Kat wasn't sure what they were looking for, or hoping to find. She just knew that she was happy to be running, again. As strange as it was, fleeing from those guys with the pointy sticks made things just that little bit more comfortable. It was a kind of homecoming for her. Gen had figured out a way to get her past the guards, and by God, did she take him up on that offer. The jump was cool, but running through that massive city with virtually no-one around her was something else. It was like she had fallen into a painting of medieval times, completely devoid of distracting things like 'people'. Just her and the city. She could get used to this.

Eventually, she found a sufficiently tall shop. It was a little wooden thing, hardly a hut, but it would conceal her well enough until Gen caught up. At some point, she must have started sprinting at full speed, because he was nowhere to be seen. There was a little bit of satisfaction in 'winning the race', but it was outweighed by her wariness. What if she had left him behind to be captured? She didn't want to be left alone, even if it meant a bit of uncomfortable waiting on a roof somewhere. It didn't take long for him to catch up, though.

Gen popped up over the horizon. In true General fashion, he arrived with an army. She was pretty sure it wasn't his, though. As they approached, she shot to her feet. Gen was being chased by hundreds- no, thousands- of goblins. She hadn't even thought there were that many goblins in the city, let alone ready to mobilize like that. The guard had seemed pretty lax, was this where they all were? She couldn't see a single Frankenstein in the crowd, though. The green tide washed over the market, and while they weren't fast enough to catch Gen- who looked positively horrified for the first time in a while, Kat noted- they didn't miss a beat. He was running through the middle of the road and making good time, but even the goblins who were brushing through stalls and around walls were keeping pace. They practically floated over chairs, under tables, around structures- some even climbed buildings, like she had.

In fact, one of them spotted her, and promptly shrieked, hollering over and over like a siren, pointing right at her. She spelled her ears, and suddenly she wasn't so certain these Goblins were with the guard.

"The other one! The other one! The other one is there!"

The goblin wouldn't relent, and she realized that just listening was a waste of time, and that she didn't necessarily have time to waste. They had closed the distance with impressive speed, and in fact, Kat was quite sure she had never seen Gen run quite that fast. She hopped from the roof, rolling, getting up to speed. The tide behind her was high as it washed over the building she had just been standing upon. Gen was huffing and panting and generally miserable.

"Nice day for a run, isn't it?" She asked, politely. He turned his head to shoot daggers at her with his eyes, and upped his (already impressive) pace. She was pretty sure they were breaking all kinds of long-distance sprinting records. He was positively out of breath, so she decided not to prolong the run. She could see some things they could do to buy some time already. First, she hit her top speed, dusting Gen and the crowd once more. Her legs were positively searing, but that wasn't consequential.

                She tilted, sidling over to one of the market stalls. She converted her run into a shove, yanking upwards at one of the tent's poles. The momentum carried it, and the pole came up with her. She reclaimed her pace, tugging hard at the thing, finally getting free. The pole was still mounted, now helping her to drag the tarp and the other three poles behind her. It was hard to run with the weight, but she wouldn't need another mad dash. At least, not if everything went right.

                Gen caught up, still chugging along. She whispered to him. "Duck into to the nearest right-hand alley when I shout 'now'. When you're in it, follow me."

                She paused, rethinking that a bit. "By that, I mean when I let you catch up to me."

                Gen fumed, but for the time being, he didn't seem capable of retorting. He settled for more glaring. Kat figured he was listening, though, so it would be a matter of timing. They were getting awfully close to the massive gates, so she'd have to enact her plan sooner rather than later if they didn't want to make a mad dash for the trees. So she looked about. There! Up ahead was a wide enough alley for her idea.

                She slid over, trailing the wall. Gen followed suit, maintaining a stable distance from her. The goblin stampede was so close, but that didn't matter. She hefted the pole as high as she could take it, shouting "Now!"

                The goblins heard the shout, saw her lift the pole. The two creatures they were chasing disappeared behind the tarp, running away. They hurried as one, hoping to catch them off-guard. They gained ground, nearly to them, and one especially talented individual made a leap for the tarp. It fell away. The horde descended on it, gathering on the spot where they had trapped their mark. To their shock, though, there was nothing there. It was just the tarp itself, the empty streets and alleys, and the goblins themselves. They were gone.

                The two had disappeared, and by the time a goblin had worked out the trick, they were long gone. The goblins were shocked, again, perfectly still. Under all of their eyes, in all of their fervor, they had been foiled once more. The female had devised a trick to play on their weaknesses so quickly, and then enacted it to such great effect. As long as it was for their Plan- whatever it was- they were unstoppable. Dedication to the Plan was important, but it was not the only agent they could use. Misdirection was another such powerful tool. Many of the great Goblins of old had not been mighty, or geniuses, or even mages, but instead had been strategists and hooligans who used any underhanded method they had to attain their goals. Once more, they found another shred of faded Goblinhood, traces of something they had forgotten or ignored in favor of a simpler existence. The fetters of time and submission were falling away.

