Raki wasn't sure who he was more impressed with, the girls for their hide-and-seek skills or himself for managing to catch them without his shouts. Even without their Yoki they were hard to track, but he had done his share of hunting in Skyrim and learned from the best - among mortals at least, he corrected himself. Still, the game took all day and he wouldn't lie, he was kind of tired from all the running, jumping, and what else. It had been very fun though.

Besides, seeing Miata giggle and laugh like the child she was made it worth it. He couldn't believe a girl this young was an active warrior. Divines, she should have been playing with kids her age, climbing trees for fun and scrapping her knees, rather than swinging a sword bigger than her! Were all the warriors-in-training so young, or even younger?

This world was so messed up.

While he made his way up to the church, he was greeted by Father Vincent with a hearty chuckle, "Hello Raki. I take it the girls treated you well?"

Raki chased his gloomy thoughts and returned his smile. "They certainly kept me busy."

"I bet. Little Miata, despite her demeanor, can quite the powerhouse. I'm glad you two got off on the right foot." The Father remembered how Miata's first appearance went. Despite the supposed power Raki displayed, if Miata suddenly attacked and Raki was unprepared... he'd rather not think of the results.

"Big time." Raki replied. Slowly, his smile transformed into a frown and with a sigh, he said. "Father Vincent... there's something I wanted to talk to you about for a while."

"What is it, my boy?"

"It's about Clare." Raki looked him in the eyes with a serious expression. "I'm not one to hold grudges, but I've been meaning to confront you on this for a while." His eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "Why did you bandage Clare over her clothes back then?"

There was no anger whatsoever in Raki's voice. Knowing how much he loved Clare, the priest would have expected to be yanked off his feet and insulted in a fit of well-deserved rage. But Raki was calm. Eerily so. His posture was not threatening in the slightest and even the most paranoid guards walking by would not have given them a second glance.

Then why…

Why was the old man feeling like he was on the edge of a cliff? Why did his knees suddenly feel so weak under this stony gaze? What was that sensation brushing against his skin, different from the contact of his robes or the gently blowing breeze?

Father Vincent realized his throat was dry and swallowed nervously. Maybe from the memory, maybe from something else. "Raki... Have you ever seen what's beneath their armor?"

"I have." Raki confirmed with a nod. His voice was still as calm and patient, and Father Vincent felt a shiver run down his back. The faint sensation on his skin was now a tingle. "And I've seen much worse."

Father Vincent looked down, unable to keep up with Raki's gaze. It had been years, but that day would always be fresh in his mind. "I... I'm sorry. That was wrong of me. As a priest, I shouldn't have acted so callously out of fear."

Raki was silent for a moment until he asked, "Did you apologize to Clare?"

Vincent nodded. "I did."

"And she accepted it?" He knew Father Vincent wouldn't lie. That wasn't to say priests couldn't tell lies, but Vincent was the type of man one would expect a priest to be.

"I believe so." He said without hesitation despite his heavy heart.

Raki's posture relaxed and the intense air around him disappeared. With a small exhale, he said, "Then I believe it's behind us then."

"You're no longer upset?"

"Trust me Father, if I was upset, you'd hear very different words from me." A small grin made his way on his face. Somehow, the priest had a feeling he didn't want to know what kind of words Raki was speaking about. "I just wanted to talk about it, that's all. Did you expect me to throttle you over it?" the younger man asked jokingly.

"Well, no." Vincent said with a subtle amount of hesitation Raki caught onto.

"You resisted the urge to say 'but', didn't you?" the younger man dryly asked.

The priest coughed into his hand, to Raki's amusement and chagrin. Still, for a brief moment, he had to wonder how Clare was. So close yet so far once more.

As for Father Vincent, he was both internally fascinated and startled by the difference in growth between Raki and Clare. One had become more human over her time in the past seven years while the other had become... different. He felt so different from a human in that moment. Thinking on it now, he seems to have changed just as much as Clare.

Vincent only hoped that like Clare, it was for the better.

()()()()

Clare, Irene, Yuma, and Tabitha. These were half of the Ghosts that chose to go West in search of the Dovahkiin and hopefully anything else on the Dragons. The only downside of going in this direction was the possibility of running into the Wicked Witch of the West. Maybe if they were lucky, the dragons had gotten to her.

The journey was mostly silent, not to say so much as there was to think about, save for the occasional bursts of conversations usually started by Yuma or Tabitha. Just as the two were about to start up another conversation, faint sounds echoed in the distance. Fighting. Lots of fighting and clashing of what was akin to metal against metal, followed by screams, which mostly came from female voices.

