logs | (Open) Waste No More Time Fighting Your Demons

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(Open) Waste No More Time Fighting Your Demons

WHO: Cedrik Reede, open to all
WHERE: Stygia, the Adventurers’ Guild
WHEN: December, including full moons
WHAT: Monthly catch-all
WARNINGS: Werewolf violence, body horror. Vague Shadowbringers spoilers.

First Full Moon (the 11th thru the 14th)

[ Only a few weeks ago, a confrontation in the library left Cedrik with a new set of scars. Claw marks drag down his chest, starting just below the hollow of his throat. Just a few inches higher and his jugular would have been ripped open but he’s had closer calls. He’s more bothered by how difficult it is to fully cover them. The last thing he wants is Hibiki noticing and feeling guilty for his own mistakes.

Beyond that he thinks little of them.

The moon had been strangely bright as of late, especially as it grew fuller. Even in the Adventurers’ Guild just below the ground, the moonlight spilling through the one window well was nearly as bright as day. Cedrik was not able to admire it for long before a sudden pain wracked through his body. ]

Gah!

[ Behind the bar Cedrik suddenly hunched over, reaching for his chest where the scars had begun burning anew, as if the wound was still fresh. The other hand clings to the bartop, the Viera’s vision blurring as he watches it begin to change. His fingers curl and warp, nails blackening into claws as dark hair--dark fur grows down the length of his arm.

Black fur, not white feathers. There’s no light welling up from his gut like sick, and the edges of his vision are darkening, not whiting out.

Not a Sin Eater. It’s the last coherent thought he manages, though it does nothing to lessen his terror.

With a strained cry he drops below the bar top, voice warping as the changes hurry to completion. The pitch rises, becoming a snarling whimper before fading into momentary silence. Behind the bar something stirs, a rustling sound like clothes being struggled with followed by…

A very…

...tiny…

Growl. ]

Rrrrrrr…!

[ A black, fuzzy wolf pup tumbles out from behind the bar, still half-tangled in Cedrik’s heavy clothes, snarling in frustration as he tries to free himself.

He is going to chew on everything. ]

Second Full Moon (the 22nd thru the 28th)

[ As uncomfortable as they were, those first changes gave Cedrik some idea of what to expect. Transforming into a very angry but very small werewolf is inconvenient but not terribly dangerous…so long as no one lets themselves get nipped. Until a cure is found, the best he can do is isolate himself when the next full moon comes.

He’s chosen his room above the Guild, locked and barred the door well above the few feet he can reach as a pup, and included a few scraps of leather and other ‘toys’ to keep himself occupied and avoid destroying his furniture…

Everything in place he sits and waits, watching the light change through the window, bracing himself--

From the first moment, something is different. The pain is worse and he’s immediately growing bigger rather than shrinking down. The dread returns as he realizes--far too late--that his preparations are completely useless.

In the streets below the sound of shattered glass draws little attention from the passing Restless. These are the Harbors, hardly the safest part of Stygia, but the piercing howl that follows turns several heads. The silence only lasts a heartbeat before Cedrik--now a fully grown and very angry werewolf--drops down into the alley and bursts onto the scene, causing Restless to scatter and scream in panic.

Pale eyes fixate on one in particular--perhaps they were too slow to start running, or maybe it’s just an unlucky day--and bolts towards them on all fours, jaws open and fangs gleaming in the full moonlight. ]

Wildcard

(OOC: If you’d like a custom prompt or something else entirely, you can DM this journal or reach me at

purplesyrup. If you’d rather run into Cedrik as a werewolf somewhere other than around the harbor that’s no trouble, he’ll be running rampant for a bit during the second full moon. Finally, here’s Cedrik’s plotting post.)

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[ The stranger doesn't need to be told again; they scarcely needed to be told once. With no other targets to distract him, D successfully has Cedrik's full attention.

The total lack of fear from the dhampir is strange, as strange as the words he speaks. If his name strikes the beast as anything close to familiar, he shows no sign of it. Instead he sizes D up, trying to push him back and pin him down--but the dhampir's too strong for that.

This isn't something to eat. It isn't running like prey should--instead D is staring him in the eyes, presenting a challenge...

For a moment they remain deadlocked, Cedrik unable to shove D back directly, unable to reach him with his jaws. The teeth snap before D's face before he changes tactics. He does lift D up and, if he's quick enough, attempts to bodily hurl the threat down the street. ]

[Welp.

Cedrik lifts and tosses him, and D does not resist. He free forms a good chunk of distance down the street, but manages to twist and land on his feet and knees, free hand out to slow himself.

