Howling[Visualspice]

[Looshi]

Lorant trailed his fingers along a shelf of books, his fingertips picking up loose dust along the way. The light of the chandeliers above them flickered softly as their candles' flames wavered back and forth as a breeze breathed against them. He caught a scent then; the stronger one that tickled, and tasted like burnt ash and decay. Almost like a graveyard. But it was magic. A certain kind of magic. For a moment his eyes reflected the light like how an animal's would; that eerie stare as he wound his way around a corner.

   "Librarian." He said, and took a quick look behind him to the mousy girl. In her hands she was carrying to books that he found. His 'prey'. So delicately were they wrapped in her arms, as if they were precious things. He was aware of her breathing, his senses catching everything. The moon gave him no blessings but this. He wouldn't trade it. Even if it was to be human.

   He pointed a long finger towards a large wooden door. Knots were decorating it much like the young woman's freckles. The dark face of it beckoned him. In a wayward place in the library it sat, as if waiting for someone to open it. "I'm going in there."

   Lorant didn't wait for her permission, nor was he asking it. He took the handle of the door and pried it open, being lucky that it wasn't locked or bolted. The scent of magical decay rushed at him, and he couldn't help but bare his teeth and growl like the wolf.

[visualspice]

So many scrolls..
He had taken out so many scrolls she began to fear even her delicacy would break them. She adjusted the handful, re positioning them in her arms as they walked and he, Lorant, paused before a door way. She peered up at him, blinking her brown eyes before turning towards which door he had meant.
"Oh!" her face suddenly twisted at the notion.  "You can't go in there. Not even I can! That is the cellar for new books!"
But as such, he did not listen, and pushed the door open, disappearing within.
Gasping, Artemis nearly dropped her pile of scrolls and books, and it took her some time to catch and reposition them again.

ANd out of fear (and well, partial curiosity) she followed after the man, bobbing down the stairs with light footsteps, quickly remaining at his back.  Once at the bottom, she new there was a nearby table by the faint light casting in from upstairs and set the scrolls and books she carried upon it with a light 'Oof!' and then moved about, fussing over a nearby oil lamp before holding it upa nd over to him.  She was panting with the effort, her face glossed not only by a light blush, but was brushed in the golden light cast from the lamp.

"Are you certain you need to be down here?"s he inquired, pouting somewhat as she looked around in the looming dark. It was cold and foreboding in that basement, with wide shelves housing sacks of more scrolls and books , and crates fairing with the same goods, littered about.  There were heavy cobwebs, and the thick scent of dust and decay- Even a menacing furnace that appeared to have teeth and eyes remained dormant in one corner, and a small, round table across the way.  Artemis only took two cautious steps forward before she shivered, then turned the lamp back towards the priest- or, whatever it was that he was. Her eyes looked to the mage symbol on his robes, then to his face.  "We shouldn't be down here." she informed about.

[Looshi]

She didn't stop him. Then again, there was not much she could do physically to keep him away from whatever laid in the bowels of that chamber. When Lorant stood on the top steps, he could feel pinpricks of fur raising out from his skin. All to eager was the wolf to have its jaws on whatever was lurking in the deep. It was trained well. Lorant clenched his jaw, and the restraint he trained long and hard for eased him back into his human skin.

He descended with the young woman quickly following after him. Lorant was breathing out his mouth, like an animal in anticipation. It was difficult to keep everything from surfacing so close to the full moon. He did what he could. Dust was disturbed in clouds as the made their way down, and a couple of spiders scattered out of their way. It was like the dark had shadows of its own, and when the girl sought out light it was almost as if monsters were bearing down and threatening to eat the flame whole.

"Yes." He said, and it sounded like his attention was draining elsewhere. "This is it."

Lorant made his way to the small table and thumbed through a book out of curiosity. It was in an old dead language he doubted the woman would know. He didn't need the light to see it. Being what he was had it's obvious perks. "These books, and scrolls," He began, his voice echoing in the dark. "Not all of them are from Connlaoth."

   "Misplaced in wars. Mages most likely sought out these dusty old pages in hope of a way to forsake their tainted powers. Or revel in them." He was musing out loud. Lorant had heard of such stories as a boy, but he never thought they were true. Connlaoth would not let such books exist, especially not in Uthlyn. Who brought these here, and to what purpose?

