"Renee," He spoke after an hour or maybe two of running from an angry sword swinging cursing Claymore, he hoped she had blown off enough steam to listen to him. She glared at him, but it was the tired type of glare and that was good enough for him, "Good news, we're almost there."
"Good." She huffed, 'Better not have any more surprises.'
A few steps more and what came into site was a large stone fortification barely noticeable to most people's eyes thanks to the snow and trees obscuring it, not to mention its coloring next to the mountains. If Raki hadn't already known of its location and the duo weren't trained super warriors with keen vision, they probably wouldn't have spotted it.
This came as a surprise to Renee, she hadn't expected him to have a fortress for her. Maybe a small cabin for her at most but not this. "That's where I'll be staying?"
"Yep." Raki gave her side glanced and a cheeky smile, "You like it?"
"It is rather nice. Looks sturdy." She couldn't lie about it if she wanted to despite the need to be petty to get back at Raki for the insanity earlier. This was way more than the shelter and hiding place she expected to receive. Hiding place... suppressants would help in hiding her, but she only had one left and she doubted she be getting anymore those anytime soon. Still, even while suppressed the fortification could be spotted by any awakened beings worth their salt. "Is there anyone else there?" She mentally cursed herself for phrasing it like that. It made her sound like she craved company or something after spending time with Raki.
She craved to be alone after being with him. Really!
Raki chuckled, "Three other people will be there to keep you company," he had to stifle some more laughter after Renee gave him a low growl, "and two of them can definitely keep you safe from Riful."
That last line really grabbed the Claymore's attention. What type of people or beings for that matter could keep her safe from Riful? She had a feeling she would know soon enough and she wouldn't like it.
They entered through a large door and had to make their way through a set of spiral stairs. The fortification had to be relatively old yet it was so clean, devoid of webs, fine carpets laid about, torches freshly lit. Yes, there were other people here and waiting for them. Raki whistled, "She really did go to work didn't she."
"Who?" Renee asked.
"A really good lady friend of mine you'll meet soon enough." Renee bristled at what he said and how he did so with such easygoing fondness. Now, she wasn't even the slightest bit jealous at the way he spoke about this woman. No, she instead felt bad for this mystery lady, no doubt caught in the thick of this man's insane lifestyle.
Still... it made her wonder about said mystery lady. She stopped mulling over that when Raki opened another door to reveal a large courtyard outside and ahead of them was a woman in simple yet oddly elegant clothing looking towards the moons. She turned to Raki and smirk before turning to Renee. Her smirk faded and an inquisitive stare had taken over
"Renee, meet Serana." Raki introduced. "She's a vampire."
"A what?" the Claymore asked, watching the woman in front of her warily. She was beautiful, with very pale skin and shoulder-length raven black hair, but her face was just a little odd... cheekbones a little too prominent, cheeks a little sunken and her eyes were...
"Kinda like a Yoma..." Raki didn't get to say more. At the word 'Yoma', Renee had lunged at Serana and swung her sword with inhuman speed. Any doubt the pale-skinned stranger was not human was dispelled as she managed to draw a dagger from her side just as fast and blocked the large blade, matching the suppressed single-digit's strength. Renee's dark brown eyes were staring into glowing orange ones.
"Should have said it differently." the young man mused a bit dumbly.
"You think?" Serana called sarcastically as Renee's better leverage slowly forced her down. When she spoke, the Claymore saw her longer canines. Unlike a Yoma's grotesque maw, meant to rend and gorge on flesh, those were like thin, elegant daggers designed to pierce. Suddenly, without the slightest shift in her posture, Serana disappeared in a poof of smoke and... bats?
"What the..." Renee began as she looked around.
Raki sighed loudly. "Damn it Renee. Calm down, she's a friend, and while she has a few similarities with a Yoma, she doesn't kill humans."
"If I can avoid it." the vampire corrected placidly as she reappeared from thin air. Her voice was composed and pleasant, its cultured edge reminding Renee of Riful when she dropped her childish facade, though missing the Awakened's latent menace. "Bandits don't count."
