Claymore Fan Fiction ❯ Blacklight ❯ Part 4: ( Chapter 4 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: 117 
Anime/Manga: Claymore Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Fantasy / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.07.2015 | Pages: 11 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 228 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Claymore Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Fantasy / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.07.2015 | Pages: 11 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 228 | Status: Completed
Title: BlacklightCategory: Anime/Manga »
ClaymoreAuthor: WordcounterLanguage: English, Rating: Rated:
MGenre: Fantasy/AdventurePublished: 11-25-09, Updated:
12-15-09Chapters: 4, Words: 7,912
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
This is my very first Claymore fanfic and crossover.
Date: 201009
Disclaimer: A Claymore/Prototype crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.
Synopsis: What were the youma? Where did they come from? There has never been an adequate explanation given as to how they came into being until ... now.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it."
Sun Tzu, Art of War,
Datalinks.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Part 1:
A female figure with blonde hair opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground in the middle of nowhere. There was blood all over the place and body parts including an arm in a brown sleeve. Right next to her, she could find a large sword and a pair of hands ... cut off? Strangely enough she was not grossed out by the blood and the body parts lying around her. She felt somewhat lethargic but still found the strength to push herself to her feet. Suddenly, tendrils from her body lashed out to grab the arm and the pair of hands gripping the sword, causing them to disappear in a fountain of blood.
'What was that?!' She wondered.
She could feel the hands and arm in her body being broken down into its base components before being stored as ... bio-mass?
For some strange reason she knew what it was that she had consumed ... consumed?
Oddly enough the digested parts did not feel like cannibalism at all. It felt natural ... like the tendrils ... stretching out from her body. Wait a second here ... tendrils?
She had tendrils? Instinctively, she waved the tendrils in front of her face before touching them with her fingers. They were smooth and very could be seen from the cut they left on her finger. Though ... What was this? The small cut vanished from sight right in front of her eyes. Did she just imagine that? Feeling curious, she cut herself slightly on the palm this time. There was little pain ... and like before the cut closed before her eyes like it never was ... leaving her new skin and flesh ... unmarred.
Feeling stronger, she got to her feet and began to look around her for clues as to what happened.
'What is going on?' She tried to recall what had happened but only succeeded in coming up with a blank.
'Where the hell am I? What the hell is this place?'
She wondered.
She tried to remember who she was but her name remained elusive. Frowning slightly, she turned around to look only to find out that a frown did not come naturally to her. A faint hint of a smile graced her face and it felt just right. Her blonde hair cascaded in waves to reach below her shoulder ... she didn't know what she looked like but she had a good idea. As she studied her figure, her eyes fell on the large blade with the symbol of a cross and two slashes on the tips of both sides of the cross carved into it. For some unknown reason, the blade seemed important to her. Feeling as though the large weapon might be able to shed some clue as to her identity, she bent down to pick it up.
The weapon felt right in her hands. After giving it a few practice swings, she was soon lost in her own world as her hands and legs began to move of their own accord. A thrust .. then a swing ... another thrust ... her hands and legs speeded up and soon she was a blur of movement. Finally, after a few minutes, she came to a stop ... feeling more energetic rather than tired after the simple workout.
The rock mounds around her crumbled into broken piles of stones on the ground. The ground cracked slightly beneath her feet. She gazed disbelievingly at the broken piles of stone rubble and cracked ground as though surprised by the incident. Something told her that normal people were not able to shatter stone with a single blow or crack the ground by stamping on it on a whim.
'Who am I? What am I?' She wondered again.
Unable to get an answer to the question she posed to herself, she sheathed the sword and with one last look at the surroundings, left the place.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
On a dusty, unkempt road ... a blonde woman was walking with a large sword, strapped to her back all by herself. Her torn clothing with large tears and gaps in it, did not seem to help matters.
"Look who's here." an unwelcomed voice sneered.
"Goldilocks wandering all by herself," a second voice continued.
Two more riders approached from the woods.
"What did you find, Garshan?" the first rider asked.
"Cinderella. Who else?" the stocky bald-headed man laughed.
"Should fetch quite a pretty penny at the stables, Arshod. How much do you think Morgan's buying for this one?" the second rider commented.
The blonde amnesiac woman glanced at them briefly before turning to walk away.
"Probably a hundred gold pieces. Didn't your mama ever tell you that good little girls do not wander around alone?" the second bandit laughed.
The blonde woman studied his face without speaking. For some unknown reason, she did not fear him, nor the large number of comrades that he had surrounding him.
"Goldilocks lost her tongue," the man holding a crossbow laughed.
One of the men on horseback moved to block her way to prevent her from leaving.
The blonde woman drew her large two-handed sword from its scabbard without a sound. The polished metal of the sharp blade, free from its sheath, seemed to glow slightly in the bright sunlight light. The bandits drew in their breath sharply at the slight of the large two-handed weapon.
"She is carrying the weapon of the silver-eyed witches!" the first bandit cried out in alarm.
"A Claymore! A freaking Claymore!" the second bandit swore.
The bandits immediately became cautious.
"I don't want any trouble with the silver-eyed witches, Koreck," one of the bandits on horseback answered.
"Look at her eyes, carefully. She's no silver-eyed witch!" a man who appeared to be the leader scoffed at the suggestion.
The rest of the group turned to look at the woman's eyes. It was true. She did not have silver eyes. They sighed in relief.
"For one moment, you had us going, girl. But nobody fools us ... for long. And now a new chapter in your life begins," the apparent leader of the group remarked derisively.
"Arion!" he barked an order.
One of the men drew out a large net.
"Normally we catch fish with this net. But today we catch something different. Something that moves around on two legs and squeals like a pig when speared. A woman," he licked his lips suggestively.
The rest of the group laughed loudly while making obscene gestures.
He threw the net.
That was the last thing he ever did.
The woman was a blur of movement, her blade cutting through them faster than grass. Within a couple of seconds, the battle was effectively over. The men died in frozen horror ... staring in a mixture of disbelief and shock as their body parts fell to the ground in neatly-cut pieces. A mixture of black and red tendrils erupted from the woman to engulf all the fallen bodies one after another. They vanished from sight so cleanly taken that not even the bones remain.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
A few days later ...
A hooded figure in brown robes strolled casually into the village, the hood of the brown robe flapping in the wind slightly. All around the person, curious onlookers turned to look at the stranger, some with suspicion while others with fear. Strangers were not highly regarded for many were the tales of innocent victims becoming prey to the nefarious youma that prowled the land endlessly in search of victims. That being said, there had been a few people who vanished mysteriously from the village without a trace. It was little wonder that the majority of the villagers fled for the safety of their homes, their doors boarded up shut while the braver ones ran to grab their weapons. Times were hard and dangerous.
"Stop where you are, stranger! Or we will hit you with our arrows!" a voice shouted in the direction of the approaching figure.
She came to a stop.
"Remove your hood!" a man ordered loudly.
There was no reply.
"Remove your hood or we will shoot our arrows!" the man who appeared to be the leader warned.
The hooded figure remained still before reaching to the hood to remove it. It dropped to reveal ...
"A woman! Who are you lady?" the leader called out.
"I do not know."
"Where do you come from, stranger?" he asked again.
"I came from the mountain," she answered.
"Her hair looks as pale as those silver-eyed witches. But she has no silver eyes. She can't be a Claymore," another man spoke from his hiding spot.
"I say we shoot her. She could still be a youma," came another whisper.
"We could ask her to leave just to be safe," the first man suggested.
"If only we had a Claymore, she would be able to tell," another person pointed out.
"I'm not taking any chances. The lives of the people in this village are a priority," the leader came to a decision.
"Leave now! Or we kill!" he ordered.
For one moment, the woman looked like she was about to advance forward, regardless of the consequences when she unexpectedly turned around and left the village the way she came. Seeing her departure, the leader could not help but breath a sigh of relief.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
It was not easy to get accepted by a village. The people here were a suspicious lot, fearing strangers and what they call 'youma'. The somewhat amnesiac woman walked seemingly without care on the stony road. She had no identity. No memories. No hints as to who she was ... save for this large two-handed weapon with that odd-symbol carved into it and the strange desire to ... consume organic matter including body parts. So far, she had already killed and eaten three raiding parties who had made the fatal mistake of thinking that she was easy prey and from there ... came the information of where she was, what place this was and what kind of people were found here.
Those people who attacked her were bandits, all of them. They would kidnap young girls from their homes, the most beautiful and healthy ones and sell them to slave traders who would then be shouldered with the grim task of breaking them physically and mentally before molding them back up into the ideal slave that would cater to all their sick whims and fantasies. Suffice it to say, those bandits would never do that again. They had all been slain and consumed with nothing more than a spray of blood to mark their passing. Their memories though remained with her. She had put them to good use, learning skills that would take entire years to master. Not just with archaic weapons but useful skills such as unarmed combat, horseback riding, commanding and leading entire groups of military units, public speaking, buying, selling and negotiating with others.