[visualspice]

Artemis winced, cringing away as her fingers tried to brush a thick swab of cobwebs away.  Looking around, all she could think about was how disorganized this place was- and how entranced she was by this new area, reveling int he possibilities of all the knowledge she could consume.  It wasn't that there was no fear in her, for fear was easily brewing in the pit of her belly, but excitement also flared inside her heart, and made for an interesting sparkle in the depths of her brown eyes.

As Lorant spoke, she held her breath, finding herself very intrigued by what he claimed, and as she ran a hand over a crate, spilling thick dust into the air, she had to wonder just how long some of these have been stored down here.  But her thoughts were interrupted by a sneeze, then another as she stumbled forward, nearly dropping the light.  It was as she stood, half catching the glass, one foot up, the other planted heavily forward, that she blinked and noticed a chest, greyed over by thick dust, near the back wall door.

Curiously, she approached, her foot steps echoing ever so softly around them in the darkness.  The world around her immediately was cast in orange wonder from the flames, drawing long laps of light that stretched long and tall and faded up towards the ceiling where the menacing darkness seemed to gobble the rest up. The darkness continued to follow her like a plague, the lamp light, a brilliant ghost, illuminating her path as she finally stopped, standing before the chest with interest.
Though upon close examination she had to frown.

It was locked.

[Looshi]

"Librarian, don't wander off." He said coming up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "There's no telling what's hiding in here. Ansgar help you if you get lost."

   And he didn't want to be responsible for a missing woman in the depths of the library. His face was brightened by the orange lamp light, and his features were illuminated to be far more angular than they were. His nose leaving a long shadow on his face. Then he saw what the girl was looking at, he leaned over her slightly, his height allowing such a thing.  Lorant's hair fell in his eyes and he brushed it away.  An aging chest in this far corner of the room. From the light, a spider's shadow cast itself on a nearby wall, almost giving the dark it's own manifestation. Lorant's senses tingled, and he wished to change shape right there so he would have the benefit of a proper nose. What would he smell? Who had been in here? How long ago? His mind was burning with questions.

   "There should be a key somewhere." He said, and at a nearby table he began to search. Lorant carefully lifted up the books, so not to knock the key in oblivion if he did disturb it. Long minutes past, until he found one, it was only a matter of time before they figured it if it was the right one.

   He held it up to show the librarian. "This might be it. It seems as old as the chest." He stepped towards the chest. "Do you want the honours?"

[visualspice]

Artemis tensed, almost giving a shout when the man touched her shoulder. Instead, a gasp escaped from her lips as her eyes widened as did the gape in her mouth.
Shying away, she turned to him, color from the lamp sweeping across his features as she watched him rummage through the room. When he produced a key and asked her to do the honors, a cold chill washed over her as she turned away, shaking her head.
"I.. I feel it is not my honor to have,"s he admitted lamely, keeping her eyes well averted and meek.
Really, it was not her place to go about searching the library for such treasures! Especially in a room she should not be in, with a man who was seeking to snuff out all of the treasures of magical knowledge he had found!  And really, she could have sworn that early.. she clutched a hand to her chest as it tightened at the thought, she had almost thought he had changed momentarily into something else, but she merely assumed her eyes playing tricks on her.

But there was something wolfish, feral about this man, and she could not quite put her tongue on it.

Shaking her head again, she stepped away, but held up the light for him- since, despite the curiosity that burned through her, she would simply stand back and watch.


OOC: Would be funny if the key wasn't for this chest but to another door that lead them even deeper down the rabbit hole,- but whatever you want to do is fine XD

[Looshi]

He shrugged at her response. Lorant had no problems with being the one that opened the chest. Rather, he preferred it, for if anything dangerous should be lurking within it, he had more of a chance to react quickly than the librarian girl. All of his assumptions, of course. What was worrying him was, if they were right.

   Lorant knelt down beside the old chest, and with the key in hand, he slid it into the lock. Or attempted. The teeth were wrong, marking it as a failure. A deep frown grace his lips as he stood up, but his curiosity was not sated. He had found the key under a pile of books, it was an odd place. Conspicuous. As if someone just left it there without caring about where it was. As if they didn't expect anyone to come down into the dark.

