After directly training spells over the course of the next weeks, I had to say the effects were quite fruitful. I had to imagine it would get slower but… the results were significant. No, astounding. Familiar Bond increased in rank, I presumed through Midnight’s active efforts, but we did work together still. Nothing else he was training had increased in Rank, so it was either much slower or didn’t apply for him.

An interesting surprise progression was Mage’s Reach. I hadn’t intentionally improved it, but I did certainly make use of it. It was relatively low level and less upgraded than many other things. Did that help? I honestly didn’t know. Information was only gained from Master Uvithar in short daily snippets, and I had so many things I wanted to ask. So far we’d exchanged the equivalent of two short letters.

On that topic, Sending increased in rank. That was a massive achievement, because it would have been 11 points to do that. That was still almost half a level’s worth, as I gained points equal to each new level to spend. Another valuable skill that leveled up, mostly at the behest of Calculator, was Scrying. That one was 12 points worth, though it had actually improved more rapidly. Perhaps my practice beforehand had paid off? So many questions. But I was quite pleased with my growth. I’d suddenly gotten almost a whole ‘free’ level!

Non-combat abilities that wouldn’t help me level up and progress suddenly had the ability to improve on their own. That was a strange thought. I tried to imagine what things would have been like if I could do this from the beginning, though in truth I still needed the maximum mana that came from levels so I was still glad to have come to Earth.

Turlough (No surname)

Level: 26

Experience: 1836/1890

Storage +3

Firebolt +3

Shocking Grasp +3

Grease +2

Force Armor +6

Mage's Reach +3 (2|1)

Translation +1

Haste +4

Disguise

Familiar Bond +4 (3|1)

Enlarge +2

Energy Ward +2

Sonic Lance +2

Scrying +1 (0|1)

Shield +1

Stoneskin +1

Mana Crystal Deposition +2 (0|2)

Water Breathing

Variable Freedom +2

Basic Light Magic +2 (1|1)

Locate Object

Alter Portal +1 (0|1)

Gate

Slow

Arcane Sight

Sending +1 (0|1)

Remaining Points: 1

Interestingly enough, it even displayed where upgrades had come from. Did that mean something, or was it just because I wanted to know? Another question to ask, which may or may not be answered.

I had far too many things to train now, but on the other hand they all had their own purposes. And as I used them, as long as I had some intention of improving myself, I supposed they should naturally improve as well.

-----

My current position was in an observation room above one of the normal training areas. Along with my were Calculator- who belonged here- and a mad scientist who did not belong. This was the Power Brigade, and while she might be on friendly terms Vilhelmiina was very much not part of ‘us’. Ultimately, she’d wormed her way into being presence through terms like ‘advancement of science’ and ‘cooperation’. She was explicitly not allowed to touch anything, and Captain Punch was here to keep her to that.

“I didn’t know that kid was a werewolf,” Vilhelmiina commented. “I would have tried to convince him to give me some samples if I knew that.”

“He probably didn’t want to talk about it,” I mentioned.

“Well,” she shrugged, tubes and vials and all manner of garbage clinking together. “At least I made a good enough impression on him that he allowed me to be here.”

I looked down into the room. There was Jerome, who we had been talking about, but also his mother Tylissa… and the other person who definitely belonged here, Great Girl. The third was separated by a barrier for safety reasons, and there was another individual down there. Another executive who I’d seen only rarely- Movebrain.

We weren’t just randomly standing around at night for fun. No, we were here to learn. When we’d stepped out of the portal and everyone started turning into werewolves, these three had managed to handle the difficulties among them- but they’d still been constrained for everyone’s safety. Not knowing if they would be the same or worse now that they were more than an hour or two afflicted, and because the only other werewolves we thought had this type were quite unwilling to participate, this was the plan.

Today was not a full moon… but we were considering the potential for a three day cycle- the full moon and the surrounding days. That was something I had heard about, and as this was the first full moon since the original.

I could see them getting antsy down below as time passed. Was that just boredom and discomfort? That, I couldn’t say. But they could- and we had methods to find that information. Specifically, the oldest and easiest ones.

“How are you feeling?” Calculator asked.

“Uncomfortable,” Jerome said. “Kind of itchy?”

The other two confirmed the same, more or less.

“Alright, we’re moving to the next stage of exposure,” Calculator said. On the walls above them was displayed an image of the moon. “How about now?”

“Hmm… kinda annoyed?” Great Girl answered. “But I’m not sure if I’m really feeling much.”

“It’s not actually the moon,” I shrugged. My comments wouldn’t be heard down below unless we chose for that. “It might require actual moonlight, or maybe it’s really only on the actual night.”

“Moonlight doesn’t exist,” Vilhelmiina said. “Or does it? Perhaps it is not just the reflected light of the sun but subtle and undetectable emissions from the astral body itself…” she was clearly lost in her own head at the moment.

Calculator kept things on track. “Next… is this.” The image of the moon changed, just slightly. There was no response, and he moved on to the next step. I couldn’t discern any change myself except the picture was different. There were some clouds.

Though I didn’t notice anything, there was an immediate reaction from those down below, though I couldn’t say why. It was still just a picture of the moon, wasn’t it? I couldn’t detect any magic or anything. Arcane sight only revealed… a bunch of tech super stuff around, especially the glass and the training room itself.

