(Well, here's the second chap of this thing? Thought the story was dead huh? Well you're wrong! Here's hoping that the anime gets a second season!)
Chapter 2: Allegiances…
The three of them look at me with disbelief in their eyes, and I smirk, shaking my head.
"At least, that's what the Organization wants me to do…" I say, leaning against the cave wall.
"You mean…" Jean begins, and I nod.
"Your suspicions about me were correct." I say simply. "The Organization knew that three of you together could've dealt with this Awakened Being." I tell them. "They sent me along because you three weren't supposed to survive this battle." I admit to them. "If you did survive, I was supposed to make you three do all the fighting against the Yoma, and then kill you all after you were exhausted from the successful hunt."
Jean reaches for her sword, and Lisa steps between her and me.
"Wait…" She begins, and I see Jean loosen her grip, her fingers coming away from the hilt of the blade, her face relaxing, her arm dropping slightly.
Lisa turns and faces me, knowing that Jean will have to cut through her to get to me.
"You told me to leave the battle and join them, so you could fight it alone." She says. "With what you just told us, that's the opposite of what your orders were."
I nod.
"After spending some time with you three, I can't fathom why the Organization wants you dead, though I can imagine some of you have come close to Awakening."
I see all three of their eyes go wide at the statement.
"So, it's true then…" I say simply. "All three of you have come close to becoming an Awakened Being."
They all nod once, and I sigh heavily.
"So, you were sent to kill us."
I nod again.
"Since you three are close to Awakening, the organization looks at you three as unacceptable liabilities, and can't risk having more Awakened Beings come into this world." I tell them. "Among the Claymores numbered 1-4, I am called 'The Hand of the Elders' because I am given orders directly by the elder council of the Organization."
"So, what will you do with us, if you don't intend on killing us?" Jean asks.
I shrug.
"I hadn't figured that out yet." I tell her. "I was going to let you live, and I'd assume you would like revenge against the Organization that turned you into half Yoma monsters, and then casts you aside so easily, without even telling you."
The three of them nod, and I sigh again.
"We have options…" I begin. "I could report to the organization that you are all dead, and you can go into hiding until you can figure out the proper time to take revenge on the Organization." I tell them.
"What makes you think the Organization isn't spying on us now?"
I shake my head.
"If I weren't here, that would be a possibility, but because I'm here, their trust in me is absolute, they believe that I will carry out this mission without fail, and expect nothing less then success from me."
"What would we do then?" Ellie asks.
"You can do whatever you want." I tell her. "If you decide you don't want to take vengeance on the Organization, you can throw away your sword and disappear into the masses, living out the rest of your life peacefully without another Yoma battle." I tell them. "Or, you can decide to slay Yoma on your own, and sooner or later the Organization will figure out that someone is killing Yoma, with the description of a Claymore, and they'll send a high ranking Claymore after you, more then likely, it'll be me coming for you, and I won't be able to spare your lives again."
"So what then…" Jean begins. "If we believe what you're saying, then the best option is throw away our swords and try to live normal lives, but we can never live normal lives." She responds. "Our eyes and hair set us apart from everyone else, and since the description of a Claymore is so well known, we'll have to stay in hiding forever."
I shrug.
"It's your choice, the Organization made you this way, made you put your life on the line on a daily basis, fighting monsters for their own gain, while you do nothing but toil and suffer." I say with a hint of distaste in my voice.
"What says we can trust you?" Lisa asks. "You lied to us about your mission here, and now we're supposed to believe that one of the highest ranked Claymores has a grudge against the organization?"
I nod.
"You have no idea what the Organization has put me through, what they've done to my life, the way they've twisted me."
"Why don't you tell us then?" Jean asks.
I let out a sigh.
"I joined the organization when I was 7 years old, I was made a Claymore the minute I was joined, and for over 10 years, I was forced to train and fight, and I was experimented on like a piece of meat." I tell them. "The reason you never see me release my Yoma powers, even a tiny amount of them, is because unlike the rest of you, I cannot release only 10 percent of my powers, when I release my powers, I undergo an Awakening."
"Awakening…" They all mutter, and I nod.
"Like I said, I was experimented on before I was made active, and they experimented on me by pushing me to my limits, and then sacrificing another Claymore to bring me back to my senses." I tell them. "Eventually, they gave me mental conditioning, taught me to resist the bloodlust brought on by the Yoma inside me, by locking my emotions up, I learned to completely Awaken the Yoma within me, and bring myself back from an Awakened State." I tell them. "However, no matter how hard I try, I go into a berserk rage while I'm awakened, and I kill anything I see, which I why I made you leave my side then." I tell Lisa, and she nods her understanding. "It takes everything I have to comeback from my Awakened state, and afterward I'm physically and mentally exhausted."
