Chapter 28

I do not own claymore

Their socializing was interrupted by Tabitha and Deneve's suddenly exhorting them to even greater speed.

Great surges of yoma energy near the organization were being detected by Tabitha, hence the sense of urgency.

Soon, all of them could sense the massive outpouring of Yoma energy.

Sheila cried towards Riful, "This is almost as bad as before, when that thing awoke...What could this be?"

Riful yelled back, "I have no idea...It feels like an awakening but of what, I can't imagine."

Sheila then looked over at Teresa, the older woman looked grim.

Her trademark faint smile replaced by a firm set to her jaw and a fey gleam in her eyes.

Teresa was finally going to run wild in battle, she would finally meet a real challenge to her strength and battle hardened skills.

The land moved beneath them as if they had wings, such was the speed at which they were traveling.

The sense of something really big happening at the organization urging them to draw upon their hidden reserves of yoma energy.

Arriving at their final destination, they were briefly appalled at the sight that met their eyes.

What appeared to be three new abyssal creatures were battling it out with the surviving warriors who had joined Miria's rebellion.

There were many fallen warriors scattered about, some were chopped into pieces while others appeared to be merely sleeping, their swords lying nearby.

Deneve called out to Cynthia and Yuma, "See to the wounded, heal those you can help."

The two immediately began checking the fallen.

The dead they left be after sticking their swords into the ground and the merely unconscious or lightly wounded, they left to recover on their own.

Missing limbs were quickly retrieved and reattached, while any warriors showing a healing aptitude was quickly pressed into service in helping the more gravely wounded to recover.

It was Riful who spotted the remaining abyssal feeders still battling with the surviving warriors closer to the organization's massive complex.

She gasped and called out to Teresa, "Teresa! Look over there, more of those ...Things!"

Without hesitation Teresa called out to Deneve, "I'm taking my group with me to deal with those abyssal feeders. We'll be back once we're finished with them!"

Deneve nodded an affirmative and turned her attention to the battling monsters looming over all of them.

Miria was seen very much alive and in danger of awakening herself as she charged headlong into battle with one of the new abyssals, a bizarre creature with birdlike wings and myriad spiderlike legs hanging from an insectlike abdomen.

Oddly, this creature had a claymore stuck in its throat and lacking arms or even hands, it was unable to dislodge the blade so it could eat the two warriors it had impaled on a couple of its many legs.

Without hesitation, Anastasia used her hair to snatch Miria from the jaws of awakening and brought her to ground with a dull thud and a loss of dignity.

Startled by this, Miria, her face distorted by her near awakening looked about in confusion only to see Deneve and the rest of the ghost squad standing there, swords at the ready and grim determination on their faces.

Deneve said cooly, "Calm down. We've already got three new abyssal ones to deal with, we can't handle one more.

"We came all the way here to beat you up. You have to stay human at least until we've done that."

Too surprised to comment, Miria knelt while Cynthia said, "I'll suppress Miria's raging yoma energy. Yuma, you'll heal her wounds."

"All right, got it."

Miria looked at Yuma in surprise while she knelt alongside Miria to harmonize her yoma energies with Miria's, "Yuma...You..."

Deneve quickly explained, "In the west, Yuma learned yoma energy harmonization like Cynthia did."

"How did you get here so quickly?" Asked a bewildered Miria.

"Tabitha drew her sword and led us here.

"The current number eight, Dietrich fought with us in the hellish west and number seven, Anastasia, who was fighting multiple awakened beings in the northern mountains, swore to help us."

Deneve paused and said grimly, "I need to ask you Miria...As the leader of this unit, do you really not need our strength?"

Miria's scarred face was a study in mingled emotions until she started crying, her tears flowing freely.

Through her sobs she gasped out, "I, I'm sorry...I'm sorry everyone...I want to save as many fallen comrades lives as possible..."

She looked down, her tears streaming, "Please, lend me your strength."

Deneve 'Hmphed!' and said cooly, "Boooring...Saving comrades' lives on captain's orders...Of course no one objects!"

