Singer In The Dark

There was a cleared path that led through the ruined hamlet. Inaba held his breath with each step, half expecting to find soldiers billeted in every building. But there was only shadow and the moonlight that guided them along. He stopped before a small home, its door warped and sagging off hinges, windows cracked and missing. Peering into the darkness, he thought heard a faint rustling within. Inaba moved to enter but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

“There’s something in there, and what’s that smell?” He coughed, covering his nose and mouth with a palm.

“Best to keep moving, Sir. Come now, the mausoleum is this way.” The Nova Corpsmen motioned to a colossal building at the end of the path.

Inaba took a rearward glance at the doorway and fell in line with the others.

At one time the Crypt may have been a Jewel of Haven Country, Inaba decided, but that time had since passed. A stairway overgrown with lichen rose upward before them, flanked on both sides by statues swathed in ivy. The pillars that held its facade were monstrous and despite its neglect, stood strong. Inaba stopped at the base of the stair to light a cigarette.

He took it for a beggar when he first saw it. A dark shape wrapped in robes resting against a house. Inaba pointed across the path to where it sat. But one of the corpsmen noticed it first and was already moving through rumble to meet with it.

[WC 249]

Ayato observed the eerie, moonlit scene as they made their way through the ruined hamlet towards the crypt. The place had an unsettling atmosphere as if it held the secrets of the past waiting to be uncovered. Their path was overgrown, the buildings dilapidated, and a tense silence hung.

Inaba, constantly vigilant, had stopped before a small, decrepit home. His senses had picked up on something unusual: a rustling sound and an unpleasant smell from within. However, before he could investigate further, one of the Nova Corpsmen placed a hand on his shoulder, urging caution.

“There’s something in there, and what’s that smell?” Inaba remarked, covering his nose and mouth.

Ayato nodded in agreement, his senses on high alert. Whatever lay inside the dilapidated house was best left undisturbed for now. They had a mission to accomplish, and the mausoleum, their destination, loomed in the distance.

As they approached the crypt, Ayato couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence for the once-grand structure. Time and neglect had taken their toll, but the massive building still held an imposing presence. Inaba stopped to light a cigarette, the ember casting a faint glow on his face in the moonlight.

Then, a dark shape in the distance caught their attention. At first, Inaba mistook it for a beggar, but the Nova Corpsman was already moving toward it. Ayato followed, his senses on edge as they approached the mysterious figure, ready to face whatever awaited them in this crypt of shadows and secrets.

[WC: 250]