It seemed that those bandits came from all walks of life. Who would have ever expected a mayor, fisherman or farmer to become a bandit? Their memories were as different as their physical forms from which she could adopt at will. Still, they had one thing in common though. All those bandits, whoever they were feared the 'youma'. From what she could gather from their memories, the 'youma' were inhuman beings with monstrous forms and abilities. They could, however, at will, adopt a human guise when staking out their hunting ground in search of human prey. Their human guise was so good that they could not be detected through physical means or mental interrogation alone. It took a 'Claymore' with 'youki'-sensing abilities to sniff them out.
Was she one of them, a 'youma'? A creature that lived only to consume the flesh and blood of the living?
Or was she one of these 'Claymores', a warrior of the mysterious Organisation that was sent to destroy these creatures?
The large two-handed weapon with its strange engraved symbol clearly marked it as a weapon belonging to a warrior of the Organisation. So, by way of inference, she was a warrior of this strange and rather enigmatic Organisation.
Still she was not sure about being a warrior of this Organisation. Possession of the weapon did not automatically mean that she was one of these warriors since she could have taken it from a slain warrior. Without further information, it was difficult to verify her former occupation or background either way since she could just as easily be one of these 'youma' as she was one of these 'Claymores'.
Also, she had yet to encounter any of these 'youma' or 'Claymores' in person.
'My only chance of figuring out the truth ... is to find them,' she thought.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Elsewhere ...
A man in a hooded robe was speaking to another man in a hooded robe.
"Will you do it? We have been receiving increasing reports of people disappearing without a trace from villages near the coast. We believed this to be the work of a group of youma that prowl the area," a male voice spoke.
"We will do it ... for the usual fee of course," the second man answered.
"Our leader would be most pleased if the matter was dealt with as soon as possible," the first man answered before departing into the darkness of the night.
Another figure approached the hooded figure in the shadows after the man had left.
"A most unusual client," the hooded figure said.
"How so?" the figured that resembled a blonde woman with pointed ears holding a large two-handed sword asked.
"The leader of the criminal underworld. Whoever these youma are have to be hurting his operations really badly if he is willing to pay us to get rid of them," the man in hooded robes answered.
"So did you agree?" the woman asked again.
"I agreed ... for the usual price of course. Send the new Numbers Four and Six to deal with it," the man ordered.
"Two single digits?" the woman gasped slightly
"I have a feeling these are no ordinary youma," the man remarked.
TBC
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
I do admit I need help with writing this fic. For some reason ... I can't seem to write as much as I used to. Probably part of the reason as to why I haven't updated Gamemaster, Timeline, Countdown, Photocopy, Photogrey and Chrysalis in a long time. My mind can't seem to concentrate on anything for long periods these days.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
This is my very first Claymore fanfic and crossover.
Date: 041209
Disclaimer: A Claymore/Prototype crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.
Synopsis: What were the youma? Where did they come from? There has never been an adequate explanation given as to how they came into being until ... now.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it."
Sun Tzu, Art of War,
Datalinks,
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Part 2:
There were two figures walking together along the dusty road. Claymores, Number Four Gina and Number Six Ophelia (she has not yet reached ranked Number Four), both wore identical clothing and carried similar weapons, provided by the Organisation.
Since neither Claymore liked the other, the journey was rather quiet and devoid of any of the usual conversations between two travellers. From her hidden position in the woods, Claymore Number Three, Galatea watched the two single digits walked at a steady pace along the road. What they made them quickened their pace. It was too late to save the merchant convoy, when a group of misshapened monsters leaped out from behind the woods to attack it. The guards screamed as they drew their weapons to fight the pouncing horrors. Then from out of the blue, one of the monsters fell into neatly-cut pieces only to disappear in a spray of blood. A hooded figure appeared in its place, holding a Claymore with one hand.
The five other youma gave a growl of anger and leaped at the hooded figure. Claws pouncing, teeth snapping ... on the mysterious hooded figure. As if sensing their attack, the figure leaped to the side, her movements a blur to her opponents.
Galatea sensed a brief flash of youki momentarily before it vanished again, too well concealed even for the Eye of the Organisation to detect.
'Those two had better be careful. This stranger knows how to conceal youki from detection,' she thought.
There was a brief commotion ... with pieces of flesh, blood and bone flying through the air and then before anyone realised it, it was over. The brown-robed hooded figure remained standing, the large Claymore in its hand. The surviving guards stared in complete fear at the hooded figure, afraid that she might turn her attention on to them at any moment. Then with one well-practiced swing of her large two-handed sword, she sheathed it without a sound.
The two Claymores were shocked to see a group of youma dispatched so easily and quickly by a virtual non-Claymore. What was worse, neither of them had detected any use of youki by the stranger in the fight with the youma.
The stranger looked at the group for a little while before turning to leave.
"Identify yourself, stranger," Gina called out.
"Who asks?" the voice replied giving away the gender identity of the stranger.
It was a woman.
"I ask," the current Number Four answered.
"Under whose authority?" the hooded stranger countered.
Gina hid her surprise. That was new. Nobody had ever questioned the authority of the Organisation in matters dealing with dangerous youma. None that survived anyway.
"I shall ask once more. Who are you?" Gina repeated her question.
"I cannot tell you," the stranger replied.
"You will tell me," the current Number Four stated before advancing on the stranger.
Suddenly her blade flew forward to remove the stranger's hood. Gina was quite confident in her ability to hit her target without injuring the stranger. There was a loud sound of metal clashing against metal. Involuntarily, she raised an eyebrow. Her movement had come up short against the Claymore in the stranger's hand. Not giving up, she tried again. Once again, her blade was deflected by the stranger's Claymore. She was fast, Gina had to give her that.
"I cannot tell you ...," the stranger repeated as she weaved through another forward thrust from Gina's blade.
"Why stranger?" the current Number Four pressed on her attacks.
" ...Because ..." her words came to a stop while ducking a blow while parrying all the other strikes from Gina.
"Because of what?" Gina was getting a little excited.
The stranger was giving her more of a challenge than she thought. It had been a long time since anyone else apart from the top three single digits had given her such a hard fight.
"Because I do not know," came the stranger's surprising reply.
The current Number Four intensified her attacks while using her youki for the first time. Still the stalemate persisted with her launching her attacks while her opponent simply weaved through the attacks with an unexpected ease.
Impossible!
This stranger was matching her effortlessly strength for strength, speed for speed and skill for skill without even the slightest hint that indicated the use of youki.
"Unlikely," the Number Four Claymore answered with sheer disbelief as she struck the woman again. "You are definitely not a normal human being," she added..
Gina turned around her blade became a blur as she raised her limit to twenty percent. Still the stranger seemed to easily hold off her attacks without any use of youki.
"What is normal? Tell me, is it normal for the inhabitants to attack strangers in this land without provocation?" her mysterious opponent asked for the first time.
"No," Gina added.
'She's better than I thought. Time to get serious,' the current Number Four thought and raised her limit all the way to thirty percent. Her speed and strength were many times greater now but still her opponent did not appear to be having any problems meeting her blows. Every blow met with a resounding metal echo on her opponent's blade as the very air seemed to vibrate from the strength and power of their clashing blades. The air pressure from the sword strikes were incredible enough as it proved able to cut down the trees, boxes and even rocks.
"Then, why am I getting attacked everywhere on sight? First by those bandits, than the villagers and finally you. I don't remember carrying anything of value or committing any crimes," the stranger responded flippantly while deflecting the attacks directing against her seemingly without effort.
The current Number Four fought harder, intensifying her attacks with every passing second to penetrate the stranger's defenses, all in vain. It was very disturbing. She was moving far faster than she had ever moved in this duel. Yet she had come no closer to penetrating her opponent's defenses than before.
'Is she reading my moves or something?' Gina wondered, as she narrowed her eyebrows slightly.
Finally, after a few minutes of sparring, the stranger seemingly had enough and her blade shot forward, catching the current Number Four by surprise as it dove beneath her weapon, before lifting it up to throw the Claymore into the air. Without wasting anytime, she leaped forward to reclaim her weapon. Her opponent's blade flashed once touching her throat. Her large Claymore, deprived of its user, clattered uselessly to the ground.
Gina could not believe it. She had been soundly defeated. Her opponent had disarmed her with a single stroke of her sword. Who was she? Giving Gina's blade a swift kick, it flew forward to impale itself more than a hundred metres into a bark of a tree.
