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>>3879686
“Yes, I’m exactly what I look like,” you admit to the guard as you continue to focus mostly on the task at hand. “But here’s a dilemma for you, what does one do when the hunter becomes hunted themselves?”

“What do you mean?” the guard demands.

“Normally we warriors have the advantage,” you explain, your tone unusually intense. “We can sense the yōma and so they hide, only fighting once we track them down, corner them, and go in for the kill. But these yōma have the ability to evade my senses, at least to the degree that I can’t simply pinpoint their presence and eliminate them in one fell swoop.”

“So instead we’re hunting each other, trying to be the first to land a decisive attack.”

“But doesn’t that mean...” the guard begins, before you interrupt him.

“You’re exactly right,” you tell him. “That means they have the advantage just now because while I can’t tell how many there are, I know there’s at least two.”

“So what will you...” the guard begins again.

“That’s a good question,” you interrupt again. “The way I see it there are a few options, but the best is...”

>To release my full yōki and try to catch them while they’re fleeing.
>To make a big proclamation tomorrow, make them think I’m a hybrid failure, and become the bait.
>Simply wait. They will make a mistake at some point, and I will punish them for it.
>Other?

>>3879690
Big proclamation tomorrow

>>3879690
>>To make a big proclamation tomorrow, make them think I’m a hybrid failure, and become the bait.

>>3879690
>Simply wait. They will make a mistake at some point, and I will punish them for it.

>>3879690
>To make a big proclamation tomorrow, make them think I’m a hybrid failure, and become the bait.

>>3879690
>>To make a big proclamation tomorrow, make them think I’m a hybrid failure, and become the bait.

>>3879690
>we'll go with the strategic approach this evening (for me)
Same time as usual.

>>3879690
“… to make a big announcement in public tomorrow morning,” you decide, “to draw the yōma’s attention to myself. Serve as live bait.”

“Are you sure?” the guard asks. “That sounds like...”

“A huge risk, I know,” you admit. “But the thing is, any other option might be worse. If I get into a major confrontation here I can’t guarantee the safety of everyone living here, and if I use all my power straight out of the gate the yōma might slip out of the village.”

“By giving them a reason to not only stay, but to come after me...”

“Why?” the guard asks, finally keeping his response short as to avoid being cut off yet again.

“Because with my pink hair they may assume I’m one of the weakest warriors in the Organization,” you explain. Then you have an idea. “I need a piece of red fabric… preferably silk. Have anything like that?”

“Maybe,” the guard admits with a frown. “Again, why?”

By the next morning you’ve completed your disguise. A fine silk scarf wrapped around the hilt of your sword disguises the fact that you’re a former single-digit, at least at first glance. That’s when you send the guard to call his comrades, who rouse what seems like a crowd of a hundred or so people to hear your declaration.

“Let’s see…” you begin in a lower voice than usual. “Um… I’m from the Organization, and I’m here to kill a yōma!”

There’s a murmur through the crowd as you continue, your voice trembling slightly to complete the illusion. “But I… I can’t sense the yōma I was sent here to kill… so I’ll be staying here for a while. There’s nothing to be concerned about!”

Your insistence comes as the crowd seems to take that as a sign that they should be concerned. If you were a true weakling, out on perhaps your first real mission, this would be where you might start losing control of the situation… but you have to rein it in slightly to make sure things don’t get that far.

“Look, I may not look like much but I intend to stay here until the job’s done!” you declare, hands firmly planted on your hips. “I’ll be staying at the inn, so anyone with any information that might help feel free to come in and speak with me.”

>Head to the inn and wait there. Continue playing the part you’ve written for yourself.
>Do a few loops around the village walls for show.
>Scout the most likely exit routes and paths of movement that a yōma might take.
>Other?

>>3881949
>>Head to the inn and wait there. Continue playing the part you’ve written for yourself.

>>3881949
>Do a few loops around the village walls for show.

>>3881949
>>Head to the inn and wait there. Continue playing the part you’ve written for yourself.

>>3881949
>>Head to the inn and wait there. Continue playing the part you’ve written for yourself.

>>3881949
> Do loops around the walls

>>3881949
>>Head to the inn and wait there. Continue playing the part you’ve written for yourself.

>>3881949
>Scout the most likely exit routes and paths of movement that a yōma might take.

>>3881949
>3d10, best of three
Take your time, I don't plan to update for a while. At least not until people are likely to be able to get a chance to vote.

Rolled 7, 7, 2 = 16 (3d10)

>>3883527
NO TIME TO TAKE, DICE MUST BE CAST

Rolled 8, 2, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>3883527

Rolled 6, 2, 2 = 10 (3d10)

>>3883527

>writing

>>3883527
You head for the inn and book yourself a room for the night, hoping that one night will be sufficient. Otherwise it means that your plan didn’t work. Then you head upstairs and get settled in for the night.

It’s a nice room, with a small fireplace and a bed that looks like it would be pretty comfortable if you intended to sleep in it. Instead you sit at the foot of the bed with your sword across your knees and watch the fire burn, occasionally tossing a little piece of wood in to feed it. You do this for what feels like a few hours without anything happening.

But eventually you can faintly sense the approach of a yōma… singular. It’s creeping up the stairs at this very moment, slowly testing the door and finding that you left it unlocked for him. The knob turns almost soundlessly, and eases open to reveal a broad-chested man with wide, bloodshot eyes. His features slowly warp, baring a maw of inhuman fangs that glisten by the light of the dying fire.

>Grab your sword and attack, but be sure to take a wound. Keep the act up.
>Attack at peak power in a single instant, kill it before the other knows what happened.
>Time to ‘take this outside’… too bad, this was a nice room too.
>Other?

