Searing 34, 122nd Year, A.o.S.
12:01 pm
Everything hurt, his ears rang violently with screams, vision marred by sweat and tears revealed a blurry and maudlin sky. His chest felt tight, his breaths were shallow and labored. Moving his leaden arms to his chest Myles found himself obstructed. Craning his neck, head weighted by his helm he realized that he was pinned beneath a sizable amount of brick work. Laying his head back Myles wheezed. He'd failed, there'd been signs of thing growing worse but never to the degree that something like this could happen.
F****** C*****
Looking back up Myles watched as ashes slowly began to filter down from the sky, scraps of what was once called home. To lose so much, all like this, all while thinking he was going down to confront a rumor. This was a complete failure. Was it even worth it to try and fight his way out from the rubble he pondered. He could stay here, he was sure death could find him swiftly enough if he so willed it. Even that seemed like so much effort. Unable to hear the world around him, and his view of the world limited by the range of his neck and view of his helms visor. To his left, the still standing establishment called the Gobbler to his right, a building that looked to the remnant of of as complex of shops with housing above, only the corner of the building closest to the restaurant still stood. Still... there was movement, a creature that looked like the flesh devoid of bone slamming its heavy limbs against the last still intact door of the building. The was already beginning to splinter... He still couldn't hear very well the screaming in his ears however was shaping into a chorus, something about it shook him, it felt as if he was starting to hear words forming within the wall of noise. Giving movement another try he found with much effort, he could move his arms... but was it worth it? What could be on the other side of that door? More corpses? More monsters? More untold horrors that only mages new how to create? For all he knew it could be nothing and the mindless beast was simply after a rat or roach it had seen scurry under the door.
F****r* Co****
Again he heard the screams in his ears seemingly tuning towards a single voice. It could be a survivor, it could be a family, all just outside the blast but trapped by the horrors it caused. It could be nothing... Watching the monsters fleshy form assualt the door, the creature was making slow, but steady progress, at some point soon the door would splinter. By then it would be far too late to do anything. That was what he'd been after all, far too late, to do anything, to save his city? Was there any point in continuing. The ashes fall from the sky began to settle on everything they were unsettling, large flakes like the ashes from burning paper, but all a uniform foil thin shiny black material, glimmering as it fell.
Fa***r* Co**r*
Wrenching his left arm up he twisted with what little range of motion he had left and brought what strength he could to bear against the brickwork atop him. Still with only one arm it wasn't enough to free him, only shift the rubble. Stopping to catch his breath he held what little gains he'd made and watched as the monster made it's steady progress, the door now boor a heave dent in its middle, but the hinges and lock still seemed to be standing. Wriggling his limbs to see what he could move Myles found he could raise his right knee, and in doing so again shift the rubble crushing him. This however shifted a beam from the pile causing it to roll towards his head, gaining some momentum it rammed his helm with enough force to daze him and pin his neck to the side so he could only now look towards the monster.
Fa***re Co*ar*
In spite of his head being pinned he'd shifted weight from the rest of his body, and with that he could now finally move his right arm. “Move damnit” He cursed to himself, forced now to watch as the top hinge of the door began to rip from the wall. The monster seemed to picking up pace egged on by its small victory. With both arms now somewhat free Myles began to heave against the largest piece of brickwork atop him, and as he lifted he gained the freedom to take his first full breath in some time. Shifting the pile atop him to his left he brought his now freed arms to the beam on his head, but no matter how he struggled the heavy beam was simply too heavy the way the other rubble was situated.
Fai**re Co*ard
The screaming had become taunting words that blotted out all other sound in his world, and affirmed his weakness. The door was in shambles now, it wouldn't be long tell the monster was in. He still couldn't move head or his left leg. He wasn't done yet, he couldn't escape the thought that someone still needed saving on the other side of that door, someone else, wondering why the world had become like this. Clumsily he ripped at the strap holding his head into his iron helm, finally wrenching it free and wiggling his way out. Sitting up just in time to watch the monster splinter away the top half of the door, the creature saw little need to finish the job and began to climb through the splintered hole it made. Looking down at his left leg he found his iron plated boot similarly crushed beneath weights to great to move easily. With no time he wrenched his foot from the boot skinning his ankle on the way out, a small price to pay. On instinct he turned to the door, scanning for his weapon. His blade a foot away also pinned beneath rubble. Or so he thought, when he wrenched it free all he found himself with was a handle and six or so inches of blade. The top portion of the the sword snapped off with a jagged point.
Fai*ure Co*ard
Running towards the splintered door Myles hoped beyond hope that he wasn't again too late. No helm and one foot bare the night vaulted to broken door clumsily slamming into the back of what seemed to be a small grocery. In the shop was the creature and beyond it, were people? Or.. what had been? A cluster of people huddled in the corner, now all made from... crystal? The monster now turned its glare towards him. Holes where eyes would've been, but he knew it saw him all the same. Pure hate and revulsion pooled in his gut, matching the creature he stepped towards it, both of them now closing the distance between them. It opened with an attempt to club him with its club like appendage as it had the door. Intercepting the blow with the point of blade he still had left he allowed the monster to skewer itself on his defense. The boneless appendage undaunted by being impaled whipped its remaining length towards Myles' face gouging him beneath the right eye.
Failure Coward
Ripping the blade downward he severed what he could from the limb, wich now hung loosely, but seemed all the more whip-like and dangerous for it. Again it swiped that heavy limb at him from the opposite side, making up for it's lack of brains with sheer tenacity. Again employing the same tactic he stepped inward and again caught the swing with his short blade, and again the appendage whipped towards him. Intercepting it this time with his free hand he was rewarded with the shock of the blow numbing his arm to the shoulder with the force from the swing. He wasn't done yet. Ripping upward this time he again severed flesh from the appendage which barely clung to it's vile host now.
Failure Coward
Taking the offensive now Myles leaped toward the beast swiping his blade towards what little vile sinew still held the appendage to it. He was rewarded with a satisfactory collision with his blade and watching the heavy club of flesh fall to the floor. Hatred fueled by this small victory began to spark his resolve. Keeping up the aggression Myles began slashing wildly at what was left of the main body of the creature even as it used it's remaining limbs to flail against him. It felt good to finally destroy something today, even if it was small start, it was a start. Standing over the shreds of flesh before him Myles tried to comprehend the world he was now living in. The immediate fight for survival over it seemed he was able to think, and that was the last thing he wanted to do right now.
