The Exorcist made his way back down the stairs to give the innkeepers his insignia. When he got back down there he saw Avus and the boy having a serious conversation at one of the tables in the empty tavern. The old Ursus looked up and waved the Exorcist over to their table. He nodded and joined them, sitting next to the boy. The boy quickly scooted away, afraid of the tall man who seemed larger than both him and Avus.
"Exorcist, you didn't make too much of a mess did you?" Avus asked as he took a swig of the mug of beer next to him, already knowing the answer.
"I made as little of a mess as possible, but the sheets are still ruined." He told the Ursus with a shrug. "If you add it to the bill, the Shrine will pay for any replacements."
"They better." Avus replied quickly and bluntly.
"We were quick to pay for any damages last time, weren't we?" The Exorcist shot back to the old and grumpy Ursus, who simply waved this comment off and took another swig of his beer. The boy watched their interaction and watched them bicker.
"Sir," The boy hesitantly interjected, "What did you mean earlier when you said he was no ordinary Exorcist?" Both of the taller men turned and looked at the boy, making him regret speaking up. Avus looked at the boy for a long minute before finally speaking up.
"Do you really not remember the incident a year and a half ago, Orin?" The old Ursus asked the boy in a harsh tone.
"I only moved to this village eight months ago, so I have no clue." Orin stammered out defensively while waving his hands in front of him. Avus huffed and took another deep drink from his mug until it was empty.
"The whole thing was a mess, so I often forget who was there and who was not." Avus said softly, his breath hitching just for a second as he stared into his empty mug. He then stood up from the table and looked over to the Exorcist. "Why don't you tell the boy what happened, I need to fill up my drink." He said as he began to slowly make his way to the bar. The man nodded and turned to the boy and looked him in the eyes.
"Well, one night I had strolled into this village and everyone seemed to be frantic and panicking. After asking around I was finally brought to the mayor and he had informed me what was going on. There was a high ranking demon who came into the area and was dragging people off in the night. Avus was one of them, along with his wife." The man told Orin, grabbing his full attention. Orin looked over to Avus who was standing still as a statue at the bar with his back to the two of them. He then turned his attention back to the Exorcist, who had a solemn look on his face.
"How many people did the demon take?" Orin asked the man, almost whispering it as not to let Avus hear.
"By the time I had arrived, the demon had already taken fifteen people." The man informed the boy. "After figuring out the situation I began tracking the demon, and after a day of looking I found a small hidden cave entrance deep in the woods. In that cave I found the demon, it was in the process of making a nest to make more demons. It had already killed ten of the fifteen people, and was actively bleeding two more dry." He said with a straight tone. Orin was bewildered and horrified to hear this, for he had not known this happened to this village. He glanced back over to Avus to see him leaning against the wall hiding his face.
"Im afraid to ask, but who was it draining." The boy hesitantly asked the man while glancing back and forth between him and Avus. The man just looked at him with hollow eyes and nodded his head towards Avus. Orin fully understood the implications.
"I immediately rushed in and fought and exorcised the demon, but I was too late to save everyone. In the end, Avus survived being drained because he's a bigger man. Ursus are resilient and don't bleed out as easily as other races." The exorcist stated plainly before giving a heavy sigh. "But his wife was not an Ursus, and did not make it." The man was interrupted by a heavy thud from behind them. The man remained unfazed and looked forward, but Orin quickly turned his gaze over to see where Avus had slammed his fist against the wall. "In the end I could only save four of the fifteen people, which were Avus, the doctor, the mayor's daughter, and one of the hunters in the village. Had I been there sooner, maybe I could hav-" The man was saying before he was interrupted by Avus shouting.
