Hey guys. Sorry for taking so long to update. Hope you enjoy
Chasing Spectres
"Nothing, we've been doing this for a while now and we have nothing to show for it."
Jean sighed at Helen's statement. She was right of course. They had veered off their original route to follow up on the only possible link on the whereabouts of Clare and so far they had found nothing. The outcome was not unexpected. The Awakened Being Isley had mentioned accompanied Riful could be just some random monster that was wandering the Abyssal's territory until she'd stumbled upon it.
Before they had encountered Isley they had been on route to the holy city of Rabona, for what better place to gather information about the what has been happening in the in the four lands than the city that rests in the middle of them?
But after the revelation made by Isley about an unknown Awakened Being that carried a claymore accompanying Riful something about it just screamed to Jean to look more into it. That same thing told her that if she dug deep into the rumour she would find Clare. That was the reason she had decided to come to the West instead. I will find you Clare. No matter what I will find you.
There had been lots of protest when she told the gang she what she intended. None of them had been particularly pleased with the idea of putting their lives in potential danger for the sake of a rumour. To them it was not worth it. There were a lot of Awakened Beings who roamed the land and many of them where unknown, at least to those outside the ruling body of the Organisation, who wouldn't give a damn about the any of them unless they were a threat to their sovereignty. The chances that the Awakened Being Isley had mentioned turned out to be Clare were one in a thousand. Such odds were clearly not good enough to risk entering Riful's territory, where the Creature of the Abyss supposedly amassed an army of monsters like herself. Even after all the days they had wandered the eastern portion of Lautrec they still disagreed with her.
They were all pissed off at her, though they tried not to show it. Cynthia was too nice; she would never do or say any anything to harm a comrade. Uma was too self-conscious; she wouldn't cast judgement on anyone because she feared being judged in return. Tabitha was too insecure; her judgement wouldn't count for anything anyway because it always aligned with Miria's. Deneve had voiced her dissatisfaction when they had first veered off course and had not said much since. She was probably waiting for something bad to happen to say I told you so. As for their captain she tried her best to be impartial but the fact that she had made the gang follow Jean here on her fool's errand had lost her a bit of her popularity, not that it mattered much to Miria. Her priority was the safety of the group and she was unwilling to lose any of them.
Jean understood what Miria felt. Seven years ago she had felt the same pain of loss. None of them had been able to stop the stampede by the two dozen Awakened Beings that had been sent to wipe them out and the only reason they were still alive was because they were able to trick the creatures into believing they were dead. There was nothing worse than the feeling of waking up and finding out that the people who had trusted you with their lives were gone. That was what had happened seven years ago when she led that disastrous mission on Mount Zakol.
But Miria didn't have to go so far just to make sure she was safe. She should have left her and taken the rest of the squad down the intended route. Her priorities were different from her captain and the rest of the group's. While Miria prioritised her squad and freeing the rest of their comrades from the clutches of the Organisation all she could do was think about Clare. How was she? What was she doing now? Would she really have the strength to free her from the miserable life she was leading? So many questions, none she could find answers to.
"Of all the stupid shit you've done over the years this has to be the worst," said Helen with a grunt. "What the fuck are you thinking leading us into the territory of a Creature of the Abyss?" She then pointed an accusatory finger at their leader. "And you Miria, What the fuck! Why are you going along with this plan? It could get us killed!"
Jean could not help the slight smile that graced her lips. Pessimistic Helen was the only one who bothered to voice her dissatisfaction with what they were doing and as expected from her she always delivered with a bunch of colourful words.
"We are not going after Riful," Miria told Helen for the umpteenth time. "We are just going to gather information on Riful's new companion and then we'll be on our way."
"Are you sure that's what's going to happen?" Deneve asked sceptically, eyeing Jean.
Jean knew very well what the former Number 15 was implying and she was not wrong. If she learned Clare was indeed Riful's new minion she would leave them and go after her on her own. She might be selfish but she was not the type to put her friends in harm's way.
Miria was about to answer when Cynthia spoke up. "I sense three four Awakened Beings, due south west."
