While we were talking and researching its abilities, the Werewolf had already closed about a third of the distance from where we first spotted it. Not wanting to take chances, I cast transparent MANA ARMOR on myself.

  It moved slow, deliberate, dragging the moment out. One paw at a time…always closer.

  In my head, I heard the deep beat of a suspense soundtrack. Da dum, da dum, da dummm. Wanting the wolf to see me clearly, I stepped forward twice.

  “John. John Everett!” I shouted. “I’m William Bannister. You’re looking for me. Stop and wait and we won’t hurt you.”

  It didn’t react like it understood. “I hope something…someone deep inside it hears me.”

  “Come to me. Come to me. I’m the one you want,” I called out, standing my ground. It padded a few steps closer, head low, watching. With this many people standing their ground, it had to know something was off. There was still intelligence in its eyes. How much of that intelligence was human, I didn’t know.

  “Be ready,” I told the others. “When it moves, or when I say ‘funnel,’ do it.”

  [William of Brinsford:] [Blaze] [Drop a small FIRE SHIELD behind it. This is taking too long. I want it running at me. My shield will be in front of it to run into.]

  [Blaze:] [William of Brinsford] [Roger that. On my count. One. Two. Two and a half. Three.]

  Her FIRE SHIELD flared into existence a yard behind the Werewolf. It jumped at the sound and heat, then turned its blazing eyes on me and charged.

  “Funnel!” I shouted, dropping a visible MANA SHIELD about ten feet in front of me.

  The ICE and LIGHTNING SHIELDS stretched outward from mine. A FIRE SHIELD snapped closed across the funnel’s far end.

  Then a new MANA SHIELD appeared in front of it. I’d pushed it to double its default ten-foot height just in time. The wolf leapt…barely missing clearing the top. It hit the ground hard, howling in pain again as it dropped to the ground.

  I curved another MANA SHIELD into a semicircle around it. Almost instantly, a LIGHTNING SHIELD and then a FIRE SHIELD sealed outside mine. An ICE SHIELD shimmered into place, and sections of MANA SHIELD snapped into gaps, boxing it in. Staggering, it slammed against the glowing walls. Quickly, I capped the box with a circular dome. SandB wasn’t high-level enough yet to shape hers, so I locked the formation.

  “Good work. Keep your shields up,” I ordered. Falstaff moved to my side, leaving me room to cast. Through the flickering walls we could see its shape testing every surface, lunging, retreating.

  I layered another MANA SHIELD on top, covering where the others stopped at ten feet. The sounds of different magical effects filled the air.

  “Will,” Carlos called. “Can you keep it there?”

  “If we get backup, yes. If I can TRANSFER MANA into casters without feeding it, we can hold. Irregulars are on their way.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill it?” Carlos asked.

  “Yeah, it would. But if we keep it alive, we can find out who it is… how they became a Werewolf…maybe even who made them a MINION.”

  Carlos exhaled hard. “OK. Police want that too. You get more out of someone alive than dead. But if it breaks out, I’m shooting to kill.”

  “Only if it breaks out,” I said firmly. “Sheriff’s pulling up now. Tell them we want it alive. Officers stay behind the casters. They only step forward if it gets loose. Same with their guns.”

  The wolf slammed SandB’s shield and broke it. I reinforced mine, holding long enough for her to layer a new wall back in.

  “Good job, SandB! Keep it going!” I shouted to steady her.

  A faint Thanks drifted back. She didn’t have the Mana reserves for this, but she was holding.

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  [William of Brinsford:] [SandB] [Do you have DETECT MANA and TRANSFER MANA?]

  [SandB:] [William of Brinsford] [You told me to get them. I did. Why?]

  [William of Brinsford:] [SandB] [Because there’s a big Ley Line right behind me. Pizza place door to my garage. Tap it and refill. I’ll hold while you do.]

  [SandB:] [William of Brinsford] [Thanks. You said it went through your house.]

  I saw her turn, cast DETECT MANA, then trace the air with her eyes. She sprinted, tapped the line, and lit up Cherenkov blue as fresh MANA poured into her. Her shield thickened immediately.

  Wait… I just saw that. I saw someone else’s MANA TRANSFER. I shook my head hard. Not now. Not during this fight.

  The Werewolf howled again, low and primal. The sound cut through to the bone. People shuffled back. The smell of ozone from the Lightning shields hung sharp in the cool May air.

