All throughout the chalet, the people begin to transform. There is a pause at first, as they look up in shock at the face of Skarann above. Only the smile of a sentient moon would be enough to draw attention away from chaos that is already ongoing. The three inquisitors, still hovering in place, look up in wonder and horror as they are confronted with the presence of an opposing deity. The former bartender falls first, dropping to the ground as a dolphin and flopping around on the floor. The other two inquisitors fall shortly after. One turns into an elk, flailing around the ground as the guests disperse. The other briefly takes the form of a beaver before splatting onto the floor.

  The panic accelerates as the guests themselves begin to transform. A merchant turns into a peacock and immediately jumps on the chest of a noble nearby, pecking at their face. One of the artists becomes a lion and begins to rip their fellow artisans to shreds. A Remoran senator tries to hide under the hors d’oeuvres table and is pulled out by a gorilla that continues to punch him as he turns into a horse. The lizard people turn into regular lizards and charge forward in a frenzy.

  In the kitchens, the scene is only slightly less chaotic. Marco throws a cutting knife into the head of a wolverine that leaps off of the counter. Leylin uses her shield to launch a jackal into the stoves as Gabriel looses a crossbow bolt into the chest of an approaching kangaroo. The situation is stabilized only when Emmitt puts up a barrier to block the door, giving them a moment of relative peace. The screams and animal calls from outside and inside mean they still have to speak at almost a shout.

  “We’ll have to make a run for the admin building,” Gabriel says. “Skarann knows who we are, so we’ll only have a small window while he’s distracted.”

  Through the window at the end of the kitchen, Gabriel points across the street at the small two-story building familiar to both Maria and the others. The overturned carriage is still lying on the side of the road. Closer to the chalet, the cover of the porch is keeping the moonlight away from the window for now. Regardless, Gabriel pulls a mask of thin red fabric over her face as a precaution.

  “Is your shell susceptible to the moonlight?” Marco asks.

  She shakes her head, face now hidden. “The first time I was attacked by Skarann, I went into my shell and rolled into the water. That’s how I ended up here. Should be fine. I’m more concerned about Skarann’s lasers. If he knows we’re planning to kill him, he’s going to target us first.”

  Gabriel bobs her head in the direction of Maria, who is hiding behind Leylin. Maria tries to hold herself together as more of the animals try to force their way through the invisible barrier. She jumps at the sound of Gabriel’s voice.

  “You. You’re coming with us?”

  Maria stares at Gabriel with a panicked, uncertain look. Leylin turns around and speaks for her. “Yes. She’s with us.”

  “You’re going to need one of these then.” Gabriel hands her another red mask, which Marco realizes is made out of the same material as the cloths in the kitchen. Maria quietly places it over her face, still looking apprehensive. Gabriel turns back to the building across the street. “It’s a short gap, but those lasers are fast. We’ll need something to cover us. I’m out of smoke bombs. Do you still have the ones I gave you?”

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  Marco shakes his head. “We used them on the way over here.”

  At the end of the kitchen, a ram is doing what it does best as it charges into Emmitt’s barrier. Emmitt holds up one hand with an open palm, holding the animals back, as he readies an invisible sword with the other. Leylin is standing in front of Maria with her shield ready to push back the oncoming onslaught.

  “Do you have any more of that magic powder?” Marco asks. “Could it work on the moon? Or maybe just the animals?”

  “No, that was all I had,” Gabriel says. “It’s not an easy thing to make. Hope you made good use of it.”

  “Err, sort of.”

  Gabriel examines the road between the buildings, sticking her head through the window and bobbing it back and forth. She looks over the various vials on her belt, racking her brain for anything that could be useful. Eventually she settles on what looks like a sphere of blue transparent material, almost like the skin of a jellyfish. She gestures over to Emmitt. “Emmitt. Mime person. We need your help.”

  Emmitt looks at the horde of animals ramming against the invisible barrier, concerned. He lowers his hands and walks over to Gabriel and Marco. The barrier is holding for now.

  Gabriel points to the path across the road and holds up the blue sphere device with her other hand. “This thing can give us cover, but it has a very small range. We’re going to need you to make a corridor with your invisible stuff to keep in contained around our path. Understand?”

  “I think so, yeah.”

  “Good now, let’s move. Everyone onto the porch, now.”

  Gabriel sticks her head through the window and launches herself through. The opening is just big enough for her shell. The others quickly follow after, Leylin helping Maria to climb through the gap.

  Outside, fleeing guests are scrambling across the road at various stages of transformation. A Remoran senator is mauled by a water buffalo. A merchant’s eyes widen in panic as her neck elongates and thins and she is transformed into a flamingo. A man in shimmering gold robes struggles to carry a large stack of papers that are flying everywhere, apparently some kind of certificates. He too begins to transform in the moonlight, his clothes ripping away. His flesh morphs and changes color as his limbs change proportions and his hair grows shorter. When it is done, a slightly different human is running naked across the road, calling out with a ululating howl.

  “Did he just…” Leylin asks.

  “I think so,” Marco says.

  Leylin and Marco keep their weapons ready as the were-human disappears into the forest and more animals follow after. Maria is hovering at the back of the porch, afraid to step too close to the moonlight.

  Emmitt, meanwhile, is charting a path towards the opposite building. He puts out his hands, and a deer running down the road slams into an invisible wall. “Tunnel is ready. Tunnel is ready.”

  “Perfect,” Gabriel says. “Run through as quickly as possible, and get right into the building. Oh, and hold your breath.”

  She throws the blue sphere into the road, and a flurry of bubbles and splashing water fills the transparent tunnel. Emmitt takes a deep breath and runs in head-first, holding his hands to either side to keep it all standing. Marco follows after, then Gabriel.

  Leylin waves back to Maria as she charges into the channel of water. “Come on, follow me.”

  Maria looks up at the sky, where the side of the moon is still visible, looking down at the chalet. She sees the guests running outside and turning into horrible beasts. She turns back, and Leylin has disappeared into the bubbles. Maria takes a deep breath, making sure the mask covers her entire neck, and runs over to follow her.

  Maria is pulled backwards as ropes wrap around her body. She falls on her stomach, now trapped in a tangled net. A familiar face appears from behind her, complete with a venomous grin.