I do not own Claymore
Chapter 22
The sun had set by the time they reached the main gate, it was still open and a steady stream of visitors and vehicles flowed through it.
Those leaving the city were hardly afforded more than a passing glance, while those entering were given a more thorough examination.
Clare and Cynthia were in the lead while Teresa and Sheila, who was carrying the sleeping Riful of the west, followed closely behind.
The guardsman at the gate smiled at Cynthia and said cheerfully, "Back so soon?"
Cynthia giggled and replied gaily, "We just couldn't stay away!"
He grinned and replied,"Well, this is the holy city, everywhere else is nothing but country bumpkins and hicks!"
He grinned at his own cleverness and smiled at Teresa and Sheila.
He then noticed Riful perched on Sheila's back and after looking at her closely, commented, "She's a cutie, where did you find her, is she alright?"
Cynthia replied, "We rescued her from a yoma out west and she had a little too much ale down at the Broken Plow tavern. I don't envy her hangover tomorrow morning."
The guardsman smiled knowingly, the food and drink and the tavern wenches at the Broken Plow were well worth the two league journey, even on foot.
He chuckled and said gently, "Get her to drink some water before putting her to bed, that way, she won't feel so bad tomorrow morning."
Teresa smiled at him and said pleasantly, "You'd make a great father or older brother or something."
He chuckled and replied, "I don't know about all that miss. I've been a guardsman for nearly fifteen years and I've seen my share of people being stupid, dealing with a liquored up young guardsman has been a part of it."
Teresa chuckled at his remark as he waved them through.
He knew perfectly well she was one of the hidden warriors who protected the city from yoma and remembered well that heroic battle with Bloody Agatha.
A short time later, they stood outside the huge cathedral that dominated Rabona city from every angle.
It was easily the largest building in Rabona and was the raison de etre for the city's existence.
With her trademark faint smile in place, Teresa mused.
This temple to a mysterious god was now the hideout for a squad of former warriors, seven of which were the survivors of the war in the northlands.
The rest were deserters who had attached themselves to the ghost squad, one was a former number three who had blinded herself to better hide among the teeming masses in the city. Two had come for her head and ended up staying, while two more arrivals were a revived number one of incredible power and her young assistant.
Now they were about to be joined by another former number one, the first female number one and the youngest to ever attain that rank.
Teresa smiled as she glanced over at Sheila, who was carrying the sleeping form of Riful of the west, the last of the three great awakened beings.
Beings of such power that they had been given their own special classification.
Creatures of the abyss.
Luciela of the south had been killed by her own sister, Rafaela who then apparently sacrificed her own life to protect her sister, even as she was killing her.
Isley, the Silver King had recently been devoured by a troop of the horrifying and mindless abyssal feeders, unleashed upon him by the organization.
Riful would have suffered a similar fate and had nearly succumbed to their gnashing teeth, when Teresa and her little scouting party happened upon her situation, and saved her life.
Riful had readily agreed to join them and now, was about to make her entrance while sleeping off too much ale.
Teresa nodded at Cynthia, who inserted the cunningly wrought iron key into the heavy door at the base of the southern bell tower.
The heavy lock released soundlessly and the door easily swung open on its well oiled hinges.
Clare led the way as the five of them climbed the spiral stairway up to their living quarters.
They emerged behind the massive bulk of the eastern face, the face that always greeted the morning sun.
Stepping out onto the footpath that connected to all of the rooftop entrances, they stepped over to the heavy door leading to their hideout.
Once inside, they heard the clacking of wooden sword blades, the shuffling of feet and rapid breathing.
The door to their impromptu gymnasium was open, it had been created by laying long planks across the heavy roof timbers connecting the two main outer walls.
Hidden between the vaulted ceiling and the leaden roof, it was a place they could practice unseen without leaving the city.
Glancing through the door, they saw Yuma striving to keep up with Deneve while Helen waited her turn with Clarice.
Both women were stripped to their underwear and glistening with sweat, the poorly vented gymnasium also made an excellent sauna during the summer months, some distance in the future.
Teresa had raised an eyebrow at the use of wooden blades until it was pointed out to her that an errant sword stroke could cut through a heavy and doubtless critical, support beam.
Protecting the temple structure was paramount, a warrior's limbs could be reattached and cuts would heal.
Replacing a massive timber wasn't so easy.
Helen grinned when she saw the returnees, "Hey strangers! How did you guys make out?"
The clacking of wooden swords stopped and the combatants began toweling themselves off.
Deneve stared hard at Riful's sleeping form and hissed,"What, have you done?! Do you have any idea of who and what, that is?"
Teresa's casual reply, "This is Riful of the west. She has become an ally, she will not be a problem, if she does become a problem? I will take care of her myself."
Rocked Deneve back on her heels momentarily and she muttered, "I will be keeping an eye on her, her every waking moment."
