Clarion stepped out into a small pool of amber light given off by a torch. "The devil I say."
"Montrez-vous le demon!" Show yourself demon. His footsteps took him closer to her position but his eyes had yet to find her.
"I'm right behind you." With the correct strain in her voice, her words echoed off the wall behind the man and caused him to turn away. Yoshi was more than impressed as she took the moment to stand in front of Clarion,in plain view.
Fangs and nails had yet to show themselves when the steel of a blade, folded more than 200 times. sliced through the man's chest. He fell onto his back with a thud and surely wished the ground could have swallowed him whole, as his position forced him to take in the sight of the Hunter standing above him. To him, her eyes seemed as coal black as the hair that surrounded her face. In the moment that he should have used to warn his brethren, he could only whisper words of damnation and disbelief. "To hell with you, Hunter." His words were punctuated with the hissing sound his heart made as the sword pierced the organ. Yoshi removed her sword in the same quick motion that she had struck with and pressed a finger to her lips as if to quiet the dying vampire. Her crooked smile would be the last thing he saw and the last words he heard were, "you first."
Clarion made no comment as she moved past the limp form on the ground and took the lead again. She stopped short 10 yards away at the next torch, half expecting Yoshi to collide into her, but she didn't. "Um, Yoshi," Clarion turned so that she was facing the taller woman, "do you think we could not kill everything we see." Her tone was light and undemanding. Black eyebrows furrowed as Yoshi searched for words that made sense of her confusion. Clarion shook her head at her obvious bewilderment. "What I mean is… I mean… I'm not telling you how to do your job." She grinned at Yoshi's arched eyebrow. "Just saying, the less people that know we're here, the better. You understand?"
Slowly but surely Yoshi's eyebrow lowered and she nodded. "I see what you're saying--okay." She nodded again.
Clarion tried unsuccessfully not to look surprised. "You understand?"
A small grin played over full lips. "In and out right. Nice and quiet."
Clarion smiled fully. "Exactly." Both women nodded at their agreement and began walking through the cavern. The moved quietly towards the mouth of the tunnel that emptied out into the catacombs. Neither knew who heard it first, but it was as if their footfalls had tripped an imaginary wire and set off an alarm. The high pitched wail tore through the stone walls and rumbled their insides. It was the cry of a sentry who was alerting the others to a Hunter's presence. Clarion and Yoshi turned to one another as they held their ears.
Yoshi couldn't hide the smirk that came to her lips. "You were saying?"
Green eyes rolled. "Apparently, nothing." Clarion reached for her back pocket and motioned for Yoshi to go forward. "Stay to the right and move fast."
The dark hunter ignored her want to protest and did as Clarion asked; moving to the right and fast. She believed Clarion capable, and even if she wasn't, Yoshi wasn't about to go too far ahead. The wailing of the sentry died down as he and another advanced upon the two women. Yoshi checked her blindsides and pulled out her tanto so that her hands held both weapons. She continued to watch the slow advance of the sentries as she listened to the heavy footsteps around her of advancing vampires. She furrowed her brow as she watched Clarion fumble with the contraption in her pocket and nearly had to bite her tongue to keep from questioning the smaller woman's tactics. Her worries were laid to rest as Clarion turned around so that she faced the advancing sentries. "Hope you guys are flame retardant." As she muttered the words, a stream of fire exploded from her hand and burned a quick trail to the two sentries. A second stream shot out, aided by Clarions's breath and soon the two sentries were engulfed in a wall of fire.
There was no time to admire the work, as Clarion quickly turned and urged Yoshi forward. "All the way down, take the steps at the end and keep moving until you can't any longer." The words came just as fast as their feet were carrying them. It was only a brief moment that carried them to the steps, but it was fueled by a rush of motion as wails grew louder and threatened to shake the core of the catacombs. It sounded as if an army had surrounded them and Yoshi was sure that nothing short of that awaited them at the bottom of the steps. If she had been hesitant before or skeptical of her abilities all was lost to her as more important matters pressed on her psyche: staying alive.
