it fall to the floor. “This book better be worth it.” He gave her a wry laugh as he gently moved her away from the action. “Stay back. Trust me.”

With a swipe of its arms, one of the soldiers shattered like glass before evaporating into nothing but a fine mist. The puppeted humans laughed as they were one pawn closer to evicting their uninvited guests.

As the last summoned soldier slashed helplessly at the eldrazi horror, one of the humans turned to notice Joseph undoing his tunic. “Oh, the little mouse gives itself freely?”

Raising an eyebrow, a mild look of shock surfaced on the creature’s face as Joseph dropped to his knees, yelling out as his skin began to write, the bones under his thinning flesh shifting with loud pops and the sound of tearing muscle.

“What’s this?” As the rest of the beast turned to face Joseph, using a massive limb to smash the other soldier as it did, it was shocked as a beast leapt upon one of the humans, leaving only a pile of shed clothes where Joseph had stood.

A cry of pain escaped from the puppeted human as the blur of dark fur assalted it, blood and flesh flying as the werewolf tore into it. The eldrazi tired to swat at Joseph with its massive claws, but Joseph had already lept to the other of the two humans, the first dropping to the floor with a wet plop as its tether had been broken.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“What do you mean Jo-!!”

An audible gasp came from her as she watched the scene of his transformation. Joseph was a werewolf! And in a flash of motion, he had tore through the two humanoid puppets, tearing them apart. 

Isobel was so taken in by the shock that she hadn’t noticed she had fallen down. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the beastial form of Joseph. He was moving about with a strange grace that one wouldn’t expect for a beast his size. 

It was only when she noticed Joseph had acquired the vampire with the book that Isobel came back into the moment. 

She reached out to his mind: Oh! You got him. Rip out the book and we can get out of here!

Standing up, Isobel gestured for Joseph to hurry up. The Eldrazi spawn did not seem to appreciate not being able to grab Joseph, and it began to lift itself further. Two large limbs emerged from the pit and dug into the walls, as it started to pull itself out. 

Seeing her chance, Isobel gathered her remaining magic and shot beams of magenta flames towards the creature. They connected knocking it back slightly, but it kept its grip. Suddenly, the wooden boards began to creak and break around Isobel and a large limb emerged. 

Far too quick for her to react in her weakened state, she was tightly gripped by the grasping hand of the spawn. A light of black and magenta forming a ring around Isobel’s head as she screamed. The pain was far too much as the spawn tried to flay her mind. 

She cried out, though her words only could pour from her thoughts entering the minds of any close enough to her. MAKE IT STOP!!!!

And from the beast, a single word emerged from its mouthless face,

 “Awaken.”

[josephkabox]

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black. Whatever colors existed within the real world were muted by an overlay of blood and rage.

Black blood splashed onto his fur, darker than the hair of his human state and yet uncannily familiar in its curl and texture.

With a snap, Joseph had severed the final puppet from its strings. A meek part of his mind whispered to his primal fit. Remember why we’ve done this. The strings to the macabre marionette dangled, dripping from his maw. Looking down, he saw the tome and swiftly yanked it free from the puppet’s chest before he let his jaws go slack, taking a sick pleasure in the wet thud a moment later.

A scream pierced his ears, his sensitive eardrums begging for it to cease. With a snarl, he turned to face the female. His head throbbed as he leapt to the mighty hand that gripped her, his unburdened claws sinking into its flesh. With terrible speed, his jaws opened, ready to silence the girl, when that meek voice spoke once more. Remember, Joseph. Remember.

The world around him felt slow in this form. With the perk of an ear, he knew right away another alien limb was coming to meet its twin, ready to swat him away like a fly. Closing his jaws around the girl’s clothing, he used his claws to rip into the fist that gripped her, and the muscles in his neck to pull her free.

With a leap, the hand he expected slapped only at the spot of arm he had once been.

Touching the ground, he ran with an awkward three legged run – the book clasped tightly in his fist, the girl dangling like a pup from his jaws.

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black, and yet he could see just fine, and what he saw was a way out. Lowering his head, he smashed into an ancient window, shards of glass ripping into his flesh. The pain was ignored, almost nonexistent in his rage, and as he hit the ground, he hit it running.

He smelled a forest. Nostalgia set in. The meek voice in his head said nothing as his instincts lead his body towards the forest. They’d be safe there.

[theseeker-oftruth]

Pain. Darkness. A voice. Silence. 

It was like it had been before. An absence of everything. No sensation, no passage of time, a void of existence. 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

However, it was different this time. She suddenly felt something. She felt cold, then warmth. The wind against her face, and the tug of cloth against her body. Was she being held? 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

Isobel opened her eyes to see the dull light of the waxing moon. Its light radiated across the cloudy sky, and pierced through the trees that surrounded her. Rubbing her head, she glanced down at her arms. The tattoos were no longer glowing, though a nagging pain filled her head. It made her vision blurry. 

Lifting herself slightly, the mage winced in a sudden shock of pain at her side. Isobel froze, but not from the pain. She was remembering what had happened, and slowly turned her head around to observe her surroundings.

“Joseph?”

[josephkabox]

The forest round Isobel was dense, shaded black by the thick treetops. In the small clearing where she resided, however, the moon illuminated the grass around her, as well as the small drops of blood.

A soft growl could be heard in the distance, and in the shadow of the trees, the glint of two red eyes could be seen, framed by a bulky dark shape.

Joseph growled as he remained under the cover of the shadow. His mind was a jumble of murderous thoughts, conflicted by a soft presence keeping him grounded. As if angred by the leash that was his humanity, the werewolf slashed at a nearby tree before sitting on his haunches.

As Isobel stirred, he snarled at her, but did little else, seeming unwilling to expose himself to the moonlight. Wanting desperately to run free into the night, never to meet a human again, but remaining tethered by the shred of his humanity.

Looking down at his hand, he remembered the book he had brought. Why had he brought it? He couldn’t remember. Lifting it up, letting a sliver of moonbeam illuminate it, he looked over its cover. If any writing was etched upon it, he had no memory of how to read it, but looking at the tome seemed to make him think. This was important. This female was important. The meek voice in his head remained silent, and his crimson eyes turned to the girl.

He gave her a soft growl, but otherwise remained tame. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

Everything was a bit blurry and faded at first. She needed to allow her eyes to adjust to the new environment and the minimal light. It was hard to see, but she definitely could hear everything. The growls from a nearby circlet of trees caught her attention.

Lifting her body ever so slightly, Isobel narrowed her eyes to look. She could make out the dark form of Joseph, his beastial body cloaked by the shadows. The two red eyes pierced through the darkness, staring into her own null blue eyes.

Placing a hand on the back of her clothes, they were moist. There was also a bit of tearing. It was obvious how he had carried her. 

A bit of silence grew between the two. The uncertainty filled the air. However, it was broken by a weak and soft chuckle, “Didn’t know you were the biting type. Didn’t even take me on a date yet.”

Isobel coughed feeling a bit exhausted. A lot had been taken out of her. She had practically used all her magic in the last bit. 

She struggled to stand, but found she was unsuccessful as she fell back down on the grass, “By the angels, look at us. We’re both such a mess.”

[josephkabox]

The joke seemed to fall on deaf ears at first, but after a moment, the growling stopped, his ears turned towards her as he seemed to listen.

Joseph looked down at himself, as if responding to her mention of their looks, and grunted. His fur was slick yet sticky with gore from those creatures. His wounds had mostly healed, given the regenerative properties of this body, but his body still felt tender.

He gave a soft whimper, but stopped as he looked back up at Isobel. That was her name, right? He blinked a few times, and the red of his eyes seemed to drop in intensity. The haze around him seemed to calm slightly.

Taking a slow step out into the moonlight, he winced as it stung his eyes, but he was quick to adjust. Now fully visible, if he were to stand fully, he’d have dwarfed Isobel, but instead he stood crouched, the knuckles of his right hand pressed against the ground for support. An awkward quadruped, yet remarkably lethal.

He sniffed the air, smelling her scent, the smell of the blood, and after a moment, his memories began to balance out. Stepping forward, he lifted the book from the grass, stretching out his long arm and letting it dangle between his claws, offering it to her, but remaining silent, if he could even speak. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

She heard the grunt and whimper as the werewolf approached. Isobel frowned and reached out a hand to gesture him closer, “oh don’t be sad. We’ll be alright. I’m sure.”

Seeing the book in his grasp, Isobel’s eyes widened. She had nearly forgotten it. The prize she had sought in the first place. The mage took a hold of the book and placed it down beside herself. She would have time later to look at it.

Despite her calmness, she was well aware of the situation. It was a surprise that Joseph had the self control to remain docile in his state, especially with the urgency of the scene they had just left. 

The thing that just happened…The hell spawn that they had fought. 

Isobel was remembering what had happened. Trembling, Isobel curled her legs close to her chest and held them tight. She squeezed herself tightly for a few moments, before allowing herself to go limp. She plopped onto the grass and exhaled softly. 

Isobel dug into her side bag and pulled out a flask, “I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.”

