Fandom Harm and Salvation (Claymore RP) [Closed]

[Gardenofstars]

The hard metal of her heels dug into the rubble and rocks of the mountain cliff. Olivia hoisted herself up high on the mountainside and looked down at the town below: Maivor, the town she was sent to cleanse. As she sighed, she pushed her fluffy blonde fringe from her eyes and hopped down the cliff. She skipped down the mountainside as if she was walking on air. The breeze comforted her and she closed her eyes imagining she was flying.

“If I jump from here, I can fly anywhere”, she thought to herself, “I can go anywhere. I can be anywhere.”
But she opened her eyes and she was down on the path leaning towards Maivor. “But here I am”, she thought.

It was a modest town: comprised most of miners. Their soot-covered hands and faces, weary expressions, and tired overworked bodies led Olivia to believe as such. She recoiled, disgusted by the smell of sweat and coal that wafted from the town. Along the cliff-side she noticed two children racing against the edge. Her eyes followed them, particularly their tattered shoes and the unstable ground in which they stepped. Any moment now. It will happen any second.

Olivia glided through the air towards the young girl as her leg slipped down the broken land. The child gasped for air as the woman held her by her neck. The other child crashed into Olivia with all of her weight, “Let go of her!”
But Olivia remained unmoved and her eyes transfixed on the child she held. “If I let you go, you could fly. You could go anywhere.”

The little girl winced and sobbed as she gazed into Olivia’s dead gaze. To hold something so small and helpless and to be the only thing standing in its way between life and death: it gave such a surge of emotions to her. Was it joy? Satisfaction? It was hard for her to pinpoint what exactly she felt. And before she could dwell further on these emotions, she felt a sharp pain dig into the side of her head.

Olivia turned her head to see an old man holding a handful of rocks, “Set her down, Claymore! We know your laws! You aren’t to spill human blood!”. He readied another rock as he awaited the woman’s response. Olivia closed her eyes and nodded, “Apologies. To think I had forgotten.” She tossed the young girl towards the old man, sending him into a frantic panic to catch her.

As the Claymore walked towards the town’s entrance, the old man spit towards her and the second child hurled subsequent rocks at her. Olivia kept on her path: her eyes remained locked on the town before her and the beating of small rocks was nothing that phased her focus. She had been pelted by far worse, she thought, and this would only be the beginning of what this town may throw at her.

Stepping into town was like parting a sea. With each step, the villagers backed away in unison. The faces of the townsfolk ranged from fear to disgust to pure malice. Olivia paused and panned her head across the crowd. She let in a deep breath of air: her silver eyes widened. In the air, she could smell the harsh scent of youma. The putrid flesh-eating fiends were among the crowd, but where? Her eyes darted between villagers. The young man covered in soot, the two women bickering by the well, or perhaps the old man frozen in fear by the town hall steps: which could it be?

She quickened her pace and pushed through the crowd before the villagers had a chance to move. Screams burst out from the crowd as the people panicked, but Olivia paid them no mind as she shoved her way through. Who is it? The scent grew stronger. Who? The scent waned. Where!? Stronger, no weaker: where was it coming from?

A hand touched her shoulder and Olivia spun around with her hand clenched on her sword. An older man with a scraggly beard and a nervous smile stood before her. “You-you're the Claymore we’ve sent for!” he exclaimed, almost as a question. Olivia pursed her lips, but the man continued, “Co-come! Follow. To the town hall. I can explain everything”.

The Claymore remained still as the man made his way to the hall’s steps. He turned back to her and gave her an uncertain nod. Olivia let out a deep breath and joined him.

--- ¤¤¤ ---​

The town hall was as stuffy and soot-covered as the town exterior. The curtains were dull and in tatters, the wood of the tables scraped and stained, and the townspeople were seated around the perimeter, keeping their gaze on the Claymore. The scraggly-bearded man, who addressed himself as the mayor, began to speak, “W- we thank you for coming out here! Given how far out in the mountains we are, we feared the organization couldn't provide us help.”

Olivia kept her blank stare focused on the mayor, “Hmm, well here I am.” The mayor let a broken laugh escape his mouth, but there was tension among the townsfolk. Her gaze remained the same, but her focus drifted to the mutterings of the people surrounding her. The mayor continued, “Ah! Right, your payment-”

The Claymore was quick to end his sentence, “A man in black will come to retrieve your payment. Figure it out then.” Though, as she finished, a townswoman rose from her seat, “Show some respect, Claymore! We folk pay your wage!” Villagers around the woman rushed to her side and pushed her back to her seat. Olivia’s gaze remained on the mayor.

The mayor bowed to the Claymore, “Do forgive us. Tensions are high due to the attacks. Ten deaths in only a week’s span of time. We’re led to believe there’re multiple youma or even a vorac-”

Olivia chimed in, “Did you mention this in your plea to the organization?” The mayor stared, blinked, and then quickened his speed to respond, “Right! Yes! Y-yes we did say!”

She began to zone out into her own thoughts. Multiple youma? A voracious eater even? Why would the organization send her out here by herself? Something wasn’t adding up. She stepped closer to the mayor, causing him to halt. He looked up at her, “If- if there’s anything we can do to help…”

Olivia stared at the man. He was so helpless. If she left the town now, how long before the youma would eat him as well? She began to laugh. The mayor looked on in fear. Agitation and horror overtook the crowd. The Claymore began to speak, “Gather your able-bodied. We need bait.”

bettsyboy

 

[bettsyboy]

It had been a hard week in Maivor, on Monday, Yillin, the Blacksmith's son was found in the town square, the entire area pained red in his blood with only a few torn organs and his bones remaining to be collected, the next day it was Sara, one of the girls who worked at the inn and bought water and rum to the men working in the mines, all they found of her was her left hand. The bodies kept piling up. At first the elders didn't want to contact the Claymores or their "Organization", at first they hired a band of Mercenaries. They took their payment up front, terrorized the town and were among the next to die. After this, there was only one option. The claymores.

The whole town pitched in, the families of those killed gave every last copper to their name as well as all their tools and other valuables, anything to pay the fee to kill these monsters, it would take years for this fee to be recovered from. If it ever was.

The town was alive with murmuring as Marius emerged from his home, a small wooden shack near the center of town. Marius was a young lean man in his mid 20s, with long scraggy brown hair dirty with soot and grime, with a well trimmed beard following his jawline and striking bright blue eyes that stood out among the soot that coated much of his body. He had been intending to bathe the last few days, but the youma attacks had closed the bathhouse and nobody dared go in there and leave themselves exposed.

He made his way to the center of town, stopping twice to empty small stones from his boots, grumbling all the while, grouchy from lack of sleep like much of the rest of the town. He came to the center of town to find a large gathering, he joined the crowd to see what the commotion was... a Claymore. A silver-eyed witch. It was just like the stories his father told him, the Claymores are both the most beautiful, and most terrifying creatures on this earth, half-monsters who felt no emotion, were it not for their organization's laws, they'd be as big a threat as the youma they hunt.

