Of Lightning, Flesh, and Swords
Chapter 9
The Holy City of Rabona Arc part 4
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"I'm sorry," said the old innkeeper. "I don't see you two as . . . friends with such a fair lady."
Cole was starting to get annoyed. As the two were instructed, Cole and Alex had both gotten to the inn at the east side of town. They had just gotten in and were waiting around when they were approached by the inn keeper as to why they were there. When Cole had explained what had happened, the old man wasn't reluctant to trust them. From the old inn keeper's perspective, both Cole and Alex looked more like gruff men who would take advantage of his latest tenant rather than friendly companions.
"Well we're not really friends with her. We're actually more like . . . business partners."
"Really now," the man said while staring skeptically. "What does she sell then?"
"Uhhhhhh . . . business stuff?"
The old man just shook his head. "Please leave, I would prefer you not harassing my guests."
"But . . ."
"Please don't make me call the guards and, yes, I do know how to get you kicked out of the city."
Cole grumbled a bit as he started to turn around. Alex, on the other hand, was still leaning on the wall holding back a laugh from Cole's complete failure.
"Well, I guess we won't be meeting her," Alex quipped as the two walked to the door.
"You know you could have at least tried to help."
"Mmm . . . nah. Besides we don't need her help."
"Really now," said a voice that made the two men jump. As both Cole and Alex faced towards the door to see . . .
"Wait, Claire?" Cole said in surprise.
Her face still showed the same emotionless Claymore face from before. Her clothes, however, were different in that they seemed much more modest. Claire's fierce warrior visage had now transformed into a beautiful woman dressed in a long cloak with a reared back hood.
"Wait," Alex said with his hands up. "You were that lady? The one we met at the church?"
"Yes, I was. I was actually surprised that you did not notice me"
Cole shrugged, "Well you did have your hood down and all I could really see were your eyes. By the way, how did you change your eye color?"
"It's complicated," Claire responded shaking her head. "Besides, I need to make sure that you are not removed from the city."
"Why? So your Organization bosses can get us themselves?" Alex snarled, glaring at the woman.
"Easy Alex," Cole said as he raised his arm in front of the virus. "We don't need any trouble"
Claire sighed, "No," Claire looked at Alex for emphasis. "I am not here to hunt you down or to harm you."
Alex calmed down slightly but still looked at her with suspicion, "So, why are you here then?"
"That is what I will get to, but first let us get some privacy." With that, Claire immediately moved herself to the old innkeeper. Cole eyed her and saw her expression change from the face of a hardened warrior that he had seen before into a façade of a fragile and fair maiden.
"Ah, you're back," The old man gasped, "Oh . . . and those men—"
She smiled and Cole could almost see a glow come from her, "Yes, they are old friends of mine. In fact, they purchased some antiques from me some time ago to help me up on my feet."
"I see," the old man said scanning the two. "Well, if you say so then I guess I will be preparing dinner for three then."
"Yes, sorry for the extra work."
"No, no don't worry ma'am. I should be the one to say sorry. I almost got them kicked out of the city."
"Oh, no worries. I can understand how you could have mistaken," Claire looked at the two somewhat intimidating men and nodded, "I think we will head into the room"
"Ah, will you need an extra room for them?"
"Yes, that would be appreciated,"
The innkeeper leapt up from his seat with a key in hand. "Sorry for the misunderstanding earlier," he said shaking his head.
"Uh, yea. Um it's ok," Cole stuttered scratching his head. "Here's the payment and all."
"That won't be necessary," Claire said as she took out money.
Cole folded his arms as he looked at Claire, "Wait, what?"
"I will be paying for your rooming fees," She responded
"Ah, yea. Ha ha, no."
"What?" Claire said in an authentic surprised tone
"What?" The innkeeper exclaimed in wonder
"What?" Alex spat out in shock.
Cole turned to Alex, "How much do we got?"
"30 Bera"
"How much is a two bed room?"
"5?" the inn keeper responded.
"Then, we'll pay."