The group stopped and stared at each other. Most were looking at Miria as if asking her what now? The creatures might know something about the new companion of Riful. Should they go to them and force the information out of them or was it not worth the risk to catch the attention of Riful so soon? Jean knew that Miria planned to eventually confront the Abyssal Ones but that was only after she had acquired the trust of the other Claymores and destroyed the Organisation. Such a menace could not be allowed to flourish. But to try now would be suicide and she knew Miria was smarter than to provoke Riful so soon. As someone who had experienced Riful's 'hospitality' she knew that unlike Isley, the youthful Awakened Being would hunt them down if they angered her.
"How strong are they?" their leader asked.
Cynthia closed her eyes and concentrated on her sixth sense to try and get an accurate reading of the three beings. "One of them is very strong; probably use to be in the single digits. The others are average."
Miria rubbed her chin and thought her options for a moment. Then she turned to look at each of them. "I am aware that most of you didn't agree with my decision to bring us here..." Deneve snorted disbelievingly. "Okay, none of you agreed with my decision to come here." She admitted. "That is why I'm going to leave it up to the five of you to decide. The sooner we learn if the person with Riful is Clare or not the sooner we can get back to what we had originally planned."
"Um... Captain Miria?" Tabitha said, hesitation clear in her voice. "There are six of us."
"Jean doesn't get a say," Miria decided, glaring at her as if daring her to argue. "She'll do whatever is decided."
Jean did not protest. She figured Miria was more pissed off with her than the others. She had been forced to give into all of Jean's whims up to this point, something that the former Number 9 was sure did not sit well with the others. So it was only fair that she give the others a chance or Miria would be accused of favouritism.
The vote was quick with Helen bullying the indecisive Tabitha to vote leaving the Awakened Beings and Deneve convincing Cynthia and Uma that if they confront these Awakened Beings now they would be on their merry way back to Rabona afterwards as opposed to not doing it and staying on their current path, leaving them vulnerable to attacks by Awakened Beings in the West. A few minutes later they were making their way towards the Yoki signatures. They heard their voices before they saw them.
"Why should I listen to you?" came the voice of one who had already assumed his Awakened form. "I'm not leaving this place just because a little girl said so."
"Why don't you go back to your mistress and tell her we refuse," said another Awakened voice, only this one sounded female.
They came upon a stream in the middle of the rocky but forestry terrain. There were three figures out in the open; two of them were in their Awakened forms while the other remained in his human form. Out of the corner of her eye Jean noticed Miria signalling them to stay hidden. She obliged, but her focus was elsewhere. Hatred filled her heart as she stared at the creature still maintaining a human form. She would never forget that face, the face of the being who had tortured her to the brink of death.
"Dauf," she growled, causing her companions to look at her.
Said creature was holding a giant sack; which he then proceeded to empty when the other two objected to whatever he had told them. The contents landed on the ground and rolled to the feet of the Awakened Beings. Jean's momentarily forgot her anger and looked at them. Heads, three of them. Two were clearly of Awakened Beings while the last one was of a woman with wavy black hair.
"These are the heads of Chronos and Octavia," Dauf said in his loud angry voice, pointing at the smaller Awakened head which looked like it had tubes for hair and the woman's head. He stepped on the third head and crushed it with his foot, sending its gory insides scattering in all directions. "That was the last person who didn't want to listen even when I showed him the heads."
"So you're trying to threaten us," the female Awakened Being said. She snarled. "No wonder Agatha ran off to Rabona. I should have gone with her . If I decided to go now I have no doubt you will kill me."
"That guy is brutal," Helen said with wide eyes. "And his Yoki level is ridiculous."
"Dauf," Jean whispered again and felt the attention was once more on her. "He was the one who killed my friends and tortured me." She turned to Cynthia. "Are you sure there are no other Awakened Beings in the vicinity? If Dauf is here then Riful's not far behind."
"There is no one else," Cynthia reported. "If there was another Awakened Being, especially a Creature of the Abyss, even you would be able to sense it."
"Miria," Deneve called to their leader. "Do you think we can take them?"
"We can take them," Jean answered before Miria could. "The other two are nothing we can't handle, but Dauf will be a problem. He's skin is too tough to cut through. Only my Drill Sword will do the trick but I'll need time to prepare it."
"Understood," Miria said, turning to the others. "Deneve and I will distract him while you prepare. Helen and Uma take the one on the right, Cynthia and Tabitha take one on the left." Her gaze fell back on Jean. "Don't aim to kill. If he's close to Riful than he probably has the answers to our questions." Jean nodded. "Okay, let's go!"