“It definitely feels… something like the first time,” Tylissa commented. “Though it’s easier to control.”

“Interesting,” Calculator said. “Still images and video do nothing, but live video has some effect.

“It’s also getting later,” I noted.

“True. Well then, prepare yourselves for the next stage,” Calculator said to the room below. There was a slight tremor as something shifted, and a small part of the wall opened. There was a mirror, presumably eventually leading to the surface.

That drew the largest reaction yet. Great Girl immediately shifted, but her change was a smooth transition from human to half-wolf. Teeth and claws along with a feral stance. Jerome, on the other hand, collapsed onto the ground, fur slowly growing on the backs of his hands before slowly working its way up his body as teeth and claws slowly revealed themselves. Tylissa transformed the most slowly, but she did not seem to struggle as much as Jerome.

The three howled, but as they looked up towards the reflection of the moon and around at each other, they seemed reasonably controlled. Until Jerome spotted Movebrain, baring his teeth and growling. Tylissa growled too, but more in sympathy, as her clawed hand rested comfortingly on her son’s shoulder. Great Girl had no particular reaction to anything further.

“Are you prepared for opening the first barrier?” Calculator asked.

“Yes,” Great Girl responded quickly, her voice a bit gruff.

“We should be,” Tylissa said, her voice likewise changed. “Jerome?”

He wrenched his gaze away from Movebrain, beyond a translucent shield. “Okay.”

As the barrier between them faded, everyone sniffed. The two moved closer to Great Girl cautiously, unsure of how they would react. A single incident that they didn’t fully recall was insufficient for them to know how they’d react.

When they were within two yards, Jerome snarled. Then Great Girl roared back. Immediately, Tylissa jumped in front of her son in a defensive stance, while Jerome cringed away, dropping to the floor.

“Sorry,” Great Girl grunted.

“... Me too,” Jerome said from down below.

Eventually they closed in on each other. They circled around and eventually reached out to shake hands- a tricky proposition with claws, though Great Girl had enough control to shrink hers. There were no further incidents, though it seemed Tylissa and Jerome didn’t have much control over their forms. It was unclear if they’d stopped at a hybrid form because of some sort of control or if they reflexively followed Great Girl. That would be something to determine later.

“Final barrier,” Calculator said. “Everyone ready?”

They all agreed- including Movebrain, importantly. The man stood calmly with his hands at his side, hardly looking like a high ranking mercenary super and more like a simple businessman.

When the barrier fell, snouts sniffed and brows furrowed. Then Jerome lunged forward. There was a flurry of movement, the fastest of which was from Tylissa who positioned herself in front of her son, bending down slightly to wrap an arm around his midsection and hold him back. Jerome snarled and struggled, but importantly he didn’t attack her. He calmed down slightly after a few moments.

“Ugh… this is frustrating,” he complained- but he still managed to speak, which was good.

“It’s okay,” Tylissa hugged him. “Just focus on me.”

Great Girl slowly approached Movebrain.

“Should I be concerned about you losing control of your other abilities?” Movebrain asked. “At your current size I can deal with you, but if you go larger…”

“My powers are definitely under control,” Great Girl said. “And the werewolf stuff… should be.”

“Let’s find out then.”

Great Girl moved closer until she was looming over the average sized man. She was still going from her approximately six foot tall ‘normal’ form. Combined with her hybrid wolf shape, she retained a similar height with a bit of a hunched back in the picture, overall slightly larger.

Great Girl nodded, folding her arms. “I definitely feel aggression,” she admitted. “But it’s not any worse than… towards certain others. I can control it.”

“Can you?” Movebrain asked, raising an eyebrow.

She lowered her eyes. “Yes.” It was quite clear that this wasn’t the werewolf thing he was concerned about. On that note, I understood a social situation. Probably. That seemed good, though I’d have to ask if I got the cues right.

“Well. We absolutely can’t have you near her on the wrong day. Seems your activities will be restricted a few days of the month.”

“A few more days,” Great Girl grunted. “What a pain.”

When Jerome felt fully calmed down, he and Tylissa approached Movebrain, at which point Jerome suddenly leapt at him, claws out and mouth wide open. Even midair he was trying to pull his arms back towards himself, which ultimately meant when a telekinetic grip surrounded him his arms were folded over his chest.

“You, young man, are going to need to take special care,” Movebrain said without any particular sense of judgment or indication someone had just tried to maul him. “I don’t imagine controlling something like this is easy when combined with natural hormones. You will have to be very aware of the cycles of the moon.” He turned towards Tylissa, who was standing just a little bit to the side of Jerome- clearly a bit on edge, but controlled. “You have been given lycanthrope resources, correct? I will admit it is not pleasant to lock yourself up at night, but the city provides those services freely. If you choose not to protect yourself and others, the consequences of your actions can still beset you.”

“I understand,” Tylissa half growled. “And tonight?”

“I believe we’re staying up,” Great Girl said. “At least for a few more hours.”

Calculator confirmed that from above, “Once we determine if deeper night affects you among other things, you will be free to go. Though we can also escort you to secure rooms. Very comfortable.”

I wondered if any of them would change their mind about removing the curse now that they had more experience- and as it dawned on them they’d have to deal with this for three nights each month. I’d have to work towards my next level and set aside some points, as I would prefer not to bet on spontaneously learning something along the right vein.