Of Fire and Flesh

Reynauld and I waited in anticipation as the beast began to circle us, its crimson eyes trained on the two of us as the fire continued to carve its way through the rest of the market. "Stay on the defensive Ms. Rose, this monster is incredibly strong." The creature suddenly lunged towards me bringing down its massive arm. I sprang backward but I wasn't fast enough as it dug its claw into my arm stopping me in my tracks. The creature bared its viscera covered fangs and bit down, tearing a chunk out of my shoulder. I tried to fight back but my attacks could find any purchase among the patches of thick fur and metal plating. 

"Reynauld something  needs to be done about the armor before I can do any real damage to this thing!" It lifted its head to go for another bite but in that split second, I managed to grab a piece of broken metal jamming it alongside my claw into the creature's eye. I drew my hand back trying to pull as much flesh and bone as I could. This only fed into the creature's rage as it began stumbling back, clawing at it's now bleeding eye before letting out another savage roar. I lapped up the blood that now covered my hand sending a rush of energy flowing through me as the creature looked back at me with hate in its remaining eye. 

Dismas reloaded his pistol and aimed it at the remaining cultist as he slowly approached the body of the downed priestess. The priestess tried to go for something she had hidden on her side causing Dismas' focus to snap back to her as a bullet quickly found itself lodged in her arm. "Don't try it'll only make things so much worse for you in the end." He turned his attention back to the last cultist who by this point brought out a jagged dagger ready to fight for his life. 

Dismas looked at the poor man who didn't look like a day past twenty and shook his head. "I'm going to say this and after I say this you have two choices. "One you abandon this whole cult thing, tell me all you know, and never harm another person again or you could go with the second option and I paint the walls with the insides of your skull and go about the rest of my day like I would have if you and your friends hadn't shown up ." The cultist then proceeded to slit his own throat, letting his brood train from his body bearing a sickening smile just like the priestess had done before. "Another misguided person put down in cold blood." 

The blood on the floor pooled around the body of the priestess as she slowly began to rise from the floor. "I've heard you're no stranger to putting down people who have lost their way Mr. Rivaun why try and change your ways now?" A painful image flashed through Dismas' head as he pulled out his flask, took a drink, and pulled one of his daggers. "Your death is going to be my first step in avenging them." 

Audrey grabbed whatever she could and abandoned the smoldering remains of the leather worker's shop as more parts of the roof began to crumble signaling the building's collapse. She ran back out into the open street looking for another building that could contain any people. The sounds of crackling fire and crumbling rock filled the air as a building crashed to the ground blocking the road and spreading more fire. 

The fire coming from the building began to change color shifting from the normal orange-yellow flicker to a deep crimson glow as from the rubble appeared a vaguely humanoid figure made of rock fused with half-burnt flesh. Audrey watched as the figure crawled towards her with one arm dragging behind a sea of blood and entrails.

But she noticed that they had something in their other arm, something that was crying. Audrey ran towards the noise hoping that the idea she had was wrong. When she approached the creature looking for the source of the crying but there was nothing. Then it attacked shooting four fleshy tendrils out grabbing at her legs in an attempt to bring her to the ground. Audrey threw two daggers slicing off the monstrous appendages before running back to the scene of Rose locked in a grapple with the heavily armored beast from before.