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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[hr]
[@lazarus]