"Arrrgh."
Mouse groaned as he rubbed his head with his hand and unsteadily got up slowly by leaning against the cold stone wall in the darkness.
"Garrn..., Sai... are you here?"
"Cough...Cough"
"All body parts here, but no Garrn or Sai," he said hoping to hear their voices calling out to him.
He looked up at the small service door he had been pushed through.
"AAArrrrrggghh my head."
"Garrn...Sai... Stop joking, where are you!" his voice cracked.
"Cough... Cough..." He looked at the blood on his hands and wiped it on his clothing. Mouse used his hands to feel the wall and limped until his hands grabbed an iron ladder. He looked up towards the door he had fallen through, shaking his head he turned around and called out into the darkness.
"Garrn, Sai, please, where are you?" He pleaded.
"If you're joking, I'm seriously going to hit you both so many times you'll not be able to walk for a full month."
"Drip...Drip...Drip"
He listened to the water drip from the ceiling above him landed onto the dark floor around him. He felt his heart racing, and he fell onto the ground wrapping his arms around his legs.
"Please..." Tears fell from his eyes as he looked up the small step ladder in silence.
"If I was the one missing, they would move Athlos itself to find me... For all I know they are on the other side of that door."
He stood up and wiped the tears away from his eyes and pulled out the battery dagger admiring its edge. He slowly climbed the ladder holding the dagger in one hand with his eyes fixed on the door.
He put his ear to the door.
"Nothing... I can't hear anything from the other side."
He pushed against the door.
"Grrrr...It won't open… That blast must have sealed it shut." He cursed. "What about the hinges? Maybe the dagger can help." He felt the hinges of the door and the dagger in his hand. He smiled as he looked over the dagger, and stared at the hinge hiding in the darkness. "Lucky for me that he was using a fire battery in this dagger..."
He pushed the dagger into the bottom hinge and turned it on. The fire battery came to life and he watched as the blade started glowing red hot with heat. He watched as the hinge heated up turning red hot and started to melt.
"Pop!"
He smiled as the hinge popped open and turned off the fire battery in the dagger panting in exhaustion and pain.
"That was just one hinge... I have one more to go... Garrn... Sai I'm coming… Please be safe."
He climbed to the top step and looked at the final hinge.
"I'm too short to reach that... It looks like I'll have to throw the dagger at the hinge..." He shook his head at his idea. "They would hit me over the head, but I need to get out of here."
He slowly climbed back down the stairs and stood on the floor staring at the hinge. Turning on the battery in the dagger he waited until it was as hot as possible and aimed for the hinge.
"Please hit and stay in..." He threw the dagger hitting the hinge and smiled as the dagger didn't fall back towards him. He watched as the heat from the dagger melted the hinge and lit up the small access way he was in.
"Drip... Tsssssssss... Drip... Tssssss..." Mouse watched as liquid metal dripped onto the steps.
"I don't want to die by a falling door, I better move." He slowly took a few steps back holding his head, covering his ears with his hands.
"BANGGGGG!"
The metal door crashed in front of Mouse sending a shock wave pushing Mouse to the ground. He cursed, and used the wall to stand back up, and stared as light from the area above lit up the access way. He rubbed his eyes and limped to the ladder.
"Garrn… Sai! Can you hear me?"
Silence...
He slowly walked towards the door and looked at the now bent battery dagger sighing to himself.
"I'll have to thank the guard if I see him again…"
He slowly climbed up the partially destroyed steps and crawled through the service entrance and laid on the ground where the meeting took place panting heavily.
He caught his breath and stood up looking around.
"Garrn... Sai...Can you hear me!"
"Garrn... Sai…Can you hear me... Garrn... Sai... Can you hear me." Mouse cursed loudly.
"Great all I can hear is my echo." He punched the nearby stone column in frustration. He looked at his finger which were now bleeding and cursed again collapsing onto the ground.
"AAAARRRGHHH!"
"Need to calm down… Must think like Garrn... What would he do?"
He looked up and noticed the stage where bossman and the court attendant were standing previously, stood up and walked slowly to the stage.
"Where did everyone go?" He climbed up onto the stage and stood at the podium looking around. then sat on the edge of the stage looking out at where everyone was standing previously during the meeting.