"As I was saying, vampires are quite similar to Yoma in strength and speed, but they don't eat guts. Instead they drink blood." Raki explained. Renee, who had begun to relax, tensed again as Raki continued. "Hey, it's not that bad, unlike guts, humans can spare a little blood, and they can feed on animals too." He wisely didn't say anything about spreading Sanguinare Vampiris or hypnosis, as he felt this would push Renee's tolerance.
The Claymore cautiously sheathed her sword back, and Serana did the same with her dagger. Despite apparently being made of bone, Renee noted the blade was not even notched by her claymore.
"So is this the Claymore you were looking for?" the vampire asked while looking Renee up and down. The warrior had the distinct impression she was being sized up, though not as a potential danger, which was odd as this woman had just narrowly avoided the business end of her sowrd. "Not bad at all." Renee heard her mutter.
"Nope." Raki scratched his head a bit sheepishly. "Well, you know, things happened."
"Raki, things always happen with you." She deadpanned, shifting her stance a bit and crossing her arms over her chest. "I heard the stories. Open a chest and find a daedric beacon. Need the Jarl's help and end up presiding a peace summit. Check out a cave and prevent the raising of an undead queen."
"I'd rather talk about that other cave, who was in it, and how it involved scrolls, cairns, moths and a holy bow." Raki shot back with a raised eyebrow. "Also, speaking of artifacts, there is that crazy staff you got in Solitude, you know, the one that turned Nazeem into a chicken."
Pink dusted Serana's cheeks. "It was an accident!"
"He ended up roasted in the Jarl's plate!"
"How could I know the Jarl's daughter wanted chicken for lunch that day? Besides, hanging around the Jarl's palace as a chicken? What did he think was going to happen?"
The pair paused, glared at each other, and suddenly exploded in laughter.
Unseen to them, Renee's eyebrow twitched. Had they forgotten she was here? And what was there exactly between those two? The sheer closeness, the good-natured ribbing spoke of a shared past that had led into a deep-seated trust, like two very old friends that were perfectly comfortable with each other. And now that she thought about it, why was she getting so irritated with it? She never got close to anyone in her life and Raki was pretty much the only life form she had casual interaction with. She wasn't jealous was she? No, no way.
"Well, he was always a birdbrain." Raki jested, redoubling Serana's laughter.
Renee *didn't* wish she could laugh like this.
Okay, maybe she did, just a little.
If she hadn't been so focused on the pair, she would have noticed a slight flapping sound in the air, or the slight tremor under her feet seconds later.
"Still," Serana smirked as she finally composed herself, "nothing beats that drinking contest you got into."
Raki instantly sobered up. "Who told you about that?"
"Sam says hello. He also left some of his special brew. Said it'd bring back memories."
It did all right. A hagraven, a ring, a goat, a temple, a goddess' blessing and a staff came to mind. He shuddered visibly and made a note to hide that bottle, though he doubted it would do much good. The thing would probably just reappear in the cabinet later.
"EXCUSE ME!" Renee snapped loudly, bringing their attention back to her. Raki smiled apologetically, but Serana's demeanor became a bit more guarded. Not especially on guard, just more distant. "Thank you," the warrior continued sarcastically, "now, you said I'd be safe even from Riful here, but aside from being remote, I don't see anything so far that makes me willing to take your word for it."
Serana gave Raki a knowing look. "Did you piss someone off again?"
"Quite the opposite actually, we got along pretty well I'd say." Next to Raki, Renee rolled her eyes. They were indeed getting along well enough, if Riful shoving her tongue in his mouth was any indication. "But due to circumstances, Renee was forced to tag along, and needs a safe place."
Renee glanced at Serana. "I mean, your friend here has to be quite competent to block a sword strike from me, but against a full squad or an Abyssal? No offense, but doubt she'd do much good. So I'll assume you meant the two other people here, except," she looked around the courtyard for emphasis, "I cannot see anyone else."
