Rei Vs. Coalescence

Bit by bit, the barricade came crashing down. Rei already stood in the nave — no weapon in hand other than two small ceremonial daggers found by the chancel.

She stood with confidence. Even in the wake of the violent beatings against the door, she didn't bother to move a muscle. Her breathing remained calm, just as her eyes remained steady.

By the time Seren had emerged from the stairwell overhead, the construct was already halfway to crumbling. "Damn-!" he scathed, "This better have been worth it..."

The building was on the verge of being breached. With every bash against the front came a surge of immense pressure; Almost sounding like the rhythmical beating of a thumping heart. With the sudden collapse of the final part of their bulwark, a disheartening boom was quick to follow.

Dust kicked itself into the air, a hurdling gust of wind blowing against Rei as the doors decked off their hinges.

Against the stone flooring, the debris resembled the sound of clapping thunder. Of course, even amid the destruction, she was unfazed.

The hulking beast poked the tip of its lobe through, stomping over what remained of the blockade as if it were nothing more than a mild nuisance. As it walked, steam still from the vaporizing water gushed from its body, making it trudge in a cloak of fresh mist.

Seren ducked beneath the small railing, all in an attempt to not be seen. After all, this wasn't his fight; This was between Rei and the Coalescence.

Stale air began to surround them — and it was near suffocating. She jolted her head back, giving a slight twist before calming herself. It lurked forward, step by step lumbering like a lion cornering its injured prey.

It walked with no signs of fear, and it moved without any deviation from its course. It knew its target, and it was going for the kill. Naturally, she wasn't going to let that happen.

A deep groan echoed out from its substance, and even though it couldn't speak, to Rei it almost sounded like a challenge.

In the end, she was the one to make the first move.

The beast lurched its arm forward as she ran, all in a desperate attempt to stop her movements. With the sudden breaking of air, she curved underneath, rolling against the floor before dashing to its side.

Wrapping herself just around the creature's frame, the heat emanating off from its body began to boil against her skin. Even still, she persisted.

Much to her surprise, the beast was smart enough to invert its own rotation; Not to follow, but to predict.

As its grotesque arm threatened to clobber against her skull, at the last possible second did she managed to cower underneath. Unlike last time, however, she was far from well-footed.

With its other fist raised into the air, it slammed straight down toward the ground, mere moments away from tearing it- and her, asunder.

Before it could reach, however, with a well-timed roll towards its writhing flesh, she managed to escape. Bits of the cold stone scattering up off the floor shot out and pierced into her flesh. She didn't seem to react.

Hastily, she shifted her arm and pierced into the side of its stomach with one of the knives. Pulling herself up, she didn't hesitate to throw her body to the side as the magma began to spew from its wound.

Rushing away offered a brief moment to glance at the now-melted blade in her own hand. Regardless, she simply threw it to the side. "One down..." she muttered, a quick sigh escaping her mouth, "It's now or never."

Naturally, the dagger did its job perfectly. Its role wasn't to harm, but to maneuver. Trying to attack a creature that can bleed lava and heal faster than you can blink at close range would only lead to death.

Earlier that night, had they continued to fight it out in the desolate streets, it probably would have been.

Their simple purpose was to act as a means of escape. These knives, obviously not meant for combat, could never dream of being able to cut against a Terror's skin. With that in mind, they were still sharp as hell at one point in particular — its tip.

When pierced into its demonic flesh, it acted something akin to an anchor; Too dull to move, and sturdy enough to abuse for mobility.

With that in mind, one of these tools were already completely wasted. The plan hadn't accounted for it to have a baseline idea of common sense. Now, she only had one remaining.

From his position, Seren gave a slight peek out towards her. She remained calm and steady, only a twinge of sweat dripping down the side of her head. Visibly, she appeared stressed and worn out, though mentally, it was quite apparent she had no doubts about her situation.

Even then, he could tell what was happening. Despite his firm stance on eradication, it'd be a lie to say he didn't have his uncertainty. When peering towards Rei... for one person to have that much determination felt almost inhuman.

Of course, there was the more pressing matter as to why he was watching. Slowly but surely, she began to step back, and slowly but surely, the beast blindly followed.

They were beginning to approach the storeroom.