Round 5

As Jeane finishes speaking, a section of the boarded-up window beside her suddenly splinters outward, as if something inside has been waiting for this moment. The sound of scraping and grinding echoes through the narrow street between crumbling buildings, growing louder with each passing moment. Sister Hale's eyes widen in surprise, and she instinctively takes a step back, her holy symbol still humming with divine energy. "It seems we have our answer," Silra murmurs, her hand tightening around the hilt of her sword as she readies herself for whatever is about to emerge.

Hale's fingers tighten around her unholy symbol as she watches the dark shape burst through the window - whatever is inside the church just made its presence known far more aggressively than simple hammering suggested. The stench that washes over them makes her gag involuntarily, and for a moment she forgets to breathe as shock freezes thought. This isn't just decay or age smell; this is something actively wrong on a spiritual level - the kind of corruption that seeps into bone and lingers long after the initial rot has been purged.

Jeane steps closer to the splintered window frame where darkness seems to thicken into physical substance, her unholy symbol already pulsing with arcane resonance against her palm before she consciously draws it forth. The stench that washes over them isn't just decay - this is corruption that feeds on faith itself, twisting whatever holy energies Hale attempts into something... else. Her crimson eyes narrow as she assesses the dark shape occupying that window frame, cataloging details despite how wrong its presence seems to be.