Chapter 1: New Beginnings
"HELP!" the small child screamed clawing feebly at the ground. "Someone, please! Help me!"
"You're quite the fighter." The monster taunted as it raised the young child into the air over its tooth filled maw. "But I'm afraid it's time for you to die."
The creature released its grip on the child's leg sending her downward into the cavernous mouth. Sobbing and helpless, the tiny girl took what she thought would be her lasts panicked gasps of air before suffering a painful and agonizing death. Just as the monsters mouth had begun to close around the child's frame a gust of wind rushed just inches in front of the creature's mangled face.
"What the-" the monster said in utter shock. "What was that just now? Where did my meal go?"
The massive creature sat squatted in a fixed position, mouth agate. Its ugly head sat nestled between two large shell-like plates of armor that protruded from its brawny body. The dark green plating lined its back and the series of tails each with a razor sharp spike attached. An extra set of arms rested on the fore most part of its powerful legs.
"I'm starting to get very angry." It hissed baring the massive fangs within its mouth. "Just who the hell are you? I'll tear out your heart!"
The nimble figure dashed across the rocky terrain, skillfully leaping over every nook and cranny gaining distance between itself and the creature. Whilst it ran without falter, the small child, having slipped into a state of shock, clung with a vice grip onto her rescuer staring into the thin cloth covering that the stranger had wrapped around its head.
"Don't worry." The elegant voice of a woman sounded from just behind the linen make-shift mask. "You're safe now."
"It's a monster!" the child cried clinging even harder to her savior. "He'll catch us! Just like he caught the others! Are we going to die!?"
The stranger brought her swift stride to a complete halt on the eastern side of a small fault she had leaped with no real effort. With utmost care she knelt down and helped the child break the terrified squeeze from around her midsection. She raised her arm and pulled down the dusty grey linen mask from her face. Two brilliant silver eyes beamed brightly upon the face of the adolescent. "Do not worry." She said with a smirk. "He's not as tough as he looks."
"He's coming!" the child cried in horror. "Don't let him eat me!"
"Hey you!" the monster barked pointing its gigantic hand towards the silver-eyed woman. "You should have kept to yourself! Now you get to die!"
"Sorry," the woman started still smiling casually. "But I'm not ready to die."
The moon shone brightly onto the scene that continued to unfold below the starry sky. The brilliant silver eyes of the woman blazed like fire on the cold winter night. The warmth that she emitted was only more evidence of the flame that burned in those silver eyes that had witnessed so many monsters put to death before the hideous beast she now faced. A strong, cold gale blew, pushing the short pale-blonde hair elegantly flowing northward, all the while her hypnotic sights set on the foe before her. Though she was hardened by years of battle, the soft and graceful undertone of a woman was more than palpable in those frightening eyes. Slowly she moved her right foot backwards and shed the dark blue cloak that canvased her lean body. The black one piece outfit she wore was easily the most appropriate attire she possessed being short in length and light upon the body. A single leather strap ran from her left shoulder to her right hip hugging the curvature of her feminine figure. If it weren't for the massive broadsword strapped tightly to her back, she would have been most enticing. But in the eyes of the monster that looked upon her she was death.
"No!" the creature cried staggering backwards, its golden eyes full of fear. "Claymore!"
"I'm afraid so." She said calmly never for a moment breaking her fixated stare. "Now I must ask you something, Yoma."
"Please!" the yoma pleaded arms extended towards his oppressor. "Spare me witch! The pain of hunger is heavy within my stomach! I feed only to live! Nothing more. You know I speak the truth!"
"Is that so?" the woman said. The expression on her face had grown cold. "So explain to me why you decimated that entire village."
"Wha-"
"Thirty-six villagers; all dead. Care to explain?"
"I had no hand in it! I've not eaten in ages!"
"I hope you're a better fighter than you are liar…or else this will be over quickly."
"No, please!" it pleaded inching away from those piercing silver eyes.
Faster than the creature could blink, the woman had drawn her sword pointing the tip of the flawless blade towards him. "I didn't come here to listen to a sob story unfortunately. Yoma prey on humans; it is the order of things, no? I defend humans. That too is a part of the order." The woman lowered the sword without taking her gaze away from the monster. "Now, then. You will tell me where you and your allies have come from."
The monster tilted its horned head. "Allies? What are you-"
"I'm talking about the two that followed me here: the one who slithers like a serpent that is moving in from the northern side on my right flank. The other is flying down upon me as we speak from the south on my left side." Turning slightly to the right, the woman moved faster than the creature had anticipated.
"You bitch!" the monster shouted unleashing the fury of its tail spikes onto where she had been standing. Her unparalleled speed and knowledge had already proved too much for the yoma who watched his powerful strike fail. "Tch!"