"Who are you?" the current Number Four asked as a slight sensation of fear began to make itself known.
There was silence. Other than her fellow Claymore, nobody else was around, the humans having fled the area long ago. With a movement far too quick for her to follow, the stranger sheathed her Claymore before using both hands to remove her hood. A beautiful face with blonde hair and the faint hint of a smile greeted her.
Alarm bells began to ring in the Claymore's head.
She has no silver eyes!
Her fellow companion seemed to realise this as well and quickly drew her sword to attack the stranger as she moved to walk past her. The forward thrust of her Claymore drew forward to slice through her opponent's head only to come up short against something hard and immovable like a mountain.
This time, Gina had reason to draw in her breath. The attack had not even forced the stranger from her tracks. A large blade, seemingly sharper and bigger than any Claymore with serrated edges all around it had stopped the current Number Six's Claymore weapon cold in its tracks before it could even reach the target. As she studied the weapon, she realised that the large blade was actually a part of the woman's arm, stretching out from where her arm should be to easily match the length of a standard Claymore.
The appearance of the strange weapon put any further doubts as to what the true nature of the stranger was to rest in Gina's mind.
She's an Awakened Being!
From her hidden vantage point, Galatea could not help but watch the entire exchange with a deep sense of foreboding.
Something about the stranger and the way she carried herself bothered her. It was like she had met the stranger before in the distant past.
No way! she thought as her eyes fell on the face covered by the hood.
'Teresa of the Faint Smile ... Her eyes ... She's Awakened!' Galatea concluded quickly as she left the area in a hurry.
Her handlers and the Organisation had to be warned. There was no way the two single digits could take on the legendary Teresa of the Faint Smile ... even before her Awakening. She had heard rumours of how the Organisation had sent an entire squad of four single digits :- Number Two, Three, Four and Five to take on the former Number One when she had turned her back on the Organisation. Not a single member of the execution squad sent to kill the renegade Number One had ever returned. Now that the former Number One had Awakened, the chances of taking her out in a fight were even more remote. There was no longer any sense in getting involved in the fight and getting herself killed for nothing in the process. Besides she had more important things to do like reporting the news back to her handlers and the Organisation HQ. Without any further hesitation, Galatea, the Eye of the Organisation, quickly returned back to base.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"I have spared your life once already. I will not do so again," the enigmatic woman in brown robes warned Gina when she made a run for her Claymore that was embedded in the bark of a pine tree.
Ophelia struck out at her with her Claymore only to be sent flying by a powerful backhand from the woman who continued to parry her strikes effortlessly with her strange arm-turned-weapon. Gina continued to make a run for the pine tree. She had to hurry. Ophelia was not going to last long against their mutual enemy. Alone they stood not chance. Together, however, there was a small chance, slim though it might be of taking down the Awakened Being. Drawing upon more youki to power her limbs, she made a break for it ... her target, the Claymore blade that was embedded in the tree. There ... she pulled out the blade ... and much to her surprise, discovered blood ... purple blood coating the blade.
'What?' Gina thought while taking a quick look behind the tree to see the body of a youma lying on the grass in a pool of blood.
'She knew. But how?' the current Number Four wondered.
Without wasting any more time, she made her way back to where the current Number Six and the Awakened Being were fighting. From her vantage point, it was easy to see that the Awakened Being was wiping the floor with Ophelia with little to no effort. Gina's features became even more monstrous as she raised her limit to fifty percent. This was dangerous as she could easily past the point of no return. But for short periods of time it was alright. Powered by her newly-drawn youki, Gina flew towards the stranger with her trade mark attack at blinding speed.
Much to her dismay, the Awakened Being simply side-stepped her attack before slamming into her body with a loud crash. The current Number Four was thrown more than a hundred feet into the air from the blow. For a brief moment, she saw nothing but stars. Finally gravity took over and the downed Claymore landed against something firm and solid. Pain blossomed through her chest when she tried to move and Gina discovered to her horror that her ribs were broken. Already her youki was hard at work trying to mend the damage to her body, though the current Number Four knew that she was out of the fight.
'What did she hit me with?' Her eyes fell on the woman with a round spherical shield around her body.
It rippled briefly into tendrils of black and red before settling back into the more familiar form of a robed arm that she saw initially.
'The sleeve of her arm ... is a part of her body?'
And then she knew. The brown-hooded robes of the woman were just as much a part of her body as her hands and arms.
No way.
'Is she just partially Awakened or fully Awakened?' Gina wondered.
Suddenly, there was a piercing scream ... and then silence.
Ophelia! Gina cried inwardly in horror.
As if hearing her cry, the Awakened Being turned back to look in her direction. For a minute or so, she stood there her eyes somehow gazing eerily into her own from that distance before turning away. After the Awakened Being left, she let out her breath that she hadn't realised that she had been holding while her youki continued to repair the damage done to her body.
In the distance, the Awakened Being's footsteps became fainter and fainter as the sun continued to sink over the horizon.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Back at Organisation Headquarters in the smoking parlours of power, there was a heated discussion going on.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How can Teresa still be alive? We have her head with us," a voice shouted in disbelief.
"That is what I saw," another voice answered, female this time.
"The way she looked. The way she walked. The way she fought. There's no mistaking her for anyone else," the same voice continued.
"A thousand curses! Not only do we have to deal with an Awakened Priscilla but an Awakened Teresa too? How goes Rafaela and Luciela?" another voice asked.
"They are not ready," a third male voice joined in.
"Tell the doctors to hurry. I have a feeling that we might need them before long," a voice that appeared to be the leader added.
"Very well, I will let them know," a male voice at the table answered.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
A woman in brown robes continued to walk without stopping on the road. Suddenly, she felt it. A brief flash of youki. Turning in the direction of the youki, her eyes studied the trees lining up one side of the road carefully. Her hand flew to her Claymore and she drew it out from its scabbard.
"Come out, whoever you are!" she called out.
Silence greeted her.
Then there was the sound of grass being stepped on and man in a white cloak stepped in front of her. He was tall and broad-shouldered with long cyan hair reaching his shoulders. She held her blade in a defensive posture in front of her. The man had very strong youki. In fact more than anybody she had encountered so far on her journey. She had to be careful with this one.
The man did not move, however.
"What are you waiting for? Let's get this over with so I can be on my way," the brown-robed woman snorted, trying to goad the man in front of her into an attack.
"I have not come to fight, my dear. I believe I have something you want," he stated.
"And what could that be?" she asked her blade ever-ready for any attacks from the man.
"Your identity, for one," he answered.
"You know who I am? Tell me! Tell me now!" she insisted, her blade never leaving its threatening position.
"No I don't know who you are but I know the people who can tell you who you are. I also know where to find them," the man answered enigmatically.
"Who? Where?" she asked again.
"But they are more likely to destroy you if you go alone. I have a proposal to make. If you assist my army in attacking the place, then you will certainly have access to all of their archives. Their archives are sure to contain all the information regarding who you are and where you're from," the man suggested.
There was silence for a moment while the woman stopped to consider her options.
"How did you know what I was looking for?" she asked once more.
"News travel around fast. I'm willing to bet that those people who know who you are preparing a way of destroying you. If you go on your personal quest alone, you will surely die. If you do it with the assistance of my army, however, you would have a better chance of success. Consider it carefully," the man answered.
After a few seconds, the woman asked, "Why are you helping me?"
"Consider it an exchange of services. You help my army in destroying this people whom I dislike and you get to find out who you are," the man answered.
"Very well then Mister Stranger," she spoke as an unwritten agreement was struck.
"Just call me Isley," the enigmatic being answered as he headed back into the trees.
The woman followed silently in suit.
TBC
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
I do admit I need help with writing this fic. For some reason ... I can't seem to write as much as I used to. Probably part of the reason as to why I haven't updated Gamemaster, Timeline, Countdown, Photocopy, Photogrey and Chrysalis in a long time. My mind can't seem to concentrate on anything for long periods these days.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Chapter 3: Chapter 3
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
This is my very first Claymore fanfic and crossover.
Date: 061209
Disclaimer: A Claymore/Prototype crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.
Synopsis: What were the youma? Where did they come from? There has never been an adequate explanation given as to how they came into being until ... now.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it."
Sun Tzu, Art of War,
Datalinks,
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Part 3:
Two travellers walked up the road, heading for the mountain. One man, the other woman, the two travellers could be easily mistaken for a couple. Neither of the pair appeared to be in a hurry. At the foot of the mountain, they were greeted by another man who greeted the man called Isley with respect. Isley introduced the second man to the woman.
"This is Rigaldo, my second-in-command. Rigaldo this is ..." Isley turned towards the woman.
"I have no idea who I am," the woman answered.