She took a long sip, then paused for a moment. Reaching out her hand towards Joseph, she offered him the flask.

“Sorry for that mess of a situation. I…are you alright?”

This was the first conversation she ever had with a werewolf…or at least one that was transformed.  

[josephkabox]

As Isobel took the book, he felt a sense of pity as he watched her fall over onto the ground. It was an odd feeling, nearly alien to this form.

As she offered him the flask, he jumped back in fright, only to stretch out his neck to sniff it. His snout lurched as he shook his head at the smell, wanting no part of it.

Looking around, Joseph seemed somewhat confused. Licking his jowls, the blood he tasted only confused him further. Human, but not. He felt his vision go slightly hazy once more as he remembered the taste of spilled blood in past kills. Males too weak to fend him off. His gaze returned to Isobel and his belly ached. He tore at those things, but he hadn’t truly fed. His eyes glowed crimson a moment longer until the nag of that meek voice distracted him.

He huffed as he sat down beside Isobel. Letting out a yawn, he let his head droop, and after a moment, he seemed to doze off slightly.

Slowly, his dark brown form began to shrink, the sick sound of popping joints and shifting muscle coming from him as his fur seemed to retreat and his body once more resembled that of a man.

Opening his eyes, he winced as the world around him looked foggy. Rubbing his eyes, he realized his glasses were gone, not to mention his clothes. Turning around, he noticed Isobel and nearly had a heart attack. “Isobel, I um…” He blushed as he scooted away. “…you wouldn’t happen to have blanket would you.” He looked around, the memories of what had occurred very faint in his mind. “I…didn’t expect to leave the mansion.”

[theseeker-oftruth]

Her eyes drifted closed, as she took a few moments to rest. She felt Joseph move closer, then take a place beside her. The werewolf’s fur brushing slightly against her exposed skin. It was rather soft despite how it looked in the dark. 

In all honesty, the mage could have easily drifted asleep. The only thing that woke her was the sudden jolt from Joseph, then his shuffling away.

Lifting her head, she glanced over to see a vague human form turned away. A nude human form.

Isobel quickly turned her head. Hearing his request, Isobel dug into her bag to pull out a small blanket from her bag. “Here.”

She weakly tossed it to him….unfortunately it only plopped a foot or two away from her. Isobel sighed, “A-ah…sorry. My strength is a bit sapped at the moment.”

Isobel turned away to give him a bit of privacy, so he could grab it. “So…a werewolf? Can’t say that I’ve met one quite as polite as you.”

Clearing her throat, she continued, “are you alright? You’re not hurt are you?”

[josephkabox]

Grabbing the blanket, Joseph quickly wrapped himself in it before anything ‘vital’ could be exposed.

Forcing a soft chuckle, he did his best to get over his embarassing situation. “Polite. You aren’t the one that had to sit in his head.” He furrowed his brow at the last remark, his voice having grown slightly more serious. “I keep him tame, for the most part. It’s easier…” On other worlds, he thought, but he quickly remembered who he was talking to. “Lately. Just keep your distance if I do it again. I don’t trust him. Had our situation been less dire, I wouldn’t have asked him to come out at all.” He felt that dark part of his brain scold him. They’d been through so much, and still he refused to give him an inch.

He pulled the blanket tighter around his body, watching as his breath condensed in the frigid, Innistrad air. “I think I’m fine. I remember getting banged up, but my other half heals quickly. I guess I just wasn’t expecting a full blown eldrazi to pop up.” He grimaced. Was that word common knowledge on this plane yet? He hadn’t been touched by Emrakul properly to know, and he didn’t want to push the subject with the only one he knew that had been. “That thing was horrifying. It must be the cause of the disturbances in the area. I’ll have to go back and destroy it, once I’m properly equipped to handle it. I wasn’t this time and I regret that.” I also need my stuff back, he thought.

“What about you?” He said, looking over his body, examining for wounds. “I vaguely recall us going through a window. Plus…” He remembered her markings. “What happened to you back there? I’ve heard stories of demons leaving marks on their indebted,” once more she reminded him of someone else, though he kept any suspensions at the back of his mind, “but this seemed different. You reacted to that thing.” He did his best to not sound pushy during his questions, not wanting to pry, but at the same time he wanted to help her if he could. 

Remembering the book, he wondered how much it had to play into this. “Is that book involved with this? Maybe I can help you.” His eyes turned finally to that tome, wondering if he could discover anything from what lie exposed.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“I am thankful to hear that. I unfortunately don’t really have any medical training, so wouldn’t be able to help you. At least I don’t need to play emergency healer.”

She gave a soft chuckle, but stopped when it started to hurt. Isobel sighed and rubbed her side, before laying down on the grass again.

“I wouldn’t worry too much Joseph. I’m certain that I would be alright. You wouldn’t be the first werewolf I’ve dealt with. I am from Kessig afterall.”

Reaching for the book, Isobel opened it to look through the pages. She wondered why her patron had wanted it so badly. The pages were filled with strange notes and symbols. As she read deeper, she gave a soft chuckle, “Ah, so that’s it.”

Isobel didn’t know if she had the heart to tell Joseph that it was just a recipe book. Of course, it was obviously coded and would need to be deciphered. However at first glance, it was very disheartening. 

Sitting up, Isobel glanced over to Joseph giving a serious look, “Joseph. You saved my life. In return, I can offer you this. I will answer one question truthfully, aside from that I can’t really talk about myself.”

[theseeker-oftruth]

Memories Torn

[eldraziresearcher]

Jovan took a glance at the drawing in her notebook and shook his head. He had never seen anything like what Isobel is showing.

“I’m sorry, but that isn’t it. It was more simple, with a circle and three lines with their ends curved to the left.”

[eldraziresearcher]

@theseeker-oftruth

[theseeker-oftruth]

Isobel nodded. She tried to hide her emotion, but the look of slight disappointment was obvious. She sighed and put the notebook away. 

“Thank you. I uh…”

She paused and thought for a moment, “I hope it wasn’t rude taking notes. I like to write down things that fascinate me.”

Without thinking, Isobel almost stepped forward, but stopped herself feeling the slight pain in her wrists and neck. She needed to keep her distance from the spawn.

“How long have you been like this with…them?” She gestured towards the spawns.

[eldraziresearcher]

Jovan looked at where the spawns disappeared and then at Isobel. Whoever she is, she seems to have a slight fondness of Eldrazi, just not in the way Jovan imagines. He can tell there was some slight reaction to being near the spawns.

“I’ve been with these Eldrazi for months now, ever since I controlled and imprinted with my first Eldrazi.” Jovan looked up and closed his eyes. He then gave a command. “Nafl'fhtagn, uln.“

A slight distortion appears on one of the cavern walls, making it act like a gelatinous mass. An Eldrazi comes out of that wall and crawled towards Jovan.

It stood before Jovan and Isobel, bending its back a bit to look like it’s looking down on it.

“My first Eldrazi,” Jovan introduced.

[theseeker-oftruth]

A bit startled from the sudden movement, the mage kept a careful eye on the spawn that had emerged from the wall. Like the others, it obediently moved towards Jovan and stood as if it was waiting for a command.

Isobel felt the sting once more, and took a few steps back as the Eldrazi got a little bit too close. Tugging at her tunic collar, she nodded, “I see. That is unique…”

Glancing between Jovan and the spawn, Isobel had a thought, “What is it that you do with this?”

[eldraziresearcher]

“This Eldrazi doesn’t do much other than distort and contort, but it’s finest ability is to displace objects and organism. Hence I simply called it an Eldrazi Displacer.” Jovan stepped closer to the Eldrazi. “I’m technically imprinted with this one.”

The Eldrazi Displacer still stood there, staring at Jovan and Isobel.

Jovan then steps away from the Eldrazi.

“Again, there’s still so much to learn from these beings. That’s why I’m alway hiding in Fiora, studying them.” Jovan gestures his Eldrazi Displacer, and that Eldrazi disappears.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“oh. I see...Hiding in Fiora?”

Isobel made a mental note of that. She wasn’t sure if her patron would be interested in this, though she was technically not suppose to be here anyways. 

“Jovan, why are you telling me all this? You’re being quite loose lipped with someone you just met.”

Isobel was curious about his answer. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

Memories Torn

[eldraziresearcher]

Jovan took a glance at the drawing in her notebook and shook his head. He had never seen anything like what Isobel is showing.

“I’m sorry, but that isn’t it. It was more simple, with a circle and three lines with their ends curved to the left.”

[eldraziresearcher]

@theseeker-oftruth

[theseeker-oftruth]

Isobel nodded. She tried to hide her emotion, but the look of slight disappointment was obvious. She sighed and put the notebook away. 

“Thank you. I uh…”

She paused and thought for a moment, “I hope it wasn’t rude taking notes. I like to write down things that fascinate me.”

Without thinking, Isobel almost stepped forward, but stopped herself feeling the slight pain in her wrists and neck. She needed to keep her distance from the spawn.

“How long have you been like this with…them?” She gestured towards the spawns.

[eldraziresearcher]

Jovan looked at where the spawns disappeared and then at Isobel. Whoever she is, she seems to have a slight fondness of Eldrazi, just not in the way Jovan imagines. He can tell there was some slight reaction to being near the spawns.

