News of the new recruit travelled quickly. There was no doubt about it now—the organization was making the switch from male to female Claymores, which was both a surprise and not. As the organization’s first foray into the realm of opposite-gender Claymores had ended badly, most of the Claymores had expected them to give up the prospect. Nonetheless, the new addition to the ranks had apparently showed more potential than her predecessor, starting almost twenty ranks above where the previous female Claymore had.

The first female Claymore, Roisin, started at an unimpressive rank 30. With more than enough room to grow and rise, everyone was ready for her to soar. Instead, they saw the new recruit’s descent through the ranks that plateaued at a measly rank 41. Such dramatic drops happen only rarely and mostly occur when the organization has incorrectly judged a Claymore’s potential as those that have been moved down will seek out the new addition and prove their strength before requesting that the organization revise their numbers. While the current ranks didn’t wish to see any major changes in the higher ranks, they also didn’t want to deal with another minor interruption. Hopefully this Claymore would settle things once and for all.

---

Raynald flicked his sword before sheathing it, refusing to cast another glance at the shameful corpse at his feet. The dead yoma below him had used its last living breaths to beg for its life rather than trying to defend itself, and Raynald looked down on such weakness. For the rank two, many an opponent had bowed down in awe at his skills, and—as a warrior at heart—it was more frustrating than disheartening.

“Raynald!” a voice called from behind the rank two. Ansgar dropped down from the roof of a nearby building with a steady thunk as he landed on his feet. Waving cheerfully to the fellow Claymore, the rank one jogged over and clapped Raynald on the back, ignoring how his fellow Claymore shot him daggers through his eyes as he did so. “How are you? It’s been too long since we’ve talked, hasn’t it?”

“Hello, Ansgard,” Raynald said, sighing and acknowledging Ansgard’s presence. “What brings you to this sector?”

“Nothing much,” Ansgard said with a grin as he looked around at the scenery around him. “It’s pretty calm around here, huh? Kinda boring,” he noted, eyes not even pausing as they glossed over the corpse of the yoma on the ground. Raynald didn’t offer a reaction, and Ansgar didn’t mention anything of it. Instead, the new arrival brightened up as he realized what he’d come to the desolate other side of the world to do. “Oh! That’s right—there’s a new recruit, have you heard? Another girl—rank twelve.”

Raynald raised a brow, surprised at the change in topic. “Yes, and what of it? It’s not like you to take interest in the lower ranks, Ansgar.”

The rank one laughed, agreeing. “Yes, it is a bit odd, isn’t it?” he mused. “I usually don’t bother with Claymores so weak.” Brightening up, Ansgar looked to Raynald again. “But aren’t you curious? What if she has potential? Wouldn’t that be something?”

“Would it matter?” Raynald asked flatly. Despite being the most powerful Claymore Raynald had ever met, Ansgar struck Raynald as someone with all brawn and no brain, too much power and too little thought to go with it. At times the rank one acted more like a child than a grown man, and Raynald disliked that part of him. Should someone set their mind to it, Ansgar would be very easily manipulated—especially if that person made sure to stroke his ego for him.

“Of course it would, Raynald,” Ansgar said, grinning and hooking his fellow single digit into a conspiratorial one-armed hug. “You see now, the organization has finally come to the understanding that we male Claymores need female counterparts,” he explained, a deadly serious expression on his face, “and I can’t very well let them down, can I?”

“Ansgar, I don’t think,”

“Oh you’re no fun, Raynald. This is why the girls all go crazy for me, not you. If there were girls, I mean.”

---

@lazarus

Gideon was returning from his most recent mission at a rural village whose main stables had been completely taken over by a small band of yoma who had decided to join forces which wasn't surprising seeing how so many of their disgusting kin were being slaughtered by the most powerful of Claymore. Unfortunately for them that did not help them even in the slightest, if anything it only made his job of exterminating them all the easier by having them nice and grouped together. They attempted to use the terrain to their advantage, hiding themselves until Gideon entered the perfect location for an ambush but really it was quite a dull affair. He killed them all within minutes and received a modest bag of coins for his time, usually small villages like this one struggle to gather such large sums of money but it seemed they really needed it on this occasion. The yoma had racked up quite the kill count before the Claymore had arrived, he sincerely offered his condolences for those who lost loved ones much to their surprise but to Gideon it was nothing new… he paid his respects whenever possible.

Roughly half way back to their headquarters, in a clearing of trees in a forest he was met by his handler who casually leaned against a large tree that utterly dwarfed him. His name is Leon and Gideon has disliked the man from the day they met all those years ago. There was something conniving about him, like he was always plotting against others and his attitude left much to be desired.

Leon glanced over at Gideon with a smile on his face, the same smile he uses whenever he orders Gideon to do something he knows he will dislike. “Oh Gideon… I know you’re going to hate me for this detour but Ansgar was rather persistent, he’s gathering the strongest Claymore’s so they can watch our newest female in action. You’ve heard right?” There was an unusual pause as he waited for a response, it was strange because Leon enjoyed talking so clearly he wanted GIdeon to confirm what he had just been told.

Gideon didn’t say anything at first, he was actually contemplating ignoring his handler and continuing on his way though it wasn’t exactly a wise move at this point. “Yes I’ve heard though I would rather not waste my time observing her-” Before he could finish his sentence he was interrupted by a sharp wave of Leon’s hand as he pushed himself from the tree to walk over to his Claymore.

“I know you’ll be there, you’re smart Gideon and not showing up would anger a Claymore more powerful than you. Do you really want that?” Leon pushed a folded parchment into his hand and walked off into the darkness, completely silent.

A fight with Ansgar was definitely not what he wanted, it would surely result in his demise and if he was to die he wanted it to be for a cause he believed in. “Ugh....” Gideon opened the parchment to reveal a map, without further delay he began to follow the directions. It wasn’t as far as he had thought but it was still a nuisance he would have to tolerate for the time being.

@Dusksong

“—and I heard she’s out on a mission right now — some low-rank awakened, or so I heard. Twenties or thirties, I believe,” Ansgar was saying excitedly. A couple Claymore were gathered around him, listening intently to the rank one’s words — or so he thought. “That counts for something, doesn’t it? The rank 41 couldn’t even muster up a mid-rank yoma,” the rank one rambled on. Looking up, Ansgar noticed an approaching figure, and a big grin crossed his face. “Gideon! Hey, how are you?” he asked, jumping up from his seat on the log and jogging over to the rank three before throwing an arm around the other Claymore. “How’s Leon been treating you? Seeing as you’re here, I’m assuming that you two still get along well enough to talk some.