Miria looked up and saw that everyone there had a smile of grim purpose on their faces, they had a plan.

Rushing to the scene of the battle, Teresa, Sheila and Riful hit the remaining abyssal feeders like a thunderbolt.

The hard pressed warriors struggling to hold them off were stunned at the ferocity of these strange warriors' attacks.

The curvy one with a faint smile attacked with a blinding speed, chopping her adversaries to bloody bits before they could even react.

The tall one was only a bit slower but her attack was no less destructive, her opponents would simply fall to pieces before the blurring speed of her sword work. The small one with the chestnut brown hair was the most puzzling.

Her speed was nearly the equal of the curvy warrior, yet she had brown hair and eyes.

Without pausing in her attacks Teresa called out to the other warriors, "Surround them, don't let a single one get away...Aim for their heads, they're as strong as an awakened being, so be careful!"

With that said, the warriors focused on encircling and eliminating the abyssal feeders unleashed by the organization.

Anastasia cheerfully announced, "The preparations are complete...Go ahead any time guys!"

Helen cried, "All Right! Here I go!" and leapt into the air.

Immediately behind her was Deneve, Dietrich and Tabitha, all lofting high into the air as if on wings.

Miria's jaw dropped in surprise at this new development.

The airborne warriors closed in on the awakened form of Hysteria, the elegant and she cried, "What's this? Why are you floating?"

Helen with crooked grin in place replied, "Didn't you know? Today's warriors can fly!"

And she unleashed her newest attack, an extendable arm drill sword. A very effective attack, if it connects.

To Helen's surprise, Hysteria easily dodged her attack with a sudden burst of tremendous speed while shouting, "It doesn't matter...you die anyway!"

In seconds, she had badly wounded Nike, Dietrich and Anastasia, forcing the others to hold off their assault on the newly awakened abyssal.

The few remaining abyssal feeders became increasingly desperate to get away and they increased the ferocity of their defenses, lashing out fiercely in their dismay.

At times badly wounding the less experienced warriors attempting to prevent their escape.

One of them had managed to cut off Riful's sword arm, Riful's response was immediate and quite final, she extended her razor sharp hair strands and literally dissected the abyssal feeder before her, slicing it into myriad gobbets of bloody flesh, then quickly regenerated her sword arm and retrieved her sword.

Moments later, the last of the abyssal feeders had fallen and the group caught their breaths.

One of the warriors looked at the trio and asked, "How is it you three are so powerful yet none of us here recognize any of you?"

Teresa smiled at the younger warrior and replied, "We left the organization before most of you became warriors, and in some cases, before you were born."

Gesturing towards the ghost squad as they battled with Hysteria she said, "We came to lend a hand in dealing with the abyssal feeders as we have had prior experience in dealing with them."

Sheila said, "I'm going to lend a hand with healing where I can."

Teresa grinned, "You do that!"

While Sheila helped reattach severed limbs and close up abdominal injuries, Teresa and Riful pondered the titanic struggle between the newly awakened abyssals and the ghost squad.

"Do you think you can take them?" Teresa asked the small abyssal.

Riful, without taking her eyes off the struggle, muttered, "They are quite powerful, but I sense something is odd about them."

She glanced at Teresa and said, "They have been revived by the flesh of something beyond an abyssal, what it is, I do not know at this time."

Teresa looked thoughtful and muttered, "What could be beyond an abyssal?"

Moments later, her silver eyes opened wide and she gasped, "Priscilla's beyond an abyssal, do you think they used some of her flesh? How could they have gotten some of it when she usually prevails in a fight?"

"Probably the same way they got some of your flesh for the abyssal feeders to track you. They sent scouts to nose around the scene of a recent battle and pick up whatever they found."

Replied Teresa who smiled at Riful and said amiably, "You guys tend to leave bits and pieces of yourselves lying about after a fight. Being able to regenerate like you can, means you don't notice the loss of a few bits here and there."

Riful pondered her remarks and muttered, "You may be right, Dauf and I were able to knock a few pieces off of Priscilla during our last fight. I can easily see the organization's minions snooping around after a fight, looking for scraps to take home to their pet monster maker."