"So, you use those powers for the organization, and you think that one day soon they'll send you a suicide mission to try and get rid of you."
I nod.
"I know that they will one day, sooner or later." I tell them. "When it gets harder for me to come back to a human form, to retain my sanity, they'll have me killed."
"So, we're all in the same boat, is that what you're saying?"
I nod.
"Essentially, yes."
I give them a moment to let that all sink in, and Jean is the first to speak.
"Before we decide on anything, I think it should be brought up that if we do try and revolt against the Organization, we'll all be deemed traitors…"
The four of us nod.
"That goes without saying, doesn't it?" Lisa asks.
"However, I don't know what would happen to the three of you if you were to return to the Organization along with me." I tell them. "I know that I would be punished, presumably I would be executed for failing to kill the three of you, as for what they'd do to you three, I can't imagine." I begin. "They wanted you dead without you realizing that they were trying to get rid of you, so I'd imagine they'd keep sending you on harder and harder jobs until eventually you lose your life."
They look to each other, and I can tell from the looks they all share that going back to the organization isn't an option.
"Personally, I'd like to prevent them from doing what they did to use to anyone else, I don't want to see another generation of women turned into monsters like us."
"So, that's why you want us to disappear for a while, until the time comes when we can strike the heart of the Organization, and burn it to the ground?"
I give a simple curt nod.
"Yes, that's exactly what I want."
Even as I stand here, part of me wonders why I haven't simply killed these three, and where these feelings of hatred and animosity toward the Organization are coming from. Just a week ago, I was a loyal warrior to the organization, I would've happily laid down my life for them, but now something's different, I feel these feelings of anger and a desire for revenge when I think about them, could it be that human's influence that's doing this to me?
"No matter what we do…" Jean's voice pulls me from my thoughts. "We've got a hard road ahead of us." She says. "If we decide to hide, throw away our swords and try to live normal lives, there are very few places that would accept us." She points out. "The changes to our bodies are permanent, and without the organization we can't get access to the medicine capable of changing our eye color so we can blend in."
"Yeah, plus we'd be putting the people around us at risk if a Yoma ever came, it would spot us in a moment, and try to kill us because of what we are, not to mention, if another Claymore ever comes around, or if we Awaken…"
None of them want to think about the last thing she mentioned, and neither do I.
I can't imagine what atrocities I would do if I ever lost myself to the Yoma power. In my awakened state, I could probably kill the current #1, but I'd be in a berserk state, attacking without rhyme or reason, without fear or even purpose…
I shake my head quickly, not even really rotating my head any. I look around at the three Claymores, and I can feel despair in Lisa's Yoki, anger in Jean's, and confusion in Ellie's, of all of them, I am the calmest, most assured of what I'm doing…
"Have you all come to decision?" I finally ask, pressing the issue.
I have to push them to decide now, because we won't have very long before I have to leave the mountains and make my return to the Organization to pull off a convincing lie…
Jean sighs, shaking her head slowly.
"I don't see any other choice…" She begins. "I'm all for bringing down the Organization." She finally says. "Like you Lucia, I don't want anyone else to have to go through what I went through when I joined…"
I glance toward Lisa, and then Ellie.
"What about you two?" I ask, continuing to press the decision. "Jean's chosen her path, will you choose yours?"
Ellie shakes her head violently.
"I can't do this, I just can't!" She finally says, panic and fear filling her emotions, and she takes off out of the cave at a full run.
"Wait you fool!" I yell after her as she leaves the mouth of the cave, and I curse to myself, pushing off the wall, grasping the hilt of my sword…
"Wait…" I hear Lisa's voice, and she stands up, putting herself between me and the mouth of the cave. "I'll go after her; I promise I won't let her leave the mountains."
I stand there a moment, chewing over the options in my head…
If the two of them leave the mountains and head for the village, someone is bound to see them, and that will destroy any chance of us ever getting the chance we need to put a stop the organization…
Then again, if I kill her to stop her, I'm only doing what I was ordered to do, and will weaken my own cause by one good soldier.
"Go…" I finally say. "Just don't let her get close to the mines or the Village, above all else, you cannot be seen."
Lisa nods and takes off, running out of the cave after Ellie. Leaving me alone with Jean, and I sigh heavily, pulling the sword from my back, I stab it into the ground and I sit down with my back against it, feeling helpless and hating every second of it…
I don't have a choice; I have to trust Lisa to stop Ellie and bring her back, even if they both decide to go their separate ways and try to live normal lives, there's nothing I can do to stop them. Everything I've said to them since I killed the Awakened being could be looked at as traitorous to the Organization, and mark me for execution…
"Well, I'm going to go set up a fire…" She begins. "It's rather cold and damp in this cave, and I wouldn't mind a little heat." She says. "Any objections ...?"