"What? Why?" Alex questioned.
"Cause we can."
"I've already said that I would pay for your rooms though." Claire explained.
"No, no. It's ok," Cole assured. "As a man, I got an obligation to at least pay for my own room . . . and yours too."
"Bu—"
Cole immediately took ten Bera and placed it on the innkeeper's desk, "Here's the money. Let's head up then shall we."
"She has already paid for her room sir."
Cole stared at the innkeeper and sighed, taking five Bera from the table in the process, "Fine," Cole remarked as he turned to Claire and handed her the money. "Here, for the room."
"Um, Cole. I don't particularly need the money though,"
"Don't bother," Alex said as he waved his hand in front of his face, "Cole's too much of a dumbass to understand logic."
"Shut up, Alex."
"I'm not going to shut up just so you can show off,"
"What are you trying to get at Mercer?"
"You know what I'm saying MacGrath."
The two stared down for a bit before Claire got tired of the shenanigans. "Alright, let's move." And with that the Claymore pushed them down the hall and up the stairs.
The old innkeeper that had watched this strange conversation had been staring down the hallway before promptly shaking his head.
'Ah how nice it is to be young,' the old man thought smiling.
"Cole," Alex exclaimed as door closed behind the trio. "Do you have to act like a stupid motherfucker every time you have to open your mouth?"
Claire spun to face the conduit, her face now changed back into the visage of a hardened warrior, "Yes, I must agree. You probably made this much more complicated than it needed to be."
"Ah, sorry guys." Cole responded while rubbing the back of this head. "But you know . . . manners and all that jazz."
"Manners?" Alex snorted amusingly.
"Yea, I can't just let Claire just pay for our stuff."
Claire just stared at him confused, "Excuse me?"
"Yea, where I'm from, it's common courtesy for guys to treat the ladies, not the other way around."
"Cole," Alex remarked, "I don't think that courtesy really applies with women who wield seven feet long swords that kill the crap out of demonic mother-fuckers."
"Hey, all the more reason to treat Claire properly."
Claire just sighed as she heard the two men argue with each other. Again, Cole was treating her differently than she had anticipated. She could feel some old and suppressed human feelings well up again.
'Cole Macgrath, you surprise me again.' Claire thought shaking her head. She smiled slightly but quickly changed her face.
"I think we should get back to the original topic at hand." Claire spoke as she tried to calm the two men.
Cole looked at Claire as he responded, "Yea. Besides, I hate arguing with this meat bag over here."
Alex just grumbled about their money as all three moved around the room. Claire sat on the bed while Cole and Alex placed himself on a seat and leaned against the wall respectively.
"As you two know," Claire explained slowly. "I am a Claymore and I kill Yoma."
The two men just stared at her with disbelief.
"O-k?" Cole questioned.
"Any more world shattering info you wanna tell us, Captain Obvious." Alex remarked.
Cole and Claire stared at Alex to shut up before Claire continued, "As I was saying, as a Claymore, I am usually assigned to jobs related with killing Yoma."
"And the reason why you're here's cause there's one of those freaks,"
Claire mentally cringed as Cole said freaks but continued, "Yes, there is one. However, as a Claymore I am not allowed into Rabona."
"Yea, the kid that we were with kept telling us about how the city's big on not letting unholy stuff in. Kinda annoying if you ask me."
"Correct, Cole. However, we recently received an emergency request by the name of Father Vincent. We are to meet him tonight."
Alex raised an eyebrow, "Isn't there a curfew tonight?"
"Yes so we will be taking the rooftop route. You two will need to keep up with me."
"Where are we actually meeting your priest guy?" Cole asked.
"Father Vincent has asked to meet us on the south room on the top floor of the church. I have quite ropes that we can all use to get up there."
"Wait," Cole said with a smile. "We're climbing?"
"Yes, is that a problem?"
"Problem? Ha, nah. I'll just be climbing up that church with my bare hands."
Claire looked at Cole as though he was crazy, "What?"
"Yea, I've kinda learned how to scale buildings."