“I’ve been with these Eldrazi for months now, ever since I controlled and imprinted with my first Eldrazi.” Jovan looked up and closed his eyes. He then gave a command. “Nafl'fhtagn, uln.“

A slight distortion appears on one of the cavern walls, making it act like a gelatinous mass. An Eldrazi comes out of that wall and crawled towards Jovan.

It stood before Jovan and Isobel, bending its back a bit to look like it’s looking down on it.

“My first Eldrazi,” Jovan introduced.

[theseeker-oftruth]

A bit startled from the sudden movement, the mage kept a careful eye on the spawn that had emerged from the wall. Like the others, it obediently moved towards Jovan and stood as if it was waiting for a command.

Isobel felt the sting once more, and took a few steps back as the Eldrazi got a little bit too close. Tugging at her tunic collar, she nodded, “I see. That is unique...”

Glancing between Jovan and the spawn, Isobel had a thought, “What is it that you do with this?”

[theseeker-oftruth]

@josephkabox reblogged your post and added:

Seeing the creature, Joseph couldn’t help but suppress a gag. Seeing mutated animals was one thing. Seeing humans warped into such parodies of life, well, it was always hard for him to stomach. Never had he seen a plane with such twisted creatures, and he hated it had to be his home.

At the mention of a book, Joseph was mildly confused, until he noticed the tome lodged in the one half’s mangled torso. “We’ve been after a book?” He supposed he wasn’t too surprised, as he knew how valuable some books could be, and she’d already mentioned she wasn’t really a treasure hunter.

With the creatures retreating back into the floor and Isobel using her powers to stay grappled to it, Joseph furrowed his brow as he called upon his energy once more. “Oh no you don’t.” Grabbing Isobel around the waist and pulling back on her, he poured his energy into them both, sending a surge of strength trough them so to better pull the creatures back.

Before Joseph could see if it was working, the howl of whatever lurked beneath the floor made his eyes widen instantly. “That…sounded big.” Part of Joseph wondered if this was worth whatever was in that book. He contemplated taking Isobel and getting out of there, but something told him she wasn’t just going to leave, and he wasn’t ready to just leave her there alone.

With what was left of his reserved energy, Joseph focused on the world around him, thinking back to fights he’d fought in the past. The image of soldiers at his sides came to mind, and reaching out with his energy, soon enough, the sound of unsheathing swords could be heard.

Standing at each side of the two, a pair of ethereal soldiers had manifested from Joseph’s energy, swords at the ready for whatever harm may come, their empty eyes locked on the abomination in the pit.  

The eldritch creature watched with purple eyes. Pits of light that dug into its skull. 

The two puppet humanoids began to chant a strange tune, “ In the beginning there was dust dust dust, but we will eat the yellow as we must must must.” “Will they taste like mouse? We must find out.”

Isobel’s eyes widened at the disturbing words to their mad tune, “Shut up!” In a fit of anger fueled by the sudden burst of strength from Joseph, she tugged as hard as she could. The flesh veins holding one of the vampires in place ripped as she violently pulled. 

The elder monster made a gurgling sound as it began to crawl into the room, attempting to get closer to Isobel and Joseph. As it did, a pain rushed through Isobel’s head, as the chain tattoos on her wrists and neck glowed brightly, even through her cloth and armor. 

She lost focus and her power retreated as she almost collapsed into Joseph’s grasp. Thankfully, the spectral soldiers rushed towards the creature, pushing it back from them.

Isobel pushed through her dizziness and pointed to the body of the vampire with the book, “I-I have to get that. I can’t return empty handed.”

[josephkabox]

As Joseph watched Iosbel’s body seemingly react to the presence of the horror before them, he was glad to have summoned the soldiers to his aid.

With her limp in his arms, he had to fight the urge to just take her and run as she spoke to him. “Isobel…” He clentched his teeth as he looked once more to the tome lodged into the chest of one of the puppeted ‘humans.’ Why hadn’t he brought his partner with him, he thought. He could try to detain them, but his mana reserves were limited at this point. He really hadn’t expected a literal eldrazi spawn to be nestled in a place like this.

A dark part of his brain lept at this moment, playing on his exhausted state. Gnawing at him to make a move.

Reaching for his neck, he bit his lip as he yanked free a silver medallion, letting it fall to the floor. “This book better be worth it.” He gave her a wry laugh as he gently moved her away from the action. “Stay back. Trust me.”

With a swipe of its arms, one of the soldiers shattered like glass before evaporating into nothing but a fine mist. The puppeted humans laughed as they were one pawn closer to evicting their uninvited guests.

As the last summoned soldier slashed helplessly at the eldrazi horror, one of the humans turned to notice Joseph undoing his tunic. “Oh, the little mouse gives itself freely?”

Raising an eyebrow, a mild look of shock surfaced on the creature’s face as Joseph dropped to his knees, yelling out as his skin began to write, the bones under his thinning flesh shifting with loud pops and the sound of tearing muscle.

“What’s this?” As the rest of the beast turned to face Joseph, using a massive limb to smash the other soldier as it did, it was shocked as a beast leapt upon one of the humans, leaving only a pile of shed clothes where Joseph had stood.

A cry of pain escaped from the puppeted human as the blur of dark fur assalted it, blood and flesh flying as the werewolf tore into it. The eldrazi tired to swat at Joseph with its massive claws, but Joseph had already lept to the other of the two humans, the first dropping to the floor with a wet plop as its tether had been broken.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“What do you mean Jo-!!”

An audible gasp came from her as she watched the scene of his transformation. Joseph was a werewolf! And in a flash of motion, he had tore through the two humanoid puppets, tearing them apart. 

Isobel was so taken in by the shock that she hadn’t noticed she had fallen down. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the beastial form of Joseph. He was moving about with a strange grace that one wouldn’t expect for a beast his size. 

It was only when she noticed Joseph had acquired the vampire with the book that Isobel came back into the moment. 

She reached out to his mind: Oh! You got him. Rip out the book and we can get out of here!

Standing up, Isobel gestured for Joseph to hurry up. The Eldrazi spawn did not seem to appreciate not being able to grab Joseph, and it began to lift itself further. Two large limbs emerged from the pit and dug into the walls, as it started to pull itself out. 

Seeing her chance, Isobel gathered her remaining magic and shot beams of magenta flames towards the creature. They connected knocking it back slightly, but it kept its grip. Suddenly, the wooden boards began to creak and break around Isobel and a large limb emerged. 

Far too quick for her to react in her weakened state, she was tightly gripped by the grasping hand of the spawn. A light of black and magenta forming a ring around Isobel’s head as she screamed. The pain was far too much as the spawn tried to flay her mind. 

She cried out, though her words only could pour from her thoughts entering the minds of any close enough to her. MAKE IT STOP!!!!

And from the beast, a single word emerged from its mouthless face,

 “Awaken.”

[josephkabox]

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black. Whatever colors existed within the real world were muted by an overlay of blood and rage.

Black blood splashed onto his fur, darker than the hair of his human state and yet uncannily familiar in its curl and texture.

With a snap, Joseph had severed the final puppet from its strings. A meek part of his mind whispered to his primal fit. Remember why we’ve done this. The strings to the macabre marionette dangled, dripping from his maw. Looking down, he saw the tome and swiftly yanked it free from the puppet’s chest before he let his jaws go slack, taking a sick pleasure in the wet thud a moment later.

A scream pierced his ears, his sensitive eardrums begging for it to cease. With a snarl, he turned to face the female. His head throbbed as he leapt to the mighty hand that gripped her, his unburdened claws sinking into its flesh. With terrible speed, his jaws opened, ready to silence the girl, when that meek voice spoke once more. Remember, Joseph. Remember.

The world around him felt slow in this form. With the perk of an ear, he knew right away another alien limb was coming to meet its twin, ready to swat him away like a fly. Closing his jaws around the girl’s clothing, he used his claws to rip into the fist that gripped her, and the muscles in his neck to pull her free.

With a leap, the hand he expected slapped only at the spot of arm he had once been.

Touching the ground, he ran with an awkward three legged run – the book clasped tightly in his fist, the girl dangling like a pup from his jaws.

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black, and yet he could see just fine, and what he saw was a way out. Lowering his head, he smashed into an ancient window, shards of glass ripping into his flesh. The pain was ignored, almost nonexistent in his rage, and as he hit the ground, he hit it running.

He smelled a forest. Nostalgia set in. The meek voice in his head said nothing as his instincts lead his body towards the forest. They’d be safe there.

[theseeker-oftruth]

Pain. Darkness. A voice. Silence. 

It was like it had been before. An absence of everything. No sensation, no passage of time, a void of existence. 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

However, it was different this time. She suddenly felt something. She felt cold, then warmth. The wind against her face, and the tug of cloth against her body. Was she being held? 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

Isobel opened her eyes to see the dull light of the waxing moon. Its light radiated across the cloudy sky, and pierced through the trees that surrounded her. Rubbing her head, she glanced down at her arms. The tattoos were no longer glowing, though a nagging pain filled her head. It made her vision blurry. 