Teresa muttered, "Using some of Priscilla's flesh to make a monster would result in something like what we're seeing over there.
She paused, "No, on second thought, using her flesh to revive a former number one would result in monsters like what we're seeing over there."

Sheila's commenting, "Um, guys? There's only two of them now..."

Snapped the two senior warriors out of their brief reverie and they looked to see that Hysteria was missing in action.

"What the?!" muttered Teresa, "Let's join them."

Leaving the surviving warriors to lick their wounds, the trio trotted across the battlefield and joined Miria's ghost squad in time to see Cassandra's massive awakened form finish devouring Roxanne's awakened form.

Miria was standing over the shattered fragments of Hysteria's awakened form, her sword poised to deliver the killing blow.

Drawing near, they could hear Hysteria's final breaths as she begged for help, only to hear Miria softly reply, "Give it up, die bravely like a number one should."

Hysteria wheezed and whispered, "No...Why is it always like this?"

She gasped, "Like that time as well...I thought they were my comrades and friends...But suddenly, they turned their swords on me and cut me down."

"That's why I killed them, all my friends and acquaintances who attacked me."

Drawing breath, Hysteria continued her death soliloquy, "No one could keep up with my speed then, that's why I was able to kill everyone there."

Another wheezing breath and, "The one who finished me off was number four, Rosemary, but it wasn't her. Before Rosemary finished me off, I had already received a severe blow, a blow that staggered me and allowed Rosemary to finish me off."

Her voice was nearly a whisper now, "Amidst the blood and cries on that hill of carnage, was a single warrior who caught my eye. Among those warriors gripped by fear, she alone was faintly smiling."

Her remaining eye focused on Teresa and she groaned, "I remember you now, you had become a single digit soon after becoming a warrior. You were always smirking, I didn't like you from the start..."

There was a great outpouring of residual yoma energy and Hysteria cried, "Yes, it is your fault! You were a killer and defied organization rules..."

Moments later, the ghostly image of a naked woman stood over Hysteria's remains like a wisp of residual life force.

Briefly, she stood looking straight at Miria but said nothing.

She raised her right arm towards Miria as if she was going to speak and when Miria asked, "What? What are you saying?"

Deneve cried out, "Miria, get away! She's more powerful than an abyssal one!"

There was a sudden pulse of yoma energy that blew Miria back a couple of steps and when Helen cried, "Miria!"

Miria cried back, "I'm all right! She just blew me back with something like a shock wave."

Seizing the initiative Helen and Deneve leapt forward and attacked the apparition from both sides. Cutting it into three parts, there was a brief flicker of a reaction from the image and it went out like a candle snuffed out by a sword's swift passage.

Miria cried in confusion, "What was that?"

Deneve replied tersely, "Some kind of residual will. Her main body is with Clare somewhere else...I don't know why it came out of that awakened being's corpse."

Miria asked, "You said she's stronger than an abyssal one? And what do you mean she's with Clare?"

Deneve growled, "I'll explain later, this isn't over yet!"

They turned to see Cassandra's massive awakened form looming over the battle field, she had finished devouring Roxanne and seemed to be lost in thought.

It was as if she was trying to remember what to do next, all of the surviving warriors gripped their sword hilts tightly in anticipation of the final battle to come.

Riful whispered, "Shall I awaken now?"

"Not yet, let's see what she does next." Muttered Teresa in reply.

Suddenly Cassandra turned away as if they no longer mattered, they would live to see another day.

Helen breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "Phew! That freaked me out...She ate the big one she was fighting, I guess her stomach's full?"

Turning her back on the massive form of Cassandra.

Miria once again, all business, asked, "Deneve, how are the other warriors?"

"I sent Yuma and Cynthia to heal them, although Dietrich will take a little more time."

Sheila spoke up, "I can help, I have some healing experience."

Miria nodded at her and Sheila trotted off to help out.

Moments later they became aware of the presence of dozens of young girls, all of them dressed as trainees.

