Nyssa nodded and quickly made her way to the mentioned room, while Ethan rushed towards the kitchen. As soon as he entered, the innkeeper woman lunged at him with a butcher's knife, aiming to stab him with swift movements. "Die!" she screamed.
Ethan dodged gracefully and swiftly broke her arm, causing her to scream in pain. "Answer me!" Ethan demanded, gripping her face tightly. "Where is everyone?!"
Instead of replying, the woman let out an unnatural, eerie laugh. Her body began to change rapidly her skin hardened and turned gray, thick fur sprouted from every pore.
Valdraxx's voice echoed urgently in Ethan's mind, "Ethan, get away from her! She's not human!"
Ethan quickly kicked the woman away, creating distance for himself. In mere moments, the woman transformed into a massive, terrifying gray werewolf, releasing a deafening howl. The howl carried a deadly "Fear" effect, freezing anyone who heard it in terror, long enough for them to be devoured.
Ethan felt the soul-shaking influence of the werewolf's howl, but in an instant, he summoned the power of the Devourer from within. Dark energy surged through his body, freeing him from the debilitating effect of Fear.
Determined, he stood tall once more, drawing his trusted dagger, which glowed faintly in the dim kitchen light.
The werewolf, its eyes glowing a fierce red, charged at him with terrifying speed, growling ferociously. Its massive, sharp claws swiped at Ethan with incredible force. Ethan braced himself and quickly slashed his dagger to deflect the attack.
The dagger met the werewolf's claws, but the creature's strength was far greater than expected, and the blade left only a shallow cut, spraying a bit of blood into the air.
"You need to be stronger!" Valdraxx shouted inside Ethan's mind, his tone firm and urging.
Realizing his initial strike wasn't enough, Ethan began considering another tactic. He stepped back, preparing for his next move.
The werewolf didn't give him a chance, lunging at him again, this time with both claws swinging simultaneously. With lightning reflexes, Ethan dodged to the side, avoiding the blow and quickly turning to counterattack.
"You won't survive this!" he shouted, swinging his dagger toward the werewolf's side. The blade pierced the skin but only managed to inflict a minor wound. The creature snarled, surprised by Ethan's speed.
In response, the werewolf swung its large tail, attempting to slam Ethan. But he ducked swiftly, slipping under the attack and moving closer to the beast. In a better position, Ethan channeled his Devourer power into his legs, relying on speed and precision.
With agility, he drove his dagger into the werewolf's abdomen, piercing its flesh and causing the creature to howl in pain.
At that moment, Nyssa appeared from behind, unwilling to be left out.
"Aura Slash!" she shouted, unleashing Hyak's aura from her sword. She swung her weapon with full force, creating a wave of energy that sliced through the air. The wave hurtled toward the werewolf, and in an instant, the beast was cleaved in two. Blood sprayed across the kitchen walls as its body collapsed heavily to the floor, forming a gruesome red pool.
Ethan stepped back, narrowly avoiding the slash, and took a deep breath. "Are you alright, Ethan? That howl froze my body. It took me a moment to shake off the effects," Nyssa asked, now standing beside him, her eyes on the werewolf's bisected corpse. But she knew this wasn't over.
If this was just one of many werewolves roaming around, they weren't safe yet.
Still panting, Ethan glared at Nyssa in frustration. "Hey, next time be careful with your attacks! If I hadn't dodged in time, I would've been sliced in half along with the monster!"
Nyssa shrugged casually, showing little remorse. "Sorry, Ethan. But I trusted you'd dodge. You always do."
"We need to make sure Draven and Lina are safe," Nyssa said, scanning the room with concern. "They could be in danger."
Ethan nodded in agreement, but his mind raced. "If Ralnor is truly involved, we need to brace ourselves for more obstacles. Let's move quickly!"