ISEKAI EXORCIST

After I awoke and had some breakfast, I went directly to the Guild Hall, looking for Harleigh. Since I didn’t immediately spot him, I spent some time looking at the Boards, noticing a few new quests and group posters on them.

I waited around for maybe an hour, but then decided to go out into the courtyard to check, after not being able to spot him in the Hall nor on the first and second floors.

Before trying to practice Repel again, I sat in the shade of the tree and meditated for a bit, though it wasn’t as easy alone as when the Crusader verbally instructed me on how I ought to picture my inner spirit and the flow of energy through my body.

As I came up to the training range, I saw that the dummy I’d destroyed the day before had been replaced, which made me feel guilty for whoever had been charged with the task. I spent a while practicing my rapid-fire Repel, before giving up on trying to improve and returning to the Guild Hall, where I once again didn’t spot Harleigh anywhere.

Though it felt awkward, I asked for a beverage from the tavern-esque counter and was handed a diluted sweet mead. I found a table and sat down, observing the hall and the newcomers, while weakly sipping the faintly-alcoholic beverage which most certainly wasn’t something I fancied, preferring the fruity cold teas from the store I’d visited yesterday. But it was cheap, costing only three copper crowns, and slightly hydrating, so I still decided to try and finish it.

Sometime towards noon, a short chubby man in dark clothes and a heavy coat, wearing strange goggles and with shoulder-length greasy black hair, came over and sat down opposite me by the small circular table. I was surprised by his appearance, but didn’t say anything, as I felt certain that he was my senior and figured I was intruding on what might be his preferred spot in the Hall. As I looked across the table at him, I noticed how the lenses of his brass goggles distorted the colour of his eyes, somehow continually shifting his irises through a rainbow of hues.

“Wanna be my apprentice?” he asked in a gruff phlegmy voice that made me wonder if he smoked frequently.

I blinked, uncomprehending.

Apparently he took it as a sign that I hadn’t heard him over the noise of the Hall, so he leaned across the table, putting two fat-fingered and callused hands on the tabletop, nearly spilling my remaining bit of sweet mead as my mug began sliding away from me towards the edge before I grabbed it.

“Do. You. Want. To. Be. My. Apprentice?” he asked again, speaking as though I wasn’t just deaf, but also learning impaired.

“I’m an Exorcist,” I told him, thinking that the word alone would drive him off.

“Yeah, no shit. I meant as an Exorcist Apprentice, pipsqueak.”

Who’s the pipsqueak here? You’re shorter than me, old man…

I didn’t like his attitude, but part of me was eager to have a proper mentor. “Are you an Exorcist yourself?”

“That’s right. Been in this business for over twenty-five years. But you see, I’m getting old and I want to train an apprentice to replace me when I eventually mess up and get eaten by a Banshee or something…”

That’s grim.

“That’s very altruistic,” I replied politely. “But why me?”

“Don’t kid yourself, I’m doing it as much for my sake as for the Guild’s sake. And I just picked you because you look wet behind the ears and Exorcist Novitiates don’t exactly grow on the trees. I’m sure if I had the pick of the litter, you wouldn’t be it, pipsqueak, but alas, such is the state of our profession.”

“Is this your attempt at trying to convince me to say yes?” I asked, cracks beginning to form in my polite façade. Something about his way of talking down to me was incredibly irritating and provoking.

“You don’t exactly have many options yourself, young man. Æmos has probably told you that one-in-twenty-five Exorcists survive their first job, but he probably didn’t mention that those who survive their first job always have a mentor to guide them. It’s more like one-in-a-thousand who survive their first job without outside guidance.”

“I already have someone showing me the ropes,” I replied as way of declining his offer.

“Mister Holier-than-thou?” he asked. “I noticed he had finally found a conscience, but,” he made a show of looking around the room, “he’s not here today, is he?”

I was surprised that he knew Harleigh was the one I’d been referring to. “Do you know where he is?”

“His party was called in for an urgent Bounty Quest, so they’ll no doubt be gone for a few weeks chasing whatever-it-is the Guild is fretting about this time.”

I lowered my head sadly. “I see.”

“So, what do you say?”

Æmos had advised me to find a mentor and, though he was very patronising, who was I to look a gift-horse in the mouth?

“Very well. What kind of training will we be doing first?”

Instead of answering, he eased back off the table and pulled a scroll from a pocket, uncrinkled it and placed it on the table such that the text was facing me. My heart sank when I recognised the Exorcism Quest I’d been glancing at for the past two days.