   "St. Svan, old and tired I stand. Give me strength to press forward." He said under his breath. The dust must be getting to his head. He wanted to find where the key went. What he was searching for was not in this room. Nor was it in the chest. His nose told him so. They were getting closer nonetheless.

   "Librarian." He said, "I'm going further. Whether you come or not, is up to you. I would be gladdened by your company. Something...Stirs here. It's more than enchantments on those books. I can feel it."

[visualspice]

Artemis had both of her hands wringing, then eventually clutched them to her breast, brown eyes peering down and holding a breath as she watched him slowly, gently slip inside the hole, the key.  WHen he turned it, she released a deflated breath, frowning, pouting even when it did not open, and although he pulled away from it, looking elsewhere, she could not help but stare at it in pity.  How she ever so wanted to be on an adventure, at least, not one as grand as in books or legends, but even something as simple as poking about inside the library basement would suffice the enticing thrill fluttering inside her chest.
At his next statement, she whirled around and said a bit too enthusiastically, "I shall follow!" and gasped, clutching a hand over her lips as the noise echoed into the darkness around them. She lowered her gaze, feeling embarrassed.
"I.. I mean, so as to ensure proper conduct is carried out."
Lest she admit she was curious, too!

[Looshi]

He barked out a laugh when the girl let spill her overenthusiastic inner thoughts. It would appear that he wasn't alone in the curiosity. The orange glow pouring from the lamp she held brightened her mousy face, and made the sparks in her eyes shine brighter even as her gaze darted away.

    Lorant spent no time dawdling. With measured steps, and looks behind him, he lead the way down one of the corridors in the basement. The air grew staler as they pressed on, as if it had been a long time since any living thing breathed where they walked. Everything was quiet save for their footsteps and racing hearts. His nose itched and began to ache. Magic was less of a smell and more of a physical feeling that ripped through a person. They were drawing ever closer. And when a door loomed before them, Lorant gave no hesitation with sliding the key in. With a satisfying click it opened.

   And it only took that for the entire bowels of the library to reel as a scream rent the air.

[visualspice]

The library wasn't the only thing screaming, the librarian was, too! As she dropped her the lamp, it landing with a clatter at her feet, nearly snuffing out as she slapped hands to her ears and let out an ear splitting wail.  Then, just as swiftly, a wind howled around them, lapping at the lamp and it too, threatened to snuff it out but as it ceased, the fluttering and fading orange glow of the light soon crawled back to stability, and slowly, ever so slowly, the librarian lowered her hands away from her ears.  Breath was choking in her throat, heart racing as she looked around, whimpering..
"Oh... what... what was that?"  Though in all honesty, she didn't hope to know.

[Looshi]

Lorant's hands clamped down on his ears fast. The scream was shrill and long lasting, and soon enough it was paired with the librarian's right beside him. Through his bones it soared, shaking them to the core. His jaw tensed and he ground his teeth together, only to find his incisors growing longer and biting at the back of his bottom lip. Beastly claws dragged themselves out from his fingernails, and he felt them poke at the side of his head.

The wolf was thrashing hard against the chains that bound it.

The door flung inwards, smacking against the inside wall with a sickening clunk. A dusty wind blew at the two of them, carrying wreathes of old dusty pages and used twine into their faces. And then there came a voice...

"Get out, get out, get out!" A high pitched squeal shuddered in Lorant's ears. It sounded like a girl was having a tantrum. Inside the room, a light white glow illuminated, almost chalky in substance.

"I didn't ask you to come here! And you brought a dog! Gross!" She continued. Lorant didn't dare pry his hands away from his ears, for the fear of his eardrums splitting. It had a form of a girl in a long white dress, but her face was... Her face was...

Decaying. 

[visualspice]

Artemis clamped her hands to her ears again, flinching as the screamed tore across them in a blinding wind, then when the door open, she gasped, drawing back in fear of the ghostly woman of decay moaning before them.

"I... I... think.. think,... we... we ought,.. to...to  leave.." Artemis stammered, slowly, ever so slowly creeping away, but backwards, as her lower lip was quivering with fear, eyes blinking swiftly, but as she finally had the gall to turn to her partner, she gave a start, hand clenching to her chest.  The man had- had- had- turned into some partial beast! And she felt the acidic burn of a faint coming on, but the dreadful moaning chill of the ghost added to the sudden appearance of her partner as a part beast, part man ... thing!  -suddenly made her drop her own mouth open and let out a terrifying scream.


