Ch 220: The meaning of the Black Card

"There is a place I need to go. I can’t accompany you today. I’ll return tomorrow." said Claire 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?"

Claire 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 manipulating 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 black 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 black card?"

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

"…Claire, 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, Claire." said Gudako.

"It is." nodded Claire. "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, Claire." 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 Claire.

She apparently had been felt as well, as seconds later, everyone saw another Warrior walking from behind a collapsed wall. Like Claire, 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, Claire?"

"Elena…" replied Claire, 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, Claire."

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 slammed into Elena's midsection, keeping her in place. Elena and Claire 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 Claire 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 claymore she held in her right hand felt heavier than normal and fell from her hand.

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

Elena looked in wonder at her hands as she flexed them, and Claire 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 scar later, 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 Claire, 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, Luciela of the South, and… Priscilla." continued Elena.

Mash, Gudako and Britomart saw Elena glance at Claire as she said the last name, and Claire's expression hardened. They guessed that Claire had some personal history with Priscilla. "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 explain 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 later, Claire 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 Claire regularly met, entered the clearing, warily coming closer. He was escorted by two Warriors that Claire didn't recognize.

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

"N°47, Claire." said Claire, announcing her position as dead last 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 Claire had ever met, but she didn't look down on her. It would be very stupid, with someone ranked Eighth.

"N°46, Clarice." replied the claymore 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 Claire 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, Claire? 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 Claire. "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 Clarice 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 Claire.

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

"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 explained 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 Clarice.

"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 explanation."

"…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 Claire. 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."

Claire 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."

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

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

Since Claire 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.

…

Claire 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?"

Claire 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 Claire's right. "I was bored, so I followed you."

"Following me?" frowned Claire, 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 Claire.

"I don't." smiled Gudako.

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

"Actually, this is what the Agent told Claire. 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 Claire 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 Claire 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 in Chaldea."

…

The next day, Gudako, Mash, Britomart, Claire 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 large summoning array was drawing itself on the ground. Claire and Elena were watching the glowing circle in wonder.

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

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

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

"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 large 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 plan?" asked Medb.

"The next time this Agent appears to speak to Claire, 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 village. While we walk, Claire, 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."