Lifting herself slightly, the mage winced in a sudden shock of pain at her side. Isobel froze, but not from the pain. She was remembering what had happened, and slowly turned her head around to observe her surroundings.

“Joseph?”

[josephkabox]

The forest round Isobel was dense, shaded black by the thick treetops. In the small clearing where she resided, however, the moon illuminated the grass around her, as well as the small drops of blood.

A soft growl could be heard in the distance, and in the shadow of the trees, the glint of two red eyes could be seen, framed by a bulky dark shape.

Joseph growled as he remained under the cover of the shadow. His mind was a jumble of murderous thoughts, conflicted by a soft presence keeping him grounded. As if angred by the leash that was his humanity, the werewolf slashed at a nearby tree before sitting on his haunches.

As Isobel stirred, he snarled at her, but did little else, seeming unwilling to expose himself to the moonlight. Wanting desperately to run free into the night, never to meet a human again, but remaining tethered by the shred of his humanity.

Looking down at his hand, he remembered the book he had brought. Why had he brought it? He couldn’t remember. Lifting it up, letting a sliver of moonbeam illuminate it, he looked over its cover. If any writing was etched upon it, he had no memory of how to read it, but looking at the tome seemed to make him think. This was important. This female was important. The meek voice in his head remained silent, and his crimson eyes turned to the girl.

He gave her a soft growl, but otherwise remained tame. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

Everything was a bit blurry and faded at first. She needed to allow her eyes to adjust to the new environment and the minimal light. It was hard to see, but she definitely could hear everything. The growls from a nearby circlet of trees caught her attention.

Lifting her body ever so slightly, Isobel narrowed her eyes to look. She could make out the dark form of Joseph, his beastial body cloaked by the shadows. The two red eyes pierced through the darkness, staring into her own null blue eyes.

Placing a hand on the back of her clothes, they were moist. There was also a bit of tearing. It was obvious how he had carried her. 

A bit of silence grew between the two. The uncertainty filled the air. However, it was broken by a weak and soft chuckle, “Didn’t know you were the biting type. Didn’t even take me on a date yet.”

Isobel coughed feeling a bit exhausted. A lot had been taken out of her. She had practically used all her magic in the last bit. 

She struggled to stand, but found she was unsuccessful as she fell back down on the grass, “By the angels, look at us. We’re both such a mess.”

[josephkabox]

The joke seemed to fall on deaf ears at first, but after a moment, the growling stopped, his ears turned towards her as he seemed to listen.

Joseph looked down at himself, as if responding to her mention of their looks, and grunted. His fur was slick yet sticky with gore from those creatures. His wounds had mostly healed, given the regenerative properties of this body, but his body still felt tender.

He gave a soft whimper, but stopped as he looked back up at Isobel. That was her name, right? He blinked a few times, and the red of his eyes seemed to drop in intensity. The haze around him seemed to calm slightly.

Taking a slow step out into the moonlight, he winced as it stung his eyes, but he was quick to adjust. Now fully visible, if he were to stand fully, he’d have dwarfed Isobel, but instead he stood crouched, the knuckles of his right hand pressed against the ground for support. An awkward quadruped, yet remarkably lethal.

He sniffed the air, smelling her scent, the smell of the blood, and after a moment, his memories began to balance out. Stepping forward, he lifted the book from the grass, stretching out his long arm and letting it dangle between his claws, offering it to her, but remaining silent, if he could even speak. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

She heard the grunt and whimper as the werewolf approached. Isobel frowned and reached out a hand to gesture him closer, “oh don’t be sad. We’ll be alright. I’m sure.”

Seeing the book in his grasp, Isobel’s eyes widened. She had nearly forgotten it. The prize she had sought in the first place. The mage took a hold of the book and placed it down beside herself. She would have time later to look at it.

Despite her calmness, she was well aware of the situation. It was a surprise that Joseph had the self control to remain docile in his state, especially with the urgency of the scene they had just left. 

The thing that just happened…The hell spawn that they had fought. 

Isobel was remembering what had happened. Trembling, Isobel curled her legs close to her chest and held them tight. She squeezed herself tightly for a few moments, before allowing herself to go limp. She plopped onto the grass and exhaled softly. 

Isobel dug into her side bag and pulled out a flask, “I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.”

She took a long sip, then paused for a moment. Reaching out her hand towards Joseph, she offered him the flask.

“Sorry for that mess of a situation. I…are you alright?”

This was the first conversation she ever had with a werewolf…or at least one that was transformed.  

[josephkabox]

As Isobel took the book, he felt a sense of pity as he watched her fall over onto the ground. It was an odd feeling, nearly alien to this form.

As she offered him the flask, he jumped back in fright, only to stretch out his neck to sniff it. His snout lurched as he shook his head at the smell, wanting no part of it.

Looking around, Joseph seemed somewhat confused. Licking his jowls, the blood he tasted only confused him further. Human, but not. He felt his vision go slightly hazy once more as he remembered the taste of spilled blood in past kills. Males too weak to fend him off. His gaze returned to Isobel and his belly ached. He tore at those things, but he hadn’t truly fed. His eyes glowed crimson a moment longer until the nag of that meek voice distracted him.

He huffed as he sat down beside Isobel. Letting out a yawn, he let his head droop, and after a moment, he seemed to doze off slightly.

Slowly, his dark brown form began to shrink, the sick sound of popping joints and shifting muscle coming from him as his fur seemed to retreat and his body once more resembled that of a man.

Opening his eyes, he winced as the world around him looked foggy. Rubbing his eyes, he realized his glasses were gone, not to mention his clothes. Turning around, he noticed Isobel and nearly had a heart attack. “Isobel, I um…” He blushed as he scooted away. “…you wouldn’t happen to have blanket would you.” He looked around, the memories of what had occurred very faint in his mind. “I…didn’t expect to leave the mansion.”

[theseeker-oftruth]

Her eyes drifted closed, as she took a few moments to rest. She felt Joseph move closer, then take a place beside her. The werewolf’s fur brushing slightly against her exposed skin. It was rather soft despite how it looked in the dark. 

In all honesty, the mage could have easily drifted asleep. The only thing that woke her was the sudden jolt from Joseph, then his shuffling away.

Lifting her head, she glanced over to see a vague human form turned away. A nude human form.

Isobel quickly turned her head. Hearing his request, Isobel dug into her bag to pull out a small blanket from her bag. “Here.”

She weakly tossed it to him....unfortunately it only plopped a foot or two away from her. Isobel sighed, “A-ah...sorry. My strength is a bit sapped at the moment.”

Isobel turned away to give him a bit of privacy, so he could grab it. “So...a werewolf? Can’t say that I’ve met one quite as polite as you.”

Clearing her throat, she continued, “are you alright? You’re not hurt are you?”

[theseeker-oftruth]

Memories Torn

[eldraziresearcher]

Jovan took a glance at the drawing in her notebook and shook his head. He had never seen anything like what Isobel is showing.

“I’m sorry, but that isn’t it. It was more simple, with a circle and three lines with their ends curved to the left.”

[eldraziresearcher]

@theseeker-oftruth

[theseeker-oftruth]

Isobel nodded. She tried to hide her emotion, but the look of slight disappointment was obvious. She sighed and put the notebook away. 

“Thank you. I uh...”

She paused and thought for a moment, “I hope it wasn’t rude taking notes. I like to write down things that fascinate me.”

Without thinking, Isobel almost stepped forward, but stopped herself feeling the slight pain in her wrists and neck. She needed to keep her distance from the spawn.

“How long have you been like this with...them?” She gestured towards the spawns.

[theseeker-oftruth]

@josephkabox reblogged your post and added:

Seeing the creature, Joseph couldn’t help but suppress a gag. Seeing mutated animals was one thing. Seeing humans warped into such parodies of life, well, it was always hard for him to stomach. Never had he seen a plane with such twisted creatures, and he hated it had to be his home.

At the mention of a book, Joseph was mildly confused, until he noticed the tome lodged in the one half’s mangled torso. “We’ve been after a book?” He supposed he wasn’t too surprised, as he knew how valuable some books could be, and she’d already mentioned she wasn’t really a treasure hunter.

With the creatures retreating back into the floor and Isobel using her powers to stay grappled to it, Joseph furrowed his brow as he called upon his energy once more. “Oh no you don’t.” Grabbing Isobel around the waist and pulling back on her, he poured his energy into them both, sending a surge of strength trough them so to better pull the creatures back.

Before Joseph could see if it was working, the howl of whatever lurked beneath the floor made his eyes widen instantly. “That…sounded big.” Part of Joseph wondered if this was worth whatever was in that book. He contemplated taking Isobel and getting out of there, but something told him she wasn’t just going to leave, and he wasn’t ready to just leave her there alone.

With what was left of his reserved energy, Joseph focused on the world around him, thinking back to fights he’d fought in the past. The image of soldiers at his sides came to mind, and reaching out with his energy, soon enough, the sound of unsheathing swords could be heard.