The vampire blinked a couple of times, then turned to Raki. "You didn't tell her?" she asked knowingly, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.
"It didn't come up. And I kinda didn't want to spoil the surprise." the young man chuckled. "You're right Renee, when I said you'd be safe here, I didn't mean Serana. Remember our previous conversation about my power and how it would be easier to explain later?"
He was met with a scowling Claymore whose eyebrow was twitching dangerously. Oh well, she was about to get her answer, he thought as he looked to the side and up.
"Then what..." Renee started.
"Thuri means us, Silon Miin Kriid." a voice she hadn't heard before rumbled to her left and a bit above her. Atop a stone pillar sat a colossal reptilian creature with two horns atop its head and spikes atop its body, covered in red scales save for the underside which consisted of a light blue coloration and dark blue curves on its wings. Renee could also see another beast above the first, dark green in coloration and smoother, like a winged serpent.
Renee stood there, her heart nearly stopping before going into a full sprint. At the top of her lungs, she shouted, "THOSE ARE -"
"Dragons? In Toulouse?" Cynthia was beyond shocked to hear this. She knew those flying creatures had to be something else, but dragons? Dragons and they could make wounds on Claymores not seen before such as the wound on Helen's... stump. All the Claymores in the church, save for Miata, were shocked, even frightened upon hearing this news and seeing the evidence, Clarice especially.
Clare decided she needed some clarification on this and had ask, "Wait... a dragon? As in, the legendary flying lizard monster? Huge and scaly? Breathes fire?"
"It was frost actually." Deneve corrected.
"My mistake," Clare said evenly, "breathes frost."
Helen raised her stump. "Yep"
Yuma sighed and turned to the color headed Claymore. "Clarice, if you could please." Clarice nodded and covered her surrogate daughter's ears, "Fuck me," she sighed in a mixture of frustration and anguish as she slumped in a chair.
Helen smiled and put her remaining hand on her distraught friend's shoulder, "Gladly, as soon as my arm comes back." The warrior cringed when took a look back her stump; out of caution, Deneve had needed to cut off the rest of her forearm to prevent frostbite from spreading, since they didn't know how this kind of magical cold could affect them, or if their healing could counter it. "If it comes back," she muttered.
"Your arm is going to have to just heal on its own for now," Cynthia released a tired sigh, "at the very least it's not totally unbearable to move right?"
"For now, yeah." She winced when she touched the end of it.
Miria closed her eyes and felt the need to grind her teeth, frustration, worry, sadness, and anger boiling up in her. Helen coming back to Rabona severely injured by magic. Magic that came from the breath of a DRAGON of all things, and all they could do was drive it off even with Awakened Beings at their side. The ghosts were only beginning to make their move and things were already going south.
Then Miria relaxed a little when she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Irene's face, calm and focused despite the news. 'That's right', she said to herself. Things weren't going completely south. Clare and her group brought back Irene, the number 2 of Teresa's generation. The only ones to outdo her were literally Teresa and Priscilla themselves. She didn't know how well she could hold up against an abyssal or a dragon, but she knew for a fact that if anyone could help them handle what came their way from the Organization or Awakened beings, it would be Irene.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Clarice asked, fear evident in her voice and nearly making it crack. Miata stuck to her side in an effort to sooth her.
Miria remained silent until she suddenly sat up from her chair, "The plans will be delayed but they won't change course. We…"
"What on earth is that!" shouted a shocked and distressed Galatea. She momentarily lost her cool out of what appeared to be random. Then they all began to feel what she felt. A presence hastily making its way towards their position, an aura that made them nearly shake with uncontrollable fear. Even Clarice to a lesser extent felt the same thing too, but she didn't focus on that as Miata trembled and held on to her leg for dear life. This feeling, this primal fear was all too familiar to Helen and Deneve.
"What the hell, one's coming over here?!" Helen yelled, jumping form her chair and grabbing her claymore with her remaining hand.
Miria immediately blocked her off with her own claymore drawn, "No Helen! We'll head out to face the beast head on. You should hold back on this, stay near Clarice and Miata for this one."