He swings the sword out to the side and then turns it again so the sharp edge is facing away. He wonders if this must have been what it was like for Cedrik when he lost himself momentarily to the Shadow.]

Great, [croaks a familiar old voice.] As if an adventurous, overly-friendly rabbit who can see your past wasn’t enough! Now what? He’s going to end up tearing your throat out.

…

Oh no. No, no. You’re not really going to try talking him down, are you? Come on, I thought you had superior vampire senses! Don’t you have eyes?! Can’t you see he’s—

[With a push of his feet, D takes off like a bullet back at Cedrik once again, wielding the sword around and bringing it downward. Only an attempt to get in close and keep the focus on himself.]

—NOT HIMSEEEELF!

[ For a blessing, Cedrik does not try to leave after yeeting D away from him. He doesn't dare turn his back on this threat until he can either kill it or drive it off. Preferably the former.

The last time one of them lost themselves, it was Left Hand who ultimately talked D down. Cedrik could use a 'friend' like that right about now. Specifically someone who could talk to him without having to fear being attacked. One thing Left Hand does do is provide a distraction. Cedrik's (slightly longer than a normal wolf's) ears cock at the second voice that comes from D's direction but is decidedly different. It's a moment of confusion that lasts long enough for D to rush him again.

And the bastard's still far too fast. ]

RRR-yip!

[ KLONK.

D's sword finds a mark right between Cedrik's eyes. It's good he's not actually trying to kill him, as it obviously wouldn't be hard. The werewolf drops back onto all fours and backs away, head throbbing and vision momentarily blurred. He lashes out half-blindly with one clawed hand in D's direction, fur bristling along his back and making his already bulky form seem even bigger as a bluff. ]

[Hopefully, he didn't knock Cedrik's brains out. IT WASN'T HIS INTENT.

But perhaps it jostled Cedrik enough for anything to get through the cloud of the curse. Landing on his feet, D actually doesn't press forward again. Especially not when claws are coming. The long cape gets the brunt of it, the claws tearing a few holes in the edge billowing out as he steps quickly back and away.]

Cedrik.

[His voice is louder, but still level for now. The Shadow in him is singing and humming for blood, muffled there by the incessant noise of Left Hand. A soft, subtle red glow comes to the edges of his eyes. The darkness near them quivers.]

Snap out of it.

[ There is almost nothing of the Viera remaining. His body has been changed dramatically and completely, including his mind. What was once clear and rational has degraded into animal instinct. Old memories may linger but they no longer make sense and are either ignored or discarded entirely. But they do linger, they can be reached... ]

Rrrrr...

[ The werewolf bares his fangs up at D, jaws snapping though D makes no moves to come closer. The throbbing headache fades enough for him to focus again, the beast looking up at D--and pausing.

The red light. He remembers...

They confuse him, memories blurring between D's red eyes and someone else's. One associated with unnatural fear and dread as well as a subtle call to obedience but the other?

Cedrik can no longer identify the feeling but...it nearly...

The werewolf slumps, letting out a soft and mournful whine even as he continues to stare up at those reddening eyes.

He misses them. ]

[Oh…

For a long moment, D continues to stay poised as he is, prepared to do more dodging and weaving if the wolfman—wolfrabbit?—come at him. But Cedrik doesn’t, and he wonders if something is at least getting through.

Slowly, he returns the sword to his back amid exasperated inquires from Left Hand about whether or not that’s a good idea. He straightens up slightly, regarding the werewolf. The red eyes settle, but don’t diminish completely yet.

There isn’t much he can do for Cedrik currently; the moon is the man’s beacon. But there’s no sense in hanging around where others can be collateral.]

Come with me. How fast can you run? Show me.

[He turns around in a flurry of long cape and takes off.]

[ The werewolf's posture lifts slightly as D straightens and puts his weapon away. The unnameable feeling remains, keeping him as close to docile as he can get, though who knows how long that will last. The street is deserted other than the pair but that won't last long either. The Restless who fled will no doubt warn others of the monster they saw, which will attract those keen on putting it down. The same sort of people that Cedrik would be, were he in his right mind.

D's right, they can't stay in such a populated area. It's begging for more trouble.

D turns around and immediately Cedrik gets back to his feet, instinct sensing what's about to happen even if he still cannot understand D's words. Another feeling stirs, an anticipatory rush of adrenaline; the man is fast, Cedrik's seen it. Can he keep up? Can he catch him?

