The monstrosity called the werewolf was something out of a nightmare. It had the head of a wolf but almost twice as large. It didn't fit the rest of his body. It had a leathery chest while its back and arms supported coarse dark fur, not unlike a wolf's. Its claws were about half a foot long, which it looked like he had used on himself. He had bloody claw marks all along his chest. Unless there was another werewolf around, this must have come from self-harm. There was also a scar all along his neck as if his head had been stitched back together. The most peculiar thing about him was that he had broken chains wrapped around his wrists.

"How is this thing real?" Dirik stared wide-eyed at the monster.

"No time to stare," Meera said. "Let's get to work."

The werewolf glared at its two prey and howled. Meera peppered the area with tiny mirrors from her armor. There was only one problem, though. Any mirrors she placed on the ground descended into the shadows that covered the ground, leaving her with only the mirrors on the trees and shrubs on the boundary of the clearing.

Dirik nodded to her and dropped into his shadows. Meera stepped to a mirror on a shrub on the far side of the clearing. She pulled off her two chakrams and was about to throw them at the werewolf, but he vanished and reappeared before her.

He slashed down, and she blocked by raising her chakrams, expecting him to break his claws on her weapons, but today was her unlucky day, it seemed. All she did was chip a few of his claws. But the blow made her drop one of her chakrams.

Meera gasped and jumped to the next mirror to create some gap, but the werewolf followed her. How is it that I've fought so many enemies, and he is the one that can teleport? She groaned, ducked his swing, and shot him with a Mirror Shard Barrage in his chest, driving him back. First time for everything, I guess.

Even her Mirror Shard Barrage didn't seem to have hurt him, but it definitely made him angry. He snarled and lunged for Meera. She got her chakrams ready, but a massive dark steel sword erupted out of the ground, nearly stabbing the beast through the head.

The werewolf swayed back in time, howled at Mirithia, and vanished. Meera expected to have him come for her, but he teleported a short distance away and stabbed the ground.

Dirik yelped as he jumped out of the shadowed earth. Meera nearly sliced his neck on instinct, thinking it was the werewolf's doing.

"He almost got me." Dirik huffed.

"How can it even see you?" Meera asked.

Dirik had no time to respond as the werewolf charged. Not teleported but ran on all fours. Meera let go of her two regular chakrams, held them in the air with Mirror Wing, and pulled off her level 2 chakram.

"Distract it," she ordered.

"How?"

"Annoy it."

Dirik drove his blade into the ground, and the massive copy of it erupted in the werewolf's path. He jumped to the side, but the blade had nicked it and left a small cut on the side of his jaw. It was coming too fast, and Meera needed more time for Ambush Tactics to formulate a plan for her.

"I'll be back," she said and teleported off to the side.

Luckily for her, the werewolf was focused on Dirik. He dropped into the ground and popped to the other side. The man-wolf paused as it was confused about who to target and to add to Meera's luck, he ran after her.

She launched her two regular chakrams at it. He dodged them with ease. She smiled, appeared behind him, and shot a Petrifying Surge into its back, covering him entirely in the scarlet bloodstone.

"Now!" She yelled.

She launched her level 2 chakram at the back of the monster's neck. This was the first time she had thrown it since getting her new class, and even she was surprised at the speed at which it flew. It was like she had activated Druvis Power and thrown it at max power.

Dirik jumped out from the dark ground, his sword almost as big as he was and radiating darkness. He went for the beast's neck as well. Meera could control the trajectory of her chakram, so there was no worry of their weapons clashing.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Before their weapons could sever the monster's head, the werewolf disappeared, leaving behind the bloodstone that had encased him.

The werewolf appeared behind Meera, clapping, making his chains rattle. "That was good," the werewolf said in a rumbling voice.

Meera exchanged a glance with Dirik, and though she could only see his eyes, she could read the confusion and fear in him.

"Did you think I was a common mut?" The werewolf said. "No, I was a man once, but now, I'm perfected. My master brought me back from death and gave me a new name and form. He gave me more than power…he gave me a glorious purpose."

"Which is?" Meera asked.

"Making sure that my master achieves his goal."

"And the goal is?"

"Something you don't need to concern yourself with. For you will depart the world soon, and my master will be free to walk the earth once again."

"So, your master is imprisoned somewhere," Dirik said. "Mind telling us where?"

The werewolf growled. "You think yourself smart, but you will both be in my belly soon."

"Is it that big?" Meera squinted at his gut. "Doesn't seem that big, does it, Dirik?"

"Not at all. Oh, you mean we'll be in pieces. That makes more sense."

