Chapter 2 - Put it back
"So this is how it was. I never have anticipated that someone like her could actually do something like that. Is there more to your report?"
"No, this is all there is to it."
"I see. You are dismissed then."
With those words Rimuto sent the Organization's number 9 away who left instantly. The elder truly was surprised by that warrior turning out to actually be of some use. Not only that, she took out an Awakened Single Digit on her own.
'In the end it was a wise decision to permit her in an Awakened Being hunting party' was what he was thinking.
With a short gesture he gave a signal to call that warrior in. Without detention a tall, black-haired warrior entered the hall. She stopped in front of elder Rimuto's seat, about five meters away.
"What is it you called me here for?" she asked the head of the Organization. Actually she already knew what it was because Anna had flourished her that her conversation with Rimuto went well.
Rimuto mustered the woman that close to never had any facial expression accurately. He still didn't want to believe what Anna had told him just then. But it was the same he already had heard from his scouts before. The way it was Jacqueline was a good anti warrior as well as the one with the sharpest Eyes the Organization had at that moment.
"After hearing the report about the hunt on former number 6 who had awakened, I decided that you will be filling the spot she left. We may have greatly misjudged your potential."
"I appreciate it" Jacqueline answered honestly. And she really did. Even though she had never told anyone it was always draining her that she was kept at a low rank despite her great skills. "Is there anything else?" she wanted to know.
"No, you are dismissed. Everything else you will settle with Rubel. He should be waiting outside."
###
"How did it go?" Rubel asked Jacqueline after she had left the Organization's head quarter. Jacqueline stopped next to him, without looking at him.
"I am number 6 now" she blankly stated.
"I see. Feeling happy?" Rubel asked her, knowing exactly that Jacqueline would never admit something like that. However, he didn't wait for her answer because he had already gotten another job for her to take care of.
"I am sorry to have to trouble you so much, but you have to head to the southern lands. This is a dangerous job so you have to be careful and hide well. While you were on your way here elder Rimuto was already telling me about your promotion and the job that I am about to give you. I don't know if you heard of it, but before Neerie and Vanessa became number 1 and 2 the former number 1 awakened and her sister, number 2 at that time, got killed amongst half of our forces. Even if we have about an idea of how strong Luciela, the former number 1, is, we'd like to know for sure how strong she is."
The sharp warrior had no reason to think twice about what her job would be. It was obvious that the Organization wanted her to measure Luciela's strength. They most likely thought that Jacqueline with her ability could defeat Luciela.
"I wonder," she said, "why you think that me going there is necessary for that."
That made Rubel stop dead. He sure knew that Jacqueline's ability of sensing Yoki was great, but she actually was talking about sensing someone over half of the continent and even give an accurate statement on how strong she is? Even if it was her – that seemed ridiculous to him.
"Found her" Jacqueline said, surprising Rubel a lot.
"Are you telling me that you can sense her over that distance? How can you even be sure it's her and not just any other Awakened Being?"
Rubel had all right to ask that question. Jacqueline had just killed an Awakened Being for the first time in her life and then she was claiming to sense an Abyssal One over half the continent.
Jacqueline, however, was absolutely sure that she was right – she has always been up until then. So she just told Rubel that she was looking for the biggest amount of Yoki in the Southern Lands and asked him if that was the wrong thing to do. Rubel didn't know what to say for a few moments. Jacqueline took that as a no.
"Now that is something. But can you measure her strength?" he wanted to know and was curious if Jacqueline even could do that.
The black haired warrior focused on the Yoki mass that most likely was Luciela and tried to get a picture as clear as possible. Even though it felt to her like the former number 1 tried to suppress her Yoki she also could see that Luciela was not able to. She had no means of knowing the reason for that, however.
But that Yoki was something else, something Jacqueline had never felt before. She imagined what she would do if she were to fight something like that and told Rubel the results:
"It is something else. If I were to fight it, there are roughly two scenarios. The first would be me trying to control her movements as good as I can. Since the amount of Yoki she has far exceeds everything I have ever seen, including my own Yoki, that would be somewhere between very difficult and close to impossible. I am not even sure if my strength is great enough to damage her. Simply spoken, I would die. The second scenario would be me releasing as much Yoki as possible. Then I could get about half of her speed and her physical strength. However I would be completely unable to control her then. That's why I rarely use my Yoki. In her case, however, it would actually enable me to inflict damage to her. If everything were to go well about a fourth or even a third. I would die as well, however. The awakened Emily would do about a tenth of damage to her. Anna maybe a twentieth."