>>3883875
>>Grab your sword and attack, but be sure to take a wound. Keep the act up.

>>3883875
>Grab your sword and attack, but be sure to take a wound. Keep the act up.

>>3883875
>>Grab your sword and attack, but be sure to take a wound. Keep the act up.

>>3883875
>Keep the act up, but act as though you're strong enough to beat it unless it receives help

>>3883875
>>Grab your sword and attack, but be sure to take a wound. Keep the act up.

>>3883904
>>3883875
this

>>3883904
>>3883888
yes, this

>>3883875
>Grab your sword and attack, but be sure to take a wound. Keep the act up.

>>3883913
but just barely, mind you. make it look close.

i find it hard to believe (based on little more than appearances and how he entered) that this yoma is the one who can hide his yoki. what if his parter can hide not only his own yoki, but also the yoki of others? that might mean he's close by.

if we pretend like this is a hard-fought victory and collapse on the floor after we win, we can wait for the other one to hopefully come in and try to finish us off, then punch him to death.

>>3883875
>>Grab your sword and attack, but be sure to take a wound. Keep the act up.

At the next inn, we will see the sign, "No Dogs or Claymores allowed."

>>3883875
>3d10, DC 18

Rolled 9, 5, 1 = 15 (3d10)

>>3885284

Rolled 7, 10, 2 = 19 (3d10)

>>3885284

Rolled 5, 3, 2 = 10 (3d10)

>>3885284

>>3885284
You understand that this is only one of the yōma you were certain you felt before, and so your best strategy here is to continue with your act insofar as possible while also killing the one that decided to come after you. That means you need to make it look like it was much closer than it could have been, taking at least a few superficial wounds rather than simply bisecting the yōma before it even realizes how big of a mistake it’s made.

So you wait, letting the yōma get closer before making your move.

A clawed hand rips deeply into your left shoulder as you parry the monster’s first attack with the guard of your sword, keeping it from hitting anything fatal but only just. The pain is absolutely exquisite, searing like you’ve been run through by a hot firebrand.

“Hehehe...” the yōma cackles delightedly. “Poor little Claymore, expected to be a hunter didn’t you? Well, how does it feel to become the hunted, hm?”

“Guh!” you grunt back, coughing up a little blood for dramatic effect. It’s not like he hit anything that would cause that, you simply bit the inside of your cheek to make it look worse. “You… you bastard!”

“I’m almost disappointed,” he sneers. “I wonder what number you had… it must have been really low if you’re this...”

The silk wrapping falls slightly free, revealing the blue hilt underneath and catching the yōma’s eye.

“… what?”

You promply smash your elbow into the yōma’s chest and spring to your feet in one swift movement, sending the beast sprawling into the far wall.

“What!?”

Popping your neck loudly and stretching your aching left arm, you raise your sword. “Yeah… that should just about do.”

Then you take a massive gouge out of the ceiling with your blade, slice apart the bed with just a hint of remorse, ensuring that the feathers in the pillows spill out all over the room. You make sure to spread both your blood and the yōma’s around the room as it watches in complete disbelief.

“Now then,” you muse, eyeing your soon-to-be victim. “One last thing to really sell it.”

“What do you mean sell it, you witch!?” the yōma demands.

Your response is delivered alongside a veritable symphony of crashing and shattering as you tackle the yōma out through the inn’s wooden wall, right next to the small window.
>1/2

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>>3885319
The fight continues frantically in the mud below your inn room, or rather what remains of it. You take a moment to re-secure the wrapping around your hilt under the guise of staggering, which the yōma is doing as well. Taking your knee to the chest that hard after being thrown through a wall would do that to pretty much anyone.

By the time it’s back on its feet you’re able to slash wildly, landing a shallow cut across his spine and sending purple blood trailing through the night air. It falls forward, and you jump on its back to slit its throat from behind. With a sawing motion, completely unnecessary except for the image, you transition that into taking its head off.

Not really your cleanest work, but that’s actually kind of the point.

When the villagers come out and find you, you’re sitting wearily on a barrel, bleeding heavily from your shoulder, covered in purple, red, and brown muck. Goddesses above, it’s in your hair.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” one of the night guards asks worriedly. “You’re bleeding a lot.”

>I need medical attention… that thing made mince meat out of my shoulder.
>I’ll be fine. I just need some time to rest and recover before facing the next one.
>Pretend to pass out, see if you can’t lure out the other yōma this time.
>Other?

>>3885332
>>I’ll be fine. I just need some time to rest and recover before facing the next one.

>>3885332
>>Pretend to pass out, see if you can’t lure out the other yōma this time.
i know this is mean, but it would work best

>>3885332
>Pretend to pass out, see if you can’t lure out the other yōma this time.

>>3885332
>Wave the villagers off.
>"I'm okay...I just...need...to...rest. Don't...worry...about...me."
>close your eyes.

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>>3885370
>>3885332
>>Pretend to pass out, see if you can’t lure out the other yōma this time.

>>3885332
>>Pretend to pass out, see if you can’t lure out the other yōma this time.
aaand action

>>3885387
>>3885370
these
>>3885332

>>3885332
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 1, 3, 3 = 7 (3d10)

>>3886639

Rolled 9, 3, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>3886639

Rolled 7, 5, 8 = 20 (3d10)

>>3886639

>>3886642
Noel is a real actress
mostly due to personal experience i bet, she was unconcious before

>>3886639
>working on it

>>3886639
You decide to make the most of the situation, and to keep up the act as long as you can.

“I’m… fine,” you insist, doing your best to present the impression that you’re struggling to even speak. “Just a little… blood loss...”