Jean watched as her six comrades jumped out of cover and headed straight for their target. Uma threw her sword at the female Awakened Being and managed to cut off its leg. The creature gave a shriek of agony, one that was ended a second later when Helen stretched her arm and cut its head off. Cynthia and Tabitha dispatched their foe just as fast, with each of them attacking it from different directions, dismembering it before they simultaneously decapitated it.
For Deneve and Miria it was not so easy. Both of them managed to strike a few blows before Dauf even figured what was going on. They delivered a few deep wounds; all which vanished when he assumed his monstrous form. After that all their attacks bounced harmlessly off his skin.
"Who are you?" Dauf asked, confused. His body might have reacted in time to avoid being killed but his brain clearly needed time to catch up. "Why are you attacking me? What did I ever do to you?"
Miria attacked relentlessly with the same results. She couldn't even put a dent on his hide. Deneve was at least able to put a scratch on him, as helpful as it was. She even managed to find a chink in his armour and struck at it, drawing blood from his arm. Jean watched this as she completed her thirtieth turn. She could go much higher, but that would be time consuming. It was time to attack.
"Helen you're up!" she shouted. "Prepare to use the Drill Sword in case I miss."
Because of Helen's ability to stretch and coil her arms she was able to turn her arm more times than Jean and deliver the Drill Sword from a safe distance. Jean would be lying if she said she was not envious of her, but she could prepare faster and her Drill was twice as strong as Helen's.
Going for his chest might kill him, she said as she ran towards her target. Cutting off an arm wouldn't render him unable to fight. I should go for his legs. Yes, that was right. But someone like Dauf would still be dangerous even if he lost a leg. She would have to drill through both of them, meaning a frontal assault was not the way to go. She would have to attack from the side.
She was about to unleash her signature technique when Dauf fired his projectiles from every part of his body in all directions. Jean tried her best to dodge the projectiles but they were too many. Her sword hand was hit first, followed by her left leg, then her abdomen. The force of the three projectiles was enough to crush her arm and leg and made her cough up blood. She hit the ground so hard her fall formed a small crater. By then her vision had gone blurry from the pain. She could hear Dauf's voice coming from somewhere but could not make out what he was saying. Then she heard him scream in pain. She shut her eyes and opened them in a sudden manner, it cleared a vision instantly. With her vision cleared her gaze went to the Awakened Being and saw that he was now missing an arm. Helen was just a few metres from him and was now trying to distance herself from him. It seemed she had managed to connect with the beast, though not the way she would have done it.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH! YOU BITCH!" the enormous creature wailed. "I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!"
From the way Dauf looked Jean could tell he was about to unleash another volley of missiles. She looked around and saw that the others had realised it as well. They were all trying put distance between themselves and him, except for Deneve, who was pinned down by the projectiles, which had managed to impale her, and Miria, who was busy pulling the shards out of her friend's body. If Dauf unleashed his projectiles now Miria wouldn't be able to free Deneve in time and knowing her leader she would likely try to fend the shards off, an impossible task unless you were able to swing a sword as fast as Clare or Flora. She had to slow him down somehow.
The plan that came to mind was the craziest she had ever conjured, and it was riskier than anything she had ever tried. Probably even riskier than Clare's half-Awakening from seven years ago, but that was a risk she would have to take
Using her sword as a support to haul herself to her feet, she readied herself as she bent her good leg. Then she leapt at him. Her dominant arm might have been damaged but her other arm could deliver a blow just as powerful. It was already coiled and ready to strike. Dauf was looking at her with wary eyes. She could see him in slow motion, trying to avoid her as the projectiles slowly emerged from every part of his body. But it was too late, she was already within range. Her arm unwound as she thrust her claymore at his remaining arm. The spot she hit was turned to mush and the rest of the arm dropped to the ground, causing the creature to unleash a blood curdling scream. Having finished the first phase of her plan, she dropped her sword and prepared for the next and infinitely more dangerous part.
She was still in the mid-air when Dauf's projectiles launched. Having managed to empty her only working hand, she used it to latch onto the first projectile fired in her direction. She was not prepared for the speed at which the projectile carried her. It happened so fast. One moment she was flying away from Dauf at speeds only experienced by her captain, the next she felt the projectile impact the ground, which resulted in her being violently flung about her dozen metres from it. Again she crashed hard into the earth and this time she stayed down.
