Silvered Assassin

Chapter 10: Before the First

I hate mosquitoes.

Erwin slapped himself in the face again as he felt a ticklish sensation on his right cheek. One smack and a sore cheek later, the young man placed his palms in front of him, wondering if he managed to flatten the annoying insect with the last slap. There wasn't really much use, though. As much as he tried, Erwin could not see a single thing in the pitch darkness with his human eyes. Only a soft buzz at his left ear a few seconds later confirmed his failure to kill the annoying mosquito.

Even with the assurance of the two "uninvited" Claymores, Erwin could not sleep. The discomfort, coupled with the tragic experience earlier, made resting hard. Ilse was unable to sleep as well. Erwin could feel his sister fidgeting beside him. All Erwin could do was to stare at the canopy above him. Erwin would rather stare at the night sky, but all he could see in the thick forest were countless leafs and branches. The silhouettes of the tall canopies were all the young man could see.

Closing his eyes in another attempt to fall asleep, Erwin tried to empty his mind of what had happened earlier. But all he got in return was an even older memory; the very day Ilse and he lost someone valuable.

--Flashback--

Several miles north of Agartha was the small fishing village of Avonlea. Tucked within the village was a small hut. It was late at night, but the tiny hut was abuzz with activity.

"Is the fire started?" Ilse asked impatiently as her younger brother fumbled with the setting up of the fire, "I can't believe a fifteen year old male like you can't start a proper fire."

"Stop hurrying me. I'm nearly done," Erwin hissed at his sister as he tried for the sixth time to start the fire.

"You said that five minutes ago," Ilse was getting fed up with Erwin's constant delaying.

"Just wait, okay?" Erwin replied.

"You said that five minutes ago too." Ilse was quick to remind.

Erwin was getting more irritated by the minute, "Argh! You're annoying!"

Ilse smiled. She knew she had Erwin, "That's because you're slow."

"Shut up!" Erwin retorted, but somehow he knew Ilse was not done yet.

"I'll do if you start the fire."

"I hate you," Erwin said softly, but loud enough for Ilse to hear it.

"Ditto."

Erwin could not take it any longer, "I give up."

"Gosh, you're really useless."

"Then why don't you do it."

"So you'll do the cooking?"

"Nope."

"Slacker."

"I'm not."

"Prove to me by starting the fire."

"Fine…" Erwin gave up trying to argue with his sister. He rarely emerge tops over Ilse whenever they argued.

Erwin and Ilse probably spent more time arguing than preparing dinner, but the fire was eventually started and Ilse could finally do the cooking. Dinner was a simple affair, some vegetables and meat dumped into a pot of boiling water. There wasn't anything else they could have. Avonlea wasn't the most well to do community; meals were mostly simple affairs.

"Dad's later than usual," Erwin complained as the night grew older.

"Mum is probably still waiting at the jetty for dad to return from his fishing trip," Ilse added with a concerned look, "I hope she doesn't catch a cold out there."

"Don't worry, the rest are with her waiting. I bet even that yoma wouldn't dare show its face with so many people there," Erwin assured Ilse with his far from convincing reasoning.

Since Avonlea was a fishing village, most of the males were fishermen. Going out to sea in large groups, the men would usually stay out for a few days, sometimes even lasting to a week. Whenever the first batch of fishermen returned, the family members of the remaining fishermen who had yet to return would wait at the village's jetty. It was no different that day as Erwin and Ilse's mother headed straight for the jetty when she caught news that some of the fishermen had returned. It meant that their father would be returning soon.

Erwin and Ilse waited in their tiny hut, ready to pounce on the door the moment their parents returned. Unlike the usual, the doors and windows of their humble hut were shut tight. There had been recent cases of villagers being killed by yomas – three to be exact. The siblings were taking no chances. The only thing that would see the two of them unlocking the doors would be the voices of their parents.

Minutes passed by as Erwin and Ilse waited. The siblings were close to dozing off when something caught their ears. It wasn't the sound of their parents. It was the sound of something metallic striking the ground. The sound came at regular intervals, like that of a person walking. Unable to resist the urge, Erwin peeped through a small hole to see who was outside.

"Sis, take a look," Erwin gestured excitedly for Ilse, "I guessed correctly! It's a Claymore! The village chief really did ask for one to come!"

Ilse sprung to her feet and dashed to where Erwin was. Like her brother, Ilse was eager to see what exactly a Claymore was, "She looks scary," Ilse remarked as she spied on the blonde figure some distance away.

"Err… is she drawing her sword?" Erwin sort of panicked when the Claymore grabbed the hilt of her massive weapon.

"I think she is…" Ilse replied fearfully.

Erwin and Ilse looked at each other and froze. If the Claymore was drawing her sword there, it meant that a yoma had to be nearby. The two youngsters instantly scrambled back to their rooms as they cowered in fear. Even if they had not actually seen the yoma, the possibility of having one near them was enough to scare them to bits. Not even the presence of the Claymore was sufficient to take away their fear. In fact, their insecurity was amplified with her presence.

