There was a beat of silence between Morrigan speaking to her and the moment where she broke out into a dead sprint where Morrigan stared at the rat-woman, not moving a single inch, and thought, it’s fine. I just have to stand completely still and she won’t even be able to see me.

And then Plague charged and Morrigan realized how completely and utterly wrong that trick was, because she could clearly see them just fine and they should have been running like hell.

Morrigan shrieked, whipping the bottle at the rat-beast, but all it did was serve to make her even more annoyed. She was charging at them with an inhuman speed for someone of her hulking size, and that was the moment Morrigan came to terms with the fact that they were utterly fucked.

“Krampus, save me!” They screeched, only to look over and realize that the giant goat elemental had already begun to abscond, with the decapitated head of the dog clutched in his hands and a mocking bleat that echoed through the halls, leaving Morrigan to fend for themselves. “… Damnit Krampus!”

They didn’t have time to think about what they were doing. At this point Morrigan just had to pick a damn potion and pray that it did something - anything - to save their ass. They broke out into a sprint, not fast enough to outrun the rat-Plague but enough to put some distance between them, fumbling around in their bag until they finally managed to stop shaking enough and grab one.

“Yes!”

They barely stopped to read the label, just long enough to read Kvasir’s name on it, which was enough to tell them that this would probably do something to save their ass right now, and that was good enough for them. They downed the potion like a shot, carelessly tossing the empty glass container behind them.^[1] For a moment, nothing happened, and Morrigan was left to lament their miserable fortune for the last few seconds of their pathetic lifespan before Plague tore them to shreds… until the warehouse lit up in a burst of rainbow light.

If the battle with the dog, the sounds of the Krampus, and Plague and Morrigan’s incessant screeching hadn’t yet been enough to alert the guard presence, then Solaria’s rainbow light emanating from literally every window would. Most of the rainbow was centered around Morrigan, as if creating a protective field around them to shield them from harm. Morrigan cackled, relief flooding their veins. Oh, Kvasir Sigurros you brilliant son of a bitch, you’ve done it again!

They turned to Plague, surrounded by swirling, shifting rainbow light, as if challenging her to try and attack them now, only to trip and fall the second they stopped looking where they were running.

---

1. Kvasir’s Pride of Solaria (1/2) Casting Circle of Life

There was nothing stopping the rage fueled beast as it rushed Morrigan, claws and fangs ready to tear her prey in two. The full power of her rat powers were on display, and even though she no longer needed the power boost it provided, there was nothing she could do until she satiated the hunger for blood and carnage. What the young chemist was not expecting was to be blasted with a literal rainbow. 

Light flooded the room, catching her off guard and forcing her to flinch, unsure if her target was even still there. Brightly colored light cloaked the entire room, lighting the entire warehouse up like a Winter's Crown tree. The beast rubbed her beady eyes for a second as the light faded, revealing a Morrigan who was trying to flee, but had just tripped instead. A slimy rat tongue would lick its lips, eyes narrowing in on her prey, who was now helpless to do anything to defend themselves. And so, Plague pounced. 

A mass tangle of fur and ripped jumpsuit would collide with the prone Tiefling, only for Plague to realize that she was not actually connecting any of her attacks. One swipe, followed by a second, and finished off with a savage snap of her maw, all failing against the odd magic cloaking the man. Whatever they had consumed was preventing Plague from dealing any damage and was effectively saving their life. This infuriated the were beast even more, anger flowed through their veins as they just wailed on the protective field, trying desperately to get through. Several seconds passed until the effects of the potion began to wear off on Plague, the curse slowly letting off as she regained control of her mind. 

Plague would graphically transform back into a small woman, half her body exposed now as the olive green jumpsuit she wore hung off her body, ripped and torn in several places. Short blonde hair sat matted against her sweaty forehead, blue eyes piercing through the darkness as she just stared at Morrigan. But before she could do or say anything else, a unknown voice could be heard from outside. 

"Hey, who is in there! What is going on?"

Mouse and Sparrow were already running to inform Plague, a small group of three city guards were now on their way to the building, responding to a complaint about loud noises and bright lights. There was not anything the two orphans could do now, save for run. 

Kvasir’s potion seemed to do the trick - Morrigan was promptly treated like a chew toy for the rat-Plague, taking the blows but none of the damage. The sensation was jarring. Eventually, Plague just kind of seemed to tire out, her claws and teeth losing steam until eventually, the monster form that had overtaken her.

