Raki stood staring at the swords assembled before him. Not training swords this time, but real warriors' claymore swords. Each one had a unique symbol on it, a symbol that would be the insignia of whoever claimed the sword. Raki had gone through the Claymore training program like all the other female Claymore trainees. It had been long and hard work, but he had powered through it, his new Yoki aura growing stronger every day. It had taken a lot of work to appear weaker than he really was, but it was necessary that the Organization think him an average strength warrior.
And yet here he was, at the graduation exam. He dug through the swords until he found one with an insignia he thought felt... right. It was like two upside down Y's attached, a line going through the stem of the Y's, a line perpendicular to that line going upwards with a half circle, the middle of it resting evenly on the line.
((A/N: I will post the link to the insignia in the comments ))
He tested its weight, the balance of it, and found it comfortable and easy to use. He walked up with the other trainee's, standing in a line in front of a bunch of men in black clothing. He took the exact center spot of the line, Rubel right in front of him, the both of them smiling at each other. Raki sheathed his sword, letting it rest comfortably on his back, and waited until the trainee's all picked swords and got in line.
Rubel spoke up, his eyes never leaving Raki's. "Trainees! Today is the graduation examination. You will be split into four teams of five, and will fight each other to the death. Whichever two teams survive, will become Claymores. It's as simple as that. If you want to live... fight. This abandoned city you see all around you, crumbling and dilapidated as it is, will serve as your battle ground. It's as simple as that. Now, you will be matched up into groups, and we will begin."
Raki waited patiently as he was paired up with a Small girl about a foot shorter than he was, with a slim build, overall very dainty-looking. Then came a girl who was quite tall, long arms and long legs. The next three girls were all of an average size and build, nothing outstanding about them at all.
Then a man in black clothing, a different one this time, spoke up. "Now that all twenty of you are grouped up, it is time for the graduation examination to begin. We will leave, and you will have five minutes, no more, no less, to disperse throughout the city. When you hear the horn, you will begin. I don't think I need to remind you what happens if you don't perform at your best..."
He then turned, and walked out of the city, eyeing a stopwatch every now and then. They soon were out of sight, hidden by the buildings.
The small girl that Raki first met in this group took charge immediately. "Alright, you heard him. Let's get moving. We need to move elsewhere in the city, where the territory is less familiar to everyone." She took off, and Raki ran side by side with her, followed closely by the three other girls. The small girl spoke to Raki without turning her head. "Look, I thought the Organization gave up on male warriors long ago, so I'm hoping the reason you are here is that they made a breakthrough, or that you are an exception. Whatever the case, you better not go over your limit, because if you do, I will kill you. You got that?" she asked.
Raki nodded, smiling widely. "Sure. I understand. I assure you, I won't hold it against you, or anyone, if I ever surpass my limit... I'd expect no less from a Claymore." He said, running through the city at a high speed.
The girl nodded, no smile present on her face. "Good. I'd hate to have to kill someone with such a good heart. I know they say we lose our emotions when we have Yoma flesh put into us, but I know that's not true. You have proven that to me many times as I watched you through training."
Raki took on a slightly perplexed look. "You watched me, huh? Interesting... I guess you know me better than anyone else here, isn't that r-... stop!" he said, feeling a large Yoki aura nearby, one he remembered faintly, from the time he became part Yoma, part human. But this aura... "Do you feel it? It's a Yoma... But its Yoki aura is slightly different than normal..."
One of the average girls stepped forward. "How do you know, huh? We've never fought Yoma before. We've never felt a Yoma's Yoki aura. It could be an animal for all we know..."
Raki grinned. "Why do you think they made me like this? I have experience fighting Yoma... and this aura... it's huge..." He said, looking around. He brought his Yoki down to nothing, not releasing it at all, and felt for what was left. As he did so, a young man walked around a corner, and began moving towards them. Raki frowned, identifying the Yoki as coming from the man. "Pretend you don't know there's a Yoma here, but be ready..."
As the man drew closer, they could hear him speaking. "Please help me... they're after me. They want to kill me, those dreadful men in black cloaks... Please... Help..." As he came right up to them, a sly smile split his face. "Heh... you trainees are always so easy to fool..." He then began changing, his flesh rippling and flowing, as he grew in size, becoming a hulking Yoma three times the size of a normal person. He had a human shape, but with Yoma features. He brought his massive hand down towards the girls, and screamed, "Now you are all going to die here in this city!"