"You may do that, if it makes you happy." Retorted Teresa of the faint smile.
Continuing past the open doorway, they entered their hidden quarters atop the massive cathedral and found the rest of the warriors all present and on high alert.
They had sensed Riful's yoma aura and were waiting to see who had such an unusually complex youki energy signature.
Upon seeing Teresa's scouting party, they visibly relaxed, Teresa would not bring anyone into their hideout they couldn't handle.
It was Galatea who said, "I thought that aura felt familiar, that's Riful of the west isn't it?"
Miria said warily, "I'd like to know how you came upon her and why you brought her here?"
Cynthia smiled and replied, "We found her surrounded by a pack of those 'abyssal feeders' as she called them. Seeing an opportunity we couldn't pass up, we killed them all before they could react to our presence. After we healed her injuries, she was willing to listen to our proposal to join our cause."
Deneve spoke up, "Helen and I encountered some of those things down south, they were targeting Isley...It was an awful way to die. The current number 8 Dietrich, told us about them and having seen them in action, I'm not surprised some were sent after Riful of the west."
Without waiting for permission, Sheila carried the somnolent form of Riful over to her bed and gently laid her in it.
Hanging her claymore on its rack, she doffed her cloak and covered the sleeping abyssal.
"You're sharing your bed with her?" queried Tabitha.
Sheila smiled slightly and replied,"Because I'm the nearest in size to her 'man', she got into the habit of snuggling against me while she sleeps. She likes boys just like I do, just so we're all clear on that."
It was at that time, the great bells of the cathedral began tolling the 7 o'clock hour.
Living right under the bell towers meant they got the full effects of the great clangor that had just commenced.
Normal conversation was impossible so they just waited for the bells to cease their pealing.
Poor Riful sat up suddenly and shouted as best she could, "What the hell is this?"
She sat in Sheila's bed looking very confused until Sheila sat down beside her and took her hand.
When the last bell had rung and the tower ceased its reverberating.
Riful cried, "Where am I now and what fresh hell is this?"
She looked around and saw a room full of faces, most were unfamiliar and some were familiar to her.
Collecting her wits and her dignity, Riful got out of bed and stood up to face the room full of ghosts and deserters.
Miria bowed slightly and said, "I am Miria, a former number 6 warrior, please allow me to introduce my fellows."
Miria spent the next few minutes gesturing at a squad member and giving a brief introduction.
Whereupon the respective squad member would bow slightly, offer a pleasant remark or two and Riful, would reply in kind.
When Miria had finished, Riful cleared her throat and said, "As some of you older warriors already know me, I will direct my remarks to the younger members of this squad."
She smiled and said pleasantly, "I am Riful, I was a number 1 before I awakened and became known as 'Riful of the west'."
She politely ignored the involuntary shudder that many of the squad members tried vainly to suppress.
After all, they were in the presence of one of the abyssal creatures, one whose name alone invoked involuntary shudders, even among the single digits.
"First off," she began, "I regret some of my actions in the past, they were motivated by my desire to survive the aggression coming from Isley. I would've preferred to remain in hiding."
She glanced at Teresa, Galatea and Clare, smiled and said, "Three of you I've already met and I am glad you survived the experience, otherwise I wouldn't be here either."
Gesturing at Teresa, Riful said, "Teresa fought me to a standstill back in her day while Galatea and Clare outfoxed me with their cleverness."
She grinned, "The next time I saw them was when I was staring death in the face, the feeders had me surrounded and badly wounded. Teresa's squad rescued me and really saved my life twice over."
Riful looked the group over and said, "I was told what you are attempting to do and I am willing to lend a hand, all I ask is that when this is over, that I be allowed to live in peace."
Miria looked Riful in the eye and cooly replied, "So long as you behave yourself, we will leave you alone, that is provided we, our selves, survive the coming ordeal."
Miria looked at Teresa and remarked, "Do you have a report on what you encountered besides Riful and the abyssal feeders?"
Teresa cleared her throat and gave a detailed report on what they had seen during their scouting mission.
Occasionally, she stopped and consulted with the rest of her squad to better convey what they had seen.
There was a couple of moments of silence for the two dead warriors they had found and a brief, collective shudder at Teresa's description of the spidery monster that had attacked Riful and was in turn, quickly killed by the squad.
After Teresa had finished her remarks, Miria commented, "So Chronos and Octavia are together eh? We'll leave them alone and hopefully, they can live in peace. Bumping into Rubel could be a problem, I have very good reason to believe he was responsible for many of those that were sent to the north.
We partially awakened warriors are especially problematic for him. If the organization had known of us, I have no doubts we would have been experimented on and he couldn't afford that.
Killing us in a suicide mission was his easy way out."
