Though Kano had largely decided to throw caution to the wind, she still approached as stealthily as she could manage. No point getting seared or shot if she could avoid it. She had enough holes in her already. Recalling that one of them had been stationed on top of a building, Kano headed there first. They’d be the most likely one to spot her if she ignored them, and their position should offer a good vantage point to spot their allies from.

Kano took a circuitous route, creeping through alleys and blending into crowds where she could. She couldn’t pass for a ghoul up close, but at a distance she was similar enough. A number of ghouls—the residents, judging by their clothing and general lack of weaponry—were in and around the building when Kano got there, but she ignored them.

None of them seemed like they were being controlled by Eomonsa, so they probably weren’t worth paying attention to. She really hoped so, at least. There was already enough she had to worry about without being wary of every single inhabitant of Shorinstown. That would be a bit hard, even for her.

Seeing no sign of any the people who’d attacked her inside, Kano started up the stairs. She kept most of her attention focused upward, in case someone on one of the higher floors tried to ambush her. If they did, she’d just have to give up on the building and find another way. She drew a few stares on her way up, but none of the ghouls she passed seemed to pay her undue attention.

Running up the stairs was boring, but at least it gave her something to do. Something to distract her from worrying about things she couldn’t change, like getting shot by someone she couldn’t see. She tried to keep a sense of what was happening around her, but there were too many possible angles, and she only had the one set of eyes.

If only Karen, if she really had made Kano, had thought to give her large multifaceted eyes that could see behind her like Kano had seen on some abominations. That would have somewhat ruined Kano’s exceptional beauty, but right now it was a trade she’d have been happy to make. Didn’t much matter what she look like if she ended up dead.

The higher Kano went, the more tense she got. She stopped when she reached each landing to search for any enemies or potential spies. There were a few ghouls she was starting to have doubts about, but there was no way to be sure of their intentions. Each step she took seemed to get louder and louder, until Kano forced herself to go slower and move as quietly as possible.

In theory, the additional stealth should have been reassuring, but the reduced pace just made her even more concerned. What if Sherp and Himin were about to arrive? They might already be dead, and it was hard to say if she’d be able to hear the gunshots from this distance over the general noise of the town. Or even if there would be any gunshots. Maybe they’d already surrendered.

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The tension built and built until Kano almost wished something would happen, just so she could get it over with. Feeling like there was pressure building up in her head and in her chest, Kano finally climbed the last stair. Despite getting so worked up about it, she’d reached the door to the rooftop undetected. She eased it open, and the flat roof lay before her, devoid of any hiding spots and anyone.

Kano walked out onto the roof, hoping that there was something she’d missed, but there was no denying it—they were gone. They had to be. She was sure this was the right building. But where had they gone? Were they busy chasing after her? It was possible, but wouldn’t she have seen some sign of their pursuit on her way back?

The people who’d attacked her were hardly inconspicuous. There was no way they could walk around on the street without attracting attention. Dumb as most ghouls were, they wouldn’t miss people walking around in those strange, all-encompassing sets of armor. Especially when they clearly had nothing to do with the citadel.

Then where had they gone? It was almost like they’d vanished as suddenly as they’d appeared, but that was impossible. Wasn’t it? Kano couldn’t think of any way they could have achieved such a thing, so she decided to discount it.

Whatever had happened, the one who’d been stationed up here was gone, and she still needed to go back to Sherp’s office. Running down the stairs, Kano leapt down the last set and flew out the door. She weaved past the ghouls too slow to avoid her and made for Sherp’s office.

The door to the building was open, but there was no sign of the people who’d attacked her either. Could this group also have vanished? Or had they taken her companions and left? It made no sense for them to have retreated otherwise, but why would they give up so easily? Unless they were desperately needed somewhere else, though Kano couldn’t think of anything that would divert them so.

Staying on guard in case they were hiding inside, Kano made her way up to Sherp’s office. The door was destroyed, evidence beyond her wounds that what she’d seen was real. But there was no one there. Sherp’s desk was turned over, and the place was a mess, but Kano assumed that was a combination of her flight and Sherp’s shoddy housekeeping. There was nothing to indicate her attackers had been searching or taken anything. Not that there was much here of value in the first place, beyond maybe a few notes.

As Kano was looking around, making sure she hadn’t missed some obvious sign, she happened to look up. She froze. There was a patch of gray-brown slime on the ceiling, the same stuff she’d seen in the power plant. How had it gotten here? Had the people who’d been after her left it here? Why would they? Staring up at the patch, Kano waited for it to do something, but it seemed inert.

Surely she would have noticed it while she was waiting here, so it must be new. Then those she’d left behind must be responsible for this. The stuff seemed harmless, but there was no way Kano was going to touch it, It might do any number of things if she did. She wasn’t even comfortable being in the same room with it. But much as she wanted to get out of there, she couldn’t leave it there either.

Looking around the room, a plan formed in her mind, and she smiled.