Chapter 10 finally here. Enjoy the show.

Goddess of the Abyss

No matter how many times she looked at it she still could not believe it. It did not make any sense. She flipped the book upside down, shook it back and forth, and blinked over a thousand times. Still the contents of the book she held remained unchanged. Having given up by now, she returned the book to its rightful place in the library. She still could not believe what she had read.

How is it possible? It doesn't make sense.

She dragged her feet out of the library, too bewildered to pay attention to her posture. She was not paying attention to where she was going. The people staring at her with raised eyebrows hardly registered in her mind. All she could think about was what she had just read. She could not get it out of her mind. Not only was the idea troubling but it was impossible.

"Hey Audrey," a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

It was Nina. She was fully geared up and was probably about to go back to her territory. Dietrich and René had already gone back into the field. Audrey admired their tenacity. After the beating they had taken at the hands of that mysterious Awakened Being who carried a sword on her back all they had done was file their report and head back to their territories. Nina had been a little gloomy after the event considering it was her second failure in the span of a few months. The fact that she was now ready to move out probably told Audrey that she had gotten over it. Rachel had surprisingly taken the experience as a lesson about her being complacent. She had been training nonstop for the past few days.

As for Audrey she had been too busy looking up the information on the Awakened Being Clare. After giving her report to the leader of the Organisation it she felt like she had to do it, considering the unusual facial expressions of Lord Rimuto and his inner circle. She was especially creeped out by Rubel's ear to ear smile which looked more sinister than it usually was.

"So what have you discovered about that Awakened Being?" Nina asked.

They had moved to the far side of the courtyard where there was no one. The topic they were discussing was not forbidden and they had nothing to hide. By now it was common knowledge that they had encountered and Awakened Being that had wiped they floor with them. Under normal circumstances their reputations would have gone to the gutter but Nina, who was trying to save face after a second failure, mentioned the fact that they fought Riful first before the other Awakened Being intervened. All in all, the fact that they survived a fight with one of the Three Great Awakened Beings did wonders to their popularity among comrades.

"Clare," Audrey began. "She was ranked 47th among the Warriors of seven years ago, presumed to have been killed during the Awakened Being campaign in the North."

"WHAT!"

Audrey did not have to turn around to know who it was. There's only one person she knew who was that loud. Even without shouting her voice was the most distinctive among the Warriors.

"I see you've finished your training," Nina said as Rachel joined them. The Number 5 was sweating profusely. "You should take your comrades feelings into account and wash yourself after training. You stink."

If Rachel heard what Nina said she did not give any indication because she was too busy staring at Audrey with an open mouth.

"Are you telling me we were defeated by a weakest Warrior of the last generation?" she was angry and Audrey could tell her common sense had disappeared. "I will not accept this. I'm going to track down the bitch and kill her!"

"Good luck with that," Nina scoffed. "Next time you meet her she'll probably close her eyes and cut her arms off. You'll probably need a bigger handicap than last time, considering her hands never left her side last time."

This comment seemed to anger Rachel even more. "What you say bitch?"

Here the go again, Audrey thought with a frown. Ever since the assignment to wipe out the Awakened Beings on Mount Zakol Rachel and Nina argued whenever they were in the same room and Audrey was the one who always had to keep the peace. At the beginning she found it amusing but after several weeks of this it became annoying. Why the two could not just admit they both screwed up and make up was beyond her. She was serious getting tired of- no, she got tired of it long ago.

"That's enough," she said, ending the fight before it began. When her companions' attention was back on her she decided to continue divulging what she had uncovered. "There is something strange about her records though. Apparently she first showed up at the Organisation's doorstep carrying the head of a fallen Warrior, demanding the Warrior's flesh be put into her."

"WHAT!" screamed Nina and Rachel in unison. Their identical expressions told Audrey that they were just as shocked as she was when she had uncovered that bit of information. It was probably the first time they had been on the same boat since Hanel.

"That must have been one stupid brat," Rachel commented. "She probably had a few loose screws too. I mean who the hell would come to knocking on the Organisation's doorstep and beg to be made a Claymore?"

"I'm guessing the Organisation went along with her wishes," Nina said, looking at Audrey for confirmation.

