The Creed's Emergence

Chapter Fourteen: Tranquil

A stray wave of energy shot towards the group. Everyone quickly jumped out of the way, but the energy exploded upon hitting the stone stairs. Thorn had been sent flying, then tumbled down the stairs with Anika. He shielded her, taking the damage. He grabbed onto one of the rocks nearby, stopping himself from falling down further. Looking up, he could only see two fireballs.

One red, one purple, they clashed together, zooming away, looping, only to clash again. It was hard to see the two fighters clearly. But he could see a pair of batlike wings on the purple fireball. Without saying anything, Thorn got up, knowing that it was certainly a bad idea to get into the middle of someone else's battle. He darted back up the stairs, catching up to his allies and Demarc.
"It's a bad idea staying here. If we get caught in the crossfires, we'll die for sure." He told them, looking at the abyss that waited below the stairs. If anyone fell, it was certain death. If Anika fell, he didn't know what he'd do. He could always respawn, but Anika wouldn't. If she died now, she'd be gone forever. He couldn't bear the pain that was to come if she died.
"Then why did we come... You're right.." Moon exhaled as he got up. He had also been knocked down but was able to stop himself from rolling down the stairs. He dusted himself off, then looked back towards the church. There were two options, either go back inside or go back to the city. Coming to see the fight was a huge mistake. But before he could make a choice, another wave of energy came towards them. Everyone scattered, but part of the stairs had been blown up. Rocks and dust went everywhere. Thorn shielded Anika with his back, letting the debris hit him. The debris fell to the ground upon hitting his back, leaving small clouds of dust behind.

"Then why don't we just go back to the city?! By the time we get to the Church, we'll be blown up!" Anika shouted.

"Aye, good plan. Everyone, retreat back to the city!" Moon called out to the others, who quickly began running down the stairs. Their somewhat quick-thinking benefitted them. Part of the stairs exploded where they had been standing. If they hadn't evacuated...

"Anika, you're not hurt, are you?" Thorn stared down at Anika. Even if his face showed no emotion, there was a slight worry in his voice.

"I'm not, but what about you? That fall you took.." Anika peered over at Thorn's arms, which were covered in scratch marks. She knew he was well protected with his uniform, but she wondered if he had been hurt regardless.

"Mm, I'm alright. Nothing got through my uniform. Plus, Decrepit are meant to be practically indestructible... We do not get hurt that easily from mere falls, unlike humans." Thorn focused ahead, not looking down at Anika once. He was careful not to trip on anything, as the stairs were not exactly the safest now with so much debris.

Anika looked over at the belts of teeth Thorn had along his chest. Then, at the many leather straps, he had on his abdomen. There seemed to be many layers to his uniform, despite some being ragged and torn. She leaned her head close to his chest, listening to his heartbeat and taking in the scent of his clothes. That smell of blood, smoke, and linen was something she couldn't forget, along with that gentle heartbeat of his. It was soothing, almost. His heartbeat was like the soft ticking of the old grandfather clock that was in the local library back at home. Once again, she felt at ease. Even if there was the looming threat of two fighters flying above them shooting at each other, she wasn't afraid.

Then, Thorn suddenly jerked to one side. As soon as he did, someone crashed down where he had just been standing. Dust flew up into the air, shrouding the person in grey clouds. Anika started to cough, but Thorn used his cloak to cover her nose. He didn't bother staying to check up on the person, as it was still a dangerous move. The dust cleared, revealing a large purple bat. Her wings were covered in gold and silver stars. She looked beautiful and unaffected by the decay and horrors in the world. Unlike other Gods, her body wasn't decaying or bone. She seemed like a perfectly fine bat.