"We'll just call her Athena for now. Are you happy with that name?" Isley suggested.
"I suppose any name is better than having no name at all," the woman agreed.
"Fine then. This is the situation. Rigaldo, Athena will be helping you with the coming assault on the Organisation Headquarters. We are going to destroy them completely from the face of the land," Isley put forth his grand plan.
"Are you sure that is wise, Isley? The Organisation Headquarters is not something to be trifled with lightly even with us all attacking together at once. Besides we have no idea what this woman is capable of," Rigaldo voiced his objection.
"Rigaldo, you may test her if you wish. Fight until one submits, is that alright with you?" Isley laid down the terms to both his second-in-command and the woman.
They both stood facing one another.
"You may begin!" Isley answered.
Rigaldo did not waste anytime. He released his hold on his youki, powering up to the limit.
The woman remained where she was ... waiting for him to attack.
"Why are you not releasing your hold on your youki?" Isley asked the woman.
"It is not necessary. I will face him as I am right now," the woman answered confidently.
"Are you mocking me or what? Very well, it's your funeral," Rigaldo stated before launching himself into a full-scale attack on the woman.
Athena held herself carefully and then just as Rigaldo was about to reach her, she side-stepped him, grabbing hold of him before slamming him into the ground with terrific force. Though not trained in unarmed combat, Athena was by no means helpless. The memories she had obtained from assimilating the bandits from the past week had proved most useful. Some of the bandits had been trained in the dirtiest and most deadly street fighting techniques in the city. One of them even turned out to be a 'Ninja' or shadow warrior on a scouting mission from the mainland. He was a master of unarmed combat as well as a master of disguise. Unfortunately, his unarmed combat skills did not help him much against a warrior of her caliber. She had dispatched him so swiftly, that he did not even have time to move.
She pinned down her opponent to the ground, preventing him from moving without causing himself serious injuries. Isley watched the match with interest.
"Do you submit?" she asked the Silver-Eyed Lion King.
"Alright. Let me have another go. You got me once with that trick of yours but you wouldn't get me again a second time!" the Silver-Eyed Lion King swore.
"Fine then," the woman answered before stepping back from the Awakened Being.
This time, Rigaldo was more careful. He circled his opponent more cautiously before pouncing on her once more only to find himself breathless, as he was sent flying through the air into the treetops.
The Silver-Eyed Lion King came back again, rushing swiftly at his fast opponent, hoping to catch her offguard. He had no better luck than before as she simply evaded his attack before tossing him like a stone into the surrounding forests.
'Incredible! She is holding off Rigaldo easily without even using the slightest amount of youki! She's more skilled and powerful than I imagined! I daresay she's as strong as Priscilla. I'll have to be careful with this one,' Isley pondered inwardly as he still remembered the thrashing that he got from Priscilla, the first time that he met the former Number Two Claymore over his 'turf'.
There was a terrible roar from the forests that sent the animals scurrying for safety. Rigaldo was finally PISSED OFF. He was being humiliated by a virtual unknown who did not seem to be having any problems fending him off unarmed, without the use of youki. He came in charging at the woman, his lion-headed form towering over her by six feet at the very least. He would crush her for taking him so lightly. Much to his disbelief and rage, the woman seemed to be not taking his charge any differently from before. His youki aura rose even further, cementing his rage. The woman would end up ...
There was a terrific crash and Rigaldo found himself flying through the air once more. He quickly compensated for the throw and managed to land on his two feet this time around. He was about to attack again when he heard Isley's command.
"That's enough! She's beaten you, Rigaldo!" Isley stated.
"Take a look at yourself Rigaldo. How many cuts do you see on your body?"
It was then the Silver-Eyed Lion King discovered he was covered in purple blood woth shallow cuts all over. his body.
"Twenty?" he threw in a guess.
"Wrong. She cut you a total of fifty times, Rigaldo. She could have killed you fifty times over, old friend," Isley corrected.
Rigaldo turned his eyes to study the woman from his position. He could see pointed sharp spikes covered in blood-red and pitch-black hues at the base extending out from one of the woman's fist to give the impression of a large claw in one hand. Liquid that he correctly guessed to be his blood dripped down to the ground in small drops. The pointed spikes retracted and the woman's hand rippled into the usual familiar form of her hand. She studied him coolly with a detached expression like before.
The Silver-Eyed Lion King powered down and returned to his base human form. He stepped forward and headed for the pair.
"Your skills are unsurpassed. I was beaten soundly and you deserved your victory," the Silver-Eyed Lion King admitted humbly.
The woman smiled upon hearing the reply.
"Thank you," she answered.
The Abyssal seemed pleased with the exchange and said, "Ahh .. yes. Come let us go now. A new day awaits us."
The three Awakened Beings strolled casually up the mountain towards what appeared to be a large cave. They had barely stepped through the entrance of the cave to meet them when the figure of a small child dashed towards the three travellers.
"Did you bring me something new to play with?" She called out.
"It gets so boring sometimes-" her voice coming to a stop.
"Who is this lady, Isley? Is she your new wife?" the girl asked, her eyes wide with curiousity as che caught sight of the woman stepping in from behind the two Awakened Beings.
The woman for her part seemed as baffled by the girl as she was with her.
"I would like you to meet the last member of our little group, Athena. Her name is Priscilla," the Abyssal chuckled in a friendly tone.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
In a cavern to the West, a certain Awakened Being was talking in a sing-song tone of voice while an even larger Awakened Being grovelled pathetically before it.
"Isley is already gathering his troops. He must be planning to move against us soon. We need more soldiers Daugh," the small child-like Awakened Being sang.
"Just tell me what to do ..." the grovelling Awakened Being answered.
"Easy! We build an army of our own, Daugh!" came the child-like Awakened Being's reply in a sing-song tone of voice.
"But where do we get more soldiers? Almost all the Awakened Beings have already join Isley ..." the large Awakened Being pointed out.
"You're really dumb, you know that, Daugh? Where do Awakened Beings come from?" the girl-child Awakened Being in front of him commented.
"Former Claymores like us?" Daugh answered after thinking for awhile.
"Correct! Now all we have to do to get more soldiers is to get more Claymores to Awaken. Don't tell me you have forgotten all that," Riful chided the larger Awakened Being before her.
"Of course. Mistress is very smart. Daugh already forgot!" the larger Awakened Being continued to grovel pathetically before the smaller Awakened Being.
The Abyssal of the West let out a soft sigh. Had Daugh's brain functions degenerated to that level of senility, already? Sometimes she wondered if the reason her servant was so dumb was because he was dropped too many times to the ground as a baby on the head.
"Now go and bring some Claymores back alive to this cave, Daugh. Remember I want them alive," the Abyssal of the West ordered her sole minion.
"As you command Riful-sama," Daugh made a quick bow before leaving the cave in a hurry.
TBC
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
I do admit I need help with writing this fic. For some reason ... I can't seem to write as much as I used to. Probably part of the reason as to why I haven't updated Gamemaster, Timeline, Countdown, Photocopy, Photogrey and Chrysalis in a long time. My mind can't seem to concentrate on anything for long periods these days.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Chapter 4: Chapter 4
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
This is my very first Claymore fanfic and crossover.
Date: 061209
Disclaimer: A Claymore/Prototype crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.
Synopsis: What were the youma? Where did they come from? There has never been an adequate explanation given as to how they came into being until ... now.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it."
Sun Tzu, Art of War,
Datalinks,
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Part 4:
The girl stepped forward to meet the blonde woman that seemed to tower over her. Upon reaching the woman, she took a deep breath, smelling the woman deeply.
"You smell nice ... " the girl commented before wrapping her arms around the woman's thighs to take a deeper breath. "Like the South ..." she added.
The woman for her part was taken aback by the girl's behaviour. Instincts from the many memories that she had taken took over, however, and she wrapped her arms around the girl in return, lifting her up into the air as she did so and giving her a warm hug.
"She likes you," the Abyssal smiled upon seeing the exchange. "I need more time to gather more troops. Would you like to stay here with us for the time being? Priscilla could use the company."
Not having anything else to do, Athena agreed. The child seemed to be such a sweet little girl with her innocent and carefree attitude. Athena knew better, however, for her senses told her that this seemingly innocent child before her was a powerful Awakened Being, one that was easily stronger than Isley himself.
"You remind me of my Mummy. Will you be my Mummy?" the girl called Priscilla asked.
Not having the heart to refuse her, Athena simply nodded her head. The girl cried out in joy and threw her arms around Athena's neck, burying her face right beside hers.
Tears streaming down her face in pure happiness, the girl-child Awakened Being cried, "I have a Mummy now! I have a Mummy now!"
