Round 23

As the rumbling beneath the road intensified, the air seemed to vibrate with an otherworldly energy, Jeane's crimson eyes burning with a fierce determination. Her fingers completed their intricate patterns in the air once more, and she felt the weight of her spell forming before releasing it. The moment it did, the hammering at the doors ceased, and the figure behind them stepped forward, its presence drawing air out of space as it calculated something visible in its posture.

Sister Hale took a step forward, her eyes fixed on the figure with an unwavering intensity, while Gravedigger Renn's frantic words echoed in their ears: "Whatever is inside, it's not human... and it's coming for us!" Jeane readied another defensive spell, her senses on high alert as she struggled to comprehend the ancient corruption operating with deliberate intent. The rusted key from a dead magistrate hung around her neck, its significance unclear but promising.

Silra crouched low at the edge of the boarded-up window frame, her teal eyes scanning the splintered wood patterns with rogue's precision. She traced the rope coil absently, her mind already cataloging possibilities as she noted the figure's calculation - it was planning something, using this moment between impacts to measure them. The air seemed to thicken with tension as they waited for whatever was inside the church to make its next move, the storm-dark sky seeming to darken further with each passing moment.