"But-"
"She's right, Helen." They turned to Deneve who was facing the direction of the incoming beast. "You haven't healed from the damage from the last battle and more importantly, I doubt either Miata or Clarice could do much right now and could use some support." She finished with a gesture to the currently trembling Claymores, the child seeking comfort in the grown one's arms. Helen growled but she didn't protest any further. They were right and she knew it.
"At the very least, we aren't going in blindly." This statement came from Galatea on her way out of the building, most of the other Claymores right behind her, "Now come on, the dragon is closing in fast!"
Rabona itself, unaware of what was going on, continued on as normal until a great shadow crept upon the edge. What immediately followed was a roar and a scream of panicked people. The nearest guards rushed to the streets or vantage points and spotted the unknown beast. "What the hell is that?!" A guard yelled to his partner atop a section of the city's walls.
"It doesn't matter what it is, what matters is that we kill it and fast!" The other yelled, drawing his bow and arrow. Without warning the beast crashed on top of a building and right within his range. Both guards let the strings go and the arrows proceeded to bounce off the beast's hide. At the very least, they got its spiteful attention.
"SAHLO JOORRE!" It growled, turning its neck to them and lashing its tail into the side of a building, dangerously scattering rubble in multiple directions. Its maw opened and the guards saw a glimpse of blue light until the beast made a swift turn to blast in another direction. To the humans, it looked like it fired at nothing, to him, "DOVFRON KIIRRE!" If the look on its face before was baleful, the look it had now made it seem like an incarnation of wrath.
"Get ready!" Galatea warned the soldiers before grabbing them by their waists. Not a moment too soon were they gone as the dragon turned and unleashed a powerful breath of cold as it rose into air yet again to rain the death from above, soaring down in a line as it did so and out of reach of the Claymores who jumped after it.
So far its specific target was mostly Deneve, who barely had time to react to the beast's frost runs. The reason for it became clear once the dual wielder recognized it; it was the same one that they had driven off. Apparently the thing held a grudge on her.
Cynthia leaped from a frosted building and looked to her friend, "Yuma-san, can't you hit it?!"
"I'd just make myself a defenseless target, the thing's moving too fast for me to get a good hit!"
"Damn it!" Miria growled before turning to her fellow ghosts, "Spread out in pairs and aim for those wings, we need to get it to land!" Miria and Tabitha, Yuma and Cynthia, Irene and Galatea, and Deneve was-
"Eat this!" The voice of Helen roared next to her partner, her extended arm with her sword in hand thrusting upwards to pierce the shoulder of the dragon just as it came darting towards their direction. Her timing was impeccable for the blow struck hard and true upon the left shoulder. It was thrown off course and broke through the side of a building, disoriented from both Helen's strike and midair crash. "Ha! Now that was satisfying, shame it didn't come off though!"
Miria glanced towards Helen, a gesture for an explanation. The one armed ghost gave her the signature cheeky grin, "I was able to see a majority of the fight and saw you guys could use a helping hand with a good reach. Also that."
A sudden monstrous screech of pain echoed through sky. Everyone witnessed the dragon lose a chunk of its face, a horn on its left side practically obliterated while its face was sliced off. "QUIT MAKING MOMMA CRY!" roared Miata from a building behind its right side.
"The giant lizard came a little too close, some frost nearly hit us, Clarice got REALLY panicked, and Miata didn't take too kindly to that." Helen explained.
Miata blasted off from the building again and from the trajectory of her charge, she was gonna rip right through the dragon's chest. Once Miata had revealed herself, the ghosts were ready to finally sit down and fully grasp all that was upon them, hopefully before the Priest, Galk, and Sid could bombard them with questions. This creature was finished.
And they were right, however they were ignorant to the spiteful nature of Dragons and had yet to understand that the mighty Dovah don't die in battle without taking an enemy with them. The frost dragon had no time for a breath attack and certainly not enough to lash out with a bite, smack, or tail attack since the sudden attacks laced it with momentary pain. So it chose to go down. Hard.
