CHRONICLES FROM THE EMPIRE
Disclaimer: I don't own Claymore or any of its characters.
In this story I intend to create the history of the war on the mainland and give my own answers to other concepts such life of Claymores on the mainland, dragonkin, and the question 'What if a person was born as a Claymore?'. The time setting is ten years after the creation of the Organization, which I assume as Isley's generation. This is clearly AU and the entire cast are OC. The first two acts are action packed although the story will slow down after act two.
Chapter 1: Daughter of the Empire
Act 1: Beneath the Desert Sands
A shadow crawled on the dune facing the horizon. The sun, blazing with all its glory on this tormented land, saluted the man as he got out of the shade provided by the sand mound. He was dressed in the traditional clothes of the nomadic desert tribes. Not only it protected him from the searing rays of light to some extent but it also was a good camouflage. The man took out a spyglass from his backpack and looked at an unnatural dune a kilometer away.
A huge grin appeared on his face. 'Nice try, but someone should tell them dunes are rarely higher than a meter in this region, let alone five meters. This was too easy.' His assumption was confirmed when the sand was brushed aside, revealing the entrance of a tent like structure as a guard with a large bucket exited it. Judging by his spear and clothes he was clearly a mercenary tribesman. 'Out to get water eh? The poor sot has choosen the wrong side. Today he and his masters will die.'
The man crawled back and there he saw a group of similarly dressed people. They were crouching behind the dune to avoid being seen and their weapons were covered with cloth to prevent luster. One of them approached him and whispered. "The men are ready and eager captain. What are your orders?"
Captain Ismail quickly went through the plan once more in his mind. There were no room for errors, for according to their intelligence Lord Mattheus was here to inspect the ongoing operations. 'A worthy foe, this will be tough without Cemal.' Although Mattheus was renowned for his prowess in battle Ismail had full confidence in his men; the Cengaver Company was a match for the Illixian Lord.
"Alright men, we go according the plan. Once we enter the compound Yakup will scout ahead while I lead the main body of our forces to meet the enemy head on. Gazi Hasan and Koca Ferhat will cover our flanks. That's it, may the gods be with us."
As soon as Ismail finished the short briefing, a boisterous young tribesman named Yakup climbed on top of the dune and stealthily crawled towards the dune-like structure. When in range he placed an arrow on his bow and aimed at the guard's throat with a skill honed in countless hunts. For a moment he thought of walking there and reason with the person he was about to kill. The guard at the entrance was from his tribe and was a long time friend. But such treachery could not go unpunished. He released the arrow.
Upon the death of the guard the soldiers and their allies began to advance towards the structure as silently as possible. The Cengaver Company was 122 men strong and was lead by Captain Ismail. For the last few years they had been fighting against the Illixians to prevent the long feared invasion of their sacred capital. Six years ago the enemy army had tried to pass the desert but it ended in disaster. Now they were trying to setup logistic outposts in the desert, yet they have been encountering some difficulties. And Ismail intented to give them more challenges. This battle of attrition was going in their favour. One day the Empire would be able to face the massive Illixian army in open field. Until then it was up to Cengaver Company and a few others to slow the enemy down.
Koca Ferhat and Gazi Hasan were leaders of two of the many local tribes. For centuries they had been allies with the Empire, and when the Illixians arrived they were among the first to help the war effort. The tribes had played a vital role in the victory six years ago. Now they were actively participating in the attrition war along with the elite imperial soldiers. Both tribe leaders had brought a total of 38 warriors. Despite this Ferhat looked a bit anxious. "Ismail... Are you sure we can prevail without Cemal? You know Mattheus is-"
Ismail shared the same concerns, yet he didn't want to demoralize his ally. "Cemal was seriously injured in our last battle. I can't ask him to participate in this one for his clan has declared that no warrior of Isinii is to join a battle wounded. If we are to maintain their support throughout the war, we have to abide by their conditions. But, no need to worry my friend. We have been doing these raids even before the Isinii began to lend their warriors!" Though he had to admit that Cemal surely made things easier for them.