TBC
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
I do admit I need help with writing this fic. For some reason ... I can't seem to write as much as I used to. Probably part of the reason as to why I haven't updated Gamemaster, Timeline, Countdown, Photocopy, Photogrey and Chrysalis in a long time. My mind can't seem to concentrate on anything for long periods these days.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
This is my very first Claymore fanfic and crossover.
Date: 201009
Disclaimer: A Claymore/Prototype crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.
Synopsis: What were the youma? Where did they come from? There has never been an adequate explanation given as to how they came into being until ... now.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it."
Sun Tzu, Art of War,
Datalinks.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Part 1:
A female figure with blonde hair opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground in the middle of nowhere. There was blood all over the place and body parts including an arm in a brown sleeve. Right next to her, she could find a large sword and a pair of hands ... cut off? Strangely enough she was not grossed out by the blood and the body parts lying around her. She felt somewhat lethargic but still found the strength to push herself to her feet. Suddenly, tendrils from her body lashed out to grab the arm and the pair of hands gripping the sword, causing them to disappear in a fountain of blood.
'What was that?!' She wondered.
She could feel the hands and arm in her body being broken down into its base components before being stored as ... bio-mass?
For some strange reason she knew what it was that she had consumed ... consumed?
Oddly enough the digested parts did not feel like cannibalism at all. It felt natural ... like the tendrils ... stretching out from her body. Wait a second here ... tendrils?
She had tendrils? Instinctively, she waved the tendrils in front of her face before touching them with her fingers. They were smooth and very could be seen from the cut they left on her finger. Though ... What was this? The small cut vanished from sight right in front of her eyes. Did she just imagine that? Feeling curious, she cut herself slightly on the palm this time. There was little pain ... and like before the cut closed before her eyes like it never was ... leaving her new skin and flesh ... unmarred.
Feeling stronger, she got to her feet and began to look around her for clues as to what happened.
'What is going on?' She tried to recall what had happened but only succeeded in coming up with a blank.
'Where the hell am I? What the hell is this place?'
She wondered.
She tried to remember who she was but her name remained elusive. Frowning slightly, she turned around to look only to find out that a frown did not come naturally to her. A faint hint of a smile graced her face and it felt just right. Her blonde hair cascaded in waves to reach below her shoulder ... she didn't know what she looked like but she had a good idea. As she studied her figure, her eyes fell on the large blade with the symbol of a cross and two slashes on the tips of both sides of the cross carved into it. For some unknown reason, the blade seemed important to her. Feeling as though the large weapon might be able to shed some clue as to her identity, she bent down to pick it up.
The weapon felt right in her hands. After giving it a few practice swings, she was soon lost in her own world as her hands and legs began to move of their own accord. A thrust .. then a swing ... another thrust ... her hands and legs speeded up and soon she was a blur of movement. Finally, after a few minutes, she came to a stop ... feeling more energetic rather than tired after the simple workout.
The rock mounds around her crumbled into broken piles of stones on the ground. The ground cracked slightly beneath her feet. She gazed disbelievingly at the broken piles of stone rubble and cracked ground as though surprised by the incident. Something told her that normal people were not able to shatter stone with a single blow or crack the ground by stamping on it on a whim.
'Who am I? What am I?' She wondered again.
Unable to get an answer to the question she posed to herself, she sheathed the sword and with one last look at the surroundings, left the place.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
On a dusty, unkempt road ... a blonde woman was walking with a large sword, strapped to her back all by herself. Her torn clothing with large tears and gaps in it, did not seem to help matters.
"Look who's here." an unwelcomed voice sneered.
"Goldilocks wandering all by herself," a second voice continued.
Two more riders approached from the woods.
"What did you find, Garshan?" the first rider asked.
"Cinderella. Who else?" the stocky bald-headed man laughed.
"Should fetch quite a pretty penny at the stables, Arshod. How much do you think Morgan's buying for this one?" the second rider commented.
The blonde amnesiac woman glanced at them briefly before turning to walk away.
"Probably a hundred gold pieces. Didn't your mama ever tell you that good little girls do not wander around alone?" the second bandit laughed.
The blonde woman studied his face without speaking. For some unknown reason, she did not fear him, nor the large number of comrades that he had surrounding him.
"Goldilocks lost her tongue," the man holding a crossbow laughed.
One of the men on horseback moved to block her way to prevent her from leaving.
The blonde woman drew her large two-handed sword from its scabbard without a sound. The polished metal of the sharp blade, free from its sheath, seemed to glow slightly in the bright sunlight light. The bandits drew in their breath sharply at the slight of the large two-handed weapon.
"She is carrying the weapon of the silver-eyed witches!" the first bandit cried out in alarm.
"A Claymore! A freaking Claymore!" the second bandit swore.
The bandits immediately became cautious.
"I don't want any trouble with the silver-eyed witches, Koreck," one of the bandits on horseback answered.
"Look at her eyes, carefully. She's no silver-eyed witch!" a man who appeared to be the leader scoffed at the suggestion.
The rest of the group turned to look at the woman's eyes. It was true. She did not have silver eyes. They sighed in relief.
"For one moment, you had us going, girl. But nobody fools us ... for long. And now a new chapter in your life begins," the apparent leader of the group remarked derisively.
"Arion!" he barked an order.
One of the men drew out a large net.
"Normally we catch fish with this net. But today we catch something different. Something that moves around on two legs and squeals like a pig when speared. A woman," he licked his lips suggestively.
The rest of the group laughed loudly while making obscene gestures.
He threw the net.
That was the last thing he ever did.
The woman was a blur of movement, her blade cutting through them faster than grass. Within a couple of seconds, the battle was effectively over. The men died in frozen horror ... staring in a mixture of disbelief and shock as their body parts fell to the ground in neatly-cut pieces. A mixture of black and red tendrils erupted from the woman to engulf all the fallen bodies one after another. They vanished from sight so cleanly taken that not even the bones remain.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
A few days later ...
A hooded figure in brown robes strolled casually into the village, the hood of the brown robe flapping in the wind slightly. All around the person, curious onlookers turned to look at the stranger, some with suspicion while others with fear. Strangers were not highly regarded for many were the tales of innocent victims becoming prey to the nefarious youma that prowled the land endlessly in search of victims. That being said, there had been a few people who vanished mysteriously from the village without a trace. It was little wonder that the majority of the villagers fled for the safety of their homes, their doors boarded up shut while the braver ones ran to grab their weapons. Times were hard and dangerous.
"Stop where you are, stranger! Or we will hit you with our arrows!" a voice shouted in the direction of the approaching figure.
She came to a stop.
"Remove your hood!" a man ordered loudly.
There was no reply.
"Remove your hood or we will shoot our arrows!" the man who appeared to be the leader warned.
The hooded figure remained still before reaching to the hood to remove it. It dropped to reveal ...
"A woman! Who are you lady?" the leader called out.
"I do not know."
"Where do you come from, stranger?" he asked again.
"I came from the mountain," she answered.
"Her hair looks as pale as those silver-eyed witches. But she has no silver eyes. She can't be a Claymore," another man spoke from his hiding spot.
"I say we shoot her. She could still be a youma," came another whisper.
"We could ask her to leave just to be safe," the first man suggested.
"If only we had a Claymore, she would be able to tell," another person pointed out.
"I'm not taking any chances. The lives of the people in this village are a priority," the leader came to a decision.
"Leave now! Or we kill!" he ordered.
For one moment, the woman looked like she was about to advance forward, regardless of the consequences when she unexpectedly turned around and left the village the way she came. Seeing her departure, the leader could not help but breath a sigh of relief.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
It was not easy to get accepted by a village. The people here were a suspicious lot, fearing strangers and what they call 'youma'. The somewhat amnesiac woman walked seemingly without care on the stony road. She had no identity. No memories. No hints as to who she was ... save for this large two-handed weapon with that odd-symbol carved into it and the strange desire to ... consume organic matter including body parts. So far, she had already killed and eaten three raiding parties who had made the fatal mistake of thinking that she was easy prey and from there ... came the information of where she was, what place this was and what kind of people were found here.
Those people who attacked her were bandits, all of them. They would kidnap young girls from their homes, the most beautiful and healthy ones and sell them to slave traders who would then be shouldered with the grim task of breaking them physically and mentally before molding them back up into the ideal slave that would cater to all their sick whims and fantasies. Suffice it to say, those bandits would never do that again. They had all been slain and consumed with nothing more than a spray of blood to mark their passing. Their memories though remained with her. She had put them to good use, learning skills that would take entire years to master. Not just with archaic weapons but useful skills such as unarmed combat, horseback riding, commanding and leading entire groups of military units, public speaking, buying, selling and negotiating with others.
