Ayato_kanzaki

  "There is a pce I need to go. I can’t accompany you today. I’ll return tomorrow." said Cire as they left the city.

  "Have you found traces of a Yoma?" asked Mash. "Or maybe you'll meet with one of your Organization's agents?"

  Cire remained silent for a few seconds, and finally decided there was no harm in telling them.

  "You know that we are half Yoma, and that when facing difficult opponents, we draw out more of our power, and our bodies start changing."

  "Yes, you told us." nodded Gudako. "Your eyes turn gold, and your veins start bulging, your muscles growing bigger. But there must be more to it, or you wouldn't mention it."

  "…Yes. We can push the Yoma transformation farther. Even maniputing our bodies in ways no human can do. But there is a danger to it. If we go past our limit, we won't be able to turn back. And the transformation isn't only physical. There is also another danger. Even if we don't push the transformation to the point where it becomes dangerous, even if we do not go beyond our eyes changing color, the number of times we can do it is limited. As if the limit became a little closer each time. Eventually, we will start feeling like we are reaching it."

  "Every Warrior possesses a bck card, hidden within the hilts of our swords. When we feel like our time is drawing near, we give the card to an Agent or another Warrior, and ask them to give it to the Warrior we want to be killed by, while we can still die as humans."

  "That's terrible." said Mash with sympathy. "…Have you received a bck card?"

  "Yes." nodded Cire. "Elena is waiting for me, so I must go and give her peace."

  "…Cire, I am going to ask you something very important. How do Warriors candidates become half-Yoma, exactly?" asked Britomart with an intent expression.

  "…The organization bring us to their headquarters, and we are put to sleep. While we are unconscious, they open our bodies from sternum to crotch, remove the reproductive organs, and put fresh Yoma flesh inside of us, before sewing us close. The Warrior Candidates wake up in extreme pain. They will either adapt and become half-Yoma, or die if they aren't compatible enough."

  "That's… gross. Sorry, Cire." said Gudako.

  "It is." nodded Cire. "It does have an advantage, at least. We can travel alone without having to fear rape from bandits. If we just show them the scar, they will be disgusted and leave. Since we aren't allowed to kill humans under any circumstances, it would be hard to defend ourselves without that."

  "…We'll go with you, Cire." decided Britomart.

  "You do not need to. It is for me to take care of Elena."

  "No, we need to go. We may have a chance to save your colleague."

  "…Save her? How?"

  "We possess an ability called 'Purge', that can deal with all kinds of diseases and parasites. I don't want to make any promises, but it is worth trying, at least."

  "…Assuming this works, will you teach it to me?"

  "That isn't impossible." nodded Mash. "Let's first see if we can help Elena, and if there are secondary effects. If everything goes as we hope, we'll talk about this."

  "Yes, thank you. Even if it fails, I am grateful that you are willing to try."

  …

  It took them a little over two hours to find the ruins on the hill, and they slowly started walking up its slope.

  "I can sense Yoki coming from the ruins." said Cire.

  She apparently had been felt as well, as seconds ter, everyone saw another Warrior walking from behind a colpsed wall. Like Cire, she had blonde hair, silver eyes, and a pretty face. She had longer hair, parted on the right side and reaching slightly past her shoulders.

  She slowly walked toward the group, sword in hand. When they got close enough to talk, Elena talked with a gentle voice.

  "It has been a long time, hasn't it, Cire?"

  "Elena…" replied Cire, not knowing what to say.

  "You haven't changed at all. It's as if you had stayed exactly the same. I'm trying very hard, for I am meeting you. Thank you for coming, Cire."

  Veins started to become visible all over Elena's body. She was starting to lose control.

  "Bakudo n°61, Rikujokoro." chanted Britomart, pointing a finger at Elena, and six thin, wide beams of light smmed into Elena's midsection, keeping her in pce. Elena and Cire both looked with surprise at the light that resembled petal flowers.

  "Sorry to interrupt. My name is Britomart, and it's nice to meet you. We won't stop Cire from doing what she must, if it proves necessary, but before that, we wish to try another method, so please excuse us."

  "There is no other way." gasped Elena, her voice half turning into a growl and her teeth becoming sharper.

  Britomart ignored her and grabbed her left forearm, wary to not touch Elena where she might bite her hand. She activated Greater Healing, and used it to establish a quick diagnostic. The Yoma cells in her body were mostly concentrated into her abdomen, but had also spread everywhere, giving Elena supernatural speed and strength. But they also had grown in number to the point that they seemed to have formed some kind of decentralized intelligence, and that intelligence was trying to take over the body by changing more human cells into Yoma ones. And the more Yoma cells she had, the stronger the intelligence was growing.

  Britomart realized that she had a choice. She could purge some of the cells, enough to cause the intelligence to lose awareness. Elena would recover control, but the issue would happen again one day, once the number of Yoma cells grew again.

  Or she could purge it all.

  Britomart thought about it for a second, and realized something. To put it crudely, being a Warrior sucked. They spent their lives in solitude, loathed by the very people they risked their lives to protect. It wasn't something she would wish to her worst enemy.