‘The Haunting at Hamsel’s Rest’

EXORCISM QUEST

TYPE: Perilous

RANK: Novitiate

Eight people have gone missing from the village known as ‘Hamsel’s Rest’ and all signs point to a Haunting, though no one knows the exact entity behind the disappearances.

You are to travel to the village and ascertain what nature of apparition is behind the tragedy, such that an experienced Exorcist can tailor their approach to dealing with the entity.

You are under no circumstances to attempt Exorcising the apparition by yourself, as this is too dangerous a task for a Novitiate!

REWARD: 1 Gold & 40 Silver Crowns

A Guild Representative with shoulder-long blonde hair, dressed identically to Caroline in a green blouse and skirt, greeted us when we came to the Quest Counter with the Exorcism Quest. She took a look at it, then looked us over.

“A new apprentice, Master Owl?”

That’s a strange name, I thought immediately, but then remembered what Harleigh had told me about Adventurers and their names. From his title, I wondered if he was in fact of Master Rank in the Guild, as that would put him above Æmos. It was also possible that it was just a respectful way of referring to him, due to his advanced age.

“That’s right, sweetheart.”

I spotted the tiny twitch in the corner of her eye at his term of endearment, but she was a professional, so she didn’t comment anything. I wondered if people often harassed the Guild Representatives and Clerks.

“Your Guild Cards please,” she requested, and we handed them to her. I tried to get a look at Owl’s card, but he purposefully angled it away from me, which I found to be very suspicious. After all, I’d yet to see it and ascertain that he was in fact an Exorcist, though I assumed that the Guild Representatives would at least ensure I didn’t just go off on a Quest with some random guy… Right?

As she took our Cards and placed them with the Exorcism Quest scroll atop a magical slate similar to the one for renting equipment, I felt nothing but dread and apprehension. How many times had I been warned against taking on such a quest before being ready?

Owl seemed to notice my inner turmoil, because he leaned close and whispered, with a hot breath that stank of smoke, “They suspend your Guild License if you try to return a quest you have accepted. They’re quite serious about that sort of thing.”

I’m screwed.

I was trailing after the chubby Exorcist while heading to a part of Lundia that I hadn’t seen before, called the Market Ward. It was similar to the Commerce Ward, but had more than just shops, as you could find livestock and horses, as well as people selling their services. These services included anything from bodyguards to prostitutes. Unlike the other ward, it also absolutely thronged with people and stank of oil, smoke, metal, and sweat.

“Anything catch your fancy, pipsqueak?”

“I’m not interested in that kind of thing,” I replied. In my mind, I could still only imagine being with Inoue. Of course, I would never see her again, and even if I somehow managed to find my way back to Earth, she would have no doubt moved on by then.

Master Owl paused, then turned to look at me, still wearing his bizarre eye-colour-shifting goggles. Then he laughed mightily.

“That’s not what I meant,” he managed to get out, before another fit of laughter came over him. “We’re looking for a mercenary, to escort us.”

I felt warmth rise up my face as embarrassment overtook me. After a few deep breaths, I managed to ask, “Why didn’t we just make a quest for the Adventurers’ Guild? We can do that right?”

“Don’t be silly. First off, those things are way too expensive. Secondly, you don’t know what you’ll get. The Mercenary Guild is a far better choice for people like us. So, do you see anyone you like the look of? Intuition about these things is important you know.”

“What do we need a bodyguard for?” I asked, while scanning the people showcasing their shiny equipment or glistening oiled-up muscles.

“Us Exorcists, we’ve got the kind of Luck that makes us magnets for disaster and misfortune. Trust me on this: we need a bodyguard. Best make it a habit to befriend strong people who can protect your sorry ass.”

“But don’t we have access to familiars? Can’t they protect us?”

“Ehh, that’s a terrible idea. Don’t rely on something you summoned to have your best interest.”

“Why not? I have the ability to make a Familiar Pact and I’ve been told they can be used for protection.”

“You’ve been told that by people who haven’t actually used familiars,” he replied.

I couldn’t really argue with that, but he seemed to believe that I still need convincing, so he pulled his goggles up over his head and pointed to his left eye, then lifted his long bangs to show a dark scar that ran up to his scalp.

“See this eye?” he asked, then tapped it with his index finger, producing a dull clink-clink sound. “Lost it to a Crimson Nightingale I summoned and relied on a bit too much when I was still a dumb Seeker, who thought I was hot shit. Dumb bitch tore my fucking eye out when I tried to ask her to do something not included in my Pact. So yeah, don’t rely on familiars, for they do not have your best interests in mind. They’re basically like spirits that we kidnap and bind to our commands by using contracts.”

