Chapter One: "The Nightmare that is Tereme"

Absolute silence. That was all that could be heard in the formerly happy, quaint, prairie village of Tereme on this blazingly hot, humid summer day where the air shimmered with heat and the rare winds that blew through only seemed to make the irritate matters worse. Mind, the heat of the summer day wasn't what presently made Tereme so quiet or had made it so during the last week. No, the humidity wasn't what had all of the buildings currently locked down, shades drawn and devoid of noise.

No, on this particular, heated day, there were worse things for the hiding villagers to fear.

During the course of the past week, the villagers of Tereme had suddenly begun to experience unpredictable murders in the streets. Those in question that'd been murdered had been gruesomely ripped open. And as for those folk who had thought about leaving the land to be anywhere else than in Tereme during the last few days, they had mysteriously disappeared on the road without a trace in the general area too.

Now… well for the last few days actually since the community had gone into lockdown until help would hopefully arrive in any form, no one was sure if they would be picked next or not. Picked next for what, one would wonder? Obviously for the daily ritual. The grim ritual that had been started the day after Tereme had sent out messengers for help from the outside world and had then gone into lockdown.

Indeed, since that described day Tereme had sent out messengers, several non-human beings had begun to go around breaking down house doors where the people inside were dragged out into the street kicking and screaming… and devoured by their captors before everyone's very disbelieving eyes.

On the day that Tereme had sent out cries of help to the outside world and people were kidnapped from their locked up homes by beasts, all of the villagers had then realized what kind of crisis they'd been facing since last week; Yoma, hunters of man, monstrosities of upmost evil, were present.

It'd been four days since Tereme had sent out messengers for help. During those days, the six Yoma who stalked the village streets had eaten around seventeen innocents. Now, after so many murders along with nightmares had been done to them, there were only two dozen villagers left living in their homes today. And soon enough, with the sun presently rising towards noon, the number of survivors would dwindle once more. For as usual, the ritual would commence at noon; the bestial ritual where the Yoma would pick a house or two, invade it and then… no one liked to think about the rest.

As for the Yoma whom had been plaguing Tereme for the last number of days without trouble, who had the settlement in a complete knot of fear today as they'd planned right from the start of their efforts, the six of them were currently in their male human forms while sitting on the roof of the highest house in the community. They were eagerly observing the sun rising into the heavens, wicked smiles on their faces and twinkles in their slitted eyes all the while.

The time was approaching… the time that they would be able to have some fun with the remainder of Tereme's already tormented populace.

Sitting highest amongst the sun gazing yoma on the rooftop was a scrawny yet devious looking figure. From the start of the murders of Tereme's people to this very day, he was known as Bacrast, the leader of the demonic hunting pack around him. And seeing as how effective if not successful this operation had been against the village thanks to his sinister mind, perhaps he would remain the cunning leader if the pack was willing to stay together in the future.

"It won't be long now, fellas." Bacrast rasped to his crew in his very inhuman voice while still looking like a human, his smile widening a bit in the sunlight, "The day is getting hotter, the sun is getting higher, my appetite is getting bigger. Tell me, Henit, do you have any special morsel in mind for today?"

Henit, the larger if not brutish specimen of Yoma amid his cruel fellows at the moment, cackled at his boss's ill question. He flexed his large, clawed hands in front of his face while he spoke his mind to his eager companions. "Oh yes, I actually do have a certain morsel in mind, Bacrast. You know, yesterday, I was bringing my last meal out into the street when I saw someone watching me from a nearby window."

"Really now? A human was watching you?" Bacrast snickered, his eyes alight with vileness, "I suppose it quickly scurried off when it noticed you had seen it, right?"

"That's the thing. The human that watched me didn't run or hide or anything. She didn't even look away when I put on a show of eating my catch. She was a little thing, a child I do say. She was a female that had the look of a doll." Henit sneered, smiling even bigger as he told his sick story, "So, today, while you all go off and do your hunting, I'm going to see about catching me a doll. I'll know her when I see her and if I see any of you trying to ruin my fun, I'll ruin you! Got it?"

"Yes, yes, we understand you, Henit. Keep your temper in check." Bacrast laughed eerily, his voice carrying over the gravely quiet town like a raven cawing over a graveyard, "You can have your doll to play with while the rest of us go and play with the grown-ups. How does that sound?"

There was sneering, ominous laughter from the group of roof sitting Yoma at Bacrast's comment of "doll playing" meant to grind a bit at Henit's status. Henit, knowing his place with his leader, merely snorted to himself before looking back over the village at his mercy. Finally the mirth from the demons died down and they all focused back onto the rising sun.

Soon… Very soon… Tereme would lose another few villagers to the viciousness of the senseless beings known as Yoma since ancient times. After four days of being trapped in their own homes, was there no hope for the people of Tereme? Were they doomed to be eaten one at a time until gone? Had the messengers who'd been sent out last week had any success in getting any kind of help to put an end to this nightmare?

As if thinking of what means could possibly put an end to their rule over Tereme, the lean Yoma called Pasnar curiously asked of his leader, "Boss, I don't mean to question your or anything but why are we always waiting for noon to come around to devour a bit of this village? It's been some days since these humans sent out those scouts for help and we all know we didn't get them all. So… why don't we just finish off everyone here today and move on before any trouble shows up?"

