The Crimson Claymore

The Crimson Claymore: Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Drop him, you fool!" Karceoles yelled into the wind as he turned in his saddle to face Searon.

Searon ignored the wizard as he wielded his claymore with one hand. He kept the other secure around the human in the saddle in front of him. The weight from the large sword was nearly throwing him off balance. His attacks were slower than normal with a higher focus on defensive parries rather than offensive strikes.

His body felt weary as he moved around in a flow of defensive maneuvers against the draeyks. He wasn't at his full strength after what Arria had done to him, but he didn't let it show. The muscles in his arms ached greater than they ever had, and he clenched his teeth hard to distract himself from the pain. He knew he was still stronger than the creatures he faced—mentally if not physically.

Searon's eyes flickered as his blade crossed an axe of a draeyk. There was tension and anger that swelled through his body more than ever. His blade shook slightly at its weight, and he tried to shift his balance while keeping hold of the human in front of him. Each time he faced draeyks, it enraged him with new passion to destroy everything that they were. The shiny black scales of the creature in front of him shimmered, only making him angrier. His blood boiled as he fought with newfound passion. He saw a flicker of Victoria's face in the distance, and he blinked, hoping to see her wonderful smile again, but she was gone. Murderers.

His arm was becoming weak as his body was tiring, but he would not let go of the human; he wouldn't give up on him. He'd seen too many people around him die, and this time there was something he could do to prevent another death. The creature in front of him snarled in impatience at being deflected. He stared into the creature's eyes with boiling hate. There is no forgiveness for murder.

At his side, Starlyn performed exotic moves, twirling her hammer in patterns of stars. It almost appeared that her attacks would strike herself as her hammer moved around her body. She stepped on another's head, hearing the crunch of its black scales, before landing perfectly behind them all. In one quick motion, she heaved her hammer into the skull of a draeyk before it had the chance to turn around. Before the creature fell to the ground, Starlyn leaped into the air and dashed along the side of the large stone until landing alongside Searon once again. The way she slashed the air with defensive maneuvers seemed as soft as a feather. She didn't feel or think during the battle but became one with the hammer and let it guide her. She was one of the few that could show speed and grace with a hammer.

She observed Searon, wondering why he cared so much for a fellow human he had never met. The emotions of his kind were hard for her to understand. Searon's strength impressed her as he fought. She knew that he was strong, but to be able to hold onto the human while battling with a large claymore with only one hand stunned her. Even though she was a kheshlar with more strength than a human, she still knew she would have dropped the man so she could better balance her hammer. A smile tugged at Starlyn's lips as she realized that once Searon's mind was made up that there was no changing it. Instead of debating with herself at his reason, she instead decided to help him protect the human and stood by his side.

There was only one thing lingering in Starlyn's mind as she fought. Her sister, Arria, flashed through her thoughts, and it kept her concentration high. It seemed as if every draeyk she battled was her sister. Their faces only changed back to those of the scaly creatures as she delivered their deathblows. She could not kill her sister, and she would not. There was little chance she could ever have her sister back the way she was before the black magic grabbed ahold of her. Yet inside her heart Starlyn knew that she had to try. Arria did not deserve death, no matter what her crimes were. If it came to the worst, she would imprison her sister until she could find a cure. She owed it to her. Her sister had saved her so many times in the past, and she knew that somewhere in the soulless demon her sister still lingered. Every now and then when she saw the undead kheshlar that was her sister, she saw a flicker in her eyes that belonged to Arria. It was the only thing that kept Starlyn going. She had to have faith.