It turned its back to the attacker and made a quick flap downward, right into Miata. They crashed into one another, Miata's blade directly piercing its spine and getting close to its heart while the dragon's sudden weight combined with grating scales and smaller spikes punching her whole body. "Miata!" Most of the ghosts yelled and Clarice, who ran out of the building, didn't even bother yelling as she rushed towards the child, dragon be damned.
They crashed into the front side of a building. Luckily, Miata went right through the wooden door and the dragon's full weight didn't press down on her while plowing her into the ground. The frost dragon rolled onto its stomach and attempted to crawl up, but it was only an attempt due to four swords getting jammed into its shoulders. The blades belonged to Deneve on the left and Yuma and Clare on the right.
The tail thrashed like a serpent until Irene came from behind and diced its appendage to pieces. "RRRAAGH, DAMN YOU GUTTER SPAWN!"
"So you can speak our language?" Miria said calmly, walking to the left side of its head. "You're surrounded by the way, so I'd advise against flailing. I mean, if you can at least."
Clarice rushed past the pinned dragon and held up Miata, "Miata, how badly are you hurt?! How many fingers am I holding up?!"
Miata looked over Clarice and blinked slowly, "Momma, I hate math."
Clarice sighed in relief and Miria, now with Tabitha by her side and Galatea atop the dragon, holding her blade near its neck, decided to begin some interrogation. Helen stood on the other side of its face, more than ready to gouge out its eye if it decided to pull something.
"What are you exactly and what do you want?" Miria began.
"I am one of your rulers, a dovah, a dragon in your... lesser tongue. And what WE demand is your servitude," It gave a sound akin to a quiet chuckle, "Or possibly, in your specific case, complete destruction."
"He's rather cryptic isn't he?" Galatea spoke aloud.
Miria narrowed her eyes and raised her sword close to its eye, "Care to elaborate?"
It nodded. "FO -"
It got no farther as Helen recognized the first part of that horrible, alien phrase. She rushed forward and stabbed her sword into its eye while Deneve followed her lead, stabbing both her swords into the back of its throat.
It barely moved after that and chose to speak in his final moments, leaving a final warning, "K-kill me and I won't die... you are not... true Dov." Then complete silence for all that remained was a large corpse that left the warriors with much to think about.
"Where's the meadery in this place?" huffed Renee. After the reveal of her "protectors" and a more detailed explanation on Raki's abilities, Renee was ready to drink herself silly. First a man who could shout away Awakened, make friends with Abyssals, and had Dragons as servants... oh, and he has the soul of one, "I'm going insane, I have to be. Or maybe I'm in a coma and it's all just a dream."
"Nope. It's real. Of course, this will take time to get used to." Raki clarified for her. He flinched when she suddenly aimed her sword at him.
"How... HOW DOES ANYONE GET USED TO THIS?!" she roared. Raki sighed, figuring this was as calm as she would be for at least the rest of the day. Getting her to sit down, listen, and not run away from his lieutenants as far as possible took quite some stamina out of him. He didn't even bother even jokingly asking her if she was gonna sleep without her sword right beside tonight.
"Well, we aren't exactly human, me a vampire and you a half... yoma?" Serena asked at the end. Raki nodded and she continued, "It's not like our conditions are exactly normal either." Renee turned her sword to her and Serena held her hands up in an effort to placate her, "But yes, he's definitely a unique case."
Renee slowly lowered her sword and sighed, practically melting in her chair from the mental exhaustion, "Do you have any drinks here?"
"I'll get you the good stuff." Serena turned to Raki and whispered, "Go ahead and keep working your usual charm," before she left to get some of the better quality mead.
Raki stuck his tongue out her right as she left, "It won you over didn't it?" he mumbled, "So Renee, do you at least feel like Riful will be the least of your worries?" Probably not the best way to phrase the 'do you feel safe' question, even in a joking manner, but it was a start.
Renee gave him a weak glare, "That depends, are they strong enough?"