As she passed he began to follow her down the road and into the town hall. He emerged after her and leaned against an old post, crossing his arms and listening intently. After her statement that she needs bait the elder gestured towards Marius "w-well... our man Marius here can help with that, he's the captain of our Militia, please, discuss the matter with him" Marius glared at her, meeting her eyes and not blinking. As soon as she tried to say something he held up a hand "shut up, not here, we don't know who's a youma or not... come on" he gestured for her to follow him back out the door.

Once outside he addressed the crowd "Clear off! All of you! Official business!" A voice erupted from the crowd "so what? We're at the mercy of a one goddamn monster or another!?" With a filthy hand pointed at olivia. Marius shot back "keep talking Varrys and I'll take the other eight!" The hand went back down, the man who yelled quieted down and looked at his feet, backing away "the rest of you clear off! The sooner we're done the sooner things can go back to normal, so let us do our jobs!" With this and a sea of murmurs the crowd dispersed, a glob of spit shot out from the masses aimed at Olivia, Marius either didn't notice or didn't care enough to stop it.

Once the crowd was gone the streep began to empty, the people all locking themselves either in their homes to pray or to the inn to drink their fear away, marius began leading olivia towards the now empty mine shafts "I've been looking into these attacks, from the tracks and witness accounts we're looking at between three and seven youma, we think they're hiding in the mines, but they go on for miles beneath the mountains, they're a maze, we were able to seal a couple in one of the mineshafts the day before yesterday, but they just dug around the cave-in we caused and kept up their rampage" he came to a stop at the end of a paved bit of road, looking forward towards the main mine shaft openings "I'm willing to cooperate with whatever plan you have claymore, but if these people are slaughtered, if by "bait" you mean "sacrificial lambs" i'll be a bigger problem for you than the youma."

He sighed, spitting on the ground, he looked around "I think our best bet is to bottle-neck the youma, draw them towards Mine shaft 6-F, it's a new one, small and isolated from the rest, one way in and out and no big underground maze deeper in, we have 20 militiamen with any real training, if we conscript the regular villagers we can push that to 130, but that'll empty the armory and the untrained will be little more than youma-fodder, we'll also need time to sharped our weapons, repair our old armor and the like" he poonted towards a large silo near the middle of town "dunno if this'll help, but we have plenty of coal and some jugs of oil that burn real nicely in town"

With that he finished his little tour, with a snort he once again crossed his arms, turning to olivia "so, what's your plan?"

 

[Gardenofstars]

At the mention of the word ‘bait’, Olivia could hear murmurs and scoffing among the townspeople. No matter what they thought of her, she promised she thought even less of them. The mayor’s eyes widened. He stuttered before pushing out the words, “W-well... our man Marius here can help with that, he's the captain of our Militia, please, discuss the matter with him.”

Olivia’s gaze drifted to the young man. He appeared strong and able-bodied enough. Though he was just as soot-drenched and disheveled as the rest of the townsfolk. The Claymore narrowed her eyes as she glanced at him. Too often she dealt with humans who were quick to boast of their strength only to end as meat for youma.

Humans were weak. That was the lesson she learned not as a Claymore, but as a human herself. And despite how easy it was for them to succumb to death, they were so careless with their lives. Perhaps that’s why Olivia enjoyed the sight of their fear so much. That fear was the only thing that kept them living.

She thought back to the little girl from the cliff’s edge. What a fool: skipping along a drop that’d lead to her death. Olivia began to wonder if it were a mistake to catch her. “If it isn’t youma, humans will only find some other way to get themselves killed.” she thought to herself.

As the Claymore opened her mouth, her words were cut off by the militia leader. She pursed her lips as she listened to him speak. “This type, huh?” she thought to herself as she listened to him. At least he was straight to the point. So many villages would stall with pleasantries or needless banter. She recalled one job where the townsfolk insisted on having a banquet before she started. Another she battled questions of her upbringing as hard as the youma. Humans were clueless.

Marius was swift to exit the hall and she followed suit. She remained quiet as they pushed through the crowds of disdainful villagers. She listened to the slamming of doors and windows as they walked through the emptied roadways. Finally, they headed towards the mineshaft. The air was heavy near the entrance and her clean white armor began to become soot-stained.

The young man turned to her and she listened to his words. He was more tactful than the usual lot which she dealt. In her experiences, ‘bait' was the only use humans could muster when it came to fighting youma. They'd talk about their strength and power, but when the battle commenced, they'd become an easy meal. Though, as she recalled, she herself was mere bait.

His words left her feeling uneasy: three to seven youma? Why would the Organization send her alone to take on such numbers? She felt a slight pounding in her heart. She had been a warrior for five years if one didn’t count her childhood days before taking on her first mission. Number 25, Olivia: it was a number she took great pride in having, but also she knew that she was far from the best the Organization had to offer.

Olivia listened as the man continued. She let a smile escape her lips as he spoke the words, “...I'll be a bigger problem for you than the youma.” His bravado amused her. Often she met humans who were in opposition to her. Be it townsfolk who’d throw rocks, spit, or curse her name, but no human dared give her such a bold threat. It made her curious about the man’s talents. Either he had the strength to back up his claims or he was as big a fool as the rest of the humans she had known.

After he had finished speaking, Olivia let out a sigh and began to speak, “You seem confident enough; I’ll trust that your words hold weight.” She rested her slender fingers against her chin as she began to think, “The mineshaft, 6-F: it seems like a good enough point to launch an attack, but our greater problem to learning which among you is a youma.”

Oliva whipped in front of Marius, positioning herself mere centimeters from his face and breathing in deep from her nostrils. “You’re clean of the scent of youma at least,” she said as she backed away from him. Her eyes darted back towards the town, “I can’t trust any of your men or any of the villagers for that matter. And checking them one by one may only incite the youma to launch their own counter-attack.” She glared at Maruis and narrowed her eyes, “Despite your hopes, I don’t foresee you taking on one youma by yourself, let alone a group.”

She sighed and pressed her fringe from her forehead, “I suggest we separate the people into groups.” Her eyes locked onto the man, “If you were expecting to save them all, I’ll assume you’re a greater fool than I thought.”

If the townspeople split into groups and held out at strategic points around the town and in the mines, there would be a greater chance at isolating the attacks. Mineshaft 6-F would work as one of the holdouts and using the oil and coal to light beacons, the Claymore would find the fiend's whereabouts. Though, Olivia hoped the militiamen would have the strength required to defend their respective group until help arrived.

Relaxing her shoulders, she fanned out her arms and continued to speak, “If you’re lucky, a few groups may be without a youma.” She smirked as she added, “For the ones that aren’t, you can only hope they have enough time to use that oil to light a beacon.”

Continuing to smile, she walked closer to him, “I’ll allow you to choose the groups. The blood can be on your hands if you chose poorly.”