She could hear her name being called but was too disoriented to place the voice. Hands grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her violently. She flinched as the pain inside her head began to increase. The fall had given her a headache. Whoever was shaking her was intensifying it. Slowly she opened her eyes and found Uma looking down at her.
"Are you alright?" the former Number 40 asked, still shaking her.
"Of course not," Jean replied, untangling herself from her and sitting up. The others were closing in on them. "I doubt anyone would be if someone shook them like you were doing just now."
Uma blushed and apologised. Just then Miria appeared with her hands on her hips, looking none too pleased.
"What was that just now?" she asked doing her best to rein in her temper. Jean could see right through the ploy, as could (from the looks on their faces) Deneve and Helen. "That was dangerous. You could have gotten yourself killed."
"I was buying time for you to get out of Dauf's projectile range. Nothing less than what you would have done for one of us," she replied. That shut her up. Everyone present knew the great lengths their leader would go to in order to keep them safe. Her scolding jean for doing what she would have done would be hypocrisy. Jean was glad her plan had gone so well though. If she had attacked his legs like she had originally intended she would not have been able to use a projectile to escape. The shard would have more likely pounded her into the ground, followed by others which would have crushed every part of her body. "Speaking of Dauf," Jean continued while looking around. "Is he dead?"
From the surly looks on their faces she was able to deduce the answer long before it came.
"He used that last volley to escape," Tabitha said.
Seriously, Jean thought. Since when was Dauf smart enough to do something like that? She turned to their team's scout. "Where is he right now Cynthia? We have to catch him."
"I don't know," the former Number 14 said meekly. "I can't find him." She indicated the projectiles the Awakened Being had fired, most of which were rooted in the earth. "These rods are messing with my senses. They are all pulsing with his Yoki."
This made Jean growl. "So we are just going to let the person with information we want escape?"
"It's too late to catch him now," Deneve said in her usual stern tone. Her injuries from being impaled were already healed, which was much more than could be said for Jean's. The bones in her arm and leg were still pieces trying to return to their normal state. She couldn't even stand yet. "We are too injured to follow him and even if we were not we would never be able to catch up with him. He's an Awakened Being. He can cover more ground then us. Besides we have a more urgent situation on our hands right now. Isn't that right Captain?"
"You right," Miria said with a grim look. "I'm sorry Jean but we have to put this little detour on hold. One of the Awakened Beings mentioned Agatha fleeing to Rabona. From the tales I've heard of her she was quite a sadistic Warrior, she didn't earn the moniker Crimson Agatha by being kind. Someone like her will wipe Rabona off the map completely but not before she mercilessly slaughters everyone for the pleasure of it. We have to hurry back before it happens. It might be too late already but as long as there is a chance we can save the people then it's worth the risk. Don't you agree Jean?"
Jean sighed and nodded after a moment. It hurt her to abandon her search for Clare but this was something she could not ignore. As a Warrior she lived to protect the humans from Yoma and Awakened Beings. She would never be able to live with herself if she let people die without trying to save them. She would never be able to face Clare if she neglected her duty. I guess you'll have to wait a while longer Clare. Duty calls right now.
"Clare?" she asked as she looked up into the night sky.
The brown haired Awakened Being turned to look at her. "What is it Riful?"
"Do you like stars?"
Clare stopped and imitated her by looking up at the distant flickers. Then she turned to look at Riful. "I suppose so. Without them I wouldn't be able to see at night."
"What do you think about them?"
"I've never spared them a thought."
Riful pouted at Clare's reply. "You're so boring. I'm trying to make small talk here. You could at least throw me a bone for my effort."
"I've never been interested in stars," Clare told her. "If it has nothing to do with me I don't give it much thought. I have always focused on what is around me. The earliest memories I have were of my sister. She was all I ever needed, but then she Awakened. I left the Organisation after that and met Teresa. My whole life revolved around her after that until that bitch Priscilla killed her. Now all I want is to kill her."
Riful nodded in understanding. It seemed that even after seven years Clare still had difficulties separating her memories from those of Rafaela, not that she was complaining about the memories. The Organisation had trusted Rafaela with a lot of confidential information, which Clare now had access to. It would be advantageous to her cause. However, memories ingrained so deep into the brain could also be a huge disadvantage as well. If for example Luciela, whose death had yet to be confirmed, showed up and fought Clare the former Number 47 seven would be hindered by the affection displayed in those recollections.
