A Beast In Disguise

Most of the people in the inn gasped at my sudden change of target. I could hear the innocent guy behind me fall to his knees and let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like I had scared him a bit.

Right at this moment, I had the real culprit or should I say the bastard thief in my clutches, he was as tall as me, he had rough but fair skin, a bearded face with long sideburns, dark unkempt hair, amber eyes and upon closer inspection, a muscly physique.

“H-How!? How did you know!!?" the thief gruntingly asked as he tried to struggle for air even as I continued to tighten my hold on his neck.

“That's for me to know... And for you to suffer... Huh!?” I tightened my grip on him but his muscles suddenly bulged and he escaped my grasp.

“Hmm...” I pondered as I carefully blocked the exit with my body.

He looked around and didn't see any other way to escape, even the windows were somewhat locked, closed and guarded by the crowd of people surrounding us.

The thief clears his throat while confronting me, “Ahem! COUGH Did you...? Did you already know who I was!? But how!?”

I smiled as I tightened my fist, “Just like I said before, that's for me to know as for you to... Suffer!”

I rushed in for a punch to his face but he dodged it. “He dodged my attack!? He dodged me!? I, with an aura master's physique!?”

I was surprised at the man's abnormal speed. I couldn't accept it so I applied a little bit of aura into my legs and fists, even though I was getting a bit more tired due to the low amounts of aura left as well as the already spent aura in Mr William's room. I took a step towards him but he retreated two steps away.

I stepped forward more quickly this time but he was still on point with his retreats, it was impressive. His speed...

“This impressive speed...” I thought as I rushed for a punch and kick to his neck and ribcage respectively.

But he saw through that attack as well, he blocked both attacks with his bare palms, pushed me away and promptly attacked me with a heavy kick to the head.

“This inhuman strength...” I thought as I blocked it with my wrist.

The more we exchanged blows, I began to understand what exactly I was battling.

“Ha...!” The thief jumped 3 feet into the air, almost reaching the lobby ceiling, and suddenly attacked in a claw-strike manner.

I avoided the strike but then, it was finally clear to me.

“This aggressive power in a fight! I know now! You're a Demi, aren't you!?” my words took him by surprise but he didn't respond.

So I decided to taunt him, “Hmm... What are you...? A rabbitman?”

He growled in discontent.

I taunted him even further, “Maybe you're a catman? Meow? Hahaha!"

He leapt into the air and struck again but with visible hairy claws for hands. I barrel-rolled to the side and avoided all his claw attacks.

“Ahh...! You're some kind of dog-based beastman aren't you? You're a little far from home now, aren't you!? Woof Woof!” I mocked him as I quickly dodged all his claw attacks.

It was gradual but I could visibly see him slowly transform into a beast.

First, his entire body's muscles bulged, pulsating as they grew, tearing up his entire top outfit and leaving only his trousers in one piece.

Then his body hair turned dark slowly growing out of his entire body as fur, I could hear bones cracking as his body stretched and contorted to make his spine, limbs, muscles and body bigger. His face stretched out forming a snout and then fangs for teeth, his black claws were longer and sharper.

As a finishing touch, his two legs slowly cracked and bent as they formed the hind legs for his beast form, his feet became long and the nails curved.

Lastly were his eyes, those glowing amber eyes that watched me with extreme ferocity. He was now before me on his four legs standing as big as a towering boulder and exuding a murderous aura all around his body in his beast form, as a werewolf.

My forehead started to sweat, and I felt my heart race a bit so to hide my fear, I joked, “Hahaha, a real werewolf, this close to the capital, in Gladia. This is... Crazy! It's not even a full moon yet, shouldn't you still be in human form and you're this big!?”

The werewolf took a step forward with his massive paws and stated with a roar, “The full moon thing, is a myth. ROAR!!”

At the moment of the werewolf's roar, I thought, “This is crazy! Firstly, Demihumans shouldn't be able to transform between beast and man, It's unheard of! And to be this close to the kingdom's capital, something's off!”

I immediately looked for my rapier but I had left it on Moonlight, guarded outside the inn by two knight guards.