 

[bettsyboy]

Marius almost recoiled when she darted right in front of him, she was most certainly too close for comfort, so close he could feel her small, light breaths on his skin, and what's more, he could smell her too. She said he didn't have tge smell of a Youma, but she certainly did. She reeked of a monster's scent, combined with her near unblinking, emotionless eyes, it sent shivers down his spine. He didn't step back however, maybe out of pride, maybe out of fear. But all he really knew right now, is that when a girl would get this close to his face, he'd be tempted to kiss her, but not this time.

When she finished he exhaled, thinking for a moment, her plan seemed well enough, his plan was to march all the villagers past the Claymore into the mine, to kill and scatter all those youma who tried to sneak in, and from there to bottleneck the monsters, but fact was, he was just thinking creatively. Marius had his pride, but he knew when to concede to the professionals. He nodded "Alright, sounds like a plan, but first I want to run the Militia by you, see if you can smell out any Youma among them, After that you can do... whatever you need to till nightfall, i'll organize the militia and help prepare"

Finally he took a step back, her monster-scent was unbearable. He placed his hands on his hips "alright, one more thing, if need be we can gather the townsfolk in the church, even if just for a meeting, maybe there you could sniff them out or at least we can see who's bodies the youma have taken through the process of elimination?" He shrugged "look i'm just shooting ideas here, the more we can root these monsters out and prepare before sunfall, the better"

He looked up towards the sun, it was lucky she came when she did, it was still before midday, plenty of time before nightfall, but they had much to do, and this Claymore was their bottleneck, as everything/everyone had to be run by her first. Marius wanted to first identify the youma, to weaken them as much as possible before the night of the battle, but the youma were slippery, those who are sniffed out as clean now could easily be consumed and immitated by youma before nightfall, this is what made them so near impossible to root out, and what nessecitated the use of Claymores.

 

[Gardenofstars]

Setting fear into humans was an occurrence one could count on as a Claymore. Without much effort, one could stir emotions of disgust, hatred, and horror. Though, Olivia didn’t mind putting in the extra effort. If they were to fear her, she’d give them good reason. Being hated was not something she minded: if anything, it only made her job easier. She didn’t have to worry about people getting in her way and humans were smarter to stay away from danger. The situation was a win-win.

Olivia tapped her steel boots into the soil and crossed her arms. She narrowed her eyes as she spoke to him, “We’ll take them one by one. But don’t let on that they’re being searched. If the youmas have the number you predict then they have the upper hand. We tread carefully from here.”

As much as she hated to admit it, she was at a disadvantage. On her past missions, two youma proved a fearsome opponent. While Claymore possessed some of the strength of youma, they were still half human. And humans may be synonymous with fresh meat. The possibility of seven youma… Olivia hoped the man had been mistaken. Three would be a formidable foe. Four would be a struggle. Five was a suicide mission. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what six or seven youma would muster up.

Olivia smiled at his suggestion and fluttered her eyes at him, “So quick to go back on your words of keeping the townsfolk alive?”. She let out a throaty laugh, “Sure, cram them all together for as long as you like. We can even take bets on how many survivors will be left.”

The bait tactic was always the one to win out. The mere suggestion of the idea always sent people into a panic. “How could you suggest such a barbaric tactic!” they’d cry. “You fiend! We’ll never let you use our brethren as bait!” But sure as the next morning’s day as they were picked clean by youma they’d begin choosing who to sacrifice to the cause. It was a tale that was all too familiar to Olivia. From lamb to wolf: it didn’t phase her.

Olivia turned from him and headed towards the mountain cliff. “I’ll be right outside of town if you need me. Say your goodbyes and do your rounds. Tell your militiamen you want to go over some tactics together and I’ll stiff them out for you. Just don’t act too upset if your friends and loved ones end up being youma.” she said with a laugh in her voice.

The Claymore peered up at the sun as she walked. There was still time until sundown. A short rest might suffice, she thought. She would need her energy if she were to take on so many fiends. She mimicked a yawn as she walked. Human expressions were so amusing.

 

[bettsyboy]

Marius gritted his teeth as she left, putting his hand to his face he tried collecting his thoughts. How could he do this? He knew there were a pack of youma, not just one, and he knew they were likely to be hiding among the townsfolk. The very people he was trying to protect, if he gathered them all in one place they would be slaughtered. Behind him footsteps gathered, the townsfolk gathered, wanting answers. Answers he didn't have yet. But he needed to make it sound like he did.

He turned to them, at the head was the village elder, leaning on his walking stick "well? What did it say?" He asked, refusing to refer to the Claymore as human. At first Marius would reprimand him for this, but after actually talking with her, he could feel it, just as the elder had. He cleared his throat and spoke loudly "i want the militia armed and gathered here! Every able-bodied man and woman is to be armed, non-combatants are to barricade themselves in their homes, i want armed townsfolk watching every street, every corner, nobody gets privacy tonight! You piss and shit in view of others, running off for some privacy is the perfect excuse for a youma to run off and shed their disguises! Nobody's gonna be happy tonight, least of all the Youma!" He marched up to the crowd, continuing to bark commands "i want every person to have a bell, a whistle, anything! You see a youma you ring the bells, you scream and holler and i want every armed civilian and militiamab to descend on the beast with the fury of a thousand suns!" He made his way into the crowd, continuing "when the militia get back the claymore will sniff out any Youma among them, though i hope there are none, you can never be too sure, the rest of you gather food, water, bandages, anything that can be useful, the town hall will be our hospital and it'll also be our most fortified possition... be under no illusions people, not all of us will live to see tomorrow, but when that sun rises again, none of the Youma will live to see it, now MOVE IT!" the townsfolk scattered, some running to the town hall, others to the armoury, others simply fled home either to barricade themselves in or to gather their food and get water from the well so the fighters at least wouldnt be fighting Youma on an empty stomach or with parched throats, and ro wash wounds clean.

Marius waited in the street, unmoving, as the militia returned they also bought his armor and sword. Ever since the murders began the militia had been obsessively sharpening and polishing their weapons and armor.

The militia armor consisted of a simple iron helmet, a thick cloth Gambeson and a boiled leather curiass, but the militia captain also had a chainmail undershirt. They all also carried a longsword, a straight dagger, a longbow and a quiver of arrows. One by one they all formed up, 20 men strong. Marius stood before them "alright men, i'm gonna lay this out for you nice and simple, one or more of you may be a man eating monster, who killed our friend and companion and is now wearing their skin and their clothes like the cowardly rat it is, if one of you makes a wrong move, i'll kill you, simple as that" he pointed towards the mountains where the Claymore went "we march to where the claymore has made camp, she'll sniff out if there are any youma among you, to the humans among you, we'll explain our strategy in more detail, now, form up and move out!"

Marius marched at the back, he was the only one they could be sure weren't Youma. Two by two the troops marched out the village gatr as the villagers behind them watched, a couple already panicking, thinking they were abandoning the town. Only to be slapped back to their senses by the elder.