Standing at each side of the two, a pair of ethereal soldiers had manifested from Joseph’s energy, swords at the ready for whatever harm may come, their empty eyes locked on the abomination in the pit.  

The eldritch creature watched with purple eyes. Pits of light that dug into its skull. 

The two puppet humanoids began to chant a strange tune, “ In the beginning there was dust dust dust, but we will eat the yellow as we must must must.” “Will they taste like mouse? We must find out.”

Isobel’s eyes widened at the disturbing words to their mad tune, “Shut up!” In a fit of anger fueled by the sudden burst of strength from Joseph, she tugged as hard as she could. The flesh veins holding one of the vampires in place ripped as she violently pulled. 

The elder monster made a gurgling sound as it began to crawl into the room, attempting to get closer to Isobel and Joseph. As it did, a pain rushed through Isobel’s head, as the chain tattoos on her wrists and neck glowed brightly, even through her cloth and armor. 

She lost focus and her power retreated as she almost collapsed into Joseph’s grasp. Thankfully, the spectral soldiers rushed towards the creature, pushing it back from them.

Isobel pushed through her dizziness and pointed to the body of the vampire with the book, “I-I have to get that. I can’t return empty handed.”

[josephkabox]

As Joseph watched Iosbel’s body seemingly react to the presence of the horror before them, he was glad to have summoned the soldiers to his aid.

With her limp in his arms, he had to fight the urge to just take her and run as she spoke to him. “Isobel…” He clentched his teeth as he looked once more to the tome lodged into the chest of one of the puppeted ‘humans.’ Why hadn’t he brought his partner with him, he thought. He could try to detain them, but his mana reserves were limited at this point. He really hadn’t expected a literal eldrazi spawn to be nestled in a place like this.

A dark part of his brain lept at this moment, playing on his exhausted state. Gnawing at him to make a move.

Reaching for his neck, he bit his lip as he yanked free a silver medallion, letting it fall to the floor. “This book better be worth it.” He gave her a wry laugh as he gently moved her away from the action. “Stay back. Trust me.”

With a swipe of its arms, one of the soldiers shattered like glass before evaporating into nothing but a fine mist. The puppeted humans laughed as they were one pawn closer to evicting their uninvited guests.

As the last summoned soldier slashed helplessly at the eldrazi horror, one of the humans turned to notice Joseph undoing his tunic. “Oh, the little mouse gives itself freely?”

Raising an eyebrow, a mild look of shock surfaced on the creature’s face as Joseph dropped to his knees, yelling out as his skin began to write, the bones under his thinning flesh shifting with loud pops and the sound of tearing muscle.

“What’s this?” As the rest of the beast turned to face Joseph, using a massive limb to smash the other soldier as it did, it was shocked as a beast leapt upon one of the humans, leaving only a pile of shed clothes where Joseph had stood.

A cry of pain escaped from the puppeted human as the blur of dark fur assalted it, blood and flesh flying as the werewolf tore into it. The eldrazi tired to swat at Joseph with its massive claws, but Joseph had already lept to the other of the two humans, the first dropping to the floor with a wet plop as its tether had been broken.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“What do you mean Jo-!!”

An audible gasp came from her as she watched the scene of his transformation. Joseph was a werewolf! And in a flash of motion, he had tore through the two humanoid puppets, tearing them apart. 

Isobel was so taken in by the shock that she hadn’t noticed she had fallen down. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the beastial form of Joseph. He was moving about with a strange grace that one wouldn’t expect for a beast his size. 

It was only when she noticed Joseph had acquired the vampire with the book that Isobel came back into the moment. 

She reached out to his mind: Oh! You got him. Rip out the book and we can get out of here!

Standing up, Isobel gestured for Joseph to hurry up. The Eldrazi spawn did not seem to appreciate not being able to grab Joseph, and it began to lift itself further. Two large limbs emerged from the pit and dug into the walls, as it started to pull itself out. 

Seeing her chance, Isobel gathered her remaining magic and shot beams of magenta flames towards the creature. They connected knocking it back slightly, but it kept its grip. Suddenly, the wooden boards began to creak and break around Isobel and a large limb emerged. 

Far too quick for her to react in her weakened state, she was tightly gripped by the grasping hand of the spawn. A light of black and magenta forming a ring around Isobel’s head as she screamed. The pain was far too much as the spawn tried to flay her mind. 

She cried out, though her words only could pour from her thoughts entering the minds of any close enough to her. MAKE IT STOP!!!!

And from the beast, a single word emerged from its mouthless face,

 “Awaken.”

[josephkabox]

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black. Whatever colors existed within the real world were muted by an overlay of blood and rage.

Black blood splashed onto his fur, darker than the hair of his human state and yet uncannily familiar in its curl and texture.

With a snap, Joseph had severed the final puppet from its strings. A meek part of his mind whispered to his primal fit. Remember why we’ve done this. The strings to the macabre marionette dangled, dripping from his maw. Looking down, he saw the tome and swiftly yanked it free from the puppet’s chest before he let his jaws go slack, taking a sick pleasure in the wet thud a moment later.

A scream pierced his ears, his sensitive eardrums begging for it to cease. With a snarl, he turned to face the female. His head throbbed as he leapt to the mighty hand that gripped her, his unburdened claws sinking into its flesh. With terrible speed, his jaws opened, ready to silence the girl, when that meek voice spoke once more. Remember, Joseph. Remember.

The world around him felt slow in this form. With the perk of an ear, he knew right away another alien limb was coming to meet its twin, ready to swat him away like a fly. Closing his jaws around the girl’s clothing, he used his claws to rip into the fist that gripped her, and the muscles in his neck to pull her free.

With a leap, the hand he expected slapped only at the spot of arm he had once been.

Touching the ground, he ran with an awkward three legged run – the book clasped tightly in his fist, the girl dangling like a pup from his jaws.

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black, and yet he could see just fine, and what he saw was a way out. Lowering his head, he smashed into an ancient window, shards of glass ripping into his flesh. The pain was ignored, almost nonexistent in his rage, and as he hit the ground, he hit it running.

He smelled a forest. Nostalgia set in. The meek voice in his head said nothing as his instincts lead his body towards the forest. They’d be safe there.

[theseeker-oftruth]

Pain. Darkness. A voice. Silence. 

It was like it had been before. An absence of everything. No sensation, no passage of time, a void of existence. 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

However, it was different this time. She suddenly felt something. She felt cold, then warmth. The wind against her face, and the tug of cloth against her body. Was she being held? 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

Isobel opened her eyes to see the dull light of the waxing moon. Its light radiated across the cloudy sky, and pierced through the trees that surrounded her. Rubbing her head, she glanced down at her arms. The tattoos were no longer glowing, though a nagging pain filled her head. It made her vision blurry. 

Lifting herself slightly, the mage winced in a sudden shock of pain at her side. Isobel froze, but not from the pain. She was remembering what had happened, and slowly turned her head around to observe her surroundings.

“Joseph?”

[josephkabox]

The forest round Isobel was dense, shaded black by the thick treetops. In the small clearing where she resided, however, the moon illuminated the grass around her, as well as the small drops of blood.

A soft growl could be heard in the distance, and in the shadow of the trees, the glint of two red eyes could be seen, framed by a bulky dark shape.

Joseph growled as he remained under the cover of the shadow. His mind was a jumble of murderous thoughts, conflicted by a soft presence keeping him grounded. As if angred by the leash that was his humanity, the werewolf slashed at a nearby tree before sitting on his haunches.

As Isobel stirred, he snarled at her, but did little else, seeming unwilling to expose himself to the moonlight. Wanting desperately to run free into the night, never to meet a human again, but remaining tethered by the shred of his humanity.

Looking down at his hand, he remembered the book he had brought. Why had he brought it? He couldn’t remember. Lifting it up, letting a sliver of moonbeam illuminate it, he looked over its cover. If any writing was etched upon it, he had no memory of how to read it, but looking at the tome seemed to make him think. This was important. This female was important. The meek voice in his head remained silent, and his crimson eyes turned to the girl.

He gave her a soft growl, but otherwise remained tame. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

Everything was a bit blurry and faded at first. She needed to allow her eyes to adjust to the new environment and the minimal light. It was hard to see, but she definitely could hear everything. The growls from a nearby circlet of trees caught her attention.

Lifting her body ever so slightly, Isobel narrowed her eyes to look. She could make out the dark form of Joseph, his beastial body cloaked by the shadows. The two red eyes pierced through the darkness, staring into her own null blue eyes.

Placing a hand on the back of her clothes, they were moist. There was also a bit of tearing. It was obvious how he had carried her. 

A bit of silence grew between the two. The uncertainty filled the air. However, it was broken by a weak and soft chuckle, “Didn’t know you were the biting type. Didn’t even take me on a date yet.”

Isobel coughed feeling a bit exhausted. A lot had been taken out of her. She had practically used all her magic in the last bit. 

She struggled to stand, but found she was unsuccessful as she fell back down on the grass, “By the angels, look at us. We’re both such a mess.”

[josephkabox]

The joke seemed to fall on deaf ears at first, but after a moment, the growling stopped, his ears turned towards her as he seemed to listen.