Behind him, Raynald rose from his seat as well, prompting the other four Claymore to rise too. So, ranks one through five are here, the rank two thought, eyes gliding over the new arrival and nodding respectfully when their eyes met. While he had never specifically liked the rank three, Gideon was a definite improvement from the current rank one. “Current,” because Raynald never gave up hope that Ansgar might someday get trampled underfoot by someone more worthy, less talkative, and overall more serious with the power he’d been granted. Well, perhaps she, Raynald mused, a small smile appearing on his face as he realized that perhaps this new rank twelve may surpass Ansgar. Of course that was probably asking too much of her, and Raynald knew that, but one could hope.

Maybe someday she’ll amount to a decent rank four or five, he thought, thinking back to his early days. Having started as a high rank seven, Raynald knew that, factually, this “Moerae” would probably not rise to rank one. But, then again, he could be wrong.

“Hey, Raynald,” Ansgar said, waving him over to where he and Gideon stood. He walked over, sighing as he did so. “We ready to go yet?” Ansgar asked, grinning. Raynald rolled his eyes.

“Give me a minute,” he muttered before closing his eyes. When he opened them, his pupils had thinned to a sliver and veins stood out against his pale skin. He had activated his Yoki. “This way,” Raynald said, swiveling towards the east where a distinct yoki was being emitted not far from where the group of single-digits stood. It’d take no more than ten minutes to get there.

---

Moerae sighed in relief, wiping sweat off her chin as she did pulled her Claymore out off the dead yoma. Definitely not an awakened, she thought, half-relieved and half-disappointed. While she knew that it was her job to exterminate all yoma and turned Claymores alike, she also felt a little odd about killing someone who used to be like her — a Claymore who’d lost their way. The organization pitched trainees against trainees — fellow Claymores-in-training — and perhaps the rare Youma if they got their hands on it, but she’d never seen an Awakened. Nor do I want to, she thought with a frown as she flicked blood off her sword and sheathed it in the scabbard on her back. However, Moerae knew better than to hope that she’d never have to face a real Awakened — such was wishful thinking.

The sound of footsteps to her left caused her to whirl around in alarm, and she came face to face with a male Claymore who was glowering down at her. Blinking in surprise, Moerae backed up slightly, noticing there were more of them. One, two, three, four, five… Seven, she counted, tensing up a little. Why were they here? What did they want?

“‘Lo,” a cocky-looking Claymore with longish hair said, a smirk on his lips. “Nice to meet you, rank 12 — Moerae.”

Moerae swallowed uneasily. “Nice to meet you too,” she said, Yoki diluting all emotions she would have had otherwise. At times like these — times where, in a past life, adrenaline would have pumped through her system as her heart pounded in alarm — Moerae was relieved that she didn’t have the normal emotions of a human. I’m part yoma, she reminded herself, looking up at the man. I’m a warrior. And warriors don’t back down when approached by strangers. “May I ask who you all are?”

---

@lazarus

Ansgar was always so carefree, like it didn’t bother him at all that one day they could end up fighting one another to the death… it was more likely that he was waiting for such a day to arrive. Gideon knew a fair few of the high-ranking Claymore’s disliked his attitude towards his work and towards his comrades, he never voiced his own opinion on the matter but his was very similar. In truth he wasn’t too sure if the other options were much better than the warmonger and he simply wasn’t arrogant enough to think himself worthy of the position. “I’m well Ansgar.” It too tremendous amounts of willpower to not forcefully remove Ansgar’s arm, as much as it was a bad idea, he didn’t appreciate the false pretence of them being friends. They were no such thing. “Leon is the same as he always is, I simply have to tolerate him.” Just as I Have to tolerate you.

Raynald was a Claymore that could always send a chill up Gideon’s spine no matter how brave he might appear, there was a sinister aura that always emanated from him and it never failed to unnerve the stalwart rank three. He returned the nod though averted his eyes afterwards to inspect who else had turned up: all of the strongest Claymore’s the organisation had to offer in one place. All for the sake of one female Claymore, a rarity as such a thing was he didn’t see why they all had to be dragged along with the insufferable rank one and his silly games.

Gideon followed once Raynald had found his mark though he was behind the two higher ranking Claymore’s out of respect, this fruitless endeavour would no doubt allow more Yoma to have free reign of whatever village they decided to prey on next and he just wanted this over with.

---

Ilith had forgotten his name long ago, lost to the sands of time, he didn’t need something so trivial when all he wanted was the consumption of flesh. That was all that truly mattered. He knew that a Claymore had been tracking him but when he felt the sudden presence of multiple powerful Yokai’s he questioned if he should remain in the nearby vicinity, surely they hadn’t formed a hunting party just for him? His nature was to play with his food and those who would try to kill him, this was no different and so he would set up a trap just for them.

A small farming village was all but under his control, a constant food source that he would and his minions would slowly drain until there was nothing left but death. The only reason he had survived this long was through a mixture of manipulation and Yokai concealment which was his only real talent in his previous and current existence. The small population of this village had roughly the same number of Yoma and humans, the Yoma disguised themselves as children, wives and husbands, brothers and sisters. Ilith had taught them how to deceive and act in their roles in order to come across as convincing. Though Claymore’s weren’t fully human, he knew from experience many still had moral problems with killing what looked to be an innocent child.

---

Ansgar was at the forefront of the group, standing in front of Morae holding his hand out for her to shake. “The name’s Ansgar, not sure if you’ve heard of me but it’s great to see another female join our ranks.” His eyes flashed dangerously, at the same time he looked at her with childlike fascination.

“Raynald.” That was all the rank two would say, his face devoid of even the slightest emotion.

“Gideon, it’s nice to meet you even if under unusual circumstances.” There was a slight, friendly smile that broke out across his lips though it vanished a second later. He was curious to see what she would do when so many powerful Claymore’s came to see her progress, or in some cases were forced to tag along. Gideon would be lying to himself if he thought he wasn't interested in seeing her capabilities, it didn’t sit well with him to call Roisin a failure but he couldn't deny she had under performed quite spectacularly. He pitied the poor girl, unless she improved soon she would mostly likely die at the hands of a Claymore.