                Kat tossed up the tarp as she ran, just as she turned into the alley. With some timing and a little bit of effort, she had successfully distracted the goblins and covered their route. The next bit was harder. After entering the alley, she and Gen climbed to one of the shops' roof, and as quickly as feasible, began to hop and climb between them. The distraction wouldn't last forever, though, so she had them hop down once they were far enough over. The alleys were twisting and winding, but with the various homes and hovels and local stores, they could make sure there was never a direct line of sight. As long as they could keep their precise location unknown, they were at an advantage.

                Vanishing acts weren't practical, in a larger sense. It had been a bit of dumb luck, in many ways. Gen probably never would have even considered it. Thankfully, she wasn't Gen. You couldn't always focus on group tactics when it was these sort of tricks that could bail you out of danger. Hell, it was a matter of the environment, too. The dim light of the setting sun was helpful for a little bit of roguery, and while she had never seen a magic show in the dark, they had always at least been a little dim.

                They ran through the neighborhoods, street-corners, and slums, before Kat was finally satisfied they were far enough away. She wrenched open the door to one of the stone homes, ducking inside. Gen followed suit. The home was lit by a few tiny candles. It was a small thing, built in two stories, but with only one room in each. The ground floor had a few chairs, a table, and storage- a kitchen, mostly. More importantly, there were also people- two Frankenstein-people, or so she thought.

                They were huddled in the back. The bigger one, who looked to be the mother, favored her left side. It wasn't something tenable for military work, in any case, so there she was, stuck at home. She suspected there was a reason the father wasn't there with them. The child was a boy, and he looked generally "normal", bar his strange little face. They looked up at them, terrified.

                "We will all go upstairs. Do not misbehave." Gen said, freeing one of his knives. He aimed the point from them to the staircase in the back, a rickety wooden little thing. The mother was the first to respond, pulling herself to her feet and her child up along with her. Kat wasn't quite sure how she felt about this, but it was necessary. They needed a place to hide, at least for the night. So they'd need this little hut, one way or another. The woman climbed the stairs, eyes never leaving Gen or his knife. He followed them up, ushering Kat along with him.

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               The upstairs had two matrasses, probably stuffed with straw. Presumably, this small upper floor was the 'bedroom'. It must have been awkward for the kid to share it, for a few reasons, but that was probably the standard for this era. The townhouse hadn't really been implemented yet, and it wasn't feasible. Kat noted the rarity of metal- for all of the stone and wood, there were hardly any metal implements. If there was no way to mass-produce hinges, or nails, then it made even the little door they had barged through quite expensive. That said, there were probably other solutions, but the situation simply wasn't conducive to large, multi-room spaces.

                The two cowered in the back of the 'bedroom', and Kat tried her best not to look too intimidating. The mother had a dangerous look in her eye, a sort of 'hurt-my-kid-and-I'll-break-your-neck' stare that set Kat's instincts on end. The two of them had fought enemies, an astonishing amount of them in fact, but never one that looked so cornered, and certainly not one that was going to accept any amount of losses to take them out. She had quickly realized, seeing Gen fight especially, that someone with no real grasp on self-preservation had quite a few advantages. They would be injured, perhaps badly, but they would win.

                With a massive army of Goblins behind them, it wouldn't be a good idea to start a risky fight. Kat thought back to her high school psychology classes, and to some of the long conversations she and her mother had.

                "Ask us questions," She said, spelling her voice. The mother shrunk back more, visibly confused. Gen gave her a curious glance, but he didn't stop her. The room was silent for a while, a standstill.

                Quite sensibly, the first words out of the lady-Frankenstein's mouth were "Are you going to kill us?" Gen promptly shook his head. There would be too much of a mess, and they risked too much in the engagement, even if it would reduce the chances of things going wrong later down the line significantly. He didn't need to present it quite so… callously, though, so he just left it at "No."

                She looked at him, face guarded and mouth in a prim little frown. That was good, Kat thought. The lady may not trust them, but she didn't need to. She wasn't in the same 'mode' she had been just before, where they were voiceless, strange monsters jabbing knives at her and her child. It was a dialogue, albeit a dangerous one. "Why are you here?" She asked, still tense.

                Kat replied, this time. "We need to stay, and then we will leave. Just for a short time." The next question came a bit faster- maybe too fast. "Are you hiding from the guard?" She asked. Her entire body language shifted, she was ready to make some noise or run for help if they tried anything. Gen gripped the knife a bit more tightly and his eyes said he definitely wasn't happy about how messy this situation might become. Sure, she wasn't a cornered rat, but now she was using her brain. Less dangerous, but more liable to throw a wrench in their plans.