I shake my head no, and she nods, walking out of the cave, leaving me alone…
I lean my head backward and lightly tap it against the side of the sword, feeling frustrated…
Great, now they're ALL gone; and I for all I know, at least two of them aren't going to come back. Well, at least Jean seems to agree with me and wants to take revenge on the Organization but I don't know about Lisa and Ellie, their emotions were so powerful that I couldn't get a good reading on their thoughts through their Yoki, and with the way Ellie blew up like that, I wouldn't be surprised if she jumped off a cliff…
I close my eyes, feeling the fatigue of the fight against the Awakened being catching up to me, and I drift off to sleep without even realizing what I'm doing…
I open my eyes to the gentle cracking and popping of wood on a fire, and I sit up straight, my internal sense of time telling me I haven't been asleep long…
"So, you're awake…" I hear Jean's voice as my senses come back to me.
I turn and look toward the noise, and I see her sitting on the cave floor near the fire, her knees to her chest, her chin resting between her knees as she looks into the flames…
I nod.
"Where are Lisa and Ellie?" I ask her as soon as the thought comes into my head.
She motions toward the mouth of the cave.
"They're outside; they both came back about half an hour after you fell asleep." She tells me. "Ellie was still rattled about this whole thing, and when they saw you were asleep, they both decided to go outside and talk about this whole thing." She continues. "I talked with them for a bit, gave them my thoughts on this whole ordeal, and came back in here to tend the fire."
The warmth of the flame against my skin feels good, though I'm fully capable to withstanding different climates, I was human before I was a Claymore, and my body always seems to prefer warm, hospitable climates…
"So, they've just been talking all this time?" I ask in disbelief and Jean nods.
"You were only asleep for a few hours; night fell about half an hour ago, so…" She trails, as if looking for the words.
"I understand." I say, standing up, feeling the weight of the armor on my body. "Do you think I should go talk to them?"
I see the other Claymore raise her eyebrows.
"You mean, do you think you should go out there?"
I nod.
"I'm not one to be very empathic." I admit. "So, I don't know how they're going to feel about me coming out there."
She shrugs.
"I don't know, I guess you could, but I wouldn't force them to make their decisions, this is a turning point in their lives, you can't ask them to choose when they aren't ready."
"I understand." I say simply, and I turn, walking toward the mouth of the cave.
I hear the gentle clink of my armored boots against the ground, and the sound is reassuring, telling me that I'm still wearing the metal armor, even if most of my legs and arms are exposed, and my shirt has more holes in it then any of the others thanks to my transformation, but fortunately the cape covers most of the holes in the back, and the armor holds the cloth in place…
As I emerge from the cave, I see the two of them sitting on the path, their legs extended, their hands on the ground, looking up at the stars in silence. There's roughly 5 feet of space between them, and I slowly walk into the space, sitting down slowly.
"Mind if I join you?" I ask calmly, quietly.
They both shake their heads no, and I finish sitting down, sighing as I look up at the night sky, the stars like thousands of white twinkling diamonds in the sky…
For the first time in a long time, I admire the beauty in the sky, at the designs the various dots of light make in the sky, what you can draw with your mind from the points of light…
I don't know how long I sit there, just staring at the stars, admiring the beauty in the night sky, before any of us speak.
"Did you sleep well?" Lisa finally asks, and I nod my answer.
"I was exhausted from the fight against the Awakened being." I say simply. "I feel fine now though, thank you for asking."
I don't know if she was asking out of genuine concern, or if she was just trying to be nice…
"That's good…" She responds, as if trying to force the conversation…
"You don't have to talk…" I say in an assuaging tone. "I didn't come out here to try and convince you, either of you, to do anything."
I see her smile, and I can tell that she was afraid that I was going to pressure the both of them into coming to a hasty decision.
Jean's right about this one, they need time to think to be able to sort out how they feel and make a decision on their own…
I let out a sigh, and I look up at the stars.
"You two are still confused about all this, aren't you?" I ask the two of them, glancing to them each one at a time, and they both nod their agreement.
"I don't know what I should do…" Ellie says, reaffirming my opinion of her mental state. "It's such a big choice."