Leaning heavily on your sword as a crutch you struggle to your feet, before falling forward into the mud. You’re already a mess, so this hardly makes it any worse.

“You can’t even stand!” a bystander protests.

“We need to get you to the surgeon,” a man insists, trying to haul you up by your good arm.

That won’t do at all… one room at the inn isn’t all that much of a loss, but if this town’s surgeon gets killed or his place of business is destroyed that would be an actual problem. Anything that could lead to people here being killed, or dying from the consequences, should be avoided and any cost to your self is acceptable.

“No!” you insist loudly, breaking away from his grasp and falling back into the mud.

“You need your arm fixed!” the same man insists, trying to grab you by the arm again. “It was practically ripped halfway off!”

“No hospitals!” you shout. “Please… just try to understand… they bring back bad memories.”

“I’m sorry, but if you keep bleeding you’re going to die here!”

>Relent, if for no other reason than to allow the crowd to disperse.
>Compromise, allow the local surgeon to come out and examine you.
>Insist, truthfully, that you can heal this wound. Do so slowly.
>Other?

>>3886690
>Compromise, allow the local surgeon to come out and examine you.

>>3886690
>>Insist, truthfully, that you can heal this wound. Do so slowly.
that might get the Yoma to rush to take us out

>>3886690
>>Insist, truthfully, that you can heal this wound. Do so slowly.

>>3886690
>>Insist, truthfully, that you can heal this wound. Do so slowly.

>>3886690
>Insist that you can heal this wound, you just need a few hours.

Wow the one time people are actually concerned about a claymore and we don't even want it.

>>3886690
>>Insist, truthfully, that you can heal this wound. Do so slowly.

>>3886690
>Insist, truthfully, that you can heal this wound. Do so slowly.

>>3886690
>Compromise, allow the local surgeon to come out and examine you.
Now I wonder who the next yoma is. Hmmmmm.

>>3886690
>Compromise, allow the local surgeon to come out and examine you.

>>3886690
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 9, 3, 7 = 19 (3d10)

>>3887864

Rolled 2, 6, 7 = 15 (3d10)

>>3887864

Rolled 1, 6, 1 = 8 (3d10)

>>3887864

Rolled 4, 1, 4 = 9 (3d10)

>>3887864

>>3887864
“I’m fine!” you insist loudly. “I’ve already got the bleeding just about stopped.”

You push yourself back to your feet and retrieve your sword, still dripping blood. The point is to make it seem like you’re struggling much more than you would be normally, to try and lure the other yōma out, but it seems like he’s much more cautious now that you’ve killed the other one.

So you make a show of staggering away into the dark, finding a place to curl up away from the small crowd that had gathered after you took your tumble through the wall. Then you finish healing your shoulder in just a matter of seconds, since it’s only become a nuisance and nobody’s watching anymore anyhow.

The morning dim signals a failure to lure the second yōma out of hiding in the way you intended, which forces you to make another choice.

>Now that one’s down, you can release your full yōki to deal with the other.
>Monitor the gates to see if you can’t locate the other yōma without alerting it.
>Wait for nightfall, try to lure it out again somehow and finish it.
>Other?

>>3887959
>>Monitor the gates to see if you can’t locate the other yōma without alerting it.

>>3887959
>Monitor the gates

>>3887959
>>Monitor the gates to see if you can’t locate the other yōma without alerting it.

>>3887959
>>Monitor the gates to see if you can’t locate the other yōma without alerting it.

>>3887959
>>Now that one’s down, you can release your full yōki to deal with the other.

>>3887959
>Monitor the gates to see if you can’t locate the other yōma without alerting it.

>>3887959
>Wait for nightfall, try to lure it out again somehow and finish it.

>>3887959
>>Monitor the gates to see if you can’t locate the other yōma without alerting it.

>>3887959
>3d10, DC 18, Crit 21
>Best of three

Rolled 5, 5, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>3888838

Rolled 2, 10, 9 = 21 (3d10)

>>3888838

Rolled 10, 8, 8 = 26 (3d10)

>>3888838

>>3888844
>>3888864
Good job anons!

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>>3888838
You suddenly find yourself having an idea… if the yōma has been blending in here, he must be following something like a normal pattern for someone who lives here. And since this place is a sheep-town, that means there’s a high chance that he’ll be going out first thing in the morning to handle one of the herds outside the walls. So there’s a strong chance that he’s going to be passing through one of the two main gates this morning, potentially saving you the trouble of tracking him down.

To that end you swipe some horse feed to serve as a quick meal to replenish your yōki, then position yourself within easy view of both gates, with an elevated vantage point atop one of the taller buildings. To think that three stories qualifies as ‘tall’ around here.

But just around dawn, you learn that it’s high enough to serve the purpose.

“So, it’s really that easy,” you smirk, vaulting from your little post up above the streets and drawing your sword.

In two swipes, two limbs fall to the ground in a spray of purple blood. There’s shock from the nearby human witnesses, even outrage at first… until the reality of what you just did sets in.

“What!?” the yōma demands, its expression twisted with anger. “I saw you last night, you shouldn’t even be able to stand with how much blood you lost!”

“I had a snack,” you shrug. “So I’m feeling a lot better.”

“Better enough to move that fast!?” he rages at you. “Better enough that you’re in a totally different class from last night!? Do you think I’m an idiot!?”

“I do,” you admit, carefully unwrapping the hilt of your sword, “especially since you fell for a dumb trick like this.”

“A blue hilt… but there’s no way!” the yōma protests. “There shouldn’t be a Claymore of your level anywhere near here!”

