>>3302403
“And you can't just handle it all yourself?” Jenna scoffs. “Some single-digit you turned out to be.”

“I probably could,” you admit. “However there are two problems with that. The first is that the entire point was to assess your capabilities... I would be unable to do that if I kept you out of the fight. The second is that I cannot tell for sure at this range what sort of situation I would be walking into. There's a chance that even I could end up in a bad position.”

“You're talking about a voracious eater,” Jenna narrows her eyes. “You don't think...”

“That or worse,” you sigh. “I've run across monstrous yōma who were capable of hiding themselves... if that's happened here that could be bad for me. We really just don't have the sort of information that I'd need to make a good decision.”

“This is why you were inclined to speak with the local warrior here.”

You nod in agreement. “That's correct, Vanessa.”

“Where does that leave us?” the caravan manager demands. “It's either cross the border here or risk bandit raids by going off the main road.”

“A whole town of yōma would tear you to pieces,” Jenna sighs. “You can't go through there, dumbass.”

Interesting... if this entire village, or even most of it, is made up of yōma... then how is it any caravans have made it through?

“There's something unusual at work here,” you mutter under your breath.

>We'll take the whole team in closer, see if we can get a better sense of what we're up against.
>We'll escort the caravan off road. My abilities are among the few that can be used against humans safely.
>If we're cautious we might be able to clear the village with what we have, or at least kill a few yōma and escape.
>Other?

>>3302410
>We'll escort the caravan off road. My abilities are among the few that can be used against humans safely

This seems like the only option that seems to keep the humans save, without attracting attention

>>3302410
>We'll escort the caravan off road. My abilities are among the few that can be used against humans safely.

>>3302410
>>We'll escort the caravan off road. My abilities are among the few that can be used against humans safely.

>>3302410
>We'll escort the caravan off road. My abilities are among the few that can be used against humans safely
I really really really want to face the town with the rookies for cool story bro, but It feels smarter/safer to head around and not risk the kids.

>>3302410
>>We'll escort the caravan off road. My abilities are among the few that can be used against humans safely.

>>3302410
>We'll escort the caravan off road. My abilities are among the few that can be used against humans safely.

>>3302410
>We'll escort the caravan off road. My abilities are among the few that can be used against humans safely.

>>3302454
Yeah. Maybe try to instruct the younglings in proper yet authorative behaviour when facing violent humans

>>3304189
Yeah I've a feeling miss offence is gonna pout.

>>3302410
>3d10, best of four

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

>>3305140

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

>>3305140

Rolled 10, 7, 6 = 23 (3d10)

>>3305140

Rolled 2, 2, 1 = 5 (3d10)

>>3305140

>>3305158
We happen on a wreck caravan blocking the way.

>>3305157
>>3305145
Bandits

>>3305159
Yoma Bandits

I really want Noel or one of the trainees to happen upon a large group of Yoma freaking out after one of them tells the others of how many claymores the organization sent after seeing Noel, and assuming the others are all similar rankings.

>>3302410
“We'll escort the caravan offroad, deal with the present threat,” you decide. “My skillset will let me deal with human enemies without killing them, so that should be fine.”

“And we just leave that village alone?” Jenna demands. “What happened to our 'duties', then?”

“My duties do not demand my death, or yours,” you explain. “And you're all still trainees, so your duty is to follow my lead. Once these civilians are out of harm's way we'll reassess the situation and deal with that yōma nest separately.”

“So you intend to escort us?” the caravan leader muses. “Well, if you're sure.”

You can tell the trainees aren't sure, but you definitely are and they're supposed to follow your lead. And so they do, as you escort the caravan around a circuitous path north of the village of Montelena. Night falls, and the caravan's own guards keep a careful watch for more mundane threats. You and the trainees set a schedule, allowing you all to get at least a little rest.

The next morning you set off, only to find the trail blocked by a row of heavy logs.

A man sits atop one of those logs.

“Good morning!” he calls out. “Lovely day for a long hike in the hills, innit?”

The guards are on high alert, scanning the trees and stones all around for signs of an ambush despite the obvious signs right in front of you... really no need to look for what you can already see plain as day.

“If this isn't an ambush I'll eat my boots,” you grumble.

“Not too smart, stopping us like this,” the caravan leader calls back from the head of the column. “We have four Witches along with us.”

“Witches can't kill humans, silly,” the man on the log calls back. “Everyone knows that.”

“You're right,” you admit, hopping up on top of the wagon. “But I can still beat you and your boys black and blue without breaking a sweat. Nothing in our rules against it.”

“Really?” the man asks.

You shrug. “You really wanna find out?”

The man makes a subtle gesture with his right hand, and an arrow comes arcing over the log from somewhere further down the path, only for you to catch it mere inches from the caravan leader's face. A bead of sweat rolls down his face, as the bandit leader whistles.

“Alright, I've seen enough,” the man chuckles.
>1/2

>>3305448
Something still bothers you though. It's faint, but undeniable.

“We'll move the logs now,” the bandit leader offers.

“Wait,” you reply, and the man stops in place.

“Yeah, what?”

You frown. “Did you recruit anyone recently from the village of Montelena?”

The bandit leader's gaze narrows. “Maybe. Why?”

“Bad yōma infestation,” you reply. “Anything seem off to you?”

“No?” the bandit leader replies. “Didn't notice anything weird when I was down there last, though it's been a few months.”

“Things often aren't how they appear when yōma are concerned,” you shrug. “Can't be too careful.”

“Hey Stephen!” the man calls out to someone behind him. “Come up here and talk to this lady... Stephen?”

“The fuck!?”

There's a sudden shout, and you're standing atop the heavy log before anyone can respond to it. The path turns round a bend where ditches lie on either side, providing some measure of cover to the men hiding out there. Two lie dead in the ditch to your right, below a rocky slope, and a third man is running from the scene at a pace no human could possibly achieve.

>Chase after the yōma and kill it.
>Keep moving. The longer you're out here the more these people are at risk.
>Fuck, you're probably going to need to escort the BANDITS out of here too. You could all stand to work together.
>Other?

>>3305478
>Fuck, you're probably going to need to escort the BANDITS out of here too. You could all stand to work together.

>>3305478
>Chase after the yōma and kill it.

>>3305478
>>Fuck, you're probably going to need to escort the BANDITS out of here too. You could all stand to work together.

>>3305478
>Chase and kill
We don't want it warning the twenty in the village.

>>3305478
>>3305482
If chasing it wins warn the girls to be alert, it may be a squirrel/distraction trying to lure us away from the main body.

>>3305503
I considered that but it's pretty doubtful. Seems like we took them by surprise.

>>3305478
>Fuck, you're probably going to need to escort the BANDITS out of here too. You could all stand to work together.
>"ALRIGHT BOYS. IF YOU WANT TO LIVE AND NOT HAVE YOUR GUTS SLURPED UP BY SPAGHETTI, LISTEN TO ME! WE'RE GETTING YOU OUT OF THIS PLACE. WE ARE GOING TO KEEP TRAVELING UNTIL WE REACH A SETTLEMENT NOT INFESTED BY YOMA. SPREAD THE WORD OUT. MONTELENA? DEAD. DONE, DOES NOT EXIST. AND BY THE TWIN GODDESSES SO HELP ME IF YOU TOUCH ANY OF THE OTHER WITCHES, I WILL BEAT YOUR ASSES 7-WAYS TO SUNDAY IN A WAY THAT WON'T KILL YOU."
>"Ladies! Front and center! Remember the code which we claymores live by! We save humans first! slay Yoma second!"

>>3305529
Anon please. We're a princess, not a drill sergeant.

>>3305478
>>Chase after the yōma and kill it.
We can't let it warn the town of yoma and have them all run off in different directions. That would be annoying and dangerous.