"I know, and I also know its wrong of me to ask you two to come to a decision so quickly, so I'm proposing this…" I begin. "I could leave you three here, for a month, or even two months, to give you the time you need to think it all over, and should you decide during that time that you want to throw away your sword and live your own life, you can leave and I'll have no idea where you are, making it that much harder for the organization to find you." I tell them. "Should you decide you wish to join Jean and me in our crusade against the Organization, you can remain here for the full month, and when I return after whatever time period we agree upon, we can begin to form a plan then." I tell them. "How does that sound to the both of you?"
They both smile, and they nod in affirmation.
"I'd like that." Ellie says. "It would give me time to think."
"Me too…" She says. "It'll give me some time to try and think all of this out, and it'll give us a taste of what life will be like if we choose to go up against the organization." She says.
I look backward over my right shoulder into the cave.
"What about you?" I yell back, and Jean emerges from the shadows, wearing only her shirt and pants, her armor and weapon still back in the cave.
She smiles.
"I'm inclined to agree." She says flatly. "That would give us all time to settle down, get our heads straight."
I stand up, clasping my hands together in agreement.
"Well then, if we're all agreed to that, I'll leave here first thing tomorrow morning." I tell them. "From that moment on, you three must suppress your powers as much as possible, to the point that you can barely feel each other's Yoki from close quarters, otherwise any warrior that comes to this village on a job will sense the three of you, and come to investigate."
The three girls nod their agreement, and I look around at the three of them, in their faces I can see hope, indecision, and confidence, and I give them all as warm as smile as I can muster.
"I don't know if it will be wise for you to go into the village at all." I suggest to them. "You might want to consider raiding some of the mining parties, maybe take a cloak or two to hide your appearance, and then go into town when you're adequately covered." I tell them. "I'm sure you'll figure out something, and I hope you will all use the proper discretion when doing so."
The three girls nod again, and this time, I put my hands on my hips.
"Well, it's late, and I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow, so I'm going back inside and going to sleep." I tell them all.
I start walking back toward the cave, and Jean steps aside to allow me passage into the cave.
"How long will you be gone?" The number 8 claymore asks.
I stop at the mouth of the cave, turning head over my right shoulder.
"I'll give you all two months, exactly 60 days from today to come to a decision, and I'll come back here then." I tell them. "Whether I find all, or any of you here is your choice, I'm not making you do anything."
I can see that they all understand, and I walk inside the cave. I find the small area that is now going to be the three Claymore's temporary home, the fire gently cracking and popping inside the cave, and I sit down in front of my sword, leaning back against it, I close my eyes, and I force myself to sleep, resting my mind and my body, for the long and dangerous journey ahead of me…
The next morning, I'm awake at sunrise, as are the other three Claymores as well. I give them all a good bye and I wish them all luck, should they choose to assist me in my endeavor against the organization, or whatever path they choose in life. I leave the cave early in the morning, and I walk down the mountain path, walking slowly, my mind goes over my options, and what I'm beginning to do, and the consequences of my actions today, and what that will mean in the future…
I'm allowing three people I was ordered to kill to live, and not only that, I'm asking them if they'll assist me in a crusade against the organization to try and punish the very people who gave me my powers, my strength, and a purpose. Even now, nothing is stopping me from turning around and walking back up this path, entering that cave and killing the three of them in cold blood. Sure, they've all begun to recover from the wounds given to them by the Awakened being, and the fight would force me to Awaken, but I could still kill them, carry out my orders with swift efficiency, and return to the organization with a truthful report of mission accomplished…
No, I can't do that to them. Those girls don't deserve to die, and all of them deserve to get revenge on the organization for just throwing them out like that without even telling them. The organization deserves to suffer, and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens…
I shake my head to clear my thoughts, and I continue down the path, my feet ringing out over and over again against the dirt, my armored feet making a reassuring clanking noise as I walk. I walk for over an hour, and I finally return to the village of Hyle. When I arrive, the villagers immediately notice me, and the fact that my clothing is tattered and torn, and one of them, an older man approaches me slowly.
"Um, excuse me…" He begins, calling to me from behind me.
I stop and half turn my head, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
"What do you want?" I ask.
"The Yoma in the mountains, you went to kill it, correct?"
I nod, knowing what the man wants to know, but I'm not going to volunteer the information, I wasn't told to do so…
"Is it dead, can we resume mining the mountains?" He asks.
"The Yoma is dead." I tell him simply. "There is nothing keeping you from working in the mines."
I can almost see his mood improve, and he bows thankfully.
"Thank you so much!" He says. "You don't know what this means to our town!"
I shrug.
"I don't care, I didn't do this to save your pathetic village, and I only did it because I was ordered to." I tell him.
I walk away without another word, and I feel the cold shell reforming around my heart, as if all the goodness I was showing toward the other 3 Claymores really doesn't exist at all, and I don't think about that, just acting the way I was trained to act, cold and emotionless, a ruthless killing machine.