I frowned. The picture of Exorcists and their work that he was painting for me was wildly different than the romantic image of supernatural detective work that Harleigh had impressed upon me.

“Back to the matter at hand,” he said, putting his goggles back on and scanning the crowds. “You see anyone?”

“There’s a lot of people showing off, but polished armour and oiled-up muscles don’t really say much about their skill,” I remarked honestly.

“Huh, you actually have a good head on your shoulders, boyo. Good. I was starting to become despondent at your naivety.”

“How about her?” I asked, pointing to a two-metre-tall woman whose dark plate-armour had seen many battles, but whose stance and aura was like the very image of a natural-born killer.

Master Owl appraised her for a bit, then turned to look at me with a stupid grin on his face. “Is that your type, huh? Tall and beautiful, but with the strength to snap you in half?”

“I just thought she looked strong,” I replied, trying not to rise to the bait.

“Oh she’s strong, that’s for sure, but probably a bit of a hothead too. A lot of Vanguards are like that though, sort of par for the course with their lot.”

“You can tell what Role she has?”

He looked back at me again, then said, “You should be able to as well. You have the Spirit Sight after all. Argh, but, right, they don’t give you Spirit Goggles just like that… hold on a moment.” He began rummaging through a pouch on his right hip, but when he didn’t find what he was seeking, he searched inside his heavy leather coat, before eventually finding what he was seeking in a breast pocket. He gave them a quick appraisal then rubbed the lenses on the edge of his stained shirt, before handing me a pair of goggles that were similar to those he wore, although the left lens was cracked down the middle. They also smelled of his rank sweat.

“Put those on and you’ll see what I mean.”

I pulled the goggles over my head, then had to tighten the strap on the back for them to fit to my face, but, as I looked through the lenses, I suddenly saw what Owl must’ve been seeing every day for years. Every person was lit up with some sort of glow, each with a certain colour that, for some reason, effortlessly translated into a tangible personality trait or mix of traits in my mind. When I looked at the curly red-haired and dark-skinned two-metre-tall Vanguard, her body was outlined by a pulsing spiky red aura that translated in my mind to meaning only one thing: danger.

Looking at Master Owl, I didn’t notice an aura at all, but when he saw me staring at him, he grinned suspiciously, which made me think he had a way of hiding it.

“When you get enough practice studying people’s spirit, you can immediately tell what sort of Role they’re suited for. It’s more-or-less the principle upon which the soul-stone tablets the Guilds use for Role Assignment works.”

I scanned the crowd of people a bit longer and saw the same red glow on a few of the other mercenaries offering up their services, but while the tall woman’s was spiky and menacing, theirs were soft or full of rounded bits, with some even having an aura that visibly trembled, perhaps due to some anxiety or fear.

The more I looked around, the more I noticed how, not just the mercenaries, but everyone, even the blonde lightly-tanned Natives of Lundia, had auras that could be translated into a Role for the Guild. I looked down myself and saw that my own aura was like a hazy outline that pulsed with my heartbeat and had the same violet hue that I’d seen on my Attribute Graph that was on my Guild Card.

“I thought only us Otherworlders had the ability to be Role Assigned,” I commented.

“My guess is that, because we do not belong to this world, the Divine Ones that govern it decided that we must be given a purpose in such a crude way. But what you’re seeing are the souls of people, expressed through the energy leaking from their spirit. Everyone has a soul, not just us Outsiders.”

That makes sense, I suppose.

“So? Have you changed your mind?”

“I think she’s the most competent one here,” I told him. While looking around, I’d seen a rainbow of hues, although none like the colours of Æmos and Harleigh’s Graphs.

“Alright, let’s go introduce ourselves,” Owl answered with a smirk. I doubted the woman would want to work with us when she discovered that I was an inexperienced weakling and he was a frustrating lecher.

A river of bodies moved back-and-forth between where we stood on an incline and where the tent with the mercenaries was placed, but instead of shoving his way through, Owl simply lifted his right hand and pointed straight towards the woman. As though he was Moses parting the sea, the mass of people began moving in a way that allowed us to walk straight through the crowds. No sooner had I followed him than the flow of people returned to normal behind me and threatened to take me away.

When we emerged out the other side, near to the tents, I asked, “How’d you do that?”

“I used the Repel ability.”

“It can be used like that!?”