>>3305478
>>Chase after the yōma and kill it.
>Fuck, you're probably going to need to escort the BANDITS out of here too. You could all stand to work together.

>>3305478
>>Chase after the yōma and kill it.

>>3305543
Aye. Tell the sensor to start interviewing the bandits for clues while getting things on the road. Jenna can try to trail us.

>>3305478
>Chase after the yōma and kill it.
>Tell the girls to escort everyone ahead

>>3305478
>Chase after the yōma and kill it.

>>3305478
>Chase after the yōma and kill it.
Tell the trainees to protect the Humans.

>>3305529
We can castrate them so long as it doesn't kill them.

>>3305478
>>Chase after the yōma and kill it.

>>3305478
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 9, 6 = 19 (3d10)

>>3307484

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

>>3307484

Rolled 9, 7, 5 = 21 (3d10)

>>3307484

>>3307484
You're honestly not entirely sure what you should do here.

On the one hand your initial instinct is to chase down the yōma and kill it, make sure that it can't spread word of what it's found here. If you're right then it's one of the ones from the nest in Montelena, which concerns you even more since it seems they're actually 'patrolling' the area around their territory. That suggests a degree of coordination unusual among yōma.

So if you chase after that yōma, there's also no guarantee that your trainees won't be attacked while you're running around. In fact it's entirely possible that the yōma you encountered just now is intended as a distraction.

There are a few possibilities that would let you split the difference to a degree. None would be possible for the trainees, or probably even most double-digits in the field. But any of them would address your lingering concerns over the wider tactical picture.

>With a little yōki, your sword can become a spear.
>Track down the yōma, kill it, and return as quickly as possible. Use yōki to do so.
>You have Alysheba. It's time to try a Claymore cavalry charge.
>If you separate from the caravan and keep your distance you can prepare a counterattack.
>Other?

>>3307544
>>You have Alysheba. It's time to try a Claymore cavalry charge.

>>3307544
>>With a little yōki, your sword can become a spear.

>>3307544
>You have Alysheba. It's time to try a Claymore cavalry charge.

>>3307544
>Sord throw

File: ichimaru.jpg (225 KB, 1024x768)

225 KB JPG

>>3307544
>>With a little yōki, your sword can become a spear.
>With a little yōki, your sword can become a spear.

>>3307544
>With a little yōki, your sword can become a spear.
END HIM RIGHTLY

>>3307544
>>You have Alysheba. It's time to try a Claymore cavalry charge.

>>3307544
>With a little yōki, your sword can become a spear.

>>3307544
>You have Alysheba. It's time to try a Claymore cavalry charge.

>>3307544
>>With a little yōki, your sword can become a spear.
This sounds pretty cool.

>>3307544
>With a little yōki, your sword can become a spear.
>You have Alysheba. It's time to try a Claymore cavalry charge.
Do both, ride up close enough to lower the dc into something easy, then throw it.

For everyone who was worried this yoma was bait to draw us away, throwing the sword is the best option because it doesn't draw us away and we can fight well without it.

>>3307544
>>You have Alysheba. It's time to try a Claymore cavalry charge.
We cavalry now.

>>3308362
We were born with a saddle that became our crib.

>>3307544
>With a little yōki, your sword can become a spear.

>>3307544
>You have Alysheba. It's time to try a Claymore cavalry charge.

>>3309619
>>3308362
>>3308227
>>3308055
>>3307630
>>3307556
>>3307552
I hope ya'll guys remember that horses are afraid of youma? Alysheba is only unafraid of us because we don't smell like one.

>>3307544
3d10, best of four
this is gonna be a multi-stage process

Rolled 7, 6, 1 = 14 (3d10)

>>3309686

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

>>3309686

Rolled 9, 6, 7 = 22 (3d10)

>>3309686

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

>>3309686

>>3309686
Round Two:
>3d10, best of three for the throwing
>DC 16, critical 20

Rolled 4, 6, 2 = 12 (3d10)

>>3309725
for satan!

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

>>3309725

Rolled 5, 3, 7 = 15 (3d10)

>>3309725

Give me one more, actually.

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

>>3309725

>>3309725
It's an unusual decision to charge down a yōma from horseback, but you have an exceptional tool at your disposal: the fact that Alysheba is naturally five-gaited, and a gifted example of his breed at that.

You whistle for him, louder than any human naturally could you think, and he comes flying from the caravan column, only briefly slowing to vault over the log barrier and allow you to jump down into the saddle. With a specific series of jabs to his ribs and an expressive snap of the reins you set him off after the fleeing yōma in his breed's natural fifth gait: the famed 'Hazari tölt'.

Most horses canter and gallop with a particular pattern of hoofbeats, which actually has them briefly suspended in the air with none of their hooves touching the ground. While Alysheba can do that, as any horse can, his breed typically display something quite different from an early age as well. When they run, they're generally more comfortable with a fast ambling gait where one hoof is always in contact with the ground. This is what's called the tölt, fast as a canter but almost supernaturally smooth and fluid, and capable of almost explosive acceleration.

Back in the days when the Hazari horse-lords still fought each other from time to time, in the days before the first king, horses who could naturally perform the tölt were invaluable for mounted archers. Your plan now might be familiar to them.

As you ride down your target, closing the distance over several seconds, you loose your blade and raise it over your shoulder. But at the last possible second, a thought occurs to you that's only made possible by how smooth and natural Alysheba's gait is, and how effortless guiding him with your knees has become. You realize that the sword you've been issued isn't balanced for throwing the same way that a knife could be thrown: if you use the same technique here, despite Alysheba giving you the best possibility for success, there's a strong chance that you'll fail to kill the yōma.

So instead you turn the blade in the air and reverse your grip, then release about a fifth of your yōki through your back and arms. A little excessive for the task at hand, but just enough for the situation.

You manage to hurl the sword in your hand like a wide, flat spear, isolating your hips and relying entirely on your augmented upper body strength and precise control to complete the movement. Its point rises ever so slightly as it travels, seemingly floating for an instant before the point drops back down just before burying itself in the yōma's spine right about at the level of its stomach.

By the time Alysheba slows to a gentle trot, the monster is trying to claw its way back to its feet. It never gets the chance. With a reverse-handed grip you lean to yank your sword out of its spine and plunge its point through the yōma's skull, twist it, and use the mess to hold it upright as you shift your grip and pull it free.
>1/?

>>3309884
With a sweep you flick the gore from your blade and with your knees you direct Alysheba to turn, then trot back towards the caravan.

Alysheba's gait is simultaneously playful and proud, you'd almost liken it to a cat padding along with its head and tail held high and a dead bird in its mouth.

When you finally get back to your young charges, you give your trusty mount an appreciative pat on his neck.

“Good boy,” you smile down at him. “That's a damn good boy.”

He stamps a little in excitement, but you quickly reign him in. “Don't let it get to your head though.”

Meanwhile Jenna is staring at you slack-jawed, while your sensor-in-training Vanessa's eyes are wide and her face has gone white as a freshly-laundered sheet. It's Alexandra who manages to collect herself first.

“You just threw your sword at a yōma,” she stares at you.

You nod in confirmation. “Like a spear.”

“From the back of a galloping horse.”

“Technically that was called a tölt,” you correct her patiently, returning your now-clean sword to its holster. “But yes, that's the gist of it.”

“You're insane,” Jenna declares. “Completely and utterly insane.”

“Quite probably,” you admit. “But you forgot one important detail... I may be insane, but at least we're on the same side.”

You turn to face the bandit leader. “Gather your remaining men and get these logs out of the way. We're moving out as soon as possible.”

“All of us?” the caravan leader demands. “Including these damned bandits? I won't have it!”

“If a yōma from Montelena has already infiltrated this group then they likely know they're here,” you summarize your concerns. “Something is directing their movements, and that something is likely to send the bulk of its forces northward within the next two days. That's what my instincts tell me.”

“And we're more likely to survive if we have more swords and bows at our disposal,” Alexandra realizes. “You plan to have these people fight?”

“If I can't avoid it,” you sigh. “Half of any battle is fought before the lines are even drawn. With the yōki I released just now and the awareness that we'll have chosen a defensive position beforehand, the yōma may think twice before attacking... and even if they do we'll have the advantage.”

>Just ask Vanessa what she felt just now if you want to know about the warning I just sent.
>Motion for Vanessa to keep quiet about what she felt. No need to make an issue out of it.
>Reassure the humans that with proper positioning and four 'witches' they'll be fine.
>Other?

>>3309887
>Reassure the humans that with proper positioning and four 'witches' they'll be fine.

>>3309887
>>Reassure the humans that with proper positioning and four 'witches' they'll be fine.

>>3309887
>Other
>Have the younglings talk about what they think should happen now, then offer your advice >>3309965

>>3309887
>Motion for Vanessa to keep quiet about what she felt. No need to make an issue out of it.

>>3309887
>>Motion for Vanessa to keep quiet about what she felt. No need to make an issue out of it.

>>3309887
>>Reassure the humans that with proper positioning and four 'witches' they'll be fine.

>>3309887
“Just remember,” you declare, “you have four 'silver-eyed' witches with you. With that, your numbers, and favorable terrain you'll come out of this just fine... but you have to hold that terrain. You have to be brave, or you'll be killed for sure.”

As you rejoin the caravan Vanessa tries to catch your eye, but you move to shush her as subtly as you can.

"Later," you mutter. "If at all."

Once the logs are out of the way the column continues to grind forward until darkness begins to fall. The time comes for you to make camp for the night.
>3d10, best of three

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

>>3310361

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

>>3310361

Rolled 10, 6, 8 = 24 (3d10)

>>3310361

>>3310361
You manage to get the caravan to push a little harder than they were originally inclined in order to reach something you know will serve you well: a defensible position that you spotted an hour or so earlier in the distance. It's a fairly narrow pass between two long ridges, the south-facing slope of which offers a decent spot to position a camp.

Halfway up the hill, you have a commanding view of the southern approach: while it would be possible to get behind your position and advance down the hill onto you, it would require more time and energy than is worthwhile compared to a direct assault. After some convincing you manage to get the caravaners to leave the carts at the base of the hill and move vital supplies upslope by horseback.

Fires are only lit at the base of the hill to boil water and cook a hasty meal, after which the fires are extinguished and the humans are ushered quietly up to a campsite above where they are left to sit in the dim light of the moon and stars.

“Couldn't we have lit some fires?” Jenna grumbles.

“That would spoil the bandits' night sight,” you sigh. “So no. In this case it's impossible.”

“You really think the yōma are going to try attacking us?”

You shake your head. “I can't be sure.”

“But you have us preparing for an attack,” Alexandra points out.

After a moment, you make a startling admission. “If I were in their position I would attack either tonight or tomorrow night. Early in the morning, just before dawn when the sentries are tired.”

There are a few minutes of awkward silence before Vanessa speaks.

“You said that 'something' was coordinating the yōma's actions here. What did you mean?”

>A voracious eater, most likely. A yōma whose strength exceeds that of an ordinary monster.
>I can't be sure, which is what bothers me. Sometimes yōma can do things that are surprising.
>There's an off chance it could be a warrior who has gone past her limit and 'Awakened'.
>Other?

>>3310385
>I can't be sure, which is what bothers me. Sometimes yōma can do things that are surprising.
>Explain that it could be a voracious eater or an 'awakened.'

>>3310385
>There's an off chance it could be a warrior who has gone past her limit and 'Awakened'.

>>3310385
>Could be a bunch of Youma got smart . Rare but it happens. More likely to be a Voracious Ester, and older, tougher, far more experienced Youma leading them. And there is a very off chance that it’s an awakened. They’re what happens when a warrior either overdraws thier yoki in desperation or loses control of themselves. They’re to us what Youma are to humans. If it’s the latter I’ll need you to get the others out of here, because they invariably have special abilities like ours, and theirs devastate at a wider scope when used.

>>3310385
>There's an off chance it could be a warrior who has gone past her limit and 'Awakened'.
Better to rip that bandaid off now, than that they get surprised by one, but make sure that this is an unusual circumstance for them to find out about this, so they should keep it quiet

>>3310385
>A voracious eater, most likely. A yōma whose strength exceeds that of an ordinary monster.

>>3310401
>>3310385
>Tell them the story of how you were stuck in a deathmatch with an awakened being.

>>3310401
Support.

>>3310385
>I can't be sure, which is what bothers me. Sometimes yōma can do things that are surprising.
>>There's an off chance it could be a warrior who has gone past her limit and 'Awakened'.

>>3310385
>>There's an off chance it could be a warrior who has gone past her limit and 'Awakened'.

>>3310385
You consider how much to tell the trainees, eventually settling on the painful truth.

“Sometimes a warrior draws too much yōki and goes past their limits,” you explain carefully, “and cannot recover from it. When that happens a trusted warrior is supposed to deliver a swift and merciful execution. But sometimes that's not how it happens.”

“What happens when something goes wrong?” Alexandra asks quietly, as Jenna and Vanessa lean in to listen close.

You're quiet for a moment. “We call it an 'Awakening', whenever a warrior becomes what it is we're supposed to fight.”

“An 'awakened being' is a yōma with the power and training of one of our warriors, along with the judgment and intelligence that goes with those things, but without the restraint of a warrior who still clings to her humanity. She uses her yōki without hesitation or difficulty, making her even more of a threat than when she was a warrior.”

“And the Organization executes them, right?” Jenna presses.

“Sometimes,” you admit. “It's the mercy we owe them. But often they're clever enough to keep a low profile, and dangerous enough to require a team led by a single-digit or a pair of single-digits to stand a chance.”

“How many awakened beings have you fought?” Vanessa asks tensely.

“Three,” you tell her. “One who killed my friend, a former number Seven whose crossguard I carried for years. A second named 'Earthbreaker' Saria, another former number Seven who I fought for six days and nights... her broken blade donated some material to repair the crossguard she broke. A third I fought and killed alongside Serana, our current number Nine.”

“I have a suspicion that there might be an awakened being in Montelena. It's hard to tell at a distance, but even having that possibility on the table is reason enough for caution.”

>We'll stay here for another day. After that point we SHOULD expect not to be attacked.
>I'll stay awake through the night. You three take turns resting, I'll wake you if need be.
>I need to rest. We'll take it in turns, two sleep two awake. Stay close and stay alert.
>Other?

>>3314599
>I need to rest. We'll take it in turns, two sleep two awake. Stay close and stay alert.

>>3314599
>I need to rest. We'll take it in turns, two sleep two awake. Stay close and stay alert.

>>3314599
>I need to rest. We'll take it in turns, two sleep two awake. Stay close and stay alert.
>Rest against eachother's backs. Don't let a yoma pick you off without someone else noticing.

>>3314599
>I'll stay awake through the night. You three take turns resting, I'll wake you if need be.

>>3314599
>>I need to rest. We'll take it in turns, two sleep two awake. Stay close and stay alert.

>>3314599
>>3314613
Seconding

>>3314613
>>3314599
this. Teach them the ins and outs of surviving together as fellow warriors.

>>3314599
>>I need to rest. We'll take it in turns, two sleep two awake. Stay close and stay alert.
from a tactical standpoint, Noel and Vanessa should be in separate pairs, to have a better chance to feel approaching youma

>>3314599
“I need to rest,” you declare, drawing your sword and stabbing it into the ground. “Jenna, you sleep too. Vanessa, Alexandra, you two keep watch first. We'll relieve you in a few hours, and wake you before dawn.”

“But...” Jenna begins.

“No buts,” you interrupt. “Rest. That's an order.”

A dreamless sleep comes easily, and in practically no time at all you find your shoulder lightly touched by another's hand. Your eyes fly open.

“Thank you,” you tell Vanessa quietly, careful not to wake Jenna. “You and Alexandra rest now.”

“Anything to tell me?”

Vanessa glances southward. “I can't feel that far. But I also can't sense anything amiss.”

“Thanks,” you nod. “Neither can I.”

Vanessa lays her sword at her side, and leans against the other side of Alexandra's sword. The two are apparently asleep within minutes.

For about two hours, you let Jenna continue sleeping. As an offensive-type, you really need her at her best despite needing to wake her well before Vanessa and Alexandra. So letting her sleep a little while longer will hopefully give her a slight edge.

Finally, you tap her lightly on the shoulder. It takes her a few seconds to open her eyes. “What's happening? Where are Vanessa and Alexandra?”

“Already asleep,” you explain quietly. “I gave you a little extra time.”

“Thanks, I guess,” she mutters, rubbing her eyes. “Anything happening?”

You shake your head. “At the moment, it doesn't seem so. But there's still time for that to change.”

For a while, Jenna makes no attempt to converse with you. But after some time, she finally raises her voice. “What's going to happen to us?”

>I don't know, because it's not up to me, or the Organization. It's up to you, never forget that.
>I don't intend to let any of you three die out here, if that's what you're asking me. I refuse to.
>Everyone dies, Jenna. But you three chose to do more with your lives before you die. Own it.
>Other?

>>3317857
>>I don't know, because it's not up to me, or the Organization. It's up to you, never forget that.
And it's to me to-
>>I don't intend to let any of you three die out here, if that's what you're asking me. I refuse to.

>>3317857
>I don't intend to let any of you three die out here, if that's what you're asking me. I refuse to.

>>3317857
>I intend to keep you all alive, if that's what you're asking.

>>3317857
>pull her into a comfort hug. let her get comfy in your arms.
Channel Mommy Noel.

>>3317857
>Everyone dies, Jenna. But you three chose to do more with your lives before you die. Own it.
>I don't intend to let any of you three die out here, if that's what you're asking me. I refuse to.

>>3317857
>>Everyone dies, Jenna. But you three chose to do more with your lives before you die. Own it.

>>3317857
>I don't know, because it's not up to me, or the Organization. It's up to you, never forget that.

>>3317857
>I don't intend to let any of you three die out here, if that's what you're asking me. I refuse to.

>>3317857
>I don't know, because it's not up to me, or the Organization. It's up to you, never forget that.
>Everyone dies, Jenna. But you three chose to do more with your lives before you die. Own it.

>>3317857
>I don't intend to let any of you three die out here, if that's what you're asking me. I refuse to.

>>3317857
>>I don't intend to let any of you three die out here, if that's what you're asking me. I refuse to.

>>3317857
>I don't intend to let any of you three die out here, if that's what you're asking me. I refuse to.

>>3317857
“I don't intend to let any of you die out here, if that's what you're asking me,” you sigh. “Beyond that, it's really not for me to say. It's up to you.”

Jenna snorts once. “Yeah, alright.”

After a moment, her tone softens slightly. “Really though, I've never seen anyone fight like you do and then go straight to full on “it's all okay” reassurances.”

“I've lost a lot,” you sigh, hand resting on the handle of your sword. “This cobbled-together sword of mine is a testament to that. But I'd rather have people and risk losing them than be lonely and miserable all the time. We've got enough of that in our lives without actively making it worse.”

“So... yeah. I'd rather go that extra distance for our fellow warriors.”

Jenna nods. “Right. Guess I just couldn't believe you were being genuine.”

“It's not wrong to be a little skeptical,” you admit. “Not all of us share my outlook. But some do. 'Cherish those when you find them' is my advice.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” she sighs. “So, what's your honest opinion about me?”

“You're too aggressive and don't think enough,” you reply immediately.

“Wow, don't hold back on me,” she grumbles.

“You asked,” you shrug. “I haven't seen you fight, but it's a common problem for offensive-types. You're not always going to have a defense-type to take hits for you, and if you make a reckless mistake when you're on your own your regeneration skills won't always be able to make up for it. Offensive-types tend to get smart quick or die quicker.”

“I don't want you falling into the same trap, so I wanted to impress on you the need for caution and critical thought. Those things are what would put you a cut above other rookie offensive-types.”
>1/2

>>3320515
You and Jenna continue to talk quietly for a little while as you keep watch, and you find out a little more about the group that have all been put under your wing. Jenna is from a small farming village in Hibernia, sold by her own family to pay off a massive debt. Vanessa is from Bretonne, raised in a small orphanage run by nuns who used to beat her for seeing and overhearing things she shouldn't. Alexandra is a bit more of a mystery: all Jenna's ever managed to get out of her is that she's from 'some shithole in Kagiu', which could really be any settlement in Kagiu. From the sound of it she was most likely picked up from a prison.

For your part you reiterate to Jenna that you're Hazari, and vaguely hint that your family had some influence before everyone else in it was brutally murdered and you too found yourself on the wrong end of a spear. You're also obliged to admit that, despite not really having much in the way of viable alternatives, you're one of the rare few who actually chose to become a warrior.

The alternative was of course to simply bleed to death in the street, but it was technically an option.

“I'd have been tempted,” Jenna admits. “I'd heard rumors about the Organization before, I'll admit I was scared as shit when I heard they were buying me.”

You quickly raise your hand. “Shut up a second.”

“Wow, rude...”

“No, really...” you insist, focusing your senses and allowing just a little bit of yōki to flow freely.

Then you swiftly rouse Vanessa and Alexandra.

“They're coming.”

>Wake the humans loudly, have them start fires and ready their weapons to pick off the yōma before they get within range to attack.
>Wake the humans quietly, have them prepare to ambush the yōma in groups at closer range where they'll have the element of surprise.
>Wake the humans quietly and have them withdraw up the hill. You and the trainees will thin the yōma's ranks first.
>Other?

>>3320530
>Wake the humans quietly, have them prepare to ambush the yōma in groups at closer range where they'll have the element of surprise.

>>3320530
>>Wake the humans loudly, have them start fires and ready their weapons to pick off the yōma before they get within range to attack.

>>3320530
>>Wake the humans quietly, have them prepare to ambush the yōma in groups at closer range where they'll have the element of surprise.

best have Jenna be close enough to help out if she can

>>3320530
>Wake the humans quietly and have them withdraw up the hill. You and the trainees will thin the yōma's ranks first.

>>3320530
>Wake the humans quietly and have them withdraw.

>>3320530
>Wake the humans quietly and have them withdraw up the hill. You and the trainees will thin the yōma's ranks first.

>>3320530
>Wake the humans quietly and have them withdraw up the hill. You and the trainees will thin the yōma's ranks first.

>>3320530
>Wake the humans quietly and have them withdraw up the hill. You and the trainees will thin the yōma's ranks first.

>>3320530
>>Wake the humans quietly and have them withdraw up the hill. You and the trainees will thin the yōma's ranks first.

>>3320530
>Wake the humans quietly, have them prepare to ambush the yōma in groups at closer range where they'll have the element of surprise.

>>3320530
>>Wake the humans quietly and have them withdraw up the hill. You and the trainees will thin the yōma's ranks first.

>>3320530
“Help me wake the humans,” you insist quietly. “We'll have them withdraw up the hill, then thin the yōma's ranks ourselves. Fighting retreat back upslope.”

“Clear?”

After receiving three immediate agreements, your trainees fan out and start rousing the human caravaners. Meanwhile you race towards the bandits like a shadow darting between rocks and shrubs, eventually finding a sentry.

“You!” you hiss loudly. “Help me wake the rest of your company, we're falling back up the hill.”

“Is it yōma?” he gasps, startled.

“Quietly!” you snap. “We'll thin their ranks as best we can, falling back towards your position. Then we make our stand.”

“Go!”

After setting your plan in motion, you regroup with your trio of trainees. The next set of preparations will hopefully be “overpreparation”, but it's something that may become relevant if things go poorly.

“Jenna, you stay close with Vanessa,” you order. “Alexandra, you stick close to me. We'll try and hold together in a group, but if we get separated try and at least keep together in pairs. Last thing I want is to have any of us overrun.”

“When you hear me order 'fall back', withdraw up the hill until I shout 'hold'. If you can't hear me, Jenna, rely on Vanessa's senses.”

“Got it,” Jenna nods. “You ready, Ness?”

“I am,” Vanessa nods sternly, taking a deep breath.

“Alright, then fan out a little,” you order. “Ten to twenty paces. Jenna far left, then Ness, then Alex, then me on the far right. If they flank us don't break formation, I'll just order a withdrawal. Understand?”

“Yes, ma'am!” you hear a chorus of replies.

“Good to hear,” you nod. “Do it!”

Flames begin to dance and flicker behind you, where the humans have entrenched themselves. Everything is ready.

>3d10, best of four

Rolled 2, 3, 6 = 11 (3d10)

>>3322902

Rolled 6, 8, 10 = 24 (3d10)

>>3322902

Rolled 4, 4, 7 = 15 (3d10)

>>3322902

Rolled 2, 6, 10 = 18 (3d10)

>>3322902

>>3322909
That 24 is looking good

>>3322902
At first the yōma begin attacking the center of your little line, faltering against the first unexpected line of resistance. In fact the first of them doesn't seem to even register your presence until it's too late, perhaps lost entirely in its own bloodthirst. It doesn't even howl before you cut it down with your blade in a clean cut from shoulder to hip. The yōma that attacks Alexandra falters as her blade digs into its palms, and you use the moment of hesitation to cross the ten paces and ram the point of your sword through its chest right beneath the arm. With a twist and a pull, you slice through the beast's spine and leap away, allowing Alexandra to bring her sword down on the yōma that had been charging from behind its now-bisected companion.

“Good kill!” you shout encouragement. “Stay tight and keep it up!”

Jenna gets a kill as well, and teams up with Vanessa to kill a second yōma. They're working well enough together, and in just a few moments five yōma have fallen to mostly a team of rookies.

But the yōma quickly adapt, finding the edges of your short line of defense and splitting to the left and right. You cut down another of their number, while three more move around your right flank.

>If you extend, you can take out the trio of flankers without exposing Alexandra to too much risk.
>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.
>Pull right with Alexandra, open a small gap at the center but keep the pairs together.
>Other?

>>3322957
>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.

>>3322957
>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.
>use an excessive amount of yoki to increase our speed so long as it means covering everyone properly

>>3322957
>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.

>>3322957
>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.

>>3322957
>>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.
Following the plan is good, don't want to confuse/worry the rookies by changing the pre-established plan.

>>3322957
>>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.

>>3322995
Exactly my thoughts.

>>3322957
>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.

>>3322957
>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.

>>3322957
>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.

>>3322957
>>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.

>>3322957
>Fall back and spread your line a little, follow the plan you set out even if it means giving ground.

>>3322957
>Release youki
>Hold off on youki

>>3325643
>>Hold off on youki
We want them to follow us

>>3325643
>>Hold off on youki

>>3325643
>Hold off on youki

>>3325643
I'm not sure I understand the difference on holding/releasing yoki in this context, can anyone fill me in?

>>3325699
It's like revealing or hiding your powerlevel In dbz.

>>3325699
Even without actively using youki a single-digit Claymore's ability is beyond peak human, while the trainees are essentially professional athletes. For Noel to draw 10-20% of her theoretical maximum output of youki makes her less of a person, more of a high-speed blender with legs, better results but with a greatly increased profile.

>>3325643
>Hold off on youki

>>3325712
>>3325715
Alright thanks guys.

>>3325643
>>Release youki

>>3325715
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkCT-mdr0ZY for those unfamiliar, this is several single-digits fighting without releasing their youki (at first).

>>3325643
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 8, 7, 10 = 25 (3d10)

>>3325747

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

>>3325747

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

>>3325747

Rolled 6, 7, 5 = 18 (3d10)

>>3325747

File: 33239292_p0.jpg (345 KB, 2550x3509)

345 KB JPG

>>3325747
“Fall back!” you roar.

You can't hold this ground any longer, as you've been outflanked already. Trying to hold this ground despite that will only lead to your position being enveloped and the flankers progressing upslope to where the humans have taken up arms. And you haven't thinned the herd nearly enough to make that a fight you'd be comfortable with.

But neither can you release all your yōki at this stage. Your trainees aren't in immediate danger, and even tapping ten percent of your yōki would be more likely to run the survivors off. Then you'd never get a chance to wipe them out and make this area safe to travel through. Too much yōki may even attract unwanted attention... you can sense no awakened being among the ranks of these yōma, but if one is watching from afar the sense that there's a single-digit among your numbers might convince her to get involved.

Too many unknowns to deviate from the plan just yet. But that doesn't mean you can't put in a little more effort.

“Follow me, Alex!” you call out, shifting your position further right towards the three yōma who nearly overran your position.

“Come here you dumb bastards!”

Your taunt slows the yōma's advance, as they realize you insulted them. The fact that you've closed the distance makes attacking you suddenly seem like a better idea, and so they fall on you from a slight height advantage.

Doesn't help them though.

Your blade cleaves through one at the waist, sending his torso toppling downslope. A second yōma that tries to turn round your left side while the third grabs at your sword with its claws.

Alex engages the one to your left as you release your hold on the sword with your left hand and lean to avoid the rapidly-extending neck of the yōma in front of you. Instead it finds your elbow coming down on its spine and your knee driving into its throat, crushing together hard enough to shatter bone and reduce flesh to pulp. A turning strike of your sword cleaves its head off from the jawline, sending its whole upper skull tumbling through the air.

“Noel!” Alex shouts, having wounded her own yōma.

You grasp the sword tightly near the point and swing it, impaling the third yōma with your crossguard through its temple in the 'mordhau' – another trick picked up from the monks' primer.
>1/2

>>3325777
Were it not for Saria's blade having been worked into your new guard, and for Brutus and his excellent work, your weapon may not have even penetrated the yōma's skull. But after prying it free by the handle, a quick inspection reveals that there's not even a scratch to be found.

“Hold!” you shout, turning your attention back to the other duo who seem to be struggling. As you predicted, the yōma used that opportunity to envelop Jenna and Vanessa from their left as well, sending a few into the gap that you left in your line between those two trainees and Alexandra.

Now you close the jaws of your own trap.

“Too far!” you roar in delight as you fall onto the yōma with a predatory grace. One you roundhouse-kick back towards Alexandra, who cuts it down as it's of balance. The second you run through the chest with the point of your sword, before grabbing it by the neck and head-butting it to interrupt its counterattack... even though it's impaled it probably wanted to take advantage of the fact that your sword was lodged in its body.

Not that it was gonna work, but it was a bold move. Almost enough to be considered impressive.

Your next blow is a left-handed punch to its chest that pushes it off your blade, and as you charge past it you drag your sword across the ground so that it pulls through the fallen yōma's body from crotch to throat.

The pommel of your sword meets the palm of a third yōma's hand, countering its thrust, and the wide blade arcs around to the outside and slices deep into the base of its neck. The rearward movement of your right arm means the cut is shallow, only pulling free of the monster's body around where its navel should have been were it human, though it's left in a position where Alex can easily take its head.

Now Alexandra is free to advance towards Vanessa, closing up the line once more.

The other two trainees have barely held their own, and may well have been overrun had you not sprung your trap on time. But since you did even the yōma trying to turn your line's opposite flank have fallen back to give Jenna and Ness time to breath.

>Reorganize your line here, leave just enough room that you can bracket any yōma that tries to pass through your line.
>Move back downslope, pursue the fleeing yōma while they're off balance and moving downhill.
>Fall back slightly up the hill, get into the furthest range of the human archers and riflemen in the back line.
>Other?

>>3325814
>Move back downslope, pursue the fleeing yōma while they're off balance and moving downhill.

>>3325814
>>Move back downslope, pursue the fleeing yōma while they're off balance and moving downhill.

>>3325814
>>Move back downslope, pursue the fleeing yōma while they're off balance and moving downhill.

>>3325814
>>Reorganize your line here, leave just enough room that you can bracket any yōma that tries to pass through your line.

>>3325814
>>Move back downslope, pursue the fleeing yōma while they're off balance and moving downhill.

>>3325814
>Reorganize your line here, leave just enough room that you can bracket any yōma that tries to pass through your line.

>>3325814
>Move back downslope, pursue the fleeing yōma while they're off balance and moving downhill.
Be wary of a false retreat though.

>>3325814
>Reorganize your line here, leave just enough room that you can bracket any yōma that tries to pass through your line.

>>3325814
>Reorganize your line here, leave just enough room that you can bracket any yōma that tries to pass through your line.

>>3325814
>Move back downslope, pursue the fleeing yoma.

>>3325814
>>Reorganize your line here, leave just enough room that you can bracket any yōma that tries to pass through your line.

>>3325814
>Reorganize your line here, leave just enough room that you can bracket any yōma that tries to pass through your line.

For all we know, they could be battle of Hastings us.

>>3325814
>Reorganize your line here, leave just enough room that you can bracket any yōma that tries to pass through your line.

>>3327343
Pursuit should be left to light forces -- the bandits.

>>3325900
>>3327343
>>3327702
They are probably going to plan a way around us to get at the caravan. We should send someone to quickly check up on them.

>>3325814
“Twenty paces between partners!” you shout. “Alex, shift to my right! Get ready for another wave!”

Vanessa and Jenna space themselves adequately to your left, and Alexandra scrambles to get around behind you and keeps moving to your right until she's in position as well. You leave a gap of about thirty paces between yourself and Ness on your left... an inviting gap to try and force their way through in order to separate your line and create a corridor for their back line to charge the humans behind you.
>3d10, best of four

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

>>3328476

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

>>3328476

Rolled 3, 4, 10 = 17 (3d10)

>>3328476

Rolled 3, 1, 8 = 12 (3d10)

>>3328476

>>3328476
It isn't long before the assault resumes in earnest, with perhaps a dozen or more yōma rushing your position. The densest pack of them of course charge the center of your line, hoping to break you up and encircle your warriors so that they could outnumber each of your duos by three or four to one.

They hadn't figured on a single-digit relocating herself to the middle of the line.

Your line collapses, distances shifting as you and the trainees engage in a mad melee. But at no point are any of you totally alone, you're almost always either in a position to provide support or are already flanking any particular yōma on both sides. They tried to surround you and ended up with half their own numbers surrounded instead.

And of course the ones in the center are screwed from the very beginning, being the ones closest to you. Three of them fall before they even realize what's happened, vastly evening the odds for Vanessa and letting her focus more on helping Jenna. The two of them manage to kill two yōma in the opening seconds of the fight, while Alexandra takes another head to her name.

But things don't go entirely your way. Alexandra hisses in pain as a yōma takes a swipe at her face, leaving bloody trails over and below her left eye.

“Fall back a few paces!” you order her. “I'll help cover your left!”

“Understood!”

Vanessa takes a heavy blow to the side of her gut in exchange for an equal blow on another yōma, who Jenna promptly beheads.

“You okay?” she shouts at her partner.

“Just peachy!” Vanessa grunts back, yanking the yōma's hand out of her stomach. You've never quite pinned her as having a spine before... she must be getting frustrated.

Jenna swipes her blade at yet another yōma, taking off one of its legs. “We're getting surrounded!”

Vanessa stabs the fallen yōma to finish it off. “They're turning our left flank!”

“It's a second group!” you realize, slitting a yōma from crotch to crown with a stroke of your blade. “Tying us down here to flank the humans, take them out at close range!”

Even worse, more yōma are rushing after the group which charged you just now... there won't be a gap between 'waves' at this rate.

>Order the trainees to fall back and beat the flanking yōma to the humans' right flank. You'll intercept this wave yourself.
>Stage a fighting withdrawal towards the humans' right flank, keep the yōma off your trainees but stick close to them.
>Write off the far right flank but reorganize the survivors to hold against a two-pronged attack.
>Other?

>>3328530
>>Order the trainees to fall back and beat the flanking yōma to the humans' right flank. You'll intercept this wave yourself.

>>3328530
>Order the trainees to fall back and beat the flanking yōma to the humans' right flank. You'll intercept this wave yourself.

>>3328530
>>Order the trainees to fall back and beat the flanking yōma to the humans' right flank. You'll intercept this wave yourself.

>>3328530
>Stage a fighting withdrawal towards the humans' right flank, keep the yōma off your trainees but stick close to them.

>>3328530
>>Order the trainees to fall back and beat the flanking yōma to the humans' right flank. You'll intercept this wave yourself.

>>3328530
>>Order the trainees to fall back and beat the flanking yōma to the humans' right flank. You'll intercept this wave yourself.

>>3328530
>Stage a fighting withdrawal towards the humans' right flank, keep the yōma off your trainees but stick close to them.

>>3328530
>>Stage a fighting withdrawal towards the humans' right flank, keep the yōma off your trainees but stick close to them.
I definitely want to stick close to our trainees

>>3328530
>>Stage a fighting withdrawal towards the humans' right flank, keep the yōma off your trainees but stick close to them.

>>3328530
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 3, 8, 1 = 12 (3d10)

>>3332333

Rolled 1, 5, 4 = 10 (3d10)

>>3332333

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

>>3332333

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

>>3332333
CURSE YOUR TRIPS. WE' GON BE FUKD.
>>3332354
>>3332343
I am not liking our odds.

>>3332333
Okay, secondary vote called here:
>Continue suppressing yoki
>10% yoki should be enough to tip the scales
>20% yoki will end this charade in an instant
>50% yoki. Turn some heads... mostly into mush

>>3332370
>20% yoki will end this charade in an instant

>>3332370
>10%

>>3332370
>10%

>>3332370
>20% yoki will end this charade in an instant

>>3332370
>10%
“It’s time to jack to let it rip”

>>3332370
>10% yoki should be enough to tip the scales

>>3332370
>10% yoki should be enough to tip the scales
As tempting as it is to end the charade, we're here to grind out the enemy and give those trainees experience in Yoma Fightan. And 10% should be enough to leave a good impression on the power disparity.

>>3332410
Experience doesn't matter if you're dead and I'd rather not take the risk. Living Trainees are more important.

>>3332410
We should go as low as 5 percent

>>3332370
>20% yoki will end this charade in an instant

>>3332370
>>10% yoki should be enough to tip the scales

>>3332370
>20% yoki will end this charade in an instant

>>3332370
>10% yoki should be enough to tip the scales

>>3332370
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 8, 3, 10 = 21 (3d10)

>>3332545
here's hoping for at triple 10

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

>>3332545

Rolled 1, 10, 8 = 19 (3d10)

>>3332545

>>3332554
not what I asked for, but damn close. I am more than happy.

>>3332545
“Fall back!” you order. “Get to the left flank first, stay close, and use the humans to give you supporting fire. I'll take the rest of this wave, so just hold out!”

Jenna leaps into action, and you bat away the yōma that tries to pursue her. Vanessa follows her partner a second later, but Alexandra hesitates slightly.

“Go!” you snap, cutting the yōma down with a single hew. “Support Jenna and Ness!”

Alexandra finally does the same, running after the other trainees.

You're almost immediately surrounded, cutting down a yōma in front of you before taking a swift sidestep to avoid being killed by the one that got around behind your back. But frustratingly, the second wave seems to charge past you and after your trainees.

“Damn it!” you hiss, the momentary distraction giving a yōma a chance to graze you across your upper arm. In exchange you take off its arm at the elbow.

You can hear gunfire, and shouting. There's a pained shout in the distance that sounds like a young woman's voice, but you can't see her in the dark. Even as you continue to struggle, completely surrounded on all sides and stumbling over corpses and pieces of corpses in the darkness.

Then you feel the yōki of one of the trainees waver, and hear a faint shout of your own name in the distance.

Exercise over.
>1/2

File: 62670791_p0.jpg (502 KB, 2000x1240)

502 KB JPG

>>3332782
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-4OaG3KmRA
With a powerful burst of yōki you release just ten percent of your maximum, lowering your blade and dashing uphill to the top of a granite boulder in a trail of gore and limbs. With another burst of speed you come to a stop at the far end of the humans' tattered right flank.

A yōma stands with its arm cocked back, about ready to deliver a punishing blow to Jenna who's stepped between his massive form and a badly-wounded Vanessa.

The yōma glances up at its arm to find its hand missing at the wrist.

“Sorry about that,” you apologize, glancing over your shoulder at the stunned trainees and surviving humans. “I was hoping we could get through this without tipping my hand to the one watching us in the distance, but the weight of numbers has become a problem. So I'm canceling the training exercise.”

“Quit talking nonsense!” the yōma whose hand you took just now shouts. “I'm gonna...”

“Ssshhhhh... shshshhhh...” you shush the yōma loudly. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” it demands.

Then the top half of its head slides cleanly away from its neck and jaw.

“Must've just been the wind,” you smirk.

“You're gonna pay for that, lady!” another of the big dumb brutes roars.

“I doubt that.”

The attacker's life ends almost instantly at the end of your blade, its flanking partner's head is abruptly crushed by a punch that you're pretty sure leaves its brain leaking out of its ears. The next one fares no better, nor the one after that, nor the ten after that. Limbs are shattered and removed, bodies are flung through the air like ragdolls or split lengthwise like you might slice a vegetable.

“What the hell is going on?” Jenna demands, her blade still raised despite the fact that you're rapidly depleting her possible opponents.

Just a few seconds later the last yōma dies with a satisfying squelch of blade impaling chest. You're pretty sure you just got both its lungs and its heart with just one attack, but just to be sure you finish disemboweling it as you withdraw your sword.

With a calm flick, you send gore and blood flinging off into the night.
>2/3

>>3332872
“Remember this,” you instruct your trainees, your eyes probably still flickering a menacing gold in the torchlight. “Never go beyond your limits. But within your limits, your ability to sense and use yōki is your greatest asset. Most specialized techniques draw on it... my own 'White Fist' requires about fifteen to twenty percent release in a localized area for a short duration.”

“By continuously releasing ten percent of my yōki, the White Fist effectively reaches a third of my theoretical maximum power for just a second at a time as I slam it into my victims. This is why I say its power scaling upon releasing more yōki compares so favorably to sword-based techniques.”

“I mean, you could have done that at any point!” Jenna realizes aloud.

You nod. “In theory, yes. I deemed it unwise until I realized one of you had been seriously hurt... and the point of this exercise was to see your abilities firsthand anyway. So why not let you show them to me?”

“Hey, you okay Ness?” Alexandra asks, kneeling at her friend's side. Now that you get a better look at them none of them have escaped painful-looking injuries, but only Vanessa's look like they would be lethal were she not a defense-type.

“Can you heal it?”

Vanessa grimaces. “Not a problem. Thanks for the assist... I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if Jenna did something that stupid on account of me.”

“Hang on, that's not fair!” Jenna protests.

Alexandra spares you a glance. “Your yōki is still released.”

“Because I'm not sure the danger has passed,” you admit sternly, turning your head towards where you suspect your observer has hidden herself. “I don't know what will happen next, but I promise that from here on I'll be protecting you with my full ability. Either we all walk away from this or none of us do.”

“That's sweet,” Vanessa coughs. “Grim, but sweet.”

>Wait for the watcher to show herself.
>Help with recovery efforts here, get ready to move at dawn.
>Walk out into the dark. You're the one she's interested in.
>Other?

>>3332935
>Help with recovery efforts here, get ready to move at dawn.

>>3332935
>Help with recovery efforts here, get ready to move at dawn.

>>3332935
>walk out, but inform the others of what you are doing and to run if they feel our yoki wavering to much

Regardless of who is watching, that person is too much for the others to deal with and someone has to inform the organization if something goes wrong

>>3332935
>Help with recovery efforts here, get ready to move at dawn.

>>3332935
>Help with recovery efforts here, get ready to move at dawn.

>>3332935
>Walk out into the dark. You're the one she's interested in.

>>3332935
>>Wait for the watcher to show herself.

>>3332935
>Walk out into the dark. You're the one she's interested in.

>>3332935
>Help with recovery efforts here, get ready to move at dawn.

>>3332935
>Help with recovery efforts here, get ready to move at dawn.

>>3332935
>>Help with recovery efforts here, get ready to move at dawn.

>>3332935
>Help with recovery efforts here, get ready to move at dawn.

>>3332935
“You there!” you bark, pointing to a stunned-looking young man.

He points at himself. “Who, me?”

“Yes, you!” you confirm. “Grab a small sack, fill it halfway with dry rice, and come back here with a torch. The rest of you see to your wounded, and have someone prepare a small meal for my warriors.”

The trio of trainees seem to perk up slightly when you mention them as 'warriors', instead of as 'trainees'. They've been through something tonight no other trainees have experienced, and despite having been thrashed they've come out of it with their lives. They've got every right to call themselves warriors, you figure, even though they could benefit from a bit more polishing and experience.

At least they're not bound to become the type of trainees who get themselves killed only a few months or weeks after being given their emblems. Maybe before, particularly Jenna, but certainly not now.

“You want us to feed them when there are men dying here as we speak!?” one of the bandits, a man who seems to be some kind of lower-ranked leader among those men, protests.

“This isn't over yet,” you tell him with a stern glare. “There's still something out there, something worse than that pack of animals you helped us fend off. Having some food in their bellies will help my warriors recover their strength quicker, and heal their wounds. I hope it won't come to it, but I want them back in fighting shape as soon as possible.”

The young man from a few minutes ago eventually returns with the requested items. “Now what?”

“Now the task of assembling my report begins,” you tell him cryptically. “Hold onto that bag and the torch and follow me closely.”

Through the small hours of the morning you stalk the field of fallen yōma, sweeping methodically past the points where you and the trainees engaged their numbers and retracing their maneuvers. Here and there you stoop low and grab the head of a corpse, slicing off its left ear with your claymore. The young man catches on after the first two or three corpses you tally in this grim fashion, and he struggles to hold back a retch by the time twenty ears are swaying in the sack he carries out at arm's length.

One yōma is still somehow alive when you find him, though not for long. Since your yōki is still at ten percent release it's a simple matter of stomping his back, yanking him up by the hair, and severing his neck like you'd chop a radish with a cleaver. Then you collect his ear as well, before tossing the head aside.

“Forty-six,” you grumble as the young man drops the sack near where your trainees have finished their hasty meal and began taking turns napping. “Three more than our report indicated, I was prepared for. Ten more I could have handled easily enough. But forty-three is a new record, the most useless briefing in the history of briefings.”

You flop down in the dirt next to Vanessa.

“Tomas will be crushed at the loss of his title.”
>1/2

>>3337402
>46 yoma
Gee, Queen What's the Kill ratio of all of them? How many did each trainee get?

>>3337402
By sunrise the news is good. Only seven humans were killed, with nine more being badly injured. An attack by forty-six yōma using small unit tactics should have ended far worse. By all regards it should have been a slaughter the other way around.

“I guess she decided not to take me up on it,” you sigh, finally suppressing your yōki as the sun comes up and the air starts to warm.

“What do you mean?” Alexandra asks.

“Leaving my yōki output raised and walking around out in the dark basically alone?” you muse. “I might as well have sent her a written invitation.”

“So what does that mean?” Vanessa presses.

You shrug. “Not sure yet. It could be a number of things.”

The caravan moves onward, now down several men, leaving piles of decaying yōma as evidence of the battle the night before. You can't sense the presence from last night anymore, though it's not necessarily because she's not still out there. She could simply be adept at disguising her presence, and holding off at a range from which you can't sense her. It's even possible that she can't sense you either, and is simply following where she knows the road is.

>Push on through the day, try and make it to the next town before nightfall.
>Allow the caravan to take its own pace. These people have been run ragged.
>Ride ahead of the caravan, maintain a patrol and scout ahead for them.
>Other?

>>3337489
>Ride ahead of the caravan, maintain a patrol and scout ahead for them.

>>3337489
>Allow the caravan to take its own pace. These people have been run ragged.

>>3337489
>Allow the caravan to take its own pace. These people have been run ragged.

>>3337489
>>Push on through the day, try and make it to the next town before nightfall.

>>3337489
>Ride ahead of the caravan, maintain a patrol and scout ahead for them.

>>3337489
>Allow the caravan to take its own pace. These people have been run ragged.

>>3337489
>Allow the caravan to take its own pace. These people have been run ragged.

>>3337489
>Ride ahead of the caravan, maintain a patrol and scout ahead for them.
There is no guarantee that the next town is a safe haven.

>>3337489
>>Ride ahead of the caravan, maintain a patrol and scout ahead for them.

>>3337489
>>Allow the caravan to take its own pace. These people have been run ragged.

>>3337468
Jenna killed four more or less on her own, Alexa killed three, and Nessa killed two. Another eight were killed by some combination of fighters working together.

That leaves Noel at an even thirty if you add in the scout she killed initially, though some of those had also been peppered by fire arrows and bullets to varying effect.

>>3339525
did the humans get any on their own?

>>3339598
Against monsters with armor plates and permanent PCP strength, at night? They were basically relying on saturation fire to accomplish anything period, and even a lucky headshot at range might not kill a youma. Daze it, injure it, sure.

Were it a daylight engagement between massed rifles and just a few youma things would have looked better.

>>3339624
PCP ?

>>3339836
Phencyclodine, also known as "angel dust". It's a dissociative anesthetic that sometimes puts users in a psychotic state where they can't recognize sensations of pain, leading to the phrase 'PCP strength' to describe someone in such a state.

Police reports include people sustaining multiple lethal gunshots, throwing off restraining officers, and one rapper who in a notable incident apparently killed and ate his roommate while on PCP.

>>3339873
Brutal. Also I this is based in a manga/anime because of a clip someone sent here.

>>3340001
*discovered

>>3340001
The quest? Yes, using the setting only.

>>3337489
You elect to ride ahead of the column, taking Alysheba far forward to investigate the territory that the humans and your recovering trainees are going to pass through. You're careful to note water sources and possible spots where they can rest, and return by lunch.

“There's a place to rest just around the next bend,” you announce to the head of the column. “Shade, fresh water, even some edible plants.”

The humans take this opportunity to quietly gather their strength, water their horses, and change bandages on the wounded from last night. Several of them are still unconscious.

It takes a while, but you also spot a nice place to camp through the night. When you tell the caravan leader and the bandit captain about it, the latter nods thoughtfully.

“A ruined tower on a hill you say?” he chuckles. “We use that place to store supplies we've stolen. Should have some pretty good food tucked away.”

“Then it's settled,” you declare. “We make it that far, stop for the night, then get to the nearest town tomorrow. These people are already exhausted, no sense pushing them past what they can handle.”

“Alright,” the caravan leader decides. “I'm in no position to argue.”

By sundown the caravan is just beginning to situate itself around a large hill near the road, upon which is an old square tower which must have been deliberately slighted at some point. It's too perfectly destroyed to have simply crumbled to time, one wall having been brought down outward away from the center.

“The others are going to settle in amid the ruins,” you explain to your trainees, having tied Alysheba up for the night and left him with a bag of feed retrieved from a nearby rock shelter on the hill where the bandits had a hidden cache. “Tend to the wounded, get some food. Mostly rice, dried potatoes, jerky.”

“Gross,” Jenna grumbles. “Just the thought of eating nothing but dried starch kills my appetite.”

“Then I guess you won't be interested in this,” you cock an eyebrow at her, tossing a large rabbit in a sack at Alexandra. “Can one of you get a fire going?”

You borrow a knife from the caravaners, and cut some herbs from the bottom of the hill to add to the meal. Crushing the fragrant leaves in some water creates a garlic-flavored paste, which you add to the cooking rabbit bits at the last minute for what turns out to be a tasty meal. Between the four of you it leaves your stomach feeling slightly empty, but seems to satisfy the trainees at least.

But the moment can't last, of course.

“Aw, this is nice.”
>1/2

>>3340409
All eyes fall on a tall woman with long, flowing hair and silver eyes. If you didn't know better you'd consider her quite appealing to the eyes. But her outfit isn't a uniform of the Organization and she carries no sword... so this is her.

“Interesting choice,” you greet the newcomer, gently pushing Jenna's sword to the side and gesturing for the others to lower their blades as well. “You three, don't do anything rash. Let me handle this situation.”

“You should listen to her,” the newcomer smiles cheerfully. “Hate to say it, but I don't really have the patience to deal with children and their idiot questions. So it'd be best if you all kept your mouths shut.”

You carefully grasp the edge of Jenna's blade between your fingertips. “Don't.”

“Aw, that cut too close little claymore?” the newcomer teases.

“I was talking to you,” you return your glare to the newcomer. “Noel, number seven. I don't appreciate you trying to goad my charges like that.”

"What do you want?"

“I know who you are, silly,” the newcomer smiles at you this time. “In fact I was told explicitly to avoid fighting you. After what you did to Saria, it's only prudent.”

“So you knew her?” you muse, slowly releasing Jenna's sword from your grip. "I assume you both serve the same power, at least nominally?"

“A fair assumption,” she nods. “She was my senior, at least in terms of age.”

“So you were ranked higher than seven?” you guess.

“Also correct,” she nods. Her eyes, a hard, calculating, predatory stare, meet yours.

“Yulia, the "Silver General" formerly ranked number five.”
>to be continued

She seems like a bitch.

>>3340448
Assessing.

Conclusion: She is.

>>3340466
Where is the trainee handler?

Should confirm with him.

>>3340500
He's no where fucking near here.

So what do you guys think about her possible abilities?

Command related powers maybe? Sensory ability to see/read a battlefield or ability to control things/people?

>>3340516
I'm thinking a cool idea would be readable yoki signals. she sends out little mini bursts and the yoma detected it. Different ones give different commands and the yoma should be trained to react accordingly.

>>3340529
What was the function before she became awakened then?

>>3340540
A sensor type that can call or draw yoma and other yoki sensitive beings to or away from her i suppose? Idk I'm making this shit up.

Great perimeter security. Guess that battle really took its toll.

>>3342968
New thread that no one mentioned in thread.

Bump