Celaire is so distracted by the thought of finally being cured that she completely fails to notice all of the signs that something terrible is about to happen. While some of the others begin to prepare for the onslaught, she continues to watch the priests, still trying to pick out which one she should be trying to get to heal her. Needless to say, she is caught quite off guard when the howl echoes throughout the square, although the thought never occurs her that it is the very fact that she failed to get close enough to the dais that probably saved her from immediate death. In fact, had she been closer she would never have reacted in time. As the demons stream through the portal she freezes, paralyzed by fear. "Whuh... buh..." she stutters, her mind mentally aware of what's occurring but unable to decide how to react.<br/><br/>And then in the back of the mind she feels a presence slowly growing stronger until finally she hears Angel's voice. "This is why you need me, Celaire. Getting rid of me will only be the death of you." The elf fights back, mentally steeling herself so that she can remain in control. And for a while it works, her focus keeps Angel in check. But then the demons appear. For a moment the distraction draws Celaire's attention away, and that is all the chance that Angel needs. Celaire's right hand grabs a vial on her belt, pops off the cork, and pours the contents into her mouth. But although the action looks completely voluntary, the look of surprise on Celaire's face shows that is otherwise.<br/><br/>"No, not now!" Celaire screams, although in the din of the battle most likely only Mina can hear it. At the very least, the monk can see what happens next. The alchemist shuts her eyes hunches forward, grimacing as though in pain although the demons have yet to attack. Little by little her body begins to alter, starting with her hair. Her ponytail slowly loses its color until it has changed from a shade of deep brown to a silvery gray, also becoming shaggy and unkempt in the process. Fur of a similar color sprouts from the rest of her body, although it remains only long enough to cover her skin. At the same time, her face elongates and her teeth and nails lengthen until they can only be described as lethal-looking. And then, as though nothing happened, she straightens back up, although it seems as though a good few inches have been added to her height in the process. Her eyes reopen, and their green color has been replaced with dull-red. Had Mina not witnessed the transformation, she would never be able to guess that this was the same person, so different does Celaire look from how she did mere seconds ago. Where before a timid-looking elf had been now stands what could only be described as a werewolf.<br/><br/>But perhaps it would be more accurate to say that this is no longer the same person that existed before the mutation. Whereas the frightened elf could only gaze at the demons in fear, Angel now gives a confident smirk as her eyes shift back and forth between the two foes. "I hope you're ready for this, human," she speaks in a low growl, casting Mina a sidelong glance. "I don't usually work in a team, but in this situation I'll make an exception." She takes a step towards the demons then stops, waiting for them to make the first move.<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Celaire uses her standard and move actions to pull out and drink her mutagen, then takes a 5-foot step towards the demons.</div></div></div>