"They did," Audrey confirmed. "They turned her into a Warrior using the flesh of the Warrior whose head she brought." Ignoring the collective gasps of her comrades she continued. "That was probably why her physical abilities and Yoki were below average."

"What we faced in Hanel did not look like someone with below average strength," Nina said grudgingly. "That was a monster. Its physical capabilities far surpassed any of our own, probably Miata's as well."

"Before she was assigned to the Awakened Being extermination team in the North she went off the radar for three months," Audrey went on disclosing what she had learned. "It was after an Awakened Being hunt with the Number 4 of back then, a Warrior named Ophelia. That Awakened Being was destroyed, but both Warriors disappeared, though Ophelia's Awakened carcass was discovered weeks later."

Silence followed for a while. Audrey gave Rachel and Nina time to digest what she had just told them. She herself had needed time to come to terms with the information she had read. According to the Organisation's archives Clare's ratings were; Yoki: E, Agility: E, Strength: E, Perception: C+ and Leadership: E. When compared to her own stats of Yoki: A, Agility: A, Strength: B+, Perception: B and Leadership: B Clare would not last a second if she were to go up against her. Even if Awakening raised her stats to a level where she would be able to defeat her there was no way she would be able to take down two single digits. And yet she took down five single digits without breaking a sweat. While Rubel seemed to have revelled at this fact the other officials of the Organisation had seemed troubled.

"The Organisation is going to send the Abyssal Feeders after her," she added.

The statement drew the other Warriors out of their thoughts.

"They are going to use Abyssal Feeders on the lowest ranked Warrior from seven years ago?" Rachel said, scandalised. "Are they out of their goddamn minds? Why go so far to take out what could be the weakest Awakened Being out there? Why the hell are they even giving her so much attention?"

"If that was the weakest Awakened Being I wonder what that would make us," Audrey said feeling insulted by what Rachel said. She knew that when her friend's ego was hurt she refused to accept the facts as they are but this time it was too much. Calling the Awakened Being Clare weak was a serious affront to all those who were beaten by her so casually. "The Abyssal Feeders are going to be sent after her because none of us are capable of facing her." To stop Rachel's protests she quickly continued. "And trying to downplay her abilities as you are doing right now could get someone killed. That is not a creature we can fight and win against. She wasn't even using her Yoki."

"Clare hangs around Riful of the West," Nina said after another moment of silence. "How are they going to get rid of that problem?"

Audrey's expression became even grimmer at this question.

"They are sending the Black Ones."

Again there were gasps.

"Alicia and Beth?" Rachel asked. "Have they finally decided to wipe out the Abyssal Ones?"

"It seems so," Audrey replied. "They are serious about this. Riful has been gathering Awakened Beings to her side for the last couple of years and they fear she'll turn those Awakened Beings on them. They are not leaving any loose ends either. The Black One's successors will be sent out too, and Miata as well, as soon as she returns from her latest assignment."

"And what assignment is that?" Rachel scoffed.

"She was sent to dispose of the traitor Galatea," Audrey answered.

"Is that so," Rachel said with a sneer. "So they finally found her? I guess it's about time someone took care of her. She's been hiding long enough."

The subject of Galatea was one of the few topics where she and Rachel were on the same page. A traitor like Galatea deserved the most horrible death imaginable, but she could not help feeling sorry for Galatea. Miata was a monster whose brutality was well known among the Warriors. That was the reason why everyone kept her at a distance. What she would do to Galatea after she found her she could not imagine, not that she wanted to anyway. What she knew for certain was that after Miata was done with her, there would be nothing left of Galatea.

How did it end up like this? How did things get so complicated?

She had been asking herself that question for the last couple of minutes while watching Galatea and Miata battle Agatha, or rather Galatea bait Miata into attacking her and then dodging so she could hit the Awakened Being instead.