Everyone in the lobby was struck with fear so I had to think quickly on my feet.

“Everyone! Leave the inn, now!” I ordered them to flee as the beast could easily kill them much less harm them.

The werewolf let them leave, putting his focus on me and I, on him, standing still and strong as the people scurried behind me.

Everyone exited the inn in a panic, leaving the werewolf, the red-haired lady's body and me alone in the lobby.

There were a few guests still on the upper floors but there wouldn't be any point for them to attempt to leave because the stairs leading to the lobby were directly blocked by the massive savage werewolf.

"They're on their own." I thought with a blank expression.

“Get over here!!" the wolf howled and attacked with so much speed and brutality, that I obtained a few bloody scratches from the attacks.

But I didn't waver, I still kept my head and focused for the moment it would get distracted, even just a little.

While we fought, many tables and furniture got tossed, broken or crushed to pieces. The lobby was in shambles, and both of us were somewhat wounded and or bruised but we were still standing. I, however, was losing aura by the minute.

So as we exchange blows and strikes, I decided to stall for time, hoping that maybe the racket we were making or the people that had escaped would attract enough attention for a few knight guards to intervene.

“Ha! You know what? I thought something was off with your strength! Ha!” I confidently commented.

The wolf grunted, “You thought!? Hrmgh!!”

“Yes! Ha! After all, it didn't make any sense for a normal aura user such as yourself to be able to knock me out! Whoo~!” I backflipped onto the corner of the ceiling latching myself there like a spider.

The werewolf crouches, ready to leap towards me, before he leapt, he yelled out his thoughts, "I have stayed hidden in this town for four months now! I had even found a mate, I was going to leave this town for good this night with my mate but you had to ruin it! Hah!!” The werewolf leapt towards me.

While he was elevated in the air, I grabbed and threw a crystal lantern to his face, striking him point blank on his snout. It discombobulated him for the moment, enough for me to destroy all the other lanterns lighting up the lobby.

The wolf yelled in anger as he searched for me in the dim lobby, “You fool! Do you take me for a joke?! Do you think the darkness shall stop me!? I am a beast of the night, I am a werewolf! No matter where you hide in the darkness, I shall find you!”

I appeared behind him, “That's what I'm expecting...”

As he turned to me, I cracked a crystal from a lantern in my palms, letting out a flash of crystal light in the werewolf's eyes.

“Rawr! Ah!! What is this!?” He was stunned and blinded for the moment. He began stumbling back towards the bar and falling into the bar filled with alcoholic bottles.

Covered in alcohol, bottles and broken pieces of glass, he roared, “How dare you!? You think this will stop me!?”

“No, this will!" In a flash, I threw a sparking crystal onto the wolf and watched as his entire being went ablaze due to the alcohol he was soaked in.

The burning wolf painfully screamed, “RAWR! AHH! AHH!! IT BURNS!! IT BURNS!!!” as his flesh and fur burned in the flames.

The burning wolf staggered away from the bar, his hands on his burning face as he ran stumbling and breaking through all the remaining furniture into the lobby. The wolf's fiery torment went on for a few minutes until the flames on his body slowly extinguished.

Once the flames on his body went out, he fell to the floor, his entire body and fur slightly burnt to a crisp with burn marks all over his body. His motionless body also left behind smoke all over the place.

After a while, the smoke from his body settled, and then I used what little aura I had on my palms to clap my palms together, creating strong blasts of air to the little fire sparks all around the lobby. I especially focused my aim on the bar to prevent the fire from spreading.

I took a look from afar and saw the beast on the floor. The motionless beast, was on its belly, breathless and scorched from my point of view, it seemed like I had triumphed.

“Did I actually defeat the beastman?” I thought as I approached the beastman's body

I carefully turned the beastman's body over so that I could see his front. He didn't react at all and that assured me that he was dead.

So without worry, I reached for his trousers pockets to get my precious handkerchief.

Only to be stopped by the beast's claws embedded into the bones of my wrist.

“Argh! That's...! You're STILL alive!?”