The sun was close to setting by the time Kano reached Sherp’s office. She sat by the window, helping herself to whatever foul substances Sherp had on hand while she waited. Waiting in the alley had been terribly boring, but this was nothing like this. Now she was painfully tense, eager to spring into action but restrained by her need to wait. Much as she hated it, she needed to know where the ghouls were going.

Knowing what the machine did was of no use without knowing more of Eomonsa’s plans. Kano was rocking back and forth in her chair when she heard a footfall on the stairs. It was quiet, probably inaudible to a ghoul. Strange, Kano hadn’t seen anyone come in through the front. Was there a back entrance to the building? Kano didn’t know, but she doubted it was Sherp and Himin out there. They wouldn’t have bothered to sneak in here like that.

But who else would be here? Had Kano been betrayed? Or was it just some thief looking for easy pickings? Without calling out to them, Kano had no way of knowing, nor did she want to reveal herself. Moving as quickly and silently as she could manage, Kano drifted across the room and stood beside the door with her back against the wall. If they came into Sherp’s office, she should be able to get the drop on them.

As Kano waited, poised to strike, she heard something tap against the door beside her followed by it exploding in a shower of splinters. Closing her eyes against the debris, Kano was nearly blindsided by the figure who came hurtling through the explosion’s aftermath.

Covered from head to toe in brown armor made from some glossy material, they came in with their arm raised, though they had no weapon that Kano could see. They noticed Kano almost immediately and swung their arm toward her.

Already projecting a stream of dark liquid from their hand, they turned it enough so that the liquid grazed Kano as she recovered, and Kano knocked their arm aside. Where it touched her skin, the liquid ate away at her flesh. Before they could get their arm back in line, Kano grabbed them by the helmet and slammed their head into the wall. The dark-brown helmet they wore cracked, but they were still moving. Kano was surprised. She’d expected that to be fatal.

Her assailant stumbled back toward the door, still trying to bring their arm back up. They were fast, for a ghoul or whatever they were, but not fast enough. Grabbing them before they could leave the room was trivial. This time Kano would break their neck. That ought to do it.

But she was forced to change her plans when she saw two more figures in the same form-fitting attire appear from each side of the doorway. Thinking fast, Kano shoved off the one she was holding and sprinted back into Sherp’s office. The trio’s hands disgorged their lethal liquid as Kano pushed off the desk and leapt through the window.

Glass tore at her on the way, and she was splattered with more of the caustic substance, but there was no time to worry about her injures. She’d just have to hope they weren’t disabling or fatal. Landing on her feet outside, Kano paused for an instant to check if there was anyone waiting.

She nearly lost her head for her trouble as a bullet punched through the wall beside her. Seeing a muzzle flash on the top of a nearby high-rise, Kano took a rapid, erratic course away from it—no sense making it easier for the shooter. They tried a few shots along the way, but none of them connected, and after a brief sprint, Kano was out of sight and a long way’s away.

Now that she was clear, Kano assessed the situation. She was missing a fair bit of skin and some flesh, and she had cuts and scratches across her body. But as far as she could tell, there was nothing she needed to worry about. That decided, Kano turned her mind to more pressing concerns. Who were those people? Eomonsa’s men?

He was the most likely suspect, but her attackers were nothing like the ghouls he’d sent to the citadel. Had he held them back in reserve just for this moment? How had he known she’d be there? Kano didn’t believe for a second that this had been an effort to kill Sherp—no one would expend that much effort for that misfit. They must have been after Kano, and maybe Himin.

Unless Himin was the one responsible. It was possible, but betraying Kano now wouldn’t make much sense. And more importantly, she doubted Himin had such forces at her disposal. Besides, why would Himin have bothered setting up an alliance with Kano if she was just going to immediately break it? Surely she’d have at least tried to set up a better ambush?

Kano shook her head. It couldn’t be Himin, though she almost wished it was. Now she had to worry about Sherp and Himin going back there and getting themselves killed or captured. Which was inevitably going to happen if they encountered the same people Kano had. Escaping had been hard enough for Kano; the other two stood no chance whatsoever. Which meant she had to either abandon them or go back. She sighed. It was really no choice at all.

They both knew too much for her to let them be captured. There was no doubt in her mind that they’d both sell her out given the opportunity. And she couldn’t let them get killed either because she still needed their help. But how was she meant to get back there to warn or save them? The people who’d shot at her were clearly watching the area, and Kano might not even make it back to Sherp’s office if they were still laying in wait for her.

Maybe she was looking at this from the wrong angle. Whoever those guys were, there didn’t seem to be many of them. If she could manage to sneak up on them… No, that seemed more or less impossible in broad daylight, especially when they were already on alert.

Tapping her foot, Kano wished yet again that she still had her force field. Then she wouldn’t have had to worry about any of this. She could’ve just charged straight in and torn them part. Without it she was little better than a ghoul. A brilliant, exceptionally fast, and strong ghoul. Not that Kano had never met a ghoul like that. In fact, she doubted such a thing even existed.

Dismissing all the irrelevant chatter from her mind, Kano got back to planning. Or trying and failing to come up with a plan, as was the case here. Kano paced back and forth, trying to think of anything helpful, but nothing came to her. Short on time and patience, Kano made her decision: She’d just have to go out there and wing it. Maybe things would turn out well, or maybe she’d die. Either way, she’d made her peace.