The four mage captives were brought to the interrogation room in the presence of Roger and commander Arnold and two other Sohei with them.
While they were still unconscious, they were dropped on the floor, bound in ropes.
A Sohei came into the room with a big bucket of chilled water containing little blocks of ice.
He poured the ice water on all four of them and the extreme cold caused them to shiver into consciousness.
They were given enough time to assess their situation before Arnold proceeded to question them.
He then, with a loud and unnerving voice asked...
"Who are you, and what do you want with us?"
The captives looked up at him in terror and surprisingly, with a confused expression.
"Are you hard of hearing?
Or you just love being encouraged by torture?"
The captives were again looked more afraid than concealing, folding up more and more as Arnold thundered a rain of threat upon them.
"I'll ask one last time and this might be the last thing you'll ever hear!
Who are you and why did you attack us?
By this time they were already sweating and shivering, still unable to answer the question.
They seemed to be trying to make an attempt but were unable to say anything.
Arnold concluded their fate in his mind.
"Fine,
Since you've chosen the hard way...
"Wait, Arnold".
Roger said.
He observed something and was curious.
He then went close to one of them and held his shoulder rather gently for an enemy.
The rest of the three looked towards Roger with hope in their eyes.
Roger then proceeded to ask.
"Who are you?"
The captives then looked him straight in his eyes.
He could sense the fear in their eyes.
With a shaky voice, they then replied.
"W-WE D-DON'T K-KNOW..."
*****
A number of mages were gathered together in a room.
"So some members of your team were caught?"
"Yes master,
About four men."
The master paused for a few seconds then continued.
"I imagine the monks will try interrogating them to uncover information about us.
Unfortunately, the casted spell would have set off by then which means their memory would have been wiped off already.
The monks will never discover us.
They mustn't.
We, on the other hand will be launching another attack.
We have received information from spy 001, the monk, that a search party has been deployed to find and hunt us down.
Our next objective will be to take them out.
But we must move carefully because the members of the search party are elite Sohei, they wouldn't go down easy, we need a plan.
"Ambush?"
One mage suggested.
He continued.
"We should find a way to use our spy to lure them into a perfect zone where we can take them down".
"True".
Another mage agreed.
He continued.
"But when all's said and done we'll still be taking a risk fighting them on equal terms.
It needs to be more than just ambush.
We need a good trap".
He added.
"True.
We'll go with this last suggestion.
We'll place another conjurer at the right point.
Our conjurer was able to weaken one of the monk ladies who aided in killing one of our loom allies during the first invasion.
Because of that she was easily captured.
Also, the first assault launched on the Sohei outside the walls was possible because our spy had a conjurer set the hypnosis trap which had been working days before they even went on the mission.
Now, we have also been able to successfully wipe out the memory of those of us taken captive by monks I believe".
The master said.
"We'll see to it that we stick to the plan master.
I'll mobilize enough men and go along with a ranking conjurer in order to ensure victory in this battle".
One of the mages said.
"Very well.
Go.
Ensure you do not fail.
We need to prove to our new ally, the abyss Harmony, that we are more than capable of working with them to end the monks and bring in a new age of the rule of the abyss upon this world".
"It will be done, master".
The mage replied.
The mage along with two others left the room, the two others following after him.
*****
"You're Bryan Aurora".
Maryann immediately recognized the face of the boy in the cell to her right.
"So this is what happened to you.
You were captured by the mages too".
She said while looking at him through the transparent crystal cell.
"Who are you?"
Bryan asked.
"Oh dear.
I'm from the temple too.
My name is Maryann.
"How did you end up here lady?"
Bryan asked.
"I was ambushed and forced into a fight with the enemy.
But during the battle, I suddenly started getting weaker for reasons I don't understand.
I was eventually overcome and was knocked out".
"It was the work of a conjurer".
Bryan said.
"A what?"
Maryann asked.
"Conjurer.
Someone was behind the scenes casting the spells.
That was what made you weak.
You didn't notice but immediately you made contact with the mage you fought with, you were placed under a spell of dystonic hypnosis.
If you weren't under the spell, you might have noticed that your strength was depleting unnaturally because of a spell, but the hypnosis traps your mind and prevents it from being aware of what is happening so you can't take action and run away.
Rather, it would make you want to expend more energy in an attempt to launch stronger attacks which will only catalyze the energy depletion process".
Bryan explained.
"Really?
How did you figure this out?"
Maryann asked.
"When I was captured unconscious after being knocked out by a poisoned arrow, I regained consciousness faintly during the journey back to this hideout and I could slightly overhear what they were saying".
Maryann noticed the wound on his right shoulder.
"Is that so?
One question boy, I'm curious to know.
Where is this place?"
Maryann asked.
"That's the thing.
The mages have kept this well hidden from us.
It's the reason our Sohei have never been able to find them all this while.
This place is...
NOWHERE!..."