To Clarice the assignment had been simple. Her job was to come to Rabona so she and Miata could eliminate the traitor Galatea. All was going well when suddenly this Awakened Being appeared out of nowhere and started wrecking havoc in the Holy City. As dedicated as she was to her current task she could not ignore the fact that the creature was slaughtering the soldiers that tried to stop it like pigs. She really wanted to help them but she was too weak. Agatha of the Blood was a former Number 2 and her ranking was at the bottom. She was the Organisation's Number 47, a total failure. If she tried helping she wouldn't fare any better than the humans. She would just be in the way. Miata already had her hands full. She did not need to trouble herself with fighting the enemy and protecting her as well.

Although she had originally claimed that Miata scared her after spending so much time with her she began to understand the little girl a bit. Miata was like every Warrior of the Organisation, an orphaned child in need of loving. Most Warriors out grew such emotions though but for Miata, who still a child, longing for parental love remained stronger than ever. That was probably why she called her Mama and did what she did. Although being near the little girl had terrified her in the beginning she somewhat cared a little for her. Over the last few weeks they had worked together Miata had gone out of her way to keep her safe. She was not going to let herself become a liability in this grim situation.

But Miata is aiming her sword at the wrong person, she thought.

Instead of helping the former Number 3 defeat Agatha the girl ignored the Awakened Being completely and attacked Galatea. She was doing quite well against the Warrior turned nun; she had even managed to cut off one of Galatea's arms. However, could she really not see that while she fought Galatea the humans were throwing their lives away trying to defeat Agatha? It was already twice that Galatea had risked her own neck to save them.

Clarice had seen the hopeful look in the eyes of the humans when she and Miata had appeared to fight the Awakened Beings, but those had quickly turned to confusion when they realised that Miata was going after Galatea and couldn't care less about Agatha.

"What the hell! Aren't you supposed to be helping us?" asked the shorter of the two human warriors in charge. If she remembered correctly his name was Sid. "What the hell is your partner doing?"

As much she wanted assure him and the other soldiers that Agatha would be taken care of she could not. She was not going to give these people false hope. What she should do was tell them to evacuate the city. They had not even known about the Awakened Being when they entered the city. Why they thought she and Miata should be teaming up with the traitor to defeat Agatha she did not know. Even though she agreed with them she could not do a thing about it and Miata would not listen to them. But of course she was not going to tell them that.

"W... we are here by orders of the Organisation," she began. A sour feeling started rising from her gut as she continued. "The extermination of an Awakened Being is not part of those orders. Our priority here is th... the execution of Galatea."

They took what she had just said badly, and she had felt bad about it. However, as the words had spilled from her mouth she had begun to think what she was doing was the right thing. The truth was that there was no way she would be able to beat an Awakened Number 2. She was ranked 47th and she was a colourhead. If she tried to fight Agatha she would not be any more help than the humans were. As for Miata she might be strong but even she couldn't handle Agatha alone. If she worked together with Galatea they would be able to take her but the Number 4 was too focused on her mission. After she finished off Galatea she would be too exhausted to fight Agatha. It would be better if they retreated.

Yes, she thought to herself. For now we should just complete our mission as quickly as possible. If we report to the Organisation about this city I'm they will-

Her thoughts were interrupted when an angry voice rose from behind her.

"Move! You're in the way!"

It was the hulking soldier, whose name she remembered was Galk. The fool was ordering the others into formation and preparing for to attack. Did he not realise that there was nothing he could do. Against a Yoma their formation might have been effective but it was never going to work on an Awakened Being, especially one as strong as Agatha. Those spears they were planning on lunging would be nothing more than twigs to her.

She told them this but they did not listen. The fools continued with their doomed-from-the-start plan after Sid not so subtly to her to get out their way if she was not going to help. Some of the soldiers took off their armour. Their aim was to lighten their load so they could move quickly when the plan was finally carried out. The spear group would hurl their spears at Agatha while she was distracted by Miata and Galatea to confuse her. Then those who had discarded their armour would rush in from different directions to take her head.

To Clarice surprise the plan worked out perfectly, exactly as it had been planned on paper. The human soldiers actually managed to take off her head. It was a very impressive feat for humans, hell she could probably not have pulled it off. It would have been even more impressive if they had cut the hair instead. At least Agatha would have died if they had done that.

