With the depths of Grettfut at his back, Gum carefully stalked the gentle undergrowth of the forest's periphery. Such positioning allowed him chance to review the city's moat and wall. After examining the defensive structure extensively and learning the guard rotation, he was able to identify a point of weakness.

There was a series of small windows in the upper limits of the stonework. While each window was only slender and intended for firing upon on the enemy, it was an opening he believed he could take advantage of while in cat form. Furthermore, one window in particular benefited from a tree's branch, it had grown close enough for him to use a jumping off point. No human could make the jump, but as an agile jungle cat, Gum would be able to pull it off.

Gum looked at the white-ringed moon overhead and made the decision to transform. He paused for a moment, remembering the fate of the mages at the dock. "Mine is not magic," he whispered, trying to convince himself of the endeavour's safety. "It is a gift from the pantheon and won't be affected by whatever is corrupting this land." The shaman viewed the elemental manipulation of Coronian wizards to be arcane, while his own abilities were organic.

He felt the familiar ripple in his flesh, the transformation was beginning. The skin on his body cracked a little, but so did the lightning in the sky above. Gum began to panic. It was too late to stop the process. The bones in his body began to morph into their feline counterparts. The sky grew angrier and angrier, rumbling down at the shaman's arrogance. His dull brown eyes grew alive, turning yellow. Then he felt it. It cracked down on him, jolting him with a bolt of lightning. It felt like being slammed in the back of the head with a rock. Gum's whole body locked up and he was flung back. He stumbled, toppled and fell into the water of the moat encircling the city. As he sank, his head buzzed from the strike. The shaman passed out seconds later.