The two of them remained hidden in a corner until they heard a familiar voice.

"Stay away from Hilda!" it was the voice of their father.

"Dad?" whatever fear inside of him vanished as Erwin rushed for the door.

"Erwin!" Ilse tried to stop her brother, but Erwin was already outside before she could stop him.

Having no choice, Ilse ran out as she followed after her brother. Running as fast as her legs could carry, Ilse managed to catch up with Erwin as he went past a corner. Erwin had stopped by then and Ilse found it strange that her brother seemed to be staring at something. Closing in on her Erwin, Ilse soon realized what her brother was looking at. Lying a few feet away was their father, too weak to do anything as he remained motionless.

"Dad…" tears fell uncontrollably as Ilse dropped to her knees.

Laying limb on the ground, their father had a deep cut across his chest. Blood was spurting out from the massive gash and the stricken man was coughing out blood at the same time. Anyone could tell than the wound was caused by a blade, and the wielder must be extremely strong to be able to inflict such a deep wound.

"Dad…" Erwin approached his fast dying father in tears, "What happened?"

By then, their father was struggling to even breathe, "Hilda… Cla… Claymore…"

There was silence.

"Dad?" Erwin touched his motionless father, "This can't be happening, right? You can't be dead, right?"

"Mum, she's gone…" Ilse somehow managed to discover the absence of her mother amidst her grief, "Where…"

"SHE'S DEAD! KILLED BY THAT CLAYMORE!" Erwin screamed before Ilse could say anymore, "DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT DAD SAID?"

"Erwin…" Ilse was at a loss at Erwin's outburst.

Erwin's fist tightened as anger slowly took over his grief, "Claymores… I kill that witch… I swear…"

--End of flashback--

"Is he alright?" Rachel asked as still sleeping Erwin was perspiring.

"How would I know?" Ilse replied as both of them observed Erwin, "Do you think he might be sick?"

"Oh gosh! He's a real weakling if this is really the case," Rachel slapped her forehead in jest.

"Maybe we should just splash some water on him," Ilse suggested, "I don't think Erwin will fall sick so easily."

Rachel looked at Ilse as if she had just spoken some words of wisdom, "I like it," a cheeky grin flashed across her face.

Fortunately for him, Erwin woke up before the two girls could execute their "evil" plan, "I don't like it."

Ilse sort of had a shock when Erwin suddenly spoke up, but she was relieved that he was fine, "I was wondering what happened to you," Ilse told Erwin as they prepared to set off.

"Instead of worrying about me, why don't you worry about her?" Erwin quickly shifted Rachel and Ilse's attention to Charlene, who was standing motionless staring at nothing as usual, "She looks like she's having cramps or something. Are most Claymores stuck with only one expression?"

Rachel promptly gave Erwin a soft punch on his head, "Stop calling us Claymores… human. And don't worry about her; Charlene's always like this."

"Whatever," Erwin rubbed his throbbing head, "Let's go."

With a blank faced Charlene, an excessively enthusiastic Rachel, a scowling Erwin and a worried looking Ilse, the odd party of four soon set off towards their destination. They had to quicken their pace as Magdalene was waiting for them far ahead, and they did not want to make her wait for too long.

--Section Divider--

Magdalene stretched herself as she woke up from her brief slumber. Despite how it looks, leaning against the flat side of their blades was the most comfortable position for Claymores. Feeling refreshed after a few hours of rest, Magdalene decided to set off, but at a slower pace. She had to maintain a slower pace so that Charlene and Rachel, along with their human entourage, could catch up with her. From time to time, Magdalene would stop to carve a mark on the tree trunks. The marks would serve as directions for her comrades behind.

It was midday when Magdalene decided to take another rest, though she did not need it. Her half yoma body was able to endure way higher levels of strenuous activities. The organization's number one only stopped to allow her two comrades to close the gap. Magdalene let out a sigh as she realized that Charlene and Rachel would not be catching up with her any sooner – not with two humans following along. Up until now, Magdalene had yet to sense Rachel's presence. Magdalene knew it was useless to try to sense Charlene; the number two warrior was second to none when it comes to concealing her presence.

Magdalene was sort of enjoying another of her quiet moments when she heard someone approaching from behind.

Charlene? Magdalene first thought of her comrade as she felt no yoki, but soon dispelled that thought. Even if I can't sense Charlene, I would be able to sense Rachel. Besides, I only hear one set of footsteps.

Despite the apparent lack of yoki, Magdalene instinctively picked herself up and spun towards the direction of the approaching stranger. Reaching out for her sword, Magdalene pointed her weapon at the unknown person. She was not going to take her chances and relax for even a moment. Not after what had happened in Agartha.

"My my, what's with that aggression?" the stranger asked as he approached Magdalene, seemingly unfazed at the top warrior's defensive stance.

"State your business, stranger," Magdalene continued to point her sword at the unknown person. Even though her senses tell her that a human was standing in front of her, Magdalene's guts seemed to say otherwise.

