"Going in!"
You dashed forwards, seeking the eyes in the dark with club held high, Kaumodaki's mind brushing your own, the influx of information left behind. "Eyah!"
*THOOM* Thunder roared and stone shattered. You overbalanced, the expected impact missed entirely, the floor pulverized under your feet. "Wha-?"
*SLAM* A strangled cry forced its way out of your lips as a titanic weight slammed into you from the side, catching you mid-air and throwing you into the dark. You hit the ground, rolling incoherently, blind and disoriented. A flash of light and a hand settled in your own, arresting your fall.
"-t up!"
"Whuh..?"
"Come on Wielder! Alia! Get Up!" She hauled you to your feet, and with a flash she was a club again, strength pouring into your shaking muscles as the tiles beneath your feet shuddered. Two pairs of eyes bounding towards you, two beasts of shadow leaped into the air, coming down on you to tear you apart.
Shift off the center line, and move.
You dashed again, towards the beast in mid-air, and brought Kaumodaki in a high overhead swing with barely a hitch in your stride, thunder sounding in the confined space as shockwaves burst from the point of impact, throwing the beast back across the room. You stepped to the side, claws shearing stone with a screech as the other beast missed you, and whipped around, ignoring the protests of your muscles and the aching in your bones as you swung the club into the creature's side.
Two more impacts landed home, the sound of ribs snapping joining the thunderclaps of each blow before you wound up, stepping around a clumsy and desperate slam that nonetheless sent rock shards flying, stinging at your exposed skin.
You repaid the beast with all the might you could muster, a massive blow that hurled it back, back, glass shattered, display cases coming apart under the shadow's bulk, and now you could see it. Black clouds wisping off, yellow eyes wide, hate and fear showing as the sunlight, even weak and grey as it was all the way down here, seared it's dark flesh, eating away at the stuff that made it up.
It managed to struggle to its feet, and charged at you, howling all the way. But you moved to meet it, and the patient hunter was gone. This was nothing more than a cornered beast, fighting desperately, but without venom or guile.
Kaumodaki came down upon its forehead, slamming it to the ground, forcing it back into the light. It struggled one last time, clawing weakly at the ground, a terrible inhuman scream rising as it burned and burned...
Until nothing remained...
"I just... I just want to leave this place..."
Warmth wrapped around you, strong arms holding you up as you swayed, pulling you into a hug.
"Then lets get out of here."
--------
You saw no more shadow beasts on the way to the exit, following your half-remembered directions and the occasional old emergency signage until finally you came to an old doorway. The hinges shrieked, the handle was rusted, but beyond it, light came down, a yellow that was just fading to the orange of sunset shining overhead, a dark blue sky clear of clouds high above.
The sight of what had once been a room drove it home. The familiar form, even buried under rubble in places and almost entirely open to the elements. Surrounded by a skyline you knew all to well, with an ancient bell beginning to toll in the distance.
You stood in the ruins of the British Museum, listening as Big Ben tolled 7pm, and felt a strangled mixture of feelings in your chest.
Not another world... Not some fantasy land...
This is London.
This is Earth.
"Alia... Are you okay?" You tried to nod but couldn't keep a little sob from working its way up your throat. Shit... Were you crying again? Lowing your head, you scrubbed at your eyes, doing your best to keep the dust out of them. "Was this your city once?"
You shook your head, "no... Here on vacation, traveling from..." You trail off, where were you from? Not here, you know that much, but your memory is still patchy, "Ugh..."
"Well... We can't stay here... We need shelter, you need to sleep, and then..."
"And then what?"
Kaumodaki didn't answer, and you got a sense that it was because she didn't know.
What should you do when your world was destroyed and you survived alone?
Make sure you aren't alone.
You blinked, looking at Kaumodaki quizzically, but she shook her head. "I don't know."
[ ] Make your way towards Big Ben. If the bells are still ringing on the hours, then there must be people there maintaining it surely... Maybe they can help?
[ ] Search around and find an apartment that's sufficiently un-destroyed to stay the night in.
[ ] Just... Get away from all this, leave the city, get whatever you can find and get out. You can't take this.