@Dusksong

Moerae’s eyes flicked down to Ansgar’s outstretched hand. While she didn’t like the man behind the hand, she also recognized that he was one of enormous power — power that she would do well to respect. “Moerae,” she said, taking his hand and shaking it. Ansgar’s grin widened slightly, his eyes flashing in both curiosity and delight as he let go and stepped back for the others to introduce themselves.

From behind Ansgar, a man named Raynald introduced himself. While Ansgar radiated a boisterous, attention-demanding confidence that appeared as childish as it did lethal, this man commanded a steel-like resolve and icy confidence that silenced any questions. If the man who’d shaken her hand wasn’t proof of how strong Claymores could be, this man definitely was, and Moerae admitted to herself that she was a bit intimidated.

Gideon, the next to introduce himself, appeared strong but kind-hearted as well. While still confident, he had neither the coldness of Raynald or the arrogance of Ansgar. Of these three powerhouses, Moerae could only see herself talking amiably to Gideon, although she was sure he was still much stronger than her.

The rest of the group appeared less intense than the first three although still formidable all the same. They’re here to scout me out, Moerae realized with a sinking feeling, clenching one hand into a fist. She was aware that the organization had only recently started recruiting female Claymores, and she’d been warned that the current Claymores may take rather unkindly to this news. The gathering of Claymores — most likely single digits, if Moerae was any good at all at placing Yoki levels — in front of her proved this at least half true, and Moerae hoped that, for her sake, the “unkindly” part would be wrong. While she had announced her rank, the male Claymores before her had neglected to — a point that Moerae didn’t know what to make of. Was it a defense mechanism, a show of dominance, or an attempt at anonymity? Either way, her rank was out, and she’d have to live with her assumptions for now.

“Well, now that we’re all so nicely acquainted, would you like to go on a hunt with us, Moerae?” Ansgar asked, the childish grin on his face now seeming more demanding than curious. Not waiting for the girl to respond, Ansgar turned to Raynald with a pointed look. The rank two frowned, looking to his left into what seemed like the woods.

“There’s an Awakened not far from here,” Raynald said, eyes still staring into the depths of the forest. “Probably a former rank fifteen or so. He’s suppressing his Yoki. There’s also a number of Yoma, but they shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Well I’ll be,” Ansgar said with a grin, unsheathing his claymore and prompting the others to as well. “You really are impressive, Raynald. Now let’s go have some fun with that Awakened.”

---

A slew of screams from the eastern side of the small village sent Ilith shooting to his feet, looking in the direction of the cries in alarm. They’re here, he realized with a shudder of fear and satisfaction. Finally, some worthy competitors to challenge him.

---

“Well, that wasn’t very exciting,” Ansgar said, looking around with a frown on his mouth as he flicked the blood off of his claymore. “I was expecting something more… Interesting. Don’t most Awakened rear their heads in defiance when you challenge them?”

“Only the overconfident ones and the ones looking to die,” Raynald commented from beside him, eyes flicking over the residents of the village as they cowered in fear of the newly arrived group of pale, slender figures — eight Claymores, armed with their namesake swords and piercingly gold eyes. “Ansgar, it would be wise to keep the bloodshed to a minimum since this is such a public area.”

“That’s not going to be possible, Raynald,” Ansgar said without missing a beat, hefting his sword and setting it against his shoulder as he swung around to face the group. “You know as well as I do that the number of Yoma here is quite impressive, so I propose we just charge in and kill them all.”

Moerae looked around the village warily, intimidated by the growing amount of malicious Yoki emanating from the village. This was different from the couple of Yoma hordes she’d encountered in her travels, and Moerae didn’t like it. Even worse, Ansgar seemed to be calling the shots, and his plan was to not have a plan. While Moerae was sure he wouldn’t be hurt — he was clearly the strongest, holding the reins even of Raynald — she wasn’t so sure everyone else — especially herself — was as indestructible.

---

@lazarus

Gideon had to admit that Morae seemed different to the majority of the male Claymores and certainly the other female in the organisation. Though this was his first time meeting her in person she was far more reserved than he had expected though in truth he should have since she had been thrusted into a world dominated by men, many of whom were a lot stronger than her. Still, he could feel a cool confidence resonate from her yet it wasn’t challenging but still dangerous nonetheless. He did hope that he would get the opportunity to speak to her privately at least once, it would be interesting to hear how she truly feels about the organisation, Claymores and everything else that encompasses this way of life. Not that he expected her to reveal it all immediately but he had secrets of his own and so was fully prepared to keep more.

---

Those Yoma who had been touched by his special Yoki allowed him to see through their eyes and what Ilith witnessed was highly surprising: the lead Claymore and clearly the most powerful as he allowed his Yoki to pour out like a fearsome tidal wave twenty feet tall had started killing anything in his sight, humans and Yoma alike. That was something he had never anticipated as they were meant to protect the humans not kill them, even in a scenario such as this he thought they would take some caution as to who they swung at but this was indiscriminate. At least the others had some sense of intelligence and duty to their cause, for the time being.

---

Gideon was unlike a lot of his kind for he detested the killing of innocents and not simply because it was his job to safeguard their lives from monsters but also because it is an utter waste of life and he felt it was wrong to kill without conscious thought. Ansgar clearly lacked the brains to think of anything more than simply killing but Gideon was not about to sign his own death warrant by speaking the harsh truth. Gideon cleared his throat and approached the rank one calmly until they stood side by side. “Whilst we have Raynald in our hunting party, surely it is more efficient for him to identify who is an enemy and who is not. It is, after all, our job to protect them from harm no matter what our personal feelings are towards them. We have no other reason for existing.” Of course he knew Ansgar would retaliate and use his lust for battle as reason for him being alive and keeping it that way but he wanted to use logic despite how poorly it might work on the warmonger. Ultimately he would follow Ansgar’s lead should he fail to persuade him of a better course of action though he would also try his damn hardest to let the humans escape a swift death.

---

Using his control over the lesser Yoma and commanding the humans that refused to listen to his orders, it was easy to intimidate them into doing your bidding once you tore their unsuspecting friends throat out. They all moved to just in front of an old rundown barn that had not seen use in decades, then they formed into one long line. Some were visibly shaking and others stood with straight backs as they tried to appear brave. Children, men and women of all ages waited in the mud for what was to come and had no idea this was all a simple but horrific game. The humans amongst them had traces of Ilith’s Yoki running through them which was his main method of making this game more difficult but also more interesting.