As the strike force was on its way Yakup entered the tent only to find another guard. "You imbecil! Didn't I tell you to bring wate-!?!..." He fell on the ground, blood spilled on the sand from his slit throat. The young hunter wiped his dagger while examining the hidden tent. The guard inside was Illixian and his fancy equipment stashed back in the tent meant he was new here. No experienced person would bring plate armour to the desert. Mattheus and his bodyguards were definitely here. It didn't take long for Yakup to find the entrance to the underground compound. Ismail knew the area was made of limestone beneath the sand and the nearby oaisis meant there was ground water. 'Captain was right! Illixians have settled in a large cave complex.'
The company quickened their pace when they saw Yakup's signal. The path was clear; they had secured the element of surprise. Ismail ordered his men to prepare for battle. The imperial troops removed their tribal robes and revealed their armor, except for ten soldiers who mixed with the flanking teams. This was imperative in Ismail's plan. They all unsheated their weapons and begin entering the tent. Yakup bolted into the caverns to scout his comrades' path.
Once the soldiers entered the caves they no longer bothered with silence. The imperial troops quicky took formation in the middle while the tribesmen divided into two groups and positioned themselves at the flanks. Cengavers had caught their opponents at sleep and intended to deliver them a rude awakening. They marched forward hitting their weapons at their shields, shouting, taunting the enemy, for they didn't want to kill them in their beds. The imperials were proud warriors and wished to defeat their enemies in fair combat. The initial secrecy was to prevent Mattheus from escaping at the first sign of trouble. Now the Illixian lord had to fight his way out. Just like Ismail wanted.
"We're under attack!"
"Sound the alarm!"
"Get up you lazy bastards! To arms!"
After a few moments of chaos about two hundred mercenary tribesmen gathered before the strike force, there were a few Illixian troops with them. An Illixian officer spoke to the tribe leader next to him. "Now its the time you earn your payment. Strike at their left wing and open gap so your lord can reach safety. Charge!" After the order was given the mercenaries divided into four groups. The first three groups advanced to face the strike force while the fourth group, composed of archers, remained behind.
The middle group of the three, which was going to face the imperial troops, was the largest. Ismail noticed their unit distrubution was uneven. 'The left side of the group will detach and charge at Gazi Hasan's men. He seems to have noticed it as well.' The seasoned captain was quick to notice that this was a tactic used by the desert tribesmen when mounted and in open field. Yet, the ones they were facing were not only dismounted but they were also fighting in a relatively narrow environment, which forced them to execute a frontal assualt rather than highly mobile flanking attacks. The mercenaries stood no chance head on against the disciplined imperial soldiers with heavy armor.
Archers began shooting arrows at the intruders, but bone arrowheads simply bounced from the imperials' metal shields. Although the troops had weak spots in their shield wall the mercenaries were not excellent marksman. They paid the price when parts of the shield wall opened and imperial archers killed sixteen of them in a single volley. The shields then closed up before the merceneries could retaliate.
Ismail ordered his troops to slowly shift their positions to the left; this was executed in such skill that the merceneries couldn't realize it until it was too late. Just before the infantry clashed another volley arrows, this time aided by the flanking teams as well, took the lifes of twenty four warriors. It was time.
"Show no mercy men. Today we take no prisoners. For the Sultan, CHARGE!!!"
The rest was simply men slaughter...
In four minutes the mercenaries were routed. A few in the front lines who survived the massacre surrendered. Alas, they were cut down and the ones who tried to run away got shot by arrows. The rest managed to escape to the inner chambers. The soldiers just followed their orders; no prisoners were taken. Cengavers suffered only nine casualties, two of them dead, while the enemy suffered almost eighty dead.
"Halt! Good job men! Everyone take a breather and tend the wounded. We renew our attack in five minutes."
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers at the back lines went forward and took position at the tunnel enterences, while the others rested. After about five minutes they were ready for action. The wounded that stayed behind looked at their comrades with envy. They were going to miss the real battle.