Raki hummed in thought, "I think she would be warded off at least. Serena could set some magic traps after I go too, so that would help even further. It's not guaranteed safety but I doubt she take you without risking too much."
Renee slumped further in her chair, groaning out, "Do you really have to leave me here?"
"Do you really want to risk the Organization having more whereabouts on you?" he bluntly retorted.
"Dammit. Caught between dragons and demons." Renee growled before her tone softened, "When do you plan on leaving?"
Raki chuckled out, "Depends on how long you are going to need the familiar company. I'm sure Clare can wait a little longer for me."
Another blush plagued Renee, embarrassingly brighter than the others. "I'd... I'd appreciate it. But don't let me hold you up for too long."
Unbeknownst to both of them, Raki's favorite bloodsucker was eavesdropping and their interaction brought about a devilish smirk to her lips.
"DOVAHKIIN!" A thunderous voice rang suddenly through the castle, nearly shaking the very foundations of the old fortification from the force.
And Raki knew exactly who that was, "Paarthunax?!"
"Who now?" Renee groaned.
"This really complicates matters doesn't it?" Irene asked her two fellow warriors. The question was mostly rhetorical though. Right now, Irene, Miria, and Deneve decided to take a walk along the Rabona walls while discussing what had happened today amongst themselves while everyone was doing something else. Yuma, Clarice, and Cynthia tending to Miata and checking on Helen, who was drunk, Tabitha and Clare sparring, and Galatea helping the priests care for the people. This was after calming down some soldiers and explaining to Sid, Galk, and Father Vincent what happened and what they knew.
Miria rubbed her temples while muttering, "That's an understatement. We only encountered one and that one confirmed there are more of its kind."
"Even worse, they have a plot of their own that I doubt we fully know about. I'm sure the slain one wasn't too keen on sharing much with us. Between the dragons and the Organization, I'm not sure what's worse. I'm honestly frightened." Deneve added. Miria was about to say more until all three turned to the sound of footsteps right behind them.
The person that walked to them brought about the deep loathing from within all three claymore hearts. His signature smug, smirking face would've made the more hot headed of the ghosts draw their blades right there. But he always somehow knew when to show his despicable face.
"Magnificent, aren't they?" the black-clad man asked with honest reverence. "Able to soar above the world, unbound by obstacles that are unsurmountable to us. Timeless, free from death, possessing the power to raze the mightiest of men's cities, and to alter the very fabric of reality with their mere voice. Is it surprising they were worshipped as gods once?"
Miria raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Free from death? That one looked pretty dead to me. Its burial sure doesn't help, Rubel."
"Even their notion of death is different from ours, my dear. As long as a dragon's soul is alive, its body will wake up, eventually. Either on its own, or called by a sufficiently strong one. Time will be undone, flesh will be restored and it will rise again. It doesn't matter if it takes days, years or even centuries."
"You seem awfully knowledgeable about those things." Irene pointed.
"Ah, a face I hadn't seen in years. Did you finally manage to reignite your fire, Quicksword Irene?" Rubel smiled. "As to your question, I am indeed privy to some information. A man in my position has to be."
"The position of a spy, you mean?" Deneve pointed. "Your masters on the mainland must be very satisfied of you."
Rubel turned to Miria. "So you finally told them about the greater picture? About the warring nations, and the role you play?" He laughed in amusement. "However this is still but a tiny part of a bigger whole. Greater powers lie beyond the scope of man. I may work for a certain side, but they are not my masters."
"Greater powers? Like what, gods? You don't strike me as a heavenly messenger." Miria snorted.
"Gods, no, not quite, though certainly powerful enough to interfere with this realm. This war is providing my lady plenty of entertainment. I whisper some words, I tug some threads of this wide web for one side, and other agents of hers on the other side do the same, to ensure the game remains fun."
"Just like you are trying to do with us." Deneve summarized.
"I suppose you wouldn't be kind enough to give us your mistress' name." Miria added.