It seemed that those bandits came from all walks of life. Who would have ever expected a mayor, fisherman or farmer to become a bandit? Their memories were as different as their physical forms from which she could adopt at will. Still, they had one thing in common though. All those bandits, whoever they were feared the 'youma'. From what she could gather from their memories, the 'youma' were inhuman beings with monstrous forms and abilities. They could, however, at will, adopt a human guise when staking out their hunting ground in search of human prey. Their human guise was so good that they could not be detected through physical means or mental interrogation alone. It took a 'Claymore' with 'youki'-sensing abilities to sniff them out.
Was she one of them, a 'youma'? A creature that lived only to consume the flesh and blood of the living?
Or was she one of these 'Claymores', a warrior of the mysterious Organisation that was sent to destroy these creatures?
The large two-handed weapon with its strange engraved symbol clearly marked it as a weapon belonging to a warrior of the Organisation. So, by way of inference, she was a warrior of this strange and rather enigmatic Organisation.
Still she was not sure about being a warrior of this Organisation. Possession of the weapon did not automatically mean that she was one of these warriors since she could have taken it from a slain warrior. Without further information, it was difficult to verify her former occupation or background either way since she could just as easily be one of these 'youma' as she was one of these 'Claymores'.
Also, she had yet to encounter any of these 'youma' or 'Claymores' in person.
'My only chance of figuring out the truth ... is to find them,' she thought.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Elsewhere ...
A man in a hooded robe was speaking to another man in a hooded robe.
"Will you do it? We have been receiving increasing reports of people disappearing without a trace from villages near the coast. We believed this to be the work of a group of youma that prowl the area," a male voice spoke.
"We will do it ... for the usual fee of course," the second man answered.
"Our leader would be most pleased if the matter was dealt with as soon as possible," the first man answered before departing into the darkness of the night.
Another figure approached the hooded figure in the shadows after the man had left.
"A most unusual client," the hooded figure said.
"How so?" the figured that resembled a blonde woman with pointed ears holding a large two-handed sword asked.
"The leader of the criminal underworld. Whoever these youma are have to be hurting his operations really badly if he is willing to pay us to get rid of them," the man in hooded robes answered.
"So did you agree?" the woman asked again.
"I agreed ... for the usual price of course. Send the new Numbers Four and Six to deal with it," the man ordered.
"Two single digits?" the woman gasped slightly
"I have a feeling these are no ordinary youma," the man remarked.
TBC
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
I do admit I need help with writing this fic. For some reason ... I can't seem to write as much as I used to. Probably part of the reason as to why I haven't updated Gamemaster, Timeline, Countdown, Photocopy, Photogrey and Chrysalis in a long time. My mind can't seem to concentrate on anything for long periods these days.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
This is my very first Claymore fanfic and crossover.
Date: 041209
Disclaimer: A Claymore/Prototype crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.
Synopsis: What were the youma? Where did they come from? There has never been an adequate explanation given as to how they came into being until ... now.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it."
Sun Tzu, Art of War,
Datalinks,
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Part 2:
There were two figures walking together along the dusty road. Claymores, Number Four Gina and Number Six Ophelia (she has not yet reached ranked Number Four), both wore identical clothing and carried similar weapons, provided by the Organisation.
Since neither Claymore liked the other, the journey was rather quiet and devoid of any of the usual conversations between two travellers. From her hidden position in the woods, Claymore Number Three, Galatea watched the two single digits walked at a steady pace along the road. What they made them quickened their pace. It was too late to save the merchant convoy, when a group of misshapened monsters leaped out from behind the woods to attack it. The guards screamed as they drew their weapons to fight the pouncing horrors. Then from out of the blue, one of the monsters fell into neatly-cut pieces only to disappear in a spray of blood. A hooded figure appeared in its place, holding a Claymore with one hand.
The five other youma gave a growl of anger and leaped at the hooded figure. Claws pouncing, teeth snapping ... on the mysterious hooded figure. As if sensing their attack, the figure leaped to the side, her movements a blur to her opponents.
Galatea sensed a brief flash of youki momentarily before it vanished again, too well concealed even for the Eye of the Organisation to detect.
'Those two had better be careful. This stranger knows how to conceal youki from detection,' she thought.
There was a brief commotion ... with pieces of flesh, blood and bone flying through the air and then before anyone realised it, it was over. The brown-robed hooded figure remained standing, the large Claymore in its hand. The surviving guards stared in complete fear at the hooded figure, afraid that she might turn her attention on to them at any moment. Then with one well-practiced swing of her large two-handed sword, she sheathed it without a sound.
The two Claymores were shocked to see a group of youma dispatched so easily and quickly by a virtual non-Claymore. What was worse, neither of them had detected any use of youki by the stranger in the fight with the youma.
The stranger looked at the group for a little while before turning to leave.
"Identify yourself, stranger," Gina called out.
"Who asks?" the voice replied giving away the gender identity of the stranger.
It was a woman.
"I ask," the current Number Four answered.
"Under whose authority?" the hooded stranger countered.
Gina hid her surprise. That was new. Nobody had ever questioned the authority of the Organisation in matters dealing with dangerous youma. None that survived anyway.
"I shall ask once more. Who are you?" Gina repeated her question.
"I cannot tell you," the stranger replied.
"You will tell me," the current Number Four stated before advancing on the stranger.
Suddenly her blade flew forward to remove the stranger's hood. Gina was quite confident in her ability to hit her target without injuring the stranger. There was a loud sound of metal clashing against metal. Involuntarily, she raised an eyebrow. Her movement had come up short against the Claymore in the stranger's hand. Not giving up, she tried again. Once again, her blade was deflected by the stranger's Claymore. She was fast, Gina had to give her that.
"I cannot tell you ...," the stranger repeated as she weaved through another forward thrust from Gina's blade.
"Why stranger?" the current Number Four pressed on her attacks.
" ...Because ..." her words came to a stop while ducking a blow while parrying all the other strikes from Gina.
"Because of what?" Gina was getting a little excited.
The stranger was giving her more of a challenge than she thought. It had been a long time since anyone else apart from the top three single digits had given her such a hard fight.
"Because I do not know," came the stranger's surprising reply.
The current Number Four intensified her attacks while using her youki for the first time. Still the stalemate persisted with her launching her attacks while her opponent simply weaved through the attacks with an unexpected ease.
Impossible!
This stranger was matching her effortlessly strength for strength, speed for speed and skill for skill without even the slightest hint that indicated the use of youki.
"Unlikely," the Number Four Claymore answered with sheer disbelief as she struck the woman again. "You are definitely not a normal human being," she added..
Gina turned around her blade became a blur as she raised her limit to twenty percent. Still the stranger seemed to easily hold off her attacks without any use of youki.
"What is normal? Tell me, is it normal for the inhabitants to attack strangers in this land without provocation?" her mysterious opponent asked for the first time.
"No," Gina added.
'She's better than I thought. Time to get serious,' the current Number Four thought and raised her limit all the way to thirty percent. Her speed and strength were many times greater now but still her opponent did not appear to be having any problems meeting her blows. Every blow met with a resounding metal echo on her opponent's blade as the very air seemed to vibrate from the strength and power of their clashing blades. The air pressure from the sword strikes were incredible enough as it proved able to cut down the trees, boxes and even rocks.
"Then, why am I getting attacked everywhere on sight? First by those bandits, than the villagers and finally you. I don't remember carrying anything of value or committing any crimes," the stranger responded flippantly while deflecting the attacks directing against her seemingly without effort.
The current Number Four fought harder, intensifying her attacks with every passing second to penetrate the stranger's defenses, all in vain. It was very disturbing. She was moving far faster than she had ever moved in this duel. Yet she had come no closer to penetrating her opponent's defenses than before.
'Is she reading my moves or something?' Gina wondered, as she narrowed her eyebrows slightly.
Finally, after a few minutes of sparring, the stranger seemingly had enough and her blade shot forward, catching the current Number Four by surprise as it dove beneath her weapon, before lifting it up to throw the Claymore into the air. Without wasting anytime, she leaped forward to reclaim her weapon. Her opponent's blade flashed once touching her throat. Her large Claymore, deprived of its user, clattered uselessly to the ground.
Gina could not believe it. She had been soundly defeated. Her opponent had disarmed her with a single stroke of her sword. Who was she? Giving Gina's blade a swift kick, it flew forward to impale itself more than a hundred metres into a bark of a tree.
"Who are you?" the current Number Four asked as a slight sensation of fear began to make itself known.
There was silence. Other than her fellow Claymore, nobody else was around, the humans having fled the area long ago. With a movement far too quick for her to follow, the stranger sheathed her Claymore before using both hands to remove her hood. A beautiful face with blonde hair and the faint hint of a smile greeted her.