Joseph looked down at himself, as if responding to her mention of their looks, and grunted. His fur was slick yet sticky with gore from those creatures. His wounds had mostly healed, given the regenerative properties of this body, but his body still felt tender.

He gave a soft whimper, but stopped as he looked back up at Isobel. That was her name, right? He blinked a few times, and the red of his eyes seemed to drop in intensity. The haze around him seemed to calm slightly.

Taking a slow step out into the moonlight, he winced as it stung his eyes, but he was quick to adjust. Now fully visible, if he were to stand fully, he’d have dwarfed Isobel, but instead he stood crouched, the knuckles of his right hand pressed against the ground for support. An awkward quadruped, yet remarkably lethal.

He sniffed the air, smelling her scent, the smell of the blood, and after a moment, his memories began to balance out. Stepping forward, he lifted the book from the grass, stretching out his long arm and letting it dangle between his claws, offering it to her, but remaining silent, if he could even speak. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

She heard the grunt and whimper as the werewolf approached. Isobel frowned and reached out a hand to gesture him closer, “oh don’t be sad. We’ll be alright. I’m sure.”

Seeing the book in his grasp, Isobel’s eyes widened. She had nearly forgotten it. The prize she had sought in the first place. The mage took a hold of the book and placed it down beside herself. She would have time later to look at it.

Despite her calmness, she was well aware of the situation. It was a surprise that Joseph had the self control to remain docile in his state, especially with the urgency of the scene they had just left. 

The thing that just happened...The hell spawn that they had fought. 

Isobel was remembering what had happened. Trembling, Isobel curled her legs close to her chest and held them tight. She squeezed herself tightly for a few moments, before allowing herself to go limp. She plopped onto the grass and exhaled softly. 

Isobel dug into her side bag and pulled out a flask, “I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.”

She took a long sip, then paused for a moment. Reaching out her hand towards Joseph, she offered him the flask.

“Sorry for that mess of a situation. I...are you alright?”

This was the first conversation she ever had with a werewolf...or at least one that was transformed.  

[theseeker-oftruth]

@josephkabox reblogged your post and added:

Seeing the creature, Joseph couldn’t help but suppress a gag. Seeing mutated animals was one thing. Seeing humans warped into such parodies of life, well, it was always hard for him to stomach. Never had he seen a plane with such twisted creatures, and he hated it had to be his home.

At the mention of a book, Joseph was mildly confused, until he noticed the tome lodged in the one half’s mangled torso. “We’ve been after a book?” He supposed he wasn’t too surprised, as he knew how valuable some books could be, and she’d already mentioned she wasn’t really a treasure hunter.

With the creatures retreating back into the floor and Isobel using her powers to stay grappled to it, Joseph furrowed his brow as he called upon his energy once more. “Oh no you don’t.” Grabbing Isobel around the waist and pulling back on her, he poured his energy into them both, sending a surge of strength trough them so to better pull the creatures back.

Before Joseph could see if it was working, the howl of whatever lurked beneath the floor made his eyes widen instantly. “That…sounded big.” Part of Joseph wondered if this was worth whatever was in that book. He contemplated taking Isobel and getting out of there, but something told him she wasn’t just going to leave, and he wasn’t ready to just leave her there alone.

With what was left of his reserved energy, Joseph focused on the world around him, thinking back to fights he’d fought in the past. The image of soldiers at his sides came to mind, and reaching out with his energy, soon enough, the sound of unsheathing swords could be heard.

Standing at each side of the two, a pair of ethereal soldiers had manifested from Joseph’s energy, swords at the ready for whatever harm may come, their empty eyes locked on the abomination in the pit.  

The eldritch creature watched with purple eyes. Pits of light that dug into its skull. 

The two puppet humanoids began to chant a strange tune, “ In the beginning there was dust dust dust, but we will eat the yellow as we must must must.” “Will they taste like mouse? We must find out.”

Isobel’s eyes widened at the disturbing words to their mad tune, “Shut up!” In a fit of anger fueled by the sudden burst of strength from Joseph, she tugged as hard as she could. The flesh veins holding one of the vampires in place ripped as she violently pulled. 

The elder monster made a gurgling sound as it began to crawl into the room, attempting to get closer to Isobel and Joseph. As it did, a pain rushed through Isobel’s head, as the chain tattoos on her wrists and neck glowed brightly, even through her cloth and armor. 

She lost focus and her power retreated as she almost collapsed into Joseph’s grasp. Thankfully, the spectral soldiers rushed towards the creature, pushing it back from them.

Isobel pushed through her dizziness and pointed to the body of the vampire with the book, “I-I have to get that. I can’t return empty handed.”

[josephkabox]

As Joseph watched Iosbel’s body seemingly react to the presence of the horror before them, he was glad to have summoned the soldiers to his aid.

With her limp in his arms, he had to fight the urge to just take her and run as she spoke to him. “Isobel…” He clentched his teeth as he looked once more to the tome lodged into the chest of one of the puppeted ‘humans.’ Why hadn’t he brought his partner with him, he thought. He could try to detain them, but his mana reserves were limited at this point. He really hadn’t expected a literal eldrazi spawn to be nestled in a place like this.

A dark part of his brain lept at this moment, playing on his exhausted state. Gnawing at him to make a move.

Reaching for his neck, he bit his lip as he yanked free a silver medallion, letting it fall to the floor. “This book better be worth it.” He gave her a wry laugh as he gently moved her away from the action. “Stay back. Trust me.”

With a swipe of its arms, one of the soldiers shattered like glass before evaporating into nothing but a fine mist. The puppeted humans laughed as they were one pawn closer to evicting their uninvited guests.

As the last summoned soldier slashed helplessly at the eldrazi horror, one of the humans turned to notice Joseph undoing his tunic. “Oh, the little mouse gives itself freely?”

Raising an eyebrow, a mild look of shock surfaced on the creature’s face as Joseph dropped to his knees, yelling out as his skin began to write, the bones under his thinning flesh shifting with loud pops and the sound of tearing muscle.

“What’s this?” As the rest of the beast turned to face Joseph, using a massive limb to smash the other soldier as it did, it was shocked as a beast leapt upon one of the humans, leaving only a pile of shed clothes where Joseph had stood.

A cry of pain escaped from the puppeted human as the blur of dark fur assalted it, blood and flesh flying as the werewolf tore into it. The eldrazi tired to swat at Joseph with its massive claws, but Joseph had already lept to the other of the two humans, the first dropping to the floor with a wet plop as its tether had been broken.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“What do you mean Jo-!!”

An audible gasp came from her as she watched the scene of his transformation. Joseph was a werewolf! And in a flash of motion, he had tore through the two humanoid puppets, tearing them apart. 

Isobel was so taken in by the shock that she hadn’t noticed she had fallen down. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the beastial form of Joseph. He was moving about with a strange grace that one wouldn’t expect for a beast his size. 

It was only when she noticed Joseph had acquired the vampire with the book that Isobel came back into the moment. 

She reached out to his mind: Oh! You got him. Rip out the book and we can get out of here!

Standing up, Isobel gestured for Joseph to hurry up. The Eldrazi spawn did not seem to appreciate not being able to grab Joseph, and it began to lift itself further. Two large limbs emerged from the pit and dug into the walls, as it started to pull itself out. 

Seeing her chance, Isobel gathered her remaining magic and shot beams of magenta flames towards the creature. They connected knocking it back slightly, but it kept its grip. Suddenly, the wooden boards began to creak and break around Isobel and a large limb emerged. 

Far too quick for her to react in her weakened state, she was tightly gripped by the grasping hand of the spawn. A light of black and magenta forming a ring around Isobel’s head as she screamed. The pain was far too much as the spawn tried to flay her mind. 

She cried out, though her words only could pour from her thoughts entering the minds of any close enough to her. MAKE IT STOP!!!!

And from the beast, a single word emerged from its mouthless face,

 “Awaken.”

[josephkabox]

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black. Whatever colors existed within the real world were muted by an overlay of blood and rage.

Black blood splashed onto his fur, darker than the hair of his human state and yet uncannily familiar in its curl and texture.

With a snap, Joseph had severed the final puppet from its strings. A meek part of his mind whispered to his primal fit. Remember why we’ve done this. The strings to the macabre marionette dangled, dripping from his maw. Looking down, he saw the tome and swiftly yanked it free from the puppet’s chest before he let his jaws go slack, taking a sick pleasure in the wet thud a moment later.

A scream pierced his ears, his sensitive eardrums begging for it to cease. With a snarl, he turned to face the female. His head throbbed as he leapt to the mighty hand that gripped her, his unburdened claws sinking into its flesh. With terrible speed, his jaws opened, ready to silence the girl, when that meek voice spoke once more. Remember, Joseph. Remember.

The world around him felt slow in this form. With the perk of an ear, he knew right away another alien limb was coming to meet its twin, ready to swat him away like a fly. Closing his jaws around the girl’s clothing, he used his claws to rip into the fist that gripped her, and the muscles in his neck to pull her free.

With a leap, the hand he expected slapped only at the spot of arm he had once been.

