Chapter 08: Duermons and Exorcists
“How are you feeling?” Armita asked as she handed Owain a hot cup of tea.
Slowly, he took a sip so he wouldn’t burn his tongue. It was very strong and tasted a hint of raspberries. “My head is a little wobbly, but other than that, I’m fine,” he finally answered, rubbing his bandaged head. “I think I’ll feel better in a few more minutes.”
“Take your time. Talic said that we’ll probably be here for a while anyway. The exorcists want to ask us some questions first before they let us out of here.”
They currently were in the inn, where he could recuperate from his injuries. When he woke up, he found himself in bed with the Isharan keeping watch over him. Before he could ask her what happened, she was already explaining everything to him. According to her, the villagers ganged up on her and Talic and tried to possess them. Fortunately, the All-Mother’s pendants saved them though it greatly angered the possessed villagers. Since they couldn’t have them, they decided to kill them instead. Even though they were outnumbered, she and Talic put up a fight but still found themselves surrounded. When all seemed lost, they thought they heard someone chanting and suddenly a row of villagers were destroyed by a golden light.
Surprised, they looked to see some exorcists above them. Upon seeing them, the villagers tried to flee, but it was too late. A large magical circle appeared below their feet and prevented them from escaping. As it began to glow, Armita mentioned that was when they felt a “tingling sensation” on their skins. However, the others trapped alongside them were screaming like they were in excruciating pain. Then they collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
At first, she and Talic were stumped on the bizarre outcome when they heard someone ordering them to put their hands up and not to move. That was when they saw a group of twelve exorcists coming toward them. As they walked toward them, the exorcists would casually stab the villagers through their chests. “It was sickening, Owain,” Armita commented. “Hearing them cry out as their lives left their bodies. I still shudder just remembering their wails.”
Angry, Talic confronted had them, demanding to know why they were killing the villagers. Undeterred by his outburst, they explained indifferently that the human souls that existed inside the body had been extinguished and that only the Duermon’s soul exists. They proceeded to continue their killing spree, but she and Talic pull out their weapons to stop them. She told Owain that they demanded that the exorcists imprison the possessed people instead. Their saviors didn’t seem bother by their request; they just smiled condescendingly and commented that it’s typical of the “ignorant fools across the mountain” to know nothing about demons. However, they decided to humor them for now and agreed to imprison the survivors for now.
The exorcists then inquired about their identities, so they introduced themselves as Bartheomos members and explained that they stopped at the village to rest. In turn, the Sendoans introduced themselves and stated that they were hunting some Possessor Duermons who managed to sneak across the border. Unfortunately, they were delayed for an entire two months due to a landslide. Before they could question the Bartheomos members further, they heard a loud explosion toward the direction of the mining office. One of the exorcists then bluntly stated that one of his colleagues must have already found the other demons’ location and that they were probably killing all of them right now.
That was when she remembered that Owain went with his sister to the mining office and realized that he could be in danger. Alarmed, she quickly alerted them about the situation but begged them not to hurt Adalynn because she knew that it would devastate him if anything terrible happened to her. Without waiting for their response, she and Talic ran over to the location. It was a good thing that they arrived in time because they saw the building collapsing. They screamed at the exorcists to stop because their friends were trapped in there. Then they ran over and began digging with the exorcists’ help. Fortunately for Owain, the damage was mild and only a thin layer of rocks were on top of them. After pulling the siblings out, they tended to their injuries before taking Owain back to the inn so he could recuperate.
As for Adalynn, she was taken with the others to the local prison, where they were sealed inside a barrier so that they couldn’t escape. “That’s why Talic isn’t here right now,” she had explained. “He doesn’t trust them to be humane during their interrogation of those Duermons and decided to keep an eye on them to make sure no harm is done to them.” However, she doubted that the exorcists would care even if an outsider was there and worried that Adalynn and the others were being tortured. Upon hearing that, Owain was clearly upset and wanted to check on the prisoners himself, but Armita firmly held him down. Unfortunately, they were also under the Sendoans’ custody as well until the matter was resolved, she informed him.
“How long do you think we’ll be stuck here?” Owain wondered aloud. Just thinking about being stuck there was driving him crazy. Dammit, they have a mission to complete and they can’t finish it in this condition! Not to mention the fact that he worried about Adalynn. If anything happened to her…
The Isharan shrugged. “Talic is hoping at most a week though the way those exorcists are conducting their business, we’ll probably be here for a month,” she intoned dryly.
“What!?” He sat abruptly back up and looked at her in astonishment. “What on earth would they want to know from us that we have to be their prisoners for a whole month!?”
“It’s just procedure,” an unfamiliar voice explained amusingly. “We want to make sure that you’re not fully cooperating with the Duermons though I highly doubt it. At most, you’ll be our prisoners for… two weeks. Not to mention we believe that we can trust you since you are members of the renowned Bartheomos organization and none of you were under a Duermon’s control since you weren’t harmed by the holy magic that we used to subdue them.”