                Kat shook her head. "It's a mob of goblins.  They're after us." The lady looked surprised. If they were lying, that was a strange one to choose. The goblins were merchant-folk and tradesmen, what had the two done to attract their ire? If it was a matter of a 'mob', though…

                The Franken-lady nodded. She took her child and they both sat one the larger of the two mattresses. The little boy was happy to sit, and as some of the tension left the air, he started to look at them, curiously. The Franken-lady wasn't hostile for the moment, but she definitely wasn't comfortable with the situation, her eyes never leaving them. Gen lowered his knife, carefully. "It's our turn now, miss." He said, returning her gaze. "Just a few questions. Let's start with who you're-" He seemed to be searching for words. They had no idea if the concept of 'Marriage' had been effectively translated to this world. They had yet to see a real religious institution, even. "You had the child with." He finished.

                The lady frowned a bit. "He is a guard. His name is Netya." She said. Gen groaned. They couldn't afford to get sandwiched between a guard and his wife's mean left hook. They had already been in the house for at least five minutes, and the situation outside was hazy enough as it was. What if the guards had started clean-sweeping homes for them? There hadn't even been an explosion in ages.

                "What is the boulder in the middle of the pit?" He asked. Kat perked up a bit, at that. The structure was just so strange, and the muscle-wizard had caught her interest. The lady's eyebrows rose, surprised. "It is the place where we evaluate newcomers. You- you went there?" Gen nodded, and she gawked a bit. "The Marchioness guards it. For you to escape…" She almost seemed impressed. The facility had seemed in disarray to them, but evidently it had some serious importance to the locals. Kat realized that comparing it to Alcatraz might not have been so far off, after all. Of course, without the explosions, escaping the facility would have been far more challenging. Not impossible, but challenging.

                In any case, if it was meant as a half-way point for evaluating new races, maybe they shouldn't have broken out. It was water under the bridge, now, and Gen seemed to have attained a new purpose along the way. Maybe it was for the best. He shrugged noncommittally, and then nudged Kat. She rubbed at her arm, offended, but he pointed to his ear. She got the idea. She dispelled it, refocusing the mana entirely in her tongue. It positively buzzed with the energy of it, a bit like she was drinking something fizzy.

                "I know this isn't a question, but repeat after me. Cyclotrimethy-" Kat wasn't sure what he was saying, but it sure wasn't English. She wondered what she would hear with spelled ears, if anything. Also, what the Franken-lady would hear. It was being interpreted to her by the magic, after all.

                The lady was visibly puzzled, and when she repeated it, Kat was surprised. She nudged Gen in the side, definitely not as payback, and said "It's the same. What does that mean?"

                He scowled. "The bombings have got to be Merrilyn. Whatever language it's interpreting to has no indigenous word for RDX. Kind of like how 'Television' in Japanese is essentially 'Television', or something like that." He said, ethereal echo gone from his voice. The lady had no idea what was going on, and she had never heard of a Mage failing to translate a word like that. At least, not outside of some very extenuating circumstances, like a ritual or custom their race held that the rest of the myriad had not. Kat, on the other hand, caught on quick.

                "She made C-4!?" She shouted. She toned down her voice after that, afraid to spook their captives-slash-hosts too much. "How could she even do that?"

                Gen shrugged. "We don't really know that much about the lad- girl. She could be anyone. I'm just some military enthusiast, but even I spotted some dangerous chemicals and shit they had just set out in the market." He paused. "Also, I doubt she made C-4. That'd take forever. We're looking at buckets and buckets of RDX she slapped together and… Ignited? I've got no clue how she's managing the detonation, it shouldn't be feasible, even if she's got a way to cook it."

                He slapped his forehead. "No wonder. This is- or was, I guess- a mining town. It's not hard to make firecrackers if they've got blackpowder lying around. I never would have even considered trying something like this."

                Terrorism and arson were things of the past back home. Careful monitoring permeated life, in many ways, and obtaining legitimately dangerous material was a hazard in and of itself. There had only been one recent case Gen could think of. A series of bombings in the south-west. The criminal, publicly nicknamed the 'Tornado Bomber'. They hadn't put out any demands or warning. The detonations started out of the blue, sweeping through the area. Neither the supplier or arsonist had been identified, nor were they six bombings later. As quickly and unceremoniously as the bombings stopped, they had ended. The whole panic had lasted just under a month, with several dead, a significant number of people injured, and brand new wreckages sitting where a shop or facility had been not long before.

                Gen groaned. He had really hoped it was just a coincidence, even if he wanted to use the explosions as leverage. Sadly, that didn't seem to be the case. Of all of the people who had been dropped into this new world, and of all of the people they could have rescued, they had managed to save an actual lunatic. Suddenly, he was pretty sure the 'therapists' hadn't been for Merrilyn's 'social anxiety'.

                The "Tornado Bomber" was loose, a goblin army was after him, and he still hadn't even got the ball rolling. What a night this was turning out to be.