"Bah," He yelled while waving off the words the Exorcist was saying, "shut up with that. Had you been any later we'd all have been dead." He grabbed his full mug along with a second one he had filled. "Sure, my wife is dead, boohoo. We were already old and dying, and sitting here crying about it won't bring her back." Avus slammed the extra mug on the table in front of the Exorcist. "It's in the house." He grumbled as he sat back down. The Exorcist gave a small smile and took the mug and took a drink from it. It was a smooth wheaty taste that had hints of the local blackberries that grew in the woods. The drink barely burned the back of his throat as it went down. It was a smooth and refreshing taste in the midst of this dark conversation.. Avus threw his mug back once again and took a hefty drink. "She wouldn't want me whining and moaning about it either, so I won't let you. If it weren't for you that poor girl would have lost the fulfilling life she had ahead of her. And that hunter's children would have to grow up without a father."
"You're right," The man said with a weak smile, "we shouldn't dwell on those lost, but those who lived on and can live their lives in memory of those who passed." He held his mug up towards Avus, who glared at it for a second.
"Now you are sounding like one of those damn priests." Avus grumbled as he roughly tapped his mug against the Exorcist's and brought it back to take a large gulp. The man did the same, gulping down a large portion of his drink.
"Well, we are practically cut from the same cloth." The Exorcist joked. They sat there for a while longer, quietly drinking and contemplating the world and the harshness they faced. The first to break that silence was Avus.
"It's getting too late for me. I'll see you fellas tomorrow." He said as he stood up. "Orin, make sure you get his info in that log book. And Exorcist, no smoking in my tavern." He told them with a wave as he began to walk off. They both nodded to him as he walked back into the door he emerged from. The Exorcist pulled out his insignia and handed it to Orin, who was much more comfortable with him now. The man began taking another sip of his beer as the boy inspected the metal crest. He had seen a few of them since he began working for Avus, and they all looked identical, except for this one. The platinum crest in the center of the gold made him uneasy to trust it, but after hearing the story he knew it had to be real. He turned it over to begin the process of logging all of the info needed. He had always started with their names first, and when he read it, it felt familiar, but did not quite ring any bells. He ignored that feeling and wrote down the name, Ryan Tonoko. He thought it was odd to have a Kitsunese last name but an Electrian first name. He shrugged it off and moved on to the next bit of info he needed, their designated numbers. A year ago, the current Grand Exorcist instated a new rule that each and every Exorcist must be assigned a number when they join. This was done to help track them down when communication has been lost with them. It also assists businesses and the Shrine when it comes to paying the tabs each Exorcist builds up. Orin looked at the number and stopped. Something surely was not right here and he was about to get to the bottom of it.
"Sir, I want to believe this is real but it says your identification number is one." He questions Ryan. "The only way that would be possible is if you were the first Exorcist to be labeled in this new system and that is just not likely." Ryan was in the middle of finishing his beer when he was confronted with this. He finished his drink and calmly set the mug down in front of him.
"I was the first to be labeled." He told the boy, who did not believe him. "Check my ranking there and you'll see why I am number one." Orin did and he almost dropped the insignia when he finally looked. He didn't know how he couldn't have noticed before or why it never clicked into his head, but the gears finally began to turn, this was Grand Exorcist Ryan Tonoko. That is why he wasn't like any other Exorcist.
"I'm so sorry sir I never realized you were the Grand Exorcist, I wouldn't have been as disresp-" Orin began to stammed out before he was quickly cut off by Ryan.
"There's no need to apologize," He told him with a sigh, "I don't like bringing it up because I don't like the formal treatment, more of I'm not here for the formal treatment."
"Sorry sir, I just was not expecting it." Orin said as he relaxed and continued filling out the ledger. Once he was finished he closed his ledger and handed Ryan his insignia back. Ryan gave him a nod and made his way back up to the room. He carefully put his key in the door and opened it without making a sound. He looked at the woman sleeping in the blood soaked bed, she was still unconscious. The moonlight had moved and was no longer illuminating her but had directed its glow into the chair by the table. He quietly shut the door behind him and made his way to the chair. He sat down in the chair that was just a little too small for him, but he was used to that by now. His attention turned to the full moon outside and he became lost in thought about the night's events. He eventually turned his thoughts to prayers to the Creator, thanking him for the life he could live for those who could not. Ryan leaned his head back and went to sleep.