One of his minions stood at the front, a large, bald and musclebound man wearing very basic leather armour across his chest and arms. His breeches were torn and ragged, he was barefoot though he didn’t for mud that swallowed his feet. No doubt the Claymores would reach them soon and when they came into sight he would speak with a bellowing voice. “Welcome Claymores! Our master wishes to play a game and he wants you-” The man points directly at Morae. “To be the sole participant. If you do not accept every human in this village dies in an instant, the rules are very simple: you must discover and then execute three Yoma to won. That’s it… easy right?” The man was getting rather excited, he was enjoyed witnessing Ilith’s little plans come into fruition. Entertainment like this was such a rarity and Ilith was one of the best entertainers around.

@Dusksong

Ansgar was lithe figure in the eye of the storm, slashing down enemies as he walked forwards. Yoma were felled with a single blow, and humans with a blunt blow from the hilt of his Claymore. Beside his trail of bodies, the lesser ranked Claymores were taking down the lingering targets, dealing with them appropriately and quickly after Ansgar weeded out the strongest.

Raynald, on the other hand, had taken up a path on the opposite side, striking down enemies cooly and decisively. Both aware of and disgusted by Ansgar’s messy trail of blood and blood-stained survivors, he focused his gaze forwards, seeking out the lead Yoma. His experience and senses told him there must be one, but his eyes and mind were having a hard time picking the Yoma out. The Yoki here… It feels strange, he thought, a frown carving itself into his features as he flicked the blood off his sword and scanned the buildings again, eyes simultaneously looking at and through them. Why… Why does the Yoki ahead seem like it’s everywhere?

Moerae was hacking down Yoma in the middle of the two beast-like single-digits. Her eyes flicked to her next target each time she struck down her current one, taking note of Gideon’s as she did so. The male Claymore had also assigned himself to the leftover Yoma between Ansgar and Raynald, seemingly understanding that the two other Claymores were both too proud to accept help from the other, never mind consider working together. Watching Gideon’s concise cuts out of the corner of her eyes, Moerae could tell that she had ways to go before she picked up the fluency of the higher ranking Claymores.

Real assignments really are quite different from those for trainees, she thought, dodging a fleeing human. As she did, she noticcd Gideon approaching Ansgar’s trajectory, calling to him when he was close enough. Conflict? Moerae thought, eyes flicking to the arrogant Claymore’s face. Ansgar won’t heed anything he says. He’s the type.

“You say that like I can’t tell who’s human and who’s not,” Ansgar said, sneering at Gideon. “Need I remind you that Raynald’s niche is only in long-range detection? At this proximity, even you should be able to pick out targets correctly.” Ansgar paused, tipping his head. “Or are you telling me off for hurting the humans? But Gideon — they’re not dead, are they? So I’m not breaking any of the organization’s rules,” Ansgar said, a cruel grin on his face. “So why don’t you mind your own business? I can handle myself just fine.”

A laugh sounded from the Yoma ranks, and the monsters parted to allow a muscular human to pass through. A human! Moerae realized, muscles tensing. Why was a human passing by Yoma with such a carefree aura about him? Silent and still as she listened to the man’s message, she felt warning bells ringing in her head. If I were still human, I’d probably be panicking or something of the sort, she thought as the human talked. Instead, I find myself wondering what I feel. I wonder… Will I get used to the lack of emotion?

Upon finishing his speech, the Yoma — and most of the crowd — turned to look at the Claymore in question. Blinking, Moerae collected her thoughts. Claymore are commissioned to protect humans, so I suppose I can only accept, she thought, opening her mouth to voice her thoughts. She was, however, interrupted by a loud outburst from her left.

“Sorry, but I’m not here to play one of your games. If you want to kill the humans, go ahead. Our rules are against Claymores killing humans, and you’re not exactly a Claymore,” Ansgar said, cracking his neck. “So, if you’ll excuse me, you’d best get out of my way now, if you don’t want all of your limbs severed. After all, losing your limbs doesn’t mean death if you cauterize the wounds.”

With that, the rank one sprang forwards so fast Moerae’s eyes couldn’t follow. Instead of seeing the human reduced to a limbless rubble, however, the sound of blades meeting resounded in the clearing.

“Stop it, Ansgar,” Raynald, flicking his blade down as the dust swirled around him and the fuming rank one. “Our charge is and always has been humans, so you can’t just carelessly let them die.”

“There’s no reason why I’d get blamed if I do,” Ansgar countered taking another step forwards. Raynald immediately moved in front of the rank one, causing Ansgar to narrow his eyes. “Get out of my way, Raynald.”

“That’s enough, Ansgar. Let’s just comply with their demands for now. You can always save the day if it doesn’t work out,” Raynald said, leaning towards the other Claymore. “Besides, didn’t you want to see the new Claymore in action?” he whispered, his voice low so that even the other Claymores would have a hard time hearing his words. “What better chance than to let the girl fight alone?”

Ansgar was still for a moment, processing the rank two’s words, before a broad grin appeared on his face. “You know what, Raynald? You’re right,” the rank one said, thrusting his claymore into the ground beside him and leaning a hand on its handle. “We accept your terms, human.”

Raynald looked to Moerae, eyes flat despite the clear question. “I’ll play,” Moerae said, flicking the blood off her claymore and walking forwards. “What are the terms?”

---

@lazarus

Gideon made a conscious effort to not use his ‘Iron Skin’ ability, it likely wasn’t worth releasing Yoki for these Yoma that were easily cut down the old-fashioned way. That and he has always be secretive about what he could do as is the case with most high ranking Claymores because if a secret technique is discovered one can work to counter it and render the surprise factor useless. He was confident no one knew precisely what he was capable of and keeping it that way was for the best, eventually he would have to fight for his life whether against a fellow Claymore or an awakened being and that’s when he would unleash his full fury. These creatures however, were following their instincts and it was easy to read their attacks and movements, there was no need for anything special.

It was true that Ansgar didn’t actually kill any of the humans but some of those unlucky enough to get in his way were quite violently pushed aside or knocked to the ground, they didn’t deserve to be treated as such or else they will hate and fear Claymore as much as the Yoma that they are hired to hunt. In the end it was a foolish mistake to question the rank one's actions and he didn’t retort, instead opting to remain silence and take everything Ansgar threw at him. One day he would pose a problem or be tasked with hunting Gideon down when he leaves the Organisation but now he would need to play the part of his lesser.