And it was her scream that agitated the ghostly woman as she too, let out a terrifying scream and roared forward, sharp, piercing, haunting fingers reaching for them fast.

"Get out of my room! Get out of my room! Before I tear out your hair! No one invited you here!" the ghost wailed.

Artemis let out another blood curdling scream before throwing herself behind Lorant, but the ghost made chase as the librarian and ghost continued to go about in circles until finally Artemis turned, grabbing onto Lorant's wrist desperately. "You're.. you're some kind of monster thing. Can't you DO something!?" But then Artemis gave another scream, ducking just in time as the ghost swiped for her over head, then turned and hissed angrily at the werewolf.
"I thought I told you to get your dog out of here!!!" the ghost shouted, voice raising and vibrating in rage throughout the air that came with enough force to shake the very grounds.

[Looshi]

What in Ansgar's name was this creature?!

Cold air breathed around them, as if wailing the same tale as the decaying girl. Who would have thought the library could hold such a thing? Lorant didn't. All he expected was a tome enchanted to the teeth. The sight of what laid before him made his blood boil. It should not exist it told him. The magic was rife in the air, he could taste it's foul flavour on his tongue. The young woman, the alive one, was muttering beside him in a weak voice.

"It's seen us now." He said, his voice being backed by a guttural growl. Then he heard her scream once more, and his eyes locked onto her, hinting at a feral yellow. The glow from the lamp light was just enough to scratch the surface of his face and his features. She had seen him. She was seeing the wolf breaking through. Before he could clamp a hand around her mouth, the creature took their pause as an opening and struck forward. It's lipless mouth gaped open, and the sight of it made Lorant's hair stand on end. Ansgar help him stave of this abomination. The librarian and the creature made circles around him. One running away, and one chasing the other. He just happened to be the centre. Lorant growled low, and he could feel the wolf's fur prickle under his skin. He had to act, and the girl's grip on him only made his decision solid.

He let go of his restraint. The sound of ripping clothing echoed as Lorant's body grew and changed. Ansgar forgive him. Ansgar forgive him.

   In the small hallway, the werewolf made a barrier between the Librarian and the creature. His lips were pulled back, and long teeth were glinting in the failing orange light. His growl was like a rumble of thunder. The phantom girl reeled back and shrieked.

"Ew, ew ew! You're going to shed and drool everywhere!" She said flailing her arms.

[visualspice]

As Artemis was pressed behind him, she cringed as she felt his muscles buckle, his clothing burst, hair spewing from the shredded remains as a werewolf came forth before her.  Her eyes widened, body frozen in shock as the ghost continued to wail out her tantrum. And as her neck craned upward, watching as the beast's lips peeled backwards, baring white teeth and froth, her nostrils filled with acidic vapors, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she dropped like lead to the floor.

The woman screamed, roaring towards her and ducked beneath the werewolf's legs.  The cold windy chill from it's form fluttering about him as she sunk over Artemis's body and  sunk right through Artemis's heart- possesing the poor girl as she slept-

and suddenly, with the ghost's spirit inside her, 'Artemis' awoke with a start, tossing her arms about in a tantrum before lunging at the hairy beast of a werewolf before her.

"GET OUT OF MY PLACE! GET OUT! GET OUT!! I DO NOT LIKE DOGS AND YOUR WREtCHED SMELL!" the woman cried, hands hitting and clawing at Lorant, and as she did so, the ghosted forms of the ghost inside Artemis followed her actions in delayed animation, and her voice sounded as if she spoke in four tongues while ghostly flames lapped like chalk around her body.


OOC: Hope it's ok to assume Arty got temporarily possessed XD

that's what she gets for fainting :U

[Looshi]

He didn't react quick enough. Damn it! From under his legs the ghost slipped, and he felt the cold of its spectral body breathe across his underbelly. The hallway was narrow, and cramping the form Lorant held. A wolf in its cage, though this one was not of flesh. His hackles stood on end and he tried to manoeuver around the librarian, unaware of the creature wiggling itself into the very soul of the girl that laid on the ground. Now was not the time to faint! Of all the things he had to deal with, he didn't need this. But then she rose, and with a shrieking voice that was not her own, she began pounding on him. The different voices swirled in his ears, and he gave a whine out of pure instinct. Immediately he tasted sour regret. He could not show weakness. Her hands thumped against him, trying to rake at the skin beneath his thick fur. His wolf mind was screaming at him. Danger. But she lacked the strength to truly hurt him.