Airborne, the woman whipped her sword around her entire body in a fluent motion. As she had predicted another monster, in the odd form of some serpent-like beast sped onto the scene expecting to land a powerful clawed attack at the woman's head. Her heavy blade caught the creature in the base of its neck completely severing its head before it had a chance to know its failure. The third monster, a flying sort, lashed out with its own clawed appendage hoping for a killing blow. The speed of the lean woman easily outclassed even a flying yoma. Landing agilely upon the rocky ground, she evaded a second attack by the creature. After dodging she unleashed a series of sword strikes onto its scaly body before it could mount another attack. The torn corpse of the beast fell drenched in its foul blood upon the earth. Neither of the beasts had had time to even call out to their comrade.
"Ugh-" the monster sighed. "What is this? How is this possible? Your speed-"
The woman had hardly exhausted any amount of energy in the few seconds it had taken to dispatch the pair. She brushed her hair to one side and resumed her stance. "Now then, back to my question. Answer me truthfully and I may allow you to live."
The monster, hoping to appeal to the honor of a stout warrior, put aside the fear that gripped it. "What is it you wish to know, witch?"
"You are the first awakened being on this land in ten years. From where did you and your kin come?" Her eyes shifted from cold to inquisitive.
A convulsing of the heavy shoulders of the monster indicated its laughter. "Awakened being? Truthfully, it has been a while since we've heard that. The answer is simple: Uldava awaits you."
Squinting in irritation the woman's tone intensified. "What do you mean? If you refuse to speak clearly, I'll take your head now and be on my way. It makes no difference to me."
"You miscalculated, witch." The monster said burying its claws into the ground. "You counted only two. There were three!"
Whirling around, the woman managed to narrowly dodge a surprise attack by the fiend. Using the simple limb extension, the monster had sent its two primary arms through the earth for a surprise attack.
"GOT YOU!" he bellowed. With her back turned to dodge his clawed hands, the monster seized the opportunity and lunged with incredible speed at her open form.
"Fool." She whispered. "Taste the Quick Sword!"
The monster hardly had time to cry out before the lightning quick strikes of the Quick Sword fell upon his hardened body. In the past, the strikes would have done little against the huge creature's thick hide. But over the course of ten years, the woman had perfected speed and strength as well as precision and accuracy of the technique. The body of the awakened being was obliterated in seconds. The flesh seemed to dematerialize into thin air as the woman sliced each chunk finer and finer till there was hardly any substance to its lifeless body.
The strong wind continued to blow on the cold winter night. The fragments of the creature's body had all but vanished in the darkness. Having hardly used any effort, the woman skillfully sheathed her blade and turned back to the small child she had rescued from the awakened being. The brown haired, green eyed child was no more than seven years of age huddled in a small ball only a few yards away from where the battle had just taken place. Her grey night gown was smeared in the blood of someone she had probably held dear to her heart before the yoma entered the village that night. The woman, being sympathetic to the victims of such tragedies slowly walked toward her and sat down next to her head. She placed a comforting had upon the child's face and allowed her perfectly regulated body heat to transfer into the child who was shivering from a mix of fear and the early signs of hypothermia. Tears ran down the small face minus the sounds of actual crying.
"It's alright. It will all be alright, child." The woman said patting the girl's head.
Sniffling, the child's eyes rolled upward to stare into the face of the woman who had delivered her from the hands of death only to be brought into the despairing realization that her family and friends had been totally consumed by the awakened being that ravaged the village. The truth of the matter had not settled within the child and, the woman knew, that it would merely haunt her for the greater portion of her life. "Where's…where's sister?" she said in the smallest voice. "Where's father? Did you save them too? I didn't see where they went."
The woman sighed heavily having experienced the heavy heartedness of such a travesty before. Telling a small child that they would never see their family again seemed to suck the life right out of anyone who was unlucky enough to defeat the yoma responsible and save the victim. "You must forget about this night." She cooed softly stroking the girl's hair. "You must forget all of what you saw. Your life will be different, but do not worry. You are not alone, child."
The small girl wiped her nose with the forearm of her sleeve. "Are they…are they gone?" she asked in the squeaking voice. "Are they all gone?"
Looking away, the woman could not bear to tell the young girl of the fate that her family had met at the hands of the awakened beings. She frowned for a second and turned back to the girl. "Wait…do you mean your family?"
"Are the monsters gone?" she said still shivering. "You made them go away, right?"
A warm smile grew upon the woman's face as she stared down at the child. "Yes, they are all gone now. They don't want to be around me you know."
"Can…can I stay with you? I need to find father and sister. I don't want those monsters to come back ever again."
"Of course you can. I'll take you with me as soon as I leave. But we have to wait till morning. Is that fine with you?"
Suddenly the child's tears stopped and a bubbly smile spread upon her face. "Yeah!" she said excited.
"You can use my cloak to sleep on. I'll stay beside you all night. Alright?" the woman said as the child nestled up closer to her.
"Ok." The girl laughed hugging her protector. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." The woman answered smiling.
"What's your name? Mine is Layna."
"Layna? What a pretty name." the woman said wrapping one arm around her new friend to comfort her. "I'm Clare."