Cedrik wants to. The desire wells up from some place deeper than instinct, and this feeling is something the animal in him can recognize.

It's going to be fun.

The werewolf explodes into motion, claws digging into the cobblestone for more purchase, happy to chase wherever D plans to lead him. ]

[He truly should have played chase to begin with, but it's fine. The speed is fast enough to keep Cedrik entertained, but slow enough not to outrun and lose said entertained chaser.

The most desolate place would maybe be the Hinterlands, but it could be dangerous for both of them. So D opts for Serene, the forest rather than any of the areas where people have gathered. So long as the woods aren't acting up as they had been before, they'll be fine. The land isn't open, making it so Cedrik doesn't immediately catch him.

Weave through the trees!]

So... Are you planning on doing this until the moons wane? Do you, uh... know when it's going to wear off... exactly...?

I don't know.

[It's... honest! Maybe he should have looked into the weird, biased lycanthropy book Shalem had in the library...]

...Great. Just... great.

[ Is it the moonlight itself that changes him, or is it a matter of time? It's impossible to say for sure as strange as the moons have been these past weeks. They shine through even the thickest cloud cover, impossible to escape. Even in Serene where the forest canopy should make for a dark and foreboding scene, silver moonlight cuts through and bathes even the deepest parts of the forest in a soft, pale glow.

The moons never really set in the Netherworld, though, do they...

Nor does Cedrik ever slow down... This new form seems to have boundless stamina, able to keep pace with D, snapping at his cloak whenever the dhampir lets him get close enough. Where the dhampir gracefully navigates around the trees, Cedrik all but bounds through them, pushing off of the trunks when he needs to turn and gouging the bark behind him.

He could keep this up for hours. Perhaps even days. But at least, even if Cedrik loses interest and decides to hunt down something he has a chance of catching, it will be an animal instead of a person? ]

Edited (Grammar :x) 2022-12-14 20:44 (UTC)

[Likewise, D continues going as if this doesn't hit much of his stamina. Sometimes, he's slow, letting Cedrik believe the prey is close enough to catch. And then he speeds up again, or leaps out of the way.

Left Hand spends a majority of the time verbally flailing at any close calls, especially when they happen to come in from the left side. Also, maybe sometimes losing his mind when Cedrik just takes out an entire half or whole tree being rowdy.]

Do you think you can put him to sleep?

[The parasite grunts.] With him being that big and feisty? When it sometimes doesn't work? Beats me! And then what? It shorts out when I'm over his face and BAM! I'm werewolf food? He'll take the whole hand right off! [Offended.]

You can crawl back out. Or wait to be digested.

Great. You just want the satisfaction of me coming out with the shit! Not only are you insane, but you're an asshole too. Why does it have to be an overgrown dog...? Why can't I at least be inside a sexy woman...?

[Ahead, D makes a sudden and sharp u-turn around a tree. And then he starts... racing straight into Cedrik's direction?]

[ It's possible Cedrik picked up on Left Hand's constant chatter as well as which body part of D's it was coming from. He certainly seemed to be snapping with more enthusiasm whenever he could get at D from the left... Does the parasite have it's own scent? Would that include fear?

Deep, panting breaths are the first sign given that Cedrik will tire out eventually, but it's going to be a very long eventually. Hunger, though...that's building up much faster. If D's plan doesn't work, Cedrik will be taking a lot more than just Left Hand.

Cedrik sees D begin dart around the tree and he leans to the side, banking his own turn to try and cut the dhampir off. But then D keeps turning, and now the two predators are charging each other. Well now! Cedrik has no complaints!

With a snarl he pushes himself that much more, bearing down on D with open, slavering jaws--! ]

[This may not end the way he expect, and it may not end very well for Left Hand.

They race at one another, and he can feel the sizzle of excitable energy coming from Cedrik's new form. His left arm extends; he offers the palm in Cedrik's direction, and a twisted, old face appears through the surface of the skin.

When they meet, it's a collide. The hand connects with Cedrik's face above the muzzle, but whatever Left Hand intended to do, though, doesn't happen. Nothing comes out of or changes with the face-wielding palm.

Left Hand gives a muffled holler of surprised noise, followed by a spiel of panicked conversation. D bares down on his legs and his feet, an attempt to stop himself from being pushed back again.

But, well, his hand is out. Cedrik will simply have to chomp it off.]

[ Teeth click together as the first bite misses, D managing to press Left Hand over Cedrik's face. There was--something. A flicker over the werewolf's mind, though it washed away with no lasting effect.