"But the top floor is quite high up. How do you expect to climb all the way up there?"
"I got my ways," Cole assured Claire. "Don't worry about it."
Claire gave a look at the conduit with a frown and sighed. She quickly turned to Alex, "Do you need a rope or are you going to climb up too?"
"Nah," Alex growled out. "I'll just run."
"Run?"
"Yea . . . Don't ask."
The three went silent for a bit, each person giving the others a look. Suddenly, a knock came at the door to which Claire opened to find the innkeeper. The man held a large tray with three large bowls of tasty looking stew.
"Hello Ma'am. As I said before here are three bowls of my best stew." The man proceeded to the table and placed the bowls on said table.
"Thank you sir," Claire said as the man left.
Once the old man had gone, Cole immediately scooted the chair towards the table and looked at the food hungrily.
"Aww yea, time to eat."
Alex and Claire sat to their respective stews and started to eat. After three or four spoons of stew, however, the two stopped eating and leaned back in their chairs. Cole looked at the two with a curious face.
"You guys not hungry?"
Claire looked at the stew with an emotionless gaze, "As a Claymore, I do not need to eat as much as regular humans do."
Alex just looked at him, "As for me, you know why."
Cole just looked at both of them and towards their stew and paused for a bit before he spoke, "Meh, more for me."
Eventually the innkeeper took the bowls and the three prepared themselves. Cole wore a large hooded cloak that covered his face and hid his features effectively. Alex left the room to reform himself out of Claire's eyes and, when he came back, he his jacket had now changed into a similar cloak that Cole wore.
Claire removed her large cloak and over dress to reveal her slim and well sharpened warrior body. She wore a single piece of clothing that covered her chest area and her waist while her legs were covered with two tightly fitting leggings and leather shoes. She also followed suit with the two men and wore a smaller cloak that covered her face.
Cole looked at Claire taking in her features while Alex just looked at Cole and smirked.
With that the trio leapt through the open window and started to make their way to the church.
In the southern room of the top floor, one Father Vincent stood in a brightly lit room. His nervousness could clearly be seen from his rapid pacing and his sweaty brow. For this priest, he had perhaps taken the greatest risk of his life. Hiring the Claymore was beyond just a taboo, it was almost heresy. Claymores had the blood and flesh of the unnatural demonic Yoma, to ask for their help was like asking the devil for assistance.
'We are being tested by our gods,' the priest thought as he started to pace again. 'Please forgive us for our transgression.'
Before Father Vincent finished his prayer, a knock came to his door. As he turned, the door opened to reveal the small child that had just gotten to the church.
"Father Vincent," Denra said concerned, "Are you ok?"
The priest smiled, "Yes, Denra. I'm fine. I'm just praying."
"Shall I pray with you?"
"No no, it's fine. I would like to pray alone."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I will be with you shor—" "Tap Tap Tap"
The two turned to the sound and found a figure in the window. Denra looked at the figure and at Father Vincent in surprise.
"I'm sorry Denra, I think you should go. Don't speak of this to anyone please."
The child looked at the priest in concern and turned his gaze to the figure as the window opened. Denra's face changed from surprise into happiness, "Alex? Is that you?"
The figure grinned from under his cloak, "Hey kid, how you doing?"
"I'm doing fine," Denra said with a wide smile, "Where's Cole?"
"Oh, he should be here sometime . . . now."
As he said, another figure quickly rose over the railing and soon the figure slumped onto the ground slightly winded, "DAMN, Alex you son of a bitch. When you said you'd run, I didn't think you were literal man."
"I'm sorry," Father Vincent questioned, "Who are you? Are you with the . . . the woman?"
Cole dusted himself off as he stood, "Yea, she on her way here."
"Ah sorry. Um do you know when she will get here?"
The sound of rustled cloaks, however, alerted the four to Claire presence, "I am here Father Vincent, I am sorry for bringing these two along and startling you."
"A silver-eyed witch!" Denra gulped, "Are you . . . Claire?"