Yoshima barely heard Clarion call her name but the sound was lost in the ground swell of her feet and the snap of the air as her coat billowed out behind her and she leapt down the stairs. Green eyes were wild with anticipation and Clarion was filled with a rush of adrenaline that could only be best described as excitement, as she watched the shadow come to life. Whatever her words of warning had been moments before died on her lips just as easily as the steel of Yoshi's blade sliced through her unworthy opponents. Clarion found herself frozen on the bottom step as she watched the dark warrior cut her way through the room that had no exits. It did not seem to matter to the Hunter that she could see no visible means of escape, but only that she cut down everything within her path.
A room that had been filled with stagnate air moments before was charged with life as Yoshi's blade carved through the air. As solid as she appeared to be, her movements gave her the appearance of an oil slick. Her movements were precise and measured but not without flair. It was like watching a mad conductor as he beat out time to ‘Symphonie Fantastic'. The warrior herself made no sound, but the room was filled with the hiss of burning flesh, gasps of disbelief, and the howls of inevitable death. It was only when Yoshi remained standing that Clarion moved from her perch. The broken bodies of 10 were splayed across the floor in such a fashion that it seemed as though their had been three times as many. Black hair, heavy with moisture whipped around as Yoshi faced Clarion who still remained by the stairwell.
In the time it takes a human to blink, Clarion was fearful of what she would see when she looked the Hunter in the eye. Where she expected to see a wild beast, she saw nothing but calm. Where she expected to see feral pleasure, she found only soft concern. Where she expected to find hate--she could only discern love. Blue eyes held to green and the moment faded. "You got a way out of this one hot shot?" Her grin was small, but the words made Clarion laugh from her gut. The spell was broken and suddenly she remembered where she was and why.
"You know chick, I don't know whether I should throw you to the floor and have my way with you or wait till we get outside."
The small tension that Yoshi had left her as quickly as it came. "I'd prefer later…I gotta thing about public sex."
Clarion laughed as she moved along the wall. "We'll talk about that later." Clarion placed her palm on a rise in the wall and pushed. A large rectangle fell away and she winked at Yoshi. "Shortcut."
Clarion stepped through the hole and stood on the small landing facing Yoshi. "We need to make this fast, ya know."
"After you, Larieux." Clarion smiled as dark eyebrows wiggled and the Hunter that had always seemed so formidable became adorable. She let out a small chuckle. "What's so funny?" Yoshi put her hands on the sides of the wall as if she was ready to step through.
Clarion gave her a half shrug. "I never thought I'd say this," she paused and waved her hand through the air, "hell, I never thought I'd be in this position….but you are so cute right now."
A black eyebrow reached for the sky as Yoshi emitted a soft growl. What probably should have been a menacing look, became nothing short of a sexy smirk as Yoshi regarded the deep green eyes of Clarion. Yoshi leaned forward just a bit so that their noses almost touched. "You know this is neither the time nor the place young lady."
Clarion rolled her eyes and smiled. "I know, I know. But there's something about all that black and the sword and that sweat!" She fanned herself. "Woo! I don't know about you but I'm warm and fuzzy all over."
Yoshi was trying to keep a straight face. "Warm and fuzzy, eh?" Clarion nodded vigorously. Yoshi was silent for a second as she drew her tongue across her top teeth in contemplation. "One kiss…and we're gone." Clarion's face lit up like a six year old who had just been let loose in a toy store. The red head wasted no time, as she placed her small hands on the dark woman's face and pulled her into a forceful kiss. It was the kind of kiss that didn't necessarily have any love behind it, but it wasn't missed on account of being fueled with raw energy.