The large human was as tall as the tallest Claymore here but his arms and legs were as thick as the trunks of trees, so it was a rather amusing sight to see him cower and attempt to flee when Ansgar attacked but luckily for everyone there Raynald was brave enough to stop him. And using logic to reason with Ansgar, appealing to his insatiable curiosity allowed for the human to keep his four limbs for the time being and stopped a pointless massacre that would have severely hurt the Claymore’s reputation.

Crossing his arms and leaning back against a wooden fence that kept some of the villages cattle at bay, Gideon watched Morae as she accepted the task that was given only to her and he wanted to see how she fared as the Yoki amongst the row of humans and Yoma had been greatly obscured and even he couldn’t tell who was what from this distance What will you do now? Will you prove to be a potential ally or a future threat?

---

The human regained his composure and looked briefly embarrassed for his cowardice but who could blame him really, he was completely at the mercy of any Claymore especially the strongest of them all and Ilith wasn’t going to interfere… he was expendable and his master liked to keep himself hidden at all times. He did take a few steps backwards to distance himself from Ansgar and Raynald, being close to them made him uneasy even if they could still reach him in a blink of an eye. False security was security nonetheless.

“It’s very simple… girl.” No one had seen or heard of female Claymore’s before, perhaps that was why Ilith had prepared this game of his but it was more likely to be for some other mysterious reason he wouldn’t ever reveal unless it was his intention to. “All you have to do is identify and kill three Yoma, of course if you guess wrong then a human will pay the price. There are seven humans out of the ten who stand behind me so choose carefully.” He gestures to them all with his hand and then turns back to face her. It was a complete mixture of men and women, as young as ten to as old at sixty and they all acted their parts… naturally or not. He then stood to the side of the line and waited for the Claymore to start. “You may begin whenever you’re ready.”

Moerae listened to the human’s citation of the game terms with a flat expression. Having steeled herself in preparation for a twisted sort of game in which humans would undoubtedly die, she was surprised to learn that the terms were rather… simple and fair.

“Firstly, what do I get if I win?” Moerae asked, looking at the human. “Will you release the rest of the humans?”

"What do you get? Why, a pat on the back and a well done of course!" The human laughed at that, it was in contrast with the utter dread plastered on some of the others in the line of chosen humans but no one else seemed to join in with him. "Ahem. My master has agreed to free every single human in this village, he wishes to explore other parts of the world and has grown tired of this particular spot." The human believed as much as he was told but in truth it was only those who had been selected for this game of his that would be allowed to live, everyone else would be slaughtered.

He's not lying, Moerae thought, recognizing the truth in the human's voice. He's repeating some line the Yoma fed him. So nothing he says can be trusted. However, there's nothing I can do right now that would keep all the humans safe other than to play by their terms.

Giving the human a firm nod to signify that she accepted the game's terms, the female Claymore turned to the row of ten. Humans and Yoma standing side by side, seven cowering in terror and three feigning it. Moerae blinked, releasing a bit of her Yoki — just enough so that her eyes would be able to perceive the finer fluctuations of Yoki in the row.

Yoki surpression — I'm surprised the Yoma know of such skills, Moerae thought as she scanned the row. Still, they found a rather poor partner to play this particular game with.

At the academy, each Claymore was made clear of their skills and talents. While Moerae was skilled at many things — swordsmanship, for one, but all Claymore were — there were two skills in which she had special apititude for: Yoki manipulation and Yoki perception. Even among her peers, it had been clear that she'd been among the — if not the — most talented at Yoki perception.

Taking such into account, the Yoma had indeed chosen the wrong Claymore to play this game with. While the higher-ranking members of the group — Raynald, without a doubt, was more proficient at perceiving Yoki than the upstart female — perhaps had skills on par with or slightly more refined than Moerae, she definitely was not the worst off in the group. But the Yoma wanted to play with the newest member of the Claymore ranks, so Moerae would enlighten them to the fact that she was no mere newcomer they could feel comfortable playing with.

Unsheathing her sword, Moerae walked over to the line of ten and — without batting an eye — slashing the throats of the two closest to her. Screams immediately filled the air, the children clutching onto those closest to them and the older humans glaring at the white-haired girl defiantly to let her know that they would protect their children.

Moerae took in their glares silently before turning and driving her claymore into an elderly man who slumped down, teeth — no, fangs — bared in death. I wouldn't hurt a human, she thought, frowning. So why're they so afraid? Do they too look down on my skills?

"That should be it, right?" Moerae asked, looking to the human in charge. Three bodies laid around her, two finishing their gurgling and one with a slowly growing puddle of murky red forming below it. "Three Yoma, per the terms."

---

@lazarus

Gideon was impressed by how quickly and efficiently she managed to pinpoint the Yoma from the humans, she didn’t hesitate even for a moment when she ended them each in one move. From where he stood, he couldn’t identify who was what though he was confident that in closer proximity he would do just as well but maybe not with Morae’s speed. A smile flickered across his otherwise dead-pan face that gave little away as to what he was thinking but he was glad that females were starting to make names for themselves… he had a feeling this one would climb far in the rankings. He had to wonder how that made Ansgar feel, was he threatened by this newcomer? And if so, did her gender play a part? He’d find out soon enough he reckoned, when her rank started closing in on his own and maybe he would make the decision to try and kill her. After all he was, by far, the most petty Claymore he had ever had the displeasure of knowing and his death would be a welcome change to the Organisation.

---

The large human for all his physical appearance was worth, almost vomited as the blood started spraying but what sent him to his knees was something else entirely. He gagged a few times at the scene in front of him but the furious scream that only he could hear in his head forced his hands to clamp down on his ears as if to prevent the noise from hurting him but there was nothing he could do to prevent it. [i]”How dare she make a mockery of my games!”[i] It was Ilith’s voice, he was enraged by this new Claymore and her competent abilities. He made no effort to hide the raw emotions coursing throughout his body. Kill them all, every puny human must die! This time it wasn’t just the human that heard Ilith’s command. “No… please.” Despite his loyalty to Ilith, he never wanted these innocents to be killed for no reason, Despair overcame him and all he could do was watch as his hands shook and his heart raced.

