Eli looked down at the ring in his hand.
Item: Black Ring
Level: 8
Defense: 140/255
Attack: 230/500
Description: A black ring that grants significant strength when attacking and great defense when being attacked. Bathed in the flames of a kitsune. Warning: Any further attempt to upgrade this item past level 8 has a chance of completely disintegrating the item.
Eli was feeling a lot better now. From the vial, he'd managed to get 20 drops of liquid; he'd used one on a plant, while the other 19 increased the stats of his ring by 57. He'd already gone downstairs, waving water bottles at the detective. Both the detective and his partner looked at him strangely, but he was a mental patient, after all. Who could blame him? He just had to wait for them to freeze in the fridge. Now, he was focused on getting his ring's stats to full capacity.
Somewhere in the woods, a girl and a boy were making out under a tree—Derek and Kate. Kate pushed Derek away, and he looked at her, slightly annoyed.
"What?" he asked. "Can't we talk about something?"
Derek sighed. "What could be more important than this?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "I want to know about your brother's party."
Derek rolled his eyes, too. "Do you really, or do you just want to annoy me?" He smirked, moving in for another kiss, but she dodged, waving her hands in front of his face with practiced ease. She rolled under his arm, moving to the other side of the tree. Derek had gotten used to her strange agility, If he had been more cautious, he might have prevented what was coming.
"Fine," he said, following her. They began walking through a clearing.
"So, everyone you know will be there?" Kate asked rhetorically. She frowned slightly, and Derek noticed.
"I'm a bit scared of crowds," she admitted before he could respond. "I'm leaving town the next day... would you spend the night with me?"
Derek hesitated. "But it's my brother's birthday."
Kate's face fell. "Never mind, then. It was just a thought. I don't know when I'll see you again."
They walked in silence for a few moments until Derek broke it. "What time were you thinking?" he asked, and Kate smiled.
Back at the loft, Eli was holding three vials, all of which he'd managed to upgrade. It had taken him some time, but it was easier now than it had been when he was five. Two of the vials had a vitality of 1/20, and one was at 2/20. He wanted to give them time to increase their stats more, but he was in a hurry and would just have to upgrade them again. It had taken him an entire night to get all the vials from level 1 to 2, leaving him completely drained. Although nothing had visibly changed on the screen, he could feel the difference in the vials. The one he had now was at level 2 with a vitality of 4/20. He poured all of it onto the ring.
Item: Black Ring
Level: 8
Defense: 220/255
Attack: 310/500
Description: A black ring that grants significant strength when attacking and great defense when being attacked. Bathed in the flames of a kitsune. Warning: Any further attempt to upgrade this item past level 8 has a chance of completely disintegrating the item.
Eli was elated; he felt like he was on cloud nine, not only from excitement but also from the energy that the ring seemed to infuse into him. Picking up a small stone from the corner of the loft, probably left behind because it was too insignificant to be an issue, he squeezed it in his hand. Crack! The stone broke under his fingers. He'd cracked it with just his grip. There wasn't much space here, despite the open area, but he wanted to test his newfound strength. Using the other potions to finish upgrading the ring felt like a waste, though. What he planned to do was leave them out in the open—imagine if one reached 20/20! That would add 400 points. If he could feed the ring an excess of these points, maybe he could upgrade it without the risk, like last time with the bottled lightning. He had to go outside; he needed to test this new power.
A week had passed, and Eli hadn't used any more vials on the ring. Somehow, it no longer accepted the energy around it—it was as though, after tasting the fox's power, whatever it had been feeding on before had become revolting to it. Eli understood. The feeling was almost like his aversion to the loft itself. Only a few places offered him relief from the feeling of being watched, like the bathroom and some spots on the roof. He was currently at the hospital, bored out of his mind. He'd never upgraded another permanent item besides his ring, and now he planned to try. In his hand was a small, clear marble. It was almost time for bed, a fitting time to test this.
Outside, the night was quiet. The trees swayed softly in the wind, crickets chirping their night song. From a two-story house deep in the forest, music drifted out as people sang "Happy Birthday" to a young boy, smiling at his family.
"Where is Cora?" a middle-aged woman called, her voice sharp. Though she hadn't shouted, everyone who needed to hear it did.
Peter responded, "I sent her to get some beer."
"What?" the woman almost screamed, causing several people to wince. Peter raised his hands in surrender, and she sighed. "Did you send Derek, too?" she asked.
Two figures moved quietly just outside the house, their voices barely audible over the night sounds.
"He really can't hear us," one of them muttered, casting a glance toward the house. "We're practically howling outside a den of wolves, and they can't hear a thing." He chuckled softly, but his companion remained stone-faced.
"You fool," the other replied sharply. "We're just the test dummies here."
The first man's laughter died as he took in the seriousness of the comment. The two resumed their task, scattering mountain ash in a careful ring around the house, each move swift and precise. Suddenly, a shadow slipped from the trees and moved toward them.
"This isn't a test," a new voice said coldly. "It's a practical exam, and the only grades are 100 or death. Hurry up with the mountain ash."
The speaker was Kate, the newest hunter. She surveyed their workapprovingly, her footsteps silent thanks to boots designed to mask her presence, and a necklace around her neck concealed her scent. She had just returned from her supposed date with Derek after dosing him with wolf's bane—enough to keep him out of the way for a while.
The three of them continued, focusing on their work. Just as they felt close to completion, the front door of the house opened, spilling light and sound into the night.
They were too late.
A gunshot rang out, shattering the calm, and the barrier surged to life as the first body fell. Inside, music and laughter turned to screams as the people trapped within realized there was no way out. Kate observed them coldly, her expression hard.
"Vile creatures," she muttered. "Look at you now."
Inside the house, low growls rose as yellow-eyed figures began ramming against the doors and windows, testing the barrier's hold. Among them, Talia, one of the wolves, moved to the door, fury blazing in her eyes. They had a truce with the hunters. Why were they being attacked now?
She approached the barrier, her pack instinctively moving aside for her. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the figure outside.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
In response, Kate reached up and removed the necklace from around her neck. Instantly, the unmistakable scent hit everyone—sharp, powerful, undeniable. Talia's eyes widened as recognition set in.
"Gerord," she grould.
Kate gave a slow, dangerous smile. She reached into her pocket, and the other hunters followed, mirroring her actions. Realizing the severity of the situation, Talia's face changed, a look of dread creeping over her. Knowing her children were safely away from the house, she released a powerful howl that reverberated through the woods of Beacon Hills.
A howl was so loud that a once-happy girl dropped what she had and fled. So loud, a poisoned boy woke up, startled, and screamed. So loud, Eli, alone in his room, felt a wave of nausea and vomited.
It was a night of horror in Beacon Hills.