Without warning, Clare ran off only for Irene to quickly cut her off. The older warrior gave the younger one a stern glare. While not glaring herself, Clare did give her a look of defiance.

All the while the fight raged on.

()()()()

A short, athletic warrior with her hair in twin bunches was thrown back, readjusting herself in midair and skidding across the ground with her sword in the ground. She had a black eye and blood was leaking from her deeply lacerated right arm. Had the cut gone any deeper, she wouldn't be able to use it at all. Around her, two warriors laid on the ground, one in a bob and the other with neck length spiky hair, and another short wavy haired warrior stood by them protectively, but she was shaky and barely holding on.

In front of them stood two Awakened Beings, both males that seemed more feral than the usual Awakened; one humanoid save for the mass of scythe-like bones sprouting from his arms, the maw with rows of teeth, a second mouth on his chest, digitigrade legs that ended in hooves, and dark green skin. The other resembled that of a giant monitor lizard save for the two jaws in one, six armored legs, and two rows of multiple curved, serrated horns. The only somewhat human feature on this one was how a 'human' face was stretched out over the top jaw.

Both Awakened had sustained some injuries, but were faring better than the warriors that fought against them.

The shortest Claymore turned to the other, golden irises and slit pupils standing out even more against her bruised skin, and yelled at her, "Dominique, take Phina and Noma then get out of here!" The standing Awakened lashed out, aiming towards one of the downed warriors only for her blade to throw off his aim.

Dominique had the other two warriors in her arms, backing away from the fight, but she yelled back, "But Dietrich-!"

"I gave you an order! Either way, I won't make it out of this!" Dietrich roared, now releasing a greater burst of Yoki. Her muscles were starting to bulge at this point and veins were becoming visible on her face. The monitor lizard awakened charged forward only for Dietrich to jump atop of him and take her sword against the top of his head. He hissed and his tail extended to slap her away.

Undaunted, Dietrich stood back up and shouted again, "GO!" Her voice was rougher now, distorted by her raging Yoki.

"Dietrich..." Dominique started but realized that if they stayed, they would all die. Their leader intended for them to survive, even if it meant sacrificing herself. Gritting her teeth and forcing herself not to look back, Dominique accepted the inevitable loss and ran as fast she could before the scythe Awakened could catch up as Dietrich cut him off once more, taking the arm that was reaching out for the other warrior. Either way, Dietrich was either going to die, or worse yet, Awaken and be marked for eventual death.

Dietrich could feel herself slipping as the fight pressed on, but she kept going, giving her best offer to buy time for her comrades to escape, if only by one more second. Her grip tightened almost desperately on her sword as her skin began to turn scaly and protrusions began to burst from it, ripping holes into her clothes.

She grunted, feeling a blade tear into her stomach from the lizard Awakened amidst her desperate haze, and her Yoki was flowing hard to both repair and fuel her body. She so was close now, a figurative inch away from snapping and unable to go back. Her face was getting grotesquely distorted, skin flaking off and mouth widening to show her enlarging jagged teeth. She could hear her bones cracking as they were beginning to painfully rearrange themselves. "RAAARGH!"

Her power was demanding to be released, and the lure was so seductive. To go just a little further. Just let go, and she could defeat the monsters. Her friends would be safe and she'd be alive. Free from the Organization. Free to do as she pleased, no more fighting, no more missions. Free to eat gu...

NO!

Just as the two Awakened were about to bore down on her, their heads were reduced to a heavy mist of purple faster than Dietrich could process. Through the immense pain and pleasure of her transformation, she saw several figures stand before her. Warriors, clearly, but they lacked the uniforms of their peers.

One strode forward, hair short and neck length, knelt next to her and, to Dietrich's shock, began to sync her Yoki with hers. "What are... you doing?" Dietrich choked out through her now snaggle teeth. "Finish me... please."

"No." The warrior told her. Her tone was neutral which betrayed the words that came out. "You're not gone. Not yet."

"But... I... urk!"

"Your mind is still human." the warrior whispered, her voice strained and betraying the tremendous effort she was giving. "And as long as it is, we can bring you back." Face scrunched in concentration, she forcefully superimposed her Yoki over the warrior's rampaging one. Slowly, carefully calming it down, restraining it, and returning it to its dormant state. Dietrich's Yoki fought back, refusing to be denied its freedom, bursting back as soon as the other warrior seemed to withdraw, even trying to overwhelm her would-be savior at times.

