The spell was broken. The air returned to being cool and damp, instead of hot and moist.

The non-human zombie queen flinched.

The eyes blinked. It was not the right way to blink.

"All the better to see me with, am I right?" I said.

I could probably run. But I couldn't outrun people who run through the trees like an anime character. I was not going to win in a test of strength or agility.

But maybe there was another way.

Why didn't I get iseikaied with pepperspray or something! I had my toothbrush. Maybe they were afraid of healthy gums?

Well, I wasn't dead yet, so I would just have to roll with it and see what happened.

The creature started to shake. "Tell me your name."

"No. You are literally the definition of Stranger Danger." It tried to make everything hot and sticky again. But it didn't work. It was like taking allergy medicine before mowing the grass. Hayfever just couldn't hold on. I was standing strong, not because I trusted my position or assumed I was in the right, but merely because I knew that this was the only way I knew how to keep my position.

It clutched its head and tittered back. The silence of the forest was interrupted.

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It moved to attack me, and the two others actually intervened and held the creature back. "You can't touch her. You know what will happen."

"Calm down. You will throw the operation."

"She is mocking me in her heart!"

Well. Yeah. For two reasons: 1. It looked like now like a realistic rendition of a small child's artwork, and 2. If I allowed myself to feel my terror, I was afraid it would get power over me again.

Besides, it mocked Dead Coil. Nobody mocks dead coil.

I had no idea what to do...

It was like sitting in an exam and you cant remember how to solve a problem...

I needed to do something, and soon. But what?

I needed to consider what I knew:

Nothing.

Great job me.

Maybe there was feedback. I should have asked more questions.

Wait...

Hawthorn had told me I was his top priority. I'm going to assume he wasn't lying.

Hawthorn had been worried about someone not making the train...

But since we got off that train, he hadnt had the same wistful "will they won't they" vibes.

I may have more protection than I thought.

I needed to start moving forward, or else the time in the exam would run out. I didnt know why backup wasn't showing up (and there may be no backup). But I needed to start solving the problem, even if it was wrong. Partial credit counts.

"Hey, are you guys accomplishses or are you being forced to help whatever this thing is?" I hooked a thump at the nonhuman.

The nonhuman shrunk back, looking shocked.

"Look, we don't need to be enemies. We just need to know where the Wezel of the Wildly plazas hid the..." started one of the flunkies, before his colluege elbowed him.

They exchanged looks.

"Aren't you worried about the steam-starved?" I asked them.

"We have nothing of steam on us." grunt 1 answered confidently.

"Sure you don't." Then I smiled. "But I do." I waved Jesseme's glove. "This is a glove that has been drenched in the steam. Soaked it up. As long as we are talking, I'll be waving this around. Means they'd come after me, right?"

"Do you guys want to talk privately?" I asked them.

The three of them looked very uncertain.

"I'm going to start running away again. You guys can have a minute to chat amongst yourself."