This was not the librarian. What was left of his human logic allowed him to see that; to see the aura flicker around her, and to have his nose twitch at her change in scent. The creature had disappeared, and what was left was this. He backed up slowly, his feet catching the remains of his clothing on the floor. He didn't know what to do. His body had told him to change shape, but what he was left with was far more useless than the human facade he put on. He couldn't hurt her. She was innocent.

With a large wet tongue, he licked her face.

[visualspice]

'Artemis's' face wrinkled, drawing back in disgust as she threw her hands up.

"No, no, no, no!" the woman squealed in many tongues. "My face, my beautiful face- ruined!" she squealed touching a hand to her slobbered cheek- which was TOO much for her and the spirit quickly abandoned it's host-
slipping out from her form in a wail of a breath as Artemis's eyes rolled back into her head as her limp body moved forward, falling into Lorant.

OOC: Lol...

[Looshi]

His dignity, oh his dignity! If there had been another option, Lorant would have gladly taken it, but aside from pinning her down, he saw none, so he was forced to resort to a puppy kiss. It was enough to expel the creature, much to his favour; the air shuddered around the girl, and the chalky spectre shot back towards the dark room, screaming all the way. But still, he couldn't chase after it. Slumping forward, the librarian was still unconscious, she landed on the coarse fur of his shoulder. Slowly, Lorant laid down, taking her with him. She fell over further until her body was sprawled over one of his front legs.

   Now he wasn't sure what to do. A girl was in his 'arms', and a creature was up ahead. In the dark they stayed, all except for a tiny flicker from the lamp. He couldn't leave her, though the thought was tempting. She wasn't a mage. She didn't deserve his contempt or his cruelty. Lorant nosed her face, and gave small whines in hopes to rouse her. 

[visualspice]

THe cold wet of his nose was enough to rouse her, and slowly she stirred, moaning from where she lay against his paws. Her eyes were bleary at first, fluttering as she came to-
but when she noticed the creature before her, hair coming into focus, then nose, black lips, fangs and beastily eyes...

She gave a start, sitting up and placing hands before her face as she let out a terrible scream-

a scream that set the other ghostly spirit into a panic.

"A DOG! A DOG! A DOG! A DOG!" the ghostly woman wailed, flying wildly over head before throwing herself at the wall, the door, clawing at anything she could before anger over took her senses as her nails came flying straight for him!
"I WILL KILL YOU YOU FOUL BEAST! FOR RUINING MY HOME!"

Artemis looked up just in time, flinching against the werewolf as the ghost drew near and letting out another scream when she realized their other plight of the flying, maniacal ghost!

[Looshi]

For the love of Ansgar, again with the screams? He could feel a headache begin to throb at his temples. He gave a bark, but it did nothing to settle her. And who would it settle? A giant wolf was not the most comforting of things. Least of all when the same beast was a stranger and the only other companion in the dark.

Save for the ghost hurdling towards them.

One could see the tendons in the creature's face stretched as she howled. It was an unpleasant sight, but Lorant had no time to admire it. As it drew close, he snapped his jaws at it, biting through its etheral body as if it was air. His tongue burned of the magic it was made out of, but he did more damage to the ghost than what it did to him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" It wailed, there was now teeth marks shadowing its form. "BAD DOG!" It spiralled down at him again, and once more his jaws closed around it, tearing off a ghostly arm. Lorant chuffed in a doggie laughter, readily amused.

[visualspice]

Artemis was beside herself, falling to the ground as she could merely watch as the werewolf tried to chomp the ghost to itty bits.
The ghost, however, wailed up a storm, making more terrifying noises that caused Artemis to throw her hands over her ears again, lest they bleed.

Realizing, however, that the dog seemed to be doing more harm than her than he should, she turned her rage towards the librarian on the floor and dropped her jaw open inhumanly wide and screamed again in her fury, rushing towards the library like a white stream.

Artemis could only stare, brown eyes wide with fright as the ghost bore down upon her- aiming to gobble her up within it's ghostly maw.