"You mean why don't we move on before one of those half breed Claymore wretches shows up? We don't do that, Pasnar, because I'm the one who is in charge. Remember that." Bacrast growled back, giving his worried minor along with curious crew a dangerous glare, "You're thinking only like a Yoma, Pasnar, you fool. So think about this instead. Since our coming to this place we've had plenty to eat. For the last number of days, we've grown supremely strong together as a result. And seeing as we're so strong, why would we fear any Claymore that comes our way? They usually travel alone. Thus, it'd be easy to pick a lone half breed off with our combined strength."

"That… makes sense." Pasnar admitted, awkwardly scratching his head awkwardly at having had his fears shot down by his cunning leader, "Yeah, you're right, boss. We could definitely destroy a half breed if it came here to ruin our fun."

"Of course we could." Bacrast boldly declared, crossing his arms and looking superior, "In the meantime, I don't want to wipe out this village just yet. We have complete control over its fate and I oh so love this feeling of… domination we have on the humans here. Yes, it's not often that we get to eat when we want to and have some fun at the same time. And after we're done eating this village, we all can move on to another one."

"Staying together sounds like a plan." Henit stated instantly, cackling to himself at having caught on to his boss's unsaid plan, "If we keep doing to other villages what we've done to Tereme here, we won't have to worry about empty stomachs anymore. That's a fact. Ha ha!"

At the thought of them taking over other villages throughout the land, there was wicked laughter shared between the six unified Yoma sitting on the roof. How they – even as demons – could laugh at such a nasty thought as to eating innocent human villagers, only they could understand. Either way, their mirth was abruptly cut short when a seventh yoma of small yet swift stature leaped onto the roof and dashed to them at terrifying speed.

Being so small, the seventh yoma that had appeared to his laughing brethren, the one called Swiffle, was undoubtedly the weakest of the bunch. However, as he'd become known by his kin during the taking over of Tereme, he was clearly the fastest and thus was best suited to scouting out the area along with keeping issues in check while the rest of his kind lounged about waiting for some fun.

Either way, weakest or not, fastest or not, Swiffle came to a screeching halt before the curious eyes of his fellows. Through his panting, his obvious excitement, he had something to say that got all of the yoma quickly on their feet in turn.

"Bacrast! Boss!" Swiffle grunted, looking very enthusiastic and perhaps anxious about something, "There's – there's – there's something coming up the eastern road towards our village!"

"What? Something is coming our way?" Bacrast wondered curiously, standing up with his puzzled brethren following his example, "Not someone?"

"Augh, no, no, no, blast it – it – it – it wasn't something I saw." Swiffle snorted, shaking his head and trying to control his shaking body, "It was someone, like you said. Someone, a traveler maybe, is walking along the east road towards Tereme. It cannot be just an ordinary traveler or soldier or human though because I felt a monstrous aura from it and I thought it could be one of our kind coming our way but no, this someone is a human. It's dressed all like one and looks like one and-"

"Shut up with your muttering and grumbling and stuttering and rambling! Tell me, does this traveler carry a large sword, Swiffle? A claymore?" Bacrast questioned coldly, ignoring how all of his brothers intently looked at him in turn, "Well?! Don't stand there gawking! Does our coming guest carry a claymore or not?!"

"Yes." Swiffle admitted, "But not just one, boss… It's got two on its back."

"Two? The half breed has got two claymores?" Henit wondered, looking to Pasnar in confusion, "Never heard that one before."

"Be it two swords or not, a half breed is a half breed and we are stronger than ever. There's seven of us and only one of her." Bacrast declared boldly, rallying his brethren for a fight, "Trust me, we'll rip her apart with ease by today's end-"

"Er, boss, if it's a claymore we're talking about then it's not a female half breed that's coming down the road towards us." Swiffle muttered, wringing his hands together, "It was… It felt like it was a male."

"A male? Not female?" Bacrast repeated, feeling a bit taken off guard, "A male claymore, eh? Well, now I've heard it all. And soon enough, after we all rip him apart, I'll have seen it all."

After he finished speaking, Bacrast began to show his true form to his demonic brothers. The guise that was his human shape began to twitch, convulse, twist into the more muscular, sinewy, powerful form that was his yoma identity. His arms bulged with muscles, his legs lengthened, his height grew by several feet, his face jutted a bit outwards, his eyes shined golden and his teeth morphed into the sharpest of fangs.

Within several heartbeats, Bacrast was no longer human. From the start, naturally, he'd never been human but now he did not even look the part. He was now fully himself. He was a living nightmare as was his pack whom had morphed with him.

"Alright boys, we're going to be having company. Not exactly the best kind of company, mind." Bacrast chuckled in a withering kind of voice that only the yoma could produce, a voice that would only be heard during a human's bad dream but made reality now, "Of course, I'm not the kind of guy who appreciates unannounced visitors. I'm going to show our guest the appropriate greeting in turn. Coming along?"

There were roars of approval from the six other yoma. With a smile of his fangs, Bacrast declared, "Good, good. You all know what to do. Assume your positions. I'll see to our guest. When I need you – IF I need you – I'll give the signal."

There were grunts from the yoma. Then, within the blink of an eye, the demons had vanished.

Once more, the roof tops were empty and silence was all that could be heard throughout the vacant, hopeless town of Tereme. High in the sapphire blue, summer sky, the sun had just reached its zenith. Noon was at hand and thus, the ritual had begun.

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