“What the…” Once the danger was gone, Morrigan was left to gape at the now human woman, wondering what the hell had just happened. They pulled a shawl out of their bag, throwing it at her to at Plague so she wouldn’t be cold in this weather. They wanted to ask more, but the sound of shouting outside the warehouse drew their attention away from the woman who had been a great, bloodthirsty rat only moments ago.

“Oh, shit, we gotta scram!” Morrigan shouted, immediately pulling themselves to their feet. “Plague, start stealing - I mean, confiscating - as many components as you can! I’ll cause some sort of distraction!” They reached for a handful of potions in their bag at random, not caring what they were about to use, but someone had to hold off these guards long enough to let them escape. At the appearance of more guards than he could handle, Bubbles had already made himself scarce, hiding under a crate at their agreed-upon meeting the place. The only thing left to do was get as much of this place’s components as they could, and get the fuck out.

Morrigan was about to do what they did best.

Something incredibly stupid and unnecessary.

Plague was still reeling from the transformation, her head in immense pain as the effects of her potion were now wearing off, leaving the girl weak and out of energy. This was no time to rest however, as Morrigan instantly picked up on the guards outside, who were quickly approaching. She forced herself to her feet, wrapped the shawl around her exposed body and instantly ran over to a few of the work benches. She had been in situations like this before and knew the best course of action was to take what you could hold and flee. Within a matter of seconds Plague had scooped dozens of bottles of random potions and concoctions into her leather chemist satchel, then turned to see Morrigan preparing some sort of diversion. Not wanting to get in the way, the small girl simply nodded to Morrigan and indicated that they should meet else where. 

"If you manage to get free, find a random sewer cover and knock on it, asking for Plague. I'll give you half of this shit as payment. "

Plague's true personality was showing through, but in her current state, there was nothing left for the alchemist to assist with. So with her prize in hand, Plague leapt through the window Morrigan had previously stumbled through, and fled into the night, finding the nearest man hole and slinking down into it like a true rat. She would wait beneath the surface of the city, meeting back up with Mouse and Sparrow while she regained her energy. But Morrigan remained on her mind, this was the first time in a long time that she was concerned for the well being of a surface dweller.

What might have seemed like a selfless act on Morrigan’s part was mostly driven by a desire for them to get their hands on those damn crafting components. They had stolen enough shit in their life to know, though, that it was easier in a heist for one person to carry the loot and the other to keep their hands free. They were already rummaging in their bags for any kind of potion that might cause a loud and obnoxious distraction, long enough for them to get away.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be right behind you!” Morrigan called back, distracted, as Plague jumped out the window into the freedom of the night.

The guards descended only a moment later.

Four of them in total, all bearing swords and spears and any manner of weapons. It took them approximately two seconds to spot the disco ball of a tiefling standing in the middle of the room covered head to toe in glitter, blood, and inexplicably, confetti.

“What the - how did you get in here?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Morrigan smirked and flipped them the bird, acting coy despite the very obviously broken window behind them that had served as their point of entry.

“Surrender what you stole, thief, and surrender quietly!”

None of them had attacked yet - all of them likely hoping that Morrigan would give up without much of a fuss. Unfortunately for them, they’d run into the most belligerent shit of a tiefling that had the misfortune of being born in this era and decided to make that everyone else’s problem. “Yeah, buddy, that’s not going to happen.” They pulled out a potion from their bag, a rounded flask that contained a swirling, glittery concoction, that they immediately smashed on the ground at their feet.[1]

The air around them immediately filled with smoke and glitter, obscuring them from sight. Morrigan coughed, eyes watering from the glitter bomb. They made for damn good getaways, but Morrigan couldn’t really see where they were going themselves, which made escape difficult at times. Not that it mattered. With a loud cackle, Morrigan called out, “You’ll never catch me alive!” Before dashing straight towards the window, ready to make their daring escape, when they hit something solid and metal -

Morrigan was thrown to the ground, rubbing at their head as the smoke cleared. Rather than staring at the wall, or the outside of the warehouse, they were face to face with a pair of armor-covered legs, attached to a man, one with a very pissed off face.

… They’d run in the wrong damn direction.

Morrigan blinked up at the guard they’d hit, expression wide an innocent, as if to say, who, me?

“Um. Wonderful weather we’re having, isn’t it?”

Needless to say the guard wasn’t impressed.

Depending on how long Plague bothered waiting for Morrigan to show up and knock on one of the sewer entrances, she would have found herself stood up. In fact, Morrigan didn’t show up at all that night, on account of the fact that they’d promptly gotten their ass thrown in a jail cell.

---

1. Smoke Bomb