  She decided that Elena deserved a better life than being restored as a tool for a callous organization.

  So she purged it all.

  "Eh?" gasped Elena, as she felt herself returning to her human form. The strain she had felt for weeks, struggling to keep her humanity, was gone in seconds. The cymore she held in her right hand felt heavier than normal and fell from her hand.

  "Success!" excimed Britomart with a grin, releasing her from the Shinigami sealing technique.

  Elena looked in wonder at her hands as she flexed them, and Cire ran to her, hugging her tight.

  "Good news, Elena is healed, permanently." announced Britomart as she looked back at Mash and Gudako, smiling. "I will also restore her internal organs and erase the scrar ter, to how it was before she became a Warrior."

  "Bad news, Elena isn't a Warrior anymore, so no more superhuman speed and strength… At least for now. After we teach body strengthening via Magecraft, she'll be able to fight Yomas again."

  "I do not know how you did it, but thank you." said Elena.

  "Do not mind it. Helping people in need is our calling. We are happy that we could avoid a tragedy today." smiled Britomart, and Gudako nodded.

  "I will need to inform the Organization." said Cire, smiling. "If you can stop Warriors from becoming Awakened Beings, this will change a lot of things."

  "Awakened beings?" asked Gudako.

  "That's the name we give to Warriors who become Yoma." said Elena. "They are much stronger than normal Yomas. There are even four of them, the Abyssal Ones… Those four are so strong that the Organization gave up on trying to kill them, and we stay out of their territories."

  "Isley of the North, Riful of the West, Lucie of the South, and… Priscil." continued Elena.

  Mash, Gudako and Britomart saw Elena gnce at Cire as she said the st name, and Cire's expression hardened. They guessed that Cire had some personal history with Priscil. "The Warriors who venture into their territories just… disappear. Or they come out as Awakened Beings."

  Gudako's eyes started to shine, and Mash sighed in exasperation.

  "Stop it, senpai! We're not going on a hunt for the Abyssal Ones. We don't know how strong they are, and we can't risk jeopardizing our mission."

  "Spoilsport." muttered Gudako.

  "A mission?" asked Elena, shocked. Did she fail to convey to them how powerful the Abyssal Ones were?

  "Come with us, and we'll expin everything." smiled Britomart, and Elena nodded. As an orphan, and now former Warrior, she didn't have anywhere to go to begin with.

  …

  Two days ter, Cire walked into the woods surrounding the city the group had stopped in for the night. She stopped in a small clearing and waited.

  The Organization's Agents always knew where to find them.

  They waited a few minutes, and the same Agent that Cire regurly met, entered the clearing, warily coming closer. He was escorted by two Warriors that Cire didn't recognize.

  As always when Warriors met for the first time, they introduced themselves by name and ranking.

  "N°47, Cire." said Cire, announcing her position as dead st in the ranking.

  "N°8, Dietrich." nodded the one standing on the Agent's left, with long hair gathered partially gathered into two side tails. She was the Warrior with the shortest stature Cire had ever met, but she didn't look down on her. It would be very stupid, with someone ranked Eighth.

  "N°46, Crice." replied the cymore with short brown hair. The fact that her hair still had its original color meant that the likely hadn't benefited much from becoming part Yoma, but Cire didn't intend to underestimate her, either.

  After all, she herself was only a quarter Yoma, as in her case, they had stuffed her body with the flesh of another Warrior.

  "We were surprised when we didn't find Elena's corpse to bury." said the Agent. "What is the meaning of this, Cire? Did you let an Awakened Being escape, or did you side with her?"

  "Neither. Elena isn't an Awakened Being. She had been cured by the Magecraft users and is now fully human. They even removed her scar and restored her human organs."

  "Impossible!" snorted the Agent.

  "I used to think so, too. And yet, I can't deny what I saw with my own eyes." shrugged Cire. "Elena doesn't emit the slightest trace of Yoki anymore, as far as I can tell. Gudako, Mash and Britomart have offered to do the same for every Warrior who would come close to her limit."

  Dietrich and Crice looked at each other in both disbelief and hope.

  "Magecraft users?" asked Dietrich.

  "They can use some strange techniques that allow them to attack from a distance, and have started to teach them to Elena and I." nodded Cire.

  "How did they do it? How long did it take? Was it painful?" asked Crice

  "It wasn't painful. She held Elena who was going beyond her limit for a while, and Elena's body slowly returned to normal. I didn't understand completely how Britomart expined it. She said that all living beings are made of countless smaller living beings she called 'cells', just like a stone wall is made of stones held together by mortar. The 'cells' belonging to the Yoma were attacking those belonging to Elena and turning them into more of themselves, and Britomart did something that killed every Yoma cells."

  "…and you said she restored her missing organs?" asked Crice.

  "Britomart caused some of Elena's cells to duplicate themselves, like those sea stars that will turn into two sea stars if you split them, then somehow made the new cells change their type and stick together to recreate different organs. When I asked her how, she said I wouldn't understand the expnation."

  "…Where is Elena currently?" asked the Agent.

  "In the city, with the Magecraft users."

  "Tomorrow, you will bring Elena to us. We want to examine her."