Touching the ground, he ran with an awkward three legged run – the book clasped tightly in his fist, the girl dangling like a pup from his jaws.

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black, and yet he could see just fine, and what he saw was a way out. Lowering his head, he smashed into an ancient window, shards of glass ripping into his flesh. The pain was ignored, almost nonexistent in his rage, and as he hit the ground, he hit it running.

He smelled a forest. Nostalgia set in. The meek voice in his head said nothing as his instincts lead his body towards the forest. They’d be safe there.

[theseeker-oftruth]

Pain. Darkness. A voice. Silence. 

It was like it had been before. An absence of everything. No sensation, no passage of time, a void of existence. 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

However, it was different this time. She suddenly felt something. She felt cold, then warmth. The wind against her face, and the tug of cloth against her body. Was she being held? 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

Isobel opened her eyes to see the dull light of the waxing moon. Its light radiated across the cloudy sky, and pierced through the trees that surrounded her. Rubbing her head, she glanced down at her arms. The tattoos were no longer glowing, though a nagging pain filled her head. It made her vision blurry. 

Lifting herself slightly, the mage winced in a sudden shock of pain at her side. Isobel froze, but not from the pain. She was remembering what had happened, and slowly turned her head around to observe her surroundings.

“Joseph?”

[josephkabox]

The forest round Isobel was dense, shaded black by the thick treetops. In the small clearing where she resided, however, the moon illuminated the grass around her, as well as the small drops of blood.

A soft growl could be heard in the distance, and in the shadow of the trees, the glint of two red eyes could be seen, framed by a bulky dark shape.

Joseph growled as he remained under the cover of the shadow. His mind was a jumble of murderous thoughts, conflicted by a soft presence keeping him grounded. As if angred by the leash that was his humanity, the werewolf slashed at a nearby tree before sitting on his haunches.

As Isobel stirred, he snarled at her, but did little else, seeming unwilling to expose himself to the moonlight. Wanting desperately to run free into the night, never to meet a human again, but remaining tethered by the shred of his humanity.

Looking down at his hand, he remembered the book he had brought. Why had he brought it? He couldn’t remember. Lifting it up, letting a sliver of moonbeam illuminate it, he looked over its cover. If any writing was etched upon it, he had no memory of how to read it, but looking at the tome seemed to make him think. This was important. This female was important. The meek voice in his head remained silent, and his crimson eyes turned to the girl.

He gave her a soft growl, but otherwise remained tame. 

[theseeker-oftruth]

Everything was a bit blurry and faded at first. She needed to allow her eyes to adjust to the new environment and the minimal light. It was hard to see, but she definitely could hear everything. The growls from a nearby circlet of trees caught her attention.

Lifting her body ever so slightly, Isobel narrowed her eyes to look. She could make out the dark form of Joseph, his beastial body cloaked by the shadows. The two red eyes pierced through the darkness, staring into her own null blue eyes.

Placing a hand on the back of her clothes, they were moist. There was also a bit of tearing. It was obvious how he had carried her. 

A bit of silence grew between the two. The uncertainty filled the air. However, it was broken by a weak and soft chuckle, “Didn’t know you were the biting type. Didn’t even take me on a date yet.”

Isobel coughed feeling a bit exhausted. A lot had been taken out of her. She had practically used all her magic in the last bit. 

She struggled to stand, but found she was unsuccessful as she fell back down on the grass, “By the angels, look at us. We’re both such a mess.”

[theseeker-oftruth]

@josephkabox reblogged your post and added:

Seeing the creature, Joseph couldn’t help but suppress a gag. Seeing mutated animals was one thing. Seeing humans warped into such parodies of life, well, it was always hard for him to stomach. Never had he seen a plane with such twisted creatures, and he hated it had to be his home.

At the mention of a book, Joseph was mildly confused, until he noticed the tome lodged in the one half’s mangled torso. “We’ve been after a book?” He supposed he wasn’t too surprised, as he knew how valuable some books could be, and she’d already mentioned she wasn’t really a treasure hunter.

With the creatures retreating back into the floor and Isobel using her powers to stay grappled to it, Joseph furrowed his brow as he called upon his energy once more. “Oh no you don’t.” Grabbing Isobel around the waist and pulling back on her, he poured his energy into them both, sending a surge of strength trough them so to better pull the creatures back.

Before Joseph could see if it was working, the howl of whatever lurked beneath the floor made his eyes widen instantly. “That…sounded big.” Part of Joseph wondered if this was worth whatever was in that book. He contemplated taking Isobel and getting out of there, but something told him she wasn’t just going to leave, and he wasn’t ready to just leave her there alone.

With what was left of his reserved energy, Joseph focused on the world around him, thinking back to fights he’d fought in the past. The image of soldiers at his sides came to mind, and reaching out with his energy, soon enough, the sound of unsheathing swords could be heard.

Standing at each side of the two, a pair of ethereal soldiers had manifested from Joseph’s energy, swords at the ready for whatever harm may come, their empty eyes locked on the abomination in the pit.  

The eldritch creature watched with purple eyes. Pits of light that dug into its skull. 

The two puppet humanoids began to chant a strange tune, “ In the beginning there was dust dust dust, but we will eat the yellow as we must must must.” “Will they taste like mouse? We must find out.”

Isobel’s eyes widened at the disturbing words to their mad tune, “Shut up!” In a fit of anger fueled by the sudden burst of strength from Joseph, she tugged as hard as she could. The flesh veins holding one of the vampires in place ripped as she violently pulled. 

The elder monster made a gurgling sound as it began to crawl into the room, attempting to get closer to Isobel and Joseph. As it did, a pain rushed through Isobel’s head, as the chain tattoos on her wrists and neck glowed brightly, even through her cloth and armor. 

She lost focus and her power retreated as she almost collapsed into Joseph’s grasp. Thankfully, the spectral soldiers rushed towards the creature, pushing it back from them.

Isobel pushed through her dizziness and pointed to the body of the vampire with the book, “I-I have to get that. I can’t return empty handed.”

[josephkabox]

As Joseph watched Iosbel’s body seemingly react to the presence of the horror before them, he was glad to have summoned the soldiers to his aid.

With her limp in his arms, he had to fight the urge to just take her and run as she spoke to him. “Isobel…” He clentched his teeth as he looked once more to the tome lodged into the chest of one of the puppeted ‘humans.’ Why hadn’t he brought his partner with him, he thought. He could try to detain them, but his mana reserves were limited at this point. He really hadn’t expected a literal eldrazi spawn to be nestled in a place like this.

A dark part of his brain lept at this moment, playing on his exhausted state. Gnawing at him to make a move.

Reaching for his neck, he bit his lip as he yanked free a silver medallion, letting it fall to the floor. “This book better be worth it.” He gave her a wry laugh as he gently moved her away from the action. “Stay back. Trust me.”

With a swipe of its arms, one of the soldiers shattered like glass before evaporating into nothing but a fine mist. The puppeted humans laughed as they were one pawn closer to evicting their uninvited guests.

As the last summoned soldier slashed helplessly at the eldrazi horror, one of the humans turned to notice Joseph undoing his tunic. “Oh, the little mouse gives itself freely?”

Raising an eyebrow, a mild look of shock surfaced on the creature’s face as Joseph dropped to his knees, yelling out as his skin began to write, the bones under his thinning flesh shifting with loud pops and the sound of tearing muscle.

“What’s this?” As the rest of the beast turned to face Joseph, using a massive limb to smash the other soldier as it did, it was shocked as a beast leapt upon one of the humans, leaving only a pile of shed clothes where Joseph had stood.

A cry of pain escaped from the puppeted human as the blur of dark fur assalted it, blood and flesh flying as the werewolf tore into it. The eldrazi tired to swat at Joseph with its massive claws, but Joseph had already lept to the other of the two humans, the first dropping to the floor with a wet plop as its tether had been broken.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“What do you mean Jo-!!”

An audible gasp came from her as she watched the scene of his transformation. Joseph was a werewolf! And in a flash of motion, he had tore through the two humanoid puppets, tearing them apart. 

Isobel was so taken in by the shock that she hadn’t noticed she had fallen down. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the beastial form of Joseph. He was moving about with a strange grace that one wouldn’t expect for a beast his size. 

It was only when she noticed Joseph had acquired the vampire with the book that Isobel came back into the moment. 

She reached out to his mind: Oh! You got him. Rip out the book and we can get out of here!

Standing up, Isobel gestured for Joseph to hurry up. The Eldrazi spawn did not seem to appreciate not being able to grab Joseph, and it began to lift itself further. Two large limbs emerged from the pit and dug into the walls, as it started to pull itself out. 

Seeing her chance, Isobel gathered her remaining magic and shot beams of magenta flames towards the creature. They connected knocking it back slightly, but it kept its grip. Suddenly, the wooden boards began to creak and break around Isobel and a large limb emerged. 

Far too quick for her to react in her weakened state, she was tightly gripped by the grasping hand of the spawn. A light of black and magenta forming a ring around Isobel’s head as she screamed. The pain was far too much as the spawn tried to flay her mind. 