Rubel was astounded. That she could tell that much over such a long distance was something he had never heard of. He thanked her for her accurate measurements and told her to return to the area assigned to her to wait for further instructions.
###
After Jacqueline had left Rubel told elder Rimuto in detail what the Organization's new number 6 had scouted.
"You are kidding me, aren't you? Being able to tell that much over such a distance... can we even trust her information?" Rimuto asked Rubel disbelievingly.
Rubel was not even sure himself if Jacqueline's reading was that accurate, but just in case it was not it still was advantageous for him because according to that reading it was likely that the Doublefingers – Number 1 and Number 2 – would have been able to defeat her. In other words Rubel speculated on the Organization grasping the chance to get rid of Luciela. Even though she was an Awakened Being there was no guarantee that she wouldn't become stronger gradually.
Rubel decided to just tell Rimuto that Jacqueline up until then always had done her jobs without flaws and that there would have been no reason to distrust her that time. In addition to that Jacqueline knew best about her skills.
"Jacqueline does not do things she is not capable of. Her measurements are trustworthy" he convincingly said.
###
Making dull sounds the Yoma's body parts fell to the ground one after another. He kept begging for his life but of course got completely ignored. The ground of that town's market place was soiled with the blood of four Yoma, all of them completely hacked to bits.
While shaking of the blood of her Claymore she mumbled: "This was no fun at all..."
The townspeople were shocked on the one hand by the attitude of the Claymore sent to their rescue, on the the other hand by the fact that there actually were four Yoma hiding in their town. The chief of the town, carrying a bag of Beras, carefully approached the pig tailed warrior.
While trying to hand it over to the Claymore he stuttered: "I... It's barely... enough for three. W... we don't have enough for four..."
Liara gave him a short look and then shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm not taking it anyway" she said. "Later a suspicious looking man in black will come to collect the money. Be sure to have enough until then. That's all advice I can give to you."
Liara sighed and started walking towards the town's gates. Another boring job was done, and another day has been wasted on weaklings that every warrior in the forties could have taken care of. It was just not fair that the Organization's people didn't see her potential! She felt damn sure to become a Single Digit in no time if the Organization would just send her on proper jobs.
Shortly after she had passed the town's gates the sun started to set. Even if she could still have kept on walking she decided to make a fire just a few minutes after she entered the forest. It was not like there was something she had to hurry for anyways. She leaned against her claymore that she had rammed into the ground and while staring into the campfire she let her thoughts flow.
'I wonder what she is doing. Taking out an Awakened Single Digit so easily, honestly. But if even she has such a low rank as 40 it is no wonder why my rank is also just 23. Those stupid Men in Black are just unable to correctly judge someones strength. At this rate... I'll never be a Single Digit. I won't be able to keep our promise...'
###
A sole warrior loped through a coniferous forest. A few rays of the sun that had risen just an hour before made it through all the high pine trees the forest consisted of. The pine cones that lay around on the whole forest floor spread a scent that rose the mood the warrior was in even more. A wide smile was on her face and her hearth beat strongly and fast. Her two shoulder long pig tails where bouncing to the tact of her energetic steps.
Her excitement couldn't be greater since it was the first time for her to ever hunt an Awakened being. She had heard of them before and that they were very strong. Since she had gotten her job she was wondering about how well she could do against something way stronger than a normal Yoma. She couldn't wait to get to her destination.
###
A strange sight was to be seen at the gates of Roha. The atmosphere had been tense for the few hours before since two Claymore entered the town. Then a third one was arriving but something didn't feel right about her.
The people who had seen many Claymore in their lives noticed it right on the spot: your normal Claymore was a stiff woman with an earnest face. But that one happily jumped towards the town while giggling and laughing.
As she had arrived and was loping through the masses a man asked the one next to him if something was wrong with that woman.
She heard that and stopped right in front of him, scaring everyone because they feared that she would be angry then. But that was not the case.
Joyfully Liara explained, while clapping her hands with the last words: "Oh, haven't you heard? We're hunting an Awakened Being this time, it's so exiting. Isn't that wonderful?"
"An Awakened Being?" the crowd mumbled. "What's that?"
Of course they didn't know since they weren't supposed to ever hear that term. To them, when talking about Awakened Beings, the Organization only used the vocable Voracious Eater.
A man in black showed up, pinched her ear and started pulling the warrior, who protested heavily, away, while stating, that she was still a newbie and mixed up two terms and that she actually meant to say Voracious Eater.
Suddenly the whole crowd was silent.