Suddenly Yakup appeared out of the shadows. Ismail was glad for he didn't want to venture unprepared into the tunnels. He spoke to the young tribal warrior "Did you see any of their tunnel defences?"
"The tunnels are undefended captain. Although I found something important. Follow me sir." Yakup led the captain to loose pile of debris at the wall rock. After clearing it a secret passage was revealed. "It seems they hastily tried to cover it before the fight. And I found a rough map of the compound on an Illixian officer. This passage must lead up to a terrace which overviews the hall after the tunnels."
Ismail was impressed by the defensive network of the outpost. This compound was definitely the largest one built ever since the beginning of the war of attrition. "So they set a trap for us... Well then, tell Hasan and Ferhat to combine their warriors and head up for the terrace. We'll strike after they reach their destination." Yakup bolted to deliver the captain's message. Soon the tribesmen were entering the secret passage and Cengavers were going through the main tunnel.
"I don't think we'll make it Neil. You saw them just now. Maybe we should surrender."
"Stop thinking like that! You saw what they did to the ones who surrendered. The only thing left for us is to fight. They'll come down the hall and we'll hunt them one by one. Simple as that."
"Yeah, you're right. We beat the imperials before and we can do it again- Look OUT!"
"What the? ARRGGHH!"
He was only the first casualty. The tribesmen poured out of the chamber next to the terrace and attacked the unsuspecting Illixian archers. Most of them died before even drawing their melee weapons and the ones who managed to do so put up a great fight. Eleven tribesmen died before they could take complete control of the terrace. Luckly the terrace was fortified against missile attacks from below which protected them from the furious rain of javelin and arrows coming from the enemy in the hall. As soon as the area was secure Koca Ferhat ordered his men to equip the bodkin arrows of the dead Illixians. Now the defenders were trapped.
Judging from the shouts ahead Ismail came to the conlusion that the terrace was captured. He knew he had to act before the Illixians tried to recapture it. "It looks like our foe never learn from mistakes. Let's give them another lesson!"
"FOR THE EMPIRE!"
At the same time the enemy in the hall had broken their formation to face the new threat above. Therefore when the Cengavers charged in they were caught pretty bad. The Illixians along with the mercenaries had the numbers with them, but now with the tribal archers positioned up the tables had turned against them.
As the bloody battle went on shady figure was observing the fight from a hidden window. He knew he could turn the tide of battle single handedly. Yet he wanted to be sure. A man with black cloak approached him. The scientist was shivering and spoke in a manner that truely reflected his fear.
"My lord, we can't let the imperials get their hands on our secrets. I humbly ask your permission to destroy all files and experiments before they're discovered."
Mattheus thought for a moment, burning everything would mean a huge setback in their plans, but it had to be done. "You have my permission. Be quick though, it won't be long before we're overwhelmed."
The scientist was stunned by his lord's statement. The chance of being defeated yes, but being overwhelmed? That seemed like an exaggeration considering Mattheus himself. "But milord, why-?"
"I'm not sure but he might be there somewhere waiting for me to reveal myself."
"Don't worry my lord. I'll send a few baits to draw him out."
"Send in only a few. I don't want to waste precious agents."
"Yes milord." The scientist bowed and left the room with much more confidence than before.
Mattheus again turned his attention to the battle. He continued to examine each and every single enemy soldier on the field, looking for that single person with his silver eyes.
Yakup was watching the battle from a safe distance. He had strict orders that forbid him from engaging in combat. Though he wished to join his comrades he was aware of the importance of his role. He looked carefully at the object he was holding. It was a small metal shard tied to a thin thread. Yakup wondered how such a small thing saved hundreds of lives in the last six years. Suddenly the metal shard was pulled by a force. The pendulum was pointing wildly in several directions, all in the battlefield. Yakup shouted with all his might.
"YOMA!!!"
To be continued...
Next: Act 2, A Warrior's Death