Helen muttered, "Who're these little tykes? Trainees?"

Miria smiled, "Good, they're safe. I entrusted them to the twin warriors, but it looks like they escaped anyway."

A hulking young man appeared from amongst the trainees and said, "Finally, some familiar faces!"

At Miria, Helen and Deneve's looks of surprise he declared, "It's been seven years. My name is Raki, I'm the boy who was with Clare back then!"

Miria turned to her two closest allies, Helen and Deneve and said, "Come with me and we'll search this place for any remaining staffers and take them down."

At this point Raki spoke up, saying, "There may not be anyone inside there. The twins had asked me to protect the trainees and we fought our way through anyone who got in our path. There was this large shock, like a really big awakening and our pursuers suddenly disappeared as if they knew something really bad was going to happen."

Miria acknowledged his remarks and she turned to Cynthia and Yuma, "You two keep working on the wounded, get Sheila's help if necessary and help as many as you can, while we still have time. The organization is not dead yet and may have a few tricks still hidden away!"

Looking back at Raki she said, "We have much to talk about after we get back!"

She beckoned to Helen and Deneve and the trio ran off to conduct a thorough search of the organization's headquarters.

In the eerie calm that often follows a battle, the walking wounded helped gather the badly injured and collected the scattered limbs to be reunited with their owners.

Enlisting the aid of any warriors who showed latent healing talents, Cynthia, Yuma and Sheila labored mightily to heal the warriors who could be healed.

They reattached limbs and repaired abdominal injuries and closed up deep cuts, their brows furrowed in their efforts to speed the almost miraculous healing abilities possessed by all the warriors.

Teresa took the time to look Raki over, was he really the young man who once traveled with her Clare?

Clearly he'd been trained as his musculature attested, no farm boy ever had muscles like his, his was the build of a trained warrior.

While he wasn't quite as tall as Sheila or Captain Galk, he was no shrimpie either at several inches over six feet tall.

The way the young trainees clustered around him told her he was trustworthy, they trusted him.

Riful muttered appreciatively, "He's quite a specimen of manhood, he'd be quite the catch!"

Teresa muttered back, "Your hormones are showing again!"

Riful chuckled and replied softly, "Can't blame a girl for looking...MeeeOw!"

"Incorrigible." Murmured Teresa.

A collective gasp swept through the assembled survivors, Miria, Helen and Deneve had reappeared on a rocky outcrop overlooking the crowded survivors.

Wordlessly, Miria held up a grisly object for all to see.

It was the severed head of Limt, the now deceased leader of the organization.

The organization had fallen.

Casting the severed head aside, the trio rejoined the survivors where Miria paid her respects to the severely wounded former number ten, Rafutera the organization's secret weapon against rebellious warriors.

Rafutera smiled at the scar faced warrior and said, "I am sorry about what I did to you."

Miria smiled and replied, "It's alright, I understand your position as number ten. At least we're both still alive. Everyone knows what you did for us later and the twins are sure to offer their thanks for saving their lives."

At that, Rafutera began tearing up and she sobbed freely, she and all the previous number tens had always been the dirty little secret of the organization, a warrior specially selected and trained to defend the organization by using her mental powers to distort a rebelling warrior's perception of reality and thus making it easier for the said rebel to be disposed of.

Raki stood with a smile on his face until Helen muttered, "I'm shocked...That little brat is still alive and grew up to be this big."

He glanced at her and replied, "I recognized you at a glance, time passes but warriors still look the same."

He said, "I'm looking for Clare, do you have any information about her?"

Helen replied tersely, "We've got more than info. Until recently, we've been with her these seven years."

Raki's handsome face lit up at her remarks and he exclaimed, "Then Clare is..."

"Yes, she's alive, " interrupted Deneve "But she's in a difficult situation."

"A difficult situation..?"

"It's a long story that spans our assignment up north to the present."

At Raki's confused look, Deneve said firmly, "Clare spent seven years looking for you and risked her life for vengeance."

Not sure what to say, Raki looked around at the assembled warriors until Deneve said, "Take a seat, we have much to say."