Around them, the three others remained vigilant, ready to act one way or another if their comrade failed or worse, got pulled in as well.

But the short-haired warrior didn't give up. Silently, patiently, she continued to work under the watchful eyes of her comrades until, with a scream, Dietrich had been brought back from the brink of Awakening. Panting heavily, Dietrich allowed herself to relax and fall on all fours. "Like Jean." She heard the woman whisper, but didn't focus much on that.

Instead, she focused on the miracle of what that woman had done for her. "I... haven't awakened." Dietrich breathed out as she gazed at her still human hands. "My mind is... still human. What did you do?"

"It's called half-Awakening." The long haired woman of the group explained. "You were in the brink and being pulled back allowed you to keep your human mind as well as bring out more of your power." Yuma coughed into her hand. "Feel free to simply lie back and process this as I heal you."

Dietrich's attention quickly snapped back to Clare and she muttered, "You saved me... from losing myself."

Clare nodded. "Warriors should look out for each other. We're sisters no matter the generation." Despite her detached tone, it was obvious the ordeal had also taken its toll on her, as she was struggling to catch her breath and her forehead was drenched with sweat. Tiredness was seeping into her voice and her limbs were shaking slightly.

Dietrich didn't say anything as Yuma patched up her remaining wounds with her Yoki and simply processed what had occurred. But as she did so, she came to this conclusion with the utmost resolve. 'This warrior... I owe her my life… No, even more than that.' Yet as she thought this, she had to wonder what their motives were. Clearly these were rogue warriors given their attire and demeanors.

Meanwhile, the other three Claymores in the area decided to have a conversation of what to do with their latest rescue. "Well, you rescued her. Did you have another course of action in mind?" Irene sounded a tad sour as she said that. It wasn't the fact she had some dislike or anything against other Claymores, far from it, but saving one puts the group at risk. The less the Organization knows about them, the better.

Clare was silent for a couple of seconds before admitting, "To be completely honest, I was hoping you'd have an idea."

"That's what we get for letting you act so rash. Even if it was the right call." Though Irene spoke with a deadpan, she may as well have groaned that out. "We can't simply send her away. Not with what she could tell the Organization. Besides, her comrade knows she went over her limit. If she goes back, they'll investigate how she managed to regain control. If Dae learns about it, it won't be a mere investigation."

"True. But isn't taking her with us risky?" Tabitha asked, concerned her loyalties could hold. "Perhaps we could drop her off at a town willing to take her? With all the other creatures now roaming the skies, surely they would be more willing to have a warrior with them."

"Unlikely." Clare immediately replied. "These times have made people more likely to hire Claymores, but not to keep them around. You remember how some people in Rabona were less openly hostile to us? They were merely holding their tongues."

Tabitha glanced at the subject of discussion then back to the others, "So we're better off taking her with us, correct?"

"I'll follow you." Suddenly spoke the now standing Dietrich. The talking Ghosts all turned their eyes to her and she pointed to Clare. "I'll follow you. I have nowhere else to go. You're right, all that would await me would be to become a lab rat for Dae."

The Ghosts looked between each other and nodded. Irene walked up to Dietrich and bluntly stated, "As of now, you are dead to the world. From here on out, you're one of us. You're a Ghost."

The newest ghost shrugged. "I was never one for attention anyway."

()()()()

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Clare questioned. The Ghosts had set up camp for the night, a nice roaring fire and fish, and Dietrich sat on the edge of it, not exactly keen on simply inserting herself into their group dynamic. She was there ally out of necessity, even if she was now staunchly loyal to Clare. Plus, even Dietrich wasn't the most sociable even among the Claymores. She had introduced herself, but hadn't engaged any conversation afterwards. Her outfit was tattered from her near-Awakening but it was all she could wear. For now.

Even when they were traveling till the evening, she had stayed close to Clare or remained outside of the group.

"No. I'm fine." The short Claymore simply replied.

Clare had no visible reaction, but her tone was enough to convey some mirth. "I could hear your stomach rumbling you know."

Dietrich didn't say anything, but she looked away, trying to hide her light blush. Then the smell of succulent fish meat was suddenly more prominent. She turned back to find Clare handing her a freshly cooked fish on a stick.

