Chapter 144: Aftershocks (2/2)
It was closed but unlocked, so he thrust it open, only to be engulfed in a wall of acrid smoke. Coughing, he channeled a quick burst of Air Magic to clear it, flushing it through the shattered windows at the end of the hallway. It looked like something had caught fire in the room.
Moving into the apartment, he heard a series of coughs from a doorway to his right. Lily's butler William was on one knee, catching his breath in the now clearer air. Mike hurried over to help the man, but was shaken off.
”I'm fine…,” the older man wheezed. ”Please, help Lady Liliana.”
Seeing the desperation in the butler's face, Mike couldn't refuse. ”Alright, but you need to get out of here.”
After seeing the nod of confirmation, Mike headed deeper into the apartment. Noticing smoke wafting out from under a door, which should be the bathroom, he braced himself and pushed it open. A wash of fresh heat and smoke blasted into the hallway, until he was able to flush it out again.
Quickly scanning the room, he saw that it had been converted into a makeshift laboratory. A large supply of gear and reagents were scattered about in a seemingly haphazard fashion. A table had been set up along one wall, which was the origin of the fire.
Blue flames rose from a shattered collection of glassware. The wall above the table was scorched and blackened, as the fire spread. At the rate it was going, it wouldn't be long until the roof started burning as well.
He willed the fire to extinguish itself, before flushing the remaining smoke out of the room. Scanning his surroundings, and located the still form of Lily in one corner. Judging from her positioning, he figured the earthquake must have caused an explosive accident which flung her across the room.
He rushed over and started applying Healing Magic. Her arms and torso were covered with burns, which mended quickly, leaving him holding a well-endowed woman, whose only clothing was the tattered remnants of a pair of coveralls that bare extended past her waist. Distracting as this was, he did his best to concentrate on the task at hand, since his patient still wasn't breathing.
[Twice in one day? I hope I'm not developing any other luck related abilities. I don't think I can handle it. Anyway, she must have inhaled too much smoke. Crap, how do I do CPR again? Wait…Air Magic, of course.]
Summoning his mana, he forced the stale breath out of Lily's lungs and replenished it with a fresh air. While maintaining his concentration on the process, he stripped off his outer tunic and draped it over the woman's still form, leaving him in his undershirt. Audra pushed herself out of her pocket, and hopped up onto his shoulder with a little squeak of protest.
Recalling a little from a CPR class he'd taken in high school, Mike took a second to check on Lily's pulse, and was relieved to feel it beating strongly. After a few more cycles with his newly developed application of Air Magic, she sat up suddenly and started coughing.
Once her breathing had steadied, she looked around confusedly for a moment, before focusing on Mike. ”Oh, hello. You're the boy from Alchemy class. What are you doing here?”
Mike suppressed a chuckle at her nonchalant reply. ”I'm here to help. It looks like something you were working on caught fire. I was checking on everyone after the earthquake, and found you unconscious.”
With a look of horrified realization, she stood abruptly. ”Ah! My experiment!” She exclaimed before rushing over to the table, dropping his tunic in the process.
Sighing, Mike picked up the discarded garment, and while trying his best to avert his gaze, started speaking, only to be interrupted by William rushing into the room.
”Milady! You are alright, thank goodness!” The butler had tears of relief forming in his eyes for a second, before it was replaced with a scandalized look. ”Ah! Just look at the state of you! You know better than to walk around like that.”
”But William, everything I was working on went up in smoke.” Lily replied in a despondent voice.
Her evident depression clearly had an impact on the old man, as he replied in a consoling manner while draping his coat around her shoulders. ”I know, Milady, but such things can be replaced. You, however, cannot.”
Feeling slightly awkward about still being in the room, Mike started sliding out surreptitiously, only to accidentally step on the blackened remains of some kind of bulbous root. It created a cracking noise which immediately grabbed the attention of the rooms other occupants.
”Sir Mike! I was so distracted with Milady, I almost forgot you were here. Please accept my deepest apologies and greatest thanks for your timely aid.” William exclaimed dramatically.
”Don't worry about it, I was doing what any good neighbor would. Anyway, it looks like there might be structural damage to the building, we should evacuate, just to be on the safe side.” Mike replied, trying to change the subject.
”What about the rest of my equipment?” Lily asked. ”I can't just leave it here, it represents years of my work.”
William looked torn. He clearly understood the danger, but seemed unwilling to push her mistress into pursuing the more reasonable course of action.
Sighing, Mike pulled out his extradimensional pouch. ”Alright, what are you unwilling to leave here?”