The men marched for awhile, but soon they saw the smoke of the Claymore's camp above a slight rise. They came over the hill with Marius still at the back, his blade already drawn, his eyes narrowed, focussed on the backs of the men he trained with for years, knowing any of them could really be a monster. Once they got to the camp Marius roared "HALT! LINE UP!" The men did so, ining up in single file before the Claymore. Marius made his way around them, making his way to the claymore "well, here they are, Maivor's finest"

 

[Gardenofstars]

Heels clicking against the hard soil, Olivia exited out through town the way she came. She found a trail that led up to a small grove of trees and chose there to make her camp. After thrusting her tall sword into the ground, she spun around and sat beside it. Closing her eyes, she drifted into a trance-like state.

Her dreams were filled with visions of the past. There was a town not too unlike Maivor there. Instead of mines and smog, it was lumber and sawdust. “Same thing anyway,” Olivia thought in her dream. Amidst the dense forest was a modest home. A strong dutiful father, kind and protecting mother, and a quick-witted yet helpful older sister: it was a storybook family. Olivia attempted to recall their faces, but had difficulty. “At least the color of their hair or the clothing they wore?” she beckoned to herself. Frustrated, Olivia forced herself closer to the family in the dream. If only she could get closer she could recall their appearance. She began to walk towards them. She quickened her pace until she was in a full run. She looked on in horror as their faces were ripped and contorted by the claw marks of youma. The young girl screamed.

Olivia’s eyes shot open. She peered in front of herself and saw only a grove of trees by the cliff’s edge. As she scratched the side of her head, she sighed. “I need to forget that stupid dream,” she thought. The Claymore clutched onto her hair and released it from the band that held it together. Wavy white-blonde hair sat just at her shoulders. She brushed her fingers through it as she watched the wind blow the tree branches in the distance. A battle would soon take place. It was her hope to relax and prepare for what was coming ahead.

Olivia stood to her feet and began to stretch. Head to toe, side to side, and back to legs: she needed to be ready to move quick. The Claymore struck at the air. A succession of kicks and punches sped into the empty space in front of her. Hand-to-hand combat wasn't usually a staple for a warrior called a ‘Claymore' but Olivia liked to incorporate it into her technique. It was something that youma did not expect which was often a deciding factor between victory and defeat.

Hearing the steps of marching in the distance, Olivia halted her training. She tied her hair back into a loose bun and sat beside her sword to await the visitors. “Let's see what this town can muster up,” she thought to herself as she sighed aloud.

The Claymore laughed to herself as she watched the soldiers line up like a colony of ants. They were not the sorriest set of humans she had witnessed, which was something that relieved her. Of the twenty soldiers before her, she could predict a few that may even prove helpful. She looked to Marius and nodded, “Fine indeed.” Though, she narrowed her eyes, “Now to see which of your friends is a monster.”

Without any warning, Olivia lept forward towards the first soldier. As with Marius, she stood mere centimeters from his face. As he recoiled she said, “This one’s fine. Next.”

She lept between each of the soldiers, clutching onto them and breathing in their scent. One by one she searched but was finding nothing. “Odd,” she thought, “I still sense one near.”

There was one soldier left. A short man who shook as she turned her gaze towards him. Olivia smiled, relishing in the moment. The man shivered with greater violence as she waltzed towards him at a slower pace. “Ready your weapons,” she called with her eyes locked on the last soldier. As she stood before him, she grinned. She grabbed the man by his shoulders and ripped him towards her. The Claymore breathed in his scent and as she did so her eyes widened. “Huh,” she said.

She began to turn to Marius, “Thought I smelled one of the-” But before she finished, her hand reached for her sword as she blocked the attacking youma. Oliva was furious at herself, “I should’ve sensed it hiding in the grove. Did it sneak up behind the soldiers to confuse me?”

The Claymore parried the next onslaught of attacks before flipping backwards to create distance from the beast. She looked towards Marius and his men, “Well, if there was any time to show your worth, it’s now.”

 

[bettsyboy]

Marius was quick to make his orders "go for it's joints! Around it now!" The men acted quickly, suddenly the loathing they all felt towards Marius for his endless drilling of them faded away as they moved in unison. A couple unleashed arrows in quick succession at the youma as the rest, shields and swords raised, ran around the creature. The arrows were largely harmless to the creature, instead serving to keep it shielding it's eyes and masking their footsteps with it's own hissing. Soon, the men stood almost shield to shield around the creature, Marius glanced to the Claymore "it tries to run or jump, it's yours. ADVANCE!" Marius joined the formation, all at once they took one step forward and stabbed their blades inward. One nicked the creature on the wrist, the beast slashed back at them, but while it's claws could render flesh and light armour, it had trouble with reinforced shields. Another step and another series of jabs. The creature got it's wrist pierced and howled in pain. It charged at two of the men, hoping to break through but in vain. The two men stabbed at the monster, drawing blood. The rest closed in behind the creature, keeping it boxed in. Another series of stabs, this time two hits landing, one piercing the creature's thigh, the other getting in under it's left arm.

Again the creature panicked, but this time it paid dividends, it jumped at an angle, thrusting it's arm forward, this time it was a human who screamed, one of the men, Pavol, a great bearded beast of a man who's blonde whiskers were braided like a dwarf from the old stories and the rest of him built like a bear, yet strong muscles couodn't stop a Youma's claws penetrating it's eyes. The man fell back, collapsing as his screams quickly died and the momentum carried the Youma's claws into his brain, killing him. But the Youma's celebration was short lived. Filled with vengeful rage the other men leapt onto the cteature, thrusting and chopping at it. The creature screamed a gutteral howl, lashing out blindly as one eye was stabbed out then another. The men were all screaming as well, the line between man and beast blurring as the creature's blood and chunks of it's body went flying, coating the men in a deep purple, when finally, one by one, they stopped.

The creature crawled out of the mass of men, bleeding everywhere, trying to pant but the air escaped from it's opened throat. The men watched it try to crawl away, when it pulled it's upper body from the mass of men it revealed it's body had been hacked in two, right above the hips. It's insides fell out as it crawled, it crawled towards the closest thing to a youma presence what's left of it's senses could detect, Olivia, the Claymore. It crawled closer but behind it, Marius walked over, casually sheathing his blade and drawing his dagger.

With the creature at Olivia's feet he grabbed it by a tuft of hair on it's head. He bought the dagger around it's neck and began sawing quickly. One by one the ligaments gave way, the creature gurgled it's last as he pierced through it's spine which gave resistance, but he wriggled the blade in between 2 vertebrae and sliced straight through tge nerves. Finally the last bit of skin holding it's head on was cut away and Marius held up the head. Panting and coated head to toe in Youma blood and giblets, he reached into the creature's mouth. With a grunt he ripped one of the creature's massive canine fangs out and dropped it's head. He looked back to poor dead Pavol, sighing as he sheathed his dagger "well, that's one down i guess, i'll have to tell his family when we get back to town... that'll be fun"

He looked back to the men, nodding his head "Good job men... it's a damn shame about Pavol, he was a good man, but he died so many others may live, it's what we all signed up for, what we all trained for, say your farewels then form up again, we still need to go over the plan"

Marius waited for the men to one by one say their goodbyes and say a prayer for their fallen comerade, once done they formed back up. They took Pavol's weapons, knowing they may still be used in the coming hunt, he'd want them to save someone else rather than rust on his corpse for sentimentality alone. Marius stood still as they did so, his hands linked and his head bowed, silent the whole time.