Dietrich had enough wit to know that half-Awakening would no doubt lead to some changes in her body, including subtle ones, but her stronger hunger hadn't been one she had been expecting. The smell of simple campfire cooked fish was enough to make her salivate. At the very least, the idea of guts still made her retch, which was a huge comfort.

Clare smiled gently as the younger Claymore slowly moved her hand to take the stick. "Here. Have some. Hunger will get in your way."

"Thank you." Dietrich said after her initial hesitation. Without realizing it, she began to munch away. She ate more than she thought she would and was baffled by the fact she wasn't finished after even a few bites. Her metabolism had become more human. "This is good." she idly commented.

Clare hummed. "Thank you. But I knew someone who was much better at cooking than me. I still can't get it down like him, but I've managed to learn a couple of things."

"Him?" Dietrich questioned through her mouthful of food. Unseen to her, the other warriors shared an amused smile as they remembered how upset Helen had been not to be in Clare's group, or more accurately, not to be in the group which would get better food.

"It's a rather long story." Clare mused with a faraway look. "I was always strange. Even by our standards."

"You are. That's good." Dietrich stated bluntly. "No warrior would do what you all did. I appreciate it."

Clare smiled. "Glad you think so." With that, Clare decided to leave her be. Eventually, she'd find it in her to join them. No need to push her further from her comfort zone, not after what she went through today. The Ghosts turned to Clare as she came back.

Irene spoke first. "She's better than I'd thought she'd be initially."

Clare nodded in agreement. "She is. Though, telling her about the other goals will have to come later."

"Without question." Tabitha finished her fish and turned back to the others. "Though, we might have to worry about the Dovahkiin aspect later with our leads."

"If you can call them that." Irene sighed out. "It almost makes me we wish we could just spread out more."

"It won't be easy but at some point something should come up." Yuma offered optimistically. "Still, it will be like a needle in a haystack."

"Indeed. Looking for something without knowing what it is, is a wild goose chase." Irene stated. Then her eyes darted back over to Clare. "Almost as much finding lost companions."

Clare had an impassive look, but she knew what that meant. She brought it up the moment Rubel told them, asking Miria's group to keep an eye out for her friend as well. She watched the fire crackle for a bit then said, "He can wait. The Dovahkiin, dragons, and the Organization take priority." She looked back to her fellow warriors and continued, "They threaten the Island. Even the world. I don't like it, but I know those things are more important. Once it's all settled, I'll find him."

'If he's truly still around.' Was the thought that sadly went through the other Claymores heads. With all this chaos going on and since this information came from Rubel of all people. It wasn't like his chances of survival or being found were zero... but how likely was he to show up. Worst of all, what effect would it have on Clare if they found him and the worst happened?

They'd rather not think about such effects. Jean and Flora's deaths were enough.

Unknown to them, Clare added one more thing in her mind. 'I'll find you, Raki. And then, I'll find Priscilla.'

The rest of the night went on uneventfully.

()()()()

The early morning sun rose and a tiny voice yawned. From her perch atop the trees, Riful stretched out and looked down to see her one-armed mate sitting against the tree. She clicked her tongue, still rather a tad irate at their situation.

At the very least, they had managed to secure a location to store their special potential trump card. After the dragons had pretty much forced Riful and Dauf to make an immediate move, Riful managed to come back snatch it back, though she wisely choose not to reclaim her old home.

She could feel them return.

Their new area may be a downgrade, but it got the job done. Now remained the question of where to find a suitable Claymore capable of "speaking" with it. While it was only a matter of time, Riful now found her patience slowly declining with ever greater threats lurking about Toulouse. But she was still a patient being. Making a rash decision during such times bore no good results.

Gracefully, Riful dropped down next to Dauf, her dainty feet not landing hard enough to wake up the big lummox in the slightest. The one good thing she could say about Dauf's ordeal was him beginning to use more of his mental strength. That's something she wouldn't expect to see in any lifetime.

Now that she was awake, it was time for her to capitalize on her latest eye catching find. Yesterday, she felt a Yoki spike in the distance, but was preoccupied making sure her currently project was... relatively normal and safe. During the caretaking, she had sensed a warrior blossoming into an Awakened but being pulled back before she could become a potential new friend for her to make. Yet she could still feel her. She was lying dormant as of now, but her Yoki traces were more than trackable for the Abyssal, especially with the changes the near-Awakening had caused in her energy.

Now that she thought about it, the way her Yoki had been stopped reminded her of those warriors from seven years ago. Oh, how she would love to meet those two again. They would be perfect. But she would humbly take what she could get.

