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Embers and ash drifted through the eerily empty streets as the group made its way toward the hospital. Grant knew they weren't alone, and he suspected the others did as well. The Changed were as crafty as they were vicious; watching their prey before attacking when the moment was opportune. From a viewpoint of sheer pragmatism, the best option would be to level everything and kill as many of the changed as possible while putting themselves at minimal risk. But that wasn't an option. It was likely that there were still normal people trapped or hiding in the buildings around them. Destroying them would kill them as well as the Changed. A child's cry from somewhere nearby brought the column to a halt. From a market stall to their right emerged a wide-eyed boy of about twelve, holding the hands of two younger children, a boy and a girl. Grant moved to them an knelt down to speak to the boy. "Are you alright?" he asked, "Where are your parents?" The older boy opened his mouth to speak, but tears welled up in his eyes before he shook his head. The prince knew what he could not say. He gestured to his Enforcers to take the children when a piercing scream filled the air. Suddenly the Changed were all around them, crawling out of buildings and appearing on rooftops; and Grant realized that they had walked into a trap. He knew it was a possibility, but how could he ignore the kids? "Protect the children!" The Prince drew his sidearm and put down six of the Changed rushing the column in an instant. With a gesture, he activated his Spellslinger implants, and sent a fierce pulse of kinetic energy barreling down an alley at more of their attackers; the spell demolishing the walls of the alley. As he reloaded, he realized that they wouldn't be able to fight through this. They would have to whether the onslaught until the enemies numbers thinned.  Iblis quirked his head as he came to a realization. He turned to Claudette and smiled. "It would appear the Prince and his party have been waylaid by the Changed. If you act quickly, you might be able to overwhelm their target, the hospital. Then you could be waiting for them when they arrive."

"A magic fog, you say?" Von Hensch's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I believe you. I don't know about any base, but I'll wager it was the same damned mist that overtook my men and I while we were ballooning off the southern coast!" He turned his head first one way and then the other, examining his surroundings in a new light. "I'd thought this was some unexplored island that I'd happened to fall upon... but it seems there's something stranger afoot." As soon as Ilene produced the green liquid, the Baron snatched it up and downed it in one gulp, tossing the empty vial back into her hands. "Now, I suppose you'll be wanting to get back to that base of yours, and I need to find my men. What say you we join forces, and find a way out of here together?" He extended his hand once more, and met her eyes with a dry smile. "Well? Am I green enough?" And indeed, his face was starting to take on a faint emerald hue! Whether or not this Baron was telling the whole truth, he definitely wasn't a Twistling.  

Gachi returned to the back alley of the bar earlier than she had anticipated. The salmon clouds reflected on the horizon were a good omen.   She disassembled a plywood crate and arranged a six-board teepee for later use. She hauled the remaining lumber nearby and ran a trickle of rum over it as lighter fluid. She took a sip and plugged the glass bottle with a cork.  soon a loose circle of girls had gathered nearby and were exchanging gossip and news about their children. Karla darted in and out of the social circles.  “He was an asshole. Now, he’s just a lonely old man with a penchant for sweets. Gumdrop?” Offered a skinny girl with a bag of candy.  A plump blonde fit a cigar between her molars and retrieved a titanium grill hidden behind a row of wine barrels. Some girls joined. A group of sluts rolled hemp into cigarettes. Karla needed to keep her wits about her. She smoked a roll of regular tabaco instead. The same blonde lit the fire and they all relaxed in the warmth.  Karla passed around the bottles of rum and malt she’d taken from the meeting. The infected girls smudged the brim of the malt container with lipstick. No more sick. Relaxed, the girls slipped off their wedged shoes and loosened the ties on their corset.  The door crashed open and the ease transformed into delight. The girls shrieked as Louie entered the back alley carrying a large satchel. A scrawny busboy skirted past his side and the jungle of lady's skirts and set a pot. He burned his finger on the grill and yelped. Too late—He tried to suppress a yelp, but the shout was heard by the women.  Their maternal instincts kicked in and the trampled him over with coos and scolds.  Karla took the chance when she saw Louie alone. She pressed herself against his arm and murmured, “You been working out, handsome?”  He pasted a huge hand on her face.  “Urrrgh! You had blood on them arsehole!”  “No games, Birdy. Help me with the crabs.”  “Peroxide and Apple vinegar.”  “The crabs in the sack, smartass.”  “Sack?” she repeated, “Louie you give me too much material.”  The skeletal girl dragged three crates near the firepit. One to sit on and two for a table. She opened the satchel. Small blue crustaceans clicked their pincers in menace. Karla clamped her teeth in mockery of their bravado. She snatched the most ferocious beasty by the hindlegs and pinned him to the butcher's block. She wedged the knife through the abdomen, and between the eyes. She tossed the still-moving carcass into the bubbling pot of carrots, potatoes, celery, and onion. 

Carina slammed into the vampire. Moving to offer support, Liir pivoted, twisting like a dancer as he guided the blade towards the man’s throat, the levity of his words juxtapositioned by the snarl on his lips. “I would stop this nonsense by now, buddy.” Even through his bloodlust, the vampire seemed to recognize the danger he was in. With one last snarl, he darted away, clutching his arm to his chest. Carina watched the Unnatural run away. She rubbed her face, releasing a loud exhale. “That was- that was intense.” I am not a combat person. She turned to face Liir, then the girl. “Um. Are you guys all right?”  

Yau saw the vampire fall and took her chance. The girl ran towards the unnatural, brandishing her gauntlet. The metal flowed over her palm, stretching into a razor-sharp dagger. She brought her hand down, and metal sliced through flesh like it was butter. The vampire let loose an ear-shattering shriek as his arm fell to the ground, severed. Yau backed away as the vampire turned on her, his eyes burning with rage. “You.” he growled. In a single movement, he had her by the neck, holding her in the air. Yau gasped, legs kicking in midair. She clenched her right hand and her gauntlet responded, growing spikes on her knuckles. The vampire tightened his grip. Yau cried at the pain. Her lungs screamed for air. Her throat- There was a blur, and suddenly, she was on the ground.