  "You aren't going to hurt her, right?" frowned Cire. She knew from experience that the Organization could be callous at times.

  "No. Some of the tests might be a bit uncomfortable, but we won't cause her any severe harm. You know that we do not kill humans. If we agree that she isn't an awakened Being, she will be free to go."

  "…Very well."

  "You can go, then."

  Cire nodded and walked away.

  When she was far away, the Agent talked in a low voice.

  "When more Warriors reach us, we will escort those Magecraft users to Headquarters, by force if necessary. We need to learn everything they know."

  Crice nodded, doubtful and wondering what would happen if they resisted.

  "…Dietrich, is there a problem?" asked the Agent.

  Since Cire had left, Dietrich had been staring up at the foliage of a nearby tree, frowning.

  "…It's nothing." said Dietrich as she looked back at the Agent. For a while, she had felt like someone was in the tree, watching her. But as she stared and tried to find the source of that gaze, she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

  …

  Cire knocked on the door, and Mash opened, smiling.

  "Welcome back. How did it go? Is your Agent going to spread the word to your colleagues?"

  Cire smiled as she entered, nodding to Gudako, who was teaching that game called Chess to Elena.

  "Not yet. He was accompanied by two Warriors this time and accused me of letting Elena escape or aiding an Awakened Being. Where is Britomart?"

  "I'm here." said Britomart as she materialized on Cire's right. "I was bored, so I followed you."

  "Following me?" frowned Cire, before she brushed it off, realizing that it would be hypocritical of her to protest when she had followed them just after meeting them.

  "The important thing is that the Agent wants to perform some tests on Elena, to confirm that she is fully human. Once they are satisfied, they will release her. Would you mind staying close until they are done?" asked Cire.

  "I don't." smiled Gudako.

  "I'm fine with waiting, too." nodded Mash.

  "Actually, this is what the Agent told Cire. But it is a good thing that I chose today to be curious about him, because I caught him lying. If we hand over Elena to them, she will be in danger."

  "What?" asked Elena, and Cire stiffened.

  "Mash and Britomart have, among other things, the ability to tell when someone is lying, with complete certainty. How bad is it, Britomart?" asked Gudako.

  "He lied when he said the tests he intended to run on Elena wouldn't cause her severe harm, and also lied when he said that she would be free to go if they acknowledged her as human. Moreover, after Cire had departed, the Agent said to the other two Warriors that he was waiting for more Warriors to gather, then would escort us back to their headquarters. With whatever amount of force necessary to convince us to go with them. Once there, we will likely be questioned, or maybe I should say tortured, until we have revealed all of our secrets."

  "What a bunch of fools." sighed Mash.

  "But dangerous fools." said Gudako. "Mash, can you lend me your smartphone, please? It's for this kind of situation that almost half of our forces are twiddling their thumbs at Chaldea."

  …

  The next day, Gudako, Mash, Britomart, Cire and Elena left the road and walked among the woods. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped, and Mash called Chaldea.

  "Hi, Director." smiled Mash.

  "Hi, Mash. I have selected four people among the volunteers. I think they will be enough. Are you ready to receive them?"

  "Yes, Director. Thank you for your help."

  "It's only natural. And it helps me get Medb off my back… That damn woman is way too sadi… Anyway, Type: Moon is sending them over. Good luck, and call us if you need more reinforcements."

  "Thank you, Director. Gudako and Britomart say hello. Have a good day."

  "Thank you. You too." replied Olga-Marie, ending the call.

  Mash could already feel a huge spike in the ambient mana, and a rge summoning array was drawing itself on the ground. Cire and Elena were watching the glowing circle in wonder.

  The summoning ritual ended in a fsh, and four people stood where the circle had been.

  Medb was dressed in a tight bck leather outfit, with a sword hanging from her waist. Asuka had her red pilot suit on, mostly covered by a bck magician's robe. Atanta wore a light blue and bck dress and stockings, and Aife was in her usual blue, bck and dark gray bodysuit, her blue spear in hand.

  "I'll do the introductions." smiled Gudako. "Those are our friends, Cire, and Elena. Cire, Elena, these are Medb, Asuka, Aife and Atanta."

  "Nice to meet you." nodded Asuka. "Is fighting imminent?"

  "Probably not." replied Mash. "The Organization should still be in the process of gathering Warriors. There are about fifty Warriors, total, and they are spread over a rge area. And we don't know how many of them they will mobilize to try to abduct us, or how strong they are."

  "So, what is the pn?" asked Medb.

  "The next time this Agent appears to speak to Cire, we will confront him." said Mash. "We think it is better to do a preemptive strike, before the Warriors can fully assemble. This Organization must be quite shady, and we need to know more about it, as soon as possible."

  "Good. I will make this Agent talk." grinned Medb, looking forward to a vigorous interrogation.

  "Yes, that's your area of expertise." smiled Britomart. "Now that the summoning is over, let's resume our travel to the next vilge. While we walk, Cire, Elena, would you mind telling us everything you know about the other Warriors and their fighting styles?"

  "Yes. But I do not know all that much, since we rarely interact with each other. I will tell you what I can."