"There are no traces of people being here at all... There is also a lot of dust on the ground... It's like no one has been here for a long time."
He sat down on the stage in thought. "What happened here? Even all the lights are working… Nothing looks out of place, except for this stage."
"We all came over the bridge and then into here, and then surrounded the stage while waiting for the message from the court attendant."
He looked up at the gap where the service door was. "Then there was a flash and a blast pushed me through the service door."
He ran his fingers through his hair feeling the sticky blood in his hair and wiped his hands on his clothes. He leaned back and laid on the wooden stage looking at the roof of the area trying to keep his calm.
"No signs of people being here, no scratches on the walls, and the only thing is the busted door that slammed shut on me."
He sat back up turning his head as something caught his attention in the corner of his eye.
"The court attendant's handkerchief!"
He leaned over and picked it up to examine it in detail. He then placed it in one of his many pockets and then looked up at the stone ceiling high above him.
"To find the answers, I must follow the trail that has been left for me." Mouse clenched his fists ignoring the pain shooting up his arms.
"That attendant has to have the answers I seek. But first I need to go see someone for my wounds. After that I should be able to find some clues in the town." He limped out of the area and onto the bridge.
He stopped in the middle and watched the water fall down into nothingness below him.
"Garrn...Sai… Not only will I find you, but I'll find all those who are missing and make sure the person responsible pays for it, especially if any of them are hurt..."
He slammed a fist on the railing of the bridge and started limping back through the tunnels towards the port entrance.
The metal covering opened as he pushed the hidden battery he smiled as fresh light filled the passageway as he climbed out closing the passageway behind him.
"Tracks are here are of people coming in, but nothing showing people leaving, and they are recent. That is a good sign at least."
He looked up in the sky and glanced at the suns position.
"After noon, so the crew should be working near the docks. Since I'm already nearby they should be able to tell me something and at least give me some bandages to heal my wounds…"
At the end of the dark alleyway, he turned towards the wharves walking slowly leaning against the walls of buildings to rest.
He watched the waves hitting the wharves and looked around at the sailors and merchants busy with loading and unloading their cargo. He looked around in confusion.
"Where are they, even they are not here… Maybe they're resting with the beggars."
He slowly made his way to the end of the wharves.
"Even the beggars are gone... What happened down there?" He went to scratch his head and felt stinging pain. He looked at his fingertips coated in his blood.
"Merchants are walking around with fat purses, and there are no beggars or even the wall dock thieves…"
He leaned against the wall to rest and think things through.
"It seems that those who were in that emergency meeting aren't around.What about in other places?"
He looked at his hand and sighed. "First the bandages, then to the market square, at least the young ones should be there.
He made his way to a nearby tavern and opened the door walking in slowly making his way to the bar. The owner of the bar looked him over.
"Take the back room, you've the coin to pay for it?"
Mouse nodded producing five gold coins and placing it on the table and walked slowly to the back room and laid down and waited in thought.
"I really hope the young ones are there, but so far everyone who was at that meeting is not around anymore... It's strange how a few hundred people can vanish, and nobody saw anything about it…"
He watched as the door opened and a woman entering with a tray of bandages and salves walked in, he smiled at her as she looked him over.
"You're the first one I have seen today… Usually there are several of you that come and pay me a visit...Sit up" He sat up and watched as she started to clean his wounds.
"It looks like you have fallen through a sewer and landed on your head... The cut on your head it not too serious but needs to be cleaned well. I'll get the girls to get a bath ready for you." Mouse closed his eyes wincing in pain as she washed the dirt away from the cuts on his head and hands.
He laid back down on the floor as he watched her get up and leave the room closing the door behind her. He cursed loudly.
"Might as well as try and enjoy it as much as I can." He looked up. "There is another problem as well... Court attendants live in the central city, I'll have to find a way in if I want to ask him for answers..."
He heard the door open and a dark-haired woman poked her head around the door.
"Your bath is ready… Come and let's get clean." He smiled as she winked at him and watched as she slowly undid the ties over her ample chest letting it fall on the ground around her.
He stood up and followed her towards the bath watching as the woman walked in front of him. He watched her hips as they moved from side to side and stared at eyes every time she turned and smiled at him.
"Finally, some good luck." He smiled as she stopped next to a door opening it with a smile. "Let's have some fun."