###
After entering a room in a dark alley, Orsay slammed the door behind him. He sat down on one of the benches and put Liara, who was still protesting, over his knee and started spanking her, completely ignoring the fact that two other warriors already were present.
While doing so he lectured Liara: "How often do I have to tell you that you have to keep your damn trap shut if you can't keep secret stuff to yourself? Honestly, we'll be screwed if such terms become known widely! You always keep causing me trouble, dammit!"
After he finished lecturing her he let go of her and left, mumbling something incomprehensible.
Liara was on her knees and had teardrops in her eyes due to the embarrassment she just had to endure. While rubbing her butt she complained that she wouldn't be able to sit for a whole week. Still she carefully tried to sit down and eventually managed to do so while grimacing with pain.
Her face was red as a tomato. She had put her hands between her legs and kept staring onto the ground. An awkward silence filled the room.
The warrior left to her with her long wavy hair tried hard to hold back her laughter. It was hard for her but she managed somehow. At the opposite of where Liara was sitting ashamed of herself there sat another warrior who had straight combed back hair that nearly reached to her bottom. She also tried hard to not laugh but suddenly couldn't hold it anymore.
She broke out in laughter that could be heard outside of the room. She apologized over and over again while laughing but she just couldn't stop. That also caused the other one to join in.
At first Liara wanted for the ground to swallow her but after a while, for no reason she could understand at that moment, she started laughing, too.
###
A sad smile appeared on her face: "After that job we were best friends and promised each other that we, some day, would meet again as the top three. You had numbers 1 and 2 already, though."
That last part made her laugh a bit, but still it was sad as it was. If her life was to continue on like that forever she'd most likely never become even a Single Digit, not to speak of number 3.
She got startled and blushed as suddenly her handler gave her a greeting. While she was regaining her breath he asked her if she was thinking about the old times again.
"Ts," she sizzled while folding her arms and looking away, "that's none of your business! And I won't forgive you for that, never ever!"
"I see" was the answer she got from him. "But teaching you a lesson in front of them greatly changed you. For the better, if I may say."
Liara just kept looking away, making a kiss-my-ass-face.
Orsay looked at her for a bit and then sat down, leaning against a tree in the same fashion Liara used to lean against her Claymore: cross-legged while having her arms fold.
Liara looked at him out of the corner of her eye and asked: "Why do you still do that in front of me? I heard that you stopped doing that when being with other warriors a long time ago."
"He he, why do you care? We're close friends after all" he sad with a wide grin, adding, that it would have been nice of her to face his direction.
Sighing Liara did so but her face still suggested that she was not in the best mood. She complained to him that, if he actually were a close friend of hers, he'd send her on jobs that would have made it possible for her to improve and actually have the chance to climb up the ladder.
Taking a close look at his friend he was absolutely sure that he could lift her mood a bit. It had been some time that the Organization were to send warriors after someone not due to an request. However, he had fun tantalizing Liara a bit.
"Well, you heard about that black haired warrior, number 40? You were on a hunt together a few moths ago."
That words got Liara's full attention. She could remember her very well. She was the one to take out an awakened Single Digit completely on her own. Liara had come to admire that person. Her urge to defeat that woman was still there, but she knew that she still had a long way to even dream of that.
Orsay, aware of the fact that he had Liara's attention, continued: "I see, you remember that brat. She actually took out Emily on her own. Even her handler, who knew her best, was surprised. However, she got a big bonbon for that..."
Liara looked into Orsay's eyes then. Was it what she thought it was?
"However, after Emily awakened there was a spot to fill. And now guess who got it..." he said while having a catty grin on his face.
Liara was shocked and that clearly could be seen in her facial expression. "You... you mean... that she is number 6 now?"
The answer she had gotten was silent. She had figured out the exact right thing. She looked onto the ground in resentment. Her teeth started to grind and her fists clenched without her really noticing.
"That spoiled brat" she growled. "Just because she has some special skill. That's no fair, dammit!"
"Want to meet her again?" Orsay suddenly asked.
In an instant Liara's resentment was gone and she looked at her handler again. "Meet her... again?"
The Man in Black absolutely knew his friend. He knew that it was be easy to bait her. Playing with her for a bit was fun to him, as always. But then it was finally time to tell her what he had planned to:
"She just recently scouted a group of three Awakened Ones."
Three? Now that was rare! Liara's hearth was filling with hope that she'd be in the party to hunt these.
"To be honest, there is a reason why you had no chance to go against an Awakened One for so long. It is because," he made a stage wait, "Jacqueline can easily finish one or two of them on her own."
