The Autumn Mage

Chapter Twenty-Six

A chorus of snarling, chomping, and barking stood just before them cutting off their escape route. Three man-sized canines eagerly drooled at their prey and bobbed their heads; the two dogs, one black and one white with dark spots, had two independent heads while the grey dire wolf had three. A groan from behind told them that the Hecatonchire had bested the Sphinx and was coming their way. Orpheus coldly stared blankly at the dogs as their jaws snapped at the air. He heard a far off noise days away but could not break his gaze. The sound approached closer but all he heard was a faint ringing. His face burned from an opened palm.

"Hey! Focus!" Aki shouted. He unsheathed his sword from his staff as he glared at Orpheus. "We don't know how to beat the Chimera. But we know the freak with the extra parts can be stopped, at least for a while. And if we can hurt him I beat we can hurt the mutts." They lowered their heads preparing to strike. "We can take them, but I need you to get your head on straight." Aki's staff rumbled and a charge came from it sending Orpheus' arm hairs on end. "Are you in, or do I have to kill them all myself?" Orpheus tightened his grip on his staff and pulled his dagger from his waistband.

"Ready when you are," the Doctor muttered. Aki grinned with his whole mouth and turned his attention to the dogs. He drove his staff towards them as the Hecatonchire approached from behind. Schnabel swirled his staff above his staff at it twice forcing it to take a step backwards and ended with his staff pointing towards it.

"Thunder!" Aki roared drawing the word out. The spell fired off stronger than usual and his elbow recoiled sharply. The blue bolts fanned out striking all three at once. A golden glow erupted behind him as Orpheus blasted the Hecatonchire with a beam of Light Magic. It stumbled back falling on its rear in a daze. Orpheus shouted as he leapt on top of it driving his curved dagger into its heart. The canines whined and squealed as the electricity poured out from Aki's staff. The flow began to wane and the spell ended but the dogs continued to seize as the energy continued to flow through them. As they shook Aki charged ahead his sword behind him at the ready. He brought it forward in a wide arch catching the white dog right head in the neck. The blade traveled through easily and caught the other head nicking its neck as the right head splattered to the ground. The wolf charged but he brought his staff forward engulfed in fire and he used it as a flaming club to strike it in the chest sending it backwards. It rolled twice in the air before bouncing off the pavement as the smell of burnt fur entered Aki's nose.

The black dog had leapt at Aki but a stream of Light Magic caught it midair sending back with a hard thud as it skidded across the ground. Its legs twitched but it did not get back up. The spotted dog had been howling since it lost its head and was writhing on the ground. The wolf began its second approach much faster than they anticipated. It tackled Aki snapping and biting him repeatedly as he screamed in agony. Orpheus slid his staff under its stomach and tried to pry it off of Aki but the spotted dog latched its jaws onto his ankle. Aki shoved the wolf the rest of the way off and swung his staff low catching the white dog in the ribs. The wolf charged again as the dog rolled away each head focused on an enemy. The men jumped towards it with their blades drawn catching both heads between the eyes. The spotted dog charged as they withdrew their weapons and Aki launched a crimson Fireball point-blank into its stomach. It flew back and its sides heaved with each breath as it lay on the ground until it stopped moving a few moments later. They wearily stowed their weapons and Orpheus began to heal them in silence. Aki struggled to return his breath to normal, his eyes wide from the battle. Once they were healed they began walking towards their destination once more.

"So Light Magic, eh?" Aki broke the ice.

"Yeah, it comes in handy. A healer who can't defend himself isn't much good."

"I still can't get the hang of it. I've used it before, but not on command."

"It's all in your attitude. Despite what Lanhua said about Magic being a weapon or a tool, some types can only be one or the other. Light Magic cannot be used to destroy."

"You're so full of crap! I saw you waste at least two of those freaks with it!" Orpheus sighed frustratedly.

"Is your sword good or evil?"

"What?" Aki asked confused.

"Your sword; is it good or evil?"

"Neither, it's just a sword," he replied caught off guard.

"So you've never killed anything with it?"

"Well, yeah, but only when I needed to."

"And when is that?" Orpheus grinned coyly.

"When I need to protect myself. Or to protect a friend."

"That is the essence of Light Magic. It can only be used to defend and protect, but never to destroy. That is why it stands as one of the Three Pillars of Magic; the original Light practioners gave us the first rule of Magic: In all that you do, harm no one. This applies to the target and the users; if you have the skill to save someone with your Magic but sit idly by, you've essentially hurt them yourself." Aki looked down at his staff pondering. "This is why someone who simply runs about creating havoc is not a true Mage. It's not the power you possess but how you use it." They reached the iron fence in front of the looming building and looked up, Orpheus blankly holding the bars. The fence and faded red brick walls were three times their height with iron spikes on top.

"It's locked down pretty good. Almost as if they're hiding something in there," smirked Aki as he rested his forearm against the cool metal bars.

"They've got security down to an art, I'll give them that," Orpheus said shaking his head. The large keyhole panel in the gate's door caught his eye. "I don't suppose you know how to pick locks?"

"No, if I need to get into a door I usually just smash it open," Aki replied disappointedly.

"Crude but effective," Orpheus chuckled as he slowly walked along the wall looking for any weakness.

"That's sort of my mantra."

"Yeah? You should get that tattooed onto your chest."

"Maybe for my birthday."

"And when is that?" Orpheus pressed looking at him sternly. Aki's smile fell.

"I...I don't know to be honest," he replied meekly. Orpheus sighed and looked back to the wall as if he had diagnosed a patient.

"Anyways, staring at this isn't going to make it open. We need either a key or a way to break it open." A distant slam caught their attention; they walked to the edge of the wall and saw a dilapidated wooden shutter slap against its crumbling house in the breeze. They looked at each other and nodded quietly, swallowing hard and gripping their weapons as they walked towards the dark abandoned homes.

������!&���3Q