Once done he turned back to Olivia "now, the battle plan" he picked up a stick and began drawing a crude map of the town in the dirt "non-combatants will be barricaded in their homes, they each have bells and whistles, if a Youma gets in their houses they ate to sound the alarm and the surrounding townsfolk armed with spare weapons from the armoury will come running. The Militia will patrol through the town in 2 groups, each second militiaman will have a horn they can blow to alert the others when they have contact, our central defensive point is the town hall, it's being converted into a hospital and is our fall-back location" he looked to Olivia "your job... is whatever you want, i'd reccommend you take possition on top of the hospital, you Claymores can easily keep up with a Youma's agility, so i assume traveling by rooftop won't be a problem for you and starting from a central possition will make it so getting to any "contact points" may be quicker than if you took up possition on one side of town, so, thoughts?"

 

[Gardenofstars]

Olivia watched as Marius lead the onslaught. His men surrounded the beast and on-by-one delivered a series of blows to the joints of the monster. The soldiers were swift, knowledgeable, and most of all: well trained. The Claymore began to wonder how many youma they had fought in the past since they were no amateurs. As she watched, Marius dispensed orders with ease: he was in his element and the soldiers fed off of his certainty. Olivia lost focus as she watched how the humans behaved. They did seem cut from a sturdier bolt of cloth than the usual folk she was used to meeting. She began to feel curious how they were able to perform feats much difficult for the average person. “Who is he exactly?” Olivia wondered as she stared at Marius. She began unaware of her surroundings as she trapped herself in her own thoughts.

Reality set in again as she heard Marius’s words, “It tries to run or jump, it's yours. Advance!” The Claymore shook the thoughts from her mind as she dove forward at the youma. The monster attempted to leap into the air, but Olivia had positioned herself atop its path. From above came the Claymore and below were the crowd of soldiers: the youma had nowhere left to escape. In unison, both parties dug their blades and arrows into the monster. “To think humans can place themselves as teammates,” Oliva thought with a grin. Though this was a mere one youma they fought. Still, on her mind, Olivia feared how they’d fare against a group.

Though, the battle was far from over. The youma, battered and frightened struck out and slaughtered one of the soldiers. “What do you expect?” Olivia thought as she lept towards the youma’s head, “Human’s die so quick.” She and the soldiers were unrelenting in their attack until the youma was left in shreds. The Claymore stared down at the beast that crawled towards her with its last ounce of life, “Pathetic.” Marius put an end to the creature’s life and relief filled the grove. Olivia watched as the man held the youma’s head high and she laughed to herself, “He’s having more fun with this than he puts on.”

As Marius rallied with his troops, Olivia’s mind wandered back to her previous thoughts. “They’re too well trained for typical grunts. But who’s teaching humans how to fight youma so well?” she began to think. Looking back at the creature’s corpse, it was clear that they knew the exact areas to target. They struck first with the beasts limbs and its vital organs. These were lessons that she was taught early on as a Claymore, but it was a knowledge that she rarely saw humans share. The girl shook her head as she walked closer to the group. Perhaps humans had started to catch on to things. It was uncommon, but nothing to cause one to wrack their mind.

Olivia stood with the crowd of soldiers as they listened to Marius’s plan. As he concluded, she nodded her head and smiled, “I’ll take to the rooftops. My efforts are most effective if I can move unhindered.” As she watched the near setting sun she placed her fingers against her chin, “Shall we move then? By the time we reach the village, who knows if they’ve all been devoured.” To her, it mattered little. If not today, something would come to kill them. Be it another youma, bandits, or some other beast lurking in the forests: humans were destined to die. It was a fate Olivia knew well and one she’d accept one day.

Nearing the town, bells and whistles began to go off like a ticking clock. So many had begun at once and Olivia froze in her footsteps. “That’s…” she said as she counted the bells, “seven.” It was what she feared most. Unless the youma had traveled quick between the holdouts, there were the maximum total loose in the village. The Claymore clutched her sword as she began to rush ahead, “I’ll take the church”. Olivia made her way onto the rooftop where she could get a clear vantage point of the scene. The people of the town had left their homes and were running scared in the streets. From the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a youma: one. Further, towards the town hall, she heard the doors smash open, revealing a gang of scared villagers and two more youma. In the distant mines, she watched as three youma emerged carrying a bloodied arm as a trophy of their kill. She turned her sights back to the church and dove through the large glass windows.

Inside the church, Olivia was amazed by the silence. It was empty and no sign of life or death was in sight. She stopped and darted her gaze around herself. “I heard the bells. There has to be-” she started before her words were cut off. A youma dove at her from behind before she rolled to the church’s podium. Olivia hopped back up to her feet and locked her eyes with her foe. “Dirty trick for a youma. I didn’t think you lot had it in you.” she sneered. The unamused monster dove again for another attack, but for this one Olivia had her sword ready. The Claymore slashed against the beast’s knees sending it to the ground. It wasn’t long though before the monster was back for another round of attacks, this time it targeted Olivia’s hands. She dropped her sword and flipped back further to the wall of the church.

The youma laughed as it stood atop her weapon, “Not much talk are you without a sword, are you Claymore?” But Olivia nodded to the beast and smiled. She tightened the bandages on her hands and began to stretch in place. As she stood straight she yawned, “Such a heavy thing to lug around.” The youma watched as Olivia took one step forward. “I much prefer to use my own methods” she finished as she landed an uppercut on the creature’s jaw. The youma was sent flying as Olivia bent down to reclaim her sword. She shrugged with her sword in hand, “But I suppose it comes with the title.” The beast let out a fierce screech as the Claymore lunged for its neck.

 

[bettsyboy]

Marius froze in horror as the bells rang out. There was no way the villagers were ready by now, and the Youma knew it. He fucked up, he knew it. He underestimated the Youma, not their prowess in combat, he knew that well, but their intelligence and cunning. How could he so brazely organize the villagers in the open like this!? The Youma took advantage of the chaos of the town getting organized to begin their assault. The Youma knew well they'd been found out and chose to start the fight on their own terms. He paused as his men looked to him, not saying a word, he surveyed the battlefield. Many villagers were trying to fight in the streets using weapons from the armoury but they were no match for the Youma. Humans needed numbers and organization to kill Youma, thats why the beasts hid within human populations. To strike when they wanted then retreat to hide, and to disrupt the humans organizing to fight them. So the villagers were being killed off one by one in the streets. The Armory was ablaze, robbing the unarmed people from tools to defend themselves. He saw the blood leaking out from the town hall, any wounded bought there would be greeted by hungry Youma, those who fled to the mines to hide would be slaughtered by the rest. The Claymore made for the Church, two in the town hall, three at the mines, one in the woods and one already dead. He collected his thoughts and took in a deep breath, ignoring the copper-y smell that was quickly filling the air "... the town hall, we move as one to the town hall, we pick up any armed villagers we find and we kill the two in the town hall, from there we'll attempt to regroup and make an assault on the mines, shields up boys, let's kill some monsters!"