Admittedly, the world seemed hazy to Yoshi, but not so that she didn't sense movement behind her. A blonde eyebrow rose as they kiss ended, but Clarion didn't take her eyes off Yoshi. "Um, Yosh…behind you." A wisp of a smile came to the Hunter's lips as she nodded and proceeded to bury her sword into the advancing Vampire without so much as a look in his direction. No air left his body as he slid of the sword and collapsed into a heap of ash. Clarion just shook her head and quickly nipped the Hunter's nose. "We definitely gotta talk about public sex." Both women laughed as Clarion disappeared into the wall with Yoshi right behind her.
The short drop deposited the two women into a wide hallway that was well lit with electricity. The two women moved as if they had done this a thousand times with one another. Clarion checked their blindsides, while Yoshi stood tall, staring down both ends of the hallway. Clarion took a small breath before she spoke. "The library's off to the right, about 50 yards."
Yoshi nodded without looking at Clarion and pulled out her dagger from the holster on her ankle. "Take this with you." Green eyes were wide as Clarion held out a shaky hand. Yoshi couldn't help but smile at the smaller woman's hesitation. "It's okay, I promise."
Clarion grinned and grabbed the dagger. She squeezed the handle a few times just to get a could grip and test the fact that the handle wasn't searing her flesh. "Where are you going to be?"
Blue eyes scanned the ceiling and the floors. "Waiting on the rest of them."
Clarion groaned inwardly. "More?" Yoshi shrugged. "You don't know?" She touched Yoshi's arm, so the Hunter would look at her.
"Not yet, but this place is too large to just house ten suckheads." Clarion groaned at Yoshi's choice of words causing the dark woman to blush slightly. "Sorry."
"It's okay." She waved a hand through the air. "You going to be okay?"
Blue eyes rolled. "I'll live…but hey, I'm only one woman here--so make it fast." She plucked Clarion lightly on the nose.
The red head smiled. "I'm on it."
Before Clarion even reached the corner she heard the sound of metal slamming together. She very nearly turned around, but her purpose lay behind the doors in front of her. She visualized the book she was looking for and called up the image of the handwriting in her head. She knew she could waste no time searching the stacks. Clarion blew through the heavy wooden doors and went to the left where the stacks began. The top row ended just at her fingertips but that didn't stop her from seeing, as she touched the spine of each book with her fingertips. Green eyes moved with blazing speed as she read through the titles. There seemed to be no real order, not even language let alone subject matter. She blew passed a Gaelic tome on the nature of dragons, wasted no time on Latin articles about the Apostles, and didn't even flinch as she skimmed over Romany tales of Vampires. Clarion found herself bending at the waist to read the second to last row and suddenly she stopped. She couldn't tell if it was the large hole in between two books that caught her attention or the smell. Whatever the case, it all fell to the way side as a disembodied voice filled the room.
"Looking for this?"
At his words, Clarion pulled out the dagger and swung around to face the speaker. His smile was bright, his teeth pearly and straight. His hair reached his shoulders and was just as bright as his smile. His skin was smooth and clear and appeared to have a hint of color. He could have been an angel or in Clarion's hopes merely a ghost, but he was neither. Where his eyes should have been a soft gray, his sockets held two orbs colored chrome.
Clarion shook as if the ground was collapsing beneath her. She stumbled back as if shoved and only remained standing for fear of falling. The awful silence of the moment was shattered as the dagger spilled from Clarion's hand and fell to the concrete floor. Her small hands flew to her mouth, lest she scream out in disbelief. The red head was speechless as her eyes rimmed with tears. She watched as his mouth formed words, but the sound never reached her ears. A dull hum of shock filled her ears and barely registered his words let alone Yoshi's voice behind her.
"Clarion. Clarion?" Yoshi called from the hallway. "Larieux? You ready?" She came closer to the doorway. "Clarion…you hear me? We gotta go. Clarion?" It was only discipline that kept Yoshi from charging into the library. She took deliberate steps into the room with her sword at her side. While her heartbeat calmed at the sight of Clarion standing, she went to the attack as she saw the smiling man before her. She was at Clarion's back as she raised her sword and made ready for the downswing. However she was halted by a familiar voice.