She cried out, though her words only could pour from her thoughts entering the minds of any close enough to her. MAKE IT STOP!!!!

And from the beast, a single word emerged from its mouthless face,

 “Awaken.”

[josephkabox]

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black. Whatever colors existed within the real world were muted by an overlay of blood and rage.

Black blood splashed onto his fur, darker than the hair of his human state and yet uncannily familiar in its curl and texture.

With a snap, Joseph had severed the final puppet from its strings. A meek part of his mind whispered to his primal fit. Remember why we’ve done this. The strings to the macabre marionette dangled, dripping from his maw. Looking down, he saw the tome and swiftly yanked it free from the puppet’s chest before he let his jaws go slack, taking a sick pleasure in the wet thud a moment later.

A scream pierced his ears, his sensitive eardrums begging for it to cease. With a snarl, he turned to face the female. His head throbbed as he leapt to the mighty hand that gripped her, his unburdened claws sinking into its flesh. With terrible speed, his jaws opened, ready to silence the girl, when that meek voice spoke once more. Remember, Joseph. Remember.

The world around him felt slow in this form. With the perk of an ear, he knew right away another alien limb was coming to meet its twin, ready to swat him away like a fly. Closing his jaws around the girl’s clothing, he used his claws to rip into the fist that gripped her, and the muscles in his neck to pull her free.

With a leap, the hand he expected slapped only at the spot of arm he had once been.

Touching the ground, he ran with an awkward three legged run – the book clasped tightly in his fist, the girl dangling like a pup from his jaws.

The world around Joseph was a haze of red and black, and yet he could see just fine, and what he saw was a way out. Lowering his head, he smashed into an ancient window, shards of glass ripping into his flesh. The pain was ignored, almost nonexistent in his rage, and as he hit the ground, he hit it running.

He smelled a forest. Nostalgia set in. The meek voice in his head said nothing as his instincts lead his body towards the forest. They’d be safe there.

[theseeker-oftruth]

Pain. Darkness. A voice. Silence. 

It was like it had been before. An absence of everything. No sensation, no passage of time, a void of existence. 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

However, it was different this time. She suddenly felt something. She felt cold, then warmth. The wind against her face, and the tug of cloth against her body. Was she being held? 

A̗͕̖̗w̮̬ͬͭ̂̇a̠̘̭͎͙͌ͦ̈̀k̴̰̗̪̤͕ͮ͋͌e̤͕̥͕ͨͭ͂͛͒̾n͙̥

Isobel opened her eyes to see the dull light of the waxing moon. Its light radiated across the cloudy sky, and pierced through the trees that surrounded her. Rubbing her head, she glanced down at her arms. The tattoos were no longer glowing, though a nagging pain filled her head. It made her vision blurry. 

Lifting herself slightly, the mage winced in a sudden shock of pain at her side. Isobel froze, but not from the pain. She was remembering what had happened, and slowly turned her head around to observe her surroundings.

“Joseph?”

[theseeker-oftruth]

@josephkabox reblogged your post and added:

Seeing the creature, Joseph couldn’t help but suppress a gag. Seeing mutated animals was one thing. Seeing humans warped into such parodies of life, well, it was always hard for him to stomach. Never had he seen a plane with such twisted creatures, and he hated it had to be his home.

At the mention of a book, Joseph was mildly confused, until he noticed the tome lodged in the one half’s mangled torso. “We’ve been after a book?” He supposed he wasn’t too surprised, as he knew how valuable some books could be, and she’d already mentioned she wasn’t really a treasure hunter.

With the creatures retreating back into the floor and Isobel using her powers to stay grappled to it, Joseph furrowed his brow as he called upon his energy once more. “Oh no you don’t.” Grabbing Isobel around the waist and pulling back on her, he poured his energy into them both, sending a surge of strength trough them so to better pull the creatures back.

Before Joseph could see if it was working, the howl of whatever lurked beneath the floor made his eyes widen instantly. “That…sounded big.” Part of Joseph wondered if this was worth whatever was in that book. He contemplated taking Isobel and getting out of there, but something told him she wasn’t just going to leave, and he wasn’t ready to just leave her there alone.

With what was left of his reserved energy, Joseph focused on the world around him, thinking back to fights he’d fought in the past. The image of soldiers at his sides came to mind, and reaching out with his energy, soon enough, the sound of unsheathing swords could be heard.

Standing at each side of the two, a pair of ethereal soldiers had manifested from Joseph’s energy, swords at the ready for whatever harm may come, their empty eyes locked on the abomination in the pit.  

The eldritch creature watched with purple eyes. Pits of light that dug into its skull. 

The two puppet humanoids began to chant a strange tune, “ In the beginning there was dust dust dust, but we will eat the yellow as we must must must.” “Will they taste like mouse? We must find out.”

Isobel’s eyes widened at the disturbing words to their mad tune, “Shut up!” In a fit of anger fueled by the sudden burst of strength from Joseph, she tugged as hard as she could. The flesh veins holding one of the vampires in place ripped as she violently pulled. 

The elder monster made a gurgling sound as it began to crawl into the room, attempting to get closer to Isobel and Joseph. As it did, a pain rushed through Isobel’s head, as the chain tattoos on her wrists and neck glowed brightly, even through her cloth and armor. 

She lost focus and her power retreated as she almost collapsed into Joseph’s grasp. Thankfully, the spectral soldiers rushed towards the creature, pushing it back from them.

Isobel pushed through her dizziness and pointed to the body of the vampire with the book, “I-I have to get that. I can’t return empty handed.”

[josephkabox]

As Joseph watched Iosbel’s body seemingly react to the presence of the horror before them, he was glad to have summoned the soldiers to his aid.

With her limp in his arms, he had to fight the urge to just take her and run as she spoke to him. “Isobel…” He clentched his teeth as he looked once more to the tome lodged into the chest of one of the puppeted ‘humans.’ Why hadn’t he brought his partner with him, he thought. He could try to detain them, but his mana reserves were limited at this point. He really hadn’t expected a literal eldrazi spawn to be nestled in a place like this.

A dark part of his brain lept at this moment, playing on his exhausted state. Gnawing at him to make a move.

Reaching for his neck, he bit his lip as he yanked free a silver medallion, letting it fall to the floor. “This book better be worth it.” He gave her a wry laugh as he gently moved her away from the action. “Stay back. Trust me.”

With a swipe of its arms, one of the soldiers shattered like glass before evaporating into nothing but a fine mist. The puppeted humans laughed as they were one pawn closer to evicting their uninvited guests.

As the last summoned soldier slashed helplessly at the eldrazi horror, one of the humans turned to notice Joseph undoing his tunic. “Oh, the little mouse gives itself freely?”

Raising an eyebrow, a mild look of shock surfaced on the creature’s face as Joseph dropped to his knees, yelling out as his skin began to write, the bones under his thinning flesh shifting with loud pops and the sound of tearing muscle.

“What’s this?” As the rest of the beast turned to face Joseph, using a massive limb to smash the other soldier as it did, it was shocked as a beast leapt upon one of the humans, leaving only a pile of shed clothes where Joseph had stood.

A cry of pain escaped from the puppeted human as the blur of dark fur assalted it, blood and flesh flying as the werewolf tore into it. The eldrazi tired to swat at Joseph with its massive claws, but Joseph had already lept to the other of the two humans, the first dropping to the floor with a wet plop as its tether had been broken.

[theseeker-oftruth]

“What do you mean Jo-!!”

An audible gasp came from her as she watched the scene of his transformation. Joseph was a werewolf! And in a flash of motion, he had tore through the two humanoid puppets, tearing them apart. 

Isobel was so taken in by the shock that she hadn’t noticed she had fallen down. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the beastial form of Joseph. He was moving about with a strange grace that one wouldn’t expect for a beast his size. 

It was only when she noticed Joseph had acquired the vampire with the book that Isobel came back into the moment. 

She reached out to his mind: Oh! You got him. Rip out the book and we can get out of here!

Standing up, Isobel gestured for Joseph to hurry up. The Eldrazi spawn did not seem to appreciate not being able to grab Joseph, and it began to lift itself further. Two large limbs emerged from the pit and dug into the walls, as it started to pull itself out. 

Seeing her chance, Isobel gathered her remaining magic and shot beams of magenta flames towards the creature. They connected knocking it back slightly, but it kept its grip. Suddenly, the wooden boards began to creak and break around Isobel and a large limb emerged. 

Far too quick for her to react in her weakened state, she was tightly gripped by the grasping hand of the spawn. A light of black and magenta forming a ring around Isobel’s head as she screamed. The pain was far too much as the spawn tried to flay her mind. 

She cried out, though her words only could pour from her thoughts entering the minds of any close enough to her. MAKE IT STOP!!!!

And from the beast, a single word emerged from its mouthless face,

 “Awaken.”

[jacecompleated]

Isobel the Seeker? ;D

Isobel is GORGEOUS AND holy moly I love her

[theseeker-oftruth]

oh my gosh v///v <3 <3 Danke!!!

[niuttuc]

A custom card for @theseeker-oftruth of Isobel, crafted with her. The beautiful art was made by @isharton.