Finding a perch, Raki sat quietly while Deneve with some help from Helen, related the tale of their long years hiding in the north and training constantly in preparation for their eventual rebellion.

She told of their encounter with the destroyer and Priscilla and how Clare sacrificed herself by fusing herself with the enmeshed destroyer and Priscilla as they became a single writhing mass.

Miria muttered, "So Clare willingly fused with that giant rampaging monster and the one she wanted to get revenge on?

Helen replied, "That's how it looked to us, if she hadn't, we would have lost our lives."

She grimaced, "I believe Clare is alive inside that thing, but even Galatea couldn't be sure."

Teresa grumbled, "That little idiot, I can see why she had a reputation for running wild!"

Riful couldn't resist saying, "Well, she does get it from you after all."

Raki looked startled at her remark and Riful said gaily, "Teresa's flesh was used to make Clare the warrior she is today. In a way, she is your mother in law."

Whaa..?" he uttered just before Miria shushed them by by saying, " I don't like it, this could be a very bad development..."

"Wh, what do you mean?" asked Helen.

"The abyssal one I fought said the same thing as the residual will

of Clare's object of revenge." replied Miria.

"At least I think that's what she said. I couldn't hear it clearly but her mouth moved the same way."

She looked around and continued, "I don't know how, but the three revived abyssal ones are related to Clare's opponent.

"And instead of just ignoring us and leaving, the remaining one seemed to be pulled by some kind of force."

Helen exclaimed, "Huh? Pulled by something? But to where?"

Deneve grimaced and growled, "That's it, damnit!"

Miria spoke gravely, "She was headed towards where the sun sets...In her path lie Lautrec in the western lands, and the holy city of Rabona in the central lands of toulouse."

"If some kind of power, including Clare, is keeping her opponent sealed...Then what could break that seal is her own power from the outside."

Looking grim, Miria said simply, "It's going to unleash on the holy city of Rabona, a power you say is greater than an abyssals.

Helen balled her fist and slammed it against the rock she was sitting on, "Damn it! I can't believe I carried that thing there!"

Deneve commented, "It isn't all your fault, everyone including myself, carried it there to keep it out of the hands of the organization."

Helen jumped to her feet and declared, "We've got to stop her, we've got to defeat that abyssal one before it reaches Rabona!"

Miria spoke up, "But then, what about Clare?"

"If we leave the seal in place, we'll never get Clare out. Besides, we're talking about an abyssal one, could all of us together even beat her?"

"She killed Hysteria and defeated and ate the other one, she is the strongest of the three."

Deneve asked, "Then, what do you suggest?"

Riful stood up, "Hell,o! Remember me? Riful of the west? I can stand up to her, she's newly created while I've been awakened for over a century. I should be able to handle her with Teresa's help."

Miria smiled at the small abyssal and replied, "What we need right now is not so much power, as we need subtlety. My thought is to try and free Clare before Cassandra gets to where that object is and tries to open it up."

"And how will we go about doing this?" asked Teresa.

Miria shrugged and admitted, "At this point, I have no idea. What I do know is that we need to get to that object before she does and undo the seal. Then hopefully we can loose a distinct individual at the new abyssal one, who may recover her senses and square off at Clare's opponent."

"In other words, a damn miracle and lately, we've been pretty low on miracles." muttered Deneve.

Helen commented, "I don't know, it does sound like a miracle, but at the moment a miracle doesn't seem entirely implausible."

Miria commented, "When Clare was searching for the boy up north, I thought it was a waste of time. There was no way short of a miracle that a boy sold into slavery, could survive in those war-torn lands. Yet that boy is here with us now, if Clare hadn't had faith, we might still be up north, never having found him."

Miria paused and drew breath, "So here's what I think...Miracles aren't something you wish for. You seize them using your own strength."

Deneve said quietly, "The way I see it, your declaration that we would defeat the organization was more unrealistic than the idea of finding the boy. But now that both have come true, your naïve words have touched me profoundly."