Rubel's knowing smirk only grew. "She has many names, but none would ring any bell in these lands. Anyway… when I leaked Miria some information on the war, I honestly thought she'd act rashly and get herself killed but she actually managed to keep her cool." He nodded at the Phantom, who glared at him. "And now you are gearing to revenge against the Organization. Something that would serve my purpose, if you succeeded. But if you fail? You will end under Dae's knives, and Half-Awakening will be discovered. This is not for my benefit, as it could tip the scales. And to top it off, an unknown factor has come into play, one that threatens to wreck the entire board."
"The dragons." Irene said. "You want us to go after them."
"Why us? Why would we care more about them than the Organization?" Miria asked.
"Can you not care? They are a threat to everyone, especially those poor, frail, ill-prepared humans. The Organization is currently the only known faction in Toulouse able and willing to protect them, for a price of course. Destroy it, or even weaken it, and that protection is gone." Rubel dared.
"And if we die in the process, all the better for you? You finish what was started in Pieta, removing some troublesome strays. Am I right?" Deneved finished with forced calm. The man was openly treating them as pawns in a game, and so smugly too. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face. Obviously, reaching for the more level-headed of the Ghosts had been a smart idea from him. Helen would already have punched his lights out, and tossed him in a cart of manure or something.
"That still doesn't give us a reason not to destroy the Organization. After all, there is a good chance the dragons and Awakened Beings would wipe each other out in the meantime." Miria reasoned.
"Did you forget dragons don't die when they're killed? There are not that many Awakened Beings in Toulouse. Ultimately, their numbers would dwindle until only the Abyssals remain, and even they would be swarmed. I wouldn't be surprised if either Isley or Riful had an encounter or two by now. Moreover, you don't understand the dragons' nature."
"Oh? Do enlighten us." Miria asked while crossing her arms over her chest.
Rubel made himself a bit more comfortable, though in truth, he was giving himself a moment to think. It wouldn't be good to give too much information after all. "As I said, the dragons were once worshiped as gods, ruling over mortals as tyrants, until the mortals rebelled. It was a long and bloody war, that lasted until men managed to defeat the greatest of them all. Their leader, the strongest, the First One. The World Eater."
"World… Eater…" Deneve repeated. The name sounded a bit grandiloquent, but somehow it sent shivers down her spine. For some reason, she knew this was not a joke. A quick look at Miria and Irene showed they felt the same way.
"As the name says, a being that could devour the world, the herald of the end of all things. Anyway, with its defeat, the war didn't last much longer, and the dragons that had been killed were entombed. But now their slumber has ended, and more and more are coming back. And while some merely followed the World Eater out of deference, it is said that domination is in a dragon's soul. Many enjoyed the power they had over mortals."
"And now they seek to restore it. Unlike Awakened Beings who only seek to feed and have no real interest in ruling. It's as that one said, what they want…" Irene started, and Miria finished for her.
"… is the enslavement of mankind."
Rubel smirked, despite the seriousness of the situation. Hook, line and sinker. "Precisely. As you can imagine, this is a lot more important than your revenge for your fallen comrades."
"So what?" Deneve asked in annoyance. "Do you want us to go on a fool's errand, to hunt beings we cannot fully kill? From what you say, this is even more of a hopeless endeavor."
Not quite hearing a 'no', Rubel made his final push. With fake reluctance, he said, "Of course, it wouldn't be fair of me not to give you a hint on what you can do. You see, there is one who can stand in their way. One they fear. One you can seek." His knowing smile grew wider. "In their tongue, he's Dovahkiin."
"Dovahkiin?" Miria repeated.
Rubel pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against and began walking away. "Unfortunately, this is all I am allowed to say. It's up to you to follow this lead if you decide to, and see where it takes you. It should be interesting to watch." He then paused and turned to the rogue Claymores. "Oh, one more thing, for old time's sake… if Clare also survived, as I'm sure she did, pass her a message from me. Tell her that her young friend is still alive and looking for her. Good luck, you'll all need it."
Happy New Years guys!