Owain tilted his head slightly to look around Armita. One of the Sendoan exorcists was standing at the doorway. She wore the traditional exorcist outfits: a dark blue-and-silver dress with flowing sleeves, a white pair of fingerless gloves, and a white coif that covered the top half of her, and a dark blue veil. She wore a black sash across her waist and silver beaded prayer beads with an eight-pointed star medallion around her neck. A chain with two sharp points at the end was wrapped around her arms and a dagger was tucked into her sash. “Who are you?” he finally asked.
She walked over and removed her headpiece. A young woman with a pixie haircut looked down at him with piercing gray eyes. “My name is Prin Vahaya,” she introduced herself. “I already know your friend over here, but I don’t know your name.”
“It’s Owain Tolbert.”
“Well then, Owain Tolbert, I am one of the exorcists who saved your life. Instead of complaining about us, you should rather thank us,” she said pointedly.
He gave a side glance at Armita. No wonder she didn’t really care much about them. Based on what he’d seen so far, these exorcists were pretentious. “Err… I guess you’re right. Thank you for saving my colleagues and my lives. We would have been a goner if it weren’t for you and your men, Miss Vahaya,” he forced himself to say.
Prin smiled. “You don’t need to be formal, Mr. Tolbert. Just call me Prin. To be honest, I always hate it when people call me by my last name.”
“Well then, you can call me by my first name too.” He looked at her curiously. “Why are you here anyway?”
“To check up on you, but mostly we need your help,” she confessed.
“His help?” Armita asked suspiciously. “What do you mean by that?”
“We’re having difficulty with the Duermon possessing his sister. Despite our… methods, she refused to reveal why those barbarians are over here. Since she seemed to be close to Owain, we figured that she would be more cooperative if she sees him.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“Perhaps, but it’s worth a try,” the exorcist replied with a shrug. “Normally we wouldn’t ask civilians for help, but since you seem to have a connection to one of the possessed people, we thought you would be of use.”
Nevertheless, the Isharan was still persistent. “Can’t it wait? Owain is still recuperating from his injuries!”
“Unfortunately, it can’t wait.” Prin gave her a condescending smile. “Besides, I did overhear you two talking about wanting to leave this ‘imprisonment’. If you are cooperative with us, my superior, Saint Ziyagi Luan, will allow you to leave as soon as possible.”
That sealed the deal for Owain. “All right, I’ll do it,” he announced, ignoring Armita’s disapproved glower. “But I want to know her condition and promise me that you will free her from her possession after you got your answer.”
Prin hesitated. “I can’t promise you the latter, but I swear on the All-Mother that no harm had come to her. Now we’re wasting time so let’s make haste.”
Leaning on Armita for support, he nodded. “We’re ready when you are. Show us the way, Prin.”
Slowly, he took a sip so he wouldn’t burn his tongue. It was very strong and tasted a hint of raspberries. “My head is a little wobbly, but other than that, I’m fine,” he finally answered, rubbing his bandaged head. “I think I’ll feel better in a few more minutes.”
“Take your time. Talic said that we’ll probably be here for a while anyway. The exorcists want to ask us some questions first before they let us out of here.”
They currently were in the inn, where he could recuperate from his injuries. When he woke up, he found himself in bed with the Isharan keeping watch over him. Before he could ask her what happened, she was already explaining everything to him. According to her, the villagers ganged up on her and Talic and tried to possess them. Fortunately, the All-Mother’s pendants saved them though it greatly angered the possessed villagers. Since they couldn’t have them, they decided to kill them instead. Even though they were outnumbered, she and Talic put up a fight but still found themselves surrounded. When all seemed lost, they thought they heard someone chanting and suddenly a row of villagers were destroyed by a golden light.
Surprised, they looked to see some exorcists above them. Upon seeing them, the villagers tried to flee, but it was too late. A large magical circle appeared below their feet and prevented them from escaping. As it began to glow, Armita mentioned that was when they felt a “tingling sensation” on their skins. However, the others trapped alongside them were screaming like they were in excruciating pain. Then they collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
At first, she and Talic were stumped on the bizarre outcome when they heard someone ordering them to put their hands up and not to move. That was when they saw a group of twelve exorcists coming toward them. As they walked toward them, the exorcists would casually stab the villagers through their chests. “It was sickening, Owain,” Armita commented. “Hearing them cry out as their lives left their bodies. I still shudder just remembering their wails.”
Angry, Talic confronted had them, demanding to know why they were killing the villagers. Undeterred by his outburst, they explained indifferently that the human souls that existed inside the body had been extinguished and that only the Duermon’s soul exists. They proceeded to continue their killing spree, but she and Talic pull out their weapons to stop them. She told Owain that they demanded that the exorcists imprison the possessed people instead. Their saviors didn’t seem bother by their request; they just smiled condescendingly and commented that it’s typical of the “ignorant fools across the mountain” to know nothing about demons. However, they decided to humor them for now and agreed to imprison the survivors for now.
The exorcists then inquired about their identities, so they introduced themselves as Bartheomos members and explained that they stopped at the village to rest. In turn, the Sendoans introduced themselves and stated that they were hunting some Possessor Duermons who managed to sneak across the border. Unfortunately, they were delayed for an entire two months due to a landslide. Before they could question the Bartheomos members further, they heard a loud explosion toward the direction of the mining office. One of the exorcists then bluntly stated that one of his colleagues must have already found the other demons’ location and that they were probably killing all of them right now.