“Ah, I see you’ve already familiarised yourself with it a bit? Maybe Holier-than-thou Harleigh isn’t so terrible an instructor as I feared. But yes, all your abilities can be used in a multitude of ways. If you can imagine it, it can probably work. Repel is a spell that affects the soul of a person, and though it can be used to physically repel them, it can also be used to subtly manipulate people, like herding sheep in a way.”

“You used the ability without a Focus as well, how’s that possible?”

“Hm, I thought you were smarter than this. It’s called a ‘Focus’ for a reason, pipsqueak. It focuses your energy. With enough training you don’t need any tool to use your abilities, but tools are meant to be used, because to not use them is ineffective and quite frankly moronic.”

“So I don’t actually need these goggles to see people’s souls?”

“Certainly, although I use them because maintaining the Spirit Sight without them always gives me a thundering headache. A benefit of not using a Focus for a spell is that it becomes weaker, which is preferable to achieve a subtle result. Like a drizzle of rain rather than a monsoon, if you get what I mean.”

I didn’t truly, but I was sure I just needed to practice not using a Focus and then I’d internalise the truth he was speaking. Although he was irritating and mean, he was a trove of knowledge that I would do my best to learn from.

Before I could ask anything further, he strode towards the Vanguard, who, to my surprise, was staring intently at us, perhaps having sensed our gazes on her for a while.

“Howdee, sweetheart. Wanna hang out with us?”

How’s that your opening pitch…?

“Exorcists, are you?” she asked. Her voice was deep but with a distinct feminine edge to it and reminded me of the voice actress Park Romi whose voice I’d always liked. “I don’t think you can afford me.”

“Now-now, no need to be hasty,” Owl replied. “If you know enough about Exorcists, you must be aware that we’re paid very handsomely by the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“I’m also aware that your jobs tend to get lots of people killed. Besides, you don’t look like the image of affluence, wearing such hand-me-down clothes and wielding rented gear.” For this latter comment, she was looking at me.

“Keen eye you have,” he praised her. “But you see, we’re about to embark on a Quest that pays ten gold, and for your services, we’re willing to pay you ten percent of the reward.”

Are you crazy!? I almost yelled at him. The reward for the quest was only one gold forty silver, and if we gave her the lion’s share, then we’d only be splitting the forty silver, meaning neither of us would be that well off, while she’d be laughing all the way to the bank.

“Let me see the quest,” she demanded.

Owl reached into his coat and brought out a crinkled scroll that was quite clearly not the same as the quest we had both accepted, which made alarm bells go off in my head.

As the Vanguard woman was reading through the specifics of the quest, I pulled Owl aside.

“What quest is that?? Did you lie to me? Where are we even going??”

“Relax, boyo. ‘Tis the same as yours, just above your Rank, y’see.”

“So it’s also for Hamsel’s Rest?”

“That’s right. You didn’t think I’d be satisfied just splitting the measly reward with you like that did you? Also, you’ll be paying her one gold retainer out of your quest reward, but I’ll let you keep the rest.”

“Wait, so what’s the point of me going there to figure out what kind of monster is responsible for the disappearances, if you’ll be there to immediately handle it?”

“Are you unfamiliar with the concept of an apprenticeship?” he asked, looking at me as though I was potentially very stupid. “Of course I could easily do your job for you, but what exactly does that teach you? Consider it a form of supervision, what we’re undertaking here. I’ll leave the actual quest in your hands, but I’ll make sure you don’t do something profoundly stupid and get yourself killed. Of course, there are no assurances. You might still get killed. ‘Tis the way of the business we’re in.”

“Very well,” the Vanguard said. “I’ll escort you, but I want my fee upfront.”

“Don’t be a smartass,” Owl immediately replied and the sudden look on her face made me wonder if she was about to break his nose.

“Then I want a proper contract written out. I’ve heard enough about your lot to know you can’t be trusted.”

“Maybe we should pick someone else,” I whispered to Master Owl.

“You’ve made your choice now, pipsqueak, don’t run away from the consequences.” He turned back to face the woman who was two heads above him. “We’ll sign a proper contract, have no fear about that, but we’re not paying before we know if you’re actually worth what you cost.”

The woman scoffed, but then said, “Fine.”

This will be a terrible partnership…

We returned to the Guild Ward, with the Vanguard leading the way with her long confident strides in her metal armour. A slightly-bowed circular shield was fastened to her left forearm and had two spikes jutting out from either side of her wrist, allowing the protective tool to also become a weapon, which I thought was fitting for someone with so aggressive an aura. On her left hip hung a double-edged shortsword with a weighted pommel.