"Say…what is your new name? He didn't name you doggy, did he?" Meera goaded him. The werewolf's eyes flashed in anger. "Hey, don't get angry. I just want to make that clear, seeing as how you call him master and all."

"I had a dog once," Dirik said. "I named him Barky. He used to bark a lot and growl. Kind of like you're doing now."

"Barky…hmm, that's a nice name," Meera said. "If I had a pet werewolf, I would've named it Barky."

The werewolf growled, which ended with a vicious bark. "My name is Ga—"

Dirik interrupted him. "Didn't we already decide your name is Barky…Barky"

Barky howled loud enough that Meera felt it in her bones. He was about to teleport. Meera nodded to Dirik. They both disappeared at the same time Barky did. He reappeared, slashing the air mindlessly. They had gotten him mad. Now, they couldn't let him calm down to see reason again.

She launched her level 2 chakram, purposely a little to the right. He dodged to the side, and his shoulder came up. Her chakram was still a few inches away, but it ripped open his shoulder, thanks to its stage 3 effect.

Barky cried out, which sounded like a dog in pain. Dirik saw his chance and hit him in the same arm with a dark slash. The werewolf's arm spun full circle and was damn near taken off. He gripped it and howled some more but teleported away to safety, or so he thought.

Meera appeared behind him and slashed out his back with a regular chakram that was spinning around her. But then he disappeared again, only to emerge in the middle of the clearing and howled loud enough to drive Meera to her knees. That was not all. He unleashed a blast of greenish-black wind that smelled like rotten eggs and garbage.

Meera erected three Mirror Shields. Two of them exploded on initial contact, but the third held for the worst of it to pass around her. In the end, it, too, shattered. The rotten winds washed over her, sending her rolling into a tree.

She grunted, but the impact looked worse than it felt. Ever since she had taken on Iron Skin, she could take on a lot more punishment, especially from blunt blows. But this was more than that.

The exposed portion of her skin, mainly her hands and face, was turning black. She felt a strange sensation as if her muscles were rotting away and were about to fall off her bones. Her strength was leaving her.

Dirik jumped out of the ground. "By the gods…Meera, you…"

"What?"

"I think that was a curse. You are aging and-and shrivelling," he said.

Meera quickly pulled off a chakram. Even that took considerable effort. She brought it to her face and gasped. He was right. Meera was aging. She looked like she was pushing fifty already and losing muscle mass. Her eyes supported massive dark circles and had shrunken in. Her hair was turning whiter by the second.

"That bastard." Meera didn't even recognize her voice. "How do I reverse this?"

"I don't know, usually you just have to wait out a curse, but you don't look like you have that much time."

"Behind you," Meera cried.

Dirik was too late. The werewolf slammed his massive claws like a club and flung Dirik away like a rag doll. He looked down at Meera.

"Barky is a good name, eh?" he said. "And what should I call you, oldie, gray bitch." He waved a dismissive hand. "Why should I bother? You'll be dead in a few minutes."

Meera groaned as she got to her feet. "I'm not dead yet."

"Ha, you still try to fight. Resistance is good. Master can use someone like you."

"Sure, take me to him and free me from this curse." Meera clasped her hands together. "I'll serve. I don't want to die, please."

He laughed. "Don't you worry? I'll take you to him once you're dead. After all, I have to get even first."

Meera frowned, but she had no time to think about it. She was literally dying of old age. She had activated Vitalize, but whatever it did was too little. It had slowed the decline of her Health but not stopped it. She needed to heal and fast.

"I may be getting old, but I'm not decrepit yet." Meera raised her hand and activated Vampiric Chains.

Chains of shadow and darkness launched out of her hand and enchained the monster before her. And that made a difference in her Health. It stopped failing her and slowly moved in the reverse direction.

"Dirik!"

The Shade jumped out from behind the werewolf and chopped his arms off. Barky screamed and fell to his knees. Dirik was about to stab the werewolf through the heart.

"Stop!" Meera screamed. "I want to ask him about his master."

"But killing him should break the curse," Dirik said.

"Are you sure?"

"Not exactly, but that's how it usually is."

He never got to end the werewolf as he teleported to the edge of the clearing. Meera's healing started declining again. She Stepped to the mirror closest to the man-wolf, which was right next to him. She activated Vampiric Chains right away and trapped him again. He tried to fidget and escape, but he was not for this world for long.

Barky huffed and fell first to the ground. "M-Master will be…free, then you…and this kingdom, nay this world will be his…All the worlds will be his. F-For he has control over…"

The werewolf fell dead.