The Autumn Mage

Chapter Twenty-Four

"You have quite the way with women!" Orpheus teased in the coach. Aki shifted his head which was resting in his palm to glare at him before returning his angry gaze back outside.

"Shut up!" he muttered.

"I mean, between blondie and Lanhua you just know all the right things to say," he continued with a smirk. The trees whipped past in a green blur and Aki was staring just beyond them trying to clear his head. They were losing their leaves and the air was developing a bite, the cooler temperature evident as Aki rested his forehead against the cold glass. They were traveling North about half a day where Middletown took its namesake being between Scheyichbi and Kanawha. It is a mostly rural area with both cities focusing on the Three C's of crops, candles, and cattle. Though reclusive from the rest of the kingdom the two cities are well off, with Scheyichbi being the fourth smallest city in the land but one of the wealthiest.

The Iron Wall peaked out above the hills and sparse purple mountains, a testament to the Orcs. It was built 700 years ago and had turned a bright copper color from centuries of rust. An agreement had been struck between the Orcs and the Humes that no further Orc land would be encroached on and Orcs would in return stop pulling Humes' limbs out of their sockets. It is in a Hume's best interest to steer clear of Orcs as most deaths cannot be confirmed to be from an Orc or from a bear.

As they approached Middletown dusk had begun and the sky darkened into a grey and purple quilt of clouds and stars. The plants were far more unruly and overgrown yet the trees and vines and gnarled roots looked sickly. Many had been uprooted despite being mature as if something had been forcing them out of the ground. The two travelers had hoped to have arrived closer to the gates but the horses refused to approach any closer than they already had, rearing up and snarling in terrified whinnies. They forced the doors open against shrubs and squeezed their way out before hiking the rest of the way. The area was eerily quiet for how wild it had grown and Aki kept trying to find a set of eyes that he insisted were watching them. Occasionally they would hear a branch snap somewhere behind them but they could never locate the source. It was much darker than it should have been for the time of evening but they dared not create any lights. Aki flailed and spat as a thick spider web wrapped around his face and Orpheus nearly lost his boot in the crevice of a broken boulder that he was forced to climb over.

They finally approached a worn iron gate with MIDDLETOWN being spelled out in a rising arch above, the "D" and "W" missing and the "M" crooked. A tall red brick wall surrounded the town hiding everything from view except the top of a rising temple-like building in the back. Through the gate they saw several rows of slender buildings and some traditional houses towards the rear. A single faint rumble pierced the sky somewhere to the south and dark clouds rolled in quickly. Orpheus shook the gate to test its sturdiness causing it to creak and drop flakes of rust. It would not open, seemingly locked from the inside. Aki pressed his face against the dirty cool bars and peered in, his mouth absentmindedly open as he gazed about. There were no signs on any of the buildings and he noticed that many had only one or two windows making them less than inviting when combined with their grey peeling paint.

"What's the plan?" Aki asked quietly. He could feel his heartbeat pulse in his temples against the iron bars.

Our first priority is finding a way inside," Orpheus responded his eyes wider than usual. "Priority two is staying alive."

"I don't see anything," Aki meekly reassured, mostly to himself.

"That doesn't mean that there isn't anything to be afraid of." They hunted for a way in but all the trees had been planted away from the wall preventing them from easily climbing up and over. Loose gravel was put down preventing tight footing and small metal spikes ran along the top of the wall. "This is hopeless," Orpheus said shaking his head after about half an hour.

"Let's walk the parameter," Aki suggested. "It's pretty old; maybe we'll get lucky and find a section that's broken."

"Yeah that's not half bad kid." They threw their packs back onto their backs and began slowly walking along the wall. They began to squint as the light left for the day but still did not want to risk making light themselves. A faint howl shortened their breath and they could not determine if it came from within the walls or not. It was quickly joined by several more howls creating a chorus that sounded like twisted souls trying to escape from Hel. The two kept stumbling on the rocky uneven ground adding to their paranoia and the glanced over their shoulder each time. About halfway down the wall Orpheus stopped. Aki continued ahead unaware until he stopped hearing his footsteps. He made his way back and found Orpheus slowly running his fingers along the wall with a focused expression on his face.

"What did you find?" Aki asked softly. As he stared harder in the dim light thin slits came into focus, a series of three slices that removed the brick and another set of scratches higher up. They were wide enough to fit a few fingers inside, possibly even the tip of one's shoe.

"Think we can climb up?" Orpheus pondered.

"It's worth a shot I guess." Aki rocked back and forth on his heels as he sized it up. He finally placed his foot against the wall and hoisted himself up. He pulled up on the second hand hold bringing his feet to the first one which came to about Orpheus' hip. He tried to continue but his boot was caught in the wall. Orpheus pulled sternly until it was freed, knocking him in the jaw. Aki continued to struggle up until he sat on top of the wall with a leg dangling on either side breathing heavily. Orpheus quickly joined him, Aki assisting him up. The Doctor glanced down as his chest heaved and he shook his head grimly.

"What are we doing here Aki?"

"We're here to bust down every door until we find what we need," he said trying to sound confident.

"We're royally screwed once we go down there. They say the monsters down there can't be killed."

"What do you think? Do you believe that?" Aki asked nervously. Orpheus bounced his head side to side.

"My mind says 'no' but if they were created from a Philosopher's Stone, then it may be possible. They say the Stone can grant immortality."

"Well I guess we won't know until we try," Aki responded coolly. "At least I have a good doctor to patch me up." He swung his legs over and dropped town before Orpheus could stop him.

5e48&N,