Alarm bells began to ring in the Claymore's head.
She has no silver eyes!
Her fellow companion seemed to realise this as well and quickly drew her sword to attack the stranger as she moved to walk past her. The forward thrust of her Claymore drew forward to slice through her opponent's head only to come up short against something hard and immovable like a mountain.
This time, Gina had reason to draw in her breath. The attack had not even forced the stranger from her tracks. A large blade, seemingly sharper and bigger than any Claymore with serrated edges all around it had stopped the current Number Six's Claymore weapon cold in its tracks before it could even reach the target. As she studied the weapon, she realised that the large blade was actually a part of the woman's arm, stretching out from where her arm should be to easily match the length of a standard Claymore.
The appearance of the strange weapon put any further doubts as to what the true nature of the stranger was to rest in Gina's mind.
She's an Awakened Being!
From her hidden vantage point, Galatea could not help but watch the entire exchange with a deep sense of foreboding.
Something about the stranger and the way she carried herself bothered her. It was like she had met the stranger before in the distant past.
No way! she thought as her eyes fell on the face covered by the hood.
'Teresa of the Faint Smile ... Her eyes ... She's Awakened!' Galatea concluded quickly as she left the area in a hurry.
Her handlers and the Organisation had to be warned. There was no way the two single digits could take on the legendary Teresa of the Faint Smile ... even before her Awakening. She had heard rumours of how the Organisation had sent an entire squad of four single digits :- Number Two, Three, Four and Five to take on the former Number One when she had turned her back on the Organisation. Not a single member of the execution squad sent to kill the renegade Number One had ever returned. Now that the former Number One had Awakened, the chances of taking her out in a fight were even more remote. There was no longer any sense in getting involved in the fight and getting herself killed for nothing in the process. Besides she had more important things to do like reporting the news back to her handlers and the Organisation HQ. Without any further hesitation, Galatea, the Eye of the Organisation, quickly returned back to base.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"I have spared your life once already. I will not do so again," the enigmatic woman in brown robes warned Gina when she made a run for her Claymore that was embedded in the bark of a pine tree.
Ophelia struck out at her with her Claymore only to be sent flying by a powerful backhand from the woman who continued to parry her strikes effortlessly with her strange arm-turned-weapon. Gina continued to make a run for the pine tree. She had to hurry. Ophelia was not going to last long against their mutual enemy. Alone they stood not chance. Together, however, there was a small chance, slim though it might be of taking down the Awakened Being. Drawing upon more youki to power her limbs, she made a break for it ... her target, the Claymore blade that was embedded in the tree. There ... she pulled out the blade ... and much to her surprise, discovered blood ... purple blood coating the blade.
'What?' Gina thought while taking a quick look behind the tree to see the body of a youma lying on the grass in a pool of blood.
'She knew. But how?' the current Number Four wondered.
Without wasting any more time, she made her way back to where the current Number Six and the Awakened Being were fighting. From her vantage point, it was easy to see that the Awakened Being was wiping the floor with Ophelia with little to no effort. Gina's features became even more monstrous as she raised her limit to fifty percent. This was dangerous as she could easily past the point of no return. But for short periods of time it was alright. Powered by her newly-drawn youki, Gina flew towards the stranger with her trade mark attack at blinding speed.
Much to her dismay, the Awakened Being simply side-stepped her attack before slamming into her body with a loud crash. The current Number Four was thrown more than a hundred feet into the air from the blow. For a brief moment, she saw nothing but stars. Finally gravity took over and the downed Claymore landed against something firm and solid. Pain blossomed through her chest when she tried to move and Gina discovered to her horror that her ribs were broken. Already her youki was hard at work trying to mend the damage to her body, though the current Number Four knew that she was out of the fight.
'What did she hit me with?' Her eyes fell on the woman with a round spherical shield around her body.
It rippled briefly into tendrils of black and red before settling back into the more familiar form of a robed arm that she saw initially.
'The sleeve of her arm ... is a part of her body?'
And then she knew. The brown-hooded robes of the woman were just as much a part of her body as her hands and arms.
No way.
'Is she just partially Awakened or fully Awakened?' Gina wondered.
Suddenly, there was a piercing scream ... and then silence.
Ophelia! Gina cried inwardly in horror.
As if hearing her cry, the Awakened Being turned back to look in her direction. For a minute or so, she stood there her eyes somehow gazing eerily into her own from that distance before turning away. After the Awakened Being left, she let out her breath that she hadn't realised that she had been holding while her youki continued to repair the damage done to her body.
In the distance, the Awakened Being's footsteps became fainter and fainter as the sun continued to sink over the horizon.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Back at Organisation Headquarters in the smoking parlours of power, there was a heated discussion going on.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How can Teresa still be alive? We have her head with us," a voice shouted in disbelief.
"That is what I saw," another voice answered, female this time.
"The way she looked. The way she walked. The way she fought. There's no mistaking her for anyone else," the same voice continued.
"A thousand curses! Not only do we have to deal with an Awakened Priscilla but an Awakened Teresa too? How goes Rafaela and Luciela?" another voice asked.
"They are not ready," a third male voice joined in.
"Tell the doctors to hurry. I have a feeling that we might need them before long," a voice that appeared to be the leader added.
"Very well, I will let them know," a male voice at the table answered.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
A woman in brown robes continued to walk without stopping on the road. Suddenly, she felt it. A brief flash of youki. Turning in the direction of the youki, her eyes studied the trees lining up one side of the road carefully. Her hand flew to her Claymore and she drew it out from its scabbard.
"Come out, whoever you are!" she called out.
Silence greeted her.
Then there was the sound of grass being stepped on and man in a white cloak stepped in front of her. He was tall and broad-shouldered with long cyan hair reaching his shoulders. She held her blade in a defensive posture in front of her. The man had very strong youki. In fact more than anybody she had encountered so far on her journey. She had to be careful with this one.
The man did not move, however.
"What are you waiting for? Let's get this over with so I can be on my way," the brown-robed woman snorted, trying to goad the man in front of her into an attack.
"I have not come to fight, my dear. I believe I have something you want," he stated.
"And what could that be?" she asked her blade ever-ready for any attacks from the man.
"Your identity, for one," he answered.
"You know who I am? Tell me! Tell me now!" she insisted, her blade never leaving its threatening position.
"No I don't know who you are but I know the people who can tell you who you are. I also know where to find them," the man answered enigmatically.
"Who? Where?" she asked again.
"But they are more likely to destroy you if you go alone. I have a proposal to make. If you assist my army in attacking the place, then you will certainly have access to all of their archives. Their archives are sure to contain all the information regarding who you are and where you're from," the man suggested.
There was silence for a moment while the woman stopped to consider her options.
"How did you know what I was looking for?" she asked once more.
"News travel around fast. I'm willing to bet that those people who know who you are preparing a way of destroying you. If you go on your personal quest alone, you will surely die. If you do it with the assistance of my army, however, you would have a better chance of success. Consider it carefully," the man answered.
After a few seconds, the woman asked, "Why are you helping me?"
"Consider it an exchange of services. You help my army in destroying this people whom I dislike and you get to find out who you are," the man answered.
"Very well then Mister Stranger," she spoke as an unwritten agreement was struck.
"Just call me Isley," the enigmatic being answered as he headed back into the trees.
The woman followed silently in suit.
TBC
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
I do admit I need help with writing this fic. For some reason ... I can't seem to write as much as I used to. Probably part of the reason as to why I haven't updated Gamemaster, Timeline, Countdown, Photocopy, Photogrey and Chrysalis in a long time. My mind can't seem to concentrate on anything for long periods these days.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Chapter 3: Chapter 3
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
This is my very first Claymore fanfic and crossover.
Date: 061209
Disclaimer: A Claymore/Prototype crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.
Synopsis: What were the youma? Where did they come from? There has never been an adequate explanation given as to how they came into being until ... now.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it."
Sun Tzu, Art of War,
Datalinks,
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Part 3:
Two travellers walked up the road, heading for the mountain. One man, the other woman, the two travellers could be easily mistaken for a couple. Neither of the pair appeared to be in a hurry. At the foot of the mountain, they were greeted by another man who greeted the man called Isley with respect. Isley introduced the second man to the woman.
"This is Rigaldo, my second-in-command. Rigaldo this is ..." Isley turned towards the woman.
"I have no idea who I am," the woman answered.
"We'll just call her Athena for now. Are you happy with that name?" Isley suggested.
"I suppose any name is better than having no name at all," the woman agreed.
"Fine then. This is the situation. Rigaldo, Athena will be helping you with the coming assault on the Organisation Headquarters. We are going to destroy them completely from the face of the land," Isley put forth his grand plan.