Claire looked at the boy in surprise, "Yes, how do you know my name?"
"Alex and Cole told me about you about how you killed a Yoma and saved them."
'Saved us my ass' Alex thought
'Did we ever say that?' Cole followed suit.
Claire smiled and shook her head before continuing, "Well, Father Vincent I think it is best that we now get the details for this job."
He nodded in agreement, "Y-Yes, Denra, I need to speak with these three. Do not inform the other members about this."
"Yes father." Denra responded. "Goodbye Alex and Goodbye Cole." and soon he was out of the room.
The four quickly sat around a table all ready to hear Father Vincent speak.
He stuttered at first, but he soon got his bearings. He spoke quietly and nervously, "T-t-the first to die . . . was Father Van, since them my colleagues have fallen victim one after another and each time it's happened in the Cathedral. In no way can this be made public. We are instruments of our lord. If it gets out that we're being picked off by a filthy monster. The people will lose faith."
Claire closed her eyes as she spoke, "Yoma treat all equally. Those who have money and those who don't, those who have status and those without. Whether they're believers or nonbelievers. Male or female, old or young— it matters not," She stayed silent and finished as she opened her eyes. "As long as they have flesh . . . they are all the same"
"Yea, I'll say" Cole spat out silently. Alex raised a brow but still stayed silent as Father Vincent looked on in shock at Claire. He stood up rapidly, but in fear, not anger. "P-please help us, I beg of you. Please I don't want to die. I can pay whatever you want."
At this point, the sweating and shivering figure of the priest even made the virus feel pity. However, Alex made a quick glance at the conduit and could see that his electric friend shifting uncomfortably in his own seat.
"To die so horribly, the way the others did . . ."
"Keep the money" Claire responded
The priest and Alex both gave the same confused look, "Huh?"
"After the job is done, someone will be sent to collect it. You will give it to him then. If I get killed there will be no reason to pay."
The priest looked at her in shock, "S-so ar-are you saying. . . ?"
"Yes, even though I'm inside the cathedral where the Yoma is hiding I can't sense its aura. I have taken a pill that helps me blend in by changing my eyes back to my original color. The only problem is, is that it has reduced my combat efficiency so there is a possibility that I can get killed in a surprise attack."
The priest looked at the Claire stunned and laughed nervously. Father Vincent couldn't help but turn around, "I am humbled," the priest said as he clutched his cross. "Here I am a servant of our lord and yet I worry only about saving myself."
Father Vincent massaged his head before he continued, "But you a half-monster, a loathsome slayer who is forbidden to step foot in this town . . . You already have decided to lay down your life fighting this creature. You aren't even concerned about your own fate."
The table creaked as Cole placed his feet on top of it. "Well she shouldn't have to worry," Cole grinned as he pointed to himself confidently. "She's got us watching her back."
Alex nodded with Cole, "One yoma's not gonna give any trouble."
Soon the three figures were again running across the rooftops. Alex had again run ahead of the two saying something about giving them alone time. Claire was thinking about how to reprimand Alex when Cole decided to talk to her
"So Claire," Cole spoke over her, "You're really weird you know."
She looked at him in with curiosity, "Hmm?"
Cole stared at her, "Don't you care whether ya live or die?"
"I do care."
"Then what's with that attitude of yours."
"Attitude?"
"Yea, your whole emotionless stare thing," Cole described as he waved his right hand over his face.
"I believe that being emotionally detached from my job is sufficient in me completing my job."
"Yea but it just makes you seem less . . . human."
"I am not human."
"Oh, don't say that."
"It's true," Claire claimed, "I am not human at all,"
"No, your fifty percent human."
"What does that have to do with this?"
Cole stopped in front of Claire stared at her with serious conviction, "It means your human enough."
Claire just folded her arm at this, "What are you getting at?" Cole continued to look at the Claymore. His eyes almost showed pity.
"What I'm trying to say is that I've been in your situation."
"Oh, really now?"