Galatea tried to warn them but it was too late. All those who had jumped onto Agatha's giant spider-like body were instantly killed. After that the spectators were forced to watch in horror as a new human body grew from the decapitated Awakened Being's head while she bragged that it was mere decoration and they should have aimed for her hair, which was connected to her main arachnid body.

And then... the worst thing happened. Miata, who been so fast and furious with her attacks began to slow down. Upon closer inspection Clarice realised that she had sores all over her body. It seems she had been ignoring Agatha completely, even when the Awakened Being was attacking her; which was how she ended up bruised all over. When Clarice heard Miata call to her telling her how much her wounds hurt there was nothing she wanted to do more than to grab her and run as far as she could. But alas she could not do that. Her physical capabilities were too low. She would be slaughtered before she could take a step.

Finally Miata began to pay attention to the Awakened Being and she really put up a good fight. Her display of raw power in that instant impressed Clarice more than it had all the other times in the past. She fought well, however, she was too hurt to do major damage and the Yoki suppression pills had not worn off yet. In the end Agatha cut off her hands and slammed her into the ground. The aching feeling she felt in her heart as she witnessed this she could not describe. It was the worst pain she had ever felt.

"MIATA!" she screamed, ignoring Agatha's bragging as she impaled Galatea and pinned her to a wall.

This was the end of the fight. But she could not let Miata die. She had to find a way to save her; after all how many times had Miata saved her? She couldn't even count the number times the little girl had saved her. Because of that Miata practically owned her life. It was her duty to repay that debt, even if she died in the process. It was the right thing to do.

But why was she frozen on the same spot. Why could she not will her body to go over to Miata and save her? Why was her body shaking like it was right now? Why did the thought of facing the monster known as Agatha terrify her so much?

"It's no use,"she said a little louder than she anticipated. "Miata... Galatea... both of them defeated... just me alone... against an Awakened Number 2." What chance did she have?

Agatha must have heard her pity party because she finally turned her attention to her and apologised for forgetting about her. "But no need to worry. I wouldn't be so cruel as to separate you from your comrades. I will give you the same treatment as those two... and impale your whole body."

That was the final straw. When Clarice heard those worlds she lost every ounce of control, including control of her bladder. Lucky for her it was raining so no one noticed it. However, she could not care any less about it at that moment. Before she realised what was happening her feet were carrying her away from the threat at the fastest pace they could manage while tears pooled down her face. Words began to spill out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"NO! I DON'T WANT TP DIE! SOMEBODY... SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

But even as she screamed she knew there would be no help. Galatea was down, Miata was defeated. Who else was there to help her? Her ability to sense Yoki might have been weak but not so weak as to be able to sense the spike in Agatha's Yoki. The Awakened Being was preparing to kill her and there was nothing she could do. This was the end-

The sound of flesh being pierced made her stop momentarily and look back. It was Miata's sword. Somehow she had re-grown her hands and flung her claymore at Agatha. Unfortunately it pierced her hand instead of her head or preferably her hair, because she had lifted her hand to block it.

"DON'T RUN AWAY MAMA!" she heard a cry from behind her.

It was Miata. She had saved her once more and was begging her to stay. But she could not do that. She was not as strong as Miata, nowhere near as brave as her either. More tears slid down her cheeks. These were tears of shame and guilt, because she knew that she did not have the courage to stay. She was going to abandon the person to whom she owed life. There was a common belief that cats had nine lives. If she were a cat she would owe each of those lives to the person begging her not to run. But she could not give even one of those lives for her. She was a coward.

"I'M SORRY MIATA!" she cried as she continued running. "I... I JUST CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!"

She had never been this scared in her entire life. Ever since she met Miata it had been one frightening situation after another. She could never be at peace even when there were no enemies around because of the little girl's unpredictable attitude. She terrified her most of all, and now she had finally reached her breaking point. She would leave her behind. She would leave everything behind and never look back.

"If you're mean to Mama I won't forgive you!"

What she couldn't understand was why Miata continued to believe in her. Those words from the girl were not cursing her, but defending her. Did Miata not understand that she was abandoning her? Was her lack of common sense so serious she could not see the situation for what it was. Why did she have to say that? And more importantly-

Why am I running towards Agatha when I'm scared out of my mind?

