Chương 57

Village Ellen Ellen wasn't surprised when she woke up in the night. The urge to rush out the door was strong, at least for a few moments. She'd suspected that would happen ever since her hand had healed suddenly. The clues were just too obvious to ignore, and she was very glad she had guessed correctly. It had been more of a risk than she would have liked, but she had left a note in case it didn't work out. NOTICE Your Steady Mind Perk has activated. She didn't have to move. She could just go back to sleep.

Ellen knew that… but she also wanted to do her part to make sure someone who couldn't handle it wasn't attacked next time. She needed to get up and at least go through the motions, even if she wasn't compelled to do so. It hadn't taken her long to figure out what had happened. Ellen paused and squeezed the striker to light a bedside candle, shivering briefly as she slid from under the covers. Her Sanctuary Ability was still in effect, so the inn was much warmer than it would have been…

but the effect was minor, and the winter cold still settled into the building over time. She held the candle up and rose from her bed, letting the flickering flame warm her fingers even as her bare feet immediately screamed in protest at the cold. Ignoring the chill, Ellen quietly eased the door open, wincing slightly at the faint creak. Since winter had started, she'd been allowed to sleep in one of the spare rooms, instead of the dangerous cold of the attic.

She'd always heard heat would rise, but apparently the attic draft was bad enough that this didn't help at all. Her hand was held up to cup over the flame of the candle, minimizing the light cast over the hallway. She only needed enough to navigate the now-familiar floor and stairs, and anything more risked an awkward conversation with Tobias and Lauren. They were probably deep asleep anyway, but Ellen saw no need to press her luck.

Even with the Perk negating it, Ellen could feel what the influence wanted her to do. She felt no burning desire to follow that advice of slipping out into the night as fast as possible, but she could feel that was the intent. She had other plans, and made her way to the rear door. Once in position, Ellen carefully set the candle aside and stripped out of her nightclothes. Folding the loose, warm robe neatly, she set it aside on the shelf next to the candle, followed by the pointless bandage on her hand.

The winter cold forced another shiver out of her now naked body, but she suppressed the urge for her teeth to chatter. Just a little longer… One puff of breath blew out the candle, and Ellen opened the door to slip out into the crisp, brutally cold night, completely naked. She got ten experience for sneaking out of the house the first time. Ellen would have laughed if not for the freezing cold now washing over her bare skin. Now, her teeth did chatter, and she hugged herself tightly. If she'd been mistaken…

NOTICE Your Steady Mind Perk has activated. FIRST TIME AWARD: Thwarted Lycanthropic Regression For performing this activity for the first time, you have gained 40, 000 Experience. Three things registered in Ellen's mind right after that message appeared. One: That was a lot of experience just for picking the right Perk a few Levels ago. Two: It was a first time bonus… not a progenitor award. At some point, someone else had retained their sanity. Three: The change to wolf was much faster than she'd anticipated.

It wasn't instantaneous, but it was still less than a second before Ellen felt her weight drop to all fours, her fingers curled in to be replaced by heavy paws. She shook herself, dismissing the urge she had to spring into motion right away. Her breath steamed in the air, and while she still felt the sensation that it was "cold" outside, she was largely comfortable now. Her paw pads and nose were a little chilly, but she could warm them easily enough.

Ellen huffed and took a few steps forward, her paws sinking into the snow with a faint crunch that sounded loud to her new ears. The night was bright under the full moon, with the forest ahead of her easy to distinguish… if slightly blurry, as if she were mildly nearsighted. It was a wash of grey and black, with only the barest hint of color to see—though there was color, she could tell. Even with her new instincts guiding her, Ellen felt some disorientation.

The blurriness was offset by seeing so much more than before, her peripheral vision much greater than it had been. A branch swayed in the wind, and her eyes snapped to it, seeing the motion with a sudden acuity that startled her. Sounds were much clearer, though she couldn't quite hear the snore of Tobias in the building behind her. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. And the smells were a cascade upon her mind.

Everything was crisp and clear when she drew breath. She could smell the snow, and hints of the animals that had passed by. She could smell the trees, and if she knew more about them she was certain she could distinguish type. She could even tell that one of the trees had a subtle rot to it—she would have to remember that one when she returned. One timid sniff, and she picked up what she wanted. Her quarry's scent. A male wolf, the trail not nearly as cold as it should be.

He had visited here the previous night, watching the inn. He'd expected this. Likely the monstrous urges forced it out of him… his brief moment of humanity had apologized. Lycanthropy would inevitably destroy all that made someone human, but it wasn't an instantaneous process. The System must have considered "becoming someone else" a sort of death, and duplicated her before her Perk had nullified the mental effects. She only took a few steps before she was confronted with another choice.

