I do not own Claymore.

Chapter 13

While climbing the fir clad slopes of the western mountains, they came across the scene of a bloody battle. Bits of bone and dried flesh littered the area, the shattered state of the bone fragments told a tale of an abyssal fighting for its life against a group of abyssal feeders. Cynthia and Clare examined the skeletons carefully, then Clare remarked,

"I think the abyssal may have been Riful of the west, the way these bones are cut so cleanly suggests her method of attack."

Cynthia added, "It looks like she won this encounter, though I don't see any sign of Dauf, her companion."

Teresa commented, "Abyssal feeders, that's a new one. I hadn't heard of them before, care to enlighten me?"

Cynthia, seeing that Clare was hanging back a bit, answered, "Helen and Deneve encountered them several weeks ago, in the south while traveling there with Dietrich." "Dietrich?" "A friend who's still in the organization."

"Ah!"

"It seems that the organization created these creatures to target a specific being, their first target was Isley of the north. After they consumed him, they were given a different scent to follow to destruction. Riful of the west."

"Consumed, by that, you mean he was eaten?" asked an alarmed looking Teresa, "Yes, he was eaten alive from what Helen and Deneve told us."

Teresa visibly shuddered to everyone's surprise, then she said,

"What an awful way to go, Isley deserved better than that! Better to be defeated in honorable battle than consumed like so much animal feed."

Teresa lapsed into silence and stared off into space for a moment or so, then she drew her great sword and held it up in a salute, then she said,

"Rest in peace, Isley of the north, O' silver king. I regret that we never crossed swords." As she rehung her sword, she spat and declared, "That's yet another reason to destroy the organization."

Teresa asked,

"Did Helen and Deneve witness his destruction? Or were they simply told about it?"

Cynthia replied,

"They encountered him in a town to the south of here, it was the only town in the region that wasn't destroyed and there they sensed him, even though he had hidden his youki. He attacked them and they barely escaped with their lives, they met with Dietrich who had followed them and they encountered a group of abyssal feeders. Dietrich showed them how to hide from the feeders and they watched as the feeders entered the town and attacked Isley. An hour later, the town was gone and Isley was dead."

"If we run into these 'feeders' you speak of, how do we fight them?" Asked Sheila.

"We don't!" replied Cynthia, "We stay still and keep quiet until they pass us by. Of course, if everything does go wrong? Aim for their heads, they have extraordinary regenerative powers and can survive almost any injury except beheading."

Teresa looked thoughtful, then she commented,

"These must be something new, I had the job of cleaning up Dae's messes and I don't recall anything like what you've described."

Sheila remarked,

"He did have a secret project or two he was playing with, look at the one that revived you. Who else is in one of his revivification tanks?"

Clare interrupted their discussion by saying,

"I'm sensing something very familiar not too far from here. We should check it out!"

Teresa stood stock still for a few moments as if listening for something, then she said,

"Clare's right! I'm getting it too now, it is very weak, but it is there. Let's go, but carefully, remember our mission!"

The four of them set out, climbing further into the forest's gloom.

Cynthia said quietly, "I sense it has been badly injured and is very upset emotionally." a moment later she added, "She is grieving!"

A faint trail led around an outcropping of rock and upon rounding this, they saw the crumbling ruins of an ancient castle. Scattered about were the fresh signs of a struggle, bits of at least seven abyssal feeders lay amidst the fallen blocks of stone. A small girl with long, chestnut brown hair sat on a stone at the shattered entrance of the castle. As they approached cautiously with swords drawn, she struggled to rise to her feet or rather, foot. She was missing an arm and a leg, on her legless side, a thick strand of her hair was extended downward and she braced herself with it. Her body was naked to the elements as she stood in defiance at her last stand.

"At least, I won't get eaten like Isley was." She spoke bitterly then she smiled ruefully, "I see a couple of familiar faces." She looked closely at Clare, "You've outwitted me a couple of times now, I guess the third time will be the charm!"

Then she looked closely at Teresa and her eyes widened, "Weren't you supposed to be dead or something?" she asked in surprise.

Teresa smiled at her and replied, "It's a long story, I'm sure you'll find it boring Riful of the west."

Riful grimaced and cried defiantly, "I'm not Riful of anything anymore! If you're here to finish me? Then do it! Get it over with! I don't have time for games, kill me before those... Those THINGS come back!"

Clare asked Cynthia, "Think you can help her? She might be out of your league, but if you can help?"

Cynthia smiled at her and replied, "I think so, but if those things come back? I'll be too busy to help fight."

Cynthia clipped her sword into its holder and smiled at Riful as she approached her.

Riful looked confused and asked,

"Wh..What... What is going on?"

Cynthia reached her side and said gently,

"Times have changed, the situation has changed, we came looking for you, Riful of the west."

Cynthia laid gentle hands on Riful's body and closed her eyes in concentration. Riful closed her eyes as well, a slight smile on her pretty face.

Sheila said quietly,

"Guys? We've got company!"

Looking in the direction she was pointing, the shambling figures of twelve feeders could be seen. They were ghastly to behold with their eyes and mouths stitched shut, while tattered bits of rag covered their nakedness.

As they drew nearer, the horrible sniffing, snuffling sounds they made could be heard by all of the warriors. Coming even closer, the nearest ones began drooling in anticipation of their feast to come, their mindless focus was on eating Riful's flesh.

Riful moaned involuntarily and said weakly, "Dear God, let it be quick!"

Teresa commented, "Sheila? I do believe they are even bigger than you! Shall we take them down a peg or two?"

Clare declared, "We have to kill them all, if any escape, they'll take the memory of this fight back to the organization to be transferred to the next group."

Teresa blurted out, "Are you shitting me? What the hell are these things?"

Clare quickly put her finger to her lips in a shushing motion then whispered,

"I'll slip behind them and we'll attack from all sides, remember, aim for their heads, it's the only way to kill them."

The feeders had paused at Teresa's outburst and stood snuffling anxiously, Clare gingerly made her way through them until she could take up her position.

As if on cue, Riful began moaning loudly enough to draw the feeders to her. They resumed their eerie shambling, their jaws now working and tearing loose the stitches to free their mouths to open, revealing jagged teeth. Their clawlike hands reaching to rend and tear flesh, their mouths opening to feed, at last!

Clare stepped forward and there was a blurring motion by her right side, the nearest feeder simply flew apart, chopped into hundreds of bloody fragments.

The feeders hesitated and their own weapons emerged from their tormented bodies, then Teresa became a living engine of destruction, with each step, a feeder died. They quickly backed away from Teresa and Clare's deadly blades only to find Sheila blocking their escape route, they attempted to rush her only to find she could fight too. Sheila carved their flesh without mercy, with each slash a limb flew off, with each thrust organs were destroyed, until the final stroke removed the head.

One by one the feeders were destroyed, the final few desperately fought to escape, to get away, to share their memory with the next group. Only, every way they turned, they found the path blocked by a bloody sword wielded by a determined warrior. They tried leaping into the air only to find that a warrior had leapt higher.

After the last one had fallen and the trio were able to relax their guards, Teresa glanced over at Clare, Clare had some minor wounds that would heal quickly. Teresa had a few nicks and cuts herself while Sheila had a bloody stump where her left arm had been, it had been bitten off by a feeder during the battle.

Clare frowned and asked, "What type are you?" at Sheila's puzzled expression, Clare said, "There are two types of warriors, defensive types and offensive types, which one are you?" Sheila stammered, "I... I think I'm a defensive type?"