That was not that much of a surprise to the pig tailed warrior, she had seen already that even an Awakened Single Digit was no problem to that black haired woman. However, it didn't feel right to her that she was the one to get all the Awakened Ones.
Her eyes wandered to the ground just to meet the eyes of her handler again. Then she asked: "So that group... I am going to hunt them together with her?"
Orsay nodded. He arose and told her where to meet with Jacqueline – it was the plateau fifty miles to the South and that she was already waiting there to observe the Awakened Ones.
Liara honestly thanked him for that opportunity.
Orsay suddenly stopped, because something had just then crossed his mind: "Two of the Awakened Beings had a higher rank than you. Do your best" he finished and left.
Liara, joyfully saluting, shouted: "Yes sir!"
###
She had left right away. Even though it was already dark she hadn't thought about sleeping because she had been so excited.
Orsay had decided to go back to the campfire for a moment to watch his favorite warrior enthusiastically rush away. A rather casual smile was on his face while doing that.
"You really love her, don't you?" a male voice from behind him said.
"That's none of your business" Orsay answered.
"He he, no need to be shy. She resembles her a lot after all."
A short period of silence followed.
"What are you here for?"
"Just pure coincidence."
"What do you think, will they get along?"
"Who knows. Like I know her she will feel bothered by Liara."
"Most likely."
"However, outer circumstance have more influence on people than themselves. And since Liara is aiming for number three, being with a that woman won't hurt her, most likely."
"Most likely."
###
The sun was already setting as a lone warrior walked the simple road that led to the town of Arnea. After she had finished her latest job she finally got some free time on her hands. However, she was not there to enjoy herself. It was rare for a warrior to enjoy herself at that time to begin with. She was looking for something that used to belong to an old fried of hers.
That was not entirely true, however. There had been rumors of that friend passing away but she didn't want to believe them. It was more like her wanting to see with her own eyes if she was dead or still living. However, even though she already had reconciled herself with that warriors death she still wanted to see her grave to at least have something assimilable to saying good bye.
As she kept on walking suddenly four black shades came in sight, Organization's men, as the warrior could tell. It gave the impression of them digging the ground for some reason.
As she came closer to them she suddenly spotted a claymore lying just beneath them. At first glance she could tell whose symbol was engraved on the blade and therefore who it belonged to.
She stopped just a few meters away from them, being noticed but ignored. She felt anger building up inside of her: her blood pressure and pulse started to rise, her head felt hot and her ears and face turned into a pale but visible red. Without even realizing it she had released enough Yoki to alter her eye color from silver into a menacingly gleaming yellow.
"Damn those warriors," one of the men defiling the grave angrily complained, "why did they have to bury that monster?"
"You're absolutely right, they're giving us nothing but trouble" another one remarked enervated. He took up an arm of the awakened warriors body and straightened up. "Finally" he said while triumphantly upholding the pretty heavy arm that was nearly as long as he was high.
"Put it back" a threateningly deep voice said.
The other men stopped digging, straightened up as well and the four of them made a few steps towards the warrior who apparently was about to cut down the men in front of her any second. The one holding the arm shouldered it to make it easier to carry.
After they stopped just a meter in front of the silver eyed woman the one carrying the arm plainly said "No, we won't."
"Put. It. Back." she said in a similar manner as before, just louder.
"Or what?" another man asked.
"I owe my life to the woman whose grave you are defiling here. If I have to do something to protect her that leads to me dying, that is, no matter if she awakened or is dead already, totally fine" she stated rather calmly despite boiling in the inside.
The four Men in Black's confident expressions melted away as the abradant sound of a blade being drawn filled the air.
"I am going to make this clear," the warrior hissed, "you either put it back this instant or I will turn you into a sea of blood and minced meat."
The men were stunned. Did she mean it? That face of hers was absolutely serious and she even had released some of her Yoki what normally wouldn't have been necessary for her to fight humans, even if they were from the Organizations retrieval squad.
"Fine" the man who had shouldered the Awakened Being's arm said after having taken a deep breath. A blunt sound was to be heard as he let the arm fall to the ground. "We'll let her body here for now. But don't you think that you will get away with that without consequences!" he threatened her.
After having let them leave the warrior fixed up the grave of her friend and silently shed a few tears while standing at her grave, being enwrapped in her thoughts.
After having calmed down completely she impaled her claymore into the ground, sat down and leaned her back against it. There she was staying to protect her dead friends grave from whoever dared to open it.
The sun had completely set and the only sound to be heard was the wind that kept blowing over the strands of the straight hair of that lone warrior.