Riful looked puzzled and asked, "This subject was brought up during our travels, how does one partially awake? You either are awake or you aren't, at least that's what I always heard."
Miria shrugged and replied,"I'm not sure of how it works and I'm damn sure not going to ask Lord Dae about it.
I only know that four of us can go beyond our limits and come back again."
Riful smiled and remarked, "I guess that's why some of you seem to be more powerful than your ranking numbers would indicate."
Miria commented, "The thing that has me concerned is that thing you found Riful, you'd described it as looking like the bodies of Luciela and Rafaela melted together. Who knows what the organization would do with it."
That night, Sheila found herself sleeping with a small abyssal creature named Riful of the west.
The drawback was that Sheila's bed itself was barely adequate for her and her long, lanky frame.
It was not meant for two people, even if one of them was barely five feet tall.
Sheila resolved to look for a larger bed as soon as possible.
The next day that she had time to herself, she went to the craft shops part of the holy city and looked for a wider bed.
Not finding anything she could afford on her meager funds, she wandered about the craft shops looking for something else she had been thinking about.
Sheila wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she had a notion of what she wanted to bring her idea into reality.
The giant harbor defense crossbows she and Teresa had seen had given her an idea.
And a comment made by Captain Galk had given her an impetus.
When Teresa had shown him her archery set, he had commented, "Archers take a long time to train and practically have to be raised with a bow in their hands...We need something easier to teach and nearly as effective!"
While Teresa had put his comment out of her mind and later on gave up her bow, Sheila thought about his remarks.
One of those giant cross bows she had seen could certainly take out an awakened being or maybe even an abyssal creature, it was its size that made it impractical.
Perhaps making a smaller one might work, she thought.
Days later, she was sitting at the table sketching out ideas on scraps of paper she'd gotten from the printer's, when Teresa and Riful came bustling in from the marketplace.
Riful was commenting, "A girl could get used to this...What're you drawing Sheila? I didn't know you could draw?"
Looking up from her labors, Sheila grinned and replied, "I used to draw a lot when my family was still alive...I was pretty good according to my dad."
She looked down at her efforts and commented, "This is kinda like something Teresa and I saw at one of the islands we visited...The one where we met some of her relatives actually. I figured it could be adapted for here in case of an attack by the organization while we're away."
Tilting her lovely head, Riful studied the drawings and asked, "How powerful are these things and what are they called?"
Teresa smiled and replied, "The big ones we saw were called ballistae, we were told they could shoot a huge spear about half a mile and sink a boat with it...I suppose one could kill an awakened being or an abyssal creature, provided it was hit in a vital place."
"If not killing one outright, it could deal a really nasty wound." Remarked Riful.
Feeling encouraged, Sheila declared, "My idea is to make smaller ones that one or two men could carry. A couple of squads armed with these could concentrate their shots on an attacker and if nothing else, cause it or them to withdraw."
Riful chuckled and said drily, "You've raised yourself quite the strategist Teresa...I'm glad you're not coming after me!"
"Has Miria seen these drawings?" Asked Teresa.
"No, you two are the only ones who've seen them. I want to show them to the armorers to see what they think." Replied Sheila.
Riful frowned slightly and said thoughtfully, "You might want to make sure you get credit at least, men have a way of taking an idea from a woman and claiming it as their own."
Teresa nodded in agreement and said, "Make copies of these drawings and have a couple of witnesses sign them. You may not make any money from your idea but at least you'll get credit."
She grinned, "If nothing else, it'll piss off the organization when they learn a deserter devised a weapon powerful enough to kill one of their pet monsters and can be used by ordinary humans."
Riful smiled wickedly and remarked, "It still takes a warrior or an awakened being to recognize another one. Used in conjunction with a warrior to spot the awakened attackers, it could be quite effective in defending this city."
The arrival of Miria and Clare interrupted their conversation.
Clare went to hang up her claymore and Sheila began putting away her drawings when Miria asked,"Did you draw these? May I see them?"
Sheila nodded a yes and Miria looked over her work, for several long moments she said nothing as she studied the drawings.
Finally she asked, "This seems like a good idea, have you shown these to Captain Galk?"
"No, I haven't. I've been seeking an iron worker who could make the metal parts for my prototype." Replied Sheila.
Miria glanced at the drawings again and indicated some of the parts with her finger, "A locksmith could make these parts, and a blacksmith could make these larger parts. That way, no one metal worker will know what you're up to...Oh, and maybe a wood carver for the wooden part?"
Sheila remarked, "I was thinking a furniture maker, they're used to this kind of work and have all the right tools."
Miria grinned and remarked, "I want you to concentrate on this when you're not training, I think it might work."
Clare came over and asked, "What might work?"
Miria held up one of Sheila's drawings and remarked,"It seems we have an inventor among us. I think it might work, we won't always be here and with this, Rabona could defend itself from the organization."