“Oh?” you smirk. “You’re sounding pretty confident for a guy whose arms I just cut off.”

>Why don’t you go ahead and transform so you can die looking every bit as ugly as you really are?
>Before I kill you, why weren’t you expecting a Single-Digit here? Who are you getting your information from?
>I have several questions, and you’re going to answer them if you want this to end quickly.
>Other?

>>3888940
>before I kill you ...

>>3888940
>>I have several questions, and you’re going to answer them if you want this to end quickly.

>>3888940
>Before I kill you, why weren’t you expecting a Single-Digit here? Who are you getting your information from?

>>3888940
>I have several questions, and you’re going to answer them if you want this to end quickly.

>>3888940
>>I have several questions, and you’re going to answer them if you want this to end quickly.

>>3888940
>I have several questions, and you’re going to answer them if you want this to end quickly.

>>3888940
>Before I kill you, why weren’t you expecting a Single-Digit here? Who are you getting your information from?

>>3888940
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 8, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>3890539

Rolled 2, 9, 6 = 17 (3d10)

>>3890539

Rolled 1, 5, 5 = 11 (3d10)

>>3890539

>>3890539
“First question,” you scowl at the all but defeated yōma. “Why wouldn’t you expect a strong warrior here?”

“Why would I tell you that!?” he demands. “You’re just gonna kill me whatever I do!”

“Yes, but I can do it quickly or slowly,” you point out.

“That’s not a choice!”

Whoever told him this isn’t here now, so it’s a mobile source of information within this region. And given how he knows the difference between your color-coded handles, you suspect whoever that source of information is must be something with a familiarity with how the Organization and its warriors operate. For that reason, you suspect that it might be an awakened being.

If so, then who?

“First of all, was it an awakened being?” you ask.

“I have no idea what you’re even talking about!” the yōma snaps angrily. “If you’re gonna torture me for information speak words I can understand!”

That actually sounds rather genuine to your ears, and he has no reason to lie.

“Was your source of information a male or a female?” you ask.

“A male!”

That honestly comes as a bit of a surprise.

>Kill him.
>Ask another question?

>>3890667
>"Describe him. Anything especially distinctive? "

>>3890667
"Look, you're about to die right? So why not tell me everything you know that can point me to the guy who informed you, because honestly his information got you killed. May as well get a last shot."

>>3890667
>Did he wear black?

>>3890672
>>3890667
i like that, no honor among yoma

>>3890667
>>Ask another question?
supporting: >>3890672

>>3890667
>>Kill him.

>>3890722
>>3890667

In with this

>>3890672
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 6, 10, 4 = 20 (3d10)

>>3892711

Rolled 9, 9, 4 = 22 (3d10)

>>3892711

Rolled 2, 7, 2 = 11 (3d10)

>>3892711

>>3892711
“You’re about to die any way you slice this,” you tell the yōma bluntly. “So you’re not wrong not to trust me. But look at it this way, the guy who gave you such lousy information basically got you killed. So why not sell him out to me? Get in one last petty parting shot?”

The yōma seems to consider your point for a moment. “There’s a voracious eater to the north. He’s the one who told me that a bunch of you Claymores died around here recently, and that this place should be ripe for easy feeding.”

“That’s the guy you want. Do me a favor and slaughter him.”

“Thanks for that,” you tell him. “I have one last question for you: die.”

He pauses. “That’s not...”

Before he finishes the sentence the top of his head slides off and falls to the dirt in a splatter of purple blood.

>Meet with the leader of this town, strike a deal for information.
>Proceed straight to the next target. You wasted too much time here as it is.
>The one to the North is your new objective. Leave a message for your comrades.
>Other?

>>3893282
>Meet with the leader of this town, strike a deal for information.
We're here to make sure that the Dari pass is CLEAN. We can deal with Mr. Voracious later.

>>3893282
>The one to the North is your new objective. Leave a message for your comrades.

>>3893287
>>3893282
supporting

>>3893282
>>Proceed straight to the next target. You wasted too much time here as it is.

>>3893282
>>The one to the North is your new objective. Leave a message for your comrades.

>>3893287
>>3893282

>>3893282
>Meet with the leader of this town, strike a deal for information.

>“Thanks for that,” you tell him. “I have one last question for you: die.”
>He pauses. “That’s not...”
He's right Noel, what the fuck?

>>3893282
>Meet with the leader of this town, strike a deal for information.

>>3893282
There’s one last measure to take here, which will ensure that your mission can be counted as a success. And since it took so much more time than you intended, you want to make sure that you get as positive a result as possible so the return on that investment of time is worthwhile.

After cleaning your sword off you spend the morning searching for the one in charge of the town of Nain, which turns out to be a wealthy landowner rather than some elected bureaucrat. Which is at the same time both convenient and frustrating, since the one who owns the land is primarily focused on something different from what a ‘public servant’ would be: on profitability and efficiency rather than well-being.

You approach him around lunch time, in the town’s small pub. There are no chairs, only a handful of options to drink, and the room is full of smoke. What’s also notable is that there are no women or children in the room at all, and there’s no food to be served. It’s literally just a place for working men to go and drink and talk.

“You’re Marcellus Cassius?” you ask the man you’ve sought, calmly insisting on his attention.

He looks at you with the obvious thought that you don’t belong here, like something stuck to the bottom of his expensive, well-polished boots. “That’s right. Who’s asking?”

… who does this man think he is, a king?

“I am what you would call a Claymore,” you declare, staring him in the eyes. “A half-human warrior who exists for the purpose of eliminating yōma.”

“Well, what do you want?” Cassius demands gruffly. “Speak up, then get out, you’re dirtying the floors of this establishment.”

