The group knew they were in the right place. At least, Marie and Slit did. As Werewolves, their senses were sharper than the others’, and the mont they stepped close to the construction building, they could sll it clearly. Blood. Fresh, heavy blood, layered over sothing else that was disturbingly familiar. If they had only passed by briefly, they might have assud it was another Werewolf, maybe a stray or one from a lesser pack. But the longer they stood there, the more wrong it felt.
There was sothing different about the scent.
It triggered the sa instinctive reaction they had when they encountered vampires. Not the sa sll, not even close, but the sa deep, uncomfortable rejection in their bodies. That crawling sense of hostility. The urge to stay away, mixed with the instinct to destroy it before it could do harm.
The group moved up through the construction building carefully, climbing floor after floor until they reached the top. The higher they went, the stronger the sll beca. Blood was sared along the concrete in places, dark streaks leading toward the open rooftop. By the ti they stepped out into the open air, there was no doubt left.
They were here.
“Ready yourselves,” Marie said, her voice sharp and commanding. The mont the words left her mouth, she charged forward and began transforming into her full form.
Both Innu and Austin were shocked at first, but the reason beca imdiately clear.
A creature was already running straight at them.
Marie’s massive Werewolf form ca fully into view as she lifted her arms and blocked a heavy strike coming down from above. The impact was brutal. The claw slamd into her forearms, digging into her hide. It didn’t pierce cleanly through, but the force behind it was far more than she had expected. Her muscles tensed instinctively as the shock traveled through her body, her forearms going slightly numb.
Before the second arm could strike, Marie reacted instantly. She grabbed it, locking the limb in place with raw strength.
Now the others could finally see it clearly.
The thing in front of them looked like a dying Werewolf.
Fur still covered much of its body, and its overall shape was similar, but large portions of flesh were exposed. Muscle was torn, stretched unnaturally, as if the body had been pulled beyond its limits and never recovered. Its arms were far too long, dangling past where they should have ended, with nails so extended they would have scraped against the floor if Marie hadn’t restrained it.
“Why are you two just standing there? Help her!” Slit shouted.
He transford instantly and slamd into the creature’s center, driving his shoulder into its stomach and forcing it backward. The impact broke Marie’s hold just enough for the others to move.
At the sa ti, Innu and Austin noticed movent from the sides.
Two more.
Austin didn’t hesitate. He transford into his Minotaur form and charged, lowering his body as he went in for a tackle. But just as he reached it, the Werewolf leapt over his head with unsettling ease. Before Austin could turn, a stretched arm whipped around and raked across his face.
“Argh!” Austin shouted as blood splattered across the concrete.
He turned quickly, staring at the creature as its arm retracted back to its original length, muscle snapping and tightening unnaturally.
“It can stretch its arms,” Austin growled. “Like it’s pulling its muscles apart to do it. I didn’t expect that.”
For Innu, the situation was just as bad. His opponent was fast. Agile. A Werewolf that moved more like a hunter than a brute. Throwing heavy blows wouldn’t work easily here, and he couldn’t use tricks like he had against Luzen. Not with allies scattered across the sa building.
He closed the distance anyway.
The sa problem appeared instantly. A wide swing ca toward him, the extended arm gaining montum as it carved through the air. Innu raised both of his axes just in ti, but the impact slamd into him hard. His feet skidded backward across the concrete, friction screeching beneath him as he nearly slid straight off the edge of the building.
Another arm ca from the opposite side.
Innu jumped.
The long, stretching limb passed beneath him, barely missing his legs. While airborne, Innu twisted his body and hurled one of his axes forward. Qi flared along the weapon as he activated its power, and the axe flew like a blazing projectile.
It pierced straight through the palm of the Werewolf’s hand and embedded itself deep into the ground.
One arm pinned.
The mont Innu landed, he kicked off the ground, Qi bursting through his legs as he rushed forward.
“Those stretchy arms are your downfall,” Innu shouted. “Because now you can’t move!”
He swung his remaining axe from the side, slamming it into the Werewolf’s skull. The blade bit deep, but not deep enough. It stuck, refusing to slice cleanly through, even with Innu’s Qi behind it.
Before he could react, the creature ripped its own arm free from the pinned position, tearing flesh and muscle apart without hesitation. The limb dangled uselessly, shredded, but the creature didn’t care.
“Hey… are we fighting so kind of zombie Werewolf or sothing?” Innu muttered.
The answer ca fast.
The remaining arm grabbed Innu mid-motion and slamd him into the ground. Concrete cracked beneath him as the floor partially gave way. Innu grunted, pushing off the ground at the last second to absorb so of the force rather than crashing straight through.
The Werewolf lunged down, jaws opening wide.
An axe flew.
It pierced straight through the center of the creature’s skull before its teeth could close. Innu didn’t hesitate. He yanked the blade free and swung again, this ti slicing clean through.
The body collapsed.
Innu sidestepped just in ti, letting it crash beside him instead of on top of him.
“They never see the flying axes coming,” Innu said, breathing heavily.
He looked around, ready to assist the others, only to freeze.
“What the… I was the slowest?”
Slit and Marie had already taken theirs down. One lay torn apart, the other crushed beneath Marie’s weight. Austin stood nearby, having reverted into a smaller, more compact form. His horns extended past his feet, pinning one of the creatures to the ground as his foot pressed down on its chest, keeping it from moving.
“But I’m not sure we can ask these things any questions,” Austin said grimly.
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