A World With/Out Home

Chapter 38: The places we should have been. (Part 2)

The response was a bellowing cry as the creature locked onto them. What surprised them however was Anna, whose eyes widened in recognition.

"Leave! Leave!" she screamed and charged towards them, causing a wet clatter as her fingered appendages propelled her forwards. "Just get out of here!

"Damn it!" Reina grit her teeth and releasing a mighty grunt threw her spear. Mid-flight the spear burst in flame, forcing it faster. The result that could have rent steel plunged into the monster's rolling body of ooze and though forcing it back, simply came out the other end. Reina however wasn't finished and called her spear to return slicing through a leg on its way. The leg fell to the ground causing the monster to tilt and fall, another however replaced it soon after.

"It has to have a core," Kyle ran towards it and prepared to swing his blade before it could rise.

Anna again screamed, it wasn't however a scream of anger but fear, "No! I've had enough! I've had enough!"

The trace of humanity forced Kyle to pause. His hesitation was clear despite all the experience and intuition telling him to keep going. Then came the whip of black that spiralled straight towards him. With a tremendous snap the hardened ooze cracked his armour and sent him sailing to the far wall where he collapsed in a heap, coughing blood.

"Ouch," he sneered and stood up as the pain quickly eased. As much as he was Estile, he was still Kyle. When it came down to it his actual experience in these types of situations was quite dear.

"You okay?" Lillia asked as she landed beside him.

"I'm fine. I won't hesitate again," he took a deep breath in and heaved it out fast.

Lillia smiled, "I've got your back."

"Then I'll take your front," he charged just as Maila was about to be overwhelmed and share the same fate he had just been struck by. The whip of black collided against his sword and shattered to nothing allowing Maila to readjust her posture. She gave him a curt nod in reply and pulling back her fist unleashed a barrelling strike. The explosive force caused a wave to course across the monsters body and in the next instant Kyle swung down at full strength. A wisp of light lit the air and suddenly the monster split causing Anna to scream in pain. Lillia and Reina jumped in next further tearing apart the oozing flesh. Bits of armour, entire parts of things that were once human, books, tablets, weapons, nothing however like the core they were looking for.

"Enough! I-I can't hold it!" Anna wailed and throwing her hands in a wild motion caused all the ooze scattered in the room to suddenly return and gather upon her. Lillia managed to defend herself, Maila dodged and Kyle knocked the oncoming ooze aside. Reina however was surrounded by the goo and as it scraped against her side, her armour dissolved to nothing. What was left was a severe and bloody wound.

Lillia who was closest jumped between her and Anna, quickly carrying the injured officer away.

Anna once more stared at her in recognition, her hands covering her face, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I just.... Leave!"

Maila frowned beside Kyle, "I think we both know where the core really is."

"She'll definitely die," Kyle replied.

"She would have died anyway.... It's better we end her misery now."

Again Kyle hesitated but soon the memories of Estile entered his mind. This wasn't the first time she had been in this predicament. A friend turned against her. She turned against a friend. A clash of ideals. Fights that couldn't be prevented but would cost too much to lose.