For the next 2 months, I'm going to have to act that way, to be what they trained me to be, after that, everything will depend on what those three say…
I cannot tell that human girl about any of this, and I cannot let her find out about any of this, if she were to hear about it, the organization could tempt her with turning her into a Claymore, and she would tell them in a moment…
I walk toward the INN I put her up in, and I walk inside, the Innkeeper recognizes me immediately…
"Oh, so you've returned for that girl you left here?" He asks.
I nod.
"Is she in the room?" I ask.
The Innkeeper nods.
"She's been rather busy…" He mutters. "She's been in and out of here ever since you left, and recently returned with a sack over her left shoulder, when I asked what was in it, she said that it was full of traveling supplies."
I nod.
"Thank you for your work in housing her while I was gone." I say in an almost automatic response. "The two of us will be leaving today, so your responsibility ends now."
I walk away from the man and head for the stairs, only to hear him speak up from behind me.
"Um, you paid for a whole week in advance, if you leave now…"
"Keep the money." I tell him. "I have no need for it."
I don't need to look over my shoulder to see his face light up when I tell him to keep the gold.
"Yes ma'am, the customer is always right!" He says without a second thought.
I scoff inwardly and walk up the stairs, my metal boots clanging and making a strange noise against the wooden steps. I find the room given to Kina quickly, and I open the door without even knocking, manners long since lost on me.
I see her inside the room, lying on the single bed, looking up at the ceiling. When she hears the door open, she sits up and turns toward the door, spotting me, she jumps from the bed and rushes toward me, tackling me and wrapping her arms around me. With my strength, her tackle doesn't even faze me…
"You came back, Lucia!" She yells in happiness as she holds me.
"What are you doing?" I ask in a deadpan tone, and she immediately starts in surprise, and then releases me, moving back a step…
"It's just well, I thought that you wouldn't return, and you'd leave me here, and I would never be able to become a Claymore."
I shake my head in disgust.
"I don't know what your fascination with us is, but there are other ways of becoming a Claymore other then following me around." I tell her. "And besides that, I told you I would return within a week, and I have."
"What happened to you?" She asks, her eyes scanning me up and down. "You look like your clothes have been ripped apart."
"I suffered a minor wound during my fight against the Yoma in the mountains, it has since healed."
"Well, why are your sleeves and pants legs gone as well?"
"It's part of the job." I tell her, turning around. "Come on, we're leaving, we have no more business in this town."
"What?" I hear her ask in disbelief. "But you paid for the whole week…"
I turn and look at her sternly.
"I paid for the week to house YOU while I was gone, since the job is done and I've returned from it, there is no need for you to remain here any more, that is, if you're still set on following me."
She nods, and I see her move to the far side of the bed, grasping something there, she picks up a heavy duty leather sack with a brown draw string at the top and slings it over her left shoulder, holding it there with a single hand.
"Are you sure you can travel at your normal pace with that?" I ask her. "You slow me down enough as it is, I won't put up with an even slower pace, and neither will the organization."
She nods.
"I'll be fine; I've been practicing, so you don't need to worry."
"Fine…" I say, ending the conversation, and I put my back to her. "Let's go, we're wasting time."
She doesn't argue, and before the long the two of us are on the town's main street, walking away from the mountains, heading toward the open wilderness. We walk for half a day before I start to notice her beginning to tire, and since I don't have a job, I stop amidst the forest we both find ourselves in.
"We'll make camp here." I tell her.
She nods, and working together, the two of us get a camp site set up and a fire ready. Before long, she has some sort of cured meat cooking over a fire, the smell wafting into my nostrils…
"I take it you bought that from a merchant?"
She nods.
"I would hope you paid for it."
She smiles.
"After you left, I went out into the village and found some work." She says. "I made myself a few coins worth and I spent it on these supplies."
"If you were a Claymore, you wouldn't need any supplies, and hardly have to eat."
She nods.
"Yes, but I'm not half Yoma, unlike you, so I need to eat daily."
I close my eyes and I put my head against my sword, resting in the most comfortable position I can find…
"You should get some sleep." I tell her. "I'll probably have a job tomorrow, so we'll have a long day." I finish, opening my one eye.
She nods, and I see her stretch out on a blanket she had in the sack, and I smile at the human's resourcefulness. Her new clothing fits her mood, and she seems to like it, the skirt and sleeveless shirt serving their purpose well…
After maybe 20 minutes, she's out like a light, and I open my right eye, standing up, I walk into the forest, heading toward my meeting with my contact from the Organization, having spotted him trailing me over three hours ago…
I see him waiting in the jungle, wrapped in his usual black robes; I stop with 5 feet between us.