“Dirtying?” you growl. “Is it because I’m a woman, or half-human? And if you say ‘what’s the difference’ we’re going to have a problem.”

“Then what do you expect me to say?” he glares at you, hand straying towards the pommel of a dagger thrust into his belt.

“An apology wouldn’t go amiss,” you contend.

Cassius responds with a short laugh. “What for? One wouldn’t expect a man to apologize to a dirtied mop, or to a dog that has to be thrown out.”

“You’ve done your job, now go. And try not to make any more of a mess than you already have.”

>Appeal to the crowd of regulars. This ‘landowner’ is disrespecting the one who cleared two yōma out of their town.
>It would be a shame if the next time a yōma appeared here no one came to help, all because one man’s pointless abusiveness.
>Challenge him to draw that little dagger of his, if he’s such a tough guy he should be prepared to act on it.
>Other?

>>3894456
>>Appeal to the crowd of regulars. This ‘landowner’ is disrespecting the one who cleared two yōma out of their town:
>>"It would be a shame if the next time a yōma appeared here no one came to help, all because one man’s pointless abusiveness."

>>3894456
>Appeal to the crowd of regulars. This ‘landowner’ is disrespecting the one who cleared two yōma out of their town.
>It would be a shame if the next time a yōma appeared here no one came to help, all because one man’s pointless abusiveness.

>>3894456
>Other?
>"I see you weren't discomforted in the least that two yoma were eating the people of this town. I wonder how many died while you were doing nothing. Did you think they won't eat you for some reason?"
>All in a way for the crowd to hear.

>>3894456
>Appeal to the crowd of regulars. This ‘landowner’ is disrespecting the one who cleared two yōma out of their town.
>It would be a shame if the next time a yōma appeared here no one came to help, all because one man’s pointless abusiveness.
>Challenge him to draw that little dagger of his, if he’s such a tough guy he should be prepared to act on it.
>Other?
Kidnap a yoma and leave it in the town near his house.

>>3894456
>Leave a severed yoma head in his bed

>>3894521
This is good too.

>>3894456
>Appeal to the crowd of regulars. This ‘landowner’ is disrespecting the one who cleared two yōma out of their town.

>>3894571
Yes!

>>3894456
>Other:
>Don't rise to his petty baits and keep it calm and professional. Princesses and Claymores can ill afford to be impulsive, and we are both.

Play it by the book kind of like a cop: cling stubbornly to facts of the matter and don't get pulled into his pace. Remember, but do not acknowledge, any threats or insults. Try to innocently and subtly get him to stick his foot in his mouth rather than directly accuse or imply any wrongdoing on his part. And prosecute our objective with single-minded efficiency; give him no reason to suspect we harbor any ambition beyond simply killing Yoma. Give no indication that we are impressed or concerned with his shit.

For all we know, this is just a studied insult, and not rising to it is our best bet. Even if it's not, and he really is an insecure toolbag, then we are on his turf anyway and he's likely surrounded himself with his yesmen who are unlikely to be swayed by our appeals to reason. Better to Give him some rope and watch him hang himself. Maybe then we can draw out someone thoughtful with some actual preservation instincts from the crowd and deal with them on the quiet later.

>>3894571
>>3895890

I don't think we have the jowls to pull this one off. Ditto making him an offer he can't refuse.

Seriously though, Claymores going gangster is the shortcut to bad news city. The moment humans see claymores as interested in making in human-like power plays is the moment we have enemies everywhere and have no hope of getting our job done without massive pain.

>>3895935
This guy makes a good argument, What do you guys think?

>>3896159
Lame

>>3896162
We know your the same faggot changing his IP every 30 seconds.

>>3896159
Just catching up on the thread after the weekend and his approach seems solid, i'll back it up.
>>3894456
>Other
>>3895935
this

>>3896182
>multiple people can't possibly disagree with me!

Ok bud

>>3894456
It’s been a long time since you’ve had to deal with this sort of belligerence from someone whose settlement you just saved from a yōma infestation, and you’d almost forgotten how badly it annoys you.

Almost.

“You know,” you reply to the wanna-be big shot landowner, leaning on the bar counter and grabbing a clay mug to fill with ale uninvited. “I didn’t actually come here because I was ordered to.”

You’re not actually thirsty, but this is what Zoe referred to in training as a ‘power move’: a gesture intended to make the other party in this conversation realize that regardless of what he might think you are the one in charge here.

You take a sip of the ale, and find it mercifully tolerable. “I came here because there are a few among our number that are even more zealous about slaying yōma than our Organization requires, so much so that we do it for recreation. We find the hunt to be enjoyable, even relaxing.”

“Good for you,” the man replies. “I fail to see your point.”

“My point is that you had a real opportunity here to make a positive impression with one of the most powerful and useful people you’re ever likely to meet,” you explain calmly, before taking a pause to sip at your ale. “A woman capable of snapping a yōma’s neck with her bare hands then beating it to death with its own skull. And your first instinct is to call this woman a... ‘dirtied mop’, I believe it was?”

“How fascinating, it can talk and listen,” the man sneers.

You finally decide to ignore him entirely, speaking to the room instead. “If any of you have more smarts than this one does, feel free to contact a member of the Merchants’ Guild heading towards the southwest end of the Pass. They’ll convey your message to one of my companions.”

Having said your piece, you finish your beer and set it down on the counter. “Keep it in mind the next time anyone in this town gets eaten by a yōma that you can’t find and kill by yourselves.”

Then you walk back out of the pub, putting this whole experience behind you.

>Travel straight to Tronkirk at top speed, you’re already behind schedule.
>Take your time, sweep carefully.
>Other?