LYCANTHROPIC PERKS Lycanthropic Regeneration Enhanced Senses 1 CHOOSE LYCANTHROPIC PERK Enhanced Senses 2 Infection 1 Primal Allure 1 Control Shift 1 She had not known lycanthropes had their own Perk tree. When did they choose more Perks? How long before she would have the chance to choose another? That uncertainty gave Ellen pause as she considered what could be the only Perk she would receive. She discarded Primal Allure immediately. That appeared to be what had been used on Camilla, a sort of charm ability.

Infection was likewise skipped—she had no desire to spread the curse, though she was surprised at the low chance of success it offered, and with so many restrictions. It made a sort of sense, though. If it were easy to spread, werewolves would be much more common. The curse urged her to take it, but her existing Perk slapped away that desire before it could fully form. As tempting as Enhanced Senses 2 was, since it would even carry over to her human form, she selected Control Shift instead.

Control Shift 1 Prerequisite: Willpower 9+, Lycanthropy Effect: The user may attempt to resist a forced shift into beast form during times of stress. The user may temporarily delay a full moon change for up to 18 minutes. Choosing this Perk will unlock Shapeshift Ability, allowing voluntary changes. Unfortunately, no Ability was offered to her. Perhaps later. Ellen bounded for the forest, letting her lupine form vanish into the trees.

It was an energizing feeling, running across the snow-covered ground, and not because of some mental effect. She didn't feel cold at all, though she could tell it was very cold in the air, and the way it made her blood pump was a thrill that she savored. Perhaps some part of her enjoyed a bit of action, even with her chosen role. In what seemed like no time at all, she arrived at the place she'd been looking for. She hadn't known it existed, but so close to a mountain she'd known someplace like it would be here.

A large, mostly flat rock overlooking a steep incline, more jagged rocks and brambles below. In the dead of winter, no leaves or greenery hid the brutal stone and earth. Giving in to her urges at last, she howled. This was calculated. Her guess had been right, and she'd let herself put her desires into the long, drawn out call to the moon. Her nose had picked up her prey more than once, and now she was ready to meet him. To invite him here. Her new instincts told her what he'd wanted in coming here.

So she tempted him by offering a mate. Of course, her call would bring Hunter Ellen to her as well. A brief flicker of fear rose within her. If Hunter misunderstood and shot her, and managed to kill her… would she still wake up in bed like before? Or had her accidental duplication "used up" her extra life? Should she have made an excuse to tell her plan to Hunter after all? Keeping it a secret had been a mistake. She shoved the fear away. It didn't matter. This was something she had to do.

She was the village's Townsaver. Just as Ellen had predicted, her quarry revealed himself. Mangy-looking, yet larger than her, the werewolf approached with a confident stride. Her Steady Mind activated again, explaining his confidence. The larger lupine was relying upon the effect to charm her, and take her away. She held still, letting him think that. Letting him near her, despite the scent that, without the mental influence to filter it, now smelled wrong in every way.

She held her ground as he sniffed at her nose, her ear… and stepped closer again. Then she turned as fast as she could and clamped her jaws upon his scruff. The taste was awful. Filth and that innate wrongness filled her mouth, but she dug in. She felt her teeth catch on flesh, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to fight him. He was still in shock, but his own instincts tensed his body, a clench that she felt through her grip on the wolf's neck. She couldn't beat him in a fight. She knew that.

Ellen rolled herself over. Or, more accurately, hurled herself to the side, letting her weight carry her back. Her legs kicked as she tumbled, sweeping the male's legs out from under him as she used her leverage in a way her primal instincts were just now telling her was valid. The wolf yelped as he tumbled… and felt nothing but air beneath him. Ellen let go, almost spitting him out, but a flare of pain in her shoulder told her she hadn't escaped unscathed. She yelped as well, rolling back further from the edge.

Her shoulder burned and spiked in pain from the motion. Werewolves were hard to kill, but an impact from this height onto barren and jagged rock would be crippling, at least. She rolled to her feet, limping and spitting blood and fur from her muzzle as the yelping whine echoed in her ears, lengthening as the beast fell. It was a dirty way of fighting, but she didn't care. It was the advantage of keeping her wits about her in animal form, yet letting the instincts guide her battle.

She waited as the yelping cry reached her ears. EXPERIENCE AWARDED: Defeated a threat For defeating a [Mature Werewolf], you have gained 46, 000 Experience. FIRST TIME AWARD: Killed a Werewolf. For performing this activity for the first time, you have gained 161, 000 Experience. An additional bonus of 46, 000 Experience has been awarded due to Level difference. FIRST TIME AWARD: Killed a threat in combat For performing this activity for the first time, you have gained 200 Experience.

That brought her to within sight of Level 13, but Ellen didn't care. All she cared about was that the threat was gone, and her village was safe. She turned to see Hunter staring at her… and another. Hunter had brought Scout with her as backup. A good idea, in case things had gone much worse. But they hadn't. Ellen barked and winked, then bounded off into the forest.