"Business? Not much actually. I'm just here to fulfill my master's orders," the man replied with a tone that sounded too sarcastic for Magdalene's liking.

Magdalene glared at the stranger as he continued walking towards her. How a human could show absolutely no fear was beyond her. All Magdalene knew was that the man was quite a fine looking man. Taller than she was, the stranger had delicate features and golden hair flowing down his shoulders. But despite the man's seemingly good looks, Magdalene had developed a strong disdain for his disrespectful attitude in that short period of contact.

The number one warrior was beginning to suspect that the man standing in front of her was not human. At the very least, he was not an ordinary person.

"Just who are you? And what do your orders have to do with me?" Magdalene was curious to know the stranger's identity, but yet was feeling a sense of dread from his impending answer.

"My name's Nicolae, from the first generation," the stranger answered coolly.

"First generation?" Magdalene was trying to decipher what Nicolae meant when she realized something, "Crap! An awakened being!"

Jumping back to open up a distance between them, Magdalene scolded herself for being too careless. Tightening her grip on the sword, Magdalene sort of expected Nicolae to transform and attack her. But nothing of that sort happened. Nicolae was stood there and smiled at her.

"Not transforming?" Magdalene asked when she noticed Nicolae's inaction, "I'm not going to be so kind and wait for you to get ready!"

Releasing her powers, Magdalene did not hold back as she swung her sword at Nicolae, aiming to cleave off his head in a single attack. For a moment, Magdalene's swing seemed destined to connect as Nicolae just remained motionless. It was as if he was waiting for her to cut him or something. The distinct clang of metal clashing was heard as Magdalene brought her massive blade down on Nicolae, but the end result was far from what she had initially expected.

Magdalene's eyes widened as Nicolae stood in front of her, totally unharmed. The sharp edge of the steel blade rested comfortably on Nicolae's neck; not an inch of it sank into his flesh. The area of the skin near the spot where Magdalene's sword hit looked different though. The left side of Nicolae's neck now had a black, metallic surface covering it. It was as if Nicolae's entire body was protected by a shield.

"Impossible…" Magdalene was at a loss at what she had just witnessed.

Nicolae reached for Magdalene's blade, but she jumped back before he could do it, "That won't work on me. I'm the ultimate shield, after all."

One of the reasons for Magdalene's rank was her ability to strike with immense strength. Rare were the occasions when her blade fail to inflict an injury on her enemies. Yet, Nicolae was able to take a direct hit from Magdalene's strike while suffering no damage at all. Furthermore, he did it without transforming into his awakened form at all.

He's unhurt? How can it be? Who the heck is this guy? Magdalene was full of questions now; she was positive that Nicolae had the power of an Abyssal Being. What Magdalene could not understand was how the Organization could be unaware of his existence, and more importantly, how could there be a male awakened being. It was widely known to the Organization that Isley was the last remaining male warriors from the first generation, and he was supposed to be killed two centuries ago.

"Did you just say that you're from the first generation?" Magdalene could not help but ask.

"You heard it correctly," Nicolae did not seem to be in any hurry to fight Magdalene.

Magdalene was now more confused than ever after hearing the confirmation from Nicolae, "Nonsense! Everybody knows that the last of the first male generation was wiped out when Isley died 200 years ago! And now you're saying that you belong to the first generation? Stop your lame tricks! Just who are you?"

Having expected Magdalene's reply, Nicolae patiently explained further, "Correction, young warrior. Isley's generation was the first batch of male warriors to successfully complete their training and enter active service."

Magdalene did not like what she just heard, "What are you trying to say?"

Nicolae let out a soft chuckle before continuing, "In other words, before Isley and his pathetic generation completed their training, there were other generations of male warriors who failed their training. Way before Isley was even born to this world; there were countless victims who lost their lives to the mindless experiments of the Organization. Isley belonged to the first generation of male warriors who successfully entered active service. I, on the other hand, belong to the first generation of male warriors that was experimented on by the Organization."

Magdalene was in utter shock. In all the years she spent in the Organization, Magdalene was taught that Isley's generation was the first batch of warriors ever created. There never was any mention of any experiments or warriors prior to the first generation of male warriors. The unfamiliar sensation of fear crept into Magdalene's heart as she realized she might be facing an adversary far deadlier than any she had ever encountered.

"Say, would you mind to hear a story?" Nicolae spoke before disappearing from Magdalene's sight, only to appear behind her in an instant, "A 800 year old story?"

End of Chapter 10

There you have it. Hope this chapter is good. Just for information, I presumed that each generation equals to 7 years. So I just multiplied Claire's generation (which is 79) by 7 years and added 200 (this story is set 200 yrs after the current events in the Claymore Manga) to it. I then rounded the number up to the nearest hundred (since Erebus and Nicolae existed before Isley), which then turns out to be 800. That's how I came up with the Organization being 800 years old.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please tell me your opinion of this chapter and any areas I can improve on. Thanks for reading!