The purple side of the woman began to writhe, contorting into a massive, grotesque tentacle. It lashed out with terrifying speed, slamming into the floorboards and shaking the house.
Cindy reacted instantly, her war hammer forgotten as she leapt forward. Her boot came down hard, pinning the tentacle to the floor with enough force to crack the wood beneath. The entire house shuddered.
Andrew's eyes darted to her, his mind racing. She's handling this like it's routine, he thought, but the intensity of the moment left no time to dwell.
"I see it now," he said, his voice steady despite the chaos. "She's... she's fused with it. That thing—she really can't separate from it, can she?"
Cindy glanced at him, her foot still grinding the tentacle down. "It wasn't always like this," she replied tersely. "At first, it was just a blob of purple on her shoulder."
Andrew's brow furrowed. "Did you learn anything from it? Anything at all?"