  It wasn’t about to give up trying to get through to me, or wherever the trace of the book and knife were the strongest.

  “Mr. Bannister?” a voice said behind me. Glancing back, I saw a young man who looked familiar. Reinforcing my shield first, I demanded, “Who are you and what do you want? We’re busy.” I hit him with a quick REVEAL STATS.

  “I’m James Cochran. I’m part of the Game Response Agency for Eddington.”

  “I thought I’d seen you before. Why are you here?”

  “To help, if I can. I didn’t know there were Werewolves in the Game. I’ve never seen these many shields at once. Why so many? Wouldn’t one stop it?””

  “It wasn’t in the Game info until tonight. And it’s the first night of a full moon.”

  “Why do you need that many? Wouldn’t one or two work as well? Are you going to kill it?”

  “Not if we can help it. The plan’s to contain until it turns human. Then we find out who’s behind it. It’s marked as a MINION.”

  “Like CHARMED or SLAVE?”

  “Closer to SLAVE…but more autonomy. And no blue overalls,” I said. He laughed short and nervous. Recognition clicked. “I know you from the football stadium, don’t I?”

  “Yes, sir. I controlled some students that day. Thank you for not hurting us. I want to make up for what they forced us to do.”

  “You’ve got CHARM, but do you have the SLAVER Profession?”

  His shoulders slumped. “I was forced to take it. Yes. But only used it once. I’ve used CHARMs on spawns since. Mostly PSYCHIC BOLTS. They work pretty good against them.”

  “Not even to see if it works?”

  “Not yet. I should.”

  “Yes, you should. Both skills. In a dungeon, you can use CHARM MONSTER, and turn them on each other. Won’t always work, but it’s worth knowing.”

  “I’ll do it. Thank you. But…how can I help here?”

  “Try a CHARM PERSON. Then CHARM MONSTER. If that fails, enslave it. But only until I say release. Understood?”

  He nodded, smiling despite the sweat on his brow. “Yes, sir. Happy to help.”

  I raised my voice. “Everyone! Heads up! We’re going to test something. All shields outside of mine…drop and reform. Fresh layers. SandB, hold steady.”

  The shields flickered, then rebuilt. I dropped mine and recast, tapping the Ley Line to refill. My MANA POOL surged back, feeling strong in my body.

  “On my mark, James will try. Ready…go.”

  He cast CHARM PERSON. The Werewolf froze…then shook it off with a violent howl. People flinched, stepping back.

  “Second trial!” I barked. “Go!”

  The beast halted, muscles visibly twitching.

  “Tell it to do something,” I ordered.

  “Sit!” James yelled.

  It started…then screamed and hurled itself against the shields, bouncing, slamming again and again.

  “Stop it!” I shouted.

  “Stop!” James cried, but it didn’t listen.

  I put another horizontal shield over the top of its area again.

  “Use your Profession. Now!”

  He clenched, face red, sweat pouring. The Werewolf slowed…stopped…locked eyes on him through the layers.

  I wished I could transfer PSYCHIC POOL like I can MANA, I regretted that wasn’t an option. At least not yet. Maybe someday.

  It didn’t look like it was working. He wasn’t strong or shure enough of himself to do it. James shook, on the edge of collapse. Instinct took over. I cast PERSUADE on him. “You can do this. You’re strong enough. Make him your SLAVE.” I fed words of conviction into him.

  A howl cut short. Silence.

  James sagged. I caught him before he hit the ground. Carlos rushed forward, slinging his arm over his shoulder. “We got ya. Hang in there, buddy.”

  I added my arm for support and Megan appeared, kneeling beside us as we lowered him to sitting on the parking lot pavement.

  “He drained himself controlling the Werewolf. If it holds, we can drop shields. We’ve got him.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught familiar light blue clothing moving towards us. Two paramedics jogged up, one fumbling for his pouch. I recognized the other’s face but not his name.

  “Can you get something for him?” I asked. “We need to keep him awake and with us.”

  “Get the gurney,” the first said, cracking an ammonia capsule under James’s nose.

  James jerked, gagging from the sharp sting.

  I’d smelled that once or twice before. Wakes you up fast to get away from it.

  I crouched beside him. “Stay with us, James. You did it. Good work, man.”

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