"I take it your job was a success?" He asks, and I nod.
"The three other warriors and I encountered the Awakened One and fought it, however, the other three were all killed during the battle, and I had to Awaken to kill it."
He waves his right hand in dismissal.
"Those are all acceptable loses." He tells me.
His left hand goes into his robes, and he grasps something there. He withdraws his hand and I see it's a new shirt and pants, obviously meant to replace my current clothes.
"Here…" He begins. "We believed you might have had to Awaken, so we were prepared with a spare set of clothes."
I take them from him, and I disrobe right in front of him, shucking the armor and everything else I'm wearing, eventually I stand before him in the nude, and his face remains cold, showing no emotion or even a small reaction as I dress myself in front of him. As I finish dressing, I see that the clothing I've been given has black arms and legs, and is form fitting on my chest, and made of a black material different from what my old clothes were made of…
"The Organization decided that you'll be wearing that from now on." He tells me. "With this, you can awaken and not ruin your clothing, saving on the amount of money spent replacing your clothes."
When all is said and done, and I'm wearing the armor as well, I look the same as I did before, save for the base color of my uniform is black, and I seem to give off a much darker image now.
"What about my back?" I ask. "I always poke two holes near my shoulder blades when I awaken."
He shrugs.
"The cape will cover that, and it isn't as though people are trying to look at you naked."
I nod my agreement; most men find a Claymore's body disgusting because of the disfiguring the process puts on us.
"Your new clothes will also give you complete freedom of movement as well."
"I had no problems with the old ones." I respond.
He shrugs.
"Either way, it isn't as though you have a choice in this matter." He tells me. "You will wear this, if not, then you can wear nothing at all."
"I know that…" I tell him, gritting my teeth and trying to hide it. "What's my next job?"
"You'll be going after a rogue warrior." He says. "From 2 generations ago, to be precise."
I raise my eyebrows.
2 generations, that's at least 14 years ago…
"That's a long time…" I point out. "Why is it that she went rogue that long ago, and you're still trying to eliminate her?"
"She's rather gifted when it comes to hiding." He says. "Plus, her strength was that of the Number 4 when she was with us." He tells me. "However, your power dwarfs hers, and you'll be able to defeat her."
Why send me though, why not send the current number 4, instead of me? I can't ask that though, or he might suspect something…
"Is there any other information?" I ask.
He reaches into a pocket on his pants, withdrawing a small piece of paper, he hands it to me. I don't see a seal on it, and I open it to see a small profile for a woman named Michelle…
"That's all the information on her you're going to need." He tells me. "It details her combat abilities and what you can expect from her." He says. "It also tells you of her last known location, you're to go there and begin your search, once you find her, you're to kill her."
I nod my acceptance of the orders.
"Do you have any questions?"
I nod again.
"I spent 600 on a room in the town of Hyle; I'll need some more money in case I need to incur the expense again."
"600?" He asks. "Why did you need a room in the town?"
I motion behind me.
"A human girl has attached herself to me." I tell him. "She was living in the village of Bast when I slayed the Yoma there, the life of a beggar." I tell him. "She followed me from the village, and I attempted to lose her several times, but she kept coming." I explain. "Because of the rule that says we cannot kill humans, and because people saw her follow me, I would be blamed if she were allowed to die, even though I did nothing to kill her."
He sighs, reaching into his robes, he grasps another object, removing a brown bag and opening the draw string. He reaches inside, and I hear a metallic clinking that sounds like coins hitting together. His hand emerges holding several gold coins of varying value…
"Will this be enough to last you?" He asks.
I quickly count up the money, and I see it's over 800, and I nod.
"That will do fine."
I get my money bag from within my clothing and I put the coins in it, sliding the bag back down inside my clothing to conceal it and keep it safe…
"If there's nothing else then…" He says. "The Organization looks forward to a successful report from you, as always."
With that, he disappears into the forest, leaving me with alone, wearing my new clothes, and I can't help but feel weird in the all black outfit…
I walk back to the camp site, and I see Kina still lying in the same spot she was when she fell asleep, and I sigh heavily as I shuck the armor, resting my back against the sword I left stuck in the ground.