Helen rose to her feet to say, "So what do we do? Even at top speed, I'm not sure we could reach Rabona first. We could overtake the abyssal one, but I'd prefer to stay far enough away that she doesn't sense our yoma energy."

Raki spoke up, "Well, I've got an idea!" When everyone looked at him he said, "I came here by ship. If we follow the southern coastline, cut past the peninsula and cross the gulf, we'll reach the central lands."

"By ship?" asked Miria.

Teresa grinned and said cheerfully, "That was how Sheila and I evaded the organization's hit squads for so long. We headed for the coast and took the first ship we saw. The organization never thought to look for us among the outer islands and by the time the heat had cooled down, we could travel the length of the land without being recognized by any hit squads."

Raki grinned, "It would only take half the time to travel by ship and I'll bet that was how those guys in black got around so quickly, they used hidden ships and ports."

Miria murmured, "I see what you mean..."

She straightened up and declared, "All right, let's do it, that way we should get there in plenty of time."

She looked over at Raki and declared, "Sorry, but you're coming with us. It'll be dangerous, but your voice might reach Clare better than ours."

Raki grinned and replied, "If it means seeing Clare again, I'd go whether you invited me or not!"

There was a murmuring among the assembled trainees until one of them stepped forward and said, "Mister...Are you going somewhere?"

Raki looked at them and saw the concern on their youthful faces.

He smiled at the girl who had spoken, ruffled her hair and said reassuringly, "Hey now guys, you're free now, so don't look so down."

He grinned, "With all these new sisters, you'll be fine without me."

Deneve muttered, "They like him, I guess that's because he saved them."

Helen looked thoughtful and commented, "Hey, it would be great if that guy really could draw out Clare, but there's a high possibility she'll come out raw. What about that?"

Noting the looks on Miria's and Deneve's faces, Helen continued, "She could come out like she was before treatment, we would have to do it then and there."

She sighed and said, "If that boy sees it...Well Clare wouldn't want him to see that, I mean..."

At that, Deneve stepped forward and whipped off her top, revealing not just her breasts, she also revealed the long reddened scar that marks the body of all warriors, old and young.

At Raki's startled look she said, "Take a good look, this is what our bodies are like."

There was a startled murmuring among everyone there and Deneve continued, "We warriors, even those trainees you helped, are all like this, and that includes your dear Clare."

"It is likely that if she comes out in Rabona, she will look this way or similar. By 'similar' I mean without being treated. Which means we will have to do it, after which she will look like this."

Deneve fixed her gaze on him and said firmly, "Remember this well, this is what we're like. It's what Clare's body is like. If you see Clare and can accept her condition, then you must not hesitate to hold her close to you!"

The tension was broken when Helen flung Deneve's discarded top at her and growled, "Quit flashing your boobs, the trainees are shocked!"

The young trainee who had spoken earlier tugged on Raki's hand and hesitantly said, "Mister...We um..."

He turned and knelt down as he hugged two of the trainees in his great, muscular arms and declared in a stentorian voice for all to hear.

"Sorry. I acted like I was never coming back, but I will, when all this is over and we'll have a good time!"

One of the girls began crying as he squeezed both of them and said, "Mister...You've got to..."

"Okay" he said.

"We'll be waiting, you gotta promise." she sobbed.

"Yeah, I promise."

Helen muttered, "Hmph, he had me scared for a moment."

Miria turned to Tabitha and after a few moments of awkwardness said, "Tabitha, Cynthia, I wanted you two to stay and heal the injured but..."

Cynthia grinned at her captain and said cheerfully, "I knew you would say that, so I already did everything I could."

Yuma smiled shyly and said, "A couple of the warriors had a knack for healing, and with a little instruction, soon surpassed me. So I'm done here."

Sheila merely smiled, she was done too.

Miria smiled, then said in a strident voice.

"This fateful bond goes back to the war torn north, all those years ago. We all want to help Clare."

Teresa muttered, "You may want to help her, me? I want to put her across my knees for scaring me like she's done!"

Helen chuckled and Miria smiled then said, "All right, we go together. We set out at sunrise tomorrow for the holy city of Rabona."