The second mutant puffed away into nothing.  Sam took a deep breath as she lifted her sword again.  There was one bird-thing left in front of her, but it was being more careful than the others had been.  Its head cocked to one side, far enough Sam felt like her own was going to crack, and watched her curiously.

[color=FF4500]“Look, can you explain now?”[/color] Sam begged the bare-chested warrior.

[color=B8860B]“Hm.  That weapon you hold…”[/color] he started slowly.  Sam nodded along, not taking her eyes off the monster before her.  Right, what was this weapon?  [color=B8860B]“...it’s a blade.  You swing it like a club.”[/color]

Sam staggered, narrowly avoiding face-planting.  [color=FF4500]“Well gee, thanks!  I hadn’t realized!  It’s not like this is the first time I’ve ever used a sword or anything!”[/color]

The pigeon rushed forward while Sam was distracted.  She cursed and dove beneath its attack, narrowly avoiding a beak, but couldn’t bring her weapon to bear in time to counterattack.  The creature was over her then, and it decided to keep going after far easier prey.  Sam cursed again, jumping up to give chase.

[color=B8860B]“Then don’t use it.  Put away the blade.  Use the claws.”[/color]

[color=FF4500]“The what?”[/color]

[color=B8860B]“Put away the blade.”[/color]

Sam grunted in frustration, but she did as instructed.  She grabbed the sheath tied to her belt and slid the sword into it.  Then she looked to her other side, where a pair of bear claws hung.  [color=FF4500]“You mean these?  How do I use stuffed bear claws?”[/color]

[color=B8860B]“Put them on.”[/color]

[color=FF4500]“How do I put them on?!”[/color]  The things were stuffed!  Solid!  Not gloves!

[color=B8860B]“Pick them up.  Don them.  You can do it.  You haven’t struggled with the pants, you can handle the claws.”[/color]

[color=FF4500]“What about my-”[/color] Sam began, but then she saw what she was wearing.  She’d missed it in the moment–fighting giant mutant pigeons takes a lot of focus from other things–but she wasn’t wearing her casual skirt and jacket anymore.  Her chest was wrapped in a piece of brown leather that didn’t come close to her shoulders or navel; and her legs were covered by the baggiest set of pants she had ever seen.  It was only by pure magic they weren’t already around her ankles; the material maintained at best two points of contact with her skin, and usually only kept one.

The sight was so unnerving, she stopped running for a moment.  With how loose the trousers were, she could see [i]none[/i] of what she was wearing was what she had put on that morning.  These were an attractive red, not the plain white her drawer was filled with.

A renewed bout of screaming forced Sam to look up and start running again.  The monster had grabbed someone as she stepped out of a shop.  It took… [i]something[/i] out of her, a purplish, glowy ball that [i]definitely wasn’t a person’s soul[/i], and left her body to flop to the ground.

[color=B8860B]“Claws!”[/color] the warrior ordered.  Sam ground her teeth, but without any time to spare she just grabbed the claws and yanked them off her belt.

And suddenly her hands were a pair of bear claws.

The pigeonman took wing and flapped over Sam’s head, moving back to the street it had come from.  Sam pivoted as well, chasing after the monster.  Her new paws left her feeling unbalanced, but she wasn’t about to let the thing get away with…whatever it was trying to get away with.

Unfortunately, one more hopped around the corner to block her as the monster with the [i]definitely not a soul[/i] fled.

[color=FF4500]“NO!  YOU!  DON’T!”[/color] Sam screamed, launching herself at the new enemy and swinging her giant claws down on it.  She felt it resist for a fraction of a moment, before it wisped away in a puff of smoke.

[color=B8860B]“Like a club,”[/color] her partner nodded sagely.  [color=B8860B]“Much better for you.”[/color]

[color=FF4500]“Not helping!  Where did-”[/color]

And now that Sam was around the corner, she saw more costumed crazies cutting down the creatures.  Closest to her was the world’s smallest viking, and further down the street was a miniature Joan of Arc.  And the monster she was pursuing was carefully flying above both.

“Hey! Try and see if you can find something they’re bringing that purple stuff to!” little Joan called out.  Sam did a double-take as the girl then lifted a sword bigger than she was and [i]moved.[/i]  It wasn’t like a teleport, or vanishing; Sam could see her go from point A to point B.  She just did so…instantly.  Like space had bent for her so she wouldn’t lose time.

[color=FF4500]“Sure!  That one has a ‘purple stuff’ with it!”[/color] Sam shouted back, pointing at the creature quickly moving toward the other end of the street.  Now that it was past the others, it was descending and glancing around in search of something.  [color=FF4500]“Grab it, I’ll handle the ones still out here!”[/color]