"No." Clarion's voice was quiet but firm. Without looking, she reached back and placed her hand on Yoshi's wrist, effectively stopping her attack. "Leave him."
All though the Hunter couldn't see Clarion's face, her tone offered no room for argument. Blue eyes steeled as she took in the form of the man across from her. She lowered her blade, but did not resheath the blade. Yoshi placed her hand on Clarion's shoulder, but kept her eyes forward. "Clarion, we need to go."
"I sure wish I had a camera for this kodak moment." His words were crisp and his smile was eerily radiant.
Yoshi kept in her snarl. "Let's get the book and go." Clarion only nodded.
If possible his smile grew wider. "Hunter, I was just telling Clarion here that the book really can't help you now."
Both Yoshi and Clarion bristled at his words. "That's for us to decide." Yoshi's voice was deep with rage.
The silver eyed man chuckled. "I was telling Claire here, how you guys are really out of time and there's nothing you can do."
Yoshi felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as a bolt of recognition coursed through her body. "I know you don't I?"
The man merely smiled. "Anyway, what I wanted to say to Claire, was thank you." At his words, Clarion visibly left her stupor and stood up straight. He took a step forward and Yoshi began to raise her sword. It was only at Clarion's raised hand that she stopped. The silver eyed man broke his gaze with the Hunter and locked eyes with Clarion. "Claire I just wanted say thank you, thank you." He took a deep breath. "I know you feared this and I feared it too, but oh honey, it's so much more. For a while there I was angry with you, ya know. Cause I couldn't understand why you'd want to keep this from me, but in time I understood. But oh, Claire you were wrong. Pahtna, this isn't bad…this is power. And you know that." He wagged a finger at her in a chiding manner, but smiled to convey the playfullness of his statement.
Yoshi stood stock still and took everything in around her. Her mind churned to place this man and moreover to place him in Clarion's life. It was with wild blue eyes that she watched him and did her best to listen.
"I was so scared at first, but things work out always in the end." He drew in a breath of air and let out a chuckle. "Ya' know I've never felt bad about going home after it all happened. I mean as a human I would have never dreamed it, but like this-- it made perfect sense." His eyes rolled to the ceiling and he smiled wistfully. Even though Yoshi couldn't see Clarion's face she could sense a change come over the small woman. The silver eyed man purposefully avoided Clarion's eyes as he spoke, waiting for the right time to hammer home his point. "Claire, I can't quite explain the feeling they gave me. It was odd, but it was exactly what I needed at the time. I was so scared and so in awe of what I had become that home seemed so right. And it was so right. Of course, it was sloppy, and messy by my standards now…but at the time the rush was what I was feeling."
The Hunter's eyes glazed over with hate as she understood what was being admitted. Here before her stood the life that Clarion took. Here before them both stood Lucien in all his glory. What was more, was that she realized what she was sure Clarion realized…it was Lucien that had killed the remaining members of her family. It was her own flesh and blood that had torn apart her dreams. It was only on instinct that Yoshi dropped her free hand to Clarion's arm. Yoshi kept her attention focused on Clarion as she tried to drown out the man's words. She pulled on Clarion's arm, trying to pull her away and only met a wall of resistance. Clarion didn't even budge as Yoshi tugged on her arm. The Hunter might as well have been pulling on a vault door. Clarion was like steel in her stance.
Clarion could feel Yoshi tugging on her arm, but she could only register his words. He had Lucien's face and his beautiful smile and his body--but that was not Lucien that stood before her. Anger coursed through her at his words and she was helpless to stop the energy that pulsed through her being. She did nothing to stop the tingle in her teeth or to calm the power that surged through her. Glowing green eyes bored daggers into the silver eyed beast that stood before her. Lucien chuckled as he watched the change pass through Clarion.
"You can feel it can't you Claire." He was goading her.
"Clarion--please." Yoshi's words were soft and pleading.