She was no longer fleeing. Her feet were carrying her body back in the direction it came from. It was an unprecedented act. Did her body forget that her mind was supposed to be in control? Did it lose its sense of self-preservation? If not then why was it jumping towards the Awakened Being with her claymore raised in the air?

Somehow, by some miracle, she managed to cut the vine like appendages that were impaling Miata. Then she grabbed her little body. However, she did not run. After everything she had witnessed and felt in such a short time she could not handle it anymore. As her emotions bubbled over she did not try to suppress her cry of anguish. Suddenly all her questions and insecurities began to pour out.

"Why? Why am I doing this? Even though I'm scared, even though there's no way to win, even though there's no way out. I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't."

"Ma... Mama..." came a weak cry from the figure in her arms.

But she was not done yet.

"I WAS SCARED OF YOU TOO!" she screamed at the child in her arms. "Why are you so much stronger than me even though you're so little?" Why did I turn out as a failure? If I were stronger than you I would be the one protecting you instead. She did not have the courage to say these words aloud so she continued with her original line of questioning. "Coming here fighting monstrously strong Awakened Beings... and still you didn't suffer a single scratch. Why are you getting all torn up now?"

"Sorry," Miata said in a weak voice. She too had begun to cry. In that moment she looked more like a child then she ever did since Clarice met her. "I'm sorry Mama."

And suddenly she realised... it was not Miata's fault that she was a failed experiment. It was not Miata's fault that she was stronger than her. It was not like Miata had asked for this life, none of them had asked for it. She was venting her frustrations on a child who did not do anything wrong, a child who saved her on countless occasions, a child who she owed her life to many times over. And all that child wanted was her love, the love of a mother. She was such a good and honest child; and Clarice was a faker. She had only given into the wishes of the child because she was scared of her. She had feared that if she did not give the child what she wanted she would kill her. So she faked it.

But no more. She would finally give her the love she deserved, even if it was only for these last few moments before Agatha killed them.

She let Miata down while kneeling before she pulled her into a tight hug and cried. Miata was crying too. Nothing mattered anymore. Agatha's threat about wiping out the city, Galatea's screams for her to take Miata and run. She did not care anymore. All that mattered was the person in her arms, and the fact that she was able to shower her with maternal love, something she cannot remember ever receiving. This was a suitable death for her, an acceptable one. For a long time she had been told she was useless, but at least now she would be able to make someone happy before she passed on, even if that person was not going to last any longer than her. She was ready to die now...

But life was a bitch. Just when Clarice had come to terms with the fact that she would die help arrived.

She was too busy hugging Miata to see what happened but she heard it. It was a slicing sound, followed by something huge hitting the ground. When she looked to see what it was she saw one of Agatha's Awakened body's limbs lying on the ground. Atop the rooftops of Rabona stood seven hooded figures who Clarice was sure had not been there a moment ago. Who were these people? Where did they come from?

"We made it just in time," said the figure in front, its blade coated in blood.

It jumped off the building and removed its hood, revealing a young face with colourless hair and silver eyes. She had bangs covering her forehead. The other six followed her lead and removed their hoods as well. They were all Warriors, but not from the Organisation. Their clothes were black and Clarice could sense no Yoki coming from them.

They were conversing with Agatha, telling her how they were going cut of her legs before the killed her. The casual manner in which this statement was made was one of a person who lacked the sense of danger that the Awakened Being in front of them presented. They did not even consider it a threat. Were they really that confident in their skill? Were they even on their side?

"Strong," came a whisper from her bosom, making her look at Miata. "Among them are two with the smell of power. They're all strong but those two are far stronger than the others. They stand out among the seven."

The verbal battle quickly escalated into a physical battle after Agatha got mad at the new Warriors for their negligent behaviour and attacked them. It turned out their negligence was not without merit. They had the skills to back it up. In one second they managed to take down all of Agatha's legs and free Galatea, who had been impaled to a wall by one of the Awakened Being's vines. It seemed the person who saved her, a Warrior with long spiky hair knew Galatea and they were old comrades. The two of the actually conversed before Galatea begged the Warrior to save the city. The Warrior assured her that they would not let anyone die before she vanished, or rather she moved so fast she left an after image. The real Warrior appeared in front of the giant made of hundreds of vines, Agatha's new Awakened form to protect her human body, and cut it in half, separating it at the waist.