That was when she remembered that Owain went with his sister to the mining office and realized that he could be in danger. Alarmed, she quickly alerted them about the situation but begged them not to hurt Adalynn because she knew that it would devastate him if anything terrible happened to her. Without waiting for their response, she and Talic ran over to the location. It was a good thing that they arrived in time because they saw the building collapsing. They screamed at the exorcists to stop because their friends were trapped in there. Then they ran over and began digging with the exorcists’ help. Fortunately for Owain, the damage was mild and only a thin layer of rocks were on top of them. After pulling the siblings out, they tended to their injuries before taking Owain back to the inn so he could recuperate.
As for Adalynn, she was taken with the others to the local prison, where they were sealed inside a barrier so that they couldn’t escape. “That’s why Talic isn’t here right now,” she had explained. “He doesn’t trust them to be humane during their interrogation of those Duermons and decided to keep an eye on them to make sure no harm is done to them.” However, she doubted that the exorcists would care even if an outsider was there and worried that Adalynn and the others were being tortured. Upon hearing that, Owain was clearly upset and wanted to check on the prisoners himself, but Armita firmly held him down. Unfortunately, they were also under the Sendoans’ custody as well until the matter was resolved, she informed him.
“How long do you think we’ll be stuck here?” Owain wondered aloud. Just thinking about being stuck there was driving him crazy. Dammit, they have a mission to complete and they can’t finish it in this condition! Not to mention the fact that he worried about Adalynn. If anything happened to her…
The Isharan shrugged. “Talic is hoping at most a week though the way those exorcists are conducting their business, we’ll probably be here for a month,” she intoned dryly.
“What!?” He sat abruptly back up and looked at her in astonishment. “What on earth would they want to know from us that we have to be their prisoners for a whole month!?”
“It’s just procedure,” an unfamiliar voice explained amusingly. “We want to make sure that you’re not fully cooperating with the Duermons though I highly doubt it. At most, you’ll be our prisoners for… two weeks. Not to mention we believe that we can trust you since you are members of the renowned Bartheomos organization and none of you were under a Duermon’s control since you weren’t harmed by the holy magic that we used to subdue them.”
Owain tilted his head slightly to look around Armita. One of the Sendoan exorcists was standing at the doorway. She wore the traditional exorcist outfits: a dark blue-and-silver dress with flowing sleeves, a white pair of fingerless gloves, and a white coif that covered the top half of her, and a dark blue veil. She wore a black sash across her waist and silver beaded prayer beads with an eight-pointed star medallion around her neck. A chain with two sharp points at the end was wrapped around her arms and a dagger was tucked into her sash. “Who are you?” he finally asked.
She walked over and removed her headpiece. A young woman with a pixie haircut looked down at him with piercing gray eyes. “My name is Prin Vahaya,” she introduced herself. “I already know your friend over here, but I don’t know your name.”
“It’s Owain Tolbert.”
“Well then, Owain Tolbert, I am one of the exorcists who saved your life. Instead of complaining about us, you should rather thank us,” she said pointedly.
He gave a side glance at Armita. No wonder she didn’t really care much about them. Based on what he’d seen so far, these exorcists were pretentious. “Err… I guess you’re right. Thank you for saving my colleagues and my lives. We would have been a goner if it weren’t for you and your men, Miss Vahaya,” he forced himself to say.
Prin smiled. “You don’t need to be formal, Mr. Tolbert. Just call me Prin. To be honest, I always hate it when people call me by my last name.”
“Well then, you can call me by my first name too.” He looked at her curiously. “Why are you here anyway?”
“To check up on you, but mostly we need your help,” she confessed.
“His help?” Armita asked suspiciously. “What do you mean by that?”
“We’re having difficulty with the Duermon possessing his sister. Despite our… methods, she refused to reveal why those barbarians are over here. Since she seemed to be close to Owain, we figured that she would be more cooperative if she sees him.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“Perhaps, but it’s worth a try,” the exorcist replied with a shrug. “Normally we wouldn’t ask civilians for help, but since you seem to have a connection to one of the possessed people, we thought you would be of use.”
Nevertheless, the Isharan was still persistent. “Can’t it wait? Owain is still recuperating from his injuries!”
“Unfortunately, it can’t wait.” Prin gave her a condescending smile. “Besides, I did overhear you two talking about wanting to leave this ‘imprisonment’. If you are cooperative with us, my superior, Saint Ziyagi Luan, will allow you to leave as soon as possible.”
That sealed the deal for Owain. “All right, I’ll do it,” he announced, ignoring Armita’s disapproved glower. “But I want to know her condition and promise me that you will free her from her possession after you got your answer.”
Prin hesitated. “I can’t promise you the latter, but I swear on the All-Mother that no harm had come to her. Now we’re wasting time so let’s make haste.”
Leaning on Armita for support, he nodded. “We’re ready when you are. Show us the way, Prin.”