Trying to change the subject she once again looked up just in time to see a shooting star zip through the sky and disappear. Witnessing this, she animatedly tapped Clare's shoulder as she pointed up to where the shooting star had been.
"A shooting star!" she exclaimed. "Did you see it?" She did not wait for the brunette to respond before she continued. "There is an old story about shooting stars; if you see one and make a wish it will come true. If you could wish for anything in this world what would it be?"
That question really got the girl thinking. It took her about two full minutes before she answered with a hard look. "I'd wish Priscilla was dead."
"That's a great wish," Riful told her in a cheerful tone. Even though it's complete balderdash, she added non-verbally. She would have believed Clare if she had responded immediately, but the fact that she had taken an entire two minutes just to answer meant that she wished for something else. If Clare could wish for something it would definitely not be the death of Priscilla. Even though killing that despicable monster was the only reason she apparently still lived when it came to wishing an infinite number of possibilities became open for her. If there was something the girl would wish for it was probably for her friends, whose names Riful never put much effort into remembering (except Jean, she could never forget that cute serious girl who she had so much fun coercing to Awaken, even though she failed in the end. And of course she could not forget Teresa, Clare's ramblings and constant name-calling of her just made it hard to forget, much to her annoyance. Plus she and Clare, by some stupid coincidence, were named after the twin goddesses of love.), to live again.
"What would you wish for?" Clare returned the question.
"For the death of my enemies."
All of them. Everyone who she considered a threat would be dead if she could have her wish come true. She would rid herself of Isley, his one-horned abomination, the Organisation's twin weapon... and Clare. Yes, the girl was powerful. Her Yoki level was beyond anything Riful had ever experienced. There was no doubt in her mind that in due time it will reach the level of Priscilla's and probably surpass it. One monster with that kind of strength could not be allowed to exist. Two monsters both surpassing the Creatures of the Abyss even more so. And since both use to be Claymores then there is a possibility that a future Warrior would posses such potential. If Riful had a wish it would be the eradication of more than just her enemies. She would wish all creatures with Yoki, excluding herself and Dauf, ceased to be. There would be no one oppose her after that, she would be all powerful and rule the four lands. She would keep Dauf of course. He was her companion, the only person who was truly on her side. Such fierce devotion could never be cast aside.
It would pain her to kill Clare. After all they had known each other for seven years and in those years they had gotten to know each other quite well. She loved the girl, but that would not stop her from doing what had to be done. The moment they manage to kill Priscilla she would become a liability.
"You sure are dedicated," Clare said offering her a warm smile.
She returned it and uttered a soft laugh while taking her hand. The feeling she got from walking hand-in-hand with her was one she would miss when the time to do what was necessary came.
They marched for what felt like hours, taking comfort in the silence and the presence of each other. Somewhere in a distance Riful sensed a Yoma. She did not give it each much thought. The creature would keep its distance if it knew what was good for it. Riful did not tolerate Yoma. The foul things could be found everywhere and unlike Awakened Beings they were hard to control. All Yoma were alike, to her at least. She could not tell the difference between them so if one of them irritated her she would not know if the one she kills will be the right one.
It seems the Yoma she sensed was not that smart after all because a few minutes later Riful felt the creature closing in on their position. She turned her head in the creature's direction. Three silhouettes had emerged from beyond the horizon and were rapidly approaching them. One of them was the Yoma, which was chasing after what appeared to be a man and a boy. The boy was wailing while the man stopped once in a while to fend the creature off with a pitchfork.
Riful found the situation amusing. Here was a little brat crying for help while his father desperately tried to fend the Yoma off with a pitchfork. The Yoma did back away every time but not because it feared the gardening tool but because it too found amusement in what the man was doing. The only reason the humans were still alive was because the Yoma was playing with him, kind of like a cat placed with a mouse before it ate it. Because the Abyssal found it so entertaining she decided to let the Yoma have its fun before she killed it.
However, it seemed Clare did not come to the same conclusion because she was no longer holding her hand. The girl was now behind the Yoma with her hand gripping her claymore. She turned around just in time to see the creature symmetrically separate. Riful sighed. She and Clare definitely had different views of fun.