It all happened so fast. Five of them joined the spiky haired Warrior while the seventh, a pony-tailed Warrior, stayed behind and directed their movements. The fight did not last much longer. Within moments the giant was in pieces and Agatha's human body had been exposed. Clarice was impressed. They were able to reduce and Awakened Number 2's defences to nothing in such a short time. These people were really good.

It was while watching the Warrior's performance, or at least trying to catch their movements since they were too fast for her to follow, did she identify them. Not by name though. To her these were the missing swords from the north, the ghosts of the Warriors from seven years ago. There had only been sixteen grave markers so she had originally thought there eight of them were missing but the short-haired Warrior was carrying two swords. It made perfect sense. But where were they hiding all these years?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Agatha, now vulnerable in her human body, grabbed the still recovering Galatea and ordered the Warriors not to move or she would rip her head off. This made the Warriors hesitate and Agatha, who picked up on it, began to laugh.

"Hahahaha!" It was filled with malice. "What a pair of dumb bitches. I knew you were stupid the moment you said you said you were not a going to let people die anymore. Now all of you dumb bitches just stay there or I swear I will tear her head off before any of you can-"

"What is all this commotion?"

It was an innocent voice and it belonged to a girl who probably did not know what she had just step into. She could not have been any older than Miata, she looked younger. The girl had long black hair and wore a sleeveless dress with no shoes. She looked like a homeless girl who was trying to find shelter from the rain. It was unfortunate that she had to set foot into this place. Even a cyclone was safer than this battleground.

"What's that child doing here?" Sid growled, looking as shocked as Clarice felt. "Someone get her out of here?"

One of the surviving soldiers moved to follow his orders, but before he could the Warrior with the bangs stopped him.

"Stay right where you are!" she said harshly, her voice now had the serious tone that she had lacked against Agatha. There was a note of panic in her it as well. "The situation has become even more dangerous. Evacuate the city immediately! We can no longer keep our promise about not letting anyone die. We probably won't be able to keep our own lives. Run for your lives! We will distract her while you escape!"

Clarice was sure she was not the only one who confused because even the Warrior's comrades were looking at her with puzzled expressions. What is she talking about? They had Agatha backed into a corner where her only defence was using Galatea as a shield and the moment she discarded her she would instantly be killed. Who was this she that she was talking about?

However, it seemed the Warrior with the Bangs was not the only one who was panicked. Agatha's grip on Galatea had loosened and her eyes went wide with fear. Her captive, who should have taken the opportunity to run away, had stiffened. She too was panicking and Clarice had the aching suspicion that it was not because she was being held hostage by a man-eating monster. Even Miata had clung to her so tight she felt like her bones were going to be crushed.

"Mama," the Number 4 said softly. "That girl... I'm scared Mama."

Clarice looked at the girl more closely. She appeared to be just a normal girl who had probably lost her parents. But if that was the case why did her appearance make Miata so uneasy? Miata was the 4th ranked Warrior, someone said to have the potential to become Number One. She was the infamous Blood Eye, feared by her enemies and comrades alike. She was someone who never hesitated when she faced anyone. How was it that this homeless girl was able to strike fear into her heart?

The humans were confused too, though after a moment the man who had been ordered to get the girl to safety moved again to do his given task. However, before he could take another step in the girl's direction he was stopped again, this time by Galatea.

"You foolish humans!" the former Number 3 shouted. "What are you still doing here? Didn't you hear what Jean said? Run for your lives! That girl is a monster just like the one behind me- no, she's an even bigger monster!"

And finally the grimness of their situation dawned to Clarice. If Galatea was saying something like that and Agatha was a former Number 2, if Miata, whose instincts were sharper than any animal's, who also did not cower at Agatha's overwhelming presence was weary of this girl then that meant this girl was a-

"Riful," Agatha said with a frightened tone. "Wh- what are you doing here?"

