The Autumn Mage

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The breeze howled low as it rushed through them making their neck and arms prickle and their hair flutter. The wooden shutters banged against the homes harder like drums announcing their approach. They jumped at every shadow afraid that it was one of the creatures stalking them, every crunch of a dead leaf grabbed their attention and every rustle of trash in the breeze was an enemy. There were only five small homes with slanted roofs and two windows in the front and finished with the same bricks as the barracks and walls.

The first door was locked and Aki shook it in frustration before pounding his fist against the door once followed by a swift kick at the bottom. The door rattled and he continued kicking until the bottom corner gave. He managed to squeeze through with just a few scratches from the jagged splintered wood and unlocked it from the inside. A short hallway branched off into two bedrooms and a small kitchen and eat-in kitchen. The room on the right was a stark bedroom that was painted white with a yellowed mattress lying naked on the dirty rickety wooden floor. The closet and worn white wooden dresser were bare and they sighed in defeat. The small bathroom across the hall had no additional furnishing than a cracked toilet, a sink with the faucet torn out, a broken wall-length mirror, and just the tattered corners of a shower curtain still clinging to their metal rings. In the kitchen GET OUT was scrawled in red; they told themselves it was just paint. All the cabinets were opened and emptied save for a single frying pan and an overturned chair left in the corner.

The next house was in similar condition. Deep claw marks were found on several walls and patches of carpet had been melted and scorched. The furniture remained but most of it had been crushed and splintered. There were numerous holes in the wall and a broken vase of dead flowers as if a struggle had ensued at some point. After spending an hour and finding nothing remarkable they left for the next. The front door had been removed from its hinges, the splintering leading Orpheus to believe it was kicked out from the inside. As a result the floors were far dustier and dirtier giving a gritty crunch with each step. A small glass picture frame with a small portrait of two soldiers in their dark dress uniforms was found on the kitchen floor. The man had his blond hair trimmed short and the woman had her red hair in a tight bun. They posed happily gripping each other's arms; a wedding picture Orpheus explained. They found a light blue baby crib in remarkable condition as if it had never been used. They came across a disheveled stack of papers in the hallway, yellowed and torn and covered in dirt and dead leaves. A torn half page caught Aki's eye with its bold red ink spelling out PROJECT: MOSAIC. A list of names followed, the first two having the same last name: Echidna and Typhon Mendel.

"Aki! Look!" Orpheus exclaimed as he pointed at the ground. He had kicked over a small wooden crate and picked the item up off of the floor, a large iron key. It was heavier than it looked and its edges were rusted.

"Do you think it opens the gate?" Aki excitedly asked.

"One way to find out," Orpheus grinned. They left the eat-in kitchen to head for the door which had a shadowy figure lurking in the middle of it. Aki gasped as it walked in on all fours surprised how quietly the Chimera was able to move.

"We don't want to hurt you," Orpheus nervously said, his hand outstretched and his open palm forward. It slowly continued forward menacingly with a guttural growl building in its throat. It bared its teeth as it closed in.

"How are we doing this?" Aki asked as he gripped his staff tighter and pulled it closer to his body.

"As soon as it pounces get outside."

"And if it tackles one of us?" Orpheus would not look at him and adjusted his feet nervously. Aki shook his head as he looked forward opening and clenching his free hand. Their hearts froze as it roared before pouncing forward from its powerful legs transitioning into a sprint. Aki dove forward at the right while Orpheus rolled to the left. The Chimera swiped with its right paw and narrowly missed Doctor Schnabel. Aki wobbled back onto his feet as his heart pumped in his ears. The beast spun around and bounded back for them as they approached the open doorway. Aki pushed Orpheus through first as he was closer and the Doctor did not turn back around until he was in the middle of the road. Aki made it out of the house but was quickly tackled from behind landing on the pavement, his nose bouncing off of the blacktop and bloodying. The monster rolled its paw and slashed it across his back dragging the claws through his skin like paper. He cried out in agony and terror and tried pulling his body away digging his fingers into the pavement but he was pinned down. It raised its other paw preparing for another strike but a blast of Light caught it in the chest and knocked it back off of its prey. Aki tried to get up as tears and blood streamed down his face, his back searing from the cold air blowing against the open gashes.

Orpheus ran forward to meet him, holding the Chimera back with his staff catching it under its chin. It swiped wildly and chomped crazed, its snake head rearing and snapping as well. It moved closer and kicked Orpheus in the gut with its hoof knocking him down and leaving him breathless. The creature shook its head and flickered its forked tongue hungrily. Aki crawled over to Orpheus gasping for breath. The Doctor perched on his elbows and stared helplessly as it prepared to spit a plume of fire at them. Aki weakly produced a Flame Shield, the Chimera's attack rolling right off of it. Frustrated it towered above them on its hooves and began attacking it directly with its claws. The shield glistened, transformed into a Light Barrier by Orpheus who was taking it over. It became enraged when it was not entering and it lashed out wildly and roared. Aki helped supplement the spell by adding his own Light shield to it. They winced with each strike; their arms shook and they grunted as they felt the spell weaken. The Chimera could sense it was losing strength and adjusted its attacks to be more deliberate. Cracks began to form in the shield and the sheen was leaving. The Light began to fade and chips of the shield were falling upwards and disappearing into the dark sky.

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