"Actually, you know what?" Leona says, eyeing the bottle of milk. "I didn't like my first experience with that, so I'm going to have to pass." She says with a smile. You smile back at her and tuck the bottle back into the bag. "Yeah, I guess you're right." You say. "Now... we have a mystery to solve..." you say, standing next to Leona and eyeing the werewolf's sleeping form. "Why tranquilize the werewolf? Why not just kill it?" you ask her. "Well... maybe whoever did it didn't have any kind of weapon. So their best option was to knock it out." She replies. "Even so... why not just finish it off? When I saw him last, he didn't have a scrap of humanity left in him."
You look over at Leona for a response, but you see her smiling excitedly. "Of course!" she exclaims. "They didn't kill him because they wanted him to guard something! They probably came through with the tranq, shot the werewolf, then continued on to whatever they were hiding! It must have been recently, too, because the werewolf hasn't woken up yet." You are in awe of Leona's insight, but you remind her that you have no way of knowing how long ago that was. "Yeah, but where should we go now?" Before you can answer her, there is a rattling at the door about fifty feet behind you. Looking back, you and Leona see the door's outline in the gloom, shaking hard followed by loud growls. Whatever thing that was chasing you and Leona on the stairs has reached the bottom and is knocking to get in.
"Uh..." Leona stammers nervously. "Let's go for...." suddenly, she screams loudly. Looking down, you see, in horror, that the werewolf is stirring. It opens and closes it's yellow eyes a few times, whimpering. Then, they snap open as it's huge arm lashes out and grapes Leona's hind leg in it's claws. "Help!" she cries, trying to shake the werewolf's paw away as the dark space is punctured by another rattling of the door by the creature. You back up a few steps and take a running start, kicking the werewolf in the wrist that's holding Leona. It yelps in pain and lets go. "RUN!" you yell at her. Nodding, Leona starts running away, straight ahead, into the darkness.
Suddenly, you're hit by something large and furry in your chest, sending you sprawling to the floor. The werewolf lands on top of you, pining you to the slimy stones with it's paws on your shoulders. The transformative sword falls out of your grip and flatters to the floor. It throws it's head back, open it's muzzle, and howls, a terrifying, loud, primal sound that reverberates off the walls. Then, the werewolf lunges down, intending to bite you on the shoulder. You put your hands up and manage to push it's muzzle to the right. Squirming and growling in frustration, It raises it's claws and slashes you right across the chest. You yell out in pain and bring your legs up, kicking it in the stomach. It yelps in pain and rolls off of you onto the slimy floor .
You hear a loud thump, a scream, and a rattling at the door. "Dammit!" Leona's voice comes from somewhere off to your northeast. It appears she has tripped over her paws again. You jump to your feet and snatch up the sword just in time to jump out of the way of the lunging werewolf. It turns, snarling, and runs back towards you. Panting, you sidestep it again and bring the sword's heavy hilt down on the back of it's muscular neck. It yelps in pain and falls to the floor. Raising the sword up, you plunge it into the werewolf's back. Blood spurts up in a shower, splattering you with it as the werewolf whimpers it's final breath.
The same flash comes again and you find yourself two feet taller and not nearly as cold as you were before. Running your paw-like hands
all over your body, you feel thick fur covering you. You're much more muscular and wider than you were before. You feel your head, with it's pointed ears, lupine muzzle, and wicked sharp teeth. You can see much clearer in the dark now, and spy Leona cowering against the wall about thirty feet away. "Are... are you all right?" "Yeah." You reply in a voice that is much deeper and more guttural sounding. "Did you use the sword?" She asks. "Yeah, yeah, gimmie a sec..." you answer, peering down at the blood-splattered form below you. It's the same young man you saw chained to the wall about three hours ago, except with your trademark wings springing from his back. You touch him with the sword, the flash comes again, and the werewolf is lying dead below you. You fold your wings out, just be sure, and breathe a sigh of relief.
You tuck the sword into your belt loop and jog over to Leona, who lets out a sigh of relief at seeing you. "Look, I don't trust that thing out there-" she says, thumbing towards the still-rattling door "-and I think we should go forward." You nod in agreement and you both start walking into the darkness.
Soon, you hit something hard and cold. "Ouch!" Leona cries out as her nose hits the object, her snake hissing in pain behind her. You both bring your hands up and feel up and down it, only feeling cold metal and a seam going down the middle of the object. Leona's hand strays to the right and she hits something, causing a tiny square of light to reveal itself. "What did you press?" you desperately ask her. "Uh...I don't kno-" is all she has time to say before the metal goes into the wall, revealing an elevator car.
"Oh... it was an elevator..." you say, peeking into it apprehensively. It's walls are made of some kind of fake copper, with a thick red carpet covering the floor. A bar of light hangs on the ceiling, bathing the car in warm yellow light. Covering all of the walls, except for the doors, are shiny brass buttons all labeled with many strange rooms. "Library of Lost Souls", "Hall of Records (so it does exist!)", and "Dog Kennels" just to name a few.
Suddenly, a loud cracking noise comes from somewhere far behind you and Leona. You hear a shriek of triumph and another loud crack. "Looks like whatever it is broke in! Let's go, shall we?" Leona says quickly, ushering you into the elevator while jamming the close-door button. The doors close quickly, thumping closed with a sound that sound to you way too much like the doors closing for the final time on a tomb. Without warning, the elevator jerks to your right, and beings traveling very quickly, causing you and Leona to fall to the floor. "Who's driving this thing?" Leona cries as the elevator goes up, heads backwards, goes forwards, goes to the right, goes up some more, and goes to the left all in a matter of twenty seconds.
"You must've... accidentally... pressed... a... button." You manage to mumble as your stomach lurches. Suddenly, without warning, the elevator comes to a complete stop, causing Leona to fall right on top of you, scratching you with her claws. "Sorry..." Leona mumbles, getting off you. Leona gets up, but you're more interested in the scratches the werewolf made on your chest. Growing out of these cuts, making it's way very, very slowly down your stomach and up your chest is whitish-gray fur. You're about to alert Leona but decide against it, as it would just worry her. You get to your feet quickly, sword in hand, and watch with Leona as the doors bang open, revealing...