This a slightly edited verson of the first chapter. The quote below is from the Disturbed song Haunted. Claymore was created by Yagi Norihiro, I own only the one character I created. Inspired by various Claymore fanfics all over .
Enjoy.
Claymore: Awakening
Never will I be welcomed
Amongst the heartless monsters you surround yourself with
Feeding off the pain and misfortune of others
A maniacal unit of sub-human parasites
Warped into a feeding frenzy with the smell of fresh blood
Open your eyes and see the creatures for what they are
A swirling mess of hatred and envy
Don't be naive enough to think you're unaffected
The conversion has already begun...
Chapter 1: Beginnings
The moonlight shimmered across the placid waters of the lake, the waterfall pouring ever so softly, as if to whisper words of comfort to troubled souls. A smooth wind blew through the ancient trees adding a sense of serenity to the idyllic scene.
A colossal figure emerged from the tree line, stepping over to the lake shore, near a dying fire. The figure seated itself with a thud and the shuffling of thick armor. The armored form rested itself against a single massive sword implanted into the ground. Moonlight reflected off the protective plates. It began to remove the pieces of armor, setting them to the side one after the other: helmet, gloves, greaves, chest plate, leggings, all set into a neat pile.
Only the large toned figure of a man, in no later than his twenties sat eyes closed, dressed in a skin tight white garment. A strip of black cloth ran down his chest under his garment, it boasted a single red symbol. His arms crossed upon his chest. He took in the soothing symphony playing all around him; the wind through the trees, the waterfall lightly splashing into the crystal clear lake, the fish teeming below the surface, his white hair blowing slightly in the wind.
Another man appeared from the trees, dressed in a long cloak; it was jet black against the night. The seated man frowned.
"I was just starting to doze off." He whispered. The man in black moved next to the warrior.
"We have another mission for you…" the man's deep voice caused the warrior to come back to reality, but he remained impassive. "It appears that the number 2, well, former number 2, has passed his limit."
"Old news." He twitched somewhat.
"Yes, someone of your caliber would be expected to sense such things, even at these distances…" The black figure took a seat, looking up at the gleaming moon. "Which is why we need you to take him out." The warrior slowly opened his eyes; the silver irises caught the moonlight, making them shine that much more brightly.
"Of course you do." He sighed, the annoyance in his voice was subtle, not blunt.
"Also the town that sent the request has been completely wiped out."
"Of course it has." His tone remained unchanged. He let his eyes close. "I'll get to it first thing in the morning." He turned his head away from the messenger and sighed. The man in black nodded and stood up to leave but then paused.
"Oh, I almost forgot, the new number 2 will be joining you this time. She shows great potential, and I think that…"
"I work alone." The warrior interjected sharply. The messenger turned and headed into the trees.
"This is not a request. She'll be waiting for you." The warrior rolled his eyes and turned his head back to the messenger.
"This number 2 have a name?" He raised his eyebrows slightly, only wondering what to call the little tramp when he saw her. The man in black stopped suddenly.
"Riful." The man disappeared into the woods.
"Riful, eh?" The warrior sneered. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine." He started to drift into a deep sleep, one that he had needed for a very long time.
"Why!? Why him!?" The small child pointed to a far off mountain side.
"Because the Organization believes that the now awakened number 2 had previously unforeseen powers that were given life with his awakening, you couldn't possibly take him on by yourself," said a hooded man seated on a nearby boulder overlooking the town.
"Bullshit!" Spat the child. "I'm just as strong as he is, maybe even more so!" She stuck her nose in the air. The hooded man stared at her. "What?! I am! Why won't anyone believe me?!" She folded her arms in disgust as the man looked on. She walked over to the nearby ledge. "You really think he's down there?"
"That's what our information points to."
"Yeah, well I can't sense even one Yoma down there!"
"That's why we didn't ask you to scan the village; your yoki manipulation is below average at best." The hooded man appeared to be a talking statue, impassive and lifeless.
"Bullshit!" She shot a death glare at him. "I can read any yoki from miles away." She beamed. "For example, that bastard on the mountain."
"You only know he's there is because I told you…"
The child threw her hands to her side and fumed. "Not true! Not true!" she shook her head petulantly.
