The monster was not a lycanthrope. Merrick knew it as soon as the shattered realities inside of his mind merged back together. He could find out the reasoning later because all he needed now was enough understanding to deal with the beast in front of him that held him in mortal danger. It looked like a werewolf halfway through the painful transition but the behavior and abilities more closely fit with a cursed creature called a barghest.
A barghest could exist naturally in some fictional universes as a magical creature. However, Merrick's favorite version of the barghest was the one rooted in curse culture. It was a sore loser, a tricked trickster, or someone that lost a wager to an arcane entity. Merrick felt that commonality with the monster in front of him. This was a person lost to a curse, not just because of the mechanic's jumpsuit but because of the lost humanity behind those magicked eyes.
The monster's abilities also fell in line with a barghest. Merrick had jokingly referred to them as bard-ghests in older games due to their luring or enchanting abilities. Much like how it drew him off his path to try and devour him here.
Now that he was aware of that, Merrick had a chance to survive. It was not a large chance. He was not skilled in knife fighting and he did not have a firm grasp on his magical abilities in the real world, but he knew how Spell Stealer worked. With how the energy was radiating off Bob Barghest, Merrick knew that he could siphon it by getting the relic dagger close enough. He could not survive a physical confrontation with the monster, but he could level the playing field a little.
When the barghest lunged in again, Merrick mirrored the move as best he could. He was not as fast but he did feel light on his feet after his recent realization. Rather than attack, Merrick ducked through the attack in a painful roll. He was able to come up to his feet before the barghest could turn around.
Spell Stealer had barely nicked the barghest's side. The leeched energy pooled along the edge of the blade and in a mimic of his actions in Dungeons Below, Merrick cast a lightning bolt at his opponent. It was not as powerful as it was inside the game, but a steady blast of electricity shot across the barghest's prison and struck it in the side as it was turning.
A howl of pain filled the room. Merrick did his best to return the hungry look that the barghest had given him earlier. Weakened and shocked, the barghest rushed at Merrick. Rather than a psychotic playful look in its eyes, the barghest now burned with murderous rage. Merrick was no longer a meal, he was now a threat.
Merrick focused internally, remembering how it felt to work with Crudle inside the game. The mephit was not here with him now, but when he reached for it, Merrick could feel their connection. It empowered him. Suddenly the pain in his torn left shoulder was just a dull ache, it reminded him of the power up that he received from the Pure Elemental back in his first dungeon.
With that power allowing him to use his left arm and Spell Stealer in his right, Merrick met Bob Barghest's rush. Spell Stealer left Merrick's hand quickly. He tried to stab into the barghest's chest but the blade cut shallow across the barghest's arm and then skittered out of reach. It was enough to pull more cursed energy though.
The fangs and claws of the barghest shortened, its height diminished, and the magical energy it radiated faded significantly. Merrick, empowered by his connection to Crudle, and the barghest, weakened by Spell Stealer, were now on an even playing field.
Merrick was not skilled in melee. His preferred class was mage. As they initially collided, Merrick rolled backward and let the barghest overtake him. It would hurt later but it was just a dull strike as his back hit the tile floor now.
As the barghest reared backward to strike down with what claws it had left, Merrick gathered all of his newly found arcane strength and cast it forth in a blast. Rather than the forceful push that he managed in Dungeons Below, this felt like a bomb going off between them. Merrick's head hit the ground as it recoiled, his vision swam and the world faded for a moment.
The threat of death brought him back quickly. Merrick forced himself up to his feet and looked for the barghest. There was a bloodied crack on the ceiling when the barghest's body had struck. The unconscious body of the monster lay next to Merrick now. It was not dead, Merrick could feel the breath coming off the barghest's snout.
Rather than waiting for it to gain consciousness or finish the job, Merrick fled the room. The power from Crudle was fading and he felt like screaming out in pain. Hobbling down the path, Merrick left a bloody trail to the service elevator. As he hit the button to ride up to the upper floors of the building, Merrick collapsed to the side of the elevator.
It was a slow climb. It let him catch his breath and let him learn one more surprising skill. The arcane energy that he had been feeling swirl inside of him was not his own. As he focused on his breathing, he could tell the difference. His own energy was subtle and weak but destructive. This other energy was protective, regenerative.
With a bit of focus, Merrick was able to command the energy toward his shoulder. The missing chunk of his left shoulder started to knit itself back together. When it was done, Merrick was no longer bleeding out but he was still in pain. The slow climb of the elevator allowed him to recover but not rest.
Soon, he reached the upper floors and new challenges.