From inside a group of bushes, a red-skinned Yoma leapt out onto one of the humans that were involved in Ilith’s games. A young female screamed as it landed on her back, pushing her into the dirt as its claws tore into her back breaking bones and then shredding organs. Then it started to greedily devour the flesh that was ripe for the taking, throwing in lumps of dripping red meat into its fanged maw. From every direction similar screams could be heard, coming from various houses, barns, stables, shops… each and every Claymore would now feel the presence of dozens of hungry Yoma.

---

It didn’t surprise Gideon that this mysterious awakened being decided to stop following his own rules though he never said anything about the remainder of the human population. Still it was a bit sudden and they had already failed to protect one human, they needed to prevent as many deaths as possible and Gideon was already running towards the Yoma scoffing his face. Ansgar was quicker, it took all of a single second for him to cut it into many different pieces and it couldn't even react in time to defend itself. Gideon changed direction as he ran towards a nearby house, reasonably small but blood was already seeping from underneath the front door as someone was banging on the window with a bloody hand. They should have never trusted this awakened being to keep its word or to play fairly, the odds were always stacked against them when humans were involved. Smashing straight through the wooden door, shoulder first, the bodies around him would have horrified him if his emotions weren’t deadened and he had seen casualties like this many times before. A scaled Yoma with dark grey skin and two horns protruding from its head turned and snarled at him, clearly he had disturbed its fun, Gideon let it charge him and the moment before its claws cut into his skin he released a sliver of Yoki covering his skin in a silvery metal. Its claws broke and before it would retaliate, both of his hands slammed into either side of its head crushing the skull and pulverise what was inside. “Worthless wretch.”

@Dusksong

Moerae sensed the Yoma’s rage a second before the command was issued, the sudden spike of bloodthirsty Yoki bursting forth as it issued its order. Despite her forewarning, however, Moerae was unprepared when a red-colored Yoma sprang forth and chomped into one of the humans in line beside her. She was ready a second later, Claymore in hand and the red-skinned Yoma at her feet, gurgling as the Claymore looked for her next target.

“Mommy!” a high-pitched voice screamed, a child running over and collapsing over the bloody body that was already cooling. “Mommy!”

How pitiful and sad, Moerae thought, registering the child as she cut down another brave Yoma who was willing to test its chances. Not so much thinking her thoughts as looking down condescendingly at the humans, Moerae realized that humans were almost completely helpless against Yoma. They had neither the wit to realize that they were in danger, being unable to differentiate Yoma from humans, nor the physical requirements to do the only thing they seemed to know how to: run. I suppose Claymore are needed, in that sense.

The crowd of Claymore who had been calmly watching the killing games had long since dispersed, the various single digits cutting down weaker Yoma one after the other. Raynald had headed directly for the source of the Yoki outburst, figuring that dispatching the leader was the fastest way to end everything. He wasn’t planning on spending too much time here, not even on behalf of Ansgar’s interest in the new Claymore. He’d seen enough — she was a defensive type, most likely, and her skills were similar to his own in that they both specialized in Yoki sensing. One day, perhaps, she’d be strong — perhaps as strong or even stronger than him — but right now she was merely a new recruit, unfamiliar with her power and the norms of hunting Yoma.

Ansgar, unlike the goal-orientated Reynald, was currently running through the streets, cutting down whatever unfortunate bunch of Yoma he came across. “Are none of you strong?” he hollered at the fearful monsters who recognized his strength — cowards, the lot of them. “Are none of you capable of challenging me?”

Hearing the lead Claymore’s shout, Moerae was momentarily struck by how reckless, how idiotic Ansgar was. But, then again, he could afford such idiocy, and he was perhaps the only one that could.

“Get everyone to that building over there,” Moerae told the line of terrified humans as she cut an arm off a charging Yoma, kicking it off to the side. “The other Claymores have cleared it out already and are moving to clear out the rest of town. I’ll stay and guard everyone.”

The winded Yoma — one arm less but twice as angry — charged again, frothy spittle flying as it roared towards the female Claymore. Moerae angled her sword, thrusting it forwards so that it stabbed right through the center of the Yoma’s torso before swinging it to the right, cutting through its heart. Beside her, the humans didn’t budge, instead watching in silent awe as the Yoma came crashing down, only to be replaced by another one of its angry brethren.

“Go! What are you doing?” Moerae demanded, preparing to cut the newcomer down as well but still risking a glance at the unmoving line of likely casualties. The bloodied child sobbed on, wailing at his loss as the villagers huddled together in fear. They’re angry — at me, Moerae realized with surprise, registering the burning emotion in the humans’ eyes. But why? Am I not helping them — saving them?

The battle raged on, however, and Moerae narrowly ducked a mantis-like Yoma's arcing slash, severing it at its knees instead. She could consider everything humans seemed to think later -- there was a battle to be fought right now.

---

@lazarus

Gideon sealed the Yoki he had let out as his skin returned to its normal colour, he looked around and anything lesser than a Claymore might have been overcome with disgust as what they saw. Bodies were littered all around him, all of them had been torn up and the way they had fallen almost looked like they had been protecting something… or someone. That’s when the heard the quiet whimpers of some child though he couldn’t see who was making it, he noticed that a male and female had their backs turned to him like they were trying to protect a loved one from the death that the Yoma brought with them. The closer he walked, paying close attention to avoid the corpses and puddles of blood, the louder the noise got and he knelt down to find the source of the crying. It was clear to him that they were husband and wife, their hands were interlocked and their bodies pressed together to provide a shield from harm, though he was far from an emotionally-driven being Gideon still felt far more than his fellow Claymores could ever have expected. He had always tried to be around humans for as long as possible without attraction suspicion or unwanted attention from the Organisation, being so cold and methodical had started to feel wrong after every passing day. Before he inevitably died, he wanted to at least feel.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” Gideon was careful when shifting the bodies to the side since they were likely this child's parents and he had no intention of causing her further distress. Underneath was young girl, she must have been around ten years old clenching her knees with her arms as she visibly shook from the shock of seeing and hearing death firsthand. Her ragged clothing had seen better days, a couple of patches were stained red as the blood had managed to squeeze itself through though she didn’t look physically injured from what he could make out. She opened her eyes very briefly and then shut them again as if this were a terrible nightmare she desperately wished would end but sadly this was the reality she now lived in. “I’m going to take you to safety now. Don’t be frightened.” His voice was calm but conveyed his concern as he tried to reassure her, the monotone of most other Claymores would only worsen an already fragile situation. Reaching down to pick her up, she shrunk back a little but didn’t seem to protest when he gently scooped her up into his arms and held her against his chest so she felt secure though her eyes were still… it must’ve been rather surreal for her but in the end he had to get someone to care for her.

