[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/hvuUP9f.png[/img][/center]

The sight of a corpse was disturbing enough, but the situation had turned out even worse than Rose had thought. Ruskali, a host for a Nox. She should have known, should have gotten a good look at his eyes. She knew all too well what such an infection could do to a person's mind. And if the infection wasn't purged right now, there'd be more than this one death.

Instantly, she turned away from the body and started hurrying back down the alleyway. [color=ff4f61]"Let's go!"[/color] she called to Cedar, words slurred with facial swelling, a slight stagger to her steps from dizziness. She winced as her shoulders kept knocking against the walls, but she kept running. [color=ff4f61]"We've got to help them, and we've got to help Ruski!"[/color]

If Ruskali wasn't beyond helping, that was. Rose bit her lip as images of empty grey-tainted eyes, and withered figures slumped or shuddering, drifted to mind. Some former hosts kept enough of themselves to rebuild their lives, but for many, it was a different story. Shaking her head, she sped up her sprint. She had to focus.

Bursting out of the alleyway, she rushed through the panicked crowd. [color=ff4f61]"Looks like those end times can wait a little longer!"[/color] she called, but as she watched Listener jab her spear at the darkness spewing from Ruskali's mouth, the reality of the situation hit full force. Hand trembling, she pointed her gun at the mass of tendrils, but hesitated. With her right eye swollen almost completely shut, what if she couldn't aim? What if she hit Ruskali? Or Listener, or an innocent bystander?

Aware that there was no time to waste, she aimed at a patch of soil where flowers had yet to be planted. A surface soft enough that projectiles wouldn't ricochet, and empty enough that the energy blast wouldn't set anything on fire. As she knew from experience, the light alone would be enough to scare a Nox, maybe even drive it right out of Ruskali. [color=ff4f61]"Cover your eyes everyone!"[/color] she yelled at the top of her lungs, before bracing for recoil and firing.