Riful, one of the newest additions to the Claymore ranks had already advanced from the bottom of the top 10 to number 2 after the unfortunate awakening of the former number 2, and to boot, she had the aura and the mouth to prove it. Riful was the youngest to ever reach the maturity of her yoki powers, thus stopping her aging completely. She now had the curse of appearing as a mere child of nine, for eternity. The night slowly passed as the stars sparkled brightly in the pure, clear night. After a few hours of fuming Riful decided to give up on trying to convince her caretaker that she was far strong than she appeared to be, and took to a bit of star gazing to pass the time.
"Hey, old man?" She asked gently, as if like a genuine child.
"Um?! Yes!" The man snorted to life as he exited a rather deep sleep.
"What happens to me if the number 1 dies or awakens?" her voice ever so soft.
"What? Well, you rise to number 1 of course. Now don't bother me again until morning." The man lowered his head again as he almost immediately fell asleep once more.
"That's ok," Riful said, "That's all I wanted to know." She closed her eyes and fell unconscious.
Morning.
The gentle but brilliant sunlight began its arduous task of climbing for the mountains. The first rays of sunshine hit the warrior's closed eyes. He raised his head, arms still folded from the night before
"Mmugh… Morning." He groaned, and let out a sigh. The belts and buckles of his armor snapped together as he donned the protective layers. Finally, fully armored, he pulled the colossal sword from the ground and placed it across his back with a definitive clank. The large gray cape concealing most of it, in fact it stretched down to his heels. No other Claymore wore such heavy armor or sported such a long cape. The rest of them found it to be something of a nuisance, but he found something pleasing about being the oddball of the 47.
He adjusted his helmet with a slight tug and set off toward his mission. With each step he took, the armor all around him shifted, sounding like the banging of swords in a distant battle.
When he entered the town he saw the same thing he saw every time he entered any other town, closed windows and doors, and hushed voices, but still discernable by his keen hearing. The mutterings of the town's people was always a source of great entertainment for him, and at times a source of great envy.
"I've never seen a Claymore with so much armor." whispered one man.
"Is it a man?" asked a woman.
"Such a rarity these days, to see a male Claymore." Breathed another.
"Nah, they're all women. This one just carries herself like a man."
"Are you sure? 'Cause it sure does look like a man to me…"
"Nope, you just got a bad angle."
The Claymore suddenly stopped and stared at the gossiping group, who all had faces of terror and fear at what he was going to do next. It was only when he continued to walk that they resumed their chat.
He made his way to the market place, or what was supposed to be the market place. All of the town's people had been off the main street and out of his path for some time. A corridor lined with frightened humans could be seen through the whole town. The man stopped. The natives began to mutter more intently. He almost missed it; the aura was being suppressed with expert skill… but not well enough. He closed his eyes and stretched out with his yoki scanning every person in the area. One man in nothing but rags began to push through the crowd, a large set of five long knife-like fingers peeking out of his sleeves. They grew longer.
The Claymore continued to use his yoki senses to pinpoint his objective. The Yoki spiked. His eyes shot open and quickly, with near impossible speed, side-stepped out of the path of five supersonic projectiles. The fingers passed through some of the town's people. The blood spewed onto the ground as the Awakened Being retracted his fingers. He brought his hand to his lips and took in the red liquid.
"Mmm… nothing quite like it." He gloated.
There was a look of utter disgust upon the Claymore's face, though it would be impossible to tell through his helmet.
"I wouldn't know." He drew his sword.
"A shame," the beast frowned. The air around him seemed to swirl suddenly, his massive yoki pouring from deep within, clearly visible to the naked eye. Every muscle exploded in size. His feet retracted into hooves, his knees bent inward, his arms grew in length and the nails on his rather bony fingers became the length of a short sword. His head bore the features of a bull, his horns sharp and poised to strike. Razor sharp teeth replaced the ones he previously possessed. Even his voice changed. It was deep and twisted, as if he was speaking from another time, another dimension. "You should try it sometime…"
"Alright, lets get this over with." The warrior stood before his opponent, one who towered a full ten meters tall over him, the fully awakened form of the number 2 was a sight to behold.
Something seemed out of place, something was missing. "Riful, where are you? Heartless bitch." Denizai, the current number 1, the most powerful of all Claymores, was alone for the first time since the death of his family. He wished he wasn't.
I will be updating the following chapters with the revised editions shortly, after they are all done, The 5th chapter will follow.