"Yea, yea I know," the Conduit responded with his arms raised. "I know it sounds weird, but I know what it means to be 'demonized'. Heh demonized,"
Claire just shook her head. "Let's just go, Cole." She took off running and Cole struggled to follow.
After a couple minutes, Claire was again starting to feel uncomfortable again. Why had Cole said all those things, did he really mean it? While she wasn't that bother about being treated like a monster, she was starting to feel strange whenever Cole had been pestering her about her humanity. It was almost like her . . . and Teresa.
'Push it away Claire,' she thought. "Just push it away."
They were just about to reach the inn when suddenly, several knifes came flying through the air barely hitting Claire in the back.
The duo turned to see nothing but empty air, only to feel another presence behind them.
As the sword came down in an attempt to cut Claire in half, Cole came up to tackle the presence away. However, despite the heavy armor, the man managed to dodge Cole's attack and kicked the conduit away with Claire rushing next to Cole.
"You know you two are breaking a curfew right?" the man in armor remarked. "You'll only have yourself to blame if you're mistaken for a monster and kill while you're running around up here."
Cole just stared down the man that had aimed to kill while Claire looked around as saw another figure.
"Heh, heh," the other man snickered slyly, "You guys are good, but not good enough. You may have dodged my partner's move but those knifes must really be digging into you real hard."
Cole looked at Claire with concern but could not confirm it as the armored man attacked again. This time Cole defended with his amp. "The hell is that," the armored man remarked. The tuning fork shaped weapon was nothing he had ever seen.
With a fierce push, Cole pushed the armored man away and saw that Claire had dodged a few more knifes. As the knife thrower came closer, however, Claire immediately threw her cloak, stunning the man.
"Aghh,"
The two stunned men signaled Cole and Claire's immediate retreat. However, a number of knives came in front of Cole and forced him to dodge straight into the armored man. Claire turned to Cole but turned back when he signaled her to go away.
"Sorry, but you're not getting away." the knife thrower said sneering.
Cole only chuckled as the two came closer. The two men suddenly rushed him hoping to hit him. However, as they came closer, the conduit poised himself for a jump and immediately ice formed under him. The ice rose swiftly launching him into the air and onto another roof. The two men gawked at Cole as he landed safely onto the rooftop.
"How the hell, what the, ah. WHAT?!" the knife thrower spoke.
The armored man stayed silent, but his mouth still gaped, "come on," he finally said, "we gotta look for them later. The other one was a woman."
The two then left the scene and the ice that Cole had created soon quickly shattered.
. . .
Off in the distance, a figure that had seen the battle stood on another rooftop. While the darkness of the night hid many of his features, his extremely strange look stood out in the moonlight. He wore a long white suit with areas of black and gray adding, black boots, gloves, and a mask that many would say was made of metal. To top it all off strange pack could be seen on his back as well that could be said to be . . . not of this world. The figure placed two fingers on the side of his mask and began to speak.
"Prime Conduit and Bioweapon Zeus has been found. Prepare test subjects 37 and W9 for transport. Test shall commence after 4800 hours."
Thanks for reading dudes.
This is arc is turning out to be more and more awesome by the minute
Please keep reviewing the new Chapters guys.
On a side note, Alex Pairing poll is UP!
Please check out the claymore Wikia for info on the Claymores that you do not know of and check my profile for the poll.
The Poll will have the reason why Alex chooses her and the Poll will be BLIND. No biased choices from you guys.
If you want different choices please send me a PM or write a review explaining why that character should be with Alex.
I will not reveal the pairing for Alex until the pairing is shown in the story.
Thanks for all the Luciela writing help, but now I'm sort of on the fence with Luciela vs Clarice. PLEASE KEEP VOTING ON THE POLL!
Also, from what I can tell, you guys don't want Alex being a bad guy.
Ok, that's fine; I don't want Alex Mercer to be a bad guy either. Besides I hated how that went in Prototype 2. If he does "become evil," it won't be so much as evil as much as him temporarily losing control of his emotions. That makes MUCH more sense.
So ok, please do the usual criticizing thing.
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