-a Creature of the Abyss, the pinnacle of Awakened Beings, an Awakened Number 1. This little girl who was looked no older than Miata was such a being.

"I came here on totally unrelated business," Riful said, still keeping the innocent facade even though it had been compromised. "And my oh my; what do I find here?" When no one responded she continued. "Now Agatha, would you be as kind as to please tell me who gave you the authorisation to slaughter humans in this city?"

Clarice could not prove anything but she was sure they all thought the same thing at that moment.

What! What is she talking about?

But Riful ignored their expression and continued. When she spoke this time her voice sent chills down her spine. "You have dared to attack humans in my territory. What do you think the penalty for such an offense is?"

Whatever the penalty was Agatha did not wait to find out. She pushed Galatea forward with all her strength, causing the Warrior-turned-nun to stumble forward. Riful, who had made her way to them unimpeded, managed to catch her before she could fall.

"Oh poor Galatea," the little Abyssal Creature said as she embraced the Warrior, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but where she was at the moment. Her tone, which was meant to sooth had the opposite effect. "Your eyes and your arm, Agatha did quite a number on you. But don't worry darling, she's not going to get away. She will never hurt anyone ever again."

None of the Ghost Warriors had gone after Agatha, too stunned by the sudden appearance of an Abyssal One and her unorthodox behaviour. When Awakened Beings met Warriors they fought to the death. Clarice never heard above one party trying to comfort the other, as false as the display in front of her looked.

At least she had meant it about Agatha not escaping. At the far side of the street the former Number 2 ran in there appeared a silhouette. Its features were not visible but from its figure it appeared to be a woman. Agatha must not have considered her to be a threat because she did not slow her steps and as she got closer she raised her hands to attack the woman. However, before her hands could reach the woman they were suddenly separated from her wrists. The next moment her entire body burst into pieces.

"What the- what just happened?" Clarice exclaimed.

She had not seen the woman make any moves apart from walking in their direction. She had not even stopped to acknowledge the terror that had been Agatha. How in the world did the Awakened Being just burst in to pieces like that?

It seemed the black-clad Warriors knew what had happened because they gave a collective gasp when they saw what happened.

"That technique..." the Warrior with the bangs began. "Could it be?"

"Jean!" Riful exclaimed joyfully to the Warrior. "I suspected I would find you here. There is only one Claymore I know who can drill Dauf's arm off like you did. But the one I didn't expect is this cute little girl." As she said this she pecked Galatea on the cheek. The Nun couldn't have looked anymore disgusted, not that Riful noticed. "Isn't this great? Now with the two of you all three girls I met seven years ago are here. What a great reunion!" Her gaze shot in the direction of the silhouette that was now close enough for them to identify her features. "Isn't that right Clare?"

The woman in question had light brown shoulder length hair and dark green eyes. She wore a top that exposed her back and a pair of shorts, both clinging too tight to her body. On her back was a gigantic sword that could not be mistaken for anything other than a claymore. Just like Riful she too was barefoot.

Who this person was she did not know, but the Warriors in black clearly did and it was not only them. Even gasps came from the mouths of Galatea, Sid and Galk as the same name passed through everyone's lips.

"Clare?"

-to be continued-

Honestly I was planning on releasing this early, until I watched the anime Overlord and got totally hooked. Even after reading the light novels I was in a frenzy and the only way to get rid of it was by starting a crossover fanfiction of Overlord and Skyrim. If anyone's a fan of those two fandoms I urge you to check it out. It's called Overrim and pretty sure it's the only one of it's kind.

If you're worried I might pay more attention to it than More then worry no more. More will remain priority no matter what.

Now a response to Heika's comment:

I don't deny that Awakened Beings have sexual urges and like humans probably have sex for recreation but the idea of them trying to reproduce because they are afraid of being hunted? But as long as Claymores exist there is no need to try and reproduce. After all the Awakened Beings were once Claymores themselves.

Fertility plays a part in Natural Selection but, only a little part. It doesn't matter if one creature is more fertile than the other and can produce ten offspring while the other only produces one. If the latter's offspring is stronger than the ten offspring it will always get more food than the others. The way packs live the alpha always gets the first bite and leaves the scraps for runts.

Till next time then.