Hydaelyn's Blessing grants him some protection, even now. Cedrik would have thought it would keep him from being transformed in the first place but there is something more to this curse than magic. It's in his blood, now. A physical ailment as much as anything. But Left Hand's little nighty-night trick? That, apparently, bounces off the ward immediately.

Which is deeply inconvenient, to say the least.

There's no warning beyond the constant, angry snarls. Cedrik twists his head and this time, teeth close on flesh instead of air. Long, powerful jaws have D by the arm, right above his wrist, the werewolf finally tasting blood...

All four feet plant themselves on the ground, wrenching and shaking his head now that he's got a good bite, trying to tear the dhampir apart. ]

[He's unbalanced forward, but not to each side. The shaking doesn't toss him away or down; he has a solid center of gravity, and he's strong as hell. But he doesn't have to take a few steps forward sometimes to find a more sturdy stance.

Pulling away will cause tension between them and make it worse. The face on his palm frantically blabbers about the biting. Suddenly, he pushes solidly forward, pressing himself into the werewolf rather than pulling away. The grip of the jaws are strong. He won't get away if Cedrik doesn't let him go.

So instead, he snaps his arm down quickly and back toward himself. The teeth tear into the flesh, through the meat and the bone. The hand rips away. D absconds back. Cedrik has a prize!

Unfortunately, it's a whole hand.]

[ A prize! Cedrik jumps back as the tension finally breaks, the source of that terrified, cracking, almost squeaking? voice at last in his possession.

For a split moment he stands there, glaring up at D, muzzle wrinkling as he bears his teeth around Left Hand. ]

Rrrrr...

[ Then he shakes his head, trying to get Left Hand to make more noise. He tosses it and pounces where it lands, only to pick it back up a shake the hell out of it all over again.

His tail has started wagging. He's found a new game, now that 'chase' is over and won. ]

[The first thing the hand gives is a long, forlorn and croaky cry of horror, and the noise wobbles in panning stereo. It curls its fingers up like a dead spider. On the other hand (lol), D just stands a yard back, letting the bleeding happen at his side; slowly over time, starts to lessen.

He… really stands there with no hand like it’s nothing.]

N-Now, now! Uh, good… doggy? Go—OOD DOGGY! Aghh! D! D!! Do I look like a dog’s plaything?! Call him off! Ow! I-I know I’m a parasite, but what did I ever do to deserve this?!

[Ignoring the hand, D says to Cedrik:]

I’ll need that back later. Don’t eat it.

[ It's a safe bet that Cedrik, when he finally returns to his senses, will be utterly horrified with himself for wounding D so severely. Even if D shows absolutely no sign of any pain, even if he can heal from the injury with in minutes, this is still a terrible, terrible thing he's done...

But in the current moment Cedrik's eyes lift at D when he speaks, loud enough to be heard over Left Hand's constant panic, before he lies down to chew contentedly on the still wriggling fingers. His tail thumps against the ground.

D still isn't prey. He could be a threat...but after that merry chase, the dhampir finally feels familiar to Cedrik. The old memories still don't make sense, some of the emotions too complicated for the werewolf to parse, but it's enough. Enough for him to feel...comfortable?

It's progress! ]

[It’s fine… Just a little karma for the maze incident even if he had not severely injured Cedrik.

Besides, he receives some schadenfreude when one of his greatest personal tormentors is being nibbled on like a Milkbone. That is also karmic payback.]

D! D, you can’t be serio—Ow! Watch the teeth! My skin is delicate! You’re going to let me be dog food until he changes back?! We don’t know when that’ll be!

You’ll survive. It’s keeping him from hurting others. [He is already finding a place to sit among the roots of one of the nearby trees.] He may get bored of you soon.

[Then they can play fetch.]

[ Cedrik does, eventually, get bored but it's easy enough to keep him distracted. Whether it's fetch or another round of chase--Left Hand is not eaten, though how much of a mercy that is...

The moons do not set in the Netherworld, but they do change. It takes over a day for them to change enough to make a difference.

Cedrik stops whatever current 'game' they were playing, hunching over and letting out a sudden, pained whine. Left Hand is dropped as the werewolf retreats and then begins to shrink, the same horrific transformation Cedrik went through before now playing out in reverse. Fur falls away to reveal scarred skin, teeth and claws retract to reveal a face; ears and tail return to their normal shapes and sizes. His voice warps from the animal's back to a man's, crying out until at last it's done.

D is left with a more familiar figure, barely even able to kneel and shivering on the cold forest floor. ]

G-gods...