Master Owl and I struggled to keep up with her and didn’t catch up until we came to two imposing metal doors of a castle-like building that was apparently the Mercenary Guild. The door was only slightly open, with enough space to move in two abreast, but far narrower than the entryway into the Adventurers’ Guild, though the doors themselves also seemed so cumbersome and heavy that I doubted anyone could even shift them from their position.

The building had a completely different vibe than my Guild, as the brutal stone-and-metal structure radiated a very serious and overbearing atmosphere, with all the people within looking more like lifelong soldiers than Adventurers, even though they went through the same Role Assignment and were all Otherworlders like me. As I scanned the gathered Mercenaries within, I saw a lot of people with a similar aura hue as our hired Vanguard, but there were also a couple that had a golden hue that was identical to Harleigh’s Attribute Graph, meaning they were Crusaders. The rest were a bunch of different colours that I didn’t yet know what meant, though their armour and weapons gave some hints.

“See that soft-looking baby-blue spirit over there?” Owl asked.

I nodded.

“That one’s a Spellhand, this world’s equivalent to a magician I suppose. That group of three brown auras are Hunters, they’re capable of doing specialised quests like Tracking and Investigations.”

“What about the dark-green ones?”

“Those are Sharpshooters, a long-ranged archer Specialisation available to Rangers and Hunters.”

“And the green ones are Rangers then?”

“That’s right.”

“What about the Beige one surrounded by all those people? She seems really popular.”

“Pipsqueak, you cannot rely exclusively on your Spirit Sight. Take off your goggles and tell me what you think she might be, knowing what you do about Roles.”

We had reached the end of a queue to a large counter staffed by three clerks in outfits of dark-blue shirts with black ties and grey dress pants, where a few groups ahead of us seemed to also be preparing to make contracts for Mercenary work with the clients next to them, though we seemed the only Adventurers in the lot, with the rest being rich-looking Lundia natives.

I took off my goggles and looked at the girl who was surrounded by three Vanguards, a Sharpshooter, and a Spellhand, and noticed her particular clothing of a stainless white robe with golden embellishments and the peculiar staff in her hand. I hadn’t seen her kind of staff in the For-Rent Armoury, though I was sure I’d just missed it, but it was made of bronze and had a cross at the end, in the middle of which sat a perfectly-spherical glass orb. If it worked similarly to the lantern-type Foci, then it’d be optimised for projection spells apparently.

The way that people were crowding around her eagerly reminded me of a scene that I’d witnessed yesterday in the Adventurers’ Guild Hall. She had the most popular Role out of all that I’d seen so far.

“She’s a Priest,” I answered.

“That’s right. When it comes to Luck, they’re the direct opposite of us, given that their Role requires an A-tier in the Attribute.”

I frowned. That kind of instant popularity was unfair I thought.

“What do they do, since they’re so popular?”

Master Owl looked at me weirdly. The Vanguard in our group was purposefully ignoring our conversation, but even she twitched slightly when she heard my question.

“You’re from Earth, right?”

“Yeah?”

“And you don’t know what a Priest does?”

“I mean, they pray and hold sermons, but what kind of abilities does that translate to here?”

“Hm, I thought all Earthlings knew the answer to that.”

I noticed the Vanguard nod in the background. Apparently only I didn’t know.

“Priests heal. They’re the backbone of any competent party in this world.”

“Heal? Like curing sickness and injury?”

“…Yes,” he replied, then broke out in some kind of incredulous laughter.

“Huh, that’s pretty cool,” I replied, though I was still pretty jealous of them.

“Just like how Exorcists are the only ones that can deal with Exorcisms, Priests are the only ones who can deal with Healing. They’re not quite as rare as us, when it comes to Role Assignments, but they’re not a dime-a-dozen either, so they get the pick of the litter when it comes to groups. Like us, they also don’t really have any offensive abilities, so they are beholden to the goodwill of others, but, you know, when you’re singlehandedly capable of keeping people alive, they tend to prioritise your safety. No one gives a shit about Exorcists like that…”

The way he talks about it reminds me of how the nerds in my high school complained about the popular kids… but then, I was one of those nerds I suppose. Once again I was reminded of how special Renji was, given that he was ostensibly the King of Nerds in both our Middle School and High School, but was somehow also friends with all the popular people and admired by all the girls.

“Next!” called a clerk at the Mercenary Guild’s counter and it was suddenly our turn to make a contract.