>>3896673
>>Travel straight to Tronkirk at top speed, you’re already behind schedule.

>>3896673
>>Travel straight to Tronkirk at top speed, you’re already behind schedule.

>>3896673
>>Travel straight to Tronkirk at top speed, you’re already behind schedule.

>>3896673
>>Travel straight to Tronkirk at top speed, you’re already behind schedule.

>>3896673
>>Take your time, sweep carefully.

>>3896673
>Travel straight to Tronkirk at top speed, you’re already behind schedule.

>>3896673
>3d10, DC 18, crit 22
>Best of three

Rolled 2, 6, 7 = 15 (3d10)

>>3898217

Rolled 8, 5, 2 = 15 (3d10)

>>3898217

Rolled 5, 6, 8 = 19 (3d10)

>>3898217

Rolled 6, 5, 9 = 20 (3d10)

>>3898217

>>3898217
You decide that, having wasted time already on your last assignment, you should make up for that by arriving at Tronkirk as soon as physically possible. To that end you leave Nain far behind, and are happy to do so.

Your pace is one which would kill any normal human from sheer exhaustion, the speed of a galloping horse for mile after mile without letting up. But you’re eventually obliged to stop short of Tronkirk, not because you’ve grown tired but because of something you notice: a foul stench on the wind, one that’s unmistakable.

The source of that stench is something you did not expect: a burned village. It’s already been destroyed, and some time recently as well.

Sifting through the destruction you can confirm what you suspected, that the stench you noticed from miles downwind wasn’t just from burned buildings, but burned flesh.

It’s all coming from the church, a small building that likely evolved from having been something else before to fit the spiritual needs of a growing little community. The bodies are concentrated there, having been gathered together perhaps as a last line of defense.

Standing in the arched doorway, the heavy timbers of what once would have been the doors themselves having collapsed against the still-warm stones to either side, you survey the devastation.

After counting a dozen or so piles of bone and charred flesh, you realize that this one site probably accounts for most of the town.

>Search for survivors in some of the less-burned buildings.
>Search for traces that could identify the attackers.
>Move on. This does not concern you, the yōma in Tronkirk does.
>Other?

>>3898277
>>Search for survivors in some of the less-burned buildings.
>>Search for traces that could identify the attackers.

>>3898277
>>Search for traces that could identify the attackers.

>>3898277
>Search for traces that could identify the attackers.

>>3898277
>Search for survivors in some of the less-burned buildings.
>Search for traces that could identify the attackers.

>>3898277
>>Search for survivors in some of the less-burned buildings.
>>Search for traces that could identify the attackers.
What out for that crazy claymore chick.

>>3898277
>Search for survivors in some of the less-burned buildings.
>Search for traces that could identify the attackers.

>>3898277
>>Search for survivors in some of the less-burned buildings.

rereading this again so i'm just gonna post a question here.

did we get our best horse and the third duckling here or is this a "going to where she is" section?

...we're still going to get her right?

>>3899863
Everyone's been back to the castle, but some of them are now doing missions. So best horse and third duck are safe.

Or rather as safe as anyone is.
>>3898277
>3d10, DC 18, crit 23

Rolled 18, 3, 12, 9 = 42 (4d20)

>>3899962

Rolled 2, 10, 5 = 17 (3d10)

>>3899962
>Or rather as safe as anyone is.
worry intensifies

also fuck you halloween 4chan, don't update while i am writing something

Rolled 9, 5, 1 = 15 (3d10)

>>3899962
>>3899965
wrong dice

Rolled 1, 9, 10 = 20 (3d10)

>>3899962
>>3899965
anon pls

>>3898277
It’s easy to tell that there are no survivors here to be found, not a single soul. Whoever or whatever did this was thorough.

But you do spend some time to search for any evidence of the identity of that responsible party, either evidence of a fight or even a short occupation by some sort of attackers. In this regard they were incredibly thorough as well… if they were here longer than it took to torch the village they were sure to destroy any evidence of their presence.

The one thing you do find evidence of is bootprints, and plenty of them. It’s simply not possible that a group of armed men could eradicate every single sign of their passage, especially where they had to trample through vegetation or moss. Because of that you can estimate that maybe around a dozen or two dozen men were present here, and once that’s been established your search through the burned ruins reveals that they used torches to set the fires.

So this clearly was the work of humans, and not of yōma or half-blooded warriors.

>Search further, perhaps there’s more evidence in the surrounding landscape.
>You’ll make a note to ask when you reach Tronkirk.
>Other?

>>3899998
>>You’ll make a note to ask when you reach Tronkirk.

>>3899998
>>You’ll make a note to ask when you reach Tronkirk.

>>3899998
>>You’ll make a note to ask when you reach Tronkirk.

>>3899998
>You’ll make a note to ask when you reach Tronkirk.

>>3899998
>You’ll make a note to ask when you reach Tronkirk.

>>3899998
You make a mental note to ask about this situation when you reach Tronkirk, since there’s no clear indication of who might be responsible it would be irresponsible and dangerous to try and pin the blame on anyone. But you also suspect that it may well prove to be important, which makes it worth pursuing at a later date.

It takes you through the night to reach Tronkirk, when you spot the spire of its distinctive church cresting from behind a rolling hill.

You can sense that there’s definitely a yōma somewhere inside this town. But where?

>Try the church first. It may be considered rude but you’ve noticed something of a pattern over the years.
>Suppress your yōki, head to the nearest tavern and ask around. You have questions about what you’ve just seen, too, not just about the yōma.
>Try to find the mayor, or some other town leader. Ask if there’s been any disturbances recently, maybe this yōma has a pattern of behavior.
>Other?