[Left Hand has such a long, terrible time of it, though it’s deserved. D hangs around mostly to occupy Cedrik’s werewolf time so no one else has to be involved unnecessarily.

If it’s just him, that’s okay, hand removal or not.

He’s still there when Cedrik starts to return, but he doesn’t get in the way until it’s over. Left Hand truly plays it up by lying on the ground as if it’s a normal hand, and now it looks more suspect for Cedrik.

From beneath the pauldrons, he unclasps the long cape as he carefully walks over to Cedrik’s reversed from. He drapes the cape over Cedrik with his remaining hand.]

How do you feel?

[ Coming back to his senses, having one of the first things he sees be a severed hand isn't very reassuring. Especially not when a vague recollection of the taste of blood follows the sight. What little color is left drains from Cedrik's face as D comes closer. ]

What did I...

[ He remembers.

They're only fragmented flashes blurred together by basic but strong emotions. Much like his own memories felt to the mind of the wolf, they are almost alien and difficult to make sense of. But he does remember.

And with the cape over his shoulders, it's not hard to spot the stump on D's left arm. With a shudder Cedrik grabs for the edges and draws the dark fabric closer; he knows what he did. ]

...Gods be good...D, I--did I hurt anyone else?

…

[Slowly, he turns only his head to glance back at the hand lying haphazardly and chewed on the ground. The parasite is really hamming it up here.

This scene looks decidedly worse than it actually is in reality.]

No one else was hurt. I lured you away.

[To the hand:] Get up. Don’t act useless. [After a moment of lingering hesitation, the face appears on the palm of the hand and the mouth lets out a huffed PAH! It flips over to its fingers, surprisingly quick, and scuttles hastily across the ground toward D.]

Is there somewhere you’d like me to take you?

...

[ Cedrik stares in muted shock as Left Hand pops back to life and hurries back to D's side.

That...certainly did something to the Viera's mood. He's not sure what he's feeling now, exactly, but it isn't the crushing guilt that had been consuming him a moment ago. So that's good.

He blinks, hard, and remembers how to speak. ]

Thank you. Though I am sorry for putting you through that...I am deeply grateful you found me so soon.

[ Cedrik doesn't want to impose on D further, either. But he realizes he doesn't have much choice. Bringing him to Serene was a good call, Cedrik has no complaints about D's decision...

But he it means he is now naked (save for D's borrowed cape), in a very deep and unfamiliar wood, during the middle of winter.

Slowly Cedrik gets onto his feet, mostly to be sure he still can, and gods but his body does not like being made to move. ]

A pity 'home' isn't an option. [ A dry laugh. The closest thing would be his Door and now that he's said it...a momentary retreat into someplace familiar sounds like the best idea he's ever had. But the Shadowlands are too far of an ask. He'll go on his own time, once he's recovered. ] The Guild? Provided I've not chewed all the furnishings beyond recognition.

[This is a valid reaction. D looks Cedrik over with slow, clinical scrutiny as the… hand… makes its way back over.]

I’ll take you. [Pupper Cedrik chewing up the Guild…] Did you know about the curse?

[Once the hand gets to D, he scoops it up with the one he has left. And just…

…presses it against the place from where it has been removed. It takes a few moments before the flesh starts sewing itself together. Miraculous what a parasite and having experimental great genetics can do.]

You don’t have to worry. I’m fine. And there wasn’t anyone you hurt.

[When the hand is attached enough to be let go, he extends his good out out to Cedrik as he rises to a stand.]

[ Cedrik can't help a morbid curiosity, watching D reattach his own hand from the corner of his eye. Not that he's going to judge. His own magic can be, at times, uncomfortable to those unfamiliar...though he's not sure any of his own abilities can top that.

With another blink Cedrik shakes his head, looking instead to the hand currently being offered to him. ]

The last full moon changed me as well, yes. I knew. [ The desire to kick himself is obvious in his voice. ] Though it was different the first time. I was almost harmless...

[ He ate D's gift! ]

...so the preparations I'd made were not enough.

[ But D tells him it's fine, that no one was hurt, so he'll try and listen to his friend.

Cedrik reaches out to take D's hand and, with the man's help, pulls himself upright. Nearly every muscle still aches terribly, but they aren't enough of a hindrance to keep him down. Not as long as he allows the help. ]

I owe you, D. A great deal.

Edited (html plz) 2023-01-05 20:10 (UTC)

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(Open) Waste No More Time Fighting Your Demons

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