The Hunter's words seem to tap into the last bits of self-preservation that Clarion had and the Daywalker began to calm herself as best she could. Her visible fight only excited Lucien. "Stop fighting Clarion. Come on. Let me see you."
Clarion snatched her arm away from Yoshi's grasp and the Hunter was sure the red head was about to attack, but she was pleasantly surprised. Clarion kept her arms at her side and made no move to go anywhere. Lucien gave the barest hint of a frown. "You won't win Claire. You two are out of time, it's done." At that he sucked his teeth and hurled the book into the air. The leather bound book sailed out of the doorway into the corridor where it skidded to a dark corner. Clarion didn't even flinch. Lucien rolled his eyes once again. "Claire there's so much more you can do than this. And you're a fool if you believe what the Hunter says. She'll kill you in the end….it's law." He mockingly drawled out the words
The room was quiet as both Yoshi and Lucien seemed to wait on Clarion's answer. The response began as she took a small step back. and then she spoke. She spit on the ground and drew her eyes up to meet Lucien's. "Die like the dog you've become. Lucien is dead…you're just the thing in his place." Lucien only snorted. "Yoshi, take his arms and his hands." Her voice was heavy with ire but smooth in elocution. "Sever his head," she paused, "and save his heart for last." Clarion managed to make the minimal amount of contact with Yoshi as she passed by, but it was enough for the Hunter, who was rendered speechless by what had transpired.
Lucien chuckled and revealed the sword he held behind his back. "A Hunter taking orders from a Vampire. I say, what is the world coming to?" His eyes danced with glee as Clarion left the room.
Yoshi regripped the handle of her sword and grinned. "You're never going to find out."
Lucien chuckled genuinely and raised his sword. "Shall we?" His answer came not in the sound of the Hunter's voice but in the sound of steel slicing through the air.
CH 12: "Ooh...that's gonna leave a mark."
Their swords met with a powerful clank, neither backing away, as their arms absorbed the shock of the blades meeting. Hunter and Vampire drew away from one another dragging their blades against the other; creating small sparks. Yoshi rolled her neck to one side and brought her blade to her side as she sized up Lucien. She watched him take a deep breath as he slowly closed and opened and his eyes. Gone were the chrome eyes and in their place were the gray eyes of a human. Yoshi snorted.
"You gonna fight fair I see?"
Lucien shrugged and swung his blade out in the same motion. Yoshi caught his blade with an upswing and reversed the arc to come across his body. He blocked her blow and shoved her off without much effort. This would not to be a test of power, but of skill. In this, Yoshima still had the upper hand and they both knew it. They traded blows and a few well placed kicks and punches as they moved across the concrete floor with all the elegance of ballroom dancers. It was the Hunter that drew first blood, sidestepping Lucien's advance and running up the wall, propelling herself into a tight half-twist. When her feet hit the ground, Lucien fell to one knee holding his shoulder. He ignored the pain of the wound to his shoulder and brought a wicked smile to his face.
"I see some skill remains with you Hunter." Yoshi stood her ground, with her sword at her side, ready to strike the next blow. "But that's not all I see." He let out a wild grunt as he exploded out of his kneeling position towards Yoshi. Their blades slammed together as they stood toe to toe and pressed hard into each other. Neither Hunter nor Vampire showed fear, as they peered at each other. Lucien gripped the pommel of his sword with both hands and used his body to drive Yoshi back to the wall.
Yoshi readjusted her grip and planted her feet. Lucien pushed hard enough to make the Hunter rock back on her heels, but it was only for a moment. She sneered at him in defiance. "That all you got freak?" The fact that she spoke through clenched teeth, was the only indication that she was putting effort into holding him off.
Lucien let out a faint chuckle. "Too bad you can't see what I got Hunter." Silver-gray eyes dropped to the ground and blue eyes followed. Yoshi knew it was a bluff the moment his eyes moved, but it was they excuse they both needed to regroup. The moment Yoshi took her eyes off of Lucien, he threw all his weight into her body. The fact that she was forced three feet through the air told the Hunter that Lucien had stopped fighting fair. The thin armor that she wore absorbed most of the impact as she hit the stone wall, causing her to be only slightly winded. She closed her eyes to the dizziness. She could hear his heavy footsteps coming towards her as she shook the dark of her hair from her eyes. It was when she wiped at her hair again, that she realized her hair did not create the dark.
