The Autumn Mage

Chapter Twenty-Five

Once Aki's ankles touched the ground he heard a pop and felt a surge of pain in his left foot. He bit his hand to keep from yelling in agony and he hyperventilated until Orpheus gracefully slid down the wall with the balls of his feet and clumsily landed next to him. He dusted his hands off on his pants before looking him over.

"Why are you such a child!" he angrily whispered. He gripped his injured ankle forcing another muffled shout through his clenched teeth. He silently healed it with a warm soft golden glow emitting from his strong grip. Once he let go Aki pivoted it several times and sheepishly smiled up at him. Orpheus slapped the back of his head and stood up waiting for him to compose himself. They nervously looked about the dark complex expecting to be rushed by monsters but thankfully the place was deserted. The buildings were crumbling and missing several sections of roofing and many of the filthy windows were cracked or broken. Several sections of the black paved roads had chunks missing with the sandy ground underneath exposed. Weeds were coming through the cracked road and through some of the brick, and vines had claimed some of the homes in the rear.

"Where do we start?" Aki whispered hesitantly. Orpheus shrugged and pointed towards the nearest building questioningly. They moved slowly towards the sturdy metal door as the dragon weathervane screeched and wobbled in the cold evening breeze. Aki gripped the black metal handleset and held his breath as he squeezed his thumb down on the trigger. He heard it click and slowly pushed the air out of his pursed lips as he pulled the door towards him. It creaked and moaned as it swung away from the lightless room and his chest rose and fell rapidly. The old floorboards squealed with each ginger step. They stopped when a chirping sound above them began to crescendo followed by a loud fluttering. They looked up and a large shadow rushed them. They crossed their arms in front of their faces as a swarm of bats flew past them and out the opened door, Aki being knocked down in surprise as Orpheus held his ground. The Doctor helped him onto his feet once more both of them trembling.

Aki held his hands together and closed his eyes, exhaling a deep breath into his closed palms. When he opened them a small sphere of yellow light fluttered in front of his face. He waved a palm to the left and it followed, illuminating the room in its soft light revealing its contents. Rows of rickety bunk beds filled most of the space each with a small white end table with three drawers, its paint chipped and faded and a small wooden chest at the foot. Orpheus walked over to the door they entered and shut it trying to hide the light from anything lurking about outside. They each took a row and began to inspect each drawer and chest for anything relevant. Many drawers were missing, and most were empty save for a dead roach or evidence of rodents. Orpheus excitedly held a stack of papers but his face fell upon allowing the faded and torn pinup centerfold to fold out. After twenty minutes they reconvened with crossed arms frustrated and lost.

"This is clearly just where the troops slept," Orpheus pondered softly. "For what we are looking for, it won't be in a bunk." Aki nodded and stroked the stubble on his chin.

"It won't be in a mess hall, either. We need to move away from this section and head for the officer's quarters or the big scary building in the back." Orpheus nodded as he pointed at him.

"Scary is good for finding military secrets. Let's check there first and if we're still not eaten by then we'll check the officer's quarters."

"Sounds like a solid plan to me," Aki said as he removed his staff from the holster inside his robes.

"What –." Orpheus was cut off by a heavy bang at the front door of the building. It happened again and again, followed by slow scratching sound and loud snort.