"Are you sure that is wise, Isley? The Organisation Headquarters is not something to be trifled with lightly even with us all attacking together at once. Besides we have no idea what this woman is capable of," Rigaldo voiced his objection.
"Rigaldo, you may test her if you wish. Fight until one submits, is that alright with you?" Isley laid down the terms to both his second-in-command and the woman.
They both stood facing one another.
"You may begin!" Isley answered.
Rigaldo did not waste anytime. He released his hold on his youki, powering up to the limit.
The woman remained where she was ... waiting for him to attack.
"Why are you not releasing your hold on your youki?" Isley asked the woman.
"It is not necessary. I will face him as I am right now," the woman answered confidently.
"Are you mocking me or what? Very well, it's your funeral," Rigaldo stated before launching himself into a full-scale attack on the woman.
Athena held herself carefully and then just as Rigaldo was about to reach her, she side-stepped him, grabbing hold of him before slamming him into the ground with terrific force. Though not trained in unarmed combat, Athena was by no means helpless. The memories she had obtained from assimilating the bandits from the past week had proved most useful. Some of the bandits had been trained in the dirtiest and most deadly street fighting techniques in the city. One of them even turned out to be a 'Ninja' or shadow warrior on a scouting mission from the mainland. He was a master of unarmed combat as well as a master of disguise. Unfortunately, his unarmed combat skills did not help him much against a warrior of her caliber. She had dispatched him so swiftly, that he did not even have time to move.
She pinned down her opponent to the ground, preventing him from moving without causing himself serious injuries. Isley watched the match with interest.
"Do you submit?" she asked the Silver-Eyed Lion King.
"Alright. Let me have another go. You got me once with that trick of yours but you wouldn't get me again a second time!" the Silver-Eyed Lion King swore.
"Fine then," the woman answered before stepping back from the Awakened Being.
This time, Rigaldo was more careful. He circled his opponent more cautiously before pouncing on her once more only to find himself breathless, as he was sent flying through the air into the treetops.
The Silver-Eyed Lion King came back again, rushing swiftly at his fast opponent, hoping to catch her offguard. He had no better luck than before as she simply evaded his attack before tossing him like a stone into the surrounding forests.
'Incredible! She is holding off Rigaldo easily without even using the slightest amount of youki! She's more skilled and powerful than I imagined! I daresay she's as strong as Priscilla. I'll have to be careful with this one,' Isley pondered inwardly as he still remembered the thrashing that he got from Priscilla, the first time that he met the former Number Two Claymore over his 'turf'.
There was a terrible roar from the forests that sent the animals scurrying for safety. Rigaldo was finally PISSED OFF. He was being humiliated by a virtual unknown who did not seem to be having any problems fending him off unarmed, without the use of youki. He came in charging at the woman, his lion-headed form towering over her by six feet at the very least. He would crush her for taking him so lightly. Much to his disbelief and rage, the woman seemed to be not taking his charge any differently from before. His youki aura rose even further, cementing his rage. The woman would end up ...
There was a terrific crash and Rigaldo found himself flying through the air once more. He quickly compensated for the throw and managed to land on his two feet this time around. He was about to attack again when he heard Isley's command.
"That's enough! She's beaten you, Rigaldo!" Isley stated.
"Take a look at yourself Rigaldo. How many cuts do you see on your body?"
It was then the Silver-Eyed Lion King discovered he was covered in purple blood woth shallow cuts all over. his body.
"Twenty?" he threw in a guess.
"Wrong. She cut you a total of fifty times, Rigaldo. She could have killed you fifty times over, old friend," Isley corrected.
Rigaldo turned his eyes to study the woman from his position. He could see pointed sharp spikes covered in blood-red and pitch-black hues at the base extending out from one of the woman's fist to give the impression of a large claw in one hand. Liquid that he correctly guessed to be his blood dripped down to the ground in small drops. The pointed spikes retracted and the woman's hand rippled into the usual familiar form of her hand. She studied him coolly with a detached expression like before.
The Silver-Eyed Lion King powered down and returned to his base human form. He stepped forward and headed for the pair.
"Your skills are unsurpassed. I was beaten soundly and you deserved your victory," the Silver-Eyed Lion King admitted humbly.
The woman smiled upon hearing the reply.
"Thank you," she answered.
The Abyssal seemed pleased with the exchange and said, "Ahh .. yes. Come let us go now. A new day awaits us."
The three Awakened Beings strolled casually up the mountain towards what appeared to be a large cave. They had barely stepped through the entrance of the cave to meet them when the figure of a small child dashed towards the three travellers.
"Did you bring me something new to play with?" She called out.
"It gets so boring sometimes-" her voice coming to a stop.
"Who is this lady, Isley? Is she your new wife?" the girl asked, her eyes wide with curiousity as che caught sight of the woman stepping in from behind the two Awakened Beings.
The woman for her part seemed as baffled by the girl as she was with her.
"I would like you to meet the last member of our little group, Athena. Her name is Priscilla," the Abyssal chuckled in a friendly tone.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
In a cavern to the West, a certain Awakened Being was talking in a sing-song tone of voice while an even larger Awakened Being grovelled pathetically before it.
"Isley is already gathering his troops. He must be planning to move against us soon. We need more soldiers Daugh," the small child-like Awakened Being sang.
"Just tell me what to do ..." the grovelling Awakened Being answered.
"Easy! We build an army of our own, Daugh!" came the child-like Awakened Being's reply in a sing-song tone of voice.
"But where do we get more soldiers? Almost all the Awakened Beings have already join Isley ..." the large Awakened Being pointed out.
"You're really dumb, you know that, Daugh? Where do Awakened Beings come from?" the girl-child Awakened Being in front of him commented.
"Former Claymores like us?" Daugh answered after thinking for awhile.
"Correct! Now all we have to do to get more soldiers is to get more Claymores to Awaken. Don't tell me you have forgotten all that," Riful chided the larger Awakened Being before her.
"Of course. Mistress is very smart. Daugh already forgot!" the larger Awakened Being continued to grovel pathetically before the smaller Awakened Being.
The Abyssal of the West let out a soft sigh. Had Daugh's brain functions degenerated to that level of senility, already? Sometimes she wondered if the reason her servant was so dumb was because he was dropped too many times to the ground as a baby on the head.
"Now go and bring some Claymores back alive to this cave, Daugh. Remember I want them alive," the Abyssal of the West ordered her sole minion.
"As you command Riful-sama," Daugh made a quick bow before leaving the cave in a hurry.
TBC
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
I do admit I need help with writing this fic. For some reason ... I can't seem to write as much as I used to. Probably part of the reason as to why I haven't updated Gamemaster, Timeline, Countdown, Photocopy, Photogrey and Chrysalis in a long time. My mind can't seem to concentrate on anything for long periods these days.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Chapter 4: Chapter 4
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
This is my very first Claymore fanfic and crossover.
Date: 061209
Disclaimer: A Claymore/Prototype crossover. All characters and concepts belong to their respective creators and owners.
Synopsis: What were the youma? Where did they come from? There has never been an adequate explanation given as to how they came into being until ... now.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
"If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it."
Sun Tzu, Art of War,
Datalinks,
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
Part 4:
The girl stepped forward to meet the blonde woman that seemed to tower over her. Upon reaching the woman, she took a deep breath, smelling the woman deeply.
"You smell nice ... " the girl commented before wrapping her arms around the woman's thighs to take a deeper breath. "Like the South ..." she added.
The woman for her part was taken aback by the girl's behaviour. Instincts from the many memories that she had taken took over, however, and she wrapped her arms around the girl in return, lifting her up into the air as she did so and giving her a warm hug.
"She likes you," the Abyssal smiled upon seeing the exchange. "I need more time to gather more troops. Would you like to stay here with us for the time being? Priscilla could use the company."
Not having anything else to do, Athena agreed. The child seemed to be such a sweet little girl with her innocent and carefree attitude. Athena knew better, however, for her senses told her that this seemingly innocent child before her was a powerful Awakened Being, one that was easily stronger than Isley himself.
"You remind me of my Mummy. Will you be my Mummy?" the girl called Priscilla asked.
Not having the heart to refuse her, Athena simply nodded her head. The girl cried out in joy and threw her arms around Athena's neck, burying her face right beside hers.
Tears streaming down her face in pure happiness, the girl-child Awakened Being cried, "I have a Mummy now! I have a Mummy now!"
TBC
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm
I do admit I need help with writing this fic. For some reason ... I can't seem to write as much as I used to. Probably part of the reason as to why I haven't updated Gamemaster, Timeline, Countdown, Photocopy, Photogrey and Chrysalis in a long time. My mind can't seem to concentrate on anything for long periods these days.
-The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm