The plot thickens!

Bit early today?

>>2949618
“The handler who was sent for me is dead. Three riders killed him in the pass above Acerrae in the night, before moving on towards the town. I have delayed sending this message in order to find a more secure means of delivery. I am currently in civilian dress, communicating through the current client Mrs. Valentina Gambino of Lanerk.”

“The dead handler had been shot once already through the torso, and was dying when he nearly stumbled onto my temporary encampment. Shortly after the riders caught up with him and executed him and his horse: one shot to the heart, one to the head, and one to his horse's head. They dumped the bodies off the side of the road where I subsequently recovered my orders. His body is not far below the treeline on the Sakian side of the pass, just downslope from the path.”

“It is my belief that this was a targeted killing. Please keep me appraised of any changes in my orders, and it is my opinion that a lower profile when operating in Cuilan and adjacent regions may be called for.”

You then sign the letter “N-T-dH”, followed by your distinctive maple-leaf-shaped sigil. The envelope you seal with melted red wax and a Noroitan coin, instead of pressing the Gambino family seal into it. On the front of the envelope, you sign it with your sigil again.

Then you repeat the letter a second time from your memory, and duplicate the seals and markings on the envelope.

“In case the first one goes missing somehow,” you inform the Gambino widow.

“Do you not trust me?” she asks you skeptically.

>Quite the contrary, I came to you specifically because I need you for this to work.
>It's not just you, I'm not keen on trusting anyone at the moment: not even myself.
>I'm hedging my bets: one of our Handlers was assassinated, and it could happen again.
>Other?

>>2949627
>I'm hedging my bets: one of our Handlers was assassinated, and it could happen again.

>>2949627
>i needed you for this to work

>>2949627
>Quite the contrary, I came to you specifically because I need you for this to work.

>>2949627
>No.

>>2949627
>Quite the contrary, I came to you specifically because I need you for this to work.

She could have orchestrated this somehow. Now that doesn't mean we can't tell her we trust her and then privately not actually trust her.

But she set up a contract and the guy delivering it was murdered.

>>2949627
>stare at her very hard

>>2949627
“Quite the contrary,” you correct her, “I sought you out specifically because I needed your help.”

Though you say that mainly to defuse any remaining tension, there's some truth to your words. Something has gone wrong at some point in this process, and nobody is above suspicion at such an early stage. It could be that your own client leaked details of the dead handler's travel plans, in which case she cannot be trusted to convey your message.

Or it could be that someone was monitoring her movements, and will intercept the bearer of your message before it reaches the Organization.

Or it's just as possible that the trio who hunted down and murdered that handler were acting independently, and the widow has nothing whatsoever to do with the situation that unfolded after she contacted the Organization. Or, it's also possible that the trio could even be after you in particular.

There are a lot of possibilities, and not nearly enough evidence to suggest that any of them are the truth.

“So, will you do this for me?”

Your client nods in affirmation. “I will. I take it that you will be working on my request in the mean time?”

“That is my intention,” you agree, shutting your eyes in contemplation. “Though if you do not have the rest of the money, this would present an ideal opportunity to back out.”

“I can assure you that I have the money,” Mrs. Gambino declares firmly. “And I have no desire to change our arrangement.”

>Then can you spare the time for a few questions about what happened?
>Then you start to work on my request. I'll search the site where your husband was killed.
>Then is there anyone else around here that could tell me anything about the incident?
>Other?

>>2949724

>Then can you spare the time for a few questions about what happened?
>Then you start to work on my request. I'll search the site where your husband was killed.

>>2949724
>tell me about yourself and your husband.
get her relaxed

>>2949724

>Then can you spare the time for a few questions about what happened?
>Then you start to work on my request. I'll search the site where your husband was killed.
>Then is there anyone else around here that could tell me anything about the incident?

>>2949724
>Then can you spare the time for a few questions about what happened?
>Then is there anyone else around here that could tell me anything about the incident?

>>2949728
I'll support this. As an opener and an ice breaker. Possibly also to see what tells and habits she has if she lies.
>>2949724
>Then can you spare the time for a few questions about what happened?
>other: How did you find out that your husband was... a yoma?
>other: has he visited you lately? When was the last time he visited you as a human? When was the last time he visited you as a yoma?
>other: How long ago was it since you contacted the organization?
>other: when did you start mourning?

>gotta go take care of something
>will be back ~15 minutes

>>2949747
“Then can you spare a few moments to answer some questions?” you ask. “I'm afraid my briefing was lacking in a few details.”

“Again?” she asks, seemingly a little upset that you even asked this much. “Was the first interrogation not enough?”

“The Organization doesn't always ask the same questions that I would in any given situation,” your offer as a deflection, “and in some circumstances they place too much emphasis on brevity in translating information into orders. In some cases, our Warriors have such unremarkable reasoning and investigative skills that they could not make use of a fuller briefing anyway.”

“However, I am not such a case.”

The widow sighs, returning to the seat where you first found her. “I understand. What do you need to know?”

“Where were your husband and his associate found?”

“In a back alley off the market street,” Mrs. Gambino informs you. “I could draw you a map if that would help.”

“Please,” you nod. “What time were they found, and who found the bodies?”

“It was a town guard on patrol, and they were not found until sunrise.”

So they were killed some time at night?

“And when was the last time you saw your husband?” you press. “Presumably that evening?”

“Just after dinner,” she recounts. “Which we took shortly after sundown.”

A fairly narrow time frame, and she herself clearly is no yōma. In fact, you can't tell that there have been any yōma in this building at all.

“Any children?” you ask.

She shakes her head.

“Close relatives who live in town?”

She shakes her head again. So that's all the likely suspects accounted for.

“Do you know any of their other associates?”

“They mostly deal with traveling merchants,” she offers. “So you may ask with the local Merchant's Guild office. They can probably give you a few names.”

“Is there anyone else you can think of that may know anything about what happened?”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 1, 7, 7 = 15 (3d10)

>>2949797

Rolled 3, 6, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>2949797
this smells fishy. it smells more like a murder than a yoma.

Rolled 2, 8, 7 = 17 (3d10)

>>2949797
>

>>2949797
“There... is a pub near to where they were...”

“... found?” you offer.

She nods quickly. “You may find that someone who was there knows something.”

“Thank you for your assistance,” you incline your head, just far enough to consider it a bow.

>Head for the scene, and for the pub that your client mentioned.
>Head for the town guard's headquarters. You want to speak with the ones who handled the case so far.
>Head for the Merchants' Guild, track down some of the dead men's business partners.
>Shadow your own client surreptitiously, see whether someone else follows her.
>Other?

>>2949823
>Shadow your own client surreptitiously, see whether someone else follows her.
i like sneaking

>>2949823
>>Shadow your own client surreptitiously, see whether someone else follows her.
sneeki breeki

>>2949823
>Shadow your own client surreptitiously, see whether someone else follows her.
>other: hide your sword somewhere, change up your hairstyle, change to a different civilian outfit, wear a hat/hood or something to hide your telltale eye color. Blend in more as a civilian.

>>2949823
>>Head for the scene, and for the pub that your client mentioned.

>>2949823
>>Shadow your own client surreptitiously, see whether someone else follows her.

>>2949823
>Shadow your own client surreptitiously, see whether someone else follows her.

>>2949845
>3d10, DC 18, crit 23
>best of three

Rolled 1, 3, 4 = 8 (3d10)

>>2949876

Rolled 2, 6, 1 = 9 (3d10)

>>2949876

fuckin' hell...

Rolled 5, 10, 7 = 22 (3d10)

>>2949876
ah shit

>>2949888
OUR SAVIOR

File: 1c4ro78hp_good.png (15 KB, 126x166)

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>>2949888

>>2949876
You give your client enough time to leave, quickly making a few changes. You pull your cloak out of Alysheba's pack, pulling him around to a more hospitable place to wait: a small stables behind the row of shops and apartments where you found Valentina Gambino. Then you wrap the cloak around your sword and hide it in the rafters of the stables. Right now, it's just going to attract too much attention.

By the time you've finished your efforts you barely manage to catch up with her. Thankfully she doesn't tend to look around herself very much, and never checks behind her. That makes it all the simpler task to follow her.

For nearly half an hour you shadow a few dozen paces behind. You don't notice anyone following her at all, until she arrives at a completely nondescript facade in a different part of town. She heads inside with your letter.

“So that's the location where she met with the intermediary?” you muse. “I'll have to make a mental note.”

You glance around, taking in the appearances of the nearby buildings and the positions of any real 'landmarks' to speak of... the location of a church tower, the mountains behind you, a red storefront of painted wood. That's as good as you're likely to get.

So you backtrack as quickly as you can without attracting too much attention, heading for the market street.

Maybe you didn't see anything noteworthy, but at very least you weren't spotted or tailed yourself.

>Look for witnesses at the pub.
>Interview at the guard headquarters.
>Other?

>sorry for the delay, my internet connection shat itself for a while

>>2949992
>>Look for witnesses at the pub.

>>2949992
>>Look for witnesses at the pub.

>>2949992
>>Look for witnesses at the pub.

>>2949992
>Look for witnesses at the pub.

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>3d10 for detective skills
>best of four

Rolled 6, 2, 6 = 14 (3d10)

>>2950038
Time to sherlock it up.

Rolled 2, 7, 4 = 13 (3d10)

>>2950038

Rolled 9, 10, 7 = 26 (3d10)

>>2950038

Rolled 7, 2, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>2950038

>>2950050
Holy shit, anon.

>>2950050
Yup. Detective Noel is definitely on the case.

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>>2950050
>>2950054
>>2950055

>>2950038
You quickly find the pub that the widow mentioned, and when you do it's obvious that a yōma has been here in the not-too-distant past. Inside is the same: the yōma who killed the two victims was in this building, almost certainly on the night in question. Which leads to your first question.

At the bar, you signal the bartender. “What kind of ales from around here have you got?”

“A red, an amber, and a brown,” the man replies. “Any of that strike your fancy?”

You order a half-pint of the red ale, and the bartender leaves for a moment to fill your request. When he returns, you thank him... and then lead in with your questioning. “I hear there was an incident near here, a few days ago.”

“Two men were killed by a yōma,” he replies, wiping a nearby glass. “I wouldn't worry too much, miss. Nobody's seen hide nor hair of the beast since, and apparently the widow of one of the men called in one of those Claymores.”

“You don't say...” you muse playfully. “I suppose that's good then.”

“It'll be good when she's gone,” your host grumbles. “Those women give me the creeps.”

“Well, in any event we should hope she concludes her work quickly,” you shrug, trying not to take offense. “So did you hear anything more about it? Who were those two?”

“The two who died?” the man asks. “They were arguing in here before, over some woman if I remember right.”

… some woman?

It makes sense that they would be targeted as a matter of opportunity, if they'd been arguing before the yōma may have wanted to try and pass it off as a violent vendetta gone wrong.

>Continue questioning the bartender.
>Head for the guard headquarters.
>Examine the scene of the crime.
>Other?

>>2950110
>>Examine the scene of the crime.

>>2950110
>>Continue questioning the bartender.
What was one screwing the other's wife?

>>2950110
>Continue questioning the bartender.
>other: slide a few coins over to prod him further.
>other: "what was the argument about?"
>other: "Did you see anyone leave/follow the two bickering sods when they left your pub?"

>>2950138
>>2950110
In with this

Rolled 1, 8, 8 = 17 (3d10)

>>2950110
>3d10, DC 17, crit 22

Rolled 8, 3, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>2950164

Rolled 2, 10, 3 = 15 (3d10)

>>2950164
interrogation/questioning
>doubt

Rolled 8, 4, 1 = 13 (3d10)

>>2950164

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>>2950172
>>2950171
>>2950170

Rolled 3, 10, 5 = 18 (3d10)

>>2950164

>>2950164
“Can you tell me if they were followed when they left?” you ask.

The man pauses, and looks at you searchingly. Then his eyes narrow at you, and his brow furrows.

“Your eyes are silver.”

The fact that he pointed it out means that your cover is blown, but you give it one last effort. “Did anyone follow them?”

“I think you need to leave,” he tells you, taking your half-finished glass off the bar and pouring it out into a sink behind him. “Now.”

“Listen,” you insist, keeping your voice low. “You and I both want me to be out of your town as quickly as possible, so why don't you just do the smart thing and tell me what I need to know to do my job?”

“I've kept it quiet,” the bartender hisses back, leaning across the bar towards you and lowering his voice. “So just leave, and do your damn job. If you don't, I'm going to start raising a stink and someone's going to form a posse.”

“We have a saying in Hazaran, about not cutting off your nose simply to spite your face,” you grumble. “You'd really have me chased out of town when two men were killed here by a yōma?”

“I don't make the rules,” he shakes his head. “The church does. And if you're caught here, we'll have a problem.”

The church, he said?
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 2, 3, 4 = 9 (3d10)

>>2950200

Rolled 9, 6, 10 = 25 (3d10)

>>2950200

Rolled 10, 9, 5 = 24 (3d10)

>>2950200

Rolled 5, 9, 5 = 19 (3d10)

>>2950200

Rolled 6, 9, 1 = 16 (3d10)

>>2950200
Ooooh a lead.

>>2950200
It suddenly makes sense.

“So those three riders were Inquisitors of some kind?” you realize aloud.

The bartender stares at you in complete terror. “Who said anything about that?”

“Nobody had to,” you grumble. “At least not directly. The dots were easy enough to connect when you laid them all out on the bar for me.”

The church here has taken an aggressively anti-Organization stance, probably due entirely to what you are. Valentina Gambino was overseen dealing with an associate of the Organization, who in turn contacted the handler you saw killed. The three riders who undertook the assassination were sent after him to prevent a Claymore from coming to this town to deal with the two yōma related deaths.

Perhaps the church even understands that dealing with a warrior like you, even one ranked much lower than you are, would be impossible for a normal human. That must have factored into their decision to focus on the human hierarchy that the Organization relies on... or rather, that its warriors are kept subjugated to.

>Don't worry. I won't tell anyone that we spoke if you don't, so why don't you tell me what I need to know? Think of it as a thank-you gift.
>You disagree with the church's stance, probably because of the risk involved? So why not lend me a hand here, on the quiet?
>Is there anyone around here of a more... I wanna say 'heretical' nature that might be willing to offer me some support?
>I promise you that I won't lay a finger on any humans... but how would I go about meeting someone from the church?
>Other?

>>2950269
>>I promise you that I won't lay a finger on any humans... but how would I go about meeting someone from the church?

>>2950269
>Is there anyone around here of a more... I wanna say 'heretical' nature that might be willing to offer me some support?

>>2950269
>I promise you that I won't lay a finger on any humans... but how would I go about meeting someone from the church?

>>2950269
>>Don't worry. I won't tell anyone that we spoke if you don't, so why don't you tell me what I need to know? Think of it as a thank-you gift.

>3d10, dc 18
>best of three

Rolled 6, 10, 10 = 26 (3d10)

>>2950317

Rolled 6, 5, 10 = 21 (3d10)

>>2950317

Rolled 10, 6, 9 = 25 (3d10)

>>2950317

Rolled 3, 7, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>2950317

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>>2950322

>>2950317
“I promise you that I will not so much as lay a finger on any humans,” you offer quietly. “Even in self-defense... since that could be used by the church to justify this behavior. So please tell me who I need to find in order to speak to someone from the church.”

The bartender shuts his eyes, and puts his head in his hands. After a few moments he speaks. “I didn't tell you this.”

“I understand,” you reply calmly. “The name?”

“Father Cormick,” he mutters. “The head of the Inquisitorial order is Father Cormick. A real hardass... that's what led the church to put him in charge of rooting out yōma and dealing with any Claymores and their allies.”

“And how will I know him when I see him?” you ask.

“He's the one wearing a black stole,” the bartender explains. “Silver hair, short-cropped. Looks like he might have been a solider at one point.”

“I'll keep my eye open,” you nod appreciatively. “And when it comes to you, I'll keep my mouth shut.”

“Thank you.”

>Seek out Father Cormick immediately, try to come to an arrangement.
>Avoid the Father for now, wait for nightfall and go on patrol.
>Return to your client, tell her you know about the church's involvement.
>Other?

>>2950351
>Return to your client, tell her you know about the church's involvement.

>>2950351
>>Avoid the Father for now, wait for nightfall and go on patrol.

>>2950351
>Seek out Father Cormick immediately, try to come to an arrangement.

>>2950351
>>Avoid the Father for now, wait for nightfall and go on patrol.
We technically still have a job to do.

>>2950351
>other: Return to the client. Make sure she is safe from any inquisitors.
THEN
>Seek out Father Cormick, try to come to an arrangement.

>>2950351
>Avoid the Father for now

>>2950351
>>>Avoid the Father for now, wait for nightfall and go on patrol.
He mighta been a solider.

>>2950351
>>Avoid the Father for now, wait for nightfall and go on patrol.

>>2950351
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 2, 7 = 13 (3d10)

>>2950407

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

>>2950407

Rolled 10, 4, 9 = 23 (3d10)

>>2950407

>>2950407
You return to the Gambino shop, and steal yourself a dark-colored cloak from the widow's wardrobe. You decide for now that the best path would be to avoid both the widow herself as well as the Father and his men, to simply do your job as best you can and leave so you can report the situation as soon as possible. If for no other reason than to make sure the warrior usually assigned here has adequate warning.

In a snap decision, you also borrow a long hunting knife from the shop: finely crafted steel with a bone handle. It won't be the best weapon available, but it does give you something to stab with if the occasion arises... though with your particular skillset that's unlikely to be the case.

Well after sundown you set off, taking to the rooftops as you move around the city. The streets are mostly empty below you, though you do see a few passing patrols of well-equipped and well-dressed soldiers. Even in the dark you can tell that their regalia is religious in nature... so the church and the guard are essentially being run under the same organizational structure.

“I'm telling you, I saw something!” you hear a man's voice, from somewhere on a nearby roof. You slide silently along the tiles and take cover at the base of a row of chimneys, before peeking around the brickwork.

There are a trio of guards standing atop the next roof over, which is half a story lower than the one you're on and instead if being peaked in the midline it slopes downwards from an inner courtyard down towards the street. Light shines from a series of dormered windows, and would glisten off their armor if they wore any.

Instead they wear heavy leather vests with reinforced shoulder padding, with two carrying short swords and one carrying a short-barreled rifle.

“You're always seeing things,” one of the other two guards accuses. “Whether they're there or not.”

“There was someone else up here,” the first man asserts.

>Try to sneak past these guards, continue with your patrol.
>Break away, lead them on a chase before losing them and returning here.
>Ignore them for now. Just wait and focus on your yōki sense.
>Other?

>>2950463
>>Ignore them for now. Just wait and focus on your yōki sense.

>>2950463
>>Ignore them for now. Just wait and focus on your yōki sense.

>>2950463
>Try to sneak past these guards, continue with your patrol

>>2950463
>>Ignore them for now. Just wait and focus on your yōki sense.

>>2950463
>Ignore them for now. Just wait and focus on your yōki sense

>>2950463
>>Ignore them for now. Just wait and focus on your yōki sense.

>3d10, best of four

Rolled 4, 9, 2 = 15 (3d10)

>>2950507
doice toime

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

>>2950507

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

>>2950507

Rolled 10, 4, 7 = 21 (3d10)

>>2950507

>>2950509
>>2950513
>>2950514
>>2950515
Mathematical

Rolled 8, 7, 9 = 24 (3d10)

>>2950507
>QM roll

>>2950524
I don't like the look of that dice. it could be either really good or really bad since Queen is rolling in opposition.

>>2950524
You lie in wait for several minutes. Without moving you concentrate deeply on your yōki senses, trying to pick out any evidence of your target. Eventually you get a faint impression of a moving source of yōki... is it under the roadway? Yes, it's underground, either moving through the cisterns or sewers. And it seems to be coming closer to the surface, only two blocks away.

“Hey!” a voice shatters your concentration.

You leap to your feet, and immediately vault over the row of chimneys and down onto the lower roof.

“Stop!” the guards shout, but you've already run past them. With a single graceful leap you reach the higher roof on the far side of the slope and continue running unbroken.

The guards clamber much less gracefully onto what for them is a waist-high wall, then draw their swords as they chase after you along the ridge of the tiled roofline. There's just not enough space for you to lose them entirely between here and where the yōma is coming to the surface.

You quickly come to the end of the roofline, the yōma is directly in front of you. From here all you have to do now is jump from the roof onto your target, punch it in the head, and you can get out of this goddess-forsaken city.

But in midair, your fist drawn back, you feel something hit your back. There's a loud crack and an intense pain in your chest, and droplets of red hang in the air around you.

Did one of those bastards just shoot you through the chest?

The did... didn't they?

>Take a moment to heal your chest wound, then chase after the yōma.
>Break off for now. This is getting out of hand far too quickly.
>Ignore the wound, there's a yōma to kill and you're gonna do it.
>Other?

>>2950560
>>Ignore the wound, there's a yōma to kill and you're gonna do it.
make riku proud

>>2950560
>>Ignore the wound, there's a yōma to kill and you're gonna do it.

>>2950560
>>Take a moment to heal your chest wound, then chase after the yōma.

>>2950560
>Ignore the wound, there's a yōma to kill and you're gonna do it.

>>2950560
>>Ignore the wound, there's a yōma to kill and you're gonna do it.

>>2950560
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 4, 8, 8 = 20 (3d10)

>>2950592
it ain't gonna be pretty.
the ramifications will be worse.

Rolled 2, 8, 9 = 19 (3d10)

>>2950592

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

>>2950592

Rolled 7, 8, 8 = 23 (3d10)

>>2950592

Rolled 4, 8, 2 = 14 (3d10)

>>2950592

>>2950598
Phew.

>>2950608
the inquisition ain't gonna be happy tho.

>>2950592
You land on your feet, losing a little blood from the wound, but mostly ignoring it rather than even trying to heal it. The yōma senses you and panics, bolting down a darkened alleyway as shouting and clattering behind you tells you that more guards are closing in on the disturbance.

The knife bites into the yōma's hamstrings, causing it to stumble for an instant before you begin pummeling it mercilessly with the White Strikes, focusing entirely on its head. A dozen or so rapid blows to the temples and eyes later, the beast ceases any attempts at resistance, and you turn the neck to place a strike right at the top of the monster's first cervical vertebra.

This snaps its neck and destroys the brainstem, killing it on the spot.

“She went down here!” one of the guards shouts. “I can't see, someone get a torch!”

“Shhh!” another man hisses. “Listen...”

The sounds of your footsteps echo slightly through the windowless alleyway, backed by the scraping sound of the yōma's corpse along the ground.

You follow the trail of your own blood... the wound thankfully has closed, since the bullet passed cleanly through your torso there won't be any complications. Eventually you step out into the moonlight as a dozen city guards stare at you, some with raised firearms glinting as they aim at you.

Some lower their weapons as they see what you're dragging.

“Did she...” one begins.

“Stop!” the same man who shot you before orders, brandishing his weapon.

You spit a glob of blood to clear your mouth of the taste. “You think shooting me a second time will do anything?”

With a small grunt of exertion you sling the yōma corpse at his feet, and he takes an instinctive step backwards, his weapon lowering slightly. “What have you done?”

“Your job for you,” you glare sharply at him. “And in return for my benevolent protection, you shot me through the lung. I liked that lung. I'd have a tough time breathing without it.”

He raises his weapon again, but finds your knife lodged firmly in its firing mechanism an instant later.

“I will not kill a human under any circumstances,” you glare into his eyes. “But I will not simply allow you to shoot me again.”
>1/2

>>2950662
You know, the mental image of a wolf springing upon a rabbit's neck comes to mind.

>>2950662
“Your kind are not welcome here!” the man in charge insists, though with his weapon disabled it seems far less authoritative. “Your unholy filth will be...”

“Mind your tongue,” you caution him. “And choose your next actions with equal caution. You're in quite a sticky situation, even if you do not know it yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think you know full well what I mean,” you counter. “Or do you believe that all your men here could kill what I beat with my own bare hands?”

“We could,” he maintains.

“Have any of you successfully killed a yōma?”

There's a particularly loud silence. “Well, no...”

“Could your entire guard take out six of them?” you ask. “Because such beasts often travel in packs.”

“... in packs?”

You nod in affirmation. “Packs. Six is a fairly modest number... the most I've ever heard of was an entire village worth. And these are the weakest of the yōma, most of what I end up called on to fight are far, far stronger.”

“You have to be making that up,” he contends.

“Not at all,” you insist. “Whether you like it or not is irrelevant, but people can only have 'normal' lives because of us. And in attacking our warriors and handlers, you jeopardize the one thing you have in your favor.”

“And that is?”

“Our good will.”

The man seems to consider this point.

“We still need to report you to Father Cormick.”

“Go ahead and report,” you reply, turning your back on the guard captain and pushing your way through his subordinates. “I'm going to find a nice, secluded place to wash off this blood and take a nap.”

>>2950744
And that's it for the weekend. Thanks for stopping by, hope you had a good time, and see you next time.

>>2950758
Thanks for running have a good night.

>>2950758
thanks for running queen and till next saturday

>>2950758
Have a good weekend dude

>>2950758
So how on a scale of 1-10 how badly would these guys lose to a youma?

>>2950867
the limit does not exist

probably they don't even draw blood before they lost all of theirs

>>2950887
Can guns even really hurt youma?

>>2951789
I mean it'd probably hurt if you shot them with a big enough gun. It's not like a Claymore's sword is magical, they're some weird supermetal yeah but it's the fact they're getting swung around super hard that makes them work on yoma. I doubt a bullet or two would put one down but if you nailed one in the face with a cannon it'd more than likely end it right there. A normal rifle to a yoma would probably be about as effective as it would be on a Claymore so long as it wasn't an especially armored yoma. Which is to say "not very".

>>2950867
In canon, mook-tier yoma can be killed by groups of normal humans with some certainty even without guns. The problem is finding the yoma. A Claymore's main advantage is actually the yoki sense.

>>2951789
You saw how Noel handled getting shot, which is how anything but the most basic of bitch yōma and offensive-types would do it to varying degrees of success. A Claymore's skull would typically even stop most bullets of this technological level, letting her regenerate from an apparent headshot. Other bones, it depends on the bone: ribs can be a little hit or miss because they're remarkably thin and broad, and they have gaps between them. The shooter basically got lucky this time and caught her unaware.

In terms of guns the Claymore is aware of, Agility B is sufficient to have a good chance to dodge or parry depending on that Claymore's particular skillset. By the time you hit the A-range, Noel sometimes won't even let you take the shot. An Awakened Being would just be insulted that you tried.

>>2951873
That's correct, to a degree. When it's one bitch yōma who's blown its cover that yōma is in trouble. But Noel was correct to observe that yōma that weak often travel in packs: a contingent of trained soldiers may be able to hold their own against a half-dozen yōma, though it won't be pretty.

Against what you'd call a real “voracious eater”, a yōma above basic-bitch territory but which isn't an awakened being, there's not much any normal human can do but call in a Claymore.

The Abyssal Ones are essentially walking extinction events. The world is mostly safe from them only because they're physiologically incapable of giving a fuck anymore.

>>2951935
What about Awakened Beings?

>>2951937
What about them specifically, aside from the fact that they're walking disaster areas that you'd have to wheel out the light artillery for them to even feel it?

>>2951940
Well you gave a brief discretion on the other 3, ABs feeling left out and neglected....

>>2951943
Awakened Beings are a mixed bag depending on how strong they were when they awakened, but generally they're not going to have Agility lower than B-range. They're firmly in "call in artillery" territory.

>>2951986
where's the update to Noel's Stats? if we're talking letter grades about ability scores, isn't it appropriate to give an update on Noel's character stats?

>>2950744
Here I'm just wondering how the church and Father Cormick will react to the situation.
From their perspective they caught wind of a citizen calling out help for a claymore, being religious nutjobs they sent out Inquisitors to stop the claymore from arriving, thinking they could handle it by themselves without knowing how they'll catch and kill the most basic bitch of Yoma variety aside from catching it in the act of murdering one of their townsfolk.
Claymore came anyways, killed the reported yoma, and for all of her efforts, they shot the claymore that did their job. Then the claymore tells them that basic bitch yoma travel in packs. So that leaves them the implied information that there's more than one yoma in town.

>>2951935
One more thing about basic yoma is that they are about as smart as a human and as insidious and ruthless as the worst serial killer you can imagine.

Throw in the ability to blend in and a grab bag of superhuman abilities and you have a foe that few if any human settlements could handle without tons of casualties if they ever catch it at all.

>>2952088
So, as someone with very little experience with Claymore, where do Youma even come from? Do they reproduce normally or do they bud or something

>>2952682
IC Noel does not know. It's actually a plot point in canon.

>>2952682
>>2953576

I tried to answer your questions without spoilers, but I'm not confident I did so not risking it.

>>2952731
Omake idea:
>During her brief stay at the Monastery, Noel asks Vigilus if she could have a go at ringing the bell. She might have overdone it a bit after one particular punch "knocks the bell" off the support beams.

>>2956091
I've been a bit off today, so I'll do this one tomorrow.

>>2956091
>Vigilus smacks the back of her head and signals that most monks are smart enough to not hit it that hard.

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>>2958692
You are Noel Tiberius di Hazaran, and Father Vigilus has offered you an unusual opportunity: the chance to train with the famous bell that the monks of this monastery spend years striking to train their fists.

HOW. DO?

You ask with hand signs, not really understanding how this process is meant to work. If there's a trick to it, then you're about to make an ass of yourself in front of the monks. You're not really sure how they do it without irreparably destroying their fragile human hands.

But he just shrugs.

NO. SPECIAL. TRICK.

You frown. I. HIT. IT?

Father Vigilus nods. HIT. HARD.

HARD?

He nods and repeats for emphasis. HIT. HARD.

You sigh, squaring up your stance and shaking your arms a little to loosen the muscles in your shoulders. Then you settle into a fighting stance, fists raised, and lean into a powerful right punch. There's a brief tone from the bell, which is drowned out by the sound of wood splintering. The heavy bronze bell crashes to the ground, digging a deep gouge into the ground where its rim lands.

After a moment the noise fades, and you spare Vigilus a glance. He's staring at the bell in disbelief.

APOLOGIES.

Vigilus is still staring at the bell, so you snap your fingers to draw his attention before repeating your sign.

APOLOGIES.

He stares at you. HOW?

FIGHT. YŌMA.

Your observation is a simple one... you really don't make it a point to fight humans, and when you do you're very careful to hold back dramatically. Because of that you've never actually compared your basic striking power directly to that of an ordinary human, so the dramatic results surprised you too.
>1/2

>>2961461
It takes the monks the better part of the day to fashion a new wooden framework and lift the bell so it can be re-suspended in the middle of the courtyard where it's probably been for decades at the least, and after taking a turn at ringing it with his fists Vigilus seems satisfied with the work.

Then he gestures at you again.

CAREFULLY. NOW.

He gives you an appraising look, as if to make sure that you understood his plea not to repeat the previous accident. This time, you'll have to show some restraint.

Your fist raps against the side of the bell first, producing a clear, resonant tone. Then you follow through with an elbow strike, then a backhanded blow to ring it a third time in quick succession. After playing around with a series of jabs, slaps, and hooks with each side and leading with each foot, you start to grow a little more confident. And with that confidence comes a certain playfulness as well.

Using just enough yōki to change the color of your eyes, you begin striking the bell again. But this time, you do so only with the extended layer of yōki from your White Fist technique. At first the contact isn't sufficient to ring the bell, which causes Vigilus to frown.

He thinks you missed.

But after another fifteen minutes or so your focus grows more refined, until the ringing is audible with each deliberate near-miss. The look on the old monk's face when he realizes what you're doing is priceless.

For about a half hour you ring the bell without ever touching it... you even take a few attempts at doing it using your elbows, with less success. It seems your control still isn't very good with that variation on your technique, so there's still some room for improvement. Which is always nice to have, actually.

Eventually you decide to call it quits, bowing respectfully to Vigilus.

He mirrors the gesture, before passing you a piece of paper with a few words written across it with spindly handwriting.

“Would you mind writing a brief explanation of that technique you were using? As a unique martial art, that is precisely the sort of thing our order is tasked to record.”

You nod, gesturing for Vigilus to hand you a pen, and you quickly write out a response.

“Sure. Happy to repay your hospitality.”
>2/2

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>>2961813
That was a good omake.

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>>2961949

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>>2962000

>>2961813
Wholesome!

>>2963369
COMFY

>about 2.5 hours until we resume

>>2950744
You are Noel Tiberius di Hazaran, and you have just finished tracking down and killing a yōma in the town of Lanerk.

The complication was that this town has experienced something of a religious awakening at the hands of a priest by the name of Father Cormick. Among what is presumably a longer list of tenants enforced by the church is the presence of an “Inquisition” which sees rooting out and destroying both yōma and agents of your own Organization alike. Not from a desire to protect the citizens as you might expect, but from what you can tell more from a perspective of spiritual purity.

In that light you and the human personnel of the Organization who work for you are indistinguishable from the yōma.

To that end, you have come to the realization that the murder of what should have been your temporary handler for this mission was committed by this same Inquisition.

Returning to the home of your current client, you force the door and begin stripping off your ruined civilian clothing. If you had the patience you might be able to fix the bullet hole in your top, but the blood that has soaked into it by this point almost certainly won't come clean. Which is almost beside the point as your cover has already been ruined after your confrontation with the town guard.

Valentina Gambino, your client, comes down the stairs holding a lamp to find you in only your undergarments, piling your ruined clothes into her fireplace.

“What are you...” she begins, only to cover her mouth as the flickering light falls across the ugly scar where your stigma once was.

You pause to meet her eyes. “Do you have anywhere to go?”

“W-what?” she stammers, unnerved by the extent of your scarring. “What do you mean?”

“This 'Inquisition' knows that you sent for me,” you inform her. “They likely won't try anything so long as I'm in town, but I cannot linger here forever as your guard dog.”

“I have family across the border in Bretonne,” she acknowledges. “If I promise to be ready to leave by the time you must move on will you at least escort me out of town?”

You nod. “I'll likely need to do the same for whatever agent the Organization sends after me, so it's not a major burden.”

“Thank you.”

With that bit of business sorted, at least for the time being, you excuse yourself.
>1/2

>>2967963
Out back you find a small well, into which you drop a charred stump bucket to draw some fresh, cold groundwater. You use some to rise the blood from your mouth, and the rest to wash it off your belly where it began to cake. Then you wash a little here and there... under your arms, behind your ears, between your thighs, behind your knees. Anywhere that sweat tends to collect when you're under pressure.

Your uniform is still in the bags behind Alysheba's saddle, and so you quickly finish re-dressing yourself before jumping up and grabbing hold of the rafters. There, under the roof of the stables, you settle down to catch a few precious hours of sleep and hope you don't wake up to an armed guard.

>3d10, best of four

Rolled 9, 10, 10 = 29 (3d10)

>>2967971

Rolled 2, 4, 8 = 14 (3d10)

>>2967971

>>2967981
Well then.

Rolled 10, 6, 6 = 22 (3d10)

>>2967971

Rolled 4, 6, 1 = 11 (3d10)

>>2967971

>>2967981
Nice.

>>2962456
CUTE!

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>>2968023

>>2967971
You awaken just after dawn, having had a good night's sleep, and drop down from the rafters onto a pile of fresh hay. The sky is nice and clear, and the sun is pleasantly warm. Inside the Gambino home your client has yet to wake up, though she did take the trouble to barricade her door before she went to sleep.

Her kitchen however has some stocked items for you to pick through, and you end up making a small cup of oats with some spices and two strips of cured bacon to hold you through the rest of the day. You even have time to clean up after yourself before Mrs. Gambino puts in an appearance... at least in the physical sense. Seems like she didn't get much sleep last night.

But outside in the street, you find yourself face to face with two agents of the Inquisition.

“Good morning,” you greet them, carefully sliding the rounded pin on your sword's crossguard into the spring steel holster on the leather baldric across your back. “I trust the two of you slept as soundly as I did, knowing that the yōma you were so worried about has been killed?”

The two share a look before turning back to you. “You would be the pink-haired witch that was running rampant last night?”

“Depends on your definition of 'running rampant', but yes,” you admit. “That is most certainly me.”

“The Father wants to speak with you directly,” the other guard informs you. “You should feel honored.”

>I agree. I've decided I should speak with him as well.
>Under what conditions are we to meet? I trust you're authorized to negotiate?
>I am not one who Father Cormick can order around. He will meet ME at a location of MY choosing.
>Other?

>>2968137
>>I agree. I've decided I should speak with him as well.

>>2968137
>I am not one who Father Cormick can order around. He will meet ME at a location of MY choosing.

>>2968137
>I agree. I've decided I should speak with him as well.

>>2968137
>>Under what conditions are we to meet? I trust you're authorized to negotiate?

>>2968137
>>I agree. I've decided I should speak with him as well.

>>2968137
>Under what conditions are we to meet? I trust you're authorized to negotiate?

>>2968137
>i agree
also i thought you said Noel’s hair is strawberry blonde. if the muggles say that her hair look “pink” then we all assume it look anime pink

>>2968137
>Under what conditions are we to meet? I trust you're authorized to negotiate?

>>2968137
>I agree. I've decided I should speak with him as well.
Asking about the conditions would lose some "goodwill" from the Inquisition

>>2968238
They've murdered people on our side and we haven't though? Like should we be worried about losing "goodwill"?

>>2968212
It is, but to most people who don't have super-sophisticated modern naming conventions for hair color and who have never seen anime "pinkish/reddish blonde" is easily summarized as "pink".

>writing

>>2968280
“I was hoping for a meeting myself,” you admit with a sigh. “So this saves me the time and effort of arranging the details myself.”

“Where and when?”

“Immediately,” the first guard informs you. “You are to follow us.”

You make a sweeping gesture with one hand. “Lead the way.”

The Inquisitorial agents lead you to the largest church in Lanerk, a two-spire cruciform cathedral made predominantly of red bricks and stained glass, and around the side. Nearby is a brightly-painted facade in yellow, and after being guided through a carriage gate on the side of the complex you find yourself in an open courtyard.

Under a tree in this courtyard there is a bench, and on this bench is seated a fairly young priest with an ornate stole covered in finely-worked gold thread. His hair is left long and tied in a high ponytail, and he wears what look like expensive spectacles that sit low on the bridge of his nose as he reads.

Were it not for the fact that his musculature is obvious even under his black cassock.

He glances up from his reading when the agents who flank you bow deeply to him.

“Thank you,” he says calmly, waving the two men away. “You are dismissed, I can take care of things from here.”

“You and the armed guards who are watching us,” you sigh. “Twelve riflemen, at least that I can see from here. I'm flattered.”

“Thirteen,” the priest corrects you. “There is one in the south spire of the cathedral.”

“I stand corrected.”

And 'standing' is really the correct turn of phrase. You have nowhere to sit.

>There's a nearby bench, under another tree. You can move that to a more useful spot.
>Point out that making your guest stand is considered extremely rude in diplomatic circles.
>Ask him what he wants to speak with you for, in case it wasn't clear.
>Ask him about the assassination of one of your handlers.
>Other?

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>>2968426
Lost the image for some reason.

>>2968426
>>Point out that making your guest stand is considered extremely rude in diplomatic circles.
>>Ask him what he wants to speak with you for, in case it wasn't clear.

>>2968426
>>Point out that making your guest stand is considered extremely rude in diplomatic circles.
>>Ask him what he wants to speak with you for, in case it wasn't clear.
"yada yada you're not my guest yada yada"
Be corteous you dumb priest.

>>2968429
kek welcome to the Danish Inquisition

>>2968440
no one expects the danish inquisition, no really, didn't even know that existed

>>2968426
>Point out that making your guest stand is considered extremely rude in diplomatic circles.
>Ask him what he wants to speak with you for, in case it wasn't clear.

>>2968426
>>Point out that making your guest stand is considered extremely rude in diplomatic circles.
>>Ask him what he wants to speak with you for, in case it wasn't clear.

>>2968426
>Ask if he's going to offer us a seat.
>Ask if he's aware he's turning the area into a feeding ground for Yoma.

>>2968426
>>There's a nearby bench, under another tree. You can move that to a more useful spot.

>>2968426
>There's a nearby bench, under another tree. You can move that to a more useful spot.

>>2968426
>Point out that making your guest stand is considered extremely rude in diplomatic circles.

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 10, 9, 9 = 28 (3d10)

>>2968508

>>2968426
>Point out that making your guest stand is considered extremely rude in diplomatic circles.
>Ask him about the assassination of one of your handlers.

Rolled 1, 3, 7 = 11 (3d10)

>>2968508
rollan
>>2968510
wew

Rolled 1, 5, 8 = 14 (3d10)

>>2968508

Rolled 1, 5, 1 = 7 (3d10)

>>2968508

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>>2968510

>>2968510
Noice

>>2968508
“And more to the point,” you observe calmly, “I stand. Where I come from it is considered rude to keep your guest standing while you sit comfortably.”

After a moment where your eyes meet, Father Cormick blinks. “Of course, you're absolutely right.”

He claps, and a pair of sternly dressed monks bring out an upholstered wooden chair and set it down across from the Father. Once they have cleared off you take a seat yourself, leaning forward to keep your sword from bumping against the wood of the chair.

“I bet you're wondering why I've sent for you,” he begins.

You shake your head. “I know there are several potential reasons, though I must admit I do not know which of them are the most important to you personally.”

“I sent for you because I would like to know how much you know about our order,” Father Cormick asks you. “I know that you are prohibited from killing humans, which eases any concerns I might otherwise have had in meeting you and by my reckoning may mean you will be more inclined to cooperate with us.”

“Since I can't simply kill you to get you out of my way,” you grumble. “Not so much a scenario you win by default, but it's a gesture which costs you nothing.”

“Glad to hear that you understand me,” the Father smiles calmly. “Now then, what do you know about what you have encountered here?”

>Not much. I understand that you take particular exception to the Organization and yōma alike.
>I understand that you are placing your own people at risk, and that many of them have reservations about what they see as your fanaticism.
>I know that your agents are responsible for the assassination of one of our handlers, in order to keep Mrs. Gambino's request from reaching us.
>Other?

>>2968630
>Not much. I understand that you take particular exception to the Organization and yōma alike.

>>2968630
>>I understand that you are placing your own people at risk, and that many of them have reservations about what they see as your fanaticism.

don't start with mentionionen the assassination, maybe later

>>2968630
>I understand that you are placing your own people at risk, and that many of them have reservations about what they see as your fanaticism.

>>2968630
>Not much. I understand that you take particular exception to the Organization and yōma alike
>I doubt anything i could say will convince you otherwise given the extremes you've already gone to, but you are foolish to believe that mere men with guns can handle anything more than the weakest yoma.

>>2968630
>>I understand that you are placing your own people at risk, and that many of them have reservations about what they see as your fanaticism.

>>2968630
>>Not much. I understand that you take particular exception to the Organization and yōma alike.
>You do seem to think you can handle the yoma threat with a few rifles, which is, naïve.

>>2968630
>You're risking your own people and you've killed at least one of ours. Oh, and your men shot me last night.

>>2968630
>>2968630
>Your patrols are a good start, but they travel throughout the town via the sewers. They also hunt in packs of at least 3 or 4, so what my client reported may be the tip of the iceberg.
>other: Get some dogs to bring along your patrols. Animals are weary of Yoma, Skiddish livestock are a good indicator.
Dispense advice to the Father.

>>2968719
also supporting this

>>2968630
>>>I understand that you are placing your own people at risk, and that many of them have reservations about what they see as your fanaticism.
It might unsettle him to hear that his townsmen spoke to 'a witch' and that said witch opens up with their well-being. Also, we're royalty. Of course we think about the citizens

>>2968630
>I know that you think you can take on yoma, but you can not.
>I have also encountered a bullet in the back from the very people I was trying to protect.

>>2968630
“I know that you're fanatics who would rather make a natural ally into an enemy over a question of ideological purity,” you observe, meeting the priest's steely gaze with one of your own. “What I do not know is whether you truly believe that a few men with rifles can keep this town safe from yōma once it becomes more widely known that the Organization will not operate here, or whether your Inquisition is meant only to maintain order and control rather than truly answer the threat of the yōma.”

Father Cormick simply replies with a slow clap and a smile. “Very good, Claymore. Very good. You have a firm grasp of my position.”

Then he rises from his bench, and gestures for you to follow him. “Come with me, I wish to show you something.”

The priest leads you away from the courtyard, to the base of the north spire of the cathedral. There is a heavy wooden door, which Father Cormick opens with one of the many keys on a ring he produces from one of his deep pockets. A few hundred narrow stairs in a tight spiral take you to a broad stone platform just under the pointed roof of the spire, where you and Father Cormick can look out on all of Lanerk.

“This is the town of Lanerk,” he tells you, gesturing broadly. “This is the largest town that our diocese is meant to serve, the heart of all our activities. Our flock.”

“It's nice,” you comment. “It would be a shame if they were all eaten by yōma.”

“The yōma are not as big a concern as your Organization would like for us to believe,” the priest insists. “As big a threat as the people paying you would have them believe. Tell me, do you know how much your services cost?”

“We warriors are not supposed to handle the finances at all,” you reply sternly, “but I have seen a bill, once.”

“Can you imagine how much money that adds up to?” he asks. “How many villages and towns have struggled to come up with the funding to rid themselves of yōma, which maybe take a few people a year? And what could all that money achieve when directed elsewhere?”

“At the expense of men like Gambino and his partner?” you counter.

“Look at that building,” he tells you, pointing at a brick building several streets to the west with three floors. “That is the guild hall, built with public funds.”

He points to another building. “A soup kitchen, for travelers and those too poor to feed themselves well.”

He points to a third building, a low and long structure with a large yard behind it. “That is a school constructed with funding from our order.”

“And that is an orphanage.”

“A library.”

“A regional bank.”
>1/2

>>2968862
What a well-furnished ghost town you're building here

>>2968873
>Yoma
I'm feeling orphan today, what about you?
Mmmhmmm, I'm thinking librarian.

>>2968873
or cemetery/graveyard or whatever.

>>2968888
>Yoma C
Hey guys! try the guild hall! Those clerk girls make good lays as well as meals!

>>2968889
I think restaurant would be most fitting.

>>2968862
Why a soup kitchen and an orphanage when you can just feed the poor and orphans to the yoma directly?

>>2968862
“When human efforts are put towards bettering humanity,” Cormick insists, “towards enlightenment, both temporal and spiritual, the results can be wondrous. But your Organization would have us remain ignorant, afraid, praying to the goddesses of old for deliverance and giving until it hurts for one of you to remove the problem when prayer goes unanswered.”

“The yōma are an ongoing problem, one which we are trying to improve our ability to address. But you Claymores and your Organization are tainted, foul, and just as corrosive to human society as the yōma if not more so. You are not longer humans... you are parasites. And you are not welcome within our diocese.”

>And what if we refuse to respect your declarations and doctrine? Will you continue to target us?
>As things stand, our Organization will refuse any jobs from your 'flock' from now on. People will die.
>And what about the people who disagree with your fanatical stance? Are they to suffer for your idealism?
>Other?

>>2968913
>>As things stand, our Organization will refuse any jobs from your 'flock' from now on. People will die.
Or are you willing to turn their deaths into propaganda too?
He probably is.

>>2968913
>>And what about the people who disagree with your fanatical stance? Are they to suffer for your idealism?

i mean, people suffering under radical leaders. Groundbreaking.
I still wanna call him out though

>>2968913
>>And what about the people who disagree with your fanatical stance? Are they to suffer for your idealism?

>>2968913
>>And what about the people who disagree with your fanatical stance? Are they to suffer for your idealism?

>>2968913
>>And what about the people who disagree with your fanatical stance? Are they to suffer for your idealism?
>You think you're ready for the yoma? You're struggling with the weakest and frailest of them, the ones I could kill an entire village of and not be tired afterwards, and I am nowhere near enough to stop the actual threats on my onw.

>>2968913
>Very well. As you have desired it, the organization will likely no longer operate here, and then we will come back to clean up your very well furnished ghost town after you've become a reminder to the rest of humanity of what we "parasites" hold back.

>>2968913
What kind of Shepard councils his sheep to stand before wolves?

>>2968913
>Do you really want your diocese to be a reminder to the rest of the world that our services are necessary? Feel free not to call us yourselves, but stop killing those of us who move through your lands.

>>2968958
I appreciate the words, but he's trying to be the shepherd who defends the sheep, instead of outsourcing.

So your condemnation doesn't really work entirely

>>2968913
>Other?
"In times of war and not before,
God and the soldier we adore.
But in times of peace and all things righted,
God is forgotten and the soldier slighted."
Pride is a cardinal vice, Father.

>>2968977
And he's prepping them for failure.

>>2968980
Oh damn that is fire.


>>2968955
>>2968913
add it to mine.

>>2968913
>>2968980
Supporting these
supporting this analogy.
>Have you ever heard of an Abyssal One Father Cormick?

>If you proclaim yourself to be the guard, then who guards the guardsmen? You have terrified your flock into silence and compliance. Banishing us will only hasten your end. And when a Abyssal one comes for your town, who will you look to when you're all alone?

>Have I told you about a Claymore's life? It is a never ending battle to keep our humanity. We keep to the outskirts for fear for YOUR safety. We would rather die fighting a Yoma rather than let our inhumanity consume us. Banishing us denies the very shard of humanity that we claymores have left.

>>2968980
>>2968913
Nice Kipling quote. Supportin'

>>2968913
>We claymores are soldiers just like you were once a soldier, Father Cormick. Are you to deny a fellow soldier's duty?

>>2969040
Nah, he'll point out that we are mercenaries subordinate to no nation.

>>2969031
>>Have you ever heard of an Abyssal One Father Cormick?

Ain't thems what you get from a stronk claymore losing their shit?

>>2968913
>And what about the people who disagree with your fanatical stance? Are they to suffer for your idealism?

>>2968913
>And what about the people who disagree with your fanatical stance? Are they to suffer for your idealism?

>>2969031
>>2969054
No one is supposed to know about abyssal ones. not unless they are high up in the org.

Are we allowed to talk about Abyssals? How common knowledge are they?
>>2969070
Ah, good to know.

>>2969075
Hell Claire was a Claymore for eyars before she even learned about awakened beings, which she was told was explicitly to be a secret not to tell anyone.


Abyssal ones would be even worse.

>>2969070
>>2969075
Gah. My bad. I'm an idiot apparently.

>3d10, best of five this time due to established advantage from previous rolls

Rolled 7, 8, 3 = 18 (3d10)

>>2969118

Rolled 4, 6, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>2969118

Rolled 9, 9, 6 = 24 (3d10)

>>2969118

Rolled 3, 9, 4 = 16 (3d10)

>>2969118

Rolled 2, 4, 1 = 7 (3d10)

>>2969118
And here we go

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

>>2969118

File: 1389585991915.gif (895 KB, 307x174)

895 KB GIF

>>2969126

>>2969118
“No easy hope or lies shall bring us to our goal, but iron sacrifice of body, will, and soul.”

The priest stares at you, as if he doesn't understand what you've said at all. “It seems you are well-read, but what does poetry have to do with our current discussion?”

“That is a sentiment common among our warriors,” you explain sternly. “You may think that you are bringing enlightenment, leading your people out of fear and doubt. But it's all based on lies, on hiding away the death and suffering of the common people behind a veneer of control and order. But your Inquisition cannot keep them truly safe... the veneer is useless when everyone has seen what was there in its place before.”

“But yōma, particularly the ones stronger than what I dealt with last night, do not care for your tricks or your imagery. Yōma can only be combated through sacrifice, and we warriors have made that necessary sacrifice specifically so that you 'normal humans' do not have to.”

“And in doing so you have become less than human,” Cormick asserts. “Humanity should be saved by human hands.”

“You're wrong,” you contend. “We simply chose our fate. We fight to remain human for as long as we can, to make our sacrifice count as much as possible before we meet our doom. And it is our preference to die fighting, or to be killed before we lose sight of our humanity.”

“Your ignorance will do more than simply destroy your precious flock. It deprives the warriors who would lay down their lives for your safety of our purpose in life. It's depraved.”

“And I beg to differ,” he insists.

“And what of those who disagree with your fanaticism?” you press. “Those who lack the power to oppose your Inquisition openly, who may not like us but who recognize us as necessary for their safety? Will you punish them in the name of your ideology?”

“There are enough loyal to our order that such individuals are in the minority,” Cormick shakes his head. “We will not allow a few misguided dissenters hold back the rest of humanity.”

“Then you sentence them all to death,” you growl.

>Because the Organization will no longer take jobs from this city. It'll be a ghost town by the end of the year.
>Do not interfere with us, or target us again with your agents. That way when you come crying for help the Organization MIGHT forgive your actions to this point.
>Unless you and I come to an agreement, today. This is what your “last chance” looks like, Father Cormick.
>Other?

>>2969262
>>Do not interfere with us, or target us again with your agents. That way when you come crying for help the Organization MIGHT forgive your actions to this point.
We ain't an embassador, however we might give a suggestion.
You know, to help out a fellow human.

>>2969262
>Do not interfere with us, or target us again with your agents. That way when you come crying for help the Organization MIGHT forgive your actions to this point.

>>2969279
I'm good with this
>>2969262

>>2969262
>Do not interfere with us, or target us again with your agents. That way when you come crying for help the Organization MIGHT forgive your actions to this point.

>Because the yoma I killed is the equivalent to an insect, a weakling that any of my order could slay in job ltos with ease. Thre real threats, those that creep in the night that regard humans as less than sheep, less than pigs, but wheat to be reaped, will come, and all those guns will be about as useful on them as they were on me, if not even less so.

>>2969262
Agh, I'm torn between what a leader should do and what a warrior at the behest of the Org should do.

Fck it
>Unless you and I come to an agreement, today. This is what your “last chance” looks like, Father Cormick.

>>2969262
>>Do not interfere with us, or target us again with your agents. That way when you come crying for help the Organization MIGHT forgive your actions to this point.

>>2969262
>>Do not interfere with us, or target us again with your agents. That way when you come crying for help the Organization MIGHT forgive your actions to this point.

>>2969262
>Unless you and I come to an agreement, today. This is what your “last chance” looks like, Father Cormick.

>>2969262
>>2969295
Since this will probably not win
>If your aim is the protection of your people, do not be so quick to make another enemy. Pride goeth before a fall.

>>2969262
>Do not interfere with us, or target us again with your agents. That way when you come crying for help the Organization MIGHT forgive your actions to this point.

>>2969262
>Don't interfere with or target us or our agents.

>>2969262
>this is your last chance Father Cormick

Btw: what does "Seconds Swords" even mean?
A reference to our hodgepodge of a sword? Or our lineage? Or somethin' that hasn't quite come up yet?

>>2969367
The last one.

>3d10, dc 17, crit 23

Rolled 2, 5, 9 = 16 (3d10)

>>2969382

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

>>2969382

Rolled 4, 7, 1 = 12 (3d10)

>>2969382

Rolled 8, 4, 6 = 18 (3d10)

>>2969382