When he exited the building, he could sense the distinct lack of Yoma around them and wasn’t surprised it had ended so quickly since the most powerful of Claymore had dispatched them in one single swing. “Isn’t this a sight for sore eyes, Gideon have you gone soft?” It was Ansgar’s voice, whose else would it have been?

“Hardly. This girl needs a family since she has none now, that’s all.” Gideon only glanced his way but went in search for someone suitable to look after her or she wasn’t going to survive very long on her own. She had stopped crying or making much noise at all, when he looked down his silver eyes met hers, large sky-blue orbs stared back in wonder and not fear like how most humans reacted to them. “I’m going to find you a home.” And that’s when he almost walked into a younger couple who looked to be barely recovering from the bloodbath that had overtaken their village. “Take this girl and love her like she is your own daughter, you can do that right?”

The man looked liked he wanted to protest but his partner gave him nudge and smiled brightly at the Claymore. “Of course we can, we-”

Sh was cut off by Gideon who spoke casually as he handed the little girl over who looked more confused than anything. “If I hear you’re mistreating her, I will come back for you. I hope I make myself clear?” That made them uneasy and rightfully so, it wasn’t an idle threat. He swiftly returned to the group of Claymores that had gathered around Ansgar but Gideon had no interest in staying any longer though as he walked passed his name was called out. The rank one never could make anything easy on him.

“Oh Gideon, I hope you aren’t going anywhere? I’ve chosen you to team up with Morae, I’m calling on that… favour.”

Gideon froze in place, he didn't need to sift through his memories to know exactly what he was referring to. The bastard “I really don’t thi-”

“You don’t get to question me Gideon! You will do as I say unless you think yourself better than me?”

@Dusksong

The rest of the bloodbath went quickly, and Moerae found that although she herself sustained no injuries, there were too many Yoma about for her to protect the villagers from. Protecting the line of previous game-players didn’t go as well as the Claymore hoped; she’d lost one human, who’d been dragged off into the bloodbath, and another had sustained a fatal-looking bite to the shoulder that took what seemed like both flesh and bone.

“My child!” a father was wailing to the sky as Moerae flicked the blood off her blade.

The wail cut off, and shuffling noises could be heard. Looking over just in time, the Claymore narrowly dodged the charging human, eyes wide as she watched the man huff, saliva and snot gathered over his face. His eyes, though, were livid with life — and rage.

“You! It’s your fault!” the man shouted, a trembling finger pointed at Moerae. “It’s your fault my Margot was killed! Why didn’t you do your job properly?”

The girl blinked, understanding that the accusation was directed at her, but not understanding why. Were humans all so unreasonable? The man was accusing her in an attempt to find someone to blame other than himself. He’d been the closest one to his daughter, and he was the one who’d failed to shield the girl from the attacking Yoma, yet it was now Moerae’s fault somehow.

I failed to cut down all the Yoma, yes, she thought, sheathing her sword as the man yelled in anger, preparing to charge again. But I’m not omnipotent, and there’s no one to blame except the Yoma, and perhaps the world that we live in for being cruel.

The man ran at her, but Moerae was faster, dodging out of the way before her even finished his first step. But the man never finished; Raynald stepped back, a hand frozen at chest level as the human dropped, landing in a heap at the rank two’s feet.

“A firm hand is all you need to deal with them,” he told Moerae, dusting off his hands. He waved to the other Claymore. “Ansgar’s making his own plans again, and you should probably listen. You’re in them.”

Hearing Raynald’s words, Moerae quickly pinpointed where Ansgar was — it wasn’t hard since the Claymore in question exuded Yoki when he didn’t care enough to suppress it, the monstrous energy rolling off him as easily as light off the sun — and ran over, arriving within seconds.

Ansgar was currently up in Gideon’s face, threatening the man. Moerae caught her name somewhere in the exchange — Gideon was to team up with her? What for?

“Oh, Moerae,” Ansgar said, an easy grin on his face as he sauntered over. “Don’t feel insulted that I’m getting you a bodyguard. It’s just that you’re new and rather inexperienced, and I have to make sure that you don’t die on me. The last female — well, she was no fun. Weak — almost as weak as a human,” he said, shrugging. “I got bored of her quickly — what fun is trying to tame the meek and submissive? — but you — you’re stronger, aren’t you?” he said, the same grin on his lips, except wider now.

Moerae dodged out of the rank one’s way as he approached, mouth set in a hard line. This, she recognized. It was surprising to see that even the rank one was affected by such animalian qualities, but at the same time Moerae wasn’t too surprised. Many a Claymore retained unfavorable traits after their transformation, and Ansgar was evidently among them.

“The organization didn’t order such an action,” she said flatly. Ansgar narrowed his eyes briefly, then relaxed again, his grin returning.

“Well the organization isn’t much fun, is it?” he asked, laughing at his own joke. “Well, I say this meeting is dispersed. Nice seeing you all, and meeting you, Moerae,” he said, waving a hand as he walked away. “See you all again — if you don’t get offed first.” With that, the rank one blinked into the wind, gone.

“I’d love to say that you should just ignore the idiot,” Raynald said, breaking the silence, “but you’d both best follow. Ansgar’s known for his temper, and his strength gets the organization to overlooks many of his unreasonable actions.” The rank two paused, sighing. “Good luck to the both of you.”

The rank two walked away as well, as did the rest of the group. Some cast curious looks as the left, while others looked rather amused at the whole thing.

---

@lazarus

One could always count of Raynald to offer the cold, hard truth of the matter and he was spot on like he always was… Gideon and Morae could go their separate ways and maybe Asngar wouldn't find out immediately but it would only be a matter of time before he paid both of them a visit. They would not like those visits and it’d be questionable if they would even leave said encounter in one piece or even alive, it was too early to start making a noise and Gideon knew that so his only option was to quietly do as he’s been told. It might prove valuable for him to find out more about this new Claymore, he wasn’t about to make any assumptions about her but from his first impression she certainly seemed more tolerable than the others.

