Uda - Exorcist (1)

"Hey, how are you feeling? Can you move?"

Orfet’s voice pulled Uda out of her calm darkness. Her whole body still ached, the pain slowly easing. A strange warmth spread through her, dulling the worst of it.

"How... what..." she managed to say, but her voice gave out.

Someone gently wiped the blood from the corners of her mouth. When Uda turned her head with effort, she saw Ya kneeling beside her, pale with worry.

"Rest, Uda. It’s over. They’re all gone," the woman said.

Her voice was soft, a sad smile on her lips, though her fingers still trembled.

"I... ouch... why are they gone?"

Uda tried to sit up, and a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. Groaning, she sank back down.

"Take it easy! It was the barrier. It suddenly expanded and vaporized the monsters, like swatting an insect off a table," Orfet said.

Uda spotted him standing behind Ya, watching her closely. His face was tense, though he smiled at her.

"That... thing... it almost got me," Uda murmured, still not clear-headed.

"Yeah. It was too fast. We couldn’t even strike. If you hadn’t drawn it away, I think we’d all be dead now," Ya said, her voice flat.

Uda suspected she was still dazed, overwhelmed by the emotions the horde must have stirred in her.

"What about Nia?"

An uncomfortable silence fell between Orfet and Ya. Both avoided her gaze.

"What about Nia?" Uda repeated, more firmly.

"She’s upstairs. We tied her up and put her under guard," Ya said at last.

Again, Uda tried to sit up. This time she managed to brace herself on her elbows and lift her upper body.

"What? Why? Did she try to hurt herself again...?"

"That too," Orfet said.

His expression darkened, lips pressed tight as though holding back more.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

Tension rose in Uda’s neck, though the warmth inside her steadied her.

"She lured that thing here and didn’t say a word! We can’t trust her. You understand that, right?"

Orfet’s words struck Uda hard. Not because they were wrong. Deep down, she agreed.

Only now did she realize how Nia had used them all to act out her own self-destructive urges, without thought for the consequences.

Uda had also seen her face. The despair in her eyes.

And wouldn’t the horde have come anyway? Hadn’t the false Locu’s appearance at least bought them time, even if that hadn’t been Nia’s intention? Could she really blame her for trying to use the situation for her own end? Probably. She did not understand how Nia felt, could not grasp losing someone precious. Sadness rose in her, a strange loneliness.

"Yeah, I understand. We can’t keep her locked up forever. In the end, she helped more than she hurt, even if that probably wasn’t her intention..." Uda murmured.

Orfet let out a breath.

"I was honestly afraid you’d react differently," he admitted, smiling a little.

"Why?"

"You two are close... or at least it seemed that way. I thought maybe it wouldn’t matter to you what she said or did. You protected her, after all. I was afraid you might feel like you had to protect her from us now, too..."

"Do I have to? Protect her from you?"

Uda looked him in the eyes. She had to make sure things wouldn’t spiral out of control.

"No. Granted, some probably wanted to throw Nia off the tower, yet they didn’t dare."

Uda exhaled in relief. Her lungs burned, and she let herself fall back again. Her head hit the rubble lightly, and she groaned once more.

"Uda, rest," Ya said sharply.

Her voice edged with irritation as she dabbed at Uda’s face again with the bloodied cloth.

"Thanks, Ya, I’m already recovering. It’s all right," Uda tried to reassure her.

"Nothing is all right! We’re stuck in a collapsing tower in the middle of nowhere, barely survived an attack by a horde of monsters, and now you’re lying here half-crushed and can’t even move. All because you had to save us. Again. Just like last time. Because we can’t do anything on our own! FUCKING SHIT!"

Ya hurled the cloth at the wall, let out a scream, and collapsed to her knees. She wiped her face with the back of her hand, wet with tears.

Orfet stepped closer, maybe to comfort her, but she shook her head. He lowered his eyes, then looked back to Uda, who had managed to sit up, finally freed of most of the pain.

"What do the others think about Nia? I imagine they feel just as helpless as Ya. Or like you and me. Maybe they’ll want to take it out on her..." Uda said.

"Don’t worry, they wouldn’t dare," Orfet replied.

"Why not?"

"Because she came with you. And you were the only one who kept a cool head, the only one who actually made a difference. No one here would go against you. We owe you that much."

I hope he’s right, Uda thought, cheeks burning. Though I do not want them to fawn all over me. What good would that do?

She waited a moment, then slowly stood up. Orfet and Ya hurried to aid her, and soon she was leaning on both of them. Her legs felt like mush, yet they held.

Step by step, she moved forward. She would have loved to lie down and rest, though she knew that was a luxury she could not afford.

What if more monsters come?

Had the barrier spread around the ruin too, or had it only blasted outward in a wave? Were they safe? Maybe Orfet was wrong, confused by the chaos...

"It’s getting better, thank you," Uda managed, and then tried walking on her own.

It worked, though she had to steady herself against the wall as the last heat left her body and she finally felt better.

"Please take me to Nia," she said.

Ya sighed but waited until Uda was stable, then guided her to the stone stairs that were still intact.

Progress was slow as rubble lay everywhere. Each floor had a hole in the ceiling and the floor. Uda winced as she remembered how the monster had thrown her through them like a rag doll.

She cursed under her breath.

Why was I so reckless? Why did I overestimate myself like that? That fight with the Deepwinder must have gone to my head. I won’t let small victories blind me again, she told herself.

Though she had to admit, her recklessness may have bought the others time.

When she finally reached the second-to-last floor, once again leaning on Orfet, it felt like an eternity had passed. The sour stench of sweat and vomit hit her again as she entered the room, though not as strongly as before. The others looked up, as if coming out of a trance, confused at first, then their faces lit up.

Some even cheered.

Nia sat in the corner, her hands tied behind her back with an old rope, a bloody gag stuffed into her mouth. Her eyes were hollow, fixed on the wall.

"Get Uda something to rest on, take care of her! I know you’re happy to see her, but this isn’t helping!" Orfet barked.

Someone hurried over and brought Uda an old, surprisingly soft cushion, and she sank onto it with a sigh.

"What’s wrong with her?" Uda asked, nodding toward Nia.

"Started biting me and Weet when we brought her down," said a man sitting nearby, shooting Nia a dark look.

He gestured toward a freckled woman pressing a cloth to her hand, and to a faint black wound on his own neck. It was the same man who had bashed his head against the wall earlier; now he seemed calm again.

"I wasn’t paying attention, got distracted... it shouldn’t have happened," he muttered.

She saw him struggling to hide a flash of anger, and it sent a ripple of unease through her. 

Uda spat, wiping her mouth.

"Damn it. At least we didn’t lose too many, right?"

"No. Only Dub got hit, and he’s gone. But you saw that upstairs, didn’t you?" said one of the women from the battlements.

Uda nodded slowly.

"You all fought well. It was close, and in the end, we made it. Together."

One of the women let out a dry laugh.

"Yeah... but way too close. If you hadn’t lured that maniac away, the one she brought, we wouldn’t be here anymore."

Murmurs of agreement rose around her.

"Not entirely. To be honest, if that creature hadn’t distracted the horde, we would’ve been overrun. It only wanted to torment us, yet in the end... it saved us," Uda said.

Ya spat on the floor.

"I don’t care. She lured it to us on purpose. We were all the same to her. She just wanted to drown in her guilt. I can’t forgive that."