There were no cheers, just a silent acknowledgement and at a brisk jogging pace the men moved into town. All around them were bodies, weeping children, the screams of men holding their insides as they leaked out, crying out for their mothers, it was pure chaos. The few armed men they found they called over, but many were too scared to move, the blades in their hands little more than substitute safety blankets they held tight but lacked the courage to use. Marius didn't blame them, they didn't sign up for any of this. But the militia pushed on, gradually joined by one armed civilian, then another, drawn to the militia's organization and the fact they were already coated in Youma blood.
They pushed on the town center, inside the door they could see the Youma inside, feasting. Marius knew time was running out, he pushed the men into a sprint. The Youma were engorged in their feasting, ignorant to their surroundings, considering humans around them to be prey they'll get to later. Marius took place at the head of the militia "no screams men! Stay focussed, just rush in and kill them" he ordered. They picked up the pace, their legs moving like a blur.

To the Youma within, they were too busy finding the best bits of human meat to scoff down, what did they care for armed humans? Give them a roar and they'll scatter afterall. So they barely glanced up when a stampede of footsteps thundered through the front door. They let out off'handed slashes eith their claws to scatter the humans, but they scraped across and tore sheilds, ot flesh. By the time they finally gazed up spears and blades pierced their eyes and mouths. The combined momentum of 25 humans, 29 militia, 5 villagers and Marius, crashed into them. Spears and blades stabbed and slashed wildly at the creatures, soon they were forced back against 2 corners of the main hall. Each one with over 10 humans bearing down on them. They tried climbing the walls but their legs were impaled. One was pinned to the wall by a spear through it's right leg, the other with a sword through it's right shoulder. The beasts slashed and kicked wildly, one after another the humans fell, arteries cut, their eyes slashed out, one was simply kicked so hard in the chest his lungs collapsed. But finally, like the first Youma, the next two were hacked to pieces, their heads sliced off, their limbs chopped up and their organs torn to pieces and scattered across the room.

In the aftermath of the chaos, Marius took a knee, one pf the beasts had slashed him in the left leg, thankfully it missed any arteries but still he was bleeding, a lot. He looked up and surveyed the room. They had every advantage. Their numbers, supprise and momentum lead them to killing the two Youma, but at great cost. Of the 25 men who entered the building, 15 were left. 12 militiamen and 3 villagers. And they still had three Youma to go. Assuming of course the Claymore had killed her mark in the church by now.

Marius gripped his leg as one of the villagers spoke up "so.... what now huh!? God, almost half of us were killed by just two Youma and we had every advantage! And there are still more out there!" Marius snapped back "we stick with the plan... the Youma aren't hiding anymore, as far as they know they've already won. For now we call in the surrounding townsfolk, we regroup and launch an attack on the Youma at the mines, when we approach they'll try to lure us into the mines where they can seperate and kill us, we let them think this'l work, we charge in blindly, they fall back for us to fall for their trap, then we empty all the oil from the warehouse down the mine shafts and set them alight. Hopefully by then we'll have regrouped with the claymore and they'll be easy pickings"

"Easy pickings!?" Snapped back one of the villagers "what do you mean easy pickings!? They'll still slaughter us! Oh god, we're all gonna die! We can't win! We're all gonna d-"he was cut off by a blade thrown by Marius that pierced the man's throat. He stood back up, grabbing a blood soaked dropped spear to hold himself up. This time he boomed with a combination of rage and absolute resolve "No battle is over till one side concedes defeat! We do NOT have that luxury! Defeatism and mutiny are treason, any man practicing these things... i'll kill them myself! Now repeat after me... "easy pickings"" the room was silent, the men looked at each other, he boomed again, this time his face going red and his voice breaking a bit "EASY PICKINGS!" uneasily the men repeated "e-easy pickings?" Again Marius drilled it in "EASY FUCKING PICKINGS!" "Easy pickings" the men said, unenthusiastically, in one final roaring scream Marius repeated again "EASY PICKIIIIIINGS!" "Easy pickings!" Replied the troops, lacking the fire Marius wanted but he was exhausted "good enough" he groaned, kneeling back down "one of you, get me some fucking stitches, also i need a runner to check on the Claymore in the church, any volunteers?" The men fell silent. The militia he could understand, hey were his heavy infantry, he needed them and their equiptment already weighed them down, but the villagers however were more cowardly by the second. Except one. A hand went up, young boy, maybe 14, weilding a sword almost as big as he was stepped forward "i'll do it" Marius nodded "someone give the kid a smaller blade, he'll need to be as fast as possible. Kid, just run to the church, if she's still fighting the monster then come straight back, if not, tell her to get back here, if she's not at the church and you didn't see her, then come back, nderstood?" The boy nodded, as did Marius "good lad, you have a sturdeier spine than the rest of them, now go, and be quick"

He sat back, unkorking a skin of wine and taking a hefty swig "god damnit SUTURES! BANDAGES! I'M NOT DYING OF AN INFECTION TODAY OF ALL DAYS!"

 

[Gardenofstars]

Olivia lunged for the beast’s neck, severing it in half. The head of the youma bounced onto the church floor with a wet thump. She approached the head at a slow pace, careful to keep a watchful eye on any more of the monster’s tricks. As she bent down to the head, she picked it up and held it high.

“Disgusting,” she thought as she stared into the youma’s lifeless eyes. “To think one day that will be me,” she thought, “I hope to find a swift death before that’s the case.”

Olivia rose to her feet while dropping the head back down to the floor. Listening towards the broken stained-glass windows, she could hear the clashing of steel. The Claymore smiled as she listened, “And Marius? Are you getting on well also?”. Her heels clicked against the smooth stone flooring as she exited towards the arched doorway.

The sun was setting on the town and soon light would be scarce. With darkness cascading through the village, the townsfolk gained yet another disadvantage. Olivia’s mind drew back again to the way Marius fought. The odds were stacked against them, but with him, as an ally, she had more hope. He was no Claymore, but if he could hold his own, she had reason to believe that a few people may live to see another day after this night. Seven, no, eight or perhaps more youma were loose in the town. Any survivors would be a miracle. Before Olivia’s hand pressed against the cathedral doors, she turned behind and looked at the podium. Hung high against the wall of the church was a statue of a goddess. The Claymore let her hand drift to the chain that hung around her neck. She pulled it from underneath her armor and examined it. The same goddess hung around her neck. Clutching the pendant, she began to whisper words to herself. At first, even she was uncertain what she was saying. The words felt ingrained in her mind from a distant past. She need not think; the words slid off of her tongue as easy as breathing a breath of air. “Huh,” Olivia said, confused by her own instinct. Though, before she had a moment to ponder longer, the doors opened wide and a young boy stood before her.

The Claymore glanced down at the boy, awaiting his words. He stared for a moment with wide eyes. Gulping back what she could only assume was a combination of spit, vomit, and blood, the boy spoke, “Commander Marius calls for you to return to the town hall.” She nodded to the boy, “On my way.”