>>3901078
>>Try the church first. It may be considered rude but you’ve noticed something of a pattern over the years, but get close with yoki suppressed

>>3901078
>Suppress your yōki, head to the nearest tavern and ask around. You have questions about what you’ve just seen, too, not just about the yōma.

>>3901078
>Try the church first. It may be considered rude but you’ve noticed something of a pattern over the years, but get close with yoki suppressed

>>3901078
>Try the church first. It may be considered rude but you’ve noticed something of a pattern over the years.

>>3901078
>>Try to find the mayor, or some other town leader. Ask if there’s been any disturbances recently, maybe this yōma has a pattern of behavior.

>>3901078
>>3901084

>>3901078
>Try the church first

STYLE

>>3901078

>Try the church first. It may be considered rude but you’ve noticed something of a pattern over the years.

>>3901078
Sorry, but I couldn't get out an update today. I'd intended to do one some time after the party, but between that and trying to put in a full-ish run of Nardoquest I ran out of energy faster than I anticipated.

I'll make up for it somehow.

>>3901078
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 3, 10, 3 = 16 (3d10)

>>3904045

Rolled 2, 8, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>3904045

Rolled 2, 6, 9 = 17 (3d10)

>>3904045

>>3904045
In the past you’ve noticed that a lot of yōma seem to be attracted to churches: specifically those with either crypts or graveyards associated with them. So you decide to start your search there, in the church that Tronkirk is named for.

You pick your way carefully through the narrow streets to the center of town, where the streets open up onto a small plaza in the center of which the redbrick-built church sits. For the size of the town it’s a positively stupendous structure, with a long vaulted roof that is itself taller than the three-story buildings around the plaza. On one side is a chapel, like a fat, square cross that joins to the exterior wall of the main church that ends in a copper-sheeted dome. On the side opposite is the square tower which rises half again the height of the main vault, and is capped by a sharply-tapering spire.

It’s a far cry from the humble building which stood on this spot before, at the center of a small monastery complex which would later be removed at the end of the civil wars. The monks and priests no longer felt the need to cloister for their own safety, and so more money and effort was invested in grand churches rather than defensible monasteries. After the monastery here was destroyed in a battle between two petty lords, Tronkirk became one of the first of the newer, grander churches.

You briefly offer your respects before inviting yourself inside.

It’s honestly one of the more handsome churches you’ve been in over the years, with fine white plaster filling the gaps between exposed structural brickwork. You walk between the empty wooden benches, briefly sparing a glance towards the sumptuously decorated chapel to your left as you pass the entrance to it, and end up at the back of the vaulted hall standing face to face with a gilded altarpiece. It’s easily twice as tall as you are and then some, featuring finely-painted scenes of religious figures and important events in the church’s (and Hazaran’s) history.

The Twin Goddesses Clare and Teresa of course feature heavily in the center, a joyous exultation of gilding and light that banishes all shadow.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice greets you.

On the balconies that comprise the second floor, where the choir would ordinarily stand, you see a man clad in vestments with a cleanly-shaved head and dark eyes. His footsteps echo slightly as he climbs down a stairway you can’t see from where you stand, until he emerges from around the corner of the wooden seats designated for higher-status patrons of the church itself who come from neighboring settlements and semi-feudal fiefdoms to worship.

>I never liked how unattainably perfect the Twin Goddesses are presented as being.
>The gilding is a little much, but I guess it reflects the craftsman’s skill and dedication.
>It’s quite a beautiful thing, but I wonder who it’s ‘for’ if you follow me.
>I’m actually here on business, if you wouldn’t mind speaking with me.

File: Roskilde-Domkirke_10_Choi(...).jpg (128 KB, 826x572)

128 KB JPG

>>3904127
Forgot the image I intended to post. This is the interior of the cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark, which Tronkirk's church is VERY loosely based on.

>>3904127
>>It’s quite a beautiful thing, but I wonder who it’s ‘for’ if you follow me.

>>3904127
>It’s quite a beautiful thing, but I wonder who it’s ‘for’ if you follow me.

>>3904127
>>I’m actually here on business, if you wouldn’t mind speaking with me.

>>3904127
>>I never liked how unattainably perfect the Twin Goddesses are presented as being.

>>3904127
Cool people must always be critical of the establishment, eh?
>The gilding is a little much, but I guess it reflects the craftsman’s skill and dedication.

>>3904127
>It’s quite a beautiful thing, but I wonder who it’s ‘for’ if you follow me.

>>3904127
>It's quite a beautiful thing...

>>3904127
>It’s quite a beautiful thing, but I wonder who it’s ‘for’ if you follow me.

>>3904127
>The gilding is a little much, but I guess it reflects the craftsman’s skill and dedication.
>I never liked how unattainably perfect the Twin Goddesses are presented as being.

>>3904127
“It’s certainly a beautiful object,” you admit, “full of technical skill and fine craftsmanship. But I have to wonder who it was truly made for… for the worshippers, for the artist, for the church, for the one who commissioned it?”

“A pertinent question indeed,” the priest admits. “Really, all those are intended audiences for this piece. However its most important role is to communicate with the worshippers, particularly those of low social standing. Being able to see such a glorious representation of the events depicted here, much like the stained-glass panels and frescoes of other churches, tends to get the core point across, you understand?”

You nod in agreement. “I do, actually, having seen a fair bit of ecclesiastic art myself.”

“I am Father Vincent,” the man introduces himself with a polite bow. “And what can I do for a wayward child such as yourself?”