Yoshima had no time to panic as she heard a rush of air above her head and to the right. The Hunter held her katana to her body and rolled to the left. She rolled up her to her knees and swung her blade over her head, so that blade was parallel to her spine and pointing to the ground. As she had anticipated, Lucien's blade slammed into hers. The Hunter pressed backwards, shoving him and then rolled forward and to her feet. As she stood she blinked her eyes rapidly, hoping against hope that her sight would return. Lucien watched her blink and chuckled lightly. Yoshima picked up the sound and sidestepped his advance meeting his blade. She took a chance and lashed at him with her tanto, hoping to connect with his gut.
A booted foot slamming into her wrist not only took away her chance but, left her wide open. The dark woman steeled herself for the blow that was to come. It felt as if a tree trunk slammed into her chest, as Lucien's foot connected with her rib cage. She felt the snap of her ribs even before she hit the ground. She landed with a heavy thud that she swore shook the ground. It was all she could do to hold onto her weapons as she did her best to crawl forward. She spat out blood and Clarion's name as she inched forward, trying to create some distance between her and Lucien.
The red head in question was ending her own battle when she heard her name fall from Yoshi's lips in a strained manner. With a quick twist of her shoulders, the head she held in her in her hands twisted too far to the right and snapped. The vampire that slumped to the ground wasn't dead, but a broken neck would slow him down long enough to pick up her bag and focus her attention on Yoshi. Clarion's small legs ate up the hundred yards that separated her from the fallen Hunter. She caught the flailing hands at her shins and dropped to her knees.
"It's me, it's me." She stilled Yoshi's hands. "I've got you." She felt the Hunter calm. Clarion stood as the Hunter rose up to a kneeling a position. Green eyes blazed a path to a smiling Lucien. "You're a maggot you know that." She spit in his direction, causing him to laugh.
"A maggot, Claire? Come now cher, you can do better than that. We were doing that trick in 12th..." His words died in his throat as he felt the first movement of maggots in the most clever of places: under his skin. Lucien looked down at his forearms and he couldn't help raise his brow in surprise. He sucked his teeth and looked at a smirking Clarion. "On the inside. Real cute."
Clarion watched from her spot as the skin of his forearms bulged and moved with the creatures that were under his epidermis and making their way through his body. She heard him let out a small grunt and she turned her attention to Yoshi. "You ready?"
Yoshi held fast to Clarion's smaller hands and she got to her feet. "I can't see Clarion, I-I still."
Clarion sshed the stuttering Hunter and cradled her face in her hands. "Hey, hey," Yoshi focused her attention on Clarion's voice. ",You love me?" With a furrowed brow, the Hunter nodded her head. "Then look at me."
By the look on the Hunter's face, it seemed that she had discovered electricity. The pupils of her eyes dilated to cover most of her cornea, as she took in Clarion's face like it was sunshine. Yoshi did not fight the smile that came to her lips and Clarion didn't hesitate to return the gesture. The moment was broken as Lucien emitted a small squeal of triumph. "We gotta go Yoshi." Blue eyes cut to Lucien who was shaking out his arms and about to pick up his sword. "Forget about him, do you hear that?"
Yoshi felt the rumble and turned her eyes gaze towards the ceiling. "Jesus Christ."
"Ya' know I'm thinking it's not him, but more like thirty of his worst admirers." The seriousness of the situation was not lost in her sarcasm.
Yoshi nodded and they started to move. "You missing something Hunter?" Both women turned in Lucien's direction to see his foot steeping on the handle of her dagger. Clarion cursed under breath and Yoshi grumbled. Yoshi held out her tanto. "Take it."
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