Caprice
Author's Notes:
This story starts after the appearance of The Destroyer and after Priscilla had left Raki.
She was so close. She took another breath. That scent for which she had clung to her companion for seven years was now stronger than ever. She dashed through the grassy floor of the forest. Her bare feet trampled sharp rocks and broken sticks, but they didn't bother her. Such things couldn't pierce her skin. She was so happy she could almost laugh. When she gorged herself after seven years of abstinence, the pleasure she felt was unrivaled. It was orgasmic. Even memory of that feeling made her skin crawl. She stayed hungry for seven years just so that boy wouldn't leave her. And when realized she no longer needed him, that she no longer needed to starve, she indulged her pent-up desire. The town became a feast. How she wished she could relive those electrifying minutes. Her thoughts were clouded by euphoria. Even the worst meat must have tasted good.
She remembered the boy's face and his cries as she jumped from man to woman, and from woman to child, grabbing entrails by hand and cramming them into her mouth. Did he really think she would listen to him? She was so hungry. Perhaps he was lucky that the first salvo of spikes from that creature had incapacitated him. If he had tried to physically restrain her while she fed, she might not have been able to keep her hands off him. She remembered his prone and bleeding form. He was so fragile and helpless. And yet for years he tried to act as her protector. And for years she played along. It was laughable.
She didn't hate him. If she did he would be dead. He amused her. Perhaps she was even a bit fond of him. Such feelings weren't surprising. Anyone would get attached to something they've had for seven years. Regardless, it no longer mattered. She was done with him. He should be grateful that she left him with his life and even with a piece of her arm to ward off the infection. Though his scream suggested she should have been more gentle. In her high after the feast she had forgotten his delicacy.
She laughed. Those times were fun. But now she was looking forward to something far better. The source of the scent was just a dozen metres ahead. She put strength into her legs and leapt. She landed in a clearing. Three Claymores were staring at her. They were panting. Two of the three raised their swords. The last was kneeling on the ground. It seems they had just fought something.
A few seconds passed. None of them moved. Were they afraid of her? She didn't blame them. Her tattered cloak was drenched in blood. There was a crust of that stuff on her hair too and there were dried streaks of it across her face. Besides, her power had no equal. They must at least be able to realize that much.
Suddenly the Yoki of the one in the middle surged.
"I finally found you!" that one growled. Her face was deforming and her voice strained. "Priscilla!"
She didn't recognize that woman, but apparently that woman recognized her.
That woman leapt at her. She was coming down with her sword.
Way too slow.
Priscilla's foot connected with her stomach. She gagged. Before the woman's body could hit the floor, Priscilla raised her leg and brought it down like an axe on the woman's head.
"Hold still for a moment." she told the prone Claymore. "I still don't know who you are."
She pressed that woman's head into the ground with her foot. She was still conscious. But that woman must realize that she could crush her head at any time in this position.
The prone Claymore did not make any silly attempts to escape but she was shaking. Was she angry or was she afraid? More importantly, who the hell was this Claymore? Nothing connected in Priscilla's mind. She thought that if she found the source of the scent, everything would fall into place. That she would feel fulfilled. But nothing had changed.
She caught sight of one of the statue's ejections barreling towards her. She put her hand in front of her body. The shaft crashed into her palm, and she reduced it to dust. That giant creature was annoying.
Priscilla jumped upwards. A sword wielded by a stretched arm flew past her. It seems they were trying to use the cloud of dust to cover their attacks. They couldn't face her head on so they were trying to land a couple of cheap shots. Pathetic. It's not as if that attack would have made a difference even if it had landed.
The Claymore who was prone jumped out of the cloud of dust. She swung upwards. Priscilla felt metal pass through her right shoulder. Her arm was severed. In exchange Priscilla's knee connected with that woman's chest. The Claymore smashed into the ground.
Priscilla looked at her right shoulder. Her arm had already regenerated.
"Claire! We have to get away!" she heard one of them shout. "This thing isn't something we can beat!"
Run? These people must be deluded if they think they could escape her.
She felt another surge in Yoki from the one she had knocked down. Her body was transforming into some black-skinned and bladed creature. It lunged towards her. She had gotten faster.
That creature had covered half the distance between them two when it suddenly stopped. It was growling. Did something happen? Priscilla was looking forward to that woman's awakened state. It could perhaps do something for her memories.
That creature's blades disappeared. It was a woman again.
What the hell was that?
Priscilla took this chance to kick that Claymore back to the ground.
This was disappointing and frustrating. How long had she spent trying to find the source of this scent? And now that she did nothing had changed. She knew nothing of her past.
That woman started building her Yoki again. Was she trying to return to her awakened state? It didn't matter. Priscilla would let her. She was willing to try anything to spark her memory.
"Claire! Stop this!" One of that woman's friends yelled, "Didn't you want to see Raki again?"
That name. Raki? Is that what she said?
Priscilla dashed to Claymore with the scent. She grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the ground.
"Do you know Raki?" Priscilla asked. Maybe she could get that woman to talk. Clearly that woman knew about her. If she told Priscilla what she knew, she might be able to remember something.
That Claymore did not say a word. She just glared back.
"A boy with light brown hair." She pressed further. It wouldn't be a stretch. Raki might have been looking for the woman whose scent he carried, and that woman might have been looking for him. "He's a bit taller than me." Priscilla smiled. "Well, that's now. If we are talking about the same one he used to be a lot smaller.
That woman didn't say anything but her eyes widened. It was the same one!
One of the Claymores tried to attack her with two swords. She dodged easily. Then Priscilla grabbed the attacking Claymore's right leg and tore it from her body. She screamed.
"Deneve!" The one that could stretch shouted. She ran towards Priscilla to protect her comrade. Priscilla sidestepped and punched a hole into that woman's chest.
The scented woman swung from behind. Priscilla tried to dodge but her left arm was cut from the elbow. With her right hand she grabbed that woman by the neck and smashed her back into the ground. She crushed that woman's chest with her knee. Priscilla's arm had regenerated. With her left hand she grabbed that woman's claymore and chucked it several metres.
Now with the other two out of the way, and with this one unarmed, she could finally get her to talk.
"I know you know Raki" Priscilla started. "He was looking for you."
That woman tried to turn her head. She wanted to see the state of her comrades. Priscilla tightened her grip and kept her eyes locked onto those of the woman beneath her. She wasn't going to let her turn her head.
"He really wanted to see you. I'll tell you about him if you tell me everything you know about me."
At this point Priscilla was desperate to find out anything she could from this woman. She wasted so much of her life trying to find this woman, and now that she had she didn't want to believe it was all for naught. Priscilla knew this was desperation because that woman could feed her lies and she wouldn't be able to tell truth from fiction.
Still that woman said nothing.
She slammed that woman's head against the ground. "Come on! Tell me!"
That woman didn't make a sound, not even one of pain.
So damn frustrating.
A thin wire emerged from each of the fingertips of Priscilla's left hand. Each of these wires penetrated deep into that woman's body. Priscilla knew how to be cruel. "You will tell me. You won't die before you do." That woman started groaning.
"Very small blades will project from those wires in your body. Your insides will get cut over and over and over again. But don't worry, I'll make sure you don't die. Just tell me what I want to know and I'll stop."
The groaning turned into screaming.
"Claire!" One of her friends yelled.
It was too bad neither of them were in any condition to move.
Twenty seconds passed. Then thirty.
"Hurry up!" Priscilla demanded.
Forty seconds. The screaming had gotten quieter. It was not because Priscilla was merciful, but rather because the woman had run out of breath. Fifty seconds. Sixty. Seventy.
Suddenly Priscilla spotted one of the statue's projectiles flying at her. She grabbed the screaming woman and jumped out of the way. Priscilla's right leg was destroyed.
So fucking annoying.
The shaft had landed a few metres away from her position. One of those creatures was emerging from it.
That statue was infuriating. She didn't know what it was, but it was the only being with Yoki comparable to her own. It was fortunate that it seemed to be brainless. She was going to kill that thing. As long as she didn't, there was always the chance that it would interrupt her. She would kill it, and then get back to her business here.
She released her Yoki. It felt immense and she transformed. She was a naked, one-horned creature. A muscular build and purple skin. She loved this form. It was so liberating.
She grabbed the creature that emerged from the shaft, and in a instant it disintegrated. Nothing of it was left. She walked to the scented woman. She grabbed her legs. They were disintegrated as well. That woman made a terrible shriek.
She did the same to that woman's two comrades. As it was, it didn't seem like they were capable of regeneration. None of these three were going anywhere. She would annihilate that statue, and then she would continue where she left off.
Priscilla watched her left arm as the bone formed, and then the muscles, and then it was all wrapped by skin. That statue or whatever it was, was destroyed. It was tougher than she expected, but nothing serious. She never once feared for her life. But that thing probably didn't either. It didn't seem capable of thought.
She had to go back to that scented woman. No matter how slim her chances, she had to find something of her memories. There was no way she was going to be left with nothing after she had finally reached her goal.
What the hell? This was where she had left them. There is no doubt this was the spot. The scars on the ground would confirm it. If they tried to get away they couldn't have gotten far. They were wounded and their regeneration seemed to be at its limit. She ran a circle around the area. She checked three-hundred metres in any direction from the spot they had left them.
Nowhere.
Could they have been eaten by Yoma. She didn't know. She didn't think there were others around. Could they have been rescued by their comrades. She didn't know. She didn't think anybody would approach this area.
Fuck!
Her Yoki and the Yoki of the statue were so large that she wouldn't have been able to notice anybody coming or going.
She was left with nothing. She didn't even know if the scented woman was alive. Priscilla shook her head. Even if everything had gone her way and that scented woman was lying here obediently, it was still likely nothing would have come of it. Even if that woman was alive and she found her, could she expect to get her memories?
She clenched her fist.
Judging from her experience after meeting the woman, probably not. Just over an hour ago she was sure she had reached her goal. And now she was as far as she ever was. No. She couldn't even say she was far. To be far one had to have a destination in mind. She no longer had a destination. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what direction to head.
How could she possibly make herself happy? Eating tasty meat? No. That was a base, animal pleasure. That wouldn't be enough. She didn't want to pointlessly wander for centuries as a creature that ate and slept. The prospect of such a hollow life terrified her.
Some of her most enjoyable memories were with Isley and Raki. She had fun with them. Maybe for now she should find them again.
She remembered the state in which she had left Raki. Bleeding, prone, and with two rods and an arm protruding from his back. She started running. How could she have been so careless? She had to take better care of the things that pleased her! She was still in her awakened form. She was dashing. She had to get to that town. She had to get to Raki. She doubted he could move in that state. If he was attacked he couldn't even run.
The forest wasn't far from that town. She was almost there. Could she sense him? Of course not. He didn't have any Yoki.
She ran past the entrance and into the town. She slowed down. There were mutilated corpses and debris sprawled all over. It was just as she left it. Where was he?
She walked to the place she had left him.
No...He wasn't there. She looked left and then to the right. She couldn't see him. She looked behind her. Maybe she had missed him. She hadn't. Where the hell was he? There was no way he could walk. She wandered around the vicinity. She checked any corner she could find. Maybe he had crawled to some niche to hide and protect himself. A few minutes passed in this way. She found nothing.
Why was she so unlucky? First the scented woman yielded nothing. And now she lost the boy as well. She shouldn't have left him in that state. It didn't seem like a bad decision at the time. She thought the source of the scent would have quenched her unending desire. It didn't. And now without aim, she could think of nothing better to do than finding Isley and Raki. She knew she was fickle. She had every right to be. Her strength was unmatched. No one could deny her anything.
But still, if she didn't know where Raki had gone or worse, if he was dead, her strength couldn't exactly get him for her. It was so frustrating, she couldn't seem to grab anything she wanted. She wished the boy was more like Isley. She hadn't seen that man in years, but she was fairly sure he was fine. Isley was strong and could take care of himself. On the other hand, she could already think of a dozen ways the boy could have ended up as a corpse in the short while they had been separated. He was annoyingly breakable.
She was still looking in nearby crevices. She looked for debris that could be used as shelter. There was no sign of him. There weren't even any witnesses that could tell her where he went.
She walked back to the spot she had left him. She was getting angry.
She noticed something. She brought her face closer to the ground. From the place he had occupied there was a thin line of parted dust and debris. Now that she took a closer look she also spotted a bunch of faint foot prints around him.
Someone got to him before her. He was probably dragged off. The line was made by his trailing boots.
She followed the footprints and the trail to the best of her ability. It was faded but it clearly headed towards the western entrance of the town. She got to that entrance. The hoof prints and the thick lines on the dirt road suggested the presence of a cart.
Damn thieves! It was their misfortune to have stolen from her. If she found them they would know their mistake regardless of the boy's state.
She rushed along the dirt road. She was still in her awakened state. Even if they started an hour before her she would eventually reach them. She was quicker than any horse. She ran along that lone dirt road. It didn't seem to branch anywhere. At least not yet. Hopefully it stayed that way. If they were on a cart, this is the only road they could have taken.
How much time had passed? Ten minutes? Twenty minutes? It felt longer. Nothing went her way today. She would be damned if she couldn't fulfill this desire either.
She saw a cart in the distance heading towards her. There was no way Raki was in there. The cart she sought was heading away from the town not towards it. Still, it wouldn't hurt to check. She stopped in front of the cart. The horse shrieked and raised its front legs. She grabbed it by the neck and tore off its head. She wouldn't want it to run.
The coachman stared at her terrified. He tried to jump of his seat and run. She let him, she didn't have time for him. In the back there were four passengers. They had already gotten off the cart and had started to run into the field. Two were middle aged women and the other two were hooded figures. She darted to the first hooded figure and she grabbed it. The second wasn't too far and she managed to grab the arm of that one. She took off the head covering of the first. It was a young woman. She did the same for the second. It was a young man. But not the one she was looking for.
Damn!
They were both struggling to escape from her grip. The young woman was yelling. She released them and continued dashing along the dirt road. They were lucky she was short on time.
Every minute that passed she became less hopeful. What if she never found him? What would she do? She didn't know. She had no aim. Maybe then she would look for Isley? Would Isley be disappointed if she lost Raki? Probably not. That man seemed to get along well with the boy, but it was hard to tell with Isley. But that wasn't the issue. This was a matter of her pride. She considered herself peerless. It was embarrassing and aggravating being unable to satisfy her wants. If she lost that boy she would be disappointed in herself.
A couple hundred metres before her was a wagon. It was heading away from the town. Wait, there were actually two wagons. Was this it? They were both fitted with beige canvas covers. She couldn't see what they carried.
She put power into her legs and leapt. She landed before the wagon in front. She wouldn't allow either of them to escape. She stabbed her hand through the skull of the horse that drew the first wagon.
"Help!" The coachman yelled. "Please! Help!"
She sensed something. Two Claymores jumped out of the back of the front wagon. They ran towards her. So slow. They seemed even weaker than the ones she fought earlier. The quicker one swung her blade horizontally. Priscilla stepped forward and stopped the swing by grabbing the sword handle with her left hand. With her right hand she jabbed her fingers into the woman's neck. They entered from the front and poked out the back. Priscilla withdrew her hand, that woman fell to the floor.
The second Claymore didn't attack, she just stood there. Was she petrified? Too bad. Priscilla leapt towards her. Priscilla's calf collided with that woman's head. It was torn from her shoulders. She noticed the driver running. A wire shot from one of her fingers. It pierced the man's heart.
She made her way to the back of first covered wagon. She pulled aside the flap. Just a single man in black was sitting on a bench.
"Damn it!" she muttered.
The man tried to move back. His shoulder pushed against the canvas cover. He couldn't retreat any further. Priscilla stood at the only exit. He was trapped. A wire shot from her index finger, it made a fist-sized hole in his head.
She looked over her shoulder. The second wagon had almost finished turning around. It looked like they were planning to run. As if they could. Thick wires, almost tentacle-like appendages, shot from the fingers of her right hand. They severed the legs of the horse and then the body of the driver.
A lone Claymore jumped out of the back of the second wagon. She appeared to be shaking. She along with her comrades were probably new and low ranking fighters. Priscilla walked towards the Claymore. With every step Priscilla took, the Claymore took a step back. She didn't have time for this. She lunged forward and punched that woman in the chest. She felt bones shatter. That woman flew a few metres. She didn't rise. Raki better be in this wagon. She pulled aside the flap.
There was an elderly, disfigured man in black. Opposite to him on another bench was a second, younger man in black. Priscilla's eyes moved to something at the back of the wagon. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
It was the boy. He was seated on the bench. His ankles were bound. His hands were tied behind his back. His eyes were closed. And he was leaning against canvas for support.
He appeared to be breathing. She felt calmer. She found what she wanted. Wires came out of fingers. The two men in black were decapitated. Then she cautiously wrapped those wires around the bindings on the boy. She cut them.
The boy moved his freed limbs, but barely. He didn't stir from his position. She transformed into her human form. Her cloak had been destroyed when she had awakened, and now her body was bare.
"Raki" she said.
The boy tilted his head. He was trying to find the source of the voice.
"Raki, I'm sorry." Her voice conveyed no remorse.
Was she sincere? Not really. She didn't care that she ate those townsfolk. That was natural. But she was sorry that she left him unattended in that state. She should have hid him somewhere so it would have been easier to grab him later. She supposed hindsight always allowed better decisions. Back then she didn't know she would still want him.
"Who...are you?"
What? What the hell was he saying? She did appear a bit older than the girl he was used to, but he should still be able to recognize her.
"It's hard to to see your face," he whispered. His eyes weren't fully open, and they seemed unfocused. The blood loss must have been taking its toll. Priscilla saw that the rods were still protruding from his body. She sensed that the fragment of her arm she stabbed into his back was there as well.
She couldn't believe it. Was he going to die from something so stupid after the effort she put into finding him? Why did he have to be so frail?
She put her knee on the floor of the wagon and reached inside. With care she pulled him closer to the exit.
"It's Priscilla." she said.
"...Priscilla?"
"Yes, it's me. I'm sorry."
What if he didn't forgive her? What if he wanted nothing to do with her? Well, it would be irritating after the work it took to find him. She supposed she could force the words "I forgive you" out of his mouth, and she could forcibly keep him around, but it wouldn't be the same. He was fun as a companion because he was a human that stayed willingly.
"I have no right to forgive you. It was the townspeople you wronged, not me."
Priscilla turned her eyes away. What was she going to do?
"But I won't -" he started and abruptly paused. His lungs demanded a break. He resumed, "I won't blame you. It was my fault too, I knew eventually you couldn't hold back. I just thought-"
He stayed silent. Did he lose consciousness?
"-when that time came, we would be alone, only I would die. I was such an idiot."
Did he really think there was carnage because she couldn't hold back anymore. She smiled. Even if she couldn't bear the hunger, a single human would have been enough to ward off the desire. The only reason she indulged herself before him was because she didn't think she'd need him anymore. Oh well, it was better for both her and him that he stayed confused.
So, did he forgive her? He didn't say so directly, but he didn't reject her either. It was good enough.
She supported him with one of her hands so that he didn't fall from the bench. How much longer would he survive. She had no idea. He might die in thirty seconds. Or he might last a whole day. She really didn't know.
What could she do? He couldn't regenerate and she didn't know how to treat a human. She looked at the rods in his body. They were the source of the wound. She could pull them out. But if she did, he would probably start bleeding even more. She wished Isley was with them, he seemed to know how to handle these things.
What could she do?
She had to find another human. They knew how to treat their own.
Where should she head? The nearest community was the town from which she had come, but there was no one there. The nearest community after that would be...Rabona! Yes, there were tons of humans there. One of them must know how to heal him.
She grabbed the boy's arm and prepared to put him on her back. Then she realized she was naked. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it might cause a problem in that city. She didn't want unnecessary trouble. She looked at the two headless corpses in the wagon. She stripped the man whose clothes looked least stained, and she put on those clothes. She tore a piece from the clothes of the second man and used it as head covering. Hopefully no Claymores would spot her.
With that done, she put the boy on her back. Even though she had grown, he was still bigger than her. But he wasn't hard to carry. She put his arms over her shoulders and she grabbed his thighs. Wires extended from her fingertips and they gently tied his body to hers. It was annoying that she would have to control her speed and strides. She didn't want to jolt him too much.
She sensed something. Oh? She looked at the last Claymore she had punched. She was immobile but she still had a faint Yoki. Was she trying to play dead? With the boy on her back she walked towards the fallen Claymore. There were tears on that woman's face. She was noiselessly crying. Must have been a new recruit.
"Don't be so pathetic." Priscilla told her.
That Claymore's eyes widened when she realized she had been found out. That Claymore threw away the sword that was still in her hand. Then with both her hands she struggled to raise herself. If appears her chest was still shattered. She was only able to lift herself a few centimetres from the ground. Her knees were still on the floor. That woman's arms were shaking. Then she bowed her head.
"Please! Have mercy!" the woman pleaded. "You're not like other Yoma! I heard you talking to that human! Please! You're reasonable! You have a conscience! Please have mercy!"
"Who is this?" the boy weakly asked Priscilla. It appears he still couldn't see.
"Just a thief." she answered.
"Don't-" Before the boy could finish his protest she stomped on that woman's head. It collapsed like a watermelon.
Author's Notes:
I hope you enjoyed reading these few pages I had written. While I was watching and reading Claymore, I wanted the story to go in a certain direction, but unfortunately for me it didn't. During Isley's final scenes it was shown that he cared for Raki and Priscilla in a certain way. I wished that the relationship between these three played more of a role in the story.
Anyways, this short work was just a product of me thinking about how this relationship could have played out. I didn't intend for this be a long story, and I had planned to leave it at this one chapter. But I do think I have enough ideas for one more chapter, and I'll release it as soon as I'm done. I'll admit that I am a slow writer, so don't think of me as a liar if you don't see anything for a while.
Also, credit for the cover image goes to Unidecimo on DeviantArt. I love the colouring.