How I wish I could live like that, without a care in the world…
I close my eyes and I drift off to a light sleep, knowing that tomorrow, I'll have a long day ahead of me…
I never really get the chance to fall asleep, because 10 minutes after I close my eyes, my sensitive ears pick up strange sounds that don't belong there, the sounds of movement in the forest, of feet sliding quietly against the grass. If I concentrate, I can feel the slight vibrations the humans make as they move, surrounding Kina and I. I can smell their scent as well, and I can pick up at least 7 different scents around me, all of them male…
I open my eyes, and I stand up quickly, and I hear the men shout, barreling through the bushes and into the small clearing, all of them leveling swords as my right hand rests on my own blade, clutching the hilt, the tip still stuck in the ground…
"At ah ha…" One of them says in scolding, and as I look around, I see that there are only 7 of them, and not a trace of Yoki between them, none of them even smelling remotely like a Yoma…
I can't hurt them, or I'll be hunted down by the organization…
"Lucia…" I hear Kina ask, and I turn to see her sitting up, and looking around, obviously now aware of the people around us.
"Hey boss, it's a Claymore!" One of them points out, and I hear Kina scream, running toward me and wrapping her arms around me, holding onto me for dear life.
"What do you want?" I ask them, glaring at the one that flinched when he heard 'Hey Boss' from the other bandit.
The leader is apparently a scruffy looking older man, wearing a bandana on his head, and missing several teeth. He's dressed in animal hide armor, and holds a normal sized broadsword in his right hand.
"I want whatever you have to offer…" He begins. "Any valuables you got and you're actually not that bad looking…"
I raise my eyebrows.
"You WANT this body?" I ask. "You've got to be joking."
He smiles.
"You're a pretty woman, and I'd rather have you then that kid."
Kina clutches me even tighter at the comment, and I know she's scarred…
Damn, if only she hadn't insisted on following me, if only I was alone, I'd simply let these bastards have their way with me and send them on their way, but now I can tell that they aren't just interested in me anymore, if I just let them do what they want, they'll rape Kina too…
The thought of that makes me want to vomit, and for the life of me, I can't figure out WHY…
My feet shift against the ground, and I know the moment I attack, they'll pounce on Kina, use her as a shield to try and force me into submission…
I'm running out of options…
"Well Claymore, you just going to stand there, or you going to take those annoying clothes off?"
I glance around, and seeing the expressions on the faces of his subordinates, I can tell they're thinking of what they're going to do to Kina…
My hand moves toward the sword, and then suddenly I feel a Yoki approaching my position quickly. Before I can open my mouth to warn the bandits, I see a flash of light shoot upward, bisecting the bandit leader. I watch as the glint of light moves around behind the bandits, the light flicking through their bodies. I see blood spurt from the wounds inflicted by the long sword, and I realize that a Claymore has just saved me and Kina from the bandits, murdering them as if they were nothing but fodder…
When the last of the blood drips from the human bodies, I see a figure emerge from the shadows of the forest, holding a 5 and half foot long curved sword. I recognize the construction from paintings of old warriors, a single edged curved sword with a round cross guard. The sword itself is made for a single killing blow, and was difficult to master…
"What are you doing here?" The Claymore asks, holding her sheathed sword in her left hand.
"If you are who I think you are, then you know why I'm here." I tell her.
She nods.
"You must be from the organization…" She tells me. "If that's the case, then you're here to silence me."
I lock my eyes on her, and then I speak to Kina…
"Kina, I need you to get away from me for a while." I tell her. "Walk away until you can't see me anymore, walk straight, and I'll come find you."
The girl opens her mouth to argue, but then she just nods, walking off into the forest, I memorize the path she takes into the forest, and I put my attention back on the other Claymore.
"So, why didn't you kill me?" I ask. "If you know why I'm here, then you could've just sliced me apart like you did those bandits."
She shakes her head.
"When I first saw you, I thought about it, but then I saw you protecting that human, and something stopped me." She tells me. "No matter, it's obvious to me you aren't set on killing me." She begins. "Otherwise, you would've killed me while I was attacking those bandits."
I nod, telling her that I'm not here to kill her, at least, if I don't HAVE to.
"I was ordered to kill you, so it's convenient that you came to me, but I have other plans for the organization." I tell her. "I'm not just some lapdog that blindly obeys their orders, they've taken my life away from me, and I'm not going to let them continue to do this to other people." I finish.
She shakes her head, sighing heavily.
"You want to bring down the organization, so you're remaining within it, trying to bide your time and find the right moment?"
I nod.
"I have three others, and they're with me on my plan to stop the organization, and bring them down once and for all."
"You don't understand…" Michelle begins. "The Organization, what you do protects human lives, even if the organization is wrong, what they send you do to is right, to save human lives with your strength isn't a fool's errand, Yoma will continue to kill, and without the Organization and their warriors, they'll be nothing to stop the Yoma from plaguing the world."
I shake my head.