“Well I never saw this coming, we better get used to the fact that we’re a team for the moment despite our own opinions. Believe me, I don’t want this anymore than you do.” He could have complained about their current predicament but it would do him no good at him, this was what life was going to be like until Ansgar decided otherwise or Gideon felt ready enough to make a move. It’d be interesting for him to discover if Morae would become an ally or an enemy in the long run, he hoped for the former but it was difficult to truly get to know another Claymore. From what he’d seen she appeared confident and surprisingly skilled, her ability to accurately detect Yoki was remarkable. Since his own Yoki sensing wasn’t nearly as good, she’d strengthen one of his weaknesses and form this make-shift team into something formidable.

Gideon wasn’t certain of what their next move should be, they could start heading back to their headquarters for further instruction or wait for one of their handlers to show themselves but who knows how long that’d take. And just like that he heard a familiar voice from behind him, he always had knack for approaching undetected and for a human that was an impressive feat.

“If it isn’t my favourite silent Claymore and his new partner in crime…” Leon wore a smirk on his face, he was enjoying this and was unafraid to show it to these two. “What an unfortunate situation you two have found yourself in, Ansgar loves doing his own thing and who are we stop him having his fun?” His gaze drifted over to Morae as he regarded her coolly. “At the very least he made a good choice, you could have been partnered with much worse.” He looked deep in thought for a few seconds before turning around and walking away with slow steps. “There is an awakened being in Gundor Keep, west of here, former rank four is held is using it as a feeding ground. It’s been deserted for many years but the roads around it are often used by merchants and traders. Now it’s a problem that needs dealt with, your problem to be exact. Goodluck.” Leon waved a hand with a casual goodbye as he faded into the distance.

“I guess we better move out, there’s no use in us being here anymore.” Gideon didn’t bother waiting for a response, he didn't even check to see if she was going to tag along but that was probably because she didn’t have any other choice… just like he didn’t. It was a fair walk over to Gundor Keep, he had passed it a few times before and though it was impressive, it was mostly ruins now and he never gave it a second thought. Technically this mission should have been easy for them, he could have done it solo but it was never smart to think all rank fours would be at the same level of power. He would know soon enough if she was going to be useful or simply a hindrance, Gideon found himself becoming increasingly excited to see how each new to was going to unfold as something wholly unexpected had just happened to him. Maybe this isn’t going to be as bad as I first thought…

The handler Moerae made out with little difficulty; she’d met a few members of the organization during her time as a trainee, and if there was one thing uniting them all other than the name of the organization, it was their unsettlingly relaxed mannerisms. It was as if, because they didn’t dirty their hands, they were somehow “above” the Claymores they handled. That said, Moerae didn’t think her opinion of them mattered much anyway. Few were ill-behaved enough to truly unsettle her, and her job description didn’t require her to put up with her handlers for long anyway.

Former rank four… That’s a high-ranking Awakened. Higher than any I’ve tackled so far, Moerae thought after the handler had disappeared into the woods. She’d thought no more of the smug man after he disappeared, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand. Nodding at Gideon, Moerae followed his lead and pace towards the west. Well-trodden dirt paths through grassland gave way to a sparse forest, the path disappearing as trees faded into rubble.

What made them desert this place? Moerae wondered, passing an lone stone arch that must have once been a doorway into a large building. All that was left now, however, was a faint stone outline of the structure and some slabs piled here and there. This was a large building once, but it seems most of the structures around the keep have long crumbled.

Soon enough the main keep was in sight, tall and proud amongst the ruins beside it. It was still a while off, but Moerae figured that now was the time to talk strategy, if there was going to be one.

“Are we going to go in with a plan?” she asked, slowing to a stop. Reaching out with her senses, Moerae found that the entire area — including the main keep — seemed devoid of life. Either the Awakened was out hunting at the moment, or it was smart enough to have supressed its Yoki.

Does it know that we’re here? Moerae wondered, anxiety creeping in. She hadn’t even hunted an Awakened under rank twenty before, much less a single digit like a former rank four. Although it was comforting that she had the current rank three paired with her, Moerae felt like the mission seemed a little mismatched. The Awakened the mission detailed was of higher rank than herself, not to mention the fact that Awakened Beings generally saw their former talents increase exponentially when they tap into their hidden wells of Yoki. Does the organization really think that a rank three and a rank twelve can take down an Awakened rank four on their own?

---

@lazarus

Gideon kept his eyes actively searching out potential hiding spots for an awakened being though they were usually large, he was going to assume anything of the former rank 4 except that this was going to be one incredibly tough battle. His Yoki sensing wasn’t as acute as Morae’s and she looked as relaxed as one could expect after being given such a mission. The main keep was the most intact part and is mostly likely the lair of their target though he had to wonder if their presence had went unnoticed. Stopping as well, he turned to Morae as he started to speak.

“Was that rhetorical? I do not plan on dying today so to answer your question, yes we’re going to form a plan. We should play to our strengths if we are to work together efficiently.” Gideon has always been a true warrior at heart, choosing to best foes using his skills and abilities rather than manipulation or backstabbing. If he were to fight this former Claymore on his own, he would simply walk inside and search for his opponent though he wouldn’t shout some ridiculous battlecry for all to hear. An awakened being might be utterly intoxicated with power and throw their former selves away like one would do with garbage but to him they should still be respected for who they were: a brother or sister in arms.

“In what way can you use your Yoki, except for accurately detecting Yoma that is? Regardless, I will be the one drawing it out and facing it head on… where you will be, well that depends on your answer.”

"Right. Of course," Moerae said, recovering herself. "I can use my Yoki to disrupt another's, throwing their attacks off-course. It would be best if I were the distraction, drawing the Awakened out and holding its attention as you deal the finishing blow. I can align my Yoki with the Awakened's, allowing me to distort their focus and change the trajectories of their attacks without their awareness. Once you enter the battle, I can use its divided attention to my advantage and deal the finishing blow."

As long as the Awakened isn't focusing all of its attention on a single attack on me, I should be able to keep it distracted, she thought. If Gideon enters the fight, the Awakened will have no choice but to acknowledge him as well, thus giving me the edge I need to maintain my ability and deliver the finishing blow all at once.

At first Gideon thought that since he could absorb the Awakened’s attacks and receive little to no damage as long as he kept his skin hardened, Morae could manipulate its movements to allow him to go in for the the kill. Since she had offered herself as the bait, he assumed she needed to be within a certain distance in order for her ability to work and as long as she felt confident she could handle it on her own then he had no problem with it. “As long as you’re sure, this is no simple Yoma that we are about to face. What experience do you have with fighting Awakened beings?” He should have asked this earlier, her competence wasn’t in question but he needed to know if she had fought any firsthand.