The young boy was quick to turn and race back towards the hall. Olivia was moved to laughter. She dashed forward and grabbed the boy by his shoulders. “A lift back will be quicker,” she said with a wide grin. He screamed as he was lifted into the air. The Claymore lept into the sky and landed on the rooftops, cracking the shingles on her descent. She scooped up the child as she dashed from rooftop to rooftop until the hall was in sight. With the building in sight, she sidestepped off of the roof to a side street below.

“What are you doing!?” the boy called out, “The hall is ahead!”. Olivia dropped the boy to the ground. As he attempted to stand she kicked him back down. “Do you have a deathwish, kid?” she asked in a monotone voice.

The boy attempted to rise but was kicked down once more. “I asked if you had-” she began, but was interrupted. “The youma took my friends, my family… I don’t care if I die here! I’ll die killing the things that took everyone away!” The Claymore sighed as she crossed her arms. She stepped forward and rammed her heel down onto his chest. “And how can you get revenge if you’re dead, you poor thing?” she said as she looked down at him. The young boy coughed as she grabbed him by the arm and drug him to a near well. She lifted the boy onto the ledge of the well and clutched him by his face.

“If you want to kill youma, you need to be stronger. Die somewhere stupid and that will never happen,” she said as she shoved him into the well. Olivia clicked away towards the hall and called out, “Try not to drown. I don’t want to be blamed for your death.”

Upon nearing the hall, the Claymore was met with expressions of ire from the militiamen. “Took you long enough, Claymore!” one of the men called out. “We’re out here risking our lives and what are you doing, busy reapplying your makeup, you stuck-up bitch?” yelled another. Though, Olivia smiled and shrugged. “My only obligation is to kill youma and I’ve done just that,” she replied. The men spat at her but continued to walk forward towards Marius.

“No good deed goes uncriticized,” she said as she flicked the youma’s blood from her armor. As she viewed the commander, she noticed that his leg had been gashed. The Claymore tapped her nails against her cheek as she spoke, “I’d hope you have more fight left in you. Our battle is far from over.” She glanced over to the corpses that lay near, “That’s one dead in the church, one at the grove, and… three more it is here? By your estimates, we should have two more left. Though, unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, there were even more.” Olivia furrowed her brow, “I’m inclined to ask how or why this town has become such a breeding ground for such beasts, but there isn’t time. Perhaps there will be time later, provided we’re all alive.”

 

[bettsyboy]

Marius glanced over to the men berrating the Claymore, he wanted to tell them to shit their mouths, she was their best hope of surviving this day, halfbreed monster or not, but his mouth was full with a spoon he was biting down on as he stitched his own leg closed, a puddle of water mixed with blood surrounded him, and each time he pierced into the muscle flesh and pulled the thin string through it he groaned into the spoon. The worst bit was pulling it closed, each time it felt like the flesh would soon tear and he'd have to start again or the string would break, thankfully neither happened. After the Claymore finished her own smug talking down to him he pulled the last of his wound closed and spat out the spoon, grabbing a roll of bandages and tightly winding it around his leg, he included 2 short wooden poles for extra stability and strength and bound it all tightly together. He spoke as he did this, not taking his eyes off the matter at hand "Dusten, Wolg, this "stuck up bitch" is our best hope of surviving today, in case you hadn't noticed we lost plenty of good men killing two Youma we took by surprise, now there are two more, possibly more and we won't have the element of suprise next time, as such, Claymore, i'm hearby granting you the authority to beat any man who disrespects you like that with the handle of your greatsword, not to kill or cripple, just to punish" the men scowled, but he made a fair point.

Marius grabbed a crutch, several were gathered while the town hall was being converted into a hospital, he leaned heavily on it, his leg lightly shaking. He made his way over to the Claymore "one in the woods, two here in the town hall, how many at the church?" After her answer he thought for a moment "you're certain there's only two left? The number i gave you was an estimate, you're the professional monster hunter here, it's always wise to over-estimate your enemy, including their numbers, and prepare accordingly" he limped past her, seeing several groups of wounded civilians making their way towards the town hall, having seen it'd been retaken. He scowled "EYES ON THE OUTSIDE YOU DAFT BASTARDS!" He barked at the men outside, watching the goings on inside the town hall instead of watching for Youma from the outside. Suddenly he stopped, raising his hand "shut up, all of you... listen...."

Silence.

He raised a finger "no screams... no bells... no snarls..." he looked around the room, his eyes growing wide "god... they've transformed again, blended in with the survivors..." he turned to Olivia "and this whole place reeks of Youma, more than enough to drown out the mild scent you use to root out Youma in towns..." he looked once again to the outside, limping quickly to the door, throwing up a hand "No civilian gets in! Stop them!" The militia hesitated, letting an old woman push through "we're dying out there, what are you doing about it!? Hiding in the town hall that's what!" The townsfolk outside were yelling, increasingly angry as the militia tried to hold them back, angry out of fear, understandable. Marius tried telling them there may be a Youma among them but his words were drowned out by the yelling. The crowd was unhinged, pushing past the militia, carrying more and more wounded into the building, pausing when they saw the 2 dead Youma and the Claymore, and all the bodies.

For a brief moment there was silence, silence that was quickly broken by a roar "you're supposed to protect us!" "Look how many died for just 2 Youma!" "Useless! Completely useless!" And more, many harsher words spat at Olivia. Marius just grumbled, possitioning himself between Olivia and the crowd "we'll keep an eye on these people and fortify this location, think you can scout around for the last two?"

It was at this moment, after an undoubtedly clever little quip from within the crowd, drowned out by the shouts and screams, that the final two Youma revealed themselves. Exploding from their human shells in a dizzying storm of claw slashes and biting, so fast they were invisible at first, hidden behind the ocean of blood they sprayed in every direction. It didn't take more than a few seconds for every civilian who came to the town hall and the completely unaware militia to be cut down and their bits strewn to every corner of the room. Marius stood there, his blade drawn but by no means formidable with half his effort on just staying upright.

The beasts both darted forward, one that transformed inside the building went right past Marius who only managed to clip one of it's claws with a stab he attemped at the beast. The second, which transformed just behind the crowd outside less than a second after the one inside dod went for Marius. He managed to deflect it's claws coming at his face bit another two claws got him in the shoylder, the momentum carrying them both through the doorway to the back room, seperating the town's last two fighters.

 

[Gardenofstars]

As the Claymore heard Marius stand up for her, she was first confused. It was rare to experience a human who wasn’t launching spit or insults her way. At most, townsfolk were hospitable, but out of fear. They’d hide behind fake laughter or gifts, but the moment she began to walk away she’d hear their true feelings. It was normal to be a monster by now. To her, she was a monster who killed monsters: nothing more and nothing less. Fake politeness meant nothing. Though, what she sensed from Marius was sincere. It brought many questions to her mind. True, she was assisting the militia, but this was her job. Killing youma was her only purpose and people knew that well. If she wasn’t succeeding in that, she may as well be slain along with the other youma. Marius’s attitude didn’t fit the bill for most humans. As she thought longer, most things about him were atypical. The way he commanded his soldiers and fought youma: his experience exceeded the likes of the common folk.