"There will be Claymores." I tell her. "Those that are left after the destruction of the Organization will be united under the flag of protecting humanity, of using their powers for a good purpose."
She sighs heavily, shaking her head in disgust at the thought.
"We will never be united like that." She tells me. "Our kind can only be held together by something like the organization, your plan is foolish, and it will never work."
I shake my head.
"What makes you so sure?" I ask. "How can you deny the truth to my claim?" I ask.
"I've seen two generations of Claymores…" She tells me. "And in those 14 long years, nothing has changed, and nothing ever will." She finishes.
"Then help me change things." I plead with her. "We can use your power."
Her hand drifts to the sword in her left hand. I see the glint of the blade, and I shake my head, reaching for the sword stabbed into the ground. She draws the blade as I pull my own sword from the ground, and I block her strike, the blade moving like a blur of light. I knock her sword away, and I strike, swinging the blade with nearly the same speed as her own…
Our weapons clang out as the blades meet, and we both push against each other, eventually leaping away from each other, ending the stalemate. We charge for each other like two bulls, and I see her sheath her sword, and then draw it, the blade speed increasing to incredible levels, even for a Claymore…
I manage to block her swing, spinning to push her sword off of my own, and I attack, bringing my sword down in front of me, trying to cleave her in half. She uses her sword to stop the slash, the attack stopping just above her head with the back of her sword less then an inch from her face.
"We don't have to do this…" I tell her as I push against her sword. "You could join us, and I could hide you."
She shakes her head, grasping the sword near the tip by the back of the sword, still holding the sheath in her left hand. She pushes my blade to the side, causing me to overextend and nearly go off balance.
I leap back as her attack goes up in front of me, the blade speed slower then when she attacked from the sword resting in sheath…
"You cannot hide from the organization, I've heard this all before!" She tells me, sheathing her sword.
I land on my feet and hold the blade in front of me…
She charges, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, and I see her move in a blur of speed, and my eyes can track her movements, seeing them more for the Yoki she's releasing as she moves at the inhuman speed, rather then follow her physical movements. I spin to the left and raise my sword, feeling the impact of her blade as she stops where I sensed her Yoki, and our swords cross.
"What makes you think I can't succeed?" I ask her, glaring into her eyes, seeing them gleam yellow, telling me she's releasing her Yoma powers…
"Because I said the same things, and I tried to bring the organization down!" She admits. "I failed, just like you did, and now look at me!" She tells me, pressing her sword harder against mine. "I'm a rogue claymore, doomed to never be accepted, and forever teeter on the edge of awakening and killing people!"
I shake my head.
"You haven't failed anything!' I yell; pushing her off of my sword, the strength in my arms increasing as the skin turns purple…
She lands on her feet, and eyes my arms…
"Your arms…" She mutters. "They look like a Yoma's…"
I nod, looking at her with silver eyes.
"This is my power…" I begin. "I can awaken parts of my body, or completely awaken and totally transform…" I tell her. "With this power, I'm going to bring down the organization."
She seems to stop in her tracks, sheathing her sword, and then staring at her as the reality of my powers hits her.
"With that strength…" She mutters, looking down at her right palm.
I pull myself back to sanity, my arms returning to their normal state…
"I need your help." I tell her. "With your knowledge of the organization and your previous attempt, we could learn from you."
She shakes her head.
"Each generation should make its own mistakes…" She tells me. "I will only give you this advice' do not underestimate the organization's number 1." She tells me. "That was the mistake I made, and I've had to suffer for it every day of my cursed life since then."
"You expect me to kill you?" I ask her. "Because I refuse to…"
She shakes her head.
"To be honest, I've been on the verge of awakening for some time now…" She begins. "You could consider it a favor from me to you to strike me down now, before I lose myself to the Yoma power within…"
I shake my head in denial.
"As long as you don't use your Yoma powers, you won't awaken." I tell her. "You can come with us, act as an advisor, I won't make you do any fighting."
She sighs heavily.
"Even if I did come with you, there is little I can help you with." She tells me. "The organization's hierarchy changed much after what I attempted." She explains. "My knowledge is all but useless, and my body is getting weak, my humanity waning."
I tighten the grip on the sword, holding the blade at my side.
"So, I ask you; kill me while I still have a shred of humanity left, let me pass on as a human, not as a monster."
I nod, approaching her slowly, and she kneels down, bowing her head and exposing her neck.
"I will leave you my sword…" She says. "If you can learn to master a high speed slash attack, then you'll be able to learn to use it."
I nod.
"I can't use it, but I know someone who can…"
She nods once, and I bring my blade down, hearing the wet noise of my sword separating her head from her neck, followed by a sick thump as her head falls to the ground…