Clare studied the drawing briefly and remarked quietly, "It's worth a try."
She looked at Sheila and asked, "You can do so many things, how did you wind up falling into the clutches of the organization like the rest of us?"
Sheila replied glumly,"Awakened beings attacked our hamlet, I don't know why. They devoured everyone they caught and destroyed all the rest of the hamlet."
She hugged herself and shuddered, "I can still hear the screams of my family being eaten alive amid the laughter of the attackers. Mom had just enough time to shove me into a hiding place before they grabbed her."
She paused a moment and said quietly, "The men in black came the next day and gathered what few survivors there were, then set fire to the wrecked buildings so that nothing remains of my hometown."
She looked up at her fellows and with a quaver in her voice, said, "I heard similar stories from many of the other girls I trained with. Their towns would get attacked by yoma, then afterwards, men in black would show up and take all the young girls. The boys would get sold to slave brokers and the older girls would be sold to brothels in the bigger cities."
Tears began trickling from her silver eyes, "It still hurts even now. Tell me, does it ever stop hurting?" She asked.
Riful, to the surprise of the others, said quietly,"I wish I could help you girl. I still remember being dragged from the rubble of my home and taken to the organization. I barely remember where my hometown was and doubt if I could ever find it again. It's been so long since I last saw the place."
Riful glanced at her fellows and remarked," I think everyone of us has a similar story and that is why we must, crush the organization."
Pointing at Sheila's drawing, Riful commented, "If that thing'll help, I'm all for it!"
While continuing her grueling training regimen with the rest of the squad, Sheila spent much of her off time fiddling with the odd looking bits of metal and wood she was so absorbed in.
One time while stumped by a problem, she grumped to Teresa, "I wish we'd taken a better look at those damn ballistae we saw, this'd be done by now!"
Teresa could only smile and reply,"We should've looked at a lot of things during our travels. You're doing better than I would have."
A month later, Sheila's prototype arbalest shot its first quarrel.
The wrought iron bolt easily slammed through the old door selected as a target and nearly buried itself in the heavy timber behind the target.
A second shot was a repeat of the first one and a third shot was canceled, as the results would have been similar.
Captain Galk who had been invited to observe the test, examined the prototype with a soldier's critical eye.
He attempted to draw back the stiff crossbow as if it was a conventional bow and failed miserably.
"Okay...How does this work?" He asked.
Sheila grinned and showed him the secret.
She attached the small windlass she had devised to the heavy butt stock and hooked the cable over the heavy bowstring.
A few turns of the hand crank later and the arbalest was ready for the next bolt.
Sheila smiled at the tall captain of the guards and said brightly, "I figured the average guardsman wouldn't be strong enough to recock this and I remembered seeing a larger version of this attached to the harbor defense ones we saw at that island we visited."
With the heavy arbalest now ready, Sheila laid an iron bolt in the shallow groove and handed it to Captain Galk.
Raising the weapon to his shoulder, Galk sighted along it and squeezed the long trigger lever against the wooden stock.
There was a loud 'Twonk!' sound and the iron bolt shot through the old door before embedding itself in the heavy timber beyond the door.
He grinned and said, "With a couple or three of these and a trained crew to recock and load them, an arbalestier could keep up quite a volume of shots...I like it!"
He looked at Miria and asked out of concern, "Do you think the organization could attack us?"
Miria replied thoughtfully, "I'm not really sure if they would go that far or be that obvious...Let's say I feel there is a correlation between a small town getting attacked and the conveniently timed arrival of the men in black only too willing to collect any orphaned girls."
Miria looked at him and said, "Rabona is one of the largest cities and has a sizeable population, it also has a self defense force, unlike many cities and towns which rely on night watchmen on patrol for their security against bandits.
"How they could pull off an attack remains to be seen...I just have the feeling that they might, if they thought it would profit them."
"How would they? Does the organization have an army aside from you claymores?" Asked Captain Galk.
"None that I'm aware of and just how? I have no idea, only a suspicion. Rabona has its walls and its guards, so it is likely to remain pretty safe for now." Remarked Miria.
Captain Galk looked thoughtful then said, "I'd like to take this to the armory and get them started on making copies of this and the bolts.
We'll have them make twenty copies of the arbalest and one hundred bolts per arbalest, that should be enough at first."
"Better make it two hundred bolts per arbalest, some will get lost or broken during practice. Maybe an apprentice blacksmith can forge the heads, the one that forged these had his son do the forging because they were simple to make." Commented Sheila.
Galk smiled at Sheila and said amiably, "Maybe you can devise a machine that can make them quickly."
"We did see a mill yard out near the town of Stora, west of here. They have iron working machinery there and they owe us a favor." She replied.
"A favor?" He asked.
"Yes, we killed a monster that had taken over the mill yard and was eating people until we came along." Replied Sheila.