“Grendel, follow me,” I commanded, my voice steady despite the turmoil.
We trekked back through the various rooms until we came to the entrance. If I were to turn the guards into a bunch of werewolves, I would do this right and evacuate as many people as possible first.
I had three ideas, but my first one worked perfectly. I put the torch back into my inventory and told Grendel to stay in front of Klericho's house.
I constructed a box-like platform in the town square and started yelling, “The werewolves are coming! The werewolves are coming!”
[Hide yo kids, hide yo wife!] Crystal helpfully added, her voice tinged with a mix of urgency and humor.
After my proclamation, a crowd started to gather. I was concerned for a second that they were about to drive me out of town, but instead, a voice shouted from the crowd, "What do you mean?"
"The night is going to finally come again. The curse will be lifted today, but before it is, the night shall fall," I explained, trying to keep my expression grim and my words serious, but I had a little trouble at the end as I heard Crystal snicker.
“Are we going to die?” a frightened voice asked, the fear palpable in its tone.
"No, everyone remains calm. No one will die. I can defeat the werewolf scourge, but everyone should go to their homes and barricade themselves. The werewolves will go for the obvious remaining prey," I reassured them, trying to project confidence and calm.
The crowd murmured, the tension thick in the air. One courageous voice shouted, "Why should we believe you?"
I couldn't have asked for a better opening. I held my hand up and used the scroll of darkness. Slowly, night descended on the city. First, one voice joined in, then more joined in, screaming and gasping at the sudden twilight. And then, like a dam breaking, the crowd dispersed. People headed home to safety.
As the last of the villagers disappeared into their homes, I climbed down from the platform, my heart pounding with adrenaline. “Grendel, stay close,” I whispered, the darkness around us feeling more oppressive than ever.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “Crystal, do you think this will work?”
[It’s a good plan,] Crystal replied, her voice soothing. [You’ve done well to prepare.]
I nodded, feeling a bit more confident. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.”
We moved quietly through the darkened streets, the silence only broken by the occasional rustle of leaves or distant murmur of a villager securing their home. I could feel the weight of the night pressing down on me, the responsibility of what I was about to do heavy on my shoulders.
As we approached the guards, I could see their eyes glinting in the dark, wary and alert. “This has to be perfect,” I muttered, taking another deep breath.
With a swift motion, I raised my hand and cast the spell to transform them into werewolves. The air crackled with magic, and the guards began to change, their bodies contorting and morphing into monstrous shapes.
I watched a mix of horror and fascination in my heart. The guards—now werewolves—snarled and growled, their eyes glowing with a feral light. I had to act quickly.
“Grendel, go!” I shouted, pointing towards the transformed guards. Grendelkin lunged forward, fiercely engaging the werewolves.
I focused on maintaining the spell, my mind racing with the need to control the situation. “This has to work,” I whispered, the mantra repeating like a desperate prayer.
As the battle raged on, I felt a surge of energy and hope. Maybe, just maybe, we could survive this night and emerge stronger on the other side.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Stay strong, Grendel!” I called out, my voice echoing through the night. “We can do this!”
And with that, I threw myself into the fray, ready to face whatever came next with determination and courage.
The howls began in earnest, and I felt a thrill of fear go up my spine as they got closer and closer. Time froze. There were twelve of them, and they looked bigger than I remembered. I thought: now that I had Malikap’s powers, did he replace the fourth spell with what it should have originally been?
"Crystal, what's my full spell list?" I asked with a hint of urgency.
[Your complete spell list is as follows: Fireball, Malikap’s dual fireball, Ice Breath, Malikap’s Icebeam, Mana drain, Mana Battery, Lightning glove, and Malikap’s Lightning Slam.]
"Lightning glove? Lightning slam?" I echoed, excitement bubbling beneath my fear. Each spell sounded awesome, but I also felt a trickle of anger. "Malikap, you’ve given me great boons but keep interfering beyond the rules."
