Enid's breath hitched, her panic rapidly spiraling into a full-blown meltdown. The Demonic Brute let out another earth-shattering roar, and the sheer scale of the hellish monster made her feel utterly, pathetically helpless, she couldn't even help her friends. She was a werewolf who couldn't even fully wolf out. What was she supposed to do against a biological tank? Scratch its armored ankles with her pastel-painted claws?
Desperate and hyperventilating, Enid looked up at the night sky. The thick, foggy clouds parted, revealing the crimson, swollen face of the blood moon.
The moment the heavy red light hit her face, Enid gasped. A visceral, agonizing shudder ripped through her core. She let out a choked cry and collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest as her body violently convulsed.
"Enid!" Ajax yelled, his panic overriding his survival instincts. He sprinted toward her, with Xavier, Rowan, and Eugene right on his heels, desperate to help.
"Back away!" Aleksander barked, his voice cracking like a whip. He threw out a hand to halt their advance, his eyes still glowing a fierce, vibrant green. "She is shifting! Do not get too close!"
The boys skidded to a halt just as the sickening, wet sound of cracking bones and tearing fabric echoed across the courtyard.
Enid let out a piercing scream that smoothly contorted into a deep, guttural howl. Her spine elongated, and her muscles rapidly expanded, packing dense, Alpha-level mass onto her frame.
When the brutal transformation finally ceased, the creature that stood before them was nothing short of magnificent.
She was vastly larger and significantly more muscular than a standard werewolf, supporting her massive frame on long, incredibly powerful limbs. She settled into a menacing, quadrupedal, hunched stance, her massive hands and feet ending in lethal, oversized claws that dug deep into the stone floor. Thick, light brown-blonde fur covered her entire body, though under the eerie light of the blood moon, the coat took on a cool, striking grayish-blue tint.
Unlike traditional werewolves, her Alpha form notably lacked a tail. Her ears were large, pointed, and set high on her heavily muscled neck, swept back aggressively. As she let out a low, vibrating snarl, prominent white sabre-teeth—massive upper fangs—protruded far past her lower jaw, gleaming like polished ivory in the darkness.
Yet, despite the terrifying, monstrous exterior, the beast's face retained undeniable traces of the girl underneath. Staring out from the fearsome, draconic visage were Enid's bright, striking blue eyes.
The werewolf snapped her massive jaws, shaking the last remnants of her human hesitation away. She turned her glowing blue gaze toward the Demonic Brute and unleashed a roaring challenge that perfectly mirrored the demon's own ferocity.
Wednesday didn't flinch at the deafening sound. In fact, the absolute faintest hint of a proud smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Finally," Wednesday remarked dryly, adjusting her grip on the Dragon Breath sword. "I was beginning to think I'd have to endure your colorful complaints about being a late bloomer for the rest of our natural lives. Be a good roommate, Enid, and aim for the jugular."
Aleksander shifted his glowing green gaze from the towering beast to the conflicted boy standing nearby. "You might want to join in, Tyler."
Tyler let out a ragged, heavy breath. He knew Enid, even in her massive Alpha form, couldn't hold off a demonic siege engine alone. "Yeah," he muttered.
He didn't fight the darkness this time; he welcomed it. His bones snapped and realigned with sickening crunches. His skin paled to a sickly, mottled grey as his eyes bulged drastically from his skull. His limbs stretched and contorted, transforming him into the grotesque, hunchbacked Hyde that had terrorized Jericho. But this time, the monster bared its jagged teeth at the Demonic Brute, standing firmly on the side of the outcasts.
Aleksander stepped in front of Wednesday, his hands sparking with volatile magical energy. "Wednesday, this is my fight. Stand down."
Wednesday looked at the fifteen-foot wall of hell-forged armor, then down at the flaming sword in her hands. She was fiercely independent, but she was not irrational.
"Pragmatism dictates I agree," Wednesday said dryly, smoothly lowering the blade. "A scalpel is entirely useless against a boulder. Do try to make its demise entertaining, Aleksander. I haven't watched a proper execution all evening."
Aleksander offered a grim smile before turning his full attention to the beast. The runes surrounding Crackstone pulsed brighter in the background as Aleksander raised his hands, the air around him beginning to hum with immense power.
"Both of you!" Aleksander commanded, his voice echoing with magical authority. "Keep him busy! I just need time to cast the spell."
The Alpha werewolf gave a sharp, rumbling snarl of understanding, and the Hyde let out a wet, screeching roar in agreement.
The two Nevermore monsters launched themselves at the Demonic Brute. What they lacked in sheer, unstoppable mass, they more than made up for in terrifying speed and flexibility.
The Brute swung its massive, clawed hand in a devastating arc, but Enid was already gone. She bounded off the ruined stone walls of the crypt, her powerful hind legs propelling her high into the air. She landed squarely on the beast's heavily armored back, her prominent sabre-teeth seeking out the softer, unplated gaps near its thick neck.
Enraged, the Brute thrashed, whipping its heavy, counterweight tail to knock her off. But as it focused on Enid, Tyler scrambled in low.
Moving with the erratic, terrifying agility of a grotesque spider, the Hyde darted directly into the demon's blind spot. Tyler's massive claws slashed brutally at the exposed joints behind the Brute's raptor-like legs, forcing the beast to stagger.
Together, the werewolf and the Hyde became a relentless blur of teeth and claws. They hit, retreated, and circled, constantly harassing the demon from its flanks and blind spots. The Brute roared in pure frustration, swatting wildly at the nimble targets it couldn't quite catch.
They were the perfect distraction, buying Aleksander the exact opening he needed as the neon-green magic gathered violently in his palms.