Giggling giddily, Riful began to make her move, moving at blinding speeds for most, but was akin to a simple light run for her. If she wanted to, she could catch up in a mere instant, but she decided to try not to spook her future comrade... too much. She would catch up before -

Oh, she was on the move. Perhaps she was running from another Awakened or... maybe she even sensed Riful approaching. A new Awakened and a good sensor? The mere notion of that alone gave Riful a beaming smile and she increased her pace, itching to meet this interesting fellow.

()()()()

This was a horrible turn of events, one of the worst things that could happen on their search. Tabitha sensed the Yoki before anyone else and the moment she said what, or rather who it was, the Ghosts were on the move as fast they could.

They could feel her. She was coming, the Witch of the West was on their heels. And if she found them...

They would be more likely to get away it wasn't for Dietrich. There was no doubt the poor former warrior was a beacon because of her Yoki surge. Sure, they could have left her behind, but they were nowhere near cruel enough to consider such a thing, not with that monster.

So close now, the Abyssal was too close. She would be closing the distance any second. But the Ghosts didn't stop running and were about to split up when the ribbons came in, two for each Claymore.

Yuma, Dietrich, and Tabitha were instantly entangled by Riful's ribbons. Irene and Clare on the other hand managed to put up a better fight, making Riful unleash more attacks at them and she began pushing them back, increasing the number until the pair was nearly overwhelmed by a storm of sharp ribbons as they fought back to back to repel the assault.

And just as their defense was about to be broken, left with no other choice, two Yokis suddenly surged simultaneously. Their right arms became frenzied blurs, yet somehow in complete synch with each other and raised a veritable wall of blades that once again put them at a stalemate against the assault.

For the first time in years, the Quicksword was unleashed again.

Clare had a brief moment of amazement as she realized that her speed actually matched her teacher's, even though Irene was going all out. All those years training while suppressing her Yoki had built her base physical abilities and allowed her to release the full potential of the technique. No longer a pale imitation, she was now the true inheritor of the Quicksword. Behind her, despite the situation, she could swear Irene was smiling proudly at her.

Riful quirked a brow. If Clare had this type of skill and power years ago, she would've torn Dauf into further shreds and actually hit her. She wasn't even close to Awakening either. The same could be said for the one next to her. She must've been a high ranked warrior during her career for the Organization. That they were using the same technique was also a point of interest. The long-haired one seemed more proficient however, more used to it, leading her to believe she was its original user.

"Oh my, you're both rather impressive." the Abyssal chuckled. "If you were alone, you might be able to get away but," she trailed off and sank a few more ribbons into the Ghosts she already caught, letting their screams speak for her as she twisted the blades. "You're not alone. Besides, we all know you cannot hold the strain of this technique that long. Either way, I'm going to capture you... so, either stop lollygagging or we'll play a rather intense game of endurance. The only question is, who will break first? Me, you… or them?"

That made Clare freeze and Irene followed shortly after. To fight back at this point would be costly and pointless. They would have to play it safe. As safe as they could with an Abyssal.

Clare and Irene were instantly caught within her snares before be pulled in close to her. As a precaution, Riful immediately took the swords from their hands. She didn't transform into her full form yet, but she didn't need to. The Abyssal giggled. "Smart little girls you are."

Slowly, Riful brought the edge of one of her ribbons across Clare's face, drawing a thin line of blood across her face, her smile never fading as she said, "Not to sound rude or harsh but you know, I'm a little peeved today and our last run in also left me a tad upset." Her eyes zeroed in on Clare and pierced her with her gaze, despite the friendly face. "Especially you. That was rather rude what you did."

Clare tensed in her grasp that seemed to slowly be tightening, aware that Riful could rip her apart on a whim at any moment.

"I mean, tricking me and taking away some of my new friends? That was incredibly rude." She chastised, a very light scowl appearing on her face, as if she were talking to a mere child. Then she smiled. "But it's fine. I can forgive you."

"Can?" Clare wheezed out.

"Yes... you see, as I said last time, I've been on the lookout for particularly sensitive warriors. I have special pet I wish to communicate with but simply can't." She pointed at Clare. "See where you come in?"

"Why not simply do it yourself?" Irene questioned. "Why the need for weaker warriors?"

"It's simply more fun that way. Sadly, I'm not refined enough to synch with it." Riful answered. She also didn't want to put herself at risk with the thing. She needed to be ready for whatever it may do. "I believe I've answered enough questions for now. I'm a little impatient today. Come, all over."