She strode over to her companion who, who was now on the receiving end of one too many expressions of gratitude. The man was thanking Clare for taking care of the Yoma and asking her what he could do to show his appreciation. He was quite the blabbermouth, and would have continued to babel if Clare had not held her hand up to silence him.
"It's foolish to wander around at night with Yoma lurking in every shadow," she told him.
The man appeared to be shocked by Clare's statement before he replied. "My son and I went into the village to sell our grain and couldn't get rid of it all until dusk fell. We encountered the Yoma on our way home and had to abandon our wagon. If it weren't for you we would be dead right now. Please tell me how I can thank you."
Riful was now mere metres from them and could see Clare close her eyes. She opened them a split second later and displayed the familiar golden eyes to the man and his son, who both gasped and took several steps backwards.
"Run home before I decide to eat you," Clare threatened them.
The two humans did not need convincing. The man scooped up the brat and ran as fast as he could. After about a hundred metres he tripped, but didn't wait for long as he got up and resumed his fast paced retreat. Riful laughed at this as she came to rest beside her companion.
"Did you see his face?" she asked in her usual cheery tone. "He looked like he was gonna piss himself. The brat actually did. Humans are so pathetic!"
Clare did not respond. She looked over Riful's head as if staring at something only she could see.
"Dauf is coming," she merely said.
Riful was confused now. Dauf always knew where to find her so she was not surprised that he was closing in on their location. What puzzled the Abyssal One was that he was back so early. In the week that she and Clare had left him they had decided to move at a human pace and still had about two and a half days before they reached the deserted city Gonal. Dauf could simply not have travelled the entire land of Lautrec and delivered her message to all the Awakened Beings in that time. If he was here than there was something wrong.
Sure enough his gigantic form leapt from beyond the horizon and landed in front of them. He was missing both arms.
"What happened to you?" Riful exclaimed.
A look of relief crossed Dauf's face as he looked down at her. Then he returned to his human form and fell face first in the ground. Barely a second later she heard sniffs coming from him and where his head lay the ground began to soak.
What a cry baby, Riful thought as she looked at the display with disgust. How could someone so strong be such a cry baby? Did he really come all this way just to cry in front of her about how someone chopped off his arms. It was such an unattractive trait in a man. She was so annoyed by the display she wanted to kick him in his open wounds. However, that would just serve to lengthen the time this exchange should be.
"Who did this to you?" she asked, rubbing his shoulder soothingly.
Dauf recounted his story about how he was relaying the message to a pair of Awakened Beings when they were ambush by a gang of Claymores who's Yoki had been concealed. Apparently the Claymores had easily managed to kill the other two and he had been lucky to lose only his arms.
"They sound like some interesting people," Riful said after hearing the story's conclusion. "I would like to meet them one day." She retracted her hand and got back to her feet. "Why don't you regenerate your arms and get back to the task I gave you?"
She would have left him and gone her merry way, but the sight of Clare inching closer to Dauf caught her attention. At first it looked like she was going to help him up but the girl simply grabbed his shoulder and roughly pulled him towards her. She squatted near him and inspected one of his two major wounds. It was no wonder the wound caught Clare's attention; there was something off about it. By looking at the very small stump of his left arm it was clear his arms were not cut off but rather drilled off. There was only one person Riful knew who was capable of such a technique. She turned back to Clare, who was done examining the wound.
"It couldn't possibly-"
"Where did they ambush you?" she asked quietly. "Was it the direction you came from?"
She didn't wait for Dauf to reply before she began running in the direction he had come from. Riful sighed at this. She would have to follow Clare to make sure the girl did not get to reckless and reveal herself to Isley. And just when we were so close to Gonal, she mentally whined.
"There's been a change of plans," she stated, looking back at Dauf. "You head over to Gonal and tell whoever made it I'll be late. If you need nourishment to aid your with healing you could go after the humans that just left here a few minutes ago, an appetiser and a main course. See you later."
And with that she took off after Clare, wondering if one of Dauf's assailants could truly be the Claymore they had both thought deceased seven years ago. If it was, how would Clare react?
-to be continued-
Now we get to the good stuff. I actually have the next three chapters planned well planned out so it won't take that much time to update nest time. Until next time guys.