In her mind, she speculated his background. A knight of the king? It would explain the knowledge and strength, but what would he be doing out in some small mining town? Was there a school training humans how to battle youma? The Organization wouldn’t let that go unnoticed. Had he a family member who became a Claymore? It would explain why he treated her like a person, but she never knew another Claymore with a living family. Olivia hoped he lived through this night so she could ask him questions.

She smiled to Marius, “A rare shred of kindness. I’ll search for some way to repay the favor.” Though, the biggest favor she could think of providing would be to keep as much of this town alive as possible. She sighed thinking of such a feat. The odds were stacked against them, but there was a chance.

Sniffing the air, Olivia grew concerned. With the reports of which youma had been killed, their work should be done. Though, the air didn’t feel any lighter from the stench of youma. If anything, she felt the scent growing stronger. Were more youma drawn to this town since the fight began? If that was the case, they had a better chance retreating and considering the town a lost cause. Judging by the way things had been, Olivia didn’t expect that plan to gain any traction. She began to speak, “It’s odd… the scent has grown. Whatever you folk have been doing here, you’ve made yourselves a breeding ground for youma. I’m detecting more scents signatures now than when I came. The youma called for backup.”

The Claymore watched as the civilians began to bust through the door. She lunged forward to block their paths but kept a distance. The last thing she needed was to be blamed for a townsperson death. In a Claymore’s work, there were often moments that toed the line. Fail to stop a youma from devouring a few people? Business as usual. Have a person die from falling debris from a battle? One would be scolded by the Organization, but they’d be lenient if they felt like doing as such. Any death that resulted from direct contact? That was her head. It was best to avoid such accidents for now.

In the past, she had been more brazen. She wasn’t above taunting humans or chilling fear into their hearts. There was a time for fun and a time to get serious. Now, things were serious. She could see the tension within the crowd. At any moment, the crowd would become a mob. The Claymore had watched this happen in the past. Villagers would revolt and turn themselves into their own enemies. At least that didn’t count as a death that was her fault. But it would still make the task at hand harder.

Her hand switched to her sword. The smell: it was growing closer. Olivia’s eyes darted across the crowd. There was a youma among these people, but where? The people grew louder and more intense. The Claymore took a step forward. Her eyes widened as she watched two more youma break out among the crowd. Releasing her sword from her sheath, Olivia began to brace herself for the battle at hand. She lunged towards the first beast, but it broke past her. The second youma zoomed past her too. Both head straight towards Marius. The Claymore gritted her teeth as she charged them.

The youma had surrounded Marius. His left and now shoulder were wounded. Olivia began to feel something: fear. Assessing the situation, she knew she couldn’t handle this situation on her own. Without Marius’s help, she and the town would perish. As the youma, surrounded the man like hawks, the Claymore knew she needed to draw their attention so Marius could regroup. Olivia threw her sword forward, clipping the first youma against its back. The monster turned to her while the second picked up her weapon. Both of their eyes were on her. She raised her fists as her gaze connected with their own. The two lunged at her. Gaping its mouth wide, the first youma dove for Olivia’s arm. The monster screeched and fell back as it felt a fist connect to its jaw.

While the Claymore was busy with the first youma, the second was quick to join the brawl. Olivia flipped between the youma, getting in hits when available. As she fought, the beasts grew to anger and their speed increased. She found herself switching from offense to pure defense. With each movement, she was dodging an onslaught of teeth and claws. Speed was one of her strengths, but the size of the room but her at a disadvantage. The youma began to realize this and as they battled, they pushed her towards the back corner of the room. With nowhere to run, Olivia knew her luck had run out. The first youma thrust its claws towards her head. She dodged low to the ground only to be met with the other youma’s fist into her stomach.

Olivia coughed blood. She rolled away from the youma, but they were on her trail. Her eyes searched for her sword. But there was no time. She dodged hit after hit, receiving cuts on her arms and legs as the monsters grazed her. “How long can I keep this up?” she began to think, “Is this my limit?”

 

[bettsyboy]

Marius tried to get back to his feet, but the floor was slick with blood, his stitches had burst and his leg was again gushing blood. He wanted to help the Claymore but he first needed to stop the bleeding. He crawled across the floor, the Yomas ignored him, focussing on the main threat, the Claymore. They would circle the claymore then strike simultaneously before leaping back. Even they had heard tales of the Claymores, some who could cut down a dozen Yoma so quick their blades couldn't even be seen leaving their sheath, Claymores who could read the Yoma energy in their bodies and anticipate their movements. But this Claymore seemed weak, struggling with just the two of them. She must have been among the weakest of their kind. But still they were cautious. Whenever the claymore struck at one, the other would attack from behind to support the other. They would extend then retract their claws in an instant to prevent her from knowing the true length of their strikes. Meanwhile Marius got to the bandages. He wrapped them around his leg tightly, completely cutting off circulation so that only the blood in the leg would get out. By the time he was done his leg began to shrivel, mass lost from blood loss. His skin had gone pale, his eyes darkened and sunken in. He felt dizzy, but he still had a little strength in him. He crawled behind the beasts, keeping his head low, stopping and putting his head down when one's eyes gazed over him. But his moment came. With the last of his strength he got on one leg and hopped forward, driving a blade into one of rhe beast's backs. The Yoma spun around to strike him but Marius fell to his knees. He jammed his blade into the left knee of the yoma and twisted the blade. The beast howled and fell to one knee. It struck out, sinking it's claws into Marius's side. He gritted his teeth and drew his dagger, driving it into the beast's neck. The creature let out a hurgling growl as it shoved Marius back with the hand it had jammed into his side. Sending Marius airborn, slamming into the back wall where he slumped down, leaving a bloody streak. He gripped his side and gritted his teeth "will you stop fucking around... and just kill them already!?" He was seeing the frustrations the villagers had with this claymore. It didn't really bother him that she was half human, it bothered him that she was incompetent. Barely able to handle 2 Yoma, not anything special, just 2 regular Yoma. And she seemed rattled to have even faced one in the church. Was this her first hunt? Was she an imposter just posing as a Claymore? Either way, he was dying from a fight that was HER job to handle. And now, god knows how much of Maivor was dead.

His gaze drifted over to a door to the back room. He knew there was something in there that could save him. But he had to get to it first. He slumped fown to the floor, feeling had left his right arm, so with his left he began dragging himself along the floor. The blood that now coated it made it easier to move his body across it, ut harder to get a grip on anything. Soon he was dragging himself along by grabbing corpses, draging himself up to them, crawling over them then grabbing the next. This day was a nightmare, he pondered if he survived this, how bad it would haunt him. How long he'd have nightmares about this day. And if the ghosts of all these dead around him would blame him for not protecting them. He forced these thoughts from his mind, focussing on moving the next couple inches and then the next.