"You only need me for this. Why take the rest?" asked Clare, doing her best to maintain a neutral expression.

"Consider them incentives for you to perform your task and perform it well." Riful replied with a menacing gleam in her eyes. "Like I said, I'm not in the best of moods. So, let's both do our best to make this a better day, shall we?" She giggled at the end.

()()()()

"Riful, you got new... hey wait, I remember that one!" Dauf bellowed, pointing towards Clare. "She was with that one bitch who got away after nearly killing me."

Riful whipped his side as she approached. "Dauf, manners."

The Claymores went wide eyed, eyes locked on Dauf's horrendous burn on his face and his missing right arm. They all had an idea in mind what could've done that, but Clare was the only one to make a comment without meaning to. "I didn't think it was possible, but he became even uglier."

"What'd you say to me!?" Dauf roared, looking ready to charge at her.

"Enough." Riful said. While her voice was soft, her tone wasn't. "Do try to be kind to poor Dauf. Fate hasn't been kind to him as of late. As for you," she said pointing to Dauf, "Stay put here and stand guard."

Dauf nodded and went back to his grunt work.

"We can see that." Irene said. "The question is, what could've done that?"

"Hmm... why not take a wild guess?" Riful asked back. Irene chose to say nothing, simply shrugging her shoulders despite the tight hold, and Riful rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, no need for you to be too chatty anyhow. At least not yet." She said before they made it to the entrance of her newest home. "Sorry that this particular area is... less than spacious, but my mate and I have made do."

The Ghosts didn't comment on it and focused more so staying alive... hopefully without losing any of their limbs. Despite her comment, this was a particularly spacious dungeon she had that lead down for quite a way. She led them, the Ghosts still bound in her ribbons What she lead them to shocked them.

Above them, caught inside some metal cage were the forms of two warriors, sisters, whose flesh was merging together. One of those warriors was recognizable to all of the group.

"Raphaella?" Clare whispered. Irene herself remembered that warrior and their... last encounter together. She didn't expect for them meet again, certainly not like this.

"Oh my." Riful giggled. "You knew her."

"Of her." Clare clarified. "What is this thing?"

The diminutive Abyssal hummed and turned her gaze towards it, slowly lowering Clare towards it. "A new being I suppose. It's slumbering. Merging. Its power lying dormant. It is not responding to any physical stimulation." Riful stabbed the merged sisters deeply with a ribbon without getting any reaction. "But if a warrior could get in tune with its Yoki, it might have an effect."

"And you want Clare to do that?" Tabitha asked, traces of fear in her voice.

"Indeed." Riful confirmed. "It'll be my trump card of sorts. Depending on how things go."

Clare stared at it and Irene said the thoughts going through everyone's heads. "What if it proves too dangerous? Even for the likes of you."

"I'll dispose it." She immediately answered. "I'll kill it before it can awaken. This, of course, depends on what Clare here tells me." Riful's gaze turned momentarily sadistic. "To be clear, this isn't something I'm even bargaining on. You will sync with it and tell me what I want to know. If you don't, if you even try to stall, I'll remove the limbs of your friends one by one, working my way up to the head."

Fear showed its way to the Claymores faces to various degrees, Irene being the most stoic. Clare was right behind her and said, "You really aren't in a good mood."

"Afraid not." She gestured Clare forward and said. "Now please get to work. I feel much better when I don't have to be so strict."

Clare nodded and turned towards the strange being. She had no choice. Riful literally and figuratively had them by their throats with no way out, especially since she was in no mood to talk.

"If anything happens," Spoke Tabitha, "I could also feel out for any abnormalities. I'm not like Clare, but I can help her pull out before anything goes awry."

"Really!?" Chirped Riful, clasping her hands. "Clare, I never knew you had a knack for making such good friends. I really envy you."

Clare snorted, choosing not to comment on that. Riful wasn't wrong though, that was for sure. Clearing her mind and focusing on the hard task at hand, Clare took a deep breath and began her work.

()()()()

AN: Whoo! Chapter 9! Took a while, but it was worth it I hope! As always, thanks to Dany Le Fou!

Pushtrak1: To simply put it, I figured O could put here since authors have done similar things called Pseudo-crossovers and how many people are looking up Claymore/Skyrim crossover. We want people to read this story and we did put it in the description. Hope that clears things up.

Blaze1992: ~Maybe~