“I’d dispute both those terms, both ‘wayward’ and ‘child’. I am no child, and I am far from wayward,” you challenge him in a calm tone. “But that is relatively unimportant. I come here on business, of the sort we half-bloods tend to.”

“A yōma?” he asks with a frown.

“And other problems worth note,” you admit. “Do you mind if I take a seat?”

The priest gestures to the wooden seats to one side, and you lay your sword out of the way and take a seat for yourself. The priest sits next to you.

“That sword is a beautiful object itself,” he admits. “Much more effort seems to have been put into its appearance than I would have anticipated.”

“I’ll be sure to tell the smith who did the work for me you approved,” you nod. “Though it may go straight to his head.”

“Now, my child, what seems to be troubling you?”

>Reports of a yōma in this area.
>Reports of yōma coordinating along the Dari pass.
>A town that got wiped out. And NOT by yōma.
>All of the things. All of the things trouble me.

>>3904947
>>A town that got wiped out. And NOT by yōma.

>>3904947
>>A town that got wiped out. And NOT by yōma.

>>3904947
>All of the things. All of the things trouble me.

>>3904947

>Reports of a yōma in this area.
>Reports of yōma coordinating along the Dari pass.
>A town that got wiped out. And NOT by yōma.
>All of the things. All of the things trouble me.

>>3904947
>All of the things. All of the things trouble me.

>>3904947
>All of the things. All of the things trouble me.

>>3904947
>A town that got wiped out. And NOT by yōma.

>>3904947
>All of the things. All of the things trouble me.

>>3904947
“To be honest with you? There are a lot of things that are troubling me,” you admit.

“And why might that be?” the priest inquires.

“There were reports of a yōma around here, so I’m tracking it down,” you explain, accounting for your presence in his church. “But I also have some evidence to suggest that this one was coordinating with several others of its kind under the guidance of a ‘voracious eater’, an unusually old and large yōma.”

“Coordinating?” the priest repeats. “Oh dear. That’s not something I’ve ever heard of.”

“I’ve encountered it twice before,” you explain. “Once where one yōma created a series of subservient lesser yōma to serve it… killed that little problem with extreme prejudice. The second was another case of yōma being organized under another more powerful leader. I’m beginning to think the only reason this is considered rare at all is that it’s rare for a yōma to show the patience and discipline necessary to lead, not that all yōma lack the ability to follow.”

“I can’t say I know even that much about yōma,” Father Vincent admits candidly, “nor would I care to, considering how dearly that knowledge must have cost you.”

“Hm,” you mutter to yourself, not really sure what to say to that or even whether something needs to be said. “The other problem is that I ran across a village that was destroyed, on my way here from Nairn.”

“By a yōma?” the priest asks hopefully.

You shake your head, immediately disappointing him. “Yōma don’t take torches to churches with their victims locked inside.”

The priest now seems a little more shaken by your description of the situation, rather than merely disappointed that such a thing was done by human hands. “I see your point, though I hate to admit to myself that not one, but likely many people could together do such a bestial thing to their brothers and sisters.”

“Never underestimate the capability of people to talk each other into things,” you sigh sadly. “The more people agree with you, the more the unjustifiable can start to seem justified.”

“I fear you may be correct about that as well,” the priest admits. “In fact, the awareness of what people are capable of doing in angry, frightened groups was what drove me to join the church in the first place. I hoped to be a more positive influence on this community.”
>1/2

>>3905892
“Likewise, people like me exist for the times when situations are beyond human control,” you offer calmly. “Not quite like the Twin Goddesses… an intermediate step, if you will, for what would normally be just beyond our reach.”

“In theory, that should make us natural allies.”

The priest chuckles grimly. “I take it you have found that not to be the case.”

You shrug. “It’s a mixed bag of reactions. The monasteries in Daria are practically collaborators at this point, though the Inquisition to the south seems hellbent on confronting us in any way possible short of open warfare. Everyone else falls somewhere in-between.”

“I heard rumors of the Inquisition spreading its influence into Hazari territory,” Father Vincent nods. “I had hoped the natural stubborn, independent streak commonly observed with the Hazari blood would resist such attempts.”

“Either people are more scared than ever before,” you muse, “or our blood has grown thin indeed without anyone noticing.”

“The latter is certainly possible,” the priest admits. “But what would you imagine to be the cause of the former?”

>I can’t say. There hasn’t been a noticeable increase in yōma activity.
>What yōma attacks there have been tend to be bigger than before. Perhaps that is it?
>Simple: economic and political uncertainty following a major palace coup.
>Other?

>>3905907
>>Simple: economic and political uncertainty following a major palace coup.

>>3905907
>>Simple: economic and political uncertainty following a major palace coup.
Directed by specific individuals to further their own particular goals and remove certain displeasures

>>3905907
>What yōma attacks there have been tend to be bigger than before. Perhaps that is it?
>Simple: economic and political uncertainty following a major palace coup.

>>3905907
>>Simple: economic and political uncertainty following a major palace coup.

>>3905907
>>Simple: economic and political uncertainty following a major palace coup.
>The new ruler is not much if any better than the old one, and given that, he's not holding his position as cleanly as people would like.

>>3905907
>A coup that saw the death of the royal family, the heir-to-be the pride and joy of the people now slain, economic and political uncertainty follows the coup as the usurper proves in his rule not much better than the man he killed to take the crown. And on top of that, there has been tensions of a brewing civil war between the ousted old guard and the incumbents that benefited from the coup.

>>3905907
>Simple: economic and political uncertainty following a major palace coup.

>>3905907
>Simple: economic and political uncertainty following a major palace coup.

>Will start here on Nov 16, as IRL work-related stuff has gone into overdrive rather abruptly

So new thread then?