Grendelkin charged forward to act as a shield. I was still unsure of the consequences of using Lightning Slam, but I knew I needed whatever extra power it offered. Unlike previous spells, I felt the electricity radiating from my feet and hands and flowing inward to my core. Power curled inside me, and before I knew it, I took off like a falcon, speeding straight for the cluster of werewolves. I slammed down onto the ground, and all of the stored electricity arced around me, clinging to the fur of the werewolves and making their hair spike out.
[You have used Malikap's Lightning Slam, You have dealt 67, 89, 43, 66, 99, 91, and 55 damage.]
I looked at the move counter, and despite its power and the fact that it allowed me to move, it only cost one move. My body shook in tremors; my hand and my left stump felt as if I had been struck by lightning, which I essentially had. I wouldn't let a little pain get in the way of victory, though, and I reared up for a second Lightning Slam. This time, since I was near the targets, the force of the lightning power lifted me into the air before slamming me down onto the earth and releasing the pent-up energy directly onto a target before radiating out further.
[You have used Malikap's Lightning Slam. You have dealt 67, 89, 43, 66, 99, 91, and 55 damage.]
I waved away the death notifications because the second group was a bit further away and visibly spread out. It would be risky, but I hedged my bets and ended my turn without taking the second round. The werewolves rushed forward, snarling and snapping, anger coursing through their eyes at their dead compatriots. I still had plenty of mana but was running out of health. After the battle, I could regenerate through the moonlight constantly shining down on my face, but until then, I could only afford to get attacked once.
The first werewolf to approach had wild, crazy eyes that flickered between Grendel and me. Its huge tongue slicked out, but instead of biting me, it wrapped around me, constricting my movements while its friends came closer. Their turn ended, and I started to panic. "One false move, and I’ll be wolf food," I muttered.
I didn't trust the Lightning Slam with how little HP I had left, but I needed to get the monster off me somehow. I remembered fire being effective, but I definitely wasn't going to use the double fireball at such a close range either. Instead, I shouted my spell, making sure to be very specific.
"Normal fireball! Definitely not the bad one that ate my hand!" I yelled, desperation clear in my voice.
The fire came forth and ate through the tongue of the werewolf. It fell backward, screaming a strangled cry before the flames spread throughout its entire body, crisping it to ashes. I facepalmed. "Great for getting me out of my situation," I muttered, "but I needed the corpses."
I checked my mana and noticed I had burned through all but ten. I hated to have to use a move on it, but I reached toward Grendel and cast Mana Drain, hoping the spell could be used at a distance. To my relief, it was.
A large, constant stream of visible mana flowed from the giant form of Grendel and through my only hand. I felt the energy surge through me, revitalizing my depleted reserves. Then I curled up electricity, knowing it was the only way to end this battle. Blue bolts arced around my skin, and the pain dimmed as adrenaline coursed through me. I charged forward and slammed down into the remaining crowd of werewolves.
[You have used Malikap's Lightning Slam. You have dealt 67, 89, 43, 66, 99, 91, 55 damage.]
As soon as the bolt dissipated, I glanced at my 10 health and charged again. This time, I floated higher into the air as if the magic sensed my desperation to end the battle here.
[You have used Malikap's Lightning Slam. You have dealt 67, 89, 43, 66, 99, 91, and 100 damage. Critical hit! All damage doubled!]
I collapsed to the ground, unmoving, all the nerves in my body radiating pain. As the dust from the fight settled, I lay there, hoping my amulet would heal me quickly. Unlike my previous fights in the dungeon, the lightning attacks drained my stamina and most of my little health, and of course, it drained my mana, too. These spells ate resources like Grendel and Gluttyknee ate corpses. I probably had to stop Grendel from eating the corpses, but I didn't have the energy.
"Crystal," I gasped, trying to focus through the pain, "how much health do I have left?"
[You have 5 health remaining,] Crystal responded, her voice tinged with concern. [You need to rest and recover.]
I blacked out, my body succumbing to my exhaustion.