I finished my classes quickly and rushed back to my apartment. My thoughts went down all sorts of weird alleys. I needed something more than my teeth and claws if I was going to stand any chance against stronger foes. Besides, if any of them were better at glamours than Yessica, I'd have my work cut out.

What if I couldn't transform?

I slipped into Mr. Haskell's storm cellar again and found some pieces of scrap wood. Using a bandsaw he had hanging on the wall, I fashioned them into crude stakes. If the tree branch did it, so would these. The question was, did they have to be wood? And if so, why?

There were so many things I didn't know.

I needed something more. But what?

Then, a thought struck me. Eric was a big fan of Japanese Manga. You wouldn't know it by looking at him—whatever that means—but he had a small collection of replica weapons in his room.

"Come in, bro," he said in response to my knocking.

I opened the door and poked my head into his messy room.

He was lying on the bed with yet another girl I didn't know. This one had purple hair, one side long and the other shaved.

"This is Billie," he said. "Billie, my roommate, Jude."

"Hey," she said, though I could tell she had absolutely no interest in anything I had to say.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I need to borrow your sword thing," I said.

"Huh? Murasame? Why? Show and tell or some shit?"

"Yeah, something like that," I said.

He locked eyes with me. We'd been roommates for a while, and we trusted each other. The weapon was a gift from his grandfather, though. I hated to ask, but it was the only thing I could think of that wouldn't raise too much suspicion.

"Yeah, all right. It's over there," he said, pointing.

"Why do you have a sword?" Billie asked.

"Don't worry about that," Eric said. "I'll show you a sword."

That was my cue to leave. I quickly grabbed the katana and slid back out of the room.

I studied it, wondering if it was sharp enough to actually do damage. I drew my finger across the blade, and it carved a thin pink line.

"OUCH!" I shouted.

"You already cut yourself?" Eric shouted through the door.

"I'm fine!"

"Just don't kill anyone with it!"

I had to hope that swinging a sword would give me a little protection even without any skill points in armed combat.

After grabbing my backpack, I hid the katana as best I could, then left for The Darkness.

Before I reached the sidewalk, I stopped. I had an idea.

I pulled up my [Crafting] skill on the HUD and searched for the basic, simple stuff my level would allow me to create.

[Torch:] A simple way to have light. Makes an impromptu stake.

[Rugged Boots:] A sturdy foot-covering embellished with wooden spikes on both heel and toe.

[Rugged Gloves:] Hand coverings embellished with spiked knuckles for effective hand-to-hand combat.

[Wooden Stake:] This carefully crafted stake is very sharp.

[Wooden Blade:] A dull blade crafted with a fallen branch.

I'd already crafted stakes, though I wondered if using my Skill would've created something more substantial. Other than that, none of these were convenient at the moment.

Oh, wait. Here we go...

[Shadow Cloak:] A light but durable cloak with the ability to cover you in shadows and make you almost invisible.

Oh, damn. It required [Spellcrafting]. Someday, Jude. Someday.

The sun was going down, but just only. Part of me still expected to show up to The Earth Sciences Building only to discover none of this was real, and I'd been hallucinating the whole thing.

As I walked, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I dug in and pulled it out—a text.

Layla: Hey you.

Me: Oh, hey.

Layla: Hey? That's it? You were supposed to text me.

Me: Oh, sorry. Things have been a bit crazy with classes.

Layla: You're not spelunking, are you?

Me: Spelunking?

Layla: Okay, not the right word, but still. You aren't looking for the tunnels, right? That could be dangerous.

Crap. I wasn't sure how to respond. I didn't have much relationship experience—if that's what this was. If I lied to her and she found out, would that kill my chances with her? But if I told her the truth, that could lead me down a rabbit hole that led to her finding out I was a werewolf.

Me: No.

I held my breath and watched the three little dots dancing on my phone.

Layla: Good. I just found you. I can't lose you already. Just be good. And think about me a lot. ;P Gotta go.

Me: When will you be back?

That was it—no little dots. No response. I stood on the sidewalk, waiting for a few minutes before plunging the phone back into my pocket and continuing on my way.

I reached the Earth Sciences Building. Two professors in white lab coats sat in the courtyard out back beside the busted-up tree, puffing away at vape pens.

Pausing, I pulled out my phone again. I'd like to say I was just trying to appear casual, but part of me hoped Layla had messaged me, and I hadn't felt the buzz.

No joy.

After a few long minutes, the men rose and wandered back around the front of the building.

I rushed for the door before anyone else showed up and yanked it open. Passively, I wondered why it wasn't locked but was grateful for the oversight. I hurried down the hallway and quickly took the stairs to the basement. My [Dark Sight] kicked in, and I followed the same path Kareem had taken me in reverse.

[NEW OBJECTIVE:] Find Gestar the Guilty. Predict where he will be over the next two weeks.

I pulled my compass free and followed its leading. The Darkness astounded me as I wound my way through the twisting and turning tunnels that occasionally opened into huge chambers. But I was left speechless when I entered a chamber the size of a small town. Buildings rose as tall as four stories, all built of natrual materials that could've been found down here. Some were carved out of the earth itself.

People wandered the streets just as they would on the surface. From where I stood, it was impossible to tell if they were human or vampire, but I didn't have any desire to learn.

I quickly ducked into the shadows of an alley. I took the back routes, avoiding contact. Until I turned a corner and saw a handful of pale men wearing business suits. They looked like they could've worked on Wall Street, except for the fact that they were clearly vampires.

I slid back behind the wall.

[Stealth and Sneaking:] (Underground Urban) + 1%

I couldn't help but smile.

I heard footsteps as the business suit-clad vampires approached.

POTENTIAL DANGER. ENTER [WEREWOLF] FORM?

I shook my head. Not yet. I feared that would draw too much attention, and at the moment, staying hidden seemed to be my best bet.

"Master Gestar wishes us to wait," said one of the vampires.

"I tired of waiting," another said.

"What's the hurry?" the first said. "We have eternity." That elicited a chuckle from a couple of them. "Patience is the only virtue we still hold onto."

Gestar? It was that easy? Was he here?

Even then, how was I supposed to predict what he would be doing over the next two weeks? I could kill him. That way, I would be certain I knew.

I grinned at my dark humor, but shrunk back as the vampires drew nearer.

Why were the werewolves still at war with the vampires if it was this damn easy to infiltrate their society?

Something instinctual kicked in—my [Intellect]?

It was almost as if the wall opposite me glowed in four locations, showing me a route to the rooftop. I wasted no time and lurched forward, grabbing the first handhold and hefting myself upward. No sooner had I reached the roof when I heard one of the vampires below me begin to sniff.

"You smell that?" he said.

The others sniffed too.

"Human," said another.

I chanced peering down just as they rounded the corner to precisely where I'd just been standing.

Thank you [Intellect].

The vampires continued searching, even looking up toward me once or twice, but I stayed hidden, earning me another 1% to [Stealth and Sneaking].

"We should tell Gestar there's potentially a human in our midst," one of them said.

"And have him kill the messenger?" said another. "No thanks."

"Then you stay here and search. I'll tell him."

"And let you get the reward?"

"Which is it, Urial, death or a reward?"

"I don't know," Urial said. "But I'm not going to miss out."

The third laughed and they headed through the alley.

This is it.

I had to follow.

Mentally, I chose to enter [Wolf] form, hoping it would give me a better chance at moving silently above them. Because my bones were shrinking and reshaping instead of breaking through my skin, the transformation to Wolf was far less abrasive.

You have entered [Wolf] form.

My backpack and Eric's katana stayed on the roof where I'd transformed. I would follow these minions to their master, then return for the weapon once I knew where the target resided.

I moved like a ghost, leaping gaps I'd never thought possible.

The city went on for what seemed like miles. I could only imagine where I'd emerge if I was able to find a way back to the surface. Not on campus anymore, that was for sure.

They approached a building that I could only describe as a villa. Two stories, a balcony wrapping the whole second floor, and statues of goat-like creatures lining the entire outside.

They entered, and I waited.

Fifteen minutes later, the three emerged, smiling and talking amongst themselves, though I couldn't hear their words.

It seemed as if I'd just found Gestar the Guilty.